Lost & Confused

[SageTavers]

She didn't know why but the comment of him not making her stay and wait made her nervous. Made her heart trip a little and then made her want to actually give him a bit of a shove and walk a few feet away from him. Only because the fact that he would say something like that meant that he really had no clue what was going to happen. How long he would be gone. When she'd get to see him again and the thought of it made her more then a little queasy.

Especially as they made their way to that dead end, and he stopped, making that last comment about not moving from that spot unless he had to. And it made her not want to move from that spot, and just stay with him. Because time suddenly felt precious. She jammed her hands into the pockets of those light blue jeans and rocked back and forth on her booted feet before she just gave a quick nod of her head. "Right then. I'll be back."

She did a heeled turn away from him to head in the direction of that parking garage. She actually dragged her feet for a handful of steps before she picked up that pace glancing back at him once. She wasn't even curious about what he wanted anymore.

[Jack Malone, Jr.]

If it made her nauseous, how'd she think it made him feel? Everything Jack did was always planned-- and now he had absolutely no say whether he lived or died, when it all came tumbling down. One false move that was taken the wrong way - or was delivered with the wrong intent - could be it. And hell, he wouldn't have been surprised if Sage had've shoved him just then and taken a few steps away-- perhaps, maybe, he was saying it to make her see the uncertainty of it all. Who knew? Junior could be cryptic, but.. he wasn't ever, as far as she was concerned, unless it was in regards to his work.

Time, especially right now was precious. And it had everything to do with why he'd chosen to do it early, instead of head out at night. More time out, more time to just pretend things were normal (if that were possible, when you were an obsessive thinker). Jack watched as she shoved her hands into her pockets, and started off.

"It'll be alright. Just go 'n get back, so we can sit around 'n do nothin' for a while."

Meanwhile, he crouched down against the trunk of the tree and simply worked on smoking his cigarette. When she glanced back though, he gave a half-grin to her before averting his eyes back down to the ground. Hell, who knew, maybe he'd take the both of them down to the water before the day was over. It was hard to say. He didn't want to put the place in jeopardy.

[SageTavers]

She was all but pouting as she made her way to the garage. It really wasn't difficult to do. No one stopped her and told her to stay away. Though she did look around a lot more then she normally would have once she was in the garage. She made her way through the mostly deserted spaces, on a brief jog towards that car.

She wasn't big on cars, wasn't impressed with any of them either way, but he had a strange love for his car that she didn't' quite get and found it more then a little amusing, but she'd grown to find the car a bit comforting in and of itself. She pulled out her set of keys from her pocket, it had her keys to her parents house, now her aunts house, her car, his car, and his apartment.

The keys were starting to get a little heavy. She unlocked the door and sunk into the passanger seat and popped open the glove box. She dug through it, found the metal case, kind of gave it a little toss in her hand and then pulled out the handcuffs letting it hang from a fingertip.

She dug a little more and spotted the gun, she sat there for a minute longer then she should have. She couldn't really do anything with it now...could she. But it was useful to know it was there. Lips were licked and she pushed out of the car to head back to him at a bit of a brisk jog. She had tucked the cuffs into her back pocket and was flipping the case back and forth between her fingers when she came back up to him. Swaying it from side to side.

"...so...what's so important you were willing to eat up a good twenty minutes of our time?"

[Jack Malone, Jr.]

For the twenty or so minutes it would take, Jack busied himself with pulling up weeds from around the tree's stump. ... Really? Well, what the fuck else was he going to do? He could sit and plan, plot, and whatever it was he did in his free time-- but what would amount from it? What could he really do that was typical of him? Nothing.

A few cigarettes later, he heard her footsteps as she all but jogged back, and he pushed up and brushed himself off-- though his eyes zeroed in on the Camel cigarette case she was flipping around between her fingers, and he nearly cringed. Only because he couldn't remember what form it was all in. Her question though, had his eyes raising to her's, and he lifted a shoulder in a light shrug before reaching out for it. After swiping it, he gave a nod of his head towards the path and started down it-- and as per usual, made sure all of the low-hanging branches and brush didn't stab or stick either one of them.

"Things. Vices. Security.."

That was his excuse for wasting twenty minutes of their time? It would seem so, though the last word was iffy. God only knew what he intended on doing with the handcuffs, or if he'd even go through with the half-baked plan that was formulating within his head. And why he trusted his gut when he'd decided not to have her grab the gun.. well.. maybe, for once, he was playing it safer. He lead down the path easily enough, mostly silent, and didn't stop once until the lake was in view. A few more steps, and he lowered down to sit Indian style right on the bank as he'd done the last time.

That Camel case was flipped upright, though, and he just kind of balanced it on his knee for a moment or so. Contemplating? Debating? Who knew. So without further hesitation, he went right ahead and unlatched it, then flipped it open easily just in case the contents had been shaken up. The bag of white powder, the razor blade, and the slant-cut straw. Yeah, it was a kit. Sue him.

[SageTavers]

He hadn't brought her here often enough that she had it memorized but she could walk along behind him and not trip on her own two feet, which was a miracle of all miracles because she tended to be more then a bit of a clutz just walking down a side walk street. He could probably even go ahead of her for a bit and she could find her way but she couldn't find her way down the right path to begin with.

His explanation hadn't really been satisfactory but she didn't say a word because she figured she'd find out soon enough. When he made his way to the lake and dropped she followed after him and sunk down next to him, instead of in front of him like she had before. She crossed her legs much like he had so her knee pressed against his as he balanced that metal case on his knee a moment as he seemed to think. She was curious but not really all at the same time so once he finally opened it and started to pull out the contents she just kind of gave a lil roll of her eyes. "Been holdin' out on me?"

Though she was mostly kidding, only because at seventeen she'd never done anything more extreme then drink too much and smoke a little too much weed. She pulled her knee's up to her chest though after that and just kind of stretched her hands out lightly. Had she actually ever judged him for anything up to this point? Why would she start now. She honestly wast sure what to think or feel anymore at the moment. She was going to blame it on the exhaustion.

[Jack Malone, Jr.]

Jack, on the other hand, could have walked the path blind-folded. The whole place, really, had he wanted to.. considering just how much time he'd spent down there as a kid.

And of course his answer wasn't satisfactory. When was it, though, when his head was a fucked up mess? Besides that, he wasn't quite sure what she was about to do or say when he flipped open the case and went right to work with ripping the bag's knot open with his canine teeth, and dumping just a small portion of the contents into the metallic case. Her question had him glancing sideways at her for a long moment, and he didn't say anything - even as she more or less folded up beside him - before shaking his head. He took up the razor blade next and deftly went about crushing the chunkier bits into powder.

"Holdin' out on you? No. Not contributing? Yes."

So, apparently alcohol and marijuana was one thing-- cocaine, on the other hand, was not. Hell, it wasn't even something he liked anymore, but you'd best believe it'd knock the tremor out of his hands.. which would make anyone familiar with it wonder just how long he'd been making use of it. Either way, he wasn't saying, while he worked at cutting it into two not-entirely-too-thin lines. He made quick work of them, after taking up the straw. One up each side before he closed the case back and worked it down into his back pocket-- all while his eyes were closed.

Easily enough, and careless as to whether or not the clothes he was wearing got dirty, dusty, or otherwise stained, Junior leaned back. It'd take a few seconds, at least, to kick in, and meanwhile.. he rubbed at the end of his nose with the heel of his hand.

"Should'a fuckin' kidnapped you 'n ran like I said I'd do." Regrets? He had them? Hah!

[SageTavers]

She dropped her chin to her knee's without really thinking about it and let that gaze of hers stare out at the water for a moment. Not contributing. She didn't know why but it was an interesting way to put it and it hit her right in the gut for just a moment, she waited until he was sitting there quietly with his eyes closed for a moment. She sucked in a deep breath to say something, and then didn't, she just didn't have it in her to be snarky, or round about mean without actually being mean.

And she was so very good at that, it just showed that she was that tired. When he leaned back and spoke she tipped her head to the side lightly pressing her cheek into her knee's to look over at him, a bit of a smile curved at the corner of her lips.

"You have too many people here you'd like to piss off and or hurt ... so you're too stubborn to run away."

She reached out and gave a short strand of his hair a bit of a tug before she scooted over towards him, ahd moved her head to his shoulder lightly.

"There's no one you want me to call that can help?"

She just wanted him back, without worrying about him leaving, or apparently being shot dead for any kind of false move. she could handle the lifestyle of drunkard, and apparently drug addict, she could handle the fact that when he went to work he might get hurt, that he might not come back, she'd grown up with that. She couldn't handle this though. This was ... not right, and it felt very wrong on so many levels.

[Jack Malone, Jr.]

Drunk by night, addict by day. It kind of went hand-in-hand. Even if he had none of the signs.. well.. unless he drank too much, intentionally. He had his vices though, and in doing so, was somehow functional. Just as her head found his shoulder, he moved his hand to fish for his cigarette pack this time and dropped it off to the side for safe keeping. It was just a matter of minutes, really, before he'd be sparking another one.

"M'not all about hurtin' and pissin' people off. Just the ones that get in my way."

And for the most part, that was truth. Pissing his father off was a given; the whole game with Maura, the detective, and the former sleeper was just business, until it'd been pushed to a personal level. Would he have really thought about killing one of them before, sans the sleeper? Probably. But he wouldn't have been that goddamn persistent.

And now the worst part was, he couldn't sit and watch everything as it unfolded. Not without being watched.

When his hand fell from his face, he lifted his opposite shoulder, and used both arms to pull her closer to him. Just before that tug to his hair that had his eyes re-closing, as subtle as it was. Do trust, it wasn't like he was enjoying it. The whole.. touch and go ordeal. Not being able to do as he damn well pleased, and feel safe in doing so. Her question though, he smirked even before dipping his head down to rest in the crook of her neck.

"No. That's the thing, when you've made it a point to be a complete douche to those around you. There ain't no one that'll help, when you need it."

The only person he could have possibly considered was his mother, but.. he highly fucking doubted it. Hell, he hadn't spoken to her regarding anything but work.

[SageTavers]

"Didn't say you were all about it. Though I imagine before I was too stubborn to leave you alone you were just a big ball of anger and angst...though you still are at least you smile every now and then."

She said it with that smile, though it was a little dimmer then normal it was still there. He was scared, and she'd do whatever she had to to make him feel marginally better even if it was for just a little while, even if he had to leave. She sucked in a deep breath, let it out slowly and let her eyes closed for a moment as he used both of those arms of his to pull her into him a little closer. Did he really get surprised anymore when she took the movement and shifted her way into his lap to take up that seat she so seemingly loved to take, straddling his his thighs though with the way he was sitting the hollow of his legs made a perfect seat for her at the moment. She rested both of her hands on his jaw a moment before letting her hands work their way into his hair and just kind of let those fingertips move across scalp.

"...your dad...mom...hell at this point my dad is wrapped around my pinky I could guilt trip him if you thought there was anything he could do."

And she was serious too, her dad looked like a man who had just failed in every way shape or form. His career was at it's peak, he had a beautiful wife, and a beautiful daughter, and he'd done fucked it all up without even realizing it. So. Sage was using the guilt to her full advantage at this point. She tipped her forehead lightly against his and smiled at him.

"Or I could just leave it alone until you turn into a pumpkin and have to go..."

[Jack Malone, Jr.]

Would he admit that? Admit that he was was just some big ball of anger and angst, still, when she wasn't around? Probably not, though it wasn't hard to assume. She'd seen the wreck he'd left in his wake after the confrontation with his father; the inability to keep it under wraps even while she'd been there, even once he'd been figuratively pinned by her, when he'd made her promise not to move. It'd all been so he couldn't move. Sage gave him something else to focus on; something that wasn't bullshit.

"Every now 'n then.." he parroted. It was better than never, right?

No, the movement from her didn't surprise him; the way she'd shifted right up to straddle his thighs instead of being pulled into his side. That left those puppy-dog brown eyes watching up at her, even as her hands found his jaw then slowly worked up into his hair. ... Yeah, she knew him too well. Just a second after those fingers began moving along his scalp, his eyes rolled closed and he even released a huff of a breath. Brows knitted slightly, but it was a definite change from the near-deer like expression, wasn't it? Give 'im a minute, and just maybe he'd actually relax.

"My dad would've preferred if I'd died when I was in the hospital.." He paused though, because the words weren't nearly as harsh as they should've been given the way he felt. "..Mom isn't really involved. I don't know. Work.. shit.. 'n that's it.."

But if he'd just stop and think..

"No. Don't tell your dad. Don't.. tell any of 'em. That wouldn't be a good thing, Sage. Just.. let it be.." Was he.. begging? Even if the words were slower, and less fierce than they so usually were.