Lee Pace's Characters Preferences

Secrets (Part 1)

Joe leaned against the leather couch behind him, his shirt hung over those broad shoulders but he made no attempt to button it as he watched you composed yourself. It was one of his favorite moments – watching you wear the articles of clothing with your cheeks still flushed and the unkempt hair. He couldn't help but smirked at the sight.

"What are you smiling about?" you asked, your eyes meeting his. There was a glint in them. You knew why he was smiling.

"Come over here," Joe patted on the space between his legs. You obliged and scooted to the spot and leaned against his chest. You could feel his fingers running through your hair as he left a peck on your temple. The two of you sat in silence, enjoying one another's company in the now empty office building. There were no lights on except for the lamp by Joe's desk. The almost pitch black environment was tempting you to sleep until Joe cleared his throat, interrupting your trance.

"Can I tell you something?" he began, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What is it?" you replied, turning slightly to get a better look of Joe. His eyes were dark, the smirk on his face moments ago was now replaced by a frown.

He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. 'Is he going to end this? Is that why he asked me to stay late tonight? Is he-'

"These scars," he looked down at his bare chest. "These scars are a reminder of my mother," he began, glancing up and at the blinking city lights beyond the large window beside the two of you. "When I was a kid, she used to take me up to the roof to look at the stars. She always encouraged me to dream because anything is possible as long as we dared to dream," he paused, his voice shaky. You laced your fingers with his, holding onto him, urging him to continue. "And one night when we're on the roof, she was too inebriated and she let go of my hands and I fell three stories down." You could see the tears began to well up in his eyes. "I landed on the fence on the front yard. I spent most of the next two years on a hospital bed." 

A tear escaped and trickled down his cheek. You frowned and turned to cup a hand over his cheek. He leaned into your touch, closing his eyes as more tears fell. "Today's the anniversary of her death," he murmured, he opened his eyes to meet yours. The sadness in them was something you had not seen before. It was probably the first time you had seen Joe as who he really was, without the act. For that, you leaned forward and kissed his eyelids, letting him know that his secret was safe with you, that you were glad he opened up to you, that this was more than just an office fling with the boss.

Aaron Tyler (Wonderfalls): You were hanging out with Aaron in his cubicle in one of the many graduate students' offices. It was almost midnight and Aaron was pulling an all-nighter with his thesis. He had a meeting in the coming Monday and he was nowhere near ready. You glanced up from the magazine you were reading to find Aaron hunched over his laptop, his eyes darted back and forth on a journal article he was reading. You shrugged and turned your attention back to the glossy pages of the magazine.

You weren't sure how long it had been since you fell asleep on the chair, but when you woke up, you realized the magazine you were reading was sprawled on the floor. You sat up, rubbing your eyes. Aaron was still hunched over his laptop, but this time you could tell he was frustrated, clearly stuck with his writing. You stood up and stretched your muscles before walking over to him. "Babe," you placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him. He turned to you, his eyes slightly red from the hours of staring at the screen. "I thought you were asleep," he yawned.

You shook your head. "Do you perhaps want to take a short break?"

Aaron turned to the screen and back to you. "Good idea," he mumbled and saved the file he was working on. The two of you headed out of the office. Aaron let out a loud yawn as he stretched. "Is there anything I can help?" you asked. He led the two of you to an empty pantry where he proceeded to make a cup of coffee.