~*~
"Hey, Boss," Cody's voice called clearly through his desk phone's intercom. He glanced down at his watch and shook his head. Right on time, Cody. For two months now, every night that they were not working on a case, they had been going through the same ritual. One of his team members would call up and invite him out for drinks.
"We're heading to O'Malley's for a drink…want to join us?"
Donovan rested his elbow on the desk and leaned slightly toward the phone. If he said 'yes' he would probably cause Cody to have a heart attack, but, no, each night his answer was the same. "Thank you, no…I have a mountain of paperwork to finish."
"Okay, Boss."
The warehouse door closed, signaling his team's departure. Donovan sat back in his chair and his eyes closed reflexively. Going out for a drink would not erase the ache of tortured loneliness that haunted his soul. He missed Quinn; he would not deny that if any member of his team approached him. He knew they would never do that. Even after witnessing the admission of his feelings for her, only Monica had dared mention it. He had wanted to scream to the heavens that he wanted to disappear, but instead he had thanked her for her concern and insisted that work was the only thing that would get him past it.
He reached for the report DeWalt sent; it had arrived nearly a week after Quinn had been taken from him. It basically said that a cleanup crew had 'sanitized' the area. A clean slate; nothing happened. No funeral. He tossed the folder back onto the desk with a growl. It sickened him. He had been a part of it from the beginning, had been the key component in the breaking of someone's mind. It had taken years to get them to that point, but once they had reached their limit, the stronger part of their minds had won out.
He groaned and clutched the arms of his chair in frustration. More than anything, he missed Quinn's touch, the sound of her voice, and her amazing green eyes that could not hide a thing from him no matter how hard she tried. If he imagined it hard enough, he could still feel her hands touching his face tenderly or the sensual press of her lips against his.
"Kiss me back," came the soft plea.
Donovan's eyes flew open. Was his imagination taking over? Was he losing his mind? If he was, he really didn't care. It was the most beautiful figment of his imagination he had ever witnessed.
Smiling, she drew back from him slowly, watching the look of confusion and surprise grace his handsome face. "Say something," she urged.
Hesitantly he stood and reached for her, grasping her firmly as though afraid his hand would pass through her like the apparition she had to be. When his fingers surrounded solid flesh, he pulled her to him roughly, kissing her deeply and thoroughly.
"Mmm…" Quinn murmured when the kiss broke. "Say that again," she whispered. Her lips found his again as her hands moved from his shoulders to the back of his neck.
"Oh, Jesus," he exclaimed breathily when they drew apart. The kiss had ended, but his hands roamed her back and buttocks as though they were still not quite convinced she was really there. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"That was my line," she teased, caressing his cheek tenderly. "I missed you, Donovan, and I cussed DeWalt daily for not letting me see you after I was taken away in that ambulance."
Frank chuckled deeply. "I believe I did a little more than cuss him. I'm surprised I still have a job."
Quinn laughed and shook him by the shoulders playfully. "That was a damn good black eye he sported for a while. I'm right proud of you."
"I wanted to see you," he reasoned, shrugging. "I don't like being told 'no'."
"I was grateful that he at least told me you were asking about me. He said he gave you weekly reports?"
He nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yes. I wanted to be there with you, but he insisted the shrinks thought it best that you have no outside contact while they worked with you. So, tell me…"
Quinn looked into his dark eyes and nodded. "I'm okay, really. I won't lie, I'll be in therapy for the rest of my life." She winked at him. "Just kidding, but I have a long way to go. And…I really miss Sam."
He brushed a tear away that slid down her cheek and pulled her back into his embrace. "I know, beautiful." His hand went to her hair and was stopped in its mission by the thick clip that held it twisted at the back of her head. Deciding it was an obstacle he could do without, he removed the clip and tenderly ran his fingers through her long tresses. "I wanted to pay my respects, but…"
"I know. That was one thing DeWalt caved on and I was allowed to visit his grave. He promised me that the incident would never make it into Sam's file." She sighed heavily and rested her cheek against his firm chest. "Although he said you and your team had the final say on that."
"We had no problems with that," Donovan replied softly. The only part of it that he had wanted answers to was the crossbow. DeWalt had told him, off the record, that Sam had it rigged with a remote trigger. No manner of explanation could make the situation okay for anyone involved, but the team had agreed unanimously that for the sake of Sam's family, they would not press the issue.
When Quinn lifted her head to look in his face, only one thing popped into his mind and he had to ask. "You sought me out after facing your demons, Quinn…"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Does that mean…"
Again she nodded. "We've been over most of this while at the cabin. I never stopped loving you, Frank. Never. I just had no way of dealing with my feelings other than blaming you. I'm so sorry for that."
"No apologies, please," he requested softly before caressing her lips with his.
"If you insist," she said, smiling playfully. "Now what? Hey…we could catch up with your team and go out for drinks…"
His eyebrow shot up in astonishment. He wondered absently how long she had been downstairs before she came to him. It really didn't matter, did it? The important thing was that she did come to him. He couldn't explain why, but he had the gnawing feeling that after the CIA 'psychiatrists' were through with her, she would have nothing left for him. "I have a better idea," he insisted, turning off his computer.
"Oh?" Quinn smiled as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. His warm breath fanned her cheek as he spoke, sending shivers over her entire body. "It's like that is it?" she teased. He merely nodded his response as he took her hand and led her down the stairs. "Okay, but you better feed me in the morning."
He winked and grinned mischievously. "Any time, any place, beautiful."
Five years ago his actions had shattered an image she held of him. Five years later, he had managed to do it again. Thankfully.
~finis~
A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who left me feedback here, through email, or at the FLMB or the WOD boards. I truly appreciate it and the time you took out of your lives to read this little tale. Special thanks to Serena, Marie, and Cara. Take care everyone.