Turning Point

By Aldaj

Ratings: PG, nothing bad happens at all. (I know, I’m shocked at myself too)

Notes/Warnings: OK folks, here’s the deal. If you do not like the idea of Olga and Frank getting together, do not read this story! On the show, I hope they don’t just get together in one ep, and this follows the fact that. I want it to take some time.

Also, this one fought me quite a bit, so if it seems a bit rigid, that’s because it was written at 3 am when I really should have been studying. This is the sad truth folks, of what caffeine can do to a stressed out person. *g*

Now, onto the story. Enjoy!! (I hope)

As Olga Vukovitch stood outside Frank Parker’s office, she had a feeling that no matter what happened, she would regret what she was about to do. It had seemed rational a few moments ago, but now that she was this close it all seemed wrong.

Olga had been given an invitation to a benefit dinner, and she planned on attending, as she did every year. The only problem was she needed a date.

It wasn’t required, but she had been to enough of these types of events to know that those who didn’t have a date were talked about most of the night, people critiquing them and wondering why they were alone.

In her mind, she hoped that Parker would say yes, but the other part of her knew that there was a less than perfect chance that Parker would decline her invitation to spend an evening with a room full of scientists and stuck up professors.

However, since she had escorted Parker to the White House when he and Donovan had been honored, she hoped he would return the favor. Of course, that time Olga had practically volunteered, she only hoped that Parker wouldn’t point that out.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and knocked on the door. Inside she heard Parker utter a vulgarity, and knew that he was mostly like hiding the scotch that he kept in his office back to its hiding place. A couple seconds passed, then Parker spoke again.

"Yeah, come on in."

Olga reached out and pushed open the door. Frank Parker looked up from the file on his desk and smiled at Olga. He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Vukovitch?" Olga bit her lip and looked Frank. She knew she was hesitating, but she couldn’t help it. When she didn’t answer, a concerned look crossed Parker’s face.

"Everything okay?" Realizing that he was getting the wrong impression, Olga nodded.

"Oh yes, I was just going to ask you for a favor."

Parker raised an eyebrow, wondering what the beautiful scientist would possibly need from him. "Am I going to regret it?"

Olga almost laughed but stopped herself. She sat in a chair across from his desk, and stared at her hands.

"I uh, have been invited to a benefit dinner on Saturday, and need a date, eh, escort. I was wondering, and of course you’re not obligated, but I was thinking, no, wondering…"

"Olga," Frank interrupted her with a smile. "I’d be more than happy to go with you."

Olga let out the breath that she didn’t realize she was holding and smiled broadly, looking at him for the first time.

"You would?" Frank nodded, still smiling.

"Great, I mean, thank you, I mean…" she stopped, and took another breath. "Thank you." She said simply.

"No problem. What time is this thing?"

"It starts at 7."

"’Kay, then I’ll meet you at your office at 6:30. Sound good?"

Olga smiled again. She was grateful that Parker didn’t make any wisecracks, she guessed he could tell that she was nervous enough.

"Perfect." She stood up, and walked to the door stopping when Frank cleared his throat.

"I guess I’ll have to dress up then right?" She turned back to him, and tilted her head to the side. "Well, I don’t think running shorts will pull it off." Olga smiled as Parker laughed and went back to his work. Leaving his office, Olga felt her heart racing and smiled. She almost felt like a 17 year-old that just got asked on their first date. She hadn’t felt that in years, if ever, and what a wonderful feeling it was.

The rest of the week crept by at an agonizing pace. Every time she saw Parker she would get butterflies in her stomach, but she didn’t mind. She just wished that Saturday would hurry and come. For the first time ever, she was actually looking forward to a benefit dinner. She had a feeling that this one was going to unlike any other she’d gone to. All those times, her dates had been boring and rigid, not even cracking a smile the whole time. Yes, this one was definitely going to be a lot more interesting.

When Saturday finally arrived, Olga couldn’t stand it. She felt like she wanted to get dressed at noon, as if that would make the time pass more quickly. Guessing that the best way to pass the time would be to read something, Olga pulled out a book she had been meaning to finish and settled herself in the armchair in her office.

She only got passed a few pages when her mind drifted off to a more intriguing topic: Frank Parker. It could take someone years to ever fully understand the man, but she found herself helplessly dragged to him all the time. He would be talking to Donovan across the room, and she would be working on some schematics, when all of a sudden, she would find herself staring at him.

He had caught her staring one time, he simply grinned and went back to work. Since then she had tried her hardest to stop, but there was just something about him. Something behind his eyes, something in his soul. It made her almost crazy that he wouldn’t talk about himself. It was obvious that he had a more colorful past than people thought. She had even gone as far as to ask Donovan about him one time, but he had been vague with his answers. As if he was helping Parker to forget his past, by not letting others know it. There were definitely clouds in his past, and they seemed to follow him around wherever he went.

She remembered the time that he had been sent back to Hansen Island. It had been hard on everyone, but some reason her more than most. Olga had broken down numerous times, and even after all this time she was unable to convince herself fully why.

She hoped that after all this time, she would have it all figured out, but she didn’t. Although she finally told herself that she cared very deeply for Parker, she still wasn’t ready to tell herself she loved him. Her heart was telling her mind, it was just that her mind wasn’t listening.

Hearing the clock chime, she looked up and saw that it was 5:30. Smiling, she put the book down and stood up. She was still smiling when she went to get ready.

Olga was beginning to wonder if the smile was ever going to go away. She thought back to something that her father had told her when she was a child and she had made funny faces. He had told her that if she made faces like that and kept like that, her face would freeze that way. She knew it was a lie, but she now wondered if that had happened.

Almost laughing to herself, Olga put on her earrings and stood back examining her reflection in the full length mirror on the back of her bathroom door. Pleased with the dress she had chosen, a floor length chocolate brown dress with thin straps, she picked up a light brown sash and let it hang loosely on her arms.

Walking out of the bathroom, she picked up a small dress purse that was sitting on a table when, as if on cue, there came a knock on her door. Trying to wipe the smile off her face, she walked to the door and opened it.

"Well, Mr. Parker, you sure clean up nice." Olga hoped her voice sounded casual, because she sure didn’t feel calm. It didn’t help at all that Parker replied to her comment with a huge smile. He was wearing a tuxedo, and his tie was a dark blue, making his eyes light up. Parker tilted his head to the right, looking at her, and sucked in a deep breath. "You look fantastic."

All of her self-control faded and the smile returned to her face. Parker crooked his arm, and stood straighter. "Shall we?"

Olga nodded and slipped her arm into his. As the two walked down the hall, Parker must have sensed that she was nervous, because he leaned closer to her, and spoke in a quiet, deep voice that made her shiver, "Lets see if we can get through this one with nobody getting killed." Olga laughed, she knew he was referring to the time that he and Donovan had been honored at the White House and a man had been killed. She almost forgot how nervous she had been a few minutes ago, and walked a little closer to Parker. She was definitely going to enjoy this.

When they got to the hotel that the event was being hosted in, Olga introduced Parker to a few people. She was surprised to find that he acted genuinely to be having a good time, and even made small talk with a few. Once they moved on to another small group of people, Parker would make a bored face and yawn. Olga laughed and elbowed him gently in the side. She knew he was just pretending to have a good time, and she was grateful. He could have been a lot more obvious.

After mingling for 15 or so minutes, Parker led Olga to their table. He placed his hand on the her lower back, almost like a husband does to a wife. Olga mistakenly got the wrong impression from it. Looking over her shoulder at him, she could tell by his face that it was simply reflexive. Deciding that she really didn’t mind, she neglected to say something to him. He pulled out her chair for her and she sat down, wondering when he had become so polite.

Olga noticed the looks that she was getting from the other people at the benefit. Since she knew a lot of the people here, they were all no doubt wondering who Parker was. She had overheard someone ask Parker what it was he did, and for a moment, she felt panicked, wondering how he would respond. However, he had simply replied that he was in the NSA, and left it at that.

The rest of the night went off without incident, and Olga and Parker talked to each other as if they were old friends. After dinner the speeches began, and Olga knew that Parker would hate this part.

She put her hand on his back and whispered into his ear, "You’re not going to fall asleep are you?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Oh no, I find this incredibly interesting." His voice was sarcastic, and Olga smiled, not taking her hand off his back. They listened to the speeches, both thinking that this was not nearly as bad as it could be.

When the band finally began to play, Frank looked over at Olga and she titled her head down towards her hands. Suddenly very nervous, she was grateful that Parker didn’t immediately pull her out on the dance floor. They talked a little longer by themselves, and only when the dance floor had plenty of couples on it did he stand. He stood in front of her and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled Olga to her feet. Parker led her out to the dance floor, never letting go of her hand.

Olga had heard it said before in fairy tales and in movies, but she never really thought it would happen. It did. Frank put his arm around her, taking her hand in his. She placed her hand on his back, and suddenly they were alone. No one else was in the giant ballroom. It was the weirdest feeling for about 3 seconds, and then she began to relax. As she looked up into his eyes, he smiled at her.

"Why Mrs. Vukovitch, you look like your actually having fun."

"Well, you know what Mr. Parker, I am. Thank you for tonight."

"You’re very welcome." He leaned a little closer to Olga, and an alarm went off in her head that he was going to kiss her. She was wrong. He simply leaned forward and whispered something in her ear.

"Is it just me, or are we the only ones here under 70 years old?"

Olga burst out laughing, causing a few people to look over at her, but she simply pressed her lips together and tried to stop laughing.

"Oh now you’ve gone and done it. You’re letting them know you’re having fun. That’s not allowed you know." The serious look on Parker’s face made her smile more, and completely out of nowhere, she rested her forehead on his shoulder. She felt him tense up for a split second, but then relax again. It was clear that she had surprised him as much as she had herself.

In silence they kept dancing, and Olga’s thoughts carried herself away. She was acting like a love-struck teenager, and she knew it. It was almost embarrassing, but she couldn’t seem to stop. It was probably Parker’s personality, she told herself. His humor and constant good mood were unquestionably contagious.

As they walked out of the hotel an eternity and several dances later, Parker and Olga stood out under the stars and breathed in the late night air. Shivering a little in the cold desert night air, Olga smiled inwardly as Frank took off his tuxedo jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She pulled it around her a little tighter and sat down on a nearby bench.

"That was actually kinda fun." Frank said, sitting down beside her. She nodded, looking up at the stars.

"It was. Thanks again, Frank for coming with me. I know there are more entertaining things that you could have done tonight."

Parker shook his head. "There may be, but you know it’s the weirdest thing." He looked at her and she saw the sincerity in his blue eyes. "I can’t think of a single thing."

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