Author's notes: Eek! Sorry this took so long! Brandy, Rach, goblz & Logan- thanks! Goblz- Sonny will show up much later and Carly will find out who he is before that. ;)

"Andrew?" Carly asked, entering his office.

"Yes?" he asked without looking up from the files he was studying.

She rolled her eyes in amusement. He obviously wasn't paying attention. "Andrew," she repeated softly, walking closer to him and leaning over his desk.

He looked up to see Carly smiling down at him. "Hey, Caroline! Just stop by to say hello?" he asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Nope. Reporting for duty, sir!" she answered with a salute.

Andrew's grin disappeared. "You're my new assistant?"

"Surprise, surprise!"

"It's a surprise alright," he said, less than happy.

"Well, don't get so excited about it," she said disappointedly.

He leaned back in his chair, sighing. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said carefully, "but I don't want to work with you."

Carly was dumbfounded. "How am I supposed to not take that the wrong way?" she snapped.

"I care about you, Caroline, you know that. But I don't like mixing business with pleasure."

"Meaning you'll screw me but you won't work with me, is that it?"

"Caroline, we haven't screwed," he reminded her.

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

"Yeah, I'd rather date you than work with you. So what?" he said, leaning back in his chair. "There are other department heads and directors you could work for."

"Well, I got assigned to you. And after the fit I threw yesterday, Mrs. Milner won't reassign me again. So you'll just have to put up with me," Carly said resolutely and left the room.

Andrew followed her. "What fit? Did she send you back to Braden?"

"No, Assistant Director Schumacher," she answered, dropping her purse on the desk.

"Schumacher? What went wrong with Schumacher?" he asked, confusion evident in his face.

"What went wrong? The guy's a misogynistic bastard!"

"So?" he replied, shrugging. "At least he doesn't feel his secretaries up like Braden."

"The first thing he did was tell me women were good for two things and work wasn't one of them!"

"Oh, he's full of hot air," he said dismissively. "Take what he says with a grain of salt."

"Easy for you to say! You're a man!"

He smiled politely at a passing colleague. "Let's go back in my office and discuss this," he pleaded quietly.

Carly stormed back into the office. "There's nothing to discuss. I can't lose this job, Andrew," she told him as soon as he closed the door. "I can't keep uprooting Michael every time my ex-husband's goons find us. At least if I'm here, I know we're safe. The WSB will protect us."

"I can protect you."

"I don't want you to protect me," she snapped, her hands on her hips. That didn't sound the way she wanted it to. She sighed, rubbing her brow. "Look, I spent my life depending on men to protect me and take care of me. When I left my husband, I said no more. I depend on myself and only myself."

"I get it," he said with a sigh.

"Do you?" she asked, unconvinced.

He nodded. "My ex-wife was the same way. The depending on herself part, anyway."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Nice to know I remind you of your ex-wife," she scoffed.

He chuckled, a slight grin on his face. "Only a little bit. You not nearly as argumentative as her."

"You don't know me very well."

"You don't know her. We did nothing but bicker most of our relationship. That's how I knew it was over," he told her wistfully. "She quit fighting with me."

"My marriage was the same way, except I wouldn't call what we did bickering."

Andrew sat on the edge of his desk. "You know there's regulations against fraternization."

"Agents get married all the time," she countered.

"And most of them get in trouble for it," he responded adamantly.

Carly put her hands on her hips. She was getting frustrated with his excuses. "What are you saying, Andrew?" she asked irritatedly.

He ran a hand through his short hair. "I don't know what the hell I'm saying."

"Do you want to break up with me?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know."

"There's no reason why this can't work," she insisted.

"That means we act completely professional here at the office."

"What? I can't be professional?" she snapped.

Andrew closed his eyes, the conversation obviously not going the way he wanted it to. "No, I mean absolutely no mention of our relationship at work, not even when we're alone."

Carly slinked up to him. "Does that mean I can't steal a kiss from you?" she whispered seductively.

"That's exactly what that means," he replied. She pouted. He caved, sighing defeatedly. "Okay, maybe one." She leaned in and kissed him softly. He quickly pulled away. "But we can't do this, even in my office."

She stepped back, crossing her arms. "Okay."

"Nobody gossips like a bunch of spies stuck behind desks," he joked halfheartedly.

She smirked, nodding her head understandingly. "Took me all of about an hour to figure that out."

"Good."

"Work is work and home is..." she started.

"We'll see," he finished.

"Okay, then. Now that that's settled," she said, smiling again, "what do you want me to do?" By the look on his face, Carly could guess what was going through Andrew's mind and it wasn't work. She rolled her eyes in amusement. "Not that, Andrew," she reminded him.

Andrew smiled embarrassedly. "You get to do actual work," he told her, switching back to business.

"Like what? The administrative half of your job?" she asked, grinning slyly.

"Pretty close," he admitted sheepishly. "Mike forgot to warn me how much administrative crap came with the promotion."

"Who's Mike?"

"Deputy Director Reyes," he told her. "I've got enough work without having to worry about budgets and stuff like that."

"So you're letting me do all of it."

"Hey, it beats answering phones and taking dictation."

Yeah, that would be better than what her other bosses had her doing, she had to admit. "Good point."

Andrew took her hand and led her out of his office. "Let me show you around."

~*~

Carly sneaked a peek at the sealed file Andrew had her deliver to Reyes's office. Some sort of reports from the tiny view she could get looking through the open corners. Nothing really interesting as far as she could tell.

"Hey, darlin'!" Faith called as she spotted Carly walking down the hall. "I've been hearin' stories 'bout you!"

Carly chuckled at the Texan's ever-present cheerful demeanor. "What kind of stories?"

Faith grinned broadly. "I hear you told off Schumacher and Davids."

"I wouldn't say I told them off."

"I am impressed, Caroline. Already a legend around here. The envy of all the female agents and the secretarial staff who didn't have the guts to do the same."

"Well, thanks, Faith."

"Who'd they send you to now?"

"Jones," she answered.

"Andy? Damn girl! You're on a roll! You have no idea how many of us would like to snag an assignment with that hunk." Faith suggestively raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to Carly. "Or how many would completely throw out on the rules on fraternization for him, too."

Carly felt a pinch of jealousy and possessiveness. "Does that include you?" she asked, trying not convey her emotions.

"Nah, I know him too well. Too much baggage for my tastes," Faith said, scrunching up her nose. "So what brings you by my desk?"

"Just dropping this off," Carly answered, presenting the file.

Faith took it and dropped it in a tray on her desk. "Mike's in meetings all afternoon. I'll be sure she gets it as soon as she gets in."

"Sure you're trustworthy, Faith?" Carly teased.

The blonde rolled her eyes, amused. "You got time to stay and chat for a bit?"

"Sure, as long as I don't have to go back to the pile of work that's sitting on my desk."

"Already?"

Carly rolled her eyes and sighed. "He's got all this stuff he wants me to read, trying to figure out the spreadsheets for some budget report he's late on and some other things he considers below him."

"But if he tries to do it, those things will never get done!" Faith said, shaking her head. "He's terrible about that stuff. Most of the department chiefs out of the field are, especially someone as green as Andy. It's the bookworms and bureaucrats you gotta avoid. They're the ones who think you don't know anything, you can't do anything and you're only here to serve their every stupid whim."

"Would he like you calling him Andy?"

"Hell no!" she drawled, pleased with herself. "He hates it, which is why I call him that. Me and him, we like to give each other a hard time."

"So this is what I have to look forward to working with?" Carly asked in exasperation.

"Oh, don't worry, he only teases the people he likes!"

"That makes me feel so much better," Carly mumbled. She noticed the strange look Faith was giving her, and decided it was time to leave. "Uh, I should get back to work now. I'll see you later, Faith." She quickly walked away, before the curious blonde questioned her.

"Okay..." Faith said in confusion, watching Carly leave. "Later..."