Room 234/236: Wednesday morning, after Spy Tech

[mparkerceo]

After talking to Jack in Spy Tech, Parker lead the way to her room, held the door open for him, then very carefully closed it. "Sit. Or lie down. Whichever you want. I'm making the coffee. You, relax."

[ooc: for time_agent]

Comments

[anextimeagent]

What Jack wanted to do was follow her while she made the coffee, but while Sam would put up with that, he very much doubted Parker would. Instead, he slipped off his shoes and curled into the corner of the couch, watching her. "Thanks."

[mparkerceo]

"Why are you so sure that anything is necessary?" Parker wondered. "I just can't take the idea that Lana is responsible seriously. Wimp she may be, but not malicious. Mostly she's the opposite, way too soft-hearted. You honestly think that Lana Lang is really this malicious mind-ravaging harpy?"

[anextimeagent]

"Why do you assume she was malicious? That she set out to cause pain?" he countered. "As far as I can tell she decided she wanted me, and didn't care how she got me."

[mparkerceo]

"Because that's the essence of what she did to you. There's no way it couldn't hurt. Whether that was a side-effect or not." She waved it away. "Okay, fine, maybe she's just supremely self-involved, suddenly. It doesn't make sense, either way. Radical personality shift. I think we should go to someone in the administration about this. Seriously. I don't want her hurting you or anyone else again."

[anextimeagent]

Jack's nostrils flared and he leapt off the couch, pacing away across the floor, arms folded tight around himself. "She was always pretty self-involved," he muttered, angry that Parker kept pushing. He'd finally figured out how to deal with this and she was trying to pull it out from under him. "Tell whoever you want, Parker. I don't give a damn. But do it without me."

[mparkerceo]

"Jack, no-- Jack!" Parker got up from the couch, and intercepted him, lightly reaching out for his arms, but not touching him. "Stop. Okay. If it's got you this upset-- no telling." What would she have to say, without Jack there to back it up? "We'll do something else. I'm sorry. Please. Sit down?"

[anextimeagent]

He looked at her for a long time, then nodded, letting her lead him back to he couch.

[mparkerceo]

Parker settled in next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. "Nothing you don't want. I swear." She leaned back, lacing her fingers with his. "Is there anything you do want me to do? Anything I can do, now?"

[anextimeagent]

It took him a minute, but he gradually relaxed again, leaning against her. "Maybe you could pass me my coffee?" he asked, suddenly exhausted.

[mparkerceo]

"Easy." Parker passed him the coffee, then picked up a truffle, broke it in half, and offered it to him, her arm going around him again. "We don't have anywhere we have to be, after all."

[anextimeagent]

He sipped his coffee, and even tepid it was good, and bit into the truffle-half. "Can I stay for awhile?"

[mparkerceo]

"As long as you need to." Parker smiled at him. "And then some."

[anextimeagent]

"Thanks." Jack slipped down, resting his head on her shoulder as he ate the rest of the truffle. "This kinda sucks, Parker."

[mparkerceo]

"It really really does." Parker ran her fingers through his hair again, and remembered Jack holding her like this when she was feeling horrible, more times than she'd ever expected this year. "We should be in Tahiti, now."

[anextimeagent]

"Tahiti would be nice. On the beach, drinking Mai-Tais, watching our respective thingies play in the water." He sighed, drinking his coffee, and closed his eyes, picturing it. "Sounds good."

[mparkerceo]

"Yes. Definitely. Maybe we will, this summer." Parker let her voice get lower, slower. "A looong weekend. Time to enjoy it. A bungalow over the water. Campfires in the evening.... No one around but us. And people we want there."