Old Friends in Paradise Ch. 03

She hugged and kissed 'Navy Sam' that I'd told her about so many times, then shouted 'Oi' across the bar to the newly arrived Penny who ran across to her with a screamed 'Mumma-Jen!'

She told her she was even more gorgeous than before, asked about her boyfriend then told her off for not using enough conditioner and her spilt ends, but still sat on the large outdoor sofa and hugged her like another of her blue-uniformed, long-lost daughters. Dad was of course used to this and had a simpler 'Good evening Mr Mair' from the few girls he knew.

Julie stood by and smiled, pleased with the response that her old friend was getting, in fact always got; my Mum, everyone's Auntie, everyone's Mum.

We all had a great time that evening and for weeks afterwards I had compliments from the Unit, 'your Mum is Lovely'.

"Yeah," I said proudly, "I think so."

We had a final barbecue and got very drunk on the last Friday before they flew home. The stereo played some old songs and we danced, ending up with many slow ones which eventually saw Julie and Rob slink away to their room, Mum and Dad dancing romantically while Chris and I retired to the sofa and making out, me sat on his lap.

Mum pulled Dad towards their bedroom waving goodnight to us. Chris picked up the remote and turned off the stereo and we stood. I made like his Mum and my Mum and pulled my lover to our bedroom switching off and locking up as we went. We slipped out of our clothes, climbed into bed and made love, simply, softly and tenderly, improved by my having gone onto the birth control pill a few months before. The sound of two other couples doing the same thing was occasionally just audible, but I think we'd all drunk enough not to worry about it and I was conscious that all of the people I loved the most were as loved up as me.

There was no discomfort at what we knew had to be taking place in the rooms either side of ours - for me it was a simple confirmation of love. I hugged Christian to me and told him I loved him so much. He whispered back,

"Love you more..."

They next morning there were some embarrassed faces for a few moments until we all realised we had nothing to be ashamed of, far from it. We had breakfast and coffee to ease our hangovers and packed our bags into the people carrier.

We drove them back to Larnaca and there were hugs and tears, and I promised that I would come home for a visit as soon as I could.

Mum gave Chris a final hug,

"I know I don't need to tell you to look after my girl Christian, but look after her for me anyway Honey."

"Promise Jen," he said simply.

Seconds later Julie was hugging me,

"Look after my Baby Boy as well Christina," she whispered looking across at her huge son, my boyfriend, "There's hardly anything of him, and you know what bullies are like, don't let them pick on him!"

"No Julie," I said with a chuckle, hugging and squeezing her as tight as she was hugging me, "I'll keep them off of my Christian I promise!"

"Suppose I've got to share him now," she whispered the thing I'd wanted to hear most of all, "I'm so pleased you two have finally got it together," she hissed, "you two are perfect for each other, you always have been... love you my Kissie!" said my second Mum.

"Love you more Julie," I replied, barely.

*

It was back to the real world after the most wonderful holiday and Chris and I were really serious now.

With the weeks flying by his return to the UK was getting closer. While I tried not to think about him leaving he was thinking about life back in the UK.

"We are going to live together Chrissie, aren't we," He said to me quite simply one evening in the bar as 'Mission Impossible' played almost to itself on the big screen.

"Yeah," I said just as simply. We'd spent many evenings discussing our future. It was quite simple; we'd get postings as close as we could, we'd get a place of our own and live together. We both mentioned getting married, but simply because it would be another reason why they'd post us together.

Chris's future was quite simple, he was being sent back to The Defence School of Policing to put his training and research into practice and along with the Army MP, Navy Regulator and the RAF Police PTI's they'd use their experience to put together improvements with sector and area specialisms to the defensive training for service police staff.

I'd apply for a posting there when my tour was coming to an end. If that worked we'd rent somewhere local.

My time was up before his and I'd apply for Dorset Police, Devon and Cornwall or Hampshire at a push. Chris would hopefully finish his time at the Defence School then head towards me and teach, either at an FE college or a school, the school would mean him having to take a postgrad education certificate but he wasn't overly worried about that.

"S'pose I could join the police if all else fails..." he said feigning disappointment.

"Yeah right," I kissed him.

I didn't give a shit what he did for a living so long as he came home to me afterwards.

*

All of the sergeants and above were called into a briefing at Episkopi HQ. It seemed that the new Chief of the General Staff was heading to Afghanistan for a three day visit and was staging at Cyprus like most people did. He'd been invited to visit one of the two infantry regiments that he had a particular link to and he would be having two days with them, flying to Afghan, then on his return a further four days visiting the rest of British Forces Cyprus and the British team wearing their United Nations blue berets patrolling 'the Green Line' - the buffer zone between the Turks and the Greeks.

We were stood too, told to iron, brush or polish anything we wore, clean or polish anything else and told to brief our teams on what could or couldn't be said if they were spoken to by the CoDS - an Army General who was quite old school but very popular.

While he wasn't actually visiting the CJPU we would be around and doing crowd control and our police thing. We didn't get to see much of him during his first two days as he was on camp with the infantry regiment and in the exercise areas and ranges around it before he was off to Afghanistan.

His first day back was quite splendid and he did a bit of a walk around both sovereign bases meeting flag waving school children and their teachers, their parents and shaking lots of hands. Then to the airbase at Akrotiri then dinner, safely in the Garrison Officers Mess with the British Forces Cyprus Chief of Staff.

After a long hot day we all found ourselves in the bar, downing a few but not too many as we had another full day the next day.

I leant against the bar chatting easily with mates when I felt a hand slide around my waist, down to my left hip then grab my bottom, I was about to suggest that Chris didn't get that handsy in front of our senior ranks when I heard a remembered 'Hey Christina!'

I looked to my right and there was Paul leaning in for a kiss and my hand was up like a shot and he ended up kissing my Palm.

"Hi Paul," I said, adding, "Fuck off Paul."

"Is that any way to greet an old friend Christina?"

"Not when they grab my arse in front of my friends."

"Let me buy you a drink then," he said with that smile that had meant so much to me once, "then we can go somewhere quieter!"

"Nah, thanks anyway."

"Christina!" he leaned in close and I could smell his breath, he was quite pissed and judging by his glow and the faint smell of sunscreen he'd been by our pool as well for part of the day at least, "no need to be like thaaaaat! Look," he said leaning in close again, "why don't you go and get changed and we can go out to this really nice restaurant I've been recommended." His arm snuck around my shoulder and I pushed it off.

"Like I said Paul, fuck off mate." I added a smile.

"Oh come ON Christina!" he leered trying to peak down the front of my tan uniform dress where I'd undone the top button, "do you still have a thing for sexy underwear Christina - even under your uniform?"

"Paul, which bit of the two previous 'fuck offs' aren't you getting?" I stood up straight, a hand on the bar.

He looked me up and down,

"Still so fucking hot Christina!"

"Yeah," I said, "but not for you."

"Oh, so I go off to improve my career and you take it personally."

"Well yes, actually. You dumped me Paul, with a three-word e-mail. Two and a half years and not a word since and you're annoyed because I've moved on?"

An interested but supportive crowd was gathering, including another of the CP boys that were bodyguarding the General, an RMP lad who was reading my body language - better than his mate was at least.

"Paul," he said with a hand on his colleague's shoulder, "think you got too much sun today mate!"

The team of six CP staff had been given the day off, their team leader happy that their principal's security was more than covered in the Sovereign bases.

"Fuck off Denny!" said Paul, "me and Christina go waaaaay back!"

I looked at the Redcap in his coyote tan 5.11 cargo pants,

"Take him and put him to bed Denny." I said, arms folded and my three stripes on my arm nicely visible.

"Only if you come with me Christina... look at this body Den!" he shouted to the bar, "me and Christina used to have it GOING ON!"

Oh God, another twat that was going to tell everyone around him that he'd slept with the 'Hot Blonde Snowdrop'.

Penny was at my side, as we so often were for each other.

"Trouble is Paulie, if you take Christina out to dinner you'll have to take her partner."

"Oh fucking hell Pennyworth, are you two a matched pair? Joined at the fuckin' hip? Every fuckin' posting, like clockwork - it's not even as if you're a pair of Lesbians that I could watch!" He giggled.

"I'M not her partner Paulie, THIS..." she had a huge grin as she put her hand to the broad shoulder of my just arrived boyfriend, "this huge, PTI, Aikido instructor, Sergeant of Royal Marines is her partner." She patted his bicep and the three stripes pulling tight against it just in case Paul might have missed it.

Chris pulled his shoulders back and smiled that big grin of his.

I had told him all about all of my ex-boyfriends, and how Paul had walked away from me without so much as an explanation or even considering how we might maintain our relationship.

"Paul, Christina's told me all about you!" Chris extended a hand which Paul ignored.

"Naaaaah, fuckin' commandos don't impress me!" he said looking across the bar for his, or probably any drink.

"Wasn't trying to impress anyone Paul, I think you should listen to Denny mate - perhaps have a walk around, drink some water and get some fresh air." Chris was at his most personable.

"Fuckin' commandos!" he belched dangerously, "See me right, I'm fucking CP!"

"Yeah," said Chris looking him up and down, "5.11 coyote brown cargo trousers, wraparound sunny's in your shirt pocket even though it's dark, figured you were."

"Jealous much?" Paul cocked an eye at the commando looking across at Denny then me. The room was deathly quiet now.

"CP trained? Yeah but let's be honest mate, isn't everybody?"

Paul put an elbow on the bar,

"You've done the CP course?" Chris nodded with a grin, "where did you do it!?!" Paul snapped annoyed that someone else had done the course.

"Longmoor mate, same place everyone does it, Police Troop thing," He patted the gold RM shoulder titles on his shirt epaulettes. Paul seemed to sway a bit as he processed that information. Chris put a big steadying hand on Paul's shoulder, "Denny? I think Paul here has had..."

"Don't think you're all that mate," shouted Paul pulling away from him, "I heard she was fucking some psycho all over Bastion after I... after we... split up! Just 'cos you're the current bloke shagging the beauty queen..." he snarled at Chris and pushed at him. Chris took his arm and eased Paul back to a bar stool, followed by a raised hands and a 'hey-hey chill out mate' moment.

Paul started to talk quietly and seriously to Chris pointing and I could see him tapping out on his fingers and looking like he was making extremely serious points. Chris smiled and shook his head a few times until Paul pointed at me and looked really cross.

Chris leaned over to Paul and whispered in his ear.

Suddenly arms were flailing and CP MP Denny, Chris, Penny and another of the CP crew pinned him to the floor snarling. Another of the General's bodyguards dragged him outside while the fourth spoke with duty sergeant Chris and one of the sergeant majors that they would take care of this and there would be no further trouble.

The sergeant major did not look impressed while Chris the duty sergeant shrugged his shoulders, grinned at me and went back to work.

The next morning at breakfast I sat next to my gorgeous if slightly tired looking boyfriend who was eating his usual vast breakfast.

"Hey Chris!" I sat next to him and rubbed shoulders.

"Hey Chrissie!" he leaned in and gave me a kiss, "any sign of that dickhead from last night?"

There hadn't been; their team staff sergeant was pissed off at what Paul had gotten up to the night before and the whole CP crew were up at 0600 and running off any booze and sunstroke they might have had the day before.

"He was majorly trying to wind you up wasn't he!" I said with a grin.

"Yeah," he said with a laugh, "Twat was pissed, he also didn't realise that I'm a sports psychologist, I've been trained in dealing with people that need more self-confidence to meet their goals and pass them, but also to deal with people that think they're the best and clearly aren't."

"What did he say to you before he lashed out?" I put my hand on his.

"Stuff about how the Close Protection Course is that much tougher than the commando course, that's what he was tapping out on his fingers. I told him that was a matter of opinion seeing as I'd taken them both and had that badge stitched to my Number one uniform. I then pointed out the fail rate for the commando course, even the all-arms one, is much higher than CP.

Then when he saw I wasn't biting he thought he'd make it about you - how he could still be shagging you but is at the peak of his profession and much as it seemed that the hottest girl was with me, it was really only because

he wasn't and some things were more important to him . You weren't as important to him as his trade, not taking his eye off the ball, best of the best - all of that shit. Said that you weren't all that."

"Bastard," I hissed, "he dumped me as soon as he passed the course, I have a feeling he would have been right back if he'd bombed out on the second week."

"That bastard still wanted to buy you a drink though didn't he, still thought he was in with a chance. I think he was still working on the understanding that he was going to be the one that took you to bed last night." He smiled, "but revenge is sweet my lovely Chrissie," he put a hand on mine and squeezed obviously seeing my upset.

"I said that that it's just a job and I'd much rather have you," I blushed almost head to foot, "I told him we'd been in a relationship for four months already, had a couple of holidays together and we were already talking about living together back in the UK, that seemed to really piss him off. He looked angry at me and pointed at you. I told him that you were the sweetest and most beautiful girl in the world and I was lucky to have you."

"What did you whisper in his ear?" I said.

Chris kissed me again and smiled, then put his lips to my ear,

"Jealous much?"

My smile must have gone from ear to ear and even though we were sat in a large dining area surrounded by colleagues I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

While this drama had been taking place in our bar, over dinner with the Chief of Staff Cyprus, the CoDS did the rounds with the senior officers, one of which was the Assistant Provost Marshal Cyprus and he was complimented by the smart turn out and professional bearing of the Joint Police Unit.

The Big Boss said how hard we worked and outlined our day to day operations and how we were effectively the local Bobbies for the two Sovereign bases. Over glasses of port the APM explained about the two junior non-commissioned officers that had recently returned from operations in Afghanistan plus the Royal Navy Senior Rating (my friend Jo as it turned out) that had completed twelve years.

"Medals?" said the CoDS with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes sir," said the APM with a grin. He rang the duty officer and it turned out that all three were expected in the next few day's post for a presentation in a few days' time. It was decided that a presentation ceremony would take place and the three medal winners would be presented to the CoDS at the very least.

We were all ready in our best anyway and an impromptu inspection and parade was thrown together at the last minute, and one of our big Honda ST1100 motorbikes was waiting at the post room in Akrotiri and there were the three short squat blue boxes with the embossed crown in gold on them.

They were brought back in plenty of time and attaching loops hung from the recipient's tropical uniforms.

And so we stood to. Arranged in two ranks, each section with their sergeant in front to the right of the right marker.

The Squadron Leader called us to attention and the CoDS and the APM appeared from the side of the parade square that had been cleared of the police patrol vehicles, Land Rover's, trailers and motorbikes that normally lived there.

The Company Sergeant Major took charge and the CoDS was shown along each of the ranks stopping to speak to a few of the NCO's that caught his eye.

My gorgeous boyfriend, alone in his green beret of the Royal Marines, caught the Chief's eye and the APM explained how Sergeant Tucker was here on behalf of the Defence School of Policing working on latest Home Office self-defence training.

The Chief discussed this with Chris who was able to talk about how it was working and he was confident that the training was effective.

The CoDS said that he would be sure to pass Sgt Tucker's confidence on to the Provost Marshall Army when he met him the following Monday. Chris smiled and thanked him.

The Chief asked him how it was to be the only Royal among so many Redcaps and Snowdrops. Chris looked pensive,

"It was hard at first Sir," he said seriously, "but now they're getting up to my standard I hardly notice them."

The Chief laughed loudly and slapped Chris on the shoulder.

"Well done Sergeant Tucker, They'll be glad to see you back at Southwick Park bringing them back up to your standard!"

"Thank you sir!"

The last group were inspected and then the Chief was shown to the front of the parade and the three medal recipients called out one at a time to have their medals clipped on. The Chief asked the two Snowdrops about their tours of Afghanistan and shook hands.

Then it was Jo's turn and she marched forward to a big handshake, and bigger smiles. She saluted and marched back and the CoDS stepped forward and made a nice speech about our hard work and how much it was appreciated but the service personnel and their families but mostly by him.

We were called to attention again and he was quickly escorted into the offices and to the cookhouse to meet the teams in a more relaxed atmosphere. We fell out, and headed for our brunch, breakfast being held off in case of time delays. It became quite the celebration with handshakes and cheers for the celebrities.

I stood next to Chris and congratulated him on his humour at our expense.

"Not you Baby," he said leaning in close, "you're exceptional."

"Good catch Chris," said Jo, her new long service - good conduct medal hanging from her dress, "A very good catch!"

The Brunch was very nice and the CoGS wandered around and chatted with the teams now seated at their tables and was quite relaxed and it soon became obvious why he was so popular with the rank and file.