After being wounded in a gunfight and being at home for two weeks, Aubrey finally gets to go back to work half days. He's supposed to take it easy, since he's still recovering. No problem, right? Read on to find out...

It was early on Wednesday morning as Aubrey stood in the bathroom, trying to get his thick dark hair to cooperate before he got dressed. He'd missed his regular haircut due to his gunshot wound, and his hair had retaliated by refusing to lie down where it was supposed to go. He'd even tried using Jessica's hot brush, but to no avail.

"Great…", he grumbled to himself. "...just what I need today...puffy hair...I look like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet…"

After several minutes of combing, brushing, and trying to glue it down with gel, he gave up and turned to more important matters, like shaving and brushing his teeth. He groaned softly as he glanced at his phone. It was 7:30 AM, and he was already tired. Being off on a forced 'vacation' of sorts had thoroughly messed up his body's circadian rhythm, and he'd had a hard time getting out of bed that morning. Now he was running late…

Relax., he thought to himself. Nobody's gonna worry about what time I get there today, okay? Jessica's right...they're just gonna be glad to see me…and I'm only staying a few hours anyway. I'll get there when I get there...

At least he hoped they'd be glad to see him. As he buttoned his pale blue dress shirt, he finally admitted to himself that the problem really wasn't that he was tired. The problem was that he was nervous...nervous about how the agents in his department would treat him when he showed up in the office today.

Would they pity him because he'd been wounded? Would they look on him as if he was some sort of glorified gunslinger? Would they be shocked that he had used deadly force to take down the perp? After all, he'd never actually killed anyone in the line of duty before, and he didn't know what to expect from his coworkers in that sort of situation.

'It's not like we can pretend it didn't happen...most of them have dealt with it before...but I haven't...and it's hard to think that I killed a man…'

As he took his favorite navy blue suit and his black dress shoes out of the closet, Aubrey thought about Booth. The Special Agent in Charge of Homicide had given him some valuable advice a few days ago.

"Stark's gonna insist that you go see the FBI's shrink since you pulled the trigger on Sipoletti, and you're not gonna want to go, because you're gonna think you're fine...but I'm telling you now, Aubrey, you need to go. Killing someone, even in the line of duty...it has a way of creeping up on a guy when he least expects it. You think you've got things under control, but then you find yourself being upset for no reason, or maybe you can't sleep night after night. Those feelings won't go away on their own. You need to talk to a professional, okay? Even though it wasn't your fault, you need to keep that appointment."

Aubrey nodded to himself as he pushed the knot in his tie up under his collar. "I guess I'd better make an appointment to see Dr. Blair.", he muttered to himself. "If anyone would know about that stuff, it'd be Booth…"

Grunting softly as he put on his shoes, Aubrey rose from his chair and picked up his jacket. He paused and stared at his reflection in the mirror before giving himself another pep talk. I've been home long enough...time to go back to work…

Standing outside the master bedroom door, Jessica knocked and called out to her boyfriend. "Superman? Are you ready to go? We need to leave soon…"

Startled from his musings, Aubrey turned to the door. "Yeah, I'm coming."

"Okay, I'll meet you downstairs."

Slipping into his jacket, he brushed off a bit of lint before taking a deep breath. "Let's do this…"

Downstairs, Jessica was carrying two Star Wars travel mugs to the front door when she saw her boyfriend come down the stairs. She beamed with pride as she saw how he was dressed. "Wow...you look nice! I mean, I like it when you wear your pajama pants and tee shirts around the house, but you really clean up well."

Aubrey blushed slightly at his girlfriend's compliment. "Thank you."

After the agent put his overcoat on, Jessica handed him his coffee mug and then him his laptop bag. "Here you go, Superman, black coffee with cinnamon, and your FBI laptop. Everything you need to start your first day back at work."

"Why do I feel like I'm getting ready to go to my first day of third grade?", he grumbled as he hoisted the bag onto his right shoulder. "I'm a big boy...I can handle this…"

"You skipped the third grade, remember?" She chuckled as she gave him a kiss before grabbing her coat and bag. "Okay, I think we have everything. Here's the plan: I'll drop you off at the Hoover, go to the lab for a few hours, and then I'll come back to your office at lunchtime to take you home. Do you need to take your crutches in case you feel wobbly? You'll call me if you get tired, right? You don't really have to stay until noon. Dr. B won't care if I have to come get you. Now, I know you quit taking your pain pills, but I think Tylenol would help you if you have some residual pain… just remember not to overdo it. You're still going to feel weak. The doctor doesn't want you lifting anything heavy. Just sit behind your desk and let someone else do that stuff…"

"Jess...hey, Jess...JESSICA!" Aubrey grinned at his girlfriend when she finally stopped talking. "You've already told me this stuff…"

"I know, but doesn't hurt to hear it again. I know you feel good right now, but it's easy to push yourself too hard. That's why the doctor wants you to start with half days." Jessica shrugged an apology as they walked out to the garage. "I guess I'm nagging…"

"You're not being a nag. I know you're telling me these things because you love me..." Placing his laptop bag on the floorboard, he eased himself into Jessica's Jeep Cherokee. After fastening his seatbelt, Aubrey tried to make himself comfortable. "I think I'm just feeling a bit on edge about going back to the office…"

"That's understandable...you've been away from your routine for a few weeks." Glancing at her boyfriend as she pulled her SUV onto the street, she sighed softly. He was too quiet this morning. Something was bothering him, but she wasn't sure exactly what. "I thought you were anxious to get back to work…"

Aubrey stared out the passenger window as they drove to the Hoover. "I'm am. I'm a little tired, but I'm fine…"

"No, you're not. Don't pull that shit on me. I know you inside and out, alright? I can tell when you're lying." Realizing that she sounded harsh, Jessica exhaled softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scold you…"

"It's okay. Maybe I deserve it." He shook his head as he studied his fingernails. "I killed a man, Jess. I mean, logically, I know that, but these last few weeks I've been occupied at home, you know, with getting better and with working on our relationship...but now I'm going to the office, and all I can think about is that I killed a man."

He chewed his lip nervously as he continued. "They told us about this when I was at Quantico. As field agents, we know we might have to take a life in the line of duty, and we think we're prepared, but I...I guess I wasn't as prepared as I should've been, and going back to work today has it all rushing through my mind. I keep remembering Sipoletti pulling out that gun...and I had to respond...and then I saw that bright red spot begin to spread across his white shirt before I passed out...it all happened so fast... and because of how I reacted, a man died. How am I gonna be able to work if that's all I can think about? Am I gonna hesitate if I'm in that position again? If I do, I might put someone's life in danger..."

Jessica listened quietly as Aubrey bared the anguish in his soul. She hadn't realized he'd been so upset by what had happened, although looking back at how Genny had felt when she killed someone, she thought of different things he'd said over the last few weeks...different ways he'd responded to things...and now it all made sense.

This has bothered him a lot…I'm glad I asked Genny to keep his 'welcome back' celebration low key. He doesn't need to be the center of attention right now…

They drove along in silence for almost thirty minutes through the DC morning grind, each lost in their own thoughts, until Jessica got up her nerve to say what was on her mind. "I know you'd do the right thing if you were in the same position again. You're a highly trained professional, right? You wouldn't freeze." He nodded silently. "You know, Genny said she went to see Dr. Blair, the FBI's psychiatrist, a few days after her incident, and that it helped her a lot. She said it was helpful to realize she wasn't alone when it came to dealing with using deadly force."

"That's what Booth said, too. I'm gonna call the shrink as soon as things get back on track." Aubrey continued to stare out the window. "So, Jess...um...does it bother you, too? That I killed someone? I mean, I'd understand…if you didn't want...to be with me..." He paused, unsure if he wanted to hear her answer. "It could happen again, you know? I might have to...kill someone…again..."

Remembering her earlier knee jerk reactions to his fears, Jessica didn't respond immediately. She realized his insecurities were caused by his father's abandonment, and that he needed reassurance. They'd had many talks over the last couple of weeks, and he'd been working through the residual pain from his childhood. However, it was obvious to the redhead that the scars still ran deep .

"You are not getting rid of me that easily, Buddy." She smiled as she reached over to pat his knee. "Of course I wish things had been different, but I know you, Aubrey. I know you didn't want to pull the trigger, but it was him or you, right? You were defending yourself and your partner, and you didn't have a choice. I know it upsets you, and that's why it bothers me, but I also know what a good man you are, and the fact that you're struggling with this problem proves it. You're the man I love, and nothing is ever gonna change that."

Pulling the Jeep up to the entry of the Hoover, she smiled. "Now, go have a good day at work, and I'll be back soon." She smiled as she leaned over to give him a kiss. "I love you…"

"I love you, too. I'll see you soon." Aubrey eased himself out of the car, grabbing his bag and coffee before shutting the door. Slowly, he walked towards the door before turning around to wave goodbye. Sighing softly as she drove away, he squared his shoulders and walked through the door, on his way back to work.

He was greeted with cheerful 'welcome back' from the security guard at the entrance and from a few of the clerical staff as he made his way across the expansive lobby. Knowing he didn't have the energy yet, he bypassed the stairs for the elevator. When it finally arrived, he climbed in, glad he was alone. Glancing at his phone as he saw the 1 in the corner change to a 2, he shrugged when he saw the time. 8:45...only a few minutes late.

Taking a deep breath as the doors opened, he took a left and slowly walked down the hall to the Major Crimes Division. It was hard to walk off the elevator without feeling like everyone's eyes were on him as he arrived, but he was making a conscious effort to make this a normal day.

Oooooooooo

When Genny got the text she was waiting on, she walked down the hall to Aubrey's office, where she stood in the doorway to greet him. She had made sure earlier in the week to instruct the agents in their division not to overdo the way they greeted their SAC as he returned. She knew from her own personal experience that it was an odd feeling to come back to work after taking a life, but every day was a little bit better. Aubrey would need a few days to ease back into his routine, especially since he'd been wounded.

She also knew that the Special Agent in Charge would want his team to be professional in their dealings with him. He'd want it to be business as usual, and she was going to do her best to make sure that's what happened.

It wasn't long before she spotted the SAC making his way through the bullpen, greeting his agents as he went through. When he made his way past their case roster board, she waved as she watched him slowly walk down the hall carrying his travel mug and bag. "Hey, Boss…"

"Hey." He grinned slightly as he made his way to the door. "I was finally able to drag my ass into the office…"

"Yeah. We're all glad to see you, too. See? We all pitched in and got you a gift." She gestured to a box of doughnuts on his desk. "A baker's dozen, assorted, most with icing and double sprinkles, and the perfect cup of coffee to go with it." Genny handed him a cup of black coffee topped with a light dusting of cinnamon, just the way he liked it, and gave him a gentle hug. "Welcome back, Aubrey…it's good to see you here where you belong. Have a seat, and I'll fill you in on all the news."

"Good...and thanks for these." He picked out a chocolate iced doughnut covered with multicolored sprinkles and eased himself into his desk chair." "First, though...I want to tell you about Danny." He pointed to a chair. "It's gonna take a minute…"

A look of concern passed over Genny's face as she sat on the edge of the seat. "I hope you know I wasn't pushing my son on you just so you'd fix things for me…"

Waving his hand to interrupt her, Aubrey chuckled. "Hey, it was my idea to talk to him, remember, but I never got the chance with everything that happened recently." He sipped his coffee, smiling in satisfaction. "That's great coffee. Anyway, Danny was upset about you and Hunter being together, because he thought that with Hunter in the picture, you wouldn't want him around any more."

Genny was horrified. "Why would he think that? I've never given him any reason to believe I'd abandon him…"

"Relax...I know you're a terrific mom, Genny. It has nothing to do with anything you said to Danny. It's perfectly normal for kids to feel that way, okay? Anyway, I told him that you need 'friends' your own age that you can 'play' with, and that you have enough love to go around for Hunter and for Danny, too, and he seemed okay with that. He just needed some reassurance. He knows you love him, but he likes to hear it from you, too. Maybe he can spend some one on one time with Hunter occasionally, and if Danny gets to know him better, he won't be so shy around your boyfriend."

Seeing his ASAC visibly exhale in relief, Aubrey winked playfully at her as he turned on his computer and opened his programs. "So Danny thinks you and Hunter are getting married…"

"Um...well…" Genny blushed furiously. "We wanted to see how things went between Hunter and Danny before we made any commitments, but it seems like you've worked that out for us…"

"Good." Taking a bite of his doughnut, Aubrey clicked on their division's case files. "Okay, now on to work. It looks like there's been progress on most of our outstanding cases." Jabbing his finger at the screen, he made a face. "What about Maxwell?"

"You know you can't be involved with that, right?" Seeing Aubrey's glare, she sighed softly. He was already involved, whether she liked it or not. "Okay...but you absolutely cannot be involved in any part of the actual investigation. His lawyer will be looking for any flaw...any tiny crack in the investigative protocols of this case, so she can get it thrown out of court. You have to steer clear of it, okay? That comes from Ms. Julian, too. I'm sure you don't want to cross her, do you?"

Aubrey ground his teeth silently before finally nodding in agreement. "Yeah, okay. I get it...keep my nose out of it. Now, tell me what you've learned. Last time we talked you said you would put him under surveillance…I still can't believe that little prick made bail only 12 hours after being arrested."

"Gerald's bail was set pretty low, in my opinion, but his lawyer made the case that he wouldn't be a flight risk, so we couldn't do much about that. If it wasn't for the fact he missed night court, he would've been out sooner." Genny sat back in her seat, smirking at her boss. "But we have a plan in place. I've assigned Agents Bell, Casper, and Hernandez and a couple of rookies to be Gerald's shadowing team. Agent Bell reports to me on the prick's movements, and she also makes sure that Maxwell doesn't violate the court orders to stay away from the Jeffersonian and to have no contact with either you or Jessica. Of course, Gerald doesn't know he's being tailed. That's why I picked Bell to lead the team. She's stealthy…and Hernandez and Casper are almost as talented as she is. Between them and the new agents, one of them is watching Gerald at all times."

Satisfied, Aubrey sipped his coffee. "Good. And they report to you on his movements?"

"They all keep a log on their tablets, updating hourly, or more often if they get the chance. So far Gerald has behaved himself, driving the dick mobile around, wining and dining women…"

"With all the details out in the media, women still want him? Amazing…", Aubrey muttered before sipping his coffee. "I'm just glad Caroline got that gag order so Jessica's good name doesn't get dragged through the mud while we're waiting for the trial. She's already had a few reporters calling her for an interview."

"I can't believe women want to be with him, either, Boss, but it's only a matter of time until he falls back into his old nasty habits. That's the way serial criminals are…"

"And when he does, someone will be right there to witness it. I like it. I'm sure it won't be long until he does something stupid. The guy can't help himself. Did you come up with anything from the Jeffersonian?"

"I did some interviews and followed a few leads on other women he may have done this to, but all of them have denied being harassed by him. I think they're lying, but I'm not sure if it's because they're afraid of him or if perhaps they were bought off. I'm even thinking about a visit to Dr. Batuhan in prison. Gerald started his internship under him. He might have seen something…"

Aubrey, somewhat perplexed, sipped his coffee as he thought over Shaw's idea. "You're thinking perhaps Batuhan turned a blind eye to any harassment of other interns? Why? Because he wanted Harold Maxwell to offer more funding to his department?"

"Or perhaps Gerald found out about Dr. Batuhan's forgery ring and blackmailed him.", Genny said. "It isn't out of the realm of possibilities. Unfortunately, because Dr. B's shooting and occurence of the thefts occurred before February 2013, the statute of limitations for extortion would have ended in February this year. I'll keep digging. There has to be a woman somewhere who's willing to talk about Gerald. Jessica wasn't the first one...and she won't be the last until we stop him. I'm going to get him, Boss."

"Good. Now, what about Karen?"

"Ah, Dr. Delfs. Right. She's so ridiculous." Shaw rolled her eyes at Aubrey. "We had a little chat the other day about her relationship with Gerald, and about the fact that she can't keep her big mouth shut. I suggested that maybe she shouldn't tell him everything she knows, but she insisted that it wasn't that way...that they're just casual acquaintances."

"Nice…", Aubrey said sarcastically, biting into his donut while Genny accessed a notes app on her phone and read a summary of the interview to the SAC.

"According to Karen, she happened to run into Gerald at a bar...a place called 'Franklin's' in Dupont Circle...about 8 o'clock one evening."

"Gerald just happened to be in a bar in that neck of the woods?", Aubrey said with a question in his voice. "That's almost thirty minutes from his place in Great Falls…"

"Well, supposedly, it was unplanned...they both just happened to be at the same place at the same time. Karen said she recognized him because he'd been Jessica's date at some wedding she'd attended, so she stopped to say hello."

Aubrey puffed out a disgusted sigh. "Yeah, I remember."

Genny ignored his snarky comment and continued. "It was right after the Halloween Gala, so that would make it early November. She saw him sitting by himself in the bar, crying tears in his beer, so she decided to engage him in a chat so she could 'make him feel better about things'. I guess that Gerald was down in the dumps about Jessica telling him to get lost at the Gala, and about how he'd managed to embarrass himself in front of all the guests. Karen, in her 'professional' capacity, offered to listen to his troubles, lending him a shoulder to cry on and, it seems, other, more intimate, forms of comfort."

"You mean they spent a few hours...together...as in sexually...that night? But she was with Steve by then, wasn't she? Jesus…" Aubrey felt like he was going to throw up. Seeing Genny's uncomfortable expression, he groaned. "Or maybe they were together until the next morning? Son of a bitch…"

"I'm not sure exactly what happened, Boss. Karen was pretty vague about the actual timeline. I know she exhibited extremely poor judgment, but since they're two consenting adults, it's not like a crime was committed, so it's not really relevant to our investigation of Gerald's activities. She said it was no big deal...nothing permanent, especially since Karen already was involved with Bower. She and Gerald had some drinks and some fun together before going their separate ways early the next morning. It sounds like it was basically a one night stand...a hook up..."

"However, it might be relevant if Karen decided to spew all the venom she feels towards Jess while she was with him. If she cut loose with all that shit, telling Gerald stuff like Jess had an STD, it's a big deal, right? Who knows how many rumors she started just by having a casual conversation with a guy she picked up at a bar? She may have also told Gerald that Jessica was hitting on Steve, which isn't true, but still...if he believed it..."

"Yeah…Gerald was already upset, and he would be extremely frustrated if Jessica was going after someone like Bower instead of him...which she wasn't, of course, but he doesn't know that." Genny grimaced as she picked at her thumbnail. "And if Karen said that Jessica told her that Gerald was gay or that he couldn't perform sexually...even though that's not what happened, because Jessica has never been in a position to know...that might have made Gerald angry enough to go after her, wanting to prove that she was wrong…maybe even wanting to force himself on her..."

"He was already angry with Jess because of his dick mobile getting scratched and because she rejected his advances, but Karen may have added fuel to the fire." Aubrey drummed his fingers on the desk. "I can't believe she's spreading rumors like that. Karen needs to keep her mouth shut about all of the people she works with, right? She really should learn to be more discreet."

"I put a in a call to her supervisor, asking him to call me back, but he's out on family leave. His wife just gave birth to their second child. He probably won't be back until after the New Year…", Genny said, obviously annoyed that she wouldn't be getting any satisfaction from going through the appropriate channels. "Our overly friendly profiler thinks she can get away with saying anything she wants, because so far no one has said anything to Special Agent Tanner about her, and that really burns me up."

Aubrey grinned slightly as he sat back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together as he thought over the situation. "That may not be entirely true. I think someone may just say something after all..."

Genny sat back and crossed her arms. "What do you have up your sleeve, Boss?"

He laughed sarcastically. "I'm meeting with Stark today...you know, just to check in, and it may be that I mention Karen's annoying habits. He might be interested…I know she gets on his nerves, and this might be just the thing to set him off. If he thinks she's harassing the people at the Jeffersonian...the people who help us solve so many cases...I think he might be willing to discuss it with her..."

"That might just work…" Genny paused as her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she grimaced. "Danny's school...I gotta go. Talk to you later."

"Yeah. Bye." Sighing softly, Aubrey picked up a folder from a stack on his desk. He had a few minutes before his meeting with Stark. Might as well get some work done...

Oooooooooo

Karen glanced at her phone as she went striding across the Hoover's parking garage. She smiled in satisfaction as she once again considered her plan. Steve has been working so hard...he hardly has time for us to have lunch together, so I'll just surprise him with an early lunch. I know he'll appreciate my efforts much more than Aubrey ever did…

Juggling her purse, her coat, some large bags of take out food and a cardboard tray holding drinks, Karen stopped to check in with the security desk before going up to Steve's office. "Thank you…", she said to the clerk at the desk before turning and bumping into the large woman behind her. "Excuse me…I didn't see you there."

Laughing to herself, Karen shook her head. I don't know how I missed her…I wonder if that's a female impersonator...she's built like an amazon..."

Standing several inches over six feet tall, the attractive, very muscular woman offered a polite smile as she shook back her long blonde mane. "Excuse me...can you tell me which floor has the offices of the Major Crimes division?"

"Fourth floor." Karen tried to point with her elbow as she balanced the food, the drinks, her coat, and her purse. "The elevator's that way."

The blonde draped her white fur jacket over her arm and smoothed her slinky red mini dress over her hips. "Okay, thanks. Which way to the ladies' room? I want to freshen up before I see my honey bear…you know how it goes."

Eww. She has a honey bear? Karen cringed, looking over the top of her glasses as she watched Blondie stroll away gracefully on her 3 inch stiletto heels. I guess there really is someone for everyone…

Sighing as she waited for the elevator, Karen tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted to get lunch upstairs before it got cold, and she wanted to make sure she caught Steve before he left to go out somewhere. It seemed like forever until the doors opened, and she stepped in, ready to take her boyfriend his lunch.

"Hold the elevator, please." The tall blonde woman nodded her thanks as she got into the elevator. "Four, please...oh, you're already going there. That's a coincidence…"

"Uh huh." Karen stared at the numbers over the elevator door. "C'mon...c'mon…Why is this thing so slow?"

As they reached their floor, the chime sounded and the doors opened. As Blondie stopped to ask for directions, Karen made a beeline for Steve's desk in the bullpen, but was disappointed to see that he wasn't there.

Feeling annoyed and a little bit panicky, Karen flagged down Shaw. "Where's Agent Bower? I brought his lunch."

Can she really be that dense? He got what he needed from her...plus even he figured out she's got the hots for Aubrey...he's not interested anymore... Genny pointed to the glass walled conference room down the hall. "He's over there...I think he just finished an interrogation…"

"Thanks." Karen quickly shouldered her purse and picked up the lunch bags and drinks. "I'll talk to you later…"

Shaw nodded as she watched Karen jog down the hall. "Oh, you bet you will."

Genny's thoughts were interrupted as she heard her name. Turning, she saw Jessica. "Hi, Jessica. Here to pick up the boss?"

Jessica came in holding a bag from the Royal Diner. "Hey, Genny. I'm a little early but it was slow at the lab today. I know Aubrey's probably working on getting stuff caught up from being gone, but I brought him an egg sandwich and some hash browns from the diner. Is he in his office?"

"No, he's meeting with Stark." Genny looked at the clock. "...but they should be done soon."

"Is that Karen I just saw come in with all the large bags of food?", Jessica asked in a frustrated tone. "She better not be trying to bother Aubrey today. He doesn't need to deal with her on his first day back."

"No worries. She brought lunch for Steve…" Genny's voice faltered as a blonde towering well over six feet walked by them. "Wow...can't miss her in a crowd. She's bigger than Agent Booth!"

"No shit.", Jessica giggled. "I'm going to grab some tea from the break room while I wait for Aubrey."

"Tea actually sounds pretty good. Care for some company?"

"Sure.", Jessica said before the two women walked away.

Ooooooooooo

Steve Bower was a picture of concentration, muttering to himself as he entered notes onto his tablet. He poured himself another cup of coffee and absentmindedly stirred in some sugar and creamer. "So the victim's wife says she was at work...he didn't have any enemies that she knew of…he might've had a mistress..."

"Hey, Lover…", Karen began in a sultry voice. "How's my Stevie Weevie today?"

"Karen?! What are you doing here?", Steve began nervously. "I mean, this is a surprise. Do we have a meeting scheduled? Are you the profiler for my case?"

"Oh, Steve...you're so funny. Of course it's a surprise! That's the point. We didn't have a meeting scheduled.", Karen giggled as she set the bags on the long conference table. "And no, I'm not working this case. I just thought I'd stop by and bring some lunch for us to share, that's all. You've been so busy these last few weeks, and I've missed seeing you…"

"Gee, Sugar, I'm sorry. I wish you'd called before you went to all this trouble just for me, but I'm expecting someone, and we're gonna go have lunch in just a few minutes…" Steve shrugged weakly at Karen's glare. "I know it's been awhile, but you understand, right?"

"No, I don't understand, Steve. It's been weeks since we spent any quality time together." Karen stood with her hands on her hips as she stuck out her chin, spoiling for a fight. "Have you been hooking up with someone else? Did that little bitch Jessica finally get to you? Or was it that sleazy forensics tech...Candi with an I, as in 'I can't wait to drop my panties'?"

"No!" Steve glanced at the people passing outside the conference room as Karen's voice became louder and more shrill. He moved to close the door before turning to scold her. "Keep your voice down, okay? Look, I promise, it wasn't either of them…I just have plans, that's all. Anyway, what's the big deal? It's not like we're married, you know? I don't have to account for my time away from you..."

"The big deal is you've had plans that didn't include me more than once since you got home from Wisconsin. What's going on, Steve? The truth…" Karen glowered at him as she moved closer. "Have you been playing me?"

Suddenly, the door opened and a high pitched squeal from the doorway interrupted the conversation. "Stevie Bear! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" The tall blonde from the elevator sashayed into the room and gave him a hug. "Is my little baby bear ready for some lunch with his mama bear?"

"Oh, hey, Honey." Steve smiled warmly at his visitor as he took her hand. "How's my Mitzi Muffin this morning?" He gave her an appreciative glance. "Damn...you're looking good…I love that white fur jacket with that red dress..."

Caught completely off guard, Karen couldn't believe her eyes. "Steve? Who the hell is this?"

Looking up at the woman, who was towering over both of them, Steve blushed. "Um...this is Mitzi Nilsson...she just moved here from Wisconsin…"

"Wisconsin?", Karen asked in a suspicious tone. "Like where you're from? Like maybe she's just an old friend from Wisconsin? Like she's visiting, and you're gonna show her the sights, and then she's gonna go home?" It was becoming clear to Karen that there was something other than an old friendship between Steve and his visitor, especially given the way he was caressing Mitzi's arm. "What's going on?"

Mitzi smiled as she reached down to pat Bower's shoulder. "I guess it's time to spill the beans on our little secret, isn't it, Stevie Bear?"

"Um...I don't think this is the time for that, Honey." Bower grimaced as he organized his files. "We gotta be going if we're gonna have time for lunch."

Determined to stake her claim, however, Mitzi gave Karen a fake grin. "Stevie and I are gonna get married!"

"What?" Karen's knees felt weak as it finally dawned on her what was happening. "So for the last few weeks...since you got back from seeing your family at Thanksgiving...you were still dating me...we were still having sex...even though you were engaged to someone else?"

"Well, yeah...I guess so, although you make is sound like a bad thing." Shrugging as he looked up from his papers and files, Steve was completely unrepentant. "I mean, I guess nobody really got hurt, right? We had some laughs, and now it's time to move on."

"You lied to me…", Karen growled. "You said you wanted to be with me…"

Steve shook his head at her. "I didn't lie to you, Karen. Yeah, I wanted to be with you but it was just for fun. Not once did I say we were exclusive. You decided that all on your own. Besides, you just got too fucking clingy...I couldn't even take a shit without you standing there banging on the bathroom door."

"But I was your Sugar Booger…"

Steve shrugged again. "I'm sorry, but there's no more Stevie Weevie and Sugar Booger. There was just never a good time to tell you about how things were, that's all. Of course, Aubrey wouldn't help me let you down easy."

"You...you...cheated on me...with her…"

"Um, no, because we weren't exclusive. I wasn't crazy enough to get involved like that.", Steve said as he shook his head. "What's awesome is that when Mitzi and I decided to get married while I was home for Thanksgiving, she said she didn't care what I do in my spare time until we tie the knot. We've got an open relationship…"

Mitzi giggled as she wrinkled her nose at her boyfriend. "Until we're married, Steve...and then that door slams shut. No more sowing your wild oats after that."

Steve gave his fiancee a besotted look. "I'll be all yours, my little cheese nip. No other woman holds a candle to you. I can't believe it took us 26 years to figure out we need to be together, but we finally got it right."

Smiling down on her boyfriend, Mitzi patted his butt before turning to the profiler with a smile that would cut glass. "So I guess you're Karen, right? I've heard so much about you…"

Now irate, Karen screamed at Steve in frustration. "You rotten son of a bitch. How could you lead me on like this? After all I did for you...you used me…"

"Karen, you're the one who was hot to trot for Aubrey. If anything, you were using me to make him jealous. However, he still won't give you the time of day because he's too busy humping that redheaded squint Jessica. She's a feisty one, that's for sure.", Steve said, flexing his fingers as he remembered the anthropologist's grip when she twisted his hand. "Now, I think we need to discuss this whole situation rationally, but we need to save it for a different time and place..."

Hearing Jessica's name only made Karen angrier. "So not only did you fuck around with that ginger haired twat-"

"Hey, that Jessica chick was checking me out, alright? She's cute, and I liked it that she was giving me the eye, but I didn't hook up with her. Scrawny nerds seem to be more her thing...and apparently yours, too. Now I have lunch plans with my fiancee, so we'll discuss this after work."

"No, we're going to discuss it here, right now. Not only did you screw that Jessica trollop, but you've used me for sex, leading me on as you pretended to care about me, and now you tell me you're going to marry this Scandinavian ice giant? She might as well be the abominable snow woman...or with that outfit, maybe she's planning on filling in for a mall Santa." Karen scowled at Mitzi as she continued. "Gargantua here belongs in a freak show. I can't believe you'd be seen in public with her, Steve...she must weigh 300 pounds..."

"Mitzi's a psych nurse, so her size is an advantage for her job…", Steve began, hoping to avoid a scene between the two women. "She was also the captain of the girls basketball and tracks teams back in high school. She still can throw a discus like she did in high school, and you should see her with a javelin. She's very athletic…"

"I'll have you know, Karen, that I only weigh 225 pounds, and it's all muscle. I work out...but from all that flab around your middle, I bet you never set foot in a gym, right?" Mitzi stood with her arms crossed as she took a threatening step towards Karen. "Anyway, I guess Steve would rather be seen with me in public instead of Karen, the dog-faced girl. At least I don't have to wear those huge black glasses…they take up half your face..."

"You'd need bigger glasses than these to fit around your giant head!", Karen yelled. "How many bottles of peroxide do you need to get that color? No way that's real…"

"Better than artificial maroon any day, bitch…"

Steve cleared his throat as he nervously looked through the glass walls of the conference room. "Now, girls...there's no need to behave like this. We don't want to cause any trouble here at work, do we? C'mon, Mitzi Muffin...be good for daddy…", he cooed at his fiancee. "Let's not be hateful…"

"Shut the fuck up, Steve.", Karen bit back. As her anger bubbled over, the profiler lunged at the agent and knocked him on his ass. "I'm gonna kill you!" The profiler started to flail her fists at Steve's head and face. "When I'm done with you, you're gonna look like hamburger…"

"Hey! That's no way to treat a federal agent!" Mitzi grabbed Karen by the back of her blouse and pulled her away from the agent and onto the table, knocking over the drinks that were sitting there in the process.

Dripping with soda, Karen came up swinging. "Oh no, you didn't…" She missed with her first punch but then caught Mitzi in the jaw with a wild uppercut. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, freak…"

Steve, in the meantime, was trying to shake off the pummeling that Karen had given him. As he stood unsteadily to his feet, he realized a crowd was starting to gather outside of the conference room to watch the show. "Shit…c'mon, Muffin...just let it go...I want some lunch..."

Pushing Steve out of the way, Mitzi grabbed Karen's wrist and twisted the profiler's arm behind her back. Standing behind Karen and pinning her arm in place, Mitzi yelled, "You need to apologize to my Steve…"

"No fucking way!" Karen kicked back at Mitzi with the heel of her shoe, causing the larger woman to release her hold as she howled in pain. "That no good bastard is gonna get what's coming to him, and so are you…" Picking up the bags of food, Karen reached inside and pulled out a hamburger that had been wrapped in foil. "How about some lunch?"

She loosened the foil and threw the sandwich at Mitzi, but the nurse ducked and it splattered against the glass window, leaving a large greasy spot as the meat, cheese, and toppings slid to the floor.

"Oh, that's how you want to play it?", Mitzi asked as she laughed sarcastically. "Okay, you asked for it…"

"Mitzi, honey…" Steve tried again to talk some sense into his sweetheart, but she was too angry to listen.

Moving with amazing speed for such a large person, Mitzi grabbed the ketchup packets from the bag and stood between Karen and the door. "Looks like someone's gonna have some extra ketchup with their meal today."

Ripping open the packets, the nurse squirted the ketchup with enough force that some of the red liquid hit Karen in the face, and some hit the wall behind the profiler. "Don't mess with me, four eyes..."

Wiping the ketchup from her hair and glasses, Karen screamed at the top of her lungs. "You're going down, whore…"

Balling up her fists, she charged Mitzi, but the older woman was ready for her, blocking Karen's move. Picking the profiler up, the psych nurse gave her a judo throw that sent Karen flying down the long table in the conference room until she slid off the edge, shattering Steve's tablet when she fell on top of it, scattering his case files and spilling the bags of hamburgers and fries that had come along for the ride.

Panting as she pushed her matted hair out of her face, Karen brushed off the french fries and mashed burgers. Standing up, she roared as once again she charged Mitzi, who was busy tending to a stunned Steve. Catching the her rival off guard, Karen dove for the woman's knees, taking her down with a thud. Knocking chairs over as they wrestled, the two women rolled around on the floor of the conference room, pulling hair, biting, and scratching as they tried to inflict as much damage as possible on each other.

With a mighty shove, Mitzi freed herself from Karen's claws, pushing the profiler into the corner of the room that held the coffee pot and cups. The glass coffee maker and white china mugs went flying in every direction as Karen began throwing the broken cups at Mitzi, who ducked out of the way, leaving shards of broken pottery in the hallway outside of the room. Frustrated that she kept missing her rival's head, Karen picked up a side chair and heaved it, but Mitzi sidestepped the missle, and it shattered the glass wall behind her, barely missing Agent Haggerty as she walked by with her partner.

"Missed me, Karen. Where did you learn to throw? You couldn't hit the broad side of the Pentagon..." Mitzi picked up a mug and tucked it under her chin as if she was going to do the shot put. Quickly spinning herself around, she launched the cup with all her might, nailing Karen squarely in the chest and knocking the wind out of her.

Calmly smoothing her torn dress, Mitzi walked over and picked up a dazed Karen, throwing the woman over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Time to take out the trash, Steve…"

She walked toward the door with the profiler draped across her, but Karen wasn't finished yet. She began to kick her feet against Mitzi's chest, pulling the woman's hair as she screamed in her ear. "Put me down, you blonde behemoth. I'm not done with you…I'm gonna beat the shit out of you…let me go…"

Oooooooooo

Deputy Director Stark and Aubrey were walking down the corridor which led to the bullpen. "I'm glad you're doing so well, Aubrey. It's good to have you back. You had us all scared for a few days, but now things will be well on their way to returning to normal."

Aubrey smiled at the underlying compliment in Stark's comment. "Thanks, sir. I'm glad to be back, even if it is for shortened days over the next week or so. I will say that Assistant Special Agent in Charge Shaw did a great job filling in for me, so that made it a lot easier to be gone…"

"She's an exceptional agent.", Stark agreed. "I think we'd both better watch out, or she'll be taking over our jobs in no time."

"You've got that right, sir." As they rounded the corner by the conference room, they were greeted by a crowd of agents, lined up three rows deep. Cheers and groans were coming from the group of people as they looked intently through the room's glass walls.

"What's going on? Hey! What's the matter?" Aubrey had to yell to be heard over the large crowd. He pushed to the front of the crowd just in time to see a very tall blonde woman throw Karen over her shoulder as if the profiler was a ragdoll. Steve Bower was standing off to one side, appearing to hide behind a chair as he watched the blonde with obvious admiration.

"OH MY GOD!", Aubrey yelled, stunned as he watched Karen kicking and hitting the woman who had her secured over her shoulder.

At the same time, Jessica and Genny came running down the hall when they heard the commotion. Afraid that Aubrey had been hurt, the redhead rushed to his side as Mitzi came out of the conference room. "Aubrey, what happened?

They watched as Mitzi cleared the broken pottery away with her foot before dumping the squirming profiler on the floor in the hallway. Standing over her as she raised her arms in triumph, the large woman turned and bowed to the crowd. "I win!"

"Who is that woman?" Jessica's eyes widened as she saw a disheveled Karen try to push herself up from the floor before nodding in understanding. "Now I see. I guess Karen finally met Steve's fiancee, right?"

"Yeah...that's Mitzi. Jesus…", Aubrey sighed. "Wow…look at this place..."

"Steve Bower has a fiance?", Genny asked in shock. "Really?"

Walking past everyone, Deputy Director Stark was furious as he surveyed the damage to the conference room. One of the panes of glass that made up the outer wall had been shattered, and there were bits of broken coffee cups, damaged chairs, and shredded paper everywhere, not to mention Steve's ruined tablet, the scattered files, the pieces of pickle, onion, fries, and buns as well as the ketchup and grease stains on the walls.

Picking his way through the rubble, Stark made his way over to where Bower was standing. "What the Hell happened here?!

"Well…you see...sir..", Steve began, shuddering slightly under Stark's angry glare. "...I introduced Dr. Delfs to my fiancee, Mitzi...that's her...the pretty blonde standing over there signing autographs...and I guess Karen...I mean, Dr. Delfs, was a little bit disappointed to hear that I'm getting married, because that meant an end to the relationship she had with me. I guess I just broke her heart…and she didn't take it very well.", Steve added, with a note of pride in his voice.

"And...", Aubrey sputtered, attempting to controlling his temper.

"It wasn't my fault, Boss. Karen jumped me, intent on beating the shit out of me, I guess, and Mitzi took offense at that, so she came to my defense, and then things got kinda physical between the two of them…"

"Kind of got physical? It looks like a bomb went off in here." Aubrey was disgusted as he looked around the room. "I suppose it didn't occur to you to try to break up the fight? Or even to call security for help?"

Steve held a handkerchief to his cut lip. "I tried, but when Karen knocked me on my ass, I was kinda stunned, okay? By the time I came to my senses, they were already at it tooth and nail, and I was afraid to get between them. My Mitzi outweighs me by about fifty pounds and she's got almost seven inches on me with her heels, Aubrey. She's also proficient in kickboxing as well as being a shot putter and a javelin thrower. Do you really think I want that right hook landing on me?" Bower chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "Besides, it's kinda cool to have a couple of chicks fighting over me..."

Stark glowered at Steve's comment. "Well, I hope you still think it's cool when the cost of fixing the damage and cleaning the room comes out of your next check." Turning to Aubrey, Stark continued. "Before you leave, make a note in this man's personnel file about this incident...about his lack of professional deportment...and that he's to pay for any costs incurred in cleaning up this fucking mess..."

Stark turned to Genny. "Call maintenance up here ASAP so we can get an estimate on the damage. Then call Payroll Management. Dr. Delfs will be covering part of the cost as well."

Moving to the door, the imposing man stopped and spoke to Karen, who was sitting on the floor crying. "Dr. Delfs...my office...fifteen minutes."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Aubrey went to find Jessica, who was standing off to one side of the crowd, laughing at something Shaw had said. "Hey…"

"Hey. It looks like we missed most of the excitement…", Jessica chuckled. "I bet people would've paid to watch that fight. There are a lot of agents here who were glad that Karen got what was coming to her…"

"I guess so." Aubrey was suddenly exhausted. "Could you please take me home? I need a nap…"

Jessica took the bag Genny had for her. "Sure thing, Superman. Don't worry...things will be better tomorrow…"

"God...I hope so..."

Authors' note: Michelle and Laura both appreciate our readers. This story has been fun to write, but it takes time to ensure that our chapters meet the quality to which we both aspire. We will be taking a one week hiatus...there won't be a new chapter over Memorial Day weekend, but there will be a new one the following week. Don't despair...we haven't given up on our story...we just need to catch up with real life. Thanks for the support, and see you in two weeks.