Behind Enemy Lines

Chapter Fourteen

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Day: One-Hundred Forty-Seven.

Division Headquarters, Medical. 11:43 AM.

The metal of the operating table was cold against Katherine's skin as she lay back, staring up at the bright lights on the ceiling. Today was the day that she has waited for, she was becoming an agent. She crossed her arms over her head, stretching out her thin frame as the rough hands of the computer nerd moved over her thigh. She could feel hesitance in his touch and glanced down at him with her frosty eyes to see a look of discomfort on his face. "Birkhoff," Katherine spoke to get his attention, "Are you okay?" There was a sense of concern in her tone; she has never seen him this way before.

"I'm fine," Birkhoff mutters as he grabs the needle like instrument that would implant the Division tracker in her hip. His face paled gently when his eyes landed on a handful of scars around the area he needed to insert the tracker. He had never asked how far Shaw went after he left operations and he feared that he had something to do with the marks. Birkhoff inserted the needle, pushing in the tracker before retracting it. "All done," He mutters and slides the chairs back to computer to make sure everything was in order. "There you are." He tells her and moves slightly to show her the small dot that represented her on the screen.

"No more sneaking around for me," Katherine jokes casually as she moves to pull on the pale blue dress Amanda provided. She tugged it on casually before slipping on cream coloured heels; even then she was still slightly shorter than the computer nerd who remained in the room with her. The click of her heels echoed through the room as she approached him and cut to silence when she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you are okay?" She repeats softly, knowing that something is off.

Birkhoff looked up from his seat at Katherine with a gentle frown. "I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Katherine went to speak in a playful tone about he made everyone feel uncomfortable, but stopped herself when she realised what Birkhoff was referring to. He didn't want to touch her in fear that she would feel violated like she had been before. "You were watching the test," Katherine sighs gently and watches as Birkhoff nods. Frowning gently, Katherine squeezes his shoulder. "Birkhoff, what happened, it was not your fault," She assures him.

"He shouldn't have done that to you," Birkhoff spoke, his eyes trained on his keyboard, "They weren't his orders." Birkhoff felt sick to his stomach as he thought back to the test and saw what Shaw had done to her.

"He didn't get the chance to do too much," Katherine assured the nerd, "the scars have nothing to do with him. Besides, I have to be prepared for everything and that includes situations like what Shaw intended to do to me." Katherine explains, "I'll be okay Birkhoff, I'm a big girl." She promises Birkhoff with a smile.

Birkhoff nodded slowly and stood. "I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm glad you are okay Katie," He spoke with a gently smile. Kate returned the smile; welcoming the new nickname Birkhoff had begun calling her since Michael had used it to keep her calm during testing. Anything beat Barbie. "You should go; you know Michael get's cranky when he's kept waiting."

Katherine let out a gentle laugh and finished off her new look with a simple purse. It is the first time in a long time that she feels like a really human being, instead of a drone inside the cold concrete walls of Division. "That's right; don't need him complaining on the ride to my new apartment." She smiled as she moved to leave the room. She then stopped herself in the doorway and looked back at Birkhoff. "Thank you," She started slowly with the genuine expression of being thankful in her bright blue eyes, "for caring; maybe you aren't a robot after all."

Birkhoff let a gentle smile split across his lips; it was about time he got some appreciation around here. He however, had no idea how to respond to her surprising kind words but eventually came up with, "And maybe you blonds aren't all dumb." Kate laughed softly at his attempt, it was a good start. He may be a little rusty, but deep down Birkhoff wasn't just a grouch. It was just a mask much like the others worn by many inside Division; including the one Katherine wore herself.

With one swift movement Katherine turned with intention of going to find Michael. She found him almost instantaneously. Her body collided with his, both of them reaching out to grasp the other in prevention of falling. Katherine's hands formed fists, grasping at the thick fabric of Michael's blazer. Michael's hands however, grasped gently at her shoulders that were covering the smooth, powder blue fabric of her button down dress that stopped just below above the knee and hand a tie around her waist complimenting her thin silhouette.

"Michael, Hi," Katherine sounds her voice soft as she releases her grip on him, "I was just coming to look for you."

"You found me," Michael spoke in return; she could hear the smile in his voice even if it wasn't on his face, "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready," Katherine confirmed with a nod as Michael retracted his strong hands from her arms casually. He glanced around quickly hoping that no one had seen the way he held her. Even under the circumstances of the collision, his hands lingered for too long and they were much gentler. If he was going to let himself get caught up in Katherine Quinn, he was going to have to be careful about it.

Downtown Atlantic City, Supermarket. 1:09 PM.

"Thank you for letting me stop at the store," Katherine's voice floated through the air as she picked up a green basket from beside the entrance. She let it hang from the crook of her left arm and slowly made her way into the supermarket. Katherine let her blue eyes scan her surroundings, taking in the sight of the other shoppers and the near produce section. The beep of the near check-out scanner echoed in the back of her mind, and a child's cry could be heard. Both sounds would usually annoy her greatly, but currently they were music to her ears. It was great to be a part of civilization again.

The curling of the corners of Katherine's lips caused a smile to spread over Michael's face. He loved watching her face soften and eyes brighten. It reminded him that even after all they had been through; happiness could be found in the littlest things. Michael watched her for a moment as she continued to make her way into the store. The light fabric of her dress swayed around her knees with each click of her heels, her hair flowed down her back in golden waves and her purse that crossed her body made a steady beat when it bounced against her hip. "Are you coming?" Katherine's voice pulled him from the haze that had him caught up in her every detail.

Michael cleared his throat gently and gave her a small smile, "Coming."

Michael followed her into the produce section; Katherine had requested to make the stop at the local market to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables before being shown to the apartment. She claimed that she wanted something for work with other than boxed meals that Division had already stocked. He knew otherwise, she just wanted to feel free. "Does this spell ripe to you?" Kate asks gently as she holds out a cantaloupe. A gentle laugh escapes his lips as he reaches out to take the fruit from her smooth hands. He brought it to his nose, taking in its sweet aroma.

"I don't know what ripe cantaloupe is supposed to smell like," He finally admits slowly and watches as Katherine's smile grows gently. He hadn't been in a grocery store in years, never mind having eaten anything that wasn't out of a take-out container or prepared by Division. The word fresh wasn't even in his vocabulary. Kate's gentle hand met Michael's chest in a playful nudge. The laugh that erupted from her lips was sweet as she took the melon back.

"I don't need a cantaloupe," She hummed as she put it back in the neat pyramid, "it's too complicated." Kate continued down the small isle, stopping to collect apples and multiple stocks of celery.

"Is there a celery shortage I don't know about?" Michael spoke, a hint of playfulness in his voice. His arm wrapped around her waist gently as he spoke, keeping her form close to his.

Kate's bright eyes looked down at his arm around her waist before back up at Michael, "I just really like celery," She explains before dropping her voice, "are you trying to get us both killed?"

Michael used his free hand to direct her face to look up at his gently before speaking, "No one is going to see us, okay? Nothing is going to happen to us. We're just a business man and an elementary school teacher doing some grocery shopping. And this business man happens to find teachers very alluring." His hazel irises watched as the worry left her face, and were replaced with a gentle smile and a glint of happiness in her baby blues. Their lips met in a kiss. His lips gentle against hers as if it were reassurance that everything was going to be okay. "Now, what else do you need besides rabbit food?"

"Peanut butter, bread and chicken," She hums gently running through a mental list as she leaned into Michael. She walks with him through the store casually, glancing up at him occasionally.

"No jam?" Michael asks with a smile.

"The peanut butter is not for sandwiches, it's for the celery," Katherine admits slowly, her words laced with embarrassment, "Weird combination, I know but it tastes good."

Michael kissed her golden hair gently, as he reached up to grab a jar of peanut butter from the top shelf. He put it in the basket with a smirk, "Remind me never to eat at your house, who knows what other crazy concoctions you come up with."

Kate elbowed him in return as they came to the checkout counter, "Don't worry, I save my home cooking for people I don't like. Don't want to give you food poisoning." She smirks as her groceries are put through the till.

"You can't be that bad," Michael smiles as he takes the bags for her. Katherine linked her arm with his, walking along side him as if their mutual attraction wasn't a secret. "And just to prove it, you're going to make me something to eat when we get to your place."

Downtown Atlantic City, Apartment Complex. 2:30 PM.

The warmth of Michael's hand spread over Katherine's back as it rested at its small. It was a gentle touch, enough to guide Katherine up the steps without any other intentions. The couple reached the third floor, the door opening up to a hall with multiple white doors; Michael guided her to a unit with elegant silver numbers reading 304. "This is it," Michael smiles as he holds out the keys to the house and the car that sat in the underground parking garage below the complex.

Katherine returned the smirk as she slipped the lock and began to turn it. The closure of the apartment door behind her sparked her interest, and she glanced over her shoulder only to regret it. She could feel her blood run cold at the familiar face that was exiting apartment 303. She was a tall woman with long auburn hair and a sultry glance. She was Gogol.

"Hello," The woman greeted, her voice sickening yet sweat to Katherine's ears. Katherine forced a smile, giving the red-head a gentle wave before slipping into her apartment with Michael. She closed the door behind them, locking it quickly as if it would do some good. If there were other agents on scene, Michael would be dead in minutes.

Katherine looked around the apartment, trying to hide the fear in her eyes by replacing it with the shock of the apartment's elegant simplicity. The walls were white, almost blinding to the viewer but the warm contrast of the dark wood of the kitchen cabinets, and couch in the near living room offered balance. Abstract painting hung from the walls, and the rooms were accented with a leafy green. The click of her heels against the wooden floor bounced off the walls as she moved to put the groceries she carried on the counter. She then moved to check the bedroom following the same colour palate with a king sized bed. The bathroom was just off the bedroom and offered a hint of purple instead of the green in the other rooms. Katherine looked further, finding the walk in closet fully stocked by Amanda. Everything she could ever need was in the apartment right down to the vanilla scented candles.

"You guys really know what you are doing," Katherine spoke as she joined Michael back in the kitchen. He had already begun to put the groceries away, leaving out the celery and peanut butter for Katherine to snack on.

"You'll have to thank Amanda; she picked it out for you," Michael explained casually, "Every last detail from the window overlooking the city, to the titles surrounding the bath tub. It's almost scary how much she can get from one session."

"You could say that again," Katherine sent him a smile as she moved to sit on one of the stools that lined the kitchen counter. She then fell silent, her mind lingering on the woman she saw outside. Her mind was thrown into over drive as she opened the peanut butter and began to use a celery stick as an edible spoon.

Michael watched her casually as he folded up the paper bags they brought the groceries home in. "Something on your mind Kate?" He spoke, breaking Katherine from her thoughts. He watched as she opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the violent vibration of his cell phone. "Birkhoff needs be in ops." He spoke with a slight frown, "Percy took off and he needs me to hold down the fort."

"Lucky you," Katherine responded in an almost teasing matter. She did not want him to leave, but the message from Nerd couldn't have come at a better time.

"I'll see you soon," Michael promised gently as he rounded the counter to place a gentle kiss. When he pulled back he let off a smile, the sweet taste of peanut butter remained on his lips.

"See you soon," Katherine responded with a warm smile and watched him leave. Soon after, she began to count, she would wait five minutes then she would confront her neighbour.

The time passed at an agonizingly slow rate, but as soon as she reached the fifth minute Katherine was out of her seat and across the hall. Roughly, the knuckled of her right hand pounded against the apartment door until it was answered. Her hands then went to the woman, pushing back on her shoulders until she could enter and close the door behind her. "What the hell are you doing here?" Katherine spoke, her words defensive as she stared down her fellow agent, Odette Goulet. They had been partnered on missions before, and they enjoyed working together, but a Gogol agent was the last person Kate wanted to see.

Odette let out a playful laugh as she looked over Katherine, "Look as you all dolled up," She spoke, "you're a life-sized, walking, talking, Russian Barbie."

"Tell me something I haven't heard before, Barbie's getting old." Kate spoke with a scowl, "Now answer the question. What are you doing here?"

"It's been four months Kat; do you really think Gogol is going to let you do this by yourself anymore?" Odette counters as she moves to sit down on her luxurious powder blue sofa, "Dedrick sent me, thought I could give you a hand since you haven't even managed to tell us Division's location."

"We can't just storm in there, we ha-"

"Why the hell not?" Odette cut in her words as sharp as her perfectly manicured nails, "Is it because of your little boyfriend there? What was his name?" She spoke as she tried to remember back to the file the two of them were debriefed with, "Michael."

"This has nothing to do with him," Katherine spoke her words strong and convincing, "I'm just trying not to get killed in the process! I am using my resources like I was trained to do. Now, if you are staying we are playing by my rules got that?" Odette nodded simply in response, "Good," Katherine breathed as she relaxed gently when she managed to get control at the situation at hand. She then reached out her hand, starting off a neighbourly introduction as if they had met for the first time, "I'm Katherine Quinn."

"Olivia Gallagher," Odette responded as she reached out to shake Katia's hand firmly.

"It's nice to meet you," Katherine spoke slowly as she spotted Odette's communications set up complete with computers and her weapons, "I see you are hand with computers. My boss is taking a little time off, and I'd love to find out what he has gotten himself into," She spoke slowly as she pulled up a chair, "Do you think you can help me with that Ms. Gallagher?"

"You know I can," Odette smirked as she plotted herself in front of the computer, "The son of a bitch isn't going to know what hit him."