The Human Factor
(Missing scene from "Troy Story")
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Author's note: I need to explain something here - this missing scene was therapy for me, because I was so appalled at the way this side-story was handled. For those familiar with the ep, I hope you'll understand. For those who didn't... shrugs find a tape, I guess...
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"He fell asleep as soon as he hit the bucket seat. But as long as he thinks he said something, he makes a very good manservant."
It's not like he was clear across the room; the ten feet that separated his desk from Jack's were hardly enough to dull the low conversation going on. But he kept his eyes on the file. Okay, I deserve that. Lucy has every right to seek revenge. I can live with that. For awhile.
"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Jack commented.
Then a soft voice caught him by surprise. "Since I'm your roommate and best friend, can I get in on this deal? I have a few chores Myles could do."
Though he knew he deserved it as well, for some reason the words out of Sue's mouth cut him to the quick. Though why I should expect mercy from her is laughable. If anything, she should be gloating over the fact that I have no easy way to communicate right now, and I would if I'd at least made an effort before now to meet her halfway. Damn pride.
He glanced over at the group, and caught Sue's little wave at him. He tightened the mask again, appearing to have overheard none of it.
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It was getting too weird; he'd been at their apartment for four hours, and not only had there apparently not been a single sound out of him, she'd not seen a flicker of emotion, either. It just wasn't like Myles, and Sue couldn't brush it off as simply that his jaw was still hurting.
He'd shown up quietly, shot a single look at Lucy, then held out a note that said simply What do you need taken care of? That was a carburetor and five loose kitchen cabinet doors ago; Levi had imposed upon him for a brushing, and again the blond agent had complied without complaint.
She had to admit, she'd never thought of Myles as having much in the way of "handyman" skills, but he seemed to approach even minute tasks with the same perfectionist attitude he employed in the office. Not only had he tightened up the hinges on the cabinet doors, he'd planed off a quarter-inch of one that had never closed properly— until now.
WOW, Lucy had signed to her as they passed in the hallway. HIM VOICE NOT RETURN NEXT TWO DAYS, WE KEEP HIM LONG TIME.
Her roommate had left two hours ago, when he was still working on Sue's car. Assuming that he'd just as soon not have her hovering over his shoulder while he was in the kitchen, Sue had taken the opportunity to do her laundry down in the basement of the building. Each time she came back up to put away one load and take down another, she'd found him in roughly the same spot, with Levi sprawled lazily on the floor, watching him.
Now, she walked into the kitchen fully intending to offer him a drink and a break, and found him sitting on the floor with one of the drawers in front of him. She glanced around the room and realized it was the one drawer they had never used because it had been stuck. The plane was back in his hands, and she watched for a moment, fascinated by the way it just looked natural for him.
"That wasn't on my list," she smiled.
He looked up briefly, and shrugged, then grabbed the small notebook from his shirt pocket and wrote: As long as I was here…
He didn't meet her eyes again; instead, he focused on the wood for several minutes, until he finally tipped the drawer up so he could see along the edge. He ran his hand along it, then slid it back into its place, checking to make sure that it slid smoothly now.
Sue sat down next to Levi. "I never knew you were a carpenter as well. That's nice work. Any more hidden talents?"
She was starting to wonder if her voice wasn't working, either. He made no move to even acknowledge she'd spoken, simply reached up and took her list from the counter, crossed off a couple of things, then tossed the plane in his toolbox and got to his feet.
"Myles." She touched his arm and held on until he looked at her. "Take a break, already. Would you like something to drink?"
The blue-grey eyes wandered away from her face again. He shook his head "no," then signed THANK YOU.
He pulled out his notebook and wrote quickly, then handed it to her. Which curtain rod is coming down? Last item.
Something was wrong; she could feel it. But, knowing that he wasn't likely to let her past that iron mask of his, she sighed and simply pointed to the right window.
Ten minutes later, it was unlikely that even a 9.0 earthquake would shake the rod loose again. He tossed the tools back in the box, latched it and pulled out the notebook again. Is there anything else you'd like done while I'm here?
It was an opening; she might as well take it. "How about if I teach you a few signs, just to get you through the next couple of days? It's the least I can do for the extra stuff you've done."
He turned around slowly, and for the first time she saw a flicker of emotion: raw pain. Then he masked it again, and anger took over. IF ME SIGN THERE WORK, ME NEVER WILL HEAR END FROM OTHERS. EVERYONE'S COMEDY, ME HAD TOO MUCH THREE DAYS PAST, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
The front door swung shut behind him, and she felt the vibration clear up to her knees. She stood there in shock; not only had he signed the correct words, but he wasn't using Pidgin; the grammar and syntax had been straight ASL, right down to the facial and body expressions. The sentences were smooth, just as they should be... all the way down to his sarcasm, which had come through perfectly in the forceful thrusts of his hands.
If he knows it... and when and where on earth did he learn it?... then why…? And then it dawned on her that he'd started to sign WELCOME along with the rest of the guys earlier, and caught their expressions. He'd then quickly brushed it off with one of his "never mind" gestures she knew too well.
She realized something else, as well. The lot of them had been taking great amusement in someone's physical pain. Even if it was Myles. It wasn't some fiasco he'd gotten himself into because of his unending ambition; this was something he had no control over, and they'd— no; she'd made it out to be a joke.
Shame engulfed her, driving her to her room and on her knees before God. When she finally came out of her room, she found Lucy surveying the kitchen.
"Nice job," her roommate commented absently. Then she grinned. "So, what's next for our slave labor?"
"Nothing." Sue hoped her voice was firm enough to convey her feelings. "Lucy, this is cruel; taking advantage of him and prolonging a lie is not right. This isn't just some spot he's in because of one of his 'get promoted' deals. We've been enjoying someone's pain; real, intense pain. And I'm not going to do it anymore, and I think you shouldn't, either."
"You want to tell him he didn't say anything in the car?" Lucy asked in shock. "Why?"
Sue thought for a second. "Because he helped when Levi went missing; he offered the other day to ask around, trying to clear Troy; he didn't have to do either. I just got done telling Randy I wasn't going to support his lie to his date; I can't believe I was willing to support you in this lie to Myles." She started opening cupboards and pulling things out onto the counter.
"What are you doing now?" Lucy asked.
Sue dropped her hands to the counter and pressed them against the smooth surface. "What I should have done three days ago."
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His eyes were wary as he stood in the doorway. NEW PROJECT YOU FIND?
"Actually, yes," she replied vocally. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping me out of some of my mother's recipe for chicken vegetable soup. Everything's chopped up fine and the vegetables are soft. I figured you're probably tired of Jell-O about now."
Myles came this close to just closing the door in her face. Only his pride in his manners and the admittedly enticing aroma coming from the pot she held in her hands stopped him. He signed THANK-YOU and opened the door further to let her in.
Levi made a beeline for the suede couch until Sue stopped him. "Levi, you've not been invited. Get over here."
Her colleague motioned her to one of the kitchen stools as he took the pot from her and set it on his stove. RETURN POT NOW YOU WANT? he asked.
NO, Sue replied. YOU KEEP, I CAN GET IT LATER.
He nodded. Then he leaned back against the counter and pierced her with a tired gaze. SO, WE KEEP SECRET - SECRET. HOW MUCH? LUCY'S P-A-Y-R-O-L-L YOU STILL?
She was still in shock that she was having a full-blown ASL conversation with him, but she knew she couldn't stall any more. HOW MUCH? NOTHING, she replied with a smirk. LUCY PAH! IN CAR YOU NOT SAY, YOU SLEEP, NOT TALK. SIGN NOW YOU, ME WON'T TELL. NOT UNDERSTAND ME, YOUR CHOICE, I RESPECT.
He looked confused; then his breath came out in a sigh. I SIGN BETTER THAN READ SIGN. SAY AGAIN, PLEASE.
She smiled, and switched to vocal. "I said, it's not going to cost you anything. And Lucy's finished as well. You didn't say anything in the car. Myles. You slept the whole way home. And why you don't want anyone else to know you sign, I don't get, but I'll respect your decision and not tell anyone."
I SORRY I, he said. I KNOW MORE EASY FOR YOU. He paused, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure out how to sign what he wanted to say next. Then he gave up and grabbed his notebook again. It's just… I've spent so much time being stubborn over this… I just don't want to hear about it for the rest of my life from the "Comedy Club." Damn pride… it's probably going to get me killed someday.
She laughed at that, and then caught the look in his eye. Whatever gesture she might have made, he still didn't trust that this wasn't some continued way for her and the team to get a laugh at his expense. Her heart pricked again, and she finally said what she'd come to say.
"Myles, I can't apologize for the whole team, but I can apologize for me. I am so sorry that I've been making light of what happened to you. Can you forgive me?"
He blinked. MY FAULT, he signed slowly. NO NEED SORRY. NICE ME SHOULD TO YOU, ME EXPECT NICE BACK. ME NOT DESERVE.
"Yes, you do." She pushed on before he could protest again. "Because, a while back, I made it a point of telling Mr. Garrett that I didn't have a problem with you. And I don't. And my attitude toward people shouldn't be based upon whether or not I get along with them perfectly. That's not what mercy's about."
WAIT. HIM YOU TALK? WHEN? he asked, puzzled.
She realized he knew nothing about what had gone on at that point – everyone had been so sure that Garrett was getting ready to transfer her. Now that she'd brought it up, she had no choice but to explain.
"When he was thinking about transferring you," she said softly.
His brows shot up. ME. So much clicked into place just then, and his eyes dropped. YOU NOT LET HIM WHY? When he looked up again, the mask was back in place— almost.
"Myles, do you think you're the first person in my life to treat me like I'm—" He visibly flinched, but she felt she needed to finish. "—broken? Or stupid? Or not worth their effort?"
NO, he replied.
"And where would I be if I actually believed even half of it?" She glanced down at the counter and noticed a half-covered piece of paper. She looked up in shock. "You're requesting a transfer? Why?"
Caught, he shrugged. BETTER EVERYONE, he signed simply.
NO! She signed back at him. "No. Don't you dare cop out just because the rest of us were being thoughtless. I thought you were the great 'armored knight,' that nothing got through that mask of yours."
For one moment, he dropped the mask and showed her his heart. TEASING ONE THING; TALK OTHERS, MUCH HURT!
"I know," she said softly. "And I'm sorry. We were thoughtless and cruel. But please don't think that means that you're not just as much a part of the team as anyone else."
He snorted. YES. FUNNY TIME A-T ME. GOOD JOB ME. If he pounded his chest any harder, he was going to crack a rib.
She'd had enough, and she let him have it, though she did remember to slow down enough for him to read her. GOOD JOB YOU, GOOD F-B-I AGENT. AND YOU KNOW I-T.
He blinked, surprised at the sudden "attack." He started to look down again, and she rounded the kitchen counter and swatted him on the arm. JUST BECAUSE US ALL FORGET JAM YOU GET IN, NOT TRUE ALWAYS. I-F YOU WANT TRANSFER OVER SOMETHING LIKE THIS, TYPE MAN ME THINK YOU NOT!
As Sue signed, she carefully watched his eyes and knew he was struggling to understand. She switched to her voice, and watched his chest rise in a sigh. She knew it was easier for him to follow along, but she still appreciated him signing, even if she knew that it would only be here, only between the two of them alone. "Just because the rest of us forget that when you get yourself into a jam, doesn't mean it's not true. If something like this can drive you to a transfer, then you're not the man I thought you were.
"People are stupid, and they can be cruel, and sometimes we get hurt. But they are your friends; if not, don't you think someone would have requested to have you transferred before now?"
I… He paused, not sure he even trusted his signing at this point. I DON'T KNOW.
YES YOU KNOW, she responded, coming within an inch of actually poking him as she pointed. YOU HURT I UNDERSTAND. YOU REALLY WANT TRANSFER. ME NOT STOP YOU. BUT I THINK YOU RUN AWAY. YOU NOT ADMIT YOU HUMAN, THAT YOU HURT.
Myles looked at her for a long moment. Then his hands moved. US ARGUE IN SIGN MUCH MORE FUN, NO HIDE FEELING.
Her breath came out in a laugh. "I don't think you and I have ever had a problem telling each other what we really thought."
TRUE, he replied. NOT IN CASE WE DON'T.
"You think about what I said, Myles. And maybe you'll figure out that stupidity doesn't wipe out friendship; it just puts a few dents in it from time to time. Forgiveness is the body work we do on our own souls." She placed a hand on his arm. "Will you be at work tomorrow?"
One corner of his mouth pulled upward with the shrug of his shoulders. ME THINK YES, WORK I GO. Then he sighed again. THANK-YOU FOR SOUP. SMELLS WONDERFUL. A small smile tugged at his lips and his nostrils quickly flared as his head swirled upward slightly, showing his delight in her thoughtfulness.
WELCOME, she responded as she picked up Levi's leash, and pointed to the pot on the stove. FIRST TIME ME MAKE. ME HOPE SOUP TASTE GOOD LIKE IT SMELL.
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The next morning, Sue walked in to find everyone at their desks, buried in the paperwork that never seemed to go away. Myles glanced up, and she raised a brow at him. A single negative shake of his head gave her the answer she needed.
"So," Bobby started in, "two days left of blissful silence. Are you sure you don't need some more time to heal up?"
Before the blond agent could even pull out his notepad to retort, Sue walked over to him under the pretense of handing him a file. Blocking the others' view with her body, she signed REMEMBER, PEOPLE STUPID, STILL FRIENDS.
He took the file from her and, feigning interest in the report he was working on, tapped his keyboard. ty… I remember… good friend you… till next fight… :-D
She smiled, then glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention. When she was sure, her hands moved again. With a slight, quick backwards jerk of her head, she eyed Myles. WHEN— her brows shot up— WHERE— she dipped her chin, still keeping eye contact— YOU LEARN SIGN?
Myles looked over at her as Bobby got up to refill his coffee. Positive no one was watching…
MAYBE YOUR WAY, MY SECRET YOU WANT? he grinned at her. MY KITCHEN CABINETS, YOU COME FIX.
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