potus } { of bad guys and making a connection

[hereditare]

Laura: [the appointment had started out normal enough, doing the usual getting to know you bits, but things quickly started to get more and more strange, until everything was red flags. next thing she knows, he has a knife on her, and she's trying to talk in her hostage negotiator voice to help keep herself alive. He wants her to get them out of the building in a non-obvious way, a way that her security wouldn't be looking, and she does, for the most part. But as she tries to talk him down, she moves her fingers down to the hem of her sleeve, pressing the small button she knows is hidden there]

Parrish: [and his phone starts beeping the emergency signal while he's scarfing down a street hotdog. He drops what's left and takes off running back to the office building, which looks entirely too normal for an emergency call]

Laura: [they're heading down the stairs, and fortunately her office is very high up in this nyc skyscraper, so they're just going to keep making their way down the stairs, Laura still trying to talk him down as they go]

Parrish: [and he's going to talk on his headset to his team but no one is answering. He isn't sure that this means, but it really isn't good. So he looks for a back way into the building that he can get up to her office undetected]

Laura: [if he finds the back door to the staircase, he'll hear her voice drifting down from above, floating through the floors] Look, Larry, I really think we can talk about this. We can work this out.

Parrish: [yeah, he can hear that and he’s going to find a spot to intercept them]

Larry: Would you just shut up? I'm not your fucking patient.

Laura: No but you do have a knife to my throat and I'm taking it kind of personally.

Parrish: [okay, that puts this in a different scenario, but he knows what the weapon is and where it's being held. He puts himself between the door to the next level and the wall, holding his gun out] Drop the weapon, now!

Larry: [spins and freezes, a switchblade pressed tightly against her throat - so tightly that Laura's usually cool exterior is slipping a bit] You drop it or I slit her throat.

Parrish: No, if you were going to do it, you would have already. Plus, you've got the dull side against her skin. [he's bluffing, but all he needs is for him to pull the knife back an inch to look at it, and he has a shot that won't end up getting Laura killed]

Larry: [with that two he falls for it, leaning in closer to have a look at the knife, but unfortunately not pulling away from Laura quite yet] Look, look, this isn't about ... this is about location. The setting's not right. If I'm gonna make a statement, then it's gotta be somewhere bigger.

Parrish: [damnit] What statement is that? I like to kill women who are prettier than me [inches up a step when he isn't looking]

Larry: No! That people can't just make promises they're not going to keep.

Laura: Larry ... Larry, we talked about this, remember? That just because things aren't immediate doesn't mean they're not happening?

Parrish: [looking at Laura] This a you problem or a family problem he's talking about?

Laura: Little of both. [but that statement is cut off as he yanks her closer and presses the blade in again]

Larry: Not supposed to talk about that. Doctor-patient confidentiality.

Parrish: I'm pretty sure you're fired as a patient, Larry. Now why don't you let her go and let's talk about it.

Larry: No. I'm done talking about it. All she ever wants to do is ... [he starts to loosen up as he's talking to someone not Laura, and she takes the distraction for what it is. one hand comes up across her chest, yanking the arm with the knife down hard, and then sinking her teeth into his arm. He screams in pain, jerking back and letting her go and she takes off towards Parrish]

Parrish: [and he's not taking any chances. He fires at the guy's leg to drop him, and then pushes Laura behind him] You okay?

Laura: [she nods, leaning into his side as she tries to catch her breath] Yeah.

Parrish: Good. Now I need you to take the gun and hold it on him while I cuff him.

Laura: Is that really a good idea? [her hands are pretty shaky and she's not sure she trusts herself to hold it right now]

Parrish: Yeah, totally. [he slips it into safety because he's not expecting her to actually shoot. It's a psychological thing]

Laura: Okay. [and she takes it from him and tries to point it, but it's not the steadiest aim]

Parrish: [that's fine. It won't shoot if she pulls the trigger anyway. He's going to grab the zip ties in his inner pocket and go towards Larry] On your stomach, hands behind your back.

Larry: Fuck you, you shot me.

Parrish: Yeah, and you were going to kill her. We're all bad people today, but you've got a choice on if I continue to hurt you, or I go gently and call for an ambulance.

Larry: [spits in his face. he's not feeling like cooperating today]

Parrish: [then nope, going to use his foot to press into the wound to get him flipped onto his back, then will roughly get those zip ties on him]

Laura: [and she'll just stand there, holding the gun and waiting for him to take it back]

Parrish: [which he will, pulling his cell phone out to call for assistance and an ambulance]

Laura: [and eventually the rest of her security team will show up and the police and they will take him into custody, and after giving her statements she will find her way to his side again] I want to go home.

Parrish: Yeah, I can take you back. I'll need to go write the report for the department anyway. [is still a bit hyped up on adrenaline]

Laura: [meanwhile she's getting into the shaky, I need a drink portion of her evening and she lets him lead the way back to the car]

Parrish: [which he will, and when she sits down he ducks his head to look in at her] You doing ok? you need to go to the hospital?

Laura: [she shakes her head] Just home. I'm okay.

Parrish: Alright. [and he will close the door and slide into the driver's seat. The other two in the detail will follow behind them]

Laura: [and she will be quiet as he drives and just look out the window because spoiler: she is not actually okay. Parrish can tell, though, because normally she's much chattier on her drive home]

Parrish: [yup, but he can wait until they are back at the apartment because he doesn't need her to have her breakdown in the public eye]

Laura: [she appreciates that very much. they get back to her place and she lets them in and goes right for her wet bar. Her hands are shaking as she reaches for a glass] Do you want a drink? I want a drink.

Parrish: I wouldn't say no to a drink. [he's going to do a walk-through of the apartment just in case because people don't always act alone]

Laura: [so she will pour him a drink and leave it on the bar for him to pick up when he gets back, and she will go sit on the couch nearby, hands still shaking a little bit]

Parrish: [and he will come back to her, grabbing his drink on the way and sit next to her] So, you're safe at home. Nothing's going to hurt you here.

Laura: I know. [though it's soft and doesn't sound all that convincing]

Parrish: Do you want to talk about it?

Laura: Not really. [she downs her drink, swallowing the liquor down, before flopping back into the couch]

Parrish: [thinks a moment, and swaps her empty glass with his untouched one]

Laura: [she glances down at it, before setting it to the side on the coffee table because that's not what she wants. Instead she inches closer, seeing if he'll let her tuck into him and lean on him for a little bit]

Parrish: [Of course he will, putting an arm around her shoulders and letting her get as close as she needs]

Laura: [yeah she's just going to sag into him a little, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly] Today sucked.

Parrish: Yeah, it has. [he pauses a moment] I'm sorry I wasn't there.

Laura: If you were there, I would have been in breach of doctor-patient confidentiality.

Parrish: All I heard was blah blah blah, evil guy monologue.

Laura: In my office, I meant.

Parrish: Yeah, but I check for weapons before people enter. I'm good at it.

Laura: I'm pretty sure this guy was checked.

Parrish: Not good enough it seems.

Laura: It's not your fault. He'd been my patient for a long time.

Parrish: Still, I wish I had been there.

Laura: You were when it mattered. [she looks up and reaches up gently, brushing her thumb against his cheekbone] This isn't your fault.

Parrish: I just... I don't like seeing you like that.

Laura: [she pauses, before shifting up onto her knees so she's more looking him in the eye] Just in terms of your job?

Parrish: [he takes a deep breath, because it isn't just his job. His hand leaning against her hand ever so much as he looked into her eyes confirmed it.] I never want to see anyone hurt you.

Laura: [she knows it's a bad idea. Her psychologist brain tells her that it's a reckless decision made in the face of trying to process a trauma, but for the moment she doesn't care. She meets his eyes, holding that stare, before leaning in and kissing him, slow and needy as she pulls herself closer]

Parrish: [he will meet her kiss, pressing against her lips with his own need. He had hoped to be able to stop the infatuation, but it only seemed to grow the longer he was on the job. There was just something that drew him towards her]

Laura: [and she will keep him close, arms winding around his neck to keep little space between them before she eventually gives up the ghost and slides into his lap]

Parrish: [he won't stop her, his hands wrapping around her waist to pull her closer once she is in his lap, one sliding up to thread into her hair]

Laura: [she hums softly at his hand in her hair, leaning her weight into him to as she relaxes and indulges in the kissing]

Parrish: [yes. Good. He likes this. He is content to sit here like this for awhile]

Laura: [and eventually, because she's hesitant to push this beyond that for right now, she pulls back and rests her forehead against his] I'm glad you were there.

Parrish: Me too. [his hand pets along the back of her neck]

Laura: [she closes her eyes at his touch] Can you stay tonight?

Parrish: Yeah, I can if you want me to.

Laura: I do. [and she'll lean in to kiss him again, this time a little harder and more intense]

Parrish: [and he will match that intensity, leaning back to let Laura lay over him more]

Laura: [and as they settle and get comfortable, clothes will start to get tugged at and thrown to the floor]

Parrish: [he will remove his own gun belt though. Safety]

Laura: [yes that's probably for the best, he can do that while she goes to grab some condoms]

Parrish: [the gun, the spare gun, the knife, the taser, the zip ties...]

Laura: [comes back in and smirks] Do you really need all of that?

Parrish: [taking off his radio] Of course.

Laura: It's just ... a lot of weapons.

Parrish: I have a lot of pockets. [why is this a problem?]

Laura: [it's not a problem so much as ...] I didn't realize you needed all of that to protect me.

Parrish: I was a boy scout. I like to be prepared.

Laura: Good to know. [and she pulls him in for a kiss again] Though those zip ties give me ideas. [teasing]

Parrish: [eyebrows go up] Do they?

Laura: Mmmm-hmmm. Not tonight though.

Parrish: No, not tonight. Too soon.

Laura: [nods as she kisses him again] I just want you tonight.

Parrish: [nods, returning the kiss as he starts to work his shirt off]

Laura: [and she will help, and soon all of their clothes are on the floor in some shape or form and they're being tangled in more intimate ways]

Parrish: [a great way to burn off the adreneline.]

Laura: [yes, indeed. and just stress in general, and she's good to keep going until they're both sated and sweaty, curling up against his chest on the couch]

Parrish: [his arms wrapped around her, keeping her nice and close as he tries to get his breath back]

Laura: [her fingers trail against his chest, lost in her thoughts] Do you know why I started hooking up with my service detail?

Parrish: You watched the bodyguard one too many times? [teasing]

Laura: [she snorts] Kevin Costner is overrated.

Parrish: [chuckles, his thumb rubbing her shoulder gently] So, why?

Laura: [she lifts her head up to look at him more] You guys are vetted. You're safe. Sure, I could go out to meet someone, but there's always the chance that what happened today could happen in a way more intimate situation. And I know it's a messed up thought process because you guys are supposed to be here protecting me, not used for stuff like this but ... it just feels safer.

Parrish: [he nods, his eyes showing that he gets it] Yeah, but what about making an actual go at a relationship?

Laura: I don't know. Nothing's ever really seemed like the right fit. [her fingers trace against his chest again] I really like you, though.

Parrish: I like you too, Laura. A lot.

Laura: But I don't know if this is really going to work while it's still your job to protect me.

Parrish: Yeah, you probably don't want to be with some unemployed weapons freak.

Laura: I also don't want you to go.

Parrish: Well, when word of this gets out, I might not have a choice.

Laura: I know. [it's a sucky situation all around] I guess it depends on how proactive you want to be about it. I mean, you could get transferred to a different kind of detail at the New York office? I know finance crime isn't the most interesting thing in the world, but it'd be less of a completely direct conflict of interest?

Parrish: I'd rather go into private security at a mall than deal with bankers.

Laura: I figured. [she sighs] I don't want you to lose your job over this.

Parrish: I'd prefer that too. But honestly, if I have to choose? [he pushed up a bit to look at her, his hand going to stroke her cheek] I'd choose you. If you really want me.

Laura: [oh that's a lot. the last time someone said anything remotely that romantic to her it was Elijah, drunk and pissed during their freshman year of college, telling her that they could run away together, because he didn't want to be his parents' legacy machine. How he just wanted to have a life, and that they could start over at a smaller school where no one knew who they were. They could have been happy, without the politics and the mess. but that's also the night when she knew she had to break up with him (not that night, but a different night when they were both sober and he was clear headed remembering that he could do good with the part he was being asked to play, even if it wasn't the easiest). This doesn't give her the same feeling, though. This is more intense, more longing, more wanting that too, even if part of her knows it isn't fair that he's giving up everything and she's giving up nothing at all.] Ask me again when you haven't just recently saved my life? [because as much as she is a mush of feelings, she's aware enough to know none of her decision making is sound at the moment]

Parrish: Yeah, that's fair.

Laura: [she pushes up, leaning in to kiss him again softly, long and slow. when she's finished, she pulls back with a smile] C'mon. We'll probably be more comfortable in the bedroom.

Parrish: Yes ma'am. [and he will go with her]

Laura: [and they will curl up in bed, and she might even make him pancakes in the morning]

Parrish: [mmm, pancakes. He will probably be doing his early morning workout routine while she cooks]

Laura: [which is just ... a treat that she will enjoy and hopefully those pancakes won't burn]

Parrish: [better not. He wants those pancakes now]

Laura: [well your abs are very distracting, that's not her fault]

Parrish: [and when he's done, he will reach for his undershirt] How's breakfast coming along?

Laura: Hmm? [and then back to the pan] Oh. Almost done.

Parrish: [smirks and goes to freshen his cup of coffee] So how many messages has your mother left?

Laura: I don't know because I haven't looked at my phone.

Parrish: Seems we made the local news. Well, not us. We were long gone before the cameras showed up, but the story is out there.

Laura: Hence why I haven't been checking my phone.

Parrish: Probably a good plan then.

Laura: I'll check in with her eventually, I just wanted a little more time to myself. [and she passes him a plate of pancakes]

Parrish: [and he will sit down with his coffee and his plate happily] You doing any better this morning?

Laura: [she nods] The adrenaline's faded and my head's on a little bit straighter.