Curtain.
The applause thundered around her, and CJ jerked in her seat, looking around. Her disbelieving gaze met Leo's concerned one.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm…" She looked around again. She was in the theater, not sitting on a bench in the cold New York night. But her cheeks were still wet with tears. Simon?
"You've been crying…you seemed so far away." They had to stand for the ovation, and then Leo took her hand and guided her to a quite place in the lobby.
"These past few weeks couldn't have been easy for you. It must be a relief to hear it's all over."
Stunned, she looked around again. "I think I've been more affected than I realized. Was I in my seat the whole time?"
He smiled slightly. "In body, but not in mind. I always lose myself in thought when I watch long plays. It's amazing where your mind takes you."
"Thank you." She saw Ron Butterfield at the far corner of the lobby. "Excuse me for a minute, Leo."
"Where your mind takes you…" She had a waking nightmare. Letting her mind wander during the play, she apparently called forth all of her anxieties and confusion from these past few weeks and tangled them into this horror scene at the convenience store. She saw Simon's lifeless body on the ground…A senseless, unpredictable death that could have been her fate. Her fear of dying at the hands of her stalker mingled with her fear of losing this love she had just found. Was this really just a...what? She supposed if she were sleeping she would call this episode a nightmare. But she was awake, her body in the theater, her mind creating this… "daymare"?
CJ walked over to Ron. He greeted her with a nod. He looked as he always did, the man in charge. Not the man who just lost an agent in a robbery. "Miss Cregg."
A deep breath. She needed to take a deep breath before the question could be vocalized. "Ron, have you heard from Simon at all?"
"Sure, he checked in from the field office, grumbling about wasting a good tux in a cubicle with a pile of paperwork. Then he came back here and offered himself as an extra hand. I told him to take the evening off but he was restless. He's one of my best guys, so I decided not to pass up his offer of help."
Laughter rose in her, like the silly girl on Prom Night Simon had accused her of being. What *was* he talking about, anyhow? She should ask him. She could ask him now.
"Thank you, Ron."
"Sure thing. And when you see him, tell him he doesn't have to check in before taking you wherever it is he has in mind. I just expect him back at work tomorrow."
CJ stared at Ron's tight smile. She thought of a dozen possible responses, but none crossed her lips. Ron's grin broadened and softened. "Well, I never thought I could render the Press Secretary speechless."
She walked back to Leo. "You got some color back in your cheeks again, kiddo. Feeling better?"
"Oh Yes!" Her eyes sparkled and Leo smiled in return. "I'm fine now!"
Leo jerked his head towards the exit. "Why don't you go find Agent Donovan? I'll make your excuses to the Boss."
"I thought I was being discreet!"
"Well. I'm a nosy bastard. And I like you. I make it my business to know. So does Ron over there."
CJ refused to consider who else might have been talking about her and Simon. She leaned forward and kissed Leo on the cheek. Than she ran outside.
"You would come out with no proper clothing, wouldn't you?"
She lifted her face to the teasing smile, the eyes that belayed the words with a tender gaze. He wrapped his tux jacket over her bare shoulders. She let herself snuggle against his chest, listening to the steady beat of a heart she thought she'd never hear. Laughter bubbled up again, and she raised her head to meet his lips.
"OK, Agent Sunshine. Sweep me off my feet!"