Title: Tactics, Trajectory, and Teenagers
Author: wolfmusic218
Summary: Reese gets help from unexpected sources in his plan to let Carter know where he stands.
Author's notes: This is a sequel to The Space Between. It would be very helpful to read that first.
Special thanks to Jessa4865, Maddsgirl75, and Chellero for beta services, cheerleading, and tossing ideas around during work and in late night chats/emails/texts. Y'all rock my world.
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The mirror has broken
What do you see?
A million of you and a million of me
The future's unspoken
Who do you see?
The one on the outside
That's not me
I'm a stranger on the outside when
I'm not right next to you
I remember how to get there
Will you be there when I'm coming through?
The Stranger – O.A.R.
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After he watched her walk through the park, watched her smile and wave, Reese wandered back through the loft in a daze. He'd never expected the evening to end like it had. He figured he'd spend the night reminiscing, feeling sorry for himself, and passing out cold. He'd wake up with a splitting headache and new barriers to the world constructed.
No, it had definitely not turned out as planned.
Somewhere during his conversation with Carter, a conversation he never expected to have with anyone, he realized that if he'd done even one thing in his life differently, he never would have met her and his heart had tightened at the thought. The deluge of emotion had thrown him for a loop.
No, that wasn't exactly right.
It had hit him like a ton of bricks to the head. Did it knock some sense into him or just make him stupid for even considering the things he was contemplating? Finch had given him a second chance. He'd thanked him more than once for it. But was it just a chance to right the wrongs he'd done in his life or did it include havinga life too? He'd never really thought about it until now; he'd figured his path was set.
He cared about her, there was never any doubt about that, but until that moment, he'd never allowed himself to think about anything more than friendship with her. He couldn't afford the attachment. Couldn't give someone like her the attention she deserved. There were at least a dozen valid reasons why he couldn't have the kind of relationship he craved so deeply.
Weren't there?
He ran his hand through his hair and smiled. He was a man, she was an extremely attractive woman, of course he'd had a few fantasies about her. More than once he'd woken up, still in the throes of an entirely too vivid dream of her, and wondered why she wasn't there with him. Then he'd mentally kicked himself and pushed away the overwhelming disappointment; locked it away like he did so many other things he didn't want to face, so he couldn't analyze it too closely.
The moment he'd spoken his heart to her, had let his whole past with Jessica come spilling out without thinking about it, he realized he'd been fooling himself. Somewhere between the beginning of the chase and tonight, he'd lost complete control of his heart and she'd worked her way in by just being…Jos.
He chuckled to himself as he moved about the loft absently. He was doomed.
Was he ready for it? Yeah, he was. Were his feelings returned? He didn't have any idea. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her or destroy the friendship they were building if he was wrong.
He poured himself a glass of water and shook out a couple of aspirin.
Had he imagined the shudder that had run through her when he'd hugged her? Or the quick inhale when he'd met her at the door before she left? He didn't think so. Her expression, when he'd asked her about possibly being the one he was looking for, could have been interpreted in so many different ways.
He'd always prided himself with being able to read people well, not just their expressions but their intentions too. She never would have shredded that file if she didn't feel somethingfor him. She'd told him she cared about him. How much, was the question.
He needed to figure it out. He needed a plan of attack, so to speak, but nothing was going to get accomplished tonight, not with the way his head had started to pound. Maybe a good night's sleep would help him come up with something.
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The sunlight streaming through the windows woke Reese before his alarm did. He laid awake for over an hour, staring at the ceiling, formulating his plans. He'd come up with something he wasn't sure was going to work, but it was also the only thing he could think of that wouldn't set off Carter's bullshit alarm.
He pushed the covers off and moved to sit up, putting his feet on the floor. As he stood, his head throbbed. He rolled his neck slowly, working out the kinks, and reminded himself that everything he felt - the headache, the nausea, even the excitement - was his own fault. He wanted to say he'd never drink again, but he knew that would be a lie, maybe he just wouldn't drink quite as much next time. Hopefully next time would be in celebration.
He ran his hand over his chest, scratching and yawning, and moved tentatively toward the bathroom and a long, hot shower. He had things to set up, calls to make, people to talk to, and he needed to be sharp; the person he wanted to meet with had his own bullshit meter.
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John sat at the pizzeria drinking a cup of the worst coffee he'd ever experienced, but was thankful it was strong. At the moment, that was all that mattered. His head still pounded, and the smell of burnt cheese and cooking dough was making his stomach roll.
Taylor Carter slid into the booth across from him and squinted at him. "Hey John. You look like shit."
"Thanks, T, you're very astute. I ordered you a pizza. What do you want to drink?" He waved the waitress over with a nod.
Taylor smiled widely at the waitress, a beautiful dark-haired girl just a few years older than him. "Hey girl, get me a Budweiser, will you?"
"Taylor." The growl from John made Taylor throw up his hands with a laugh.
"Fine, fine. Just a Coke, please." The waitress smiled and winked at Taylor before leaving to enter their order.
John shook his head and smiled. "Did you actually think you were going to get away with that?"
Taylor leaned back in the booth and shrugged. "Maybe not, but I guarantee I'll have her number before I leave."
"I'll take that bet. Next lunch?"
"You're on, old man. You could learn a few things from my moves."
"Uh huh." John took another sip of his coffee, grinning over the rim of the mug at the boy in front of him.
He and Taylor had gotten together for lunch numerous times since his kidnapping. They'd talked once or twice about it, but mostly it was just a chance for them to do a little "male bonding". Apparently in Taylor's world, that included insults and smack talk. But, even with those things, John really enjoyed his company. When he let his guard down a little, Taylor was a smart, sensitive kid who loved basketball, music, and God forbid any of his friends found out, his mother. Although he'd never said anything, John got the feeling Taylor enjoyed their lunches too.
"So, John, we had lunch last week. What's up?" Taylor crossed his arms over his chest, keeping his face neutral.
John paused a minute, trying to figure out how much to tell him. He suffered through another sip of the coffee to delay.
Taylor laughed at him. "Spill it, man. You look like my Mom did when she decided to have…" He air-quoted the next words "'the talk' with me, way too nervous for both of us. It's kind of funny, actually. I don't think I've ever seen you uncomfortable."
"Cut me some slack, kid. How many adults come to you for advice?"
Taylor laughed out loud, making John wince. "Seriously? I told ya you could learn a few things from me. What do you need? Let Dr. Carter help you with your issues."
"You're going to regret saying that, T. I need some advice about your Mom."
"I knew it! I knew you had something going on with her!"
John coughed and set his coffee down. "First of all, I don't have something going on with your mother. Second, I just need to know what she'd like…"
The waitress chose that moment to set down the pizza and Taylor's drink. He looked her up and down and smiled. "Thanks, baby." She rolled her eyes, but smiled, and went back towards the kitchen.
John smiled at the show. "You want a free piece of advice?"
Taylor took a big slice of pizza and bit into it. "Sure."
John watched the kid inhale the slice and wished he had the metabolism of a 15-year-old again. "Most women I've met in my lifetime don't like being looked at like a piece of meat nor do they like being called baby. At least not in a situation like this."
Taylor smirked at him. "But there are situations where they like it?"
"That's a talk for another time, T."
"Already had that talk, remember?" He chuckled at his own joke. "So, what do you need to know about Mom…and why…if you're not interested in her."
"I…she did something for me that meant a lot to me. I want to do something for her, to thank her, but I'm not sure what."
Taylor watched John's face as he spoke. The man was lying to him. "Man, that's a load of bullshit. I thought you trusted me."
"You're getting too good at reading people, Taylor. I'm not sure I like it."
He shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, that happens when one of your friends is an ex-CIA dude and a regular badass. You pick things up." He cocked his head. "So, tell me the truth."
"I actually did tell you the truth, but not all of it. Your Mom really did help me out of a situation I'd gotten myself into and I really do want to thank her. The whole thing just got…a little complicated." John looked down at the pizza and his stomach rumbled a little. He reached over and took a slice, taking a quick bite.
"Dude, you're blushing."
John shot him a glare and Taylor laughed again. "OK, so maybe you don't have something going on with Mom right now…but you want to." At John's silence, Taylor nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
John leaned back and watched Taylor's face, the myriad of emotions flittering across it. "Say the word and I won't pursue it."
"Why would you do that? I know you care about her."
"Because I care about you too, Taylor. If you're not comfortable with the whole idea, I won't even try. I'll send her some flowers, a quick thank you, and that's all I'll do."
"You wouldn't, would you?" Taylor crossed his arms over his chest and tried to read John's face. It was mostly blank when he nodded. "Then I'd be an idiot for telling you not to. Besides, man, I don't think you're gonna have to work all that hard."
John's raised eyebrow was all the response he got.
"Yeah, see, you guys are like a coupla freshmen hangin' out at a dance. Dancin' with your friends, but not each other. I'm sick of watching you two make eyes at each other."
Before John could retort with something stupid like, "We don't do that!" which Taylor knew to be crap, he leaned forward, looked around the restaurant conspiratorially, and smiled. "The flowers? Great idea; she loves flowers. Don't go overboard though; she hates it when they die. You really want to get her attention?"
Taylor almost laughed when John leaned forward too, nodding.
"Here's what we're gonna do. And yeah…I said "we"…you're gonna need my help to pull this off, man."
TBC