This is something I've wanted to work on since finishing my enemy mine series! I absolutely love Gordon and Fuse's relationship and needed to continue it XD I'm not sure what else I have planned for them, but hopefully y'all will enjoy it!

OooooooooooOOOoooooooooO

"Man, you and hugs," the larger figure laughed as he attempted to extract himself from the blonde.

"It's been a year," Gordon reasoned into Fuse's chest before the demolitions expert returned a crushing embrace. The groan from the aquanaut sent another chuckle from the larger man.

With some reluctance, Gordon detached and Fuse was able to get a better look at his friend. It really had been a whole year and the time had treated the iR operative well, the physical damage done by his old employer long since faded. His own issues had healed, though an occasional nightmare would leave him up at the early hours of the morning, drowning them out with a bowl of cereal and images of reporters filming international rescue's latest mission.

"It has," a toothy grin as they made their way into the restaurant they'd decided on. "Seems you've had a busy one."

"Been spying on me?" Gordon's tone was more jovial than accusatory.

"News flash, it's not that difficult, seein' as how you lot can't stay off the news for more than a day," they took a seat at one of the patio tables that overlooked the park across the street.

"Very true. What about you? Enjoying retirement? Sitting in hammocks, sipping margaritas and the like?" A glint of skepticism lay in the blonde's amber eyes.

Fuse grunted with the irony of what his year had led to, "That got a little old. Decided to open my own place."

Shock took over his friend's face, "Wait, you're telling me you - free to do whatever you want - decided to get a job?"

"It's not a job if ya love what ya do," he countered. "That's how it goes, right?"

Gordon shrugged, offering a knowing smile, "That's how I see it."

They placed their orders and easily fell into a friendly back and forth about what they'd been up to besides work. Fuse had been vague about his sister, knowing Havoc wouldn't appreciate her private life being laid out in front of someone they'd once considered the enemy. Apparently, the aquanaut hadn't felt so inclined with the wellbeing of his own family.

"Nah, don't believe ya," Fuse regarded the blonde skeptically even as his chest spun with the information Gordon had given him.

The smaller man's jaw hung open as though he were unsure how to respond after revealing something so personal. Finally, he stammered, "What d'ya mean you don't believe me?"

Fuse leaned against the table to stare his friend in the eye, "You're tellin' me, you and her Ladyship -"

"My wife -"

"You and the London socialite slash agent who decided it'd be a good idea to marry you," he ignored the exasperated glare. "- are having a baby?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe it."

"Fuse -"

"Can ya prove it?"

"In about seven months, sure," Gordon laughed.

Fuse grinned, "Gonna name it after me?"

"What? No - Fuse, we're not naming our first child Clarence," a grimace before he caught himself. "No offense."

"No worries, Squid," the demolitions expert laughed, taking a sip of his beer before continuing. It was enough time for his brain to slip in another jab at his friend, "Clare wouldn't be too bad, now would it?"

"Seriously, not naming -" Gordon paused, blinking as though something had caught his attention, his expression grim. "Okay. That's not bad, but Pen would never agree to it. Besides, we've already got names picked out."

"And they are?"

Amber eyes stared at him as if mulling over the logistics of letting Fuse know the answer to that question. Quietly, Gordon divulged a little more about his family, "Ruth if it's a girl and Leroy if it's a boy."

He wanted to keep a straight face, really he did, but the glare from the man who was expecting the upturn of his mouth and the shake in his shoulders simply made it impossible. Fuse laughed, slapping his knee as he leaned back.

"It's not funny!" Gordon growled, but the look of understanding simply showed there was more to the names.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," he tried to reign in his amusement. "I just assumed you had better names than Clarence."

"They're family names," the aquanaut explained. "They're important to us and that's what matters."

"Ah, understood," Fuse would give him that. Family was a pretty big thing to the Tracys. He envied it sometimes, but then Havoc would come home and they'd stay up eating junk and watching movies. He may not have exactly what his friend did, but he was happy with what he had.

Food arrived moments later, each drooling over the rich assortment they had ordered. It seemed they'd both been missing out on the finer cuisines. Being stuck on an island and in the middle of no where appeared to leave little in the way of good food.

It was with full stomaches and some time to kill, they found themselves watching the people as they walked by, oblivious to the friends.

"Whad'ya think?" Fuse prompted with a flick of his bottle towards a pair throwing coins into a fountain.

"Hmm," tilting his head to the side, Gordon followed their movements. "He's a warlock from another dimension and she's his new human friend trying to teach him about magic in our world. He finds it quaint and wishes he could take her back to his dimension to show her real magic."

"You've been watching to many romance movies," Fuse chuckled. "My turn - woman sitting at a bench, flipping through a holofeed. Spy. Hundred percent. She's watching her target through the images, using the obviously veggie smoothie as a cover when they're glance her way. Oh, and she's got backup. Old dude, feeding birds."

Gordon squinted, trying to find the people he was talking about. It really wasn't that difficult, seeing as the woman was the only one sitting at the bench, dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Fuse glanced at the aquanaut with the continued silence and was surprised to see the look of shock on the man's face.

"Oh, crud -"

It was apparent the aquanaut had found the woman, "Uh, problem?"

He groaned, hiding his face in his hands, "Just kill me now." A pause and he reappeared, "I've got the bill. You might wanna run."

Fuse wasn't going to complain about a free meal, but he was curious why they should cut their time short. Returning his gaze to the woman, he realized the dilemma - she was gone, along with the old man.

Concern took over and he gave Gordon a quick pat on the back, "If you're good?" A nod and a wary smile. "Alright, talk to ya later. Thanks for lunch!"

"No problem! Call ya if I'm not dead!"

A little dramatic, but it gave him the warning needed to disappear into the back of the restaurant and out towards his transport. All in all, it had been a good trip, regardless of how it ended.

OoOoOoO

"Gordon," the faux brunette woman took a seat where Fuse had been.

"Penelope," he answered back, through his hands. He felt like an idiot for keeping this from her. Of course, she would figure it out. Why else would he want to take a trip across the world, just to eat lunch? "Sorry," seemed incredibly insufficient.

She didn't say anything, but he could hear the tap of the bioplastic cup against the table, followed by the slow draw of smoothie up the straw. Gordon could imagine a million different responses she could hit him with in this moment and he wouldn't blame her. It had been a ridiculous idea that he and Fuse could be normal friends. Maybe friends was a stretch, but he would've liked to have a connection of some kind.

Another silence stretched between them and he finally peeled his hands away in order to look over to see his wife. Penelope was watching him with a level of concern he didn't feel he deserved and it seemed yelling wasn't at the top of her responses.

Suddenly, Gordon couldn't take it anymore as his mouth fell open, "Pen, what -" Her hand lifted and all his words died in his throat.

"I'm not angry," she started, taking his hand that lay against the table. "A bit worried, but that's fairly normal when it comes to you Tracys. I would, however, like to know your intentions for any future meetings."

He blinked, unsure if he'd heard her correctly, "Future?"

A gentle smile as she nodded, "Well, I assume you two still have much to deal with. I'd rather be involved this time around, if that's alright with you?"

Heart pounding, all he could do was stare at her, looking past the disguise to see the woman he would give anything for. She was doing the same for him, fully aware that he was meeting with an ex-criminal, and willing to allow it to continue - with full support. In that instant, Gordon's love for her became almost overwhelming and it was all he could do to simply squeeze her hand instead of pulling her off the chair and into an embarrassing hug that would have the other patrons eyeing them. Too many of those had warranted the limitation to the island only.

"I'd really like that," Gordon offered through his muddled emotions.

"Good," it was the kind of response that indicated she was done with the subject and ready to move on to something a little more pleasant. "Now, please tell me this place has something better than Brains' nutrient shakes? I've had just about all I can stomach of them."

With renewed purpose, the aquanaut produced the dessert menu, a knowing grin plastered over his face, "I hear the lemoncello torte is amazing."

A skeptical brow rose, "You 'hear'?"

An easy laugh, "I might've watched a couple eat it while we waited for our food."

"Well, when you put it that way," she was trusting his judgment and he realized it went far beyond dessert. It was just another reason to love her and without hesitation, he caught the attention of his waiter, ready to give his wife everything and anything she wanted.