Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2012 19:34:38 -0500 (EST) From: tmabare Subject: The Captain of My Dreams - 13 This story is a work of fiction. The events in this story are fictional. The characters in this story do not exist, any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. Any use of celebrity or other real persons is entirely fictional and in no way reflects upon their actual sexual orientation. This story contains erotic and/or sexually explicit activities between consenting adults. If you are under age, find this type of work offensive, or it is illegal for you to view this, do not read it. The Captain of My Dreams – Part 13 By tmabare Copyright 2012 * * * From Part 12 * * * Teddy reached into his pocket and removed a business card, "Ma'am here is my business card. I will be out of the country for a few days soon, but other than that I will be glad to help you any way I can. It would be an honor if I was able to create an opportunity for even one young woman to have the career she might have otherwise been denied." "Thank you Mr. Jackson, I will call you." The smile on her face told Teddy that the call would come sooner rather than later. "I will leave you two to your conversation. I'll be in touch." She extended her hand and grasped Teddy's in a firm handshake before she walked off. Harry smiled at Teddy, "Well, I hope you know what you just got yourself into." "No, what did I do?" Teddy was laughing, "It didn't sound too bad." "You just opened yourself up to my whole family wanting you to help them now. The Firm will be on high alert." Teddy thought about it for a moment, "Well, if I'm going to be with Edward I might as well do things that will reflect well on him." "You just did that, in one big step. Are we still on for tonight?" Teddy looked around to make sure that Laura wasn't within ear shot. "Of course, how is half past six?" "Sounds perfect, it's still okay that I bring someone?" "Yup, who are you bringing?" "It's a surprise." * * * Part 13 * * * The afternoon went fairly quickly, with Teddy supervising Devon and Dustin in the kitchen. Teddy couldn't decide on one thing so he made three main dishes, a Beef Wellington, Coq au vin, and a Salmon Mousse. That way everyone should be covered, no matter their taste. There would be enough vegetables so that any vegans would be covered as well. Harry had arranged for some of Edward's friends from work to attend. Teddy wasn't sure how many they would end up with, so he made sure that the bar was fully stocked and then some. John had volunteered to man the bar for most of the night, so that was taken care of. Laura had offered to act as the unofficial hostess, making sure that everyone was welcomed at the door and directed to the living and dining rooms. This would relieve Teddy from having to walk so much, and he couldn't thank them both enough for their help. Teddy heard the doorbell and went to find Stephen and Rose standing in the doorway. "Great, he's in the living room. He doesn't know you're coming." "It isn't often we get to surprise him." Rose hugged Teddy close, "I'm just sorry we couldn't be there this afternoon." "Well, we got video of it. I'll show it to you later." "Thank you dear." Rose hugged him again. Stephen reached for Teddy's hand. "It's good to see you Ted. Are you feeling ok?" "I'm good Stephen, just a little pain still." "You better take care of yourself or you'll have us to deal with." Teddy smiled wide, "Yes, sir." The group walked into the living room where Edward was standing talking to two men from the regiment. He had his back to the door so he didn't see them walk in. "Edward, these guests would like to say hi." Teddy said it and smiled as Edward turned around and saw his parents. "Mum! Dad!" He hugged them both and smiled at Teddy. "I didn't know you two were coming." "Yes dear, Ted called us this morning and told us about the party." Rose kissed her son's cheek, "We're sorry we couldn't be there earlier, but we're so happy for you. We wouldn't miss tonight for anything." As more people kept arriving Teddy and Edward were separated as they moved from group to group. Teddy was mingling with a group in the dining room when his phone rang. "Ted Jackson." "Ted, I'm about there. Can you meet me at the door?" "Of course, I'll be right there." Teddy grabbed Edward as he hung the phone up. "Come with me, Harry is about here. I want to see Laura's reaction." By the time they got there, the doorbell rang. Laura opened the door and about passed out. It wasn't Harry standing there looking at her, it was his older brother. Laura seemed to be unable to move or speak. Harry finally popped his head from around the door, "I told you Wills, she looked like she was going to faint." They both started to laugh, which caused Edward and Teddy to laugh. Laura just blushed and smiled. William took her hand and shook it. "I'm sorry, but Harry likes to play jokes on people." Laura didn't say anything she just blushed and nodded. She then turned and looked at Harry, "Just remember, two can play this game." Everyone started to laugh. Edward and William shook hands and then William was introduced to Teddy. As they walked towards the living room, Edward was leading the way. "I didn't think you would be in London. How is the flight training going?" "Very well, it's amazing." Teddy lost track of them as they re-entered the living room. It wasn't long before the food was ready and people began to line up for food. Teddy was glad they had set everything up as a buffet, it made it easier to feed the assembled mass of people. When everyone was finished eating, Harry stood up and moved to stand in front of the fireplace. "May I have your attention please?" Quickly everyone was silent. "As you all know, we are here tonight to celebrate the promotion of our friend and mentor, Edward Smythe. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the man who made all of this possible, Ted Jackson." The entire crowd cheered for Teddy. "Edward?" "Thank you, Harry. I want to thank all of you for coming tonight." Edward looked over at Teddy and then continued. "I'm sure by now you all know the changes that have taken place in my life, but I feel the need to acknowledge them again in this setting." Edward took a breath and started again, "You see, after my wife left me I turned inward and stopped being myself. I felt alone and lost. All of this changed a few weeks ago when I met someone that made my entire world change." He smiled over at Teddy and there was a round of "Aaahs" from the group. "For the first time in my entire life, I feel like a complete person." He walked over and stood next to Teddy, "That person is Ted Jackson." He leaned over and kissed Teddy quickly which brought another huge cheer from the group. * * * Edward was walking around trying to talk to everyone. He noticed that Teddy was doing the same thing and he made his way over to him. Teddy was talking to one of the officers and his wife and smiled when Edward joined them. The officer's wife was talking when Edward put his arm around Teddy's waist, "Ted thank you for the hard work you did tonight. Would you mind helping us with the next family night?" Teddy smiled, "I'd love that. Just let me know." For a few minutes the four stood around talking about the party and what the ceremony was like that afternoon. They finally headed off and left Edward and Teddy alone. "Hey babe, did you ever talk to the neighbors? I can see what you meant about wanting more space. I didn't think this place could ever feel small, but it does." "Yeah, I talked to them yesterday morning and I forgot to tell you. I made them an offer and they accepted." "Wow, that's great. When are you..." "We... are going to close in a couple weeks. Then we need to set up the remodel." Edward thought about it for a minute, "Where are we going to stay when they do that?" "I know a place. Dustin won't mind if we can stay in his flat." Edward looked surprised, "He has a flat here in London?" "Well, sort of. He has a friend that has a flat off of Kings Road, and he stays in it when he's in London." Edward smiled, "So, you own a flat on King's Road too?" "It's just a small one bedroom. We need to talk to the engineer and architect to see how quickly we can get the construction done." As he finished, Laura came walking up and hugged Edward. "I can't thank you enough. This was a wonderful night. You made one of my dreams come true." She then hugged Teddy, "No one will ever believe me." Edward just smiled at her, "Laura, this was all Teddy and Harry's doing. I didn't have anything to do with it." She hugged Teddy again and then looked at Edward. "Yes, but without you none of this would've ever happened." As he was standing there, Ted's phone rang again. "Ted Jackson." When Teddy heard the voice, he felt his blood go cold. "Theodore, we need to talk." He quickly walked towards the hallway and his bedroom. "Mother, right now is not a good time. I have a house full of people right now." Edward didn't see Teddy leave the room, but his departure was noticed and he was followed from the room. "Theodore, I don't want to argue with you. I am calling because I heard you were hurt." "Yes, I was stabbed mother." "Oh my God! Why didn't you have security with you? I swear I will speak to Viktor about this." "He's dead mother." Teddy could feel himself starting to cry. He sat on the bed with his back to the door. The silence on the other end of the phone finally was broken, "Ted, I'm so sorry. I know what Viktor meant to you. How did this happen?" "Edward's..." Even before he could finish, he was cut off. "I told you! I knew he would hurt you." "Mother, it wasn't..." He didn't get any further when he felt someone grab his phone from him. He was shocked when he looked up and found Harry standing there with his phone in his hand. "Hello!" "Who the hell is this? Is this Edward?" He quickly thought of all the options he had to answer that question. "No, this is Lieutenant Harry Wales of the Household Cavalry. Who is this?" Sarah knew enough to know exactly who the person was implying he was. She took a deep breath, "This is Sarah Jackson, put my son back on the phone." "Ms. Jackson, I'm sorry but I can't do that. You see, your son is giving a party for his partner right now." Harry heard her take a quick breath at that comment. "On top of the fact he is recovering from someone trying to murder him on the street. Which was only after two other people who planned to kill him were shot by the Metropolitan Police. You see all of this happened because some psycho woman, who called herself a mother, thought she would rather kill your son and Captain Smythe. He almost died, because she thought she knew what was best for her child." Harry stopped and hoped that what he was saying was sinking in. "Ted has become a friend of mine and I will not allow you upset him anymore." "I didn't know..." Her voice sounded shocked, but Harry wasn't in the mood to let her off the hook. "No ma'am, I'm sure you didn't know. Did you bother to ask anyone? Did you ask your son? Or, did you just start screaming at him and blaming the man he loves?" Harry waited for a moment, but didn't get any reaction. "Well, Ms. Jackson, thank you so much for calling tonight. Let me give you a friendly warning. If you know what's good for you, don't try to come between Ted and Edward. You'll have more than losing your son to worry about. We haven't put people in the Tower for many years but I think my family could bring it back. Good night, Ms. Jackson." He hit the end button and threw the phone down. Teddy was looking up at him with awe on his face. He wasn't sure what to say, he wanted to hug Harry for what he had just done. But he knew that wouldn't go over very well, so he changed his mind. Slowly a smile crossed his face, "The Tower?" Harry burst out laughing, "Sounded good, didn't it?" "Yes, it sure did." Both Harry and Ted turned around to see Edward and William standing at the doorway. When they entered the room, Edward walked over and hugged Teddy. "You ok, babe?" "I am, thanks to Harry." Teddy stood up and extended his hand to Harry. Harry took it and then pulled the older man into a hug. "You're welcome my friend." It was a quick hug but it made Teddy feel much better. "Make sure you tell Laura later on that you got a hug from a prince." Harry was smiling wide. "Come on little brother. Let's give these two a few minutes alone." When William and Harry left the room, Edward hugged Teddy tightly again. "I'm sorry babe." "There is nothing for you to be sorry about." Teddy smiled, "Did you hear what Harry said to her?" "He's something else. Maybe it will do some good." Edward wanted to say so much more, but now wasn't the time. "Come on, if I know the two of them they'll be back in a minute to make sure we aren't having too much fun." * * * The rest of the night went quickly and extremely well for everyone. It was as if no one wanted to be the first to leave. Finally when people did start to leave they would stand for a long time at the front door thanking Teddy and Edward. Eventually, they would make their way onto the lift. William and Harry were some of the last to leave. They were both gracious in their thanks and praise for Teddy. Harry assured him that they'd return the invitation sometime soon. After the last guests left, Teddy was completely exhausted. He went looking for Edward and couldn't find him right away. When he finally did, he was standing on the balcony looking out at the Albert Memorial. Teddy didn't say anything he just walked up and stood next to him. Edward turned and wrapped Teddy in a hug. He just held him tightly without saying anything. Teddy felt immediately safe and full of love. "Babe, I can't thank you enough for tonight. It was incredible. I've never been able to do anything like this before." "You're welcome. We thought you should have some kind of celebration. It just kind of grew from there and I'm so glad you liked it though." "I loved it. I hope that we can do something like this again, without having a reason." "We can have people over all you want. It just may be better to wait until I have healed up. I feel like I'm about to keel over." Edward leaned down and kissed Teddy's cheek, "Why don't you go to bed, I'll clean up some." "No, when I go to bed I want to go with you. I can help clean up some." It took another hour before they had the flat clean. Teddy didn't want to think about how long it would have taken had there not been six of them. When the goodnights had been said, Teddy and Edward found themselves alone in their room at last. After a quick shower Edward wrapped his arms around Teddy and they were both quickly asleep. * * * When Teddy's eyes opened he realized he was alone in bed. He looked over and the alarm clock said eight-thirty. He couldn't believe Edward could get out of bed without him knowing. Reaching over he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Edward's number. "Good morning, sunshine." "You didn't wake me up? I wanted to see you before you left for work." The disappointment could be heard in Teddy's voice. He hoped that he didn't sound too desperate, but he was missing Edward at the moment. "I'm sorry babe. I got up early and you just looked so peaceful I couldn't wake you." Teddy smiled at the love he heard in Edward's voice, "Okay, I'll forgive you THIS time." He heard Edward laugh before he answered. "Thank you. So, you guys are gonna be there for the changing of the guard right?" "Of course we are. Devon said he would get us in the perfect spot." "I know he will. So I'll get to see you then. By the way, I'll be the one on the horse. Once the ceremony is over, you guys just hang out and I'll get you in so you can all see the inside of Horse Guards." "Sounds like a plan. I guess we will see you at eleven sharp then. I love you." "I love you too." Edward hung up the phone with a big smile on his face. * * * When they arrived at Horse Guards, Devon showed the group where they needed to stand so they could see everything. Teddy had his camera, as did John and Laura. This would be an event they all wanted to document as much as possible. After about forty-five minutes they could see the group of Blues and Royals approaching to replace the detachment from the Life Guards. As Edward approached, Teddy could feel himself become hot and his breathing pick up its pace. This was the first time he had seen Edward in the full State Kit and it was a sight he would have never imagined properly. To Teddy, he was the perfect image of the Household Cavalry officer. He was tall and muscular, the helmet and plume making him look even taller than he already was. Teddy noticed that Edward sounded incredible giving his commands to the guards. He felt weak in the knees as he listened to Edward's deep booming command voice. Laura leaned closer to Teddy, "That's your man." "My God, La... Look at him." Teddy could feel his heart racing. He could never remember seeing a more beautiful sight. "I see him sweetie." Laura could see everything that Teddy saw in him before now, but this gave her a whole new appreciation for Edward. "You know, if I wasn't married to John." Teddy shot her a look and it made them both laugh. Dylan was holding Teddy's hand and he pulled on it to get Teddy to lean down. "Uncle Edward is so cool." "I want to be just like Uncle Edward when I grow up." Matthew was standing next the Dylan and was the member of the family the most glued to the action. It was as if he was trying to memorize everything. Teddy knew Matthew was now hooked and no matter how far away from London he was, this is where his heart was going to be. Elizabeth was holding Devon's hand and smiling the entire time. She had seen this before, but she still seemed to be interested in what was going on. Devon looked sad, as if this was something he missed immensely. Teddy knew Devon's departure from the army wasn't what the man truly wanted, but was the choice he felt he should take in order to make himself happy. After the ceremony as the crowd dispersed, Devon directed the group towards the gate to the inside of Horse Guards. Edward met them there and let them in. He led them around the corner and as soon as they were out of the public's sight, he removed his helmet and leaned over to kiss Teddy. Teddy was careful to not touch Edward's highly polished cuirasses. He noticed that Edward's hair was matted down with sweat. "You look so HOT." Teddy knew he had him. Edward couldn't come back with anything too bad because of the kids being there. That famous grin crossed Edward's face and he then looked around at the kids and rethought what he was going to say. "It's like a pressure cooker in this thing." He released Teddy's hand, "I'm going to get out of this for a bit. Want to help me?" Much to Teddy's disappointment, there wasn't much for him to help Edward with. There was an orderly there to help him out of his kit. He ended up in a t-shirt and his uniform pants as he showed them around Horse Guards. Matthew was in heaven the entire time. He again talked to everyone he could, mainly the troopers. Edward and Teddy were both glad that the men seemed to enjoy the kids and especially the interest that Matthew was showing. In order to let the men rest, Teddy suggested that John and Laura go with Devon and the kids to the Horse Guards Museum. He knew Matthew would go crazy over the exhibits from the history of the Regiment. Teddy had spent hours in there over the years and knew it was just the stuff that would further Matthew's dream. Edward and Teddy sat at a table in one of the small rooms off of the stables. It gave them a chance to catch up with each other. Edward felt as though they had not spent any time alone in what seemed like ages. They talked for almost two hours before the rest returned. It wasn't too long after the group returned that they got ready to return to the flat. Teddy looked around then leaned over to kiss Edward, "I love you babe. I'll be back for dinner." "Sounds great, I'll be waiting. I love you too. * * * The entire trip home, Matthew talked non-stop about the Household Cavalry. Laura couldn't stop smiling at her son's enthusiasm. She looked over at John, "How are we going to deal with this?" "You got me. We need to talk to Edward about it, but we have a few years until we really have to worry about it." He looked back at Laura and frowned, "Maybe Dylan will follow me into medicine?" She patted his arm, "I doubt it dear. He told me the other day what he wanted to do when he grows up." John shook his head, "Let me guess..." "John, don't torture yourself." She laughed, "You know how he loves his Uncle." Teddy was smiling as he sat in front of them. John reached up and lightly punched him in the shoulder, "Dork." It caused Ted to start laughing, but he rubbed his shoulder like he was injured. "I'm telling..." They all started laughing and then John looked like a light bulb turned on. "Elizabeth, have you ever thought about being a doctor?" * * * By later afternoon, Teddy was missing Edward. He had been working at the table for a few hours and his heart just wasn't in it. The most interesting thing he'd come across was a Request for Proposal for a construction project at the University of Florida. Seems as though they want to add another medical research building on campus and Teddy would be more than willing to cut them a deal. Laura appeared in the doorway, "Hey, we are going to take the boys out to eat. Elizabeth said she wanted to stay home. You don't mind do you?" "No, of course I don't mind. Did she seem okay?" "Oh yeah, she said she wanted us to be alone with the boys." Teddy smiled, "She is grown." Laura laughed and nodded, "She is so much like the boys I can't get over it." "I know, I love her as much as I love them." "She's a lucky little girl. To have the love the two of you have for her, she is very lucky indeed." Laura walked out of the room and Teddy went back to the proposal he was working on. A couple hours later he looked at the time and realized he needed to head over to Horse Guards. He walked into the kitchen were Devon was making something for Bess and himself. "I'm going to head out. You need anything?" "No, you guys have fun." Devon smiled at him and went back to cooking. * * * Teddy stopped at a Chinese restaurant and grabbed some food for dinner. When he got to Horse Guards he walked past the sentries and towards the gate to the stables. Since he called Edward when he was pulling up, he was there to meet him. When they walked into the stables and out of the view of the gate, Edward leaned down and kissed Teddy passionately. Teddy wanted to drop the food and wrap his arms around Edward, but he knew he needed to refrain. "Damn, that was good." Edward was smiling, "I'm so glad you are here." "You wanna eat before it gets cold, or you wanna just snog?" Edward's grin made an appearance, "Well, what I want to do and what we need to do are two different things. Let's go eat... and then snog." * * * While Teddy and Edward were eating Chinese take away at Horse Guards, Devon and Elizabeth were just finishing their dinner. Elizabeth hadn't said much during the meal and Devon was starting to wonder if she was alright. He decided that after he did the dishes, they would sit in the living room and talk. Bess was playing at the kitchen table, while Devon was washing their dishes. The doorbell rang and Devon figured that John and Laura had forgotten to take their key. "Bess, can you go get the door?" "Sure." She smiled at being asked to do something so important and she ran off down the hall. When she opened the door, she was confronted by an older woman who seemed shocked to find the little girl at the door. The woman looked like she was suddenly lost, "I'm sorry, is Ted here?" "No, he went to see daddy at work." She didn't understand the look on the woman's face. The longer the woman looked at the young child, the softer her face became. "Do you know when he will be home?" "He said he would be here to tuck me in later." As he was walking down the hall Devon called out to Bess, "Elizabeth, who is it?" Devon then appeared in the entry way, "Hello, can I help you?" The woman's face started to harden again, "I'm looking for Ted." "I'm sorry, but Mr. Jackson is out right now." Devon was trying to figure out where he knew this woman from. She seemed so familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. "You work for him?" She had picked up on the professional tone in the young man's voice. "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry but do I know you? You seem so familiar." She shook her head, "We've never met before. I'm Sarah Jackson, Ted's mother." * * *