They all looked up to see Agent Lillith Sinclair standing in the doorway to the briefing room, in a black pantsuit and her trademark pristine white cashmere ankle length overcoat. Her long black hair was pulled away from her face in a french braid down her back and her 5'8" inches was propped up by 3 inch high heeled boots. Litha's emerald eyes sparkled superficially, like she was putting on a front of happiness when inside she'd rather be somewhere else.
Frank and Alex stood up, Jake and Monica following suit. It was Alex who walked over slowly, Frank watching. Cody still sat at the table, pouting that his favorite laptop had been battered and smashed. Litha watched Alex walk over to her, but she didn't back up. Better to get it out of her sytem then to let it build up and jeopardize the mission.
"Agent Cross."
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the other woman. Vaguely she could hear Frank and Jake behind her. "Agent Sinclair."
Litha smiled a cat-like smile and tilted her head slightly. "How's the neck? No ill effects from the tranqdart?"
Alex's eyes narrowed reflexively and before anyone could stop her, Alex's right hand drew back in a fist and cut across Litha's cheek in a right hook. Litha stumbled back and tripped over her own high heels, dropping to the ground in a flurry of white cashmere. Alex was about to dive on top and continue beating the hell out of her when Jake and Frank grabbed both of her arms and drug her back. As Monica offered a hand to help her up, Cody piped up. "Damn. Remind me not to shoot Alex any time soon."
Jake and Frank pushed Alex into a chair. Litha waved off Monica's hand and stood up. Already a bright red mark was making it's presence known on her cheek and her eyes were snapping in anger. "You're damned lucky I knew you needed to do that. But, you only get one free shot. The next one you try to throw at me is going to cost you Agent Cross."
"YOU, Agent Sinclair, only get one shot at me too. But, lucky for me you already took it by trying to shoot me in the back!"
"Oh get off it you silly little chit! You know damned well that if I hadn't done what I did, you'd've probably been dead shortly after that. Montcalvez had been told that you were an inside agent and if I didn't make your death look real then he'd have killed me, you and anyone associated with the two of us!"
"I got $10 on Sinclair in five rounds." Cody nudged Jake.
"You're on. But it'll have to wait until this mission is over." Jake winked.
Frank had heard the two of them and frowned. "Jake, Cody, enough. Agents Sinclair and Cross, in my office now."
Litha's head snapped around. 'Well, that didn't take long' she thought. With a sarcastic smile, she bowed to the side and allowed Alex to go first. Then she winked at Jake and followed.
Once inside Frank's office, he closed the door behind them. Litha and Alex were standing front of two chairs that were before his desk. Litha and Alex were glaring daggers at one another, oblivious to Frank.
"Sit down you two." Nothing...
"SIT DOWN!" Still nothing...
Frank put his hands on Alex's shoulders and forced her down into the chair. He started after Litha when she shook her head ever so slightly and her eyes narrowed to slits. He knew better than to lay his hands on her right now. He backed off as she sat down peaceably.
"Now, I sure hope you two have this catfight out of your system. We're about to go into South America and I can't afford to have you two sniping at each other and trying to do physical harm to one another. I need you both on your game and 100% mentally focused. This is not going to be easy for either pairing. Agent Cross, do I have your promise on this?"
Alex glared at Litha, who just smiled serenly back at her. "Alright Frank. But when this is over and we're back home, I'm going to kick this woman's ass from one end of the nest to the other." She stood up and walked to the door.
She was halfway out of the door when Litha spoke up and said, "Bring your lunch girlie."
In an instant, Frank was pushing Alex out the door and closing it behind her. "Please don't do that again, Litha. It's bad enough that you were put on this assignment."
She slowly stood up, her eyes mirroring the ache inside. "Bad enough that I was put on this assignment? Tell me Frank, what do you mean by that? Bad enough it's me? Or bad enough that I'm on this assignment with you of all people?"
She stepped closer to him, backing him up against the door. She stopped a few inches from him. Litha could smell his soap, the spicy scent of his skin. "I didn't choose to come off of my teaching post at the Academy, Frank. If it'd been up to me, the only way I'd ever work in the field with you again is if you asked me. And given the circumstances surrounding our last night together, I'd have taken sure bet that it would have been the fifth Sunday of never before you requested to work with me again."
Litha backed up and slid her coat off. The pantsuit was well cut and accented her figure in all the right places. Frank couldn't put his finger on it, but she looked different somehow. "Look, we have to work together until further notice. From what I read in the file Boone left for me a few days ago, you and I are supposed to pass as lovers. Donovan Richards came to Broussard's employ AND bed shortly after the untimely death of his former employer, Alex Channing. If we're going to pull this off, you and I are going to have to get past whatever it is you're blaming me for."
"Blaming you for? Oh yes, Lillith, let's remind me of that. What I'M blaming YOU for. God forbid I should just want some answers as to why I was led to believe that for three years you were dead and at my hand too, only to find out that you were IAD and not dead at all. Yes, yes, let's remember that I'm blaming YOU for that. Uh huh. Or is it that I'm blaming you for keeping other secrets and lies from me?" He was steadily backing her up, his eyes darkened to an ominous black as he did. Litha had never been frightened of this man before, but she was now as her legs bumped up against his desk.
"Frank, I..."
"You, what? Litha, I never asked more questions than I felt I had a right to know. Like why you never told me in the beginning, or why you felt like you didn't owe me any explanations for the three years before. All I wanted was to be inside of your mind and to understand why you felt the way you did. But you withdrew from me, like I was encroaching on territory that I had no right to be in." His voice softened a bit as he leaned in over her. Litha kept drawing back from him.
'Must resist... cannot let him in...' she kept reminding herself.
"What happened Litha? Why did you shut me out? You came back to me in the beginning, why did you push me away?" His lips clamped down over hers as he gripped her shoulders. Litha was nearly undone as his lips found hers, but she managed to rip her mouth from his and push him back off of her.
"No, Frank. I didn't push you away. You forced me to hold you at arm's length. Your questions and interrogations made me feel like I was a suspect instead of your lover. I didn't push you away, you forced me out."
She picked up her coat and pushed past him. "You remember that. You forced me out."
****
Frank and Alex stood up, Jake and Monica following suit. It was Alex who walked over slowly, Frank watching. Cody still sat at the table, pouting that his favorite laptop had been battered and smashed. Litha watched Alex walk over to her, but she didn't back up. Better to get it out of her sytem then to let it build up and jeopardize the mission.
"Agent Cross."
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the other woman. Vaguely she could hear Frank and Jake behind her. "Agent Sinclair."
Litha smiled a cat-like smile and tilted her head slightly. "How's the neck? No ill effects from the tranqdart?"
Alex's eyes narrowed reflexively and before anyone could stop her, Alex's right hand drew back in a fist and cut across Litha's cheek in a right hook. Litha stumbled back and tripped over her own high heels, dropping to the ground in a flurry of white cashmere. Alex was about to dive on top and continue beating the hell out of her when Jake and Frank grabbed both of her arms and drug her back. As Monica offered a hand to help her up, Cody piped up. "Damn. Remind me not to shoot Alex any time soon."
Jake and Frank pushed Alex into a chair. Litha waved off Monica's hand and stood up. Already a bright red mark was making it's presence known on her cheek and her eyes were snapping in anger. "You're damned lucky I knew you needed to do that. But, you only get one free shot. The next one you try to throw at me is going to cost you Agent Cross."
"YOU, Agent Sinclair, only get one shot at me too. But, lucky for me you already took it by trying to shoot me in the back!"
"Oh get off it you silly little chit! You know damned well that if I hadn't done what I did, you'd've probably been dead shortly after that. Montcalvez had been told that you were an inside agent and if I didn't make your death look real then he'd have killed me, you and anyone associated with the two of us!"
"I got $10 on Sinclair in five rounds." Cody nudged Jake.
"You're on. But it'll have to wait until this mission is over." Jake winked.
Frank had heard the two of them and frowned. "Jake, Cody, enough. Agents Sinclair and Cross, in my office now."
Litha's head snapped around. 'Well, that didn't take long' she thought. With a sarcastic smile, she bowed to the side and allowed Alex to go first. Then she winked at Jake and followed.
Once inside Frank's office, he closed the door behind them. Litha and Alex were standing front of two chairs that were before his desk. Litha and Alex were glaring daggers at one another, oblivious to Frank.
"Sit down you two." Nothing...
"SIT DOWN!" Still nothing...
Frank put his hands on Alex's shoulders and forced her down into the chair. He started after Litha when she shook her head ever so slightly and her eyes narrowed to slits. He knew better than to lay his hands on her right now. He backed off as she sat down peaceably.
"Now, I sure hope you two have this catfight out of your system. We're about to go into South America and I can't afford to have you two sniping at each other and trying to do physical harm to one another. I need you both on your game and 100% mentally focused. This is not going to be easy for either pairing. Agent Cross, do I have your promise on this?"
Alex glared at Litha, who just smiled serenly back at her. "Alright Frank. But when this is over and we're back home, I'm going to kick this woman's ass from one end of the nest to the other." She stood up and walked to the door.
She was halfway out of the door when Litha spoke up and said, "Bring your lunch girlie."
In an instant, Frank was pushing Alex out the door and closing it behind her. "Please don't do that again, Litha. It's bad enough that you were put on this assignment."
She slowly stood up, her eyes mirroring the ache inside. "Bad enough that I was put on this assignment? Tell me Frank, what do you mean by that? Bad enough it's me? Or bad enough that I'm on this assignment with you of all people?"
She stepped closer to him, backing him up against the door. She stopped a few inches from him. Litha could smell his soap, the spicy scent of his skin. "I didn't choose to come off of my teaching post at the Academy, Frank. If it'd been up to me, the only way I'd ever work in the field with you again is if you asked me. And given the circumstances surrounding our last night together, I'd have taken sure bet that it would have been the fifth Sunday of never before you requested to work with me again."
Litha backed up and slid her coat off. The pantsuit was well cut and accented her figure in all the right places. Frank couldn't put his finger on it, but she looked different somehow. "Look, we have to work together until further notice. From what I read in the file Boone left for me a few days ago, you and I are supposed to pass as lovers. Donovan Richards came to Broussard's employ AND bed shortly after the untimely death of his former employer, Alex Channing. If we're going to pull this off, you and I are going to have to get past whatever it is you're blaming me for."
"Blaming you for? Oh yes, Lillith, let's remind me of that. What I'M blaming YOU for. God forbid I should just want some answers as to why I was led to believe that for three years you were dead and at my hand too, only to find out that you were IAD and not dead at all. Yes, yes, let's remember that I'm blaming YOU for that. Uh huh. Or is it that I'm blaming you for keeping other secrets and lies from me?" He was steadily backing her up, his eyes darkened to an ominous black as he did. Litha had never been frightened of this man before, but she was now as her legs bumped up against his desk.
"Frank, I..."
"You, what? Litha, I never asked more questions than I felt I had a right to know. Like why you never told me in the beginning, or why you felt like you didn't owe me any explanations for the three years before. All I wanted was to be inside of your mind and to understand why you felt the way you did. But you withdrew from me, like I was encroaching on territory that I had no right to be in." His voice softened a bit as he leaned in over her. Litha kept drawing back from him.
'Must resist... cannot let him in...' she kept reminding herself.
"What happened Litha? Why did you shut me out? You came back to me in the beginning, why did you push me away?" His lips clamped down over hers as he gripped her shoulders. Litha was nearly undone as his lips found hers, but she managed to rip her mouth from his and push him back off of her.
"No, Frank. I didn't push you away. You forced me to hold you at arm's length. Your questions and interrogations made me feel like I was a suspect instead of your lover. I didn't push you away, you forced me out."
She picked up her coat and pushed past him. "You remember that. You forced me out."
****