Title: Up Past Bedtime
Author: Rachael Wakely ([email protected])
Date: August 18, 2000
Dedication: To my heartlessly cruel Pip - with
gratitude.
Summary: A late night discussion ends up in the
realms of dreamland ...

Up Past Bedtime
Rachael Wakely

"Jack... Jack!" The soft whisper penetrated the thick wooden door and hit Jack right between the ears.
He rolled over with a groan, knowing that if Jo didn't go away soon, either he'd have to get up, or
one of the Imperial's other residents would be standing there also. The persistent voice continued.
"Jack... Are you asleep? I know you're in there..."
Finally, just as he was dragging himself out of bed, the other side of the door fell silent. He couldn't
see Jo lean her head against it tiredly, or see her straighten moments later, and head downstairs
restlessly. All Jack saw when he opened the door, was the hallway. "Dammit," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Jo? Jo!" Now it was his turn to whisper.
But only the dirty gray-brown darkness answered him.
Fully awake now, Jack padded down the hallway to her room. He paused at the door and leaned his mouth close to the frame. "Jo, are you there? Jo?"
Receiving no answer, he knocked softly, tentatively. When he tested the handle, the door opened with a faint creak, but he saw that the room was empty. Ha! Then she *was* awake, he thought smugly.
Jack checked his watch - 2:39am.
Approximately two hours ago they'd gotten back from a Blue Light disco, one that had gone off significantly better than the last one. All in all it could have been considered a success, but Jack knew that Jo had been edgy about it all night, even after leaving. They'd said their respective good-nights and headed off to bed. However, now he was awake again, Jack
found that he had no desire to sleep - especially if Jo was still up. If she was around, he wanted to talk to her. Most importantly, he wanted to be sure that nothing bad had
happened; that he wasn't about to be called out to work. He was fairly certain that that wasn't the
situation, however - last time she had been pounding furiously on the door, at the same time as the phone had been jangling in his ear. It was hardly a relaxing way to wake up, nor were the circumstances the most pleasant to be dealing with first thing in the morning. But at least he could be reasonably confident that tonight was not going to be "one of those nights". Now, he just had to locate Jo...
Hesitantly, he looked back down the hall. His door was just another one of the many that stretched down the hallway, blending inconspicuously with all the rest. He had no intention of going back in there now that he'd been dragged out. Furthermore, if Jo wasn't in her room, she must be downstairs. Jack took a step towards the staircase and the floor beneath him
creaked loudly. He winced.
As Jo heard the old floorboard creak, she smiled to herself, imaging the expression on Jack's face. He was trying to be so quiet up there, but she knew he was looking for her. Oh well, she thought, he'll be down eventually.
Eventually it was. After a painstaking descent of the creaky staircase, Jack looked up to find himself face to face with Joanna Parrish.
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, crossing her arms. Asmall smile played on her face.
"Uh-" he stalled.
"Don't you think it's a bit late to be prowling around the Imperial this late?" she continued, stepping back to allow him to pass.
"I - couldn't sleep?" he replied uncertainly. Her smile widened.
"Good, me either," she said, heading into the pub. She asked over her shoulder, "So then I didn't wake you?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "No, I was already awake," he lied.
"Sure you were." She went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. Chris had taken to locking the liquor cabinet at nights as, though she liked to think she could trust all of her residents, recent
experiences had shaken that belief somewhat. She also wasn't too keen on "prowlers," but Jo was too restless to care. Besides, she knew Chris trusted them both - after all, they were police officers. And she knew where they lived. "Milk?" she asked, reaching into the cupboard for a glass.
"Thanks," he said, rummaging in the pantry for something to eat. "Oreos, Tim Tams or Fig Newtons?" he asked, holding up the packages.
She screwed up her nose, considering. "Um, Tim Tams and Fig Newtons," she decided. "And are there any of those chokkies left?"
He shook his head. "I already checked."
Taking their spoils, the two headed into the small room just off from the main pub. It was usually
reserved for private guests - romantic dinners - but after hours it became a good place to sit and read, or talk, or anything else that one did without sleeping.
Occasionally Jack would find himself downstairs like this, usually when one of them couldn't sleep, or had had a rough day. They could stay up all night talking - this room held a lot of secrets, he acknowledged.
Jo set down their glasses on a coffee table, then flopped down on the long couch. Jack sat across from her in the single couch in the corner. He looked out the window, and it seemed unusually bright out.
"I'm bored," Jo sighed, settling into the couch comfortably. Her loose curls fell around her face,
making her look - in Jack's opinion, at least - very pretty. He shook off the thought and shrugged.
"You could always try sleeping?" he suggested wryly.
She shook her head. "Doesn't work. I'm too *bored* to sleep."
"Mind if I do, then?" he smiled, thinking of his nice, warm bed and wondering whether his decision to stay up had been a *little* too hasty.
"Yes!" she cried. "Entertain me!"
"Shh!" he hissed. "Go read a book. Here-" he picked up one that had been set down at his feet. "Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky."
She scoffed. "Like I don't get enough of *that* every day."
"No, it's about a guy who kills people," Jack informed her. "He kills two women just to see what it would be like."
"Sick bastard," she said in awe. "Is it a good book?"
"Dunno." At her look, he elaborated, "I only read the Coles' notes."
"You know what I read lately?" she asked suddenly, then answered herself. "Nothing. I just don't have time for anything like that anymore. When I'm here,
I'm either eating or sleeping. When I'm out, I'm - you know. Pre-occupied."
"You could always read in the car," he suggested.
"You could always read *to* me," she countered, acknowledging the fact that she almost always drove when they were on shift together.
"You could try reading in bed at nights," he hinted, "when you can't get to sleep."
"Or I could." she trailed off.
"Wake me up?"
"That's always a better option."
"Why?" Jack said lightly, trying not to sound interested.
"Oh, you're... More entertaining."
"Entertaining?"
"Mm. And you wake up early anyways, to go riding."
"So why not keep me up all night, you mean."
She grinned at him. "Exactly." Reaching over to the coffee table, Jo stretched and strained but absolutely could not reach the half-empty packet of Tim Tams. "Jacckkk..." she groaned, feeling her arm about to pop out of its socket. "You see those..."
"What, these?" he said with an evil grin, picking up the delicious, chocolatey biscuits. He started eating them and she glowered at him, watching the packet slowly diminish.
"Jack, you're so annoying..." she grumbled. Then, smiling sweetly, "Throw me one? Please?"
She was like the whiney little sister he never had.
Jack took pity on her and, claiming one last Tim Tam, tossed the rest over to her. "Thansh," she said
contentedly, starting to munch. Jack hid a smile. With her hair down and wearing cartoon pajamas, she really did look like his sister. Or his girlfriend. Remembering Molly, a pang went through him and Jack wondered whether day would ever go by in which he didn't think of her.
"So, tell me," he said, changing the topic quickly and looking out the window again. A car went past. "How come you can't sleep tonight?"
Jo sighed, putting down the pack of Tim Tams. She didn't need the calories anyway. "I don't know. I'm just restless," she said. "At first I kept lying in bed, waiting for the phone to ring - like last time, you know... But then it didn't, and I kept thinking, what if, what if... So I got up and tried to think about something else, but I guess it didn't work."
"Everything went well tonight, though, huh?" Jack said positively.
She smiled. "Yeah, it did. Did you see Mick Shore and Lucy Keely?" Jack nodded and her grin widened. "I told you it was gonna happen sooner or later."
"You said it would happen before Christmas!"
"Well, it is before Christmas," she said defensively. "I have a feeling about these things."
"A feeling? You mean eyes and ears, right? It was pretty obvious," he scoffed.
"Whatever," she brushed it aside. "Ah, to be thirteen again."
"You're only - what, 23 now," he reminded her.
"Eh, about that," she replied. "And single."
"For no reasons other than your job and random sleep patterns." That got her attention. Jo looked at him curiously.
"What?" he said, feeling strangely caught out.
"Oh, nothing... I just always thought... You know... I'm kind of annoying," she admitted finally,
ponderously.
"What? You? Come off it!" he scorned.
"No, no, really, I think - I think I scare people off. I'm a bit headstrong," she said.
A *bit*? Jack wondered. "No you're not," he replied.
"No, I am! And pushy. And I make mistakes. I'm demanding, too, according to Tess. No - bloody foolish according to Tess," she amended. Then she paused. "I don't think most people like me that much." Jack opened his mouth to answer that, but she preempted him, adding quickly, "Not you guys, I mean - you put up with me, you *have* to. But - other people..."
"In the real world?" he said gently.
She rolled onto her side and looked at him seriously. "Yeah."
Their gazes locked and Jack shook his head. "Jo Parrish, that is the most stupid thing I've ever heard you say! And I've heard some classics in my short time."
That got a smile out of her. "No kidding. I'm always putting my foot in my mouth."
He grinned. "Well, I can't argue with that. But at the same time, you always have the right intentions."
"As if that counts for anything."
He was surprised at the bitterness in her voice, though she forced a small smile to mask it.
Realization dawning, Jack hit himself for being so stupid. He glanced down, then met her eye again.
"She really gets to you, doesn't she?"
"Who? Tess? Maybe. Yes. No. I don't know."
"What is it then? The first time we met, you had so much confidence, Jo - you really believed in what you were doing."
"I still do!" she protested. "But. Everyone's always - you know -"
"On your back? Breathing down your neck? Getting up your nose?"
She smirked. "Something like that. Tom told me once that I just don't *think*. I reckon he might be right." Jo rolled her eyes, then glanced out the window, where the moon was glaringly bright. She didn't really want to get into this with Jack, she knew he wouldn't understand. But it had been eating away at her, slowly, like an acid or something, and driving her mad. After all that had happened lately, she was honestly beginning to wonder whether she was cut out for this job. Obviously no one else thought she was.
But Jack balked. "Definitely not."
"Really?" Her surprise was genuine.
"Really. You're just sleep deprived, that's all. And hey, the disco was great, no one can argue with that. You know, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but... The other day, PJ mentioned something to me about seeing you into a CI position one day."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you know how you've been working together a bit lately? Especially after - you know - well... I think he's got his eye on you as a bit of a protégé."
"No way. You can't be a CI if you don't think," she sighed, rolling onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling.
"Well, don't say it to anyone, but apparently somebody in that office thinks you've got potential."
"Oh good."
"And, you know, I'll always be here if you need further confirmation."
She smiled at him, suddenly feeling warm and happy.
"Thanks, Jack." Suddenly, she yawned. "What's the time?" she asked, because she couldn't be bothered moving to check.
Jack glanced at the clock behind her. "Four-ten," he reported.
Already? she thought in surprise. "Wonderful, another night shot."
"Pretty much." He yawned, too - strange how that was contagious. "You know, I think we should head to bed."
"I'm flattered," she winked.
She was back, Jack noticed affectionately. Jo Parrish, back and ready to take on the world. He
suddenly wondered just how much her smile covered for her, and resolved next time to pay more attention when she was tired or upset. He didn't trust that smile, sensing that it hid more issues and insecurities than anyone ought to hide.
As she started to get up, he rose also. They deposited their left-overs on the counter and started
negotiating the stairs.
"Follow me," she whispered. "Quietly!" Jo wove up the stairs, alternately skipping two and three steps at a time, pulling herself up on the banister. As usual, they were absolutely silent. He had no idea how she knew which steps to land on and which to avoid, but as long as she was leading the way, he was content to follow. Near the middle of the flight, he stumbled, catching himself noisily on the banister.
Jo whirled around with a finger to her lips. "Shh! Doofus..."
He rolled his eyes and kept going. She must have had more practice at this than he had. Or
she was just more coordinated.
When she reached the top, Jo turned and grinned at him, triumphant. "Ta da!" she whispered, holding out her arms.
At that moment, she was so cute that Jack couldn't help himself. He didn't know why he did it, or how he had managed to abandon his senses downstairs, but all he knew was that he couldn't help it.
Impulsively, he leaned up and met her lips, barely brushing them in a kiss.
Startled, Jo at first recoiled slightly. Then, seeing the look on his face and noticing very keenly their
close proximity, she kissed him back. This time, the kiss deepened slowly, lasting what might have been hours. She slid her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling how perfectly they fit together, amazed at how sweet she tasted, like milk and chocolate. And something else, something undefinable. Unconsciously, Jack moved up to join her at the top step, and as he did so, she stepped back against the railing, pulling him
into her. Her choice of floorboard, however, resulted in a loud and intrusive *creak*.
It was just enough to bring them back to earth. They pulled away self-consciously, suddenly shy. Jack ran a hand over his lips, then Jo reached for his other hand, clasping it briefly.
"Good night," she murmured, turning away.
Her hand slipped out of his, and she headed to her room, already yawning again. Jack smiled tentatively, feeling somewhat stunned. As she closed the door, their eyes met again and she offered him a small, cautious smile.
"Night," he called softly. For a moment, Jack stood there, trying to comprehend what he had just done and why he had done it. And how the heck they were both going to react about it in the morning. Then he shook his head, feeling the smile creep back onto his face.
Feeling dumb, he got a hold of himself and willed himself to go back to his own room. Whatever had just happened, they would deal with it tomorrow. For now, he was just going to crawl into bed and pretend that it might actually happen again...

Sweet Dreams.