Charlie's words sunk in deeper than he'd expected. He thanked her as she scooted out and he promised that he'd talk to someone. He found himself incredibly grateful for her gesture, knowing what such small signs of affection meant from someone like her.
He didn't go back to his team. Nor did he return to the house. Instead, he drove. Aimlessly. Thinking. He shouldn't be so conflicted. This was a job. These were bad people. They were to be taken down from the inside, locked up, people saved. And yet...he felt twisted up inside. Even more than the night before. Now it was his turn to feel guilty. Was there a way he could have pulled Mike out of that strange state? Was it just a shield, like the wall he himself had put up? He kept returning to one simple fact: were these the people who needed to be saved?
And there was that kiss. The one thing that haunted him more than the blood. How had he missed that? How had he been so wrong?
Eventually, he found his way to a coffee shop where he was able to pull his laptop from the trunk and make a report. A straight-forward, clinical assessment of the night's events and the confirmation that he'd finally advanced within the group. He phrased it as having just received the news and had not had time to explore the upper level of the house.
He remained there until he got notice from Charlie to pick her up. He hadn't made good on his promise to talk to someone, but he didn't need to. He didn't bottle these things up. He knew better. He just needed to let them go. But there were a few things he couldn't let go until he spoke to Mike again. So he waited for Charlie, right where he'd dropped her off, anxious to get back home. Hoping Mike would be there.
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timeasmymeasure
(Hope this is okay. Over ride him going back if you had other plans)
Date: 2015-07-21 12:20 pm (UTC)He didn't go back to his team. Nor did he return to the house. Instead, he drove. Aimlessly. Thinking. He shouldn't be so conflicted. This was a job. These were bad people. They were to be taken down from the inside, locked up, people saved. And yet...he felt twisted up inside. Even more than the night before. Now it was his turn to feel guilty. Was there a way he could have pulled Mike out of that strange state? Was it just a shield, like the wall he himself had put up? He kept returning to one simple fact: were these the people who needed to be saved?
And there was that kiss. The one thing that haunted him more than the blood. How had he missed that? How had he been so wrong?
Eventually, he found his way to a coffee shop where he was able to pull his laptop from the trunk and make a report. A straight-forward, clinical assessment of the night's events and the confirmation that he'd finally advanced within the group. He phrased it as having just received the news and had not had time to explore the upper level of the house.
He remained there until he got notice from Charlie to pick her up. He hadn't made good on his promise to talk to someone, but he didn't need to. He didn't bottle these things up. He knew better. He just needed to let them go. But there were a few things he couldn't let go until he spoke to Mike again. So he waited for Charlie, right where he'd dropped her off, anxious to get back home. Hoping Mike would be there.