#RedrockAgency – March 21, 2018

Jason steps inside with a heavy sigh. He dusts at the sprinkling of snow on the shoulders of his jacket and lazily kicks his boots against the doorframe before closing the door and proceeding further into the lobby. Having spent the last few hours at the Respite he's, surprisingly, not trashed. The smell of alcohol is certainly present on his breath, but a good buzz is about as far as that goes.

Vasquez is still in her office when Jason returns. She's been working on-stop since he left. Reaching out to contacts in the Alliance, ExoGeni and otherwise in search of answers. Trying to set up the acquisition of new equipment, and looking for the jobs to fund it. Their coffers are once again drained by a mission of their own undertaking. She's in military pants and tank-top, wearing her holo-visor headset as she types

Jason sets off down the hall, glancing towards Vasquez' open office door as it comes into view. She had been quiet all day. Not so much as a message sent his way. Whether that's due to wanting to give him space or simply frustration over him being gone all day with little more explanation than 'errands' is unclear. Nonetheless, he swallows that uncertainty and props up his best lopsided smirk as he steps into the doorway of her

Vasquez ' gaze shifts to the doorway as she hears Jason's footfalls. When he settles against the doorframe she lifts a hand to her headset. "See if you can. I need to go, but thank you." She studies him in silence for a moment as her hand lowers back to her keyboard. "It's late." she remarks, without any real emotion in her tone.

Jason gives a few small nods. "Yeah..." he says as he tucks his hands into his jacket pockets and watches her work. "Kind of lost track of time, I guess. I would've been home earlier, but Tarkus gave me a call and asked me to have a few drinks with him down at the Respite." he lies. "Didn't expect you to still be up." he continues. Truthfully, he was hoping she'd be asleep.

Vasquez sucks in her lips and she gives a slightly stiff nod in respones to his explanation. "Right." Just be honest with me. "There's a lot to do, so..." I didn't want to go to bed without you. She shrugs faintly. "The rescue put a dent in our savings... purchasing new equipment isn't really on the table right now." Heroics aren't free.

Jason sucks in a deep breath, his smirk fading as it becomes clear that he's not happy about this development. "So then we need to find more work." he says, "And fast. These assholes aren't going to just sit around and wait for us to be ready, Linda..." He jabs his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he considers it for a moment and gives another sigh. "I'm good to get back out there." he nods, despite the bruising that

Vasquez ' frown deepens as she looks at him, her lips remaining narrow. "I need you here, Jason." she says, unable to keep emotion from slipping into her voice as her talk with Gage comes back into her mind. "I'm looking for jobs. Trust me. I've been looking all day." The last words are laced with frustration. "It's going to take time." Her hands curl up next to her keyboard. She's no longer typing, her attention

Jason bites down, his gaze lowering to the floor as all of that frustration and anxiety that he spent all day running from returns to him in one fell swoop. "We might not have time, Linda." he says bluntly, forcing himself to meet her gaze again. His eyelids flutter briefly as he considers her words, reigning in his frustration with another sigh. "...I want to be here, Linda. I do. But I-..." he stammers, falling silent for a

Vasquez ' disposition is hardly helped by Jason's words, her expression hardening. "You don't think I know that? You don't think I'm trying?" she snaps, her agitation obvious. "You wanna spend your first day back in a bar, drinking? Whatever, that's your choice. But don't come home and tell me how to do my job." she practically snarls, her attention turning back to her screen as she starts to type rather aggressively,

Jason furrows his brow as he looks back to Vasquez once again. "Spend my first d-..." he mutters to himself, his own expression hardening in turn as he takes a step into the room. "That's what you think? Huh?" he asks, Vasquez' words clearly hitting a sore spot.

Vasquez ' hands stop, hovering just above the keyboard as her gaze turns back to Jason. "Am I wrong?" she asks pointedly. "You sure as hell weren't here."

Jason bites down on his lip. Hard. Nearly to the point of drawing blood as he nods to himself, filled with a confusing mixture of both anger and guilt. "You can fuck right off with that." he says as he takes another step towards the desk and pulls his hands free from his pockets. "Fuck riiiiight off. Do you have any idea-... any fucking idea what I went through to get back here, Linda?" He leans forward, tapping a synthetic

Vasquez ' hands press hard against the desk as she stands up, her chair rolling back and hitting the wall behind her as she does. "You know I do." she says, her voice shakey with anger, and underneath it, hurt, that he'd claim she of all people doesn't understand. "Don't you fucking try and-... why the hell do you think I'm doing this?!" She gestures at her terminal. "Huh?" She continues to glare at him, having

Jason holds Vasquez' gaze, showing no sign of backing down. "You don't." he says, raw and honest as the fear creeps into his voice. "Linda you-... you have no idea what they're capable of. Ships the size of cities! Fucking. Cities." he repeats his description from the previous night, hoping to hammer the point home. "Bodies piled on the floors. Mounds of belongings just-... just thrown aside." he recalls, gaze lowering

Vasquez ' anger starts to fade as Jason's fear comes to the forefront, the wind completely knocked out of her sails. She sucks in her lips as he speaks, one hand moving up to her mouth and rubbing across her cheek as she looks at him, the other pressing against the desk. She draws in a deep breath, and seems about to reach out for him across the desk when he voices his final serious of questions. She stops herself, both

Jason falls silent, merely listening to Vasquez as his gaze once more turns to the desk, unable to bring himself to look her in the eye for too long. Her understanding only further serves to cause his guilt outweigh his anger. "It's not safe here." he agrees, "But here we are. Because of me. Right in the thick of it." He gives a few small nods to himself as he comes to terms with that fact. It was him who dragged her out here,

Vasquez gains a frown as she listens, studying Jason. As he reaches his final sentence she's quick to round the table, shaking her head. "No-... Jason... fuck that!" she exclaims, reaching for his left upper arm with her left hand, urging him to face her as she tilts her head, seeking his gaze. "Jason..." She struggles with finding the words, choking up slightly as her gaze darts across his face. "This is not on you."

Jason turns to face Vasquez as she grasps at his arm. His glassy blue eyes meet hers, expression unchanging as she speaks. The word 'hero' causes him to look away once again. It cuts through him deeper than any insult could have. "A hero...?" he scoffs. "Did you not hear wh-... We left behind thousands of people, Linda..." he says softly. "Thousands to die..." Sure, they had no choice. Deep down he knows that. They went above

Vasquez ' frown returns as she listens, sadness in her brown eyes. When Jason starts to admonish himself for supposed failures she shakes her head, almost speaking up in protest, but as he continues she lets him speak. Her gaze falls, and her hand slides down to grip his, thumb brushing across the ring on his finger. "I know." she says quietly, a small nod following as she does her best to ignore her misgivings before

Jason draws in a deep breath, studying Vasquez in silence. A part of him hoped she would call it quits. Run for the hills and never look back. Be safe. But he knew better. It's gonna take more than an unwinnable fight to run her off. And that selfish part of him can't help but feel relieved as she speaks. But when she withdraws her hand, he reaches out to grasp it, unwilling to let her go yet. His other hand moves to her cheek,

Vasquez looks back to Jason as his hand guides her head to turn. She sucks in her lips as she listens, remaining silent. When he goes quiet she nods, blinking as a few fresh tears slips out. A faint, tired smile crosses her lips, but worry lingers in her eyes. "You're right. We can't just-... we can't just run forever." she says, nodding again. Regardless of her worries, Jason's words seem to energize her a little. She

Jason gives a small, shallow nod and his hand moves from hers, sliding around her waist and pulling her in closer. "I know..." he says softly. Her understanding may not run off the Collectors, but it still seems to alleviate at least a few of the weights burdoning his shoulders. "I'm here..." he assures her, pressing a quick kiss against her left cheek, intercepting tears as he does. He presses a second kiss against her right

Vasquez props a faint, weary smile into place, lingering close to Jason as her hands move up to his shoulders, thumbs brushing against his neck. The last comment elicits a roll of her eyes and a muttered "Not a chance.", her soft smile growing a bit more genuine as a small spark of happiness over their still-so-recent wedding manages to rise about the churning sea of fear, doubt and anxiety that plagues her. "Honeymoon..."

Jason's own smile fades briefly as Vasquez' does, his own thoughts not far from hers. The idea of a honeymoon after everything that has happened this week seems almost crazy. But 'crazy' seems to have become the norm in their life. He takes a deep breath, bringing his other hand up to wipe Vasquez' cheeks of any lingering tears. "The world will still be ending next month, right?" he says with a dismissive shrug, propping a

Vasquez can't help a snort of laughter from slipping out despite, or perhaps because of the as-serious-as-it-gets conversation that preceeded Jason's comments. The smile that lingers after is genuine, and some of her stress seems to lift as she remains close to him, a sudden relief over having the man she loves back. Neither of them are going to forget about the grim situation they're in, but they can't just stop living.

Jason gives a couple of nods, his smirk growing more genuine as Vasquez' mood seems to lighten up. "Ab-so-lutely." he says, his arm wrapping further around her until his hand comes to a rest on her lower back. "I mean-..." he cranes his neck, casting a glance back towards the door as if to make sure nobody else is around before looking back to Vasquez, "...Just throwing it out there? I'm not opposed to the idea of just sweeping

Vasquez manages to suppress the first snicker, but not the second one. Her grin grows, her head falling as she shakes her head to herself, another bit of laughter slipping out, relief as they leave the emotionally draining conversation behind contributing to her inability to keep it under wraps. "You're an idiot." she manages between the laughter. She suddenly lifts her head to press another kiss against Jason's lips

Jason wraps Vasquez up in a tight hug in turn, his smile fading away as his head comes to a rest against hers and he's no longer under her watchful eye. "I sure as hell hope so. Cuz, like it or not, you're stuck with me for a very, very long time." he says, silently hoping for it to be true against all odds. They've got an uphill battle ahead of them. Their names are on so many radars. Sala Piros. The Blue Suns. Rellis.

Vasquez relaxes in Jason's arms, eventually pulling back with a slight snicker at his teasing. Her hands linger around his lower arms as she studies him, a faint smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. "That you did." she says, smile growing a little before fading as her attention turns to her terminal. She reaches over to press one of the keys on her keyboard, putting it to sleep. "Been staring at that long enough for

Jason props his smirk right back up, giving a small nod of his head. "Don't have to ask me twice." he says as he starts out the room with Vasquez. It's not until they reach the door that a number of pings prompts him to dig into his jacket pocket for his omni-tool. He glances down as the interface comes to life in the low-light of the hallway. As his eyes dart across the orange display, a deep sigh escapes him. "Shit..." he

Vasquez furrows her eyebrows, not particularly keen on parting ways right now, even if it's just for a call. "What is it?" she asks, crossing her arms as she lingers in the corridor, awaiting some kind of answer before leaving him to the call.

Jason gives a small shake of his head, waving her worries off. "Just Jattic. Really, I'm sure it's nothing." he offers, a slight wince in his features as he turns away and takes a few steps down the hallway. "Is she causing trouble...? Tell me she's not causing trouble..." he says as soon as his call is answered, perhaps giving an impression contrary to his claim of it being 'nothing'.

Vasquez raises an eyebrow as Jason's first words in the call seem to contradict his reassurance, but she has a decent guess as to who they're talking about, so she turns to head up the stairs. That one is all Jason's responsibility.

Jason arrives upstairs a few minutes later. He tries to mask the frustration on his face as he enters his and Vasquez' apartment and underhands his omni-tool onto the couch with little worry for the device's well being before shrugging off his jacket and hanging it beside the door.

Vasquez has gotten ready for bed in Jason's absence, dressed down to just tanktop and panties, and hair resting freely on her shoulders. She's sitting on the edge, seemingly having been just about to crawl into bed, but Jason's entrance causes her to furrow her eyebrows, looking his way. "What was that about...?"

Jason gives a shake of his head as he rolls his shoulders. He tugs at his long-sleeved white shirt where it bunches up slightly around his prosthetic. "Just Jessica." he sighs as he reaches over to begin unlatching the shoulder holster containing his Phalanx. "You know.... Being Jessica. Don't worry about it, it's nothing."

Vasquez snorts. "Mhm... that one is aaaaall you." she says, flashing a brief smirk as she crawls beneath the covers, watching Jason with her back against the headboard. "She's a good photographer, though." she admits begrudgingly, as her mind goes to the album that she browsed through more than a few times while Jason was gone.

Jason gives a none too serious roll of his eyes. "She's good people." he says, doubling down on his choice to back her as he steps over to the nightstand on his side of the bed and drops his holster onto it. "She just doesn't realize it yet. Too busy being a fucking asshole... But she'll get there!" he insists, though whether it's due to him actually believing it, or simply an unwillingness to admit Vasquez was right about her

Vasquez lets out another snort, shaking her head slightly to herself. She continues to study Jason in silence from her spot in the bed, shifting to half-sit, half-lie on her side, shoulder and head against the headboard. Despite everything they talked about, all she can think when looking at him is how glad she is to have him back. She seems content to just watch silently as she waits for him to join her, a thoughtful look

Jason bends down, giving his laces a quick tug to untie them before stepping on each heel in turn to kick off his boots. As he stands up straight, he glances Vasquez' way and cocks an eyebrow as he catches her watching him. "What're you staring at?" he asks through a smirk as he reaches down, grasping the waist of his shirt with one hand and tugging it up over his head. As usual, it catches on the prosthetic, but he seems to have

Vasquez gains a small smirk of her own at the question, giving a half-shrug with her free shoulder. "Bed felt pretty empty without you." she says, not entirely succeeding in maintaining the lighthearted tone she had intended. She scoots over to his side of the bed, claiming his pillow in the process as she reaches up with her hand, tugging at the waist of his pants with a small grin. "Get in here, already..."

Jason's smirk grows as he glances down at Vasquez' hand and drops his shirt to the ground. Once he unclasps his belt and pops the button open on his pants, her tugging is enough for them to slip free. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'patience is virtual'?" he asks, misquoting the saying and stripping it of all meaning. "No idea what in the fuck it's suppose to mean, but I'm pretty sure it's something like 'calm your shit, I'm

Vasquez furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "Wh-... that's not-..." she shakes her head to herself. Another time. She scoots back just a little to give Jason some room, turning to her side in the process, facing him. There's a lingering hint of amusement in her face, but it soon gives way to a sincere smile as he joins her under the covers.

Jason gives a proud nod of his head, mistaking Vasquez' confusion with surprise at his scholarly wisdom as he settles in under the covers. "Yeah. That's right. Total package. Looks and brains." he brags while shifting over onto his side to face Vasquez, big dumb smirk still on his face.

Vasquez sucks in her lips, nodding a few times as she tries and fails to keep from laughing. She moves closer, near enough pressing her forehead against Jason's on the pillow, one hand moving to his side, while the other goes between his neck and the pillow, her leg starting to nestle itself between his to get closer still. She presses a soft kiss against his lips after her laughter dies down, a smirk lingering as she

Jason slides an arm between Vasquez' waist and the bed as she moves in close, his eyes closing briefly as he presses into the kiss. The synthetic nature of his arm certainly isn't the most comfortable of things, but it's the best he has to offer. "So long as you know it." he says as his eyes open once more, dumb grin returning to his face as he studies her face. He brings up his free hand, tracing a finger along her forehead to

Vasquez snickers softly, returning the kiss. She shifts a little in the interest of finding a more comfortable position in relation to the synthetic limb beneath her, but she seems otherwise unbothered. Her hand slides up his back as she shifts closer, pressing against him as she plants another quick kiss before pulling her head back, going back to just looking at his face, feeling his breath and his body against hers.

Jason's arm rests beneath Vasquez' side and his hand slides under the bottom of the back of her tanktop, gently drawing small circles along her lower back with his fingertips. His other hand remains against her cheek as he falls silent, simply studying the details of her face while he softly traces along them with his thumb. His big, dumb smirk slowly peels back into a sincere smile while his thumb crosses her lips and brushes

Vasquez seems a little caught off-guard by the sentiment, and she listens in silent fascination, a wide smile slowly spreading across her lips. "Sounds like a plan." she says softly, sincerely, despite the snicker that follows. That future doesn't seem so distant, so impossible, or so intimidating, as she lies there, looking at him, thumb brushing back and forth across his neck. She feels as if she can see it. "I have

Jason cocks an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he asks in mock surprise. "Like what? And, before you say it, working isn't a hobby." he teases, "Neither is glaring. So what've you got for me?"

Vasquez furrows her eyebrows at Jason's mockery. "Wh-... th-... shut up, asshole!" she grumbles, pulling her hand back and giving his shoulder a playful punch before rolling over. She has no intention of keeping the act up, however, immediately pressing her back against him.

Jason winces briefly as he's socked in the shoulder before snickering to himself. As Vasquez rolls over it causes the position of his hand to shift from her lower back to her stomach. "Could always take up gardening..." he offers, unwilling to relent in his teasing as he drapes his other arm around her shoulder and across her chest, enveloping her as he holds her from behind and presses a brief kiss against the back of her neck.

Vasquez lets out an exasperated sigh, offering no further response... but after a moment her hand seeks out Jason's, organic and synthetic fingers intertwining as she leans back against him, keeping his arm close around her.