The Professionals Circuit Archive - Shall Brothers Be...	 Shall
Brothers Be...

 

by Anne Carr

  
 Doyle watched the green landscape roll by as they traveled northwest
across the English countryside from their London base. He could take note
of each sheep or cow in the passing meadows as Bodie drove through the
country lanes with rare patience and care.

"You really don't want to go, do you?" he asked baffled by his partner's
choice of route through the picturesque panorama rather than his more
normal. 'hounds of hell' dashes up the motorway.

"I should've thought that was obvious," was the subdued reply.

"Why?" Doyle asked, intrigued. "It's a happy occasion - a christening.
Especially as it's your brother's first child; your first niece; your
parents' first grandchild. it is a very special family occasion."

"Yeah, maybe that's what's wrong." He couldn't even begin to explain to
Doyle the complex relationship he had with his family, knowing all too
well that any amateur psychologist would have a field day. "We're not
really a close family," he revealed. "Apart from Peter I haven't seen them
for years. Hell, I wasn't even at Peter's wedding."

"All the more reason why you should be at his daughter's christening,"
Doyle argued in a voice he recognised as his own mother's persuasive tone,
which was often used on sons reluctant to eat their greens. A tone he'd
used often on Bodie since the telephone call a fortnight ago from his half
brother.

At eleven a.m on the Sunday morning, Doyle had been making black coffee to
neutralise the effects of the previous evening's drinking. He scraped the
remains of the coffee granules from the jar wishing he was at this
[missing] own fault and refused Bodie's invitation to stay the night. At
home, he thought fondly, was a full jar of coffee, and no doubt, silence.
The sound the of the telephone jarred his nerves, and he crossed the room
in quick strides to silence it, croaking his partner's number into the
receiver.

"Bodie?" a male voice queried.

"No," Doyle replied. There was a short pause while he pulled his brain
together enough to ask, "who calling?"

"Peter Skellen." The voice sounded mildly imitated at the lack of
reaction. "May I speak to my brother - please?"

Doyle placed the receiver down quietly on the glass-topped table. His
brows furrowed as he attempted to collate the information he'd been given.
On the phone was a Peter Skellen who wanted to talk to his brother, he
looked around to the bedroom where William Andrew Philip Bodie slept - was
he this Skellen's brother?

Closing in on the heap of bedclothes, Doyle considered anything was
possible as a result of the dearth of information available on his
partner's family background.

A muffled grumble from the mound that he prodded proved Bodie was awake.
"Come on sunshine, someone who says he's your brother's on the phone."

The mound moved slightly as the voice mumbled, "If he thinks I'm getting
out of my pit to talk to him - tell him to go...": The last words lost as
Bodie burrowed deeper into the bed.

Doyle shook his head amused at his partner's impression of a hibernating
mole. He returned to the telephone to pass the message on, pausing to grab
a corner of the quilt as he did so, and gave it a powerful yank

"He's indisposed at the moment," Doyle announced while Bodie muttered that
he'd like to dispose of his partner as he pulled the quilt back onto the
bed. "Can I give him a message?"

"Yes. If he's not at Sam's christening, mother's coming up to London for
him. Tell him," the voice warned, "that's not a threat but a promise."

With that, the call had ended and Doyle's first thoughts had been for his
partner's life, sensing menace behind the cryptic message. When he
repeated the information and his concern to Bodie, his partner whitened,
explaining that it was much worse.

Doyle squinted out of the car window, checking the rectangular route signs
against the scribbled note in his hand.

"His directions are: the church is first right after the traffic lights
here, and then second on the left," he informed adding as an afterthought,
"We can't miss it."

Bodie raised his expressive eyebrow at the statement. On more than one
occasion, his partner's navigational skills had them going round in
circles in strange towns. It was his belief that, if Ray Doyle was a
typical example, to ask a policeman for directions was very unwise.

Nevertheless he followed the instructions he was given and was surprised
to find the church loom out in front of them. There was no one outside the
building, as by a fortunate combination of an unplanned detour of Doyle's
and his own 'Sunday driver' tactics they were late and the ceremony had
already begun.

"Come on," Doyle urged, waiting outside the car while Bodie diligently
checked the handbrake, steering lock and lights before reluctantly
climbing out of the Capri and following his partner inside the church.

Doyle hesitated at the inner doorway and Bodie crept passed him into the
nearest pew. From their position at the rear of the church Doyle could see
very little except the backs of several heads, while Bodie, behind the
ornate pillar showed remarkable interest in the hymnal provided. He was
relieved to find that his partner had the same difficulties as himself, in
following the stand, sit, kneel pattern and was grateful when deference to
one screaming infant the service moved along with respectful haste.

During the actual christening itself, Doyle was disappointed that neither
of Samantha's parents took part in the ceremony, as Bodie explained that
the godparents made the vows on the child's behalf. On listening to the
words, Doyle thought that somehow his partner's own godparents hadn't
quite managed to live up to those promises.

The ceremony over, people began leaving the church, most by the door the
CI5 men had entered from, while others from a side door by the altar.
Bodie immersed himself again in the hymnal as the congregation trouped
past them, before scanning the empty pews and quickly getting to his feet.
With his eyes on the small knot of people at the far end of the aisle he
pushed his partner onto the passage with a force that resulted in Doyle
stumbling over the edge of the kneeler.

Bodie muttered an oath as the crashing sound of Doyle's fall brought heads
turning in their direction.

"Billy," a delighted voice cried, before Bodie could hasten his partner to
his feet and out into the aisle. There was a muttered threat in Doyle's
ear as a middle-aged woman in an enormous brimmed hat bustled toward them.
"Peter promised you'd be here, but I just didn't believe it." She swept
past Doyle throwing her arms around her son's neck. The CI5 man succumbed
to the small form, returning the embrace hesitantly, aware of another
figure disengaging itself from the group ahead of them and approaching the
reunion.

"Did you see Samantha?" Mrs. Bodie asked eagerly. "Such a lovely baby,
everyone says so." She sniffed, one hand wiping at the corner of her eye
while the other held on to her son's arm, as if she were frightened that
if she loosened her grip he would disappear again. "They used to say the
same about you - an adorable angel. I can still remember that bonny baby
contest, everyone thought you were so lovely, you must be a little girl."

Bodie stole a cautious glance over his mother's head to his partner. The
width of Doyle's grin was proof enough that he needed to extricate himself
from the situation as quickly as possible.

"You're embarrassing the lad, love," cautioned a voice approaching them.

"Sir," Bodie said, suddenly feeling awkward.

Mrs. Bodie was aware of the strained silence between her son and her
husband and quickly covered it with a smile reminiscent of Bodie's,
asking, "And who's this?"

Bodie introduced his partner, adding, "We've only managed to get enough
time off duty to get here for the service. We have to get back to London
as soon as possible. I really don't like to keep our boss, Mr. Cowley,
waiting."

"Oh no, Billy, you can't rush off again - it's been four years since we
last saw you!" His mother wailed, "I simply will not have you disappearing
again." Her tone was one that had brooked no arguments from disobedient
sons in the past. "Jenny's so looking forward to meeting her elusive
brother-in-law."

Before Bodie could give his well-rehearsed apologies, Doyle announced, "We
don't actually have to be back in London until tonight, Bodie, I'm sure if
we took the motorway this time, you could have a few hours with your
family." Doyle tried to suppress a grin at the look of panic in his
partner's eye. "I'll have a look around the town."

"You certainly will not, Mr. Doyle," Mrs. Bodie said firmly. "Jenny's laid
on a lovely spread and I'm sure you can do with a little fattening up. Our
Billy's always had a good appetite, Army lads always do. Were you ever in
the Services?" She hooked her arm into both agents, ushering them toward
the door giving her husband a glance backward saying, "I'll go with Billy
to show him the way to Peter's, and you can take Mr. and Mrs. Tully in
your car, okay?"

She propelled both Bodie and Doyle out of the church maintaining a virtual
monologue as they walked towards the Capri. "Oh, is this your car, Billy?
Such a lovely colour, much nicer than that motorbike you had." Doyle held
the door open for her as Bodie threw himself into the driver's seat. "I
thought that machine would be the death of me. I was always coming home to
find bits of it scattered all over the house, how you ever managed to get
anywhere on it when half the machine was disassembled in the kitchen I'll
never know." She paused for a moment to collect her breath before
continuing to Doyle. "You know it was the same with those drums, what the
neighbours thought I'll never know."

Bodie concentrated on his driving, giving only a quarter of his attention
to his back seat passenger, leaving his partner to make most of the
appropriate noises, except when his mother pointed out little faults in
his driving, like speeding though a built-up area at 31 mph.

Doyle himself was amused at the eulogy Mrs. Bodie gave on how perfect the
Skellen's marriage was. The praise thinly veiling the [line missing] 

Bodie parried the enquiries to easily [rest of line missing] on that
horizon she turned her attention to Doyle's background. He had to admire
her rapid-fire questioning that could have been straight from the CI5
interrogation manual and was amazed to hear himself discussing his sister
and the kids, as they stopped outside the Skellen's married quarters.

Mrs. Bodie clambered out of the car rushing eagerly ahead of the CI5
agents to spread the news of her younger son's homecoming.

Bodie joined his partner outside the car, hissing over the roof, "Pin back
your ears at twenty paces she can. Sorry about the cross- examination,
mate."

Doyle grinned, raising his eyes heavenward, "Aren't mother's wonderful."

They entered the house gingerly aware from the noise coming from inside
that what appeared to be half the Army camp, had squeezed into the tiny
house.

"A trifle cramped," Bodie complained to his partner, "No wonder Skellen's
moving to London, just to get away from all this lot, always did say you
can't keep the Army from a party on base." His face suddenly brightened as
he stopped in the doorway of the lounge.

"Hey, there are some many people, no one would notice if we split now."

"Un, uh" Doyle grinned looking past his partner's shoulder, "someone
would."

From inside the room, Mrs. Bodie cleared a path for herself to her son,
grabbing him by the hand into the company. "Isn't she lovely?" she
breathed, cooing over the child in Jenny Skellen's arms.

"They both are," Bodie charmed, "But this family have always been known
for their taste when it comes to the ladies."

"Peter was right," she answered, reacting to the same bright eyed look she
knew so well in her husband. "I can see how you've earned the lady- killer
reputation." She leaned closer whispering conspiratorially, "You wouldn't
like to give Peter lessons would you?"

Doyle hung back from the conversation letting Bodie slip into the easy
relationship he was establishing with his sister-in law. Retreating
politely from the pair he took the opportunity to escape the throng of
strangers to find one little room which he hoped would be empty.

At the top of the stairs he was faced with three closed doors, all
identical. He tried the first door, finding it led to Samantha's nursery.
Deciding he wasn't desperate enough to use the child's potty, he tried the
next door. This was the Skellen's bedroom, its bed piled high with
disguarded [discarded?] coats. He was just pulling the door closed again
when his eye was caught by the dress uniform jacket peeping out from the
improperly closed wardrobe. He stepped closer to examine the insignia,
giving a low, whistle at the confirmation of the winged dagger.

Bodie, for obvious reasons had failed to mention that his brother was an
officer, and for equally if less personal reasons that Skellen was an
S.A.S. Captain. Doyle slipped out of the bedroom again, even more curious
about the family that could boast of two sons good enough for the elite
regiment.

Downstairs, Bodie had noticed his partner's absence. When Jenny's own
mother had demanded both her daughter's attention and another hold of her
new grandchild, he edged away looking for Doyle. Seeing his partner
descending the stairs he squeezed his way past the bodies, heading towards
him, until he was checked by an arm laid across his shoulder.

"Well baby brother, what d'you think of my family?"

"Better than you bloody well deserve, mate."

[missing word] Skellen agreed genuinely, his eyes watching his wife. "How
about love's young dream," he asked scanning the room, "which is yours?"

Bodie eyes glittered mischievously, as he pointed straight-faced to Doyle
now leaning by the door.

"Oh, very pretty," Skellen grinned, "But not my type."

Bodie elbowed his half-brother in the ribs. "That's Ray Doyle, my partner
in CI5."

"What else!" Skellen replied with wide-eyed innocence approaching his
bother's colleague.

A tap on his shoulder brought Doyle's attention around to a face he knew,
or maybe would know in ten years time. The similarities between the half
brothers was staggering. It was as if he was looking at the same man in
two different stages of his life.

"You're with CI5 too," he heard the voice say. "I've heard a lot about it
- gets a lot of respect." Skellen's face relaxed into a smile as his voice
puzzled. "Which is why I can't understand how Bodie here got in, and
manages to stay in."

Doyle could detect the air of friendly rivalry between the two men and was
about to defend his partner until he caught the confident smirk. Bodie's
certainty that he would play game and upstage his brother provoked Doyle's
own impishness.

"Well, you see he got in by mistake," Doyle explained. "He actually
answered the ad for the tea-boy but someone mixed him up with agents. You
know top brass - hate to admit there's been a foul up, so they landed him
on me, with orders to keep him out of trouble."

"Knew it had to be something like that," Skellen sniggered as his
half-brother fumed, instantly aware of the closeness between his brother
and this Ray Doyle. "Bodie always did need a keeper. Don't envy you the
job. I had enough of it before I joined up. As soon as I left there was no
one to get our little Billy out of the trouble he created."

"Hasn't changed much," Doyle started nodding toward Bodie, "The scrapes
I've had to rescue him from. Sees himself as some sort of poor man's James
Bond, I think."

Bodie tried breaking in the conversation, "Ahem."

"What our little Billy!" Skellen guffawed, ignoring Bodie, "Never."

"S'true," Doyle confirmed enjoying Bodie's discomfiture.

"And to think someone like that used to hero- worship *me*," Skellen's
voice was suitably hallowed. "Just goes to show you I was right in
clearing up that little misunderstanding behind the..."

"Peter!" Bodie elbowed his half-brother in the ribs as a warning.

Skellen's eyes widened, delighting in needling Bodie, knowing his brother
would never let him finish recalling the incident but curious to see how
he'd be stopped.

"Come on, Bodie, it was years ago, you're not still embarrassed about it?"

The tightening of Bodie's jaw muscle, increasing the belligerent pout
indicated he was.

"I am your partner," Doyle reminded. "Surely you can trust me with these
little childhood indiscretions."

At Bodie's disbelieving look to the other CI5 man, Skellen shrugged his
shoulders, "Well, it was long time ago," he began. Seeing Bodie's fists
ball threateningly, he had to half-turn from his victim to hide the grin
that tugged at him. "And he was only a kid."

"Skellen!"

As he turned innocent eyed at his name, Bodie neatly stopped the
conversation progressing with a swift punch to Skellen's jaw. Ruefully, he
rubbed his chin, "Sorry pal," he apologised. "Only teasing" he held out
his hand, grinning wickedly.

[missing words] the apology realising that Skellen had no intention to
take the story further. He grinned back at his half-brother accepting the
handshake, and was about to make a facetious remark at his expense when
the world turned upside down.

Hitting the floor from the judo throw he belatedly remembered Peter never
gave in that easily.

With a whoop, Bodie was on his feet crashing into Skellen and a mock fight
ensued between the two men. Doyle stood well back, out of the way as they
stumbled about in the narrow hallway, enjoying the rough and tumble.

"What in heaven's name is going on!" A voice behind them bellowed.

The reaction of both brothers was immediate; the brawl stopped and their
expressions decidedly sheepish as they chorused, "Sorry," in unison.

"So I should think. Peter get in there and attend to your guests," he
indicated the door behind. "And you, Billy, don't tell me you're still
behaving like some hooligan. I should've thought the Army would've taught
my son some discipline."

"Sir," Bodie answered abashed, still looking at the patterned carpet.

Mrs. Bodie thrust her way past Skellen to her husband. "Don't take on so,
Bill, it's just the boys' high spirits." She grabbed both her husband's
and her sons' arms dragging them back to the party, declaring it was time
to play some games.

Mrs. Bodie appeared to be the only one who failed to notice how much space
her announcement created. Skellen's colleagues, deciding that discretion
was the better part of valour, vanished in true S.A.S. style.

"Charades," muttered Doyle cringing back into his corner in horror. "No
one can make a tough CI5 agent do anything he doesn't want to," he
reminded himself fiercely, watching in amazement as Bodie docilely took a
marked piece of paper from the small bowl his mother had thrust under his
nose.

"No way they gonna' get me doing anything like that," he whispered to
Peter pointedly a hair- raising five minutes later. 

As Mrs. Bodie gather up the resulting debris, she sighed with relief that
little Billy's charade was at last over. Neither she not Jenny could
believe it when he had suddenly gone berserk flinging cushions, papers and
any moveable object about in every direction as people cowered behind
their hands and those of a nervous disposition behind each other, Doyle
earned their undying gratitude for remembering a film they had recently
seen, and correctly guessing the mime before Bodie completed the break up
of the Skellen's home in his effort to portray, "Poltergeist."

"Knew you couldn't have changed that much, Billy," grumbled his father.
"Just as disruptive as ever."

"Would've thought you'd've got it, Skellen," said Bodie grinning,
unabashed at his father's reproof. "But you know what they say about
officers, Doyle," he remarked, a distinct twinkle in his eye. "Pips on
their uniforms represent the size of their brains!"

Doyle, reneging on his earlier assertion, hastily started an animated mime
in an effort to draw the fire from any retaliatory action, as Mrs. Bodie
told them to stop gabbing and concentrate on party games.

After a mentally exhausting hour and a half Bodie eventually managed to
convince both of them and Doyle that it was time to go. Bodie heaved a
large sigh of relief as he slipped into the driver's seat, smiling and
waving goodbye to his family on the doorstep.

As the car's ignition roared alive, Mrs. Bodie turned to her husband
[missing line] turned out to be a good boy, hasn't he?"

"Hmph," Bill Bodie answered, still refusing to admit any pride in his
arrogant, rebellious, but much loved son.

"Bill," she chided, "You made Peter live up to the standards his own
father, God bless his soul, had, and you demanded Billy matched up to
Peter. And the boy has - give him his due."

"Yes," he agreed closing the door as the car sped off into the night. "He
appears to be making out now." He grinned at his wife, his arm around her
shoulder. "At least he's a better example than his bloody poofter of a
cousin, Gavin."

Peter Skellen sniggered audibly as he overheard their last remark, his
father eyed him suspiciously, wondering at the large smug grin plastered
on his step-son's face. Maybe one day he'd be able to explain to his
parents the reason for his grin, but for now he shuffled his way out of a
sticky situation (well he was trained for this sort of rapid thinking), by
reminding his parents of the last time Bodie and Gavin had met and the
large black eye one of them had sported for weeks afterwards.

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