A bit late, but yeah. Last semester didn't leave me with too much free time. Well, hope you enjoy this anyways. This was inspired by "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" by The Hollies.

---
She Wore a Black Dress
---

Athrun tried to lean back into his seat but the worn padding did not yield much. A heavy layer of cigarette smoke filled the air and aside from the filtered glow cast from the brightly-lit stage below, the second level was dim. Before joining, he had not frequented these cheap establishments, but orders were orders and after nearly seven years, he was used to it. Working undercover with some boss or another, the coordinator managed to catch some lucky breaks over the years. That was how he wound up in a bar favored by his current boss on the night of a major deal. The balding man was a fervent believer in the power of luck, and with the police systematically clamping down on his organization, tonight's chosen bodyguards were either the best or had a habit of being lucky.

Idly spinning his now empty glass on the table, he watched as a group of men in suits climbed upstairs and approached the door to the private room in the back. The mole adjusted his shoulder holster to a more comfortable position. From this point on, everything had to unfold like a well-oiled clock or good men would die. Cautiously, Athrun switched on the relay unit in his pocket; the wireless mic placed during the security sweep earlier had to be low powered so it wouldn't set off sensors. The two bosses greeted each other with a hug and jokes before retiring inside with their closest associates. He scanned the guards left outside for possible signs of trouble, not that he would mind much if they died in the crossfire. It would just mean more paperwork than he cared for.

Athrun glanced over the railing to watch the scene below. A new singer came onto the stage and the previous one, a blonde, was sitting at the bar with a drink. He had been with a few women and played around a bit with the girls working at the bars but this girl sitting at the bar drew his attention. It was a slow night but drunken men always tended to gather around beautiful women. She, however, sat alone at the end of the counter, filling out a crossword puzzle and drinking slowly.

Lee had been watching her too. "She's a cop."

His head snapped around. "What?"

"If she seems to be doing something but is paying attention to you instead," Lee whispered, "then she is a cop."

Athrun looked again and frowned. "Did you get that from Keung? Don't you know he's nuts?"

"But...."

"Whatever." He got up. "I'm going to take a leak."

The cop could feel her eyes on him as he walked downstairs to the office. Pausing by the bar, he ordered another drink before taking a clearer look. Her hair was short and the long black dress hugged her figure. What she was doing in a place like this, Athrun neither knew nor cared. She looked up as he squeezed past and he smiled before ducking into the office. He sank down into the comfortable sofa and waited for his cell phone to ring.

"How long were you going to have me wait, Kira?" he asked when it finally went off.

"They've finalized the deal and we'll intercept the goods. The next phase will begin in ten minutes."

"You don't leave me much time, do you?"

"Of course not. You'll only get in more trouble."

Even over the phone he could sense Kira rubbing his forehead in frustration. "What, afraid of more paperwork?"

"Yes, and since you won't be undercover anymore I'll have you filling out the forms. One other thing: we got a call from the third district. It seems they've got a hand in what's going down tonight."

"A hand in- is there another undercover?"

"They used a few more words, but yes."

Athrun sighed. "Alright, you can start the timer now."

"I already did. You've got seven minutes left," Kira said, then hung up.

Athrun slipped the phone back into his pocket and went back upstairs. The girl was there, sitting at the table across from Lee. The raven-haired lad was at the opposite corner of the booth staring woodenly at the ceramic tabletop while she twirled a pen between her fingers.

"Problems?"

"I've got Luna now, remember?" he grumbled.

"So, that doesn't mean you need to freak out when a lady sits down."

Lee mumbled something he couldn't hear.

"What?" Athrun snapped.

"I said I was sorry, ok?"

Athrun sighed and took a seat before glaring at the other triad member.

The girl, picking up on the tension, introduced herself. "Well, I'm Yula; I work here on weekends."

"Lee A-"

"Who are you really?" Athrun interrupted. "Now that I think about it, I know you from somewhere."

"Crap," Lee muttered and straightened up. "Alright, if that's what you want. Shinn Asuka, third district."

"I thought so. Athrun Zala, fifth district."

"Yeah, I joined just before you transferred out."

Yula leaned back and crossed her arms. "You cops or something? Undercovers?"

Shinn just looked at Athrun, who replied, "You could say that."

"Whatever it is, I don't want to get involved."

"A bit late for that." He shrugged. "Just as a warning, Yula. You may want start looking for new employment after tonight."

"Nah, this is just a side job. Besides, I like it here." She poured a shot and swallowed it down.

"Well, not much-" His watch beeped. "Thirty second warning."

Athrun braced himself and kicked over the heavy table. He grabbed Yula and Shinn and ducked behind the barricade moments before the entire establishment erupted with blinding light and piercing noise. Despite being shielded, they were still partially deafened. It took Athrun a moment to realize that the continued scream in his ear was linked to the arm choking him. He gently pried Yula's arm off and drew his gun.

Shinn was clutching his ear and firing one-handed at the triad members around them. "Way to go! Tell me next time!"

"So sue me!" Athrun yelled back and triggered a blind few rounds towards the bartender to keep him out of the crossfire. The two blazed away at the blind and deaf triad muscle until the only movement were the swaying overhead lights and the drifting tendrils of smoke. He stayed to cover Shinn as the other moved across the room to check for survivors.

"Athrun!" Yula screamed.

He felt a tug as the backup pistol clear its holster and heard a crack behind him. The undercover twisted around and Yula was holding his pistol steadily, a dead body tumbling down the stairs. She gave a small smile and handed it back.

"How'd you know I had that?" Athrun demanded.

"My brother's a cop and he carries a backup there."

There was a knock on the door to the private room and armored officers stepped out. Inspector Le Creuset took off his helmet and shook his head. "You've made quite the mess, children. Mwu's waiting downstairs."

While Yula went to get her coat, Shinn and Athrun went to the office where La Flaga sat behind the massive desk.

"You did a nice job, Athrun, Shinn." He shook their hands. "We've got them big time for distribution of drugs and weapons. If you'll excuse me, I have to go see what sort of mess my cousin's made. Dismissed."

Athrun waved for Shinn to go on ahead and walked over to Yula, who was watching the commotion in the parking lot. He lit two cigarettes and passed one to her.

"So, you going home?"

"After that? I don't know; I'm still running on adrenaline. Also, I think you owe me one." She winked.

The coordinator shrugged and waved at the row of cars parked by the curb. "Well, if you'd like to have some drinks, there should be a red McLaren over there. I just need a few minutes to take care of stuff before I can go."

He watched her walk off before he wandered over to the command trailer where Shinn was talking on the phone. The side door opened and Kira handed him a cup of coffee. Its warmth was welcome against the cool wind swirling around them. Kira opened his mouth to speak but Athrun held up his hand.

"First things first. I'm taking the rest of the week off."

"Sure. I'll have the paperwork on your desk when you get back."

"Another thing. I'm going to have some company tonight, so I probably won't pick up."

Kira grinned. "Go on and have fun. I'll try not to interrupt."

Athrun nodded and left to find his car. There, Yula was flying a paper airplane made from the crossword puzzle she had completed earlier. He watched her flit around for a few minutes before she noticed.

"How long have you been watching?" She asked, blushing.

"Only a bit." He disabled the alarm and helped her in before climbing in himself. The engine turned over smoothly and the stereo came to life with Kira's favorite classical music. He looked up when someone knocked on the window.

"Yeah?"

"I forgot to tell you something: you might want to check the pressure in the front driver-side wheel. It felt a bit funny on the way over."

The cop scribbled the tip on a scrap of paper. "Thanks, Kira."

"No problem. You and your lady friend have a good nig-"

Athrun looked at Kira, at Yula, and then back at his friend. Suddenly, the brunet's hand shot out and grabbed his shirt.

"What the hell are you doing with my sister, you bastard?!"

---
I bet you saw that last bit coming a long way off.

Please review, eh?

Thanks.