ONE IN A MILLION
The rain was teeming down, literally in sheets, against the tattered
umbrella that had surely seen better days. Trying to hold the umbrella with
one hand, and keep the hood of her raincoat on her head with the other,
Callie trod onwards to reach her destination by ten o'clock p.m., as she had
been instructed to do by that man at the Chinese laundry. She had spent the
past hour riding the town bus [the driver alone was enough to give her the
creeps!], buying useless items at the local convenience store, and now the
final leg of the journey was at hand, or so she hoped. The townhouses she
walked past were mostly darkened shadows, illuminated only by the occasional
streetlight from above. She supposed it was because of the late hour, the
inclement weather, the fact that most people probably had places to go and
things to do at the beginning of the new day that lay ahead of them. The
neighborhood appeared nice - people getting by on a comfortable income,
expensive vehicles in the driveway, perfectly manicured lawns. Peering
through the darkness & the worsening weather conditions, Callie strained to
read the numbers on the townhouse units. Six two seven nine. This was the
address given to her by that old Chinese man at the laundry. Up ahead she
could see where the lights were still on in a townhouse at the end of the
cul-du-sac. With a hastened stride she walked around a large puddle of water
and headed for the house with the lights on.
There were no vehicles parked in this driveway, nor did there seem to be any
sign of life on the inside, from what Callie could observe by glancing
quickly through the windows. As she raised her hand to knock on the door, it
opened, and she was greeted by a casually dressed older gentleman with white
hair and a calming but authoritative voice. "Calandra Harwood, I presume.
Please come in. My name is Hannibal Smith, leader of the A-Team. Here, let
me help you out of this wet coat & offer you something hot to drink in the
kitchen."
"Th..thank you. That would be very nice. And p..please, call me Callie.
Everyone d..does." Callie didn't know if she was shivering from the cold wet
night or just from sheer nervousness. The A-Team! At last! It was hard to
imagine that this was finally the end of a two month ordeal of making calls,
visiting museums, bars, and even a cemetery in order to find this group of
notorious men who in the past have been responsible for helping those in
need. Callie removed from her shoulder bag a pair of warm, dry slippers &
placed them on her feet as she began to follow this man to the back of the
house to the kitchen. She wasn't worried. All the lights were on, although
most of the blinds were drawn. From the kitchen came the sound of a cupboard
door opening and someone retrieving a mug. The aroma of freshly brewed
coffee filled her nostrils and she reveled in the thought of holding a
steaming hot cup of the brew in her numb fingers. At the kitchen counter she
saw a very handsome man, impeccably dressed, as he extended his right hand
towards her. "Hello Calandra. My name is Templeton Peck, but you can call me
Face like everyone else does around here." Callie smiled and shook his hand,
then watched as he turned and poured her a steaming hot cup of coffee.
"Cream & sugar?"
"Yes, please." Callie smiled as she accepted the steamy mug and brought it
to her lips. She thought she could hear the sound of a vehicle entering the
garage of the townhouse. Suddenly, from behind her, a door which led from
the garage into the kitchen opened and Callie's breath caught in her throat.
Standing not more than four feet away from her was the frightening brute of
a man who had been driving the town bus!
"'S o.k., Hannibal. I been keepin' a good close watch and didn't see nobody
followin' us nowhere. The coast is clear." Then the muscle-bound man,
sensing Callie's uneasiness, broke into a great big smile and took a step
towards the frightened woman. "Don't be afraid, little girl. I ain't gonna
let anyone hurt you while I'm around. I'm B.A. Baracus, but you can just
call me B.A." Callie knew that this gentle giant would be her friend, from
the heartwarming smile he emitted, and was soon at ease in the company of
these three charming men.
It was the leader of the team, Hannibal, who broke the silence first. "So,
Ms. Harwood, what brings you here thinking you are in need of our services?
You have indeed gone through a great deal of trouble in order to locate us.
I was filled in briefly by Mr. Lee, and now I would like to hear it from
you. Let's be seated in the living room where it will be more comfortable,
shall we?"
Callie took another long sip of the hot soothing liquid and followed
Hannibal into the other room, Face & B.A. falling in step behind them.
Hannibal walked to the far corner of the room and turned on two more lamps
then, pulling a cigar from his shirt pocket, he lit it and made his way to a
lazy boy recliner and settled in to listen to Callie's troubles once again,
all the while taking in the meager articles of clothing she was wearing. He
began to wonder whether or not this young girl would really be able to
afford their services. The men listened intently as Callie began her tale of
distress.
Callie took a sip of her coffee and was able to think a little more clearly
now that her hands and feet had found some much needed warmth from the rainy
outside which she had just retreated from. She looked at the men who were
waiting patiently, cleared her throat and began talking in her low, soft
voice. "First of all, my name isn't really Callie Harwood. I...I mean...it
IS Harwood in a roundabout sort of way. Harwood is my mother's maiden name.
My real last name is Bertram. I live in a quiet, picturesque resort
community east of Toronto, Canada. I have just recently arranged to buy a
one hundred acre parcel of land on which to build my dream home. I'm single,
my parents are still alive, and I have two younger brothers."
"Wha...wa...wait a minute," Face broke in. "Calandra Bertram? THE Calandra
Bertram? Aren't you the woman who won that multi-million dollar jackpot
lottery a few months back, then...then just disappeared?"
"Well, I didn't know people had thought I just simply disappeared. I begged
& pleaded with the media and the public to please not treat me any
differently than what I was before I had the windfall, but it became
unbearable for me to stay around my home & I needed a break. I haven't
changed. I'm still the same Callie I was in my previous lifestyle. Only
difference is, now I am finding out how tough it is really going to be
having the notoriety of being the wealthiest lottery winner in Canadian
history to date - twenty-five million dollars, to be exact."
Face pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket & dabbed his brow with
it. Hannibal stared intently, taking a long, slow drag on his cigar and
expelling the smoke towards the ceiling. B.A. sat quietly, watching the
others, and said nothing.
"Twen...twen...twenty-five MILLION dollars?" Face was having a difficult
time trying to get a grip on such a huge amount of money to contemplate. Had
their ship finally come in? Was this to be their ultimate client of all
times? He just couldn't believe their good fortune which somehow had seemed
to just drop from nowhere, right into their laps.
It was Hannibal who spoke next. "Well, this certainly is a surprise, and by
all means beyond our expectations. Thing is, Ms., uh, Callie...what do you
need from us?"
Callie looked at Hannibal, then dropped her eyes back to the nearly empty
coffee mug she was holding in her hands. B.A. stood and offered to get her a
refill. "Thank you, B.A.," was Callie's response. "You are very kind." B.A.
nodded and took the mug from Callie and headed for the kitchen. Callie sat
straighter in her chair, squared her shoulders and remarked, "I think
someone is trying to kill me."
Hannibal & Face looked at each other, then focused their attention back on
Callie. Neither spoke for a few seconds, then Hannibal said, "Someone's
trying to kill you? What has happened? How can you be sure?"
"I...I know how this must look, Mr. Smith. But believe me, I am not just
some paranoid crazy woman running around who...who is afraid of her own
shadow or...or who runs from things that go bump in the night. Well, I never
used to be, anyway. Lately that has changed. Certain things have happened to
me that are too far out of the ordinary for me to just ignore. No one, not
my parents, my brothers, or even my closest friend Pat knows I am here in
California to meet with you. They must NEVER know. Please."
"With all due respect, Callie, I'm sure that you would be able to hire the
finest security there is available to help you adjust to this drastic
lifestyle change you seem to be undergoing. Why have you tried so hard these
past two months to reach us and feel that you should obtain our services?
And please, call me Hannibal."
"You're right, Hannibal. Sort of, that is. I have given much of my fortune
away to some of my favorite charities, bought lavish gifts for family and
friends, and have thoroughly enjoyed myself in doing so. But I don't want to
go through the rest of my life having to take bodyguards everywhere I go, be
it when I want to go on vacation, or just simply grocery shopping. I just
want things to be back to normal, live my life the way I was enjoying it
before I won all this money. Everyone amongst my family & friends has been
so well taken care of that I just can't imagine who would be wanting to
bring me any harm. My lawyer is still finalizing my will and estate. I'm
just not wanting a premature demise, shall we say, as I still consider
myself just a kid, having recently celebrated my twenty-ninth birthday. I
know that with the amount of money I now have that I can afford to hire the
'finest' security there is available, but I also want the BEST, and this is
where you and your men come in. I want you to return to Canada with me and,
well, just check things out for yourself. Make sure it's not just an
overactive imagination I may have developed over these past few months and
to come up with explanations as to why the brakes should suddenly fail on my
brand new GMC Jimmy, or why I am constantly having to change my phone number
due to anonymous threats I receive at all hours of the day and night.
Please. I really do need your help on this. What do I honestly have to go to
the police with, that they would even begin to believe me? They would pass
everything off as being the work of some crank, I'm sure. I was hoping to
acquire your services, to have you around incognito, so to speak, so that
nobody would ever suspect you are there for any reason other than just a
friendly visit, or perhaps we could work out a business dealing you would be
wanting to approach me about. I'm not wanting armed guards around the clock.
Do you know what I mean?"
"I can't give you an answer right this minute. I will have to discuss this
venture with my men, one of whom couldn't be here with us tonite. Face? You
know what to do first thing in the morning. I will expect all of us to meet
here again tomorrow evening, nineteen hundred hours sharp. Is that understood?"
"Uh, yeah, understood Hannibal. I'll be on my way to the V.A. hospital first
thing in the morning to make the arrangements to have our pilot released.
Twen-ty-five-mil-lion-dol-lars." Face brought his clasped hands to his
forehead in disbelief as he contemplated his next escape plan to have
Murdock released from the V.A. for the next few weeks. What could he use
this time? A wedding? A funeral? An organ transplant? Oh, this wasn't
getting any easier. These situations had been used so many times in the past
& were starting to wear thin. He would have to sleep on it and decide in the
morning.
"The V.A. hospital? Your pilot? Hannibal, what's this all about?" Callie
asked, surprised at the casual request Hannibal made of Face. By this time
B.A. had returned with a fresh cup of coffee for Callie, and a pot of java
to freshen up everyone's cup.
"Pilot? Murdock? Hannibal, what you talkin' 'bout, man? Where we goin' now?
You know I ain't gettin' on no plane, Hannibal, especially if that foo' is
gonna fly us! B.A. Baracus don't get on no PLANE! And that's that!" Callie
slouched back in her seat as far as she could at the abrupt change in
demeanor B.A. had suddenly displayed. Hannibal smiled at her, then assured
her everything was going to be o.k.
"Relax, Callie. B.A. doesn't like to fly. That's all. Don't let his
gruffness frighten you. He really is a pussycat down deep inside. And B.A.?
Don't worry about a thing. I'm sure we can come up with an alternate form of
transportation should we decide to help Callie in her unfortunate predicament."
B.A. glanced at Callie, then looked suspiciously at Hannibal. "That's good.
You ain't gonna fool me this time, Hannibal. I'm ready for you guys. I AIN'T
GETTIN' ON NO PLANE!"
With his ever present cigar clenched between his teeth, Hannibal smiled
reassuringly at B.A., then spoke once again to Callie. "In the meantime you
can stay here for the night. You have the master bedroom upstairs. B.A. will
be here sleeping on the couch and I guarantee you, no harm will come to you.
Face will stop by in the morning on his way to meet with our, uh, other
member of the team, and he will give you a ride to the airport. Are these
arrangements satisfactory to your liking?"
"Yes, thank you. I will feel quite safe staying here tonite, knowing that
B.A. is in the house. But...you never did explain to me about your pilot at
this V.A. Hospital. Is he o.k.? Does he just work there?"
" Captain H.M. Murdock. We rely on him for all of our air transportation.
He's fine. He, uh, he's just a little different, is all. And he doesn't work
at the V.A. He's a patient in the psychiatric ward." Hannibal smiled again
as he got up to leave. "Face, I need you to give me a ride. Good night,
Callie. I'll be in touch."
"Murdock's a foo'! He's just plain CRAZY, man! He ain't totally with it!"
B.A. looked at the others, growled and went to retrieve some blankets and a
pillow for the couch. Callie went for her bag and started up the stairs for
her bedroom. She shook her head in disbelief. Could these actually be the
guys she had heard and read so much about over the last several years? Would
they really be able to help her abolish this nightmare that had begun
stalking her since this glorious win of a lifetime had been bestowed upon
her? Hannibal was a nice man and seemed very much in control of the
situation. His men listened to him. She liked that. Face was charming in the
sense that she felt he could achieve anything and everything he set out to
do in life. And as for B.A., well, knowing that he was going to be nearby
gave her a safe and comforting thought as she prepared for bed. But an
insane pilot? Now THIS she would have to see to believe.
********************************************************************************
"Who...who ARE you? What do you want? LEAVE ME ALONE!" Callie was awakened
by the pounding of a fist on her door.
"Callie! It's me, B.A.! Are you alright? I'm here for you, don't be afraid!"
Callie eased out of the bed and turned on her bedside lamp. The clock read
4:45 a.m. Reaching for her robe, she opened the door and assured B.A. that
everything was alright, that she had just been having a bad dream. "Thank
you for your concern, B.A.," she said as she brushed his cheek lightly with
her lips. "I...I'll be alright now. I should try & get another couple hours
of sleep before Face gets here. I'm o.k., really." B.A. glanced quickly
around the room, then retreated back down the stairs. He headed for the
kitchen to put on a fresh cup of coffee and thought he would take a quick
look around outside while he was waiting for the pot to brew. Didn't think
he would be getting anymore sleep that night.
Face was in the driveway at eight a.m. sharp. Callie had her bag ready near
the door and was very impressed with the shiny red-on-white corvette that
would taxi her to the airport. "Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?"
Callie, although a bit fatigued from her travels over the past couple of
days and that recurring nightmare that haunted her most nights, managed a
smile and similar greeting. "I'm fine, yes, thank you. Just a bit
overwhelmed with the goings-on of the last day or so. Do you want a cup of
coffee before we leave, or do we have time?"
"We don't have the time. Oh, there should be lots of time to make your
flight - it doesn't leave until this afternoon, right? What I am needing
right now is your assistance at the V.A. Hospital in Westwood to help me
spring Murdock. Ever been involved in running a scam before?" Face smiled as
he placed Callie's bag in the trunk of his car. It was a beautiful day in
Los Angeles. The smog didn't seem quite as heavy as it normally does. There
was so much to see and do here. Callie thought to herself as they began
their journey that she would definitely have to spend more time in this
state, to finally start using some of her winnings on HER enjoyment, HER
needs. The thought of travel excited her. Winning the lottery - the chances
being one in sixty-two million - excited her. It was only recently that some
ONE had decided to dampen her spirits and take so much of the fun and
enjoyment out of her life. That would soon end. She was sure she had made
the right decision in hiring these men to come to her rescue, to once again
allow her to appreciate the finest and best that life would have to offer.
Yes, she definitely WOULD return here again someday.
Callie was impressed with the grounds and the building of the Veterans'
Administration Hospital in Westwood, California. Outside the facility were
patients enjoying the bright sunshiny weather, some being escorted by
nurses, some by orderlies. It was indeed hard to take in these surroundings
when one stopped to reminisce of the horrors of the Viet Nam war. The staff
here appeared to be making the lives of these people as comfortable as they
possibly could. Callie watched with tears in her eyes as she observed a
nurse offering assistance to a man who had obviously lost his legs during
this awful period in time, to see her sensitivity and her compassion showing
through the bleakness this man must have to experience in his everyday task
of living.
"Callie? Are you o.k.?" Face asked as she reached with the back of her hand
to wipe a tear from the side of her face.
"Yes, I'm sorry. This is the first time I have ever had to experience
anything like this first hand. It is so much different than sitting in a
classroom in a country where we weren't as affected by the war and just
reading from a textbook all the horrors these people had to experience."
Callie reached out as Face offered her his neatly folded, clean handkerchief.
"Unfortunately for a lot of these men, the injuries aren't just physical
ones. A lot of them suffer from some form of mental distress as well. Our
friend whom you are about to meet has spent the last ten years of his life
here. Captain H.M. Murdock, one of the finest chopper pilots Nam had to
offer. He saved our lives more time than I care to remember when we were
together in those days. Today he is still as much a part of the team as the
other three of us. We just have to be, uh, imaginative as to how we get him
away from here to assist in his duties with the rest of us, you know? I'm
sure you will like him." Face opened the door for Callie then made his way
around to the back of the car, opened the trunk & retrieved a garment bag.
"I have some military-style clothing here I would like for you to wear. All
you have to do is back me up, just try & look the official military type, ya
know what I mean? Have you ever done any acting before?"
Callie sufficed a smile as she donned the jacket & hat, then tried to shrug
her way into the 'brief' skirt which Face had supplied her with. "Are you
serious? Face, where's the REST of this thing?" she asked as she shimmied
the skirt over her hips and tried to wriggle out of her jeans.
"Ah, yes, I'm sure you will be, uh, MOST convincing inside. With any luck,
we will be confronted by men only. Shouldn't be a problem then." Face smiled
his approval as he checked Callie over from head to toe, her frame he
guessed to be approximately 125-135 lbs., brown eyes, long curly brown hair.
"Shall we?" He did an about face after he, himself had put on his jacket &
hat. He had already come dressed in his military trousers. Callie, noticing
that Face had left the trunk slightly open on the vette, took the clipboard
he had given her as a prop and proceeded to fall into step behind her
"commanding officer" to meet the challenge of actually breaking a patient
out of this facility that loomed before her. This could be fun! Much to
Callie's surprise, though, NOTHING could have ever prepared her for what she
was about to confront within the confines of this hospital...
********************************************************************************
[Viet Nam]
The hearty laughter of the soldiers prevailed in the bar of this godforsaken
part of the world that most believed God HAD forsaken. It had been a quiet,
good day. Any day you survived in these jungles was a good day. All seemed
quiet for a day or so, and the men had been given an entire evening off to
have some drinks and to try & forget why they were really here. Another
round of drinks had just arrived at the table - the eighth? Tenth? Who could
keep track now? Colonel John Hannibal Smith was teetering back in his chair,
enjoying the somewhat jovial mood of the others around him, making sure that
everyone had the opportunity to let loose, but also to make sure they would
remain safe and aware at the same time. After his third drink, he had
decided to indulge much more slowly in order to ensure the safe return of
his platoon to their assigned quarters, oh, sometime before or by dawn,
anyway. Sargent Bosco B.A. Baracus seemed fine. He had downed several drinks
but still appeared to be very much in control of his senses as he laughed at
the hilarious antics of his comrades while listening to everybody's
favorite, C.J. Mack and the Blood Simple album which was all the rage of the
Viet Nam vets. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck could hardly contain himself as he
downed his double shot of whiskey, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and
continued to talk to his friend who appeared to be nearly as incoherent as
he was.
"Aw, c'mon Murdock! What've ya got to lose? It would be great for a laugh
and the chicks would really, really dig it! Whaddya say, old pal? Here,
here's my twenty bucks that says you can do it. Any...[hiccup]...any other
takers here? Huh? C'mon you guys! Who wants to see Murdock streak through
the bar?" More laughter as several more bills, all twenties, made their way
on top of the pile that was forming before Captain H.M. Murdock. Looking
over his recently acquired wealth, a smile started to grow on the lips of
the young chopper pilot as he stood on wobbly legs, lifted his glass in the
air, managed to slur some sort of salute to himself and to his unit, and
proceeded to down the three quarters full glass of tequila in only four or
five uninterrupted gulps. A cheer of approval rose from his table full of
friends as Murdock fought to gain control of his vision, placed his glass on
the table and tried to excuse himself to uh, take matters into his owns
hands for a few minutes, as he put it. With his ever infamous howl he
managed to turn and head for the washroom facilities which were at the back
of the bar. Hannibal smiled and lit another cigar as he watched Murdock make
his unstable way through the crowd to attend to business.
What happened next, well, it's hard to tell. Only those men deemed sober
enough to know their names could possibly be relied upon to tell the truth.
A bit of a commotion had arisen at the back of the bar, causing some patrons
to do a double take, then major fits of laughter, catcalls and wolf whistles
could be heard above the hubbub that was apparently being created. Hannibal
stood on his chair to obtain a better look at what could have been the cause
of the sudden burst of excitement. There, running through the crowd wearing
nothing but his dogtags and carrying his helmet in front of his midsection
was his chopper pilot, holding his head high and making his way hurriedly
from the back of the room towards the door at the front. By this time the
entire table of soldiers was on its feet, with the exception of the now
passed out Lieutenant Peck. B.A. was laughing uncontrollably as he cheered
his friend on. Too bad someone didn't have a camera right about now. Face
was NEVER gonna believe this, and it was being done for HIS benefit!!! This
made the situation seem all that much more funny.
"Colonel, colonel sir, begging your pardon, but I [hic] must make [hiccup]
make my way outside and...and to the back of the building where my clothes
[hiccup] seemed to have dropped through...through an open window." Murdock
was trying to keep as straight a face as possible. Hannibal on the other
hand was nearing the point of totally cracking up, along with the rest of
his men, as he managed a quick salute to the mostly naked soldier & watched
him make his retreat from the bar. About this time he was quite glad that
his platoon would be spared any missions for the next couple of days. He had
a strange feeling it would take that long for the men to recuperate...
********************************************************************************
Face and Callie made their way up the elevator to the fourth floor where
Murdock was supposed to be in a therapy session for the better part of the
morning. He was a tad worried about the stunt he feared Murdock might be
about to pull and therefore did not fill Callie in on everything that might
happen. As they exited the elevator and made their way down the corridor, he
began to recall the conversation he had had with Murdock the previous evening.
"Now Face, I'm tellin' ya, you've got nothing to worry about. I have the
situation under control. No need to worry about which part of my anatomy you
have to donate to scientific research for...for the betterment of mankind. I
have an idea. Do you remember that night in Nam when I made a hundred and
sixty bucks at the bar?" Face contained a shudder as he thought about what
his friend might have up his sleeve. He had heard stories about this get
together one evening in the Viet Nam bar to let of a little steam, but
wasn't able to remember much of the circumstances surrounding that evening's
events. Nonetheless, would Murdock actually have the NERVE to pull off what
he THOUGHT he was going to pull off? Nah, he didn't think so. After all,
Murdock was a decent and respectable sort. Sure, he had spent most of his
years since the war confined to these facilities, but was that really
necessary for the young Captain, or just a cover-up for an elaborate hoax?
Glancing out of the corner of his eye he noticed a serious and solemn
looking Callie at his side. She looked the part, and he was certain they
could pull this off, no problem.
All of a sudden chaos seemed to erupt from down towards the end of the
corridor. Several nurses came out from behind their stations to see what the
disturbance was all about, then most covered their mouths in disbelief.
There at the end of the hallway was H.M. Murdock, visible beyond the
shoulders of the doctor and other patients who had obviously been in session
with him. He was jogging towards Face & Callie, wearing nothing but his ever
present black & white running shoes and holding his blue baseball cap over
his midsection as he incoherently yelled something about this being for the
benefit of Face who had missed it all the first time around. A very bemused
Face and somewhat shocked Callie stood off to the side and watched as
Murdock jogged right on past them, mumbled to meet him at the car, and
exited through the doorway and down the stairs. By the time the nurses had
come to their senses and had summoned for security, Murdock was gone. Face
looked at Callie and said "C'mon, let's get out of here before someone
questions as to what we are here for in the first place. We have to head for
the vette and split - now!" Callie snapped back to her senses and realized
that she had just met more of the insane chopper pilot than what she had
bargained for, and like the good little soldier she was supposed to be,
followed Face outside and to the parked corvette.
By the time Face & Callie had reached Face's car, there stood a half-dressed
man shrugging into a plaid shirt and acting nonchalantly as if nothing had
happened, buttoning his shirt as he spoke. "Face, I gotta give ya credit,
buddy. It was a GREAT idea to pack these extra clothes for me in the trunk
of your car and leaving them accessible for me." Murdock then ran around to
the side of the car and bent down to peer in the side mirror, placed the
blue baseball cap on his head, and hopped in the passenger seat. By this
time, Face had taken his place behind the wheel. "Uh, darlin'? I...I hope
you don't mind sharing a seat with moi. Face's automobiles ain't exactly
designed to accommodate a crowd, if ya know what I mean." From about a block
away could be heard the shouts of the orderlies who were obviously looking
for the ever-escaping patient Murdock. H.M. then jumped out of the car, held
the door for the still somewhat dazed Callie, and stated, "Sweetheart, I
hate to rush things along here, but we really do have to hurry. The
cavalry's a-comin'!" Shaking back to reality, Callie quickly got into the
car and squeezed towards the console as best she could while Murdock managed
to mold himself in beside her. Next stop: L.A.X.
********************************************************************************
"Face told me a little bit about you and about what your problems seem to
be, last night, when we were talking." Murdock adjusted his weight in the
seat slightly and brought his left arm up around Callie's shoulders to allow
for her to have a bit more room and to lean back into the seat. Face noticed
this move from the corner of his eye and smiled to himself. "Ah, well," he
thought. "I must be losing my touch - just didn't make all the right moves
fast enough on this one."
Being this close to the handsome stranger, Callie couldn't help but notice
how easy it was to get lost in the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever
seen. Trying to manage a glance at Murdock as he spoke, she drank in his
rugged masculine features, his strong jawline, the broad shoulders, and last
but not least, that incredible smile that one could die for. Oh, yeah. She
forgot that was why she was here. To hopefully enlist the services of these
men to help PREVENT her from dying. All in all, she certainly was smitten
with this incredibly likeable chopper pilot whom she had met a mere hour
ago. There was something in the gentle tone of his voice that told her she
could undoubtedly trust this man with her life. And best of all, she
couldn't believe that he actually wasn't making a play for her because of
her money!
"Ya know," Murdock continued, "Face tells me that a few months ago you won a
big Canadian lottery - something like twenty-five million dollars. Well, I
myself find it hard to distinguish between twenty-five cents, twenty-five
dollars, or as in your case, this twenty-five million dollars. Monetary
success has never, ever been a high priority on my list of things to
accomplish in this lifetime. Nosiree. Now, we as a team do have Face here to
rely on as far as squirreling away our earnings in retirement funds for our
futures down the road. Providing we make it that far, that is. Our work we
do can sometimes be considered high risk, but it sure is fun, huh Face? And,
I might add, where I live I get my room & board, three squares a day, and
all the crazy antics and hijinks I can possibly think up. Old Face and me,
we sure have been through a lot of good scams together, right Face my man?"
Murdock smiled as he glanced over towards his buddy driving the car, and at
the same time caught the delectable scent of Callie's hair. Slowly he
extended his long, slender fingers and caught a lock of her hair from behind
where she wouldn't be aware, and couldn't help but notice how soft it was.
How long had it been since he had been involved in a relationship, let alone
having been this close to a woman? He couldn't remember. His cover at the
V.A. and his work with his team had taken up pretty much all of his spare
time these past few years. Oh, there had been the odd date or two, the
fix-ups Face had arranged for him, but nothing serious. Yep, he thought,
it's been too long.
*******************************************************************************
The atmosphere at the Los Angeles Airport was hectic. Callie had never been
to such a large terminal before and was quite overwhelmed by it all. Even
the parking garage was itself a huge monstrosity that could be frightening
and overpowering to a quiet country girl like herself. She was glad for not
having much luggage - only her shoulder bag which she just carried on the
plane with her. It appeared as though the walk into the airport was going to
be quite lengthy.
Face slowed down at the attendant's booth, retrieved the parking ticket &
proceeded to climb the several stories to find a place to park his prized
possession - his corvette. It wasn't necessary to travel this far, to be so
isolated from the rest of the parked vehicles, but Face couldn't bear the
thought of his beloved car to sustain any damage in his absence. There
wouldn't be a problem taking the elevator down to the main level again. He
glanced in his mirror several times at the dark sedan that seemed to be in
view more often than not. It seemed strange that this car would be going to
the same area of the parking garage as they were. Shrugging it off as
coincidence, he continued on his way until he pulled onto the fifth story
where the vehicles were widely spaced. He felt his car would be free from
damage here. Getting out of his car and looking around, he noticed the dark
sedan parking at the very far end of the garage from where they had decided
to park. He began to relax.
Murdock got out of the car and extended his hand towards Callie, all the
time smiling and never taking his eyes off her for a minute. Callie let him
help her out of the car, happy for the opportunity to finally be able to
stretch her legs and see if she could possibly measure up to her 5'4" frame
again. Standing this close to Murdock, she soon realized that he had to be
at least six foot tall the way he was looking down at her. She found it very
hard not to imagine having those strong arms around her, to hold her and
reassure her that everything would turn out alright, and that there wasn't
really anyone out to get her. Maybe this would all turn out to be nothing
more than just a figment of her imagination after all. "I, uh, I guess I'd
better get my bag from the trunk." Callie started to slide by Murdock who
moved so very slightly that she still had to brush up against him as she
headed for the back of the car.
"Let's go, you two. The elevator is just over here a few spaces away." Face
had spoken and broke the spell that had seemed to be cast over his friend
and this attractive stranger they might have to work for in Canada. The
three of them stepped out into the driveway of the parking garage, Callie
walking in between the two men, and made their way towards the elevator. The
chain of events that occurred next happened so fast that, to Callie,
everything seemed a blur.
It was Murdock who was the first one to hear the revving of the engine as
the sedan roared right towards them. Without a moment's hesitation, he
locked his arms around Callie and did a major dive and roll to their left.
There were too many empty parking spaces where Face had chosen to park, so
Murdock decided to roll them entirely out of the path of danger, and they
ended up behind one of the cement pillars out of harm's way and where they
wouldn't be rammed by this maniac who was apparently out to get them. Face
in the meantime had flung himself to the right and, noticing that Callie was
safe with Murdock, pulled his revolver and fired unsuccessfully at the
retreating vehicle. It had bounced off a couple of parked vehicles in its
haste to get away from them. Face couldn't make out the blackened license
plate which, to him, was a dead giveaway that this had been a deliberate
attempt on the life of Callie Bertram. Keeping his gun in his hand for extra
safety, he looked over where Murdock & Callie had taken a tumble and made
his way over to them.
Callie couldn't breathe and couldn't move. All of the joints on her body she
could possibly name were hurting, and even a few she couldn't think of. Her
eyes were still closed tightly when she heard Murdock talking to her after
what had seemed like ages, although everything was over with in only a
matter of seconds. She opened her eyes and was staring directly into the
eyes of the man who had been her rescuer. Murdock was still laying on top of
Callie with his arms protectively wrapped around the back of her head & neck
so as to prevent injury when they did the drop & roll sequence. He had been
taught well, both in Nam and with the occasional workout maneuvers that
Hannibal insisted upon for them to keep in shape.
"Sweetheart? Callie? Are you o.k.?" Murdock started to ease himself up off
of Callie and began checking her arms & legs for any sign of injury lest she
had broken something. Face had arrived by their side & was attempting to
help the two of them up off the cement floor.
"I...I...can't...breathe...," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around
her abdomen. The guys had helped her into a sitting position and brought her
legs up to her chest with her head and arms resting on her knees.
"It's alright. There, that's it. Just take long, slow breaths. You'll be
o.k. in a minute." Murdock's voice was soothing and compassionate. "It's
nothing like all those action stunts you see on t.v. where...where the
heroes always come out unscathed, is it? This really does hurt a whole heck
of a lot more, in real life." His voice was reassuring as he did another
quick check on Callie's back, just to make sure she was o.k.
"Murdock, we have to get to a phone. Now. Hannibal has to be told what just
happened here and what we should do for Callie's safety. Let's go!" The guys
helped Callie to her feet, and the three of them made their way back to
Face's car to descend the five stories back to the main level of the parking
garage. The car was now the farthest thing away from Face's thoughts. Even
though the team had not accepted this new job, he felt his first priority
was still to protect this young woman who had sought out their help. Callie
still walked in between the two men, only this time they each had an arm
around her shoulders. Face had tucked his revolver in his belt just inside
his jacket, but also kept a close eye on their surroundings in case he had
to reach for it again in a hurry. He felt they would be safe now, for the
time being.
"Yes...yes, I did notice the car following us, Hannibal, but it didn't
appear too threatening at the time. And who would have guessed that anyone
would ever have tried anything to harm her, this far from her home? I know,
I know, and I'm sorry! No. There doesn't appear to be any immediate danger
right at the moment. Yes she is, she's right here with us. That's right.
Murdock is here as well. We went to get him first." There was an extended
silence as Murdock & Callie watched Face's expression as he was being
instructed by their colonel. "Right, right...yes, I think that can be
arranged. I'll make sure and see to it myself. Right. O.K. I'll be in touch
after the flight leaves & let you know." With those parting words, Face hung
up the phone and turned to address Murdock & Callie. "Um, Murdock? You got
any emergency cash on you for traveling?"
Murdock glanced at Callie, then looked back towards Face. "What? Yes. I...I
mean, NO! I don't have any extra cash on me! You know I don't carry that
much extra at any time. What use would I have for it?"
Face sighed and withdrew his wallet as he began to explain what Hannibal's
instructions were. "One of us is to board the plane with Callie and make
sure she is returned safely back to Canada. I can't do it because...well,
because I have this big important date tonite and...and because I just don't
have a thing to wear! You will have to accompany Callie back to her home,
and according to Hannibal, the rest of us will be there by weekend. I have
enough money here to pay for your ticket and to give you lots of extra cash
to have on hand." Face extended his hand and Murdock took the cash. "Oh, &
here - I almost forgot. You're going to need this fake id for entering into
Canada. Here's a driver's license, birth certificate, passport, and for an
added bonus, a library card."
"Well, I guess I won't be missed at the V.A. for awhile. I'll still just be
considered AWOL for now. So Callie, how's the weather in Canada this time of
year anyway?" Murdock shot Callie a wide grin as he tucked away the cash and
looked over the phony identification Face had just given him, as well as
preparing to accept his assignment to accompany Callie for the six hour
flight back to Canada. "Well Callie, I guess you can just call me, uh,"
Murdock looked down at his new identity and smiled, "Mike Johnson, for the
length of the flight back to Canada, anyway."
Callie's head was hurting & she began to wonder how things had some this far
so quickly. It was just yesterday she had been on her way to meet with these
men who were on the most wanted list by the Military. And now here she was,
in the company of two of them, and being told that one of the men - the
irresistible one - would accompany her on the plane and back home. And she
couldn't help but wonder who on earth would know she was here, and who was
out to cause her harm. Knowing that Murdock would accompany her home, she
soon tried to relax and began to feel that everything would be o.k. as long
as he was around. After the tumble in the parking garage, she had managed to
stuff a few strewn items back into her bag, which was now on her shoulder,
as she & Murdock made their way to the ticket counter, and then proceeded to
board the plane. Murdock had insisted that their seats be on the left or
right side of the plane, and to the back where it would be easier for him to
keep an eye on Callie and to watch for anything suspicious as far as their
being watched was concerned.
********************************************************************************
Callie had the seat by the window. Neither one of them had said much of
anything for the first hour of the flight. The stewardess had come around &
each had ordered a refreshment - a vodka & orange for Callie, and a ginger
ale for Murdock. After her nerves had calmed down from the incident at the
parking garage and she had finished her drink, Callie began to talk to her
travel companion. "You know, you don't seem all that crazy to me. Well,
except for the incident at the V.A. hospital when we went there to pick you
up. What on earth was that all about, anyway?" She watched as Murdock took
another sip of his ginger ale and flashed a smile at her as he began to
explain, starting with the incident at the bar when they were in Viet Nam.
Callie derived a lot of enjoyment from the tale Murdock had to offer, not to
mention that she just plain enjoyed his company, the sound of his voice, and
that crooked but blinding smile that just wouldn't quit.
"I don't know if I really should be considered crazy or insane," Murdock
continued. "It's just that I have been at the V.A. now for so long, well, it
really does seem like home to me. But where there is trouble and my team
calls upon me to jump in and help, well, I'm always ready, willin' and able.
And the gettin' out part at the hospital? Well, most of the time it's just a
whole lot of fun during the escape process as we try & come up with as many
ways as we can to bust me out." He continued on by mentioning to Callie some
of the different escape methods they had used in the past, including his
bouts with serious illnesses, his many organ transplants, and one he
remembered quite fondly, the time that he tried to tunnel his way out of the
hospital and ended up in the boardroom with a roomful of psychiatrists who
claimed there was never really anything wrong with him. He wasn't long
springing into action for this one as far as proving his sanity, or lack of,
was concerned.
Callie listened with great amusement as Murdock unveiled his favorite escape
schemes from the V.A. Before long, though, she was beginning to feel
somewhat drowsy just from the second drink she had consumed and thought she
would try & make herself comfortable in her seat to try & get some rest. She
hadn't slept very well the previous night at all because of that same
recurring nightmare of someone out to harm her. Tucking her pillow towards
the window and wrapping up in a blanket, she lay her head to one side and
closed her eyes.
What she remembered a few hours later was a gentle nudge on her shoulder and
a tender caress on her cheek. As she awakened back to consciousness and
opened her eyes, she found that, while she was asleep, she had shifted in
her seat and was now resting with her head on Murdock's shoulder and her arm
around his waist. She could also feel a protective arm around her shoulder.
Looking up at him and trying to regain her senses, she tried to apologize
for having leaned over towards him the way that she had. All she got in
return was that gorgeous smile and an explanation from Murdock that it had
been no trouble at all, and that maybe she might want to go & freshen up a
bit before the plane landed in Toronto. It had just been announced that they
would be landing in twenty minutes which was the reason he had awakened her
to begin with.
********************************************************************************
After they exited the terminal, Callie explained to Murdock that it was
approximately a two hour drive to where she lived and that her truck was
parked nearby.
"No, we won't be taking your truck home. We'll just grab a taxi for now and
I'll arrange for your truck to be towed home. This is the safest way until
we can get the vehicle to your place and have it expertly examined as far as
mechanical failure is concerned." Murdock spoke with such genuine concern in
his voice that Callie didn't think twice about following his instructions.
As luck would have it, there was a couple getting out of a limousine and
Callie overheard them talking about where they had just come from. It just
so happened that they were from the east where she lived, so they quickly
made arrangements with the driver to accept them as passengers for the ride
home. Callie couldn't believe their good fortune. Murdock felt it was a safe
move and felt much better traveling this way rather than just in a taxicab.
For as many parts of the world as he had traveled, Murdock thought that this
part of Canada was quite appealing to the eye for a first time visitor such
as he. Toronto certainly did live up to its reputation as being a very clean
city, although they were bypassing most of it on the highway as they made
their way through traffic. As they traveled farther to the east, he could
see they weren't far from the shores of Lake Ontario, and also took in the
scenic rolling countryside and the many farms in the area.
After about two hours of driving, Callie instructed the driver to a
particular exit number and told him to proceed north for several miles.
Soon they were on a highway traveling east again and Murdock was looking
over one of the prettiest lake views he had ever seen. They continued on
until they reached a gravel road that Callie asked the driver to turn down.
"This isn't actually where I live, well, not yet anyway. I'd like to show
you where it is that I am building my new dream home," Callie explained to
Murdock as he was admiring the scenery around him. Soon they were at a
hilltop that was overlooking the entire Rice Lake area, a view from the
east, looking towards the west where the sun was now in the process of
setting. It had been fairly early in the day when they left Los Angeles, but
there was a three hour time difference now that they were here in Canada.
Murdock looked over the framework of the house as Callie continued to
explain to him how she would have the finished product appear. The viceroy
style home would be a mansion by no means, but would certainly make for
comfortable living. "I am planning four or five bedrooms in the home, most
to be on the main or lower levels. A spiral staircase will lead to the upper
level which will be mostly my domain. It will be here that I will claim my
master bedroom complete with walk-in closet, five piece bath, and my own
lounging and entertainment section where I enjoy reading and watching my
many favorite movies and t.v. shows on video. There will be a balcony
leading from my bedroom, as well as a full deck around the house on the main
level. And as you can see, the windows will be from floor to ceiling on this
side of the house that overlooks the lake," Callie concluded. Murdock
listened with great interest as he had always imagined that one day he would
be given the opportunity to have a place of his own, a loving companion by
his side, and perhaps even a family someday. Listening to some of Callie's
plans had awakened this long thought of secret desire of his.
After they walked the perimeter of the house and had taken in the
attractiveness of the property itself, Murdock brought his hand to his chin
and thought for a moment. "You know," he began, "this is a really great
cover for bringing the others here to the area. They could come here posing
as some sort of special designers or advisors to you as to how the house
should be completed."
Callie thought for a moment, then she too agreed that it could possibly work
as she was thoroughly dissatisfied with the way things had been moving along
thus far and was ready to take more of the decision making on the house into
her own hands. In the meantime, Murdock, who was still looking out for
Callie's safety, took a good look at their surroundings, then the two of
them stood silently and watched as the sun continued to set over the western
horizon of the lake below them. Soon they were on their way to the house in
the village where Callie still resided until her new home was complete.
As soon as they had reached Callie's place, she settled with the limousine
driver and once again expressed her gratitude on his helping them out by
giving him a very generous tip. The amazed and delighted driver accepted the
gift and was soon on his way. Murdock was busy studying their surroundings,
the location of the house, the neighbors on either side, the ones who lived
across the road - everything he could possibly take in in order to know what
he would be up against as far as their safety would be concerned. "This
looks like a very nice place as well, but I can see where the other property
will afford you much privacy and allow you to stay away from public view, at
least until the excitement of the lottery win dies down," he said to Callie.
"How soon do you expect to be living in the new house?" he asked.
"I hope to spend my first Christmas there this year," she told him. "Do
Hannibal or the others really know anything about interior design? I would
really appreciate any and every bit of help I can possibly get, and besides,
it could prove to be a lot of fun in the end."
"Well, it was just one of my spur-of-the-moment ideas, so we will have to
wait until they arrive this weekend and find out for sure. Now, would you be
so kind as to accompany me inside and give me a tour of the whole house? I
am wanting to inspect it from top to bottom to see how we rate as far as
security is concerned." Murdock stood with his arm outstretched, signaling
for Callie to move on ahead of him and open the door. Once they had
entered, Murdock took Callie's hand and told her to stay a step or two back
at his side, just to be safe, and she could instruct him where to go. They
were turning on all the lights in the house as they moved along, and he was
checking for locked windows, any signs of a disturbance in the house while
Callie had been away, whatever might seem out of the ordinary for them.
Eventually Callie assured him that everything appeared to be quite normal
with nothing seeming out of the ordinary. She had had a close friend and
neighbor come over and keep watch on her home in her absence.
They had begun to ascend the staircase when Murdock heard a noise coming
from the upstairs area. He turned to Callie and instructed her to stay on
the stairs where she stood while he turned on another light and started to
look around. He couldn't help but notice the smile Callie had on her lips
and faced her to question as to what the noise might have been. Then he
turned away again quickly to face the direction from where the noise had
originated, and was now looking at one of the biggest, fattest cats he had
ever seen! He relaxed and smiled, reaching down to scratch the fluffy head
that was eager for his attention. "Well, hey there, big fella! What's your
name?"
Callie wasn't able to contain her giggle as she introduced Murdock to her
roommate Ralph. "This is the only companion I have who shares this house
with me, for the time being anyway. We go back a long ways together, me &
Ralph." She took a step ahead of Murdock and turned on more lights to the
upstairs bedrooms. "This is where I sleep, and you can have this room next
to it. The room across the hall is also another bedroom which I use to store
things, and down the hall is a small three piece bathroom. I'll get some
fresh linens and make up the spare room for you," Callie said as she opened
the closet type door beside the bedroom she used for storage. She retrieved
the fresh bedding and extra pillows, and proceeded into the room Murdock was
to use next to hers. Murdock walked around to the far side of the bed and
started to help Callie make it.
Twenty minutes later found them back downstairs and enjoying a cup of hot
chocolate on the couch in front of the small fireplace in Callie' living
room. "My new house will have a fireplace as well, only I may opt for a gas
model - possibly propane since living this far out in the country we can't
access natural gas. I have really enjoyed it in a couple of friends' places
I have visited and find it a clean and enjoyable way to enjoy a cozy evening
in front of a fire. I don't think I would be much at chopping and carrying
wood for a normal fireplace."
"Oh, but don't you just love the smell of wood burning, especially on a
cold, crackling winter's eve?" asked Murdock. "I don't think there is much
more I would enjoy than spending hours working away at storing wood for the
winter, then spending the time indoors and benefiting from all the sweat and
hard labor I had put into preparing the wood for all those comfortable and
romantic evenings during the cold season." Murdock looked into Callie's eyes
and hesitated a few seconds, realizing what he had just mentioned about the
cold weather and romantic evenings.
Callie looked back for a moment then turned her head and her thoughts back
towards the fire as she continued to sip her hot drink. Was she really here
in the company of this handsome stranger who she hardly knew, and listening
to him explain how he thought cold winter evenings, fireplaces and romance
just naturally went together? How long had it been since she had actually
experienced such a relationship? And who would she be kidding to even begin
to think that anything could possibly ever become of the situation that was
now at hand before them? She tried to think that this man was just part of a
team of expert men she had hired to help protect her for awhile until the
notoriety of her lottery win had faded into old news. What could he possibly
ever see in her, except for the fact that she was his next job and his next
paycheque? Surely a man as likeable as this Murdock must have someone
special waiting for him back in California. Someone who would laugh at his
jokes and enjoy his incredible sense of humor, not to mention that
hypnotizing smile that Callie could just not tear her eyes away from at
times. She finished her hot chocolate and with a yawn and stretch said that
she had been through quite a bit over the last couple of days, and thought
she would excuse herself to go to bed.
Murdock had finished his drink as well and stood with Callie as she headed
for the stairs. He started up the stairs behind her, not bothering to shut
off any lights or double check the doors first. "I want to see you to your
room first, then I will come downstairs and make sure everything is secure,"
he told her as they reached her bedroom door. The first time he had checked
her room he noticed how nicely decorated everything was in the lilac and
white she had adorned her room with, including the curtains, bedspread, and
even the mauve colored rug. The light was still on and he stuck his head in
the room to have a quick look around, trying not to be too invasive on her
privacy here. He turned and met her in the doorway and, without even
thinking, placed his hand on the side of her head. "Everything will be o.k.
here. I'm going downstairs to check on things and will be back up here and
in my room in ten minutes." He dropped his hand and headed back down the
stairs.
Callie stood in the doorway and watched as he descended the stairs, then
backed into her room slowly and pushed on the door, although not tight
enough to close it. She was beginning to feel so angry with herself for the
way she was allowing herself to feel. She couldn't get out of her mind the
earlier conversation they had been having about the romantic evenings in
front of a fire, and now she could still feel the gentle touch of his hand
against her cheek, the way he stood so close to her when he spoke. "Oh, for
crying out loud, quit being such a simple-minded little school girl!" she
scolded herself. This man would no doubt have the same sort of affection for
her as he would for her cat Ralph. With that in mind she turned to her
closet and began to change into something a little more comfortable.
"What is wrong with your head, besides the fact that you are supposedly
insane?" Murdock was asking himself as he did one final check of the
downstairs. What on earth would this girl ever see in this sort of gangly,
crazy type of man that he was? Especially one that could probably now choose
from any man she could ever want to keep the company of? Oh, he was sure he
would be able to live the rest of his life quite comfortably. Face had seen
to that for the four of them with their investments, their business holdings
and shares in the properties of the people they had managed to help over the
years. No, he was sure that she would undoubtedly go for a more worldly,
more sophisticated being such as Templeton Peck rather than someone like
him. He was here at his commanding officer's request to perform a job, and
that was to remain in the company of and ensure the safety of this new
client of theirs until the rest of his unit arrived and tried to determine
what her problems really were. This is what he was expected to do, and he
knew he could do it well. From now on he would push all thoughts aside
except for the fact that he was to keep Callie safe from harm for the next
few days. He would call Hannibal first thing in the morning and report what
their situation was so far. So with the windows checked, the doors locked,
and the lights out except for one small light left on in the kitchen, he
quietly made his way back up the stairs to his room.
Once he reached the top, he couldn't help but notice that Callie's bedroom
door was ajar. He slowly crept towards the ray of light which was emitting
from her room and, although he knew he shouldn't, peered inside. Callie was
standing on the far side of her room at a bookcase perusing a number of
novels she had on the shelves. The satiny nightgown she was wearing had to
be about the most incredible shade of purple he had ever seen, with lace
trim on the back of it that extended nearly to her waist, revealing some
matching satin lingerie she was wearing beneath the garment. Suddenly Callie
began to turn away from the shelf with a book in her hand, and Murdock
quickly stepped back into the shadows and headed over to his room. He felt
this would no doubt be a long and sleepless night.
*******************************************************************************
The next morning Callie awoke to the mouth watering aroma of breakfast being
prepared. Outside the sky was only just beginning to show signs of the new
day, and Callie looked over at the alarm clock on her night stand. "Six
fifteen? In the morning??? Oh....," was about all she could muster as she
climbed out of bed and made her way to the closet to get the matching robe
to the negligee she had decided to wear the night before. Looking at herself
in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile as to why she had chosen this
extravagant ensemble in favor of the old baseball jersey she loved to sleep
in. Without any further hesitation, she turned and headed downstairs for the
kitchen.
Murdock enjoyed this time of the day. To him, the morning was the most
important part of his daily routine. He was always an early riser and,
although not having attained the status of gourmet cook, still was able to
prepare a nourishing hearty breakfast to begin the day. This morning he had
cooked a delicious western omelet for himself and for Callie with the
ingredients he had managed to gather together out of her refrigerator. He
thought he was prepared for anything as far as looking after Callie was
concerned. That is, until he turned around and caught sight of her standing
there, wearing the matching satiny robe to the nightgown he had observed her
in the night before. For a few seconds he didn't say anything, but just
stood and stared at the lovely lady who stood before him. When he finally
came to his senses, he managed to at least greet her in a proper manner.
"Good morning! Breakfast will be ready shortly. I hope you like omelets.
It's about all I could come up with from what I managed to scrounge from the
fridge." He turned his attention back to his preparations as he finished
speaking to Callie.
Callie noticed that even the table had been set for the two of them. She
strolled casually over to a chair and proceeded to sit herself down.
"Everything looks and smells wonderful! It was the aroma of the food that
woke me up. I'm feeling pretty hungry this morning, so I hope that's a good
sign as I have been battling some frequent sleeping and eating disorders
lately due to the stress I have been under." She reached out and helped
herself to a piece of the toast Murdock had placed on the table, and
couldn't resist making one final comment. "You know, you're going to make
someone a nice little wife one of these days." Murdock could only smile at
the remark as he did a flimsy curtsey and sat their plates on the table,
taking a seat across from Callie.
After they had finished their meal and the dishes were cleaned & put away,
Murdock thought they should look into making arrangements for Callie's truck
to be brought home. With her assistance, they looked in the local directory
and called a tow truck to go and bring her truck back down here from the
city. The driver assured them that he would be back with her vehicle within
the next five to six hours, depending on the traffic. Murdock decided he
would wait another hour or so before attempting to reach Hannibal as it was
still only four thirty a.m. PST. By this time Callie had excused herself to
go and take a shower and to freshen up a bit for the day that lay ahead of
them. Murdock was hoping that when the truck arrived, they would be able to
get it to a local mechanic friend of Callie's who she had recommended, in
order to give it a bit of an inspection to make sure nothing had been
tampered with while it had been parked at the airport. After all, she didn't
even know that someone had followed her to Los Angeles, taking into
consideration the attempt that had been made on her life at the parking
garage. Later this afternoon he was wanting to visit a nearby shopping mall
and hopefully pick up a few articles of clothing and some toiletries to hold
him over for a few days. He didn't exactly carry all that much with him when
he exited the V.A. Hospital in the manner that he had. Smiling to himself,
he recalled how he had told Face about his not having any extra cash at hand
for the trip, which was true. He had just neglected to mention the fact that
he always carried a credit card for emergencies.
Callie chose to just grab a quick shower in the upstairs bathroom. She was
so excited about her new house being built and the fact that she would have
such a nice bathroom in her upstairs bedroom of the home. This had been a
nice enough home for her these past several years, considering what her
salary had been at the electronics factory where she had previously been
employed. The money had been good and had afforded her a comfortable
lifestyle with this house and the five year old vehicle she used to drive.
With her lottery win, all of that had changed drastically with the purchase
of the new property and her new truck. With her towel wrapped around her,
she peered out the bathroom door and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.
She decided on a pair of black jeans and a soft pink and gray houndstooth
sweater with a cowl neck. After a quick blow dry and a light application of
makeup, she made her way back downstairs where Murdock had been busy using
the phone.
Murdock looked up as Callie entered the room and couldn't help but notice
how good she looked, even just casually dressed in those jeans and a
sweater. Oh boy, was he in trouble now. Hannibal always said he could rely
on Murdock in any situation imaginable. Now Face on the other hand, well, to
be in charge of a beautiful woman client would be in comparison to putting
the fox in charge of the hen house. Face just loved women - it was in his
demeanor to be a ladies' man. And he did it well. Murdock did not consider
himself to be a part of the playboy league as was his friend and team
member. He had always been quite content being on his own, getting by with
whatever life had to throw at him. Never in a million years had he ever
expected to meet someone just out of the blue the way he and Callie Bertram
had suddenly become embroiled in each other's lives. No, he thought,
Hannibal most definitely would not approve. Murdock would just have to try
harder to concentrate on the business at hand which was to ensure Callie's
safety until the rest of his unit arrived there.
********************************************************************************
They began the day by simply going for a walk through the village, Murdock
making himself aware of every one of the few vehicles they met along the
way. They even stopped a couple of times along the way and met with some of
Callie's neighbors who were enjoying the beautiful fall day doing some yard
work.
Callie spoke somewhat of her family, how she had two younger brothers - one
who lived nearby on the weekends, but worked & stayed in Toronto during the
week; the other brother lived in a smaller city to the east and worked at
odd jobs. Both brothers had been generously endowed with some of Callie's
newfound wealth, but were still undecided on what they were about to do with
it. For the time being, they too were quite happy to just go on living their
own quiet lives the way they always had done in the past. Callie's parents
were ecstatic with their gift of wealth from their only daughter & were
currently traveling around Canada and the U.S. visiting with many of their
family they had not seen in years. Another of their gifts from Callie had
been a new fifth wheel trailer and a truck with which to haul it.
Murdock's life story was somewhat shorter as he began to explain to Callie a
bit of his past. He was an only child, his mother had died when he was quite
young, and he didn't know his father. He spoke briefly of his grandparents,
some scattered aunts & uncles, maybe a few cousins here & there. Mostly he
talked a bit of his tour in Viet Nam and that he considered the three men he
worked with now to be the most family he has ever had. Soon he was realizing
just how easy it was to open up to Callie, to explain to her his inner most
thoughts and his feelings. Never in the past had he ever become involved
with a client, nor had he even thought about it. It just wasn't the sort of
conduct expected from someone who was now a member of a special forces
military team that people in trouble relied so heavily on in their time of
distress. He felt that his insides were in turmoil, and couldn't even bring
himself to think about what might happen later on, once they were back at
Callie's.
********************************************************************************
Upon returning to the house, Murdock insisted on taking another look around,
both inside and out. Callie agreed to wait patiently by the door for him,
and when he was done she headed for her garden shed to the side of the house
and got out a couple of rakes and a wheel barrel. Murdock frowned at first,
then could only smile as Callie returned the smile and handed him a rake.
The fall was her absolute favorite time of the year with the leaves changing
color, but it also meant having to rake and pile them in the back yard.
Murdock pretended to be annoyed at first, then went about his dutiful chores
as he happily worked beside this beguiling and fascinating woman.
By late afternoon the duo decided they had had enough and, agreeing that
they had accomplished a lot of what they had set out to do, put away their
tools and retreated inside the house. Taking note of the time, Murdock told
Callie that he was expecting the delivery of her truck at any time now. No
sooner had he spoken when they could hear the sound of the tow truck backing
into Callie's driveway with her vehicle on behind. They both went out to
greet the driver, paid the bill, and went back inside to contact Callie's
friend about doing the inspection on the truck. When Callie reached him on
the phone, he agreed to have a look at it in an hour, which gave them enough
time to get cleaned up before they left to do some errands in town.
"Well, I won't exactly be picture perfect," Murdock commented as he reminded
Callie that he was still in the clothes he had arrived in the day before. He
said he didn't mind all that much as long as she didn't mind. Callie could
only smile.
"You know," she said, looking Murdock over from head to toe, "I might have a
T-shirt here that would fit you. It would look good enough until we can get
to a store and get you some more, anyway. I love wearing men's clothes, & I
usually buy the larger size. I'll get you some clean towels & see if I can
find you something clean to wear." Having said that, she turned and went up
the stairs. Murdock stood and looked after her, long after she had
disappeared at the top.
After her friend at the local garage had given her truck a clean bill of
health, Callie and Murdock were soon on their way. It would be about a
twenty minute drive into the shopping mall in the nearby town. Murdock,
dressed in tan slacks, T-shirt and leather jacket, decided on a couple of
short sleeve shirts with dome snaps, and a couple of pairs of jeans. He felt
this would do him just fine until Face arrived this weekend and had promised
to bring him more of his own things. After selecting a few personal items as
well, they were soon through checkout and on their way to get a pizza for
supper. It wasn't difficult to order at all - they both liked everything on
their pizza, including pineapple and anchovies. It seemed like they would
get along just fine. Callie suggested they go down to the town harbor and
enjoy their pizza as the sun was just beginning to set.
"Actually, I so enjoy the beautiful sunsets out home. I can hardly wait to
get in my new house. I can't understand some of the beautiful homes I have
observed out around our area that have breathtaking views of the lake, but I
have yet to see anyone out on the balcony to enjoy the beauty of the ending
of the day. I'm afraid I will have a hard time trying to tear myself away
sometimes. I just don't take a beautiful sunset, or sunrise for that matter,
for granted." Callie stared out over the harbor before reaching for her next
piece of pizza. Most of the tourists were gone now; most of the boats had
been taken out of the water since Labor Day Weekend. The harbor was still a
very popular spot for people to walk along, though. Murdock asked her if she
would like to take a walk with him before they decided to start back, and
Callie thought it was a great idea.
********************************************************************************
He stood quietly, facing the water and with his back to the man & woman who
were apparently too wrapped up in each other to even know he existed. He was
too brilliant for them. He considered himself some sort of genius as he
dressed differently each time he followed her, including the many different
wigs he used. It had been so easy to track her down this time, with her
picture all over the newspapers and television about that big lottery win of
hers. Calandra never paid any attention to him on the flight to Los Angeles.
She had NEVER paid any attention to him. Not even in school. If it hadn't
been for that damn mix-up with Customs after he had arrived in LA, he never
would have lost her the way he did, and would have been able to finish what
he had started out to do. The solution had been a simple one, anyway. He
would just stake out the airport until she had decided to return home. He
had just got lucky when he spotted Calandra in that car with those other two
guys. And if it hadn't been for THEM, he could have completed his mission by
now. That's o.k. They can't be all that hot an item themselves. He had never
even been spotted on the flight going back to Canada with Calandra and that
man she was with, but they had been placed in first class and he could
afford only the economy section. After they had landed in Toronto, he knew
where he would be able to find her later on. Not to worry, though. Soon he
and Calandra would be together, forever, in eternity...
*******************************************************************************
Callie gave Murdock the keys for the ride home. She thought it would be nice
to just sit and relax, taking in all the day's events and savoring each and
every minute she and Murdock had spent together. She had enjoyed it all -
the early morning walk, raking and piling the leaves, the time they had
spent shopping, and then sharing the pizza and quiet moments at the harbor
front. She had know this man for less than forty-eight hours. Would she ever
be able to face the time when his job was finished and he was no longer here
with her? It hurt just thinking about it, so she decided she would try and
keep her thoughts slated towards the nicer times and to make the most of any
of the time they shared together. Who knows? Maybe their work here would
take weeks - even months! Oh, but that would make it that much harder to say
good-bye when the time comes...think positive...it was hard to steer away
from her depression.
Murdock couldn't understand why he was feeling the way he did. Well, of
course he could! He had met someone who he considered to be special. Someone
he wanted to be with, to get to know better. Someone who listened to him
when he talked and who understood him. Had it been only two days since they
had met? It felt like forever. Callie had been so easy to get to know. When
had he ever been able to spend time with a woman and express his innermost
thoughts and desires as to what he wanted out of life? They had found out so
much more about each other just this evening as they enjoyed the stroll
along the waterfront and found out that they had a lot in common. Both
figured that they would eventually want to settle down, once the right
person came along. Both were sort of interested in a family, but maybe still
undecided. It would be nice to meet that special someone first and get to
spend the first couple of years together just getting to know each other a
little better. Trying to get his thoughts back to the situation at hand,
Murdock asked Callie to direct him on a different route home, perhaps one
with a lot less traffic, if possible. She told him that there were several
nice scenic roads they could take through the country to get back out to her
place. Once off of the main road, Murdock did several checks in the mirror
and felt satisfied that they were not being followed.
It took them about thirty minutes to get home because of Murdock's
unfamiliarity with the backroads. He hadn't been in that big of a hurry
anyway as he was enjoying his company so much. Once back at the house, the
two of them loaded up with Murdock's parcels and proceeded into the house.
Murdock insisted they set the packages just inside the door as they did
their routine check of the house, just to make sure that everything was
still secure and that nothing was out of place. After that was complete,
Murdock retreated to his room for a few minutes with his parcels, then
decided to change into some fresh clothing and join Callie in the living
room downstairs. He had promised her earlier that HE would carry in the wood
and get a fire going in the fireplace to take away the autumn chill which
had begun to settle in with the darkness.
In the meantime, Callie had suggested that she make them some refreshments.
Murdock had asked for only some sort of cola again as he wanted to keep a
clear mind to ensure her safety. He claimed to be a very light, social
drinker now anyway, especially since his days in Viet Nam. She went to the
cupboard in the kitchen which doubled as her liquor cabinet, then remembered
a bottle of wine that she had in the fridge. What harm could there possibly
be if the two of them were to have one or two drinks of that? Well, she
decided she would get the wine and an extra glass anyway, just in case
Murdock had changed his mind. Wouldn't they be safe now for this evening?
Murdock made sure that everything was locked up tight. She retrieved the ice
bucket and placed the wine in it with a tray of ice to keep it cool, then
went to the other side of the kitchen to get the wine glasses which were in
the cupboard over the sink. Something through the kitchen window had
suddenly caught her eye. What was that? It was dark outside, but she thought
she had seen a small flash of light, perhaps a reflection of some sort. She
looked for a few minutes but couldn't make out anything in the darkened
night, so she passed it off as something possibly going on at the neighbors'
house. She thought she would let Murdock know anyway. With ice bucket &
wine in one hand and glasses in the other, she headed for the living room.
A few minutes later she heard Murdock as he descended the stairs. She had
been preparing the fireplace with some kindling for their fire and turned
around at the sound of him entering the room. Her mouth went dry. Murdock
now stood before her wearing a crisp new pair of jeans and one of the dome
snap shirts they had picked out together. She looked up from where she had
been kneeling and noticed right away that he had left the first two or three
snaps undone, revealing a shock of dark hair on his chest. And had she ever
seen a pair of jeans that had fit a man any better than what she was now
observing on Murdock? She didn't think so. Trying not to appear dumfounded
[even though she was] she reached out and took Murdock's outstretched hand
as he helped her to her feet. Realizing that her lower jaw had been lax for
a few seconds, she finally snapped back into reality and closed her mouth,
then began to tell Murdock what she had seen, or had thought she had seen
outside. Murdock took this very seriously and told her to stay right where
she was. He would go outside for a few minutes to have a look around and if
everything appeared to be o.k., would be back in with some wood for the
fire. By now he had released her hand and went to get his jacket. Callie
watched as he exited the room, still feeling somewhat stupefied at the
recent appearance of Murdock in his sexy new clothes.
Within fifteen minutes Murdock had returned with an armload of split wood.
He assured Callie that he checked the outside of the house twice, quite
thoroughly, and felt that everything was o.k. He then instructed her to
maybe go around and close a few window blinds, as well as the drapes in the
living room. All of this was being explained to Callie as Murdock was
placing the wood in the fireplace with a few extra pieces placed in the wood
holder to the side. He decided that perhaps another armload would do them
quite nicely for the evening without having to retrieve any more later on.
Standing and turning to face Callie, he walked over towards the couch where
she was now sitting and noticed the chilling wine and glasses, but no cola
as he had asked for. He reached his arms out towards Callie and took both
her hands in his as she stood to face him.
Callie drank in everything there was to notice about this attractive man
standing before her. He looked so fine in his new clothes, and she also
noticed that he was clean shaven now as well. She thought that he might have
attempted to brush his hair, but rather liked the tousled appearance it had
- sort of that just-got-out-of- bed look. It was all she could do to muster
up enough control not to reach up and run her hands through his hair, and
she was glad that he was still holding her hands.
Murdock's voice seemed to break the spell that had fallen between them. "I'm
going back outside to take just one more quick look around and to pick up a
few more pieces of wood. In the meantime, why don't you slide back on
upstairs and perhaps, uh, well, maybe you'd be more comfortable in, uh,
something a bit lighter for sitting in front of the fire, you know? I really
liked that outfit you had on last night and this morning...", a sudden pang
of fear stabbed at his insides as he let this last remark slip. Callie
looked up at him with wondering eyes and a hint of a frown, trying to figure
out when he had seen her last night. Murdock smiled quickly and, without
further hesitation, said, "Well, it's up to you. I'll be back in a few
minutes with some more wood." He gave her hands a squeeze and left to go
back outside. Callie smiled.
In ten minutes' time Murdock was back inside with the final load of wood.
Kicking off his shoes he managed to get over by the fireplace and place the
rest of his wood in the holder to the side. He then shrugged out of his
jacket, tossed it in the nearest chair, and began to build the fire. Callie
had already prepared the newsprint & kindling. He looked around and noticed
the tall metal container, popped the lid and took out one of the long
matches within. In no time at all he had a fairly nice fire under way,
holding his hands towards the flames as he soaked up some of the heat and
watched as the fire licked along the logs he had placed on top. Even over
the crackling sound of the logs he could hear Callie coming down the stairs
and stood to watch as she entered the room. He knew...he just KNEW...he was
in trouble now.
Callie gave only a moment's hesitation at the doorway, then made her way
over to the couch where the waiting wine glasses were. She had decided on
the black satin negligee with matching floor length robe and lingerie. The
negligee itself had spaghetti straps with a v-neckline trimmed in lace that
once again extended around to the back and down to the waist. The robe
consisted of long lace sleeves with lace trim at the bottom, and was tied at
her waist. She reached for the bottle of wine in the bucket and, still
without having looked at Murdock, began to pour into the two glasses. When
she was done, the bottle went back in the bucket. She picked up the two
glasses, and turning now towards where Murdock was standing, held out a
glass to him.
Some unknown force had to have been at work in the room to make Murdock's
feet move at that particular moment. Without taking his eyes away from
Callie's, he walked over and took the glass from her hand.
"So here's to you and your magnificent wood fire," Callie said as she held
her glass towards his. She couldn't help but notice the corner of his mouth
begin to turn up as Murdock tapped his glass against hers, and they brought
the glasses to their lips and drank to her toast. After Callie had tasted
her wine, she held her glass out for Murdock to hold and went back to the
doorway where the light switch was located. She turned the light off and the
room was now lit by the fireplace alone. Walking back to Murdock she took
her glass once again and suggested they make themselves comfortable on the
sofa which she had earlier arranged to be nearer the fire. Callie was now
beginning to feel just a bit uneasy as Murdock had not said a word at all
since she had come downstairs. Had she done something wrong? Perhaps he
wasn't pleased with her choice of wardrobe for sitting in front of the fire.
They sat together on the sofa, and she then decided to speak up to try &
find out what might be wrong. Looking towards the fire, she commented: "You
were right about not wanting to wear a lot of clothes around your fire. It
certainly is blazing and hot." Looking into his large brown eyes which still
hadn't left her, she felt that the fireplace wasn't the only thing that was
hot. "Murdock, is everything alright? Have I said or done something to
offend you?"
Earth to Murdock! The time was now at hand to do or at least say something
intelligent here! "I, uh, um, I don't quite, uh...I....I don't know what to
say." Murdock said as he flashed that hypnotizing smile at Callie then let
out a nervous little laugh. From this stage on it was apparent that their
body language had taken over. Murdock sat his glass on the coffee table,
reached out and took Callie's from her hand and placed it on the table
beside his, and looked back into her eyes.
Callie showed no resistance whatsoever as she looked back into Murdock's
eyes and parted her lips ever so slightly. Murdock took in her glossy lips,
her full sensual mouth, then he reached out and gently cupped her face with
his hands. They leaned towards each other in slow motion for what seemed
like forever to Callie, then as their lips finally did meet she thought her
heart would burst through her chest. She felt weak in her knees and was
trying to remember how to breathe as Murdock lovingly moved his hands back
through her hair and began to slide down her shoulders and arms. His mouth
was in motion ever so tenderly over top of hers, his tongue prodding, oh so
gently, inside her mouth. Callie was aware of finding enough strength in her
arms to slide them up around Murdock's neck for a few moments before the two
of them began trying desperately to pull away from this incredible kiss.
Without taking her eyes away from his, she slid her hands slowly around to
Murdock's chest and began to undo the few snaps that he had left done up on
his shirt. It was as if their eyes were telling the story as Murdock brought
his arms back slightly behind him and let Callie ease his shirt off. He then
reached over and undid the robe that was tied around Callie's waist and she,
in turn, let her shoulders and arms relax as Murdock once again caressed her
arms then pulled gently at the lace sleeves. He leaned over and kissed her
again, first on the mouth, then on her cheek, and started nibbling her
earlobe as he began to whisper in her ear.
"Callie, sweetheart, will you stand up for me?" Murdock slid his cheek back
along the side of Callie's face and looked into her eyes. He took her hands
in his and started to stand as he helped Callie get to her feet as well.
Taking two small steps backwards, Murdock outstretched their arms in between
them and simply stood and stared at Callie from head to toe. After a few
seconds he drew Callie tight against his naked chest and placed his arms
tightly around her waist.
Callie once again reached up to his incredible six foot two frame and
wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips made contact. She felt
Murdock's breath on her cheek and a small moan escaped from the back of her
throat. They began to sway as if in step with some unknown love song that
only the two of them could hear.
Murdock caressed Callie's back as he delved his tongue in and out of
Callie's mouth. He shifted his nose from one side of Callie's nose to the
other, trying desperately to catch a breath or two in between. Occasionally
he would take her bottom lip between his teeth and tug at it gently. After
minutes of this stance, Murdock reluctantly began to pull back from Callie
and managed to place his hands firmly on her shoulders, caressing her back
and forth from her upper arms up to her shoulders again, as he began to
whisper.
"I...we...we can't do this, Callie. This can't continue on any farther.
Please...I was sent here to be with you and to keep you safe - to look after
you, but not like this." Murdock thought his heart would break in two as he
looked into Callie's pain filled eyes. There was just the slight hint of a
tear in the corner of her eye and Murdock thought he saw her bottom lip
begin to tremble, the lip that felt and tasted so good only moments
before... What would Hannibal say if they had ever been caught like this?
There was most definitely a place and time for such actions. Looking after
the well being of a client certainly wasn't considered to be the right place
OR right time for getting involved in any sort of a relationship. Their
safety could be jeopardized. There would be too much risk involved. A good
soldier would present himself in a much more professional manner and be in
control of the situation at all times.
"Touch me, Murdock. Please. I need you, and I want to be with you...please
hold me," Callie's voice was between a croak and a whisper as she fought to
hold back her tears. She reached out her hand to caress the side of his face
and looked longingly into his eyes, wondering what she could possibly do
next to make him want her. She placed herself tightly against Murdock's body
and put her arms around his neck once more and became so very aware of his
manhood. Figuring that she probably had nothing to lose, she tiptoed up to
gently kiss his ear, and faintly whispered, "I want you to make love to me."
Oh, Lordy, what is happening here? Murdock put his arms around Callie and
placed his hands on her hips, drawing her so tightly to his body that he had
to remember not to break her in two. He buried his face in her hair then
worked his way down and began kissing the side of her neck, all the way
around across her throat, to the other side of her neck. Resistance is
futile...resistance...is...futile... Callie was moaning softly and murmuring
something in every breath, things that he couldn't understand. God, but she
was soft and so very delicate. He loved the faint smell of her perfume and
the wonderful scent of her hair. He placed his hands on Callie's waist and
slid his hands up her sides until his thumbs had made contact with her
breasts. Once again their lips met and locked, Murdock all the time gently
fondling Callie through the negligee & lingerie she was still wearing. He
managed to tear his mouth away from hers, took those two steps backwards
again as he looked into her eyes, and brought his hands up to her shoulders.
He simultaneously slid his fingers beneath the flimsy straps of her negligee
and slid them down both her arms, the negligee itself gliding so smoothly
and softly over Callie's body and falling to the floor.
"Let me look at you," Murdock whispered as he drank in her beauty.
Callie stood before him wearing only the very skimpy lace bra and matching
bikini panties that she had on under her negligee. Small shivers had begun
to form on her body and she trembled slightly, her arms now down at her
sides. Murdock took his hands and gently caressed her arms. "Are you cold?"
he asked. Callie smiled in return and only shook her head, wishing that her
nervousness hadn't shown through at such a glorious time as this.
Murdock brought his hands back around to Callie's chest where the backs of
his fingers lay softly against her cleavage as he fumbled with the front
clasp on her bra.
With her hands still by her side, Callie closed her eyes as she felt the
clasp release and Murdock's hands sliding down her arms again as he took her
bra off. She opened her eyes and watched adoringly as Murdock's eyes, hands
and mouth began exploring her body. In between her moans and whimpers,
Callie tossed her head back and was becoming completely incoherent to
everything around her except for Murdock's presence in the room. She felt
herself move as Murdock guided her to the couch and eased her onto her back.
He then carefully lowered himself down on top of her, kissing, caressing,
making her body do and feel things she should be ashamed of, but was not. If
she could have but one night with this man, she would certainly not regret
anything they had done or were about to do.
Murdock silently cursed himself for being so weak, for not being in control
of his emotions. He felt he would absolutely burst with delight. The soft
and delicate features of this woman he continued to kiss and to caress,
whispering sweet nothings into her ear. He wasn't able to distinguish
between the beating of her heart or the incessant pounding of his own. He
slid his hand down her side and felt her hips rise up as he eased her
panties off. The pressure was so great now that he was praying with all his
might to let this last, to not let everything be over with in only a matter
of seconds. It had been so long...so very, very long... He continued to kiss
Callie with incredible passion and whispered into her mouth. "Undo my jeans,
darling, please...," he managed to say.
Callie had been adoring his broad shoulders and chest, as well as caressing
Murdock's strong and sturdy back. With continued soft moaning she let her
hands slide down to his buttocks where she gently squeezed him before
guiding her hands around the top of his jeans and exploring for the catch
and zipper on the front. She felt him rise up ever so slightly as she began
to perform the task at hand, pushing and sliding until his pants were down
as far as she could reach, while he attempted to shrug out of them the rest
of the way himself. Murdock's breathing was fast and heavy now, and Callie
heard him hold his breath as she reached for the elasticized band around the
top of his shorts. With his body raised again, she deliberately worked his
shorts down his thighs and managed to push them over his knees before he
finished inching out of them himself. Callie's body was so thirsty, so
responding and impatient to join together and become one with this man that
she could hardly stand it. When Murdock still hadn't made a move towards her
and instead raised himself up on his arms, she opened her eyes and looked at
him, questioningly.
"Sweetheart, you are going to think I am the most unromantic cad you have
ever come across, but we have to talk for a few seconds," Murdock whispered
in between the kisses he was still planting on Callie's face and body. "Are,
uh, are you, um, you know, 'protected' from crazy guys like me?" he asked in
as much of a caring manner as he possibly could.
Callie stared at him for a few seconds before trying to smile through the
tears that she could feel forming in the corners of her eyes. To actually
have this wonderful man hold back and ask such a thing of her, to be so
genuinely concerned about her well being and the possible consequences of
their actions, was almost more than she could bear. She managed a weak smile
and nodded slightly, knowing that for some time now she had been using
adequate protection. Murdock smiled that beautiful, crooked smile of his and
looked her in the eye as he spoke again, sounding a little more serious this
time.
"One other thing I want you to know is, well, with all the problems there
are in the world today, especially with dreaded and incurable diseases, I,
uh, just wanted to tell you that, um, I don't sleep around. If you want, we
can stop long enough for me to use some protection also, but only if you
want me to. I'm sorry for deciding to bring this up now, darlin', but it is
important to me and to what could possibly happen in the future for the both
of us." Murdock looked sympathetically and deeply into Callie's eyes that
were now brimming with tears, the occasional one running down the side of
her face. He reached up with a finger and gently wiped a tear away, then
leaned down and kissed her forehead and cheek while he waited for her to answer.
Callie had all she could do to keep from breaking into a full fledged cry.
She drew as deep a breath as she could and shook her head. "Me neither.
Murdock, I trust you. I want to know all of your natural beauty, to become
one with you, to be given memories that will last me a lifetime. You are the
most wonderful and caring man I have ever met and I love that about you."
Callie even managed to smile up at him again.
Murdock, knowing that he was about to lose his heart, and quite possibly his
mind, placed his lips over top of Callie's and slowly began to raise his
hips above hers. "Callie Bertram, I'm going to make you mine...," was all he
managed to whisper as he felt her small and delicate hand upon his silky
hardness, his breath becoming rapid and harsh now, as this marvelous
creature was guiding him towards their fulfillment. "I want to look at you,
to see your face...oooohhhh.. aaahhhhhh...oh Callie sweetheart...yes...my
sweet, sweet Callie...oh...you feel...so...good...oh, Callie...," Murdock
wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. Surely this is what it would
have to be like. He allowed his body to meld naturally with Callie's every
curve. His breathing and his movements were now in slow, rhythmic
proportion. He noticed that Callie had not said anything but did make an
audible gasping sound when he had entered into her womanhood. He looked
lovingly into her face as her body writhed in rhythm beneath his.
********************************************************************************
Callie awoke during the night and felt a bit of a chill in the room. She lay
awake for a few minutes, with her arm across Murdock's chest, feeling his
chest rise with his every breath and listening to him quietly snore. She
thought about the events from the evening before and tried to remember how
many times they had made love in front of the fire. She raised her head and
looked towards the fireplace, and saw that there were only coals left, but
still several pieces of wood in the holder. Being as careful as she could,
slowly she eased herself off the couch and grabbed the nearest piece of
clothing which happened to be Murdock's shirt. Sliding her arms into the
sleeves, she moved over to the fireplace and carefully stirred the coals.
The fire started again quickly after she placed a few more pieces of wood on
the coals, & after replacing the screen, Callie sat back and, with her knees
drawn to her chest and arms wrapped around them, watched the flames and felt
the warmth.
She wasn't quite sure how she should be dealing with her emotions. She knew
that she cared too deeply for this man whom she had only just met. It may
sound strange to most other people, but she just knew. One of the things she
hated about herself was the fact that she could become involved with someone
so easily, the fact that she took things too seriously and was a very
sensitive person. She had been told this many times in the past with her
failed relationships where men had told her she moves too quickly and
expects too much from them. Well, she had certainly received many offers
since her major lottery win recently, but that was to be expected. She was
very proud of the fact that, of her handful of relationships during her
lifetime, she had never reached the point of intimacy with any of the men
she had dated. The opportunity had presented itself a couple of times, but
she could usually tell when the man showed only a sexual interest in her.
She always knew deep down inside that she wanted to save herself for that
someone special who she knew would someday become a reality. Well, the
reality part was here, but the problem was going to be how to maintain this
new found love interest in her life. Was being intimate with Murdock the
wrong thing to do? She certainly didn't think so at the time, but now she
felt so confused and hurt deep down inside. She was curious as to whether or
not he had been able to tell that it had been her first time. How would she
ever be able to face the day when it came time for him to leave? She didn't
think Murdock would be having these thoughts. It never seemed too difficult
for the man to end a relationship. A relationship? Boy, he would probably
even laugh at her over THAT thought! What relationship? They had just met
not even three days ago! She thought it best to keep her thoughts to
herself. She would be able to deal with her emotions at a later time, after
Murdock left her life for good.
Callie had been so deep in thought that she didn't hear Murdock get off the
couch and move over to kneel behind her. She was a bit startled and jumped
at the touch of his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Murdock said as he snuggled up
against Callie's back. He put his arm around her chest as he pulled her hair
back with his other hand and nibbled gently on her ear. "What are you doing
up? If you were cold, you need only to have awakened me and I would have
warmed you up," he whispered in her ear. "By the way, I really like the way
my shirt looks on you - better than what it does on me!"
Callie couldn't help but laugh at this last comment he had made and she
looked sideways to face him. He was smiling that crooked devilish grin of
his and he put his hand on her chin and turned her face more towards his in
order to kiss her. Callie's heart was beginning to pound again, and she was
sure Murdock was able to hear, or at least feel this loud thumping in her
chest. She managed to slide her arm around his neck and the other one around
his waist as he nudged her gently down to the floor, all the time not taking
his mouth away from hers. Callie was so happy she thought she would explode
with ecstasy, and for now anyway, she decided to push her unwanted thoughts
to the back of her mind to deal with them at a later time. They made love on
the floor in front of the fire, and when they were through, Murdock pulled
the cushions and blanket from the couch and they slept away the rest of the
night right there, wrapped in each other's arms.
********************************************************************************
By the time daylight had begun to creep in through the windows, Callie once
again awoke to the delectable aroma of coffee brewing and breakfast cooking.
This had been quite a change for her from the usual muffin or bowl of cereal
she was used to having alone every morning. As she attempted to get up she
was feeling a bit of stiffness from having slept on the floor, even though
they slept on the cushions. She was also aware of the tender feeling she was
experiencing in her lower extremities from the incredible new experience she
had shared with Murdock last night. She looked down and saw that she was
still wearing Murdock's shirt but just hadn't done it up. With a stretch and
yawn, she scooped up her lingerie and made her way to the bathroom to see if
she could freshen up just a bit before facing Murdock.
When she entered the kitchen a few minutes later, she observed Murdock
whipping up one of his usual omelet specials wearing only his jeans. He
stared at her as she crossed over the floor and stood before him, then the
two of them embraced and kissed long and tenderly. When they were done,
Murdock loosened his grip around her, but still kept his hands firmly on her
waist.
"Good morning. How...how do you feel this morning?" he asked as he leaned
down and kissed her forehead.
Callie smiled up at him and just couldn't get over how easily hypnotized she
could become by staring into his beautiful eyes. "I'm feeling fine," she
said, "but I'm sure I'll feel even better after I've had a shower. Will you
join me after breakfast?" Callie couldn't believe her ears that she was
actually bold enough to ask this of Murdock. Right now all she could think
about was the fact that she wanted to spend as much time, her every waking
moment, with this wonderful man who had come into her life so unexpectedly.
Murdock smiled and moaned as he slid his hands around Callie's back again
and began planting kisses on her face and mouth. "Now, would any man in his
right mind want to refuse such an offer as that? Why, it's almost enough to
make me want to skip breakfast - but we won't. Have a seat there at the
table & I'll serve us up a bite to eat. And THEN we will look into that
shower, o.k.?" Murdock flashed Callie that irresistible smile of his as he
reluctantly let go of her and turned to finish their meal preparations. "So
what's the plan for today? When I was talking with Hannibal the other day,
they weren't expecting to be here until sometime tomorrow, or possibly even
Saturday, depending on their mode of transportation. Without my being there
to rely on for flying anywhere out of the country, well, traveling becomes a
bit more difficult. I'm sure old Faceman will be able to come up with
something to get them here."
Callie had brought the coffee pot to the table with her and proceeded to
pour them each a cup. She knew how much Murdock enjoyed his morning caffeine
and knew exactly how he liked his coffee. She had a quick glimpse out the
window to her back yard and decided that they would have to do some more
yard work this morning. The leaves were falling from the trees so quickly
now that the least little bit of wind made a mess of things in a hurry. She
said they could begin by doing a bit more raking and piling leaves so that
they could be drying and be ready to burn in a few days. Murdock nodded and
smiled as he drank some of his coffee and began eating his breakfast, still
making the occasional eye contact with Callie. Within half an hour they were
together again in the shower, kissing and caressing as they took turns
lathering each other with soap. Yes, this was turning out to be another
incredible day already...
