6 MONTHS LATER, MAY 1, CHICAGO
"AZA! AZA! AZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Alex turned at the warcry ringing through the nest just in time to be tackled around the leg by a stumbling Angelina Sinclair Donovan. Since Litha and Frank moved back in together, they'd come to an agreement and had Lina's name changed, making Sinclair her middle name and Donovan her sole last name. Lina didn't seem to care and the both of them were as happy as two people in love could be.
Alex laughed and bent down to pick up a healthy and rosey cheeked 18 month old Lina who was chewing on something.
"Hey big girl!! Where's your parents, huh? Who's that?" Alex pointed to Jake, who waved as he passed by towards the breakroom.
"Jay!!" Lina scrabbled to get down and when Alex set her down, she took off after Jake... only to be sidetracked by the motherlode of compuers, wires and gizmos that was Cody's hidey hole within the nest.
A soft chuckle made Alex turn around. Greeting her was Litha and Frank. Something was odd about the two of them. Frank for sure. It wasn't every day that the imposing Frank Donovan gave his team three weeks of paid holiday. What made it even fishier is that for two of those three weeks neither of them were reachable by any means - email, cell phone, pager, land line, sat-com - nothing.
"And just where have you two been?" Alex smiled and kissed Frank's cheek even as she actually reached over and hugged Litha. Since she'd gotten out of the hospital, Litha Sinclair was a different person. Of course, since she left the Justice Department's active duty roster for good could have been the reason too. But Alex didn't know that part... yet.
"Oh, here and there. Detroit, D.C., San Francisco... Edinburgh..." Litha winked and went to untangle the little hellion from Cody's computer set up. Since she'd met Cody, Lina took extreme delight in tormenting the poor comptuer guru by wrecking his wiring systems and accidentally using his tender delicate gizmos as playtoys. Frank just kept smiling. Alex eyed him suspiciously. Yup, something was up alright.
Monica finally made it into the nest just in time to see Lina being extricated from under Cody's desk, Cody pouting at a still suspiciously brooding Lina who was staring at Cody like she was negotiating a delicate hostage situation and the fate of the world rested on that decision, and a laughing Litha carting the toddler back to her father.
"Well, isn't this a happy reunion. Frank, we were all beginning to wonder if maybe Litha hadn't actually shagged you to death like she'd promised -"
"THREATENED!!" Jake yelled from the kitchen.
"Yes, threatened to do on many occasion." Monica laughed as she finished up her sentence as Jake came back from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee for Frank and Litha.
"Are you two ever going to tell them that you took a honeymoon?"
All five and a half of them turned and stared at Cody.
"What?" Cody grinned unashamedly.
Alex, Monica and Jake all three started in with the questions immediately. Frank finally put his hands up in self defense. "Alright, alright. Sit down you guys and we'll explain. How Cody found out I'll never know..."
Cody beamed even as Lina wriggled to try and escape her mother's grasp. She just knew Cody had some peachy toys under that desk and if she could only get to them. Alex shook her head as she watched Lina and the gears operating behind those grass green eyes. Her parents were going to have hell when she got older.
"Yes, we got married. But not like Cody suggested. We just got back from Scotland where we were wed. Litha wanted her mother there and wanted to show me her family's ancestral home."
"Ancestral Home? What, you have a castle there Sinclair?"
"Only after Mum dies." Litha looked at all three of them as they stared at her. "What? Doesn't everyone's family have an ancestral castle? And it's Sinclair-Donovan now, get it right." Litha laughed as Jake's eyes got really wide. "Hey, what can I say. My mother's family is rich."
"So, that explains Edinburgh. What about San Francisco, Detroit and D.C.?" Monica wasn't going to give it up.
Litha piped up as Frank opened his mouth. "After Mum got out of the hospital and Adam escorted her back to Detroit, she resigned herself to the idea that eventually Frank would be a permanent part of my life now that he knew about Lina. So she decided it was time for her to go home." Litha smiled brightly and continued. "She was never a permanent citizen, just living here as a resident alien married to my father until she felt I was ready to live an ocean apart from her. Her house in Detroit was still in her name. So, she deeded the house over to Lina in trust to be given to her on her 25th birthday providing it's still in suitable conditions. Frank and I agreed that we'd like to keep it as a second home until Lina decides what she wants to do with it. So we were in Detroit taking care of the paperwork."
"San Francisco?"
"Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz and Ghiradhelli's Chocolate Factory." Litha winked at Frank, who blushed beet red at the mention of the chocolate factory. If it ever got out that Litha covered him head to toe with chocolate 'body paint' and licked him like a lollipop until clean, he'd never live it down from his team.
"And D.C.?"
Litha looked at Frank for a moment. He nodded and she smiled. "I retired from active duty a few months ago."
Everyone just staredin open-mouthed shock. Litha? RETIRED? They all looked at Frank wondering what dirty little secret or trick he pulled to get her to agree to that. Frank just smiled a mysterious smile and put his hands up to wave off the bloodhounds. Litha shook her head with a soft laugh and continued.
"We were there finishing up the paperwork. Wallace has taken back the reins as Chief Director of the FBI and while we were there he begged me to at least remain as a consultant. After talking about it, Frank and I agreed that it would be something reasonable to accept. While we were still in Brazil, trying to shoot our way out of Montcalvez's home, I realized that Hostage Recovery is a part of me that I can't give up. It'd be like Cody giving up his Virtual Cindy Crawford."
Cody's mouth dropped open. How'd she know about that??
"For me to remain as a consultant for the HNR Units and as a part time trainer for the Special Operations staff was only natural. This gives me the chance to stay at home with Lina and to work more with my own business projects."
"No more Black Ops training sessions?"
"No more Black Ops Jake. I'm living here in Chicago until further notice. I have a night club that I own and plan on taking a more active role with. Also have a self-defense school I plan on getting started. I mean, what better teacher to have instruct you in self defense than a former FBI Agent with the HNR and Special Operations Units? Of course, for security reasons I won't be able to publicize that part, but..." She shrugged. Lina finally wriggled loose from her mother's grip and scooted over towards Cody.
"So, this means no 10 rounds between you and Alex. Bummer, Cody and I were betting on who would win in how many rounds." Jake sighed melodramatically.
Frank smiled at Litha and pulled a $50 out of his wallet. "My money's on Litha in 5."
Litha just smiled back and kicked off her shoes. She walked over, reached down and plucked Lina up just as she was reaching for the bundle of cables hooking all the monitors to the mainframe and handed her to her father. "Be a good girl while Mum and Aunt Aza have a bit of fun."
****
"AZA! AZA! AZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Alex turned at the warcry ringing through the nest just in time to be tackled around the leg by a stumbling Angelina Sinclair Donovan. Since Litha and Frank moved back in together, they'd come to an agreement and had Lina's name changed, making Sinclair her middle name and Donovan her sole last name. Lina didn't seem to care and the both of them were as happy as two people in love could be.
Alex laughed and bent down to pick up a healthy and rosey cheeked 18 month old Lina who was chewing on something.
"Hey big girl!! Where's your parents, huh? Who's that?" Alex pointed to Jake, who waved as he passed by towards the breakroom.
"Jay!!" Lina scrabbled to get down and when Alex set her down, she took off after Jake... only to be sidetracked by the motherlode of compuers, wires and gizmos that was Cody's hidey hole within the nest.
A soft chuckle made Alex turn around. Greeting her was Litha and Frank. Something was odd about the two of them. Frank for sure. It wasn't every day that the imposing Frank Donovan gave his team three weeks of paid holiday. What made it even fishier is that for two of those three weeks neither of them were reachable by any means - email, cell phone, pager, land line, sat-com - nothing.
"And just where have you two been?" Alex smiled and kissed Frank's cheek even as she actually reached over and hugged Litha. Since she'd gotten out of the hospital, Litha Sinclair was a different person. Of course, since she left the Justice Department's active duty roster for good could have been the reason too. But Alex didn't know that part... yet.
"Oh, here and there. Detroit, D.C., San Francisco... Edinburgh..." Litha winked and went to untangle the little hellion from Cody's computer set up. Since she'd met Cody, Lina took extreme delight in tormenting the poor comptuer guru by wrecking his wiring systems and accidentally using his tender delicate gizmos as playtoys. Frank just kept smiling. Alex eyed him suspiciously. Yup, something was up alright.
Monica finally made it into the nest just in time to see Lina being extricated from under Cody's desk, Cody pouting at a still suspiciously brooding Lina who was staring at Cody like she was negotiating a delicate hostage situation and the fate of the world rested on that decision, and a laughing Litha carting the toddler back to her father.
"Well, isn't this a happy reunion. Frank, we were all beginning to wonder if maybe Litha hadn't actually shagged you to death like she'd promised -"
"THREATENED!!" Jake yelled from the kitchen.
"Yes, threatened to do on many occasion." Monica laughed as she finished up her sentence as Jake came back from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee for Frank and Litha.
"Are you two ever going to tell them that you took a honeymoon?"
All five and a half of them turned and stared at Cody.
"What?" Cody grinned unashamedly.
Alex, Monica and Jake all three started in with the questions immediately. Frank finally put his hands up in self defense. "Alright, alright. Sit down you guys and we'll explain. How Cody found out I'll never know..."
Cody beamed even as Lina wriggled to try and escape her mother's grasp. She just knew Cody had some peachy toys under that desk and if she could only get to them. Alex shook her head as she watched Lina and the gears operating behind those grass green eyes. Her parents were going to have hell when she got older.
"Yes, we got married. But not like Cody suggested. We just got back from Scotland where we were wed. Litha wanted her mother there and wanted to show me her family's ancestral home."
"Ancestral Home? What, you have a castle there Sinclair?"
"Only after Mum dies." Litha looked at all three of them as they stared at her. "What? Doesn't everyone's family have an ancestral castle? And it's Sinclair-Donovan now, get it right." Litha laughed as Jake's eyes got really wide. "Hey, what can I say. My mother's family is rich."
"So, that explains Edinburgh. What about San Francisco, Detroit and D.C.?" Monica wasn't going to give it up.
Litha piped up as Frank opened his mouth. "After Mum got out of the hospital and Adam escorted her back to Detroit, she resigned herself to the idea that eventually Frank would be a permanent part of my life now that he knew about Lina. So she decided it was time for her to go home." Litha smiled brightly and continued. "She was never a permanent citizen, just living here as a resident alien married to my father until she felt I was ready to live an ocean apart from her. Her house in Detroit was still in her name. So, she deeded the house over to Lina in trust to be given to her on her 25th birthday providing it's still in suitable conditions. Frank and I agreed that we'd like to keep it as a second home until Lina decides what she wants to do with it. So we were in Detroit taking care of the paperwork."
"San Francisco?"
"Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz and Ghiradhelli's Chocolate Factory." Litha winked at Frank, who blushed beet red at the mention of the chocolate factory. If it ever got out that Litha covered him head to toe with chocolate 'body paint' and licked him like a lollipop until clean, he'd never live it down from his team.
"And D.C.?"
Litha looked at Frank for a moment. He nodded and she smiled. "I retired from active duty a few months ago."
Everyone just staredin open-mouthed shock. Litha? RETIRED? They all looked at Frank wondering what dirty little secret or trick he pulled to get her to agree to that. Frank just smiled a mysterious smile and put his hands up to wave off the bloodhounds. Litha shook her head with a soft laugh and continued.
"We were there finishing up the paperwork. Wallace has taken back the reins as Chief Director of the FBI and while we were there he begged me to at least remain as a consultant. After talking about it, Frank and I agreed that it would be something reasonable to accept. While we were still in Brazil, trying to shoot our way out of Montcalvez's home, I realized that Hostage Recovery is a part of me that I can't give up. It'd be like Cody giving up his Virtual Cindy Crawford."
Cody's mouth dropped open. How'd she know about that??
"For me to remain as a consultant for the HNR Units and as a part time trainer for the Special Operations staff was only natural. This gives me the chance to stay at home with Lina and to work more with my own business projects."
"No more Black Ops training sessions?"
"No more Black Ops Jake. I'm living here in Chicago until further notice. I have a night club that I own and plan on taking a more active role with. Also have a self-defense school I plan on getting started. I mean, what better teacher to have instruct you in self defense than a former FBI Agent with the HNR and Special Operations Units? Of course, for security reasons I won't be able to publicize that part, but..." She shrugged. Lina finally wriggled loose from her mother's grip and scooted over towards Cody.
"So, this means no 10 rounds between you and Alex. Bummer, Cody and I were betting on who would win in how many rounds." Jake sighed melodramatically.
Frank smiled at Litha and pulled a $50 out of his wallet. "My money's on Litha in 5."
Litha just smiled back and kicked off her shoes. She walked over, reached down and plucked Lina up just as she was reaching for the bundle of cables hooking all the monitors to the mainframe and handed her to her father. "Be a good girl while Mum and Aunt Aza have a bit of fun."
****