Request for Nadine and a Diplomatic Security Officer for the prompt: "How about we put the gun down and talk about this?"

"The Secretary wants to go in alone. No agents; twelve foot perimeter at minimum. She thinks your presence will spook the family," Nadine explained.

"Absolutely not. We have major issues with the building from a security standpoint—"

"You can guard the doors, but you can't go inside with her," Nadine insisted. "By the Secretary's request."

"All due respect, but we don't answer to her. This is a non-starter."

"Well then we have a problem. Because Secretary McCord—"

"How about we take a breath and really think about what we're asking here?" Ted said. He looked a little twitchy now, a little irritated.

Nadine knew she got under his skin. She enjoyed it. "How about we put the gun down and talk about this like reasonable people?" she countered. Her eyes darted to his sidearm, then back to his face as she crossed her arms.

"Do I make you nervous?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're twice my size, you're barring the exit to my office, and you're armed. What do you think?"

"I'm armed to protect you, ma'am."

"You're armed to protect the Secretary," Nadine corrected. "And either way, that has no bearing on the fact that you're holding a gun and I'm not."

"I'm not holding— it's not like I'm pointing it at you," he said. "It's holstered, like it was ten minutes ago, and yesterday, and every other time you've ever spoken to me."

"I still don't like it."

"Well, I can't do anything about that."

"True or false," she said, "you could unholster that thing and unload six rounds into me before I even opened my mouth to scream."

He blinked, and the hyper-professional act dropped for a moment. "Christ, Nadine."

"That's Ms. Tolliver to you, Ted."

He gaped at her. "You're really gonna be like this?"

"So long as you're denying the Secretary what she wants, then... yes."

"You drive me almost as crazy as she does, you know. If I'm being frank."

"I can't do anything about that," she parroted.

He narrowed his eyes. They both lapsed into silence, trying to wait the other out. Finally, realizing (like he always did) that she wasn't going to budge, he relented begrudgingly. "I'll talk to Matt about it. We'll see if we can draw up a feasible plan to accommodate the Secretary's harebrained inclinations."

Nadine gave him a real smile then. "Thank you, Ted," she said sweetly. "You have no idea how happy she'll be to hear that. I really owe you one."

Finally, his face cracked into a small grin. "So does that mean you're gonna let me ask you out this time?"

"Haven't you given up on that yet?" She raised an eyebrow, even knowing as she did that she could make any face she wanted at him and he wouldn't be fazed.

He shrugged. "I continue to remain hopeful."

"You know, you wouldn't enjoy arguing with me half this much if you were dating me," she warned. "It's not as fun as you think it is."

"I think it's probably exactly as fun as I think it is," he said. The corner of his mouth twitched. "And I promise I'd make it fun for you, too."

Nadine refused to acknowledge the way her stomach did a funny little flip inside her. "You like to talk a big game," she said evenly.

"I can back it up, too."

She shooed him away then. "I don't have time for this right now; just go brief the other agents," she said. "I have a lot of work to do and you're very distracting."

"I distract you?" His smile was boyish and open.

"Go away, Ted."

"Yes, Ms. Tolliver."

When her door swung shut on his retreating back, Nadine's gaze lingered. She watched him all the way down the hallway until he disappeared. And then she looked through the other window and saw Jay eyeing her with a shit-eating smirk.

Nadine rolled her eyes at him and willed herself to get back to work.