Tomato Soup II

Previously

Levi saw the panic on her face, and moments later they heard her front door slam open, followed by heavy footsteps from the corridor. Sam knew it was too late and dropped her hand with her mobile. Levi turns at the exact moment to see two armed men, pointing semi-automatics at him.

"HANDS UP!" One commanded loudly, ramming him to the nearest wall seconds later. His arm twisted behind his back harshly. Levi groaned at the impact, that would leave a mark he thought.

"CLEAR!" Charlie's voice reverberated after surveying the north of her flat.

"CLEAR!" Beta echoed on the other side.

"Stop! damn it! Alpha, you know who he is. Release him!" Sam directed, glowering at the leader with a shaved head standing by her bedroom door.

Alpha nodded to his subordinate Delta, the beefy man released Levi. Levi took note of Sam's words, 'you know who he is', indicating he may have been under their surveillance. Levi turned, rubbed his aching jaw that made contact with the wall seconds before and studied the two men, clad in tactical suits. He could tell by the way they handled themselves they were military trained, most likely security contractors. "Mr. Jackson used an unregistered key," Alpha notified Sam, earning a sigh from her. Levi noted his accent, 'American security contractor' he mentally corrected.

"I know, register him," Sam instructs, earning a curious look from the man. Then she shifted to stare at Levi and said, "give it to him."

Levi fished the key out of his suit pocket and handed it to 'Alpha', "Mr. Jackson, follow me please." Alpha instructed as he exited Sam's bedroom. "Echo, bring me the machine," Meyer said over his earpiece as they made their way towards her front door. Another man joined them by the door, Levi noted there were five of them in total, all fully equipped and armed.

The man called 'Echo' handed a device to Alpha. "Your hand, please," Alpha asked, and Levi presented him his right hand. Alpha pressed his hand on a screen, a geometry and biometric machine he assumed. While the scan proceeded he watched as Echo made his way to the door, knelt with a device in hand. The man was seemingly programming the door thru Bluetooth Levi reckoned. Then he inserts a key similar to Elle's through the keyhole.

"I take it, that is not just an average door," Levi said Alpha turned to where he was looking at his colleague 'Echo'.

"Fredricksen made, not yet on the market," Alpha confirmed, not getting into details how it works. Fredricksen is one of the best security companies in the world.

Levi could only hypothesize that it was capable of scanning the keys used, and identifying which ones are registered. Likely, the key itself contains some unidentified elements that your ordinary keys don't. So, duplicating the key wasn't a good idea after all. Maybe he should've listened to the engraving on the key that says, 'do not duplicate'. But then again, he wouldn't be at that party if he didn't, wouldn't he? He grinned.

After taking Levi's hand geometry and biometrics, Alpha handed him the key Echo gave. Alpha made his way towards Sam's bedroom and bid his goodbye.

"Boys, withdraw," Alpha said over his earpiece, and the group exited the premises.

Last to go was Alpha, pausing as he passed Levi in the living room and said, "Good day, Mr. Jackson."

Sam leaned on the headboard, still sitting in her bed. Looking at the door. Levi emerged moments later, a shit-eating grin spread on his face.

"That was interesting," Levi commented, arching a brow at Sam, with a Tupperware of soup in hand. Soup he left in the living room before. Sam yawned and just stared at him, by her expression he could tell she'd rather not talk about it.

"So, what do you need?" Sam broke the awkward silence, causing Levi to mentally frown, and it showed on his face for a millisecond.

Levi opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.

He didn't need anything, and she did make a point.

Why was he there if he didn't need anything? It was unlike him.

He questioned his motive, why was he there? With soup even? Soup, he demanded Mrs. Whitehall make, although he didn't have to demand because the flabby old woman was more than happy to help.

Sam saw his inner battle, and she raised an expectant brow at him, noticing the parcel in hand. Waiting.

"Mrs. Whitehall asked me to give you this. Chicken soup." He lied, noticing her eyeing the item in his hand. "Ah." Sam expelled, she saw it, that was too obvious Sam thought. He was losing his touch. "Thank you. That's kind of her." She added, going along with his lie. She started to get out of bed, and Levi knew what she was trying to do, "I'll do it, stay there." he said, then walked out.

Levi looked at her kitchen, it was clean and fully furnished. From his observation, she rarely used it other than wash dishes. He doesn't even know if she cooks, based on the state of her trash bin she regularly ordered food. He scanned the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and spoon, after heating the soup in the microwave. Levi Jackson for the first time felt domesticated, and he scoffed at himself.

He walked back in the bedroom, handing the bowl to Sam who smiled at him, she found the situation amusing. An attractive man wearing a perfectly pressed 3piece suit in her bedroom was unheard of. Come to think of it, she realized she never had anyone other than Elle come over her place since she moved to London.

Levi grabbed the chair from the vanity table and sat, then started to study her bedroom. It was modern, but it seemed as if it wasn't hers. It was simple, it was a room with a bed, bedside drawer, en suite bathroom, a vanity, and a wardrobe.

No other furniture, the walls were empty too. No shelves of books as he'd originally expected, and he formed a conclusion.

"You compartmentalize." He says, and she nods, taking another spoonful of soup. Levi looked at her as if waiting for an explanation.

"I used to be like you" she started, earning a scowl from Levi. The way she said it had an offensive connotation to it. She grinned at his reaction. "Not in a bad way....okay, a little bad," she added, laughing after.

"I used to bring my work home before too. But, it didn't play out well for me, especially my health. I've been hospitalized several times due to over fatigue, stress, and migraines. So, I started compartmentalizing, If I'm here, I rest, I relax, I sleep. If I'm at work, I'm allowed to be a work junkie." Sam explained and Levi nodded.

"But you're still sick," Levi observed. "Just my body telling me to slow down a bit," Sam admitted, she had been especially busy that month. Taking that consultancy case from Sergeant Davies did not help her health.

Levi frowned suddenly, "Weekends are your rest days." He realizes. Recalling since their friendship had started it had been routine for her to spend it with him at 7 Eastbourne Rd. Doing experiments together, playing games, or throwing darts at his office with the boys. He felt somewhat responsible for the sickness, though logic says it wasn't.

"Not that, it's rest for me, honest. People get sick you know. I'll survive." Sam says.

"I don't get sick." the Irishman claimed proudly. "Well, you know what they say about idiots." Sam joked, "I poisoned your food." Levi shots back, hinting on the finished bowl of soup on her lap.

And the two laughed.