Phantom's Fight

Chapter Five

Jasper

The feeling of contentment he experienced as Ivy got on the back of his bike was the closest to home he'd ever felt. Having Ivy pressed up against his back again felt more than just right, it made him feel invincible as if he could take on the entire world and never fail. Now he only needed to find a way of keeping her there.

Riding was always a way to clear his head, it was the thing he missed the most when on deployment so he drove the long way out of town. She tensed as he passed the turning to her apartment but didn't motion him to stop. He was prepared for a fuss but she didn't make one.
Ivy used to beg to be taken out for a ride constantly when they were younger so much so it was the reason he kept a spare lid in his saddle bags. When he asked her where she wanted to go she would always reply, The Cliffs. The locals referred to 'The Cliffs' as Lookout Point. It was a small clearing surrounded by boulders large enough for two people to sit on top of. The view was of the whole of Woodburn below but with the clubhouse just outside of town limits, the only part of it that could be seen was the road leading to it and that's just how the club liked it.

Ivy however would spend all her time up there if it would mean she could watch the sunset. Her smile always reached her eyes when she saw it and the joy she showcased was the reason he could never refuse her request. He hoped that she would remember all the times they spent up there and help towards his attempt to break the formidable walls blocking him out.

Jasper could feel the change in her stiff posture when she realised where they were headed. She finally relaxed herself into enjoying the ride, leaning into the corners with ease behind him.

The usual twenty minute ride took them nearly double the time as Jasper rode leisurely around the longer country roads. Ivy didn't complain. He was giving her time to herself without actually leaving her alone; she needed to acclimatise herself to him sharing her personal space again.

He pulled up ten foot away from the edge. He felt Ivy use his shoulders as leverage to climb off the bike as soon as he cut the engine. He left her to walk over to the cluster of boulders and watched as she sat down and pulled her arms around her folded legs. He felt a tightening in his chest as his breath caught at the sight of her in what he always thought of as their place.

Five minutes passed while he simply watched her before he had enough of the silence. Striding over and taking a seat next to her, he leaned back on his hands so that she was still sat in front of him.

"I haven't wanted to make the drive up here since you left town. It felt wrong to come without you." She spoke so softly as if she were afraid of revealing a piece of herself to him. His heart lurched at the knowledge she didn't share this place with anyone else. Was it selfish? Yes. Did he care? Not one iota. Sensing that she wasn't done talking, he stayed quiet letting her process her thoughts.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, I missed you Jas and I'm glad you're home. I think everyone has tried to avoid talking about you around me, so I don't know your plans. Are you staying for good this time?" She finished on a shrug and turned her head towards him offering a smile but he noticed it didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere Sweet Pea." He reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen when she'd turned to face him.

"Why did you stop calling?" He groaned inwardly knowing they needed this talk in order to move on but realising any excuse he would be willing to give wasn't worth shit. He settled for a half truth.

"Both Smoke and I were recruited for a super-secret covert mission team. One such mission, we were behind enemy lines with no means of communicating with anyone outside of our team until we made it back to the safe house. You have to understand the nature of these missions were and still are top secret and I can't elaborate any more than I already have." She nodded and sat patiently waiting for him to finish his story. "The things that I've seen over there are too disturbing to even speak of. The last time I skyped you was after we completed the first mission. You were so happy to hear from me but I could tell you knew I was keeping something from you. You were always so observant and I knew if you had asked I probably would've revealed something that would not only put me in danger but you in danger too. No line was secure out there.