The Old Guard one shot: Maltese vacation

Meet up at Malta...

Blue waters, bluer skies, the sandy beach. The view from the polished wooden deck of the restaurant was gorgeous. Malta was gorgeous. Ten glorious days of sun and sand and alone time with Nicky put Joe in a great mood. They were meeting Andy and Nile here today.

He watched Nicky talk to a bunch of tourists just outside the restaurant, an impromptu guided tour of sorts. They had asked for directions, even though they were armed with maps and guidebooks and mobile phones with GPS, and latched on to him and Nicky for the better part of the morning. Bunch of American teenage girls, or thereabouts in age. They looked really young. But they were there alone, no chaperones. So maybe a bit older. Maybe his measure was off. One of the girls was crushing on Nicky, definitely. It was sweet, and of course Nicky was Nicky. He hid his smile in his wine glass.

“The smile of a confident man,” Andy commented as she dropped into one of the empty chairs on the deck.
“And why not,” he came back to the table, sat down opposite her. “He's mine. Where’s Nile?”

“Oh she's out shopping. Should be along in a bit.” She reached for the wine, poured herself half a glass. “Kid’s full of optimism and… hope,” she finished, swirling the wine around contemplatively before tasting it.

“A wine connoisseur you are not,” Joe laughed as she scrunched her nose at it. “Lunch will be along in a bit.”
“Mm. It’s nice.” She declared after the second sip. 

Joe laughed again. “And it was supposed to be brunch.” Andy was habitually on her own clock. “Day drinking suits you, boss. How are you doing?”

“I'm fine, Joe.” She toasted him with the remaining wine in her glass. “Stop worrying.”

“if you say so,” he returned the toast with his glass, deciding to swallow concern for now. He worried about her all the time. So did Nicky. Andy had taken on her role as mentor with relish, and Nile was good for her. Kid really was young and optimistic, resilient. And pretty much incredible. Andy was still tired, though. That wasn't really going away. Booker… He closed that door right away. Messy mix of feelings. Booker's betrayal stung, and they missed him. Even though he probably deserved the punishment meted out. He watched Nicky wave the young women off.
Nicky walked up the porch steps, heading straight to Andy for a hug.

"You look good, Andy.”
She returned the greeting, ruffled his hair ever so slightly. “Thanks. So do you. I think those girls thought so too,” she teased. Joe laughed, handed her a basket of breadsticks. “I agree.”

Nicky gave her his trademark smile, soft and warm. “They just wanted to know of sights to see in Malta.”
They all knew he was sweet enough to indulge the kids, and would have let them down gently. He really was the kindest human she had met in all her thousands of years. Joe was one lucky bastard. She thought of all the loves of her endless life so far, and all of the ones she lost.

Nicky sat down beside her, worried about the shadow that swept across her face just then. “You okay, boss?”
“Not you too,” she sighed as Nicky and Joe traded looks. “I'm fine,” she said gently but firmly. “What did those kids want?”

“The Azure Window, among other spots” he reached for the wine, filled her glass and Joe's, then poured himself some.

“They know of it? And they don’t know it collapsed years ago?” Joe shook his head. “Kids these days. Don’t even listen to news.”

“They don't have your wisdom, old man,” Andy chose a breadstick at random.

“I do feel a million years old,” he replied, tongue in cheek. “I remember when that was just the opening of a cave. Was like watching a time lapse video, the arch forming over the years. And then it collapsed.”

He smiled at Nicky, who seemed a little lost in memories himself. Malta was always special for them. He lost count of the number of times they came back over the years. But he remembered the days and nights…the sunrises and sunsets on cliffs, the walks on the beaches and every corner of Malta and Gozo previously unexplored until they hit those spots. Not for tourists, just for them. Pristine and pure, just nature and the love of his life.

Andy looked around them. The semi crowded beach was balanced out by the ambience of the restaurant Joe and Nicky chose. People went about their lives like they had throughout millenia. And she was still there, watching them, guarding them.

“Everything around us is a time-lapse, Joe. I'm glad I have you guys,” she said in a rare display of emotion. He tapped his glass to hers. “Always, Andy,” Nicky tapped his glass to theirs too. He spotted Nile and hailed her down, breaking their individual reveries. Nile was walking down the beach towards them, a wide smile on her face, brightened by all of her youth and innocence and… hope, like Andy said. Joe got up to greet her, taking a bag from her as he gave her a hug. “Did you get us anything, kid?”

He led her to their table. Food arrived soon, and conversation turned to Malta’s tourist spots. He and Nicky were gonna show those two around next. He sat back, watching everyone go back and forth about limestone caves and blue waters. They needed this vacation, all of them. New missions and tomorrows would come soon enough. For now, Malta was their mission: gorgeous scenery, good food and friends…