A/N: inspiration for this story is slow, as you can tell. It's fluffy/angsty romance and if that's not your thing, feel free to skip it. Adult situations implied.
Her last night. Amy looked around her empty apartment. Most of her things were on their way to NY by now. Some she had donated, and what remained was packed in suitcases. For the first time, she was nervous about leaving.
Face picked up the phone after it rang with the team code - ring twice, hang up, ring once, hang up, and immediately call back. He groaned. It was late and Hannibal better not be wanting him to do something for him. Not this night. "Hannibal..."
"Try again." She hoped she made the right choice by calling him.
He grinned. "Amy! What's up?"
"Can I come over for a second? If you're...busy...that's fine. But I need someone to tell me I'm doing the right thing." Amy twirled the phone cord around her fingers nervously. Really, they had already said their goodbyes, but in front of everyone. She wanted - needed - a private moment with him.
Face flipped on the light. "No, no, it's fine. You know where the place is? I'll buzz you in when you get here. Ames, you ok?"
"I'm fine. Just jittery I guess. Not like me at all."
"It's fine. Come on over. See you soon."
Face meet her at the door twenty minutes later. "You alright?"
"I'm ok, really," Amy nodded at him as her heart fluttered a bit. "Why Face, is this the best you could do?" She took a look around at the marble flooring, the fine leather furniture, and the elaborate chandelier. "I'm disappointed in you," she joked.
"Gotta take what you can get on short notice," Face took her jacket and purse and set them aside. "Want a drink?"
Boy, did she. "Can a place like this manage a glass of chardonnay?"
"Be right back, make yourself at home," Face disappeared into the kitchen, which sported a large bar, and returned a minute later with a bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other. "My lady," he gestured grandly while handing her the drink. "Glad you stopped by."
Amy took the glass and took a drink. A large one. Face smirked at it while he took a seat beside her. "You weren't like this when you moved away before, Ames. What's wrong? It's not like you to get cold feet. You're independent, strong, fearless..."
"I wouldn't say fearless," Amy choked at that word. "Remember Jamestown? I was scared to death."
"Well, you've changed a lot since then," Face casually slung his arm around her on the back of the sofa and sipped at his own drink. She had changed a lot, and he had noticed it throughout the years. She was confident and secure and always fiercely independent. She helped them, not the other way around. He could count on one hand the number of times she truly needed a hand from one of them over the years.
She nodded silently. She had changed a lot. Somehow over the years, as she watched Face pull scam after scam, as she helped him with some of them, posing as anyone from his sister, business partner, girlfriend, or wife, she changed. She watched from afar as Murdock and Emma settled down and she realized one thing. Not that she wanted the small town married with kids life, that wasn't her, but that she had fallen in love with Face over the years. She was one of a few who knew the real him, but she was convinced it wasn't meant to be. He was in an entirely different league, someone who liked the finer things of life. She was just herself - moving up in her career. And moving out.
"Just tell me I'm doing the right thing with this new job, Face, because for the first time, I'm not so sure." Amy set her glass on the coaster and leaned her head back against his arm, staring up at the ornate ceiling.
"Of course you are, my dear. This is what you've always wanted, isn't it? This is big time and you've worked hard for it. You deserve it." And maybe it would be best that they would be apart, he knew.
She smiled with her eyes now closed. "Quit schmoozing me, Face. I can see your game. I help run your game, remember?"
"Oh, you think I need help do you now?" he teased as his hand dropped to her shoulder.
"Just face it, Face," Amy giggled a bit at her own joke. "I've saved your ass a few times. I can run my own game pretty well." She was hyper aware of his presence beside her, all of her senses tingling
"Yes, yes you can. And did I ever thank you for that?" Face reached over her and gently set his glass down beside hers, taking care that they were both resting on coasters as to not harm the vintage wood.
She shrugged. "You woke up. That was thanks enough for me. But if you really insist, you could give me a raise when you figure the quarterly profits from the diamond mine," Amy teased him.
"Whatever you say, Princess." He hadn't used that name on her in a long time and suddenly she knew, she could feel, every movement as he placed a hand on her knee and his lips on her cheek in a kiss.
Amy couldn't help her response as she naturally turned toward him, her lips meeting his for the first time. One small, testing kiss quickly turned into a longer, real kiss, which soon exploded into true passion as she threw her arms around his neck and he gripped her tightly.
Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly let them come into focus as she watched the ceiling fan spin above her. It was early morning and there was just enough light coming into the picture window overlooking the ocean that she could clearly see the blade move lazily around. It took her a second to remember where she was, and when she did, a groan escaped her lips.
Talk about complicating things. She didn't know what came over her frame of mind; it wasn't like her at all for things like this to happen. She wasn't a first date kind of girl, and besides that wasn't even a date.
But it was...something. All the pent up emotions about him finally surfaced in that midnight hour as they quickly found themselves leaving a trail of clothing from the living room back to the bedroom.
They couldn't be together. They just couldn't. She loved him, but they were just too polarizing. Finally realizing she was mercifully alone, she reached for the bathrobe draped near her and pulled it over her as she got up out of bed. Her clothes were folded into a neat stack at the end of the bed and she left them there as she opened the balcony doors and stepped out, letting the morning sun and the salty ocean breeze greet her.
"Thought you'd need this," Face pushed a cup of coffee from the coffee shop around the corner into her hands a few minutes later.
Amy took the hot cup from him with a sleepy, grateful nod and turned away from him. "Thanks." After a minute, she finally spoke. "I've still got a plane to catch today."
"I know. I'll take you if you want so you don't have to get a cab." He stood beside her and sipped his own coffee. "Listen, Amy honey, about last night - I don't..."
"I don't want to talk about it right now," she breathed. "It will just complicate things." And if they did talk about it, she didn't know if she'd still be able to go through with leaving. "I'm sorry."
He laughed. "I'm not. Ow!" he flinched back back when she smacked his arm. "Well, not like that." He looked at her over the top of his cup. "You have to admit it was..."
"Not a word, Face," Amy hissed at him. "Not a word to the others. No one."
Face responded by resting a hand on the small of her back and kissed the top of her head. "Go get ready to go. We'll swing by your place and grab the last of your things and go for breakfast." He watched her disappear back inside and a few minutes later heard the shower turn on. He watched the waves roll in and let his mind wander as he finished his coffee.
Murdock would say that it was about damn time. And really, maybe they could make it work somehow, but it was probably better to leave things as they were. She had plans and a career. He was plenty busy with the Team. He regretted not kissing her earlier. They had ample opportunity when she was recovering in Bad Rock the year before and he pulled a vigil by her bedside. There had been plenty of times when he wondered if he was reading her correctly, and it was apparent now that he was. Things had just happened the night before. He groaned. She was one of his best girls, one of the few people he could call on for anything.
He pondered convincing her to stay, knowing he could. But it wasn't what she wanted. And she knew him well - she was well aware of the fact that he wasn't a one-woman man. Not for long, anyway. Maybe it could be different though...
Usually he was the one walking away with promises to stay in touch. Today it would be her.