[J1W] 02.09 - Stay
[ooc: AU Content with spoiler from current season of Heroes and CSI:NY 5x14 "She's Not There". Flack is det-don-flack and is not binding on any other canon muses from either series.
Elle was never really sure when he slept some nights, and she knew that more recently his sleep hadn't been the easiest. Now as the alarm went off she turned over to feel against his pillow glad that she wasn't grabbing at his mouth, but unsure of where he was. Sitting up in bed her hand ran over her features allowing her sight to adjust a bit. Flack wandered into the bedroom fastening the links on the cuffs of his shirt.
"Ooh, your favorite suit. Looks sharp with the hair cut Detective."
He smirked at her and she had to return the smile as well. Tugging at the blankets she wanted to settle back into bed and go back to sleep but he gave her a look that she knew meant he had either an opinion or something to say, which in general were the same thing.
"What?" Homeland Security had taken the case away and it had been a few days since the text message and nothing had happened.
"Come with me to the station today."
The look of confusion on her features was met with a look of seriousness on his.
"Just.. don't look at me like that. I know it's been a few days, but just... for me. Come on. Hang out at my desk and just.. I'll feel better if you do alright?"
Taking in a breath for a moment she nodded, "So what is this? Take your Elle to work day?"
"Something like that."
***
Elle was used to sitting around while other people did all the important stuff. It wasn't the building in Hartsdale, but it was still a building full of people that were doing the right thing for the city. Of course the difference was that this actually was the right thing, and it wasn't just someones beliefs that it could be right. The one good thing was that Flack's desk had a chair that swiveled and most of the guys in the precinct were really nice to her. It was odd, mostly because she'd been there before. Not in the actual building, but in the parking lot out front. Bennet had to claim a few people... a few times. He'd give them the whole routine, flash some credential and then he'd be back out to the van with the one that got away. Now Elle was inside the building, and it looked... boring.
What probably wasn't boring was whatever Flack was doing. He was off with someone from the crime lab, who Elle recognized in name, but not in his face. It wasn't like it actually mattered, but she knew that he was close to all of the people he worked with. Elle had only worked with Bennet really... and she figured he was out there somewhere keeping his Claire Bear safe.
"Save the dumb cheerleader Bennet..." Elle muttered under her breath as she let her feet swivel the chair a bit side to side. She should've brought a book.
***
Elle pouted over at him, "That was your favorite suit. Now it smells like the fish market."
"Cause I fell into a fish stand."
Hanging it up on the hanger she tilted her head at him as he changed. It wasn't that she didn't see him, and not even that she didn't see him like this, but it was different still. He was on edge, rattled even and it worried her. "Hey..." Elle kept her voice low as she moved toward him in the locker room. Her hands settled on his shoulders for a moment before she leaned against him. She knew he could feel the static on her and that he knew what it was, understood that it wasn't just an oddity. Shutting her eyes she let her breathing soften to match the rise of his chest as his hand covered over hers on his chest. Smirking she kissed his back then laughed as her forehead pressed to him, "You still smell like fish. I'll take your suit to the cleaners, and I'll come back. I promise. I'm going stir crazy."
***
It bothered her to sit in the room with the man trying to describe a woman that had helped take his daughter. Shifting in her chair Elle tucked her hair behind her ear, wishing that Flack had asked someone to take a patrol car and take her home. He knew it was going to be a late night, and he'd told her just that. Sitting there waiting for them to come back though was making her anxious. Hearing the man talk about his daughter.. the way he was so concerned, so worried about her. Exhaling Elle took a strand of her hair winding it around her finger in a nervous manner. There wasn't a single position on the wooden bench she'd opted to sit in that was comfortable. Every time the door to the station opened she saw the man flinch in reaction, expecting someone to call his name. Elle glanced every few times hoping to see a pair of blue eyes coming to claim her.
Always willing to stay out of the way Elle had barely managed to see him in the few times he'd been in the station after the fish incident. Whatever he was working on was taking a lot of time and energy and she'd seen people milling through the rooms at a higher frequency. She was good at determining patterns, and noticing who was leaving and not coming back. Her fingers itched at her nose before she started to chew on her bottom lip. The minute hand on the clock seemed to tick away at an uneven pace as she curled up against her jacket folded in half pressed to the wall.
The girl came through the door and Elle saw the way she looked at the man that had been worried about his daughter. Her foot shifted against the floor as the man stood up and with a look forgave anything the girl had done. Elle had never seen that look, not from her father at least. Her eyes cast toward the door to see Flack, and he looked relieved. This was another look she didn't ever see from him. When he was done with the case, he'd have the drive home, the drive to the bar even to steel over what had brushed too close to him. Standing up her hand moved to hold her jacket so that it settled on the bench instead of the floor. Moving through the rest of the officers she found her way to stand before him. Looking into his eyes she saw the fear, the worry that weighted on his shoulders, and she knew... she understood that it wasn't just this case.
There wasn't anything he needed to say as his arm reached for her and pulled her close to him. Shutting her eyes she leaned against him, feeling his hand cradle to the back of her head. It wasn't a matter of needing contact, or wanting to be held by him. As his other arm wound across her back she felt so much smaller in his arms, and it didn't matter because she felt safe. Sitting in a police station with officers all around her she felt on edge, but there half in the outer hall entrance and having people brush against her casually she knew nothing would happen because he was there. His mouth pressed to the top of her head gently as his words murmured into her hair, "Come on I'll take you home."
Elle nodded against his chest agreeing with him, because she believed him. She agreed with him because when he accepted the truth, when he found out who she was and didn't cast her out... he became her home.
Elle was never really sure when he slept some nights, and she knew that more recently his sleep hadn't been the easiest. Now as the alarm went off she turned over to feel against his pillow glad that she wasn't grabbing at his mouth, but unsure of where he was. Sitting up in bed her hand ran over her features allowing her sight to adjust a bit. Flack wandered into the bedroom fastening the links on the cuffs of his shirt.
"Ooh, your favorite suit. Looks sharp with the hair cut Detective."
He smirked at her and she had to return the smile as well. Tugging at the blankets she wanted to settle back into bed and go back to sleep but he gave her a look that she knew meant he had either an opinion or something to say, which in general were the same thing.
"What?" Homeland Security had taken the case away and it had been a few days since the text message and nothing had happened.
"Come with me to the station today."
The look of confusion on her features was met with a look of seriousness on his.
"Just.. don't look at me like that. I know it's been a few days, but just... for me. Come on. Hang out at my desk and just.. I'll feel better if you do alright?"
Taking in a breath for a moment she nodded, "So what is this? Take your Elle to work day?"
"Something like that."
***
Elle was used to sitting around while other people did all the important stuff. It wasn't the building in Hartsdale, but it was still a building full of people that were doing the right thing for the city. Of course the difference was that this actually was the right thing, and it wasn't just someones beliefs that it could be right. The one good thing was that Flack's desk had a chair that swiveled and most of the guys in the precinct were really nice to her. It was odd, mostly because she'd been there before. Not in the actual building, but in the parking lot out front. Bennet had to claim a few people... a few times. He'd give them the whole routine, flash some credential and then he'd be back out to the van with the one that got away. Now Elle was inside the building, and it looked... boring.
What probably wasn't boring was whatever Flack was doing. He was off with someone from the crime lab, who Elle recognized in name, but not in his face. It wasn't like it actually mattered, but she knew that he was close to all of the people he worked with. Elle had only worked with Bennet really... and she figured he was out there somewhere keeping his Claire Bear safe.
"Save the dumb cheerleader Bennet..." Elle muttered under her breath as she let her feet swivel the chair a bit side to side. She should've brought a book.
***
Elle pouted over at him, "That was your favorite suit. Now it smells like the fish market."
"Cause I fell into a fish stand."
Hanging it up on the hanger she tilted her head at him as he changed. It wasn't that she didn't see him, and not even that she didn't see him like this, but it was different still. He was on edge, rattled even and it worried her. "Hey..." Elle kept her voice low as she moved toward him in the locker room. Her hands settled on his shoulders for a moment before she leaned against him. She knew he could feel the static on her and that he knew what it was, understood that it wasn't just an oddity. Shutting her eyes she let her breathing soften to match the rise of his chest as his hand covered over hers on his chest. Smirking she kissed his back then laughed as her forehead pressed to him, "You still smell like fish. I'll take your suit to the cleaners, and I'll come back. I promise. I'm going stir crazy."
***
It bothered her to sit in the room with the man trying to describe a woman that had helped take his daughter. Shifting in her chair Elle tucked her hair behind her ear, wishing that Flack had asked someone to take a patrol car and take her home. He knew it was going to be a late night, and he'd told her just that. Sitting there waiting for them to come back though was making her anxious. Hearing the man talk about his daughter.. the way he was so concerned, so worried about her. Exhaling Elle took a strand of her hair winding it around her finger in a nervous manner. There wasn't a single position on the wooden bench she'd opted to sit in that was comfortable. Every time the door to the station opened she saw the man flinch in reaction, expecting someone to call his name. Elle glanced every few times hoping to see a pair of blue eyes coming to claim her.
Always willing to stay out of the way Elle had barely managed to see him in the few times he'd been in the station after the fish incident. Whatever he was working on was taking a lot of time and energy and she'd seen people milling through the rooms at a higher frequency. She was good at determining patterns, and noticing who was leaving and not coming back. Her fingers itched at her nose before she started to chew on her bottom lip. The minute hand on the clock seemed to tick away at an uneven pace as she curled up against her jacket folded in half pressed to the wall.
The girl came through the door and Elle saw the way she looked at the man that had been worried about his daughter. Her foot shifted against the floor as the man stood up and with a look forgave anything the girl had done. Elle had never seen that look, not from her father at least. Her eyes cast toward the door to see Flack, and he looked relieved. This was another look she didn't ever see from him. When he was done with the case, he'd have the drive home, the drive to the bar even to steel over what had brushed too close to him. Standing up her hand moved to hold her jacket so that it settled on the bench instead of the floor. Moving through the rest of the officers she found her way to stand before him. Looking into his eyes she saw the fear, the worry that weighted on his shoulders, and she knew... she understood that it wasn't just this case.
There wasn't anything he needed to say as his arm reached for her and pulled her close to him. Shutting her eyes she leaned against him, feeling his hand cradle to the back of her head. It wasn't a matter of needing contact, or wanting to be held by him. As his other arm wound across her back she felt so much smaller in his arms, and it didn't matter because she felt safe. Sitting in a police station with officers all around her she felt on edge, but there half in the outer hall entrance and having people brush against her casually she knew nothing would happen because he was there. His mouth pressed to the top of her head gently as his words murmured into her hair, "Come on I'll take you home."
Elle nodded against his chest agreeing with him, because she believed him. She agreed with him because when he accepted the truth, when he found out who she was and didn't cast her out... he became her home.