Call Waiting

who: jackson and eris
where: the telephone wires
when: 6pm

Still seething, mostly at himself but Danny & Hollis were next on the list, Jackson had returned to the Police Station and showered. Angrily. The water options in the station's locker room were either freezing or boiling, and he went for the pain of hot over the discomfort of cold. His cuts and bruises hurt like an absolute motherfucker under the scorching water, but he resisted the urge to cry out, and liked that he could convince himself they were the okay kind (resulting from pain) rather than the weak, womanly kind (relating to the complete turmoil that was going on in his head). He still didn't feel clean when he got out.

He dressed himself gingerly in a clean shirt and slacks and spent far too long staring himself down in the mirror. He needed a shave, a new eyesocket, and to get rid of the desire he had to punch his reflection. Idiot. Fucking idiot. Trigger-happy. Moron. Still, it was no good, he was expecting a call. It was nearly 6, and the messages he'd taken from Lu earlier (with a snarled 'thank-you' and a distinct lack of eye contact, which he would have to apologise for later) had been confusing. First, there'd been the note. The 'help-me' note which he had scoffed at slightly, but still pocketed, considering it was from Eris. That'd be her style wouldn't it? Appeal to his better nature? I shouldn't be dealing with that bitch-criminal, even if she says she is reformed he'd thought to himself, even as he read the second message which was in Lu's neat copperplate and was slightly more obviously from Eris. The Angel comment couldn't be missed. Which made the other note a mystery.

He hadn't had the patience to think about it, though. So he'd tried to wash away his sins, failed, and now? He was settled behind his desk glaring at the phone and tapping his pen. He still jumped when it rang. "This is Haas" he answered brusquely after the second ring, and wasn't surprised when Eris' familiar voice came down from the other end.

"Nice of you to be in this time, Officer." Eris said drily. Her end was a little poor on the quality side, considering she was at a pay phone in the rain. She was still lost, too, which wasn't making her very happy, but whatever, there wasn't a whole lot she could do about that. "Do you want your list?" she asked. She was glancing around, keeping her umbrella up to shield her from the rain, even if she was still feeling freezing and wet, generally uncomfortable. And lost. She couldn't be forgetting the 'lost' bit.

"It's been a pretty fucking frantic day, Angel," he spat, not enjoying the irony of the name, "I've got a duty to other people than you, okay?" he sighed, rubbing his eyelids with thumb and forefinger, taking a moment to realign. This was not the conversation he wanted to be having, because yes, she pissed him off, the idea of her walking around free made him feel itchy somehow - but she was helping him. She was trying to repent, and after today? So was he. His tone switched to one of resigned annoyance rather than outright aggression. "Sorry. Yes, give me the names."

"You were the one who wanted proof that I was on the level, sweetheart, I'm just getting you what you asked for." Eris said, rolling her eyes on her end. "You got a pen, or do you just want the written list?" she asked. If he wanted the written list, he could have it. It was in her writing, it was why she'd copied Brett's notes. Then she'd have them all compiled, but Jackson wouldn't peg Brett's handwriting for what it was.

Jackson clucked his tongue. As he recalled it she'd blown her top about Babylon not being shut down and had offered up the names, but he wasn't going to get caught in any more pettiness. "Both. Names now so I can start digging. I want it in writing too, though, when I come to check in on you."

He couldn't trust her. He'd been willing to give her a chance when she'd scooped him out of that back alley, and he still was, but if the names were a dead end or seemed like a set up? He wanted to be able to pin Stockard. See her pay for her crimes in the proper way - behind bars. He was going to make sure she was really on the straight and narrow before he started giving her the benefit of trust.

Of course. Because you're going to 'check' on me. she thought, still not overwhelmingly pleased over the fact. "Fine." she said, and then she started reading off the list of names for him, pausing between each one to be positive he had it written down and correctly. She definitely wasn't rushing through it to get him off the phone. The information she was handing over was important, so she didn't want to fuck it up in any way.

Jackson nodded and made the occasional grunting noise with each name she gave, scrawling them in his notebook on a page he had titled "JERKASS" and underlined heavily. This was... a lot of names. Big names. People who definitely deserved the big beat-down.

"That it?" he asked after she sounded like she was done, "People who took over your place? Jesus, lady, this is a lot of people - we've been after some of these guys for a long time. They're not going to like me digging." He sounded happier though, he was kind of relishing the fact that this was going to long and hard and dangerous. It would be worth it though.

"It might be a few more names than just that. Honestly I don't know anymore, so you'll have to see." Eris said. "But it should get you started." she added. "At least you sound a little more cheerful. Have fun rattling cages. I look forward to seeing the fireworks." Even if it would only be from a distance. If the little boyscout actually did what he wanted to do, what she and Brett wanted him to do...well it'd be an interesting time. "If you get going with that, I can try and get you more later." she added. "We'll see."

"If I get to put even half of these people in jail I'm a happy man. So thank-you," the thanks was genuine, too, but you could hear the caveat in Jackson's tone, "but honey, don't think you're off the hook. Like I've said before, I'm watching. And if any of this turns out to be a wild goose chase, or just a chance for you to slide back into your old throne, the only cages to rattle will be the one you're stuck in." the threat wasn't empty, perhaps yesterday it would have been, but now? Jackson couldn't afford not to play by his own rules ever again.

Eris rolled her eyes and exhaled. "Look." she said. "Are you going to hold this over my head for the duration? Am I being kept now?" she asked. Because if she was, then plans, they needed changing. She couldn't operate like that. If for no other reason than it would get her killed and oh so very fast. And while she was willing to throw herself to the wolves if it would get Brett out from under, the boyscout just hounding her and always wanting more and 'keeping an eye' on her...that wasn't going to help anyone. Besides maybe Officer Spotless Record here.

"Yes," said Jackson, not wanting to lie, "We had a deal. I do this, I tell you before I go in so you can warn your girls out of the building, and I shut the place down. When that's done, we're done. Until then, I want you on my radar. If you vanish? I'm going to come looking. You give me the tiniest reason to think that this is a set up, part of some game that I don't want in on? I'm calling you on it. You're not dumb - you know that's the only option I got. Like I said, when I made the choice not to bring you in, it ties us up. Anything you do wrong after this? On my shoulders. And my shoulders don't need any more, so I can't let that happen."

He was talking quietly, even though the station was more or less abandoned right now. The quiet hours. Probably cleaning up the fucking crime scene he'd been the cause of. He shuddered slightly thinking about it. He didn't want to sound aggressive, he was just laying it out for her as he saw it.

Eris squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "...Dear," she said patiently. "That made no sense what so ever. You said yes, then said when this was over we were done too. Yes doesn't exactly say that, does it, and then going on about things being on your shoulders for later. So, which is it? When this is done you're going to forget you ever saw me, or you're going to keep your eye on me til I'm dead or disappeared?"

"Made perfect fucking sense to me, sweetheart" Jackson said, his impatience with her rising, "You asked if I'm keeping you. I said yes, for now, I am. Once the place is closed down I don't have to worry about you any more do I? If I do it properly you won't be able to get in and reopen. I don't give a crap what you do after that, so long as you're not running Babylon or doing anything else illegal that gets up in my radar screen, we're fine. The surveillance lasts until our deal's done. After that, I'm clean. For your own sake, I hope you're clean too. Of course I'm not going to forget I saw you, but once it's all gone smoothly? I'm not going to hunt you down, if that's what's worrying you."

He figured once she helped Babylon shut down, she'd proven herself. She could do her own thing and he wouldn't bother her. Of course, if he caught her doing something it was a different story - but Jackson believed in redemption. Fuck, he had to.

She followed that a little better, and she was silently cursing her brain damage for not following in the first place. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was confusing. She didn't know. She just knew she'd not had the best of nights. "...so after this, you're going to stop 'checking in' on me?" she asked. Just so she was clear.

He probably wasn't making the most sense. Words were not Jackson's strong suit at the best of times, which was odd for someone who ran their mouth so much, but he still felt frustrated at having to repeat himself. He felt like she was playing dumb, trying to fool him or something. "Yes. No more check-ups. I promise. Just don't break the law. Is there anything else?"

She was silent for a moment. "No. There's nothing else." she answered. "I suppose I'll see you soon." When he decided to show up out of the blue. That was assuming she made it back to the loft. She was still fucking lost. That was just fabulous. Truly.

"Good. And you will." he said, dropping the phone. If there was one person he couldn't be bothered giving social niceties to it was Eris Stockard. His own personal angel. That was a fucking laugh. He held his head in his hands and sighed loudly, before fishing the tear-stained note out of his pocket. He hadn't even think to ask her about it. Just another piece of another broken puzzle he had to fix.

Eris exhaled as she hung up the phone, then looked around her into the dark and rain. She had no idea where she was. Guess she'd have to wander til she found the place. That was going to be exciting. Fucking brain damage. she thought, then went back off into the storm, not feeling the slightest bit better about anything.