Behind the Scenes of
1. One Night Stand
by Denise Felt 2013
As an incurable romantic, I have read a lot of love stories in my life. Because of this, I have reached certain conclusions based on the sheer volume of books I have read. And one of those conclusions is that most people haven’t got the slightest idea how to write a good love story! Over time (and a lot of trial and error) I have come upon a few writers who have the knack of understanding what elements make for a truly wonderful love story, and whenever they put out a new novel, I’m there to buy it, read it, and add it to my personal library. Why this obsession with particular authors? I told you. It’s rare to find someone who has what it takes to tell a good love story. And I’m simply not interested in reading any other kind.
That said, the usual kind of love story I write isn’t as detailed as those I like to read. For one thing, they’re novels and I write short stories. So space is an issue. I just don’t go that deep into the intricacies of setting and motivation, etc. that a novel has time and space to develop. But there is another factor. Intimacy – true intimacy as opposed to just sex – is a very private matter between lovers, and to me it’s intrusive to write about it as if I’m a reporter on the scene. So most of the time, I imply the love scenes in my stories. Hint at them. Just show the aftermath, which to me is the most important part anyway. How lovers treat each other after sex shows how intimate they truly are, after all. But since I know how a good love story should be written (from my vast reading experience over the years if not for my personal knowledge as a writer myself!), sooner or later I was going to feel compelled to write a steamy story. This two story series is the result of that drive.
My favorite question as a writer is “what if?” If you’ve read any of my other “behind the scenes” blurbs, you know already that most of my story plots began just this way. By asking “what if I put Straker in this or that situation?” Once I ask the question, I find that the story writes itself from there. Straker is such a dynamic character that he pushes the story along by virtue of his personality alone. Indeed, I am often surprised to see where my stories take me – but then, I’m not really as driven as the commander is so my life is a lot calmer than his. For this series of stories, the question I asked myself was: “What would drive the commander to go against the principles of a lifetime and do something out of character?” The two main things I focused on were his morality, which shows itself plainly in the series (even in the one rather sad episode where he considers sleeping with a reporter), and the fact that he doesn’t drink, which is brought out often in the series (except for the occasional episode where the director ignored that bit of canon.) One Night Stand deals with the first scenario, and One for the Road deals with the second.
Chapter 1 – The story opens with an original character who was not in the show. So the reader has no idea who she is or what impact she has on the story. She’s a mystery – and hopefully that keeps you reading! The name of the man who visits her at such a late hour isn’t given until halfway through the scene, although hints of who he is show through before then by his thoughts and mannerisms. Also, what exactly happened between them at the studio is never stated (even though a bit more detail is given in the second story), but the scenario is easy to imagine all the same (which is why I didn’t bother to go into unnecessary explanations.) We know that they kissed, and that they both reacted to that kiss. Enough said.
Straker is a man who is forced by his position as C-in-C of SHADO to suppress nearly every major area of his life in order to effectively lead his people and keep the planet safe. This internal friction over time has destroyed any personal life he ever hoped to have and is well on its way to destroying him as a man altogether. The series depicts him as a man on the edge, and we feel for him even while we are grateful that he is willing to make such a sacrifice for the rest of us. The true drama behind every episode of the show then became: how will he manage to make the next crisis not be his last? In this fanfiction story, he is confronted with a passionate connection that he’s never encountered before. He’s tried all his usual ways of dealing with the situation (ignoring it, suppressing it, etc.), but has reached the conclusion that none of those will work this time. He’s met his match – and can’t keep running from the imprisoned man inside himself who needs to explore that connection no matter what the rules say.
Rayna remains a mystery as she refuses his offer of a one night stand. Her explanation why doesn’t really enlighten him (or the reader) very much as to her true reasons, and in fact, gives us only more questions to ask about her (such as why she considers getting involved with him dangerous?) Straker accepts her decision with dignity, and the chapter ends with her in tears once he leaves. Hopefully, the reader is wondering why she said no when she clearly wanted to say yes.
Chapter 2 – I thoroughly enjoy going behind the scenes at the studio and showing all the areas of filming that we rarely got to see in the show. And since I’ve seen enough behind the scenes footage from movies myself over the years to have a pretty good idea what does occur, it’s fun for me to spotlight the various characters in the crew working to make the movies Harlington-Straker Film Studios puts out. And since I’ve actually been the makeup artist for an amateur musical stage production, I have a soft spot for Janice as she’s introduced in this story.
A note about that. Secondary characters round out a story and make it real to the reader. They also give writers (and especially fanfic writers) a chance to sketch in diverse and interesting personalities from their own subconscious. We all meet intriguing and/or absurd people every day. They keep life interesting. So I like to take advantage of that and bring out my tongue-in-cheek side through the personalities of my secondary characters. They’re not in the story for long, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be realistic. Cardboard secondary characters ruin a promising story by reminding the reader that it is just a story. A good writer does their best to keep their incidental characters from being too stereotypical by sketching in enough detail to make them unique. I’ve found that by doing so, sometimes they can almost run away with the scene! Like the incidental people we meet in our everyday lives, they keep things interesting. *grin*
As Janice tells Rayna, she knows faces and can see when someone has had a rough night. And working at this particular studio, she’s seen this scenario before. So many of Straker’s costars have fallen for him that they have a name for it in her department: Straker-itis. I’m sure all the crews on the set of a movie have seen such things occur. Can you imagine working with Johnny Depp in a movie and not falling just a bit under the spell of that ornery smile? Or Hugh Grant? Or any of a host of fun and intelligent actors/actresses? Especially since their roles in the movies focus on the more admirable aspects of a person’s personality instead of the flaws. So it was hilarious for me to show it happening to The Man. Just one more area where he’d be oblivious.
Straker handles Rayna’s last few days on the set the only way he can – by staying 80 feet underground the entire time and ignoring the studio overhead. We learn more about his thoughts during this time in the second story as he reflects back, but for now it should be fairly obvious that he’s not a happy camper. His best friend notices – and in typical Alec fashion ribs him about it. And we get to see the actress through Alec’s eyes as he admits that he tried to score with her himself. I always portray Alec as a player, since that is a part of his character that the series went out of its way to show us. I find it an adorable trait (instead of the annoying fault I would regard it if I actually had to work with him on a daily basis), mostly I guess because George Sewell played it with such enjoyment that you couldn’t help but smile. Instead of being the stereotypical wolf who’s only out for what he can get, he portrayed his character as a man who truly enjoyed being around women – and who could find fault with that? I really could see him pretending bewilderment when he asks the commander, “I have a type?”
But underneath his laid-back, flirty exterior is a man who sees more than most ever do, and he eventually realizes that something is really bothering his friend. He takes a stab at a possible cause – and ends up hitting the nail directly on the head, as he can tell from his friend’s reaction. It gives him food for thought – enough so that he decides to look further into Rayna’s background. And as we know from the show, when Alec looks for answers, he finds them.
Chapter 3 – One of the themes these two stories examine is despair, and we see Straker dealing with this debilitating emotion at the beginning of this chapter. We all have ways of coping with despair, and he’s no exception. Since he’s a man used to denying what he is feeling for the sake of the greater good, it’s not surprising that his coping mechanism is to ignore the pain and just work harder. Although this is an admirable way to cope in the eyes of society (which sees the many horrible effects of those who don’t cope well), it is also short-sighted, because sooner or later a person simply reaches their coping limit and has to face all that pent-up emotion.
We finally get to see Rayna the way the commander sees her, and we learn that he finds her as mysterious as the reader does. But he is drawn to that mystery, since he glimpses certain things about her that remind him of what he deals with in his life – soul-destroying things. Out of all the heroines I’ve coupled the commander with over the years, I truly believe Rayna is probably the one he’d fall for first if they were all lined up in a row. And it’s for this reason. She’s dealt with the kind of hell he inhabits. It probably isn’t noticeable to everyone around her, but those who’ve walked through hell and survived can see it in another’s eyes. And this tends to attract others who’ve been there too. It’s human nature to seek out those who can understand us. More than anything else, people want to be known and understood. Since the reader is aware that these two stories are called the Romanian Series, they have one up on the commander by having a pretty good idea what kind of hell Rayna knows about. (After all, who’s the most famous Romanian in history?)
And we come to the first love scene in the story. In well-written love stories, the most explosive love scenes are at the beginning of the relationship, when the passions that have brought the two lovers together are at their height. Following that great tradition, I made this scene extra steamy by having them so desperate for each other that they have sex against his bedroom door. Their post-coital conversation shows how surprised they both were by this, but they soon turn to the more practical aspects of the situation – such as taking their conversation into the bedroom where they can both be more comfortable.
A lover you can relax and be playful with is a treasure. From the glimpse we get of Straker’s honeymoon in the show, his wife seems to be a lively companion, but probably not very adventurous. The time period and her sheltered upbringing would probably ensure that. And since there are as many ways to make love as there are to talk about it, it was fun for these stories to pair him with someone who was uninhibited.
Beautiful men and women tend to have the world at their fingertips. That’s because human nature has a great appreciation and admiration for beauty. Conversely, however, beautiful people also tend to be more insecure and lonely than the rest of us. This is because they are rarely ever sure why they are loved – whether it’s for who they are or for what they look like. My wonderful beta tester daughter is one of those beautiful people, and I did what I could for her while she was growing up to reassure her that she was loved for herself, because I knew what she would deal with as an adult. She was named after my sister, after all, who was another of those beautiful people, so I had witnessed the problem before and understood the difficulties involved. I don’t think it’s something normal people consider often, so I was glad that this story – one that deals with actors and actresses more than mine usually do – gave me the chance to share that viewpoint.
Chapter 4 – I used to have a corner tub in the house I used to live in, and I can tell you that it spoils you for any other kind of bath. Like Rayna, I could have been happy living in that tub! And I definitely went through the bubble bath! It made me grin to give the stoic, austere commander a decadent tub for his bathroom, because I knew he would never use it. Just looking at him, you can tell he’s a shower man, valuing efficiency over comfort. But Rayna gives him a reason to frolic.
One of my favorite nonfiction books about love is Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by Dr. John Gray. My second favorite is called The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. In this wonderful guide, Chapman explains that all people are wired differently, responding to some stimuli while not really noticing others depending on what category they fall under. One of the categories (or languages, as he calls them) is touch. I don’t know if the writers of UFO meant to create a leading man with such a characteristic when they wrote their scripts or if that was one of Bishop’s many contributions to his character, but Straker comes across in the show as a man who is very much a sensualist, someone who has a need to touch (and be touched.) So since this is a story about the man hidden inside that stoic shell so necessary for his job, I felt it was important to give him the opportunity to discuss that aspect of his personality. I also thought it would be fun if he wasn’t even aware of it himself – until Rayna points it out to him.
An aspect of lovemaking that some find uncomfortable (or even distasteful) is oral sex. I’ve always felt that your enjoyment of the act (or not) all depends on who your partner is. If your lover is affectionate and considerate, you’re bound to have a wonderful experience. If they aren’t – well. I can understand why you don’t enjoy it. Straker is not a selfish man. In his position as Atlas holding the world on his shoulders – so to speak – there is no place in his life for such childish behavior. So it’s no stretch to imagine him as a very considerate and selfless lover. Naturally I had to give him a partner just as giving so that his generosity of spirit could be properly recompensed.
His curiosity is stirred by the tattoo near the base of her spine, which brings the conversation around to Romania and her roots there. I hope the reader is intrigued by her family’s motto and wonders what it is that they are sworn not to tell. And Romania’s most famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) ruler is finally mentioned: Vlad Tepes, more popularly known as Dracula. And the reader is reminded of the mystery behind Rayna’s dark eyes once more as she tries to explain to the commander how foolish it was for him to want to research Dracula. Unlike the pragmatic and cynical Straker, the reader (I hope) should have the sense to know the warning is not an idle one.
Chapter 5 – Our story winds down as morning arrives, bringing an end to the lovers’ one night together. I hope Tennyson’s quote from the beginning of the story comes back to the reader’s mind as Straker contemplates how he’ll get by without her now. Understanding the commander’s churned up feelings about parting (and perhaps sharing them as well), Rayna considerately leaves while he’s in the shower, eliminating the need for drawn out good-byes.
And we return to reality – in the form of Alec, who indeed has dug up some interesting information on Rayna and her Romanian family. Straker doesn’t buy his theory about the Russian mob, but agrees that the evidence does look damning. And we learn that Straker is thinking about how he can find a way to see her again. The chapter ends with the commander realizing that seeing her again may entail him going all the way to Romania – something the reader knows he wouldn’t find a deterrent at all.
Epilogue – Once the commander gets everything lined up, he sets off for Romania. But not without protests from his old friend and second-in-command, who knows (or thinks he does) the underlying reason why Straker is going – and doesn’t approve. Not because he wants Rayna for himself; Freeman is never portrayed in the series as self-serving, especially where his commander is concerned. But because he is worried that his friend will get hurt.
Straker eventually silences all his protests, but Alec still worries. With more reason than he knows, as the reader finds out in the final section of the epilogue when we meet a new character in the story. One who isn’t at all pleased to have the commander on his turf. The story ends there, but hopefully the reader knows that I won’t leave them in suspense for long. The sequel is following right away!
As an incurable romantic, I have read a lot of love stories in my life. Because of this, I have reached certain conclusions based on the sheer volume of books I have read. And one of those conclusions is that most people haven’t got the slightest idea how to write a good love story! Over time (and a lot of trial and error) I have come upon a few writers who have the knack of understanding what elements make for a truly wonderful love story, and whenever they put out a new novel, I’m there to buy it, read it, and add it to my personal library. Why this obsession with particular authors? I told you. It’s rare to find someone who has what it takes to tell a good love story. And I’m simply not interested in reading any other kind.
That said, the usual kind of love story I write isn’t as detailed as those I like to read. For one thing, they’re novels and I write short stories. So space is an issue. I just don’t go that deep into the intricacies of setting and motivation, etc. that a novel has time and space to develop. But there is another factor. Intimacy – true intimacy as opposed to just sex – is a very private matter between lovers, and to me it’s intrusive to write about it as if I’m a reporter on the scene. So most of the time, I imply the love scenes in my stories. Hint at them. Just show the aftermath, which to me is the most important part anyway. How lovers treat each other after sex shows how intimate they truly are, after all. But since I know how a good love story should be written (from my vast reading experience over the years if not for my personal knowledge as a writer myself!), sooner or later I was going to feel compelled to write a steamy story. This two story series is the result of that drive.
My favorite question as a writer is “what if?” If you’ve read any of my other “behind the scenes” blurbs, you know already that most of my story plots began just this way. By asking “what if I put Straker in this or that situation?” Once I ask the question, I find that the story writes itself from there. Straker is such a dynamic character that he pushes the story along by virtue of his personality alone. Indeed, I am often surprised to see where my stories take me – but then, I’m not really as driven as the commander is so my life is a lot calmer than his. For this series of stories, the question I asked myself was: “What would drive the commander to go against the principles of a lifetime and do something out of character?” The two main things I focused on were his morality, which shows itself plainly in the series (even in the one rather sad episode where he considers sleeping with a reporter), and the fact that he doesn’t drink, which is brought out often in the series (except for the occasional episode where the director ignored that bit of canon.) One Night Stand deals with the first scenario, and One for the Road deals with the second.
Chapter 1 – The story opens with an original character who was not in the show. So the reader has no idea who she is or what impact she has on the story. She’s a mystery – and hopefully that keeps you reading! The name of the man who visits her at such a late hour isn’t given until halfway through the scene, although hints of who he is show through before then by his thoughts and mannerisms. Also, what exactly happened between them at the studio is never stated (even though a bit more detail is given in the second story), but the scenario is easy to imagine all the same (which is why I didn’t bother to go into unnecessary explanations.) We know that they kissed, and that they both reacted to that kiss. Enough said.
Straker is a man who is forced by his position as C-in-C of SHADO to suppress nearly every major area of his life in order to effectively lead his people and keep the planet safe. This internal friction over time has destroyed any personal life he ever hoped to have and is well on its way to destroying him as a man altogether. The series depicts him as a man on the edge, and we feel for him even while we are grateful that he is willing to make such a sacrifice for the rest of us. The true drama behind every episode of the show then became: how will he manage to make the next crisis not be his last? In this fanfiction story, he is confronted with a passionate connection that he’s never encountered before. He’s tried all his usual ways of dealing with the situation (ignoring it, suppressing it, etc.), but has reached the conclusion that none of those will work this time. He’s met his match – and can’t keep running from the imprisoned man inside himself who needs to explore that connection no matter what the rules say.
Rayna remains a mystery as she refuses his offer of a one night stand. Her explanation why doesn’t really enlighten him (or the reader) very much as to her true reasons, and in fact, gives us only more questions to ask about her (such as why she considers getting involved with him dangerous?) Straker accepts her decision with dignity, and the chapter ends with her in tears once he leaves. Hopefully, the reader is wondering why she said no when she clearly wanted to say yes.
Chapter 2 – I thoroughly enjoy going behind the scenes at the studio and showing all the areas of filming that we rarely got to see in the show. And since I’ve seen enough behind the scenes footage from movies myself over the years to have a pretty good idea what does occur, it’s fun for me to spotlight the various characters in the crew working to make the movies Harlington-Straker Film Studios puts out. And since I’ve actually been the makeup artist for an amateur musical stage production, I have a soft spot for Janice as she’s introduced in this story.
A note about that. Secondary characters round out a story and make it real to the reader. They also give writers (and especially fanfic writers) a chance to sketch in diverse and interesting personalities from their own subconscious. We all meet intriguing and/or absurd people every day. They keep life interesting. So I like to take advantage of that and bring out my tongue-in-cheek side through the personalities of my secondary characters. They’re not in the story for long, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be realistic. Cardboard secondary characters ruin a promising story by reminding the reader that it is just a story. A good writer does their best to keep their incidental characters from being too stereotypical by sketching in enough detail to make them unique. I’ve found that by doing so, sometimes they can almost run away with the scene! Like the incidental people we meet in our everyday lives, they keep things interesting. *grin*
As Janice tells Rayna, she knows faces and can see when someone has had a rough night. And working at this particular studio, she’s seen this scenario before. So many of Straker’s costars have fallen for him that they have a name for it in her department: Straker-itis. I’m sure all the crews on the set of a movie have seen such things occur. Can you imagine working with Johnny Depp in a movie and not falling just a bit under the spell of that ornery smile? Or Hugh Grant? Or any of a host of fun and intelligent actors/actresses? Especially since their roles in the movies focus on the more admirable aspects of a person’s personality instead of the flaws. So it was hilarious for me to show it happening to The Man. Just one more area where he’d be oblivious.
Straker handles Rayna’s last few days on the set the only way he can – by staying 80 feet underground the entire time and ignoring the studio overhead. We learn more about his thoughts during this time in the second story as he reflects back, but for now it should be fairly obvious that he’s not a happy camper. His best friend notices – and in typical Alec fashion ribs him about it. And we get to see the actress through Alec’s eyes as he admits that he tried to score with her himself. I always portray Alec as a player, since that is a part of his character that the series went out of its way to show us. I find it an adorable trait (instead of the annoying fault I would regard it if I actually had to work with him on a daily basis), mostly I guess because George Sewell played it with such enjoyment that you couldn’t help but smile. Instead of being the stereotypical wolf who’s only out for what he can get, he portrayed his character as a man who truly enjoyed being around women – and who could find fault with that? I really could see him pretending bewilderment when he asks the commander, “I have a type?”
But underneath his laid-back, flirty exterior is a man who sees more than most ever do, and he eventually realizes that something is really bothering his friend. He takes a stab at a possible cause – and ends up hitting the nail directly on the head, as he can tell from his friend’s reaction. It gives him food for thought – enough so that he decides to look further into Rayna’s background. And as we know from the show, when Alec looks for answers, he finds them.
Chapter 3 – One of the themes these two stories examine is despair, and we see Straker dealing with this debilitating emotion at the beginning of this chapter. We all have ways of coping with despair, and he’s no exception. Since he’s a man used to denying what he is feeling for the sake of the greater good, it’s not surprising that his coping mechanism is to ignore the pain and just work harder. Although this is an admirable way to cope in the eyes of society (which sees the many horrible effects of those who don’t cope well), it is also short-sighted, because sooner or later a person simply reaches their coping limit and has to face all that pent-up emotion.
We finally get to see Rayna the way the commander sees her, and we learn that he finds her as mysterious as the reader does. But he is drawn to that mystery, since he glimpses certain things about her that remind him of what he deals with in his life – soul-destroying things. Out of all the heroines I’ve coupled the commander with over the years, I truly believe Rayna is probably the one he’d fall for first if they were all lined up in a row. And it’s for this reason. She’s dealt with the kind of hell he inhabits. It probably isn’t noticeable to everyone around her, but those who’ve walked through hell and survived can see it in another’s eyes. And this tends to attract others who’ve been there too. It’s human nature to seek out those who can understand us. More than anything else, people want to be known and understood. Since the reader is aware that these two stories are called the Romanian Series, they have one up on the commander by having a pretty good idea what kind of hell Rayna knows about. (After all, who’s the most famous Romanian in history?)
And we come to the first love scene in the story. In well-written love stories, the most explosive love scenes are at the beginning of the relationship, when the passions that have brought the two lovers together are at their height. Following that great tradition, I made this scene extra steamy by having them so desperate for each other that they have sex against his bedroom door. Their post-coital conversation shows how surprised they both were by this, but they soon turn to the more practical aspects of the situation – such as taking their conversation into the bedroom where they can both be more comfortable.
A lover you can relax and be playful with is a treasure. From the glimpse we get of Straker’s honeymoon in the show, his wife seems to be a lively companion, but probably not very adventurous. The time period and her sheltered upbringing would probably ensure that. And since there are as many ways to make love as there are to talk about it, it was fun for these stories to pair him with someone who was uninhibited.
Beautiful men and women tend to have the world at their fingertips. That’s because human nature has a great appreciation and admiration for beauty. Conversely, however, beautiful people also tend to be more insecure and lonely than the rest of us. This is because they are rarely ever sure why they are loved – whether it’s for who they are or for what they look like. My wonderful beta tester daughter is one of those beautiful people, and I did what I could for her while she was growing up to reassure her that she was loved for herself, because I knew what she would deal with as an adult. She was named after my sister, after all, who was another of those beautiful people, so I had witnessed the problem before and understood the difficulties involved. I don’t think it’s something normal people consider often, so I was glad that this story – one that deals with actors and actresses more than mine usually do – gave me the chance to share that viewpoint.
Chapter 4 – I used to have a corner tub in the house I used to live in, and I can tell you that it spoils you for any other kind of bath. Like Rayna, I could have been happy living in that tub! And I definitely went through the bubble bath! It made me grin to give the stoic, austere commander a decadent tub for his bathroom, because I knew he would never use it. Just looking at him, you can tell he’s a shower man, valuing efficiency over comfort. But Rayna gives him a reason to frolic.
One of my favorite nonfiction books about love is Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by Dr. John Gray. My second favorite is called The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. In this wonderful guide, Chapman explains that all people are wired differently, responding to some stimuli while not really noticing others depending on what category they fall under. One of the categories (or languages, as he calls them) is touch. I don’t know if the writers of UFO meant to create a leading man with such a characteristic when they wrote their scripts or if that was one of Bishop’s many contributions to his character, but Straker comes across in the show as a man who is very much a sensualist, someone who has a need to touch (and be touched.) So since this is a story about the man hidden inside that stoic shell so necessary for his job, I felt it was important to give him the opportunity to discuss that aspect of his personality. I also thought it would be fun if he wasn’t even aware of it himself – until Rayna points it out to him.
An aspect of lovemaking that some find uncomfortable (or even distasteful) is oral sex. I’ve always felt that your enjoyment of the act (or not) all depends on who your partner is. If your lover is affectionate and considerate, you’re bound to have a wonderful experience. If they aren’t – well. I can understand why you don’t enjoy it. Straker is not a selfish man. In his position as Atlas holding the world on his shoulders – so to speak – there is no place in his life for such childish behavior. So it’s no stretch to imagine him as a very considerate and selfless lover. Naturally I had to give him a partner just as giving so that his generosity of spirit could be properly recompensed.
His curiosity is stirred by the tattoo near the base of her spine, which brings the conversation around to Romania and her roots there. I hope the reader is intrigued by her family’s motto and wonders what it is that they are sworn not to tell. And Romania’s most famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) ruler is finally mentioned: Vlad Tepes, more popularly known as Dracula. And the reader is reminded of the mystery behind Rayna’s dark eyes once more as she tries to explain to the commander how foolish it was for him to want to research Dracula. Unlike the pragmatic and cynical Straker, the reader (I hope) should have the sense to know the warning is not an idle one.
Chapter 5 – Our story winds down as morning arrives, bringing an end to the lovers’ one night together. I hope Tennyson’s quote from the beginning of the story comes back to the reader’s mind as Straker contemplates how he’ll get by without her now. Understanding the commander’s churned up feelings about parting (and perhaps sharing them as well), Rayna considerately leaves while he’s in the shower, eliminating the need for drawn out good-byes.
And we return to reality – in the form of Alec, who indeed has dug up some interesting information on Rayna and her Romanian family. Straker doesn’t buy his theory about the Russian mob, but agrees that the evidence does look damning. And we learn that Straker is thinking about how he can find a way to see her again. The chapter ends with the commander realizing that seeing her again may entail him going all the way to Romania – something the reader knows he wouldn’t find a deterrent at all.
Epilogue – Once the commander gets everything lined up, he sets off for Romania. But not without protests from his old friend and second-in-command, who knows (or thinks he does) the underlying reason why Straker is going – and doesn’t approve. Not because he wants Rayna for himself; Freeman is never portrayed in the series as self-serving, especially where his commander is concerned. But because he is worried that his friend will get hurt.
Straker eventually silences all his protests, but Alec still worries. With more reason than he knows, as the reader finds out in the final section of the epilogue when we meet a new character in the story. One who isn’t at all pleased to have the commander on his turf. The story ends there, but hopefully the reader knows that I won’t leave them in suspense for long. The sequel is following right away!