"Oh God, do we really have to go through another bloody day of this crap? I thought being an international movie star meant you had people to do this for you?" Kate Beckinsale stubbed out a cigarette as she smiled at Tracy Barnem, her personal assistant. Tracy's bright, wide smile brought an answering one to Kate's face as she leafed through some more resumes.
"This next one is worth the wait though. I had to stop myself from short-listing him as soon as he walked through the doors." Kate grinned at her as she stood up and stretched. Her last bodyguard had just moved on after being caught drink driving on the job. Kate had shrugged and forgotten about it, but her husband Len had been adamant that they get a new, more professional bodyguard.
As Len's star began to rise, having signed on to direct the newest Die Hard, so too had his worries. He'd been away for months now, on re-shoots and post-production, and Kate had moved past missing him and onto resenting his absence. She moved to the window and watched as Tracy's daughter Teagan played with Lily, her own girl.
"I suppose that it's best for Lily's sake if no other. So who is this new one?" Tracy pulled a resume' to the top of the pile and began to read off of it.
"An Irishman. He's fluent in Russian and capable in French. Spent two years in Russia as personal bodyguard to General Vassili Karkov, who apparently wanted to become president. There were nine attempts on his life, all failed. Sounds promising." Kate chuckled.
"Makes me sound boring. What else does it say?" Tracy ran her finger down the page, skimming through the details. Kate smiled as her friend bit her tongue gently as she concentrated.
"Oh, this is interesting. He was recruited from the Moscow Warrior's Championships after making the semi-finals. They're like our UFC, right?" Kate shrugged as she sat back down. "He's 28, and went to school... oh. Educated at Oxford University. Wow." Kate smiled again.
"It's not that great. Trust me. Why did he apply?" Tracy shrugged.
"It's not as exciting as protecting ruthless generals, but... actually on the other hand..." Kate laughed richly and slapped her friend on the arm.
"As if! What's his name?" Before Tracy could answer, Kate's phone rang, and she leapt up to grab it. It was her husband, Len.
"Hiya babe, just checking in. We're on the way to the studio, might be there for a while. Any luck with the bodyguards?" Kate bit her tongue as he called her babe. She hated that. She loved her husband dearly, but some things just wouldn't ever slide right. Like American slang.
"It's slow going. Most of them just want their picture taken with a movie star, and the others just want to bash people up and have nothing to do with Lily. I didn't think that she was that terrifying." Kate got up and moved over to the window, looking down into the backyard. Len chuckled into the phone, and Kate heard the door open and close behind her.
"I've got to go, Len, we're in the middle of interviews. When are you going to be home?" There was silence on the other end of the line, and then he cleared his throat.
"Oh, not next week but the week after. Call me, yeah? Love you, bye." He hung up as Kate took a breath to argue, then flipped the phone closed. She loved her husband, but she was a grown woman, not some young tart that could just be fobbed off. Truth be told, she was getting rather sick of it.
"Well, look at this. The old Bailey's still the same. Always on the phone, always chatting away." Kate whirled at the faded Irish accent and her eyes widened in shock as she began to laugh.
"Adam? You son of a bitch, how are you?" She laughed again as she moved to hug the tall Irishman, and he gave her a quick squeeze and held her at arm's length.
"I'm good. Changed a bit. Been through a bit, you know how it is. You still look like shit. Gangly and too skinny." Tracy stared, open-mouthed as he glanced down. Kate laughed richly again.
"My god, what's it been, like thirteen, fourteen years?" Adam smiled as he ran his hand over his close shorn hair and nodded, then shrugged. Kate glanced down at Tracy, who was eyeing them amusedly with one eyebrow raised. "Where are my manners? Tracy Barnem, Adam Connors."
Tracy chuckled good-naturedly and held out a hand as they sat down. "I know, Kate, I interviewed him, remember?" Kate grinned as she turned back to Adam. "So you two know each other, huh?"
"Yeah, we went to Ox U at the same time. We were in the same Applied Languages course. I guess you stuck with it, and moved to Russia, huh?" Adam's grin faded a bit and he unconsciously rubbed his knuckles.
"Yeah. It didn't turn out quite the way I thought, but then they don't, most of the time. I guess I don't need to ask you what you've been doing. How's Lily? I heard about you and some Len guy from Michel." Kate shrugged.
"Oh, yeah, she's wonderful, of course. Loves Len, spends a lot of time with Michel. I thought it would be hard, especially with Underworld and everything, but ah well. Had to settle down some time. We can't all be off gallivanting across the frozen north! That sounds so exciting. Tell me about the fighting thing!"
Adam glanced down at his knuckles again. "Well, there's not much to tell. You cleaned up your act, I didn't, you moved on and up, and I didn't. I went to Russia to experience the real thing, and... and some things are too real to be realised, I guess."
Kate reached across and tilted his head to the side. Running along his jaw was a thick scar, long and clean, as though from a knife. He didn't say anything more, and she didn't press him. "So you're here wanting to be a bodyguard now, huh? Well you've certainly got the qualifications for it." Adam smiled as Tracy giggled and put a hand over her mouth.
"Thanks. Still get the Old Bailey's permission before I bust heads, huh?" Kate laughed.
"God, nobody's called me that since University." She shrugged. "Well, I'm convinced that we're about to hire the right man for the job." Adam frowned and narrowed his eyes at her, but the ghost of a smile still played on the edges of his lips.
"I'm not getting preferential treatment because we used to be friends, am I?" Kate snorted.
"No, of course not. That wouldn't be equal opportunity. You're getting preferential treatment because you're perfect for the job, and because we're still friends. I'm a movie star now, Connors, I can do anything I damned well please." Adam laughed as they all stood up.
"The way I remember it, you always used to anyway." She gave him a blistering smile and winked. Adam shook Tracy's hand and Kate grabbed his shoulder.
"Look, um, why don't you stay for dinner? You can meet Lily, and we can catch up after she's gone to bed." Adam didn't answer for a moment, then nodded slowly.
