Some Kind of Cover (M) - (5 Parts)

[Liberty Belle]

H'okay, hopefully I did mess this all up. :> It was a little hard to know how to end it.

Hope you've enjoyed. :> :>

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“Out of my way–out of my Goddamned way—“

Cassandra could almost see the path cleared by her partner through the kitchen, a width lined by rankled cooks and broken dishes. If Court hadn’t been this way, some other train wreck had.

One of the dishwashers shouted at her in Mandarin as she ran through, motioning wildly around a corner, and with a quick nod Cassie followed her gesticulation, trying hard not to trip over her own heels.

In an unconscious mimic of the other agent she led with her shoulder, immediately bringing her gun to bear as she pulled a stance, breathing hard, and surveyed the empty warehouse.

“Agent Walker,” she called out, but only her own echo bounced back. With far less caution than was probably called for she crept forward with that same ankle-over-ankle slink, letting her weapon lead her around corners.

When she saw the crate smeared with blood, her heart nearly stopped.

“Jesus,” she whispered, smearing it with her fingertips, her heart beating as if want for escape. “Jesus, please don’t be his.” She looked worriedly into the dark. “Please don’t be his…”

A soft groan sounded from somewhere amidst the crates, and she brought her gun up again, taut and listening.

“Court?”

Another groan, weak. Dropping her aim to the floor she scuttled fast towards the sound, fairly leaping at the sight of a blood-stained hand curled limply on the floor, outstretched from a suit-sleeved arm.

“Court,” Cassie rounded the crate and fell to her knees alongside him, wild with relief. His fingers were tacky with blood, a gash above his temple streaming red rivulets down the side of his face, but she saw no evidence of what she feared most. “Court, are you shot?”

“No,” he groaned, feebly trying to pick up his head. “…gun…hit…”

“Pistol-whipped you,” she sighed, gently touching the back of his head, tenderly feeling the lump at the base of his skull. He likely hit his head on the crate as he fell forward – hopefully he didn’t give himself a concussion in the process.

She got under him as best she could, though at 250 lbs. he was no featherweight, practically dragging her down as he gripped at her and struggled to his feet.

“Ugh—Jesus, Court, you weigh a ton—“

“Have to get up,” he slurred.

“We’ll get you to the infirmary—“

“No…hide…”

“Hide?”

“Coming…coming back…” He met her eyes, pained, “More of them.”

“How many more,” she groaned, trying to support him. He couldn’t walk on his own, and there was no way she could get him far by herself. “That ship only had room for four, and two were already on board.” Already her arms were trembling with strain.

“Must be… inside job.”

“Shit… we need to get you—“

They froze as the sound of metal grating metal divided the silence, as of one of the warehouse doors slowly opening. Court gave her the best “told you so” look he could, under the circumstances, and with a sigh she helped him limp into a stand of stacked crates, caching him in the middle. They crouched side-by-side in the dark, Court leaning back limply, legs outstretched, eyes going in and out of focus as consciousness ebbed and flowed.

The grinding fell away again, and from out the quiet there came the distant sound of restless wavelets, and overlapping footfalls scraping cement. Cassie couldn’t begin to count them, even when they were joined by voices, discordant in fluent and aggressive Portuguese.

She didn’t speak it, but Court did. She looked at him, his brow furrowed in an expression of concentration as he listened through a muddled haze. Whatever their conversation, it was too much for him to process in his current state.

The big agent’s eyes turned up toward the distant, buzzing lights, and suddenly narrowed with a look of distress. She thought for a moment he’d finally heard something of value, but the slow deepening of his breathing, and the subtle but telltale tic of his nostrils filled her with an all-too-different feeling of dread.

He raised a weak hand to his nose, clamping it tightly, eyes furrowed shut. Only Cassie saw the futility of this; no matter how covert Court thought he was being, even the most strenuous of efforts of his part could not lessen his sneeze from being anything but patently, painfully obvious. Worse yet, holding one in would only compound a concussion, if he had one.

Court’s chest rose and fell with a slow, deliberate rhythm, the irritation having no trouble getting past his weakened defenses.

Cassie had to fight his hand away from his nose, skillful use of a glare her main defense as a glint of panic hit his eyes. As if with a magic skill she tucked a forefinger beneath his nose, holding it there in an effort to stay his sneeze.

The touch was at once maddening and relieving, a curious pressure-point that caused the pinprickling irritation to endure rather than develop. It worked, miraculously, though his breath continued to saw in and out like a man on the verge of orgasm, a fact that was not lost on his partner.

Even with her help he had to fight not to sneeze, closing his eyes tightly and grimacing his nose. Without meaning to, one of his heaving breaths sounded with a clearly audible, “…heh—“

Cassie panicked, the exchange of voices in the darkness abruptly stopping. They resumed, suddenly angry, and the shuffle of feet grew loud as the unseen group spread out in search.

The stalemate could not last. Court had to get out at least one sneeze, or the very effort of hanging in the balance would give them away. Cassie crawled silently over her partner, straddling him smoothly, and leaned her head close to his, hair falling in a cascade around them. She put her lips close to his ear, conscious of the steady sawing of his breath against her finger.

“I’m going to move my hand—“ immediately he shook his head, and she hardened her whisper. “I have to, Court.”

Another shake. She tried a different tact.

“You have to trust me.”

Trust was not a word firmly rooted in his vocabulary, but her face was close and her eyes intense, and a secret, guilty part of him just wanted the visceral release of a good sneeze. He nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Cassie slid a hand softly inside the flap of his jacket, fishing inside until a linen corner interrupted her groping, and she pulled out his handkerchief. In one smooth motion she slid her finger away and capped his nose and mouth, holding it tightly in place.

He must have been in real misery, barely able to hold out for the handkerchief before the sneezing started.

“Hpff! …Hpff!...” he could actually feel the tic of something deep in his nose, spastic with irritation, barely registering what small, muffled sound he was making through the press of the handkerchief. “Hpff!”

Cassie set her teeth, pressing as hard as she dared, watching in something like fascination as he alternately grimaced and relaxed, each time quaking with yet another muffled, “Hpff!”

Ten sneezes into the fit it finally began to abate, and none too soon – he dropped his head back, eyelids heavy with the pounding pressure of his head. Cassie kept the handkerchief in place for good measure, but both the scuffing of feet and the warring foreign voices had seen their end as well. She strained into the silence, Court’s eyes eventually clearing and moving from side to side as he too became aware that they were alone.

She drew the handkerchief away, and through the thickness of congestion he demanded, “Help me up… we have to go after them.”

“Are you not even aware that you had to preface that with ‘help me up’?”

“The warehouse door is still open, they’re going to hit the water—“

“And get away, and won’t that be a shame, but we’re just two people, Court. Two. One person with a concussion and one in high heels. Math wasn’t my strongest suit at the Academy, but even I know that doesn’t add up to us either catching the bad guys, or coming out of this alive.”

“It’s our job—“ He started to have at her with that stern bark of authority, but for once she had the upper hand.

“It’s my job to keep you alive, even when you’re particularly hell-bent on doing just the opposite. We’re not going after them, Court. We’re not going anywhere except back to the infirmary, and then back to the room to report to Ops. The Ambassador’s security teams will already be on our way… our responsibility lies in pursuing the investigation, not getting ourselves neck-deep in trouble we’re ill-prepared for. Do we understand each other, Agent Walker?”

He wasn’t happy about it, and it showed, forehead gathered and lip curled into a snarl.

“You—“

“I what? Please, enlighten me, how were you planning on finishing that?”

“You…” his eyelids became suddenly too heavy to hold open, mouth opening and turning down at the corners in dread inevitability. His nostrils flared hugely, safely hidden from view only a moment later as Cassie clamped his handkerchief back In place. He bucked into it with an enormous sneeze. “Heh—RHHHFFFFF!”

His head was still spinning when she lowered the handkerchief, the dizziness evident in his eyes.

“Infirmary,” she said, and after a long, regretful moment he nodded.

“Okay.”

“Don’t worry, Court,” one arm slid around him, and she grit her teeth with the effort of helping him to his feet. “You’ll thank me in the morning.”

*******

The morning sun was a handful of diamonds on the pool surface, the scattering of brightly pastel plastic recliners still absent of resort-goers. There was nary a bikini nor Speedo in sight; the complimentary towels were still warm from the dryer, the little automated pool cleaner was still motoring cheerfully around the edges, and the strawberry daiquiris were both fresh and loaded with alcohol.

So what if 9 AM was a little early to be either sunbathing or throwing back umbrella drinks… Cassie had 12 hours left to enjoy this little manmade paradise, and she was going to enjoy it.

Despite its relative stillness, the pool itself was not empty, a long body gliding smoothly beneath the surface. Cassie tilted down the rim of her sunhat, sipping her drink and enjoying the fuzzy buzz it left behind her eyes as the swimmer breached at the edge of the pool nearest her.

Court rested his arms on the sandstone tile, rivulets streaming his bare shoulders and chest as he passed a broad hand back through his hair, slicking it out of the way.

“You’re sure you won’t make yourself worse?” she smirked. “You’re no picnic with a cold, I don’t care to imagine what you’re like with bronchial pneumonia.”

“I’m fine,” he answered, wiping the water from his eyes with one hand. His voice still had the flatness of congestion, and the cut on his temple stood out like a dark sketch above his brow, but at least he looked better. “Doctor gave me a clean bill of health”

“Doctor said you were lucky you didn’t give yourself a concussion. I wouldn’t exactly call that a clean bill of health.” She sipped again, musing. “But… he did say you could exercise as long as the fever didn’t come back, so.”

Court knuckled his nose roughly, squinting an eye open at her

“…And it hasn’t… and since our plane doesn’t leave until… tonight…” He sniffed testily, then gradually raised both hands, dripping, from the water, hovering them towards his face. Cassie saw his nostrils flare admirably before he cupped them.

“HEISSH!” his sneeze was a contained roar.

“Gesundheit!” she held up her drink as if in toast.

“HEISSH!”

“How is that water, by the way?”

“HEISSH!” Court lowered his hands, sniffing irritably, and quickly boosted himself from the pool, padding to her and letting the cascade of water from his toned form splatter all over her legs. She sat sharply upright, scowling.

“Hey! Some of us are choosing to use our down time in a dry fashion—“

The morning sun behind him, he was almost entirely silhouetted before her, the golden light suggesting the clean lines of his muscles as he stood casually akimbo.

“Funny thing about chlorine,” he noted, gesturing towards his face with one hand. Cassie was immediately suspicious about where he was going with this.

“Court,” she said warningly.

“No matter how careful, I invariably end up getting water in my nose…”

“I’m serious—“

“The chlorine tends to…” he flexed his fingers around his nose in indication, the bridge twitching as he took on a look of contemplative dread. The muscles of his chest rose and fell with sudden irregularity. “…irritate my sinuses, I feel like I have to…Hegh—“

Cassie sprang to her feet just as he started to sneeze, glaring and tucking her forefinger tightly under his nose. His upper lip was still dappled with pool water.

“We have an eight-hour flight back home,” she growled. “And I am not above kicking your shin the entire way.”

“Kidding,” he said headily, nostrils flaring against her finger. She took her hand back, stepping away broadly and snatching up her discarded daiquiri.

“Now you discover a sense of humor. I liked you better when you were an asshole.”

Amused, he hovered both hands lightly around his nose, breathing hitching momentarily before he wrenched with a cleansing sneeze.

“Heh-RRRSSSSSHHH-ah!”

He’d just straightened up when a dry towel hit him right in the face, and with a smirk he wiped his face, then used it to rub at his nose.

“Gesundheit. Are you done now?”

“For now.” He sniffled, opened the towel, and worked it down one arm. “But no promises.”

“Good, because I’m determined to get some shopping in before we have to catch our plane out of paradise.”

Court cocked her a curious eye.

“And I’m going to be accompanying you on this little exercise in wastefulness?”

“You are my “husband”, remember? It would be unseemly otherwise.”

“Right,” he rumbled, draping the towel around his shoulders. “I suppose it’s my duty.”

“Oh, don’t look so dour. If you’re good, maybe I’ll win you a teddy-bear.” And when this only spurred a deeper look of disdain, she padded off for the hotel. “All right, how about a teddy-bear armed with a long-range Glock G31.”

“Equipped with tactical light?”

“Equipped with tactical light.”

He started after her, leaving wet footprints on the sandstone in his wake.

“Now we’re speaking the same language.”

Cassie smiled at him slyly as they came up side-by-side.

“See,” she elbowed him, poking into hard muscle. “Maybe there’s hope for us yet.”

[aggedy_ann]

THis was great. I loved it.

Thank you so much for writing it.

I loved the epilogue. I can just see her kicking him the entire flight him.

[starpollen]

Very nice. The sneezing was spot-on: very well done. Although, I have to admit I wanted more to develop from their relationship... even though in the end you're probably smart not to. You know what they say: never mix work and pleasure...

Though a sequel wouldn't go amiss...

[girl_in_love]

Great fic, I liked it!

Love

~*Jill*~

[doggo]

Oh this was so good! I loved the personality interractions, the action, how it was writtten overall... and goddamn his sneezing was absolutely !! Thank you!

[count tiszula]

Brilliant! The whole thing. And of course our hero reduced to a sneezing while hiding wreck while his capable companion wields the hankie and the gun.

Actually I was expecting a real bloodbath in keeping with the suspense of the story, but wiser counsels prevailed, and the coda was perfect.

[Vetinari]

Wow, how good was that???

Fantastic and so exciting in so many ways So much action!

[Liberty Belle]

Thank you thank you, everyone. :> It's always much more fun when other people dig it.

The next one I'm working on is going to be a lot longer, and a lot more serious, so Bear with me!

[girl_in_love]

Thank you thank you, everyone. :> It's always much more fun when other people dig it.

The next one I'm working on is going to be a lot longer, and a lot more serious, so Bear with me!

Hi! I soooo cant wait for the next one. I love all your stories! There brilliant! Hugs!

Love

~*Jillo*~

[jezebel215]

yay! longer! i have something to look forward to again!

[SterlingSilver]

I know this story is pretty old, but it's still one of my absolute favorites! Characterization is perfect, and the plot is just genius! It offers so much in the way of opportunity. Liberty Belle, you are the MASTER! <3

[VividBubbles!]

Oooooooh! Yay! I can't wait for the next one! By the way, I loved the Maji story. It was AWESOME! Start your next story soon!

BYE!

[SweaterWeather]

Liberty Belle, yet again your writing holds my attention to the fullest. You're AMAZINGLY talented!!! The setting, characters, and over all feel of the story mixed with the beyoooond hot sneeze scenes are all but irresistible. Thank you for writing this loveliness!!!

[Emily]

This is great! I like it even more than I liked "The Maji" which I was totally enthralled by. If you're still active on the forum, I am a total supporter of your stories!

[Xyla]

I've always been a fan of your stories. And even though this is an oldie, it's still a goodie!

[Rika]

Loved This!

Was oh so sad to see it come to an end!

Your writing is lovely Liberty Belle!

I believe someone above me mentioned a sequel...?

I concur!