CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #1: Welcome back everyone, it's Tuesday, which means it's time for another chapter of Desire! Our exploration of Nora Rogers continues in this chapter. Today, we pick up right where chapter fourteen ended and continue to follow Nora through her life. I am so glad that so many of you felt bad for Nora after chapter fourteen. I am so glad that so many of you understood what I was creating in Nora Rogers. It is true that Nora Rogers is an incredibly damaged individual; she needs to heal and rediscover who she is. This chapter will further explore that and set the stage for the remainder of the arc.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #2: A big thanks to my wonderful friend and beta reader Nev Rawlins, AKA nevr, he's slogged his way through my insanely long chapters for five months now as i've worked on this second story arc. I could not have done this without him and his feedback. Thank you Nev, this is only possible because of your pushing me all this time!
Desire
A Story by
CharmingCharles2896
Chapter Inspired by the Song
Breathe Again by Joy Oladokun
Chapter Fifteen
Lost Moments
Gatesville
Gillespie County, Texas
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
6:05 PM CST
The briefing with General Beckman and Director Hawthorne had lasted almost two hours before it finally finished and Nora was free to make arrangements to travel to Burbank. Originally, they'd wanted her to fly direct, but she'd asked to fly to Waco first, for personal reasons, and then catch a later flight to Los Angeles, where a car would be waiting for her to drive her to her hotel. With her plans established, Nora had headed home and packed a bag for a week, knowing from the General that they'd be closing down her apartment and shipping the contents of her apartment to Burbank for her. Apparently this mission had a tendency to last a long time, and considering the team she'd be joining was going to be in its third year come September, they felt it wise to simply move her to Burbank.
The prospect of actually living in LA was exciting for Nora. She hadn't spent much time in one place, Decker working her hard over the last year since he'd become her handler. She hadn't driven her car in nearly eighteen months, the poor thing. She'd subsisted on taxis for transportation whenever she was back in DC, considering she wasn't usually home long enough to warrant pulling the dust cover off her car and doing all the work to get it running again after sitting for so long. Now she was going to be living in the same place for an extended period of time, long enough to decorate a living space, and drive her own car, hell, maybe she'd get a dog too. Truth be told, the more they'd told her about this mission, the more excited Nora had become about it. The more she'd heard about it, the more it sounded like a protection detail than an undercover assignment like she'd been doing. They wouldn't tell her who she'd be working with, saying that introductions were best left until the day of. Other than the people she'd be working with, the more Nora had heard, the more she was certain she was going to love this assignment. She wasn't super thrilled about working at a frozen yogurt shop, but after what she'd been doing for the last three years, anything was better than that.
They'd told her about this Intersect that was apparently in some poor guy's head. She couldn't imagine how awful that must have been for the guy, to just be sucked into this life as a civilian, but apparently, he was doing pretty well. The science of the Intersect really intrigued Nora. As an engineer, she really wanted a chance to look through the schematics of the Intersect and see how it worked, but she knew that would never happen. Her role on this team was what really blew her mind. Nora Rogers was going to be the lead female field agent on the most elite spy team on earth. She'd be working with the best the NSA and CIA had to offer. This was the assignment of a lifetime and for some reason they'd chosen her.
That was for tomorrow though; today, Nora had personal business to attend to at the TDCJ or Texas Department of Criminal Justice. More specifically, she had business at the Christina Melton Crain Unit at the TDCJ, which was where all of the women were held. It had been seven months since Nora had been to the TDCJ, she tried to go every time she had time off, but Decker had been running her ragged the last several months. All she'd been able to do was dispatch letters, but even then, that wasn't the same as actually going. As Nora saw the TDCJ come into view, she pulled off to the side of the road, and went to the trunk of her rented car. She was a CIA agent so she was to be armed at all times, but she wasn't stupid and knew that the guards would lose their minds if they found a gun on her. So, thinking smart, Nora did what she always did and went into her trunk and pulled out her pistol case. Nora stowed her pistol and locked it up. Once she was sure her firearm was secure and put away, she returned to her car and drove up to the front gate of the visitor's entrance.
Nora pulled up to the little attendant's hut and rolled down her window, pulling her aviators off of her face. "Good evening, Ms.," the gate attendant said as he walked over to her window. "Visiting someone?" he asked.
"Yes sir," Nora replied.
"You got any drugs, alcohol, or weapons in this vehicle?" the attendant asked as he looked her in the eye, his eyes never once wandering to her chest, which was refreshing.
"Yes, I've got a pistol, but it's securely locked up in my trunk," Nora began as she pulled out her CIA ID and handed it to him. "I'm legally allowed to carry the weapon in all fifty states, but it is locked away in my trunk at the moment." The attendant looked shocked as he saw her very real CIA credentials.
"Wow, CIA huh?" he asked as he looked at her with a smile.
"Yeah, that's my job, but not why I'm here," Nora replied. The attendant nodded and handed back her ID. Nora tucked her CIA ID back in pocket and smiled at the attendant.
"Well, have a good evening Ms. Rogers, or should I say, Agent Rogers," he said with a smile. Nora gave him a wink and a smile as the gate opened. Nora slipped her sunglasses back on and drove on into the parking lot. Once she'd parked, Nora grabbed what she'd need for her visit. Obviously, Nora would need her phone, but beyond that she was leaving her purse behind, knowing they wouldn't allow her to take it in anyway. Next, Nora grabbed a roll of quarters, six dollars' worth to be exact, that was the secret to visiting, always bring quarters for the vending machines. Nora walked into the visitor's entrance, taking off her sunglasses and tucked them into the collar of her shirt. She made the now familiar walk that she'd made so many times before over the last eight years. As the familiar desk came into view, those familiar butterflies returned, just like when she was sixteen and she'd done this the for the first time.
Nora quickly passed through security, having to flash her badge to prevent the security people from reading her paper that she'd brought with her. They'd grumbled about it, but acquiesced. After a trip through the metal detectors, Nora arrived at the visitors check in desk and saw the familiar black woman behind the plexi-glass. The woman had been working this desk since before Nora had first started doing this so long ago.
"Hey there," Nora said as she stepped up and grabbed the pen to sign her name on the sign in sheet. As Nora signed her name, she spoke the now familiar words. "I'm here to visit inmate 93548-216, I'm on the visitors' list." After Nora finished, the black woman Nora knew as Darlene nodded and began typing on her computer.
"You're not on the schedule for today, Hun," Darlene said as she looked back at Nora who simply nodded.
"I know, Darlene, I've been out of the country on business. I haven't had a chance to visit, and I'll be going away for a long time tomorrow, so this is my only chance to come visit for a while," Nora said honestly. Darlene simply eyed Nora for a moment, gauging the honesty in Nora's words. Darlene didn't usually remember the people who came down her way, but she remembered this girl. This poor girl had been coming to the TDCJ for years now, usually about nine or ten times a year. Darlene Cooke had seen this girl come since she was just a teenager, now she was a beautiful young woman, yet she still came and visited the same inmate.
"Okay, Hun, you're good. Only because you've been coming here for years now and I know you're good people," Darlene said with a small smile. Nora gave her a grateful smile and nodded thankfully.
"Thank you, Darlene, I appreciate it," Nora said as she collected her things and turned to walk through the iron door.
"See ya later, Honey," Darlene shouted after Nora as she walked through the door and walked towards the waiting room. Nora knew it usually took about five minutes for the prison to get people from their cells to the visiting area, so Nora took a seat at one of the tables and simply thought. A lot had happened since she'd last been here; she'd been on five assignments, slept with six men, and killed seven people. It had been an eventful seven months. Nora glanced at her watch, and noticed that it had been three minutes or so. Knowing they'd be here any moment, she stood up and pulled out her roll of quarters. First Nora went to the snack machine and bought a regular sized bag of plain M&M's. Then she went to the Pepsi machine and bought a can of Mountain Dew and a can of Squirt. Having collected her items, Nora returned to her table and sat down. As per tradition she placed the Squirt and the M&M's in front of the chair opposite her's and cracked open her own can of Mountain Dew. She'd been up since six in the morning DC time, so she was starting to feel it. Doing the Dew wasn't exactly her preferred choice, but if her options were Pepsi products, then it was absolutely her only choice.
The sound of chains rattling pinged Nora's spy senses and she looked around for the source of the sound. The sound of iron doors opening made her heart race, it had been too long since they'd seen each other, too damn long. She'd promised she'd never stay away this long, but thanks to Clyde Decker she'd broken that promise. Finally, the door leading to where all of the female inmates were housed opened and a short blonde woman appeared. She was maybe five foot five inches tall, not even one hundred and fifteen pounds soaking wet. But to Nora Rogers, she was the most wonderful sight she'd ever seen. Teresa Rogers hadn't seen her daughter in seven months, she was starting to wonder if she'd ever come back or if she'd gotten in trouble in the CIA and something had happened to her. When Teresa walked into the visitors' area and saw her baby standing there as beautiful as ever, it took all of her will power not to run to her and hug her to death.
"Hey, Momma," Nora said, the southern in her coming out a tiny bit.
"Hey there, Sweet Pea," Teresa said as she finally closed the distance between them and captured her daughter in a tight hug. The both of them made sure the hug didn't last more than two seconds, per the rules. Once they broke the hug, Teresa gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and just stood there admiring her beautiful baby girl.
"My goodness, look at the tan on you, I am so jealous right now!" Teresa said in shock as she admired Nora's golden skin. Nora blushed at her mother's praise and simply shrugged.
"I was on a yacht in the Gulf of Mexico, the details are classified, but I got a lot of sun as you can see," Nora said as she struck a halfhearted pose. Teresa's heart sank as she heard her daughter's tone. As the both of them sat down, Teresa spoke, unsure if she wanted to know.
"Don't tell me it was another…" Nora simply nodded and took a sip of her Mountain Dew. She spoke as she swallowed the citrus beverage.
"Of course, it was, but I really don't want to talk about it." Teresa simply nodded, knowing how hard it was for her daughter to talk about what her bosses made her do for a living. They treated her like a whore and it wasn't right. Her daughter was an MIT graduate, she was a smart and beautiful woman, she was made for more than just what she could do with her body.
"Okay, Sweet Pea, don't worry," Teresa said as she saw the Squirt sitting in front of her. The older woman gasped in surprise; the can still cold to the touch. She hadn't had a Squirt in months; her daughter knew it was her mother's favorite, but she only had the chance to drink it when Nora came to visit.
"I got you your favorites, Momma," Nora said with a nervous smile on her face as she motioned for her mother to enjoy. In a flash, Teresa cracked open the can and tasted the grapefruit soda, the taste like heaven. It made her heart both ache and grow warmer whenever her daughter came to see her. Her heart grew warm, because her baby girl still wanted anything to do with her after all she'd done to trap her daughter in the hellish life she had to lead. Her heart ached, because she wanted more than anything to be out there with her daughter, able to enjoy birthdays and holidays like old times. Her daughter hadn't been able to celebrate her birthday with her family in eight years. She'd lost the best years of her life to Langston Graham, that monster.
Nora saw the change in her mother and reached out to hold her hand. "It's okay, Momma, it's okay. I know you miss the old days, I do too, but it's okay," Nora said softly to her mother who simply sat back in her seat sadly.
"I ruined your life," Teresa said to her daughter, who simply shook her head in disagreement. "If your father and I hadn't have dragged you into this, then that monster Langston Graham wouldn't have been able to sink his claws into you. My beautiful baby is treated worse that a prostitute and it's my fault," Teresa said sadly as she looked away in shame. Nora shook her head no and sat up a little straighter.
"Momma, look at me," Teresa looked back at her precious daughter and saw a steely determination in her eyes that she'd never seen.
"Langston Graham is dead," Nora said quietly, not wanting to broadcast it. Teresa gasped in shock her eyes open wide, her hand over her mouth.
"What?" Nora simply nodded.
"He was killed in an explosion a couple months ago. His successor gave me this, in a meeting this morning in DC," Nora said as she slid the written apology over to her mother, for her mother to read. Teresa slid the official looking document in front of her and examined it. The first thing she saw was the Central Intelligence Agency letterhead at the top of the page. Teresa picked up the paper and began to read silently.
The actions carried out from the year 2001 through the year 2009 by Langston Graham, former Director of Central Intelligence, now deceased, and Clyde Decker, Former Deputy Director of Special Operations, are illegal and morally reprehensible. The illegal recruitment of Agent Rogers into the Central Intelligence Agency while she was a minor, the issuing of a Red Test in 2006, and the repeated and continual sexual exploitation of Agent Rogers from 2007 through 2009 are symptoms of a larger culture of no accountability at the Central Intelligence Agency. The corrupt and morally reprehensible behavior of the deceased and Mr. Decker has inflicted a terrible and lasting pain on Agent Rogers.
This is why it is with great shame and our deepest regrets, that the Central Intelligence Agency would like to extend this formal written apology to Agent Nora Rogers of the Central Intelligence Agency, for the appalling conduct she suffered at the hands of her superiors. She trusted them to look out for her as she defended the safety and security of the United States of America, and they failed her. The Central Intelligence Agency acknowledges that this will not reverse the damage done, but it is hoped that this can be the first step in an effort towards a better Central Intelligence Agency.
Signed,
Michael Hawthorne, Director of Central Intelligence
As Teresa looked at the official seal of the CIA at the bottom of the page, her heart constricted in her chest. Teresa looked up from the letter, tears in her eyes from the reality of what this letter represented. Until now there was always that possibility that her daughter was lying to her about what had been happening to her, but now, after reading this letter, the reality of it was hitting her hard. Teresa was a mother, and no mother ever wanted their child to suffer; her baby had suffered for years, with nobody out there to help her.
"Part of me didn't want to believe it, but this is real, it's really over, which means all of those times you told me about things, all of those letters you wrote, it was all true." Nora could see the realization in her mother's eyes and for a flash, the fear of being judged rose within her. "They really did that to you? They made you do all of those things, and you had no idea it was illegal?" Teresa asked Nora who nodded and looked down at her hands.
"Yes. Agents don't like me very much. They don't want to work with someone who's reputation isn't much better than a cheap hooker. They call me Listerine Girl; you can figure out why. I never really talked to other agents, and Graham and Decker kept me super busy, so I never really learned that what they were making me do wasn't legal." Teresa simply nodded and looked away to steady herself. She grabbed her Squirt and took a drink, stalling for time to let her mind settle.
"It's over now, Momma, the agency has new leadership, and I've got a new assignment," Nora said with a smile on her face. Teresa saw the genuine excitement in her daughter's eyes and she was instantly curious.
"Didn't you just get done with an assignment? They aren't going to make you…?" Teresa asked, not even wanting to think about it.
Nora shook her head no. "This is different, Momma, I'm gonna be part of a team, the best of the best. I'll be out west, and it looks like it could be a long time before I'm able to come see you again, but I'll try whenever I can, I promise." Nora said, hoping to reassure her mother that this wasn't the end.
Teresa gave her daughter a warm smile and nodded. "I knew somebody would see the greatness in you eventually, nobody can keep a Rogers down for long." Nora simply smiled and nodded.
"No they can't, now tell me about you, it's been months since I've seen you," Nora said happily as she took the apology letter and set it aside where she could see it. Teresa simply laughed and began regaling her daughter with stories of her time in prison. The both of them simply sat there and ate M&M's, laughing and enjoying an almost normal moment, it was almost like old times. Finally, the guard checked his watch; Teresa saw it, which meant they only had a minute left before their time was up.
"Listen, Sweet Pea, I'm up for parole in a few months. Send me a letter with a way to contact you, and I'll let you know if I get out, okay?" Nora simply nodded quietly; she always hated this part.
"Sure thing, Momma, I'll send you a letter once I get settled in, I won't be able to include a return address for obvious reasons, but I'll include ways to contact me." Teresa nodded to her daughter, seeing the obvious emotion in her baby's eyes. This was always the worst part.
"I know, Sweet Pea, I know," Teresa said, telling Nora that her mother once again knew her better than she knew herself some times. Nora looked down at her hands as she tried to collect herself. That was when Teresa noticed the cut on her daughter's forehead, a sign of the perils of her daughter's occupation. Nora stood up, her eyes red and glassy, her body language small and vulnerable.
"I miss you, Momma, every day," Nora said as she blinked back tears.
"I miss you too, Baby, but don't fret, I'll be out of here before you know it," Teresa said with a caring smile as she caressed her daughter's cheek. "Alright, Sweet Pea, give Momma a hug," Teresa said as she opened her arms wide, invitingly. Nora crashed into her mother's arms and hugged her with all of her might, trying to convey the depths of her love. The two of them separated and Teresa held her daughters head in her hands adoringly.
"Remember, you are strong, you are brave, you are powerful; there is nothing you can't accomplish." Nora smiled a tearful smile at her mother's words and nodded.
"Please be careful, Momma, you're so close to getting out of here. Please don't end up like Dad," Nora said, remembering what had happened to her father. Her father had been sentenced to twelve years in a federal penitentiary, but six years into his sentence, he assaulted a man during a riot and they added another four years onto his sentence. Now he wasn't expected to get out of prison until twenty-seventeen. Teresa nodded to her daughter and gave her a small smile.
"Don't worry about me, Sweet Pea. You just worry about staying safe and showing your new teammates how amazing my little girl is." Nora nodded and watched Teresa walk past her towards the guard, who quickly cuffed her and escorted her inside again. Teresa looked over her shoulder at Nora and took one last look at her beautiful baby girl, who gave her a small wave as the door closed behind her. As the door closed, Nora's heart sank a tiny bit, but at the same time, she felt that warmth inside her she always felt after seeing her mother. She so seldom felt the love of her mother, due to their circumstances, that when she did, it felt just that much more intense and powerful. Nora turned back and collected her trash and the apology letter and left the visitor's area.
As she walked past Darlene's desk, she waved goodbye silently, not knowing if she'd ever see the woman again. Her mother could be out of prison before her assignment was done in Burbank, so it was likely that she'd never see Darlene again.
"Take care, Hun," Darlene said as she watched Nora walk on. Nora simply nodded with a small smile.
"See ya later, Darlene," Nora replied. Secretly she hoped this was the last time she ever had to step foot in this place. Nora made the familiar walk out of the Christina Melton Crain Unit and walked over to her cheap rental car. She had to catch a flight to LA, and she'd been instructed to call the Los Angelis field office with her travel plans once she bought her ticket to LA, so they'd know when she'd be arriving. As Nora arrived at her car, she put on her sunglasses, the late spring sun still shining bright in the sky. As the engine came to life, Nora spared one last look at the TDCJ, her mother was in there and there was nothing Nora could do to change that. It was a familiar sentiment for the blonde, she'd often wondered if there was something she could have done different, but she knew that was folly. Her mother would smack her upside the head for thinking things like that.
Nora reached for the shifter to put the car in reverse, but she stopped. She didn't want to leave, she hated leaving her mother in this awful place. Her mother was such a nice woman, someone who'd been caught up in her husband's gambling debts and had decided to try and help him get the money to pay them off. This had led the two of them down a rabbit hole of fraud and crime that landed them both in prison. Nora hadn't seen her father in years, he'd told her to stop coming to see him three years ago. He was mixed up in the gang culture at the level three prison they'd sent him to. Apparently, he didn't want her to see him like that, so he'd told her to forget about him. Nora would never forget about her father, he used to be a nice man, before he'd gone inside, but she'd respected his wishes.
More than anything, Nora wished she could have all of the holidays and birthdays, hers and theirs, that she'd lost over the last eight years. She wanted them back, she wanted more than ten-minute visits ten times a year, with two, two second hugs and a single kiss on the cheek. Nora wanted to hug her mother for as long as she wanted. She wanted to make her a cake and wish her a happy birthday. She wanted to decorate a Christmas tree, and make Christmas cookies like they used to when she was little. All of that was gone now, lost in time, likely never to return. Nora was too different to ever get that back, and they'd lost too much time to ever recapture things as they used to be.
Maybe they could build some kind of life and relationship, but it would never be the same. Her mother had spent eight years in prison already, it would be hard to shake that off, if she ever did. Nora had been used by her old superiors, her body defiled in the name of the greater good, the ultimate false god. So much had been lost between them, but tomorrow was a new day, and maybe there was still hope. Nora knew she had to hope for a better future, otherwise what was the point? There had to be a reason to keep moving forward, and her mother was as good a reason as any. Someday she'd get out of prison, and when that day came, Nora would finally get to do all of those things. Nora shifted the car into reverse and pulled out of her parking spot, not sparing another glance at the TDCJ. She had to move forward and get to Waco so she could catch a plane.
~X~
Los Angelis International Airport
Los Angelis, California
Friday, May 15th, 2009
12:35 AM PST
Time change was a crazy thing; what was twelve thirty-five in the morning in California, was four thirty-five in the morning in Washington DC. This meant that for Nora Rogers, she'd been up nearly twenty-two hours straight. The journey to Los Angeles had been an interesting one, the CIA had known that getting to LA from Waco would be difficult, so they chartered a small plane for Nora to fly to a smaller regional airport in Dallas. She'd flown a government owned Cessna 210, single engine, propeller driven aircraft; a type of aircraft she logged plenty of hours on at the farm. She'd flown the six-seater aircraft to a small airport known as Addison Airport, nine miles north of downtown Dallas, where a car was parked waiting for her. After she'd landed at nine ten, she'd driven to DFW and boarded an eleven thirty flight to Los Angelis, via Sun Country Airlines, the CIA was cheap like that.
After Nora had collected her suitcase and her locked pistol case from baggage claim, she made her way to the escalators. As she descended, she quickly spotted the black man in a well-tailored suit holding up a sign that read "Nora Rogers." As Nora observed the man, she could tell that he hadn't been with the agency long, he wasn't much older than her, if he was older than her, that is. He was a handsome fellow, tall in stature, well-built chest and shoulders, but an easy-going face. His hair was buzzed with a well-executed high fade.
When she got to the bottom of the escalator, Nora closed the distance with the black man and waved to him to catch his attention. He flashed her a winning smile and approached her.
"Good evening, Agent Rogers, welcome to Los Angeles, my name is Leon; I've been sent by the Los Angelis field office to assist you in getting settled in tonight," Leon said as he reached for her pistol case to carry it for her.
Nora simply nodded at Leon and spoke with exhaustion apparent in her tone, "Hey, I'm Nora, obviously, I'm assuming you've got some kind of information for me about my living arrangements, because I wasn't given any." Leon simply nodded.
"I do, they're in my car, if you'll just follow me." Once again Nora nodded and followed Leon out to the short-term parking lot. "You know, you're the second person I've picked up like this in the last week, I'd never done this before, and I've done it twice since last Thursday," Leon commented. Nora gave him a look of interest, he simply nodded.
"Yeah, I escorted the Sarah Walker, from LAX last Thursday." Nora did a double take, that wasn't any old agent, Sarah Walker was the GOAT of all CIA agents. She was the Ice Queen, but she'd earned that reputation by being the best.
"Wow, really?" Nora asked as they arrived at his black Lincoln Town Car.
"Yeah, she was not what I'd expected," Leon began, which intrigued Nora. "I hadn't heard of her, but after meeting her, I started asking around about her and the stories and rumors I heard about her blew me away." Now Nora was really curious, it wasn't every day that you got a fresh perspective on an agent as famous as Sarah Walker of all people.
"How so?" Nora probed as she watched him open his trunk so she could place her suitcase inside.
"All of the stories and rumors I heard painted her to be this crazed killer, but that was so far from the truth," Leon said as he remembered his conversation with Sarah from a week prior. "She was just sad… and lonely. Those are the two words that I think best describe her. She was really kind and polite, but she had this melancholy that seemed to follow her around that didn't match what others told me they'd heard. I guess that goes to show that you can't always buy into the rumors, eh?" Nora simply nodded silently as they both got into his car to set off wherever his files said she was to go. As they sat in silence in the car, Leon hit the dome light and pulled out a file, she watched him read through it.
"Okay, it says you'll be staying at the Maison23 in Burbank. The place must be nice, because that's where Agent Walker wanted to go as well," Leon said almost to himself as he packed the file back up and stowed it next to his chair between his chair and the center console. Nora simply sat quietly and watched the street lights flicker in her vision as they passed overhead. Leon's words about Agent Walker had shaken Nora; to hear that the legendary Agent Walker was just a sad and lonely woman like Nora, was startling. Suddenly Nora felt less like an outcast. If the rumors about Agent Walker weren't true, then maybe there was hope for her yet as well.
The sound of Nora's stomach growling, pulled her from her thoughts and reminded her of the day she'd had. "Is there any place to get food at this time of night? I haven't eaten anything more than airplane peanuts in ten hours and I'm fucking starving." Nora said bluntly, too tired to watch her tone or her language. She'd had an emotional rollercoaster of a day and it had been filled with constant motion. She hadn't had any time to simply sit down and relax. Not even on the two airline flights did she relax; never having gained the ability to relax on a flight.
"Is McDonald's, okay? Because I know of one that's open twenty-four hours a day, that's on the way," Leon offered knowing that McDonald's wasn't everyone's favorite.
"Perfect, I'm buying, so order whatever," Nora said bluntly as she leaned her head against the window and watched LA pass by outside. Leon simply nodded and drove the two of them in silence. He could see the exhaustion in this Nora Rogers' body language. This woman had been up all day and she was dead tired, which was more than reason enough not to want to talk.
~X~
With stomachs full of golden-brown deliciousness, Leon and Nora arrived at the front of the Maison23 in Burbank California. As they pulled into the parking lot, Nora spotted a tiny Tylenol capsule on wheels that said Nerd Herd on the side, she couldn't help but snort at the sight.
"Only in California," she mused silently as they pulled up to the front doors of the hotel. Leon shut off the car and turned to Nora, who was busy grabbing all of their garbage.
"Okay, Agent Rogers, here we are," he said with finality. The two of them exited the car and Leon went to open the trunk, while Nora threw away all of their garbage. Once her bags were collected from the trunk, Leon held up the file he'd looked at earlier and spoke. "Here is the file they told me to give you. This is all of the information you'll need to get settled, access codes, living arrangements, and all that stuff. The room is booked under the name Nora Rogers, they know you are getting in late." With that, Leon handed Nora the file, which she promptly tucked under her left arm, her left hand holding her pistol case.
"Thank you, Leon," Nora said with a small, and exhausted smile. Leon simply nodded with a smile of his own.
"It's nothing really," he said before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, he looked at it and his eyes opened wide. "Whoops, that's Agent Walker's card." Upon seeing the look on Nora's face, Leon explained. "She gave it to me before we parted ways to stay in touch, I doubt she meant it for that, so I held onto it." Nora nodded and watched Leon tuck that card away safely and pull out a different card.
"Here it is, okay, this is my card. It's got my info on it, as well as the information for the field office. If you ever need anything, like agency resources, call one of these numbers and someone can help you. If not, then call me and I'll help you, okay?" he offered with a wink, she chuckled and nodded, accepting the card gratefully.
"Thank you Leon, I'll remember to keep this in mind, should the need arise," Nora said as she tucked the card in the back pocket of her jeans. She stepped back, her suitcase being pulled by her right hand, her pistol case in her left, and watched Leon climb into his car and drive off. Nora Rogers was officially in Burbank, as scary and exciting as that was. Nora quickly went inside and made her way to the desk. The night manager, a man whose nametag said Helio, gave her the room keycard for room 833. Nora simply smiled at him and made her way to the elevator. As the eighth floor arrived, the pure exhaustion within Nora started to catch up to her. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in several days. Last night she'd been nervous about the next day's events. The day before that she'd been up all night in bed with Marcus. Between the lack of sleep, the air travel, and the fight she'd been in with Jaxson, Nora Rogers was starting to feel worn out.
Nora left the elevator and walked to the room they'd told her was officially hers. As she counted the rooms off in her head, she heard the faintest of voices coming from room 832, she hoped she wouldn't hear those people in her room. When 833 came into view, a feeling of relief washed over Nora, she was that much closer to being able to sleep. She clumsily slid the card into the slot and heard the lock beep, the door was a heavy wooden door, but that was nothing new. Nora stepped into her new home and quickly found a light switch. As the lights came on, the green color scheme of the room became very clear, but Nora didn't care. This was a mission without some sweaty dude pawing at her body, and Nora couldn't be happier about that. Nora quickly went about unpacking, setting the file down on the table in order to free herself to set her pistol case down as well. Nora quickly opened the pistol case and inspected everything inside to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Once she'd deemed everything satisfactory, she turned her attention to her suitcase. Nora removed her skirt suit and hung it up, still in its protective cover and then removed the rest of her items and placed them in their requisite spots.
Seeing that it was after one in the morning local time, meaning it was five in the morning DC time, Nora went about her usual night time routine and climbed into the surprisingly comfortable bed. With that contented sigh of relief only ever achieved after the longest of days, Nora snuggled deeper and deeper into the bed, as if she was burrowing herself into its warmth and comfort. She was so tired, her soul ached for sleep, her body felt like it had been rung out for every last bit of energy she had left. Her mind was finally starting to unwind, the emotions and thoughts that had swirled all day long were finally silenced. She'd had an emotionally exhausting day, and now she was going to take a much-needed rest until her alarm went off at six thirty, at which time she'd get up for the meeting she had at the base located under the Orange Orange in the Large Mart Plaza. She knew where the base was located, she had the code to get in, she knew she needed to be there by seven thirty. She was confident that she'd be able to make it on time for the meeting in the morning.
Just as Nora was nearly asleep, the unmistakable moans of passion filled her room. Nora's eyes cracked open slowly, as she listened to a man and a woman have sex… loudly.
"Oh, Chuck," moaned the female on the other side of Nora's wall, seemingly right behind her ears. At first Nora tried to ignore it, then she tried to cover her head with a pillow to drown it out. Eventually she gave up on the farce that was trying to sleep through that racket. In a flash, Nora had her robe wrapped around her body, not wanting to show off her baggy tee shirt, boy shorts, and total lack of a bra. While she was known for sleeping around on missions, not that she liked it, Nora Rogers was turning over a new leaf and from now on her body was reserved only for those who earned the right to have it. She slipped on a pair of slippers and grabbed her room key and stormed out of her room. It took her only a second to walk to the door of room 832. Even in the hallway she could hear the two people in room 832 having sex. It was two in the morning and these two assholes were making enough noise to be heard in goddamn Australia! Nora stepped up to the door and pounded on it three times in quick succession, bang, bang, bang! The sound of their love making stopped. Nora simply stood there with an angry scowl on her face and waited for the people in 832 to open the door.
The door opened to reveal a very tall man with long curly brown hair. His cheeks were flushed and his hair disheveled, obvious signs that he'd been having sex. She saw a shocked look on his face, but she didn't care as an equally tall and stunningly beautiful blonde woman stepped up next to him, a shocked expression taking over her face as well.
Nora charged on, paying their shock no mind as she spoke angrily, fury on her face. "Do you morons have any idea what fucking time it is!? It's two in the morning, and you're making enough noise to wake up this entire fucking building! I haven't slept in twenty-four hours, so shut the fuck up. Do not make me come back here!" she said, storming off to her room and closing the door hard, never seeing the blonde and brunette watch her walk away the entire time.
"Neighbors seem nice…" the brunette quipped quietly to the blonde who simply nodded and pulled him back inside.
Back inside Nora's room, she shrugged off her slippers and robe, not caring where they ended up in the room and climbed into bed once again. She couldn't help but hum in satisfaction as her body untensed once again, her muscles relaxing into the soft sheets and comfortable mattress. As Nora's body relaxed and her heartrate slowed, she couldn't help the smile on her face. She was in Burbank, the best of the best wanted her to be there. She'd been chosen, somebody actually wanted her. There was a first time for everything after all. As Nora drifted off to sleep, thoughts of what lay ahead danced in her head. Nora Rogers was moving forward with her life, and she was leaving behind the pain of her past. It was a new day in Burbank and Nora Rogers couldn't wait to get started.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #3: So, we've met Nora's mother! I wanted to make Nora different from Sarah, so I gave her a normal family and a normal upbringing. Her baggage is from her work with the agency and it will be her reconciling what she does with who she really is, that is the main struggle inside her. Another thing I wanted to show, was the fact that Nora is still really young. She's only twenty-four years old; most twenty-four year olds are barely independent and still establishing a life after college, yet here she is a CIA Agent who has killed for her country. I really enjoy writing Nora Rogers, which should be obvious by this point lol. I really love what I have planned for her development over the coming arcs.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #4: For those interested, I made a YouTube playlist with all 19 songs that inspired all of the chapters in this story so far! Just add this to the end of the YouTube URL!
playlist?list=PLp8GmTvT_x4h2ZKZBxNM_2OYgt-u1pieK
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #5: With Nora now in Burbank, we're going to jump back and follow Chuck and Sarah through the same Thursday. We're going to delve into some uncomfortable topics among this community in the next few chapters, something I look forward to. So, what did you think of the chapter? Loved it, hated it, thought it was the greatest single piece of writing in human history!? Whatever your opinion, let me know what you think! I love hearing from all of you in your reviews, so please, please, please let me know what you think! Chapter sixteen will be posted next Tuesday, so tune in next week for more of "Desire," I can't wait to see you there!
Until Next Time :D