This time, Alex's take on the thawing of Donovan.  Also, the team are witnesses to more than they bargained for.  Sequel for ‘Training Night’ which I recommend should be read first.

Time:  Immediately after the episode, 'Manhunt'.

Usual UC:Undercover fanfic disclaimers apply.

Rated:  PG

Thanks go to my American beta-reader, V R Trakowksi, for weeding out the Aussie-slang.  I’m still amazed that a fringe is called a ‘bang’!!  :-D   If you all don’t mind, I’ll stick to the Aussie spelling though.  It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, after all.

And thank you too,  to Dawn, Nicky and Julianna, my ‘Training Night’ reviewers.  You guys are the salt of the fan-fic world, without whom, we’d all shrivel up and disappear.

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Donovan had said that he might see them there.  Alex didn't like their chances, recognising it for a fob off.  Their boss was a lot more approachable than he was at the start of their working relationship, but he still needed to interact with them more.  If there had been a remote chance of his joining them at the bar, Alex felt Cody's jibe about George Michael would have killed it.

She followed the team down the stairs from the loft, planning on letting off steam with or without their leader.  It was enough that he had given her moments like his support of her in the gym that day, where she thought she'd been caught with her insecurities showing as she puffed on a cigarette.  She was only trying to get her head together, but when she saw him approach, she thought he was going to pull her out, that he considered she didn't have the nerve to see the sting through. 

Instead, he had offered a quiet compassion for the adrenalin kick she'd received when she'd been taken in the alley.  He'd shown her she had all the support from him she needed, to move ahead with the assignment or step out of it herself, if that's what she wanted.  He'd been there for her, for whatever decision, and the way he had done it had almost been her undoing.  To have this man, her superior, pull up a chair opposite, on her level, his normally stoic face softened almost into beauty, had pulled at her senses in a way that frightened her. 

Not again, she thought.  She cursed her vulnerability to good-looking men.  Not another Cortez – worse – not another Keller.  But attraction had been supplanted by Donovan's compassion and understanding, and she had felt a sensitive soul in the room with her instead of an attractive man.  It had helped.  It had covered the awkwardness and somehow renewed her.  

If he didn't want to play with them as well as work with them, then that was his prerogative. 

"Cody."

Alex swung around at the quiet call.  Donovan was standing at the top of the stair to his office.

"Yeah, boss?"  Cody was almost through the exit door.

"Duke of Perth?"  Donovan asked.

"Where else?"

Alex watched Donovan descend the stair with sureness and fluidity.  He didn't need to grab the rail for support or watch where he was placing his feet.  He was watching his team, smiling slightly. 

"I'll follow you."

****

"Why the Duke of Perth?"  asked Jake when they were all in the car.  Alex was driving and she watched the rear-view mirror to see Donovan's Ford pull out behind her. 

"Be-cause,"  drawled Cody,  "it's a fine little pub, and they've got an extensive Karaoke play list, and… I might see Christy there."

"That's where you and Frank went last month?"  asked Monica.

"Yep, and that was an experience, let me tell you."

"You already have,"  said Jake.  "Repeatedly.  So you got lucky for once.   It's only because Donovan reeled one in for you."

"Were you there?"  stressed Cody.  "Did you see me in action?"

"Inaction's right,"  said Monica.

Alex smiled but wasn't sure Cody picked up the subtlety.

"Is the boss following?"  Jake asked.

Alex flicked her eyes to the rear-view mirror again.  The Ford held at a respectful distance behind, dark and sleek... leashed.  Alex shivered.  "Yep, he's there.  I still can't believe it though."

"Neither can I,"  said Jake.  "If I'd shot a man in the head and exploded a fire bomb under another, all in one day, I think I'd be drinking alone, not in a crowd."

"And that would be your mistake,"  said Monica.  "It's best to unwind with company, someone to watch out for you, not let you go too far.  That's what we're doing right now.  Why not Donovan?"

"All right, all right!"  Jake threw his hands in the air.  "Don't bust my ass.  I'm just surprised he's coming, that's all."

"Maybe he's got nowhere better to go,"  said Alex.  "Like us.  How sad is that."  She didn't expect an answer, and she wasn't really feeling sorry for herself, but sometimes... sometimes it would be nice to have someone to go home to.

"Take a right up here, Alex,"  said Cody, pointing out the window.  "The pub's about two blocks down."

"Pub?"  asked Jake.

"Bar, whatever.  It's a genuine Scottish pub with all the trimmings.  Deer head, prints, traditional ales.  Nice place.  I'm glad I found it."

"You found it?"

"Well, Frank showed me where it was.  Here.  Park here, Alex."

Alex nosed the car into the curb after checking the rear-view one more time.  "Well, he didn't chicken out.  He's still right behind us."  She got out of the car and watched Donovan unfold his length from his own vehicle.  He seemed different at night:  his dark looks enhanced by the shadows and textures thrown onto his face by the street lights.  He had even added a darker coat, long and flowing like a robe, to his already sombre clothes.  The man was an enigma, no doubt about that, and one Alex felt she just didn't want to sort out.

The team held back and let Donovan go in first,  followed by the ladies with Jake pulling up the rear.  Alex liked the 'pub' on sight.  It was very small, but not noisy:  conversations were almost muted in reverence to the ambience of the place.  There was a DJ but he was playing a quiet number that complemented the slow-dancing couples around him.  Alex spied the karaoke machine next to him and had to smile in anticipation.  She hoped Frank would do his 'Wild Side' impression again.  After listening to Cody embellish it each time he told the story, she had to admit her curiosity was piqued.

There were no tables available or big enough to seat the five of them, so Frank pulled up at the long polished bar in front of an antique cabinet lined with liquor bottles of every size, shape and colour.  Its eye-puller was the huge deer head mounted about a foot above the tallest bottle.  A deer head with a policeman's cap perched between its antlers.

"O-kay..."  said Cody, rubbing his hands together.  "Now, do you guys want me to order for you?  I've tried a few things and they're all great.  I could guide you in your choices..."

Alex waved a hand at him, giving him carte blanche.  Donovan nodded, an eyebrow quirked and an amused look on his face.  Monica merely shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back on the bar with both elbows and looked around.  Jake argued with Cody's taking over, but that didn't surprise Alex. 

She found herself standing next to Donovan and she discovered she liked it.  Liked the large warmth of him nearby, his subtle cologne, the assurance he radiated.  She realised there was nothing sexual about the feeling either, and she liked that better.   Maybe it wasn't going to be Cortez and Keller all over again after all.  Here was a good-looking man she could trust, put her life in his hands and later, get closer to, maybe share some confidences.  Not so much a father-figure, or brother-figure – she knew of no one with a brother as sexy as that – but another human being who was more in control of themselves that she would ever be, and who understood what she might be going through.  Yes, that's what she needed right now.  She turned to look at him and found he was watching her.  She smiled, unthreatened and unembarrassed.  He smiled back and nodded slightly.

Cody was in his element.  He explained to the group what each of their drinks were and regretfully informed them that Christy was not to be seen. 

"The night's young, though,"  he said.  "She may still turn up.  And what about Tina, eh, Frank?  What're you going to do if she shows up?"

Donovan raised a brow.  "What would you have me do, Cody?"

"Well gee... you gave her the brush-off last time.  Maybe you could be a bit more... friendly tonight."

"Would that please you?" 

Alex's lips twitched at Donovan's deadpan expression.  She figured their boss suffered mightily at the hands or rather, humour, of Cody.  His patience was unwavering and unlimited when it came to their resident computer geek.  She had front-row experience that Frank didn't suffer fools gladly, but he let Cody get away with a lot.

"Hey, you please yourself, big guy.  But, I don't think you'll find anyone to shine a candle to Tina.  She was one gorgeous gal.  And willing.  Boy, was she willing."  He looked around the room.  "Now, what sort of talent do we have here tonight?  Hey, Jake, even you might get lucky."

Jake rolled his eyes and Alex had to laugh outright.  She turned to Frank and he offered her drink to cover the moment.

"Thanks,"  she said.  "I don't know how you put up with him in that van all day or night."

"We get by.  I don't say much.  I don't have to say much."

"True.   So, you gonna sing again tonight?"

"You heard about that?"

Alex nodded her head vigorously.  "Yep, we heard about that.  Several times over.  I don't know how you kept a straight face singing that song."

"It was either that or be mobbed.  If I had let the guise slip, I would have been missiled from the stage."

She nodded again.  "And Tina?  What happened to her?"

"I've no idea."

"Not interested?"

"Not my type."

This was good, thought Alex.  He was letting a little personal information come into the conversation.  It was a first.  "What is your type?"

Donovan turned away to rest his forearms on the bar and stared into the mirror that lined the back of the liquor cabinet. 

Alex cursed herself.  She'd pushed too far, got too nosy.  It didn't take much, but then she'd never even got this far with him before.  And now he had closed down.

He turned his head to look at her again.  His eyes were serious and glittered with something she couldn't recognise.  "What do you think my type is, Alex?" 

Had she blown it?  Was he challenging her now?  Daring her to cross the fine line between COG and agent, or man and woman.  She wouldn't know unless she got her feet wet.  Cocking her head to the side, she studied him, while he held her gaze and waited.

"I can tell you who your type isn't.  It's not someone like Monica, an intellectual, and it's not someone like me, a thrill-seeker."  She smiled at her own description, but felt it was apt.  "But it's not someone who is quiet and withdrawn either.  I think – but then I'm not the profiler here – I think it would be someone more theatrical than the rest of us.  Someone who flourishes in the limelight, or, at the very least, feels comfortable under bright lights.  But she would have to be prepared to be a home-maker too, 'cos you won't be home much to maintain the nest yourself.  Am I close?"

"You're telling the story."

"Yes, but am I close?"

"Hey, Alex!  Let's dance!"  Jake grabbed her hand and tugged slightly. 

She didn't want to go.  She was too interested in chipping away at Frank's inner shell, but she didn't want to be too obvious at it.  Maybe, she had made enough progress for now.  She smiled at Jake.  "Sure, let's go.  But this time, no stepping on my feet, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, as if..."

Teasing aside, Alex knew already that Jake was a damned good dancer, having had the benefit of his expertise on a couple of assignments.  He was good company too.  Uncomplicated but still with enough deepness and history to make him interesting.  They worked well as a pair and Jake was big-brother material for Alex.  She knew he got the fires going in many women, but not in her.  He was the brother she never had, and his loyalty to, and protection of, her was absolute.

They danced two numbers and the music was changing for a third when Jake suddenly stopped dead and fixated on something over Alex's shoulder.  Her training allowed her to move slightly to follow his line of vision without seeming obvious and she saw a tall elegant woman enter the bar and pause to look around.   The dress she wore was sheer silver and looked and hung like silk above legs shod in the finest and highest heels that Alex had ever seen.   The body the dress encased looked good too, but it was her hair that would have to be called her arresting feature.  It was black and thick and flowed in waves down her neck and shoulders and arms. 

"Eyes back in your skull, Casanova,"  said Alex, turning back to Jake.   "You're dancing with me at the moment."  She tapped him lightly on the cheek.

Jake blinked.  "S..sorry.  That's one fine woman.  And she's heading this way.  Hey, no, she's not.  She's veered off and found a table.  Damn.  Thought Christmas had arrived early."

"Well if you really want to try your luck, be my guest."  Alex held out her arms, releasing him from his duty as her dance partner.

"Really?  Gee, thanks, Alex."  He looked behind her again.  "Wait a minute.  She's looking around like she's looking for talent.  If she sees me with you, I've blown my chances."

"I'm going, I'm going..."

"No, wait!"  He grabbed her arm.  "She's on the move.  She's found someone already.  Damn again.  Jeesus!  She's heading towards our end of the bar.  Son...of...a...   She's walked right up to Donovan."

Training forgotten, Alex's head snapped around to where her group was.  Sure enough, the woman was smiling at Frank and holding out her hand.  Cody was watching them and hopping from one foot to another, while Monica was looking stunned.  Frank's head tipped as he took the woman's hand and smiled serenely as the best looking female in the bar gave him her undivided attention.

Jake forgotten, Alex hurried back to her colleagues.  She wanted to know who this woman was, and what Frank would do about her obvious attention to him. 

"Hi,"  said Alex looking from Monica to the new arrival.  "What'd I miss?"

"Hello,"  said the woman.  "We were just introducing ourselves."  She smiled warmly at Alex.

"Oh right."  Alex looked expectantly at Donovan.

"Marguerite," he responded, "this is Alex, a friend of ours.  Alex ... I'm sorry, Marguerite, I didn't catch your last name."

"That's because I didn't give it.  Just call me Marguerite, Alex.  And this gorgeous young man behind you is...?"

Jake had caught up to Alex and now leaned forward.  "Er, Jake.  Hi."  He half held out his hand, and Alex was surprised at his awkwardness.  He wasn't usually so at a loss around a woman.

"You have such charming friends, Frank,"  said Marguerite, taking Jake's hand in both of hers and clasping it warmly. 

"Thank you,"  said Donovan.  "You mentioned there was something I could do for you."

Alex glanced quickly at him.  The aloof Frank was back, his face closed down, his eyes wary.  It was obvious he didn't know this woman, so what the hell was she doing here?  Alex switched back onto the alert, suspecting Donovan had already done so.

"Actually, there is."  Marguerite ran a hand down his arm.  "You can take off the jacket and dance with me.  And if you dance real nice, I'll sing to you when they turn on the Karaoke." 

Alex gasped.  She looked around at the others' reaction and saw that Cody had stopped jigging and was looking as stunned as Monica.  Jake's mouth was slightly open and Alex figured her jaw could be picked up from the floor as well.

Frank's face was frozen.  "And if I don't?"

Marguerite laughed.  "Then you'll get very hot on the dance floor, won't you?  Believe me, you won't need a coat."

"I don't think that is going to happen."

So, Alex thought, Frank does not like getting picked up.  She might be beautiful, she might be classy, but he was no one's pushover.

But Marguerite wasn't going to take no for an answer.  "Then I'll compromise, T.D. and H.  I'll sing first and then you dance with me."

"That's not going to happen either."

"Frank, shame on you for making rash statements."  She slid a hand along his jaw then smoothed his lip with her finger.  "You haven't heard me sing yet."

Alex's jaw was still down there on the floor as she watched Marguerite walk over to the DJ and speak to him.  The DJ nodded and stopped the song, mid-play.

"Friends, folks and devotees of the Karaoke machine," he announced to the room.  "It is time to partay.  It is time to be blessed by the dulcet tones of the aspiring artistes of tomorrow and yesterday and the day before.  But before we do, we have a very special guest."  He leaned towards Marguerite and mouthed, 'what's your name?'.  The woman whispered in his ear and he turned back to his audience.  "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you ... Mar-guer-ite!"

He handed the microphone to her and flicked the switch on his machine.  Searching the menu selection, he finally punched in a number and then sat back, watching the woman move to the centre of the now empty dance floor where she smiled at those watching.  Alex couldn't take her eyes from her, wondering what was coming next.

The first sultry bars of the song slid out of the speakers and wove around the room.

"The first time... ever I saw your face..."  sang Marguerite with a smooth alto voice that had more substance than thick velvet.

"Oh my God,"  groaned Cody.  "I love that song.  And good golly gee, Frank, she's singing right at you!"

He was right.  Marguerite powered through the words of Roberta Flack's song without taking her eyes from Frank.  Their leader on the other hand wasn't reacting in any way.  His face was closed, his jaw set and not moving as she sang the verses from memory.  Alex had no idea what he was thinking, if he was thinking.

"The first time..."  sang Marguerite, still watching Donovan, "ever I lay with you..."

Alex gulped.  How could the man remain impervious to the song, the words, the way it was being sung, directed at him?!  But he was carved from stone, watching Marguerite, the only movement was the pulse under his jaw.  Alex could see from where she was standing, that pulse was throbbing like a miniature jackhammer.

"Shee-eet!"  said Jake.

"I've died and gone to heaven,"  said Cody.

"She's no amateur,"  said Monica.

And Donovan said nothing at all.

****

When the song had finished, Marguerite ignored the applause and calls for an encore, and wound her way back to the group at the bar.  She stopped in front of Frank and just smiled at him.

For the first time in the five minutes it took for Marguerite to sing that song, Alex saw her boss move.  He took the woman's shoulders in his hands and pulled her to him.  Bending his head, he pressed his mouth against hers, then slid his hands down her back and pulled her in harder. 

Alex watched them kiss – she couldn’t have turned away if she'd wanted to – without coming up for air for a full minute before she decided to start timing them.  A minute and a half, two minutes ...

"Ahem..."  said Cody.  "Frank!  Oh, Fraaank!"  It wasn't until he punched Donovan in the arm that the couple broke the embrace.  "I don't want to be a party-pooper here, but does this mean you're gonna dance with her after all?"

****

Marguerite laughed as she pulled Frank out of the front door of the bar.  Alex was right behind them and the team behind her as they walked back to their cars.  Unlocking the vehicle for the others, Alex stood on the curb watching Frank help Marguerite into the passenger seat of his car. 

He bent over the woman and said something Alex couldn't catch, but she thought she heard what Marguerite replied.    She wasn't sure, but it sounded like: 

'Time to go home, my love machine.'

Finis