Zero Self Control

By AnitaB

Chapter two: Questions without answers

"So who do you think he went to see?" Langley asked Frohike over his shoulder.

"I don't know, but it is suspicious that Byers didn't tell us. We all have our secrets but story ideas and conspiracy information should be shared." Frohike replied thoughtfully without lifting his eyes from the computer screen.

"What if it wasn't a source for the paper?" Langley turned away from the article he was typing. "What if he went off to see someone else?"

Frohike leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach. "What could make Byers lie to us?"

"I don't know," Langley laughed, "Maybe he went off to see a woman."

Laughing loudly, Frohike joked, "Does Byers even know a woman?"

Their laughter was killed sharply by the screech of the doorbell.

"Langley, Frohike, unlock the door."

Jimmy, who hadn't heard a single word of the conversation up to the interruption of the doorbell (a high-pitch, squeal that would have no problem raising the dead), pulled the headphones off and moved to open the numerous locks on the door.

"How was your trip?" Jimmy's innocent question was accented by the sound of two chairs spinning so their occupants could observe the answer.

"Yeah, what information did your source have for you?" Langley smiled slightly around the question.

Setting his bags down, John considered the best way to answer. "Nothing of value. The source had a lot of odd theories, but no supporting evidence at all. Not to mention a lot of contradictions." Sitting down at his computer, John tried to keep a straight face. "The whole trip was a waste of time." A small smile curved his lips as he thought about the truth. He wouldn't call time spent with Eva wasted. Even sleeping with her in his arms was time perfectly spent. God, he missed her already.

Langley and Frohike exchanged a glance behind Byers' back. Their expressions said 'yup, he's lying.' That little smile didn't match the words not to mention that Byers didn't smile much under any circumstances.

Jimmy, oblivious as usual, didn't see the smile or the exchanged looks. He offered sympathy in his own sweet, dumb way. Clapping Byers heavily on the shoulder "Maybe he'll have something good for you next time. Don't worry."

John looked up at him, wondering why he just couldn't hate Jimmy, even when he really wanted to. And the way Jimmy occasionally looked at Eva made John really want to hate him. /Sweet, stupid lunkhead./

"Thanks, Jimmy." John couldn't quite keep the slight jealousy and sarcasm out of his voice.

Frohike and Langley noticed the wealth of emotions Byers usually didn't allow himself to show, settling back to study their best friend and coworker's unusual behavior.

/The plot thickens-lies and emotions to unravel./

John turned back to his computer, mentally patting himself on the back for his spur of the moment lying. He licked his lips, savoring the slight taste of her lipstick still lingering on his mouth. God, he missed her already-the taste of her kiss, the warmth of her touch, the sound of her voice. Tomorrow night seemed so far away.

000

Eva had managed to keep her mind off John-for a few minutes at a time. Random things continually made her think of him. The sunlight falling in the window reminded her of the light on John's face when she'd watched him sleep. The soft warmth of her sweater felt rough against the memory of John's beard on her skin.

/There's work to do, Eva. Concentrate./ She reached for the envelope of pictures she'd had developed. Pulling the pictures of the buyer out of the stack, Eva began scanning each photo into the computer. Placing the last image in the scanner, Eva found herself staring at a picture of John with his arms around her.

The picture captured an instant frozen in time. And the sight of it made her relive that instant. The heat of his body against her back. The slight trembling of his arms holding her. The beating of his heart echoing through her body. The sound of his voice whispering the words 'I love you,' against her skin. She shivered, caught between the remembered warmth of his arms around her and the chilled air surrounding her in this room

Staring at the picture, Eva could almost read the words on his lips, see them in his eyes, feel them in his touch. Eva's eyes moved over the picture, seeing something surprising in her own image. The relaxed line of her body along his. The way she cuddled his arms around her body. The soft smile curving her lips didn't at all resemble the expression she would have expected. It held surprised joy without any hesitation or tension. It held no fear, no panic.

If she didn't know better, Eva would have said this picture was of a couple in love. Madly in love and completely comfortable together. But of course she knew better. She couldn't be in love. /Could I?/

000

Frohike and Langley had watched John all day, curiosity and suspicion feeding each other. The two gunmen were now more certain than ever that John had lied about his trip and that something else he was lying about was in the works.

John had gotten up earlier that morning than usual and had been acting oddly all day. The man who usually only looked in a mirror when brushing his teeth had checked his reflection a dozen times. He was wearing cologne, another rarity.

"Byers, tonight there's a hackers conference on the web. It'd be a good source of new contacts." Langley leaned against a file cabinet and watched John fidget with his cuffs.

"You guys go on and check that out. I've got something else I'm looking into tonight."

Frohike leaned forward, "Anything interesting?"

John paused, aware of the less than casual interest on both their faces. "I'm just verifying some leads. I'll let you know what I find out." He glanced down at his watch, seven o'clock was still hours away. /Just a few more hours, I can wait a few more hours to feel her in my arms./ John failed to notice the boys exchange a look and a nod behind his back. The decision to pry into John's life had been confirmed, they were going to begin the surveillance tonight.

/Tonight.../

000

At 6:30 p.m. Frohike heard John call and order a cab. At 6:35 p.m. Langley watched John brush his teeth and gargle. At 6:40 p.m. Jimmy took his headphones off and called out "Goodnight and Good luck" to John's back as he disappeared out the door. At 6:41 p.m., Langley and Frohike fled past a startled Jimmy out the door, into the van, and after the cab.

They watched as the taxi pulled over in front of a small Italian restaurant, letting John out. Parking the van in an alley around the corner, they approached the large front window from behind a tree.

The cozy, well-lighted restaurant was filled by intimate 2-seater tables with glowing candles in the center. Through this romantic scene John walked towards a small, dark-haired woman alone at a table.

"It was a woman..." Frohike whispered in shock.

"A beautiful woman..." Langley murmured.

On the other side of the glass, the dark-haired woman noticed John and stood to greet him with open arms. The sight of John casually and comfortably embracing and kissing this beautiful woman put a shocked and bemused expression on both Langley and Frohike's faces.

The shock surpassed the bemusement as the kiss continued slightly longer than was polite in public. Then, as the kiss ended and John chivalrously pulled out a chair, the woman turned just enough in the process of sitting down to let the two spies outside the window see her face.

"Eva?"

The diners closest to the window turned at the sudden increase in the noise level and Frohike and Langley found out how unwelcome their presence outside the window was. They fled back to the van before the maitre-d reached the tree.

The two collapsed, gasping, to the floor of the van.

"I can't...believe...it."

"Eva...and...Byers?"

Slowly recovering their breath, they sat up. "That does explain why he lied to us." Langley puzzled out loud.

Frohike sat up and groaned. "But why Byers? Eva could do so much better."

000