fandomhigh | Newspaper Crew Meeting: 16:00 FHS-20:00 FHS

Krycek returns about 20 minutes later, looking somewhat subdued. He'd brought Jake up to his room and made sure he was comfortable (not that Jake would even be able to tell with how deeply he slept usually) and that there was food for him nearby. If he happened to wake up while Krycek was out, he'd probably be hungry. And even if he wasn't, the note that was sitting on the desk instructed Jake to eat anyway or face dire consequences.

He sits down on the couch to wait for Chloe to finish whatever she's doing, readying himself for questioning.

Chloe sees Krycek come back in, and manages to keep from glaring at him again. When she's done handing out assignments to those who are still there, she goes over to the couch and sits down next to him, doing her best to maintain some semblance of a rational voice.

"So, seeing as how Jake's been walking around all week, I assume he can somehow survive a bullet to the head?" she asks shortly. There's a mental image that goes with that, she's certain, but she's trying not to let herself see it.

Krycek watches her walk over and manages not to pull away when she sits down, feeling defensive and disliking it. Guardedly, he replies, "He told me before we left that he thought he could. I hadn't actually intended on testing it out." Seeing her look, he shrugs, finally failing at keeping away the blank-faced, non-expression that Jake hates so much. "I know what it feels like to be shot in the head, Chloe," he says, faintly angry. "At least Jake didn't feel it like I did. At least he lived."

Chloe doesn't like the angry tone of Krycek's voice, mainly because she doesn't think he has any right to be angry right now, at least not with her. But most of her own anger fades at what he says, leaving her genuinely surprised instead. "Wait, you...got shot?" She brings her hands up to rub at her temples. "You're like Veronica's friend then, the one who got killed. You've died before?"

He's not sure who Veronica's friend is, but neither does he much care. The important part is similar enough, at least. "Yes," he says shortly. Realizing how harsh he sounded before, he lifts one hand to rub at the back of his neck in lieu of more obvious sheepishness, tone softening slightly. "Believe me, I didn't aim to get Jake shot. Ever. Between actually caring what happens to Jake and his father waiting for me to do something wrong?" Krycek shakes his head, making a face. "The only reason I even let him come was because I was afraid he'd find a way on his own."

"He would have," Chloe says, nodding. She has little doubt that if Krycek was headed into a situation with potential danger - which she assumes this was, with the shooting in the head and all - that Jake would do whatever he had to do to be there. Under more normal circumstances, that would probably be very endearing. "And I know you didn't mean for Jake to get shot. I would never assume that. I just...are you sure he's all right?" she asks. "I mean really all right, not just alive and upright."

Krycek grimaces. "He lost mass. Whenever he uses energy or loses mass, he has to eat to replenish his resources." He pauses, giving Chloe a look. "How many times have you seen him actually eat something?"

Chloe has to think about that for a few moments, and she doesn't like the answer she comes up with. "I don't think I ever really have. I mean, he's always drinking, coffee or some flavored coffee type thing. But he doesn't really eat." She sighs, getting some of her glare back. "Now I don't know which one of you I should be more angry with."

"You probably won't be the last person to get angry with me over this." He smirks faintly, humorlessly, and shrugs. "I didn't intend for it to happen, but it did. And now I get to carry, for the rest of my life, the mental image of Jake on the floor with his brains across the pavement."

Chloe feels herself pale at Krycek's statement, as all of her attempts to keep from picturing Jake break down, and she looks down at her hands quickly to try to focus on something solid and shut the other mental image away. "Did you know you guys were going to be in danger?" she asks quietly. "When you sent out that e-mail and just said, 'Hey, we're going away for the break, see you later,' did you know where you were going?"

"I knew. And I didn't want him to go with me, but he insisted." Krycek sits back, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as if a headache threatens, realizing that he just saddled Chloe with some nice mental scarring. "It turned out someone was after me. Someone a lot more dangerous than I thought would be involved."

"You knew, and you didn't say anything. God, Krycek. What if you guys hadn't come back? Do you know how worried we all would have been?" Something clicks in Chloe's mind, and she glances back up at Krycek, looking him over. "You didn't get hurt too, did you?"

"Not physically," he says, shrugging. "Beyond a couple bruises, anyway." Krycek looks at Chloe, solemn for a moment. "I didn't say anything because it's not something I wanted - or want - to talk about. And I fully intended to come back."

"You also intended for Jake to not get shot in the head, and you know how well that worked out," Chloe snaps, regretting her words as soon as they're out of her mouth. "Sorry. That was...unnecessary." She sits back against the couch, matching Krycek's solemn look. "You don't have to talk about it. I just wanted to know what happened. I'm glad you didn't get hurt," she adds.

Krycek scowls, but his tone isn't terribly annoyed. "Thanks. You're right though. And I'm sure that everyone else is going to be pointing it out to me," he says, already feeling tired at the idea. "I don't ever have to go back though, now."

"That's very good to hear," Chloe says, relief clear in her voice. "Not that anyone would let you go back, even if you had to. You can tell yourself that we'd never find a way to keep you here, but you have to know that we would." She smirks faintly. "Also? I'm pretty sure I'm never letting you take Jake anywhere ever again."

He snorts, leaning his head back against the couch. "I don't think I want to take him anywhere again. I love him, but he's a royal pain in the ass as well."

It takes all of Chloe's self control to keep from "awww"ing out loud at Krycek's profession of love. But that doesn't keep her from smiling. "If you're just realizing he's a pain in the ass now, you're way more oblivious than I ever imagined. Luckily for Jake, it's impossible not to adore him, no matter how bad he gets."

"Oh believe me, I noticed," he grumbles, giving Chloe a thoroughly long-suffering look. "He's just crazy enough to make it likeable."

Newspaper Crew Meeting: 16:00 FHS-20:00 FHS

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