Chapter One Hundred and One: Unstoppable

I put my armor on, show you how strong how I am
I put my armor on, I'll show you that I am

Sia - Unstoppable

The bright pink binder in Maggie's arms was heavy, heavier than she thought it could it be considering it contained all the details for Sergeant Platt's dream wedding. The lever arch file was so chocked full of various wedding debris, Maggie had to balance the thing against her hip and stomach in order to keep it all in one piece as she stepped towards the empty office across from the front desk.

The secret mission that Platt had for her involved the complete reevaluation of the Sergeant's wedding budget. The other woman had admitted she had a problem with cash flow a couple of weeks ago after she had found out that her father was broke. The only problem was, Platt had put down several large deposits on the venue, the dress and on a wedding car. Maggie would have a battle on her hands in order to get the money back but persuasion was one of the things she had in her skill set. It had been one of the things that had made her so good at going undercover.

"Don't forget to call the ballroom." Platt called out from behind the front desk.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder, catching Platt's concerned expression before sharing a reassuring smile.

"I won't." Maggie promised before she slammed into something warm and solid.

The binder slipped from underneath her arm, clattering loudly to the tiled floor with a boom as it sent a flurry of paperwork spewing out in all directions. Maggie stared at the mess before dropping down onto the floor in an attempt to gather them up.

"Christ Maggie, I'm sorry." Antonio's husky voice muttered as he crouched down in front of her, trying to slide the paperwork into a neat pile and placing it on top of Maggie's.

There was a moment when their fingers touched, Antonio's fingertips grazed the soft skin of Maggie's hand. The familiar thrum of their connection hummed to life like a thousand sparks prickling under the surface of their skin. Maggie rose her cobalt blue eyes to meet his dark ones, there was such emotion in those eyes, she could see all that love, his torment and his shame and it cut her right down to the very core. Despite everything that happened, the attack, the break up, the isolation and the loneliness, she still loved him. Her heart still bled when she saw how much pain he was in.

Maggie pulled her hand away from underneath his, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she knelt upon the floor, slipping the paperwork loosely into the binder once more.

"It's ok Antonio." Maggie murmured, allowing her silky waves to fall over her features. "It was an accident."

Antonio stared down at the brochure clasped in his hand, his right thumb stiffly soothing over the pretty lace on the picture of the wedding dress. His dark eyebrows furrowed into a frown as that familiar ache surged through his chest. He remembered that time not long ago, when he had thought about Maggie in a white dress, her brother Gabriel walking her down the aisle. He swallowed hard past the harsh lump in his throat.

"Did you ever..." he trailed off unable to get the words out as he handed the catalog to her.

Maggie bit her lower lip, hugging the binder close to her chest before she shook her head in response to his question.

"No." she responded quietly. "It was never on the cards for me."

It was a lie in a way. She wasn't one of those girls that really gave much thought to the wedding, instead she had fixated on the marriage. She had thought about what it would be like to wake up every morning alongside Antonio and see that ring adorning her own finger, about living with him side by side, partners in life instead of the job.

Before him it hadn't been on the cards, she had never considered herself as the type to settle down. When the two of them had started dating, suddenly the future was wide open to her and there was all these wonderful possibilities. Then just as suddenly it was cruelly snatched away. She had watched her dreams crumble and die because of something she had no control over.

"Maggie..." Antonio began as she rose to her feet, her chin jutting out as her jaw clenched tightly. Her eyes were focused on the safety of the doorway beyond him as she side stepped around him.

"It was good to see you Antonio."

Maggie's head was in her hands, her long fingers raking through her loose curls as she closed her eyes trying to block out the memories that flooded through her head.

Antonio's deep, sexy laugh was ringing in her ears as his darkening stubble grazed across the line of her jaw. His heated fingertips chased up along the inside of her ribcage, his thumbs ghosting along the underside of her black bra.

"I love you." he whispered as her breath hitched and her lithe body arched against his. "I love everything about you, especially that sexy little noise you make when I do this."

Antonio buried his face in the curve of her neck, his teeth grazing that deviant little spot on her throat and biting down as his palm covered her breast. Maggie cried out, her nails raking down his bare back.

"I love it when you say my name like that." he whispered, his thumb caressing her nipple through the thin lace. "Say it again for me Maggie, show me how much you love me..."

She had shown him everything that night. There wasn't a part of her heart, body or soul that Antonio didn't know and she had given it all to him. The truth was she had fallen in love with him long before they had ended up in his bed but that was the first time she had allowed herself to show it. Her words were still echoing in her head from earlier on when the two of them had bumped into each other at the front desk.

They sounded cruel when she thought about them. He had been reaching out for a connection and she had shut it down immediately. Her reaction had been instinctive, she'd invested so much of herself in their relationship and he had torn it down in seconds. She wanted to protect herself from falling into that trap all over again, however she couldn't deny her feelings. She was still in love with him.

Seeing him today made her feel like the past three months had never happened, the brief touch of his hand reminded her of what it felt to have him by her side, to know that she was loved in return.

It can't be that easy, she told herself. It shouldn't be this easy to forgive someone who had hurt you so badly.

She was still pondering that thought when she heard the door to the office click open, she lifted her head to see Mike Sorenson standing in the doorway. A cardboard mug of fresh Italian coffee flooded her nostrils as he closed the door behind him before standing on the opposite of the desk scrutinizing her gaunt features.

"You look like hell." Sorenson informed her, putting the coffee cup on the edge of her desk and using his fingers to push it towards her. "Coffee's on me."

Maggie eyed it suspiciously, her nose crinkling as she picked it up and used her left hand to remove the lid from the cup. She took a weary sip before placing it back on the desk and fixing Sorenson with an irritated stare.

"It's perfect." she told him, leaning back in her chair and clasping her hands together as she reviewed him. "It was from Roman wasn't it? In fact I bet he had to take a phone call or got caught up and asked you to deliver it to me."

Sorenson shrugged his shoulders, his expression disinterested as he tilted his head towards the paperwork on the desk.

"Either way. You get coffee." Sorenson pointed out, his index finger tapping out a rhythm on the desk. "Does it matter where it came from?"

"Yea. It does." Maggie told him, wrapping her cool hands around the take out mug. "With Roman I know it's no strings attached."

"With me it's also no strings attached." Sorenson informed her, his lips twisting into a smile as he looked at her pointedly.

"Mike." Maggie said resolutely, resting her elbows upon the desk. "I feel like I am going to run of polite ways in which to say this so I am just going to come straight out with it. I am not interested."

"Look I get it." Sorenson told her empathetically, his arms crossing over his chest. "It's your first day back, there's a lot going on and your trying to get your head straight. I respect that."

"Uh huh." Maggie responded, taking a sip from her coffee before Sorenson continued.

"I just want you to know that if you want to blow off a little steam, I'm here." Sorenson said simply. "No judgement."

No judgement...

Maggie didn't even want to consider what that meant. The thought of another man touching her like that made her stomach knot in dread. She knew that Antonio would see past the scars if they ever reunited, for them it was never about sex but about the intimacy of making love. She'd seen the way Sorenson had looked at her back in the locker room, it was about her body for him, about shifting a balance of power.

"Think about it." Sorenson said, his hand coming to rest on the door handle. "You know where to find me."

Hey guys. Thank you for all of your support!

Amber: Hey don't worry about it. I know life can be a biatch sometimes. I hope it gets better for you and I appreciate the time you've taken to review. It's lovely for you to say that everything has a purpose, I just don't see the point of filler. I like to feel that each chapter is impacting.

Lauren: My heart also broke when I was writing that chapter. I wanted to show how much of what happened actually broke him. I don't think anyone could come away from it unscathed and I wanted people to see that it isn't weak to struggle and that mental illness also effects men. Kayla is just one of the best people to help him out in this situation, she sticks by her friends and he needed someone in his corner to tell it straight. Let me know what you thought of Maggie and his reunion.

Nat: I imagine he lost control quite a bit during those dark days. I can't imagine how he must have felt trying to live with everything and come to terms with it. Kayla would have completely kicked his ass into getting help and Jay has been there before. I hope you enjoyed their first meeting.

Anime: I could just imagine him sneaking around for his own sanity and for hers. It must be hard for him to face what happened and she is a constant reminder of that. Kayla is just that person who will be a complete rock for you and that is what I love most about her. When I read back these chapters I just forget how much of an asshole I wrote Mike. I defo think you will love Roman's dark side, I know I adored writing it. Thank you very much!

Soccer: Aw I would love for Burgess to take her out on a girl's night but I do not think Maggie is ready for that yet, she's still trying to get her head straight. Did you enjoy this chapter?

Phoenix: Hopefully this chapter has answered the question about Maggie's potential love interest. I'm glad that you still love these chars!