Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Sevenpercentsolution on 14-10-2008, 17:14:22</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 17:14:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Florian Booth hadn't had a day to himself for over two months now; it seemed that his job took up all of his time these days, and he practically lived in the Agency laboratory ever since they had got their hands on him six years ago.&nbsp; When he'd first started working for them, he'd been fresh out of University with a frightening double major in Mechatronics and Nanotechnology (top of the class - top of the University, in fact) it had been an unheard of combination, up until then.&nbsp; At the time, he'd just come back from ramming his thesis down the throats of a jury of old men who thought they were smarter than him - they'd tried to intimidate him with withering looks, but once he'd gotten started on Molecular Self-Assembly, they'd given up the effort - and all he'd been doing was walking through the parking lot.&nbsp; It had been late at the time, and his head had been in a world of quantum physics and conductivity, and he had probably been paying less attention to his surroundings than he should have been - he hadn't even heard her walking up behind him, not until the click of her heels on the concrete was too obvious to ignore.<br><br>He'd turned; she had towered over him - which wasn't difficult, given Booth was only 5'8" - but she had been tall, even by the standards of men.&nbsp; He hadn't been sure why at the time, but her dark stare had frozen him in place; she was pale and gaunt, a woman with a bizarre PVC clothing fetish and a fondness for fire-engine red lipstick.&nbsp; She spoke to him - called him things like 'beloved', 'handsome', and strangely, 'bunny rabbit', she had even exposed her breasts to him, invited him to touch her, but he had refused, repulsed, and tried to wheel back away from her - when she'd sensed it, she suddenly lost her temper.&nbsp; <br><br>She had launched on him, pinned him to the ground, a 6'7" length of woman who was seething with an angry sexuality - she'd fondled him, toyed with him, ground their hips together while cackling like a maniac, and then her face had suddenly twisted, her mouth stretching wide, revealing a pair of inch long incisors.&nbsp; Thrashing beneath her had been useless, in fact, she seemed to enjoy it, and she'd wrenched his head back, exposing his neck to the moonlight.&nbsp; He'd couldn't remember what he'd said to her, but he was sure it was along the lines of:<br><br>"There are other ways to meet men!"<br><br>And he remembered telling himself over and over again that Vampires didn't exist; this wasn't real.&nbsp; The only things that survived off of blood were mosquitos and leeches, so his brain had attempted to make sense of it, and he'd come to the conclusion he was either being attacked by a homicidal supermodel, or a giant humanoid leech.&nbsp; <br><br>He'd felt her teeth scrape against his throat, and then her head suddenly dropped off like a doll's, rolling off to the side, her body slumping down on top of him.&nbsp; He'd struggled beneath it, and managed to shove it away, crab-walking backwards, splattered with blood; there had been a ragtag group of men nearby, watching him with expressions that varied from amusement to worry.&nbsp; A massively built black man with a tattooed face - guy's name was Marco - had been the first to speak,<br><br>"Hey there, 'bunny rabbit'," he said, clearly amused with the new nickname; he offered out a hand to Booth, but the small scientist had refused to take it - he never touched people if he could avoid it, and given that he had just had a dead body mounting him, he was pretty sure it covered his physical contact quota for the rest of his life.&nbsp; He'd stood on his own, and Marco grabbed hold of his jaw none too gently and checked his neck, "He's clean; she didn't get him."<br><br>"Get me?" Booth repeated, "What do you mean 'get me'?&nbsp; And I wouldn't call this clean, I'm covered in blood and would one of you, for God's sakes, explain why a woman-leech -"<br><br>"-<em>Vampire</em>-" one supplied helpfully.<br><br>"-<em>woman-leech</em> -" Booth insisted, "-tried to - to <em>do things</em> to me?&nbsp; And look, my thesis is all over the concrete, it took me over 200 hours to complete that work on nanomaterials and toxicology - hey, put that down, that's the bibliography, it's equally important - to complete that work, and you're just stepping on it with your big muddy boots.&nbsp; What's wrong with you people?&nbsp; Will you put that bloody sword away, what, do you think you're highlander or something?"<br><br>He didn't remember much after that, except being shot in the neck by something sharp and the world going fuzzy; when he'd woken up, they'd explained to him that he couldn't leave now that he'd witnessed the supernatural - he would either have to work for them, or die with the secret.&nbsp; Apparently while he'd been out, a group of them had read his thesis, and they'd all decided they wanted him to stick around, that his knowledge could be to their advantage, that they wanted to know what he knew - he'd explained to them that none of them would ever be able to absorb a quarter of what he knew, or their heads would explode.<br><br>They'd kept him around, he had no choice, and he was stuck with the nickname 'bunny rabbit' for the rest of his working life.&nbsp; Smashing.<br><br>But that had been six years ago, and it was almost sad that he was finding himself right back where he'd started; it was late at night, he was carrying some supplies to take back to the laboratory, and he should have been paying attention, but he was thinking about superparamagnetism and how stupid McCain was.&nbsp; This time it was a quartet of men, all of whom were built big, walked with a peculiar gait, and were the proud bearers of massive amounts of chest and arm hair; Booth didn't need to run any experiments to know what they were - werewolves were easy to pick out once you had seen a few.&nbsp; He'd done his best to keep away from them, to stay near public places, but they advanced anyways, and once they caught up, one of them pushed him almost casually into the wall behind him.<br><br>"You," he said, resting an arm on Booth's shoulder, "Killed our brother."<br><br>"You're going to have to be more specific," Booth said, "I'm not too proud to say my life has been full of angry, hairy men.&nbsp; There's an over-abundance of them, in fact."<br><br>One of them snarled out:<br><br>"Jethro.&nbsp; His name was Jethro!"<br><br>"Let me guess; about six-foot-two?&nbsp; Probably tried to kill me at some point - possibly with a length of timbre in an old abandoned warehouse back in the summer of '06?&nbsp; Smelled vaguely of <em>alpo</em>?" Booth said, his eyebrows rising high; of course he remembered.&nbsp; How could he forget?&nbsp; He even remembered that the guy was missing a finger and had blue eyes.<br><br>A hand closed around his throat, and Booth felt his feet lift off the concrete; he struggled, <br><br>"I'm going to make you scream, little man."<br><br>Booth reached into the bag and yanked out the first thing he could get a hold of, which turned out to be a silver weight scale, and cracked it across the werewolf's face; there was the sound of skin sizzling as the precious metal struck, and he was dropped as the man let out a howl of pain while the others moved in.<br><br>"You're going to learn respect, tonight."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 18:40:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah Franklin walked on the dark street, hands stuck in his pockets and sniffed the air. Seemed to be clean tonight, at least in this district. He would need to cover some more distance before he could get on the Tube and go home. The joys of being one of the Agency's few SN detectors. It was not as if the job was too bad. Go out, walk in the neighborhood, see if you pick up any weird signals, go home. Or preferable, get a call and go kick some preternatural ass before dinner. He was good at that. The Agency knew how to recruit. If you saw anything out of the ordinary <strong>and</strong> survived, most likely someone would come knocking at your door and tell you to join up or get killed. <br>&nbsp;<br>Noah had been a lucky one. He had known of the real monsters ever since he had been a little kid. The perks of having a proper priest for a father. Not that he himself was Christian, but old Chance Franklin had been. A proper Christian priest in daylight, an exorcist and banisher in the moonlight. Noah had been too brash and wild to take up the mantle himself. And then there had been that one day ten years ago. Old Chance had unveiled a gun, of good old make, given it to Noah and told him to get the hell out of Wisconsin. The day he left, it smelled like the mother of all thunderstorms there. Later he had learned of the great demon and the priest who had died exorcising it. Alone, he had gone as far away as possible and ended up in England. They had found him on the second day, saying that he was just the type to attract all the strange creatures of the night. And he was damn good at smelling them out. <br><br>Usually, there happened to be one case for every two weeks, and Alicia would call him, he would go in, tell the monster to get lost and upon refusal make quick work of it. Most of the time he would need to fight. He was good at that. He had the equipment, the experience and the balls to do it. So he did. <br><br>A sudden earthy smell wrenched Noah out of his contemplation. The tall man stopped and tried to sense which direction it was coming from. Hmm. Oh. Like wolf. Werewolves, most likely. He slunk into one of the alleys, whipped out his silver-bullet gun and crept towards the smell. Slowly he found out what it was about. Four werewolves ganging up on one little kid, who looked angry and scared both. And who was currently dangling, feet in the air and being obviously prepared for a harsh beating. <br><br><em>Noah gets to play hero tonight,</em> he whispered to himself.<br><br>"Hi, guys," he said loudly, stepping into view. "You've gotten so weak you pick on kids now? Big bad wolves in a gang, wow. That's impressive." <br><br>He sounded cocky, but it was an act. Instead he measured them. One of them was bigger than the others. Looked a bit dumb and like trouble. The smallest seemed to twitch and favor his left leg. The third had gotten something silver across his face and looked like he wanted to rip the human kid a new asshole, or two. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 19:17:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Four against one was never a fair fight, but particularly when the 'one' happens to be a foot shorter and weighs less than most school girls; one of them had slammed him against the wall again, pinning him there by his chest, while the others came in on him, sniffing the air like they could taste the blood already.&nbsp; Werewolves weren't great, Booth conceeded, but at least they weren't giant leeches - granted, nothing is really satisfactory when it's readying to tear your head off.<br><br>Though the look on their faces told him that they weren't going to kill him - they were just going to make him wish he was dead.&nbsp; Werewolves liked to toy with victims and leave them alive to continue the species when they felt the population was dying down - it usually meant a good, hard bite so the saliva would get into the bloodstream, giving the victim the worst infection they've ever had in their life.&nbsp; A permanent one.<br><br>He felt a nose up against his throat, and then in his hair, and he could feel the sniffling breathing; it tickled his ear, and made him kick his legs out, attempting to knock the man away, knowing he was preparing to snap at him - but then, oh yes, just like out of the movies, a tall dark stranger arrived.&nbsp; Booth felt a swell of relief and annoyance all at once, and rather than displaying the former, he seethed:<br><br>"I'm not a kid, i'm twenty-six!"<br><br>And he managed to land one good kick into a soft spot on one of them, and judging by the way the werewolf's eyes crossed, it had been an unpleasant location he had managed to strike, while the one who had been struck with the silver scale turned towards Noah, half of his face scarred with an ugly burn from the precious metal.<br><br>Four werewolves.&nbsp; A lone hero.&nbsp; The small, relatively helpless victim.&nbsp; It was the set-up in stories that he always got annoyed with, because it never actually happened, good guys never rode in just in time to save the victim, they always showed up too late and got to see the aftermath and the gore and the death.&nbsp; <br><br>He felt like he was being Punk'd.<br><br>A sudden, nervous burst of laughter escaped Booth, but it wasn't because anything was funny, because his expression indicated he wasn't amused,&nbsp; <br><br>"Who're you - Dr. House?&nbsp; You have to mock them first?&nbsp; Swell!&nbsp; Why don't you tell them I've got some biscuits in my pocket while you're at it?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 20:43:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The silver-burned one began stalking towards Noah, while the two others shifted into rather menacing looking wolfmen. The man who had been holding Florian, dropped him and would have kicked him a good measure if one of the wolfmen had not indicated that he come with them to destroy this cocky human who had challenged them all. They growled at Noah, who smirked in response. <br><br>Oh, the kid had some snark in him. Well, Noah would deal with him later. If there was a later. The odds were against him, but not in a insurmountable way. He would simply need to pull a small miracle out here. Now. With his free hand he reached into his coat's inner chest pocket, found the little device hiding there and turned it on. Instantly the wolfmen roared in what seemed to be pain. The other two could not hear the noise, and neither could the two humans, though Noah felt the device vibrate against his chest. The werewolves circled him. Despite having the upper hand, they did not attack at once. The wolfmen shook their heads occasionally, still obviously discomforted.<br><br>"Eat this," he said, pulled out his second gun and started emptying the clips in the fastest possible manner. Shots echoed in the street, most of them hitting their targets. The bad thing with these bastards was the fact that they tended to regenerate, especially when shifted. <br><br>One of them went down right away - Noah had been smart to divert his fire - but two others lunged at him, both wanting a piece. He dodged out of the way, did a turn and continued firing. Silverface growled, and came right into his face, several more shots sent him away though, to try to find a weak spot in Noah's defense. It was a bit worrying, that by the time one of the clips was empty, only the one wolf was down. Noah did a quick switch of weapons and one of the guns was replaced by a short sword that gleamed wickedly in the faint moonlight. They tried to rip at him with their claws, but he managed to match them in speed, besides, the ultrasound only annoyed them, not him. <br><br>Booth could see how the werewolves tried to rip at his errant saviour, but the man had an uncanny ability to dodge all the furry beasts tried to throw at him. Then one of them struck him right in the middle of his chest with an open paw. The man tripped backwards and cursed audibly. Silverface jumped at him, pinning him down with his large weight. Since the werewolf had his back to Booth, the young man could see how a blade came out of the monster's back. The man pushed the dead weight off him and got up. <br><br>"So, let us make some more steak, shall we?" he asked, and decapitated the remaining wolfman with one blow. <br><br>Noah grinned now. The last werewolf faced him, apparently not going to back down. Werewolves never did. They usually fought back, even to certain death. And this would definitely be one. It turned out to be long and nasty, since the monster was so angry he struck straight at Noah, and even managed to grab the human and wrest the blade out of his hand. They struggled, trying and quite succeeding in beating each other up. The werewolf was more aggressive and savage, while Noah put all his martial arts skills to use. They ended up in a lock; Noah barely managed to pull the dagger from his boot and drive it into the bastard's throat. Having gotten up, he picked up his sword and went around the bodies, making sure that they were all dead. Properly dead. Then he wiped the blades clean, sheathed them and went to look for the kid. <br><br>And it was so that the stranger came up to Booth, cocked his head to one side and said: "Now, do I get a reward?" His accent was distinctly American, the voice low and rumbling, with a bit of a smoky tint to it. <br><br>He was tall, well-built, with messy black hair and dark eyes. There were several claw scratches on his cheek, and his shirt was also quite torn. There was a rather nasty wound in the middle, just where one of the wolfmen had smacked him. It was bleeding. There was some werewolf blood on him too, but considering that he had just slaughtered four of the beasts, one could not be surprised about that. His long leather coat was also splattered with drops of blood. <br><br>Noah wondered who the guy was. This close, he honestly did not look like a kid. Scrawny and tiny yes, but not that young. He was not displaying any of the usual signs of a first supernatural encounter. Strange. He pursed his lips together and tried to keep himself properly upright. The bruises had not appeared yet, but he was quite sure that in the morning he would be blue and black all over. He sent a look at the corpses. Damn. He would need to call a dispatch squad out, because he damn well was not going to go and drag these dumbfucks somewhere where the police would not notice them. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 22:57:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There wasn't a great deal that Booth could do right then, except press his back against the wall and watch, wide-eyed, as Noah spun and twirled, the silver of his guns and blades glinting in the street light.&nbsp; He was a tall man who was built powerfully, so it was bizarre to see him move so quickly, his limbs swinging and whirling with familiarity, expertise - this man had done this many times before, and he was just as strong, if not stronger, than the werewolves who were attacking him.&nbsp; <br><br>The man was quipping while he fought; short, snappy remarks that sounded like they'd been stolen from superhero comics.&nbsp; Booth recognized almost instantly that the man was an American; his accent, the way he walked, the way he spoke - a Yankee to the core, but a Yankee who was saving his scrawny ass from a group of men who wanted to tear him to shreds.&nbsp; He watched the blood sprays arc into the air, he watched the werewolves get cut to pieces by Noah's weapon, he watched the man's dark hair and long coat shift with his movements, and for reasons Booth couldn't identify, he had to fight down a strange swell in his chest at the sight.&nbsp; <br><br>And when Noah stood over him, he forced himself to his feet - years ago, his knees would have been shaking, but they had long ago stopped doing that.&nbsp; He sometimes wondered where his fear had gone, where the adrenaline rushes had dissappeared to - these days, having his life threatened was routine, commonplace - it happened a couple of times a month, sometimes more; it came with the territory.&nbsp; Hunting violent supernatural beings tended to bring aggression to the occupation, after all.<br><br>From up close, he could see all the details of Noah's face; the grit of his five o'clock shadow, the tears in his clothes, the drops of blood - and the strong, tight muscle underneath; Booth's mouth went dry, and he eyed the wound as clinically as he could.<br><br>"Should I be calling you 'Wolverine' or something?" he asked mildly, his brows rising, his hands pressing up against the wall behind him; he leaned down then, picking up the bag of materials he'd had with him, including the blood-stained silver scale, which he tucked back into the bag.&nbsp; He straightened up again, and cleared his throat as casually as he could manage it, trying not to let his eyes drift back to the torn shirt - what was wrong with him anyways?&nbsp; <br><br>He was grateful, that was all.&nbsp; He was just trying to absorb details about the man who had just saved his ass.<br><br>Reward?<br><br>"I can offer you a sarcastic remark," he said, and swallowed some of his pride, "And to patch up that wound for you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 23:23:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah watched as the kid...young man got up. Hmm. Looked to be a scientist or some such. Maybe even with the Agency? After all, after ten years there were still a lot of people he did not know. Well, he would be finding it out right now. And then his night would either get longer or he could wrap it up and go home to nurse his wound. He had to admit, there was a strange beauty in the other, and though people said Noah was as bright as a bunch of boxes, he knew hotness when he saw it. <br><br>The man spoke now. Wow, how British. Noah smirked. <br><br>"I wish. Then this bitch would heal on its own," he said, ghosting fingers over the wound. He kept his back ramrod straight, but even Booth could see that the wound hurt. Hurt a lot. He himself would most likely be screaming on the floor right about now. Ooh, now the other was offering to fix him up. He would not mind, though. The job tended to get depressingly lonely, and even as the lone wolf gimmick was all impressive and dandy, he was fairly sick of it by now. <br><br>"You, are you Agency?" <br><br>At the same time he whipped out his cell phone, dialled Alicia's number and waited for her to answer. As she picked up the phone, Noah spoke: "Hi, Alicia. I have four dead werewolves, two in shift and a guy with freckles. Human. They were beating him up. Can I have a squad come in? Okay." <br><br>His dark blue eyes rested on Booth, and he looked at him expectantly. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>14-10-2008, 23:58:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth swallowed hard when he felt Noah's eyes on him; suddenly feeling self-conscious with the other man's pronounced stomach muscles right in front of him, he did his best to put his focus elsewhere, somewhere, anywhere - and, of course, that was when Noah decided to graze his fingers over the wound, drawing the scientists eyes right back to it.&nbsp; Booth reached out and batted Noah's hand the way an irritable Aunt would,<br><br>"Stop touching it, human hands are filthy and you're going to get dirt in the wound," he said, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of spectacles that magnified his eyes ridiculously; he leaned in carefully then to take a better look at the cut, and did his very best to ignore the light line of hair he could see just below the man's navel.&nbsp; Why was he being so personal about this?&nbsp; It was just human anatomy, it wasn't such a big deal.<br><br>He was stressed, that was all.&nbsp; Absolutely. <br><br>"It's quite deep," he murmured, his hands ghosting near, but never actually touching Noah, as though he was afraid the wound would bite; he could actually feel the heat radiating off the other man right then, he dug around in the pockets of his jacket then, removing a small white container, labelled for first aid, "You're going to need stitches - I can do a temporary superglue and they can fix it back at the Agency,"<br><br>That answered Noah's question anyways,<br><br>"Of course, I could stitch it, too," he muttered, and his eyes pinned firmly to the wound, and he added offhandedly, almost talking to himself, "But I don't have any anesthetic.&nbsp; These bloody kits don't actually come with all the neccessities as they claim to - someone can just as soon die from the shock of pain as they can from the wound itself - though I don't suspect pain is much of an issue for all the Bravehearts and Van Helsings of the world."<br><br>He flicked open the container and pulled out some disinfecting swabs, and he did his best not to pay attention when he felt Noah's eyes on him, because the thought of the other man watching him was sending chills up his spine.&nbsp; He usually had to push himself to make contact, even in a medical situation, but in this case, Booth found it was easy to start cleaning out the cut - it must have just been that he was grateful, because there was really no other explanation for it.<br><br>"That was really rather stupid of you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 00:10:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Sure, whatever," Noah said and took his hand away. "Not, not talking to you, Alicia. Yes, I'd like that squad quick, they stink already. By the way, do you happen to be missing a freckly green-eyed scientist? Oh...kay. I don't even want to know why. Bye." He ended the call and tucked the phone away. <br><br>"So, why do they call you bunny rabbit anyways?" he asked, sounding a bit too cheerful. <br><br>Well, that had not happened for a long time. Usually he just limped home or went to Alicia, but most of the time he did it alone. No one fixed his wounds for him. He had to do it himself. And now he'd be off-duty for a few weeks at least. Alicia would insist, he would ignore it. <br><br>He watched bemusedly down at Booth, who had started cleaning his wound. Not that he had asked, but hey, he would not say no, even if it was quite silly to do it here. Florian Booth, Alicia had told him, one of the best minds the Agency had to offer. Scientist and all. Nervous like hell for some reason. And now he was calling Noah stupid. What a surprise, the American thought to himself. <br><br>"One learns on the job," he had remarked when Booth prattled on, but he had a feeling the other man was just talking to himself. Now, that last comment, that stung a bit. "Well, I could have just left off and gone home, but then there would have been finger-sized bits of you all over the concrete and I got this idea that you might want to continue your existence as a whole."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 00:19:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He paused, only for an instant, at the mention of his nickname, but he refused to look up at Noah still, even as a flush of embarrassment crept over his cheeks - that damn leech woman had ruined him. <br><br>"Because a giant woman-leech tried to eat me," he said snippily, without bothering to fully explain himself; sometimes he forgot other people didn't know all the details, he found himself assuming they would learn through osmosis or something; he pulled the gauze away, and grimaced at the dirt, dropping it to the ground and pulling out the surgical glue, "I know you're one of those macho guys; this is only temporary, don't think you can get away with just letting it heal under the glue, because it'll rip the next time you do a sword dance."<br><br>His shoulders hunched as he realized Noah was still watching him; somehow he wished he could distract the man with something else - maybe something sparkly would work.&nbsp; He chewed briefly at his bottom lip then, when he heard the near annoyance in Noah's voice, and he realized that he had, once again, said something hurtful; the difference was that he usually didn't care when he stung someone, because the things he said were -<br><br>- well, they were correct.&nbsp; It had been stupid.<br><br>"I said it was stupid, and it was," Booth said sharply, one of his hands splaying out on Noah's bare stomach, while the other held the uncapped surgical glue; he could feel all of the ridges of muscle beneath his fingertips, and then he added in a low voice, as though almost hoping Noah wouldn't hear him: <br><br>"Didn't say it wasn't brave."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 00:25:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Leech-woman? Was it a creative British euphemism for vampire? Had to be. The British, they were funny. They were still funny even after ten years. And he had never managed to change his accent either, so he was always the annoying Yank to them. Ooh, Booth was embarrassed. <br><br>"I'll have someone stitch it later," Noah said. <br><br>Mmm...the touch. It was just a simple touch, Booth trying to get the wound together so that Noah would not keel over on his way home, but it still felt very good. He heard Booth's last words and chuckled. It was not the first time it had been said to him, Alicia got to do it almost every week. Stupid, reckless Noah, who was still alive after ten years. It was just a matter of not staying dead, he used to joke.<br><br>"I am damn hard to kill. I just don't stay dead. The squad's going to come any minute. You going home alone?"<br><br>He should not have asked, since it was not any of his business, but Alicia would have expected him to ask. Besides, Booth looked like he could not find his way out of a paperbag without having something big, ugly and sometimes furry jump at him. And maybe he wanted someone to share his beer with. Could have been anything. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 00:36:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Stop shifting, you're making this difficult to do," Booth said, and then realized it was actually his own heart beat that was jolting him forward; good god, what was wrong with him?&nbsp; He was sure his iron and folic acid levels were normal, there was no reason he should be having difficulty with his concentration.&nbsp; He forced himself to focus, pressing the wound together, and applying the salve - he had to hold onto the spot for a few minutes then, and stood straight, his hand still on Noah.&nbsp; He tried to look at the ground, or the wall, or the sky, but his eyes eventually drifted back to the man's face,<br><br>"Home?" he repeated, "What, you mean the Agency?&nbsp; Yes, of course I'm going back alone, I always do.&nbsp; If you haven't noticed, people who work there don't exactly form lasting bonds, not with people they would go home with anyways."<br><br>Booth looked vaguely uncomfortable for a moment, realizing that anyone with insight would probably recognize the implication behind it; the scientist was alone, spent all of his time at the Agency or having his life threatened outside of it, and had been nicknamed 'bunny rabbit' by the people who barely knew him, or anything about him - just that he was brilliant.<br><br>He realized he was staring into Noah's eyes, and then he quickly snapped his hand away from the man's stomach as though he'd been burnt by his skin,<br><br>"Yes, well, anyways," he said, as though trying to brush away his own statements, "You found out my name, I would think it's only fair I know yours, if not for the sake of politesse then at least for liability purposes."<br><br>It might have been a joke; it was hard to tell with Booth.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 00:43:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I am perfectly still," Noah noted dryly. And he was, though the scientist's hands felt pleasantly warm. His bed back at home was cold and would always be, he had no particular inclination of going back there. He would, of course, he was not stupid. Booth lived at the Agency? Then he must have meant one of the main Agency buildings. Not a fun place to live there. <br><br>Booth was right. Nobody formed bonds there. Because when they did, people got killed thanks to the beasts targeting them in order to hurt. In order to avenge. Noah looked at the funny little scientist and wondered what was going on in his head. <br><br>"Noah. Noah Franklin," he answered. <br><br>It was just at the same time that a black van appeared, an ad for a plumbing company on its side. Their clean up van, like it was called. Two people, a man and a woman got out. Both were known to Noah. The man was Colin and had been doing this stuff for four years, Martha was his companion and had been in it for half a year now.<br><br>"Hi there," Noah said. "I made some wolfie corpses for you."<br><br>Colin stopped near one of the bodies and sniffed the air, then grimaced. <br><br>"Yes, fine. You can go home and we'll take care of it," he said.&nbsp; <br><br>Martha stared at Booth instead, with her little fishlike eyes. She might have been one of the women who had tried to hit on him and gotten rejected. Who remembered, there were so many. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 00:57:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well, <em>Noah Franklin</em>," he said, as though he was testing the name out; his accent made the name come out sounding like 'new-ah', "I advise you not to do anything stressful like heavy lifting, running a marathon, or wrestling alligators.&nbsp; That glue will only hold for so much, I'm surprised your testosterone levels haven't steamed it off already."<br><br>He carefully cleaned his hands with a disinfectant pad from the medical kit, tossing it down with the dead werewolves; the clean up crew would take care of all toxic and hazardous materials, and he figured germs counted; he scarcely glanced at the clean-up crew that arrived, <br><br>"A fine mess you've made, Mr. Franklin," he said darkly, eyeing the mess of wolf parts around the place, but there might have been a hint of a smile on his face before he jammed the medical kit back in his jacket, and hefted up his bag of supplies again; he didn't even notice Martha was staring at him.&nbsp; He'd met her before, of course he remembered, about two months ago she had come up to him while he was working and had started asking questions about molecular structures, it sounded like she'd pulled the information off of Google and was trying to have a casual conversation about nanotechnology.&nbsp; And she'd been wearing a lot of pink; and the way she'd been leaning towards him had forced him to recognize she was wearing a green bra with little butterfly patterns on it, and now the image wouldn't go away.&nbsp; Ever.<br><br>"Anyways, I - ah, yes, I'll be off." he said decisively; back to the lab, even though it was technically his day off - and all he'd done was go out and buy some supplies.<br><br>For the lab.<br><br>He glanced once more at the man's stomach, and then his eyes, and nearly walked into the wall while heading away, doing his best to pretend it hadn't happened.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 13:08:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gee. Booth really did run his mouth like it had been advertised. Most likely the man would not shut up even when dead; his skull would keep on yammering, little insult after insult ad infinitum. Noah did not feel like getting angry at him, though, since Booth was small and quite helpless, he must have thought that words were his best weapons. <br><br>“Oh, man, I'll need to schedule that crocodile wrestling for next week then,” he said airily. And yeah, of course he had made a mess. Noah did that. It was hard to look out for cleanliness when fighting for your life, or someone else's. He shrugged, feeling a shot of pain go through his stomach. It would scar a bit, as they usually did. His whole body was covered in scars, some smaller, some bigger. A few were written inside his heart, invisible to the naked eye. <br><br>“Good bye to you too,” he muttered when Booth made off like all hell was chasing him, most likely it was all the Americanness in Noah that he could not stand. Some were like that. He did not care. One did not beat monsters with the legibility of their accent. You bet them with skill and just damn plain not knowing when to stop or give up. He never gave up. He just was like that.<br><br>“I'll get going,” he said to Martha and Colin. He waved at them and left. Well, at least he did not have their completely unglamorous and yes, even dangerous job. Of course, his own job was even more dangerous, but at least he did not have to clean up after somebody. Noah sighed. He would need to lay on his back for a few days, so that the wound could heal properly. He would go in for stitches tomorrow and they would yell at him in the Agency and tell him to stop trying to be Superman or something. He was not trying to be, but they were completely convinced of the opposite. <br><br>They had run several betting pools, betting whether Noah would survive or not during his escapades. In the later years, after it had been established that he would not die, they had started betting on whether he would drag the corpse into the Agency or how much time he needed to beat up the rest of the Agency's frontline men (three minutes) and other oftentimes crazy things. He walked home, each step sending pain through his abdomen. He was very glad to finally get home, even if it meant he needed to stagger up three lengths of stairs before he could turn the key in the lock and enter. <br><br>Noah closed the door, walked to the living room, put on some music (Nine Inch Nails this time) and&nbsp; went into the kitchen. He pulled off his coat, then sat at the table and began cleaning his weapons. He replaced the clips in the guns, wiped the blades properly clean and put them all in a neat row. After a beer, he set to unlacing his boots, growling all the way as his wounds and bruises stung from the contortion he needed to made. After that was done, he got in the shower and peeled off his clothing with a soft sigh of satisfaction. He sent one look at the weapons on the table in the kitchen, then reveled in the feeling of the hot water on his battered body. <br><br>Half an hour later he was in his bed, still a bit wet and wanting to fall asleep. Eventually he did, and slept soundly until his phone started ringing in the morning. Noah groaned, pawed for the phone on the nightstand, answered the call and rolled onto his back. <br><br>“Hello, Noah,” Alicia said. <br><br>“Hello,” he ground out.<br><br>“Let me guess, you are wounded, sick and don't want to come anywhere?”<br><br>“Right about that,” he offered noncommittally. He looked at his right arm. There was a nice purplish bruise a bit below his elbow. His torso was littered with them as well. He could not see farther than that, because he was wearing track pants, but he guessed it would not get any better. <br><br>“Four werewolves, Noah. I am impressed. And you managed to save Florian as well.”<br><br>Noah chuckled. Of course, the pet scientist. “He said he would be going back to the Agency on his own. Did he get there?” <br><br>“He did,” Alicia said. <br><br>And then she proceeded to tell him all about her insane idea. <br><br><em>You have got be kidding me,</em> Noah thought as he listened to her. She was actually proposing that Noah take on a partner. It had not been so long (two years) from the last one, who had ended up a gibbering mess after being ravished by a succubus. He was rumoredly still OCD about everything. Now, Alicia wanted to assign Booth to him? Was she crazy? Well, she was doing a good impression of batshit crazy right now. <br><br>“Noah, I am not going to argue with you. You need someone to make sure that you don't keel over after one too many monster and I need someone to make sure he doesn't offed by the next pissed off vampire.”<br><br>“I know, me and my great SNS,” Noah said. “Fine. Send him over, I am as hell not going to come and live there. You might want to do it tomorrow though, I want to take this day off. So, unless the world is coming to an end or you have Lucifer in your basement, I don't want to hear it.”<br><br>He imagined she was wearing the grin he usually thought of as foreboding when she thanked him and ended the call. Noah groaned, put the phone away and smoothed over his forehead with his fingers. He would need to go for a look-over in the afternoon, maybe he could even grab some free lunch from there. His skull throbbed with a dull pain. <br><br>“Here we go,” he thought and turned to one side, cuddling the pillow and pretending that the world did not exist for a few hours. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 14:37:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth was not impressed; he'd only just got back to the Agency laboratory, and he'd barely even put out the new equipment before he received a memo - he was supposed to go speak to Alicia.&nbsp; He eyed the memo with contempt, and then eyed his pile of paperwork with equal contempt, and made the executive decision to ignore the memo, and do his work instead, because he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know what Alicia had to say - without fail, she always sent him blindly into some horrible scenario when she figured he needed to get out of the lab, or out of the Agency for a while.&nbsp; Sometimes he thought she assigned him to particular cases for a twisted kind of amusement.<br><br>Two hours passed, and he'd nearly forgotten about the memo; he'd been concentrating on his paperwork - he hadn't filled it out for the last month, and had let it pile up.&nbsp; Usually, Booth was ridiculously fastidious, but when it came to paperwork, he'd generally rather have to go fight another zombie than fill out a lengthy report on his most recent job.&nbsp; He was down to the last week of it when he saw a shadow cast over his desk; he ducked his head down, his shoulders hunching as he made an attempt to completely ignore them,<br><br>"It's alright, you don't have to look up," Alicia said cheerily, "I know you can hear me anyways.&nbsp; I can also see that you've chosen to pointedly ignore my memo by stuffing it under what appears to be a bottle of - is that werewolf urine?"<br><br>"Grendel." Booth muttered, always willing to correct someone.<br><br>"Why -?"<br><br>"That was a joke.&nbsp; It's apple juice.&nbsp; What do you want?" he asked brusquely; Booth hated dancing around things, he always wanted to get to the point of conversations, as though they were an unfortunate neccessity in life, something that just bridged the way for him to get things done.<br><br>"I want you to start taking memos seriously."<br><br>"I do take them seriously, see, there they all are." he said, and directed her attention to a pile of memos that had been folded into neat, intricate origami figures; he still hadn't looked up at her, "I recycle them and everything."<br><br>Alicia drew in a breath, and let it out again,<br><br>"You're being assigned to a partner." she said, and began to walk away.&nbsp; Booth immediately jerked his head up,<br><br>"What? No!"<br><br>He leapt over the desk in front of her, displaying a physical prowess he rarely liked to show; he was shorter than she was, and his green eyes gave every indication he was pissed.&nbsp; She didn't even manage to get another word in, because his eyes were flicking over her face, and it felt like he was tearing information right out of her head just by looking,<br><br>"That big gladiator, you're trying to assign me to work with him."<br><br>He always knew before anyone had told him.<br><br>"What, is it because he's American?"<br><br>"What would that have to do with anything?&nbsp; I dislike all nationalities equally, including my own," he said flippantly, "It has more to do with him being <em>insane</em>."<br><br>"Then it will be an appropriate match-up." she said crisply, "You start tomorrow, meet him at his place; here's the address.&nbsp; Try to get some pleasure out of this, Booth, you could use the company."<br><br>"I don't want company!&nbsp; <em>I will not partner with that lunatic</em>!"<br><br>-<br><br>Booth stood outside of Noah's door with his arms crossed over his chest, an expression of sheer annoyance plastered on his freckled face, his shoulders drawn up like an angered cat; it was raining out, so his hair was damp and curling more than usual.&nbsp; He was in jeans, and a blue t-shirt that had the image of a lab-coat wearing scientist lovingly hugging a nuclear reactor, proclaiming 'SCIENCE!' in big, bold letters beneath.&nbsp; He had his usual army-green jacket on, and a hard black tote bag that likely carried any materials he needed.<br><br>He finally brought himself to knock, and made a point of looking supremely unhappy about the entire situation.&nbsp; He didn't want to be there.&nbsp; He didn't want a partner.&nbsp; <br><br>Stupid Alicia and her stupid ideas.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 17:26:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah had gone out and to the Agency, gotten all the stitches and necessary things done. He had&nbsp; even asked for Booth, but he was told that the man was busy. So he had gone home and on the way bought himself a nice warm meal. He had indulged himself with a few hours of playing some obscure FPS game, and then lazed in front of the TV. He had woken in the middle of the night and found himself still on the couch, but then had crawled into the bed and had some more nice sleep. <br><br>By the second day, his bruises were still blue and black, but the stomach wound looked better now. It also meant he had to go around shirtless most of the time, since any kind of cloth tended to make the wound itch in a very annoying way. Noah did not mind – he always got a bit too hot, even when the window wide open into the cold autumn London. It was raining today, and he was not surprised. <br><br>Feeling quite rested and fed up with sleeping, Noah had gotten up and made some breakfast. Breakfast in Noah-tongue usually meant several huge sandwiched and enough beer to wash it down. Sausages on good days, and even scrambled eggs if he was feeling particularly festive. He had some music on, some Johnny Cash album, and he had just finished eating, when he heard a knock. <br><br>Ah. It must be Booth. No one else would be so dumb as to come to Noah's place before the afternoon. He set his empty plate on one of the counters in the living room, pattered to the small foreroom and opened the door. <br><br>Booth was treated to a half-naked Noah, who was currently wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung sweatpants. He could also see that the American had quite a collection of tattoos, among them a Celtic cross on his right upper arm, a star shrouded in fire on his left and something was even peeking out right above the seam of his pants, on the right. <br><br>“Morning,” Noah said, looking completely nonplussed about Booth's appearance. <br><br>Well, he had been expecting it, due to Alicia telling him that Booth would be arriving today. And no, she of course would not be assigning a case until later, when she had made sure that they did not kill each other right away. Noah did not know why in the hell would she be worried about that. He did not kill humans. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 17:56:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth had been prepped to say something snarky the moment the door opened, but words failed him when he saw Noah, standing half-naked in the doorway, looking sleepy and satisfied - and very tattoed.&nbsp; The young scientist had never been a real fan of tattoos before, mostly because of the medical perspective regarding jamming ink into several layers of skin, but for some reason, he found he almost liked them on Noah.&nbsp; He showed this by glowering at him and attempting not to analyze what the tattoo on his right hip might be.<br><br>He also noted the scars.&nbsp; Lots of them.&nbsp; It came with working at the Agency, Booth had a few of them himself, but his method of working usually kept him out of any sort of fisticuffs or direct contact, if he could help it.&nbsp; <br><br>"Yes, well," Booth said, as though he might be willing to argue whether it was actually morning or not, "Alicia sent me, she says we're going to be - <em>partners</em> - which you already know, or you would have sounded more surprised to see me turning up on your stoop at ten in the morning.&nbsp; Let me assure you, I want this even less than you do.&nbsp; So I suppose this is a preliminary meeting, we're supposed to - to - put our resources together or something silly like that, so I brought my materials; I can't guarantee I'm going to call you every time I've got a case though, I won't expect you to either."<br><br>He was rambling again; it happened a lot.<br><br>His eyes dropped again, and he eyed the wound,<br><br>"Oh good, you listened." he said drily.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 19:47:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth looked a wee bit wet, Noah noticed and he most likely was cold too. He eyed the man's obvious lack of supplies that one would usually take along when moving in with somebody and deduced from it that Alicia had left some things unsaid. Maybe she wanted Noah to explain himself, so she would not have to face Booth's wrath. Noah had heard enough tales about the little man who could reduce people to tears with his words. Well, Noah was not going to take much shit from him. They had to be partners and it was most likely that Booth knew nothing about that. <br><br>"Come in," Noah said. "And don't talk about that stuff in a place where anyone could hear, okay?" <br><br>When Booth entered, he could see that the whole place was well...as messy as an average bachelor's place was. Messy. It was obvious that Noah lived alone and there was no woman's touch to speak of. All the stuff here looked pretty old and worn, but the district had been old and worn too. There was a TV set and a couch with horrible plaid covering. A desk with a computer on it, and a chair, of course. There was also an entrance that most likely led to the kitchen and two closed doors. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 20:03:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth hesitated for an instant, as though it hadn’t occurred to him that he would actually have to come inside, that maybe they would conduct the entire thing in the hallway and be over and done with it before they had to get personal, but he came to the conclusion he was being a little unreasonable, and came inside, waiting until the door was closed behind him before he spoke,<br><br>"I'm sure your neighbours are going to guess that you're a paranormal investigator, just because they may have overheard me mentioning our partnership, at best they'll think we're cops."<br><br>Or lovers.&nbsp; <br><br>He batted that thought away as quickly as it arrived, too disturbed by it to analyze it; his internal narrative was being strange lately.&nbsp; <br><br>Booth looked around the apartment, and his expression was sour for an instant, <br><br>"How can you work in this?" he asked outright, not one to avoid saying what he was thinking, "It's a mess.&nbsp; Nothing is organized, how can you find anything in here - it's ridiculous, what are you, a frat boy?&nbsp; I'm expecting to see something crawl out from under your couch any moment now."<br><br>This wasn't what he was used to; he was used to the cold, gleaming, metal cleanliness of his laboratory with it's glass beakers and the smell of antiseptic and chemical agents, the untouched white walls, the neat piles of papers and memos.&nbsp; This was ridiculous; the entire place looked as though it had been hit by a bomb and left that way, especially in comparison.<br><br>He kept his arms crossed over his chest, as though attempting to give as little surface area of himself to the apartment as he could manage, <br><br>"Alright, so, let's get on with it, I'm sure you've other things to do." he said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 20:10:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah shrugged, with a roll of his shoulders, and closed the door behind Booth. Turned out that he had tattoos on his back as well. Then he took a look back at Booth, when the other complained about his apartment. Well, not everyone was OCD about cleanliness. He cocked his head, appearing to be in thought, and came to the conclusion that he could clean up a bit. <br><br>"There is nothing alive besides us in this place. I'd know. And I work outside." <br><br>He walked to the kitchen and pulled the fridge open, then got himself a beer. Peeking out into the living room, he looked at Booth who was obviously glowering and said: "Yeah, like laze around and shoot monsters in the computer. Want a beer?" <br><br>Heh. Man looked like he was afraid that the trash would attack him if he did not stand still enough. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 20:17:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, well, that's very reassuring, thank you so much for letting me know that your clothes haven't spawned sentient life, I feel more at ease now." he snarked, watching as Noah headed out of the room and into the kitchen; the man even had tattoos on his back, which Booth noticed was just as muscled as his front - it was ridiculous how some men could build the most sleek looking muscles.&nbsp; He watched the muscle that wrapped under Noah's shoulderblade, and saw that it shuddered and shifted when he moved, and he found himself thinking about stallions after they had gone for a run.<br><br>Complete with the mane of dark hair.<br><br>Now there was an awkward comparison.<br><br>"No, I don't drink; alcohol kills brain cells and damages your liver." he said, reaching into his bag and removing a small pile of books, addressing the subjects of physics, metaphysics, nanotechnology, and paranormal phenomenon.&nbsp; His brain went back to his thesis years ago; he never did get to hear what the board had to say about it - it had been something of a dissappointment.&nbsp; <br><br>"You shouldn't be drinking either, it thins your blood and you've got a fresh wound and should be on antibiotics and painkillers - you may as well just drink some poison while you're at it." he added.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 20:29:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Do you think that in this line of work I'll manage to drink myself to death?" Noah asked, putting emphasis on the word 'drink'. "You better sit down, I guess Alicia did not tell you all about what is going to happen." <br><br>He moved to the DVD set and bent down to turn the music a bit lower. <br><br>Oh yes, he would rather have been plastered before he started telling this to Booth, but this place did not even have enough beer for that, one needed several crates for that, especially with his size and stamina. He himself lounged near the TV-set, all tanned skin and lean muscles. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 20:42:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You might, it only takes a few hours and enough booze to get alcohol poisoning," Booth said, and then conceeded, "Though statistically you personally are more likely to die from being bitten to death by some vicious supernatural being - or simple blood loss."<br><br>He watched as Noah crossed the room, lowering the volume of the music, and right then, Booth felt his stomach lurch, because bad news was coming,<br><br>"I'd prefer to remain standing," Booth said; just in case he needed to move fast and get his ass out of there - he didn't exactly know Noah just yet, and while he begrudgingly offered up some private respect for the man for having saved his life and single-handedly taken out four fully grown werewolves, he couldn't help the feeling that the other man was absolutely out of his mind.&nbsp; Of course, most at the Agency were.<br><br>"What didn't Alicia tell me?" he asked, not fond of being uninformed, "What, are you secretly a symbiote?&nbsp; A member of the X-men?&nbsp; Should I dial the Stargate to get you home?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 20:46:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ha ha." <br><br>Noah took another gulp from his beer, then continued fingering the bottle.<br><br>"What Alicia did not tell you, though she said she had written it in the memo you did not get, was that we're supposed to be full-time partners. Which means we need to keep an eye on each other, which means that you're coming to live here, because no way in hell I am going to move into the Agency. And before you want to maim me with your books or anything, it was completely her decision." <br><br>His face looked fairly neutral, and there was not much one could read from his voice either. He regarded Booth with dark eyes, as if he saw all the secrets on a man's soul. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:02:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The laugh did not make him feel any better; he sat there staring, goggle-eyed, at Noah for a long moment after he had spoken, and his mouth would have been in a thin line if his bottom lip hadn't been so incapable of being anything but ridiculously full.&nbsp; He gave a small facial tic, and for an instant he looked like he was going to explode, and then took in a breath, inflating his chest like an indignant cartoon character; he let it out in a small wheeze then, as though someone had taken a pin and popped him.<br><br>He felt Noah's blue eyes on him, and he stubbornly met them this time,<br><br>"Well," he said sharply, and then paused, and stuttered, and tried again, "Well, that just isn't going to work out.&nbsp; Who comes up with these bloody ideas, I feel like I'm being strong-armed by a sadistic, formulaeic sitcom writer.&nbsp; This is a terrible idea and it's simply not going to happen."<br><br>He stood then, and drew himself up,<br><br>"So - no.&nbsp; No, this is not going to happen." he said, hefting up his bag and heading single-mindedly for the door; not only did they want him to be the Tonto to his Lone Ranger, they wanted him to live with the man.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:07:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah's eyes narrowed and there was a very soft growl, before he pounced from his place, shifting right past Booth and obviously blocking the only exit with his large frame. He crossed his arms on his chest and looked down at Booth. Did the pipsqueak really think Noah wanted some OCD hugebrain in the same flat with him? Most likely not. <br><br>"Do you think I want to have you around?" he asked, quiet. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:12:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth nearly ran into Noah when the man jammed himself between him and the doorway, effectively blocking the lab rat from going any further; he reeled back then, staring upwards, his mouth agape for an instant, and then he glowered at Noah,<br><br>"What, do you think i'm an idiot?&nbsp; Of course you don't want to have me around, who in their right mind would?" he snapped; it wasn't self-deprecation, it was said factually, without even a hint of self-loathing - he knew the way he was viewed at the Agency, in fact, he'd worked hard for years to get that reputation; it kept people away from him, and kept him from getting in this exact situation, <br><br>"I don't want to be here, you don't want me here, so let's just agree on this, that I should leave and you should get yourself assigned to a new partner.&nbsp; Tell her I was being unreasonable, I'm sure she'll know what you mean.&nbsp; There will be others more than willing to play your sidekick." he said, and then stepped in, and made an attempt to actually reach around Noah for the doorhandle, grumbling, "<em>Will you just move, you big goliath!</em>"<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:20:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Who in their right mind would indeed. But Noah was not really in his right mind. As for partnering somebody else - he either got them killed (that was in his first years) or intimidated the hell out of them (during the later years) or they started hitting on him (all the time). With Booth, the last two would certainly not happen and as for the first, he would damn well try. He had made a good start, hadn't he? <br><br>"She will not assign anyone. And no, I won't move, scream as much as you want," Noah replied calmly. More calmly than someone who had just been called a huge oaf in more polite words usually would. He did not move from the door and due to his bulk, any pulling of the doorhandle would simply be useless. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:25:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, that's classic," Booth said snippily, standing back and putting his hands on his hips, "What next?&nbsp; Going to stuff me into a locker?&nbsp; This place is a mess, you're out of your mind, and I refuse to be co-operative about this."<br><br>This wasn't a stalemate; Booth was having his ass handed to him and all Noah had to do was stand in the way - literally, just stand in the way.&nbsp; The man had to be twice Booth's weight in sheer muscle alone, and he had a good deal of height on the scientist, which made it a rather unfair situation - why couldn't his potential partner have had dwarfism?&nbsp; It would have made things a lot easier for him.<br><br>"I don't scream," he added flatly, walking up and prodding the centre of Noah's chest, jutting his jaw out, his big green eyes glaring up at the bigger man, "And you can't keep me in here forever, <em>Franklin</em>."<br><br>Actually, he probably could.&nbsp; People weren't exactly going to come looking for him.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:31:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Call Alicia. Tell her that," Noah replied, looking completely non-plussed despite Booth being close and poking his chest. It was almost funny, except for the fact that Booth seemed to scream "Come and rape or kill me" to any supernatural creature in close vicinity. And he was sarcastic enough for the whole Agency. Guess that the rumors must have been true. <br><br>Booth was trying to intimidate him. Noah did not really buy it. <br><br>"I suppose she will be very thrilled with you." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:44:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Stubborn; they were both intensely stubborn, and neither of them were willing to give an inch on the matter.&nbsp; Booth was adamant that this wasn't going to happen, he hadn't lived with someone since he was fifteen, and that had been his mother on the rare occasions they happened to be in the house at the same time.&nbsp; He wasn't fond of the idea of living with anyone again, it was always cause for annoyance and distractions, plus they would have to deal with eachothers habits,<br><br>"If calling her will make you get out of my way, then fine," he said, and yanked out his phone - he hated cellphones, but the Agency had insisted on it; they had probably low-jacked it; he dialed, and a few moments later, Alicia answered the phone,<br><br>"Booth," she said, "I've got a case for you guys, not a lot of time, you need to move on it."<br><br>Booth was immediately all ears, and the stubborn, annoyed expression had dissappeared without a trace, giving way to one of rapt, almost zen-like attention that almost made the scientist look peaceful; when he put the phone away, it seemed he had completely forgotten about their current situation,<br><br>"Alfred Rombley's wife is missing," he said, "Last seen on Fourth and Ledger street, let's go."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 21:59:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah also changed when he heard Alicia's voice. He became more alert and watchful. When Booth spoke to him, he nodded and dashed to his computer. The files were already in his inbox and he clicked the email from Alicia open. Fair enough, she had provided them with a short overview about who Edith Rombley was and what she looked like. The photos showed a woman in her twenties, dressed fairly modestly, red hair in a bun and large gray eyes. She worked as a secretary in the Agency building and had actually been the victim of a rather vicious pooka prank, her husband had also been dragged into it and so they both worked. And now she was missing. <br><br>"Here's some stuff. Read," he said, pointed to his computer and disappeared into his bedroom. There he changed, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, some socks and strapped on his weapons, the guns and the blades both. He also put on his cross, just in case. He had a bad feeling about this. Edith had gone missing right in the middle of the night, just gone like that. Alfred in his half-sleep had assumed that she would be going to take care of their baby girl, but an hour later he had been woken by the baby's crying. No Edith, and yet all her shoes, coats and purse were in place. As if she had walked out just in her nightgown. <br><br>Once done with the equipping, Noah came back to the living room and began putting on his boots. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 22:08:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Wordless, Booth moved to the computer and his brain took a permanent picture of Edith Rombley, committing it to some file folder in his brain that would make it impossible for him to forget her face ten years from now; she was young, attractive, she had a family, she was a member of the Agency, and she was missing.&nbsp; It was never a good omen when Agents went missing, since in their line of work, that meant there was little chance they would be found again - the first forty-eight hours didn't apply to supernatural cases, because a majority of the subjects they worked with didn't exactly leave normal evidence.<br><br>Some of them didn't leave any evidence at all.<br><br>Booth shouldered his bag, <br><br>"Woman dissappears in the middle of the night," he muttered, more to himself than anything; there was no history of mental illness, or even allergies for Edith, she seemed to be in prime condition, except the fact she was no where to be found.&nbsp; "Could've just been a human who made it happen - we're as bad as the werewolves anyways."<br><br>He headed for the door again, but this time it was with the intent of attending to case, rather than trying to escape - they could deal with that later, when he thought of it again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 22:18:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah came out just after Booth, closed the door and together they went down the rickety stairs. They had to take the Tube, since the address was too far for a walk, on the other side of the city. It was also a fair bit away from Edith's home address, and the e-mail had also said that last person who had seen her there, had been one of the Agents. <br><br>It was a fairly quite suburban neighborhood they arrived in. The house at Fourth and Ledger seemed to be empty and the grass had obviously been uncared for a long time. As it was a weekday, and most adults were at work, kids at school, there were not many people outside either. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 22:33:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth was characteristically irritable on the railcars, clearly uncomfortable with the close proximity inside the thing, attempting to twist himself into a position where he wasn't brushing against the people on any side, which was difficult, but with some effort he managed it, though he appeared distinctly uncomfortable.&nbsp; He also made an outright refusal to touch the handlebars overhead, even to steady himself, because all he could think of were the massive amount of germs that would be on the metal, and how they likely weren't cleaned often - public transit was filthy.<br><br>A woman behind Booth let out a loud sneeze, and wiped her nose with her palm, making a wet noise as she did so, and Booth nearly fell over trying to get away from her, slamming briefly into Noah's backside before twisting himself away again,<br><br>"Bloody public transit," he rasped, and then looked over at the woman, "Go to a bloody doctor, get a prescription for tissues."<br><br>He was visibly relieved when they got off the tube, and the walk to Fourth and Ledger wasn't long afterwards; Booth eyed the place contemptuously as though it had just sneezed as well, and he headed through the long grass, hoping nothing would jump from it, and he found the front door wasn't locked.&nbsp; All he needed to do was push it open a few inches, and the smell hit him,<br><br>"Something's dead." he said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 22:39:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah had watched all of Booth's antics on the Tube. While he did not like having so many people close to him as well, he was not making such a big number about it. He did not think to admonish Booth however, since it would be allright until he made someone cry with his remarks. <br><br>He sniffed audibly as they walked into the obviously abandoned house. Yes, he could smell it too. Something dead. His SNS did not ping though, so he pulled no weapons yet. Noah went to the living room first. Obviously an old lady had lived here, there were pictures of cats and lots of ugly knitted pillows everywhere. The smell intensified though and as he walked towards the couch, he discovered what it was. <br><br>"Shit!" he shouted. <br><br>It was not that the man laying on his back, his genitals peeking out from his pants, was dead. It was not that he stank of sex and death both. It was the fact that Noah knew him and it had been the same man who had called Alicia to report about Edith's condition. Shit. <br><br>"It's O'Keefe," he said, looking over his shoulder at Booth. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 22:55:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth looked around the place; it looked like the sort of place a crazy cat lady would inhabit, complete with a bowl of scotch mints and crochet blankets across the rocking chair; there were no cats around, which Booth was privately thankful for.&nbsp; Cats didn't like him, and it was a mutual feeling.<br><br>Heading through the foyer, the smell got stronger as they got closer to the living room, and what they found wasn't exactly pretty.&nbsp; O'Keefe, dead, and not exactly in his best form - but death was never graceful, not the way movies liked to show it, it was always messy and disgusting; one could not die with dignity, but this was an especially ugly death.&nbsp; O'Keefe looked like most of the moisture had left his body, along with something else that Booth couldn't quite identify,<br><br>"Sex can kill," he conceeded; pulling out his little spectacles and putting them on, stepping closer to the body; the smell was awful, it was the combined smell of sex and death, he leaned the dead man's head back, and found that the body was stiff, "Not usually literally though.&nbsp; Been dead at least twelve hours, judging by rigor - he's got, ah, bite marks on his neck.&nbsp; Human."<br><br>Hickeys.&nbsp; Lots of them.&nbsp; In fact, half his throat was bruised.<br><br>"Looks like someone deflated him," he said, eyeing the way the man's face looked sunken in, and he grumbled, "Sex fiends."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 22:59:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				If one used Occam's Razor, there was one logical conclusion to this. Edith Rombley, a newly made succubus, of at least 12 hours. She could be anywhere by now, or even asleep. Even the lust-possessed needed to sleep - sometimes. She could also be prowling in a club or some dark back alley, ready to seduce any passers-by. The lust-spirit inside her, that is. It often tended to get mixed up, especially since possession changed people, often irreversibly. <br><br>"Edith went sex fiend," Noah said. "Someone needs to get him out of here. Clean-up squad again, I guess."<br><br>The death looked too unnatural to be passed off as something average humans knew. <br><br>Fuck. He had liked the old bastard - British as British can be, without the imperialism and the snotiness most Brits treated Americans with. He'd also been a damn good shot. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 23:05:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yes, well, clean-up will have to do it, it wouldn't be subtle if we carried him out, and I think the police would be curious as to why we're hanging around the place," Booth said, breathing through his mouth to avoid the smell as best as he could; Succubi and Incubi were pains in the ass, they took over bodies without remorse, and had sex with victims until they were bored with them, or the victim was dead.&nbsp; <br><br>And, after three days, the possession became irreversible - usually the human body couldn't take it for long after that time frame, and eventually they would die from the stress.&nbsp; They didn't have a lot of time left to find Edith,<br><br>"She could be anywhere," he said, chewing at his lip, "Nearest place to find willing bodies could be anywhere for a woman who looks like Edith Rombley - but Succubi like the easy targets -"<br><br>He straightened up then, eyeing Noah,<br><br>"Where's the nearest bar?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 23:09:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I will make the call," Noah said, whipped out his cell-phone and did so. He requested for extra care this time, considering that they were in full daylight. After having given several details, he could hung up. He came back to Booth, not looking at the corpse. Father had said that touching the dead needlessly brought bad fortune. <br><br>He followed Booth's apparent train of thought, but when the question was asked, he shrugged. <br><br>"In the next neighborhood, I guess, since this place does not really look like it has bars." <br><br>Which meant they needed to take a little walk. Well, the rain had stopped for now, but it could always start up again and Noah had not really brought an umbrella. He did not do umbrellas. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 23:21:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He waited for the call to be completed, looking around the place for any further evidence, but didn't expect to find anything beyond bodily fluids and porcelain sculptures of cats - and he didn't.&nbsp; Once they headed out of the home, Booth realized it was just another image he'd never get out of his head, and one of the many he wished he could.<br><br>The smell of death stayed in his nose for another block, and finally gave way to the smell of freshly fallen rain and wet grass, which was something of a relief; he kept an eye out for any pubs, and found that one came up on the right quickly; a small, seedy looking place that was filled with equally seedy men, and a bartender who called customers 'pal' and 'buddy' while perpetually wiping down an already clean glass,<br><br>"What'll it be, pal?" he asked, when he saw the two; Booth ignored the surreptitious stares they were getting from the patrons, most of whom looked as though they were members of either Hell's Angels, or Kiss.<br><br>"Looking for a redhead," Booth said, and he saw the bartender open his mouth to speak, "Don't make a sexual innuendo.&nbsp; I don't even know you."<br><br>The bartender's mouth snapped shut.<br><br>"She's about five-foot-nine, in her twenties, slate-coloured eyes, she was probably dressed provocatively - maybe took someone home with her?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 23:35:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah just looked big and menacing, in a place like this, it would keep the sober ones away. As for the drunks, he'd only met a few who managed to get plastered before noon. He knew that they would need to track through quite many bars before getting some proper information - succubi tended to get five or six men in a night, which usually made the same number of bars. <br><br>The bartender looked at Booth, then at Noah and promptly decided he'd tell the truth. <br><br>"Um...yeah. Wasn't my shift, but Rob told me there'd been a redhead who'd gone straight up on the counter and started dancing. Most likely left with some guy. Who knows."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>15-10-2008, 23:54:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth managed to keep himself from being too snippy with the first bartender, but when they got to the fourth pub and the answers remained vague, he started getting a little more irritable, and less willing to suffer fools - which was a poor thing in a place of business that's built solely for people to pump alcohol into their systems.&nbsp; By pub number six, it was three in the afternoon, and it was clear that the lab rat was tiring of the surroundings - every pub smelled exactly the same as the last one, and seemed to have the exact same, leather-wearing patrons.<br><br>It was like the bloody twilight zone.<br><br>Eventually they stopped for lunch, and Booth picked carefully at a turkey sandwich on whole wheat, still managing to look vaguely irate even then,<br><br>"You'd think someone around here would have some better observation than saying things like 'smoking hot' and 'fabulous knockers'," he griped, removing the onion from his salad, "Don't these people pay attention to anything?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 00:00:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah had been right with Booth, sometimes asking the questions himself, sometimes letting Booth do it. He briefly considered kicking some faces in, but these people were not to blame for what they were. Besides, he did not want to have ten men going at him all at once. He could handle brawls, but puppy piles were slightly different things. <br><br>Briefly he wondered if Edith had gone in some other direction, and for a moment he also wondered that maybe he could propose to Booth that they attract her. It was too early for that, however, and he did not really think Booth would like the idea. It was akin to inviting disaster - Noah himself could manage to throw off the seduction of a succubus that young, but he knew nothing about Booth in that regard. <br><br>While Booth had one sandwich, Noah took three along with some apple juice. He had just bitten into one when Booth spoke again, obviously miffed. <br><br>"Not everyone is as smart as you," he replied calmly. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 00:18:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah was biting down on a piece of cucumber when Noah spoke, and he paused, his eyes flicking up to the other man - for a long moment, his brain processed the comment and flipped it over a few times, searching for any notes of sarcasm or irony, and when he found none, there was a brief, almost embarrassed expression - he replaced it as fast as he could with his usual one of vague annoyance,<br><br>"Yes, well," he said, as flippantly as he could manage, his eyes moving determinedly back to the cucumber, and he picked at an invisible spot on it, "It's got nothing to do with intelligence, one doesn't need to be a genius to use their eyes.&nbsp; They were all looking, but they weren't bothering to see a damn thing; I can't imagine being so oblivious."<br><br>He couldn't blame Noah for his pile of sandwiches; it had been a long day already, and a guy that big needed more fuel anyways.&nbsp; He found himself marginally amused by the apple juice, though he wasn't entirely sure why.&nbsp; <br><br>When they finished with lunch, they continued en route, stopping at every bar they came across, and by the time they reached the last plausible one, Edith Rombley would have been missing for at least seventeen hours; the bartender at this one was a young woman who didn't look like she belonged in a dive, except for the size of her biceps,<br><br>"Yeah, I saw her around," she said, her lip piercing glimmering in the light, "She knew how to work it; kept the guys from pawing me for a night, so I wasn't going to protest.&nbsp; She ended up making out with one of my regulars over in the corner there, uh, Joe Mackey - I know the guy, lives in the area, he's got a running tab and one of my employees keeps giving him breaks.&nbsp; If you see him, tell that fucker he owes me three hundred bucks, the two them nearly drank me out of business here."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 12:17:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				For a moment there Noah thought that Booth had the grace to look a bit embarrassed, but as the other man's expressions shifted back to his usual hostile demeanor, he was quickly convinced that it had just been a strange little delusion of his. Who knew. Noah simply nodded at what Booth had to say, and kept on eating. He was not really in a mood for an exchange. Cases like these always made him antsy. For a moment he almost wished that Edith had been kidnapped by some monster, since tracking them had become quite easy these last years.<br><br>But Edith as a succubus...it meant that he most likely had to force the lust-spirit out of her. He hoped she was strong enough to survive the exorcism. The golden hour of possession could be three days, but he was experienced enough to know that the quicker they found her, the weaker the lust-spirit's dominance would be. At the end of those three days, her personality would most likely be subsumed and lost forever. Most victims never gained it all back, and developed new fears and insecurities, some so strange that even the best of the Agency's shrinks could not figure them out. <br><br>When they finally got some results, meaning that they actually found a person who had seen Edith, Noah looked a bit more at ease. Maybe they could solve this in time. He hoped that they would be able to do it. <br><br>“Where does this Joe Mackey live?” Noah asked. <br><br>The woman looked at him oddly, considering that Booth had been doing the talking, but answered: “Couple blocks to the north, Fairchild Street 15, I think. He'll come out if you holler enough.”<br>&nbsp;<br>“Good,” Noah said. “Let's go.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 12:41:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It had been a small win for them, they had been lucky enough to find someone who knew who the man was, and where they could find him; Booth even managed to give the bartender a slightly less hostile look, and a small, grateful nod that indicated he was more impressed with her than any of the others they'd spoken to so far.<br><br>Finding Fairchild Street was easy enough; it wasn't a great area, in fact, it was so run down that it reminded Booth of his childhood - he decided he wasn't a fan of the area, and eyed the home as they stood outside of it.&nbsp; For a moment, he felt apprehension, hoping he wouldn't step in and be hit by the scent of decomposition again, though he had no doubts that Mackey had been Edith's second victim,<br><br>"Alright then," Booth said, walking to the front door; he rapped his knuckles against it once, and the door opened at the light impact, creaking just enough to sound like something from a horror movie, so he added bitterly, "I hate it when that happens."<br><br>He stepped in, and thankfully, the smell of rot was absent; he decided not to call the man's name, in the off-chance Edith was still inside, and he moved quietly through the home, heading straight for the bedroom despite his resignations.&nbsp; Mackey was there, laying face-down and naked on the bed, his back covered in bruises and scratch marks; his pallor told Booth a miserable story, but a touch to the man's neck -<br><br>"He's alive," Booth said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 12:59:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah was vigilant, but there seemed to be no sign of Edith in here and he even told Booth so as they entered. No pinging in the SNS. It did still mean that she could be in the area - the sense usually had a radius of half a mile or a mile, depending on certain things. No deathsmell either, and yes, Mackey was alive, even if a bit roughed-up and quite drained. <br><br>"Good," he said and turned Mackey onto his back. "Evening, Joe." <br><br>It took a bit of time before the man stirred, but when he became aware of his own pathetic condition and the presence of two strangers in his room, his eyes bulged in a rather comical way and he tried to get up.<br><br>"Don't try it," Noah suggested. "Instead you can tell us how you spent the night."<br><br>She had been all over him. Good Lord; Noah did not even want to think how she would be feeling once she got herself back. It would fuck with the head of any woman to know that she had been cruising the bars for men, and gone through about six of them in quick succession, just for the gratification of the monster in her head. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 13:15:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joe was drained, but almost over-zealous in telling the story about how he'd spent the night, giving them all the morbid details, some of which made Booth visibly flinch, as though his brain was seizuring from it.&nbsp; The fact that Joe was still alive was a curious sign, it meant that she either hadn't had the chance to completely drain him, she'd become bored with him, or Edith had tried to fight off the urge,<br><br>"She could be suffering with the fact she's already killed one," Booth said, and he watched Joe's eyes go round, and then remembered that he was supposed to address the issue of the man having seen something Supernatural; he supposed that's what one got when they mucked about with women in bars, it was no place to meet anyone - but he still mentally thought of Mackey as 'poor bastard', "Ah, yes, your life is going to be different now, Mackey.&nbsp; Think 'men in black', but less satisfying."<br><br>He was so good with people.<br><br>"I don't think she'll have gone far from here - it's almost nightfall, and we're getting closer to D-Day - she's only going to get bolder from this point." Booth said, heading for the door.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 14:11:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah's hands tightened and he had to keep them from curling into fists. The sick callousness this guy told his story with; it made him sick. Especially considering it was a good woman he was talking about this way. <br><br>One SMS later it was made sure that one Joe Mackey would get a visit from the Agency. <br><br>"Yeah," Noah said, and once Booth was almost out the door, he gave the guy a good kick in the shin, then loped after Booth. <br><br>"She should still be asleep. It's not dark yet." <br><br>But it was darkening, the sun was already setting. It would get critical soon. Noah had not performed a successful exorcism after two nights, and he was not really going to lug Edith in her succubus form across half the city. Of course, they could always call a squad, but it would be risky, and it was not like they had that many squads to dispatch anyways. <br><br>He wracked his mind, trying to remember what kinds of places succubi tended to hide in.<br><br>"Somewhere dark, but warm. I mean, the place she would sleep in. And it most likely needs to be someplace safe by Edith's standards as well."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 14:25:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Edith is a married woman with a child - she's likely to sleep somewhere familiar to her.&nbsp; From what I know of her, she was conservative - and we can take churches off the list, given Succubi aren't exactly fond of religion." Booth said, pacing aimlessly, "We're not going to find her down a dark, dank alleyway, so - what would be a safe place for a woman to sleep in?"<br><br>His eyebrows were low at he considered the area - charities?&nbsp; Women's shelters?&nbsp; Bowling alleys?<br><br>Somewhere public, open through the day, where they weren't going to say anything about a person lounging about, somewhere with a lobby, with security, that one could relate to safety,<br><br>"The hospital," he said.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 15:24:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah shrugged. Well, it could be worth a try. <br><br>"You think they'd just let her sleep there? Could be. She has not transformed enough yet, I guess." <br><br>A quick phone call confirmed that there were two hospitals in the near area and so they decided to go and visit both. It had already gotten dark before they arrived at the first one. <br><br>Noah stopped abruptly in front of the entrance, as he'd been hit with something. Then he just stood there and blinked for a moment. He could feel it, the feeling he hated so much, since it meant that she was fighting and losing. Losing bad. The succubus would be on the move soon. But she was here. If they were careful, they could find her before she dragged one of the hospital staff away. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 15:29:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah had stopped at the first hospital, directly in front of the door, and Booth paused as well, looking up at the bigger man with raised eyebrows,<br><br>"What -" he said, then turning fully, a little irritated by how far he had to look up to see the other man's face - he reflected that, for a man, he was fairly short, but Noah was a beast, and built like a frieght train - or a Greek God.&nbsp; One or the other, he hadn't decided which yet, and didn't care to think too deeply about it, "What are you doing?"<br><br>He shook his head then, and stepped into the hospital anyways, deciding that Noah could follow once his ghost whisperer moment had worn off, and he headed straight for the lobby.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 17:26:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah heard what Booth was saying, but did not reply to him right away. He did follow a few seconds later. <br><br>"She's here," he said quietly. "Somewhere. Trying to find her."<br><br>It was harder with so many people around. He was not so sensitive as to pick up on humans, but their presence made triangulating the correct place harder. Besides, it did not really account to floors, unless he was moving. <br><br>"That way," he said finally, pointing towards one of the hallways, the one which definitely did not lead to the waiting room. Noah was quite sure she was there though, since the pull came from that direction. Definitely did. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 19:21:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite his reservations, Booth didn't ask how Noah knew where the woman was, how he could possibly just point in one direction and be sure he was right in the matter, but he found himself moving that way anyways, because regardless of whether Noah was simply yanking his chain, it was as good a spot as any to start with.&nbsp; Maybe if he was feeling personal at some point, he would bring himself to ask the bigger man, but he wasn't certain when that time would be,<br><br>The hallway lead them past the emergency care unit, and into the line of examination rooms; Booth was suddenly apprehensive that they were going to find her playing nurse with some poor bastard, but he shook the thought away.&nbsp; Then there was the sound of a woman's laughter - but it wasn't the normal, pleasant laugh, it was a sound that sent chills down Booth's spine, and he moved to the doorway he'd heard it from, and pushed it open.<br><br>Edith was inside, and she was poised on top of a semi-conscious male nurse, clearly in coitus.&nbsp; <br><br>"Um," Booth said, backing away from the door, and then looking at Noah, his eyes wide, and he gave a short nod, "Yes, that'll be her."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 19:33:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah could feel it as they got closer, the being's amusement at what it was doing, and a red haze briefly tinted his vision. He gave no outside sign of discomfort however, until they finally found her. She had twisted, her body had already partly transformed to what would be the lust-creature's vision of its new body. <br><br>"We need to subdue her," he said, and then strode forward because no way in hell was he going to shoot. He grabbed her from under the armpits and wrenched her up, away from the man she was draining. The moment later, her smells hit him too, and the spirit became aware of their presence. Mmm...it was warm and good...Noah shook his head, trying to turn it off. Edith, the succubus in her laughed and turned herself around, wrestling Noah's arms away as if he were putty. <br><br>"What do we have here, then?" she asked, with a sick purr. <br><br>Booth could see Noah's eyes glaze over a bit as the succubus worked her magic on him. He himself remained fairly unaffected. Noah however opened his mouth and kissed Edith, his hands hovering uncertainly. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 19:45:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth felt the haze that the succubus cast, but he shook it off the way he would shake off an irritating fly, but Noah - no, it wasn't the same for Noah.&nbsp; Initially, the bigger man grabbed Edith by the arms to yank her off the nurse, but then he seemed to freeze, and Booth watched with raised eyebrows as the two suddenly spiralled into an open mouth kiss.&nbsp; <br><br>"Bloody lust-demons," he muttered, reaching into his bag, and yanking out a length of silver chain that had been covered in religious charms; a cross, a buddha, a pentacle, a boline, a caduceus and a Jerusalem cross; he extended his arm and shook it out at the succubus, resisting the urge to say something along the lines of, 'begone foul demon', and at the same time he used his other hand to roughly poke the fresh stitches on Noah's stomach, "You, yes you, stop macking on the succubus, bad!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 19:49:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah groaned in a bit of pain, but the succubus' lure was stronger and so he began slipping his hands under her dress, while she was busy trying to get her hands under his shirt. The kiss was loud and by the looks of it, quite wet as well. <br><br>Oh gods, he needed her. He did remember something about an exorcism, but he did not really care anymore, only cared about the soft flesh against him, and the heat, and the smell...the presence wrapping around him. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 19:55:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alright, fair enough, a sharp jab to the fresh wound hadn't done the job, and apparently neither that the small bundle of religious symbols - sometimes Booth wondered if they were less effective because of his own personal lack of faith - and he looked around the room for anything he could use.&nbsp; Bed, cupboard, sink, scale - oh, there we go.<br><br>"Bloody memos, bloody supernaturals, bloody fucking Agency," he muttered, eyeing the writhing pair with a clinical sort of eye, sufficiently annoyed with the entire situation; Edith was going to be shell-shocked when she realized what she'd done, the last thing she needed was to have her way with yet another agent before she got back to her normal self - facing the job again was already going to be bad enough.&nbsp; The Agency might even have to put her into retirement if she couldn't manage, "That's it, that's enough."<br><br>He cracked the bedpan across the side of Edith's head, and the woman froze for an instant, and then crumpled to the ground.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 19:59:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah stood there for a moment, surprised as to why he was standing there. Then he noticed Edith crumpled at his feet, his own rather sizable hard-on and Booth, who was holding a bedpan of all things.<br><br>Right...Maybe he should not have grabbed her. He'd forgotten that if disturbed in the middle of feeding, the succubus could very well transfer it to another victim. In this case, him. And even his cross would not protect him against that kind of an onslaught. He picked her up, as gently as he could and then looked at Booth.<br><br>"We need to take her away somewhere to perform the exorcism. Not here." <br><br>He could do it. All it took was a symbol, words and a great deal of will. <br><br>Damn. Without Booth he would have ended up raping her. Or drained himself. Shit. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 20:04:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth kept his eyes on the door as Noah swept Edith up into his arms, <br><br>"Yes, well, there's a church nearby, saw it as we passed, it's just down the street - it's a friday and it's well past time for mass, so I think we'll be alright there." he said and jammed the chain of symbols back into his bag, tossing the bed pan off to the side.&nbsp; He hesitated a moment, eyeing the unconscious nurse, and then quickly pulled the man's pants up, deciding to spare him a least a little dignity before leaving him there; they'd need another clean up crew - Edith was just racking up the new agents that day.<br><br>He made the mistake of glancing downwards for a moment, and instantly regretted it when he saw the massive erection Noah was barely hiding.&nbsp; He cleared his throat, and headed out of the hospital.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 20:09:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yeah," Noah said, voice a bit throaty, grabbed a sheet to wrap around Edith and then followed Booth. They managed to make it to the church quick enough and there was not someone around either. Once inside, Noah carried Edith right close to the altar and set her down.<br><br>"I'll do it," he said and forced himself to be calm. It was just a succubus-induced erection, that's all, nothing to get concerned about. Had happened many times before. <br><br>He could not botch it up now. It was clear madness which they were doing, taking her to a church, but maybe it would help. It had to help. <br><br>"Since you seem to be immune, you can wake her up," he told Booth. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 21:26:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth decided it was best for neither of them to address the issue of the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the Succubus, because it just brought up a great deal of uncomfortable, personal questions that the lab rat simply didn't discuss with anyone.&nbsp; He wasn't a fan of the heart-to-heart, and when it came to the sexual, Booth preferred to just pretend it didn't exist,<br><br>"Fair enough," he said, walking over to the unconscious woman; there was a distinct, purple bruise topped with a welt appearing on her right temple, right where he had struck her, and a closer inspection made it clear that a transformation had begun in Edith - it was subtle, but there was something distinctly sexual about her now, even while she was unconscious.&nbsp; The succubi and incubi always liked to create an ideal with the body they took over - after three days, they were usually irresistable to most of their potential victims; he knelt down near her, and started by gently prodding her - when that didn't work, he resorted to smelling salts, and she came to rather unhappily.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 21:32:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah drew out his blessed gun and aimed it at her. He knew that inside Edith must be either delirious or terrified, but he needed to scare the lust-spirit into staying on one place. He hoped he could engage it enough so that it would not try to make a run for it. His hard-on had subsided somewhat and he felt like he could do this.<br><br>"Booth, be a good boy and get behind me." <br><br>The succubus was on her feet in a heartbeat, but she saw the gun and thus stayed where she was. <br><br>"Edith," Noah spoke, with a low voice. "I know you are there. We will save you. I promise. Just hold on."<br><br>"She is not there," the succubus cackled, "she is dead and her body is mine now."<br><br>"She's alive," Noah replied. <br><br><em>And quite soon you will not be.</em> <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 21:40:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth appeared extraordinarily annoyed,<br><br>"'A good boy'?" he repeated, "As I recall, I'm not the one having any issues with the -"<br><br>Of course, Edith was suddenly on her feet, and Booth wheeled back, moving out of her reach - not because he feared the sexual effect, but rather because succubi were just as capable of being physically violent as anyone else, they generally just preferred to use sex as a weapon.&nbsp; However, when it came to having their lives threatened, they were willing to break away from that habit for a little while and just tear some heads off.<br><br>Booth made a point of not going behind Noah, but beside him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 22:00:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah did not pay any attention to Booth though. His eyes were on Edith and the succubus. The gun was aimed straight at her heart, but Booth could see that it was not the gun Noah was paying attention to. His eyes seemed to be aflame. <br><br>"I am the son of a priest and an enforcer of the Good Lord, a defender and a purifier. I come from a line of good brothers and fathers. By this power I challenge you and command you to leave that which is not rightfully yours." <br><br>The succubus did not react at first, but when Noah brought his fingers around the cross he was wearing, and repeated the whole set of sentences all over again, she started to shudder. There was a faint red glow around her and her eyes burned as well. There was a change in the room; a force that pushed at Booth, but then swept around the two. Noah repeated his words. The standard exorcisms used Latin, but he did not consider himself educated enough - best not to toy around with words that you did not understand. <br><br>They clashed, the lust-spirit fighting for the command of this body and Noah striving to drive her away. <br><br>"I stand on hallowed ground under the eye of God, and you will leave. You will leave her. You will leave Edith Rombley, now." <br><br>The succubus threw her head back and screeched, trying to wrest dominance over Noah's mind now. But he had been doing this for a long time. His will was like a battering ram against hers, immune to the desire she tried to project at him. <br><br>"You will leave!" he roared, almost literally blazing with fury. The succubus was thrown back by a sudden outburst of some hidden power that even Booth sensed. A red mist emanated from Edith's mouth and nostrils, a mist that rose higher and then dissipated. Slowly, she began to regress back to her usual self, the one they had seen on the pictures.<br><br>As for Noah, he was clearly hunched over and panting. It was almost pure will and direction, but it took a lot out of a man's body. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 22:20:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It had been an informative day, and all Booth could do was watch in silence as Noah performed the exorcism rites on Edith and the Succubus that had occupied her body; something changed in Noah as it happened, a sort of barely surpressed fury that seemed to quake the church for an instant.&nbsp; The scream that escaped Edith was inhuman and unholy, and the red mist poured from her like something from a bad horror movie - with the exception that this was very real.<br><br>When all was said and done, Edith collapsed once more, down to her knees, and Noah seemed to be staggering and swaying on the spot; both of them looked exhausted, and Booth hesitated for an instant before moving near Edith.&nbsp; The woman sat naked on the altar, and he watched as her expression became familiar, as she realized where she was; she looked up, looked down, and then gathered the sheet from the hospital around her naked body.&nbsp; For a long time, she was silent, and then she began to cry; shaking, sobbing, large tears that made Booth come a little closer,<br><br>"I killed a man, didn't I?"<br><br>"No, the succubus did." Booth replied simply, managing to inject an ounce of kindness into his voice, and he went onto his haunches in front of her; when she refused to meet his eyes, he sighed, and put a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look up, and he spoke frankly, "You had no conscious involvement in it.&nbsp; This wasn't your fault.&nbsp; We'll get a crew over here to get you back to the Agency, your husband is worried sick."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 22:31:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah watched Booth deal with Edith, and tried to resist the urge to smack the man. He had obviously never been in a post-exorcism case and so was fucking it all up. He noticed he was still holding the gun, and put it away. <br><br>He moved towards Edith, and watched her to try and shy away.<br><br>"It is allright, I am not going to hurt you," he said hoarsely. "Booth, call them," He turned back to Edith. "You are safe now. Let us go home, your husband and daughter are waiting for you and will be glad to hear that you are alive."<br><br>He sank down right beside her, mostly from the fact that his own legs did not carry him anymore. He held his arm out, as if offering it to her, and she clung to him. Fear was the most prominent feeling, self-hate would come later once she had time to think about it. He knew. Knew it a bit too well. <br><br>"It is going to be allright," Noah said. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 22:44:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth took out his phone, walking towards the church doors, and he called for a crew, letting Noah deal with the shaking woman; people skills were not his forte after being in a lab and working alone for six years - but even before then, he'd been a difficult man to get along with by any standards.&nbsp; He had always been a loner through high school and college, refusing to pay attention to anything but his studies, ignoring possible friendships and relationships for the satisfaction of knowledge.<br><br>Books, after all, were reliable.<br><br>People were fallible.<br><br>It seemed like an easy choice.<br><br>The crew was there in short order, and Mr. Rombley had come along for the ride; when he showed in the doorway of the church with their baby girl in his arms and saw Edith, the man immediately ran to her, and they clung to eachother like bawling kids, their baby between them, looking utterly confused.<br><br>Of course, Booth reflected as he watched the scene, sometimes human contact seemed like a nice idea.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 22:49:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah held Edith until the crew arrived, and smiled softly when he saw her rush into her husband's arms. She would be scarred for quite some time, but he felt that she would be allright eventually. He thought back to O'Keefe and thought about when the memorial service would be held. Agents who were killed in action, were cremated and a memorial service held for them in the Agency, to honor their work and commitment. <br><br>He felt a brief moment of envy, but thought to himself that this was just why he did not take someone for himself. It would be even more dangerous for them than the average people in the Agency. No, he was stuck with Booth. Not in that way, of course, but just stuck. And now he felt like having a drink. And eating a whole horse. Or a meal that weighed as much as a horse. <br><br>He even called Alicia, who was sad about O'Keefe, but thankful that they had gotten Edith out alive. <br><br>"Booth?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 23:00:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth adjusted his bag over his shoulder, and headed out the church doors, drawing in the cooling night air; despite the fact it was a win, Booth didn't look pleased at all.&nbsp; In fact, he looked - restless.&nbsp; He crossed his arms over his chest, watching impassively as the crew loaded Edith and her husband into the truck; he heard Noah call him,<br><br>"They're going to have to go through hours of interrogation and paperwork, they're going to question her and force her to relive every moment of it, and then they'll run an endless series of psychological tests to see if she's fit to continue working for the Agency," Booth said darkly, bitterness thick in his voice, "It's a fine life, isn't it?"<br><br>He headed down the steps of the church then, shoving his hands into his pockets and kicking at a bit of cobblestone.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 23:10:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah got up and walked beside Booth, hands in the pockets of his jeans. His abdomen ached from the blow Booth had dealt him, but it was a small ache.<br><br>"She is alive and can start recovery. That matters," he said. "So, you still are going to tell Alicia to go to hell or do we have somekind of a deal. Now that you've seen you're needed her, not in the lab." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 23:15:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Recovery," Booth repeated, as though the word was poisonous, "Invasive tests to make sure she's human - she'll never get rid of the memories.&nbsp; How long until the next succubus claims some innocent woman?"<br><br>Hey, cynicism kept him alive.&nbsp; Optimism tended to lead to stupid decisions; Booth seemed to consider Noah's question for a long moment then, his mouth pressed into a thin line as he thought about it.&nbsp; <br><br>"Someone's got to keep you alive." he said mildly, and started heading down the street.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 23:21:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah chuckled. <br><br>"Well, then you'd need to go into a 24-hour shop and buy me food, since I am practically keeling over from hunger here." <br><br>He wanted a few damn days off. He deserved them. Besides, he was not up for another exorcism for an entire week. You could not just do this stuff willy-nilly, or it would come back and bite you in the ass. Hard and heavy. Noah did not want to fuck up his health even more than possible. He ached all over. <br><br>Fuck. By the rate they were going, he would not even make it to the Tube. He panted heavily and tried not to stagger. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 23:28:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth paused to eye Noah, and he was watching the way the man swayed on the spot,<br><br>"I'm not going to carry you," Booth said, "At best, I might be able to drag you a foot."<br><br>He weighed his options, and drew in a breath before approaching the other man; there was a clear struggle on Booth's face as he edged in close enough to offer the other man support, though it wouldn't be much, given the size difference, it would be enough to keep the other man from keeling over before they found a place where they could get the man something to eat, possibly something that had to be carried by a dump truck, given his earlier observation on Noah's appetite.<br><br>"Alright, come on then, there's a market nearby and we'll find you a bench to pass out on for a while," he said.&nbsp; <br><br>He supposed this officially made them partners.<br><br>He wasn't sure how he felt about it yet, but for reasons he couldn't explain, his earlier peevishness about it was gone.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>16-10-2008, 23:54:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yeah," Noah said and put his one arm around Booth. It felt surprisingly nice to hold it around the smaller man's shoulders. He tried not to put too much weight on Booth, because the other was definitely not a lifter and Noah knew he himself was quite heavy. They shuffled along for a while like this, until there was a shop they could go into. <br><br>"You buy the food, I'll pay you back when we get home," he spoke, after having sank onto one of the chairs in the nearby cafe. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 00:13:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, whatever," Booth said snippily, but there wasn't a lot of gusto behind it; it was possible the smaller man was just too tired at this point to put a lot of effort into his snarkiness, but he painstakingly helped Noah along anyways, and considered the muscles he could feel shifting in Noah's arm, wrapped around his shoulders - it was an oddly pleasant feeling, but he was doing his very best not to think about it.<br><br>When they reached the chairs, he let Noah sink down, and then he scarpered off to get the man some food; when he came back a few minutes later, he was carrying a plastic bag that looked like it was fairly well loaded down.&nbsp; He placed it in front of Noah, and settled himself into another seat, and the way he sank in made him look even smaller; he was holding an apple, which he took small, quiet bites of.<br><br>It would probably be a good time to make conversation, but he couldn't think of a bloody thing to say.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 00:18:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good," Noah said, and tried to heft the bag and after a bit of bickering they left. It took them an hour to get back to Noah's place and Noah was ready to fall down on his feet as they went up the stairs. He did manage to get into the living room though before collapsing again, this time on the couch. <br><br>"You'll have to cook," he told Booth. "Unless you want me to eat the steak raw."<br><br>He grabbed for the DVD remote and put some Nine Inch Nails on, then groaned and started taking his stuff off. First he shrugged out of the coat, then the boots, finally the equipment. The effort exhausted him so much that he just laid there, staring up at the ceiling. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 00:25:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth didn't argue about being domestic - this time.&nbsp; Noah was exhausted, and he wasn't going to be a jackass about it when the man was barely able to stand; though snarky, he knew his priorities; hunger was one of them.&nbsp; He stood in the tiny, cramped kitchen and reflected on the day while the enormous steak sizzled in the pan, and he eyed the walls testily - this was no good, everything was going to have to be scrubbed and disinfected.&nbsp; It wasn't filthy, but it wasn't like his lab - <br><br>- very few things were like his lab, aside from surgical rooms in hospitals.<br><br>He heard the steady thumping rhythm of Nine Inch Nail's <em>Closer</em> seep through the room, and he decided that, at the very least, the music was good.<br><br>After a while, he came out with a plate, and put it down in front of Noah; a steak that covered the entire plate, potatoes, and a pile of veggies that had pointedly been placed on top of the steak.&nbsp; He then found a chair amidst the pile that was the man's apartment, and pulled a book out of his bag.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 00:42:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>I want to fuck you like an animal <br>I want to feel you from the inside <br>I want to fuck you like an animal <br>My whole existence is flawed <br>You get me closer to god <br><br>You can have my isolation <br>You can have the hate that it brings <br>You can have my absence of faith <br>You can have my everything</em><br><br>Noah had also pulled his shirt off, and Booth could see that the man's chest was riddled with bruises, as were his arms. He had just lolled around there, listening to the music, but when the smells of food were right in his nose, Noah dragged himself to sit.<br><br>"Thanks," he said simply and began to eat, not even asking why Booth was not eating. <br><br>It had gone pretty well, considering it had been their first so to say joint thing and he found that it was even better to do it together. He must have forgotten the feeling, or maybe it was the fact that Booth actually did not get intimidated. The others had. Noah did not really get off on scaring people, he just appeared that way sometimes. Most of the time. Alicia too was one of the few who was not afraid of him and he was grateful to her about it. <br><br>"What you're reading?" he asked once he had finished and leaned backwards. The air was nicely cold and the whole place had been ventilated thoroughly thanks to the open window in his bedroom. Damn. He should go to sleep and ask Booth where he'd be sleeping. Noah could share his bed; he had even brought out his second set of bedclothing and all. His bed was nicely big, he had bought a big one so that his feet would not dangle over the edge, and a bed for tall people was also a bed for two. He peeked at the book. Oh, science.<br><br>"Right. So, the couch or the bed?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 00:49:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth merely gave a nod in response to Noah, his head ducked into the book while the other man absorbed the meal; he was fairly sure Noah burnt calories so quickly that anything leftover went directly to his stomach muscles,<br><br>"New England Journal of Science," he said shortly, and then paused as though someone had shocked him when he heard Noah's question; when he looked up, Noah was shirtless, and he was getting another long stare at said stomach muscles, as well as chest, arm, and back - it was really rather ridiculous how built the bigger man was.&nbsp; With <em>Closer</em> playing in the background, he suddenly found his mouth going dry again, and then it struck him precisely what was happening when he felt all of his blood beginning to go south.<br><br>Oh balls.<br><br>"The couch." he said moodily, lowering the book to lap level, infuriated with himself.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 00:56:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Fine," Noah said. "I put the stuff out for you earlier. It's on the bed. You can go and take it yourself and then I'll go to sleep."<br><br>Did not surprise him though. Who would want to sleep with him in the same bed? Who had slept with him in the same bed anyways? Some girl, some few years ago. Yeah. That was it. <br><br>When Booth went into Noah's bedroom, he was actually treated to a nicer place than the rest of the apartment. The bed was large and most likely very comfortable. There was a closet, a counter and a huge bookcase with all kinds of books, but mostly science fiction and some American superhero comics. The walls were a light cream and there was a framed picture on the nightstand. The window was wide open, and the green curtains swayed in the wind. There was a deep red carpet on the floor. As Noah had said, a set of a blanket, pillow and sheets had been put out for Booth. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 01:05:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Booth trusted himself to stand without casting an extra, horizontal shadow, he went to the bedroom and briefly found himself eyeing the bed - no, he didn't want to share a bed with the goliath, it was a horrible idea.&nbsp; He picked up the sheets and pillow, and decided he would analyze the rooms contents later, when he had the chance to concentrate,<br><br>"Right then," Booth said, slipping past Noah and back to the couch; he removed any leftover bits of papers and clothing from the couch, and set himself up for the night, trying not to think about how he could be in his cold, comfortable, quiet lab - he'd slept on a cot for years and it wasn't particularly comfortable, but it had been his.&nbsp; <br><br>Things just never seemed to work out.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 01:07:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Night." <br><br>Noah turned down the music and pulled himself up, got all of his crap into his arms and shuffled into his bedroom, shutting the door after himself. There he simply stripped and crawled into bed, feeling all the aches. But it was a good ache. He could finally sleep. And so he did, deeply as he usually did when no danger was present. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 01:18:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth was not a restful sleeper; when the lab rat fell asleep, he had the tendency of turning and flailing in his sleep, as restless then as he was while awake.&nbsp; He had been known to go through lengthy bouts of insomnia, and had even occasionally ended up sleepwalking around the Agency on the particularly bad nights.&nbsp; He eventually managed to settle himself with sleeping face down, one arm hanging off the side of the couch.<br><br>When morning rolled around, he was up early, sitting on the couch with his nose in another book, looking as though he'd scarcely moved from where he'd been the previous night.&nbsp; He suspected they'd be getting a call soon enough for another case, but Noah was going to need a little more rest before he was healed.<br><br>Not for the first time, he wished he was back in his lab; at least then he'd be getting something done.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 12:21:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Contrary to Booth, Noah slept like a koala. So it was so that a few hours passed for Booth before the other man wandered out, naked, Booth's eyes told him, and shuffled into the kitchen. <br><br>Noah himself was still sleepy, so he did not even that Booth was in his living room. Besides, he walked around naked all the time. Some ten minutes later he wandered back out of the bathroom, wet all over and with a towel around his waist. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 13:14:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah slept for some time, leaving Booth to his own devices; he took a shower, read through the journal of science, and continued his way through his pile of reports; when he finally heard the bedroom door open, he looked up and happened to see the bigger man passing by - in all of his glory.&nbsp; Apparently Noah didn't wear a thing while he was sleeping, which just further settled it in Booth's mind that he had made the decision not to sleep in the bed -<br><br>- with him.<br><br>There was that tingle down his spine again; where was this coming from, all of a sudden?&nbsp; Booth stubbornly ducked his flushed, freckled face towards his reports when Noah stepped out, dripping and all shining muscles and sinew - it was bizarre, and as Booth realized he was dealing with yet another erection for the second time in two days, he came to the realization that there was much more to this, he just hadn't had the desire to address it.<br><br>He had always just assumed he would eventually like a woman.&nbsp; Some day.&nbsp; <br><br>This explained a lot.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>17-10-2008, 17:13:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah obviously did not realize that Booth was discomforted to a level which was clearly out of the ordinary, since he simply looked at the other man and asked: "Want any breakfast?" <br><br>Booth was being funny again. But then again, he always was, wasn't he? Noah himself did not have much of an idea about what they would be doing the entire day, but it certainly did involve lazing around and watching a lot of TV. Or shooting stuff in the computer. Whatever amused him. Luckily he was easily amused. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 18:06:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It had been a long week already; so far he'd dealt with nearly being torn to shreds by werewolves, having a partner forced on him, and had to knock out a succubus to prevent his newfound partner from getting the same deadly treatment all of her previous victims had received - and now he was dealing with the fact he could very well be homosexual.<br><br>Excellent.&nbsp; Spiffy.&nbsp; Just perfect.<br><br>"I'm not hungry," Booth said shortly, mostly because the thought of getting up or moving any closer to Noah right then made him feel a little lightheaded, then adding with a voice lined with sarcasm, "So how are you feeling this morning, Captain America?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 18:24:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Not hungry? Damn, I was thinking of roping you into making breakfast, since you do it so much better than I do. Captain America feels a little bruised, that's all."<br><br>Noah even smiled a bit. A little bit. It was nice to have someone ask how he was feeling. Even Booth was most likely doing it just out of politeness and everything.<br><br>"You? Still hate me and want to go back to living in the lab?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 18:27:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth rolled his eyes skyward at the mention of making breakfast,<br><br>"Yes, well, you can't exactly cook anything with your current - wardrobe - unless you're eager to find out what hot oil feels like on your pectorals," he said, gesturing vaguely to Noah's state of undress; the man was only wearing a bloody towel.&nbsp; <br><br>"Me?&nbsp; Oh i'm just <em>swell</em>," he said, sounding a little pinched, "It's been a fabulous week, I can't wait to change my entire lifestyle."<br><br>There was a pause, a drawing in of breath, and then he let it out again,<br><br>"I dislike you marginally less than others." he managed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 18:37:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You're not the only one who has to," Noah replied, referring to the fact that he would also need to get acquianted to living with someone. A certain said someone, who was really very different from himself. He did not mind much, anymore. Booth was a capable man, even with his mouth. <br><br>"So, that's Booth-speak for "I don't hate you"? Fun." <br><br>Noah smirked a bit. <br><br>He ducked into his bedroom, and got changed, then appeared again in a set of jeans and a T-shirt. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 18:44:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth gave Noah a sharp look as the other man implied he was beginning to understand the Lab Rat's peculiar brand of conversation, but despite himself, the tiniest trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, and he ducked his head back towards his reports until Noah dissappeared into the bathroom.<br><br>By the time the bigger man came out, Booth was in the kitchen, quietly setting up to fry eggs, <br><br>"This kitchen needs to be cleaned, desperately," Booth said, "It looks like it hasn't been dusted since the nineties."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 19:00:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I don't dust," Noah said. "Just clean a bit. Sometimes. Don't need it really, since I don't spend much time here."<br><br>While Booth was dealing with the eggs, Noah set the little table by putting plates and cups on it. He brushed against Booth, as he started working on the coffee machine, and well, you could not really move in here without touching the other person. Noah did not mind that either. <br><br>As the coffee was coming, Noah also fished out the forks and knives, rinsed them in the sink and set them to their places. <br><br>"Toast?" he asked. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 19:18:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth looked as though he was putting a single-minded concentration into the eggs, but in truth, his mind was drifting off, back to the lab - until he felt something brush against his backside.&nbsp; Startled out of his reverie, he jerked forward slightly, away from the touch, and turned just enough to see that it had been Noah, and to realize precisely how small the kitchen was.&nbsp; <br><br>He turned back to the pan, and rolled his eyes skyward, deciding that if he happened to be wrong, and there really was a God, that he was a mean bastard, because this whole thing just wasn't nice,<br><br>"Yes, sure, toast," he said, sounding startled.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 19:29:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Nice," Noah said and put the toast in the toaster. <br><br>He then leaned against the fridge and watched how Booth cooked. The small man had nice hands, he finally decided. Not that big, but deft and...well. He should not have been thinking about stuff like that. But he would not have minded, really. Would even like to go behind Booth and put his arms around the other. Maybe just...cuddle. He had not done that a long time, feeling someone close, the heat of their skin, their smell. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 21:36:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Before that week, Booth had never considered that his preference might be for men, rather than women - he had always thought his sex drive was just a little behind everyone else's, and that eventually he might find himself with some form of interest in a woman.&nbsp; It was either that, or he was asexual - he had never thought that homosexuality might be a possibility.&nbsp; <br><br>Sure, he had always looked at the female physiology in a strictly clinical sense and had never experienced any particular arousal from the sight of a naked woman, and he had maybe been a bit fascinated by the sculpture of David when he was younger, but he had never attributed it to anything.&nbsp; He had figured it was just his interest in art.<br><br>He hadn't considered, either, that Noah might share the same preference - after all, the man had been aroused by the Succubus.&nbsp; No, Booth had decided that he was going to keep this sort of thing quiet, and as far as he was concerned, he wasn't homosexual until he'd been physical with a man and enjoyed it - and given that the possibility of that happening was almost zero, he decided he was going to stick with calling himself asexual.<br><br>He put the eggs onto plates, and wondered if the towel thing was a frequent occurrence.<br><br>He should say something, try to start a conversation.<br><br>Nothing came to mind; Booth drew a blank, and struggled for a topic.&nbsp; <br><br>He eyed the brewing coffee with disdain and recalled a great many coffee stains in his lab - not by Booth of course, but everyone in the Agency seemed to drink the stuff, and inevitably spilled it in his clean, sterile lab.&nbsp; He reflected on how there was a distinct reason that he had always worked alone in the lab and on the field.<br><br>As he set the plates down on the table, it was clear on his face that he was off in another world again; for a guy as logical and factual as Booth, he was something of a space cadet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 22:11:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah poured coffee on himself and added the fresh toasts onto their plates. Then he looked at Booth and asked: "Want coffee?" <br><br>Booth seemed a little out of it. Noah wondered, why. Maybe it was because it had been Booth's first proper case outside the lab. Maybe it was that he did not want to talk to Noah. It would not have surprised the large man much, since people usually tended to clam up around him or start talking really nervously, which was also not something he liked. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 22:18:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth's head snapped up, and he brought himself back to reality, to the present, where he was sitting down and eating with someone for the first time in five years - the last he remembered was his previous partner.&nbsp; He'd only had one before Noah, and it had last for all of two hours; he'd insisted on eating with Booth, and at some point during their exchanges, he'd managed to make the man cry - which had been bizarre, given he was a former member of Special Ops.<br><br>Alicia hadn't been happy with him, but she rarely was, and he never sought to change that.&nbsp; Since then, she hadn't bothered to try assigning him another partner, because he'd also managed to make numerous other agents cry, just because of the way he spoke to them, and the bluntness of his words.&nbsp; He had never been one to sugar coat things, or even tell little white lies just to save someone's feelings; he'd never seen the point, the truth was more important, right? <br><br>"I'm English," Booth said, "We drink tea, brandy, and watery wines."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 22:31:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Fine," Noah said. <br><br>He did not try to make more small talk, just ate. He was not really to get hurt by comments, but there seemed to be that derision behind the words, and well...while Booth had said that he disliked Noah less than the others, well, it was not really a very comforting thing to have someone say to you. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 22:48:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Judging by Noah's reaction, Booth realized he'd probably said something cruel again, and decided not to think too hard about it - if he thought about every negative, cruel, or insulting thing he'd ever said, and found it in himself to regret it, then he wouldn't have the time during the day to think about anything else, ever.&nbsp; In fact, he probably wouldn't even have the brain capacity to remember to breathe.<br><br>He just wasn't good with people, and he was certain it would be the same with Noah.<br><br>Booth shifted, and due to the nature of the kitchen, and the table being miniscule, he accidentally ended up with one leg between Noah's; he froze for an instant, and then shifted back the way he'd just been, clearing his throat a little and attempting to concentrate on his meal, as though it hadn't happened.&nbsp; <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 22:58:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah felt Booth's leg against his, and was even a bit sorry when it disappeared. Finally he had finished eating and simply stared at Booth, completely quiet. <br><br>He did not really know what to propose - he could have just gone and watched the telly, but he really did not want to. Booth was the first human being to be at his place in weeks and he wanted human contact, craved it even. Needed to remember what he was fighting for, because his father's words were not enough anymore. <br><br>He damn well did not want to be alone. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 23:06:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once they finished eating, there was a bizarre silence, and Booth could feel Noah's eyes on him; he stared at the plate for a long, long moment, trying hard to resist, but eventually, it got the better of him.&nbsp; His eyes flicked up, and then he lifted his head, and looked directly into Noah's eyes.<br><br>Despite himself, he flushed, a heat that blossomed up his neck and then across his freckles and into his ears, and he swallowed hard, and opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again.&nbsp; He didn't even managed to get out a croak, because his voice was suddenly gone.<br><br><em>Yep.&nbsp; I'm gay.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 23:18:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth was blushing. He looked really young when he blushed. It was a bit adorable. Noah did not comment on it, however, because he would have simply gotten something vitriolic in response. So he was quiet. Just watched. <br><br>Dammit, man, push your urges down. He's your partner, not your future sexbunny. Besides, most likely straight. Or asexual. Who knew. And most likely thought that Noah was rampantly straight as well. Of course, when a guy like him got the boner for a succubus, no one would really dare to say that he could be bi. Even though people at the Agency knew that he liked both genders. He had not really ever made an issue about. And as for his father, Chance had always said that the person was more important. <br><br>So there it was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 23:25:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth floundered; Noah was staring at him, and under any other circumstance, with any other person, Booth would have instantly spouted something poisonous to make them stop, but it felt like someone had turned his brain upside-down, and he was struggling to make sense of anything.&nbsp; He felt too warm suddenly, and he had difficulty pulling his eyes away,<br><br>"I -" Booth said, stammering for once, unused to the silence, or the look he was getting, "-uh-"<br><br>And now the heat was moving south again.&nbsp; He was either going to have to stay exactly where he was, or get up and leave the room fast.&nbsp; He couldn't stay there, or he'd just keep stuttering like an idiot; he mumbled something about clearing the table, and grabbed the empty plates, his cheeks practically glowing pink at that point, and the beginnings of a southwards issue occurring.&nbsp; He headed for the sink, and went immediately into almost compulsively cleaning the plates; even the back of his neck had gone red.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 23:39:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Okay. Just whatever. He did not know what was troubling Booth, and he would not ask either. Obviously he would not get a proper answer, so he was not bothering. <br><br>"I can do the dishes next time," Noah said, then got up, shuffled past Booth and went into the living room, where he just flopped down on the couch onto his side and turned the telly on. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>18-10-2008, 23:55:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth grimaced at the dishes, because there wasn't much else to grimace at right then; it had been the most awkward exchange of his life and he'd barely said a thing, save for a few stuttering syllables.&nbsp; He felt like an idiot all of a sudden, and it wasn't a terribly familiar feeling.&nbsp; He glanced downwards; that wasn't too terribly familiar either - he let out a groan, and put his head in his soapy hands.<br><br>This wasn't good.&nbsp; <br><br>Suddenly frustrated, he found himself wishing he was in his lab, away from the new confusion.&nbsp; Once he figured he was able to get outside without anyone noticing any - issues - he left the apartment, and headed to the Agency, where he buried himself in his lab, and tried desperately not to think about Noah in his towel.<br><br>And the look he'd been getting from the bigger man, good god.<br><br>By the time he was finished his reports, it was nearing 8 p.m., and Booth was one of the few still at the Agency; sitting in the silence of the lab, he eyed the computer in front of him.&nbsp; He had only ever used the thing for research, but that night, curiosity was getting the best of him, and he did something he'd never done before - he googled pornography, and sat there stunned and flushed for nearly an hour afterwards.<br><br>Well.<br><br>That was informative.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:09:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah hollered a goodbye at Booth as the other man left, but then he simply laid there and watched. And so, while Booth was working in the lab, Noah simply whittled his day away. He killed some stuff on the computer and even went out for a walk, which ended up in grocery shopping. He even bought some cleaning liquids, and put them in the counter, under the sink, so that if Booth really wanted, he could scrub to satisfy his little heart. <br><br>Once back home, he figured he was getting a little frisky himself and so spent a good half an hour watching some porn, and for some reason, this time he had chosen gay porn. Of course, Booth could come by any moment, but he had quite forgotten about that. He found himself a bit troubled though, since in his head his nameless partner tended to turn into someone small and pale, too much like Booth. Hell, it had been Booth's little hands he'd imagined on himself. So, after he was done, he stared at the screen for a while and tried not to go and bang his head against something. <br><br>He figured he'd clean up and then call Booth, it was evening and getting dark already.<br><br>And it was so that when Booth was in his lab, being all stunned and flushed, his cellphone rang. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:16:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth could barely make his brain function right then; all he could do was stare dimly at the screen, mesmerized by the writhing bodies - he'd avoided this sort of thing for years, disinterested in it, and now it was as though some ridiculous switch had been flicked inside of him.&nbsp; It was unfair.&nbsp; He was twenty-six, this sort of thing should have happened years ago, when it was normal.<br><br>He jumped when the phone rang, guiltily closing the window and picking up,<br><br>"Yes?" he asked, his voice a little rough despite himself.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:20:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Just wondering when you'll be coming," Noah asked. "Wanted to make I don't have to come and rescue you from another pack of werewolves."<br><br>He thought about telling Booth that he had even bought cleaning supplies, but the other man would most likely take it wrong way. Heck. Why did Noah care? Because he did. He was like that. Cared about stuff. Did not show it much, but it did not mean that it was still not there.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:27:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The question was innocent, it really was, but Booth glanced downwards,<br><br><em>Any minute now, if this keeps up.</em><br><br>"An errant pack of werewolves didn't manage to infiltrate the Agency, if that's what you mean," he said drily, and wondered vaguely if he was going to be reporting in with his - partner - whenever he was out late.&nbsp; For some reason, the thought didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it would, but he attributed that to the fact he had an erection he couldn't seem to get rid of,<br><br>"I've got work overdue." he said, as an answer for when he would be getting back.&nbsp; When he hung up, he sat at the desk for a while, drumming his fingers against it; he made sure to delete his browsing history, deciding he really didn't want to leave that evidence, and willed away his problem as he headed back to the apartment.&nbsp; When he showed up again, it was nearly ten at night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:31:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"All right then," Noah answered. <br><br>He got up and figured he should cook dinner, because most likely Booth would not be getting home soon. That eventually led him to going online and trying to look for some interesting recipes he could try with his current grocery equipment, so to say. So, when Booth knocked on the door, and Noah came to open it, the scientist could also smell something warm. Smelled like curry. <br><br>"I cooked," Noah said simply, then returned to the living room. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:39:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Noah opened the door, Booth did his very best to keep himself from thinking about - that - but it was difficult with the images still fresh in his mind.&nbsp; He did manage, however, not to get another hard-on just from looking at Noah, which was something of a win in itself right then.<br><br>He smelled something spicy,<br><br>"Apparently," Booth said, tilting his head into the apartment, "Should I be afraid of it?"<br><br>He stepped in fully then, closing the door behind him.&nbsp; Alright, so it had been a long week; he just needed a good night's sleep, and surely this would all blow over - by tomorrow, he was sure he could convince himself it wasn't an issue.&nbsp; He was just - tired.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:44:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Thought you could be the test subject," Noah said. "Kitchen or living room?" <br><br>He himself thought that curry was quite nice, but the rice had come out a bit off. Well, it had been his first try for a long time. He had kind of felt like it. Was a little domestic, but that was not necessarily a bad thing, was it now? <br><br>"Supposed to be some Thai variant of it." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 00:55:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Normally Booth would refuse to eat anywhere that wasn't designated for it, but the idea of getting into the cramped kitchen with Noah again - well, it would make it much harder to concentrate again.&nbsp; He was, after all, just starting to get his head sorted out again.<br><br>"Living room," he said, and moved to the couch, accepting the bowl of curry when Noah offered it out - it looked relatively simple, a yellow curry and some vegetables.&nbsp; He eyed Noah for a moment as though checking the other man wasn't playing a joke on him, and he took a careful bite of it.&nbsp; After a moment's pause, his eyes watered, and he gave a small cough - it was definitely curry, <br><br>"Definitely thai." he rasped, swallowing down the mouthful of spicy food, which was surprisingly good despite it's initial heat.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 01:05:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah ended up on the couch beside him, his portion almost twice the size of Booth's. <br><br>"Yeah. So, do you hate it?" <br><br>He almost sounded like as if he cared about Booth's opinion on the matter. Which was what he actually did, to be honest. It just was not like him to care about it that much, but he did not want Booth hating his stay here. Besides, they could end up doing this for several months, knowing Alicia. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 11:05:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				((ooc|Woke up this morning with a craving for curry thanks to you))<br><br>ic|<br><br>It was quite hot, but Booth took another forkful of it anyways; it had been a long time since he'd eaten anything spicy, and he was hungrier than he'd realized,<br><br>"No," Booth said, and possibly for the first time since they'd met, he managed to say something that didn't have a trace of sarcasm, irony, or bitterness in it, "It's ah, it's actually very good."<br><br>He realized Noah sounded almost self-conscious about the curry, and concluded that it wasn't just the food the bigger man was concerned about - it was probably the entire partnership that was cause for concern.&nbsp; After all, neither of them were entirely certain how this was going to go, and especially with Booth's most recent realization, he found himself concerned about his own concentration from this point on - surely he was going to be able to keep his head on the job.&nbsp; <br><br>He hoped.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 11:24:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Glad you like it," Noah said.<br><br>Maybe they could handle each other. Just maybe. It was worth a try at least. He was quiet then, not knowing what to say next and hid behind the eating. That did not work so well anymore when he actually ran out of it. Then he just put the bowl away, took his beer and stared at the ceiling, thinking that he would rather be on a case than just mope around here. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 11:53:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth was sharing Noah's dread; part of him wished Alicia would call them with a case right then, despite the fact it was late at night - he was unused to being stationary.&nbsp; Once they'd finished eating, they sat in a terribly awkward silence, and Booth hadn't even realized until after a few minutes that'd he'd stood up and begun pacing.<br><br>"This is going to take some getting used to." he said finally, miserably.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 11:56:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Let's have a beer," Noah said, a bit out of the blue. "I know you said you do not drink or anything, but I can't believe you actually keep to it."<br><br>The larger man shrugged, got up from the couch and went to get two beers. If Booth didn't want one, well, Noah could always take two. Maybe it would make them a bit more mellow and not like two cats who were both wondering just who was going to pounce next. He no way was going to spend all of his time in an atmosphere like that. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:04:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth opened his mouth to protest, but it was fairly useless, because Noah was already pressing a cold beer into his hand; for a long moment, he eyed the bottle of alcohol and thought about how it killed brain cells and damaged livers and made people lose inhibitions - it wasn't terribly tempting.<br><br>But then, alcohol was sometimes a bonding thing, wasn't it?&nbsp; Booth frowned at the beer, then at Noah, and sighed,<br><br>"Alright," he said, "Fine.&nbsp; But just this once."<br><br>It tasted awful, but he figured that, at some point, it had to get better or no one would drink it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:09:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Good," Noah said, then curled up on the couch and started drinking his. He picked up the remote and turned the telly on. <br><br>"What shall we watch?" <br><br>He for some reason imagined that Booth was not really a big fan of the sports. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:17:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth did his best not to taste the stuff, which meant taking large swigs of it; being an inexperienced drinker and weighing about the same as a high school girl, the lab rat did not have a splendid tolerance for alcohol,<br><br>"I don't normally watch the telly," he said, and blinked hard, because his head felt a little fuzzy now - it wasn't a bad feeling, but it was unfamiliar, and he eyed the beer with mixed feelings.&nbsp; Alright, so maybe it wasn't so bad.&nbsp; It seemed to be getting more tolerable by the mouthful anyways.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:20:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You don't normally drink beer, I don't normally bring in groceries," Noah said. "Stranger things have happened," I guess. Once he saw that they were running out, he went back to the kitchen and brought some more. <br><br>"You can try to beat me if you want," he added. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:31:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Try and beat you at what?" Booth asked incredulously as Noah set another beer in front of him - he was supposed to drink another of these, he picked up the second beer and eyed it as though it might very well come to life and leap on him, and he was just getting the glaring in ahead of time.&nbsp; <br><br>"I suspect you've got a little more experience with alcohol than I do," Booth said, opening the second one, and then pointing at Noah as though to emphasize his point, "But it's very bad for you."<br><br>Which was why he didn't drink.<br><br>Normally.<br><br>His brain felt funny.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:36:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Life in general is bad for you, Booth," Noah said and leaned back. He did not guzzle his down, but instead watched Booth and took occasional sips. Maybe he was doing it on purpose, trying to get the other drunk. He did not know. <br><br>They finally settled on watching some lame American action film. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:46:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yes, well, especially when you work in our field," Booth said, adding, "Life would be a lot better if that woman-leech hadn't attacked.&nbsp; I might've been someone.&nbsp; Bloody Agency."<br><br>He lifted his shoulders in a shrug then, as though dusting away his own thoughts, and he watched the action movie with dismay; it was Bruce Willis, and he was fighting terrorists in an airport,<br><br>"There's no way he could have survived that explosion," Booth said, and it was clear that the beer was beginning to go to his head, because his speech had become just a little off, "It should have blown him to pieces.&nbsp; He should be in so much pain he can't even stand."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 12:57:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah shrugged.<br><br>"Well, I was sent here and they picked me up right away. Nothing else to do, really. No uni grades of anything." <br><br>He watched the movie with half an eye, but most of the time his eyes were fixed on Booth. <br><br>"They don't make these movies for smart people like you, you know." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 13:07:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was the hint of a compliment again, and Booth still wasn't sure how to handle it, unused to having positive remarks directed towards him - mostly, people didn't get to converse with him long enough to bring in a compliment, and when they started with a compliment, he always knew they were up to something.&nbsp; But Noah, he wasn't sure about - there wasn't any real drive for Noah, nothing he could be trying to get from Booth that he couldn't get just by being his partner on the field.<br><br>He felt as though Noah was watching him; and he looked over at the other man, and it was a carbon copy of that morning, when they'd been stuck staring at eachother, neither of them saying or doing anything, just - watching.&nbsp; Blank, Booth took another drink of his beer, and there was the sound of another explosion in the movie, and Bruce Willis shouting some smart-ass comment at German bad guys.<br><br>He felt - relaxed, and a little dopey.<br><br>"I'm on my second and ready to fall off the couch, you're on your second and may as well be drinking water," Booth observed, "I don't think 'beating' you is an option."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 13:14:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah shrugged.<br><br>"I know. I was just teasing you." <br><br>He showed a brief smile, then went back to drinking again. Even now, all of this was a little bit awkward. Very awkward, in fact. <br><br>"So, what do you do when you're not in the lab or making people cry or getting saved from getting your ass handed to you by angry supernaturals?"<br><br>It was a rather dumb question, but he figured they could try to get to know each other a little bit more. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 13:23:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"That's easy," Booth said, leaning back against the couch, looking a little sleepy, "Nothing.&nbsp; I'm always in the lab or on the field - the day we met was my day off, and I was buying lab supplies.&nbsp; The Agency doesn't make for the best social lives, if you've noticed.&nbsp; There's a reason most of us are single or unable to hold relationships, and we saw yesterday what happens when you work for the Agency and have a lover - you run the risk of losing them.&nbsp; Edith was purely by chance, but it's not exactly a normal job hazard, succubi."<br><br>He rubbed at an eye with the heel of his palm,<br><br>"S'why most of us don't even like taking partners." he said.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 13:27:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Not like I do much either," Noah spoke. "Too tired to have hobbies, or just outside doing the important stuff." <br><br>He did kill little green men in the computer, but he was not really sure if that counted as a proper hobby. And he did read comics. Not sure if that counted, either. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 13:32:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Fair enough," Booth said drily, "I imagine it's difficult to maintain a rigid schedule of weight lifting when you spend all your time tearing aggressive spirits from peoples bodies."<br><br>He finished the second beer, and managed to find the table to set the empty bottle on; he considered it a win that he'd managed that much.<br><br>"Was it your mother or your father who worked for the church?" he asked.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 13:34:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah blinked at the first comment.<br><br>As for the second: "Father."<br><br>Couple of moments later he was back with another set of beers. Their feet brushed together a bit, as they sat there. Noah kept still, not wanting to intrude. He would wait to see what would happen. It would be easy, just to get him drunk enough. But Noah did not do it that away and definitely not did he take advantage. It just was not done. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 16:59:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A nod from Booth; he had figured as much - it seemed Noah was very much influenced by his father, and likely the beliefs that came with that sort of upbringing.&nbsp; Booth himself had never been brought up with any kind of religious beliefs, in fact, he hadn't been brought up with any beliefs at all, his mother had rarely been present to instill anything in him, so he had learned by trial and error that the only thing he could rely on was cold, hard fact, and his own survival instinct.&nbsp; Latchkey kids didn't have the good fortune of trusting people, or relying on anyone but themselves.<br><br>It worked for him, but the result was that he looked at religion with dismay, and when he was told to just 'have faith' he would tell people to give him some proof, and he would work from that.<br><br>He felt their feet brush, but he didn't pull away; maybe the beer had mellowed him or dulled his brain - he wasn't entirely sure which it was, but the urge to jerk away from him wasn't there.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>19-10-2008, 17:01:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah looked at their feet, then at Booth and wondered what the other man was thinking about. <br><br>"Didn't want me to become a priest though. Said I was no good for it."<br><br>He chuckled, then looked a bit melancholy. It had been a good time, even with mother gone. It had still been good. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 14:54:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Mm," Booth said, turning his head to look at Noah, his head leaning back against the couch, making him look sleepy and relaxed, and a great deal younger than he already was, "Why's that?&nbsp; Couldn't get a parish to follow you when you look like Wolverine?&nbsp; Fear of public speaking?&nbsp; Aversion to collars?"<br><br>Suddenly he had the image of Noah wearing a collar and froze for an instant, mentally shaking himself.&nbsp; <br><br>"Or is it because you don't do well staying in one place all the time?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 15:05:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth actually looked sweet. Vulnerable. Both were words Noah would not have usually associated with the man. He looked back, eyes serious. No. The reason had been much simpler and much more complicated at the same time. It still pained him to know and remember, but it had to be done. He had had to go. At least the name still went on, even if Noah would not be having children. <br><br>"My hometown was attacked by a demon, since father was a priest. They tend to attract. He did not want the same happening to me, and so he sent me away. Told me I was not supposed to take up the same work. Guess I would not have been good either, considering I don't do well with speeches." <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 15:17:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth's expression didn't change, but his voice told of a sadness,<br><br>"So your father made you leave to spare your life," he said, and drew in a breath, letting it out as something like a sigh; he didn't have to ask for the rest of the story - he could draw the conclusion that the demon didn't go easy on Noah's father, in fact, the demon probably killed the man, given that he was a priest, "I imagine someone with your genetics put up a good fight anyways, even if he was terrible at public speaking."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 15:21:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah shrugged.<br><br>His eyes were very dark. He seemed almost open and vulnerable himself, as if just a wind could strike him down. <br><br>"Miss him," he said finally, letting a soft shudder go through his body. It was the pure and simple truth. Why he was telling Booth, he didn't know. Maybe he wanted comfort, maybe he wanted to know that there was a human being who cared. Who could care and not die. Who was already marked by the supernatural as trouble. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 15:32:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth stared; this was awkward for him, because he was never certain what he should do under these circumstances, how he should behave.&nbsp; He was vaguely aware that people usually aimed to comfort at times like these, but he couldn't be sure what would provide that for Noah right then; after all, he wasn't sure he could empathize - he didn't miss his parents, in fact, he was pleased to have left his mother far behind, and he wanted nothing to do with his father.<br><br>There was a hesitation, Booth shifted, considered reaching out for Noah, but retracted his hand just after letting his fingertips brushing Noah's arm,<br><br>"I don't know, uh," Booth said, and then pursed his lips at the ground, "I'm sure he did what he thought was best."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 15:42:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yeah," Noah said. <br><br>His skin went shivery from where Booth touched it, even if briefly. For a moment he felt like leaning forward and kissing Booth flatout on the mouth, holding onto him, having him. It took considerable willpower to keep himself back. He looked away, so that he would not be tempted. He still was, though. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 16:04:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth watched Noah withdraw, turn his head away, and he took the body language as it was, shifting to put a little more physical distance between them, deciding he'd probably broken some personal space rules.&nbsp; <br><br>"Anyways, I'm sure Alicia will have a new case for us soon enough," Booth said, deciding that a topic change was needed, given that Noah's present reaction was less than comforting; he cleared his throat, and focused on the ceiling in an attempt to relieve himself of his own embarrassment; it was generally a mistake to attempt reaching out to other people.&nbsp; He usually left it to those who were, well, social,<br><br>"May as well keep busy with what we do best and all."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 16:35:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah mentally berated himself for being so stupid as to think he could actually <em>talk</em> to Booth. It obviously was not the case. He promised himself he would be more careful about it in the future. At least he knew now. Booth seemed to be embarrassed for some reason, Noah figured that the whole situation was quite pathetic, for both of them. <br><br>"She will most likely call either tomorrow or on Monday," he said. "Or I'll call her. Want more beer?" <br><br>The latter was a flippant question, just to fill the air. Noah wanted to get out of here. It felt stifling. He could go and have a run for himself before going to sleep, though it was already dark. Did he dare to leave Booth alone, however? 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 16:43:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There it was; the coldness had returned between them, and Booth couldn't be certain what had caused it, aside from the simple touch he'd given to Noah - it had clearly been the wrong decision, presumptuous even.&nbsp; <br><br>"No, no more beer," Booth said, deciding that more alcohol was likely to make him less inhibited than he already was; he reminded himself that this - thing - with Noah didn't have to be anything more than a work partnership, because he wasn't entirely certain that aiming for anything else would be wise at this point.&nbsp; It seemed neither of them were able to say what they were thinking, which made for poor circumstances.<br><br>He got to his feet then, and instantly regretted it as his head spun and the world tilted sideways, so he dropped back onto the couch and closed his eyes until he felt the world had righted itself again - alright, he hadn't expected that to happen; he was clearly more effected than he'd initially believed,<br><br>"Definitely no more beer."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 16:49:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No more beer," Noah said in an agreeing manner, as he saw Booth get up and sink down again, legs obviously not wanting to support him much. "You're drunk and you're going to sleep." <br><br>That said, he picked Booth up (yes, Noah, you're being stupid), and started walking towards the bedroom. He figured the other would feel a little better if he slept in a proper bed. Noah would even be accommodating and take the couch. Booth felt warm and loose in his hands, almost ripe pickings if he had been the type of man to abuse trust, and Noah had a bit of a hard time considering that his nether regions were hinting at stuff he would rather not have thought about. <br><br>They needed to get back in action. Desperately. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 16:55:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I - what - what are you doing?" Booth asked, lifting his head, eyes flicking around the room as though looking for some answers in the walls as Noah lifted him easily into his arms.&nbsp; He felt a great deal smaller that way, given that he had been no difficult task for Noah, and the feeling of the bigger man's chest against him was doing things to him that he wished it wouldn't,<br><br>"Now wait a minute," Booth protested breathlessly, trying to sound irritated but there was nothing behind it; he struggled to finish what he'd been saying, and could only come up with a vaguely logical explanation; he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, or the heat of Noah's body, but he was flushing again, <br><br>"I sleep on the couch, Noah, the couch." he rasped, eyeing the bed as though it might leap up and bite him, but as he was set down on it, it became difficult to argue anymore; it was a great deal more comfortable than the couch was, after all, and he looked up at Noah with wide eyes, flicking over the bigger man's entire form.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 16:59:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah set Booth down on the bed, careful to make sure that the other was comfortable. The moment Booth was gone from his arms, Noah felt an emptiness that almost angered him, but most of all, just made him sad. To think that the fight took so much away from them, that they broke their own lives, so all the other people out there could have theirs whole, if cracked. <br><br>"I sleep on the couch this time," he said quietly, looking into Booth's eyes. He pulled the fluffy blanket up, so that it covered Booth perfectly, then went to close the window. Most people did not like having theirs open through the night. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 17:36:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth struggled with the idea, but then the blanket was pulled over him and he started to feel dozy, so he decided he'd better talk fast,<br><br>"Look," Booth said, "The couch is small to sleep on, I just barely have the room to lay on it -"<br><br>Another hesitation,<br><br>"There's no reason you can't -" his eyes flicked to the empty side of the bed, and he tried again, his voice almost plaintive, begging for the bigger man to understand what he was trying to say, "- it's a big bed, Noah."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>24-10-2008, 17:55:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Okay. You just sleep, right?" <br><br>Noah shrugged off most of his clothes, leaving only underwear on, then got himself a second blanket. He turned all the lights off and crawled into bed, careful not to brush too much into Booth's space. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:02:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth had to force his mind elsewhere then, because he knew he wouldn't be able to survive the night if he thought about the fact Noah was almost naked, and sleeping inches away from him.&nbsp; No, he tried to put his mind elsewhere, and eventually it worked - or maybe it was the alcohol - because he eventually dozed off, and maybe it was because of the draw of the other man's body heat, or something else entirely, but at some point in his sleep, amidst the great deal of shifting and squirming that Booth tended to do in his sleep, he ended up with his back pressed against Noah's front.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:09:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah slept like a log, not allowing even his doubts and fear disturb his sleep. He was a cuddler, often ending up with the blanket in his arms, but this time it was Booth who snuggled against his chest. Unconsciously Noah wrapped an arm around him, and drew him even closer. <br><br>It was why in the morning Booth woke to Noah all around him, the man's face buried into his hair. Noah slept still, and snored very softly. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:15:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth wasn't used to being this warm when he slept; he was used to sleeping in a small cot after years of living in the Agency - he usually woke up with a vague chill under his skin, but that morning, he blearily opened his eyes and discovered he was - warm.&nbsp; Very warm, in fact.<br><br>And then he realized he wasn't alone in bed, that there was a muscular arm across his chest, and a hard body pressed up behind him.&nbsp; For an instant, Booth felt panic well up, but he pushed it back down, and sorted out his thoughts - he'd had a couple of drinks, Noah had put him in the bed, they'd agreed that sharing the bed wasn't such a big deal.&nbsp; Alright, so now he was spooning with Noah.&nbsp; Interesting.<br><br>Booth's brain told him he should be making some sarcastic remark and shrugging the big man away, but for reasons he didn't care to delve into, he stayed right where he was for a long moment, wide-eyed, and marvelling at how nice and warm other people could be.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:19:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah was still not awake, but he seemed to be having a quite nice dream, since Booth could feel something grow against his backside. And it was not tiny at all. The man grunted in his sleep, but did not move, just nuzzled Booth a bit more. <br><br>It was most likely few hours after dawn, the sky overcast.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:28:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				That -<br><br>- was definitely an erection.<br><br>Booth's eyes went even wider as he lay there, desperately trying to be still and quiet, and just enjoy the moment of being pressed up against someone else, but the feeling of Noah getting aroused just behind him, and with the result of that arousal beginning to push along his backside, holding still was becoming less of an option.&nbsp; It was definitely a new way to wake up.<br><br>The smaller man drew in a shuddering breath, swallowing hard when he felt Noah nuzzle him; he shifted, and it briefly pressed his rear tight up against Noah's hard-on, and he did his best to ignore it as he tried to slip out from under Noah's arm without waking the bigger man, flushing at the thought of them having to face this particular dilemma.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:33:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				However, either God was having a bad day or that Noah's sleep could be broken by having someone wriggle against him, the other man woke and discovered he had his partner in a hold and had most likely been rubbing his cock against the other's ass.<br><br>Noah groaned softly, then took him arm away and pulled his blanket around himself, leaving Booth into the cold air. <br><br>"Didn't mean to," he mumbled out sleepily, then apparently set out to get the rest of the sleep he wanted. In truth he was embarrassed, but no way in hell was he could to let Booth find out that. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 01:38:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah's breathing changed and Booth froze, flushed, as he realized the bigger man had woken up; there was a quick, mumbled explanation, and then Noah covered himself up, releasing the lab rat.&nbsp; Booth quickly evicted himself from the room then, and took to the shower, partly to wake himself up, and partly in the hopes of using the cold water to get rid of a quickly developing problem.<br><br>He did, however, discover that no amount of cold was going to kill his current issue, so he did something he had very rarely done, and took matters into hand, very quietly taking care of the problem in the shower; when he came out of the hot water, clean and slightly less - excitable - he was still flushed with embarrassment.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>25-10-2008, 16:04:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah slept for some time, but eventually even he woke again.<br><br>How damn embarrassing could it get? Yeah, spoon with your straight partner and poke him in the ass with your dick. Just great. He sat up, found his jeans and pulled them on. He ached less today than usual, but there was that hard-on which really did not want to go away. And Booth had the shower. <br><br>He dragged himself up and went to the kitchen to make breakfast, not caring that Booth was so close that he could hear the bigger man's struggles with the stupid kitchen equipment. And that was how Booth found him, trying to fix himself some eggs and almost killing them deader than dead in the process (at least in the matter of taste). <br><br>"Morning," Noah said, when the other came out. He did not look at him. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>09-01-2009, 16:36:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Nngh." Booth replied articulately, noting that Noah was having a bizarre amount of difficulty with kitchenware; he eyed the bigger man for a moment, testing out different things he could possibly say, either to kill the strain between them and break the ice, or things that could possibly make the situation worse.&nbsp; Something along the lines of 'lovely morning isn't it and are you by chance a homosexual?' didn't seem like an appropriate way to start the day, so he did his best to drop it.<br><br>Of course, that was difficult to do, because his brain was insisting on reminding him of what it had felt like to have Noah's bigger body pressing up against him, and taunting him with the fact he hadn't really - minded.&nbsp; No, he definitely hadn't minded, if what he'd done in the shower was any indication, he'd gotten off quickly just at the thought of Noah pressing against him, so -<br><br>"It's just basic physiology," Booth blurted out before he could stop himself, trying to bring some sort of solace to Noah, who was clearly embarrassed by what had happened; after all, Noah had shown himself to be interested in women, but that didn't mean - well, that was really none of Booth's business, "You were asleep, there was - warmth and friction.&nbsp; It happens."<br><br>He lifted his small shoulders in an attempt to shrug it off, <br><br>"If you haven't noticed, there's already a peculiar amount of tension between us so we're probably better off not making it worse by getting tetchy about something that happened while you were asleep." he added quickly, going a little red.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>09-01-2009, 16:57:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth could see the muscles of Noah's back tensing as he talked to the bigger man. However, only after Booth had finished did Noah turn around and look at him, eyes unreadable. <br><br>"Yeah. Just physiology. Eggs are ready." <br><br>It was kind of a random way to reply, but Noah did not feel like saying anything...smarter. Or showing that he...was, well...affected. He hadn't been. Sure, Booth was pretty enough, but no way in hell was Noah going to hit on him. He'd made that clear to himself right when he had learned that they would have to partner up. <br><br>Funny that Booth was blushing, though. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>09-01-2009, 17:04:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Fair enough; Noah didn't want to talk about it and frankly neither did Booth, but at least it had cleared the air a little - for the lab rat anyways.&nbsp; Whatever Noah felt, well, that was up to the big guy, but Booth didn't feel like having any distractions from his work, and thinking about his partner's erection all day would definitely serve as a distraction.<br><br>So he ate silently beside Noah and privately marvelled at how the bigger man had made eggs taste like teflon, which really wasn't supposed to stick to anything in the first place.&nbsp; There was nothing left to say between them, and as Booth had originally believed, the prophecy had been self-fulfilling; the chemistry between them was minimal, and not for the first time, he found himself wishing he was back in his little cold, clean lab where things were clear and right and unemotional.<br><br>He'd known it before; people were confusing, and Booth was only more certain he just wasn't built for human interaction.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>09-01-2009, 17:19:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Noah ate his eggs. He even ate his toast and beans, and washed it all down with a good bottle of beer. He fidgeted with the fork and stared out of the window at the rainy sky. But finally he had to turn to Booth and say something to him. This had gotten a bit too tense. After all, they were supposed to be partners. Partners who did well together. <br><br>So...maybe he could just...whatever. <br><br>"So," he started, "do you make a career of getting mauled by big hairy men? They didn't make you take self-defense classes or something?" <br><br>Hmm. Yeah. Staring at Booth's neck was less embarrassing than staring at his face, even if it brought thoughts of licking pale skin into his overactive mind. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sevenpercentsolution</strong> on <strong>09-01-2009, 18:01:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Booth eyed Noah as little as possible despite his attempts to concentrate on his eggs - but it turned out it was difficult to focus on something that tasted a little like coal.&nbsp; Besides that, Booth wasn't much for breakfast, finding his stomach usually rebelled when he smelled food in the morning.&nbsp; <br><br>Finally the silence broke when Noah decided to speak, and Booth let out a small, short noise that may have been a laugh,<br><br>"No, it's a recent thing," he said, "And I'm not much for fights - usually I find something blunt and use it to my advantage, if you recall."<br><br>Blunt.<br><br>Oh dear, probably a poor word to use.<br><br>"Do you make a career of drinking before noon?" he asked, unable to help himself from verbally poking at the big guy a least a little bit; he could feel Noah was staring at his neck, and he realized the guy was probably just trying to avoid eye contact, but for some reason, Booth felt himself going red again - this was just ridiculous.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Shadows Over London (SevenxStalker)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eren</strong> on <strong>09-01-2009, 20:05:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well, I don't think that the monster of the week will really care whether you know how to fight or not. Can you at least shoot a gun?" <br><br>Noah leaned back in his chair, which of course was a bad thing to do, since it brought his legs in closer contact with Booth's. When Booth commented on his drinking habit, the larger man just blinked. He was not used to having his behaviour commented upon. Really. And now there was a short snippy scientist who had insinuated himself into Noah's life (albeit unwillingly) and apparently thrived on making people aware of what they did. Go figure. 
			</dd>
		</dl>
		<div id="footer" class="smalltext">
			
			<span class="smalltext" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?action=credits" title="Simple Machines Forum" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF 2.0.19</a> |
 <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/license.php" title="License" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF © 2021</a>, <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org" title="Simple Machines" target="_blank" class="new_win">Simple Machines</a>
			</span>
		</div>