Spliced

Previous day...

There’s something about the early morning, the crisp coffee hour. When the birds are singing and new plans are being formed. They are the hours when things get done. That is if you are awake for them.

9:50 am. Indi reached blindly for her alarm again. Twice she missed it and ended up flailing at empty space. Third time was the charm. She rolled over and drifted back to sleep. Another 30 minutes and two more alarms later she stumbled out of bed and made her way sleepy eyed to the kitchen where her beloved coffee machine sat ready.

Just the smell of beans livened her senses. Two and a half cups and few hours later Indi typed furiously at the keyboard. She stopped briefly every now and again to think, and to add some paint to a nearby canvas.

“I don’t know how you manage to type and paint at the same time” Falco asked as he walked in the door.

Indi gave him a glance and a grin. “Practice . . . and lots of caffeine.”

Falco walked over to look at what’s on her screen. Nothing but lines of code he didn’t understand. Even her painting he wasn’t sure about, it looked sort of like an owl. He cocked his head sideways and tried to make it out.

Indi frowned. “You’re home early?”

Falco nodded. “Released from duty early. Bit of a surprise, didn’t ask details but most of the crew’s got the long weekend off. Don’t have to be back until Tuesday.”

He perched on the armrest of the nearby couch, and gave her a grin and a sexy wink. “How bout we take a trip?”

Indi looked up from her work and poked her tongue between her teeth in a playful smile then held up one finger. “I just have to finish this bit of code then I’m free. Give me a couple of hours?”

Falco nodded then wandered off towards the back of the house.

“Done.” Indi sat back from the computer with a smile. Out of habit she picked up her paint brush and stuck the clean end in her mouth. Then, realising the paint was in danger of dripping off the other end she took it out of her mouth and added a few more strokes to her painting. Unsatisfied with leaving the painting as it was she then dipped her brush in some more paint. It was almost an hour later before she realised how caught up in painting she had gotten. It was also at that moment that Falco happened to walk through the door.

“You done yet?” he asked light-heartedly, knowing how distracted she could get.

Indi smiled. “I was just finishing off a bit more of the painting.”

“What’s it for?” he asked.

“The painting?” Indi replied “Fun. It also helps me think when I’m stuck on something else.”

Falco gave a nod as if he understood. He didn’t have the patience for painting and did not comprehend for the life of him how anyone could find it relaxing, or how anyone could possibly focus on those two very different tasks at once, but it seemed to work for Indi. She was much smarter than he was anyway.

“Shall we pack?” he asked in a barely concealed excited tone.

Indi finished tidying up her things.

“Where are we going?” she asked walking to where he stood.

He stepped towards her and put his arms around her, pulling her close, then waggled his eyebrows in a tease. “Wherever we want.”

Indi grinned. Falco leaned down to kiss her. The phone rang. Indi sighed, rolled her eyes, broke away from Falco and picked the phone up on its third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey Indi,” Amanda said. “Busy this weekend?”

Drat! Indi made a face. “Depends, why?” Indi asked.

“Coal has a job for us,” Amanda replied.

‘What?’ Falco, who had been watching, mouthed to Indi. Indi mouthed back what Amanda had said.

Falco pondered it for a while. “Could be an adventure,” he shrugged with a glint in his eye.

Indi smiled back. “Sure,” she said to Amanda. Then, a few minutes later, she groaned “8 am!”

Falco stifled a laugh.

“Sure I guess that’s okay” she replied then hung up. She poked her tongue out at Falco. He grinned and walked back over to her. “Where were we?”

At that moment the door opened and in walked their 10-year old daughter, Jewel.

Jewel saw them about to kiss and quickly remarked “gross!”

They pulled apart reluctantly. “How was school? Falco inquired.

“Oh it was great!” Jewel exclaimed “Joey got into a fight with Damien and it took three teachers to get them apart.

Falco frowned. “Sounds great” he said rather unenthusiastically.

“What were they fighting about?” Indi asked.

Jewel shrugged. “Some trading card game. Can we order pizza and noodles for the sleepover tonight? Annie’s parents always let her get several options at her sleepovers.”

“Sure,” Indi replied. “We can even have smores, and I was going to bake some cookies.”

“Sleepover?” Falco asked.

“Great!” Jewel replied. “And I was thinking we could all make friendship bracelets”. She rushed off to her room.

“What sleepover?” Falco repeated.

“You remember” Indi said, in the process of pulling out various mixing bowls and ingredients. “Last month Jewel was talking about Stephanie’s sleepover party and how all the kids loved it and you said she could have one here.”

“I did?”

Indi nodded. “Relax, we can get my brother to come by tomorrow morning to babysit for the weekend. I’m sure he won’t mind watching a few extra kids in the morning.”

Falco nodded then stepped into the kitchen behind Indi to pick up where they’d left off earlier. She laughed. “Falco I need to bake cookies. And you need to call my brother, and then start packing.” She handed him the phone. He gave her a pouty look and begrudgingly took it.

Indi was already mixing dough when Falco got off the phone.

“Bad news, Sly is out of town this weekend and Sara has a conference of some sort. They were hoping we could keep Bree until Monday.”

Indi frowned. “He said he was free when I talked to him yesterday. Try my parents.”

Falco nodded and started dialing.

"They're happy to help. Also Kass just phoned, wanted to know if Jesse could stay with whomever Jewel is staying with. I said that was fine."

Indi nodded.

Falco took a seat on a bar stool. "What do you think the job is?"

Indi shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we'll find out." She thought for a moment, then she smiled playfully, reached out and slapped his butt with a wooden spoon. "Go pack." she laughed.