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Disclaimer: By Mouse. After a lovely couple of days spent wandering around various
locations in John knocked softly on Penny’s door, feeling slightly unsure
of himself tonight for some reason. The door opened and Penny smiled at him.
She’d arranged to have dinner for them both delivered to her room. “Come in John, please.” “Thanks Pen.” He walked in and she closed the door behind
her. She was just in a soft pink t-shirt and bone coloured slacks, whereas he
was in a blue t-shirt and jeans. “I hope steak is okay, I thought you might like something
meaty after the long day you’ve put in today.” John grinned at her and went
over to the drink cabinet. “That’s fine thanks Pen. Martini?” “Yes please.” He quickly made them both martinis and brought
them over to the table by the window. Uncharacteristically it was raining, so
they had the window’s closed but the curtains open as they watched the
thunderstorm move across the airport. Penny was already sitting down and
thanked him for the drink. He sat down opposite her and raised his glass. “Here’s to us.” Penny smiled and clinked
her glass gently against his. “To us.” They ate in
silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company and presence. After
finishing their meal they moved over to the couch. John made them both another drink
and then joined Penny on the couch. They settled down, just talking softly about little things,
and John put his arm around Penny, drawing her close to him. She snuggled up
against him, her feet curled up under her and smiling,
John wrapped his other arm around her, gently kissing her head. Penny gave a
tiny sigh of contentment and spoke softly. “I never knew how happy a person could be by just sitting on
the couch, with the person they love, snuggled up watching the lightening and
thunder.” John smiled gently at her words and she turned slightly, looking up
at him. “Because, I do love you John. I can’t think of
anyone I’d rather be with than you.” John looked deeply into her eyes and then
replied, his voice just as soft as hers. “I love you as well Pen.” He leaned down slightly and their
lips meet. John found his heart racing and he pulled Penny closer to him, if
that was possible. Penny felt her face flush and her heart race. His presence
was so intoxicating and filled her with warmth and joy. They broke apart after
a few intense moments and John’s eyes studied hers. “You are so amazing Pen, I can’t get over how lucky I am to
have found you.” Penny reached up and gently touched his cheek with her hand. “And I you. I
can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with and I’m so glad you agreed to come
with me on this trip.” John grinned slightly, his eyes bright and merry. “Well, I’d hate to think that you’d be on this couch kissing
one of my brothers.” Penny laughed softly. “I’m not in love with any of your brothers. I’m in love with
you.” John grinned even more. “And for that I’m so glad.” He leant over and kissed her
deeply again, the passion heating up between them. John found himself holding
Penny closer than before, if that was possible and his breathing was getting
faster with his heartbeat. After a few minutes, they broke apart again, a
serious look coming into Penny’s eyes. She gently disentangled herself from his
arms and stood up. She took his hands in hers and pulled him to his feet. He
looked at her, confusion on his face. Penny just gently smiled and wrapped her
arms around him. “Just relax and enjoy the moment John.” And with that, she
kissed him again. This time, the kiss was more urgent, more passionate and more
intense than anything they had shared so far. John’s arms tightened around
Penny’s slight frame, holding her close. After a few moments they stopped to
breath and Penny just stared into his eyes. Nodding slightly, as if deciding
something, she took his hands in hers and led him towards the bedroom. John
stopped when he saw where she was going. “Penny…I….” Penny smiled and gently pulled him along. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it was right
John. I want this more than anything, don’t you?” “Well yes, but I didn’t want to force anything.” Penny
smiled and touched his cheek with her hand. “I know, you’re too much of a
gentleman to do that. But this is something I think we both want. Now, stop
arguing, get in here and kiss me.” Laughing, John did just that, and more. @@@@ A consistent beeping finally woke John up. Blearily he
opened his eyes and reaching over to the side table, he grabbed his watch,
careful not to disturb Penny. “John Tracy.” The watch blinked on and Gordon’s face beamed
back at him. Bright afternoon sunlight was behind him and John glanced around
for a sec, it was still night time for them. “Hey Johnny!
Didn’t wake you did I?” John grinned slightly and answered softly. “Yes, you did. What are you doing calling me at this hour?” “Just checking up on you, I said I would.” Just then, Penny
stirred and spoke softly. “John, is everything okay?” Gordon’s eyebrow’s rose up and
he grinned widely. John turned to Penny and smiled. “Yeah, it’s okay. It’s just Gordon.” Penny murmured
something and went back to sleep. John turned his attention back to his
grinning younger brother. “So, something you want to tell me John?” John grinned
slightly. “Nope, nothing major.” Gordon laughed softly. “So, the fact that you and Penny are sleeping together, and
are obviously involved, is nothing major.” John laughed softly with him. “Keep it to yourself Gordon. I’m not sure how the rest of
the family will react when we get home in five days.” Gordon smiled gently at
his older brother. He and John were closer than he was to his other brothers
and Gordon found himself truly happy for John. If
anyone deserved someone in his life, it was John. He spent so much time alone
and was such a quiet person, that to find someone special like Penny was
something of a joy. “I’m sure they’ll be happy for you John, I know I am.” John
smiled softly. “I’m so happy that I’ve found her Gordon, she’s wonderful,
the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” John tried to speak softly, but
couldn’t help the love that was through his voice. Gordon smiled. “I can tell. Look, I’ll let you get back to sleep, sorry to
wake you, but I just wanted to see how you were doing. Where are you now?” “ “Great, I look forward to seeing you when you home. Look
after yourselves okay? I love you.” John smiled warmly at his younger brother. “I love you to. Bye Gordon.” Gordon grinned and winked,
closing the connection. John put the watch back on the table and felt Penny
stir again. He looked over to find her blue eyes looking up at him from the
crook of his arm, she was smiling slightly. “That was a lovely thing to say.” John grinned and kissed
her gently on the head. “I’m a lovely person or didn’t you know that.” She laughed
and leaned her face up slightly, an open invitation on her face. John took
advantage of it and kissed her more thoroughly. Penny smiled when they stopped
and scooted closer to him and whispered invitingly. “Well, since neither of us can sleep right now, what are you
going to do about it?” John grinned as he pulled her closer. “I’ll think of something.” He murmured as he kissed her
deeply again. @@@@ The next morning John found himself being awoken by
delicious smells of a full English breakfast. He opened his eyes to find Penny
wrapped in a soft pink robe buttering some toast over by the table. He watched
her in silence for a few moments as she prepared a tray of food to bring over
to the bed. Her graceful movements captured his heart and he realised that he
couldn’t bear to part from her when the holiday ended. He was in two minds
whether or not to broach the subject of their future, but for the moment, he
was content to live in the present. He brought his mind back to the present
when he noticed Penny standing over him, tray in hand. “Good morning. I thought a nice hot breakfast would go down
really well. For both of us.” Her eyes twinkled
merrily and he laughed, pulling himself up in bed. “So, breakfast in bed is something I can expect more often?”
Penny laughed as she sat down beside him, the tray between them. “No. Parker doesn’t approve of eating in bed. This is a
special treat.” John laughed as he sipped the coffee and smiled. “Ah, just the way I like it. Thank you Pen.” She smiled and they ate quickly in silence.
John sighed as he finished off his eggs, leaning back. Penny smiled at him. “Better now.” “Yes, thank you.” He turned slightly and wrapped his arms
around her, kissing her gently on the cheek. “I wonder what did
I do to deserve such a wonderful person as you by my side.” Penny
laughed as she lay her head against his strong chest. “I don’t know. I keep thinking the same thing.” John smiled
as he settled down slightly in the bed. “So, we’re both wonderful people and we both love each other
to bits. I can’t think of anything better can you?” Laughing softly, Penny
shook her head. “No, neither can I.” They lay
together like that for a little while until John happened to glance at the
clock. It was after nine and they were supposed to be back at the airport to
pick the plane up at ten. “Whoops. Pen, time to get going.”
Penny gave a tiny groan and opened her eyes from where she’d been dozing
against his chest. “Do we have to?” “Yes, we have to. Come on love, hand me my clothes and I’ll
go get changed and showered in my room.” “Oh, alright.”
Laughing, they set about getting ready to leave. @@@@ “Well, that’s it. You’ll be out here with just an emergency
phone and the power runs off the generator. This is our most remote bungalow,
at least two hours by four wheeler to get to it, or thirty
minutes by boat. I’ll be back in two days to pick you guys up. Anything
else you need before I go?” Penny smiled at their guide and shook her head. “No, thank you, you’ve been most kind.” “No worries. Now, I must tell you, there is some bad weather
on the way, but the weather boffins reckon she’ll pass us by, but just in case,
their’s emergency instructions taped to the back of the pantry door. And an
emergency kit in the basement, again, just in case.” John was hard pressed not
to laugh out loud, considering his occupation, but the man was only doing his
job. The guide sat their cases on the patio and grinned at them both. “Now, if
there’s anything else we can do, don’t hesitate to give us a bell. Have a nice
time. Hooroo.” He left them and moments later they
heard the motor boat leave. Penny smiled at John. “I love Australian’s, they are always so friendly and
nothing ever seems to phase them.” John picked up
their cases and grinned. “Yeah I know. The one rescue I’ve been on here and I swear
that Scott, Virgil and I were more worried than the Aussie’s were.” Penny
laughed softly and followed him inside. Later that night found them sitting on the patio together, arms around each other, watching the sun go down.
They could see storm clouds in the distance and hear the rumbling of thunder. “That would have to be the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever
seen.” Penny spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the night. “Yes, it was.” Penny looked up to find John wasn’t watching
the sunset like she half expected, but was watching her. She blushed and he
grinned at her. They sat there, in silence, listening to the waves crashing on
the beach, the birds in the trees and the sound of the thunder getting closer.
At that, John frowned slightly and looked out over the waves. That storm was
getting closer and it looked pretty bad. Just then, the phone rang. Penny
jumped up to get it and John took the chance to go down to the jetty and look
out at the storm. He really didn’t like the look of it. The wind started
picking up and within moments, was blowing fairly hard. Penny came out to him,
her face worried. “That was the hotel management. That storms that’s
approaching is actually a tropical cyclone. They are evacuating the resort, but
can’t get to us. The roads are already flooded as the rain has already hit the
other side of the island, and it’s too dangerous to send out the boat. They
want us to go down to the basement and barricade ourselves in. What do you
think?” Penny handed John the binoculars she had brought out for him to look at
the storm through. He accepted them with a nod of thanks, raising them to his
eyes and looking at storm. He studied it a moment and then lowered the glasses.
He smiled at Penny, trying not to look too worried for her. “Come on then, that looks pretty bad. Lets get our things
and do what they suggest, better to be safe than sorry.” Penny nodded, glad
that he was taking charge, he didn’t look too worried
about it. They moved back up into the bungalow, gathering their things.
“Here Pen, take this down. I think I’ll call the guys and
let them know what’s going on. We might need their help soon.” He glanced out
side to where the wind had gotten so fierce that it had uprooted some old trees
and debris was flying everywhere. Penny paled but then nodded. “Alright, I’ll be down there. I found an old hurricane lamp
as well, with some oil, so I’ll light that and we can have a picnic.” She
gathered the emergency kit, along with some other food from the fridge, and
went back downstairs. John raised his watch to his wrist and pressed the call
button. “John Tracy to Thunderbird Five, come
in please.” Alan had been flicking idly through a car magazine, seeing
what his former friends and rivals were up to when the call came in. He was
surprised, as he didn’t expect to be hearing from John for a few days. “Go ahead John. How’s the holiday going?” John’s face appeared
and he wasn’t smiling. “Not so good…Tropical….lone…going to….ment…read
me..” Alan quickly fiddled with the radio, trying to
clear up the signal. He quickly located where the signal was coming from and
saw that it was in the middle of a tropical cyclone off the coast of Darwin,
Australia. Right where John and Penny where holidaying. “John, can you take shelter until we get to you?” “Yes….ment…..Penny’s
already….there. Have emergency supplies, so…..be okay..
How soon can…..here?” Alan frowned, worry setting in, he was loosing the
signal. “Soon John, just hang on okay? We’ll get to you soon.” “Okay. Hey, don’t worry Alan……be
okay…” and with that, the signal finally dropped out. Alan quickly hit the
button to call home. On Tracy Island Jeff looked up as Alan’s eyes flashed. “Go ahead Alan.” Alan’s face appeared and his other brothers
all looked up from what they had been doing. “Father, I’ve just heard from John. He and Penny are stuck
in the middle of a tropical cyclone off the coast of Australia. They are taking
shelter in the basement, well, at least I think that’s what he said, the signal was pretty bad. We have to go get them.” Jeff
paled and pushed back the worry for his son. “Alright.
Scott, get going, top speed. Virgil, take Pod four, Gordon, go with him. Hurry
boys, Penny and John’s lives are depending on us.” John walked down the stairs, closing the door behind him,
smiling gently at Penny. “Well, I got through to Alan, the
boys are on their way. Probably laughing their heads off that
they are interrupting our holiday.” Penny laughed softly,
glad John was able to find some humour in the situation. “Well, I can imagine all the questions they’ll have for us.”
He sat down on the blankets next to her, pulling on a jumper, as it had gotten
cold. Penny handed him a mug of coffee she’d made and he sipped it gratefully. “Thank you.” They sat in silence, listening to the wind
intensify outside. John set them up against a corner, making sure they were
warm enough and had the emergency kit close to hand. He sat down again, this
time Penny leant against him and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her
hair gently. “Hey, don’t worry Pen, the boys will be here soon, and I’m
here. If anything happens, International Rescue isn’t far away.” Penny laughed
softly. “Yes, you are pretty close aren’t you.”
She leaned against him, drawing strength from his presence. All the situations
she’d been in, this one was scarier, because this time, she was with someone
that she loved more than her life itself. Suddenly there was a huge crash and
they both jumped. John’s arms tightened around her protectively and suddenly,
water started to come in via the door. John nodded as if figuring out what had
happened. “Sounds like a tree crashed on the bungalow. It’s okay, for
the moment we’re safe.” Penny didn’t say anything, just nodded. Moments later
the wind picked up even more and Penny shivered slightly. John looked down at
her, and then up at the creaking and shaking bungalow. He knew it wouldn’t last
much longer, but he wasn’t going to tell Penny that. “Pen,” he paused, not sure how to continue. “Yes John.” She looked up and saw worry, love and confusion
in his eyes. “Pen, look, I was going to try and do this better than this.
And in a better place, but I was wondering… um. Will you marry me?” Penny was
stunned by his words but then smiled brilliantly. “Oh yes John, I’d be honoured.” She leaned up and they
kissed. Just then, the roof of the basement caved in. |
