trigger_man | (no subject)

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Jack's been keeping an eye on Beckett, and he's starting to have to admit to himself that it's not just out of ordinary human concern. He's worried about her, particularly considering the hallucinations she'd had. Which means that he's started to see her as more than an acquaintance. Maybe not quite a friend, yet, but more than just someone whose name he knows.

He's not sure how he feels about this. He doesn't want to get close to anyone; getting close means getting hurt eventually. And it's not himself getting hurt that he's really worried about.

But even with those misgivings he can't not head up to Beckett's room, carrying a tray from Bar with the kinds of things she needs, or should have. Chicken soup, orange juice, ginger ale, kleenex; it might have been Bar's idea, but Jack had been intending to get a few things anyway.

He shifts the tray to one hand so he can knock on the door. He has her key, of course, but he can't be sure she isn't taking a bath to try and cool off or that she wants the company.

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It was hard for Beckett, too.

"Apparently they'd run into trouble with another patron here. I'm pretty sure Bar's security team wound up handling things, but they decided to take a break from this place, which was probably the best thing to do for a while."

"Probably, and not just for their safety, really. Sounds like they could use a break."

"It was the right thing to do," Beckett agrees, the words feeling strange as she says them.

Though it'd been hard, when Kate had told her they'd be leaving. It's easier, though, having Jack here now to talk to about all of it. Maybe because he gets it in a way that Castle probably wouldn't.

"I'm guessing it's a temporary thing, though? They've got to come back here to get back home, right?"

"Right. They're staying in a world different from either of their own, so they sort of have to."

Beckett looks down at the juice.

"I think Security's just going to have to keep their grip a little tighter for now."

"As tight as they can. I know they have cells in the security office," he says, trying not to think about it or the memories just thinking about the cells brings up, "but no one's mentioned any kind of long-term provisions for this kind of thing."

"I've heard of people being banned from the Bar," Beckett tells him, "but I don't know if that involves the same kind of magic that brings people here, or what."

She shrugs briefly.

"I won't deny that I'm still worried about their safety."

"You think they might still be in danger when they come back, even with a cooling-off period? What are your friends' names? I'm not in the bar that much, but I can keep an ear out when I'm down there."

"They're, uh - Kate Warner. Kate Warner and Bill Pardy."

Beckett smiles for a moment.

"And if you run into Bill, there's a small visual on what Castle looks like. The two of them could be twins, almost."

Jack blinks.

"Did you say Kate Warner?" he asks.

No way. It's got to be a coincidence. There must be thousands of Kate Warners amongst the different universes that come into the bar.

"Yeah."

Cue headtilt.

"Do you know her?"

Come to think of it, she's not sure she's met anyone from Kate's world - and Bill's from a different one entirely.

"I knew someone named Kate Warner, years ago. Do you know when and where she's from? What she does in her world?"

Jack has a bad feeling about this. He and Kate had broken up amicably enough, if awkwardly. Mainly because of him. Hard to break up with someone because you can't tell them you're starting to use heroin as preparation for what could be an extended undercover mission. Not to mention all the reasons he hadn't been able to kick the heroin when he got back.

"Um, yeah. Los Angeles? It's only 2005 for her, though; she works for her dad's investment company."

It'll either be the right answer or not. Doesn't mean it'll be the answer he particularly wants to hear, though, judging by the look on his face when she'd mentioned Kate's name.

Jack tries to resist the urge to show any more discomfort than he already has. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Did she say when in 2005?"

He's not sure if he'd prefer it if she was from before or after June of that year. Before would be awkward because she had no idea what was coming for her. After, well, at least by the sound of it, she's with someone else.

Beckett frowns.

"I - I'm not sure. It would make a difference, though, when it was. Right? That's what you're asking?"

Now she's wondering about the nature of their relationship, but at this point, she's with Bill anyway, so whatever history she has - or had - with Jack, it wouldn't be important now, even though her detective's instincts are telling her it could be.

"It's probably around the same time that it is here, now. I think."

Jack nods. "Yeah, if your Kate's experience is anything like the one I knew... A lot happened on the day I met her. Some things changed."

He doesn't really want to go into much detail, as he's not sure how much Kate would have told anyone else, or if she's even lived through the same events--or is going to, if she comes from before that day.

If the same things had happened to the Kate she knows, she hadn't told her about it. But maybe that'd been the point. Maybe she didn't want to talk about it for a reason, and Beckett can respect that.

There are certain things from her own past that she'd feel less than comfortable sharing with others.

"A lot, and not in the good way," she deduces.

Jack gives her a grim smile. "I met Kate through CTU. It wasn't ever going to be in a good way."

Beckett frowns.

"Well, that's unfortunate."

Kate's been one of her dearest friends, here.

"I guess I should be grateful we didn't meet that way."

"You and me or your and Kate, you mean?"

"Us," Beckett answers, almost too quickly. She clears her throat, starts over.

"Uh, you and me."

Of course he notices the slip, but he's sure as hell not going to draw attention to it.

"Yeah, me too. A lot less dangerous for you."

"I'm not a stranger to dangerous, Jack."

She's going to be the first to draw attention to that. Granted, what she'd seen through Stenger's memories had been more than slightly off-putting, but she's been in particularly hairy situations that have left her in a life-or-death moment more than once.

"No, you're not. But I'm guessing you haven't been five feet from a nuclear bomb that's been about to explode before," he says, wryly. "I'm not trying to make this some kind of competition or something. But generally if I meet someone because of CTU it's not a good time to be around me, because usually there's some pretty high stakes involved."

"Maybe not."

She sets down the glass, then leans back against the couch cushions again.

"No high stakes here, though. Actually, I don't think there are any stakes whatsoever."