Solitary Seventeen

Solitary Seventeen part6
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Manga-verse Appleseed fiction (Pre-Briareos cyberization, LAPD era)
All characters are property of Masamune Shirow. This is a fan work written purely for the fun of it! Go buy the manga!

For the price of a tank of gas, Briareos had borrowed them a jeep, complete with cooler, and even acquired various lunch things, all before she had woken up. Deunan found the cheerful yellow vehicle waiting in the parking lot as she came down stairs. Throwing her small bag and towel on top of the ice-chest, she pulled herself into the jeep, happy to be in the open sided utility on such a fine day. The fact that her guy was in a snit over his rough-handling the night before was a little annoying, but she hoped to work him around enough to enjoy himself when they got to the park.

Deunan crossed her legs artfully and checked the line of her cutoff shorts, pleased that they were skimpy enough to be distracting without crossing the line into indecent. Settling her sunglasses on her nose, she lounged in the vehicle as she waited for her man. He didn’t disappoint, emerging from his building a minute later and throwing his bag on top of hers before stepping into the cab. She suppressed a moment of stupid glee that he had inadvertently coordinated with her by wearing his LAPD t-shirt when he changed out of his uniform. The cotton pulled tight across his chest in all the right ways.

“Well well! I didn’t realize this jeep came pre-equipped with a hot babe.” He concluded his own inspection. His smile was welcome after his guilty funk earlier.

“Weekend special.” She winked at him, fastening her belt. “While supplies last.”

“Oooh. _And_ I got the ‘sexy short-shorts’ version too. What a lucky guy I am!” Briareos sniggered, admiring her legs as he patted his pockets for keys and sunglasses. Deunan reached out and punched his shoulder for making fun of her. He accepted the casual abuse with his usual grace, still chuckling as he gunning the engine and put them on the road away from the academy.

“You get your paperwork done, wiseass?” She reached back into the cooler, retrieving a chilled water bottle. Curious she dug her fingers deeper into the ice, wondering what else the officer had packed. Her fingernails rapped against a large glass bottle at the bottom. “Wine? Wow. How continental of you.”

“I’m a continental kind of guy.” Briareos snorted, routing them north of the city and past a never-ending series of subdivisions. “Reports were handled first thing this morning. I am officially off the clock for the next twenty four hours.”

“Amen to that.” She sat back with a happy sigh, letting the sun bake the last of her aches away. After the first few miles of silence, she stole a glance at the dark haired man behind the wheel, noting his frown as he watched the relatively empty road. For a moment she wanted to call him out for still brooding about her inadvertent injury, but instincts told her it was probably something else. Probably it was the same something that had been eating at him last night too. Whatever was bugging him was starting to bug her too. Briareos was considerably less fun when brooding, especially when it was probably something to do with her? His possessive behavior since the airport was a likely clue.

Blinking at the revelation, she turned to watch the sparse brush and scrub trees flying past, bidding goodbye to the last of the exurbs, turning the problem over carefully. Sometimes she wished she were a little better at subtlety, she sighed. The only thing she could think to do was ask him flat out, and that would undoubtedly be awkward. Then again, it couldn’t be any worse that the silence they were pinned under presently.

Still, before she opened up a potentially day-ruining can of worms, the least she could do was enjoy the drive. Reaching back once again, she pulled her tiny camera out, making a production of aiming it at herself and snapping a portrait. The silly pose did the trick of temporarily distracting her boyfriend too. He glanced over at her with a half-smile, clearly thinking she was crazy. Deunan wasted no time in snapping a picture of him as well, liking the way the blurred background looked behind his head.

“Hey. No distracting the driver.” Briareos complained.

She simply laughed. “Then pay attention to the road, dummy.” Snapping another picture of him for fun, she stored the camera for the moment. “I’m just doing some documentation for my collection. For the record? You're still sexy.”

“Just so long as I get a picture of _you_ by the end of the day.” He chuckled. “I’ll add it to my album.”

“Ah,” she asked archly. “But what _sort_ of picture? Are we talking locker-room pinup quality here? Because if so, I don’t think I packed the right outfit. I can do hot-swimsuit-babe I bet, even in a one piece. I know! I’ll pose on the front of the jeep for you! How about it? Hot enough?”

“Terrible woman.” He scolded mildly.

“Oh, were you looking for something a bit more sporty?” She laughed. “I have my berretta… and if you let me wear your pair as well, we could whip up one of those ‘girls at the gun range’ poses pretty easily, I bet.”

“I just want a picture of you looking like the normal, well-mannered, charming woman I know you are.” Briareos replied. “Something I can keep on my desk without having to give prolonged explanations.”

“You want us to concoct an utter fiction, you’re saying.” She glanced over at him.

“Absolutely.” He grinned, “And maybe one of you in your swimsuit, for when I’m feeling especially lonely at night.”

“Letch.” She laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

*****

Southern California in the summer was a dry place. Deunan admired the dun color of the rolling hills, as they crested the mountains. The lake was visible in the valley below, surrounded by a generous little pine forest. Most of the area was still national part land, despite the crunch for space in the near by city. If not, the entire mountain would have probably become littered with strip malls by now. Despite the relative emptiness of the land, she could pick out the houses and roads circling the water. A handful of white specks in the middle of the lake hinted at other weekenders out on their boats. Not a true wilderness in any proper sense, the whole area was pretty much a rustic sort of resort town. Leaning sideways, she let her head rest against Briareos’ shoulder as he drove, glad she had agreed to the outing.

Descending into the trees, they navigated the local highway and finally pulled into the park’s main stopover. Deunan hopped free of the vehicle with a happy sigh, loving the relatively fresh air of the valley compared to the usual LA haze. She stooped to check her shoe laces, loving how limber she was after spending half the night tied into a pretzel around a certain hot policeman. Bruises were a downside, but being able to easily bend backwards into a walkover handstand - without stretching first - was a big perk. Digging her fingers into the close-mown grass of the parking area, she flipped her self up onto her hands and ‘walked’ a few steps, just for fun. Briareos looked over at her and blinked in surprise, sliding his sunglasses up onto his head to better appreciate her antics. Balancing on one hand, she waived at him with the other.

“Where is your camera?” He shook his head in disbelief as she was obliged to return to two-hands-down before she overbalanced.

“I thought you wanted pictures of me being proper and ladylike?” She grinned, waiving her feet at him.

“I do, but failing that, I’ll settle for ones with you being a lunatic.” He remarked, reaching into the cooler for a water bottle of his own. She returned herself to upright by the time he looked back, sticking her tongue out at him. The tanned officer leaned against the jeep, overlooking her tease. “What do you want to do first?”

“Run.” Deunan looked over at the trailhead nearby, hoping the longer path wasn’t too crowded. She had slept through her traditional morning workout and was now itching to stretch her legs. “Then swim. Then laze about and get buzzed on your highbrow alcohol. Then maybe swim again?”

“Sounds good to me.” He agreed, repacking his backpack to include only what they’d need for the first round. “Shall we go?”

Deunan tossed him her half-finished water to add to his compact load. Not above giving him an additional weight handicap. “First one to the top gets to pick where we have dinner!”

*****

The hard packed surface of the trails around the lake made for an easy workout, even with the dynamic terrain. Pride compelled Deunan to take the lead on the first long uphill stretch, but as they dipped and meandered through the wooded hill country she gave her body a break and set a more relaxed pace. With the heat promising later in the afternoon, most of the other visitors were down by the lakes, walking the easier paved-paths and short-hikes, leaving the high overlooks empty. Briareos was never more than a few feet behind, his footfalls falling in synch with hers, more often than not. A pity, she mused, that there was no way to cuddle and run at the same time. After so many years of working out together in the predawn of the police academy, it wasn’t so strange, she supposed, that the activity always made her feel close to him.

“Stop at the overlook?” He asked, as they started up yet another incline. “That’ll be four miles.”

“Sure.” Deunan raised her fingers in an ok sign, not quite trusting the pea-gravel on the path enough to look backwards and run at the same time. “’Como Chavez’ for burritos fine with you?”

“I got a better idea.” Briareos was suddenly at her shoulder, and unbelievably, slipping past her on the narrow path. Long legs carried him forward at an absurd rate as he settled into a sprint despite the steep trail. “See you at the top.”

“Bastard!” She almost lost her stride from the surprise. So much for assuming he’d take it easy on her after the night they’d had. Clearly this was war. Picking up her pace, she gave chase along the side of the mountain. It didn’t do any good. Despite his relative weight, and the pack, he was a hard man to beat under any conditions. She knew her legs didn’t have what it would take to outflank him even as she came within grabbing distance. Then came the stairs at the top of the path, which the policeman easily abbreviated at three steps a stride, and the winner was a foregone conclusion. Deunan deliberately didn’t slow down as she came up behind him at the top, checking herself against his body even as he turned around to anticipate her, catching her easily in his arms.

It was hard to be surly about the loss when considering the company, and the view. Deunan wrapped her arms around him in return, snuggling close despite the heat on the exposed observation deck. The sun had cooked the stone balcony to an oven like degree. If they had been turtles instead of people, Deunan supposed they’d have happily curled up on the hot rocks and basked the day away. As it was, she was already craving the shade behind them. Releasing her hold on her boyfriend, she turned to brace her foot against the low stone wall overlooking the valley, and stretched while admiring the view. The lake was below them again, a glimmer of muddy blue surrounded by pines of every height and size.

The open-yet-natural feel of the countryside was very easy on the eyes, she decided, but she didn’t have much to compare it against. The only time she had ever really been outside of California was when she had been too young to appreciate it, before her mother died. It wasn’t like dear old dad had ever taken her with him on any of his globetrotting trips. She sighed, finding that as usual, thinking of her father was guaranteed to kill a good mood. Sure the old man was good at his job, and random governments and groups seemed to seek the guy out regularly. But she was blown if she could think of what made him so much better than anyone. He was the type of man who had ‘colleagues’ instead of friends. He was such a killjoy most of the time that it was no wonder as to why. Even she, supposedly his only living offspring, was treated more as an inconvenient obligation, or at best, like a mildly-interesting sociological experiment, rather than as someone meriting any sort of emotional attachment.

No wonder, she sighed, that she had fallen head-over-heels for Briareos within a year of meeting him. He _talked_ to her, and praised her, and took her places. Sure, he’d probably only been humoring a lonely looking kid at the time, but that said a lot about the guy, really. That he would think to try to help some random half-orphaned brat that everyone was perfectly happy to ignore. They’d been kindred spirits in their way, Deunan supposed. She had been the kid that nobody wanted. And he, the guy who’d never been a kid at all. Some of her friends on the SWAT team had told her - when discovering they were an item – that Briareos had changed a lot since when he first joined the police. Part of the reason, they said, why they didn’t have a problem with her dating him, despite the quasi-ethics of it.

Was she responsible for making him mellower over the years? Deunan shrugged, she couldn’t see it. But then she couldn’t tell that he’d changed either. To her, he had always been the same loveable-yet-stern guy. As a kid she hadn’t been interested in observing the interactions between the adults of her world, so she had no baseline to compare his personality against now. Still, if they said she was good for him? That was fine by her. God knew she’d have never come this far without _his_ help. Less than a year and she’d be a rookie police officer with a real station assignment and paycheck. A full year, and she’d be old enough that even the sticklers would stop raising eyebrows at her choice in men.

She wondered if Briareos realized how much he had a hand in that. If he ever thought of how likely it would have been for her to run wild without someone to curb her stupidity, and end up in trouble. What a scary thing to tell a guy you were supposed to be dating. Deunan almost laughed. ‘Thank you for raising me to be a nominally sane, well-adjusted human being,’ was probably _not_ what the policeman would ever want to hear from her. It would just remind him of the fact that she was still on the shady side of moral in terms of dating age. Making him think about that would _definitely_ put him off stride for any further snuggling during the day, and there was no way she was giving up a recap of sex as good as last night’s without a serious fight.

“Penny for your thoughts?” The tanned officer stood behind her again, arms sliding around her waist as he inquired after her silence.

“A new one? Or one of the old copper ones? They’re worth 4.50 now in copper alone, aren’t they?” She replied, laughing. “My thoughts are worth about that much I think.”

Briareos blinked and freed an arm to reach up and knuckle her head. “Your thoughts can’t be traded on the futures market by circuit manufacturers either.”

Deunan had to concede that the guy had a point. A terribly unromantic point, but that was him all over. She shook her head, leaning back against him, deciding to save her deeply insightful conversation about growing up and falling in love for another time. In the end, the past was the past. The present was far more interesting. Grinning, she realized that that too, was probably something she’d learned from him. “So where are we going for dinner?”

“Romari’s.”

She blinked at the calm announcement, turning in his arms to stare up at him in disbelief. “We’re going to Romari’s? Like, financial district, Romari’s?”

“Yup.”

Deunan blinked again. “How?”

“Called in a favor.” Briareos grinned. “You’ll have to wear a dress though.”

“Dress? That’s nothing. You’ll have to wear your _suit_.” She pointed out, still incredulous. “What kind of favor was this?! You keep someone’s kid out of jail or something? It must have been a pretty damn big favor! You make this reservation a year ago?”

“This morning.” He shrugged, enjoying her shock. “I called on the off chance I could squeeze a table out of them, and to my surprise, they could.”

“That’s insane!” She laughed. “The bill will be outrageous!”

“What else have I spent money on for the past few months?” He pointed out. “Not exactly a booming economy, where I’ve been. Even the high-class hookers only cost about five dollars.”

“And you would know that, because?”

“… I’ve been obliged to take part in coaching the local knuckleheads on proper procedure for arresting them?” Briareos sighed at the futility of it. “Not spouting religious doggerel in one breath and then dickering over rates in the next…. You would not believe some of the shit that goes on in their precinct offices. We’re talking ‘group discount and then see you next week’ levels of look-the-other-way bullshit. What a country.”

“That’s… not ok.” Deunan shook her head to dismiss the disturbing mental image. “And I thought the misogynists here were lame.”

“You have no idea.” He squeezed her tighter, propping his chin on her head again. “I’d kill someone who thought they could get away with that crap with you.”

“You’d never get the chance.” She snorted. “You’d be too busy writing the report about how I ‘accidentally’ bludgeoned the perpetrator to death with my desk lamp after the second time he refused to keep his hands to himself.”

“Second time?” Briareos asked, curious.

“I figure everyone’s entitled to one warning.” Deunan replied generously, squeezing him playfully. “Only one, mind you; if they can’t be bothered to listen to me, they deserve the beating they get.”

“Now _that_ sounds more like you.” He chuckled. “You don’t take shit from anyone.”

“For better or worse.” She sighed, agreeing. “No one can say I’m not my father’s daughter. We have the same short-fuse.”

Briareos huffed again, chest expanding with the near silent chuckle. “That is definitely true.”

“Really, Romari’s?” Deunan couldn’t wrap her head around it. Romari’s was for grownup, elegant, adult type of people. They were the sort of place that had a full wine list with the years they were casked, and didn’t put prices next to them. Even her birthday didn’t seem quite glamorous enough for a dinner like that. She’d have been happy with a return to the bar they’d gone to the year before, and that place served its food on paper plates.

“Really.” Her boyfriend squeezed her again, punishment for doubting him, before letting her go. He stretched his arm behind his back, displaying a mouthwatering set of muscles in his sleeveless t-shirt, unaware of her sudden urge to jump him. “Eight o’clock. You will definitely need a dress though. Nothing that will get us thrown out, you hear?”

“I’ve got one.” She purred at him. “New even. You’ll like it. It’s _short_.”

“How short?” Briareos raised an eyebrow, torn between interest and concern.

“’Man she’s got nice legs’, short. You think I’d waste money on a dress I wouldn’t be caught out by you in? Credit me with _some_ fashion sense. I do talk to other girls occasionally; I’m not a total ‘guy’.” Folding her arms, she smirked up at him.

He matched her pose and tilted his head, clearly amused. “So… how short is ‘man she’s got nice legs’? Short as those?” The Greek pointed at her cutoffs.

Deunan looked down, weighing her current clothing against what she remembered the dress looked like. The dress was actually pretty conservative by comparison. She had bought it after the saleswoman had convinced her that it made her look very elegant. Deunan didn’t kid herself that her wardrobe had much in the way of ‘elegant’ and now she was doubly glad she’d let the old woman talk her into the random purchase. Looking up at Briareos out of the corner of her eye, she resisted the urge to terrify him by describing one of the other dresses she had been tempted by in the same store.

Knowing him, he’d just cancel the reservation. She sighed. “Not quite as cute as these shorts. But then, I made these just for you, and the dress was off-the-rack, so you’ll have to settle for mass produced monotony.”

“I’ll live.” He replied dryly.

“You can always peel it off of me after dinner.” She smirked evilly. The policeman rubbed the back of his neck and looked away with a smile, neither confirming nor denying that was on his agenda for the night. Deunan huffed at his refusal to rise to the bait. “Back to the lake? It’s broiling up here. I want to rinse some sweat off before we eat, and I’m starving.”

“Bitch bitch bitch.” He teased her as he followed her back into the trees.

*****

His foreign heritage was undoubtedly responsible for the contents of the cooler. Deunan shook her head and grinned as she pulled out an assortment of fruit and cheese. A proper red-blooded American guy wouldn’t have been caught dead at a park picnic without a half kilo of ground beef and a bag of charcoal, but Briareos had opted for an entirely cold tactic instead. It made the packing easy, she conceded as she tried to identify one of the cheeses by name. Sniffing it, she decided it smelled good, whatever it was. He returned from draping the towels across the jeep’s roll bar and sighed audibly as he stepped into the shade where they’d set up the blanket. Letting her finish peeling the wrappers, he lay back and stretched out, rubbing his face in an attempt to stave off exhaustion. Deunan hesitated, watching him, before shrugging and pouring a heap of crackers out into a bowl.

“You going to make it to tonight?” She asked.

“I’ll be fine.” He folded his arms behind his head, resting his eyes.

“Take a nap?” She picked up a hand full of loose grapes and shifted over until she was looking down at him. “If you’re tired you should. It’s what, the middle of the night in Africa right now… You’d be sleeping if you were still there.”

“I’m fine, Deunan.” He cracked an eye open to glare at her. “I’ll nap while you play in the water later.”

“Maybe I’ll just nap with you instead.” Deunan held a grape up over his face. He obligingly opened his mouth so she could drop it in. “Save up strength for when you _are_ awake.”

“Hah hah.” Briareos crunched his fruit and made a face at her. “What, not peeled? Some pleasure slave you’d make. Can’t even peel a man’s grapes…”

“I’ll peel _something_ alright.” She threatened grimly, devouring several of the grapes as she sat back, no longer feeling sorry for him if he was going to tease her. “You forgot glasses.” She reported as she left him in favor of serving herself some cheese.

“No I didn’t.” The policeman sat up and reached for the cooler, shifting the remaining ice and winebottle in search of the missing items. “Huh.” He rested his elbow on the side of the container. “That’s funny.”

“You forgot them.” She repeated as he left her on the blanket to go check the jeep. “I already checked!”

“No I didn’t!” He turned back, “I would not bring a bottle of wine and no glasses.”

Deunan shrugged at his delusion and returned to her lunch. The soft cheese spread easily, and was criminally delicious. If this was how Europeans ate, she could see herself relocating without much trouble. Finding the wrapper, she eyed the health information on the back and winced. No wonder it was so good, it was terrible for her.

“Did you know this stuff has like one-and-a-half times the recommended daily fat allowance in it?” She held up the card that came with the cheese for him as he returned. “That’s absurd.”

“It’s what makes it so good.” He settled back on the blanket and scooped a generous amount up with the edge of a cracker. “And it’s not like I eat it every day. Try it with the dates. It’s amazing.”

Deunan followed his advice, watching as he pulled a penknife out of his board shorts and deftly stripped the wrapping off the wine bottle before starting on the cork. He was right of course, the cheese was even better with the dried fruit. She devoured another cracker’s worth before reaching for the more recognizable cheddar he had probably bought to humor her. “No glasses?” She teased.

He gave her an aggrieved look. “I swear to you, I had them. Must have left them on my desk or something.”

She resisted the urge to laugh, more than pleased with the afternoon, and the promise of a decadent evening, cups or not. Trading various plates back and forth they happily munched their way through the bulk of the food, drinking straight from the bottle in a way that ought to have caused any snobs hiking past to have a fit. She even humored his lecture on what the wine’s high and low points were, too much of a novice at drinking the highbrow beverage to have any grasp on the nuances he could taste. It was cool, and fruity, and left her feeling slightly giddy by the time they picked up the last of the trash and shaken the crumbs from the blanket.

Briareos draped the ratty fabric back on the ground, stretching out again to rest. Deunan returned from packing the jeep a few minutes behind him, and had to smile at the sight of the normally cool and composed officer stretched out limp on an old beach blanket in the middle of the day, arm over his eyes as he resisted the pull a bad case of jetlag. He needed to sleep, she decided, or he’d be face-first into his steak tonight. Kicking off her shoes at the edge of the blanket, she lay down next to him, deciding a nap wouldn’t hurt her either. The day was warm and heavy around them, but the breeze of the lake kept it tolerable in the shade. The low hum of powerboats in the distance, mixed with the rustle of the pine trees worked wonders to soothe her.

A few minutes of listening to him breathe and she found she couldn’t sleep after all. The worried vibe she had felt from him in the car, and the night before was back with a vengeance now that she had a moment to really relax. The idea of continuing to pretend she didn’t notice all through dinner gave her a headache. It’d only be harder later, especially if they fell into bed again. An argument before sex usually meant they didn’t have any…and an argument after sex would be a shitty way to end her birthday. Like pulling off a band aid, it was just better to get it over with.

She repositioned herself, callously disregarding his personal space in order to pillow her head on his stomach. He was sleepy, and susceptible. If she wanted the truth out of him with the least amount of work, she wouldn’t get a better time. Briareos ’umphed’ at her sudden weight, raising his head to make a face at her before letting it fall back against the blanket again.

“What do you want, little woman?” He petted her hair lightly.

Deunan reached back and caught his fingers instead, lacing them together with her own out of habit. “Are you going to tell me what it is you’ve been trying so hard to not think about all day?”

“Hmmm?”

“Your big secret. The one you’ve been chewing on for the past day. You going to let me in on it? Or just continue fretting yourself to death about it.” She squeezed his fingers with her own. “Your call, old man, but you’re giving me a headache with all your brooding.”

“That obvious am I?” Briareos sighed, squeezing back. Lowering his other arm, he reached down and pulled her closer. She obliged him by rolling onto her side, curling over his chest until she could rest her chin on his ribs.

“Not particularly.” Deunan shrugged. “But then, I have an unfair advantage. I see you brood more often than most. I know the symptoms.”

“Sorry about that.” He murmured, watching the clouds rather than meeting her eyes.

She shrugged again. “Tell me.”

This time he did look at her, studying her face for a long minute, brushing a lock of hair away from her eyes. Deunan felt her stomach knot up, waiting for the axe to fall. “Just tell me, bastard. It’s bad news, right? We lost someone? SWAT going on another away mission? _Don’t_ say you’re dumping me for another woman, because I swear I will kill you. But the rest, you can tell me.”

“I am under no circumstances dumping you.” He denied the last with a startled look, distracted from his worries. “You _would_ murder me. Besides, who would I take to dinner? I can’t eat at Romari’s alone, that’s just sad.”

“Bri!” She prodded him in the ribs, secretly relieved that it wasn’t _them_ that he was brooding about. She had said it as a joke, but it was probably on a matter of time before it became a real question. Deunan poked him again for good measure, angry at him for her own uncertainty.

He ruffled her hair gently. “It is not great news. But nothing so bad either. Noone’s dead or anything. I should have told you yesterday, but I didn’t expect to see you at the airport, and it kind of threw me off my plan.”

“I _am_ devilishly attractive.” She smirked. “You’re forgiven for being distracted.”

“Hellcat.” Briareos critiqued fondly, resuming his inspection of the sky. “I didn’t want to spring it on you on your birthday. But, you’re right about the away mission.”

“Shit.” She banged her forehead against his chest with a sigh. “Figures. How soon?”

“Monday.” He replied softly.

“Monday?! You haven’t even finished unpacking from this last one!” She looked over at him in disbelief.

“No need.” He shrugged. “I’m going back.” Deunan stared at him, watching the play of annoyance and resignation across his face. “I was telling the truth when I called you the other week. There’s a good month or two of work still to be done over there, your father’s determined to give them their money’s worth whether it helps or not.”

“What do you mean?” She found her voice strangely calm. More interested his opinion on the mission than she was pissed at him for going back. “You think they’ll just backslide as soon as you’re gone?”

“They’ll all be dead in three months, more like it.” He grimly predicted. “The situation is… It’s getting pretty bad, hot stuff. The US spooks can’t even keep track of how many insurgents are inside the country anymore, and the government we’re backing hasn’t made any friends with the common-man. It won’t be a simple as a military overthrow, I’m sure of that. There’s at least four different factions all stabbing at each-other, both from within and outside of the government. All it’s going to take is one good push, or one bad fuck-up, for the whole house of cards to come down at once.”

“If it’s so bad, what the hell is the team still doing there?” She banged her fist against her thigh in frustration. “You guys aren’t the army. You’re just civilian contractors helping a civilian police force. You’re not supposed to be training militias!”

“It’s all down to politics, I’m afraid.” He rubbed her arm, coaxing her into lying against him again. “If we pull out of our contract now, that’d be a show of no-confidence in the government, which is exactly what _our_ government is trying to avoid. The current junta is the only faction that’s even remotely ‘pro-US’ and ‘pro-Israel.’ Once they’re gone, we’re looking at the whole area returning to what it was pre-civil war fifty years ago.”

“How bad is it?” She rested her head against him, feeling his heartbeat beneath her cheek.

“We’re already seeing ordinance in the hands of the criminal population that would stop tanks.” Briareos shrugged. “Even some surface-to-air shit. There’s no question that they’re stockpiling for more than just marches or riots. It’s going to take something pretty drastic to change their minds about going to the mat, at this point.”

“So either the government beefs up the army and rides it out… or what, gives up and accepts exile?”

“Or begs for American military support.” He offered the alternative dryly. “Naturally, in exchange for unrestricted access to oil and mining rights…”

“God, did we set this bullshit up?” She realized what he was saying, not all that surprised.

The policeman shrugged, “Who can say. Not me, I’m just a civilian contractor. I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

“You play big and dumb far too well.” Deunan smirked. “People always talk in front of you when they shouldn’t. You probably know as much as anyone.”

“Must be my honest face.” Briareos snorted. “People mistake me for trustworthy.”

“So what happens to you and the others, if war breaks out?” Deunan refused to be distracted. “You’ll be sitting ducks, positioned out in the city as you are. Tell me at least that dad’s moving you lot into the embassy for the next month.”

“Taken care of.” He petted her hair again. “We’ll be fine. Once the country gets too hot to hold us, we’ll be on the last plane out, along with the rest of the government staffers. The green berets can chase down the kids with cluster rockets if they want to, I’m not interested. We’re not army. We don’t get paid to shoot people for no reason.”

“Not without a lot of paperwork, at any rate.” Deunan laughed lightly, turning her face into his warmth and inhaling. “What time Monday?”

“Better to say Sunday.” Briareos sighed, fingers settling on her neck, rubbing the tension he found there. “There’s a big meeting happening downtown tomorrow afternoon, and then some other official crap that could last until god knows when. They’ll probably just drop me at the airport directly from there. I’ll keep my carryall with me.”

“The other guys going too?” She bunched his t-shirt in her fist, pressing her face against him to suppress the rush of disappointment.

“No, they’re done.” He huffed as she clung to him. “Hey girl, it’s not so bad. I’ll bring the rest of the losers home with me next time, we can do the ‘welcome home’ thing as a gang. Have a beach party or something.”

“Yeah.” She agreed, mentally reordering her weekend to take into account that she’d be back on her own by Sunday. So much for making plans for next week.

“You mad at me?” The tanned man rubbed her shoulders.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Deunan forced herself to breathe normally, letting go of the urge to argue about it. It wasn’t like it would help. Now at least she understood why he had been so desperate for her. He’d known all along he’d only get a day and a half to see her. The thought made her smile in spite of herself. “Why’d you come at all, if you were only going to be here 48 hours? Couldn’t you trust Arai or someone to take care of the meetings? He’s glad handed at least as many politicos as you have in the past three years. He ought to be used to it by now.”

The prolonged and slightly uncomfortable silence she received in reply gave her all the answer she needed.

“You dummy.” She nuzzled his t-shirt, happy and scared and in love all at once. “You big dumb lump. You didn’t have to. It’s just a day. I was just glad you called...”

“The opportunity was there.” He shrugged, poker face in place, confessing nothing. “The city was quiet. The drills I was running could be handled by anyone. They wanted someone who could speak French to make sure the gang got through customs alright when we transferred planes. Other than shorting out on a bit of sleep, there was no reason not to take a weekend off.”

He ruffled her hair gently. “Besides, this depressing conversation aside, you have to admit today has already been more fun than just sitting around celebrating your birthday by doing laundry. And I still owe you dinner.”

“Yes.” She agreed with a whisper. “It’s been great, Bri. I’m really glad you came.”

“So there.” He shrugged again. “It was worth it.”

“Idiot.” Deunan couldn’t help the way her voice broke. Pushing up off his chest, she leaned over to kiss him properly. He responded with equal energy, sitting up to hold her properly, hands sliding over her back to crush her close, despite the bruises.

The kiss soon gave way to the sort of cuddling that she had been surprised to find him capable of in the beginning of their relationship. Sharing his touches and light kisses, Deunan found her mood rapidly lifted, returning the favor until he was smiling again too. She giggled as he pressed his face into her neck, curling around her as they held each other. It was a bit like being a stuffed-animal for a little kid, she often felt. She circled his neck with her arms, nuzzling his head as he rested his lips against her skin.

At least for the next twelve hours, they could both pretend that he wasn’t shipping out again. And really, twelve hours was a lot of time, if one was properly motivated to make the most of it. She squeezed him tighter for a moment, before playfully petting his shoulders and head, grateful for once that she could anticipate his need without being told. Returning her fingers to his scalp, Deunan pressed him gently against her, letting him hold her as long as he wanted. Someday, she was confident he’d say it in words, but for now, it was enough to know he needed her.

“You’ll be careful. Right?” She murmured into his ear, fingers combing through his dark hair.

“I’m always careful, girl.” He lifted his head to catch her eye, making it a promise. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

_fin_