Author's Note: Hi, so first of all, thank you so much for even clicking on my story! This is the first anything I've ever published ever so if you don't like it... lie. I'm joking, comments are more than welcome, obviously. I heard somewhere that Vanessa Ferlito really wants them to write in a make out scene for her and Aaron Tveit and I thought I'd oblige even though I have nothing to do with Graceland and Jeff Eastin is doing a fantastic job without me. I reckon this is M but if you guys think I could get away with T please let me know. Anyway, I'm going to shut up now, have a lovely day full of Marlie feels x

Instinct

Charlie's knuckles turned white as she clenched the steering wheel. Mike could practically feel her burning rage fill the front seat. He shifted awkwardly in his seat as he unrolled the window in hopes of expelling some of the pent up tension. Mike pursed his lips and began to tap his thumb off his knee, a nervous habit of his. He shifted his gaze slowly from his window to sneak a glance at Charlie. He'd hoped her eyes would be concentrated on the road but when he finally looked around she was staring at his hand, still tapping. Her eyes were murderous as if she was deeply fighting the urge to smack the shit out of him there and then. Mike immediately stopped tapping and smiled awkwardly only to have Charlie's eyes squint. Was he really smiling at her? Was he out of his mind smiling at her?

Okay, Mike accepted that it hadn't gone exactly as planned. Yes, Charlie had asked him to help her out and yes he may have messed it up a little. Charlie had asked him to go with her to meet this 'really important son of a bitch' as she'd put it. All he had to do was 'stand there, look tough and keep his god damn mouth shut' in case anything went wrong but things never had the chance to go wrong because Mike had gotten them thrown out of the club fifteen minutes after they'd arrived. He'd moved to pull his badge on someone he saw doing a line only to freeze for a split second before punching the guy in the face to cover.

They pulled up outside the house and Charlie wordlessly shut off the engine and got out of the car, loudly slamming the door as she went. Mike sat in frozen terror for about second and then rushed inside as soon as he realised that Charlie was going to relay the story to the rest of his house-mates before he was able to defend himself. As much as Mike feared Charlie's fiery temper the idea of Johnny and Jakes' ridicule wasn't exactly appealing either. And so he ran.

He burst in expecting to hear Johnny's raucous laughter but thankfully the house was empty and pitch black save for the light coming from the open fridge Charlie was rifling through. Thank God his house-mates loved a party. Mike tentatively came up behind her, his brow knit in worry.

'Charlie, I-'

'I don't even want to hear it, Mike,' Charlie cut in, beer in hand, she shut the fridge. She made to leave the kitchen but Mike had only made it as far as the doorway and was now blocking her exit. Charlie sighed as gestured for Mike to move but he didn't. He was staring at the floor so she quickly took in his face. If she hadn't been so pissed off she would have laughed at his hunched shoulders, his hands jammed in his pockets and his injured puppy expression. They looked so out of place with the disguise he was still sporting; he still had the tattoos painted on his forearms, the dark shirt she'd picked was open exposing a white vest and his hair was uncharacteristically tousled and gelled.

Her jaw set in frustration. This was exactly the problem with her. She was standing there fully within her rights to smack him square in the face but that damn helpless expression was so annoyingly endearing that she just wanted to forgive him. But how many times could she excuse his innocence? How many more of these would he screw up before he learned you can't just pull your badge out and slap on the cuffs? And how many more times would she just forgive him? Truthfully Charlie loved his naiveté, she loved watching this fresh faced golden boy try and make his way through the dark California underbelly. His stupid charm and his stupid manners and his stupid stupid face just kept messing her up.

Charlie wondered how long they'd been standing there in the dark. She raised an eyebrow as she realised he would just stand there all night if she let him. She had to fight hard not to tell him to roll over just to see would he comply. He probably would, this Quantico puppy.

'You just gonna stand there?' It wasn't a question so much as a statement. Mike fumbled, trying to construct an actual sentence but when he failed Charlie rolled her eyes wearily and moved to push by him. Mike shifted in the door frame so he filled out the space.

'No but-'

'No but nothin', Mike, I'm tired. move,'

'no,'

'Get outta my way Mike, I'm not playing,'

'No, Charlie I want to talk this through,'

'Jesus, Mike,' Charlie trailed off in frustration, 'Working everything through is your damn problem, haven't you realised that? You haven't figured out that you can't take the time to talk everything through, think everything through? You need to work a hell of a lot faster at Graceland, we don't have time to mentally run through the FBI manual every time there's a problem. You've got to learn how to figure things out for yourself.'

Mike was frozen in shock. If there was one person at Graceland he thought understood how hard all of this was for him it was Charlie. She'd always been so understanding, so warm. Any question he thought was too stupid to ask the others he never felt uncomfortable asking Charlie. She didn't just assume he could follow their conversations, that he understood all the codewords and gang names. She never took for granted that he was totally out of his depth and didn't instantly understand how to converse with these big league mob bosses and dealers. But here she was, shouting him down. Apparently none of them get how hard all this was. Not one of them seemed to grasp the concept that he had been sent three thousand miles away from everyone and everything he knew, to a whole new job and a whole new life. Mike could feel his frustration mount as the muscles in his jaw twitched. All the studying, all the cramming and the memorizing and the reciting the manual verbatim was for nothing? None of it would make a difference out here, none of it would help save his life next time he had a gun to his head. And finally Mike cracked.

'God, do any of you have any idea how terrifying this is for me? I'm sorry I'm new and I'm sorry that all I know is the manual and Quantico but I can't help that. I'm trying but sometimes I'm gonna screw up. The least you could do is cut me a little slack-'

'When you screw up here people die! this is life or death, Mike you can't screw up. I know it's a lot to ask-'

'Yeah, no shit.'

'Did I say I was finished? It's a lot to ask but guess what, Mike, the same is being asked of all of us. Have you stopped to think that maybe we haven't gotten used to dealing with all this, we've just gotten used to faking it? That maybe we're all just as scared as you but we've learned how to lie our way through? No, course not, you've been too busy feeling sorry for yourself. Thinking. And that's your problem, Mike, thinking. You've got to learn to trust your instincts. Act. Just do something, no thinking about it and definitely not trying to figure out what the manual told you to do. React. And if you can't react 'cause you're too scared, fake it. Act how you think they want you to. Pretend to be who they want you to be. Jesus, jus-'

Mike's lips were on hers as he pushed his body up against hers. His arm wrapped around her lower back pulling her closer while his other hand tangled in her mess of dark waves. If Charlie wanted him to act on instinct then fine, he would. he'd stop fighting the instinct to just shut her up by kissing her the way he'd wanted to kiss her since she walked into his room in that blue robe. Or was it a kimono? What was that thing? Mike closed his eyes harder as he willed himself to focus on deepening the kiss, not over thinking. Charlie made a shocked half gasp half moan as Mike pushed her up against the wall and let one of his hands rest next to her face. His other hand was on her hip, pulling her lower body up against his and Charlie arched her back in compliance.

Charlie was in total shock over Mike's kiss and she made to push him away for about a half a second before she realised how hypocritical that would be and how good this kiss felt. Instead she let her hand rest on his firm chest and wound the other around his neck. Mike's soft lips were now forceful and strong as they pushed up against hers. When he pushed her up against the wall Charlie let herself go and opened her mouth in retaliation, biting on Mike's bottom lip, the one he always puckered when he was thinking too much. God, that stupid pout drove her crazy and when she thought about how angry it made her she bit down hard illiciting a growl from Mike. He sure as shit didn't remind her of a puppy now, Charlie caught herself thinking as their tongues met once again.

Mike moved his face down to rest in Charlie's neck, trailing nips and kisses along her cheek as he did so. He had to brush her mess of hair out of the way and quickly kissed her shoulder as he did so before coming to rest just under her jawbone when he heard Charlie moan in approval.

'Couch?' was all Mike could manage between kisses and shallow breaths as Charlie continued to caress the nape of his neck. Her other hand found its way under his vest and she was now grazing the contours of his chest with her nails.

'No, we have no idea when they'll be home,' Charlie whispered. Mike paused for a second when he remembered the existence of his house-mates Before Charlie had time to tell him to stop and truthfully, before Mike had time to think the better of it, he pressed one more forceful kiss to her parted lips and then lead her by the hand to his bedroom. Charlie couldn't seem to muster the inner strength to refuse him.

Mike swung around once they reached his door and practically threw her up against it, guiding her hands above her head and then letting his rest on her sides, fully acting on instinct now. Charlie let her arms follow his a second later. One arm rested on his shoulder while the other reached for the doorknob. When she found it the door opened but before she had time to fall Mike's strong arm was around her and the other lifted her up and guided her leg to wind around his back.

Charlie let her legs constrict around Mike as he carried her to the bed, their lips never leaving one another's as they did so. Mike's foot caught on the mat by his bed and they fell onto the bed with a little less grace than he had planned, although none of this had really been planned and Charlie's hungry whimper seemed to tell him it was going okay anyway. And so he let her work the shirt of his body, rolling his shoulders to help her and then tore the vest off before she had to ask and began to press angry kisses to her neck once again. Charlie ran her hands up the contours of his toned, tanned back before taking his jaw in her hands and pressing her expectant mouth to his as her hips bucked teasingly. She grinned wickedly when Mike's breath caught in his throat and he stopped to stare at her. Her breath was heavy and her chocolate hair was splayed out over the bedspread. Her tongue was resting on her top lip and she looked so pleased with herself and the effect she was having on Mike.

Mike was determined to shock her, to prove to her that he could be just as teasing, just as desirable. He kissed her hard just as she went to say something and let his tongue explore the inside of her mouth which warranted another gasp from Charlie. Mike fought the urge to grin and instead tore her hands away from his body and pinned them above her head. He continued to kiss her passionately, never letting her break the kiss to catch her breath. Any time Charlie went to move her arms down to his body Mike would push them back down again forcefully.

Charlie was used to being in charge and Mike was actually making her feel vulnerable but any time she went to regain control Mike would kiss her somewhere else or touch her in a different way, forcing her to abort her mission. She went to release her hands again but they were quickly pushed back down by Mike. He held her hands in his right hand, the other was trying to undo the button on her denim cut-offs.

'Would you stop that?' Mike said, growing frustrated by her attempts to overpower him.

'Make me.' Mike couldn't stop his stomach from flipping at the sound of Charlie's dare. Mike issued a guttural moan as he pressed his face to her stomach, pushing her black vest up out of his way with his nose as he began to assail her flat stomach with kisses. He then moved away to remove her shorts and Charlie couldn't contain the impatient whimper that escaped her lips. Her eyes rolled at the sound of Mike's satisfied chuckle. He had the most annoyingly attractive smug look on his face, his mouth twisted up into an infuriating grin, his smile lines pronounced and his blue eyes dark. He conceded to quickly tear off her shorts and moved back to her stomach, no longer being able to resist trailing his tongue up over her bellybutton and along her defined hip bones. he began to playfully bite at her hips and they both groaned when he caught the lace of her panties by mistake and they recoiled with a tantalising snap.

That was enough to drive them both wild and Mike was finished teasing. He balled the bottom of her shirt up in his fist and tore it up over her head, staying perfectly in character all the while. No matter how much fun he was having, Mike still had a point to prove. But apparently so did Charlie. She pushed Mike and rolled herself on top of him. Mike let his hands rest on her thighs which were now either side of him as she tore the rest of his clothes off but as soon as she was finished Mike moved to place himself on top of her now naked body. a small smile played on Charlie's lips as she trailed her hand down to grasp Mike's length and he sputtered in shocked pleasure, his eyes scrunching shut.

Charlie used his moment of weakness to roll them over again, giving her the advantage but Mike quickly went to roll them once more and they were now balancing dangerously on the very edge of the mattress.

'We're going to fall off,' Charlie laughed lightly.

'Stop fighting me then,' Mike pleaded, breaking character for the first time, his blue eyes twisting into that familiar puppy pout. But it was gone as quickly as it came and with a giggle Charlie finally conceded and let him take full control and his eyes grew dark again. Spurred on by Charlie's compliance Mike decided to take a risk and tentatively let his hand trail up her thigh and Charlie gasped when she felt his fingers inside of her. Mike started to kiss at Charlie's neck and jaw as his fingers stroked and curled, Charlie whimpering all the while. She began to quiver with pleasure, her fingers digging into Mike's back. Mike moved away from her neck to take in he sight of her face screwed up in pleasure, her breasts rising and falling steadily as her breath quickened. Charlie began to cry out loudly but bit her lip to stifle the noise. At the sight of this Mike nearly lost his mind with desire. He couldn't believe he was having this effect on her, Charlie, who was always so strong and empowered seemed gentle and so beautifully trusting.

With this thought Mike pressed the first gentle kiss of the night to her lips and entered her slowly, making them both exhale a moan of pleasure. Charlie, however was far too used to having her own way and grabbed Mike's ass and simultaneously bucked her hips forcing him deeper inside of her. She let her head fall back as Mike's fell to bury in the slope of Charlie's shoulder sucking on it lightly, moaning against her skin. Fully understanding Charlie's forcefulness, Mike began to thrust harder and faster and Charlie continued to thrust upwards. They quickly established a merciless rhythm and their sex almost became an extension of their argument from earlier. Both were so infuriatingly fond of one another that this fast, rough sex seemed the only way to convey both their frustration and fondness. Charlie Dragged her nails up Mike's back, angry red scratches already beginning to form and Mike continued to kiss and bite aggressively all over Charlie's slight body. The two began to sweat as they moved into one another over and over again, neither giving the other a chance to catch their breath. With Charlie's hand fisted in Mike's hair and his capable hands arching her back up against him, the two finally unravelled together.

Mike woke in a tangle of limbs and felt his eyes widen for a second before the previous night came rushing back to him and then a sleepy smile crossed his face. His head was resting in a nest of Charlie's messy waves and his arms were secured around her. Charlie had angled herself so she was sleeping up against him so Mike loosened his hold on her to take in her face. He'd never bothered to draw the curtains and so the early morning sun made her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her cheeks. Her mouth, still pink and swollen from kissing was parted slightly and a dreamy smile played about the corners of her mouth. Mike couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his face as he watched her nuzzle into the pillow when he readjusted their positioning.

As Mike was lying there he couldn't help but feel totally a ease. He should have been thinking about the mission he'd botched or the other house-mates finding out or what this was going to do to his relationship with Charlie but he just didn't care. But that was the point of Graceland, right? Once you walk in those doors you're safe to be yourself, safe to just breathe and take a break from worrying about all the shit that came with this job. And now he was free to just be Mike and Mike wanted to kiss the beautiful girl that was lying next to him.

As Mike moved to kiss Charlie softly there was a loud rap on his door making the both of them jump and clutch at the bedspread.

'Mike, you up?' Johnny made to open the door and Charlie darted to hide in the corner, taking the sheets with her.

'Johnny, hang on a minute I'm getting dressed!' Mike yelled. He saw the door close again and exhaled heavily.

'Okay relax, man, I'm going. I don't wanna see you naked. Hey, have you seen Charlie?'

'Uh, she said something about meeting a CI at a club last night, maybe she's still out,' Mike shouted in response as he scrambled to find his boxers.

'Alright whatever, just be in the kitchen in ten.'

'Fine, Johnny, just get outta here!'

Mike heard Johnny muttering something about 'he's normally such a morning person' as he made his way back downstairs. Mike had crossed the room to lock the door and turned to lean on it while he caught his breath. He sighed deeply only to have his breath hitch in his throat once more as Charlie emerged from his closet wearing nothing but his favourite teal t-shirt. And he thought he looked good in blue. Her hair was everywhere and she bit her bottom lip as her cheeks reddened.

'Good instincts,' she whispered as she made her way over to him, his t-shirt was just long enough to graze her thighs as she walked. He moved to meet her and wrapped his arms around her once more. They laughed in relief as he let his head rest on hers.

They stayed like that for a minute before they forced themselves to prepare to go downstairs. Charlie moved to the mirror while Mike hastened to find some shorts and a t-shirt. He licked his palm and began to rub off what was left of the smudged tattoos.

'Jesus, Mike, how the hell am I supposed to cover up all these hickeys?' She'd pulled his t-shirt down by to expose the bruises that covered her neck and shoulder. Mike inwardly reminded himself he was not in Virginia any more before he suggested a turtle neck. Instead he just smiled to himself a little too proudly which earned him a harsh dig to the shoulder, 'don't look so smug,' she added playfully.

'Yeah, well how am I supposed to surf with all the scratches on my back, which is killing me, thanks for asking,' his grin turned sarcastic as he pulled Charlie to sit on his lap for another kiss. Charlie could feel herself getting carried away as her hand wound around his neck and so she pulled away.

'You go downstairs. I'll throw on a cocktail dress and some shades and pretend I just got home, hungover and exhausted.'

'Good plan. Just remember to act really pissed off and unfriendly. It shouldn't be too hard for you.'

'Yeah, so long as you remember to be your loud and happy self it should be easy.' They laughed and kissed once more. Charlie was nestled in Mike's arms as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and she moved to look up at him. She could tell he was thinking about something because his bottom lip was threatening to puppy pout and his eyes were growing darker, they were like the sky and a cloud was drawing near. This time, however Charlie didn't feel like yelling at him or smacking the sad look of that stupidly handsome face. Instead she kissed him, slightly sucking on his jutting bottom lip.

Mike was thinking. Fear began to knot in his stomach as he wondered what all this meant to Charlie. Was it a mistake? A one time thing? Were they friends or fuck buddies? Or maybe, just maybe this meant as much to her as it meant to him. Was it possible that Charlie had fallen for him as hard as he'd fallen for her? Mike knew it was crazy to even consider a relationship at Graceland but he couldn't help it. Maybe Charlie couldn't help herself either. Mike readied himself for disappointment when he felt Charlie shift in his lap and relief washed over him when her lips once again pressed against his.

'Relax, Mike,' Charlie whispered. Mike was embarrassed by the way his stomach flipped when she said his name, 'so there's a couple more people we have to lie to, it's good practice, right?'

'I thought there were no secrets at Graceland,' Mike narrowed his eyes in feigned suspicion.

'Who told you that?' Charlie replied in mock alarm.

'You did.'

Charlie pressed a final kiss to Mike's still smiling lips.

'That was bullshit.' she whispered against his mouth before leaving the room, Mike once again left staring after her in captivation.

AN/ Hi, me again. First, I really hope you enjoyed it, I am soooo nervous about publishing. I just realised that this may be slightly influenced by Aaron's episode of 'Ugly Betty' which I was watching over breakfast so sorry if the whole impulse thing is familiar. I'm also very sorry if the sweetness left you in a diabetic coma. Mike might be a little OOC but I guess that's okay in Graceland, right? PS. If you've made it this far, you've the patience of a saint. X