OOM: Beckett's Room

[trigger_man]

 [After this.]

Jack makes a quick pit stop in his room to change into dry clothes, already feeling the burn on his skin as it warms up again.

Heading back out into the hall, he hesitates for a second outside Beckett's door.  After the awkwardness of him falling on top of her--and neither of them moving for a moment--this might not be the best idea.  But then he'd told her he'd be there in a moment, as as much as part of him has misgivings about it, there's part of him that wants to show that whatever that moment outside had been, it was just an aberration; nothing to see here, move along.

Taking a breath, he raps decisively on her door.

Comments

[trigger_man]

"Maybe we should save it for some kind of special occasion," Jack says with a slight smile. "Doesn't sound like the kind of thing you drink just for the hell of it."

[fanofthegenre]

"You're right," Beckett agrees, taking a small sip from her glass.

"Either way, I'll see if I can get my hands on it. Save it for the right moment."

[trigger_man]

"God knows when that'll be, but sounds like a good idea." Jack's mouth narrows slightly as he takes another sip of his drink. "The day you catch the Triple Killer might be a good day for it, though."

[fanofthegenre]

"Yeah." Beckett's jaw tenses slightly.

"I'd definitely have reason to celebrate then."

[trigger_man]

Jack hesitates for a second, then gently places a hand on her arm. "It'll happen. You have a name and a face now."

Of course he knows as well as she does that they're most likely to find this guy because he kills again. It isn't an option anyone likes, but it's probably the only one, barring some mind-boggling coincidence.

[fanofthegenre]

"Two more things we've got now than what we had then. Still, it - it kills me, thinking that we had him. We knew him, and he slipped away before we could do anything about it."

Beckett's got a competitive side already, and she hates to lose, but when there are lives at stake, she hates losing even more. She looks down, to the hand on her arm, and lets her gaze travel up his arm to his face.

"I know it'll happen. It's thinking about the way in which it'll probably happen that sticks with me the most."

[trigger_man]

"Yeah, that's the problem; one innocent life lost is too many. Unfortunately, that's likely what's going to happen."

[fanofthegenre]

Beckett sets down her glass a little harder than she intends to.

"I can't think about it like that. If I do, I'll go crazy wondering when the next hit is going to come."

[trigger_man]

"I know the feeling. Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

[fanofthegenre]

"It's not - it isn't your fault."

She runs fingers through her hair.

"I need to remember the reality of the situation from time to time."

[trigger_man]

"Sometimes forgetting is the way you keep going, though."

And sometimes you can't help but remember anyway, even though it doesn't help.

[fanofthegenre]

"I don't know if it's something I can push to the back of my mind all the time," she admits, looking down at her half-empty glass.

[trigger_man]

"It isn't. But it won't help if it's keeping you awake at night, either." He looks at her carefully. "It isn't keeping you up, is it?"

[fanofthegenre]

"I'm sleeping fine," she replies.

Which is close enough to the truth, at least.

"I've got more knots than nightmares keeping me up, if anything."

[trigger_man]

"Knots?" Jack asks.

[fanofthegenre]

"You know, tension. But it's what I get for sitting around a desk for half of my day and chasing bad guys the other half."

She shrugs, flashing a brief smile.

"Too bad insurance doesn't cover a personal masseuse at the precinct."

[trigger_man]

Jack hesitates for a moment, then nods toward her with his chin. "If you turn around, I could do it. I"m guessing it's in your shoulders and your back?"

It's a way to repay her for being there for him, at least.

[fanofthegenre]

"How'd you guess?" she says, rolling her eyes, but starts to turn anyway.

"You sure? I'm not above paying for a professional."

[trigger_man]

"Experience. And I don't mind, though I might be a little out of practice."

It's certainly easier for him to put his hands on her, other than the other way around. Particularly when she's not looking at him.

[fanofthegenre]

"If it gets too bad, I'll stop you," Beckett jokes.

She draws her hair to one side and exhales, releasing some of the starter tension from her shoulders to let them slump slightly.

[trigger_man]

"Just let me know if I'm pressing too hard."

He has to admit to feeling a little nervous as he places his hands on her shoulders, starting to work slow circles over her upper spine and shoulder blades with his thumbs.

[fanofthegenre]

"Nope, it's - "

She draws in a breath, then releases it again, shoulders gradually yielding under his hands.

"Good," Beckett finally finishes. "It's good."

[trigger_man]

"Good," Jack says, softly.

There's a moment of silence in which he debates whether he wants to mention what he's thinking about. Then again, with everything he's opened up about already he might as well go for broke.

"I got pretty good at this, as my wife worked in graphic design and she'd be hunched over a drawing table or a computer all day."

[fanofthegenre]

She turns her head - not by much, just enough to be able to hear everything he's saying, her brow knitting in thought as she silently mulls over his words.

"You were married," Beckett murmurs, and it's less of a question so much as it is just a restating of the truth he's just told her.

[trigger_man]

"Yeah, for about sixteen years. She died almost ten years ago," he says, working on a knot in her right shoulder.

Ten years in three months from now, he realizes. It feels longer.