And now, courtesy of my insane mind and my fondness for happy endings, the bit I have been working towards for many months!
Chapter 198
18th December 1941
London, Britain, British Empire
Croydon Aerodrome was among the lesser-used fields around London these days. The Civilian flights had been grounded the second the war had started, most of the aircraft stationed here had either been confiscated by the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Army Aviation, or in some cases donated by the affluent and wealthy owners. As such it was ideally suited if one wanted to enter the capital city of this country at war via aeroplane and because of this there was an unsteady but somewhat noticeable trickle of aircraft coming and going when there was no air-raid alert. The Germans and Soviets were still bombing industrial targets now and then, most of the time at night with high-speed bombers that tried to penetrate the British Air Defences in small groups.
Right now there was no alert and the aircraft could land unmolested. It was filled with military officers and huge bags of mail and as such a regularly scheduled flight of an Airline that was run by the British Overseas Airways Corporation and Air France with a gaggle of long-range aircraft that usually flew at night and in a wide arc out over the Ocean to avoid detection by the Axies that had begun to fortify the French Coast, even though Soviet and German Naval Aviation rarely ventured out of Fighter Range from the coast. The Aeroplane that was landing now had managed to slip through without being intercepted and was now coming to land after refuelling near Portsmouth. Several of the Officers were of the Royal Navy, but only two of them had actually managed to sleep on the plane, for the rest were staff Officers that were unaccustomed to the danger of being shot down by enemy fighters. The two of them made an odd pair and many had studied them since boarding in Casablanca. One was slightly younger than the other and and seemed to have been insufficiently fed recently since the uniform he wore was the better part of a size too large for him, but other than that he was a snappy and orderly Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy. The other was taller and carried the rank of a full Captain. Ian and Felix were understandably tired for they had not had any rest since setting out from Cairo. When Ian had forwarded word of what had happened and what they had found, both bi-pedal and mechanical then Mountbatten had immediately called Ian and Felix back to London back to London to 'report and bring every piece of Intelligence with you'. This was a clear indication that this was not only about the Enigma. Felix had said nothing and neither had Ian but both had known what this was about. Felix had been deep in thought for most of the Flight while Ian had tried to find something to say that would reassure his friend, but there was nothing he could say, and so he first said a word when they were led past the customs terminal into a section of the airport that was away from view. There a limousine with Government plates and a WAAF driver was waiting for them. “It's going to be alright, mate.” Felix just smiled thinly. London itself was still blacked out, but the first people filled the streets, early risers like Postmen and shift workers filled the streets while the black limousine made it's way through London.
“When do we have to report?” Felix asked and Ian knew what was on his mind. “Do you think that's a good idea? What if.....”
“Probably. Oh well, I haven't seen them in a year, a few more hours won't hurt, now won't it?.” Felix said flippantly even though Ian could still detect that Felix wasn't being entirely truthful. He didn't reply and simply looked out of the window instead as the car entered the centre of London and both men were alone with their thoughts. Ian couldn't help but notice how Felix was putting up a false air of of confidence and strength and that troubled Ian greatly. On one hand Felix had good reasons to feel unsure about himself, but why were all of his attempts at reassurance failing? What if....No. No chance. Felix would never do that, he had sworn the oath and the loyalty to King and Country he had shown... Yes. It was all a big fuzz, and he would damn well make them see, yes he would. He shifted in his seat and stretched the muscles of his upper back a bit. New confidence radiated through him and he only hoped that some of it rubbed off onto Felix. Before he could say anything the car stopped and they were standing in the quiet backstreet where the unobtrusive 'main' entrance was placed. Ian stood poised to knock on the door. “Ready?” Felix just nodded.
Four hours later Ian was sitting on a bench in front of a door in a corridor and he was ready to kick in the door and demand that things were to be accelerated. Inside Felix was delivering his report, and by the small pieces Ian had seen before they had literally slammed the door in his face after being led here it was not a good sign. The grim faces and the RMP lining the wall all told of what had to be going on in there right now. The door opened and not Felix stepped out but Admiral Edwards instead.
“It's not going well, Captain.” Ian looked up and rose to attention. “At ease. Follow me.”
Ian followed in the regulation distance as the Admiral led him upstairs towards the roof but stopped in the staircase. “Captain, what are you personally thinking?”
Ian said the first thing that came to his mind. “Never, Sir. No chance.” Edwards nodded and took off his cap. “That's what I think and that's what Rear Admiral Mountbatten seems to believe after reading your report, but the evidence is stacking up.” Ian was about to protest but Edwards raised a hand and stopped Ian in his tracks. “There isn't enough to actually convict him of anything, it's not as if he has been caught transmitting shipping schedules to Moscow, but....”
“But.” Ian took up when the Admiral trailed off. “With all due respect Sir, but that's bloody stupid. He would never do that, never.”
“Can you be sure? Lord knows what happened to him in Germany.” Ian paused only for the slightest second. He still trusted Felix with his life and he would always do so.
“Yes, Admiral.”
Edwards nodded. “I see. To be honest if my best friend and brother in law were to come back from the dead like that I'd feel the same. And to be honest, I do. Mountbatten is a good fellow, but he doesn't know Lieutenant Commander Leiter like you and I do. For that reason I have to get back in there.”
“Sir, when can I have a say?” “You can't I'm afraid. They wouldn't give you any credit, and that bastard from the SIS might even make you a hangman's noose out of it.”
“So what can we do then?” “I have an idea. But even if it works it will be some time before he can work with you again should that be what he desires.”
With that the Admiral walked back and Ian knew him well enough not to ask about the idea he'd had. So instead of asking he walked back down the corridor sat back down on the bench and refused to think about all that could happen. Another two hours passed and then the door opened again. Felix stepped outside and closed the door behind himself. Ian rose and asked: “So, what happened?”
“Hrm.” was the only response. “I need a Coffee.” was another. Ian nodded and followed Felix into the mess where they could not only get Coffee for Felix but also Tea for Ian. They poured what they wanted, paid and then walked back into the still silent corridors that lay on the upper two floors of the building.
“I have to swear the oath again. I have to go through the security clearance process again. And I am on probation, if you can call it that, for the next year, and even that is only because the Admiral vouched for me and still someone with a higher security clearance than mine must 'supervise'.” Ian was puzzled about Felix' face. “That doesn't sound so bad, now does it?”
Felix just snorted and took a drag from his cup. “You know, this is what I missed the most even though you limeys can't make proper coffee.” When Ian refused to take the bait, Felix spoke again. “I should be glad I suppose, but how would you feel if you were told after going through something like this that you are suddenly no longer trusted and that they think you are....are one of
THEM?” Ian could see the horror in the eyes of his friend and was trying to think of something to say. They reached a staircase and Felix sat down on the upper edge while Ian just stood behind him.
“Probably the same. Don't get this wrong, but I hope I never have to find out.” Felix snorted and gulped down the rest of his coffee. “You sure?” “Yes I am, I bloody well am, and wallowing in fucking self pity does not help you at all.” Ian said with a rising voice. “You can be lucky they didn't toss you out of the service just like that! Do you really think Eddie would have done that if he didn't completely trust you?”
Felix looked up at Ian and after they stared at each other for what must have been at least five minutes Felix just said: “You probably have a point there.” Felix grinned and felt a bit as if a huge chunk of stone had fallen from his heart. At last he was fully convinced that Ian had accepted him back and that was all he needed except......his parents. Good god. Nobody had told them yet. They still believed he was dead. Oh god..... He rose to his feet and slowly began to walk past Ian who simply followed without words. Near the exit they passed Admiral Edwards who simply nodded to Ian who nodded back.
Somewhere in London
The rationing system was affecting the Londoners probably even more than the rest of the country. The largest city in Europe could hardly be expected to feed itself even with the vegeteables that had been planted in every open patch of ground that could be found. This forced the Londoners to improvise in ways that could hardly have been expected before the war. Oil was rationed, so Mayonnaise was made out of water, flour and spices, and generally the people made do with what was at hand. To many it seemed as if the city itself, although a collection of houses, roads, pipes and glass was steeling itself for what was to come, even more so since the Battle of Britain had ended. The larger public buildings had their ground floors encased in sand bags and even the statue of Admiral Nelson on Trafalgar Square could only just be seen over the top of the bags and wood that encased the column. The Londoners themselves were confident again. The fall of France and the hardships during the Battle of Britain had had a drastic effect on public morale, but between the AA towers that were now being constructed slowly but surely due to monetary and resource constraints, the invasion of Italy and the seemingly impending fall of Rome to Allied Forces had given the city a morale boost because the war was noticeably going somewhere and that was all that the Londoners had needed. The weather was unusually cold for the season and it had just begun to snow again. Normally this would have been a major hazard for motor cars, but since petrol was rationed most of those that had a car were saving it up for the holidays in the hope that they would be able to visit relatives all over Britain and so there was little traffic on the streets themselves. Ian and Felix hadn't had the time to get a car from somewhere and so they were both marching through the cold and snowy capital at war. Felix was not running ahead, he still had enough good sense to try and stay on his feet by taking things slower than he would have done in the summer, but Ian was still struggling.
“Bloody hell, Felix, take it easy, will you?” Ian said as they were crossing a small canal where the riverboats were logged in the frozen water.
Felix turned on his heels and almost yelled. “No I will NOT take it easy! I have spent the last year wishing for this, worrying about them, and not you, not Admiral bleeding Edwards nor the almighty himself can stop me now!”
Ian raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “That may be so dear friend, but do you really think that you will have the desired effect on them when you arrive in a casket after breaking your neck on these roads, hmm?”
Felix said nothing and instead turned to look down the canal past the boats and a small bridge in the distance. “Ian, I....I missed them terribly, and to be honest, I have no idea how to...”
Ian patted him on the back in a gesture of reassurance and said: “Your mother didn't take it well, let me tell you that, and neither did your father and your sister. They missed even more, and I think I haven't seen your mother smile once since, not even when....” he stopped himself, and had to remind himself that Felix still didn't know that he and Sandra had not only been married but already had a son, something he had tried to avoid telling his friend because he was frankly scared how he would react even though he suspected that Felix had at least guessed on the first part.
Felix looked down at his feet and did in no way acknowledge that he had noticed the almost-slip up. “You're probably right, Ian. I can even see why you haven't told them yet, despite promising it to me.” Ian just shrugged guiltily and said nothing. “I can imagine that my mother would have had a heart attack if you had send her a telegram or a letter... she has a family history of that you know.”
Around them the increasing traffic flowed. Normally the triple shifts that some companies and factories used these days the many servicemen that were stationed here in London made for a constant stream, but around mid day it was even worse because many went home for lunch or simply to the pub. After being bumped in the back for the fifth time Ian simply grabbed Felix by the arm and said: “Come on. I am turning into an Icicle here. Your mother probably has something hot to drink for two poor, freezing sailors.”
“Your sense of humour is still just as awful, Ian. I wonder why my sister hasn't chucked you out yet. Come to think of it, how is she?” Despite his anxiety to see his family, Felix could not help but grin at the sight of the mighty Ian Fleming squirming like a little child and realized with satisfaction that his guesses were true, because if they hadn't been Ian would have reacted differently. There was something Ian wasn't telling him, but he was sure it was nothing that would make him walk out of the friendship they shared. He looked up at Ian one more time and then simply began to walk towards St.Pauls that could barely be seen in the distance through the fog that just wouldn't dissipate today. He hadn't spent much time in this particular part of the British Capital but from St.Pauls he knew the way and when he saw the cathedral towering over him less than half an hour later, he began to whistle. Bugger MI6 and the Navy, he would get to see his family again, and that was all he wanted right now. Ian was following him with a small distance and when he heard Felix suddenly whistling the tune of “There'll always be an England” only slightly off-key he almost fell over his own feet in surprise, because Felix only did that when he was in an exceptionally good mood and he wasn't surprised at all when this attracted a few strange looks from the other people on the street. Ian snorted and with a smile followed his friend through the frozen streets of London.
In the bakery Caroline was clearing up the stalls. Thursday was rest day and therefore the shop was closed and the family used this to prepare for Friday when many went to buy bread that wasn't rationed and sometimes cake where the ingredients were rationed.[1] The main business these days was made with bread and all sorts of non-rationed things that could be made from wheat and since this was the only bakery that was anywhere near the area it all went well, so well in fact that Sandra had started to help again with little Sean staying in the back in the cot that was hanging from the roof. Right now she was feeding him and was already proud that her son was loving the bread Jonathan was baking every morning. She sighed and wished for the umpteenth time that Felix was here to see it, because he would spoil his nephew rotten beyond belief. A knock on the glass door pulled her out of her thoughts and she automatically said: “We are closed, come back tomorrow.”
What she didn't expect was a “Are you sure?” in return. When she looked up the flicker of a smile went over her face. “Ian! When did you get in?” she said and moved over to the door, careful to avoid the cleaning tools and the slippery bits on the floor and stepped outside. When she opened the door Ian did not step in and instead said: “There is someone else.”
Caroline thought of herself as a strong women and was not prone to fainting, and if she had been asked only that very morning she would have said that she did not believe in miracles. But when she heard that voice she had not heard for more than a year she almost fainted.
“Hello, mum.”
Felix watched as his mother slowly turned on her feet without moving her head an inch. When her eyes settled on the frame of her son she refused to believe what she was seeing. Her eyes and ears had to deceive her, because as Ian and everyone knew, Felix was dead. When she looked Felix up and down she refused to blink for fear that he might disappear again if she did and stared at Felix for nigh on ten minutes. Ian was standing a bit back and Felix was starting to worry about his mother. He took the step that lay between them and hugged her tightly like he had imagined during the months of captivity. “God I missed you, mum. I missed you so much.” he said as both Leiters felt the tears running down their faces. After another ten minutes Ian began to fear for the health of the both of them and began to move them inside. When he moved inside he knocked over a broom which then proceeded to knock a metal keg from a table which then fell to the ground with a suitable loud clang. Neither Caroline nor Felix noticed as Felix guided his mother to a stool while Ian slipped off his gloves and looked around just in time to see Jonathan and Sandra who was holding Sean in her arms coming out of one of the rearward rooms. The next half hour was a complete blur, and later Ian would claim that Sandra had put Sean into his arm and started to run over to the table with one fluid motion and soon the Leiter family was in a tight knot around the chair where Caroline was sitting while Ian retreated to the back of the room where Ian began doting and playing with his son. From time to time he looked over and saw with a smile that the hurried conversation on the other side of the room had still not stopped.
Felix was revelling in being amongst his relatives again and at one point he began to look around the room and what he saw made reality come crashing back in.
“Say Ian?” “Hmmm?” Ian was already beet read at this point. “Whose child is that?”
Sandra offered him a watery smile as she said: “Your nephew. Sean Fleming.” Now it was Felix' turn to not know what to say. He did however know one thing, he knew that everything would be okay whatever course his life would take from then on out.
[Notes: Read and review please, as always.]
[1] Bread was rationed from 1946 to 1948, after the war!