Title:  UC: Vacation Undercover

Authors:  Dreamscape and Gypsy

Feedback: PLEASE!

Summary:  Co-Authored by Gypsy.  Donovan plans a vacation for the team.  Little boy pranks leads to a battle of the sexes.  Who will be the victor?

Rating:  R

Disclaimer:   UC:Undercover and its characters used to belong to NBC.  ~L~ Now? Anyway, all rights to Shane Salerno and whoever else claims them.  We're just borrowing.  All other characters are ours.  Don't sue...won't get anything except our puppies and our clones, who only listen to us.

Author's note:  this is just meant to be a fun little romp. Something different. Hope you enjoy it...

"What the hell kind of vacation is this?" Shay demanded, her hands on her hips to demonstrate her irritation.  She looked around the campsite.  Large walk-in tents, porta-potties, sleeping bags, etc. were disbursed over the large area.  A short distance away, amongst the trees, she spotted a rope obstacle course.  "When you said to remind you to take me on a vacation...I was thinking warm tropical beach...seclusion, romance...ya know...just you and me?  Somewhere where we could spend one, maybe two weeks, screwing our brains out, not some survival boot camp, with your entire team, where everything is a competition." 

Any other time, any other place, her remarks and the chuckles amongst the other members of the group might have irked him, but not today.  "Oh, come on, Shay.  You'll enjoy this.  Besides, a little competition never hurt anyone.  We can all use with a little sharpening of our skills."  He could see by the look in her eyes that he made things worse.  He had a vague sense of remembering something his father-in-law had said.  Something about kissing her instead of talking to her, that way he would avoid saying something stupid and rile her anger.  That he had done just that was fairly obvious, although he could not help but find her extremely sexy in her cut-off jean shorts, white cotton half shirt, her long honey-blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, hiking boots and the thick socks she scrunched down to the top of the boots.

Shay's arms fell to their sides in exasperation.  "Competition."  She nodded as a wicked smiled touched her face.  "I'll give you that, and more," she assured him, moving closer to stand directly in front of him.  Her gaze swept over him.  He looked every bit neat and trim in his tight jeans, white baja shirt, hiking boots, etc. as he did when he wore Armani.  Not fair, she thought, for one man to be so devastatingly handsome.  Always so busy with their work for the government, she had never taken the time to realize that being outdoors suited Donovan.  His dark complexion and swarthy good looks, he would drive any woman insane. 

Looking up into his face, she smiled.  "Now...don't go thinking you get to grow a full beard during this little excursion of yours.  Keep the goatee...but the rest stays clean shaven," she whispered and watched as his brow arched and she ran a hand through his short black hair. 

He groaned.  "Shay, you're being impractical...of course I won't be shaving," he whispered in return.

"Oh?  Darn...well, I guess then...no snuggles with your wife then," she murmured, nuzzling his neck.

"Dammit, you're not playing fair," he accused, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"All's fair in love and war, Tiger," she insisted as her tongue slid around the shell of his ear.

"Fine, fine.  You win this one," he caved with a groan.

She pulled away with a hearty laugh, well satisfied that she had tortured him enough...for now.  There would be plenty of opportunities to pay him back for his idea of a vacation.

"Well, even if it isn't the most romantic idea for a vacation, we might as well make the best of it," Frankie reasoned as she approached Frank and Shay.

Frankie had on a pair of black shorts that were almost indecently short and tight, a tank top of dark green and matching shirt tucked into the shorts.  Her hiking boots were more like the SWAT tactical boots as they reached her knees and buckled in more places than laced.  Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.  Behind her, Jake had dropped the large backpack at their tent and started towards Frank, Shay and Frankie.  He was dressed like Frank - tight blue jeans, hiking boots and t-shirt.  He heard Frankie and smiled.

"Yeah, besides, camping can be fun...especially with the right tent mate," Jake commented as he slid an arm around Frankie's waist.

Frankie chuckled.  "Hey, Frank, what's with this place anyway?  It looks like there's room for about fourteen campsites here, and yet, we seem to be the only group."

Frank nodded.  "There are fourteen campsites here at the North Rim of the Black Canyon National Park.  I pulled a few strings and reserved the entire Rim so we would be comfortable without a bunch of strangers nosing into our business.  Besides, it's a chance for everyone to get to know each other better."

"I think he's talking about us, Frankie," Shay said, laughing.

"Ya think?" Frankie replied with a wink. 

Alex strolled over to join the two couples.  She removed her black overcoat, revealing her red tank top, tucked securely into a pair of tight jeans.  She, too, wore a pair of sturdy hiking boots.  "We're also getting a chance to get to know Monica's husband.  They should be arriving soon; their plane from Los Angeles was due to arrive in Gunnison about an hour ago.  My 'friend' is also on that flight."

"Yeah, Alex...just who is your friend?" Cody asked, finally joining the group in the center of the compound.  He had been inspecting his tent and stowing away what equipment he brought with him, against Frank's wishes.

"Got enough techno-geek equipment there, Code-man?" Frankie chuckled.  "Remind me why you brought all that stuff when there's no electricity out here for miles and miles?"

Alex chuckled and nodded toward the sedan that moved slowly toward them and parked outside of the compound.  "You'll find out soon enough, Cody."

The first to exit the vehicle from the rear passenger seat was a tall man, nearly 6'5".  Frank and Jake looked at each other in astonishment as both their wives gasped and pulled away from them to stand beside Alex, blatantly staring at the man with the brown sugar complexion, long black dreadlocks, beefcake muscular build, ebony eyes, perfectly shaped nose, full mouth and well-manicured beard and mustache. 

"Alex, is he yours?" Shay asked in amazement.

Alex could barely shake her head in a negative response; she was just as captivated as the others by the handsome hunk of a man in black jeans and white polo shirt.  "He's Monica's," she finally managed to respond as the man who was being watched so attentively helped Monica out of the vehicle.  Monica waved heartily at her old teammates and friends.

Frankie's mouth hung slightly open in shock.  "Whoa, baby...Monica got herself one hell of a catch in that exotic hunk of male."  Behind the three women, Frank and Jake were getting a little nervous at the ogling going on.

As they approached the group waiting in the center of the compound, the two occupants from the front seats of the sedan emerged, a man from the passenger's side and a woman from behind the wheel.  Alex took off at a dead run and jumped into the arms of the man who stood by the vehicle.  Frankie and Shay looked at each other in amusement before turning their attention back to the new arrivals.

The man Alex had herself wrapped around was not overly tall, perhaps about 5'9", shoulder length dark blonde hair, muscular build.  He laughed deeply while looking into Alex's eyes. "Hey, that's Christian Kelley...you remember him, don't you Jake? Frank?" Cody remarked.

Both Frank and Jake nodded.  Christian was a Championship Surfer who had stumbled upon a mob hit one evening.  Frank remembered how his team had been assigned as protection for the duration of the trial.   He had no idea that Alex had even become friendly with the Surfer, let alone kept in close contact with him.

"He's cute," Frankie whispered.

"Sure he is.  But he's short," Shay replied in a whisper.

"I'm thinking you're right.  But, then again..." she grinned evilly and slid her grey eyes over to her love.  "Jake's about his height, too."

"Yes, he is.  You and I will talk later about lover-boy over there."  Shay winked.

"Oh, thrill," Frankie joked.  "Last time you and I talked, it ended with me in a coma."

Their whispers and thoughts about Alex's friend were interrupted as Monica and her husband joined them.  Jake, Cody, Shay and Frankie greeted Monica with a group hug.  When she turned to Frank and he too hugged her, a look of bewildered surprise appeared on her face.  "It's...ah...good to see you, too, Frank," she finally managed to say as they pulled away from each other.  "With all the craziness that was going on when I left the team...you never got a chance to meet my husband.  Everyone, this is Tyler Gardner.  Ty, this is Frank Donovan and his wife, Shay.  Jake Shaw and his wife, Francesca.  The goofy one, that's Cody..."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Cody.  Couldn't resist," she apologized half-heartedly.  Turning to Alex and Christian, who approached from behind, "And this is Alex Cross and Christian Kelley."

"Please to meet you all," Ty replied, shaking hands with each of them. 

The crunch of footsteps on the gravel behind the group turned their attention to the last occupant of the sedan.  It wasn't difficult to see that Cody was at the very least mildly attracted the to woman.  Shay reached over to him and gently pushed up on his chin until his jaw snapped shut.  Cody turned his head to look at her and Shay winked her response.  Frankie and Alex grinned and covered up the snickers.  Ohhhh, this might turn out to be fun after all if they got to torment the Code-man about being attracted to their guide.

Cody turned his attention back to the 5'6" vision in front of them.  Her light brown hair was pulled back and braided.  The length of the braid swung easily behind her, bouncing off the seat of her khaki pants, making Cody wonder how far below her derriere her hair reached with the braid undone.  He took in the fact that she wore sturdy hiking boots that seemed unnaturally light as she walked.  Her deep tan was accentuated by the crispness of her white shirt.  His gaze once again fell onto her oval face.  She had a pert little nose and the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.  And those lips...if she sucked in that bottom lip one more time, he would come undone right there before God and everyone.

It was Frankie this time that reached out to close Cody's mouth as he goggled at the young woman.  "She's cute, isn't she?" Frankie whispered.  All Cody could manage in response was a slight nod of his head.

Frank moved forward and extended his hand in greeting.  When the woman took it and gave a firm handshake, he said, "Everyone, this is Kathryn Fellows.  She's a Park Ranger here at the Black Canyon and has agreed to be our guide during our stay."

Frank took her through the introductions to the groups.  When that was through, Katie gave them a stern look.  "We have made special concessions on behalf of your group.  Campfires, which must at all times be properly attended, are permitted here in the main compound."  She indicated the two stone circles set a good distance apart from each other where the campfires would be contained.  "At no time will fires be allowed in the Inner Canyon.  All cooking must be done on a gas stove, which has already been set up for your convenience.  And, as I indicated to Mr. Donovan, all water has to be brought into the campsites.  I'm sure you've noticed the large tank at the end of the compound.  For your convenience, we have set up a makeshift "cold" shower.  It is not something we would do for our guests, but was done at Mr. Donovan's request.  Remember to conserve the water because it will need to last us.  However, I don't foresee anyone taking a lengthy cold shower."  She chuckled nervously.  She hated making speeches and talking to strangers.  That was one of the reasons she had become a Ranger.  Rarely did she have to spend much time with people at all.

She took a deep breath, attempting to brush her nervousness to the side.  "We'll go on a short hike through the woods as soon as you've had a chance to settle in."  Katie noticed Mrs. Donovan tug at her shorts as if contemplating changing her clothing.  "The trail is well formed and easily traversed, so there's no need to bother with changing, unless you would feel more comfortable," she assured and smiled at her.

************

Katie headed up the small group, leading them through the well-defined pathways in the forest.  She noticed the gangly one, Cody, followed close at her heels.  Lord, that was all she needed.  A lovesick puppy nipping at her heels.  Behind him were the ones named Alex and Monica.  They chattered happily as if they were catching up on old times. The two men they were paired with, Christian and Tyler followed them.  Behind them followed Frankie and Jake.  Frank and Shay brought up the rear.

They walked a short distance until they came upon the rope obstacle course.  Katie turned to the group.  "This is... ah... not part of the usual park decor.  I hope Mr. Donovan has explained the general purpose of your week here at the Canyon is not entirely for vacation purposes.  We have planned several activities somewhat in line with your profession.  There will not, however, be any discharging of guns of any kind in the park.  Please keep that in mind."

Cody snickered loudly at the double entendre.  "You don't know these men very well.  Some of them will have a lot of trouble keeping their guns holstered."

"What?!" Katie exclaimed.  "You were told not to bring firearms with you."

"Ah... er... we didn't," Jake replied, smirking.  That elicited chuckles from Frankie and Shay.

Katie watched as the men tried to hide their smirks and the women just outright laughed at the joke.  It took only a few seconds for the double meaning to sink in and she literally felt the blush on her cheeks. She was sure it was bright enough to light the canyon in the dark and she silently wished a huge boulder would come crashing out from nowhere and crush the little geek who started the stupid joke.

"Oh that was slick for Cody." Frankie muttered to Jake.  "For someone who's apparently taken with the woman, he's going about it the wrong way."

"Hey... Frank and I will talk to him later." Jake whispered back.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Frankie winked and nuzzled Jake's neck slowly as she walked.  Her breathing was coming in shorter bursts now.  The thinner air at this elevation was beginning to take effect.

Katie's look hardened as she turned toward the obstacle course.  "Yes, well, as I was saying...you will all be timed on this course.  Those of you who are employed by the government, your scores will be part of your record.  If you fail to make the required time, you'll have to take the course again in Quantico."  She shrugged.  "Isn't that what you told my superior, Mr. Donovan?"

"Yes, Miss Fellows, it is," Frank admitted.

"Please, call me Katie," she said, smiling.  Her smile was more from amusement than friendliness.  She could see that Mrs. Donovan was not at all happy about the itinerary her husband had planned.  Apparently, he did not include her in these decisions.  Katie shook her head.  Any husband should know that is the first rule of marriage.  Of course, most married couples do not work together.  So, this may be an exception.

"Any other surprises, Agent Donovan?" Shay asked, more than slightly irked.  "You're damned lucky I don't have a gun right now, because I'd shoot you where you live."

Frank blinked at the amount of animosity in her voice.  "What's the big deal Shay?  We were due for evaluations... this is just killing two birds with one stone."

Shay arched a brow at him.  "Right.  And you know what you can do with your birds."

His arms circled her from behind and pulled her tight against him.  She was finding it hard to stay angry with him while he absently caressed her bare midriff with his thumb.  Instead she found herself relaxing against his strength and wishing more and more they were alone.

"Okay now?" he asked with a grin.

Shay kissed his cheek softly.  "For now, Tiger.  For now."

"Ahem," Katie cleared her throat.  "Moving on now," she said with just a hint of sarcasm.  They hiked about twenty feet down the path and Shay noticed Frankie struggling for breath and she looked a bit pale.  Shay had been ready to call ahead to take a break when Katie brought the group to a halt.

"This lake is man made.  You need a Colorado fishing license to fish in the lake, and if you're interested, I'll drive you into town to apply for one," Katie informed them.  "Now... I will caution you.  It is perfectly acceptable to swim in the lake... but please... no skinny-dipping.  Although you have the North Rim to yourselves, remember, people from the South Rim do hike up here and there are several other Rangers that come through here with tours.

Up ahead, Alex took the news with a bit of unhappiness.  "I'll skinny-dip if I damned well want to." She mumbled, and then covered with a smile.  Next to her, her 'friend' Christian grinned an evil plotting smile.

Shay moved over to Frankie.  "You okay? You're lookin' a little worse for the wear."

Frankie nodded.  "Fine, just not used to the high altitude."

"Let's go back then.  There's no hurry to do anything today."

"No, really.  I'm fine," she insisted.

"Are you sure, baby? Maybe we should go back," Jake replied.

"What's going on?" Frank asked, putting his arm around Shay's shoulders.

"Frankie's not... ooh..." Shay trailed off when she noticed Tyler reach behind his head to tie his hair back.  She absently brought her fingers up to run over her mouth as she watched his muscles ripple beneath his shirt.

"Shay?"

"Huh?"

"Shay?" Frank repeated and gave her a little shake.  Only once in the time he had known her had he ever become jealous over another man.  That was when he mistakenly thought Jake had been the father of Little Jake.  He was feeling that jealousy again.  Only this time, the feeling was ten fold.  He had no idea his wife was so fascinated with muscle bound men.

"What?!" Shay demanded, now distracted from her 'distraction'.

"You were saying," he asked.

"I was?"

Jake smirked.  "She was saying that Frankie's feeling a little tired out."   He looked over at Frankie and his smirk faded.  She was apparently just as smitten as Shay with the behemoth.

Frank followed Jake's gaze to see Frankie watching Monica's husband as intently as Shay.  "Maybe we should get them a towel," he said in annoyance.

"What do we need a towel for?" Frankie responded, her eyes still on Ty.

"For the drool running down your chins," Jake snapped.

"Oops!" Shay and Frankie said in unison.  Both women tried to cover their grins as the blushes rose on their cheeks.

"Is there something you need to share with the group?" Katie asked as she approached the four who stood off by themselves.

Frank nodded.  "We were just talking about heading back to camp. Frankie's having trouble with the altitude and I don't want to press things with her.  She just recently recovered from a coma."

"Jesus, darlin'!  That was over 6 months ago.  You act like I just woke up last week!  Really, I'm fine.  The doctor cleared me to come up here this morning guys," Frankie insisted.

"Nevertheless, 'darlin'," Shay mocked, "we're going back to camp."  She took Frankie by the arm and started leading her away.

"Hey... ack!" she squeaked as Shay took hold of her and hauled her out of earshot of their guys.

She leaned closer and whispered.  "Sweet Jesus, Frankie... have you ever seen a man so... so..." 

"Godlike?" Frankie whispered in reply.

"Exactly," Shay said and shuddered while thinking about Tyler.  Together they giggled like schoolgirls as they headed back to camp with the remainder of the group following, including their perplexed husbands

Frank and Jake exchanged looks.  Frankie and Shay did not hit it off at all when they first met, but ever since Frankie and Jake had announced their engagement, the friendship between the two women had grown and blossomed into something that was akin to family. 

Frank was more than grateful for that, because he loved Frankie dearly and it would have been a terrible strain on his marriage if she and Shay had continued to butt heads.  In retrospect, the pairing of these two women might very well be the downfall of society.  He shook his head, and with a grin, followed behind his wife and her "sistah".

....stay tuned to find out what happens around the campfire. ~wink~