| "In the Details" | ||
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June 13, 2008 Safehouse 1 0800 hours Sometimes having the photographic memory was not such a bad thing. She remembered the details vividly� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paige woke up alone in her bedroom with the door closed. Capricorn was over. They were all safely back at her apartment. Her apartment that smelled like�what was that smell? She climbed out of bed and stretched before going in search of the tantalizing odor. She shuffled out into the living room area and spied everyone at the table. "Pizza!" Brian announced happily as he bit into a slice of pizza that was too big for his hands. Paige said nothing giving him a small smirk and just sat down to eat. The three boys, for surely Joshua and Baz were not acting like men, chattered continuously about the game they had apparently been playing for some time, Ratchet and Clank Revenge of Drak. Paige rolled her eyes grabbing some pizza and going to sit on the couch away from them. Sportscenter. It was the cure all for everything. Well, that and pizza. She watched it silently grinning as the Yanks took two out of three from the Bosox. She through a sly grin at Joshua who appropriately flipped her off. The boys then took over the living area and the television with their game. Apparently Baz had brought it with him from his house. She sat at the dining room table then leafing through the morning paper and generally trying to ignore the trash talking going on between the three of them. Didn't they have somewhere to be? And where was Jordan? And why was the paper so boring? Where did it even come from? Joshua must have bought it because neither she nor Baz read the paper. Baz's cell phone let out a muffled shriek from his bag and Baz listened quietly still trying to play his game and hold a conversation. He hung up the phone pausing and saving the game. "I gotta go," he announced. "Where?" Paige asked never lifting her head from the paper. "Gray just called me in," he said with a tone of disgust. "Right in the middle of my game. And you," he pointed to Brian, "this isn't over. You better not erase that game." "I won't," he giggled back. "Is he gonna call us all in?" Paige asked nervously looking at Brian before Baz. "Nope, got me my very own case." "Lucky you. Promotion?" Paige quipped. "Yep, moving up that corporate ladder. But hey, anything's better than hanging with you and your weird friends." He smirked at her. "You love us and you know it." "Pfft, hate would be a better word." He walked over with his bag on his shoulder. "Be careful and keep an eye on Bri," he said softly. "I will. You too," she smiled up at him. "I'll call you later. He still owes me a game." "Right," Paige rolled her eyes. Baz walked over to Joshua who was loading up a new game and shook his hand. "Thanks for the rescue man." "No problem," Joshua smiled back. "And you still owe me money." "I save your life and this is the thanks I get - 'you still owe me money'?" "A bets a bet," Baz shrugged grinning widely. "Yeah, yeah, get out of here before Gray has a coronary." "Paige," Baz turned back to her, "I'll call Jordy and see if she wants a lift to Saf's house to get her car." Paige winced a little at the mention of Saf's name. "Thanks, tell her to come here, I wanna go out on the boat." "Got it," Baz said and left after knocking Brian playfully off the couch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The game was still at her apartment. Baz had left it for Brian, apparently now, the new owner of the console. That memory took place right after Capricorn. God, she missed him. "Paige?" The small voice caught her attention as she shifted her eyes onto Brian. He lay in the bed with the covers pulled up to his waist, twisted in a way that she wasn't quite sure was even remotely comfortable. "What are you doing?" Paige got up and sat on the bed as Brian scooted over to make room for her. She smiled at him. "We had that meet last night," she said softly to remind him. His eyes narrowed slightly. He was so intelligent, picked up on her feelings and expressions so quickly that he already knew something was wrong. "What happened?" he whispered. There was no way to tell him other then telling him straight out. The boy knew death, had experienced it first hand, had witnessed it, had felt it already. "It went bad�people there that shouldn't have been." She shook her head taking his small hands in hers. "Baz was shot and killed." She held her breath as his bright blue eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Bri," she whispered, "I'm so sorry." He stared at her for a moment as the news sunk into his nine year old brain. "Baz�is dead?" She nodded her head, "yeah, he's dead." She could see the tears forming in his eyes, thickening at the edges, then spilling down over his freckled cheeks. Brian leaned into her wrapping his tiny arms around her waist. Paige held him in the dim room running her fingers through is soft hair. She said nothing to him for their was nothing she could say. Nothing would make him feel better. The only thing that staved off death's sadness was time. And it was the only thing. She rocked him slowly as he sobbed. For how long she didn't know but it was quite some time. When he finally quieted to soft shaky sighs she straightened him and wiped the tears from his cheek. "Go get cleaned up. I'll meet you in the lounge by Grey's office. K?" He nodded and got up slowly. He grabbed his backpack clutching it tightly to his chest. He stood there staring at the floor for a couple minutes before he turned to her. "One day," he whispered, "one day, it will be you." She swallowed hard and nodded her head, "one day�but not today." Return |
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