halloweentown!!! (halloweenish) wrote in politico,
@ 2010-01-18 23:45:00

Entry tags:

jude, beckett, cooper
Now that things were starting to calm down, Jude was looking forward to a real nights sleep, but mostly he was looking forward to continuing on with whatever he and Beckett had started what seemed like forever ago.

They'd agreed to have dinner, but both were so tired that staying in seemed like the best way to go, so Beckett had invited Jude over. Beckett had left a little while earlier, and after talking with Ally and Clark for a bit, Jude was ready to sneak out the door. He was hoping to avoid Agent Comfort, and so far he'd done a pretty damn good job of staying off of the Agent's radar. Or, rather, giving Cooper the slip at every oppurtunity.

He slipped into his office to secure his computer system and he was busy tugging on his peacoat and messenger bag at the same time while he tried to make a go for the elevator. He was in such a rush that he didn't even see Cooper until they'd run into eachother, and Jude reached out to steady the other man as soon as he'd recaptured his balance.

"Sorry, excuse me," he managed before he tried to slip past Comfort so that he could be on his way.

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-20 06:50 am UTC (link)

The people under serious investigation were Montgomery, Connelly, and Beckett. It was extremely important to gather information from their co-workers as to their behavior and job performance. Special Investigator Comfort had been trying to track down Jude for the entire time he'd been there but to no avail.

But there he was suddenly, and Cooper wasn't about to let the man get away. Stepping into his path, Cooper gently cut off Jude's escape route. "You're kind of a hard one to get a hold of," he commented. "We haven't been properly introduced, but I'm sure Agent Connelly has given you all a full description of me with instructions to avoid at all costs. I'm Investigator Comfort."

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halloweenish
2010-01-20 07:05 am UTC (link)

"I'm Jude Monroe," Jude replied with a heavy sigh. "I know who you are, yes, but not because anyone warned me about you. I've just been very busy, which I am right now, so whatever yow want to ask me just ask me."

He was anxious to get Beckett's so that they could relax and actually spend some real time together, and the idea of sticking around to talk with someone who Jude viewed as a problem starter was not sitting too well with him.

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-20 07:17 am UTC (link)

"Yes, but I would think when you're at your busiest you could easily be found in your office, seeing as how that's where most of your work takes place," he mused, almost to himself rather than to Jude at all. Cooper was certainly used to this sort of reaction, and he'd asked his questions in the most awkward of places, so standing in the hall wasn't all that strange to him and he carried on about his interview as professionally as if they'd been sitting across a desk from one another.

"Did you work with Agent Connelly before his retirement?" he started out with something that might be construed as a casual question.

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halloweenish
2010-01-20 07:46 am UTC (link)

"Why are you asking a question you all ready know the answer to?" Jude asked in exasperation as he buttoned up his jacket. "Yes, I did. Not for very long, about six months or so, I think? Why do you ask?"

Usually Jude was one of the most easy going and friendly guys in the world, but he was on edge given his exhaustion and mostly because he really wanted to spend time with Beckett. He had to remind himself that Cooper was just doing his job, and he sighed.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so rude, I'm just... Tired, and I'm on my way to hopefully have really amazing sex, so you can understand my frustration right now. If you want to know if the people I work with are fit to do their job in my opinion, yes they are. I work with very amazing people, and I am very lucky to be part of this team. But my opinion really doesn't matter, your opinion does."

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-20 08:35 am UTC (link)

At the mention of sex, Cooper looked startled. Very few people talked like that to him. He tried to relax, pass it off as nothing as he cleared his throat and went on with their conversation. "Not my opinion either. I'm just here for as much information as I can gather. Higher ups make the call in this case," he corrected politely.

"I'm interested in facts. To your knowledge, has Agent Chancellor employed any investigation or profiling methods that he hadn't used before? Have his methods changed from before his retirement?"

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halloweenish
2010-01-20 08:42 am UTC (link)

There was a part of Jude that got a bit of satisfaction at the fact that he'd visibly thrown Agent Comfort off his game. Still, the guy seemed nice enough, and Jude felt a little bad that he was having to nose around and was probably going to have a hard time with just about everyone.

"No," he sighed as he ruffled a hand through his hair. "Not that I can tell, he's still just as good now as he was then."

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-20 05:36 pm UTC (link)

The guy before him was treating him pretty well, and even though he'd surprised him with the sex comment, Cooper was appreciative. Liam had been flat out belligerent and Chancellor had been infuriating. Beckett had acted nice, but in that profoundly superficial way where it was almost more cruel than being just honestly mean. Even Wyatt had been ferociously stand offish and punishingly long winded.

"And Agent Montgomery? This was understandably a difficult case for him. Was it ever suggested by him or anyone that he be taken off the case due to its personal nature?"

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	halloweenish 2010-01-21 12:54 am UTC (link)
	"No, Liam is very good at his job, and we needed him on that case. And if for whatever reason it got to be too much for him, he would have said something." He wouldn't have, but Jude wasn't about to say as much. "Or Agent Connelly would have talked to him about." That was true, he was sure of that. Very sure. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 01:13 am UTC (link)

Cooper was confident that he wasn't going to get much out of the team, but it was important to ask. He wanted to hear the good things as well, so he made note of all of them. If the team was working so well together, there was little need to disrupt it so wholly. But Cooper wanted them to play by the rules and sometimes that didn't seem to be happening.

"Are you familiar with what Agent Meridian's position on the team entails? I'm not trying to talk down to you; I just realize that with a team this well oiled, everyone pitches in with everything. But I'm interested in Agent Meridian's specific job description. Were you made aware of any other cases while the team was working on this one?"

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halloweenish
2010-01-21 03:21 am UTC (link)

When Beckett was brought up, Jude started to feel a little less friendly and he crossed his arms over his chest as he set Agent Comfort with a look.

"I think Agent Meridian probably has one of the most difficult jobs on our team, trying to assess where we're needed and how badly. But he's good at his job, more than good at it, and he handles the pressure of it very well."

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 06:09 am UTC (link)

Cooper was not nearly so well trained in reading body language, but even he could see that Jude's demeanor had changed. "You must be quite aware that the length of time spent on one case can interfere with other pressing cases. Part of Agent Meridian's job is to make the lead agent aware of another possible case that might take precedent over the existing lengthier case. Can you think of any reason why he didn't do that in this particular instance?"

It was a very clear cut issue of breaking protocol. Meridian may have been the gatekeeper, but he could not take it fully upon himself to make the decision to protect a drawn out case while bypassing other cases completely.

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halloweenish
2010-01-21 06:59 am UTC (link)

"Don't dance around the question you want to ask," Jude said quietly as he narrowed his eyes a little bit.

This was such a sensitive topic, and not just for Jude, but for everyone on the team. It wasn't fair that Beckett, Liam, and Chancellor get punished because someone they cared for needed them. Liam needed Reagan, and Chancellor and Beckett cared about Liam. It wasn't at all a black and white situation, and it was clear to Jude that Comfort was a very black and white person.

"You think that something was done wrong here. You think Meridian intentionally kept cases from Liam. You think the rules might have been bent, or broken. Well you know what? Sometims the rules need to be bent or broken. Not everything is as simple as you might think, or want them to be. You try doing what this team does everyday, seeing the things we see everyday, knowing what happens to some people... Knowing the torture or rapes they go through, or how they've been killed, slowly. Ruthlessly. Seeing their mangled bodies, or seeing someone who's been so violated that they can't even function. You try telling someone you care for and respect, 'hey, sorry, I know that the man you love - and four others - might be getting raped or tortured or beat or even killed right now, but sorry time's up', then you can really judge Meridian for what he does. You go sit down with Parker Reigh, or Elijah Hunter, or Murphy Knite or Shay Lindsay and tell them they weren't important enough to keep looking for. Tell Reagan, too."

With that, he pushed past Agent Comfort and slipped into the elevator. He was positively fuming now.

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 07:14 am UTC (link)

Cooper sighed and watched him go. No one seemed to understand that it wasn't fair to deny other people the same kind of justice or the same amount of time spent on their case just because they weren't married to the lead agent at the BAU. Cooper had very black and white sensibilities, but also a sense for fairness in its purest form. Granted, that made him a pretty detached person when it came to family and friends.

At home, Beckett was getting things ready for dinner. He wanted to make sure that this was as much like a date as possible. The table was set nicely and he'd even been so cheesy as to drape a string of white lights around the wall of the small dining room. He had dinner in the oven and was currently waiting for Jude to arrive.

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poor cooper lmfao jude will apologize later eventually

halloweenish
2010-01-21 07:30 am UTC (link)

By the time Jude got to Beckett's, the drive had calmed him down considerably. He was all ready starting to feel a little bit bad about how he'd blown up on Agent Comfort. The guy was just doing his job, the same way the rest of them were. Still, it was hard for Jude not to defend the team he was part of and people he cared for, and respected.

He was quiet as he headed up to Beckett's apartment, and he smoothed a hand over his hair in an attempt to fix it before he knocked on the door lightly.

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Haha, Cooper deserves it. He can be such a little rules robot

impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 08:50 am UTC (link)

He nearly jumped out of his seat, he was so excited for Jude to be there. Still, he wanted to look relaxed and casual, so he took a breath before heading to the door and opening it. "Hey," he beamed and gestured for Jude to come inside.

It was clear from the moment the other stepped in that Beckett was a fan of minimalist, modern decor, and baseball. He had mostly rich brown furniture on hardwood floors, crisp clean black and white photography on his walls, and baseball memorabilia littered about his condo. "Dinner is almost ready."

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halloweenish
2010-01-21 09:02 am UTC (link)

Jude stepped inside and slipped out of his shoes, mostly out of habit because he always immediately traded his shoes for house slippers when he got home. He reached forward to grab a hold of the front of Beckett's shirt and tugged him in for a soft kiss that lingered, and when he let go he finally looked around. Seeing how neat the place was made him smile.

"Now I know why you said my place was quirky."

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 07:25 pm UTC (link)

"Did you think that was code word for cluttered?" He laughed a little and shook his head. "It wasn't. I'm just hardly here and I tend to decorate as little as possible so I don't mess it up." He had no sense for design or decoration and so the less he tried the better it tended to look.

He glanced down at Jude's barefeet, enjoying the fact that he'd taken his shoes off. It felt like the other knew he was welcome here. "Something to drink? Water, juice, soda?" He glanced over his shoulder as he led them into the kitchen. "Coffee?" Because he was drinking coffee so that he could be sure to stay up later than usual. He didn't want to pass out before he got a chance to really spend some time with Jude.

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halloweenish
2010-01-21 11:10 pm UTC (link)

"Actually, not cluttered, but maybe weird," Jude answered as he trailed after Beckett.

On his way to the kitchen he noticed the abundance of baseball memorabelia, and he couldn't help but find it terribly cute. It was very... guyish. Jude very much was attracted to the strong male qualities that Beckett had, and even something so simple as liking baseball was making him smile.

"It smells so good in here, I'm starving. I didn't have time to eat lunch because Wyatt came to talk to me, and sometimes I have to really focuse to be able to follow his train of thought," he said once they were in the kitchen. "A soda would be great, just cola is good," he added as he caught sight of the lights from the dining room. "Did you put cute little lights up?!"

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 11:25 pm UTC (link)

Beckett had grown up playing baseball. His family was one of those that threw itself into whatever the kids took a shine to and all three Meridian children had been into sports. He played it all through high school and college.

He ducked his head into the fridge to grab him a Pepsi and turned to hand it to him. "If you think it's too much, then no they're always up like that. If you like it, then yes I put them up especially for tonight." Now that was diplomacy at its best. He leaned back against the counter and hooked his finger around the handle of his mug to bring it to his mouth.

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halloweenish
2010-01-21 11:31 pm UTC (link)

"I like it," Jude said with a laugh as he took the pepsi, though he sat it down to undo the buttons of his coat since he realized he still had it on. "Where should I put this?" he asked as he twisted around to look out the kitchen, towards the door. When he saw a coatrack he didn't want for an answer and went over to hang it up before he came back to Beckett. "So what did you make for dinner?"

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-21 11:43 pm UTC (link)

"'Make' is such a generous term for what I did," Beckett laughed and opened the oven for a peek at the meal's progress. There were three tins in the oven, one for each dish that he'd purchased at a take-n-bake shop on his way home. "Eggplant Parmesan, asparagus, and breadsticks." He pointed at each down the line before shutting the door and letting them finish.

When he faced Jude again, he was struck by just how good he looked in his apartment. It was exactly what he'd been wanting for awhile.

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	halloweenish 2010-01-21 11:49 pm UTC (link)
	When Jude peeked in on the tin dishes, he smiled and looked up at Beckett before he leaned over to press a soft kiss to the older man's lips. "If you have to physically put it in an oven, then it counts as making in my book," he murmured softly as he looped his arms around Beckett's shoulders. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

impotentwaffle
2010-01-22 05:23 am UTC (link)

"I certainly like your definition of making food." Because that's how Beckett did it often. They knew him on a first name basis at the Take-n-bake.

Jude was consistently tempting. Everything about him affected Beckett like a lure. Hesettled his hands against Jude's waist and started to shift back and forth on his feet in a slow dance. He really didn't need music for it and the way they were holding each other, it worked quite well.

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halloweenish
2010-01-22 06:19 am UTC (link)

Jude dipped his head down to press his face against Beckett's shoulder, and he smiled as he inhaled the older man's scent. Beckett always managed to smell good, even after long days and tough cases. He turned his head to the side and pressed his mouth against the curve of Beckett's neck as a quiet sigh escaped him.

"I've been thinking about this all day long," he admitted softly.

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impotentwaffle
2010-01-22 07:00 pm UTC (link)

Beckett beamed at that. He liked the idea that Jude had been thinking about him, otherwise he would have felt a little silly that Jude had been consuming his thoughts too. He tilted his head, offering more of his neck. "You know, I never would have guessed it, but maybe the glow of a computer screen is an aphrodisiac. I look in your office and you're clacking away at the keyboard and I just want to bend you over the desk." Sure, it was a little dirty, but he'd been holding it back.