i'll be seeing you ▽ helena

[Colt Jackson]

i'll be seeing you

 in all the old familiar places that this heart of mine embraces.

M

aybe Colt's health would have been better off if he learned to loosen the reigns a little. But that just wasn't in his nature. He wasn't someone who could just let things go and hope that they settle themselves or let someone handle it for him.

Some would suspect it was because Colt was a control freak, or maybe that he enjoyed all of the extra work that he put on his plate, but that was the opposite. Colt would have enjoyed nothing more than a couple extra hours of free time to himself. The idea of heading home before the streets went dead sounded lovely in theory, but just not realistic.

His problem was that Colt didn't trust others with his business. High Noon was like his child, something that he dotted on day in and day out, protected, praised and would most likely die for. People would not lose as much as Colt would if anything were to happen to the casino and hotel. Sure, they would be out of the job, but High Noon was his life. Colt wouldn't even know how to function without it. The only person he would ever agree to overseeing the business would be Helena, who was not only the best at her job, but the person he trusted the most with anything. She knew what this place meant to him and it showed.

Colt had spent his day 'shadowing' other jobs. That meaning that he would sit and observe others whether they be in the casino or the hotel, seeing how well they were doing their jobs, what needed to be improved, what would make things smoother. After spending more than half the day in the gaming training center, Colt returned to the office, took a couple of calls, played phone tag with a couple of people and left a note with his lawyer's secretary. Shortly after, his own secretary knocked on his door and entered with a sandwich and a coffee from the deli across the street. He thanked her and while on her way out, he requested that she refrained from letting anyone bother him for the rest of the day. He was feeling a headache coming on that spread to the back of his neck and was struggling to focus.

Eating half of his sandwich, Colt found his head pounding continued to grow. He had the coffee, thinking his body was craving the caffeine, but it did nothing for him. A cigarette did nothing as well as he butt the end of one into the ashtray on his desk. He felt like shit, though he had no idea why or where it had come from. He walked across the room and decided to lie down on the couch and close his eyes, hoping the strain in his head would disappear.

But what turned into a couple of minutes turned into hours.

All the noise from the office had disappeared and though his eyes weren't open, the room felt dark and empty. The air was colder, an indication that the sun was no longer beaming through the shutters and his shoulders felt still.

A shaking of his shoulders lulled out of his sleep, fizzing out whatever he had been dreaming about. His eyes didn't open, but his face scrunched up uncomfortably as he merely readjusted himself, not wanting to be disturbed anymore.

Another nudge made his blood shot eyes open. Slowly, he blinked to watch the blobs around him sharpen into objects and figures that made sense to him. The end of a skirt and a pair of pale calves appeared before him as Colt leaned back and squinted. He looked up and immediately felt the realization hit him that he had fallen asleep.

"...Helena?" He murmured, rubbing his eyes, unsure whether he had gotten that right or not. He sniffed and frowned at her, just slightly sitting up to look at the room to find everything was pitch black except the lamp on his desk that had been turned on. "What are you doing here? What-- what time is it?" He rubbed his head, the pain had returned again. Damn it, he better not be coming down with anything. His concern wasn't on his health anymore, instead he focused his eyes on Helena, looking bothered and worried that she was here, that it was dark and the place was empty with the exception of the two of them.

TAG:Helena Rodgers OUTFIT: suit and tie NOTES: ;-;

[Helena Rodgers]

do you remember

the taste of my lips that night

E

ven though Helena would deny it, she was worried about Colt. In fact, she was always worried about Colt unless they were sitting at the dinner table together. Although she was usually worried about him then, too, and was wondering if he was stressing about work. Because that was the thing about Colt: he was always working. Even when he wasn’t in the office he was mentally working, and Helena knew that it was taking a toll on him. He would never admit it, but she could see it in the way that his shoulders slumped when he sat or the way that he ran his hand over his face, even the way that some days it was obvious that he hadn’t shaved. They were little things most of the time but Helena had trained herself to notice all of the little details.

It was worth it in the end, though. Colt loved High Noon more than anything else, and it showed. The casino was in the best shape of its life, and it was Colt’s goal that it was going to continue improving. He had worked his ass off to get to where he was now. Helena was proud of him, and she hoped that she’d made it clear. She enjoyed working for him because he was a good boss, and it was an amazing business. Sure, it was stressful sometimes, but Helena enjoyed her work. She would be forever grateful to Colt for getting her such a good job. He was nothing but good to her, even though she had insisted on trying to keep him at a distance.

The day itself was going well. Helena was busy, but it was a good busy. It was the kind of busy that made her days pass quickly. One of the secretaries had gotten pregnant, and Helena had started the search for a temporary replacement. She considered bringing Margot in; her daughter could use the experience, though she was pretty sure Margot would be upset and accuse Helena of not believing in her acting career. Which, if Helena was being honest, was kind of true. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Margot was good—she thought Margot was fantastic—it was that it was unrealistic. What was she supposed to do when she didn’t get a job? How could she pay rent? These were the kinds of questions that had Helena panicking. Her twins were seniors in high school, and she was going to have to send them out into the world.

Between worrying about her kids and worrying about the secretary and doing her regular work, Helena didn’t even notice the lack of Colt’s presence around the offices. Helena figured that he was probably around the bar or in the training area, watching the newbies. That was the thing about Colt: everything ran smoothly because he knew everything that was going on. Nothing passed by him without his approval, and it made for a smooth running casino. It was impressive, considering the size of the place and the amount of staff that he had working for him.

Helena knew that it was getting late, but she continued working. As the hours passed by, the office fell quieter and quieter as all the secretaries began to leave.

It was around ten when she finally slid from her office. Since it was a casino, the building itself was still buzzing with people, but the back had long since fallen silent. Other than the housekeeping and the occasional security guard, no one should have been left. Helena gathered her things, hoping the twins had cooked the leftover meatloaf right, and locked her office door behind her. The light in Colt’s office caught her eye, and she fiddled with her key ring, assuming that Colt had just left it on when he headed out. She tried the door, surprised to find it open, and was even more surprised to find him fast asleep on the couch.

”Colt,” Helena nudged the man, but he barely moved. ”Colt.” She nudged him again, harder this time, and he shifted. His eyes fluttered but didn’t open. Helena let out a frustrated breath through her nose and gave him a sharp jab. That had him. He sat up, still groggy and looking more confused than anything else. ”It’s just past ten o’clock. Everyone has already left, and I was just heading out when I saw the lamp on.” It was obvious that Colt was too incoherent to form complete thoughts, let alone move, so she sat on the couch next to him. She smoothed her hands over her skirt. ”Are you sick?” Helena pressed her hand to his forehead, frowning.

TAG:Colt Jackson OUTFIT: smth joan-y NOTES: babes

[Colt Jackson]

i'll be seeing you

 in all the old familiar places that this heart of mine embraces.

"T

en o' clock...." Colt echoed, drawing out the words slowly under his breath. He sat up and pulled his sleeve up his elbow, peering down at his watch to read the time. Yup. Ten o'clock it was. He could have sworn it was five in the afternoon just minutes ago. Though he had obviously slept the majority of the day away, he didn't feel any better. His joints were stiff, his head was pounding and he was still feeling low.

Helena's soft hand felt cool and inviting as she pressed it against his clammy forehead. He looked up at her wrist, watching the pendants off her bracelet dangle while doing so and then dropped his eyes onto her. He knew there was a bit of heat radiating off of his skin, but played it off like she was overeating, swiping her hand off of him and placing it in her lap.

"I have a headache," He shrugged. Headaches were almost normal for Colt. That or it was his go to excuse when he didn't feel like interacting with everyone in the office. But again, it was just a minor thing, not something he wanted to be babied over, which he knew Helena would just do. She meant well, but boy did it ever test his patience when she dotted on him or nagged him to take care of his body.

"I'm fine though, honestly," He said. "Don't give me that look."

To perk himself up, he rubbed his hands over his face and stood up, giving his body a needed stretch. He rubbed the back of his neck and undid the knots the couch had formed under his skin and looked back at Helena. "It's ten o'clock," He repeated yet again. "You should be with the kids."

He knew that he hadn't been a part of the kids lives growing up, but it was difficult for him to see them as anything but the little plump infants he saw years ago, the ones that Helena would occasionally roll in with their stroller into the office for visits with the co-workers and her friends. They were older now and developing strong personalities and opinions on their own, but he still saw them as these vulnerable kits that didn't have a clue what to do with themselves without their mother. And honestly, after witnessing how many bad ideas they had made together, he was surprised Helena wasn't worried about them setting the house on fire or breaking one of the bed frames again.

TAG:Helena Rodgers OUTFIT: suit and tie NOTES: ;-;

[Helena Rodgers]

do you remember

the taste of my lips that night

E

Yes it was true that Helena tended to baby Colt. He worked too hard for his own good, and it wouldn’t be long before he drove himself into the ground. He had high blood pressure and chronic headaches—well sometimes he used those as an excuse. Helena had learned to tell the difference—and she wasn’t sure if he always ate at regular times of the day. She didn’t mean to nag, but she was worried about him, and she was determined to make sure he didn’t have a heart attack. It was obvious that it was more than just a headache when she pressed her hand to his forehead—it was clammy and warm, but Colt was quick to brush her off. He always did that.

Helena rolled her eyes as he told her not to give him ‘that look’. Her kids always complained about it, too, but she couldn’t help it. It was only natural for her to look exasperated by their childishness. “At least let me get you some Aspirin.” As much as she joked about trying to save him from a heart attack, it was true. Though she wouldn’t admit it, losing Colt was one of her biggest fears. She had already lost one man she loved, and she was in no place to lose another. She had gone as far as to occasionally as the secretary for some updates on him, always ignoring the raised eyebrows and inquisitive look that she gave Helena after she asked about his health.

"You should be with the kids."

“And you should be at home, but it looks like we’re both here.” The twins could manage themselves for a night, and she’d told them that she had a lot of work to do and specifically told them not to wait up for her. Helena stood up and put her hand on Colt’s arm, “Sit down. I’m going to go get you some Aspirin and water.” Knowing Colt, he’d probably already taken a handful of them, but she figured a few more couldn’t hurt.

Being here late at night with him was almost like old times before they’d both gotten way over their heads. She could remember when he was still a janitor, cleaning up after performances and her with her accent and bright red hair, giggly and determined. They’d become instant friends, and she’d started signing up for later performances just to run into him. Somehow, in the midst of their light-hearted friendship, things had gotten increasingly more serious, and they’d… well, Helena wasn’t sure what they had been, but she knew that it had gotten very, very grey towards the end.

Helena grabbed two apples from the fridge and water and Aspirin for Colt, carrying it all haphazardly in her hands. It was one of the perks she’d learned from waitressing; she could carry an impossible amount of things in her arms. It was late, and she knew that she probably should go home, but she found a strange nostalgia in sitting with him in his office. She handed over the goods she collected before kicking off her heels and curling her legs beneath her. She took a bite of apple and chuckled, “Remember when we used to sneak into the locked offices and drink their booze?” Never enough for them to notice, of course, but it was always fun. The offices usually closed around five or six, whereas the rest of the casino stayed open for all hours of the night. The executives had it easy. It was weird to think that Helena was one of them now.

TAG:Colt Jackson OUTFIT: smth joan-y NOTES: babes