Fragments of a Fractured Mind (Poindexter Fanfic)

Strange

It was the end of a workday, not unlike many others before it. Most of the agents were already off duty or finishing the final paragraph of a report that was past due. Dex was still seated at his desk, getting ahead on his paperwork when most agents were behind. He was usually one of the last to leave the office, and always the second to arrive after Hattley.

When there wasn't a mission in progress or an important case pending, the agents with families were always the first to clock out early. Nadeem had left the office an hour ago, along with a handful of other agents before the sun had even gone down. Then those with a significant other had soon followed.

You could tell an agent's situation just by looking at the pictures on their desk. It seemed everyone was either married, in the middle of a relationship, or at the end of the cycle with a divorce. Dex didn't fit into one of the three molds. He was just alone.

"You're still here Poindexter?" said Hattley. She was on her way out. Jacket on, leather bag in hand, and all of the winter clothing fixings wrapped tight up to her neck. "I don't want to be sitting at my desk with a novel, just keep those reports clean and concise."

"I'm working on it," He said back with a brief glance at her sour face.

She nodded, and began to move away from his desk, but not before getting the last word in. "And for God's sake, go home and get some sleep. You're no good to us at half capacity."

Her parting words of boss-like advice went unanswered. Dex sat in tense silence, dreading the idea of sleep. Julie had been busy as of late, and with her schedule full, it left his woefully empty. It was no good to be near her when she was surrounded by other people, so that left him stuck at home between his bed and the pale moonlight.

"Getting ahead on work, look at you busy beaver."

Dex's eyes snapped up to Zoe, who had managed to startle him from his thoughts. He had forgotten she was still there at her desk around the corner, though judging by her coat and scarf that were haphazardly thrown on, she was on her way out as well.

"You're here late," he replied back with a glint in his eye.

"Trying to set a better example for Hattley," She said with a shrug. "But I think it gets to a point that my being here can only do more harm than good. Don't want to hurt my chances, so I'm calling it a night."

"You know your limits."

"You should get to know yours as well," She said cheekily. "Catch you later, Ben."

Zoe shot him a wink before traipsing her way out of the office. His grip on his pen tightened. The action was so familiar, and not something he felt was there between them. They were work colleagues who occasionally spoke over coffee. Nadeem, Alvarez, and Lim were colleagues who he respected and considered to be good agents. It had never occurred to him to even consider McClung as anything other than the new transfer, and she wasn't even that anymore. She'd been with their branch for almost ten months.

The humming of a vacuum had his attention shift to the back of the office. The cleaning crew had arrived, and he hadn't noticed. Frowning, he started to organize his paperwork and shut down his computer. It seemed his usefulness had run its course. He wouldn't be able to get anything more done now.

As he stepped into the elevator, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, feeling around for his keys. The ringing in his head was like a siren, and nothing seemed to be able to silence the noise. He hadn't needed to listen to Dr. Mercer's tapes for quite a while, but it would still be too early to sleep when he got to his apartment. It seemed he would have to fall back on relying on an old crutch to make it through the night.

When he reached the main lobby of the building, he could see through the doors that the snow had stopped falling. The wind was bitter against his cheeks as he pushed the door open, and traffic was moving with haste now that peak hours had gone by. His eyes flicked to the side and he spotted Zoe perched against the building. She didn't immediately notice his approach, her eyes turned to her phone and his steps drowned out from the cars.

"Thought you'd gone home," he said, watching her closely as her eyes flitted up to meet his.

Her smile was bright, and she pushed up from the wall with her foot. "Oh hey. No, I'm still waiting for my cab."

Dex frowned. "Where's your car?"

"I don't have one."

"You don't have a car." Her face was flushed, but he wasn't certain if it was from the cold or if he had embarrassed her. "How do you get around?"

"It's a big city, I use public transit. It takes too long to drive anywhere anyway," she countered, shifting from one foot to the other. "And financially speaking, it came down to the choice of having a roommate to save money for a car or live alone and forgo the vehicle. I hate having a roommate. Not sure why I'm telling you about this."

Dex didn't either. "I live alone and have a car. Guess that means I'm a better investor than you," He said with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure there are many things you're better at than I am."

Dex felt hot around the collar at her praise, and he started to fidget in place. "Probably."

A silence fell over them and he wondered if she felt uncomfortable. She barely made a move to indicate as such. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

Fog formed in the air as she spoke, and hung between them even after she resumed her waiting position. Dex thought he would have been long gone by now, but his feet remained rooted in place. He felt heavy, and he had no idea what to do with his hands.

"Hey, McClung," He called. "Do you want a ride?"

'What are you doing, Dex?'

It was too late to take it back. Zoe was coming at him with a bewildered expression.

"This isn't a pity invitation, is it? I really don't mind taking a cab."

"It's nothing like that. I..." He paused, grappling for words. "You're not the only one with something to prove to Hattley. I think she's decided I'm not much of a team player."

"Really, I can't imagine why," Zoe retorted. She smiled, assuring she meant nothing by it. "Alright, Poindexter, I'll take you up on that offer, but at least let me buy you dinner."

Dex rolled his eyes. "You don't have to do that. It's not like you're taking advantage of the situation, this is a one time deal."

"Yeah, I don't care about that. I'm hungry, and I've been on a quinoa power bowl kick lately. My treat, take it or leave it."

"Fine, whatever," he said with a huff. This was turning into a huge mistake.

Without a word, he began to lead the way to his car. He could hear her footsteps following behind, and she was tall enough that she caught up to him in a few strides. If she was bothered by his abrupt turn to silence, she didn't let on about it.

They made it to his car, both sliding inside in the same swift motion. His keys let out a jingle, breaking the quiet while he started the engine.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You're going to whether or not I say yes," he pointed out and she let out a laugh.

"You've got me there," she said. "Everyone calls you Dex and not Ben. I didn't realize you preferred that. I'm sorry."

"That's not really a question."

"I guess not." She reached for her seatbelt, fastening the buckle and then stared straight ahead. "I'll work on it."

"You're strange, McClung," he said as he drove the car out of the office lot.

"So are you, Dex."

He wasn't sure if she was baiting him to reply, but he let it hang in the air between them until she turned away in favor of the window. As much as he didn't want to be out having dinner with a work colleague, he had to acknowledge that it served as a perfect distraction. The loud noises in his head had vanished, and only the sound of her calling him Dex remained.