****

"Ren.."

"No Frank. How could you?!"

Frank sighed and put his head down on his desk. Between Jake's accusatory looks and a now mysteriously missing Alex, Frank had one mother of a headache. Now Sasche was calling and reading him the riot act about Amanda.

"What did she tell you?"

"Enough to know that you were wrong."

The tone of her voice told him that no matter what he said, she wouldn't believe him. Again he sighed and thumped his head once on the desk. "Ren. Knock it off. I had my reasons and no matter what I still firmly believe I did what was best. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got work to do."

"This conversation isn't over by far Franklin Dono-" she was cut off by a definite 'click' on the line. "He hung up on me! That little -"

"Sasche, it's OK." Amanda chuckled and sat up. "Alex go back to work?"

"Yeah. She should be arriving there any minute. I'd hate to be Frank right now. He sounded like he was banging his head on his desk while I was talking to him. Jake must have gotten a few shots at him too." Sasche stopped and looked at Amanda. "You look like you could use some 'girl time'."

"Considering this is the first real break I've had in a year, yeah, I think I could. What did you have in mind?"

Sasche grinned and grabbed her car keys.

--

Frank's head shot up off of his desk when the door to his office flew open. Standing in the door way was a pissed off Alex Cross.

"Got something you'd like to air?"

"Yeah. YOU."

"What did I do now Alex?"

"Want to tell me what that little bit with my sister was about?"

Frank eyed her curiously. If Alex didn't bring up past sins beyond the kiss and subsequent slap, then she must not know everything. "I wish I knew."

"Oh come off it Frank. I saw Amanda smack you."

"Oh that. I told her that any woman who cooks like she does should be well and truly married."

"Uh... right. And for that she slapped you?" Alex wasn't buying it.

"I might have said something else, I don't remember."

Alex rolled her eyes. "You know what. For all your supposed romantic side that Sasche keeps telling us about, you can be a complete dick. From now on, stay away from Amanda." She got up and stalked out of his office.

Downstairs, Monica looked up to see Alex walk silently out of the nest and Frank standing in the door to his office. "Do ya think we missed something?"

****