842Rated: M for language (for now). Not mine, not making any money. Written for the February 2010 PP "Blackheart Challenge" and the BS "Lets Talk About Love Challenge"
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Operation Thaw
-Chapter 1-
His ass was cold. Ok, beyond cold. He was freaking freezing. He was crouched under the drooping branches of a birch tree, his white and tan fatigues blending perfectly into the background.
"Freaking, freezing Russia on Valentine's Day", he thought.
He could barely make out his team in the early light, but he knew where they were. Tank was about 150 yards to his left in a similar grove of trees. Lester was a similar distance to the right but hunkered down in the snow and tall grass. Bobby was about 200 yards behind them, close enough to help if needed, but far enough away to keep the team medic out of most the action. After all, can't have the patch-up guy needing to be patched up. Ram, was situated above him in a tree with a sniper rifle.
Their original target was a gun running middleman that had run to the 'old country' to escape some Heat. Their intel said that the Heat had found him and was on its way there to settle things. The government had decided that Rangeman should stick around, gather info and eliminate the players.
They knew the meeting was set for today, but weren't sure on the time. There was little cover around the small hideout and it was hard to move into position in the snow during the day. So, under the cover of dawn, the Rangemen had moved into position. A light snowfall had covered their tracks and now they were ready, waiting, bored and freezing.
Using long perfected techniques, he relaxed his muscles and slowed his breathing, his body perfectly still. His mind, on the other hand, was anything but. The secret to patience is having something to do in the meantime and in his mind, he planned the perfect dinner date for Stephanie. It wouldn't have been tonight. Oh no, any schmuck can get all romantic on Valentine's or a birthday, but real romance, the kind that comes from true love, is done when it is least expected and done in the smallest ways.
He learned this watching his parents. His mothers face would light up in delight when his father would surprise her with a handful of daisies picked from the garden. She peppered his face with kisses when shed get up in the morning to find he'd already packed the lunches for school and made coffee. On the occasion he'd get home from work before she was back from errands and start dinner for her, the love for him shone so brightly in her eyes and they'd stand in the kitchen locked in a tight embrace. He also learned love in a physical way by watching them. His parents were always connected somehow. At the dinner table they always sat close, knees touching. When they went somewhere, they held hands. When they walked together his father would place his hand on the small of his mothers back and guide her.
He knew, sadly, his Babe hadn't grown up in a house that expressed love in the same way. If she had, she would have known his love for her with every car he loaned her, every man that helped her, every time he checked in on her. He knew he had sent her mixed messages and she was confused. It was his own fault she felt like a nuisance instead of a pleasure. His plan was to rectify that problem as soon as he returned to Trenton. He was going to sit down with her and have a long talk. It was going to be difficult. She had as hard a time hearing what he was trying to say as he did trying to say it.
They didn't, however, have any issues with the touching. He couldn't keep his hands to himself around her and she seemed to crave his touch. When he went into the bonds office, he'd stand close behind her and wait. She always instinctively melted against him. When she did, he'd touch her back or rest his hand on her neck. They were connected in spirit too. On more times than he cared to remember, something would feel off, or he'd get a hinky feeling minutes before his phone would ring or of being notified by the control room of a Stephanie-related 911 call. He'd been in Miami during the Stiva incident, but all day he had felt off. He knew she could feel him too. When he got near, he could see her start to rub the back of her neck and look around for him. When he broke into her apartment, it only took her about 10 minutes to wake up from a dead sleep if he waited and she'd start to toss and turn within minutes of his arrival. But, if he stroked her hair she'd instantly relax and go back to sleep. To test his theory one time when she was staying on 4 he asked Tank to wake her up. He came back about 15 minutes later totally frustrated because he couldn't get any reaction out of her. His Babe liked her sleep - a lot.
His father once told him, "The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart." He could only hope that Stephanie would deem him worth of that possession. His heart was already hers. The worst thing a girl could do is make a guy fall for her and not catch him. Or vice versa. He was pretty sure he'd already screwed that one up completely. Not only did he broker a bad deal, he didn't catch her either. Nope, instead he threw her back. It was a shitty thing to do and he'd gladly spend his whole life making it up to her and the date he was planning was going to be step one.
Yep, he was going to fix the whole mess. He was a master planner. Operation Thaw was going to work.
Word count: 1000 (excludes disclaimer, title, etc)