The causeway parking lot: early Friday morning
It may have been raining on the island, but the parking lot on the other side of the causeway was dry. Jack could see the Captain, leaning on the side of a big black car, not quite a limo, but one that gave the impression of being Very Important.
"I never," Jack said to Parker as they slowly approached, "ever, want to be that smug. If I am? Shoot me."
"Where?" Parker smirked at him. "Or do I get to pick? Because if so, I have some fun choices on offer."
"If I get that bad? Anywhere you want." He couldn't help being wary as they got closer and the Captain pushed off the car. "Now will you tell me what's going on?" Jack called out to him.
"Jack. And Parker," he added, turning towards her with a charming smile. "I'd tell you what a lovely surprise it is to see you, except I figured he'd bring you, so it's not really a surprise."
"Still the same spinal reflex to charm as usual." Parker shook her head, smiling very faintly. "And your younger self's patience is wearing thin only slightly faster than mine, Captain. Please enlighten us as to what was so very, very important that we had to get up at this godawful hour to talk to you."
"The pleasure of my company wasn't enough?" The look he cast over both of them lost none of its charm, his smile never changed, but his eyes were serious as he moved back to the car. "I have something of yours."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Could you maybe cut the crap? As a personal favour to me?" he snapped, sick to death of the games. "What do you mean you have something of ours?"
"Jack." He paused with one hand on the door handle, looking back at him over his shoulder. "You need to calm down."
He opened the door, blocking their view with his body, and rested one hand on Isabel's shoulder. He hated to wake her when she was finally sleeping peacefully. "Isabel? Want to wake up? You're home."
Isabel jolted awake, blinking rapidly. "We're here? Really?"
Grabbing the bag containing the device he'd given her, she climbed out of the car and stopped, suddenly inexplicably nervous.
He recognised her nervousness. "It's okay," he said, quietly enough that the others wouldn't hear, and touched her back. "Take your time."
"Isabel?" Parker's voice rose in shock and delight, and she stepped forward, reaching for her. "Isabel!"
"Isabel?" Jack couldn't move. He just stared while Parker pulled Isabel into a hug, while Captain Jack stepped away, shoving his hands in his pockets and - yes - looked smug.
He shook his head, like it might be just wishful thinking given form, but she was still there. And then he was bolting after Parker, wrapping his arms around both of them.
Isabel didn't trust herself to speak. Still half afraid that it was all just a very vivid dream, she hung on to Parker and Jack for dear life.
"It's only been a week, what happened, and you don't get to leave again," Parker said, tightening her arms around Isabel, laughter bubbling free. "You have to stay now. Sorry. Last chance."
"I missed you guys," she said, which was the truth and for the moment let her avoid answering any other questions.
Jack couldn't speak. He just pressed his face into her hair and hung on to her like his life depended on it.
Parker broke away after a moment, still chortling, and then turned back to thwap Captain Jack on the arm, her smile still neon-bright. "You jerk! You could have told us on the phone!"
"I could have. I didn't. It was better this way." Looking entirely too pleased with himself, he rubbed his arm. "You know, no one else feels the need to hit me." A complete and total lie, but she didn't need to know that. "Only Jack's friends. I think he's a bad influence on you."
"Pffttt. I've been doing that since I was four. Like calls to like, that's all." Parker twirled in a circle, then stopped to beam at Jack and Isabel. "You look exhausted, Isabel. Rest, then food, then you fill us in. Then a party!"
Jack looked up from where he was hanging onto Isabel. "Take it easy, Parker," he laughed, pulling Isabel just a little closer. "Rest first, and then we can reassess." She was warm and solid and here and he was finally starting to believe she was real.
Isabel slipped an arm around Jack's waist and leaned against him. "Food first. I'm dying for something doused in Tabasco," she said, smiling and meaning it for the first time in what felt like forever.
"You can have anything you want. Hell you can even have me dipped in Tabasco, if that will make you happy." Jack leaned back so he could look at her. "You're not going again. You're staying."
"Promises, promises," she chuckled. Ducking her head, Isabel tried to avoid the topic of whether or not she was staying. She wasn't ready to admit that if she got the chance to go back and save Michael and Max she would.
"Come on. Let's get you back to your room and your cat and your stuff." Parker patted Isabel's arm again, still smiling. "You can tell us all about it." She turned to Captain Jack, and bit her lip. "This... makes up for a lot."
For once, he was completely serious as he looked at Parker. "Be careful with her," he said, holding her eyes for a beat, then grinned. "I knew you'd come around eventually. No one can resist me for long."
"As if." Parker smirked back at him, then became more serious. "Is there something I should know?"
"Not a thing," Isabel said quickly. "Just a little jet lag."
He looked at her sharply, then smiled. It wasn't his problem. "And seeing as my good deed is done, I'm out of here. Isabel?" He met her eyes. "Look after yourself."
"I will," she said, letting go of Jack long enough to squeeze the Captain's hand and kiss his cheek. "Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome." Despite, or possibly because of, Jack's glare, he held onto her hand. "If you need me, call. Number's in the bag."
With a last look at all three of them, he slid gracefully into the back seat of the car and shut the door. Several seconds later, it pulled out and disappeared down the road.
Isabel watched the car pull away then turned and looked across the causeway. "What do you say guys? Can we go home now? Please?"
"Definitely. I'm *so* glad we didn't have to miss you for more than six days. You'll have to tell us about Antar after you're rested up." Parker gave her a spontaneous and very short hug again, then almost danced away. "Come on! Time to go home."
Jack slipped the bag from Isabel's unresisting fingers and tucked her against his side. "Time to go home," he repeated softly, kissing the top of her head before calling out, "Lead the way, Parker."
Isabel followed along quietly, forcing herself not to think about Max, Michael, or what had happened on Antar. She was home. For now, that was all that mattered.
[ooc: pre-played by izzyalienqueen, mparkerceo, and time_agent. No interaction possible, ooc comments welcome!]
"I never," Jack said to Parker as they slowly approached, "ever, want to be that smug. If I am? Shoot me."
"Where?" Parker smirked at him. "Or do I get to pick? Because if so, I have some fun choices on offer."
"If I get that bad? Anywhere you want." He couldn't help being wary as they got closer and the Captain pushed off the car. "Now will you tell me what's going on?" Jack called out to him.
"Jack. And Parker," he added, turning towards her with a charming smile. "I'd tell you what a lovely surprise it is to see you, except I figured he'd bring you, so it's not really a surprise."
"Still the same spinal reflex to charm as usual." Parker shook her head, smiling very faintly. "And your younger self's patience is wearing thin only slightly faster than mine, Captain. Please enlighten us as to what was so very, very important that we had to get up at this godawful hour to talk to you."
"The pleasure of my company wasn't enough?" The look he cast over both of them lost none of its charm, his smile never changed, but his eyes were serious as he moved back to the car. "I have something of yours."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Could you maybe cut the crap? As a personal favour to me?" he snapped, sick to death of the games. "What do you mean you have something of ours?"
"Jack." He paused with one hand on the door handle, looking back at him over his shoulder. "You need to calm down."
He opened the door, blocking their view with his body, and rested one hand on Isabel's shoulder. He hated to wake her when she was finally sleeping peacefully. "Isabel? Want to wake up? You're home."
Isabel jolted awake, blinking rapidly. "We're here? Really?"
Grabbing the bag containing the device he'd given her, she climbed out of the car and stopped, suddenly inexplicably nervous.
He recognised her nervousness. "It's okay," he said, quietly enough that the others wouldn't hear, and touched her back. "Take your time."
"Isabel?" Parker's voice rose in shock and delight, and she stepped forward, reaching for her. "Isabel!"
"Isabel?" Jack couldn't move. He just stared while Parker pulled Isabel into a hug, while Captain Jack stepped away, shoving his hands in his pockets and - yes - looked smug.
He shook his head, like it might be just wishful thinking given form, but she was still there. And then he was bolting after Parker, wrapping his arms around both of them.
Isabel didn't trust herself to speak. Still half afraid that it was all just a very vivid dream, she hung on to Parker and Jack for dear life.
"It's only been a week, what happened, and you don't get to leave again," Parker said, tightening her arms around Isabel, laughter bubbling free. "You have to stay now. Sorry. Last chance."
"I missed you guys," she said, which was the truth and for the moment let her avoid answering any other questions.
Jack couldn't speak. He just pressed his face into her hair and hung on to her like his life depended on it.
Parker broke away after a moment, still chortling, and then turned back to thwap Captain Jack on the arm, her smile still neon-bright. "You jerk! You could have told us on the phone!"
"I could have. I didn't. It was better this way." Looking entirely too pleased with himself, he rubbed his arm. "You know, no one else feels the need to hit me." A complete and total lie, but she didn't need to know that. "Only Jack's friends. I think he's a bad influence on you."
"Pffttt. I've been doing that since I was four. Like calls to like, that's all." Parker twirled in a circle, then stopped to beam at Jack and Isabel. "You look exhausted, Isabel. Rest, then food, then you fill us in. Then a party!"
Jack looked up from where he was hanging onto Isabel. "Take it easy, Parker," he laughed, pulling Isabel just a little closer. "Rest first, and then we can reassess." She was warm and solid and here and he was finally starting to believe she was real.
Isabel slipped an arm around Jack's waist and leaned against him. "Food first. I'm dying for something doused in Tabasco," she said, smiling and meaning it for the first time in what felt like forever.
"You can have anything you want. Hell you can even have me dipped in Tabasco, if that will make you happy." Jack leaned back so he could look at her. "You're not going again. You're staying."
"Promises, promises," she chuckled. Ducking her head, Isabel tried to avoid the topic of whether or not she was staying. She wasn't ready to admit that if she got the chance to go back and save Michael and Max she would.
"Come on. Let's get you back to your room and your cat and your stuff." Parker patted Isabel's arm again, still smiling. "You can tell us all about it." She turned to Captain Jack, and bit her lip. "This... makes up for a lot."
For once, he was completely serious as he looked at Parker. "Be careful with her," he said, holding her eyes for a beat, then grinned. "I knew you'd come around eventually. No one can resist me for long."
"As if." Parker smirked back at him, then became more serious. "Is there something I should know?"
"Not a thing," Isabel said quickly. "Just a little jet lag."
He looked at her sharply, then smiled. It wasn't his problem. "And seeing as my good deed is done, I'm out of here. Isabel?" He met her eyes. "Look after yourself."
"I will," she said, letting go of Jack long enough to squeeze the Captain's hand and kiss his cheek. "Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome." Despite, or possibly because of, Jack's glare, he held onto her hand. "If you need me, call. Number's in the bag."
With a last look at all three of them, he slid gracefully into the back seat of the car and shut the door. Several seconds later, it pulled out and disappeared down the road.
Isabel watched the car pull away then turned and looked across the causeway. "What do you say guys? Can we go home now? Please?"
"Definitely. I'm *so* glad we didn't have to miss you for more than six days. You'll have to tell us about Antar after you're rested up." Parker gave her a spontaneous and very short hug again, then almost danced away. "Come on! Time to go home."
Jack slipped the bag from Isabel's unresisting fingers and tucked her against his side. "Time to go home," he repeated softly, kissing the top of her head before calling out, "Lead the way, Parker."
Isabel followed along quietly, forcing herself not to think about Max, Michael, or what had happened on Antar. She was home. For now, that was all that mattered.
[ooc: pre-played by izzyalienqueen, mparkerceo, and time_agent. No interaction possible, ooc comments welcome!]