Participants:
| Scene Title | Go If You Can |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | James comes to see Will and runs into Liz instead…. friendly chatter, but he asks her a question and her answer might surprise him. |
| Date | January 26, 2009 |
There are things happening around the city lately, lots of them. Might just be the lunar influences, tensions and undercurrents all mashing up, might be something else. James isn't entirely sure, and one way to head when he isn't is to swing past the police offices, to see if he can find anyone who is. Like, say, his older brother, or perhaps Liz. If nothing else, it'd calm him some to be assured there's nothing to worry about.
Showing up in his uniform makes stepping into the office less of a worry and certainly more streamlined, so he never bothered to change out of it, although it would seem that he carries no radio. He is heading in the direction of his brother's desk, but is keeping an eye out for Elisabeth as well, as he'd very much like to talk to both of them.
Liz is hardly ever in the office in the past week, but she's here today. Catching up on reports for Will, dealing with cases that fell by the wayside while she (very quietly) went about the work of saving the bridges into the city, and whatever else she's been up to. She's going the 'dress casual' route today: Wearing jeans and high-heeled boots into the office, a button-down peach-colored blouse, and … well… her shoulder holster. Cuz she likes it better than her pants holster, honestly. Her blond hair is up in a ponytail. When she glances up to see who stands in the door, she offers a smile toward James. He's becoming a fixture around here. "Hey you," she greets.
James cracks up a grin as he spots Elisabeth, leaning against the doorframe, wrapping his arms across his chest. "Hey, Liz." he offers up, along with what seems to be an appreciative once-over of her outfit and general shape. "Just the one I was looking for. Or well, you know, one of the two I was looking for, actually. How are things, here at the crime-stopping end of business?" His own work being in the cleaning-up-after crime end, and all.
Elisabeth snickers mildly. "Oh, things are going along as they always do," she answers. It's a non-answer, but she can't quite say 'oh, they're going great, LOVE stopping mad bombers and viral terror bombs!' "How about yourself? Things going slow on your end? Cuz I'd love to hear that you didn't actually run anyone to the hospital today — it means no one keeled over on your watch." She grins at him, waving him inside the squad room.
James straightens up from his lean against the doorframe, stepping inside as Elisabeth prompts him, his hands slipping into his pockets as he saunters over to join her. "Well, sad to say, we've had our fair share of the crazy that goes around, lately. So we've been hurrying a bit," People rarely called the ambulance for simple nicks and cuts, after all "..but nothing fatal today, so that's always something, right?" His grin returns for a moment, and he glances towards her desk, then back to her, trying to judge her stance and stress-levels. If she's on her way somewhere, he wouldn't want to interrupt. "So, I figured I'd drop in, see if you or William were about. You wouldn't happen to have a break comming up, or something?" Completely understandable if she doesn't, but the important part is asking, far as he's concerned.
Clearly not on her way anywhere — her tan blazer is resting over the back of her chair, not on her shoulders covering the holster. Elisabeth smiles at him. "Actually, I do. And your brother," she glances around and then snickers. "I swear I'm gonna lo-jack the man. He was here. I could probably take a few minutes, though, if you wanna talk or something. Here? Or walk?"
"Let me know when, and we can tie him up on my couch 'til it wears off." James replies wryly, apparently harboring some views on his brother's avoiding to mix much of 'life' into his life-work equation. Concerned views, mind you. "But I'll try to catch him on the phone, at least. And maybe we could take a walk down to the coffeehouse, get some to go?" he then suggests, motioning towards the door.
Elisabeth nods easily. "Sounds great," she says. Picking up her blazer and throwing it over her shoulders, it settles into place to hide her firearm. She also grabs her heavier jacket because it's cold outside, and then she walks with him out of the precinct. "So tell me how life's treating you lately," she grins. "We talked about everything at dinner last week except whether you're actually getting out there to date!" she teases.
James follows her outside, turning up his collar against the slight chill in the air once they get outside. "Oh, life's been… fair, I guess. I don't get more to deal with than I can handle, I figure." he replies, his grin turning just a touch shy as she teases him, and he gestures towards the coffeehouse down the street. "Well, considering my trackrecord, I don't think anyone's going to be too interested in my datinghabits, right now. I left that side of my life in a bit of a mess, a couple of years ago, and no one's been cleaning it out since, strangely enough." What, no magical elves that show up to clean things in the middle of the night? Alert the media! "But apart from that quiet spot in my life, it has been… kinda hectic, actually. I've gotten a couple of… vibes, that things aren't entirely alright. Heard from someone that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get my family out of town for a while."
"Oh, I don't know," Liz chuckles. "Seems to me a dating life can make the rest of it easier." And then she pauses, her eyes skimming over to him. "Really? And why would that be?"
James makes a slight face, shaking his head. "In my case, it seems it would be the dating that messes the rest of life up. I thought I was going to get married, have children, white picket fence, the lot… but I guess it's the surprises that makes life interesting." He makes a vauge gesture in front of him, "Well, I can't really say. Which is why I'm comming to you, and once I actually find him, Will. Figured if anyone'd know there'd be reasons to leave, you guys would've heard about it."
Elisabeth pulls in a deep breath, her eyes skimming around the crowds of people that they walk through as they make their way toward the coffee shop. Letting it out slowly on a sigh, she says carefully, "I have to admit that… I've heard a few rumors that make me a little leery, James." She glances at him. "If I had my druthers, I'd love to play it safe rather than sorry with the things I hear. But…. see what Will thinks." William knows about the viral attack that's supposed to be upcoming; if he chooses not to send his family out of town, well… in truth, Liz is sort of in the same boat. She can't explain to her father WHY she'd like him to take his vacation time wiht his new girlfriend right now, but she'd really like him to go. He's said no.
Well, that's more answer than he supposes he has right to get, and James nods slowly. "I'll talk to Will, then. If nothing else, I mean… If something would happen, I don't think people are going to mind an extra EMT standing by." He watches her face as he says that, searching and waiting for reactions, before he adds, "Not that I'll be as much standing by as working my ass off this week, either way, but… you know what I mean."
Elisabeth mmms quietly. "Well, here's hoping we don't NEED an extra EMT standing by, okay?" But it can't hurt, she supposes… the alternative to needing EMTs is … well… DEAD. Let's not go there either. "I do know what you mean," she smiles gently. "Believe me. I've had a pretty hellacious week myself."
James moves to get the door for Elisabeth, once they reach it, pulling it open into the small coffeeshop that caters mainly to the law-enforcement up the street - lots of coffee to go, lots of various snacks and very little disturbances to interupt whatever free time the cops actually sitting down for a cuppa have. They don't like to have their breaktime interupted by work showing up, after all, and word spreads fast.
"I hope so too. You know, I actually had a dream like that, once. Not about standing by, but… I lost my job, 'cause they'd figured out how people couldn't get hurt, anymore. I don't know that I minded, all that much."
Elisabeth's smile at that is wistful. "I really wish that could happen," she admits. It's a rough world right now. As she steps into the coffee shop, she inhales with every evidence of pleasure. "Oh wow… hadn't realized I needed a caffeine fix so badly," she says with a grin at him when he opens the door. Heading for the counter, she orders a big-big cup of coffee-chocolatey-mocha-creamy stuff. And a chocolate croissant too! sugar buzz!
James is going to order himself a black coffee, and a sugared doughnut, keeping it plain and simple, although the way he obviously intends to pick up the bill for them both might not. Oh well, that thing he mentioned about surprises, that could have something to do with it. "Well, just don't tell the guys back at the precinct who reminded you about caffeine and sugary goodness for your veins, and we'll be fine." He watches the amount of chocolate that's added to her takeaway cup, and he pauses. "Correction. I'll be fine, you'll be chewing on the carpet when that thing wears off." He reaches over to give her shoulder a light nudge, flashing a wide, younger-brother grin her way.
Elisabeth chuckles at him and says, "Man… I haven't slept in two weeks. A little chocolate to go with my caffeine infusion is a necessity." It's actually true. Her last several weeks have been *crap* in the sleep department. She can't really tell James a lot about it, so she just waggles her brows expressively. "Got something keeping me up nights, if you know what I mean. Well worth losin' sleep over." When he moves to pay, she moves to stop him and then just sighs, opting NOT to fight him on it. "And the croissant is to die for… you should try it."
James snorts, leaning on the counter while he waits for their orders to be set up. "I might, some day heading to work, rather than heading home. If I'm gonna crash, I want to be close to either top-up or insulin." And she saw his kitchen, not much at all in there. "But keeping busy, like to hear that." he then continues, his grin returning her way. "And hey, if you find someone thinking along the lines of white picket fences and don't feel like keepin' 'em, you send 'em my way, right?"
Elisabeth takes her coffee and slants him a surprised glance — not bad-surprise, just 'oh!' surprise. That's apparently news to her. And then she gestures carefully with the coffee-holding hand toward a table that's vacating. "C'mon, we can sit." Bringing her croissant too, she heads over there and drops into a seat, setting her coffee on the table, and grins at him. "So you're looking for forever, huh? Well…. I've got one of those on my hands, and one of the 'not even remotely interested in forever' kinds. For the moment…. I'm treading carefully with my wants-forever guy." She shrugs a bit. "My other guy's sort of…. a bad boy," she smirks. "And I kinda like getting my kicks with no strings for now."
James doesn't tend to throw that sort of thing at people, first thing, so to see 'oh!' surprise rather than anything else is going to be prompting some relief out of James. He picks up his coffee in one hand, napkin-wrapped doughnut in the other, and follows her over to sit down, putting them onto the table proper before he turns his full attention back to Liz, nodding. "Yeah, more or less. But I'm in no hurry, I've got the rest of my life to figure that one out." he murmurs, and then cants his head a little, helping himself to a sip of his coffee. "But I can see where no strings could be preferable. Especially when work treats us like it does, hmm?"
Elisabeth shrugs easily, clearly completely at ease with the fact that James appears to prefer guys to gals, based on that statement. She bites into her croissant, savoring it a moment, and then when she swallows the bite, finally speaks. "It's not just the job. Though I have to admit, that's maybe part of it. Cops make lousy spouses in the first place… female cops, it's even harder. Depends on what you're doing, of course. And there *are* plenty who make it work… I'm just not interested. At least right now."
There has been no actual preference mentioned, but yes, at the very least it seems James wouldn't mind either boys or girls. What does seem to boggle his mind though is the amount of chocolate Liz seems to be able to consume with a happy expression. "Well, work isn't always just work. At least not when you're doing what I'm doing, but from what I can see going on with Wills, your job probably ain't all that much different." His doughnut is bit into, and in between chews, he adds a thought striking him, "And remember that 'surprises' thing I mentioned, how life likes to mess with us? When you expect it the least, dressed down in some bar on a random tuesday, you'll run into someone that'll manage to get you interested. All in good time."
Elisabeth chuckles softly. "Well, if I get smacked upside the head with it, I'll definitely let you know. Right now, I've got about all the surprises I can handle." She sits with him to enjoy her coffee and chocolate over conversation about all the random things friends talk about — books, movies, past girl/boyfriends, whatever — and then moves to stand, perhaps surprising James when she leans over to kiss his cheek softly. In a whisper, she tells him, "If Will tells you to get out of town, James…. go. Okay? Please?" She pulls away from him and smiles slightly. "I have to get back to work." And then she slips away.
 January 26th: You Go Zig, We Go Zag |
 January 26th: Good Boy |