Re: Sam/Sean
Sean sighed. "When I was five, maybe. But, what about when I was ten? Or fifteen? It's just...I spent a really long time thinking I was a disappointment to you when I didn't have to, when I would have understood better the reasons if they'd been explained in a little more detail. And, it's going to take a while to stop feeling that way after so many years, no matter the reasons for it. It just is." Putting his arm around his Dad's waist for a moment, he hugged back. He'd never stopped wanting his dad there. He just had stopped believing it would ever happen. "What sucks is that we had to end up here for that shoulder to finally be available.
"I don't really see you as any of those things, though." Sean chuckled. "An art critic and an architect? Your eyes used to glaze over any time I suggested leaving the planes at the museum and looking at the paintings when you did visit."
He raised an eyebrow. "You do know I've no real idea what a 'typical CIA operative' is, right? Whatever. I get the difference, you know. This isn't school. But, some things aren't that different, either. It's not bad to see the similarities." It helped him not feel quiet so fish-out-of-water-like to see those areas where he did have some comparable experience. Sean hated feeling like he was the weak link in all this, even if he knew he was simply because he'd never wanted to fight or do the work his father and sister did. But, he filed away his Dad's assessment of everyone for later reference. He wanted to make up his own mind about the people he was working with, uncolored by his dad's perceptions.
"Yes, it was," he insisted calmly. "You may not like the question, or the reasons for it. But, it was a legitimate one." Sean was more interested in listening to his dad talk about his partner, though. As he got more settled into something like a place in this crazy world, it was easier to notice things like the way his dad always smiled when talking about G -- harder to ignore Sean's own suspicions, though he was still trying, still not ready. And, yet, he couldn't help asking questions to test his own perceptions. "He'll have our best interest at heart because he's a nice guy? Or, because we're your kids?"