| "Being the Game: Player 1" | ||
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May 24, 2008 Safehouse 1 0800 hours Joshua entered the room where Paige was being kept. He had showered and changed and felt considerably better. He had already checked on Baz and Eric's conditions, convincing the docs it was in their best interest to tell him what he wanted to know. It had also allowed enough time to see what Safara would do, though her predictability made it all that easier. Now, Saf was with Paige, taking care of her when he should be. But his position, his station, had not deemed that appropriate so he had waited. But now the time had come. Get your faces on boys and girls, he thought to himself, because now it's time to play the game. He had given enough, and now...now it was time to take. He entered Paige's room. "Hey Saf," he said quietly. Paige was asleep, or unconscious, he didn't know, laying on her left side on the bed in the center of the room. The lights were very dim and Saf was slowly wiping the blood off of Paige's face and neck. Paige's right hand was already in a cast up to her elbow, her head wasn't bandaged though he knew, after seeing her wound, that at least a couple stitches had been sewn in. He walked in and stood at Paige's side across the bed from Saf. She hadn't acknowledged him at all though he knew she had heard him well enough. "I'm sorry," he said making a point not to touch Paige at all though he desperately wanted to. "For snapping at you in the chopper...I had no right." He had learned early enough in life that apologizing was often best accepted when one did not include conditions. The reason being was that people often reserved their own opinions of why a wrong had been committed. If you then were to apologize for the wrong reasons you could end up only digging your hole deeper, and his intention was to not dig his hole any deeper than he had to. Saf had not even looked up at his apology, had not even hesitated in her cleaning of Paige's skin. Damn, he would have to give some reason now. "Frustrated," he said softly, "they're injured so bad." Nothing from her. He would have to get to her, use something that would piss her off. "I don't like the operatives, MY team getting injured..." Her eyes snapped up to meet his. Finally, a fucking reaction out of the ice queen. "One, they are Agents, not operatives and two, they are not YOUR teams." Her words were soft yet they dripped with anger. He held her gaze for a moment, letting his mouth open slightly, then dropped his eyes, studying the bed that Paige lay on. Vulnerability, women could never resist it. "You're right," he said softly, "Agents, and they aren't my teams." He looked back up to her, "they know...all of them...what could happen...what could happen on a mission...and," he shook his head dropping his eyes to look at Paige. God, she was beautiful even in her current state. "I just...just always think it can never happen...and," he gestured towards Paige, "then this...happens." He paused for a moment watching Paige. "It gets under my skin...I get so angry with myself, thinking I could have, should have done something different..." "They know," she said quietly. He looked to her. There it was and he grinned inwardly. Pity, sympathy, she had been there before, knew what it was like to be in charge, to profile a mission only to have it go wrong and the overwhelming feeling of responsibility that came with it. "It doesn't make it feel any better, that's why I snapped at you...and I'm sorry." She nodded and returned to cleaning Paige's neck and they remained in silence for a moment. Now it was time to put the conversation in Saf's power, let her think that she was in control of what information she offered up. "Saf, do you know what sunfalls and watershine is?" It was, after all, totally possible Paige had said something to Saf. Lord knew they were tight, the two of them, and although he didn't think Paige would say something, the possibility was still there. Safara looked up to him with a confused look on her face as he answered with an innocent one. "Paige said that before...before she crashed and I don't know what she meant. Do you?" Saf tilted her head slightly thinking then said, "no, I don't know what that is, but Paige," she looked to Paige, "Paige is different. Her mind works different then ours so...it could have meant anything...and it could have simply meant nothing at all." He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, that was the segway he had been striving for. "Yeah, she definitely works on a different plane than us." He smiled looking to Paige with admiration and awe. "And 52 pick up? What's that all about?" He felt his heart rate increase. Give it to me Saf, give me what I want. Saf laughed slightly nodding her head. "Her memory, she describes it as pictures...and when they get all scrambled up she says putting them back in order is like playing 52 pick up." He was so close now he felt like he would burst in triumph. He controlled himself, barely, as he looked at Paige's almost lifeless form. The Innocent was a wonderful role to play and when he wanted to he could put on an Academy Award worthy performance. "She'll get them in order though, right?" He looked to Saf hopefully, his face furrowed in concern and ignorance. Saf shrugged, "dunno. We had a mission in Belize she got a head injury, worse than this, she managed that one ok, I'm sure she'll do fine with this one." Sweet relief. His data should be intact then. Ever mindful of the objective though he quickly changed the subject. "How's her back?" It would not be wise to let Saf ponder the Belize mission, or any mission that involved Paige's memory being compromised, let alone why he would be so interested in it. "Bruised, pretty nasty," she gestured for him to her side of the bed. Acceptance, she was tolerating his presence, hell, she was even inviting him into her space. It couldn't have been going any better. Joshua nodded and walked around the foot of the bed to stand beside Saf. He saw the two bruises and winced without even consciously thinking about it. Paige's perfect white skin was marred with two blotches of purple, one beneath her right shoulder and another not too far under that. Then there, just below the wisps of golden hair, tiny little bruises littered her shoulders. They were from that day, that day that still played vividly in his mind with the belt. He thought she might kill them that day. Kill him with the control she gave him. Kill him with the pleasure and the pain she evoked from him, and mutually, what she allowed him to do to her. "Christ," he breathed out. His hand came up to his chest rubbing two similar bruises of his own. Let the maternal instinct to protect come out of Saf, he was injured, there was no denying that, no reason not to use that to his advantage as well. "Yeah, she's gonna feel these for a couple days," Saf said sadly, "as well as you will yours." Time for the kill. Joshua reached a hand out tentatively to Saf's arm earning her gaze. Icy and protective, the best kind he thought. "She's lucky," he whispered putting on his best innocent face, "to have you. To watch over her, be her friend." The icy gaze did not shift, but she didn't shrug him off either. She wanted to believe him, wanted to believe in him, and the kill was not far off, one more line. "It's very rare and precious to have that in our line of work." Saf studied him as he held her gaze letting his emotions of caring for Paige clearly shine through in his eyes and his expression. He waited, tensely, for the moment, the exact moment when she would break. Saf blinked slowly and smiled. Perfect, his mind reeled, hook line and sinker. "I know," she said softly bringing her hand up to gently squeeze his forearm. Fidget, he thought, that would close the deal, leave her wondering about how much feelings he might have, how vulnerable he might be under his gruff exterior. Let her think that SHE was tapping at the shell getting ready to break it. He purposely shifted his weight and dropped his gaze, withdrawing his arm with a small smile. "Thanks," he said softly, still not meeting her gaze, "for listening to me." God you are good Joshua, his mind applauded. He looked up at her briefly before glancing a look at Paige's back again. "I'll be uh," he gestured towards the door, "outside." He then turned quickly and exited. The smile widened on his face...it hadn't been that difficult after all. Joshua, he thought to himself, you always do get what you want. He walked through the door and closed it softly behind him taking a deep breath. Always. Return |
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