They had been on the road for almost half an hour before Erik decided to break the stilted silence that had pervaded the car for the entire journey.
‘Charles,’ he said, turning his head and risking a look across the steering wheel. When Charles looked up he continued. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked hesitantly. When Charles didn’t answer he felt a small flicker of fear in the pit of his stomach. His heart slowly rising in his throat, he asked, ‘You’re not having second thoughts are you?’
Charles blinked at that and looked up.
‘What? Oh no!’ he shook his head. ‘Don’t worry, my friend – I assure you than I am not.’
Erik relaxed at that, but only minutely.
‘Oh,’ he said, before hesitating. ‘Because it would be all right if you were. I mean – if you don’t actually want to come with me, then-’
Charles placed his hand over Erik’s, halting his words.
‘Erik,’ he said, a small smile playing on his lips. ‘Stop worrying, love. If I didn’t want to be here, then I wouldn’t be here.’
Erik sighed and a tiny smile of relief made its way onto his face. Charles squeezed his hand when he saw it and Erik squeezed back.
And that was when the phone rang.
Both men jumped and simply stared for a moment. Then Erik pulled his hand away and began to clutch around inside his jacket pocket urgently. He didn’t even pretend to pay any attention to the road or the cars in front of him; not for the first time, Erik had cause to be grateful for his control over metal. When his fingers finally grasped hold of the phone he pulled it out and then just sat there, staring at it.
‘Erik?’ Charles whispered. ‘Who is that?’
Erik’s eyes fell on the flashing screen. There was one name on there, a code name; the name of the only person who had the number:
Gambit.
Erik felt his heart rate pick up.
It was probably nothing, he reasoned. He was probably just calling to make sure that they were on their way, so that he could say goodbye.
But if it wasn’t …
His gaze flicked over to Charles, who was watching him with a curious yet trusting expression.
‘It’s my contact,’ he said, his eyes sliding back to the phone. He waited a beat. ‘He’s probably checking to see if everything’s on schedule.’
Charles gave him a tentative smile.
‘You had better get that, then,’ he said softly.
Erik held his eyes for a moment before bringing the phone up to his ear and pressing a button.
‘Remy?’
‘You really need to start paying more attention to your phone, mon ami,’ Remy’s voice sighed through the reciever. ‘You had me worried there. Again.’
‘Sorry Remy,’ Erik said grimly, using one hand to gently steer the car into the slow lane. ‘But there’s no need to worry. We’re on our way to the airfield now.’
There was a pause.
‘Ah,’ Remy said in a strange tone. ‘Then your petit ami is there with you as well?’
‘Yes,’ Erik answered shortly.
Remy didn’t speak for a moment. When he did, he sounded strangely hesitant.
‘Maybe Remy shouldn’t tell you this then …’
Erik frowned.
‘Tell me what?’ he asked lightly.
Remy hesitated.
‘Start talking Remy,’ Erik said, keeping his tone even so as to not alert Charles to the fact that he was suddenly feeling tense again.
‘Well,’ Remy said slowly. ‘Remy heard a rumour …’
‘Yes?’
‘And it appears-’ Remy paused before letting out a sigh of resignation. ‘It seems there is a possibility that we have a fix on the location of one Sebastian Shaw.’
Erik stilled.
Then, after a moment:
‘Say that again.’
A pause.
‘We have an address and positive I.D. on Shaw,’ Remy said and Erik had to close his eyes against the violent surge of emotion that the statement pulled up from his chest.
‘Erik?’ Remy said in a small voice.
Erik gritted his teeth, his eyes still shut. He did not turn to look at Charles – Charles and his wide trusting eyes. He couldn’t.
His mouth dry, he licked his lips.
‘Tell me,’ he whispered.
‘Erik-’
‘Tell me, Remy.’
There was a pause. Then:
‘Green Point Hotel, two miles from the airfield,’ was the short reply.
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timeasmymeasure
Heat - Part 22a
Date: 2012-05-28 12:04 am (UTC)They had been on the road for almost half an hour before Erik decided to break the stilted silence that had pervaded the car for the entire journey.
‘Charles,’ he said, turning his head and risking a look across the steering wheel. When Charles looked up he continued. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked hesitantly. When Charles didn’t answer he felt a small flicker of fear in the pit of his stomach. His heart slowly rising in his throat, he asked, ‘You’re not having second thoughts are you?’
Charles blinked at that and looked up.
‘What? Oh no!’ he shook his head. ‘Don’t worry, my friend – I assure you than I am not.’
Erik relaxed at that, but only minutely.
‘Oh,’ he said, before hesitating. ‘Because it would be all right if you were. I mean – if you don’t actually want to come with me, then-’
Charles placed his hand over Erik’s, halting his words.
‘Erik,’ he said, a small smile playing on his lips. ‘Stop worrying, love. If I didn’t want to be here, then I wouldn’t be here.’
Erik sighed and a tiny smile of relief made its way onto his face. Charles squeezed his hand when he saw it and Erik squeezed back.
And that was when the phone rang.
Both men jumped and simply stared for a moment. Then Erik pulled his hand away and began to clutch around inside his jacket pocket urgently. He didn’t even pretend to pay any attention to the road or the cars in front of him; not for the first time, Erik had cause to be grateful for his control over metal. When his fingers finally grasped hold of the phone he pulled it out and then just sat there, staring at it.
‘Erik?’ Charles whispered. ‘Who is that?’
Erik’s eyes fell on the flashing screen. There was one name on there, a code name; the name of the only person who had the number:
Gambit.
Erik felt his heart rate pick up.
It was probably nothing, he reasoned. He was probably just calling to make sure that they were on their way, so that he could say goodbye.
But if it wasn’t …
His gaze flicked over to Charles, who was watching him with a curious yet trusting expression.
‘It’s my contact,’ he said, his eyes sliding back to the phone. He waited a beat. ‘He’s probably checking to see if everything’s on schedule.’
Charles gave him a tentative smile.
‘You had better get that, then,’ he said softly.
Erik held his eyes for a moment before bringing the phone up to his ear and pressing a button.
‘Remy?’
‘You really need to start paying more attention to your phone, mon ami,’ Remy’s voice sighed through the reciever. ‘You had me worried there. Again.’
‘Sorry Remy,’ Erik said grimly, using one hand to gently steer the car into the slow lane. ‘But there’s no need to worry. We’re on our way to the airfield now.’
There was a pause.
‘Ah,’ Remy said in a strange tone. ‘Then your petit ami is there with you as well?’
‘Yes,’ Erik answered shortly.
Remy didn’t speak for a moment. When he did, he sounded strangely hesitant.
‘Maybe Remy shouldn’t tell you this then …’
Erik frowned.
‘Tell me what?’ he asked lightly.
Remy hesitated.
‘Start talking Remy,’ Erik said, keeping his tone even so as to not alert Charles to the fact that he was suddenly feeling tense again.
‘Well,’ Remy said slowly. ‘Remy heard a rumour …’
‘Yes?’
‘And it appears-’ Remy paused before letting out a sigh of resignation. ‘It seems there is a possibility that we have a fix on the location of one Sebastian Shaw.’
Erik stilled.
Then, after a moment:
‘Say that again.’
A pause.
‘We have an address and positive I.D. on Shaw,’ Remy said and Erik had to close his eyes against the violent surge of emotion that the statement pulled up from his chest.
‘Erik?’ Remy said in a small voice.
Erik gritted his teeth, his eyes still shut. He did not turn to look at Charles – Charles and his wide trusting eyes. He couldn’t.
His mouth dry, he licked his lips.
‘Tell me,’ he whispered.
‘Erik-’
‘Tell me, Remy.’
There was a pause. Then:
‘Green Point Hotel, two miles from the airfield,’ was the short reply.
Erik took a shuddering breath.
‘Thank you.’
‘Erik, mon cher, are you sure-’
‘Goodbye, Remy.’
‘Erik, why don’t we talk-’
Click.
Erik hung up.