Chapter 3

It was late in the morning when John parked his car in the garage of the VCTF building. He was a little late so he locked his car and hurried to the elevator where he saw Coop waiting there too.

"Hey Coop… glad I'm not the only one who's late today…" John laughed and leant against the wall beside the elevator door.

"Shut up, Grant!" Coop said, harshly.

"Excuse me?" John said, confusing.

"You heard me very well…" he replied, chewing on his gum.

"Is there a problem I don't know about?" John asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Please…" Coop started and as the elevator door opened he stepped in.

John followed him, "Oh please what?"

"Come on… the whole thing between you and Sam… I know what you're trying, Grant… but it's not going to work, okay?" he said with his arms on his chest.

"Oh this? Tell me if I'm wrong but you and Sam… you're not together, right?" John said, looking at him sternly.

"No, but we're…" Coop started but John cut him off.

"Exactly, you're not… and if Sam likes to spend some time with me…" John said grinning, "…then let her!"

With this words Coop turned around and pushed John against the wall of the elevator, "No, I won't let you ruin what Sam and I have… she loves me…"

"Don't be so sure…" John answered calmly. He grabbed his shoulders and pulled Coop away from him. The door of the elevator opened as they came to the 4 th floor. Both of them stepped out and walked towards the Command Center where everybody sat around the big table.

----

"Hey guys, I know I'm late… but somebody held me up…" John sat down on the free chair next to Sam, "…I'm sorry…" he put his notebook on the table and looked at Sam, "Hi…" he whispered with a smile.

"Hi…" she whispered back.

"It's okay John…I'm glad you're here now…" Bailey told his young agent, patting on his shoulder.

Coop walked in as well and sat down in front of Sam and John, "Morning…" he said and looked at Sam.

"Coop, you're late…" Bailey said and sat down as well.

"Sorry, morning traffic…" he apologized with a shrug.

"Well, okay… the main thing is that everybody is here now… we have a new case… the PD of Memphis asked for help. There was an explosion in an old church. George?" Bailey said.

"One second Bailey…" he tipped something and the map of Memphis appeared on the big screen in the Command Center, "…okay, the church is on Lansington Avenue…and this is the ground plan… according to eye-witnesses… the first explosion was at 2.15 am… on the back side of the church…"

"The first?" Sam asked.

"Yeah… there was a second ten minutes later… this time the front part was worst affected…" George explained.

"Did someone get killed?" John asked frowning while he wrote down some notes.

George pressed a button and the screen showed four pictures, "The first two were teology students. They lived in the parsonage on the back side. Both died from the effects of the first explosion. The third victim is a nun. She lived there, too. The priest is at the hospital. The doctors aren't sure if he'll make it. He has very serious injuries."

"Do we have any suspects right now?" Sam asked, looking at Bailey.

"Unfortunately not…" Bailey conceded, "…that's why I want you and John over there, to have a look around, talk to some eye-witnesses, pay the priest a visit at the hospital and give me a call if you find something out. Your flight goes in two hours."

"Okay…" John answered and looked at Sam.

"What? Do you want to change your partner?" Sam teased.

He hesitated for a moment and answered finally, "No, I don't think so…" he looked at her and couldn't hide a grin.

"Fine, because I won't let you anyway…" she laughed and both got up and left the Command Center .

"John…" she started and John turned around to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"Your badge…" she whispered, grinning.

John looked around and reached for his badge, "Oh god, thank you. You're an angel." He shoved it into the pocket of his jacket and gave Sam a kiss on her cheek.

"Uhm, well… you're… welcome…" she said softly, looking at him with a small smile.

---

Coop watched them and walked away with a deep sigh. Why did she have John's badge? What happened yesterday when they were together? He couldn't believe that Sam ignored him after all what happened between them? He couldn't lose her, not to Grant.

"Bailey?" he said as Bailey read through some notes.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"I wondered if… uhm, well I think I should fly to Memphis …" he insisted with a frown.

Bailey looked up at his agent, "No Coop, two agents are enough…and apart from that, I need you here for the case I'm working on right now. Next time okay?" Bailey offered him.

"I just thought that they'll need my help as a bomb expert. So I could go instead of Grant…" Coop pressed, having his hands in his pockets.

Bailey considered the idea for a while and leant back in his chair, "Well, maybe it's a good idea…" he mused and looked at Coop.

"My words…" he answered and his smile grew wider, "…then I go and tell Grant that he's out of this case."

"No no, wait… you don't understand…" Bailey countered, "…you can't go instead of him, you go with him. Sam needs someone by her side. She can't do it alone…"

"Alone? What's that supposed to mean? She won't be alone, she would be with me!" Coop prompted angrily.

Bailey jumped up from his chair and hit his fists on the table, "We both know that John is the better agent. And don't forget how I am, Nick Cooper. I'm the boss here. If I say something, it has to be done. If you like it, or not. Either you do what I say and go with them or you're staying here. I'm sure there's a lot of unfinished paperwork waiting for you!" Bailey explained him upset, "You're decision. It's easy to replace you Cooper, never forget that!"

The muscles of Coop's jaw were jumping but he wanted to stay cool, "Fine…" he muttered and left Bailey's office.

----

Sam was in her office and packed some things for her flight. She knelt on the floor in front of the closet with her back to the door. As she put a pair of sport shoes into her bag she heard a knock on her door, "Come in! If it's you John, I need a few more minutes before we can leave…"

"No, it's me Sam".

Sam jumped as she heard the voice. She looked over her shoulder and saw Coop standing behind her, "Oh Coop, it's you!"

"Oh, I'm sorry if you expected someone else but it's just me!"

"Don't be ridiculous Coop. You know my flight goes in…" she looked at her watch, "…90 minutes, so I don't have a lot time."

"I know that and I'm just here to tell you…I'm coming with you. Bailey thought it would be a good idea to have a bomb expert over there." Coop informed her with a smile.

Sam couldn't believe her ears. She got up and turned around to face him, "You, what?"

"Well, okay… that's not exactly the reaction I've expected."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Sam began.

"Just tell me what happened between us, Sam. Is there something wrong? Did I something wrong?" he looked into her deep blue eyes, "Please, tell me what it is."

She took her sports bag and put it on the couch, "No, you didn't do something wrong. It's just… uhm…" she hesitated and looked away from him.

"It's him, right?"

"Him? What are you talking about?"

"John, of course."

"John?" she looked at Coop for a while but didn't know what to say. So she shook her head 'no'.

"Really?" he came closer and put his arms around her. He brushed her hair off her left shoulder and kissed her neck, "mmmh, do you know how good you smell?"

"Coop…" she whispered and closed her eyes, "…stop that!"

"Stop what?" he breathed against her neck.

"Please don't do this."

Suddenly the door opened and John came in, "Sam, are you ready? We have to…" he saw them and stopped, "Oh, sorry… stupid me, I… I always forget to knock…" he looked into Sam's eyes, "I better wait outside!" he stepped back and closed the door again.

Sam pulled away from Coop, "That's great… just great!" she sighed and went to the couch.

"What's great? That he saw us? Oh Sam, he's a big boy… I think he can handle what he saw! Or wait, you didn't want him to see this?" he stated jealously.

"No, I didn't want this to happen, that's all!" she countered upset.

"But I had the impression you liked that…" Coop said, frowning.

"Then you were obviously wrong…" she answered with a sigh.

"Come on Sam…" Coop said and tried to grasp her hand.

She pulled her hand away and took her bag, "This conversation is over. We have a job to do!" with these words she left her office, leaving a stunned Coop behind her.

----

Sam and Coop sat in the departure lounge at the airport waiting for their flight.

"I'm tired of waiting…" Coop said with sigh.

"Don't be childish, we're just waiting for 20 minutes." Sam answered.

"These were definitely the longest 20 minutes I had in my entire life. It seems like hours."

Sam rolled her eyes and continued reading her newspaper.

"Someone ordered a drink here?" John came back with three ice-tees and handed one to Sam and one to Coop.

"Thanks" Sam answered with a smile.

"What's that?" Coop looked at the cup and back to John.

"Ice-tee…" he replied and took the seat in front of them.

"Ugh, ice-tee…" Coop said disgusted and played with the straw.

"It's summer, it's hot and ice-tee is refreshing… everybody likes it…" John said and took a sip.

"But I don't…" Coop muttered.

"Oh, that's too bad…" John smirked and looked from Coop to Sam, "…did they say something about the delay?"

"The start is postponed to 4 o'clock …" Sam answered and laid the newspaper on her lap.

John looked at his watch, "Oh okay…" he put the ice-tee down on the seat next to him and offered Sam some chocolate he bought in the little market on the other side of the airport hall.

Sam laughed, "Ice-tee, chocolate… what comes next?" she took one chocolate praline out of the box.

"You'll see…" he said with a grin.

"Mmh, they're good… thank you…" Sam said with a smile.

Coop looked at them and rolled his eyes. It was so obvious what John was trying. In front of his eyes, he couldn't believe it. But he'll not succeed, not John.

---

"This is our row…" the three of them walked through the plane until they came to their seats.

"84A… someone wants my window seat?" John offered and looked back to Sam and Coop.

"No, no…it's okay. Just get in…" Sam answered and pushed him forward. She followed him and took the seat next to him. "Coop, what are you waiting for? Sit down!" she looked up at him.

"Maybe he thinks he needs a special invitation or something…" John said, grinning.

"Oh shut up, Grant…" he let himself fall on the chair and fastened his belt.

"Uuuh, he's grumpy today, isn't he?" John laughed and looked at Sam but she gave him a soft smile and said nothing.

This is going to be an interesting trip that's for sure, he thought and looked outside the window.

----

Sam sat in her office when she heard a knock on her door, "Yeah, come in!" she answered absentmindedly and didn't stop reading her notes of the current case.

John opened the door and peeked around the door frame, "Hi…" he said.

Sam looked up as she heard the too familiar voice, "John…" she whispered with a smile and closed the folder, "…you're back?"

He opened the door wider and walked in, "Yeah, I took an earlier flight…" exhausted he put his travel bag on the floor and looked at her, "Glad to see me?"

Without leaving his eyes she walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"I take that as a 'yes'…" he whispered and leant forward to kiss her.

After a while Sam pulled away and looked into his deep blue eyes, "I missed you."

"Same here…" he replied with a smile and held her close to him, with his arms around her waist. "I plan on never let you go again… how'd you like that?"

"Hmm…" she considered his proposal for a moment and continued, "I think I'd like that a lot…" she looked up at him smiling and bit her lower lip.

"Good…" he smiled and kissed her again.

"Sam… Sam, wake up…" John called her name softly.

She opened her eyes and found herself back in the plane with her head on John's shoulder. She lifted her head and blushed as she looked into his eyes.

"Hey…" he started, a small smile forming on his lips, "…we'll land in a few minutes. Everything okay?"

"Yeah…" she cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair. Then she turned to her other side where Coop was looking at her, "What?"

"Did you have any dreams?" he asked her, raising his right eyebrow.

She looked at him and swallowed, "No…" she took her purse and looked for something nervously.

"I was just curious because you said his name…" Coop said with a frown.

She stopped and looked at him reluctantly, "Whose name?"

"John's…"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous…" Sam countered upset.

"That's the truth… ask John, he heard it as well, right?" Coop looked at him.

"Sorry, I fell asleep too… what did she say?" John asked, curiously.

"Nothing… I said nothing. I never speak when I'm asleep, okay? Just drop it please…" Sam closed her eyes and waited for the plane to land.

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Hehe.. so this part was a bit longer i guess. I hope you liked it! Please R&R!