Chapter Text
Riggs’ phone rang early and he picked up sleepily because he figured it was just Roger calling to say they had a dead guy, but it wasn’t. It was Agent Palmer. He sat up.
“Oh, sorry, did I wake you?” She said.
“Nuh, s’alright, I was just getting up anyway. You know, work.” Riggs cleared his throat and shook his head, trying to get his bearings straight. Why was she calling? Please, be work, Riggs’s brain pleaded.
“Okay, yeah so… I’m flying to LA again this afternoon and I was thinking if maybe you would like to grab a bite or something when my flight lands?”
Riggs’ brain was processing the previous information. It took some time. This wasn’t a work-related call. Warning signals started to flash red before his eyes. “Uhm…” was all that got out of his dry mouth.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to. It’s just… It’s nice not to eat alone you know and I had a nice time last time, so I was just thinking…” Karen rambled on the other side of line. She sounded slightly embarrassed. “But never mind, Riggs, I’ll see you when I see you.”
“No, wait!” Riggs’ brain finally woke up. “I’m just… I haven’t gotten any coffee in me yet so hehe…. Eat something, okay, I could do that. When? Where?”
“Oh, okay. I probably won’t be much company though, it’ll be late my time.”
“Nuh, s’alright.” Why was he repeating himself? Silence on the other end. “Palmer?”
“Yeah, right. Um well, my flight lands 6.15 pm and I’m staying at a hotel quite near LAX so you know any place?”
Riggs scratched his head. He wasn’t all that familiar with LA yet but a diner he’d been driving by a couple of times popped up in his mind. He gave the directions to Palmer and they ended the call with some awkward see you then and okay bye before hanging up.
Riggs sat on his couch, staring into nothing, thinking what the fuck had he gotten himself into? Again! Was this a date? This wasn’t a date, was it? It was just eating together with a colleague. Yeah, that’s right. A really nice and pretty colleague though. Dammit! With a twitch to let go of the tension he scrambled around for his jeans, got up and put on some coffee.
On the Atlantic coast, Karen Palmer hung up her phone, thinking it was going to be a long day and a looong flight.
***
“Riggs!”
“Sorry, what?”
“Did you hear a thing of what I just said?”
“BOLO out for white male suspect with black mohawk, got it!” Riggs winked at Murtaugh where they were sitting at their desks.
“What is up with you today?” His older partner asked.
“Me? Nothing.” Roger gave him “the look”, the one where he knew Riggs was full of bs.
“Come on, Riggs. Tell me. I haven’t seen you this distraught since last week when… Ooh!” There was a shit-eating grin on Murtaugh’s face.
“No, no! It’s not what you think!” Riggs pointed his finger at Roger.
“What is it then?”
“It’s just eating together.” Fuck!!! He wasn’t supposed to tell Roger that. Now he wouldn’t hear the end of it.
“She’s coming back here already??”
Ugh!!! Why did he say anything? Riggs fell back into his chair with a loud sigh. “Well, yes Roger, if you have to know, she’s arriving tonight and we are going to enjoy a meal together. Now, can we get back to the case, please?” Riggs said and annoyingly flipped his hands.
“Okay, whatever you say, partner”. There was still a shit-eating grin on Murtaugh’s face.
***
3 pm PST and Martin Riggs realized he didn’t have anything clean to wear tonight. Fuck.
Somewhere over the Midwest Karen Palmer tried really hard to nap or work but neither happened.
4:30 pm PST and Martin Riggs was buying a shirt. Like, actually buying a shirt. Fuck.
High above the Rocky Mountains Karen Palmer had finally nodded off, her neck was gonna be a bitch.
6 pm PST and Martin Riggs was staring at his only bottle of fine scotch left in trailer, thinking he could really need a little to take the edge off, but no, no, not that dark hole again. Fuck.
Karen Palmer woke up because her ears were blocked and 10 minutes later she touched down at LAX and her neck was a bitch.
Both Martin Riggs and Karen Palmer thought ‘Great’ in that sarcastic way of theirs.