BACK TO THE GRIND [ Police Station / OPEN]

[jamesthorn]

Normal people aren't like James. He is happier when he's at work, getting things done. He likes the focus, likes his cases. He likes his co-workers, most of the time, when Grant wasn't waving Cornettos in his face, Alex kept her feet off the desk, and June didn't traipse through the station to flirt with Levi. This afternoon, though, his first day back to duty following his kidnapping, he isn't handling it all that well. He is overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork sitting on his desk; Levi really hadn't been lying about everyone just leaving it all safe and sound for him. His desk looks like it hasn't been touched in weeks, except for people just piling things in his chair. A pile he dumped on the floor next to his feet once he'd arrived, a pile that would likely still be there a month from now.

That was hours ago. He is still attempting to just make it through his e-mail inbox and his phone messages as most of them aren't practically incomprehensible. He doesn't even know where to start with this to get back into the mindset. He places his head in his hands for a few seconds, attempting to scrub away the brain fog. He removes his hands and blinks at the computer screen.

Maybe he thought he would just pick back up where he left off, but it's obvious he's going to need a short reintroduction to all of this. Though there's a tiny voice in the back of his mind shouting at him that the job isn't the reason. He is brilliant at his job; he knows what to do. No, if he was being real with himself, he would know his brain fog is due to Moira freaking Coombs and the night he'd spent with her. He shakes that thought away quickly, or tries too, and goes back to his e-mail.

Comments

[secretarialsiren]

"Please do. It's of the utmost importance."

Alex bats her eyelashes at him with a wolfish grin. "Turn into an absolute babe and maybe someone will. But you have to have really good acting skills too. You need a sob story to go with the lashes."

[tarnishedbadge]

"I don't know, that seems terribly sexist of you. I'm pretty sure I should report you to HR."

Not that he would. No one wanted Alex to stop being Alex. That's why they liked her so much, because she was Alex.

"And I could become a babe. Also, I have a dead mother, or is that too much of a sob story?"

[secretarialsiren]

"Please. HR loves me. Now, if you reported me to James, something might actually happen. Doubtfully though," she says with a painfully smug smirk. She knows she can get away with a lot of shit others might not and, while she'd never do anything to actually cause real trouble, she enjoys exercising her lack of restraint too much to stop any time soon.

"If you're going to become a babe, do we at least get a totally sweet makeover montage? And dead mother works. You'll have to work out how it made you forget your money at home though."

[tarnishedbadge]

"I would never report you to James. James is the killer of fun."

Levi didn't actually think that, not completely, but it was fun to give him shit about it. Also, it wasn't worth the risk of having something actually done about Alex.

"Of course there's a makeover montage. And I think I'd just go with daddy issues because then the excuse doesn't matter, he'll assume he's getting lucky no matter what."

[secretarialsiren]

"Gooood, I know, right? Like, let your hair down. Go have a few drinks and bang a random stranger in the alley or something." She'd raised her voice a tiny bit, always loving a chance to rib James and to very likely make him start blushing in his office. Alex discussing his sex life was a sure way to make that happen.

"See? Now you're getting it. Just lure them in with the damsel in distress act and a little potential coitus-ing and they're buying you all the rocky road you can carry."

[tarnishedbadge]

"The first time he banged a random stranger in an alley, James would knock them up," Levi mused. It seemed like the sort of terrible luck someone who never let loose would have. Almost amusing except for the child part.

"And then when I shut them down and they get insistent, I reveal that my daddy issues are actually that he's a retired Marine and forced me to compete in underground-UFC style matches and leave the guy with a broken dick."

[secretarialsiren]

"God, he totally would. And then he'd have a heart attack trying to figure out how to go back in time to stop himself," she snorts. "I'll warn him next time I see him not to go banging strangers in alleys."

Alex leans forward at her desk, resting her chin on her hands with a happy sigh. "You learn so fast. I'm so proud. If I had the ability to cry, I would be, I promise you."

[tarnishedbadge]

"I'm sure that he'll really appreciate that," Levi said with a nod. At worse, it would just really confuse Jason as to why Alex would warn him about that.

"If only I was born with different genitals, I could have been your greatest pupil, Alex."

[secretarialsiren]

Alex lets out an overly dramatic sigh. "If only. He never appreciates my advice. I have no idea why not."

"The gods are cruel, Levi. I'll just have to teach you what I can and let you find the rest yourself."

[tarnishedbadge]

"I think he secretly takes it to heart. I bet after you warn him, he won't bang a random stranger in an alley. But will he thank you for it? Probably not."

Levi knew some people who were contrary enough to go and bang and random stranger in an alley just because they were told not to but James doesn't seem the type. Contrary? Maybe. But not "screw a stranger in an alley" level contrary.

[secretarialsiren]

"Of course he won't," she scoffs. "He doesn't appreciate the many ways I express my love for him. I tell him not to bang a stranger in an alley? He gets mad and tells me I'm being 'inappropriate for a work environment' and that's 'none of my business'."