A/N: SORRY Its been so long! Sorry sorry sorry! I've been swamped with things to do - this chapter has been half-finished for some time - thought I better let it loose. Please enjoy.. oh, and leave me some comments aite?
Chapter VII: Ever sceptic
Brian drove away from the Wharf soaked and shocked. He breathed hard, trying to regain his lost composure by focussing on the sound of the engine.. but it wasn't the Supra.. it wasn't the eclipse, it wasn't his old Chevy pickup that he and Rome had cruised in. There was nothing particularly comforting about Crazy Bobs Newport. He had nowhere to go.. nothing to do. He felt so helpless... pointless. Haunted. He didn't want to go back to the Motel.. not yet anyway. So he kept driving, not knowing really where he was going. Just somewhere else.
--
Brian drove on and on, without really going anywhere. He drove through the city, winding up and down through back streets then coming back to the main road once more. Finally he ended up back at the water front, further down than Tej's Garage. He made sure to go nowhere near that district. He pulled himself up to sit on the railing of a fence, his feet tucked behind the bottom railing. The huge burning Miami sun was setting behind him, sending his shadow on the ground before him. He looked out across the water, inhaling the fresh air, then dropped his eyes to regard the shadow. His shape.. it moved like him.. moved WITH him.. but was bland. Dimensionless.. empty. That's how he felt right now. Just a shadow of the former Brian O'Connor. He wasn't cut out for undercover work.. he'd done only one case (almost stuffed that up) and now didn't even know who he was. Brian wallowed in self-pity for over an hour before finally getting the peace of mind to get back to the car and head 'home' for his Motel.
--
Finally dry and 'home', Brian locked the Newport and headed towards his Motel room. He arrived at the door and fished in his pocket for the keys... then his other pocket.. then his back pocket, and then the other one. No keys. "What?!" he sighed heavily to himself, trying to think about where they could be. "Damnit" he kicked the door with the toe of shoe and swivelled on his heel, heading for office.
Suddenly the door opened behind him, "O'Connor.."
Brian stopped in his tracks then turned slowly.
There was Rome, leaning in the doorway of his Motel room - from the inside.
Brian frowned.
"I found the keys on the ground after you left." He held the key up, it had a large plastic identifier on it - stating the motel name and the room number.
Brian sighed again. "So you thought you'd just break into my room?" he raised an eyebrow, walking toward Rome.
Rome laughed, "It's not breaking in when you have a key." He wiggled the key again, and disappeared inside.
Brian shook his head and stepped over the threshold. He was now in a small room with Rome. Was everything okay?
Rome leaned forward and shut the door behind Brian. They stood eyeing each other hesitantly a moment, then Rome grabbed Brian by the shirt and pushed him up against the door. "F*CK!" Brian yelled, "We have to go through this AGAIN?!" he demanded, exasperated.
"What are you doing here Brian?! Tell me NOW.. and tell me the TRUTH." Rome demanded, his voice firm, but quiet.
Brian sighed, "I TOLD YOU.. I came here to see you. To see YOU okay Rome. Surely you would know that - I mean, you seem to think the whole universe revolves around you.. why shouldn't Brian O'Connor?!" he spat sarcastically.
Rome batted Brian over the head in a playful manner, then let him go.
"So you're not here to investigate me.. or 'bring me to justice' or anything?" he inquired sceptically.
Brian frowned, "No, Rome.. God, ever the sceptic, aren't you? I came to see you okay?!" Brian straightened his shirt out and looked over at Rome.
Rome looked back at him, a small grin coming over his face, he held out a hand and Brian took it - and they gave each other a half hug then parted once again.
Maybe things were okay afterall...
Brian and Rome sat down at the small, scarred formica table in his motel room, seated on chairs with uneven legs which rocked every time they moved.
"So what do you do these days?" Brian looked across at Rome.
Rome sighed, "Well.. I aint been out of the joint long. Although, I should still be there now."
Brian raised his eyebrows, "You got out early? How'd you manage that huh?" he laughed.
"Good behaviour." He grinned, a slight laugh on his lips.
"And what have you been up to since you got out?" Brian inquired.
Rome laughed, a wide cheeky smile playing on his lips "Bad behaviour." He raised his eyebrows as he answered.
Brian shook his head and laughed, "Same old Roman. Couldn't keep your nose out of trouble for more than a minute."
"Naw.. I'm not so bad. I help out at Tejs' garage, and I race some. Do a few odd jobs for other peeps now and then. You know.. keep me in food and clothes." He gave a lopsided grin.
"Yuh, keeping you in food - that's gotta be damn expensive."
Rome leaned over the table and punched Brian in the arm, "That's why I'm beefy.. and you're..." he looked Brian over with an unimpressed sneer, "...scrawny."
Brian sat backwards with an unimpressed look, "Scrawny?!" he shook his head, "Whatever." He snorted. Rome laughed along with him, then a silence descended on the room. Each man sighed quietly, studying the 70s-like table, then finally raising their eyes to each other.
Rome hesitated a second before asking the question that had been on his lips for the past 10 minutes. "You still a cop?"
Brian sighed lowly, then gave a half-hearted shrug. "I.. I dunno." He answered.
Rome frowned, "Whaddya mean 'dunno'" he shifted himself in the chair slightly, causing it to rock back and forth a couple of times, the vibrations travelled through the table, and through Brians fingers splayed out over the table top. It made him shift his hands to cross his arms over his chest. Roman Pearce could always move Brian O'Connor.
"Some sh*t went down... I aint a cop at the moment. I'm on 'stand down'." He let his arms fall from his chest, a physical gesture of his sudden confession, but his face remained downcast.
"What sh*t?" Rome probed.
Brian sniffed, then raised his face and eyes to meet Romans, "I could tell you." He paused, and a slow smile shifted over his lips "But then I'd have to kill you." He raised an eyebrow.
Rome snorted, "Whatever..." he knew when not to push, so let the subject drop, "Lets get out of here, this place reeks of $2 hookers man." He rose to his feet, the chair behind him rocked back then screeched over the cheap flooring. Brians chair elicited the same teeth-gritting sound as he rose to his feet also.
"Where we going?" he glanced over at Rome, who was already opening the door.
Rome turned to regard Brian, the near-disappeared sun just outlining his frame - giving him a iridescent glow. "To get some food, it don't look like you got anything to eat up in here." He nodded his head toward the kitchenette.
Brian smiled and shook his head slowly and followed Rome out of the motel, looking the door behind him.
Brian headed to the Newport, then stopped when he saw Rome walking in the other direction. "Where you going?"
Rome didn't turn, "I aint riding in that. My car is on the roadside."
Brian left the Newport and followed Rome, then stopped in his tracks when he saw the car. A completely customised purple/silver convertible Mitsubishi Spyder, with 19 inch chrome rims that screamed 'ALL EYES ON ME'. "Typical Rome." He nodded to the car, then shook his head.. impressed. "Nice." He added, walking towards the drivers side to check it out better.
"Don't even think about it blondie.." Rome jumped over the door and into the drivers seat, and the engine was humming in a second.
Brian headed over to the passenger side, and got in... the normal way: through the door. Rome grinned then let loose with the accelerator... and the motel was just a fading detail in the rear view mirror... along with Brians misery.
Chapter VII: Ever sceptic
Brian drove away from the Wharf soaked and shocked. He breathed hard, trying to regain his lost composure by focussing on the sound of the engine.. but it wasn't the Supra.. it wasn't the eclipse, it wasn't his old Chevy pickup that he and Rome had cruised in. There was nothing particularly comforting about Crazy Bobs Newport. He had nowhere to go.. nothing to do. He felt so helpless... pointless. Haunted. He didn't want to go back to the Motel.. not yet anyway. So he kept driving, not knowing really where he was going. Just somewhere else.
--
Brian drove on and on, without really going anywhere. He drove through the city, winding up and down through back streets then coming back to the main road once more. Finally he ended up back at the water front, further down than Tej's Garage. He made sure to go nowhere near that district. He pulled himself up to sit on the railing of a fence, his feet tucked behind the bottom railing. The huge burning Miami sun was setting behind him, sending his shadow on the ground before him. He looked out across the water, inhaling the fresh air, then dropped his eyes to regard the shadow. His shape.. it moved like him.. moved WITH him.. but was bland. Dimensionless.. empty. That's how he felt right now. Just a shadow of the former Brian O'Connor. He wasn't cut out for undercover work.. he'd done only one case (almost stuffed that up) and now didn't even know who he was. Brian wallowed in self-pity for over an hour before finally getting the peace of mind to get back to the car and head 'home' for his Motel.
--
Finally dry and 'home', Brian locked the Newport and headed towards his Motel room. He arrived at the door and fished in his pocket for the keys... then his other pocket.. then his back pocket, and then the other one. No keys. "What?!" he sighed heavily to himself, trying to think about where they could be. "Damnit" he kicked the door with the toe of shoe and swivelled on his heel, heading for office.
Suddenly the door opened behind him, "O'Connor.."
Brian stopped in his tracks then turned slowly.
There was Rome, leaning in the doorway of his Motel room - from the inside.
Brian frowned.
"I found the keys on the ground after you left." He held the key up, it had a large plastic identifier on it - stating the motel name and the room number.
Brian sighed again. "So you thought you'd just break into my room?" he raised an eyebrow, walking toward Rome.
Rome laughed, "It's not breaking in when you have a key." He wiggled the key again, and disappeared inside.
Brian shook his head and stepped over the threshold. He was now in a small room with Rome. Was everything okay?
Rome leaned forward and shut the door behind Brian. They stood eyeing each other hesitantly a moment, then Rome grabbed Brian by the shirt and pushed him up against the door. "F*CK!" Brian yelled, "We have to go through this AGAIN?!" he demanded, exasperated.
"What are you doing here Brian?! Tell me NOW.. and tell me the TRUTH." Rome demanded, his voice firm, but quiet.
Brian sighed, "I TOLD YOU.. I came here to see you. To see YOU okay Rome. Surely you would know that - I mean, you seem to think the whole universe revolves around you.. why shouldn't Brian O'Connor?!" he spat sarcastically.
Rome batted Brian over the head in a playful manner, then let him go.
"So you're not here to investigate me.. or 'bring me to justice' or anything?" he inquired sceptically.
Brian frowned, "No, Rome.. God, ever the sceptic, aren't you? I came to see you okay?!" Brian straightened his shirt out and looked over at Rome.
Rome looked back at him, a small grin coming over his face, he held out a hand and Brian took it - and they gave each other a half hug then parted once again.
Maybe things were okay afterall...
Brian and Rome sat down at the small, scarred formica table in his motel room, seated on chairs with uneven legs which rocked every time they moved.
"So what do you do these days?" Brian looked across at Rome.
Rome sighed, "Well.. I aint been out of the joint long. Although, I should still be there now."
Brian raised his eyebrows, "You got out early? How'd you manage that huh?" he laughed.
"Good behaviour." He grinned, a slight laugh on his lips.
"And what have you been up to since you got out?" Brian inquired.
Rome laughed, a wide cheeky smile playing on his lips "Bad behaviour." He raised his eyebrows as he answered.
Brian shook his head and laughed, "Same old Roman. Couldn't keep your nose out of trouble for more than a minute."
"Naw.. I'm not so bad. I help out at Tejs' garage, and I race some. Do a few odd jobs for other peeps now and then. You know.. keep me in food and clothes." He gave a lopsided grin.
"Yuh, keeping you in food - that's gotta be damn expensive."
Rome leaned over the table and punched Brian in the arm, "That's why I'm beefy.. and you're..." he looked Brian over with an unimpressed sneer, "...scrawny."
Brian sat backwards with an unimpressed look, "Scrawny?!" he shook his head, "Whatever." He snorted. Rome laughed along with him, then a silence descended on the room. Each man sighed quietly, studying the 70s-like table, then finally raising their eyes to each other.
Rome hesitated a second before asking the question that had been on his lips for the past 10 minutes. "You still a cop?"
Brian sighed lowly, then gave a half-hearted shrug. "I.. I dunno." He answered.
Rome frowned, "Whaddya mean 'dunno'" he shifted himself in the chair slightly, causing it to rock back and forth a couple of times, the vibrations travelled through the table, and through Brians fingers splayed out over the table top. It made him shift his hands to cross his arms over his chest. Roman Pearce could always move Brian O'Connor.
"Some sh*t went down... I aint a cop at the moment. I'm on 'stand down'." He let his arms fall from his chest, a physical gesture of his sudden confession, but his face remained downcast.
"What sh*t?" Rome probed.
Brian sniffed, then raised his face and eyes to meet Romans, "I could tell you." He paused, and a slow smile shifted over his lips "But then I'd have to kill you." He raised an eyebrow.
Rome snorted, "Whatever..." he knew when not to push, so let the subject drop, "Lets get out of here, this place reeks of $2 hookers man." He rose to his feet, the chair behind him rocked back then screeched over the cheap flooring. Brians chair elicited the same teeth-gritting sound as he rose to his feet also.
"Where we going?" he glanced over at Rome, who was already opening the door.
Rome turned to regard Brian, the near-disappeared sun just outlining his frame - giving him a iridescent glow. "To get some food, it don't look like you got anything to eat up in here." He nodded his head toward the kitchenette.
Brian smiled and shook his head slowly and followed Rome out of the motel, looking the door behind him.
Brian headed to the Newport, then stopped when he saw Rome walking in the other direction. "Where you going?"
Rome didn't turn, "I aint riding in that. My car is on the roadside."
Brian left the Newport and followed Rome, then stopped in his tracks when he saw the car. A completely customised purple/silver convertible Mitsubishi Spyder, with 19 inch chrome rims that screamed 'ALL EYES ON ME'. "Typical Rome." He nodded to the car, then shook his head.. impressed. "Nice." He added, walking towards the drivers side to check it out better.
"Don't even think about it blondie.." Rome jumped over the door and into the drivers seat, and the engine was humming in a second.
Brian headed over to the passenger side, and got in... the normal way: through the door. Rome grinned then let loose with the accelerator... and the motel was just a fading detail in the rear view mirror... along with Brians misery.