Chapter 3! I know it's kinda slow but please stay with me. Action is coming up in a few chapters, I promise!

Firecracker

Chapter 3

Finally, the end of the day came and no one could be happier than Maes Hughes' subordinates.

Maria Ross and Denny Brosh were the first to escape, err… leave. The others quickly followed.

Cassie had just finished packing her stuff in her bag, slung it over her shoulder and stepped out in front of her desk when Maes grabbed her upper arm and began dragging her from the office.

Maes grabbed his jacket off of the coat rack on the way out without stopping.

Cassie managed to grab her coat before she was forcefully dragged from the room. She heard the coat stand fall to the ground behind her.

"Come on, Cass-Cass," Maes said cheerily as he dragged Cassie down Central Headquarters' corridors. A few officers gave the two Majors odd looks as they made their way out of the building.

"I hate it when you call me that!" Cassie yelled.

"I know. That's why I do it," Maes replied.

"Grr… uh… Maes you can let me go now. We're outside Central HQ grounds."

"Huh?" Maes stopped and looked around. Behind him were the gates to Central HQ. "Well whadda ya know?" he finished. He released Cassie's arm and kept walking.

Cassie ran to catch up to her friend Maes.

"Hey, Maes, don't you have a car?" Cassie asked from beside him as the two walked.

"Yeah, but I don't need it to get to work," Hughes said, pulling on his black coat.

"Whatever," Cassie said back, also pulling her black coat on. The day was getting cold fast.

35 minutes later they arrived at the Hughes residence. The sun was almost completely set by the time that the two arrived at the door.

Maes opened the door and let Cassie and himself in. They took off their black coats and hung them on the stand by the door.

"Gracia! I'm home! And I've got a surprise for you!" Maes called into the house.

"Just a minute! I'm in the kitchen! I'll be right there!" Gracia's voice called back.

"Um… Cass, go hide over there," Maes pointed to a shadowed depression in the wall in the hallway.

"Okay," Cassie replied. Quickly, she walked over to the shadowed depression and hid in it.

Maes shuddered as Cassie seemingly vanished into the shadows. The woman was very good at camouflage.

Maes heard footsteps and turned to face the direction they were coming from. A few seconds later Gracia stepped into view.

"Hello, Maes," Gracia greeted. She then gave her husband a hug and a kiss.

Gracia glanced at the coat rack and saw two black coats. She did a double take. Two!

"Maes, honey, why are there two coats? Is Roy here?" she asked.

"No. Someone else," Maes replied in a singsong voice.

"Who?" Gracia asked "And what's my surprise, honey?"

"Come on out!" Maes called "This is your surprise," he spoke to his wife.

Gracia turned around and faced the direction Maes was facing.

Out of the shadows stepped a red-haired woman with green eyes. The woman smiled brightly.

Gracia stared at her for a moment and then realised who it was.

"OH MY GOD! Cassie!" Gracia screamed.

The two women screamed and embraced each other. They broke apart, glanced down at Gracia's slightly bulging tummy, looked at each other, screamed and embraced again.

Maes winced at the pain caused to his ears from the two women's squeals of joy.

After the women finished squealing they walked away towards the kitchen, Gracia leading, and talked all the way.

This left Maes standing alone, forgotten, in the foyer.

After a few seconds of shock, Maes walked to the phone. Before he dialled he called out to Gracia.

"Hey, Gracie! Do you mind if I invite Roy and Jean over?"

"Not at all! Give 'em a call and invite them over!" Gracia called.

"Yeah! It'll be good to have the old group together again!" Cassie called out.

The two women giggled.

Maes sighed and began calling Roy and Jean. He had a feeling that he would need the guys around to survive the night.

R&R please!