The recruits were much improved. She walked among them, watching carefully as they sparred in pairs. After correcting one young woman's form, she glanced up at the catwalk above the training room. Madeline and Operations stood smiling at her; Meckenzie assumed it was because percentages had skyrocketed since she had taken over as Head Defense Trainer. She smiled briefly in return, then resumed her pacing.

Life was good. She was twenty-four today, had a new promotion and a new apartment. She also had a promising relationship in the works...Birkoff was coming over tonight to celebrate her birthday. Apparently six dates in a row was something of a record for him. No matter, she smiled to herself. Meckenzie had Birkoff good and pinned. The entrapment went both ways, however; she had also fallen hard for him.

Meckenzie hummed "Happy Birthday" to herself as she stalked the room like a cat.

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

Birkoff checked his watch for the fourth time in ten minutes. Roberta was late. He stacked the intel disks and pulled on his jacket, preparing to go as quickly as possible. The tall, thin tech came flying into Comm, ducking her shaved head beneath a low-hanging monitor. "Sorry, Birkoff," she panted. "I know you've got to go."

Birkoff shoved the disks into her hands. "Hong Kong. Run a Level 12 on them, will you?" She nodded, and Birkoff bolted before anyone could stop him.

Thai, he thought as he punched in the access code to his door. She loved that little Thai place over on Thirty-fourth. He headed straight for the shower, the restaurant's menu scrolling through his photographic memory. Fifteen minutes later he grabbed the box off his bed and headed for Egress.

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

Meckenzie lit the last candle and inhaled the light raspberry scent. Stepping back in observation, she counted the candles scattered throughout the room, shimmering in the lamp-lit apartment. Seven. Was it too much? She didn't want to scare Birkoff away the minute he walked in. The scene looked intimately romantic to her trained eye; soft music, candles, dim lights, fluffy pillows...but Birkoff probably wouldn't know romance if it whacked him upside the head with a keyboard.

She went to the mirror to check her appearance one last time - clingy white top that showed off her flat, muscular stomach; loose jeans that hung low on her hips and grazed the tops of her Doc Martens. With an unconscious gesture she smoothed the loose brown ringlets that hung down her back. Large, thickly lashed blue-green eyes stared back at her from the mirror, their gaze skimming critically across the porcelain Scottish skin. Looks okay, I guess, she thought as the doorbell rang.

Meckenzie nearly fell over in a fit of hysterical laughter as she opened the door. Birkoff stood there, precariously balancing a bakery box, a bag of steaming food, and a beautifully wrapped gift. He blushed deeply, and she recovered, sensing his embarrassment. "Here, let me get some of this," she offered, grabbing the gift and the cake box as he came sideways through the door. "I'm sorry, you just looked funny standing there with your stack."

Birkoff smiled shyly, his blush receding. "I guess I did look pretty ridiculous." They set the packages on the table, and it was Meckenzie's turn to blush when she realized the trouble he must have gone to.

"You didn't have to do all this, Sey."

He glanced at her over his glasses. "All what? I'm hungry, so I got some dinner. It's your birthday...cake and presents are sort of mandatory in the real world, remember?"

Meckenzie turned away as she unpacked the food. She remembered all too well. Huge celebrations with her family; all seven of her brothers and sisters perched on the porch railings and front steps of the farmhouse. Their cheers as she blew out the candles on the cake her mother had made... She banished the memory. There had been no birthdays since she'd been in Section.

"Hey! You got Thai!" she exclaimed, exploring each little white box in turn. Birkoff was rummaging through the refrigerator and came back to the table with a can of Dr. Pepper and a bottle of IBC.

"Yep. I remember how much you liked it. That was the night we saw that scary movie downtown."

Her eyes rolled. "Don't remind me. I still have nightmares." A smile tugged at Birkoff's lips - it had been a very enjoyable evening for him. Meckenzie had been so freaked out by the horror movie that she'd spent most of the two hours practically in his lap. He shook his head in amusement - a deadly assassin afraid of a movie about witches and dark woods. He'd seriously considered renting a horror flick on the way over. Anything to get her back in his lap.

"I see you went to the grocery store."

Meckenzie's head turned. "Yeah. I was so glad for the downtime. Moving was rough." She carefully arranged the food on the table, then crossed to the cabinet for plates. She was relieved to see that Birkoff was growing more comfortable with her. Their first few dates had been pretty tense.

His body pressed gently against her back as she reached up for the plates. Gee, he really is comfortable, she thought, giving a mental giggle.

Her mind suddenly choked mid-giggle. Birkoff's long, slender fingers lightly caressed the exposed skin of her belly, and Delaney forgot all about the plates. "This must be getting pretty serious..." he whispered against her ear as his fingertips burned into her flesh.

"What?" she asked breathlessly. She'd barely even registered the fact that he was talking, let alone be expected to form a coherent answer. His fingers were sending shivering trails of pleasure spinning through her lower body.

"You hate Dr. Pepper. The refrigerator is full of it."

"Mmm..." was all she could reply as his fingers teased her navel.

Finally he stepped away from her and she blinked, wondering why she was at the cabinet. Remembering the plates, Meckenzie grabbed them and followed Birkoff to the table. "Take a look in the cabinets," she said, her heart still racing. He did, smiling at the array of his favorite chips, cookies, and candy.

"Looks like I'll be a regular visitor."

Meckenzie kept her head bent over the table. "I sure hope so."

His fingertips trailed possessively over the small of her back as he crossed to sit beside her, and Meckenzie repressed a shiver. God, he was making her hot doing practically...nothing.

Meckenzie watched him throughout the meal, marvelling at how his manner towards her had changed in less than a month. At first he'd been hesitant and shy, but now his dark eyes smoldered in open invitation. Man, when he came out of his shell, he came out.

They talked mostly of Section - gossip about different operatives, Walter's steady stream of women, and the latest rumor about Operations and Madeline. Finally, they settled on the topic of Michael and Nikita. More specifically, their relationship.

"They won't ever stand for it," Birkoff stated emphatically, stabbing at his noodles with the chopsticks. "Madeline and Operations are serious. They can't sneak around forever."

"So what do they do? Stop loving each other? Not gonna happen." Meckenzie was often worried by the trials that Nikita and Michael were put through - she knew that Madeline was aware of Birkoff's relationship with her. It was almost as if she were judging her own plan of action based on their mistakes.

"One of them will get transferred. Or worse."

Meckenzie's eyes met Birkoff's across the table as he made this statement. "That's so unfair." She paused a moment, unsure of what his reaction to her next statement would be. "They tolerate...us."

"We're not field ops. In fact, we probably have the least contact possible." Birkoff leaned forward and studied her. "If Madeline had a problem with us, I'd have heard about it by now."

She sighed and began closing the take-out boxes. She was getting damned tired of catering to Section's whims.

They cleared the dishes and stacked them in the sink. Birkoff opened the bakery box and pulled out a beautiful cake decorated with wildflowers and the words "Happy Birthday, Kenzie" across the top. Meckenzie smiled at the pet name he'd given her - they'd each affectionately shortened the other's name.

"Do you want to eat this now or later?" he asked, setting the cake carefully on the table.

"Mmm...later," Meckenzie sighed, stretching her arms. "I'm stuffed."

Birkoff wandered over to the TV as Meckenzie plopped on the couch. "Is this all you have?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. "Jackie Chan movies?"

"Hey! Chan's the man..."

"Doesn't exactly make for a romantic evening, though."

She suppressed a smile. Her shy little nerd had turned into a tiger waiting to pounce. "Didn't know you were planning on a romantic evening," she threw back, batting her eyes innocently.

"Didn't you?" He'd reached the couch by now, and he leaned over her, bracing his arms on either side of her. His mouth was mere inches from hers, and she moistened her lips in anticipation. Their other kisses had been quick and shy, with Birkoff retreating as soon as it was over. But now...

Birkoff watched in fascination as Meckenzie's pupils dilated, the green of her eyes darkening until the grey-blue flecks stood out. He moved until his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers, waiting until he felt her heart quicken, until she held back her breath...

Sparks exploded behind her eyelids when his mouth finally touched hers. Their lips brushed once, twice before meeting for a deep, hungry kiss. Meckenzie's knees parted and Birkoff knelt between them, leaning against her and wrapping one arm around her waist. His other hand reached up to hold her face, his fingers splayed across her cheek as he explored her soft, willing mouth. It seemed he couldn't get enough of her - her taste, her scent - it clogged his senses until they shut down and left nothing in the world but the two of them and a black leather couch.

Finally he pulled away to look at her. Meckenzie stared at him, eyes dark with desire. Soft, round breasts rose and fell beneath that shirt that clung to her so enticingly as she tried to catch her breath...he was almost amazed at himself. To find that he could turn Meckenzie on with just a kiss excited and surprised him, to say nothing of inflating his ego quite rapidly. His mouth settled into the curve of her throat, nibbling lightly.

"You're not saying anything," he whispered as his lips caressed her skin.

"I think you kissed me speechless," she whispered back, arching her neck in pleasure.

Birkoff's hands slipped under her shirt to explore, and Meckenzie shivered delicately. The shivers threatened to increase as his mouth slipped lower, his tongue tracing her collarbone.

"So you're sure about this?" he murmured, the backs of his fingers stroking the swollen tip of her breast.

Her hips cuddled against his, softness melting against hardness.

"Absolutely."

****

They lay tangled in the brand-new sheets of her bed, content and a little sleepy. Birkoff wove a long tendril of brown hair around hid fingers, his lips resting against her shoulder.

"We forgot the cake."

His chocolate eyes smiled in amusement. "You're much better than cake, Kenzie."

"Still...that cake looked good."

They ended up back in the kitchen, not bothering with clothes. Birkoff gave her a ridiculous smile as he picked up a knife.

"How did you know carrot cake was my favorite?" she asked as he handed her a piece.

"I have my ways. R&D is good for things other than tracking terrorist activity."

"Mmm..." she murmured, licking her fingers. "Cream cheese frosting."

He stared at her lasciviously. "Mmm...you covered in it."

Dark green eyes glinted, and her voice lowered alluringly. "Only if you promise to lick it off."

His answer was immediate; she was nearly blinded by a faceful of carrot cake.

The fight was on. They slapped at each other mercilessly until the floor, table, and their clothes were covered in the sugary mess. Staring at each other in anticipation, each wondered where the other would taste first.

"This is twisted," Meckenzie giggled as his tongue lapped at her shoulder, her body pulled tightly against his.

"But delicious," he replied, and she gasped as his fingers spread the frosting a little lower.

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

Birkoff dumped a generous measure of bubbles under the water that flowed into the bathtub. He was sheerly exhausted, but the uncomfortable stickiness of his body demanded action be taken.

"I'll never get this out of my hair," Meckenzie sighed. The mirror showed a hopeless mess of sticky curls congealing in cream cheese frosting. She shoved her head in the sink and turned the water on to rinse her hair. "Whose idea was this, anyway? Yours, I believe?"

"Well, if you hadn't made that very tempting suggestion..." Birkoff's eyes drifted closed at the memory of Meckenzie cleaning him intimately, her tongue as delicate and adept as a cat's.

"Hey, the tub's overflowing."

He reached to turn the faucet off, and gave a noisy sigh of pleasure as he slid into the warm water.

Meckenzie wrung her dripping hair into the sink and stood watching him for a moment. He looked so young and innocent at times - it almost made her forget what an incredible lover he'd turned out to be. Almost, but not quite. She wondered briefly where he'd learned it from. Certainly not that twit Gail.

"Hey, is there room in there for me?" Eyes still closed, Birkoff's arms opened in invitation. Her body fit comfortably against him as she settled between his legs; her head leaned against his shoulder, and her eyes closed also as the water lapped gently around them.

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