Ben banged on the door. Kevin opened it with a questioning look on his face.

"Hey, Rob. What are you doing here?" He asked, putting a hand on the doorjam.

"Is Ryan here?" he demanded.

"Nope."

"Come on, Kev. She's not at the dorm. She has to be here."

"She's not. What the hell did you do anyway? She was supposed to be with you in Miami for five more days. Luckily, she did come back early as our son came earlier than expected. She wouldn't have wanted to miss that."

"Yeah, she said you were due soon. Congrats. Can you please tell me where I can find her? We really need to talk."

He opened the door wider. "Come on in. She's not here, but I know where to find her."

Ben spotted Lauren on the couch, breastfeeding the baby, a blue blanket hung over her shoulder and the baby from his side to give her privacy. "Congrats."

"This is Douglas," Lauren said, proudly, turning the baby so he could see its face.

"Ah, that's nice," Ben looked away as he caught glimpse of Kevin's wife's breast. "After Ryan's friend, right?"

Lauren nodded and repositioned the baby under the blanket. "He was our friend too."

Kevin spoke into the phone, "Law, hey man, it's Kev, is my sister there?" he asked. Ben's ears perked up. "What's going on?" Kevin asked. He was quiet for a minute. "Oh boy! Are you serious?! No, she didn't tell me. Yup, he is. Alright, yeah, thanks," he said and hung up.

"Lauren, honey, do you mind if Rob and I have a little mano-a-mano?"

"Certainly. Be nice," she said, kissing his cheek.

"I'm always nice," Kevin countered. Lauren patted Ben's shoulder on her way out of the room.

"So... Rob."

"You going to tell me where she is?"

"Tell me why I should."

Ben looked at him and knew the guy wasn't going to budge unless he got the truth. "I love her."

"Really?"

"Yes!" Ben said frustrated.

"So, what's this about you wanting to marry her?"

"I do."

"Even though you think she's only nineteen," Kevin said, crossing his arms.

Ben was about to lay into Kevin when something about the sentence hit him as wrong. His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean think?"

"How many months have you lived with her?"

"Five."

"And you haven't figured anything out."

"Like what?" Rob said, trying to hold his temper.

"Like, she ain't no nineteen."

"Then how old is she, Kevin?"

"Hmm...well, let's see, it's not polite to talk about a lady's age. However, I'm twenty-six and I'm her baby brother. So, you figure it out."

Ben blinked. "You're her...younger brother?" he asked, bewildered.

"I just gave you a major piece of the puzzle. Now, I'll let you figure out the rest."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. What are you saying here?"

"You're the FBI agent; you figure it out," Kevin answered, getting up. "How about that brew?" Kevin asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Why did you say that?" Ben asked, confused.

"Remember? I offered you one at Thanksgiving, but you said no. I'm offering one again," Kevin said, opening a beer can and handed it to him. Ben took a swig.

"I meant about the FBI thing."

"Because she told me," Kevin said simply.

"Ryan told you that I am an FBI agent?"

"Are you going to deny it?"

"What's the point, you seem to have pegged me as one."

"Fascinating."

"What?"

"That you still haven't gotten it through your damn, thick, head. How did you ever make it as an agent?"

"What are you...wait, a minute...you trying to tell me that Ryan is an agent?"

"You didn't hear it from me," Kevin said, taking a swig of his beer.

Ben shook his head in disbelief. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because she won't. Because if I know my sister, and I do, I'd say that she's pretty stuck on you. And I just want her to be happy."

"How do you know?"

"Because she quit the assignment. She doesn't quit. From what Lawson tells me, she's pretty confused about what to do with you, and it got in the way. Not a good thing for an undercover agent, wouldn't you say?"

"Damn! Why the hell didn't she tell me?"

"For the same reason that you didn't tell her. It's the job."

"Oh, my god!" Ben exclaimed, suddenly realizing if she was his partner, then she was also Catwoman.

"What?"

"Tell me where she is. She's with that guy? Lawson?"

***************************

Ben knocked on the door to the address Kevin gave him. A nice end unit townhouse in the middle of the suburbs. Xavier answered the door. He looked Ben up and down with his usual sneer.

"Xavier, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, annoyed to find him there instead of Ryan.

"I could have asked you the same thing," Xavier said in the Italian accent Ben hated so much.

"I'm here to see Ryan," Ben said, stepping closer to him.

Xavier put his arm on the doorway to block him. "And what makes you think that I'm going to let you see her?"

"Come on, she's my friend, man."

"Friends don't ask their friends to marry them."

"She told you?"

"Why don't you just go?"

"I'm not going until I see Ryan."

"Let him in, Kyle," he heard Lawson's voice. Xavier turned to look behind him. He lifted his arm to let Ben pass.

"You're Kyle?" Ben asked as he stepped pass.

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. But first..." His fist suddenly slammed into Ben's face.

"Agh!" Ben yelled, grabbing his nose. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For associating my daughter with drug dealers, asshole."

Ben blinked. Oh, shit. "She did that on her own, man. I had no idea until later."

"And you didn't come to me! I had to find out from someone else. Not cool. That's my baby girl, and she could have been killed because of you. I entrusted her to you! To keep her safe! And away from scum like that!"

"She got away from me. I was in the bathroom..."

"Buying drugs..."

"When I came out, she was in the girls' room. I had no idea that Kenny had gone in there too. Or that she was buying coke from him."

"You should have known."

"Kyle," Lawson called from the other room.

"Butt out!"

"I let you hit the guy," Ben heard him mutter.

"I'm really, really, sorry. I never would have intentionally let that happen."

"But it did happen! I don't trust you. Not with my daughter and not with Miranda."

"Who?" Ben asked, confused.

"You are a complete idiot. I don't know how you ever became an agent," Kyle told him, walking away.

"Hey, Lawson," Ben said stepping into the living room. Lawson looked up from strapping on a gun holster. "You're all agents?" Ben asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Lawson Greves," he said, shaking Ben's hand.

"Ben Thompson."

"Yeah, I know," Lawson answered.

"You know?"

"I'm afraid I'm the one who blabbed to Miranda. I thought it would help the situation."

"Miranda?"

"Ryan," Lawson said, looking up the stairs. "Look, uh, she really cares about you, so don't blow it."

"She's not coming down," Kyle said, looking up the stairs as he came into the living room with ice on his hand. Ben noticed he didn't offer any to him. That was okay with him. He deserved it. He should have never had taken an eye off of Nikki. He thought back over their conversation. "Wait, Nikki's your daughter?"

Kyle glared at him.

Lawson stepped between them, "Ah, Miranda was sleeping the last I saw. Why don't you go on up, Ben. Come on, Kyle, we gotta go," he said, patting Kyle's shoulder.

"Don't you think he needs backup?"

"Desperately. But that's not for us to say."

"Thanks, guys."

"Don't thank us yet," Lawson chuckled.

"Nikki. Get a move on!" Kyle yelled up the stairs.

"Geez, dad, I'm coming," she said, thundering down the steps."Ooops. Sorry," she gasped, holding a hand to her lips as she saw Ben.

"It's okay," Kyle said, taking her by the shoulders and turned her to Ben, "The cat's out of the bag. He knows."

"What the hell happened to your face?" Nikki asked, her jaw dropping.

"Your dad," Lawson answered. "Know the consequences of your actions, kid."

"Danggggg, dad! Sorry, Ben, I was only trying to help!"

"But she's not going to do it again until she gets a badge, right, kiddo?" Lawson said, picking her up and throwing her over a shoulder.

"Yes. I promise! Law! Put me down!"

Kyle sighed, "Nikki will testify against that Kenny kid when the time comes," Kyle said, tossing Ben the bag of ice.

Ben caught it, "Thanks."

"Anytime," Nikki answered.

They all glared at her.

"After the academy, I swear," she said, saluting them.

Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose before turning back to look at his daughter. "Come on, if you want to drive us to work."

"Wait. Drive?! She's only thirteen!" Ben exclaimed.

"I'm sixteen, actually," Nikki said sheepishly, taking the keys from Kyle.

"No, you can't be," Ben said, confused.

Kyle nodded.

Ben frowned."Why the hell did you need a babysitter if she's sixteen?"

"I'm surprised your face isn't reminding you what happens when I leave my daughter on her own."

"Hey!" Nikki complained.

"The truth hurts, kid," Lawson said gesturing to Ben's face, "literally."

"Wow, you look so young," Ben said, staring at her.

"He won't let me wear makeup much," Nikki said, gesturing to Kyle. "Or tight clothes," she pulled her loose tee-shirt behind her back so it pressed up against her. The girl had a nice size rack.

"Nikki!" Kyle swatted her hand until she dropped her shirt.

"He doesn't accept I'm growing up and should be wearing clothes like my friends!" she glared at her dad.

"Your friends dress like sluts," Kyle grumbled.

"They do not!" Nikki exclaimed, "Just because they wear skinny jeans and shirts that actually fit doesn't make them sluts. You still live in the dark ages, dad!"

"Damn right," he crossed his arms, "when it comes to you."

Nikki rolled her eyes, "See what I have to deal with?!" she told Ben.

Ben nodded in understanding, but stopped when Kyle glared at him.

"Maybe this discussion should take place later," Lawson gently prodded.

"Oh it will." Nikki turned back to Ben, "So, how old do you think my dad is?"

Ben looked at him. Kyle was Xavier, and Xavier was supposed to have been around twenty. If Nikki was sixteen, the guy had to be, at least, in his thirties. Though, he didn't look it, at all. "Thirty five?" Ben took a calculated guess.

"Close. Thirty-four," Kyle answered.

"Dad knocked up my mom in high school, so they got married when they graduated and had me," Nikki explained.

"Nikki!" Kyle groaned.

"Do kids still say knocked up?" Lawson asked with a chuckle.

****************************

Ben climbed the stairs and went to the door Lawson said was hers. He knocked lightly on it. "Ryan," he called out. He knocked again. "Miranda," he said this time.

He opened the door and stepped inside. He could hear the shower running. He studied the room. A queen size bed covered in black sheets was at the back of the room. Unmade. He smiled. At least that hadn't changed.

A desk to his left with the laptop that went missing from their dorm room sat upon it. To the right was a large dresser. The door to the bathroom was next to it. He walked over to a wall and studied the pictures on it. There was Kyle, Lawson, and two other guys that he didn't know. One picture had them all together in full FBI training gear.

There were a few pictures of Nikki with Kyle, with Ryan, with another woman that he didn't know. Other pictures were of Kevin, his wife, daughter and the new baby.

There was an older man in a FBI uniform with his arms wrapped around Ryan. He guessed it was her father as he looked a lot like Kevin. Next to it was a framed newspaper article explaining his heroism, which had led to his death. Ben blew out a breath. It was a lot for her, for him, to live up to. Underneath, was a picture of a good looking blonde guy, and next to it a similar article. It was her friend, Doug. He had been another agent gunned down undercover. It also mentioned that another agent had been shot, but it wasn't fatal.

****************************

Miranda got out of the shower and dried off. She looked up at the mirror. Scrolled across it in her lipstick was: "Miranda, Marry Me? I love you. Ben."

Miranda smiled. She wrapped the towel around her and stepped into her room.

"That was my good lipstick," she said bitterly to him.

He turned around and approached her slowly. "I'll buy you a new one."

"What makes you think that I'm going to just fall into your arms?"

"You are, aren't you?" he asked, putting an arm around her waist.

"You watch too much TV."

"You watch too much Batman," he said, kissing her gently on the lips.

"You're too slow. You need to watch more FBI training films," she said under his lips. "My brother ratted me out, didn't he?"

"What are brothers for?" he asked with a sigh.

"He's dead meat."

"Aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Like how? Like Ryan? Or like Catwoman?"

"Like Miranda," he answered. "But gently. Aren't you going to ask about my face?"

"I know what happened. Kyle happened. You're lucky that I calmed him down first."

"That was calm?"

"That was calm. We had a long chat, after I talked to Nikki and got her side of the story. Don't worry, you'll get used to him."

"Do I have to?"

"He's one of my best friends. My brother. So yes, you do, if you want to marry me."

"I do," he said, taking the ring off her right hand and putting it on her left.

"I haven't said yes yet."

"Then just say yes already," he said, kissing her.

"That's not very romantic."

He sighed and got down on one knee, holding her hands. "Miranda, I love you with all my heart, will you marry me?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, I will marry you, Ben," she said, kissing him.

"Call me that again," he said, kissing her.

"Ben," she said, kissing him again. "I love you."

"I love you, Miranda," he said, kissing her back.

"Say that again."

"I love you, Miranda," he said, kissing her. "Now, do you still have that Catwoman outfit?"

She laughed. "Yes, but first," she said, going over to a drawer and pulled out a wad of cash, "we've got a poker game to get to."

"And then you'll marry me?"

"And then I will marry you," she agreed, tossing him a pair of handcuffs.

He caught them easily, "What are we waiting for?" Ben asked. She indicated the towel covering her body. "I can help you with that," he said seductively.

She opened the door. "I can get dressed in under 30 seconds on my own. Get out."

"I can get you undressed within 30 seconds. And then have fun with you for hours."

"Out."

"The bad guys can wait."

"Ben, get out, or I'll have to kick your ass."

"Okay, save it for the bad guys," he said leaving. "But you owe me those hours."

"I'll give you a lifetime," she said, shutting the door in his face. He grinned.

Be sure to read the next installment of The A Squad Series:

Lawson's Embezzled Heart