The Photoshoot
Part One

by Ranger and Rolf





"They want you for four days." Max passed the file across to Val. "Santa Anna ski resort. Beautiful location, the top hotels-"

"How many hours for the photo-shoot?" Luke said flatly. Max gave the bodyguard a look of dislike. He was propping up a windowsill, ankles crossed, arms folded across his chest as usual.

"Not that many. Maybe two days to get the pictures. A photo call for the general press. Maybe an interview or two if we get an offer we like."

Luke scowled at the back of the agent's head. Max was scenting money in this, and a lot of it. It was the only motive he ever had for coaxing Val into anything.

"Val, the last time you did a photoshoot," he said, ignoring Max, "It was two ten hour days on top of the travelling and you were dead on your feet by the end of it. You've got the two week run in London starting Saturday. That's going to be hard enough in itself. And I'm still not happy about eight concerts being scheduled inside fourteen days."

"We've gone over and over that," Max complained to Val, "Does he HAVE to be in on all of this? Can't he sit in the corridor or something?"

Val had been sitting with his arms around his knees, not looking that happy, but that request raised a brief flicker of amusement.

"YOU make him wait outside."

Luke gave Max a pleasant smile. Max valiantly drew Val's attention back to the file.

"This is only the first offer, we'd be out of our minds not to take it. One little ad campaign, a little more publicity, your face seen a little more often, that's what draws the big contracts in."

"What am I advertising?" Val read the logo and shrugged at Luke. "Bizazz? What's that when it's at home?"

"A new mixer drink- like bucks fizz, that kind of thing-"

"He means one of these alcopop things." Luke said bluntly. "Aimed at getting teenagers to drink without noticing the alcohol content."

"Aimed at the young professional market." Max said, ignoring Luke. "I can contract you for a set number of hours-"

"No more than six a day." Luke interrupted.

Max glowered. "Six. What an excellent suggestion. Which would give you plenty of time to enjoy yourself-"

"And no more than one engagement a day." Luke went on. Val stifled a laugh at Max's face. The agent caught Val's eye and forced a smile. "Of course. I'd hate to see you run yourself into the ground before you start on Wembley. That really will be the big event of the year."

Bastard, Luke thought silently at Max's head. Max picked the file up.

"I'll fix the contract then."

"When do you want us back to sign it?" Luke said softly. Max looked round from the door.

"No need, I can sign on Val's behalf."

"Oh I think Val should sign himself. When he's read the final version." Luke detached himself from the windowsill. There was something about the long, lean man that made Max Ryman extremely nervous.

"Yes. Fine. I'll bring it in tomorrow. Anything special you want in there, Val?"

"Mmn." Val looked up over his knees which he was still hugging. "Plenty of bananas for the gorilla."

Max left, bemused. Luke picked up the information Max had left on the resort, glanced at it and then roughly tousled Val's hair.

"You've played bigger venues than Wembley."

"Its THE British venue."

"You'll be fine." Luke repeated firmly. The scenery in the brochure was definitely attractive. Luke flicked through the pages of white snow and log fires, surrounded by young people in ski suits, drinking anything other than alcopops. Val was wound up tighter than a spring at the moment with the Wembley run ahead of him. A few days somewhere different, and somewhere likely to catch his interest would be no bad thing.

"If I only have to work 6 hours a day, what ELSE is there to do? It doesn't seem like such a great idea to me."

"What else is there to do? Live of course. Ski, shop, relax, whatever. You could use a few days to relax before the long haul. Don't you agree?"

"No."

"Didn't think so. But it'll be good for you. And by the time we leave, I'm sure you'll be feeling much better."

"Whatever." Val said, untangling himself and slowly getting up out of the chair. "Why do you torture Max so?"

"Torture?" Luke said, a slightly bemused expression upon his normally stern face.

"He practically ran out of here with his tail between his legs."

"I don't know what you're talking about, kitten. I never said one threatening word to him."

"You are such a -"

"Gorilla, I know. Oh, and thanks for the bananas, I'll need something to fortify myself for some relaxation."

The two headed out of the office in an easy silence. Luke was looking forward to the small "vacation" himself. It had been a long couple of busy months, filled with concert upon concert, endless piles of security paperwork, interrupted by the wondrous and tortuous moods of young Val, riding the highs and lows of a concert tour in full swing.

He was braced for Val's most inventive emotional tortures when Max presented them with the airline tickets. Airports were nightmares anyway: Val never went anywhere without Max scheduling as many photographers as possible to be present and Val usually rose to the occasion with the full prima donna performance, turning a hard couple of hours into a complete nightmare. The kid that hung at his elbow, buried behind large, mirrored sunglasses and a turned up collar, was not Val. Val stalked through crowds with the unhurried arrogance of a lion that knows damn well it's beautiful and the centre of attention. This time the photographers shouted in vain to get Val to turn as Luke moved him through the barriers at Heathrow, his head down, his face mostly hidden until Luke unwillingly stopped him at the gate.

"Kitten you need to give them one good shot- you know what stories they dream up if you seem different to usual."

Val didn't argue but the look Luke got was distinctly unhappy. He hesitated, then pulled the shades off and turned back towards the photographers, turning on the famous smile and responding to a few of their questions, but to Luke he looked tired and washed out. He moved protectively behind Val as they boarded the plane. With strictly limited working hours ahead of them, Val would have some time to remember he was in fact only twenty.

Flights were usually tortuous for Luke, as Val usually couldn't sit still for more than 10 minutes at a stretch. Today was different, though not any less tortuous. Val wasn't interested in getting up and moving around, but he was in a totally defiant and bratty mood. Nothing was pleasing him at all.

"Luuuuuke, I'm thirsty. Will you get me a drink, uh...Bloody Mary would be nice."

"Coke it is." Luke said, signaling the flight attendant.

"I want a DRINK, not coke." Val said, his voice rising.

They were only thirty minutes into a four hour flight, and Val's attitude was already rearing it's ugly head. Luke had to stop it before it got out of hand. He nailed Val with his cold as steel eyes and said warningly

"Don't do this kitten. I'd hate for the rest of the passengers to see you get your bare butt warmed, wouldn't you?"

Val took one look at Luke's face and decided he wouldn't press for that drink. "Fine. Coke. And some chips. No, make that a steak, with a nicely done baked potato. And a chocolate cake for desert."

Just then the flight attendant made her appearance. She knew Val, and thought herself his number one fan. Her voice shook a little when she spoke. "W..what can I do for you?"

Luke noticed all the signs of a rabid fan. Not what he needed, as Val sometimes used these situations to his advantage. "A coke for him, and I'll have some mineral water, thank you."

The flight attendant barely acknowledged Luke, she was too busy staring at Val. "Anything else? Maybe you'd like to see the cockpit, I'm sure the captain would be glad to meet you and show you around."

"Thanks, bu-" Luke started

"YES! I'd LOVE to see the cockpit." Val began to unbuckle his belt. "Excuse me, please." Val said to Luke as if speaking to a minion.

Luke's hand snaked out and caught his wrist in a grasp that reminded Val that Luke was a lot bigger and a lot stronger than he was.

"Now you know how exhausting stardom is. You sit there and relax and this nice young lady will get you that coke and everything will be fine. Won't it?"

Val hesitated, then did one of his Vivien Leigh flops back into his seat with sufficient tragedy to radiate at least twelve rows back from his seat. Luke saw the attendant's eyes go wide with sympathy and swore quietly. Val was an accomplished performer. Within two minutes the entire cabin would be alive with pity for the poor little rich boy suffering in brave silence. Luke resisted the urge to clout the suffering performer sharply upside his designer haircut and gave the girl a smile.

"Executive stress. The coke would help."

The girl left. Luke unclipped his belt, leaned across to Val and spoke gently in his ear.

"If you keep this act going another minute more, I'm going to start enlarging on my role and I'll make sure that everyone knows you've got a reason to feel sorry for yourself. Got it?"

He got Val's hot under the eyelashes look. Not surrender. Far from it. Val might know better than to push that particular trick, but this flight and this paddy was far from over.



Val promptly turned away from Luke and stared unseeingly out the window. This flight was going to be a long one, and Val was in no mood for the overbearing gorilla.

Luke saw the tenseness of Val's shoulders through his thin shirt. There was no way this kid was going to sleep, one of the only ways that Luke was even able to think about relaxing. The flight wouldn't end soon enough as far as Luke was concerned.

Val was thinking the same thing.

The flight attendant returned with the requested drinks. "Here you go sir. And here's the coke for...Val."

Luke took the drink from her hand, as Val wasn't even acknowledging her presence. "Here you go Val."

Val pointedly ignored Luke.

"Thank you." Luke said, dismissing the flight attendant.

Luke put the drink down on his tray and ignored Val. He polished off his mineral water in short order, flights always left him dehydrated. Within about 30 minutes, during which Val continued to stare out the window, Luke had to go to the restroom. He got up and headed to the back of the plane.

As soon as Luke left, Val unbuckled his seatbelt and headed towards the front, intent on searching out the flight attendant.

Luke took his time walking back, enjoying the chance to stretch his legs. The sound of one of Val's albums on the intercom made him hesitate. Most people were looking interested, some openly enthusiastic, one or two annoyed. The intercom clicked a man's voice took over.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a surprise guest aboard this flight. Many of you will be delighted to hear that we have aboard none other than Val Quentin!"

Even in business class, that raised some obvious interest. Luke swore as he heard a far more vocal response from further down the plane in tourist class. Val had just trebled the risk of complete strangers wandering up here in search of him. Quite apart from the risks, the flight attendants would be put through hell now trying to keep passengers from sneaking into the business class cabin. He headed back to his seat, intent on pointing out to Val that some weapons were not to be used in their personal fights. Val was nowhere in sight. Luke gripped the back of the seat and felt his heart start to thud, even though rationally he knew Val was most likely to have taken up the attendant's offer to look around the cockpit. Val was still out of his sight, in the middle of a very public environment, surrounded by God knows who and as always, completely oblivious to any risks.

He ran Val to earth in the flight cabin where he was charming the socks off the two pilots. From the sweet smile Val gave him, Val was well aware Luke was in a position to do absolutely nothing with him or about him. He waved a hand between the two pilots, addressing himself mostly to them.

"Ah there he is! Gentlemen, this is my bodyguard, Luke McNeil? Luke I shan't be needing you up here, why don't you get yourself a drink or something? He does worry.." he added to the pilots in a tone that made Luke's teeth grate. Luke fixed Val with a gaze that should have turned him to stone and quietly shook his head at him. Val's look was just as hard and completely wicked. Luke had no option here. He left the cabin, folded his arms outside the door and waited. A flight attendant approached Luke. He saw a man with a military bearing, a set chin, and a steely look in his eyes. He was a little hesitant, but spoke up.

"Sir, I'm sorry but you'll have to return to your seat. The regs require it."

Luke thought about arguing, but then decided there really wasn't a point. He didn't think he had much to worry about as no one could get to Val without going past him first. He had serious thoughts about getting a leash for his young charge, one that could be tied down to keep this from happening again.

Val was enjoying his freedom from the gorilla. The pilots were young enough to be totally thrilled with their star passenger, and they showed Val everything they could in the cockpit. Val kept waiting for the door to explode inward, the gorilla having lost his normally good sense of humor. It never happened, which surprised Val as he knew how upset Luke was with him. He pushed the nagging thoughts of trouble from his mind, intent on enjoying himself fully.

The flight attendant that had given Val the coke opened up the door to check if the pilots needed anything. She saw Val there. "Hey, I see you finally made it up front. Are they taking good care of you?"

Val turned his megawatt smile towards the young lady. "Very good care.... Lucie. And you could help love. Would you bring me that drink I asked for earlier? The Bloody Mary?"

"Whatever you want, I'll be right back." Lucie stepped out of the cockpit, a huge smile on her face. Val had called her...love. She was close to swooning.

Luke saw and recognised the look as she emerged from the cabin and raised his eyes to Heaven. Just how far did Val intend on taking this? His blood pressure started to boil as he saw what Lucie was mixing at the bar. He changed position in the chair, gripped the arm rests and stared out of the window, repeating to himself that there was no way he could cause a scene here. Once Val had his drink and had strutted around the cabin for a while, proving beyond doubt he was the centre of attention, there was little else he could do except come back to his seat. At which point, Luke had a few pointed matters to which he intended to direct Mr. Quentin's attention.

Lucie finished the drink and headed back into the cockpit. Her hands were shaking as she was about to hand a drink to such a well known person.

Val turned as Lucie entered. He batted his eyelashes playfully and acted like Lucie was giving him the best present in the world. "Why thank you love." He took a sip of the drink. "That is absolutely perfect my girl. Never had better."

Lucie smiled and quickly left, unsure that her legs would keep her standing.

Val turned his attention back to the pilots, while quickly downing his drink. If Luke didn't see him with it, what harm would there be? Val remained in the cockpit for another 10 minutes.

"Mr. Quentin, I mean Val, we are approaching some rough weather. I'd love to have you stay here, but we don't need headlines tomorrow about you sustaining injuries from turbulence. It's been a pleasure speaking with you, and come back anytime."

Val looked around the cabin, spying the third empty seat. "May I sit here?" He asked, not wanting to return to Luke.

"Sorry, regs don't allow it. I would if it were at all possible."

Val shook the proffered hands of both men, thanking them and leaving. He still had the empty glass from the drink and didn't know quite what to do with it. Just then Lucie opened the door. Val shoved the empty glass towards her. "Thanks, really love. Do me a HUGE favor?"

Lucie smiled "Anything."

"Get me some breath mints, and make sure Luke there doesn't know that drink was for me. He's just a tiny bit over protective. May I stand over in your station for just a minute? Oh, and do you have any bananas?"

Lucie was loving this. She felt like the luckiest person on earth, being asked to conspire with the star of the day. "Of course, come on" she said, taking Val by the elbow and steering him out of Luke's direct line of sight. "Here's the mints, and I think I have a bunch of bananas, yes here they are." She pulled a bunch out of a bin.

"Great! Luke just LOVES bananas. Give him a couple for me, and I'll wait right here. He'll really appreciate it."

"No problem." Lucie floated away down the aisle, mentally planning several phone calls she intended to make to her entire collection of friends when she got home. The tall, grim looking bodyguard had one knee propped up against the wall, and his expression was anything but friendly. With luck the bananas would cheer him up. So nice of that sweet Val Quentin, every bit as nice as he looked on stage- so thoughtful towards his staff.

"Excuse me sir? Luke? Mr. Quentin asked me to give you these with his compliments?"

Luke looked in silence at the bunch of yellow bananas held out to him. Then he reached out a hand and very gently accepted them.

"How very thoughtful of him. Would you tell Mr. Quentin I'm sure they'll build up my strength perfectly for the day ahead?"

The girl smiled and happily went to relay her message. Luke flipped a banana over in his hand and counted slowly to twenty.

You're not going to do it, Val. We are NOT going to make a scene here. We are going to wait for a nice, quiet, private hotel room, and THEN I am going to strangle you.



Lucie returned to her station to find Val with a mouthful of mints, chewing noisily. "I think those bananas will help cheer him up. He said thanks, they'll help him build up his strength for the day. Got some big plans?" She asked innocently.

Val about choked on the mints as the words registered in his brain. They had NO plans for the evening that Luke would need strength for.... He swallowed the mints and was about to speak when the pilot's voice echoed from the speakers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now at 30,000 feet and two hours into our four hour flight. We are approaching some heavy weather here shortly, nothing to worry about but we will probably experience some turbulence. Please make sure your seatbelts are secure. The flight attendants will be making their way down the aisle shortly to collect any drinks or food stuffs that need to be disposed of. Thank you."

Val was all set to ask Lucie where he could sit when Luke made his presence known by clearing his throat.

"MISTER Quentin. There you are. I've been keeping your seat nice and warm for you."

Val gave Lucie a sickly smile and gave in to the steel hand closed on his upper arm.

"Although," Luke went on quietly in his ear, "Not half as warm as you will be the minute I get you somewhere private."

"It was a joke." Val said hopefully. "A great joke- looks like I really had you going?"

"Ha ha." Luke fed Val into the seat ahead of him with exaggerated courtesy. "Have a banana. They go great with Bloody Marys so I hear."

Damn. Val slumped into his seat, annoyed, thwarted, and once more feeling depression creeping over him.

"Seatbelt." Luke said flatly, taking out a newspaper. Val ignored him, folded his arms and gently kicked at the seat in front of him.

"I'm warning you..." Luke said without looking up.

Val huffed in frustration, but put his seatbelt on certain Luke wouldn't let him out of the seat anytime soon. He remained in a horrible mood, hating having to sit still for so long, especially so close to a gorilla who radiated frozen steam.

About fifteen minutes later the plane began to hit the turbulent clouds. The plane bucked and tossed for the next fifteen minutes, leaving Val with a pounding headache, partly from the liquor, partly from the movements of the plane. He pushed the button for the flight attendant before Luke could stop him.

"Quentin, what do you want?" Luke said icily.

"I've got a freaking headache. I want some aspirin. I don't think you have any in your pockets, do you? I didn't think so."

Just then Lucie appeared. "What can I do for you Val?"

"You can get me a bar of soap." Luke said under his breath. Val glowered at him.

"I'll have another Bloody Mary and a couple of aspirin love. And if there's another seat free I'd appreciate it. It's getting a little crowded and stuffy in here."

Luke began to fold his paper with calm, deliberate movements. "That's an excellent idea Val. Is there anywhere a little quieter I could take Mr. Quentin to cool off?"

Val's look became abruptly apprehensive. Lucie looked from one to the other of them, confused.

"I er- I'm not sure. There's the steward's cabin, I could open that up for you."

"No, I'll be fine, I'm sure." Val said quickly, "Just get me a coke and a couple of aspirins and I'll sleep it off I'm sure-"

"No I think you'd settle down a lot better for a little peace and quiet." Luke said sweetly. "That's such a kind offer, miss."

Lucie shot Val a look that he was finding less appealing by the minute. "Oh nothing's too much trouble for Mr. Quentin here."

"Isn't that the truth?" Luke said, bowing Val out into the aisle ahead of him.

Val was NOT happy with the turn of events. He thought he'd be safe at least until the hotel room. Time to turn on the charm. He tried to stop in the aisle, but Luke's hold on his arm remained strong, and Val ended up stumbling from the pressure Luke applied to keep him moving forward. That ticked Val off as they were moving past several other passengers, and Val felt like a small child in the grip of an angry father. Val tried to stop again.

"Quentin, move."

Val saw several passengers look his way, so instead of making a scene he continued the few feet to the steward's cabin, which was located between first and business class.

"Here you go. There is a bunk, you can relax there. I'll be right back with the drink and the aspirin." Lucie said.

"Water and aspirin, thank you." Luke said smiling gently at Lucie.

"Water and aspirin it is." Lucie moved off unsteadily down the aisle, as the plane was still pitching a little.

When Luke let go of his arm, Val immediately jumped into the bunk, intent on keeping his backside as far from Luke as he could. He was feeling decidedly unwell, and didn't feel the least bit inclined to have to parry with Luke in the language before punishment. He turned on his puppy dog eyes, blinked slyly at Luke, and said in a pitifully small voice

"My head hurts sooooooo bad. A nap would do me good. Thank you Luke, for taking such good care of me."

"You want to make me nauseous too?" Luke shook a blanket out from the end of the bed, dropped it over his brat and folded his arms, looking down at him with no visible softening in his face or voice. "You stay here, you stay put and you keep your mouth SHUT for the rest of this trip, do you understand me? One more foot wrong and I'll stop caring how thin those bulkheads are and I'll straighten you out here and now with the rest of the plane listening in."

Luke wasn't given to idle threats and Val knew it. And the temptation to lie down and rest was getting stronger by the second. Luke snapped off the lights by the door, took the aspirins from Lucie and shut the door on her.

"Get those down."

"What time is it?" Val peered to see Luke's watch in the dimness. Luke took the empty glass from him.

"Another hour at least in the air. I'll wake you in plenty of time, sleep this off."

The fact that Val did as he was told took a lot of the edge of Luke's temper. Usually Val would have pushed his luck not just to breaking but to shattering point, making a showdown nothing less than inevitable. Luke shut the door to the cabin and took the steward's seat outside, settling himself for the final hour's journey in peace and quiet.

Val breathed a HUGE sigh of relief as the door closed and he was left in peace and quiet. He promptly fell asleep, the plane's engines sounding almost like a lullaby.

Almost as soon as he thought he had closed his eyes, Luke was waking him up.

"Kitten? Wake up. We're about to land and need to be in our seats. Val?" Luke shook Val's shoulder until he heard the grumblings of a brat awakened too early.

"Go away! I'm still sleeping...." Val said slurring his words.

Luke tried one more time. "Val, come on, we're almost there. Get up sleepyhead."

"No! Leave me be." Val tried to snuggle up in the covers.

Luke yanked the blanket off and quickly swatted Val's seat three times in rapid succession.

"OW! Okay, okay!!! I'm up! Val quickly rolled over, away from the punishing hand. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "I can't go out there like this, Luke. My hair, my face..."

"You look fine Val. We have GOT to get in our seats, now. Come on, you can freshen up at the airport."

"LOOK this may not matter to you, Mr ripped jeans and last years sunglasses, but I've got an image to-"

Val squeaked as Luke collared him, hoisted him to his feet and pushed him towards the door.

"Are you walking or am I dragging? And even think about kicking me and I swear I will blister you here and now. WALK!"

Val walked, swearing under his breath. Luke followed him, thinking longingly about wringing his neck and wondering if it were possible to make it a condition of his contract that he and Val always traveled in separate planes. Or that Val conducted all future plane journeys under heavy sedation. Or that he found the courage to forget all sense of responsibility and took this kid firmly in hand, twenty four hours a day.



The airport was filled with a number of fans that made Luke scowl. Max had obviously briefed the press. He passed their bags to one of Val's numerous aides and himself took a firm grip on Val's hand, pulling him close enough to growl in his ear.

"Walk with me, quickly, quietly-"

"You were the one who said I should chat to the press." Val snapped, trying to free his hand. Cameras were already flashing. Luke drew a deep breath, tightened his fingers as far as he dared without Val staging a public bout of hysteria- which he would not hesitate to do- and pulled the young man with him through the corridors lined with crowds. Val refused to be dragged at anything faster than a leisurely stroll, waving and showing off with the stagecraft that made the photographers love him. They hit a bank of photographers by the main doors and Val pulled his fingers out of Luke's with a dexterous twist that meant he was gone before Luke realised.

"Damn." Luke swore when he realised he was holding nothing but air. He tried to quickly follow Val, but the crowd of photographers surged around him, cutting him off.

Val made a beeline for a particularly good looking young man, intent on nothing but aggravating Luke. The guy had press credentials for some American magazine that he hadn't heard of before. He turned on his megawatt smile and began to ooze the charm. The flashbulbs around him were popping like mad, and all the reporters were anxious to get a question in, making it nearly impossible to hear anything that was said.

Luke began roughly shoving people out of his way, intent on corralling his charge as he had just put himself in a very dangerous situation. Luke continued to scan the crowd for any signs of security issues. The security of the airport had been beefed up as they had been alerted to Val's arrival, and they were having a time of it, trying to control several groups of screaming teenagers. They were a little upset with Val as they had hoped that he would make a beeline for the exit. The increased foot traffic and screaming kids made normal security for the airport a lot tougher.

Luke was well aware of the disapproving mutters of the airport security staff and the eyes flickering towards him that silently demanded what he thought he was doing, leaving his charge to walk unprotected around such a crowd. Luke resorted to swearing steadily under his breath as he tried to force his way through to Val. In front of so many press he could hardly stage a scene, yet he knew well that Val would do nothing for him now without brute force. Val's self destruct button had clicked: he would take this battle of wills to ridiculous extremes and care nothing whatever for the consequences until he was actually facing them.

Val took his time, doing every last thing he knew Luke hated. Shaking every hand outheld. Accepting any flower or soft toy offered to him. Stopping to chat with his sunglasses off and his hands in his pocket in anything like the defensive positions Luke had trained him in. Knowing he was driving Luke absolutely crazy. He was certain that no harm would come to him, Luke was just too overprotective, and didn't ever understand what was needed to keep everyone screaming his name.

Val turned away from the reporters and caught a glimpse of Luke. The look he got turned his stomach inside out. Luke looked absolutely ready to kill, and was headed straight for him. Val turned quickly away, searching for an opening, some way to get away from Luke, or at least stall him from being able to leave. Val realised he had gone way beyond the rules of proper behavior, and that Luke would more than likely take it upon himself to show Val the error of his ways, in a way that Val would find much more than heart warming.

He spied a young lady that was holding out a stuffed toy. It was a gorilla! Val headed straight for her, intent on taking the toy and presenting it to Luke, making a big deal of it in front of the press. A gorilla for his gorilla. Luke's hand snagged discreetly on his belt before he got there and a voice breathed in his ear,

"You take one more step and I'll do it HERE!"

Val gave Luke a sweet smile, leaned across and took the toy gorilla, taking the time to kiss the outstretched hand as he did so. Then he gently put the gorilla into Luke's hand.

"Hold this for me Luke?"