carsgovroom

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Um perhaps he can roam around but he never feels quite right unless he is near her? So he can go and so his own things but always has a reason to go back to her. I like the idea that he can go places he's already been on his own and can go anywhere else as long as he's with Laurel.

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Laurel hated to cry in front of other people. At least other people who didn't really know her as anything beyond an authority figure. In fact that one person she actually felt comfortable crying in front of was her father, who always seemed to know what to say and who gave really good hugs. And he certainly wasn't here right now. She had gotten very good at concealing herself behind the neutral FBI mask she normally wore, but right now she was struggling not to break. Virginia's words cut into her like a sword and man was she good at it. She had to be a lawyer goddammit. Eric attempted to get in a word to defend her, but the woman expertly shot him down as well without a moment's hesitation before going right back to verbally shredding her.

Don't break, Laurel kept repeating to herself as she stood there and took the abuse. She could feel her stomach writhing, every inch of her body was almost twitching as she fought back her despair. Don't break. Do not break. If Virginia caught even one sign of weakness she would pounce on it and flay her.

A security guard appeared, and Laurel felt a moment's reprieve before a brand new voice rang out and a man she couldn't but hate on sight swaggered in. And unfortunately he seemed to be on good terms with Virginia. Which meant he had to be close to her victim. His eyes fixed upon her, narrowing to slits as she was introduced to him, and Laurel's eyes suddenly went steely as she stared him down.

She might be powerless against a lawyer but she could play this guy's game. She'd been doing it for a long time.

The lawyer girlfriend spoke up again and Laurel forced herself to look away from the man, Derek, as Virginia listed her terms and threats. So, not just a lawyer. A Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher lawyer. If there was a God he must have hated her. Meanwhile Derek threw in his own threat and Laurel looked back over at him, her green eyes going hard as soon as she looked at him. He wanted to scare her, making her promises to make her life hell unless she resigned, but she'd met guys like him before. She wasn't scared of him. Virginia was the scary one. Her threats actually had a shot at absolutely destroying her.

The pair of them stalked off, pushing through the two agents as they did so. One of them forcefully knocked into Laurel's shoulder, making her stumble for a moment before she was able to catch her balance again. She watched them moving off down the hall for a moment before turning away and feeling the horrible burden crashing down on her once again.

"Laurel," Eric's hand gently touched her shoulder and his voice was calm and soothing. "Everything's going to be al..."

"Don't," Laurel said, pulling out of his reach and turning around to gaze at him. Her face was pale and her finger trembled slightly. "Eric, don't you dare tell me everything's going to be alright. It's not."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do." Laurel shook her head as she tried and failed to push her bangs out of her eyes. "I do know that, in fact. They're not going to go away or give up."

"No, Laurel, don't listen to them..." Eric's words were cut off once again by Laurel's humorless laugh.

"Eric, they're right. They're right about me!"

"No they're not. It was an accident. You tried to save him."

"That doesn't matter! It doesn't matter what I tried to do, it matters what I did do. And what I did do was shoot a civilian in the head!" She turned away from her partner, rubbing her arms in a nervous sort of way. "They're exactly right about me."

"Is this about what that guy said?" Eric's voice was serious now. "Laurel, don't be afraid of that guy, he's just..."

"I'm not afraid of that guy, Eric," Laurel said in a firm tone as she looked back at him, eyes flashing. "That clown doesn't scare me. But she does." Her eyes flickered away from Eric, gazing into space. "If I don't play by her rules she will eat me alive in court and leave whatever's left for the vultures. She's Gibson Dunn, Eric. They're the best of the best. And the most ruthless...I can't win a legal battle like that, and I can't afford one, either."

"You're tough. You might have a chance." Eric reached out and gripped her shoulder again. He wasn't giving up on her. That's one of the things Laurel loved about him. She didn't pull away from his grip this time, and she looked up at him.

"My only chance is if he wakes up. Then things might get marginally better for me. But...there's no guarantee that he's going to be alright even if he does wake up.He took a shot to the head and he's in a coma. People don't just bounce back from things like that. The damage could be permanent. He might not even be the same person if he wakes up." Eric could not think of a time he had seen his partner look this helpless and lost and afraid. She looked at him in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "I probably destroyed my life when I took that shot, but the worst part is that I destroyed someone else's life, too. If he dies in there...it's because I murdered him. I will lose my career. I might go to prison. And I will deserve everything."

Eric couldn't say anything, no matter how much he wanted to. Nothing he could say would help her. Instead he just pulled her into an embrace. Laurel didn't fight him, it felt too good after everything that had happened. She realized she was in an even bigger risk of breaking down into sobs as her partner hugged her. Then a distraction arrived.

"Laurel!"

She pulled back at the sound of the familiar, unexpected voice. She looked up at Eric, eyes wide. "What's he doing here?" she asked, barely able to whisper.

"Thought you might need another friend," came the reply.

He couldn't see her like this. Not when she was teetering on an edge, almost ready to hit rock bottom. She was ready to be mad as hell. But when she turned and saw Ben walking down the hall, his chocolate eyes searching until they found her and filled instantly with care and worry, she wasn't able to. He hadn't even had time to change out of his white chef's uniform. She'd never felt so happy to see him and realized that she really did need him right now. Eric let her go and she rushed down the hall into Ben's open embrace, almost melting into him as his arms wrapped securely around her. Ben's lips pressed against her forehead and she closed her eyes before the tears had a chance to fall.

"You alright?" he whispered and she gave a noncommittal gesture in response. "Eric called so I could drive you home."

Before she had a chance to protest Eric spoke. "Go home, Laurel. I'll call you in the morning with news. Hopefully I'll have some info from the bosses by then."

Maybe she was too tired for this fight, so Laurel nodded. She looked back at Ben. "Give me a sec with Eric?" He nodded and they shared a quick peck before he took a few steps back down the hall. "Have you called my parents yet?" Laurel asked Eric quietly.

He shook his head. "Want me to?"

"No," Laurel answered in an unhappy tone. "It should come from me." She looked back up at Eric and nodded before turning away to join Ben. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she pressed against him as they made their way to the hospital exit.

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Yeep sorry. I'll edit it after work.

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Eric didn't try to talk with her, and honestly that was fine. They sat there in silence for a long while and she didn't care that it was awkward. There was a brief moment when Laurel had felt as though someone was watching her. It was that sensation when goosebumps rose on her arms and her hair seemed to stand on end. She straightened in her seat and glanced around, her green eyes wary. She thought she caught a glimpse a face looking at her from behind a crowd of nurses bustling through the hall, but when she looked closer she saw nothing, except maybe someone disappearing around a corner. Under any other circumstances she would have done something, but Laurel could barely get herself to move a muscle.

That is until she heard a cracking, accusing voice addressing her and she looked up to see a woman gazing at her with wide eyes. She would have been lovely and professional looking if she didn't look utterly crazed, and Laurel felt herself wanted to flinch away from the woman's eyes.

"Was it you? Did you shoot Jamie? Did you!?"

Jamie. So that was his name. In critical condition because of her and she hadn't even known his name. Laurel looked back at the woman, unable to speak but her guilt showing on her face as clear as day. The woman let out a wordless noise, a choked shriek that conveyed pain and anger in the most horrible way. Laurel actually did flinch this time and was suddenly aware that the woman had launched herself at her.

She may have been angry and grieving and totally determined to tear Laurel's throat out, but Eric was faster and stronger. He stood swiftly and caught the woman before he could touch his friend, pulling her across the waiting room, away from where Laurel sat stunned. The woman trashed, yelling wordlessly and fighting to keep Laurel in her furious gaze. Eric remained calm as he restrained her and he spoke steadily until she was able to hear him. "Ma'am, I know that this is difficult, but you need to calm down or you will be removed."

The woman looked at him, angry and incredulous, but then seemed to take a moment to consider his words and maybe even her loved one and being able to see him. That seemed to force herself to take control and calm herself down again. It was only when Eric was certain that she would not lunge for Laurel again that he finally released her. The woman straightened her jacket and smoothed her hair, looking composed and professional again, but her hazel eyes still fixed themselves upon Laurel with a cold fury that unnerved her.

Eric was then able to ask some questions that the woman answered with forced politeness, and Laurel only caught snippets. That her name was Virginia Thompson, she was James Weller's girlfriend, that he was the event planner that had organized and thrown the party at the house, which explained why he had been there. Virginia then looked back at Laurel, who was still sitting in the chair.

"What. The Hell. Happened exactly. To my boyfriend." Her words were clipped and Laurel was willing to bet that she was a lawyer or in the law profession. Great. Exactly what she needed was an angry lawyer.

Eric started to answer, but Laurel managed to find her voice before he had a chance. "There was a robbery taking place in Samuel Ingrahm's home at the time of the party."

"Laurel...," Eric started to say but she ignored him.

"Mr. Weller must have walked in on the thief in the middle of stealing a sapphire necklace from the study. I arrived and found that he had been taken hostage. The thief was using him as a sort of shield so I wouldn't shoot him. There was a struggle of sorts and the thief got distracted and I thought I had an open shot. But I grazed Mr. Weller instead." Laurel had manged to maintain a calm tone throughout this speech and she finally stood, looking at Virginia squarely. "It was an accident, but I take full responsibility for what happened to Mr. Weller."

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Nah that's totally fine. I'll work with it. ;)

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Until her FBI buds help bail her out. I was also thinking that maybe she has to take time off of work while under investigation and is assigned a therapist and when she comes back starts seeing his ghost. We can time skip of course.

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Wasn't sure where to end my last post, so hopefully it's okay? I was thinking maybe she has a confrontation with his friends and girlfriend at the hospital?

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

Laurel couldn't remember a time where she had felt more helpless. There she was standing her ground with her gun in her hand and she couldn't take the shot. The guy was being too careful to keep the hostage between them at all times, careful to never give her an opening to line up a shot and take it. It was too messy, there were too many opportunities for something to go wrong and it would be the civilian on the ground instead of the criminal. Laurel would not let that happen. She could not let that happen. She shifted her feet uneasily, gritting her teeth as she glared spitefully at the thief as he and the hostage bent down so he could grab the jeweled necklace he had stashed there the last time. Then the two of them were up and edging for the exit. Laurel followed them, her gun still steadily pointed at them as she frantically looked for the clear shot that was never coming.

"You think you'll get away?" she asked, her voice hoarse and suppressing anger. "Even if you make it out that door you'll never make it outside. And if you do anything to your hostage you won't even make it out to the hall. Is the necklace really worth that much to you?" Laurel didn't think she'd be able to change his mind, but maybe she'd distract him enough that he'd give her an opening.

A giggle distracted her and her eyes flickered from the thief to the hostage. He was panicking understandably. He was high class, Laurel could tell just by looking at him, and she was willing to bet all of the paychecks for the next year that he had never been in a situation where his life was on the line before. "Hey," she said, talking to the blond man now, Her voice still rang with authority but it was softer, more calming. "It's gonna be alright. You're gonna be fine." She hoped she was telling the truth. The thief was nearly upon the door now and she braced herself. When he lunged for it it would be her only chance, her only possibility of an opening...

Then Special Agent Eric Morrison appeared in the doorway and the thief's only escape route. The man roared in anger as he was blocked off and his gun swung away from the hostage's head to point at Eric. And for the first time since she'd entered the room Laurel had her shot. She didn't hesitate. Her finger pulled the trigger.

Just as the hostage lunged away from his captor and into her bullet's path.

Laurel felt as though she was watching it happen in slow motion. Her heart nearly stopped, her mouth fell open in horror, and the bullet clipped the man's head, grazing the side of it. He collapsed to the floor and the next instant she heard another gunshot and saw the figure of the thief fall to the floor as well, crying out about the bullet Eric had put in his shoulder. Laurel didn't give a shit about him though.

She was on her knees next to the wounded hostage before she realized she had moved across the room. The wound in his head was bad, it was leaking all over the carpet and matting his blond hair, and she ripped the scarf from around her neck (her favorite scarf she would later remember) to held it against the graze. Dimly she could hear panic from downstairs, the fancy party guests who had heard the gunshots, but she didn't care about it. "Ralph, we've got a civilian down," she half yelled, unable to fully retain her composure, "Repeat we've got a civilian down! We need an ambulance now!" She reach for his neck, searching for a pulse and found one, but it was weak. "Hey, stay with me." It was a bit of a fruitless effort. He was completely unconscious.

When the ambulance arrived Laurel had angrily rejected the shock blanket they had offered her and insisted she ride with the man to the hospital. They weren't able to argue with her and so she had climbed into the back and sat beside the man on the stretcher. At the hospital she was ushered to a waiting area where she sat for what seemed like hours, but maybe it hadn't actually been that long. She only looked up when a cup of coffee was handed to her and Eric slipped into the chair beside her. It was silent for a few moments before she spoke.

"I've fired a gun before. Started when I was a kid with my dad firing a BB gun at empty soup cans. I've even shot people before, but they were criminals. They weren't...I've never...they were never civilians." She glanced over at him. "How is he?"

Eric looked as though he was considering the best words to use before finally coming out and saying it. "The doctors don't know." Laurel turned away and took a sip of horrible hospital coffee. "It'll...be okay, Laurel." He didn't sound all that certain.

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

"Sorry Ma'am, but no one gets in without an invitation."

"How's this for an invitation?" She masked her annoyance with a casual tone as she pulled the badge from her jacket pocket and flipped it open so the shield and id card were visible to the attendant. "Special Agent Laurel Shaw. FBI. White-Collar." The attendant squinted at the picture on the little card and looked up at her again. She shrugged. "Bad haircut."

"What's this about?" he asked her and she bit her lip to stop herself from saying something smart.

"Mr. Ingrahm's stolen jewels? I'm sure you've heard about them. Look, I've been here before. He knows me, the butler knows me, if I could just..." And speak of the devil the butler and head of staff materialized out of no where and simultaneously ushered her inside while giving the nosy attendant the evil eye. Laurel took a moment to look back at the van parked across the street and made a face, and she heard a chuckle from the earpiece she was wearing as she stepped inside. She polite refused the butler's offer to take her coat and took a glance around the room. The house was a buzz, filled with LA's elite in their best dress, sipping from fancy glasses and eating finger foods she couldn't even recognize. She didn't see any chips and guac and honestly was it even really a party without chips and guac?

"Quite the swaray," Laurel said instead.

"Yes it is. A very important one, as well. Shall I inform Mr. Ingrahm that your here, Agent Shaw?" Jonathan the butler asked in his politest tone.

"Not necessary. Don't want to interrupt his evening. I'm just here to get another look upstairs. See if we missed anything." Laurel smiled and Jonathan nodded, accepting the answer and moved away to attend to the higher class guests. She didn't want to worry Samuel Ingrahm that the thief who had broken into his modest home and taken his fine jewels might not have actually completed the job. Or that the thief in question may have infiltrated the home again while everyone was occupied by the party to finish what he started. If the thief was here then he had to keep thinking that everything was still going according to his plan and that no one suspected a thing. Until he got the surprise of his life.

Laurel glanced around again, taking in the fine clothing and felt very under dressed. She knew that no one really pulled off FBI slacks but this was outrageous. She moved through the hall and around the small groups of guests as she made her way to the stairs. "Anything on the bugs, Ralph?"

"Quiet as a mouse. If he's here he's good." Ralph Rosen said through the earpiece.

"I'm checking it out now," she replied as she finally reached the stairs. She tried not to look too out of place despite her clothing, looking at the art and decor of the house with an admiring eye. It wasn't all an act. Samuel Ingrahm truly had some beautiful pieces. Everything was quiet for a few moments as she made her way upstairs when suddenly Ralph's voice filled her ear again. "Laurel, I've got something. Voices from the study, a struggle I think. Someone walked in on him..."

Laurel had her gun in her hand in an instant. "Eric get in here," she said urgently as she picked up the pace, taking the stairs two at a time as rushed to the study. She came in through a door that revealed the thief standing directly across from her. And he wasn't alone. A blonde man was between them, held firmly by the thief with a gun held against his head.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

She felt her stomach drop and she forced herself to remain calm. "FBI," Laurel said her voice ringing with authority as she held her gun with a steady hand. "Drop the gun and get down on the ground. Now."

Fade into the Moment (Jiskastya x carsgovroom)

I was actually taking a shower ha. I'm going out in a bit, but I don't mind who starts. If you feel inspired go right on ahead~