Part I: Bored to Death

Chapter: Parrots in the Park

It turned out, the coffee had to wait. There were a dozen things to be taken care of, a team to be assembled, phone calls to be made etc. in order to be able to leave for Prague tomorrow. Hellboy had went back to his room a long time ago, and Margot had sent the other agents to do their preparations, so finally it was just Myers and her in the meeting room.

When they had finally finished all the dull paperwork, Margot was practically pulling her hair and muttering something in her native french, that Myers strongly suspected were a bunch of curses.

It was already way past lunchtime (they'd had some sandwiches while working), when Myers was finally satisfied with their plans, and called a break. "I think we're done for the day." he said, shutting down his laptop. "So how about that coffee now?"

Margot stood up, and stretched her muscles with a yawn. "Damn, we've spent six hours in this room, and you want to sit down some more?"

"We could go for a walk?" Myers suggested. "You did promise me a tour."

A small smile played on Margot's lips. "That's true, I did. But I'd rather go running - you want to join me?"

"Why not." Myers answered her smile.

So about half an hour later Myers was waiting for Margot in the lobby, wearing his sweatpants, and a grey T-shirt.

He couldn't help but to be a bit anxious about going out with Margot. Now he knew she was telepathic, which probably explained all the weird sensations he'd had around her the day before. But on the other hand, it raised more questions than it answered.

How much had she read from his mind during their limo drive? (The thought made Myers blush slightly, for he remembered well enough the thoughts that had went through his mind when he'd checked out her looks.) Why was she wearing those gloves all the time? What had Dr. Heinemann been referring to, when speaking about 'the other thing'?

And most importantly: what had she meant about his pants?

It was that thought, that was in his mind, when he noticed Margot approaching. She was so pretty, it took his breath away: her red hair on a ponytail, her slender frame covered by active wear - pink running shorts, a loose sleeveless top decorated with flowers - and thin, long gloves that hid her arms up to her elbows.

"Still dwelling on the pants thing?" she grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry John, I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"That's fine." Myers replied, his cheeks suddenly burning. "But about that…"

"Yeah?" Margot asked, pressing the lift button.

"So you're a telepath, right?" he asked. "And I was just wondering how it worked-"

The lift came and they stepped inside, Margot flashing her ID on the monitor and pressing the ground floor button.

"So basically you're wondering if I see all that's in your head?" Margot asked giving him a slightly annoyed look.

Myers shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so. If we're going to work together, I should know what's the deal between us."

Margot gave him a quizzical look, raising her eyebrow. "The deal between us?" she asked. "Well, about that, I really can't say. But don't worry John, I'm trying to stay out of other people's heads - it's awfully noisy if I keep listening to all that crap people carry around in their minds."

"So you haven't been reading my mind then." Myers nodded. Well, that was a relief.

"Not intentionally." The lift reached the ground floor and stopped with a tweak. "So don't sweat about it, John."

They headed out of the building, Margot taking the lead, and as soon as they were on the pavement the burning heat of late afternoon was on them. They walked a short distance from the Europol office to a large park, that had a huge triumphal arch on the other end. The trees on the park gave some nice shadow, and even if the weather was hot, it didn't feel unbearable as they began to jog side by side on the paths.

"Look at the trees." Margot said after a while.

Myers looked up. A canopy was full and lush, of all shades of green, but it seemed otherwise ordinary. "What about them?"

"The birds. Can you see them?"

She still spoke without difficulty, even if they were jogging on a brisk pace, and Myers already felt his T-shirt getting sweaty and clinging to his back.

He observed the branches silently for a while, and then a glimpse of movement caught his eye. He couldn't help but to laugh out loud.

"They're-"

"Parrots." Margot grinned. "I know. It's great isn't it?"

"Parrots in the parks of Brussels." Myers remarked. "How did they get here?"

"Apparently they were freed from a zoo like fifty years ago, and they're still here. Hey, stranger things have happened."

Myers thought about his life during this past year, and had to agree whole heartedly.

"True." he noted. "About that-"

"And there we are again." Margot rolled her eyes. "You're about to ask me about my 'abilities' again, aren't you?"

"Am I that obvious?"

Margot sighed. "Just go on with it. Ask me."

They jogged forward, their footsteps fast and agile on a dusty path. Myers pondered on his words for a few moments before spoke.

"So, you want to tell me what did your father mean in the morning, when he referred to 'the last time'?"

"No, not really, but I guess I have to." Margot stated.

"As I said, if we're going to work together-"

"I know, I know. Honesty, and such?" She gave Myers a sideways glance. "Well, what happened is, I got angry."

Myers made a small laugh. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"You haven't seen me angry. Dad thinks my bad temper is an issue when I'm working."

"Is it?"

Again they ran forward silently for a while, and Myers began to think that this time Margot wouldn't answer at all. The sun was still shining, and the day was bright and pretty, but her face was shadowed by some dark thoughts she held.

"Bad things happen when I get mad." she finally said, not meeting his eyes.

"What things?"

"You're really pushing it, John." she answered, and her voice was stretched now.

"If we're going to work together, you'll have to trust me."

"Fine - I have some anger management issues, but I'm working on them." she snapped. "Dad wouldn't let me go out, if I was dangerous. Is that enough honesty for you?"

"For now." Myers said.

They jogged in silence for a while, her steps agile and fast as a feline's, her lips pressed together on a hard line. Her cheeks were red, from the exercise or suppressed emotion, he couldn't tell. Myers felt the air crackling around her, like there was thunder in the air,

"I'm sorry if I was prying." he said. "I do trust you. It wasn't my meaning to question that."

Margot gave him a gentler look, and the sudden sense of thunder diminished. "It's fine, John. I get it. It's just… Everyone here knows me already. It's been a long time since I've had to justify myself to anyone, and I'd forgotten how much it sucked."

Myers didn't quite know what to say to that, so for a few moments they just kept on running. His shirt was soaking now, and the dust from the pavements felt dry on his throat, but Margot seemed as pretty as ever. Her curls were moist, and her cheeks reddened, and there were droplets of sweat travelling down her throat, to her collarbones and to her-

Myers had to look up to stay focused. Damn, it was hot - or rather, she was hot.

He furiously thought about something to say, but only one thing came to his mind.

"So… about my pants-?"

Margot burst into laughter. "Still thinking about that, John?"

"You managed to confuse me."

"Sorry." she wasl giggling. "You looked nice, that's all. I have a thing for men in neat suits."

Myers' heart skipped a beat. "You do?"

"Yeah - why else would I work for Europol? I can tell you, it's not for saving the world or for the free coffee." She winked at him. "But hey, I'm dying of thirst - let's buy something to drink from that booth, shall we?"

They stopped to to buy some bottles of water, and walked silently on the shadowy pathways hydrating themselves. It was difficult for Myers to keep his thoughts straight. Margot was so damn pretty, and her sweaty activewear didn't leave that much to his imagination. Her tight running shorts revealed her slender legs and her thigh gap, the top was moist and it was clinging to her chest, so that Myers could all too clearly see her nipples through the thin fabric of the top and her bra.

A hot tug of need flashed through his veins, and it had nothing to do with the way the sun was burning.

He turned his gaze away, opened the second bottle of cold water, and splashed some of it's contents on his head and shoulders - he really needed to get his head back in the game. Christ, it was cold! He shuddered, but it worked.

He turned to Margot again, this time with a clearer mind. Her hair was a mess, probably due to sweating and the heat, and he noticed there was a leaf stuck to her curls behind her right ear. Without even thinking about it, he raised his hand to pick it away - but as soon as he did so, Margot stepped back, and raised her arm as if to defend herself from a blow.

Myers froze. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't!" she breathed, her posture still stiff. "Do not touch me!"

"I wasn't going to." Myers felt his cheeks burning. "There is a leaf in your hair." he pointed it out. "I was only going to take that off, that's all."

Margot stared at him silently for a few heartbeats, a scared and furious look in her eyes. He could practically hear her rapid pulse in his ears. Finally, after a silence that felt like an eternity, Margot raised her hand - Myers noticed it was shaking - and picked the small leaf from her hair. She looked at it, turned it in her fingers for a while, and then let it fall with a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry John." she said then, and her voice was back to normal. "I think I owe you an explanation."

"I'd appreciate it." he said. He felt hurt by her reaction. For a guy who's never hit a girl, it felt bad to be treated as if he'd tried to do it.

"Come on, let's jog. I'd rather talk like that." Margot said, and took off without bothering to check if Myers was following her.

"You see, I'm not a normal human being like you. I am a freak." she said after a few moments of silence. "And all of us freaks have a sob story."

"You're hardly a freak, Margot." he protested.

"Don't let my pretty face make you think otherwise." Margot noted. "But lucky for you, I hate sob stories, so I'm not going to burden you with mine. I'll only tell you what you need to know."

"That's all I'm asking for."

She was again silent for a moment, the only sound between them their rapid breathing and the steps on the pavement.

"Until I turned 14, I had this normal life." her voice was quiet, and emotionless. "But then… things happened. Bad things. My parents were the first ones to call me a freak. They dumped me."

"I'm sorry." Myers said. He knew all too well how it was to grow up without parents.

"Don't be. I don't want your pity." She gave him a look that told him he was walking on a thin line. "It turned out fine, Stefan found me and took me to live with him. He adopted me, so I've practically been raised up surrounded by Europol's folk and paranormal stuff. I'm a freak to the bone. I know what I am, and it's fine. It's just…"

"Other people shouldn't touch you." Myers completed her sentence. "Why?"

"You are a prying one." Margot noted.

"That's why you wear the gloves all the time." he realized. "To not accidentally touch someone."

"Yup." Margot stated. She let her running turn into walking, and finally she stopped still.

"Why is that?" Myers demanded.

His breathing was fast, and droplets of sweat were running down on his forehead and neck. He raised his hand to wipe them off, but it hardly helped. The air felt heavy around them - perhaps there was a real thunder approaching.

Margot had turned to face him. There was a nervous look in her eyes, evasive, and she shifted uneasily on her feet.

"It's hard to explain." she finally said. "I'd rather show you."

"What do I do?" he asked, and his voice felt thick and nervous in his throat.

She raised her eyes, and looked straight at him, fear in her green eyes.

"Touch me."

There was a plea in her silent, soft voice, and he could not resist it. The hot tug of need was back in his veins, and he felt her presence on his skin as an agonizing warmth. Hesitating, he took a step closer. Her cheeks were burning, her breathing was fast and shallow, and he had the feeling it wasn't just because of the running. She was so tiny - a full head shorter than he was, and her frame was delicate. It called to him, and he could not resist. Slowly Myers raised his hand, and ran his fingers through her hair.

Margot was trembling, and the strong sense of electricity surrounded Myers. The hair on his arms stood up, but otherwise nothing out of ordinary happened. Her hair was soft and moist, it curled around his fingers and he couldn't help but to bury his hand deeper in it.

God, it felt so good to touch her! Myers felt his whole body aching to pull her closer, but Margot seemed so vulnerable, so scared, that he was afraid to do so.

"You need to touch my skin." Margot breathed.

Myers felt the warmth of her body so close to him, the air she breathed fell on his face as she looked up, and he just couldn't help it.

His fingers still in her hair, he pulled her closer, for a kiss.

A small gasp of surprise escaped her lips, but then she gave in. Her gloved hands were on his chest, her lips opened to meet his, and just as they met-

It was as if a lightning had struck him.

Myers gasped for air, as a pain flashed through him. His eyes blackened, his head was spinning. For a moment he lost touch to reality - he wasn't sure who he was, or where he was, for everything suddenly seemed different. Felt different.

He broke the kiss, and pressed his forehead against Margot's, grasping her hair with both hands. She was the only solid thing he could grab - it felt as if his feet weren't even touching the ground anymore.

"What's happening?!" he breathed, his voice hoarse, still pressing his eyes shut.

"Try to calm down, it's alright." Margot's voice was in his head, in his mind, in his soul and in every cell of his body. "What do you feel?"

"I feel - everything." He breathed, and that was the truth.

He felt everything she felt, everything she thought, everything she was. There was no barrier between their minds, it was as if they were one.

A joint consciousness.

"This is awesome!" Myers thought, and instantly it was in both of their minds.

Margot laughed. "That's not what people usually say."

"It's because they weren't kissing you." Myers replied.

He pushed his fingers through her hair, and kissed her again, opening her lips with his, letting his tongue find hers. The kiss was deep, slow and burning.

It felt a thousand times more exciting now. Her rapid pulse, her fast breathing, the salty taste of her mouth - it made a flash of burning lust burst through his core.

There was no hiding it - Margot caught it as it happened. She made a surprised gasp, took a step back breaking their kiss and cutting off their connection.

It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. The pain made him wince and he almost fell down to his knees.

"Jesus!" he cursed, blinking his eyes. It felt horrible, their connection gone, he felt empty, hollow and aching.

But Margot seemed unaffected.

"This probably isn't the best idea." she stated, not meeting his eyes.

"This probably isn't the best idea." Margot stated, her chest heaving with her breathing, her cheeks burning.

Myers wanted to protest, but one look of her face silenced him.

Yeah, she had liked his kiss - that much had been obvious - but it wasn't all. The look in her eyes was scared now, and he didn't understand why.

She turned her back at him, and started running again. Myers groaned, trying to suppress his desperate need, he went after her.

Quickly he reached her side, but a glance she gave him, told Myers it was best not to mention what had happened. They jogged back to the Europol's building in silence, that was only interfered by the constant chirping of parrots in the canopy.