A piece inspired by the Novacom saga as well as the character of Monica Stone in general. This takes place directly after Exit.
He really shouldn't have been surprised that he fell for her. During the wake of his return from Guatemala, Jason was working on avoiding the whole self pity thing, and if he wasn't thinking about it actively, wanting to blame everything besides him he figured it was okay. The temperature change was the first large enough difference, and somewhat of a relief in comparison to the stifling heat before. Arriving in Alaska earlier than anticipated, he debated calling Walter, but had a feeling being around another person too soon was a bad idea.
He really shouldn't have been surprised when he met Monica, and couldn't find the right words to say, his face had taken on a pink tinge to it, and his hands were trembling, even as he reached forward to shake hers. Paula, she introduced herself, squinting a little when she smiled. You don't need this now. The rational, hardly listened to but still present part of him said, Walter agreed. At the beginning of the night he had them over for dinner, the other man raised an eyebrow meaningfully, briefly placing his hand on Jason's shoulder before stepping into the dining room.
He knew he needed space, but the overwhelming sense of validation he got since meeting her lowered the volume of any background noise. She shared his enthusiasm, his sense of humor, the raw honesty. If he to be were honest, he was glad to find a woman in the ministry near his age, single nonetheless. It him full force earlier when he was in Central America, seeing the way that Manuel and Celia lived, the trust between them and years of love and trust written upon their faces. Having someone else to share his adventures with, to have adventures with.
Maybe, again, he shouldn't have been surprised when the truth of her identity came out, and all of her motives were put into question. That's when Jason wondered if it had only been infatuation. Fleetingly, he considered asking Walter what he thought, but in the midst of the crisis they were already in, with the black boxes, it might just be a distraction. It was enough that Walter hadn't given him a lecture fraught with concern and a verbal slap across the head. They moved on quickly, Walter was another friend he didn't deserve.
He really was surprised when he couldn't stop thinking about her, after. Not just that she had quite a reputation, which reached his hometown, but her laughing gaze when he made a joke, the instant sense of normalcy between them. The genuineness of her words, of course was almost nonexistent, and Jason still almost felt she wanted to be sincere and transparent. He really was surprised at how difficult it was to walk away, after Monica told him she was going to a prison. It was just, in regards to her actions, it was what he was used to, seeing criminals face punishment for their crimes. He really shouldn't have been surprised, but he was.
Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is definitely welcome.
I also want to mention that if I get around to finishing a multi-chapter story I've been working one that focuses mainly, but not entirely on Jason's involvement with ministry, this serves as a prequel to that.