A New Agent (Based on Graceland)

Chapter Two

Brett woke up with a start. "I can't believe I fell back asleep!" She flung off the covers and grabbed the first pair of clothes she saw: a plain gray t-shirt and pair of denim shorts laid over a chair. She pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops. She grabbed her keys and ran down the stairs. "What's the hurry, baby girl?" Charlie called after her. "Gotta go play chauffeur for the new guy!" she called back not taking time to stop. Charlie said something else, but the door had already slammed behind her. 

Of course, the traffic was terrible, so the drive to the airport took forever. Brett had no idea why she was even worried about keeping this guy waiting. This wasn't her responsibility in the first place, but she always tried to follow through on her word. This certainly wasn't going to be the exception. She finally arrived at the airport and jogged to the terminal where the new agent was supposed to be waiting. Before she took the escalator down to meet him, she slowed herself to a walk. She might not actually be smooth, but she was at least going to pretend in front of this rookie for a bit. She chuckled at the thought. As she stepped onto the escalator, she looked down to search for him. There was only one person standing in the terminal. He was handsome but a little clean cut for Brett's taste. He looked uptight, but it was almost cute how eager he seemed. As Brett stepped off the escalator, he turned his head and looked directly at her with wide eyes. "You must be Agent Warren," she said with a smile. "That's me," he said and extended his hand for a handshake. "I was told Agent Briggs would be picking me up from the airport, and I'm guessing you're not him." "Not quite," Brett said with a laugh. "but don't worry. I'm much better anyways." He laughed and seemed to relax a little bit. "Come on. Let's get you back to the house." Brett said and gave him a quick pat on the back. He simply nodded in response.

As they continued to talk, Brett thought Mike was a bit overly eager to begin his training, but she appreciated his passion. She had always admired people who weren't afraid to show when they were excited.  She just hoped the other guys wouldn't give him too hard of a time, but with another look, she was sure they would. The guy clearly had charm, but he was just so proper. He was dressed for an east coast desk job not southern California. In fact, no part of him looked like it belonged in Graceland. She wondered what in the world had made the bureau place him here. 

"So, was this your first choice for placement?" she asked. He laughed lightly. "No, I was actually hoping to be placed in D. C." "That explains a lot," Brett said with a giggle. "What does that mean?" he asked looking slightly offended. "You're just so..." What was the word she was looking for? "... So professional. So collected." "That's a bad thing?" "Hardly! This just seems like a strange fit for you." He looked away with a smirk on his face. "Hey, I'm sure you're an excellent agent! In fact, I know you were top of your class." He looked a little too satisfied at this. "I'd say we have another Briggs on her hands. If Briggs was a tightwad, that is." She cut her eyes to see how he would react, and she could barely control the smile on her face. He turned his head to her with his mouth gawking open, and she couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "I'm just joking! We were all a lot like you when we got here. Graceland just takes some getting used to is all." With that, he just sat back in his seat and smiled. Maybe he would have more fun here than she originally thought. She had no doubt everyone would have a go at teasing him, but he seemed like a good sport. "And we're almost there now, so get ready!" she joked as they turned the corner onto their street. He sat up a little straighter and seemed to return to his former more professional state. "Relax," , she said, "I'm sure you'll fit right in."