(fic) A Dramatic Turn Chp 4
Title: A Dramatic Turn
Summary: At the start of something more, Laura and Bill's relationship gets complicated when they are dragged into a dangerous game of life and death.
Word count: 958 (I'm tempted to run through and add 50 words randomly, but oh well)
Co-written with nvgvup and newnumbertwo
Chapter Four
For a heartbeat, Bill wondered if he'd misunderstood the woman in his arms. She was pressed against him quite tightly, breath hot against his neck, her mane of hair brushing his lips and tickling his nose. Perhaps he was merely hallucinating some strange fantasy.
“The young woman behind me,” Laura murmured, breaking the trance Bill had found himself in, and somehow managing to pull herself closer. “Is she still watching me?”
His protective side rising up at the apparent threat this woman was, Bill's grip tightened around Laura while his eyes sought out who she indicated. A young dark haired woman dressed in the uniform of someone from the terrorist squad was staring at them.
“Yes,” he answered cautiously.
“Alright.. pretend like you're holding me up.”
Bill barely had time to process the request before Laura moved herself from his chest to lean heavily on his side. He hastily slipped an arm around her waist, actually fearing she was about to crumple.
“AD Shaw,” Laura's voice was shaky. “I believe I've found my escort off the premises. Thank you.”
The young woman glowered at them, but made no move to follow as they headed down the steps and away from the building. They had made it past the newly erected police barricade when Bill finally repeated the question that had been on his mind since he abandoned the bus.
“Laura, what is going on?”
The worried look on her face, which had never really left, deepened. She sighed, closing her eyes as she stopped walking, forcing Bill to stop as well.
“Let's get to my office, I'll try to fill you in.”
She moved forward to lead the way and he let his arm drop from her waist. No point in holding up the charade any longer, she had just been using him as a prop. They just happened to be getting along. That was it. Not dating. “You said there was a bomb?”
“Yes.” Laura ran a hand through her hair, a frustrated gesture he had only seen her use when discussing finances and their current president.
Bill tried to understand why this meant they were moving away from the bomb squad.
“He said the student center,” she was practically talking to herself. “But it can't be that simple.”
“Who?”
“Zarek.”
“Zarek?” Bill's worry spiked. “I thought that man was in prison.”
“Apparently not,” Laura continued. “He ran up and said 'hi' to me about a half hour ago.”
“What?” He grabbed Laura's arm, stopping her from moving forward. “People need to know that, Laura.”
“I told them,” she responded, almost distracted. “They don't believe me..” It wasn't enough to side track her, and she quickly continued with her speculating. “Why target the student center? Why bother telling me?”
“Talking to the Dean of Liberal Arts does seem a bit random,” Bill pointed out, letting go of her arm.
“Well, we did work together- briefly.”
“You knew him?”
“I helped put him away.” Deciding they had dawdled in the park long enough, Laura began towards her office once again. “This could just be his idea of revenge, try and torment me by putting others fate's in my hands. But I do think he would actually allow me to succeed. If he wanted me to fail, he wouldn't rig the game, he would want to really beat me.”
“You seem to understand him rather well,” he prodded.
“He asked me out once,” Laura confessed. “It didn't go anywhere. He was little too.. egocentric.”
Bill absorbed the unspoken information that she had actually said 'yes'. The rational part of his mind tried to remind him she obviously didn't know he was a terrorist at the time, but it was quickly squashed by the simple information that Laura had gone on a date with a terrorist. No wonder she wasn't interested in him. He simply wasn't exciting enough. After all, he had spent the afternoon in a coffee house, while she was apparently running around confronting known criminals who had recently escaped from prison.
“Oh!” Laura stopped short of entering her building and Bill nearly ran into her. She turned to look back at him, almost sheepishly. “I'm sorry I missed lunch.”
“It's alright. You were.. busy.”
She grimaced. “I had a meeting that went far longer than it should have, and then I ran into Zarek.”
“Your day can only get better from here, then.” Bill concluded.
Laura looked amused at his prediction, smiling faintly as she pushed the door open and entered the building. “My office is on the second floor.”
“Do you leave your terrorist detection kit in there?” Bill teased, following her up the stairs.
She hummed in response. “I just might have.”
They had made it to the second floor when Bill's idiocy took over and he practically blurted, “You really went out with him?”
“I did. I was..” A faint blush appeared across Laura's cheeks, “looking for clues.”
“Clues?”
“He was a bit strange, I thought maybe I could figure out why if I went out with him.”
“Dangerous.”
“Only if he was.”
“He was,” Bill pointed out.
Laura chose not to respond, stopping in front of a door which had her name across it. She reached into her pocket for a key, but paused, frowning at the door handle. She reached forward tentatively and pushed the door with her fingertips. The hinges squeaked as it started to swing open.
A depressurized hiss sounded after. Reacting on instinct, Bill threw himself at Laura, trying to cover her body with his as he knocked them to the ground.
Splinters burst out into the hallway as the door, and it's frame, exploded. A quick tongue of fire followed, sending alarms blaring and triggering the sprinkler system.
Summary: At the start of something more, Laura and Bill's relationship gets complicated when they are dragged into a dangerous game of life and death.
Word count: 958 (I'm tempted to run through and add 50 words randomly, but oh well)
Co-written with nvgvup and newnumbertwo
Chapter Four
For a heartbeat, Bill wondered if he'd misunderstood the woman in his arms. She was pressed against him quite tightly, breath hot against his neck, her mane of hair brushing his lips and tickling his nose. Perhaps he was merely hallucinating some strange fantasy.
“The young woman behind me,” Laura murmured, breaking the trance Bill had found himself in, and somehow managing to pull herself closer. “Is she still watching me?”
His protective side rising up at the apparent threat this woman was, Bill's grip tightened around Laura while his eyes sought out who she indicated. A young dark haired woman dressed in the uniform of someone from the terrorist squad was staring at them.
“Yes,” he answered cautiously.
“Alright.. pretend like you're holding me up.”
Bill barely had time to process the request before Laura moved herself from his chest to lean heavily on his side. He hastily slipped an arm around her waist, actually fearing she was about to crumple.
“AD Shaw,” Laura's voice was shaky. “I believe I've found my escort off the premises. Thank you.”
The young woman glowered at them, but made no move to follow as they headed down the steps and away from the building. They had made it past the newly erected police barricade when Bill finally repeated the question that had been on his mind since he abandoned the bus.
“Laura, what is going on?”
The worried look on her face, which had never really left, deepened. She sighed, closing her eyes as she stopped walking, forcing Bill to stop as well.
“Let's get to my office, I'll try to fill you in.”
She moved forward to lead the way and he let his arm drop from her waist. No point in holding up the charade any longer, she had just been using him as a prop. They just happened to be getting along. That was it. Not dating. “You said there was a bomb?”
“Yes.” Laura ran a hand through her hair, a frustrated gesture he had only seen her use when discussing finances and their current president.
Bill tried to understand why this meant they were moving away from the bomb squad.
“He said the student center,” she was practically talking to herself. “But it can't be that simple.”
“Who?”
“Zarek.”
“Zarek?” Bill's worry spiked. “I thought that man was in prison.”
“Apparently not,” Laura continued. “He ran up and said 'hi' to me about a half hour ago.”
“What?” He grabbed Laura's arm, stopping her from moving forward. “People need to know that, Laura.”
“I told them,” she responded, almost distracted. “They don't believe me..” It wasn't enough to side track her, and she quickly continued with her speculating. “Why target the student center? Why bother telling me?”
“Talking to the Dean of Liberal Arts does seem a bit random,” Bill pointed out, letting go of her arm.
“Well, we did work together- briefly.”
“You knew him?”
“I helped put him away.” Deciding they had dawdled in the park long enough, Laura began towards her office once again. “This could just be his idea of revenge, try and torment me by putting others fate's in my hands. But I do think he would actually allow me to succeed. If he wanted me to fail, he wouldn't rig the game, he would want to really beat me.”
“You seem to understand him rather well,” he prodded.
“He asked me out once,” Laura confessed. “It didn't go anywhere. He was little too.. egocentric.”
Bill absorbed the unspoken information that she had actually said 'yes'. The rational part of his mind tried to remind him she obviously didn't know he was a terrorist at the time, but it was quickly squashed by the simple information that Laura had gone on a date with a terrorist. No wonder she wasn't interested in him. He simply wasn't exciting enough. After all, he had spent the afternoon in a coffee house, while she was apparently running around confronting known criminals who had recently escaped from prison.
“Oh!” Laura stopped short of entering her building and Bill nearly ran into her. She turned to look back at him, almost sheepishly. “I'm sorry I missed lunch.”
“It's alright. You were.. busy.”
She grimaced. “I had a meeting that went far longer than it should have, and then I ran into Zarek.”
“Your day can only get better from here, then.” Bill concluded.
Laura looked amused at his prediction, smiling faintly as she pushed the door open and entered the building. “My office is on the second floor.”
“Do you leave your terrorist detection kit in there?” Bill teased, following her up the stairs.
She hummed in response. “I just might have.”
They had made it to the second floor when Bill's idiocy took over and he practically blurted, “You really went out with him?”
“I did. I was..” A faint blush appeared across Laura's cheeks, “looking for clues.”
“Clues?”
“He was a bit strange, I thought maybe I could figure out why if I went out with him.”
“Dangerous.”
“Only if he was.”
“He was,” Bill pointed out.
Laura chose not to respond, stopping in front of a door which had her name across it. She reached into her pocket for a key, but paused, frowning at the door handle. She reached forward tentatively and pushed the door with her fingertips. The hinges squeaked as it started to swing open.
A depressurized hiss sounded after. Reacting on instinct, Bill threw himself at Laura, trying to cover her body with his as he knocked them to the ground.
Splinters burst out into the hallway as the door, and it's frame, exploded. A quick tongue of fire followed, sending alarms blaring and triggering the sprinkler system.