InsaneJournal

Who: Agent York & Agent Carolina
When: Recently
Where: The boardwalk
What: Working on their friendship
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete


Looking out at the people lounging and strolling about on the beach, Carolina could understand why James had called the place “soft”. In truth, she had not paid much attention to the civies after her first few months here and considering the insanity continuously plagued the county, it was hard to imagine anyone on the network fitting that term. Certainly not her boss, especially with all of that space wizardry she wielded of which the former CO was definitely jealous. The few people that she had befriended outside of the network were almost all former military, which only added to the idea that someone like her would never end up someplace soft. Then again, she could never have imagined herself voluntarily staying in one place for anyone, even if he was her brother. Maybe James was right. Maybe I am getting soft.

Leaning against the low wall of the boardwalk, Carolina shifted her weight and scowled as she was reminded that she had nearly left the apartment wearing sandals. Sandals. Even if they were perfectly sturdy sandals that she could and had run in before, they would have screamed that she had indeed melded into the civilian life. The last thing she needed was to give James any more fodder than he already had. Especially not after a day of sitting at her desk doing paperwork.

Still, it was summer and the sun was still hours from setting even after the end of the workday, so she had invited James out to kind of show him around a bit. Let him get a better feel for the place and perhaps figure out some sort of hobby or job to get him roped into. There were people who would do the same at the V.A., but with the number of returning veterans flooding the job counselors there, Carolina figured it would be easier if she imparted what little she had managed to figure out while James waited his turn for a bottle of water and motrin. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn’t, but she owed it to him as his CO to try and help where she could.

Carolina would be highly amused when she saw James wandering up. He was wearing sandals. The kind that lesser men might wear with socks, but James wasn't that far gone. He had on board shorts and a tank top that he refused to call a “wife beater.” What the hell was up with that name, anyway? A well raised man like James would never.

He was smiling. His scars shone a bit around the left side of his sunglasses. Though he'd put on sunblock, there wasn't a hint of white left on his skin. “Hey, Carolina,” he said, hands slipped nonchalantly in his pockets.

Damn him. Carolina was indeed highly amused at York's choice of dress. She should not have let what he said get to her that much. This would just be another lesson she needed to learn when dealing with her the person her XO had become. She was not overdressed in her faded jeans and loose white top, but she still should've seen it coming. “Hey, James. I see you've already gone native.”

“When in Rome,” James teased. He lifted his arms to greet her with a hug. This was a new start for them. She wasn't his superior officer, he wasn't her subordinate. They were two people who had been through a lot together, and he hoped they could be friends. “How are you?”

Carolina blinked at his arms, almost confused at the gesture before she returned the hug, hoping it was not as awkward as she felt. She didn’t hug people. She wasn’t a hugging person. She was more likely to draw a gun on someone than hug them. Once upon a time, she might have had the makings of one, back in high school or the Academy, but certainly not now. He smells like sunscreen.

“I’m… good.” Carolina was no longer his CO, but at the same time she could not let herself give up that relationship entirely. It was familiar ground for the moment, and until they managed to find a friendship outside of the field or bedroom, she suspected it would probably stay that way. “Glad to be out of the office. How’ve you been?”

“It’s hard for me to imagine you behind a desk,” James said, giving a little chuckle as he pulled back out of the hug. His smile never faltered, though he could tell she felt tense. When they worked together, after she ended their sexual relationship, they didn’t touch. Not unless absolutely necessary. James was a fairly touchy feely kind of guy, so it came naturally to him to hug a friend. That’s what she was, right? ...right?

“I’m glad you dragged me out. Got me out of babysitting this afternoon,” he kidded. Actually, he felt like he’d been a burden on his brother and sister-in-law. He was glad to give the young family some alone time. “Where are we headed?”

“My boss likes to give me the boring stuff she doesn’t want to do.” For the most part, Carolina did not mind the paperwork. Especially when she could take her breaks at the range firing alien technology. She tried not to feel relieved when he pulled back; that would be disrespectful. Green eyes widened a hair. Oh God, was that how he was going to greet her from now on? She quashed the panic before it could get too far. Talk about awkward; Wash was going to have a field day if he saw it.

Carolina cleared her throat, forcing herself to maintain eye contact. “There’s a great seafood place a few miles down the beach. I figure we could head there and see what we can come up with on the way?” She knew he probably had a few questions about the network, but she was going to try and keep things simple enough and hopefully focused on him. Her lips quirked in a lopsided smile. “I admit, I half expected you to bring your nephew along.”

“That’s what bosses are for, aren’t they?” James asked, raising a scarred eyebrow over his sunglasses. He was grinning, though, teasing. Because at one point in their careers, she was his boss. He noticed the strange look on her face for just half a second--that split second of eyes widening that almost everyone else on the planet would have missed. James--York--thought he knew her a little better than that. At least, he had at one point. Even if it felt like a lifetime ago. But he let it slide.

“That’s as good a plan as any,” he replied, then motioned with his hand for her to lead the way. “Nah, he needs some mom and dad time.” It was easy to fall into step beside Carolina. After years of sleeping together and working together, they moved together like a well oiled machine without conscious thought.

“That they are. It's a shame I don't have any bright and shiny Sargeants to pass things off to anymore.” Carolina teased right back. He knew her too well, and she had a feeling he had seen right through her. They had been almost polar opposites in the handling of the squad, but that had been part of why they had worked so well. His easygoing nature had complemented her strict and demanding orders, the carrot to her stick. At least, until she - they - had fallen apart. My fault. She slid her sunglasses out of her hair and put them on. James didn't need to see that particular admission on her face.

“I'm sure they're glad to have a sitter on call.” Leading the way down the boardwalk, Carolina slowly began to relax. Walking like this, with him, was bordering on nostalgia. She hoped that meant that there was still hope of recovering the friendship they had once had, even if it would be different outside of a working relationship. The fact of the matter was that even if her dream self could not forgive him leaving with Tex, the Carolina in Orange County still trusted him to guard her back if and when things went to shit. “So, what does your brother do for a living?” Family sometimes went into the same fields, right? Maybe that would be a good starting point.

James chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder if they're taking advantage of me.” He paused for a split second. “Or am I taking advantage of them?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I'm surprised I never mentioned it before. He's a lawyer. And my sister in law is a legal clerk. They're both ridiculously smart and work a lot.”

“I think taking advantage of one another is part of what family is about.” Carolina was no expert on family, but it felt right. All she had to go on were a few months and a decade of leading a tight-knit squad. “You might've, but I don't think family came up all that often.” She certainly did not care to mention anything surrounding her own father. James might find out why sooner rather than later if he ended up Dreaming. Not that the Director was entirely the same, but there was enough similarity between the two that she had no trouble believing her father would have made the same choices if they had been given to him.

Church family drama aside, she could not see James being anything but bored by the legal profession. In fact, given his job in the Marines, he was more likely to be better at breaking the law than enforcing it. Carolina blinked, glancing at him out of the corner of her sunglasses. There was an idea. “What about you? Found anything interesting yet?”

“You have a point,” James said, giving her a little grin. He took as much advantage of his brother and sister in law as they took of him. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. “Ah. Well, he’s a great guy. He still treats me like a little brother, though, even after all these years.”

At that question, James went pensive. His hands slipped back into his pockets and he scuffed his toes along the boardwalk as they trodded along. “No.” He said softly. “It’s only been a few weeks, though. I’m sure something will come along.” Funny how the man who was so confident in every other aspect of his life sounded so unsure in that moment.

“I doubt that will ever change.” Carolina said wryly. It certainly would not with her. “Especially considering you're the baby of the family.” She remembered that, although it would probably have been just as obvious considering his humor and antics. It was part of his charm.

It was difficult to not clasp her hands behind her as they walked. Even with a low ponytail and civvie clothes, that would be a bit too much like the old days. “What about something in the same field? You're still the best damn specialist I know. Hell, I could've used your help with-” Carolina paused, clearing her throat. A fine time for old habits to come back. She had rarely kept anything from her XO, but the Vegas job was not hers to tell. “With the last bout of insanity this place decided to dish out.”

“Right, the insanity.” James said, nodding once. Twice. Then he glanced over at her behind his shades, taking in her profile, her ponytail, the way she held her shoulders and her pace. It was as if time hadn’t passed at all. He missed it. He missed the good old days.

“You’ll have to let me know if something comes up where you think my talents might be put to use. I mean, I've only just arrived, you’ve been here long enough to make connections.”

“You seem to be taking it well.” Carolina remarked, shooting him another glance. At least York had managed to keep his own body for his first event in the damn place. Then again, he probably would have enjoyed getting stuck in a woman’s body. Now, if she had been stuck in York’s body instead, that would have been a completely different- Stop. Thinking.

“I’m not sure how many connections I have. I’ve only been here a few months myself.” She shrugged. “But if you need a reference or help breaking in for an interview, let me know.” Carolina gave him a playful smirk.

“Hey, you know me. Nonchalance is my middle name.” James’s smile was chill. He had his eyes ahead of him on the pier that was becoming larger as they moved closer. “That’s a few months more than I’ve got under my belt,” he said, though not unkindly. “But I’ll keep you posted. If I end up finding anything out there, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“If anything opens up, you’ll be the first to know.” Carolina promised. Even something temporary to get him out of the house might help, if only to get the man thinking about what he wanted to do. She turned her head slightly, glancing up and down York’s figure with an assessing eye. It was difficult to tell, but it did not look like he had gotten too far out of shape. He would need to be in pretty damn good shape to keep up with the crap of this place. “So, you still keeping up on your PT?”

“You checking up on me?” James said, turning to glance over at her. He wasn’t sure about the way she was checking him out. Appraising him. As if she was judging whether or not… what? If he was keeping up on his PT? He didn’t like the way it made him feel, but he did his best to cover it with a grin and a shrug of his shoulders. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Carolina. I’m all right.”

Carolina gave him a look, the tilt of her head speaking for what was covered by her eyes. “I meant your training, roadwork and the like, not whatever the V.A. gave you to do.” All that talk about going soft...was he worried that’s what he was doing? The idea did not sit well with her one bit.

“Like I said, you don't have to worry about me, You're not my mother,” he teased, giving her a little smirk. “Really, though. I'm okay. Things are rough right now, but they're not gonna be forever. And I'm still me. It's not like I'm gonna give up and eat bon bons all day.”

“I’m not even allowed to worry about you?” Carolina whispered under her breath, frustrated. Her hands slipped into the pockets of her jeans so that they would not run through her hair and give her away. Out loud, she said,“You’d better not be giving up, Marine. You’re going to need to be in top shape if you’re going to fight aliens and other science fiction bad guys out here.” She nudged him with her elbow, her tone more teasing than serious. “Wash and I usually go running in the morning. You’re welcome to try and keep up.”

“Just text me with the when and where, and I’ll be there.” James replied. He was serious about it, too. He needed to keep up with his training, even if his depth perception was pretty much nonexistent now. He could run. He could fight. (Mostly.) He couldn’t shoot as well as before the accident, but many of his other skills were still there. “And I will absolutely keep up. I’m not as far gone as you might think.”

For the first time in a while, Carolina’s smile was pleased. If he was fighting back, there was hope for them yet. “Says the man wearing sandals.” Looking out at the beach, she watched the people laugh and go about their various activities. Her eyes lingered a bit on a game of beach volleyball. She always wanted to try that particular sport but had never lived close to a non-rocky beach before. Afghanistan had been close, but that had been all sand, no beach.

“And socks,” James reminded her. Grinning. He let his eyes follow her gaze toward the folk on the beach playing games. It looked nice. It must have been nice to just… romp around on the warm, soft sand, and play games with friends. He hadn’t done anything like that in… years, maybe. At least, without being on call. Being able to drop things and run to battle at any second.

“The socks are very important.” James said, then gave her arm a nudge with his elbow.

Carolina’s smile widened and she returned the nudge to his side. “The socks just mean your feet are too soft for real sandals.” Like her heeled sandals. Those had sturdy straps and worked wonderfully as a mildly sharp weapon in a pinch. She never wore socks with those. Her eyes passed back to the volleyball court. Hm. What would it take to convince someone to risk sunburns long enough to join a tournament with her? Or even for a few hours on the weekend. It looked fun. Maybe she could drag Wash to the beach instead of the gym. Think about it later, Church. She reminded herself, pulling her gaze back forward.

“Uh huh. It also means they don’t get cold when the sea breeze picks up. My masculinity can handle it.” James replied, breaking into a warm smile. Playful smile. It reached his eyes, though only one of them lit up--the other remained blank and white behind his sunglasses.

“Where are we headed?” He asked. “You’re not getting hungry, are you?” He hadn’t eaten before he arrived. Now he was feeling peckish. After the accident it’d taken him a couple of weeks to get his appetite back. Thankfully, he didn’t have that problem anymore.

“It also means you’ll have cold and soggy feet if the tide picks up.” Carolina gave him a flat look, but her voice was smiling. Her boots would not have that problem. If he had been boasting instead of playful, she would have made sure their path took them into the surf to prove her point. Okay, maybe she was a bit bitter about the Sandals Incident. It was time to get over it. Later.

“The Boathouse.” She pointed to a structure in the distance that looked to be on its own island across a bridge. “One of the best seafood places in town.” Plus, it was easy to access from the pier. Carolina had only had light snacks throughout the day, so a hearty meal and a good cocktail sounded like the perfect solution.

“Which is why I’ll stay on the sidewalk.” James said, turning to grin at her. “Or I can take off my socks. Either or.” He shrugged softly. “Ain’t no thang.” James was making a mental note that he was going to have to get a new pair of sandals. Flip flops? That’d do. He was being soft and lazy, so he needed shoes to match.

“All right. Looking forward to some fish and chips?” James asked, smirking. “And an ice cold beer?”

“Keep telling yourself that.” She teased right back. It was good to joke with him again. It was easy, natural, as if he had never left. It was too good to last, but for the moment she was ready to forget their issues. They would have to confront them eventually, but not today. Today she wanted to see if they could be friends as civilians.

“Oysters and a bloody mary.” Carolina added. If they were lucky, it would still be happy hour when they arrived.

“You know what they say about oysters, right?” James asked, raising an eyebrow behind his shades. He was grinning, teasing. It felt good to be with her like this again, though… there was that longing. That longing would probably always be there in the back of his mind. But if they could make this work, then he’d have a friend he cared about deeply. And he needed more friends.

The restaurant wasn’t far off now. (At least, he thought. With his limited depth perception sometimes it was hard to tell.) They’d be there soon. James wasn’t in a rush, but having a destination really helped.

“What do they say about oysters?” Carolina replied dryly. She knew very well what he was talking about, but there was no way she was going to admit that when he was giving her that grin. Even if they did manage to become friends again, she knew that was all they could ever be. Sex with an ex-boyfriend was complicated enough, but with their additional history, both in real life as well as in the Dreams, adding benefits to their friendship simply wouldn’t work. York wasn’t that kind of guy, and Carolina didn’t do relationships. God, she really needed that drink before she started thinking too much again.

Carolina hoped tonight would be different. That the two of them might be able to find some sort of middle ground in the awkwardness that surrounded them. There were very few people she trusted to have her back when the shit hit the fan and in Orange County, that was guaranteed to happen sooner rather than later. She trusted the man implicitly with her life, even if she wouldn’t trust him with her heart. And therein lies the rub. Hopefully that would be enough. It had to be. She didn’t want to lose him a third time.