Disclaimer: I do not own Trixie Belden or the Bob-Whites. No profit is being made from their use.

Ready To Be Trapped

After a few lingering kisses, Jim regretfully pulled Trixie to her feet. "I wish I didn't have to leave now," he said reluctantly, "but Dan's waiting for me." He gathered her into his arms for one last embrace, pressing her close and savoring the feel of her curves against him. Trixie could hardly breathe as she felt Jim places kisses down her neck. Leaning back, he noted with pleasure the flush spreading across her face. With an irrepressible groan, he drew her roughly into his arm as he pressed one last searing kiss on her soft lips.

"It'll be okay, I promise," Jim assured her, placing his forehead against hers. Then with a promising wink and a tug on her curls, he left to meet Dan at Wheeler-Frayne International.

Trixie stared at the door Jim had quietly closed. Still catching her breath, she wrapped her arms around her chest, trying to capture the feel of his arms once more. Smiling contentedly, she felt a rush of gratitude toward her new friends. Wishing she could join them, she had to settle for finishing her Biology paper. She knew it would be unwise to be seen at the office building after hours. Still, part of her grew impatient as she waited for their plans to be set in motion.

When her cell phone rang, Trixie was glad for the disruption. "Hello," she answered.

"Hi, Trixie, it's me, Honey."

"Hi, Honey," she answered back.

"Have you talked to Jim yet?"

"Yeah," Trixie said as she impatiently pushed a curl out of her face, "he was just here."

"What do you think?" Honey held her breath as she waited for an answer.

"I think that even if this doesn't work I've made three great friends," she said sincerely.

"Oh, Trixie," Honey agreed emphatically, "you definitely have that part right."

"I can't believe that we've known each other but a few short weeks," Trixie said with a touch of awe. "As for Jim and Dan, they've spent less time with me than you have."

"I think that's about to change," Honey teased, "at least, as far as Jim is concerned."

"Maybe," Trixie tried to sound casual, grateful that Honey couldn't detect the blush spreading across her face.

"He didn't happen to tell you about your new assignment, did he?"

"New assignment?" Trixie questioned. "No, he didn't mention anything about that."

"You'll be working with Jim," Honey informed her gleefully.

"Oh," Trixie said a little breathlessly and felt a rush of heat flood her cheeks.

Correctly interpreting Trixie's silence, Honey continued, "He seemed quite pleased with the idea."

That bit of news filled Trixie's stomach with butterflies. As she ended her call with Honey, she wondered just why Jim had failed to mention that part. She was still puzzling over that when Diana arrived back from her evening class.

Di took one look at Trixie and became suspicious. She had been around Trixie too long not to know when she was hiding something. Di also knew that Trixie would clam up if she tried to pry too much.

Deciding to talk about something else first, Di began moaning about her last class. "It is so boring," she complained, "that I almost fell asleep. I'm an art major. Why do I need Sociology 101?"

"To make you a well-rounded individual," Trixie quoted the college flyer and her parents.

"Yeah, right," Di snorted quite uncharacteristically. "Like these boring professors are that well-rounded."

"Professor McCowan definitely is," Trixie giggled, thinking of the rotund English professor.

"Precisely my point," Diana agreed impishly. Tossing her messenger bag on her bed, she asked nonchalantly, "And how was your day?"

Trixie frowned, not wanting to discuss the day's events, but something in Di's attitude made her realize she had to say something. Trixie just didn't want to make her overly concerned.

"It could have been better," she admitted slowly.

"Oh?" Di arched her brow at Trixie. "What happened?"

"We have a thief," Trixie told her, not divulging that she was the prime suspect according to Mr. Kramer.

As Di sat down on her bed across from her, she listened as Trixie told her about the theft. She didn't tell her about Dan finding the envelope in her locker or the plan to catch the real thief. The last thing she wanted was her two older brothers snooping around, especially considering her new relationship with Jim. It was impossible for Di to keep a secret like that from Mart.

Later that night, Jim and Dan relaxed in Jim's office. It had been eerily quiet entering the Wheeler-Frayne offices at night with only the two security guards present. With Dan in his uniform and Jim well-known by them, they had merely nodded as the two passed by. Although it had been easy to install the hidden cameras, Jim was relieved that part was over. They just needed one more for Jim's office.

"Just how did you know where to buy those things?" Jim asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I'm a cop," Dan grinned. "I learn things."

"Yeah," Jim said with amusement, "I can imagine."

Dan didn't answer for a moment. He was studying Jim carefully. Jim caught his stare and arched his brow curiously at Dan.

"What?" Jim demanded. "Am I missing something here?"

"Maybe I am," Dan said, "or maybe there's something else I'd like to learn."

"Like what?" Jim narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his friend.

"Trixie," Dan stated simply. "Just where does she fit in the picture? You're going to an awful lot of trouble for her."

"You were the one who came up with the plan to catch Missy," Jim defended his actions.

"Yeah, but you're the one who went out on a limb for her," Dan pointed out. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Jim sighed. "I mean, I've not known her for very long yet I feel like I've known her forever. Does that make any sense?"

Dan had to laugh out loud. "Man, you've got it bad." He began to laugh even harder and teased, "Have you made your declaration yet?"

Jim felt the color creep into his face. "Okay, yes, I have and I feel like an idiot."

"Why?" Dan became serious. "She seems like a nice girl. Maybe a nice girl is just what you need."

"That's part of the problem," Jim admitted. "I didn't plan on meeting a nice girl right now. I had it all planned out. Have fun until I'm about thirty, then find a nice girl, get married, and have kids."

"Married," Dan repeated, a little stunned by Jim's confession. "Whoa there, Jim, you've just met her."

"I know," Jim agreed with dismay, "but I can't help it. All my thoughts end with me and Trixie together. I'm afraid I'm going to scare her away."

"She is kind of young," Dan chuckled, "maybe not so much in age as she is naïve." Dan looked meaningfully at Jim. "And innocent."

"I know," Jim smiled in remembrance, "she's very trusting."

"You could hurt her badly if you changed your mind," Dan said softly. "I like Trixie. I wouldn't want to see that happen."

"That's what's killing me, Dan. I can't stay away from her and I don't want to hurt her."

"She's what my dad would have called a forever kind of girl," Dan smiled as he shared a memory from his past. "If you're lucky enough to fall in love with one, it'll last forever."

"Like your mom," Jim guessed correctly.

"Yeah, like mom," Dan said with a sad smile. It wasn't often he talked about his parents, the memories too overpowering. He gave Jim a stern look. "Go slowly, Jim. Trixie is too special for a casual relationship. She's also got two older brothers who would come after you in a heartbeat. I believe Honey is actually interested in one of them."

"Trixie did mention that," Jim replied absentmindedly, his thoughts on the curly-headed blonde and Dan's words. My forever girl, he thought bemused. Was he ready to fall in love forever or did he even want to? He wasn't sure. He only knew that he had never felt like this before and that he had to see her again.

Losing sleep from tossing and turning all night, Trixie once again had to rush to her early morning classes. Who told me it was easier to have early classes? And why did I listen to them anyway?

Later, after grabbing a quick bite for lunch, she anxiously hurried to the CAP offices. Jim met her as she exited the elevator. Smiling nervously, Trixie gave Jim a questioning look.

"Your new assignment, Miss Belden, is this way," he said in a more professional tone than she was accustomed to.

Confused, Trixie followed him to his office. Once inside, Jim dropped the pretence and pulled her tightly into his arms.

"Sorry about that, but Honey said she told you about our new arrangement," he whispered in her ear. "If Dad or Matt Wheeler find out we're seeing each other, there's no way they'll let you work in here." He paused and looked rather sheepishly at her. "We are seeing each other, aren't we?"

A blush spread over Trixie's pleased face as she nodded.

Grinning, he bent down and gave her a quick kiss before continuing. "It's only until we catch our thief," he promised. "After that, I won't care who knows."

"I guess that means we have to keep this our secret for a while," Trixie said, a little dazed by Jim's confession.

"Is that okay?" he asked with concern.

Trixie smiled and gave him a gentle kiss then pulled away. "That means I had better get to work or we'll blow our cover on the first day."

"I've set up a small work area for you." Jim led Trixie to the space where they had been sitting at the previous day. Instead of the two chairs, there was now only one chair. A tiny desk had been added. As she took her seat, Jim gave a small groan. "Man, this is going to be more difficult than I thought."

As Trixie got settled she thought back to the previous night. "Jim, why didn't you tell me about my new work arrangement?"

Jim, sitting at his own desk, shifted a little uncomfortably. "I wasn't sure you'd understand."

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked, confused. Then her eyes narrowed, "Just what wouldn't I understand?"

"First of all, it meant keeping our relationship a secret," he pointed out. "I wasn't too happy about that myself."

Trixie smiled at Jim before prompting him to continue. "There's more?"

"It was the only way Kramer would agree to let you come back," Jim said frankly.

"So you're my babysitter," she took a deep breath letting the news sink in.

"Something like that," he shrugged as if it were unimportant. "I didn't think you would agree if I told you."

"Probably not," Trixie said flushing with embarrassment that Mr. Kramer still thought she was a thief. She bent her head over her work, not wanting to meet Jim's eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Trix," he said softly. "It fits in perfectly with our plan and I like having you here." With a tender smile just for her, Jim began his own tasks.

The afternoon went smoothly although several times they caught themselves staring longingly at each other. Just as they were finishing for the day, a soft knock on the door was heard. When Missy walked in, Trixie looked inquisitively at Jim's reaction. Trixie knew she would be hard pressed to hide her emotions if Missy flirted as blatantly with Jim as she usually did.

"Hello, Missy," Jim said cordially, remaining in his chair.

Not dissuaded by Jim's lack of enthusiasm, Missy seated herself on the desk in front of his chair. Giving a pretty pout, she exclaimed, "What kind of greeting is that?"

Glancing at Trixie, Jim gave a brief smile to Missy that indicated they weren't alone. "Trixie's working with me now."

Frowning at Trixie, Missy sighed, "I thought Daddy was going to take care of this. Honestly, Jim, you can't be expected to handle everything."

"It's no problem, Missy," he assured her with a chuckle. Passing Trixie a furtive look, he added, "Trixie and I work well together."

"Hello, Missy," Trixie said politely while she bristled under the stare she was receiving.

Ignoring her, Missy turned her attentions back to Jim. Reaching forward, she ran a perfectly manicured nail down the side of his cheek. "You work too hard, you need to take a break," she purred.

"I have a lot going on right now, Missy," Jim explained. "I'm working, trying to finish my degree, and trying to decide what I want to do next."

"Are you and Dan still interested in starting that camp for those unfortunate boys?" Missy rolled her eyes as she spoke.

Trixie's ears perked up. This was the first time she had heard anything about a camp. Evidently, there was more to James Frayne than she had imagined. The thought made her unexpectedly proud of him.

"Of course, we are," Jim answered ardently. "Ever since Dan told us about how hard it was surviving after his father died, well, we knew we had to do something."

"Watch out, Jim," Missy teased with a smirk, "you'll turn into quite a philanthropist if you're not careful."

Trixie averted her eyes as she saw Missy lean particularly close to Jim. She felt an unfamiliar surge of violent jealousy when Missy tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. It was only eased somewhat when he pulled Missy's hand away.

"Did you only come in here to flirt?" Jim asked point blank. "If there's nothing else, Trixie and I are trying to finish up for the day."

With a flash of venomous anger directed at Trixie, Missy stood to leave. "We'll talk later, Jim, when we have more time alone. Just a reminder, there is another fund raiser in two weeks."

"I'm sure I'll see you then," Jim replied politely and walked her to the door.

Trixie avoided looking at Jim as she began clearing up her things.

"Trix," Jim spoke softly as he walked toward her, "Missy doesn't stop by that often."

Trixie stared at her hands. "I guess you were right, Jim. This is going to be much harder than I imagined."

Jim slipped his hand into Trixie's and pulled her to her feet and into his arms. With his hands around her waist, he whispered in her ear, "I'll make it up to you, I promise. Right now, it's for the best." He pulled away looking intently into her eyes, willing her to understand.

Trixie realized the deception was bothering Jim just as much as her. With a cheerless smile, she gave a soft sigh. "Would it bother you if I gave Missy a swift kick in the behind?"

Laughing, he pulled her close once more. "I wanted to do the same thing."

Slightly relaxed, Trixie rested her head on his shoulder. "Jim," she murmured, "are you taking Missy to the fundraiser?"

Jim felt humbled by the amount of trust Trixie was placing in him. It couldn't have been easy for her, having known him for only a few short weeks. Jim didn't realize that Trixie felt just as privileged to have him place so much trust in her.

"That's not in the plan," he shook his head. "If it's Missy that's…"

Jim hadn't told Trixie who he and his friends suspected of hiding the envelope in her backpack, but he realized he didn't want to keep it from her any longer.

"You think Missy is the one," Trixie stated not very surprised. "Are you sure Missy doesn't have a valid reason for hating me?" The look Trixie gave Jim was questioning and uncertain as she was still feeling somewhat vulnerable in this new relationship.

"Absolutely," Jim said without hesitation. "She's just miffed that I'm not another feather in her cap."

"Still," she continued, "if you think she is capable of doing this, she must have thought there was more between the two of you."

Jim reddened as Trixie saw the chagrin on his face. "I didn't exactly discourage her, Trixie. It became sort of a game between us. We'd flirt a little," he stopped at her look of disbelief. "Okay, a lot, but that's all it was. I didn't really care about anyone in particular, and what can I say, a guy does like to have his ego stroked occasionally."

"Well, I'm the only one that's allowed to stroke your ego now," Trixie insisted.

Jim grinned wickedly, "You can stroke anything you want to, sweetie."

"Jim!" Trixie playfully smacked his arm.

"Sorry," he smiled innocently, "I'll behave."

"See that you do," she giggled. "Now about this fundraiser?"

"Honey and you are going to be the CAP representatives," he told her.

"Mr. Kramer agreed to that?" Trixie questioned with surprise.

"It wasn't his choice," Jim explained. "Dad and Mr. Wheeler specifically asked for you. Seems like you made quite an impression the other night."

Trixie flushed with pleasure at Jim's praise. "You will be there, won't you?"

"Both Dan and I will be there," he assured her. Chuckling, he added, "After all, I can't shirk my babysitting duties."

"Do you actually think she'll try again?" Trixie asked worriedly.

"I wish she would try something sooner," Jim admitted, "but yes, I think whoever it is will try again."

"I can't wait for this to be over with," Trixie's eyes filled with concern.

"There's something else you need to know."

"What?" she asked warily.

"After today, there's going to be a concealed camera in here, as well," he gave her a rueful smile, "so be on your best behavior."

"So no more of this," Trixie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jim softly on his lips.

"And no more of this," Jim said huskily as he pulled her into a tight embrace, parting her lips for a deeper kiss.

When the kiss ended, Trixie tried to get her breathing under control. Giving Jim a shaky grin, she said, "I guess that's a good thing or else…"

"Yeah," Jim grinned back, "or else." Taking hold of her arm, he added as they walked out the door, "Let's go. We've got to meet Honey and Dan to plan our strategy."

Trixie dutifully walked out the door with Jim, unable to form any coherent thoughts of her own. Whatever strategy was to be planned, she doubted if she was going to be much help in her current frame of mind.

Thanks once again to Karen. She rocks!