Ω Ω Ω
He leaned against the car, waiting impatiently. They were in Geneva and he'd gotten a date with this gorgeous blond, legs for days. She was late though. Thirty fucking minutes late. She had better be worth it.
Lindsey walked by and laughed. "Stood up by another gorgeous European who came to her senses just in time?"
He gave a false bark of laughter. "Rich, Ferris, real rich…" He studied her. She was trooping off with her camera bag and dressed casually in khakis and a black t-shirt. "Where are you going?"
"Like you care?"
"Humour me. I've just been rejected by a leggy blond. I need, what do you Americans say, a pick-me-up?"
She kept walking. "Not your rebound girl, Dex."
He locked the car and jogged after her. "C'mon, Lins. Let me come with you. We'll have fun."
She looked at him suspiciously. "Seriously? You want to go do stupid tourist stuff with me? The stuff that you scoff at everyplace we go?"
"Seriously. My treat."
She cocked her head sideways, sizing him up. "You're making fun of me."
"Am not. Look, I have reservations at La Bohème tonight. Let me take you. It's not til six so we can do wonky tourist things and I'll even let you take my picture in front of statues and we can make goofy faces at people in the United Nations."
She studied him for a moment. Was he serious? He actually wanted to forgo dating some gorgeous dumb blond to go out with her? It must be a joke…
He watched her as she had an internal struggle. She was actually pretty cut, could be gorgeous even… if she cleaned up. "Right. I'll make you a deal… I go, be humiliated by you in tourist crap and do whatever you want and you get yourself gorgeous and come out with me tonight."
She stared at him, as if trying to see through him, to see his agenda. "Fine."
"Dressed to the nines."
"Pictures with an animal suited man."
He shot her a killer smile. "If you can find one."
Ω
We actually had a decent time, y'know?"
She sighed. "Yeah, who'd a thunk it, huh?"
Ω
They'd spent the afternoon goofing around, taking a ton of picture, buying random souvenirs for her parents and friends. They forgot all about IMF, the missions, the identities, and were just tourists.
'Maybe even lovers on vacation,' Declan mused as he looked over at her as she snapped pictures of the mountains.
"This is nice," she said, as if reading his mind. "I like being normal every once in awhile."
"Giving p the guns and the cool cars and the secret identities?" he asked smirking, one eyebrow raised.
"I said, once in awhile."
He laughed. "Lifer."
"You wouldn't either," she accused. "How else are you going to meet women?"
He clutched his chest mockingly. "That hurts right here, Lins, you don't even know…"
"But seriously."
He flashed her a dazzling smile. "Not for anything."
She eyed him. "Nothing?"
"What? You're expecting me to stay something about secretly wanting more… a family… and no one understands how lonely it is?" He laughed. "C'mon, you know me better than that."
She started off. "Yeah, but I expected more." She wasn't surprised but she was disappointed. "One last place."
He was startled by how deep her five words hit him but shook it off. 'Get with it, Declan,' he told himself. 'It's Lindsey.' He gave a mock sigh but followed obligingly. "What's it to be this time? A pony ride? A meeting with the head of the UN to discuss what he's doing wrong and how to correct it?"
She shook her head. "Hardy har. No. Let's get going if we're going to make those reservations tonight…"
Ω
"You were totally shocked," she said quietly.
"Yeah, but at the same time, not at all…"
Ω
"It's even better than I thought it was going to be!"
Declan followed her into the art gallery without saying anything. Usually he'd avoid these places. C'mon, what sort of interesting things could you find here? Dusty old paintings, old people… as it turned out, Lindsey herself became the object of his study.
He watched her as they went from room to room and she marvelled at each painting. Her face would light up. She'd pause at the ones that she really liked and just stare. He'd never seen anyone so interested and so intent about something. It was both good and bad. Good because she was so passionate and would see things through but also bad because everything became personal to Lindsey. Too personal. You couldn't get too attached in this business, he'd always thought. Too much to lose. He suddenly felt light headed as he watched her face and his resolve wavered. He checked his watch.
"Well, time to go."
She started, forgetting where she was and who she was with. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her of the time. "Oh, yeah, right. I guess." She looked wistfully back at the painting as they walked away.
He stole glances at her as they walked back. "So, you'll have to get a little more dressed up than that if you want to get into La Bohème."
She grinned. "Yeah, wouldn't want to embarrass you…"
Ω
"God, you were so fucking gorgeous when I saw you for dinner…"
Ω
She checked herself in the mirror one last time, self-consciously. Did she look alright? She looked weird.
"Goin' somewhere special?" Zhen asked, looking up from her magazine.
"Just going to dinner with Dex."
Zhen laughed. "Declan is bailing on some hot leggy blond for you? No offense…" She flipped a page, looking up at Lindsey innocently through her eyelashes.
"It's not a date," she defended. "He's making me go because I made him do touristy stuff this aft…"
Zhen arched an eyebrow at her. "Mmhmm… just be careful."
Lindsey turned away, hitching up her dress to strap her gun to her thigh. "Always."
Ω
"I couldn't believe it."
Ω
She walked down to the lobby, still feeling weird with Zhen's look and laugh stuck in her head. What if she'd overdressed? What if he laughed at her? 'Grow up, Ferris. This isn't a date. And of course Declan is going to laugh. It's Declan…"
Declan lounged against the wall, watching a small redhead get out of her Lamborghini and saunter into the hotel. Now she was a fine prize. He watched her wait for the elevator and get in as a blond slid out. She looked familiar. Familiar, and gorgeous. Lindsey bloody Ferris was walking towards him looking every inch the beautiful woman in a light turquoise cocktail dress that cut low down between her breast and showed off a hell of a lot of leg. "Well, well, Ferris, you clean up well…"
She surveyed him. He was sleek in black pants and a navy button up that made his eyes jump out at you. "Same to you."
He offered his arm. "Shall we?"
They started off but then she stopped. "Wait, wait, what is this?"
He looked around, confused. "What? Where?"
"Us. What are we doing?"
He relaxed, rolling his eyes. "What a surprise. C'mon, Lindsey, just let it be whatever it is. We're two adults having dinner together."
She frowned. "Then what?"
"Then I throw you over my shoulder, hop on my white horse and ride off into the sunset. What are you expecting?"
"Well." She looked uncomfortable, rubbing the back of her neck. "I dunno."
He tugged on her hand towards the waiting car. "Stop overanalyzing. This isn't a life or death mission, Lins. Relax. We've got to get something alcoholic in you…"
Ω Ω Ω
Let me know what you think! Ciao!