Disclaimer: I don't own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
After Meierle's departure Chance would have had time to go to Philippa's and discuss Ash's latest transgression. And he had all intentions to do so.
But then he decided maybe he should take a shower first, to cool down and clear his head. After that he thought maybe he should eat something before leaving, an empty stomach surely wouldn't enhance his ability to discuss the recent developments reasonably and calmly. Initially he planned to just grab a toast or an apple, but a complete dinner would probably be better, wouldn't it? So he quickly fixed himself potatoes with bacon and, for good measure, fried egg.
In the end Philippa called and told him she had had a long discussion with Ash regarding weapons, he had promised not to touch one again and he was grounded for a week without TV, internet or dating. No ice-hockey either.
Chance knew it would have been better if he had taken part in that discussion. Of course it would have. But somehow he was also relieved. He had been so angry with Ash – still was, truth to be told – he would have surely lost it again. He had to admit, Ilsa, Winston and Guerrero were right, dressing Ash down wasn't helping anyone, but the thought of his son firing a gun… the mere idea drove him mad and he just couldn't be reasonable about this.
In the evening Meierle called – he had good news. The Viennese police had talked to the room maid. She had broken down during interrogation after they presented her a photo of the count and pointed out several similarities, for example the color of the eyes and an unusual shape of the ears they both had in common. They didn't even need a DNA test. She confessed taking the necklace and explained that she hadn't wanted to drag her mother's name in the dirt by suing the countess for part of the inheritance. She claimed that she had always managed to make ends meet on her own and that she didn't need the bastard's money who had known she existed and never cared. Taking the necklace had been her way of getting back at him.
On a positive note, the countess had, when she heard about her husband's illegitimate daughter, immediately dropped all charges. She was already planning a function, a ball maybe, to officially introduce the room maid to her circle of society as a family member. "After my husband's death I was so lost", she had explained to Meierle. "Now I've been given a child. Suddenly everything makes sense again."
Emma dropped by unexpectedly not long after Chance had hung up with Meierle. "I think we should celebrate our reunion", she suggested. "I'd like to invite you all to dinner. I'm not a great cook, I know, but I attended a cooking course in Washington and – without wanting to pat myself on the back – my apple cranberry stuffed pork roast is quite spectacular."
Since the team had stuck around the office after Meierle's visit, a bit – although nobody would have admitted it openly – anxious to see how things would develop (thank God the Austrian policemen had taken his phone call seriously and hauled the room maid in for a very early morning interview!) the offer was tempting. Even Chance, who had already eaten, was not averse to accepting her invitation. But on the other hand… there was the issue with Ames…
He had turned tail once today already…
"You've never seen Casablanca, haven't you?", he quietly told her. "What about a DVD evening? I can fix some food."
Ames' eyes lit up at the prospect. "I'm sorry, but I've got other plans", she told Emma.
Chance followed suit, of course.
"Mr. Guerrero and I have to go over some expense accounts of his", Ilsa informed Emma not too politely.
That left Winston. He, however, mumbled something about already having an appointment, too. Guerrero arched an eyebrow at this, but he let go, he was way more curious about the meeting Ilsa had so suddenly set up, without his knowledge. He followed her out of the team's sight, to the back area of the office.
It wasn't difficult to follow the distinctive click-clack of her high heels, but where the hell was she going? Suddenly the sounds stopped. Frowning, Guerrero looked around, took a few steps more… She jumped at him.
Of course he could have easily thwarted the attack, heavens, the high heels alone slowed her down enough to pose no threat whatsoever, but instead he allowed her to throw him against the wall. This was way too interesting.
"I'm not going to wait another night", she hissed, trembling from the effort of pressing him against the wall and something else, too.
They took the freight elevator downstairs.
Emma had no choice but to leave, making light of the situation ("Well, maybe next week then…"), but actually quite devastated. This dinner had been a vital part of her plan, damnit! She needed to think of something else…
Chance fixed Ames sandwiches, tons of. She thought he'd never come out of the kitchen again. When he sat down on the sofa, he did so on the other end – he could have only put more space between them by perching on the armrest.
This was definitely not the way she had thought the evening would go. For a while they sat in silence and watched Casablanca. Ames didn't touch the sandwiches.
"Any reason you chose a movie in which a woman decides to put her personal joy on the backburner for the greater good?", she finally asked.
"You're wonderful", Chance replied, barely audible. "I love you."
Ames' heart skipped a beat – she hadn't imagined it! - but the look on his face was so dark…
"Everyone I ever loved…" His voice was nothing more than a whisper.
"Katherine died?", she asked, just as quietly.
He nodded, confirming what she had already feared.
She felt like choking on the words, but in the end she said them. "I understand."
For a moment nobody moved, nobody said another word. Then he slid towards her a bit and she inched closer to him. He pulled her into his arms and held her, while they kept watching the movie. After a while Ames grabbed a sandwich and started munching on it.
… … …
When Ilsa woke up, she was alone. But there was light downstairs. Shivering a bit, she clambered out of the empty bed and padded into her living-room, where she found Guerrero working on his laptop. She was quite sure she didn't want to see what he was working on, but he wrapped an arm around her hip and pulled her onto his lap.
"You're shivering", he observed, and breathed warm air against her spine.
"What are you doing?", she asked, intrigued by the newspaper articles he apparently had been reading.
"Emma created quite a mess in Washington before she left… wonder why she's still with the Bureau…"