An Agents Life

One step back

The next morning Josh had woken up with a killer headache. He sighed as he slowly sat up from his place on his bed. He looked at the time and noticed that he was already late for work. After mumbling a few choice words under his breath he slowly made his way downstairs to smell coffee.

He stopped for a moment trying to think if he should go get his gun or not before a voice stopped him.

"You take a shot at me and I'll shoot you back." Josh closed his eyes and started to remember Maya showing up at his place the night before and him and her staying up and talking.

"How did you?" He asked not finishing his question. He didn't have to, Maya had always been inside his head. Just like she knew he was thinking about going and getting his gun.

"You've never been the quietest when it came to sneaking up on people. Which is interesting to me considering that you're now ahead of an FBI team." Josh rolled his eyes at the amount of sass that was coming off his voice. He brought his hand up to rub over his face as he stepped out from behind the corner and made his way into the kitchen.

"Like you have any room to talk." He teased as he made his way over to one of his bar stools, sat on it and supported his head in his hand as he rested his elbow on the countertop.

"I'm a lot better at it than you are. That's why they always had me lead SWATT instead of you." Maya told him as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him. "I called in for you. I told them that you weren't feeling well and it would be at least a couple of days before you'd be able to go back in." Maya told him as she leaned her weight on the counter across from him. Josh smiled. It's like they had never broken up.

"I'm surprised you're still here." He told her as he took a small sip from his cup. Maya shrugged.

"It was about two in the morning before you started to get really drowsy and out of it. I helped you to your room and made sure you were asleep before coming down here and crashing on the couch. The storm didn't let up until this morning." Josh snapped his head up.

"You stayed down here all night by yourself while it was storming?" He asked her. Josh knew that Maya didn't like to be by herself when it was storming outside. Back when they were together Josh would hold her until she fell asleep. "You could have woken me up. I wouldn't hav-"

"Josh." Maya interrupted him. "Even before you and I had ever dated there was such a think as thunderstorms." She told him. Josh swallowed hard and looked down at his coffee cup. "I just put earbuds in my ear and drowned out the storm with music. It's what I did before you and it's what I'll continue to do." Josh slowly nodded his head before looking back up at her.

Maya went to the living room for a minute leaving Josh by himself. Josh looked over at the piece of paper that was on his counter and noticed it was the one that the psychologist had written for Maya. Curiosity got the better of him and reached out to read the rest of what she had written. He narrowed his eyes as he read the reasoning for Maya needing to go to a support group and put the paper back in its original spot.

"Maya?" Josh called.

"Yeah." Maya replied as she came back into the room with her cell and keys in hand. Josh got off the stool and went to stand in front of her.

"What happened with the bombing up in Manhattan?" Josh asked. Maya's face fell. Suddenly there was a stone cold glare that replaced it.

"Why?" She asked. Josh noticed her change in behavior.

"I just want to know. Nobody ever really told me what had caused Carrie to die and I never asked. My boss told me you and Farkle were in the building with her." Maya pushed past him and back into the kitchen.

"Then why don't you ask Farkle." She snapped causing Josh to sigh. He knew she wasn't going to just open up to him like that. It would take some persuading.

"Because you were the last one to see her alive and not Farkle." Josh said as he turned around to be met with her glare.

"What are you implying?" She asked him. Josh walked over to where the paper was sitting and slid it over to where she was standing.

"I'm just worried about you. You've never taken stuff like this lightly." Maya looked at the paper and then back up at Josh.

"You should mind your own business." She took the paper and walked past Josh. "I'll see you later." She said as she walked right out the door leaving Josh to sigh and run a hand through his hair.

He looked outside the widow at the rain that was left over from the storm as he took his last few sips from his coffee.

Flashback ~

Maya jumped in the air as thunder roared from outside her and Josh's apartment. She grabbed the blankets and pulled them tighter against her as she waited for Josh to come out of the bathroom. She squeezed her eyes shut as lightning filled then room. Josh came out of the bathroom in his pajamas and looked over at Maya with concern.

"You good?" Her asked her with slight amusement in his voice. Maya nodded her head slightly before pulling the covers over her head as thunder roared again. Josh smiled sadly at her before turning the lights off and climbing under the covers with her. He pulled his side over his head so he could look at her. "Eventually you're going to have to come out." He teased her. Maya rolled her eyes at him.

"Easy for you. You're not afraid of storms." She told him with a shaky voice. Thunder roared again making Maya whimper and bury her head in her pillow. Josh scooted closer to her and pulled her into his chest. Maya immediately clutched onto him like he was her lifeline and buried her head in the crook of his neck. Suddenly Josh started laughing. "It's not funny." Maya whined as thunder boomed again and she wrapped her leg around his waist as an attempt to get closer.

"I'm sorry." He said still laughing. "It's just you, one of the toughest woman and bad ass FBI agents I know, is scared of thunder." He said laughing again. Maya huffed and pulled away from him.

"I'm sleeping on the couch." She told him but stopped when thunder boomed louder then ever. Maya let out a yell and fell to the floor while pulling her legs to her chest and burring her face in her knees. Suddenly Josh wasn't laughing anymore. He got up from the bed and went over to where Maya was. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up and she threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry. I won't laugh anymore. Besides I'd worry about you too much if you slept on the couch with this going on outside." Josh said. Maya smiled. There was the comforting and loving Josh she knew. Josh picked her up and carried her back to the bed while wrapping the covers around them.

"I wouldn't have been able to sleep by myself anyway." She told him as she cuddled closer. Suddenly Josh smiled.

"You know." He teased. "I know a way to get your mind off the storm." He teased her as he leaned down to peck her neck. Maya wiggled slightly.

"We have to get up early tomorrow." She said while trying to resist. Josh smirked.

"Since when have we ever been worried about getting enough sleep." And with that being said the storm was long forgotten about.

Josh smiled at the memory. That's was the night that Maya and him had come up with the way to keep Maya from worrying about the storms outside. Josh sighed.

And just when they take one step forward they take two steps back.
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This is by far one of my favorite stories that I'm currently writing.