[IF RP] And I'm so very guilty for no reason or rhyme...

[human_blueprint]

"Okay, you've got to be cheating." Kate laughed as LJ laid down his hand, beating her at cards for the third time in a row. "That, or I forgot just how badly I suck at gin."

Michael watched from the opposite side of the room as LJ smiled at Kate's crack. She was wearing one of Lincoln's shirts now, having taken advantage of their hotel room's shower, and he noted the way she kept burrowing into it...drawing her arms into the sleeves, hunching her shoulders to feel the material slide over her skin. He'd even noticed her smelling it at one point...and he didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know why she'd asked for the change of clothes when her own bag was sitting right in the corner.

Making a mental note, Michael turned his attention back to the file spread out on the table, paging through it while Lincoln sat in a nearby chair, where he knew he was watching her play cards with his son...in his shirt.

"This whole thing is incredible." he finally sighed, lifting another page from the folder. "The information this woman's compiled...Linc, she's got about as many answers as we do, but there's things in here we didn't have before, stuff she got to with...a government level of clearance I've never even seen." Glancing up, he saw Lincoln still distracted and thumped the table with his index finger. Fortunately, he was, in fact, listening, as he immediately turned to face Michael.

Handing Lincoln the page, he leaned over and pointed to a name. "According to these documents, a top audio-visual specialist was hired by a subsidiary of Steadman's company. Steadman dealt in alternative energy...why would he need an A/V expert?" Michael paused, holding Lincoln's gaze pointedly. "And what's more...if you were going to fake someone's death, and needed help in doing it...how would you go about covering your own tracks? Simple: cut through the dead man's garden...the one place no one would think to look."

Comments

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

Lincoln was trying to pay attention, but even as he looked at the files with his brother her laughter kept edging into his hearing, and he'd have to look at her. There she was, actually smiling and laughing and spending time with his son, in his shirt. It wasn't something he expected to see after she had left him in that hotel.

The sound of Michael hitting the tabletop a bit pulled his focus back to his brother and the file that this woman had given LJ. It was a lot of information, and most of it was stuff Michael hadn't even seen. Which could be something, or it could be a set up for an even bigger fall.

Lincoln took the page that was handed to him and skimmed it over. It didn't look like it belonged with all the other charges that were on the expense account, but he hadn't ever been good with making the big pieces connect together, because to him they all seemed like tiny fragments.

He shook his head at the logic Michael was trying to make of it all, and instead of following whatever train of thought he had going he focused on the question that had been eating at him soon as Kate told him his son had been eating with ex-CIA.

"So who is she? This ex-CIA girl with all the answers? I mean this is all a bit too convenient if you ask me, after all this work you did and now we've drawn the attention of someone on the inside that's not on the inside of all of this?"

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

Michael sighed heavily, shaking his head as he evaluated another page. "I don't know...but she's not lying about being ex-CIA. Most of this stuff is heavily censored...she either called in some favors, or had some remaining avenues to pursue."

He paused, picking up another sheet...letterhead, bearing her name...a photocopy of an inquiry she'd sent to a branch of the President's legal offices in regards to the case. Rachel Gibson...he wondered what he'd come up with if he tried to check her out. Not that he had the luxury...but still, he wondered.

"All I know for sure is that for a mid level White House internal affairs clerk, she sure knows how to get her hands on some high-level stuff." Michael murmured, stunned yet again as he pulled out a sheaf of paperwork from the file...part of Terrance Steadman's medical file. Who *was* this woman?

Glancing up at Lincoln, he met his gaze pointedly as he set the file down, trying to put this woman in the back of his mind for the moment. "Besides...is her interest any more unusual than the interest of *another* wanted killer taking enough interest to help us get LJ back?" he asked rhetorically, quirking an eyebrow at Lincoln pointedly.

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

Lincoln nodded not sure what else he could question out of all of this. It wasn't the straightest answer about who this woman was, but he knew she had let LJ go, given them what seemed to be more than a handful of classified documents, and let them go. Even if it was a set-up they still had the upper hand. Shrugging he picked up another loose piece of the file glancing at it, a series of numbers and dates and really it didn't look like much of anything to Lincoln.

His attention was brought back to Michael at his question, catching the look he had just been shot by his little brother. "Hmm?" He tried to play it off as if it was nothing, but even he knew that having Kate with made things a bit more complicated. Looking over his shoulder he caught her trying to peek at LJ's cards and him catching her at it, a slight laugh and he met her eyes for a split second. He smiled at her then turned back to Michael, "Walk?"

He knew it wasn't that big of a risk, the motel clerk gave them an odd look, but there wasn't any fliers posted, and the old lady probably hadn't caught the news in a while. He nodded his head toward the door as he stood up, feeling the tightness in his back pull out a bit as he stood.

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

"Sure." Michael agreed as he stood as well, startled just a little as his body reflexively arched and bent into a stretch. Glancing at his watch, he realized just how long he'd been sitting there, poring over the paperwork...the filewalking footprints of this woman, Rachel Gibson.

"Gonna duck out...grab some sodas!" Michael called out to LJ and Kate. "You guys want anything?"

"Dr. Pepper?" LJ asked hopefully.

Grinning, Kate shook her head to Michael, her gaze returning instantly to Lincoln. "I'm good, thanks."

Nodding, Michael snagged the hotel room key off the table before leading the way outside. The weather was warm, but there was a mild, cool breeze, keeping the temperature just comfortable enough for the suit and long-sleeve shirts he was still relegated to wearing.

"So," he drawled as he and Lincoln started strolling away from the room, "Kate. You ready to talk about her yet?"

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

Once the door was closed behind them and they started a stride Lincoln rubbed the back of his head absent mindedly before letting out a laugh, "Been that tight lipped about her have I?"

He joked, but he knew that he hadn't really said much aside from agreeing with whatever plan Michael mentioned or tried to sort together to get his son back. Shoving a hand deep into his pocket he continued walking beside his brother, reminding him of their time in the yards pacing the fenceline.

"I can't explain it really... I was up late while you were getting the layouts for the farmhouse. Couldn't sleep, started messing around online, started a chat and ended up meeting her for coffee. Coffee led to a walk, the walk... there's something about her Michael, I can't even put my finger on it, but she's more unsure of herself than I am."

Lincoln paused for a moment trying to sort out exactly what he wanted to share with his brother about his own issues at the moment, he hadn't actually dealt with the death of Veronica, and he was pretty sure Michael would see Kate as some replacement, but Lincoln knew better.

"We left her car, came back to the... well anyway, in the morning her car was on the news, and I thought she just slipped away from me... like everything else. When I saw her in that parking lot, I knew that I couldn't handle losing someone else. She's safe Michael... she needs us probably more than she knows."

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

"More than usual." Michael replied with a soft laugh, sliding his hands into his pockets as Lincoln started talking. When he finished the whole story, Michael simply rolled it around in his head...the facts, the way Linc's face lit up and tightened, just a little...he felt something for this girl. It was real, too...real and raw, but he was oddly possessed of himself.

The only other woman Michael had ever known his brother to have such strong feelings for had been Veronica...and back then, when he'd been bitten by that bug, Lincoln had been a lot lighter...a lot more drunk on his own euphoria.

Linc wasn't in love...yet, anyway. But he was caught in something he couldn't pull away from...something chemical and mental and spiritual that was hitting all his buttons, and Lincoln seemed to know that.

"The night she was with you...I came back to the room and found you two asleep in bed." Michael admitted. "So I left for awhile longer...it was before you woke up and saw me. I remember thinking how...relaxed you looked. Normal...for the first time in years."

He paused, glancing over at Lincoln. "Can you be *sure* she's safe, Linc? She's not like us...I've been keeping my ears open, doing some looking. She's not innocent, and she's been eluding capture for a while now. She's...extreme, to say the least." He paused, sighing heavily. "Ever since you saw her again...it's like a light went back on in you that I haven't seen since...we got out. And I'm glad for that, but Linc...be careful. If she runs, and you can't let her go..."

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

Lincoln rubbed the top of his head glancing over to his brother, "I know... I know." He pressed against the brick wall at the end of the motel, shrinking down to crouching resting on the balls of his feet for a moment.

His head fell forward and strong hands laced behind the back of his head. He knew he hadn't thought it all through, but in that moment... he just felt like he didn't have any choice. Kate... Kate wasn't the type to have a number to call when it all settled, and he was pretty sure she might never settle.

His hands slipped free from each other as he set his forearms against his knees glancing up to his little brother, "She carries that weight around her like it's not hers Michael, like she's just supposed to feel that blame." Lincoln pushed up off the ground back to standing and shifted his weight a bit shoving his hands in his pockets, "I'll just have to make sure she doesn't run."

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

Michael waited until Lincoln was on his feet again, then moved over to him and laid a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You're thinking...that's good." he replied. "But...if you're happy, that's important to me, too. I'll be the first to admit...I don't know much about this girl, but neither do you. She helped us get LJ, and that's a point in her favor. I just want to make sure you're not setting yourself up to get hurt."

He paused, grinning as he withdrew his hand, beckoning Lincoln along as they continued strolling towards the soda machines. "I only know one thing for certain, and only one thing right now. Watching you watch *her* in your shirt? It's the healthiest look in your eye I've seen since we were teenagers."

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

"Trust me Michael, I'm doing a lot of thinking." His hand rubbed at his shoulder a bit shifting his shirt against his upper arm, "Not all of it makes sense mind you, but still... thinking."

They continued walking getting close to the soda machine, LJ's request still present in his mind, and Kate as well. The fact that she had helped, and that she seemed to get along with LJ, it made Lincoln think a bit further than he knew he should. Meeting Michael's glance for a moment he recognized that smirk from growing up and knew he was in for something.

Sure enough Michael ribbed him about his admiration of Kate in his shirt. Lincoln laughed a bit and sent a playful punch toward his brother's shoulder, "Right... what was her name? Amanda Petrov- Petrovski? Something like that. Got her in that fuzzy pink sweater... *very* healthy look in my eyes from that."

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

Michael rose his arms in a halfhearted defense against the playful punch, laughing softly. "Samantha Petrovski, actually...and I don't think it was the fuzzy pink sweater you were interested in. More like what was inside. Barely, anyway." he chuckled. "Probably the only time in my life I've been afraid angora might tear under the strain of containing something."

When they reached the soda machine, Michael fed in a few bills, dispensing a few cans, including LJ's Dr. Pepper. When he straightened, he took a can of Coke and handed it to Lincoln.

"Give it to her when we get back. Something tells me she'll appreciate the gesture." he replied, shrugging with a lopsided smile. "If you want to try and keep her around, couldn't hurt, right?" He paused, playfully shoving the can against Lincoln's chest. "Least it'll keep your head on straight, longer she stays."

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

He shook his head laughing at the normalcy of the conversation they were having. He couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't been able to keep this kind of relationship with his brother before. As horrible as everything was, as dangerous as the past few months had been, Lincoln almost wouldn't trade it for the relationship he had gotten back.

Lincoln leaned against the building as Michael vended a few sodas from the machine, and handed one to him. The arch of eyebrow got the response of trying to impress the girl with a can of Coke, "Better than roses right?"

Laughing it off they headed back toward the room, "So you're cool with her coming with? I mean... I know," he shook his head for a minute before looking at Michael again, "I know it's going to make things a bit harder, especially if she sticks through to the border... but I just need to make sure you're okay with it. You've done all this work, and risked so much... I don't want to risk it on a girl. No matter the girl." Lincoln looked at his brother and he meant it. Kate was something, something he couldn't explain but four on the run, even if they settled LJ in somewhere for the time being, three wanted fugatives were always a bigger challenge, than just two.

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

Michael snorted softly, nodding good-naturedly. "Better than roses." he agreed with a lopsided grin as they started back towards the room.

At Lincoln's remark, he sobered. "Well...that's one of the reasons I was bringing this up, Linc. We have a day or so before we get to that point of no return...but when we get there..."

He trailed off, sighing heavily. "I made arrangements for two of us...but I prepared for contingencies. If Abruzzi demanded more, if I had to bring another party on for any reason...bottom line is that I'm prepared to work around extra baggage, so to speak. But if I do...there's no running, Lincoln. If Kate goes with us, she's going to be stuck with us...with you for a while, and there's not going to be an out. We *can* risk it...if you think she'll go for it." He paused, leveling his gaze at Lincoln. "If you think you want her to stay that badly."

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

Lincoln nodded he knew they were reaching a certain point in the whole thing, and that it could end up hurting him... or Kate in the end. That just because they seemed to have something right in this moment, didn't mean that they'd have something down the line.

When they stopped just outside the door to the room, Lincoln closed his eyes for a moment really thinking about the choice he wanted to make, and why he was making that exact choice. He had to make sure it was for the right reasons, that it wasn't just his libido making up his mind for him. He thought through the talks that he had with Kate in the diner, and in the woods, the way she made him feel... and he weighed it all against the risk.

"If she'll stay with me... with us, I want her to, I'll take that risk Michael."

[human-blueprint.livejournal.com]

Michael looked his brother in the eye, studying his expression...the hard, determined look he always got when he was sure of something. More than just sure...but dead sure.

With a deep sigh, Michael nodded. "Okay. If that's the case...the truth...then okay."

With a small smile, Michael fished out his key and opened the door, leading the way into the room. "We're back!"

Kate looked up from the hand of cards she had, grinning as she laid them down on the bed, playfully narrowing her eyes at LJ. "You peek, you die."

Earing only a laugh for her trouble, Kate rose from her spot and ambled over to Lincoln, having donned a pair of jeans under the shirt of his she was still wearing. She wanted to reach for him...kiss him, *something*, but was unsure of what to do...especially in front of his kid.

"So...soda retrieval go without incident?" she teased with a smile, hooking her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans.

[id-mademypeace.livejournal.com]

Lincoln nodded again, reassuring Michael that he knew what he was getting himself into, and knew exactly how insane it might have been. It just felt right, and maybe that was actually wrong... but he just couldn't let her stay behind if he had a chance to bring her with.

The door opened and he moved inside the room with his brother, watching LJ reach for the Dr. Pepper in Michael's hand as Kate stood up from the bed, tossing his son a half hearted threat about looking at her cards. Lincoln could see the hesitation in Kate, in her steps in the way she was standing in front of him, and he had a feeling it was because it wasn't just them anymore, it was everyone.

Her smile still showed a lot more of her though, and Linc smiled back down at her easing his arm across her shoulders pulling her close to his body. Not quite an embrace, but just something to let her know that it was going to be fine. Kate beside him, his brother with them, and now his son, for the first time in a long time Lincoln actually felt like something good was going to happen, but he didn't dare say it out loud.

Pulling Kate in a bit closer to his body he kissed the top of her head, letting his hand rub across her back. "You up for a walk?" Lincoln asked against the top of her head, "I mean if you're winning at cards, we can go later."