Lost episode response ficlet

[psocoptera]

One Of Those Cop Buddy Shows
Lost alternaverse
543 words

"I got made," Charlotte says crossly, and Miles takes the phone from his ear long enough to squint at the display. Yup, just as late as it feels. He puts it back with a wince; she's saying, "That's what you call it, right? When you're undercover and they catch on?"

"Jim," Miles says, "Is he -"

"Oh, nice," Charlotte says, "I'm fine, thanks. You owe me $40 in cab fare plus new stockings."

"Sure," Miles says, "No problem, but - stockings?"

"I was hardly going to find out anything interesting at dinner," she says, sounding more like her usual self, arch and laughing at him. "Stop frowning, it was a lark. Until he went mad on me. You didn't say he was a nutter," she scolds. "Can you believe, he kicked me out? I might have been perfectly innocent - "

Miles coughs. He can't help it. She sniffs.

"He didn't say anything about his holiday," she says briskly. "But he's got a folder labelled 'Sawyer' in his top drawer. News article about a murder-suicide, family portrait, same people. Very protective of it."

Miles blinks. Here, finally, is a lead, something that might explain his partner's moody silences and awkward lies. But… a news article? A murder? He's suddenly not sure what he thought, except that this isn't it.

"Did you see how old - "

"No, I didn't get a date, I told you, he caught me and went off at me. Silk stockings, Miles."

He's not thinking about stockings, he's picturing Jim: angry, betrayed… fresh out of bed, like he'd been with Ava...

"Did you tell him - "

"That you put me up to it? No, of course not, Miles, I haven't tattled on you since I was stuck minding you. And I told you, I would never out you, ever, even if I think you should have done it years ago."

"Which has nothing to do with - "

"'You see, James,'" she recites, "'Miles has been very worried about you for entirely platonic and professional reasons -'"

Miles slumps back into his pillow, not taking the bait. Enough repetitions and "he's my partner, and we're supposed to trust each other" starts to sound thin, even to himself.

"You should just tell him," Charlotte says. "Who knows? Maybe he came to LA on the trail of the killers of his father and is remaining for reasons which need.. exploring."

"It's 'don't need'," Miles sighs, and, yeah: begging his former babysitter to take a blind date with his uncommunicative partner in hopes of getting a clue to what's eating him was as stupid as any wacky sitcom plot. "I'm sorry, Charlotte," he says aloud. "I never wanted you to - I shouldn't have asked you - "

"It was fun, until the lunatic fit part," she interrupts. "I suppose, since you disapprove of my methods and are definitely not hot for him, you don't want to hear at all about how he was."

"Goodnight, Charlotte," Miles says in answer.

"He's good with his hands - " she says, low-voiced, and he repeats "Goodnight, Charlotte," and hangs up the phone, and lies there awake, not thinking about it, not at all.