This is an entry into the the Jellie_Shippers Carnival Challenge on livejournal, which actually ended way back in July or August. I had this chapter partially finished on my desktop for a long time, thinking I'd never be able to finish it. My inspiration returned, as you can see, and I'm so glad to finally get this posted. I'm not completely satisfied with the end result, but I'm happy enough with it to post now.
Enjoy.
Ellie vs. the Blind Date
They had been sitting there for at least 15 minutes, the evening air dark and cool around them, but as his hand gently clasped hers, she could think of worse fates than being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel with a handsome gentlemen, and a breathtaking view of the brilliantly lit carnival stretched out before them. She adjusted the suit jacket he had earlier placed around her shoulders and leaned into his side, smiling when he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her even more closely.
This evening was turning out to be just perfect.
Earlier That Evening
Ellie could hardly believe that she allowed Devon to convince her to go through with this nonsense.
She had once thought herself fortunate that their divorce had been so amicable that they could remain good friends very soon after its finalization, but now she was beginning to question if she hadn't been delusional about that all of this time. Just because Devon was happily – and at times, disgustingly – married to a woman as awesome as he, and wanted everyone else to partake in their own slice of marital bliss, that didn't mean he had the right to intervene in her own love life.
And just because she was starting to feel those unwanted and uncomfortable pangs of loneliness as a result of her lack of a real love life, that didn't mean that she had to go along with his efforts to set her up with his acquaintances.
Yet, here she was, sitting at a back table of a French restaurant, waiting for her blind date to show up. Blind dates, as far as she was concerned, were more dreadful than having to pull a double monster shift at the hospital. Chances were that the guy was either a stuck up snob or an idiot. Already he wasn't showing much imagination. While a lovey and perfectly acceptable location for a first date, his choice didn't exactly have the kind of creativity she craved from a potential love interest.
She looked at her watch. Where was this guy, anyway? He was already running fifteen minutes late.
She swore she would kill Devon if her date stood her up. She could be doing better things right now. Like sitting at home, watching 'Ella Enchanted' while eating a pint or two of her favorite ice cream.
Ellie looked to the front of the restaurant, perking up slightly when it opened, but slumping down again when she saw a young couple enter, obviously ridiculously and disgustingly in love. Like Devon, the rat, and his bride.
This really sucked. She would give him two more minutes, then she was out of here.
John Casey could hardly believe that he was actually going along with this blind date nonsense that Chuck was so insistent on. As far as he was concerned, Chinese water torture would make for a much more pleasant experience than going on a damned blind date with a woman who most likely had the personality of a wet noodle.
But as Chuck had gleefully reminded him, John owed the nerd big time for saving his life on that last mission.
"Hey, you were the one who kept insisting that you owed me one... That your honor as a Marine demanded it, " he had needled in his typical pesky manner, made worse by the fact that Bartowski was absolutely right. John had insisted. Because if it hadn't been for the quick thinking and ingenuity of his CIA counterpart, he would seriously be dead right now. But a blind date? Is that really how he was supposed to repay Bartowski? Well, John supposed it made a strange kind of sense, since blind dates were worse than death. "Besides, you might even have a good time. I think she could actually be perfect for you. You never know, she could be 'the one'."
He had rolled his eyes when Chuck used air quotes to emphasize his last two words.
"Fine," John had grumbled, as he accepted his tragic fate. "I'll go. But after this disaster of a night is over, consider my debt repaid. In full."
"Deal," Chuck had agreed emphatically, shooting his hand out towards him. John automatically shook the outstretched hand – perhaps a little more firmly than was necessary – then grunted grumpily, which served only to make Chuck's smile grow wider.
And that was how he found himself standing at the front desk of this stupid French restaurant, scowling menacingly at the previously uppity and now intimidated maître d' who had just informed him that his date had called to say she wasn't coming.
He had been officially stood up.
Forget owing the moron, he thought, beyond irritated with this turn of events. I think I'd rather just kill him next time I see him.
John would have loose a low growl that might have sent the maître d' scrambling to the front exit, never to return to his dull and thankless job, had a woman exiting the ladies' room not caught his eye, instead. She was immediately familiar to him. In fact, he had spent a good part of the first three years of his time in Burbank, watching over her and her family through the surveillance cameras he'd once had placed in and around her home.
Ellie Bartowski was dressed to impress, her patterned dress fell to just above her knees and skimmed and hugged her figure in just the right places. The high heeled black boots she wore rose to her black stockinged kneecaps, flattering the dress and the woman wearing it in ways that his more creative fantasies could not capture. Her hair was swept up in an elegant chignon with a few loose tendrils framing her delicate features. Overall, it was a perfect look for her, even that irritated scowl that was currently on her face didn't take away from it.
He wondered if she was upset because her date had turned out to be a world class jerk, or if she had, like him, been stood up. Whatever the reason, it was definitely the little bastard's loss.
The irritated look on her face disappeared, replaced first with surprise at seeing John standing there, then with a genuine pleasure. Was it his imagination, or was there an ethereal light surrounding her as she walked up to him with that guileless Bartowski smile that looked so much better on her than it did on her brother.
"John! Hi!" she greeted as she stepped around to enveloped him in a warm embrace, not noticing the young maître d' slumping in relief from the reprieve she'd unknowingly given him. "It's good to see you again. It's been so long! How have you been?"
"I've been okay," he gruffly answered. "Been keeping real busy with work, you know."
"So, I've heard," Ellie quietly replied, nodding knowingly. Then, she straightened up self-consciously. Her next words were for the sake of the maître d', as it wouldn't be a good idea for them to discuss his real work in the presence of a stranger. "I'd love to hear more about it, but I see that you're obviously here on a date. We should catch up later."
"Actually, it would appear that my date has stood me up," he said, giving her a wry smile.
"Really? What a coincidence! Mine, too!" she exclaimed at their mutual misfortune. "Hey, we both probably still have our reservations. Would you like take advantage of our meeting here and have dinner together?"
"You know what? I have a better idea," He spoke, speaking impulsively, something Chuck had told him in passing about one of Ellie's passions coming to him. The night was still young; they could probably make it to their destination before sunset. A sneaking suspicion about this whole thing started to creep into his mind, but he forgot about it when he saw Ellie light up with curiosity. "I have the perfect place for us to go. Let's see what we can do to salvage this night for the both of us. Come with me?"
If possible, Ellie's smile seemed to get brighter as she slipped her hand through his offered arm. "I would love to. Just let me stop by my car to get my sweater first."
Much of the next ten minutes of driving were spent in companionable silence. Ellie was surprised how much she'd forgotten how enjoyable it was to sit and enjoy the very presence of someone else without feeling compelled to fill the silence with words. However, as John confirmed that they should be arriving at their destination in a few minutes, Ellie couldn't hardly contain her curiosity.
"So what is this mysterious location you're taking me to, John?"
"Has anybody ever told you that patience is a virtue, Ellie," he asked, giving her a teasing grin that gave her warm, fuzzy feelings inside. She had also missed being good-naturedly teased by an attractive male.
"So, they say, John," she returned just as teasingly, leaning back in her seat. She decided to just enjoy the rest of the ride and relish in the delicious anticipation. "So, they say."
"You'll just have to wait and see, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you'll be pleased."
Ellie had to fight the urge to bounce up and down in her seat, like an over-excited child eager for the moment they would get their very first view of Disneyland. A few minutes later, her patience – or lack thereof – paid off when the streets began to become more and more familiar to her.
"John!" she breathed as her favorite carnival came into view. She stared in awe of the sight before her before turning to face him with a look that surely relayed exactly how affected she was by his gesture. "How did you know?"
"Chuck told me," he matter-of-factually responded. "He and I were working surveillance one night and you know how Chuck is. Can't keep quiet for too long." Ellie smiled at the mild exasperation mixed with gruff fondness she heard it his voice. She bet he had no idea how much like a big brother he sounded in that moment. "Anyway, at some point during the night, it came up that you loved this place and hadn't been here in years."
"And you remembered," she said softly.
"Sometimes a thing or two Chuck says in some of his monologues does sink in," he responded dryly as he glanced over at her. He smirked. "And I have a good memory."
When he turned his focus back to the road, Ellie felt a warmth and energy spread through her entire body and wondered if she was beaming as outwardly as she was inwardly. She was truly touched that one of the things that had "sunk in" was that she loved going to carnivals and fairs, this one being her particular favorite.
As far as carnivals went, it was very small, not even stretching very far. And it didn't really have very much in the way of rides or games, but it did have a certain charm to it, mostly thanks to the people who worked it. The family who owned the carnival had a knack for hiring the friendliest people, many of whom had been with them for years.
It also had been the place that her father had taken her and Chuck on the rare occasion he was completely focused on being a dad to them.
Before her contemplation of the past could go down all sorts of twists and turns, Ellie noticed that John had finally found a parking space and was just pulling into it. After shutting down the car, he turned slightly in his seat to give her a disarming smile that made it surprisingly easy for her to just let go of the most painful parts of her past, for now. "So, you ready?"
"Absolutely," she responded emphatically with a nod and a smile. "Let's go."
For the next half hour or so, Ellie and John just walked throughout the fair, every once in a while stopping at a food or game booth, or sitting to watch people and children pass them by. They talked about an amalgamation of things, some serious, some not, just getting a feel for each others' likes and interests, thoughts and opinions. Ellie found that many of his answers to her questions surprised her, while others were so... him that she couldn't resist grinning and teasing him a bit.
They had a great deal in common she discovered, for example, both having had to step into the role of an adult as teenagers. She learned that his father had died when he was fourteen and his mother had sunk into a deep pit of depression for a number of years following, forcing him to take on adult responsibilities a lot sooner than he should have under normal circumstances.
But for everything that they had in common, there were just as many things that differed between them. Their political beliefs, for one, and Ellie sensed that they would most likely be having many heated political debates between them in the future.
While waiting for John to use the restroom, Ellie sat on a bench and watched the Ferris Wheel turn with a small smile on her face. Chuck had never been one for heights, so he'd always avoided that particular ride. But she'd never felt that kind of unease; instead she'd found the ride to be rather thrilling. A personal favorite, to be shared with someone special...
"Would you like to ride the Ferris Wheel?" John asked as he approached her at the bench, startling her slightly. She stood up quickly and turned to face him.
"I would love to," she answered, a little breathlessly to both her chagrin and delight. "The Ferris Wheel is my favorite ride..." Ellie took one look at his face and saw his thoughts, which he didn't even try to hide. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Well, it was another interesting tidbit about you that Chuck might have mentioned." He gave her yet another grin. She'd probably seen him smile more times in this one evening that she had seen him smile in the nearly seven years she'd known him, and it did funny things to her stomach when she realized that she affected him that much. "I know it may sound unbelievable, but I've never ridden a Ferris Wheel before. But who better to experience it for the first time with than you?"
'He is such a charmer,' she thought to herself. 'When he really wants to, he can really turn it up.'
"I could say the same thing about you, John Casey," she coyly responded..
He offered his arm again and without hesitation, she slipped her arm through and they walked in companionable silence toward the ride.
"So, how on earth did you find yourself on a blind date, John?" Ellie asked while they were waiting in line. "It just doesn't seem like the kind of thing that you'd agree to."
Ellie probably wouldn't have noticed John subtle weight shift if she hadn't been expecting some kind of sign of discomfort from him. His face betrayed nothing else, however, and of course he would chose now to put on the spy face. But she'd get it out of him, she thought slyly. He wouldn't be able to hold out on her for too long; eventually he would cave.
"Let's just say, I owed a well meaning friend a favor."
"Well meaning friend, huh?" she repeated, her voice filled with speculation as she thought up the possibilities. When the answer came to her, she wasn't surprised by what she had come up with.
However, before she could say anything, it was their turn to board the ride. John, being the gentleman, helped her climb the footrest with a gentle pressure under her forearm, then easily followed her into the seat.
Before she knew it, they were rising slowly into the air. The breeze seemed to have picked up a bit of a chill, but not so much that she couldn't enjoy watching the scenery of the carnival shift and change as they arched into the air and then descended back toward the earth. She didn't think she had shown any signs of being cold, so she was surprised when John shifted in the seat and pulled off his suit jacket.
"There you go," he said and she didn't speak or object as he helped her slip her arms into the sleeve. She clutched the front lapels to her chest and stared at him for a moment. It shouldn't have done so, but the chivalry of the gesture made her speechless. Again, she felt herself go warm and it wasn't all because of the coat. "Better?"
"Yes," she whispered, for she could barely bring her voice to go beyond just that. "Thank you."
After a turn or two, the seat stopped at the top of the wheel, so more passengers could be let on. She sighed contentedly.
"This is absolutely amazing," she said, unable to stop her voice from being breathy, as she watched the lights from the various booths and rides shimmer across her vision. When John did not say a word in response, she turned her head to find that he wasn't even looking out at the carnival. Instead, he had been looking at her profile with such an intensely appreciative expression on his face, it made her breath hitch. "The view here is probably at it's best during the evening, don't you think?"
John blinked and seemed to pull himself – with some effort – out of whatever thoughts held him in their grasp. If she hadn't been certain before of her ability as a woman to properly affect him, then him directing his focus on her like that would have definitely clued her in. She still had it, and it was amazing, the sensual feeling of power it gave her.
"Yeah," he responded vaguely and turned his focus outward, though she was sure that he was not really seeing what lay before them. He definitely wasn't referring to the carnival when he continued. "The view is magnificent."
She opened her mouth to speak, but the ride suddenly jolted beneath them, causing them both to jerk in their seats and grasp the handle bar in front of them.
"What on earth?" she asked rhetorically.
A second later, it happened again, and a commotion from the ground had them both looking down. The person controlling the ride was arguing with someone – a supervisor, perhaps – and gesturing wildly at the control panel. The ride operator played with a couple of buttons, which without being a mechanic, Ellie knew was a going to be a bad move. Again, the ride jolted, this time twice in quick succession before the other man pushed the operator out of the way and pulled a Walkie-Talkie to his mouth, speaking rapidly into it.
"Looks like we're going to be stuck up her for a while," John said dryly and she could tell without looking that he was smirking. She leaned back in the seat and turned her head to look at him, and that particular suspicion was immediately confirmed.
"Yeah," she responded in kind, feeling like she didn't really mind the inconvenience. And she suspected that he didn't, either. Without thinking, as it seemed to her to be the most natural thing to do in the world, she reached over to him and grasped one of his hands, a gesture he accepted without protest. Instead of pulling back, he squeezed her hand gently, and held on, letting his thumb absently stroke her silky skin. "Looks that way, doesn't it?"
For a long time, neither of them spoke, just silently held hands as they let the chaos that was happening below them remain on the periphery of their attentions. Finally, a thought that had been dancing at the back of her mind all evening long came back to her, and she couldn't help but share her revelation.
"Had I known that Chuck and Devon were trying to set us up with each other, I never would have agreed to go out on a date with you," she admitted shyly.
John looked at her with amusement.
"Ah, so, you figured it out, too."
"Yes," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "It actually wasn't that difficult to put two and two together to make a Chuck and Devon matchmaking scheme."
She was kind of glad that John didn't ask her to elaborate on why she wouldn't have gone on a date with him. She suspected he probably already guessed many of her reasons. Had he known that they were going to set him up with her, he might have even held many of the same reasons and concerns.
"They had good intentions," he said gruffly, and something in his voice made her think that he was planning something to get back at the boys for their duplicity. "And I have to admit, I never suspected a thing before tonight. Lucky for them, their plan worked like a charm."
Ellie smiled at this, happy that he felt the same way as her about the end result. For the first time all day, she held nothing but charitable thoughts for her ex-husband and silently sent out a mental word of thanks to him.
Her mind returned to the reality of the situation they were in and looked down to see what was kind of effort were occurring to get the ride moving again.. She saw that a mechanic seemed to be working on the problem as the ride supervisor hovered anxiously.
Most people would be irritated and maybe a little panicky about being stuck like this for so long, but she and John were not most people.
They had been sitting there for at least 15 minutes, the evening air dark and cool around them, but as his hand gently clasped hers, she could think of worse fates than being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel with a handsome gentlemen, and a breathtaking view of the brilliantly lit carnival stretched out before them. She adjusted the suit jacket he had earlier placed around her shoulders and leaned into his side, smiling when he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her even more closely.
This evening was turning out to be just perfect.