Open Case File [COMPLETED]

A Visit With Carter (Part 3.5)

You really really REALLY need to have read the previous three parts for this to make a lick of sense!

With that said *mawhahaha* 😏 Enjoy...
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Mason stepped off the elevator and turned towards the stairwell. He didn't feel nervous. He never did. He pitied people who felt nervous. People who felt nervous didn't have his confidence, his assurance that nothing was wrong.

He imagined how annoying it would be to have that gnawing feeling in their gut like something was trying to eat its way through his abdomen to his spine. He meant they, they would feel that. He wouldn't know... 'cause of course he didn't feel that.

He climbed that last flight of stairs to the rooftop and pushed the already cracked door open more. Before him lay a seascape of apartment buildings and thousands of windows into other worlds and lives.

Mason didn't feel nervous at all as he crossed the rooftop to where Donovan and Carter sat. Why would he feel nervous? Nothing was wrong, nothing at all.

Donovan looked up as Mason stopped in front of the pair. Carter didn't react at all. Which was totally normal for Carter, she barely tolerated him on any given day so this was keeping with that.

"Link told me you'd be here," Mason said, casually. "I figured you might need a break to eat or sleep. Possibly shower."

Donovan looked a mess and a half. Only slightly better than Carter. Which considering Carter never cared how she looked meant nothing. She looked the same, completely the same.

"Thanks," Donovan said, tiredly. "That would be helpful. You can sit with her."

Donovan bent over Carter and kissed her forehead and whispered something. She didn't react. Which didn't surprise Mason, seriously, who would react to signs of affection? Those were annoying. Why did people feel the need to show love? Totally unnecessary, so it made sense Carter wouldn't care.

Donovan clapped Mason on the arm in gratitude and slipped back into the apartment building. Mason sank into Donovan's empty chair and surveyed the view. It was decent.

He glanced at Carter. He didn't look at her face and the healing bruises and the lost look in her eye. Nope, he wouldn't look at that because honestly for Carter that seemed normal. She was always getting into fights. So seeing her battered had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Carter, look," Mason said, pointing to a distance window. "Someone is trying to do an embarrassing workout in the privacy of their own home." He snorted. "The nerve of some people. No one wants to see that, let us all go about our lives please."

He shook his head, some people. Lacing his fingers, he laid them on the top of his head.

"Fine," he said. "I'll admit it, you've won the Most Broken One In This Relationship award." He rolled his eyes. "I mean I was leading with daddy issues, family issues, and general egotism issues. But yeah, sure you getting kidnapped, tortured, and facing trauma wins. Whatever."

He looked at her. "You know you didn't have to try that hard to take my title from me. A general self-esteem issue would have nudged you into the lead." He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, you're right, you wouldn't have self-esteem issues, you're too self-assured. Maybe control issues. Let's go with that, you could have control issues to beat me."

That fit and was less dramatic than-

Mason focused hard on the other apartments, taking in which were brick and which were glass. A strange mix of both. Curious.

"You can stop bugging me already," Mason said. "I'm serious, I don't want to talk about it, so I'm not going to talk about it."

He remained quiet for a long time then burst out.