Morningstar Manor

He had to go into the station later but this morning it was time to get back into the workout routine. Deacon had already run on the treadmill to warm up and now - in track pants, no shirt, and boxing gloves - he was letting the bag hanging in the corner have a piece of his mind.

Jason had the night shift tonight and that was fine by him. He didn't sleep much anyway. But he still had about half an hour before he was technically on duty - though most would tell you he was never off duty - and so decided a coffee as in order. Large Mocha Latte in hand Jason found a table where he could watch the room and took a seat.

***

Jack had just come off a 24 hour straight shift and stumbled into the Mocha in search of food and drink. It might seem silly to be going for coffee when he was now free to head back to his little apartment and crash but he needed the routine of a coffee and a muffin to unwind from work. Then there would be a shower and bed.

Jack's uniform shirt was already unbuttoned half way down his chest to show the white singlet beneath but now he untucked it from his trousers and let it hang completely open. He gave Joy his usual wicked smile - even if it was a bit tired - and she flushed and fluttered and soon he had his coffee and chocolate chip muffin and was finding a table.

***

Deacon had slept like a rock in his own bed for far longer than he probably should have but that was fine by him. He'd needed it. When he did finally get up today he'd worked out hard in the gym, showered, gone grocery shopping for real, and now - getting ready to head into the station for a late shift and to get caught up on his paperwork - he headed into the Mocha dressed in jeans, black boots, black button up and his leather jacket, gun tucked inside in its shoulder holster. Getting in line for the counter he tucked his hands in his pockets and smiled. It was good to be home.

Andy waited without much impatience. As far as she was concerned airlines took their time and there was no point her getting stressed about it. Also it would be good, in a slightly masochistic way, to see Deacon again. She'd missed him - though she'd stick her hand in a blender sooner than admit it.

So she waited, reading a local free paper, pretending not to have one eye on arrivals.

Winter mornings were dark and so Nia tended to sleep in a bit. This was grand as far as Charlie was concerned because it gave him longer to luxuriate in the warmth of his own bed, and Deacon's arms.

He glanced at the alarm clock and frowned. It was nearly six o'clock, early even for him, and he lay his cheek against Deacon's shoulder and wondered why he was awake.

[Summary: Due to an accident in the UK, Deacon, Charlie and Nia leave the Manor until further notice]

Deacon was working so Charlie had brought his canvas into the living room and was painting with acrylics and a big brush.

That was fun and since he was on his feet he was playing a CD that Mum had sent him and dancing as he painted.

Deacon and Nia had picked Charlie up from the gallery and they had lunched in the auberge then had gone along to the usual temporary costume shop to get something suitable for Nia to go trick or treating in.

There was plenty of choice.

Charlie was convinced he was going crazy.

Not only had there been that silly business with the drinks, but he had ruined a painting with a careless stroke of lamp black when he KNEW he had dipped into flake white, he had sent a wildly affectionate and somewhat explicit email that was supposed to have gone to Deacon to his MOTHER and, to put a tin hat on his week, last night Brian had been nowhere to be found and Nia had been most upset.

So upset, in fact that Nia had only slept in snatches and so Charlie hadn't slept at all. however, she had demanded to go to her day care that morning and Charlie had been glad to take her and leave Deacon to get a little sleep.

Clutching a cup of tea, Charlie rested his head on his other hand and tried not to doze off

The weather was turning colder and that meant that it was time to get back out to the lakehouse and get it ready for the winter. Which was hard to do when you had a little one wanting to run off and explore everything.

So they'd talked to Mary Ann and she'd been happy to agree to pick Nia up from day care and let her spend the night and that let Charlie and Deacon pack up an overnight bag, pile into the car, and head off for the lake.

"Should we stop by KFC on the way and get popcorn chicken?" Deacon asked as he drove. It had become sort of a ritual.

The shop was taking shape and new stock was arriving daily. Ben had got into a routine for dealing with it - he could shelve while workmen were there, they didn't like him under foot, so he did it in the evenings, when it was quiet - when he had nothing better to do.

Tuesday evening he got his sack truck and stepped out of the back door of the bookstore to fetch another crate of books from the lock up but what he saw made him scowl and then made him hurry across to the lock up opposite and hammer on the half open door.

Now the children were back in school the gallery was back to normal and Charlie was splitting his time between the office [paperwork] and the desk [being nice to people] and the studio at home.

But drawing was fun and so he sometimes took the opportunity to do a bit while he was waiting for customers or was bored with poking the computer.

Today he was drawing his favourite subject - Deacon - from all kids of angles. He'd need to hide the drawings from anyone other than D - or possibly Seth. Seth might enjoy them.

Nia was in day care so Deacon was hanging out in the Mocha and Charlie had the afternoon off now that Glen Morgan had arrived at the gallery so had joined him for a bite of lunch. Getting a call via Skype from their good friend Andy was just the cherry on the danish.

"I could murder a Mocha danish," now she said. "I could eat a whole sheep. Erik's gone into Monmouth for groceries because I've eaten everything in the village shop. It would be scary if it wasn't such fun."

She grinned at them, her face rounded as her belly, showing nice and clearly on the webcam with the familiar fixtures of the Norton Wood farm kitychen in the background.

"You're looking well," Charlie sid. "Isn't she Deacon? Isn't she looking well."

Monday morning. Kids were back in school, people back to work, and at this time the major morning rush had already come and gone leaving the Mocha relatively quiet.

Deacon had dropped Nia off at the daycare and was enjoying a coffee and muffin. He'd texted Charlie as he walked across the lobby. Bfast in Mocha?

***

Seth was in the Mocha too and he'd waved to Deacon when he spotted him but didn't go to join him. He was sketching away in his book, sipping coffee, and bopping about in his seat as he listened to this music coming through his headphones.

***

Gabe was stretched out on one of the couches, coffee in one hand and phone pressed to his ear in the other. "Darling I know I wasn't there but honestly - what where you thinking? It was the Emmy's! You could have at least gone to Angels. I mean I might not be there but my people are good. Cuz honey - your hair..."

***

Demitri was up early. He didn't have a class until later this afternoon. And though he no longer ran the Mocha he liked to see that it was doing well. He sat by the window, looking out at the street and the people going by and thinking on the things that had happened in the past few months. And smiled softly.

***

Max and Micah sat at another table, both drinking coffee and looking through the paper.

Deacon woke on the last day of their vacation. It was early still, not much light drifting into the bedroom yet, and he could hear the sound of the ocean and the call of the gulls outside. Turning on his side he smiled at Charlie's form, stretched out on his back with one arm thrown over his head and still sleeping soundly.

They'd spent a lot of time doing that actually. Sleeping. They'd both apparently needed it more than they'd knew. But seeing as this was the last day and they would be leaving late that afternoon for the airport and adult responsibilities back home, Deacon decided that he would indulge in something he didn't get to do much anymore.

Waking Charlie up. ( Read more... )

The remainder of the day had gone quite well. ( Read more... )

"You be good now," Charlie said, hopefully.

"Yes, good, yes," Nia said, straining against his hand as she towed him towards the day care.

Charlie grinned at Deacon then opened the door and let her go - a doppler squeal heading for Penny and her friends to tell them all about her vacation. He waved to Penny, tried to wave to Nia and gave a rueful sigh as she ignored him.

"Ah well," he said, closing the door and linking his arm through Deacon's. "One day she'll be all grown up and won't want to talk to me at all."

Steaks and a good night's sleep had worked wonders and so Charlie had taken Nia to the zoo and D had had a bit of time to himself before joining them to drive them out to Cleveland for dinner with old friends Katie and Ben Fuller.

"Is she a little girl or a BIG little girl?" Nia demanded as they drove up to the house. She was desperate for someone new to play with and had been talking about Jessica all day.

"Well she's bigger than you," Deacon said, "but she's still a little girl. I think you'll like her." ( Read more... )

It could have been the curry, or it could have been the catfish. Either way, Charlie had a very uncomfortable 24 hours, some of which, once the initial unpleasantness was over, had been spent asleep. Astonishingly, and thankfully, neither Nia nor Deacon had been affected and had left him curled up with Perrier and crackers while they looked at the dinosaurs.

"Raaaaaaggghhhh," Nia said, wearing her dinosaur hat.

"Raaaagh," Charlie said in reply and looked fondly across at Deacon who was driving exceedingly smoothly despite the roughness of the road.

Another campsite, another cook out. But this time they had bought steaks.

They had found a good campsite the first night, to break them in gently, but tonight they were in a more isolated spot and Nia was speculating loudly about the possibility of bears.( Read more... )

Charlie had been as organised as it was possible for him to be and, so far, things appeared to be going according to plan. ( Read more... )

Leo had actually been into the office on a Sunday, not unheard of but not a regular occurrence, because Carnahan had called him to say that some papers from Pangolin had been misdirected to his office and that he had, shamefully, forgotten to mention it. He had offered Leo Sunday evening dinner in recompense and Leo had accepted cheerfully, then had put the phone down and cursed and got down there sharpish. Now he was back, envelope in pocket, considering options and ready for tea - possibly iced because it was a warm day.

#

Vincenzo greeted Lawyer Beck on his way through the lobby then settled back in his seat and eased his collar. It was hot. He might have to fetch the one of the fans from the security suite. They didn't need ALL of them in there.

#

Ruth had finished her laundry and paused to look in the mail room. She felt - restless - and couldn't work out why.

On impulse she spoke to the young man at the security desk and he smiled and agreed to keep her small package of laundry, neatly folded inside a pillow case, in his cupboard until she came back for it, and she hitched her purse under her arm and went for a walk. Maybe to the park - or the Square.

Though she would probably end up at the museum.

#

The lack of the pool house was being felt quite keenly by some of the residents so Charlie had obtained an extra large and extra tough paddling pool and obtained permission to put it on a sunny patch of ground not far from the gazebo. Overnight he and Nick and Phil had put it up and filled it and now the sun was busy warming it.

He sat on the grass laughing as Nia, in a very frilly swimsuit, dipped her hands in and squealed and ran about shaking them and going "brrrrrrrrrrr". The way the temperature was rising it would soon be milk warm and he might even have a paddle himself.