“It’s
my job to keep the assets as safe as I can, and,” he paused, “I just want to
make sure you’re okay,” Rob seemed to have calmed a little. He had told her the
words he had had to say, and he had told her he was giving her room to hang
herself, “Guess that means I’ll see you at the airport.”
“Thanks,
and I’ll be careful,” smiling again she continued as she looked for Ward, “of
both of them.” Disconnecting Jan looked around for Ward only to find that
he was standing beside her, his hand extended.
“Shall
we get started?”
They were only a mile from the airport when Ward pulled in and then behind the
back of a local convince store. This morning had been one of the best
mornings that he could ever remember. He had almost felt like a normal
human. All that he had read in her file, plus a couple of the reports on
jobs she had filed that he had gained access to; well none of it did her
justice. Right from the start of the training operation he had known that
she was something special and he would enjoy getting to know her, but, and that
was when he stopped thinking.
The most he could ever have from her was friendship if they followed the
rules. Not that friendship wasn’t’ good, and he would give his right arm
for it with her, but for the last few months he had thought of no one
else. It was crazy, even he recognized that, but there was something here
to explore, if, and that was the issue, if they hadn’t been agents. Just
how far she was willing to bend the rules he didn’t know. For her it
could just be a fun fling; he didn’t think so though. Ward, on the other
hand, was more than ready to bend those rules and give it a go. After all
he had seen over the last six months Ward knew if she was the one he would do
anything to discover it. And here was his problem, he knew he was crap at
relationships, had been even before he had been recruited and now they weren't
allowed. Secretly he had always been happy about that rule, took full
advantage of it as well, until a few months ago.
Ward had been with a friend when his wife had died in his arms. An
assignment had gone wrong, horribly wrong. Against all better judgment
Ward had stayed in her head to let them communicate until the end. She
had given him complete access to her thoughts and feelings, memories and
wishes. He had felt her regrets. Most of all she had let him feel
what it was like to love some one that much, and to have connected with that
one special person. That had been a powerful drug. Coming back from
that mission he had seen Jan and something changed right then and there.
At first he had just thought it was fatigue, but as time passed he suspected it
had to have been something more.
Now after working with her and sharing a morning he knew it would be
more than just a few hot nights. She was funny and smart, quick witted
and even though some may think she was ordinary, she played down her features
so as to not stand out.
"Something you wanted to say?" Jan wasn't going to rush
him. As much as she didn’t want to admit it there was something worth
exploring here. She had taken his hand in the restaurant and casually
touched him as they walked out to the car and the heat she had felt earlier
exploded again and again. Being with Ward had been easy, fun.
Something her life had never been. Staring at him she waited and watched
as he looked straight ahead at the concrete block wall.
"This is," and he stopped, and again time dragged on.
Taking a final breath, he thought if he didn’t say it now then the clock would
run out and he might never get the chance again. He opened his mind and continued,
"I know what the rule book says and God as well as everyone else in the
department knows my reputation, but I think we might have something between
us. This morning has been great. I, we didn't have to be anything
but ourselves for a change. I really enjoyed that, I enjoyed being with
you. But there was something else. Back in the diner and at the car
when you touched me."
"Yeah, I know," and now she realized that he was allowing her
to see his thoughts. Surprised he had let her into his head this soon she
also realized how serious he was. It made for a heady combination.
"If you’re willing to bend a few more rules," he paused so she
could understand just how much he was asking for, and it was a lot. It
was in those moments that he felt their minds touch. If he had thought
touching her had been intense, then there were no words to describe this.
It wasn't as if either of them had never had contact with other mind readers,
but this, this was different. His mind suddenly imagined all the other
ways they could connect until, slightly embarrassed, he looked her straight in
the eye.
"This is new for me too," she had never expected to be so
attracted to another human being. It was almost automatic to shy away or
be distant. She had never believed in happy endings, "but I'm
willing to see where this will go."
"Okay," Ward's hands relaxed and his jaw loosened. Funny
thing was he hadn't realized how tense he had become. Rookie mistake, but
that was what he liked most about her, all his guards were down.
"Let's do this right then and take it slow," he started the car and
pulled into traffic. "After your assignment's done message me."
"I should be wrapping things up in a week or two. We'll meet
up when we can and see what happens," Jan was feeling nervous, a good
nervous, but it was way out of character.
"What will you tell Rob?" Ward knew Rob, had even worked
with a team of his once. In general he was a by the book type of
guy. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jan lean back into the
seat, but he could feel her thoughts. He could tell that she wasn’t too
worried about what Rob thought, but the rest of her thoughts were really
distracting.
"He'll be fine," she replied as Ward pulled up to the curb and
stopped. Opening the door she placed one foot out of the car before she
continued. "He just doesn't know it yet," she looked quickly at
Ward and she couldn't help but smile. Taking it slow meant that they
wouldn't be getting to some of those things in his thoughts for a while.
Too bad, she thought knowing he had heard it too. Without thought, she
leaned over and kissed him, really kissed him. She wasn’t sure how long
they stayed like that, but she did know that time had stopped for both of
them. When he pulled away it was more out of fear that they would be seen
and her mission compromised.
Ward watched
as the Jan he knew left his car, and by the time she was standing up she had
become her assignment once again. He hadn't even seen her pull her hair
free of the ponytail or put on the wraparound dress she was wearing now.
Watching as she walked into the terminal he had to marvel at how this everyday
girl had morphed into a bombshell in just a few seconds. Slowly he smiled
as he drove away all the while knowing that from this point on his life had
just gotten way more complicated and so much better.
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