fandomtownies | The Causeway: 12:30pm, Friday afternoon

The Causeway: 12:30pm, Friday afternoon

Parker was leaning against her Miata, waiting for the others to arrive for the drive to the airport. A one-hour flight to Bridgeport; a van waiting at the airport; and equipment to be picked up locally.

Then, all they'd have to do was wait.

The keys swung around her fingers in a dizzy arc, and her boots tapped on the pavement as she stared out at the waves.

[for the team of Watergaters - continues here]

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Isabel turned up, dressed in dark clothes as requested. "You doing okay?"

"Wired. I hate the in-between times." Parker raised an eyebrow at her behind her shades. "Good choice for an outfit. You okay with the plan?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," she nodded. "Believe it or not I do have a finally honed sense of self preservation."

"I do believe it." Parker grinned a little, tapping her feet. "We should be back by dawn. I've got flights out of Bridgeport booked for 4am and 6am, though. It's going to be a looong night."

"Then it's a good thing I passed on that dinner with Brad and Angelina," Isabel said with a straight face. "I'll just sleep in."

"Cool." Parker grinned. "I'll take everyone out for breakfast when we get back here, then we can crash."

"Sounds like a plan," she nodded. "Just remind me to skip the coffee."

Cedric walked up, broomstick over his shoulder and wand tucked into his bag.

"Evening," he said, nodding.

"Hey, Cedric. Thanks for coming." Parker pushed up her sunglasses and gave him her best smile. "I really, really appreciate this."

"It's fine," he said, nodding. "If it's needed, it's fine."

"It is. It really is." She grinned at the broom. "I hope they don't make you check that on the plane. Maybe we can just claim it as your one carry-on, though."

"I can always claim it's my walking stick," he said, shrugging.

Parker gave him a deadpan look, then nodded. "Okayyyy then." She swung the keys around her fingers even faster. "We'll leave as soon as Weiss gets here. We'll get into Connecticutt by sundown, get dinner, then drive to Hillman." She let out a breath. "Then do some reconnaissance, and then... well." She stopped the keys, clasping them tight. "Things happen."

He nodded and said, "That all sounds good. Are you nervous?"

Having someone ask that outright, Parker couldn't lie. "Yes." She blew out a breath, and tried to smile. "I think this can work, it's just very important to me. And I don't want you guys getting in trouble. So. Nerves."

"Don't be," he said. "I'm sure it'll work out all right."

"Thanks." Parker smiled at him, relaxing a little. "How are you doing? I assume things are going okay, or Jack would've said. Well. Aside from a week of him being a mouse."

"Things are well," he said. "Nothing's really changed besides the week of him being a mouse. And the not having any classes."

"Best time to do this. It would've been last weekend, but I needed Broots to finish a computer program for the mainframe." She smiled a little. "I so owe you. Thanks."

"You don't owe me," he said. "If I can help, I will."

Jack arrived, wearing dark clothes as instructed. That they should be very well fitted and make him look damn sexy hadn't been part of the instructions, but, well, it was Jack.

He was still muttering under his breath about 'interstellar travel' and 'back as soon as I can', and he smiled distractedly at everyone.

"Hey, you." Cocking an eyebrow at the muttering, Parker asked, "Problem?"

"What?" he asked, focusing on Parker. "No. Not really." He shook his head, dragging his attention back to here and what they had to do. "Not at all. You doing okay?"

Parker gave him a look askance. "Seriously. If there's going to be a problem, tell me so I can meltdown now, okay? And I'm wired, but ready." She checked her watch. "We'll even have time to kill in Bridgeport before we have to drive out to Hillman. I thought we'd grab dinner, then go."

"Chill, Parker." Jack held up a hand. "Yes, there's a problem, no it's nothing to do with this. Sam's gone AWOL, off helping D'anna. She left a note. It's fine." He let his hand fall, and tilted his head at her. "I'll worry about it later," he said, then added, "and food sounds like a good idea."

Relaxing a bit, Parker said, "D'anna? Hunh. I hope everything's going to be okay." She clenched her car keys a litte more tightly. "Since we have to be there at midnight exactly, I don't want to show up too soon, and risk being spotted. Better to arrive after dark."

"Yup." Jack studied her for a minute, then poked her, wanting her to relax. "But you haven't told me how sexy I look." He held his arms out and twirled around. "Am I a good distraction, or what?"

Parker facepalmed a little, laughing. "Okay, remember the part where we don't actually talk to the guards?" She whapped him on the arm. "You're very distracting, yes. If we get caught, I'm sure the arresting officers will at least acknowledge your fashion sense."

Jack deliberately raised an eyebrow, put his hands on his hips, and posed. "Who said anything about talking?"

He couldn't hold it for long, and he started laughing. "Seriously, it's dark, it's easy to move in, and I'm not going to get caught on anything. Just don't ask me where I'm going to hide the gun."

Parker snickered for several minutes, and relaxed by gradual increments. "Right. Okay, I won't ask. Or suggest anywhere you might!" She shook her head, amused. "And at least if we do get caught, I have bail lined up for us from two different sources, so we can stay anonymous."

As Parker relaxed, so did Jack. They needed her to be calm and in control. "Bail is good, but we're not going to get caught," he said confidently. "Just tell me Jarod isn't one of those two."

"God, no. He's the backup if we're not in jail and in worse trouble than the police. Not that he knows it. Zero's going to make that call. She's one of the bail possibilities too." Parker pushed her sunglasses up. "The other one is M. My Spy Tech teacher."

"Our Spy Tech teacher. You really need to learn how to share," he teased. "And those are good choices. Not sure truces extend to providing bail." Jack slung an arm around her shoulders and pointed at the car. "Am I too late to call shotgun?"

"Our Spy Tech teacher, my mentor," Parker corrected. "And no, you're not too late. You just have to wrestle Weiss for it in massage oil."

Jack stared off into space, lost in imagination. "There's just no bad there," he sighed. "Apart from the bit where we miss the plane."

Parker cracked up, and said, "Right. We're telling Weiss this when he gets here."

"Telling?" Jack actually managed to look crestfallen, not easy when you're stifling laughter. "You mean you're not going to suggest it?" He pulled away and walked, shoulders slumping, towards the car. "I'm hurt, Parker. Deeply, deeply hurt that you'd get my hopes up then dash them."

"I'm an evil bitch that way," Parker said wickedly. "And you don't get to play Massage Oil Wrestling with the boyfriend, how many times have I gotta tell you?"

"As long as you keep bringing it up?" he asked archly. "Many times." Jack decided to forego shotgun and climbed in the back, making himself comfortable. "The back seat's more versatile, anyway."

Parker forego a comeback in lieu of whapping him on the head, and rolled her eyes.

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The Causeway: 12:30pm, Friday afternoon

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