Chapter Text
…Licorice, Marshmallow, Neapolitan, Oreo…
“Earth to Scola. Am I boring you?”
Scola tracked the voice to where Jubal stood in front of the room. The ASAC had his hands on the hips, waiting for a response.
Crap. He’d been caught zoning out in a meeting full of analysts and agents.
Scola raised a hand in apology. “Sorry, Jubal. I was…never mind. You have my complete attention now. Please delight us with your lovely voice.”
The crowd’s giggles followed his silly remark.
Double crap. He shouldn’t have added that last bit, but his brain-mouth reflex resorted to sarcasm when he didn’t know what to say. He glowered at the coffee cup in his hand, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.
“Scola’s poor attempt at flattery is definitely a sign that we should call it a day. Okay, go home! I want you all out of here within the next fifteen minutes,” Jubal announced before turning to Scola. “Stay put. I just need to take care of something real quick and when I come back, we’ll talk.”
“Of course.”
Scola wondered how much trouble he was in. He wasn’t normally so scatterbrained. He was just suffering the effects of living off caffeine for two days straight - which had never been a problem in the past. Either he hadn’t been training hard enough, or he was getting too old for back to back all-nighters. Unfortunately, he’d done all that for nothing too. It had been a bad lead in the end.
Scola stifled a yawn as he watched agents and analysts file out of the room. He missed his bed. He missed real food.
“Peanut Butter.”
It sounded like a whisper, but given how tired he was, he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t a hallucination. Scola turned and was surprised to find Maggie sitting next to him. How had he missed her there all meeting?
Not trusting his weary senses, he asked, “Just to make sure I’m not imagining voices, did you say ‘Peanut Butter’?”
“Weren’t you citing ice cream flavors in alphabetical order when Jubal caught you in a daze? I believe you were up to P, so Peanut Butter.”
Triple crap. It was an old habit. Listing objects or names inside his head kept him going when he was bored, tired, nervous, or in this instance, sleepy. But he had not realized he’d been muttering the words out for public hearing.
“I actually said them out loud?”
Maggie pressed her lips together, looking like she was trying very hard to keep a straight face. “It wasn’t that loud. I only heard it because I was right beside you.”
Scola was so mortified he could feel his face grow warm. At the sight of him flushing, Maggie chuckled.
“How embarrassing,” he murmured, cringing at his own idiocy.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” She gave him a reassuring smile.
“In that case, thank you for suggesting Peanut Butter. I probably would have said the same. It’s my favor-” Scola stopped mid-word. Not usually prone to blurting out personal information like that, he blamed the slip on his fatigued brain. “Please excuse me for oversharing. Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be leaving like the others? I believe I’m the only one in trouble with Principal Valentine.”
“I heard that!” Jubal chose that moment to join them, taking the chair across the table. Scola braced himself for the set down as the ASAC began. “Maggie already knows, so this is news only for you. OA is on an undercover assignment. At this point, we don’t know for how long – could be weeks or months. So starting tomorrow, the two of you will pair up.”
Scola was pleasantly surprised. He’d expected a mind-numbing lecture from Jubal but instead, he was getting a new partner. A real one. Ever since Kristen was re-assigned to the JOC, they’d sent random agents to work the field with him. It was nice to have a steady ally again – at least for a while.
He regarded Maggie quietly, hoping she wasn’t too disappointed. OA was a stellar partner. The loyalty they had for each other was renowned in the bureau. Though Scola was pleased with the new arrangement, he also knew he had big shoes to fill. But he wouldn’t be Scola if he simply accepted the change without making any sort of jest.
With a deadpan expression, he asked Maggie, “So what did you do to deserve the punishment of partnering me?”
Maggie froze momentarily before she spoke to Jubal. “This one may not run as fast as OA, but he’s definitely wittier.”
The ASAC nodded. “I’m pretty sure this one will keep you on your toes.”
Scola cleared his throat. “Ahem. This one is sitting here. Since two well-trained agents are talking like this one does not exist, this one has just discovered he has the superpowers of invisibility.”
This time, both Maggie and Jubal turned to him and snickered.
“We can always count on Scola’s clever tongue to have a smart ass comeback.” Jubal stood and made his way towards the door. “Get some rest, Scola. It’s been a long few days. You too, Maggie. See you tomorrow!”
“Bye, Jubal,” Maggie replied. When they were alone, she startled Scola by snatching the coffee out of his hand. “I know it’s not official till tomorrow, but the first thing I’m going to do as your to-be-partner is get you some food.” Anticipating a protest, she raised her free hand to stop him. “This must be what…your fifth cup of the day? And I’m sure you haven’t eaten anything in the past twelve hours.”
Scola grimaced at her accuracy. He was not used to having others interfere in his life. It was easier to remain objective and withdrawn when people stayed out of each other’s personal affairs. Coming from Maggie though, he found he didn’t mind. The usual feeling of suffocation and needing to run away never came – it was odd, but he tucked the thought away for another day. “What gave it away? My slender figure?”
Maggie quirked a brow. “You were daydreaming about food.”
He should have seen that coming.
Maggie was an exceptional agent, her intuition and dedication unmatched by any other he’d come across. He’d heard about what happened to her husband but never pried. The fact that she’d gone through such a tragedy and remained so strong only made him respect her more. He’d seen her in action, never doubted her skills. But this mischievous side he was only discovering now was fascinating. He’d caught glimpses of her less serious moments before, but it was typically OA on the receiving end of it. It seemed there was much he didn’t know about Maggie Bell - he was undeniably intrigued.
“That was not humiliating at all,” Scola muttered drily. “I regret I didn’t pick ‘Names of Disney Princesses’ to daydream about instead.”
Maggie’s eyes sparkled with new curiosity. “Oh, we’re definitely tackling that list the next time we’re on a stake out.” She stood and invited him to do the same. “Come on, I could use some food too. The sooner we eat, the sooner you can go home. Besides, I know a great diner that serves a mean Peanut Butter ice cream.”
“Ugh! I should have known you’d have a wicked streak for teasing under that angelic smile of yours.”
“Aww. Between my teasing and your smart mouth, we’ll have suspects begging us to stop talking and surrendering in no time. See? I can already tell we’ll make a great pair.”
He couldn’t help but admire the splendid retort. He liked her spunk. Scola raised both arms in playful defeat. “You win, Maggie Bell. Since you’ll have to put up with this infamous smart mouth of mine, it’s only fair that I’m buying.”
“But-“
“It’s non-negotiable,” Scola cut in. “But this isn’t our official icebreaking-slash-celebrate-our-partnership dinner. We can have that later when I’m not half-sleepwalking. I promise I won’t be as grumpy then. And yes, I’m buying that one too.”
They were waiting for the elevator, and he could feel her eyes on him. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was thinking. Maggie had seemed surprised when he’d proposed an official dinner to mark their partnership. He’d confounded himself too, never one to initiate a get together of any kind. He could hardly blame her for being unaccustomed to his whims when he rarely hung out with Maggie and OA. He kept to himself as a habit.
When Scola couldn’t stand the attention anymore, he ran a hand through his hair. “What? Have I sprouted horns I don’t know about?”
“Hmm.” Maggie stood on her toes, pretending to get a better look. “Not yet. But I’ll make sure you hear about it as soon as they start growing.”
They exchanged a small smile, noting the easy banter between them. When the elevator came, he gestured for her to enter first.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret too. Peanut Butter is also my favorite,” Maggie shared before stepping in.
She was trying to put Scola at ease after his earlier embarrassment – trading one secret for another. He appreciated her kindness, but as always, the instinctive need to keep things trivial overpowered him.
Scola walked in and put on a childish pout. “No, I’m not sharing my ice cream.”
The absurd line stunned her for a good three seconds before she broke into a hearty laugh. Maggie’s face lit up in a way that Scola had never seen before. Her radiant positivity was enchanting, changing the air around them. It felt lighter, more hopeful. He found himself unable to look away - her open joy was too intoxicating. Having witnessed Maggie’s lovely transformation, it was impossible not to make it a mission to find ways to make her laugh more.
“Ah, a true gentleman after my own heart. I miss OA already!” Maggie nudged him in the ribs.
Scola bit back a smile. “Ow! Hello? Sleep-deprived victim here. Please show some compassion!”
Having Special Agent Maggie Bell as a partner was going to be anything but dull.