"All the While"
June 16, 2008 Safehouse 1, New York City 0130 hours Paige sat on one of the small couches in the waiting area just outside the conference room. Her legs were tucked under her as she watched Brian sleep. His Gameboy still clutched in his hands he looked as if he fell asleep in the middle of a game. His head rested on the arm of the oversized chair he sat in and Paige knew if he stayed that way much longer he'd be waking up with a stiff neck. Her dark green eyes flicked up to the clock and she sighed noting the time. The boy must've had a long day because he usually stayed up later than this. Gray, Rebecca, and Bella were still in the conference room and she was quite sure Bella would be getting a lecture. Probably a little harsher than Declan and herself had gotten two hours ago but a lecture nonetheless. Gray had composed himself by the time he'd reached the conference room and had lost the edge to his voice and mannerisms he had displayed down in the parking garage. The message, however, was still made clear: they had failed the objective. The Target was to be taken in alive and obviously...that hadn't happened. They had all went over the audio tapes to the point that Paige had a headache and it was concluded that Bella acted on her own and Declan and Paige were relieved of any fault. Didn't feel that way. Maybe it was just a little stretching to think she should have seen it coming and should have done something to stop it. Maybe it was far fetched to think she could have predicted Bella would've put a bullet into the Target's forehead. Or maybe it was just bad luck. Luck happened, didn't it? Maybe hers was just bad the last couple days. Her eyes narrowed as her mind corrected her. Luck doesn't kill people...people kill people. And it was her that had been killing people the last couple days. But that wasn't the worst revelation. What was really bad was that she would be killing more people in the next few days...and that...THAT...was premeditated. Killer. Premeditated murder. "So, do you stay in the city as well?" The voice startled her and she felt a few hairs rip as her hand moved. She had been twirling her hair. God, she hadn't done that since she was a kid. "What?" she asked buying time to recover and looking up at Declan. "Do you stay in the city as well, because I'm in the village, I'll wait if you'd like." Gray had asked that she not leave just yet, hence her not leaving already. "No," she said with a small smile, "I'm over the bridge in Jersey." "Jersey," he said nodding his head. "Sorry," Paige said realizing he wasn't from the states, "it's about a 25 minute drive north of here." "Very good," he said nodding his head. He looked at the sleeping Brian, "nice kid." "Yeah, he's sweet," Paige said softly. "So, how do you know him...is he, uh, related?" "No, he uh, kind of belongs to all of us here. You might get to watch him one day if you stick around long enough." If I don't get you killed first, the thought crept into her mind. "I wouldn't mind," he said with a shrug. Paige grinned at him. "Alright, well, I'm off then. I'll see you...around, I guess." "Yep," Paige said, "I'm thinking we'll probably be going out soon again." "Lots of bad guys to keep us in business, yeah?" Paige tilted her head. There it was again with him, the good guy- bad guy business. Was he trying to drive home a point somewhere and Paige wasn't getting it? Did he live in some cookie-cutter world where everything was as black and white as good guys and bad guys? Or did he just play too many cops and robbers games as a kid? "Paige," Gray's voice beckoned her. She stood, her eyes still on his, "good night, Declan," she nodded her head. He just smiled a brilliant smile and nodded his head in return. Paige walked towards the conference room as Rebecca and Bella both exited. Bella smiled at her, one of those smiles that a teenager throws at you when they just got away with something. 'Call me' she mouthed silently. Paige blinked once acknowledging the silent request. Rebecca didn't even glance at Paige as she made her way to her own office. She heard Declan say something to Bella though she couldn't make it out as Gray closed the door. "Sit," he said quietly. She took a seat and he sat across from her. Now she wondered what this was about since when giving a lecture to them Gray always took an authoritative position, one of power, usually standing at the head of the table. Now, he just sat across from her. "How's everything?" he asked simply. Paige's guard went up reflexively. "Fine...I guess," she murmured. He nodded his head but didn't say anything, so, Paige did. "Can I ask you something?" "Sure," he said. "I need some time off, a couple days." He looked surprised. Clearly, he had not expected her to ask a question and certainly not for time off. "Time off...for what?" She chewed her bottom lip and dropped her gaze to the tabletop. She had to make him feel sorry for her and although it bothered her, she would have to use Baz to accomplish just that. "It's just," she started and sighed, "the last couple days...and..." she shook her head, "just trying to...and then tonight..." "Sebastian," he said quietly. She kept her gaze on the table, a sign of weakness and vulnerability. "Yeah," she whispered allowing her voice to shake just a little. "Paige," he said leaning forward, "we've been over..." "I know," she snapped at him. "Do you think I don't tell myself every second of every minute of every hour that it wasn't my fault? Do you think I don't replay the scenario in my head over and over again? Who's the one with the photographic memory here, huh?" "I know," he said gently. "I don't think I ask for much, I just need a couple days to clear my head. Even just one night. Just some time where I know my cell phone won't ring and I won't be killing..." she stopped and snapped her mouth shut and just stared at him pleading with her eyes. She could imagine how pathetic she must look. There's no way he'd say no. "Where will you go?" he asked softly. She waited a small amount of time as if she didn't want to tell him. "Virginia?" God, now she was pulling Jaime into it. She ignored the feeling because after all, she knew it would come down to that, pulling him in, making him an unwilling and unknowing accomplice to her plans. Gray looked down at the table with a sigh before looking back at her. "Is that wise? To see him?" "I gotta get away from this place," she said softly. Gray took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. "We'd have to still be able to reach you." Paige sighed, "if I keep my cell on..." "If you keep your cell on, then yes, take a few days, go to Virginia." "Thanks Gray," she said with a smile. "Ok, but...it will have to wait a few more days." "Alright," she said slowly. "We have clients coming in on the seventeenth..." "Tuesday morning," Paige confirmed. "Yes, I'd like you to sit in the meetings with us and maybe show them around." "Clients?" "Well, not in the sense they are working for us, kind of like...think of it as potential colleagues." "Potential colleagues," Paige said shaking her head...that made even less sense. "Yes, they'll be here for two days, after that, you can leave for Virginia." "Alright, anything I should know about them or do I get briefed later?" "You'll get all the information you need. Anyway, Brian starts school tomorrow?" "Today," she corrected him. Gray looked at his watch, "today," he said with a sigh, "where does the time go." "I dunno," she said smiling. "Well, you'd better get him ready then. I believe Rebecca has clothes and supplies packed here and ready for him." "I'm sure she does. He doesn't need to be there until the afternoon so I think we'll just crash here tonight." "Very well, have a good night then," he said dismissing her. Paige got up and left the conference room to wake Brian up. Together they went up to the tenth floor where the offices had been converted to sleeping quarters. Brian crashed immediately and Paige lay awake staring at the ceiling. She wondered if Detective Tarnes, the one who killed Baz, was on the floor above them in Medical, or if Gray had him moved already. Or maybe he was somewhere else. There were three floors that she had never been on and did not have access to. She wondered if the Detective was there. She would have to find him, but first, she would have to figure out a way into Medical. She rubbed the cast that housed her broken wrist, it may prove useful again. Her thoughts then turned to the other tasks at hand. First, she would finish her babysitting assignment, then the real charade would begin. She felt a small twinge of guilt with the thought of Jaime being involved. Well, not really involved, an unknowing accomplice was a more accurate description. She pushed the twinge down though, she had to be empty to get through it. Empty people could do bad things and not be bothered about it. Wasn't that the hard learned lesson from Joshua? She pushed that thought away, too, and turned her head to Brian curled up in the bed on the opposite side of the room. Maybe there was some truth to Declan's notion of good guys and bad guys. She stared at Brian in the darkness. She was doing it for him. Return