F3 For Her

Asher remembered the look on her face, the tone of her voice, the defeated body language and each time it made him cringe that he had done that to her, the woman he loved, still loved if he was honest with himself. At the time, he could not beg her to stay or promise to be better, try harder. He was Asher Grant, and he did things his way; he was strong and passionate and unshakable in his belief that his way was the right way to live. It was after all, at the core of his success.

He regretted that now, not in so much that he would beg her to give him another chance if he saw her again but he regretted that he didn't fight for her to stay, pursue her , show her he how much he cared even when he was working long hours on a project. His thoughts haunted him as he headed toward the Starlight Foundation Ball.

Greeted by friends and enemies alike, Asher had to admit that he had a good time at the charity event he spent way too much money on a small prize he would probably give to Ruby, but it was all for a good cause he reminded himself. During the evening, the thought that Lilly was somewhere in the Antarctic waters with icebergs that obviously did not like ships, the prime example the Titanic. He began to worry about her in earnest and realised that he needed to know what ship where it was and when it would return before his head exploded with unpleasant thoughts about not being able to see her ever again.

He needed to talk with Ruby but not only had he promised her a night off but also the day off tomorrow. He relived the short conversation they had had. Lilly had gone down with her brother, a research scientist, to Mawson's retreat, well he shouldn't be so hard to track. He knew the brother's name and which university he was attached to for his research. Feeling more confident that he had in some time he turned towards the young lady standing opposite him and tilted his head trying to pick up the thread of what she was saying as he had been thinking of other things.

At the tilt of his head, she beamed a smile at him, "You don't want to hear about that though, let's talk about you."

"Oh no, even I am sick of hearing about me, tell me again what it is you do?" he inquired politely believing that was not what she was just explaining to him in great length. The girl began to prattle on again, and Asher realised why he had zoned out in the first place. Mercifully he was saved by an acquaintance whom he had met through Lilly. The older woman excused herself as she interrupted the bubbly young woman saying, "I hate to interrupt darling, but I just must talk to Asher for a few minutes."

"How are you holding up Asher?" Patricia asked.

"Holding up?" he asked confused by her patronising tone.

"Oh, I saw Lilly before she left. She was quite distraught over the breakup, poor love. I am glad you have chosen to continue patronising our fund raising events even without her by your side," Patricia explained further.

"Of course," Asher replied wondering why he had thought himself saved when this woman appeared at his side.

"Well now you must just be beside yourself, she was supposed to be back in time for this event but a message reached me yesterday that the ship was ice bound, and they were sending an ice breaker in to free it. It must a dreadful for the people on the ship, not just Lilly," Patricia had a concerned look on her face as she spoke.

"What!" Asher half yelled before realising his reaction has caused people to turn and stare at him in wonder at what they could possibly be talking about.

"Oh dear," Patricia said softly, "I thought you knew, or would have been one of the first to know that they were marooned in a sea of ice. I am so sorry to have said it this way Asher." She considered for a moment, perhaps there is something you could do to expedite her return we need her for a 'Lady's Day at the Races' event we are holding in two weeks as a follow on from this. She has done all the planning, and it just wouldn't be right to hold it, no one else could host it the way she could."

"You better believe it," Asher said, "Do you have details of which ship she is on and what company is funding the research in Antarctica."

"Of course," Patricia replied loftily, "Come with me and I will get it for you right now."

Beside himself with worry now Asher followed Patricia to the other end of the great hall and a man who sat at a very large round table. "This is Graeme Fox, he is the Dean of Redgum University. They are funding the research team that Andy is with. He would appreciate your help in freeing the vessel and ensuring everyone's safety." Patricia said dramatically as if there was new crew near by and she would be in the six o'clock news.

Graeme stood and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Sir. How is it you can help me?"

"I am wealthy and have planes helicopters at my disposal," Asher said simply.

"Good man," Graeme said, "The coast guards won't even consider going out to assist the ship. Apparently the weather down there is downright mucky right now."

"I have a few friends who a little reckless in their flying and enjoy the challenge to sharpen their skills on. I will need all the details. Exact location, if they were on their way down or back, how many passengers will need to be lifted out and how many do you need to remain on the boat. Will they need supplies dropped..." Asher's mind was working quickly, and Graeme held up his hand in mock surrender.

"One thing at a time. This shindig is winding down how about we head over to my office, and I will get you all the information you need," Graeme stood and gathered his coat while turning to the man beside him, "Take Melanie home will you."

"Sure Dad, I'll get mum home safely," The younger man spoke as if this was a regular occurrence.

"Great, I'll slip out before she can catch me then. Tell her..." He started to say.

"Yes, yes, it's an emergency," his son said in a bored tone. "She's going to kill you when you get home anyway, so it better be a good one."

The two men left in haste without waiting to farewell the organisers or friends. They made their way to the university and let themselves into the main administration wing of the science department. The men went over details most of the night and as dawn broke the sky Asher began making calls to everyone he knew that could possibly fly or sail close enough to mount a rescue mission. He found he had to call in large favours and make compromises that he normally wouldn't consider but in the end he had come up with a workable plan.

As he returned home his mind lingered on the image, he had of Lilly when they last saw each other the sadness in her eyes pulling at him. "Hang on Lilly, I am coming to get you," he said to himself out loud.

* * * *

Asher had arrived at the small airport in the south of the suburban sprawl of his home town to meet his friend they would then fly south to Invercargill New Zealand and the port town of Bluff that was used as the last stop for ships heading down into the Antarctic wasteland. The flight seemed to take forever, and Asher paced around the richly appointed cabin. He was antsy and no matter what his friend, Roo said, nothing could ease the sense of apprehension he felt. The three hour flight to Invercargill seemed to be interminable.

Once they landed they were picked up and taken to Southern Islands flight centre where a business associate was waiting with a route mapped out and flight plan for reaching the stricken vessel in sea hawk helicopters. An icebreaker had attempted to get through to the ship but had to turn back due to high wind speeds and sheets of ice several feet high closing in as they attempted to lead the ship to a safer part of the Bay of Musketbugka. The latest reports put the timing of an eventual rescue another month away and that several agencies were attempting to drop more supplies.

The warming weather opened several possibilities for a would-be rescue attempt. "Steve!" Asher exclaimed in frustration, "Just tell me what the best plan is. If Jen was out there on that rusting tub what would you do?"

"Fuckin' save the day of course. Which is what I am trying to help you do if you will just listen to me," Steve shot back equally frustrated with his friends short temper.

There was little discussion at that point as Asher let Steve do his job and plan the best and safest route for everyone. No matter how they did it would involve some risk. The sub-Antarctic regions were experiencing temperatures over and around one hundred below freezing which would make flying anywhere into the territory hazardous but Steve knew more about flying in this dangerous region than anyone Asher knew. They would need to take extra fuel as the stations on the main ice sheet would be low on supplies after a particularly harsh winter.

He had recently acquired a second ex-military sea hawk which offered better stability than the smaller helicopters of his fleet. If they were lucky they should be able to fly over the ice-bound ship and land near-by on the mainland such as it was. It was the best chance they had to rescue all but a skeleton crew if the icebreakers could not get close enough for another month and drop off some much needed supplies.

It was decided to make the attempt with the two helicopters one full of extra fuel canisters the other full of the much needed supplies. It was also decided that it would be best to take off at dawn the following day allowing them to land in the middle of the day when hopefully with the sun at its zenith the weather would not be as severe. The wait for action was difficult for Asher as he worried about Lilly and as Steve saw him begin to pace again called him back into the office where he had been talking with Roo.

"Let's see if we can get hold of the ship again, the wind may have died down a little by now," Steve said calmly, "You can see if she is close enough to tell you she is alright." There was a brief flicker of hope that ran across Asher's face briefly before it clouded again, he didn't know how she would react to knowing he was here and trying to rescue her. She had walked out on him not so long and he had done nothing to stop her much to his own regret. He took a deep breath and nodded. He just wanted to hear her voice again even if she was mad or sad or juts in all honesty uncaring that he was there.

He listened carefully as Roo sat down and placed the headset over his ears and began repeating numbers over and over listening for a response. Asher craned his head trying to hear the whispered conversation through the headphones in response to the radio alerts trying to contact the ship that held his love, Lilly.

When Roo finally flicked on the speakers rather than earphone he looked up at Asher and smiled, "She is there." He mouthed the words and Asher found himself frozen and shook his head deep worry entering his heart. What could he possibly say to convey all he felt? Roo jumped in and filled the silence.

"Lilly is that you?" he asked.

"Yes, who is this?" she asked clearly confused.

"My name is Andrew, Roo for short, we met a couple of times with Asher," he explained.

"Oh Roo, hi," she laughed uneasily and continued, "Don't tell Asher about this little problem with the ice will you, he already thinks I do too many reckless things, and he would probably come down here and try to save me."

Asher's face fell but once again Roo saved him, "Might be a bit late for that, although I think that the last comment just crushed him like a bug. I guess you couldn't have known he was hanging about trying to be the strong silent type and swoop in to save the damsel in distress."

"Asher? He is there?" There was incredulity in her voice.

"Yes I am here," Asher finally spoke. "I couldn't just leave you here to freeze in the ice pack without doing anything at all," he stopped himself from admitting he still loved her in front of the audience here and on the ship. There was silence on the other end of the line, and Asher looked at Roo, who scanned the screen before him and shrugged in an effort to show he didn't know what had happened.

"Yeah, he's being a regular superhero, saving the fuckin' day and all that, but if he thinks I am his side kick he has another thing comin'" Steve chimed in and Asher could hear the familiar laugh of Lilly surrounded by a couple of masculine guffaws in the background through the speaker system.

"Shit man I got you a costume with tights and everything. Ah well, Roo can wear it," Asher said warming up to the jovial moment.

"Fuck no," Roo spluttered to more laughter from the ship.

The static started to become louder, but he heard Lilly say quietly, "I am glad you're here Ash." Then the line went dead, and Asher swore moving closer to Roo in case there was more that he could do.

"Get them back! Get them back!" he almost yelled at Roo.

"I would if I could, but the wind must have come up again, sorry, mate." Roo looked at his friend, sincerity showing in his eyes.

The men went to their rooms to sleep early, and Asher lay down even though he knew he wouldn't sleep that night. His mind replayed the last words Lilly had said, "I am glad you are here, Ash." She was glad to see him or at least hear him. That was a good sign he hoped it was a sign of being able to somehow reconcile with her and get her back without the begging or pleading he just couldn't bring himself to do.

If she was truly unhappy, then he wouldn't want her to be with him but if it was something he could fix, repair, change, then he would do his best to make her happy. He knew deep inside that she had said she only wanted him not the house, the car, the resort he had built and not opened to the public yet. How could he? He had built it with her in mind, for her fantasies. He wanted so desperately to take her there especially after being bound in the snow. His thoughts circled around all that had happened all that he had done wrong in the last year, missed dates, anniversaries, events that she had to attend alone because his obsessive focus on work and the projects he undertook excluded everything else in his life for a time.

There was nothing he could do really but apologise and try to bring her closer get her involved in his projects maybe do one that she instigated so they could share the adrenaline and buzz he got from creating something truly magical.

He must have drifted off to sleep at some stage because the next thing he knew Steve was standing in the doorway to his room flicking the light on and off and making siren noises. He woke and sat bolt upright in a state of panic as Roo and Steve laughed at him. Together the men ate breakfast and discussed the plan for the day and then went to change into all the gear they would need to be safe in the white wilderness of Antarctica.

They had mostly loaded the helicopters the day before, but the few things they added would be the most important, their own survival packs. The wind was cruelly wild down there, and they were not sure how the new Sea Hawk would reach their destination if the winds got going or if it snowed heavily. They had all signed on to go, knowing the danger, as had the pilot and crew of the second chopper. They would land at the German base camp and fly out to the ship from there to drop supplies and attempt the rescue of several of the non-essential crew and passengers leaving only a skeleton crew on the boat to make sure it reached safety when the ice finally thawed after the extended winter weather.

The trip didn't take as long as expect with a strong tailwind prevailing during their flight and pushing them further south towards their destination. When they landed, the German crews manning the station ran out to greet them and offer them shelter from the storm, but the men wanted to continue working through the plan, refuelling the helicopters and making a run out to the boat to drop their rescue crews and start picking up a few of the passengers.

It was from the body of the helicopter that Asher watched the experts lower down onto the deck of the snow laden, icebound ship and people slowly began to emerge into the ice cold air from within the steel structure. One of the first out was Lilly, and he watched every movement as she was strapped into the harness and winched up into the helicopter. He rushed to remove the harness and hold her close, "Don't leave me," he said desperately, "Don't leave me again." For all his inner turmoil about not begging or pleading with her, it was all he could do now that he held her in his arms again. "Please," he whispered, "Just stay with me, and I will always keep you safe."

Surprising even herself, Lilly hugged Asher fiercely, "I was stupid to have left the way I did without telling you how terribly unhappy I was. I should have told you and given you another chance to make it right."

"You gave me so many chances. You were right to go when you did. I needed a wake-up call," Asher spoke over the top of her.

The trip back to the base was one of reconciliation for the pair. They each had never stopped loving each other it was just that they needed more. They stayed the night at the German base camp. The winds had picked up again and even though the light seemed to be a constant outside, the watch on Asher's wrist told him it was it was early evening. The accommodation was small and cramped. Though warm and welcoming, the German base camp was strictly utilitarian with no modern comforts. Asher and Lilly talked through the unusually bright night time hours about what had been happening over the last months since they had parted.

It was with relief and eagerness that they boarded the helicopter in the morning as the wind gave them an ideal opportunity for escape form the unseasonably late winter storm and still holding on to each other as if not believing that the other was truly there with them. Not even stopping for much of a breath when they landed back in Invercargill, Roo, Asher and Lilly filed a flight plan and boarded the private jet that would take them home.

Roo joined the pilot and gave them the much needed space they needed in the luxurious cabin of the plane. They sat arm in arm on the sofa talking in whispered voices, they had said all they needed to the night before, apologies and forgiveness freely given for a multitude of faults they both felt they had, rather than blame each other for the breakdown in their communication. As it was Asher wanted nothing more than to reacquaint himself with her on a more physical level, and he stood picking her up and walked with her back to the rear of the plane.

Lilly realised at that moment that she was just as eager to reacquaint herself with the physical side of their relationship as he did and berated herself for being caught up in the image he portrayed instead of the guy she had gotten to know and love. Lilly took a step towards him and kissed him allowing the kiss to deepen, a smile crept over Asher's lips and she let a small purring moan escape her lips. Stepping back, she let him lead her into the cabin.

Stepping into the small bedroom, she turned, placing her hands on his chest and tilted her head up to him. He had a great body, and she wanted to explore it all over again now that she had made the decision to stay with him. Her hands ran over his well-muscled torso; so many years working in construction had been good to him, and her lips locked to his as she finally felt his hands on her exploring her curves in the same way.

Asher was breathing heavily, eager to have this woman in the most intimate way but refusing to rush the moment. She was gorgeous, and he wanted to savour peeling away the layers of clothing as they kissed and slowly undressed each other without any further concern for their future. They would move back into the same home once again, and he knew this was the woman he would be with forever. Finally naked he stepped back to drink her in. She neither blushed nor flaunted her body, but merely stood, studying him in the same way.