| "The Fallacy of Surprise" | ||
|
June 9, 2008 Backlash Briefing Safehouse 1, Main Conference Room 1600 hours ...surprise... Yeah, that was the understatement of the year. She froze for a second processing all that her senses were telling her. First was recognition. Just recognizing those distinct curved lines of his jaw, the smoothness of his lips that were as soft as a butterfly's wing, and those eyes, especially those expressive eyes, caught her off guard. Brian had those eyes and every time she had looked at the boy, she thought of this man. The blue, so deep, that held about them a sense of haunting sorrow, that were so mesmerizing one could lose themselves in them and then find themselves all in the exact same moment. The expensive black suit he wore did nothing to conceal the body beneath that she had spent many a long night (and sometimes a morning) exploring and memorizing every shallow, curve, and pore. She certainly recognized Jaime and had Paige not carried any pride, crawling over on her knees and dragging her tongue along his body would have seemed more than reasonable at that moment. Then the surprise hit flooding her mind with a hundred questions. Why was he here? Was he here permanently? Was he one of the newbies? Would it be awkward now that they, once again, were on the same team? Out of Section? In Section? The questions came quick before they finally came to a sickening stop. ...surprise... It wasn't really a surprise. Not when her demon, her hell, her beloved Joshua, knew about it already. Damn him he would pay for not telling her. Why did he even bother to say anything really? Why even mention surprise? It wasn't like she could've prepared herself for this. How would you possibly prepare yourself for running into your former lover, the someone who showed you things that were unimaginable, precious, exquisite? The someone who taught you shameless acts of random kindness still existed in the world? The beauty in the sunrise? The gentleness of his hands? The someone who showed you what making love was? How could you possible prepare yourself for that? The guilt was hardest to deal with. She'd thought she was over it, him, had dismissed him in her mind as dead, gone, forever. But here he was with his infinitely sad eyes and pouting lips that dared to be kissed. Here he was, the one she had not said good bye to, the one she had abandoned in her own quest for freedom, or something like it. Had he looked for her? Asked where she was or had possibly gone to? Did he spend some nights looking at the moon wondering about her? Thinking about her? Wishing she was next to him, holding him, being with him? Did he think she was dead? The curiosity, although thankfully not led in by the Bathroom Tigers, barreled in anyway. Perhaps it had just been there all along and only now could she separate the curiosity from the other overwhelming emotions. What was she going to do? Apparently, nothing for now. She took a small breath, never breaking her stride though she had hesitated, and proceeded to the front of the room. Her eyes held his for the few seconds she passed in front of him. No one else may have seen it as Jaime looked at her passively, but she'd seen every expression that beautiful face was capable of making, and right now, she could see it in the finest lines surrounding those sorrowful eyes...he'd been surprised as well. Once she passed in front of him her eyes fixed on another...think...yeah, Bella. Isabella, really, but everyone had called her Bella. Paige had worked with her only for one mission, the one in Switzerland, when Operations and Harrison had both been killed. Michael had almost been killed that day, too. Kind of sucked that she'd been as thorough (and as kind) as she had with his almost dead body. Then again, Joshua had been there as well. She didn't know it then, but she knew it now, that Joshua was indeed a medic, or at least versed enough in medicine to pass himself off as a pretty fucking good one. He'd been hovering over her, helping her with Michael. Had that been a test? Had Joshua been playing dumb to see how she would do? How she would perform? She wondered if Joshua would have stepped in had Paige decided that Michael's time on the planet had come to an end? Would Joshua have saved Michael's life if she chose not to? She'd have to ask Joshua that. In any case, Bella had been there that night. Bella was an artist, and still apparently, as her pen hovered over the sketch pad on the table for the instant it took for her to recognize Paige. Paige offered the smallest of smiles. Paige still had the caricature Bella had drawn for her on that mission, still folded up in the bag she took from Section that lay on the top shelf of her closet in the back corner. She wondered if Bella would remember it? Paige had thought it was one of the kindest things, that Bella had taken the effort to draw her something. She couldn't have parted with it, her world then filled with so few kind moments, and had saved it. Bella had made the effort, after all, and in this fucked up world, those kind of people were few and far between. Her eyes swept quickly up the table and fixed on three figures that stood near the head of the table: Rebecca, Gray, and Jackson Wellington. Paige wasn't surprised there. The nature of the mission almost dictated Wellington be there, hell, she wouldn't have been surprised if the president himself showed up. A regular fucking party, she mused as she stepped around Saf, who was fiddling with Simon and one of the laptops. She drew in a breath as her mind admonished her. "Mr. Wellington," Paige said breaking into the conversation, shooting Gray a dirty look before smiling brightly at Wellington and extending her hand. "Ah, Paige, good to see you again," he smiled at her and shook her hand. "Good to see you, sir," she answered. "Gray tells me you'll be field leader on this mission. It's a good choice." "Luck of the draw, sir, that's all. Everyone on the team would make a competent field leader." She was well aware of Rebecca and Gray's eyes on her, certainly, she was behaving out of character. That may be so, but it wasn't everyday that you got to rudely interrupt your boss's conversation and do it with one of the most influential people on the presidential circuit. If Gray would've simply told her that two Section One personnel were going to be breathing the same air she was, she probably would've just waited until the conversation was over. Vindictive bitch? Yep, she was getting to be more like Joshua every day. God, she hated him. "And modest too, I knew there was something I liked about you," Wellington said with an approving nod to Gray. Paige arched an eyebrow at Gray as he forced a smile and a nod. Ah, it had all been worth it for that one uncomfortable look from him. "Has Riley contacted you at all? Because he made it quite apparent he would love to use your help again after your work on the Samboy file," Wellington asked her. "Oh," Paige said with a small smile. Riley. Man, she hadn't thought of the cute Irishman in some time. "Actually, he'd have to clear it with Gray and Rebecca, they're the ones that get the final say in assignments, you know, look out for us and all that...ain't that right, Gray?" she asked him with an arched eyebrow. "Yes, well, we do our best," he quipped back, saying with eyes exactly what he really wanted to with his mouth: you're going to pay for that one. "Well, I hope your best is coming out tonight because you're going to need it." He nodded thoughtfully to her and Gray, "I guess we should get this started." Wellington gave her a small smile before he gestured for Rebecca and the duo sat down near the far corner of the room by one of the many computers. Paige tilted her head at Gray before sitting down across from Saf and next to Jordy. The problem with this side of the table was that now she couldn't see him. He could watch her though, if he wanted to. He could steal glances at her. Would she feel him? Would she sense him looking at her like she used to? Would she get all tingly inside at the mere thought of his attention on her? "Hey, how's the arm?" Jordan asked her quietly. Paige glanced down at the blue cast on her arm. She still had a couple more weeks with it, then most likely a brace of some sort, some physical therapy. Stupid, broken wrist. "Good," she answered Jordy. Gray began to speak before Paige could ask Jordy her opinion of the two Section operatives. Her mind switched into overdrive as she started to consider one of thousands scenarios she would invent in her head to try and explain what was going on. Surprise, my ass, she thought to herself. Joshua had just pulled off the shocker of a lifetime. She could see the satisfied, smug, smirk on his face. She could picture it in her head as if he were standing right there, taunting her. Here ya go, sweetness. And even though I've got you so fucked up in the head that you don't know your ass from your elbow, here, have your surprise, have your old lover, you know, the one you didn't say goodbye, too? Well, say hello to him now darling, cuz he's back. And you can go ahead and fuck him if you want...fuck him until your little heart's content because I don't mind. I don't mind at all. If fact, I fucking encourage you to do it, screw his brains out until he's screaming your name and begging for mercy. You know why I don't mind? You know why, sweetness? Because you now realize what the single most important thing is in your life, the one thing that keeps you breathing...the fact that you belong to me...and you know even in this fucked up world I've invented for you, that that much is true. You belong to me, baby, and don't you ever forget it. No, she would never forget it. Joshua would never let her... Return |
||