Chapter 15- Before the Shadow Games
Hello Everybody! Hope you liked the humour in the last chapter! Not to boast or anything but I loved the last prank that the Team pulled on Frank and Stella. Authorlouise thanks for your review, I promise to put it in the next chapter! It will make a lot more sense then. Hope everyone enjoys it!
Jasmine xoxo
Stella walked through the M.I.9 tunnels to get to the St. Hearts underground base with M.I.9 folders in her arms. She sighed as she reached the end because she hated to do this to the team. She saw Frank typing something on the computer, his back was facing her. She placed her folders down on the round table and walked up behind him and placed two hands on his shoulders.
"ARGH! Who's there?!" He screamed and Stella burst out laughing. Oh how Frank missed her laugh.
"Relax Frank, It's just me." She said and Frank stood up from the chair and gave her a hug.
"Don't you ever do that again." He mumbled into her ear. She giggled and pulled back from the hug to look into Frank's eyes. Then she looked down at the floor and sighed but Frank lifted her chin up with his finger.
"What's with the face?" He asked but she looked away.
"What face? There's no face…it's just my face that's all."
"That face. Something's up Stel, I'm no idiot."
"Well...actually…"
"Hey!" She laughed. He was the biggest idiot she had ever known but not a stupid idiot, a funny idiot.
"Ok, ok. I came here to talk to you about Keri's progress." Frank just nodded and pulled up a chair for her and they both sat down facing each other.
"It's just that she hasn't been putting 100% effort into every mission. She regularly misses training and was late for a mission because she was chatting to Trina!"
"But Stel… she doing alright…"
"Frank you and I both know you put 100% into everything you do for M.I.9 or nothing." Frank sighed.
"Have you talked to Keri about this yet?"
"Actually… I'm thinking about talking to her today about it."
"Stel, go easy on her."
"Frank, she has to know that she's got to be fully committed to M.I.9 or she'll get fired. It almost happened to us once remember?" Frank laughed and stared at the wall trying to remember that day.
Flashback
Frank and Stella were hand in hand after completing a highly dangerous mission. They both almost lost their lives for other agents. But fortunately, everyone was safe and some KORPS agents had been arrested thanks to them.
"Well… I think this calls for celebration! Don't you?" Frank asked Stella.
"Of course, why, what were you thinking? Wait! Let me guess… candlelit dinner, picnic at the park, moonlight stroll on the beach…"
"Actually I was thinking about an actual party, you know, at those clubs M.I.9 had set up for adult agents?"
"Frank, we're 19. I don't think it's a good idea to be getting drunk the day before another highly dangerous mission."
"Come on, Stel…"
"Fine! But only because you insisted."
"I didn't say I insisted…"
"Shut up! I'm going, you should be happy!" Frank laughed at this; Stella had always loved a good party, but she rarely goes to parties anymore because of M.I.9.
"Come on Stel, let's go home. It's open at 8:00pm tonight so we can leave then."
"Can't we leave earlier?"
"Stel! No one ever turns up early for a party!"
"Oh, yeah… right. I knew that." She looked away embarrassed; she did know that, but M.I.9 has taken over her brain. They arrived at Frank's car and hopped in. Frank drove for 10 minutes because they reached their flat.
"Stel, considering it's you who is attending a party that starts in 4 hours, you're going to need all the time you can get"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"I think you know what it means."
"I s'pose you're right."
4 hours later and they were ready to go; well… Frank was anyway."
"Stel! Come on!"
"I'm coming!" she walked fast down the stairs, trying not to trip because of her high heels.
"How long does it take to put on mascar… whoa!" He turned around and saw Stella with her hair flowing down her back and her make-up all done up for that night. Her strapless dress showed off her hourglass figure which made Frank's eyes as big as saucers because it only went down to her thighs. Her black Stilettos made her just a tiny bit shorter than Frank instead of the usual 15cm height difference between them.
"It actually doesn't take long to put on mascara; I only took so long because everything else had to be done too." She looked at him with innocent eyes. She looked at his clothes and giggled. It consisted of one of his infamous shirts and Stella always tells him off for wearing, black pants and black shoes.
"What's so funny? Isn't a guy allowed to embarrass himself every once in a while?" She laughed again at his comment.
When they arrived at the nightclub, so many people were there, already drinking and dancing to the upbeat songs. Frank held Stella's hand and pulled her along to the bar so she wouldn't lose him between the crowds of people. They sat down on the stools and Frank ordered them both a drink. Stella had ordered them another when they had finished but just as they were about to receive them, Stark came over to Stella. (Stark was actually nice at this point in time if you were paying attention to my last chapter.) Frank frowned when he asked Stella asked him to dance.
"Sorry Horatio, but I need to sit here for awhile." She replied and Frank grinned at her.
"Oh… well that's ok. Just find me when you want to dance then." He walked off and both Frank and Stella laughed.
"He's a nice guy, but I'll never like him. He's one of those 'too nice' guys, you know?" Frank's expression was blank.
"No, you don't know. You're a guy."
"Umm… yeah, I am."
"Never mind, let's dance!" She gulped down her alcoholic drink and pulled Frank onto the dance floor. She kept laughing and Frank was in that moment where it was just himself and Stella, dancing through the night. This is one of the reasons why he loves her.
Time flew by and they left at 1:00am so they could actually get some sleep for the mission later in the morning. Frank and Stella were singing and stumbling on the road. When they reached their flat, they collapsed on the sofa, cuddling up to each other and fell asleep.
When Frank awoke the next morning, he saw Stella throwing up in their bin.
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" He ran to one of the kitchen cupboards and grabbed a paper bag the vomited in there.
They finished about 20 minutes later and collapsed on the sofa for the second time that morning.
"Frank, we are so dead."
"I know Stel, but we might not get fired."
"I doubt it, we are so dead."
End of Flashback
"Stel, this isn't the same. Keri hasn't been getting drunk or anything. She's just been a little…distracted." Stella sighed.
"Distracted isn't allowed here. She's got to be…"
"…100% here or nothing, I know you've told me a billion times already." That comment earned him a glare.
"But the thing is Frank, I don't want to give out bad news, I'm guessing the Head of M.I.9 back then was like that too."
"I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. You looked hot in that dress!"
"Frank! Professionalism!"
"Sorryy! It's not my fault you wore it."
"Well it's not my fault you wore that shirt of yours."
"Hey! That was one of my best shirts!" Stella laughed; she knew he was joking about that. When the laughter died down, she was serious again.
"Frank, I have to tell her, but I don't want to." He placed his hand in hers.
"Stel, do what you think is right." She stood up and kissed his cheek then walked back into the tunnels. She sat down at the end and sobbed. Stella really hated her job sometimes but she knew it came with responsibility when she accepted it.
Frank sat on the chair and pulled Flopsy out of his cage and started to stroke him gently. Stella was the only thing on his mind at that moment. How did they get from getting drunk at a nightclub to talking about the future of other agents? He decided to call Keri, for Stella's sake.
The lift door descended and Keri came out in her spy outfit that she had received not too long ago.
"What's up Frank?" When Stella heard Keri's voice, she wiped away her tears and used some wipes to clear off the smudged mascara.
"I didn't call you." Frank nodded his head towards the tunnels and Stella walked out. She had a broad smile on her face.
"Keri, have a seat."
Hope you all enjoyed it. Someone has done something similar to this and I'm sorry if it looks like I copied you. If you found the Mulan phrase in there, congrats! If you didn't enjoy it, I'm sorry but I'm extremely tired. Just went out on a shopping spree with my sisters. Love you all!
Jasmine xoxo
P.S PLEASE REVIEW!