Overnight Therapy - Chapter Thirty-Eight

[lsm71059]

Title: Overnight Therapy

Author: LSM71059
Fandom: Spooks
Characters: Lucas
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season Seven
Summary: Lucas North has someone to confide in and take care of him when the nightmares and bad flashbacks happen.
Disclaimer: All Spooks Characters are the intellectual property of the BBC.
The Inspiration for this story was taken from the song "South City Midnight Lady" by the Doobie Brothers
(Time Line for chapter: Just Prior to Episode 7.04)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Lori could feel Lucas watching her out of the corner of his eye. She watched how fluid his movements were as he put on his coat. It was all she could do not walk up to him and peel that coat off along with the rest of his clothes. Thinking a drink might help calm her overactive libido, she ducked in to the kitchen. There was something about the man that caused such a chemical reaction in her, she felt like she could internally combust.


Fastest thing to fix and down would be a shot because she was sure Lucas would be joining her shortly to find out what she was up to. She took down a shot glass and a regular one for him.   Needing something stronger than the Amaretto DiSaronna, Lori reached for the Maker’s Mark Kentucky Bourbon. Using the shot glass she poured herself the much needed drink. Throwing back her head, she threw back the shot letting it slide down her throat. Knowing he’d taken up his post in the doorway, she turned to him asking, “Would you like one for the road?”

Lori saw Lucas arch an eyebrow at her and hoped he wouldn’t pry as to why her sudden need for libation. He didn’t and just nodded his consent. She poured a double shot of vodka in to the glass that sat waiting on the counter and handed it to him. She was suddenly quite nervous and her hand shook as she did. When he grazed her fingers with his, she thought they felt quite warm to the touch. He said in that wonderfully smooth voice of his, “Thank you, so have you decided to stay in then?”

“Oh no, just fortifying myself against the elements is all,” Lori answered as she picked up the bottle of Makers Mark Kentucky Bourbon and poured herself another shot. He had her senses on fire and she needed to try to douse the flames.  She downed it as fast as she had the other one. She was very aware of Lucas’ Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he drank his vodka. She had an overwhelming to lick it but instead poured a third shot before closing up the bottle and putting it back in its place on the counter and pounding it back.

Lori rinsed out the shot glass and sat it in the sink. Lucas finished his drink and followed suit by rinsing his out and sitting in the sink. Lori turned to the refrigerator taking out a couple of bottles of water. Turning back towards Lucas she said, “So I take it you are ready to go then?”

“I am if you are,” Lucas replied backing out of the kitchen heading towards the living room. He picked up her coat and held it for her. Lori sat the water on the end table before sliding her arms in to the offered coat. Thinking what a Gentleman he was, she said, “Thank you kind Sir.

“You are most welcome My Lady, Lucas said sliding her coat the rest of way on then giving her shoulders a slight squeeze.

“Then let’s make like a tree and leave,” Lori said with a chuckle while buttoning up her coat and tying the belt in to a loose knot. It was the only thing she could think to say. What she thought was how wonderful his hands had felt on her shoulders and where else they might feel just as good. She reached for the waters before asking, ”Keys?”

She did manage to make Lucas smiled at her attempt at humour. He reached in to his pocket pulling out the Red Wings key chain jangling them in front of her saying, “Have them right here.”

Lori said offhandedly, “Just checking. I’d hate to have to pick the lock when we got back,”

Opening the door, he said, “Ladies first.”

Lori snapped off the lamp took a quick look around to take a moment to collect herself then said, “Thank you” as she went out the door.

While she waited for Lucas to lock and close the door, the stairs to the upper floor caught her attention. She wondered what was up there and walked to the edge of the stairs. Hearing the door shut, she said looking up, “Ever been to the roof of this place?”

“Can’t say that I have, why do you ask?” He said as he crossed the hall to join her.

“I’m curious what’s up there, thought I’d go take a peek,” Lori said as she headed up the stairs without looking back. She wanted to go investigating and Lucas would just have to come along or stay behind. He trailed after her a step or two behind.

One of her favorite sayings came to mind, so she threw it over her shoulder, “I think it was the Author Vladimir Nabokov who once said curiosity was the purest form of insubordination. Are you familiar with any of his works?”

Lucas replied after a moment, “I believe “Lolita” was his best known.”

“Lucas takes 20th Century Authors’ best known works for a thousand, Alex. Way to go,” Lori teased. He’d reminded of her of a contestant on “Jeopardy” taking a moment to answer.

“Pardon?” Lucas asked.

She explained, “There is a game show over in the States called ”Jeopardy” hosted by Alex Trebek. The premise is there are different categories that he gives you the answers to and you give your response in the form of a question. It’s quite entertaining to watch plus you get the added benefit of extending your trivia knowledge.”

“That sounds like a game show worth watching then,” Lucas said giving her another half smile.

Lori smiled back because that was the automatic response when he bestowed that endearing half smile on you. She asked, “Not one for game shows then?”

“Not really,” Lucas answered.

They had climbed two sets of stairs reaching the door to the roof. Lori put her hand out to open it at the same time Lucas did. His hand covered hers and he squeezed lightly before helping her to turn the latch. She wondered if he even felt half the spark she did every time he touched her. The door opened surprisingly easy. He released her hand and pushed the door open. She stepped out on to the roof doing a 360 degree turn, taking a very deep breath of the night air and ended up face to face Lucas. She noted that he had taken the opportunity to kick a piece of wood that had been laying off to the side in the door jam to hold the door open so they wouldn’t get locked on the roof while she was turning. She thought, “At least one of us seems to have a clear head and is thinking ahead how we are going get back down.”  What they found was the remnants of a rooftop garden that had been winterized along with a full set of cushioned lawn furniture that included a two person swing with a canopy on top. Lori was thrilled at their findings and said, “How delightful, it would appear someone did a very nice job of tending to their rooftop garden. I wonder if it belonged to the person who moved out today.”

Lucas said, “That would be a good assumption seeing how she had been the only resident in the building when I moved in.”

“Really? Then that means she either left it behind or will be coming back for it later. Either way, I say instead of us strolling to the park, we utilize this lovely setting,” Lori said hoping it was the first scenario so she could utilize the setting while she was here. She made her way over to the corner with the furniture as she talked.

“I concur,” Lucas answered. It didn’t surprise her when he took a moment to walk around the perimeter. She wondered if he was taking in the view or scouting out his surroundings. By the time he arrived at the swing, Lori was swaying slowly back and forth with her head slightly bowed looking down on to the floor of the roof and arms wrapped around her waist. The bottles of water set on the table beside the swing. She was trying to get her thoughts in some semblance of order. It had always been hard for her to talk about the Navy adventures. She felt like when doing it, she was bragging on herself. And that was one thing that did not come naturally or easy for her. A little shiver ran through her as a breeze kicked up on the roof and she remembered a close call involving high winds but had come out alright in the end. She was still here.

Lucas sat down pulling her against him and drawing her in close. He asked, “Cold?”

“A little,” Lori said turning slightly to smile up at him as she tucked her legs up under and snuggled in even closer to him to get the chill off.

“I could go down and get your quilt for you,” Lucas offered.

“Perhaps a little later, I’m good for now. You are kind to offer though,” Lori said not wanting him to leave even if it was very tempting to have him fetch her quilt.

“Just let me know,” Lucas said as he tightened his hold on her a little more, then covered her hands that were resting on his arms. He slowly swung them back and forth. She could feel her hands warming up as they absorbed the heat from his hands.

As they sat there in their companionable silence, Lori closed her eyes and took the time to enjoy just being in Lucas’ presence. It was so nice not to have to make small talk. Perhaps they could remain this way all night. But, of course, her knees started aching from being in one position too long. She shifted in the seat beside him stretching out her legs out to the side. And as usual the knees popped giving her a huge jolt of pain through both legs.

Lucas asked, “Is that as painful as it sounds?”

She gave him a wry smile shrugging it off not wanting to make a deal about it saying, “I don’t really think about it. It’s nothing I haven’t lived with for many years. I just need to remember to not stay in one position for too long. Sorry if it bothers you.

He shook his head and admonished, “No, it doesn’t bother me but what am I going to do with you? What can I do to help make the pain go away? We should go get you warmed up or at the very least I should go get your quilt so you can cover up.”

She knew he meant to be kind but with three shots of bourbon in her system causing a relaxed state, the mind went straight to the gutter. She couldn’t help twisting his questions to her advantage. Sitting up straight, turning out his embrace, and giving his arm a playful swat, Lori grinned broadly and replied, “Damn it Lucas, what did I tell you about asking me those kind of open ended questions? You could be in real trouble, really embarrassed or really put off if I told you about the list of what you are going to with me to get me warmed up that flashed through my warped mind just now.”

Lucas gave her one of his very rare full face grins as he pulled her back in to his embrace. He said, “Alright you little minx, I think that should be for me to decide. I am not embarrassed or put off easily. And as for trouble, well let’s just say I have been trained to handle myself in those types of situations. Always before you have managed to find a way to deflect telling me what you were really thinking. But not this time, I have you in my clutches and won’t let go till you do.”

Lori replaced her hands over the top of his arms making her feel like she was the one with the upper hand at the moment. He just didn’t know it yet. She said, “Hmmmm, now there’s a dilemma.”

Lucas asked, “What dilemma?”

“Well, it’s threefold, first being your clutches is more how do I want to put this, more a treat than a punishment. So second, if I told you, you’d let me go, not such a good prospect in my book. Which brings me to the third part, however, if I did tell you then perhaps………”

And she trailed off finishing with a sigh because she didn’t want to take the risk of having put him in the position of turning her down in case his desires didn’t coincide with hers.

Lucas asked, “Perhaps, what? Elaborate please.”

The easiest way out of telling him her true desires was to blame it on the alcohol consumption even though the cold night air had sobered her up. Lori responded being contrite, “Don’t mind me Lucas, I’m just feeling my after dinner drinks. I think they went straight to my head when I guzzled them down. You know how there different categories of drunks. The main ones are the loud one, the quiet one, the mean one, the silly one, the happy one, the sad one, the talkative one and the flirty one. I fall in to the last two categories. So, I should apologize for my inappropriate innuendos. But it is hard not to throw them out there when sitting in the arms of such a warm, charming, attractive, sexy gentleman like you. Did I mention gorgeous?”

She knew she was once again rambling and suddenly stopped, looking down with her cheeks blushing.

Lucas said as he put his hand under her chin lifting her face up to meet his, “You didn’t say or imply anything I find offensive or embarrassing. In fact, I quite liked your vocabulary when it came to describing me. You, My Dear, have quite the way of stroking my ego. And for that, I thank you.”

Relieved to know she hadn’t turned him off, happy to know she’d stroked his ego but embarrassed at her outburst, Lori turned out of his hand looking off to the side mumbling, “You’re welcome.” Then she turned back to him feeling like she should explain herself, quietly saying, “It just all kinda came spilling out and I couldn’t seem to stop myself. There’s some kind of chemical reaction that kicks in every time I’m around you.”

Lucas bent down giving her a soft and gentle kiss on the lips. Lori thought, “If this is dream, please don’t let me wake up.”

When he increased the pressure she was tentative with her response fearing she’d let go and overwhelm him with her passion. She broke it off looking down with a sigh and a shiver. Her Grandmother had always instilled in her when someone gave you a precious gift, it should always be acknowledged and she did by whispering, “Thank you that was lovely.”

Lucas asked, “Is it too cold for you out here? Shall we go in?”

Lori looked up at him with a small smile before responding. She really didn’t want to leave this wonderful setting but the cold had seeped in to her bones. She answered, “I am a bit chilled, perhaps we should. I can make us a cup of hot chocolate or would you prefer tea?”

Lucas stood up offering his hand saying, “I haven’t had a cup of hot chocolate in years. That sounds delicious.”

She took his hand standing up slowly. She didn’t relish the thought of repeat performance of her bones popping. Lucas wrapped her hand around his arm escorting her over to the door. Before opening it he said, “Next time we come up, I’ll be sure to bring a blanket for you to cover up with.”

“You are very kind Lucas,” Lori said as she patted his arm with her hand. It was very nice to have someone looking out for her for a change. And lovely he verified there would be a next time.

He opened the door letting her go through first. She started down the stairs, eager to get warm. Lucas quickly caught up to her halfway down the first flight of stairs. He came along side her and picked her hand up putting it back in the crook of his arm. He teased, “See how you are, give a man a kiss and then try to run away. Well, now I’ve caught you and there’s a price to be paid.”

She liked it when he teased and had to come up with the appropriate retort. Lori sassed, “So now you know, I’m a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind. And do tell what would that price be?”

Lucas gave her a cryptic answer, “I believe you shall have to wait to find out what the price is, but be assured you will pay it.”

“Are you threatening me, Mr. North? I assure you I pay my debts,” Lori said in a mock horror tone. But she was dying to know and looking forward to paying whatever price he came up with.

“Consider it more a promise than a threat, Ms. Montgomery,” He answered smoothly as they arrived at the door to #2. He took out the keys, unlocked the door and opened it wide to let her in.

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled as she entered taking off her coat. He was a smooth one and she liked it. She said, “Very well, Mr. North, I’ve never backed down from a challenge in my life and am not about to start now.”

Lucas came in closing the door behind him before taking off his coat. He said, “Good to know.”

Lori threw her coat on the chair closest to the door before heading down the hall and turning into the bathroom. After having used the facilities and washed her hands, she stood at the mirror lightly running her fingers over her lips reliving the kiss. His lips had been so soft on hers. And he had deepened it, so perhaps his and her thoughts were running along the same lines. Didn’t that open up a realm of possibilities? Only time would tell.

Lori made her way back down the hall and came in to the kitchen as Lucas was finishing wiping his hands on the tea towels. She gave him a pat on the back as she made her way over to the fridge taking out the milk. He leaned against the countertop watching as she started to make the hot chocolate. He asked the question she’d been dreading and hoping to get out of answering, “So about your Navy days, would now be a good time to hear about them?”

Lori drew a deep breath taking a brief moment before starting to speak, “You already know how I got started flying, so I guess I should fill you in how I ended up in the Navy instead of the Air Force. I don’t know how detailed the security check was that you ran but I one of things that might not have been on there was I excelled at my studies in school and went through at an accelerated rate. I finished high school when I was fourteen and had my Masters from Notre Dame University by the time I was seventeen.”

She paused just long enough to stir the chocolate syrup in to the milk. It all sounded like bragging to her. And she hated people who bragged about themselves.

Lucas nodded and asked, “Are you Catholic?”

Lori answered, “Nope, are you?”

“I was raised Methodist,” Lucas said. He asked, “Why Notre Dame then?”

That was easy to answer because it involved giving credit to Uncle Max. Lori continued on with her explanation, “Uncle Max had a lot of influence with my choosing to go Navy. He’d regale me with stories of his Navy flying adventures while giving me my lessons. Plus, he had several of his buddies which were very high up the ladder come watch me fly. They were impressed enough that I got a full ride scholarship to Notre Dame to be in their ROTC program. Which is where I was planning to go anyway so it all worked out for the best. You aren’t allowed to actively join any branch of the Armed Forces until age eighteen. But there is this loophole that allows for certain exceptions to be in ROTC which stands for Reserve Office Training Corp. Since you are technically still in school the age rule doesn’t count.”

She couldn’t help looking wistful remembering how the older students had treated her. Some were nice but most were either condescending or downright cruel about her age.

Lucas asked, “How much of a gap was there between finishing University and going to the Naval Flight training?”

Lori answered, “Only a couple of months, I graduated in May, turned eighteen in July and reported to training the beginning of August. By the time I entered training, Uncle Max had help me to have my pilot’s qualifications to fly anything up to a Leer Jet. So I was already at an advantage over most my fellow classmates.”

She paused for a beat before asking, “Would you get the mugs out for me?”

He nodded and reached up in to the cabinet producing the two mugs requested. She poured the steaming hot chocolate in to the mugs and asked, “Do you prefer your hot chocolate plain, with marshmallows, whipped cream on top or both?”

“Whipped cream please,” Lucas said.

She got the can of Redi-Whip out of the fridge and shook it. She couldn’t resist doing what she had always done since she was a little kid. She tipped the can up, opened her mouth and sprayed it full. Remembering her manners, she swallowed and asked, “Would you like some?”

“I’ll wait till it’s on my chocolate, thanks,” Lucas answered.

“Spoiled Sport, but ok this time. You do know there are lots more fun uses for this stuff then just on food.” She said teasingly as she sprayed a mound on top of each mug.

“And I’m sure you will enlighten me to those uses,” Lucas said teasing back.

Lori thought, “Oh yes, yes I will and when I do Mr. North you will never forget their uses.”

She got out a couple of spoons and napkins before picking up her mug and heading out to the dining table with them in her hand, she called over her shoulder once again trailing off before she finished her sentence, “I might and then again..........”

Lucas picked up his mug and followed.