Pieces of the Sun

[agirllost]

[OOC: Millitimed to sometime before Palmer's death]

Kim's come into the bar to get away from the stress of the outside. If someone had told her that she would come to the bar to escape stress a few years ago she would have thought they were obviously high.

For the first time in a while, she's not here to see anyone, just to relax. She's listening to a song on her iPod that she vaguely remembers from 2007.

Emo Punk isn't really helping her feel better so she switches to something a little more mellow.

As she's sitting in the booth she notices a familiar dark haired man trying to slouch his way down to normal size and about to walk right past her.

Comments

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

Yep, Adam's changed a bit since they worked together. Slouching is in (although that's just because he's avoiding a few people), shaving is out, and he's wearing a suit and tie. Adam has become a professional geek, say thankya.

Of course, noticing Kim makes him revert to the nerd she's familiar with. "Wow. Kim. Uh, hi."

[agirllost]

She attempts a smile. She and Adam had fought but he'd proved himself to her a long time ago.

"Hi Adam. I didn't know you were here," she slips the buds out of her ears and presses pause on her iPod.

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I have a door in my apartment," he says, would-be nonchalantly.

There are a lot of questions he wants to ask--things he's curious about--but if she didn't even know he was here, he'll look like a stalker or something if he mentions that he knows all about how she's back at CTU and getting married and has bizarre Aes Sedai powers. It isn't his fault that his friends talk about stuff.

"Um, how've you been? I haven't seen you in...years."

[agirllost]

Well, that's a loaded question and one with many different answers.

"I'm okay. It's been an...interesting last few years," She rests her chin on her left hand, unconsciously flashing her ring.

"How are you? Are you still working at CTU?"

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"Against my better judgement, yeah," he says wryly. "Jersey Domestic."

That...is a nice rock right there. Adam has to admit, as much of a jerk as Chase is, the guy has decent taste.

"Chloe said you and Chase were getting married. Congrats." His congratulations are much more sincere than they would likely have been if he weren't dating Chloe, and were still sharing a workstation with Kim. But it has been four years, after all.

[agirllost]

Jersey is probably safer than LA. "I kind of wondered where you went after...," she glances down for a moment. "I'm back at CTU-LA."

She wishes she had coffee or something to occupy her hands. "Thank you, Adam," she gives him a small but genuine smile. "You're not supposed to congratulate the bride to be, though, at least that's what Miriam told me."

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

Jersey is a hell of a lot safer than LA, which is why he's there.

"My bad." Adam isn't very well-versed in wedding traditions, so he'll take her word for that. "I'll take it back, then." He's developed a capacity to be...slightly more charming than he used to be.

"Yeah, I...tried to quit, got a job at NJIT for a while, but I just couldn't, you know?"

[agirllost]

"Too late," she tries to say lightly.

"Yeah, I - " she lets her hands rest on the table. "I was going to school to finish a degree and then -- it just didn't seem like -- there were...things that happened."

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"There's always something," he says. It's not meant as a crack at her, or the famous Bauer propensity for attracting trouble--he does understand.

Things always happen.

[agirllost]

"Yeah," she's quiet for a moment. "I never got to tell you how sorry I was about your sister."

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

Even after several years, hearing people mention Sarah is hard. He knows Kim means well. It's a nice thing to say. He just doesn't talk about this.

"Thanks," he says, and his thanks are sincere, but he's already trying to think of a way to change the subject.

"Anyway, uh, so...you're doing okay back at CTU, and everything?"

[agirllost]

Kim understands, but she had to say it, since at the time Adam's loss was far from her mind.

She nods, "It's different but...I have a lot of history with that place," she glances up at him. "When is it for you?"

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"2012. Fourth of July, actually." Woohoo.

"I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that you went back," he muses.

[agirllost]

"I'm from a little later," she admits, fighting the urge to warn him.

"Really?"

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

After what happened on September 19, it was clearer who really belonged at CTU and who didn't. Adam isn't really built for regrets, per se, but he'd realized when it was all over that he'd been wrong about her.

"Yeah. Some people just...have to be there."

CTU's an addictive place.

[agirllost]

"I never thought I was one of those people," she murmurs. "But circumstances force you to make new choices."

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

New choices like spontaneously moving across the country when he'd never left California in his life before Sarah died.

"I kind of miss Los Angeles sometimes."

[agirllost]

"What part, the smog or the traffic?" She gives him a half-smile.

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"I live in Newark, Kim. Don't talk to me about smog." He laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Honestly, I miss having coworkers who aren't complete idiots."

This is probably news, as Adam never gave any indication that he ever thought of his LA coworkers as anything but drooling Neanderthals.

[agirllost]

She grins in return, "Adam, you wanted to give Chloe a virus when she copied data from your side of the server," she points out. "How much worse can you feel about your new coworkers?"

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"No, no, it's different," he protests, although that memory is kind of hilarious in retrospect.

"Okay--remember that one time you got mad at me for something and hacked into the tree structure and locked me out of my system? None of them know how to do that. It's...oh my god, it's seriously ridiculous."

He can't quite resist a grin.

"Anyway...Chloe and I worked that all out a while ago."

[agirllost]

"That's...really bad for the people of Newark," she smiles at the level of incompetence because sometimes it's nice to hear about CTU branches that are worse. Especially since Division is forever pointing out things they're doing wrong.

Something about Adam's grin and the way he says Chloe's name makes her pause for a moment.

"You did?"

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

"Good thing Newark sucks enough that nobody would want to bomb it." Mostly they just handle spilloff from whatever New York City and Philadelphia can't deal with, but it's a living.

...eheh. Of course, their method of 'working it out' mostly involved Adam working Chloe out of her clothing and Chloe working her tongue down his throat, but he is tactful enough not to put it that way.

"We've been seeing each other for a little while, yeah."

[agirllost]

Chloe and Adam. Well, that's proof that things can change drastically.

"That's so great, Adam. " Chloe's been through a lot these last few years too. "I didn't even know you guys were talking."

[teh-data-fork.livejournal.com]

He shrugs, a little sheepishly, but he's happy. He doesn't know how long this thing with Chloe will last, but--he wants it to last. Really wants it to last. That surprises him.

"Chloe lives here, and I was Bound for six months. I blame the Bar."