"Want another?"
Jake looked up at the bartender. She was a slim red head with bored green eyes and porcelain skin. Any possibility of taking her home had been narrowed down to almost nil at this point, day four of staring at a pint of no name ale. Jake would come in, sit down, order a beer, and then look at it for at least four hours before getting up and leaving again. At first she would replace it after it had warmed up, charging him for a new one (which he didn't mind), but now she just did it free of charge. Granted she did it out of pity instead of the chance of sex.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, it's fine."
"I'd ask why you bother, but I know why."
Jake shook his head, "What do you mean?"
"How long you been on? I'm going to venture to guess...at least five years. No. Ten years. You have the look of a seasoned drunk who knows better, but might be stupid enough to dive off the back of the wagon."
"Hired you for your charm, did they?" he asked in a monotone voice.
"Can I throw this out now?"
"No. I'm not finished with it."
The bartender checked her watch and then cleaned around the pint of beer, moving down the length of the bar. Jake watched her with an unhappy glare and then looked back at his drink. A condensation ring had dried around the glass already and he poked a finger at the glass, moving it slightly to wipe at it. The bartender made her way back to Jake and placed a paper coaster next to his glass and poured another pint of beer.
"I said I don't want another one."
"It's not for you, bright eyes," she said, nodding to his left.
Jake turned and watched as Cait settled down next to him at the bar. Taking the cold beer, she took a drink and made a face. "Perfect, it's disgusting. Thank you." Looking at Jake, she pushed her beer away and laid her arms down on the counter, resting her chin on her shoulder.
He sighed and then looked at the mirror behind the bar.
"You're someone I used to know," she said quietly.
"Funny, you're nothing like the Cait I used to know."
Somebody I used to know
"Are you sure he's here, Matthew?"
Matthew 'Lewis' Kearney's voice still dripped with charm and hotness, even through her iphone. "Definitely. Caught him on the traffic cams after he left that brownstone of yours."
Cait winced. "That was like a week ago. Won't your Commander be angry you wasted a lot of time for me?"
"Cait, that took me all of fifteen minutes," he snorted.
"I stand in awe of your magical nerd powers, my beloved," she said with great reverence.
"Aw, go on," he chuckled sweetly.
Cait grinned and backed up, looking up at the sign above the establishment. Her happy smile faded when she read what it was. "Ok, sweetness, I appreciate the help. You know where I'm at."
"I don't think Charlie will like you going out there alone."
"I'm not alone, you know I'm here. You don't see me come out the front door, call 911, yo."
"You look nice in that dress, by the way," Lewis said. Cait turned and looked for the camera when he added, "Behind you, across the street at the light."
Cait grinned. She was, in fact, wearing a thin summer dress that dusted just above her knees, but crisscrossed over her chest. The weather was still warm, but not overly so that she didn't need the light jacket she wore over the brown material. "Sneaky. Thanks, baby."
"Sure thing, Cait!"
Hanging up the phone, she waved at the traffic cam and then turned toward the tavern. "Shades, huh?" she mumbled.
Jake being in a bar only made his sudden cold reaction toward her back at the brownstone only a little more understandable. Charlie had promised he didn't threaten Jake in the least, other than manhandling him, so Cait's curiosity got the better of her after a week. Tucking her phone into her jacket pocket, she pulled on the door and walked in.
Jake Tyler
12 years ago
Caitlinn Conrad
12 years ago
Cait grinned, despite the venom in Jake's assessment of her. "There's the Jakey-boy, I know. Is this because I'm not the freaked out paranoid anymore?"
Jake shrugged, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"Jake, come on," she said and gently reached out and touched his arm, making him swiftly turn his head and look at her gesture. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, lifting it off his arm.
"This...isn't you."
"And this is you?" she said nodding toward his beer and gently pulled her wrist from his grasp. "If you tell me I drove you to drink, I'll feel guilty."
"You told him about that Randolph vampire."
Chills immediately ran down Cait's spine, triggering something in her and igniting the deep seeded fear in her belly. A feeling she had grown to forget. She told Jake about the vampire once, not too long before her world with him ended. When she thought she could not possibly feel closer to anyone else in the world - when it had only been Jake Tyler as friend, confident, and guardian. Cait sighed and leaned on her elbow, propping her head in her hand.
"I did, yeah. Charlie...well yes, they kidnapped me, but they kept me safe when I thought I was on my own with god knows what on my back. When I tried to call you and someone else picked up, I ran. Without a second thought, I was gone. By the time I stopped to catch my breath, the rest of the team was gone...you included."
"I know," he said quietly, still staring at her.
"They kept me safe."
"He kept you safe, you mean."
"Is that what this is about? Are you upset you can't watch my back anymore? That I, what, replaced you somehow?"
Jake looked away and back at the mirror. "I wasn't your...it meant more than just being your handler. We were friends."
"We aren't anymore?"
Jake shook his head and shrugged, looking at the beer in front of him. "Our world is gone and you don't...you don't need me, anymore."
"Not as a handler or bodyguard, no. I just don't get it, Jake. Are you jealous of Charlie?"
"No," he said immediately. "Not because..." Jake closed his eyes and then turned back to look at her. "Of all the people to help you deal with why you closed everything and everyone off, why him?"
"You mean, why not you?"
Jake shrugged, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"Jake, come on," she said and gently reached out and touched his arm, making him swiftly turn his head and look at her gesture. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, lifting it off his arm.
"This...isn't you."
"And this is you?" she said nodding toward his beer and gently pulled her wrist from his grasp. "If you tell me I drove you to drink, I'll feel guilty."
"You told him about that Randolph vampire."
Chills immediately ran down Cait's spine, triggering something in her and igniting the deep seeded fear in her belly. A feeling she had grown to forget. She told Jake about the vampire once, not too long before her world with him ended. When she thought she could not possibly feel closer to anyone else in the world - when it had only been Jake Tyler as friend, confident, and guardian. Cait sighed and leaned on her elbow, propping her head in her hand.
"I did, yeah. Charlie...well yes, they kidnapped me, but they kept me safe when I thought I was on my own with god knows what on my back. When I tried to call you and someone else picked up, I ran. Without a second thought, I was gone. By the time I stopped to catch my breath, the rest of the team was gone...you included."
"I know," he said quietly, still staring at her.
"They kept me safe."
"He kept you safe, you mean."
"Is that what this is about? Are you upset you can't watch my back anymore? That I, what, replaced you somehow?"
Jake looked away and back at the mirror. "I wasn't your...it meant more than just being your handler. We were friends."
"We aren't anymore?"
Jake shook his head and shrugged, looking at the beer in front of him. "Our world is gone and you don't...you don't need me, anymore."
"Not as a handler or bodyguard, no. I just don't get it, Jake. Are you jealous of Charlie?"
"No," he said immediately. "Not because..." Jake closed his eyes and then turned back to look at her. "Of all the people to help you deal with why you closed everything and everyone off, why him?"
"You mean, why not you?"
Jake Tyler
12 years ago
And maybe that's what was confusing him. Why not him? Why a werewolf, for christ's sake? Why not Jake? He had been there for years for her, as her friend, confident, but no...not as her lover, not that he ever wanted it to be that way between them. It was something he never gave a second thought, not until he saw her again.
The past year of his life was a blur. Running from Randolph and then watching it crumble and die had been surreal. His contacts disappeared or scattered to the four winds. The others knew to disappear and not to search for each other - it was easier that way, to avoid the wide reaching net of corporate litigation and possible jail time, as well as any bitter rival companies coming after the moles Randolph had planted. Jake took cover and never looked back, not until Cait appeared in his radar again, only this time protected by the very company she was employed to spy on.
He spent the last four years passing her research back to Randolph, helping her stay hidden in full view, and kept her safe from her own employers. He taught her how to listen to her instincts and run - where to run and when to not look back. But in that time they grew close, as close as she would let him, and he found himself wanting to make sure she was ok first and foremost, above everyone else. Did that mean he had more than friendly feelings for her? It just wasn't a possibility with Cait and he knew that. Jake didn't think he'd be the one to break that barrier, so he never tried and resigned himself not to care to try. But now she's back, alive, and with a werewolf who managed to do in a week what he couldn't do in four years.
"What do you want from me, Cait? It's not like we can go back to our working relationship before Randolph imploded. You have a pack of werewolves protecting you. You don't need me. So what the hell are we having this fucking conversation for?"
The past year of his life was a blur. Running from Randolph and then watching it crumble and die had been surreal. His contacts disappeared or scattered to the four winds. The others knew to disappear and not to search for each other - it was easier that way, to avoid the wide reaching net of corporate litigation and possible jail time, as well as any bitter rival companies coming after the moles Randolph had planted. Jake took cover and never looked back, not until Cait appeared in his radar again, only this time protected by the very company she was employed to spy on.
He spent the last four years passing her research back to Randolph, helping her stay hidden in full view, and kept her safe from her own employers. He taught her how to listen to her instincts and run - where to run and when to not look back. But in that time they grew close, as close as she would let him, and he found himself wanting to make sure she was ok first and foremost, above everyone else. Did that mean he had more than friendly feelings for her? It just wasn't a possibility with Cait and he knew that. Jake didn't think he'd be the one to break that barrier, so he never tried and resigned himself not to care to try. But now she's back, alive, and with a werewolf who managed to do in a week what he couldn't do in four years.
"What do you want from me, Cait? It's not like we can go back to our working relationship before Randolph imploded. You have a pack of werewolves protecting you. You don't need me. So what the hell are we having this fucking conversation for?"
Caitlinn Conrad
12 years ago
Cait nodded slowly, showing little to no typical girl reaction to his harsh words. Did it hurt? No, it honestly didn't. He was only doing what Cait would have done - completely cut off anyone close to him emotionally because dealing with it took too much time, effort, and compassion she just didn't have.
Over the years he mimicked her closed off personality, keeping everyone at arm's length and everything professional. It's how she wanted things between her and Jake - between her and everyone, and he just gave her what she wanted. But this wasn't Jake, though. The fact that he was hurting because she didn't need him anymore spoke volumes for the compassion he kept bottled up inside.
"Ok," she said. Jake turned and faced the mirror again, angling perfectly for her right hook across his face. He did not see that coming, to say the least.
The bartender winced and covered her mouth with a snort. Then she reached for two shot glasses and poured two fingers of scotch. Handing one to Cait, the red head downed the other and then peered over the counter. Cait looked at her shot and then her beer - it dawned on her just then that she had taken a drink out of the beer without a second thought. She was different. Jake slowly pulled himself back up onto his bar stool, losing his grip once and falling back down onto the floor. Cait took her shot and winced.
"Gah...," she groaned.
Finally Jake made it back onto his feet and pointed at Cait. "What the hell did you hit me for?" he yelled at her.
"It was either that or kiss you and I don't want to kiss you." The corner of his lip was bleeding and swollen. "I didn't hit you that hard."
"Yes. You did!" he yelled again.
The sizable bouncer walked over them and leaned on the counter, giving her and Jake a bored look. The bartender waved him off, so with a large sigh, returned to his post at the door.
Cait slid off her stool and reached out, pulling Jake into a hug. He stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, much to her relief. Pulling back, she cupped his good cheek and smiled.
"I may be different, Jake, but I'm still me. Only better." Reaching into his jacket, she found his cell phone and put her number in it along with snapping a quick photo of herself smiling. She tucked it back in and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "I'll see you later, ok?"
Jake blinked at her, confused but seemingly content to let her do what she wanted with him. "Ok," he mumbled.
"Pay for my drink?" She winked and then left him standing at the bar.
((OOC Cait out))
Over the years he mimicked her closed off personality, keeping everyone at arm's length and everything professional. It's how she wanted things between her and Jake - between her and everyone, and he just gave her what she wanted. But this wasn't Jake, though. The fact that he was hurting because she didn't need him anymore spoke volumes for the compassion he kept bottled up inside.
"Ok," she said. Jake turned and faced the mirror again, angling perfectly for her right hook across his face. He did not see that coming, to say the least.
The bartender winced and covered her mouth with a snort. Then she reached for two shot glasses and poured two fingers of scotch. Handing one to Cait, the red head downed the other and then peered over the counter. Cait looked at her shot and then her beer - it dawned on her just then that she had taken a drink out of the beer without a second thought. She was different. Jake slowly pulled himself back up onto his bar stool, losing his grip once and falling back down onto the floor. Cait took her shot and winced.
"Gah...," she groaned.
Finally Jake made it back onto his feet and pointed at Cait. "What the hell did you hit me for?" he yelled at her.
"It was either that or kiss you and I don't want to kiss you." The corner of his lip was bleeding and swollen. "I didn't hit you that hard."
"Yes. You did!" he yelled again.
The sizable bouncer walked over them and leaned on the counter, giving her and Jake a bored look. The bartender waved him off, so with a large sigh, returned to his post at the door.
Cait slid off her stool and reached out, pulling Jake into a hug. He stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, much to her relief. Pulling back, she cupped his good cheek and smiled.
"I may be different, Jake, but I'm still me. Only better." Reaching into his jacket, she found his cell phone and put her number in it along with snapping a quick photo of herself smiling. She tucked it back in and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "I'll see you later, ok?"
Jake blinked at her, confused but seemingly content to let her do what she wanted with him. "Ok," he mumbled.
"Pay for my drink?" She winked and then left him standing at the bar.
((OOC Cait out))
Jake Tyler
12 years ago
Jake watched her leave, wincing as he moved his jaw left to right. The bartender picked up his lukewarm beer and cleaned the counter underneath it after she poured it into the sink behind the counter. She then put her elbows down on the table top.
"Eleven even for the two beers."
Paying the tab with a sour look, he laid down exact change.
"What, no tip?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"Try not to be such a bitch?" he said thoughtfully. The bartender stuck her tongue out at him. As an afterthought, he added, "When do you get off?"
The red head crossed her arms and gave him a head to toe look. "Nine."
Checking his watch, he figured he had just enough time to double back. "Alright."
She snorted, but didn't object. "Boy, you're a charmer." Then walked to the opposite side of the bar with a grin.
Since coming to Nachton, he had been manhandled several times by werewolves, thrown across a room by one, and punched in the face by someone he used to care about. Shaking his head slightly, Jake slowly made his way back out of the club. Checking his watch, he turned toward the strip and made his way downtown. He found a place, a church no less, holding weekly AA meetings and decided that maybe tonight was the night he should finally go to one to reinvigorate his faith in his sobriety instead of threatening it with pint of beer every day. Right then he needed the anonymity of friendly faces belonging to people with the same vices. Every person was different, but all had the same story. It would at least get his mind off of Cait.
He hoped it would, at least.
((OOC OUT))
"Eleven even for the two beers."
Paying the tab with a sour look, he laid down exact change.
"What, no tip?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"Try not to be such a bitch?" he said thoughtfully. The bartender stuck her tongue out at him. As an afterthought, he added, "When do you get off?"
The red head crossed her arms and gave him a head to toe look. "Nine."
Checking his watch, he figured he had just enough time to double back. "Alright."
She snorted, but didn't object. "Boy, you're a charmer." Then walked to the opposite side of the bar with a grin.
Since coming to Nachton, he had been manhandled several times by werewolves, thrown across a room by one, and punched in the face by someone he used to care about. Shaking his head slightly, Jake slowly made his way back out of the club. Checking his watch, he turned toward the strip and made his way downtown. He found a place, a church no less, holding weekly AA meetings and decided that maybe tonight was the night he should finally go to one to reinvigorate his faith in his sobriety instead of threatening it with pint of beer every day. Right then he needed the anonymity of friendly faces belonging to people with the same vices. Every person was different, but all had the same story. It would at least get his mind off of Cait.
He hoped it would, at least.
((OOC OUT))