Just Like Life Chapter 15: A Puzzlement, an uc: undercover fanfic

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"I remember you."

Aja opened her eyes and lifted her head up from the lumpy little pillow on the hospital bed to fix the ER doc with a baleful glare. "You do? Well, congratulations."

Faith chuckled softly. That was the Aja she remembered from years ago - nasty little attitude despite what little nicks and cuts life dealt her. She looked back at the five people waiting at the nurse's station to talk to her. The tall one with the goatee… Mr. Hotness in the flesh, he kept watching the doc with such an intense gaze. That was the look of someone who was frustrated, eager to talk to Aja… and incredibly over the moon for her. She wondered silently if her friend knew it. "Thanks Bos," she said quietly as Bosco handed her a coffee and moved to Aja's bedside. Faith had to shake her head at Bosco. He was in for a rude awakening.

"Sure I do.. Miss Cage… oh, you have a name this time." He laughed and sat down on the stool next to the bed. "You came into my ER about three years ago, all banged up, looked like someone tried to turn you into hamburger, electrocution burns all over you and you didn't speak one word. Not even when it hurt did you make a noise. I could see the pain in your eyes, especially when the tears rolled down your cheeks. You kept your mouth shut."

Aja sat up a little as he snapped the latex gloves on and opened up the suture kit beside the bed. "Look, doc, if you're going to reminisce down memory lane, at least pick a happy one. My arm is killing me and unless you decide to stitch it up, I'm about to get unhappy." She growled for effect and laid her head back down on the pillow. She knew Frank was out there, waiting to speak with her. But, she also knew that Jake had told him what he saw, what had happened. After counting the ceiling tiles for the first twenty minutes of waiting to see a doctor, she had gotten restless and irritated. Then Faith and Bosco came in, Sullivan and Davis right behind them with Frank and the rest of the team. One big happy reunion of sorts... Her eyes found Frank again as the doctor swabbed her upper right arm before sliding in a needle filled with an antithetic. The cold liquid and briny smell of the betadine didn't faze her one bit as their eyes locked on one another. He seemed a little relieved to at least make eye contact with her… and she felt a little relieved to have him there where she could see him.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Aja's eyes flicked from Frank down to the doc at her side. Rolling her eyes and sighing in exasperation, she flopped her head back on the pillow as he slid the needle through the flesh of her arm and began stitching. "Yeah, sure, ask me a question since you just can't seem to keep your lips closed."

"Ouch! Hey, Aja, be nice, OK? He's just trying to pass the time." Bosco scolded gently. He smiled behind the cup of coffee and reached for her hand. When she looked at him, then pulled her hand away from his, he stopped and frowned in confusion. What'd he say?

"I was wondering just what the hell you do to get yourself into these situations. You're not a cop by any means, so how do you wind up getting electrocuted, tortured, shot at, beat up, etc.? I mean, the police, it's their job, right?"

Faith looked at Aja, then at Bosco and then to the doc. Surely he didn't just ask that question. She saw Aja's face and for a moment they looked at each other. Aja shook her head and half-laughed, half-snorted in derision.

"Why do I do what I do?" She sat up at he tied off the last knot and opened up the pack of sterile bandages. " I know, I know, keep it dry and keep it covered, topical antibiotic and vitamin E oil. Yes, doc, I have been shot before. And in answer to your question? Obviously doc, you've never been an undercover Federal Agent." She slid off of the bed, the silk of her skirt whispering around her ankles as she stood up and eyed the patch-job on her arm. "I do what I do so people like you can ask me stupid questions about why I do what I do. I get shot at, tortured and electrocuted so that, on the off chance, it won't happen to you." She pushed past him and out of the sliding glass doors, shivering at the cold she was suddenly assaulted with from the early December air outside of the trauma doors. She gasped and wrapped her arms around her in a small effort to keep warm. When she was tagging Bristow, she didn't register the temperature at all.

Faith watched as Bosco hustled after Aja, then smiled apologetically to the doctor. "She's always that pleasant. Thanks for your help doc." She followed Bosco and joined him with the others by the station. "You OK Aja?"

Someone slid a warm jacket over her shoulders. At the moment she didn't care who it came from, it kept her from freezing. "Yeah Faith, I'm fine. I'm going to be sore when the local wears off. Bristow in custody?"

"Not really. He's on his way to the coroner's office." Bosco interrupted.

Aja shot him a look, then turned to Frank. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came. She couldn't think of anything to say just then. She could, however, read in his eyes how he felt about seeing her on her own two feet and only minorly injured. She kept seeing Jake's face when she opened her eyes. The concrete under her had been just as cold as the air when he rolled her over. She remembered opening her eyes and seeing his frantic expression. The only thing she remembered after that is seeing Doc, again, and his partner hoisting up the gurney and Frank standing back with an expression of deep concern, mixed with something else…

Faith leaned over and closed Aja's jaw. She then whispered, "So, are ya gonna introduce me to your boss?"

Aja looked at Faith, then back at Frank. "Yes, sorry, mind was elsewhere. Faith, this is my boss, Frank Donovan. Frank, this is Faith Yokas."

Frank nodded and shook the woman's hand. She had a strong grasp and smiled as she spoke. This was Aja's contact then… who was the little man behind her? "A pleasure to meet you Officer Yokas."

"Wait, hold up a second…" Bosco pushed between Faith and Aja. "Your BOSS?!" He'd only just put two and two together and the results didn't sit well with him. If what was going on that he thought was going on, then he'd been lied to all along. "How can he be your boss if you're IAB and he'd a Fed? You are IAB, aren't you?" When Aja didn't answer him, he grasped her left arm and pulled her to the side.

Frank started after the other officer, but stopped when Officer Yokas put her hand on his arm. "Let him go Sir. Aja will set him straight." He looked at her a moment, the nodded.

Faith grinned. "So, Mr. Hotness… you're into Aja, huh?" When Agent Donovan's head snapped back from Aja to her, Faith grinned even wider as the rest of his team tried impossibly to cover their own grins and giggles.

"I'm not IAB, Bosco."

"No shit Aja!" he hissed under his breath. "You lied to me!"

"I had to! You don't get it, do you? I couldn't tell anyone else!"

"You told Faith. You trusted her enough but you couldn't trust me?"

Aja sighed at the resigned and stubborn expression on his face. He wasn't going to get it no matter how hard she butted her head against the wall. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I could only tell one person Bos. You have to understand something - I was investigating a drug ring and stumbled across something that even the Feds weren't expecting. By the time I realized it, I couldn't tell anyone else. I didn't know who to trust." She hated lying to him, but she had no choice. Perhaps if she could mislead him with a story about how entangled she supposedly was, he'd drop it.

Bosco recoiled a step, a look of indignant shock on his face. "You… you couldn't trust me?! Even after I told you how I felt, you couldn't trust me? That hurts Aja, really hurts. I would have done anything for you! I can't believe-" He was cut off by Aja grasping him by the back of his neck and pulling him up against her for a deep kiss.

Frank's jaw dropped as he saw what was going on behind Officer Yokas. All six of them turned to see Aja and Officer Boscorelli in a toe-curling kiss. Alex sub-consciously laid a hand on Frank's arm to steady him.

Aja pulled back from Bosco and watched him closely. She hadn't meant to kiss him, but it was the only way she could shut him up long enough to finish explaining. However, she soon realized that it backfired. When he opened his eyes and smiled, she groaned. Now that he had the wrong idea about her and her non-existent feelings towards him, it would be impossible to explain things now.

Pushing past him, she went back over to Frank and looked up. "I think I should take some time off. I'm no good with fresh stitched and there's some things I need to finish up. I think I've earned it."

Frank took his intense gaze off of the male officer and put it on Aja. Inside he was warring with his incredible urge to pull her into a private room and give her a thorough once over himself - just to satisfy his need to know she was fine - and with his incredible urge to grasp Officer Boscorelli by his ankles, turn him upside down and pound him into the ground. Seeing him put his own jacket over Aja's shoulders to keep her warm didn't make him feel good… seeing her kiss him made him feel like killing. He narrowed his eyes for a split second before nodding. "Come back when the stitches are out." He nodded to Officer Yokas as he turned and left the ER.

Behind him Aja and everyone else was gawking. A part of Aja wanted to go after him and ask him what had crawled up his craw THIS time and another part of Aja said to let him go and stew. But when Bosco put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to whisper in her ear, 'you can stay with me while you heal up', she rolled her eyes and stormed out after him.

Faith had to put her hand over her mouth to hide the laughter. 'Oh Bosco,' she thought. 'You are in over your head when it comes to that woman.'

"DONOVAN!"

Frank ignored Aja's shout and slid into the waiting taxi. He had to get out of there. He gave his directions to the driver and closed his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did the thought of her taking time off bother him so much? He snorted and leaned his head back as he felt the car start to pull out of the parking lot. It wasn't her taking time off… it was that kiss she laid on the snot-nosed policeman.

"What the hell?!" the cabbie gasped as he slammed on the brakes, sending Donovan out of his reverie and up against the separation grate between the front and back seats.

Alex, Jake, Monica, Cody, Faith and Bosco heard Aja's shout and the subsequent squealing of tires and ran out of the ER Bay doors. What sight greeted them was Aja standing down a NYC cab, gun drawn and leveled at the driver with Donovan in the back seat looking like he was about to kill. All six of them stood off to the side as Frank got out of the cab and stalked to the front. They watched as he grasped her by the wrist and yanked her out of the way.

"I'm going back to Chicago tonight Aja Cage," he snarled low in his throat. "You've got your medical vacation, what the hell else do you want?"

Aja swallowed slowly as she looked up at him. He had yet to release his grip on her wrists and her fingertips were beginning to tingle. "I… Frank," she said softly, "You… why are you upset?"

Frank stepped back, immediately releasing his grip on her and a look of stunned disbelief on his face. She had the gall to ask why he was so upset? Did she not just kiss that other man like he wasn't there? He held her eyes for a moment, trying to decide which course of action was best. Aja Cage was a paradox and he was tired of trying to figure out the answer. "Goodnight, Agent Cage." He said coolly. He watched as her facial expression changed from shock to stubborn and prideful anger. "I'm going to Chicago. Your medical vacation will be effective immediately. Like I said, come back when you get your stitches out or the doctor releases you back to full duty status." He turned and walked back to the waiting cab.

Aja's jaw dropped as he walked away from her. Her hands fell to her side, gun still held in one as she watching him turn around and look at her. When he paused and said 'You've earned it,' she felt like she'd been slapped in the face. What the hell was wrong with him? One moment he looked like he was ready to haul her off into a private room for a quickie, the next he's like a statue of ice. Mutely she watched the taxi pull out of the drive. What the hell was wrong with her?

your mind won't let you say that you want me

your mind won't ever, never let you have what you want

i feel your hunger to taste me

still your mind won't ever let you say

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- tbc…