Scott steps out of the room and pulls the door shut behind him, letting his head fall against the same wood he had Mitch pressed against just a short while ago.

What the fuck did I just do? Scott runs a hand through his hair.

If he thought he was in deep shit before, he had no clue what the fuck kind of trouble he was in now.

Turns out, Avi and Alex had every right to be worried.

They knew this was going to happen, yet Scott was dumb enough to think that between Mitch's piss poor attitude and the fact that he seemed just as annoyed by Scott as he was of Mitch, that nothing would ever change between the two of them.

Sure, he had been more protective of Mitch than he had been with any other witness, but what Avi and Alex seemed to not get was that it had nothing to do with the fact that Mitch was cute–okay, more than cute. But he represented the one thing Scott had been chasing his entire life; revenge.

Pain in the ass or not, he was going to fight with everything in him to keep Mitch safe.

But between the bickering and backhanded comments, he began to see not just a witness who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but a man, a strong man, who took no bullshit and was unapologetic for it. Mitch had taken this entire situation in stride, making the best of it by befriending his agents and even making them feel like he was apart of some strange little family. Hell, Mitch had even gotten Jake to like him, and that was a feat in and of itself. Mitch had this way about him that just lit up a room whenever he walked by, and not even Vine could make him feel small or weak.

Mitch was much more than Scott ever imagined he would be, and Scott found himself going out of his way to be around him or make him smile. Despite that fact that he hadn't felt this type of exhaustion since he was in training, he couldn't find himself to leave Mitch, not even for a day. Sure, get was the most important witness he would probably ever have, and Scott could tell Avi and Alex that all day, but Scott knew that it was just a cover. He wanted to see Mitch. Wanted to make sure he was safe. He would never forgive himself if something happened to him if he could have prevented it, and not just because the trial would potentially flop without Mitch.

And Scott wasn't blind; he saw the shift in Mitch too–how he smiled when Scott walked into a room, how he sat closer to him on the couch when they watched tv, how Mitch went to him with any fear he was having about this whole situation. Or the hungry glint that he'd seem to catch in Mitch's brown eyes every time Alex stepped out of the room and it was the two of them alone.

But the problem was, what happened between them wasn't just some hook up–not that he was the first agent to ever sleep with a witness. But what happened between the two of them felt so much more than that.

That was the problem. Because there was no way in hell that the two of them would be able to walk away from this and pretend that it meant nothing.

He had no idea what this meant for the two of them; this couldn't happen again, no matter how amazing it was–the way Mitch ground against him, his hips curling and bucking below him...

Scott shakes his head, clearing the memory.

He couldn't be distracted like this, not with so much at stake.

The best thing for the two of them would be to try to pretend it never happened.

And not just because his job was at stake. Not just because everything he had been working towards from the night his mother was murdered could be taken away from him because of a moment of weakness.

What if someone had broken into the house while he was busy doing the damn horizontal bop with Mitch? He would have been found quite literally with his pants down and wouldn't have been able to protect Mitch–the one thing he was supposed to do.

He let his feelings for Mitch get in the way once. He couldn't let it happen again. Not until Vine was locked away and Mitch was safe.

-/::\-

The birds chirp incessantly outside my window, causing my eyes to flutter open. Despite the rude awakening, I can't stop the smile that spreads on my face as I stretch my bare body, a satisfied ache between your thighs.

I look at my bedside clock: 6:17. Scott should still be around for another hour or so.

I kick off my sheets and begin my search for my clothes, finding my shirt by the door and my pants on top of the dresser, tossed haphazardly. I grab a sweater from my closet before stepping out of your room.

I notice both Alex and Scott's doors are open as I practically skip down the stairs.

Despite my good mood, I wasn't sure what I'd be stepping into this morning; Scott clearly wasn't overly happy with what happened last night (after it happened, of course). Was he going to be pissy? Would he ignore me? Maybe feeling so guilty that he wouldn't want to look at me? Or, if he was like me, would he pretend nothing happened and carry on with our lives?

I mean, we were both consenting adults. We had done nothing wrong–at least that I knew of. I wasn't up to date on the FBI handler's handbook. So there should be nothing to worry about between us, right?

But despite all the scenarios running through my head, I didn't expect to hear a third voice as I wandered towards the kitchen.

I lighten my steps as I strain the hear the conversation that quietly carries into the hallway; It was definitely a woman, but it was too early for Jess to be here.

As I step into the doorway, three pairs of eyes fall on me.

Alex sits at the table, hands wrapped around coffee mug. Next to him is Esther, dressed in a black pantsuit with a sky blue shirt underneath, her brown hair sprayed back to frame her face. And leaning against the counter stands Scott, mug in one hand as the other rests across his body. His eyes immediately find mine. They're cold and unyielding, and I'm not entirely sure if I'm imagining the slight glimpse of fear. Almost like he's worried I'm going to spill our secret before I even open my mouth.

I frown at him.

"Morning, Mitch." Esther breaks the silence as she smiles up at me.

"Mrs. Koop." I step into the kitchen and take a seat at the table across from her and Alex.

"Oh please," she rolls her eyes. "It's Esther." I smile tightly at her, an uneasiness settling in the pit of my stomach. The only interaction I had with Esther up to this point was when I picked out Vine in the lineup. I had no clue why she'd be all the way out here.

"Kinda early for a visit, isn't it?" I ask, looking up at Scott who shifts under my gaze, staring down at his feet. My stomach drops and I quickly look back to Esther, who smiles politely at me.

That can't be good.

"I'm here because we officially have a trial date." Esther smiles half-way. I smile and sigh in relief as I straighten up in my chair. Why the hell did everyone look like someone killed their puppy?! A trial date was great news! That meant I was one step closing to returning to my old life.

"Really? When?" I ask eagerly. After weeks of radio silence, I was starting to doubt this would ever come to an end. But now there as finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Monday. Eight a.m." I suck in a breath, my eyes darting between her and Alex, waiting for one of them to yelling, "just kidding!"

"That's three days away." I exhale all the breath in my lungs, and Esther nods.

"That's why I'm here." She shifts slightly in her chair, her left hand falling away from her mug as her right hand replaces it.

"I want to start prepping you. Give you an idea of what to expect and to go over your witness testimony before you officially take the stand." I nod as I take a deep breath, running her words over again through my mind.

Three days. Staring me straight in the face.

Scott's words from the night before echo through my head, causing my teeth to grind together.

"Should I be worried at all?" My eyes dart between Scott and Esther, whose face folds a bit.

"About what?" She looks at me with concern.

I raise your hand slightly towards Scott.

"Scott said they'll try to discredit me." From my peripherals, I see Scott's jaw clench at the mention of his name.

Esther licks her lips, diverting my attention back to her.

"They'll want to, yes." Esther shifts in her seat. "But," she glances at Alex, who looks down at his coffee.

What the hell is happening right now?

"We've done thorough background checks on you and have interviewed friends and family who have corroborated your character." I flinch at her words.
"You what?" I snap. My eyes dance between Scott and Alex, an anger boiling withing me. "You two didn't think to tell me that the FBI was interrogating my friends and family?" I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. Scott promised to keep me in the loop.

So much for that.

"Interviewing." Esther draws my attention, her body hunched slightly over the table, her eyes staring down at mine hard. "Not interrogating." I ignore her.

"Semantics." I retort. Esther leans back, her lips creasing into a hard line, clearly not amused with my little outburst. "Won't that put them in danger?" My voice rises.

Esther lifts her hands from the mug, hoping to calm me.

I huff.

"I assure you, we've taken every precaution necessary. Your loved ones are completely safe." Esther speaks with earnest, her voice implicitly calm despite the storm in her brown eyes.

"They better be." I bark and Esther leans back in her seat. It was bad enough my life was ruined. There was no reason to drag anyone else into this mess.

I look beyond Esther to Scott. How much did he really know about me? My jaw sets as I glare at him, suddenly reminded that we weren't friends, we clearly weren't on a level playing field, and we sure as hell weren't equals. He was Special Agent Scott Hoying with the FBI, and I was just Mitchell Grassi, his federal witness.

"Fine." My hands slap the table. "Let's get this over with."

-/::\-

Scott and Alex are already back for their night shift by the time Esther and I finish.

My throat was dry and my head throbbed after hours of cross-examination. I did my best to keep my cool, but at one point I had enough of the harassment and stormed outside, making a show to slam the door behind me–exhibiting the very reaction Scott had warned me about.

After a few minutes of some very deep breathing, I returned inside and apologized to Esther and the two of us carried on without a hitch.

Once Esther left, I wandered into the kitchen and plopped down in a seat, letting my head fall against the cool table.

"That bad?" Alex asks me as he moves around the stove, checking to see if the pizza he had picked up at the store on his way up was ready.

"It was awful." I mumble against the faded wood. I push my elbows onto the table and cradle my head in my hands. "I'm the witness and she managed to spin it like I did something wrong." I groan.

"That's what lawyers do," Scott grumbles as he wanders in from the hallway, his mood apparently no better now than when he had left this morning.

With Esther here, he hadn't even bothered to stop in and say "bye." The only reason I had even known that he had left was the rumble of his car's engine as it peeled out of the driveway.
Obviously, he was still tense about what happened last night, but it didn't mean he had to be a dick about it.
The whole point of last night was to relax–okay, maybe not the whole point–but it seemed to backfire on both of us.

Alex pulls the pizza out of the oven as Scott takes a seat, each of us taking a paper plate and filling them up with a few slices.

Alex and I keep the conversation going, mostly over what Esther and I went over for almost twelve hours while Scott picks at his single slice of pizza, not even pretending to seem interested.

We clearly needed to talk.

After dinner, I clear the plates and toss everything in the trash as Alex wraps the leftovers and starts to load everything into the fridge.

"I'm gonna step out for some fresh air if that's okay." I ask more than tell as I lean against the counter, looking between the two men, my gaze holding Scott's just a moment longer. "Today was a bit of a headache."

Scott takes a deep breath before sighing.

"I'll go with you. You shouldn't be out there alone." I purse my lips and try to act like I wasn't expecting that answer.

I don't respond as I push off the counter and make my way into the hallway, Scott's footsteps heavy behind me as I reach the front door and pull it open, leaving it ajar for Scott to walk through as I step out onto the porch.

Though spring had arrived, the air still has a bitter bite to it. A cold breeze gently sways the bare branches of the trees around me and it sends a shiver down my spine. It's not freezing, but I wish I had put a jacket on before I stepped out.

I walk over the railing and lean my elbows on the unkept wood. I hear the door close, but Scott doesn't appear at my side. I glance over my shoulder and find him leaning against the house, his lips tight and eyes downcast.

"You know, last night was suppose to help you unwind," I smirk at him as I turn around to lean against the railing. Sure, it had meant a lot more to me than just that, but now was definitely not the time to sit down and chat like Dr. Phil.

"Not become an even bigger pain in my ass." A chuckle bubbles in my throat, but Scott's face remains like a stone. My small smile fades and I look down at my feet.

I take a deep breath. Just bite the bullet.

"Clearly you have something to say on the matter, so why don't you just get it over with?" I push, already tired of this conversation. I raise my head to find Scott staring at me. His gaze breaks from mine as he purses his lips.

"What happen last night shouldn't have happened." He starts slowly, seemingly thinking over each word before it leaves his mouth.

"Clearly." I cross my arms. Scott's face falls for a moment, but in a blink, he's back in agent mode.

"I was suppose to be watching you." He starts quietly. "When Alex is asleep, I'm responsible for making sure you and everyone else in the house is safe." Scott's voice begins to rise as his jaw clenches. "And what happened last night," Scott shakes his head and looks off the porch. "I wouldn't have been able to protect you or Alex if Shelton had decided to send someone here."

I bite down on my lip and look at my shoes, realizing Scott wasn't mad at me, but rather, he was pissed at himself. Not that it made his behavior ok.

"You could have said 'no.'" I remind him, glancing up through my lashes. "Hell," I laugh, my arms falling to my side and gripping the railing behind me. "You did. And you let me walk away." I shake my head. "If you want to be pissy, fine," I push off the railing, taking a step towards him.

I had reached my breaking point. This behavior was annoying enough when I was still coming down from my orgasmic high, but now, I had reached the end of my rope. Today, I had been pushed to my limits; Esther had tested me and challenged me in a way I never expected, and every single nerve within me felt it.

It was time Special Agent Hoying got a reminder that just because he was in charge, didn't mean he could get away with pushing his shit onto me.

"Wallow in your self-pity like a thirteen-year-old. But just because you're pissed at yourself for what happened doesn't mean you have any right to take it out on me." I point at him. Scott's eyes glance towards me, but he won't fully look at me.

"Maybe next time have a little self-restraint, Hoying." I spit, the anger inside of me getting the best of me.

I step away from him and walk towards the door, over this conversation. My hand lands on the doorknob, but I pause.

"Oh," I look past my shoulder, Scott's eyes meeting mine. "I'm not going to tell anyone, so you can stop having a heart attack every time I open my mouth."

With that, I push the door open and step inside, not bothering to wait for Scott this time as I close it behind me.

Alex steps into the doorway of the kitchen and glances down the hall.

"That was quick." He looks confused. I put on a smile for him.

"Was colder than I expected."