Prompt: Distraction, from Muggleborn13
Summary: It wasn't even all that fair, Abby thought, because no sane woman, spy or not, could go without noticing Joe Solomon.

Those in charge had made a bad decision when they decided to pair her up with Joe Solomon for this little scouting mission, Abby decided. It wasn't that she was distracted; heavens no, she took her job very seriously, but it wasn't all that fair, either, to stick her in the same room as Joe Solomon and be expected to waltz along like everything was fine.

Because no sane woman, spy or not, could go without noticing Joe Solomon.

I'm going to blame it on the eyes, Abby thought, conjuring up a vision in her mind's eye of Joe Solomon's gorgeous blue ones. Or maybe the hair, too. That blonde hair looked effortless on Joe, giving him a definite boost in the "attractiveness" sector. But there was something beyond Joe Solomon's good looks that drew Abby in. Beneath his handsome exterior, she sensed lots of mystery and conflict, and if there was anything Abby loved, it was a puzzle and a challenge.

On a high-stakes, high-action escapade, Abby probably wouldn't have stopped to notice any of those things, but her current mission at hand was far from strenuous. It was more of a reconnaissance thing. Abby suspected that the whole exercise was more to maintain their skills then to actually find anything. The terrain in question was hardly difficult to navigate.

At that moment, Abby and Joe were inching along the walls, which were damp and moist from the fact that they were located underground. A steady plip, plop echoed throughout the cavern, telling them there was a lot of space in the underground tunnel and that they still had quite a while to go. A few small rivulets of water ran past Abby's shoes, slicking the toes of her boots. The lighting was dim, but bright enough that they hadn't had to make use of their flashlight just yet. It was bright enough that Abby could make out most of the features of the man standing beside her—and, well, sue her for thinking that he was a more pleasant sight than the scenery around them.

They turned a corner, where Joe's arm reached out to hold her back. "Wait." She stopped, holding her breath and thinking, hopefully—Well, maybe we'll have some action after all. The steady rhythm of water dripping continued, and Abby strained to hear if anything was amiss. Nothing. She moved forward, stopping only when Joe grabbed her wrist, an eyebrow raised in question. "What are you doing?"

Abby shrugged out of his grip. "Don't worry about me, Joe. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself," she said, winking at him saucily. "Let the woman lead." She heard him fall into step behind her.

"I guess I can't say no to something as charming as that," he spoke. Flirtatiously. Good, Abby rejoiced. Maybe this little trip won't be so boring after all. She hadn't had witty banter with a good-looking guy in a while, and the feminine part of her warmed to the challenge.

"Careful," she warned him, teasingly. "If you flirt with me, I'm going to flirt back, and we both might end up losing our hearts along the way." She meant nothing of it, of course, and Joe Solomon knew it too, because she heard him chuckle.

"You don't say," he mused. "I suppose 'The Heartbreaker' was one of your preferred code names when you were younger?"

"Maybe even now," she replied, scanning the murky darkness ahead of her. "After all, it's not like every guy I meet on a mission is going to be a keeper."

"Then why let them believe you have any intention of keeping them?" Joe Solomon asked, his voice suddenly soft. Abby froze, startled. She'd expected him to stick to their flirtatious dialogue, but something about his voice told her that their conversation had taken a turn into more serious matters. This must be how the younger girls feel in class, Abby realized. Like their resolves and their motives are being questioned. And Abby couldn't help asking herself "why", either. Why did she flirt and grin and seduce when she knew that no relationship she got involved in was going to work out anyway?

She found her answer soon enough. "Because sometimes, when we feel powerless about our own lives, it makes us feel better to think we hold some power over others," she stated simply. And it was true. As a spy, she often felt that some things were beyond her control. She felt as if too much depended on the luck of the draw and the roll of the die. Just once, she'd like fate to play out in her hands, but that was being naïve and Abby knew it. So, instead, she turned to ensuring she had control of other things—relationships and emotions. She couldn't always guard her life, but she could guard her heart; hide it behind coy looks and flirty statements.

"Sage wisdom," Solomon remarked. He paused, considering his thoughts for a moment before he asked, "Why did you become a spy, Abby?" It was the first time he'd spoken her name that day, and suddenly the moment felt much more intimate than she'd intended it to be. She swallowed, fixing her gaze ahead.

"Because everyone else in my family was. I never considered that I could be or do anything else," she answered. That had been yet another one of those times where she'd felt as if a string was pulling her along, and she could barely control her limbs. Becoming a spy had been one of those obvious things, something expected. She'd never stopped and tried her hand at anything else. In that moment, Abby felt as if maybe she didn't have as much control of her life as she'd thought she did.

Abby turned to glance at Joe over her shoulder. "What about you?"

He fixed her with an unreadable look. "It was better than being an assassin." The words sent shivers down her spine as she remembered just where Joe had come from. The Blackthorne Institute for Boys. In the flickering light, she saw all of Joe Solomon—a handsome man, yes, but also a boy who had grown into adulthood too fast. There was a weary look in his eyes, a thousand words weighted with regret. Idly, Abby wondered if Joe Solomon was a future projection of Zach, the boy Cammie was always with. Abby suspected that the two—Joe and Zach—had much in common.

"You know, I've always wondered about that," Abby spoke up in the silence. Joe raised an eyebrow.

"About what?" he prompted.

"About fate. About choices," Abby elaborated, gesturing with her hands. "How some choices spark a chain of events, and things just escalate from there and they keep going until they form a major part of who we are. And then," she paused, taking a breath, "why do other choices just fizzle out? Why do they affect us only briefly and then just become another thing in passing?" She slowed to a stop as she realized their feet had taken them to a fork in the cavern.

Joe Solomon stood behind her, practically radiating body heat, and she could have sworn she heard an amused tone in his voice as he breathed in her ear, "So, what choice are you going to make?"

He was referring to which path to take, of course, but Abby's thoughts followed a different track. Well, I could choose to turn around and kiss you, and we both know that would be one of those choices that would escalate and certainly not fizzle out. Out loud, she said, boldly, "Has anyone ever told you that you're a distraction?"

Joe walked around so he was facing her, and by the way his lips curved, his amusement was evident. "I don't think I've heard that one before. Is something bothering you?"

"Yes," Abby exhaled, feigning exasperation. "I can't think."

Joe took a step closer. "And that's because…?" Because you're so terribly good-looking, Abby thought, studying him. She heard him continue on: "Whatever it is, we'd better clear it up now. I'm going to need you to have a clear head in case we run into any trouble down one of those corridors." He paused briefly to indicate the paths behind him. Abby couldn't help the mischievous grin that crossed her face.

"So what are you going to do about it?" she questioned. "What are you going to do to clear my head, I mean."

"This," Joe said simply, before pulling her towards him. It was ten times sweeter now that he was the one to initiate the kiss, and as she skimmed her hands up his shoulders, she couldn't help smiling against his mouth. I really needed to get that out of my system.

Mm, yes, Joe Solomon was a distraction, alright.

A delicious distraction.

A/N: XD I think I had way too much fun writing that. I don't know; I've never written Abby before, but I hope I got her in character all right. She's just so awesome and I hope I did her justice. And in my opinion, there's not enough Joe/Abby out there. They're such a fun couple. :P (okay, so maybe they aren't really a couple, but still...) Anyway, I finally picked up a copy of the Heist Society. And all I can say is: HALE. Like, ohmygod, he just blows Zach clear out of the water. :P I'm hoping to write a one-shot for the Heist Society soon, so, yeah! And for those of you who haven't read my newest one-shot, the clock just stopped, I'd really appreciate if you did and gave me your feedback. I kind of played with a more...I don't know, abstract/montage-like feel in it, and I want to see if people like it when I write like that. :P And I probably bored you all to death with my excessively long Author's Note. Reviews are always nice! XD