Dr Alex Carter

musesandlyrics | 6.19. Fringe quote

2010-03-13T02:56:25Z

6.19. "There's an argument to be made that beneath every cynic, there's a frustrated romantic."
Fringe

[Follows THIS]

Hearing his 'other' cell phone ring in the middle of the night never failed to wake Alex up immediately. It was set to a sharp, unusual ring that pierced his psyche as soon as it started, and his first reaction upon being flung back into groggy consciousness was to try and reach for it. Bad idea. Pain seared through his injured elbow, causing him to cry out and then swear profusely as he hugged it back against his chest. In a rapid struggle, he sat up, snatching up the phone with his good arm and answering it before it hit the third ring. "'Lo?" he answered, his voice coming out in a hoarse croak from sleep. The sheets pooled around his waist and he cupped the phone between his shoulder and ear so he could scratch an itch on his balls. He warily glanced over his shoulder at his bedmate, making sure she hadn't woken up, but she just rolled over and then didn't move again.

Alex scrunched his nose up and bit down on his lip, carefully pushing the sheets away and making to get out of bed. This was a business call, and nothing to do with the hospital either. In other words, George couldn't hear it, no matter what the circumstances. "Wait," he said to the caller before they even had a chance to say anything. He was even more pissed off about his injured arm, too, because it made everything so fucking awkward. George on top for some decent sex was fine, but with one arm out of action, there wasn't half as much opportunity to play with her boobs or multi-task, and he was still frustrated afterwards. Plus, the painkillers were making him tired and cranky. Strangely enough, though, George didn't get pissed off and storm out like other chicks had with him when he was distracted (and living two lives, that tended to happen on occasion, especially being a twilighting Secret Service Agent). She just put up with it, called him a cranky bitch, and then suggested they get an early night. Only after she made sure the bandages and brace on his elbow were not falling off and wouldn't come loose in his sleep. He had just watched her intently, absorbing her actions, as she saw to his injured arm, cursing the nurse's skills who had dressed his arm originally. To be honest, Alex had just wanted to be done with it as quick as he could had had rushed the poor chick in the clinic, so it was probably his fault it was a crappy job anyway.

It wasn't that Alex wasn't used to TLC from a chick. He'd had relationships, they were just quite some time ago, before he got in too deep with the SS. After that, and well after he was assigned the Peds job, he hadn't invited much female contact beyond a few one night stands. There had been Kara, and Alex still had a soft spot for her. It wasn't her fault they split, it was his. When they started dating, it crossed with him being sent on three undercover trips overseas with James. It strained things a little, and then the distance between Princeton and New York didn't help either. Everytime Alex made it to New York, it was to check in with HQ or go under in a case conference. It seemed like he was always making excuses not to see her, and she ended up telling him she had taken the hint. It sucked, he knew that, but he figured it was for the best or it would just get messy when he tried to explain why he was even in New York as it was. There was only so many private Peds calls a Princeton hospital pediatrician could do in the biggest city in the world. He apologised to her, and they agreed that logistically, it was awkward. He still chatted to her online and stuff, though, shared some banter and jokes by text message. He was just relieved it hadn't ended messily.

He managed to get out of bed, still naked, and really not having much energy to be bothered with clothes. Walking around his place naked wasn't foreign to him. Saved time fucking about with clothing, and with a sore arm, the anticipation of trying to get pants on just made him want to bang his head against the wall. He rarely encouraged any unannounced visitors because of his work. The last thing he wanted to unexpected callers dropping by when he had case notes from asshole to breakfast. That happened regularly when he was trying to put the pieces together. His whole case work-up could be spread all over his livingroom or kitchen so he could try and see it as a whole picture. Like James, he wasn't a conventional investigator. He also kept his study locked, just in case female callers decided to get nosey. So far, none of them had asked him why it was locked.

Picking up his cigarettes and lighter from the kitchen counter, Alex went all the way to the opposite side of his apartment to the main bathroom. He closed the door and locked it, and then turned the tap of the basin on so it would drown out the sound of his words. If George listened at the door, she would hear him talking, she just wouldn't be able to make out what he was saying. After awkwardly lighting up a smoke, he finally advised the caller to talk, discovering it was James with some new information on their latest lead. James was currently in Los Angeles tracking down a suspect, and as far as Alex knew, he took his kid and other half on the trip this time. As promised, James was keeping his partner up to speed at every step.

When the call ended, Alex shut off the tap and finished his cigarette, waiting out a few minutes just to be on the safe side. About ten minutes after the call ended, he flushed the toilet, even if he hadn't used it, and left the cigarettes and cell in the drawer under the sink. He collect them later when he wouldn't have to explain to George why he had cell in the bathroom. He had a solution to everything. He exited the bathroom, finding George just coming up the hallway towards him in his one of his t-shirts. "You alright, babe?" she asked groggily, blinking as she squinted and tried to analyse him, shoving her messy and tossled hair back off her face. "What are you doing out here?"

Alex pointed over his shoulder with his thumb to the bathroom. "Side effects from the pills. Didn't wanna wake you," he offered without hesitation. "Nothing like explosive diarrhoea to ruin the romantic TLC," he added for emphasis so she wouldn't bring up the issue that he actually had an en suite bathroom connected to his bedroom.

George looked at him for a moment, and then just blinked, nodding. "Feeling better now? Do you need anything? How many gloves and disinfectants needed to dilute the damage?" she joked, stifling a yawn.

Alex came up beside her, draping his good arm around her shoulders as he started to lead the back to his bedroom. "None at all, love. I have very, very good aim."

ooc: surgicalrisk used with love and permission

Word Count | 1,232

RP LOG with surgicalrisk | We meet again

2010-02-02T02:27:44Z

[Follows THIS]

It had been one hell of a week at Princeton Plainsboro. Left and right people were coming crashing down with the horrible flu bug that was going around. Alex had actually been the one to blatantly tell the new Peds resident, Dr Mitchell, to go home because he looked like crap. And the poor kid did. He looked like he had been dragged along behind a double decker bus for a few days, only just living to tell the tale. Alex wasn't at all surprised when the guy called in the day after and said he needed to take the next few days off because it had turned from just plain flu to the stomach flu. It was also what had Patrick Preston hooked up to an IV in one of the medical wards. Alex was just fucking glad that he had managed to dodge the bullet so far. He had always had a pretty good immune system, probably built up from years working two jobs.

Right now, though, he was putting in some extra hours at the hospital to try and pick up the pace on the kids' ward. All wards were short-staffed, and all wards were fill to the brim with patients coming down all over the place with it when they were already in for other things. He now found himself on the surgical ward, waiting at the Nurses' Station for someone in authority to come speak to him. Some young receptionist had gone off to apparently find someone to help him, but she was taking her fucking time about it. They had a kid who was in surgery at that present time, along with the kid's mother. A car accident meant they both needed emergency surgery and would both be admitted in the wake of it. Alex wanted to try and get the Surgical ward to agree to take the kid into the same room as the mother, if he would continue to consult as the kid's doctor. It wouldn't be the first time, but bed management was mental at the moment. It might be a small miracle if it could be pulled off, but at the same time, the kid had no father and it would be some comfort to be close by to her mother. He was writing down a few brief notes in the file while he waited following a phone call from nursing staff to update on the kid's progress. She would be okay, but it was a pretty nasty accident, leaving her with a collapsed lung and two broken legs. It was never easy seeing a kid so banged up like that.

George came out of a patient's room and looked down at her soiled scrubs as she scrunched up her nose and tried to wipe off the remnants of vomit with a cloth. There were definitely times when she was reminded forcefully that this was not a glamourous job, and Pat's pink shoes were still no easier to fill when her staff were dropping like flies. Matt had only just come back to work, and George hadn't really had time to feel awkward about it, when there was too much to worry about just trying to keep the ward running.

She had come to one realisation though: she'd fucked up because she hadn't wanted something secret. If she was going to be with someone, she would be with them. She didn't want to be a dirty secret, or hidden under the covers because it was taboo. Yes, she was technically his boss, so yes, it could have been a much bigger fuck up than it was. And there in lied the rub. The sex had been great, but there was no enjoying it.

She huffed out a breath as she slumped against the station, barely registering the fact it wasn't a doctor she knew standing there. "Fuck me, I wish just for once I could go through a day without needing to change my clothes about ten times. It's gotten to the point I even have to carry spare bras."

Alex actually took a small step back as he glanced around to see if anyone was in hearing distance, like patients or visitors. He wasn't sure swearing like a trooper was actually the image of nurses the hospital wanted to convey, and he also didn't want to technically come into contact with the vomit if she hadn't scrubbed up after it. "That's what they pay you for," he returned, still looking around and waiting for someone to actually come and help him. He didn't have all bloody day to wait for the nurses to get their fingers out. Where the hell had the receptionist gone? Alaska?

"I'm sorry did I offend you? Sometimes it just slips out. I do keep it away from patients, though. And it might be what they pay me for, but I don't have to enjoy every aspect. I can think of better bodily fluids to be covered in." George arched her eyebrow, looking at the doctor finally. She took in the colourful scrubs and smirked. He really wasn't that bad looking, and the Toy Story thing really shouldn't have been sexy. "Peds, huh? You lost?"

Alex smirked at her and closed the patient file over. "No, you didn't offend me, love. Takes a lot more than that to offend me." He tucked his pen away in the pocket of his scrubs, but remained a safe distance away from her. "Oh yes, I'm lost. I make a habit of getting lost in the hospital on a weekly basis because my navigational skills are up the shit. Much like the person running this ward, apparently. They seem to have gone AWOL along with the deaf receptionist."

"Oh, so now it's 'love', now? Didn't realise we were so intimately acquainted, Doctor." George smirked back at him, her eyes sparkling with challenge. She couldn't help it, she always did like teasing someone. She figured it came from having a younger brother. "And which person would that be? You can't possibly be blaming the nurse in charge, can you? He's knocked out with the flu going around. Which means you're talking about his second-in-charge, right? I hear she's a real ball buster. You should be careful about badmouthing her."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I hate to break it to you, but I even call my kid patients 'love', but if you've got tickets on yourself, fair enough. We can't all be perfect," he threw back, watching her in amusement. He tilted his head a little. "No, no. See, if Nurse Preston was here, I wouldn't have been kept waiting for close to ten minutes to liaise about a patient. I'll badmouth anyone who doesn't do their job efficiently. And if this is ball buster right here, you need to do something about your receptionist, because next time she might get House, who'll tear her a new one."

George stopped wiping her shirt down to really look at the doctor this time, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Oh, you're questioning my effectiveness when you just pointed out not two minutes ago that I'm the one who gets paid to deal with vomit? I'm sorry my patients can't follow your schedule and hold in their bodily fluids so I can just drop everything and meet with you. Apparently they're unfamiliar with you being the most important man in this hospital, Doctor." She spat out his title like she had wanted to curse instead, but knew she'd never get away with it. "If you haven't noticed, we're all a little understaffed. I can't be here to answer a doctor's every whim when it's the patients that come first. Speaking of, which patient are you here to see me about? Wouldn't want to keep you waiting any longer. I'm sure you have very important doctoring to get back to."

Alex remained stoic through her whole outburst, and then glanced at a nearby elderly couple who would have heard the whole thing. "I'm surprised you stick in the 2IC position with a temper like that." He held up the patient file. "I'm going to take this to Cuddy. I'm sure she'll be a lot more sympathetic about a six year old girl currently undergoing massive surgery while her mother's life hangs in the balance in the OR next door, making it vital for me to actually be in the OR in case the kid takes a turn. But, no no..." He held up his other hand. "You go deal with your vomit, because I'm sure no other nurse in the whole ward can possibly handle that like you can."

George held her hand up as she looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. Normally I can deal with the stress, but I've just been run ragged lately. I've done God knows how many double shifts, and I'm just getting frayed around the edges. Of course I have sympathy for the girl. I also did have to finish dealing with my patient. There is another nurse in there now. I had to wait for her to get back off break. At least if my staff aren't as worn out as I am, stuff will get done." She was about to raise her hand to push her fingers through her hair, but thought better of it. "Just give me two minutes to at least get into clean scrubs. Please."

"We've all been run ragged. That's no excuse to let your professionalism fly out the window. It's lucky mine wasn't an emergency." Alex pointed to the vacant reception seat. "She's still not back. My patient could have been dead by now. Luckily, she isn't and is being moved to Recovery. Go, get changed. I'll wait here," he said with a small sigh. "Is it just Peds you have an issue with?" he couldn't help but adding.

George glanced at the empty receptionist seat, and let out a sigh of her own. "She's new, and I've been having a lot of issues with her. She really is on my list of things to do. I need to fire her as soon as I can line up a replacement. I'm not running without an ass in that seat. I do apologise profusely, Doctor." She gave a small shake of her head. "No, just doctors that assume I'm not doing a good job. Yes, we're all run ragged, but there is still only one of us. We can only do so much. I'll be right back, I promise."

George disappeared straight into the staff lounge where the locker rooms were, and was already pulling off her scrubs shirt as soon as she was in the safety of the women's side. She took no more than two minutes as promised, the act of putting on fresh scrubs nothing new. She just wished it was that easy to shake her sudden attitude. She rolled her shoulders and tried to pull herself together as she headed back towards the Peds doctor she now wished she could just start over with. Especially when she realised he wasn't at all uneasy on the eyes. She held out her hands that she'd also given a wash, and gave him a smile. "Hi, I'm Nurse Georgina Morrison. I apologise about the unprofessional woman you encountered earlier, and I will do anything in my power to get you what you want."

Before Alex could stop it, he started to laugh in realisation and glanced at her with a nod. "Well, well, at least I know not everyone hides behind a false personality on the internet now," he commented, finding the whole thing highly amusing. "This is very refreshing indeed." And he was also highly aware how much she had spilled her guts to him online, while he had managed to get away with revealing little more than his name and the fact he was a Pediatrician. He took her hand, smirking. "Dr Alex Carter."

"I'm sorry, do I--Oh..." George's eyes went wide as it all clicked into place when she heard his name. She was about to curse again, but was aware of the elderly couple still sitting there, and the fact that he probably really did think she was an idiot. "I wish I could say it was a fake personality, but sadly it's all me. Nice to meet you finally, Dr Carter. I believe I still owe you coffee."

"I won't hold you to that, on account of the fact I'm scared you'll dump it in my lap if they get the order wrong," Alex joked, not doing a very good job of stifling the smirk. This was definitely interesting and he was intrigued to know if she would remember what they spoke about. He didn't think she was an idiot, just maybe had a minor screw loose. "Stress isn't your friend," he had to add teasingly.

George tried remain straight-faced but failed. She had to laugh, and let go of his hand as she realised she was still holding it. "I promise I won't. I'll behave myself from now on. And if you remember, I've lost my personal stress-reliever. I can't actually think of anything to help me out other than maybe getting a punching bag. I still can't believe it's you. This hospital is just... it's like its own city."

Alex wet his lips and nodded his head in the direction of the ward. "Have you lost him, or is he actually around here somewhere? I'm sure the last thing you want is a sexual harrassment suit on your hands, though. Shame that," he commented and handed her the patient file. "I need my patient in a double room with her mother, rather than admitting her to the Peds ward. I'll still be her doctor, but she doesn't have a father and grandparents are en route from England. She should be with her mother. A city? It's a lot smaller than that when the walls have eyes and ears."

"Are you implying that you wish to sexually harass me, or that you wish I would sexually harass you?" George asked as she tilted her head. "And yes, he's here. Somewhere. He's doing a very good job at staying out of my way." She took the file and started to read over it as she nodded. "I'm sure it can be arranged. I do actually care about the patients regardless of my behaviour earlier. The kids always make my heart hurt, though. Alright then, a small town. America doesn't exactly do villages."

"Take it how you like," Alex returned, his eyes shining cheekily. "Can't say I blame the guy with your temper. He's obviously a very smart cookie. She's in a bad way, and I need to know she'll be in good hands. We'll need to get some peds equipment down here for her, and I can maybe pull some strings to get a ped nurse rostered on around the clock for a few days. Would help out your staffing issues, and she'd have someone there if something went wrong. You've been the brunt of the grapevine then, I assume."

George ran her tongue over her lips as she let out a soft laugh. "Careful there, Dr Carter. You might find me in your lap rather than coffee. And no, I don't suppose you can. I honestly didn't mean to come across as such a... bitch," she said as she dropped her tone a little lower. "And he is smart, but now he'll be someone else's smart. Not mine. She'll be in good hands. I can assure you of that. I'll make sure she's well looked after, although if you can get a Peds nurse up here I'd appreciate it. The brunt, and then some. It's never been particularly kind to me, and certainly not right now. But I guess I deserved it."

"Are you offering?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Have you even spoken to him since the whole blow up? It might help to clear the air, you know. You do still need to work together? You don't want to be avoiding each other. I'll speak to Cuddy about the nurse. It was a big accident, had the ER on their toes when it came in. You know, I'm actually not all that surprised. You don't seem to do yourself any grapevine favours."

"Would you accept?" George asked in turn. "Not exactly. Not anything that wasn't work related any any rate. And yes, thank you, Dr Not a Shrink, I do know it would help clear the air. I'm more than aware of it. Thank you. I'm surprised we haven't seen more patients on this floor, then. ER are actually pretty good at their job." George snorted. "Well, thanks very much."

Alex's pager beeped where it was clipped onto the pocket of his scrubs pants. He unclipped it, throwing her another smirk. "You won't know until you ask. Just saying, you let things go too long, and the harder it'll be to clear up the shit. The kid and her mother were the only casualties. Everyone in the other car escaped uninjured. One of those fucked up things. Anytime. You know, without the sordid grapevine rumours and the bitchy temper, you might not have as much trouble getting laid."

George stared at him for a moment, not sure if she was insulted or turned out. Right then it could have gone either way. "Well, keeping in mind the sordid grapevine rumours, and bitchy temper, how would you feel about hooking up with me?" She looked down at the file again, and shook her head. "I hate those kinds of fucked up things. It's like there's no justice. Do you need to go?"

"What's your definition of 'hooking up'?" Alex asked her and gestured with his hand across the wall. "I don't fuck at work. No, especially when the accident was the other crew's fault running a red light for a laugh. Hopefully the justice system manages to do some of it's job. No, not yet. Another one of my doctors just bit the dust. As if losing my new guy wasn't enough," he said, rubbing his head.

"Neither do I. And I guess I mean a tumble for stress relief, and see what happens. I'm not committing myself to anything yet. Not after last time." George frowned, and bit the inside of her cheek to stop her anger rising. "Hopefully, but we'll see, I guess. I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to lose staff. Hopefully you'll get them back soon."

Alex hooked the pager back onto his pocket. At this rate, they were going to need to call in doctors from other hospitals to step in. "Are you sure you want to fuck another colleague? Committing or not, which I would rather not right off the bat, anyway. We might both be shit lays," he joked. "Bugs like this hit kids harder than adults. We're turning kids away in the clinic and ER because we don't have enough beds. I'm glad it's technically not my job to figure out which kid is sicker than the other. We just take what the ER pass on to us."

George shrugged. "Well, I'm not your boss, so it's a step in the right direction. And we may well be shit lays, but we won't know until we try." She sighed. "I can't believe it. I can't even remember the last time the hospital got hit with something like this. Especially something that takes the staff down as quickly as the patients. And you do have a point. We take on the referrals as well. Thankfully no one here really has to decide about turning patients away, plus it's usually pretty serious by the time it reaches us."

"How much of a rebound am I?" Alex didn't mean to technically interrogate her. Okay, so maybe he did, but it was in his blood. He wasn't sure he could be bothered dealing with being someone's rebound, and the fact she worked here, along with her ex, could get messy if he was. He liked sex as much as the next guy, but messy sex, in the emotional sex, was a bit of a turn off. He'd been there, done that, still got the odd random bitchy email from chicks wanting his balls on a platter. He threw her another smirk. "Pretty serious by the time it reaches us, too. That's why we're a hospital."

George fell quiet as she actually gave his question some thought. How much of a rebound was he? She had been hurt when Matt initially ended things with her, and she'd been angry at herself when she'd realised she had betrayed his confidence, but she was getting past it. She didn't spend as much time thinking about Matt in that way, and she'd even gotten over her initial panic about throwing out everything in her place that he'd touched. "Hardly any. It's impossible not to move on without there being a tiny amount of rebound, but I'm not asking to try and force myself over him. I'm past it. I've done a lot of naval contemplating since our online chat." George pointed her finger at him. "Point taken."

Alex's pager went again and he scrunched his nose up in annoyance. He checked the screen with a small nod. "Okay, this time I do have to go. But I'll make you a deal. We'll go out and get a drink together, see what happens, if you talk to your ex and clear the air," he bargained and tucked the patient file under his arm.

George's eyebrows went up. "You drive a hard bargain, don't you? Alright, then. Deal." She held her hand out. "Pleasure doing business with you, Dr Carter. Now go save lives."

Alex took her hand, shaking it and then pulled her closer to him so he could whisper into her ear. "No fantasising about tearing my scrubs off now," he said lowly and then smirked as he stepped away from her, throwing a wave over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

George fell back against the nurses station and huffed out a breath. How was she supposed to not think about tearing his scrubs off after feeling his hot breath on her ear, and now watching him walk away, her gaze firmly on his ass. Now she just had to try and get her focus back onto her work otherwise her professionalism really was going to fly out the window.

Word Count | 3,764

musesandlyrics | 5.8. Marquis De Sade quote

2010-01-23T11:47:19Z

5.8. "Sex is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other."
Marquis De Sade

Co-written with livesonlipgloss
[Follows THIS]

Rachel pushed into the coffee shop near Fifth Avenue, and sighed. This was about the third day that week she'd hit it, working on making it her regular spot in the hopes that eventually it might pay off as a pick up place. The first couple coffee shops she'd tried had had terrible coffee, even if the eye candy factor had been high. She just couldn't stomach the idea of drinking bad coffee and trying to flirt at the same time.

Then there was the fact that Mike was shipping out again soon, and she didn't know how she felt about it. She was sad, and she maybe regretted the fact they hadn't quite connected, but at least they'd maintained some kind of balance in their friendship. They could talk now, and she was even succeeding in not hitting on him every other sentence. Maybe because she really was accepting the fact that it was time to move on. Mike was a great man, and he had been her first accidental love, but it just wasn't meant to be.

She stepped up to the end of the queue, and settled on waiting. The only bad part about her potential new spot was that the queues were always so long. What happened to coffee shops that were quiet, but made great coffee? Not like there wasn't enough of them in New York. "And yet all of them still seem to get massive line ups," she muttered out loud. Rachel rocked back on her heels, and had actually been about to turn around and walk back out when she realised too late that someone was behind her and she bumped against him and let out a surprised yelp. She spun to look behind her to see if they were okay, but her blue eyes lit up when she saw the tall, tan, not so dark cutie. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come up behind me. Are you okay?"

Alex had tried to shift back when he saw her backing up and when she spoke to him, his brain seemed to want to initially wonder why chicks didn't come with orange flashing lights and a beeping thing like trucks did. He had been looking up at the menu to try and decide what he wanted when she bumped against him. Couldn't even get a coffee in this place without someone invading your personal space. He wasn't exactly in a bad mood, but driving all the way to New York had been a pain in the butt. But he heard in his partner's voice the parent panic mode about the kid, and if the kid had a temp, it was always better to be safe than sorry with a newborn. Still, there were pediatricians in New York, but it seemed James was going to be hard-pushed to trust just anyone with his kid. After a bit of acheckover , it seemed the baby just had a minor stomach upset and a slight fever because of it. It happened a lot in newborns. Harri was worried about it being her breast milk making him sick, but Alex had allayed her worries by just telling her to not feed him as much in one sitting. It was a learning curve figuring out how much was right and just like in an adult who ate too much, a kid's gut hurt and was more sensitive to it.

He was going to head back to Princeton, even if he didn't have any shifts for the next two days. He chose, instead, however, to head to HQ to catch up on some outstanding loose ends from their trip OS a couple of weeks back. Besides James needing to draw his gun on aperp , nothing much had come out of it by way of leads. Alex had mostly been surplus to requirements on the mission, anyway. But the day was drawing to an end and he wouldn't be able to stay awake beyond five pm if he didn't get a coffee. It was peak hour in coffee land, though. Afternoon tea time. How dideveryone's metabolisms seem to work on the same speed? "No, I think you gave me internal bleeding. I might need mouth-to-mouth to give me a littlekickstart in the right direction," he joked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Rachel smiled at the joke, and tilted her head as she considered him. "Oh yeah? Then you better think about taking a seat, or getting comfy on the floor. Can't have you bending down and risking more damage just because I can't quite reach your mouth without a step ladder."

Alex snorted with a laugh. "Come on. You aren't that small. I've fucked smaller," he revealed with a small shrug and then it was his turn at the counter. He placed his order for a large double strength latte with caramel syrup and got handed a number. He hated these number systems. Even something as simple as getting a fucking coffee had becomeimpersonalised.

"Fucked a lot of midgets, huh?" Rachel teased with a grin. She hadn't even noticed that Alex had skipped ahead of her, and then the cashier was looking at her and she just ordered a skinny latte. She didn't get all the fancy milky coffees. Simple worked for her. Until she got handed the number, and she frowned down at it. Maybe this really wasn't her place. She turned to smirk at Alex and reached up to grab the back of his neck and pulled him down to kiss him. It lingered for a long moment, and when she pulled back she let him go with a shrug. "Maybe you're right."

Alex hadn't actually meant to skip ahead of her. His mind was just in a few different places, and even though he had slightly pulled the piss out of James, he was thinking about the kid and just wanted James and Harri to be okay in their parent skins. He really hadn't minded driving to New York at the drop of a hat, and he did like the kid. It seemed the cashier just wanted to give him preferential treatment, so he jumped in. He looked at the change in his hand and then held it out to her with a smirk. "Let me buy your coffee. I pinched your place, it's the least I could do." He shoved the cash into her hand before she could protest. "Just fucked a lot of females, the quota tends to add up," he clarified with a shrug. "My ex was much the same build as you and we did fine."

"I didn't actually complain, but okay. I won't turn down free coffee." Rachel took the change, and laughed a little. "Maybe I just need to let guys pinch my place more often. Then they'll have excuses to buy me coffee. Assuming they're as into being chivalrous enough like you to do it, while still talking about fucking a lot of females. So how's that quota now?" Rachel nodded. "Well, sure. Most guys tend to be like you, I guess. Taller than me. My ex is a little beefier."

"Like them meaty, do you?" Alex asked her, still smirking at her as he put his wallet away. She looked familiar, but he just couldn't place from where and he gave his head a small shake. "I know you from somewhere, but fuck knows where. Knowing my luck, you're a friend of myex's . Not that we parted badly, or anything. Just matching our personal schedules seemed impossible. Right now? The quota is on a go slow, but I'm telling myself everyone has slow periods."

Rachel matched his smirk as her gaze slid down his body. "Well, I definitely like one part of them meaty. My ex is an Army medic, so he's definitely got the big muscles. Me? I think I'd remember if you were an ex of a friend of mine. Although, now you mention it there's definitely a little something familiar about you. Maybe it was a party, or something. What do you do? It might be our professional paths crossing. Sucks when the schedules don't mix. That's when dating always falls down. Hey, don't talk to me about slow periods.Mine's lasted... forever."

Everything seemed to connect in Alex's head in the blink of an eye and he looked at her a little warily. "Army Medic? His mate doesn't happen to have just been blown up in Afghanistan, does he?" he asked, not sure he believed New York was that small. But maybe that was it? Had she been at the New Year thing? "I'm a pediatrician in Jersey. Just have some private consults up here, so I have a place in both. Forever, huh? Isn't that a little dramatic? You don't peg me as the Virgin Mary. Although, if you're about to pop a kid out at any second, try and give me some fair warning."

Rachel blinked as she nodded, and pointed at him. "That's him! You know Rob? Small world..." She was shaking her head now as she laughed. Even with all the people residing in this city it was possible to cross paths with someone who knew a friend, or a friend of a friend. "Wow... Oh hey, cool. Working with kids must keep you on your toes. And it was maybe a little dramatic. It's definitely been about... ten months, I think. Nearly a year. And no, no kids popping out. Why, do I look pregnant to you?" she asked as she turned to show him her profile as she lifted her to up a little to show nothing but a flat stomach.

Alex wave his hand. "Not personally, sort of a six degrees of separation thing, but when something like that happens to a friend of a friend, you know about it. Harri and James, I'm Campbell's doctor because Harri had Riley Browne as her doctor for the pregnancy. A Princeton thing, it seems. James is Ali's best pal, Andrew is Ali's husband, who is Leila's cousin, who is married to Rob. See? A whole website could be dedicated to that group and all their links. But that's how I know. It was a pretty intense thing when it happened. Of course it is. It's intense enough as it is having a friend over there a war hero, but to hear he nearly lost his life. It must have been full on for his close pals. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you." He sniggered, shaking his head. "Yeah, you're practically a beached whale."

Rachel frowned as she tried to match names to faces in her head, but nothing much clicked. Except for a few names. "Oh! I work with Harri, so I know James kind of. And me and Andrew are friends and sponsors, so I know Ali. And Rob and Leila obviously because they're Mike's friends. He's living with them. Or will be until he gets shipped out again. Rob's taken it really hard, and Mike just wants to be there to help out. He only just came back when news came through about Rob. He was looking after him before that because Rob caught a stomach virus, or something. He came to see Leila to let her know Rob was okay, only then he just... wasn't. I'm sorry you know what it's like." Rachel looked at him before puffing out her cheeks and then making her belly stick out. "Now I am."

"You want to be a beached whale?" Alex asked her in amusement. "Not that there is anything wrong with that. I don't mind girls with curves at all. I was at the New Year's party very briefly. Had a long week at work, so I didn't stick around too long. Figured I should just put in a bit of an appearance. They do parties with style and the two bars are just awesome venues. But I was close to face-planting the bar and didn't want to drag the mood down. I haven't actually met anyone but Harri and James, a few of the Princeton bunch. I was the mini Scot's doctor when he was diagnosed with diabetes a few weeks after he was born. Good people..." He, of course, didn't mention his SS investigation was revolving aroundLachlan's shooting and that he actually knew James well before he even met Harri, and before James went back to being James. Details like that would always be kept under wraps.

"No, but I was just showing you I could be. I wish I had more curves. I know that sounds stupid, but I do. I need to eat more junk." Rachel's eyes went wide. "Oh, that's it! You were the guy with the sleepy guy with the cute ass. Oh my god... I wasperving on you from behind a few times... No wonder I didn't recognise your face. Sorry, by the way. I'm not really big with the Princeton bunch, either. More the New Yorkers. So you looked after, um... Riley Campbell, right? He's such a cutie. He made a great Yoda."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "First time I've ever heard a girl say that. They're usually wishing they were skinnier, and I'm talking kids as young as eleven and twelve with this mindset. It's screwed up, and bloody scary. I should be flattered you wereperving on my ass, but it really is quite fine," he said with a laugh, turning around so she could get a better view. "I just know a lot of them in passing, a good portion of them work at the hospital so you cross paths. The DJ at TheBondi has just started work in our ward, he's a nice dude. Crazy mental in his work schedule, though." Pot, kettle, black. Not that Alex wasn't familiar with working two different schedules himself. "That's the one. His father's nickname isYodalan because he just has this innate wisdom, really easy to talk to and offer advice. I think that was a salute to that, but you couldn't get a more cool baby costume than that."

"No, I'd definitely want more curves. I'm so... straight up and down. I never feel like there's much to hold on to." Rachel looked at him as she shrugged, and then glanced down at herself briefly. "It'd be cool to have more on my hips, and a bigger booty." She looked back up in time to see his ass, and bit down on her finger to stop herself from reaching out to grab it. "Man, you really do have a seriously cute ass. I just want to get my hands on it. I'm sorry! Fuck, I really am just being inappropriate, aren't I? I promise I'll stop talking about your ass, but you can look at my lack of if you like," she told him as she spun around to give him a return view. "Seriously? I have one job, and that's enough. Granted it's not always high demand, but I couldn't imagine having that many hours eaten up like that. It's demanding enough being a doctor, isn't it?Yodalan, I like that... And definitely no cooler baby costume."

Alex shrugged as his number was called. He dropped the little slip of used paper into the basket for that purpose and accepted the coffee from the girl behind the counter, flashing her a smile. "Thanks, love," he told her and looked back at Rachel with a devious glint in his eyes. "What's stopping you getting your hands on anything? We could just check into that hotel across the road and fuck our brains out," he joked and took a sip of coffee, analytical eyes still planted intently on her face.

Rachel looked back at him, and gave a disbelieving laugh as she tried to work out if he was serious. "Are you serious?" she had to ask him out loud, still studying him. She realised she couldn't actually read him all that well. Not that she didn't believe anything he was saying, just this feeling like she was still missing something. "I just... Nothing, actually. It's not like we're not both single. You're not serious though, right? You're having me on."

Alex swallowed and cleared his throat, gesturing to her with the coffee cup. "That depends how much guilt you're feeling over the soldier. Guilt that is badly projected, because you technically have nothing to feel guilty about. But I get the feeling you're still a little hung up on him, not that there is anything wrong with that, but you said yourself you haven't had sex in ten months, putting you around the time he shipped out, if I've connected the dots correctly. That means you still have feelings for him, and that since he has been back, you've probably been harbouring the guilt by way of thinking you might actually be unfaithful to him if you sleep with anyone else, and that you are probably a bitch for being unfaithful to a serving soldier who's been at war. Only, you also said in passing that he got the call back, and now you're probably wondering why you're mooning over him when he's not reciprocating and again, nothing wrong with that. But it sounds like you need a distraction, a way to shake the guilt, and there isn't really any better distraction in this world than sex." He tilted his head a little, a faint smirk on his lips. He couldn't help it, it was his job to absorb every little fact and judge people. It was just second nature to do it when he wasn't even on a case. "And the only reason it all depends on how much guilt you're feeling is whether or not you'll let yourself do it despite."

Rachel laughed again as she looked at him. "Are you sure you're just a pediatrician, because you really have adults down. I feel oddly naked after you understand me so well. I'd feel less naked across the street with us fucking our brains out." Her number was called, but it took Rachel a moment to move to grab her coffee. She hadn't quite been able to take her eyes of the doctor. When she was back in front of him she held her hand out. "I'm Rachel, and I would actually really like you to be my distraction if you're okay with it. I'm not letting the guilt get in the way when you're the one in front of me right now. But thank you... for understanding."

"It's not about understanding. You hardly know me, you don't need me to understand. But look, I do get it, okay? If only because that side of things I know a little about. And look, he's a good guy. I haven't met him, but if Rob is anything to go by, he's probably sweet, kind, Southern, hot. I have seen him, just not met him. It doesn't matter if you're still hung up on him, and maybe down the track, you'll end up back with him if you still love him. But right now, you gotta live a little. He's not able to be that other part of you right now, for whatever reason. It sucks. Relationships all suck when they screw up, but just lock it up and slot it away for awhile, or you'll become old before you know it," Alex warned and then nodded his head in the direction of the hotel. "Hopefully they have mints on the pillow and a mini bar."

"So you can have some Irish coffee?" Rachel asked with amusement. She reached behind him to pinch his ass now she knew they were going to sleep together, and touching it didn't seem so taboo. "I'll make sure they have mints on the pillows, and a mini bar otherwise we're finding another hotel. And consider everything locked away and stowed for living a little. Just remember to give me your name at some point, so I'm not screaming out to the wrong guy."

Alex snorted. "No. So I can raid it and charge it to work," he told her with a laugh. He finally took her hand and kissed her fingers. "Dr Alex Carter, MD, at your service."

"So now I'm a work meeting, huh? I can live with that. I mean, I do think you need to give me a full body check up." Her face stayed straight for a moment before she started to laugh. "Shit, that was just bad. It's a pleasure to have you at my service, Alex." Rachel smiled at him before she started to lead him out of the coffee shop.

Word Count | 3,461

musebysentence | 48.8. Help

2010-01-23T02:51:11Z

LINK: I can't believe I'm driving all the way to New York to check a kid's temperature.

46.3. Forget

2010-01-16T00:32:40Z

LINK: Easy to forget who you are when you're too busy being who you aren't.

RP LOG with straight2point | Attempted reassurance

2010-01-03T05:26:20Z

[BACKDATED TO NEW YEARS EVE]

Harri had no idea how she was going to last until midnight. She loved Aiden, and she had always been someone to look forward to New Year's, but she got tired easily these days. Especially when she up at all hours because of Campbell. She was on her own, with James away somewhere undercover, so there was no taking shifts with her partner. Pat and Aiden had been staying in New York to give her a hand, and she would be eternally grateful to them. Especially when they took Campbell off her hands long enough for her to get a few hours of solid sleep.

She stifled a yawn, and looked down to doublecheck that she really hadn't put her undies on the outside, or looked too much like a mess. She had pads in her bra to try and hide the leakagage, and Campbell was tucked against her chest as he slept after having a feed. She tried to keep the times regular, but her baby boy didn't believe in a schedule. He was already a demanding little diva, but she loved him. She looked down at his tiny face in awe, still amazed she'd produced a little bundle like him.

Harri glanced back up when she realised someone had slid into the booth opposite her, and smiled. "Alex. It's been a while."

Alex snorted as he smirked at her. "C'mon. It hasn't been that long. By the way, I'm here because I'm your kid's doctor. I'm sad and pathetic because I split with my girlfriend and you invited me because it looked like I needed a night out. I don't know your ball and chain at all," he told her in a hushed voice, glancing around discreetly to make sure no one was actually listening in. He was dressed in worn jeans with a neat shirt, looking every bit the innocent doctor even if he had literally stepped off the private jet two hours earlier from being undercover with James. He cleared his throat and took a sip of his orange juice, tucking his finger into the bundle of blankets to stroke the baby's face with his fingertip. "He might be a fucking pain in the arse, but he produces good offspring."

"Just remember you need to protect the pain in the pain in the arse with your life," she said quietly as her eyes flashed slightly. Then she smiled, looking back down at her son. "He's beautiful, isn't he? We did do pretty good. Definitely couldn't have made him without James." Harri shifted enough to balance her son in one arm so she could reach for her lemonade. "Do you want to hold him? And how is your broken heart, by the way? I'm sorry you split up with her. I did like her. Do. Did. Whatever. Baby brain, and I'm on leave."

Alex smirked. "You don't scare me, love. I've dealt with far scarier bitches than you, no offense. The maternity bra and unshaven legs aren't exactly enough to put the wind up a dude. Of course I want to hold him. It's not often I get to deal with kids that aren't screaming." He put his drink down so he could accept the baby off Harri, holding him with ease. He gave a small shrug, careful not to disturb the sleeping infant. "Couldn't get the time schedule to sync. It happens. You're lucky with Fraser. He's put his foot well down so he doesn't get kept away from you half as much as he probably could. Put his arse on the line to pull it off, and is doing a fucking risky job nosing around in the FBI for leaks. I don't envy the bastard, but it keeps him in New York. Mostly. I know it sucks, and I'm sorry. Kid barely has his umbilical cord snipped and his Daddy's sent away. He'll be back in a few days, Scout's honour. He's just tying up loose ends. I left him with all the paper work. Nah, just kidding. He's fine, I promise. He'll be back on diaper duty by Monday."

"I'd tell you to wait until you hurt my kid, but I know you won't. You just caught me a weak point." Harri stretched her arms out in front of her before she covered her mouth as another yawn hit. "I'm sorry, I'm just not as awake as I used to be. I feel like a bloody grandma. Midnight also seems like hours away. I'm just lucky Campbell doesn't seem to mind noise. None of the kids do. I know I'm lucky, but for a while there I wasn't so sure I would have him. Our schedules more than clashed. Our lives, and goals did. I guess it's just one of those things. Doctors are always working hard. So does this mean you're back on the market, or are you going to tell me you're not interested in pursuing anything right now?" Harri's expression changed briefly, and she sighed. "It fucking sucks. He should be here, but I have no right to complain. This is what I signed up for. He'll really be back Monday?"

Alex waved his free hand. "Stop the damn yawning or I'll shove a bag over your head," he warned as he couldn't hold one back himself. "Try hopping six time zones in three days, then we'll talk about tiredness. I get to go home and crash for a day before I need to go back to work at the hospital. I don't even know anymore. Feels like too much hassle to even try, but you got me at a bad time. I'm always shitty after an assignment, especially when it doesn't get the results you want and you put your fucking blood, sweat and tears into pulling it off. He'll be back, just go easy on him for a couple of days. It's been... he's..." He pressed his lips together momentarily. "He had to take someone down."

"I gave birth, love. I win. Always," Harri smirked. "Hopping six time zones in three days is a piece of fucking cake next to that. I'm sorry you don't get much of a break. I can't even imagine needing to hold up two jobs. I always put so much effort into the one, I wouldn't have time for two. Although I guess I have being a mother, and being an editor. Not that I'm comparing either to what you two do. And there are a few single ladies left here, I think. You should at least get in a shag. I'm sorry things didn't go your way." Harri frowned, looking at her son in Alex's arms briefly like she was worried he was listening. But he wouldn't even be able to understand them yet. "Shit... I thought you said he was fine?"

Alex pointed. "You said you were on leave. Come back to me when you really are working two jobs and holding two personas down. And hopping six times zones while doing it. I win. I'll keep winning because I'm a kid's doctor. I know what it's like to have screaming kids left and right. I also had gallstones, once. I'm told the pain is on par with giving birth. Or being shot. But I know that's bullshit," he added, unable to stop a brief glance in the direction of Lachlan Campbell before he was looking back at Harri again. "Fine for an SS Agent? It's his job. On par with your... breastfeeding? Only, imagine breastfeeding and shooting someone in the head with a pistol while you're doing it."

"I'll take it easy on him. Promise." Harri's nose scrunched up as she tried to imagine shooting someone while breastfeeding. Although she would have loved to have shot the stupid bitch that had made rather loud comments about her breastfeeding at the coffee shop this morning with Aiden. She wouldn't have done it if she could help it, but Campbell wasn't letting up and she'd been too comfortable to move. She'd still been as discreet as possible, and hadn't even flashed her tit at anyone. "I am, but that doesn't mean it won't be hard. I'm struggling as it is with just Campbell on my hands." She reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "Apologies for the gallstones. Did you name them? You've never been shot?"

Alex shook his head slowly. "No. Just investigating someone that did. Why the hell would I want to name them? I wanted to stab myself in the gut to get rid of them. He took someone's life, an evil bastard, for sure, but it never gets easier. I think he'll just be glad to get home. This right here," he patted the underside of the baby bundle, "has had James near in tears on our down time. Can only imagine he lets them come when he's on his own."

Harri bit her lip, trying to stop a sudden surge of emotion that threatened to start her off crying. She whacked Alex's shoulder briefly before taking another sip of her drink to give her something to do. "He's not supposed to be wanting to cry... Campbell means a lot to him. Well, of course he does. He's his son. I just don't think he wants to be away because Campbell is supposed to help start him to heal properly."

Alex looked at her wryly and then gave a small sigh as he looked down at the baby. "It's his job. This one here, he'll grow up understanding that. It'll be his norm. That doesn't mean it gets easier, and he was only born a few weeks ago. It wasn't going to be easy for anyone. But it was vital he was there. He's kept it as short as he could. He really did. The biggest difference this time around is unless he is working, he really is himself. When we first became partners, he was just all about the work. He was someone else. He has the luxury of transitioning back and forth now, like I do. It really is much better for his frame of mind. Doesn't mean he doesn't miss his son and you. You miss your family. It's natural."

"And if you don't have a family?" Harri nudged him gently. "What do you miss?" She tucked her long hair behind her ear, and leaned down to touch her fingers to Campbell's cheek when he seemed to start stirring. As soon as he felt his mother's touch he settled down again. He wasn't always that easy, but tonight he seemed to want to cooperate. "I miss him. I really do. We only just... We only just sorted things out then Campbell came, and now he's gone. I just need him to know I love him."

Alex shrugged a little. "I miss my family. Parents, brothers... I lost an older brother a few years ago. I know how loss feels. I guess in the sense of your question, though, don't miss a whole lot in immediate reach right now. I exist for work. Us Agents all generally do that at some point in our careers. Not much time to really stop and think about it, either. I know it sounds really harsh, but you will save yourself a whole lot of stress once you get used to his random disappearances. Bearing in mind that now they won't be so often. He's baseline. He'll mostly stick to New York, except for now and again like this when he has to get deep into the investigation if he finds a lead. He loves you too, you know. He didn't tell me to say that, he doesn't know I'm coming to check on you. But he does."

"I know what it's like to exist solely for work. I didn't really understand what I was missing until James. Well, Marc..." She said the name in a hushed tone. "I don't have brothers, or sisters. I barely talk to my parents. I assume they got my note about Campbell being born. Fucked if I know. I'm sorry about your older brother. That really is a tough loss. I realise he will disappear, I guess I had just never assumed it would be happening so quickly." Harri gave Alex a small smile. "Thank you for checking up on me. It's nice to know he's still out there."

"My job as his partner," Alex told her with a flicker of a smile that he was too tired to really maintain much. The only reason he probably wasn't comatose was because his body thought it was two in the afternoon. "I would protect him with my life, you know. As he would for me. Even if he's a pain in my rectum a lot of the time. He's so anal. But it's what got him to where he is at his age. His priorities are just changing now. Family will come first. I guarantee, if this kid ever needed him, the would throw he job in quicker than you can say SS."

Harri leaned forward so she could kiss her son's forehead. "I hope it never actually comes to that, but it's nice to know."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Look, I'll hand him back to you now. I think I've got to call it a night. Go home to my boring empty apartment and bed. This is all too much... cheer for me. It's going to give me a headache." He carefully handed the baby back over to her. "Just wanted to let you know he was okay."

Harri held Campbell close, and the smile she gave Alex was warm. "Thank you. And really, it's such a shame you have to go home alone. At least try and pick up someone on your way out. Nothing gets rid of a headache quite like an orgasm. Plus it'll stop you from thinking too much."

Alex gave a small snort and looked around. "Aren't they all married or gay in here?" he pointed out, pushing his hand through his hair. He would be lying if he didn't admit it would be nice to stop thinking, though. James might have pulled the trigger, but Alex watched. Watched James' shaking hands as he cleaned the blood off his handgun, too. That was a whole lot of thinking to try and go to sleep with. "I'm probably safer to go pay for it on the way home."

Harri grinned as she spotted Rachel through the crowd. She pointed a finger in the petite blonde's direction. "I know she's not. Talented make-up artist, and in desperate need of a decent lay. I say you walk over there and remind her what kind of good looking fish are in the sea." Then she winked at him. "And call me with details tomorrow."

Alex looked at her skeptically. "Make up? Uh, doubt she's my type," he said as he pushed out of the booth. "I tried someone from your world, remember, and it blew up in my face. But cheers for trying. I think you need to stick to breastfeeding," he teased, smirking at her and brushing his finger across Campbell's nose. "See you later, kid. No getting any childhood illnesses. Peds wards don't need your lungs, the way I hear it."

"My little diva," Harri said with a laugh. "And I'm sorry about that, I really am. But Rachel's not exactly from my world. And I don't think she's looking to date. Isn't that your type? Try and have a good rest, Alex."

Alex pressed his lips together wryly. "Your world enough. I'm talking shit. Ignore me. I told you, my head is about four timezones back. I need to drive back to Princeton tonight, too. Best to get to that while I can. Monday, he'll be back. You can give each other foot rubs or something." He gave her a small wave and a smile and then disappeared into the crowd.

Word Count | 2,668

musebysentence | 43.6. Crappy

2010-01-01T06:34:46Z

LINK: So fucking glad that year is over.

musebyquotes | 2.13. Unknown quote

2009-05-16T12:58:03Z

2.13. "There are times in everyone's life when something constructive is born out of adversity... when things seem so bad that you've got to grab your fate by the shoulders and shake it."
- Unknown

Co-written with withlightson

James was heading into the fifth day of his coma and still his condition remained unchanging. His friends and family came and went from his room in a constant stream, along with Special Agent Pierce, who was now working directly with Alex and James' SS superior, Paul, to construct a fool-proof plan to integrate James back into the FBI. Alex was amused to hear that James would be stuck with a desk job for the first few weeks. If he was going to return apparently post-amnesia and post-coma, he wouldn't be allowed on the field until he could be declared fit for that work. It was going to sting, but they all knew this was never going to be an easy or quick process. The bastard had to wake up first before any of the next steps could be set rolling. Both Pierce and Paul had even intently discussed the possibility of advising James' parents and brother in Australia that he had apparently shown up out of the blue, but Isabel had come on heavy with her total bitch-on-heat mode demanding they didn't. It should be something James did himself in the first instance, because no one knew what his plans for that side of things were, and there was apparently the added strain that the brother was the biological father of Special Agent Sullivan's kid and there was old water under the very large bridge there. The decision soon came to leave the family out of it for now. It might only cause hassles with the case.

By now, rumours were supposed to be filtering through FBI headquarters as to Isabel's return, though there had been no talk of James yet. Pierce didn't want his staff knowing that until James was able to walk into HQ himself. Alex didn't profess to know anything about the workings of the FBI Field Office, nor did he want to. He had his own very full plate in front of him and it seemed to be overflowing by the minute. There was the gnawing discomfort that he was more than aware he hadn't contacted Kara in days. She was probably thinking by now that he had lost interest and didn't want to date, which wasn't at all how he felt. He did want to. He really enjoyed her company and they had become close. So close, in fact, that he now knew what time had come, especially considering Kara, by now, would be well aware of Harri's ordeal with Marc landing in the ICU in a coma. Kara knew Alex supposedly worked for Marc's "company", Promantech. She had to be wondering if this had an impact on him. She could just never have realised what force the impact really had.

It was why Alex now stood on the doorstep of Kara's apartment, dressed immaculately in a black suit, shirt and tie, dark sunglasses atop his head, and his jacket tailored just a little bit bigger to conceal his gun. He was clean-shaven, hair styled back with some product, and Italian leather shoes to complete the look. A very far cry from the Toy Story scrubs. In fact, at first glance, she might not even recognise him. This wasn't Dr Alex Carter, it was Special Agent Theodore Darcy. He briefly pressed his finger against her buzzer after being let in by the doorman downstairs. He looked down at his feet, letting out a slow breath as he waited. If James was dating Harri, and Harri was Kara's close friend, this could be no longer avoided.

Kara had been enjoying her day off in front of the TV surrounded by various snacks and take-away containers. She loved nothing more than indulging in her slothful ways when she had the opportunity. She had been keeping her phone close in case Harri had needed anything, or even Alex. He hadn't been far from her thoughts at all. She'd called him a few times since their date in Princeton, but for some reason she hadn't wanted to leave any messages. It was stupid, and she knew it. And probably why he hadn't called back. Maybe he thought she wasn't interested anymore, and it was far from the truth.

She hit the stop button on the DVD player and tore herself away from the woes of the Upper West Side teenagers in Gossip Girl and looked down at her t-shirt and sweats. The t-shirt was cut so it exposed one of her shoulders, her lack of bra underneath making it very clear she wasn't expecting company. She used the back of her hand to wipe at the chocolate stuck to the corners of her mouth as she stared at the man on her doorstep after opening her door. It definitely took her a couple of seconds to recognise Alex beneath the very slick exterior. "Wow, you really clean up pretty good, don't you?"

Alex distractedly noticed her appearance, but it didn't phase him. He was hardly one to judge. The days he was sleeping after night shifts were pretty on par with how she looked just now and had no apologies to make for that. He nodded a little, glancing up the hall to make sure no one was playing the nosey neighbour role. "You could say that," he agreed and cleared his throat. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you about some things. It's... really important."

Kara nodded as she stepped aside to let him in. "Of course, sorry I'm not really very--it's just you look... wow. I think I said that already, didn't I?" She bit her lip as she closed the door behind them and tried to ignore the heat curling through her veins. He wanted to talk to her about important things, so there was definitely no jumping him. "Do you want to sit down? We can talk in the dining area. I'm afraid the sofa's a bit of a tip. I really wasn't expecting anyone. Not that you're not welcome. You're definitely welcome, and I really missed you, and I'm sorry I never left a message when I called you."

Alex followed her inside and shook his head. "It's fine. Wherever is good for you. I apologise, too, for not getting in touch. Things have been crazy. More than crazy. I just need to explain a few things before we... before anything else," he told her. "The best place to probably start is that this has to do with Marcus and his illness, first and foremost."

Kara guided him towards the kitchen area. Her apartment was completely different to Harri's. For one, she actually had colour in it. The kitchen was a bright shade of red, the appliances stainless steal. Her dining set was black, a vase of bright flowers sitting on top of it. She took a seat, and indicated he should do the same. Kara placed her hands folded in front of her and gave Alex her full attention. "Is he alright? I haven't heard much from Harri, I was assuming no news was good news. He hasn't died, has he? Please tell me you haven't come from the funeral..."

Alex sat down, shaking his head. "No, no. Nothing like that," he assured her. "But he's in a critical condition. He has a serious form of diabetes which can make his health volatile at times. I wish I could say this was unexpected and out of the blue, but it wasn't. There have been some things going on, things you have inadvertently been drawn into and I'm here because I don't think it's fair that it keeps going without you having an awareness of it. And I apologise for how it's all gone down; it's an intricate situation, but I have to start somewhere and it really should be to explain that neither Marcus nor I are who we've led you to believe."

Kara's eyes flicked between his as she tried to understand what he was leading into. Truth was, she was lost already. She felt stupid for not already knowing what Alex was talking about, but she couldn't for the life of her work out why he or Marc wouldn't be who she had thought they were. "Okay..." she said slowly, still giving him her full attention.

Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the top of the dining table. He reached up and took his sunglasses off his head and folded them in front of him. "Despite Aiden's favoured theories that Marc was in the Mafia or the Men in Black or working for some far out universe with cyborgs, it's evidently none of that, though he probably did have every reason not to trust Marcus because there was a lot of fabrication going on behind the scenes. Marcus is actually James Campbell, an Aussie, not a Brit. He has blond hair and blue eyes, and he was a Special Agent with the FBI less than a year ago. At least, he was until he was recruited. To the Secret Service, to be accurate," he explained, taking his leather wallet from his breast pocket. He flipped it open, exposing his silver SS ID badge and sliding it across the table for her to see.

Kara couldn't help the way her jaw dropped open. Harri was dating a Fed? And not just any Fed, but someone who was also SS. She raised her hand to her head, letting her forehead rest in it as she reached out with her other one to pick up Alex's badge. Only as she looked at it closer and saw the ID photo with his name, she realised he wasn't Alex. He was apparently Special Agent Theodore Darcy. "Mr Darcy," she murmured distractedly, for some reason her mind automatically going to Pride and Prejudice. She was sure it wasn't a normal reaction, but she didn't know how else to process this other than to distract herself. "So, um... you're SS as well? And the job in Princeton is that a cover? Do you even... I mean, was I a part of the cover, too?"

"You were never supposed to happen," Alex explained quietly. "But it just did. By the time I met you, Harri knew all about James' double life. She just chose to become part of it. My own cover didn't come into question or wouldn't be an issue, except things have taken a sudden turn. James is integrating back to the FBI to become an SS liaison. He's still my boss and partner, the bastard, but it's complicated. I'm in Princeton investigating a few possible leads in a far-wider reaching case. I won't get into it. It's boring and classified. Yes, I am a doctor. I have two medical specialities. Paediatrics and Forensic Medicine, hence why I'm in the Service. It was my specialities that got me there for ease of investigations. Admittedly, a part time Paediatrician could never be as busy as I've made out to be, night shift or not," he added sheepishly. "I've been back and forth to Princeton and New York a lot, carrying out leads, and even taken a few trips overseas in the middle of it all. Red Bull puke was a result of walking off six night shifts straight onto a jet to England for a fourteen hour round trip."

Kara shifted to push the badge back towards him, and her hand moved down to cover her mouth as she studied Theodore Darcy quietly, trying to work out how much of him she really knew. She still felt stupid for being duped, but then that was the point of undercover, wasn't it? And what reason would she have ever had to suspect him of being a secret agent? "No wonder you kept trying to push me away."

"I'm sorry," Alex said softly. "I really am. But it's who I am and what I am, and it's the nature of undercover operations. I can probably tell what you're thinking too, and the answer is probably not as much as you should. This me is very different to the Alex I project, but only because I'm dealing with pretty intense things. And you can ask me anything. I'll answer your questions, but there are some other things you need to understand at the moment. Firstly, I was trying to push you away because it just would have been easier for you not to be involved. Now that you are, it could get really confusing. Second, James being ill in hospital isn't an accident and as weird as it probably seems sitting on the peripheral with you only briefly knowing Marcus Fraser, there is no Marcus Fraser anymore. Harri's trying to deal with a lot of shit and I think she could really use as much support as she can get. I brought Aiden from Britain to be with her, but most everyone else involved is tied up in the investigation in some way, and it's confusing."

"Confusing is a bit of an understatement," Kara replied with a brief smile. She rubbed her hands over her face and rest her head in them as she looked at him again, still trying to come to terms with him not being Alex. "I'll be there for Harri, but you're going to have to forgive me some selfish line of thinking because I really am just trying to wrap my head around this. So, the dating thing, I mean... you obviously weren't going to reveal yourself to me anytime soon, and that's fine. I do get it. Now though, if you've told me does that mean you don't want to? Or you do, and that's the confusing part because you're still two people?"

Alex drew a slow breath and unbuttoned his jacket. She knew, now. He could take the jacket off, which he did. The holster with his gun was secured around his shoulders, so it would have to stay, unfortunately. It was just relieving to be able to relax a little after being at the hospital all morning. "I can't promise it will be easy, I can promise it will be... unpredictable. There will be a lot I can't talk to you about, there will be times I'm just pissed off or distracted for seemingly no reason. But there is always a reason. I can get called away at the drop of a hat, sometimes without notice. I'm essentially the same person inside, just two different people in two different situations on the face of it. The question would more be if you can handle all that. And I know you're probably wondering what would have happened if my hand wasn't forced here. I would have told you eventually. I would have told you if the situation risked hurting you."

Kara stared at the holster for a moment before she shifted her gaze to the tabletop, falling silent as she tried to work out if she could handle all this. Apparently Harri could, but Harri was a different person to Kara. Harri wouldn't take on anything she didn't feel ready for. It also spoke volumes about just how much she felt for Marc. Kara flicked her gaze briefly up towards Alex's face. "What am I supposed to call you?"

"Alex," he told her quietly, feeling something inside him start to sink. He had a feeling she wasn't going to be able to do this, and he wouldn't blame her at all. "It's safer that way. No sense getting into the habit of anything else. Plus, it doesn't suck as much as Theodore," he added with a hint of a smirk.

Kara laughed softly at that, and nodded. "Well, I wouldn't say Theodore sucked, but I can live with Alex." She wet her lips before she half got out of her chair and leaned across the table so she could kiss him. "This is weird, I won't lie. Truth is though, I think I was already kind of invested in this when I started chasing you like a lunatic, so I'm not going to runaway. If you still want to try dating, then I'm here."

"I do," Alex confirmed, pressing his lips together before smiling across the table at her. "But I would be really grateful if we could take things a little on the slow side. Just while all this with James is going down. When he wakes up, he's going to have a lot on his plate and he'll need everyone around him to be on the same page. Hopefully he actually remembers what the plan was and what he did. I know it's fucked up and weird. Totally weird. Like the movies. But I promise I'll try and be as normal as I can be."

"We can go as slow as you like. I won't push, or rush you. I mean, I know you're interested now, so that's all that matters. I only ask that you maybe just remember to check in so I don't have to rely on bugging Harri for updates on how you're going while she's worried about Ma--James." Kara reached out to take his hand. "Also, you can just ask me for anything you need, whenever you need it. I know you said there would be times you were feeling crap without any real explanation, but you can still ask things of me. Like if there's things you need to maybe try and feel better."

Alex squeezed her hand. "And if I don't check in for a couple of days and I don't return calls, still ask Harri because likely chance is James and I will have stopped checking in simultaneously and are on a case. See, this might actually work," he joked, shaking his head. "I'm sorry again for everything. I just knew I had to come clean. I've been wondering for a few days if I should, even before James made this abrupt decision. It was mostly the random trip to England. I know I looked like shit and you would only buy the 'coming down with something' line so often. But for the record, I don't usually get to that point. That was a favour for a friend named Jim."

Kara gave him a lopsided. "It's fine. I mean, you don't actually owe me anything. We've had hot sex in the back of a car, and an incredible date. You didn't actually owe me anything when you skipped town. We're hardly together-together. Just starting to date. But thank you for wanting to be honest with me about everything, especially who you are. I promise your secret is safe with me, Theodore. Alex."

Alex actually winced at the name. "It's usually only my Mum that calls me that when I'm in the shit," he admitted, laughing. "Theodore Xavier Darcy, stop trying to shove bugs up your brother's nose! It's not nice!" He shook his head. "I get Teddy, mostly. Theodore in an official capacity but most call me Alex. Whatever you feel most comfortable with. And I know there was no owing on either part, but it's a matter of want. I'm not an arsehole, even if I know I came across as one in the early days while I was trying to push you away. I'll try not to be totally unreliable and ignorant. Nine times out of ten, I will be able to at least get a text to you before I disappear. Like I said before, I'm in a bit of a different situation to James."

"I'm sorry, Alex, I couldn't resist. So how long have you got? And just where does sex stand with the taking things slow part of the deal?" Kara asked as she got up to get them both bottles of water.

Alex stuck the tip of his tongue out the corner of his mouth. "I have a couple of hours, and sex could be part of the deal right now..." he suggested, eyebrows raised with a smirk.

Kara grinned as she held out her hand for him. "Want to come see my bedroom, Agent? You might even need to strip search me. No telling what I might be hiding under these daggy clothes."

Alex pushed up from the table and took her hand. "And I promise, this isn't a gun in my pocket," he threw back, laughing.

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princton2nyc universe

Word Count | 3,377

muses_w_remotes | 13.16. House, M.D. quote

2009-05-12T08:52:36Z

13.16. “I told you, just his nature. Poor guy's hardwired to kiss ass.”
| House, M.D.

Co-written with mrpublicity
[Follows THIS]

Aiden sat stiffly in one of the comfortable, large seats of the private jet, eyes planted unmovingly on Alex across the small aisle from him. "I don't have to like you, do I? I kind of want to kick you up the arse just by association," he commented.

"It would make things easier if you didn't want to put a hit out on me. I wouldn't advise it, and I'm kind of getting tired having my person randomly threatened when I've done nothing but help your posse try and get back on the same page together," Alex returned, sipping from his can of Coke. "In saying that, it's just you and me here right now. You can ask me anything and you'll get an honest answer. It might not be a detailed answer, but it will be honest."

Aiden frowned. "How do I know you haven't got this... this... Death Star bugged?"

Alex shrugged. "You're just going to have to take my word on it, dude. That, and I doubt you're really going to have anything incriminating to say for any of our cases," he added in amusement. "Look, I'm just here to get you to your BFF so she doesn't have to deal with this shit alone. I waited until the christening was said and done so your husband and his family's day wouldn't ruined. I didn't think Harriet would mind waiting a little longer because I know how important that whole day was for the parents of the infant. I doubt Harriet or James would want to be the cause of that being disrupted. So, I waited. And here we are."

Aiden really wanted to ask how this bloke 'knew' everything, but he would come off looking like a dork. The guy was Secret Service. He probably knew what colour toilet paper the President preferred. "If it's so irritating, why are you bothering your ass to help?" he asked suspiciously.

"He's my partner," was all Alex offered and as far as he was concered, it explained everything.

"He's not married to you, too, is he?" Aiden asked bitterly, looking around the interior of the plane.

Alex raised his eyebrows but then gave a slight laugh. "Ouch. Sharp blow, dude. But I actually think he deserved that one.

Aiden snorted, shaking his head as he folded his arms across him, body language more than evident. "What's sharp about it? You're apparently resurrecting him from the dead. Or rather, he's supposed to have been alive the whole time, just 'missing' without recollection of where the fuck he was missing at. He's not dead and never was, according to the new turn of events in the FBI soap opera. Meaning, he's still married to Isabel. Where does that leave Harri, huh?" he asked, a growl edging his tone. "You all might think I'm an overprotective and irrational fuck, but you can bite my ass and call it candy."

"In limbo," Alex conceded, watching Aiden as he played with the ring-pull of the can. "Until the divorce or anulment papers are processed. Dude, it's 2009. Marriages can be dissolved with the click of a mouse. Hell, people can be deceased with the click of a mouse," he added pointedly. "Any of these changes is not taking away the fact James was believed to be deceased. It's not your standard 'oh fuck, we're still married' scenario. You've got to chill, dude. We know what we're doing. You've got to trust us. If you don't, you're just going to give yourself a hernia."

Aiden suddenly pointed at Alex. "Oh fuck!" he said with a gasp. "You're RJ's paediatrician!" he suddenly realised, sitting forward in his seat as he glared at Alex. "And you're the dude that was with Marc and Isabel in Liverpool! Which I really don't give a flying fuck about, even if I am pissed off you invaded my brother-in-law's privacy! Why the fuck are you parading around Princeton Plainsboro and 'treating' my husband's godson?! You better tell me, you arsehole, or I'll tear your fucking throat out!" It didn't actually register in Aiden's mind that clearly Alex wouldn't be allowed in a hospital to treat patients unless he was a qualified doctor, and that the guy did treat Wee Campbell very effectively. Actually, he probably saved the infant's life. It just didn't make sense.

"I'm a fully qualified medical practitioner," Alex assured him. "With a specialties in Paediatrics and Forensic Medicine. I was recruited to the Service because I'm a doctor. My medical expertise is used on investigations. I'm at Princeton Plainsboro undercover as a doctor. Why that hospital? Because it's a large hospital linked to one of the top universities in the country. I know you'll understand when I say I can't elaborate but I am in Princeton for a purpose. My job there is just like any other medical professional under the roof, only I work part time there and part time on my current investigation. It's coincidental I was the doctor on duty the night Riley Campbell was brought in. I did not know he was in any way linked to James at that point. The six degrees of separation has just come to light recently."

"And you're Marc's partner, technically, even it if seems like you aren't even working the same thing," Aiden said, still frowning. "You're a bunch of weirdos."

Alex smirked. "I can't deny that one. We're trained to be weirdos. And I know it might not seem like it, but we are actually investigating the same case. It's just an extremely large and intricate case, with a lot of people involved from all over the world. James is... was... involved with the operation based in New York. I'm investigating a potential lead from a link in Princeton. That's why James is technically my boss as well as my partner and why he was deeper undercover than I am. It's a layer system. He was overseeing a bunch of different threads in different locations while I just focus on one thing. Can't blame the guy for struggling under the pressure."

Aiden was absorbing each and every word, a deep frown set across his forehead. "So, he doesn't want to do the overseeing shit anymore. He doesn't want to be undercover. He wants his old life back but still involved with his new one. Fuck, I'm getting a migraine," he mumbled. "I don't get how it's supposed to work. How are you going to explain it to Harri?"

"I'm not. James will when he can. As he should. Ironically, all this will take him a step up in the layers, but not in a management sense. He'll work with the FBI to analyse any new links in the chain. Because he will return to being an FBI field agent, he will be privy to information as it comes in and he'll liaise between the FBI and the Secret Service to delegate what should be followed and what shouldn't be. The information he passes on will then be used to decide where Agents like me go and why. Because our taskforce is rooted in government fraud, with more leads coming from FBI cases, we need someone at base level. He'll go back to his old life as an FBI field agent at the New York HQ, Marcus Fraser will disappear and James will also become SS Agent James Campbell, who will operate in the strategic team at our department in the City with little need to go undercover, unless it's for his work with the FBI. The only vital piece of the puzzle is that his FBI colleagues will not know he's Secret Service because like any opposing sides of a coin, there is SS and FBI irks about who should be doing what. Just like FBI verus the cops. Shit happens. His colleagues will just think he has been missing and amnesiac, with no recollection of where he has been for these past months." Alex wet his lips as he finished speaking, his own forehead creasing a little. It was going to be interesting to watch it all unfold.

"And what about his family? His parents? Everyone he left behind? Can he have them back?" Aiden asked quietly, not exactly sure anymore what he felt about Harri's boyfriend. He hated Marcus Fraser and despised all the untruths. But what now that all the cards were laid on the table?

Alex let out a slow breath. "It's up to James to call the shots about his personal life. He's going to have a lot of decisions to make. I don't envy him," he admitted.

Aiden shook his head and turned to look out the plane window, an unreadable expression on his face. "Me either."

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe

Word Count | 1,458

muse_shuffle | April Disc Two

2009-05-12T08:45:23Z

11. So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's OK if you don't know everything
So why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?
It's OK if you don't know everything
[‘Bastard’ – Ben Folds]

Co-written with isabelowens
[Follows THIS]

Alex stood at the end of James' ICU bed reading through his medical charts. It was a private room; at least, as private as you could get in an Intensive Care Unit, the floor to ceiling glass walls around the cubicle not leaving much to the imagination. Alex lifted his eyes from the current page and looked over his partner's face. It was strange seeing him like this. He had witnessed the sight maybe twice in their whole time working together. Had he pulled off the charade all on his own? That was the question.

Only Alex knew the answer.

James wasn't stupid enough to attempt to play Russian Roulette with his life and go in alone. It would be like throwing yourself out of a plane without a parachute. On the face of it, though, he had only pulled in the assistance of his girlfriend, his ex boss and ex wife. On the face of it. Maybe there were inconsistencies, and maybe there weren't. To the medical professionals at the hospital, James was just another diabetic coma patient with his blood sugar levels through the roof. The tox screen staunched the overdose suspicions. There was absolutely no foreign substance in his blood stream and besides the standard insulin track marks on various parts of his body, there was no evidence he had injected anything else, or ever had. The finger prick was put down to an insulin attempt gone wrong. If he was in DKA for a number of hours, there could hand tremors or lack of coordination. Pricking one's finger wouldn't be a long shot.

The elusive FBI slash Secret Service Agent was critically ill, though. He had more than done a good job of himself. He remained unresponsive to stimuli of any sort and his heart had periods of fluctuating before dropping again. He also had a high grade temperature, which wasn't uncommon in diabetic ketoacidosis. It was early in the proceedings, Alex knew that. It didn't make it any less worriesome. He hadn't known James very long, but it was long enough to force that fierce loyalty that came with being partners. They had a way of rubbing each other up the wrong way, but it was child's play compared to what they were dealing with. Alex was here now after being 'summonsed' to the hospital by Isabel. The call was expected. Alex had been waiting for it. It was why he remained in New York for the past forty eight hours and called in sick to work at Princeton. Things could be about to get very interesting.

Iz had been getting a cup of coffee before meeting Alex, her lack of sleep starting to catch up with her. She'd be lying if she hadn't admitted to worrying about what James might have been doing. And now he'd done it, and she didn't feel anymore relaxed. Her new ID was clipped to her belt, the FBI logo drew questioning glances but it didn't once draw actual questions. People seemed to be waiting for her to talk to them instead. She threw down a folder onto an empty chair and came up beside Alex, holding out a second cup of coffee for him.

She wasn't sure where Harri was, but she was grateful the blonde wasn't here. She'd caught a brief glimpse of the new girlfriend before she'd been whisked away. Iz wasn't up to confronting her just yet, but it would have to happen eventually.

"Let's get one thing straight, I know I came across as a bitch on the flight last week, and I am sorry for that. I am not sorry for being about to come across as a bitch right now, because this is about Campbell. You fuck with me right now, and I will rip your balls off, and feed them to a rabid dog before running your dick through a paper shredder. Are we clear?" Izzy asked, giving him her most pleasant of smiles so the people outside the fish bowl didn't think anything was wrong.

Alex merely raised an eyebrow at her, not saying anything at first. "Probably not the best way to go into a conversation with someone you need information off, Owens," he returned calmly. "You can threaten me all you like. At the end of the day, you still need my cooperation," he reminded her. He turned the page in James' medical records to the medication chart, tracking with the tip of his finger what insulin regime they were trying to use. Trying was the accurate word. No one knew James had 60mgs of glucose running through his system and that he wouldn't be responsive to any stimuli until it filtered through.

"If you tell me it's as easy as asking for your cooperation, then I'll quit with the threats. I doubt I have anything you want, so I'm not about to try and strike a deal. Pierce wants to know what happened, and so do I. I need to know if this is just insane coincidence or if he's really this stupid, and if you're involved." Iz set his coffee down on the little table when Alex didn't take it, and kept hers in her hand as she turned her attention to James. "I've seen him through two comas... This time it isn't my turn to hold vigil over him, it's Harri's This time around I'm here to make sure when he wakes up he can stay James Campbell without drawing shit from the SS."

Alex took his badge from his pocket and held it up to her, then held his hand out to her. "Special Agent Theodore Darcy. Pleasure, Special Agent Owens," he said and pocketed the badge again. "I'm here to assure you that James is far from going to draw shit from the SS. You might need to explain the whole taking turns at who gets to sit vigil thing to me because it made about as much sense as toe socks in the winter. Family don't take turns when someone is sick. If you've seen him through two comas, you will know this decision he made didn't come lightly or impulsively. In fact, every single move was planned right down to getting Harri there within thirty minutes of him injecting himself with glucose and ensuring he had a wallet full of documentation to show who he really was. There was no way he could've pulled all of that off himself," he told her pointedly, holding her gaze and waiting for her to get what he was saying.

Iz smirked as she shook his hand. "Theodore Darcy? No wonder he called you Teddy." Her head dropped as she let go of his hand, and sighed. "I'm here on business, not as his family. Does that make more sense? Harri didn't have a hand in this, she couldn't have. If he called her it's because he needed her to be there. And probably wanted her to be and not just because of his plan." She lifted her head again and wet her lips. "He trusts you... He trusted you enough to help him with this. That's huge, Special Agent Darcy."

Alex tilted his head and analysed her for a moment. "So, he stops being your family because you're here on business?" A slight, knowing smirk appeared but he didn't push the issue any further. If he was nervous and worried over James' supine form on life support before them, he could only imagine how it would be for the family and friends.

"Indeed," he agreed. "The thing is, trust is unconditional in our job. You don't need to like someone to trust them with your life. You just have to know they will do what they have to when needed. You're FBI, you've been his partner. You know what I'm talking about. He didn't really have much of a choice to trust me with this, Owens. It would have gotten extremely messy if he tried to pull it off without me knowing. I would have been the first to stick my nose in and start asking questions, completely fucking up any plans he might have had. Also, he knew he couldn't pull it off himself. DKA stops you thinking rationally early on. The injection he took in front of you in Central Park was the last he had." He paused with a sigh and finally picked up the coffee, holding it up gratefully in thanks. "There is someone else who knows the whole story. Paul. Our superior. Our team have been looking for a connection with the FBI since the start of the year, only they were planning more along the lines of recruiting an Agent at the New York HQ to join the team. James' choice to integrate back to FBI on a liaison basis couldn't have come at a better time. It's just a shame it had to happen like this, but any other way and questions from further afield would come, from both the SS and the FBI."

Iz gave a nod. "I think I'd like you if I stopped being a bitch, but I guess I just get territorial. As for you and the SS plan... you couldn't have mentioned that to James earlier? He might not have had to nearly kill himself if it was that easy. And by earlier, I mean before he had to have his death faked in the first place. I understand that nothing could be done after he disappeared. After James died." She rubbed her fingers against her forehead and gazed at James' face. "I know I'm FBI, but what do you want me to do?"

Alex laughed a little and peered at her over the top of the cup. "Owens, he knew. He was going to be the one to interview the new recruit. Anything before the faked death, I know nothing about. In case you hadn't noticed, Marcus Fraser wasn't exactly full of want to confide in anyone, especially about James Campbell. You've got to try and forgive him for the faked death. It's gone. It didn't work. He was at least smart enough somewhere in there to let you all convince him it didn't work. It's going to sting enough that he failed with this. He's going to need your support, probably sooner rather than later. This," he gestured to James, unconcious on the bed, "is him at least trying not to make it a total failure. That's what I need you to do. Help him feel not feel like he's made yet another wrong move."

Iz smirked. "You know what, I hate you just a little bit more for always being right. You're far too much like Campbell in that regard."

"Then you'll listen a bit longer without getting your bitch on again when I say that it's probably better if you realise now, and not find it impossible later, that you and Harri are just going to have to operate on the same orbit now. In case you haven't noticed, there are two chairs here. Hell, they might even get you four if you want them. Use those FBI perks to throw your weight around," Alex said with his own smirk. "You're still his best friend. So is Sullivan, who seems to have taken to camping out down the hall. There is no them and us. Not anymore. In the words of a certain publicisist, it's going to be as awkward as all fuck. Yeah... it is. But he's not dead. He's part of both your worlds now, just like you all wanted."

Izzy took a sip of her coffee, and without taking her green eyes off Campbell's face, she reached out with her hand and pushed Alex in the arm to send him off balance a little. A playful smile danced across her lips, and for the first time in a while she felt hope again. She felt at ease, and maybe Campbell was still in a coma, but she felt happy. "Yes, sir."

Alex reached behind her and tugged on the back of her hair, enough to drag it out of it's neat style. "Don't you forget it," he returned with his own smirk.

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe

Word Count | 2,033

just_1_word | 28.6. Territorial

2009-05-04T05:29:13Z

28.6. Territorial

Co-written with isabelowens & agentfraser
[Follows THIS and THIS]

Marc bounded up the stairs of the private jet and threw his briefcase down on the floor so he could flop into one of the seats lining the walls. He smirked at Izzy sitting across from him, noting that she looked slightly dumbfounded. Once she had asked for help, Marc had done everything in his power to plot a way to get her to England the evening following her kismet lay's accident. It hadn't really taken much for him to come up with a plan of action, but the jet was vital. They needed to discuss the situation in transit, so the jet was the best solution, and quicker without needing to fuck around in public airports. Conveniently, Marc's Zurich trip was cancelled because the guy he was tailing disappeared. No doubt the arsehole would show up in Buenos Aires next week or something. Better that than Zurich. All he had told Izzy was to meet him in this flight hangar at this private airport dressed in a business suit with her old FBI ID. She would have boarded the plane just before he got here and now Alex followed him onto the plane and pulled the door closed behind them, locking the vacuum security latch.

Alex threw his lab coat and own briefcase onto one of the spare seats and pushed his dark sunglasses up onto his head. He was unshaven with dark circles under his eyes. Fucking Marc getting him up after a single hour of post-nightshift sleep following a hard shift and six nights straight without a day off. He pulled the window blind down and stifled a yawn as he slunk into the closest seat. "I need a fucking Red Bull, pronto, dipstick," he all but growled in Marc's direction and flipped him off just for emphasis.

Izzy's eyes narrowed at Alex. She didn't like him already, and not just because he was Campbell's new partner. She raised an eyebrow at James, waiting to see if he would get the Red Bull for the other dipstick. "I'm Isabel Owens, it's not a pleasure to meet you, jackass," she said to Alex with a smile that clearly conveyed she would kill him later. She didn't bother holding out her hand, keeping them securely in her lap. For all she knew he was pleasant after some sleep, but right now she didn't like him.

Alex just folded his arms across his chest and slumped further down in his seat, pulling his glasses back over his eyes. Body language really was everything. He was cranky, but he didn't get why the bitch had automatically decided to hate his guts without even knowing him. He hadn't done anything but totally cooperate with Marc's requests for her benefit. And this is how she thanked him? Alex could handle the yummy mummy with a chip on her shoulder and colourful vocabulary from Marc's past, but who the hell was this chick? "Here's hoping my jackass nature doesn't make me forget my knowledge of sports medicine on route," was all he said and then looked away from them both.

Marc stood up and went to the bar at the back of the plane. There was no attendant on this flight, so they'd have to help themselves. He got the six pack of Red Bull out and brought it over, dropping it into Alex's lap. Alex was a sharp-shooter like he was, though, and his lightening quick reflexes caught it before it castrated him. Marc took his seat again with a shake of his head. "No bloodshed in the jet, you two. No way will we pull this off if you're bitching at each other. The bloke already has security monitoring his hospital room. Iz, this is Alex. Let's just leave it at that for now."

"I'm much prettier than him," she said to Campbell as she got up to get herself something that wasn't Red Bull. She never did well with energy drinks. "I can't believe he's my replacement. I guess if you're trading up though, might as well get a doctor." When she came back over with her cup of coffee she gave Alex a grudging smile that didn't tell him he was going to die soon. "Thank you for coming. Sorry Marc had to dig you out of bed. I do appreciate it..."

She raised her eyebrows at James as if to ask if that was better. When she stretched her legs out, her feet resting on Campbell, the gesture showing she was comfortable with him. Even after all this time, she did things without even thinking about it. "Do you get to take the jet anywhere, or is it a business perk?"

Alex downed one Red Bull in one go, then snapped open the second. "I'm not your replacement. I've never been in the FBI, technically. But if you want to play mine's bigger than your's the whole flight to England, give me a heads up so I can plan my tactics," he joked. He waved his hand a little. "Don't mention it. I owe him one, anyway."

Marc smirked at Alex. "Yeah, a fucking big one. You scarred my goddamn driver for life. He's a gay hairdresser by day, you know." He shook his head and settled into the seat. "He isn't your replacement, Iz. He and I aren't field partners like you and I were. We hardly work together on anything but case briefings. He's investigating a whole separate string than I am. There was a drug-related shooting in Princeton back in 2007. That's Alex's foundation. Mine is more government oriented. We have the jet when it won't blow our cover. Mostly it's United Airlines, First Class." He looked at her in amusement, noting her outfit. "You miss it, it don't you?"

"I'd be careful about whipping your dick out. He swings both ways in real life. For all we know, your cock will be the one to make him stop and reconsider his currently straight life," Izzy teased as she started to laugh. "We could always have a threesome on the way to England. I'm sure that would help pass the time."

"What'd he do to your driver?" Isabel asked curiously. "No wonder you're going fucking insane. Tell me you at least call him and bitch about what's going on, since he's the one person you can. And Alex, you ever fuck with him, and I will kill you. Drug-related how? Or should I ignore anything you tell me?" Iz looked down at her clothes and frowned. "What makes you think that?"

Alex drew his legs up and rested his arms across his knees. He needed to keep moving if he wanted to stay awake. At some point he would need to shower and shave in the jet's bathroom to make himself halfway presentable. He yawned and plucked the footballer's faxed medical records from his pocket. He had to read those too. "How do you know we haven't already whipped our dicks out for each other?" he asked, smirking tiredly. "Good Ol' Marcus Fraser has probably already had a threesome with us in the past. You have nothing to worry about with him. He'd take me down in a heartbeat if I fucked him over. In and out of the Service, he has quite the rep."

"He fucked Harri's friend in my car in front of my driver. You can't pull the innocent paediatrician act off with me, Teddy," Marc mocked with a snigger. He reached over and took the copies off Alex to see what they were dealing with. "A doctor got shot in the carpark by a chick who is a known link to some intense drug rings. The victim was totally innocent, but we need to cover all angles. Coincidentally, the guy's best friend got attacked in the ER by another drug pusher, so there can be threads in anything. Alex is posted to Princeton because the case is far from over." He gestured to her with the sheets. "I know you," he said pointedly. "Better than you know yourself sometimes. You can't just walk away from it. I should know that as well as anyone."

"I bet he does," Izzy murmured as she turned to glance out the jet's window. "I know you haven't whipped your dicks out because he told me there's been no cock. Which means that there's no point trying to play this game with me."

"Ah, well, yes, that would be traumatising to a gay hairdressing driver. Does everyone you're related to have double lives?" Isabel's eyebrows went up. "Really? That's pretty coincidental. But then if it's a hospital surely drug things aren't unusual. Sometimes a coincidence really is just a coincidence. Remember that case we had nearly two years back? We thought the neighbours were involved, but it turned out that the guy really was just a victim of some other douche trying scam money. It's rare, but coincidences do happen." Her green eyes flashed as she held Campbell's gaze. "I didn't have much choice. Walking away was better than trying to be there without you. Maybe I do miss it, but there's no point going back... not yet."

Alex snorted. "You're the one playing the games. I just wanted to get you off my back," he told her, finishing off his second Red Bull and resting his head tiredly back against the seat.

"Technically," Marc said, even if it wasn't much help. "Alex didn't actually have to give up his other life for his job. He just has a permanent undercover persona, but he moves back and forth between his two lives. Right now, he's undercover. My job was on a different scale. I'm technically Alex's boss, as much as he hates that. Sure, coincidences do happen, but the shooting victim was nearly murdered. Actually, the shooter was aiming for the girlfriend at the time and the guy jumped in front of her to save her life. The best friend was actually linked to the victim here in Princeton and in Edinburgh, Scotland, where we have intel suggesting a large ring connected to police corruption. We can't discount anything as coincidence."

He stopped and raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not? Why is there no point?"

Izzy blew him a kiss and winked. "And here I was thinking this was just foreplay. Consider me off your back, Alex."

She blinked as she took in everything James was saying, something tugging at the back of her mind, but not quite coming to the forefront. She just nodded in understanding. "Sure, of course. Why not? Because there's something I need to do first. And no, I'm not telling you."

Marc smirked. "Just ignore him. He's a bastard when he's lacking sleep and I dragged him off after one hour sleep. He's just put in six straight nights. Get some sleep, Alex. I'll fill her in. I'll wake you about an hour out of Liverpool."

Alex flipped Marc off again, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I bet you'll fill her in," he mumbled, but was already curling up on his side and hugging his arms around himself.

When she said she wasn't telling him whatever it was, Marc scowled a little. "Arse pain," he murmured, folding open the first page of the medical notes. "This is where you realise how convenient it is to know a member of the SS. Cameron Michael Preston." He glanced up at her, eyebrow raised. "Michael. Talk about weird-arsed coincidence. Anyway, the name is familiar, but I watched English football when I was over here, so it doesn't surprise me. Twenty nine years old, birthday December twelve. Lives in Liverpool with a secondary address in London, Docklands. The boy's got money."

Iz only blushed slightly at the filling in comment, but she managed not to look like she'd even considered the option. She sat and listened to the details before she tilted her head. "Isn't this stuff he should tell me himself? My kismet lay isn't a case... even if we're apparently conducting a secret mission to get me in to see him. And the Michael thing we can ignore. He's fucking toast. So's Laura. I haven't spoken to either since that night. I don't care about the money. Or the football. Even if he does look incredibly hot in the uniform. Fantastic ass."

"You need to know details if you're supposed to be Alex's assistant. You'd know things like full name and date of birth. You don't know who is going to get nosey and start asking questions," Marc reasoned and turned to the triage sheet. He skimmed over the details. "Poor bastard. Concussion, dislocated shoulder and fractured left patella. Guy had emergency surgery to repair the knee. How well did you get to know him, because chances are he will be drugged up to the eyeballs when we get there."

"Oh, right.. of course." Iz brushed her fingers against her forehead and looked at James. "One night turned into three, and involved plenty of deep and meaningfuls. Except he doesn't know much about you. You're just an ex that came back into my life."

Marc nodded. "Good. Because he's not meeting me. He's meeting Dr Peter Davidson, Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine at Columbia University." He pulled out the fake university ID and held it up to Izzy with a smirk. "Don't worry. We'll sort it. And at risk of sounding like a jealous ex, I have to ask, are you seriously thinking about pursuing something with him or is this just worry over someone you feel affection towards because you fucked him the day he hurt himself?"

Iz crossed her legs over and folded her hands in her lap like she was in an interview. "Well, Dr Davidson, at the risk of sounding like a jilted ex, I would start by saying fuck off. Then clarify that yes, it is because I am seriously considering something. I didn't even consider the fact I had been fucking him hours before. It's not like that. If it was that, I would just be sitting at home feeling a bit sad before moving on with my life."

Marc held his finger up. "I wasn't asking as a jealous ex. I was asking as a best friend. I don't want you hurt," he told her quietly, glancing at Alex to make sure his partner was asleep. He was definitely out for the count, one arm hanging loosely over the side of the arm rest, so Marc leaned forward. "This is a lot of chaos and planning for just a one nighter. That's why I was asking. I just wanted to hear it out of your mouth."

Her eyes studied his face for a long moment before her posture relaxed. "It wasn't one night... that's the whole point. It should have just been one night, but it wasn't. We spent just about the whole time he was here together. I drove him to the fucking airport! He made me feel something I hadn't felt for a long time, so yeah... I want to try and hang onto that, but isn't that what relationships are supposed to be about? Not that we're in one, but it's how they start... Or could start."

Marc nodded slowly and then held up the records. "This could complicate things. I think if we get there and he's off his face, you should try and talk to his brother. Otherwise, you're really just going to be another face in the crowd. The guy needs to know he's more than a fling, and I think his brother might be the key."

Isabel gave a return nod before she turned to look out the window. It was strange having Campbell here while she was trying to sort things out with her kismet lay. Then again, maybe it was how it should be. They weren't together, and the more they realised that, the better. It was easier for her to keep thinking of him as her best friend if they kept doing normal things. Like breaking into a hospital was all that normal. "Okay... I'll talk to the brother."

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe

Word Count | 2,689

WTF? Green smoothie? Pass.

2009-05-03T07:16:35Z

You Are a Green Smoothie

You are a conscientious, health oriented person. You like fresh, whole foods.

You have an open mind about life. You enjoy all sorts of things, and you're not picky.

In fact, you believe the best things in life tend to be underrated or a bit intimidating.

You are bold and daring. You enjoy taking risks and living life to the fullest.

What Flavor Smoothie Are You?

just_sayit | Effing hell

2009-05-02T12:30:56Z

LINK: Nearly broke my ass trying to do yoga on Wii Fit.

Fuck that for a joke. I need sleep.

just_fck_me | 13.5. Amomaxia

2009-04-19T04:52:59Z

13.5. Amomaxia (or in other words, love-making in a parked car)

Co-written with withlightson | Follows THIS

Alex placed a fresh sangria - Kara's drink of choice - in front of her and slipped back into the other side of the booth. The bar was a trendy little place in one of the back streets of Soho, recommended to Alex by one of the nurses on his ward. It wasn't too bad; not exactly Alex's scene, but Kara, in the job she did, looked like she fit right in. It was a good choice and at least she wouldn't think he was a total knob. His usual place for a drink would be a dingy bar out of public view while he met with his colleagues, or if he was undercover, whatever suited the personality he was easing into. One drink had turned into three, and now four. Alex stopped at two beers and moved on to soda water. He wasn't even driving, so it might seem odd. He had Marc's business car complete with driver for the night... it was to keep up appearances and make it look like Marc was doing his colleague a favour, when really it was because Alex's car was full of case briefs he needed to drop off to Marc in the morning and he didn't want Kara getting curious about them. Not to mention curious about Lachlan Campbell's medical records the SS had gotten their hands on... and there was nothing small about those records.

He smirked at her in amusement. "Do I lose points for taking so long to come through with the drink?" he asked.

Kara was hoping she wasn't coming off as overly tipsy. The alcohol had started to give her a flush in her cheeks, and she could start to feel herself get restless. Sometimes when she drank she got a little handsy, and sitting across from Alex wasn't helping her. She was making an incredibly conscious effort to keep her hands and feet to herself, too scared she'd come off as a tart. Not that she already hadn't tried repeatedly while sober to hit on him.

She gave a shake of her head, and took a sip of her fresh cocktail as she smiled. "You've already tried to wriggle your way out of it repeatedly, so I guess you actually gain points for creativity. Sorry if I must seem like a desperate stalker... Guess I should maybe just learn to accept it when a guy says no."

"Maybe," Alex conceded noncommitally, "but then we wouldn't be here, would we? Sure you don't want to buy the gay story?" he asked, watching her over the top of his glass. As much of a flirt as Alex could be, he didn't have many past relationships under his belt. His job usually ruled that out and had taken precedence since he joined the force. Before that, he was a study nerd, always with his nose in a book to gain the best grades he could. His double degree demanded it, and although he was pretty smart these days because of it, it wasn't exactly conducive to a romantic life. Sure, he had been trying to push her away, but not completely. That was probably selfish, but he enjoyed her company. He just didn't want to hurt her. The slight give and take was how he dealt with that. He really didn't know how Marc was doing it.

Kara pushed her drink off to the side and leaned forward so her forearms were flat against the table, and Alex would get a clear shot down her silver top. The loose material fell open easily and she tilted her head as she held his gaze. Kara had never been much of a study nerd, but she did spend a lot of time lost in her own artistic world. She generally relished contact with anyone that could keep her interested for more than just a quick fuck. And Alex was certainly doing that so far, but then he had made her chase him. Whether he'd wanted the attention, or not. "I don't know, that all depends on how you react to my breasts."

Alex kept his eyes on her face with a smirk. No one said his Agent training had to be confined to the job. Two could play her game. "Do they do a funny walk? A drag show?" he asked her, eyes locked with hers and not faltering.

Kara smiled, staying in position. He was good, she'd give him that. "Give me some wool, and googly eyes and I can make one be Agnetha from Abba."

"Are you trying to turn me on, because that image won't work," Alex laughed, shaking his head. "'Course, if I was gay, it very well might. You got me on that front."

"I wouldn't have thought a drag show would have either, but hey..." Kara laughed as she looked at him. "How about that tassel trick strippers do?"

Alex held up his hand. "Let's just go with anything attached to the nipples as being a big turn off. There I was supposed to be taking you for a nice innocent drink, too. Now we're talking about nipples. What if I was a virgin? This could scar me for life," he joked, flicking the coaster around between his fingers.

Kara shrugged as she finally sat back but not before flashing Alex one of the nipples in question and winking. She broke out into laughter and covered her mouth. "Shit, sorry! If you're a virgin now you're really fucked. And not even in the fun sense. I don't remember ever agreeing for the drink to be nice and innocent. I seem to just remember it being a drink. I've had four, so I think my innocence has officially left the building."

"Contary to popular belief, a drink doesn't always have to be the first port of call to debauchery," Alex sniggered. He sat back in the booth and slung his arm across the back of the seat. He wouldn't be opposed to sleeping with her, for obvious reasons, but then what? Marc was in the fortunate position that it was an all or nothing thing. Alex's job meant he was literally two different people all the time. It could get messy, especially in the connection with Marc and Harri. Marc and Harri knew who he was, Kara didn't. Kara and Harri worked together. His mind wanted to spin just thinking about it. Marc wasn't any help with the advice, either. Alex didn't need to be a genius to know the guy had a lot on his plate right now and wouldn't commit to advising Alex on anything personal... but maybe one day they could be mates.

"Well, to be fair you've never had a drink with me before. It's always the first port of call to debauchery for me. Maybe I should have mentioned that, but you were too busy trying to tell me you're gay. Which would be such a loss, but I'm sure the men would just love your firm ass." Kara ignored her sangria for the moment in the hopes she could will some of the alcohol out of her system. Her leg came to rest against Alex's under the table. It was hard to avoid when his were so damn long.

Alex smirked and then cleared his throat softly. "What's the last port of call?" he asked her. Damnit. Why did sex have to be so complicated? Usually by now, the chick would've backed off in a huff at his irritating twists of conversation, but she wasn't going away in a huff and he was faltering a little. He usually just slept with women he hardly knew so he could walk away the next day without strings. This was really different.

Kara raised her arms above her head as she rotated her hands, and moved them to the music. She definitely wasn't going to give up. She'd got this far, even if she didn't understand completely why he was being so evasive. She was hardly asking him to marry her. "Dancing. I'm a bit of a slut on the dance floor. Really is just vertical fucking to me with the right guy."

No dancing, Alex noted to himself. He smiled and shrugged. "I suck at dancing," he told her automatically. "I'm more the sort to sit at the bar with my mates while all the chicks dance together. I prefer vertical fucking to be, well, vertical fucking."

"I'm sure there'd be a perfectly good dark corner somerwhere to do the vertical fucking," Kara replied as she dropped her hands and arched her back as she dragged her tongue over her top lip before grinning. "I like fucking to be any which way, but vertical is definitely fun."

Alex put his fingers to his lips but he was still smiling. "You know, you come on very strong," he told her with a laugh. Unfortunately for him, unlike Marc, public fucking and promiscuity wasn't in his most recent Princeton brief. "I feel a little like I've missed a good portion of something or other."

Kara rest her head in her hand as she managed to curb all her strong desires to crawl across the table and kiss him senseless. "Can't help it. Guess I'm still trying to find out if it's me, or maybe you're just married to the job. I don't mean to. I just like you, and I thought you liked me. But this can be a nice, innocent drink if you want. No more come ons." Kara had to bite down on her lip to stop a smile blossoming. "We could just kiss and see if there's a spark."

Alex glanced around the bar again and his eyes finally landed back on her. "How set are you on sticking around here? It's not really conducive to any good conversation and as a kid doctor at a well-known Jersey hospital, I can't really let you fuck me on the dancefloor," he laughed.

Kara was already sliding out of the booth and she held her hand out for him as she waited next to their table. "But you are going to let me fuck you. Interesting."

Alex shook his head. "I didn't say that. I asked if you were set on sticking around here. You're just going to have to give me my fresh air and conversation to see how things go," he told her, smirking as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

Kara dropped her ignored hand back to her side. "I think if you replay the last little bit about you being a kid doctor and not really able to let me fuck you on the dancefloor you can see how I took that the other way. I'll go anywhere you want, Dr Carter."

"I just need some air," Alex told her as he pulled his jacket on. He put his hand lightly on the small of her back to lead her out of the bar. "My brain works better with air. I did warn you that I wasn't easy to deal with, but you're persistent, I'll give you that. Most women would've given up by now."

"Not that I'm really sure what would make me all that special, but I think I'm supposed to say 'I'm not most women' at this point," Kara laughed. She looked around at a few of the patrons, but her attention soon returned to Alex. His hand was nice and warm against her back. "I also don't see the point in just giving up. Nothing ever comes easy."

Alex had to fight not to laugh. It was criminals with her fight that made his job bloody hard some days. The ones he went home from work with a miragine and a half after interrogating them for hours on end about their determined crimes. They made it out of the club and into the fresh air. At least, as fresh as it could be in the middle of New York City. It was just nice to be out of the claustrophobic atmosphere of the bar. "Should we go for a walk?" he suggested. "Unless those heels are getting too much, and I get the driver to pick us up?"

Kara looked down at the Jimmy Choos and sighed. "They're fucking killing my feet, but that's only because I've been wearing them all day. Usually I'm alright if I have time to break between shoes, but not today. Worked late, so the outfit had to be picked around the shoes." She lifted her head back up and gave him a sheepish look. "Any other night and I would love a walk. I'd go barefoot, but I'm kind of worried what might be lying on the sidewalk near a bar."

"I never did understand appeal of heels," Alex had to admit as he took his cell phone from his pocket and typed a quick message to Marc's driver. He'd be around close by somewhere, and Alex decided the poor bastard must have one fucking boring job being Marc's chauffer. "Not even on drag queens. But then, in my job, it's comfort shoes all the way. We can't exactly run a crash cart in pumps."

"Right now they're helping me at least match a little of your height. This way I won't need a stepping stool if you decide to kiss me while standing. More often than not if you ever make it to New York and our offices, you'll probably catch me working barefoot." Kara shrugged. "I work with Harri who has this addiction for heels, so I guess it started as a way to keep in her good graces. I think my feet are over them. I'll need fashionable flats instead. I really wouldn't envy anyone trying to use a crash carts in pumps. It would be torture."

Alex shook his head with a soft laugh. She really wasn't giving up. He wondered if this was what it was like with Harri and Marc. "I don't think they'd really go with the scrubs, anyway," he commented. The driver in the sleek black car appeared like something out a sci-fi film. Did the driver had a built in sensor psychic device to just know when his master needed his services? Surely the dude couldn't have had time to get the text and drive here that quick? Alex opened the back door for Kara and waved his hand inside. "After you, m'lady."

Kara smirked. "No, but then scrubs are sexy on their own." She slid along the back seat of the car and immediately pulled off her pumps and wriggled her poor sore toes as she sighed in relief. She patted the empty space next to her and leaned forward to look at Alex who was still standing outside the car. "Get your gorgeous ass in here, Carter. I promise not to bite it."

Alex had actually been contemplating his cell phone, reading a couple of text messages from one of his New York colleagues. There was some movement in the case, but nothing that needed Alex to drop everything right that minute. He was still actually feeling a little awkward with how strong Kara was coming onto him. It was a bit of a strange situation for him and he was cursing Marc for not at least giving him a bit more of a heads-up on how to approach it. Kara was linked to Harri who was linked to Aiden who was married to Lachlan Campbell's best friend. Alex was feeling a little off balance and didn't know if he should cool things or go the total opposite. He stuffed his phone back into the pocket of his jacket and slid into the seat beside her. "It's not exactly your teeth I'm worried about," he admitted with a laugh.

Kara retreated into her corner of the car to give him plenty of space, and looked at him with an arch of her eyebrow. Maybe she was overdoing it a little, but Sangria nearly always managed to knock her self consciousness out of the way. "What are you worried about?"

Alex shook his head with a smile. "Nothing. It was just a long day at work," he said dismissively and pulled out of his jacket now they were back in the car. He figured he probably would've just enjoyed the night a bit more if he didn't feel like she wanted to be there just for a nice lay. Which was fine, he just felt pressured. Still, maybe she had a point. He leant over, breaching the gap between them, and kissed her, wondering if this was going to be what he wanted too.

Kara hadn't meant for Alex to feel pressured, and she was about ready to kick herself. She'd definitely get Harri to kick her in the morning. Truth was she liked Alex for much more than the sex. She liked talking to him, and he made her laugh and smile, and it was just easy being around. The kiss caught her off guard, but she was hardly about to resist. Her hand rest on his neck as she started to kiss back, keeping it chaste and trying to show him that she did just like him and she wasn't looking to shove her tongue down his throat and rape his tonsils.

By this point, Alex was telling himself to stop overanalysing everything. He always did it. It just came from what he was. He let her break the kiss, but picked it right back up where it left off, shifting so he could lean over her a little more and deepened the embrace. At least now he was out of the suffocating bar, he didn't feel so out of his comfort zone. Sure, it wasn't his car, but it was a car and there was no dancefloor or drink to complicate the situation. Surely it couldn't fuck things up if he just let his guard down briefly?

She brought one of legs up to rest her knee against his, her other hand gripping at his collar as she matched his intensity. A small moan got lost as she slid her tongue over his. If nothing else, she just wanted to remember what he tasted like, because he tasted really good. Kara actually found herself thinking that she would be happy if the night just ended with them kissing. Who needed sex when a kiss could be this fucking good? Her body was already threatening to melt into a puddle, but she kept kissing him, even as she had to break the kiss briefly just to suck in a breath before she picked it right back up with a whisper of his name.

It was enough to make Alex forget they were 1) not in his car, and 2) actually were in the services of Marc's driver. In fact, it didn't even cross Alex's mind. It had been a long time since he got laid, afterall. Sex was usually the first thing that went down the toilet when he was entering a new case. He didn't have time to trawl for one night stands, and this time he had the added stress of starting the new job at PPTH. It really had been a long time since his cock got a work out and with a sexy girl like Kara not letting up on her advances, he realised now they had started, he wasn't going to be able to stop. The kiss deepened and he teased his fingers under the edge of her skirt to stroke against her thigh. It was just moments before he was all but on top of her in an embrace that was heating up by the second.

Kara was trying to remember if this was the type of car that had the little screen separating driver and passenger, but the moment Alex's fingers brushed against her thigh she really could have cared less. She moved so that he was between her thighs, and she could wrap her leg around one of his as she knotted her fingers in his hair. Her foot braced against the car door, and she lifted her hips to seek friction. She'd been thinking about his hands on her ever since she saw him in Harri's apartment, it was hard to ignore the spirals of pleasure shooting through her body and making her tingle all over. It felt like an age since she'd been with someone, and even longer since it had been someone that effected her this much. Kara tried to tug up shirt, and when that didn't work, she started to hastily try and get the buttons open. She needed to feel his tanned skin under her fingers.

Alex didn't protest the button thing. He was too busy trying to get her blouse out of her skirt. The fabric slipped free and allowed him to get his hand up underneath. He sought out her breasts cupping one over the top of her bra. He broke the kiss long enough to catch his breath, but it picked right back up where it left off, becoming almost bruising from the force. He lifted his hips a little so he could try and get her skirt up to her hips to give him better access. He broke the kiss again with a breathless smirk and moved back enough so he could tug her panties down her hips to her thighs and then all the way off. Their movements were hungry and desperate. He was rock hard in his pants. To think he had worked so long to try and allay her advances, only to have it all spiral out of mind right now. He wet his lips indulgently and without another thought, went down on her, his tongue brushing teasingly against her clit with a small moan of hunger.

Kara's hand flew up to grip the back of the car seat as she fought the urge to rock her hips against his mouth. A low, long moan escaped her as she arched her back, and her other hand grabbed at his hair. Fuck the apologies for coming on to strong if this was what it resulted in. She was defintiely not sorry now. Her blue eyes watched him, her heel rubbing against his back. "Alex... fuck, yes..."

Alex had always been skilled at multitasking. He didn't miss a beat in his oral teasing of her, his tongue tasting her just like he had spent the night trying not to think about. His hand was down at his fly, trying to get his trousers undone. Why had he worn a belt? It seemed like a stupid idea now. He didn't want to keep his pants up, he wanted to get them damn well off! He loosened the belt and unzipped the trouser, then his full attention was on Kara and Kara only. He nuzzled the dip between her thigh and her sex, tongue swiping softly over the sensitive area. He pushed her legs just a little further apart and slipped his finger into her wet heat.

Kara was finding it hard to stay still as she heard Alex getting his pants undone. She just wanted him and she wanted him now even if--

"Oh, God!"

--he was extremely talented with his tongue. Her hand alternatively pushed and pulled at the back of the seat, and it would be a miracle if the upholstery survived. She knotted her fingers in his hair and tugged at it sharply as she gave another loud moan and her hips bucked as the pressure started to build. Her inner muscles clenched around his finger and she tilted her hips to encourage him.

She was so wet and it was driving Alex wild. Her taste was slipping over his tongue and he couldn't get enough. He was intent on making her come, and preferrably not just once. He wanted her to come apart before he took her hard and fast, just like he suspected she had been hoping he would. He pressed his tongue hard against her clit and swiped it up as if licking one of his favourite ice cream flavours. Truth was, this had always been one of his favourite sexual pleasures. It turned him on to no end to have a chick come from doing this alone. He wondered what she would think if he told her 69'ing was one of his favourite positions. Best leave some secrets between them for next time, though.

Given how long Kara had been desperate for any kind of touch from Alex, his tongue was definitely pulling her towards the edge quickly. Both hands were on his head now, fingers digging into his scalp as she arched back almost painfully and cried out as her hips bucked wildly and her entire body shuddered. Her feet were both pressed against the car door and she held him against her as she came. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and Kara worked on getting her silver top off as she tried not to squeeze his head with her thighs. "Alex, I need you," she pleaded.

Alex pulled back and licked his lips, eyes locking on hers as he smiled up at her. He pushed his expensive trousers away from his hips, his tight boxer-briefs following. He freed his cock, taking himself into his hand and not bothering to fight out of his pants completely. Just enough was more than ample for his purposes. He melted in between her legs and captured her lips in a deep, hungry kiss, her taste still on his lips slipping between their tongues. The kiss was like the anticipation of dessert after a satisfying meal... but the dessert itself was still yet to come. He hooked his hand under her knee and spread her legs to accommodate him. He entered her deeply with one eager thrust, drawing her lip between his teeth with a soft bite.

Kara let out a sigh as he entered her, her body still sensitive from her recent orgasm. It didn't matter though, he was inside her and god did it ever feel good. Even if this was just a quick fuck, she didn't care. She wanted him, and needed him, and she had been close to dying from anticipation. Her taste mixed with his saliva as they kissed and it just turned her on more. Their movements were as fevered as the small space allowed, and Kara had long forgotten it was because they were in a car, and possibly had an audience. She clenched around Alex on every withdrawal and lifted her hips to meet his thrusts as she pushed his shirt down his shoulders so she could bite at his skin, and let her mouth slide over his collarbone before she drew him into another kiss. She would have quite happily spent the rest of the night connected by mouth and hips.

Alex realised now that in hindsight, he probably should've taken the effort to get her bra off. Too late. Nothing was stopping the fucking to unlatch the bra. Instead, he broke from the kiss and trailed his tongue down the side of her throat to her chest. He nuzzled her breasts, massaging their soft swell with his fingers. There was nothing sweet and innocent about this encounter. Despite his initital attempts to hold her back, now they were in it, they were in it all the way. He was pounding deeply into her, the sound of their slicked skin sliding together filling the back of the car. It was met with indulgent moans and breathless, rough pants and his shirt was stuck wetly to his muscular back. Alex hooked her leg up over his shoulder so he could take her harder and deeper, filling her totally. He kissed her again, trying to join them as completely as they were between her legs. It wasn't going to take long to tip him over the edge.

Kara couldn't work out where to put her hands because she just wanted to touch every inch of him. As he kissed her again, Kara grabbed the back of his neck and kept him close. She had no qualms about pushing her tongue into his mouth this time as she gave herself over to the intensity of their encounter. Sweet and innocent could wait, right now it was all about hot and hungry. Her toes curled over as she started to feel another orgasm build, her moans getting louder even as they got swallowed in the kiss.

Alex reached to grip the interior of the door to brace himself. It only took a few more deep, sharp thrusts before he grunted into the kiss, his muscles shuddering as he climaxed abruptly, feeling his cock pulsing inside her. His whole body tensed through it and he only broke from this kiss when breathing become vital. He dropped his head down onto her shoulder, panting heavily and feeling the sweat drops trickle down the back of his neck, despite the soft air-conditioning in the confined car interior. "Fuck," he murmured hoarsely, wetting his lips and swallowing to wet his throat that was parched from the exertion.

Kara felt him come inside her, and her body shook under his as her orgasm tore through her. She had expected it to be less forceful given she'd already climaxed once, but she was wrong. It had her biting down on his shoulder to stifle the cry and she let her head fall back against the seat as she broke out into a huge grin and even let out a giggle. "Fuck yeah," she corrected as she smirked. "Fuck. Yeah."

Alex smirked, pulling out of her so he could shift and drop back onto the seat. It was then that he realised he had just had one intense fuck in the back of Marc's car with the driver in the front seat, and there was a distinct possibility Marc wasn't going to be impressed at all. At that moment, however, not a single fibre in him could cause Alex to care too much. His own head sunk back against the seat, his shirt and pants still slung open, the cotton fabric clinging to his sweaty chest. He pushed the window button to slide the window down a few inches, letting in the cool spring night air. He turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised. "Now try and make some Woody jokes," he teased.

All muses referenced with permission

Word Count | 5,055

musebyquotes | 1.4. Teddy Pendergrass quote

2009-03-26T10:15:18Z

1.4. "Life didn't promise to be wonderful."
- Teddy Pendergrass

Co-written with drcampbell | Follows THIS

Alex stepped back and hung his stethoscope around his neck with a small smile. "He's doing much better and responding well to the new feeding regime with Mom. I know it's tough on her feeding him a little more often than she normally would and trying to wrestle him out of the feed before he's finished, but his BSL has evened right out, his urine output is normal, and he's starting to put some weight on. Another day or two of stability and we'll be able to think about discharging him."

"Thank you," Lachlan murmured and took over from where Alex had been checking Riley over for any changes in his progress. He and Tara had requested as much hands-on involvement in their son's care as possible, so one of them always dressed him following any examinations. He started to button up the little 'Wee Campbell' jumpsuit and listened closely to the doctor's words. "She's okay. Just tired. I'm trying to make sure she sleeps when he does, but it isnae always easy to tell a head-strong wife what to do. Actually, it's impossible, so it's best to just strongly advise. We'll be glad to have the wee one home again. It hasnae been easy."

Alex shook his head, watching Lachlan with his son closely. It was a sweet scene and Alex felt honoured to have witnessed the likes of Tara and Lachlan's parenting skills. Being a Pediatrician, he all too often saw parents who just didn't give a shit about their kids. "You look quite tired yourself, Lachlan . You could both sleep when he does," he pointed out gently. He didn't want to tread on toes and especially didn't want to tell the fellow doctor how to suck eggs. But Alex always felt just as much obligation to the parents of his patients as to the kids.

Lachlan knew he looked questionable. His eyes felt heavy and he had a contact dull ache in his head. Whenever he had an emotional set-back, it physically hit him a few days later. He merely sighed a little and nodded. "Aye," he agreed and glanced up at Alex. "It's been a hard week, to say the least."

"I take it you didn't thump your best friend just for the hell of it," Alex said with a small smirk. It had spread around the hospital pretty rapidly, of course. It had been an unexpected turn of events that took Alex by surprise, especially when he learnt it happened where Lachlan had been shot. But this was the first time he had actually spoken one-on-one with the Scot since it happened and it seemed odd considering Lachlan was usually so placid. It could have relevance to his case, though, so Alex needed to address it some way, if to just rule it out as nothing. In saying that, he doubted highly that Riley Browne was anyone of significance to the drug leads. He had been in Scotland at the time of the shooting and seemed pretty straight-laced. But on the other hand, he was stabbed in the throat with a syringe by a drug addict. Alex couldn't rule out the six degrees of separation just because Lachlan and Riley were best friends. In many criminal cases, it was family or friends who perpetrated the acts.

Lachlan lifted his son into his arms and wrapped the bunny rug around him, tucking it under his little feet. He offered a faint smirk in return. He could see the amusing side to it now he knew Riley was okay and things were okay with Tara. He started to rhythmically rub Riley's back to try and encourage him to drop off to sleep. "He startled me. But if you've heard that gossip, you probably know the ins and outs of it all and I appreciate that you havenae really broached the whole subject with me before. It's easier to wear the new and worried dad cap rather than the new and worried dad who works here and was nearly murdered by gunshot hat. Sometimes it does rear it's ugly head, though, and it drags me down. This past week is a good example of that, which is why I look like a piecefo shit someone stepped in."

Alex didn't outwardly react, but he hadn't thought for an instant Lachlan would directly raise the subject with him. In fact, when he was put undercover here, he never expected to directly interact with the victim at all. It was like winning a prize, but if only it hadn't taken Lachlan's infant son to get seriously sick to pave the way for it. And for maybe the merest of moments, he felt a pang of guilt that Lachlan was oblivious to what he really was. "You're only a worried new father here, Lachlan . The only reason the other is in play right now is because I'm worried you're leading yourself into a risky exhaustion. Have you got medication to help you sleep or help with the emotional and psychological reactions?" he asked.

"Is the Pope Catholic?" Lachlan returned evenly and then shook his head. "Sorry. I havenae been off meds since it happened. There isnae any medication for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's therapy and talking and relying on people around you to keep you sane. But sometimes you just run out of words. Some days, there just isnae a way to fight the negative heaviness. These days, I'm mostly okay a majority of the time, but I'm nay ever going to be able to completely escape it. It's just a matter of dealing."

"Are you dealing?" Alex asked quietly.

"I wasnae," was Lachlan's small reply accompanied by a shrug. "Something happened to bring it all back for a few days, but it's okay now. Riley unfortunately got me in the midst of a drowning depression where my awareness of my fears was heightened..." He suddenly stopped talking and pierced Alex with an intent gaze. "Why are you so interested? Itisnae really going to make much of a difference to my son's treatment, is it?"

Alex sensed that he had toed over that line just a little too far. Suspicion was never going to gain him Lachlan's trust. He shook his head. "No, not at all," he conceded. "My apologies for pushing too much. I was just worried you weren't getting enough rest yourself. You don't need me to tell you that taking care of a newborn is intense, but an ill one is draining, mind, body and soul."

Lachlan nodded, still rubbing his son's back. "Aye, and dinnae mind. You havenae pushed too much. It isnae like anything with my situation is much of a secret in this place. I've only just got over the smug satisfaction that the bairn looks like me... some still didnae believe he was even mine." His voice was flat and tired, resolute to the many months of hell he'd gone through to get to this place. "The thing is, I havenae anything to hide. If you want to know anything, please ask me or my wife directly. Gossip is... creative, at best."

It could've been a prime opening, but Alex just smiled with a nod. He didn't want to piss all over the glimmer of trust offered freely here. Victim impact of a crime of this depth was one of the main avenues of investigation. He didn't want to be a pushy bastard and take advantage of Lachlan's exhaustion or polite honesty. Baby Campbell falling ill had been a spanner in the works from day one. It was going to take much more time than originally thought. And Alex had the time. There was no rush. Rushing without fail led to errors of judgement and missed clues. "I'm learning that. Apparently I used to be a Playgirl centrefold in my teens," he said with a smirk at the rumour about himself littering around the hospital.

Lachlan smirked. "Oh aye. That's clever. It could be much worse, believe me." He stopped the rubbing briefly to meet Alex's eyes. "Thanks for the understanding, Dr Carter. It's the wee bursts of support like that making the harder shit easier to wade through. I cannae thank you enough for all the efficient treatment of Riley, too. I cannae imagine it's been easy having parents like Tara and me eyeing your every move."

Alex waved his hand with a smile. "I prefer parents like you. Because I know when we send him home, he's going to have the best care and attention possible. But get some sleep, okay? You really do look like you need it," he advised and with a polite nod, ended his shift with even more food for thought now than he had fifteen minutes ago.

All muses referenced with permission

Word Count | 1,459

I want to know how a thumb is 'mentally strong'

2009-03-25T03:39:39Z

You Are the Thumb

You're unique and flexible. And you defy any category.

Mentally strong and agile, you do things your own way. And you do them well.

You are a natural leader... but also truly a loner. You inspire many but connect with few.

You get along well with: The Middle Finger

Stay away from: The Pinky

What Finger Are You?

just_1_word | 20.6. Family

2009-03-08T02:16:14Z

20.6. Family

Co-written with drcampbell & doctortara

[Follows THIS]

When they arrived at the Special Care Nursery on the Paediatrics ward amidst a flurry of activity, Lachlan immediately sought out the closest person in a white coat. He was carefully holding his son in his arms, remaining close to the plastic hospital crib so IV fluids leading into the infant’s leg weren’t disrupted. “Look, I realise I’m about to become a huge pain in your arse here, but I’m nay putting him down. He isnae crying and after living through his crying in pain for countless days since he was born, this is a good thing, aye? So, I’m just going to keep holding him and I’m a doctor, so I know what I’m doing. You can do whatever tests you need… which should be a blood test right up… but there isnae any way I’m putting him in that crib and if you try to guilt me into it, I willnae be accountable for my own actions. That isnae a threat, so you dinnae need to call security, but please just let me keep holding him so he doesnae cry because I cannae take it anymore, okay? I just need you to help him,” he said tearfully, now a little breathless. Tara was beside him now, her hand on his waist in some sort of desperate united front. The doctor wasn’t a familiar face to Lachlan, but that was okay too. More crying was going to come when they took Riley’s blood so he just wanted to comfort his son the best he could, which meant holding him.

Whatever Alex was expecting, it wasn’t this. It wasn’t like he had been expecting the guy to look dead like he did in those crimes scene photos, but there was no shooting victim standing in front of Alex. Just an extremely worried and scared new Dad desperate to not get fobbed off. Alex nodded and went over to the treatment trolley to collect what he needed. “Let’s just test his blood sugar level and we’ll go from there,” he began quietly. “Why don’t you both come sit down? All I need is access to his heel to collect a small blood sample. Once we have those results, we can decide together what the next steps will be, okay?”

Lachlan nodded but didn’t respond verbally. He wasn’t sure he could without giving into that emotional and fearful lump that had taken residence in his throat. If he cried now, he really wouldn’t stop. He had reached the point that if his son was sick, he just wanted to know so they could treat him and make him feel better. He gave Tara a brief kiss in an attempt to reassure her and then they both sat down in the recliners in the corner of the room. At least the doctor wasn’t a bastard. Lachlan didn’t want to have to make yet another scene in this hospital. Riley was whimpering in his arms, his little cheeks still flushed from all the crying. Lachlan’s heart was breaking at just the sight. He kept his calm, though, and gently unfolded the blankets around Riley’s feet to give the doctor access to one of his tiny feet. “I’ll just… just take his sock off,” he told him shakily and tugged it off to hand it to Tara.

Tara folded the little blue newborn sock in between her palms and leant forward. “He’s got it. I know he has. I just know.” She shook her head, a couple of stray tears escaping which she brushed away before they fell. She brushed her fingers over her son’s fine hair and then kissed her husband’s temple.

Alex looked up at her. He was already finding he had a soft spot for this young couple. He adjusted his latex gloves so he could keep a hold on the small pediatric syringe. “And if he does, he’ll be very lucky to have a Mom who can help him and gets it,” he told her with a faint smile. He rubbed his other hand over the baby’s back. “Just a tiny sting, matey. You’re going to hate it and you’re going to hate me because of it, but just remember Daddy’s got you there…”

Tara managed just a slight, grateful smile back at the doctor. Yeah, he was new, but he was good and she appreciated the bedside manner. She appreciated him understanding their situation, too. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, gripping hold of the arm rest to brace herself for the doctor pricking her son with the needle. Her stomach clenched with a guilty nausea. If Riley had diabetes, they would have to prick him like this two times a day. Lachlan was biting down on his lower lip, his face pale from worry. They both flinched when the doctor pricked Riley’s heel and the infant starting immediately screaming in response. Tara took over pressing the cotton ball to his heel when the doctor stood up again with the blood sample and then she wrapped her other arm around her husband and son, trying to just offer anything to make the situation better.

Alex did want her to be wrong, but the facts were there as plain as day on the paper. The baby was very dehydrated and his urinary output extensive for a baby his size. It was only going to take a few minutes to get the blood sugar reading. He clipped the slide with the sample into the monitor and made a few notes in the medical record of the test. Riley was still sobbing in protest at being stabbed so rudely with the needle. Alex couldn’t blame the lad at all. He stole a glance at the family and had to stop himself shaking his head sympathetically. Why did this investigation suddenly seem so much more close to home?

Lachlan knew how long a few minutes could seem sometimes. There had been many moments in his recent life where some few minutes felt like a lifetime, and then there were some that just went too quickly. His head was resting against Tara’s but his eyes were trained on the linoleum floor ahead of him as he waited for that monitor to beep. It felt like he was waiting a decade and he didn’t even know what more he could do to reassure his tiny son that the pain would stop. When it beeped, he merely closed his eyes and let out the breath he had been holding. He glanced at Tara and carefully shifted Riley into her arms. She’d need to be holding him when they heard this. He kept his hands on his son’s back, though. Hell, he had survived a bullet, he could get through this, right?

Alex had the monitor collected into his gloved hand without hesitation. He turned as he read the small screen and was back at Lachlan and Tara’s side immediately, sitting down in the chair beside them. “Seventeen,” he told them with an apologetic edge to his tone. “That’s extremely high and we need to admit him. We’ll check him over to make sure there is nothing else going on simultaneously but then we’ll all sit down and discuss how we’ll tackle an insulin regime for him. Would you like some time alone?” he asked.

Tara was crying, her head dipped so her cheek rested against Riley’s head. Lachlan gave a slight nod and cleared his throat to try and remove that horrible lump. “Aye, thank you,” he said hoarsely, his rough voice barely recognisable as his own. “I’ll be out in a wee minute to sign the authorities.”

Alex touched Lachlan lightly and briefly on the forearm to show his support. “Take as long as you need. He has the IV fluids. That alone will be helping ease the discomfort a lot. I’ll be just down the hall when you’re ready.”

The doctor stood up to leave, but Tara caught his attention. “Doctor?”

Alex looked back, wishing he had some perfect words to offer them, but he knew there were none. They knew, as doctors themselves, that there were none. He noted then how much the baby looked like his father and after reading the horrific case, it felt relieving to see the man here alive and having some sort of unusual strength to not let news like his son’s illness take him down. “Dr Campbell?” he replied.

“Thank you,” Tara murmured as she nursed her son close to her.

Alex just nodded and left the room. When he was out of their sight, he stopped and leant against the wall, indulging in a moment to press his fingers against his forehead. It wasn’t often parents thanked a doctor for supplying a diagnosis that their baby would have an illness for the rest of his life. And it wasn’t comforting for Alex. All it told him was how much the couple had been through to find relief in something painful like that.

Word Count | 1,492

just_muse_me | 14.3.1. Read between the lines...

2009-03-08T01:43:32Z

14.3.1. Read between the lines...

Co-written with withlightson

[Follows THIS]

Kara watched Harri and Marc walk away with a small smile on her lips. Truth was in all the time she'd worked for Harri she'd never really seen her boss happy with a man. Her boss had been a maneater for lack of a better term, and Kara supposed she understood it. When you looked like Harri with legs that went on forever, why the hell wouldn't you fuck your way through the male population. Speaking of...

Her gaze returned to Alex, the very hot, tall, and naughty doctor. "So about taking your shirt off..."

Alex ran his tongue slowly across the inside of his cheek as that unreadable, mischievous smile appeared on his lips again. "It's awfully presumptuous of you, Miss Kara, to assume I'm such a naughty boy. I'm totally innocent. No sex before marriage." He coughed, as if the words choked him.

Kara raised her eyebrows as she folded her arms under her chest and cocked her hip. "Oh, really? You know, it'd be more believable if you didn't have that smile on your face. And please don't call me Miss Kara. Makes me feel like a teacher, and not the sexy kind."

"One must resort to drastic measures when one is not privy to one's surname," Alex pointed out. His hands were still in his pockets and they likely wouldn't come out. At least, not on this encounter. "This is how I smile at my patients. I doubt they think I'm naughty. They just want to know if I prefer Ninja Turtles or Transformers. I host a mean Barbie tea party, though."

"Well, one needs to pay more attention in the first five minutes instead of thinking about your cock," Kara retorted as she looked at him. "Harvey. Kara Harvey. And if that's how you smile at patients, I can see why their moms would keep dragging them back to see you. A Barbie tea party, huh?"

Alex watched her closely, still smirking. "A man of many innocent talents," he assured her. "You'd be amazed what you can get a kid to cooperate with if you remember their Barbies' names and know what their dog did on their birthday. It's all about listening and observing. In this day and age, people don't listen to other people enough. We're always too busy."

"I'm trying to remember the last conversation I had with a guy who listened, or even asked me what my Barbies' names were... but then I'm not a kid, am I? I'm also just a little guilty of not listening lately, but I promise you have my ears at attention now." Kara tucked some her hair behind her ears. "So why kids?"

Alex wondered what she would say if she knew what he was really dealing with. "Innocence. Honesty..." He paused for a moment. Opposite to crims, he added silently in his head. "I love kids. Granted, it's a difficult job working with seriously ill kids, but they're still kids beyond the disease and sickness. They still care about their dog more than their older brothers and they still want to play with their toys. Let's just say I can relate because I'm harbouring an immature brain," he added, lightening the mood a little.

Kara laughed softly and gave a nod. "I think I can see Marc wanting to agree with that last statement. He really looked like he wanted to take you over his knee and smack you. What exactly have you been doing to rub him up the wrong way?" Although from what she heard, it probably wasn't hard. There had been the fight between him and Harri the night of the Razor Christmas party.

"He's actually my boss, technically," Alex explained, choosing his words carefully. "Not at the hospital, but with my job working with his company. I didn't realise he was my boss when I met him and I may have said a few things that you totally don't say to your boss, or anyone you want to stay on side with. I think he's actually a really cool guy, if everything I've heard is true. Marcus Fraser is someone you never make the mistake of taking on face value. Still, now I have to eat my own ass and try to get back on his good side because I'll be spending a lot of time working with him in the coming months."

Kara looked impressed. "Marc never sounded like anyone who hired very lightly. He must have seen something in you to make him want to work with you. I suppose you'll just have to remind him of whatever that was. And failing that, I'm sure he wouldn't say no to a pound of flesh, a drink, and maybe your soul," she teased lightly. "I'm trying to remember exactly what I said to Harri when I first met her, because I think we started on the wrong foot as well, but more because I insulted her art director at the time. He really was an asshole though, and she soon realised I was only speaking truth. Very, atrociously, tactless truth."

Alex ran his tongue along his upper lip and laughed. "I was actually told Marc was dating a hooker and offered that information to him. My soul. He's going to suck out my soul like that scary-assed thing in Harry Potter. I'm going to have to rescue him from being hit by a bus or something to prove my worth. And I like atrocious lack of tact in a woman. It means they aren't running on empty in the brains department."

Kara snorted as she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky Harri hasn't ripped off your balls yet. She will though when she hears. She is no hooker, that's for sure. She did used to enjoy a very populated sex life until Marc came along. It's been interesting watching her adapt to being in a relationship. I don't know about a bus, but I think there will defintiely need to be some life saving." Kara laughed. "Lucky for me then, huh? I'm the youngest and have two older brothers. Tact was never going to be in my genetics."

"This is the first she or I know about each other," Alex revealed. "There will be time enough for her to rip off my balls. Hell, they can have one each as a mirror ornament. I don't know much about Marc beyond the fact he's the epitome of a male slut. A high profile male slut. Someone could write a book on his sex life. I'm a middle child, but really the oldest now. I love my family. Hopefully I can pull off parenting as well as my Mom and Dad one day."

Kara's eyebrow lifted in interest. "So you do want children." She filed that little tidbit away for future reference. "Marc was most definitely a high profile slut. They both were, so it's really quite something for them to have stopped in order to be together. First time I've met him, so I guess we're even."

Alex laughed. "I'm a kid doctor. Of course I want one of my own some day. Just right now, inconvenient as all ass. I hardly have time to jerk off these days." He walked around a little, his pace slow as he looked at some photos lining the mantel. That was something Marc lacked, as one does when you kill yourself off and take on a whole new life. He made a mental note to not-so-tactfully tell Marc he needed some pictures of him and Harri, with maybe a sweet picture of his new partner to brighten the room. That would go down like a dose of laxatives in a chilli milkshake.

"Sometimes people work with kids because they don't want their own. It's weird, but it happens." Kara couldn't help but smirk as she watched him, eyes focusing on his ass for just a moment. A very lingering moment. "You should get someone to help you jerk off. I'm sure there'd be someone willing to assist while you finish paperwork, or something. It wouldn't be right to do it in front of the sick children."

"Yeah, freaks," Alex couldn't help but snort. "What sort of person likes kids and doesn't want their own?" He turned around and smirked at her, catching the line of her sight. "My housekeeper is a middle-aged gay drag queen. I'm sure he would oblige."

"Probably the female kind that doesn't want to ruin her figure?" Kara asked as she managed a sheepish smile at being caught. "I'm sure he would, but the question is whether or not you'd enjoy it."

Alex just raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to look as horrific as Madonna in her middle age? Gravity is going to take over us all at some stage. A woman's body is made to carry a child. It's the men that should be more supportive of that." He tilted his head. "Yeah, my body isn't always as cooperative as I like to think it is."

Her tongue slipped out as she pulled a face. "Fuck, no one! God, she looks awful now. All gristle and bone. Personally I am all for the support and not making men carry the babies. I can't really get a pregnant Arnie out of my head when I think of guys giving birth." Kara's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

Alex scrunched his nose up. "There is a reason guys weren't given the uterus. It's called Man Flu. The woman would end up beating us to death before the birth and the human race would die out from lack of procreation." He just smirked at her again. "Oh," he confirmed.

Kara laughed as she thought of her brothers suffering Man Flu. Yeah, she'd maybe been guilty of hitting of them a couple of times. "Good point. That alone is reason enough to argue against equality of that kind." She ducked her head and touched her fingers to her forehead as she shifted her weight onto the other foot. "So not going to ask... or think on it too much. First meeting after all."

"Probably the safe option," Alex agreed, amused. First meeting was right. He didn't know her any better than he knew the doorman's big toe. Hell, he hardly knew Marc and only had case briefs to work on in that sense. He was treading water comfortably right now. Patience was a virtue and all that shit. "So, have you known Harri for awhile?"

She nodded. "Few years, she gave me my big break, really. We've always been able to talk and be comfortable with each other. Actually helps at work since she's just as tactless when she has something to say."

"What do you do for her again?" Alex asked and leant against a nearby armchair. "My life is transitioning right now. I've been tied up in a lot of different things. I'm looking forward to at least having a stable base for a little while, even though I'm yet to find out if Princeton is my scene."

"Princeton's not that far away. Not like you couldn't drive back if you got bored with the night scene," Kara reasoned. "I'm her head graphic designer. Basically I make it all look pretty, and artistic."

Alex nodded slowly. "Very impressive. I can't say I've ever read the magazine. I have very little to do with women's fashion beyond wondering how it comes off," he admitted, but it was also a blatant untruth. He had read Razor in the course of his work and was familiar with the company. "I did have a twelve year old patient once who read it religiously, though. I wondered about the logistics of that. Should she even know what a suspender belt is?" he laughed.

Kara laughed and shook her head. "No, she really shouldn't. That's kind of below our target demographic. I'm not offended if you've never read it. Most guys wouldn't read a woman's fashion magazine which is cool. Although, I'd like to think some of our underwear shots have more class and appeal than Playboy these days. But that's just me."

"You realise class and appeal are the last things guys are seeing when they look at underwear adverts, right?" Alex laughed, shaking his head. "There we go. That Venus and Mars factor again. I'm sure women are hardly looking at the tautness of the elastic waist when they look at male underwear ads, either, however."

Kara shrugged and waved a hand as if indicating an underwear model that wasn't there. "Well, alright... so maybe I just think our models are better looking? I don't know how you mean can possibly get turned on by fake breasts that look like overblown balloons."

"Maybe I'm an ass guy," Alex sniggered. "Or legs. Would you not fuck a guy if he had a hairpiece or caps?"

Kara tilted her head. "Would you like a woman with ass implants? And I don't know... would the hairpiece come off during the sex?"

"Ass implants aren't as regular in our society as push-up bras these days," Alex pointed out reasonably. "You live in a place like LA and swearing off fucking fake boobs is just like deciding to become celibate. Someone with fake boobs can still be a nice person who just hates themselves physically." He smirked. "Depends how hot you got, huh? He might be a bit of a tiger and you wake up with it on your face. Now fake boobs don't sound so squeamish, do they?"

"Just painful," Kara answered as she scrunched her face up. She cupped her own, non-push up bra enhanced natural breasts and waggled her eyebrows at him. "I'd still rather have the real thing. Hairpieces can't be helped. Massacring your body can. However, if we are talking things on my face I really don't mind a guy with a porno moustache."

Alex's eyebrows rose and he smirked. "I think I'll stick to fake boobs, but who am I to judge a moustache? We can't all be blessed with taste."

Kara giggled as she let her hands drop back to her sides. "Blame having to watch my brothers' porn stash. I'm surprised I don't automatically like pizza delivery boys."

"You had to watch your brother's porn stash?" Alex laughed. "Did he tie you to the chair and threaten to shave your eyebrows off? I spent a good portion of my late teens and twenties trying to creatively hide my porn stash from my sister."

Kara rolled her eyes playfully as she laughed. "You always jump on wording so readily? I didn't have to in that I was strapped to a chair, but I did have to in that my brothers' stash was about as creative as I wanted to get in finding porn. They weren't so good with the hiding, and pretty much told me to watch whenever."

"I'm good at reading between the lines," Alex offered. Though, it was more the fact he was trained to hear about ten different meanings in any one speech pattern. It was amazing how often people meant things in a literal sense. "And they were into pizza delivery boys, huh?"

"Ah, well... that's a little less annoying." Kara shook her head as she moved around and smoothed her hands down the back of her skirt. "No, no. They were into the blondes that wanted to pay in services rendered for the pizza."

Alex just continued to smirk at her. "And you liked that too? Is that where your graphic design skills stem from?"

Kara shrugged a little as she swept her hair over her shoulder and faced him again. "I guess so. The liking it, not that that was where my skills came from. I am a woman of many interests, doctor. My graphic design skills came from owning an Etch-a-Sketch when I was a kid. And collages of all my posters."

"Hey, I owned one of those too. I used to just draw boobs on them until Mom found me one day and took it off me," Alex laughed. "I'm not exactly what one would call artistic. My skills came from wanting to do too much at once and never really knowing how to properly make up my mind."

She laughed as well, already imaginging the scene in her head. "But with doctoring you do find that you are able to properly make up your mind?"

The bridge of Alex's nose scrunched up a little before he answered. "We-ell, yes and no," he told her. "Kind of fell into that, too. I'm actually a qualified psychologist. I just went on to do an internship in Peds."

Kara just stared at him for a long moment before her mouth dropped open. "Who the fuck are you, Superman? Do you wear your undies on the outside at work?"

If only she knew... "No, I save that only for social events," he said with feigned seriousness. "It's more living with a restless nature. I get bored easily." Or something like that, he added silently to himself.

"Then it must take something pretty special to hold your attention." It wasn't a comment aimed at herself, but she was kind of thinking about what it would take for him to be interested in someone past a couple of fucks if he really was that restless. "Still pretty amazing you've been able to utilise your nature so effectively."

Alex wet his lips around another smile. "Quite," he agreed. "I'm lucky with the opportunities I've had... have," he corrected. "Scoring this current job was great. I know it's going to keep me busy. But what about you? What keeps you busy beyond your computer screen at work?"

"Pretty much anything artistic. I don't just use a computer screen. I'd be a shit artist if that was all it came down to. It think that's what's missing out of a lot of modern graphic design. Everyone seems to have forgotten how to draw, or paint, or just use paper and a pencil, you know? I like to go out when I can, hit the clubs. More for the dancing than the drinking. And sometimes a guy keeps me busy, but not right now."

"Sounds a lot like medicine," Alex agreed. He glanced up the hall. Was he hearing sex noises or was that the air conditioning. Fuck. If Marcus Fraser was getting fucked, it so was not fair. Weren't they on the clock with work? Still, maybe it would help dislodge that bug up his ass? "I'm supposed to believe your single?" he laughed. "Wow, there is hope in life yet."

"You guys use paper and a pencil a lot?" Kara asked with a grin. She heard the noises too, and cleared her throat quietly as she tried not to look at Alex's ass again. "Yeah, you're supposed to believe I'm single. Hope, huh? Does that mean you see something you like?"

Alex nodded. "Yep. And that's where our problem is. Too much documentation, nurses doing more and more of the hands on. It's a shame." His hands were still in his pockets and he made sure he kept his face impassive. "It means I'm glad to hear not all females in New York are taken or lesbians," he said. He couldn't let a flirtation distract him the day he was walking onto a new case under a new guise. Plus, he was going to be living in Princeton. She was here. Hardly convenient for a fling.

Kara's nose crinkled in distaste. "Ugh. Paperwork kills everything, I swear. No job can ever get done with the amount of paperwork they think up for it." She gave a nod in understanding, and tried not to look hurt. The Princeton thing hadn't escaped her mind, but still... wasn't like it was a long drive. Oh, well, just another missed opportunity. She was getting used to those. What was one more? "No, not all of us are taken, or lesbians. Some of us females are still single and straight."

"That's really good to hear," Alex smiled, his eyes still holding her gaze. "You'll thank me for that. Long distance is... fucked, basically. Trust me, I'm a doctor."

Kara tilted her head. "I'll remember that the next time I meet someone cute and find out they're leaving town that day. Still nice to meet you, doctor."

Alex smirked. "Never underestimate the power of fate. If we're meant to meet again, we will. And I'll take you for a drink."

Kara smiled. "You better keep that promise, or else you're really going to throw that trust line out the window."

"So, you do trust me?" Alex took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms across him. "You really shouldn't."

"You just told me to," she pointed with a confused look. "And frankly, I have no idea. Guess we'll see if that drink ever happens."

Alex just laughed, shaking his head. "Would you launch yourself out of one of these windows if I told you to? Never trust strangers, love. Never. Get to know them first," he added pointedly and then reached into his pocket to pull out a business card with his details. "If you ever find yourself in Princeton."

Kara took the card with a smile. "Fuck off, I launch myself out of a window for no one. Not unless there's a bungee cord. Me and jumping of any sort don't always end well. Thanks for the card. If I am ever in Princeton consider it used."

- agentfraser & straight2point referenced with permission

Word Count | 3,584

muses_w_remotes | 11.13 The Brothers Grimm quote

2009-03-08T01:35:32Z

13. "And you, Will, have enough bullshit to fill the Palace of Versailles."
| The Brothers Grimm

Co-written with agentfraser, straight2point & withlightson

Marc's eyes were trained stiffly ahead as he rode up in the elevator to Harri's floor. His lips were in a thin line and he couldn't hide a sharply drawn breath was let out in an aggravated exhalation a few seconds later. What he needed was a smoke. Or a drink. Anything to numb the fact that he now had a new partner who was a total dick knob. His hands were shoved firmly in his pocket and he refused to glance left at the guy who was standing beside him rocking on up and down on the balls of his feet whistling 'Billy Jean' and looking casually around the elevator. It didn't help that Marc hated Michael Jackson music. Theodore Darcy - and Marc had no idea what sort of name that was - refused to stay in the car whilst Marc ran up to Harri's to pick up his filofax that he left there that morning when he got called out at 4am. He was so exhausted he forgot to collect it on his way out but it had important phone numbers in it that Marc needed ASAP. The little prick insisted on coming with. Not that he was little per se. The bastard was 6'3", which pissed Marc off even more. Why did his partner have to be Sasquatch?

"So, Jackson said you're dating a prostitute," Alex offered lightly with a shrug. He looked at Marc with a wicked smirk. "Not that there is anything wrong with that. Nice building. She must really know how to do her job."

Marc didn't outwardly react. If he did, he would've thumped the guy. He looked at him, his blue eyes once again concealed with the dark contacts. Alex wouldn't have the benefit of seeing Marc out of disguise for some time yet. He was going to Princeton undercover that very afternoon and if Marc's luck was on his side, he wouldn't have to deal with the guy face-to-face again for hopefully another decade. "She's the CEO of Razor. Better skilled than most whores... Something you won't ever experience first hand yourself." He kept his voice even, but it had a warning to it's edge. "Got it?"

Alex held his hands up. "Look, dude, we've got to work together. May as well like each other. What colour undies are you wearing?" he asked right before the elevator reached the right floor with a ding.

Marc raised an eyebrow. "Fuck off," was all he answered with as he strode out of the elevator. The wanker might be taller, but Marc definitely carried himself with more of a confident air needed in his position. Better still, they might be partners, but he was technically Alex's superior on the case. He paid no more mind to the guy as he hit Harri's buzzer with the edge of his hand and took his cigarettes out. He put one in his mouth and lit it up, blowing the smoke out slowly while he waited.

"Aren't you even going to offer me one?" Alex snorted and went to reach for the pack.

"Nope," Marc returned and the smokes disappeared unceremoniously back into the breast pocket of his long black leather coat with a smirk before Alex's hand connected with it.

Harri smiled apologetically at Kara before she unfolded herself from the sofa and set her mug down. "If that's not a very naked man at the door, I shall be pretty fucking disappointed," she said with a laugh.

Kara Harvey, Harri's head graphic designer for Razor, grinned as she pushed her fingers through her blonde hair. She wasn't sure if it was a mutual liking for cock, or their blonde hair and fabulous taste in clothes, that had let her hit it off with her boss, but she was grateful for whatever it was. Harri was a riot, even when she was a bit under the weather. Odd, since she'd thought Harri had just gotten over a cold.

"Maybe it's that lover boy of yours," Kara suggested. "I certainly wouldn't mind getting a look after what you've told me about him."

Harri gave Kara a slight warning glare, before she smiled. "Just so long as there's no touching. I might have to cut your hand off, otherwise."

Kara blinked and gave a quick shake of her head. "No way would I touch. I saw what you did to that intern last year for touching one of your occasional fucks."

Harri was laughing at the memory as she pulled open the door to find Marc and his... friend. She cocked her head at the sight of the unknown man and arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Hello, love," she greeted Marc and stepped in to kiss him. "Is this some proxy you're dropping off because you're about to tell me you won't make it tonight due to a meeting?"

Marc's forehead creased in a frown. "Does he look like he would pass as my proxy, let alone have the skills for it?" he said. "And I might not make it," he had to admit, the English accent back. "Things have... developed. I need to go to Princeton tonight. You could always come with if you want to catch up with Aiden."

Alex listened closely, reflexively remaining at Marc's side, albeit with a smirk on his lips. He stuck his hand out and the smirk transformed into a winning smile. "Hey, I'm Te-" he cut off when he realised there was someone else in the distance beyond the leggy blond. Marc had mentioned the girlfriend knew about him but didn't mention anyone else. "Alex. Alex Carter," he introduced himself.

"He's my new... associate," Marc explained, his dark eyes warily turning to the woman in Harri's apartment as he took another brief drag on his cigarette. When he looked back at Harri, his eyebrow was raised slightly in question. "He's a medical advisor on Promantech's new line of hypertensive alternative therapies." The bullshit came so easily these days. "Based at Princeton Plainsboro," he added pointedly. He knew Harri would probably ask questions when they were alone and when they were alone, Marc could answer them.

"Ah," Harri said, taking the bullshit with a smile. She offered her hand to Marc's associate before she nodded over her shoudler. "Kara Harvey, my graphic designer. I'm sure she won't mind taking your associate for a test drive. She's always looking for men."

"Hey! I can hear you, you know," Kara pointed out as she stood up, and smoothed down her skirt. "Hello, Marc," she said with a wave at Harri's boyfriend. "And hello, Marc's unnamed associate. I'm not that desperate... really."

Marc stepped aside and scratched the back of his head whilst stifling an impatient sigh. 4am starts weren't conduvice to bouncy and happy. Especially not after he was awake most of the night getting his brains fucked out. "Hey," he greeted Kara with a small wave. She was new. Harri hadn't mentioned a Kara before. It was times like this that Marc realised how much they really didn't know about each other. "Sorry to interrupt, we won't stay long. Not long enough for you two to fuck, anyway. I just need my filofax, babe. You know how anal I get not having it with me." More like neurotic and near panic attack because it held a lot of what looked to be useless info but was actually a lot of vital facts to his current investigation.

Alex rested his arm against the door jamb, smiling casually at both Harri and Kara. "Aren't you going to introduce us, Marcus, darling? Your anus can wait."

Marc closed his eyes briefly and cleared his throat. It was official. The guy was going to end up with a black eye before the day was out. "Harri, Kara, this is Dr Alex Carter. Alex, this is Harri... my girlfriend, and Kara... someone I'm only meeting just now."

Harri's smile was slow, almost predatory as he referred to her as his girlfriend. She even felt like the cat that had just swallowed the canary. Even if he was saying it more for his cover, than anything else. "It's in the bedroom next to the furry handcuffs and blindfold," she said referring to Marc's filofax before she took his hand and pulled him inside. "And really, this is awkward enough withouy you two standing the doorway."

Kara had come up behind Harri and couldn't help but look over Alex appreciatively. He was nearly a foot taller than her, but she liked it. "Oh, I don't know. He looks pretty good just standing there. Take your shirt off, and pose again..."

"Kara," Harri warned quietly as she smirked.

"What?!" Then she blinked out of her reverie and looked at Harri then Marc, and finally Alex with a shrug.

Alex wasn't phased. "What's in it for me?" he asked smoothly, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Keep your dick in your pocket, Carter, or you'll find yourself with a gaping hole there next time you go to wank," Marc warned. So, his hackles were up. He wasn't sure he trusted the guy but at the same time, he knew he had to trust him and he had become Marc's partner for a reason - he was more than capable. Such a shame he was a gigantic pain in the arse. "Why are you still home, babe? I was expecting your housekeeper to answer."

Harri missed Kara's wink to Alex as she made a face, and patted her stomach. "That silly flu felt like coming back for round two, so I decided to work from home. Kara was bringing over the latest pages." She flicked her gaze between the two men, oddly amused by the fact that Marc seemed so irritated by Alex. "Should we go get your filofax? That way Alex can get his dick out without you harming him. For a minute, at least. Not as if you men need all that long, is it?"

"Flus shouldn't do that," Marc murmured in thought as he caught her arm gently at the elbow with his hand. He was looking over here for any signs something more serious might be going on. "When did it start again?" he asked. He nodded distractedly, Alex and his dick now the last thing on his mind. The guy's dick was probably 17 inches if his height was anything to go by. Kara would have her work cut out for her.

"I don't offer free shows," Alex threw in, his green eyes taking in the whole surroundings of the apartment closely. His feet made soft footfalls on the clean floors. CEO of Razor and it showed in her apartment. He couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Marcus and Harri than met the eyes, though.

Harri might have read all the books there was to read about colds and flus while she'd been sick, but that meant nothing. Her brain hadn't retained any of the information in its mucus drowned state. "A couple of days ago? I'm not really sure..." She didn't struggle out of his hold, but did try and lead him off so she didn't get examined in front of company.

Meanwhile Kara's blue eyes were firmly fixed on Alex as she smiled. "So every girl has to pay to see you naked?"

"I like to think of it as bartering," Alex told her with a smirk as he turned and met her eyes again.

Marc went in the direction of the bedroom and his filofax. The minute they were out of hearing distance of the others, he spoke in still a hushed voice. "Why didn't you call me?" he asked her.

Harri shrugged. "Because I do enjoy living in denial occasionally, no matter what my jaded personality tells you otherwise," she mumured quietly as she pressed her hand against her stomach, not sure if she was about to be sick or not. "Tea and chocolate mousse is about the only things I can keep down. Besides, you're busy. I've already made you miss enough work."

"You didn't make me miss anything. I told you that. If I had to go, I would go. Just like I have to go and sit in a car all the way to Princeton with Dr Dick out there this afternoon." Marc's nose scrunched up. "Chocolate Mousse when you're nauseous? Urgh..." He stuck his tongue out a little in disgust. "I want you to go to a doctor."

Harri laughed softly as she cupped Marc's face and gave him a kiss. "I promise if I feel better, and you make it back from Princeton alive, I'll make sure you forget all about the car trip with Dr Dick." Then she crunched her nose up. "Do I really have to go see a bloody doctor over nausea? It's probably nothing, love."

Marc let out a slow breath. "The bastard's my new partner. I have to trust him with my life. He has to trust me with his. I think he would rather be kissing his own cock in worship than jumping in front of a bullet for me." He took her hands into his. "Please? When I was a kid, nausea started all my diabetic problems. Mum took me to the doctors because she thought I was lactose intolerant," he said wryly.

"I'm not lactose intolerant," Harri replied petulantly. She really could be a brat when she was sick. She slipped her arms around his waist and brushed her nose against his cheek. "He's certainly tall enough to at least get in a good attempt at kissing his own cock. I'm sure you'll work it out with him. He seems... well, Kara likes him."

"Neither was I," Marc pointed out. "Who is Kara?" he added as an afterthought. "Should I care that she likes him? He's a dick knob."

"She's my lead designer, and yes, you should care. She's one of the best people I have working for me, if not the best. And probably one of the few women friends I have." She pressed her lips together to try and get the wave of nausea to pass before she tried to speak again. "He's a sexy dick knob, but not as sexy as you."

Marc looked in the direction of the living room skeptically. "For a graphic designer, she has crap taste in men. The bloke's... he's..." He waved his hand. "I'm just glad he's going to be based in Princeton. Might mean my mileage needs to be increased, but at least I don't have to put up with him every day. Hopefully they're more tolerant in Princeton. I never realised that to be a Pediatrician, you had to act like a ten year old yourself. She can do better. If only I could tell her his real name."

Harri had to resist the urge to tell him that Aiden had thought she could do better than Marc. Instead she nodded in understand, currently embracing her role as his girlfriend. "She's probably thinking more about what's in his pants, than his personality right now. However, it's very good that you and he won't be in the same city. I can't really see you coping too well with that. So he's really a doctor?"

"Twin matching cocks in pink spandex g-strings, is my guess," Marc snorted. He leant against the dresser, though his hand brushed up and down her arm. "I have a feeling I'll be crossing your BFF's path in a more professional capacity sooner rather than later," he predicted as he considered Alex's new role. "He is a doctor. A Pediatrician. He's going to be working at the same hospital your other's half's boyfriend works at. He's been put there for a reason."

"A reason that I don't want to know," Harri said as she tilted her head and watched him. "And... I'm not sure exactly if Pat's working there right now, or not. He's still getting over that MS attack and trying to get his legs to work. Speaking of you crossing paths with Aiden... there's something I need to tell you."

Marc nodded slowly. "Pat... he's friends with a Scot, right?" he asked carefully. He needed to know well in advance how close to home this all could get before it was too late. He looked at her, his forehead creasing in slight worry. "Oh? Is everything alright?"

Harri gave a nod. "Yes, I think so. The Scot had a baby recently. Pat's one of the godfathers. It all added to Aiden being keen to settle down." Harri held onto Marc a little tighter, almost as if she was worried he was about to run away. "Mm... yes. This is more about me finally telling you something you said you'd hope I'd one day trust you enough to do so."

Marc extracted himself from her hold just long enough to move over to the door and close it. He was pretty sure Alex could take care of himself out there for a few minutes. "You're going to have to elaborate a little, babe," he requested, moving back to her side. They'd spoken a lot recently, so it was hard to be sure what she was meaning.

"He knows. Aiden knows... about you," Harri said quietly. She touched a hand to her hair, and tucked a few long strands behind her ear. "I told him... I tried so hard not to, but he just wouldn't let the fuck up about why I'd wound up at his place crying after our fight. Our breakup, I guess. I don't know what to call it. I'm sorry I'm not better at withstanding interrogation."

Marc closed his eyes with a small sigh and nodded. "I figured," he murmured and put his hand to his head, rubbing his fingers across his forehead. "Fuck..." He started to pace a little as his mind kicked into gear with all the new connections. "I need to know you're not going to tell him that I know Alex in any way, shape or form. No one in Princeton is going to know Alex is SS, especially no one linked to that hospital. It's vital they don't know. It's vital Pat doesn't know," he added with emphasis.

"Pat doesn't even know about you." At least Harri was pretty sure he didn't. She'd taken Aiden's angry words about Marc and what he'd done to Ali and subsequently Luke's cousin, she could probably withstand anything now. "I'll keep your secret, love. I promise."

"I know it sounds sinister, but the last thing we want to do is cause Pat's friend and everyone surrounding him anymore heartache. Obliviousness to Alex's true presence in Princeton is the best way for us to assure that. For all intents and purposes, Alex is just that. The new kid doctor on the block. He's going to know a lot of people connected to Aiden. That sounds worrying, I know. But it's no one in that circle we're investigating. One was merely a victim." Marc looked at her regretfully. "Are you sure you want to be tied up with shit like this?"

She listened carefully, and gave a nod at his question. Her stomach had twisted a little, but she wasn't sure if it was guilt, concern, or just the nausea. "I'm sure, love. I don't want to be anywhere else." She leaned in to kiss him softly and smiled. "You wouldn't be able to do this without me, anyway. I'm your security blanket," she said. "Only the kind you can have hot sex with whenever you want."

Marc smirked softly at her. "One day, you'll be my security blanket. Right now, I'm just a pain in your arse. I know it's not easy, alright? I do. I just haven't quite figured out how to balance all this yet. There is a lot going on and I'm being pulled in a lot of directions at once. It's a wonder I don't have premature dementia," he joked.

"I'm your security blanket even if you are a pain in my arse. I'm a designer, sexy, security blanket." She caressed his cheek with the backs of her fingers and laughed. "Well, it won't help if I stitch your name into all your clothes. I'll have to come up with something else if you fo get premature dementia."

Marc laughed. "Ah, but which name would you stitch? Either way, I'd probably confuse the fuck out of myself. I already do and I'm completely sane. I've lost count of the mornings I wake up thinking I'm in my old bed, in my old apartment. Wake up in the middle of the night for the bathroom and take the wrong turn at the door. Alex is one of the lucky ones. He doesn't have to walk away from his old life, he just goes undercover. I couldn't pull off what I'm doing connected to my old life because... because my old life has connections to what I'm investigating. The reason I chose to do all this in the first place."

"At the risk of giving myself another ego stroke, sooner or later, you'll realise you're fucking lucky to have me, love," Harri murmured as she smiled at him. "I've never once doubted how much you've had to give up. Don't worry about what Alex has, or hasn't got. Although if we stay in here any longer, I have this feeling we'll walk out there and find the reenactment of a scene in a bad porn movie."

Marc shook his head. "No, you won't," he said knowingly, laughing. "I'll bet my entire salary on the fact Alex won't touch her right now. He's about to log onto a new undercover case tonight. He'll flirt, but he won't let anything physical happen. He won't let her realise that, though. It's all about tactics. He just needs to be careful right now. Especially considering he doesn't know me and doesn't know you. He's probably casing the joint as we speak and noting every possible object that could be a weapon in reaching distance."

Harri crinkled her nose. "I hope you weren't thinking about weapons the first time we fucked, because that's just weird."

Marc smirked. "I knew the building. I'd studied it before coming to the party. Plus, no readily available weapons in an elevator. If you remember, though, I did make sure you dropped your bag out of reach without you realising," he said with a laugh.

Harri pushed him lightly as she moved away with a roll of her eyes. "You're terrible, you know that?" She picked up his filofax and offered it to him. "You'll come straight here when you're back from Princeton? I promise to see a doctor."

"I'm back tonight," Marc promised. "I'm meeting with a doctor at the hospital under the guise of being a patient. Hopefully the bastard is running on time. I hate doctors. I hate doctors a lot," he added with a snort. "But you still have to see one. Do you even have a doctor on account of the fact you clearly never get sick?" he asked teasingly.

"I might, but otherwise I am capable of finding one," she assured him with a smirk. "So between you riding in a car with Alex, and you having to see a doctor--two things you really, really hate--I'll expect you to come home with a good mood, then."

Marc shook his head. "I'll try and leave the bad mood on the freeway. I need to drop in and see Ali on the way home. If the boyfriend let's me in the front door, that is. He hates my guts. Rightfully so, too. I'm pretty sure if he wasn't such a nice guy, I would have no bollocks by now. She's got her first therapy session today. I just want to make sure she's doing okay. I still feel like she's a million miles away from me. She doesn't trust me anymore."

Harri moved back in to hug Marc and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Trust takes time. You more than anyone should know that. You did kill yourself off, love. That kind of goes a little way to breaking any trust you had with her."

"I know. I just didn't expect to see her again to need to experience the direct consequences. Which I know sounds as selfish as all fuck and it was, but Ali would've been one of the first people to tell me to join the SS if I told her about it before it all happened. I wasn't ever what you would call your conventional FBI agent. I had a bit of a reputation, which is what got me recruited in the first place." Marc paused abruptly and his stomach flipped over as he realised something. He was technically still married. Should he tell Harri this? Of course, killing James off would've ceased that, but was that information he should share?

Harri frowned as she watched him before she raised her eyebrow a little in question. "Don't tell me you're feeling sick, too? I don't think I could take another fucking drought if we both get sick. Again."

"No, I..." Marc looked at her helplessly, his hand waving around for reasons he couldn't exactly explain because it wasn't helping him decide what he should do any easier. So, he grabbed at his MedicAlert bracelet and started playing with it restlessly, turning the thick chain around his wrist. "There's just something I'm wondering if I should tell you or if you would likely prefer just not knowing in the long run. I mean, it's not... it was... are you sure this is not too much shit for you to deal with?"

Harri had pulled back to give Marc plenty of room to fidget, her blue eyes still watching him keenly. "I'm sure," she told him. "But if you don't want to tell me something, you don't have to. I'm past that bitch phase I went through where I was pissed off at you for keeping your secrets. That was before I knew why you kept them."

"It's more a fact I don't want to hurt you or to think it still matters. It doesn't. It's my past..." Marc wet his lips slowly and halted his fidgeting by taking her hand and wrapping both of his around hers. "Is there anything you would definitely want or need me to tell you from my past, even if it's bad or weird or questionable? Anything you felt you should know to make this easier for you?" he asked.

Harri tilted her head in thought as she considered his question. It was something she might have been asking herself for a while now, but she still had no real answer. No one question that would give her peace. Maybe because she really was content to take things as they came, and to take the snippets that he gave her when he was ready. "No," she finally answered. "As awful as it sounds, I'm not really here to fall in love with that you, am I? I'm here for the current you, and for the cover you."

Marc pressed his lips together and then laughed softly. "That's just the thing, babe. I'm the other me with you. Not this new, fake cover."

Harri managed a laugh herself. "Well, then... I still say no. I'm sure I'll regret it, and days from now I'll wake up in the middle of the night with a question burning in my brain, but right now... no. Is there anything you need to ask me?"

Marc shook his head. "Nope. Because I know you've been honest with me," he told her and then a smirk appeared. "I hooked you up to a secret lie detector without you knowing." He laughed holding up his hand. "Just kidding. I know just, somewhere in my gut, that you've been honest. Which is more than I can say for myself."

Harri wrestled her hand out of his hold so she could wrap her arms around him and smirked back. "You've put up with my inabilty to tell you I'm sick, or to be a 'normal' girlfriend, so I think I can deal with you not being honest if only because I know it's for a disgustingly honourable cause. If you were lying to me because of some other reason, I'd have your balls for breakfast and feed the rest of you to dogs."

Marc laughed. "I'm used to abnormal girlfriends. I know how to deal with you lot. The only normal partner I had was male," he added in amusement. "I was the abnormal one there. First time we met, I puked all over his designer shoes." He stopped and bit on his lip for a moment. "Alright, but if you ever think you suddenly want to ask me something, just do it, okay? I'll admit there are a lot of things still hanging over me that I haven't spoken about, but I think the parts that still mean something to me you are aware of. Everything else, well... it keeps me up some nights with guilt but they tell me I'll get over it eventually. If the case ever ended... let's just say I'd have a lot of choices to make."

Harri kissed him softly and grinned against his mouth. "Says as lot when you're the abnormal one in a gay relationship. Did that make you the girl, love?" She looked at him, her eyes sparkling as she teased him. "I will add asking you questions to the list of promises that includes going to see a doctor. Just so long as you do the same, if there is ever something I haven't told you, that you want to know. And if the case ends, and you need to make choices... I will help you as best I can. Do you think we should return to our friends before I decide the nausea can wait, and fuck you senseless right here?"

"Hey, I had my girly moments. You'll see them one day, too. I'm a terrible, atrocious sick person. Land me in hospital and I turn into a monster. I'm better comatose," Marc laughed. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, there is something I want to ask but it isn't major and it's for another day. Just call it a mere curiousity." He nodded, smirking. "Yes, or your sofa might be debauched and semen is a bitch to get out of fabric like that. Hear that? That was a gay moment."

Harri wondered what Marc could possibly want to ask her, but she let it slide for now. There would be time enough to find out. "You're still hot when you're gay, so that's alright," she laughed.

"Just think, if you ever decide you want a threesome, you'd have your pick of a male or female third part," Marc laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to lead her from the room. "I'll call you from Princeton, see how you are, so keep your phone with you."

"As if you'd ever see me serperated from my phone, love," Harri reminded him. Although her mind was now wondering slightly as she considered the whole threesome thing. He was right, she really would have her pick... She blinked as she realised they were back in the main room and hoped she wasn't looking too flushed, but Marc would probably catch her dilated pupils. "I'll drag Kara with me. At least then I wouldn't have to go to the doctor alone."

"If I'm back, I'll come with you," Marc promised and gave her a soft kiss.

Harri smiled as she returned the kiss. "Drive safely and don't hurt your passenger just yet. He might grow on you."

"God help me," Marc snorted, shaking his head.

Word Count | 5,312

just_1_word | 20.4. Doctor

2009-03-07T07:24:04Z

20.4. Doctor

[Follows THIS]

Alex’s first nightshift in Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital’s Pediatric Unit was quiet. Normally he preferred to be busy, but he appreciated the quiet that night. It was only his second shift in the facility and this gave him a chance to familiarise himself with his surroundings and get a feel for what he would be dealing with trying to run an investigation here. He could even go so far as to say he really liked it here. The patient base was low at the moment and the staff he had the pleasure of encountering had been friendly and helpful. He had even lost count of the amount of nurses he had flirted with and vice versa.

If there was ever a night he would peg as being uneventful, it was that one. It seemed when he was going to be wrong, he was going to be really wrong.

“Dr Carter.”

He was just coming off his rounds, walking up the main corridor of the kids’ ward peeling off his latex gloves when the nurse caught his attention, hurrying her way towards him with a file outstretched in her hand. “Nurse Barnes?” he asked in question and tossed the gloves into the nearest contaminated waste bin.

She nodded reflexively. “Just had a call from the ER. We’ve got an infant just being admitted and readying for immediate transfer. I hope you’ve had your coffee. This one’s going to keep you on your toes. Both parents are doctors and staff members here, and popular ones at that. You’ll have a long line of people wanting to tear your balls off if you make a wrong move with this little one.” She smiled slightly. “Welcome to PPTH.”

Alex frowned, some wariness spiking over his skin like faint goosebumps. “How old is the baby?” he asked, reaching for the file. “Why the admission?”

“Nine weeks with suspected Type One Diabetes Mellitus. The mother is Type One herself and went into a diabetic coma just hours after his birth. She had a lot of unstable periods with it during gestation. The parents feared there was a chance the baby might be born with it, but they hoped they dodged the bullet. Babe’s been ill on and off since birth and this time with classic symptoms,” Nurse Barnes explained and released the file into Alex’s hand.

Alex flipped the file open and went straight to the triage sheet with the ER doctor’s notes. He knew they wouldn’t be extensive. In cases like this, the child would be transferred to Pediatrics without much ER intervention. He didn’t even think to look at the baby’s name, let alone the parents’ names. “He’s on his way up?” he asked and looked up from the file at her. “Please tell me the parents aren't pediatricians and are going to be hovering around analysing my every move?”

Nurse Barnes shook her head. “Not even close, but you’re going to have the hovering. It’s inevitable. Let’s just say I think they would both die for that little boy. I know the father would,” she added soberly.

This set off warning bells in Alex’s head and he finally had mind to look at the patient’s name, just knowing what he was going to find there. CAMPBELL, Riley Patrick – DOB 12/25/2008. Goddamnit! The last he heard Lachlan Campbell’s wife had been pregnant. There had been no case brief updates to say she had given birth. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t here to investigate the family, but he was here to find out why they had become victims. He continued up the triage sheet finding the parents’ names listed as Drs Lachlan and Tara Campbell. He hadn’t expected in any way to come face-to-face with his investigatory subject this early. In fact, he had hoped he would have a good few weeks finding his feet in Princeton before he crossed paths with Lachlan.

Still, the last thing he was going to focus on right now was the case. He was going to be the infant’s pediatrician first and foremost, which may well complicate things down the line. There would be compromised independence from the Campbells. They would know him and have dealt with him. He could even have continued contact with them if the baby was diagnosed with diabetes. His job here just suddenly got extremely tricky and he was suddenly nervous about meeting Lachlan. He had spent months examining that shooting case, examining the Campbell medical records, hospital surveillance tapes from that night, witness interview records, physical evidence, et cetera et cetera. Lachlan had been nothing more than victim’s name to him and now he was going to be standing before him.

The joys of Secret Service investigations… there was nothing easy about them.

Alex rubbed his head as he covered his inner frustration by pretending to read the case notes again. He nodded and looked up at the nurse. “Thank you, Nurse,” he told her, already reaching for some fresh latex gloves. “Have the team waiting in the Special Care Nursery and alert NICU just in case the lad takes a bad turn. He’s stable for the moment but who knows how he will react to more poking and prodding for a diagnosis.”

The nurse nodded and walked succinctly back up the corridor towards the nurses’ station. Alex rubbed his fingers over his mouth in thought, eyes sweeping over the baby’s name again. The whole shooting tragedy – inside and out – was fresh in his mind. The last thing this couple needed or deserved was their unexpected and only child they would have together falling ill. Despite his hopes, there was now no way his undercover job here was going to be easy.

- drcampbell and doctortara referenced with permission from their forever awesome muns

Word Count | 947

Jesus, now I feel all paranoid

2009-03-07T01:24:51Z

You Are Brave and Cheeky

When You Are Comfortable:

You are a strong person. You're driven and assertive. Success is yours, as much as you want it.

People find you to be clever and spirited. You're a bit saucy too... delightfully so!

When You Are At Your Best:

You are a glamorous, social person. You love being the center of attention and an object of adoration.

People see you as charming and charismatic. You are naturally dazzling. You are ambitious, and find it easy to get ahead in life.

When You Are in a Social Setting:

You are a carefree, adventurous person. You love excitement, and you enjoy being in a changing, dynamic environment.

People find you to be funny, generous, and competent. You're well spoken, and you know how to wow people with your words.

What Do Your Initials Say About You?

You Are Energetic and Productive

When You Are Comfortable:

You are a hyper, restless person. You need to keep busy, and you always are willing to take charge in life.

People see you as energetic and motivating. You inspire people to be the best they can be.

When You Are At Your Best:

You are a very sensual person. You love indulging your senses, and you seek out both novelty and comfort.

People see you as stimulating and riveting. You have many ideas to convey, and you're good at teaching people.

When You Are in a Social Setting:

You are a determined and responsible. You strive for success, and you know what it takes to get things done.

People find you to be trustworthy and a good leader. You treat people well, and they benefit from your wisdom.

What Do Your Initials Say About You?

just_fck_me | 11.6. TEN times you were aroused when you really shouldn't have been

2009-03-06T10:28:21Z

11.6. TEN times you were aroused when you really shouldn't have been

1. Sixth Grade swimming lesson. Speedoes so do not hide unwanted boners.
2. Gym class, Seventh Grade. Miss Foster was hot when she did that bend-scoop thing with the ball.
3. First Anatomy class in Med School. A vagina is a vagina, okay?
4. The whole Women's Gymastics of the Bejing Olympics on TV.
5. Lara Croft. Boobs. Ex's mother's movie night. Say no more.
6. During that Broadway play I don't even remember the name of. Those g-strings were something else, though.
7. The Titanic ~~sex~~ portrait scene. I like Kate Winslet's boobs and I'm not afraid to admit it.
8. My best friend's wedding. Someone had to keep the bridesmaids occupied during the first dance.
9. New Year's Day. Office cleaners shouldn't look that hot when they empty bins.
10. My most recent prostate exam. Clearly my prostate didn't realise that finger was male.

Okay, two to launch, then

2009-03-05T12:42:23Z

The Rules:
-Change my answers to yours.
-Use the 1st letter of your first name to answer each of the following ... they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up!
-Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.
-You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl.

1. What is your name: Alex Simon Carter
2. 4 letter word: Ants
3. Vehicle: Aston Martin
4. City: Austin
5. Boy's Name: Anthony
6. Girl's Name: Abby
7. Alcoholic drink: Absinthe
8. Occupation: Architect
9. Something you wear: Anklet
10. Celebrity: Arnold Schwarzenegger
11. Food: Alphabet Soup
12. Something found in a bathroom: Air freshener
13. Reason for being late: AA meeting
14. Animal: Ape
15. Body part: Ass
16. Crayon color: Aquamarine
17. Word to describe you: Asshole?
18. Toy: Action figure
19. Designer Brand: Armani
20. Things you do on the weekend: Alcohol... as much as I can handle

A meme to launch this thing

2009-03-05T12:15:25Z

Think from your gut and write fast... the first truth that comes to your mind. Tag whoever you want to and have them send it on.

1 You’re thinking about someone, aren’t you? No, I was actually thinking I had an itchy nut

2 Last awkward moment? When I tried to crack onto a lesbian nurse after my accident

3 The last person you kissed hates you, why? Is this metaphorical? Aren't you supposed to like people you kiss? I must be still concussed (Nevermind the fact the accident was nearly twelve weeks ago).

4 What does your hair look like? Right now? Messy bed head.

5 How many people do you trust? I don't really completely trust anyone.

6 Why did your last relationship end? I told her her ass looked big in a dress.

7 Are you happy with your life? I can't complain... but I do sometimes.

8 If you could go back in time, would you? No, fuck that. It was busy enough living it the first time.

9 How far back would you go? I wouldn't. Things happen for reasons.

10 Last thing you did before bed last night? Jerked off whilst watching women's basketball on TV.

11 Ever dated anyone on your LJ friends? ... uh, no.

12 Anything bothering you? I may be a little worried my new partner will hate me. He has quite the rep.

13 If you could have anything, what would it be? Boobs attached to my hands.

14 What’s your favorite place you’ve been to? I love England and Scotland. I would go back in a heartbeat.

15 Last time you cried? When I got hurt in the car accident, but it was totally reflexive and not voluntary.

16 Do you text or call more? Call. I like to be able to hear the tones in people's voices.

17 Do you have a friend that you’ve known since you were little? Yes.

18 How long have you had your LJ? Not long. I'm just coming out of technology hibernation now.

19 Last friend to come over to your house? Robbo

20 What do you usually do first in the morning? Take a piss. Doesn't everyone? Who the frig is born with an iron bladder?

21 Do you have workout video’s? I have porn. That can be a workout if done right.

22 Plans for tomorrow? First day on the "new" job.

23 Favorite thing to shop for? Cereal.

24 Is being single fun? If it's not, you're doing it wrong.

25 Are you dating the very last person you kissed? No.

26 Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? Yes.

27 What color are your eyes? Green

28 Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? ~~Most of the time.~~ I'm a law enforcement official... I have to. It's the law.

29 Will you talk to someone on the phone tonight? Probably.

30 Can you honestly say looks don’t matter? If I was blind, I'm sure they wouldn't.

31 Was today a good day? "Good" is kind of pushing it.

32 Do you get mad easily? I've been known to have a temper, except for the times I don't.

33 Where do you see yourself in 2 years? Fuck, now I'm supposed to be psychic? Do I get a free crystal ball? I always wanted to be like the dude on Labyrinth.

34 Ever liked someone older than you? Yes.

35 Do you still talk to the first person you ever madeout with? I don't even remember her name.

36 If your last ex said they hate you, you say? Feeling's mutual.

37 Ever been on a blind date? Yes, and no, I do not have a crotch rot.

38 Anything you want to tell someone? Not right now.

39 What were you doing last night at midnight? At HQ trying to get my shit into order.

40 Anything you’re giving up on? [LOCKED] I'm in the Secret Service. I gave up on life when I joined. [/LOCKED]

41 Could you go a month without talking to your best friend? I often do, but not by choice.

42 Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? If you find the right person, they can be pretty cool.

43 Do you think you’ve made a difference in anyone’s life? I hope so or what the fuck am I doing here?

44 Could you honestly say you love someone right now? I could honestly say, but I won't.

45 Do you have the body that you want? What? Am I supposed to say I want Arnie's? I doubt he'll share.

46 There’s a burgler behind you, what would you grab to hit them with? Hit them? Dude, you shoot, not hit. In the leg to incapacitate. You never know what he's concealing.

47 What item that needs batteries is nearest to you? Dancing flower. Shut up. You haven't lived until you own a dancing flower.

48 What’s one word that will not describe you? Innocent.

49 What made you smile last? Mom's brownies.

50 Your phone rings…What’s your first thought? Where's my pen?

51 Where were you this past New Year’s Eve? London, England.

52 A genie grants you three wishes, you wish for: More wishes.

53 Would you ever go to a nude beach? I have done. It's overrated.

54 Who/what was the last photograph that you took of? My big toe just because.

55 Who was the last person you slow danced with? My ex.