Journey Series: Ellick

Diving In Headfirst

It was the end of another shift. Ellie slipped into her coat, said goodnight to McGee, and walked out to the parking lot. Nick was waiting, as was the custom, by his bike. He looked, nervous. "Hey," she said, "so I was thinking, maybe we could get apple pie from the diner too tonight. I know waffles are already so much, but I really want pie..." she drifted off. There was something in the features of his face. Okay, he's about to say something serious. Whatever may have come to mind could never have prepared her for what he said. "Actually, I was thinking, maybe you'd want to come back with me to my apartment."

The bomb was dropped. He had dove in head first. Silence, the third wheel, was crippling. Ellie was absolutely shocked. She was able to school her features just enough. This was... what? Unprecedented? Yeah, that was the word. Clearing her throat though, she said, "Are you sure?" It was a simple question really. But with it, Bishop unlocked a world of possibilities. She had Nick's full and total trust. Her question, told him that she not only cared about him but also that she wouldn't push him. That was enough for him to push himself. So he was able to respond confidently: "Yes."

It was a bit of a lengthy ride to his apartment. Embracing him from the back of the bike, Ellie relaxed, just relishing in the simplicity of his presence. He was back. He's back. He's back. Maybe not in every way. But physically, he was all there. Torres took comfort in the familiar pressure of her figure. It helped him relax, steady his nerves.

They finally arrived. It was late. Like 2300. It had been five years since Ellie had gotten a glimpse of the exterior. It was exactly the same down to every minute detail in her mind. She followed him up the stairs, barely quelling the excitement bubbling. This was huge. Torres had always avoided bringing anyone to his apartment. Jack, was an acception since she just showed up, but she still got to see a glimpse of it. And then she had never come back from Afghanistan, so Ellie had never got to probe her for details. Even a parolee had been to his place. She remembered feigning a miffed air with him for a few hours. They were now at his door. It was then she could see it. The heaving of his chest. There was no way that the simple walk up the stairs could have done this. Very little ever slowed him down. That's how she knew this was borderlining a panic attack. Gently, she placed her one of her small hands on the back of his neck, the other on his shoulder. She waited until his breathing slowed, and the tension left his body. He opened the door.

She gaped behind his back. She couldn't help it. It was rather... refined. Torres and refined in the same vicinity? Wow. There was a sharpness to the design. It was rather cold, but only to a certain degree. Not prison cell cold. That definitely would have frightened her. It was just lacking personal warmth. The furniture, kitchen utensils, they were his. But only, she figured, because he needed them. Another thing her trained investigator eye picked up on was the angle of the seats and furniture. They all were angled toward the door. Nothing allowed for one to turn their back on the door. They didn't allow Torres to turn his back on the door. She could see some crevices where it was apparent, at least to her, that he had concealed weapons. So that was it. The atmosphere screamed that he was always on guard.

They stood a little awkwardly until Torres said, "I have ice cream." So they ended up on the couch, watching a dvd from his collection, each with their own carton of ice cream, neither intending to regret eating the entire thing. His dvd collection was small, she imagined that he had seen this movie millions of times. His eyes periodically darted about points of entry. The door, the slider, the windows. Setting down her empty carton of ice cream next to his, she tucked her feet up onto the couch, which was actually incredibly comfortable, and nestled in close to him.

Nick couldn't help being vigilant. Given that Ellie was also there increased it. But the warmth of her presence was soothing, and he felt himself drifting off. In ten minutes, a streak was broken. For the first time in almost five years, Nick Torres was asleep.