3. 3B. Just like old times.
This is so
This is familiar this is so
This is so foreign
That's okay
Foreign's familiar to me now
- Butterfly Boucher - Busy
Even if he had a feeling that Charlie disagreed with it, along with his chief, Jake had been taking a lot more shifts at work lately than usual after his fight with Valerie. He didn't bother explaining to anyone, not even his sister or Charlie, what had really happened, but from Jake it was almost even expected. Valerie was right, after all - whenever a subject came up that he didn't want to talk about, he'd shut down. Evade and avoid. He had gotten so good at it throughout the years, that he had started doing it without even realizing it. Hell, he had even started doing it to his own kid.
After finishing up another double shift, instead of going home how he had said he would do, he drove over to the gym where Jake had begun going back to lately. He had been going there for years, ever since he was a scrawny college kid just learning how to box, but had ceased going as frequently after his injuries from his encounter with Ian. Of course; just like with everything in his life, Ian had fucked that up too.
Since he was tired and his body was starting to get worn out, though, the work out today didn't last as long as he would have liked. He took out his frustrations on the punching bag for as long as he could, but when his back started feeling as if he was being stabbed he decided to call it a day, shower, and get ready to go home. Maybe then he'd be able to sleep.
As he walked out of the locker room, hair still wet from the shower, he popped a pill into his mouth just as he saw someone walking up to him. Someone who he hadn't seen in two years, and that almost made him choke from the surprise of seeing her there, in front of him.
People knew her by Maya - especially the men that go to the strip club where she works in Salem. She's not mainly a stripper; Maya also tends the bar from time to time. She's friendly to the customers, but not overly so; yet, even if she's not the sweetest girl in the world she's good enough company for those passing by. Because Maya had always been good with those. She specialized with those that simply 'passed by.'
Jake knew her a little deeper than that, though. Her real name was Danielle Summers. She always took her coffee black, and she'd make up for the lack of sugar in the pastries that she would eat with it. She tended to drum her fingers whenever she's thinking, but for all he knows by now she had developed other sort of nervous tics.
Initially he had met Danielle five years ago. She had sought him out to give him Ian Randal's name and a glimpse of his past after she had found out the atrocities that he was responsible of. Safety in exchange for information - that had been the deal, and they had both carried it off to the dot. He placed her in a program that helped her hide out safely until Ian was arrested, and she had informed him of Ian's identity. She'd let him ask all the questions he wanted to ask, as long as it was just him in the interrogations and as long as he provided the coffee and the cigarettes.
Now there they were, so different from where they had first begun.
"Hello, Detective," she said when Jake still hadn't managed to say anything yet. As the shock began wearing off Jake noticed that she no longer looked like the naive 21 year old he had met, who had been a runaway and that had been impressed with a man that had ended up being a monster. Then again, he figured that maybe that was what happened after the life that she had been leading so far. "Sorry to come at you like this, I just... I was in town, and I figured I'd drop by."
"No no, that's... It's fine." He frowned a bit. "How'd you know where I'd be?"
Danielle smiled a bit at that. "Well I was going to say hello in front of the police station, but wasn't sure how you'd take that. Then I followed you here, and since I didn't want to interrupt..." She paused. "That sounds very stalkerish, doesn't it."
"A bit," Jake responded with a smart ass smirk. "How've you been, Dani?"
"It's Maya." The correction didn't carry any real reproach, however; she seemed more amused by it than anything else. "Good. I've been good. And you? You..."
"...look like crap, you can say it."
Danielle smiled, but didn't agree or deny the statement. For a moment she seemed hesitant to say anything else, because she couldn't help but begin wondering if coming to see him had been a good idea. In her pocket she held the letter that she had gotten from Ian just a few days ago, the one that had made her seek Jake out so she could let him know, but now... She couldn't ignore the fact that in a way it was like falling into old patterns. The letter from Ian had been enough to scare her, and had made her think of the only one she could think of to keep her safe. Jake's offer to safety had been in exchange for information that he had needed, but they had used each other in the end anyway. Dani had been the fountain of information about Ian that Jake had needed, and Jake had ended up protecting her just how she had needed.
Meanwhile, Jake could only watch her. He had last seen her two years ago, after he and Mia had begun their divorce. He still couldn't understand what had made him seek her out the way he had done that night, but he had his theories. Not that he liked them, but... "You alright?" he couldn't help but ask, noticing how torn she seemed. "There's a diner down the street, if you want a cup of coffee. We could... I don't know. Catch up, I guess."
The suggestion brought immediate relief, and she didn't bother hiding it as she nodded. She'd tell him about the letter later. Much later. If she told him at all. "Sounds good. I think we both need it."
"Well that I can't argue with." She smiled at that and followed him to his car, both of them relatively silent on the way to the car. Jake felt needed again, just in the way she was looking at him, and that felt better than he thought it would. Because this was apparently the way they functioned. They both used each other, whether they realized it or not. They were simply both falling back into old patterns, just like old times.
Some things never really changed.
This is familiar this is so
This is so foreign
That's okay
Foreign's familiar to me now
- Butterfly Boucher - Busy
Even if he had a feeling that Charlie disagreed with it, along with his chief, Jake had been taking a lot more shifts at work lately than usual after his fight with Valerie. He didn't bother explaining to anyone, not even his sister or Charlie, what had really happened, but from Jake it was almost even expected. Valerie was right, after all - whenever a subject came up that he didn't want to talk about, he'd shut down. Evade and avoid. He had gotten so good at it throughout the years, that he had started doing it without even realizing it. Hell, he had even started doing it to his own kid.
After finishing up another double shift, instead of going home how he had said he would do, he drove over to the gym where Jake had begun going back to lately. He had been going there for years, ever since he was a scrawny college kid just learning how to box, but had ceased going as frequently after his injuries from his encounter with Ian. Of course; just like with everything in his life, Ian had fucked that up too.
Since he was tired and his body was starting to get worn out, though, the work out today didn't last as long as he would have liked. He took out his frustrations on the punching bag for as long as he could, but when his back started feeling as if he was being stabbed he decided to call it a day, shower, and get ready to go home. Maybe then he'd be able to sleep.
As he walked out of the locker room, hair still wet from the shower, he popped a pill into his mouth just as he saw someone walking up to him. Someone who he hadn't seen in two years, and that almost made him choke from the surprise of seeing her there, in front of him.
People knew her by Maya - especially the men that go to the strip club where she works in Salem. She's not mainly a stripper; Maya also tends the bar from time to time. She's friendly to the customers, but not overly so; yet, even if she's not the sweetest girl in the world she's good enough company for those passing by. Because Maya had always been good with those. She specialized with those that simply 'passed by.'
Jake knew her a little deeper than that, though. Her real name was Danielle Summers. She always took her coffee black, and she'd make up for the lack of sugar in the pastries that she would eat with it. She tended to drum her fingers whenever she's thinking, but for all he knows by now she had developed other sort of nervous tics.
Initially he had met Danielle five years ago. She had sought him out to give him Ian Randal's name and a glimpse of his past after she had found out the atrocities that he was responsible of. Safety in exchange for information - that had been the deal, and they had both carried it off to the dot. He placed her in a program that helped her hide out safely until Ian was arrested, and she had informed him of Ian's identity. She'd let him ask all the questions he wanted to ask, as long as it was just him in the interrogations and as long as he provided the coffee and the cigarettes.
Now there they were, so different from where they had first begun.
"Hello, Detective," she said when Jake still hadn't managed to say anything yet. As the shock began wearing off Jake noticed that she no longer looked like the naive 21 year old he had met, who had been a runaway and that had been impressed with a man that had ended up being a monster. Then again, he figured that maybe that was what happened after the life that she had been leading so far. "Sorry to come at you like this, I just... I was in town, and I figured I'd drop by."
"No no, that's... It's fine." He frowned a bit. "How'd you know where I'd be?"
Danielle smiled a bit at that. "Well I was going to say hello in front of the police station, but wasn't sure how you'd take that. Then I followed you here, and since I didn't want to interrupt..." She paused. "That sounds very stalkerish, doesn't it."
"A bit," Jake responded with a smart ass smirk. "How've you been, Dani?"
"It's Maya." The correction didn't carry any real reproach, however; she seemed more amused by it than anything else. "Good. I've been good. And you? You..."
"...look like crap, you can say it."
Danielle smiled, but didn't agree or deny the statement. For a moment she seemed hesitant to say anything else, because she couldn't help but begin wondering if coming to see him had been a good idea. In her pocket she held the letter that she had gotten from Ian just a few days ago, the one that had made her seek Jake out so she could let him know, but now... She couldn't ignore the fact that in a way it was like falling into old patterns. The letter from Ian had been enough to scare her, and had made her think of the only one she could think of to keep her safe. Jake's offer to safety had been in exchange for information that he had needed, but they had used each other in the end anyway. Dani had been the fountain of information about Ian that Jake had needed, and Jake had ended up protecting her just how she had needed.
Meanwhile, Jake could only watch her. He had last seen her two years ago, after he and Mia had begun their divorce. He still couldn't understand what had made him seek her out the way he had done that night, but he had his theories. Not that he liked them, but... "You alright?" he couldn't help but ask, noticing how torn she seemed. "There's a diner down the street, if you want a cup of coffee. We could... I don't know. Catch up, I guess."
The suggestion brought immediate relief, and she didn't bother hiding it as she nodded. She'd tell him about the letter later. Much later. If she told him at all. "Sounds good. I think we both need it."
"Well that I can't argue with." She smiled at that and followed him to his car, both of them relatively silent on the way to the car. Jake felt needed again, just in the way she was looking at him, and that felt better than he thought it would. Because this was apparently the way they functioned. They both used each other, whether they realized it or not. They were simply both falling back into old patterns, just like old times.
Some things never really changed.