Blacklight - R [COMPLETED]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

When she got back to the apartment a few hours later, Emma wasn’t surprised to see Elijah sprawled out in front of the TV, but the less than happy look across his face was a surprising feature. The man had a way of looking smug without even trying.
She dropped her gear onto the arm chair and fitted onto the sofa next to him. He was watching some crappy action movie, with car races, guns, half naked women and more money than sense drilled into the story line.
“What’s the matter with you?” She asked, looking at the screen. “You look like someone has seriously pissed you off.”
Emma was hardly in a better mood herself, but he wouldn’t be able to tell that by looking at her. After all, she always had the same mood around Elijah; pissed off and impatient.

Elijah glanced up at her and then the floor. "It's nothing."
Positioning herself into a more comfy position, by tucking one leg beneath her, she asked, “If it’s something Nigel and his gang have said to you, I wouldn’t pay any attention. They’re a bunch of brainless monkeys.”
He looked mildly insulted, brows raising. "You think I'm intimidated by Nigel? He's an annoying dumbass."
“At least that’s one thing we agree on,” A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “No, I don’t think so. He couldn’t intimidate a spoon, even if he tried. Is it a girl?”
Highly doubtful, since the man didn’t let women touch him more than once, he’d never get emotionally involved with one.
Elijah shook his head. "Nope. Just family shit."
“Oh.”

Aside from sex, there was one other subject she knew next to zilch about. Family.
For the next ten minutes she said nothing, instead only looking at the screen and pretending that she was following the story line. Emma didn’t pry into anyone else’s business, if only because she never gave a damn, but with Elijah she was finding herself somewhat…curious.
Curiosity got the better of her.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” The question was out there before it had formed in her mind.
"Nah, I'm a single child." He paused momentarily before glancing over at her. "You?"
She gave him a quick side glance before shaking her head. “No, there’s just me.”

One had been more than enough for her parents, and the moment she was born they’d wanted to get rid of her. Emma could only cringe at the thought of another poor little life being brought into what she’d had to suffer. She’d never let herself think of her father and any other possible children he may have had; the bastard was just a big a monster as her mother had been, so she could only hope he hadn’t.
“Does your family live in D-79?”
Why was she asking all these questions? Why did she even care?
Maybe because Emma wanted to hear what a proper and real loving family were like. In her mind the word ‘family’ brought up all kinds of terrible and sordid images; she had to know if there was more to it than what she’d experienced.
"Nope," Elijah responded with a tiny sigh. "They're across the country."
“You sound sad about it,” She acknowledged. “Why don’t you go visit them? I mean, we get holidays every few months, you could go then.”

"With what money?" Elijah questioned sceptically. "Being in the military only paid so much, and I was unemployed for 2 years. But its fine - I visit for Thanksgiving, sometimes Christmas."
And Christmas, Emma reminded herself, was just a month away. Great. She hated that time of year. Everyone in the building was all so fucking jolly, giving presents and kissing under mistletoe, it made me feel sick just thinking about it. Well, while everyone did their Christmas thing and that stupid Christmas week and ball, Emma would do what she did every year. She’d sit in her apartment, alone, baking and stuffing her face with the cakes afterwards while she watched some crappy movie on the TV.
“Christmas isn’t that far off. Ask Landry for an advance and then you can go home and see your family.”

Emma got up then and headed for the kitchen. Enough talk of families and the holidays. “I’m hungry, but I feel too lazy to cook. Do you want a take out? I’m thinking Chinese.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah simply shrugged, eyes fixated on the television as he tried to forget the situation all together. Again, Emma had managed to completely surprise him. Honestly, why did she care what happened in his personal life? Their whole relationship had revolved around keeping distance and remaining impersonal. Yet, she was inquiring about his family as if they had been friends for ages? Elijah had no idea what to make of it, but decided to push it out of his mind completely. Whatever her incentive was, he felt it was best not to bring it up.

“Chinese is fine,” he responded, standing up from the couch as he stretched, his headache transforming into a dull throb.
Strolling into the kitchen, he popped open the fridge, chugging half a bottle of water before spinning to face her. “Are you going to the Christmas event?” Elijah asked out of pure curiosity, not dubbing her as the type of person that got into events that evoked even the slightest amount of joy or happiness. Although, he was in no position to judge, considering the holiday had been just as repulsive for him.

“No – I have better things to do with my time than watch a bunch of overgrown men get drunk off of cheap liquor and try to cop a feel like a bunch of immature baboons. Not like the women are any better, either.” After ordering take out, she shot him a quick glance before adding, “You?”
“Holy fuck you're bitter,” Elijah pointed out, although his lips slightly twitched into a smile. “I just don't like Christmas in general, so. Its gotten so fake over the years – an excuse for people to become greedier than they already are the other three hundred and sixty four days a year.”
“I prefer realist,” she quipped before setting down the phone.
He pretended to think about it, before shaking his head in disagreement. “Nah, I mean what I say and say what I mean.” Overused statement, but true as hell.

After the food arrived, she burrowed her fork into a box of noodles, examining Elijah closely. “Y'know, I wonder if there has ever been a point in your life where the bullshit that constantly spews from your mouth has gotten you in trouble.”
He stirred his bucket of rice, a tiny snicker flitting past his lips. “Eh, a few times, but I always won the fight, nonetheless, so I don't give much of a fuck. Filters are for people who are afraid of speaking their minds.” Life was too damn short to worry about how his words effected people, and for as long as he lived, he would continue to say whatever the hell he felt like saying, whenever the hell he wanted.

“No, that's just your bullshit excuse to continue to act like an asshole.” She cracked open a soda, smirking at him over the top of the can.
Elijah opened his mouth to respond with a clever remark, but the apartment buzzer sounded, a knock soon following.

“Who the hell is that?” he muttered to himself before placing his dinner on the counter and trailing into the foyer. Landry had barely greeted the young agent after he opened the door, a hefty file snug under his armpit.
“Sorry to interrupt without notice,” Landry began. “But a new case arrived at my office an hour ago and after reviewing it, I figured you two could get it done in an efficient manner.”

Emma wiped her hands off on a napkin, slightly surprised, but nodding promptly. “What do you have for us?”
The older man spread out a collection of pictures of what looked like a worn warehouse, his expression grave. “This isn't too much of a big deal, but we suspect this building here is a grow house for illegal marijuana. It's run by a ring of illegal immigrants.”
“So we go in there, find the pot, and arrest them?” Elijah questioned, stuffing a forkful of rice in his mouth.
“Essentially,” Landry responded. “Although we do advise to tread cautiously. Their chain of workers come in the dozens, and I'm more than confident they will be heavily armed. If backup is necessary--”
“Nah, no need. We should be able to take care of it.” Elijah had dealt with worse, and with a bit of sniper work, they could take out half the battle without stepping foot in the building.
“Are you sure?” he asked, bewildered.
“Positive.”
“I'll have a crew surrounding regardless,” he responded, “if the extra help is required.” Well fuck, how could he get the free
goods now?

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Once Landry had gone, leaving the file behind for them to look at, Emma went back to her box of noodles and rice and carefully surveyed the pictures.
“Have you ever used this stuff?” She asked him from across the counter. Though, something told her she already knew the answer; there was a sort of hidden spark in his eyes when Landry had mentioned the word marijuana.
"Maybe a few times," he responded. "Y'know, being a curious teen and all. Never tickled my fancy, though." Elijah paused, a tiny smirk on his lips before adding, "I don't even know why I'm asking, but have you?"
“Once,” Emma shrugged, “when I first came to D-79. I thought it was really overrated, not to mention, it gave me hell of a headache.” That had been when she’d been trying to make her way in her new home – one bad ‘friend’ later and Emma had been smoking, then abruptly coughing, in a back alley in lower quarter.
Elijah looked honestly surprised. "I can hardly fathom that."
She twirled her noodles around her fork, “Why not? I have it in me to be wild and fun you know, Elijah, I just…don’t.”

Elijah blinked. "Wild and fun could never be associated with you, Emma. You think one night stands are...'barbaric' and you hardly drink. And Christ; when was the last time you went to a party? Apparently we have very different perceptions of the word.”
Pulling the fork free from her mouth, Emma swallowed, “One nights stands are barbaric and I don’t drink at all. You don’t have to get drunk to have fun. As for parties…” she looked down into her food, “…there’s two reasons why I don’t go to them. Either I don’t like the company, or I don’t get invited, simple as that really.” What kind of fun would she have if she spent her nights being the butt of everyone’s jokes? Ray was a perfect example of how many of the agents treated her. “You’ve only known me three weeks, how do you know that I’ve never had fun?”

"Why don't you get invited to parties?" he questioned.
“You’ve been here long enough to know that I’m not particularly liked around here. When they do invite me, there’s cause to be suspicious.”
"Well who's fault is that? You could try to be more social."
Emma shrugged, “I’ve been here ten years. I’ve been there and done that, but it still always ends the same way, so now I think ‘why bother?’ It doesn’t matter, you can just have enough fun for the two of us.”
The more she spoke, the more pathetic Emma felt. She was beginning to sound like a little lost puppy who wanted a friend to play with.

Changing the subject, Emma tapped the pictures, “I’m thinking, I go in first, while you take up a position on the roof. I’ll try to take out as many as I can on the ground, when you do the same from above. Though, I think it’s going to be a bigger operation than it looks.”
Immigrants to D-79 were more often dangerous than not; desperation drove them to extreme lengths, and killing the authority was frequently the outcome. Emma wouldn’t be taken out by an illegal.
"Of course. Drug lords don't mess with their commodity, but it still shouldn't be all too difficult."
“Sure it won’t be. I’ve done the same kind of thing alone more times than enough in the past. I sneak in like a stealthy ninja, take out one or two guards, get my hands on my main man and put a gun to his head. Sometimes they give in without me having to pull the trigger, but some other times I have to paint the wall with brains before they all run for it. That’s where the guys outside come in. They catch the rats when they try to flee the nest.”

It was just too bad they had to wait the next three weeks until things could get going.
“We don’t want to blow things up too soon, there’s still details we need to clarify and clear up before I can send you both in. These are sneaky bastards we’re dealing with here and they know what to do to keep things low down and hidden.”
Emma wasn’t used to waiting around and by the looks of things, Elijah wasn’t either.
Why couldn’t they just get in there and get out? Bing, bang, boom.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah nodded, before finishing the rest of their take out in silence. Even though he was far from admitting it out loud, Emma was more than amusing company. The fact that she was so withdrawn from society, and men in general, only made him more intrigued with picking at a mind much more different than his own. She couldn't have started like that anyways – a loner, so, what caused her to completely shift gears? Unless she had always been like that, which Elijah found extremely hard to believe. She was witty enough...definitely not shy, so it only made sense something happened in the past he hadn't been there for.

He pushed all theories out of his mind though by the time a knock on the door lulled him out of his thoughts. Why, now, did people decide to knock on their door? Elijah walked to the door nonetheless, the face behind it surprising him completely.

“I know this is short notice,” Amanda breathed, her eyes watering, “but we need to talk.”
If there was one thing Elijah absolutely couldn't handle, it was when a girl cried. Not because he felt sorry for them in the least, but because it made the situation extremely awkward. Needless to say, now was no different, his hand flying to the back of his head as he scratched it awkwardly. “About what?”
Amanda rubbed the back of her hand over her nose, before wrapping it around her body and glancing over her shoulder. “Can we go somewhere a little more...private?”
Elijah felt his stomach drop to his feet, confusion settling in his eyes. “Why?”
“Because this is important!” she snapped, before glancing down at the floor for an unbearable five seconds. Her eyes met his once more, her voice hoarse, “I'm sorry. I've had a bad day. Can we just...please?”

Elijah let out a tiny curse before nodding in agreement and following behind her as they stepped into the outdoor terrace – a stone exclave with several benches, a few grills, and artificial trees.
“What is it, Amanda?” he finally asked, irritation lightly coursing through his tone. At first she had been a delightful fuck, but now? She was completely overstepping her boundaries. Elijah wasn't a shrink, and never wanted to be, either. He had a hard enough time listening to his own damn parents, so she wasn't the exception.

“You remember last night, right? When we went into the bathroom together, we were both drunk, and...?” she trailed, fingers wringing together uncertainly. Her face was pasty white, blonde hair captured in a high ponytail.
Elijah froze, feet practically drilled into the ground. “Yeah, what about it?”
“I went to Connie today,” Amanda barely whispered, a lone tear rolling down her cheek as she kept her eyes averted directly forward.

Elijah's fingers were slightly twitching as the silence consumed him, his heart beating strong enough to break his rib cage. “What the hell are you trying to say?”
One tear turned into several, her whole chest shaking with sobs. “I, I think--”
His jaw clenched. “Just fucking say it!”
“I'm pregnant, Elijah!” she screamed.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

The door shut behind Elijah, with a not so subtle slam, leaving Emma to only stare after him. Her first guess went to a woman, one of the many he seemed to enjoy lately – it wouldn’t have been Landry again, because what business would he have with Elijah on his own?
She disposed of her take-away boxes and sneakily pressed up against the door, peering through the peep hole to look out into the hall beyond. Through the murky glass, Emma could make out Elijah and Amanda, standing on the terrace outside, in what looked like a pretty heated conversation. Then, with a passing second, Elijah’s face suddenly paled by at least fifteen shades.

For a moment, Emma debated whether or not to go outside and shoo the woman away, her hand even circled around the door handle; but what business was it of hers what he was doing? She certainly didn’t care. As far as Emma was concerned, Elijah got himself into this and he was going to have to get himself out too. Plus, seeing him look as terrified as he currently was, was funny as hell!

“I'm pregnant, Elijah!” Amanda’s scream made its way through the door easily.

Emma’s jaw dropped. Amanda…? But, she’d stopped them before…
Oh. Oh…
Amanda was the bathroom girl, of course! Why hadn’t she thought of that sooner? She had class written all over her face, and letting some guy get into your pants in a dirty, old bar toilet was nothing but class.
Well, wasn’t this just peachy?

Emma stepped away from the door and retreated to the coach, where she hastily flicked the TV on; Amanda was screaming loud enough for the whole building to hear, TV or no TV.
Hadn’t she been telling him of the repercussions of sleeping around only a week ago? More so sexual diseases then pregnancy, since that hadn’t technically entered her thoughts.
Man, Elijah was in trouble now. She couldn’t help but wonder if this had happened to him before – a pregnancy scare, that is. Condoms weren’t supposed to be the safest way to have sex, or so Emma had heard. They could break.
Or, knowing Amanda, she’d pricked the thing full of holes.

As she flicked the channel, a sudden, yet obvious thought hit her.
Emma may not know much on how sex worked, but she sure as hell knew that conception didn’t happen that fast. She’d had enough random lunches with her Med ‘friend’ Connie to know a few things here or there, and that was one of them. It took, like, what, a week at least?

Man, Amanda was pregnant?

Was she even telling the truth? Emma knew the woman well enough to know that she rarely, if ever, told the truth. There were reasons to be suspicious.
But would she tell Elijah these facts? Oh, no. No, no, no, no. This was just what he needed, it would knock some stuffing out of his arrogant head, hopefully.

”What do you do mean by that?! Of course it yours!”
The scream hit her ears from the hallway this time, which could only mean one thing…
And then, like she’d predicted, Elijah came storming into the apartment, Amanda close at his tail.
“Go. Away.” He growled, blocking her from entering.
“How can you do this to me? You fucked me, now it’s time to take some responsibilities, you asshole!”
Emma leant forward slightly, one auburn brow raised high, “Everything okay you two?”
Elijah shot her a death stare, one that almost made her laugh.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Life didn't feel real. What...how? How could it possibly be his? Out of the thirteen years Elijah had been sleeping with girls, he prided himself on protection – protection from the horrifying thought of becoming a father someday. And now—in a goddamn bathroom, he had managed to majorly screw up his future in ten minutes or less. Elijah felt dizzy, barely making it to his room as he prematurely shut and locked the door behind him, wanting to block out the world, even if for a second.

Emma was probably thrilled shit was finally hitting the fan for him, Amanda's pregnancy only falsely confirming her misconstrued ideas of sexuality and casual 'rendezvous'. But in the very back of his mind, Elijah simply could not bring himself to believe it was actually his. What about Nigel? Or the dozens of other guys she was rumored to fool around with? How the hell could she automatically pinpoint him without any sort of proof?

He wanted to believe that was the only reason he was running away.

Elijah just wasn't the type of guy to become a father, or ever regard a life other than his own. He was too selfish, too greedy, too swept up in his own goals and aspirations to remotely give a shit about someone elses. So, being forced to give up everything he was just to wipe dribble from some baby's chin or wake up at obscene hours of the night to cradle it back to sleep? Not a chance in hell. He respected his parents, mother especially, for putting up with him in his younger years, but he couldn't do it – couldn't set a good example. And that was that.

He silently sat in front of the window for what felt like hours, watching the cityscape below, overwhelmed with envy at how free everything looked down there on the streets, when he felt nothing but trapped. If it was his, how could he ever accomplish everything he wanted career-wise? Elijah couldn’t necessarily try to take care of a baby one second, and then blow the brains out of a criminal the next. How could he go to Landry and admit he had fucked up? How could he even face Emma with her judgmental glares?

Normally he couldn’t care less what people thought about him, but now, more than ever, he felt like he had been thrust under a large magnifying glass, being spitefully scrutinized and picked apart by others for their own entertainment.
Elijah gripped his stomach once more, his back hunched over the bed as his nails dug into the palms of his hands, teeth gritting together. He should have felt like a horrible person for kicking Amanda out after she had practically poured her heart to him, but he didn’t, not in the slightest. He just felt numb.

He couldn’t be a fucking father! The thought positively disgusted him.

Elijah pressed his open palms into the bed, nails anchoring into the sheets in hopes of calming himself down, but instead the anger only flowed heavier, like a dam breaking. And in two seconds, he was on his feet, grabbing a vase off the nightstand and chucking it at the wall with force as it shattered into a rainstorm of a million pieces.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, stooping before the mess as he buried his face in his hands. Elijah could vomit.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

It was still somewhat amusing a few days later, as she watched her Head of Department, and Head of Sector, pace along the length of her sitting room, taking their frustration out on the carpet.
Jacob looked twitchy; which, Emma supposed, boiled down to the fact that Elijah wasn’t the only one who’d paid Amanda a bathroom visit. If it was a bathroom at all; woman was so classy it was more than likely the communal showers or worse.
What a slut.
Landry just looked plain pissed off.
“You stupid, stupid, stupid boy!” He ranted, again and again at Elijah, who was sitting, pale and silent on the sofa.
He’d been like that for the last three days now and quite honestly, it was starting to freak Emma out. She poked and prodded him with remarks, but got no sarcastic comments in return, hell, he barely even spoke two words to her. Elijah was drawing into his shell, staying in the apartment, out of everyone’s (and Amanda) way.
“Because that’s just what you are – a boy. For god sake, haven’t you heard of a condom?!”

They’d broken the news to the pair not half an hour ago, and they’d quickly proceeded to tear through their apartment door, demanding answers.
Elijah's jaw clenched, hardly looking at him. "I used one."
“He’s the condom King, apparently.” Emma added, inspecting her nails.
The men ignored her. “Then how has this happened?! You’ve been here two fucking minutes and already you’ve knocked one of your fellow agents up? This is the problem with men your age these days; they’re too busy thinking with what’s between their legs and not what’s between their ears. No fucking thought whatsoever.”
Elijah frowned at the rug, but didn’t say anything.

This is what Emma found so amusing. Out of the three of them, not one had suggested that Amanda take another test and prove she had a bun in the oven, that and how freaking fast she apparently got knocked up. Top men, with brains…oh, yea, three Albert fucking Einstein’s in the making.

“This wasn’t what we had planned for you, Elijah,” Jacob spoke up glumly. “When agents become parents, they’re removed from the field and transferred to a more…comfortable position in the company. You were supposed to stay with Emma, not retire with Amanda.”
Sudden visions of the two of them rocking a baby back and forth assailed her. Would there be a more messed up kid?! Okay, not including herself, but yea…would there? With Amanda and Elijah as it’s parents, the poor thing wouldn’t stand a chance.
"What do you mean by 'more comfortable'?" Elijah spat incredulously, eyes widening in surprise.

Landry shook his head, brushing off his question. “We are not retiring him now. No fucking way – I’ve got them working on two of the biggest cases , Jacob, and Emma’s not going to work them alone. They’ve got drugs to bust and a murderer to find.”
“I understand that, sir, but you know what the rules are. We don’t put a parent up on the firing line, it’s not how we do things.”
“He isn’t a goddamn parent yet!” Landry’s grey hair appeared to lighten another shade or two as he fumed. “How far is she along? Is there still time to…fix this little problem?”
“Sir,” Emma exclaimed, shocked. “You can not ask that of anyone. Even Amanda.”
“Then what do you suggest we do, Emma?! Weren’t you supposed to be keeping him on the straight and narrow?!”
“Excuse me,” She pushed up from the kitchen stool, “Do you have any idea what this man is like when it comes to women? He can smell the nearest one out within a five mile radius and have her pants around her ankles a few minutes later. He’s like a freaking hound dog…on heat, constantly! I stopped him from screwing Amanda the first time, but I can follow him around twenty-“

“Neither of you seem to understand the consequences of this!” Landry’s fist connected with the counter top. “Do you have any idea what Partners are meant to be? Then let me enlighten you. They’re there for one another, through anything, they cover each others backs and stop them from making stupid decisions - and most of all, yes, Emma, you are supposed to be around one another twenty-four hours a day! There’s no time out and no breaks. This is your fucking job, not school time!”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

So now he was five years old and getting scolded by people he hardly knew? Elijah was just over it, not finding the energy to indulge in this conversation any longer. It felt like no one would let him live down his mistakes – just waiting until he managed to screw up. Elijah had hardly left his room in days, and for the first time in twenty four years, he didn’t even want to touch another woman. This was bad. Really bad.

“And Emma,” Jacob started, his hand flitting warily across his cheek. “You should know better – he’s a rookie, and if you sensed he had some…promiscuous habits—“
“I don’t care if you have to superglue your ass to his! Keep your partner in line!” Landry shouted, his irritation only heightening.
Elijah widened his eyes incredulously – even if he had been the one to fuck up royally, Emma was receiving the heat. Well, he didn’t mind that in the slightest! As long as the attention was slowly steering away from him.
"It's not my job to make sure he behaves himself," Emma pointed out. "I have my hands full with everything else. What do you want me to do? Build a security belt around his pants? It would be going off every hour."

Landry went over to the cupboards where Elijah kept his liquor, pouring himself a glass as he momentarily pressed his forehead against clenched fists. “Well, what the hell do we do now? I can’t retire Elijah! He’s one of the best agents we’ve ever had and you know that!”
Jacob stood by Emma, resting a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. Elijah’s eyebrow arched slightly at the interaction but quickly dismissed it from his mind.
"You can't know that," She muttered, "He's barely done anything but flirt and fuck since he got here."
Landry rolled his eyes. “We sought the country to recruit him, Emma, in case you missed out on that vital piece of information. He’s the best sharpshooter I’ve ever met, and extremely intelligent when it comes to ‘crunch-time’ sort of situations. Yes, he made a dumbass move, and I doubt you’d take the time to notice his abilities, but you need each other. In some completely fucked up way, you two work well together, and face it, there’s no way you could do these missions without his accompaniment.” Elijah felt his ego inflate once again, although that did very little to lift his spirits. Compliments didn’t stop a goddamn baby from being born.

"Of course I could. I've done them hundreds of times before." Emma held her hands up. "Look, this isn't my problem, it's Elijah's. I don't understand why you're bringing me in to the blame game, he's the one that's done this to himself, so I say let him suffer for it."
Landry slammed his glass down on the table. “I don’t have the patience for this. I don’t. Elijah, you figure this the fuck out. I don’t care how, you just do. But I’m not retiring you.” He stood in front of the two agents, eyes welling with anger. “And I don’t give a damn how much you two hate each other – from this point on, I don’t want to see you so much as glare at each other, alright? Even if you’re faking your ass off pretending to like each other, I want you two getting along.”

Elijah had never seen the man so angry, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as he glanced down at the floor.
“In Emma’s defense, I don’t feel Elijah is achieving his full potential, and that, in turn, could make him very hard to work with.”
His mouth popped open, completely stunned, as he stared down the Head of Sector, wanting to say something but opting out with an aggravated scowl. It was physically painful to stay silent for so long, without at least one clever comeback.
"Yes, agreed. Thank you, Jacob. He's impossible to work with - we can't even walk down the street and he's eyeing up his next bed buddy, or in his case, bathroom buddy.

And then Elijah couldn’t stand the pain any longer.

Clapping his hands together, he let out an obnoxious laugh. “Really, fantastic job, Jacob. I’ve never seen such an elaborate way to get into a girl’s pants. Unfortunately for you, she’s sort of,” Elijah leaned over to whisper in his ear, keeping it loud enough for everyone to hear, “well, let’s just say you couldn’t pry open her legs with a fucking crowbar. So, good luck, pal, because you'll need it.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Time stood still for the next crucial few seconds.
Emma could hear her heart pounding in her ears as her anger coursed through the rest of her body, tensing her up. She reached over the back of the chair, gripped a cushion in an iron tight grasp, and slammed it across the side of Elijah’s head.
“What,” Hit. “Did,” Hit. “You,” Hit. “Just say?!”
Elijah attempted to shield himself while stifling laughter, his previous distress seeming to dissipate with her anger. "You heard exactly what I said. I could bet confidently that the day you decide to actually have sex with someone, is the day I stop screwing around with girls.”
Jacob quickly stepped aside when Emma hit him again. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Why are you so concerned with my sex life, anyway?”
"Because your reaction to sex in general is priceless," he responded casually.
“And yours is ridiculous!” Hit. “I’m shocked that you don’t have at least a hundred kids roaming about the streets by now, you man whore!” Hit. “If I ever hear you talk about me like that to anyone I swear to god I’ll beat you so hard you’ll never have a baby scare again!”
"Stop talking dirty to me, sweetheart. You know how much it turns me on," he teased, that playful glimmer in his eyes in spite of the situation.

If Emma didn’t know better, she’d swear she was actually making him forget about Amanda and her problem completely.
She launched the pillow at him, one last hit for good measure. “Idiot. Giant, goddamn idiot!”
Landry groaned loudly, “This is what I mean! Stop this, right now.”
“This is what I have to put up with all the time. He smirks at me like that and calls me ‘sweetheart’ every chance he gets. It’s really, really annoying.”
“Is that any reason to threaten him?” The older man chastised. “You’re acting like children.”

Jacob laughed and once again moved to Emma’s side. Her anger had always kept everyone at bay, apart from him – he never seemed to get the hint.
“I’m not the child,” Emma growled, “He is. Didn’t you just hear what he said about me?! I expect that from everyone else, but not him. Wasn’t it you who said Partners should respect each other?”
“Everyone else?” Elijah asked, raising one dark brow.
Emma ignored him and spun on her heels to face her Head of Sector. “Sir…”

Landry pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep, long sigh. “Elijah, you shouldn’t talk to Emma in that way. It’s highly disrespectful.”
He shrugged. "I guess all the remarks she shoots me gets a free pass, eh? But it's cool, I don't give a damn."
And with that, Elijah’s spark vanished, replacing the happy demeanour he’d had not a minute earlier with her.
“My remarks are in self-defence!”
“For the love of god…I can’t win, can I?!”

With that, Landry cursed loudly and left the apartment, muttering about how he was slowly turning to a baby-sitter.
Leaving Jacob behind with the kids.


“Don’t you think you should go and see Amanda, Elijah?” Jacob asked. “It’s only the right thing to do.”
Emma sighed and moved to sit at the kitchen counter. Pissing off Landry was the last on her list of to-do’s, but being around Elijah brought out the worst in her, a part of her she didn’t recognise.

Elijah's eyes darkened. "I don't see why you would care, but alright."
“I care deeply,” Jacob smiled (if not a little forcibly). “As your head of department, I only want what’s best for you, why else do you think I had you paired with Emma?”
He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Being paired with Emma is what's best for me?"
A small frown creased the man’s brow, “Are you suggesting there’s something wrong with her?”
Emma picked at an apple in the bowl thoughtfully. In truth, everything was wrong with Emma, it would be weirder if something was right.
"Wow, you're very perceptive," Elijah responded sarcastically, light irritation in his tone.
“And you’re avoiding the question. I’m not Landry, Elijah. I don’t think the sun shines out of your back side. Emma’s been here a long time, and honestly, I’m hardly surprised that you’ve fallen in with the crowd you have. I hope you’ll be very happy with Amanda and her pack of goons. Emma deserves better than you.”

Her ears perked. Was that the sound of…someone defending her? No, surely not. That never happened. Had she, at some point, hit her head on something?

Elijah paused, truly examining Jacob for the first time since he arrived. "Are you...in love with her or something? You're very defensive."
Emma made a noise, “Stop being such a gigantic moron, Elijah, and go already.”
Jacob turned and walked away from her partner, the frown still etched into his face. “Does he treat you the same way as they do?”
Emma shrugged, “Don’t concern yourself so much with that petty nonsense, Jacob. I don’t.” She looked around her boss and waved, “Bye, bye, Elijah.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah took note of the fact Jacob hadn’t denied his accusation, only shrugging before spinning on his heels and exiting the apartment. Well, wasn’t that cute? They’d be delightfully perfect for each other. At least the guy could distract Emma for a few hours – maybe even soften her up a bit. Well, that was wishful thinking, anyways. But a small, and by small, he meant completely miniscule, side of him actually enjoyed annoying the fuck out of her, and engaging in the civil (very rare, though) conversations they happened to have.

He grimaced at the confession, shaking it off like a bad cold.

Elijah wasn’t visiting Amanda because Jacob or Landry told him to – he was visiting her for the peace of mind. Even though a baby was the very last thing he wished for, he didn’t want to abandon her or anything. If it was actually his, it was a mistake they had made together. Even if his conscious appeared to be nonexistent, it did rear its ugly head at times. Elijah just wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he knew there was some kid out there that didn’t know his real father, and he was responsible for it.

Again, he shivered. What the hell was that? Elijah wanted to awaken the emotionless side of him once more and tell him to do his job more fucking often.

He let out a tiny sigh once Amanda’s door came into view, just staring at it for several long minutes before knocking on it uneasily and waiting around awkwardly. It didn’t take long for the blonde to open the door, her eyes glittering up at him. At first, the expression took Elijah off guard, considering she had looked like hell the last time they spoke, but he wouldn’t delve into the matter too much. Instead, he shifted from foot to foot, a nervous habit he had just now discovered. His normal confident demeanor was nowhere to be found, and it troubled him more than words could adequately explain.

“What’s up?” he tried, looking everywhere but her face.

This was pathetic, embarrassing almost. Elijah thanked his lucky stars Emma wasn’t nearby to come up with some snarky remark.

“Oh, Elijah, um, could you excuse me for a second?” Amanda rushed back into the room, slamming the door behind him, not giving him a chance to so much as open his mouth. He felt the goose bumps prickle his skin, unsure of what to do next.

Thankfully, it took her two minutes or so to clear up whatever had been going on inside before returning to him once more and crossing her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here, Elijah? The last time we talked, it seemed like you were very invested in pretending you weren’t the father.”
He bit his lip, shrugging like some prepubescent school boy. Elijah honestly didn’t enjoy how he acted around her nowadays. “I was just shocked, and upset, and I’m—I’m ready to help out.”

Elijah could hear the sounds of his future flushing down the toilet, nausea jolting him almost instantaneously.

“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Elijah muttered, almost like he wanted to take the previous statement back and ignore this entire situation. Landry would be pissed.
“Well, I could spare a minute or two.”
“Do you want me to come in?” He stepped one foot into the frame and she quickly pushed him back.
“No! I mean, no, let’s just talk out here. We don’t have to have some overcomplicated heart-to-heart, Elijah. I’m just carrying your child.”

He furrowed his eyebrows together. “Yeah, you’re probably right. This little thing is only just influencing…oh, I don’t know, the rest of our lives?”
Amanda giggled, slapping him on the chest. “Relax. I’m not even showing yet! Maybe we could meet with a specialist or something, but besides that, we don’t have to constantly be in contact.”

Had the tables turned or something? Elijah was finally confronting their massive problem, and now she wanted to act like he just owed her twenty fucking bucks. He wasn’t sure whether to accept her passiveness and leave, or prod. Because something felt off about this entire debacle.

“So, you’re saying we could go our separate ways essentially? Other than the classes, and other shit, we’re basically glorified acquaintances?”
Amanda ran her fingers along his jaw. “A smart one, you are. Anyways, I’m kind of…wrapped up…in something. So come back later?”
Elijah was beyond confused. “Okay…”

She simply smiled, before shutting the door once more in his face. What the hell had he just witnessed?

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Emma pushed the hot coffee mug across the counter top to Jacob, before settling down opposite him.
“What was that all about?” She asked him, “Elijah’s an asshole, and he shoots me those comments all the time, but I don’t think he means them in a nasty way.”
“He spends all his free time with Nigel and his gang of followers, doesn’t he? I know what they’re like with you, Emma…”
“And you think they upset me? You know better than that.”
Peering at her from behind his mug, Jacob asked, “I’ve heard what they say. It isn’t nice.”
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, “I don’t care what they say. Honestly, Jacob, do you know me at all? I’ve been called everything over my life and none of it has ever really hurt me. Sticks and stones and all that.”
“Elijah hurt you when he mentioned the crowbar…”

Emma shrugged. Okay, so maybe he had irritated her a tiny bit with that comment, but he hadn’t hurt her. The last person to hurt her with words had been her mother.
With the fingers circling the rim of her coffee mug, she murmured, “He annoyed me, nothing else. I don’t take him seriously.”
Lie. Emma had the tendency to take Elijah a little too seriously sometimes and already it was beginning to get her into trouble.
“I’m not some bully case that needs you to protect me, Jacob,” Emma said then, sipping her coffee. “I’m a grown woman and it’ll take a lot more than name calling to make me cry.”

“I know that,” He laughed warmly, “You were exactly the same when we were together. I told one guy off for shoving you in the bar and you left me there!”

She held back the cringe that wanted to break free.
Gods, did Jacob still remember that? It was five years ago and they’d hardly been ‘together’ so to speak – two dates and an awkward kiss, that’s practically what the whole relationship had been. She’d been a curious twenty-four year old, who’d wanted to test the waters, after all, everyone at the time had had a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and Jacob had been so kind and shown a genuine interest in her, so she’d thought ’why not?’.
He’d felt things for her that Emma wasn’t sure she was capable of feeling. There had been no spark in his kiss, no heat to his touch, her heart hadn’t beat faster at the thought or sight of him and he hadn’t turned her on once. Not even a little bit.
When it came to Jacob, and every other man she’d ever met, Emma’s emotions were platonic.

Okay, so, not every man. One had managed to stir a few unwanted emotions within her from time to time.

“And if I remember correctly…that was the same night that you found comfort in Amanda’s bed instead, right?”
Jacob’s green eyes widened, and for a long ten seconds he sat motionless in his seat, before he eventually whispered, “That was a very big mistake on my part.”
“Just like it was a very big mistake on Elijah’s part. See, the thing I’ve learned about men is that they don’t think with their brains.”
“Amanda has a certain…lure about her. Elijah’s probably falling for it right now.”
Emma shrugged again, “Probably. What’s the worst that can happen? She’s already knocked up.”
As though he hadn’t heard her, Jacob continued, “She’s got real soft skin and those eyes…it’s hard to look away, you know? You’ve got nothing to worry about with Elijah.”
“Mmm, how so?”
“Because as long as Amanda’s around, he won’t be trying to get into your pants. Elijah likes his girls drop dead gorgeous, and that’s just what she is. He’ll get drawn in every damn time he speaks to her.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

The walk back to his apartment had been a long one, mostly because he was confused as hell. Elijah had completely prepared himself for the worst, which was confronting the situation head-on, but then Amanda, after crying her fucking eyes out a few days ago, shooed him away as if it was no big deal? He was just frazzled, but if this was whatever deity up there’s way of doing him a solid, he’d accept it with open arms. At least the weight on his shoulders had been halfway lifted.

Upon entering the apartment, he noticed Jacob’s absence, biting his lip in satisfaction as he stepped into the kitchen and poured himself a drink. It had just been one of those days, where he felt completely withdrawn from everyone else. From Landry’s tantrum, to Jacob’s incessant bickering, and Amanda’s lack of answers, Elijah was just worn. Therefore, after finishing two glasses, he disappeared to his room, stripping down into his boxers after plugging in the ear buds to his phone and blasting the music as loud as it could go.

If he wanted to join a reality TV show, he would have gone to fucking MTV. He honestly didn’t expect this much drama in an establishment intended to protect the people of D-79. Elijah wasn’t perfect by any means, but if he knew what he was getting into in the start, there was a pretty good chance he wouldn’t have accepted Jacob and Landry’s offer to come on board. He was the type of person that liked living his life simple – keeping to himself and having fun. It was that uncomplicated.

After serving in the military, it wasn’t like he was obligated to join the FBI. After all, with new laws and such, retired soldiers that had been honorably discharged were receiving nice checks at the end of each month. If he was being honest with himself, he only agreed so it’d give him something to do again, the same thrill he received on the force in his younger years. But now, he was seriously considering the fact of whether he’d much rather return to his loft and do whatever the hell he wanted without being constantly nagged, or trying to overcome the rough patches here.

The last thing Elijah was, was a quitter. And he had promised himself from the start he would climb to the top of the company and lose the unwanted tag of a rookie. So, he would do exactly that. Elijah just had to make a pact with himself to continue not letting people get inside his brain, and do his job to the utmost efficiency. Right now, he just needed to clear his thoughts and reboot, and a shower usually did a good job at that.

Elijah already started pinching at the waistband of his boxers by the time he swung open the door, just to have the sight before him cause his eyes to widen greatly. Even though Emma’s back was facing him, all her clothes laid in a bunch on the tile, the shower humming as she stepped in.

“Holy—“ He didn’t get to finish his statement before forcing his fingers to pull the door shut, even though the image was well embedded in his mind.
Emma. Naked. With no clothes.

Elijah’s mouth was still open by the time he stood in the hallway, although it was soon replaced with a tiny grin. Even though it was completely unintentional, he couldn’t deny what he had just seen, even if it had only happened to be her entire backside.

Maybe there was a God.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

The same second Elijah closed the bathroom door, Emma darted her arms out to reach for the towel hanging loosely over the rack, and wrapped it around her body.
For at least twenty seconds, she was too stunned to move. Elijah had just seen her naked – very, very naked. With no clothes on. Naked to the extreme.
Good god, he’d never left her live this one down.

Making sure the towel was securely around her, Emma tore the bathroom door open in search of him and paused. She didn’t have to look very far, since he was stood, grinning like an idiot in the hallway, in nothing but his boxers.
“What the hell, Elijah?!” Emma exclaimed, “Ever heard of knocking?”
He tried to fight back guffaws of laughter. "I had my music in -- I swear I wasn't trying to be perverted. This time, anyways."
He was a pervert. A giant one. “The door was closed. Closed! Does listening to music effect your ability to knock on a freaking door?”
Elijah shot her one of his signature smirks, shrugging. "Well I regret nothing. Great view. Turned my mood right around."
In less than a heart beat, Emma closed the distance between them and poked at his naked chest with the tip of her finger. “You saw nothing.”
"You have a delightfully toned ass, if I do say so myself," Elijah continued on, completely disregarding her threat.
Emma’s jaw tightened. “Aren’t you listening to me? I’m not here to ‘turn your mood around’, okay? You just completely violated my privacy.”
"But I thought we were partners? We're supposed to stick together, if you know what I mean." Elijah winked at her playfully.

He was messing with her, and loving every damn second of it.
Why hadn’t she locked the door?! When Emma had decided to go for a shower, she was alone, with the whole apartment to herself, and after what Jacob had said about Amanda’s allure, she was sure she wouldn’t be seeing Elijah again for at least the next few hours. But no, here he was, bursting in on her shower time.
“The only thing that’ll be sticking together is my fist to your big fat, arrogant face. Aren’t you supposed to be with your baby momma?”
"Nah, she was preoccupied."
“Preoccupied?” She echoed. “With what? You had to slam the door in her face to get rid of her a few days ago, and now she’s too busy to see you?”
That made perfect sense. One minute the girl couldn’t get enough of Elijah, gagging for his attention every chance she got, yet now, she was ‘preoccupied’. Oh, yes, Emma most definitely smelled a rat.

Elijah shook his head. "I don't fucking get it. I think she may have had company, but I'm not sure."
Emma shook her head in disbelief, but at least he wasn’t talking about her butt anymore. “And you seem perfectly fine with that. Don’t you think this is odd, Elijah? She’s pregnant the morning after you sleep with her, and now she’s clearly sleeping with someone else.”
Elijah's eyebrows furrowed together. "And you're trying to say...?"
The man may have looks, but he had zero brains.

She gaped at him. “Are you kidding me? You aren’t that stupid, Elijah.”
He rolled his eyes. "So she's not pregnant."
“This doesn’t make sense,” Emma answered. Though, honestly, Emma was 99% sure that Amanda wasn’t pregnant, and even if it was, it wasn’t Elijah’s. “Was that the only time you slept with her?”
"Yep," Elijah admitted.
Then, yes, it most definitely wasn’t Elijah’s.
Emma ignored the small, tiny wave of relief that crawled up from the pit of her stomach.
“Hmm…” She stared thoroughly into his face. “I’m going to finish my shower and you do not come in until I come out, got it? I think I need to go and pay my little Med girl, Connie, a visit.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

After Emma left, Elijah used it as an opportunity to retrieve the files Landry had left for them to review. Even though the mission was a generic drug heist, the background story itself had intrigued him. Apparently the gang comprised of governmental rejects – from failed police officers to discharged military figures, and impeached mayors and political figures still bitter, the whole operation had practically been fueled by the people who understood D-79 the best.

The grow house resided deep into the Underground, in what appeared like an abandoned warehouse wedged into what one could consider the ‘Red Light District’. Elijah had only ventured there a few times, but anyone with half a brain came to the automatic conclusion that particular area wasn’t exactly the safest place to hang around during after hours. It easily lead the entire city in crime rates bursting through the roof, coupled with an equally as steep death rate.

Elijah supposed it was a clever spot for a grow house, the people residing there having little to no morals. They got to rake in a couple hundred thousand each month, received free commodity, and gained power of an entire region – seemed like a good deal to him.

But the rejects also happened to be extremely clever – hiring a private staff of workers that wouldn’t dare shed light on the true owners of the grow house. They risked their lives for a decent paycheck, and would be willing to take the heat if law enforcement ever intervened. Therefore their bosses could continue to collect without having to worry about further smudging their reputation.

Elijah pressed the dark-wire glasses back up his nose before grabbing a small sheet of paper Landry left paper-clipped to the file with a number scrawled on it. The warehouse was nearly impossible to get into without scheduling an appointment to purchase the goods – and their business was solely generated from word of mouth. It was good for keeping a low profile.

So, grabbing one of the disposable phones they kept handy, he dialed in the number, it ringing twice before a voice came on the line.
“28 grams of your finest,” Elijah ordered, cutting straight to the chase.
“Name and description please,” the voice responded, barely loud enough for him to hear.
“Jackson – tall, blonde, short hair, and my business partner will be accompanying me. To see if your shit is good.”
“When are you planning on picking up your order?”
“Could two weeks be arranged?” Elijah questioned.
“We’re relocating in two days, so that can’t be arranged.”

Elijah paused. “Relocating?” If they left before him and Emma could close them down, they'd only continue to sell illegal drugs and make revenue off of it.
“Yes.”
“How soon could I schedule?” He was just grasping at straws, prepared to do anything to close this case up.
“We have an opening tonight.”
Needless to say, he hardly considered the offer before nodding to himself. “Deal.”

OOC: Pictures of the extended cast + minor/recurring characters have been added to the main post!

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Connie was just where she always was; bent over a wide silver table in one of the Med Labs, with vials of blood samples lining a shelf near her head and a microscope at her side. A human skeleton model stood in the corner of the room, as well as human anatomy model, cell division models, animal cell, plant cell, and more that Emma wasn’t sure of.
Emma tapped on the glass door, forcing Connie to look up from her files.
“Emma?” She asked, her dark eyes widening. “What can I do for you? It’s not time for your monthly health assessment for a few weeks yet.”
She stepped into the room, “No, it’s nothing like that. I was actually hoping to see you.”
“To see me?” The woman blinked, “W-Why?”

Connie was such a nervous woman; she was childlike, despite her intelligence.
Casually, Emma leant against the table, her arms braced at her sides. “I’m here for my partner, Elijah. He’s having a few…problems at the moment?”
“That’s not surprising, Emma,” Connie explained, “It was only a matter of time before he caught something. He sleeps with soooo many women.”
She would have laughed at that if the situation had been different.
“Yes, yes, I know that, but that’s not what I’m talking about. He’s having a problem with Amanda – I don’t suppose you know what it is, do you?”

Connie straightened at the mention of Amanda’s name, her calm demeanour gone in a puff of smoke. “N-No, why would I?”
Emma settled her gaze with her own, “Connie…”
“I don’t know anything, Emma. Why would I?”
“Because you’re a MedHead. You guys know everything.”
With a shake of her head, a few loose dark locks fell free from her tight bun. “I don’t like to deal with Amanda if I don’t have to.”
“But you did, didn’t you? About four days ago.” She wasn’t about to give up and let it drop, at least, not without some kind of fight. Emma sighed and dropped down onto the stool Connie had been sat on when she’d come in. “Come on, Con. I know you hate Amanda, heck, everyone does, she’s a bitch. She’s telling Elijah that she’s pregnant with his child, the morning after they had sex. I’ve had enough lunches with you to know that’s impossible. So, I’ve come to ask you, my sort of friend, if this is true, because really, she’s starting to piss me off. Elijah’s my partner and she’s hanging around like a bad smell.”

Connie opened her mouth, only to close it again – she repeated this three times before she actually said anything. “She’ll go crazy if I tell you, Emma…”
“No, she won’t,” Emma shook her head. “We’re the closest thing we both have to an actual friend, now, please, tell me?”

Running her fingers through her hair, Connie dropped her head into her hands. “She was pregnant. When she came to see me on Monday, I took samples and…she was three weeks pregnant. She went insane! She started crying and screaming and she made me give her the pill to end it all. She didn’t want the baby – and I think it was Nigel’s, since she kept muttering about him. She sat there,” She pointed to the stool Emma was sat on, “For ages afterwards, when suddenly she started going on about Elijah. Amanda mutters a hell of a lot, I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying, but I did catch your name and his and something like ‘this’ll mess those bastards up.’”

Through Connie’s admittance, Emma’s fingers had begun to drum lightly against the table top. She was going to smash Amanda’s pretty little face in.
“Anything else?”
“She made me swear that if you or Elijah came here, I’d follow along with the plan. I don’t know what she was going to do when it was time to start showing – it didn’t make sense. I think she just wanted to screw with Elijah’s head. Don’t tell her I told you, Emma! She makes my life hell as it is.”
“Don’t you worry about her, Connie. I’ll deal with it.”
With that, Emma pushed up from the stool and left, but not without touching the woman’s arm ever so slightly before she passed.
So, Amanda was playing a sick game with Elijah? Okay. The woman was a fruitcake, quite clearly.

But now, it was time to put a certain man out of his misery.

[/blockquote][/font]