Chapter Twenty – Here and There

Jess stopped at the gym on the way home.  She was a new card carrying member of the Four Seasons Health and Fitness club.  Her tail, now wearing jeans and a t-shirt, seemed to be interested in becoming a member as well.  She watched him from her seat on the recumbent bikes as he talked with one of the personal trainers.

There were more people working out than Jess expected for 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon.  She was aware of a man approaching her.  Jess didn't bother to greet the man.  She preferred to work out alone, and was not interested in casual conversation.

The man sat down at the bike next to her and started programming his desired workout.  Jess focused on the monitor in front of her that displayed a computer-generated landscape.

"You know what would really motivate me on these things?" the man said.  "A bike ride through some gang neighborhood at night."

Jess laughed, but didn't dare make eye contact with him.  She recognized the voice, and the last thing they needed was for anybody to connect the two of them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just wanted to see how things are going," Weiss said as he started pedaling slowly.

"I thought there was a meeting tonight."

"I don't want a mission debrief, I want to know how you are doing," Weiss replied.

Jess smiled.  It felt good to know that somebody understood what she was going through.  "I've got a tail," Jess warned.

"I know," he replied.  "Mr. Potential Member up front there."  After a pause he said, "Are you trying to avoid answering my question?  How are you doing?"

Jess sighed and pedaled faster.  "As well as can be expected," Jess said.

"Cover too boring?" Weiss asked.

"No, not really.  I'm enjoying getting back in to music," she said.  "And the gig at the club is really fun.  Thanks for setting that up."

"Don't thank me.  You got that job all by yourself."  They pedaled in silence as Mr. Potential Member looked their direction.  When the trainer escorted the man to the juice bar, Weiss continued.  "So, cover is good.  Is Tippin behaving himself?"

Jess laughed as she though back to his kiss in the park.  "Yes, he has been the perfect gentleman."  Weiss remained quiet, knowing that she would eventually admit something that she considered to be a weakness.  He knew her very well.

"Even though Will is very interesting and entertaining, he's not the one I want to be with right now," she finally said.

Weiss nodded silently.  They continued their workouts in silence.  As Jess started into the cool down phase Weiss said, "Well, I don't know if this will help you or not, but Mike has been a mess all week.  He can't focus on anything, he's misplacing things, missing meetings, and has begged me to go out every night."

It didn't help her.  She felt sad for him.  "He's avoiding spending time at his house," she said.

*****

Will picked Jess up at her house.  After 20 minutes of erratic driving they were both satisfied that they had lost their tail.  Following their established procedures, they knocked on the back door to the bar.  Weiss opened it and escorted them to the upstairs room.

Jess' heart skipped a beat when she saw Vaughn standing over a table in the back corner of the room.  Even though the room was dimly lit, Jess couldn't miss the trademark Vaughn look of concern.  His eyes locked with hers.  He smiled at her but it was too late.  She had already seen his loneliness… his desperation… his confusion.  Jess returned his smile hoping that Vaughn could not see those same emotions in her face.

The briefing was short.  Yes, Will and Jess were being followed a good percentage of the time.  No, they had not been able to determine know what organization was responsible, but odds had SD-6 as the favorite.  Yes, the house was still 'clean'.  Yes, Weiss and Vaughn agreed that Will should wait for an official move.  Yes, every time Jess looked at Vaughn he quickly looked away.

As Will and Jess were walking towards the stairs, Vaughn suddenly blurted out, "Jess, you got a minute?"  Weiss managed to shoot Vaughn a warning glare before Jess and Will could turn around.

Jess met his stare, "Uh, yeah, I guess so," she replied.

There was an awkward silence as the four just stood there and exchanged glances, then Weiss, plastering on his most professional face, asked, "Do you need us?"

Vaughn looked at him.  "Uh, actually, no."

"Good, because we need to get down there and check the car for tracking devices," Weiss said in his most professional tone.

Will thought Vaughn's request was odd, but since Weiss seemed okay with it, Will turned and followed Weiss down to the parking lot.  "Tracking devices?" Will asked.  "Wouldn't it have been better to check for those when we first got here?"

Vaughn and Jess stared at each other.  She slowly approached him and stopped just a few inches from him.  She fought her urge to fling herself at him.  He reached out for her in his familiar way, put his hands on her hips and pulled her into a long, desperate kiss.  His hands explored her body.  She pressed her body against his.  In between kisses, they tried to talk.

"Oh God," Vaughn said.  Hands exploring.

"I've missed you so…" Jess was cut off with another of Vaughn's kisses.  Bodies pressed together.

"Jess, I don't know if…"  Jess refused to let him finish.  Blood rushing.

"Mike, you have to…"  Breathless gasps.  "We have to…"

"I know," Vaughn said, slowing the rate of their kisses.  He wrapped his arms around her and held on to her as if she were the only thing keeping him from drowning in his own emotions.  He breathed deeply, taking in her unique scent.

She clung to him.  "Mike, are you okay?"

No.  The answer was no.  He wanted to break down and cry hard… like he had when his dad died… like he had the day after he and Sydney had come so close in his office.  "Yes," he replied softly.

"Yeah, me too."