Just a Little Piece of This Dream

Summary: Business is booming for MJN Air, which would be great news if it didn't leave Martin with next to no time to be a man with a van. After being evicted Martin is faced with a choice: Stay with MJN and starve or move to Bristol to work for his sister.

But as is always the case, Douglas has a plan.

A plan which in this case involves a captain living out of his first officer's spare room.

A/N: The title comes fromBe Like Thatby 3 Doors Down. I couldn't get this idea out of my head, so here it is. Feel free to poke me if I don't update fast enough. Also, I really appreciate suggestion and corrections.

Chapter 1

"Are you going to spit it out already, or are you going to just sit there looking dour for the remainder of the flight?"

Martin looked up blankly. "What?"

"You haven't uttered a single non-protocol related word this entire flight. Clearly something is – astonishingly – on your mind." Douglas said, letting the sarcasm cover up his genuine concern. "You didn't even put up a fight for the gruyere."

"Oh, right," the captain mumbled, looking away from his FO. "It's nothing."

The silence stretched for another quarter of an hour, punctuated only by the sounds of Arthur's puppet rendition of the last forty-five minutes of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Finally, Martin spoke, unable to take it any longer. "Actually, Douglas, there is something. As my first officer I feel that you have a right to know. Come Monday I'm handing in my resignation to Carolyn."

It took a great effort on Douglas's part not to let his shock and horror at the idea show through. "Why on Earth would you do that? Did somebody actually make you a better offer?"

"I- No, I haven't found another job flying, but my sister offered me a job at her restaurant in Bristol."

"But why? You love flying. In fact, you love flying more than is probably healthy for anyone over the age of twelve. You live in an attic and work as a man with a van just to do what you love."

"Yes, well, I'm no longer just a man with a van; I am now a man in a van."

"You're going to have to elaborate on that one if you expect it to make any sense."

Martin sighed and ran a hand over his face in an uncharacteristic display of physical exhaustion. "I was evicted. Three weeks ago. I was evicted from the cheapest form of housing legally available and am now living out of my van."

"How? Why?"

"You know how MJN has been quite busy as of late? Well, it's great for Carolyn, but it means that I no longer have time for my only source of income."

"You've survived this long."

"Douglas, you've seen me eat every meal I've had within the past week and a half. When presented with the choice of either food or petrol, I chose petrol because it was the option required to earn more money. Now, however, I have neither the funds for housing nor food nor petrol."

"Have you talked to Carolyn about this yet? If she knew she may find it in that frost-bitten heart of hers to choke up the money to pay you."

"There's no point. Why should she pay me? If she's going to pay someone to do this job, why not just hire a more experienced pilot and be done with it? In this economy there must be hundreds of competent pilots who would jump at the chance to get my job."

"You landed perfectly on one engine after that bird strike," Douglas pointed out. "Not many 'experienced' pilots can lay claim to that bragging right."

"Yes, and doesn't it occur to you as a bit odd that my best landing so far was the one I did on only one engine?" The younger man sighed deeply. "Besides, you should be happy; you'll probably get to be captain now."

"Martin, I meant what I said two years ago when I told you that it doesn't matter how many stripes you have on your arm as long you're happy – and I swear I will emphatically deny this if you ever dare to repeat it – but I would much rather have you around than have another bar on my epaulet."

Genuine shock momentarily eclipsed Martin's melancholy expression, and he opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again and lapsing back into silence. Douglas wanted him around? Actually wanted to fly GERTI with him? Instead of making him feel better, this revelation only made his heart sink several hundred more meters. It was quit flying or starve, and his first officer's atypical sentimentality didn't change that.

Douglas for his part was entirely consumed with his own thoughts and unaware of his captain's internal monologue. He'd noticed it sometime after St Petersburg, the subtle shift in the dynamic of their relationship. Dealing with Martin's unique brand of idiocy had gone from being something of a chore to being what motivated him to go into work every morning, especially in the months since his most recent divorce. That in itself was a startling revelation, but what was more shocking still was the fact that he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that his bumbling captain kept his job. Even now he was entertaining three different methods captain retention.

Because if there was one thing (of many, many things) Douglas Richardson was good at, it was coming up with a plan to save the day.

Thanks for reading!