A/N: I am warning you that there is a derogatory term used in the dialog of this chapter It no way is intended to offend anyone, but simply is used to demonstrate the ignorance of a FICITONAL character. I do not condone the use of such terms. Please do not read if this is offensive to you.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Flashpoint
It's a Second Chance
Chapter 9
Beers and Bumps
As Anisa started walking toward The Goose, she heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned her head to see Jules' bright face.
"Hey, Anisa," Jules said flashing her a big smile.
Anisa smiled back. You couldn't help but smile when Jules was around. Her personality always seemed to bubble over, "Hi, Jules. Thanks for inviting us to join you tonight."
"Anytime I get to have another girl with me around these guys, I'll take it," responded Jules throwing her arm around Anisa's shoulder. They continued to walk into The Goose and as they entered, Jules asked, "So 'Red', huh? Is that Ryan's nickname for you?" Ryan, who was putting a pitcher and mugs down at the big round table, looked up at the mention of his name.
Anisa chortled at that thought, "Yep, it is," hoping that was the end of it.
Ryan smirked and jumped in with, "Well, it's one of them." Anisa shot him glare that could burn a hole through steel. The three sat down and Ryan began pouring as other members of Team One trickled in. The conversation flowed easily amongst the group.
Anisa got up to use the restroom and Jules followed her. "Hey, on Saturday I planned a 'girlie day' wanna join me?"
Anisa smiled and replied skeptically, "A 'girlie day'? What exactly does that entail?"
"I try to do it once a month and I use that term loosely...this week I was going to get a pedicure and then maybe do some shopping. I get tired of being around these stinky guys all week. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but sometimes it's a little too much testosterone, if you know what I mean," Jules shared.
That made Anisa laugh out loud, "I totally get that." She was mulling it over...she could use some more girlfriends – who was she kidding – she could use A girlfriend. "Sounds like fun. I'm in."
When the two ladies returned to the table chatting and giggling, it brought a big smile to Greg's face. Anisa saw that the pitcher was empty and hopped up to get a refill for the group and a soda for Greg. Sam followed her to the bar. "Hey, about that drink tonight..."
Anisa had to stop him, "Listen, Sam. You're a great guy, but I am not really comfortable with..."
Sam smiled and and gently nodded his head, "OK, I get it. I guess I just wanted to get to know you better, not necessarily in a romantic way, but you intrigue me a little."
Anisa cocked her head quizzically, "Intrigue you? I'm really not that interesting." She wished the bartender could make the pitcher fill quicker.
"Yeah, you shoot like a sniper, you have nerves of steel, you can hit like an MMA fighter...interesting combination," Sam explained.
"Sam, you know my training," she stated.
"I know," Sam paused. "I guess I might have been trying to convince you to join SRU. We can always use someone with your skills and level head," he stated, involuntarily glancing at TJ on that last statement. "Right now, Jules and Donna are the only females in SRU. I know they would support you. They would love to have another women around the barn."
Anisa looked down at her hands and then into his big blue eyes. She smiled at him, "Thanks, Sam, I'm flattered, but I have a job. God knows Ryan wouldn't know what to do without me. But I will keep your offer in mind."
As she said that, Sam smiled and gently rubbed her upper arm,"OK then."
Spike glanced up when Sam left the table and saw him go over to Anisa. They looked like they were having a serious discussion. She was smiling at him and nodding. Now he was rubbing her arm. 'Forget about it Scarlatti, Sam has already made his move.' Spike thought to himself.
Sam and Anisa returned to the table with drinks. About 15 minutes later, Anisa's phone buzzed and she looked at the caller ID and had look of shock, almost terror on her face. "Oh crap!" she said as she turned to Ryan, "Did you talk to Don?" Ryan's eyes got huge as he shook his head. "I gotta grab this," and she ran out of the bar.
While Ryan explained that had neglected to check in with Don Schuster, their boss, TJ was pouring himself a 4th beer and staring at the door. Nobody seemed to noticed that his animosity towards Anisa was bubbling to the surface again. A few minutes later, after chugging what was left of that beer, TJ decided to let her know that he did not appreciate the way she had spoken to him in truck on the way back to the barn. Someone needed to put her in her place. He quietly got up and headed for the door.
As TJ walked out of the Goose, he saw Anisa about 20 feet away talking on her cell. He noticed that she was just hanging up from the call and was headed back to the bar. He stepped out of the shadows and in front of her. "Well, Detective McConnell, don't you have something to say to me?"
"Excuse me?" Anisa questioned assertively. TJ took a couple of steps directly toward her and assumed and aggressive stance. She tried to sidestep him but he blocked her again. "What is your problem?" she demanded.
He took another step in her direction, turning her so she was almost pinned against the wall. "You want to know what my problem is?" It was time to set her straight. "It is people who don't know their place. You tried to take over the operation today forgetting that we are the experts. You are just a detective, you don't have the type of skills to do what we do. I don't know why they even let you out of the truck you could have screwed the hole thing up." She just stared at him in utter disbelief as the fury started to build within her. It took every ounce of self control she had to not take him out with one sharp punch to the breast bone. He closed in on her and forced her back against the wall. "And the disrespectful way spoke to me on the way back to the barn..." he lowered his face so it was inches from hers. "I don't like it when people try to make me look like a fool," he hissed.
"You do not need my help to do that," retorted Anisa sarcastically. "I recommend to you take a step back from me, before I hurt you. I am only going to warn you once. IS THAT CLEAR?"
TJ laughed and put one hand on each of her shoulders holding her against the wall...his face still inches from hers. She struggled a bit to test the strength of his grip and realized she was able to arch her back a little. This angered him so he moved even closer. That was exactly what she hoped he would do. She arched her back and head butted him with enough strength to knock him slightly off balance which allowed her to bring her knee to his groin with major force. As she was bring her knee up, the door to The Goose swung open and Sam and Spike came running out and saw what was going on. They saw TJ release Anisa and then crumble grabbing his crotch. Spike rushed over to Anisa.
Sam reached TJ in two strides and picked him up by the collar. "Get your sorry ass home and do not come back to SRU until you are contacted. Is that understood?"
"You saw her, she assaulted me," TJ protested defensively.
"You might want to think about revising that story...now get out!" commanded Sam shoving TJ into the parking lot.
As TJ walked away, he muttered under his breath, but still audibly, "I told you she was a dyke."
Spike had gently placed a hand on Anisa's shoulder and was softly asking, "Are you OK?" He first looked into her eyes and then he looked at the little bump starting to appear on her forehead. There was a tiny spot of blood at the center of the bump. Anisa reached up to touch the bump and said, "Ouch, I think I got him in the teeth. Damn that hurt." All she could do was shake her head and chuckle a little.
By that time, Sam had joined Spike next to Anisa. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine... a little embarrassed that you guys had to come and save me."
Sam offered a lopsided grin, "Uh, we didn't exactly save you, you seemed to handle him just fine."
"What the hell is with that guy? He has been giving me a hard time all day. What did I do to piss him off?" Anisa asked
"I think he has a problem with women who are tough, and I don't mean that in a negative way at all." Spike added.
"Jules is tough and he left her alone," commented Anisa.
"Yeah ,well he hasn't really seen Jules in action...that can be a little disconcerting for some men," Sam suppressed a smile as he pictured that in his head.
Anisa wrinkled her brow and added, "Well he better get over that if he wants to stay with the SRU."
Sam glanced at Spike who was looking at Anisa with concern, his hand still gently resting on her shoulder. Sam smiled a little to himself and said, "Well, I better get back in there before the whole team comes out wondering what happened to us. You guys OK?"
"Yeah we're good," responded Spike not taking his eyes off Anisa. Sam nodded and went back into The Goose leaving the two of them outside. Spike was still examining the bump on her head.
"How does it look?" Anisa asked scrunching up her nose. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on her shoulder and she liked the way it felt there. She didn't want to move for fear of dislodging it.
He stepped a little closer and reached up to move a piece of her hair away from her forehead, "Not too bad," he answered softly.
He was so close she could feel his breath against her cheek. Anisa looked up at him feeling a little lost and unsure of herself. He turned his eyes from the bump on her head and looked down into hers. Her brain completely shut off, she couldn't think let alone stop herself from rising slowly onto her tiptoes. Her head involuntarily tilted slightly to the side. She leaned in and gently brushed her lips to his. She closed her eyes and lingered there for a few seconds. Suddenly her eyes flew open with the realization of what she had just done. She tried to step back, but had nowhere to go since she was still up against the wall.
"Oh my gosh, Spike! I-I don't know what came over me. I-I 'm so sor..." But before she could finish her apology, Spike leaned in and kissed her again. Anisa found herself relaxing into the kiss. She had no idea how long the kiss lasted, it could have been a moment or a millennium. Time stood still. The warmth she felt from his touch on her shoulder and his lips on hers spread throughout her whole body. When they finally parted, Anisa found herself slightly out of breath. They stood there looking into each others eyes in silence, neither knowing what to say. Eventually, Anisa found her voice, albeit a whisper, and said, "I guess we had better get back in there before someone comes looking for us."
Spike nodded and stepped to the side a little not removing his hand from her shoulder. Rather, he slid it to her back as Anisa began to walk to the door with Spike at her side. When the reached the door, Spike pulled it open for her and dropped his hand from back as she walked through. Anisa reached up to pull a strand of hair across her forehead to cover the bump.
They took their seats around the table. Sam glanced at Spike and grinned noticing a hint of a smile on the Italian's face.
Anisa was unable to engage in the conversation because her brain hadn't fully turned back on. It was busy processing what had just happened...what she had just done. 'Holy crap! What was wrong with her? He was just being nice to her and she had taken advantage of him.'
Spike couldn't believe that Anisa had kissed him. Hadn't he just seen Sam rubbing her arm and her smiling up at him. What the heck was going on? All he knew was the he liked the way her lips had felt and tasted - a little bit like vanilla with a hint of beer. He kind of thought she might taste like bacon or at least chocolate. That thought almost made him laugh.
Anisa was jarred back into the conversation when she was hit in the head with a balled up napkin. "So what do you think, Red?" came Ryan's voice.
"Huh? Sorry I was somewhere else..." Anisa stammered.
She was saved by Jules, "Bruce Lee is way tougher than Chuck Norris, right?" Jules gave her a smile and little wink.
Recovering quickly Anisa chuckled and said, "Of course! He kicked Norris' butt in 'Way of the Dragon'." The conversation carried on in a relaxed jovial manner. Sam picked up the pitcher and was going to refill Anisa's mug, but she stopped him, "No thanks. Two is my limit." Sam nodded and put the pitcher down.
Shortly after that Ryan glanced at Anisa and she nodded to him and stood up. Ryan also stood up and put on his jacket, "We gotta head out. Thanks again for today. We enjoyed the evening, too."
Anisa nodded in affirmation and reiterated the 'Thank yous'. As she glanced around the table waving good bye her eyes fell on Spike and quickly moved past. She couldn't look at him.
"See you Saturday!" said Jules with a big smile.
That brought a smile to Anisa's face, "Yeah, see ya Saturday." Ryan and Anisa exited the bar and got into his car.
Ryan had a big grin on his face, "So what are you and Jules doing on Saturday?"
"Ha Ha – having a 'girlie day'. Getting pedicures and shopping. Why, wanna join us?" she added sarcastically.
"Ah – no thanks," he grinned. "So are you gonna tell me how you got that bump on your head?"
"Uh ...well. TJ followed me outside and was being a real jerk. He pinned me against the wall and..."
"What?" asked Ryan in astonishment.
"He was telling me that I needed to respect him blah blah blah. So I head butted him and kicked him in the crotch. That's when Sam and Spike came out. I think I must have caught his mouth with my head," she responded touching the bump lightly. "Does it look bad?"
"Nah, it's just a little nick."
Back at The Goose, Greg stood to leave and said his good byes, as the rest of the team were finishing up their drinks. Sam excused himself and followed Greg outside.
"Hey Boss, can I talk to you a sec?"
"Sure, Sam, what's up?" replied Greg recognizing the concern in Sam's voice.
"Well, you remember when Spike and I went outside earlier in the evening?"
"Yeah. I thought it was a little strange that you ran out after TJ left, what was all that about?" questioned Greg.
"Last week TJ had made some derogatory remarks about McConnell in the locker room to Spike and me. And today during the call, did you catch some of the stuff he said to her?" Greg nodded. "It seems he has some kind of grudge against her. When Spike and I saw him go outside after her, we knew that couldn't be good." Sam continued and told Greg what they had seen and what Anisa had done. "I sent him home and told him not to return to the SRU until he was contacted. Boss, I think it would be a huge mistake to keep him in the SRU. He is volatile, irrational and emotional. Not a good combination for the job."
"Is McConnell, OK? I noticed she had a small bump on her head," Greg asked with concern.
"Yeah, I think she is fine. She is pretty tough." Greg smiled thinking Sam might know more than he was not letting on about McConnell.
"Good instincts, Sam. I think you are right. I'll talk to Holleran about TJ. He will probably want more information and will want to talk to both you and Spike, so be prepared. He may want to talk to McConnell, too. I will give her a call." Greg patted Sam's shoulder and said, "Thanks for keeping me in the loop." Greg walked to his car shaking his head. McConnell was a good detective. She did not deserve to be treated that way by anyone let alone a member of the SRU.
Sam came back inside and saw the rest of his team getting ready to leave. He smiled sweetly at Jules and said he would see her later as she and Wordy headed to the parking lot. Sam saw Spike settling up at the bar and decided to wait for him. When Spike returned to the table to leave a tip, Sam raised his eyebrows and put a big grin on his face, "So...?"
Spike looked at him questioningly, "So? What?"
"What happened when I left you outside with McConnell?"
Spike did not want to talk about it. He hadn't quite figured it out and he really did not want to talk to 'Samtastic' about it. "What do you mean? I made sure she was OK and she wasn't bleeding or anything. Then we came inside. Why?"
"Really? You're telling me you were that close to her and you didn't kiss her?" Sam couldn't believe it. He was sure something had happened, by the way the two of them had been acting after they returned.
"That is what I am telling you." Spike answered emphatically. 'I'm not saying that is exactly what happened, but that is what I am telling you,' he thought to himself.
The two men made their way to the parking lot and Sam turned to his friend and asked, "Gosh. What is wrong with you two?"
"Sam, what are you talking about?" asked Spike with genuine confusion.
"For a smart guy, sometimes you are pretty...obtuse. There is obviously something between you two and has been since the first time you two met. But neither one of you will do anything about it."
"Sam, I think you have had one too many beers. We are just friends...colleagues."
Sam shook his head in disbelief, "Are you telling me that you don't want something more?"
"I don't really know. It's not that easy...it's … complicated," Spike said, thinking of all of the emotional turmoil Anisa had already been through in the last few years. "Besides, I thought you were interested in her," he said in an attempt to deflect the conversation.
"Me? No, I like brunettes," Sam confessed with a grin. "What's complicated? You like her, she likes you... seems simple to me. Do you want to know the real reason I wanted her number?"
"I guess so?" said Spike feeling a little unsure.
"There are two reasons. One – to see if she would be interested in joining the SRU because I think she would be an asset to the program. Two -" Sam stopped a minute and looked at his friend. "Promise you won't get mad?"
This worried Spike a little. "OK... I promise...?" he added questioningly.
"I wanted to talk to her about you."
"About me? What about me?" Spike answered with curiosity.
"I just wanted to put in a good word for you."
Spike's eyes got huge and filled with rage, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SAM?" He was dumbfounded. "Put in a good word for me? Do you think I am such a big geek that I need Samtastic to get me a date? REALLY?" Spike turned to walk away, but Sam grabbed his arm.
"Spike wait! That isn't at all what I think. And you promised that you wouldn't get angry," Sam offered in an feeble attempt at an apology. "I know you don't have trouble getting a date. I know that it sounds really stupid now, but I was only trying to help. It seemed obvious to me that there was a spark between the two of you, but when I asked you about her at the bar on Saturday, you seemed indifferent."
"Sam, let me be clear here. I do not need your help with my love life. You don't need to be involved in mine anymore than I need to be involved in yours and Jules'. ...Yeah - I know about you two. I am not as OBTUSE as you think I am. See you tomorrow." With that, Spike got into his car and drove away.
Ryan and Anisa sat in silence for a while when Ryan's phone rang. Anisa could tell he was talking with his wife. He told her he was on his way home and that he was going to drop Anisa off. Then he handed the phone to her, "She wants to talk to you."
Anisa took the phone. "Hi, Mel, What's up?"
"Hey Anisa. Listen I was going to surprise Ryan for his birthday and take him to this cute little inn on the lake and I was hoping you could come and stay with the kids on Friday night. They are begging to see you... PLEASE." Anisa chuckled at her attempt at begging. "I promise we will be back by 10:00 AM on Saturday so you have the whole rest of the weekend. With three little kids we don't get much alone time. What do you say?" Anisa loved their kids and she missed seeing them.
"OK, sure. What time do you need me there?"
"Thank you! thank you! How does 6:30 sound? Ryan knows we are going out, but doesn't know about the overnight part, so don't mention it OK?" Melanie said.
"OK 6:30. I got. See you Friday," Anisa said hanging up the phone.
"What was that about?"
"Mel just asked me to babysit for you on Friday so you guys could go to dinner."
"But what if you have a date?" Ryan chuckled snidely.
"HaHa... very funny." She replied sardonically. But then she got quiet. She was thinking about her kiss with Spike. What is she supposed to do about it now? UUUGGGHH why does everything have to be so complicated? Should she call to apologize? Should she just pretend that it didn't happen? Things were so much easier when she only had to worry about herself.
Ryan saw her tormented look and asked, "Hey... you OK? What's up?"
Anisa was caught off guard. "Um nothing..I'm fine." she tried to deflect. Then she remembered their 'chat' from earlier. In a voice barely above a whisper she said, "Well, since you want full disclosure... I accidentally kissed Spike." She held her breath waiting for Ryan to react.
"Hmmm. That is interesting. And...?" He responded calmly.
"And what? It was a mistake. The End." she snapped.
"Accident? Really? Did your lips slip and fall up into his?"
"Shut up...forget I said anything..."Anisa spat.
"OK, OK, I'm sorry. I was only teasing. I think it is great that you kissed him...accident or not. One of you had a to make a move sometime."
"UGGHHH Ryan , I don't think I can do this...it is so awkward."
"The kiss was awkward?" he asked with genuine interest and curiosity.
"Well, no... that was fine...great actually. It was weird after the kiss. I don't know how I did it or why I did it. What am I gonna do if we ever have to work together again? Ryan, why am I such a freaking loser?"
Ryan pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building and parked the car. He turned to her and gently stopped her from getting out of the car. He took her hand in both of his and brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them making her turn to look at him. "Anisa McConnell, you are many things, but you are not, never have been and never will be a loser. Listen to me, you are an amazing woman who has a heart as big as Canada. That heart has taken a beating over the last 10 years – the flame in it almost went out when Sean died. But there is spark again, Nis. I can see it. Let it take hold, don't be afraid. You deserve this … give it a chance."
"He probably thinks I am some crazy, emotionally unstable person."
Ryan had to chuckle at that and released her hand. "Look I am a guy and I guarantee you that any guy who is kissed by a beautiful woman for any reason does not automatically assume that she is emotionally unstable. I promise you he does not think that."
"But what do I do now?"
"You get out of my car, go into your apartment, stop thinking about 'the kiss' and go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Things are always clearer the next day."
"I guess you're right...Have I told you lately that I love you?" Anisa asked as she got out of the car "Thanks!"
"Good night." He smiled.
Spike couldn't believe Sam. Even if he wasn't as smooth with the ladies as Sam, he didn't need his friends thinking he was such a dork that he couldn't get a date on his own. Unbelievable! This whole night had been crazy. Between TJ acting like an ass, the kiss, and now this with Sam.
Spike decided that he should spend the rest of his drive home trying to figure out what to do about the one thing that he had the slightest control over...the kiss or rather his reaction to the kiss. He decided to approach this as he would any problem...logically. So, fact: she had kissed him – although she may have been in a weakened emotional state and she had apologized immediately after it. Fact: he kissed her back – he wasn't exactly sure why he did it except that he had wanted to for a while and that seemed the perfect opportunity. Fact: she had not immediately pulled away from him when he kissed her and he even thought that she may have leaned into the kiss. Fact: she hadn't looked him in the eye the rest of the night. OK so his three basic options were: 1) talk to Anisa about the whole incident as soon as possible; 2) ignore the whole thing and pretend nothing happened; 3) give it a couple of days to settle and then talk to Anisa.
Spike pulled into his drive way, quietly made his way to his room and got ready for bed. He fell asleep with one last question swimming around in his head: What did he want to happen next with Anisa?
A/N: So Spike finally got his kiss – but you knew it wouldn't be just a simple happy ending. I hope you all are sticking with me. AiP - I hope you can see that Ryan is really a good guy.
