“It's a bit hard to keep the mind from the gutter when you're sat right there and well....” he let the sentence trail off, Claire could make up her own conclusions as to what he was going to say. There were so many things he could have added to that sentence, several ways he was sure would make them both turn red, but that was just the way he liked the relationship.

It was something that he had never experienced before, he had never really known anyone well enough to be able to read them like he read Claire. It was kind of terrifying and amazing all at the same time, that with just a look, a touch, a certain word whispered in her ear that he'd be driving himself just as crazy as Claire would be. It was intoxicating in a very, very good way.

Caleb had to mock pout as she told him in no uncertain terms he was not allowed to have a sugar rush before going down the Skytower, before winking at her, “Okay I promise not to have any more sugar before leaping off a building, how about after though? I mean would have used all that energy up right?”

He wasn't one for usually having a whole lot of sugar, the food on base wasn't exactly filled with sugar, after all no one on base wanted there employees to be falling asleep during there working shift. In fact the sweetest thing on base he could find would have to be the damn coloured jello that he really wasn't a fan of.

Of course the happiness he had felt seemed to fall from him in a matter of seconds, as the whole situation with Tama seemed to want cruise right out of anyone's control. His own control was pretty damn tenuous throughout the whole ordeal, so when he had lost his temper, full on no holding back, he was shocked at even himself.

He wasn't the bloke that would do something like that, completely loose his temper on behalf of someone, but he was finding there was a lot of things he wouldn't do that he was doing with being with Claire. Protective might have been the right word to describe what he had done for her in that moment, but the anger had burned quick and bright and now he was just left reeling a little bit. Almost as though he had been living on an adrenalin high for the past forty eight hours and was now crashing.

It seemed that Claire could provoke all sorts of things he wouldn't normally do out of him and he didn't blame her for that, he actually didn't mind, he found he was being a better man for it and there was no way he wanted that to stop. Ever.

He was sure his hands must feel freezing to Claire as she held on to him – its what they felt like to him anyway – as she kissed him. It was soft and fleeting, but he couldn't help sighing into it, there was something to be said about these kind of moments, moments he hadn't realised he had been missing until he got together with Claire.

'Husband' there was that word again that he loved to hear but also was so unuse to hearing, that it still brought a silly small smile to his face, he could listen to Claire tell him how proud she was all day if it came to that. He couldn't help leaning across and kissing her just as softly, just as tenderly as she had done a moment before.

“I know,” he said, voice still quiet, “I don't ever loose myself to anger like that, ever.” It was something he didn't like within himself, he knew he had the potential for that kind of anger to just envelope him and pretty much take him down a destructive path. Thankfully nothing in his past had caused him to turn down that path and for that he was eternally grateful.

He shook his head as Claire pulled something from the bag she had brought with her, it was small and wrapped in blue tissue paper, “You didn't have to get me anything,” he said, holding the item carefully in his hand, as he slowly unwrapped it, the tissue paper crinkling as he did so.

Caleb's hand was icy cold in hers, and Claire squeezed gently. She knew that it was a physical reaction to the emotions racing through him at that moment, and she leaned in a little closer, reassuring Caleb that everything was okay.

While she wasn't accustomed to seeing Caleb get angry, she understood, at that moment, why he had. She wasn't far behind him in terms of anger, but had long since learned to rein it in where Tama was concerned. In fact, it was touching that he had wanted to step in and defend her like that. Being so angry didn't seem to sit well with him, though, and Claire could only hope that he didn't let himself get that angry too often.

Claire smiled softly as Caleb sighed into the kiss, and she rested her forehead against his for a moment, just enjoying being with him, no matter the circumstances. Each second they were together was precious, and Claire treasured them all. She returned Caleb's tender kiss, letting her lips linger on his for a few moments. She could feel the anger, the tension, melting away from both of them, and she marvelled at how they could ground one another at times like this. She had never had that with anyone before, and it utterly amazed her.

"And you didn't lose yourself to anger this time," she murmured, only loud enough for Caleb to hear. "You didn't shout, you didn't get violent, you just stood your ground. Thank you for standing up for me, you have no idea how much that means." Claire's voice was warm and sincere, a small smile dancing on her lips as she locked eyes with Caleb's. "It's okay to be angry sometimes, it's just a case of how you handle it, and what you do afterwards."

She smiled as Caleb took the small gift, shaking her head as Caleb told her that she didn't have to get him anything. "I know, but I wanted to get you something," replied Claire, watching Caleb's face as he opened the paper.



"It's a pikorua," she said, watching the light dance on the smooth surface of the pounamu jade. "An eternity twist, which symbolises unending love and the union between two or more people. And the little spiral down there, the koru, symbolises new beginnings. I... I wanted to get you something because I don't have tags I can give to you. But this..." Claire's voice was a little choked now, and her eyes shone with emotion.

"This is something from my heritage, something that means a lot to me. I though... it was just about perfect for you, and I'd be honoured if you accepted it." She knew that he likely wouldn't be able to wear it, but considering that there had been no actual wedding, and there would be no wedding rings, this was the next best thing.

Caleb sat there for a moment just breathing in and out, as Claire seemed to move closer to him, it had a grounding effect and well any last remains of anger were completely gone now. He hated when he got angry – especially to that extent – frustration and irritation he could deal with quite well, they never left him feeling as though he had run a marathon. But Claire was helping, she was not only grounding him, but reassuring him in her own way.

It was one thing he had kind of come to appreciate about there relationship, was that they could ground each other completely, if one of them had a bad day the other would be there. Which he supposed was what relationships were meant to be about, being the others rock when that person was quite literally falling apart. Not that he was falling apart, but the anger had shaken him up slightly, hell he couldn't even remember being this angry when Rachael had told him it was over.

Caleb knew it had just been Tama, Tama and his arrogance that he could just say some simple words and Claire would be back in his arms. He would never do that to anyone, anyone he had ever taken home had known it was one night only, he hadn't lied, hadn't coerced or anything, it had been laid out in the open for everyone to know. An people had known, people did known.

He took another deep breath as he rested his head against hers, just letting her kiss him for a moment, it reminded him of why they were there, what they had come to do and he knew that despite the shock to his system, he wasn't going to let it spoil what was there own personal vacation time.

He huffed out a small laugh, “How, how did you get so wise huh? Am the one loosing my temper and you're the one handing out sage advice,” he glanced at her, a small sparkle of the amusement from earlier creeping back in, “I thought we'd agreed I'd do the sage advice thing.”

But he appreciated what she said, took it on board, let it sink in and found himself actually loving Claire all the more for it. Because he was sure had he lost his temper like that before he got together with Claire, he well he wasn't quite sure what he would do, but he as certain it would invovle lots of alcohol and a woman or two.

His hands unwrapped the small package carefully, not sure what he was expecting, neither of them really exchanged gifts all that much. He himself wasn't one for being given gifts, being with Claire was a gift all on it's own, he hadn't need nor wanted anything else. So when he finished unwrapping the paper, he was surprised to find a piece of jewellery there, all green and nestled against his hand.

Caleb wasn't sure what it was, was about to ask her when she explained exactly what it meant, what the meaning held to her and he felt his own chest tighten as she spoke. It was her own version of his tags and everything that meant, the commitment, the love, everything, he was at a complete lost for words. He had been unable to form sentences when he had given her his tags, had only managed to wrap them round her wrist before some more productive love making had happened.

He looked at her, saw the out pouring of emotion there – he was sure his own face mirrored hers – as she told him what it meant, her heritage given to him. He put the item on the table, one hand covering it, protecting it, as he brought his other hand up to her face, cupping her cheek. Caleb couldn't really put into words what it meant, what he felt either, but he was more of a actions than words kind of bloke anyway.

He pulled her a little bit closer before kissing her, his hand on her face rubbing gently as he kissed her with pretty much everything he had in that moment. There was so much more he wanted to do to her to show how much the item meant to him, so many things he wanted to say, but they were still in public and well some of the things he wanted to do were not really appropriate for some of the age group around them.

Finally pulling away, he leant his own forehead against hers once more, breathing heavily, his hand that had covered the pendant was now curled around it tightly. “Of course I'll accept it, it's brilliant, you're brilliant!”

Claire could feel Caleb relaxing now that Tama had left, and she felt a knot of tension release in her own chest now that the confrontation was over. Tama had seemed jealous and almost upset at the notion that Claire had married Caleb, especially seeing as Caleb wasn't Māori. Sure, so Caleb didn't fit the "type" that she had had, up to and including Tama, but he was perfect for her. Her best friend, someone she was able to rely on completely, and the man she had fallen head over heels in love with. She had never had the whole package before, and, now that she had found Caleb, she had no intention of ever letting him go.

A tiny smile rested on Claire's lips as Caleb asked her how she'd got to be so wise. "Comes with the job, e ipo," she replied, her voice soft and laced with amusement. "Not only do I have to patch people up, but a certain amount of counselling goes with the territory." Especially with the worried parents of the children she had operated on.

Claire laughed. "E te tau, if I left the sage advice to you, we'd always be in the shit!" It was a joke, pure and simple. Caleb might not be as highly educated as Claire was, but he was more than capable of giving good advice, or saying just the right thing at the right time. He knew her well enough that he always seemed to be able to tell her what she needed to hear, when she needed to hear it. And she loved the fact that he was always honest with her. That was valuable beyond anything else she could imagine.

The expression on Caleb's face was almost filled with wonder as Claire explained that the pikorua meant, and she watched the emotions play across his familiar, handsome features. Her heart was in her mouth as she waited for his reaction, hoping that she hadn't overstepped the mark. She didn't think she had, especially seeing as this was, effectively, the equivalent of him giving her one of his tags.

He didn't say a word, just placed the pikorua onto the table, covering it with his hand, before cupping her cheek tenderly with the other hand. The kiss that followed was everything: tender, passionate, searing hot, loving, teasing, all at once. She returned the kiss with equal fervour, catching her breath as Caleb eventually pulled away. It was a good thing that he did: Claire didn't think that she could control herself if he had carried on, even though they were in public. As it was, they were drawing a few stares, and her face flushed with the lightest of blushes.

Claire smiled as Caleb leaned his forehead against hers, his words sinking in as he accepted the pendant. "I'm not brilliant, but I'm yours," she chuckled, brushing her lips across his once more. "I know you most likely won't be able to wear it, but it means a lot to me that you've accepted it, that you like it." She sighed quietly, pulling back and glancing at her watch. "I guess I'd better call up and book if you're wanting to throw yourself off the Sky Tower," she said. That was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but it might just be enough to cool them both off.

Now the moment was over, the anger had passed and he was relaxed once more Caleb felt a bit like he was starting to come back to himself. He smiled softly at Claire, taking in everything about her, and he knew that she would have the better words to console him than he ever would, sure he would know what to say to her. Know the right word, the right smile, the right gesture, but that would only be for her, he wouldn't really know how to handle that on anyone else.

He laughed along with her, as she replied to him about always being in the shit if it was always left to his advice, it might have been joking and he was laughing along with her, but there was a small truth that. There was a reason he didn't go around handing out advice left right and centre and that was because it would come back to bite in the arse and not in the good kind of way either.

"But think of the fun we could have," he whispered, smiling wickedly at her. Sure the sage advice he had to offer would probably end them in hot water but it would be such fun to actually get there first.

He felt like his heart was going to jump its way out of his chest, when the pikorua was unveiled to him - there might also be the small thing of him not trying to pronounce that word any time soon - he loved it, truly he did and yes he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to wear it whilst on shift. But he made a promise to himself that whenever they had any down time together, any time off where it was just the two of them he would wear it especially for her.

He kissed her again, briefly as he repeated, "You are brilliant, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He knew Claire was brilliant, saw her brilliance when he caught her working before he disturbed her, knew it when she would quite plainly tell him he was being stupid, and knew it when she would kiss him so tenderly, so softly that he was sure the world had stopped momentarily. Letting go of her hand, he picked up the necklace and fastened it round his neck immediately, it sat perfectly just below the line of his t-shirt, the outline was bulky enough just to be seen if you knew it was there.

Caleb sat himself back slightly as Claire looked into booking them tickets for the Skytower, there was something quite appealing to this small adventure in an adventure they were going to be taking in a short while.

**

By the time they reached the Skytower and Caleb was stood looking up at the bloody big building - there was no other words to describe it really - he was beginning to think he was quite happy not to have eaten more than a few of Claire's chips and the one eclair. The other one had been left after the confrontation with Tama, he hadn't felt like eating it after that.

He had held Claire's hand all the way there, and he had kept his eyes a little more appraised of exactly where they were going, now he knew Tama was around he didn't want another run in with the bloke. He was surprised that anyone else they had sort of ran into were fairly easy going people, which always put Caleb more at ease, if he could get away with a cheeky smile and maybe the odd flirt then that was completely his comfort zone and he was going to relish in it.

Caleb had slipped the pikorua around his neck whilst they had been at the bakery, he might not be able to get away with wearing it whilst on shift, but well at the moment he wasn't at work and although the weight felt weird against his chest. It kind of reminded him of the first time he put the dog tags on, a strange kind of cool weight resting near enough right against his heart. The pikorua was a comforting weight, and even though he had held Claire's hand he felt like she was even closer to him now.

He looked up at the tower one more time, before smiling back at Claire, "So ready to take a leap of faith?" he asked, teasingly.

Claire was feeling a little like a tourist in her hometown. That was all down to walking hand in hand with Caleb through the busy Auckland streets. She enjoyed pointing out local landmarks, and explaining a little bit of the city's history as they walked. Early for their SkyJump appointment, they followed the sharp salt tang on the breeze down to the marina, and Claire finally felt at home. She'd be happier still later, when the took Caleb to "her" spot on Karekare beach.

The spectre of Tama had been well and truly exorcised as they had finished their lunch, and Claire had felt a swelling of pride as Caleb had slipped the pendant around his neck, tucking the pikorua underneath his t-shirt, letting it rest against his chest.Nobody else would likely know he was wearing it, but that didn't matter one bit. Claire knew it was there, and what it meant to both of them, and that was what mattered.

Walking back from the marina, the SkyTower loomed ahead, and you could see little figures joyously hurling themselves from the top. Claire grinned, and, eyes sparkling, turned to Caleb, even as he asked his teasing question. "Of course I am," she laughed, slipping her arms around the back of his neck. "I'd take a leap of faith with you any day." Her voice was sincere, but the smile turned mischievous.

"You do know I'm not a SkyTower virgin, right," she grinned, gently tracing fingers across his cheekbone. "Ready to pop your cherry all over again?"

A peaceful walk, hand holding with the woman he loved was not something that Caleb thought he would ever actually be doing in his lifetime. Had never thought that he would feel so completely relaxed in the company of one person, and not get that feeling that use to creep up his back that he needed to run, and run fast. All that had started to disappear - yes there had been moments when it had slammed into him again - when he was with Claire, well everything seemed to disappear when he was Claire. He forgot that he was military, forgot sometimes that he was supposed to be the cheeky bloke that everyone knew, he was just himself.

So as he stood in the shadow of the Skytower with Claire quite literally wrapped around him, a position that he wished they could share with everyone and not just when they were on 'vacation', it was pretty intimate to him at least. To be able to just have his hands on Claire, to look into her eyes and know that no matter what he said she was going to love him regardless and him her.

Caleb couldn't resist kissing Claire in that moment, just a short, sweet tender kiss, even as he glanced up at the Skytower he could see people throwing themselves off the building. A rush of anticipation and yeah he wasn't to arrogant to admit that yeah there was a shiver of trepidation there as well. He was definitely more a on ground or underwater bloke than a falling through the air one, but he had Claire with him, so it should be fun...god he hoped it was fun.

He laughed as she asked him that, "If am with you am more than happy to pop anything again." Any time he was with Claire always felt like the first time, yes there was tricks he could put into play, and skills he could use but it always felt like the first time whatever he used.

Claire returned the soft, sweet kiss, leaning into Caleb, letting herself feel the warm familiarity of his solid body against hers. Even the little moments like this were to be treasured and held sacred. She used to think that life was about the big moments, the things that everyone remembered: births, weddings, deaths, all the major events that were held up as milestones. However, since she had gotten together with Caleb, she had realised it was the little things, the moments that glued everything else together, that were the important bits.

"Kei te aroha au i a koe,," she murmured against Caleb's lips. She really would do anything for this man, anything that would make him happy. And if that mean acting like a kid, like a tourist, then so be it. Besides, she loved the SkyWalk and the SkyJump. It made her feel like a kid again. That seemed to happen a lot while she was with Caleb.

She laughed at his reaction to the cherry popping question. "So glad I get to be your first," she grinned, giving him another quick kiss before looping her arm through his. "Shall we?"