31 : Homestand
By the time she was pulling into the parking lot at Camden Yards, Stark was having a hard time containing her honest, childlike glee at her entire day. At least, how the rest of it was shaping up.
Work was still an interesting proposition. Going through the X-Files was hurting her brain as she tried to figure out logically things that there weren't logical answers for. It confused her and she was more than a little intimidated and scared by her new assignment. But she had asked for it, and she stuck to her partner's reassurance that it would be alright in the end. Although she and John were now a couple, not that much was different about their working relationship. Both of them kept a distance between their professional and personal lives and they functioned with the same ease and banter, which assuaged her paranoia that someone was going to figure them out and fire them both. Or maybe that was her disbelief at the fact that he actually wanted to be with her, of all people. (She only shot him one slightly flirtatious look, once, and she couldn't keep from laughing when she did it. He was a turn-on. Equivocal deaths weren't.)
She put the Impala in park and stepped out of the car, knowing her partner/best friend/boyfriend would be right there behind her. She was glad to have him; they'd come to games together dozens of times over the years. It was always a little more fun when it was an Orioles-Rangers game (or the year before, an Orioles-Reds game) because he knew about her little thing for Josh Hamilton. Of course, now it just became strange because now they were dating. She was going to be socializing with her brother, her brother's longtime girlfriend, her new boyfriend, and possibly the baseball player she had a thing for...all in the same night. It was going to be an interesting evening, that was for sure.
As he'd promised, her brother Kevin met them outside the press gate and Stark did her best not to just tackle him. They hadn't seen each other in a while, between his traveling with the team as Assistant Director of Scouting and her trying to get herself demoted. She just grabbed him in a huge hug, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Hey, you," she said, unable to keep the smile off her face. "I've missed you so much."
"Missed you too. I promise, we are going to have a blast tonight," he assured her, pulling back and holding her out so he could get a look at her. "And you still have to tell me what these 'things' are going on with you."
Stark didn't even look but she could guess John was giving her a piqued look, and she just said, "Yeah, yeah, I'll explain later. Come on, already. Where's Kathleen? And did you manage to find Josh Hamilton for me?"
Kevin gave her a coy smile as he led them through the gate, handing them the tickets that were for a pair of box seats behind home plate, just off the home dugout. Never let it be said he didn't take care of his sister; if he had just so happened to upgrade her season tickets when she wasn't looking, that was something he'd never tell. "Kath is gonna meet us down on the field," he explained. "And I may have...arranged something..."
"You didn't!" Stark blurted before she could stop herself.
Her brother knew the stunned look on her face was worth the work he'd put into the situation. "I talked to a couple of people in the front office, and he's down on the field taking batting practice right now," he explained, grinning from ear to ear. "Surprise?"
"Um yeah. That's a surprise." She shook her head. "Kevin, right now, this moment, you are my absolute favorite person on the planet." A pause, realizing what she'd just said. "No offense, John."
They made their way down to the field, where the Rangers were taking batting practice. Stark, who had chosen to avoid wearing her Josh Hamilton All-Star jersey so as not to be beaten up and had stuck with her own personalized Orioles jersey instead, nonetheless could spot exactly who she was looking for in a matter of seconds. Still, she had the restraint enough to not rush in that direction, and at least stop to say hello to her brother's girlfriend. Kathleen Clement had been dating Kevin for about three years, but neither she nor Stark's brother were in any hurry to get married. It didn't matter; Stark liked the other woman and as long as her brother was happy, she was happy.
"Hi, Kathleen. Good to see you again," she said, giving the younger woman a quick hug. "You've met John, right? My partner, best friend, center of the universe?"
"We've met, yeah, but it's been a long time." Kathleen shook her partner's hand before she looked Stark over. "You look really good."
"Well I laid off the chain-smoking," Stark quipped.
"No, you look like you're almost glowing. It's a nice look on you."
Oops. Stark knew what that was from, and so did her partner. She just looked away bashfully. "Thanks," she said. "I've...it's been a good last couple of weeks." There. That wasn't lying. It actually had been a good few weeks, now that everything was right again. "How are you?" she said quickly. "How's everything?"
"Everything's good. Really busy," Kathleen assured her. "It's good to be home."
"Yeah, I know that feeling." Stark laughed at that; she hadn't really felt comfortable in her own skin until she'd been reunited with the man who'd had her back for the entirety of her Bureau career.
They chatted amicably for a few minutes, before Kevin reminded Stark that she did have an appointment to keep, and snagged his sister for her much sought after social opportunity. Though she was a loyal Orioles fan, Stark had an unabashed crush on Josh Hamilton, and wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to meet the much-talked-about outfielder. She wasn't nearly as nervous as she thought she might be; it wasn't as if anything was going to happen. He was married, and she had a boyfriend. (That was still an odd sentence to have rolling around in her head.)
Kevin took the lead, saying, "This is my sister that I told you about. I wanted to introduce you two."
And then Josh Hamilton was looking at her, offering a hand and saying, "It's good to put a face to the name. Good to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Stark." She shook his offered hand with a smile. "I'm a huge fan. What you're doing is just...it's awesome."
"Thank you. I'm certainly trying my best."
"That's all anyone can ever ask of you, isn't it?" she remarked.
She could easily have stood there and talked with him for a long time. He had seen a lot in his life, and it fascinated her. At the same time she knew what it was like to feel completely down and out, and then come charging back again. When she had left the BCPD, she wasn't even sure that she still had the guts to be a law enforcement officer, let alone a federal agent. Now even if her career would never be memorable, at least her life had its own personal purpose and meaning. She wished him the best, and let him get back to his batting practice. After all, there was one Patrick family tradition that she and her brother still needed to get to.
"Lemme go find a ball," Kevin quipped. "Unless you wanna use that one."
Stark, still holding the ball Josh Hamilton had autographed for her, gaped and hugged it to her body. "In your freaking dreams," she said, though she was laughing because she knew he was teasing. "No one is prying this out of my hands."
"Then how do you expect to catch anything?"
"Okay, that's a fair point."
She settled for tucking the baseball into her pocket and found a reasonably sized area in right field where she and her brother could toss a few pitches back and forth. It was something they had done with their father as kids, and still always did when they were together for Orioles games. Some people went out, or had family dinners; the Patrick kids, raised as baseball junkies, played catch at Camden Yards.
"Okay, so now," Kevin said, tossing her the ball, "I held up my end of the deal, introduced you to your man-crush, so tell me what these 'things' are."
Stark swallowed. She knew she couldn't tell many people or she and her partner were both going to be in big trouble, but this was her brother. She did not keep secrets from her brother whatsoever. She caught the ball, purposely juggled it for a moment while she tried to find the right words, then sighed. "It's really just one thing," she said, pitching it back to him. "I'm not single anymore."
"Hey, that's good news," Kevin replied, fielding the ball cleanly. "So when do I get to meet the guy trying to sweep my sister off her feet?"
"You already have, and he already has," Stark found herself admitting. They'd only been together for a couple of days; it was going to be a while before she relaxed and thought about saying those three little words to her partner. But she knew that she was falling for him. After all, she loved him like another brother; romantic love wasn't that hard to imagine. Especially not when he charmed her the way that he had.
Kevin, however, didn't get the hint. "Wait, it's somebody that I know?" he said, arching an eyebrow as he threw the ball back to her. "Who?"
That made her laugh as she jumped up slightly to catch the ball that started to go over her head. "John and I are seeing each other, Kevin," she said with a chuckle. "He asked me out like, three days ago."
"Wait, you..." Now her brother stopped dead. "You're dating your partner? Isn't that like, illegal?"
"Very. So don't tell anybody." She nodded, then exhaled. "I dunno. He's my best friend and he's everything to me, and he just -- he sort of goaded me into kissing him, and he asked me out, and I like it. We're just...taking things slow and seeing what happens."
"Wow. I mean, that's not bad, I just..." Kevin glanced back toward where his girlfriend was having a conversation with her boyfriend and shook his head. "I figured if you guys were gonna hook up, you'd have done it a long time ago."
Stark laughed out loud at that one. "Yeah, me too," she agreed. "But better late than never, right?"
At least the secret was off her chest, and she was seeing someone she already knew that her brother approved of. Once batting practice wrapped up, Kevin and Kathleen made their way back to the Orioles' staff box, leaving Stark and her partner to themselves in their dugout club seats. Kevin's only hint that he knew what his sister had told him was a coy comment to his girlfriend: "The kids might want some time to themselves." Never mind both his sister and her partner were nearing or around forty. Stark just laughed and let him go. She loved spending time with him but she'd never turn down alone time with her partner.
Her best friend.
The man she loved.
Especially not when it was a nine to one Orioles rout. Even if Josh Hamilton did go hitless. It was okay. She wasn't nearly as in love with him as she'd once thought she was. Not when she had someone who loved her more than she ever thought possible.
It was, quite possibly, the best day of her life in a very long time.
Work was still an interesting proposition. Going through the X-Files was hurting her brain as she tried to figure out logically things that there weren't logical answers for. It confused her and she was more than a little intimidated and scared by her new assignment. But she had asked for it, and she stuck to her partner's reassurance that it would be alright in the end. Although she and John were now a couple, not that much was different about their working relationship. Both of them kept a distance between their professional and personal lives and they functioned with the same ease and banter, which assuaged her paranoia that someone was going to figure them out and fire them both. Or maybe that was her disbelief at the fact that he actually wanted to be with her, of all people. (She only shot him one slightly flirtatious look, once, and she couldn't keep from laughing when she did it. He was a turn-on. Equivocal deaths weren't.)
She put the Impala in park and stepped out of the car, knowing her partner/best friend/boyfriend would be right there behind her. She was glad to have him; they'd come to games together dozens of times over the years. It was always a little more fun when it was an Orioles-Rangers game (or the year before, an Orioles-Reds game) because he knew about her little thing for Josh Hamilton. Of course, now it just became strange because now they were dating. She was going to be socializing with her brother, her brother's longtime girlfriend, her new boyfriend, and possibly the baseball player she had a thing for...all in the same night. It was going to be an interesting evening, that was for sure.
As he'd promised, her brother Kevin met them outside the press gate and Stark did her best not to just tackle him. They hadn't seen each other in a while, between his traveling with the team as Assistant Director of Scouting and her trying to get herself demoted. She just grabbed him in a huge hug, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Hey, you," she said, unable to keep the smile off her face. "I've missed you so much."
"Missed you too. I promise, we are going to have a blast tonight," he assured her, pulling back and holding her out so he could get a look at her. "And you still have to tell me what these 'things' are going on with you."
Stark didn't even look but she could guess John was giving her a piqued look, and she just said, "Yeah, yeah, I'll explain later. Come on, already. Where's Kathleen? And did you manage to find Josh Hamilton for me?"
Kevin gave her a coy smile as he led them through the gate, handing them the tickets that were for a pair of box seats behind home plate, just off the home dugout. Never let it be said he didn't take care of his sister; if he had just so happened to upgrade her season tickets when she wasn't looking, that was something he'd never tell. "Kath is gonna meet us down on the field," he explained. "And I may have...arranged something..."
"You didn't!" Stark blurted before she could stop herself.
Her brother knew the stunned look on her face was worth the work he'd put into the situation. "I talked to a couple of people in the front office, and he's down on the field taking batting practice right now," he explained, grinning from ear to ear. "Surprise?"
"Um yeah. That's a surprise." She shook her head. "Kevin, right now, this moment, you are my absolute favorite person on the planet." A pause, realizing what she'd just said. "No offense, John."
They made their way down to the field, where the Rangers were taking batting practice. Stark, who had chosen to avoid wearing her Josh Hamilton All-Star jersey so as not to be beaten up and had stuck with her own personalized Orioles jersey instead, nonetheless could spot exactly who she was looking for in a matter of seconds. Still, she had the restraint enough to not rush in that direction, and at least stop to say hello to her brother's girlfriend. Kathleen Clement had been dating Kevin for about three years, but neither she nor Stark's brother were in any hurry to get married. It didn't matter; Stark liked the other woman and as long as her brother was happy, she was happy.
"Hi, Kathleen. Good to see you again," she said, giving the younger woman a quick hug. "You've met John, right? My partner, best friend, center of the universe?"
"We've met, yeah, but it's been a long time." Kathleen shook her partner's hand before she looked Stark over. "You look really good."
"Well I laid off the chain-smoking," Stark quipped.
"No, you look like you're almost glowing. It's a nice look on you."
Oops. Stark knew what that was from, and so did her partner. She just looked away bashfully. "Thanks," she said. "I've...it's been a good last couple of weeks." There. That wasn't lying. It actually had been a good few weeks, now that everything was right again. "How are you?" she said quickly. "How's everything?"
"Everything's good. Really busy," Kathleen assured her. "It's good to be home."
"Yeah, I know that feeling." Stark laughed at that; she hadn't really felt comfortable in her own skin until she'd been reunited with the man who'd had her back for the entirety of her Bureau career.
They chatted amicably for a few minutes, before Kevin reminded Stark that she did have an appointment to keep, and snagged his sister for her much sought after social opportunity. Though she was a loyal Orioles fan, Stark had an unabashed crush on Josh Hamilton, and wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to meet the much-talked-about outfielder. She wasn't nearly as nervous as she thought she might be; it wasn't as if anything was going to happen. He was married, and she had a boyfriend. (That was still an odd sentence to have rolling around in her head.)
Kevin took the lead, saying, "This is my sister that I told you about. I wanted to introduce you two."
And then Josh Hamilton was looking at her, offering a hand and saying, "It's good to put a face to the name. Good to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Stark." She shook his offered hand with a smile. "I'm a huge fan. What you're doing is just...it's awesome."
"Thank you. I'm certainly trying my best."
"That's all anyone can ever ask of you, isn't it?" she remarked.
She could easily have stood there and talked with him for a long time. He had seen a lot in his life, and it fascinated her. At the same time she knew what it was like to feel completely down and out, and then come charging back again. When she had left the BCPD, she wasn't even sure that she still had the guts to be a law enforcement officer, let alone a federal agent. Now even if her career would never be memorable, at least her life had its own personal purpose and meaning. She wished him the best, and let him get back to his batting practice. After all, there was one Patrick family tradition that she and her brother still needed to get to.
"Lemme go find a ball," Kevin quipped. "Unless you wanna use that one."
Stark, still holding the ball Josh Hamilton had autographed for her, gaped and hugged it to her body. "In your freaking dreams," she said, though she was laughing because she knew he was teasing. "No one is prying this out of my hands."
"Then how do you expect to catch anything?"
"Okay, that's a fair point."
She settled for tucking the baseball into her pocket and found a reasonably sized area in right field where she and her brother could toss a few pitches back and forth. It was something they had done with their father as kids, and still always did when they were together for Orioles games. Some people went out, or had family dinners; the Patrick kids, raised as baseball junkies, played catch at Camden Yards.
"Okay, so now," Kevin said, tossing her the ball, "I held up my end of the deal, introduced you to your man-crush, so tell me what these 'things' are."
Stark swallowed. She knew she couldn't tell many people or she and her partner were both going to be in big trouble, but this was her brother. She did not keep secrets from her brother whatsoever. She caught the ball, purposely juggled it for a moment while she tried to find the right words, then sighed. "It's really just one thing," she said, pitching it back to him. "I'm not single anymore."
"Hey, that's good news," Kevin replied, fielding the ball cleanly. "So when do I get to meet the guy trying to sweep my sister off her feet?"
"You already have, and he already has," Stark found herself admitting. They'd only been together for a couple of days; it was going to be a while before she relaxed and thought about saying those three little words to her partner. But she knew that she was falling for him. After all, she loved him like another brother; romantic love wasn't that hard to imagine. Especially not when he charmed her the way that he had.
Kevin, however, didn't get the hint. "Wait, it's somebody that I know?" he said, arching an eyebrow as he threw the ball back to her. "Who?"
That made her laugh as she jumped up slightly to catch the ball that started to go over her head. "John and I are seeing each other, Kevin," she said with a chuckle. "He asked me out like, three days ago."
"Wait, you..." Now her brother stopped dead. "You're dating your partner? Isn't that like, illegal?"
"Very. So don't tell anybody." She nodded, then exhaled. "I dunno. He's my best friend and he's everything to me, and he just -- he sort of goaded me into kissing him, and he asked me out, and I like it. We're just...taking things slow and seeing what happens."
"Wow. I mean, that's not bad, I just..." Kevin glanced back toward where his girlfriend was having a conversation with her boyfriend and shook his head. "I figured if you guys were gonna hook up, you'd have done it a long time ago."
Stark laughed out loud at that one. "Yeah, me too," she agreed. "But better late than never, right?"
At least the secret was off her chest, and she was seeing someone she already knew that her brother approved of. Once batting practice wrapped up, Kevin and Kathleen made their way back to the Orioles' staff box, leaving Stark and her partner to themselves in their dugout club seats. Kevin's only hint that he knew what his sister had told him was a coy comment to his girlfriend: "The kids might want some time to themselves." Never mind both his sister and her partner were nearing or around forty. Stark just laughed and let him go. She loved spending time with him but she'd never turn down alone time with her partner.
Her best friend.
The man she loved.
Especially not when it was a nine to one Orioles rout. Even if Josh Hamilton did go hitless. It was okay. She wasn't nearly as in love with him as she'd once thought she was. Not when she had someone who loved her more than she ever thought possible.
It was, quite possibly, the best day of her life in a very long time.