| "Almost Perfect" | ||
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CF: CT-1802A-08 Paige's Place April 20, 2008 1700 hours Last night had turned out to be a nightmare. It was the most un-perfect ending to an otherwise almost perfect day of hanging with the girls at the marina on the Secret Freedom, chawing on pizza and sipping beers. It had been almost perfect until the sun went down. That's when Paige had stood in the dark peering out between the vertical blinds at the marina as an uneasy feeling built inside of her. From her balcony, she could only see the first few slips of D-Dock and therefore could not see the Secret Freedom. She felt however, that something was wrong. Not something major...just something out of place. She could not shake the feeling and had to retreat to the hallway again. At some point the logic in her brain had kicked in, or some form thereof, and she grabbed her jacket intent on getting out of the apartment. She walked swiftly to her car almost wincing with every step expecting to feel a bullet from her unknown stalker that tormented her. Getting somewhere safe was all she cared about and she drove to the training facility in Edison. That would be safe and avoid any raised eyebrows that might result if she dared to check into the Safehouse without a plausible excuse. There was only one other person there who logged her in sleepily before returning to his little room where he was spending the night. She walked around the place, having never been there before, easily memorizing the layout before setting herself up in the shooting range; and shoot she did...for three straight hours until her shoulders ached and her ears rang. She felt she had better get in all the practice she could in case whatever stalked her decided to show itself. She would need to be ready and take it down first...before it got her. Getting back to her apartment had been a little easier and she believed the exhaustion had something to do with it. That and the sun had almost come up. The stalker never came out in the daylight. Not yet anyway. She did not fall asleep until the brightness in her bedroom let her know the sun was indeed fully up. Then she slept soundly for a couple hours, only driven back into consciousness by her insatiable appetite. She stood now clenching and unclenching her left hand that was still very sore from the abuse she inflicted on it the night before at the shooting range. Sara was coming over and they were going to have a good night, just drinking and girl talk... no shop...definitely no shop tonight. The knock at the door made her jump. "I'm coming," she said automatically, knowing it was Sara, but still she had a strange belief that it might be someone else. She walked to the door silently and peered through the peephole as she slid the chain lock off without making a noise. It was Sara. She let out a sigh and gently let the chain hang without dropping it. She stopped it from swinging so it would look like it was never on. That wouldn't be good, she thought, if Sara thought she was paranoid by locking the door when the security system was on. It might bring on some questions. "Sara?" she yelled at the door as she punched in the security code. "It's me, Paige," Sara sang back. The familiar voice that had brought Paige through so many difficult times set Paige at ease and she grinned opening the door. "Sam Adams," Sara exclaimed much to Paige's delight. "I knew I invited you over for a reason," Paige quipped taking the offered beer and heading towards the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," Paige said, making her way to the kitchen. "Cute fish," Sara said bending over to see Michael the Fish. "Thanks, it was..." Paige stopped herself. What should she say? Sara looked up at her curiously. "Was...uh," Paige smiled (don't be like Them), "actually, an apartment warming gift from Joshua." She nodded before taking a breath. Sara looked at her evenly, "Joshua?" "Yeah, Gray and Rebecca weren't sure how I would adjust, this being my first place and all; and Joshua came by to check up on me and brought the fish." Just please don't ask me what his name is, she thought. Sara smiled, "Well, that was nice of him," she turned away then from the fish to finish checking the place out. "Yeah, I thought so, kind of cool." Paige thought she detected a bit of doubt in Sara's statement but she wasn't sure if it was really there or her mind was making it up. They hung out on the balcony for a bit talking about this and that, but thankfully, nothing about Samboy, or work, or shop. The dinners they ordered finally came and they ate in the living room flipping between hockey and baseball, with Paige trying to explain both games to Sara between mouthfuls of pasta. A few beers later and only baseball was on, a west coast game, and one, Paige thought, would have no bearing on the Yankees eventually winning the entire season. Who cared about west coast teams anyway? "So, are you adjusting?" Sara threw out from left field to Paige. Paige, absorbed in the game mumbled, "adjusting to what?" "Your first place, stupid," Sara grinned at her, pointing around her, "all this?" Paige looked up, hesitating for only a moment. "Not really, but I think I have everyone fooled," she said easily. Sara narrowed her eyes, as Paige wondered what lay behind that expression, for a moment, then they both burst out laughing. Paige shrugged, "seriously, I'm still adjusting, it's kind of weird..." "What is?" Sara asked. "Well, I wouldn't have anything good to normally say about Section, but at least, when you were in there..." Paige chewed on her lip shaking her head. "You didn't feel quite so exposed?" Sara offered, nodding her head, "I can go along with that." Paige sighed, "yeah, I suppose that's it. It's weird not having all those people around...the protection." "It does feel that way at first, but you'll get used to it." Sara smiled, almost in encouragement, although Paige noted that she seemed to be convincing herself as much as Paige. "I guess," Paige said finishing her beer and getting up to get two more. "I never did ask you how Moscow went," Paige called from the kitchen. When she returned she handed Sara another beer, "did you hook up with Alexei?" she asked with a playful grin. Sara shook her head, "No." Was her terse response. "That sucks. I have got to get me some of whatever that boy has, because good god girl, you were radiant when you came back!" Paige burst out laughing. "Ok," Sara held up her hand, "don't go there because a couple weeks ago you had that 'I just got laid' look about you." Although she was smiling, Paige was getting the 'don't go there' signals perfectly that Sara was giving off. Paige giggled thanking the maker that she had so much beer that this conversation was actually funny. "Maybe." Well, unless you got some good toys off the internet you had better spill the beans. Who is he?" Sara said. Paige stopped giggling though the smile stayed on her face. The pictures flashed through her mind, of Joshua and her, and what he had done to her. She shook herself, "I don't know him that well," she said. That was the truth, she didn't really know him. She wouldn't tell Sara who he was but she would not deny if she guessed either. "Slut," Sara smirked at her. Paige shrugged, "takes one to know one." Sara nodded her drunken agreement, "at least yours isn't a continent away." Paige thought there was something deeply sad inside Sara, the way she said it, but they both laughed and the atmosphere was suddenly lighter. "So, you gonna see him again?" Paige shrugged, "I don't really know." "Do you want to?" Sara pushed. "Honestly?" Paige took a deep breath, "I don't know that either." For sex, she thought, hell yeah, for business, no way. "What's he like?" Sara said snuggling into the couch and grinning like a cheshire cat. Paige grunted putting her feet up on the coffee table. "No, let me guess...cuz I know your type," Sara giggled as Paige nodded for her to continue. "Big guy, like way over six feet. Big muscles, long hair, and big baby blue eyes. Correct?" Paige stared at her � did she know? "Ha!" Sara giggled, pointing at her, "that is so your type." "That's amazing...I didn't even realize I had a type." "Well, Jaime's the giveaway, not to mention..." Paige winced at the mention of his name. "I'm sorry," Sara said sitting up straighter. Paige knew Sara was sorry at causing the pain brought by mentioning Jaime's name, her anxious look, the body language she used. "No, it's ok, I just wasn't...I mean, I'm over that...but I wasn't ready to hear...you really think I have a type?" Paige said trying to change the subject. "You most certainly do," Sara nodded her head. "And you don't, though?" Paige asked. "No, not really," Sara said thoughtfully. "So...that makes you the bigger slut since you'll sleep with just about anything, yeah?" Paige grinned. Sara stared at her, "that's not funny." Paige noted with amusement, the defensive stance, the closed expression, and the stony look that Sara gave her. Paige snorted, "yes it is," and threw a pillow at her. Sara, drunk, did not get out of the pillows way in time. "Alright, enough, you almost spilled the beer." "Whoops, sorry," Paige giggled, "can't have any alcohol abuse." "You're an ass," Sara scoffed at her playfully, throwing the pillow back. "Tell me Paige, truth now..." Sara paused Paige held her breath, waiting for the next sentence. "Do you want another beer?" Sara smiled, aware that her words had caused, anxiety, "you thought I was going to ask you something else, didn't you?" her words were teasing, gentle, but Paige avoided the potential for damage. Paige shook her head, "No way babe...and yes I will have another beer. While you are up, why don't you pass me some of that garlic bread." Sara nodded, heading for the kitchen and returned with two beers, Paige lay on one couch watching her move, both of them had secrets, both of them hid them well, but neither of them would discuss them. Not yet, not tonight. The conversations turned to lighter subjects, of the hockey game, the finer points. No matter how much she tried, Sara just couldn't seem to get the hang of it, and Paige agreed, that they should watch a live game, she would arrange tickets. Saf smiled, cute. Paige thought that for a Brit she was ok, at least she tried, unlike some of the others. The last thing she remembered was Sara bending over her, laying a blanket over her. She was just too tired to say anything, but mumbled her thanks. Return |
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