A/N - A Percption fic with more than one chapter? Say it ain't so! *gasp* Just another fic. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Perception.
Kate straddled the man's lower back as she wrenched his arms back, hooking the handcuffs on him. The man, easily twice the size of the tiny FBI agent, groaned and tried to pitch her off, but once she had him securely bound, she jumped off him. She drew her gun from its holster and pointed it as the man as she yanked him abruptly to a sitting position.
Daniel could imagine that most men would be intimidated by Kate. Not him, though. Considering the psychological torment that he experienced day in and day out, he found himself drawn to her instead of repelled. She was sane, strong, and every bit an anchor in his otherwise chaotic life—even though a great deal of his routine was messed up when he helped her.
"Hey, want to grab some coffee?"
"Hmmm?" He said, snapping out of his daze.
Kate smiled and repeated herself, knowing full well that he had been a million miles away. She often would turn to consult him on the case and he'd be staring at the wall or trying to covertly—and failing—talk to his latest schizophrenic hallucination.
This time, however, she wasn't sure exactly what was going on in that head of his; not that she ever really did.
"Uh…" Daniel responded, and she waited for the inevitable refusal.
"Just go, Daniel." A familiar voice snipped in his ear. "You should let her in. You can't exist on Lewicky alone forever. You'll get lonely."
"Tell me about it." He grumbled quietly, glaring at Natalie Vincent as she hovered at the edges of his vision.
"What?" Kate asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Sure I'll come." He told her. Kate's face was one of immediate and almost suspicious surprise. Daniel felt bad that his constant denial caused her to lose faith in him.
Kate drove them to a little coffee house that Daniel had never seen before despite it being just six blocks from the University. Pots full of colorful flowers crowded the brick storefront. A couple of cast-iron tables and chairs stood outside.
"Why don't you grab that table?" Kate pointed to the empty table.
Daniel nodded and shuffled over.
Kate disappeared into the coffee house. As Daniel sat there, a young woman walked up to the table. She looked kind of familiar—or so he thought. "Is this seat taken?" She asked.
"No." He said. There were three chairs at the table. She could take one.
Yet, instead of pulling the chair to wherever she was planning on sitting, she just sat down and smiled at Daniel.
The girl was tall, almost six feet, with auburn hair that turned almost fiery in the sunlight. She wore a simple t-shirt and jeans that made her appear younger than she was. Looking at her face, he could see that she was probably closer to his age than the twenty-year old he originally assumed she was. She folded her hands in front of her and fixed her bright blue eyes on him.
"I'm waiting for someone." He said.
The girl smirked. "On a date?"
"No, no. It's not a date." He told her sternly.
"Why are you so adamant that this isn't a date?" She asked calmly. "Don't you like this girl you're with?"
"I'm not with her." Daniel snapped. He paused. "What is your name?"
"Grace. Grace Healy." She said, holding her hand out to him. Daniel looked at her hand wearily—didn't she know the kind of germs that could survive on one's hands—but didn't dare shake it. He didn't shake hands, ever.
"Okay, Grace, why are you bothering me?" He groaned.
"Because someone needs to." She said, smiling.
"You're not really here." He said finally, realizing that she was merely a hallucination. Of course, it had been obvious from the start. Why out of all the people sitting outside or inside the café would she choose to sit with the one man who was possibly a complete nut job?
"Daniel? Who are you talking to?" A familiar voice asked. He turned around to see Kate standing there, holding two drinks.
"Uh…no one." He said, and then revised it. "Myself."
Kate laughed. "We all talk to ourselves. I do." She handed him one of the cups. Daniel took a sip; she had gotten it just right.
"It's a very common occurrence." Daniel parroted. "For we can be completely candid with ourselves without fear of outside judgment—though many of us do judge ourselves anyway. It helps us to work out thoughts that we don't want to discuss with other people or don't have anyone to discuss with." When he finished, Daniel was grinning like a small child who just realized that he wasn't so different from the other kids after all.
"Whether you talk to yourself like most people or in the form of an outward projection, it's still essentially talking to yourself." She said with a mild shrug. Daniel stared at her in surprise—she was always full of those it seemed.
They fell into an easy silence, sipping their drinks.
After a few minutes, Daniel set down his coffee. Kate looked up at him, expectantly.
"Kate, would you like to accompany me for dinner?"
A/N - Dun dun dun... Don't worry I'm not going to leave it here. Another chapter is coming your way! Reviews please!