FICTION: Lost and Found (Part 10a)
Title: Lost and Found (Part 10a)
Authors: PerfectlyLexy & DreamtoCreate
Pairing: Scott Barringer/Peter Scarbrow
Rating/Warning etc: Eventually NC-17.
Summary: Despite knowing better, and Scott’s denial, Peter and Scott realize they have feelings for one another that transcend that of student and teacher. Perhaps the lost truly can be found.
Continued from Lost and Found (Part 9b)
It had been two days. Two days since Scott had kissed him. Peter had himself convinced that it had just been a friendly kiss, thanking him for all he'd done for the boy. However, Scott's reaction had proven that it was more than that...at least to Scott. Shit, who was he kidding, to him as well. Not that he was willing to admit to that right at that moment in time. He was lost in those thoughts when Hannah came in. Something he'd done a lot of lately.
"Peter," she said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Come back to me. We need to discuss Shelby."
He shook his head and focused his attention on the other counselor. "I didn't realize you were here, Hannah. Yes, we do need to talk about Shelby," he said, sighing softly as he pushed his own concerns out of his mind.
She sighed, taking a seat across from him. "She's been called home...Officially, that is. Her mother called this morning."
Peter nodded, a very unhappy look on his face. "I know. I think it's insane on her mother's part, but yeah, she's got to go home. I asked her to give Shelby a week to get her things together and to close up some issues here and she wouldn't hear of it. She wants her back in three days...sooner if possible."
"She won't be happy," Hannah answered softly. "For that matter, neither am I. I thought we might be making progress, Peter. Just a little." In this business, even a little progress was better than none.
"I think that if they'd left her here, we may have gotten through to her," he said. "I tried to talk to her. The woman was more than adamant, however. Her husband has cancer and she can't do it all alone. Shelby was warned this was a possibility, right?"
"Oh, she knows. Shelby's far too cynical not to, even without me telling her."
Peter nodded grimly at that. Yes, Shelby was probably the most cynical of all of them there. "I have a bad feeling about this, Hannah. But nothing that gives me what I need to stop it."
"And she won't talk." She bit her lip, looking troubled. "At least, not to us."
"You think she's talking to someone else?" Peter leaned forward and looked at his friend. Hannah had a way of knowing what was going on with the teens in their charge.
"Yeah. I think she's talking to Scott." There had been little things Hannah had noticed, and kept mental track of. Slowly they had added up, until she was pretty sure she had a picture.
Peter closed his eyes and sighed at that. They were right back to _his_ problem as well, just that easily. "And he isn't liable to talk any more than she is," replied Peter as he opened his eyes and met her gaze.
"Maybe you could talk to him. He talks to you, Peter. You know he does."
"Not that I think it would make much difference. But, yeah, I could talk to him," he agreed, nodding. "We need to get Shelby in here first, though...give her the news and try to get her to talk. Or, talk to you anyway."
"Well," Hannah said, in that way that meant she was coming up with a plan, "Why don't I take Shelby, and you take Scott? Then we'll talk afterward." She paused, then added softly, "I don't want to see this girl go home, Peter. And I don't think anyone else does either."
He nodded in agreement. "I agree. That sounds like the perfect plan...because I don't want her leaving either. And if we can find any way at all of keeping her here, let's try."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied, but not ready to go. "There's something else, Peter. You."
"Me? What do you mean me?" he demanded softly, crossing his arms over his middle and leaning on them as he looked over at her as if he knew nothing of what she was speaking.
"Don't get defensive on me. I'm just a little worried. I mean, you've been a million miles away lately." She eyed him intently, as if suspecting him of some subterfuge.
"I just have some...things going on, Hannah. Personal things. I'll be fine," he retorted, smiling weakly. "I'm sure it'll pass soon enough. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"You know that sometimes we need to talk about things just as much as the
kids do," she answered softly, a silent invitation in her words.
He sighed and nodded. "I know, Hannah. And, I'm sure I will talk....once I work through some of it on my own first."
Hannah sighed. Honestly, she sometimes wondered if Peter didn't see himself in Scott Barringer. They were both so damned stubborn. "Alright," she agreed softly. "But I am here."
A slight smile lit his face and he nodded. "I know, Hannah. I know." The hurt look in her eyes made him want to wince, made him want to spill all to his friend and confidant. But...how could you tell a fellow teacher that you were attracted to one of your students? She'd be horrified, and more than likely report him. Because he knew, if that was the sort of confession he received from a fellow teacher and counselor, he'd do the same thing.
"Well," Hannah said after a long beat. "I'll go to talk to Shelby then. Good luck with Scott, Peter."
"I'll do my best," he said. "Meet up back here when we're done?" He smiled slightly then, wanting to put her at ease, to do whatever he could to wipe away the look she was trying to hide.
"You got it," she replied, pushing to her feet and turning for the door.
Peter pushed himself to his feet and came around the desk. "Hannah..."
She glanced back at him as she reached the door. "Yeah?"
"Thank you...for being such a good friend. For letting me know you're there when I'm ready to talk," he said softly.
She smiled softly at him. "You're welcome, Peter. I'll always be there for you." She had for this long; things weren't about to change now.
Continued in Lost and Found (Part 10b)
Authors: PerfectlyLexy & DreamtoCreate
Pairing: Scott Barringer/Peter Scarbrow
Rating/Warning etc: Eventually NC-17.
Summary: Despite knowing better, and Scott’s denial, Peter and Scott realize they have feelings for one another that transcend that of student and teacher. Perhaps the lost truly can be found.
Continued from Lost and Found (Part 9b)
It had been two days. Two days since Scott had kissed him. Peter had himself convinced that it had just been a friendly kiss, thanking him for all he'd done for the boy. However, Scott's reaction had proven that it was more than that...at least to Scott. Shit, who was he kidding, to him as well. Not that he was willing to admit to that right at that moment in time. He was lost in those thoughts when Hannah came in. Something he'd done a lot of lately.
"Peter," she said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Come back to me. We need to discuss Shelby."
He shook his head and focused his attention on the other counselor. "I didn't realize you were here, Hannah. Yes, we do need to talk about Shelby," he said, sighing softly as he pushed his own concerns out of his mind.
She sighed, taking a seat across from him. "She's been called home...Officially, that is. Her mother called this morning."
Peter nodded, a very unhappy look on his face. "I know. I think it's insane on her mother's part, but yeah, she's got to go home. I asked her to give Shelby a week to get her things together and to close up some issues here and she wouldn't hear of it. She wants her back in three days...sooner if possible."
"She won't be happy," Hannah answered softly. "For that matter, neither am I. I thought we might be making progress, Peter. Just a little." In this business, even a little progress was better than none.
"I think that if they'd left her here, we may have gotten through to her," he said. "I tried to talk to her. The woman was more than adamant, however. Her husband has cancer and she can't do it all alone. Shelby was warned this was a possibility, right?"
"Oh, she knows. Shelby's far too cynical not to, even without me telling her."
Peter nodded grimly at that. Yes, Shelby was probably the most cynical of all of them there. "I have a bad feeling about this, Hannah. But nothing that gives me what I need to stop it."
"And she won't talk." She bit her lip, looking troubled. "At least, not to us."
"You think she's talking to someone else?" Peter leaned forward and looked at his friend. Hannah had a way of knowing what was going on with the teens in their charge.
"Yeah. I think she's talking to Scott." There had been little things Hannah had noticed, and kept mental track of. Slowly they had added up, until she was pretty sure she had a picture.
Peter closed his eyes and sighed at that. They were right back to _his_ problem as well, just that easily. "And he isn't liable to talk any more than she is," replied Peter as he opened his eyes and met her gaze.
"Maybe you could talk to him. He talks to you, Peter. You know he does."
"Not that I think it would make much difference. But, yeah, I could talk to him," he agreed, nodding. "We need to get Shelby in here first, though...give her the news and try to get her to talk. Or, talk to you anyway."
"Well," Hannah said, in that way that meant she was coming up with a plan, "Why don't I take Shelby, and you take Scott? Then we'll talk afterward." She paused, then added softly, "I don't want to see this girl go home, Peter. And I don't think anyone else does either."
He nodded in agreement. "I agree. That sounds like the perfect plan...because I don't want her leaving either. And if we can find any way at all of keeping her here, let's try."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied, but not ready to go. "There's something else, Peter. You."
"Me? What do you mean me?" he demanded softly, crossing his arms over his middle and leaning on them as he looked over at her as if he knew nothing of what she was speaking.
"Don't get defensive on me. I'm just a little worried. I mean, you've been a million miles away lately." She eyed him intently, as if suspecting him of some subterfuge.
"I just have some...things going on, Hannah. Personal things. I'll be fine," he retorted, smiling weakly. "I'm sure it'll pass soon enough. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"You know that sometimes we need to talk about things just as much as the
kids do," she answered softly, a silent invitation in her words.
He sighed and nodded. "I know, Hannah. And, I'm sure I will talk....once I work through some of it on my own first."
Hannah sighed. Honestly, she sometimes wondered if Peter didn't see himself in Scott Barringer. They were both so damned stubborn. "Alright," she agreed softly. "But I am here."
A slight smile lit his face and he nodded. "I know, Hannah. I know." The hurt look in her eyes made him want to wince, made him want to spill all to his friend and confidant. But...how could you tell a fellow teacher that you were attracted to one of your students? She'd be horrified, and more than likely report him. Because he knew, if that was the sort of confession he received from a fellow teacher and counselor, he'd do the same thing.
"Well," Hannah said after a long beat. "I'll go to talk to Shelby then. Good luck with Scott, Peter."
"I'll do my best," he said. "Meet up back here when we're done?" He smiled slightly then, wanting to put her at ease, to do whatever he could to wipe away the look she was trying to hide.
"You got it," she replied, pushing to her feet and turning for the door.
Peter pushed himself to his feet and came around the desk. "Hannah..."
She glanced back at him as she reached the door. "Yeah?"
"Thank you...for being such a good friend. For letting me know you're there when I'm ready to talk," he said softly.
She smiled softly at him. "You're welcome, Peter. I'll always be there for you." She had for this long; things weren't about to change now.
Continued in Lost and Found (Part 10b)