Quitting Time

[goawayleavemealone]

Pete wipes his face as he heads from his office down to the lab. After the day he's had, he's itching for a cigarette, but resisting; hesitant to break a three day streak without one.

He'd spent the better part of the day helping to place the hybrids safely, make sure each one was taken care of, while simultaneously keeping an eye out for something else out of the ordinary, trying not to be too distracted to notice something else in the works.

Leads had been a bust, which was equally frustrating.

He steps into the lab, finding that Alistaire had gone for the day, and that Kitty was still sitting in front of a group of laptops, slumped over, fast asleep.

Pete sighs deeply and steps over, kneeling down next to her chair and patting her knee gently. "Oi, Pryde."

Comments

[goawayleavemealone]

He blows out a breath and rubs one of his eyes. "Well, normally I'm in by nine, but if something pops up before that, it's whenever."

He leads her out of the lab and toward the elevator.

[enduring_pryde]

"I can do nine," she says with a nod. "I love how you invite me here to get away and then put me straight to work. You know me so well," she laughs and presses the button for the elevator.

[goawayleavemealone]

Pete chuckles a little. "Well, I suppose you could just lounge around my flat while I go to work, but you're you. You'd just be bored. You'd start grilling me for information about my day the second I walked in the door, and then start doing my job better'n me on the fly."

He leans back against the elevator wall, feeling tired, but for the first time in a long time, a little less hopeless, even with the state of the case they were working.

[enduring_pryde]

She chuckles. It was really nice seeing him so happy and smiling arounf her. "Pretty much. Have you thought about what you'd like me to do as your assistant?"

[goawayleavemealone]

He glances at her and shakes his head. "Nope. Didn't have much time to think on it today."

He thinks of about six dirty jokes he could make about having an assistant, but holds them all back. As the doors open, he pivots off of the wall and wanders out into the lobby, nodding to the janitor on duty as he waits for Kitty to follow.

[enduring_pryde]

"Really? Considering that vivid memory of yours I'm quite surprised," she says, smirking and walking out of the elevator. "Good night," she tells the janitor as she walks to the front door.

[goawayleavemealone]

He walks with her, and takes a breath. "Right. So. Pasties, pastries and coffee, yeah?"

[enduring_pryde]

She glanced at him, giving him a sly smile. "Yep. That's the plan." She knew he was reiterating to keep a level head. "So am I making you hot and bothered or just a little bothered?" She asks casually.

[goawayleavemealone]

He laughs a little and shakes his head. "You already know the answer to that, Pryde."

He walks down the street, toward the little bakery at the corner with late hours, his shoulder close to hers as they walk, his hands in his pockets.

[enduring_pryde]

"I do but I wanted to hear you say it." She said she would follow his lead, but she never said she wouldn't be needling him a little. And it would be healthy to talk about feelings and the like. She wasn't going to let things go unsaid again.

"So Lady Jacqueline wasn't anything like how you said she would be to me."

[goawayleavemealone]

He grins a little, glancing at her.

"She's English, and a woman of title at that. Polite might as well be her middle name," Pete shrugs. "She also knows a good thing when she sees one, and you putting your computer goddess skills to work for us is definitely a good thing."

[enduring_pryde]

"Mmhmm. I'm intending to demonstrate the strengths I can bring to your team. I'm used to being in charge," she says with a laugh.

[goawayleavemealone]

"Yes, I know, Madame Headmistress," he teases.

[enduring_pryde]

"Head Mistress, Team Leader," she nods. "It's good being somewhere where I can be me. It's been a long time." She smiles. "So where is the bakery?"

[goawayleavemealone]

"Just round here," he says, walking around the corner to a small bakery and opening the door for her, nodding for her to go in.

It's small and cozy, warmly lit, and the smell of coffee and, bread and tea wafts through the shop.

Behind the counter stands an older woman: short, and frizzy-haired, she's got her back to them, kneading some bread dough on the counter.

"Welcome to the bake shop with no name," Pete grins. "Opened in 1939, and a popular after-hours stop for spooks around these parts."

[enduring_pryde]

"How cute and quaint. And here I thought you showed me all of your spy haunts in London." They had spent many hours at The Crown. "Is it bad that I kind of want one if everything?" She hadn't gotten a chance to eat lunch. It had been a long time since their breakfast in New York.

[goawayleavemealone]

"We didn't make it this way too often back then," Pete points out," he mutters, looking at their options.

"We can make that happen," Pete grins. "I'm starvin' too."

[enduring_pryde]

"No we didn't. I want to see any of your other favourites too. I also would love to hit that Bletchley Park pub, the Bletchley in Chelsea." Because a pub where you have to figure out puzzles in order to get your drink sounded fun.

"Great. And which ones are your favourites? Let's start there."

[goawayleavemealone]

Pete grins, amused. "Yeah, I know it. We can go another night."

He looks in at the pastries and grins. "I like the Cornish pasties, and the croissants." He taps the glass gently.

[enduring_pryde]

"Yes. I like those too. Let's get some rugelach, crodoughs, a variety of muffins. Mmm. Apple Danish."

[goawayleavemealone]

Pete blinks at her rapidly. "Right. When did you start eating like me?*

In the back of his head, an alarm goes off, wondering if she's...

No. She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't drop that in his lap.

[enduring_pryde]

"Really when I went to college a few years ago. But also what I'm ordering isn't just for me: it's for you too. Since our shopping trip went bust we need something edible in your apartment."

[goawayleavemealone]

Pete grins at her and nods, stepping up to the counter. He feels stupid for worrying but it's hard not to.

"Lo Minnie. We'll have two of everything to go, thanks. And two large coffees."

[enduring_pryde]

She grins. "Thank you, Minnie." She pats Pete on the hand reassuringly.

[goawayleavemealone]

He glances at her, and pays for everything, handing kitty one of the coffees and carrying his own and the bag of food.

"Right. Home."