Title: Run from Me

Rating: T

Summery: Special Agent Simon Landry works as a computer specialist for his team in the FBI. He enjoys his job, and frequently ends up being the one to bail everyone out of tight spots. During a particularly difficult mission, will be able to save the one woman he cares about?

Simon Landry sat at his desk, typing furiously on the laptop, sipping a Coke and listening to Metallica. After eight years of work he had finally managed to get himself his own office, his own set-up, and enough rank to be able to come and go as he pleased. In the past he was always the one answering to people and being passive, and now he was the one that everyone came to for help.

His office was in the corner of an FBI department that specialized in various tasks. Finding missing persons and hostage negotiations was the specialty, however the team was also known for being volunteered for other task force missions. Part of it was because of the wide range of skills the agents in the department, and part of it was because of the head of the department.

Her name was Special Agent Kira Allen, and she was the leader of the team that Simon was currently employed in. She was head-strong, intelligent, and very straight forward. Kira Allen made use of his talents as the computer specialist, and for that, Simon was grateful. He much rather sit at his computer and dig up information that shoot guns and fight people.

Although he did come out at the top of his class in marksmanship, and he was a third-degree black belt, but that was beside the point. He was the "computer guy" and he preferred to leave the feild missions to his co-workers.

The microwave behind him dinged, and he absently reached back and pulled out a pepperoni Hot Pocket before sticking a corner of it in his mouth.

"Oh my lord, Landry, you are such a freaking nerd," a familiar voice laughed jokingly.

He glanced over at Kira, who leaned on the door frame to his office, his mouth full of Hot Pocket. His black-rimmed glasses slid forward slightly on his nose, he wore them to take the strain off his eyes. Swallowing, he smiled, "Hey, but at the end of the day who ends up saving everyone's butt, huh?"

Her hair was a honey blond, was cut short to her shoulders and framed her face. She constantly complained about her pin-straight hair, but Simon thought it was beautiful. Of course, he would never readily admit this, or would he admit that he had been in love with her since the day they first met.

She snorted and laughed, "Meeting in an hour, Ace. We've got a new case that you're going to be in on."

He pushed his glasses up to the top of his head, and saved his work. Huffing slightly as a piece of hair fell in front of his eyes again, he grumbled and brushed it off. His brown hair had always been hopelessly shaggy, no matter what he did to it. Simon contemplated shaving it all off in hopes that he could at least see for more than half the time.

His eyes were stunning green, almost emerald, and were circled on the outside with dark green. Tugging on his suit coat, he stuck the Coke in the mini-fridge under the counter in his office, and scooped up his binder to take the meeting.

Special Agent Simon Landry had begun as a lower-level ranking computer specialist when he had come out of the Academy. For a few years, he spent learning the in and out of computer systems all over the world, and much to some of his superior's dismay, could hack through most of them in seconds. He had been officially appointed into Kira's unit after he had demonstrated to the FBI that he could successfully hack their system.

Simon tried not to think too much about it. Before he had managed to being the head of the FBI's Technology Department and after that stunt he pulled, it had ticked off the wrong people, which earned him a black-listing as a hacker and demoted him. All in all, it wasn't too bad though. He had his own office, he could come and go, and everyone relied on him for his skills.

The boardroom comprise of himself, Kira Allen, James Magnesson, and Gram Dole. James specialized in undercover, and was known for being an expert. He had connections all over the country, and a special talent for blending in any environment. Gram Dole was the linguist in the group, specializing in international missions, and was also the 'representative' for the department. This meant that he was the one sent to the administrators if something went wrong.

"Hey, Ace," James smiled, clapping hands with Simon as he entered. He was tall, blond, and had been a quarterback in high school. In a few ways, he reminded Simon of a modern version of Daniel Boone, "How's life treating you?"

"Well," Simon smiled and sat across from them.

Gram yawned, "I hope this is a mission worth our while," he dragged his fingers through his slicked back, pitch black hair. He was the tall-dark-and handsome type, with ice-blue eyes, and was muscular but not overly built. Women flocked towards him, which was something that Simon teased him about, James admired him, and Kira admonished him for.

Kira strode into the room, handing out the manila files of information as she went. She stood at the head of the table, took a seat, and then leaned forward.

"So, what is this all about?" Gram asked.

"I know what you're thinking," she sighed, "This mission came straight from the top."

All three gentlemen gave her their undivided attention.

"For the last few months, we've been tracking a group of Cyber terrorists that had been systematically targeting government systems, and sending computer viruses. These viruses have been independently created, and even the top computer analysts have not been able to decipher them. They are destructive, almost impenetrable, and spread through systems like a plague."

Simon scowled as he read over the perimeters, trying to think of why someone would want to create such a thing.

"James, we will be setting you up with a cover to break the group. You're job is to become one of them," she said, "Gram, you will be acting as a buyer for their program. Further details will be sent to you tomorrow. I suggest you two prepare yourselves."

The two men exchanged a grim look.

"Simon, you're job as of effective immediately will be to begin breaking down these programs, tracing the origin, the maker, and to find a way to protective ourselves against this."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, gentlemen, this is an important mission. Do your best, and good luck."

Kira leaned back in her seat at her desk, and stretched her arms. It was almost two in the morning, and she was about ready to drop. Glancing down the hallway, she noticed that Simon's light was still on. She smiled to herself, picking her her coffee, and headed in his direction.

She really liked her team members. They were all great guys, and she was frequently amused on how different their personalities were. Essentially, she had a jock, a nerd, and a pretty boy working for her and somehow they all managed to get along perfectly. When she glanced into Simon's office, Metallica was rumbling in the background, and he was no where to be seen. Stepping further into his office, she glanced around the corner towards his bookshelf, and sighed.

He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by technical manuals and papers, a notebook balanced in his lap, and a cold cup of coffee next to him. Simon had fallen asleep with his head leaning back against the bookcase, only god knew how long he had been working.

Kira set her cup down on the edge of his desk, and the knelt in front of him, "Landry?"

Simon's eyes twitched slightly, and a pair of green orbs gazed back at her. For a moment it made her heart skip, and it only reminded Kira about how beautiful his eyes were. An faint smiled spread across her face when she saw that his glasses had slipped almost all the way down his nose.

"Take off, Landry. You're exhausted."

He yawned, "So are you."

Kira chuckled, raising a hand and drew his glasses from his face. He figured it was a good thing she was looking away so she didn't notice the faint blush on his cheeks.

"You should get these adjusted if they are slipping down so much. It could be a pain after a while."

Simon nodded absently as she handed his glasses back to her. She watched him for a couple moments before he slid them back onto his face, "What?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

"You have wonderful eyes."

Okay, now he was blushing.

Kira chuckled, and stood back up, "Go get some rest, Landry. I can't have one of my best men falling asleep on me."

"Yes, ma'am," he said a bit too quietly, waiting for his thundering heart to stop beating. Giving him one last smile, Kira left his office. Leaning his head back on the bookshelf, he called himself an idiot and wished that he could be more confident about himself.

It was soon after that James departed to take his position in the syndicate. By the end of the month, he had advanced through the ranks to become the boss' right-hand man. Simon sat at his desk, fingers moving furiously over the keyboard, making his way through the latest specs of the computer virus. He had finally managed to isolate particular attributes that allowed him to begin to synthesize a firewall.

Gram was scheduled to meet with the terrorists tomorrow to commence a mock trade. They believed they would be receiving high-grade weapons in return for selling Gram the virus. It was imperative that Simon finished the firewall by that time, as a reassurance that their systems would be further protected.

He rubbed his sore neck, knowing that working ten hours straight had been a poor idea. Simon stood up, and walked out of the office, seeing that the clock read nine in the evening. The light was still on in Kira's office, but she wasn't there. He had an idea of where she was, and turned down the hallways towards the gym.

Since the mission had began, Simon had found that he enjoyed working with her everyday. They ended up staying up late on many occasions to make sure information was successfully delivered to James, and to fully coordinate the trade with Gram. He would miss working so closely with her when the mission was over, and tried to think of ways to try and spend more time with her.

Ask her out.

"Stupid," Simon murmured to himself as he pushed the gymnasium door open. Standing in the middle of the hall, punching a bag was Kira. She was beating the punching bag hard, and Simon could tell that she had been doing so for quite a while. Seeing that she was concentrating completely on the task at hand, Simon took a seat on the bench against the wall and waited.

Kira didn't hear him come in. She was stressed from the slow progression of the mission. It was a difficult assignment, and she was finding it increasingly frustrating. James was still in constant danger, and she had just received a report that he had been stuck in a shoot-out between another syndicate two days ago. It didn't help matters that Gram was now being thrown into the mix.

Stepping back, she brushed her hand over her forehead to rid it of sweat. When Kira turned to retrieve her towel at the other side of the gym, she froze where she stood.

Simon's head leaned back on the wall, he was slumped slightly and his hands were folded in his lap, as he slept. She had lost track of the time, and wondered how long he had been watching her. The thought occurred to her that she had never heard him come in. A small smile crept across her face as she approached his sleeping form.

He was exhausted, no doubt more so than she was. They had worked together day and night to make the assignment work, and Simon had uses every resource possible and every bit of his time to the work. Kira watched him breath deeply a few moments in his deep sleep, and then leaned forward to look at his face more closely.

Landry was handsome, especially his eyes when they were open. His glasses were sinking low on his nose once more, he had forgotten to get new ones, and his hair was getting slightly shaggy from the lack of time he had to himself to fix it. Kira didn't exactly know what drew herself to him at that moment, or why she was finding him so damn attractive, but all that she knew was that there was something pulling her to him.

She leaned closer.

Simon was having a wonderful dream. A smile crept across his lips as he felt the light pressure, and he raised a hand to thread his fingers into the hair of the woman kissing him. God, she tasted wonderful. A slight noise escaped from his throat, and he tilted her head to the side as he dove into her mouth. His other hand rest gently on her shoulder, trailing down her arm, and gripping her fingers.

Kira...

His pulse raced as a pair of soft fingers moved threw his brown hair. Without opening his eyes, he trailed his lips down her throat, hearing a moan touch his hearing. It snapped his control, and he was suddenly on his feet, scooping her up into his arms, and lowering them both to the floor. Sinking his weight over her, a grin spread across his face as he nipped at her upper lip.

When his green eyes cracked open, Simon suddenly felt his heart plummet in his chest.

Kira stared up at him, her eyes half-lidded, her lips swollen from his kisses, her fingers were knotted in his hair. She watched a shocked, surprised expression pass over his face as he croaked, "Kira."

They were both breathing heavily, and she couldn't sort out her thoughts long enough to respond. She wanted to tell him to keep going, not to apologize. The horrified, half-scared look on his face told her that he had not be coherent at the time, but she wasn't complaining.

He looked glorious with his disheveled appearance, wide eyes, and his strong arms supporting himself over her. She had known when she hired him that he had trained in various forms of hand-to-hand during his time in the Academy, but the strength that Kira felt had still surprised her. There was a lot more to Simon, it seemed, than just a computer nerd.

"Simon-"

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, and he was on his feet in a second. Kira watched him drag a trembling hand threw his hair, "I'm sorry, I'm just...very tired. I wasn't thinking, I apologize."

With that comment, he was out of the door before she could reply.

The only suitable course of action for his behavior was to transfer. There was no excuse for him jumping her like he did, even though his had been dreaming about it, and he had been in love with her for quite a while. After last night's events, Simon had kept to his office and Kira to hers, and they had not spoken to each other once. She was probably furious with him, and he figured he deserved it.

With the firewall finally finished, he faxed the correct records and papers to the proper authorities, and implemented the firewall itself on the department's mainframe. The priority was prevent any hackers from getting into their files and discovering Gram's and James' identities. Simon couldn't help but smirk to himself as he leaned back and watched the download bar increase. He had to admit that it was genius, and part of him wished that someone would try and attack their mainframe so Simon would have a chance to pick them apart.

There was a knock at the door, and he turned to see Kira standing there. He suddenly felt light-headed, and then suddenly frowned at the alarmed look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Gram's here. We've got a problem," Kira said, "Come on."

Gram was leaned against the wall, dressed in his business suit, his hair combed down. Simon and Kira both entered the boardroom where he had been waiting, and Kira closed the door behind them, "Okay, tell Simon what you told me."

"They're giving me a lot of difficulty in the trade agreement," he said, "They aren't prepared to give us the virus until we can prove that we understand it, and that we won't use it on them. I've already convinced them that we will agree not to use the virus on them, but they are not sure that we understand the virus itself," Gram sighed, "Simon, I need an expert."

Simon Landry had only down undercover once in his life, and he hated it. During his training, he had followed his superior around, and learned that he was frighteningly good at it. Simon turned away from them a moment, and sighed, "I don't think I can do it."

"We need your help, Simon," Kira pleaded with him, "There will be snipers and trained officers not far away, and both Gram and James will be there."

He frowned, knowing deep down that he would have to go. With another sigh, he turned, and nodded, "I'll go."

Simon slipped his laptop into his bag, a slipped the strap onto his shoulder. In the last five hours he had been preparing himself for the job that lay ahead. They had dressed him in a business suit not unlike Gram, his hair was trimmed and combed so it slicked back over his head, but a few pieces fell out over his eyes. When he turned back to the door of his office, Kira was standing in the doorway.

His breath stopped when he saw her. She was dressed in a red formal, and her hair was bound up onto her head in a series of elaborate twists. The story was that they had been at a charity function, and he was supposed to be 'ticked' that they were interrupted. Kira was going to be playing his stubborn, obnoxious wife.

"Is everything ready?" he asked.

She nodded, "Gram is waiting for us outside."

He nodded, and made he way towards the door. Before he could brush past her, a hand gripped his sleeve, and Simon glanced down to see a concerned, worried look in her eyes. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, but he sighed anyway, and headed down the hall.

When the limo pulled up at the drop site, James was standing with his arms folded next to a middle-aged man that Simon knew was the leader of the operation. He wasn't the head of the organization, but he was close enough.

"You!" the guards pushed him forward the moment he emerged from the vehicle, "Move forward, now!"

Simon and Kira followed Gram through the crowds of guards with guns. They circled around a smaller group of men up ahead. He stood beside Gram, instinctively moving himself in front of Kira to protect her.

"So," Gram sauntered towards them, crossing his arms, "Do we have a deal?"

"Maybe," the man said, "There is one additional condition."

Gram frowned, "What?"

"The FBI recently devised a firewall to protect against the virus. We would like the code for this project."

"That is out of the question. I do not have the resources to break into the FBI database, nor would I be able to inquire with my contacts there without arousing suspicion."

"Then we don't have a deal."

Simon barred his face from any emotion, and then said, "I could do it."

All eyes were instantly turned onto him, and all three of his companions gave him an alarmed look that he ignored. They had to buy time for the snipers and the rest of the back-up to into position, and then the FBI would move in and arrest everyone. Simon wouldn't actually give them the codes, but he could play around with them a bit.

"And who are you?" the boss asked.

Simon tilted his head to the side, moving away from Gram and Kira. He feigned a bored look as he sighed, "I'd rather keep it to myself. I've made a few enemies in the past, and I'd rather not contend with them at the moment."

"Oh? And what makes you so fucking awesome?"

Simon laughed, "Not everyone is capable of hacking into the FBI supercomputer."

The man's eyes grew wide a moment, and then he scowled, "You lie."

"Never," Simon sneered, "Give me the virus, I'll give you the firewall. In this case, I'm being generous. If I had wanted, I could have just destroyed your virus myself, and then no one would have to worry," This was a lie, but they didn't know that.

"Damn you."

He shrugged, "Most likely. At least I'll have company, yes?"

Simon knew that he was goading the man on, which wasn't a good idea. There were at least ten automatics trained on him, and if they chose to fire, that would basically be the end. But the outcome of this meeting was important. They needed the original virus to be able to trace the source, and he would be able to eventually protect any computer system against it. Simon knew the firewall he had developed would work for now, but was not a long-term solution.

Kira was giving him a warning look. Simon ignored it, knowing that he had to do what he had to to make this work. Sliding the laptop bag off his shoulder, he set it on the ground, and looked at his opponent square in the eye. His green orbs showed no fear, and raw determination.

"You have a deal," the man shrugged, "The firewall for the virus. You are a hard man to bargain with, Mr. No Name."

Simon smirked, that was the response he need. The radio earpiece in his ear crackled to life, and in a second, a flood light covered the area. He watched as the FBI swarmed out of the shadows, squad cars pulling up to support them. In order to maintain his non-threatening appearance, he held up his hands in surrender, along with Kira and Gram. James raised his eyebrows at Simon as the two men exchanged a glance.

The boss glared murderously back at him, and it took a lot of effort not to chuckled at the man.

It's all in a day's work, Simon thought to himself, the sooner I can get back to my office, the better.

Kira marched through the crowds, issuing orders as the men rounded up the suspects and loaded them into the cars to head off to booking. She was still wearing her stunning dress, and Simon noted that she shivered. He slipped out of his suit, and Kira jumped when she felt it slid over her shoulders. Looking up at him, she gasped, "Simon?"

"You looked cold," Simon said, then smiled, "It's a shame that you couldn't wear this dress for something real. You look beautiful."

Kira stared at him a moment, and then smiled, "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

He nodded, and then turned to return to the car when she grabbed his sleeve. He glanced back at her, and her eyes gazed back at him, burning into his mind.

"It was really okay, Simon. There really was no need for you to apologize," Kira then sent a soft smile back at him, "I didn't mind at all."

His eyes grew wide. This was his chance to tell her how he felt, and he summoned all the courage he had, "You know, Kira-"

There was a yell over to their left. Simon and Kira turned to see that the boss was struggling with the other officers. Kira made a move to help when Simon her her gasped. The suspect rustled the gun free from the agent, his cuffed hands waving it wildly in the air.

"Damn you all! You're all dead! None of you will be able to sit in your own living rooms without us watching you!"

A mix of agents and other officers piled on top of him before he got out of control. In the struggle, his hand that held the gun hit the pavement. Simon moved without a second thought, and pushed Kira out of the way as the gun fired.

His eyes felt heavy, but he managed to open them slightly. Although the room had dimmed lights, they still hurt his eyes. The pressure on his chest was stifling, but the drugs prevented him from feeling in pain. Simon's left hand rest gently on his stomach, with the other rest beside him on the hospital bed. There was a pressure on his right hand as well, but he didn't remember getting injured there. Looking down, he gasped, which caused him to wince from preforming such a violent action.

Kira was asleep at the side of his hospital bed, her resting on the edge, with her hand wrapped around his.

The bullet had narrowly missed his heart. He didn't remember much of what had happened other then he had fallen, and that someone was yelling at him. It had sounded like Kira at the time, and he remembered a few other people around him. After that, he had passed out.

He suddenly scowled, this is the last time I ever go undercover again. Getting shot sucks.

Kira sensed he was awake, and her eyes slowly opened to stare back at him. A smile spread across her face, and she sat up, her fingers still wrapped around his hand, "You scared me there, Ace."

Simon opened his mouth to answer her, but ended up coughing instead. She was instantly on her feet, and he almost sighed as he felt her hands brush over his face. He was more pale than normal, and it took an enormous amount of energy to simply turn his head to face her.

"Take it easy, don't push yourself," she replied, "You've just been shot and underwent major surgery. That's a lot for one person."

He nodded, not trusting himself to talk again. Her fingers continued to try and smooth out his hair, and Simon wished that he could at least hold her. Instead he lifted his left hand and stroked his fingers over her cheek. To his surprise, there were tears in her eyes.

"Kira-"

"Don't you ever do that again. Ever. Do you hear me?" she sniffed, "I thought you were going to die, and right when I had fallen in love with you too."

He couldn't stop the grin on his face as he pulled her forehead forward to touch his. Simon tilted his head back, brushing his lips over hers. It felt so wonderful to have her with him, and even better now that he knew she felt the same way about him, "I tried to tell you," he murmured, his voice was slightly raspy, "That I love you too."

Kira laughed, burying her face in his neck. Her head fit perfectly there, and it was the only place that didn't seem to hurt him, "You'd better get well soon, Ace, because I'm not letting you run away this time."

His eyes drifted closed, "Good."