Chris Larabee had more or less written the day off the moment the Section Supervisor told him a journalist was coming to meet him this morning. She wanted to outline her requirements for the 'story' she intended writing about them for the local paper. It was more or less decided by himself, and he was sure by his Section Supervisor as well, who sounded just as enthused as he was about the subject, this was nothing more than a PR gimmick conjured by some bored bureaucrat. Unfortunately, whatever its origins, the fact of the matter was in approximately ten minutes, he was going to have to tolerate a reporter in his office while keeping in mind shooting someone for being in his face was illegal in this state and most others as well.
Damn, he muttered to himself. They make everything fun illegal.
Staring past the open door to his private office, Chris noticed every member of his team managed to make an appearance today. Except for Vin, who amazingly enough did appear to look like he was working on something legitimate, the others were using paperwork as an excuse to be in the office. After all, why bother to follow leads, carry out background checks or hell, do anything that might resemble field duty, when there was a new piece of ass walking into the office?
As he waited impatiently for Mary what's her face Travis, Chris took a moment to observe his men as they were engaged in the terribly vital paperwork that had to be done today. Buck was showing his diligence by stroking his moustache every two minutes as if in that time, new growth was achieved and the fresh sprouts needed smoothing into cohesion with the rest of his face. Ezra, on the other hand, could be considered working on paperwork since playing cards were technically made of paper. The gambler had been performing shuffling tricks for the last twenty minutes, and if he did not soon stop, Chris was going to show him a trick that could only be performed anally and to a very select audience.
Nathan and Josiah were more subtle than that and actually supported the illusion by having a stack of files perched on either corner of their desks. It was just such a pity neither had considered he might be sceptical of their efforts since they were each still working on the same file they started with this morning. Lord only knew what JD was doing, but Chris made a mental note to talk to the software guys tomorrow and have that goddamn solitaire disabled on the kid's computer.
It was right to say at this point, Chris was not exactly in the state of mind for visitors.
Still, he was a creature of duty and loathe it as he might, Chris knew he would be cooperative when Miss, Mrs…whatever, Travis arrived. He had endured worse things in his life and knew one journalist could not be so bad. He pictured some masculine, bad-tempered woman in khaki coloured clothes with cigarette breath who was the staple of every movie about journalistic grit he had ever seen. If she wasn't that, then she was probably the other extreme, teased and permed like a poodle with shoulder pads and looking like a Rachel Maddow, Barbara Walters wanna be with an ego to match.
In either case, this next week was going to be sheer hell.
Chris questioned how the team was to function with one of these creatures tagging along every time they needed to go out on a stakeout or a bust. Once again, his ire bubbled over at the imposition forced upon him and the men under his command. As curious as Ezra was at this moment to see their guest, the gambler did make a valid point when he stated it was not wise to show the public just how they did things. There was enough trouble with smart operators without letting them in on ATF secrets as well.
Quit bitching about it Larabee, he told himself and wished it was not too early in the day for a drink. Chris had a premonition he might need a head start for what he was going to have to put up with for the rest of the week. Letting out a sigh and straightening up in his chair, Chris surveyed his desk and made sure it was just as tidy as it had been when he did the same thing about two minutes ago.
Wondering if he looked as tense as he felt, Chris knew he had to relax. Besides, if he showed her any signs of anxiety, she would probably interpret it as a sign of weakness and go for his jugular. Chris was not about to let this usurper have any more power over him and his team then she already had.
He was busy ruminating on this point when he noticed Buck suddenly coming to life behind his desk like a lion at noon feeding. Telling himself for the hundredth time that he was going to take the upper hand the minute she arrived, Chris did not rise from his seat to greet the lady. Instead, the leader of Team 7 eased further into the leather office chair, grabbing a file off his desk and pretending to read it with an expression of indifference. He remained in this position even when he heard her speaking politely to Buck, who keeping entirely in character, immediately oozed charm when he directed her towards Chris's office.
"I'll find it." Chris heard her thanking Buck as she headed towards his open door.
Chris did not look up from his file. He knew these reporter types who liked using the power of the press to intimidate people. Well, if Miss, Mrs …whatever, Travis thought such a strategy would work with him, she had another thing coming. This was his team, and if he decided this whole thing was a load a crap, he was entirely justified in pulling the plug before anyone got killed, just because some reporter thought first amendment rights made her God.
He was still ruminating on this when she reached his door and tapped lightly. Chris, who resisted the urge to look up until now, lifted his eyes at the sound of knocking and realised immediately he was in a lot of trouble.
For starters, she dared to look nothing like what he imagined before her arrival. He had been psyched for a chain-smoking harridan or prom queen. How dare she look the way she did! She was neither caricature. Instead, she stared at him patiently behind her sunglasses, her hair not at all permed but worn in a comfortable braid with loose strands of gold brushing the slender neck fully exposed thanks to the white t-shirt she was wearing over a pair of loose-fitting drawstring pants. She could not even allow him the dignity of being partially right by wearing impractical footwear since her shoes were comfy looking white keds.
"Mr Larabee." He heard her speak and realised she was repeating herself because he had not answered her the first time.
"Sorry," Chris swallowed hard, trying to hide the fact his eyes were moving over her shoulders, taking note of the well-defined muscle of her arms cultivated by a healthy exercise regiment or at least some strenuous activity. He wondered what she was doing after six.
"Drinks?" Chris blurted out the word before he knew what he was doing.
He saw her brows shoot up over the top rim of her sunglasses before her lips curled into a faint smile.
"Not at this hour of the morning. What about you?" She asked, extending her hand towards him.
"Not while I'm on duty," Chris replied meekly and wondered what happened to seizing the day and taking the upper hand. Well shoot Larabee, it just sailed off with goddamn drinks! "You must be Mary Travis. Is that a Mrs, Miss…?" He asked innocently and stumbled into yet another faux pas.
She could almost see him wincing inwardly as he realised what that question implied. For some reason, Mary Travis was suddenly reminded of one of those puppies who tried to impress you in the pet store by doing something clever and becoming more adorable when they botched it up utterly. Mary had read the file on Chris Larabee before she walked into this office and expected to find a hard nose ATF veteran who was going to give her hell. Instead, she was standing here wondering if he had any idea just how cute he was, trying to be calm and collected when all he was doing was stumbling into one obvious blunder after the other.
"I'll just assume you're just very nervous and not read any more in that question then I should," Mary tried to hide the smirk threatening to steal across her face.
"I ain't nervous." Chris retaliated quickly.
"Good," she guessed he was not going to take her extended hand and sat down instead. "You shouldn't be. This isn't root canal surgery, it's just a nice little magazine story accountants will get a kick out of reading over their Cheerios and coffee in the Sunday morning paper. Trust me, I can find a lot better stories to cover if I want an exclusive for the front page."
"Well okay, "Chris nodded somewhat taken back by how easy that was. "I'm glad we got that all sorted out because I'm not having you come in here and turn my department upside down. We don't just sit around and have coffee and doughnuts, you know. It gets bloody down here. You want to ride with us for the week, you got to expect things to be rough."
And that concludes the cute portion of his little display, Mary thought to herself. Moving onto the testosterone-induced male posturing segment of the show.
"I've seen rough," she said not all perturbed by his abrasive manner since it was all part of the ritual. Perhaps she should send him a copy of the mating habits of the highland gorillas of Africa when this was all over and let him see how predictable he appeared at this moment. The only thing he was not doing was thumping his chest and spitting bananas at her, but then he was a man, so he had to be given time to work up to that.
"Really?" Chris looked at her sceptically, unable to hide the sarcasm or the disbelief from his voice.
"I've just spent two months covering the Syrian crisis, and before that, I was spending some quality time in Iraq. While that may not be as physically and mentally demanding as spending the entire week with you and your team in New Mexico, I think I can handle it."
She said all this without the slightest bit of hostility in her voice and still regarded him with that amused expression, Chris could not for the life of him understand. He had been diligently following all the rules he set out for himself before her arrival, about maintaining his authority and taking control of the situation. Still, at the moment, she was more at ease with this encounter than he. Chris could not fathom how that had come about. He was supposed to intimidate her. Hell, Chris knew he threatened most people but Mary was just looking at him with that little smile on her perfect lips, (hey where did that come from?), and appeared nonplussed.
"Fine." He cleared his throat and unable to think of anything else to say because he felt like such a moron as it was. "When do you want to start?" Chris sat up in his chair, deciding he was at least going to sound intelligible instead of the monosyllabic jerk he must surely appear to her by now.
"Monday will be fine. I plan to follow you until Friday. You understand that I want to be involved in everything. Well, within reason of course, and I'd like to talk to your men, get a personal angle to what you people do."
"Okay," Chris answered, unable to find anything to protest about that request and wondered since when did he get so agreeable. He should be kicking up all kinds of fuss about her interfering with the men under his command, but when she took off her sunglasses and gazed at him with the most incredible blue-grey eyes he had ever seen, he found little to argue about.
Besides, what could it hurt? His men did a hell of a job and seldom gained any credit for placing their lives on the line. Who was he to begrudge them their fifteen minutes of fame? As that line of reasoning crossed his mind, a smaller voice made a smug remark.
Sucker.
"Any questions?" She was unable to believe he was so accommodating when everything in his records indicated he was one tough customer.
Chris Larabee had the lowest casualty rate of any ATF team leader in the field. He did not merely do his job and lead his men; he also protected them with near-fanatical devotion. From all accounts, her research before this meeting implied he was a sombre, moody widower still mourning the loss of a wife and son. As someone who had lost her husband to violence, Mary empathised with Chris Larabee's sorrow.
"Why are you doing a story here in New Mexico, when you've been to all those places?"
"I meant with the story." She said firmly, having no desire to talk about her private life.
"In that case, no." Chris shook his head, somewhat intrigued by her past now that Mary refused to answer the question. He was more determined than ever to find out all he could about her, once she walked out the door. Hey, he had a right to investigate the person whose presence was going to affect his men the next week. Besides, his interest was purely professional. Once again, his inner voice had something to say on that point.
Sure it is Larabee.
"Then I think we're done, Mr Larabee." She rose to her feet.
Chris almost wished he had a question to ask, other than the most obvious one, but there were demons inside him that would not allow it to escape his lips just yet. For the moment, Chris was simply reeling from the fact something inside him had just shook itself awake after a very long time in hibernation.
"I guess we are." Chris made no move to walk her out. He had to maintain some dignity, after all.
"Monday morning then," she nodded at him and slipped her sunglasses back over face before adding finally. "Incidentally," Mary looked over her shoulder briefly and winked at him. "It's Ms Travis."
With that, she breezed out the door with Chris Larabee coming to one firm conclusion in the wake of her departure.
His life just became a hell of a lot more complicated.
Okay, it was only Monday, and he was getting to her already.
Mary Travis took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was doing this job. She could have been flying from one end of the planet to another, but instead, she opted to work at a local paper even though with her background she could be at the Washington Post or the New York Times. Now, Mary was the new kid on the block at a semi-decent metropolitan paper in Denver. While she hated this puff piece, she was doing on the agents of the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Bureau, Mary knew if she could manage this, then the rest was plain sailing. Mary was willing to try anything to build her life here because Billy depended on her.
Ever since Steven died, she lost herself in her work, forgetting about the son he left her. For the last two years, she was a distant memory to Billy, occasionally dropping in to say hello at his grandparent's house, claiming to be his mother. A month ago, Mary decided she was done being a stranger in her son's life, and it was time to assume the responsibility of being his mother. Of course, being an international journalist was nothing like covering a set beat in one city. Nor was it made any easier by the fact her first big story was being hampered by a sombre, brooding, egotistical civil servant with delusions of grandeur, especially when he was wearing the face of a blond demi-god.
She could deal with this.
She fought off libidinous Iraqi guards who attempted to strip search her in the Green Zone, kept her calm when watching the genocide of innocents at Rohingya and the chemical warfare waged against Syrians. She could sure as hell put up with Chris Larabee, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he was attempting to be.
*****Still, it took a special kind of arrogance to eclipse those previous experiences, and she had to admit he managed it quite spectacularly. When she first met him, Mary guessed he was going to be trouble. He formed a pre-requisite image of her in his mind and had not liked it when she appeared to conform to none of it. Not to mention the man wanted her, oh she knew that too. She had not missed how his jaw dropped when she walked into the room that first morning and Mary was sure it was this attraction, which he loathed but could not ignore, making him behave like such a jerk.
Mary sat in her bath, scrubbing her skin raw and trying to rid herself of the stench of garbage continuing to overwhelm her senses no matter how much-scented bath oil and bubble bath she emptied into the tub. She knew what he was up to of course, Mary had been around pig-headed men to recognise he was baiting her, pushing her to see how far he could go before she finally snapped and give up this whole idea of writing her story. He may get more than he bargained for if he pushed her too far over the edge and she decided to kill him.
No matter how perfectly his dark jeans moulded to that great ass.
Mary glanced at the clothes piled on the floor, covered in grease stains and soiled from whatever she picked up when she was down in the sewer with him. As she ran a wash towel over her face, she could picture the satisfied smirk on his face and felt herself flush with a mixture of anger and another emotion she could not define. There had not been a man capable of getting under her skin like this in years and Mary knew just how much it took to penetrate her thick journalistic hide.
You're going to have to do better than this to make me crazy, Mary told herself defiantly. Much better than this.
*****"You were kind of hard on her," Vin commented as he and Chris sat in the bar around the corner from the ATF office, about the same time Mary Travis was envisioning all the wonderful things that could be done to the human body with dangerous farm equipment. Most of Team 7 was scattered throughout the establishment with Buck only a few stools down, attempting to coax a date out of the new owner, a rather sultry and incredibly beautiful Latin beauty who viewed his propositions with nothing less than contempt. Ezra was wrestling with a slot machine while Nathan and Josiah were gathered around the pool table as JD watched their game.
"She wanted to see everything."
"I don't think she planned on being in the sewer half the day." Vin pointed out, taking a sip of his beer as he looked at Chris. He valued his life too much to comment on how much enjoyment Chris had tormenting Ms Travis during their excursion in the city's sewer system.
"We ain't in this job for the glamour," Chris remarked, feeling very pleased with himself and recounted the day in his head with fond memory. "By the way, did you get that background check I asked for?" Chris showed no more interest in the subject, then he would if he were requesting a similar investigation into a known suspect.
"Yeah," Vin nodded, remembering the task that Chris had asked him on the quiet and slipped his hand into his jacket to retrieve the data he printed before leaving the office that evening. He was about to hand to Chris when the leader of Team 7 said coolly.
"Read it to me," Chris asked, drinking down more of his beer with no sign of anticipation. In fact, he appeared as glacial as ever, and Vin started to doubt there was anything personal in the request at all. Perhaps Chris just wanted to know something about the woman because they were going to be stuck with her all week. After all, it was prudent to know what she was about since she would be going into the field with them. It certainly was not out of character for Chris to be this thorough.
"Sure," Vin unfolded the paper and studied its contents before selecting what would be of most interest. "Let's see. Mary Susanne Langley, born in Wisconsin on 17th October, no brother or sisters. Raised by her father, her mother died of cancer when she was ten. Attended UCLA and graduated with honours in political science and communications."
"Skip the resume."
"Okay," Vin nodded and moved on to more recent information on Mary Travis. "She met and married a Steven Travis while covering a story in the in Iraq and had a son, William Travis. Steven was killed while they were in Syria, a stray artillery shell hit the jeep they were in. She walked away, he didn't. Since then, the kid has been living in town with his grandparents, and she has been overseas until last month when she took a job with the Clarion News."
Chris said nothing for a few minutes, absorbing the information before responding quietly, "guess that explains why she’s here." His voice remained neutral, allowing Vin to see nothing of his growing attraction for her.
"I guess so," Vin was about to remark when he caught sight of Alexandra Styles entering the premises. "Gotta go pard," Vin climbed off the stool as he dropped some change on the bar counter to cover his tab. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Have a good time," Chris said politely as he saw the younger man bid the rest of Team 7 goodbye and went to join his lady. He tried not to stare as Vin and Alex exchange greetings in gentle kisses before leaving the bar. Despite his jaded interior, Chris could not help letting a smile cross his face as they went. They made a good couple, and Chris had never seen Vin happier.
Following their departure, Chris turned his attention back to his beer and to thoughts of Mary Travis, especially after today…
******
EARLIER THAT DAY…
She was killing his concentration.
Chris Larabee tried not to notice as he waited patiently for the arrest to go down. For two weeks, they had been tracking a shipment of illegal weapons being brought into the country from some former Eastern Bloc country now selling off Soviet hardware to anyone who could pay the price. The guns were made from ceramic which made them especially dangerous since they could pass through metal detectors without drawing attention. Chris's sources pinpointed the transaction taking place at an abandoned factory in the seedier part of town.
While studying the construction blueprints of the structure, Chris discovered an access tunnel leading from the main floor where the purchase would be made leading directly into the sewer system. Chris had no intention of letting two months of hard work go down the drain, so to speak and decided it was wise to cover that exit point when the ATF agents finally converged upon the suspects. Chris would not risk any of his men with a civilian nipping at their heels and thus found himself at the sewer juncture leading from the factory manhole with Mary Travis.
As in the case of most weapons arrests, Chris anticipated a lot of shooting but trusted his men to follow procedure, as well as being able to take care of themselves. Besides, he could not expect them to babysit a reporter, and he knew there was no way in hell she would stay in the car. Sticking with him seemed the least likely element of his operation to endanger the woman, and Chris took it upon himself as the leader of Team 7 to keep an eye on her.
"We're moving into position." Chris heard Vin's voice announce through the crackle of static on the two-way radio.
"Good." Chris nodded, wishing he was up above instead of being stuck here surrounded by the rushing sound of foul water and the fetid stench of rotting things he had no wish to identify.
He glanced at Mary and saw she was fighting bravely not to be affected by their surroundings. Despite their less than glamorous location, Chris could not help but notice her. Through the near overwhelming odour of the place, he could still scent the light whiff of her perfume and instead of wearing her hair in a braid, she wore it loose today. He tried not to stare at the cascade of gold shimmering whenever she moved even though he wanted so much to run his fingers through it and breathe its fragrance in his lungs.
"They're moving in." He remarked, trying to say something intelligent and witty but barely managed coherent or intelligible when he was around her. It had been so long since any woman sparked his interest. Chris no longer knew how to talk to the opposite sex, and Mary, well she was not like any woman he knew. Women were usually predictable in their mannerisms, but Mary was nothing like what he was accustomed to. It made Chris uncomfortable just seeing how Mary looked at him with that bemused smile like she knew everything he was thinking and could see through the facade of indifference he wore like a second skin.
"I heard." She nodded and cringed involuntarily at the sight of a rat running on the walkway on the other side of the tunnel. The sight of it made her further lean back into the wall until she realised she did not want to touch any part of the grimy surface.
"You could have stayed in the car, you know," Chris reminded, seeing her discomfort at being in this place but could not help being entertained by her attempts to hide it.
"You could have let me go with the others." She returned, her blue-grey eyes sparkling with white heat and Chris suddenly had a sense of just how upset she was to be trapped down here with him. Still, despite himself, he was impressed she had not complained as he would expect most women in her similar situation to do.
"I ain't going to let you get under their feet," Chris said promptly. "You could get hurt or worse yet, you could get them killed."
He realised belatedly the remark was going to piss her off, and he was right.
Mary marched right up to him and found herself standing inches away as she declared hotly. "I am not some wet behind the ears amateur, you know. I have just as much sense as the next person to not walk into trouble. I know how to take care of myself, Mr Larabee."
"That may be, but this is my team, and I say what goes." He took a step back because he did not like being so close to her.
When she was near him, Chris became so aware of her he could not think straight. He had to keep looking at her forehead because if he looked at her hair, he'd want to touch it and her eyes could just drown him with their colour. Furthermore, thinking about soft, silken lips was almost bordering on arousal.
"If you are attempting to bait me, Mr Larabee," Mary glared glad he had withdrawn because she was taken back by how his closeness had affected her. How could such a devastatingly handsome looking man end up being so damned annoying? Mary knew what he was doing, and she was not about to let him get away with it, nor was she going to let him see it was getting to her. "It has been tried by better men than you."
"Don't flatter yourself, Ms Travis," Chris turned his back on her, a sneer as he turned away. "You're not my type."
"Oh that's a load of crap, and we both know it." Mary snorted, unable to stop herself and winced when she made that statement. However, he had done the impossible by provoking her temper into flaring. "You've been lusting after me over ever since we met."
"Lusting after you?" Chris bristled at the inference, especially when it was true. "If keeping an eye on that pretty little butt of yours constitutes as lusting…." Chris realised what he said and groaned inwardly.
"My butt though pretty," Mary said with complete dignity and some measure of triumph. "Is none of your concern. I suggest you avert your eyes elsewhere and let me do my job."
"Your job," Chris said, trying to restrain his temper for it was edging towards breaking point almost as precariously as hers. "Is to sit and be quiet while I do my job and not get under our feet like some puppy."
"You had better not be calling me a dog." She seethed at the description.
"Well, you're certainly behaving like a bit…"
Fortunately, Vin's voice on the two-way radio interrupted Chris before he could quite finish that particular sentence. "Chris! One of them is coming your way!"
The uncertainty in his face vanished immediately, and Chris went for his gun.
"Stay behind me." He ordered as his eyes darted towards the direction of the manhole.
Mary was not about to argue and immediately narrowed the gap between them. She found herself following him closely as he advanced up the tunnel without a hint of apprehension. She wondered how he could be so tongue-tied when speaking to her and be so self-assured when facing down a criminal.
The man was a puzzle, she had to confess and not only that, a rather attractive one. When he stared at her with that intense gaze of his, she could be tempted into melting if not for the fact that he had such a rotten demeanour and antagonistic nature. Some women went for intense, penetrating looks, not her. Any woman falling for Chris Larabee would have a more pleasant time dashing herself against rocks than attempting to maintain a relationship with him.
"How many do you think they'll be?"
"I don't know." He replied with that maddening calm. "Be quiet, I can't hear."
Mary fell silent, observing him as he moved because he was an entirely new creature now. He moved like an animal, calm and predatory. Confidence oozing from every step forward, she felt slightly awed by the power of him. His movements were sleek and deliberate, being something of an achievement, considering where they were. For an instant, he reminded Mary of a jungle cat, moving through the trees with lethal agility and stealthy grace. She could sense the danger emanating from him as he continued up the tunnel with a predatory gleam in his eyes that made her heart beat faster in her chest.
Chris didn’t like this. He couldn’t hear anyone, and yet Vin would not give him the warning unless he believed there was real danger. Worse yet, he had a civilian with him. If anything were to happen to her, Chris would be in a world of trouble. It was difficult to make out sound inside the passageway because the running water, rats and other vermin scampering in the dark was confusing. He should have heard someone coming this way already.
"Are you sure someone is coming?"
"Do I have to shut you up myself?" Chris glared over his shoulder and issued that warning with menace.
"You don't have to be so rude about it." She pointed out and saw him bristling with exasperation. "All you had to do was tell me."
"I'm telling you now," his voice sharpened. "Shut up."
"Alright!" She bit back when suddenly, she saw something moving in the darkness. "Look out!"
Chris turned around just to see someone coming at him. He barely had time to move out of the way when he saw a glint of light in the darkness that could only be one thing.
"Get down!" He shouted and shoved her backwards, away from the line of fire.
Chris had less than a second to shoot. With his gun already drawn, he fired twice into the darkness and dropped to his knees, hoping the position would give him some shelter from the returning fire. Unfortunately, none was forthcoming. All he heard were gurgling sounds in the nearby distance ahead and splashing sounds behind him. Chris started toward the former.
The man lay dying in a puddle of his own blood, choking on the fluid when it spurted from his neck and filled his mouth. His throat was a mess of torn flesh, shredded by the two bullets Chris fired. Life slipped away from his open eyes, and the grip of his gun went slack. Picking up the weapon carefully, Chris bagged it and secreted it away for evidence.
"Bastard." He heard Mary sputter.
Turning around, Chris suddenly remembered Mary and swore under his breath. She was climbing onto the walkway, dripping with sewer water and other unmentionables after he unknowingly pushed her over the edge into the sewer canal. She was covered in dark grime and the scent he found so intoxicating before was replaced with the rancid aroma of whatever was in the water. She was soaked to the skin, and Chris had to bite his lip to maintain his composure.
If he laughed, she would kill him where he stood.
"Are you alright, Ms Travis?" He asked with perfect innocence.
There was a clump of soiled leaves in her hair, and she picked it out of the tangle of golden strands before tossing it away. Lifting her chin with complete dignity, she brushed the errant locks of hair out of her face and replied. "I am perfectly fine Mr Larabee, why do you ask?"
"No reason."
She was wearing a plain white t-shirt which was now grey and mottled, not to mention it clung so tightly to her skin Chris forced himself to look away and cleared his throat as he removed his coat and handed it to her.
"Here, wear this."
"I do not need it, Mr Larabee." She said stiffly and made no move to take the garment.
"Well, I need you to wear it," Chris replied as he walked past her and shoved it into her hands, giving her no choice in the matter, all the while avoiding looking directly at her. "Bra-less and wet is not the way to win my cooperation. Besides," he couldn't help but grin. "You're cold."
"I'm cold." Mary grumbled as she eased back into her bathtub and finally rid herself of the stink from the day's adventure. "As if he didn't have a good look first." She closed her eyes and allowed the warm water to coax the tension from her bones.
Suddenly her cell rang, and Mary swore lightly under her breath as she edged out of the water long enough to reach it. Easing back into position once she put it on speaker, Mary let the warm water swirl over her skin once more.
"Hello."
"Well darling, I had no idea you have succumbed to the trappings of domestic living." The familiar voice responded.
"Julia!" Mary exclaimed with genuine pleasure. "Where are you?"
"Would you believe I am in the same area code as you?" Her caller responded. "I've had a job go frightfully wrong on me, and I have to stay in town a little longer to explain to my client why I'm not delivering the goods."
"Well, it could not possibly compare to the day I've had. Do you know that ATF agents are more a pain in the ass than the FBI or CIA?"
"I gather we are talking about a man."
"Oh, yes," Mary nodded. "He has to be the most annoying, exasperating, arrogant son of a bitch that has ever walked, no slithered, across the earth."
Silence followed.
"Julia, you still there?" Mary asked when the pause grew quite lengthy.
"Yes I am, but you are aware of course, that is how you described Steven when you met him."
Mary hung up the phone.
Chapter Two
Tuesday
Mary Travis decided one thing this morning. She was prepared for whatever Chris Larabee intended throwing at her. After the sewer the day before, she was confident she could handle anything. Thus, when she arrived at the ATF office that morning, she did so with the firm belief he could not possibly outdo himself.
She was wrong.
Mary cringed in the vinyl booth she was presently occupying, trying to avoid the leering eyes of a greasy looking man in a cheap suit and slicked-back hair. The man managed to keep his eyes on her even though he was presently spilling his guts to Chris who took absolutely no stock of his surroundings even if it was a strip joint. In the rest of the dimly lit place, bare bodies only a g-string away from complete nudity gyrated to loud, outdated music. Mary would not call what they did dancing. Their audience were the bottom feeders of the human gene pool and posed a strong argument, each one of them, for the necessity of birth control.
It was bad enough she was subject to this disgusting display, but things were going on elsewhere in this room that was enough to make her skin crawl. In the far end of the room, she could see a youth no more than twenty earning the money he was paid by a fat, sweaty man wearing leather, on his knees. She forced herself not to look at the scene of ragged looking women at the bar, pretending to be paying customers when it was apparent, they were looking for some.
Chris seemed oblivious to her discomfiture, although she was sure he was amusing himself to no end at her expense. Continuing his conversation with the informant called Lennie, she wondered who selected this venue for their meeting and had no doubt this was just another one of Chris's attempts to embarrass her. Although to be fair, he did ask her to remain in the office with the rest of the team. Unfortunately, Mary was so paranoid he was just trying to be a pain in the ass she insisted on accompanying him, and he was not forthcoming about their destination.
"So, you finally got rid of Tanner and found some real help?" Lennie gave her a salacious leer once Chris got his information from him.
"Something like that," Chris mumbled, wishing Lennie's choice of meeting place was anywhere but here. Despite what Mary was thinking, Chris did not appreciate being forced to bring her to a place like this. However, there was no telling the woman anything, and he wondered how anyone could be so damn stubborn when it was for their own good.
"Well I gotta say, I approve," Lennie said, flashing a smile revealing several rotten teeth. "I'll bet she must be real entertaining on stakeouts."
"Watch your mouth," Chris warned as he saw the smouldering look in Mary's eyes and decided he should have tried to handle this differently since there was every indication she was about to go volcanic on him. Still, he did try to tell her.
Yeah, but you could have tried a little harder.
Deciding it was best he rectified the situation instead of ruminating on how this had happened, he had to confess she held her poker face well. Mary showed no signs of being bothered, even though in the corner of the room, some guy was giving another a blow job and she was surrounded by mostly naked strippers and hookers casing the joint for potential johns.
"Sorry man," Lennie caught the menace in Chris's eyes behind the warning and swallowed visibly. It was never wise to get on the wrong side of this man. "No offence intended ma'am."
"None taken," she said stiffly.
"Is that it, Lennie?" Chris asked, eager to get her out of here.
"That's all I know," the informant confessed, wanting to be on his way as well. The venue was selected because no one of importance frequented a place like this and being seen with the leader of an ATF team was hazardous to one's health in this neighbourhood.
"Good," Chris said gruffly and slid out of the booth. "We're going." He tossed a few notes on the table and walked out without waiting for her.
Chris said nothing as they stepped out into the sunlight once again and breathed in fresh air not polluted with smoke, stale liquor and to his extreme revulsion, bodily fluids. Mary did not meet his gaze but judging by the sullen expression on her face, she was not happy. The regret nagging at him inside the strip joint had now evolved into full-blown guilt, and he knew that he could have avoided putting her through this if he had been a little forthcoming about where they were going.
They were almost to the car when Chris paused and started to say. "Mary, I'm s....."
She did not let him finish. Mary swung around and struck him right across the jaw in a flawless forward jab. Chris was nearly knocked off his feet at the power behind her knuckles, and amidst his brief disorientation from the blow, thought she must have had some training somewhere.
"You son of a bitch!" She roared, unafraid of letting anyone hear her as she laid into him. "You know, I thought that I had put up with some crap in my life, but you take the cake! I've had border guards molesting me with their hands while they were supposed to be frisking me! Once, I had to pose as a streetwalker to get a lead, I even had to play a massage girl to crack a white slavery ring and none of that, made me feel as dirty as I felt today!"
"I tried to warn you!" Chris cried in his defence, feeling like an absolute bastard seeing she was very close to tears. He had not meant to push her that far, just enough to make her go away because she was awakening in him feelings too close to what he felt for Sarah, and it frightened him.
"Oh, you tried very hard! Well I don't care what hang up you have with me, but I am writing this story. I am writing this story because there is a seven-year-old boy that needs me to write it!" She jabbed her finger in his chest. "So, you and your bullshit isn't going to stop me!"
Chris did not know what to say because in truth, there was nothing he could say. He had been giving her a tough time since she turned up in his office, mainly because he felt so strongly for her. Mary did not wait for him to speak and jumped into the car and waited for him, steam still exuding from her ears. He joined her in the car and was suddenly reminded of those times when he had argued with Sarah. She would sit in silence, arms folded and say nothing, making him feel worse.
Once again, the parallels between Mary and Sarah drove home why he was so attracted to this woman.
"We're going back to the office," he informed her somewhat gingerly.
"You were going somewhere else," she bit back. "Go there! I don't need you to hold back because of me."
"I ain't holding back because of you." Chris protested with annoyance.
"Then let's go."
Deciding it was less painful than arguing with her, and also because he did owe her one, Chris obeyed.
"Okay," he started the car. "It's nothing big though. Lennie never has any good leads."
******
Half an hour after that statement, Chris Larabee and Mary Travis found themselves locked in a room with a gunman while the powers that be, running the illegal meth operation they stumbled into, decided what was to be done with them. Judging by the size of the enterprise they had virtually walked straight into with its factory size location, Chris did not hold out hope for their survival.
"Never any good leads huh?" Mary sniped sarcastically as they were seated on the floor, his arms bound around the back while her wrists were held together with a cable tie. Chris's gun was tucked neatly in their guard’s belt, and he eyed Mary with more interest than was healthy as far as she was concerned.
"I'll get us out of here." He assured her, not liking the way the man was looking at Mary any more than she did. He did not know what was worse. Being caught in this situation where they could die, or the embarrassment of these men getting the drop on him in front of her.
"You can't even get out of those ropes."
"I'm working on it," he bristled with annoyance at her lack of confidence in him, particularly when he was in some small way, trying to impress her with his ability to handle any situation no matter how adverse. It did not help he was so attracted to Mary, the idea of harm coming to her was twisting his insides with fear.
"Well work harder," she said, looking anxiously at the guard before her. His eyes were moving across her form, taking in the sight of her like she was something he was going to be enjoying soon enough. He barely noticed Chris working the ropes behind his back. Still, as Mary thought about it, Chris freeing his hands was not going to be enough to affect their escape and suddenly a dangerous idea formed in her head. She glanced at Chris, who kept his eye trained on the man even though the subtle movements behind his back indicated his focus was elsewhere.
Chris needed a distraction to act, and Mary decided she was going to give it to him.
"Are they going to kill us?" She called out to her guard, her voice oozing with feminine concern. "I don't want to die."
Chris stopped what he was doing and looked at her immediately, wondering what she playing at.
"Mary...."
"Shut up!" The gunman shoved Chris back into place with a boot in the ATF agent's chest before turning to Mary again, licking his own lips in anticipation at the promise of what her voice was offering him.
"Is there any possible way I can talk you out of it?" Mary asked, her voice becoming more seductive with unmistakable invitation oozing from it.
The man caught her meaning immediately, compelled in part by his own desire for this beautiful woman with her golden hair and her soft lips, enticing him with pleasure as he stepped forward. "What do you have in mind?" A slight curl formed on his lips and Chris did not like where this was going at all.
Not one damn bit.
"How about..." she rolled her tongue across her silky lips in a dance so mesmerising that both men were similarly transfixed.
Chris's mouth dropped open when he realised what she was suggesting.
The leader of the ATF watched in wide-eyed dismay as the gunman became very receptive to her offer.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He glared at her, flabbergasted beyond belief at the dangerous game she was playing.
"Shut up." The gunman kicked him in the chest again and slammed him back into the wall once more. "The lady is smart, and she made the offer."
The man stepped closer to Mary as she leaned back, readying herself as he neared her with one hand on his gun and the other fumbling for his belt. He was within reach of her legs when Mary saw his eyes drop for a moment to a troublesome notch he could not unhook. Knowing it was now or never, Mary took the opportunity to act because she was sure as hell not going to go through with her offer.
Kicking her leg out with years of training behind her, the ball of her foot landed squarely on his groin. He barely had time to scream before he doubled over in pain. No sooner than he was on his knees, Mary jumped to her feet and ploughed another kick into his sternum, almost flipping him onto his back before her last kick to the side of his head rendered him completely unconscious. She took a deep breath, unable to believe she managed such an effort before remembering they were not out of trouble yet.
Meanwhile, Chris could only stare at her in a mixture of astonishment and arousal.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He managed to ask once he had overcome his amazement at her skilful handling of the situation and by the fact, she might have possibly saved both their lives.
"Kickboxing classes," Mary said breathlessly as she searched the room for something to free her
hands and spotted a small pen knife at the nearby workbench. "Friend of mine told me it was a great way to meet guys."
"Really?" Chris almost smiled but held it back.
"No," she shook her head, concentrating on holding the blade in its awkward position as she started cutting the plastic tie. "Seems there were about fifty other women in the class with the same idea."
Her hands were soon freed, and she hurried to Chris, who by this point, was on his feet and had turned around so she could free him.
"I have to pass that on to Buck," he muttered as he felt her cutting the ropes behind his back. "He's always looking for new territory to mark."
"The man has no shame," Mary shook her head in disgust as the last fibres were sliced away and his wrists were finally freed.
Retrieving his gun, there was one thing Chris was compelled to do before anything else.
"A blow job, really?"
"Have you ever met a man who has ever said no to that?"
"Good point," he agreed, opting for the safest response and not the one that would get him slapped, again.
"What now?" She asked, glad to turn their escape over to him. Outside the door of this room was at least a dozen armed goons. Mary did so hope he had a way to escape this room that did not require them trying to breach the barrier posed by those men. They'd never make it.
Fortunately, Chris had no intention of endangering her life by attempting anything so foolhardy. The only thing that mattered was getting her out of here in one piece. Her resourcefulness gave them an opening, and he wasn't going to waste it. Turning tail and running never sat well with Chris Larabee, but when it came to the life of this woman, his dignity and personal preferences could take a back seat. Scanning the room, he saw a small window that would be a tight squeeze for them both but possible as a means of escape.
"Window." He gestured towards the narrow opening.
"I can live with that." She sighed in relief, grateful for the alternative. As uncomfortable as that small window might look in their attempt to breach it, it was far healthier than facing the operators of this illegal venture.
Chris ushered Mary through first, having to lift her up part of the way because the window was high above the floor. She had no trouble passing through although her rear end could not make the crossing without help. Chris tried to keep his hands in a respectable position as he pushed her through, but eventually, he had to place his palms against that tight, firm curve of flesh.
"Watch your hands." She warned as her cheeks (on her face that is) flushed red from embarrassment because his touch was engendering sensations entirely inappropriate for the time and place.
"You just offer to give a guy a blow job, and you're getting prissy about my hands on your ass?" Chris said sarcastically with the barest hint of amusement, not to mention secret pleasure stolen at her expense as he lingered a little longer on that sweet derriere than he should have.
"Yes," she said sweetly, craning her neck back far enough to meet his gaze. "When it's your hands."
"Sorry, Miss Travis but we're a little pressed for time, but you're just going to have to be satisfied with my hands until I have time to use something else." He smiled before giving her a firm shove that sent her all the way through.
"Wait a minute Chris...." she started to protest as she tumbled to the other side and suddenly she was screaming.
"Mary!" Chris was suddenly filled with panic, and he jumped through after her, never moving so fast in his life when suddenly he heard a loud splash and looked down just in time to see that there was no ground beneath him but water! The warehouse was located at the edge of the canal area and in the split second before he hit the murky surface, realised why they were only assigned one guard.
He hit the space next to her, splashing her with water as he submerged briefly under the surface before the escaping air from his lungs forced him afloat.
"What is it with you and getting me wet?" She sputtered in fury when he finally emerged next to her. Her blond hair was plastered all over her face, and she looked like the albino version of Cousin It. Of course, he kept that observation to himself.
"Foreplay?" He grinned, not knowing why he was enjoying this whole absurdity immensely.
Mary rolled her eyes in disgust before shoving his head underwater again.
******
"Why is it that every time I telephone you, you seem to be in a bathtub these days?"
As it turned out, Chris and Mary managed to make it to the car without further incident where Chris promptly called for backup. Within twenty minutes, the rest of Team 7 and thirty cops converged upon the location. Despite the indignity of the whole situation, Mary did find she had an exclusive on the arrests and had an exciting chapter in her magazine story.
"Because the man has a funny way of expressing charm," Mary grumbled as she scrubbed the dirt from under her nails while talking into the speaker of her phone.
"So I gather you like him."
"Yeah like an extreme case of syphilis. What about you? How come you're still in town?" She inquired wishing to forget Chris Larabee and his stupid, gorgeous smile and the infuriating way he had of making her feel for him, even when he was behaving like a complete jackass.
There was a slight pause before her oldest friend answered. "Let's just say I'm developing a taste for something southern."
Chapter Three
Wednesday
Unlike the first two days of Mary Travis's assignment covering a story about the men of ATF, Wednesday actually took place without her being thrown into a waterway of any kind. Instead, she spent a rather agreeable morning, getting in-depth material from the men who made up Team 7 and discovered despite being under the command of a complete jackass, they were quite an eclectic bunch. While avoiding their leader as much as possible, Mary admired the men making up Chris Larabee's team and had to respect the feeling of family he instilled in all of them.
Before falling under Chris's command, the rest of Team 7 had been loners in one shape or form. They were always on the outside looking in; never feeling they were apart of anything until Chris recruited them. Mary whose own ambitions for herself, set her apart from those around her, could appreciate the need to belong.
From Vin Tanner's lonely existence as a bounty hunter to Buck's need for family, by keeping the others together with good humour and warmth, to Nathan's concern for everyone that bordered on motherly. Even spiritually inclined Josiah who was a preacher once, could not compare the serenity of his faith with the feeling of kinship he felt with these men. Ezra who was a much a loner as anyone could get, could not ignore the need for friendship. The agent had gone so far as to admitting his jaded outlook on life improved since becoming a member of Team 7, while JD who strive for acceptance, was growing up with six caring friends to watch his back.
The glue holding them together, despite her personal feelings about the man, was Chris Larabee. He was the link that kept their bond strong, the impetus that made the fellowship work. With the close-knit relationships existing between these men, it was easy for Mary to conclude the reason for Team 7's success rate in the field, not to mention low casualty rate, had to do with their mutual affection for one another.
Chris was inside his office most of the day and judging by the fact he had not emerged from the room since the moment she arrived, Mary assumed he wanted no part of this segment of her story. Burying himself in his paperwork, Mary did not see him for most of the morning and early afternoon. Deciding she would pin him down another day since she had an appointment elsewhere, Mary picked up the phone at the desk provided for her use during the week, and checked the progress of her car in the shop for repairs.
"What do you mean, it's not done yet?"
Chris heard Mary demand when he was idling away at the filing cabinet near her desk, having deemed it safe enough to emerge since she appeared to be leaving for the day. Chris was grateful for the escape her departure allowed since he had no intention of being included in the heart to heart she was having with the rest of his men.
"But you said two o'clock." Mary continued her debate with the speaker on the other end of the phone. "I gave you an extra hour!"
Chris lingered by, wondering what the urgency was about a car. However, judging by the stormy expression on her face as she continued her conversation, it appeared to be extremely urgent for there was something in her eyes that was not just simple annoyance but genuine dismay.
"Fine!" She was visibly angry. "Tomorrow it is, but if I go there and find out you've got more work to do on my car, I will have your guts for garters and trust me, I know people." With that, she slammed the phone down hard and made everyone jump with the sheer intensity of her words and a black mood rivalling even one of Chris's more infamous displays. "Bastard!"
"Trouble Miss Travis?" Chris was the only onr who dared to ask since no one was brave enough to speak to a woman in her state of mind without the safety of protective headgear and a cup.
"Not trouble, disaster." She snapped and fell silent for about two seconds until she discovered she was just annoyed enough to tell him what was bothering her. "My car won't be ready this afternoon."
"Civilisation has been known to survive Miss Travis." He said with a hint of sarcasm, showing indifference to her problem or what the persistent nibbling of her lower lip was doing to him. Still, he was unable to fathom why such simple things were so earth-shattering for women.
"Why do I even bother to tell you?" She groaned and shook her head in futility.
"Okay, okay," Chris conceded he was being a pain and offered her a gesture of defeat before urging her to continue. "I'm sorry, what so important about your car?"
"I needed to go somewhere," she answered, more focused on trying to decide which would be faster, a cab or an Uber. If she was lucky, both might be able to get here fast enough for her to make her appointment, since missing it was not an option. It took Mary a moment to realise Chris was staring at her in expectation to continue with what she had been saying.
"My son's baseball game all right?" Mary blurted out with exasperation in her voice, having no patience to deal with him and this problem. "I promised him I would be there today. I've never seen him play little league and it is his first game of the summer." She grumbled, remembering how eager Billy had been for her to attend. Considering she missed almost everything in his life for the past two years, it was doubly important for Mary to be there today.
"What's his name?" Chris asked seriously, understanding completely now why she was so upset. Such promises were not made lightly, and if Adam asked that of him, nothing would have stopped Chris from being there, not even the biggest arrest in history. Of course, he would never know for sure because for Adam, there would never be baseball games or Christmas pageants. Thinking about Adam that way affected Chris more deeply than he liked, especially in front of Mary and the pain surfaced like it always did, quickly and with potent effect. Forcing it away, Chris wondered how a millisecond of it still felt like an eternity.
"Billy," Mary replied, volunteering that information with the same enthusiasm she might have making a dental appointment. For some reason, she did not want him to know that much about her private life.
"Come on," Chris said suddenly, not wanting her to miss that game because he hated to think of any child disappointed. "I'm the boss, I can take some time to give you a lift."
It took Mary a moment to realise he was not volunteering, he was telling. Still, she was hardly able to refuse and could see the offer was a genuine attempt to help her out of a difficult situation.
"You don't have to," she eyed him suspiciously, uncertain how to take this gesture of kindness. "I can try for a cab or an Uber," Mary said reluctantly. However, even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew his offer was the best solution. A cab or an Uber would take time to get here, and if Mary were going to make the first inning, she would have to leave now. As much as she loathed accepting Chris's help, she was going to have to.
"Easy there Mary," Chris rolled his eyes not waiting for an answer because, like her, he knew she had no alternative but to take him up on his offer. The leader of Team 7 closed the filing cabinet drawer and started towards his office. "Your gratitude is overwhelming."
"Mary?" She raised a brow at him. "Since when were we on a first name basis Mr Larabee?" She emphasised those last two words so he would not make the mistake of thinking they were friends.
"Since I started letting you in my ride."
"If it was not for my son...." Mary fumed, glaring at his back with narrowed eyes, stung at being forced to accept the help of this arrogant son of a bitch. This is what they must call a mother's sacrifice. Watching Chris stride back to his office, cocky as all hell and knowing perfectly well she could not refuse, Mary wondered if they, whoever they were, knew just how big a sacrifice it was going to be.
"Whatever," Chris shook his head as he widened the space between them. "It's not like I'm going to run out of gas on the way there or anything." He looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. "Or are we disappointed because I wasn't?"
"Will you just get the damn keys!" Mary sputtered in annoyance and then noticed the faces around the room.
Every member of Team 7 was fighting hard to keep a straight face. Josiah was holding up a book over his face higher than usual. Vin was hiding behind a computer screen. Buck did not seem to care and was grinning ear to ear like he was watching something really entertaining. Ezra kept clearing his throat. Nathan excused himself from the room, sniggering as he departed while JD was biting his lip. Mary let her blue-grey eyes sweep across everyone still in the room and issued a silent warning that the first person who laughed was going to die.
Returning her attention back to Chris, she pondered not for the first time, how someone with such a great ass could create such pain in someone else's.
*****
Somehow, they managed to arrive at the baseball field where Billy would be playing his game without killing each other. Nevertheless, their conversation during the journey resembled the serves at a well-played tennis game. Chris had to admit it was a great day for a baseball game and any duty taking him away from the artificial lighting, and air-conditioned staleness of his office was welcomed. Even if it meant ferrying Mary around the place and hearing her gripe incessantly at how she still hated him but appreciated the ride.
They arrived in plenty of time before the game was to start. Chris pulled his black Dodge RAM at the kerb at the sports field, a block away from Billy Travis's school. The school was situated in the suburbs and was one of those environments where accountants and realty people seem to flourish. No doubt, this was the world of bake sales and PTA meetings. He could not picture Mary playing that role on a full-time basis.
When the vehicle came to a halt, Mary turned to Chris as she prepared to climb out. Swallowing, it took some nerve to say what came next.
"Thank you," she answered after a moment, softening enough to realise thanks to him, she would not disappoint Billy. Still, Mary found it extremely hard to say anything nice to him. For some reason, the most potent emotion Chris Larabee engendered in Mary Travis was the strongest desire to slap him silly and wipe that damn smirk he wore only around her.
"I think I might just like to watch a baseball game today." He started to get out of the Dodge at the same time she did, still wearing that damn smile on his face.
"No, you don't," Mary's eyes widened with horror because she did not want him anywhere around her or her son. "You got to go back to work and protect the world from illegal alcohol manufactures and cigarette smokers. You can't stay!"
"You mean I drive you down here, and you won't even let me stay and watch the game?" He asked, folding his hands and looking at her like she was a spoilt prom queen with an expression on his face that revealed he was enjoying her annoyance immensely.
"That's right." She said firmly and let out a deep breath, realising she had no choice but to explain it to this arrogant bastard. "Look, don't take this personally, but my son is a very sensitive child. He thinks I'm a reporter like...." Mary closed her eyes and flinched as she sought the horrifying approximation of the point she was attempting to get across. "Like Megyn Kelly, not Lois Lane, okay? I don't want him to know that I spend my time..."
"Offering criminals blowjobs?"
"Very funny." She smouldered, her voice becoming a low hiss. "But no, I don't want him to think that I offer blow jobs to people!" She barked loudly just as a somewhat nuclear family passed by. The wife's mouth rounded into an 'o' of distaste, but the husband's lips curled into a smile of interest. Mary saw their expressions and dropped her head against the window of the Dodge.
"If you mention that to my son..."
"Mom!" A voice suddenly interrupted her threat to render Chris limb from limb. The boy who bounded into her arms had the same white-gold hair as Mary, and as she embraced him hard, Chris saw emotion seeping into her eyes at her love for the child. It made him glad he'd offered her the ride.
"I knew you'd come!" Billy cried out excitedly, obviously adoring his mother. "Grandma Evie said you might be busy, but I knew it! I just knew you'd be here."
"Hey," Mary smiled back at him. "For my little Slugger, you bet your life I'd be here." She hugged him again before Billy noticed Chris standing there and made her scowl, realising she probably ought to introduce him. "Billy, this is Mr Larabee."
"Hi, Mr Larabee." The boy greeted, and Chris found himself warming to this seven-year-old immediately because the smile on his small face was utterly without guile, unlike his mother's.
"Hey there, Billy. What spot do you play?"
"Second base," Billy replied, his youthful eyes scrutinizing the stranger. "Do you work with my mom?"
"No, I just throw her into canals and sewers every now and then." He remarked giving Mary a wink while she muttered obscenities under her breath Billy could not hear or notice because he was still focussed on Chris
"Mr Larabee is an ATF agent," Mary explained, shooting a venomous glare at Chris while Billy puzzled over his answer. "That means he's with the bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms."
"You mean like Elliot Ness?" Billy's eyes widened with excitement.
"Elliot Ness?" Chris stared blankly at the child.
"Yeah," Billy nodded, unable to understand why no one could make the connection. Grownups, they could not be expected to be very smart. "I saw it on TV!" He explained it like the two adults with him were the children. "Elliot Ness stops people from making beer and stuff."
To tell the truth, that was one association Chris never considered since most people, especially those FBI assholes, tended to describe Team 7 as cowboys, like those in that old Yul Brynner movie.
"Close enough," Chris admitted with a smile.
"Wow! That is so cool!" Billy exploded upon hearing this confirmation. "Do you carry a gun and bust bad guys?"
"Billy!" Mary gasped, discovering to her horror her son had not been this animated about any person since Steven. While she was thrilled, he was coming out of his shell a little, she could not stomach the fact that it was Chris who had inspired all this enthusiasm. "I don't think you should be asking...."
"Would you stay and watch the game, Mr Larabee, please?" Billy implored suddenly before Mary could stop him.
"Billy," Mary quickly interjected, realising that things were going downhill from this point. "I'm sure Mr Larabee is busy."
"I was busy, but since your mom invited me, I couldn't say no." Chris grinned and offered Mary an infuriating smile of smug satisfaction that would have earned him his death if the boy was not present. "And call me Chris." He added, just to dig the knife a little deeper.
If looks could kill, Chris was confident the glare that Mary was sending in his direction would have struck him dead on the spot. Fortunately, the interplay between the two supposed adults was forced to take a back seat for the moment, when a new voice called out.
"Hey, Billy!" A rather tubby greying man, wearing a coach's uniform and obligatory whistle called to Billy. "Game's starting."
"I got to go, mom!" Billy pulled away from her and hurried towards the break into the fence surrounding the baseball diamond.
"Good luck!" Mary waved at him as he left.
"Yeah knock 'em dead," Chris called out, offering his own salutations.
Billy turned around long enough to wave at them, his face beaming with happiness at both the presence of his mother and this cool friend of hers who caught real-life crooks.
"Thanks, mom, thanks, Chris!" He shouted over the grass before disappearing behind the stands.
When he was gone, Mary whirled around and growled in a low voice, "I really hate you."
Chris grinned. "Now is that any way to behave at a baseball game?”
******
Unfortunately, it did not take long for the situation to change rapidly.
Mary spotted her mother-in-law, Evie Travis on the stands with the rest of the spectators at this particular game and immediately went to join them. Mrs Travis was kind enough, making polite conversation with Chris while imparting upon Mary how thrilling it was for Billy, she was present at this game. Chris could understand what she meant after seeing the joy in the child's eyes earlier. No doubt, this was at the heart of Mary's decision to stay in Denver instead of globetrotting across the world, like a journalist of her calibre ought to be doing.
Not long into the game however, an unexpected visitor arrived and threw a monkey wrench in the whole works.
His name was Gerard Whitman, an old friend of the Travis's who was here because his daughter was playing today. It appeared he was a friend of Steven Travis and was an accountant or something boring like that, and recently divorced. It became very clear from the moment he managed to squeeze himself between Chris and Mary, what was on his mind and Chris had enough difficulty with Mary at present without having to deal with an unwanted rival as well.
Chris hated him.
Gerard was mediocre, and he pandered to Mary with comments like, 'you're still as young as the first time I met you' and was probably one of those guys who liked to take long walks on the beach and gaze at the stars with all that other romantic crap. Finally, Chris decided he better do something, or else Mr Whitman was going to find an illegal cache of previously evidenced weapons in his garage, followed by a visit from Team 7.
"Whitman," Chris said as he stood up from his seat at half time, "I'm going for some hot dogs and drinks, I could use a hand."
"Of course." Gerard Whitman said politely, and the two men descended the steps as they headed for the kiosk.
Chris made sure they were a suitable distance away before he remarked. "Mary's a fine woman."
"She certainly is," Gerard agreed with a slight nod. "How long have you known each other?" He asked, making the inquiry in case he was treading on someone's toes. Mary introduced this stranger as being a work acquaintance and that suited Gerard just fine, but then assumption was the mother of all fuckups, and he wanted some clarification as to her relationship with this man.
"Little under a week," Chris answered, aware was at the bottom of the inquiry. "It’s a pity though, I'd like to get to know her better, but some things aren't meant to be." He capped that sentence with a longing sigh.
Gerard's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Pity about what?"
Chris looked at the man innocently and pretended to feign shock and dismay. These guys were so damn predictable, he thought. "Aw hell, I'm sorry. I assumed everyone knew. I didn't know it was meant to be a secret or something."
Now Gerard was really curious. "Secret about what?"
"That she's recently come out. She's been dating one of our office girls. Just about killed every man in the place to find out she plays for the other team, if you know what I mean?" He gave Gerard a look that oozed suggestion. Gerard's expression was priceless, and it took every bit of self-control that Chris possessed not to laugh when he saw the realisation dawning upon the man to what he was alluding.
"But she married Steven, and then there's Billy...!" Whitman stuttered in stupefaction, unable to believe it, but then Mary was always fiercely independent and extremely prone to masculine pursuits. It was shocking to hear, but in the scheme of things and his awareness of her character, the news she was gay was not that much of a surprise.
"I know," Chris said apologetically. "Now I understand why she didn't want me to stay for the game, so I wouldn't let the cat out of the bag. Look, I'd really appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. I don't want to start unlocking any family skeletons and embarrass her."
"Oh no," Gerard shook his head in agreement, thinking to himself how ridiculous his words to her must have sounded. "I'm glad you told me, I certainly wouldn't want to make a fool of myself or anything."
"Hey don't mention it, pard." Chris spoke with complete innocence." I'd hate to see any man in that kind of position."
*****
"Where's Gerard?" Mary asked when Chris returned to his seat a short time later, armed with hot dogs and drinks which he distributed evenly between himself, Mary and Evie.
"I don't know." He answered with the same innocence he imparted Mary's secret to Whitman while easing back into his chair to watch the progress of the game. "He said he had to go. Something about running some errands before the game was over."
Mary looked at him suspiciously, trying to discern why he was wearing that damn smile again but deciding, no sane person could ever figure out the inner workings of Chris Larabee's mind.
Chapter Four
Thursday
It was an unspoken rule, at least among men anyway, there all was fair in love and war.
Chris Larabee never had reason to put that rule to the test, not until he met Mary Travis. From the day she walked into his life, he knew things would never be simple again, and for the first time in too long, something grown cold and dead in his heart was revitalised by a single ember of her breezy smile.
He had not known he was falling in love with her, not until he was up to his neck in the emotion and then was utterly bewildered at how it could happen to him. Furthermore, to his astonishment, he found himself doing and saying things entirely out of character. Chris had grown accustomed to being the brooding, sombre leader of Team 7, mourning the loss of his wife and child. It was an easy persona to wear, at least for him anyway, and it kept people from prying or trying to inundate him with sympathy. Secretly, he had grown so content with the grim mask he wore he was not prepared for how easily Mary decimated it.
And decimate it she had.
Around her, he did not feel sombre or dark. His mood lifted, and he found himself enjoying their sparring matches, knowing without even understanding how he could be so sure, she enjoyed it too. While her grief for her husband was not as intense as his, it was no less potent for her, and when something was said to bring that pain to the surface, Chris felt empathy that would have surprised Mary if she knew about it. For the first time in his life, Chris Larabee found the only other woman in the universe besides Sarah, he understood.
So when a goddamn CPA named Gerard Whitman turned up out of nowhere, with his sensitive and downright drippy manners, setting his sights for the only woman Chris could ever think of being with again, the leader of Team 7 felt perfectly justified for what he did. Once again, it came back to everything being fair in love and war, right?
Apparently not.
As he found himself behind his desk, staring at what the National Weather Bureau might designate Hurricane Really Pissed Off Mary, he wondered if using that argument to explain himself would get him out of trouble. After all, had that not been the way of things since the dawn of time? It could not be helped if he was a slave to the ritual of competition between men for the female of the species since they were primates. However, judging by the look in her eyes as she slammed the door to his office while he waited for the torture to begin, he decided it would probably just make things worse.
Still, Chris being Chris, was not about to let the situation slip out of his control, no matter how furious she was, and she was very furious.
"Mary..."
"DON'T MARY ME! You…you…. don't get to talk your way out of this." She sputtered in nothing less than indignant rage. The venom in her voice was enough to shut him right up immediately. "Of all the crap I have had to take in my life, this has got to be the most juvenile, stupid, puerile garbage a grown man who should not be allowed to handle an ice cream scoop let alone a gun, has ever pulled!"
She ranted as she paced the floor in front of his desk, so livid with rage the mention of his gun made Chris glance instinctively at the weapon hanging behind him on the wall. Slowly, Chris began to inch towards it, rolling quietly along the carpeted floor when suddenly she leaned forward on his desk on her palms and glared at him, her blue-grey eyes as black as her mood.
"Don't even think of getting out of here."
"Look," Chris tried to regain control of things again. "I know you're mad…"
"Mad!" She looked at him wide-eyed, unable to believe his estimation of the situation. "Mister, I'm not mad. Furious yes, murderous definitely, almost certainly homicidal, but hell no, not mad! How could you even think to tell Gerard something like that! I mean I know you've got a sick sense of humour and you're somewhat desperate for a woman, but teenage boys have a better way of coping with it than you do! Besides, don't you have a credit card? There are 1900 numbers, you know! Get off on your sick lesbian fantasies during your own time!"
"Hey!" Chris stood up only to be shoved back into his seat by Mary.
"I didn't say you could stand up!" She barked and gave him a stare matching the Larabee glare for ferocity. "You will explain to Gerard that was delusional and twisted and you made a mistake!"
"Like hell, I will." Chris found his voice at that point. There was no way in hell, he was going to be made to apologise to Gerard Whitman for anything. Making her out to be a lesbian to get rid of the competition aside, he still had his pride.
"You will, or I will never speak to you again!"
"And this is a threat how?" Chris returned sweetly. "You've been a pain in the ass since I was forced to put up with you! I'm sorry I made a little joke at your expense, but you couldn't possibly be serious about that idiot, could you? I mean how stupid does he have to be to take the word of a complete stranger you're a lesbian. "
"The word of a brain-dead, scum-sucking pig!" She dared him to counter that opinion of him. "Besides, what business is it of yours if I took him seriously? Gerard is polite, he's sweet, he knows how to treat a woman."
"You mean he's easily whipped."
Mary's jaw dropped open, and her cheeks became redder if such a thing was possible. "Well you won't have to worry about being in that position now, do you?" She said just as sweetly, giving a triumphant smirk as she made that statement.
"Don't flatter yourself." Chris snorted because he knew Mary wanted him as much as he wanted her. He just wasn't in denial about it.
"I don't need to flatter myself," she said smugly and leaned closer towards him. "You haven't taken your eyes off me since I got here! I've noticed all the pathetic attempts to get my attention, the least of which is this ridiculous story you've told Gerard!"
"Pathetic?" Chris growled, starting to feel his own temper stoked into being and Mary had never seen it in full flower to beware of it. "Correct me if I'm wrong Ms Travis, but you didn't have to come with me the past week, if you weren't so hot to be around me either, you could have gone off with anyone of my men. I don't particularly get off on being a nursemaid to you while you try to run with the boys."
"Why you sexist son of a bitch!" She cried out in anger, her mouth gasping in 'o' of outrage as he made that statement before striking him square in the jaw.
Chris felt back into his chair from the force of the blow. She stared back at him, the least bit unrepentant as Chris stood up, rubbing his chin. Leaning forward, he decided that he just had enough of this. Narrowing his eyes, Chris exuded a smug expression of perfect calm before saying in a low voice. "That's what they all say, just before they beg me to take them home."
"You twisted…." She raised her hand to strike him again when he caught her wrist, wrapping his fist around her slender hand.
"Don't even think about it."
"I'm not afraid of you." Mary returned, but the truth was she was uncertain, because suddenly, the rules had changed and she felt the whole thing slipping out of control, her emotions moving from the safe place of being angry with him to the more uncharted waters of naked desire. Mary could see that he was just aware of the shift as she was although he seemed to be better prepared for it than she. However, Mary was not about to cry defeat yet.
"You look it." He replied, unwilling to give an inch because right now in this room, they were getting down to the heart of how they felt about each other, beyond the insecurities that made modern-day relationships so damned hard. Chris knew he was backing her into a corner forcing her to admit it, but the heat of their chemistry saturated the air with its musk and impossible to ignore.
"I am not afraid of you."
Chris did not speak. Instead, he pushed his mouth against hers, crushing her soft, silken lips with his own. For someone caught by surprise, Mary seemed to respond, her lips parting for him as his tongue forced its way past her teeth, tasting her and moaning inwardly at just how perfect she felt. He felt his pulse quicken with arousal as he took in a deep breath of her scent and reached for her shoulders to draw her closer when suddenly she wrenched herself free of him and slapped him hard across the face.
"How dare you!"
Her cheeks flushed as she stared at him. For a moment, she seemed trapped in amber, stuck between that limbo between hesitation and a leap of faith. Her lips were red and swollen from the delivery of his searing kiss, and Chris stared at her in shock at the sudden rejection after such an ardent response when he saw her breathing hard and fast, trying to decide what she ought to do.
Suddenly, she leaned forward again and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, her own passion taking hold as her mouth started plundering his, her fingers raked through his blond hair while he wrapped his arms around her and nearly dragged her across the desk. Objects clattered to the floor, but they were oblivious to everything except satisfying this raw, aching need for each other.
Mary felt her head swim, stunned they were reduced to this as she felt him suckle on her lower lip before moving to thrust his tongue into her mouth again, and exploring the sweet recess like some fascinating new discovery. She was swept away by the power of that kiss, feeling every perfect sensation down to her toes. His large hands slid up and down her back, caressing the flesh with such agonising pleasure she felt the ignition of white heat from the core of her. The satisfaction of him was so eclipsing she could nothing but let him continue because she could not imagine him stopping.
Chris could not get enough of her as his mouth slid down her neck, tasting sweet flesh in his descent. His hand moved from her back and cupping one of her breasts in his palms through the fabric of her clothes. When he squeezed gently, he felt her arch against him, and he continued to lower her onto his desk, his other hand pulling at the t-shirt tucked in her jeans, desperate feel skin. Chris wanted her so badly he could feel his insides knotting from the sheer anticipation of taking her right here and now.
"Oh, God, Chris…" She groaned as he breached the soft material and snaked his hand against the smooth white skin of her stomach. Continuing up her ribs, his fingers plucked at her nipple, feeling her arch against him in response. Chris almost came undone at the sound of her languid moan when he started teasing her flesh, bringing her closer and closer to surrender.
God, he was amazing, Mary managed to think as she felt him slide further down her neck while at the same time tugging at the t-shirt until it was over her head and discarded on the floor, and she lay before him bare. His breath quickened as he paused a moment to look at the magnificence of alabaster skin and Mary felt her cheeks flush, suddenly shy as she recognised the hungry need inside those blue eyes as he remained poised over her.
Trapped in the same pit of aching need, she quivered as she started pulling at the buttons of his shirt, eager to expose him as Chris had laid waste to her a moment ago. The buttons did not come undone fast enough, and some of them popped, joining her t-shirt on the floor as before the shirt came apart and she was able to admire the incredible body he kept hidden under there.
Her palms explored the taut chest, caressed the ripped muscles and elicited a pleasured sigh from him as he ran her palm against his flesh. Chris did not believe he could want any woman so badly when he grabbed her wrists and forced them to her sides before Chris set upon her, enclosing his mouth around one tight rosebud nipple and drawing it past his teeth as he started suckling in earnest.
"Chris…" she rolled his name off her tongue as her hands broke free and slid over the beautiful muscles of his back, delighting in the feel of firm flesh and found herself singularly lost in the perfection of him. She was barely aware of anything, except the insistent tugging on her nipple that was sending her deeper and deeper into a well of pure sensation, drowning her in the depths of emerging frenzy.
Jesus Christ. That was all that could register in Chris Larabee's mind as he ravaged, savouring every incredible taste and growing so hard that he could barely stand it. He wanted her so bad, the need for it was beyond reason, and when he bit down on that sensitive tip and felt her nails rake into his back, he felt his own resolve to keep in control of the situation starting to evaporate….
"Mr Larabee, I am so sorr…"
Ezra Standish's voice followed the bursting open of his office door when the ATF agent barged in without knocking and froze in his tracks at the scene before him. Mary let out a soft squeal and shoved Chris off her. The leader of the ATF was so startled by the unexpected arrival of his soon to be dismembered agent, he toppled over his chair and on to the carpeted floor.
In the meantime, Mary recovered enough to grab her t-shirt, trying to cover her nudity as she made for the door, with Ezra so stunned that for the first time since either Chris or Mary had known him, he was unable to speak. Mary was mortified as she slipped the white fabric over her head and restored herself to respectability, feeling as if she had broken out of a state of delirium and was still uncertain whether it was a good thing. She could not deny how close she had come to letting Chris take her in his office because no man had inspired so much desire or feeling in her since Steven had died.
"Mary!" Chris got to his feet and ran after her, who bolted out of his office, his shirt open. He caught the look of wide-eyed fear in her eyes and realised if he did not catch her, she might very well become lost to him forever. This burst of passion had come too prematurely for someone not quite recovered from losing a husband.
"Chris…please I've got to go…” Mary stammered. She looked clearly distressed. "This was a mistake. I don't know if I'm ready for this yet."
"Mary, don't go away like this." He tried desperately to convince her. Chris reached for her and was mildly shocked when she recoiled from him like she had been scalded.
"No!" She cried out almost in tears. She felt awful about treating him this way, but she did not know what else to do. It was too soon! It had only been two years! "I can't deal with this now!"
Chris did not know how to stop her and decided he could not if she was unprepared to deal with the feelings he knew for sure she had towards him. The words to stop her would not come, and all Chris could do was watch helplessly as she ran out of the office.
He watched her disappear, swearing under his breath, asking himself repeatedly, why it was so easy to speak when he was in a life and death situation but not when it was something this important? She was afraid, and he could not blame her. Chris had more than a few years to become accustomed to being without Sarah and Adam while it was two years since she had become a widow.
Chris was still ruminating on this when suddenly he heard slow, deliberate footsteps behind him and he was struck with a stray, malevolent thought.
Let the rendering begin.
"Mr Larabee," Ezra stuttered in apology, sure he was going to be killed horribly and cursing at the absence of Team 7 because there would be no witnesses to give Chris pause when he murdered Ezra. "I am so sorry I had no idea...I mean I came in to apologise for Julia, and then I did not hear any shouting...of course, there could be no shouting because you two were....never mind that...I mean I just assumed you were recovering from a serious tongue lashing....well let me phrase that another way...."
"Ezra." Chris took a deep breath and let it out. "Before I kill you, do you think you could possibly SHUT THE HELL UP!"
"Was I not attempting to do that?"
"That's it," Chris muttered. "I'm getting my gun..."
Chapter Five
Friday
The office could tell when Chris Larabee had something on his mind.
He paced the floor of his office, emerged to get pencils out of stationery cupboards, refilled his coffee cup or emerged to swear at the vending machine for giving him a Mars bar when he had clearly asked for a Snickers. On this Friday morning, the mood in the office was tense because everyone was burning with curiosity to learn what happened between Chris and Mary after their explosive confrontation the afternoon before.
All of Team 7 had found an excuse not to come back after lunch because they were sure their leader would be in a foul mood once Mary Travis got through tearing strips off him for telling a close friend she was a lesbian. Buck Wilmington suspected there was more to Chris's motivation than just a practical joke, but Chris could be awfully closed mouth about these things.
Like today.
It was apparent something was wrong even if Chris refused to voice it. Buck did notice Mary was absent because ever since she started covering her story at the beginning of the week, the woman always arrived promptly at nine. After seeing her here all week, Buck thought the place felt empty without the lovely blond occupying the desk provided for her use. Mary's presence made the Team 7 office feel not so much like a boy's club, and watching her with Chris had been the most entertainment Buck enjoyed since he forced Ezra to sit through the Porky's trilogy.
Speaking of the southerner, Buck stood up from his desk and went to see Chris. The rest of Team 7 saw him rise and looked on in admiration as he prepared to enter the lion's den. The team gave Chris a wide berth, aware he didn't like being disturbed when he was in this kind of mood. Instead, they followed Buck's journey to Chris's door like warriors saluting a comrade about to die. Buck let out a deep breath and closed the distance between himself and the front door of Chris's office. Tapping lightly on the surface, he was rewarded with nothing less than a growl.
"What?"
"Need to talk to you," Buck twisted the doorknob and entered, not waiting to see if he would be invited in or not.
Chris was behind his desk, sitting in front of a table full of sharpened pencils, the rest of which was presently embedded into the soft porous material of his ceiling. Chris looked unrepentant and dared Buck to make comment. His expression was that of a child throwing a tantrum, and Buck wondered what in the hell happened to make his old friend so…surly. Well surlier than normal.
"You look busy," Buck said with amusement.
"What do you want?"
"Just had a call from Ezra," Buck replied, undaunted by Chris's demeanour even if he did not wish to provoke it any more than he already had by his presence here. "He's taking a sick day. He'll be in on Monday."
"Sick day my ass," Chris muttered, perfectly aware why Ezra was not present, and it had nothing to do with any imaginary illness. No doubt the southerner wanted to stay well away from him, in case Chris reconsidered killing him for his intrusion the day earlier.
"Something wrong Chris?" Buck asked, deciding to throw caution to the winds.
"No." Chris barked and glanced at the clock once again. Buck noticed Chris had been doing that ever since Buck walked into the room, shifting his gaze every few seconds to the face of the digital clock sitting on the corner of his desk.
"You expecting someone?" Buck ventured to ask since it was obvious that he was.
"No." He bit back defensively.
"Don't mind me saying so Chris but you're pretty antsy today."
"Thank you, Buck. I'm so glad you dropped by, now get lost."
"Want to talk about it?"
"No!" Chris growled. "I don't want to talk about it or analyse my feelings or do any goddamn thing except be left alone! Now unless you want to be checking liquor licenses at gay bars for the next month, I suggest you get the hell out of my office!"
Buck rolled his eyes, not at all worried by the threat but deciding if the man didn’t want to talk, there was not much he could do about it. "Alright Chris, I know when I ain't wanted." His old friend shook his head in resignation. "By the way, I just wondered, is Mary coming in today?"
"I…. don't…. know," Chris answered slowly, each word smouldering off his lips as he spoke and Buck realised he inadvertently stumbled upon the reason for Chris's bad mood.
Where saner men would have left it at that, Buck Wilmington decided to make a last-ditch effort to talk to his friend, hoping what he discovered in the last few seconds would be enough to enable Chris to reveal what was bothering him. "I'm sure she'll be here sooner or later. The lady can be a little bit of a firecracker, but she's a professional, she wouldn't just let what she's feeling get in the way of her job."
Wanna bet? Chris thought silently to himself.
"Buck. I don't give a damn whether she's coming in today! She's been nothing but trouble since she walked through that door. The best thing she could do for us right now is to stay the hell away from so we can get on with our jobs!"
"What happened Chris?" Buck pressed on, and this time his tone was devoid of humour or light-hearted casualness. This was the voice Buck used when he was about to get knee-deep in Chris's business, no matter what the consequences. It was the same stubbornness allowing Buck to pull Chris out of the mire of self-pity that was his life after Sarah and Adam had died.
Chris saw the sudden shift and was powerless to do anything except let down his defences because he just might need to.
"She ran from me." He shrunk back into his chair. "We finally got past all the crap between us this past week to admit how we feel. Damn, I wanted her Buck, I haven't wanted anyone as much as I wanted her since Sarah. Then Ezra walks in, and she jackrabbited on me. It never occurred to me what was happening between us was just as scary for her as it was for me."
Chris laughed at the irony of it even though there was no humour in his voice, just understandable disappointment.
Buck took in Chris’s words and could well understand why Ezra had wisely chosen to remain scarce today. He was lucky Chris had not shot him already, but that was neither here nor there. At least now he understood why Mary was absent. She was hiding at home, just as Chris was hiding his office.
"Maybe you ought to try talking to her," Buck suggested.
"I would if she was here," Chris confessed. "But it looks like she's not going to show up today."
"And what are you going to do about it?" The ATF agent looked at his leader in expectation.
"Do?" Chris stared at him with puzzlement. "There's nothing to do."
"Okay, sit here and stew then," Buck replied shortly and saw the frown deepening on Chris's face. "Chris, you can't expect this to be easy. You care about her, then you got to explain yourself. Sitting here and biting everyone's head off ain't gonna change much, is it? Besides, it sounds like she's about as screwed up about this as you are."
Chris narrowed his eyes. "Thanks a lot."
Buck grinned and started to withdraw out of the room to leave Chris alone so he could think further on this.
****
She was out of chocolate.
Throughout the night since her abrupt departure from the ATF building following her passionate exchange with Chris Larabee, Mary was cutting a swathe through her refrigerator, devouring everything she could find within it because she always ate whenever she was confused or distressed. She always ensured her pantry and refrigerator was stocked with a copious amount of confectionery and sweets to prepare her for the moment when comfort food was needed. After what happened between her and Chris, Mary felt the need to break out those emergency stores.
By the time she got through the tin of Ovaltine, she knew comfort food was not the answer.
Still clad in her pyjamas, Mary wandered around her house after leaving 37 messages on Julia's answering machine, still waiting for her best friend to call while she thought of all the reasons why she should not go to the ATF building today and face him. She could not even bring herself to say his name because to do so would be to remember how incredible his lips had been against her swhen they were in his office. Mary never believed she could desire any man as much as she wanted Chris. If not for Ezra walking in, she would have been borne away solely on impulse despite the consequences to her life.
What consequences? Her inner voice wanted to know.
Consequences! Mary told herself. She did not have the energy or the inclination to get involved with a man right now, especially that one. Chris was the most arrogant member of the male gender to ever crawl out of the primordial slime. capable of driving every woman he met crazy. There was a moment when Mary wondered if Sarah was not dead, just hiding. However, as soon as she thought that, she felt immediately sorry because the effect of his wife's loss had marked his soul. It surfaced occasionally and usually during those moments when he thought no one was looking. All Mary wanted to do when she saw that pain was to hold him in her arms.
Mary understood all too well what he was going through.
Why did he have to be an ATF agent! Someone who could get killed every time he walked out of his safe office into the field. Mary did not want to lose Chris the way she lost Stephen. She could not imagine going through that hell again, and it was that which propelled her out of the room, running like a frightened child when Ezra inadvertently walked in on them.
Suddenly, the phone rang, and Mary leapt out of bed. She was in the process of scraping the last fragments of Ovaltine from the bottom of its tin and had been watching 'the Young and the Restless' when she heard the familiar ring tone. Answering it quickly, Mary hoped it was Julia and not anyone else.
"Darling, you've been calling."
"You damn right I've been calling, where the hell have you been all night?" Mary demanded as she nestled comfortably into bed now she finally had Julia online.
"I had a few problems," Julia replied, not wishing to elaborate. "Now, what is the emergency?"
"It's all your fault!" Mary burst out. "You had to tell me that stuff and then made me get mad at him! Do you have any idea how goddamn sexy that man is when he is an utter pain in the ass!"
"Obviously not," Julia said innocently. "What happened?"
"I'll tell you what happened," she stammered. "Chris said…and then I said….and then he kissed me, and it was good. God, it was one of those kisses that you know make your toes curl…I need more chocolate. Anyway, he was kissing me, and you wouldn't figure the bastard could do it so well and then my t-shirt came off and his mouth…. oh wow anyway Ezra walked in and caught us!"
"So, I'm not clear on how this is all my fault again?" Julia inquired innocently.
"You!" Mary accused, aware she sounded like a teenager on the phone, but she could not help it. She had not felt this flustered and uncertain of herself in so long, and each time she tried to think of the words to explain herself, she became more tongue-tied. "You started all this. Why did you have to tell me what he said to Gerard!"
"Because I wanted to make the asshole squirm and because it is so obvious, he's in love with you for pulling such a juvenile prank," Julia answered, seeing no reason to hide anything. Mary needed to hear the truth even if her mind was racing incomprehensively with fear and doubt at present.
Despite her frantic flurry of speech, Julia could tell over the phone that Mary was as in love with Chris Larabee as he was with her. She was just too afraid to admit it while he was too stubborn.
"He doesn't love me! How could he love me? I mean we've been tearing each other apart since we've met. I'm surprised none of us has drawn blood!"
"Hey, don't knock it. At least you're not beating the crap out of him every time you see him. Now that's a weird relationship."
Mary felt silent for a moment. "Julia, I'm not ready."
Julia let out a sigh and responded in a gentler voice, devoid of amusement or sarcasm. "Yes, you are Mary. It's been two years. I loved Stephen, he was a wonderful man and a good friend, but he wouldn't want you to stagnate the way you have been. You've put your personal life on hold for the past two years by burying yourself in work. You've neglected Billy, and you've neglected yourself. Its time Mary, long past it when you have to accept Stephen is gone, and he is not coming back."
There was a slight pause before Julia resumed speaking.
"Things change. Sometimes, not always in the way we imagine it would, but invariably life goes on, and you have to accept what comes at you, no matter how strange it might be at first."
Mary had a feeling Julia was not talking about her present situation with Chris but something more profound. Mary suddenly felt ashamed because she had been doing nothing but prattling on about Chris every time, she and Julia talked the past week. Obviously, something was taking place in her best friend's life of which she had no idea.
"He probably won't even speak to me after I ran out on him. I was like a frightened kid, and then I didn't show up there today. I can't even imagine what he must be thinking."
"Well, call him," Julia prompted firmly. "There's only one way to find out instead of moping around the place."
Mary pulled the covers over herself and decided everything would be alright if she just did not have to leave her bed for the next month. Unfortunately, Julia was right, she had to be an adult about this.
"God, why is this so hard?"
"Because you make it that way darling," Julia returned sweetly.
"You're supposed to be my best friend," Mary grumbled, surfacing from under the quilt.
"I am, and right now, I'm giving you the best advice I can, call the man." The redhead said good-naturedly, more than accustomed to handling Mary when she was in this sort of mood. Mary really hated that.
"Alright!" Mary whined, aware that she had no choice but to surrender to good advice, no matter how much she loathed to admit it. "I'll do it."
"You know it's frightening to me that between the two of us, you're the one with the seven-year-old."
"Seven-year-olds are easier to deal with than Chris Larabee, you can smack them when they misbehave."
"Well, you still can," Julia's smile could be seen even though she was miles away from Mary. "Depending on what you're into."
"You have no shame." She nearly laughed but managed to cling to her dark disposition a little while longer. Besides, her mood was not going to improve until she called Chris.
"This from the woman whose suave Latin lover was so wrecked after one night that he followed her around the entire of the week we were in Rio."
"You are not helping."
"And you are stalling," Julia said knowingly. "Now quit doing that and just call him."
*****
Chris had not expected to hear from Mary.
When the clock struck 5.30 that evening, he had spent the entire day snapping at everyone that the rest of Team 7 had decided to call an early start to the weekend just to escape his mood. All day he tried to ignore Buck's words he ought to go find her and talk this out but could not find it in himself to make that effort. Chris was still vainly hoping she might still come into the office on her own but as the day progressed, it was clear Mary was not going to appear. Chris had all but given up hope when the phone in his office rang after everyone else was gone, and he remained, trying to decide what he should do about her.
"Chris," Mary's soft voice spoke in his ear.
"Mary." He said simply, holding his breath at the sound of her voice and wishing more than ever they could speak to each other face to face. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. We need to talk."
"We do." He agreed and decided he preferred getting to the point than dancing around. "Tonight?" He suggested, not wishing to wait.
"No. I have to be at Orin's for dinner. I'll meet you at the office tomorrow."
"The office?" Chris wondered why the office of all places.
"Yes. I prefer it that way."
"Alright then," he said just as equally indifferent. He had no choice if he wanted to play Mary's game because these were her rules.
"I'll see you then. Good night."
Chris hung up the phone, not entirely sure if her coming to meet him here bode well for their relationship, what there was of it.
All he knew for sure was that for the first time in God only knew how long – he had plans for Saturday night.
Authors Note: Adult Scene ahead.
Chapter Six
Saturday
Chris didn't give Mary a chance to talk because if she spoke, she was just going to think of a reason why they were impossible together. She had come here to tell him that they were all wrong for each other, that she was not ready. He knew better than she did how ready she was. When it had just been the two of them inside this office, with no Ezra barging in on them prematurely, Mary was willing to give herself to him.
There had been no doubt in her mind then.
Chris knew why she had wanted to meet him here. The ATF building was neutral ground, a place where she could feel safe when she thought up her excuses for not wanting to be with him. In the last two days, Chris had come to realise he did not care for those reasons because they were the same stupid ones, Chris had given himself the minute he met her because he too, felt the same damn way.
If he loved her, as if he even had a choice in the matter, it would be forever.
There were not many instances in Chris' life where he was so clear about anything, but he was sure how he felt about her. From the moment she had walked into his office, Chris knew exactly what Mary Travis would mean to his life if he allowed her passage into his heart. Perhaps, she did so as well, he could not say for sure but was knew without a doubt Mary shared his feelings.
She was just afraid, and she thought too damn much.
Grabbing her by the waist, he pulled her to him because there had ever been only one moment where she was truly sure of how she felt about him, and Chris decided it was time she remembered. His mouth took hers savagely, giving her no quarter to resist as his tongue pushed ruthlessly past her teeth until she had no choice but to part her lips and allow him access. Once inside, he sought out her tongue and found that it was not as unwilling as the rest of her. He caught it in his lips and sucked languidly until the resistance he could feel in her body, melted away. Chris continued to ravage her lips so ardently that he could hear her sigh into his mouth.
"This changes nothing....." she whispered when he broke away and came up for air. "I don't...."
Before she could say another word, he buried his mouth on her neck, drawing her flesh into his mouth with such torturous pleasure that she could feel her spine-melting away and her ability to hold herself up fading just as fast. She wanted to fight him, tried to keep herself from responding because once she succumbed, she would be lost to him forever, completely and utterly. He had the power to destroy her if she allowed him the chance and yet as Mary felt Chris tugging at the singlet she was wearing, dancing with her feet as he led her towards the nearby desk, there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
And she was starting to wonder why she wanted to in the first place.
Chris understood she was afraid and knew as long she kept thinking about all the reasons why they could not be together, she would never genuinely admit how she felt. So he was going to force the issue, he was going to make her feel instead of think. He pulled down the elastic material of her singlet, forcing it free of her shoulder as his lips devoured the skin of her neck. There was a point where it had stretched as far as it would go and Chris felt the material snap just as they came to a stop at the obstruction of his desk. She was trying to push away still, but her attempts were getting weaker by the minute, especially when he slipped one leg between hers and raised his knee just enough to bury his thigh in the rising heat of her sex.
"Oh God, you bastard." She moaned, her head hung back in pleasure as her hands began to take on a will of its own. They were no longer trying to push him away and had instead squeezed into the narrow space between them to work on the buttons of his shirt. Closing her eyes and allowing herself to become a slave to his attentions, her fingers worked their magic without requiring any conscious thought. She parted the buttons quickly until the shirt fell open and that magnificent torso was pressed up against her exposed breasts, thanks to the shreds of cloth around her feet. Feeling an ache that was pure lust crushing her insides with the need for him, she allowed her palms to run up the length of his chest, savouring the feel of taut, firm muscle that quivered under her touch.
Mary let her hand glide across his chest, caressing every inch of skin beneath her palms. Chris's reaction was a sharp intake of breath before his head tilted back suddenly, leaving her neck and the red bruise he had created from the hunger of his lust. He closed his eyes, languishing in sensation when Mary dropped her hands and snaked down the velvet skin of his stomach, relishing the slight quiver of muscle the closer she reached his throbbing erection.
"You want to play dirty," she whispered into his ear. "We can play real dirty Chris."
Her eyes met his with total lust and began a long, torturous journey of hot kisses down the centre of his chest. Licking him in such a way that he could see everything her tongue was doing, Chris' expression started to strain as Mary lowered herself further down his body, naked desire in her eyes as she laved the velvet skin of his clenched stomach. Her fingers slipped into the waistband of his jeans, skimming the edge as she noticed the hard ridge of cock protruding through the fabric, aching to reach her through the coarse denim. Mary rubbed her cheek against him and watched his eyes cloud over in utter helplessness. His jaw tightened, and he grabbed the edge of his desk with both hands, transfixed by what she was doing.
"I can't play with it if I can't see it." She whispered and watched him swallow thickly as he undid the buttons with trembling fingers and then pulled zipper.
"You're a bad girl, Mrs Travis." He said hoarsely, trying to keep his cool even though it was being dismantled brick by arrogant brick. "I had no idea."
"Don't argue with it," she smiled as he freed himself of his jeans and his cock lay before her, weeping with anticipation. Mary smiled seeing how much he was trying to resist the urge to thrust it towards her lips when she took it by the base and licked the swollen head once, savouring the taste of him on her lips as his mind swam from that one action. She continued for a few minutes, flicking her tongue in gentle licks as if she testing new flavours at a local ice creamery before making a final selection.
"You're killing me...." he groaned as she licked and pulled back, repeating it so many times that he was to explode there and then if she did not take all of him into her mouth soon.
She sucked his balls and watched his fists clench the edge of the desk once again. He had thrown his head back and was biting down so he would not let out the moan she knew was dying to escape his lips. Mary sucked harder, knowing for sure that he liked the raw pleasure of a little pain.
Oh fuck.
That was the only coherent thing Chris could think of when he felt her mouth enclose once of his swollen balls, her tongue covering every inch of it until he did know what the hell was happening or care for that matter, as long as she did not stop. Her hands caressed the inside of his thighs, massaging them until they were as sensitive as his cock. Her fingers travelled up the curve of his rear, slipping into the crack until she found that place inside him that was sensitive to the touch and traced it with her finger.
"What are you doing?" He grunted as she began working her way inside him. This was new and different. Chris noticed that she seemed to be looking for something specific even though he could not fathom what that might be until Mary touched something inside of him that sent erotic waves of sensation the likes of which he had never known throughout his body. It coursed through him like electricity and awoke every sense in his body as he spasmed in response.
"Oh, fuck!" He arched into her hand and trusted forward instinctively, only to have her capture his cock inside her mouth in one deep swallow. Chris had no idea what to do. She continued to caress that tender spot inside of him while her mouth was bobbing up and down his cock and overloading him sensation until his mind started to crumble from the sheer bliss. He could not control himself, not one damn bit, as his mind reeled in confusion whether or not to let her suck him or let her play with that secret pleasure spot.
The semen gushing down her throat was evidence that having at least one or two gay friends who did not mind talking about their sex life was a good thing. She drank him readily, pleasuring him with her finger as she continued to massage that secret place inside. Her other hand caressed his balls, all the while she continued to go down on him like there was no tomorrow. She wanted to see him beg.
"Oh, goddamnit, Mary!" He groaned again and knew that he was so close to coming inside her mouth that he could barely articulate it in time to warn her. She was absolutely ruthless, pushing on that spot each time she brought her mouth down on his cock until he was so mindless from the agonising pleasure that he did not know where he was. "Stop.." he pleaded raspily. "Stop! I can't....."
She pulled away then, not wanting him to become spent and knowing that he was very close to it. "I trust you enjoyed that."
"Damn right I did," he said, breathing hard before he pulled her up roughly by her arms and turned her around towards his desk. "Now you're just going to have to get some payback."
Lifting her up onto the desk, he yanked off what was left of her clothes, and when she was naked on top of its wooden surface, Chris decided that she was what every office desk needed. Mary smiled at him, enjoying her triumph over him while Chris pulled down the drawstring pants from around her waist and then her underwear. Giving her no time to prepare, he buried his face deep into the cleft between her legs and took a deep breath. In response, Mary grabbed his hair as the soles of her feet began caressing his back, telling herself defiantly that she was not going to submit the way she had made him crumble. When suddenly she felt his tongue find that little pearl of flesh she had hidden away and realise he going to do just that.
He drew it into his mouth and laved its heated tip with his tongue. Chris was going to give her as good as she gave and sucked her erect centre past his teeth, nipping just lightly enough for it to become even more tender. He felt Mary arc against him in reaction, but she was still fighting to remain in control, and so he decided to intensify his attention. Chris began swirling his tongue around the charged flesh, circling it roughly until her thighs tensed and the hands in his hair started to pull his head deeper against her moist flesh. He could feel the sweat on her skin and glanced up long enough to see her body bent back, her golden hair forming a cascade as her eyes remained closed and her lips quivered with pleasure. His hand circled her rear and pulled her closer as he changed tactic again.
"Bastard........" Mary groaned as she felt his tongue starting to dart into her inner passage, causing such a wave of erotic delight that she could only close her eyes and bite down to keep herself from screaming at him not to stop.
Chris was not about to do anything of the sort, but he was going to hear her scream one way or another. He continued fucking her with his tongue until the taste of her juices filled his throat in a swell of pre-orgasmic promise. He thrust deeper and deeper into that cavern inside her, reminding himself that she would be this moist and hot when he finally took her. Just thinking that sent another surge of desire to his hungry cock.
God, he was going to enjoy this so much but first, he wanted to hear her. No matter how much resistance she was maintaining, Chris knew she was almost broken. He could feel it by the trembling flesh of her body in his hands and the taste in his mouth. Chris could feel the tension that was pressing against his tongue as he continued to penetrate her with long, languid strokes. It was like a roar building up in his ears, reaching climax with just a little more..
"OH MY GOD, CHRIS!!!!!!!"
He smiled upon hearing that scream of utter defeat as her orgasm rushed forward to greet him. Chris lapped her up with contentment, almost as satisfied by that cry of surrender as he was by the pleasure he was afforded when he was lapped up her incredible taste.
She lay panting hard, her eyes glazed and almost uncomprehending as Mary descended from the heights he had taken her. Chris looked at Mary with a grin and then asked with a smug smile. "I trust you enjoyed that."
Mary let out a breathless sigh and declared. "Oh just shut up and get over here."
Chris needed no more incentive than that as he stood up and pulled her legs around his waist. He was so hard, he could barely think, but he had so enjoyed pleasuring her. The last time they had become this heated in his office, Ezra had walked in. This time, if anyone interrupted them, Chris was just enough beyond caring to tell whoever it was to grab a seat and be quiet until they were finished. Looking into Mary's glazed eyes, he could tell she felt the same as he plunged deep into her recesses without further hesitation. Chris could not wait, not now. What she had done earlier was beyond his ability to describe. It was sheer stubbornness that had kept him from letting himself come inside her mouth because as incredible as that would have been and hell it had been pretty damn spectacular, Chris wanted to be inside her when he finally succumbed to his release.
"I love you, you know." He whispered as he pushed inside her, trying to be gentle even though the pull in his groin was not giving him much choice. God, she was so damn wet! He practically slid into her like she made of hot butter. Her heat enclosed him with waves upon waves of cascading pleasure until he was forced to close his eyes and focus because it was impossibly easy to be overwhelmed by the incredible tightness of her, all slick and compressed around his tortured cock.
"I know," she smiled and drew him towards her as he started to pump.
Chris met her mouth in a hungry kiss as his hands braced himself on either side of her thighs on the desktop. Her legs tensed with each incredible stroke he was pounding inside her body. Chris could not feel her hands and wondered where they had gone when suddenly, he felt butterfly touches against his nipple before she began rolling the erect tips between her fingertips.
"Oh, Jesus!" He moaned into her mouth and pumped even harder, ramming himself so far inside her that he could feel the hard ridge of muscle at the end. He felt her thighs tense around his waist and suddenly, realised she had clenched her inner muscles with such taut pressure that each time his cock slid into her, it was being crushed by beatific tension. Chris could not get enough of that wonderfully tight passage and started to feel a roar of indescribable ecstasy each time he was forced to breach that narrow expanse of hot, moist flesh. He had to keep pumping or go mad from being without. The heat of that strangulating pressure was burning a hole through his mind, flooding his nerves with so much enjoyment that he could feel it down to his toes.
"Mary....so tight," he started to moan hoarsely. "Christ, how are you doing that?" He whimpered, pumping harder, feeling his cock become so hard that he did not think it was possible. The desk was starting to slide forward from the sheer force of his intense thrusts until Mary herself was starting to become distracted by the incredible pounding rhythm of his cock inside her. She knew her resolve was beginning to crumble when his cock generated a white heat inside her passage that was going to bring about another incredible orgasm. Mary could feel it building in her loins until every nerve was holding its breath in anticipation of the moment.
"I never said the game was over Chris," she teased as she continued to play with his nipples until all Chris was able to do was close his eyes and continue to gasp loudly. Sweat was covering that beautiful body of his as his muscles prepared itself for erupting passion.
She continued to clench her insides for him, squeezing his cock mercilessly, taunting his member into reaction as more and more sensation poured into his body until he was one tightly wound muscle, waiting for release. Chris could feel the sweat running down his back as he continued to pump when suddenly, he felt her muscles relax as another shattering orgasm swept through her. Her fingers dug into his chest, giving him a little pain that only added to the excitement he already felt. It washed over his cock like warm honey, and Chris let out a groan, just as Mary cried out her climax.
"Chris! Oh my god, CHRIS!"
He could not stand it any more. Hearing that scream in his ear sapped the last of his endurance and his stamina shattered at the contraction of muscles around his cock when that final expression of exhausted pleasure, splintered whatever sense there was in his world as he came crashing down from a great height.
Jupiter actually.
"Mary!" He let out a guttural groan as he pumped his seed into her with powerfully hard strokes, forcing every drop of himself into her deepest crevices, feeling his soul escape as well as his passion. His mind swam, and everything around him seemed to spin as his body shuddered in the wake of its powerful release. His hands dug into her back as she covered his neck with kisses on his journey down, her fingers raking through his hair as he continued to gasp and shudder, forcing more and more of himself into her until nothing left. When he was done, Chris let himself melt into her arms.
For a long while, he did not know what to do except remain in her grasp. She was kissing the slick skin of his neck, her hands still caressing but not with seduction. It was gentle as if she was trying to soothe the savage beast after his incredible exertions.
"So what were you going to say?" He found his voice after a moment.
He heard her giggle softly as she held her head in the join of her neck, stroking his hair. "I don't remember." She let out a breathless chuckle.
"All I seemed to remember was that you said you loved me." Chris teased, enjoying how she was holding him and felt a momentary stab of pain, remembering Sarah used to hold him the same way after they made love. He brushed the thought aside, thinking this was her blessing somehow, in some inexplicable way, she had sent Mary to him.
"Typical. That would be what you remember."
"My memory is hundred per cent,"
"I'm sure it is." She pulled away long enough to look into his eyes. "Chris," she took a deep breath. "Where do we go from here?"
Chris thought a moment, knowing what an important question this was, not only to her but to their entire relationship from this instant on. What he said now, would define them forever.
"Your place, its closer." He said with a grin.
Mary stared at him and then flashed him a radiant smile. "No, your place."
"My place? Why my place?"
"Because neighbours won't hear you scream out on a ranch." She cocked a brow at him.
Chris's eyes widened at the prospect and grinned. "I'll drive."
Epilogue
Sunday
"Buck, this ain't a good idea." Vin Tanner commented as he and Buck Wilmington walked up the path leading to the front door of Chris Larabee's ranch home.
The leader of Team 7 had not been in a good mood since Friday and Vin was not entirely convinced he would be in any better temper today. In fact, he and Buck turning up unexpectedly might even make the situation worse. Unfortunately, there was no convincing Buck to abandon the idea. His inability to contact the leader of Team 7 for the last day was concerning and Vin had to admit, Buck's fears had merit. Men in their line of business had enemies who were not above tracking them to their homes, and it was very unlike Chris to stay out of touch with his comrades, no matter how filthy his mood.
"Look, the RAM is here," Buck groaned in exasperation wondering how someone as seasoned as Vin, could be so twitchy. Hell, it was like riding around with JD. He expected this sort of behaviour from their youngest member, not Vin who was the unofficial second in command of Team 7. Ever since Buck picked Vin up at Alex's apartment, he had been forced to listen to this litany of complaints as Vin debated the logic in coming here. "There's no reason why he should not be answering his phone."
"He could be with the horses. This is a ranch, you know."
While Vin was not at all happy to be dragged away from Alex and his warm bed, now that he thought about it, there could be a dozen reasons why Chris might be laying low. After what had happened with Mary on Thursday and the state of the man's disposition the next morning, it was not as if he wasn't entitled to some privacy. Especially if his mood was caused by a woman whom almost every member of Team 7 had guessed by now, meant a great deal to him.
Buck gave Vin a look and finally remarked. "Don't be such a baby. What's he gonna do to us if we're wrong?"
"Kill us both and bury any evidence of the crime."
"You know if I had any idea you were gonna be so skittish, I would have got Josiah to come with me," Buck headed towards Chris's front porch.
"You did try to get Josiah to go with you. Josiah ain't as dumb as me to let you talk him into coming with you on this snipe hunt."
"That's true," Buck agreed with a grin and slapped Vin across his back. "Never mind junior. If it comes to death, I'll let it happen to me first."
"You got that right."
The opportunity for further conversation was cut short when Buck and Vin reached Chris's front door and knocked. There was no reason to go barging into the place yet. The RAM parked outside indicated the leader of Team 7 was home, and it was still quite early in the morning, so Chris might be in bed. This meant if they did wake Chris up prematurely, it would be like poking a grizzly bear with a stick.
When there was no response, Buck knocked again. "Maybe we ought to break in."
"No, we are not going to break in." Vin declared deciding enough was enough.
It was one thing coming out here, but breaking down Chris Larabee's door, especially when they had no real proof anything was wrong, except Chris wasn't taking any phone calls, was just plain dumb.
"Chris could be sleeping! He could be out! In fact, there could be a whole number of reasons why he ain't answering his door. Too many for me to let you go busting in and have him kill us both when he comes back and finds the mess."
"I'm likely to kill you anyway." Chris Larabee growled when he pulled open his front door open abruptly and found his two best friends bickering at each other so loudly it could have raised the dead. "What the hell are you two doing here?”
"Why aren't you answering your phone?" Buck demanded, hardly registering the annoyance in Chris's voice since he just was grateful to see the man in one piece. The relief was soon supplanted by the desire to know where the hell Chris had been during the past 24 hours. "I've been calling you all night!"
"I know," Chris rolled his eyes in exasperation. He saw the forty-two messages left on his machine and decided unless Al Capone had risen from the dead and was causing a ruckus across his town, there was nothing to justify interrupting his evening with Mary. "That's why I have a machine, for nitwits like you to leave a goddamn message!"
"Where were you?" Buck persisted not about to let him get away with answering the question despite the insult. "We were worried. I mean you don't normally disappear off the face of the earth for like a whole day! What if there was an emergency?"
Chris gave Vin a look to see if Buck was serious.
"He was worried," Vin shrugged. "I'm just here for moral support and to keep your door safe."
"Moral support?" Buck glared at Vin incredulously. "You haven't stopped bitching since we got in the car!"
"It is too early in the morning for this crap," Chris grumbled, getting a headache just listening to Abbot and Costello on his front porch. "Look, I'm fine. I was doing…" he paused, searching for the right word to describe what he was up to since yesterday evening, and supposed 'mind-numbingly spectacular sex' was not going to do. "Stuff."
"Like what?" Buck stared at him with curiosity.
"What are you, my mother?" Chris glared at him. He remained at the door, unprepared to allow either man in since Chris wanted to keep his relationship with Mary his own private business for the moment.
"What's the matter?" Vin noticed the way Chris positioned himself against the door to keep them from entering the house. Suddenly the possibility of danger crept into the younger agent's mind. Chris was very determined to keep them out and Vin wondered why. "Is there someone in the house?"
"No, there isn't someone in the house!" Chris burst out in disbelief, wondering whether killing them was really such a bad idea. After all, they were miles from anywhere. No one would hear the shots. What did a man have to do to get some privacy! "I had a rough night, okay? I want to go back to bed. Now I swear to you I'm fine. I'll probably take tomorrow off too, depending on how I feel."
Vin could not argue with that much at least. Chris did seem exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot which meant a late night if he got any sleep at all, which at this time, Vin could not say for sure he had. There were lines on his face, and the circles under his eyes revealed whatever activity Chris engaged in yesterday, it certainly took its toll on the senior agent.
"Okay," the sharpshooter admitted reluctantly. "Come on, Buck, let's go."
"Let's go?" Buck stared, unprepared to leave because something about this felt wrong.
Buck could tell when someone was being evasive, and even though Chris was harder to read than most, Buck could always see through that veneer of indifference the man wore like a second skin. Still, he could not deny Chris did look tired but what made him that way still concerned Buck. Was he on the trail of a case he had not mentioned to the others? With his recent troubles with Mary Travis, it was just like Chris to bury himself in work to forget.
"Hey, Chris, I'm starving. What have you got in your fridge?"
Chris winced as Mary chose that moment to make herself heard.
From the doorway, both Vin and Buck craned their necks just enough to see Mary Travis emerging from the direction of Chris's bedroom, wearing the same shirt she ripped off his shoulders the night before. Of course, neither were privy to this fact, only that an incredibly gorgeous blond with dynamite legs was sauntering down the stairs.
Both men stared at Chris.
"Uh Mary," Chris shot them a dark look warning them comments would not be received well at this time. He glanced sheepishly in her direction and remarked. "We've got company."
Mary was oblivious to the awkwardness as she buttoned up the shirt and continued her descent. Running her fingers through her blond hair, she drew a collective sigh from all three men, who unanimously decided in silence she looked utterly spectacular.
Upon reaching Chris, she leaned over and greeted him more affectionately with a deep kiss even as he turned red as a beet.
"Good morning." She smiled as she pulled back. "I'm getting some coffee. Want some?"
"Sure," Chris nodded mutely as Mary started back towards the kitchen. Gaze lingering a second on her form as she withdrew, Chris could not help but admire the view for a few seconds.
"What about you two?" Mary threw the question at Buck and Vin as she headed toward the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee?"
"No, they don't," Chris answered for them and shot both men a look. "In fact, they were just leaving. Weren't you just leaving, agents?"
"Actually," Buck was wearing a grin that begged desperately to be wiped off his face with a knuckled fist. "I could go for some coffee."
Vin who did not possess a monumental death wish declined.
"No, you can't. You can't because you need to get going so that you can be ready for your new assignment."
"My new assignment?" Buck looked at him.
"Yeah you know," Chris said with a genuinely menacing expression. "The one where you are going undercover as a transvestite checking liquor licenses in gay bars for the next millennia unless you leave now!"
Buck swallowed visibly, the grin dissolving as baser instincts to guard his virtue kicked in.
"Point taken. Thanks Mary, we'll be going now."
"Your loss. Chris, I'll have your cup waiting for you upstairs," she said with a little wink before disappearing into the hallway that led to the kitchen.
Once she was gone, Chris turned back to them and said very firmly. "Not...a...word."
"Not a one," Vin replied although the sharpshooter was practically gnawing the inside of his cheek to keep himself from bursting into laughter.
"So I take it, you and Mary talked." Buck found himself asking, unable to resist milking the moment for as long as he could. Aw to hell with it, how bad could pantyhose be?
Chris cleared his throat. "Something like that."
"Must have been a long conversation," Buck asked again, that smug grin tugging at the corner of his lips, refusing to be denied its moment. "All-nighter?"
Chris stiffened and glared at them, aware hiding anything was going to be impossible now. Mainly because Buck's last remark split the sides of Vin's control and the leader of Team 7 could see the muscles clenching in Vin's jaw as he fought to suppress the snigger forcing its way past his lips.
"I am glad you two are finding this so funny. It's none of your business what I do with my private life."
"Hell pard, we're just glad you got one." Vin decided he could not keep silent for much longer either. Not after watching the fiery foreplay that went on all week. Suddenly, he had an idea why the rest of Team 7 found his courtship with Alex so amusing. If it was anything like what Chris and Mary had been doing all week, it was no wonder they were keeping an eye with such close interest. It was better than TV.
"Although," Vin found himself unable to resist adding. "I just had to shoot Ezra in the ass, I never thought about dumping Alex in the sewer, or in a canal, or taking her to a strip joint and telling people she was a lesbian."
With that, whatever restraint the duo had, snapped and both men started laughing their asses off.
Chris swore before slamming his door in their faces.
If he thought the last week had been bad, it was going to be nothing in comparison to what the rest of Team 7 would put him through for the next seven days.
THE END