A/N: Just couldn't let it go…had to add one more…promise, I'll have a new Walkabout and a new Swimmer up before Sunday night…think of this as therapy…for a warped and twisted individual, sure…but therapy, none the less…seriously, giggling is good for you…really, it is…don't believe me?...write one of these for yourself…you'll see. Of course reviews are always appreciated but quit yelling at me…I promise I'll get back to work on the other stuff…plus, I should have less people to bother me after 6PM E.S.T…yup, it'll just be me and the rest of you sinners…what rapture party is complete without Jager?...none I'll be attending!
Daniel Shaw Vs. The Big Red S
Daniel Shaw reached out with his left hand and turned the shower from hot to cold. Being right handed by nature, using his left took a small amount of thought but he had long ago gotten used to making himself use his left hand whenever possible. The sudden shift from hot to cold was a real eye opener but that had been the desired result. Having spent the last 57 hours on a stake-out had left him just a little 'fuzzy' around the edges and, even though he hated to admit it, a little ripe.
After counting backwards from 120, varying in between French, Spanish, German and Russian every 10 digits, he turned the shower off. Stepping out of the shower, he reached for a clean towel…with his left hand and began his almost ritualistic drying off. He always started with his hair and worked his way to his feet, taking time to make sure that he didn't miss any moisture…anywhere on his body. He then balled the towel up and was about to throw it into the corner where the housekeeper would later find it when he remembered that it was the weekend and Conchita wouldn't be coming in until Monday morning. Carefully he shook out the towel and hung it up over the shower door where it would have a chance to dry out a little. His personal rituals allowed him to only use one towel for the entire weekend, despite the fact that there where at least half a dozen more fresh towels in the linen closet.
Daniel crossed the bathroom to the counter and 'assumed the position', as he liked to refer to his favorite pose. Standing with his feet shoulder width apart, he balled his fists and placed them on his hips with his elbows jutting out away from his sides. Turning his head slightly to the left, he stared at his reflection and imagined himself in the 'suit'…of course, the big red S would stand for Shaw. Closing his eyes he allowed himself to revel in the adoration of the world's multitudes who gazed upon him in wonder and awe. He had gotten his latest fantasy from a movie he'd seen on cable a few years ago. The story had been boring but the star had been one good looking man…as far as he was concerned. Shaking his head briefly, he let the pose go and leaned towards the mirror to give his face a closer inspection. He definitely needed to shave before his dinner date tonight.
After filling the sink with hot water and giving his face a generous coating of shaving gel, he gave himself a slow and thorough shave…using his left hand. He really impressed himself, daily, with his control of the left side of his body. It had almost become instinctual, except for the occasional mental prompting.
Having finished shaving, Daniel walked out into his bedroom and headed towards his walk-in closet, intent on picking out the clothes he would be wearing tonight when he and Agent Sarah Walker enjoyed their 'date'. Even though Sarah had seemed a little distant during the stake-out, he was sure that tonight they would be enjoying more than an after dinner mint…after dinner.
Having finished his 'getting dressed' ritual, Daniel shrugged into his shoulder rig, making sure that the grip of his favorite .45 was just where it had to be for a totally smooth, cross body draw. Just as he was reaching for his jacket his phone chirped, alerting him to an incoming text message. Shifting his attention, he walked back into the bathroom where he had left his phone. Reaching out his left hand, he picked up the phone and thumbed the 'read' icon and found out that Sarah Walker was canceling their date. 'Well, her loss' he told himself, careful not to allow himself to seem to self important…after all, he didn't consider himself conceited, just wonderful. He hit the end icon and dropped the phone back onto the countertop.
As he turned to leave the bathroom he paused to admire his reflection in the mirror. Smiling to himself, he stopped and then suddenly his right hand flashed across his chest and smoothly drew the .45 from it's resting place, aiming it at the imagined foe in front of him. 'Damn, I'm fast' he admitted to himself as he admired the stance he had taken. Before he could return the gun to it's resting place below his left shoulder, his phone chirped again, alerting him to another incoming text. Shifting his beloved .45 from his right hand to his left, he picked up the phone and thumbed the receive icon.
Shock! That had to be what he was feeling after viewing the image he had received. Agent Sarah Walker had sent a photographic display of the reason she was canceling their date. It seemed that Sarah had decided to initiate a sexual relationship with the asset and thought that sending him proof of this new dynamic, in the form of an explicit image, was somehow appropriate. The smile on the asset's face was plain to see and the smile on Walker's face, although partially obscured by the asset's…well, asset, was also plain to see. Rapidly his shock turned to anger and he threw the phone onto the bathroom countertop with such force that it bounced once and then landed, with a splash, in the toilet.
Planning to reach for his phone with his right hand, Daniel gave no thought to the gun in his left hand which he simply jammed into the waistband of his slacks, planning to return it to the shoulder rig after retrieving his phone from it's watery resting place. Reaching out with his right hand, he gave no thought to the positioning of his left hand and simply jerked it away from the .45. He really should have given more thought to his left hand because his sudden, jerking movement caused the gun to discharge. The bullet missed 'little Daniel' by millimeters but his right testicle was not as fortunate…and the bullet didn't stop there on it's 'flight of destruction'. After entering his thigh, the bullet fractured his femur and the resulting bone splinters ripped his femoral artery wide open and, by itself, that would have been a fatal injury…however, life had decided to really have some fun. Without two sound legs to stand on, Daniel toppled to his right side. His falling momentum was temporarily halted by the glass shower door but that halt couldn't have been seen by the human eye as the glass shattered beneath his weight. A piece of the door's broken glass ripped open the side of Daniel's neck and the arterial spray seemed to reach every surface in the bathroom and even out into the bedroom.
Daniel Shaw was laying flat on his back and was staring upwards where he found a miraculous sight. Even as his eyesight faded to black for the final time, he was amazed at the big red S that his dying blood had left on the ceiling.
A/N: Promise…back to Walkabout and Swimmer now…new chapters before the end of the weekend. JT