::  It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas  :: 

Part Three
Meet Me Under The Mistletoe
By The LadyT and Paula B

12 December 2002
Falls Church, Virginia
Four Provinces Restaurant
1310 hours

The restaurant was crowded and the admiral was late. Once again Mac mentally thanked Clayton Webb for the CD player as it was keeping Haley Marie quite content through the hubbub that surrounded them. She checked the track number, noticed it was up to number eight and was about to start the CD over when she remembered that "If Tomorrow Never Comes" was her daughter’s favorite. She touched Haley Marie’s tummy as her daughter looked at her with sleepy eyes. "Okay, next song I’ll start it over," Mac said as she leaned over her daughter to kiss her head.

"Sorry I’m late, Mac," AJ said as he slid onto the bench across from her in the booth. "Lieutenant Singer hasn’t been too thrilled that she’s going to Hawaii, especially with Christmas in less than two weeks."

"When does she have to leave?"

"Saturday."

"Ouch."

AJ glanced at the menu briefly, noted his luncheon favorite was still there, and then closed it to signal their server that they were ready to order. "So, how’s Haley Marie? She sleeping longer yet?"

Mac smiled, glad they would start with the more genial queries. "She’s still waking me once a night, but she’s getting there."

The waitress arrived and took their luncheon orders, then suggested they try one of the new beers on tap.

"Are you sure you don’t want a draft, sir? Harm says the James Smith’s is excellent."

He raised his eyebrows in question and she smiled weakly in response. He just sighed and looked at the waitress. "I’ll take a half-pint of James Smith’s." When she headed to the bar, he returned his attention to his Chief of Staff. "How bad is it, Mac?"

Mac reset Haley Marie’s CD player to start over, then she began readjusting her blanket. When the admiral cleared his throat, she knew she’d delayed too long. "Do you remember how personally disappointed in me you were at my Admiral’s Mast?"

AJ felt his heart sink. "That’s kind of hard to forget, but I’d like to think you and I have gone past that."

"Think of it this way, sir. At least I’m coming to you first."

This time AJ’s heart bottomed out. "Jesus, Mac. What have you done?"

"I don’t know how much to tell you...."

"You damned well better tell me everything, Colonel!"

Mac was a bit overwhelmed by his vehemence. She lowered her voice that much more in an effort to get him to speak a little more softly as well. "If I do, sir, you’ll have to file charges. If nothing comes of this, I’d really rather not have anyone find out, considering how many people might be hurt by it."

The waitress showed up with AJ’s beer, temporarily halting their conversation. He tasted it, noting the beer was quite good. Too bad I can’t enjoy it, he thought grimly. He thanked the waitress and turned back to his luncheon companion, this time only slightly calmer than the last. "Charges, Mac? What the hell did you do?"

There were very few ways to approach this topic. She hoped that by choosing a more subtle way she could lessen his ire. "You know how Harm’s always saying how much Haley Marie looks like me?"

Where the heck is she going with this? he wondered. "She does, Mac."

Here goes nothing, she thought. "What if she didn’t? What if she looks just like her father?"

As the admiral stared at her, his jaw began to drop as the meaning of her words sank in. Before he could respond, though, one of the servers brought their food. In addition to the shock of Mac’s revelation, he was momentarily taken aback by the speed of service until he remembered this place was situated among office buildings and that it prided itself on its quick lunchtime service. "When did you find this out?" he asked when they were once again alone.

Mac spoke quickly. "You have to believe me, sir, that if I’d had any suspicion whatsoever I would never have married Harm and I would have done my best to contact the gentleman in question."

Anger tinged his tone. "When. Did. You. Find. This. Out?"

"A few days ago. We ran into one another. He noticed the resemblance, did the math, and asked if she was his." She looked down at her food, wondering if she’d be able to eat. "I didn’t think so, but I had to admit it was possible." Mac again tried to look at him. "He and I were together only once, and it was less than a week later that Harm and I decided it was finally time to make a go of it. I never once thought it was a possibility. If I had, I would have told Harm up front. Please believe me, sir."

"I believe you, Mac." One thing AJ couldn’t question was her integrity; her judgment, maybe, but not her integrity. "Now, tell me what happened with this guy."

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. "He insisted on knowing whether Haley Marie was his, so we went out and had the tests necessary to determine paternity."

AJ’s mind kept flashing on the faces of various men he’d seen with Mac over the years -- none seemed to be right, though. "Is this guy ready to take on the financial responsibility?"

"What? I...uh...don’t know. The topic didn’t come up. His first concern seemed to be his mother and letting her know if she had a grandchild." She was afraid to say too much about Victor; she was on shaky ground as it is.

"Is she ill?"

"He’s her only son." It was a safe enough admission; Victor has five sisters.

He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. Depending on who this guy is, if this goes to an Article 32 hearing she could kiss her career as well as any retirement benefits goodbye. For Haley Marie’s sake, he’d try to save at least her retirement benefits. "I see. So, I think from what you’re saying I can safely assume the charges would not be adultery." Which leaves fraternization — but which kind? "No, don’t answer that. I don’t even want to know if I know him. When will you get the test results?"

Thank God for small favors, she thought as she poked at her salad on her plate. "Either a day or two before Christmas or the day after, maybe even later -- I was only told two weeks and we had the tests done on Monday."

"Have you told Rabb yet?"

Mac felt her stomach clench. "I have every intention of doing so, sir. I just haven’t found the right moment yet."

"I don’t think you will, Mac. Just tell him. And the sooner the better. He won’t be happy, but eventually he’ll understand. He also has every right to know that you suspect Haley Marie isn’t his. Now, does this have any bearing on your wanting a divorce?"

At last, she thought, a safer subject. "It’s a bit complicated, sir, but the bottom line is that I’m worried about the environment Harm and I were creating for Haley Marie. He and I just can’t seem to create a loving atmosphere while we’re together."

"Any chance this can be attributable to post-partum depression? I have to ask this, Mac. Your divorce attorney as well as the judge who grants your divorce are both going to ask it, and probably quite a few more people in between." If they’d known about post-partum depression twenty-five years ago, he never would have divorced Marcella.

"No," she said easily. "Harm and I started arguing shortly after we got married, and it’s just gotten steadily worse. It’s basically to the point that we can’t be alone together without one of us starting something."

"You’re starting counseling, today. Do you think that will help?"

She doubted it, but kept her response more upbeat. "Sir, if I can get my best friend back, and stay married, that would definitely be the best of both worlds. I made a vow and want to keep it -- I just hope that Harm will feel that way."

"What about this guy?"

Again, Mac felt her stomach clench. "What about him?"

AJ felt his irritation with her growing -- her response just sounded a bit too nonchalant. He managed to keep his voice even, though. "How does he feel about this? How does he feel about you? How do you feel about him? I mean you slept with the guy, so you must have some kind of feelings toward each other."

Mac had been through this with Clay and definitely did not want to repeat that scene. "Admiral, as long as I’m married to Harm, he is where my feelings lay. As for this guy, all I can honestly say is that we respect one another."

"Well, at least you have that!" Where did all this anger come from? he asked himself. A small part of him knew, though. It was the same anger he felt during her Admiral’s Mast -- she wasn’t his perfect Sarah. Damn it.

"Sir...."

"I don’t know what you want me to do, Mac. You’re certainly not giving me much to work with here."

"But sir...."

"This is something you need to be discussing with your husband, and God knows I’m totally out of my element discussing anything in the marriage department." He pulled out his wallet and tossed two twenties on the table. "As far as your daughter’s parentage, there’s nothing I can do unless your husband wants to press charges. You’re right -- I don’t want to know because then I might have to do something about it, and quite frankly, for Haley Marie's sake, I’d really rather not have to..." With that, he rose and headed for the door.

Mac stared at her plate. She knew he’d be disappointed. She knew he’d be angry. But she didn’t expect him to abandon her. God, that hurt. Haley Marie began to fuss and that managed to pull Mac out of her funk. "I’m sorry, sweetie. The CD ran out. Well, no matter -- we’re going home now." Mac felt a tear trace down her cheek; she swiped at it angrily and suddenly found a handkerchief in her hand. She looked up to see the admiral standing over her.

"I’m a first class ass," he said softly. "There was no excuse for that. I don’t know what got into me."

"You were angry, sir," she said as she dabbed at her cheeks and eyes.

I asked you to trust me; hell, I ordered you to trust me. And when you did I let you down. I’m sorry, Mac." Something in her eyes made him sit on the bench next to her. She leaned into him and he put his arm around her.

"I’m scared, sir."

"And you probably have every reason to be. But you’ll get through this. You will. I promise."

::  ::  ::

He led as they moved through the undergrowth. The moon rose high over the mountain, illuminating the meager path he followed. The trees become sparse and he glanced around trying to spot their pursuers. He hoped they fell for the trap. He’d already killed one of them. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to find a place for them to get some rest.

He heard it long before they came upon the small waterfall. The moonlight danced in the pool the falls formed. The sanctuary was moss-covered and situated within a thick growth of fragrant bushes. Purple fruit seemed to glow in the night. "What’s this?" he pointed. She mumbled something and he turned to her. "Huh?"

"Passion fruit. It’s edible."

He pulled two pieces off the bush and made his way to a small pool of water that had formed in a rock close to the edge of the falls. He rinsed them off, then handed her one. She approached slowly. The thought came unbidden -- she looks different in the moonlight. "I’ve never tasted these before, what should I expect?"

She broke open the fruit. "You eat the pulp, then spit out the seeds. It’s really quite juicy." She looked longingly at the pool. "I’m glad there’s water nearby," she sighed. "I really would like to clean up."

Her skin seemed to glow in the low light. "Go ahead. I’m sorry I don’t have a handkerchief to offer you." His exhaustion threatened to overtake him, so he lowered himself to the soft patch. The thick leaves of the surrounding plants snapped and a heady fragrance assailed him. He watched, fascinated, as she peeled the uniform shirt from her body. He found he was disappointed that she wore a thin strapped tee underneath it. He’d spent most of their trek through this place with an incredible view of her very lovely backside. He realized he wanted to see more of her. She splashed water on her face and over her arms. Water beaded like sparkling jewels adorning her. She must have assumed he’d fallen asleep because the next thing he knew she’d stripped off her tee and was using it like a wash rag on her face, chest and back. To his amazement, she then stood and began removing her clothes, rinsing each article in the small pool before laying it out to dry.

His mouth had gone dry and he was working to keep his breathing even lest she stop. All thoughts of exhaustion left him as he watched her dive naked into the large pool. He told himself he was simply following suit, that it was only polite that he clean up as well, that if his presence wasn’t welcome she would let him know. She certainly spoke quickly enough when he commented on her hand being too close to his crotch. Soon his clothes were neatly laid out next to hers. He stood on the same rock she had before she dove into the water, wondering what to do, watching her swim, hoping she wouldn’t tell him to go to hell.

Her long hair streamed out behind her as she moved toward the edge of the falls. Suddenly she stopped and stood up, the water there came only to mid-thigh on her; the spray was a light shower -- she looked like a nymph in silhouette. Still, Webb did not move. He held his breath in utter awe. Soon, she turned to face him. "The water’s lovely," she called.

Needing no further invitation, he quickly dove in. But the sound of the falls underwater sounded strange; he found himself suddenly disoriented and he lost sense of where the surface was.

::  ::  ::

13 December 2001
Alexandria, Virginia
Home of Clayton Webb
0410 hours

Webb jerked awake and sat up quickly, the strange sound he’d heard underwater still filled his ears. Once he’d shaken his head, though, he realized the source of the noise; he slapped his alarm and fell back in bed. "Damn," he said, smiling at the ceiling.

::  ::  ::

13 December 2002
Washington, DC
Willard Hotel
0645 hours

He still had his boyish good looks, damn him. Captain Allison Krennick had no illusions; the years had not been kind to her. The lines around her eyes had deepened. Her once-perfect breasts -- heavy, full breasts that men would do anything to touch -- breasts she’d taken such great care with over the years to ensure they maintained their buoyancy -- had finally succumbed to gravity. There was nothing she could do for them shy of surgery, and she was just too damn vain to go that route. Time never seemed to touch men, though, damn them all. She looked down at Commander Harmon Rabb, JAG lawyer and former fighter pilot, and felt only contempt. He was only in her bed because he was so drunk last night that he couldn’t see straight. That was the kicker -- Allison Krennick bedding a drunk.

Life really stunk right now.

At least Rabb’s life sucked worse than hers. The best part about last night was that she’d caught him when he was weak, angry, depressed, and best of all, willing to talk about it. She didn’t get much information out of him, but what she did get was definitely tasty.

She wondered who Rabb’s pretty wife had bedded. She hoped it was Admiral Chegwidden. THAT would be something. The first time Krennick had ever come on to Chegwidden was the last time. He’d dressed her down so thoroughly that her ears burned for a week, although he’d also filled her masturbation fantasies for months afterward. She’d see that bastard dropkicked into retirement without a pension. How dare he banish her to Europe! Rabb hadn’t even been the one to complain. It was that twit Lieutenant Austin. Chegwidden had called them into his office, presented the evidence the blond bitch had against her, then told them he was separating them, by two continents and an ocean. Austin was sent to San Diego, Allison was sent to Germany. Germany! Working at a joint command was career suicide in the Navy; she’d barely managed to get her promotion to captain. Why couldn’t he have returned her to Italy? Of course, if that bitch’s evidence had been anything other than hearsay he would have deep-sixed Krennick's career; instead, he just got rid of them both. Oh yes, she hoped Chegwidden had fathered that kid.

For a drunk, though, Rabb hadn’t been half-bad last night. She’d been amazed that he could get it up, much less sustain it. In a way, she’d been looking forward to destroying what little was left of that former fly-boy’s masculinity. But having him play the part of attentive lover was kind of nice. Her ego needed stroking last night, and he was just what the doctor ordered.

Allison Krennick was reduced to hunting for a job. She was scheduled for forced retirement in less than six months. The only good things about the job in Germany were the public exposure and experience in international law. She’d taken three weeks off to return to the US to pound the pavement. She’d already spent a week in New York, her week in DC was almost up, and in two days she would be hopping on a plane to Chicago. She’d had lots of nibbles, but no takers, and it was getting downright depressing. Her father’s firm had offered her a position, but the last place she wanted to be was Dallas, Texas. Who cares if she could be a senior lawyer in their international department? She’d joined the Navy to get out of Dallas -- too much desert and too many rednecks -- and she was not going back! She really didn’t want to work in DC, either. Too many bad memories here, and the worst one had been Rabb. However, now that she’d bedded him the thought of DC wasn’t so bad anymore. And once bedded, they always came back. Yes, DC now had possibilities.

She turned to the baby-faced commander. "Come on, Rabb. You’re out of here."

He sleepily raised his head and looked at her through squinted eyes. "Huh? Allison? What time is it?"

"Time for you to get out of here. I have places to go, and you aren’t staying." He stumbled out of bed and she pushed him toward the bathroom. "I’ll give you time to have a shower, but that’s it."

Harm turned on the shower and adjusted the controls. Jesus, he thought as he banged his head against the wall, I just fucked Allison Krennick! All those times he’d managed to push her away, to keep her at arm’s length, and in one night of drunken stupidity he’d blown it. He got in and began trying to scrub away the remnants of last night’s activities. How much had he had to drink? Oh god, what all did he tell her? Shit -- he was a married man! Of course he was separated, but he and Mac didn’t have any paperwork to make it legal. And if Allison Krennick wanted to make trouble for him, she could be one vindictive bitch. He groaned inwardly as he got out and grabbed a towel. He would just have to hope like hell she wasn’t going to try to screw him over. Hell, she knew he was married, and that he was separated -- that’s all he talked about last night. Oh shit -- he told her about the question of Haley Marie’s fathering. Damn it! How could he be so stupid? He fastened the towel around his waist as he went out to face her.

She was sitting at the small table in the room sipping a cup of coffee. "Your underwear’s on the bed and your uniform is hanging in the closet."

"Thanks. I don’t suppose I could have a cup of that coffee?"

"You don’t have time. Get dressed. I’ve got to get out of here."

He began hastily pulling on his underwear. "Thanks for hanging up the uniform."

"Considering you were such a disgrace last night, I didn’t...." She saw him blanch at her words and began to chuckle. "Relax, Harm," she said as she got up. "I was referring to your drunkenness." She followed him to the closet where he grabbed his pants and swiftly put them on. She couldn’t resist running her hand across his buttocks. "You were fine last night," she said huskily. "More than adequate, in fact."

Her comment hardly gave him comfort. All he could think was, oh god -- she’s gonna want a repeat sometime!

She stepped away from him, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "So, are you going to try to patch things up with your wife?"

He kept his back to her as he buttoned his shirt. "I hope to. Things are really rough right now, but I think we can get through it."

"You do that, Rabb." She reached around him and grabbed her coat. Her mouth was right near his ear. "And if things don’t work out, you find me." She watched him stiffen for a moment before grabbing his own coat. Oh, how she loved eliciting fear in a man. She moved to the dresser and picked up her bag and his car keys. As they exited the room she tossed him the keys. "It’s on G-3, on the wall farthest from the elevators. You weren’t in any shape to drive last night."

"Thanks," he said weakly as the door shut.

::  ::  ::

He was speaking but she’d stopped listening a long time ago. He stood to go. He was leaving, and this time he wouldn’t be coming back. No more Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez. Always standing so straight, his uniform perfectly pressed. He wasn’t in uniform right now, though. His soft green sweater draped him -- loose, yet revealing where it lay against his skin -- and black bootleg jeans.

She found herself standing in front of him. "Take care of yourself," she said as her arms found their way around him. She molded herself to him -- just for a second, she told herself, no more. But when she let him go, that wasn’t enough. Her hands moved to his shoulders and she kissed his cheek. It was a little peck, but that wasn’t enough, either -- not enough to show what he’d meant to her all those years, especially not enough to show what she’d tried to deny since their time on the Guadalcanal. Her face hovered in front of his for a moment.

Suddenly his mouth was on hers and her brain pleasantly turned to mush. He was kissing her and her body was aflame. She pressed herself against him as his arms encircled her. God, he was so firm. She rucked up the back of his sweater as she caressed the muscles along his spine and up his back. Moans filled the room when his hands moved to her buttocks and he pressed her more firmly to him. ‘So hard’ was the only thought she had.

His mouth moved to her neck and she heard him whisper, "Please."

"Yes," she muttered as she nibbled and kissed his neck and chin. "Oh yes," she breathed, her teeth moved to nibble on his earlobe.

They were in the bedroom and he pulled his sweater over his head. The chest that she’d only caught glimpses of on the Guadalcanal was suddenly before her. Her hands moved to his waist and her mouth explored his pectorals. She smiled as he groaned when her tongue found a nipple; the sound rumbled through his chest and she felt an answering throb in her core. Her hands found the button on his jeans but he pushed her away momentarily to remove her sweatshirt.

"Sweet Mother of God," he breathed as he looked at her. The sweatshirt fell to the floor as his hands moved to gently caress her arms. He slowly pushed her to the bed and his mouth once again found hers as he lowered her on the edge of it. He straddled her as she lay back. A hand moved to trace the lace of her bra across the top of one breast, following the deep plunge between them where he found the clasp. He deftly undid it, peeling the lace back to expose a nipple. His eyes burned as he first licked then sucked on it. She arched off the bed at the contact, wanting more of him, now.

"Please Victor, " she moaned. He looked up at her passion-filled eyes. She pointed to her bedside table. "Top drawer." He found a box of condoms, grabbed four, and tossed them onto the bed. She pulled off her bra and tossed it across the room, then moved farther onto the bed. "Come here," she said huskily.

His smile was boyish, flirtatious, and lecherous all at once. She felt herself melting in his gaze. "Yes, ma’am." His voice vibrated throughout her being.

He kissed her stomach as he undid the top button of her jeans and unzipped them. She lifted her hips and he began to pull them down. "Panties too," she said, barely cogent.

He raised an eyebrow before kissing her just above her mound. "You in a hurry?"

She wanted him more than she’d wanted anyone in so long. "Yes. Get naked, Victor."

He pulled her pants and underwear off as he stood up. He tossed both to a nearby chair, then slowly unbuttoned and unzipped his own jeans. She licked her lips unconsciously, causing his eyes to darken with passion -- also causing him to move even quicker to rid himself of his boots, socks, and pants. When he stood in front of her, she let out a gasp at the sight of his cock, fully erect and pointing to her. "You approve?" he asked as he first fondled his balls, then grasped the base of his erection.

She tossed him a condom. "Oh yes. Now cover it and get back here." He opened the package and unrolled the condom over his cock. She felt herself getting wetter as his fingers smoothed it from head to base. She didn’t want foreplay, all she wanted was him moving in her, and the sooner the better. "Come here," she told him when she finally lifted her eyes to his.

"Yes, ma’am."

The words in concert with his smile made her spread her legs in invitation. She felt incredibly wanton as he moved to her; his expression told her she was the sexiest woman he’d ever known, and she shivered with the desire he sparked in her.

His eyes remained locked to hers as he positioned himself above her. She reached down and grasped his cock, moving it deftly to her opening -- she was on fire and she needed him moving inside her to soothe her burning need. "Please, Victor." He pushed himself in just a bit at a time, each time withdrawing almost all the way only to push that much farther in. She spread herself wider, offering herself to him, and he finally pushed all the way in. She felt herself vibrating with the sensation of being filled. "God, please, Victor. Do it," she begged as she buried her face in his neck.

She tightened her arms around him as he began to move. Her hands tried to find purchase on the firmness that was Victor Galindez. She heard herself whimpering as she approached her climax, and he was muttering nearly incoherent phrases into her neck and shoulders as his movements sped up. She was totally exposed, yet she hadn’t ever felt so totally safe -- she was losing control and she didn’t care. She heard Victor cry out as he changed his angle of entry; he pounded into her four more times and she felt herself lost in her own orgasm. Her cries joined his as they went over the edge together.

::  ::  ::

14 December 2002
Springfield, Virginia
Rabb Residence
0535 hours

Mac awoke shaken. She sat up to look around, and she subconsciously felt around the bed next to her. She was alone, she was no longer in her old apartment, and Victor had never been here.

Oh God, am I going crazy? she wondered as she lay back on the bed. She knew what the dream was about -- she remembered that night clearly. All she’d wanted was for Victor to be inside her, and she did everything to make that happen. She had a hunger she’d never felt before and never felt since. For that matter, she was amazed that Victor kept getting it up. She blushed at the thought. It was as though he needed to be inside her just as much as she needed him there. The two of them had finally collapsed in exhaustion. But they still found the energy to make love once more before he left her the next morning.

She’d run out of condoms, but he had two more in his wallet. She wondered if he’d had three whether they would have made love a second time that morning.

What’s gotten into me? she wondered as she rolled out of bed. "Harm came onto me last night, that’s what," she muttered.

He had stopped by to see Haley Marie, or so he had insisted. But as soon as Mac had put her down, Harm came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. "Oh baby, please."

She stiffened in his embrace and she wasn’t sure why she asked, wasn't sure exactly how she knew, but she did. "You were with some one, weren’t you?" His blush had told the story. She shuddered. "Get out."

"Mac," he whined. "I’m so sorry, baby. But I was upset and drunk. Please let me make it up to you."

Where was that man’s brain? After what he did! Like she’d be interested in him after he’d spent the night with another woman. She didn’t even want to know whether he had even used any protection. Hell, he had admitted he had been drunk!

Mac had pretty much lost interest in sex during the healing process. She never even contemplated pulling out her vibrator. But now that she was feeling better she was starting to feel stirrings, and her husband definitely wasn’t on her list of candidates. She wanted a clean break with him. Sex would be a major mistake. Up until now, her list of candidates had been blank. And now this dream.

Was that when Haley Marie was conceived? If it weren’t for the fact that they used a condom every time she’d have to say yes. She was practically acting like a cat in heat. It was as though she had an itch and she needed Victor’s cock to scratch it.

She felt an ache growing in her core just remembering it.

If it had just been about sex she could handle it, but it was deeper than that. A lot deeper. There was that feeling of safety, of security, of total abandonment that she felt that night. What was it about Victor that made her feel so comfortable, so free?

She didn’t want to think about this right now. She’d told the admiral she was going to try to make a go of her marriage. Fat chance of that now. He’d also told her to tell Harm as soon as possible about her suspicions about Haley Marie’s parentage. Major mistake.

They’d met at counseling that afternoon. With a counselor in the room, you would think Harm would be on his best behavior, right? Apparently not. He’d stormed out of there, leaving her alone with the counselor. And there was 48 minutes left on the clock.

Dr. Miller tried to get her to talk about it, and she’d debated it. Instead, she’d walked out herself.

She had more than a week left to wait for the test results on Haley Marie’s paternity. But what to do then? The only thing good that had happened recently was that Mac now believed she at least had the admiral on her side. She felt pretty safe if her daughter turned out to be Harm’s, and she knew Clay wouldn’t say anything to spare his friend any further pain. Harm would forever wonder whom she’d been with, but her career as well as Haley Marie’s future would be secure. However, if her daughter proved to be Victor’s, Mac wasn’t sure what she’d do.

If the admiral was willing, the least punishment she could receive would be a letter of admonishment. Her chance for career advancement would basically be over, but she’d be allowed to stay in until she’d put in her twenty, even longer if she was willing to wait until time-in-rank forced her to retire.

By involving the admiral, she was setting herself up for punishment, but she’d rather have the incident revealed up front than worry about what could happen if someone else discovered her indiscretion down the road. If her daughter resulted from that one night with Victor, her DNA was proof positive; however, if Harm was the father there is no proof that she and Victor were together, and unless she or Victor filed a complaint, no charges could be made. Mac was walking a very fine line, and she counted herself lucky the admiral was willing to walk that line with her.

His help didn’t come without a price, though. As soon as Mac had word of the test results, no matter what those results were, she had to inform him. And since the admiral had plans to go to Milan to spend Christmas with his daughter, he thoroughly expected her to call him there.

"And we worry about it then," she told herself as she headed for the shower.

::  ::  ::

She gazed at the swimming man. Birds had awoken her earlier, the sight of fresh fruit greeted her, and now her eyes feasted on lovely muscles moving through water. His still-pale skin testified to how little time he spent in the sun, even since he’d been in Hawaii. Firm buttocks clenched and relaxed as he moved. Suddenly he turned on his back and she was treated to all of him -- the fine sprinkling of dark hair on his chest, across his pecs, down his abs, and the thicker patch even lower. She found she had to force her eyes to move upward, to stare into his jade green ones that sparkled with amusement.

"A voyeur lawyer. Sounds fitting." A smile touched his lips, sexy and inviting. "Join me?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she considered it. "No, thank you," she muttered. She cleared her throat. "Where’d you find all the fruit?"

"The Safeway."

"Very funny." He turned to swim to his clothes and she quickly turned her back to him.

"We’re pretty secluded here. I could almost grow to like Hawaii." His voice was just behind her and she knew he hadn’t had time to put his clothes on.

"Hawaii is paradise. Or hadn’t you heard?" she retorted.

His husky reply touched her core. "Kind of dull though?"

"Sometimes," she whispered. She flushed deeply and suddenly she didn’t want to continue the conversation, not with him so very close. All she could imagine was his nakedness just within her reach. Steadily, she walked back to the pile of fruit. She sat on the soft moss, picked up a banana and began to peel it.

Bare feet padded up behind her. "I’ll take another one of those passion fruits."

"Sure." She held it out behind her. His fingers touched hers and she shivered. When he didn’t let go immediately, she tried to pull back her hand, but he didn’t let go.

He knelt on the fragrant undergrowth as his hands caressed her fingers. "We need to talk."

Her brain felt fuzzy with his touch. "You’re my prisoner," she said with more strength than she felt.

His lips touched the tips of her fingers. "Yes, I am." The dual meaning was apparent.

What am I doing? she asked herself. She felt panic rising from deep within, as well as emotions that shouldn’t be there. This isn’t right, her brain screamed. We shouldn’t do this.

He released her hand as she leaned back onto him. The fruit fell to the ground next to them. "Katherine, Kate," he breathed into her ear. His lips found her neck and her hands moved to his arms for support. "I saw you watching me. Tell me you want this as much as I do."

She turned her face to his and his mouth found hers; her tongue dueled with his and a warm wetness grew between her legs. "This is wrong," she whispered as his mouth again moved to her neck.

His hands found the top button of her shirt. "Can’t be," he muttered as his tongue caressed her ear. "Feels too good."

She had to agree as he made quick work of her shirt and began caressing her nipples through her undershirt. His mouth once again locked on hers as he turned her to lay her on the sweet perfumed moss. He moved over her and began pulling her shirt and undershirt out of her slacks. Suddenly impatient, her hands moved to her slacks and undid them. When he lifted her up to remove her shirt she pushed him onto his back. She threw her shirt toward his clothes and her undershirt followed. She knelt over him and her hands began to lightly caress his chest and abdomen. "Are you sure we’re alone?"

"Oh yeah," he breathed when one hand reached his pubic hair. The back of her hand lightly brushed his stiffened cock. Fingertips traced his balls and he inhaled sharply. She stood slowly and his eyes looked at her in question.

"I’m a little overdressed, don’t you think?" She continued to gaze at him as she first removed her bra, then lowered her pants and underwear. He clasped his hands behind his head and spread his legs slightly. Oh my, if that’s not an inviting sight, she thought as she lowered herself between his legs.

He spread his legs wider as her mouth descended to his thigh. He moaned softly when her tongue traced a line directly to his balls. He was breathing heavily by the time her tongue had wound it way to the top of his cock and tickled his slit. "Oh god, Kate. So good." His hands brushed her hair as her lips encircled him. "Sweet Jesus," he breathed as her lips moved down and her tongue laved the head of his cock. Suddenly he grasped her shoulders firmly and pushed her off of him. She found herself on her back and him hovering above her. His green eyes were passion-dark. "I need you, now," he said firmly before his mouth latched onto hers.

Her legs moved to encircle him as his cock pressed against her opening. She moaned into his mouth as he pushed into her. She was so wet he slid in easily. Soon they were pounding against one another, their cries joining that of the animal life around them. The beating of her heart became louder until....

::  ::  ::

14 December 2002
Falls Church, Virginia
Home of Dr. Ellen Fredricks
0730 hours

"Kate?"

What the hell?

"You wanted to go shopping this morning," Ellie said from outside Kate’s bedroom door.

Kate moaned in frustration -- not again! "What time is it?" she called out.

"Seven-thirty. You said you wanted to get to the mall when it opened."

Kate rolled out of bed. "Thanks. I’m up. Coffee ready?"

"Isn’t it always? See you in a few."

Damn it! Can’t I even get some satisfaction in a dream? she lamented as she gathered a few things to head for the shower.

::  ::  ::

19 December 2002
Langley Virginia
CIA Headquarters
2345 hours

He dragged himself back to his office. He was dead tired and knew he should just go home and get some sleep, but he wanted to get through the last case file that he had started before he left the office at 6:00 PM. He didn't want to be late to take Kate to dinner.

He had taken her to a small inn just south of Falls Church. They had sat next to the fire and dined on...for the life of him he couldn’t remember anything about the evening except gazing into her eyes and the aftermath in the parking lot. He felt like a kid. The way they touched and kissed but never really going very far at all.

Most nights they just kissed and whispered stories to each other in the cold December night staring up at the stars though the moon roof of the Lincoln he commandeered from the Agency motor pool. He used the excuse that his Mercedes might be known, but truth be told, his little two-seater wasn’t suitable for making out.

Sometimes he had brought her to orgasm, just touching and rubbing her. But when she would try to reciprocate he would just sigh and shake his head. "No, I want you in my bed." He didn’t have the nerve to tell her that as much as he wanted her to, he didn’t want to walk back into the building with soiled slacks. Most nights he would painfully relieve himself in his private bathroom, careful to flush the evidence down the toilet.

Angrily, he unlocked his door and stepped back into his office. The cleaning crew had already been here and gone and the smell of furniture polish assailed his nose. When the hell would the damn tests get back? He would swear Jenkins in the lab was toying with him. Withholding the information just to spite him. He hated Jenkins, and Jenkins wasn’t fond of him, either. He glared at his prison chair. Comfortable as it was he was loathed to return to it. Instead, after he pulled off his topcoat and suit jacket and hung them on the door he grabbed the file and started to sit down on the deep leather couch resting under the window facing western Virginia. Some days he could see all the way to the mountains but it had been so foggy lately, he was lucky to see past the trees outside the high fence surrounding the compound.

He knew he shouldn’t, but damn it, he wanted something to cool his frustrations. Walking to the small cabinet against one wall he poured three fingers of good scotch into a glass. As soon as he settled back he knew he made a serious error in judgment.

Waves crashed on the sandy white beach. He gazed around him, unsure of where he was. Lush green mountains rose just behind him and he had no escape but to walk down the beach. Rocks nestled in the sand and the sun was just above the horizon. Red bullets of color streaked across the darkening sky. He looked down at himself and was shocked and embarrassed to find that he was completely naked. His toes sank into the cool wet sand and the water kissed his feet as the tide washed in. He was suddenly very afraid that he would be overtaken and either dragged out to sea or smashed against the rocks.

Climbing up onto one rock jutting up through the beach, he felt he was safe. Looking all around him he felt impervious to the world. He was. He was alone. Nothing could hurt him up here. The water couldn’t reach him. Nothing could touch him.

"Hey!" He jerked around and saw her standing below him. "Hey! What are you doing up there?"

"Go away. You’ll drown." He shouted back down.

"Well then, I’ll come and keep you company."

"No don’t do that. You might fall."

"You might fall."

"I know but then it will just be me."

"Oh. Okay."

The dark-haired beauty turned and walked away and suddenly he felt so alone and scared and so sad he couldn’t stand it. "Hey!" he called after her retreating form.

The water was pounding against his rock now, but he wasn’t getting wet. He was safe up here. But he suddenly couldn’t stand it and jumped down into the water that covered his feet now. He began to run after her. The water continued to rise and he was having a harder and harder time making his way.

But she stood and waited for him at a cut in the cliffs that he hadn’t noticed. She watched him as he approached. A small smile of encouragement kissed her lips. When he finally climbed up on the rock where she was waiting, she didn’t say anything but turned and led him deeper into the ravine.

The waterfall was tall and violent. The water cascaded off the rocks and they were both immediately soaked. But that was okay too, because he suddenly realized that she wasn’t wearing anything either. She started to pull him high toward the falls but instead he pulled her around to face him; she smiled knowingly and waited.

"Why?" he whispered.

She shook her head and at first, he thought she couldn’t hear him above the roar of the waterfall. "I don’t know why."

"Save me." The words escaped before he could pull them back. But her smile grew and she leaned into his shivering body.

"Let's save each other." Her whisper breached the walls that he carefully built around his heart. Each brick that he had resolutely lain since the day his mother came to tell him his father had died on assignment suddenly crumbled. He tried to reach for her, to tell her what she had done to him, but instead she took his hand again and led him to the small cave behind the waterfall.

As was his way, he quickly scanned his surroundings and what he saw nearly took his breath away. This high up they had a commanding view of the sea beyond. The lush greenery seemed to surround and protect them. To one side of the fall was a large plant heavy with purple fruit. The floor of the cave was covered in deep thick moss.

She didn’t wait for him to reach for her. The look in her eyes told him she could read his very soul. Instead she pulled him into her comforting embrace and offered her lips to him.

He knew the feel of her lips. They were soft and sweet and hot. But now they seemed to burn him. She let her hand trail down his chest, pausing to worry and pinch his nipples. Her lips followed until she was kneeling before him. He gazed down at her. She looked up at him, that same knowing smile on her face. Her tongue snaked out and licked the moisture from his bobbing erection. He groaned as her mouth worked the tip of his cock while her hands gently squeezed and caressed his scrotum. He tried not to, but he began bucking into her mouth, the sensations almost painfully raw.

He woke up just as he came -- in his own hand, all over his Italian wool suit. "Son-of-a-bitch," he growled. "A goddamn wet dream. How high school is that? Oh wait. I had more sense in high school. At least then I knew to do it in the shower or in bed instead of in a suit that cost $2,000."

Dragging himself to the bathroom, he glared at his haggard face and wondered what the hell Kate could possibly see in him. After cleaning up the best he could, he wondered if he could find a different dry cleaner to use instead of his usual one. Leaving the bathroom he picked up the file, threw it on his desk and switched off the lights.

He buttoned his coat before he even entered the elevator. As he stomped through the lobby he muttered, "Tomorrow, Jenkins, or so help me I’ll transfer your ass to Peru." He gave a perfunctory nod to the startled guard and stepped out into the cold night air.

::  ::  ::

20 December 2002
Washington, DC
Smithsonian Museum
1035 hours

"Mrs. Webb, please. This is Dr. Ellen Fredricks."

"Hello, dear. How are you?"

"Quite fine, Porter, thank you. I’m calling because I’m heading out to the Kennedy Center to pick up costumes for the Masquerade and I was wondering since you’ve been away if you’d like me to pick up your costume and Clay’s as well."

"Thank you, Ellen, but no, Harrison picked up ours at the Folgers."

"Oh? I didn’t realize several places were involved in the party."

"Oh yes. I think Ford’s Theater is involved as well. Fortunately, since Harrison needed to pick up some paperwork for me at Folgers, he picked up our costumes at the same time." Ellie heard a sigh on the other end. "I just can’t believe what they selected for me."

"Hmm? What happened? Who were you assigned?"

"Emily Geiger. Can you imagine? The woman rode through swamps. Thank goodness, my costume was of the more traditional garb of the period. I was terrified that they’d put me in some filthy thing with weeds in the wig."

Ellie couldn’t help smiling. Porter’s humor was often quite dry, but Ellie suspected that Porter was a little disappointed her garb wasn’t covered in filth. "Trust me, Porter -- you got off easy. I’ve been selected to portray Grace O’Malley."

"The Irish pirate? How very exciting. And will you be attending with AJ?"

"Yes. I’ll be picking up his costume as well. He’s been assigned Sir Francis Drake."

"Well, at least he’s a pirate as well."

"That’s what he said. But what I’m concerned about is will we be garbed in the period, or will they have us wear costumes a la ‘Pirates of Penzance’? The Kennedy Center just ran that show six months ago. I’m a little concerned."

"Hope for the play, my dear. Drake was quite the dandy. Can you imagine AJ the fop? I think someone must have been drinking heavily when the invitations were sent out."

Ellie laughed out loud at that. She’s in an amazingly good mood today, Ellie thought. She wondered what happened, until a thought occurred to her. "Will Tim Fawkes be going as well?"

"Oh yes. When Clayton found out he wasn’t sent an invitation he picked up a ticket for him at the same time he selected the one for the young woman staying with you -- Commander Pike. I think Clayton mentioned that he selected Molly Pitcher for her."

Thank god for small favors. Ellie had worried until she saw the invitation that a certain career-minded Navy Commander would appear at the party as Cleopatra -- no matter how good Kate would have looked in such an outfit, it definitely could have been detrimental to her career. "I’ll be picking up her costume this morning as well. So, what did Clay select for Tim?"

"Thomas Paine. It was the only costume that would fit Timothy left from that period. Did Commander Pike tell you who Clayton had been assigned?"

"Not that I recall."

"Captain Nathan Hale. As I said, someone must have been drinking heavily. However, Ellen, I looked at the costume and do believe he’ll look quite fetching in it."

As Ellie chuckled again, she marveled at Porter’s exceptional mood. Well, well, Captain Hale will go quite nicely with Molly Pitcher, she decided. "I’m sure he will, Porter. It was lovely chatting with you."

"I look forward to seeing you and Commander Pike Tuesday evening for dinner."

Ellie was certain Clay’s mother was quite eager to meet Kate. Porter had gone to Paris on business and so had not yet met the woman who so fascinated her son. Ellie had never seen Clay smitten before and wondered what his mother thought of this change in her son. She knew better than to ask, though. "We’re looking forward to it." After Ellie hung up, she gathered her stuff to leave for the day, told her assistant she’d see her after the holiday and wished her a Merry Christmas.

"Oh, Dr. Fredricks," her assistant called to her as she walked out. "The kid from the Kennedy Center’s costume section called. He said he found the costumes for you but he saw a problem with the two pirate ones you asked about. However, he promised to fix it before you arrived."

"Thanks, Dede. I’ll be sure to check them before I leave," Ellie said, imagining ripped seams or hems.

::  ::  ::

20 December 2002
Falls Church, Virginia
JAG Ops
1300 hours

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Sims." Clayton Webb placed a large wrapped box on the desk before a startled Harriet.

"What’s this?" she gasped.

"Harriet?" Bud Roberts came out of his office in time to witness the exchange. "Mr. Webb?"

Webb was in a ridiculously good mood. He smiled devilishly. "Well I figured with Lieutenant Commander Roberts’ track record he wouldn’t be able to find this year’s hot ticket item and if he did, he would probably figure out a way for me to destroy it, so I decided to avoid all the anxiety and just bring one by."

"You found a ‘Bobby Brumble Box’!" Harriet’s squeal brought first a hush and then laughter from the rest of the bullpen.

"Webb?" AJ’s deep rumble effectively got everyone but the Roberts back to work.

Bud just stood there staring at the offending package muttering, "I looked three weeks for that thing. How the hell does he do it?"

Webb thoroughly enjoyed tweaking Roberts’ nose. They had been gentle adversaries for nearly eight years. Besides, this year it had been a fluke. He had stopped at an exclusive Alexandria toy boutique to buy Haley Marie a giant teddy bear just as the clerk was bringing out six of the coveted Brumble Boxes. He had no idea what the hell they were -- he still didn’t. But when a woman of obvious wealth and refinement had uttered a squeal exactly like Harriet’s cry, he figured he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make six year-old AJ very happy and the Lieutenant Commander feel just a little inadequate.

"Why are you here, Webb?" AJ suspected he knew the answer, but he refused to cut him any slack.

"I have some reports for Commander Pike, AJ. Is there a problem?"

AJ glared some more and then nodded toward Pike’s new office. "Make it snappy and do try not to leave a path of destruction in your wake. I have Commander Rabb if I want that." Webb grimaced but refused to let AJ ruin his good mood. He clutched the paperwork in his hand and made his way back to her office.

Her door was open, but the blinds covering the windows overlooking the bullpen were all shut. She was standing at the back window, staring down onto the parking lot. Quietly, he closed the door behind him, snicking the lock as he did.

She was aware of his presence for only a heartbeat before she felt his lips on her neck. She groaned in frustration, almost wishing she had not been such a stickler. Almost. She knew now the sex he had with Li had been orchestrated by Xinyu. Regardless, in this day and age you didn’t take chances and when they finally made love she wanted it to be free of any clouds of doubt.

"Mmmmmmm. Feels good, so gooo oooooo." She allowed him to pull her back against his chest as his hand caressed up her side until he was gently teasing her breasts through the starched white uniform blouse. "You’re so bad, Mr. Webb," she whispered as she craned her head around. The kiss was long, wet, and had her panting for more. "Have you heard anything?"

"About what?" he growled in her ear.

"Bastard," she sighed. "You know very well...." She turned around so she could bitch him out face-to-face, but her words caught in her throat. He had a sly smile on his face and a manila envelope in his hand. "Is that?"

"Yep. The final, the official, the last word on that spider Lieutenant Li and her fly, Clayton Webb." He grimaced at the still raw memory but brutally pushed it down. This was a happy occasion and by God, he had delved into that darkness as long as he cared to.

"And?" her eyebrow arched.

"And, what are you doing tonight?"

"Well I figured I would have dinner with this annoying spy who keeps trying to seduce me."

"Well, yeah. But later." They had dined together every night for the past ten days. He always drove her home to Ellie’s house in Falls Church. And while they had caressed and fondled like teenagers, she had been adamant about going only so far until they could be sure. Actually he hadn’t minded too much. They had spent a great deal of time getting to know each other and he rather suspected that Kate Pike just might very well have stolen his heart. Something that no other woman had done since college.

In answer, she took the envelope, set it on her desk unopened and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips were warm and soft on his and when she opened her mouth to him, he greedily invaded. His hands played up and down her back, caressing her ass through her skirt, pulling her as tight against him as humanly possibly considering they were both fully clothed. He had just started to caress her inner thigh when a loud insistent knock at the door made her jump back and Webb curse long and low.

"Yes," she managed breathlessly.

"Commander? It’s me." Bud Roberts’ voice held only a trace of amusement. "I have those files you needed for the Cranston case."

"Son of a bitch," Webb growled then sheepishly grinned at her. Checking to make sure that everything was in order, he kissed her quickly and handed her his handkerchief. "I’ll pick you up at 7:00 sharp." Jerking open the door he met Bud’s surprisingly innocent stare with a bright smile. "Touché, Commander Roberts." And strolled out the door into the bullpen.

Harriet was waiting for him at the elevator. "Mr. Webb...Clay...I’m really sorry. I tried to stop him. It was an awfully nice thing for you to do."

Webb laughed again. "Don’t worry about it, Harriet. It’s a tennis match. I expect it will escalate as the years go by."

"Oh dear. I hope not." She blushed but hurried back to her desk.

He pulled onto the street, looked both ways, searching not just the oncoming traffic but the houses and businesses nearby. Something was niggling at him, but he wasn’t sure what. He suspected it was just the tension of the past few weeks. And ever since he had been returned to DC, he had faced questions and probes and tests -- and not just for STDs either. He had undergone thorough psyche tests to see if he had been compromised. The tests and the suspicion had certainly helped him over any guilt he might have had about the murdered Amy Li. There was proof now that the entire thing had been a setup between her and Norton. They just weren’t sure what the Chinese agent had wanted from him. Webb had spent many a day going over every case file under his direct supervision -- he still had days more work to go. He would leave the house at 6:00 am and work straight through lunch, stopping only if the boss wanted to see him. And promptly at 6:00 PM he would drive out to Falls Church, pick up Kate to take her to dinner. After taking her home, he returned to Langley and put in another two hours before dragging himself home for a shower and a few hours sleep.

It was exhausting but he was driving himself, not only because he wanted to find out why Xinyu wanted him in the first place -- and he had no illusions that it was Xinyu who wanted him. He gave a rat’s ass that their pursuers had been Japanese. They had found two bodies at the foot of the mountain in Hawaii. Both had the intricate tattoos of the Yukaza. Dozens of operatives in several countries were checking to see why the notorious mercenaries of Japan were helping the Chinese intelligence community.

More importantly, he wanted to make sure that Kate was safe. He owed AJ Chegwidden big time for getting her transferred. He smiled happily, completely ignoring the cab that pulled out into traffic behind him as he made the turn back to Langley.

::  ::  ::

20 December 2002
Falls Church, Virginia
Home of Dr. Ellen Fredricks
1725 hours

"Is that you, Ellie?" Kate called from the living room.

"Can I get a hand here?" Ellie called back, panic slightly tinging her voice. She never should have tried to bring all three garment bags in at once!

Kate rushed out and quickly grabbed the two bags on top. "What the heck?"

Ellie started laughing. "I’m getting to be too old to do something so stupid. Thanks. I’ve got more stuff in the car. Can you hang these up in the closet?"

"Sure. These are the costumes?"

Ellie gave her a wicked grin. "Yeah. Check ‘em out." She headed out to get the rest of her packages from the car, leaving a slightly confused Kate behind.

She hung two bags in the closet and hung the one labeled "M. Pitcher" on the door. "Ugh. I hope this looks better on than off." A pitcher that was colored to look pewter hung on a leather strap. The skirt was dull brown wool, the shirt was a dirty white, and it had a leather vest. She fingered the stiff leather, suddenly realizing it had the support of a corset. "Hmm. It may have possibilities after all." She zipped the bag closed and reached for another one. This one was labeled "F. Drake." Expecting a dandy’s costume, her eyes nearly popped when she unzipped it. "Wow."

"Definite historical mistake, huh?" Ellie said from behind her.

"To say the least! Do you really think the admiral will wear this?"

Ellie turned innocent eyes on her. "But I can’t take it back. That poor kid was so upset when he checked the bags that were supposed to contain ‘pirate’ costumes and found an Irish maiden’s outfit and some court frippery in the other and so he raided the crates containing costumes from the ‘Pirates of Penzance’ and found us the appropriate sizes."

"You didn’t!"

"I took one look at that outfit and knew I had to see AJ in it. How could I tell that young man he’d made an error? Besides, it’s the right size."

"Leather pants, Ellie?"

"It’s very soft suede. And silk shirt, satin sash, and silk kerchief. Oh, give me a break Kate -- what woman doesn’t want to see a man’s ass encased in leather? Did you check out those boots?"

"He’s going to shoot you."

"Oh please. These parties are usually exceedingly dull. I’ve just guaranteed my entertainment for the evening because I can now tease AJ about his butt all night."

Kate hung her head in her hands. "Oh god, Ellie -- you just gave me an image I could do without. The man is my boss."

"So imagine Clay in leather pants." Ellie burst into laughter as Kate's face turned scarlet. "Figured you'd prefer that image," she chuckled as she carried her Christmas purchases into the living room. Ellie was also hiding her own blush, though. She'd suddenly gotten an image not only of AJ's butt but of a sizable bulge on the other side. <<<Now where the hell did that come from?!>>>

::  ::  ::

20 December 2002
Falls Church, VA
Home of Dr. Ellen Fredricks
1925 hours

Ellen May Fredricks shook her head in wry amusement as she strove not to watch Katherine Pike pace back and forth across the living room. She wondered what it must be like to be that in love with someone. Kate struck her as extremely level headed. The two women had talked a good deal the past ten days. When AJ had first asked her, she hadn’t been keen on having a houseguest, but the two of them got on famously. Kate had even helped her with the contractor who had done some very unsatisfactory work on her guest bathroom. After Kate got off the phone with the man, a work team was there the next day, the problem was fixed and one of the crew even made a pass at Kate. Kate had laughed it off and even used the incident to tease Clay.

Poor Clayton had it bad, too. Ellie recognized the signs. Hell, she had suffered from it when she and Eddie had dated in Paris. Well, if you were lucky you got to go through it once. But just once. She knew she was too set in her ways to go through that again. She much preferred her circle of good friends. When she needed an escort, she could call on any number of men. And since AJ Chegwidden had suddenly reappeared after almost 30 years, she even had a buddy who shared her secret vices of baseball and football. She had dated a couple of men since Ed’s death. And while the sex had been pleasant enough, the emotional involvement was more than she had wanted.

"Kate. Has Clay said anything more to you about the fancy dress ball on New Year’s Eve? Kate? Earth to Commander Pike!"

"What?" Kate spun around from staring out the living room window. She wore a tight black little number that showed off her long legs and shapely curves. Ellie had kept her shape very nicely, but she still envied anyone with legs that long.

"I said, has Clay said anything more to you about the party that Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Havers are co-chairing?"

"Oh yeah. Yes, he said something about it. Told me he would take care of everything."

She’s more distracted than ever tonight. "Hon, I was trying...."

"He’s late, Ellie," Kate interrupted, staring at the clock in the living room, craned her head to peer at the grandfather clock in the foyer and checked her wristwatch for the tenth time.

"Just a little." It was only 7:30, but Ellie didn’t pursue the matter. "He’ll be here. He’s probably stuck on I66. It is notorious for backups, you know."

"I know...oh damn!"

"What!" Ellie rose from the dining room table where she was working on approving the layouts for the next French Impressionists exhibit. "What’s that?" She peered out into the night. "Oh for goodness sakes. Yes, you’re right. He’s going to be late if he’s sending flowers even before you yell at him."

Two men, both carrying a large arrangement in a box hurried up the walkway. Ellie went to open the door. "Oh my. What do you have?" she asked as she stepped onto her stoop.

"C-Commander Pike?" the first man stuttered.

Kate, standing off to the side caught sight of their oriental features. "Ellie!" she cried, but it was too late. The second man lowered the box that was shielding his face and the large automatic pistol.

"Get back inside. Now," the low menacing hiss commanded.

Kate reached Ellie and clutched her by the shoulders. "What do you want here?" she whispered, knowing full well that all their precautions had been for nothing. "Please just tell us...."

"Shut up. I will ask the questions. Where is he?" one of the men growled as he pushed her back farther into the room.

"Who?" Kate stalled but when the man flexed his gun hand she could see the flash of a blue, purple and red tattoo beyond his shirt cuff. Before he could completely bring the weapon to point at Ellie, Kate cried, "He isn’t here. He called to say he wasn’t coming tonight. I just got the phone call." <<<Please Clay don’t show up now. Please God don’t let them kill him.>>>

"You’re lying. But no matter." The bigger of the two spoke rapidly in Japanese. She kept her face neutral but she learned nothing of importance. He only told his partner to go leave with the florist’s truck. The ambulance would be here shortly. She bit her tongue to keep from asking "what ambulance?" She didn’t want them to know she understood what they were saying.

"You." He pointed the gun at Ellie. "Get the chair there." He nodded toward the dining room. "Pull it out here."

Ellie lifted her chin, but at Kate’s whispered "Please, Ellie," she sighed and quickly returned with the heavy Shaker style chair. She set it where he indicated but balked at his next instructions until the man turned the gun on Kate. "Okay. Just, please don’t hurt anyone."

The man then tossed a pair of handcuffs to Kate. "Secure her to the chair. I will check to make sure you have done it correctly."

Kate knelt behind Ellie and attached both cuffs, following his directions to loop the chain through one of the slats. She prayed he would only just glance at her handiwork. It was a slim chance but she had to take it. Standing up she sneered and gestured for him to check. She got lucky. Just then a red and white ambulance, lights flashing, pulled up in front of the tidy little bungalow. Two men jumped out and the doors opened in back and a third followed them up the walk dragging a wheeled stretcher.

"Where is he?" The first man through the door snarled. He had a wicked scar running down his cheek and both women knew immediately that this man was in charge. The man with the gun spoke rapidly, explaining that the CIA man wasn’t here.

Scarface walked up to Kate. His breath was rancid and Kate had to force herself not grimace in disgust. "Where is Mr. Webb?"

"I don’t know. He’s late. He’s often late." The slap wasn’t very hard, but still it brought tears to her eyes.

"Don’t lie to me again, Commander Pike. I will hurt you if you do." Without explanation, he turned to Dr. Fredricks, fisted her hair and brought his face within inches of hers. She tried to jerk back, but she was hindered by the fact that she didn’t want any of the men to know that one of the cuffs was loose enough to fall off her hand. "You are a friend of Mr. Webb." It wasn’t a question. "You will tell him when he finally shows up and he will show up, Mrs. Fredricks. You will tell him that Commander Pike will be killed at midnight unless he follows my directions to the letter." He released his grip and stood back. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a cell phone and dropped it on the table by the door. "That will ring in thirty minutes. He better be here by then."

Scarface snapped his fingers and one of the other men dressed as an EMT stepped up to Kate. He grinned as he showed her the hypodermic needle.

::  ::  ::

20 December 2002
Falls Church, Virginia
1949 hours

Clay was cursing up a blue streak. Leave it to that idiot in cryptography to suddenly need his undivided attention at 5:30 for Christ sake. He dodged around a pick-up and quickly made the turnoff at Broad Street. Damn, he would be happy not to have to make this drive every day. He knew it was insane, but tonight he was going to ask her to move in with him. He had gotten used to seeing her every night. He pushed aside his frustration at being late and concentrated instead on the night he had planned. His cock stirred at the images that played across his mind. Images of Kate lying naked on his bed, her hair fanned out, her skin flushed with passion.

He pulled off to the side to let the ambulance screaming down the narrow side street get by. Turning toward Ellie’s address he scanned the houses ahead. He saw a couple of people standing outside looking at Ellie’s house and a sick panic suddenly replaced his euphoria. Pulling up in front he got out and started up the walk. He drew upon every ounce of strength and training he possessed to remain calm. He reached out to try the door but it was flung open and he found Ellie flying into his arms.

"Oh my God! Clay they burst...."

Roughly he shoved her back inside and slammed the door. Taking her firmly by the shoulders he shook her, finally noticing the handcuffs attached to one wrist. "What the hell happened?" Gulping down his rising panic, he moved her back to sit in the dining room chair placed in the center of the foyer. Kneeling next to her he took her hands in his and begged. "Please, Ellie just stay with me here. Who, when, how did they get in and what do they want me to do? Okay?"

"A florist truck pulled up. They had a flower arrangement. See." She pointed the crumpled flower box against the wall. "Oh God, Clay, it never occurred to me. I opened the doooooor," she wailed. But his gentle touch to her cheek calmed her somewhat. "They both had guns. They both spoke Japanese. They asked if I was Kate. Oh God, Clay." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I’m so sorry."

"So they took her out in a florist van?"

"No. One of the men left and the next thing we know an ambulance is pulling up. A very mean man, Japanese again, came in. He had a long scar on his face. Clay?" She stopped when she saw how his face had paled. "Clay, what is it?"

"I saw it. Damn it to hell! I saw the damn thing." He took a deep breath. "What did they do, drug her?"

Ellie nodded. "Yes. The first man had her handcuff me to the chair, only she didn’t latch the one all the way and he didn’t bother to check. As soon as they were gone, I got loose and called AJ. I tried to call you but your cell phone wasn’t turned on."

"Shit!" He remembered he had turned it off the fourth time it had rung on his way home, each time from the cryptographer with yet another variation on a tired theme. "You called AJ?"

"Yes. Even though I knew I shouldn’t. But AJ just said something really strange."

"What?" Though he knew what the code signal would be.

She stammered. "Was it a code? He said ‘well then, the game’s afoot’."

"Thank God. Now tell me everything they said I’m supposed to do."

She pointed at the cell phone on the table. "They said they would call."

Nodding silently, Webb turned on his cell and made a quick call. "AJ, yeah. You ready?"

"I’m down the street. Is Ellie okay?" That had been the first glitch, but in the end AJ had capitulated. At Webb’s affirmative he said, "Fine, tell her to get in her car and drive to that little neighborhood sports bar. If they are watching, then they will expect you to tell her to get the hell out. As she drives by me, I’ll make sure she’s not being followed. Tell her I’ll meet her. I’ll make the calls we talked about and that will be where I pick up the team. Don’t tell Ellie I’m going to ditch her though."

The cell phone had rung promptly at 8:10 PM After a quick check in with AJ, he had left his phone in place of the other and ran out the door.

::  ::  ::

20 December 2002
Outside of Baltimore
2357 hours

He should have been cold. The flimsy garments they had given him at the last checkpoint were thin cotton. The tennis shoes were a full size too small as were the pants and the tee shirt. If Harmon Rabb could see him now there was little doubt that he would suffer teasing for a year over his appearance. But the fury he felt at the way they had put her into danger to get to him made him forget the temperature or the silly way he looked. He reminded himself bitterly that this was the very reason he didn’t get seriously involved with the women he dated. He had been a fool to think that just because he was falling in love with her that he could ignore reality.

He prayed that AJ had been able to pull it all together. It was AJ he was counting on to save Kate. Clayton Webb had no illusions that he would walk out of the warehouse alive. The poison capsule in his tooth was cliché but effective.

He climbed out of the junker they had insisted he trade his Mercedes for and walked carefully toward the black maw of the warehouse dock door before him. It was 11:57. They had given him a cheap Timex and told him that he was to be at this address outside of Baltimore by midnight or they would kill her. Even though he had already been in Laurel, he had raged that he didn’t have enough time. He couldn’t believe he had made the drive in less than the half-hour allotted to him.

He stepped into the loading dock. Only one bare bulb cast any light at all. He jerked around as the heavy metal door slowly ground down behind him.

"Well, Mr. Webb. You’ve given us a merry chase." The voice was cultured and without a trace of accent. Webb had no idea who he was. Before he could say anything, two men stepped out of the shadows and reached for him. One held his arms firmly, arching his spine back painfully. The other jammed a long thin rubber rod across his mouth, forcing his jaws apart. "We cannot let you take the noble way out, Mr. Webb. Though I understand and sympathize with your desire to die with honor." A chair was pushed against his knees and his head forced back even farther. The operation took only a moment and Webb had to admit they were good. They knew exactly which tooth to pry up and knew exactly how to extract it without bursting the delicate membrane. Try as he might, he could not work his tongue around to flick it down his throat.

When they released him he slumped forward and rubbed his jaw. It would be bruised, if he lived. He prayed he wouldn’t. He had no idea what they wanted but he wouldn’t give it to them. He had been conditioned against most of the known drugs, but the Chinese and Yukaza were the experts at physical torture. They pushed him through the maze of merchandise stacked high above them. They entered a cleared area, a glen of harsh light in the midst of towering boxes and crates. He counted four men, but knew there would be more stationed throughout the building and yard. He ignored all of them when he saw her. She sat slumped on a rickety chair in the center of the pool of light. Her hands were bound behind her. Her hair hung down around her face. The black cocktail dress she had worn was torn and stretched tight across her thighs. The tops of her black stockings were clearly visible.

His captor crowed. "She isn’t hurt, yet." Stepping up to her, he slapped her on the face. "I gave her the antidote to the tranquilizer an hour ago. Stop playing, Commander."

Clay just stood there. There was nothing to say. Finally she lifted her head so that their eyes locked on one another. They both knew their chances were slim. She managed a weak smile. "Not how I imagined the evening going, sweetheart." Her voice sounded raspy and she kept licking her lips.

He closed his eyes in pain but just nodded. What a fool he had been. He should have had her put under lock and key. Should have left her in Hawaii. Should have, should have, should have.

"Nothing to say, Mr. Webb?"

"What do you want?"

"Ah. Right to the point. No ‘if you hurt her I will hunt you down,’ no ‘who are you and why are you doing this to us?’ How very boring, Mr. Webb. Xinyu said you would be this way. That’s why he called off the contract."

"Yeah, right." Webb managed a sneer and earned a hard slap across the face.

"You will address me with respect, Mr. Webb."

"Why? I don’t know who you are or if you deserve respect." This time the fist drew blood from his lip.

"Clay, please." She started to plead but clamped her mouth shut. She straightened her shoulders and gave him a look that said, "sorry."

"You will tell me what I want to know. Then I will put a bullet in your brain. If you tell me what I want to know immediately, I will let her go. If you don’t then I will start my questioning on her until she is dead. I suspect that you will not get nearly as much enjoyment out of the questioning as Chiang." He nodded toward a large man standing just behind Kate. Chiang was rubbing his crotch against Kate’s shoulder, a lewd grin across his face.

Kate shuddered but didn’t move otherwise. She swallowed and managed a rather firm, "You’ll do what you do, shithead, but we both know that this is what could have happened in our careers."

"Well said, Commander Pike. But tell me, when you joined JAG, did they really tell you that you might be tortured to death. Chiang is quite strong. He will rip you apart before your lover’s eyes."

"What is it you want from me?" Clay desperately wanted to pull the attention away from Kate.

"Why, quite simply, I want the names of every agent in place in China, Mr. Webb."

"What! Are you insane? I don’t know all the names of the agents in China. China isn’t my arena." Webb was stunned. This was ridiculous. There were other ways for Xinyu to get the information. What had the man said? Xinyu had canceled the contract. Then why were they continuing? "Xinyu wants this information so badly that he would set me up in Hawaii?" A look of feral cunning crossed the man’s features. It made the scar dance. Webb took a leap of faith. "That’s not what Xinyu wanted. Do you even know?"

"It is of no matter. Xinyu owes us money. He said that we failed. The Yukaza do not take failure lightly, Mr. Webb."

"Yeah, it can be costly to the fingers, I understand." Webb braced himself and only staggered back from the blow. He whirled and struck out and actually caught the man on the shoulder before two of the henchmen grabbed at him.

"Cut her!" The man screamed in rage. The big man, Chiang, withdrew a large knife from his belt and had just laid the blade against her neck when a bright red blossom appeared on his forehead. Blood, bone and brain exploded out the back of his head. He stood there for a moment, a look of stunned surprise freezing his features before he toppled backward. Suddenly the entire room exploded in a cacophony of shouts and bellows. Webb struggled free from one of his captors and smashed his fist into the face of the other. Once free, he tried to get to Kate, but someone hit him from behind and he stumbled forward. Rolling to his side, he kicked out and caught the man in the groin, doubling him over.

"Clay!!" Her scream warned him and as he rolled into her chair, he flipped it back. He reached out to cushion the fall, rising to his feet in one fluid motion. Turning, he faced the scar-faced man who was grinning madly, pointing his Glock directly at Webb’s crotch.

"You will die a slow and painful...." The rest of the sentence was cut short as Harmon Rabb ran out from behind a large crate and tackled the man at the knees. The gun went off, but Webb dove for and covered Kate.

"Freeze! Nobody move." A dozen men, most wearing camouflage gear, burst into the light. He could hear rapid gunfire outside. Vaguely he noted that AJ, dressed in jeans and a pullover was bellowing orders to one and all, even two men wearing FBI windbreakers. He didn’t even bother to contemplate that aspect of the rescue. He figured the boss would either kick his ass out of the Agency or just sigh and read the next report.

Right now, he didn’t care. Crawling over to Kate he knelt beside her. "Kate, honey. Are you okay?"

A weak groan was his only answer and he quickly checked her all over for signs of a bullet wound. "Search these bastards for the keys!" He yelled to no one in particular. While two men began to search corpse and prisoner alike, one of the FBI agents stepped forward. "Here, try mine. There aren’t that many handcuff locks."

::  ::  ::

21 December 2002
Langley, Virginia
CIA Headquarters
0400 hours

Webb paced back and forth outside the Agency’s infirmary where Kate was still being checked out. He fought the urge to scratch at the small square bandage on his inner thigh where the doctor had made the small incision to remove the almost microscopic homing device he had injected just under his skin as soon as he knew what had happened. He and AJ had discussed the matter days ahead. They had assumed they would come after him alone and not involve anyone else. Kate hadn’t let on if she realized how vigilant he had been when they were together. Clay knew that if he involved the Agency they would just cart him off to a safe house and ignore the threat to Kate or anyone else.

"Webb, she’s going to be fine. They need you downstairs." AJ sighed. "Ellie is in there with her. They’ll both come down when Kate gets a clean bill of health."

Webb snorted. "That’s what started all of this. A damn clean bill of health."

"No. What started this was some psychotic enemy who wanted you dead." AJ reached out and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the exam room door. "Now, Webb. The next time it will be Director Remington."

"Tough. I’m not...."

The door opened and Kate, followed by a stunned Ellie, stalked out. Over her shoulder she shouted. "Thanks, Doc. I’m fine. That shot of vitamins should do the trick." Without missing a beat she sailed past Clay and AJ. "Now where the hell is that scar-faced little bastard. He and I have unfinished business."

Ellie just shrugged and muttered. "Hell, I always was just along for the ride, but if I can, I’d like to spit in the bastard’s face, too." She followed Kate down the hall thinking that the wrong person was going as Grace O’Malley to the New Year’s Eve Ball. She could visualize Kate Pike glaring down all the ships of England at this particular moment.

"Come on Webb. I think she’s fine now," AJ sighed and followed the women.

They walked along the corridor. The Marine guard just a few steps ahead of Kate was barely leading the procession. Finally, they all boarded an elevator and the Marine pushed the floor button. Slowly they descended and Webb finally asked the first of many questions that was bothering him. "Why the hell did you bring Ellie? I thought you were going to...?"

The lady in question turned to glare at him. But before she could answer, AJ laughed deep in his throat. "Yeah. You try and stop her. Besides, she’s a fantastic driver."

"Remember Clay? That summer I was curator of the Athens Museum. There was so much trouble and unrest that Ed insisted that I take the Agency’s defensive driving course." She beamed proudly. "I scored better than half your agents." She looked at the ramrod straight back of the Marine and dropped her voice. "AJ was busy calibrating that thing. You know." Her eyes dropped to his thigh, blushed and quickly looked up again. "Anyway. He made me stay in the car.

AJ muttered. "From the looks of it, I should have made Rabb stay in the car."

"Oh, AJ, he’ll be fine. I’m sure it’s not the first time his arm has been broken." Ellie sighed.

Bud Roberts had shown up with the FBI agents just as all hell was breaking loose. Rabb, after he had kept Yoshimi Tanaka from killing Webb, had somehow managed to break his arm in the free-for-all. Roberts had been elected to drive him to Bethesda, have it set and then inform Mac that her husband had been injured -- again. Ellie had flat-out refused to face the Marine Colonel on the grounds that she would be cranky from being awakened, pissed that she had to play nursemaid to Rabb and royally ticked off that she had missed all the excitement. AJ had glared at Roberts. "You, I can order. Get him patched up. Take him home. Inform Colonel MacKenzie, by phone if you feel it necessary, and then get home to your wife and son."

Throughout the ride down to the interrogation and holding cells, Webb had paid scant attention to the conversation. He kept his eyes on Kate, but she refused to look at him. He knew he had lost her. Perhaps it was for the best. She would be better off without the danger of being around him. Once they got Tanaka to talk, he would get AJ and Ellie to drive her home and he would stay out of her life for good. The doors slid open and the Marine guard barely had time to usher them down to the end of the hall where two other guards stood at attention outside a steel door.

Webb wasn’t truly sure whether the Marines opened the door because of his command or Kate Pike’s glare. All he could do was follow her into the room and hope to hell that she didn’t do anything that would necessitate he and AJ trying to stop her. From her look, he wasn’t sure that the two of them could manage by themselves.

AJ evidently thought so, too, because he growled in a low commanding voice. "Commander Pike, do you need to stay outside?"

"Excuse me, Admiral, but I want to see and hear what Mr. Tanaka has to say. He...he...." Her anger drained and the memory of the last eight hours overtook her for a moment. Webb longed to reach out to her. "He doped me, and touched me, and let me know exactly what was going to happen to me. He said that he would make Clay watch while he killed me." She took a deep cleansing breath. "No sir, admiral, sir. I do not need to stay outside."

The Marine guard showed them to the darkened antechamber. Ellie whispered, "I’ll watch from out here." She took a seat in front of the large one-way mirror overlooking a stark interrogation room. Clay tried to figure out how to get Kate to stay with Ellie, but the look on her face disabused him of that notion immediately.

::  ::  ::

21 December 2002
Langley, Virginia
CIA Headquarters
1000 hours

As the sun blazed through the east window of the Director’s office Webb yawned and did a quick calculation. They had interrogated Tanaka for nearly six hours. The man hadn’t broken until Tommy Chiang, the Agency’s Yukaza expert, had called in a favor from the head of the Japanese National Police. "Hell, we helped save the son of bitch’s life in ‘95, least he can do is roust the obuyan of the Yamaguchi clan." Two hours later, a bitter Tanaka spilled his guts. Webb had sat grimly in the corner feeling quite impotent.

He wasn’t used to being the target and as he thought about it now, he realized how lucky he had been in his career. "You know, I’m used to causing my own trouble. What made them think that you would barter me for Xinyu’s brother?"

The Director just shrugged and yawned. "I have no idea. We haven’t bartered for an agent in the history of the Agency as far as I know. Maybe that’s why they lured you to Hawaii. With Norton on their payroll, he might have forced the State of Hawaii to release the son of a bitch before anyone thought to check with us. That’s probably why Xinyu called off the contract. Only the obuyan knew the real mission. I suspect that Mr. Xinyu will pay dearly for the monumental screw up. Gordon Kobayashi isn’t a man that takes screw ups lightly. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tanaka’s family pays the price. The Japanese National Police will get a lot of mileage out of Mr. Tanaka’s -- shall we say -- continued cooperation. Now that he’s spilled his guts once, the price on his head will be higher than the price on yours was." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Go home, Webb." He stood and reached out his hand to AJ. "Thank you, Admiral. You went out on a limb for one of my people."

AJ gently roused Ellie who had curled up on his shoulder as soon as they sat down on the couch to await word from the Far East. He looked over at Kate Pike who hadn’t moved from staring out the window for the entire time. "I didn’t do it for Webb. One of my people was in danger." He looked at Webb and then back at Pike and sighed. They would have to work this out. He had no idea what the two of them saw in each other, but then he was certainly no expert on healthy relationships. Well, he could help out a little. "Commander Pike." His voice was now all command.

"Sir?" She finally turned from the window and gave her full attention to her boss.

"It’s less than four days before Christmas. You are to return to work on the 27th and not a moment sooner."

"But...."

"That’s an order, Commander." He glared at Webb. "Would you mind seeing that the

Commander is escorted to where she wants to go. I’ve got a flight out to Milan in six hours. I’m taking Ellie out for breakfast, then going home and grabbing my suitcase and letting her drive me to the airport. You aren’t invited."

He hid his smile from everyone but Ellie who stretched and stood. "You know, I’m starving." She smiled gently at the bewildered Kate Pike. Opening her purse she removed a key from a ring. "Here, I always keep a spare set of keys. One of the few things I’m really bad about is locking my keys in my car, usually with it running." She suspected Kate wouldn’t use it -- at least not today. But it would be her choice now. Without another word Ellie led AJ out the door.

::  ::  ::

21 December 2002
GW Parkway
1115 hours

They drove in silence through the early Saturday lunchtime traffic. Webb kept his eyes on the road ahead but when he would glance over at her, she always had her head turned away from him. It was so quiet in the car that when he flicked on his turn signal the staccato beat seemed to fill the car.

"Where are you going?" They were the first words she had spoken to him directly since leaving the warehouse.

"Back to Ellie’s."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Damn it, Clay. I don’t want to go to Ellie’s."

"Where do you want to go?" he whispered.

"Where do you think?"

"Aren’t you tired?"

"Of course I’m tired. I’m tired and I ache and I stink. I just want to go to your place, shower off and crawl into bed next to you. When we wake up, I want you to make love to me like we planned. Did you think I was going to let the fucking bastards ruin my life? Or are you going to go all goddamn noble on me and tell me it’s all for the goddamn best and how maybe we shouldn’t see each other anymore because there might be some other goddamn bastard out there who wants to kill you and by god if you do, so help me I’ll hit you so hard...."

He kept glancing from the road to her and back to the road until he finally just pulled over to the shoulder. By the time he did she was crying so hard he was afraid she would never stop. He was glad that after they had left the warehouse, he made AJ backtrack to the last checkpoint where he had retrieved his Mercedes and his clothes before they returned to Langley. A Mercedes wasn’t the best car for this kind of thing but he reached over the console and pulled her into a loose embrace and just let her cry it out. When she was done, he rubbed the tears from her cheeks and kissed her gently on the lips. "You ready now?" he sighed. All she could do was nod. He eased the car back into traffic. Tiny hiccups accompanied them all the way back to his townhouse. He parked out front and ran around the car to open the door for her.

He led her upstairs, showed her the master bath and laid out two plush towels. "I’ll be right back." When he returned ten minutes later, she was still just standing there, still fully clothed. He turned and put the tray with the tea he had made on the dresser and then came back to the bathroom. First he turned on the shower, letting the steam warm the room. Next, he quickly stripped off his soiled clothes before he began to carefully pull the ruined dress from her. He bit his lip when he saw her black lace bra and thong. Turning her around he tried to maintain his composure as he divested her of bra, thong and stockings. The entire time she just stood there and let him. He had to kneel before her to pull down her stockings and panties. When he had gently lifted first one then the other foot to pull them off, she finally ran her fingers through his hair. He looked up into her eyes and knew that he would never be able to let her go. Whatever danger would enter their lives, he was hers completely. "I love you, Kate Pike. I know it’s too soon, but God help me, I do." He didn’t wait for her to answer, but quickly rose and guided her into the shower.

As he washed her hair, he apologized for not having anything that smelled feminine.

"It smells of you, Clay," she sighed.

Tenderly he washed every inch of her body, but didn’t try to evoke any feelings but relaxation. He kneaded her shoulders and neck but perfunctorily soaped her breasts and mound. When he was finished, he sat her down on the ledge of the shower and refused to consider how close her mouth was to his cock. He thought of budget reports and the most horrid case files to keep his mind off anything sexual at all as he scrubbed himself. When he was done, he turned off the shower and quickly opened the shower door, keeping the draft away from her. Wrapping one huge towel around her he led her into the bedroom. He dried them both off. "Here, drink this." He offered her a steaming mug.

For a moment she just stared at it as if she had no idea what it was but she finally wrapped her fingers around its warmth. "Thank you, Clay. Promise me something."

"Anything."

"You’ll be here when I wake up."

"Promise."

::  ::  ::

22 December 2002
Alexandria, Virginia
Clayton Webb’s Townhouse
0002 hours

It was dark when he finally woke with a jerk. Bright moonlight streamed through the window, casting the room in shadows. Sitting up, he tried to figure out what was wrong and it suddenly hit him. She wasn’t next to him. He started to panic but realized the bed was still warm from where she’d lain next to him. When he heard the water running he flopped back on the bed in relief. The door opened but no artificial light ruined the effect. He saw her naked form silhouetted like a goddess and he groaned at the thought that she was actually standing here in his room.

"Did I wake you?" she whispered huskily.

"Yes." he hissed petulantly. "You weren’t here."

"I haven’t ever been here before," she reminded him.

"I know, but that’s changing. Right now." Reaching out his hand he beckoned her to rejoin him.

She took a hesitant step and he could sense her nervousness. Throwing the covers off, he sat up, swinging his legs over the side. "Come here," he commanded hoarsely. His erection was already painfully stiff.

Kate took another step, which brought her within his reach. Taking her by the hand he gently tugged at her until she was standing between his legs. He dropped her hand so he could caress her thighs. Grasping her bottom he pulled her closer still. Nuzzling her belly, his tongue trailed up her sternum until he could nip playfully at the undersides of her breasts. Long fingers played in his hair coaxing him on. "Oh, Clay, yes." she whispered. When his lips finally found one of her nipples, she threw back her head and a shuddering moan filled the room.

His hands were busy exploring every inch of her. His lips alternated between each aureole and in her passion she fisted his hair compulsively. Finally, she couldn’t stand the intensity of the sensations anymore and roughly pulled his head back. She lowered her lips to his and greedily devoured him. Tongues thrust at each other but when her leg rocked against his bobbing cock, he drew her down to the bed and covered her with his body. He broke the kiss and stared down into her passion filled eyes, glad he had forgotten to close the drapes. The moonlight seemed to dance in them. Her hair was fanned out like he had imagined it would be. "My God, Kate, you are so beautiful." His whisper brought tears to her eyes. He lowered his lips to kiss them.

Working his way down he found her mouth. The kiss was long, hot and wet. She tried to buck up into him, but his weight held her firm. He took an inordinate amount of time on her collarbone, he feasted on her pulse point, driving her mad in the process. He returned his mouth to her breasts. "Oh please, Clay," she whimpered.

"Please what?" he demanded.

"I need you in me, sweetheart. I’ve needed you in me since we walked out of that ravine. Do you know how often I’ve dreamed of us making love by that pool?"

"You too, huh?" He kissed her belly.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes." She tugged at him. Trying to pull him up to her again, but he continued his journey south, until he was kneeling on the floor before her. She hissed in frustration and delight as he teased open her labia with his tongue. "Ooooohhhhhhhhh," she cried as she felt the tiny tremors begin. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" she screamed as he gently nibbled at her clit. He held her hips as she arched off the bed. "Damn you, Clayton. In. Me. Now!" she shouted to the ceiling.

He pushed up to stand over her. "I knew you would be loud in bed, Katherine Pike."

"Please," she whimpered and held out her arms to him.

Instead of covering her again, though, he pulled on her legs until her butt rested on the very edge of the bed. She raised herself up and rested her weight against her elbows and watched through fluttering eyelids as he stood and plunged into her. She could barely breathe as he filled her. From this position she could do little but drown in the wonderful passion overtaking her yet again. For a while she was able to maintain her position. But finally, as his thrusting became more frantic and erratic and as she felt her muscles clench yet again, she collapsed back onto the bed. "Harder, Clay. Fuck me harder."

He reached down and violently flicked his finger across her nubbin. Twin cries of release echoed around the room and finally he fell forward, catching most of his weight on his arms. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply but quickly. "Damn, Kate." He panted trying desperately to catch his breath.

"Was it good for you?" she asked archly.

Laughing, he fell to her side. Their legs still dangled off the side of the bed but he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Not too bad." He laughed into her hair. "We’ll have to try again a little later."

She trailed her tongue along his chin. "Not too much later though, okay?"

Part 4

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