Hello lovely readers! I can't make any guarantees on how frequently I'll be updating but I'll try to keep the extremely long pauses to a minimum. Thank you to those who took the time to review, favorite, and follow the story and myself, it was truly wonderful to see those emails in my inbox. Hope you enjoy this update.
-Jess
Minutes later, Kirsten makes her way into the restaurant, her bullet proof vest hidden well under her clothes. It had been quite the argument considering what had happened the previous day, but she had bypassed that. Rather, she had gotten out of the van and sauntered casually into Kolinski's. She heard them reprimanding her in her ear mic but she ignored it, walking straight to Barkov.
"Agent Clark, what a pleasure." Dimitri Barkov says, a smile lighting up his features. "How can I help you today?"
Nikolai looks up from his seat across from Barkov, his eyes meeting Kirsten's in suspicion. She doesn't look up as she hears her team coordinate. She hears people moving in behind her, all dressed in their own disguise as restaurant patrons, though she knows that isn't the case.
"I must say I'm a bit curious," Kirsten starts, crossing her arms.
"What do you mean?" Dimitri asks, his brow furrowing.
"Did you really think we were so unqualified that we would go off your word alone?" Kirsten asks, her eyebrow raising. "It became rather obvious from your questioning tactics and the deferring attention that you were covering for someone else."
Dimitri's eyes narrow. "You've got a lot of nerve, accusing me of something like that."
Kirsten's eyes tracked both of their movements and she didn't miss how Nikolai's hand disappeared under the table, presumably to grab a gun.
"Your son, Nikolai killed Ivan Petrovik because Mr. Petrovik was in a relationship with his ex, Elizaveta Vasilieva. I believe the following words were used when you stabbed Ivan. Something to the effect of 'Now you know what it's like to have your heart broken'," Kirsten says.
Nikolai splutters and quickly moves, pulling Kirsten into his arms, his gun against her side.
"How could you possibly know that?" he asks, his tone razor edged.
"How I know doesn't matter," Kirsten says with a razor edge to her own voice. The NSA agents crowd, drawing their own guns.
"Let her go, Barkov." Fisher says, his eyes steely.
"Yes, son, it's time to let her go." Dimitri advises him.
"Why? I'm already going to prison for Ivan, what's another murder?" Nikolai asks, cracking his neck, his eyes maniacal.
"Nikolai," Dimitri barks. "Do not say anything else. Let Agent Clark go."
"Now," Cameron demands, his eyes furious, his tongue steel edged.
Kirsten notices Nikolai's distraction and quickly maneuvers out of his hold, taking control of the gun and pointing it toward Nikolai. "Well, this is going nowhere. On the ground, now."
Nikolai sinks to his knees in surrender and Fisher rushes forward to cuff him. Fisher also arrests Dimitri Barkov as an accessory to Ivan's murder.
"Another solved case," Kirsten grins to herself as they make their way into her house.
"Are we going to talk about it?" Cameron asks when she settles into the couch cushions, turning on the news.
"About what?" Kirsten asks, although she's all too aware.
"Kirsten, you risked your life today and you kicked ass. Where did you learn how to do that?"
"Now if I answered that, where would the fun be?" Kirsten asks, a twinkle in her eyes and then sighs. "I know how worried you all were, but you can't let that impact our cases. I took them by surprise and we got the killer."
"But what if he had shot you?" Cameron asks, sitting beside her, taking her face in his hands. "Do you realize how utterly devastating that would have been?"
Kirsten closes her eyes at his touch. "I'm sorry. I promise, from now on...I'll be more careful."
"That's what you said last time," Cameron says, his eyes closing, her shoulders tense.
"I know. All I can do is ask you to trust me. Can you do that?"
"Can you trust me?" Cameron asks, his eyes lifting and meeting hers.
"I do trust you," Kirsten says, her brow furrowed.
"I want to believe that, I really do." Cameron sighs.
Kirsten deliberates before it comes to her. She needs to show him something that will prove to him that she does trust him.
"Come on," she says suddenly, getting up and gesturing for him to follow. He looks at her quizzically but follows.
"Where are we?" Cameron asks as she goes through the security measures and makes her way into the room where her mother's tank is.
"This is my mother," she murmurs, her fingers tracing the hard metal exterior. "She's being kept alive by these machines."
Cameron turns to her, intertwining the fingers of their hands. "Thank you, Kirsten."
Kirsten squeezes his fingers. "I love you, Cameron. I trust you more than anyone else and I need for you to know that. I promise I will do my best to keep myself out of danger but I'm not going to sit idly by and let someone I love get hurt."
Cameron nods, considering that. "I can accept that, as long as you can accept that I'm not going to sit idly by and let someone hurt you."
Kirsten sighs. "I don't think I can stand you being hurt," she says eventually.
"The feeling's mutual, stretch." Cameron says, lifting her hand, brushing a kiss across her knuckles before turning his attention to the monitors. "Hello Jacqueline. I know you don't know me, and I don't know you but I want you to know that your daughter is safe with me. She is safe, and loved, and wanted." He says resolutely. "And not a day goes by when I don't try to make her happy,"
Kirsten smiles as happy tears cascade down her face. "I hope she gets to meet you one day," she murmurs.
"I do, too." Cameron says, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, pulling her into his arms.
"So, I have something for you..." Cameron says to Kirsten as they walk into his apartment later that week. He had been bouncing the idea around in his head for a while.
Kirsten looks back at him intrigued, her eyebrows raising and then he pulls out the velvet box and her eyes tear up. "Cameron," she murmurs.
"Kirsten. I know it hasn't been long, but I've loved you since almost day one. These past couple weeks have been absolutely wonderful, better than I could have ever imagined. You make me happier than I could have ever hoped of being, and loving you and being loved in return has turned out to be one of the greatest gifts life's ever given me. I can only hope that as the years go by I can make you as happy as you've made me. With that said, Kirsten Clark, will you do me the extraordinary honor of being my wife, my partner in life, my soulmate?" Cameron asks, his own tears forming in his eyes but his voice strong and firm.
"Yes. Yes, Cameron, I'll marry you." Kirsten tearfully says, throwing her arms around his neck and capturing his lips in a searing kiss.
Cameron returns the kiss with equal fervor, his arms winding around her waist, twirling her in a circle.
"You will?" He asks breathlessly when he pulls away.
Kirsten nods and Cameron delicately slides the ring over his finger, pressing a kiss to said hand before pulling her back into his arms. "Thank you, Kirsten." He whispers against her hair, his arms holding her impossibly close.
"Thank you," she says emotionally, kissing him passionately once again.
"So," she muses the next morning, in his bed, as he strokes her hair as she rests her head on his chest. "We're getting married."
"We are," Cameron says, kissing her hair gently.
"When do you want to tell people?" she asks, kissing the edge of his jaw.
"I'm prepared to shout it from the rooftops," Cameron chuckles gently to himself. "That you're mine and I'm yours."
"I was already yours," Kirsten says, shifting up to capture his lips with her own.
Cameron hums in approval, his arms tightening around her as she moves to straddle his hips.
About ten minutes later, they're both gasping for air, Kirsten coming down from her third climax as Cameron throws a hand through his hair, kissing her gently before she settles her head onto his chest.
"Wow," Kirsten murmurs.
"I know," Cameron grins and then groans when he hears the familiar jingle of his ringtone.
"Goodkin," he murmurs, his arm still tight around Kirsten.
"Cameron, its Maggie. We've got another body down at the lab. We need you here ASAP."
Cameron groans. "Okay, I'll be there soon."
Maggie hangs up and not even a moment later, Kirsten's phone rings, except she has to go find it in her jeans which were somewhere in the living room.
"Hello?" she says, a little breathlessly. She rolls her eyes as Cameron unabashedly gazes over her naked body.
"Kirsten, its Maggie. We've got another body down at the lab. Be here soon."
"So, are you going to stand there gawking at me all day or are you going to let me get dressed?" Kirsten asks, noting how Cameron was dressed but he was holding her clothes in his arms.
"I don't know, I kind of like this view," Cameron grins, leaning against the door frame.
"I'm sure you do," she grins, walking up to him and kissing him, using the distraction to try to swipe her clothes out of his arms.
"Nice try, stretch." He says smugly against her lips, holding her clothes just out of reach.
"What exactly do you intend I wear then?" Kirsten asks, holding her hands to her hips.
Cameron considers her question and then hands her back her jeans but holds hostage her blouse and holds out one of his own blue pull overs.
Kirsten eyes it warily, clasping her bra behind her. "You want me to wear one of your shirts?"
"I just figured it might be more comfortable." Cameron muses, handing her the shirt and grabbing his keys off the nightstand.
Kirsten raises an eyebrow but boldly puts on her jeans with no undergarments except for her bra and slips Cameron's pullover over her torso.
His eyes darken as he watches her movements. "You're going...?"
"Commando?" Kirsten asks, a smirk on her lips. "Yes."
Cameron's eyes narrow at her mischievous look but he takes her hand in his and walks them out the door.
"There you are, it's about time." Maggie says as they step off the elevator.
"Good morning to you, too, Maggie." Cameron says.
Maggie rolls her eyes. "Conference room."
Camille sidles up to Kirsten as they make their way towards the stairs.
"Where were you?" Camille asks. "Or do I already know?" she looks between Kirsten and Cameron, who's talking to Linus.
"Yes I was at Cameron's." Kirsten confirms.
"And you're wearing his clothes?" Camille asks, pulling at the fabric.
"How can you tell?" Kirsten asks a small giggle on her lips.
"He wore this last week. I only noticed because you commented on it."
Kirsten looks down and realizes that this is the one that complimented Cameron's green eyes.
Camille gasps when she notices the beautiful diamond ring on Kirsten's finger.
"Did he...?" Camille asks.
A brilliant smile forms on Kirsten's lips as she nods, her eyes alight with happiness and love. "I'll tell you all about it later, I promise, but I'm pretty sure that Maggie's going to be very angry if we don't get in there soon."
"I'm going to hold you to that," Camille says, following Kirsten into the room, noticing how Kirsten took a seat beside Cameron and how he took her hand under the table, rubbing reassuring circles across the back of her hand.