New partner
by Gail (gem225@hotmail.com)
JAG
Clayton Webb/Clark Palmer
Rating: adult
Clayton Webb deals with Clark Palmer at the CIA.
Part 5 of the Eclipse series
Disclaimer: Not mine, but I'm having fun. Please don't sue or get mad.
Please do not archive this story without asking me first. It's more than likely that I'll agree, but I want to know where my stories are.
I know less than nothing about how the CIA works. I am totally making this part up. Sorry. I'm not a spy; I just have some in my head. I also do not really know much about what's going on in Jerusalem right now (October 2000), except that there has been fighting, and that it makes my husband frown and get angry when he reads about it, but I thought it would be something interesting to have Webb and Palmer work on.
Clark Palmer's side of this is written in Better than Leavenworth.
This is for Katja, who was worried about Clayton Webb and mad at Rabb after the morning, so I needed to let her know that Clay's going to be all right...with some help (?) from Clark.
This was betaed by, wow, five people. I'm so lucky to have Katja, Tinnean, Alex, Lexi, and Mareen willing to read my work. Thank you all for giving of your time and attention.
*****
I'm calm when I get to work. I did get enough sleep last night, so with a shower, change of clothes, and some more coffee back at my place, I'm ready for whatever I find on my desk.
Which is Clark Palmer. Not on my desk, but sitting on the chair in front of it. Thank god for small favors.
He stands as soon as I enter the room. "Good morning, Mr. Webb," he says gravely and holds out a file. I stare at it. "I'm supposed to give you this right away." I still stare at it. "Come on," he adds, his voice coaxing, "just take it. It won't bite." His eyes flicker over me, and I remember that I did some biting of my own the other night. The marks still stand out on his neck. God, I really got him.
That thought breaks whatever spell I'm under. "Quiet, Palmer," I snap and grab the file out of his hand. He moves out of my way as I go to my desk, sit, and flip through it. It's very clear. I'm in charge of Clark Palmer, as much as anyone ever can be. He's my new partner. But I knew that already.
"Sit," I say finally, and he takes a seat again and...watches me. It's unnerving. But I can handle this. "All right. You and I are going to be working together."
For a brief second, a smile is on his face, but then it's gone. "If that's what the Company thinks is best."
I stare at him. "Yes." Who is this man? This is not Clark Palmer. Not that I know him. *Oh, you did the other night,* a mocking voice whispers in my head. I push that voice away. It has no place here.
"I'm looking forward to finding out how the CIA works. And to working with you, of course, Mr. Webb."
He sounds like he means that, and I'm sure in a way he does. I do not need this. Why me? I've never done anything like this before, and hell, I don't want to learn. He's not some kid who's got to be taught how to do things. But it's my assignment. Somebody must really hate me. But I wouldn't want to trust Palmer to anyone else, actually. I wouldn't feel safe having someone else dealing with him. So maybe this is for the best.
"First thing you need to learn is that you have to go by the rules."
"I understand, Mr. Webb. I really don't want to end up in jail again." His eyes are serious. "I can play by the rules. Just don't ask me to work with Commander Rabb. That would not be a good idea."
Oh, god, no. And I'm about to tell him something like that when my phone goes off. I fix him with a stare and get it. "Webb."
"Hey there." Rabb. Of course. Just what I needed to make this perfect. "Listen, I'm sorry, but dinner's out of the question. Got a case to prep for. Another time?"
"That will be fine." I know that I sound stiff, and Palmer is listening. I don't think he can hear anything but me. "Another time, then."
"It was fun last night and this morning. I'm looking forward to doing it again." Damn. He's got that note in his voice, and it's getting me hard, and Palmer's here, and I do not want any of this now. "What about you?"
"I'll talk to you later."
"Oh, you're not alone," he says. Yeah, finally. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."
"I have to get back to work, Rabb," I snap. "Don't you?"
"Sure. We'll have that dinner soon." And he hangs up.
Palmer's got a strange look on his face, not a smile, something else. "Commander Rabb? What did he want? Or is it personal?"
"Shut up, Palmer." I wonder if that's going to turn into my new favorite phrase.
He nods and just looks at me. It is...interesting seeing him do what I say. Right. We were talking. I try to remember about what, but I can't.
"You'll need an office," I say after a long moment.
He nods. "I got that. I'm right down the hall."
I can't think of anything more to say. This is great. I'm going to be sitting here with Clark Palmer until I think of a way to end this, and I don't have a way yet.
An office down the hall. That means he's close. So if Harm comes here, he'll find out that Palmer's with the Company now. I don't even want to think about what Rabb's going to do when he finds that out. He'll explode, and probably at me. I'll deal with that then. Not now.
"Can I get you some coffee?"
"What?"
"I said, can I get you some coffee?" He's giving me a look that has concern in it, and for all I know, he means it. "You seem tired. Maybe that would help."
"Coffee would be fine. Black."
"Sure." And he's out the door.
No one's gotten me coffee for a long time. I close my eyes. All right. Rabb's busy, flirting over the phone with me, and wants more. Just not now. I can deal with that. Palmer's acting like a clone of some perfect agent, with occasional lapses into his old self; I can deal with that, too. But at the same time? Maybe I need to find a new career. There has to be some occupation that would be both Rabb- and Palmer-free. A nice thought.
But I want Rabb, and Palmer...I still don't know how I feel about him. Except that he's threatened to blackmail me, gave me an incredible night of sex, the kind of night I hadn't even dreamed about, because I knew it would never be possible.
He's back, putting a cup of steaming coffee in front of me.
"Sorry to take so long, but I waited for a fresh pot."
I realize that I'm waiting for him to start acting the way he did when we were alone, the way he did at my place. I decide to say something about that, after I've had a couple of sips of the coffee. It is good, better than usual. I wonder if he made it himself. No, that's crazy. He said he waited for a new pot, nothing more.
"Palmer," he gives me that damned attentive look again, but I ignore it, "I'm expecting you to behave properly toward me at all times."
Something flickers over his face and is gone. "I hope you're not saying that you have any complaints at this time." His eyes meet mine and, even though they're calm, I see the memory of that night in them.
I can't get mad at him here for something that happened outside of the bounds of the Company. I really can't. "Not at this time."
"All right." And he's waiting again. What the hell is he waiting for?
Oh. I'm the superior. He's waiting for clues on how to behave. My god. Clark Palmer belongs to me here, too.
That thought makes me very hard. And I do not want to be aroused at work.
"What will you want me to do?" He's decided to say something. I grab on to the idea with relief.
"You know how to use the computer?" Stupid question. Of course he does. Everyone does now.
The something flickering in his eyes is amusement this time. "I've gotten a lot of practice with them lately."
He has to mean Leavenworth. "Have you been assigned an account for our system?" He nods. "Good." Just that praise alone changes the look in his eyes into something that's close to pleasure, if not that. I really do not understand him. "Research the situation in Jerusalem," war, but that's not what we call it here, "and give me your opinions on possible Company action, a full evaluation." I'm not going to explain any more than that. He has been trained by an intelligence organization, even if it was an insane one. "Assume a two-man team, both experienced."
"As in, us?"
Damn. "Yes, as in us." I don't think it will be, but this way I'll learn what he thinks he can do, and his opinion of me. Useful, even if we don't get involved. And I know that I'm going to be in on meetings about this. Meetings, just about all I *will* get to do while I'm training Clark Palmer.
I hate meetings. But it isn't his fault that the Company chose me. I know that.
He nods. "And when will you want that done?"
"Tomorrow, at the latest. Tonight would be better." He blinks at that. Good. I want him to realize that I'm going to be expecting a lot from him. If he's going to be my partner, he's going to have to be able to deliver. I do. "Keep me up with your progress."
"I will," he says, and there is something about that remark that makes me remember him on his knees in front of me. I shift in my chair. Damn. I'm still hard, and it's not getting any better with that image.
"Is there anything I can do?" His tone is perfectly proper. Anyone listening would think that he's talking about getting me more coffee, but I know better. He's staring right at me, his eyes glittering with...passion, I have to say. His tongue flickers out over his lips, and I remember just how they felt on my skin. "I know my place here, Mr. Webb."
Oh, god. This is beyond insane. He's offering me sex, right here, with people walking down the hall and the goddamned door open.
"Palmer, don't call me Mr. Webb here." I'm grabbing, but I have to do something to change the topic. He tilts his head and gives me a puzzled look, but it's easier to deal with that than the seductive one I was getting. "Last name is fine."
He opens his mouth, then shuts it and nods. I think he was going to say something about how they do it in the DSD, and I'm very glad that he didn't. "I should get to work, then," he says and stands. "I don't want to waste your time."
I stand, too. "If you need anything, let me know." He is my responsibility. I have to make sure he stays out of trouble. I'm going to have to research the best cures for headaches, since I just got a permanent one, standing right in front of me.
His eyes are suddenly glittering again, and I know that he's seen that I'm hard. "I will, Webb." He smiles, and damn, I see that offer again.
And I ignore it. I cannot let him think he can get to me. "I expect you to be able to manage your time."
He gives me a startled look, then nods. "Of course I can. You don't need to worry about that, Webb."
I think I just won that round. He leaves very quietly, and I watch him go down the hall. No one even talks to him. Well, he's new, he was DSD, and he's fairly notorious. If I were Palmer, I'd be very careful what I did for a while. But he's going to have to learn to deal with his new life.
I'm sure he can take care of himself.
*****
I see Palmer on and off in the next few days, not for long. The situation in Jerusalem keeps changing, and I keep telling him to give me updated evaluations when he brings the current one to me and go over what he has produced by myself. He does fine work, and he seems to have a grasp on what we're each capable of. The more I read, the more I see that we could make a good team, and know that this is going to go on for a while. I'm not just the person who's breaking in Palmer, I'm the one who's going to be working with him once the Company decides he's safe to let out of here.
I'm actually looking forward to that.
I have meetings, make connections with people I haven't had the chance to see in a while, get more flirting calls from Rabb, and even have dinner with him. He orders something vegetarian and tries to talk me into that, too. I order fish, not because he's pushing it, but because I know it's good at the restaurant. We talk about things other than work, which is a nice change. He brings up Palmer, saying that Chegwidden told him to leave it alone unless he had good reason to suspect the man of a crime, and that he's going to try to leave it at that. He asks if I know what Palmer's doing, and I tell him that I have enough to do without thinking about Clark Palmer. It's perfectly true. I do have enough to do. I just have to think about Palmer anyway.
The next evening as I'm getting ready to leave the office, Palmer's there.
"What?" I snap when I hear the knock.
"I finished another evaluation," he says calmly, but I can tell from the way he says it that he's getting tired of thinking about Jerusalem and all the varied factions there. "I was wondering if this time we could go over it together. But I see you're leaving."
I narrow my eyes at him, but it is a reasonable request. "Yes, I am leaving. We'll go over your work together tomorrow. Nine-thirty."
I take the folder from him and turn to put it on my desk. When I turn back around, he's still watching me with eyes that are intent and cool. I wonder what the hell is going on with him. Is he still living in that hotel? Has he gotten in touch with friends, had some dates, what? I can't ask him. Too personal.
"Good night, Palmer."
"Good night, Webb." His voice is low, and he waits for me to step out of my office before he does. The perfect agent.
I get in the elevator, and he's right behind me. I stare at him. He smiles back. It's just the two of us. I give him a long look and he shrugs.
"I don't live here, Webb," he says mildly. "Did you think I did?"
"I don't have to deal with you after hours," I say shortly and regret it as soon as the words are out of my mouth. I haven't forgotten the deal I made with him, and I'm sure he hasn't either. But he can't bring it up here.
He doesn't. "Of course not," he murmurs.
I get out of the elevator and he's still with me, a few steps behind, all the way to my car. He is following me. This is not coincidence. And that's confirmed when he comes up to me while I'm unlocking my car door.
"Did you decide whether you wanted to tell me about Rabb or fuck?"
I stare at him. He did not just say that. We are still on Company property, although I know that the garage is not bugged. I'm one of the few people who can be sure of that.
"Webb, we had a deal. You remember? At Rabb's place?" He smiles and leans against my car. He'd better not do anything to damage it. "Come on, Webb, it's after hours. I get to be me again." And his tongue licks over his lips, just like it did in my office, and I know that he wants me to say that I won't tell him about Rabb.
"Go home, Palmer." I throw my hip against him and knock him out of my way, on to the ground.
I get into the car but he's back up and leaning in over me before I can get the door shut.
"David Stoner," he whispers and smiles. He's close enough to kiss. "We could talk about him, instead. Would that be more to your taste, Clay?"
I'm having trouble breathing. But I'm not in the mood for this. "Get out of my car. Now."
He stares at me for a long moment. "I thought we had a deal, Clay?"
And in that moment, I realize just what I'm doing. This is Clark Palmer. He was there when David died, and he knows something that I really do not want to know. And I'm almost certain that if I do one more thing that he doesn't like, he'll tell me that one thing.
"We do have a deal. I'm saying no tonight." I just remember in time what he said that morning in my kitchen. I have that option. As long as I don't exercise it too often.
At that, he pulls his torso out of the car. "All right," he says evenly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
And just like that, he walks away. I make myself shut the car door and get the key into the ignition without too much trouble. It just takes a few tries.
I got out of it this time. But my cock's hard and saying that maybe I didn't really want to get out of it. I set my lips and back up. Too bad. I'm going home.
As I leave, I see Clark. He's leaning against the side of a car, watching me.
I take that image all the way home with me, and when I fall asleep, it's what I'm thinking about.
My new partner. In more ways than one.
The End
Posted 10/21/00
To read Palmer's side of this story, also part 5a of the Eclipse series, go to Better than Leavenworth. To read part 6 of the Eclipse series instead, go to Passing notes.
