Who: Shaw and York When: September Where: Random Bar What: The calm before the storm Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Shaw’s dreams had picked up a little, she seemed to now be part of a team that were given people to either save or stop, they never knew which it would be until they got closer to them. It made for some pretty interesting cases. And she couldn’t deny she was intrigued by the woman who’d almost tortured her. Root. She’d also been the cause of some sexual tension she needed releasing. So she hit the bars. And smiled when she saw a familiar face.
“Hey you” she said sitting down next to York.
York turned and saw a very familiar, and very beautiful woman plop down beside in on one of the stools lining the bar at his favorite pub. He broke into a smile, turning his body to better face her. It was difficult when he only had one working eye to get a good look at people beside him, so he had to turn his shoulders, too.
“Howdy stranger,” his eyes glinted with mirth, his smile broadened. “Fancy meeting you here.” Honestly, York had been drinking to avoid thinking about his Dreams, and now there was an even better distraction in front of him.
“Who’d have thought two experienced drinkers would end up at the same place” she teased a little giving him a wry smile, “We obviously have good taste. So how are you doing?” she asked, because it looked to her like he was drinking for a reason. She recognised the signs.
“Who’da thought.” York agreed with a nod and a smile. He lifted a hand to flag down the bartender, because the lady was going to need a drink. Two, if she wanted to catch up. And then she asked how he was doing, and York paused for a moment, trying to think how to describe it. “I’ve been struggling with some strange Dreams.” He said.
“Same ones that gave you a lighter and me a scar?” she asked nodding to the bartender for another once he’d poured the first, Shaw was never to be outdone after all. “So what’s been happening in yours? Because all mines given me lately is sexual tension”
“One and the same,” York replied. Then he gave a laugh. “Sexual tension? Seriously? I’m sorry to hear that. Mine’s just… one headache after another. It’s this crazy, science-fiction like world with artificial intelligence chips being inserted into my squad mates’ heads and blaster guns and all sorts of weird shit.”
“I have artificial intelligence in mine too but no brain chips, just a machine who gives us people to save” Shaw said, “And a woman who really knows her way around a zip tie” she grinned before saying more seriously, “I hope your head remains solely yours”
“Me, too,” York said, giving her what he could muster of a smile. “But I think you’re gonna have to explain the machine that gives you people to save bit. Because that went right over my head.”
Shaw smirked, before explaining, “So this guy Harold built a machine which was supposed to just detect acts of terror but it ended up seeing all violent crime. I used to work for the people who stopped the terror acts but after they tried to kill me I now work with Harold and his team and we go after the people who are the victims or perpetrators of the other crimes. The numbers deemed irrelevant because they involve everyday people instead of terrorists”
“Huh.” York had seen that movie… what was it called? Minority Report? Which had something to do with Total Recall… which had something to do with that Philip K Dick story We can Remember it for You Wholesale... (Okay, so after doing some Dreaming, York had started researching into science fiction. Could you blame him?) So this wasn’t completely out of his realm of understanding.
“They tried to kill you? Why? And how’d you start working with them instead?” He asked, interested in the conversation maybe a little more than he thought he’d be.
Shaw had to admit it was surprising that York was so interested but she didn’t mind talking about her dreams, they were pretty cool. “My partner was getting a bit too interested in where our orders were coming from and my bosses value secrecy” she shrugged, “Harold and his team faked my death for me and I was kind of made for that kind of work so I went back to help them”
“So, you’re in some kind of witness protection or something?” He asked, wondering how that all worked. It wasn’t really his business, but it was easier to think about her Dreams than it was to think about his own.
“Not exactly. It’s more like they do the same job I did but for everybody not just the terrorist activity the machine detects. I’m just helping them out” Shaw shrugged, it wasn’t easy to explain why but it gave her something to do at least.
“Well, here’s to saving people?” York said, lifting his glass in a toast. His good eye sparkled a little. “And having a drink with friends.”
Shaw clinked her glass to his, “Drinks with friends” she amended with a grin as she emptied her glass and called for a refill.
York did the same grinning softly as the alcohol burned its way down into his stomach. Then he leaned against the bar. For a long time he just sat in comfortable silence, sipping the next drink to arrive instead of gulping the whole thing down. He was glad he was getting a little drunk. Drunk was a good feeling tonight.
Drunk was mostly always a good feeling in Shaw’s book, even more so when crappy dreams were involved. “So you wanna get out of here and take your mind off things another way?” she asked with a slight smile as she sipped her drink.
Pssh. As if she had to ask. York broke into a super big grin, then downed the last of his drink in one gulp. He set the glass down on the counter and turned his full attention to her. “Your place or mine?”
Shaw let a smile spread over her face, “Seems a shame not to put that new bed of yours to good use” she replied with a wink.
York simply chuckled as he pulled away from the bar. “I’m really looking forward to breaking it in.” He’d have to change the sheets tomorrow morning, but it’d absolutely be worth it. Because York was a grown-up. And he liked having clean sheets. And hey, his apartment had a washer and dryer in the closet. So he could do that if he wanted to. One of the perks of growing up.
“Oh believe me so am I” Shaw said, “We need to make sure it stands up to a good workout after all” she told him with a grin.