Chapter four


Four. Fucking. Hours.

Seriously the amount of people didn't seem that huge when he first stepped in; but then again after his fourth glass he had to agree with Percy, who shot him a warning in his ear, that he had to slow down. In those hours, he made the rounds. Making nice with people who made him want to rip his hair out and insult them until he was blue in the face.

"Birkhoff make your move soon" Michael was growing bored and to be honest so was Birkhoff, but at least he could see glimpses of Alexandra to keep his mind from wandering too much. She didn't talk much, in fact the reason he hadn't talked to her as of yet was because she liked to listen to everyone. Only once or twice did she show any signs of being bored but no one ever guessed besides him and Owen.

When Owen whispered for her to move on and she shot him a grateful smile, Birkhoff snorted and ignored the look from a guest.

"She has a following; how you suggest that" Birkhoff growled behind his glass. Water was only his choice of drink when his hands started to shake from so much sugar. Groaning at the taste he just wished this night was over with; he could go home and enjoy the peace that came with being alone.

"Bump into her; make her see you Birkhoff" rolling his eyes Birkhoff bit off the retort biting at his lips. Amanda didn't understand that a woman like Alexandra didn't just get bumped into.

But still he had to do something and so he made his way towards the beautiful woman, noting each of her guards and Smithson whom for the most part didn't act like the man Birkhoff had read about. He was charming and laughing and so easy going that Birkhoff wondered just how he had stayed out of a partnership with Division for so long.

Before he could even reach Alexandra a throat was being cleared and all eyes were on Smithson who stood on the raised platform leading to eating area. He was smiling at the gathering crowd and quickly motioned towards Alexandra who ducked her head and shot a playful glare at her guardian. Birkhoff took this moment to jump to phase two of the plan. He would charm her later; just as long as he got the bugs into the system.

As Alexandra made her way to the platform to present her speech, Birkhoff was slipping away and through a set of doors that would lead him to Alexandra's private quarters.

"Birkhoff?" Michael sounded tense and Birkhoff knew how he felt. Hell he was risking guards and the possibility of this failing because he was jumping the gun, but he could save it all as long as his bugs were in place. At least he would have something to save his ass from Percy. The more time spent away from Operations was giving him a heady feeling, like a bird that had fled it's cage.

"I'm dropping bugs; I couldn't sit through a boring ass speech. I'll drop and return and charm. So chill out man" Birkhoff could only guess that there was three highly trained people waiting on his next moves and no doubt Michael was clenching his jaw.

Birkhoff was tempted to tease Michael a little more but he really didn't want Percy or Amanda talking his in ear; so instead he just slipped in to the personal computer room and nearly wet himself. The place made Operations look like an arcade.

Heading straight to a computer he was going over a list of all the things Percy needed to get him when Alexandra agreed to the deal, the place was a gold mine to a geek and if he wasn't sure someone wouldn't start berating him, he would have taken his time.

Logging on took a fraction of a second and so did the passwords, encryptions and firewalls. For all the technology, the actual programming was easy to break and for all the pity he felt for Maggie before decreased because she was crap at her job.

"How is the bugging coming" snorting, Birkhoff rolled his eyes as he typed faster then he could blink. Screens upon screens popped up and he saw them all.

"Please; remember Michael who your talking to, you should be asking when the smokes going to settle" OK so maybe they had heard it a thousand times before, but he didn't want them to forget, for even a second, that he was god when it came to this stuff. Pulling his cell phone out, Birkhoff slipped the back off and removed the SD card. On it was a hard copy of his work, the actual phone would be the detention key.

By the time he was finished he didn't stop himself from leaning back and admiring his work. The bugs would burrow so deep and cause so much trouble that Birkhoff could imagine what damage he could do if he really got into the swing of things.

Some days Division was lucky they snapped him up when they did.

"Don't forget Birkhoff"

"Going to be like stealing candy from a baby Amanda, don't worry. She'll be kicking herself" he was arrogant for all the right reasons. At least that was what he told himself, and no one ever seemed to question him, so he carried on.

In fact, as he was slipping out of the room and straightening his jacket, he considered his demands a little light in view of just what he could and did do for Division. The way things were going he might even get away with demanding a few more things in the future from Percy. It was with glee at the thought that made him almost skip down the hallway.

But before he could actually suggest it to Percy a door was opening and the clip of high heels headed his way. Freezing, Birkhoff knew this was the moment he would come unstuck. Knew this might just be the reason why Percy kept him in the confines of Division and his close watch.

Michael wouldn't freeze and like some lucky charm, Birkhoff knew what do to, knew that he just had to act like Michael and things might go his way. Slipping his tie loose, he wondered over to a random door and opened it, only to view what could be a laundry room.

The clip of high heels almost deafened him and he was half scared he had lost his hearing when the sound stopped. But then he was pulling back and found himself under the heavy glare of Alexandra Udinov, a bright red stain spoiling her beautiful dress.

Though he gulped Birkhoff still managed to paste that cocky grin across his lips and even allowed him a moment to look over all the available flesh on show.

"Glad you like what your staring at but if it isn't too much trouble perhaps you could tell me what the hell you're doing here before I call the guards" the way she spoke and the way she held her self made him swear the heat notched up a few degrees.

He honestly didn't know if he was more scared or turned on by the way her lips pursed and her eyes hardened. Amanda wasn't lying, Alexandra knew she could take care of her self. But Amanda didn't get how hot the woman was when she looked pissed off.

Birkhoff just shrugged, not denying the fact he was staring and lent against the wall hoping that his not bother attitude didn't have her handing him ass on a plate.

"You know this place is huge and has no toilets" the way she smirked at him and raised her eyebrow had Birkhoff deciding he was more turned on then scared right now. Damn if he would admit that to the three people listening to him.

"There are guest toilets as soon as you walk in; clearly marked" Alexandra didn't seem bothered by the ruined dress and for some reason he could imagine Amanda shaking her head and tsking at the very thought. But he bit back the grin at the image.

"Yeah; well I might have had a few drinks, got turned around. Like I said this place is huge" he must have been charming, because Alexandra was biting back a grin and roll of her eyes. After a few seconds she relaxed and didn't consider him a threat or at least not that big of one.

"Not my design. I just live here" she admitted before standing straighter and gave him that heart stopping smile that made him forget just why he was here again.

"Alex Udinov and you would be" he scrambled to pull his card out and Alex smirked at him, raising an eyebrow at his half glare.

"Birkhoff" he declared handing a fake business card to her, watching her slender fingers puck it from his hand and her doe eyes reading it's information. He even watched as her forehead puckered into a frown and she glanced at him as though questioning something.

"Just Birkhoff? Seems odd" she didn't offer the card back and in his own mind Birkhoff was doing a victory dance and sticking a few middle fingers up to Percy and Amanda.

"Yeah, well makes it easy for people to remember, besides my skills that is" OK so maybe he could have said something that didn't make him sound like a gigolo and Michael's snort didn't help but he had said it and there was no taking it back.

"Skills?" at least Alex was amused and Birkhoff just shrugged, confident in his acting skills as well now.

"I'm like a god with the computers sweet heart, haven't met a system that could cause me a problem yet" and he was doing another victory dance in his head when the interested look passed across Alexis face. Amanda owed him so many apologises that he was pretty sure he could have her dancing around Division in a sack.

He dismissed it because she would kill him and make it seem like it was his fault.

"Guess I won't toss this card to my guard Daniel then" Birkhoff just shuddered at the thought of any of her guards calling him for any reason that involved his body. Those guys weren't born they were built.

"Whatever; but I'm going to need that toilet and I'm pretty sure wine don't mix well with that dress" he needed to get out, just needed her to be charmed enough to remember him when it came to the crunch time. With a smirk however Alex tiled her head and nodded to the hallway behind him.

"Follow me; I have some rather expensive rugs and Lyle does tend to get a bit pissy over them being ruined" and with that she was walking past him, almost floating and she didn't look back once to check if he was following her. He would have snapped at her but he knew Amanda would have his balls and Percy would be grinning like an idiot as he chained him to a desk.

"I thought it was Alexandra" she shot him a sharp look before smiling gently when he caught up to her. He didn't have to be half as smart as he was to figure it was a sore spot for her.

"Alexandra is a little girl, and I'm far from being a little girl any more" he just nodded at the cold tone to her voice.

They came to a stop half way down a dead end hallway, and folding her arms Alex tilted her head towards a door.

"A private bathroom of sorts. Tell the guards that I gave you permission" Alex ordered and Birkhoff just smiled at her and nodded. He was aware of her eyes studying him as he slipped into the toilet and he could only cast her one last charming smile before shutting the door.

It was several seconds before he heard the clipping of her high heels and he dared to open the door; poking his head around the door jam to see her walking gracefully towards the last door, her slender fingers tugging at the zipper at the back of her dress. Before she closed the door with her foot, Birkhoff saw enough flesh to know that he might need a cold shower when he got home.

Slipping the door shut, he quickly went to work checking his bugs and after activating them, he removed the SD card and crushed it beneath his shoe. Collecting the pieces, he wrapped them in tissue and flushed them down the toilet. It pained him but at least this way no one would find anything if they stopped him.

He washed his hands and tried, and failed, to avoid looking at himself. Amanda thankfully hadn't taken a lot off from his hair, where it was tickling the collar of his shirts it now just tickled his jaw ling, when the copious amount of gel was out.

He had to grimace at the bags beneath his eyes, they were barely concealed, his skin was pasty and he looked the nerd he really was.

He couldn't remember the last time he had a full day to himself. A day were he just kicked back and forget he was anyone who needed to be some where or had something to look over or agents who needed his mind. Percy had promised him a few days off and he would take them. He didn't do sand or sun, so he wouldn't go far but he would get out of his apartment and away from his computers for a few hours.

When this was all over he promised himself that. Didn't think about how this would end just promised that when it did he would take some time off.

He dried his hands and checking once more to make sure the broken SD card had vanished he drew in a deep breath.

"The bugs have been dropped; I'm checking out now kiddies" he didn't wait for a response, half guessed it would only be some agent talk, instead he walked out and glanced towards Alexis bedroom. He wasn't sure he could survive this but he was going to try.

And as he walked back towards the party, he selfishly admitted that it had nothing to do with Alex. He was a selfish son of a bitch.

He was Division.