Work Text:
Can you come get me? Sullivan’s on Park Place
Jubal stared at the text on his phone for a full minute in surprise. It wasn’t so much the message itself, though that was unusual enough, it was more that it was from Isobel. Isobel asking for help no less.
You okay? Thumbing out the quick response on the touch screen as his surprise gave way to concern. He glanced around the JOC, realising he’d been so caught up in paperwork that he was there alone, everyone else having left for the evening. He stood, pulling his jacket from the back of his chair intending to make the short journey whether Isobel responded or not.
Earlier in the day Isobel had been bemoaning the director insisting all SACs attend the Mayor’s annual holiday party that evening.
"Perks of the job, eh?"
"I don’t know about perk, but they usually serve the good champagne at least." Isobel responded with a rueful smile. "Is it terrible that I’m almost hoping for an urgent case to come in?"
He’d chuckled at her desperate tone. "Totally understandable."
By the time Jubal grabbed the keys to one of the department SUVs, his phone pinged a text alert.
Not sure
Not sure? Now he’d crossed the border from concerned to worried.
Be right there. Stay put.
**
December darkness greeted him as he jumped from the vehicle, now double parked outside what looked to be an Irish bar. Green shamrocks mixed with red and white fairy lights decorated the outside of windows and around the door, reminding him of a regular haunt back when he’d been drinking far too much. The bar was half a block from the big hotel he guessed could have been where Isobel’s event was being held.
Pushing the door open Jubal was met with some sort of holiday music, a variation on Jingle Bells he hadn’t heard before. Tables were scattered around, booths lining the side wall opposite the bar, busy but not overwhelmingly so. Not the sort of place he’d ever guess he’d find Isobel, as pleasant as the atmosphere was at first glance.
But find her he did, perched on a stool at the bar. His first thought was he did not notice the slit in her dress, ending in a V mid thigh that gave a very nice view of creamy leg topped off with strappy heels he absolutely did not notice. Breathing a sigh of relief that she appeared to be safe and well, Jubal moved through the bar towards her. Big brown eyes met his as he neared, a relieved smile touching her lips.
"Jubal!" She breathed a second before sliding gracefully from the barstool and throwing bare arms around his neck. Shock flashed through him at the action. In his experience with her, he’d rarely known Isobel to be tactile. A frequently fond memory was the day in the JOC when they’d finally beaten Vargas and his backup plans, the Central Station bombs stopped in time. In the moment, the jubilant, celebratory moment, Jubal had forgotten himself and pulled her into his arms, as happy for her vindication at finally nailing the bastard as he was for his own. He could almost feel the surprise radiating from her when he’d felt her hesitant arms go around his shoulders.
Now the roles are reversed as he raised his arms tentatively around her, unsure what had brought this on. "Hey, everything okay?"
"There were two men, I think over my shoulder, your two o’clock." Isobel whispered urgently from where her head was now tucked in to his neck. "Dark hair, six foot and five ten, dark jackets."
Alarmed, Jubal automatically followed her instruction, scanned the depths of the bar for men fitting her description. There were a few matches but no one showing them any undue attention. "I can’t see anyone, Isobel. Has something happened?"
She pulled away from him, twisting her upper body round to look in the same direction. Delicate citrus perfume hit him as she moved, glossy hair almost in his face they were still so close. He watched her dark eyes dart about assessing the various groups of people behind her. The tension drained out of her a minute later as she turned back to him, an almost sheepish expression on her beautiful features as she let go of him finally.
"You going to tell me what’s going on?"
Isobel folded her arms in front of her. "I was leaving the holiday party, went outside to hail a cab home and two men followed me. At first I thought one of them might have been someone I knew, but I got a bad feeling - there were no cabs waiting so I started walking. Thought I’d come in here and wait for a cab but they followed me in." She let out an embarrassed laugh. "Now I’m wondering if I made the whole thing up in my head."
Feeling brave, Jubal reached out to stroke her arm in a gesture of comfort.
Isobel sighed softly, turning to look over her shoulder again before turning back to him. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have -"
"Yes you should have. You didn’t feel safe, Isobel, you did exactly what you were supposed to do." He told her seriously. "Want me to take you home?"
"So you’ve decided you’re my bodyguard now? Don’t trust me to get home by myself?" A brow arched, her tone a touch sharp.
Jubal raised his hands in surrender, unsure whether to take her response as jovial or offended at his offer. He gambled on jovial. "Hey, you requested my services, so here I am."
"I didn’t realise you provided personal chauffeur services, Jubal." She smirked at him. "Is that something all SACs are offered, or am I special?"
For the first time since he’d walked in Jubal wondered how much she’d had to drink tonight, because Isobel saying things like that in a playful tone was not something he’d prepared himself for. "For both our sakes, I’m not going to answer that."
Isobel grinned gleefully. "Spoilsport."
Jubal let out a chuckle at her response, giving himself an internal reprimand for even considering a flirtatious retort. He still couldn't get used to seeing her outside of work, even though the last twelve months it’d been steadily happening more often. Drinks with the team, occasional weekend coffee shops to discuss a case. There was some sort of easiness about her, a relaxed essence that just wasn’t there at 26 Fed. Maybe not so much tonight, but he liked it. Liked her.
"I will take you up on that ride home, if you’re sure you don’t mind."
"Of course," Jubal replied, grabbing her coat from the stool beside her and holding it for her as she started to slip it on.
She smiled appreciatively at him. "I hope I haven’t ruined your night."
"Just a fun night of paperwork." Turning to head towards the bar entrance Isobel surprised him by taking his arm as they weaved through the cluster of tables. "My boss likes to keep me busy."
"Your boss needs a coffee," she complained good naturedly.
"I can stop somewhere?"
"I know a good place that’s open late, it wouldn’t be much out of our way?"
**
The coffee shop is surprisingly busy for the lateness of the hour. Tucked into the side of a tall office building, small Christmas trees adorn each corner of the windows to the sidewalk. They’d decided to sit at a table rather than order to go cups through some unspoken mutual decision. Jubal smiled a little at Isobel, decked out in a very formal cocktail dress in the middle of all the casual student crowd. Typically Isobel wasn’t fazed by much, and this was no an exception, despite the curious glances thrown their way since they walked in.
She turned those big dark eyes on him as he watched her, eyebrow creasing at his surveillance. "What?"
"Nothin’. Just thinking this wasn’t how I pictured my evening turning out."
"No, I can’t say I expected mine to either."
Jubal sipped from the large mug in front of him, some decaf holiday blend that tasted vaguely of gingerbread."I’ll check cameras on that block when I get in on Monday, see if there’s any clues."
"Thanks, I’m not sure it’ll get you much, but it might put my mind at ease." She sipped her latte and smiled ruefully. "If I’d had my gun with me, I would hope you’d not have had to rescue me."
Jubal chuckled. "No guns allowed at the Christmas party?"
Isobel rolled her eyes. "Apparently we were supposed to be there to enjoy ourselves, and the mayor decreed it only security could be armed tonight."
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, watching each other. "Aren’t you supposed to have the kids tonight?"
Jubal smiled, touched she’d remembered a walking and talking moment he’d mentioned his weekend plans earlier in the week. "Yeah I was but Sam wanted them to see her parents before the holidays really kick off, so we switched. Hence my exciting evening of paperwork."
"How’s Tyler doing?" Isobel asked, leaning forward.
"Better, mostly a waiting game now until the next appointment can tell us something more concrete."
"That’s good. I’m glad he’s doing better, Jubal."
"Me too."
Isobel’s eyes drifted to the tree behind him, white lights dancing on and off prettily. When her expression became a little melancholy, Jubal glanced over his shoulder to follow her gaze. "Not a fan of the holidays?"
Her eyeline shifted back to him as she smiled a little sadly. "Not since my Mom, really. She and I had some things we’d do every year which I’ve tried to continue, but most of the time it makes me miss her too much."
"I’m sorry, Isobel." Jubal reaches across the table to grasp her hand.
She shrugs his comforting words away, but lets him stroke the back of her hand idly.
"Maybe we should do something together, start a new Christmas tradition?" Jubal finds himself saying, words tumbling out of his mouth without permission from his brain.
Isobel grins at him, the sadness in her expression giving way to surprise. "I can’t cook, Jubal, if you’re angling for a Christmas dinner invitation."
Jubal laughs out right at that, enjoying her forthright humour. "I could teach you how to cook, if you’d like?"
"Or we could let someone else do the cooking - there’s a really nice place I’ve been wanting to try sometime." Isobel glances down at their hands, Jubal having almost forgotten he was still holding hers.
Jubal smiles. "Yeah we could do that."
**
The late hour means he has to park further up the street than he’d like so Jubal walks with her despite Isobel's protestations. When they reach the steps leading to her door Isobel stops and turns to him. "Thanks for rescuing me."
"All part of the service, ma’am." He quips.
She smiles, takes a breath and then wraps her arms around him. "You’re a good friend, Jubal. I hope you know that."
He smiles, pleased at her warm words. "You too, Isobel. We’ll get to that restaurant next week, okay? I’ll make reservations."
"I’m looking forward to it."
Jubal watches her go inside, turning to give a little wave as she unlocks and opens the door, then disappears from view. Lights turn on inside as he moves back towards the SUV. He huffed out an amused chuckle as he climbed in to the drivers’s seat. This was definitely not how he’d expected his night to turn out.
‘Cause life slips by without a warning
And I'm tired of ignoring
All the space that's between you and I
Satellite by Nickelback