20206/Cowgirl

Cowgirl
Date of Scene:	09 March 2025
Location:	Ferris Aircraft Innovation Center
Synopsis:	One of Hal Jordan's old flames, Captain Jillian
Cast of Characters:	Carol Ferris, Hal Jordan

---

Carol Ferris has posed:
"Carol, I jus' wanna make sure you know how much I 'preciate you not holdin' everything that happened against me."

The feminine, southern drawl comes from a blonde woman standing in Carol's office. She and Carol are both in front of her desk. Carol's leaning against the edge, her arms crossed loosely over her stomach -- a position that tugs at the shoulder seams of her blazer. She's wearing one of her many skirt suits, an expensive designer pump stretched out in front of her to keep her braced in place.

The blonde -- Jillian "Cowgirl" Pearlman -- is just a pace in front of her, wearing a crisp, navy blue pants suit reminiscent of a military dress uniform, though it's most definitely not.

"We all have pasts, Jillian. There's a lot in mine I'm grateful to be forgiven for," Carol answers with an easy smile. "You're an amazing pilot, and we'll all benefit from having you here. I know Hal will be glad to fly with you again. He doesn't get much competition these days."

"You think? We didn't really part on the best of terms," Cowgirl admits, and though there's clearly an intent to keep things professional, there's sincere worry in her eyes. "How's he doin', anyway?"

"You should ask him yourself," Carol muses, her bright blue eyes shifting over Cowgirl's shoulder to the open door of her office -- the one that leads out to the reception and waiting area.

Because there, in the doorway, stands Hal Jordan.

Hal Jordan has posed:
It's a pretty common occurrence to see Hal Jordan in the outer office of Ferris Air's CEO. Enough so that her assistant hardly so much as blinks anymore when he slips in and asks for a couple of minutes of her time.

When he even asks at all that is and doesn't just walk right in.

It's an odd sort of dynamic really, when an admittedly brilliant if sometimes suspect test pilot can just breeze into the bosses office as casual as can be.

But then Ferris Aircraft is a pretty special sort of place to work. Almost all of it's employees would agree on that score.

And it admittedly probably helps that Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan have been involved -- off and on -- for the better part of twenty years now.

This, of course, is one of those occasions when Hal has pointedly ignored the 'stop sign' from Carol's assistant and breezed into her office with little concern for who she's meeting.

That will change right quick.

It's never the most reassuring sight in the world for any man to see his current girlfriend chatting with his ex-girlfriend, and Hal Jordan is no different on that score, his progress into the office drawing to an abrupt halt.

Never let it be said that Hal can't recover quickly and while his gaze darts between the two rather exquisite women, his brow arches noticeably. "Fancy meeting you here Cowgirl," he drawls out. "What brings you by?"

You never know right? It could be good news.

Please be good news.

Carol Ferris has posed:
There are many times when Carol Ferris feels the need to assert her position or authority, either as CEO of Ferris Air or as the Champion of Love and leader of the Star Sapphire Corps.

There are even occasionally times when she feels the need -- usually when the women begin to flock around him -- to make her position in Hal's life more apparent. After all, it isn't as if they wear wedding bands, and while technically more utilitarian, the green and violet rings don't really carry the same meaning.

This is not one of those times.

There's warmth in Carol's eyes as she watches him, but she makes no move to stand, to greet him, to do anything more than smile in acknowledgement of his arrival. That in itself should tell Hal quite a bit about the 'tone' of the meeting. If she was upset with Cowgirl, she could simply have the woman thrown out on her ass. If she were feeling threatened, she could easily go stake her claim.

She doesn't.

Cowgirl, on the other hand, whirls around in a flash of blonde hair, blue eyes gone wide, smile pulled broadly across her mouth. And just for a moment, it almost seems like she might throw herself at him in excitement.

She doesn't.

"Highball."

That doesn't mean she can keep the sudden rush of warmth out of her voice, though, and Carol's eyes cut back towards her. Watching.

"I was... well... I was gonna ask you before I went and made anything official, but since yer here..."

Cowgirl's eyes sweep to Carol and back to Hal again, her mouth tugging a little more at one corner.

"I retired from the Air Force. Carol said she'd gimmi a job as a test pilot... bygones bein' bygones. But if it's gonna be a problem for you, I'll look somewhere else."

Her hands are so expressive when she speaks, and she ends up rubbing at her fingers just to give them something to do that's not reaching out for him. She may be his ex, but it would be a mistake to think that all those feelings have completely vanished.

Hal Jordan has posed:
This... doesn't feel like the best idea ever.

Hal has nothing against Jillian. She was a good partner in the air and when you get right down to it they both were relatively good for one another at a time when they both needed someone.

They had a good time and while things might not have ended in ideal fashion, that tends to be how things go. Endings are rarely entirely clean. Especially when strong emotions are involved.

Still, it can't help but feel a little like his worlds are colliding here. His past careening headlong into his present and future.

He can't help but sneak a quick peek at Carol as they share the news, perhaps checking for her reaction.

At the end of the day Ferris is her baby. She's not going to be forced into anything she doesn't want to do. And she certainly has nothing to prove, certainly not by playing nice with his ex-girlfriend.

She's also not the sort to play games. Throwing Cowgirl into his path to see what will happen. To test him and see if they really are as solid as they've seemed over the last several months.

And in fairness it is hard to argue against the blondes qualifications. She's a damn fine pilot -- not as good as Hal of course, but then who is? -- but almost certainly more reliable.

Still Hal gas to pause for a moment and consider. Really consider. He and Carol are in a good place. After years and so many challenges they finally seem stable. They finally seem happy.

So why mess with success?

Still, looking at Jillian, the hopeful look on her expression the idea of being petty, of being insecure doesn't appeal. Despite everything Hal still cares.

He also knows first hand how hard it can be to get settled into civilian life after being in the military. Sure, she could get a job with any airline. But could she really be happy flying commercial jets after what she has done?

No way. Not Cowgirl. In that, her and Hal are peas in a pod.

That seems to decide him. That familiar, lopsided grin slides over his face finally and he extends a hand towards the blonde.

"Welcome to the team Cowgirl. Hopefully you can keep up," he offers up, all traces of that anxiety hidden away.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's eyes meet Hal's when he looks her way, but other than affection -- and perhaps a measure of sympathy -- there's no guidance to be found.

Hal Jordan may protect Sector 2814 with his life from all manner of extraterrestrial threats, but he is now being faced with a potentially life-changing decision that no one can make except him.

Can he deal with working side-by-side with his ex-girlfriend? And is it worth the risk to give her a leg up in the private sector?

For her part, it appears Carol has already made her decision. Otherwise it wouldn't have fallen to Hal to weigh in at all. But it's hard to deny the excitement and the hope in Jillian's eyes while she waits, pensively, for him to process what she's asking.

It's not lost on the blonde that it's a big ask. It took a lot for her to come here. Hal knows that as well as anyone -- to suck up her pride and come ask her ex-boyfriend's girlfriend for a job? The woman she lost Hal to? ... After a series of unfortunate events involving the Star Sapphire Gem and the Predator, no less.

Still, she knows Hal, too, and as that exterior cracks, Cowgirl is already moving forward, stretching her hand out in time to grab Hal's in a firm shake.

"I'll take yer spot and have you testin' crop dusters before you know it, Highball," she challenges, grinning openly with a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.

And.. that seems to settle it.

Carol finally straightens from the front edge of her desk, smoothing her skirt as she paces a few steps forward.

"I'll tell HR to expect you tomorrow morning. They'll need to pull your records. It'll take a little time to get through all the paperwork. But, like Hal said. Welcome to the team, Cowgirl," the dark-haired woman says smoothly.

She and Cowgirl shake hands, and it almost seems as though a meaningful look passes between them -- just a flicker of... something.

"Yes, ma'am," Cowgirl says. "Thank you again. Both of you." Then, with a final glance between them, she heads towards the door, closing it behind her, and leaving Carol and Hal alone.

For just a moment, it seems as though Carol might not say anything about it, and then she turns her blue eyes fully on Hal, dark humor in her eyes.

"When, exactly, was Galactus supposed to be here?"

Hal Jordan has posed:
Sometimes fighting off world threatening monsters that they can scarcely hope to understand let alone defeat is the easiest part of their lives.

Really, it shouldn't be that big a deal. They're all grown-ups, Hal is hardly the same person he was in his late teens and early twenties when working with an ex might have indeed presented a problem. And the simple fact of the matter is that he and Carol have never been in a better place.

Still, there is something self-deprecating in that smirk that slides over his features as Jillian issues that challenge -- or is it a promise? -- and Hal gives an easy, nonchalant shrug in reply. "I guess we'll just have to see. Either way, it should be... interesting," he allows wryly.

Which might be too mild a way of putting it.

At the end of the day Hal is very much about living his life without any fear. And that includes surmounting a challenge or two in his personal life. No matter what the circumstances were around his breakup with Cowgirl, before she was his girlfriend she was just his friend.

Could he really turn his back on her now?

The dark haired pilot isn't indifferent to the fact that it couldn't have exactly been easy for her either, to approach Carol like this. And really, if Carol could put aside that awkward past between them all, how could he do any less?

"See ya when we see ya Cowgirl," he says, flicking a finger-pistol her way as she makes her departure, turning to watch her leave for a moment.

Only then does he turn back towards his live-in girlfriend, that eyebrow tilted once more, head cocked ever so slightly to the side.

"I really hope that this was a business decision. That she's the best pilot you could find," he says. Which is hardly an unrealistic possibility. "And not you deciding to introduce an element of drama just to see if you can make me squirm," he adds drily, circling around the desk at least, leaning in to claim a quick kiss from the dark haired woman.

Only then does he straighten once more, giving his head a shake. "Man, I didn't expect to run into her again," he says quietly until that faint smirk slides back into place on his expression.

"At this rate, whenever he finally shows up, it's not going to be soon enough to suit me. I swear to god Carol, no one keeps me on my toes quiet like you."

Given some of the people in his Rogue's Gallery? That's really saying something.

Carol Ferris has posed:
It's not like Carol to play games with him. Not these kinds of games. She's not the type to put Hal in a position to disappoint her.

That's happened enough in the past for both of them.

Which isn't at all fair.

Carol's disappointment mostly came when he chose duty over her, when he had to spend weeks or months or year away doing god knows what god knows where -- the Air Force, the Green Lanterns -- when all she could do was sit around and worry. And when they broke up? It was always jealousy over her 'replacement.' It was much, much rarer that Hal disappointed her without a good reason.

It just so happens that, at one point in their lives, one of those 'replacements' was Cowgirl.

That's not the reason she doesn't move towards him, though.

She's standing in her office, in her business suit, with the adrenaline of having hired one of Hal's ex-girlfriends still pumping through her veins. It's as much a refusal to admit that she needs him -- that she needs to be reassured of her place in his life -- as anything else.

Because for as much as Star Sapphire may be the Champion of Love, Carol Ferris is still very much a successful, self-possessed woman. Running to Hal the moment one of his ex-girlfriends showed up was never going to be in the cards.

She should probably have at least met him half-way, but a slow smile creeps across her lips when he comes all the way to her, leans in, and claims that kiss from her.

It's what she wanted, and it's what she got. That's all the reassurance she needed.

"You and I both know that the best pilot is subjective," she chides, that smile slipping into an amused grin. "But she's a damn good pilot, and I admire that she came straight to me. It took guts, and it shows me she'll come to me in the future, if she has something she needs to say."

This time, it's Carol that moves forward, closing the space between them as she presses close and slides a hand across Hal's chest, slipping it under that oh-so-familiar leather jacket he's always wearing.

"But it's not to make you squirm. Trust me. I have plenty of other ways I'd rather make you squirm," she murmurs, voice a little lower, a little huskier.

Laughter bubbles up, though, at the mention of running into Cowgirl and Galactus needing to hurry.

"In fairness, keeping you on your toes was one of the ways I was thinking about making you squirm... Highball," she purrs, with an extra emphasis on his callsign and an affected southern twang.

It's not that she never called him that. She did. Fairly frequently. But she can definitely tease him about Cowgirl doing it, too.

Hal Jordan has posed:
Honestly, Hal doesn't believe for a moment that this is some game on Carol's part.

They have been through too much for any of that and they are certainly in too good a place for him to start getting paranoid about that sort of thing.

Equally to the point coming in, going to Carol, seeking a job that she wants is exactly the sort of thing that Cowgirl would do. Much like Carol, she isn't the sort to backdown, or not go after something that she wants, even if it makes her or those around her a little uncomfortable in the process. It's impossible not to rather respect that kind of outlook on things.

What can Hal say? He does kinda have a type in that respect. He's not really one for shy, retreating flowers that just want to sit there and be admired. Give him someone who's not afraid to take charge any day.

Really, he can't blame Jillian for wanting the position either. While Ferris might have had it's problems, while it might have been on the verge of bankruptcy on more then one occasion, there is a reason why the people who work here are so passionate about their jobs. It's one of the reasons why Hal continually comes back, seeking to fly for them. They push boundaries. They keep things interesting. Despite being a not insignificant corporation, a fairly big player in the aerospace industry, they have never let themselves get comfortable. Never settled for playing it safe.

Of course that would appeal to Hal 'Highball' Jordan. Of course it would appeal to Carol Ferris who sets the agenda for that attitude.

And it is only natural that it would appeal to Cowgirl as well.

So while the situation might not be the easiest one that Hal has ever faced, there's no denying that it is a pretty fair one. That it makes sense for everyone involved. If Carol can make the best of it, if Jillian can make the best of it, how can Hal do any less really?

"Okay," he allows wryly, smile curving over his features as his hands slip around her slowly, briefly framing her waist. "You've convinced me that it's worth giving it a chance," he adds before the line of his mouth can't quite resist curling into a noticeable smirk. "But it's a given that if things go wrong, I am going to be right here telling you 'I told you so'," he points out. "You understand that's a given, right?"

When she affects that southern twang, when she calls him by his callsign in that way that can't help but summon back the way that Jillian says it too, Hal gives a short burst of laughter and shakes his head at her. "Don't you start," he threatens with a laugh.

Then he shoots a quick look over towards that still open door leading out into the waiting area outside of her office, that irrepressible little grin playing over his features as he abruptly lifts her up and perches her on the edge of her desk. "Or telling you I told you so won't be the only thing that we'll be doing in this office," he says lowly, that note all too obvious in his voice.

Then he steals one more quick kiss. "Date night, tonight?"

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's eyes narrow at him, but it's not annoyance. Not really.

She knows how this works. How he works. The easy confidence, the cocky little smirk that dares the universe to prove him wrong. He's setting up the moment now so that later -- when something goes sideways, when Jillian throws the first inevitable wrench into the gears -- he'll have the satisfaction of reminding her he saw it coming.

It should irritate her. Maybe it does, a little. But mostly?

Mostly, it makes her want to prove him wrong.

"Sure," she drawls, smoothing her hands down the front of her skirt. "And I assume if she turns out to be a fantastic hire, I'll be getting my own 'I told you so' in return?"

Her brows lift, a wry smile curling her lips.

But then she drops her voice, affects that slow, exaggerated southern twang -- Highball -- and watches the way he reacts. The shake of his head.

It's satisfying. It's annoying, how satisfying it is.

The easy way he lifts her sends her skirt riding up, the smooth silk of her stockings giving way to warm skin and the delicate garters holding them in place. It's subtle, but not subtle enough. There's no way Hal will miss it.

And she could pretend she doesn't notice. Could shift her skirt back into place, move the moment along.

She doesn't.

Instead, she settles on the desk, lets her fingers drift over the zipper of his jacket, and tips her head up with a slow, knowing smile.

"Oh, I'm all in for date night," she says, deliberate. "But I have to ask -- what exactly were you planning to do on my desk, Jordan?"

And then, because she can, because she likes watching the shift in his expression when she reminds him who he's dealing with, she calls on the power of the ring she's wearing.

The soft glow pulses for just a moment before a translucent, violet Cupid floats up into the air beside them, the little cherub pointing his bow briefly at Hal with a knowing wink before turning his aim on the door.

The arrow looses, striking the edge of the door and sending it gliding smoothly closed.

Privacy.

Mission accomplished, the tiny flying archer salutes and vanishes, and Carol leans in, voice dropping just enough to make sure it's for him alone.

"Because if this is a negotiation, you should know... I always win."