potus } { of midnight snacks and illicit flirting

[hereditare]

Laura: [it's late, Laura is up for a midnight snack, and she is not drunk as the evening was spent with her parents. But she is in search of ice cream, and eyeing the new secret service agent who's lounging in the doorway] So are you going back to New York with me, or are you strictly DC?

Parrish: I'm part of the White House detail, ma'am. I don't believe I'll be transferred to your personal detail.

Laura: Good to know. [and she goes in search of a spoon] How long have you been on their rotation?

Parrish: Since September.

Laura: Ahh. Seems we just missed each other then.

Parrish: No, I was here before. I was on grounds rotation with the K-9 unit until a vacancy opened up inside.

Laura: Oh. Then that explains why we never saw each other.

Parrish: [and he will just nod. He was warned about being careful around Laura Hale if he wanted to keep his job inside the White House, but his supervisor told him that they needed someone inside young and pretty to distract her from the others who were working and he fit the bill. He was determined though to remain professional]

Laura: [are they conspiring against her now? That's probably fair, after she still managed to seduce someone when her team was all lady agents. Still, he is pretty] You're a quiet one.

Parrish: My job is to be seen and protect, ma'am. Not be heard.

Laura: Even when you're being spoken to?

Parrish: Sometimes.

Laura: [she smirks] They warned you about me, didn't they?

Parrish: There may have been a warning, yes.

Laura: Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about. [she makes her way forward and scoops out another bit of ice cream] Unless you want to sleep with me?

Parrish: I would prefer to keep my job, ma'am.

Laura: And I would never do anything to you without your consent. So you're perfectly safe.

Parrish: [and he will just nod.]

Laura: So where are you from, Agent Parrish?

Parrish: California. Ojai.

Laura: Oh, that's lovely. I haven't been back there in a while.

Parrish: I miss it. You could stand outside and on one side you have the mountains, and the other side was the ocean.

Laura: I do too. I love New York, but the winters are the worst.

Parrish: Which is why I'm glad to be on the inside of the house this winter, and not on patrol.

Laura: I'm sure. Much less chilly in here.

Parrish: Warmer, less snow, and I don't have to clean up after the dog. [there's a small smirk there]

Laura: [she laughs] Didn’t have a dog of your own?

Parrish: Not really. Not anymore.

Laura: [and the psychologist on her picks up on the "not anymore"] Not anymore?

Parrish: [sighs, looking down a moment] He found a package with a chemical in it. Ended up making him sick.

Laura: [her eyes fall at that, and she closes her eyes] Oh. I'm sorry. That was dumb of me.

Parrish: [deep breath] It's fine. He was doing his job, and he saved probably a lot of people from picking the thing up.

Laura: He sounds like he was a good dog.

Parrish: He was.

Laura: And now that I've been enough of a downer for one night, I am going to take my ice cream and go to bed.

Parrish: You haven't been a downer. But I will walk you back.

Laura: It's all that shrink curiosity. I have to poke at the things that are interesting.

Parrish: Well, I'm not really all that interesting, so you probably won't have a lot to poke at.

Laura: I think you'd be surprised. Everybody's got a story.

Parrish: Yeah, but my story is like, so boring it's a bedtime story.

Laura: And I happen to be trying to sleep. Seems like a win-win.

Parrish: [chuckles] I'm not reading you a bedtime story.

Laura: Can't blame a girl for trying.

Parrish: Mmhmm. [he's onto you]

Laura: [is he? she never tried to not be obvious. and they'll be back to the room and she'll nod] Well. This is me.

Parrish: I know. Have a good night.

Laura: [she nods] You too. [and off she'll go to bed]