A thousand reasons
Author: Cath
Feedback/Reviews: Are gratefully received.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Fortunately for them. Unfortunately for me.
Summary: there are a thousand reasons why they shouldn't be doing this (T/M)
Notes: Second 24 fic. Was greatly encouraged by the reviews of my last fic (strength) and so didn't fight the plot fairies on this one. Takes place after series two. Would love to hear your views on this one. Eventually might even write something with ascertainable plot.
There are a thousand reasons why they shouldn't be doing this.
And they go through her head one by one as she stands outside his apartment after he invites her in for coffee and they share a long, passionate, possibly-end-of-night kiss.
To start with, he's her boss.
That in itself causes a number of problems. Like, what will people say at work? That she's screwing the boss in order to get promoted/preferential treatment/more influence over decisions?
But, immediately she rules that one out. After all, there's no reason that they should go into the office on Monday, hold hands, and announce to the whole of CTU that they've decided to start seeing each other, and is that okay? And, well, if the relationship lasts more than five minutes, then they can deal with that later.
He's her boss and her colleague and she has to work closely with him a lot of the time and when the whole relationship falls apart (as she's almost convinced it will, if only based on her own track record) it's going to be damn awkward at work.
But then, if she decides not to go ahead, it's going to be awkward anyway: she's kissed him a number of times and shown too much interest to get away with that. And besides, she's not sure if she could continue to work closely with him and keep her hands off him the way things currently stand.
He's her boss and it might be frowned upon by the powers that be.
Screw them. Really. She's not in field ops, so there shouldn't be complications due to him not wanting her to throw herself into the middle of a dangerous situation. And if they can demonstrate that they can work together in peace and harmony and without any implication of impropriety then surely, if the relationship stands the test of time, the powers that be can't object too strongly. And if they do, well, that's something to think about later.
He's practically her best friend and she doesn't want to screw this up.
She takes this a little more into consideration. But the problem with this reason is that at this moment, she'd rather see if this friendship can develop into something more than spend a lifetime regretting not having taken a chance.
He might only want a one night relationship.
She can't convince herself that this is actually true. She's had a small number of one night stands in college and understands the difference between these and men who are interested in relationships. The way that he's been looking at her all night over the dinner table in addition to the best friend element doesn't signal to her that this is a possibility.
Sleeping with someone on a first date does not necessarily give out the right signals.
Of course, she'd have to spend a good deal of time convincing herself that she doesn't want to, and at this moment, that seems like a difficult concept. Besides, she's known him over a year and he's her friend, and this changes the rules.
Her track record is not encouraging when it comes to the possibility of long term relationships.
But then, why should that matter? She's not felt like this about any of the guys that she's been out with before and that should at the very least count for something. And she greatly doubts that any of the other guys felt the same about her as Tony seems to. Again, counts for a lot.
Relationships started under extreme circumstances and emotion probably don't have the best basis for longevity.
Screw that. She's liked him for longer than the one day when emotions were at the forefront; besides, she's not sure this counts as a reason when all it did was serve as a catalyst.
They… she runs out of reasons as he pulls her closer to him, their tongues duelling, and oxygen begins to be a secondary consideration. She thinks that maybe it's possible that her opinions are slightly biased due to his close proximity. She pulls away from him, eventually deciding that breathing might be a concern if she is to survive long enough to make any sort of informed decision.
There are a thousand reasons why she shouldn't be doing this. But at this moment, as he holds her tightly in his arms and tells to her not to go home, whispering the things that he'd like to do to her, she ignores her brain and listens to her heart, and tells him she'd love to stay.
End
