Needing his protection (closed-pm first)

[zydrate]

Nicole held up her left hand to stop him from getting any closer as her right hand balled up into a fist behind her back, "Don't you fucking get in my face John," she kept her voice lowered too as her eyes darkened and her defenses heightened. He knew she hated when he did that. Well, not just him, but anyone who tried to push her around.

"You should know fucking well that what I've offered is not an imposition and if you read it that way, then I'm sorry. But things have been so fucked up lately that I'm too tired to deliver everything with a happy smile just to make you happy. I appreciate what you've done for Elise and myself, but we can take care of ourselves!"

 

[BeachBum25]

John grabbed the wrist of the arm that Nicole extended out toward him. He grabbed the other wrist as it moved out in an arc from behind her back headed for his face. He held both of her wrists as she struggled to pull away from him.

"This was always your fucking problem. You were never willing to accept help from anyone. It kept you from being the best agent in the agency, and it forced us apart when we should have been together. You never understood that accepting assistance from someone is not a sign of weakness and it is not a challenge to your ability to accomplish anything." He stared into her eyes. He knew she was seething, but at this point he didn't care. Ha bit his tongue to keep from commenting about her and Elise being able to take care of themselves.

"I always told you that you needed to be willing to work with other people to accomplish your goals. You always wanted to do everything on your own; as if it was a way of justifying your position in the agency. The same thing is happening now. All I want to do is help you. I don't want anything to happen to you or to Elise, and all you do is resist. You act like I am telling you that you aren't good enough, and that is not what I am saying."

 

[zydrate]

He sounded just like her boss did. Her old partner had said the same thing also...

The speech was the same and each time, she got pissed off even more. Except this time, Nicole stopped struggling and fell to her knees until she was leaning back on her ass. It was like everything hit her hard...reality slammed into her full force and all she could do was take it.

"I can't work with anyone. I can't rely on you John.., I can't take that disappointment or hurt again of not having you around anymore..." she said quietly, almost in a whisper. "I relied on my partner and what did it get me? In trouble with Mateo." She shook her head and in a feeble attempt, she tried to pull her arms away from him but he held on tightly... "It almost cost me the one thing in the world that I would gladly die for. And I ended up fucking that up too." She yanked her arms away from him, "Don't even start with the 'oh, it's not your fault Nicole..' We all know it's true."

The events of the past week...month...all seemed to rush through her mind, making her sigh and stop fighting him.

 

[BeachBum25]

"Nicole, you know that I don't sugar coat it. You know that I am not going to say something to you just to make you feel better. I am going to tell you it straight. I am only telling you that I want to help you with your plan. I want you to be safe. I want my daughter's mother to be around for a long time to raise her and take care of her. I want nothing but the best for Elise and you."

John reached down and helped Nicole to her feet. He walked her over to her bed and sat her down. "You get ready for bed Nicole. We will talk more tomorrow. I am going to sleep on the sofa, and it is not that I don't want to take you up on the offer of the extra bedroom. I want to sleep there because I want to be able to get to Elise's bedroom quicker when she wakes up. I want you to sleep in." John leaned down and kissed Nicole on the top of the head. "Sleep well."

 

[zydrate]

"I know that.." she said to his comment about sugar coating things. You asked him what he thought and he would tell you...although he was more empathetic than Nicole.

She sat on the bed as he walked out and closed the door behind him. After about 10 more minutes, she got up and headed to the master bathroom. She wanted a bath...a hot bath and then after that, get some rest. He said that he wanted her to sleep in. Was that even possible? Her internal clock was set to get up at 5AM with Elise. Other than that she was a light sleeper just in case the little girl had woken up and called for her mother.

After her bath, Nicole braided her damp hair and crawled into bed after changing into a t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants. It was more sensible than sexy. The sexy thing was not happening anymore, that was for sure.

Nicole must have been more tired than she had realized. Perhaps it was exhaustion or the fact that John was here which caused her to relax fully...maybe it was both. Whatever it was, Nicole closed her eyes and the last thing she remembered was thinking of John's arms around her...holding her...

 

[BeachBum25]

John closed the door to Nicole's bedroom and headed into the living room. He went over and sat on the couch. His story about wanting to sleep on the couch so he could get in to see Elise right away was only minimally true. John wanted to make sure he was in a position to protect Nicole and Elise. If someone came in they would have to go through him.

Sleeping on a couch was almost a luxury for John. Since going out on his own, he very rarely slept in a bed. He was always on the go. It was not unusual for him to sleep with his back against a tree or a wall. It was also rare for him to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time.

He sat on the sofa; thinking of Nicole....thinking of the fact that they had a daughter. They had been good together, but both of them were hard headed. He fell asleep thinking of Nicole in her bed in the other room. He dreamed of Nicole..... and him. He awoke around 4 am. He sat there thinking of the two women in the bedrooms. The thoughts of each much different. He thought of getting to know Elise. His thoughts of Nicole emanated from his dream.

When he heard Elise stirring in her room, he did not rush in. He did not want to startle her. He walked to the door and could see her sitting in her bed thanks to her night light. He put his finger to his lips and walked in to her room slowly. "Mommy is still asleep," he whispered. "Why don't we let her sleep and you and I will go out and get some breakfast." He picked her up, carried her into the kitchen. They enjoyed breakfast together.....and some conversation as he got to know her better.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole slept in.

For once.

If one would call sleeping until 6AM 'sleeping in'. It was a rare thing to do but lately, she found herself needing to catch up on her rest after the ordeal she had gone through with Elise. Maybe it was the fact that John was here that she was able to sleep through the night instead of waking up in a cold sweat and checking to make sure Elise was safe in her bed.

Laying in bed for an hour made Nicole think about everything. The disagreement she had with John last night. The way he was straight forward with Nicole about everything.

Yeah, they were a good team when on the job but during their down time...that was another story.

Yet, after everything, he still was willing to protect her and of course, his daughter. She respected him for that. And yes, if asked, she would protect him too...if their fighting with each other didn't get them hurt first. But, he was willing so Nicole had to ask herself...could she? Could she let him do that for them?

Throwing off the covers, she stood up and started to unbraid her hair as she walked out of her room. She heard both John and Elise in the kitchen, the little girl chattering away about something... Walking into the kitchen, Nicole ruffled her own hair as she freed it from the braid while leaning down and giving her daughter a kiss and bidding both of them good morning.

She needed coffee.

Pouring herself a cup, she leaned against the counter and watched both of them, not saying anything and just enjoying the moment.

After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and looked at John, "OK." She said and took another sip from her cup as they looked at each other, "I would like it, John, if you could find a place for myself and Elise to finally be safe."

Nicole set down her cup and crossed her arms under her breasts, "That is, if you're still willing."

 

[BeachBum25]

A week ago, john never even thought about what it would be like to be a father. Now, here he was sitting with HIS daughter in the kitchen. He could not believe how comfortable Elise was around him, after all he had just met her last night. That was a testament to her mother and the fact that, despite working a dangerous job, she did not shelter Elise, but she allowed her to become a social young girl.

John asked Elise questions to get to know her better, and Elise would go on long tangents. It made John smile; something he rarely did. His work did not provide opportunities to smile. Even the successful missions like the one just conducted to save Elise and her babysitter did not elicit a smile from John. It was just what the job entailed. He was really enjoying this time with his daughter. She was gorgeous. She looked just like her mother. Yes, Nicole said Elise looked like him, but he saw only Nicole in Elise.

John was happy that Nicole did not get up at 5. He wasn't surprised that she didn't sleep late, but the fact that she slept more than she normally would was good. She needed to rest. She needed to let her mind and body recover from the recent ordeal. He watched her come into the kitchen and kiss Elise. "Good morning Nicole." John watched her pour a cup of coffee and stand against the counter. He listened to her. He was happy with what he heard, but even that did not make him smile. It seemed that Elise was the only one able to do that right now. "You know that I am always willing to help you. Always. I think you will like my plan. That is, if you don't mind me being around for a while."

 

[zydrate]

Attitude and snarkiness. It was something Nicole had to watch around her daughter when talking with John, or anyone else for that matter. She had learn early on that the little girl would pick up on anything and everything even if it seemed like she wasn't listening.

"We don't mind at all." No, Nicole didn't mind it at all. And to know he already had a plan ready didn't surprise her. In fact, she would be surprised if he didn't have a plan.

Taking her cup to the table, she sat down with both father and daughter, "So, what do you have in mind?"

 

[BeachBum25]

John looked at Nicole. He was quite surprised at her openness. He could not believe she was really interested in what his plan was. Maybe she was just saying this and would then rip his plan as unacceptable. Now, that would not surprise him.

"My plan is that we spend the next few months out of the country. I have access to a private island in the Bahamas. The three of us go there for a while. We let things settle down a little, and, before you say it, I know that they will never completely settle down." John hesitated for a second to see if there was any reaction from Nicole.

"while we are in the Bahamas, I am having a house built on a large piece of property that I wn in South Dakota. Yea, I know...big difference between the Bahamas and South Dakota. Unfortunately, I do not own an island int the Bahamas. The person who owns the island is kind enough to allow us to use it as long as we want." John stopped. This time he was going to wait to see what Nicole thought.

 

[zydrate]

Even Nicole was surprised by her calmness as she listened to John. With a nod, she set her empty coffee cup down and kept her gaze lowered, "OK...OK..." she then looked at Elise, "Can you do Mommy a favor and go find something to wear for today? Please?"

"Why the Bahamas, John? Why can't we just stay here and wait things out?" She was totally going to fight this only because it was a bit much, moving out of country seemed a bit of overkill on the whole situation. "I mean, not only the fact that we have to go out of the US but there are papers we need to get for Elise, her passport and such. Then, there's school. She's set to attend school in a few months."

The school part was true and as for the papers, Nicole already had Elise's passport ready...from the time she turned one, she kept it up to date, along with her own...as a 'just in case' type of situation arose.

 

[BeachBum25]

John knew it was coming. There was no way that Nicole was just going to agree with him. It didn't matter what the plan was. John could have said they were staying where they were and Nicole would have fought him on it. The fact that it was not her idea meant that she had to fight it.

"Nicole, first off, it thought that some time in the sun would be good for you. You can relax and not have to worry about anything. As for the passport issue, I can't believe that Elise doesn't have a passport. I know you, and I know you probably applied for her passport the day she came home from the hospital. You are always prepared. In addition, nobody will know we are there except for the owner of the island, and he will never reveal that we are there to anyone."

John didn't get upset because he knew that there would be objections. "As for Elise starting school, you can work with her, because you will have nothing else to worry about. We will only be there for a while and when we get to South Dakota we will enroll her in school then."

 

[zydrate]

There was no fighting this. She could probably come up with more questions but in reality, there was none.

With a hard sigh, she leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. In the end, he was right. What else would she need to do? Nothing. A vacation would be a good idea until things settled down a bit.

"Fine..." she looked back at him, "You're right, this is going to work..I'll stop fighting."

Maybe... she thought.

"So, when do we leave?"

 

[BeachBum25]

John was not totally convinced that Nicole was buying in. It was too easy, but he was going to go with it as long as she was complying. "We can leave today, tomorrow, or next week, but I think that it would be best if we left as soon as possible. I think we should go today, because it will let you relax and feel that Elise is safe."

He watched Nicole carefully as he talked. He was looking for signs of objection. He knew that he would be able to tell if she was going to resist, but he didn't see any of her normal tells. "My bag is already on the plane. You tell me when you and Elise will be ready and I will have the flight crew ready to go."

 

[zydrate]

"OK, if we leave today...it might be a few hours. Packing things for a 4 year old is not easy." She said as she got up and put her cup in the sink before heading to Elise's room and checking in on her.

Nicole sat down with her daughter on the bed and talked with her about them having to travel again to some place where she could play in the sand by the water and that they would have to go in a plane later today. Of course, the little girl was happy about going some where new. She always loved to travel, even if it was to the local mall.

After a couple of hours, Nicole had some of Elise's things packed, her favorite stuffed animal and her new dresses plus some other clothes. Nicole, of course, always kept a bag ready for herself with the essentials and important papers, along with her and Elise's passports and other papers they would need.

Soon, they were all on their way to a new destination.

 

[BeachBum25]

When Nicole went into Elise's room, john made the call to the flight crew. He then sent a text to the person who owned the island. He was a billionaire businessman who had used John to get his daughter back after she had been kidnapped while they vacationed in France. The client had tried to double John's fee when his daughter was recovered safely, but John wouldn't go for it. The businessman had said if he ever wanted anything all john had to do was call. The call to use the island was received enthusiastically. John was told that the refrigerator would be stocked and that if there was anything that he wanted, all he had to do was call.

Once they were on the plane, john relaxed. He enjoyed watching Elise. She was all smiles. She liked being able to move around and look out the different windows of the private jet. John looked over at Nicole. She was quiet. John moved over and sat next to her. He put his hand on her knee. "Things are going to be fine Nicole. Trust me, please."

 

[zydrate]

With a sigh, Nicole shifted as she reached down and placed her hand on his before threading her fingers through his, "John... I trust you. You should know that."

She watched Elise as she looked out the window on one side of the plane. This was the little girl's first plane ride and she was enjoying it immensely. It was a few more seconds of silence between Nicole and John before she spoke up, "February 14th.." she said, looking at John. "That's Elise's birthday...just thought you'd want to know that... I mean, there is other stuff about her you'll need to know but yeah, she was born on Valentine's day."

It was the most Nicole had said to him that didn't sound like they were fighting.

 

[BeachBum25]

John listened to Nicole talk about Elise. It was obvious that she enjoyed talking about her daughter.....their daughter. He also enjoyed seeing his daughter. He wanted to know everything about her. He thought it was interesting that Elise was born on Valentine's Day. How ironic.

"We will have plenty of time together for you to tell me all about Elise. I want to know everything. She is beautiful. We certainly did make a beautiful daughter." He smiled at her..hoping his little joke would help her relax. Nicole was beautiful. He had been attracted to her when they first met in the briefing room before their first assignment together years before.

"Why don't you lay the seat back and go to sleep. I will watch Elise. I know that you you have had a tough couple weeks and haven't been getting much sleep. Take this opportunity Elise." He moved and kissed her on the forehead. Yes he still cared for her.. A lot. Even more now that he knew they had a child together.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole didn't have the strength to argue. Her eyes closed as John kissed her forehead but before he moved away completely, Nicole reached out and stopped him. Leaning up and at the same time, pulling him back toward her, Nicole placed a small kiss on his lips and her eyes met his.

With a small flush to her cheeks, she let go and leaned back in her seat as she whispered, "Sorry..." before putting the seat back and glancing over at her daughter once more and then closing her eyes. Sleep seemed to take her instantly and for that, she was grateful as she finally could relax a little more.

 

[BeachBum25]

As Nicole pulled him down and kissed him, john held onto her hand. He continued to hold her hand as she laid the seat back and closed her eyes. He squeezed her hand lightly before releasing it. He stood there looking down at Nicole, and it was obvious she was asleep in no time. He brushed her cheek with his fingers.

John walked over to where Elise was sitting. He sat down with her and asked her if she was having a good time. Elise turned to him and smiled and nodded her head really fast. She brought a smile to John's face. John got up and got each of them a drink.....apple juice for Elise....water for John. He sat back down with her and talked with her while her mother slept. He asked her questions, because he knew that he would get the straight scoop from her...after all, what was the saying.."out of the ,outs of babes". It wasn't that john thought Nicole would mislead him about their daughter. It was just that Elise gave him the answer from her own perspective

After a while, Elise started to yawn. John asked her if she wanted to lay down with mommy. She nodded her head yes. John carried her over, put the seat next to Nicole flat and laid Elise down. He got her a pillow and a blanket and dimmed the lights. Then he covered Nicole with a blanket. John moved to a seat facing the two females. He sat down and spent the remainder of the flight staring at the two of them.

 

[zydrate]

Nicole couldn't say how long she had slept but she was woken up abruptly as she heard her daughter calling her in a small whisper. Opening her eyes she noticed Elise's favorite stuffed bear staring right at Nicole, which was followed by a giggle. Nicole couldn't help but smile as she sat up. Putting the seat up, she ignored her pounding head...something that always happened when she took a nap in the middle of the day.

She pushed the blanket aside and looked around for John. He wasn't around. Taking her daughter onto her lap, she asked her where daddy had gone and the little girl pointed to the front of the plane. Suddenly the captain's voice came over the speaker, "We're getting ready to land so please, buckle up."

Nicole took Elise and told her she needed to sit still because they were going to land the plane as she secured her in with the seat belt.

 

[BeachBum25]

John didn't know what it was, but sitting there watching Nicole and Elise sleep w
Had a incredibly calming effect on him. He felt no stress and worried about nothing. John knew that this was only a temporary state, but he enjoyed watching the two of them sleep.

After a while John saw Elise stir, and then she sat up in the seat. John moved over and kissed her on the top of the head, and he moved the seat up. Nicole continued to sleep. John really hoped that this trip gave Nicole an opportunity to relax and enjoy some quality time with Elise. Actually, he wouldn't mind spending quality time with both of them.

John put his finger to his lips; telling Elise to let her mother sleep. Then, he whispered that he would be right back. He moved up to the cockpit where he could make a call to the owner of the island. As he entered the cockpit, the captain told him they were only about 20 minutes out. John thanked him, and then made the call to the owner. John wanted to let him know that he had made arrangements for his team members to provide security on the island while he was there with Nicole and Elise. John didn't want the owner to be surprised if he stopped on the island to visit them and walked into a couple of guys carrying automatic weapons.

John did not have time to go back to his seat before they landed. Once they had landed, he moved to the back, and gathered up the two ladies and headed off the plane. There was a gold cart made to look like a Rolls Royce waiting for them. They got in and slowly headed for the main house.

 

[zydrate]

Elise was having a great time as she pointed out things as they made their way to the house. Or in this case, the villa, which was huge. Although they had lived in Denver since Elise was born, the ocean water and sand was something extremely new to the little girl who was only used to hot summers and snowy winters. Nicole sort of regretted not having taken the time to travel with her daughter all because she had been too caught up in work.

Nicole let that thought slide. It was now or never. She had the chance now and she wasn't going to let that go.

As they got out and headed into the villa, Elise told Nicole she was hungry. "Well, let's put our stuff away first, OK? And then we'll see what there is to eat."

That seemed to satisfy Elise as she squirmed out of Nicole's arms and ran inside the house. After taking a quick tour of the place, the two settled on which room Elise would be staying in..well, it seemed it was already decided for her as they found the room filled with toys and stuffed animals, as well as decorated in pink. It surprised Nicole and she smiled at her little girl's excitement as she started to go through the toys and setting it up to her liking.

 

[BeachBum25]

John watched Nicole and Elise going into the house. He walked around, and then met with Tyler who was going to be in charge of security while they were on the island. "Nobody is authorized to be on the island except for the the two females that arrived with me and me. The owner of the island may visit, but he will call me ahead of time and I will let you know. Anyone else trying to come here should be considered a threat and should be dealt with severely."

After he finished his meeting he went into the house and he saw the room that had been prepared for Elise. It was perfect. Elise was happy, and Nicole had a big smile on her face as she watched Elise. John walked over and stood next to Nicole. He didn't say anything. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled down at her.

After a few minutes john left the room and went to his room. He needed a shower, and to change his clothes; Shorts and a t-shirt were appropriate now. After the shower and change of clothes he went and looked for Nicole. He wanted to see if the girls wanted to take a walk around the grounds.

 

[zydrate]

The two girls were in the kitchen, fighting. It was almost like times before the kidnapping. Nicole was trying to get Elise to finish her sandwich but the little girl didn't want to. It was a standoff as they both stared at each other.

It was then Nicole noticed that John was standing there, watching them.

"What?" She said as she made another sandwich with ham and cheese before pushing it toward John, "she's being difficult.."

"Am not!" Elise cried out.

All it took was a look from Nicole to quiet the little girl as she jumped off her chair and ran to John, "Mommy's mean.."