Frank looked out of the window in his office while Alex and Jake voiced their concerns about this assignment.
"Frank, you can't be serious about going under with her as your only back-up." It was obvious that Alex didn't like this woman at all.
"Alex is right. Frank, she dumped you and left without so much as a good-bye to you when she did. You might not remember, but we all were worried sick that you'd do something to hurt yourself after she left. We're still concerned where Agent Sinclair is involved. She's got some kind of hold over you that you can't shake."
"It's called 'love', Jake. I'd think you'd know about that given your history with a certain car boost, hm?" Frank turned from the window as Jake colored a shade of pink and Alex frowned. "Come down off of it Alex. She's an excellent agent and she's teaching what she knows to the up and coming FBI graduates. They wouldn't put her in that sort of responsibility if she wasn't good at what she does. I'm as safe with her as I am with either of you backing me up. What's between Litha and I will remain so and I'm hopeful that this assignment will finally bring to a close whatever it is I did or said to her."
"Monica thinks she's hiding something." Jake stood up and looked through the office door down to where Monica was talking with Litha. "She said so after you hauled her and Alex in here. Nice right hook by the way, Alex."
"If she is, then she'll have to be the one to tell what it is when she's ready. Look, Jake, Alex, I appreciate your concerns where Litha and I are involved. But don't go too far in those good intentions. There is something I know that you two don't when it comes to Litha. And right now, it's best you leave her alone. Go get with Monica and get ready for this. Litha and I leave tomorrow morning for LA, then you two leave for Sao Paolo the day after."
Alex and Jake left Frank's office just as Litha was climbing the stairs. She and Alex passed a glare between each other and Jake pushed between them, hustling Alex downstairs towards Monica. Litha shook her head. She and Alex might have to go at it before they all left, just so she could get it out of her system. Agent Cross was definitely harboring a lot of anger where it regarded her, and Litha knew it.
She knocked on Frank's door and then stepped inside without waiting for him to answer.
"Call off Monica."
"From what?"
"She's trying to profile me, analyze me. You know how I react to that. I slapped you out of your fillings when you tried to do it with me. Frank, I'm sorry for the way we left things. A lot happened all at once and I didn't handle it the way I know I should have." She sighed and leaned against the door, the knob clasped between her hands as she did.
"I haven't set Monica to anything. What's she trying to do is make it easier for us all to function together. If she thinks there is something you're hiding that could jeopardize this mission, then nothing I say to her is going to make her stop. You know Profilers well enough, Litha, don't ask me for a miracle where she's concerned."
She watched him for a moment, trying to sort things out in her mind. He watched her right back, his dark eyes trying to get past the shield she'd put up before she left him.
"Why, Litha? Just tell me why."
She sighed and looked down. After what seemed like hours, she finally spoke up. Her voice held a tremor in it. "Love was never the issue with us. We knew that each loved the other. I just couldn't handle your repeatedly asking me about my undercover stint. How many nights did I spend in the bathroom, in tears after you backed me up against a wall demanding answers? Frank, I couldn't tell you what you wanted to hear, what you needed to hear because I didn't have the strength."
"And so you ran from me? You never backed down Litha, never. Why all of a sudden did you?"
"You of all people know what it's like to go undercover. You wake up in someone else's world day after day. But you had the advantage I didn't - short term. I was in deep for years. I woke up to the mirror and I didn't see myself anymore. All I saw was her. I didn't know who I was anymore. But I had one driving force that kept me centered and that was the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I didn't think about you, Frank. I couldn't. If I did, I'd have broken down in tears more times than I care to count."
"Couldn't? Or wouldn't."
"Both, Frank. You think it was easy for me? Trying to forget about that one night? Every night I felt your arms around me as we danced in the snow, I felt your lips on mine as we kissed, I..." she choked a moment and looked away. "My world ended when I woke up in recovery and they told me what had happened."
****
"Frank, you can't be serious about going under with her as your only back-up." It was obvious that Alex didn't like this woman at all.
"Alex is right. Frank, she dumped you and left without so much as a good-bye to you when she did. You might not remember, but we all were worried sick that you'd do something to hurt yourself after she left. We're still concerned where Agent Sinclair is involved. She's got some kind of hold over you that you can't shake."
"It's called 'love', Jake. I'd think you'd know about that given your history with a certain car boost, hm?" Frank turned from the window as Jake colored a shade of pink and Alex frowned. "Come down off of it Alex. She's an excellent agent and she's teaching what she knows to the up and coming FBI graduates. They wouldn't put her in that sort of responsibility if she wasn't good at what she does. I'm as safe with her as I am with either of you backing me up. What's between Litha and I will remain so and I'm hopeful that this assignment will finally bring to a close whatever it is I did or said to her."
"Monica thinks she's hiding something." Jake stood up and looked through the office door down to where Monica was talking with Litha. "She said so after you hauled her and Alex in here. Nice right hook by the way, Alex."
"If she is, then she'll have to be the one to tell what it is when she's ready. Look, Jake, Alex, I appreciate your concerns where Litha and I are involved. But don't go too far in those good intentions. There is something I know that you two don't when it comes to Litha. And right now, it's best you leave her alone. Go get with Monica and get ready for this. Litha and I leave tomorrow morning for LA, then you two leave for Sao Paolo the day after."
Alex and Jake left Frank's office just as Litha was climbing the stairs. She and Alex passed a glare between each other and Jake pushed between them, hustling Alex downstairs towards Monica. Litha shook her head. She and Alex might have to go at it before they all left, just so she could get it out of her system. Agent Cross was definitely harboring a lot of anger where it regarded her, and Litha knew it.
She knocked on Frank's door and then stepped inside without waiting for him to answer.
"Call off Monica."
"From what?"
"She's trying to profile me, analyze me. You know how I react to that. I slapped you out of your fillings when you tried to do it with me. Frank, I'm sorry for the way we left things. A lot happened all at once and I didn't handle it the way I know I should have." She sighed and leaned against the door, the knob clasped between her hands as she did.
"I haven't set Monica to anything. What's she trying to do is make it easier for us all to function together. If she thinks there is something you're hiding that could jeopardize this mission, then nothing I say to her is going to make her stop. You know Profilers well enough, Litha, don't ask me for a miracle where she's concerned."
She watched him for a moment, trying to sort things out in her mind. He watched her right back, his dark eyes trying to get past the shield she'd put up before she left him.
"Why, Litha? Just tell me why."
She sighed and looked down. After what seemed like hours, she finally spoke up. Her voice held a tremor in it. "Love was never the issue with us. We knew that each loved the other. I just couldn't handle your repeatedly asking me about my undercover stint. How many nights did I spend in the bathroom, in tears after you backed me up against a wall demanding answers? Frank, I couldn't tell you what you wanted to hear, what you needed to hear because I didn't have the strength."
"And so you ran from me? You never backed down Litha, never. Why all of a sudden did you?"
"You of all people know what it's like to go undercover. You wake up in someone else's world day after day. But you had the advantage I didn't - short term. I was in deep for years. I woke up to the mirror and I didn't see myself anymore. All I saw was her. I didn't know who I was anymore. But I had one driving force that kept me centered and that was the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I didn't think about you, Frank. I couldn't. If I did, I'd have broken down in tears more times than I care to count."
"Couldn't? Or wouldn't."
"Both, Frank. You think it was easy for me? Trying to forget about that one night? Every night I felt your arms around me as we danced in the snow, I felt your lips on mine as we kissed, I..." she choked a moment and looked away. "My world ended when I woke up in recovery and they told me what had happened."
****