High and Dry - AU/Adult/CC - Ch 34 - 8/3/15

[SmileeUk]

Glad M&M is talking again.

I can only hope the gang is found soon & start their holiday

Wishing Everyone A Merry Christmas!!

[begonia9508]

thanks for the great part!

Oh! Isabel and Alex were the lucky ones! As the others, let's say I prefer to be where I am now and not on the island! Even if the guys are here, there must be not a lot they can do! Maybe look for coconuts... at least you can eat them!

Thanks and waiting for more - Happy Xmas to you two too! EVE

[keepsmiling7]

Yes, it is time to start looking for the others........however I feel Alex wouldn't mind be stranded alone with Isabel for a long time.
Michael and Maria still have a long way to go.......
thanks for the new part,
Carolyn

[CandyliciousLovah]

Awe, I'm glad that they informed Alex & Isabel about the others first thing upon hearing anything. Isabel is depending on Alex, which is a good sign that there will be romance for them and the others too.

[HypnotiqBlueEyes]

Amazing new part! Loved the civil M&M interaction & beyond happy that everyone knows the group is lost.... The search can begin (and probably some drama as well...lol)...Hurry back soon with more!

P.S. Merry Belated Christmas to everyone... I hope all had a wonderful holiday, filled with love, family, and friends!

-Sarah-

[Eva]

I just discovered this little pearl and I really like the plot of this story! Although I frowned a couple of times with the description of shubby Kyle (hilarious by the way!). Just like the others, i'm dying to know what will happen next, not only with the situation they are all in. But also how the relations between them all will develop. Between some I can see already some glinsters of hope, between others there is only despair.

[begonia9508]

Waiting for the new part, edition 2015! Thanks in advance! EVE

[SmileeUk]

A little friendly bump

[HIS-&-HERS]

Roswelllostcause: Oh, your feeling could be right, .

sarammlover: Peace for now, let’s see how long it lasts.

SmileeUk: Well, things on the lonely island could turn out interesting as well, lol. We’ll keep them there for a bit. Muhaha.

begonia9508: Here’s the 2015 fix, lol.

Yeah, A&I can enjoy the vacation while the others… do other stuff, hehe.

keepsmiling7: No, Alex surely wouldn’t mind!

The couples all have to figure out what they want.

CandyliciousLovah: Romance definitely is part of a lot more to come.

HypnotiqBlueEyes: Let the search begin, but how long will it take? Hm….

Eva: Welcome on-board, Eva!

Our couples will try to keep it interesting for you.




Chapter 30

August 28th, 2012

Dean closed the file in front of him, staring at the large black words on the front of the folder. McKENSY ENTERPRISES.

This case was giving him a headache and he had only started a few hours ago. It turned out that parts of the new project would come up close to an historical neighbourhood. It wasn’t one of San Francisco’s oldest areas, which were built at the town’s founding, but still old enough to be a problem. The few cranky older residents who lived there were raising a fuss over the idea of a major construction project going on so close by and when older and more importantly rich residents did that, it usually brought in the lawyers....but even worse, it brought in the politicians!

Grabbing the coffee mug from his desk, he leaned against the flexible backrest of his expensive office chair and took a sip. “Crap!” He grimaced at the cold, bitter liquid and spit it back into the mug. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had skipped breakfast for the second time this week since his fiancé had been gone. He didn’t understand it because they rarely had meals in the morning together, but the fact that she wasn’t still lying in bed while he was up at an early hour, disturbed his appetite.

He grabbed his cell and checked it, wondering how mad she still was. The goodbye had been awkward, yet not angry so he had thought that she would at least keep her promise and let him know when they had arrived at the resort. Considering the time difference, their arrival had been several hours before and there was still no news from her.

Glancing back at the file, he felt guilt washing over him. Your own fault, he thought. When was the last time you really took a break from work just to be with her? He couldn’t even remember. The last year had been crazy where his job was concerned and while a break hadn’t been impossible, he had chosen to take on every important case. Just like now.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his short dark hair. That’s who he was. He had been a late surprise and an only child to a pair of older parents. His dad had never been at home much and died of a heart attack while being at work. His mom, who passed him around from one nanny to the next, died not long after he had gotten out of college. With only a distant aunt here and there he hadn't had much family – none to speak of or visit. To fill the void his work had become his life. He threw himself into the grind with a zeal that impressed his bosses and intimidated his rivals. He couldn’t leave the most important things to others. He couldn’t let someone else be better than him. No, he always needed to look for more; more prestige, more opportunities, more money... just more everything.

And he had lost sight of everything but his job.

Yeah, he had thought that spending some time apart from his fiancé would be good – she would figure out that what they had was good and that he just wanted the best for them. What he hadn’t expected was that after only two days, he was starting to miss her.

Nothing you can change at the moment, he reminded himself, his eyes wandering back to the file. There was no way to back down now. He would just have to get through the week, work hard and then take some time off when she got back. He could make an effort then, right? There were no other highly important cases waiting. Yet.

Yeah, I'll buy Liz that diamond studded bracelet thing she was eying in spring. When she gets back I'll give it to her and be back in her good graces!

Leaning forward, he pressed the white button on the huge high-end phone that sat on the dark wooden desk. “Nancy, can you get me a fresh coffee, please?” He released the button, but thought twice about it and pressed it again. “An’ a sandwich would be great. The usual.”

Reopening the folder again, he forced his concentration back to the McKensy case until the door to his office opened. Glancing up he expected to see the short blonde clerk with his food order, but instead he came face to face with his worried looking boss. “Brian,” he couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice, “something wrong?”

The other man sighed and closed the door behind him before stepping in front of the desk. “Have you heard back from your fiancé?”

That’s an odd question, Dean thought, leaning back in his chair. “No, not yet. But Liz’s sloppy with those calls. She's probably getting settled in and just forgot.”

“I’m afraid there was a problem with the transport to the island,” Brian said sorrowfully.

“A problem?” The other man sat up alarmed. “What kinda problem?”

“I just got a call from the resort. They informed me that your fiancé never arrived.”

“Maybe their flight was delayed,” Dean suggested, but worry crept up his spine as well. “Or they were taken to the wrong island.”

“No,” his boss shook his head, “I’m afraid that’s not the case. The jet landed in time. Two of your fiancé’s friends arrived at the resort because they took a later boat to spend some time shopping.”

“Fuck,” he muttered and got out of his seat to pace in front of the large windows of his office. “How much do we know?” The last thing he needed now was more complications added to the pile of work.

“They found the crew of the boat that was supposed to bring them to the resort. They were overpowered by some criminals. Your fiancé and the others got on the boat with them as far as we know.”

“You’re saying that they’ve been kidnapped???”

“We don’t know. Maybe they were just robbed and left behind on some unoccupied island or…”

“Or?” Dean looked at him irritated.

“Or they’re in the ocean.” Brian made a face, but went over to place both of his hands on his best employee’s shoulders. “I’ve already called a friend of mine. They don’t have a lot of technology and options down there so we’re sending a team to look for them.” He forced the shocked man to look at him. “We will find them, Dean.”

“Yeah,” he said, trying his best to believe it.

“The plane will leave in two hours in case ya wanna go with them?”

Dean looked at him dumbly. Should he go with them? But what could he really do? He had no clue about the area or how to go about looking for missing people. His gaze drifted to the desk. And there was so much work to do…

“Don’t worry about Mc Kensy. Marty can still dive into it and get it done.”

Marty! Just the mention of his co-worker made him cringe. He couldn’t stand that guy. From day one he had tried to get under his skin. Superficially, they got along, but there was an everlasting competition going on and he couldn’t let that guy win! He just couldn’t! “I can do it,” he told his boss. “I wouldn’t be helpful down there, would I? If you send a team down, then I trust them to find Liz and while they do that I can be useful here and distract myself with Mc Kensy.”

Brian frowned, finding it odd that he’d rather stay here than go to find his fiancé. But then again, people did weird things in these situations, right? He’d keep an eye on Dean to see if he still had the focus to get the work done on time. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”

The other man nodded sternly, forcing the wave of guilt back down. Liz would understand. If he lost his position in the company to Marty, they wouldn’t be able to live by the standards they were used to. “Inform me when there’s any news. I trust you to send skilled people for their rescue.”

“Sure thing,” his boss affirmed and got ready to leave. “They’ll find them before the week is over.”

“Good, good,” Dean sank down into his chair again. Was he doing the right thing?

“Hi, I’m sorry about your fiancé, Dean,” Marty stuck his head into the office with fake sympathy. His eyes shifted to their boss. “I was looking for the file.”

“No need,” he waved him off, “Allister is keeping it. He’s staying in the states.”

Marty’s expression fell. “Oh. Alright.”

Yeah, Dean thought, he was doing the only right thing to show this asshole who was the freaking follower for the head of this company.

“Mr. Allister,” Nancy stumbled into the office, coffee in one and the sandwich in her other hand.

“Set it on the table,” he said and nodded at the other man as a sign to leave. When he was once more alone in the room, he reached for the hot coffee and leaned back, his thoughts drifting off to his fiancé. You’re strong, Liz. You don’t need me there.

Maybe, if he kept thinking it, he would start to believe it as well.

****

Michael cracked one eye open when a large drop of cold water splashed down and hit him right between the eyes. He wiped his face with his lower arm, while his dazed mind needed a few seconds to catch up with his current situation. Staring up at the poor attempt of a palm leaf roof, he saw the morning dew glistening in the upcoming sunlight.

He raised his upper body, groaning as his stiff muscles began barking at him. It had been awhile since he had slept on the hard ground. The last few times had been back in high school – alcohol related.

"I'm too old for this shit," Michael muttered as he began to rub his sore lower back but then made a face when his tee shirt as well as his pants clung to him damply. It had rained more than half the night and it had not only kept them up but soaked as well. He turned his head and found his sister and Liz right next to him still asleep. There was an empty space beside them before Maria lay on more palm leaves with her back towards him. She was cuddled into the arms of her boyfriend, one of his hands resting on her thigh, which was halfway on top of him.

“Don’t like what ya see?”

Startled, Michael jerked his head around to find Kyle crouched down next to him. He had spoken low so he wouldn’t wake the others who were camped out around them.

Michael’s eyes glared at him for a second before he realized the dude was just wearing boxers and was wet all over. "What the hell have you been doing Valenti?"

“Swimming.”

“After fuckin’ getting rained on all night?” He shook his head and got up. The sky wasn’t holding a single cloud at this early morning hour – it seemed surreal after the weather the night before.

Kyle showed up next to him again and nodded towards the ocean and the nearby reef. “Lots of fish, even a few small reef sharks. We should be able to catch a few to eat even without proper equipment.”

“Good.” Michael looked over at the rising sun, squinting when it reflected on the ocean. “What time is it? Six maybe?”

“Seven I’d say considering our location.”

Man this whole trip had turned into nothing more than a major cluster fuck from the start! He had been invited to a party by that new girl at work – Courtney 'Something or Other'. He could be there right now, drinking and having fun. But no, somehow he let his sister convince him into going on a trip to Hawaii and where did damn fate take him? On a ridiculously small island at the other end of the world with a bunch of high school friends and his ex together with a new boyfriend. Just great! “We should see if we can find more food as well as something to collect rain water.”

“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “I was thinkin’ about building a bonfire but considering the rain, it’d be hard to light it if a boat comes into sight.”

“True,” Michael pulled at his hair frustrated. “I packed some beacons in our backpack. They’ll have to do it.” His gaze wandered along the shore while he thought about the next logical steps to take. No one of them knew how long they’d be trapped here, but at least they wouldn’t starve or die of thirst. The island was small – a walk around would take less than an hour, but it offered enough shadow from the sun and the palm leaves could be used for shelter as well as mattresses when it was done right.

There weren’t any other trees than palms and they had no tools to log them, so building a raft would just be a waste of time. Not to mention that the current along the reef was way too strong to navigate though it. No, a makeshift raft wouldn’t make it past the reef intact. “Let’s take a walk around the island – see if we can find anything useful.” He pointed to his left. “I’ll go this way an’ you can take the other.”

“Sure, man,” Kyle agreed. Guerin had been a loner in high school until he had started to date DeLuca and he had never understood it. The guy had been popular according to his status on the football team, yet he had kept a certain distance with most of the students.

“Hey,” Max appeared next to them, startling them both. Like Kyle he had dropped most of his clothes as well, revealing a lean, trained body.

Doesn't anybody where damn clothes around here, Michael thought with a roll of his eyes. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the girls getting up as well and before he even knew it, he reached to his back and jerked his own wet tee shirt over his head. He had nothing to hide and at least as many muscles as that stupid new lover of Maria’s.

"So, do we have a plan? Anything I can help with?" Max asked.

Yeah, you could help me if ya just kept your fuckin’ paws off my girl, Michael thought frustrated, but forced his expression to be neutral. He had no right to take his jealousy out on this guy and he was sure Maria would throw it right in his face if she ever caught him making a rude comment.

"So how's your head an’ your arm?” Kyle spoke up when the tension between the other men was almost visible. Huh-uh, ex-boyfriend and new boyfriend? Not a good combination, no matter the place or time.

“Better. Nothin’ to worry about.” He still had a headache, but it was bearable. Sitting around useless while others worked was just not his style.

“We’re having a look around. You could gimme a hand so we can collect wood for a fire.”

“Sure.” Max agreed almost amused when he saw the struggle in his best friend’s ex to keep it together. That dude was still into her. It was beyond his imagination how that fit to what Maria had told him about their break up.

[Eva]

What a loser! That was the first thing that came to my mind while reading the first piece. Which guy prefers work before rescuing his girl? Oh no, this Dean isn't the right man for Liz. Having enough money is an asset, working non-stop and thinking that everything can by yours if you pay for it, is too much.

Michael is jealous and it's funny how everyone can read his emotions.