Falling For You [Tom Hiddleston]

10

Claire's POV

"Got a bee in your bonnet?" Kara asked, setting a cup of coffee on my desk and then shutting the door so we could talk privately. "You've been rather out of sorts these past two days, Claire."

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temples, trying to soothe the pounding behind them. "I'm sorry, Kara. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

Between the shit I had to deal with from Caleb, Tom's psychotic stalker, my personnel investigations and my cover job, I was finding myself spread a little thin. It didn't help that Luke was having a hard time convincing Tom that he needed the security upgrades I suggested and my brothers were still over two weeks out from getting back to London.

"Anything I can help with?"

"No," I sighed to myself. None of this was anything I could talk about to Kara; she didn't know I'd taken on Tom as a protection detail...and I was happy to let her think I was finally moving on, regardless of the truth of the situation.

"All right, I won't press; but if there's anything I can help you with, please let me know."

"Thank you."

She took a long sip of her coffee. "How's your Tom, by the way?"

"I wouldn't know; I haven't been able to talk to him for a couple days now since the only time I can call him is while he's on set. My temporary flat is bugged, so I can't even call him from there! God, I sound like such a whiny little bitch right now," I ground out, looking up at the sound of Kara choking on her coffee. "Sorry, Kara-mia."

"No, no - not at all," she wheezed, waving off my concern. "Just swallowed wrong. Why don't you take a long lunch today? Or even the rest of the day?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah - we're good here. It's been almost two months now - that's longer than you're usually on one of those cases."

I nodded. She was right - I didn't usually do anything longer than a couple weeks; I hadn't thought that this one would take so long, either. But I wasn't going to leave it unfinished just because things were starting to get a little tough physically...or mentally.

"You think the stress of this latest case is getting to me."

"I do. Take the rest of the day if you want; I'll tell the girls you felt a migraine coming on or something if they ask."

"You're not wrong," I sighed, massaging my temples again. "And it isn't coming on; it's here."

"Clarissa Alaina Dumont Kingsley," Kara chided.

It wasn't often she used my full legal name, but it was almost always delivered with her arms crossed over her chest while giving me the eyebrows of disapproval - like now. And I knew why; after my last concussion, I wasn't supposed to let my headaches become migraines or get out of hand if I didn't want to end up heavily sedated for two days. That wasn't happening - especially not without my brothers to look out for me while I wasn't able to take care of myself.

I held up one hand defensively. "It's only been an hour now and I've already taken something for it; it just hasn't kicked in yet."

"You will take the rest of the day off to decompress; that's an order."

I nodded; I just needed some down time where I wasn't required to act for anyone and I'd be fine again. "Thanks, Kara. I owe you one."

"Bring me a fancy coffee and a blueberry muffin when you come in tomorrow morning and I'll call it good."