LONDON TOWNE
BY: TOPHAT

Prologue
A Mission to Paris

  When the four of them were together Scarlett didn't have to be "just one of the guys" and she certainty didn't act like that when she and Duke were alone, the few times they were actually alone for more than five minutes. Jaye remembered the time Scarlett and Duke came back from Asia. Something was different between them. A barrier had been broken and they could actually see each other as something more than a friend. The problem, as far as Jaye saw it anyways, was that one barrier broken through was just not enough. Duke especially had problems thinking of involving himself with Scarlett, no matter how much he wanted to, in a relationship that was something other than work or friendship. Scarlett was getting tired of coming close to breaking through only to have him come up short in the end. If something didn't happen soon Jaye was afraid her friend would give up hope and move on to find another guy.

  "How's it coming honey? Need any help? The guys will be here in fifteen minutes."

  "No they won't. Flint knows you well enough to know that just because you say you're going to be ready at a certain time doesn't necessarily mean you will. And tonight that's a good thing because I'm not ready get."

  Jaye walks to the bathroom to see what's taking her friend so long. Scarlett, on the few occasions she couldn't weasel her way out of getting dressed up in formal attire, kept it to a minimum. Her view was that she was there to work, not schmooze, that was Hawk's job and he was welcome to it.

  "Wow." That was all Jaye could get out. Her friend had pulled out all the stops. She was wearing a long white evening gown, with thin little spaghetti straps, fitted, but not to the point that she would have to hobble if she wanted to move, the neck line was low but just at the point where it was enticing, not off the rack. She had curled her hair and pinned it up with hair sticks, letting one or two curls escape. "You look..."

  "Is that all you can say? I look.... Good I hope. That's what I've spent the last hour or two going for."

  "I'm speechless honey, you look absolutely gorgeous. Duke is going to be floored."

  "Good."She replied pointedly

  "I take it that he is the point of all this?"

  Scarlett replies quite seriously: "Jaye, I've waited years for him to get over whatever obstacles are in the way of the two of us entering into a relationship. It would be good-maybe better than good, maybe perfect. He knows it and he knows that all he has to do is ask. I've made it abundantly clear that I'm interested. Tonight is his last chance. I'm pulling out all the stops. If he's interested enough then he'll let me know. If not then I'm tired of waiting. He has to decide if I'm worth risking his career over. I'm not waiting anymore. I love him, I want to be with him, but I can only wait for so long."

  "Well, you can only be expected to hang around for so long and he's a fool if he doesn't choose you. You look beautiful and tonight you are going to knock him off his feet. Put your shoes on, I'm going to get Flint and head down. You two could use a few minutes to yourself." Jaye gave her friend a quick, tight hug before she left to collect Flint. 

  Flint opened the door to find his girlfriend waiting on the other side, just about to knock. "Hey, I was just coming to get you. You okay? What's up?"

  Jaye let it all out in a rush: "We have a problem. She not waiting any longer, not that she needs to mind you. He's had plenty of opportunity but he always refuses to acknowledge what's between them. He refuses to take the challenge."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Duke."

  "Duke not taking a challenge? Are we talking about the guy in there getting ready, Duke, the guy who routinely saves the world from destruction, my best friend?"

  "Yes, your best friend. And he's about to blow it with my best friend."

  "Uh, oh. So this is a Duke & Scarlett problem."

  "Flint, I'm worried. She was serious-if he doesn't ask her tonight then that's it. Any chance of the two of them ever getting together is gone. She loves Duke and he loves her but she can only wait so long for him to admit it."

  "Your right, he does love her. He's just been worried about his career. It's important to him."

  "I know it's important to him but... wait... you said it's been a problem. Does that mean that it's not a problem any more?"

  "I'll talk to him, make sure he knows it's now or never. He told me the other day he didn't know what his problem had been. I'll just make sure he tells her tonight and then that's it. We've got to stay out of it and let them work through it."

  "Deal."

  Flint went back into the apartment, leaving Jaye outside for a moment, to talk to Duke. "If you love her then you've got to tell her. Women are funny that way. If you don't act fast you loose them, especially the good ones, and trust me Scarlett's one of the best." 

  "Tell Jaye not to worry. I'm hers if she'll have me. If it comes down to it then I'd rather quit the Joes and be with her than lead the Joes without her."

  "Good luck." He slaps his friend on the back; "I'm taking Allie down to the party. I'll run a security check when I get there. When the two of you get down radio me and I'll give you an update."

  Flint and Lady Jaye went down to the party and Duke went to collect Scarlett. When she answers the door Duke is speechless. All he can do is wonder why he waited so long. As they rode the elevator down to the party he couldn't take his eyes off her, he only hoped he could find the right words before the night was over.

  Late into the night Scarlett has had enough of the party and heads down to the koi pond for a little peace. She is close enough to the party to hear if there is trouble but far enough that all but the music from the band is lost to the night. Later Duke's shift ends and he goes to find her. "Company that bad?" he jokes, coming up to stand behind her

  "Not anymore." She replies softly with a smile. She gets up and stands next to him. "Shift over?"

  "Yeah, everyone is gone back home/where they came from. The boys are breaking out the hard stuff."

  "Gonna join them?" she looks up at him

  "Only if you are."

  She laughs, "Take a walk?" she asks putting her champagne glass down on the rim of the Koi pond.

  "Lead the way." He answers as he tucks her hand through his arm.

  "I didn't get a dance you know?" he tells her as they make their way down a path.

  "As I recall you had your hands full." She answers with a sly smile.

  "You could have rescued me." He tells her as she turns and faces him stepping closer and lacing her arms behind his neck.

  "Now what fun would that have been?" she asks softly looking into his eyes. His eyebrow lifts a notch in question.

  She laughs, "Well, since you did forego a beer bash to spend time with me, you can have your dance now. "

  "Oh, really?"

  "Yeah." So they dance and he pulls her close for a kiss. His hand follows her cheek up to her hair and moves to pull her hair sticks. She steps back. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get my hair up this way?"

  "No. And I really don't care either." Their eyes meet and a silent communication passes between them.

  "Well, I do. I don't want to loose these you know. They're special."

  "Special how?"

  "Special because someone special gave them to me."

  "They were given because that someone thought you were special."

  Looking into her eyes he could remember the first time he had seen those things. To him they looked like silver chopsticks. Something interesting to him but only enough to warrant a passing glance. He and Scarlett had been walking around, taking in the sights and sounds of an Asian market. They were trying to blend in, be normal tourists, all the while looking for Cobra agents. They had found plenty but not that day. That day had been special. The evil of the world had taken a vacation. It had seemed to Duke that the universe had shrunk until it contained just the two of them; friends at that point but already realizing that there was something so much more waiting just beneath the surface for the next perfect moment. The moment she had seen those chopsticks her whole face had lit up. She had seen beyond their surface to what they could be. He remembered being mesmerized by the light in her eyes. He asked her what was so special about a pair of chopsticks. She told him she had seen a pair like those in a museum in Scotland. They had been engraved in a way that combined Celtic tradition with oriental craftsmanship. She explained that what had touched her was the story or legend that had accompanied the chopsticks.

  A Scottish merchant had traveled to the Orient and had bought the pair to bring to his fiancé. The merchant found a craftsman and commissioned an intricate engraving that would combine the magic of the orient with what was most familiar to him-his home. The merchant explained that they were to be a gift to his fiancé. The craftsman understood that the merchant loved this girl with a pure heart and so created a design that would welcome the young girl into this man's heart. When the merchant came back he was amazed at what the craftsman had created. Beyond the man's wildest dreams the chopsticks were perfect. In a design that combined the man's family crest with the wonders of the orient he was sure his fiancé would love them. When the merchant arrived at home his fiancé was waiting for him on the docks. After a fevered kiss he reached into his coat and pulled out a gift wrapped in white cloth and presented it to his love. She glanced at him in wonder but began to unwrap the package as he asked. When she pulled on the last string and a pair of engraved silver sticks tumbled out into her hand she gasped in surprise and delight. She wore them on her wedding day as a sign of their love. The legend goes on to say that because of the depth of their love they were blessed forever.

  Duke came back later and bought them for her. He asked the merchant if there was any way he could get the chopsticks engraved. The man of course thought Duke was being a typical American-insane but wealthy and willing to spend that wealth. The merchant's brother turned out to be a craftsman and was all to willing to take Duke's money and engrave the chopsticks-one with the O' Hara family crest and the other with a smiling dragon. He had given them to her their last day in the city. She had actually kissed him. He had stood there stunned for what had seemed to him hours after she had turned and gone, when it was actually merely minutes before it started raining and awakened him from his daze. Things had never quite been the same between them since. He wanted tonight to be the night they broke down the invisible barriers between them.

  "Duke..." he heard his name being called and realized that once again he had lost himself in her eyes.

  She smiled up at him and brought her right hand to wave in front of his face. He caught her hand and brought to his lips.

  "You're cold." He stated

  "Really? I hadn't really noticed until now."

  "How about a drink?"

  "How about a glass of whiskey?"

  "If you think the bartender has it, I'll buy it."

  She laughed, "Follow me."

  "Wait." He caught her hand as she turned to walk back up the path. "I'll give you my jacket." He had it half way off his shoulders before he realized he was still armed. They both laughed. "I doubt if hotel security would look fondly upon me walking in like this."

  "I think you could get around it, but a glass of whiskey will go a long way towards warming me up. And if I'm still cold once we're inside, then you can give me your jacket and I'd gladly accept it."

  They walk hand in hand up the path to the hotel, get in an elevator and ride to their floor. Scarlett pulls out a key from somewhere in her dress.

  "Now I'd love to know where that was hidden."

  "Mind your manners." She scolded him with a laugh

  She opened the door and let him go in first.

  "No roommate tonight?" he asked

  She laughed, "She's at your place."

  "Ah." Was all he could say.

  "What, no comment? No reprimand?"

  "I've made my peace with their relationship. They're in love, they both know the risks and if they're willing to jeopardize their careers to be together then they should. She cocked her head to one side and studied his face, needing to know if he was making a joke. Deciding that he was serious, she felt her hopes rise and went to the closet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

  "Funny place for a bar, don't you think?"

  "Maybe so, but we serve only the best." Scarlett proudly holds up a bottle of whiskey.

  Duke laughs, "How long have you had that?"

  "Long enough." She replies, grapping two glasses and opening the balcony door.

  Duke stepped out after her. They stood side by side for a moment just taking in the sight of Paris at night.

  "It's a beautiful sight, but won't you get cold wearing just that dress?"

  "Well, if the whiskey isn't up to the challenge then I'll just take you up on the offer of your jacket." She pours them both a glass

  "Here." She hands him a glass. "What shall we toast to?"

"O  ld friendships with new beginnings."

  "To new beginnings."

  They talk for an hour or more before the temperature drops enough for Duke to notice his complain does indeed have chill bumps running up her arms. He sets down his empty glass and takes hers out of her hand and sets it down on the table next to his.

  "Here no one to complain this time." He slips off his tux jacket, drapes it over her shoulders and pulls her close.

  She looks up and he kisses her-long, slow and deep. He pulls her hair free from its pins and runs his hands through her hair. He takes the pins and puts them in his jacket pocket.

  "For safe keeping."

  He brings her close and sighs, "I've waited a long time to do that."

  "I've waited a long time for you get up the nerve."

  They kiss again -just like the first time only much sweeter.

  She leads him back into the room and shrugs out of his jacket. She leans down and lies on the bed pulling him down after her. He looks up with a questioning glance. She just smiles and kisses him. They make love long into the night.

  Duke wakes up to the smell of coffee. He opens his eyes and sees Scarlett sitting on the bed next to him wearing his shirt and holding a steaming cup of coffee. "Rise and shine. One cup is all you get."

  He raises an eyebrow at her. "Forget where you are?" she asks him

  He replies with a wry smile, "No. I remember quite vividly."

  She smiles back at him, "Good, now drink up. You're going to need this."

  He takes the coffee, "What's the rush? In a hurry to get rid of me?"

  "Oh, no. If it was up to me, we'd stay sequestered up here for at least the next week."

  "Then what's the rush?"

  "One-Jaye called and everyone has to be down in the conference room in twenty minutes. Hawk has called a meeting."

  "Twenty minutes!" he swallows the rest of the coffee and puts the empty cup on the bedside table as he jumps up and starts the search for his clothes. For the most part they're in a pile at the end of the bed.

  As Duke gets dressed Scarlett goes on, "Reason number two-the hotel only serves breakfast for so long. And if we want anything to eat before the meeting we have to get it in the next fifteen minutes. Reason number three-I want to check out the bridge we saw last night when we were standing on the balcony."

  Duke has finished getting dressed and is up again in search of his shirt. "Missing something?" She asks standing up so she's facing him. And with her gaze not wavering from his she slowly begins to undo the buttons on his shirt; one button at a time until all the buttons were undone. She slides the shirt off and holds it out for him to take.

  Duke stands there thinking of all the things he would rather be doing right now than taking his shirt away from Scarlett so he could run to his room, shower and change into his work clothes. "Don't tempt me." He growls and gives her a swift kiss before running out the room. "Meet me in ten minutes down stairs and I'll buy you a quick breakfast."

  Duke passes Lady Jaye on the way down the hall to his room. She grins at him, taking in his disheveled appearance and knocks before she enters the room she is sharing with Scarlett, rather than barging in like she'd like to do.

  "Well, I see someone got lucky last night." Jaye commented noticing that although Scarlett was now wearing a robe it was doubtful she had anything on under the robe.

  "Yes." Scarlett answered softly with a smile, "Someone got very lucky." She stood by the balcony door looking out across the city. The day was new and alive with the promise of things to come.

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To Be Continued!
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