Leprechaun or Do You See What I Don't See?
A/N: A sequel to Guardian Angel, Leprechaun falls into the Hearts Arc series before Bruised Hearts. Yes, I know. How many fandoms can I add in? This is only the second. There are more. And technically, Guardian Angel would be the prequel that comes before Blind Sided. Confused yet? Welcome to my world.
As always, Stfbeye belongs to Paxson/Pebblehut. GIJoe belongs to Hasbro. HM and the guys belong to Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell.
Leprechaun
The man sat in the Bullpen, parked at Sue Thomas' desk. He didn't touch anything, merely observed the hustle and bustle around him.
Before him sat a shorter man, dark-haired and sturdy-framed. Most likely an athlete. He listened a few minutes, hearing the agent talk on the phone. Northern states, most likely Wisconsin or Minnesota.
Just beyond him were two desks butted together. Both agents present were tall, one dark in complexion and hair; the other light in the same way. Their voices carried well in the little room, as the one was complaining about the lack of breakfast pastries. Australianwith a hint of...hm, not sure.
A sharp reply containing many ten-dollar words had the man smiling. Yes, definite Boston-blood. No mistake.
Footsteps interrupted his musings as a petite woman approached the desk where he was sitting. She looked right through him, placing a pile of folders on the open area. Amethyst eyes glinted merrily as she listened to the exchange between the two men. "Silly boys," she whispered under her breath.
He nearly laughed aloud, but caught himself as another woman approached, meeting up with the little blond. Her mocha skin reminded him of his best friend. "What now?" came her query.
"Oh, Bobby's miffed because Myles managed to get the last cruller. I don't know why he does it." The little one blew her bangs in an exasperated manner.
"Myles does it to aggravate him." The darker lady snorted delicately. "Like he needs to eat those crullers."
"Lucy, are you watching his figure?" Teasing was in both the amethyst eyes and her tone.
Big dark eyes rolled. "Oh, heavens, no." She looked around the room. "Tara, where's Sue?"
The petite blond, Tara, frowned. "Didn't she come in with you this morning?"
Leaning closer to her friend, the woman whispered, "No, her brother, James, invited her to some party. She was staying overnight with his fiancée."
"Why are you two whispering?" It was the shorter male agent.
"Jack! You are eavesdropping!" Lucy pierced him with a glare.
The one called Jack held up his hands. "I surrender. But I wanted to know where Sue was and was on my way to ask you."
"Ahem. If you wanted to know, you should have asked." The tall blond, Myles, looked up from across the room. "She called in early to say she was meeting with Howie about a lead on a cold case."
"And you choose now to tell us?" Jack was not happy.
"All you had to do was ask us, mate. She called a while ago." Tall, dark, and Australian spoke, an edge to his voice.
"Okay, okay," replied the agent. "I'm letting it go." He quietly stomped back to his desk, allowing the visitor to see his face. The agent was handsome in a playboy sort of way, with brown eyes and a charming smile. What a combo. Could give my buddy a run for his money with the ladies.
Things settled into a rhythm, flowing, moving, floating along. Occasional bickering and pencil tossing occurred between coffee breaks. Phones rang and no one noticed him. He was almost tired of this pretense.
In a fit of pique, he stood and took up guard near the break area, just to entertain himself. It was fun to watch the Aussie-Bobby, was it?-frown as little flecks of paper pelted him. The looks he shot at his desk partner were priceless, especially since the wads flew even when Bobby was watching Myles work, the blond head bent over his papers.
"Psst! Myles!"
A golden brow went up, followed by a blue-gray gaze. "What, pray tell, is so important that you have to disturb my financial report?"
"Are you seeing this?" Large tanned hands held up a mound of paper wads.
Myles pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing before he answered. "You interrupted me for your 'wad-war' with Tara?"
"No! It's not Tara," he hissed back, having three pieces hitting his face. He brushed ineffectually at them. "I think we have a poltergeist."
The blond opened his mouth to say something, getting nailed himself and almost choking. He removed the paper missile from his mouth and glanced around the room thoughtfully. "More like a leprechaun, if I were to make an educated guess."
"Leprechaun?" Bobby leaned forward so as to keep his voice low. "But it's not even close to St. Patrick's Day."
"It is March."
Noise from the doorway indicated that Sue had finally arrived. Levi came bounding in, greeting each agent and Lucy in turn. He stopped at the coffee table briefly, only to sniff once and return to his special spot. The analyst was removing her jacket, setting her purse and lunch down on the desk.
Sue noticed that her chair was pulled out. Turning around, she spotted him right away, standing at the coffee pot. A brilliant smile lit up her face, but he placed a finger to his lips. She nodded and waited.
Jack watched Sue from the corner of his eye. When her face lit up his own heart leapt, but it wasn't aimed at him. Who could she be smiling at? He swiveled around, scanning the room. He saw Myles and Bobby still whispering, Tara buried at her desk, and Lucy on the opposite side of the room. A slight breeze brushed him, and he looked up at the ceiling, wondering if maintenance was trying to fire up the air-conditioning.
"HM!" Sue's pleased voice caught everyone's attention. "It's so good to see you."
He hugged her close before stepping back to see her shining face. "Ah, muchacha, it's good to see you. Look at you!" WOMAN YOU BEAUTIFUL FACE ANGEL
LONG TIME YES ME FORGET NOT ANGEL YOU His bashful grin was still the same to her. "Are you alone?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah. But Mr. John told me to tell you hello and BA sends his love."
SHINY MAN QQ
HM smirked. "He's...he's much better these days. Less shiny and more of who he is."
A voice interrupted their little conversation. "Sue?"
"Oh, Jack, this is my friend, HM. I knew him when I was a child." Sue glanced from the shorter man to the taller, noticing for the first time the striking brown eyes of both. I wonder what Lucy would think if I told her about my real reason for liking Jack's eyes? She blushed to herself, using her hands to cool her warm cheeks.
Jack seemed to enjoy her bit of discomfort while HM was puzzled. "Muchacha?"
Sue snapped out of it, wishing she had the time to really understand the person before her, to let him know how much he and his friends had meant to her in a time when she was struggling. "Do you have time for lunch with an old friend?"
He bowed graciously. YES "I'd love to," he said once he'd straightened.
She scribbled a quick address and handed to him. "I have so many questions."
"I'll be there." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, HM strolled out the door, into the hallway. Lucy shot after him, wanting to see what the back of his bomber jacket said, but he appeared to have disappeared.
Sue ignored the open stares, wanting to get on with her work. But Jack parked himself on the corner of her desk. "So, who is he?"
"Jack." Her tone was light, but final. "He's a friend."
"I see."
She gave a slight frown. "How long was he waiting for me?"
That brought a snort from the dark-headed man. "Waiting? He got here after you did.."
"No, he was standing right..." Sue trailed off, realizing something was amiss. "Okay." She turned away from his questions.
Bobby decided she deserved a break. "Sparky, leave her alone. You have a file due on Randy's desk at the top of the hour. Reckon you ought to get on it."
Jack grumbled, miffed at the rebuke. "Yeah, yeah."
Quiet reigned for a while. Bobby stared thoughtfully at the pile of wads on the middle of their desk. "Myles?" He waited for the blue-grays to glance up. "Do you think it was him?"
The blond considered. "I don't know. We weren't looking for anyone besides who we knew should be here. I think the only one with the answer to that question is our fair analyst."
Bobby grimaced. "And we can't ask her because Jack will hound us."
There was a brief nod. "Let's stick with the leprechaun theory for now."
"Leprechauns, huh?"
"Leprechauns."
Noon rolled around and Sue picked up her handbag and coat, preparing to leave. Bobby intercepted her. "You want me to take Levi?"
She smiled, giving the offer some thought. "No. I think Levi would enjoy this little adventure."
The Aussie nodded, leaning in close. "You want me to run interference?"
Sue frowned a tiny bit, since the tall man was too close to read clearly. "Run what?"
"Interference."
"Oh. OH." She gave him an exasperated smile. "I think I can handle this myself."
Large hands went up in the 'okay-you-win-I-surrender' position. "Just trying to help, darlin'."
She patted his cheek. "Thank you for the thought." Levi came over and she clipped on his lead. "I'll be back a bit later than usual."
"Have a good time."
"I hope so."
Sue pushed open the door to Donatello's, breathing in the wonderful smells. Off the beaten path, this little Italian place had become a sort of refuge for her, and she was looking forward to meeting her old friend.
A waitress met her, motioning for Sue to follow. They went toward the back, where a small table was off to the side. It had a window facing the away from the alley and the light was good.
"Thank you."
WELCOME came the pleasant response.
Sue stood there for a moment, just looking at the seated gentleman. He was older than she remembered. The ball cap was gone as were the Converse shoes. A familiar comfort rose in her mind as she took in the worn leather jacket. "HM?"
He seemed lost in thought, creating a rugged profile as he gazed out the window. At her voice he turned. "Suzy Q!" There was his brilliant smile. He stood and hugged her once again before they both were seated.
Sue introduced Levi. "This is my hearing dog, Levi. He's been with me for four years now."
"Hey, buddy." HM leaned down, greeting the canine sincerely. "You seem to be doing a good job keeping track of your mistress."
Sitting up, he regarded the woman across the table. The blond hair and hazel eyes were still the same, and the pixie face was all grown up. "You look wonderful, Sue."
She tried to fight the blush that crept to her cheeks, but failed. "I don't know what to say."
"Oh, how about, HM, you don't look like you changed one bit. My word, you look even younger. Do tell me the secret of your healthy living." His brown eyes twinkled merrily. "I seem have rendered you speechless."
Her laugh was infectious, and he joined in. The waiter came and took their orders, promising a quick delivery. "No hurry," said Sue. She focused on HM. "How have you been? Where are you now? What has been going on?"
He looked at the table for a long moment, studying his fingers. Finally, he met her eyes. "I'm good. Been moving around a bit lately. Me and the guys...have been keeping a low profile these days."
Sue nodded. On a whim, she had typed in HM Murdock and was surprised at the length of the file. "I read about the Stockdale incident. How horrible."
He gave a shrug. "It happens, muchacha. Ain't nothing we could do, except work it all out."
Reaching for his hand, Sue really took a hard look. "HM, you are the most...unusual man I have ever cared to know." On his expressive face, there were lines that could stand for anything. Worry, battle, fatigue, laughter, tears...hard lines. "If I could take but one away..." she murmured.
"No," he whispered. "You can't. Don't even think that. I am who I am."
"Yes. You are an angel. One who found a little girl who was running away from herself."
"You aren't running now."
"I'm not. Because you and Mr. John reminded me that there is a bigger picture, and that I could be a part of it."
HM grinned and patted her hand. "I am so proud of you, Suzy Q." He reached into a jacket pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. "I had Face find this for me when you graduated. I just never got around to sending it to ya." He pushed it forward.
Sue took it, feeling how the velvet had rubbed smooth in spots. "You didn't have to do anything for me."
"Yes, I did." He flipped his fingers toward her. "Go on. Open it."
Cracking the box, she caught a glimpse of metal. Curiosity took over and she opened it all the way. A pair of wings lay nestled in the white satin. Sue looked up, unsure of what they meant.
"Those are my wings."
Tears welled up. "I can't take these. How will you fly without them?"
"Honey, I flew all the time. Those simply reminded me that I could. And now, they'll remind you." Chocolate brown eyes glowed at her. "I've always known you could fly. I've kept track all these years, and now..." M-A-G-N-I-F-I-C-E-N-T YOU
HM leaned closer, mouthing his next words. "I know about the guys. A good group." Tapping the box, he grinned. "One of my childhood buddies...his boy is their pilot."
Sue frowned, thinking of the ones she'd met. "Wild Bill?"
"Yep!"
He glanced away, and she followed, both watching as the waiter arrived with their food. They ate in peaceful silence: Sue delighted to reconnect with an important part of her past, HM content to spend time with his young friend.
Lunch over, the pair took Levi and went for a walk to a nearby park, settling on a bench. Letting the Golden loose, Sue watched him run off and return, before facing her dear friend once more. His somber gaze unsettled her.
"HM?"
"Sue, muchacha...I want you to promise me something, okay?"
She blinked, nodding slowly. It took all her will not to bite her lip at his seriousness.
"When things get rough, and they are going to...I can see it...be strong. Hold on to your faith, Angelface." He took her hands, stroking the agile fingers that spoke so often for her. "Don't let him destroy you."
That startled her. "Him who?"
Sad brown eyes met her wide hazel ones. "Just...be careful." He pulled her close, hiding his eyes from her so she couldn't see the truth.
Sue leaned into the hug, feeling as if she missed an important clue. Levi returned once more, and she directed her attention to the Golden, burying her face in the soft fur for a long moment. Gathering herself, she looked up at her friend, finding the sadness gone, only quiet joy at being in her company remaining.
"You have to go?"
With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeppers. Can't stay away from the guys too long. They worry about me, you know."
She did. "You will be careful, won't you? I can't afford to lose good friends."
"Honey, I'm never lost. I can always find me." He cupped the side of her face. "And I'll be there...if you need me to be." HM stood, stretching wildly, rolling his neck. "And now, I must depart for climes unknown. Into the great wide world goes I." LOVE YOU A-N-G-E-L-F-A-C-E C U
Doffing his imaginary cap, he bowed and strolled away, doing a little kick-the-bucket. Sue laughed, even as a tears welled up. She refused to let them fall, refused to let anything prevent her from watching her guardian angel leave once more. LOVE YOU 2