5/4 Issue: The Morning News

[Slarti]

Timelined right around the same time as Pancake Surprise.

Shaw: "I don't care that he's on vacation. This is why I pay him a ridiculous retainer fee. I want you to locate him and he needs to call me. Now." Sebastian paced a moment longer and then ended the call, glancing over at Jessica as he pocketed the phone.

Jessica: Jessica sat with her favourite therapy guinea pig on her lap feeding him blueberries because it made her happy to watch him gobble them up. "It was only a matter of time before someone tried something like this..." she glanced up at Sebastian as he hung up the phone.

Shaw: "Enough time certainly passed before it came up," he agreed with a snort. "Where in Hell they obtained such information is my concern. It's ridiculous."

Jessica: "I would like to know who put them onto it but, as far as I'm aware, only two people, other than me, know where I used to work... as in the actual physical building, and one of them is dead." A little nose bumped her hand looking for more treats so she returned her attention to her lap buddy.

Shaw: Sebastian took another turn, glanced over at his bar with more than a little longing, then sat beside his wife, trying to ignore the rodent in her lap. "One way or the other, we will get to the bottom of this... debacle."

Jessica: The rodent was happy to ignore Sebastian too as long as the blueberries kept coming. Jess sighed and leaned against her husband, "In the mean time... I should cancel my appointments, I suppose... or at least switch to online only..."

Shaw: Sebastian slid his arm around her shoulders. "Why? I say carry on as you have. There's no reason to skulk about in shame."

Jessica: "It's not for me, it's for them. I'm not ashamed. My past made me who I am... it brought me to you," she offered him a small smile, "But I know this kind of thing surrounding your therapist and a threat of reporters maybe showing up at her door might put you off attending your appointments."

Shaw: "Ah. I suppose I can understand that." He nodded to himself and sighed, leaning in to give her a fast kiss. "You most certainly have nothing to be ashamed about, as you said." He was a little concerned about Miriam, as young as she was.

Jessica: "I did all my being ashamed in college," she reminded him, looking down again as her lap buddy started nibbling her hand, "You need to go potty?" she asked the rodent as the nibbling grew more insistent, "Okay, time to go home to your buddies..."

Shaw: Sebastian shifted to let her get up when she mentioned pottying rodents. "You needn't be ashamed even then, although I know you'd argue otherwise."

Jessica: "Well, I know that now but back then it was horrible..." she gave the piggy kisses and let his room mate have a blueberry in case he got jealous once the obligatory mouth-sniff check was completed. "Do you think we should keep Miriam home for a while?"

Shaw: "I know," he agreed, sighing a little as he watched her rise and fiddle with the small creatures. "I don't believe we should change her routine, but I also don't want anything to bleed over to affect her."

Jessica: "I'm worried about trouble when we do the school run..." She tossed the fleece the guinea pig had been sitting on into the hamper for washing later and went to wash her hands and put the kettle on.

Shaw: "Our attorneys had best earn their keep and keep any bottom feeders far, far away from our family." He got up to follow her into the kitchen, crossing his arms to pace.

Jessica: "I'm sure they will. It is what we pay them for," she caught him in his pacing and wrapped her arms around him, "Filing paperwork takes time so try and be patient."

Shaw: "I don't pay them to be on vacation the one time we need them," he complained, but slipped his arms around her to return the embrace. "Patience is not one of my virtues."

Jessica: "Unfortunately, no one can predict when this kind of thing will happen and we can't expect them not to take vacations..." she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "When he calls, try to be understanding."

Shaw: "Understanding," he muttered, but leaned into the kiss and pulled her into him.
Jessica: She laughed and gave him a squeeze, "Maybe I should talk to him?"

Shaw: "I can be... understanding." He said the word as if it pained him and turned his head to kiss her temple.

Jessica: She laughed again and let him go so she could make her tea, "Don't hurt yourself."

Shaw: "I would much rather hurt the imbecile who wrote the infernal article." He whipped his phone back out of his pocket to pull the offending tabloid up again to rescan the damning words.

Jessica: "Yes, but then they'd just write another article but that one would be about you," she pointed out, going to get the milk.

Shaw: "About me would be preferable. Then I could deal with it my way," he huffed.

Jessica: "Then I'm glad it's about me and we're not going to make more trouble for ourselves. We'll let the people we pay to sort this stuff out sort it out," she stirred her tea and picked it up to take it to the living room.

Shaw: "It's hardly trouble." He shoved the phone back in his pocket and decided to make himself a coffee. "They can't sort it on vacation."

Jessica: "Well that's why we call them and let them call us back or find someone that's not on vacation that can handle it. You know how lawyering works. Stop being a brat or do I need to put you on the naughty step?"

Shaw: Sebastian leaned back from the kitchen to give her a raised brow and a playful look. "Perhaps I'd be best served to continue if that's my reward."

Jessica: She laughed, "You're awful," she leaned against the door frame with her tea, waiting for him to finish up with the coffee machine.

Shaw: He laughed and turned to look at her, waiting for the coffee to brew. "I wonder if Michael has seen the news yet."

Jessica: "If he hasn't, let him remain in blissful ignorance until we've heard back from the lawyers...."

Shaw: "I suppose that's best," he agreed with a sigh, turning back to his coffee cup and debating if it was too early to add scotch.

Jessica: "He has enough on his plate at the moment with Hope gone off who knows where..." She blew on her tea a little before taking a careful sip.

Shaw: "And I do believe Carol is a touch frustrated with me," he chuckled, turning back to his wife with his black coffee. "Otherwise I would assume she'd be staying here again."

Jessica: "I mean, I don't blame her..." Jess straightened up and turned toward the living room. "You took sides and helped your side financially..."

Shaw: "Drake is a fool and he deserves what he gets," he sniffed into his cup, following behind her.

Jessica: "Not this he doesn't," Jess shook her head, going to take a seat on the sofa, "He especially doesn't deserve some outside influence making something that's already hard much harder... I wish you hadn't done that."

Shaw: "She has not accepted my offer of assistance, not beyond a referral to one of my attorneys." He held up a hand and paced to the window to look out at the summer sidewalk.

Jessica: "Uh-huh," she leaned back into the sofa cushions. "I'm just saying... I can't blame Carol for being prickly about the whole thing."

Shaw: "I would think you would sympathize with Paige, considering the circumstances." He spoke over his shoulder.

Jessica: "Why because I'm a woman?" she raised an eyebrow, leaning to set her tea on the coffee table.

Shaw: He knew this was dangerous territory. "I could argue otherwise, but bluntly put, yes. I know you have fondness for Drake for kindness he showed you in the past, but surely Paige is the injured party in this situation." He turned around, taking a sip of coffee.

Jessica: "For the one infraction, sure," she shrugged a shoulder, conceding that point, "But I think Bobby's been the injured party for a long time before that happened."

Shaw: "Because his wife has been busy schooling herself and saving the lives of children?" He snorted. "The woman is practically a saint."

Jessica: "Saving children while neglecting her own and her husband and expecting Bobby not to do his own job? I don't want to fight about this, Sebastian... that's why I've been holding my tongue... We're not going to agree. I think Paige overreacted. I think they could have worked it out. But obviously she didn't want to do that."

Shaw: Sebastian hummed, not really wanting to fight either. "I recall Drake was doing his job, up until all this occurred, of course. And now with Hope off galavanting across the world with Sum..."

Jessica: "That's because you don't have the gossip grapevine that I have," she pointed out, "I know things... also empathy is a pain in the ass. I know things I don't want to know. All the time."

Shaw: His nose wrinkled and he moved to sit down beside her, feeling a twinge of sympathy of his own for her empathy.

Jessica: She sighed and curled up against his side, "It's all a horrible mess and I just wish she'd have used the time in Hawai'i with the kids to cool off instead of file papers."

Shaw: "It may all come out for the best in the end. I do feel some responsibility for the stress a divorce places on the children." He put his arm around her and settled in.

Jessica: "I hope so..." she sighed and lay her head on his shoulder, "Adulting is complicated..."

Shaw: "Far more complicated than advertised," he agreed, kissing the top of her head.

[Esynthia]

Adulting sucks. Tabloids make it suckier.