Plot: Marcus Pike heads a highly efficient task force for many years now and his career is going up and up. She on the other hand is trying to organize her life from a trying ordeal when an unexpected event put her life on a spin again.
Character: Marcus Pike and female reader [For convenience's sake I gave her a name but feel free to change it]
Note: I think that quote was apt for Marcus Pike.
THE AGENT
Chapter 2
My heart has become a loaded 357 Magnum
Deadly
Sexy
Full metal jacket
7 shot lover
-L.L. Musings-
The night is quiet.
The beauty of the bas relief décor of the ceiling above his bed might as well be plain and for all he cares since his eyes don't see any of that.
There is nothing wrong with the room or the bed either. The room is cool, the bed has the preferred sheets, beddings and pillowcases all in white cotton and in the high thread count that he requested for. Though he doesn't come by often the cleaner would change the beddings and curtains and clean the entire room ready for him to take a rest for his next layover.
Marcus swept the white cotton Percale bed sheet to the side. It's good to feel the cool air on his skin. In his pajamas, hands over his head, legs crossed over on an extra pillow he gazes at the bright moonlight streaming from the window. It bathes the entire room in its pale gentle glow.
That's it.
He gave up on sleeping. There's no way he'll get a wink tonight as he plants his feet on the cool wooden floor. The light of the moon beckons Marcus to the window. Hands on hips the moonshine bathes him; to kiss every curve and plane of his face, his body, lips curve in a soft smile.
The night is cool and the sky is strangely devoid of clouds leaving the full moon to reign the sky.
It's beautiful. It's perfect.
But his mind is…oh hell. It hasn't happened to him in a long while.
Arms and back rippling, he brings the Eames chair to the window to continue moon bathing; a sigh flowed as he leans back on the soft leather to enjoy the long night.
Coming from a long flight should have knocked him out like before as soon as his back hits the bed or plane seat in between transport to wherever he was going from Washington DC.
Washington DC…was a fucking high octane ride. He puts one foot and another up on the window sill. That place was heady and dizzying. It was like a shot of adrenaline in his system and it was addictive.
He had no choice but to land running. They weren't given time to warm the hotel room designated to them before he and his new team was swept up in a mad whirlpool of activity. He made connections, perhaps created adversaries along the way and Marcus Pike made trips to more countries than he could imagine going to in his lifetime.
His competency at his job impressed a lot of people who were amazed at the success his team has delivered time after time. The people who were impressed at Marcus's performance talked to other people in high places who heard about his victories. Soon his name became popular in those circles.
Being in the proximity of the seat of power people in Washington were, in general, very hard to impress but when they got impressed they wanted to heap accolades and awards upon him for his skill and dedication to his profession.
That hard work also landed Marcus Pike two jumps in rank. The memory is worthy of a deep contented breath.
Yes, Washington DC has been good.
For a time he would still think about Teresa during lulls in the mission. It pained him that he had found someone he wanted to spend his life with, someone he would love and cherish, to have a family with; only to slip from his fingers.
Mike Davis was there when Marcus fell. A keen observer, he knew what was really going on. But being in the thick of it, Mike wanted to hit him on the head with a metal chair, Marcus cannot see the bigger picture. He didn't want to hear anything that would burst the bubble he wrapped himself into. It's like talking to a wall when Mike almost gave him a list of his observations; the oddities and the inconsistencies. He stormed out of the bar where the two of them were having a late night drink; he almost punched Mike when he called him that word. He ghosted his friend for more than two months but Mike tracked him down because he gave Marcus a job in Washington. Deep in his heart Mike's words had a ring of truth in it but he wanted to hang on to a dream. Marcus needed that dream. He wanted that dream to come true.
Marcus was excited and went ahead to DC to prepare a life for them but ….
Washington DC was a blessing; it gave him a place to escape, to lick his wounds and heal. Unlike California, DC is a place where he doesn't see any lingering memory of the places they've been, where he'd taken her to, or the people the two of them met together.
DC was a clean slate. It's as clean as it can be.
There were times when his life was at risk during an operation he never even spared a thought about Teresa. No drive entered his mind about calling her to pour his heart out in case it was his last day on earth. Then, when things were back to normal and the danger has passed, celebrating with the team his thoughts were still not on that woman in California.
Was it that quick? Was distance and an exciting new post was all it took to blur her face from his memory until all he remembers was the spelling of her name? He has to take stock of the things that he said and did and he wonders if he were at all honest and genuine in every way in his relationship with Lisbon….
Fuck! His eyes roll, head lean deeper against the softness of the leather. He rubs his hand on his temple pinching the skin there lightly, shutting his tired eyes for a moment. The glow from Luna compelled him to open his eyes to the moon. His mind way distracted and missed significant details on some info that Mike might have mentioned to him in passing. Shit, I think this is what they call burnout.
Wow, why did that effing short fiasco happen earlier in the kitchen? What a fuck up.
He thought he was seeing things or maybe the stories that he heard about old houses in this country is fucking true after all. This is an old house. That's wild.
White ladies or lady with long black hair prank cars and taxis at night and vanishing into thin air when it reaches a huge tree….
He caught the swish of white cloth as it vanishes in the kitchen. Fuck me. He gapes as the fridge door hissed open, there's the rustle of plastic, the sound of water. He tracks all of the sounds as he slowly made his approach, back almost hugging the wall until he rolls his eyes at the ridiculousness of what he's doing. Marcus stays hidden listening and observing what's happening in the kitchen…
Thank God that's not a ghost in there. A person he can handle but not someone from the beyond he thought as he took a careful peek from the corner. It's a girl…or maybe a woman? The women in this country are mostly on the small size and kinda hard to determine their age. Unless that is a ninja in there he's sure he can handle a girl.
"What do I fucking do with you?" she hissed.
I almost gave the poor girl a heart attack…and maybe a bruised hip. I was just joking. I was just….being me.
There is a valuable tool that he uses and he uses it extensively whenever he does his job. This tool can drive people crazy, destabilize them, and when used the right way it breaks people open to say what they really think and feel given the right incentive and motivation.
It is fear.
Marcus looks at her eyes. She's cornered. Alone. She eyes him; sweeps at him from head to toe, estimating him; his height, his weight. Eyes going left and right thinking of an escape. He blocks that escape.
Her jaw tensed; she has no chance. She'd fail.
He didn't like that fear. She's a stranger to him but he didn't like to see that from her but no thief would come with a mug and would bring their own food, right? Right.
Now the things that happened after that was good and he was doing quite well. Good job for averting his own murder and for decreasing the level of fear in her even though she was still wary. It's understandable.
And that's how you fuck up, Marcus.
-o0o—
'Some will catch your eye, she will catch your soul'
Joseph Colombrita
With a soft grunt Marcus swung his feet down from the sill thinking the beer he stashed in the freezer section is cold enough and about to burst as if a Xenomorph baby came out from it.
Time for some cold draft.
On the way back he stops just outside her door, ear close to the wall, the can of cold beer in his hand that Ashley had squirreled in one of the top cabinets in case Marcus makes one of his sudden appearances.
Singing.
Marcus has never heard that song sung that way. Not that it was bad, her own rendition to the song made it unique.
'Stop getting distracted. What's next? Ah, you!'
Marcus quickly leaned away from the wall. Is she talking about me? He heard something being moved….Ah, he gets it; she likes to talk to herself, to her things, to her playlist, to what she's gonna do. A smile cracks, showing some teeth, amused.
"Tessa?" He rapped on the dark brown door. There's a sudden silence from inside. His smirk went wider at her 'shit' whisper. Marcus could imagine her frozen, eyes wide.
"Uh…yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah!" her voice sounds louder, nearer. He didn't hear footsteps but he could see the shadow of her feet from under the door. Then she moved by the side. Suddenly the door opened a crack. "Yes?" Wide eyes look at him in question.
"I heard something…"
"Sorry if I'm bothering you." Her face is covered with a medical mask, hair up high in a pony, one earphone cable drapes on her shoulder. The tone in her voice is wrong; formal, distant.
"No, you're not. You're moving things?"
"Just my stuff…" Again, that voice; hurried and terse.
"You might like some help."
"No. I can manage." She nods curtly, her body and foot bars the door. She's on clam mode now. She'll only show what she wanted to show; which is nothing. Not to him.
"Uh, about earlier….I…"
"No,' she says quickly. "No problem."
Shit. I'm losing her. "Are you hungry? Have you had dinner?"
"I'm okay. I had a sandwich." She looks back inside the room and back to him again, wisps of her shoulder length hair moving from one of those small fans she has. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Tessa, if we…."
"Don't worry. If you give me a few days or a week I'll find another place to go."
"No, I…there's…"
"I'm…I'm tired. It's been a long day. Goodnight." And she firmly closed the door on Marcus's face.
He could only blink in frustration at his botched attempt. Again.
Tessa did not walk away from the door immediately, he could see from the shadow under the door. Something cold fell on his foot; the beer condensation. It made its way down the side of his foot.
The bed creaked a little; she sat on one of the broken slats. Pinging. She's typing, sending texts.
Looking for somewhere to go.
'Hi mother….' The bed creaked again, shadows moving, gone. Marcus couldn't get what else she said after that greeting. It's not English but feeling is a language that has no barrier; he knows what she is saying, he feels what she was saying.
The casters on her chair rolled, her weight dropped on it. Sniffling. Goddamn it. His free hand balls up. Snatches of words in English…friend, Mike, Ashley, contact, next week, tomorrow…leave, again…pack…Jun…motor….love you….love you…bye mom.
-o0o—
The Caretaker
"Oh, Tessa! You called very late. Is everything okay? Did you move?"
"Yes mom, the move was over but I…I think I need to find another place…."
"Oh? Why? I thought your friend said…"
"Something came up. It's uh….it's a little complicated."
"What is it? Is the family coming back?"
"No, they're already in the States. Mike needs to get medical help soon…"
"So…oh, why are you crying? Tessa? What happened?"
"Mom, I don't like it here."
"What's the problem? Do you want someone to be with you?"
"No…that's….that's the problem…"
"What do you mean? Tessa?"
"Mike's friend is here."
"Mike's friend is….what? With you? A man?"
"Yes."
"He's there?"
"Yes. I didn't know that there's someone here. I was surprised when he appeared…."
"Tessa, are you okay?"
"I'm okay. I'm okay mom."
"Did you talk to Mike? Are you safe there?"
"I guess…"
"You guess…are you safe there? Do you need someone?"
"There's no one to spare."
"I'll send Jun over…"
"Mom, Jun has a job and he can't babysit me here."
"But who's that man?"
"He's Mike's friend. Mike says he comes over once in a while to visit the family."
"What does he look like?"
"He's tall, muscular, uh… with a scruffy beard and mustache…." Broad shoulders, with the eyes of a poet and the lips of an angel... Stop that.
"Does he look dangerous?"
"I'm not sure…" She remembers how the man looks like back in the kitchen. Imposing. Intimidating."I hope not."
"Do you want me to go there? Keep you company?"
"Mom, you can't. Your condition…"
"Ah, never mind my condition. Jun will drive me over, okay?"
"No, don't. It's better if Jun comes by tomorrow. I'll pay for his gas."
"Tomorrow? So he'll bring his motor?"
"Yes, after this call I'll try to contact those places I looked at before."
"But you didn't like them!"
"If I have no choice..." her voice wobbled.
"Tessa. Did you try to talk to Mike?"
"I did. Actually the friend was the one who called Mike."
"You talked to Mike? What did he say?" on the side Tessa's mom Cora sounds like she's beckoning someone. 'Find Jun! Go! Tell him its grandma.'
She opens the drawer and grabs a blue handkerchief; wiping her eyes and cheeks then blew in it. "He didn't know the friend is coming over. They left him messages but he never answered them. Mike said that's typical of this guy."
"Do you feel safe sleeping there?"
"Uh…yes, I think so."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Mom, I think he doesn't like me in here."
"But you're the caretaker! He's just the friend!"
"Mom, calm down!"
"Oh good! Jun's here. It's Tessa. Someone's in the house with her. The friend of the couple. He just appeared out of the blue!"
"Mom! Mom! Hey, Jun."
"What's happening? Are you in danger? Grandma's upset."
"I'm okay but I'm gonna try to find another place tomorrow bring your motor…"
"Uh, I can't go there tomorrow."
"Why? Are you on duty?"
"My bike's down."
"What?"
"The brake's been giving me some trouble."
"Oh, I see."
"Sorry aunt Ess." That nickname got her to smile. It's from when he was a baby; Jun couldn't say the 'T' in her name so she became 'Aunt Ess'.
"Don't worry. I'll just get a taxi. It's not your fault."
"But if you need me after I drop the bike at the shop I can go there directly..."
"No way. It's too far and you have duty the next day. I'll be okay. Just keep your line open, okay? And whatever grandma tells you don't drive her here, okay? Promise me?"
Jun snickers, "Okay, got it. You wanna talk to grandma again?"
-o0o—
That knock, two sharp raps; the third time this day, made her heart jump. Tessa looks up from what she was doing on her computer. What now? "Yes?"
"It's Marcus."
She sighs, her shoulders sags. "One moment." She sent her short message out before she stood and wearily went to the door. "Yes?" Again, Marcus stands by the wall across the hall.
"Hi." He took two short steps to her door. "I know we began on the wrong footing today."
Tessa shakes her head. "It's…."
"Can we talk?" Marcus clasps his hands like a supplicant. "Please?"
Tessa gives him a wary look as if she wanted to decline. She took a deep breath and turns to look inside her room. "Okay. Where do we talk?"
"How about the living room?"
She glances in that direction. "That's fine. I'll be with you in a few."
"I'll be there." She nods at him as she closes the door. She checks the laptop. Okay, no message yet. It's past midnight….midnight?! Shit! She whispers as she brings her phone down on the table. What does he want to talk about? About the day and date that I'll leave? She turns the sleep mode of her laptop on before taking a deep breath.
With one last look at the room she went out.
-o0o—
Marcus was relieved as he got up from the sofa, hands deep in his pockets. Tessa gave him a glance as she took the wide sofa and he went back to the armchair. She primly sits, hands clasped together on her knees, waiting.
As he was waiting for Tessa to come out he couldn't remember if he ever had any serious talk or discussion about something to someone in this country. No, there's no memory.
This place is his layover; the place he disappears into when he needs to decompress from the pressures of work. He didn't believe one iota of what foreigners say about this country because he personally knows it. He's not going to disabuse them of their notion. This is his vacation paradise.
He has been going back and forth into this country for years sometimes to visit and connect with Mike and sometimes to get some odd vacation that he badly needed. His interaction with the local people was usually brief, pleasant and light: chatting with the taxi driver, asking for directions about a place or a street…
First contact and his third try. If you bungle this don't accept that new job they're offering you.
"I know you're tired and it's almost midnight but I feel that I need to apologize to you for scaring you and, um…making you feel uncomfortable and for that I'm sorry." Marcus felt a little lighter when she nodded. She changed back into the white dress with the addition of a cardigan. "I know I've introduced myself to you but I'm Marcus Pike." He leaned over hand held out. She looks at him and his hand. After a beat and a half she leaned slightly to grasp the hand and gave him her full name. "Nice to meet you, Tessa." Marcus didn't press her hand too hard or too long. Her soft 'nice to meet you too' was just out of politeness. Good upbringing. "Uh, I have a question; when you talked to Mike what did he say?"
"Mike said you're his friend. He didn't know that you'd be here."
"Uh yes," Marcus made a slight grimace, "I have an odd kind of schedule so…" He notices that she's fiddling with the red cord around her left hand. "How long have you known them?"
"Just a week."
"Oh, just a short time." She shrugged at the comment. "How did you know them?"
"We have a mutual friend, Shirley."
"Shirley…." Marcus did that thing again with his knuckle on his lips. "The…uh, the shrink?"
"Yes." The man gave her a glance.
"Oh I see…"
"She was my counselor."
"I did not…"
Tessa sighs and shrugs in surrender. "It's okay. I want to tell you anyway. I don't want you to think you're sharing a house or shared a house with a mental patient or something. I was having some personal problems."
He followed where her hands fidget, "Oh, I see. Sorry about that."
Tessa shrugs, "I was actually just in need of someone to talk to."
"What happened?"
"I was in a relationship." She shook her head. "He broke it off."
"Fuck…." Tessa's snort was devoid of amusement, "That's terrible." Marcus said the words like he was talking to himself.
Tessa's brows met quickly and wondered at the awkward silence. "Uh…I really need to know…"
"Uh what?"
"When do you want me to leave? I have my things ready to go."
"Why do you want to go?"
"Excuse me?" She blinks, her head jerks in surprise. "It's obvious that you were shocked to find a stranger here and you must want to be alone. Ashley didn't want the house unattended so they hired me but now you're here…."
"Actually Ashley or Mike didn't have the authority to decide if this house needs a caretaker or not."
"I don't understand. " Tessa frowns, "They live here and they rent the house."
"Actually they sublet the house…."
"Oh. I didn't know…"
"…from me."
-o0o-