Infatuation

By

M. Klindt

I don't own the characters from The Man from UNCLE, but like to have them play with the ones I've created. Thank you for reading my story. This is part of my "Lexi" series.

Chapter One-

"Now," Lexi continued loudly into Caitlin's protective headgear. "Relax your shoulders, let your left hand to support the right and the butt of the gun, widen your stance, and take aim."

Caitlin nodded. She took a quick breath in and started shooting the target at the end of the firing range. Lexi nodded her approval while she watched and then walked over to the next stall to see how Cassidy was doing.

Cassidy was Lexi's partner, Dr. George Thompson's wife. George and Lexi worked together in one of UNCLE's chemistry labs when she wasn't working in Section Two. Cassidy was taller than Lexi by about half a foot and eight months pregnant with her second child.

"Oh, pooh," Cassidy grumbled and looked at the shots she'd fired. Most of them were wide of their mark and barely on the sheet. She looked at Lexi, then down and patted her enlarged belly. "You, little one, are throwing off my aim. What would your father say?"

Lexi and Caitlin both laughed. Caitlin came around the corner with her gun in her hand. She set it down on the ledge and stood by the other ladies. Caitlin had been Napoleon Solo's steady girlfriend for over two years now.

Members in this little group of women were very different from each other, but became fast and steady friends. The only one missing was April Dancer, but she was off on assignment with Mark Slate. The rest of the group decided to go to a private shooting range and out to lunch for their weekly gatherings.

Cassidy was the tallest with dark blond hair and plain features, but a great smile. Caitlin's strawberry-blond hair shone in the darkened alley. Her athletic form sported the latest fashions without a speck of dust or dirt on them. Lexi was the shortest among the three with her rich, dark, auburn hair pulled back in a tight ponytail that reflected her military and scientific background in her stance, and she had magnificent blue eyes.

"Well, I think that he would be pleased as punch to know you're still able to protect yourself and your family while he's working at headquarters, even though your aim is off." Lexi smiled and took off her ear protection. "I think that both of you have improved so much over the last couple of years."

"Has it been two years already?" Caitlin asked, smiled and brushed her hair away from her face to reveal a diamond earring in her left ear.

"Oh my god, Caitlin!" Cassidy stammered, waddling closer to look at the large stone, and then checking the other earring. "They're beautiful. Napoleon really knows how to celebrate an anniversary."

"Yes, he does," she agreed with the sharp smile she saved for her clients in her computer business. "I got them last week before they took off for a mission. Do you know where they went Lexi?"

"No, I was on a currier assignment," Lexi sighed lightly. She really did know where they went, but couldn't tell either one of them.

The one thing that didn't change since she had joined UNCLE from the KGB was the waiting to find out if Illya was hurt and being there for him. Since growing up together and being partners at a young age, they shared a close relationship despite all their separations; a loving relationship, if you agreed with those around them.

Lexi involuntarily shivered at words and thoughts of love, sharing, and caring. It wasn't in her makeup to care about friends and truly love one person, yet, here she was with female friends and a man that cared for her. She was fearful that this was all a dream and that she would soon have to wake up.

Each of them was quiet for a few moments deep in their own thoughts of the past two years in the mighty shadow of UNCLE.

"Hey," Cassidy exclaimed rubbing at a ripple that ran across her swollen tummy. "Stop that, you. This kid is telling me that we need to stop standing around and go to lunch; junior here is getting hungry. Whose turn is it to pick?"

"I think its Caitlin's turn." Lexi smiled and turned to pick up one of the guns to remove the empty clip.

"Nothing too spicy," Cassidy said in warning. "You know what happened last time."

"I know the perfect…" Caitlin started to say.

"Excuse me ladies." A deep, strong male voice called out and a shadow emerged from the blackness of the hallway. Lexi and Caitlin grabbed the guns on the ledge in one parallel, liquid movement and pointed them at the stranger.

"Whoa," The figure rose his arms up in surrender while he came into the light near the shooting stalls. He was a handsome, muscular man with hazel-green eyes and dark brown hair. He was in a simple black suit with a bouquet of red roses in one of his hands. "I'm really very harmless."

"Joe, Joe Lewis?" Lexi asked before she lowered her gun. It was empty, but he didn't need to know that. "How did you find me…us?"

"I wouldn't be working for the FBI if I didn't know how to find people," Joe smirked and stood really close to Lexi. She fidgeted when he gave her the wrapped flowers. "These flowers are for you, my dear. I do have to admit it took me a while to track you down. I came to ask if you wanted to go to lunch, but I see that you're with your lady friends."

"Lexi drove," Cassidy blurted out, forgetting that she was Monica to most people and Lexi gave her a hard stare.

Caitlin grabbed at Cassidy's arm when she realized her mistake and wordlessly apologized to the others.

"Lexi," Joe broadly smiled back down to his target with this new information. "Care to introduce me?"

Caitlin and Cassidy looked from the man to Lexi whose face turned from shock to sheer irritation. As this man focused his attention back on them, they tolerantly smiled at him and waited for Lexi to explain what was going on while she introduced them to him.

"This is Joe Lewis," Lexi said in a stiff, controlled voice. She purposely didn't state their names. "He's the FBI agent that I met after an accident I had at work and he took me to the hospital. After that, he came to the office with flowers and a teddy bear."

The other two women looked at each other and knew about the beating she'd taken in a mission a few months ago. It was agreed to say as little as possible about where she, Napoleon, Illya, and George worked. The two women knew that Lexi had used the cheaply made bear for target practice when she was well enough. It was a group gathering to celebrate the removal of the wires that held her jaws shut while they healed.

"Nice to meet you, Joe," Caitlin said roughly. She lowered her gun after Cassidy nodded in agreement. "Monica hasn't mentioned you. Not one single word."

"Well, I'm trying to wear her down." Joe smiled warmly down at Lexi. "She agreed to have lunch with me to thank me for saving her life a while back, but said that her UNCLE Waverly wouldn't allow more than that. I personally think she's playing hard to get."

"Joe, I've told you several times…" Lexi started to repeat the same rhetoric she gave him every time he called or unexpectedly showed up at UNCLE to Waverly's agitation. This was the first time he found her outside headquarters.

"She has plans for lunch with us," Caitlin said firmly to give him an obvious hint. It appeared to her that Lexi was trying to give him the same hint to get lost for a long time now.

"Of course she does." Joe smiled brightly. "I will wait until later tonight."

"Joe, I…" Lexi started to say, trying to control her anger and her body began to shake. "I have a boyfriend."

"I wouldn't doubt it, but I'll get you to change your mind." Joe's smile didn't dim while he retreated back into the shadows and disappeared from sight. "Until later, Lexi..."

"Finally," Lexi sighed out loud, threw the flowers in the trash, and started to fill the clip in her hand with bullets from one of her pockets.

"Is that the crazy fellow George keeps talking about?" Cassidy asked.

"Yes, I've been trying to blow this guy off, but he hasn't taken "no" for an answer," Lexi shrugged and tried waving her frustrations away. "I don't want to have to hurt him, but he's pushing me past my tolerance level. This was the first time he found me without Waverly or George around."

"This could become scary," Caitlin chimed in while loading the other gun's clip, placing it in her purse, and then closing it. "I know that it took the cops to get rid of this one guy for me a few years ago."

"Yes," Lexi said with grinding teeth and jutted her jaw out to the position where it had been wired shut. "I'll have to deal with him later."

"Promise me one thing, Lexi," Cassidy asked her with a serious face, but with a small twinkle in her eyes. "That you only maim him and not kill. Waverly would send you back to Siberia if you put a permanent stop to his stalking."

"No," Lexi laughed out and handed her Psychologist friend back her gun. "I think that with all the trouble that Joe has been giving his boss and mine, Waverly would probably promote me if I did put a definite end to all of this."

"Well, I think we should get out of here and go eat," Caitlin changed the subject and looped her arms into the other women's arm and they all walked out of the firing range together. "Some place where FBI agent Joe Lewis can't find us, although he is easy on the eyes."

"Caitlin, your lust for sex is just as bad as Napoleon's," Lexi grunted out a small chuckle. "If you want him, you can have him."

"Have you told Illya?" Cassidy asked with some concern in how he would react.

"No," Lexi shook her head. "Why bother him with trivial matters? Joe will get the message, even if I have to beat it, not kill, into him."

Both Caitlin and Cassidy looked at each other with concern over Lexi's head, but didn't say anything. They hoped that she would tell Waverly before it could get out of control and changed back again to the subject to where to go to lunch.

MFU/MFU

"I don't want to talk about it anymore!"

"Where are you going?"

"To the gym to run before I do something I'll regret, like punching you!"

"Lexi!"

"Enough!"

Napoleon and Illya were walking down the hallway when Lexi stormed by. She'd barely acknowledged them except to huff out a grunt and say, "Men!" while dashing away.

After watching where she was trotting off to, they turned around to see an upset George Thompson stand in the doorway of their shared lab with his hands on his hips and a look of frustration on his determined face.

"Oh hey, Napoleon, Illya," he brightened up; he was happy to see them. "Just getting back?"

"Yes and in one piece, for a change. Only a few bruises," Napoleon calmly said. He looked at the taller man and then back to where Lexi's furling lab coat had disappeared to. "Things go well while we were gone?"

"Oh, you know, never a dull moment." George rolled his eyes expressively.

The chemist wasn't quite sure if he should tell them about Lexi's new friend or let her do it. He'd just got done fighting with Lexi go to tell Mr. Waverly about the unexpected offer for a lunch date and didn't know what she would do to him if he told Illya. Lexi wanted to keep it a personal matter after getting lectured by the boss man about Lewis's frequent phone calls and visits.

"What kind of trouble has she started now?" Illya asked flatly. His eyes were boring holes into the doctor.

"Nothing that she thinks that she can't handle on her own," George sarcastically mocked Lexi's tone during their growing argument. "No need to worry Illya about it."

"Oh, lord," Napoleon cursed softly, looking about the hallway. "Let's talk in your lab."

All three of them went into the lab and George began to tell them what his wife, Cassidy, saw and heard at lunch yesterday with the girls. After the encounter, Lexi was even more tight-lipped than usual and didn't tell anyone where she was going afterwards.

"Her own private lab would be my first guess." Illya said matter-of-factly. "You're lucky, George."

"Me, why?" he asked with concern.

"Because when Lexi gets nervous or angry, she tends to lash out without cause," The blond agent unconsciously rubbed his right shoulder. He smiled blankly for a moment, remembering a rare fight they had had and the scar it had left.

"And, don't worry, she'll handle Mr. Lewis. One man got his nose broken before he got the hint and another one got a nasty kick to the groin that required surgery."

"I just get chills thinking about that," Napoleon playfully shivered. "I'm glad you told us, George, and I will let Waverly know. Dealing with the FBI can be touchy. Lexi can get mad at me all she wants. Like my partner here, she's always fine and doesn't need help..."

"If this is your glib attempt to guilt me into submission and go talk to her, fine, but I'll send her to you when she wants someone to scream at," Illya smirked. "I take it that she went to the gymnasium to work out her anger instead of beating you to a pulp, George?"

"Yes," George said with a slow nod.

He and Napoleon watched Illya gracefully turn on his heels, pulling open the door just wide enough to let him through, and then quietly it shut again.

"Now tell me all you know about this Joe Lewis." Napoleon turned to George and he became the CEA of New York headquarters right before his eyes. "What did you find out in Records?"

"How did you know...," George began in shock.

"George, you're not a dumb man and what won't you do for a partner? Even if she's stubborn and won't ask for help."

"Illya doesn't seem too concerned." He glared at Solo with a barely controlled tone in his subtlety miffed voice similar to that of an older, over-protective brother.

"Oh, don't let either one of them fool you," Napoleon lightly berated him for his accusation. "Illya is very concerned. He just hides it well. You're new to the super spy game; Lexi's a novelty to all those around her. Just like April is. For years they've had to hide, deny, and reject their feelings for each other."

"Understood," George said sheepishly after the deserved scolding. "Joe Lewis is a highly regarded FBI agent currently assigned to the New York office. Before that, he worked in Washington on detail with Embassy Row. Records couldn't find out anything else out about personal activities; not a single parking ticket. He lives in Manhattan."

"Thanks for the info, George." Napoleon sighed. "I had better go check in with Mr. Waverly and tell him we're back."

"Hey, Napoleon," He said softly.

"Yes."

"Make sure she listens to someone. I hate to lose my partner to the FBI."

"Don't worry," Napoleon smiled warmly. "I'd hear it from mine, Caitlin, and your wife if Lexi ran away and joined the bureau. I'll call you later after I try to talk to her. Maybe I should take something to distract her with."

"Nuts." George popped his head up and grinned.

"What?" Napoleon stopped in his tracks and turned around just as he was about to open the door.

"She likes nuts, the more exotic the better. It works for me some of the time when I can get her to eat."

"I'll keep that in mind." Napoleon laughed while he opened the door and stood holding the handle. "But, I would have to get them away from Illya first. She'd feed him before she would herself. See ya around, George."

"Later." George nodded, happy with his decision to tell them about Lexi's stalker. Now, he would have to deal with her after Napoleon and Waverly got done with her. He just hoped that she would forgive him.

MFU/MFU

Illya walked into the gym and eyed a familiar figure stretching in the corner by the rubber mats. She wore plain grey sweat pants, a short-sleeve shirt, and had hand protectors hanging loosely from her wrists. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that spilled over her head. She was bent over with her chin to her knees.

Slowly, he walked over to her while he was taking off his jacket and slid his gun holster off his shoulder. Setting his coat and gun down at the edge of the foam mat, he heavily sat down beside her.

Lexi didn't even look to see who it was before she hopped to her feet, flipped on the hand protectors, and walked up to the pull up bar. With a single jump, she grabbed the bar and settled her hands to get a good grip.

"This isn't my fault." She grunted out in their special language, hanging there, finally looking at Illya before she pulled her chin over the bar.

"It's never your fault." Illya continued in the same indignant tone and language. He'd flipped off his shoes, stood up, and joined her at the hanging bar. "You're dropping your vowels."

"Are you going to lecture me about how I should handle this?" Lexi ignored the last comment and pulled herself up several times before she let go of the bar to finish her stretching. She started to walk to the track with Illya in tow.

"Should I," he softly asked her when she swept by and stood passively holding his jacket and holster in his hands watching her bend down into a deep lunge. "George seems worked up."

"That's because he thinks I haven't talked to Waverly about this." Lexi darkly smiled, stopped what she was doing, and looked him. "He left it to me to handle Special Agent Lewis my way. He doesn't want any more attention drawn to this unless it becomes an issue."

"And yesterday," Illya asked and stood close enough to smell her subtle perfume and shrewdly searching into her eyes; knowing when she was telling him the truth or lying.

"Was a silly ploy," her smile deepened while she moved closer to him to pick some imaginary speck off his coat. "I wanted to see if he was going to take it to the next level. I went straight to the firing range from headquarters. I drove so that he could easily find me if he wanted. I needed to see how he'd react in front of an audience and the threat of a boyfriend."

"And how did he do?" Illya grinning at their closeness, but they still had to keep some professional distance in the busy gym.

"Oh, he was caught off guard, but he recovered well. He's going to be a problem." Lexi started to look around them to see who was there. She nodded at the trainer on duty when she'd caught his eye and he checked her into the fitness schedule.

"I may need help from my boyfriend. You know, to introduce themselves as my lover to Joe and see if he breaks off the attachment or becomes even more possessive. Do you know any one that could help me, Napoleon, perhaps?"

Illya laughed out loud and smiled at the smart remark. His hand brushed hers on the jacket. "I'm sure that he'd be honored."

"I want to feel you …" Lexi started to purr quietly to him.

"Hey, Kuryakin!" A shout from the gym trainer caught their attention and others to make them stick out even more. Now, the whole place was watching their every movement. "Either get some sweats on and start running or go; Lane owes me three more miles for this week. You can play footsy with her later."

"Hail, Hitler." Kuryakin murmured under his breath for only Lexi to hear, but he nodded and started to back away.

"And, comments like that will get you more miles to run."

Lexi chuckled and gave him a few hand signals, stepped back as well, and started to jog. Illya nodded in agreement and watched her trot to the other side of the gym. She gave the trainer another not-so-nice hand gesture when she sped by him. Shaking his head, Illya turned and left the gym to go back to his office before finding Napoleon.

"For that, Lane, I'm adding two more miles to satisfy your fitness requirements for today and cursing me in a language I don't know will only add more miles if you don't watch it."