A/N: Hello again! I think this is the fastest I've updated in a while! Anyway, huge thank you to everyone that read last chapter!
Winterschild11: Yeah, he did. For now... ;) And you're right about the breaking through. It's easier said than done, but James is probably the only one that would be able to do it. As for the BTR/Torchwood crossover, I've definitely thought about it! I actually even started planning one, but it wasn't very good :P Thanks so much for reviewing!
There has been quite a bit of Kames the past couple of chapters, but things start shifting back to the case a little with this chapter!
I hope you all enjoy!
Kendall and Lucy stumbled back and forth between the status quo and a new song and dance to which neither of them knew the steps. Lucy had stashed her letter away in one of her many desk drawers to go ignored and unmentioned, but there was stuff coming in for her. Lots of stuff. Packages and high-priority interoffice mail. She was suddenly the one clocking in silly amounts of overtime, juggling between her new responsibilities-which they were already piling on-and getting everything sorted for Kendall before they had to part ways. She bullied him into taking over the stuff he'd delegated her way over the years, and each stupid report he entered was another reminder that she was going to be gone as soon as they solved their case.
It was almost enough to make him procrastinate. He would have with anything else, but Kelly was counting on them. And it sucked. Between spending so much time with James and the sudden news of Lucy's imminent departure... Yet he had to solve this. And he had to do it soon. He'd already spent too much time angsting over the sorry state of his life.
"I got Patterson's employee profile for you."
Thankfully she was still the one getting the coffee. She handed him both a folder and an extra large white peppermint mocha before heading back to her desk. He looked at her over the rim of the cup, trying to decide how to ask delicately.
Screw it. He waved the manila folder at her. "I thought it was going to be a week or more before we got this."
Lucy didn't bother looking up as she logged into her computer. "If they think I'm not going to abuse my new authority to help you out, they don't know me very well."
Kendall hid his grin by taking a sip of coffee. It tasted better than it had yesterday. He settled the cup amid the slowly dwindling stack of papers and flipped open the employee package. "Blake Patterson. Fifty-six. Worked for us before restructuring, blah blah blah, stuff I already know, performance review, upper level salary, clean background check... This guy was pretty much the most boring person we've ever had on staff, Luce. Where's the deep-seated psychosis? The criminal tendencies? The obvious red flags?"
"Maybe Dalhousie screwed him up."
Kendall sighed. "That's what her reports suggest. The stuff she was messing with fucked up all of her subjects. But there's gotta be more to it. According to her experiment log, she only used him once. If she messed someone up that badly in such a short amount of time, shouldn't her capture have gone down a lot differently?" He asked. "Something must've happened after he left us." Kendall turned to the last page. "Get this, it says he was, and I quote, 'dismissed due to our concerns with his loyalty to the experiments performed by Dr. Dalhousie, the bulk of which we have yet to define.' They didn't think that there was any chance of him continuing his employment after they closed Dalhousie's sick little circus. How could a person be so loyal to someone who was obviously out of their mind?"
"I ask myself that same thing every day."
"Ha-ha." Kendall deadpanned, flipping back through the file. "This still has the emergency contact info. Looks like he used his mother." He shuffled Kelly's report around. "Huh. If Kelly was right, he would've been married at the time of his employment. Is that weird? I wouldn't use my mother as my emergency contact if I was married."
"Unless your husband was an idiot."
"I think you're more likely to have that problem than me."
"Thanks."
"Kelly's report doesn't mention his mother. If she was so involved with her son, where the hell was she?"
"Dead." Lucy turned her screen to show him a coroner's report she'd pulled up while he was talking. "Died a few weeks before his wife was killed." With a few quick keystrokes and more new windows than Kendall could count, she called up a county-courthouse site for Berwick, Pennsylvania and had the mother's Will up on the screen. "He inherited her house."
"Kelly's report never mentioned that. And if he is finding a way out of the hospital, I can see him using his mom's house to stash stuff he doesn't want us to find. He sort of struck me as, you know, shithouse rat crazy. I'll have to head out there to take a peek around."
"I'll get started on the requisition forms for your gas reimbursement. I'd come with you but..." She gestured to the mess of papers they'd sent down.
"No worries. I get it." It would've been nice to have company, but this would be part one of Kendall getting used to Lucy being gone. "I guess I'll head out."
"It's not too far. With your questionable driving skills, you could be back by late this afternoon."
"Assuming I don't run into a Norman Bates situation. One taxidermy bird and I'm outta there." He slung his shoulder holster across his back and secured it in place.
After checking both gun clips, he eased them inside. His phone and earpiece came next, and he waited patiently for Lucy to check her recording software to make sure he was good to go. "I think I'll run down by the clinic quick to tell James I'm heading out of town. If there's anything important out there, I might be gone overnight."
"You're getting so domesticated. It's adorable."
Kendall flipped her off and headed for the door.
His car seemed to have developed a sixth sense for James' location , he barely paid attention to the road on the drive to the clinic. A dozen people and a multitude of pets crowded reception, all clamoring for attention. Hadn't they only been closed a couple of days?
He made his way up to the counter. "Wow, it's like a z-"
The recptionist, Camille, if Kendall remembered correctly, scowled. "If you end that sentence with 'zoo in here' I won't be held responsible for my actions."
"Noted. Is Dr. Mitchell in?"
She seemed to recognize him from his last visit, becuase her eyes lit up slightly. "Yes. He's taking his lunch now." She waved him toward the Staff Only door behind her. "Tell him to stop hiding and be a man."
"Right." Kendall eased his way past a petulant-looking bulldog and into the back hallway towards James' office.
The deep sound of his lover's voice drifted through the hall, welcoming and familiar as it wound around him.
He knocked once before letting himself in, trying not to feel too ridiculously happy when James' eyes lit up. James gestured to the empty seat across his desk, winking at Kendall even as he continued his phone converstion.
"Uh-huh. Yeah...Gotcha. No, not necessary... What do you mean it is? I said... no. Will you... Mom, give me, like, ten seconds. I don't need you to set me up with any more of your friends. No, not even for dinner Sunday. I'm bringing someone."
Even from across the desk, Kendall could hear the cackle of disbelief.
"Shut up. Yes... yes... yes. Oh my God, I'm not telling you. You'll have to wait. Bye, Mom." He hung up before whoever was on the other line could get another word in. "Hey, babe. I'm glad you're here."
Kendall's eyebrow rose of it's own accord. "Oh?" He sort of enjoyed James' suddenly uncomfortable squirm across the desk. He looked good when he was nervous. And his being nervous went a long way in making sure Kendall wasn't.
"Yeah. So, that was my Mom. Once upon a time, she was the queen bitch of IT. Like, she'd fix your computer and belittle your self-worth, all for the low, low price of your soul."
Good to know someone was responsible for James' bad habits. "Go on."
"We're having this family dinner Sunday night for Dad's birthday, right? And every time we have one of these dinners, she sets me up with one of her neckbeard friends and expects me to entertain them and then fall deeply in love and adopt a bunch of neckbeard babies."
Neckbeard? "Okay..."
"Ken, I need someone to come with me to this dinner, or she's going to do it again. Please come." James folded his hands together, pouting. "Please?"
Kendall fought back his grin. "What's it worth to you?"
"A BJ in my childhood bedroom?"
"Kinky."
"It's worth it. I've seen the face of evil, Kendall. It had three chins."
Kendall couldn't fight his laugh any longer. "I guess the idea of you getting groped by anyone else isn't too appealing."
James settled back in his chair. "Thank you! If it makes you feel any better, Dad is a fantastic cook."
"Shouldn't someone else cook if it's his birthday?"
"Mom can burn water. I wouldn't trust her within a mile of a kitchen. She's the one who convinced me to do the Pad Thai." James rose and rounded the desk. "My mother's inability to make a decent meal aside, it really is good to see you."
Kendall cocked his head to recieve a kiss on the cheek.
"You too. Unfortunately, I came to let you know I might nowt be able to get together for dinner tonight. I have to go out of town on a lead for the case."
James paused a beat too long before answering. "Oh. That sucks..."
Well, I feel like dirt now... "I'll be back before we head to your parent's place Sunday."
James tried and failed to keep the disappointment off his face. "Work's work." He didn't look convinced though. "I guess I'll call Shane and see if he wants to do something tonight."
"I'm really sorry. Raincheck?"
That seemed to have been the exact wrong thing to say. James entire face shuttered like blinds dropped over a window. "Sure."
Kendall stood. He didn't know how to make this any better. "Oh, and Camille said to quit hiding."
James glowered at the door. "I'm not hiding."
"Of course you're not." Kendall planted another, quick kiss on James' lips. "I've gotta run. I'll miss you." The tone was light and teasing, but even as he said the words, Kendall realized they were true.
James' smile finally returned, even if it wasn't nearly as bright as it was minutes ago. "Me too." He brushed a few invisible pieces of lint off Kendall's coat. "I suppose I'll forgive you this once. Go catch some bad guys, Agent Knight." His tone was a hairsbreadth away from resigned, but he seemed to mean it all the same.
"Only if you go help some house pets, Dr. Mitchell." Kendall tore himself away. Making his way back through the clinic, he nodded to Camille on the way out.
It wasn't until he was back in his car that the realization hit him.
Holy shit. James is taking me home to meet his parents.
Done! I couldn't help but throw a little Kames in at the end ;)
So Kendall has a new lead on the case! But at the cost of dinner with James, who isn't too thrilled with the idea. Will this really be a one time thing? Or is this a sign for things to come? In other news, it looks like Kendall is meeting James' parents!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, specifically the Kames raincheck as well as James' reaction and the plan for Kendall to meet James' parents! I'd also love to hear if you had a favorite moment! I personally loved the Kames portion. They're just so perfect together!
I will update again when I can. I'll definitely update by next weekend at the latest, but I'm FINALLY getting close to finishing plotting out my Wattpad story so it's delaying me a bit :P But it's coming soon!
Until next time!
-Epically Obsessed