AN Don't worry people it didn't end with the earlier chapter if that is what you are worried about ;). Chapter five at your service! Please Read and Review!

The sheen of sweat on her skin was slowly drying up and she should get up to take a shower, but she was just so comfortable. Birkhoff was trailing patterns with his fingers over her skin, from her hip to shoulder and back again. She knew they should talk about what happened, but right now she just wanted to stay like this. Uncomplicated. Loved. She turned around so she could look at the other person in the bed.

"Morning sunshine." He muttered, twirling one of the strands of her hair around his finger.

"I am starting to believe you have an obsession with my hair." She grinned.

"No Beautiful, I have an obsession with you…the hair is just a nice bonus." He took two other strands and started braiding them together right in front of her face.

"If I didn't know better I would think your dreamjob is to become a hairdresser." She joked slapping his hand away and pulling the hair back so she could see him properly.

"Please, those guys are nine out of ten times gay...and I hope I've proven to you I'm most certainly not gay." She raised an eyebrow in question; the fingers that had been busy trailing along her stomach all of a sudden tightened and started to tickle her. "Say it wench!" it took her a while to be able to form words between her laughter.

"You are not gay!" she yelled out breathlessly. There was a knocking on the door followed by Michael his voice. "Birkhoff, is that Alex I just heard in there?"

"No Michael I'm just busy shagging Nikita." He yelled back, earning him a punch from Alex.

"Don't worry Michael, everything is fine." She yelled and the only thing they got for a couple of seconds was silence. "I am just going to pretend I never heard this." The older man finally muttered. Once the footsteps had disappeared down the hall they burst out in laughter.

"You know, as much as I like this random sex thing…we do need to talk Sunshine."

"I know, but I just like to forget the outside world for the moment." She mumbled burrowing her head in his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, the world has the habit of remembering us. So could you please tell me why exactly you shamelessly took advantage of me last night?"

"Do you like me Birkhoff?" She asked. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. It was a rather delicate question and the wrong answer could tip the balance either in his favor or against it.

"Yes Alex, I like you. So do a lot of people…"

"Do we have to resort to playground talk: Do you like like me Seymour?" she sighed.

"If last night was any indication then yes; I like like you Alex." He kissed the top of her nose.

"Good, because I was hoping to give whatever it is between us a try…" She tangled her fingers through the hairs at the back of his head. He suddenly pulled away.

"You mean a relationship?" He exclaimed.

"Well yes, what did you think I meant?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm not sure Alex, I like like you….and while I definitely want you…I'm not sure whether a relationship is a good idea."

"Did you think last night I was just going for a one night stand when I threw myself at you!" she was grabbing all her clothes pulling them on as fast as she could.

"Well if I remember correctly there was hardly any talking involved and you even gave me less time to think!" He yelled back grabbing his own clothes.

"Oh so you want to tell me that a genius like you can only think with his dick when a pretty girl comes along!" the young woman was furious now.

"I'm a guy what did you expect honey!" she didn't even give him a reply but just slammed the door shut behind her as she left the room. She ran straight by the three people in the kitchen who were looking at her concerned. She refused to let them see her cry and headed straight for the gym. She had some faces to smash in. The sound of quick soft steps alerted her that Nikita had followed her.

"Go away!" She growled as she furiously started to punch one of the bags.

"Alex…."

"I said go away!" she was crying now. She felt like such an idiot. Less than thirty minutes ago she had felt like nothing could harm her and now she was bawling her eyes out like a little girl. Soft arms pulled her away from the bag and into the warm arms of Nikita. The second time in two days the older woman had to comfort her, she might make it a habit.

"How could he do this to me?" She sobbed, clutching the other woman her arm like it was a life saver.

"Birkhoff has been on his own for a long time sweetheart. I'm not sure whether he really doesn't want something more from you, if his actions are anything to go by I think his heart is just at war with his head." She soothed the sobbing girl.

"The world really hates me. Why else would it make me like a guy with commitment issues on top of everything else." Alex replied bitterly. Nikita didn't say anything but just continued to sooth the girl.

"You son of a bitch!" Michael exclaimed as Birkhoff came into the kitchen. "How could you do that to Alex?" Ryan put his hand on the other mans arm to try and caution him against hitting the resident genius, as much as he deserved it.

"Michael my problems with Alex are not your business and I was only honest with her." The other man defended himself.

"Like hell they are my business. She is like a little sister to me, and no one hurts my family! You weren't truly honest with her otherwise you would have stopped yourself before things got this far!" Ryan retracted his hand; he'd rather not end up in the middle of a fist fight between the two other males. He hadn't been long enough in the house to give his opinion on the personal relationships between everyone.

"Stopped her? Michael she threw herself at me, was I supposed to push her away? Do you think that would have made her feel any better? I was honest when I said that I am not sure about a relationship between the two of us. Come on Michael, do you really think me and Alex would work?" the other man was gesturing wildly trying to get his point across.

"I would like to know why you think it couldn't work Nerd, because I just left Alex to get herself cleaned after crying her eyes out." Nikita commented as she crossed the room to calm down her enraged partner.

"Come on Nikita; have you properly looked at her! A little out of my league don't you think? To add to that is the fact that I rather not get emotionally involved with someone who goes on highly dangerous missions every single week." He crossed his arms defensively.

"She threw herself at you Birkhoff, I think that makes your whole hypothesis of 'she feels she's too good for me' rather void. As for the missions thing; whether you are involved with her or not you will still worry and it will still hurt like hell if she gets hurt or worse killed. The only question you need to ask is whether you are willing to be haunted with the question of what you missed out on because of that fear. You will not get a second chance with her if you wait too long." The words seemed to make the needed impact as he refused to look either of them in the eye. Refusing to deal with the oppressive silence anymore Birkhoff left the room.

He found Alex on one of the logs that was lying on the beach. "Can we talk?" he asked, sitting down next to her. She didn't give any indication of hearing him, but she didn't leave either which he took as a good sign.

"I didn't mean to insult you earlier…" She snorted very unladylike. "I'm serious, I was just surprised and then you started yelling…and you know how I like to have the last word." His small attempt at humor was clearly not appreciated.

"If you were surprised then you could have just told me you needed to think instead of shooting it down immediately." She bit at him.

"In case you didn't notice I easily get defensive. I'm just not used to someone like you wanting someone like me, okay? I was just waiting for the catch. I've been the butt of the joke for too many times to not expect it." He hoped that was all the explanation needed, as he would hate to go into detail about that. Those memories were ones he'd rather keep locked away.

"What do you mean someone like me? You should be able to trust me Birkhoff, I would never pull a joke like that on you." He should have trusted her, but after years of not trusting anyone in this capacity it just came easier to bite back.

"I mean someone as hot as you okay. Call me shallow but we both know you would have been prom queen had you gone to high school with me and I would have been the date-less geek, if I even had shown up. And Prom queens don't date geeks." She looked at him for a while, not saying anything. He almost wanted to start fidgeting.

"I forgive you if you promise me one thing."

"If you want me to make you matching earrings, forget it. I still have to save some for your next birthday." He joked, glad to know she had at least forgiven him for his behavior earlier that day.

"No, I want you to trust me from now on. I may look like a prom queen but I am just a regular nerd underneath it all." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He smiled, and for a moment they just sat there in companionable silence.

"You still want to "try this thing between us"?" He asked.

"Are you not going to yell at me this time if I said yes?" She joked.

"I will not yell, but I can't promise I won't kiss you Sunshine." He murmured leaning in.

"Then yes Seymour, I really want to try this thing."

"I'm not sure whether I want to tell him to keep his hands of her or to congratulate them." Michael commented as he and Nikita watched the scene unfold from behind the tinted glass.

"Congratulations would probably be received better honey. Look at you being all protective; if you ever have a daughter she will probably have to warn all her future boyfriends about the gun you carry." She said as she leaned up to kiss him.

"She certainly will if she inherits the good looks from her mother. A stick will not be enough to keep the boys away then." He shut up after that because he was too preoccupied with said mothers lips.

AN hope you guys liked it. Please Read and Review :D.