Hey! Ahh, so proud of myself! My second oneshot! Yayyy! Check out Unfair Tactics (my first oneshot) if you haven't seen it yet and tell me what you think ;)
A guest reviewer for Unfair Tactics suggested I do a Joe/Abby fic, but the only thing is, I ship Joe/Rachel -.- So this is in fact, a Rachel/Joe fic. Maybe it might convince some of the awesomeness of Jachel? Rachoe? Whatever :P
Disclaimed. xD
"We'll take care of it, don't worry," Buckingham called, pushing the bewildered pair out of the room and towards the elevator.
"But-" Rachel was cut off by a stare from a very annoyed Patricia which could whither even the toughest agent.
Which was Patricia Buckingham anyway.
"Go." With that, Patricia turned away and walked back, leaving two slightly confused people in her wake.
"Remind me, don't we usually do the meeting preps?" Rachel asked a similarly confused Joe Solomon walking by her side.
"Usually," he replied nonchalantly, leaving Rachel to ponder in her thoughts.
A good spy always know that everything happens for a reason. But Rachel Morgan just couldn't figure out the reason that Patricia Buckingham, one of the most on-schedule person she knew, would do meeting prep for them.
Maybe she was just being nice, trying to save them some time.
Maybe she wanted to add something into the meeting.
Maybe she wanted to sabotage the meeting by not bringing prep at all.
Rachel Morgan was confused. She watched as Joe reached out and pressed the elevator button, and she couldn't help but notice that his muscles were really quite big. And, from her angle, he really was pretty handsome.
"Problem?" A voice asked, snapping Rachel out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Joe staring at her. Whoops.
"Nothing," she answered quickly, pushing past him (but she accidently brushed her hand against his arm) into the elevator.
Joe Solomon gave Rachel a very Joe like smile, all mysteries and secrecy (and hotness too) and pressed for the 4th floor.
"So," Rachel started once the elevator began to move, "I hear Cammie's doing pretty well in Cover Ops huh?" She looked straight ahead, staring at the elevator door (which was conveniently stainless steel meaning she could still see him, just secretly).
"Yeah, she aced the last test," he replied but Rachel, being the spy she was, heard a layer of pride in his voice. She smiled.
"After all, she was taught by the best," she grinned at him.
"You know the CIA's left a top spot open for her already?" Joe asked, watching as the elevator light blinked on the 3rd floor.
"Yeah, they also left one for Zach too," she said with a wry grin, "sure reminds me of us back then."
"Sure, I guess-" Suddenly the elevator stopped, an abrupt halting movement, throwing Rachel off balance.
And straight into the arms of Joe.
She blushed and slowly untangled herself from his arms, even though it was very soft and warm there.
"What happened?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but Joe raised an eyebrow at her.
"I don't know," he replied, but then it started to sound.
"During the events of a fire, please do not use the elevator," it was a long wailing voice, repeating itself again and again.
"Remind me, didn't we set it so that it only says that when there is a fire?"
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"And we're standing in the elevator right now." They looked at each other. She sighed.
"How does this happen to us?" Joe gave her a small smile which made her insides tighten.
"Well, you seem to attract an awfully lot of trouble," he answered. Her jaw dropped.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, remember that time you and Cammie got locked into a closet and me and Matt had to cut the door down to get you guys out?"
"So?"
"What about the time you and Abby fell asleep during a movie on a mission then got locked in the cinema and missed a call-in?"
"And?"
"And now we're stuck in an elevator," he finished with a grin, "and most past events like this happen in your presence," Rachel gave him a withering stare.
"And so we're stuck."
…
"Remember when Abby swore at Townsend during that CIA and MI6 meeting in Swahili?" They started to laugh again. Joe glanced over at Rachel, who was sitting next to him, leaning against the door of the elevator, her lips twisted into a smile.
It had been awkward between them, they were stuck at that stage where everyone could tell that they liked each other but they were too shy, and stubborn at that, to say anything about it.
So for the first time in weeks, they had finally had a good conversation. Not a conversation about the next coverops or how to feed Tina Walter false information, just reliving old memories.
Suddenly he noticed that while he had been busy staring at Rachel, Rachel had been busy staring at him. They both flushed and turned away.
They sat in silence, both avoiding each other's eyes.
Then they smelt the smoke.
They didn't notice it first, so absorbed in trying not to turn towards each other but soon it became bigger.
"Is that smoke?" Rachel asked finally, staring at the ceiling of the elevator.
"Yeah," Joe answered faintly. He frowned. Something was nagging at the back of his brain, something about the smoke. He took a sniff and suddenly he narrowed his eyes.
"Damn those-" he began to mutter before coming to an abrupt stop when Rachel raised her eyebrows at him.
"I forgot some folders for the lesson today," he said quickly, looking annoyed. Rachel rolled her eyes.
"If we don't get out you won't even have a class to go to," she informed him before returning her eyes back to the ceiling. The scent of smoke grew bigger.
…
"What the-" Joe spluttered, staring into the girls room. Liz smiled sheepishly at him in return.
"What is going on in here?" He asked, glancing from Cammie who was sitting on her bed, to Bex who was glaring at the mirror as she tried to tame her hair and to Macey who just flicked another page of her magazine.
"Sorry Mr Solomon, I was just testing a new prototype," Liz said quietly, offering him an angelic smile.
"So why is book on fire?"
"Uh.. equipment malfunction," Liz called out while spraying the book with a fire distinguisher. He took a sniff of their smoke filled room.
"Right," he said, turning to the door, "clean this up," he was about to leave when suddenly Cammie called out.
"Hey, Mr Solomon," she grinned at him, "do you have it on you today?" His hand suddenly went into his jacket pocket, clutching the object in his hand. Cammie's grin widened.
"You should be prepared, ask her at the most random of times," she informed him before getting up and walked over to Liz and grabbing the distinguisher.
"Ok…" he answered unsurely, watching as Cammie continued spraying the book.
"Oh and we might skip breakfast to deal with this stuff," she said with a jerk of her head towards the book. He just nodded and walked out of the room, slightly confused.
…
"You know, I always thought I'd die on a mission or in a car crash, I never thought I'd die in an elevator," Rachel said, turning her head towards Joe.
He stuffed his hand into his jacket pocket.
"Hey Rach, can we talk?" Rachel gave him a look.
"Of course," she answered, watching his expressions.
"Why don't we like, I dunno, date?" Rachel's eyebrows shot up.
"I…" she trailed off.
"Is it because of Matt?" Joe watched her face carefully.
"No," her voice was clear and sure, "it's not Matt."
"Then what?"
"You'll think this is silly," she started, giving him a look, "but you're the one that's supposed to make the move." Joe's mouth fell open.
"Really that's it?" Rachel gave him a signature duh-what-do-you-think look.
"Ok then, do you want to go out with me?"
"No."
"What!?"
"It'll be to awkward going out," she said, shifting a little. Joe sighed. He was going to give it his last shot.
"Fine then," he got down on one knee and pulled out the little black box he had been clutching, "will you marry me?" Rachel's jaw dropped.
"Ok," she said simply.
"What, really?" Joe asked, face incredulous.
"Yeah," she said, staring into his eyes, "we both like each other right, well I assumed that because you are proposing to me," Joe quickly nodded because he knew first hand that the Cameron women changed their minds quickly.
He gently slipped the sparkling diamond ring onto her finger, and they both stepped back and admired it. Then they turned to each other.
"Well," Rachel said with an eye roll after standing in silence for 2 minutes, "aren't you going to kiss me?" Joe wrapped her in his arms without another word.
Women are so strange, Joe thought as he tasted Rachel's strawberry lipbalm on his lips.
But then again, he was dealing with the Cameron women.
Suddenly the door of the elevator sprang open.
They quickly untangled themselves from each other.
Cammie, Liz, Macey, Bex, Zach, Professor Buckingham and Mr Smith all stared back at them, eyebrows raised.
"Was there a fire?" Rachel asked weakly, casually patting down her hair.
"Equipment malfunction," Liz said, waving at piece of equipment, still smoking, in the air.
"Ok," Rachel smiled.
"I've got big news anyway."
…
"You planned this didn't you?" Joe had finally been able to confront a smirking Cammie (she was spending way too much time with Zach) after the much squealing and screaming of their big news.
"How could you suggest such a thing?" She replied with mock astonishment. Joe gave her a look.
"Ok, I may have nudged you a little, but without it, you'd still be watching mom whenever you think she's not looking," Cammie rolled her eyes, "so you better be pleased at me." Joe sighed.
"Who else was in on this?"
"Everyone."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone was getting bored with your little game of chicken so we all banded together," Cammie's eye sparkled.
"Cammie!" Bex waved impatiently from across the room.
"Got to go Joe," Cammie turned away and started to walk, but then she stopped.
"By the way," Cammie fixed him with a mischievous grin, "I liked your proposal," and with that she skipped away.
He mentally slapped himself. He had overlooked a spies first rule.
Check for surveillance.
He hadn't checked the elevator.
He'd been beaten in his own game.
Joe stared in awe and wondered what he had done to be landed with such women.
Cameron women.
Soooo…. Whadda you think? I think Unfair Tactics might have been written better than this one, but this plot has been bugging me for ages.
Review! xD
Go New Zealand! Beating Aussie in the gold medal tally… xD Yeah Kiwis! (:
P.S.- Hopefully I will be updating Happenings this weekend… was away at camp last week so I couldn't update (: