Return of the Sun - 13. Chapter 13

"You sure you're not going on Safari?" Ben asked, looking down on Scott's battered Rover from the window of their office.

Scott looked up from a particularly stubborn computer that was sitting in pieces spread out across his workbench; he was holding a screwdriver and had a determined look on his face, "Huh?"

"Safari; you know, hunting dangerous animals on the savannah." He gave a broad grin as he let the blinds fall back to rattle against the window, "Though knowing you it's probably dangerous animals in Brighton."

Scott shook his head, setting the screwdriver down and removing the computer's defective hard drive, "I was going to kidnap you and turn you loose on the wilds of Milton Keynes." He gave Ben a grin, "A good old-fashioned manhunt."

Ben winced, "Yeah, if you don't kill me then a pack of wild Scousers will." He crossed back to his desk and flopped into his chair, "I think I'll pass on that one if you don't mind."

"What, not up to it?" Scott grinned.

"Oh it's not the Scousers I'm worried about, it's you." Ben shifted in his chair; it was nearing the end of the day on Friday and he had done the weekly books an hour ago and now he was just waiting for five o'clock. Boredom did funny things to Ben; invariably he would go back to his favourite game of seeking attention. Scott had come to learn that Ben thrived on it.

Scott looked across the desks at his colleague, "I could get a winch attached to the Rover and drag you out of the closet," he offered with a deadpan expression.

Ben winked back at him, "No thanks, I like it in here where it's warm and cosy."

Scott's phone rang and he reached out to scoop up the receiver as Ben returned to playing solitaire on the computer, "Ashley Gardens, Scott speaking."

"Can you skive off work early?" Serena asked breathlessly.

Scott cradled the receiver against his shoulder as he went back to fixing the computer, "I don't know, why?"

"Well, we're all waiting on you, babe; I just got off, Dickie is over at mine with Fleur and Darren's gone to pick up Luke." She sounded excited. If a holiday to Kent could have that effect, Scott wondered what would have happened if they had decided to go to Ibiza.

"I'll try," Scott said glancing up at the clock; it was three in the afternoon. Zulee would be down touring the residence floors making sure everyone was comfortable and happy.

"Great, see you soon, babe," she hung up the phone.

Scott sighed as he set the receiver back on the hook, setting his tools down again. Ben was grinning at him, "You're going to try to get off early, aren't you?" he asked. The way he said it left little doubt in Scott's mind that it was going to be a difficult feat indeed.

Scott shrugged as he set off into the maze of corridors that connected the administration officers to the actual nursing home. He disliked this part of the building; he always felt so out of place there, like he was too young. It always felt like a hospital, no matter how much care had gone into making it feel warm and inviting. It was sterile, too clean. There were no signs anywhere of areas actually being lived in. Zulee liked to keep everything neat and organized and the housekeeping staff worked extra hours to keep it that way.

He passed an old woman labouring to get up the hall on her walking frame. She looked at him with no recognition in her eyes, a kind of look that acknowledged he was there, but nothing more; none of the fire that made a person a person. He felt disheartened; Gran was getting on, would she end up like that? No, she was too vibrant, one of those powerhouses who would keep going till the day they died.

It was a frightening thought; when his grandfather had passed away he had been abroad and they had heard the news over the phone, the whole family curling up in each others' arms on his dad's bed sharing their grief. It was a stark shock that everyone was mortal, and Scott didn't want to think too much on it.

Zulee was standing in the doorway of one of the lounges asking old Mrs. Harris what she thought about the news. He never patronized his residents, treating them all with respect, asking their thoughts on current topics and making sure they knew he cared about them. It was strange; the man was an eccentric character, he never tried to over-think a situation, he kept things simple and he expected others to do the same.

When he saw Scott coming he was smiling.

"I was wondering when you were going to break and ask me," Zulee said after he excused himself.

Scott decided he should just spit it out, "I'm going away for the weekend..."

"I know," Zulee stated with a paternal smile. "You've been dropping hints all week."

"Yeah." Scott felt foolish, had he really been that eager? "My friends are ready to go, they're just waiting on me..."

Zulee thought about it, "Well, those computers aren't going to fix themselves."

"How about if I make up the extra hours next week?" Scott said, reasoning that Zulee was a businessman; he would respect an honest effort at a compromise.

Zulee smiled and took his hand, "Excellent, maybe you can finally get the fax modem working."

* * *

The Rover rumbled up outside Serena's bungalow just off Western Road. To Scott it sounded like a truck, a loud pollution machine, but there was no denying the power behind that engine. He loved the feeling of being above everyone else on the road; it was a feeling of safety that came from driving something that big. He slid down and took off his suit jacket tossing it back into the cab onto the backseat. He hadn't had a chance to change yet, and hopefully he could use Serena's bathroom.

The Metro was decked out with roof racks piled high with baggage and a cooler. There was no denying the fact they were going away.

Serena came out of the house grinning at him; she was wearing a tank top and a pair of flood pants, and strangely, a trilby hat on her head to shield her from the sun; she looked ready for summer. She looked him up and down and shook her head.

"You're not going like that," she said, looking him over. "Dickie and Fleur are up at the corner shop picking some stuff up, and Darren should be back soon." She looked behind him at the Rover, her eyes lighting up, "Do you mind if we start loading some stuff into the boot of that?"

"Sure," he said, tossing her the keys, hefting his bag up and nodding at her house. "Do you mind if I get changed?"

"Yeah, the loo's upstairs on the right," she said, already opening the rear of the Rover and eyeing the space appreciatively.

Scott ducked through Serena's house, passing her mother wrestling with what looked like a couple of sleeping bags. Serena was going all out for this trip and it looked like she wanted to take as much as she could.

It didn't bother him that much. He found the bathroom right where Serena had told him it would be, and he changed into something a bit more typically American, and definitely more comfortable. A blue short-sleeved shirt with a dragon print on it, a pair of cargos and his trusty visor. He took the time to comb his hair so that it hung over the sides. Feeling better he put on his blue-tinted sunglasses he had picked up for the trip.

He made it outside to find Dickie and Fleur loading shopping bags into the rear of the Rover that was rapidly filling with stuff. They had flipped down the back seat to make more room and packed everything in tightly leaving only the front seats empty. He blew out a sigh as he walked around the back and looked in at the piled bags and a second cooler that suspiciously sounded like it contained beer bottles.

"Looking sharp, there," Dickie said, nodding in approval as he hefted a deflated air mattress into the back.

The ragged rattling of Darren's car pulling up made them all turn; it clattered a bit more before it finally came to a stop across the street. From the way the red rocket sounded, it wouldn't be joining them on the trip. Luke climbed out of the passenger's side shaking his head.

Scott grinned despite himself; Luke was dressed like a Boy Scout, with shorts and a safari shirt. All he needed to complete the look was the neck scarf and the hat.

"What are you giggling at?" Dickie asked, trying to contain his own chuckles, "You didn't know he's a Boy Scout leader?"

"That's right, laugh you wankers," Luke grumbled, unbuttoning his shirt. "You didn't have to babysit a bunch of Cub Scouts this afternoon."

Scott blinked, glad the sunglasses hid his eyes as he rested on the back of the Rover watching Luke begin to take his shirt off, appreciating the British summer weather, and the way the cotton slid off of...

Serena slapped a bag into his hands, "Don't just stand there being useless, get your thumb out and give us a hand."

He flushed, struggling with the last of the bags, slamming the trunk of the Rover closed at last, glad actually that Uncle Ron had thought of him with the mammoth vehicle. The way Serena had stuffed it, it looked like they were going for a full week rather than just a few days. He adjusted his shirt and turned back to a now completely changed Luke; he cursed Serena's bad timing.

"So how's this going to work?" Luke asked, tucking his white tee-shirt into a pair of jeans before slipping on his Adidas windbreaker over top.

Darren rested on the garden wall dressed as he always was, and he looked back at the red rocket, "Yeah, I don't think my car will survive the trip."

"Well, you can ride with me," Scott offered, patting the hood of the Rover.

Dickie shook his head, "No, neither of you know the way, and if we get separated on the way you'll never find it; I should ride with you..."

Fleur gave him a pouty look, one that said she didn't like that idea at all and to show her displeasure she tightened her grip on his arm. He winced at the pressure she was exerting, and slowly removed her hand from his arm, "On second thoughts I should ride with Serena; there's more room at the moment in the Metro..."

Scott winced at the oxymoron; an Austin Metro and more room just didn't belong in the same sentence. "Ok, so who's that leave?"

Luke rested a hand on the front brush bar that protected the front end of the Rover, "Me."

Stuck in weekend summer traffic, in a hot car with Luke. Suddenly Scott seriously wanted to be back at work. As pleasant as their short walk the other day had been, about as pleasant as pulling teeth out of a grizzly bear, he had no desire to be cooped up that long with Luke while he went through one of his erratic mood swings.

But Serena and her passengers were already piling into the metro, and Scott reluctantly climbed into the Rover. Luke hopped up beside him, strangely energetic despite his normally reserved nature.

"Figures you'd drive one of these," Luke said looking about the inside of the cab, shifting to get comfortable on the new seats, buckling himself in.

Scott ignored him as he reached down and started the Rover, the engine roaring to life, startling his passenger. Scott looked over at him, "Engine's a bit loud," he said apologetically.

"Sounds like a freight lorry," Luke commented. "Okay, just stick behind Serena," he explained as the Rover lurched forward and began to rumble after the small Metro. A beast chasing a small animal, a funny sight to Serena's mother who was waving them off.

Luke leaned forward and flicked on the radio, switching the dial to Virgin Radio; satisfied when some decent music started to play he settled in for the trip. And Scott tried to maintain the silence as the Rover bounded along the back roads following the Metro down to the coast via Herstmonceaux. The beautiful summer sun shone through the green leaves of the old oak trees hanging over the roads.

He kept his eyes peeled for the castle, a famous landmark, especially to him, because his grandfather had worked in the Royal Observatory there most of his life. They should be coming out somewhere down by Pevensey, another castle, this one dating back to Roman times. The area was just so rich with history, and as the Rover swept around those ancient stone walls, Scott breathed a sharp breath.

"Wow, I'd forgotten that," he murmured.

"What?" Luke asked shaking himself awake from where he was snoozing, turning to look at the castle that was literally a few feet away. "Oh. You've never been to Pevensey Castle?" he asked in surprise.

"Only ever passed it when we were little," Scott said, still awed by its sheer majesty; there was nothing that old in America, everything was so new in comparison to a fortress that had stood for nearly two millennia.

"We should all go one day, re-educate you." Luke replied, settling back in to nap.

"Thanks," Scott said sincerely.

Luke opened one eye, "For what?"

"For not making fun of me just now." Scott replied, looking over the rims of his sunglasses.

Luke sat upright; reaching down to wind down the window and resting an arm on the door as he let the fresh sea breeze whip past him. "Leave it out," he said, becoming a bit embarrassed.

Scott smiled, "Yeah, well I felt like saying it." He looked down at the gas gauge, "We're going to have to stop for gas soon."

"Gas?" Luke inquired, trying to see what Scott was looking at.

"Petrol," Scott replied as he turned the indicator on and turned into the nearest garage, the Metro continuing its course, oblivious that they had lost the other half of their convoy. So much for them sticking together, Scott thought as he hopped down and started to fill the tank.

Luke got down from the Rover and wandered around to him, "I'm going to buy a pair of sunglasses, and a couple of drinks, do you want something?"

"Coke'll do," Scott fired back, watching the meter on the pump climb steadily higher towards his destitution. The Rover was a great vehicle, but it definitely wasn't the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road. He'd have to thank Uncle Ron for that one.

He looked past the pump into the gas station to where Luke was paying the cashier; he looked good out of uniform, more relaxed when he wasn't staring at everyone with a look that said he knew they were up to no good. His short-cropped hair spiked out on top and with his soft features, you'd just assume he was another college student or something, hardly one of Hailsham's finest.

He withdrew the pump, looking with dismay at the price it registered, slotting in his bankcard to the pump and paying it directly. Let his overdraft worry about that; it was Friday, his paycheque from Ashley Gardens would be clearing soon.

Luke tossed Scott a bottle of coke as he climbed back into the cab, removing the price tag from his new sunglasses and slipping them on. "Think they make me look cool?" he asked, turning, and for the first time he actually smiled.

Scott smiled in return; it was a contagious smile and before he knew it he was grinning as he started the Rover up again and set out onto the street.

"What?" Luke asked, returning to lounging his arm on the window.

"Nothing," Scott replied, "just good to know there's a human being under there somewhere."

Luke looked at him, "I could make a comment, but it's just not worth it, mate; too nice of a day." He rested his head on the headrest and enjoyed the drive.

Scott flashed him another look and turned up the music, lowering his foot a little on the gas pedal.

Hearing the vehicle accelerate Luke sat upright, "I am a policeman," he warned still smiling.

"So give me a ticket," Scott replied with a daring grin.

"Bugger that," Luke replied. "I write you up and you won't speak to me the rest of the trip."

"That's 'cause you're an asshole," Scott said with a grin as the Rover bounced and rattled along a rough section of road.

"And you're a prat." Luke countered. "And given the fact that you're short, you're a little prat."

"Okay then," Scott said, "since you seem to want to have a conversation, what do you want to talk about?"

Luke thought a moment and grinned, "Tell me about the States."