Not A Typical One Night Stand

By Alasse Fefalas

When Eve Baird walked into the pub that evening, she thought she was going to spend a nice evening alone before her new job started the next day. And boy, was she so wrong.

It wasn't long after she had sat down at her usual place at the corner of the bar that Jake, her bartender friend, was shouting at a couple of customers to take their fight outside. She turned around, her half-drunk bottle of beer in her hand, and assessed the situation. It was a habit she couldn't kick, despite leaving the NATO counterterrorism unit a few years ago - which explained why she took up several gigs as a bodyguard.

The two customers were tall and bulky, face reddened by anger and alcohol. She mentally named them "Idiot One" and "Idiot Two". Surrounding them were a couple of broken beer glasses, upturned tables and a man who was dangerously close to the two. Her attention was more at the man just two tables away though. With his head buried in a book with yellowing pages, he seemed to be oblivious to his surroundings and the fact that he might become an innocent bystander if the two men continued their argument indoors.

"I don't care if you hate each other or whatever. If y'all wanna fight, take it outside or I'm billing you the damage expenses!" Jake shouted from behind the bar.

Eve glanced at the southern man, her eyes communicating whether he needed any help in getting rid of the troublemakers. Jake caught her message, and gave a slight shake of his head.

Shrugging slightly, she turned back to watch the two men shouting obscenities at each other and her friend.

Suddenly, Idiot One grabbed a chair and hurled it at the other. It missed by an inch when Idiot Two ducked. Screaming a long string of obscenities, Idiot Two wrapped his hands around the chair and began swinging it around like a club. In retaliation, Idiot One grabbed items from recently vacated tables and threw them at Idiot Two.

Watching their movements, Eve dropped her bottle and dove out of her stool towards the reading man and pulled him down from his chair by his collar. "Get down!"

The man stared at her with wide eyes. "What -" he started, only to be cut off by a loud crash from a glass not one foot away from him.

"Stay down," she ordered. The man nodded vehemently, hugging the book he was reading close to his chest. He retreated slightly, hiding his body under the small table. "Good."

Standing up, Eve saw Jake holding the chair Idiot Two had recently been using as a weapon in one hand and the user in the other.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and ran to Idiot One, who was about to hit the bartender with a bottle, and grabbed his wrist, stopping the motion in midair. "Sorry, no," she said before giving him a smile and flipping him onto his back. Turning to Idiot Two, she crouched onto the floor and kicked his legs from under him.

Jake nodded at her and put the chair down. Holding out a hand, he said gruffly, "Thanks."

Eve took his hand and pulled herself up from the floor. "Would have been less messier if you'd taken up on my offer earlier, you know," she said as she dusted herself off.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want you working on your last day of unemployment," grinned Jake as they pulled the two barely conscious men out of the pub. "How's the oblivous guy?"

Eve dropped Idiot One beside the lamppost outside and shrugged. "Last I saw, he was hugging his book and hiding under the table."

"Thanks for saving him. If you didn't pull him down, we'd probably be calling for an ambulance right now," Jake said, walking back into his pub. Looking at the mess, he shakes his head exasperatedly. "Urgh. Now I gotta clean up this mess."

Eve looked over to the table where the reading man had been sitting. The shadow created by his hiding form was still visible. "I'd offer to help but I've work tomorrow," she laughed. "Besides, I think that guy might be a little shaken up."

"That happens when you realise you've been reading right beside a war zone," chuckled Jake.

Eve walked up to the table the man was still hiding under and crouched down. He had his back against the table support, arms still hugging his book. His head was down and he was trembling slightly.

"Hey," she said gently. The man snapped to attention and stared at her, his eyes as wild as his short dark brown hair. His arms hugged his book tighter, as if she was going to take it away from him. "You okay?"

"Um, I think so," he replied, his voice surprisingly steady. "What happened?"

"Drunken argument. Things got a little out of hand," she summarised. "Are you hurt?"

The man looked down at his upper left arm where his jacket and shirt had been cut through, a small red line of blood below visible. "It's just a scratch."

"Good," Eve nodded. She held out a hand, which the man took and she pulled them both up to their feet.

"I'm Flynn, by the way. Thanks for saving me," the man smiled, his thumb stroking the back of her hand.

Eve felt a little shiver as his thumb caressed her hand. There was just something about the man before her that made her curious. He had seemed really shaken up but he had managed to recover really quickly. His dishevelled hair, quirky grin and bright eyes pulled her in even more. She returned the smile. "I'm Eve. I'm just glad I don't have to be carting you off to the hospital."

Flynn released her hand. Gesturing to the bar behind her, he asked, "Well, Eve, how about I buy you a drink as a thank you?"

Eve glanced at the bar behind her, devoid of its loving barkeep. "A drink would be great but I think Jake's a little busy at the moment," she said, gesturing at the man who was sweeping up broken glass with a sour expression on his face.

"Um, then- then how about coming over to my place?" He stuttered. "I'm sure I have a drink or two there."

Eve almost laughed at how nervous he was. It made him a little more endearing. "Ok," she said, managing to keep her chuckle in. "We can do that."

Grabbing her black leather jacket from the back of the stool she was on, she shrugged it on.

Leaving some money on the inner part of the counter for her wasted beer, she turned back to Flynn and slipped an arm into the crook of his left elbow.

"Night, Jake," Eve greeted as they walked past him.

He lifted an eyebrow when he looked at them and then gave her a smirk. "Have a GREAT night, Eve."

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a final wave and led them both out of the pub. Taking a deep breath of the cold night air, she realised Idiot One and Two were no longer there. They must have ran away, she thought. Shrugging to herself, she turned and looked at Flynn expectantly. "Right or left?"

"Right," he answered, tugging her arm slightly as he led the way. "It's not that far away. This pub is actually the closest one to my apartment, which is why I go there sometimes."

"Oh? I've never seen you around," she said. "Not that I go there all the time though. Only when I'm not working."

"Oh. So you're not working then?"

Eve shook her head. "Not at the moment. What about you? What do you do?"

"Me? Ah, well... I'm just a librarian," he answered meekly.

"Ah," chuckled Eve. "That explains why you were so engrossed in the book and not realise a whole fight was going on around you."

Flynn laughed. "It's a really bad habit of mine." He held up the hardcover book to her. "Although... it is quite an interesting book."

"Ancient monuments of the Mississippi Valley by E. G. Squier," she read aloud. She scrunched up her face at the thought of reading such a book. Noticing its thickness made it even less appealing. "No, it's okay. I think I'll stick to my crime fiction, thank you very much."

Flynn laughed heartily. "That's true. It's not something for everyone to read." He stopped in front of a red brick apartment building and turned towards it. "In here."

"You really did mean it when you said it wasn't far. We barely walked ten minutes," she commented as they walked up the inner steps of the building.

"It's convenient," he shrugged. He stopped outside a door on the second floor and unhooked his elbows from hers. Fishing out his key, he opened the door and gestured in. "Come on in."

Shelves of books lined the walls of the apartment Eve walked into. Stacks of books occupied tabletops and counters, making the place look smaller than it actually was. Flynn closed the door behind him and rushed in to clear the couch from the books that sat on it.

"Sorry it's a little messy. I wasn't really expecting guests," he said, not looking at her as he stacked the books on the pile on the coffeetable.

"It's fine. It seems very... you, somehow. A librarian who loves books; who'd have thought?" she laughed as she sat down on an empty spot on the couch. She noticed his jacket was visibly more red than it was at the pub. He's still bleeding slightly, she thought.

"It's a hobby," he smiled.

She watched as he moved to his kitchen, appreciating every movement that he made. She was starting work the next day and god knows when the next time she might do something... fun. Best make the most of the night, she thought. And he wasn't that bad a catch, either.

"Beer's fine?" he called out.

"Yeah," she replied. "Flynn? Bring your first aid kit too. You're still bleeding."

As she waited, Eve read the titles off spines of the books in front of her. They were quite diverse, ranging from history to mathematics and nature. He's definitely well read, she thought, chuckling.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said as he sat to the left of her. One hand held two cans of beer and the other, a small first aid kit. Placing a can on the table, he opened one and handed it to her.

Murmuring a thanks, she took a swig before placing it on the table beside the other one. She gestured for him to pass the box and he willingly obliged. When she opened it, she was impressed that it was fully stocked. Two unopened rolls of bandages and a small bottlr of saline solution sat beside packets of gauze and bandaids, a thin roll of tape and a small scissors peeked from below the packets.

"I get into accidents a lot," he confessed. "So I keep it stocked just in case I ever need anything."

"It's a good habit," she grinned. "To offset your bad habit of not knowing what's happening around you."

"Touché."

Eve looked at him, and then to his wound. "I'm going to need you to take off your shirt..."

Shrugging, he slid off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. Eve took another sip of her drink as she watched him deftly undo the buttons on his shirt, one by one. With obvious practiced elegance, he slipped off the left side of his shirt, revealing a toned and lightly tanned body. She almost spit out her drink. There was no way a librarian could look this good shirtless.

Eve shook her head and went to task, cleaning the wound and wrapping it in gauze and bandage, trying to ignore the hard muscles under her fingers. "You're lucky it's just a scratch," she said as she tied the ends of the bandage together. "Could've been worse."

"And I have you to thank for that," he reminded. He turned towards her and leant in close, his eyes boring into hers. "Not to presume anything, well, I don't know if you're into these kinds of things but - "

She closed the gap and cut him off mid sentence. His hands cupped her face as she held on to this arm with one hand, the other tangling itself in his hair. Heat rushed through her as his hot kisses moved downwards to her chin, then down to her neck. Her gaze clouded with lust before her as he kissed the hollow between her collarbones. It took her a lot of willpower to push him off. "Wait," she rasped.

"I'm sorry!" he apologised quickly, withdrawing his touches.

"No," she gasped, forcing her breathing to return to normal. "I just need you to know that I can't stay. I start work tomorrow."

Flynn smiled and Eve swore she felt her heart skip. "I understand."

"Good," Eve grinned. She slid her hand up to the back of his neck and pulled him close. "Now where were we..?" she murmured into his lips.

"About here," he breathed and captured her lips with his again.

Eve stood outside a short, one storey building in the outskirts of the town. She had suited up for the first day on the job, a common practice for her. Checking her watch, she noted she was five minutes early. Shrugging, she walked in through the glass double doors. A bookshop, she thought. Remembering the apartment she was in the night before brought a small smile to her face. Noticing a lady was behind the counter, she schooled her expression and walked over.

"Hi, I'm Eve Baird. The Agency sent me here," she said.

The woman looked up from the book she was writing in and gave Eve a critical look. Mutely, the woman looked her up and down before nodding to herself and putting her pen down. "Colonel Baird, ex-NATO officer?"

Eve replied slowly, "Yes." How did the woman know? She had told the company that employed her not to disclose the information to anyone.

"You're early. Good," she nodded again. Coming round from behind the counter, she beckoned Eve to follow her. "I'm Charlene. I'm the accounts manager here. I'm sure The Agency told you your job is to be a bodyguard?"

"Yes, ma'am," Eve said. Charlene was leading her to the back of the store. It wasn't a surprise for her. She had had her share of secret rooms in small, unassuming places to guard her charge in. Such was the life of a bodyguard. She did, though, wonder who she would be guarding.

"Did they tell you anything else?"

"No, ma'am."

"Lazy idiots," she sighed. She stopped in front of a bookcase and pulled on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. A section of the bookshelf opened inward and she walked in, gesturing to Eve to follow suit. They had stepped into some kind of elevator. Pushing the shelf back to its original place, Charlene looked at Eve and raised an eyebrow, her hands clasped in front of her. "Fair warning, Colonel Baird. This job is like no other that you have taken on before. You will be a Guardian. It requires high skill and much patience, as well as a quick wit and a broad mind."

"O...kay," Eve replied, curious to know what she had meant. She watched Charlene key in a sequence into the number pad on the wall. The walls gave a glow of white and the doors in front of her opened up, revealing a large cavern. At the foot of the steps in front of her, shelves lined the space, creating a long corridor down from the entrance. "Whoa. Where are we? Are we underground?"

"No, we're in a different dimension," Charlene replied nonchalantly.

"Wait," Eve paused and turned to Charlene, not believing her. "Did you say a different dimension?"

"Yes, a different dimension," a voice said from the bottom of the steps. Eve's eyes widened when she recognised the voice.

"Ah, and there he is," Charlene said as she descended the stairs. "This is Flynn Carsen. He's the Librarian, and the one you will be guarding."

"I didn't think I'd see you here, Eve," Flynn smiled. "It's a pleasant surprise."

"Oh, you two know each other?"

"We've… met," Eve said curtly. "Didn't you say you're a librarian?"

Flynn clasped his hands in front of him. "I am a librarian. The Librarian, in fact. Welcome to the Library."

"If you're a librarian… why do I need to be guarding you? What's so dangerous about your job?"

"The Library has existed for thousands of years and Librarians are keepers of the Library," Charlene explained. "Their job is to ensure that magical artifacts are not used for evil."

"Magical artifacts? As in… actual magic?"

"Yes, yes, actual magic," she replied. "You don't see magic being misused because Librarians -"

"That's me," interjected Flynn as he pointed to himself.

"- And their Guardians -"

"That's you," interjected Flynn again, pointing at Eve.

Charlene gave Flynn a sharp look for interrupting her twice. "- Are the ones who stop them from being misused and bring them to the Library for safekeeping."

"It's not really a safe job," he said. "Which is why The Agency sent someone. I didn't know it was you, I swear."

Eve gave him a confused look before nodding slowly. "You said I need to keep a broad mind. Okay. Magic is real."

"Yes, good. Well, Colonel Baird, I'll leave Flynn to you then," Charlene gave them a little smile and walked off.

"Do you think she knows…?" Eve trailed, her face turning pink as she watched the older woman disappear into the lift.

"About us?" Flynn shrugged. "Maybe. Probably. She usually does."

"How?"

"I… still haven't found out. Magic, probably," laughed Flynn. He crossed his arms in front of him, a smile still hanging on his lips. "So this is where your new workplace is."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "So it is… Librarian," she said. "If I'd known you were my next assignment, I wouldn't have slept with you."

Inward, her heart leapt at the notion of them working together. Somehow, she was very drawn to him the night before and it made it hard for her to leave him in the middle of the night while he slept peacefully, entangled in his sheets. She had left him a goodbye kiss on the cheek, with low hopes that they would maybe see each other again after her assignment was done.

Flynn took a step closer to her. "Oh? Why not?"

Her pulse quickened as she took in his messy hair, the mischievous smirk and three piece suit he was in. "It just makes saving you a little more personal."

Flynn took another step towards her. His eyes roamed up and down, taking her in. Eve felt a shiver of thrill crawl up her spine. She shouldn't be doing this, she thought to herself. He was her boss.

He bent forward and whispered into her ear, "And that's bad… how?"

"It's annoying," she declared, restraining herself.

"Librarian and Guardian, saving the world… together," chuckled Flynn. He took another step closer and they were standing just inches apart. "Again, I don't want to presume anything but -"

Eve grabbed his jacket lapels and pulled him towards her, crushing her lips against his. His hands reached behind her neck and waist, pulling her closer to him. She pulled back and smiled, giving him a soft peck on the lips. "Together," she breathed. "Together is good."

Fin.

A/N: Okay, I know I'm late but this took me a little longer than I thought it would. I hope you enjoyed it though! It's been a while since I wrote an AU! Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!