Just Like Life Chapter 6: Too Close, an uc: undercover fanfic

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Frank continued to watch and observe Aja the next day and subsequent days after that. She in turn kept watching him as if gun shy of another attack from him. It broke a part of him to think that he'd caused that reaction in her. Even more than that was the question now formed in his mind. Did she react that way because he pushed her to tell the truth… or did she react that way because she'd grown to trust him and he'd now broken that trust? Too many times in the days following the confrontation, he'd approached her and tried to speak with her about it only to have her sharply and vocally tell him to sod off or go to hell. She grew more and more distant at the briefings, staying inside of herself and refraining from adding her own opinions.

He dropped his pen on the desk and leaned back in the chair. Several times he'd seen Aja take the file jacket and disappear into another room. It was Cody or Monica that followed her to try and bring her back to the group. Usually the overtone was met with a snarl and a boot out of the room. When she came out of the privacy of the room, she had a very thoughtful look on her face until she'd see Frank.

His forehead furrowed as he remembered earlier that day and the same incident. She came out of the gym with her nose buried in the papers. She blindly bumped into Cody, only looking up to smile and apologize. Aja seemed better today, more open and outgoing with Monica and Cody. She did at least until she saw him watching her. Frank could literally see the veil fall across her eyes and the smile she gifted Cody with disappeared into a mask of non-expression. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments until she looked down and then away. The feeling he had when she shook her head and walk away was … he couldn't describe it. Why should it be so personal all of a sudden with this woman?

"How much longer is she going to act like this?"

Frank looked over his shoulder at Jake. "What do you mean?"

"Come on Frank. She's all sweetness and light until she sees you. It's got to be because of the photo the other day."

"And if it is? Look Jake, Aja will come back around when she realizes that what she knows is important to your safety as well as Alex's."

"Whatever Frank. She's going to get someone hurt with that attitude." Jake shook his head and moved off towards the door. He had to meet Alex in an hour.

Frank watched him go for a moment, thinking over what Jake had said. He turned around, picking up the pen to twist and twirl it between his fingers. His eyes fell on Aja as she stood reading the file. With a soft snort and a lift of one eyebrow, Frank tossed the pen onto the file he was working on and stood up. "Agent Cage. Come with me."

Aja's head snapped up. He was ordering her to follow him? She snapped the file closed, gave him a 'fuck off' look and then pushed off of the wall to follow him into the gym. Once the doors were closed, she dropped the file onto the nearest bench and put her hands on her hips. "You bellowed?"

"Cut the crap Cage. Whatever issues you have with me, don't take them out on the rest of the team."

"And if I don't?"

Frank got an inch from her and glared down. "You don't want to know. I'm serious Cage. Lose the attitude."

Aja's breath caught in her throat a scant moment before she smirked and looked up into his scowling face. "What're you going to do, spank me?" she whispered. The look of surprise that came over his face was well worth the risk of a disciplinary writ in her file.

"I might." Frank growled softly, his nose almost touching hers. "There comes a time when a spoiled child needs the strap of a belt across their backside. You remind me of that spoiled child Cage." He swept his gaze over Aja's face while he waited to hear her answer.

Aja swallowed, tilting her head up. Her lips were a hair's breath from his. All she had to do was lift her chin and she'd brush his lips. "What's this really about?" she whispered.

"You." 'More to the point, what I'd like to do to you. Jesus Aja you're too close right now…' Frank swallowed the lump in his throat, extremely careful not to move or lower his head. Just another breath and his lips would contact hers. This wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd called her in here. Clearing his throat softly, Frank spoke up again. "I meant what I said. Lose the attitude towards the team. If you have a problem with me, then you take your frustration out on me, not them."

'Christ Donovan, if we were only alone… I'd show you how to take out frustrations…' "You're too close Donovan." Aja had heard the firm tone to his voice and knew the command was back. But, Aja had an edict of her own to deliver. "You don't even know what you do to me. I-"

"What I do to you? Tell me Aja, what do I do to you?" Despite his inner resolve to remain distant, he knew he was lost. Somehow, some way, Frank Donovan's 'Ice Man' reputation had fallen to the tragic Aja Cage.

Aja blinked. She didn't just hear him ask her that… did she? Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes then backed up from him. Her head lowered a bit as she tried to even out her breathing. "You give me nightmares."

The words were just barely more than a whisper and Frank wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly. 'You give me nightmares.' Frank felt himself wanting to lift her chin to see if she was being honest or trying to goad him into another confrontation. "Aja…"

"No, Frank." Aja looked up. "You're causing nightmares and memories I haven't had in years. Please, stop torturing me. Every time I see you, you're pushing me about this or that or something else. You don't even have to speak to me and I feel suffocated. I'm begging you, stop this." She pleaded with him silently. However, when he closed the short distance between them and backed her up against the wall, she involuntarily let out a soft gasp. He was literally pinning her to the wall with his body.

Frank instantly regretted his actions. Aja's body was pressed against his and he was painfully aware of it. "Don't you ever do that again."

The fierceness of his growled out words stunned Aja. "Do… do what?" As she looked up at him, she found her mouth a mere breath from his once more.

"Beg."

She felt his eyes as they held hers. For a brief insane moment Aja considered lifting her chin. But before she could, she felt him step back from her. She watched, in a trance almost, as he stalked out of the gym. A soft 'Oh God' escaped her lips as she bent forward and braced her hands on her knees to suck in desperate breaths. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.

Frank briskly passed Cody and Monica on his way up to his office. He had tunnel vision and all he could see was Aja's eyes as he closed the door to his office. He let out the breath he had been holding as he put one hand on the doorframe and leaned against it. He hadn't been thinking when he'd gotten close to Aja the second time. What the hell was he doing?

your mind won't let you say that you're

wondering now, pondering now, hungering

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