Intersection (14 page)

assidy walked into the kitchen to find Alex at the stove and coffee on. “Whatya’ doing there?” The woman asked pulling up a bar stool at the island facing the agent’s back. Alex reached up and pulled down a coffee mug for the woman now across from her.

“I’m making breakfast. Isn’t that what Alfred does?” She jested.

“Uh huh… I don’t know. I haven’t had any invitations to Wayne Manor since I divorced the social circuit,” Cassidy quipped.

Alex chuckled. “I see… well, lucky for you I double as a butler when necessary.”

“So you cook?”

“Ummm… not as well as my mother would like, no. I’m afraid that skipped right through me to Nicky….BUT, I can make a mean omelet. That’s about the extent of it, unless you love macaroni and cheese,” the agent confessed lightheartedly as she added eggs to the pan.

Dylan entered wiping the sleep from his eyes and looked curiously at the scene before him. Cereal was the normal morning feast in this house unless it was the weekend. He walked next to the agent and strained to look into the pan. He rubbed his eyes again and spun on his heels to face his mother. Cassidy watched him closely wondering how he was going to react this morning. Alex had explained to him that her friend, Mr. Fallon, would be taking him to his dad. She said Mr. Fallon was
silly and that Dylan would have a lot of fun with him. Cassidy hoped that might help to ease the boy’s stress. “Can I have juice?” Cassidy got up and poured the boy a glass of juice. “Can I watch Batman?” He asked with a yawn.

“Yeah… go ahead… but we have to get you ready in an hour, all right?’ He didn’t respond, just walked off into the living room.

Alex moved the eggs in the pan gently. She could sense that Cassidy was stressed. “He’ll be fine,” Alex said reassuringly. One thing the agent understood about this woman was that Cassidy was dedicated to both her family and her students. She had prattled on and on about both with pride during their car ride the other night and it was evident every time she looked at Dylan or mentioned a student. Today she was forced to step away from both.

“I hate this,” Cassidy offered bluntly.

The agent grabbed a plate down and flipped the omelet onto it. She moved the two steps required and placed it on the counter in front of the small blonde woman. The tall dark haired agent studied the smaller woman before her. Cassidy was adorable in her sweat pants and T-shirt with her hair still slightly ruffled from sleep. “Eat your omelet,” Alex said plainly.

“Is that an order?” Cassidy laughed.

“Butlers don’t give orders,” Alex scoffed playfully. “You have some serious superhero etiquette to learn.”

Cassidy laughed out loud which prompted Dylan to poke his head around the corner in curiosity. “Let me guess,” Alex said looking at the boy. “Batman wants cereal for breakfast.” Dylan nodded and headed back for his spot on the couch. “That’s what I like,” Alex looked at his mother. “Low maintenance superheroes.” She walked across the kitchen and grabbed the cereal, then the milk and put it in a bowl. Cassidy sat toying with her eggs. “Ummmm…” Alex looked at her from across the counter. “Are you afraid to eat my cooking?”

“No…I’m sorry, Alex.”

“Mmmhmm…come on,” Alex grabbed the plate out from under the woman and the bowl of cereal.

“Where are you going?”

“We are going to watch Batman over breakfast,” Alex said already out of the room. Cassidy grabbed her coffee and shook her head. When she reached the room, Dylan already had his bowl of cereal on the coffee table. He was engrossed in the images of the caped crusader on the television while the spoon unconsciously entered his small mouth over and over. Alex patted the couch and Cassidy took her seat silently. The agent seemed almost as focused on the cartoon as the boy and watching them both completely lost in the adventure; Cassidy suddenly felt a bit of relief. “Awww….” Alex let out an audible cringe as the Joker hit Batman with a ray gun. “That’s not right.”

“He’s gonna’ get the Batmobile….watch, Alex… here ….look,” Dylan pointed to the television. Cassidy looked at the woman beside her. Alex was already showered and dressed, as always. She had her hair pulled back in her signature pony tail and her white blouse buttoned just to the top of her cleavage; which Cassidy was surprised she seemed to be noticing with some intensity. She was beautiful. Alex felt the woman’s gaze and it sent a burning sensation through her. Everything about Cassidy O’Brien intrigued Alex, everything. But, for the first time in her life the agent was not on a mission of seduction. She was fully aware that she loved Cassidy. It was a feeling she wasn’t certain she was capable of, but any doubts she had ever had were erased within a few minutes of being in this woman’s presence. As the last scene unfolded Cassidy prepared to call Dylan to get ready, but before she could speak her ears were met with the thunderous sound of two voices in unison, “Dundah dundah…BATMAN.”

The teacher shook her head, “all right you caped crusaders… let’s go.” To her surprise Dylan rose to his feet quickly. He smiled at Alex and headed up the stairs.

Cassidy looked at the agent and bent over to pick up the boy’s bowl. “Just go get him ready. I’ll get these. I need more coffee anyway.” Cassidy nodded her agreement and followed her son up the stairs.

Alex looked at the paper and groaned at the picture. There she was with Cassidy in the driveway, the same day the other photo had been snapped:

FBI guarding Cassidy O’Brien or Congressman O’Brien’s Secrets?

“I hate the press,” she mumbled as she tucked the paper under her laptop on the kitchen table. She had no intention of allowing Cassidy to see the headline until after Dylan was safely away. The teacher was upset enough already. Alex had been on the phone with A.D. Tate and the president at the crack of dawn. John Merrow had apologized to the agent for the miscalculation. Alex had expressed from the beginning that this was a silly assignment to take undercover. She had to admit, for her part, this was one weight lifted off her. She no longer had to pretend she was someone else and that made her feel more confident about protecting Cassidy. At the same time, Alex was certain that the woman who commanded her affection would find the article unsettling. The doorbell rang and the agent moved to the hallway. Cassidy called from upstairs to her as she opened the door, “we’ll be right down, Alex.”

“Take your time,” the agent called back opening the door but looking up the stairs.

“So…Nice to see a celebrity first thing in the morning,” Fallon greeted his partner.

“Shhh…” Alex whispered her warning to the man as she looked back up the stairs for any sign of the teacher and the boy.

“Why are we shushing?” Fallon crouched into Alex.

“She doesn’t know,” Alex motioned upstairs.

“You mean she hasn’t seen the papers?”

“No…shut up already, Fallon.”

“Well,” a voice beckoned from a few paces away. “Looks like suburban life agrees with you, Agent Toles,” a flirtatious redhead offered. Alex nearly swallowed her tongue. It was Brackett. “Aren’t you going to say hello?” Brackett moved a little closer to the agent as Cassidy hit the top of the stairs and caught the redhead’s seductive gaze toward Alex.

Cassidy felt her heart stop and then pound with such force she momentarily thought it might knock her down. She surveyed the interaction, watching the redhead’s expression as she seemed to undress Alex with her eyes. The sight before her made her stomach flip and she froze. Dylan skipped past her on the stairs. “Come on, Mom,” he said heading directly for Alex.

Agent Brackett greeted him. “Hello there,” she said pulling away from Alex and extending her hand to the boy.

“Hello,” he said turning to look at Alex for approval.

“This is Ms. Brackett, Dylan…. I guess she’s …well…she’s helping Mr. Fallon – and this is my friend, Mr. Fallon.”

Brackett stared at Alex, her gaze unmistakable. Cassidy began making her way down the stairs. One thing Cassidy could do when she needed to was extend pleasantries. She hated it, but being in public life made it a necessary skill. Inside she was seething. She felt jealous and she hurt more than she was capable of understanding. She didn’t even know if the redhead’s actions meant anything, but she suspected they did and it was ripping her insides apart. “Sorry about that,” she said sweetly as she stepped to the ground floor.

“Mrs. O’Brien,” Agent Fallon greeted the woman. His eyes twinkled a bit as she held his gaze. “I promise we will take great care of Dylan.”

“I know you will,” Cassidy smiled. The knots in Alex’s stomach suddenly felt more like fish swimming upstream. Cassidy was not acting like herself and the agent already knew why. She
had clearly caught on to Agent Brackett’s attention to Alex, and she almost certainly wondered what role the agent played in it all. Cassidy busied herself getting Dylan’s coat on and making pleasantries with Fallon. She kept a watchful eye on the pair of female FBI agents that stood close to the door. Alex had her back to Cassidy and the teacher could not see the agent’s expression, but she had full view of every suggestive smile the redhead offered Alex.

“So… Agent Toles,” Brackett began with a raise of her eyebrow. “Now that you are
exposed
… what is your plan?”

Fallon closed his eyes tightly and Alex swallowed hard. She dared not face the teacher yet. First she needed to get Dylan off. The agent shot the redhead a look of cautionary disgust and then turned to look down at the boy. “Say goodbye to your mom, Dylan.” Her heart was completely lodged in her throat as she attempted to avoid Cassidy’s eyes.

The boy hugged his mother and Cassidy dropped all pretenses and all questions for a moment to encircle his small form within her arms. “I love you, sweetie.”

He smiled at her. “Love you too,” he said sweetly and then turned and ran to the agent that had become his hero. “Alex… when I get back make sure the Batmobile is ready… we might have to find that Joker,” he said emphatically, preparing for his mission.

For a split second both Cassidy and Alex forgot the current situation as Alex bent down to accept his hug. “You got it, Speed Racer.” He looked at her quizzically. “Oh… I mean BATMAN,” she corrected herself.

Agent Fallon’s eyes were wide. Alex had always been good with his kids, but the affection she seemed to have for the small toe headed boy was different somehow. He sensed there was something more to this case for his friend. Fallon accepted the backpack from Cassidy with a sideways grin and shuttled Dylan out the door in front of him. He stopped briefly to whisper to his partner, “I’m sorry…it wasn’t my idea for her to….”

Alex patted his shoulder; she was sure she knew whose idea it was to send Brackett, Brackett’s. She lingered in the doorway as the redhead came even with her, “Christ, Brackett….”

“What?”

Alex led her through the door and leaned into her ear, “just what the hell do you think you are doing?” Alex said attempting to control her temper.

Brackett smiled, catching the expression of the small blonde behind the agent. “Hmmm…
exposed
? Pretty good at that, huh, Toles?” She leaned into the agent. Alex felt her body twitch from the anger that was brewing within her. “It’s all right… your secret’s safe with me,” the redhead winked.

“Do you have any idea how unprofessional you are acting?”

“Hummm… must be the rookie in me… I thought a seasoned agent would change that… huh? See you in Washington,” she nearly cooed as she walked away.

Alex shut the door and very slowly turned to face the teacher. The fish in her stomach had suddenly turned to whales and were flipping wildly. Cassidy stood staring at her. “What did she mean,
exposed
?”

Alex took a deep breath. “The picture made it to the papers… they know we are FBI… at least that I am… that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Cassidy said flatly. “I see… and when did you discover this little
exposure
?”

“This morning.”

“Uh huh. This morning before breakfast or this morning while I was upstairs?” Cassidy’s tone remained amazingly the same.

“I got a call from A.D. Tate early that the story was running.”

“Of course you did… so Batman and eggs… no exposure?”