Real briefly, wanted to clarify something Nicky asked in the Reviews.

Nicky, yes, Jake and Sasche are married and have a kid. But not yet. This story was started in the rough sketch phase at the same time I wrote the first Jake and Sasche FIC. So, no, in this particular story, Jake and Sasche are still dating. So this is a sequel to Life Is a Dance (sort of) and a prequel to Love Lies and Loyalty.

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"You did WHAT?" Alex had to really strain to keep from shouting at Sasche over the phone.

"Hey... ramp down there Agent Cross. I simply set your sister and my brother up on a sort of date."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" She set down the cigarette she'd been inhaling and picked up the beer from the coffee table. "I mean, this is Frank... my boss. It's one thing for you to date Jake."

"Now back up there. How is it different?"

"This is Amanda we're talking about. She's not going to stay here in Chicago forever. She has a life and a career in New York to go back to. She's only on vacation. You sure you want to do that to both of them? What happens if they fall for each other and then she has to leave?"

"I didn't think of that. But Alex... come on. Chicago isn't exactly the middle of nowhere. Many celebrities and theater performers live outside of New York and commute back and forth."

"From Chicago?"

"It's... it's possible."

"I got to go, someone just pulled up in the driveway. Hopefully I'll get out of seeing Frank and Amanda sucking face." She hung up the phone and was about to stand up when Amanda walked in.

"Waiting up for me 'mom'?" She laughed and dropped her purse along with all of the shopping bags near the door.

"Jesus. Did you buy out all the Metropolitan area?"

"Almost. I got to ship some of this stuff back to my apartment before I go."

"Where have you been?"

"With your boss."

Alex spit out the little sip of beer she'd taken. "Come again?"

Amanda laughed and plopped down on the sofa. "You got to be more careful Alex. I was with Mr. Frank Donovan. Sasche thought she was being sneaky, but we both saw through it when he conveniently showed up at the cafe she and I were having coffee just mere moments before she got called away on a forgotten appointment."

"Oh that IS kinda fake. Even I can see through that one. Especially considering I used that same tactic to set her and Jake up on their first date."

"You set them up? You stinker, I'm proud of you."

"So, how'd it go?"

"Like a dinner date. We talked, we ate, I left him at the table after he pissed me off."

"What'd he do this time? You didn't slap him again, did you?"

"No, not this time. He just suggested that maybe I should stick with the theater fluff instead of real men." Amanda chuckled and leaned her head back onto the back of the sofa. He hadn't said anything like it, but she wasn't about to tell her sister about their true discussion.

"That doesn't sound like Frank. Maybe Sasche's right about you two... Oops... shouldn't have said that."

Amanda picked her head up. "What'd she say?"

"That there is hope in the world. She only wants Frank to be as happy as she is with Jake. For some reason she thinks he can be that happy with you."

"Oh, I see. So now you think I'm not capable of making Frank Donovan a happy man?" She flung herself up off of the sofa and stomped off to her room.

"Well, that went better than I'd hoped. Maybe she'll stay away from him now."

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