The Jammy Dodger II floated in the shallows. Ropes led from its railings to the frame of the Flying Malone, which bobbed about a little way off. The group had gathered on the Jammy Dodger II's deck to share the last leaves of tea. Cans of fuel stood around the deck as Rita removed the funnel from the tank and put it aside.

"Can't fit any more. We'll keep the rest though. No sense letting it go to waste."

"That's the spirit," said Jasper. "Waste not want not. Everything comes in handy eventually."

"Everything?" said Bruce.

"With one or two notable exceptions," said Jasper, pointedly. The Bruces gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Do you think the Toad's really gone?" said Sofia.

Roddy shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I saw him fall, but we were so high that he might have gone into the water and survived. Mind you, I had my mind on other things at the time. The people on the ground would have had a better view. Did you see anything, Rita?"

Rita shook her head. "I was too busy keeping my eye on you, Roddy. You got yourself into a bit of trouble there for a minute."

"My sincere apologies," Roddy grinned. "Next time I'll try to do it closer to the ground."

Rhys looked back to the island. Burhou looked as deserted as it had ever been. A few seagulls flew high overhead but they seemed to be giving the little squadron a wide berth.

"I tried to follow his fall but I lost him about halfway down. I couldn't say where he ended up. Even if he is still out there, he can't do anything."

"He'll find a way," said Rita. "People like that don't give up. To put them down you have to put them out. You know what I mean?"

"I think I know someone who fits the profile, yes." Roddy poked her. The others laughed. Jasper looked up at the sky.

"I'm sorry to insist on the time," he began. The two Bruces groaned theatrically and pretended to fall over. Jasper ignored them. "We probably should take off. We need to use the daylight while we've got it. My navigators aren't very good at night."

"I'm fine at night, thank you," said Bruce One indignantly.

"Me too," said Bruce Two. "We got here, didn't we?"

"Thanks to Sofia's fire, yes. Without that we could be in Cornwall by now."

"Which is why, mate," said Bruce One, "I said we should only fly by day."

"At the cost of arriving on time?" said Jasper indignantly.

"I'd rather arrive at all!"

The argument resumed and got quite heated until Rita, rolling her eyes, emptied a bucket of water over the combatants.

"Not on my boat, gentlemen! We do have standards around here. Don't we, Roddy?"

"Absolutely, Captain!" said Roddy, snapping to attention. "And as soon as someone tells me what they are, I shall endeavour to adhere to them!"

Sofia laughed. "Well, 'e is probably right. It is sad to part from you two again, but at least we are able to do so in 'appiness once again."

"Yeah, it hasn't been bad has it?" Rita shook the ambassador's hand fondly.

"She wasn't the one who lost her trousers," pointed out Roddy. "But sure, it could be worse. There might be snakes on here or something." He shook Sofia's hand. Rhys saluted him, grinning.

"We make quite a team, St. James! A pity we keep having to prove it."

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," said Roddy. "Some honeymoon you must have had."

"Not another word about it, Roddy. I wouldn't have sat this one out for a million sterling!" Rhys shook his hand. "And goodbye to you too, Rita. You'll need to keep two eyes on him in future. He's a perilous type, that one!"

Rita smiled. "I will. I hope your flight goes well."

"It will," said Jasper. "And it'll be on time as well. All right! No need for that!" he added, as he saw Rita fingering the handle of the bucket again. "If you see your old dad, tell him…tell him I'll try to fly out for Christmas."

Rita nodded. "He'll be glad to hear it."

The five rowed back across to the Lancaster and cast off the ropes. Roddy and Rita watched the engines fire up and the Flying Malone gathered speed, leaving a trail of white water, before lumbering into the sky. Jasper waggled the wings in farewell before turning back towards France.

---

Snow began falling fitfully. There was no wind and the flakes drifted down in perfect silence, melting almost as soon as they touched the water. One landed on Roddy's nose as he stood up in the cockpit and he sneezed, brushing it off with the back of his hand.

"Bless you," said Rita. She was lounging in the pilot's chair, making the occasional course correction with her feet. England was a dark landmass ahead of them and the Channel Islands were out of sight behind. Roddy was glad of that.

"Thank you, your holiness," he said, bowing. "If you were wearing a signet ring, I'd ask to kiss it."

"I'll tell you what you can kiss," said Rita, grinning.

"No, no, I'm fine with the signet ring if it's all the same to you." Roddy looked at the fuel cans lining the stern. "Well, we got more than we came for back there, didn't we?"

"In more ways than one," said Rita, seriously. "We'll probably have enough left over to sell once we get back. The money might be useful after a holiday…"

"We're not even there and you're already talking business?" said Roddy, surprised. "We're not home yet. Officially, we're still on holiday. Not that being on holiday has been exactly relaxing so far."

"Force of habit. Sorry." She looked back over the sea.

"I wasn't serious." Roddy looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am. Why'd you ask?"

"Well, apologies aren't your strongest suit. And we're not dead and we've got the fuel, so what else is there?"

"Us, Roddy." Rita said the words quietly and then winced. This wasn't a Mills & Boon production, but at the heart of every cliché is a fundamental truth. She went on. "But I have to say this. I'm sorry. For what I was like back there. With Valentine, I mean…"

"Two apologies in one day? Don't make a habit of it." Roddy smiled as he spoke, but his tone showed his seriousness. He sat back down again and looked at Rita, who was looking profoundly downcast. At least she gave a small smile at the joke.

"Don't worry, this is the last time I'll have to do it," she said. "Seriously, though. I don't know what made me act like that. I would never…do that to you. You're the last person in my world I'd ever hurt. You know that, don't you Roddy?"

He took her hand and nodded. "Of course I do. And…" he took a deep breath and remembered what Rhys had told him. "And I…I love you more than I can say. You know that too, right?"

She looked up in surprise. Those weren't words that would have come easily to him. Roddy shrugged. "Rhys gave me some good advice when we were looking for you. He was right, of course. I don't say it often enough."

Rita's eyes softened and she smiled. "There's something very wrong with you, Roddy St. James. I'm the one who's meant to be doing the apologising around here, not you."

"You want to clap me in irons and hang me for mutiny, captain? Go right ahead."

Rita laughed. "Really, though. You shouldn't be apologising for anything. I'm the one who should be sorry. And I am. Very sorry." Her voice trailed off.

"I know. It's fine, Rita. Don't feel bad." He stroked her hand. "Leave all that on the island. We're going home now."

She finally met his eyes. "It's been quite a trip, hasn't it?"

"It might not be over yet," said Roddy. "Still plenty of things for you to run into out there."

She poked him. "For the record, the other boat ran into us, not the other way around."

"True, but I don't think threatening to board them was a good idea either!" Roddy poked her back. Rita laughed.

"Maybe I should have asked Jasper to fly escort until we get back! I can't be too careful with you!" She retaliated. Roddy tried to dodge and fell out of his seat, getting himself wedged hard between the seat and the cockpit side. He struggled for a moment like a beetle on its back and gave up, looking at Rita beseechingly. Stifling laughter, Rita stood up and offered him a hand.

"Thank you," Roddy pulled himself up and dusted his sleeves.

"You see what I meant?" Rita gently brushed his shoulder. "Rhys also told me to keep two eyes on you. Maybe he was right about that as well." She slipped a hand around his waist, pulling him closer, and smiled.

"Good old Rhys," said Roddy quietly. He kissed her. Another snowflake drifted onto his nose and he sneezed again and broke the spell, but by then it didn't matter.

"How did Valentine know I was…what did he say? The hero of Ratropolis?" Roddy smiled. "I know I didn't tell him that.'
"I did," said Rita.

"You said I was the hero of Ratropolis?"

"I didn't use those words, exactly."

"I can imagine. You did tell him it was a joint effort though, didn't you?"

"One day, Roddy, you're really going to have to take some credit for that."

"It wouldn't have worked without you! It wouldn't have worked without Le Frog either, come to think of it. Or at least not without part of him."

"Roddy, Le Frog's anatomy is not something I want to think about right now."

"There's someone whose anatomy you would?"

"Are you suggesting something, Roddy? I saw quite enough of you earlier. You should give advance warning the next time you take your trousers off in public."

"That wasn't my fault! That was Bruce's idea! One of them, anyway…"

"You took them off because a Bruce asked you to?"

"Oh, now who's suggesting something, Rita?"

"I'm just saying, you pulled my trousers down when we escaped from the Toad the first time around and you lost your own the second time. That's not a great record there…"

The boat sailed away until the conversation of its crew was lost in the thickening snowfall. Eventually they disappeared altogether. And then there were only the waves on the water…

...and in the distance there were the islands, just as they had always been.

The End