The Way of Things--Interlude
As promised--a ficlet where we get Jake's reaction to news of The Date. And by ficlet, I mean pretty darn short (by my standards).
Chapter 16 will be up in the morning. :)
Mickey had taken the idea of her and Peter going on a date quite well, although she had no doubt she’d be in for an interrogation when she returned later that evening. Jake, too, seemed to have taken it well. She’d told him as they sat in the small safe room, leafing idly through the newly discovered journals, joking about how with each new development the case looked more like a treasure hunt.
“You know Peter and I are going out tonight?” she blurted as Jake rotated a journal this way and that, trying to make sense of the writing.
“Is that so?” He looked up at her, a calculating gleam in his eye. “Let me think about how surprised I am...nope, not at all.”
She lightly swatted at him. “C’mon Jake.”
“Rose, as drunk as I was, I do seem to recall pointing out the painfully obvious fact that you two-how did I put it?-nearly defined the term unresolved sexual tension. I’m not encouraging you to shag our dear local Detective, but a date can’t hurt. Right?”
She shrugged, turning her attention to the gadgets and widgets on the shelves in the small space. She’d known Mickey forever, but Jake had an uncanny habit of figuring things out that she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge. Her attraction to the DI was no exception.
“Rose, you know there’s a reason you’re terrible at poker, right?”
She turned from a shelf of small pieces of metal, confused by the sudden turn of conversation. “Because you and Mickey cheat?”
“We don’t cheat,” Jake patiently explained, having had this discussion several times before. “You’re just that easy to read.”
She turned back to the shelf with a noncommittal grunt.
“Take, for example, the way you started the conversation.” Jake tilted his chin up towards the ceiling, taking on his favourite pontificating pose. “We’ve been here for three weeks. And in those roughly twenty-one days, not once have I heard you refer to the object of your lustful affections,” Rose spun to face him, affronted, “as anything other than ‘him’, ‘Inspector’, or-on a good day-‘DI Carlisle’. What’s the first thing you said to me when you broached the subject?” He lowered his gaze to Rose, who turned bright red. “Exactly.”
She muttered under her breath.
“When did you two manage to-oh, of course. The warehouse.” Rose gave him an embarrassed grin. “I don’t think I’ll ask what else you investigated.” He paused, once more sizing her up. “You’re excited?”.
She paused, thinking. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
He grinned. “Good. You tell Mickey?”
“Didn’t really get the chance to at the station. I’d hoped to be able to tell him face-to-face, but I think I’m going to have to settle for a phone call. I need to tell him about this place anyway.” She gestured vaguely around before moving over to the step up to the main room. “Don’t tell him I told you first-he’ll kill me.”
Jake smiled. “My lips are sealed.”
A/N: For those of you that read this both here and at Time and Chips, this will be included in the version of Chapter 16 that gets posted over on T&C tomorrow. Fair warning ;)
Chapter 16 will be up in the morning. :)
Mickey had taken the idea of her and Peter going on a date quite well, although she had no doubt she’d be in for an interrogation when she returned later that evening. Jake, too, seemed to have taken it well. She’d told him as they sat in the small safe room, leafing idly through the newly discovered journals, joking about how with each new development the case looked more like a treasure hunt.
“You know Peter and I are going out tonight?” she blurted as Jake rotated a journal this way and that, trying to make sense of the writing.
“Is that so?” He looked up at her, a calculating gleam in his eye. “Let me think about how surprised I am...nope, not at all.”
She lightly swatted at him. “C’mon Jake.”
“Rose, as drunk as I was, I do seem to recall pointing out the painfully obvious fact that you two-how did I put it?-nearly defined the term unresolved sexual tension. I’m not encouraging you to shag our dear local Detective, but a date can’t hurt. Right?”
She shrugged, turning her attention to the gadgets and widgets on the shelves in the small space. She’d known Mickey forever, but Jake had an uncanny habit of figuring things out that she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge. Her attraction to the DI was no exception.
“Rose, you know there’s a reason you’re terrible at poker, right?”
She turned from a shelf of small pieces of metal, confused by the sudden turn of conversation. “Because you and Mickey cheat?”
“We don’t cheat,” Jake patiently explained, having had this discussion several times before. “You’re just that easy to read.”
She turned back to the shelf with a noncommittal grunt.
“Take, for example, the way you started the conversation.” Jake tilted his chin up towards the ceiling, taking on his favourite pontificating pose. “We’ve been here for three weeks. And in those roughly twenty-one days, not once have I heard you refer to the object of your lustful affections,” Rose spun to face him, affronted, “as anything other than ‘him’, ‘Inspector’, or-on a good day-‘DI Carlisle’. What’s the first thing you said to me when you broached the subject?” He lowered his gaze to Rose, who turned bright red. “Exactly.”
She muttered under her breath.
“When did you two manage to-oh, of course. The warehouse.” Rose gave him an embarrassed grin. “I don’t think I’ll ask what else you investigated.” He paused, once more sizing her up. “You’re excited?”.
She paused, thinking. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
He grinned. “Good. You tell Mickey?”
“Didn’t really get the chance to at the station. I’d hoped to be able to tell him face-to-face, but I think I’m going to have to settle for a phone call. I need to tell him about this place anyway.” She gestured vaguely around before moving over to the step up to the main room. “Don’t tell him I told you first-he’ll kill me.”
Jake smiled. “My lips are sealed.”
A/N: For those of you that read this both here and at Time and Chips, this will be included in the version of Chapter 16 that gets posted over on T&C tomorrow. Fair warning ;)