Tropical High

By Melissa Good

The hotel lobby was full of people, men in business suits, and women in equally well tailored suits of their own. The plush carpet muted the conversation, but the buzz tickled the senses as the crowd shifted and moved, sophisticated glances meeting and mouths tensing into polite smiles.

Behind the long, marble topped front desk, two reservations agents observed the cocktail party with mildly bored expressions. "I hate these things." One confided. "They're so stupid."

Her companion shrugged. "They're all right… this bunch is okay, at least. They tip. That convention we had in last week… shoulda ended up at the Motel Six."

"You got that right." The female clerk fiddled with her terminal, then leaned on the counter and sighed. "How much longer?"

"Two hours." The dark haired man leaned next to her, watching the crowd. "Uh oh… "

"What?" The woman peered in the direction he was watching. "Oh." She rolled her eyes. Entering the hotel's elegant glass and brass revolving door was someone obviously out of place in the lobby full of expensive, chic clothing.

The sweatshirted, blue jeaned figure edged it's way through the party, collecting stares along the way, headed unmistakably for the desk. Rips sliced the denim above the knees, and complimented the hiking boots which scuffed across the thick carpet.

"Water fountain." The man guessed.

"Bathroom." The woman countered.

"Directions."

"Change for a dollar."

They both smiled sweetly as the scruffy figure came to the desk, and rested long, powerful hands on the polished surface. "Yes… ma'am?" The male clerk inquired. "Something we can do for you?" His tone indicated polite doubt.

One of the hands lifted, and removed the sunglasses hiding a pair of remarkably piercing eyes, which now drilled right through him. A dark, perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted wryly, as the woman answered. "Roberts. I have a reservation." It was a low voice, but distinct, with the faintest hint of the south in it.

The male clerk blinked. "Um.." He rattled a few keys, then managed to get the name typed in, aware of his co worker peering avidly over his shoulder. To his immense surprise, the name obediently returned an actual reservation, which he studied the details of. "Yes.. yes, Ms. Roberts. We've got it right here…um… do you have any luggage?"

"Just this." The woman hefted a weathered leather overnight bag slung casually over one shoulder. She took the key the clerk handed over. "Elevators?"

"Over to the right there, ma'am." The man's tone had altered to one of tense respect. "Is there anything we can send up for you?"

Dar turned and surveyed the crowd, some of whom were eyeing her disreputably ripped jeans with distaste. "Asprin." She enunicated the word carefully, then turned and made her way to the sleek elevators, ducking inside one and punching her floor. The doors closed lazily, trapping her in a small brass coffin smelling of polish, but at least it was quiet.

The two clerks watched her leave, then glanced at each other. " Son of a bitch." The man shook his head.

"That's their CIO?" The woman stared at the computer screen. "She's got the VIP suite?" She looked up at the now closed elevator. "Holy shit."

Dar sighed, and leaned back against the wall, swallowing as her ears popped with the rising of the car. She was already regretting agreeing to present the company's quarterly results at their stockholder meeting here in New York City, all the more so because it was so close to the Thanksgiving holiday, and that meant crowded planes, and crowded airports, and lots and lots of traffic.

Dar closed her eyes. And small elevators. She felt a familiar queasiness start in her stomach, and she concentrated on taking long, deep breaths, clenching her hands around the straps of her bag, and the laptop case over her other shoulder. Add that to the sinus headache she always got when flying in the winter, and the dry heat, and by the time the damned elevator grudgingly allowed her out, her body was tense and shaking, making her nauseus.

The hallway was small itself, and she edged down it, finding her room and opening the door, moving forward into a plush, thankfully acceptably large room, and letting the heavy partition shut behind her. She dropped her bags down on the huge bed and collapsed into the nearby chair, her head falling back to rest on the soft fabric. "Alastair.. I'm going to get you for this."

As though in psychic response, her cell phone rang. With a silent curse, Dar removed it from it's clip on her belt and opened it. "Yeah?"

"Well, well… good afternoon, Dar." Her bosses voice sounded calmly cheerful. "Where are you?"

"The hotel." Dar replied, keeping her eyes closed. "Finally… we circled for over two hours before they let us land at Laguardia." She exhaled. "Damn weather."

"Well.."

"Damned Northeast.. why the hell can't we have these meetings in Houston?"

"Now Dar… " Alastiar's voice grew placating. "It's not that long.. besides, I thought you liked to travel."

Dar thought about the hours spent inside the crowded plane, pressing in on nerves made newly sensitive by an accident weeks earlier, which had reawakened a latent claustrophobia Dar had thought she'd conquered years back. "Not as much as I used to." She admitted, having been surprised by the level of discomfort she'd had to endure. "Maybe I'm just coming down with something.. anyway, did you need anything or are you just calling to bust my chops?"

Alastair McLean, the CEO of ILS chuckled. "That sounds more like you. Actually, I wanted to invite you to dinner. There's a nice place just across the road from here… good Italian."

Dar let her eyes flick around the room, aware suddenly of it's silence.

"I realize I'm not as interesting company as Ms. Stuart is, but… " Alastair coaxed. "C'mon, Dar… I promise I won't talk football at you."

Just hearing Kerry's name brought a smile to Dar's face. Her friend, lover, and roommate was stuck back in Miami, consolidating a large deal with one of their major clients. "All right." She finally replied. "You're not bring the whole board, are you?"

A snort. "No… I woudn't waste the clam sauce. Just you and me, Dar." Alastair reassured her. "I'll drop by your room at six, all right?"

Dar eyed the clock. It was barely four, and that gave her time to shower, and relax a little. "Sounds good." She let a smile cross her face. "See you then, Alastair." She closed the phone and relaxed a little, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand. "Damn." The hand lifted and rubbed her eyes. "I need some coffee." The hotel phone was nearby, but her body resisted moving, content to remain nestled in the leather chair, now nicely warmed and comfortable.

She slumped there limply for a moment, then lifted her cell phone and thumbed a number into it without looking. Dar lifted the instrument to her ear, and listened to it's buzzing ring. Once, twice.. then the noise stopped, and a soft grunt issued down the line that brought a smile to Dar's face.

"Hello?" Kerry's voice sounded almost breathless.

"Avoiding the elevators?" Dar queried.

"Oh." Kerry exhaled, then apparently stopped moving. "How'd you guess? They just called me down to the tenth floor, and I thought I'd jog back up." The sound of a door opening an closing, then the echo of the stairwell vanished, replaced with a soft hum. "Where are you? Did you just get there? How was the flight?"

Dar pictured her lover striding down the hall, with that distinctive, sexy walk, and her nose wrinkled in pleasure. "Hotel, yes, pain in my ass." She replied succinctly. "Just thought I'd check in. We hit weather over Virginia."

"I know." Kerry answered, over the sound of a door closing. Now the hum was gone, and it was quiet. "I.. um.. tracked your flight."

Dar stretched out her long legs, and felt her muscles relax. "Oh, you did, huh?"

"Yes, I did." Kerry's voice dropped a little, taking on a hint of huskiness. "I worry about you, y'know."

Mmm. Dar smiled at the ceiling. "Well, I made it here… Alastair's taking me out to dinner, then I'm gonna get some sleep. The meeting starts at eight tomorrow."

"Ew." Kerry replied. "I've got that group meeting at the church tonight, then Colleen and Ray are meeting me and we're going to walk down the beach and see what trouble we can get into."

Uh oh. Dar imagined the possible results. "Be careful, okay?" She advised her lover.

"You too." Kerry replied seriously. "That city can be a scary place."

Dar smiled. "I will. Talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Kerry was smiling too, easily heard in her voice. "I love you."

"I love you too." Dar exhaled contentedly. "Night."

"Night." Kerry listened, until the call ended with a slight click, then regarded the phone for a moment before she leaned back in her comfortable desk chair and tapped her pen on her notepad. Her desk was neat, and clean - the LCD screen and her phone on one side, her inbox, notepad, and the small, wooden framed picture on the other. Idly, she reached out and lifted the picture, smiling at the beautiful face gazing out at her. "Don't you be getting lost down any subway tunnels, cutie pie." She instructed the picture. "We've got holiday plans in a few days."

Thanksgiving. Kerry set the picture down, and started straightening her things out in preparation to leave. Her very first real Thanksgiving, where she was in charge, and had decided what they'd do, and who they'd invite. She'd decided on a turkey, and a party, and Dar had amiably agreed, having never experienced the occasion as a host herself. She'd gotten her turkey, an enormous, frozen thing, and all the trimmings, and Colleen had volunteered to come over early that morning and help with the cooking.

Dar's parents would be there. Kerry smiled, as she picked up her laptop and slipped it into the leather shoulder bag she carried, and clipped her cellphone to her belt. She heard a slight knock, and looked up as the door opened and her secretary Mayte peeked in. "Hey."

The slim, young Latin girl smiled at her. "You go home, yes?"

"Not exactly." Kerry answered easily. "I've got a meeting to go to, then some socializing to do.. what about you?"

"I have my group tonight." Mayte replied. "I was going to ask, if it is not too much trouble, if I could get a ride with you just past the bus stop."

"Absolutely." Kerry circled the desk. "C'mon… we'll beat the traffic." She motioned the girl out before her, and they left the office, walking together down the hall They were both dressed with casual elegance, and Kerry was amused to note that Mayte had taken to carefully studying her own choices of silk shirts, and well tailored slacks, and chosen items as close as she could without outright copying of Kerry's selections.

Kerry straightened her shoulders in reflex, as they entered the elevator and she drew the eyes of the occupants already inside, her wine colored shirt with it's tiny embroidered flowers contrasting neatly with her pale hair and fair complexion. "Evening." Kerry returned the quiet murmurs with a brief smile, acknowledging the slightly uncomfortable silence from the marketing clerks who were years older than she was, and probably aggravated beyond words that someone who looked just about Mayte's age of low twenty something had been promoted to Vice President regardless of what her qualifications were.

Or, she admitted wryly, they could also be fundimentalists who dissaproved of her very publicly known alternative lifestyle. The doors opened on the bottom floor, and the other women moved quickly out, heading across the huge brass and marble lobby towards the front doors to the building.

"Ms. Kerry?" Mayte murmured as they followed more slowly. "I do not think those ladies like you."

"Nope." Kerry gave the security guard a smile, and received one in return as they exited the building. "There are people out there that don't. " She led Mayte over to the dark green Mustang convertible, and unlocked the doors, popping her hatch to set her laptop bag down inside. Then she got in the driver's seat and fastened her seat belt, watching her assistant do the same. "You know how it is."

Mayte was quiet as she started the car and backed it from it's spot. The space next to her was conspicuously empty, in the full lot, having been filled with Dar's Lexus until the CIO had left for the airport. Kerry surpressed an irrational desire to have left right along with her, and turned her attention to the traffic as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Did la jefa get to New York all right?" Mayte inquired shyly. "Mama was worried, she said there was a big storm somewhere."

"Yeah.. " Kerry nodded. "She called me right before we left… it took them forever to land, but she's there, safe and sound." Her brow contracted. "I should have called your mother and told her.. I know she was concerned." She turned west and winced, as the sun invaded the car. "Whoops." One hand fished into the center console and emerged with her sunglasses, which she put on, cutting the brilliance and restoring her vision.

"I will tell her when I get home." Mayte reassured her. "I think you were worried too… you did not eat your lunch."

Hm. Kerry's nose wrinkled. Busted. "Well, everything turned out okay, so I'll just make up for it at dinner." She chuckled, then considered her choice of streets. "Listen, I have to go downtown anyway - why don't I just drop you off home?" She offered. "No sense in you having to grab a bus at this hour." Normally, Mayte rode home with her mother, Maria, who was Dar's assistant, but the older woman had left early for a doctor's appointment after Dar had gone to the airport.

"You don't have to do that." Mayte looked shyly pleased at the offer, though. "You're so busy."

"Nah." Kerry produced a grin. "Besides, after what I've heard about the Metrobusses, I'd be a nervous wreck until I saw you again tomorrow morning." She pulled out onto the highway decisively, almost cutting of a huge truck as she ducked nimbly across two lanes of traffic.

"Oh. Si." Mayte closed her eyes resolutley and grabbed for the overhead handle. "I am feeling much safer already."

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

It was, after all, New York City, and here she was, dining out at night, with the CEO of one of the largest IS firms in the world. Dar crossed her ankles and reviewed the dark fabric covering her legs. At least he gets the jeans without the rips. She gazed across the table at her boss, who was watching her with a bemused expression. "Am I ruining your image?"

Alastair laughed. "Who, me? Just because half the people in here know who I am, and are dying of curiousity as to where I picked up the beautiful vagrant I'm eating dinner with?" He poked a fork at Dar's sweatshirt sleeve. "They'll find out soon enough."

Dar returned the chuckle. "Sorry… I would have changed, but I fell asleep after you called, and barely had time to get my head on straight before you knocked." She stretched, and picked up a fragrant garlic stick, nibbling it's end appreciatively. "I was at the office at four am… needed to get that new contract squared away before I left."

"Ouch." Alastair winced. "How's that going?"

"Not bad." The dark haired woman replied. "I've got a meeting scheduled next week with the top brass down at Southeast Command.. that's where Gerry wanted me to start."

"Close to home."

"Mm." Dar acknowledged. "They've been getting a pile of complaints about the training programs down there. He wants me to go in and do a complete systems and processes evaluation." She carefully ignored her salad, and dipped the breadstick into the spicy Italian soup. "Gonna be a little strange. One of the bases he wants me to review is the one I mostly grew up on."

Footsteps closed in, and they both looked up to see a sharply dressed man standing at the tableside. "Hello, Al." The man had a slight accent, but it was hard to tell exactly what kind. ""I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you before the meeting." He flicked a lazy glance over Dar's body, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Sorry.. am I interrupting something?"

Dar considered the repercussions of stabbing him with her fork, and weighed the amusement value of hearing the scream, versus the certain lawsuit she'd have to deal with. She sighed, and just continued eating. The food was excellent, and she'd missed both breakfast and lunch, which hadn't helped the headache flying had given her. "Nah.. go ahead. I'm just his new intern." She commented lightly, sucking in a strand of spaghetti.

Alastair hid a smile behind his hand, and exhaled. "Good evening, Bob.. sit down, willya? What can I do for you?" Bob Trancet was the head of Corporate Sales for the New York office, which handled a good deal of their international business as well.

The tall man sat down, and folded his hands, ignoring Dar now. He was clean cut, and good looking, with silvered black hair and a strong profile. His athletic body was balanced and he had a very self assured air. "Nothing major. I was just hoping to put a bug in your ear about a possible new alliance. Datacom contacted me today, and started sniffing around the edges of suggesting they want us to take over their network ops."

"Really." Alastair propped his chin up on one fist. "They're big competitors of ours in some places."

"Mm.. but they can't compete with the new network, and they know it." Bob smirked. "They're talking strategic partnership now… trading off them selling our net, with us getting a lot of their South American stuff."

"Not worth it." Dar commented, biting a meatball in half. "They've got twenty year old infrastructure, and it'll cost us over a million bucks to upgrade their nodes to our spec."

There was absolute silence for a moment, giving Dar some peace and quiet to slurp her noodles in.

"Spunky intern." Bob remarked dryly. "But all of a sudden, I'm realizing that voice is familiar." HE waited for Dar to lift her eyes and met them, with a twinkle of amusement. "I finally get to meet the infamous Dar Roberts.. that was outstandingly stupid of me, wasn't it? I should have figured it out from the start." He held out a hand, which Dar reached over and clasped. "Intern, eh?"

Dar smiled at him, and their eyes fenced briefly, two very strong wills gently testing each other. She could feel the intense magnetism he was putting out, and as his glance drifted over her and showed a distinct admiration, her ego pricked it's little bat ears right up. "Well.. " She drawled. "It was better than the other obvious conclusion."

He grinned right back. "Better for who? That would have done wonders for Al's reputation."

Alastair cleared his throat, glancing between the two. "I hadn't realized you never met Dar, Bob… I know you've spoken on the phone, though."

"No no." Bob slowly shook his head, still apparently fascinated by Dar. "Never had the pleasure.. and I do mean pleasure."

Dar took a breath, and went back to consuming her dinner. "If Datacom wants to deal, they have to pay for their own upgrades before we sign anything. I don't want them bottlenecking us." She stated, then sighed, as her cell phone rang. "Yeah?"

"Dar.. it's Mark… we've got a situation."

Figures. "Hang on." Dar stood, and tucked her napkin under her plate. "Be right back." She edged around where Bob was sitting and headed for the door, out of the noise where she could hear better.

Alastair took a sip of his wine, and gazed drolly at his long time associate. "Put your tongue back in your mouth, willya?"

"Son of a bitch." Bob laughed, shaking a finger at him. "You told me she was smart, tough, and stubborn.. how come you never mentioned she was gorgeous?" His eyes stayed pinned on the tall, lanky figure leaning against the door outside, phone pressed to her ear. "That is a serious hunk of woman, Al."

Alastair rolled his eyes. "You never change." He snorted. "Wipe your chin.. you're drooling."

"Hell yes I am!" Bob asserted. "That's one sexy item I intend to get a closer look at."

"She's taken." Alastair held a hand up.

"Bullshit. Nobody owns her… not in this lifetime, bucko." Bob shook his head firmly. "Don't get so serious, Al.. I just want to have a drink with her, not get married."

"Bob, she's gay." Alastair threw his trump card.

"And? Your point is what?" His chief salesman replied. "Who cares? I sure don't." He balled up the napkin he'd been playing with and straightened. "I'll just in..hey.."

Alastair had reached across the table, and fastened one hand on his wrist. Now he bore down, and pulled, a suddenly serious, intent look on his face. "You listen to me, mister. Don't fuck with her."

A tiny pocket of shocked stillness surrounded them. Bob blinked, and stared at his boss, non plussed. "Hey.. c'mon, Al.." He said, softly. "Take it easy."

"I mean it." The CEO stated flatly.

The younger man drew in a breath and held out his other hand, palm up in a gesture of conciliation. "Okay.. okay, boss.. I hear you." He gathered his composure as Alastair released him, and sat back. "Is it okay if I just talk to her? She's really bright, and I"d really like to spend a few minutes doing that."

A finger pointed at him. "If you go a step further than that, I will personally fire your ass. Understand?"

"Understood." Bob acknowledged quietly, as Dar reentered the restaurant, moving back towards them and taking her seat. Alert blue eyes flicked first to Alastair, then to him, and he got the curious sensation of being analyzed like a faulty piece of code by the raw, potent intelligence lurking just behind Dar's now watchful gaze.

"Trouble, Dar?" Alastair took a gulp of his wine, and swirled the remaineder around his glass. "Didn't think we had that much going on this week."

"Ah." Dar twirled a forkful of spaghetti and munched on it, swallowing before she answered. "It's that damned conversion in Redmond…they've been trying to tie in that big ATM pipeline up to Alaska for two weeks, and every time they do it, they take down half the damn west coast." She took a sip of her own wine. "I may have to send a team out there."

"Lousy time to be traveling." Bob ventured. "Holidays and all."

"Mm." Dar agreed, meeting his gaze. "Comes with the territory, though…. My people know that." She finished off her meatballs and sat back, crossing an arm over her chest and as she sipped the wine. The problem was aggravating, for sure, and she wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't going to have to go there in person to take care of it.

Which truly, truly sucked.

"Hey, Dar?"

She looked up, to find Bob leaning forward, with a look of friendly interest on his face. "Mm?" Something had gone on between him and Alastair, that much she knew, but what that was…

Probably didn't involve her. "Something on your mind?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Get to the city much?"

That surprised her. "No… I try to not cross the Mason Dixon unless I have to." She replied dryly, giving Alastair a look. "Why?"

Bob folded his hands together. Dar noticed they were nice, strong ones, with well tended nails and just a hint of callous along the top of his index fingers. "I'm pretty proud of the place… I've lived her since I was shorter than the fire hydrants outside… will you let me give you a quick tour?"

Dar considered the request. "If you put an intinerary together for tomorrow night, sure." She agreed amiably. "It's been a long day." He was attractive, and a sharp businessman, and it never hurt to build a few bridges when you had the chance to.

"You're on." Bob grinned, then pushed back from the table and stood up. "Al, it's been a pleasure as always." He inclined his head. "See you at the soiree tomorrow." His eyes shifted. "And you as well, I hear, madame.. looking forward to hearing the presentation." With a slight bow, he turned, and threaded his way through the now truly busy restaurant, disappearing into the New York Night once he cleared the door.

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

The small group sat in a circle, in chairs so mismatched you'd have thought it was on purpose, done by a designer with a definitely twisted streak. All were young, most in their late teens save the woman seated cross legged in the large overstuffed chair nearest the door.

"Okay, Barbara.. what makes you think he's got it out for you?" Kerry asked quietly, setting her mind to the problems of these troubled youngsters, halfway between children and adults, and dealing with an emerging sexuality they weren't sure they understood. Weren't really sure they wanted, for that matter, being different at this stage in their lives, at an age where different meant outcast in so many poignant ways.

She shared her councilling duties with two other older women, and found she enjoyed her time with the group. It meant having to listen to, and deal with problems vastly different from the ones she normally handled, and reminded her all over again that her own acceptance of her lifestyle had been far smoother than any number of other people's. Right now, the youngest member of the discussion group, Barbara Gonzales, had confessed that she thought her boss at Burger King had figured out she was gay, and was trying to get rid of her because of it.

"I don't know." The slim, brown haired girl wrapped an arm around one knee. "He changed my shift.. now me makes me do all the hard stuff, like figuring out how much bread and meat to order for the next week, and making me check out the bathrooms, and stuff like that."

"Hm." Kerry sat back, aware of the girl's eyes on her. "Did you ask him why he did that?"

A shrug. "No. I just figured it was because he saw me and Sally in the freezer that one time… we were so stupid about that."

Kerry reflected. "Do you do a good job?"

"I guess… the customers like me. I get stuff done, and I'm always on time, and all that stuff."

"Well, he could be coming down on you, but there is another possibility." Kerry told her. "He might be trying to nudge you towards a more responsible position in the restaurant."

Barbara blinked at her, obviously never having even considered it. "Huh?"

"If I were a fast food manager." Kerry speculated. "And I had a position I needed to fill.. say, and assistant manager, or a shift leader.. .I'd find someone who was trustworthy.. who was prompt, and neat, and got the job done, and give them a little more responsibility every day to see how they handled it."

"You would?" Casey cocked her head, covered in an explosion of dark curls.

"Sure." Kerry smiled. "Asking Barbara to do the ordering projections, and supervising the cleaning of the bathrooms seems to me, to be an indication that the man trusts her, and maybe wants to see if she's ready to be promoted." Her eyes twinkled at Barbara, who was staring open mouthed at her. "Tell you what. Think of it that way for a week, and try to look at everything he does positively, instead of negatively. See what happens."

Barbara pushed a lock of hair behind an ear. "Wow… okay, yeah, I guess I could do that." She mused. "Maybe I could, like, iron my shirts and stuff.. see if he notices." She smiled, and her whole face lit up. "Thanks, Kerry… you're so cool."

Kerry stood up and circled her chair, leaning on the back and gazing at them. "Sometimes, it's easy to get into the mode where you think everyone's against you.. or that your sexual preference automatically makes you a victim. It's not true." She paused, and considered. "Not that it doesn't happen, of course it does.. we all watch the news.. or have had stuff happen so you know it does." A brief smile touched her lips. "But not always."

"You're pretty out at work, aren't you?" Casey asked, curiously.

Kerry nodded.

"Do you get shit for that?" The girls watched her, intensely interested in her answer. Kerry tended to turn talk away from her life to theirs, and they were always digging for little nuggets about her personal side. They knew she worked for a big company, and that she was gay and not a whole lot more. Most of them hadn't even met Dar, since the group had formed after the last picnic her lover had attended.

"Sometimes, there are people who find out, and they don't like it." Kerry allowed. "But mostly, I just do my job, and they don't really care."

"Your boss doesn't care?"

She couldn't help the smile. "No. Definitely not."

"Cool." Casey nodded. "Maybe I'll get me a job there, then… they sound all right."

Kerry reviewed the stocky young woman, whose dark hair was dyed in three shades of purple, to match the six different kinds of earring stones, and contrast with the tattoos dancing across her neck. "Sure." She agreed mildly. "Give me a resume for you, and I'll give it to personnel."

Just the look on Mariana's face would be more than worth it.

"All right." Casey stayed by her, as the rest of the group filed out. "You're pretty cool, for an old lady."

Kerry's eyebrows lifted. "Just how ancient do you think I am?" She asked, mildly outraged, putting her hands on her hips. "I only have three gray hairs, you know."

Casey grinned, then dropped her eyes bashfully. "I know.. I was just ragging you… it must be so cool to have it all so together like you do."

Hm. Yeah, as a matter of fact, it was pretty darn cool. "I've been really lucky." She admitted. "I've had good opportunities given to me, and I've managed to find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I thank God for that every day, believe me, Casey."

The teen glanced down, folding her arms with a distinct air of discomfort at that. "So. When do we get to meet this mystery woman of yours? You keep talking about her… she sounds pretty hot."

Kerry turned and gestured to the door. "C'mon.. I've got to lock up. You'll get to meet Dar at the party next week.. you'll like her. She's really nice." Well, nice wasn't really what Dar was, but…

Casey walked out, and watched her lock the door to the back room of the church. They strolled together up the narrow aisle past the rostrum, and up the two short stairs to the main door of the building. Kerry held the heavy portal open, then let it shut behind them, and locked it with the key she'd been given. The other girls were waiting outside, giving her shy looks.

"Hey." Casey was, apparently, elected the spokeswoman this week. "We're goin for a beer.. you want to come?"

For a moment, Kerry was tempted. Being the center of this sort of adolescent attention was very new, and very strange for her, and she felt the urge to explore it more thoroughly. However, plans were plans, and she suspected the invitation would be repeated.

Frequently. "Not tonight, guys.. I promised I'd meet some friends down on the beach.. but thanks for asking." Kerry smiled warmly at them. "Go on and have a good time.. but be careful, okay?" No sense in her pointing out most of them were underage, since she knew they'd just have Casey, the only one who had military ID buy the beer for them. The youngster had enlisted and lasted exactly two weeks in the marines, then busted out, but she'd kept the ID.

She watched them saunter off, then she turned and headed for her car, parked nearby, checking her watch as she walked. A half hour until her meeting up time with Col and Ray, which would give her more than enough leeway to get down to the beach, and the waiting sushi dive. Her stomach started growling at the thought, and the skipped lunch and breakfast suddenly made her light headed.

"Damn." Fortunately, she was next to her car, and a quick grab at the doorframe of the Mustang let her keep her balance. "Guess the ascetic fasting gig isn't for me." She got the door open and sat down, waiting for the dizzy feeling to fade. It did after a moment, and she closed the door and started the car. "Soon." She patted her stomach. "Hang in there kiddo… teriyaki chicken is straight ahead."

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

Dar twitched her collar straight for the fourth time, as she stared into the mirror with a scowl. Not that there was anything wrong with the burgundy silk business suit, the soft folds draped nicely over her tall frame, sleeves cut specifically to her measure coming neatly past her wrists. The skirt was just above her knees, and with her tan, she could have gotten away without wearing hose. But she hadn't, dutifully donning the smokey dark nylons Kerry had tucked into her bag.

"C'mon, Dar." She repeated to her reflection. "Just pretend it's a staff meeting." With over a thousand people. Dar picked up the towel she'd used after her shower and wiped the sweat off her palms. She'd never admit to anyone just how much she hated public, really public speaking, she hadn't even told Kerry about it, but here, alone in her hotel room, barely an hour before she had to address the stockholders, she could admit to herself that she was scared senseless.

"Jackass." She glowered into the pale blue eyes in the mirror. A knock sounded on the door and she almost hit the popcorn ceiling, before she gave herself a shake, and stalked towards the entrance. She opened the door to find a plant wanting admittance. "Hello?"

Brown eyes peeked out from between the stalks of some extremely lurid roses. "Ms. Roberts? This came for you."

Dar surveyed the arrangement, and felt her eyebrows lift. She backed up. "C'mon in." She watched the bellman carefully put the basket on the room's small table, then back away cautiously. "Thanks." Dar had taken a bill from her wallet and now she handed it to him, ignoring his leaving as she explored her new decoration.

It was way too cute and classy for Alastair, she decided, plucking a small teddy bear from the center. "And he woudn't send you, now would he?" She sniffed one of the blooms, which was gorgeous, then realized some of the roses weren't real. Curiously, she touched one, then unwrapped the foil top to reveal rich, milky looking chocolate. "Ah." Cheerfully, she took a bite, then fished around until she rooted out the small card. She opened it and peered at the writing, not really needing the confirmation of the sender.

Hey sweetie.

Give them heck.

I love you.

K

"Aw." Dar felt her entire body warm, a gentle flush that chased away the chills she'd been feeling not five minutes earlier. "You're something else, you know that?" She took another bite of chocolate and considered the roses, then selected one and carefully broke it's stem off just below the bloom. A few steps took her to her overnight back, and she fished inside it, coming up with a safety pin and neatly pinning the rose on her lapel.

Her eyes then fell on the tiny teddy, and she very briefly considered tucking it into her pocket, a sudden smile appearing when she imagined the collective reaction of the stockholders if they saw the little toy peeking out of her jacket. "Oh.. no..no.. Dar… that would just blow that little old reputation of yours right out the window and into the Hudson River." But she laughed, the light sound echoing softly in the room.

She went over to where her breakfast tray lay mostly untasted on the bedside table and selected a croissant, cutting it open and covering it with butter and jelly. She ate that, and washed it down with a swallow of coffee, then clicked off the television that had been playing soundless in the background and took one last look in the mirror.

Chin up, shoulders back. Dar straightened, and felt her usual confident attitude drop over her in a comforting sensation. She picked up her slim, leather portfolio and headed out the door, hearing it close behind her as she walked down the carpeted hallway, her medium heeled shoes sinking just slightly into the pile.

The elevator had lots of nicely dressed people in it. Most of them glanced at her as she entered, and most of the guys sucked their guts in. Dar graced them with a smile, but kept silent, folding her hands over her folder with it's distinctive company logo stamped in leather on the outside.

The trip down seemed to last forever, in that elongated awkwardness that elevators often produced. But they did finally make it, and Dar exited the small space, moving into the lobby towards the convention center, where large groups of men and women were gathered near the double doors.

"Dar!"

She turned, and waited for Alastair to catch up to her. The CEO was dressed in a dark blue suit and red tie, and he smiled at Dar as he took her by the elbow. "Morning."

"Morning.. morning.." Alastair ushered her through the door and up one broad aisle towards the podium. "Sleep well?"

"Fine." Dar replied, as they moved up to the table set on the elevated stage. "Did we get the..ah." She laid her portfolio down and took over the keyboard of the laptop on the table, rattling the keys with a sense of comforting familiarity. "Good." She murmured, reviewing the data flashing across the LED screen. The system was hooked to an overhead projector, which would allow her to show the stockholders real-time data moving across their new network. "Looks good."

Alastair glanced at the figures. "You'd know." He patted her shoulder. "I'm going to get everyone settled, then I'll introduce you… hey, nice rose."

"Thanks." Dar glanced at it. "And thanks for dinner last night.. damn good pasta."

"Almost as good as the company." Alastair returned the compliment courteously. "And speaking of which, don't let Bob run you ragged tonight, all right? He loves this town, and loves to show it off, but he gets a little too enthusiastic about it's vices sometimes."

Dar looked up from her data, and cocked her head. "Is that a warning?" She watched her boss nod. "All right. I'll keep that in mind. Now c'mon.. let's get this show on the road." She concentrated on setting up the networking monitors and ignored Alastair's walking over to the podium.

"Ladies and Gentleman?" The CEO laid his hands confidently on the wood surface. "If you'd like to take your seats, we'll get started."

The crowd bustled into place, scrapes and scuffs overwhelming the conversation as people settled into the comfortable chairs. Almost immediately, a young, red haired man stood up and raised his hand. "Mr. McLean?"

Alastair looked over at him. "Yes? Charles Bantelberg, isn't it?"

The man blinked a moment, obviously not expecting the CEO to recognize him. "Yes.. listen, we're all really interested in the new network. We don't want to hear a bunch of corporate bs today, if you don't mind." Several people laughed, but more nodded, and faced forward.

"Well." Alastair leaned on the podium. "You know, I had a feeling everyone was going to feel like that." He had their attention, and the room settled down, everyone listening to him intently. "These stockholder meetings are usually pretty dry, huh?" A round of polite laughter. "I know how much the industry has been talking about our new infrastructure, and I thought that it would be a strong topic of conversation at this meeting." He straightened. "You all have questions like is it what it's advertised to be, and how are we going to use it, right?"

Nods.

"Well, good." Alastair rubbed his hands briskly. "Because I can't tell you any of that."

Silence.

"So I brought someone here to do the corporate presentation who can." He glanced over at Dar, who had finished fiddling with her hardware, and was quietly waiting. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to present to you our Chief Information Officer, and the designer of the new network, Dar Roberts."

Dar forced her legs into motion, and gave her boss a curt nod as he relinquished the podium.

Then she wondered what all the noise was. Startled, her eyes lifted to see the entire crowd standing up, yelling and waving at her. She looked at Alastair in alarm, only to see the CEO hiding a smirk behind one hand. Only then did she realize what she was facing was a standing ovation.

Jesus. Now what?

Finally, they shut up and she was able to collect herself, waiting for everyone to sit down before she opened her mouth. Then she shut it again, because she had no idea what to say to the huge, faceless mob, whose attention was now focused on her with fierce intentness.

Well, she had to say something before they all fell asleep, didn't she? "The agenda requires me to spend some time at this point outlining the basic plan and infrastructure of why we implemented a new network." Dar finally said. "But I'd bet you'd rather just see it, right?"

There was a moment's silence, beating against her face, then a laugh. Ah. That was good. "Right." Dar clicked on the overhead and behind her, a slim, gray screen exploded into life. "This is the deal.."

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

"Oo.. I thought she was going to choke there." Kerry had her chin on her fists, her eyes glued to the IDLN broadcast of her lover, explaining in terse detail the advantages of their new net.

"Mm.." Duks was sitting on her desk, and Mark was leaning next to her. "Public speaking is not an easy thing for Dar, I do not think."

"Nice suit." Mark commented. "Crowd likes her."

Kerry watched Dar's body language, which to her seemed almost painfully stiff. After a few minutes, though, her lover relaxed a little. "That's better… she's loosening up some."

"Yeah." The MIS chief agreed. "Boy, she looks nervous.. never thought I'd see that."

"C'mon, honey." Kerry whispered to the screen, crossing her fingers and willing Dar to calm down. For a brief instant, the blue eyes lifted from the crowd, and glanced right at the IDLN transmit camera and they were eye to eye, then Dar went back to her information, scrolling expertly through a series of benchmarks and displaying a test of the new network's capabilities. "Atta girl." She noticed the rose pinned to her bosses jacket, and smiled.

"What's she doing now.. oh." Mark leaned forward. "Showing off that new hub.. yeah, lookit that." They watched Dar shift traffic effortlessly from one port to the other, providing seamless fallback for the accounts on that particular system. "Cool."

Dar finished her displays, then turned, and laid her hands on the podium, much more at ease now. "Any questions?" The rich, powerful voice rolled out over the crowd. A moment's silence, then a forest of hands went up. Dar seemed to find this funny, the corners of her mouth twitching as she leaned on the wooden surface. "All right. You first." She pointed, and the questions began.

"She likes that better." Kerry nodded. "Questions she can deal with… she has to do that every day." And certainly, her lover was handling them, becoming more confident as she watched, and moving out away from the protection of the podium, illustrating her answers with quick, precise motions of her hands. Kerry sighed. "God, she's gorgeous." She became aware of an awkward silence, and glanced up, to see Mark and Duks making strange faces at her. "Sorry.. but she is."

"Yeah, I know but.." Mark scratched his jaw. "It's just so weird hearing that.. um.. "

"From another woman?" Kerry asked wryly.

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Mark shrugged, and laughed. "I needed some horizon broadening today."

They turned back to the screen, and watched as Dar took another step forward, her personality visibly emerging as she fielded tough questions, displaying an impressive knowledge of their industry.

"Yeah.. you go." Kerry smiled, as the crowd applauded. "Rock em."

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

"Ugh." Dar flopped down onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, flexing her newly freed toes from their leather entrapment. "Well, that wasn't so bad, I guess." Her cell phone rang, and she lifted it, stretching as she put the instrument to her ear. "Yes?"

"You rock."

"Oh, I do, do I?" Dar responded with a lazy smile, glad to have the entire affair behind her. "I didn't sound like too much like a walking geek tank?"

"No way." Kerry laughed. "We all watched it on IDLN… but my god, Dar.. your face when they gave you that ovation.. I thought you were going to swallow your pager."

"Erf." Dar threw an arm over her eyes. "Caught me by surprise…but it ended up pretty good. Those West Indies investors are sharp. They had some good questions."

"You had some great answers." Kerry leaned back in her chair and propped a knee up against her desk. "Listen… I did call you to say hi, and congratulations and all that.."

"But." Dar drawled through the phone.

"But." Kerry agreed. "We've got a real problem in Redmond, Dar. I think I'm going to have to go out there." She heard the sigh. "Tonight." Another sigh. "Col said she'd watch Chino, since Mom and Dad are in Bermuda." They were both silent for a bit. "I don't think it'll take long."

"You promised me turkey." Dar protested with a hint of a verbal pout. "Tell Redmond to stuff itself."

Kerry gazed fondly at her speakerphone. "We've still got two days before Thanksgiving, Dar.. c'mon.. I"ll be back tomorrow night, at the latest. Besides, you're the one who said you could deal with Egg McMuffins if you had to." She reminded her boss.

"That was before you mentioned marshmallow stuffed sweet potatoes." Dar retorted, then sighed. "I know.. I know.. I was reviewing that mess myself. I thought I might have to make a trip out there…but you're really better at handling those people than I am."

"Thank you." Kerry preened silently, tipping back and enjoying the twilight outside. "What's your plans for tonight?"

There was a momentary pause on the other end. "Bob Trancet wants to show me the town." Dar answered. "But after Alastair warned me off today, I’m not sure I want to be shown." Another pause. "Hey."

"Mm?" Kerry was rolling over Dar's words in her mind.

"Thanks for the roses, the chocolate, and the teddy bear."

A smile. "I saw your jacket.. it looked pretty." Kerry turned her head to one side and regarded the phone. "Isn't that the guy there was the big scandal about over Fourth of July?" She asked curiously. "Him and a secretary, or something, in the Xerox room?"

"Yeah." Dar admitted. "He wears his gonads on his lapel, all right."

Kerry almost spit her tonsils out her nose. She clapped a hand over her mouth, and reached for her cup of tea, half choking with laughter. "Dar.. don’t' do that." She spluttered. "I didn't need that mental image.. I really, really didn't."

Dar chuckled softly. "Sorry… maybe I'll just force him into dinner here at the hotel. .I'm pretty tired after all that crap today. When's your flight?"

"Nine." Kerry stifled a yawn. "Wish it were landing in Laguardia." She rolled her head to one side. "God, this is ridiculous."

"What is?"

"Me feeling like a spoiled little brat denied her candy because you're not here." Kerry responded wryly. "Dar, this is not normal. I want you to go to Doctor Steve when you get back, so he can figure out what you put out that has me so damned hooked on you." Pause. "Stop smirking."

"I wasn't."

"You most certainly were." Kerry reached out and ran a fingertip along the phone. "Am I embarrassing you?"

"No." Dar's voice dropped a note. "Flattering me."

"Mm." Kerry's eyes half closed, and she exhaled. "Well, I guess I'd better get going… I want to get to the airport a little early. " She stifled another yawn. "At least I can sleep on the plane… you go and have fun with Mr. Happy Gonads, okay?"

"Oh yeah. A blast." Dar mused. "Hey.. have a good flight, okay? Give me a call when you get to your hotel."

"I will." Kerry promised. "Later, sweetie."

"Later." Dar hung up the phone, and set it on her mostly bare chest. She'd stripped out of her silk suit almost as fast as the damn shoes, and was in her half slip and bra, the air conditioning raising tiny goosebumps over her exposed belly. She rubbed her chilled skin, then sat up, using one hand to work a kink out of her neck. She got up and trudged over to the dresser, yanking a shirt out of her bag and tugging it on over her head.

"Okay." Dar addressed her now rumpled reflection, blowing a bit of dark hair out of her eyes with a quick puff of air. "Dinner, a drink in the bar, and we're outta here." She took off her slip and exchanged it for a pair of jeans, then tucked the shirt in and buckled the belt. "Might as well get some work done while I'm hanging around waiting."

Minutes later, she was sprawled over the bed with her laptop resting on her legs, reviewing her mail and the two system status reports Mark had sent down. A mail opened, and she reviewed it. "Kiss my ass." She typed in a response and sent it back, then opened a second. "Bite me." Another mail winged on it's way back. The third she opened, reading it several times, then cocking her head to one side to watch the tiny gopher graphic dance along it's edge sideways. "Oo. Cool… you got the toes working." She praised Kerry in absentia. Then she leaned closer and squinted at the small creature, who seemed to have acquired spectacles somewhere. "Ah." Dar found a chagrined look crossing her face, as she nodded in wry acknowledgement. Kerry had been nudging her for a month to get her eyes checked, and so far, she'd found a lot of different excuses not to. "Cute, Ker… very cute." She replied to the email, blithely ignoring the addition.

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

Kerry settled back in her seat, and debated on whether to take out her laptop or not. When she traveled alone, she was always conscious of who was sitting next to her, idle eyes that might take in what her laptop screen had to offer, and while the chances of her being seated next to a competitor were fairly slim, you never knew.

Her seatmate this trip was a bookish looking young man, with heavy glasses, and an academic air about him. She spared a moment to imagine what his profession was, a game she often played with herself while traveling. Professor? Probably not old enough. Research scientist? Maybe. The man solved her musings a moment later, when he tugged a pad from a notebook and started scribing lines on it, in a familiar programming language.

Kerry smiled and leaned back. Figures. Another nerd. She lazily eyed the dark window, observing the clearly not twinkling stars outside. She leaned a hand against the glass to shade the light and peered out, amazed as always at the complete explosion of lights spread so thickly across the sky. Below her, only dark land stretched, an occasional, brief island of light indicating a city. Far off towards the horizon they were traveling towards, she could see a line of darkness, shot through with lightning that had to be the storm front the Weather Channel had promised.

A slight clank caught her attention, and she turned her head to see the stewardess standing there, waiting to take her dinner order. "I'll take the filet, thanks." Kerry gave the woman a brief smile. "And if you have a beer?"

"Heinekan all right?" The woman wrote the note down. "Be right back. And you sir?" Kerry's seatmate ordered the filet as well, with a whiskey and soda. That was interesting, Kerry thought, as she folded her hands over her stomach, and stretched her legs out, crossing them at the ankles. Whiskey and soda always sounded like something her father would order, not someone of her own generation or younger.

"Do… you fly much?" The young man asked diffidently.

"Unfortunately, more than I'd like to." Kerry replied politely. "It's not for pleasure."

"Oh." The man wiped his hand off on his neatly pressed wool pants leg and held it out. "Josh Abbot.. I just started working for Intelsat, and this is my second trip in a week. I'm not sure I like it."

Kerry took his hand and returned the grip. "Kerry Stuart. I work for ILS."

He brightened. "Really? Wow.. so you're headed to Washington for the snafu with that new data center, huh?"

Blond eyebrows shot up past Kerry's hairline. "I wasn't aware we'd released that to the press." She commented.

Josh had the grace, at least, to blush. "No, well I.. um…" He looked up in startlement as the stewardess offered him a hot towel, taking it mechanically and looking at it like it was a small, dead white animal. "I heard my boss talking about it. I'm sorry…. I should have watched my mouth."

Kerry took her towel, and carefully washed each finger with it, considering her options. "Well, it's a small industry, right?" She gave the man a reassuring smile. "Who's your boss?"

Josh chewed his lower lip unhappily. "Is he going to get in trouble?"

The green eyes facing him twinkled a little. "How intimidating do I look?" Kerry chuckled. "No. He won't get in trouble."

With a sigh of relief, Josh glibly coughed up the name of his boss, his bosses boss, who'd told his boss, and the secretary who worked for the bosses boss who was married to an ILS admin fairly high up in their Sales department. Jose, you are so dead meat. Kerry decided, handing her now cooled towel back to the stewardess. "It's not as bad as it sounds, really.. just some incompatibility with infrastructure."

"Oh." Josh nodded. "So.. you're going to go fix that?" He gazed at Kerry with new interest. "You one of their tech people?"

"Something like that." Kerry agreed solemnly. "You're a programmer?"

He nodded again. "Yeah.. I just graduated from Georgia Tech.. I'm working on this neat new application for the control of our sats, so they can squeeze more bandwidth out of them.. " He held up his pad. "I kinda hit a snag, though.. I'm not sure really how to write this one little routine.."

Kerry gave him a suggestion. "Try that. It's what we use on our big routers." She sat back as her dinner was delivered, opening her lap tray and spreading the provided linen napkin neatly across her thighs. Hm. She reviewed the tray the stewardess set down. It contained a plate with a petit filet mignon on it, in some kind of nice smelling burgundy sauce, and what looked very much like a decent sized blob of whipped mashed potatoes. And a broccoli floret, for those who had inescapable attacks of food guilt. Kerry solemnly consumed the broccoli, then turned her attention to the steaming beef.

"Wow.. that works…cool." Josh laughed. "Hey, Ms. Stuart… are you married?"

Kerry's hands stopped in mid cut. "Why?" She gave him a look.

"You wanna be? I think I love you." Josh burbled contentedly, making scratch marks on his pad.

A sigh. "Sorry, I'm taken." Kerry resumed cutting her meat, and took a bite.

"Yeah, yeah.. but do they appreciate you for your mind, like I would?" Josh seemed totally absorbed in his program now, hardly aware of what he was saying. "Or are they just out for that pretty face?" His tie drooped into his burgundy sauce, but the sartorial accompaniment could have been a cobra for all he'd noticed.

"Well.. " Kerry drawled, taking a swig of her beer. "My girlfriend thinks I’m sexy, but says she married me for my brains."

"Damn. Just my luck." Josh scribbled a few more symbols, then stopped cold, blinked, and turned his head slowly to look over at her. "Did you just say what I think you just said?"

Kerry nodded, and smiled, curious to see what his reaction would be. She wasn't generally so out there about her relationship, but since they were 35,000 feet up, and he was proposing….

"Ever consider a threesome?"

Oo. Kerry's turn to be surprised. Imagine that. I thought he was a pinhead. "No." She laughed. "But that's a great answer." They both grinned at each other, and Josh sat back, putting his pad away and starting in on his food. They talked about programming after the stewardess removed their trays, and compared techniques until Kerry was distracted suddenly by a flash just outside.

"Whoa." She turned to peer out the window, when the plan dropped out from under her, and rocked to one side, sending people and crockery flying. Kerry felt her stomach flip as the craft leveled, then a scary vibration started, and the plane rocked from side to side, as lightning flashed past the window.

Oh boy.

"Hang on everyone!" The lead stewardess yelled. "Hang on!"

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

"So." Bob strolled along next to Dar, having coaxed her out for a short walk near the hotel. "You don't like cities, huh?"

Dar dodged a stumbling man who was singing to himself and moved smoothly up onto the sidewalk. "Not particularly. We don't have a city in Miami, just a banking and government center surrounded by suburbs."

"Ah." Bob spread his arms out. "C'mon, you can't beat this atmosphere. This is the most exciting, most vibrant city on earth." He pointed. "Look at that building… isn't it incredible?"

Dar obediently tilted her head and reviewed the building in question. It was large, yes, and the twenties architecture was eye catching, but… "You know what I hate about cities, Bob?"

"What?"

"They smell." Dar rubbed her nose. "And as big as these damn buildings are, all the rooms in them are smaller than my bathroom at home."

Bob put his hands on his hips, and regarded her. "Boy, you really know how to take the wind out of a guy's sails, you know that, Dar Roberts?" His face curled into a very rueful smile. "Here I am, trying to paint a lovely, romantic vision of my favorite place, and all you can think of is a few measly scents and floor space?"

A shrug of one leather covered shoulder. "I'm not really the romantic type." Dar drawled. "Will you settle for dinner and a drink with a nice view?" She pointed to a second floor dining room that overlooked the busy street.

"Oh, that place?" Bob waved her off. "C'mon.. you're more adventurous than that, I bet. Here's where I was going to take you.. it's a great little place. Fantastic food." He pointed her towards a tiny stairwell in a dark corner, that led below street level. Dar stopped cold, and felt him run into her back. "Hey?" Bob bounced off, surprised. "What's wrong?"

"That goes underground." Dar stated flatly.

Bob glanced at it, nonplussed. "Well, sure. It's in the basement."

"I don't do basements." Cool blue eyes flicked to his face.

"What do you mean, you don’t' do basements? What the heck do you do at home when you have to go below the bottom floor, Dar?" Bob seemed thunderstruck.

"I swim. We have no basements in Miami." Dar told him crisply. "If you think you're gonna get me to go down those stairs, think again." A pause. "And before you think again, I bet Alastair never mentioned my interest in martial arts."

"Whoa..whoa..whoa… take it easy, lady." Bob held up both hands and laughed. "Okay, I got the message..c'mon.. I know a good hot dog stand out on Fifth Avenue that's got a great view, and no enclosed walls." He put a careful hand on Dar's back and guided her back towards the street. "And no, he never did mention that, as a matter of fact."

Dar relaxed a little, and spared him a half grin.

"He never says much about you at all, you know… just that you have more brains than was really safe for one person, and you take the word attitude to a new level of meaning." Bob chuckled. "You willing to be more forthcoming than that?"

"No." Dar replied, hiding a smirk. "When I talk about my personal life, I usually get the specifics thrown back in my face at a staff meeting sometime. No thanks." They walked down a set of shallow stairs, and ended up in an outdoor café, small tables on a patio which faced the Rockefeller Center.

Dar eyed the handwritten menu, and chose a sandwich and french fries, giving Bob an agreeable nod when he suggested a bottle of wine to go with it. She let her eyes drift across the scene, taking in the noise, and the lights, and the people going by. Now they, she acknowledged frankly, were interesting, and very different from what she was used to in Miami. The voices around her were different as well, sharper, and more staccato.

"Dar?"

Dar turned and graciously gave up her attention to her host. "Sorry… did you ask me something?"

They talked about business for a while, as they munched their way through the very good sandwiches, and half of the wine. Dar managed to relax a little, aware that the almost overwhelming intensity she'd felt from her co worker the previous night was muted, and he was, to her surprise, on his very best behavior.

She remembered Alastair's warning, and wondered. Her hand shifted, swirling the sweet, heavy white wine in it's glass and she took a sip, enjoying the taste she seldom indulged in. "Did you see the presentation today?"

Bob laughed, leaning back and crossing an ankle over his knee. "Definitely unconventional, I'll give you that, Dar. Most of the time I sleep through three quarter's of Al's speeches. I know them by heart. We did this for the quarter, we were supposed to do this, we took this charge, made that bonus… " Bob swallowed a mouthful of wine. "Not like he comes in and says, well folks, this quarter we lost the farm, doncha know."

"Not if I can help it, no." Dar smiled.

"You definitely perked the stockers up, that's for sure." Her dinner companion let his eyes, finally, wander over her. "You're much nicer to look at than Al is, and you know your stuff.. nice work with those offshore investors. They were trying to pin your ears to the wall."

"I've faced a lot worse." Dar paused, as she felt a chill run down her back. It was the oddest feeling, and she just barely resisted the urge to look behind her. Abruptly, her stomach tightened, and she felt a knot form in her guts.

"Dar?" Bob caught the change and sat up. "You okay?"

No. Dar felt the blood drain from her face, and her heart started pounding. Was it the wine? She set the glass down. "Yeah, I'm all right… " Her throat went dry, and she felt a surge of anxiety almost make her start shivering. "I think."

Bob put his glass down and reached over, touching her shoulder carefully. "You're pretty white… maybe you should put your head down."

"No.. " Dar suddenly had the urge to be up and moving, an animal reflex fed by nervous energy that made her thighs twitch and tighten. The fear now gripped her guts, and she was afraid she was going to throw up. "Listen.. maybe I had something that didn't agree with me.. ."

"I'll get a cab." Bob stood decisively, and walked to the curb, snapping his fingers expertly. He motioned the waiter over with his other hand, and handed him a bill, then walked back over to where Dar was just standing up. "Let's go.. I'll get you back to the hotel."

"It's all right.." Dar started to protest.

"Lady, your well being is important enough to make Alastair P. McLean say the word fuck to me." The Sales exec told her firmly. "You are going to let me get you back to your room, and I'll call in a doctor if I have to."

It would have almost been funny, if Dar hadn't felt like her insides were clawing their way up, eager to erupt from every body orifice she had. "Okay." She let herself be bundled into the cab, and concentrated on taking deep breaths, trying not to throw up.

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

Kerry hung on to the chair arms, one hand jerking free to tighten the seat belt she'd left prudently fastened across her lap. Josh sat beside her, gasping as the plane bucked in the air, his fingers white with the strain of clutching the leather cushions.

"Folks." The captain's voice sounded strained, but calm. "I know it's pretty scary back there right now, but you all just hang on, and we'll be through this in a bit. Storm front caught us by surprise tonight, so just hold on tight, and keep calm."

Okay. Kerry's heart was hammering so hard, she could barely hear the man's voice. Her entire body was tense with fear, and she closed her eyes as the plane dropped unexpectedly, making her weightless for long, long seconds. Then the sensation stopped abruptly, and the plane lurched, tipping on it's side and shuddering.

She had to focus on something, so she chose the most vivid thing in her life, clamping her jaw down tight as she pictured her lover's face, trying to let the image fill her mind's eye and push out the horror all around her.

The shaking went on for a lifetime. She heard things fall in the galley, and the flight attendants cursing. Heard soft, faint echos of some kind of alarm behind the closed door of the cockpit.

The fear was almost choking her.

And then it stopped.

The violent shaking settled to the odd bump, and the labored sound of the engines evened out, still sounding rough but no longer giving the plane sickening surges of speed and slacking.

Slowly, Kerry opened one eye, then the other. Her dinner was chatting with her tonsils, and she hoped like crazy that no one was going to ask her to either think, or speak until it decided if it were going to go any higher or not.

She looked out the window, and her heart almost stopped again. They were between two layers of roiling gray clouds, ducking between shooting streaks of lightning, a moment's peace between two slices of hell.

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

Dar thanked Bob, reassured him for the tenth time that she'd be all right, then closed the hotel room door and escaped into the peaceful silence within.

It was dark in the room, and she only turned on one, small light before she trudged across the carpet and collapsed on the bed, her body curling instinctively into a ball as she lay there, trying to figure out what the hell had happened to her. For the moment, she was merely sick to her stomach, and had a pounding, tense headache. The frantic anxiety had faded, leaving only a knot in her gut that simply refused to loosen.

"What in the hell was that." Dar spoke aloud, her voice slightly hoarse. "What's wrong with me?" She was scared, she admitted to herself, visions of vague clips from popular magazine articles about anxiety attacks flashing into her memory. Stories about people who couldn't even leave their houses. "No." Dar let her eyes close, and she rested, forcing herself to breathe slowly and calmly. "That is not what's wrong with me. I won't put up with that."

After a few moments of simply lying there, she pushed herself upright, and got to her feet, glancing at the clock as she did so. Instinctively, her hand went for her cell phone, and she opened it, dialing a number by heart and listening to the ring.

Voice mail. Dar's brows creased, then she shrugged. "Guess you forgot to turn this back on, huh?" She spoke into the phone. "Listen… something weird just happened to me.. I.." Dar hesitated. "I'd like to talk to you about it. Give me a call as soon as you get this, okay?" A pause. "Okay… talk to you later." She closed the phone, then went over to the desk and sat down, activating her laptop and telling it to make a network connection.

A few clicks. The light from the laptop's active matrix screen lit her features with a ghostly glow, her face still as her eyes flicked back and forth, reading data. Another click, then she entered Kerry's flight number and hit enter.

In route - delayed.

"Delayed." A thousand thoughts sped through Dar's mind. "Why?"

Suddenly, her guts clenched again, and she doubled over, grabbing the edge of the table as a wave of fear almost swamped her. It forced a tiny cry from her throat, and she took a deep breath and held it, forcing the emotions down as she struggled to regain control.

It was tough, but she managed to do it. She refreshed the screen, after wiping the sweat off her fingers, watching the words refuse to change. She looked at the clock, and calculated times. Then she picked up her cell phone and dialed a number.

It rang. A voice picked up, relatively cheerful given the time of night. "I need status on one of your flights. It's listed as delayed." Dar spoke slowly, and clearly. "I need to know why it's delayed, and you're going to tell me specifically, or I'll go up your chain of command until I wake up someone high enough to come down to that center you're sitting in, and use a fire hose to make you give me the information." Pause. "Is that clear?"

Dead silence. "Yes ma'am." The voice finally spluttered. "Can I have the flight number?"

Dar did., aware of a shiver working it's way through her.

There was quiet, save the distinctive clicking of a keyboard. "Okay.. um… Ms… "

"Roberts." Dar provided softly.

"Right… okay, well, from what I can see here, that flight hit some bad weather over Arkansas…um… "

"Specifically." Dar reminded her.

The clerk sighed. "Ma'am…"

"I am the chief information officer of ILS. I can, if I have to, break into your reservations system, and get the information myself, but it's going to take longer, and I'm not in the mood. So just tell me." Dar bit the words out. "What…is..the… problem."

"It's not… well, they've got some damage to the aircraft, but the captain thinks he can land it okay. The problem is they've got to go through another storm first.. they're trying to land in Chicago."

Dar clamped an arm across her stomach, and bit the inside of her lip. She had to take several breaths before she could speak. "Okay. Thanks."

"Ma'am?"

Dar just closed the phone, and let her head drop forward to rest against the laptop's cool edge.

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

Kerry wrapped her arms around the pillow she had in her lap, and just kept her eyes closed as the plane rocked and yawed it's way through the clouds. She could feel little shudders running through the airframe, and she managed to compose a tiny prayer, which she sent outward , asking for nothing more than to hear Dar's voice again.

That was all.

She felt a touch on her hand, and she jerked her head up, to see Josh looking back at her, his face white as a sheet, and very young in appearance. She managed a smile for him. "We're gonna be okay."

"I know you're an old, married lady, but can I hang onto your hand?" Josh asked. "I'm so scared I think I just saw my left testicle float past my earlobe."

That forced a breath of laughter from Kerry, and she reached over, clasping his hand with her own. "Sure."

"Folks." The pilot's voice drew their attention. "Here's the situation. We got hit by lightning, and lost one of our engines, but don't get excited. We have three."

"Easy for him to say." Josh muttered.

"But we're going to have to land in Chicago. " The pilot went on. "We've got to get through this storm cell to do that. It's going to be a little scary, but you all hang on, and we'll get you down all right."

"A little?" Kerry felt like throwing up. "I wonder how long it'll take?"

One of the flight attendants, harried, coffee stained, and exhausted, heard her. "Twenty minutes."

"Thanks." Kerry gave her a grateful smile. "Have you ever been through this before?"

The attendant, a slim, middle aged woman with salt and pepper hair and an interesting face, nodded briefly. "Twice. Every time I swear I’m retiring."

Kerry felt an uncomfortable pressure building in her ears, and she sighed, hugging her pillow with one arm, and keeping a grip on Josh with the other. The plane began to rock violently again, and the murmur of voices which had risen, fell again to silence. The cabin lights flicked off, leaving only the indirect lighting on, and the lightning outside brought lurid flashes of silver darting into the cabin unexpectedly.

"I hate this." Josh whispered. "I'm quitting the minute I get on the ground, I swear… I"ll go into business with my Uncle Al back home."

Glad of the distraction, Kerry licked her lips. "What does he do?"

"Pizza parlor." Josh yelped, as a bang sounded, and the plane tilted to one side. "Oh my god."

Kerry exhaled, keeping her eyes glued on the window. The clouds were so thick and dark outside, she could only see the edges when lightning flared within them, or the faint lights from the plane's leading wing edge broke free of the clinging mist.

The plane kept rocking and bucking, so unstable it was making her dizzy as her sense of balance fought to compensate for the movement. Suddenly, she felt a difference in pressure, and she jumped, looking up and half expecting the panel to drop masks at her.

But it didn't.

"Depressurized the cabin." The flight attendant called to her seatmate. "We must be below 10 thousand."

"Is that good or bad?" Josh asked nervously.

No one answered him.

They all almost screamed when the engine sound changed, and the plane slowed, it's wallowing becoming far more apparent. Then another sound, a louder one, and Kerry just barely kept herself from total panic by realizing the sound was the landing gear extending. That meant, her frazzled mind clung to the rationale, that meant the noise before that was the air spoilers, slowing the plane for landing.

Right? She never remembered them being that loud, though.

The plane yawed and wobbled, the nose dipping, then the speed cutting back drastically. Outside, she could still only see clouds. She stared at them, willing them to part and show her something other than muddy darkness around the plane. "Cmon… c'mon… "

Lower and lower, until Kerry was sure they were going to crash. She closed her eyes and thought of Dar, and fiercely told herself that when she got to heaven, because god damn it, that’s' where she was going, she'd be so careful to watch over Dar, and make sure she was never alone.

She bowed her head.

Then the darkness on the other side of the window dissolved, into rain, and lashing wind, and the lights of a big city, flashing by quickly as the big plane stumbled and rocked it's way onto the runway, landing to one side, bouncing, then landing again, this time solidly on all of it's wheels.

The engines reversed, and the blur of the lights turned into the solid outlines of a terminal, then exploded into color as a cadre of emergency vehicles whizzed around them, circling the plane as it limped it's way towards the buildings.

Kerry felt all the tension rush out of her, leaving her limp in her seat and completely exhausted. Not even the rattle of sleet against the window stirred her, as she simply closed her eyes, and gave a quiet, heartfelt thanks.

The plane rocked to a halt. Kerry reached for her cellphone.

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

It was hypnotic. Dar stayed crouched over her laptop, continually hitting the refresh button and attempting to change the indicator on the page by sheer force of will. Change, damn you. She whispered under her breath, slamming the button on the mouse for the thousandth time.

And it did. The page redrew, and the Delayed status morphed before her startled eyes to Arrived.

Dar blinked. She clicked on it again, and watched the same results occur. Again. Same thing. Her shoulder muscles relaxed and she slumped over the desk. Then she sucked in a breath and closed her hand around the cell phone and started to lift it. It rang as she did so, causing her whole body to jerk in shocked surprise. The cell phone went flying and Dar dove after it, tripping over the laptop's cable and sprawling across the carpet in an undignified tumble.

Her head struck the bedside table, and she yelped, but her fingers found the buzzing phone and she managed to get it open and to her ear without further injury. "Yeah?"

"Sweetheart, you have no idea what I've just been through."

Dar rolled onto her back and sucked the voice in, every muscle going completely slack in utter relief. "Uh?"

Kerry sighed into the phone. "We just landed… we hit this huge storm, and the plane was rocking all over the place, and we lost an engine, and I think my stomach's going to resign and find a better job somewhere else after that ride down."

Dar placed a hand over her own belly and blinked. "Yeah. I know what you mean." She murmured softly into the phone. "Glad you're okay."

"I've never been so scared in my life." Kerry's voice was shaking.

"I bet. " Dar murmured. "I bet it felt like your heart was coming out your ears." She rubbed one of hers, then let the hand fall to the carpet limply.

"Yeah." Kerry sighed. "I’m still shaking."

Dar lifted the errant paw again, and watched it tremble. "Hm." She let it drop with a thump. "Ow."

"What's wrong?" Kerry asked. "We're stuck in here for a few minutes.. they're trying to get the jetway working. It's all iced, I think…."

"I bumped my head." Dar told her. "So.. does that mean you're stuck in Chicago?" She had hardly a notion of what she was saying, merely pushing words out to fill the quiet. "You didn't get hurt or anything, did you?"

"No." Kerry sighed. "Just scared. I want off this airplane.. and I hope I am stuck overnight because let me tell you.. I’m not anxious to get on another one of them."

"Mm…yeah. I can understand that….boy." Dar exhaled. "Wish I was there."

Kerry was very quiet for a moment, and when she did start speaking, there was a distinct catch in her voice. "I wish you were too…just before we landed I…" Kerry stopped., then went on. "I was so scared."

Dar rolled onto her side, and curled her hands around the phone, wanting to reach right through it. Maybe she could squeeze through if she really tried hard. "Sorry you had such a rotten time, Ker…hang in there, okay?"

A shaky sigh answered her. "You okay? You sound kinda washed out."

Like a limp dishrag. Dar now had an excellent insight into that hoary old saying. "I’m fine.. just tired…and I think this damn New York food knocked my system for a loop."

"Oh. Where'd you end… " Kerry paused. "They got the door open.. I need to get out of here. Sweetie, I'll give you a call back as soon as I figure out what's going on, okay?"

"Sure. Talk to you soon." Dar answered. "I love you."

"I love you too." Kerry's voice, finally, sounded a smile at her. "Later."

Dar let the phone drop onto the carpet, and just lay there for a moment, then she reached up and dragged the hotel phone receiver off it's hook, and held it to her ear. The operator answered, and she asked for room service. A ring, and another voice sounded down the line. "Could you please send me the largest cup of warm milk you have?"

"Certainly, ma'am… um.. will there be anything else?" The puzzled sounding room service operator asked.

"A really big dish of chocolate ice cream."

"How big is really big?"

Dar considered. "You got a punch bowl lying around?"

A muffled laugh. "I get the idea. It'll be right up, ma'am. Have a nice night."

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

Kerry edged past the crowd at the end of the jetway and moved into the terminal, the chaos of too many people, and too little space hitting her with an almost physical force. The terminal was full, and she found herself pressed back against the entry gate, watching the harried airline attendants trying to guide the frazzled passengers into some kind of order.

"Ma'am?"

Kerry turned her head, to see a red coated woman at her elbow. "Yes?"

"Were you on that flight?"

Kerry nodded.

"Okay.. well, as you can see, it's pretty jammed up here. The airport is closed now, because of the weather. They only let your flight land because of the trouble you had. We've got a cleared area set up over there, but there's not much good news about hotel space."

"Great." Josh appeared at her side, carrying his laptop case. "I think at this point, I'd be happy with a cardboard box and sheet of newsprint."

"Well.. " The gate agent grimaced. "I wish I could say we had that.. but we do have some coffee and some sandwiches.. would you come with me, please? " Her eyes dropped slightly, and caught the tag on Kerry's laptop case, and a subtle shift in her attitude occurred. "Are you two together?"

Kerry had caught the motion, and was just sharp enough to realize what was going on. "Yes." She answered, a breath before Josh denied it.

"Okay… in that case, why don't you just follow me." The gate agent smiled, and took Kerry's elbow. "We'll see if we can get you comfortable."

"C'mon." Kerry caught Josh's sleeve, and tugged him along. They followed the red coated woman through the crowd, edging past angry faces and exhausted bodies, around a corner and paused, as the gate agent swiped her id and opened a large, heavy black unmarked door.

"Here you go.. let me have your bagtags. I'll go make sure your luggage is brought in." She took their envelopes, and dissapeared, leaving them in relative quiet inside a large, plush lounge filled with comfy furniture, a bar, and several perky looking attendants.

"Uh." Josh glanced around, then at Kerry.

"Cmon." Kerry repeated, heading for the leather couch and dropping her laptop onto it, then following suit with her tired body. "Can I get a beer?" She asked the lounge clerk, who ducked behind the bar obediently. Josh slowly sat down at her side, and put his case down. "Never been in the platinum lounge, huh?" Kerry asked him, with a wry smile. She hadn't spent much time in them herself, until Dar had prodded her the last few trips, personally dragging her into one of them at Newark, and showing her the ropes, so to speak. "We're very frequent business level flyers… short trips, big price tags… they love us."

"Uh..no." Josh leaned back. "Wow." He gave her a sideways glance. "Thanks for bringing me along… I know for sure this is better than the hallway outside."

Several more customers were ushered in, a few Kerry recognized as being from their flight, several others she didn't. Everyone seemed tired, and cranky, and not inclined to talk, which was fine with her. She was very content to sit on the couch and sip her beer, washing down several Advil with a swig of the cold beverage. Dar would have scolded her for that, she knew, but she was just too tired to get up and get a drink of water, and the attendants were busy with the newcomers, making them as comfortable as possible. Blankets were being brought in, and Kerry guessed they'd be spending the evening in the lounge. She was glad she'd claimed her couch first, being the plushest, comfiest looking one, and she didn't mind sharing it with Josh.

At least he was cute, and nice to talk to, unlike the majority of the folks who had come in after them. She lifted her beer bottle, and tipped it towards him. He amiably clinked his glass against it, and the both took a sip. "What a night." Kerry sighed.

"You can say that again." Josh agreed. "I'm gonna give my notice as soon as I get access to a phone line. That's it for me, let me tell ya. No sir.. I'm going home to Minnesota, and sell me some pizza, and never get on anything bigger than a buffalo cart."

Kerry sucked at her bottleneck thoughtfully. "Minnesota?"

A finger. "No jokes."

"Hey.. I'm from Saugatuck." Kerry chuckled. "I don’t make jokes about other people's hometowns." Her eyebrows twitched a little, and she felt a sense of recklessness tickle her spine. Maybe it was her close brush with danger. "So.. you don't want to work for Intelsat, huh? How about working for ILS?"

He blinked. "You're joking."

"Nope." Kerry smiled at a young woman, who offered her a platter of food. She had to look twice before she realized the small, square brown items were really White Castle burgers. "Interesting choice." She took two, and handed one to Josh. "Guess they were out of pate."

Josh munched his burger. "Texturally, there's not much difference here."

Kerry bit delicately into her patty, and chewed it. "Hm." She swallowed. "You've got a point there… and no, I wasn't kidding. One of the things I do is look for new talent for the company.. you interested?"

"Do I get to work for you?" Josh asked, with a rakish grin.

Kerry considered the question. "Well, all the programming groups do work in the department I'm in.. so yeah.. I guess you would, in a way." She smiled at him. "Unless you wanted to move to Miami.. then you definitely would."

Josh wiggled his ears, a supremely goofy motion that almost made Kerry choke. "Waeeell… now." He looked definitely intrigued. "I'll get back to you on that, Miz Stuart… I surely will."

"Good." Kerry settled back and accepted the blanket the agent handed her, along with a standard airline size pillow. "Thank you… and thanks for bringing up my bag." She patted the leather item.

The agent patted her arm. "I know it's been a rough night for you all - we'll see what we can do about getting you out of here tomorrow." She sighed. "Doesn't look good, though."

"No?" Kerry's brow creased. "Is the storm that bad?" She glanced at the tv screen, mutely dancing on the far wall. A map was featured on it, and the entire center of the country was one, big splort of flashing lights and colors. "Oh."

"Ugh." Josh exhaled. "Wonder if they make those White Castle things in turkey flavor."

Kerry stared at the picture, her rising spirits sinking again. She was beginning to think Thanksgiving was definitely just not her holiday.

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

It was mostly dark, when a disturbing dream brought Kerry out of her restless sleep, one hand reaching out automatically for something that wasn't there. Someone, she exhaled, her fingers trailing along the leather surface of the couch. Her body felt sore, and she realized it was the tension that had locked her muscles into rigid fear during their flight.

She lifted her head and peered around in the dim light, letting her eyes touch the sleeping lumps of her fellow travelers, some of whom were rattling the cups behind the bar with vibrant snores. Her time sense was telling her it was morning, though, her body so used to waking before dawn that she found it annoyingly hard to sleep in even when she could.

Not that it was comfortable enough in the lounge to sleep in, but she didn't have Dar poking her in the ribs to coax her out of bed, either. Kerry smiled to herself, thinking about the new game they'd been playing in the morning, shower dancing. Dar had gotten one of those in the shower radios, and they'd both discovered the music did a good job of waking them up.

And, occasionally, making them late for their morning run. Kerry chuckled to herself. Once, late for work itself, something that had them both mildly mortified as they strolled through the lobby collecting knowing stares. Oh well. Kerry stifled a yawn, then crawled out from under her blanket and rummaged in her pack, pulling out her small case of toiletries and tucking them under her arm along with a change of clothes.. She trudged into the restroom, letting the heavy door swing shut behind her, and regarded her reflection.

"Uck." She stuck her tongue out at the rumpled figure glaring back at her. "Sleep in your clothes much, Ker?" Her jacket slid off, and she hung it over the doorframe, then she untucked her shirt from her jeans and pulled it off, shivering as the cool air raised goosebumps across her bare skin.

"Bet we don't get hot water." She turned on the faucet, and was pleasantly surprised. "Ooo… glad I was wrong about that." She took out her soap and scrubbed her face and upper body, then used the small towel she always packed to dry herself off. She gave her hair a quick wash, then ran a brush through it's shortened length. "There." Kerry smiled at the wet reflection. "Now you look human."

She brushed her teeth, giggling at the grape toothpaste Dar must have slipped into her bag, and trying not to swallow it. The horror of the day before had faded, and as she put her things away, and straightened, she felt her usual sense of self confidence returning, along with her appetite. "Hm.. I wonder if they have Cinnabons here." Her plan of action decided on, she changed into the folded clothes she'd brought, tucking her underwear into the pockets of the jeans she removed and rolling them, and her shirt, into a neat little ball. Then she resumed her leather jacket, and proceeded out into the lounge again.

Everyone was stirring, and they'd turned the lights up. Kerry was glad she'd gotten in and out early, as a stream of grumpy looking bodies moved towards the bathrooms, and two clerks appeared, carrying paperwork and a tray of fruit. "Fruit." Kerry knelt beside her bag and put her things away. "What do they think we are, monkeys?"

Josh had been rubbing his eyes, and now he laughed. "You sound like my little brother." He teased her. "And I figured you for a heath food nut when you got on the plane, too."

Kerry grinned back. "Not me.. not for breakfast, that's for sure. I need a good dose of protein, and a little carbs or my body just doesn't behave at all." She stood up and stretched, then glanced around. "Bet the concourse has something along those lines."

"They're probably fighting to feed all the folks stuck here." Josh commented. "Let me go fight for a…um.."

"Urinal? Spot on the floor? Tree?" Kerry's face crinkled into a smile as she watched him turn red. "I've got a younger brother too." She sat down on the arm of the couch. "Go on.. I've got to tell my people I’m not where I'm supposed to be." Josh left, and she keyed in the code for her voice mail, which her phone told her there were several of. The first two she deleted half heard, having already taken care of the problem they reported. The third she listened to, then rekeyed and listened again. It was from Dar, and the voice sounded uncharacteristically hesitant. She checked the time, and realized it must have been left while she was in the air. "Hm… she didn't mention anything when we talked.. wonder what that was all about. Guess it wasn't that important."

Nothing else was urgent, and she dialed the Redmond office. "Hi, Clarice.. yeah, it's Kerry. Listen, I'm stuck." Kerry told the voice that answered.

"Yes, we got that message… your office is already trying to get you out of there, but it's not looking too good." The regional coordinator answered briskly. "I think I've managed to put the crisis on hold for Thanksgiving , though. We figure we'll pick up after the weekend, and by then, you should be able to get out here."

Kerry sighed. "Yeah."

"Don't sound so excited." Clarice remarked dryly. "I wouldn't be asking for your help if I didn't really need it."

"No.. it's not that, Clar.. sorry." Kerry told her. "It's just this was my first Thanksgiving…well, anyway. There'll be a lot more. It was just bad timing."

"Sorry.. didn't think you had family down there, Kerry. My apologies." The woman responded. "I always think of you Ops people as..er…"

"Living under our desks on pizza and Jolt, right?"

"Well.."

Kerry laughed. "It's okay.. some of us do. I'm just not one of them. I like my traditional comforts… but anyway, I'll see you out there on Monday, bright and early."

"Looking forward to meeting you, Kerry. You're great to work with." Clarice complimented her. "Good luck on your flight."

"Thanks." Kerry closed the phone, and looked up as Josh returned. "Ready to go find breakfast?" She stood, and they walked towards the door, opening it and edging out into the terminal. It was if anything, more packed than it had been the night before, and tempers were definitely on edge. Kerry could see a blanket of snow through the window, and her heart sank a little as she realized she was likely to be stuck over the holiday . "Yuck."

"Double yuck." Josh agreed. "Do you know what this terminal looks like?"

Kerry's eyes suddenly caught a motion to her left, and she swung her head that way, her eyes fastening immediately on the doorway leading into the main part of the concourse. She took a breath. Then a second. "Heaven."

"What?" Josh stared at her.

"Heaven." Kerry felt her face tense into a smile, as she broke into a run and dodged through the milling crowds, ending up leaping into the arms of a waiting Dar, who had just cleared the threshold. "Eauuerrgggggg….." She buried her face in the taller woman's chest and wiggled like a puppy.

"Boy." Dar engulfed her in a hug. "That was worth traveling all night for."

"Oohhhhh…. " Kerry inhaled, then sighed. "I am so glad to see you, I can't even begin to describe it."

"Me too." Dar murmured. "I mean.. you know what I mean."

Kerry grinned. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She finally released her partner, and leaned back to gaze up, seeing very tired blue eyes looking back at her. "You look like heck." She could see the lines of tension across Dar's face. "You didn't drive here, did you?"

"Ever see the movie Trains, Planes and Automobiles?" Dar joked faintly. "That's what my night's been like." She glanced past Kerry. "You had breakfast?"

"Nuh huh." Kerry took her hand and tugged. "C'mon and meet my friend Josh. I found him on the airplane, we almost crashed together, and now I’m recruiting him for ILS." She lead Dar back to where the very puzzled Josh was still standing and gave him a happy smile as they drew near.

"I take it you guys know each other." Josh drawled seriously. "Or else you're just a real friendly kind of person, Miz Kerry."

She laughed. "Well, I am pretty friendly most of the time, but yes, we do know each other. Josh, this is my boss, Dar Roberts."

His eyes flicked to Dar, then to her, then back to Dar. "Oh. Wow. I think I’m going to love working for this company." He burbled. "You're not 'the' Dar Roberts, are you?"

A smile tugged one side of Dar's mouth up. "I’m the only one I know."

"Your design for aircraft navigation matrices were a core component of my senior engineering and applications class." Josh told her. "I never thought I'd actually meet you. In fact, I though you were probably retired already." He rubbed his eyes, and giggled. "I wonder if the professor who used to swoon over your code knows you're a woman? He hates them."

Dar laughed. "Tell me his name. I'll send him a note."

Kerry relaxed, having detected signs her sometimes prickly lover approved of her new friend. "Why were they studying Dar's program?" She asked, as she nudged them both towards the doorway to the concourse.

"Because it was perfect." Josh told her. "The Prof used it to demonstrate proper coding and documentation, and economy of design.. it was so clean."

"How old were you?" Kerry elbowed her lover. "My punky genius." She slipped an arm around Dar's waist, and sighed happily as the taller woman draped her own arm over Kerry's shoulders. "Dar was an infant prodigy. She was dissecting Crays in the cradle."

They found a table, miraculously, and Josh gallantly told them to sit while he fought the masses for three portions of eggs and accoutrements. Kerry watched him plow off, and turned her partner. "Hi there."

Dar took her hands and just held them. "Hi."

"I was going to tell you that you didn't have to come all the way out here, but you know what, Dar?" Kerry regarded her. "I wanted you here. I was just about to go find a way to get to New York." She chafed the long fingers gently. "Thank you."

"I couldn't sleep." Dar answered. "I figured you weren't going to get out of here in time to get home for the holiday, and I sure as hell didn't want to be there without you." Dar paused. "So. Here I am." The blue eyes lifted, and took in the crowded, overheated airport. "So, here we are."

"Well." Kerry considered the situation. "We don’t' have to stay here."

"Planes aren't leaving."

"No, I mean.." Kerry shifted. "We don't have to stay here in the airport.. we can go into the city, right? I bet it's nice in Chicago for Thanksgiving." She glanced at the window, where the snow was now driving so hard she couldn’t see the sadly blanketed 747 that was just outside. "Driving's probably a bad idea.. I'm out of practice, but we can take the trains."

"Trains?" Dar looked interested. "All right. We can do that.. I"ve never spent time in Chicago."

"Me either." Kerry smiled. "But it's a lot harder to get lost on the train than in a car, right? It'll be easy."

The tired face opposite her creased into a grin. "Sounds great"

"After you take a nap." Kerry put a fingertip on Dar's nose. "I know where there's a leather couch that would just about fit you."

Dar nodded, and exhaled, allowing her body to relax, now that she was here, and the nightmares were behind her.

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

"Ms. Stuart, would you like some ice tea?" The clerk kept her voice down.

"No thanks." Kerry smiled at her, glad the lounge had emptied slightly. They'd taken over the couch in the furthest corner of the room, but it was still noisy and only the fact that Dar was completely exhausted was allowing the dark haired woman to get some sleep.

She was curled up on the couch, her head in Kerry's lap, mostly covered with one of the fluffy blue blankets, with one hand draped over Kerry's waist. . Kerry had an arm circling Dar's shoulders, and she kept up a light, absent stroking on her lover's back. She had absolutely nothing to do while Dar slept, but what could have been a boring time was merely peaceful instead, as she let her thoughts drift and enjoyed the simple warmth of Dar's presence.

Josh had gotten some college buddies of his to pick him up, and promised to keep in touch. He'd stuffed Kerry's business card into his pocket without looking at it, and she suspected he was in for a small surprise when he finally did. In the meantime, she amused herself with thinking up interesting things for her and Dar to do in Chicago.

Boating on the lake, unfortunately, was out, unless she wanted to introduce Dar to ice fishing, which she some how doubted her warm weather sweetheart would really appreciate. They could find a cute little restaurant to have dinner in, though. Kerry glanced down as she felt a long exhale warm her leg through the denim. Dar's head slowly turned, a faint hint of the devil evident in the half opened blue eyes. "Don't you get any ideas here in this crowded room, Paladar K. Roberts." Kerry warned her. The tip of a pink tongue poked out slightly. "Darrrrr…" An eyebrow twitched slightly, and Dar smiled, then shifted a little to look straight up at her. "Good girl."

Dar's head moved at that, and the white teeth nipped at a very sensitive area very close by. Kerry almost let out a yelp that would have woken a dead man twelve feet away, but managed to keep it to a strangled gurgle as she grabbed for Dar's ears. "OooooI'mgonnagetyouforthat."

The teeth reappeared, this time in a smile. "Promise?" Dar inquired, in a low rasp.

"Ye.." Kerry cleared her throat as her voice broke, the jolts of sensuality still making her tingle. "Yes.. oh yes, I do indeed promise. You are in such trouble."

"Good." Dar snuggled down contentedly, and nuzzled her leg. "I want to put you in a large Roman tub and fill it with strawberry bubbles and me."

Oh boy. Kerry felt her hands move without permission, sensitive fingers finding the warm skin under the fabric of Dar's shirt and stroking softly. She felt another warm breath tickle her between the thighs and only just barely kept herself from leaning over and sucking Dar's ear, peeking out from the dark, disheveled hair. "Honey." She murmured piteously.

Dar chuckled. "Sorry."

"No you're not."

"Neither are you." Dar responded, with a twinkle. "What time is it?"

Kerry ran a finger along Dar's jawline, watching the light and shadows slip across her face in sober fascination. Her hand moved up, to trace a dark eyebrow, which lifted as she stroked it's fine hairs. "I'm sorry. What did you ask me?"

Dar's lips twitched. "What do you think I just asked you?"

"I have no idea." Kerry murmured. "My brain must have slipped south."

Dar's eyes tracked, then lifted, and the eyebrow curved up suggestively. "What was the name of that hotel we were going to again?"

"Fairmont." Kerry finally felt her synapses refiring. "Um.. and I think we'd better get going, it's kinda late." Her eyes flicked to her watch. "Three oclock, as a matter of fact."

"Thank you. That's what I asked." Dar rolled onto her back, then sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the couch, resting her elbows on her knees and scrubbing her face with her hands. "Boy, I needed that." She sat back and exhaled. "I don't feel like what my father used to describe as a used cat in a plastic bag anymore."

Kerry's face scrunched up. "Ew." She handed Dar the brush from her bag. "You may not feel like a scruffy kitty, but you sure look like one." She watched Dar run the brush through her dark locks, static electricity making the strands crackle and cling to her fingers. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Did you bring a heavy jacket?"

Dar stopped in mid motion. "No. Why?"

"Because we're going out into the Arctic tundra, honey.. you might bump into a polar bear." Kerry chuckled. "Of course, neither did I… we're going to have to get a couple before we leave this airport."

So they did. The airport was crowded full of unhappy people, but most of them were not going near the leather shop near the terminal entrance. "And you need gloves." Kerry pulled up the collar on the creamy, tan leather jacket Dar had tried on, with a furry lining and lots of interesting pockets.

"Gloves." Dar mused.

"And a scarf." Kerry wrapped a long, bright red piece of wool around her lover's neck.

"Kerrison." Dar disentangled herself. "I don't need a scarf."

"All right.. but don’t' say I didn't warn you." Kerry selected a blue scarf for herself, and a pair of warm gloves, and brought them and the chocolate colored leather coat she'd selected to the cash register. "Please put this, and whatever that tall, dark haired southern person has on this card." She handed the clerk her credit card. "And if she argues with you, just say I said so, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." The young girl smiled at her and took the card.

Kerry looped her shoulder strap over her shoulder and glanced sideways at Dar as they rode the escalator down, watching the bright blue eyes taking in the view of the very crowded main terminal. "Decided to trust me, huh?" She flicked a hand at the red scarf dangling from Dar's neck. "I should have told you to get ear muffs… you'd look really, really cute in ear muffs."

"Don’t push your luck, Buckyboo." Dar nudged her shoulder. "Or we'll see what you look like in a pair of those pink bunny ears." A long finger pointed. "Or a cotton tail."

"I'd look really dumb with a tail, Dar." Kerry chuckled, and shifted her bag., making ready to step off the escalator and board the next one. Dar lagged behind, and lifted the edge of her coat speculatively.

"Nah.. you'd look cute." Dar patted her on the butt, then caught up and joined her on the next stair down. "Where are these damn trains?"

"Right there." Kerry pointed towards the entrance. "C'mon, Buff.. let's get us on an L."

"El?" Dar held the door open, and they entered the train terminal, which echoed with faint, clicking noises that traveled up and down the tracks. "El what? El chupacabra?"

"El as in Elevated, Dar." Kerry dug in her pockets for change, only to find long arms surrounding her like an octopus inserting crisp dollar bills into the ticket machine. "Hey."

"You bought me a freaking two hundred dollar coat. I can buy a pair of tickets." Dar enunciated precisely into her ear. "And we're going to wrestle for the hotel bill, Madame."

"No fair. You always beat me in wrestling." Kerry complained, taking her ticket. "Can't we play checkers or something?"

"No. You win at that because you constantly distract me." Dar paced down the platform, looking around curiously.

"Not my fault you can't concentrate with peanut butter on your nose." Kerry muttered, as she joined her. "Have you ever been in on the subway, Dar?"

"Sub? I thought you said this was elevated." An eyebrow arched. The train arrived, and Dar reviewed it dubiously, before entering the car and selecting a seat. "Didn't you?"

"Well." Kerry smiled and patted her hand. "Parts of it are."

"And the other parts are underground?" Dar's nostrils flared.

"Mmhm."

"Great."

"Or under the river."

"What!!??"

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

"It's really snowing hard." Dar had her nose pressed to the train's window, watching the streets slip by, covered in blowing white. "Wow."

Kerry extended her legs and crossed them at the ankles, eyeing her lover with an amused grin. "Dixiecup."

"Yankee." Dar smiled, meeting Kerry's eyes in the reflection of the glass. "And you know damn well Miami's not part of the South."

"Mm." Kerry waggled her hand. "Parts of it are."

"No." Dar turned around and faced her. "Parts of unincorporated Dade County are."

"Which is where we live."

Dar's brows contracted. "Well, yes."

"There you go, you little rebel you." Kerry took hold of the strap of her bag. "C'mon.. ours is the next stop." She stood up and held onto the seat as the train rumbled to a halt. They stepped out, and made their way to the door, which Dar reached out and opened.

"Yow." A blast of very cold, very wet air hit them. Dar shut the door at once. "What the hell was that?"

Kerry pushed the door open, and tucked her scarf into her jacket. "Winter. C'mon." She latched on to Dar's arm and pulled her through the opening into the snowy weather. "Ugh." Snow immediately got in her eyes, and she threw a hand up, feeling the wet, thick flakes cluster on her skin. "I forgot how much I don't like this."

"Yeah?" Dar had her hands firmly tucked in her pockets, and she was squinting against the snowfall. "Doesn't seem as cold as I thought it would, I.. whoa!" Dar's body jerked as she lost her balance, and started slipping.

Kerry grabbed for her, but felt her own footing slip, and before she knew it, the ground was sloping down and she pitched forward, hearing Dar yelp in alarm as the sidewalk came up very fast and very hard. They hit and rolled, slipping down the icy surface until they ended up smack against a bus bench, rapidly collecting a coating of frosty white. "Ow."

Dar scrambled up next to her and sat, ignoring the cold surface as she reached over and patted Kerry carefully. "You all right?" She winced as she felt along one arm, where her elbow had taken most of the impact of her fall. "Ker?"

Kerry sat up and rubbed her neck. "That wasn't fun." She brushed a coating of snow off her legs. "Did I mention how I never liked snow?" She got to her knees, and carefully stood, holding onto the bench as Dar rose on the other side of her. "Boy, this better be one heck of hotel on the other end of this walk."

"Hm." Dar wrapped an arm around her and they started off again, walking a lot more carefully this time. It was dark, from the storm, and the street went under another one. They finally spotted the light of the hotel's entrance, and made for it gratefully as the wind tugged them back and forth. "I don’t know.." Dar grabbed the door and pulled it open. "I’m beginning to wonder about you northerners."

The door closed behind them, and they entered the hotel lobby, heading across the plush, elegant space towards the front desk. As they reached it, the clerk looked up, and gave them a smile. "Good afternoon."

"Hi." Kerry pushed the hood from her jacket back off her face. "I have a reservation under Kerrison Stuart?"

"Yes, ma'am." The woman pulled up the reservation, and entered some information. "I'll need a cred..oh, thank you." The clerk took the square of plastic helpfully held past Kerry's reach by Dar's longer arms and processed it. Then she gave them their key, and wished them a good night.

Dar leaned back against the elevator wall as they traveled upward. "Nice hotel."

"Mm." Kerry agreed, waiting for Dar to exit before she followed her off the elevator and down the quiet hallway to their room, which opened obediently and admitted them. "Oo." The room was large, and had a nice, big window in it, giving it an air of spaciousness that was very pleasing to Kerry's eyes. The bed was plush, and very comfortable looking, and the room had a couch, and desk, and a interesting looking bathroom.

"Jacuzzi?" Dar asked, as she set their bags down.

"Yeah." Kerry grinned. "You know, if I have to be stuck somewhere for Thanksgiving, this isn't a bad place." She leaned against Dar. "And the company's not bad either."

"Hm.." Dar smiled, then sighed, as her cell phone rang. "Yes?"

Alastair's cheerful voice answered. "Hello, Dar. Where the hell are you?"

"Chicago."

There was a moment of puzzled silence. "Chicago? I thought you were going to Redmond?"

Kerry heard, and shook a finger at her playfully.

"I was. Weather got in the way, now I'm stuck here, no thanks to ILS." Dar dredged up a growl. "You owe me."

Alastair sighed. "Sorry about that, Dar. I'll make it up to you. Listen. I’m calling because Bob wont' let me alone until I find out if you're all right. He said you got sick during dinner with him?"

Kerry's head cocked in puzzlement.

"I'm fine." Dar answered, shortly. "Must have been something I ate."

"You sure?" Alastair pressed gently. "Bob was pretty concerned."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Came the reply. "Tell him thanks, but it wasn't anything serious."

"Okay." Her boss accepted that. "Glad to hear it… listen, I’m really sorry you got stuck out there, Dar.. is there anything I can do? Some little comfort I can get for you? Are you in a decent hotel, at least?"

Dar glanced around, then relaxed, as Kerry leaned against her. "Yeah.. the Fairmont.. and I think I've got everything I need. Thanks, Alastair." She paused. "Have a good Thanksgiving."

Her arms slid around Kerry's body, and they rested against each other quietly for a bit. "Were you sick?" Kerry finally asked, glancing up. 'What happened..oh, hey.. did that have something to do with that voice mail you left me?"

What on earth could she answer to that? Dar put her phone away, and stripped out of her winter gear, using the act to give herself a moment to think. She found herself wanting to simply forget the whole thing, what was the sense in brining it up again? It was over. A freak thing. Never happen again.

"Dar?" Kerry folded her coat, and laid it over the chair. "You said you wanted to ask me about something weird, was that it?"

It sounded stupid to her, even thinking about it. "No.. well.." Dar dropped into a chair, and exhaled. "It wasn't any big deal, just…"

Kerry read the warning signals very evident in her lover's body language, and they puzzled her. "Well, hold on.. I could use some coffee, so let me order some up, and we can talk about it." She paused, watching Dar's face tense. "If you still want to, that is."

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

Dar sipped the hot coffee, barely tasting the sweetness as it slipped down her throat. Kerry hadn't pressed her further after the tray had been delivered, merely giving her a cup and taking her own, then settling into the chair across from her and waiting.

"You don't have to talk about it , Dar." Kerry finally said, not quite managing to mask the disappointment in her voice. 'It's okay."

"It's not that I don't want… Kerry, you were the first person I thought of after…" Dar got a couple of aborted starts off, then stumbled to a halt. "Shit."

Kerry was puzzled. "Okay… I know that, since you called. What on earth was it, Dar? He didn't make a pass at you, did he? I mean, you can handle that, god knows you have to often enough."

"No." Dar put her cup down, and sucked in a deep breath. "I wish it were that. No.. we were having dinner, and in the middle of it, I.." She lifted a hand. "I can't really describe it, Ker. It was like… I don't know, maybe it was something I ate. It felt like the world crashed down on me for a little while."

"Really?" Kerry put her coffee aside and got up, walking over to kneel at Dar's side, and let her hands rest on her partner's knee. "Wow.. I know you were really nervous during the presentation.."

"You knew that?"

"Oh, honey… you could see it all over your face." Kerry smiled. "So yeah, I did.. maybe it was an aftereffect of that?"

Dar considered the point. "Hm. Maybe." She felt better. "Yeah, I was tied up in knots, I'll admit it… maybe that was it." She felt considerably lighter. "Beats the alternative.. I thought maybe I was going a little crazy.. having an anxiety attack or something." She managed a faint laugh.

Kerry folded her fingers around Dar's hand. "I know you've been kinda… I mean, that whole thing in DC was pretty traumatic."

"Yeah." Dar swallowed. ""I try not to think about it."

Kerry took the next step very carefully. She'd been a little worried about Dar since they'd gotten back, but she'd hoped time would take care of that. Maybe she'd been wrong. "Would you feel better if you talked to someone about that?"

"I thought I was." Dar answered warily.

"Okay." Kerry rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand. "I like that. If something bothers you, I want to know… beside you being the love of my life, you're also my best friend, remember that, okay?"

Dar smiled, a little more easily this time. "Likewise." She acknowledged. "You may be right about the conference. I was pretty wound up about that, maybe more than I realized." True. "Anyway, once I got back to the room, it let up for a while, then I was so busy worrying about you, I.. forgot all about it."

"Yeah.. I was pretty tied up in knots myself at that point." Kerry confessed. "When we hit that first pocket, I think I was more scared than I'd ever been in my entire life. I remember looking down at my watch, just staring at it, wondering if I"d ever see it change from nine fifteen to nine sixteen."

Dar's brow creased thoughtfully. "Nine fifteen? You sure?"

"Damn sure… those decimals are imprinted on the back of my eyeballs practically." Kerry replied. "Why?"

"I'd just looked at the clock in Times Square before that whole thing happened to me. " Dar stated. "It was nine fifteen."

They stared at each other. "Weird." Kerry finally muttered. "Well, it must have been a cosmic coincidence, Dar…there's no way you could have known what was going on up in that airplane." She paused. "Is there?"

"No." Her lover replied. "No way.. just one of those things, I guess."

"Yeah."

Kerry stood up and circled the chair, leaning against the back and resting her hands on Dar's shoulders. Dar tipped her head back to watch her curiously. "You've never had that happen before, right?" Kerry asked.

"Nope." Dar shook her head definitely. "Why?"

"Just curious." Kerry murmured. "Anyway… I saw a great restaurant downstairs… they've got singing waiters. Want to give it a try for dinner?"

Dar nibbled Kerry's shirt, and tugged the fabric.

"Or, maybe not." Kerry leaned over and indulged herself in a kiss. "Maybe we can order in." She felt Dar's hands slip around her, pulling her around the side of the chair and into her lover's lap. 'Oh yeah…" Her body reacted to Dar's touch, powerful even through the thick denim fabric. She knew she had something else she wanted to ask Dar, but what that was..

Escaped her, as Dar undid her belt, and ran curious fingers under her shirt. She undid Dar's buttons and peeled the silk fabric back, dipping her head to nibble the hollow just above her lover's collarbone. "Mmm…" Kerry tasted the skin, then caught a fold of it in her teeth, and nibbled upward, feeling Dar's ribs heave under her hands. "God, I love you."

For an instant, Dar paused, then the gentle touch returned, releasing the button on her jeans, and easing them down past her hips. "I love you too." She whispered, right into Kerry's mouth, as she eased them both to their feet, turning gracefully as Kerry stepped out of her jeans. "You're the most important thing in the world to me."

Kerry took a breath. "That's such a nice thing to be." She pressed against Dar's body, moving her hands up the long back and pulling her closer so they were belly to belly as she unhooked Dar's chinos and got them out of the way. "Thank you." She kissed Dar's navel, then worked her way up.

And paused, as her half focused eyes registered a color change in front of her nose. She paused, and pulled her head back, blinking. "Good God, Dar.. what in the hell did you do to yourself?" Kerry touched a finger to the ugly bruise that covered her lover's ribcage just under her breasts.

"Huh?" Dar broke off her distracting attack on Kerry's ears, and glanced down. "Oh, damn. I forgot."

"Forgot?" Kerry shoved her gently backwards, and pushed her down on the bed, then did a very thorough examination of the sprawled form. "That's not from the sidewalk."

"No." Dar pulled her down and kissed her. "I had a little accident on the road on the way here." A night mare flash of white roads, and skidding tires sent a brief shiver down her spine. "Nothing permanent damaged."

Kerry rested her weight on her elbows, their bodies touching, and looked down into Dar's eyes. "When?" She felt Dar's hand slide up over her hip, and had to force herself to remain where she was, instead of lowering herself and falling into the sensual warmth starting to rise around her. "When did it happen, Dar?"

"I don't remember." Dar turned her head and licked Kerry's forearm, then nibbled the skin. "Sometime early in the morning.. " Her hands moved up Kerry's athletic form and circled her breasts. "Does it matter?"

Did it? Kerry knew she had a reason for asking, but the jolts of desire were too distracting, and she gave up worrying about it, leaning into Dar's touch as her head dropped forward to meet the waiting lips. Oh well. She'd remember later.

Maybe.

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

Continued in Part 2

Tropical High

By Melissa Good

Part 2

"Strawberry or pineapple?" Kerry inquired, sticking a toe above the bubbling water and wiggling it.

"Banana." Dar replied, from her relaxed position , eyes closed and hands folded over her bare stomach.

"Do you do that just to be contrary?" Kerry sighed, and took a bit of banana, dipping it in the melted chocolate fondue, then passing it over and placing it on Dar's impatiently waiting tongue. "Mark once told me he knew you deliberately found the hardest way to do things, just so you could say you did them that way."

A blue eye appeared, and regarded her, then winked. "Nah. I just like bananas."

Kerry chuckled, as she settled back against the sloping wall of the jacuzzi. "This was a good idea. I was really still kind of tired from yesterday… was it yesterday? I can't believe that's all it was. I can't believe I'm here, and you're here, and…" She paused, and took a breath. "God, I'm babbling. Sorry."

Dar slid closer, and patted her thigh. "It's okay. You must have been pretty strung up. Remind me to send a card to the guy who landed the plane, huh?"

"Yeah." Kerry forced a smile. "There was a moment there, right before we landed, when I was sure we weren't going to make it." She found Dar's hand under the water and lacked their fingers together. "I was so pissed off."

"Pissed off?" Dar retrieved a strawberry and coated it in chocolate, then split it in half and offered one section to Kerry. "Why?"

"I was mad at the idea we'd be separated." Kerry answered honestly. "I didn't want to leave you.. that's what I thought about the most."

Dar went very still for a few heartbeats, then her chest moved in a long inhale. "You know." She gazed at the water and spoke quietly. "I have no idea what I would have done if that had happened."

Kerry blinked, a little alarmed at the lost look on Dar's face. "Well, it didn't, so no sense in dwelling on it." She paused, but Dar's expression didn't change. "Dar?"

A momentary tensing of the muscles of her jaw, then the dark haired woman's body relaxed a little. "True." Dar produced a smile. "I’m.. sort of glad I didn't know what was going on until it was over. I…think I would have gone a little berzerk." She glanced down as Kerry rested her cheek against her shoulder. "What was that pilot's name again?"

"John." Kerry murmured. "John Jabonski."

"Let me call the airline CEO." Dar reached over her head and fished for her cell phone. "Maybe I can get him to double the guy's salary…"

"Dar." Kerry laughed softly. "He was just doing his job."

Direct, powerful blue eyes captured hers. "He held your life in his hands, and didn't drop it." Dar told her. "Do you know what that's worth to me?" She started to dial, then almost dropped the phone in the water when it buzzed in her hand. "God damn it.. I wish that woudn't do that." She opened the phone. "Yes?"

"Easy, honey." Kerry rubbed Dar's belly comfortingly.

"Oh.. hi dad." Dar's frame relaxed. "You just get in?"

"Yes, we surely did." Andrew Robert's raspy voice answered. "I do believe your mother is no longer welcome in them islands, however."

"Oh? What'd she do?" Dar's brow hiked.

"She did not appreciate some of the local customs, and damn well near started a revolution.." Her father answered. "Good thing I had them put those naval engines in this here boat. "

"Oh." Dar watched Kerry covering her mouth as she listened. "Sounds.. like you had fun." She remarked. "Listen.. I've got some bad news."

"I already spoke to that red haired little buddy of the kumquats… where are you?" Andrew asked.

"Chicago." Dar said. "Weather's pretty bad." She felt her body unwinding from the unexpected tension Kerry's words had caused. "I don't think I'm going to make it back for the holiday."

"We figgered." Her father answered placidly. "Where'd Kerry end up?"

Dar's eyes flicked to the wet, slightly flushed face next to hers. "Uh.. she's here too."

"Magine that. " The ex SEAL drawled. "You two take care, all right?"

Kerry took the phone. "Thanks, dad… sorry we're going to miss having turkey with you." She told her father in law. "You're not going to escape Christmas, though… I'm warning you."

There was a faint throat clearing. "Ah do believe it's going to be you two squirts that aren't going to escape that particular holiday, kumquat. " Andrew said. "Been a couple things I've had a mind to get for Dardar since she was in short pants, and now I've got the chance."

Kerry chuckled. "Uh oh."

"Now you hush." Andy warned. "Be careful. I got in a boat load of trouble in Chicago last time I was there."

"We will." Dar took the phone back. "See you soon, dad." She hung up and folded the phone, tapping it against her chin. "Wonder what he's up to."

"You weren't supposed to hear that." Kerry removed the phone from her lover's hands and set it down, glad of the distraction that had snapped Dar out of her funk. "I’m sure it'll be something really nice… "

"Like?" Dar amiably returned her attention to the lonely looking pineapple, which had languished far behind the more popular banana and strawberries in getting a chocolate bath. "I hope he remembers I'm not ten anymore." She offered Kerry a slice of the yellow fruit, which her blond companion accepted neatly. "I don’t' need him to buy me anything." She added. "It's enough of a.. it's nice just having him back."

"I love your parents." Kerry replied. "I already started picking things out for them for presents. " She grinned, at Dar's expression. "Cmon, don’t' tell me you haven't started shopping yet."

Blue eyes took on a guilty tint. "Um… "

"Dar."

"I do all my shopping on the net." Dar protested lamely. "There's plenty of time.. haven't you ever heard of Fedex?"

"Jesus." Kerry covered her eyes.

"Hey." Dar splashed her. "It's not like yours hasn't been gotten already."

Green eyes peeked through wet fingers. "Yeah?"

"Yes." Dar put a blob of chocolate squarely on Kerry's nose and went to work cleaning it off. "And boy, did I ever have fun doing that."

"Uh oh." Kerry smiled nervously. "It didn't have anything to do with that leather store, did it?"

Dar grinned, seemingly fully restored to her good humor from her previous anxiety. "Guess you'll have to wait and find out.. won'tcha?"

"Oooo… if I guess, will you tell me?" Kerry coaxed, sliding over and straddling Dar's legs, receiving some chocolate in a place that almost made her forget her question. "Hey.. that's warm."

"Not as warm as this is." Dar delicately removed the fudge. "And no, I will not tell you."

"Please?" Kerry leaned over and begged, right into Dar's ear.

"Curious, aren't you? It's just a present."

"What present?" Kerry whispered, getting a chuckle in response, as Dar turned her attention to more chocolate removal. "Oh yeah. I'll take that one…"

And then, of course, the lights went off. The jacuzzi whirred into silence. Kerry lowered her forehead to touch Dars, and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hm." Dar regrouped. "Bet I can find your navel in the dark."

"Bet you can't." Pause. "Oooo…. I take that back."

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

"Is the power back on?"

"No."

"That means the heat isn't either, right?"

"No."

"Ah." Kerry closed her eyes again and put her head back down on Dar's shoulder. It was dark and warm where she was, the several blankets and quilt the room provided over them both like a cloth igloo. Warm enough for her to be completely comfortable, despite her current state of dress. Or lack thereof, actually.

"Got any ideas for today?" Dar put aside all thoughts of her worklist. "We could start burning the furniture for heat."

"Hm." Kerry brushed the tip of her nose against the short, fine hairs that covered Dar's body. "I can think of other things to do for heat."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a hedonist?" Dar chuckled.

Kerry burrowed upward, and poked her head out from under the covers, looking very much like a dishevelled blond muskrat. "Nope." She shook her head. "Anyone ever tell you that you're way too sexy for those white socks you're wearing?" She blinked in the wan sunlight trying to lighten the room.

"No one but you ever sees my socks." Dar remarked mildly. "So I'd have to say no."

Kerry rolled over onto her side and curled up next to Dar, only her head exposed to the cold air. It was very quiet inside the room, only the sound of Dar's gentle breathing was audible, along with some faint clicks, pops, and thumps over and under them as fellow hotel captives stirred. "Trapped in a posh hotel in Chicago, with you, naked." Kerry exhaled. "Well, if I can't have turkey with all the trimmings, I suppose that'll do."

"Gee thanks." Dar arched a brow at her. "Glad to see where I rank."

Kerry poked her lower lip out a little and batted her fair lashes. "Sorry.. we did miss dinner last night, and I'm hungry." She stretched out under the covers. "Though, getting up to get dressed is going to be a bitch."

"Nah." Dar flipped the covers off both of them in a swift move, then scrambled out of bed and dove for her clothes as a yelping Kerry untangled herself and stripped a pillowcase off it's pillow, grabbing one end and snapping Dar smartly across the backside with the other.

"You half duplex nerdlette!" The blond woman whacked her again. "I'm gonna kill you for that…"

Dar grinned and ducked out of the way. "Better put some clothes on first." She tossed Kerry a shirt, and dodged the unerringly accurate linen. "Hey! You're the one who said you were hungry, remember?"

"Baaaaaaa!!!" Kerry abandoned the pillowcase and dove at her half clad target, catching Dar just as she was about to put a pair of shorts on. "Gotcha!"

Off balance, Dar hopped frantically to one side but was unable to escape the assault, which sent them both tumbling to the ground with a resounding thump. "Oof."

"Ow." Kerry winced. "Note to self. Don’t wrestle naked on polyester carpeting." She rubbed her rear end. "I think I just got rug burn."

Dar examined the spot. "Hm." She leaned over and kissed the spot, then slapped Kerry's calf. "Get dressed… we can jog downstairs and see what we can find, all right?"

"Seventeen flights? Sure." Kerry braced her hand on Dar's shoulder and stood, moving quickly to her bag and pulling on a thick sweatshirt. "I can use the workout." She tugged on the rest of her clothes. "Maybe we can find out how wid…" The lights flickered on, and the hum of the air exchangers cut in. "'spread the outage is." She finished, with a sigh. "Never mind."

Dar flicked the light switch approvingly, and watched the lamp come on, bathing the gloomy room with warm luminance. "Nice timing." She turned her head and watched the white snow falling past the window. "Wonder how long it'll last?"

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

Kerry stood just inside the door, and adjusted her scarf as she watched Dar leave the front desk and move towards her. Her friend was tucked into her winter coat, and as she joined Kerry, she stuck her hands in her pockets. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kerry asked. "It's pretty deep out there."

Dar pushed the door open, and blinked as the cold air hit her eyes. "I thought you liked snow." She waited for Kerry to move outside, then followed her. "What happened to that Northern toughness routine?"

"I do like snow." Kerry buried her nose into the scarf's soft fabric. "On television." She muttered softly. "Or in a snowglobe."

Dar forged ahead, glancing around her with interest. Despite the white cover, there was plenty to see. Chicago was a more wide open city than New York, and it was cleaner. Dar liked that. "Hey, what about having breakfast there?" She pointed.

"No.. no pizza for breakfast, honey." Kerry latched onto her arm and pulled. "But moving away from the lake is a good idea. My eyeballs are freezing solid." They turned their back on the wind, and moved down the street. "And besides, I really need some… ah."

They ducked into the coffee shop, where a sharp, rich scent greeted them. Two cups of mocha and several croissants later, they emerged back into the cold. "Now where?" Kerry asked. "How about we take a ride on the train?"

Dar stomped a hillock of snow, then turned to regard her companion. "I think you just want to get inside." She accused. "All right.. where does the train go?"

Kerry shrugged. "Let's get on one and find out." She spotted an entrance to the mass transit, and plowed determinedly towards it. "It's not that I don't like snow, Dar.. honestly.. it's great, it's just that…" She stopped, then let out a wild yell, as Dar neatly deposited a handful of the cold slush down the back of her shirt.

"It's cold." Dar finished for her, then bolted for the haven of the train station.

"Oh.. you are so dead." Kerry scrambled after her. "Paladar Katherine Roberts, when I catch you, I’m gonna… I'm gonna…. "

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

Kerry pressed her nose against the glass, watching the passing stations. There was a light tap on her knee, which she steadfastly ignored. Another tap. She pressed the glass harder, examining the tile walls flicking by.

A nudge. She turned her head. "I'm damp, and really pissed off." She told Dar, regretting it a moment later when she got caught in a sudden blast of wide open hurt in her partner's blue eyes, quickly masked as Dar turned her head, and settled back in her seat, folding her arms in a pose of casual disinterest.

C'mon, Kerry. She's apologized three times, What in the hell do you want, flowers fifty feet underground? Her conscience nudged her. It was a handful of snow.. get over it. Slowly she straightened in her seat, and let her hands rest on her knees. She watched Dar's profile, aware that Dar was aware she was. Small muscles in her jaw moved, and she saw her friend swallow, and she just couldn't stand it one more minute. "Sorry." A hand reached out and fit itself around Dar's knee., warm under her touch. "I’m really close to that time of the month, I guess."

Dar peeked at her uncertainly, from behind her cool facade. "Do you want my shirt? I'll take it off and give it to you."

Kerry balanced the wonderful comfort that would provide against the chaos her lover disrobing in the subway would cause, and sighed. "Thanks, Dardar… but I’m don’t want to have to bail you out of jail on Thanksgiving."

Dar relaxed a bit at the nickname, and edged closer. "For exposing my bra in public?"

"For causing a riot." Kerry found a smile tugging her lips upward. "I think I need to get some chocolate into me so I can stop being so cranky… can you put up with me until then?"

A shrug., and a smile. "Don't worry about it.. you're entitled. I didn't realize just how wet that stuff was until after I did it."

"Snow virgin." Kerry relaxed, seeing the tension ease out of Dar's face. Dar hated when they fought with each other, though as yet the longest any argument had lasted was just outside an hour.

Longest hour of my life, Kerry recalled wryly. And it was always something silly like this, too, since thank the Lord they were relatively compatible otherwise. Fighting made Dar anxious and tense, and the few times it had happened at the office had resulted in some personnel issues that Kerry had spent days smoothing out. For someone as together, and in control as Dar was, she had a curiously fragile grasp on her own emotional structure, something that Kerry had found first odd, then extremely endearing as she got to know her lover better.

Dar could yell at people all day long, completely disregarding anyone's feelings including her own, then be reduced to a puddle of goo by a chocolate kiss placed squarely on her desk. Ah. Kerry fished in a pocket, and pulled out a silver wrapped item, offering it to Dar with a smile. "Forgot I had these."

Dar accepted the kiss, and unwrapped it, neatly biting it in half and handing the other half back. Kerry took it, and enjoyed the sweet taste as she squiggled nearer and leaned against Dar's leather swaddled body. "So. Where are we heading?"

Dar snorted. "I thought you had the map. " She reached over Kerry and tugged at the paper sticking out of one pocket. "Cm'ere, let me look…"

The rapid progress of the train abruptly slowed, and the lights flickered once, twice and went out as the vehicle ground to a halt amid squeals and yells and an ominous hiss.

"Oh boy." Kerry reached out instinctively and took Dar's hand. "What is it with us this weekend? I'm starting to get a little paranoid here." The car was pitch black, not even an emergency light breaking the darkness. She blinked her eyes a few times, and was unable to tell the difference. "Wow. This is mega creepy."

"Mm." Dar just kept her eyes closed. The few other people in the car started talking, making disgusted comments about the service of the trains, and other esoteric remarks which Dar didn't understand. "How long does this happen for?"

Kerry leaned her cheek against Dar's shoulders. "Like I know? They didn't have subways in Saugatuck, Dar."

"Damn piece of shit." A low voice came out of the darkness. "Fucking figures I get stuck under the god damned river half hour before I gotta pick up my god damned fucking turkey."

Kerry felt Dar go really still next to her.

"River?" The dark haired woman's voice repeated in a hiss. "What is he talking about?"

Uh oh… Kerry folded her fingers around Dar's, and stroked her arm comfortingly. "It's okay, honey… I don't think we're really under the river right now." She murmured. "But part of the subway does go under it."

"Under?" Dar repeated.

'Yeah, you know.. they have those big hole boring machines, like we saw on the Discovery Channel the other night.. the ones that cut the Chunnel?" A pause. "You've been on the Chunnel train, haven't you?"

"No." Dar got out from between gritted teeth. "I fly over the damn English Channel, thank you very much."

"Be great if it picks now to leak again, huh?" A woman's voice asked, with a tone of weary amusement. "Hope we can all swim."

Kerry could feel Dar's heart beating against her hand, the pulse so rapid she could hardly distinguish the thumps. "Honey?"

"Yes." The word was precisely enunciated.

"You okay?"

No answer. Kerry slid her arm around Dar's body, and hugged her. She could feel a ball of fear knotting her own guts, and had to swallow a few times before she could speak again. "One consolation."

"What's that?"

"You’re here." Kerry felt a light pressure against the side of her head, then a warmth as Dar laid her cheek against the spot. They both sighed at the same time, then Kerry almost hit the ceiling as Dar's cell phone went off inside her pocket. "Yow!"

"Shit." Dar dug for the thing blindly. "Stupid god damned piece of … " She got the phone out and opened it, the light from the display showing her features in eerie relief. "What?"

"Uh.. hi boss." Marks answered hesitantly. "Listen, I hate to bother you on Thanksgiving, but I just got paged on a hot one, and I need some advice."

Dar's nostrils flared visibly. "Oh. Really? Sure. No problem. What can I do for you?" Her voice oozed exaggerated patience.

"Well, one of the big mainframes in Illinois went wacko, and sent a blast across everything up in Chicago. It's causing all kinds of havoc… "

"No kidding." Dar muttered.

"Yeah, anyway.. it knocked out two power grids, and they can't get the boxes reset. You got your laptop? It's one of those old DOD rigs that you used to snuggle up to."

"No, Mark. I don’t' have my laptop. I’m a little out of touch right at the moment." Dar told him.

"Oh yeah? Where are you?"

Kerry took the phone. "Hi, Mark."

"Hey, Ker. What's up?"

"We're stuck in the Chicago subway."

Long silence. "Oh man.. that sucks!" Mark squeaked. "I had, like no idea… you guys are right in the middle of that crap!"

The car creaked, and everyone murmured. Then it creaked again, and slowly, out of the darkness, came a set of footsteps. They moved, then paused, and a sharp knock was heard a few cars up. Dar took the phone back. "Listen to me. What the hell is it going to take to get these damn trains moving?"

"Uh… " Mark's voice trailed off as he typed. "Shit, you'd have to… well, I can't tell, Dar.. I really don't know much about this stuff… it looks like mech relays that are electronically controlled, or something.. I don’t'… I'm sorry, Dar.. I just can't tell."

Dar closed her eyes and rested her head against one hand, forcing her mind to focus. It was hard, between the darkness, and the knowledge of where she was, her thoughts wanted to dart all over the place, and she was conscious of Kerry's calming touch rubbing her back. "What language is it?"

Mark told her.

"Okay." Dar painfully called up routines. "One way or two way surge logic?"

"What?"

Dar took a breath. "The programs are designed to protect the switches from damage - either they go one way, or both ways… which is it?"

"Oh." Typing. "Uh… I… one way, I think if I’m reading this right."

"Good." Dar murmured. "Then they can be reset… "

"Okay, folks." The door slammed open, and a rough voice intruded. "We want you all to stay put, okay? We're stuck right here just under the middle of the river, and they're workin on getting the train restarted."

"Why can't we just walk the fuck out?" The young man to Kerry's left groaned. "Fuck this.. I've got to get to the restaurant."

"We don't want to do that just yet, okay? It's real dark down here, and we don't got enough lights to make it safe. So just relax, and keep calm."

"Easy for him to say." Kerry muttered.

"What were you saying, boss?" Mark asked. "Something about a reset?"

Dar sat still, her mind raging with the knowledge of the tons of water over her head. Her throat went dry, and she started to take short, sharp breaths.

"Hang on a minute, Mark." Kerry spoke into the phone urgently then muted it. "Hey." She reached up and took hold of Dar's dimly seen jaw, and turned her head so that their eyes, merely glints in the faint illumination from the phone, met. "It's okay. I know it's scary down here, but you're our best chance of getting the hell out.. .you've got to hold it together, Dar."

Dar was utterly silent for a breath, then the muscles under Kerry's fingers moved. "I know." She took the phone back. "Mark?"

"Yeah?" Mark sounded confused, and a little worried. "What's going on down there, boss? You okay?"

Dar took a breath. "I’m a freaking mile underground in the dark with a god damned river over my head and I’m severely claustrophobic. That give you a clue?" She growled furiously in response.

"Oh." Mark sounded chastened. "Sorry, Dar. What can I do to get you out of there?"

What, indeed? Dar closed her eyes again, and threw her mind at the problem, ignoring the pounding headache from the tension that surrounded them. C'mon, Roberts. Get the damn synapses firing already. Slowly, the logic routines surfaced, dancing against her closed eyelids. "Okay. Send this down the pipe. " She rattled off a string of code. "Test it on one switch first."

"Okay." Mark murmured. "Which.. oh, wait, I see.. yeah, okay." Rattling keys. "Huh."

"Define 'huh'." Dar snapped.

"It reversed the state." Mark told her. "Cool. Hang on… let me dump it into a repeat routine."

Kerry smiled in the darkness, her hands keeping up their soothing motions. "Jesus, Dar.. some of that stuff is older than I am.. how do you remember it?"

"Urf." Dar grunted softly. "Well?"

"Okay.. okay, I got them all reversed.. now what?"

"Send this." Dar rattled off another string. "And hang onto your jockstrap."

"Ooo." Kerry had to hold back a laugh.

"Uh.. I think I'll keep all ten on the keyboard if that's okay by you, bosseroo." Mark finished his task, then made a last click. "Now what?"

Dar counted. On ten, the whole train jerked, then the lights flickered on, bringing a rush of air through the car. It took a few moments more, then the alarm sounded.

"Okay folks.. we're gonna get moving again, please siddown, and thanks for being so patient." Pause. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Thanks, Mark." Kerry removed the phone from Dar's fingers, and cradled it, watching her lover wipe the sweat from her forehead, and lean back as the car started to move. "That did the trick… you have no idea how much we appreciate it."

"Yeah, I've got a clue." Mark chuckled. "Hey.. I’m gonna see if I can poke around and get some other stuff going.. talk to you guys later."

Kerry folded the phone and stuck it in her pocket, then exhaled, feeling weak with relief. She blinked and glanced around, realizing the few people in the car were staring at her. "Hi." She murmured.

"Yo." The young man who had been cursing pointed at her and Dar. "You fucking fixed this son of a bitch over that cell phone, didn'ja?"

Dar opened a blue eye. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

"No.. that's cool." He clapped and the rest of the car joined him. "Way cool.. your like a master geek, huh?"

Dar felt like her inside were going to dissolve. She didn't feel like a master anything at the moment, all she wanted was to get off the damn train and out into the fresh air again. "Yeah." She slumped against Kerry's supporting arm. "First time this thing stops, we're outta here."

"Okay." Kerry agreed instantly. "Oh, wait.. I'm not sure where that…"

"I don't care." Dar exhaled. "Wherever it is, we're off this thing."

**********************************************************
The train pulled in, and true to her word, Dar bolted from the car, trailing an understanding, but slightly nervous Kerry with her. The station wasn't well lit, and as they moved through it towards the stairs, it took on a distinctly menacing air. Well. Kerry reflected with a sigh. In the mood she's in, anyone stupid enough to try and rob us is asking for some severe nervous energy hurt.

The stairs echoed with their steps, and they had to carefully step between several crouched forms, who eyed them from under nondescript knit caps as they passed. Kerry moved to one side of the stairs and grasped the metal rail lightly, feeling the many times painted metal nubbly under her fingertips as she climbed upwards.

Her nose wrinkled, though, and she was glad it was chilly. Heat would have made the stairway pungent beyond description, and Kerry was glad when they topped the stairs and ducked outside into a surprisingly clearer day. "Oh." Kerry glanced around. "Well, at least it stopped snowing."

Dar stuck her hands into her pockets and exhaled, her breath a white cloud in the wan sunlight. "Yeah." She regarded the snowy walk for a moment. "Listen, I'm sorry I went a little south down there."

Kerry patted her arm. "It's okay.. I can't imagine what that must be like for you." She could sense that Dar was embarrassed. "No more trains, huh? Let's just see if we can get through today without another technological disaster." She hooked her hand around Dar's elbow, and looked around, trying to figure out which way to go.

Hm. No direction really looked promising. Squat, older buildings surrounded them, most boarded over, and there was graffiti evident on many of the vertical surfaces. There were also silent, huddled forms in any available shelter. "Um."

Dar turned and started walking, drawing Kerry after her, and they headed down the sidewalk together. The snow crunched lightly under their boots, and counterpointed the hiss of tires as cars drove slowly by, and the dimly heard rattle of the underground train emerging from the vents they crossed over.

It was cold out here, but Dar found herself almost joyous at being out from under the ground. She'd managed to forget over the years how much she hated that feeling of being frightened, and out of control. In Miami, subways and tunnels didn't exist, and even her frequent airplane flights were generally taken in first class, in larger aircraft. The most confined space she had to worry about was the elevator in their office building, and every thing else was blissfully wide open to Miami's flat horizon.

Maybe Kerry had a point. Dar reluctantly admitted to herself. Maybe she needed to talk it out with someone, but the thought of going to a doctor for that…

Ugh.

"Honey?"

Dar turned, to see Kerry eyeing her in concern. "Hm? Sorry.. I was just thinking."

"I know. But you were scowling, and you're making me wonder what's so awful." Kerry kidded her faintly, but she was worried, and it showed.

C'mon, Dar. Suck it up and spit it out. "Being scared pisses me off." The taller woman admitted. "I get mad at myself, and I know it's stupid to." She paused. "Maybe you were right. Maybe I need to see someone about it."

Kerry walked in silence for a bit, thinking. "Maybe you should talk to your dad." She caught Dar's startled look. "This could be PTSD, you know. My brother did a huge research project for that in one of his failed attempts at actually achieving a major in college.. it was interesting to read."

Dar blinked. "PT… c'mon, Kerry.. that's for vets, and people under situations for long periods. We were only in that building a couple hours." But the idea appealed to her. "I could ask, I guess.. Dad might know someone I could speak with."

"Dad might be someone you can speak with, Dar." Kerry reminded her gently. "He's been through an awful lot.. maybe you should start with him first."

"We don’t… " Dar carefully edged around a huddled form, who glared up at her resentfully. "Sorry." She muttered, as they moved past. "Dad and I love each other, Kerry, but we're not the best communicators in the world."

"Ah. Yeah, you're both the strong and silent type. Must be hereditary." They walked on another block, then Kerry half turned, hearing a slight scuff behind them. There was nothing there, but she could have sworn she'd seen a flicker of motion in the doorway as she looked. "Um… Dar?"

Dar had been kicking little tufts of snow out of her way. Now she turned and cocked her head. "Hm?"

Kerry edged closer and glanced around, one hand winding it's way around Dar's arm. "You're going to think I’m a paranoid son of a microchip but I thought I heard someone following us."

"Par for the day." Dar checked her inside pocket, where she'd stashed her wallet and palm pilot, then looked around. There wasn't much of a choice of directions. Buildings closed in on them from both sides, and there seemed to be more people drifting around, some glancing at them with a mixture of interest and appraisal. "You know what? I am so not in the mood for this right now."

"What are you in the mood for?" Kerry asked, more as a distraction than anything else.

"Chocolate."

"Ooo… what a surprise! And here I was going to stop and get you some granola."

"Chocolate ice cream."

"Dar, it's snowing." Kerry brushed a few flakes off her jacket.

"Okay. With hot fudge sauce." Her partner amended, with a half grin. "How about that?" She turned her head and looked at Kerry, but her eyes flicked over Kerry's shoulder, spotting two figures strolling casually after them. "Crap."

"Oh boy. Now what?" Kerry asked softly. "Dar, I'm not liking this business trip. I think we need to schedule the next one in Aruba."

"Tell Jose to sell an account there." Dar considered her options. It was possible the two stalkers weren't going to do anything, of course. It was also possible that they were, and wrapped as she was in layers of cloth, wool, and leather, she'd be about as effective in fighting an attack off as the Michelin Tire Man would be. She let her recent experiences slide into the back of her memory, and concentrated on problem solving, her mind clearing and settling into a cool, even plane.

At least she was outside now, and didn't have that whole thing to worry about. Her eyes flicked across the store fronts, and she realized that the holiday had closed most of them down tight. Those that were normally open anyway, that is.

The best course, she reasoned, was to keep walking the direction they were already going, and hope the street ended up somewhere that got them out of trouble.

"Hey."

Dar sighed, but kept walking, putting a hand casually on Kerry's back.

"Yo." Footsteps increased, and got louder.

"Dar…"

"I know. Just keep calm." Dar stopped walking, and turned, drawing herself up to her full height as she did so.

Bringing her eyes slightly above the dark ones of the man facing her, his right hand pointed at her curled around the threatening form of a gun. Dar let the shock of that roll past her, and curiously, her nerves settled into an alert calm. "What?"

"Gimme your money."

Dar felt Kerry's body jerk in reaction, and she kept her hand on her lover's back, giving it a comforting pat. "No."

"What? You see this? I’m gonna shoot yo ass if you don't gimme your money." The thief insisted, his partner looking around quickly to see if anyone was coming.

"No." Dar repeated, feeling the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Now, are you going to use that thing, or am I going to stick it so far up your ass they'll have to send a bloodhound in to find it?"

Her assailant was a thin man, with a scruffy beard and curiously thick eyebrows. Dar kept him pinned with her eyes, and allowed the smile to surface, just a little. "Well?" She dropped her voice to it's lowest register.

"You're crazy."

The smile widened. "Could be."

"Let's get outta here, Larry." The other man tugged on his sleeve. "C'mon…"

Undecided for a moment, the gun wielder finally stuffed his hand back in his pocket and started walking away, keeping his body half turned to watch Dar, a frustrated and perplexed look on his face.

Dar chuckled, her good humor restored. "Now there's an eight bit chip in a thirty two bit world." She glanced at Kerry, who was markedly pale. "You okay?"

"I think I just realized something." The blond woman remarked. "I'm gunphobic." Her knees buckled, and Dar only just caught her, grabbing her around the shoulders, and pulling her close as Kerry clutched weakly at her arms.

"Hey… easy."

Kerry closed her eyes, and leaned against Dar, taking deep breaths and wishing away the dizzy spinning in her head. "Wow." Her whole body felt like she'd been shocked and she held onto Dar until she regained the solid use of her legs. "Sorry.. I don't think I ever did that before." She straightened, and glanced around. They were alone in the street, even the doorways seemed to have cleared. "That was totally amazing, Dar."

"Hm?" Dar put an arm around her, and they slowly started walking again. "What was?"

"You talking that guy down!" Kerry still felt a little shaky, and it made her voice sharper than usual. "Don't you dare just stand there and act like it was nothing. " She looked up and down the street. "Where in the hell is that ice cream store you promised me, anyway?"

Dar lifted a brow. "I think it's that way." She pointed, to where the streets seemed to lead towards taller buildings. "C'mon, before we get into any more trouble."

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

The day got better from there. Kerry smiled as they found themselves on a major boulevard, surrounded by tall, stately buildings, stores, restaurants, and holiday décor. "This is more like it." She said. The sun had peeked reluctantly out through the still mostly overcast sky, and the streets were quiet, as most of the residents were heading home for the holiday.

They walked along the sidewalk, glancing inside the brightly lit windows. "Oo." Kerry pressed both hands against the window of a toy store. "Mommy.. I want that."

Dar leaned next to her. "You've got two of those already." She remarked dryly.

"Not that model." A slim finger pointed. "That's the one with the internal cellular modem and decent browser." Kerry eyed the PDA. "And it comes in six colors, Dar - look at the raspberry one."

"And you call me a nerd."

"Oh, like you don't want one too." Kerry jeered.

"Nope." Dar put on a virtuous expression. "I can honestly say I don't want one."

Kerry put her hands on her hips and stared, cocking her head slowly from side to side. Finally, a finger wagged. "Cause you've already got one, doncha?"

A dazzling, if slightly sheepish smile answered her. "Early Christmas present." Dar observed the narrowed green eyes directed at her. "I got you one too."

"You did?" Kerry produced a quick grin of delight. Her eyes flicked back to the display window. "Which color?"

"It's a surprise." Dar told her loftily, continuing down the street. "C'mon.. I'm getting hungry. Spot any place we can go for dinner yet?"

Kerry tugged her jacket closer against the rising late afternoon wind. She looked around, then recalled something and tipped her head back to look up. "As a matter of fact… yeah."

Dar followed her glance. "Well. It'll be a nice view."

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

It was. They stepped off the elevator into a bustling restaurant, and were greeted by a slim man in a tuxedo. "Will you be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner , ladies?"

"Yes, we'd like to." Kerry smiled at him. "Is there a table near the windows available?"

The man gave her a politely regretful smile in return. "I’m very sorry, those are all reserved, but we've got some lovely booths up here." He pointed towards the side of the restaurant.

Kerry leaned on the railing next to him, and regarded the spot, then she took a menu from him in a smooth motion. " You sure you don't have a table near the front?"

The man glanced down at his hand, then his smile altered without moving a muscle from polite to truly appreciative. "For you, ma'am, I'll find one. Please come this way."

"Thank you." Kerry hooked a finger through Dar's belt and drew her along the short platform, then followed the maitre'd down the steps past crisply set tables in the half filled room. They were settled in a very comfortable spot right up against the floor to celiing glass windows, with a spectacular view of Chicago spread out below them. "This is just perfect… I really appreciate it." Kerry told the solicitous man.

"Anything else I can do for you, just ask, ma'am." He touched his forehead, then retreated, leaving them in peace.

Dar leaned forward. "What exactly did you give him?" She inquired.

"My phone number." Kerry answered, with a straight face.

Both dark eyebrows lifted.

"Just kidding, and no, I’m not going to tell you how much so forget it." Kerry said. "Because I know you're going to find a way to pay for dinner, so we're even."

"Urmf." Dar leaned back in her chair, and folded her hands over her stomach, regarding the view. "This is worth the trip up here."

"Mm." Kerry agreed, studying Dar's sharp profile. "Sure beats where I was a year ago."

Blue eyes slid over to meet hers. "Yeah." A nod. "You know, when you left last year, I was hoping your folks wouldn't convince you to stay."

Kerry snorted.

"As it turned out, I shouldn't have worried, but there were a few moments where I wondered what I'd do if you did." Dar said. "Wonder how much terrorizing I'd have had to do to move the corporate HQ to Saugatuck?"

Kerry sat back. "Even if things were good with my folks, there was nothing for me in Michigan." She said. "Most of my friends had moved away or gotten married, our industry isn't exactly a hotbed up there, and there wasn't anything they could offer me that I'd have even thought twice about, to be honest " She took a breath. "Completely aside from the fact that I had no intention of letting go of you, of course."

The waiter chose that moment to come over. "Ladies, we have a our Thanksgiving dinner available tonight."

"Perfect." Dar drawled. "As long as it has mashed potatoes."

"Yes, it does." The waiter laughed. "Okay, let me bring out soup and some bread. We've got mushroom barley, or harvest chicken."

"One of each." Kerry said. "And can I get a beer?"

"We have Killian Red on draft?"

"Perfect."

"And for you, ma'am?" The waiter turned to Dar.

"Give me the same." Dar told him, returning her attention to Kerry as the waiter left. "Now, what were you saying?"

"Where did I leave off… was it the part where I confess perpetual, undying love for you, and tell you I want to be yours for eternity?" Kerry leaned on her chair arm. "Because I do." Uh oh. She stifled a smile. A fawn framed in dark hair caught in a pair of very bright headlights was looking back at her. Might as well get it in all at once. "Thank you for the most wonderful year of my life." She paused, as the waiter returned with their beers, and they took them. "Here's to a hundred more just like it."

She had to reach over to touch her glass against Dar's, with a musical clink. Her lover was simply gazing at her over the rim, a dazed look on her face. "Dar?"

"Thanks." Dar answered faintly. "I think you just put me in to a logic loop. Hang on a minute." She took a sip of the beer, and let the cold, crisply bubbled beverage slide down her throat, leaving a faint aftertaste of wheat and hops. The sentiment hadn't surprised her, but the forthright poetry of the words had, and she paused a moment to savor them. She let her eyes drift over Kerry's face, which was lit from the dimming light outside, and the candles inside and warm with affection as she slowly took a swallow of her drink. "A thousand more just like it."

Their glasses touched again and they drank in silence, watching each other until their helpful waiter returned, bearing bowls of steaming soup, and a basket of really nice smelling rolls which he set down on the table. "There you go, ladies. Now, so I can get the kitchen ready, we've got a couple choices for dinner."

Dar paused in the act of snitching a roll. "White or dark?"

The man chuckled. "No, not exactly. We've got ham, turkey, or roast beef."

"Turkey."

"Turkey." Kerry nodded. "Dark meat for me."

"Same here." Dar said.

"Great." Scribbling. "Mashed potatoes or whipped sweet potatoes?"

"Yes." Kerry waved her spoon at him. "Just bring both. Trust me."

"Okay." More scribbling. "Cranberry sauce and stuffing come with it, so that's all I need. Enjoy your soup."

Dar buttered a bit of her roll and dunked it in her soup, then paused, before she reached over and offered the tidbit to Kerry. Without hesitation, Kerry captured it in her teeth, and gave Dar's thumb a lick before she consumed the yeasty tasting bite. "Keep this up, and we might cause a scandal." Dar commented, with a wry smile.

"Let em stare." Kerry answered immediately. "I don't care if they start a riot."

"No?" Dar started laughing.

"No. You'll just kick their asses, and I'll take pictures." Kerry's nose wrinkled up as she grinned whole heartedly "Happy Thanksgiving, Dar."

"Same to you." Dar grinned, as the light outside faded, and the city burst into glowing prominence below them. She let the panics of the last two days slip from her conscious thoughts, and concentrated on the moment, leaving the problems for another day.

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

"Whooof." Kerry pushed the door to the restroom open, and entered, holding it as Dar wandered in after her. "I think that was one bite of pumpkin pie too… wow." She kept walking, and ended up at the glass wall, displaying an even better view than the one they'd eaten dinner gazing out at. "Pretty."

"Uh huh." Dar leaned her head against the cold glass, blinking amiably at the lights. "Looks like the inside of an excited Cray." She traced a bit of dust on the inside of the window. "Kerry, I drank too much."

"You did, huh?" Kerry turned and leaned against the glass. "Are you drunk?"

Dar nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, at least you know you are." Kerry patted her arm. "Sit down for a minute… then we can catch a.."

"No trains." Dar's lower lip poked out.

"A cab, I was about to say." Kerry steered her over to a low bench, and pushed her down. "How's that?"

"Okey dokey." Dar let her head rest against the wall and closed her eyes. "You're the boss."

Kerry glanced around, then kissed her lover on the forehead, before she took a moment to use the restroom. Hmm. You could leave the door open, and really get lost watching all those pretty lights out there. She found herself following a helicopter across the sky, then she shook her head and finished up. "I think I had a beer too many too, honey.. I’m drifting."

"I'll tie a string to you." Dar wandered over and started removing the belt from her jacket. "C'mere."

"That's okay." Kerry retied the leather. "Let's go, Dixiecup..time to find us a bed."

"Why?" Dar surprised her by lacing fingers along the back of her neck and kissing her with uninhibited passion. "Better view here."

Kerry could hear the sounds of people moving near the door, and her heart skipped, but her body leaned into Dar's and she let herself enjoy the jolt that hit her in the groin and move outward from there. "Dar?" She rasped, as they parted.

"Uh?" Long fingers traced Kerry's cheek. "Didn't I do that right?"

Kerry made a noise halfway between a whimper and a groan. "Turn around, and start walking, before we make the front page of the Chicago Tribune." She shooed Dar in front of her. "Movemovemovemovemove."

Dar sighed aggrievedly. "Oh, okay." She grumbled, then paused. "Hey.. did you say something about a cab?"

"Yes." Kerry opened the door and guided Dar out. "A nice fast cab."

"They got backseats, right?"

"Erf." Kerry almost giggled. "I think I’m in trouble."

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

The phone buzzed.

Kerry creaked open one eyelid and glared at it, attempting to melt the plastic with the very force of her displeasure.

It didn't work. The buzz repeated itself, accompanied by a flashing red light.

Slowly, a hand crawled out from under the covers, and snatched the reciever off it's cradle, drawing it back to be pressed against a pink ear. "Hello?" Kerry swallowed against a dry throat.

"Well, good morning, Kerrison, dear."

Kerry pulled the phone away from her head and peered at it, as though the equipment had grown tentacles or something. The voice was faintly familiar, but not enough for her to positively identify it. "Hi." She issued a neutral greeting.

"It's your Aunt Penny, dear. Are you there? I'm down in the lobby. I'd love to come up and see you."

"Uh."

"Splendid. I'll be right up."

Click.

"Buh…wait..uh.." Kerry stared at the now dead phone, then put it back in it's cradle. "Oh boy…uh, Dar?" She rolled over and burrowed under the covers, digging around until she found Dar's soundly sleeping and tightly curled up body. "Dar?" She shook her lover. "Dar!"

Both of Dar's eyes popped open, and her body surged upward, as she reacted to the alarm in Kerry's voice. "Wh..what?" Pause. "Ow." Dar fell back against the pillows and reached for her head with both hands. "Son of a god damned bitch."

"Dar, we've got a visitor coming up here." Kerry started to pull the covers back. "Oh god, I can't believe this."

"What?" Dar covered her eyes with her forearm. "Whoever it is can turn around and get lost, Kerry."

"No..no, honey, it's my Aunt Penny." Kerry stumbled into the bathroom and turned the water on, thrusting her hands into it and splashing her face with the liquid. "Jesus!" Kerry looked up into the mirror, to see a dripping wet, shocked looking face staring back at her. "That’s' cold!"

Dar sat up painfully, and swung her legs over the side of the bed, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "I knew there was a reason I didn't drink." She groaned. "Damn."

Kerry rubbed her face with a towel, then poked her head out. "Sweetie, you need to at least put on a shirt. My Aunt Penny's a very cool lady, but.."

"I know." Dar hoisted herself to her feet and trudged over to her bag, her tanned skin moving through ripples of light form the window. She first removed a bottle of Advil and opened it, shaking out four of the tablets. Then she eased into the bathroom behind Kerry's busy form and picked up one of the hotel glasses, filling it with sink water and washing down her handful of painkillers. "Ugh."

"Sorry." Kerry handed her a toothbrush, reflecting that Dar was one of the few people she knew that could be naked, hung over, and just right out of bed disheveled, and still look gorgeous.

Maybe she was biased. She snuck another look while Dar studiously scrubbed her teeth. Nope. "I'm going to throw some clothes on.. I'll try to keep her occupied while you get conscious, okay?"

"Grouf." Dar rinsed her mouth out and splashed water on her face, then patted it dry. "Toss me a… thank you." A pair of jeans and a shirt hit her in the chest, and she miraculously caught them. A knock came at the door and she fielded her hastily tossed underwear, then closed the bathroom door to dress in peace.

Kerry barely had time to run her fingers through her hair before she reached the door and opened it. On the other side was a small, but self possessed woman, with silver white hair and Kerry's green eyes. "Hi, Aunt Penny."

"Kerrison!" Aunt Penny entered, and immediately hugged her. "Goodness, it's wonderful to see you."

Kerry returned the hug and found herself smiling. "Same here… if I 'd had my brain on straight I'd have remembered you moved to Chicago.. we got stuck here yesterday."

Aunt Penny released her, and looked around with curious interest. "Ah, so you have your friend with you, then? Excellent! I'm so glad." The older woman peered at the pile of technology on the desk. "What do we have here?"

"Oh." Kerry recovered her equilibrium. "That's two laptops, two pagers, two cell phones and two palm pilots.. we're both kind of technohounds." She offered her aunt a seat. "Sit down.. I was just going to call down for some coffee… would you like some? We just woke up."

Aunt Penny seated herself. "Did you? I’m terribly sorry, Kerrison.. why didn't you say so? I could have spent time downstairs in the shops." She chided her niece. "And I would love some coffee, thank you."

"So would I." Dar's lower tones added, as she emerged from the bathroom clad in jeans and a sweatshirt.

"I figured that." Kerry gave her lover a smile. "Dar, this is my Aunt Penny. Aunt Penny, this is Paladar Roberts, my partner."

Dar walked over and took a seat, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you. Kerry's always spoken very fondly of you."

Aunt Penny studied Dar's face with a curious intensity, before she took the offered hand, and pressed it. "It's nice to meet you too, Dar. " There was a quiet, wistful note in her voice which lingered, then vanished. "I’m so glad you two were here. Did you get caught in the storm?"

Kerry finished ordering coffee and sat down next to Dar on the couch. "I did.. my flight was diverted." She told her aunt. "Dar drove in from New York, so we could spend Thanksgiving together."

"Of course she did, dear." Aunt Penny replied. "I called your office to wish you a good holiday, and they told me you were in Chicago, and where you were staying. I was so glad I'd get a chance to see you, and to meet your friend." Her eyes twinkled at Dar. "Your mother is Cecilia Roberts, isn't she? I have one of her pieces in my house."

Dar blinked. "Yes." She agreed. "She gave Kerry and I one not long ago."

Dar's cell phone rang, and she gave Kerry a dour look before she stood up and retrieved it, opening it and listening for a moment, before she walked over to the desk and sat behind it, tugging her laptop over as she did so. "Scuse me." She muttered in their direction.

"Never stops." Kerry chuckled and turned her attention back to her aunt. "Thanks for coming down.. it's great to see you. The families been.. eh.." Kerry grimaced.

"Terrible, I know." Penny clucked her tongue. "I've been working on your mother. Your father is a lost cause, I’m afraid."

Kerry lowered her gaze, and nodded. "Yeah. I know." She missed the compassionate look her aunt bestowed on her, a mirror of the one coming from the nearby desk. "Some things you just can't change."

"Well, dear, he always was a pinhead, you know." Aunt Penny patted her leg comfortingly. "I'm so glad you took after our side of the family, being so smart, and so pretty." She chuckled as Kerry blushed. "Now, you said your plane was diverted, you didn't have any trouble, did you?"

Glad of the change of subject, Kerry ordered her thoughts to answer. "We hit that storm, and the plane had a little trouble. It was pretty scary." She said. "I was really glad to see the ground, let me tell you."

"Oh dear." Her aunt murmured. "You must have been terrified! I know I would have been."

"I was." Kerry admitted. "I wasn't ready for a chat with St. Peter." She looked over, to see Dar bent over her laptop, one ear pressed to the phone, oblivious. "In fact, I think I was so scared, even Dar felt it." She chuckled.

Aunt Penny didn't twitch a hair. "Of course she did, dear." The older woman stated placidly.

Kerry stared at her for a long moment. "What?"

"It's quite natural, you know, when one is very close to someone, to sense something is wrong with them, even over quite large distances."

"It is?" Kerry felt very confused. "This isn't one of those Discovery Channel specials on psychic phenomenon kind of things, is it?" She became aware of a sudden lack of clicking near the window, and looked up past her aunt to see Dar gazing at her bemusedly.

"I prefer to think of it as a connection of the heart, dear. Don't worry yourself too much about it." Aunt Penny bestowed another pat on her knee. "I had a friend when I was younger, a very close friend, and when something was wrong, I knew immediately, even from far away. It's very natural."

"Oh." Kerry sat back. "I didn't know that. In fact, I wouldn't have ever even imagined something like that was possible."

"Wouldn't you?" Aunt Penny smiled at her. "I always thought you had quite a good imagination, Kerrison. You know I still do have some of those lovely poems you wrote in high school."

"Eek." Kerry grimaced, as a light knock came at the door. "That must be the coffee… be right back." She got up and walked across the hotel room, her mind mulling over this new information. Aunt Penny couldn't really mean she and Dar had some weird psychic bond, could she?

Kerry acknowledged the room service waiter, and signed the check absently as he put the tray on the table near the door. It closed behind him, and she fiddled with the contents while she pondered.

No. That was crazy.

Right?

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

Kerry cocked her head and listened to the boarding announcements, taking a better hold on the two cups of coffee she was carrying as she wove her way though the rows of seats. Near the jetway entrance, Dar was sprawled , one leg hooked over a seat arm and her laptop perched on her knee.

Outside the sunglasses settled firmly on the bridge of her nose, Dar showed little sign of their overindulgence the previous night, and Kerry found herself slightly nettled about that since she herself had a headache that would fell a moose at thirty feet. "Here you go." She took the seat next to her lover and handed over a cup. "God, I can't wait to get home."

Dar finished typing something, then took a sip of her coffee. "Just so you can turn around and leave again on Monday?"

Kerry sighed. "Dar, can I ask you something as my boss?"

The dark head turned to regard her, blue eyes invisible behind tinted lenses. "Sure."

She looked down at her sneakers, and considered her words carefully. "You know I never ask you for help." Kerry said. "I take a lot of pride in that, because I know I can always take the easy way out, but I don't."

"I know that." Dar rested her hands on her keyboard and focused her attention wholly on Kerry. "I trust your judgement implicitly, you know that."

"I know that." Kerry accepted the compliment gracefully. "Dar, is there any way to fix Redmond so I don't have to go there?"

Her boss pushed her sunglasses up, and tilted her head back, considering the question. Kerry simply waited, having reviewed the options herself numerous times without coming up with a solution.

"It needs a face to face." Dar finally said.

Kerry's shoulders slumped, but she nodded in quiet acceptance. "Okay."

Dar pulled out her cell phone and looked up a number, then dialed it. She waited for an answer. "Clarice? Dar Roberts."

"Dar.. hey, what a surprise. Happy Thanksgiving." Clarice's voice sounded startled, but pleased. "What can I do for you?" The Washington based manager asked.

"Pack." Dar replied. "I've got an operations issue down here that I need handling on, and I can't spare Kerry to fly out there and straighten your asses out. Get your team, and you, on the first flight out here on Monday, and plan to stay the week."

"Jeez, Dar, I don't know if…"

"No excuses." Dar snapped back. "Figure out a way, and just get it done."

There was an awkward silence for a minute. "Well.. a week in Miami in the winter won't be so bad, I guess." Clarice sighed. "All right, I'll get things in motion… my guys are gonna kill me."

"Too bad. If they'd done their job in the first place, we wouldn't have to bail them out." Dar kept a hard edge to her voice.

"Okay, boss. See you Monday." Clarice replied in a resigned tone.

Dar folded her phone and tucked it into her pocket, then pushed her glasses down so her eyes were visible, then raised an eyebrow at her lover in question. "How's that?'

Kerry laced her fingers together, and hooked her hands over one knee. "She didn't sound happy about it."

"She's not the love of my life." Dar said. "So frankly, I don't give a damn how she felt about it. Besides, it's the truth. They're screwing up, why the hell should we have to fly out to them?" She shrugged. "Yeah, it'd be less expensive, and probably more productive for you to go to the source, but this'll work too."

"I feel like I’m taking advantage of our relationship." Kerry said. "But thank you. It's just that they're predicting two more major storms coming out of Canada this week, and I just don't want to be traveling through that right now."

"Fair enough." Dar reached over and tweaked her nose. "You're not going to feel all guilty about this now, are you? I’m gonna have to kick your ass if you are."

"No." Kerry picked up her coffee and examined it. "Well, okay.. a little, but I'll get over it." She took a sip. "So, how'd you like Aunt Penny?"

Dar looked up and smiled. "I liked her a lot. She's quite a character.. I can see how you two are related."

A pink tongue poked out at her. "She likes you too. She said so before she left. " Kerry paused. "She's into a lot of that esoteric stuff, you know? She's got crystals and God only knows what else at home… she used to always drive my parents crazy trying to get them to try some new thing or other."

"She and my mother would get along great." Dar leaned back and regarded her thoughtfully. "I think she's right, though." She closed her laptop and rested her hands on it.

"About…us, and that connection thing?" Kerry asked, watching Dar nod. "Ah."

"You don't think so?"

Kerry chewed the inside of her lip. "It's kind of way out there, Dar." She told her lover apologetically. "I've never been much into that stuff."

"Mm." Dar nodded, then shrugged. "I was just thinking about it. It makes a few things that have happened in the last year make more sense to me."

Their flight was called, and Kerry resisted the urge to tell the gate agent to shut up. But Dar was getting up and getting her bag, and she followed suit, reasoning that they'd have plenty of time to discuss it once they got home. She still didn't think there was much to the whole thing, but what was intriguing her was: Obviously, Dar did think so. The question was, of course, why?

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

"Okay..okay.. Chino… take it easy." Kerry ended up on the floor, with a Labrador in her lap. "Honey.. yes, yes.. I love you too.. pah. Not right in the mouth, huh?" She hugged her creamy colored pet, who wriggled with extreme happiness at their return. "Good girl… that's right, go get mommy Dar."

Chino corkscrewed over to where Dar was putting down the bags, and thumped against her knees, coming close to sending the taller woman sprawling. "Whoa!!" Dar fell back into the leather couch, and caught the Lab as she squirmed up into her lap. "Hey.. take it easy!"

"I think she missed us." Kerry stifled a yawn, and leaned back on her hands, stretching the soft cotton of her T-shirt across her body. Getting off the plane and taking off most of her clothes had been a pleasant experience, and she'd made Dar open the sun roof in the Lexus as they drove, letting in the cool night air and the sea tang. "I think I want one of those."

Dar, her lap full of dog, peered over Chino's shoulder at her. "Want one of what, Ker? Another dog? "

"An SUV." Kerry waggled her foot, and regarded it. "I like yours, but I think I want one of the smaller ones."

"Thought you were happy with the Mustang?" Dar got up and stretched. "It's more your kind of car than my truck."

"Eh." Kerry rolled over and got to her feet. "Are you saying I’m little and sporty?"

Dar chuckled. "I think you're a little punchy, is what I think. We both need some sleep." She walked over and put her arms around Kerry, pulling her into a hug. "I’m glad we've got two more days before we go back to Hell."

"Hmm.mffm." Kerry nodded, burying her face into Dar's cotton shirt, infused with Dar smell and sunshine. "I can get caught up on everything, and prepare some kind of action plan for Clarice." She paused. "Is she nice?"

Dar didn't answer for a moment, then her chest expanded and contracted as she sighed. "I should have mentioned this before. She used to be based here."

"Eh?" Kerry snuffled against the cotton. "So?"

"She shares our lifestyle."

A pair of green eyes peeked over the curve of Dar's breasts. "And? Don't tell me you guys were an item?"

"Ah..no." Dar shook her head. "But she wanted to be."

"Ohhhhh…. I get it. She had a crush on you." Kerry said, watching Dar nod with a hint of embarrassment. "Well, so, she's got good taste. No problem."

Dar circled her shoulders with one arm and lead her towards the kitchen. "Actually… it was a really big problem for her. It's the reason she moved to Redmond. I had to sit her down and tell her a, that I wasn't interested, and b…um..b, that company rules.."

"Clearly say no relationships are allowed within the chain of command." Kerry finished, the full realization hitting her. "Oh, Jesus Christ, Dar - what are you going to tell her now?"

"She wasn't my type?" Dar suggested weakly. "I didn't think it would be an issue, but if she's coming here, I thought you'd better know."

"Erf." Kerry unwound herself and went to the refrigerator, removing a bottle of juice and shaking it. "Want some?"

Dar lifted a brow, then lowered it, getting a glass and filling it with milk. She added several squirts of chocolate syrup, and swirled the liquid around before taking a sip. Then she paused, and opened the refrigerator door again. "Ker, what are we gonna do with that thirty pound bird you got in there?"

Kerry wandered over and peered at the neatly trussed, and patiently waiting naked turkey. "Well, it's thawed. I have to cook it." She said. "Maybe for Sunday? We can have a substitute Thanksgiving."

"Okay." Dar readily agreed "I'll be in the study if you want me." She placed a milky kiss on Kerry's lips, then headed out of the kitchen towards her office.

"If I want you." Kerry leaned against the refrigerator and crossed her arms. Dar hadn't mentioned their conversation before plane had boarded since they'd left, even though she'd tried to bring it up a few times, and she wondered if Dar had thought about the whole psychic thing, and decided it was too silly to believe in.

That’s what Kerry thought, after all, wasn't it? Kerry sipped her banana strawberry juice as Chino nibbled at her toes. She'd always been very pragmatic about otherworldly phenomenon, to the extent of considering herself a skeptic. She'd assumed Dar had the same attitude, certainly her generally no nonsense partner never evidenced any interest in the occult or confessed any belief in ghosts, or UFO's or…

Kerry slowly sat down on the stool near the counter and gazed out the window at the dark sea. What things in the past year could Dar have been talking about? She asked herself silently. Well, there was the plane thing, Kerry acknowledged. That was definitely strange, but one incident could have been a coincidence. Had there been any others?

"How did you know I was in here?"

Kerry heard her question echo lightly inside her mind, exactly a year ago today, when Dar had appeared at the mental hospital she was being held in, as if by magic.

"I woke up in a cold sweat and decided to dial in to see what was going on." Dar had answered her, and neither of them had thought anything of it.

"Why aren't you sleeping Dar?" She'd asked, curled up in pain upstairs with monthly cramps.

"Something woke me up.. a dream maybe.. and you weren't there." Dar had answered that time, too.

"What are you doing here?" She'd been delighted, but very surprised when Dar had shown up in Vermont, wondering how her friend had known just how much she needed her there.

"I went to the gate, and the next one was coming here, so I just switched." The explanation had been simple, and Kerry had been far too busy being happy to care.

All coincidences? Kerry got up and walked out of the kitchen and across the tiled living room, her bare feet almost soundless against the cool surface. She paused in the doorway to the study, and leaned against the jam, studying the quiet figure behind the desk.

Dar had her feet up on the polished top, and she was holding a wooden puzzle between her fingertips. Her attention was focused on the small toy, a recent gift from Kerry, and she turned it slowly before her eyes, examining the possibilities. She felt the attention, then, and looked up, cocking her head in question at Kerry's silent regard.

"Dar, what time did you have that accident the other night?"

Both dark eyebrows knit together. "What acc…oh, that. " Dar considered. "About five thirty, I guess. Why?"

It was an eerie feeling, almost a sense of déjà vu that settled over Kerry. "I woke up about five thirty, from a dream about you getting hurt." She walked into the room and sat down on the edge of Dar's desk. "That's the kind of thing you were talking about before, wasn't it? When you said things happened that now made sense?"

Dar wiggled a sock covered toe. "Something like that, yeah."

They both remained quiet, watching each other's face. "Wow." Kerry finally said quietly. "That's very weird." There was a reflective pause. "Sorta cool, though."

Dar's lips tensed into a smile. "A lot cooler than thinking I need a shrink, yeah." She admitted. "Given a choice, I'll take Dial a Psychic over Freud any day."

Kerry draped a hand over the socked foot next to her and gently massaged the toes under the fabric. "Hm… you think we could start up a little business on the side, Madame Darina?" Her face creased into a grin, as she saw the sparkle start in Dar's eyes. "Come vith me… little sugarplum.. I vill tell you great secrets…"

Dar laughed. "Think about this, and those damn crystals May left, and we could start our own counterculture head shop."

Kerry nodded. "Be the first one with a satellite Internet head end, I bet."

"Interactive incense."

"Downloadable Palm files of 60's poetry."

They both snickered. "Dad could help out behind the counter."

Dar swung her feet off the desk and stood, spreading her legs and folding her arms in an uncanny imitation of Andrew Robert's usual aggressive stance. "What you boys think ye're doing with them pipes there, huh?" She drawled. "Put that there flawer pot down fore I plant yer ass in it."

Kerry bent over double with laughter.

"Jest what do you find so funny there, kumquat?" Dar growled softly into a now bright red ear. "You makin fun of this here old salt?"

It was hard to catch her breath, so Kerry had to straighten up, tears running from her eyes. "Oh my god, Dar… you have no idea how much you sound like him."

"Sure I do." Dar returned to her normal pitch. "He's my dad."

"Yes, he is, and I’m definitely glad the apple didn't fall too far from that tree." Kerry wound her arms around Dar's body and hugged her. "C'mon. My crystal ball tells me there's a nice, warm waterbed not far from here just begging to be gotten into."

Dar didn't argue, and they walked through the condo, turning off lights as they went until they entered the large, cool tinted bedroom they shared. Chino trotted over and curled up in her bed with a little grunt and a sigh. "I know how you feel." Dar advised the dog, as they stood together, removing each other's clothes in a little ceremony of exploration.

Kerry pulled the covers back, and slid under them, feeling the waterbed surface flex under her weight. Dar turned the light out and joined her, causing her to bob up and down like a buoy until the bed settled. She turned and they snuggled up together, arms and legs finding familiar spots as bare skin touched and warmed.

"Mm." Kerry felt herself smiling as she tucked her head up against Dar's shoulder and pressed her ear to the skin underneath her to listen for Dar's heartbeat. Powerful thumps, with the faintest hint of a echo between them caused by the irregular structure of her lover's heart.

Her mind drifted for a moment, remembering the day she'd accompanied Dar to the hospital, suffering right along with her new friend as she was tested for the bad valve she'd known she inherited. She'd hardly known Dar then, but she remembered feeling as anxious about her as if she'd been close family. Certainly, she'd felt honest joy, and utter relief when the doctor had told Dar she was okay.

Hm. Kerry listened to the beats, hearing them slow as Dar's breathing slowed. She tried to consciously remember what it had felt like before they'd met. It was hard. Sometimes she felt like she'd known Dar forever, instead of just over a year.

Her eyes closed, and the heart rhythm lulled her. For a brief, surreal moment her senses shifted, and the scent of clean cotton and Dar blended with an oddly distinct smell of hay, and horses, and wood.

Kerry opened her eyes, and looked around the dimly lit room.

Weird.

With a shake of her head, she snuggled back down to sleep.

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

Kerry leaned against the wall in the copy room, and tried to ignore just how much the machine's whining noise was annoying her. She wondered what would happen if she gave in and kicked the thing, but the presence of two of the more gossip prone marketing assistants made her cross her ankles instead.

Okay, Kerry. Take a deep breath, and pretend you don't have cramps from hell, woke up late, and have an ex admirer of Dar's to deal with in twenty minutes.

"Okay, all yours." Candy gave Kerry one of her sweeter smiles, and took her papers with her, and she and her crony sauntered out.

"Thanks." Kerry muttered, pushing off from the wall and putting her agenda on the machine before starting it up. She could have asked Mayte to do this, of course, but her assistant was busy getting the conference room ready, and pulling down network diagrams to the transparency printer. Besides, walking around usually got her cranky body to loosen up a little, something she fervently hoped happened before she had to start her meeting.

Sometimes, she reflected, being female and fertile sucked large piggy wonks. The machine finished it's work, and she removed her still warm copies from the sorter and stapled them, then tucked them under her arm as she made her way back to her office.

Mayte was still gone, so she left the collated papers on her assistant's desk before she went into her office, closing the door behind her as she entered the sunlit space. Her brows lifted as she spotted a small cluster of items she was sure she hadn't left on her desk, surrounding her favorite cup which was now gently steaming. "Oh ho.. what have we here?"

She circled the desk and sat down in her leather chair, tucking one leg up under her to try an ease the cramping. Resting on the desk were several things, each with a note. First, her cup, scented with a hint of spicy raspberry, then four wrapped chocolates, then a bottle. "Try this first… " She took a sip of the tea. "Then try these.. " She unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into her mouth. "Then this." She held up the bottle of powerful painkillers. "If all that fails, call me."

Kerry chuckled around her mouthful, and took a swallow of the tea to wash it down. "Thank you, Doctor Dar." She didn't really expect either tea or candy to work, and she'd already taken a handful of painkiller, but the thought of Dar in here, meticulously arranging her action plan, and writing her notes brought a smile to Kerry's face and allowed her to forget her misery for a short while.

A very short while. Her intercom buzzed. "Ms. Kerry? They are waiting for you in the conference." Mayte's soft voice floated into the air.

Kerry sighed, and unwrapped another chocolate. "I'll be right there, Mayte."

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

"Dar?"

"Yes?'

"Commander Albert is here to see you." Maria replied quietly.

"Send him in." Dar finished signing the last of a stack of requests, and closed the folder, tossing it in her out bin and putting the top back onto her fountain pen. Kerry had given her the elegant, teak wood instrument and she played with it for a minute, admiring the fine grain before she set it down and folded her hands.

Maria opened the door and stood back, allowing her guest to enter. A tall, muscular man in his mid thirties walked in, every crease in his uniform exact and precise. Dar had about ten or fifteen seconds as he crossed the room to decide how to play her side of the encounter, and decided, as she stood and took the offered hand, to let the Commander make the first move. "Commander. Thank you for coming down here."

"That would be up, ma'am." The man answered crisply. "I did was I was ordered to do."

Oh boy. Dar resumed her seat. "Please, sit down." She waited for her guest to comply. "I understand you're going to be the Navy's liason for this new project, and I wanted to have a word with you before we got started."

"Ma'am, I don't know what you've been told, but in my opinion, this project is a waste of both our times." Commander Albert stated flatly. "I'd just as soon it stopped right here, to save us all the hassle."

"Commander, that's not your decision to make." Dar replied mildly. "Nor is it mine, for that matter. The government, for it's own reasons, has decided to contract us to do this, and if you want it stopped, you're going to have to appeal up your chain of command to do it."

"With all due respect, ma'am, we do not need a civilian efficiency expert coming in and telling us how to run the Navy."

"With all due respect, Commander, that's not what your government hired." Dar said. "I’m a systems analyst. I could give a crap how you run the Navy. What they asked me to do is analyze your systems and controls structures, and recommend technological enhancements."

"Our systems work just fine." Albert's jaw twitched.

Dar sat back. "Then it'll be a very short project, won't it?" She felt almost a sense of amusement as she studied the sharp profile. "Listen, Commander. You're making three assumptions that are going to get you in trouble, so you might want to just reverse your course right now."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" He replied stiffly.

"One, you're assuming I don’t know an obstructionist when I meet one. Two, you're assuming I need your cooperation to do this little job, and three, you're assuming I'm a stranger to the Navy." Dar stood up. "I'll meet you out at the base tomorrow morning. I think we've wasted enough of each other's time today."

Commander Albert stood, and gave her a short nod. "Ma'am." He turned, and walked to the door, opening it and slipping through without ever looking back at her.

Dar sat back down and shook her head. "Gerry, I'm going to get you for this." She pulled out her palm pilot and scribbled a few notes on it, adding her new contact's name. She looked up as her intercom buzzed again. "Yes?"

"Dar." Kerry's voice, though calm, held a distinct edge to it. "I think we need some high level situational administration here."

Ah. My ass kicking skills are in demand. "Be right there." She told Kerry. "Take five. " She released the intercom and stood, circling her desk and heading for the door. "Definitely a Monday."

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

Kerry rested her weight on her elbows, and cradled the mug in her hands, sipping slowly from it. Across the table, Clarice Keown, a strikingly attractive black woman, was arguing with Mitchell Grafberg, a member of the northwest team who had been responsible for administering the account they were currently fighting over.

God. Kerry counted the seconds. She hadn't seen this much finger pointing since the last time someone had knocked over the water cooler and shorted out the Xerox machine. It wasn't that she didn't know what the problem was - she did, and in fact, all of them knew it. The account had been botched from day one, and the bandwidth designed for it was simply not enough. Adding to it would be at the company's expense, and take far too much time, and no one wanted to be responsible for making that decision.

Well, actually, Kerry had already made it. The point was, no one wanted to be the reason she'd had to. She'd been a little surprised at Clarice, who was sharp, and funny, and whom she liked, because the regional director was the main roadblock. She flatly refused to accept that her team had goofed, and was simply going around in circles with arguments, trying to justify the bill Dar was surely going to slap right onto her desk.

The outer door opened, and closed, and the room was suddenly full of Dar Roberts, who swooped down on the table and circled it like a huge hunting hawk before settling neatly at Kerry's side. Her entrance stopped the argument in it's tracks, and now everyone's attention was focused on Dar's sleek form.

Dar gave them all a level, serious glare before turning and cocking her head at Kerry. "Well?"

"There was a significant underbudget of resources for the account." Kerry stated. "That miscalculation allowed the bid to undercut the other offers, and it was awarded based on false data."

The bridge of Dar's nose wrinkled expressively.

"I've just had to order two additional T1 pipes to make up the shortfall, and six new routers." Kerry went on. "Which we won't be able to bill back for. I’m looking at additional leveraging with other accounts in the area."

Dar grunted.

Kerry correctly interpreted this to mean she'd done the right thing, but the cost was giving Dar a hive.

"So, you needed me here to do what?" Dar asked. "Seems like you've got a handle on the disaster without me sticking my nose in."

"There was a breakdown in proceses." Kerry reminded her. "And, unfortunately, I can't fix the breakdown because we can't seem to come to an agreement over where, exactly, the gap is."

"Oh." Dar nodded, then reviewed the table. "I get it. No one wants the blame, is that it?"

Clarice leaned forward. "Dar, it's not anything to do with blame, okay? I still think it was a valid bid. The customer didn't tell us enough for us to know different."

"Bullshit." Dar snapped back. "The customer doesn't know his ass from a hole in the wall - that's why they hired us. It's our job to make sure we know what their business is, Clarice, and if we don't know enough to ask the right questions, then we end up in situations like this." She slammed her hand on the table, and everyone jumped.

Except Kerry. She'd felt the shift in the body next to her, and figured it would either be a table slap, or a jump to the feet. Since Dar's thigh didn't move, she chose the slap, and was expecting it.

"Kerry's going to save your ass, and I agree with her decision, but somewhere down the line, she's got to stand up and explain why ops budget is in a deficit because we had to take on the expense of your screw up." Dar went on. "So you better figure out where your hole is and close it, or I will."

Everyone was quiet for a minute. Clarice finally exhaled. "All right. We'll take care of it."

"Good. Because if it happens again, I'm not going to worry about whose fault it was. I'll just fire all of you." Dar snapped back, her voice low and electric, then building to an impressive volume that almost made Kerry wince. "Is that clearly understood???"

In the silence that followed, Kerry could clearly hear the air conditioner cycling on and off.

"Understood." Clarice broke the stillness.

"Good." Dar's manner shifted abruptly to calm cordiality. "There's a western region sales meeting going on down on ten. You might want to stop in there. I know Jose wanted to talk to you." She cleared her throat, then absently picked up Kerry's cup and took a sip of her tea.

Kerry was careful not to react. She kept a bland, interested look on her face, and studied her pen. "I think we might even be able to push up the due date on those extra T1's. The local up there owes me a favor."

"Good." Dar said again, putting the cup down and standing up. "Ladies and Gentlemen." She gave them a nod and strode out, leaving a Dar sized awkwardness behind her.

"All right. Now that we've got that cleared up." Kerry pushed back from the table and stood. "Anything else we need to clarify?" She was met with silence. "Great. I've got a conference call I'm due on in ten minutes. I"ll keep you advised on the status of those circuits." She gathered up her papers and tucked them under an arm, then picked up her cup and made her way to the door, pushing her way through it and letting it close behind her.

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

Dar heard the steps catching up to her in the hallway, and she debated making a sharp right turn into operations. Then Clarice called her name, and she regretfully abandoned the thought, and stopped, turning and giving the black woman an inquiring look.

"Got a few minutes?"

Patience, Dar. Take a deep breath, and imagine Kerry teaching you to crochet. "Sure." Dar replied, then fell silent, putting the burden of the conversation back on Clarice.

"Somewhere more private than the central lobby?" There was a note of nervous amusement in Clarice's voice. "Your office maybe?"

"C'mon." Dar turned and lead the way along the hall, pulling the door to her outer office open and holding it as Clarice passed in front of her. Maria looked up as they entered, and her eyes slipped past Clarice's shoulder and met Dar's in wry bemusement. Her poor secretary had found herself in a most awkward position, having to field the love struck woman's inquires into Dar's personal tastes and preferences, and had retreated into a bland, Cuban incomprehension on many occasions.

"That is how I knew about you and Kerrisita, " Maria had told her once. "I did not have to tell her anything, Dar. When I saw her first time fixing you the coffee, the right way? I knew."

Dar considered that as she followed Clarice into her inner office, realizing that should have signaled to her the difference between Kerry and all her former interests. Kerry, alone, hadn't fenced around with her, done the dance, played the game. She'd walked in, and simply claimed Dar lock, stock and barrel, as though she had some inalienable right to do so.

Hm. "All right, what can I do for you?" Dar set her interesting revelation aside as she sat down behind her desk and crossed her arms on it.

Clarice seated herself, taking a visible breath. "Well, you remember my mom?"

"Mm." Dar nodded. Clarice's mother lived in Coral Gables, and she'd always thought the two were close.

"She's getting on, and the doctor doesn't want her living alone anymore. She wants me to come back here and live with her. So I was wondering if there was anything in the company available for me." Pause. "Here."

Oh. Something simple for a change. Dar sat back and propped a knee up against the edge of her desk, looking up at the ceiling as she brought to mind a list of openings in operations in the area. Her peripheral vision told her Clarice was watching her, with a look that mixed curiosity and something else. "There might be one or two things, but I'll have to check with Kerry." Dar replied. "It's her ballpark, unless you want to change divisions. When are you looking at making the move?"

Clarice exhaled, obviously relieved. "As soon as I can. Listen, I’m sorry about this whole mess up, Dar." She got the words out in a rush. "Paul's new, and he's young, but he really did sound like he knew what he was doing and I.."

"Don’t apologize to me." Dar cut her off. "Do yourself a favor, and don't cover up for him. Everyone takes the heat for their own mistakes, remember?"

Clarice pursed her lips and exhaled. "You sure haven't changed much."

That got an amused quirk of Dar's lips. "You expected me to? Hope you weren't holding your breath." She remarked. "There's a reason everyone would rather deal with Kerry."

A shift. "Yeah, she's pretty sharp." Clarice said. "Where'd she come from?"

Dar sensed a ruffle in the waters. "She was part of an account we consolidated down here." She said. "I'll send her a note, tell her you're looking to relocate down here."

"Thanks." Clarice stood up. "I'll go talk to her myself. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have a problem with it. Maybe she'll have a minute now."

"I'm sure she'll find time." Dar answered.

"Hm.. she's really efficient, that's true." Clarice said. "I can see I have a lot to learn from her." She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her with a distinct snick.

Dar gazed plaintively at her ceiling. She was reaching over to hit her intercom button when her inner door cracked itself open, and a blond head poked inside. "Ah. I was just about to call you."

Kerry entered and closed the door behind her, running the fingers of her right hand through her hair as she made her way across the office. "We got the overseas links to the UK straightened out." She announced. "And they were able to get permission for that new link station in India."

"Good." Dar laced her fingers together behind her head and leaned back. "Clarice was on her way to see you. She wants to move back here." Dar considered. "And I think she's heard about us."

"Sweetie, you drinking my tea in a meeting doesn’t' really help hide that." Kerry perched on the edge of Dar's desk and let her hands rest on her knee. "Not that you weren't welcome to it, though."

"Damn." Dar exhaled. "I did do that, didn't I? Oh well." She laughed softly. "Have you had lunch yet? Want to go downstairs?"

"Is that an invitation from my boss?" Kerry answered playfully. "No I haven't, and I'd love to."

"Good." Dar stood up. "I'll be down at the base the rest of the week, eating God only knows what." She slipped her jacket on and straightened it, smoothing the line of the crisply tailored skirt in the same motion. "C'mon. I think they have pot roast today."

"Is that going to be a little weird for you?" Kerry asked, as they walked out the door and through the outer office. Maria was already at lunch, and the room was, for once, quiet. "Going back there?"

"A little." Dar admitted. "I've got a lot of memories invested in that place, both good and bad."

Kerry waited until they were on the elevator before she spoke again. "Can I come down there with you one of the days, just to see it? I'm curious."

"Hgrm." Dar held the door open for her. "It wasn't exactly the nicest place in the world to grow up, Ker. Mostly sand, palmetto scrub, and mosquitoes."

They strolled across the lobby, passing several people headed in the same direction who called out greetings. "Is that a no, then?" Kerry asked. "I mean, if you'd rather I didn't, that's okay, Dar. I think you know enough of how I feel about your upbringing to know you've got nothing to be embarrassed about."

The noise in the lunchroom stalled further conversation, and they got in line after exchanging hellos with Mark and Duks, who had snuck in just ahead of them. Dar took the opportunity to capture a chocolate mousse hiding behind two pieces of fruitcake, and listen to the chatter. She'd been frequenting the lunchroom more often the last few months, not regularly as every day, but at least once a week, so her presence no longer drew outright stares and whispers anymore.

She still easily imagined the covert ones, though. But she'd been dealing with that since her first overall promotion to regional manager, and by now, it was more an amusing way to pass the minutes than anything else. Or play with their minds. Dar reached out an idle hand and arranged a lock of Kerry's blond hair, getting a bit of raised eyebrow from her lover. She tweaked the hair, and Kerry turned her head, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I'd love you to come on down to the base with me."

"Friday good?" Kerry asked, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement. "I've got stuff scheduled the rest of the week."

"Fine." Dar turned her attention to the cafeteria server. "Pot roast, potatoes, gravy on the side." She watched the lady assemble the plate, looking up inquiringly with her spoon over the two choices of vegetables. Dar merely raised an eyebrow at her, and received her plate naked of green invaders. "Thank you." She followed Kerry over to the large, round table where Duks, Mark, Mariana, and several others were already seated, discussing a movie that had just opened the previous week.

"You seen it, DR?" Mark asked, as they sat down. "Your kinda flick, I thought."

"Why? Did it exceed the severed bodypart quotient of Aliens??" Kerry asked, making everyone chuckle. "We were watching Braveheart on disc the other night during dinner, and boy I was glad we weren't having steak."

"Hey!" Dar objected. "It was your pick, remember? Not mine. I wanted to watch the Ancient Secrets of Rome, but no…."

Another laugh went around the table, easy and unforced. Dar dipped her roast into her gravy contentedly, enjoying the banter as Duks and Kerry started arguing over the historical accuracy of the picture. She listened to Kerry's laugh, and watched the smiles go around the table, and it occurred to her quite suddenly that she was damned happy with her life for once.

She paused in mid bite, just to savor the knowledge. Then she washed her mouthful down with a sip of milk, and pretended she didn't see Kerry stealing a spoonful of her mousse. "Hey."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"You all interested in going out on the water this weekend? We can do a cookout on the beach, that kinda thing." Dar said. She'd caught Kerry by flatfooted surprised, she knew, and she half expected her lover to reach over and check her for fever, the way Kerry's expression read.

"Sure. Sounds great." Mark accepted instantly.

"Yes…I agree." Mariana recovered. "Thanks, Dar.. what a great idea."

"Absolutely." Duks nodded solemnly. "I will bring the beer."

Dar sucked on her milk, enjoying the sensation she'd caused. It was the first time, she acknowledged, that she'd instigated a party, usually leaving Kerry to do the social arrangements for them. Well, she decided, it was about damn time.

Yeah.

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

The cool breeze blew across the patio, ruffling the soft cotton of Dar's pants leg as she pushed against the stone wall with one bare foot, rocking them gently in the net swing chair they'd recently installed. It was just big enough for two people, providing those two people really liked each other, and a comfortable way to sit and watch the moonlight travel across the water. Kerry was curled up in her arms, and they both held glasses of sweet, white wine for sipping .

"You surprised me today." Kerry murmured.

"With the party?"

"Mm."

Dar had her eyes closed. "Good surprise, or bad surprise?"

"That's not a serious question, is it?" Kerry said. "Of course it was a great surprise, and a great idea, by the way."

"Good." Dar rested her cheek against Kerry's head. "I sort of figured anything that involved water, boats, sun, food and beer would be okay with you." She felt Kerry's body shake as she laughed. "I'm just warning you - if you and Mark decide to have a belching competition again, I’m gonna tape it, convert it to an mpeg, and broadcast it company wide on Monday."

Kerry laughed harder, almost spilling her wine. "You wouldn't."

Dar chuckled. "You wanna stake your dignity on that?" She put her glass down on the table next to them and put both her arms around Kerry. "Feeling any better, by the way?"

Kerry let her chuckles wind down into a sigh. "Yeah.. thanks for asking." She put her now empty glass down next to Dar's and folded her hands over her lover's. She caught a hint of smoke in the air from the beach club, mixed with the salt tang of the sea and decided life just couldn't get too much better than this. "Clarice came to see me this afternoon. She definitely know about us. "

"Mm."

"She kept making pointed comments. I kept ignoring them. " Kerry yawned a bit. "I think I found her something in product development, though."

"If she gets too obnoxious, let me know." Dar rumbled. "I don't want her taking potshots at you."

Kerry tilted her head to observe the angular profile above her. "I can handle her, Dar. It's not her fault she picked my personal property to get a crush on."

Both of Dar's eyebrows lifted. "Hm.. maybe we'd better go back to that leather place and get me a leash and collar." She suggested, with a smile. "I could get your name on it in rhinestones… what do you think?"

"I dare you." Kerry regretted the words the instant they came out of her mouth. "Oh, no wait - forget I said that, Dar. Just erase it from your… don't you look at me like that!" Kerry reached up and tweaked Dar's nose. "Stop it! Just don't you even think about it."

Dar pouted. "You don't think I'd look good as a love slave?"

Kerry's nostrils flared. "Ooh." She blinked. "Now there's an image."

They both started laughing. "Dar, you're a lot of things, but submissive isn't one of them." Kerry told her fondly. "Putting a collar on you would be like tying a bow on the tail of a tiger." She grinned. "Pretty, but definitely not functional."

Dar gave her a little squeeze. "I'd do it for you." She said. "Because you do own me body and soul, you know that, right?"

"I do?" Kerry murmured.

Dar nodded.

"What an incredible gift that is." The words were a mere whisper. "Especially since I think you know I feel the same way." Kerry ran a delicate fingertip over Dar's lips. "I"ll take good care of you, Dar. I promise."

A faint smile appeared. "I know." Dar captured the finger with her lips, then kissed the tip of it. "You know what I realized today?"

"What?"

"What a joy life can be." Dar answered softly. "And how lucky I am."

Kerry couldn't answer. She felt the tears well up and she pressed her face into Dar's shirt, unable to articulate an emotion so powerful it almost stopped her breathing. This feeling. Her mind whispered to her. This is what love is. It was like a reassuring hand stroking her head. This gift comes straight from God, and no words of any man can tell me it doesn't.

It was like being washed clean.

Kerry just started crying openly, hugging the supportive, but very bewildered Dar.

Maybe she'd find words later to explain.

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

Continued in Part 3

Tropical High

By Melissa Good

Part 3

Dar woke just before the alarm went off, and silenced it before it had a chance to ring. It was still dark outside, and by the scant starlight coming in the window, she could just barely make out Kerry’s features, peaceful in sleep.

For a moment, Dar debated not waking her up. They’d meant to go to bed early, since she knew she had to leave for the base first thing, but somehow they’d ended up watching a Croc Hunter special and before she knew it, two am was staring them in the face.

Whoops. Dar rubbed her eyes, wishing she could close them, and go back to sleep.

The movement, however, woke Kerry and she gazed up with half opened eyes at her, a smile sketching its way across her face. "Can I come with you?" She said.

Dar spoke at the same time. "You want to come with me today?’

They both stopped, and blinked.

"Wow." Kerry remarked mildly. "The invisible psychic fiber hub’s up and working, huh?"

A laugh escaped from Dar. "I guess." She rolled over onto her back and stretched. "I was just thinking I’d like to have an outside opinion while I go through there. I know I’m biased." Was that just an excuse to have Kerry along though? Dar examined the thought carefully and decided it could go either way, but the fact that she wasn't impartial was incontrovertible.

Kerry reviewed her schedule. "Well, I’ve got a marketing meeting I can reschedule, two conference calls that are just follow-up, and some small odds and ends.. yeah, I can clear my day." She decided. "And, come to think of it, since you're going to be allocating my resources right and left to Uncle Sam, I think I'd better be there to see how much trouble you're going to get me into."

Dar turned her head and regarded the dimly seen profile in bemusement, remembering not so very long ago the agony Kerry had gone through wondering if she was qualified to do the job Dar was asking her to. Since her promotion, Kerry had blossomed into the position, exceeding even Dar's admittedly biased but high expectations for her. She felt briefly like a mother bird, watching it's offspring soar proudly. "You don't seriously think I'd overextend you, do you?"

A soft chuckle came out of the darkness. "No.. c'mon, Dar. You know our systems and infrastructure better than anyone else, including me. I was just kidding."

"Mm.. you're pretty close." Dar told her. "I'd say, if I had to judge both of us, you're doing a better job than I was as VP."

There was absolute dead silence from the other side of the waterbed for several long heartbeats. "I think my brain just exploded." Kerry finally spluttered.

"Good thing this is a waterbed, then." Dar rolled up out of it, and stood. "C'mon.. I know I need the run this morning or I'm not going to be awake enough to drive south."

"Start the coffee. I'll just suck up my neurons and be right with you."

"You got it." Dar agreed, as she headed out of the bedroom and through the living room with Chino frisking at her heels. She opened the back door for the dog, then started the coffee running. By the time she turned around, a sleepy Kerry was trudging into the kitchen. "That was quick… use the vaccum?"

"Sucked them up with a straw." Kerry pulled open the refrigerator and removed a jug full of juice, sloshing it around a few times before she popped the top open, and poured herself a large glass full. "Can we stop talking about brains while I drink this? It's got pulp in it."

Dar slid both arms around her and rested her cheek against Kerry's head . "Sure." She listened to the soft, distinct sounds of swallowing as their bodies touched through two thin layers of cotton and swore she could feel the cold juice as it traveled into Kerry's stomach, under where her hands were resting. She rubbed the spot, and Kerry gurgled as a chuckle interfered with her drinking. "Ah ah ah.. don't you dare bring that in here."

Kerry glanced over to see Chino in the doorway, a big stick in her mouth, and a guilty expression on her face. "Honey.. where's your toy? Where's Hippo? Play with that instead, okay?"

Chino dropped her find immediately and dashed off, to return with a stuffed fleecy animal in the vague shape of a hippopotamus. "Growf." She dropped it expectantly at Kerry's feet.

"Oh. So now I guess you expect me to play with you?" Kerry put the glass on the counter, and her hands on her hips. "How about you running with me and mommy Dar, hm? That should tire you out." She reached behind her and patted Dar's thigh. "I'll get your gear, if you fix the coffee."

Dar released her. "Go for it." She nudged Kerry towards the door, and busied herself in pouring.

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

As luck would have it, they hit rain halfway to the base. "Figures." Dar drummed the fingers of her right hand on the padded console next to her. "Hope you like mud."

Kerry looked up from her laptop, which she'd been busy working on. "Mud." She regarded her pristine, nicely starched white shirt. "You did tell me not to wear this, didn't you?" Her eyes studied the wash of heavy rain hitting the windshield, then a smile appeared. "But you know, this reminds me of the first time I rode in your car."

Dar's lips twisted into a wry smile. "I'm sure that's not one of your fondest memories."

"Au contraire." Kerry objected. "It most certainly is, Dar. That was the start of everything… that was one of the biggest turning points in my life. You know that."

It was quiet except for the rattle of Kerry's keyboard for a little while, as Dar indulged herself in memories as she drove. "You know what I remember the most from that night?" She commented, after about fifteen minutes.

"Huh?" Kerry looked at her. "Oh.. no, what?"

"Getting home, sitting down on the couch, and not being able to stop thinking about you."

Kerry tilted her head back and smiled. "Oh yeah." She sighed. "If you'll remember, I sent you an email at one am…I hate to tell you because I know you'll laugh, but I slept in your sweatshirt that night." She admitted.

"Did you?" Dar did, in fact, laugh.

"Yeah… I really liked the way it smelled." Kerry leaned over and sniffed Dar's shoulder, emitting a low hum of approval. "I’m not sure I remember what bs I fed myself to explain that." She paused. "Actually, I don't think I even bothered trying."

"I woke up the next morning, hired you, then conked out with the laptop sitting on my chest." Dar recalled. "I got your mail asking about the clothing and answered it before I was actually awake."

"Ah. That explains the shopping." Kerry teased. "You have no idea how nervous I was waiting for you in the mall."

"I was pretty rattled too." Her lover murmured, steering carefully around a large puddle. "I’m not exactly a social butterfly."

Kerry nodded. "I know.. you were fidgeting during dinner." She remembered watching Dar's long fingers play with the table tents restlessly. "But I felt really comfortable being with you." She added. "Especially after you shared your dessert with me."

Dar laughed. "Oh, so that was the big icebreaker, huh? I should have known."

Kerry shook a finger at her. "Now that I know you the way I do, I know you sharing a plate with someone is a big deal, Dar, not to mention you actually gave me a bite of your dinner."

"Mm." Dar's face took on a curious expression. "I should have realized right then." She slowed the car. "Okay, hang on. Here we go."

Kerry closed her laptop and tucked it into her briefcase as they turned into the base, the road blocked by gates, and an impressive set of armed guards. "Dar, that man has no neck."

"Don’t' start me on interservice jokes, okay?" Dar muttered, as she pulled the Lexus forward. "Damn place hasn't changed much." She waited for the car ahead of her to be admitted, then drove on.

"I don't think the military is known for being avante guarde, hon." Kerry watched with interest as Dar rolled down the window, and slipped on her attitude like a pair of sunglasses.

"I have an appointment with Commander Albert." Dar stated, in a crisp, no nonsense tone as she handed over her identification badge.

The guard studied the badge, then studied Dar as though comparing the picture. Then he consulted a plastic covered clipboard. His eyes lifted, and peered into the Lexus. "Commander Albert is expecting one person, ma'am."

"Lucky him. He gets two." Dar replied. "This is my associate, Kerrison Stuart." She offered him Kerry's badge, which the blond woman had helpfully passed over.

"I don’t' have clearance for her, ma'am." The guard said.

Dar kept herself from smirking by sheer will. "Then I guess we'll be blocking your gate until you get it, or turning around and going back to Miami and billing you for our time." She said. "What's your name again? Williams, is it?"

"Ma'am, this is a secure base, and we don't just give people clearance because they show up at the gate." The guard replied stiffly. "I think you need to understand.."

"Son." Dar leaned on the doorframe. "I used to eat breakfast every day with someone a lot scarier than you, so put your attitude up in your side pocket, and either let me in, or tell me you won't, and I'll do what I need to do."

The man stared at her for a moment, then retreated into his hut. Dar leaned back and crossed her arms, shaking her head slightly. "Some things just really never change." She sighed.

"I don't think I can quite picture you doing this, Dar." Kerry observed. "Though..you'd look really cute in those uniforms." She fell silent as the guard returned, a look on his face that made her think he'd been sucking key limes in the interim.

"These are your passes, ma'am." He handed two clip on badges to Dar, and their identification cards back. "Wear them at all times when you're on the base."

"All right." Dar took one, and gave Kerry hers. "Thanks."

"Commander Albert is in the Huntingdon building. Drive straight through the gates here, turn left, turn right, turn left, second stop on the right." He opened the gate, and ducked his head in a semi respectful salute.

Dar finished putting her badge on. "That's the long way." She gave him a grim smile. "But thanks."

Kerry waved at the guard. "Dos Vedanya." She told him cheerfully, as Dar drove past. Then she settled back into her seat and looked around curiously, as they made their way along a somewhat weatherbeaten road. It was so different than she'd expected, Kerry mused, taking in the long rows of sturdy, but plain concrete buildings. Everything was neatly kept, and there were columns of men and women doing various military type things, like running, and chanting, drilling in a nearby field, and some were just walking about.

To one side, through a stretch of tall trees, she spotted a large cluster of small houses. She glanced at Dar, and saw her lover's eyes on them as well, a curious mix of regret and nostalgia on her face. "Was that home?"

"Yeah." Dar gave her head a little shake, and returned her attention to the road. "Wasn't much…I think my room was the size of the back of this car. " She fell silent for a beat. "I spent my first.. five, six years here, I guess. Then we moved up to Virginia, year or two after that to North Carolina, two years later to Baton Rouge, then we came back here for a while."

"Sort of tough on you moving to different schools all the time, hm?" Kerry half turned in her seat, watching Dar's profile. "Making new friends and all."

Dar laughed shortly. "That was the least of my worries." She turned down a side street. "I never bothered much with friends. " She parked the Lexus and turned her head. "You ready for this?"

"Me?" Kerry allowed an easy laugh to escape. "Dar, you forget how I grew up. It would take more than a bunch of hunky sailors and marines to spook me." She put a hand on Dar's arm. "Thanks for asking me to come along, though. I'm glad I’m here."

Dar smiled. "Me too." She gathered up her briefcase and opened the door. "C'mon. Let's go see what trouble we can get into."

Kerry followed her as they walked along the sidewalk, and turned in to go up a short flight of steps to a guarded doorway. She tried again to imagine Dar as one of these stern, earnest professional warriors.

Ow. It made her brain hurt. She gave the guard a smile, and entered the portal to another world.

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

Dar's nose twitched as she walked along the hallway, memories gently buffeting her from all sides. The air was thick with familiar scents, wool and brass and wood polish, and floor wax she knew came in five gallon gray cans. The merest hint of gun oil trickled through, tickling her senses and bringing a faint smile to her face.

It was quiet as they passed closed doorways, a faint clatter of honest to goodness typewriters leaking through but not much more. Kerry gave her a look. "Multipart forms." Dar murmured. "Eight layers at least, sometimes ten."

"Ew." Kerry winced. "They ever consider donating part of the government's operating budget to saving the rainforests?"

"Mm." Dar led the way up a flight of double stairs that swept up to a landing, with a door guarded by an armed Marine. "I tried to convince them to go thermal, but they held onto those Selectrics like they were worth actual money, and wouldn't give them up." She gave the Marine a brisk nod, and turned past him, into a smaller, closer hallway with doors on either side.

"Dar?" Kerry watched her bemusedly. "When was the last time you were here?"

Dar thought about it. "Jesus.. has it been ten years?" She shook her head and took a left, then put a hand on the first right hand door and pulled it open. "I can't believe it."

Kerry glanced at the door plate, which said 'Computer Operations - Do Not Enter.'. "You're telling me they haven't moved anything in ten years?"

Dar looked at the plate, then at her. "Ten years? Kerry, there are some government offices that haven't changed in over two hundred. C'mon." She followed her lover into a suite of offices, which had a darker shade of carpet, and colder air.

Now it was Kerry's turn to twitch her nose. "That's not mimeograph fluid I smell, is it?"

Dar chuckled, and walked past her, towards an office with a thick wooden doorframe, and a scarred wooden door.

A small desk was perched outside it, occupied by a dour looking woman with curly dark hair and an attitude three times larger than she was. She intercepted them as they walked forward. "Ms. Roberts?"

Dar regarded her soberly. "Yes."

"Commander Albert is in a meeting. He asked me to fill in for him. " The woman stated flatly. "My name is Perkins, and I’m the Data Center manager." She stood up. "We have a full schedule, so if you'd like to give me a list of what you want, I'll see what I can do."

Dar flicked her eyes over the much shorter woman, and simply walked past her, heading down a small corridor towards a set of double doors.

"Ma'am?" The data center manager bolted after her. "Ma'am… that area's off limits."

Dar just kept walking, stiffarming the doors open and letting them close behind her, almost slapping her pursuer in the face. Kerry sighed, and followed, catching the door as their naval guide blasted through them. Inside was a large room filled with mainframes, some of which, she realized, were perilously close to being an older vintage than she was.

"Ms. Roberts, I need to ask you to leave, or I"ll have to call the guard." The data center manager stated fiercely.

"Go ahead." Dar turned abruptly and faced her, showing her edgier side. "You call the guard, I call the Pentagon." She took out her cellphone and opened it. "Because frankly, Lieutenant, I've had about enough bs for one morning, and I just got here."

"This is a secure area." Perkins shot back. "You are a civilian, and this is offlimits, I don’t care how many generals you know." Pause. "Ma'am."

"Look." Kerry eased between them. "Lieutenant Perkins.. I know this is seriously messing up your day." She smiled kindly at her. "And I know that Commander Albert probably told you to be as big a pain the ass to us as possible, but that's okay, because Dar and I are used to that."

The Lieutenant eyed her warily.

"Most of the time when we're doing this, the people we're working with are scared silly we're going to fire them, and sometimes we do." Kerry went on. "But you'd do us, and yourself a favor if you just relax, and let us to our jobs. Things will go much faster, and we'll be out of your hair before you know it."

The woman stiffened a little, bringing her head just slightly above Kerry's. "We have a job to do here. Everything works, and we don't need a couple of outsiders coming in and changing things." She told her. "I don't have time to explain these systems to you. So why don't you do yourselves a favor, and just get the hell out of here."

"Because we're being paid to be here. Just like you are." Kerry explained gently. "And frankly, lieutenant, you don't have to explain anything to us. Between Ms. Roberts and myself, we've got enough certifications to plaster every square inch of the walls in here, so why don't you just go over there, and sit down, and stay out of our way."

The three junior operators who were in the room had become silent, radar eared statues, staring at their screens and watching the reflections of the three women behind them.

Dar put her briefcase down and unzipped it. "If we're done with the first round of jousting, I'm gonna get the analyzer up and connected, and start running first and second level tests." She pulled out a coil of network cable and booted up her laptop. "If you'd like to do something other than stand there gaping, Lieutenant, you can get me a list of subsystems and running job streams."

Without a word, the woman turned and walked out, letting the doors swish shut behind her with a vindictive sound.

"I'll take that as a no." Dar continued her task. She looked around and caught one of the console ops staring at her, a look of mixed awe and admiration on his face. "Would you like to run that for me?"

The sailor grinned at her wholeheartedly. "Yes, ma'am, I would."

Dar grinned back, and winked at him. "Smart boy."

The other console operator turned in her seat, and folded her arms over the back of it. "Who are you people?" She was a willowy thin woman with straight, russet hair and an innocent face. Her voice was soft and thickly Southern.

Kerry, who was closest to her, held a hand out. "Kerry Stuart, and that's my boss, Dar Roberts." She shook the red haired woman's hand with a firm grip. "Our company's been asked to come in and see what we can do to make your lives easier."

"You just did." The third operator drawled softly. "Lieut's been on the warpath all week, driving us half crazy."

"Well, that's probably our fault." Kerry told him. "I know your leadership isn't too happy we're here, because they think we're going to find all kinds of things they're going to get blamed for. But that's not what our plan is."

"It's not?" The girl asked.

"Nope." Dar studied the results on her laptop screen. "The government's looking to spend some money here, we're gonna help them." Her brow creased.

"Why're they all freaking out, then?" The tow headed man closest to Dar asked.

The lines of data flashed before her eyes. "You know, that's a good question." Dar looked up at Kerry.

"People get comfortable with things, Dar. They don't like change." Her lover reminded her. "Even if the change is good."

"Mm." Dar finished her capture and closed her laptop. "That's all I need here for now. Let's see if we can get into the command and control center." She gave the operators a half wave. "We'll be back."

Kerry heard the whispers and muffled laughs as they left, and she shook her head. She had a feeling this was going to be an all the way uphill battle.

And they were wearing roller blades.

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

Dar put her briefcase down on the scarred wooden conference table, and sat, folding her hands together. Kerry took a seat to her right, and the two Navy offices settled opposite them. "We've finished our initial review." Dar said. "I've identified thee main systems that need replacement of hardware, and I'm going to recommend installation of a new infrastructure to support that."

Albert and Perkins exchanged glances, but didn't comment. Kerry could almost read their minds, which were buzzing along the lines of 'not as bad as we thought.' "I'll have the proposal transmitted to the Pentagon by tomorrow." She told her boss. "And an estimated timeline for install."

"All right." Commander Albert said. "You can coordinate with Lieutenant Perkins for that."

Dar nodded. "That was the easy part."

Both officers stiffened. "You're not finished?" Albert hazarded.

"No." Dar met his eyes. "General Easton has forwarded us status and analysis reports on the existing processes you have in place here for training and implementation. He wants them reviewed."

Kerry thought the two of them were going to implode, right there at the table. She'd never seen someone turn that red that fast, and her eyes widened a little as the veins appeared on the side of the Commander's temples. "It'll go faster if you just cooperate." She told them. "He's not saying you don't do a good job here, he just wants to see if there's a way to make things easier and better." She leaned forward. "Sometimes you need an outside pair of eyes to look at things - you get too close to the situation otherwise. Really."

"Lieutenant, Ms. Stuart, would you excuse us please." The commander bit off his words.

Kerry glanced at Dar, who cocked an eyebrow at her, then she stood and pushed her chair in. "I'll go find some coffee. " She waited for the glowering lieutenant to join her, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. "Would you like to tell me where it is, or do I have to go ask the Marines?"

The woman was grimly silent for a beat, then her shoulders perceptibly relaxed, and she shook her head. "Follow me."

They strolled along the corridor, and Kerry took the opportunity to study their erstwhile adversary more closely. They were about the same size, she realized, and more or less the same age. She'd also detected a familiarity in the dark haired woman's speech. "Where in the Midwest are you from, Lieutenant?"

Brown eyes flicked to her in wary attention. "Ann Arbor."

Kerry nodded. "You sounded local. I’m from Saugatuck." They stopped at a coffee station, and busied themselves in silence for a moment as they poured cups. Kerry was aware she was being covertly watched, and it made her ears twitch. "Want to sit down for a minute, until they finish yelling at each other?"

Without answering, the other woman lead the way to a utilitarian table, with two bench seats. She put her coffee down and straddled one, resting her elbows on the table and keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the beaten formica top.

Kerry took the opposite seat and composed her thoughts briefly. "We're not as bad as you think."

"Do you know how often we have to go through this?" Perkins lifted her head and glared. "Everyone thinks they know how to do our jobs, so they come waltzing in here, change things all around, and two months later we've got to go back to doing it the old way because it's the one that works."

Kerry's eyebrows lifted. "They send in consultants every two months?"

"No." The other woman sighed. "Every god damned newly made admiral they put in charge of this place."

"Oh." Kerry took a sip of the coffee, and held back a wince at the pungent strength of it. She was abruptly reminded of Andy Robert's affection for tar sludge, and now knew where he got it. "Well, we're not admirals."

"No, you're even more clueless about what we do." Perkins snapped.

"That can be a plus." Kerry answered mildly. "And as far as I’m concerned, yes, you're right. I'm clueless about the Navy. But I've got a good understanding of the government, and how it works, because my father's a Senator."

The lieutenant grunted, tensing muscular forearms as she lifted her cup.

"Dar, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the government, but she's got a good understanding of the Navy." Kerry told her, hiding a smile as the other woman's head jerked up in surprise. "She was born here, on this base."

One of Perkin's eyebrows lifted, very much like Dar's often did. "She's a navy brat?"

"Yep." Kerry agreed. "She sure is… her father just retired, as a matter of fact." Should have told them that first, her mind analyzed. Might have made the day a lot more pleasant. "So between the two of us, we're not that clueless."

"Commander Albert know that?" The lieutenant asked. "About her?"

"I don’t' think so, no. Not unless Dar mentioned it before, and I don't think she did. " Kerry replied. "Why?"

For the first time, a smile appeared on the other woman's face. "Just wondered."

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

Dar went to the window and looked out, ignoring the man behind her who was yelling into his telephone. She let her eyes wander over the familiar confines of the inner courtyard, noting the new sheds and walkways that dotted the grassy area. A smile appeared on her face as she eyed a thick hedge, remembering times spent huddled inside the center of it, in a tiny space she'd dug out for herself hidden from adult eyes.

How many hours had she spent in there? In the leafy warmth, green filtered sunlight trickling through the leaves and spilling over the ragged pages of whatever book she'd been pouring over that week. Reading had opened the world to her, a love she shared with her father, but a skill only reluctantly displayed to her peers on the base.

You didn't get any points for being a bookworm in her childhood world.

So she'd saved her books for that little private space, absorbing the words greedily, reading years ahead of her age from almost the very start.

The phone slammed down behind her, and she reluctantly left her memories behind and turned, leaning back against the windowsill. "Done?" Albert looked about as frustrated as anyone Dar had ever seen. His face was beet red, and there was a small tick jerking the side of his mouth upward in disconcerting rhythm. "Look, Commander…"

"No. You. Look." He got out from between gritted teeth. "I am not going to have some half assed civilians coming in her and telling me how to run my operation." He slapped his desk. "The base commander's on his way here, and let me tell you, lady, he's not going to put up with it either."

Dar exhaled. "Commander, I think you're overreacting." She told him.

"No ma'am, I am not." The naval officer shot back. "To have you come in here and evaluate our computers, well, I don't like it, but no doubt you know your business." He pointed at her. "But the Navy's my business, and madam, I don't need you telling me how to do it."

Dar sighed, and shook her head. "This is a waste of time."

"That's what I've said all along." Albert responded. "That's what I told the commander, and he agrees with me."

They heard heavy footsteps approaching, and a low gruff voice that seemed more a growl than anything else. "That's the commander." Albert looked relieved. "He'll get this straightened out."

Dar folded her arms and watched as the door swung open, admitting a very tall, extremely burly man with thick, grizzled silver hair and a full, well trimmed beard.

"All right." The newcomer boomed as he closed the door behind him with a solid crack. "Let's just get this cleared up right… son of a fucking bitch." His eyes had fallen on Dar, and he stopped in mid motion.

Albert glanced between his commander and Dar. "Sir?"

Dar blinked as a surprised smile spread across her face. "Uncle Jeff."

The man covered the space between them with startling rapidity, and engulfed Dar in a pair of very large arms, hugging her and lifting her completely off her feet. "Son of a bitch.. son of a bitch… I can't believe it." He gave her a squeeze, then released her and took her by the shoulders, studying her intently. "Tadpole, what the hell are you doing here?" He rumbled, then glanced at the dumbfounded Commander Albert. "Oh.. hell.. don't tell me you're the posse the Pentagon siced on me?"

"Fraid so." Dar caught her breath, her mind still spinning with the shock of being reunited with a long lost part of her past. "I didn't know they put you in charge of this place."

"Lord God yeah… three months back." Jeff Ainsbright said. "Look at you… damned if you didn't grow up gorgeous!" He cupped her cheek with an easy familiarity. "I can't believe it."

The door behind them opened, and Dar was aware of Kerry and the Lieutenant entering, her peripheral vision catching the shift in body language as Kerry absorbed the stranger in the room with his hands all over Dar. She gave her lover a reassuring smile and caught her eye, then met the tall commander's gaze. "Feels like it's been forever since I saw you…wish I'd known you were in charge here. We could have avoided a lot of yelling."

Jeff pulled her into a hug again. "Tadpole, if I'd known you were behind this, I'd have just handed the keys off to you and gone fishing."

Dar watched Kerry bite the inside of her lip to prevent a smirk from appearing. "Well, that's not what I was hired for." She told the tall man. "We're just here to give our best advice."

"Damn straight." The base commander agreed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Albert, you give this lady whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, however she decides she needs it sliced and diced, you got me?"

"S…sir?"

"What part of that was in something other than English?" Jeff growled, turning his head to glare at the younger man. "Or are you developing a hearing problem?"

"No, sir." Albert braced. "But I'd like to remind the commander of the discussion we had…"

"Forget it." The answer came back. "I've got a whole different picture now. So you tell your staff to cooperate, or I'll have every last one of you scrubbing the heads with a box of Navy issue Kleenex, understand?"

"Yes, sir." Commander Albert got the words out from between clenched teeth.

"Good." Jeff turned and slung a long arm around Dar's shoulders. "C'mon lemme give you the top brass tour… well, hello there, young lady." The commander found a slim, blond woman planted firmly in his path.

Dar cleared her throat gently. "This is my associate, Kerry Stuart. Kerry, this is Jeff Ainsbright. He's an old friend of the family."

Kerry stuck a hand out. "Sir, it's good to meet you."

"Same here, Ms. Stuart." Jeff cordially enveloped her hand in his much larger one, and shook it. "Let me take you both to lunch. I think we got meatloaf today. You still like meatloaf, Tadpole?" He gave Dar a grin. "C'mon."

"Sounds good to me." Dar agreed, allowing herself to be hauled through the door, as she guided Kerry before her, leaving a glowering silence behind them.

Commander Albert waited until the footsteps had receded down the hall, then he looked at his data center manager. "Son of a bitch."

Lieutenant Perkins grunted. "This could be trouble."

"Yeah." The muscular, blond man tapped a pencil on his desk. "Get me a report on Roberts. Find out who the fuck she is, will you? I never figured her for military."

"She's a brat." Perkins picked up a pad and scribbled on it. "She's from here. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out who she is.. her dad was Navy."

"Find out." Albert nodded. "Find out everything you can. This could fuck up the whole project."

"Big time." The woman agreed. "She ain't stupid. Neither is the other one, what's her name.. Stuart."

"Hm." Her boss pursed his lips. "See what you can get on her, too. " He exhaled in consternation. "We could be in trouble. I need to call Scrooge."

"Give him my regards." Perkins took her pad, and left, closing the office door behind her.

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

Kerry found herself seated at a comfortable, if spartan table in the noisy cafeteria, listening to her partner and the commander catch up on old times. She cut neat squares of meatloaf and nibbled them, surprised at the agreeable taste. A rakish smile spread across Dar's face as the commander talked, and Kerry smiled too, charmed at the uncharacteristic, almost adolescent expression it gave her lover.

"So what's old Gerry's beef, Dar?" Jeff asked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "He got a surplus he needs to spend somewhere?"

"Nah." Dar replied. "From what he told me, it's more a matter of the Joint Chief's getting crap about making sure the military keeps ahead of the private sector in technology." She took a swallow from her glass of milk. "They told him to make sure it happened, he figured he'd hire me to do it and save himself some time and heartache."

"And me." Jeff grinned, poking his fork in her direction. "I was fixing to toss your civilian butt off my base, y'know, till I walked in that office and found out who it was that was putting a mine in old Albert's pants."

Dar sighed. "I should have just come to see you first." She gave Kerry a rueful look. "It would have saved both of us some time, and half a bottle of aspirin."

They ate in silence for a few moments, then Jeff leaned forward, fiddling with his knife a bit. "How'd your daddy doing? " He asked in a curiously gentle voice. "I tried to track him down, after I heard they'd found him over there, but I never could put a finger on him."

"He's fine." Dar reassured him. "He and mom are living on a boat nearby my place, if you can believe it."

"Aw." Jeff smiled. "He got back with your mamma? Damn, I am so glad to hear that, Dar. It about killed him to leave that last time with her so mad." He stopped awkwardly, and glanced at Kerry. "Pardon me, Dar.. I didn't mean to bring all that up here… "

"It's okay." Dar's blue eyes twinkled gently. "Kerry knows my parents very well."

"That's right." Kerry spoke up for the first time. "We have their phone number if you'd like it.. I bet d.. Mr. Roberts would love to hear from you."

"I bet he'd kick your butt for calling him mister." The commander laughed. "I'd love it… hey, Dar, listen.. Chuckie's coming in end of the week, why don’t we all get together and have a night out? I know he'd love to see you, and me and Barbara would give up a month's pay to see Andy and Cec."

Ah. Dar's memory pricked her suddenly, as she recalled Charles Ainright, Jeff's son who was her age, and growing up one of her closer friends. Tall, cute Chuckie, with his blond crewcut, and snub nose, who had wanted nothing more than to captain a navy ship. "He finally get his command?"

"You bet your ass." Jeff beamed. "Wait till I tell him you're here.. he's gonna float home. He still talks about you."

Oh boy. "It'll be good to see him." Dar allowed. "I'll see what I can arrange for Friday.. how's that? I think mom and dad'll be glad to come down."

"Great." Jeff placed his utensils precisely onto the plate he'd scraped clean. "Tadpole, you let me know if the pinheads down in ops give you any trouble, all right? I've got a staff meeting I have to go kick some asses at.. you about done here for today?"

"I think so." Dar nodded. "I was just going to show Kerry around the place."

"Good deal." The commander gave Kerry a friendly nod, then walked past and clapped Dar on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Dar. Drive safe, y'hear?"

"Thanks, Uncle Jeff." Dar replied, turning her head to watch him make his way through the tables, threading through a forest of salutes and stiffening bodies as he headed out the door. Then she turned her head to see curious green eyes watching her. "Hm. That was a surprise."

"Mm.. yeah. I gathered." Kerry cupped her chin in one hand. "He seems nice, though."

Dar leaned back and exhaled, scratching her neck with one hand. "He is… his wife's a sweetheart. They were pretty good friends of my folks.. dad and Jeff used to fish together at night."

"Uh huh… and Chuckie?" Kerry teased, having noted the faint blush that colored Dar's face at the mention of the name. "Sounds like he liked you."

Dar's face scrunched up into a half amused, half embarrassed scowl. "Yeeeahh… he um… "

"Another crush?" Kerry laughed.

"Not exactly. " Her lover admitted. "My first boyfriend. He was my high school prom date."

Kerry's blond brows shot up in silent amazement.

"I was young, and still pretty clueless." Dar folded her arms, and sighed. "But we had a good time together." She added. "I know my folks'll be glad to see them."

Kerry sipped her ice tea thoughtfully. "He's pretty Republican, isn't he?"

Dar nodded, her lips twitching.

"Want me to find something else to do that night?" Kerry offered with quiet grace.

Dar gazed sightlessly at the center of the table for a long moment, her brow lightly wrinkled in thought. Then she drew in a breath, and met Kerry's eyes. "No. I really don't."

"Fair enough." Kerry accepted the answer. "C'mon… as long as I'm here, I want to see this BX thing you mentioned, and get some souvenirs. " She changed the subject. "Maybe a cap, since I've got enough Navy sweatshirts to outfit the entire Florida Marlin baseball team."

"You got it." Dar stood, and they put their trays away, then left the cafeteria, aware of the curious eyes that followed them.

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

"Good morning, Ms. Kerry." Mayte looked up as Kerry entered her office, giving her boss a bright smile. "Did it go okay yesterday?"

"Sort of." Kerry replied, pausing before Mayte's desk. "It started off pretty rocky, but it turns out the officer in charge of the base is an old friend of Dar's, so things smoothed out after lunch." Remarkably so, in fact. Dar had gotten all the data she needed or asked for, and they'd retired early, heading back up the long, lonely road home while the sun was still a decent angle in the sky.

That meant they'd had time for a nice long workout in the gym, a walk on the beach, and dinner at the club before Dar sat down to digest the information they'd gleaned. Kerry stretched her shoulders out a little, still tight from the climbing wall, and wished briefly she could repeat the day. "What's going on here this morning?"

"You have two of the marketing sessions, at nine and ten, and the operations meeting at one." Mayte answered promptly. "Mrs. Anderson, from the new company we are buying cable from is also to be here at three."

Kerry exhaled. "Okay." She spared a moment of envy for Dar, who had ambled out early, dressed in jeans and hiking boots, then tucked her laptop case under her arm and headed for her desk. "Can you print me the meeting minutes for this afternoon, and remind me what we're fighting with marketing about this week?"

"Of course." Mayte's voice floated after her. "Would you like some cafecita? I was just about to get some."

"Yes." Kerry called back. "I'd kill for a large café con leche. Thanks."

It was quiet then, for a bit, and she settled down in her large, leather chair, it's cool surface warming against her legs as she nudged her computer on, and investigated her inbox. "What have we here?" She mused, pulling over a folder and flipping it open. "Ah." Requisitions for new computers for the accounting department. After a moment's studying, she nodded, and picked up her pen, signing off on the papers and checking the totals carefully.

Duks didn't ask for new hardware often. She'd talked to him last month about the depreciation on the systems they'd last bought for his department, and he showed a studied reluctance to changing what he viewed as perfectly acceptable workplace tools. Kerry had disagreed, considering 386 DX systems that still ran Windows 3.11 to be something along the lines of what she'd use as a door stop.

But Duks had said no.

So Kerry had reviewed the accounting software they were using, and called the vendor, discovering a new, upgraded version with lots of nifty new things and reports they just couldn't live without. She'd told Duks, and he'd agreed. "Great. "She'd said. "Now you can put in your order for new systems, because this software only runs on a Pentium III."

"Heh." Kerry put the folder into her outbox. "Accountants… fastest way to their heart is through their report writers." She turned and opened her mail program, watching as the screen filled quickly with black lines of new messages, a good percentage with red exclamation points next to them. She sighed, and propped her chin up on her fist, waiting for the download to end.

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

Lieutenant Perkins tucked a folder under one arm, and knocked lightly on the door. She paused to listen for the voice inside, then opened the door and slipped inside. She crossed the wooden floor quickly, and put the folder down on her bosses desk, her eyes meeting his as he sat behind it. "I found her."

Albert raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Not good." The lieutenant shook her head. "Take a look, sir." She waited for Albert to open the folder. "Her actual name is Paladar Roberts. Her father was in for twenty years, he just retired a few months ago. She was born here, spent fifteen years on and off on the base. Left after she graduated from UM." She paused. "BS in Computer Science, top in her class. Been with ILS ever since."

"Mmph." Albert studied the contents of the folders, flipping through transcripts and documentation. "Wonder why she never… oh. Did you see these ASVAB scores?"

"Yeah. Did you see what program she was qualifying for?"

His eyes flicked over the papers. "Ah hah. Wanted to follow in daddy's footsteps, but he was a SEAL. I get it. She's probably got a grudge the size of a flat top." He chuckled dryly. "She seems the type."

"She passed the physical." Perkins commented.

"Mm." Her commander prowled through the papers, then selected a black and white photo, examining it curiously. An adolescent Dar Roberts stared dourly back at him, dark hair half obscuring the pale eyes, her lean body encased in a tight, sleeveless black shirt and well used fatigue pants. "Scary." He flipped the picture over to her.

Perkins picked it up and studied it. "Very." She tossed it back. "What are we going to do about her?"

The commander sorted through the papers. "Can we keep her out of the inside systems?"

A shake of her head. "Probably not. Based on the questions I was getting, I'm going to guess she actually knows her way around a programming language. I could try to throw a pile of code at her, but I don’t' know how long that would hold her up."

"Give it a try." Commander Albert sighed. "I'll see what else I can do.. .get everything you can and stick it behind the number six firewall. We need to find something to distract her." He closed the folder and pushed it back across the desk. "The timing just sucks."

"You told Scrooge you had it under control." Perkins reminded him, in a worried tone.

"That was before I found out she grew up with Dudley Do Right's kid." He snapped back. "I didn't figure it'd be a problem getting her thrown out of here.. now we have to find another way." He sighed. "What about the other one?"

"We got lucky there." The lieutenant smiled. "She's Roger Stuart's daughter."

Their eyes met. "No shit?" The commander's eyebrows lifted.

"No shit, no sir." Perkins said. "I thought you'd be glad to hear that."

Albert leaned back in his chair, and laced his fingers behind his head. "I guess we don't need to worry about her, then. I don't think she's coming back here anyway." He exhaled. "But that might be the leverage I need… I'll have to call Scrooge. He'll know if we can use it."

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

She was early. The guard let her in without comment this time, and Dar drove slowly through the base, allowing her memories to surface without interruption this time. She parked on the far end of the lot, and got out, locking the doors to the Lexus with a negligent flick, then turned around and leaned against the side of the car, just letting her gaze travel across the scene.

Damn. It looked different, but in some ways the same. The buildings had been altered, new construction changing the outlines subtly, and everything had fresh coats of paint on it. But as she stood there and looked, older images floated before her eyes, and without much conscious thought, she started walking towards the neatly trimmed pathway that wound it's way around the base.

Of course, there was activity. Unlike most of the rest of the city, the day here started before dawn, and she listened to the familiar chants as groups of men and women jogged by her, some sparing a curious glance as they moved past. Dar regarded their backs thoughtfully, and wondered for the hundreth time if she'd have ever had the internal fortitude to get through training if she'd chosen to join the Navy after all.

Physically, she knew she could have. She'd been all whipcord and iron back then, strong and tough and more than up to whatever demands the Navy would have chosen to dump on her shoulders. Even now, Dar glanced down and considered her tall form with a touch of conceit, even after all the years of desk-bound work and a plush lifestyle she'd never imagined back then, even now if she really pushed , she could probably force herself through the basic course.

On sheer stubbornness, if nothing else, she wryly conceded.

Mentally, though? Dar sighed, pausing and leaning against the fence to peer at the tiny houses just beyond it. She had the self discipline, but she hadn't had the ability to accept taking orders from anyone just because they had a stripe on their arm, or a collar insignia. Not then, and, her lips pursed into a slight smile. Certainly not now.

Her eyes found that one small house, third one on the fourth block. She examined the neatly painted outside, then she circled the fence and walked down the sidewalk, stopping as she came even with the front door. It appeared vacant, and she walked up the small driveway into the carport, putting out a hand and touching the cement brick surface. It felt rough under her fingertips, and a familiar scent of dust and sun warmed tar filled her nose as the breeze puffed through the enclosure.

Home.

She walked through and out the back into the yard, over to a ficus tree still firmly entrenched near the side of the house. Her eyes lifted, and found the old, rotting bits of wood held by rusty nails that once, long ago, might have been the outlines of a tree house. She looked between the branches, into a blank window, seeing the faint outlines of a plain, small room inside that had once been hers.

It felt very strange. Dar leaned against the tree, and tried to remember what it was like being a small child looking out of that window. She found she couldn't. Too much time had passed, and she was too different a person now to feel a link here.

Hell. Her face tensed into a scowl. She hadn't even wanted to bring Kerry here to see this. Not that her lover would have laughed, in fact, Kerry would have been interested, as she was in everything Dar had to tell her about her childhood. She wasn't ashamed of the house, either. It was just that it was so unremarkable a place, and she could no longer feel any kind of connection to it.

With a sigh, Dar pushed back from the tree, then she glanced up, and moved her head, shifting a hand to part a thick branch full of leaves. Her eyes fell on her own initials, carved into the bark of the tree, and even after all these years, plainly visible.

Then her brow furrowed, and she leaned forward, blinking as her eyes tried to make sense of the freshly cut markings right next to her old ones.

Kerry's initials. Dar's jaw dropped in open shock. When in the hell had she… Then Dar recalled the long stretch of time her lover had been gone, on one of their breaks from the endless data gathering. She'd returned, cheerfully claiming a walk to clear her head. Dar remembered the smell of warm skin as Kerry had brushed against her, and now knew were it had come from. A silly smile appeared on her face as she gazed up at the letters.

Yesterday's date, with a plus sign joining the old and the new, all carved in slightly awkward, but competent letters into the gray bark. Without looking, she fished her cell phone from it's holder clipped to her belt and speed dialed a number. She waited for a voice to answer, then she closed her eyes. "You are the most incredible person I've ever known." She heard the slight intake of breath. "I love you."

Then she closed the phone, and tucked it back into it's holder, and walked away from the house, headed back towards her waiting job, humming softly.

Kerry glanced at the roomful of marketing executives, all intently focused on her, and folded her phone back up. "That was a…um… a Status report." She smiled weakly, knowing her face was a red as a boiled beet. "I'm sorry, what were you saying about fourth quarter projections?"

Eleanor cleared her throat. "We were talking about the South American emerging IT market."

"Right." Kerry rubbed her face. "Sorry. Go on."

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

Dar leaned back in the hard, wooden chair and rubbed her eyes, closing them for a moment as she reloaded data for the hundredth time. She listened for the hard drive to stop spinning, then sighed, and rocked forward, scanning the results with a tiny scowl on her face.

"Damn it." She checked and rechecked the figures. "Something's just not adding up." Dar paged through the reports sprawled over the desk and shook her head. She'd taken the performance data of the base first, and dumped it into her analyzer, letting the custom built scripts she'd written sort through the columns of figures, matching dollars spent with viable product, in this case, qualified personnel who were assigned out to various Navy installations around the world.

Something just wasn't matching. Her scripts kept returning errors, finding discrepancies between the list of expenses and the lists of demands for payment, and so far she hadn't been able to put her finger on the reason why. It was almost as though parts of the data were misplaced, not missing, because the end result balanced, but in the wrong areas so that the orderly progression of bookeeping went every which direction.

Hm. Dar scratched her jaw. Maybe that was why her data parse on the base hadn't brought back snips of relevant data, like who the new base commander was. Her eyebrows hiked, and she dove into her briefcase, retrieving the case study she'd done before starting the project. Impatiently she flipped through the already ruffle edged papers, her eyes darting back and forth until she found the spot she was looking for. "Ah."

She leaned back and rested the report on her knee, as a warm draft of air entered through the window and stirred the pages, bringing a scent of fresh cut grass and the sound of rugged chanting to her. Dar had requested, politely, a small office space for her use, and Commander Albert and Lieutenant Parkins had, equally politely, lead her to this tiny room with it's one single, scarred, wooden desk and unpadded chair.

And no air conditioning. Dar had given them both a smile, then simply taken off her denim overshirt, leaving her comfortable in a very light tank top as she sat down and kept them standing there, answering questions in their full uniforms until they'd both turned red as beets and started sweating.

Dar chuckled to herself, and glanced out the window, watching a training group go through an obstacle course, clawing their way up a tall wooden wall and flipping over with strained grunts she could hear all the way where she was sitting. It wasn't too different from when she and the rest of the base brats used to sneak over after dinner, and try the course themselves, ending up with splinters and cuts as they struggled along.

She remembered the first time she'd made it all the way through, at age fourteen. Almost without a scratch until she came to the last hurdle, the rope ladder she'd swarmed up, sweating and almost yelling with exultation as she grabbed the top and flung herself over.

Completely forgetting the ditch on the other side. Ow. Dar winced, even all these years later, and reached down to rub her ankle, which she'd twisted so badly she almost didn't make it home. Fortunately, her daddy had spotted her limping down the sidewalk and pulled over in their sturdy pickup halfway there.

"What in the hell happened t'you, young lady?" Andrew Robert's rugged, crewcutted head had poked out the window.

Dar had grabbed the doorframe gratefully and hung on, catching her breath. "Nothin.. I just fell offa something."

Andy had leaned closer. "Were you over at that monkey pit?" He'd accused.

Dar had chewed her lip. "Yeah." Lying to her father was never a good idea. She'd learned that the hard way.

"After I told you not to go there?" The low growl had made her flinch.

"Yeah." She'd looked back up into his face. "Got through this time." She hadn't been able to help grinning, just a little, but she'd stopped at the scowl on his face. .

"You are just a pile of trouble, ain'tcha, Paladar?" Andrew had shaken his head. "Git your ass into this here truck."

So she had, limping around the front and getting in on the other side, glad of the chance to sit down and get off her aching ankle, as he'd pulled away from the curb and started down their street. It had taken her a moment to realize it when he passed the house, and kept going, and she'd given him a startled look. 'Where're we going?"

"Git you some ice for that leg, and some water to wash the mud off yer face." Her father had told her. "Cause I an't bringing you in the house looking like that, little girl. Your mother'd kill me."

Dar had scowled, and looked down at her mud stained hands, her momentary happiness fading. They'd only recently returned to Florida, and the adjustment back had been tough for her. Friends were very few, and far between, and Andy was facing another six month tour in just a few weeks.

"'Sides… you can't eat ice cream with all that dirt down there." Andy had muttered.

Dar had looked at him sideways.

"Figure anyone stubborn enough to get through that monkey pit deserves an ice cream cone, don't you?" Andy had stopped at a stop sign and turned, reaching over and wiping a bit of mud off Dar's cheek. "I know I went and got me one first time I got my butt through it." He'd patted her face. "Good job, Dardar That's a tough thing you done."

Dar remembered smiling so hard it hurt, making her forget her ankle completely. "Thanks, daddy."

Hm. Dar licked her lips thoughtfully. Ice cream. Now there's a thought. She decided to take a side trip during lunch, and resettled her attention on the report she held. The date was current, as of two weeks ago, as she'd thought, but the name of the base commander she knew now was wrong.

So, what else was wrong, and why? Dar switched to the laptop and typed in a query. It came back, this time with the correct information. Was the reporting that far behind, and she just got caught in the lag? She checked another bit of data, and frowned. Okay, that came up all right now too. So maybe she did get caught between updates. "All right.. let me just run these suckers all over again." She typed in a request and watched a long bar start across her screen. "Note to self. Self, upgrade this damn base to 100 base T before you do anything else. Jesus. At ten I could walk to the blasted server and get this faster."

Her cell phone buzzed, and she flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Morning boss." Mark's voice came through. "You let me a voice mail to call ya, so here I am."

"I need a T1." Dar flipped through another set of reports as she talked. "Even a fractional would do if we can't get a full… I’m gonna need the big boxes to run the specs on this place, and they don't have a pipe big enough for me to hook into."

"Hang on.. I'm GPS'ing you." Mark muttered. "Yeah.yeah..yeah.. shut up… stop with the error messages, willya… ah. Shit, Dar. You're in bumfuck."

"I am not." Dar protested.

"You most certainly the heck are, boss… the nearest CO to you is freaking Marathon." Mark replied. "I'd have to piggyback on the National Defense circuits… Bellsouth's not gonna go for it, that's for sure, they don’t' have crap anywhere in the area." He paused. "What in the hell are you doing out there in the scrub, anyway?"

Dar felt stung, irrationally, she realized, but stung none the less. "I'm on a project out at the Naval base here." She answered slowly. "The one I grew up on."

There was a very awkward silence on the phone. "Uh… sorry, Dar." Mark finally stuttered. "I didn't meant to dis the place."

Dar sighed. "It's okay." She glanced around. "It is bumfuck."

"Well, it must be a pretty cool slice of bumfuck if you're from there." Mark rallied faintly. "But I gotta tell you, even if I cross my legs and squeeze I can't really imagine you as a kid."

No. Dar tossed the report onto the desk. "That's probably a good thing." She told her MIS chief. "When can I get my T1?"

A silence filled with clicking followed. "Best I can do is Thursday."

Dar's eyebrows lifted. "After all that griping? You're a damn fraud, Mark."

Mark chuckled softly. "Yeah, well… I was checking the commercial availability - I went back and checked the governmental - they've got a big POP not far from there. We can zap in a pipe there. I'll ship you down a Cisco and a mini hub."

"Good." Dar responded. "I want to hook up when it gets a completion and suck everything in their main systems out and over to the mainframes. I ran an analysis on my laptop, but there's something not jibing, and I don't have the cpu cycles to rip it apart."

"Sounds good to m… oh, hey." Mark's voice altered, and warmed. "I was just talking to the big kahuna."

"The big kahuna who nearly got my ass nailed to the table in a marketing meeting? That big kahuna?" Kerry's voice echoed through the circuit. "Gimme that phone." There was a fumbling noise. "Paladar Katherine Roberts."

"Uh oh." Dar started laughing. "You sound like my mother."

"You are so busted." Kerry joined her in laughter. "Oh my god, Dar…you knocked me for a such a loop in that meeting… how's it going?"

"Eh." Dar reviewed the report now running on the laptop's screen. "All right, I guess. There's so much to do, I cant' decide where to start." She sent the report to print. "How's it going there?"

"Well." Kerry exhaled, an audible rushing sound. "I've got a session with Jose in about an hour. Wish me luck." She perched on Mark's desk and winked at him "Other than that, it's been fine, with the slight exception of me being rendered speechless earlier. What was that all about?"

"Someone's initials." Dar replied succinctly.

Kerry smiled. "Oh." She murmured. "Yeah.. I don't know what got into me.. I got to use the Leatherman you got me, though." She'd circled the small house and tried to imagine her lover and her family living in it. "Well, I've got to get to my meeting - here's Mark back. See you later at home?"

"You bet."

Kerry handed the phone back, and stood, picking up the handful of requisitions she'd come to collect. She gave Mark a pat on the back and walked through the MIS command center, with it's semi circular desks and racks of seriously blinking lights. Just as she hit the door, an alarm went off, and she paused, looking back over her shoulder to where two techs were scrambling towards a monitor. "What is it?"

"Shit." One tech slapped buttons, then glanced up. "Sorry, ma'am."

Kerry returned to the desk and peered over it. "What's going on?"

"Crap..crap..crap.. we just lost the southeast." The other tech was furiously rattling his keyboard, and now Mark approached, leaning over them. "Mark, something big just took a dump over Georgia." He looked at Kerry. "You know what that means."

Kerry smiled. "It means I get to cancel my meeting." She set her papers down and rolled her sleeves up. "Okay… Mark, you start checking the access routers.. I'll call Bellsouth."

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

Dar made her way through the labyrinth of corridors and pushed open Commander Albert's door without ceremony or even a knock. She found the data center manager just getting off a call and she paused, giving him a look. "You wanted a conference?"

Albert took in a breath visibly, and released it. "Okay, look." He held out both hands. "Can I raise a truce pennant, here?"

Bout god damned time. Dar folded her arms, but relaxed her posture at the same time. "Depends on what your terms are." She said. "This can be just as tough as you want it to be."

"Okay." The man sat down, and motioned her to do the same. "Look, Ms. Roberts, I really don't mean to be such a bastard, but.." He paused.

"But I'm stomping all over your territory with spike heels." Dar finished for him. "You think I don't know that? Listen, Commander, if I were in your shoes, I'd be just as pissed off as you are, believe me."

Albert relaxed a little. "Have you ever been? In my shoes?"

Dar considered the question. "Not really, no." She admitted. "My company was taken over by ILS, but I was just a programmer then. I remember resenting the hell out of having to explain to clueless githeads what my code was, though." She crossed an ankle over her knee. "So I do understand, but you need to understand that I'm not your enemy."

He watched her closely. "You were hired to do this, I know that."

Dar nodded. "That's right. The brass is looking for two things. One, to make themselves look good, by hiring in the biggest, most well known IS firm around to come in and evaluate them, and two, they're wanting justification to spend billions in improving infrastructure. If it comes to a question, they point to our analysis, and it's right there, in black and white."

Albert grunted, his brows twitching in thought.

"So do yourself a favor, Commander, just let me do what they're paying me a fortune for, okay? " Dar said.

He leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the desk surface, clasping his hands together lightly. "All right, Ms. Roberts. I'm just going to be my butt chewed up one side and down the other if I don't." He exhaled. "So. Do you have everything you want? Lieutenant Perkins told me you were pulling down statistics most of the day."

Dar got up and walked to the window, leaning both hands against the sill and peering out the dusty panes. "That's right." She watched a squad of men carrying huge logs move past. "But I've got programs to analyze all that. I want to start looking at facilities, first hand. " She turned, and faced him. "You can let me wander by myself, or give me someone who can answer questions."

A faint grin crossed the commander's face. "I think we can arrange for a guide, Ms. Roberts." He hit a button on his desk. "I was anticipating the issue. " His voice got louder. "Send in Chief Daniel."

After a moment the door opened, admitting a short, very stocky woman with ginger hair peppered lightly with gray. She gave Dar a brief glance, then turned her attention to Albert. "Sir?"

"This is our senior operations staff, CPO Daniel, Ms. Roberts. She's in charge of implementing and supervising all our overall processes." He gave the newcomer a brief nod. "Chief, this is Ms. Roberts. She's here on orders from Washington to do an evaluation on us, and recommend improvements." The base commander said pleasantly. "Please take her where she wants to go and answer any questions."

In her spare moments Dar often played a little mental game where she tried to match people up with what breed of dog they would be if they'd suddenly morphed before her eyes. She'd often amused herself in meetings by imagining Eleanor as an Afgan Hound, discussing sales with Jose the Sheepdog, for instance. She'd even drawn a sketch of it, which had sent Kerry into a fit of hysterics and made her leave the room.

The bulldog in a naval uniform gave Dar a once over, then nodded briefly. "Yes, sir, I'll be glad to do that. Would you like to start now, ma'am, it's a big base."

"Absolutely." Dar responded, recognizing the aggressive stance with an internal sigh. "Let's start where they come in. After you?" She gestured towards the door. "Thank you, commander."

"My pleasure." Albert gave her a pleasant, albeit vicious smile. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

Dar followed the woman out of the office and organized her resources for this new challenge. Given how Albert had phrased her assignment, calculated to offend the petty officer as much as possible without actually coming out and accusing her of not doing her job, she had to wonder which one of them the data center manager disliked more.

She eyed the shorter woman plowing along beside her.

"Would m'am like to stop at supply and pick up a pad and pencil? " Daniel asked suddenly. "I’m sure you'll have notes to take."

"No thanks." Dar replied mildly. "I usually work at a macro level. I leave the micro details to the people who actually implement the designs." Hmm. What would Kerry do? Dar sorted through her options. "Look, Chief. I've got no intention of spending days wading through your attitude. Let's go get a cup of coffee and get the fistfight out of the way, then maybe we can get something done."

The petty officer stopped, and turned, and studied her with a ferocious intentness. She had a strong presence, and an air of fierce competence that almost matched Dar's own. "I don't know what you're real purpose is here, m'am, but I'm not one of those data center fluffheads who wander around with printouts tucked up their butts all day. I have a job to do, and I do a damn good one. So if you want to tell me what your agenda is, maybe I can save us both time and sweat."

"Problem is, I don't have one." Dar replied. "So if you're doing a good job, you've got nothing to worry about, right?"

"What makes you think you can walk in here and judge us?" Daniel moved a step closer. "You think I have an attitude? What did you expect, coming in here an outsider like this, walking into a world you can't possibly understand?"

"Chief.."

"You think we don't know what you people out there think of the military? You think it's easy getting that attitude from people who couldn't last a day through basic training, who think we're a bunch of mindless idiots?" Daniel stabbed a finger at Dar. "Don't talk to me about attitude, lady."

Dar cocked her head. "You like the Navy, chief?"

That threw the petty officer right off her tracks. "What?"

"Do you like the Navy? You're a career in, right?"

Warily, Daniel backed off a pace. "It's a job." She answered slowly. "You take a lot of shit, but it's like a family. I've gotten used to it. Why?"

Unaccountably, Dar smiled. "You just gave me an answer to a question I've been asking myself since I was eighteen. Thanks." A flock of what if's took off and left her shoulders lighter. "You're right, Chief. I am an outsider." Now she met the shorter woman's eyes. "You need to pick if you want me to be a hostile, or a friendly one."

They stared at each other in silence.

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

"Okay, so how are you guys today?" Kerry pulled both legs up under her and sat cross legged, leaning on the arm of her chair as she regarded her small group of teens. "Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"

Five sets of eyes rolled. "I hate holidays." Lena groaned. "We had the whole family, my grandparents, the cousins, everyone at our house. I had to dress up. It sucked." The tiny, blond girl made a face.

Kerry chuckled. "Oh yeah.. I remember those days." She said. "Thanksgiving was always big at my parent's house. We had thirty, or forty people there sometimes."

"Did you like it?" Lena asked, doubtfully.

Kerry thought about that. "Sometimes." She answered. "When I was really young, I did, because all my cousins would come over, and we were too little for anything really formal. They'd let us loose in the solar with a couple of the nannys, and we'd have a ball."

"Oo." Erisa pushed a lock of dark hair back off her forehead. "You were, like, super rich, huh?"

"My parents are well off, yes." Kerry replied.

"So, what did you do for Thanksgiving?" Lena asked. "Did you cook that turkey you got?"

How did we end up talking about me? Kerry wondered. "Yes and no. I did get to cook it, but it was a few days late. I was out of town for the holiday."

Casey sat up. "You took off? What'd your SO think of that?" Everyone's ears perked up visibly, and they watched Kerry with interest.

"Mm… well, Dar knows my job entails a lot of traveling, so she understood." Sort of . "But as it turned out, she was traveling too, and we both ended up in Chicago together. So, it worked out." Time to change the subject. "Anyone seen Barbara? She usually doesn't miss a group meeting."

"Oh.. yeah, I forgot to tell you." Lena slapped her head. "Shit man, my brain is like, not even here. She got promoted." She snapped her fingers. "Like to an assistant manager, you know? She had to work a little late tonight. I went by there on my way."

"That rocks." Erisa clapped her hands. "So, like, Kerry, I guess you were right, you know?"

Kerry smiled. "I guess I was." She agreed. 'I’m glad to hear that. It's good to know that Barbara took a chance, and she really got something out of it." Her body shifted and she straightened up a little. "That's a good message. Sometimes you do have to take risks, and those risks turn out to be some of the best things in your life."

"I dunno." Lena sighed. "I had to listen to my folks for two days tell me how I should get a boyfriend. They're so clueless, I mean, like.. hello? Those are not pictures of Leonardo DumbasaFishio on my wall, okay?" She twisted her limbs in the chair, moving into a position that made Kerry wonder if she had bones or plastic rods in her body. "You think they'd know, you know? Do I have to paint , like, my whole room in friggen rainbow stripes?"

"They'd probably think you were just doing that retro seventies thing." Casey snorted. "My freaking father finally caught a clue when I dumped a box of friggen condoms he'd left in my room in his cereal bowl and told him I wasn't innnerested in letting anything that fit in them fit in me."

Kerry bit back a snort of laughter. "What did he say?"

Casey shrugged, and laughed without humor. "He said thank fucking god, at least I wouldn't go out and get stupid and pregnant, and make him pay for it."

"Yo… he'd rather you be gay than a slut, right?" Lena remarked. "My folks would rather I be dead than gay."

Kerry sobered. "You don't know that."

"Sure I do." The slim blond looked directly at her. "My mom told me that, right to my face, after she watched some fucking Oprah shit about gay kids." A snort. "She said if she ever found out I was gay, she'd shut me up in my room and gas me."

Holy crap. Kerry took a breath to steady herself. "I don't think she meant that." She reassured the girl. "Parents say things like that to scare their kids sometimes."

Lena shrugged. "Yeah, maybe, but I know why so many gay kids pretend they ain't. You get so sick of people thinking you're just so fucked up."

"Yeah." Elina nodded. "I was thinking the other day, is it even worth it?"

Kerry sat up, and put both feet on the ground, clasping her hands between her knees as she leaned forward. "Listen." She spoke slowly, and quietly. "My parents don’t like me being gay either, and that hurts, because I love my family very much." She sorted through her feelings. "I hated having to make a choice between them, and the truth about myself."

"They just don't get it." Elina remarked softly. "It's like they don't understand it, so they have to hate it."

Kerry nodded. "That's true, and believe me, I was scared after I realized I was going to have to face that. I didn't want them to hate me." She paused, and collected her thoughts. "You know, I never knew what it would be like to fall in love. So when I fell in love with Dar, it was all so much of a surprise to me. How good it felt, and what an amazingly powerful emotion love is."

They all looked at each other, then back at her.

"It's worth it." Kerry stated simply. "I wouldn't give up Dar for all the money, or the approval of my parents, or anything else in the world."

There was utter silence, and she glanced from face to face, as they stared. "C'mon, it wasn't that profound." Kerry chuckled, then realized they weren't staring at her, they were staring past her. She turned her head, to find Dar leaning in the doorway, her arms folded, and a quiet, pleased smile on her face. "Ah. It's you."

"Yes, it is." Dar agreed.

Kerry was aware she was blushing. "C'mon in. Guys, this is Dar."

The tall, dark haired woman entered and circled Kerry's chair, perching on an arm of it as she regarded the circle of young faces. "Hi." She greeted them briefly, then turned her attention to her victim. "You're late."

Kerry found herself flailing bewilderedly in that sea of blue. "I am? For what?"

"You have an appointment with me, some of my stone crab friends, and a tall bottle." Dar told her, watching the startled delight creep into Kerry's features. "With lots of bubbles in it." She turned her head and peered at the girls. "You'll excuse her, right?"

Five heads nodded.

"Good." Dar turned her attention back to Kerry. "Well?" She held a hand out, palm upmost, and a lifted an eyebrow. Kerry put her own hand up and clasped it, their fingers curling warmly around each other. Dar stood, and tugged, and waited for Kerry to join her.

"Um." Kerry faced her group, who were now smiling and giggling at her. "I guess I'll see you guys next week, huh?" She flashed them a rueful grin. "See? She's definitely a keeper."

They walked out of the meeting room and out through the church, still clasping hands, respecting the peaceful silence until they pushed the large outer door open, and went from the slightly close air into a cool fall night and a gusty breeze tinged heavily with salt. "Wow." Kerry turned her head to regard the profile outlined in stars next to her. "That was a surprise."

Dar nodded. "I know. I had a tough day, and ended up getting through it by planning the night with you." She admitted. "C'mon…let's go count stars."

Kerry smiled and turned her face to the wind as they walked towards the small, seaside restaurant nearby, it's table candles fluttering in the breeze. Her hand felt warm in Dar's, and the concrete sidewalk seemed to turn into a soft cloud.

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

The ocean rolled in nearby, a rhythmic shush and roar followed by a faint tinkle of shells. Dar and Kerry were sitting braced against a tree with their legs extended out along sand still holding the day's warmth. Or, to be more precise, Dar was leaning against the tree, and Kerry was leaning against Dar, as she was seated between her lover's legs in a blissfully comfortable sprawl.

"So, I’m a keeper, huh?" Dar drawled, a hint of a chuckle in her voice.

"You bet your boots, Dixiecup." Kerry lifted one of the hands clasped loosely around her waist and kissed it. "How long were you in that doorway, anyhow?"

"Not long." Dar said. "I heard what that little blond haired girl said, then what you said back."

Kerry exhaled. "I can't believe her mother said that. How could a parent be that…" She paused, and reflected. "You know, I don't think even my parents would have said something like that to me."

"You think the mother was serious?" Dar sounded doubtful. "That sounded like one of those 'if you don't behave, I'm going to cut your hands off' kind of parental things."

"That's what I thought too, then." Kerry agreed. "But the more I think about it, the more I wonder why someone would say that to a child, even if it wasn't serious."

"Well." Dar shifted a little, then gave Kerry a squeeze. "I don't know. You get frustrated, I guess. When I look back on when I was younger, I know my mother said things to me that came from her being so at a loss with how to deal with things that I did." She paused. "I think maybe you want your kids to be perfect, so when they're not, and you can see all the things you want to be different in them, it gets you crazy." Another pause. "But even when she said things, I never remember feeling afraid of her."

"No.. but if you're really upset about something, and scared, you take things like that to heart, Dar." Kerry sighed. "When I had my confrontation with my parents, I was an adult at least. I knew who I was, and I was old enough to have developed a mind of my own."

Dar chuckled. "I'd certainly agree with that statement."

Kerry stuck her tongue out at her. She found it caught between Dar's teeth an instant later as it was gently nibbled and tasted, then lips brushed hers and disappeared, restoring the view of the ocean to her. "Oo." Kerry enjoyed the tingling. "That was erotic." She turned her head. "Can we do it again?"

"Only if you're interested in making the front page of the Lifestyles section of the Herald." Dar indicated the strolling passersby. "On the other hand, I know a hot tub that might be willing to look the other way for us."

"Eeoorwl" Kerry emitted a contented gurgle and stretched. "I could go for that. You can tell me more about this petty person who's giving you such a migraine. Do I need to come down to the base again and have a chat with her?"

Dar stood, tugging Kerry up with her, and they started back towards the church parking lot. "No. The Chief's all right. At least she knows what she's doing, and understands base ops. I just get the feeling she'd like to bump me into the two hundred pound hamburger grinders and give herself a mark for reducing chow costs." She said. "I feel like I'm walking around with a slightly rabid dog trotting around after me, ready to clamp on at any second."

"Hm." Kerry's nose wrinkled up as she smiled. "I think that's how people feel about you sometimes, you know."

A sigh. "I know."

"Not really nice, huh?" The green eyes twinkled.

Dar gave her a look. "Are you laughing at me?"

Kerry pulled her closer, tucking her hand around Dar's arm. "I'm not laughing at you. I was just thinking that it must be strange for you to be faced with the kind of challenge that you usually present to other people." She felt Dar sigh again. "Why don't you try making friends with her? I'm sure you two have something in common."

They approached Kerry's car, and she power unlocked the door, then muffled a smile as Dar opened it for her. She got in and paused, as her lover leaned on the window and watched her get settled. "Meet you at the ferry?"

"Drive careful." Dar told her, then closed the door. She walked around the back of the Mustang and got into her own car, starting it and pulling out after Kerry onto the main street. They drove along the beach road and turned right onto the causeway that lead home, navigating the relatively sparse traffic in tandem. They reached the first bridge and rolled over it, reaching the top and starting down the other side.

It took Dar's mind a frantic second to confirm the headlights coming towards them were really in the wrong lane, a half ton of truck barrelling down towards Kerry who was starting to react, throwing her wheel hard to the left and sending the Mustang bolting towards the green center island.

For a second, Dar froze, her eyes caught in the glaring headlights bearing down on both of them. Then she reacted in pure instinct, gunning the engine of the Lexus and roaring past Kerry, putting herself between the oncoming four by four and the skidding Mustang as she slid into a sideways block.

The blue vehicle jerked to the right, then suddenly made a hard turn, skimming Dar's front bumper as it clawed it's way over the center island and bounced into the eastbound lanes, missing a taxi by a hair and roaring off down towards the beach.

Dar slowly unclenched her fingers from the steering wheel and pushed back, her heart slamming so hard in her chest it threatened to squeeze between her ribs and escape. She jerked the door open and tumbled out of the car, hanging on to the edge of the window for a long moment as her shaking legs refused to hold her up. Then she took a breath and forced herself into a run to where Kerry's car was half up onto the center island, her engine off, and her headlights shining wanly into the tropical foliage.

The door opened as Dar reached it, and she yanked impatiently, dropping to her knees beside the seat as Kerry leaned halfway out. "Hey." She hugged Kerry to her in mindless relief, feeling the shaky breath as Kerry buried her face against Dar's neck. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Kerry nodded. "Just scared the holy pooters out of me."

"Me too."

Kerry released her, and got out of the car, leaning on Dar's shoulder as she glanced around, and examined the damage. Though the other car hadn't touched her, climbing onto the center island had done evil things to a car not intended as a four wheel drive vehicle. "Erf."

Dar got to her feet and regarded the apparently broken axle. "Well, that's it."

"That's what?" Kerry was leaning against the side of the car. She turned and gave her lover a puzzled look. "I’m sure they can fix this."

"You're getting a new car." Dar responded matter of factly. "If that thing had hit you, this would have folded like a used piece of tin foil."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Dar.. it always seemed pr.." Kerry got a good look at Dar's face, and cut her sentence off in mid word. "Well, I was thinking about a new one the other day. Maybe it's a good idea." She walked over and leaned against her partner. "Can we call a tow for this, and go home? "

"Good idea." Dar took out her cell phone as they walked towards the balefully crouching Lexus, it's hazard lights flashing as traffic drove cautiously around it. "We can go car shopping on the web when we get there."

Kerry let out a slightly hysterical chuckle. "Honey, we don't have to do that.. besides, I think I want to check out one of these for myself." She patted the SUV. "It's nice and solid, right?"

Dar glanced up from her conversation. "I was thinking maybe a Hummer." She went back to the phone, and gave directions.

"A what?"

"Unless maybe Dad could get a Humvee." Dar closed the phone, tapping it against her chin thoughtfully, her face completely serious. "He probably could."

Kerry knocked on her chest. "Hello? Earth to Dar? I'm not driving an armed personnel carrier around Miami, so I hop you're joking."

Dar nudged her into the car, then closed the door and got in on the driver's side. "Deny that it wouldn't be handy in afternoon traffic." She started the car and moved cautiously into drive. "Maybe a tank."

"Dar."

"What? They come in surplus, and dad loves tinkering with the engines."

"Dar!"

"Hell to park, though."

"You are joking, right?"

Pale blue eyes regarded her, as they waited in line for the ferry. "Yes." Dar finally smiled. "I tend to say stupid things when I lose my mind."

Kerry lifted a hand, and they interlaced fingers, a gesture that always brought a sense of warm familiarity to both of them. "Well, I was completely safe. I had this huge Lexus between me and the kamikazi wackos. They'd have probably bounced off and ended up in Biscayne Bay." She was rewarded by another smile. "Crazy people."

Dar nodded, leaning back in her seat in quiet relief. The draining of the adrenaline that had raced through her body left her almost sleepy in it's absence, and she didn't feel like moving, even when the ferry docked, and she had to maneuver the Lexus onto it's lightly shifting deck. She kept her eyes half closed, and rubbed Kerry's fingers with her thumb as they rode over to the island. Then she turned and gazed at Kerry's profile. "You sure a Hummer's out of the question?"

"Dar."

"They come in nice colors."

"Blue, gray and green." Kerry regarded her bemusedly. "And black. I'd like something a little lighter."

"Hmph." Dar leaned her knee against the steering wheel. "The tank comes in desert camo.. that's light."

"Dar." Kerry started laughing. "Would you just cut that out? I’m not getting a tank."

They were both quiet for a few minutes.

"Can you imagine the gas mileage those things get?" Kerry finally spoke up. "It'd cost a fortune."

"No problem. I'll give you a raise to cover it." Dar responded instantly. They looked at each other, then they both burst out laughing in relief. "Think of the impression you'd give, pulling up to a consolidation in THAT." Dar got out.

Kerry just kept laughing.

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

Thunder rolled sullenly in over the ocean, lightning flashes outlining the whitecaps which scurried up the beach and ruffled the water's dark surface.

Most of the island was still dark, the condos squatting on the edge of the land silent and brooding, their windows blank and featureless in the predawn hours.

From one outward facing window, however, a faint light poured. Anyone insane enough to be walking out along the beach in the storm would have seen a profile outlined in it, as someone stood inside the dry, safe building watching the surge of the waves.

"Wow." Kerry leaned against the counter, feeling the cool surface thorugh the thin cotton of her tshirt. "Glad I'm not out there." She turned her head as the toaster released four slices of fragrant cinnimon raisin toast. "Ah." A moment later the toast was resting on plates, and she was spreading softened butter over it. They were so used to waking up early, that even today, when their usual morning run was out of the question they both were up and rambling around the condo.

Dar was in her study catching up on mail, and Kerry set the plates of toast and scrambled eggs, along with two glasses of orange juice and coffee onto a tray before heading in that direction. For a moment she paused in the doorway to watch her lover, hard at work behind her desk, before she continued on and set the tray down on the small table nearby. "Anything catastrophic?"

"Hm?" Dar looked up, her face outlined in luridly ghostly phosphor light. "I got a compliment on you from Intratech… whatever you did with Bellsouth yesterday got them back up and running."

"Really?" Kerry looked pleased. She set the plate of toast and eggs down then handed Dar her orange juice. "Bottoms up."

Dar took the glass and leaned back, hitching her knee up to rest against the desk's edge as she sipped at the brightly colored beverage. "Nasty out there, eh?"

Kerry took a seat on the couch and tucked her legs up under her, leaning on the broad, padded arm as she selected s lice of toast and nibbled on it. "Very. I hope it calms down before we have to get out of here."

Dar looked thoughtfully at the window as a lightning strike hit somewhere close, causing a wicked cracking sound. She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed a number, listening for several seconds before it was answered. "Morning, John. This is Dar Roberts. How's it looking?" She cocked her head as the lightly accented voice answered, then grunted. "That’s what I thought. Thanks." She hung up and eyed Kerry. "Ferry's not operating."

"Oh gosh. You mean we're stuck here?" Kerry asked ingeniously. "I'm devastated."

Dar smiled. "I can see that. I'm not sure the company would feel the same way, though." She gazed at her inbox. "I can just imagine what yours looks like if I"ve got three pages."

"Eek." Kerry got up and circled the desk to peer at Dar's screen. "Well, some of those are from yesterday, Dar..I cleared my box before I left work last night." She scanned the headers. "Some of them are duplicates of mine, too, I can tell you what h…Dar?" Teeth were nibbling on her hip, and she glanced down to see mischievous blue eyes peeking up at her. "Do you give a poo about the mail?"

"No." Dar responded cheerfully. "I just wanted you to come over here." She chuckled. "It's not like either of us can do anything about the weather, Ker."

Kerry leaned over and kissed Dar's head. "That's true. I'll call Ops, though. We might have staffing issues if people can't get to work, and I think I just heard they've got power outages in the southwest." She felt Dar's arm circle her leg. "Hey, after that, maybe we can go car shopping."

One of Dar's arms moved, and her hand curled around her mouse, clicking on a closed window and opening it. "Funny you should say that." The new window revealed the Lexus website, snazzy and sleek looking with various models of the auto maker's wares appearing and disappearing. "Look what I found?"

"Oo." Kerry nudged her. "Move back so I can sit down."

Obligingly, Dar scooted back in the huge leather chair and gave Kerry room to perch on the edge of it, wrapping herself around her lover's body and peering over her shoulder as she took possession of the mouse. "It's pretty cool. You can choose your model, pick a color… tell it what you want inside, and send an order to the nearest dealership." She paused. "And get it delivered."

A grin split Kerry's face as s he pointed and clicked. "Now this is my idea of car shopping." She nodded in approval. "There we are.. the little SUV."

"It's cute." Dar mentioned. "Like you."

Kerry paused, and glanced over her shoulder so they were nose to nose. "Thank you. I'm glad we're not mentioing the Hummer then, this morning."

Dar's nose twitched, and then wrinkled up into a grin. "They don't have as neat a website."

Kerry bit her playfully, then returned her attention to the screen. "Let's see.. pick a color first. Hm." She scrolled through the possibilites. "Crimson, green, blue, black, white, silver or gold. What do you think, Dar? The black is kinda snazzy."

"Not in Florida. I'm not into poached partner." Dar remarked. "Go light."

"Okay." Kerry clicked. "How about white?"

"Not living out here. You'll be washing it every day."

Kerry eyed her. "Is this why you ended up with that gold color?" She resumed clicking. "Oh, I like the blue, Dar. I don't care if it's dark. I"ve got a dark car now, and it's not so bad." She admired her choice. "Yeah, I like that."

"Hm." Dar cocked her head.

"Now, what's next… ah. Interior." Kerry reviewed her choices. "Oh, leather, definitely." She selected it. "I've really gotten into this stuff since I've met you."

One of Dar's eyebrows lifted sharply. "Me? Why?"

"Leather car seats, leather couches, that leather vest, those leather boots you got me…" Kerry murmured. "I have nightmares of being visited by PETA sometimes and having to escape out the back." She clicked on the added options. "Hm…what do we have here? Heated seats? No thanks."

Dar was still snickering over her comments. "I never thought about that. I just like the feel of leather, especially in stuff I"ve gotta sit on."

Kerry laughed softly. "Me too." She paused, and gave her lover a look. "Hm. Could I talk you into a pair of leather pants?"

"Sure." Dar settled both arms around Kerry. "As long as you wear them." She amended quickly, hearing the chortle. "I had a pair, long time back. I only wore them once."

Kerry paused, and turned again. "Once?"

Dar nodded. "They squeak." She explained. "I scared the crap out of myself every time I moved." She felt Kerry start to laugh and she held on as her lover dissolved into helpless chuckles. "Ahem. Weren't we discussing heated seats?"

"Mine's plenty warm." Kerry gave her a sultry, over the shoulder smirk. "Oh, you mean for the car. Right." She returned her attention to the screen. "CD Player, check. Sunroof, check. Four wheel drive, check. Extra electrical package, check."

"It'll be nice when they do integrated satellite cellular." Dar commented. "And put in a laptop mount." She peered over Kerry's shoulder. "Air bags and ABS? Good."

"Yep." Kerry reviewed her selections, and had the website provide her with a three dimensional view. "Looks good.. I like it." She investigated further. "Lease, you think? Yeah… okay, here we go." She sent her request in, and added a digital wallet and signature with her personal information. "Oh yeah, I like this, Dar. Much more fun than getting a car the old fashioned way."

"Oh, I don't know." Dar freed a hand and took a swallow of coffee. "It's sort of exciting to go to the dealership..in a sleezy, carnival kinda way." She chewed on her toast. "I remember the first new car I got.. I'd been saving up for months, and I just decided to go one night, and not tell my parents."

"Oh boy." Kerry took a bite of the toast held so invitingly nearby. "What'd you get?"

"I traded in an eighty five Malibu." Dar smiled in memory. "It was paid off, so that, plus the down payment I had pretty much guaranteed me just about anything I wanted on the lot.. I felt like a kid in a toy store."

Kerry pulled the plate over and started sharing forkfuls of eggs with Dar. "Uh huh."

"I looked at little ones, big ones, musta driven that salesman nuts." The dark haired woman said. "It was such a weird feeling. I finally narrowed it down between this little sports car number which was really cute, and a pickup truck."

"A pickup truck?" Kerry fed her some eggs.

"Mm. I was such a little redneck." Dar admitted. "Besides, daddy had a pickup truck." She leaned back and drained her juice glass. "So I ended up with a charcoal gray pickup with racing stripes and a roll bar."

"And fuzzy dice?" Kerry muffled a smile. "Hey, don't give me that look. I used to have a pair of trolls hanging from my rearview mirror. I had to settle for something a lot more conservative though. My parents allocated cars to us every year. Whatever manufacturer was trying to woo my father." She got up and retrieved her own coffee, standing before the window and gazing out. "The first time I got to pick my own car was when I moved down here." A smile crossed her face. "I was so damn sick of teak panels and snooty hood ornaments. I remember passing by a Ford dealership and seeing the new Mustangs, and boy… I was right there." She laughed. "Vroom vroom… a convertible muscle car. Damn that felt good to drive off the lot in." Kerry sighed. "I felt like such a rebel. My parents almost had a heart attack when I told them." She turned and looked at Dar. "How did your folks react?"

Dar grinned. "Well, it was one of the few decisions I'd made that we all agreed on." She related. "It was an extended cab, with space in the back for mom, so I became the official driver in the family. Dad loved the truck, and mom loved not having him drive, so for once, we were all on the same page."

Kerry tried to imagine what it would have been like to have had that kind of relationship with her parents. She couldn't do it. Her mother had been horrified when she'd told her about the Mustang, and her father had told her in no uncertain terms that the car would be left behind when she came home from Miami. Thoughtfully, Kerry wondered if it was at that moment when she'd decided she wasn't ever going back. Certainly she'd gone a little over the line after that, staying out and breaking all the rules she'd lived under for such a long time.

She'd actually been lucky, now that she looked back on that wild period. She could have gotten herself into a lot of trouble, and not just ended up suffering a few hangovers and barely remembered near misses, the last of which had scared her so badly it finally knocked some sense into her. She'd been more careful after that, but she was still aware of that potential wild side, something she doubted she wanted Dar to ever see.

"Well. I'm going to go work on my inbox, so I don't feel completely guilty about being trapped here in my underwear with you." She winked at Dar. "Come visit me?"

Dar responded with a frank grin, visible in Kerry's mind's eye as she left the study, and headed upstairs, with Chino trotting at her heels.

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

"Jesus." Kerry tugged her hood closer, and bolted for the front door of ILS, crossing from the drenched air into the climate control of the lobby with a sense of being slapped in the face with the chill. She lost her footing as she hit the tile, and slid, yanked to a halt by the frantic grip of the security guard as she passed the station. "Whoa! Thanks."

"No problem, Ms. Stuart." The guard patted her arm. "Careful there.. it's the Lord's own rivers raining out there."

"No kidding." Kerry shook herself, scattering droplets of water over the tile, which she correctly assumed would be easier to clean than the carpet upstairs. "Much more of this, and we'll have to close the parking lot. The water's up to some hubcaps out there." She turned, getting a brief glimpse of Dar's taillights as she turned out of the lot and headed south. "Hope Dar doesn't run into trouble driving." She glanced at her watch and sighed, turning to walk across the cold lobby towards the elevators. The rain had let up a little, the winds just enough to allow the ferry to commence operation, and they'd reluctantly decided that playing hooky from work the week after they'd both been gone for days was probably not the best idea in the world.

Rats. Kerry punched the elevator button and waited. It wasn't that she didn't like her job, she did. The door opened and she entered, turning and hitting the button for the fourteenth floor. She just liked spending time with Dar more, that was all.

"Morning, Ms. Kerry." The doors had opened at the tenth floor, and Brent edged on, behind a rubber wheeled AV cart.

"Morning, Brent." Kerry replied politely. Brent had been avoiding her for a few months, since the night he'd found out about her and Dar's relationship. She suspected he didn't approve of her lifestyle, and she felt a little sad about that, since she'd developed a fondness for the young tech. "Who's that for?"

Brent had been staring intently at the wall, and now he glanced briefly at her. "Requisition 23343, ma'am." He returned his eyes to the wall.

"Well." Kerry exhaled. "I hope the requisition enjoys it." The doors opened, and she held them while Brent moved the cart off the elevator. "Did the equipment for Accounting come in?"

"I don't know ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." Brent turned and wheeled his cart away, keeping his head down as he walked.

Kerry made a mental note to talk to Mark about his tech, then headed for her office. She heard raised voices halfway down the hall, and raked a hand through her still damp hair as she readied herself for another fractious day.

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

The camp was positively gray when Dar got there. The heavy rain had turned the ground into a slew of sheeting ripples of water, broken by heavily rutted areas of mud where marching recruits and heavy vehicles had passed.

The guard didn't even blink at her this time, he just waved her through, and she navigated the puddles cautiously as she made her way into the main parking lot. "What a mess." She regarded the steady rain with a critical eye, glad she'd brought her all weather gear. She pulled her hood up and fastened the front clasps, then opened the door and slid out, her booted feet sending a respectable splash out in all directions. "Glad I remembered these, too." She closed the door and started towards the command building, ripples moving away from her towards the edge of the lot as she walked.

The Marine beside the door opened it as she approached, and she gave him a nod as she went inside the building, taking in a breath of the brass scented air with a renewed twinge of nostalgia. She took the stairs up two at a time and walked briskly through the upper hall entrance, turning right and crashing headlong into Chief Daniel who had been headed just as quickly in the other direction.

Dar hopped back a step, reaching out in pure instinct as the shorter woman bounced off her and slammed against the wall. "Hey. Sorry about that."

The chief ripped her arm out of Dar's grasp and glared at her. "You really should watch where you're going, ma'am."

"Well, I would, but my eyeballs don't extend out on stalks and reach around corners." Dar replied. "And I left my handheld radar at home. So either accept my apology, or just get the hell out of my way."

The chief wrestled her best stiff upper lip into position, and dusted herself off. "We didn't expect to see you here today."

"I bet." Dar smiled engagingly at her. "We left off at battle operations yesterday, didn't we?"

The chief's jaw jerked and her lips twitched, but she merely extended a hand in the direction she'd been originally going. "After you?"

They passed through the halls, going through offices, then the chief turned and went through a door into a stairwell. "It's on the top floor." She informed Dar, with a brief smile. "We don't have elevators." The chief started up the stairs without further word and Dar shook her head and rolled her eyes before she followed.

The six flights served to give her a nice little workout, and she was in a better mood by the time she beat the chief to the door at the top of the stairs and pulled it open, sweeping her arm forward in a courtly flourish. "After you."

The chief eyed her narrowly, then sighed, and walked past into the hall.

Dar undid the catches on her trench coat and let the edges flap free as she strode down the center of the woven carpet floor. On either side of her the walls were lined with bulletin boards, and this area had the look of a working space. It was more spartan than the floors below, and she could just detect the scent of sweat and old wool on the air. The boards held notices of classes and rotations, she caught glimpses of platoon names and the personnel assigned to them, uniformly typewritten with a first initial and surname. She smiled at a brief memory of running up here when she was very young, and searching for her father's name, hoping against hope he'd been assigned to a base unit and not a ship one for the next six months.

She'd usually been disappointed. But every once in a while, there'd been a break and she'd gone back home in giddy high spirits, looking forward to six months of piggy back rides and Saturday morning games in the backyard.

"Ms. Roberts."

The Chief's voice broke into her memories, and she looked up, to face the sailor's dour expression. "Yes?"

"I don't care what you think about what you see in here. Do not voice your opinion in front of the recruits, or my sailors." The ginger haired woman's jaw moved. "Is that clear?"

Dar let her wonder what her response was going to be for a few seconds. "Agreed." She finally replied. "Even if it's a good opinion." She met the chief's eyes steadily. "Let's go."

They entered the doors and went into another world. Here, the quiet hallways were left behind, and a bustle of activity surrounded them, chiefly moving bodies in blue denim with serious faces. To one side, a small group of recruits was getting bawled out, their bodies stiffened against the tirade and their eyes strictly to the front. To their left, a row of closed, gray painted doors with rubber seals on them called to mind the watertight doors on a ship, and enclosed simulators, Dar knew.

They kept walking, past the open doors of a large open room, where a class in hand to hand was being taught, the hoarse yells and dull splats of bodies hitting the floor distinctive in the air.

"Chief!" A male voice hollered from just in front of them. A young man with bright red hair was leaning half out a doorway and gesturing to Dar's reluctant guide. "That damn sim program's down again!"

"Wait here." The chief ordered, heading in that direction.

Dar ignored the order, following the sailor with a look of mild amusement.

Chief Daniel stopped and turned. "Don’t you ever do what you're told, Ms. Roberts?"

"No." Dar walked past her and ducked around the redheaded sailor. "One of the major reasons I never joined the Navy." She evaded a hurrying tech carrying a piece of hardware, and let a brief grin cross her face. "This place hasn't changed." Three men were gathered around a computer console, and as she watched, one reared back and slapped the side of it in frustration. She walked up behind them and peered over their shoulders, as the chief hurried up on the other side. Lines of code were scrolling across the screen, and Dar studied them, head cocked just slightly to one side, blue eyes intent.

"What's the problem?" The chief pushed one of the sailors out of the way and sat down, punching buttons rapidly. "Did you reset it?"

"Twice." The displaced sailor told her. "Stupid thing keeps going out. Piece of crap."

The chief managed to get the display to steady, and she started a reset of the equipment. "Is there anyone in this thing? I don't want to cycle it if I'm gonna douse a furkin admiral or something."

"No. It's empty." The sailor glanced over the equipment thorugh a one way mirrored window into the simulator. "We took the class out the second time it dumped and told em to dry off."

"All right. Let me just.." The chief muttered.

"Hold it." Dar's voice cut through the crowd suddenly. She moved the sailor in front of her aside and leaned over the chief, ignoring the look of outrage. "Move."

"Ma'am.. now you just.."

Dar's tone deepened, and went cold, snapping with an authority they hadn't heard from her yet. "I said move!"

The chief obeyed purely by instinct, sliding out of the chair as Dar dropped into it, her eyes on the screen as her fingers sped over the keys with practiced sureness.

"What are you doing?" The chief demanded.

Dar didn't answer. She was too busy racking her brain for codes and logic, as she called up the simulator's program and studied it, her brows knitting tightly as she searched the lines of green letters and symbols.

"Ms. Roberts, what are you doing!" The chief yelled, almost into Dar's ear. "You do not have the authority to be touching this equipment."

Dar called up another screen. "Someone's altered the program." She moved the system into an editing mode, and started to make changes. "Someone who didn't have half a damn clue as to what the hell they were doing."

The chief's eyes almost came out of her head. "Hold it. I said, hold, ma'ma. That is a state of the art system and you can't just.."

"Sure I can." Dar's hands moved in a blur. "State of the art? Gimme a break, chief. Figures the Navy'd still be using a system prototype designed by a half baked sixteen year old code jockey with an affinity for Cobol." She made a last change, then saved and recompiled the program. "There." She reset the system with a set of keystrokes, and watched as it reinitialized. She was rewarded by a steady login screen, and a slate of green lights, which flickered across the top of the machine with a set of satisfied clicks. "Hoo yah." Dar muttered softly, for the first time in a very, very long time. She got startled looks from the sailors, but she ignored them as she stood up and relinquished the terminal. "All yours."

"Ms. Roberts." The chief's voice was very cold. "A word with you over there, please." She turned and walked into the nearest simulator and waited for Dar to follow her, then she shut the door, and spun the wheel, locking them both inside.

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

It was an engine room, Dar realized, as the door slammed shut, and she felt the air compress around her. Her pulse jumped, and she went still, grabbing hold of the sudden panic that gripped her guts. "Was that necessary?"

The chief studied her intently for a moment. "Who in the hell do you think you are?" She barked, advancing on Dar and making the small space even smaller. "I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut in there!"

Dar felt her temper rising. "Back off, Chief." She warned, edging away from the angry woman.

"I will most certainly not back off." Daniel poked her sharply. "I've had it about up to here with you, Roberts, and I am not going to put up with one more minute of your kiss my ass attitude!" Her voice got louder, ringing off the metal floor and walls as she backed Dar against the wall.

The room closed in on Dar, and a wash of blood and energy swept over her, warming her skin with startling rapidity. "Back off!" She repeated, her voice dropping pitch.

"You listen to me! You either decide to keep your damn mouth shut, " Chief Daniel forged on. "Or I'll…"

She never really saw it coming. One moment her civilian victim was pressed against the wall, the next moment the chief was on the ground, her skull ringing with the contact against the grill floor, with Dar Roberts forearm pressing against her chin and a pair of wild, blue eyes boring into her like searchlights.

The chief was no coward. But she'd seen that look before, and she had the sense to realize the dangerous situation she'd initiated was going rapidly out of her control, so she did the only prudent thing left to her. She let her body go limp, secure in her own tough condition, but not stupid enough to challenge the youth, and strength she felt crouched over her.

"Back off." Dar whispered, seeing red for the first time in a long time.

"All right." Chief Daniel answered, just as quietly. "Easy." Slowly, the pressure on her throat lessened, and Dar eased back away from her, the taller woman's body rising to a balanced stance, her hands balled lightly into fists that looked fully capable of doing some damage. It was not the reaction she'd been expecting, having figured Dar for the loudmouthed type that turned into a puffball when blown on hard enough. Her angular features, now settled in darkly savage lines, struck a sudden chord of familiarity but the chief knew she didn't have time to figure out where from. "Okay, just relax, all right?"

Dar leaned back against the console, the intense surge of adrenaline still making her heart race, and causing faint twitches to shiver up and down her arms and legs. It was the closest she'd come to losing control in half a lifetime, and it scared her a little, to know just how easily the chief had triggered that. "That was a very stupid thing to do." She told the sailor, who had slowly sat up and was rubbing her head. "I'm not one of your recruits, and if you ever do that again I'll knock you right through that damn bulkhead, you got me?"

"Think you could?" The chief asked softly.

"Yes." Dar answered, with utter sureness. "When my daddy taught me to fight, he made sure of that."

Daniel studied her for a long moment, then she sighed, and got up, rubbing her elbow where it had impacted against the floor. She turned a console chair around and sat on it, resting her arms on the back and gazing at Dar. "All right." She nodded slowly. "I thought we had an understanding that you wouldn't spout off in front of my staff."

Dar let her hands rest on her thighs, her heart finally slowing to it's normal pace. "I said I wouldn't give an opinion." She skirted the issue. "I didn't."

The chief snorted. "Saying a kid designed the sim wasn't an opinion? Bullshit."

"I was the kid." Dar replied simply. Then she got up and walked over to the hatch, taking a breath before she spun the wheel and released the catches, allowing it to swing inward. The air outside rushed in, and she stepped out of the simulator with a sense of relief, to face round, wide eyes that rapidly found other objects to look at.

Then she realized they'd all been watching everything on the monitors. She walked past them without a word, and into the hallway, desperate for a moment of peace and quiet and a cup of Navy coffee.

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

Continued in Part 4

Tropical High

By Melissa Good

Part 4

The operations meeting had been underway for ten minutes or so before Kerry entered, giving everyone a brief, distracted nod before she took her seat at the head of the table and ran her eyes over a freshly printed agenda. The staff started warbling at once.

"Kerry, that circuit you were escalating came in."

"We’ve got six mainframes stuck in customs in Mexico, Midwest OPS wants to know if you can help."

"The coffee machine just exploded."

Kerry’s head jerked up at the last statement, and she peered across the table at Enid Petrofax, the MIS coordinator. "What?"

Enid scratched her jaw nervously. "Didn’t you hear the bang? The machine just exploded. We’ve got espresso grinds from the main door to the bathroom."

Everyone was silent, exchanging startled glances. "Ah." Kerry sat back. "Well, have we called the company? How in the hell could that thing explode? I realize it’s steam powered, but good grief!"

"Well." Mark had entered, and was now approaching the table, his entire shirt front covered in dark brown liquid and grounds. "I gotta tell ya, that was the stupidest thing I ever saw." He held up a piece of round metal. "Damn hot chocolate top musta fallen in the espresso handle. It blocked the steam."

"Ew." Kerry winced.

"That wasn’t the stupid part." Mark glared dourly around the table. "We need to find out what technognorp kept pressing the brew button when nothing was coming out."

Kerry covered her eyes. "Oh, good grief." She peeked between her fingers at the muddy looking MIS Chief. "Mark, go change. Enid, call Laurenzo Brothers if you haven’t already, and put a note out to the building to remind them we’re a technology company and should act like it."

"Yes, ma’am." Enid made a note on her pad. "Maria already called Laurenzo Brothers. She’s got a cousin that works there."

"Unbelievable." Kerry shook her head. "Okay, now.. what was that about Mexico? Those aren’t the mainframes for the university project in Illinois, are they?"

John Byers, their Midwest operations manager, nodded glumly. "Yeah. You’re going to ask me next how they ended up in Mexico, right? I wish I knew. All I can get from IBM is that they were on one of our PO’s that had that as a freight address." He paused, and reviewed his notes. "I asked them to fax me a copy of it, but the bottom line is, they want a ton of money to release them out of customs and onto the plane to Chicago."

Kerry leaned back, wishing she didn’t have the headache she did. The weather, she suspected, was the root cause. "Okay." She steepled her fingers and rested her lips against the tips of them, trying to figure out what Dar would do.

Something tricky, she was sure, because handing over thousands of dollars into government fingers wasn’t something Dar would have liked. Hm. She was aware of everyone’s eyes on her, curious and intent, especially Clarice’s at the other end of the table.

What would Dar do?

"Okay. This is what you’re going to do." Kerry took a breath. "What’s the closest account we’ve got down there?"

"Tijuana International." Stacia Brennon supplied, her voice curious. "Why?"

Kerry got up and paced, something she knew her partner loved to do. "Call up the delivery executive for that account. Tell him to take delivery of those mainframes." She paused, and turned, leaning her hands on the back of Mark’s empty chair. "Then write up an inter divisional transfer between the South American SBU and the Educational, and have FedEx International pick them up on our inter-company account."

"Oo." Stacia smiled. "I like it."

John Byers chuckled. "Me too. Stace, you want to call Pedro? I’ll get FedEx on the line." His eyes twinkled as he glanced back at Kerry. "Very slick, chief."

Kerry smiled and walked back around to her seat, dropping into it and stretching her legs out under the table as she cradled her tea mug in both hands. She’d hoped the herbal stuff would settle her stomach, which had been in churning upset most of the morning, but so far it hadn’t, and Kerry hoped she wasn’t coming down with something. "I had a good teacher."

Chuckles traveled around the table. "That’s what we hear." Clarice smiled sweetly at her. "Looks like Dar picked a wonderful successor."

Yeesh. Kerry smiled back at her. "Thank you. I like to think so." She glanced up as Mark reentered the room, and reviewed the rest of the agenda. "Okay, what’s next? Mark, did we get all of the equipment requests in for first quarter?"

"Hey Ker.. you up for lunch?" Mark caught up to her in the hallway, on the way back to their offices. "They’ve got some decent looking fried chicken down there today."

Kerry winced, and laid a hand over her stomach. "Ergh… I don’t I’m up to that. I’ll go down and have a cup of soup with you, though." She punched the elevator button. "My guts have been in knots since before the meeting."

"Flu, maybe?" Mark hazarded. "Been going around, I hear. "

"Maybe." Kerry agreed, as they entered the elevator and let the doors close. A thought occurred to her, and she shifted her portfolio under her left arm and removed her cell phone from it’s clip with her other hand. She hit the auto dialer, and held the phone to her ear as they reached the bottom floor, and exited out of the elevator into the huge lobby.

It rang an unusual number of rings, before it was answered, and she heard Dar's voice, a slightly hoarse note in it that immediately worried her. "Hi."

"Hey." The note modulated and deepened, sounding relieved even through the cellular connection. "What's up? Problems there?"

"Um." Kerry racked her brains for a reason to be calling. "Well… ah.. I just need to know.." She stopped and took a breath. "Would you believe I just wanted to hear your voice?" She lowered her own, and gave the two passing admins a smile. "Mark, can you grab a table?"

"Sure." The MIS Chief waved at her. "Say hi to the boss for me." He disappeared into the cafeteria, leaving Kerry in relative isolation.

"Sorry. "Kerry returned her attention to the phone, and moved towards the plate glass wall. "Anyway, it was silly. How are you?"

A sigh came down the line. "Tough morning." Dar said. "I think I went over the line for a few minutes."

Uh oh. Kerry found a bench, and sat on it, ignoring the passing crowds on the way to lunch. "What happened? The petty person get to you? I knew I should have come down there and booted her in the behind." Her guts started to ease up a little, and she took a deeper breath. "No wonder my insides are in knots."

There was a little silence. "Are they?" Dar asked. "Really?"

"Yeah." Kerry said. "Have been for a while. Between that and the headache I've got, I thought I was coming down with something. Are you all right?"

"Pretty much. I found a bottle of ice tea and a balcony. I've been standing out here just watching it rain for about ten minutes." Dar answered. "I think I've got your headache's twin sister.. damn, I haven't lost it like that in years, Ker."

"Did you yell at her?" Kerry returned the waved greeting from Duks.

"No." A sigh sounded. "She backed me into corner and started bawling me out. One poke too many, I guess. I took her down and nearly ripped her head off."

Kerry stared at the phone in shocked silence. Apparently Dar realized it, because her next words were rushed, and almost stammered.

"It just happened so fast.. I don't know what she thought she was trying to do, but I.."

"Wait a minute." Kerry interrupted. "Just hold it there."

Dar fell silent.

"She poked you?" The blond woman's voice rose. "She laid a finger on you? Who in the hell does she think she is? That's bullshit, Dar!"

"Um.."

"Jesus! You should call that general buddy of yours and get her butt transferred to the bottom of Hoover Dam!" Kerry went on. "Son of a bitch!"

"Ker, take it easy." Dar's voice had calmed. "I took care of it. I pretty much think she won't try that again."

"Damn straight she won't." Kerry snorted. "Boy, wait till I see her again."

Dar laughed softly. "Oh, sweetheart, you just made my day." She said. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything yet." Kerry muttered in protest. "Dipwad."

"Why don't you get some warm milk, and go lay down on the couch in my office for a little while." Dar was still chuckling. "I'm figuring on taking off from here in couple hours; there isn't much I can do without the T1, and frankly, I think I'm going to find more when I get everything sucked down and into the analyzers."

Kerry imagined the plush comfort of the couch upstairs, and smiled. "Actually, I feel better now." She admitted. "But be careful, okay? I keep having nightmares of you being buried under the billowing clouds of testosterone out there."

"I will. Talk to you later, cute stuff."

"All right." Kerry replied. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Kerry folded the phone and juggled it in her hands as she leaned back, definitely feeling the knots unraveling in her stomach. Her headache was still there, but the tension she'd felt all morning was dissipating. She stood up and stowed her phone, then tugged her sleeves a bit straighter and made her way into the cafeteria.

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

Dar braced her boots against the lower railing on the small porch she'd rediscovered near the back end of the training area. There was a small, hard bench built against the wall, and just enough cover to avoid being soaked by the still heavy rain outside.

Ah, Kerrison. Dar sighed silently. What in the hell would I do without you? She'd been thumping herself over her reaction to Chief Daniel, but now she sat back and considered it more objectively. The woman had locked them into a closed place, and come at her in a threatening manner, aggressively shoving her back against a bulkhead.

What was the chief expecting to happen? Had she really expected Dar to break down and blubber, or something? Dar folded her arms across her chest. Maybe that's what Daniel had been looking for, to see how far she could push Dar before Dar pushed back.

Or.

Maybe she'd been hoping Dar would take a swing at her, and give her grounds to force the base commander to take action.

Hm. In that case, her response had been appropriate, with just enough force to prove her point, and not enough aggression to get her in trouble. Hey. Dar rubbed her jaw, and had to laugh. Only took thirty years for you to figure out how to balance that act, way to go, Dardar!

With a sigh, she stood up and grabbed her bottle of peach ice tea, draining it before she made her way back through the small door and into the corner cul de sac that opened up onto it. Once upon a time it had been a larger suite, and the porch a perk of some big shot's corner office, but time, and changing needs had forced the navy to throw up wood and plasterboard walls to divide up the space.

Dar put a hand on one of the worn, wooden doorways, and gazed down the hall, debating one what to do next. Her decision was made, however, when Chief Daniel swung out of operations center, and spotted her, turning on her heel and heading towards Dar with a determined look.

Dar chose to remain where she was, and she leaned against the door frame, folding her arms and watching the other woman approach. "Interested in round two?" She asked, as Daniel came within close earshot. A ghostly Kerry poked at her and she squirmed. "Or would you rather just go have lunch?"

Chief Daniel opened her mouth to answer, held it open for a moment, then closed it, and released her breath with a sigh.

"C'mon. I'll buy." Dar straightened up. "We're both grown ups. Let's act like it."

Clearly, the chief had been caught by surprise. She hesitated for a long beat, then lifted both hands a little and let them fall. "What the hell. All right, Ms. Roberts. You're giving me a pain the size of an aircraft carrier, so I might as well get a meal out of it. Lead on."

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

They found a table in the back of the mess and sat down with trays of open faced turkey sandwiches. Dar opened her carton of milk and drank directly from it, watching her reluctant lunch partner mess with a pile of lettuce and tomatoes.

"So." Chief Daniel neatly sliced her salad into manageable chunks. "You're Big Andy's kid."

Dar cocked her head to one side. "Yes, I am."

The shorter woman looked up, meeting her eyes. "You could have said that right off."

"Why?" Dar shot back. "Shouldn't make a damn bit of a difference."

Daniel snorted, and shook her head. "Can the bullshit, lady. It matters, and you know it does. Did you think you'd have an advantage by acting like a clueless outsider?" She picked up her glass of ice tea and took a sip. "Here I think I've got some dumb civ making my life miserable, and it turns out I've been hauling around some damn smartass navy brat."

"Oh. You mean I could have skipped the howitzer up the ass attitude if I'd told you up front I grew up here?" Dar inquired. "Maybe you should have done your homework, Chief. I have a file on you an inch thick."

The chief stopped eating, and put her silverware down, staring at Dar with a look completely devoid now of humor. "What in the hell do you mean by that?"

Dar merely watched her, sucking on her milk idly. She waited for the veins to start emerging on the ginger haired woman's temples, then she finally replied. "Relax. There's nothing outstandingly scary in it." She actually didn't have that much, but the reaction she got from the comment made her itch to have Mark search further.

Daniel sat there, breathing hard for a moment. "You're a real son of a bitch, aren't you?"

A charming smile appeared on Dar's face. "I can be." She paused. "If I'm forced into it." One finger pointed at the sailor. "So be smart, and don't." She set the milk down and picked up her fork, spearing a bit of mashed potatoes and tasting them.

"Sure you weren't adopted?" The chief shot back.

The corner of Dar's lips quirked. "I've looked in a mirror enough times to know I wasn't." She took a bite of turkey. "But feel free to ask my dad if you want."

Hazel eyes narrowed, and the chief bit down on her fork with a vicious scrape of teeth on metal. Then her face relaxed, and she snorted softly. "No thanks. I don't want my fingers pulled off if he hears I laid one of them on his precious offspring." Her eyes searched the angular, intense features across the table, strange and familiar at the same time. She felt like kicking herself for not realizing who this bitch was before, then she felt like kicking the damn commander for not telling her. Bastard. She bet he and Perkins were laughing their asses off at her.

And what was in that file? The chief was uncomfortably aware of the sharp intelligence behind those blue tinted ice chips that was watching her. Evaluating her. Daniel swallowed, and reviewed her options. She knew Andrew Roberts, and had a healthy respect for him, but she now realized his often spoken of only child was a danger of a much higher degree.

What the hell was she going to do?

The loudspeaker's crackle almost made her jump, and she looked up at the speaker just as Dar did, the younger woman's head tilting to one side as she listened.

"Attention, attention all personnel. We have just received notification that flooding has closed both Card Sound Road, and US 1. Be advised that all deliveries to and from the mainland have been canceled until further notice. If you were scheduled to be transported north today, please see your unit commander immediately."

Groans rose around them. Daniel snorted, and recovered a bit of her balance at the perceptible annoyance in Dar's expression. "Guess you're stuck here. Just our luck." Possibilities, though, started occurring to her.

Dar sighed, ignoring her sarcasm. "I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning." She removed her cell phone from it's clip, and dialed a number, holding the phone to her ear, and turning away slightly.

Yeah. Chief Daniel mused. Maybe you should have.

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

"Ugh." Kerry dropped into her chair and leaned back, releasing a huge sigh and closing her eyes briefly. Very briefly, since her intercom buzzed a second later. "Yes?"

"Ms. Kerry, my mother says to tell you that they have closed the roads that are going to the Keys." Mayte's voice held a hint of anxiety. 'She is worried about Ms. Roberts."

Oh, crap. Kerry cursed to herself. "She said she was trying to get out of there early, Mayte - I'll call her. I hope she'ss almost back here by now." She reached for her phone, and almost dropped it as it rang at the same moment. "Gah… whoops. Hello?"

"Hi." Dar's voice sounded resigned. "Guess where I'm stuck."

Kerry winced in pure reflex. "I just heard about the roads. That totally sucks large rocks, Dar."

"I know." Dar said. "I took care of getting you a ride home, though."

Jesus. I forgot I needed one. Kerry mentally slapped herself. "Honey, you didn't have to do that. I'm sure I could beg a ride from someone here." It was, however, a typically Dar thing for her to do, given her partner's meticulous attention to details. "But thank you."

"Well." Dar chuckled softly. "Don't thank me just yet. It's my dad who's coming to get you."

Eeerup. Kerry winced. "Ah. Did you think my life was lacking some excitement today or something?" She replied. "Maybe he'll let me drive. You think?"

"You can ask. He generally caves in to whatever you want." Dar answered. "Just like I do." She added, with a verbal twinkle in her tone. "Hey, I think I’m making some progress with the chief. I tried to do what you'd have done."

Still distracted by the prospect of being picked up by Andy, Kerry almost didn't respond. "Uh… oh, did you? What did you do?"

"Took her to lunch."

Kerry smiled. "Good girl."

"Then I told her if she didn't behave, I'd have to really get nasty."

"Oh." Kerry covered her eyes, and laughed silently. "Gotta work on that part, huh?"

"Eh." Dar sighed. "Maybe it won't be so bad down here. A couple of the guys I grew up with just tracked me down.. they wanna take me out to the local bar and trade no shit stories for a while. They found me a bed just in case the roads don't open back up."

"You have your kit, right? I know I repacked it after the trip to the Keys." Kerry drummed her fingers on her desk. "Don't take a chance, okay? If the weather's bad, just stick around down there. I'd kinda be worried if I knew you were driving up Card Sound at night." She paused. "I'll miss you, though. I was looking forward to a hug tonight."

A few beats of silence followed, then Dar cleared her throat. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise. Okay?"

"Okay." Kerry agreed. "Call me later and let me know what's up. I think I'm done with all my meetings today, now I just have a mailbox to wade through." She glanced at her monitor. "Dar, how did you deal with all this crap everyone sends?"

"Simple. Take everything that isn't immediate operations and reply with "could you please clarify why you're asking me this?'" Dar told her. "I guarantee ninety percent of them won't come back."

"Really?"

"Really."

Kerry grinned, and examined the ceiling over her head. "Thanks, boss. I'll do that."

"Any time." Dar said. "Talk to you later."

Kerry closed the phone and put it down, indulging in a few moments of daydreaming as she folded her hands over her stomach and swiveled her chair a little. "What a character." She finally murmured, with a helpless chuckle. Her intercom buzzed again, and she regarded it balefully for a moment, before she answered. "Yes?"

"Ms. Kerry?"

"I just talked to Dar, Mayte. I'll call your mom. She's okay, she's just stuck down at the base for now." Kerry responded.

"Si, gracias, but there is a phone call for you, from the car place?"

Car place? Kerry's brow furrowed, then cleared. "Oh. Right. I'll take it. Thanks, Mayte." She released the intercom and hit the phone line. "Kerry Stuart speaking."

"Ms. Stuart? This is Ellen Margoles from Beach Lexus. You sent in a vehicle request from the Internet this morning?"

"That's right. " Kerry agreed.

"Great." The woman's voice was cheerful and friendly. "We had what you wanted right in stock. I've got your paperwork done.. when would you like to pick the car up?"

"Really? Just like that?" Kerry was surprised. "Leather and everything?"

"Absolutely!" Ellen stated. "They're detailing the car now, in fact. Shining it up, and making sure everything's in perfect condition for you."

Kerry turned in her chair and reviewed the rain lashing at her window. "They're washing the car? Have you looked outside?"

"Has to be nice and clean before we turn it over." Ellen's enthusiasm didn't miss a beat. "Would you like to stop by after work? We're open until seven."

"All right." Kerry grinned, finding herself anticipating the new acquisition. "See you before then."

"Excellent! Looking forward to it, Ms. Stuart. Have a great day!" Ellen warbled happily.

"Sure. You too." Kerry bemusedly hung up. She regarded her quiet office for a moment, then idly spun herself around in her chair a few times. "Vroom vroom."

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

A quiet had settled over the building by the time Kerry finished up her inbox, having sent Mayte home earlier with Maria. She clicked on the last message to send it, then sat back and cupped her hands around her tea mug, sucking down the strawberry scented liquid as she watched her mail program transfer all her finished mail to storage folders.

A relaxed strain of music was coming from her pc speakers, tuned into an Internet radio station that mostly played new age celtic music. She flexed her bare feet under her desk, and sighed, glad the long day was over.

A soft knock sounded. "C'mon in." Kerry looked up, a smile already crossing her face as the door opened and Andy Robert's familiar head poked inside. "Hey dad." She got up and trotted across the carpeted floor as Andy entered. Her father in law was wearing a dark blue rain jacket, with it's hood up, and he pushed the hood back and unzipped the jacket as she threw her arms around him in an unhesitating hug. "Ooo.. it's good to see you."

A smile crossed the ex Navy SEAL's scarred face, unseen by Kerry as Andrew returned the embrace. "Well there, kumquat. It's good t'see you too."

Topping Dar's slightly over six foot height by almost five inches, Andy seriously towered over Kerry by almost a foot, and his large, broad shouldered and still muscular body had the same solid feel. She loosened her grasp and gazed up at him, catching the grin before he could muffle it. Eyes the same shade as her lover's twinkled back at her, set in a face that despite it's very masculine ruggedness, still brought Dar to mind in it's planed cheekbones and angular shape. "Thanks for coming to rescue me."

Andy snorted softly. "Since Dar saw fit to go and abandon you, I figured it'd be a good idea."

"She didn't abandon me." Kerry gave him a friendly poke. "She's stuck down on that base. I don't envy her, but on the bright side, it gives me a chance to spend some time with one of my favorite people."

"You are just a sweet talking young lady." Dar's father drawled. "C'mon. Fore we have to paddle on out of this here office."

Kerry let him go, and went back to her desk to retrieve her shoes. "I have to make a stop before home, if that's okay." She shut down her pc, as Andrew wandered around her office peering at the décor curiously. "My new car's ready."

"That so?" Andy asked curiously. "Dar told me you got yourself into a pickle last night and banged up that little bitty thing of yours."

"Some crazy person driving down the wrong side of the road on the causeway, thanks." Kerry zipped up her briefcase and shouldered it. "Did Dar tell you she got herself and that brute of an SUV of hers between the nutcase and me?" She fastened her jacket, and turned her desk lamp off.

"No, she did not." Andrew tried hard to hide a dazzlingly proud smile, and completely failed.

"Figures." Kerry took him by the arm and led him out of the office. "C'mon.. we'll get my new buggy, then I'll treat you to dinner… how's that?"

Andy allowed himself to be escorted to the elevator, shrugging his hood up into place as Kerry hit the button to call it. "I do believe I can do any of that there treating that's required, young lady." He replied, following her into the elevator.

"We’ll see about that." Kerry teased, as the doors closed.

Interested eyes watched the empty space for a few seconds, then footsteps retreated back down the hallway, disappearing behind the solid sound of a wooden door closing.

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

The bar was old, and mostly wood, and featured an honest to goodness jukebox that was currently droning out something from the country western side of the record catalog. Dar tipped back in her chair and took a sip of her beer, gazing across the table's surface at the five men gathered around it.

Damn, it's been a long time. Dar let her eyes linger on her old friends. They were all the same age, more or less, as she was, and some things hadn't changed much. Mike and Ricardo still looked like GI Joe dolls, complete with buzz cuts and bodybuilder physiques. Duds and John were still inseparable, two lanky, spare men with straight, blond brown hair and southern drawls.

And Chuckie, of course. Dar let a faint smile cross her face. Chuckie had actually gotten better looking over the years. He'd left the gawkiness of his late teens behind, and grown into a six foot plus body with nice, broad shoulders and an athletic waistline. Tucked into his naval captain's uniform, he cut a very impressive figure and Dar had no problem cheerfully acknowledging that to herself.

"So, now what is it you're doing, Dar?" Chuckie turned, and leaned on his chair arm, gazing into her eyes with his twinkling gray ones. "I hear you're turning the base up side it's head down."

"Making trouble. Like usual." Dar replied, with a chuckle. "The Pentagon hired me to go tell the Navy how to do it's job better."

"Ooooo.." The five men chorused a groan. "No shit?" Chuckie laughed. "They didn't, did they?"

"They did." Dar lifted her beer, and took a sip. "Mother of ironies, huh?"

"Son of a bitch." Mike rocked back and forth on uneven chair legs. "The brass on base must be ready to have a heart attack." He poked a finger at Dar. "I still remember the day you redone the base telecom and sent all them private notes of the CO's to the staff fax machine."

Heh. Dar snickered. "I remember that too. Guy was an idiot to be using base mail to send love notes to that girl he picked up in Chicago."

"Yeap.. you were a hell raiser, for sure." Mike chuckled. "Bet you still are."

"That’s what they say." Dar demurred. "Only now they pay me for it." She added.

Chuckie cocked his head curiously. "You still working for ILS, right?" He waited for Dar to nod. "So what kind of money do they pay for what you do?" He noticed Dar’s lifted eyebrow. "Round numbers, I mean. We always figgured you do all right, because you got more brains than half the earth, but for real, Dar.. did you end up kicking ass?"

Dar glanced around the weather-beaten bar, and caught the interested looks from her old pals. They’d all done well in the Navy, and all of them, even Mike had grudgingly admitted to being career sailors. "Well." She took a swig of beer and rolled the beverage around in her mouth before swallowing. "I’m the chief information office of the largest IS company in the world…my base is seven figures, if that’s what you’re asking."

They all looked at each other, then back at her. There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Well." Chuckie rubbed his jaw. "God damn."

Dar smiled. "So I guess I’m buying then, huh?" She remarked dryly. "See? You shoulda dragged me out to someplace nicer."

"Son of a bitch." Mike started laughing. "Son of a bitch.. you’re actually one of them corporate big shots?"

"Fraid so." Dar agreed solemnly. "Got me a big office, floor to ceiling glass windows, teak wood desk, the whole nine yards." She told them. "Everyone running around scared to death of me, you name it."

"Wow." Chuckie shook his head. "I can believe the last part, cause you can be a scary individual when you wanna be, old buddy, but thinking of you in an ivory tower’s givin me a headache." He slapped Dar’s knee lightly, then poked the spot. "You don’t spend all your time behind that desk though, d’you? You don’t look much like a cream puff."

"No more than you do." Dar let a mildly evil grin touch her lips, as she curled a foot around the leg of his chair and jerked hard, nearly sending him sprawling backwards. "Spending your time sitting in that nice comfy chair on the bridge."

"Uh oh.. here we go." Mike burst into laughter. "I knew it was just a matter of time…the two of you ain’t changed for shit."

"You.." Chuckie grabbed for the edge of the table to keep from tipping over, and the surface moved, sending the two mugs of beer on it flying. "Yow.. sonofa.."

"Hey!" Mike yelped, and leaped to his feet, only barely avoiding being soaked. "Cut that out, bilgebrain." He pointed a finger at Chuckie. "Don’t you start, either. You never have gotten over getting your ass kicked in that obstacle course the night we all graduated."

Chuckie snorted. "Get out of here, I don’t even remember that."

"I do." Dar drawled, with an even more evil grin. "But since I was the one doing the kicking, I guess that’s natural." Oh, she certainly did remember that night. They’d had a beer or two way too many, and she’d been just at the very top edge of her best physical conditioning, seriously intent on getting herself into BUDS training and only too happy to prove that to any other navy brat who questioned her. Twenty of them had straggled out of their graduation party, and bets had started flying.

"That was then." Chuckie reminded her pointedly.

The words came out before she had a chance to think about them. "C"mon, Chuckie.. I could still kick your ass on that course."

Now he grinned. "Oh yeah? How much you wanna bet?"

Mike groaned. "Oh no… not again. For pete’s sake you two! You’re furking adults now!"

"Hundred bucks!" Chuckie leaned forward eagerly. "C’mon."

She was out of her mind. Dar dimly realized, as she watched herself rise to the challenge, almost as though seeing someone else do it. "How about a thousand?" She drawled softly. "C’mon, tough guy. See if you can lift anything but binoculars now." A tiny voice cleared it’s throat internally. Hope you know what you’re doing, big shot, or you’re gonna be picking splinters out of your ass for a week. "How about it, Chuckie?"

His eyes glinted, and his well shaped nostrils flared. "You got it. Let’s go. I got a lot of things I could do with a thousand bucks."

Dar set her bottle down, and stood. "After you?" She held a hand up and pointed to the door. She gave the rest of the group, who were muttering and shaking their heads a smile. "C’mon, guys… after this I’ll treat for dinner.. how bout it?"

"You ain’t gonna be in any condition to treat anyone." Chuckie warned, with a big grin.

"Save your breath." Dar booted him in the butt before he could move, then booted him again when he tried to evade her. "You’re gonna need it."

"Hey!" Chuckie slapped at her leg with his uniform hat. "Cut that out, or I’ll.. I’ll.."

"What, tell my daddy?" Dar was enjoying herself thoroughly. "Last time you did that I got a banana split out of it.""

"Wench." Chuckie started laughing. "God damn you, you’re such a wild weasel.. ow!" He slapped at Dar’s boot again, which had just impacted his butt. "I am gonna push your ass so far down in that mud you’ll have to call a deep sea diver to go find you."

"Careful, hairball.." Duds rumbled softly. "If’n that deep sea diver’s her daddy, you’re ass is gonna flying over the mess hall by morning."

They all laughed, and jostled out the door into a still drizzling evening. "How is yer old man doin, Dar?" Mike asked, lowering his voice a little, and getting serious. "Man, I was glad they got him back."

Dar exhaled. "He’s fine." She replied. "He and mom got this fifty some foot Bertram and they’re having a blast on it. They’ve been out to Bermuda twice, and I can’t remember ever seeing him so happy."

"Wow." Mike smiled. "That’s way cool."

"He got a boat?" Duds asked curiously. "Man, that musta been some pension… or did you get that for him?"

Dar smiled, and ran a hand through her now damp hair. "What do you think?"

Duds laughed. "Daddy’s girl all the way, that’s for damn sure… c’mon, let’s get this damn thing over with..I’m hungry!"

"You’re always hungry, mouth on wheels." Chuckie chided him, giving him a backslap in the belly. "That’s why you’re outgrowing your uniform.. lookit that.."

"Cut that out!" Duds nudged him. "Leave my buttons alone, y’pervert."

"Butthead."

Dar sucked in a wet breath, overcome with a wash of giddy enjoyment, looking ahead to the dark, mud spattered challenge in front of her. So it was crazy.

That was all right.

Everyone had to have a crazy night now and then, right?

Kerry leaned back in the seat of the stolid, gray pickup truck Andy was navigating through the flooded streets. She had her seatbelt securely fastened around her body, and her feet were braced solidly against the floor, steadying her as the truck moved.

Andy wasn’t really a bad driver, she’d decided, just an impatient one, and little things such as sidewalks and divider islands proved little or no impediment to his progress in getting from point a to point b in the quickest possible manner. "Nice truck, dad." She patted the fabric seat. "I like it. Dar was telling me about the one she had when she was younger."

Forced by convention to stop at a red light, Andy sat back and folded his arms. "Ceci tried for some days to get me to agree to drive in one of them Beetle cars."

Kerry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, young lady, that is exactly how I felt about it too." The ex SEAL drawled. "Them are the ugliest things I ever did see, and there was no how, no way I was going to be sitting inside one of them, much less drive it."

"I couldn’t picture that." Kerry shook her head. "It would be like you having a moped, or Dar drinking skim milk."

"She hates that." Andy agreed. "Even when she was a tot, Cec used to try and get her to drink it, and she’d toss her bottle cross the kitchen."

"I know." Kerry closed her eyes, as the light changed and Andy used the opportunity to cross three lanes between four other cars. "I suggested it once." She paused. "Only because I worry about her cholesterol, and mine.. . but I got a lecture about cows, and water, and the fact that if she wanted to drink white, chlorinated liquid, she’d just add food coloring to the tap."

Andy snorted. "She’s particular bout a few things, that’s one of em." He admitted. "Got that one from me, I do believe."

"Gee, what a surprise." Kerry peeked at him, and grinned tolerantly. "Anyway, I got her to stop having chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, so I figure I’m ahead of the game."

Andrew peered through the rain drops, and spotted his target. He aimed the truck towards the entrance, and proceeded accordingly. "She’s a healthy kid." He stated. "Always was…worst thing she ever did get was them chicken pox. Lord, that was a mess."

"I heard you got them too." Kerry smiled at him, pretending she didn’t see the trucks bearing down on them as Andy crossed the intersection. The pickup darted into the parking lot of the Lexus dealership just in time, though she imagined she could feel the draft of the eighteen wheeler crossing behind them. They pulled into an empty spot, and she released her safety belt with a sense of relief.

Andy leaned on his steering wheel and peered out the window, observing the rows of shiny, if rain spattered, new cars. "You getting one of these damn things too?" His voice was surprised.

"Sort of." Kerry pointed. "See? That’s the one Dar has."

"Uh huh." Andy nodded.

"That’s the one I’m getting." She indicated a row to the left.

"Sonofabiscuit.. ain’t that cute." Her father in law chuckled softly. "All bitty and spunky looking. Figures."

Kerry gave his arm a poke. "Hey.. at least it’s not a Beetle." She opened the door. "C’mon… this won’t take long, and I’m hungry." She got out and grabbed for the doorframe as a wave of dizziness passed over her. "Whoa."

Andy circled the front of the truck and put a hand on her shoulder. "You all right?"

Kerry leaned against the metal frame and took a deep breath, waiting for the world to stop spinning. "Yeah… like a doof I skipped lunch, and I know better." Her vision cleared and she shook her head. "Low blood sugar runs in my family… I usually keep granola bars around but I ran out, and I meant to stop this morning."

"That ain’t a good thing." Andrew stuck his head inside the truck, and rummaged in a bag behind the seat. "Here…" He handed Kerry a banana. "Forgot I had those damn things."

Kerry peeled the fruit and took a bite, a little disturbed by the shaking of her hands. "Maybe I was just overstressed today." She joked faintly, aware of Andy’s concerned expression. "I had some really confrontational meetings, and I was a little worried about Dar driving down there in this weather." She swallowed a few mouthfuls, and was relieved when the shakiness faded.

"I do believe we might need to be worrying about you." Andy stated. "You’re white as Caesar’s ghost, Kerry. Sit down here."

"No, it’s okay." Kerry reassured him. "I feel a lot better, honestly." She finished her banana, and neatly folded the skin, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, dad."

Andrew blushed, faintly visible in the lamplight bathing them. "That was a lotta fuss for a little old banana." He muttered. "You sure you don't want something else? Maybe an orange, or whatever the hell else Ceci stuck in the back of this here truck?"

Kerry smiled. "Does Dar know how lucky she is?"

"Huh?"

"I don't think she does." Kerry pushed away from the truck and straightened her sleeves, then tossed the banana peel into a nearby garbage can. "Let's go get my new wheels." She slid her hand around Andy's arm, and walked with him towards the showroom, where she could see dim forms of hopeful salesmen lurking in wait.

The door opened as they reached it, and she stepped inside the cool, well lit showroom to be greeted by a very nice looking young man in a neatly fitted suit and tie. "Hi." Kerry smiled at him. "I've got an appointment.. I'm supposed to pick up a car?"

Staccatto heels made their heads turn, to see a woman with dark, frosted hair walking towards them, a warm smile on her face. "Ms. Stuart?"

"That's right." Kerry replied.

"Excellent.. if you'd step over here to my desk and sign these papers, I'll have your car brought round. "She glanced at Andrew. "Can I get your husband some coffee?"

Kerry thought her father in law's grizzled eyebrows were going to pop right off his head and stick in the drop ceiling. "Sure." She cheerfully agreed. "C'mon, honey.. sit down here."

"Excuse me." Andrew barked. "This here young lady is not mah wife." He pinned the saleswoman with a fierce glare. "What do ah look like to you.. some kinda candy assed cradle robber?"

The woman's jaw dropped, and she looked from Kerry to Andrew in bewilderment. "I'm very sorry sir." She stammered. "I know I shouldn't assume… I just thought..well, excuse me. I'm very sorry." She put the papers down. "Ma'am, if you could just sign these?"

"Sure." Kerry sat down and slid the stack over, picking up a pen. The saleswoman scurried quickly away.

Andrew snorted, and sat down next to her. "Mah god."

Kerry giggled. "You're really funny."

"That was most certainly not funny, young lady."

She turned her head. "How old are you?" Kerry watched the blue eyes blink a few times. "Well?"

Andrew sat up straighter. "Ah am forty eight years old." He paused. "Why?"

Kerry leaned closer to him. "Cause I'm almost thirty… " She whispered. "It’s not that farfetched, Dad." She went back to signing her papers, getting through half of them before she heard Andy sigh.

"You're right, kumquat." He said. "Mah kid has not one clue as to how lucky she is."

Kerry felt her face ease into a smile as she finished, putting the pen down and glancing up as the saleswoman came back. "All done."

"Here you go." The woman handed her a set of keys, and pointed, to where the shadowy form of her new card was just pulling up outside the door. "And again, I’m really sorry, sir."

Andy sighed, and stood. "That's all right."

They walked to the door, and pushed it open. "You going to kick the tires for me, dad?" Kerry teased. "Dar wanted me to get a.. what are those called? A Hummer."

Andrew snorted. "Fer what?" He circled the new car curiously. "Damn things steer like a Greyhound bus, and you can't park them for nothin." He opened a door and peeked inside. "Leather, would you look at that? Mah kid is definitely rubbing off on you."

Kerry opened the driver side door and sniffed appreciatively. "Oh yes." She chortled. "C'mon.. let's take it for a test ride.. there's a good restaurant right down the block."

Andy slid into the passenger seat, which he adjusted to make room for his long legs. "Ain't one of them raw fish stores, is it?"

"Um."

A dark brow cocked. "Tell you what. I'll go eat them raw fishies, if you let me drive on the way back."

"Oh boy."

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

"Sonofabitch!"

Dar heard the gasping croak behind her as she reached the last wooden wall, and lunged forward, crouching down and releasing her body upward to stretch out and grab the top rail, pulling upward before she could crash against the hard surface. Her boots scraped, then caught a purchase, and she powered up and over the top, releasing her hold and letting herself fall downward towards a murky mud covered surface.

Behind her, she could hear Chuckie grunt as he hit the top of the wall, but then her boots were hitting the ground, and she almost sprawled forward, barely catching her balance before she hopped forward and starting running towards the ropes.

Climbing ropes, one of the toughest things for anyone, especially a woman to do. Dar wiped her palms on her thighs just before she reached them, and took a breath, ruefully acknowledging that she certainly wasn't a teenager anymore before she leaped and caught the rope, feeling the wet, scratchy hemp bite into her hands. Her legs responded in old memory, curling around the rope beneath her and tightening, supporting her weight as she reached up for a second handhold.

Well. Dar felt the spatters of rain hit her, and heard the clank of the rope next to her as Chuckie tried to catch up. It wasn't as hard as she had feared. She powered up the rope and released one hand to slap the bell on top, then slid neatly down, wincing a little as the rough hemp stung her hands. She hit the ground and ducked around the edge of the climbing pit, bolting across the uneven ground and leaping over the water that separated the obstacles from the last, long hundred yards every tired, sore recruit had to run at top speed over. Dar heard Chuckie finally hit the bell and slither down after her, but she knew she was home free now.

Running was something she was very used to, something her body, stressed by this unusual tasking long forgotten was accustomed to doing on a daily basis. She tucked her fingers into a half fist and leaned forward into a powerful, even stride, and just ran.

"Shit." She heard Chuckie groan behind her, and it made her laugh, and the hoots of the other men suddenly rolled around her as they spotted her clearing the end of the pits and heading towards the finish. She tucked her head down and bolted, feeling a crazy surge of energy as the wind brushed her hair back, and the rain stung her face.

The trees that marked the end flashed by, and she slowed, bouncing to a halt and into the welcoming arms of the four waiting sailors, who caught her and slapped her back, laughing and razzing Chuckie who finally made it past with a curse.

Dar could feel her heart pounding from the exertion, and it certainly hadn't been nearly as good performance as the last time she'd done it, but… she chuckled as she watched Chuckie lean over, holding his belly, his face a visible crimson even in the low light. "Gotta lay off the damn beer, Chuck." She put her hands on her hips, glad beyond measure she'd kept up the sessions in the gym, and the running, and the martial arts, if for no other reason than to be able to stand here in this mud covered patch of ground with a bunch of her old friends, and look better than they did.

Erf. Dar winced. That was damned egotistical, wasn't it?

"Hot damn, Dar." Mike clapped a long arm over her shoulders. "You are still one hot mother, y'know that? How about marrying me?"

Dar laughed. "I thought you had a girlfriend?" She poked him. "Or at least that's what you were bragging about in that bar…"

"Well, I didn't hear you say you was married." He joked back. "So I figured I got a chance."

It was a strange feeling. Dar took a breath, and released it. She'd been straightforward and out regarding her sexuality for so long, she'd forgotten what it felt like to be around people who had no idea, and to whom it would matter.

To who it would matter to her if they knew. Dar felt her euphoric mood evaporate and she took a mental step back, and tried to figure out what to do. Her nature disliked unneeded lies, but a part of her was enjoying this unexpected reacceptance into an old world, and resisted the estrangement she knew acknowledging her lifestyle would cause.

"Asshole. You ain't got no chance." Duds snorted. "Dar's got way better taste than you."

Dar managed a smile, then she walked over to where Chuckie was still recovering. "Hey." She bumped him lightly. "You all right?"

Her old boyfriend straightened, then blew out a breath. "Other than having my god damned ego dragged over a bed of nails, and my bank account emptied? I’m great." His lips twisted. "Will you take a check?"

"Don’t worry about it." Dar shook her head slightly. "It was worth the kick just to see if I could still do it."

"Wench." Chuckie's face relaxed a little, as he realized Dar was serious. "Just for that, you're gonna take us out to the steakhouse." He pointed towards the parking lot. "Now that I proved ship captains do spend too much time sitting on their butts, let's go."

The four others strolled ahead, leaving Chuckie and Dar to walk together towards the parked cars. "Wench." The Naval officer gave her a look. "I'm gonna have to explain to half the base why I got bandaids all over my hands from that damn course tomorrow." He held up his hands, visibly scuffed and scraped in the streetlamplight.

"Me too." Dar admitted, holding up her own hands in evidence. "I don't get much in the way of calluses pounding a keyboard."

"Ah." Chuckie sighed. "We're getting too old for this."

Dar chuckled. "Yeah." She flexed her hands, wincing a little.

They were both quiet for a few strides. "Ass kicking or not, it's good to see you, Dar." Chuckie finally said softly. "Got some good memories of us."

"So do I." Dar replied. "Your letters used to crack me up in college." She reflected on those long past times. "I'm sorry we lost touch."

Chuckie shrugged one shoulder. "We knew we would.. that was two real different worlds we were going off into. " He glanced at Dar. "I knew I didn't end up doing too bad.. always wondered where you ended up. Might have figured you to be some top brass somewhere."

"I used to wonder if I'd made the right choice." Dar inhaled, and looked around. "Now I know I did, but.. " She shook her head. "Definitely had second thoughts." She raised her voice. "Hey.. head over to the third row.. I'll drive."

"Don't trust Mike?" Chuckie laughed. "He's not half as bad a driver as your daddy ever was."

"No. I figure I'm the only one who's likely to have room for all of us." She said dryly. "Unless you ended up getting a Suburban.. did you?"

"Hell no." Chuckie snorted.

'That's what I thought." Dar angled her steps towards the Lexus. "C'mon… I figure it's going to take my shock absorbers to handle you herd of steers anyway."

"Oo… " Her old friend laughed. "I think you hang out with us just so you can feel petite, in that case." He bumped Dar's shoulder with his own. "Hey… "His voice dropped a little. "You going with someone right now, Dar?"

The approach came around a blind corner and surprised her. "Yeah." She managed to answer, on an uneven breath. "Yeah, I am.. why?"

A shrug. "Just asking." Chuckie said. "I'm between ships, if you catch my drift, and I thought if you were too.. maybe we could hook up, for old time's sake."

Dar realized she had about ten seconds before they caught up with the waiting four others. She lifted a hand and unlocked her doors. "Not a chance. " She softened the words with a smile. "I'm very taken…and very happy about it."

"Ah well. "Chuckie returned the smile. "Just the way my luck's been running… what've we got here?" He turned his attention to the car. "Good lord, do you mean to tell me you drive a damn Lexus?"

"Yep." Dar opened the driver's side door and watched them pile in. "Hey.. one of you guys has to get in the back.. you can't fit in there."

"Heh." Mike chuckled. "Wanna bet? You forget what service we're in, Dardar." The back seat was filled to the brim with squished sailors. "More room in here than in a Polaris.. get driving."

Dar rolled her eyes, but slid behind the wheel and started the engine. "Why do I get the feeling I’m gonna regret this?" She felt the car rock as the men in back started singing and moving back and forth.

"C'mon, Dar… sing with us. I know you can." Duds chortled. "What do you do with some drunken sailors…."

Dar sighed as she pulled out of the parking slot, but joined in anyway, filled with a very mixed set of emotions. It had been a day far too full of conflict and she found herself sure of only one single thing.

Five sailors and fifteen beers equaled the tonal quality of six dozen sets of dog's toenails on a chalkboard.

Jesus. Dar hoped she survived the short drive to the steakhouse.

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

Kerry yawned, as she collected her steaming mug of hot chocolate and wandered back into the living room. Chino butted the back of her knees and almost made her trip, the animal very glad to see at least one half if her family after the long day. "Hey.. cut that out." Kerry chided the dog. "You aren't the one who's going to have to clean this tile if I spill chocolate all over it."

"Gruff." Chino pounced on her hippo and brought it over, crouching down and shaking it, begging for some playtime.

"Okay.. let me put this down." Kerry laughed, setting aside her cup and grabbing the toy. "Go get it.. g'wan.." She tossed the stuffed animal to the other side of the apartment and watched Chino scramble after it, her toenails sliding on the hard surface.

"Bring it here." Kerry sat down on the couch and tugged the toy free of Chino's very white teeth, throwing it over past the dining room table as the retriever acted true to her breed and fetched it. "Good girl." She played with the dog for a while, taking a moment in between tosses to turn on the television and stretch her body out along the couch with a sense of relief.

It had been a very long day, with a surprisingly nice ending. Kerry smiled, remembering the hour spent patiently coaxing Andrew into sharing her sushi, in the little sushi dive on the beach she and Dar loved to go to.

Mental note, Kerry. She reminded herself. Don't take SEALS to sushi bars unless you want to know things about the fish you're eating that would make the plots of excellent scifi movies. He'd finally settled on the cooked variety of sashimi and some stir fry chicken, leaving Kerry to her more adventurous raw tidbits. They'd shared some saki, though, and she'd enjoyed the evening very much, listening to stories of Dar's harum scarum youth and hearing the note of unconscious pride in Andy's voice even when telling the goriest details.

Kerry leaned back against the leather surface, tensing and relaxing her muscles as she idly watched Steve Irwin cavort across the screen, hugging a crocodile to him and enthusing over it's toothy good looks. "What a whack job." She commented. "Did you know he has his own toy set now, Chino? Should I get you some? You want to chew Steve's head off?"

"Gruff." Chino tossed the slightly soggy hippo up to land on Kerry's side.

"I'll take that as a no." Kerry tossed the toy again, then slid down and put her head on the couch arm, allowing her eyes to close briefly as she considered the tasks she had left to do that evening. A wash was due, and she had those reports to go over, and there was that project Dar had left her.

Kerry let one eye open and regard the room, then she closed it again. Or she could just take a nap here on the couch, which was nice and warm and comfortable. Maybe she could compromise, she reasoned, snoozing until Dar called, which would definitely wake her up.

Yeah. That was a good idea. She reached over and picked up her cell phone which was lying on the coffee table and brought it closer, resting her hand on it as she allowed the sleepy feeling to take over and relax her, easing away the last of the lingering headache she'd been aggravated by all day long.

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

It was very quiet as Dar pulled into her parking spot, sliding in next to a shiny, new, smaller version of the car she was driving. She got out and closed the door gently, then ran a hand over the dark blue paint of Kerry's new car. "Nice." She approved, peering inside before making her way up the small flight of stairs to the door.

It had been a nice dinner, if loud, and they'd made it back to the base just after midnight. She'd let her friends out, then sat there for over ten minutes, wondering why she didn't just get out herself and go to the bunk they'd assigned her.

Finally, she'd gotten out of the Lexus, and instead of going toward the building, she'd walked back over to the guardhouse and asked them if the roads had opened.

They had.

Dar had walked back to the car, gotten inside, and left, choosing the drive back to Miami in the early hours over staying on the base, hardly knowing why she'd take the long trek when the Navy bed could hardly be that uncomfortable.

The feeling of relief as she keyed in the lock convinced her it had been a good decision, though, not that she'd really doubted it. She opened the door and slid inside, stopping in surprise as she spotted the lights still on, and heard the television's low mutter.

Chino jumped off the couch and ran over, shaking her head sleepily, clearly startled to see Dar but glad. Dar rubbed her ears, but kept her eyes on the dozing form curled up in the corner of the couch.

Quietly, Dar walked over and knelt beside where Kerry was sleeping, allowing herself a long moment just to study her lover. Okay. She smiled silently. So this is why you came home. Asleep, Kerry's face held a relaxed innocence that always touched Dar's heart, and she found herself looking forward to the surprised delight she knew would be there when she woke the blond woman up.

"Ker." Dar stroked Kerry's cheek gently, and after a second, the pale lashes stirred, and lifted, revealing slightly dazed green eyes that fastened on her face, then brightened in welcome as a smile appeared at the same time. "Sorry I didn't call."

"No problem." Kerry replied, her voice slightly husky from sleep. "I like this mode of contact much better anyway." Her smile widened. "I guess the road opened, huh?"

Dar nodded. "Yeah.. I had dinner with guys, and when I got back.. they said it had, so I decided to come on home instead of staying down there."

"Good." Kerry caught Dar's hand and pressed it against her cheek, then kissed it. "Crudpuppies.. I had so much I wanted to do tonight.. I fell asleep figuring your call would wake me up." Her fingers felt something odd, and she turned Dar's hand over. "Holy crap.. what did you do to your hands?"

Dar cleared her throat gently. "Ah.. well… " She laughed with a touch of embarrassment. "You're not going to believe this, but I um.."

Kerry hitched herself up on an elbow and examined Dar's palm. The surface was scuffed and bruised, and several long cuts were visible. "Is that a splinter? What happened?"

"Probably." Dar sighed. "It involved a bet, some obstacles, and a lot of ego."

"With your ego coming out on top, right?" Kerry guessed, giving her a tolerant grin, seeing the half hidden look of smirking triumph cross Dar's face. "I thought so. Let me go get the tweezers." She planted a kiss on the base of Dar's thumb, then stretched out, pulling her T-shirt tight against her body and squeaking a little as Dar took that opportunity to lean over and nibble her in a very sensitive spot. "Oo… hold that thought."

She squirmed up out of the couch and stood, facing Dar as she straightened. "Dar… you do realize you're covered in mud.. right?" Kerry inquired, plucking at her lover's shirt. "Did you spend the whole night like this?"

Dar looked down. "Uh." She blinked at the gray stains which covered her liberally. "Well, we all did.. and it was raining.. and I was wet… I don't think I.."

"Noticed." Kerry nodded. "No, I guess you wouldn't if the fabric was wet. C'mon." She inserted her fingers into Dar's waistband and tugged. "Into the shower with you, my little mudpuppy."

"You just want me to get naked and wet with you." Dar observed, as she obediently allowed herself to be hauled along. Now that Kerry mentioned it, though, the jeans she was wearing were getting kind of itchy.

"And you have an issue with this?" Kerry stopped, and faced her, lifting a brow.

"No." Dar stepped closer. "It sounds better and better every second."

Kerry smiled, and resumed her tugging.

They left their clothes in one corner of the bathroom and went under the warm water, with Kerry making little tsking noises as she took their scrub sponge and attempted to clean the mud off Dar's skin. "Do I dare ask what you were doing?"

Dar had been standing with her eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying the attention. The slightly rough texture of the sponge was leaving a nice tingle behind it, and now she lifted one eyelid to see Kerry looking up at her through wisps of steam and water. "Huh? Oh.. we had a bet on between me and Chuck.. which one of us could make it through the torture pit first."

"Ah." Kerry scrubbed a stubborn spot, keeping her head down and swallowing a jolt of irrational jealousy. "You won, I take it?" She asked. "It's going to be interesting meeting him on Friday.. unless you've changed your mind and would rather I didn't go." She forced herself to look up. "I know these are old friends of yours, Dar.. and they probably don't know you're gay, do they?"

Dar's eyes widened a little in visible surprise. "No, they don't." She answered honestly. "In fact, Chuckie asked if I was available tonight.. " A smile tugged at her lips. "I told him I was very taken." She thought a moment, feeling the water beat down on her back. "It's a hard question, Kerry… I’m not going to say I haven't been thinking about it."

Kerry kept still, watching her face, seeing only intent thought behind her expression. "I know. It's hard." She agreed softly. "Telling my family was hard… I've never felt embarrassed by it, but I knew they'd be."

"Mm."

"I think it will make them uncomfortable."

Dar nodded. "I think you're right."

Kerry inhaled, surprised at how difficult it was to get the words out. "So I think it's better if you go without me, this time."

"It'd make them more comfortable if that's what I did." Dar agreed softly. "They're a very traditional family."

A breath. "So that's what you'll do, right?"

"No." Dar's voice was quite calm, and almost amused. "If I was in the business of making people comfortable I'd be an airline flight attendant. I'm not. I'm an individualist nonconformist with a lot more attitude than sense, so if they can't accept the fact that I'm gay, and I'm married to you, they can just kiss my ass." She leaned over and brushed Kerry's lips with her own, feeling the small gust of surprise as her lover reacted and exhaled in surprise. "But thanks for offering.. and by the way, I think you missed a spot."

Hm. Kerry resumed scrubbing, a dumb grin on her face. "Did I?" She worked her way up Dar's belly to her breasts, making very sure there were no lurking patches of mud. "I'll just have to go over everything twice." Her hands slid over Dar's collarbone and across her shoulders as she licked the warm droplets of water off the skin in front of her nose. "Mm."

A light touch behind her neck moved her hair back, then Dar's teeth were taking tiny nibbles out of her throat as their bodies slid together and she felt Dar's thigh between her own. She forgot the sponge, letting it drop.

Dar felt like her body was on fire, not from the water coursing over both of them, but from Kerry's touch, dancing over her skin in gentle motions that teased her senses, running down her sides.

She had a feeling getting up in the morning was going to be a problem.

Of course… they could just solve that by not going to sleep.

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

Kerry let out a sigh, and burrowed into her fluffy robe, as they watched dawn start to color the sky across the water. "We’re going to be so toasted by tonight, you do realize that, right?"

Dar sipped slowly on a cup of fresh coffee, closing her eyes as a gust of cool salt air brushed across her face. "Oh yeah.. I'm glad I decided to go into the office today.. I'd have probably driven off Card Sound road into the Florida straits on the way back from the base otherwise." She offered the cup to Kerry, who took it. "Besides, I've got a pile of stuff to take care of here."

"Me too."

They swung quietly in the rope chair for a few minutes. "Guess we'd better get started, huh?" Kerry finally sighed. "I know I need a run to wake me up." She turned her head to look up at Dar. "Unless you want to maybe go over to the gym this morning…I could do circuit, too."

Dar nodded. "Yeah.. " She winced a little and exhaled. "I think I pulled a little bit of something in my back doing that crazy stunt last night. Running isn't the best idea… I think stretching everything out makes more sense."

Kerry squirmed around and slid a hand behind Dar's back, probing gently. "Where you got hurt?" She saw Dar nod a tiny bit. "Goofball." She scolded. "I've been telling you to have Dr. Steve check that out, Dar.. you never did go back for another scan."

Dar scowled. "It hasn't bothered me in weeks." She protested. "Must have been crawling through that tunnel that did it."

"Tunnel?" Kerry queried. "Oh… Jesus. That explains why you had bruises on your knees." She sighed. "Well, come on - let's go get dressed, and see if we can work your kinks out." Neither of them moved, however, and Dar managed to get a snuggly hold on her that turned into cuddle, which turned into some kissing, which…

"This is not getting us anywhere." Kerry murmured.

"Sure it is." Dar replied. "It's just not getting us dressed and headed to the gym." She resumed suckling on Kerry's earlobe, earning a soft grunt of pleasure from her lover. Her hands were already inside the loosened wrap of Kerry's bathrobe, and she ran a light, tickling touch over the ribs she could feel as Kerry inhaled.

"Hey." Kerry laughed softly.

Dar kissed her, then relented, and backed off to rub noses. "Tell you what. I'm going to invent an afternoon meeting we both have to attend, and we're gonna leave early."

"Yes, ma'am." Kerry agreed. "So let's get moving. The sooner this day starts, the sooner it ends."

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

"Mama." Mayte slipped inside the outer office of Senora Dar, where her mother was sorting mail. "I just heard something very bad."

"Si?" Maria looked up. "What is it now? Is Jose flirting with the new senorita in Accounting, once again?"

"No." The slim girl looked upset. She walked over and sat down next to her mother's desk. "It's about Ms. Kerry."

Maria was very surprised. Rumors about her boss, yes, that she was used to, and just after Kerrisita had joined them, she had heard the things they had said about the two of them when they were together.

They had made such a cute couple, it was true. "What have you heard?" She asked her daughter, realizing that Mayte looked very anxious.

Mayte fiddled with her hands. "They are saying that Ms. Kerry, she was with a man here, at night last night, after we all left."

Maria's jaw dropped. "Comemerda." She snorted.

Mayte's eyes opened wide. "Mama!" She was shocked. "Someone was here, and they said they heard them, that she was, with her hands all over this man, and everything!"

"Who is saying that?" The older woman asked agitatedly. "Who is passing these lies? I want to know this, Mayte, right now!"

"B.. b.." Mayte stammered. "Mama.. I heard it in the break room. Everyone is saying it."

Maria drummed her perfectly painted nails on her desk. "Why would they say this? Why would anyone want to hurt Kerrisita?" She thought a minute, then dialed a number on her phone. "Si, Ricardo? Can you check for me the log, please? Was there someone to visit Ms. Stuart last night?"

Ruffling papers. "Looks like.. " Ricardo paused, then ruffled some more. "Oh yeah, here it is.. yeah.. she had a guy come up last night.. round six thirty, I guess."

Mayte and Maria looked at each other in stunned shock. "May I have his name, por favor?" Maria asked quietly. "I need to send him something."

"Sure.. Roberts." Ricardo answered genially. "Andrew Roberts."

Maria covered her eyes with one hand. "Gracias, Ricardo. I will speak with you later." She released the phone. "Jesu."

Mayte blinked. "Who is that, mama? Do you know him?"

"Si." Maria looked troubled. "He is Dar's papa…he is a very nice, a very sweet man. He is very much accepting of Kerrisita, she is like another daughter to him."

"Ay." The younger woman exhaled. "I have heard her speak of him.. there is a picture in the office, I think."

"Si. That is Dar's mama, and papa. It was very hard, I have told you when Kerrisita had such troubles with her family." Maria was thinking hard as she spoke. "Mayte, we must fix this problem." She told her daughter firmly. "I cannot let this be said about Kerrisita. Dar will be so upset."

Mayte blinked. "Oh."

"We must find who is saying this." Maria got up. "Come. We will go to someplace where I know that all the talk gets to be heard." She lead the way out of the office, and down the hall. As they passed the breakroom, she could hear the chatter, and Kerry's name, and she grew very angry. "Do they not have better things to be doing?" She stopped, and peered inside. "Go to work!" She told the startled occupants. "Vamanos!"

Mayte just looked at her, as the assorted administrative assistants and junior clerks bolted from the room, streaming down the hallway like an assortment of colorful birds.

"I am getting very bold, no?" Maria asked. "I am learning from Dar."

"Yes, mama." Mayte murmured, as they continued off down the hall.

At the end of the long walk, Maria lifted a hand and knocked on the thick, metal door before them, waiting a few seconds, then knocking again.

"Hang on.. hold your chupacabras." The door swung open. "Oh.." Josh, one of Mark's assistants blinked. "Hi, Maria.. what's up?"

"Shoo shoo.." Maria waved him backwards. "I am here to speak with Mark. He is here?"

"Uh….uh… sure.. um.. he's in his office… but I… "

"Tch tch.. " Maria brushed by him and circled the equipment packed console, where three techs were busy monitoring different screens. Marks' office was in the back, and she made for it, reaching out to tap on the half closed door.

"Look." Mark's voice floated out. "I don’t give a crap what you think.. if you can't deal with other people having private lives that are not your business, find another place to work, dude."

Maria hesitated, listening.

"From what I hear, it ain't that private." A softer, less distinct voice answered.

"Don’t' start that shit." Mark warned. "I’m telling you right now, Brent. Don't talk about them, don't repeat bullshit you hear at the urinal, and keep your redneck attitudes out of the office or I'll bounce you right on out of here."

"For what?" The response was outraged. "For having an opinion?"

"For insubordination and fucking with the anti discrimination regs." Mark stated.

"What about everyone else? They're.."

"Everyone else ain't in Dar's chain of command." The MIS Chief interrupted him. "You are."

There was a moment of silence. "Fine." Brent finally said. "Can I go now? I got stuff to do."

"Sure." Mark replied. "Take off."

The door swung open a moment later, and Brent emerged, his face crimson. He almost crashed headlong into Maria and Mayte, and he paused to stare at them for a few seconds, before he brushed by and left. Maria eyed him, then she shook her head and walked into Mark's office.

"Hey." Mark looked up, pausing in the act of listening to his voice mail. "Guess you heard." He chewed his lower lip. "About last night, I mean."

"Of course." Maria agreed. "And we are going to fix it."

"Fix it?"

"Si. You have the little program there, that goes to all the pc's?" Maria folded her hands. "That makes the funny noise, no?"

"Our messenger service, yeah." Mark replied, puzzled. "What about it?"

"I want you to send a message, please, from me, to all the people, yes?"

"O….Kay… "Mark sat down slowly. "What kind of message?"

"I will write it." Maria took a piece of paper, and one of Mark's cushion grip roller balls, and got to work. Mark watched her, twisting his head to one side to read the upside-down letters.

His eyes widened. "Oh boy."

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

Dar had taken a breath to say good morning to Maria, when she opened the outer door and realized the office was empty. She closed her mouth with a faint click of teeth meeting, and entered, shouldering her laptop as she made her way across the quiet space and into her inner office.

The sun was pouring across the floor and she stepped into it, feeling the faint warmth through the fabric of her skirt as she circled her desk and put her briefcase down, pulling the leather chair out and settling into it with a tiny sigh.

"Morning, guys." She greeted her Siamese fighting fish, removing their jar of food from her desk drawer and sprinkling a little bit into the small tank. She watched the fish gobble their breakfasts, her chin resting on one fist, before she sighed again, and turned her attention to her monitor.

"Wonder what disasters we have to deal with this morning?" Dar asked the empty office, spinning her trackball to douse her screensaver and reveal her running programs. Her eyebrows contracted slightly when she saw the blinking Dogbert head in the lower corner, and clicked on it to bring up the corporate messaging alert the symbol represented.

Slowly, Dar's head tilted to one side, then the other, then she leaned forward and blinked as she read the message. "What in the hell???"

"To All Corporate HQ Miami Employees - You are please to read your handbooks in the section twelve, page 23. This page is saying that you may not say to everyone bad things about the officers of the company that are not true, or we can make you the termination. There is someone who is doing this, and when this is found out, this person I will myself see the termination if these bad things do not stop. Gracias. Maria."

Dar's intercom buzzed. "Yeah?" She slapped at it absently.

"Did you see that message?" Kerry' s voice floated into the office. "What the heck is she talking about?"

"I haven't a quarter clue." Dar murmured, shaking her head. "Whatever it was, sure pissed her off though. I'd better find her and figure out what's going on." She shook her head. "I'll call you back."

"Okay." Kerry released the intercom button, and opened her mail. "Weird… very weird way to start the day, that's for sure." There was a knock on her door, and she realized Mayte must have stepped away from her desk. "C'mon in."

Clarice entered, giving Kerry a very sweet smile before she closed the door behind her and crossed the floor to settle in one of Kerry's visitor chairs. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Kerry folded her hands on her desk. "What can I do for you?"

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

Mark leaned back in his chair, unconsciously putting distance between himself and the dangerously glaring ice blue eyes boring into his. "Hey, boss.. um.."

Dar rested her hands on Mark's desk and leaned forward, lowering her voice to a mere raspy growl. "I want to know who it was that started that story."

Mark took a breath. "Dar, you know how hard it is to track shit like that down." He tried to keep his tone even, and calm, his mind casting for the last time he'd seen Dar this mad. Ah. That would be never. "I bet Maria's message stopped it."

Dar could feel her body shaking with rage. She knew that lack of sleep was making her hold on her temper very tenuous, and that she should go back to her office and calm down before she did something extremely stupid. "I want to know who it was." She repeated softly. "Don't you tell me you can't track it down, Mark. There was X number of people in this building, X number of people on this floor, and X number of people in the operations suite between the hours of X, and X, which you know from the security log."

Mark took his courage in both hands, and leaned towards his boss, reaching out one hand and covering the fist Dar had planted on his desk. "Okay, boss. I'll find that out for you, if you sit down and take it easy for a minute." There was no response in the stern mask looking at him.

He tried again, lowering his voice. "Dar, please.. go get a drink of water, huh? You're scaring the shit out of me and I just dry cleaned these pants."

Nothing, for a few seconds, then Dar's eyelashes fluttered closed briefly, and her body relaxed some of it's tension. "Sorry." She murmured. "But god damn it, Mark… of all the people in the company to be targetted by that crap, why her?"

Mark winced at the pain in his bosses voice.

"Me, I'm used to it." Dar went on softly. "I've given so many people so many reasons to hate me, I don't even think about it anymore." She took a breath. 'But what has Kerry done to deserve that? "

Picked you? Mark wisely decided on not voicing the obvious response. "You know how people are, boss. They get jealous and all that crap. And you've got to admit, there's a hell of a lot for people to be jealous of Kerry for."

Dar sighed. "Find out who it was." She replied. "I'll be in my office."

Mark watched her leave, the heavy door swinging shut behind her tall form. "Sonofabitch." He cradled his head in his hands. "Why the fuck do I always get this shit to deal with?"

"Cause you, like, can?" His assistant, Shaun inquired. "You gonna tell her who it was?"

Good question. Mark leaned back and considered. "I’m gonna let her chill for a little while first." He decided. "Because otherwise she's gonna haul back and take the jerk's head off."

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

"Excuse me?" Kerry felt her voice sharpen.

"I said," Clarice drawled. "You lasted longer than any of the rest of them, honey… was it a getting bored thing?"

Kerry wondered if she looked as bewildered as she felt. "Clarice, I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you should just cut to the chase, and be specific. "

Clarice leaned closer. "Look, in this place, you can't keep anything secret."

"Right." Kerry nodded faintly. "And?"

"And everyone's talking about last night."

She felt like she was in a dinghy, floating further and further away from the shore. "Last night?" Her mind went to her unexpected waking up, and she felt a blush color her skin. "What about last night?"

Clarice chuckled. "You obviously know… look, they saw you meet that guy here in the office."

The shoreline receded further. "Yeah… so?" Kerry's brow knit in perplexity. "What about it?"

"What about it?" Clarice repeated. "Honey, do you two have, like, an open relationship? I had no idea."

"Huh?" Kerry felt like grabbing her own head and shaking it. "Excuse me.. what in the hell does me getting picked up here last night have to do with my relationship.. which, by the way, is personal and my business, and not any of yours?"

Now it was Clarice's turn to look a little uncertain. "Are you saying that wasn't your lover?"

"What wasn't?" Kerry asked.

"The man who picked you up here last night? Who you had your hands all over? Who you told Dar abandoned you?" Clarice almost shouted. "What the hell did you think we were talking about here?"

It was like being trapped inside a cartoon. Kerry fully expected a clown to pop out of her desk and start laughing at the absurdity of it all. "My lover?" She enunciated the word carefully. "That guy who picked me up here last night?"

"Yes." Clarice nodded, relieved they were finally communicating. "Then he was."

"No." Kerry covered her eyes with one hand. "He was not." She got up and went to the small bookshelf in her office, selecting a framed photo and bringing it back with her. "I think this is who you mean."

Clarice took the picture, and studied it. Kerry was standing near a wooden pylon, apparently at some dock, dressed in a pair of water shorts and a bathing suit. She had one arm wrapped around a very tall, powerfully built man, who had an arm draped over her shoulders, and she was pointing to a dangerous looking lobster clutched in the man's other hand.

"That's my father in law." Kerry supplied. "Andrew Roberts."

Clarice peered at the picture, then up at her. "Honey, that's kinky."

Oh no… she was at sea again. "What's kinky? The lobster? We ate it." She told Clarice in exasperation. "He's not my lover, okay? Would you get that idea out of your head? Yes, he picked me up, yes I hugged him, like I usually do.. and why the hell am I standing here explaining this to you?" Kerry's voice rose. "As a matter of fact, get the hell out of my office before I throw your ass out!"

Clarice jumped up, and laid the picture on the desk, before ducking behind the chair. "Hey look.. I was just trying to warn you…"

"Out!!!" Kerry yelled at the top of her voice. "Tell all the jerks who want to know we pay you people to provide information services, not come up with internal freaking company SOAP OPERAS!"

Clarice fled. She turned, and scuttled across the floor as fast as her heels would allow, getting around the door and it shut securely behind her before Kerry could find something else to verbally pound her with.

For a second, all Kerry could hear was her own labored breathing. Then she sat down in her chair with a thump. "JESUS." She expelled her breath explosively. "What in the hell is wrong with these people?"

A soft creak alerted her, and she swiveled in her chair to face her inside door as it opened, and a disheveled, aggravated, stormy head poked itself inside her office. "Have you heard the total idiocy going around here?"

Dar slid inside and walked over, taking a seat on Kerry's desk. "Yes."

"Is that not the stupidest thing you've ever heard?" Kerry went on. "What a bunch of total bonehead losers we have around here sometimes." She stood up and started ordering Dar's unruly locks with her fingers. "Honey, what did you do here, stick your head out your window or something?"

"I was outside on the balcony down the hall." Dar admitted. "Drinking half a gallon of milk and trying to calm down enough not to fire the entire fourteenth floor just to get rid of the jackass who started the whole thing. "

Kerry rubbed a bit of white off her partner's lip. "Ah.. so that's what that is." She let her hands rest on Dar's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Dar managed a smile. "I think so… I was more worried about you."

"Me?" Kerry chuckled. "Dar, you forget I grew up in a very public household. I've had stories told about me since I was seven, and got bitten by a duck while I tried to steal her chicks." She patted her lover's side. "Your poor father… that's twice in one night. The lady at the car dealership mistook us for husband and wife when he dropped me by there."

Dar blinked. "So you're okay with this?"

"Well.. I don't like it.. but I'll live.. why, you weren't really going to fire the entire floor, were you?" Kerry asked. "Dar?" She traced the flutter of nervous motion under the skin of her lover's cheek. "Hey?"

A sigh. "No, I wasn't."

"You okay?"

Dar gave her an unhappy look. "I have a stomachache from drinking too much cold milk, I’m tired, and I'm cranky, and I want to take a baseball bat to the person who thought you were making out with my dad."

"Oh."

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, I enjoyed the play."

Kerry touched her forehead to Dar's. "With a start like this, the day can only get better."

As if on some evil signal, both of their pagers went off, and Kerry's main line lit up.

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

The phone beeped twice, softly, before Dar lifted her head from her hands and touched the response key. "Yes?"

"Dar, it is Mark here to see you." Maria stated quietly. "Do you have a minute for him?"

"Sure." Dar returned her chin to it's resting spot on her fists and exhaled. "Send him in." She'd given up trying to focus her overtired vision on her monitor a short time before, and had merely been sitting there, waiting for time to pass and bring her to the end of a very long day.

The door opened, and Mark entered, moving quickly across the floor and taking a seat across from her.

For a moment they studied each other, then Mark shifted. "You look like shit, boss."

For some reason, that brought a smile to Dar's face. "Thanks. It's been a suck filled day."

"Yeah." Mark nodded. "I know.. listen, that T1 you ordered for the base is in. I had them terminate it, and did a loopback to make sure it's solid. The telco tech confirmed your hub's onsite, and everything looks okay."

"Good." One thing off her mind, at least. "I'll connect everything tomorrow morning, then I'll need you to give me space on the big boxes to suck everything up."

"No problem." Mark assured her. "We've got the slots already allocated for you - just let me know when you're ready, and we'll open the pipe."

Dar nodded. "I will. Did Houston get their data center back up? If the payroll computer doesn't come back online before tonight, we're all in deep shit, you know that, right?"

Mark felt a prickle of surprise at the unusual use of an expletive, which Dar tended to avoid in her normal workplace speech. "I can't believe the power block blew up in there." He said. "American UPS sent a team in, and they're working on it, but so far it looks like they're going to have to run an emergency three phase panel in just to fire the main CPU's up. ETA is midnight, but I've got my fingers crossed for sooner."

"Will going there and yelling help?" Dar asked.

"No." Mark answered, not even caring if it was the right answer for the company or not. "They're doing their stuff, Dar. It's all moving, it just takes time to split the power off the main transformer, and run the big cables."

"Okay." Dar accepted that with a feeling of relief. Flying to Houston was something she so didn't want to do at the moment. "Can we find out the liability limits of AUPS, and what's going to happen if they can't get the power restored?"

"Kerry took care of that already." The MIS Director reassured her. "She's been on it since this afternoon.. I think we're covered."

"All right."

Mark cleared his throat slightly, and crossed his fingers, held below the level of the desk where Dar couldn't see them. "I also gave Kerry the information on who it was that was hanging around here last night and peeking into offices."

One dark eyebrow lifted sharply. "I thought I told you to bring that here."

"You did." Mark said. "But Kerry asked me to let her handle it, and since she's my direct report, I respected her directive."

Dar observed him for a few seconds. "I don't think I like having my direct orders countermanded." She stated flatly. "Especially by my subordinates."

"I know you don't." Mark responded bravely. "But Kerry said she'd take the responsibility for the decision." It felt cowardly to hide behind Kerry's skirt like that, but one look at the expression on Dar's face made him grateful for the shield. He only hoped it would be a big enough shield to keep him from getting his butt burnt off, that's all.

Dar remained silent, watching him from under half lowered eyelids until Mark started to fidget nervously. Then she drew in a breath. "Fair enough." She remarked. "I'll take it up with her."

Looking profoundly relieved, Mark stood up, and circled his chair, resting his hands on the back of it. "Hope you have a better day tomorrow, Dar."

That got a faint grin back. "Me too." Dar watched Mark leave, then sat back, and pondered. Was she mad at Mark?

No. He just did what he was told. Was she mad at Kerry? Dar regarded the wood panel walls bemusedly. She was too damn tired to be mad at Kerry, and besides, she didn't want to be mad at her. But should she be?

Dar considered the question seriously. Kerry had been the person involved, had been the one with rumors spread about her, and was, in fact, Mark's direct supervisor. On the other hand, Dar had given a direct order, which had been ignored, and countermanded, something she couldn't recall ever happening before.

No one else would have dared, she decided. Was Kerry using their relationship to take an unfair advantage of her? Dar scowled. Or was Kerry simply making a good business decision, using her admittedly unfair knowledge of Dar to realize having the CIO beat an employee over the head with a paper shredder was not only bad employee relations, it was also just plain stupid? Especially since the CIO in question would be doing it because the employee in question had insulted her strictly against company rules lover and partner?

Hm. Dar idly watched her fish swim around. She looked up as the inner door opened, and watched as Kerry visibly squared her shoulders before she entered and proceeded across the room, arriving at Dar's side with a look of sober determination.

"Listen." Kerry's hands flexed slightly, the fingers curling into a partial fist in unconscious reaction to confrontation. "I just talked to Mark. I want you to back off, and let me handle this situation, because it's my department, my issue, and my staff."

"Mm." Dar responded.

One of Kerry's pale eyebrows rose. "What does that mean?"

"That color looks really cute on you." Dar evaluated the coral silk blouse Kerry was wearing. "Very tropical."

The blond woman put her hands on her hips. "Dar, I was being serious."

"I know… you're right. Go ahead and handle it." Dar nodded in agreement. "I'll be down at the base all day tomorrow anyway, so have at it."

Kerry sighed. "Do you know how long I've been standing in the corridor, screwing my guts up and trying to figure out exactly what approach to use with you on this?"

Dar allowed her face to relax into a smile for the first time that day. "Sorry about that.. I was just thinking it over when you came in. I know my first reaction was to appease my ego and yell, but you know what? I’m just too tired to." A shrug. "Besides, you are right.. it's your issue to handle, and the only reason I wanted to do it is because I go into a crazed overprotective mode when it comes to you."

Kerry's lips twitched, then eased into grin. "Yes, you do." She relaxed and moved a little closer, perching on the edge of Dar's desk. "Very self aware of you to notice."

Dar smiled, and propped her head up against one hand. "They finally got the T1 in place. Now I can get that entire data set transferred, and we can really take a look at it."

"Think you'll find anything?"

"Maybe." Dar shook her head. "There's something there.. it's just really hard to pinpoint. Little discrepancies in the programs, things that just don't feel right.. I can't really be specific. Just that I know there's something not one hundred percent clicking."

"I've got an idea." Kerry reached out and pushed a few strands of dark hair off Dar's forehead. "I just finished my last conference call for the day… want to take off? Are you covered here or do you have something else you need to handle?"

"Nothing I can't handle with my cell phone." Dar said. "Pushing to get the payroll systems back online.. I don't need to be here to do that." She straightened. "Sounds like a plan…go get your stuff, and I'll meet you at the elevator."

Kerry got up and twitched her skirt straight. "You're on." She turned and made her way back to the inner door, pausing with her hand on the sill before she exited. "Dar?"

The pale blue eyes flickered as Dar's eyelashes fluttered. "Hm?"

"It was Brent." Kerry's expression was regretful. "Mark feels pretty scummy about that." She ducked through the doorway and closed the door behind her, traveling quickly down the back corridor and past the cleaning closets to her own office.

Her phone was ringing as she entered, and she contemplated letting it go to voice mail, then sighed and answered it. "Operations, Kerry Stuart."

"Hey Kerry.. this is Ilene, from the church?" The voice hesitantly asked. "I do the youth group counseling with you?"

"Oh. .sure." Kerry felt her mental train jerk onto a new set of tracks. "Sorry.. what's up?"

"Have you heard from Lena? The kid in the group.. you know the one I mean?" Ilene asked. "She was supposed to meet me for lunch yesterday, and she never showed."

Kerry started shutting down her computer. "Well, maybe something came up. You know how it is… she didn't call or anything?"

"No.. and yeah, I know stuff happens, but two of her friends were here just now looking for her.. they said she hasn't been around for a couple days, and they're a little worried.. I thought maybe she might have contacted you."

"Me?" Kerry's brow creased. "No…I don't think I gave my number out to the group.. and I'm not listed in the phone book. If she does contact me somehow, though, I'll definitely get in touch with you. Do they think something happened to her or..?"

"No one's sure… it's just weird for her not to be around for that long. She didn't say she was going anywhere." Ilene sighed. "Well, it was a long shot, but Casey said Lena really liked you, so I thought maybe you'd given her your number or something. Thanks anyway, Kerry."

"No problem." Kerry replied. "I'll keep an eye out for her, okay?"

"Much appreciated… talk to you later." The unexpected call ended, leaving Kerry a bit unsettled. She finished closing down her system and shouldered her briefcase, then checked her caller ID and copied Ilene's number into her Palm Pilot. She'd met the other councilor a few times at church functions, and rather liked her, but they hadn't spent much time talking to each other since then.

Pity, really, since Ilene shared her general background and upbringing, having been born in Detroit, into a family of old car money whose reaction to her coming out had been, if not as spectacular as Kerry's parents, at least as vicious. They'd thrown her out of the house and taken just about everything she owned, forcing her to move somewhere, anywhere, and support herself.

She had, just as Kerry had, but for Ilene it had been much harder since the only job she'd had prior to moving was as a movie usher. She'd mixed in with a tough crowd down here in Miami and gotten into a little trouble, but had ended up taking vocational courses and scraping herself together a career as a mechanic.

Put things into perspective, sometimes, when you looked at other people, and realized how lucky you were, Kerry admitted, as she closed the door to her outer office and walked down the hallway to where Dar was leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

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

They took a detour past the church, and it's surrounding area on the way home, after Kerry told Dar about the missing girl. Despite the fact that they were both tired, and she knew that Dar was in worse shape than she was due to her own nap the night before, making several passes around the general neighborhood was definitely in order.

"You think something actually happened to her, or did she run off?" Dar asked, as she scanned the twilight shadowed streets. "Wasn't that the kid whose mother was spouting off ?"

"Yeah." Kerry leaned on her steering wheel, enjoying the feeling of height her new car gave her. "I don't know, Dar. I don't think this is getting us anywhere." She sighed, and turned the SUV around, heading back across the causeway towards the ferry terminal. "Maybe she just hitched up to Lauderdale for a few days… I know she's got a few friends up that way."

"Grmph." Dar slumped against the doorframe, and relaxed, idly watching the street lamps flash by. "Seemed like a nice kid."

"Mm." Kerry agreed, making the turn onto the ferry dock. "They all are, really." She listened to the engines of the boat roar as they parked, and sat back, regarding the sky overhead thoughtfully. "Hope she's okay."

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

Continued in Part 5

Tropical High

By Melissa Good

Part 5

The dream was warm and sunny, and Dar stretched into it, reveling in the feel of the sun against her skin as the boat rocked beneath her. Her eyes were closed, but she could hear the strains of a popular tune from behind her, and smell the tang of the salt air as it brushed over her.

Her body was pleasantly tired, and she was content to rest in the sun, turning her head slightly as she heard a gull land on the boat. It's claws made soft, ticking sounds as it moved closer and she kept very still to see how close it would dare to come.

She could almost feel the warmth of its body as it pattered nearer and nearer, and she resisted the urge to open her eyes and look.

Then it blew in her ear.

Dar's eyes popped wide open as her dream world rapidly merged into her waking one, and the gentle waves and warm sun became the rocking of the waterbed under Kerry's laughing form, and the startling reality of true sunlight gilding both of them.

"Holy shit." Dar's eyes found the clock, which was displaying a cheerful 7:40 to her. "Jesus. Did we forget to set the alarm?"

"I think so." Kerry propped her head up on one hand and let her chuckles wind down.

"Damn." Dar sighed, her brain still a little fuzzy from sleep. "How could I have done that? I haven't forgotten to set that damn alarm in… in… "

"Honey." Kerry leaned over and rubbed Dar's bare belly. "You forgot because you fell asleep with your clothes half on. I had to pull them off. I was the one who forgot to check the clock, okay?"

"I did?" Dar tried to remember the previous night in the fog of exhaustion she'd been walking through. "Um… I think I remember a strawberry… and you kissing me."

Kerry smiled, her fingers tracing a light pattern over Dar's skin. They'd both been far too tired to eat when they'd gotten home, and had settled for a shared bowl of freshly washed strawberries and two large glasses of milk. She'd put her things upstairs, and come down to find Dar sprawled over the bed, already well on her way to sleep.

"I remember that too." She looked up, and almost laughed when she saw Dar's expression relaxed back into slumber. "Hey… Paladar." She gave her lover a tiny poke.

"Eh?" Dar's eyes opened again. "Oh. Damn. " She complained, rolling over and capturing Kerry in a tangle of warm arms and smooth skin. "Why can't it be Saturday? I don’t wanna get up."

That was okay. Kerry didn't want to either. She tried an experiment, making her little patterns again and was rewarded by hearing Dar's breathing even out almost immediately, and feeling her body go limp and relaxed. She closed her own eyes, and reviewed her schedule, thinking about what her morning was like.

Hm. It was Thursday. That meant her staff meeting at ten, nothing after that until lunch, then network strategy sessions from two to five. She liked those, actually, when her operations team would test different scenarios, to see how they could reshape the network to better suit their customer's needs.

So. She didn't need to be in until ten. Dar wasn't supposed to be in the office at all, since she was heading back down to the base. They could actually sleep in a little, if they skipped their morning run. Could they afford it?

One green eye appeared, and regarded their intertwined bodies critically. Then it closed in contentment. Yep, they could afford it. Kerry decided, squirming a little closer and settling down with a silent sigh. She let herself relax into a light doze for another half-hour, then nudged herself awake again.

For a few minutes, all she did was just look at Dar. The sun was spilling in the window through the blinds and painting gold stripes across the bed and one stripe had captured most of Dar's face. Kerry could see the tiny motes of dust in it, and watched the faint flickers as some dream stirred her lover's eyelids.

She is so beautiful. Kerry let out a breath, resisting the impulse to run a finger down one of Dar's planed cheekbones. She did move a lock of dark hair back, though, biting her lip when even this slight motion brought a flutter of eyelids and a pair of sleepy blue eyes into view. "Ooops. Sorry."

Dar blinked. "Did you let me go back to sleep?" She asked, incredulously. "Ker, we're going to be late as hell."

"Yes, I did." Kerry replied in an unperturbed tone. "My first thing's at ten, and you're OCB today, so take a chill gelcap and relax, okay?" She slid a hand over Dar's hip and lightly scratched her back. "How's this doing?"

The smooth surface under her hand tensed, then moved as Dar stretched, the muscles under her skin shifting under Kerry's fingers.

"A little stiff, but not bad." Dar admitted. "Maybe we can do some swimming this weekend… that should fix it up."

Kerry wriggled over and pinned her lover down, receiving a startled, widened eyed look in return. "Maybe we can take you over to Dr. Steve's, and have him look at it."

"Aw… Kerrryyy…." Dar whined.

"Pick one. Dr. Steve, or the ophthalmologist." Kerry replied kindly, ignoring the endearing pout that faced her. "Sweetheart, I'm not going to sit by and watch you either hurting, or hurting yourself, so you'd better just get used to it, okay?"

"I hate doctors." Dar said. "You know I hate doctors."

Kerry sighed. "Yes, I know you do… but I have to take very good care of you, Dar." She put a fingertip on Dar's nose. "Humor me? Please?"

Dar thought about it, her eyes moving slightly, regarding the eggshell colored ceiling. Then they focused on Kerry's face, and softened. "All right." She agreed quietly. "But you have to go with me."

"Of course I will." Kerry smiled in relief. "In fact, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I haven't had my eyes checked in a few years either. We'll both go, okay?"

Dar nodded. "Okay." She rubbed a thumb over Kerry's ribs, which expanded under her touch. "I think it's time we got our lazy butts out of bed, don't you?"

"Do you really want to?" Kerry laid an arm down on Dar's chest, and rested her chin on it. "You know what I'd like?" She added suddenly.

"What?"

"Someday. I'd like us to just… " Kerry nibbled her lower lip. "Get a camper, or something. and travel all over the place, just seeing new things." A half smile appeared. "Does that sound strange to you? There are so many places I haven't seen, and I'd like to - together."

Dar cocked her head slightly to one side. She took a breath to answer, then released it when her cell phone, dropped haphazardly on the bedside table buzzed. "Hold that thought." She told Kerry as she fumbled one-handedly with the instrument. "Because I really like it."

Kerry grinned wholeheartedly and gave Dar a pat on the side. "I'll get coffee started." She lowered her voice as Dar answered the phone, then took the opportunity to suckle Dar's navel gently, chuckling as she heard her lover's voice break slightly. "Tell Mark I said hi." She gave Dar a nip, then rolled out of bed and made her way out into the living room, where Chino was already waiting impatiently to be let out.

She opened the back door for the Lab, then clicked the coffee on before she trotted upstairs and into her own bedroom. "Two bathrooms, no waiting." She told her reflection, as she entered hers, splashing water on her face more to wake her up than anything else, and scrubbing her teeth industriously.

One of the nicer things about the condo was the amount of space they both had, she reflected. She'd grown up in such a big house, with a lot of people around, and Dar had grown up just the opposite, but they both needed and appreciated the room to get away a little, and be alone sometimes.

Which made her comment to Dar seem really odd, if you thought about it. But Dar had liked the idea of traveling around together, so maybe it wasn't so weird after all.

Of course, showers, now… Kerry grinned at the rumpled, rakish looking figure gazing back at her. Showers they liked to take together. "Hey, scruffy… time for a haircut." She pointed at her reflection, before she turned and went to her closet, bound on selecting her clothing for the day.

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

Dar settled her sunglasses more firmly as she headed from the parking lot into the staff building. She was dressed in her favorite pair of worn jeans, and a Navy sweatshirt, in deference to the cooler weather that had rolled in overnight.

The Marine at the door gave her a friendly nod, and opened the portal for her. "Good morning, ma'am."

"Morning." Dar replied politely. She took the stairs two at a time, and ducked around the upper hall doors, glancing around for any sign of her glowering nemesis. "Eh.. maybe I get lucky for a change."

She made it into the network hardware room, and put her case down, then glanced around at the walls full of telecommunications punch downs. With a sigh, she pulled out her Palm Pilot and opened it, checking the circuit ID Mark had given her, and comparing it to the rows of tags hanging from the blocks.

"Ah. There you are." Dar pulled a tool from her briefcase and studied the network bridges, consulting her pilot for the network node the base had assigned her to. Her brow creased, and she ran a finger lightly down the massive hub, curious about the design. An entire segment was bridged off to a completely different hub, for no reason she could readily identify.

One dark eyebrow lifted. "Hm." Dar followed the cables to the other hub, and peeked in back of it. "Ethernet..Ethernet.. Fast Ethernet… T3?" Dar looked closer. "Twelve network nodes sharing a T3? What the hell is running on them?"

Really curious now, Dar pulled the network schematic she'd been given out of her briefcase, and spread it out, running an experienced eye over the layout. After a few minutes, she folded the paper up and tucked it away, letting out a careful breath as she considered her options.

Then she walked over and copied down the circuit id on the mysterious hub and pulled out her cellphone.

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

Kerry took her seat in the operations meeting, setting down her cup of tea and glancing around the table. No one met her eyes, and she let a wry grin touch her lips as she settled back in the leather conference chair, extending her legs and crossing them, while she rested her folded hands on the table surface.

Mark was the last to arrive, and he closed the door behind him before he took his own seat, the one directly across from hers. There was none of the usual bantering, everyone just sat quietly, eyes on their agendas, and waited.

"So." Kerry broke the silence. "Heard any good rumors lately?" She waited for the embarrassed shuffling to quiet down. "That was pretty counterproductive, wasn't it? I’m used to people having nothing better to do than speculate about my private life, but tying up the resources of the entire department for an entire morning was going a little overboard, don't you think?"

Nobody knew what to say. They all just stared miserably at the table.

"I’m not sure what's more disappointing." Kerry went on quietly. "The fact that people who know me personally participated in it, and thought so little of my integrity that they'd think I'd do something like that to Dar in front of the entire company…" She paused. "Or the fact that in a department full of intelligent people, only Dar's admin had the sense to check the visitor's log."

Mark finally looked up, his jaw muscles visibly clenching as he met her gaze squarely. "I didn't bother checking." He stated. "I knew it was bullshit. The only thing I wanted to do is find out where it started, and stop it." He reflected. "I did. But that flew out so fast it went through my fingers."

Kerry nodded. "I know. Thank you, Mark." She saw some of the rigid tension in his shoulders relax a little. "Dar and I make a point of keeping our personal lives out of this building. I'd appreciate it if you all would do the same. Find something else to speculate about."

Nods and murmurs of agreement went around the table.

"Okay." Kerry was satisfied that she'd scared, embarrassed, and intimidated the entire room to the best of her capability. Dar, of course, would have done a much scarier job of it, but she felt she'd gotten her point across, and predicted her people would be having little meetings of their own in their areas as soon as the current session was over. "Next item on the agenda. Enid, what's the status on the new accounts in the Northwest?"

Never had there been so many people in one room so glad of a subject change. Enid eagerly sifted through her papers, and started into her report.

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

The small office was very quiet. Only the faint sound of the laptop's hard drive, and the occasionally soft click broke the silence. Dar had her head propped up on one fist as she reviewed the data flicking across the display.

"What in the hell are they doing?" The CIO asked her computer, which morosely refused to answer. She scanned the datastream for the nth time, trying to figure out the pattern in the weird anomalies she'd been seeing for the last couple of hours.

The cell phone resting on the desk buzzed, and Dar answered it. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Dar." Mark's voice sounded unusually quiet. "I tracked down that T3 ID for you. It's a private subscriber circuit. Not Bellsouth."

"Huh." Dar's brow creased. "That's even stranger. I could understand having a… "A thought occurred to her. "Hang on.. I'll call you back." She hung up and retrieved a number from the cellphone memory, then dialed it.

It rang twice, then was answered. "Gerry?"

"Ah.. Dar!" Gerald Easton's voice sounded cheerful. "I was just thinking of you."

"Someone send you a memo?" Dar hazarded a guess.

The military man chuckled. "Eh.. heard from old Jeff, as a matter of fact. He's thrilled to have you down there, Dar."

Dar felt a half grin forming. "He's the only one, Gerry. I’m not a popular person down here. Listen.. is there anything black here?"

There was a momentary silence. "Eh." Easton grunted. "Odd question."

"Odd because it's yes, or because it's no?" Dar was conscious of the cellular connection, which could be monitored. "I don't want details, Gerry, just if there is or isn't."

"Hold on a minute." Easton's voice had become crisp. It was replaced with hold music, which Dar suffered through, having an innate dislike for the song Sleigh Ride. It cut off thankfully on the third go round, replaced by a rustle, and a clearing of Gerry's throat. "Ah Dar?"

"Mm.. still here." Dar sketched a squirrel on her pad.

"I just checked, and no, we've got nothing dark there." Gerry paused. "Nothing even remotely gray, as a matter of fact."

Dar scowled, and put fangs on the squirrel. "Damn." She exhaled. "Okay, thanks Gerry. I've got to hunt somewhere else for answers."

"Problems?" The cautious question came back.

"Things that aren't making sense." Dar replied. "I hate that."

A chuckle. " As well I remember. If you need any more information, Dar, get in touch, eh?"

"I will." Dar hung up the cellphone, and reviewed the data she had on her screen. "Okay." She called up an new email, clipped and pasted from the analyzer program into it, added notes, and sent it on it's way. "Let's see what Mark can dig up about who bought that nice, big hub that mysteriously connects to someone else's network from inside a supposedly secure building."

Then she set up her transfer program, and tapped into the base's network, parsing all of it's traffic and sending a running dump to her ops center in Miami. The big boxes there would digest the information, and run her custom designed systems analysis programs on it. That code would tell her if her gut instinct was right, and there was something weird going on, or if she was just seeing spiders in the shadows.

Dar leaned back in her wooden chair, and folded her arms as the data transfer kicked in. She looked up as a light knock came at the door. "Yes?"

Chuckie stuck his head inside the room. "Hey there, old buddy. Can I interest you in some lunch?"

Dar smiled easily. "Sure." She set her passwords and locked the laptop down, then stood up and joined Chuckie at the door. "You want to go downstairs, or offbase?" She asked. "I kind of have an itch for conch fritters."

"You're on." Chuckie agreed happily. "I've been buried up to my butt in status reports all day. I've got ten new recruits coming from this class, and boy howdy, I hope those little suckers don't sink the boat before we clear international waters." He put a hand on Dar's back and guided her down the hall. "Dad says you plan on doing a checkout on the training process here, that right?"

"Right." Dar answered. "That's what Gerry was griping about from here mostly - results on the folks they kick out of here being substandard." She dropped down the stairs with Chuckie at her side. "He wants to know why, and frankly, so do I."

"For real?" Chuckie held the door at the bottom of the hall open for her, then followed her out and into the cool, somewhat damp air.

"Yeah." Dar pulled her keys out of her pocket and headed for the Lexus. "From a management perspective, bad performance usually only has one of a couple sources." She opened the doors and they got in, then she continued her lecture, which Chuckie listened to with interest. "Either your talent pool is empty, your processes are defective, or there's a motivation structure in place that doesn't match what your performance objectives are."

Chuckie folded his arms over his chest and eyed her. "Can we talk about football or something? I didn't get three words out of five in that last paragraph."

Dar chuckled, as she pulled out of the base parking lot and sent the Lexus in search of a scrungy crab shack. "Sorry." She recomposed her thoughts. "Your recruits suck, the instructors don't know what the hell they're doing, or someone's being paid to just churn out bodies regardless if they know what end of a broom to grab hold of."

"Ah." Chuckie considered this thoughtfully. "How are you going to figure out which one it is?"

How indeed? Dar pulled into an unpaved parking lot and stopped the Lexus. "I’m not sure yet." She admitted. "I've got a program sucking everything down into one of our big processors, and it's going to sort the data out for me. I'll review it, and make a plan based on what I find."

"Okay." Chuckie opened the door to the crab shack and they entered, going from the bright light outside into a somewhat dim, weathered, wooden interior graced with trestle tables, benches, and several neon bar signs on the wall. "Howdy, Red."

The burly, bearded man with more tattoos than it seemed safe waved at him. "Hey Chuck.. whoa, you moved up in the world, didncha?" His eyes flicked over Dar with genial approval. "C'mon in, sweet thing."

Chuckie, to give him credit, winced.

Dar dropped her jacket onto the nearest trestle table and sauntered over to the man, leaning on the counter across from him and tipping her sunglasses down to give him a better look. After a moment, she sighed. "You are still as butt ugly as you were in high school, you know that, August?"

The man's eyes widened. "Whothefuckareyou?"

"Someone you ain't seen in fifteen years." Dar drawled back. "You want to put us up two baskets of fritters and burgers, so at least we'll get something out of this conversation?"

The man scratched his jaw and tilted his head, then reach over and pulled Dar's sunglasses all the way off. He leaned closer. "Oh shit." He started laughing. "It's Dar." He let the glasses drop to the counter. "I'll be a son of a bitch."

Dar scooped up her shades. "You're damn lucky I'm not nearly as much of a hardass as I used to be, Augie… that crack would have gotten you a broken nose once upon a time." She relaxed into a smile, as Chuckie decided it was safe to approach and came up next to her.

"Yeah.. you're so mellow now." Chuckie commented. "Remind me of that again when I bitch about how sore I am from that little stunt we pulled the other night."

"Mary!" August hollered behind him. "Two burgers, two fritters, okay?" He faced forward again. "Dar, man, its such a trip to see you. It has been forever and gone, ain't it?" He pointed to the table. "Siddown.. I was just gonna have some lunch myself. We were busier than all get out before, but it slowed down some."

Dar took a seat on the worn wooden bench as her two friends did the same. She rested her elbows on the surface and exhaled, allowing a bittersweet sense of familiarity to wash over her. August's father had owned the shack during her younger years, and she'd spent many hours hunched over the uneven tables, talking crap and swallowing enough fried fish and greasy burgers to have easily killed off anyone with a more sensitive digestive system.

Her nose twitched as she detected the scent of the spicy fritter batter cooking, and she smiled, glad for the moment to know that not everything had changed.

"Still workin with that computer shit, huh Dar?" Augie asked.

Oh yeah. "Yep. " Dar admitted. "Same shit."

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

"Ms Kerry?" Mayte’s voice crackled through the intercom. "Senor Mark is here."

Kerry finished typing her last sentence, and flexed her hands, making the joints crack slightly. "Great. Send him this way, Mayte." She sat back and waited, as her door opened and Mark entered. "Hi."

"Hi." Mark closed the door and crossed the carpeted floor, taking a seat in one of Kerry's visitor's chairs. "Listen, I.. um.. "

"Mark -it's okay." Kerry interrupted him gently. "I'm over it."

The MIS chief blinked. "Oh." He sat back and let his hands rest on his thighs "You know the whole staff's been walking around in a blue funk since the meeting, right?"

"I heard." Kerry ran her fingers through her hair and riffled it, stifling a yawn as she did so. "Jesus, its not like I was that wacko, was I? I've heard Dar go off.. I know I'm not in her league."

"Nah." Mark agreed. "It's worse with you, though, because you're always so nice, when you get postal, it makes everyone's hair stand on end." He gave Kerry an apologetic look. "No offense."

"None taken." Kerry smiled. "I talked to Mariana." She shifted the topic neatly. "She's agreed to let me handle whatever we decide to do with Brent."

"Urm." Mark rubbed his jaw, darkened with stubble now that the day was almost ended. "I talked to him a little - he's way out there, Kerry." He shook his head. "I can't figure out if it's just that he had a…uh, I mean, if.."

Kerry leaned forward. "I didn't think he was serious, until Dar told me after I met you both in the ops center that time that he'd just finished asking her if I was seeing anyone." She propped her head up on one fist. "I thought that was pretty darn oblivious of him, you know?"

Mark waggled his hand. "He's pretty focused."

"So, is his problem that I'm not interested, or is his problem why I’m not interested?"

"Why." Mark said bluntly. "His dad's a Southern Baptist minister who was tossed out of the local group for advocating the castration of gay guys, and the incarceration of anyone who didn't think we should swap the bill of rights for the bible."

Kerry sighed.

"It sucks, you know? He's a good tech, and not half bad a guy if you don't mind the freaking nerdiness." Mark shook his head. "I talked to him just before I came in here, and he just can't see why everyone doesn't feel the same way he does."

"Okay." Kerry scrubbed her face. "I'd like to talk to him." She said. "Can you set up a time tomorrow morning? Make it early, preferably before I have to sit in on the marketing projection session."

"Sure you want to do that?" Mark queried.

"Yes."

"Okay." Mark stood up. "Did you hear from the boss? Her data dump finally finished.. the processors are chewing on it."

Kerry leaned back. "Yep. She's home, actually." She propped a knee up against the desk and folded her hands around it. Hearing from Dar had been a surprise, especially when her lover had told her she was comfortably seated on their leather couch watching a special on China. "She's .. um.. cooking dinner."

Mark stopped in mid motion and stared at her, his jaw dropping in mild shock. "Uh?"

"Yeah." Kerry scratched her nose. "My curiosity is starting to give me wedgies." She admitted, with a grin. "I mean, it could be that we'll end up eating ice cream sundaes for dinner, those are well inside Dar's ability, or maybe she'll do eggs, which I know are safe."

"Now you've got me curious." Mark chuckled. "She once told me flipping the power switch in the coffee machine was the limit of her cooking skills." He folded his arms. "You gotta let me know what happens."

Kerry stood up and stretched, wincing as her back popped from the long hours she'd been seated at her desk trying to clear her inbox. She'd even had Mayte bring her up lunch so she could spend the extra time catching up. "Okay." She viewed the outbox with a sense of satisfaction. "I think I’m going to pack it in."

"Walk you downstairs?" Mark offered. "I was just on my way out myself."

They joined a group of fellow employees who were also leaving, including Jose and Eleanor, and the elevator was fairly crowded. Kerry pressed back against the mirrored wall, not really uncomfortable but conscious of the air's stuffiness and the clashing scents of Eleanor's aggressive rose perfume and Jose's vaguely coconutty smelling after-shave.

Ick. Kerry eyed the ceiling; it was also unfortunate that some people seemed to have a curious absentmindedness when it came to things like deodorant and reasonably frequent showering. She considered holding her breath, wondering if the elevator was being perversely slow just to piss her off.

Oh. Kerry almost hopped up and down to force the car to move faster. What if it gets stuck? Her eyes widened a little. How would it look for the VP Ops to chuck up all over half the executive staff in an elevator?

"Kerry!"

She jerked, and sucked in a breath, then glanced at Mark. "What?"

Mark leaned closer. "You looked like you were freaking out."

She sighed, and leaned back. "Overactive imagination." The car reached the bottom and bounced a little, then, finally, blissfully, the doors slid open and allowed the people to exit and the cold air to enter. "Jesus." She pushed off from the mirrored wall and left the elevator, glancing up into the vast vault of the atrium lobby.

A faint smile crossed her face as she remembered the first time she'd seen this place, a very late, rainy night that had started in despair and ended…ended up being a crossroads in her life she wasn't even aware of until long after she'd passed through it.

She followed Mark out the front doors into the daylight and headed for her car, her mind making the mental jog when it first tried to find her Mustang, then shifted and searched for the new profile.

"Hey.. did you get a new set of wheels?" Mark asked, as he ambled alongside her. "Ain't that cute.. a baby Darcar."

"A wh… oh." Kerry laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that." She patted her new blue Lexus on the side. "I like it… I can actually see things now. See you tomorrow, Mark."

"Yeah." Mark unstrapped his motorcycle helmet and put his briefcase in the saddlebag of the big Harley. "Drop me a mail when you figure out what Big D is feeding you, huh? I’m dying to know."

"Hm." Kerry got into the SUV and rolled the window down. "Dying.. not a good word there, Mark." She gave him a wave and started the car, then pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

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

It was relatively quiet outside the condo when she pulled into her spot, and she got out, cautiously examining the front door before she approached it. "Well." She leaned back against the car and crossed her arms. "No smoke, no fire engines outside the place, and it looks like the electricity is still on, so she didn't blow a circuit."

A nod. "Looking good so far. Now, Kerrison." She addressed herself seriously. "Whatever this turns out to be, Dar will have spent a lot of time, and a lot of effort on it, so no matter what, you're going to like it. Got me?" She squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath. "Besides, you've eaten at the Republican National Convention. Nothing should scare you after that."

She trotted up the stairs and paused, cocking her head and listening before she keyed in her lock code. Nothing but soft music came faintly to her ears, certainly not the strident cursing she'd have expected from Dar if things weren't going well. Another good sign. Kerry unlocked the door and opened it, slipping inside and closing it behind her.

And then she just stood there, only her eyes moving as she absorbed the scene in front of her. The lights were dimmed in both the living room and dining room, and there were candles on the table. Really tall, pretty candles set in holders that complimented the china and crystal place settings patiently awaiting use.

She also realized two other things. There was no sign of Dar, and something smelled great. "Heh." Kerry chortled softly to herself. "I'm liking this already."

"Good." Dar's voice purred from nearby.

Kerry almost jumped, and then she turned to see Dar leaning against the doorjamb of her bedroom, her hair pulled loosely back, and her body covered in something very silky and brief. The pale blue eyes held a lazily sensual note as they traveled over Kerry's form, eliciting a small, almost sub vocal noise from Kerry's throat. "Hi there." She managed to get out.

"Hi there." Dar replied. "Wanna come in and make yourself comfortable?" She eased away from the door and moved towards Kerry, bare feet soundless against the tile. "Hello? Earth to Kerry?" Dar waved a hand in front of her lover's eyes, which seemed to be firmly focused on her.

Kerry let her laptop case slide to the floor, and found better uses for her hands, letting them slide over the soft, cool fabric covering Dar's body to feel the warm flesh beneath. She stepped closer, and took a deep breath, then tilted her head back to look up at her lover. "So..what did I do to rate this?"

Dar smiled. "Nothing." She brushed a wisp of pale hair out of Kerry's eyes. "I just felt like trying this romantic thing out. Complaining?"

"Nu uh." Kerry shook her head firmly. "Where'd you get this? It's gorgeous." She fingered the crimson silk. It barely covered Dar's body, and Kerry found herself loosing interest in dinner, or asking questions, or… "Damn, you smell good."

"Glad you think so." Dar nuzzled her hair, then slipped her arms around Kerry and gave her a big hug. "Mom and Dad took Chino for the night."

Kerry gave her a weird look. "Why? She never bothers us."

"No, but she kept jumping up and stealing my mixing thing, and it was driving me nuts." Dar admitted, with a faint chuckle. "C'mon.. let's get you undressed, so you can properly appreciate my creation."

Kerry stepped back, and grinned frankly at her. "Sweetie, I don't need to be undressed to appreciate that. I think your creation is spectacular."

Dar put her hands on her hips, hiking up the fabric and only enhancing Kerry's visceral experience. "I meant dinner."

"That too." Kerry's smile grew wider. "Oh.. " The words finally penetrated, and she laughed helplessly. "Sorry..sorry.. you mean the food."

Dar snorted softly, but looked pleased with the appraisal nonetheless. "G'wan." She nudged Kerry towards the stairs. "I'll put the salad on the table."

Kerry had turned and had one foot on the steps. Now she stopped dead and swiveled her head to face Dar. "You.." She pointed. "made salad?"

Dar nodded.

"Ah… hah." Kerry slowly turned back around and started up the steps, sneaking disbelieving peeks at Dar as she did, until she disappeared onto the second floor. 'Salad." She shook her head, as she entered her bedroom and kicked her shoes off. "I feel like I’m in a dream world."

Her closet beckoned, and she went inside, shucking out of her jacket and hanging it neatly on a hanger. Then she unbuttoned and slid out of her skirt and hung that up as well. Then she stopped and considered, as she removed her shirt. Normally, she'd just slip into an old T-shirt, but since Dar had made an effort… her eyes roved speculatively over her wardrobe. "Hm. It's all business or dressy. I don't have any causally sexy numbers, Dar."

She flipped through the hangers, until she finally stopped at one, removing it. "Hm." It was a sleeveless satin sheath, designed to go under a lacy dress she had. "That'll work." She slipped it over her head and settled the edges, which just barely came to her upper thighs. "Yeah… " She consulted the mirror, which reflected back to her a surprisingly racy looking image. Thoughts of Dar in her silk strapless number came to mind, and Kerry found herself wondering just how relevant dinner was going to be.

A shiver of anticipation made her grin.

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

Dar studied the plate, then nodded in satisfaction, cocking her head as she heard Kerry's footsteps coming down the stairs. She put both hands on the back of the dining room chair and smiled in welcome as Kerry appeared, the smile broadening as the warm candlelight exposed the brief clothing, and knowing look. "Nice." Dar drew the chair back and Kerry seated herself, with a faint chuckle.

"Thank you." Kerry waited for Dar to take the seat right next to her, and move the chair slightly so their bare legs touched. "Are you actually going to eat some of this here salad, Dardar?"

White teeth reflected the candlelight as Dar smiled. "Only if you feed it to me."

So she did. They exchanged forkfuls, and Kerry found herself enjoying the freshly cut greens very much. Of course, there was enough dressing on them that Dar probably couldn't tell a lettuce leaf from a carrot, but that was okay. That's how she liked her salad. They finished, and she carefully removed some extra dressing off Dar's lips before she let her lover stand and remove the plates. "That was great."

Dar paused at the entrance to the kitchen. "Just you wait."

"Mm." Kerry sat back and folded her hands over her stomach, craning her neck to watch Dar busy at work by the stove. With serious precision, her lover was arranging something on plates, and adding scoops of something else from a dish on the warmer. When she was satisfied that both plates had equal amounts, and were symmetrical, Dar picked them up and walked back into the dining room.

"Here you go." Dar set the plates down, and seated herself, then eyed Kerry for a reaction.

Kerry's eyebrows lifted. 'That's a lobster tail." She commented.

"Yep."

Kerry poked the top. "It's stuffed."

"Sure is."

"Those are au grain potatoes."

"With cheese." Dar agreed.

"And peas."

"Leseur Very Early baby peas."

Kerry nibbled a bit of stuffing. "Dar, this is fantastic."

A very satisfied Dar settled back in her chair. "Thanks."

They ate in silence for a moment. "When did you learn to cook?" Kerry finally asked, unable to keep her curiosity under wraps.

Dar looked up, and bit the end of her fork in thought. "Four…no, four thirty today." She reached over and poured chilled white wine into their glasses, then lifted one, and toasted her lover. "Incredible, what you can find out on the Internet, isn't it?"

With a helpless laugh, Kerry lifted her glass and clinked it, then took a sip of the sweet wine. "So, what's for dessert?"

For an answer, Dar looked her up and down, and raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a rakish grin.

"Ah." Kerry wrinkled her nose into an appreciative grin. "Got any fudge with that?"

Dar merely chuckled.

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

"Mm." Kerry stretched her legs out in the Jacuzzi and leaned her head back, regarding the stars happily. "What a great night."

Dar stepped into the tub and sat down, setting two glasses down on the rim and stretching an arm out to include Kerry's shoulders. "Glad you liked it." She wiggled her toes in contentment. "I sure did, except that fudge got damn messy."

One green eye rotated in her direction. "Which is why we're here in the hot tub." Kerry reminded her wryly. "Or we would have ended up stuck together, which could have made work a little interesting tomorrow." She reached over and scratched the back of Dar's neck. "How'd it go down by the base today?"

Dar handed her a glass of cold, sweet peach tea. "Relatively pointless. I got the circuit hooked up, and got the download started, then…" Dar paused. "There was one weird thing. They've got a private T3 dropped in there that's on an isolated segment."

Kerry tipped her head to one side. "Really?" She mused. "That is weird."

"Yeah." Dar nibbled her inner lip. "I've got Mark tracking down the private line, but… I don't know, Ker. It's really odd." She leaned back and sighed. "I wish I knew what was going on."

Kerry caught the mood change, and she slid closer. "Maybe it's nothing."

Dar regarded the stars. "Maybe."

The phone rang. Dar picked up the cordless unit and answered it. "Hello?"

There was silence, then a gasp. "Um… um.. can I talk to Kerry?"

Dar's brows creased. "Sure." She handed the phone over, with a widening of the eyes and a shrug. The voice had sounded very young.

Kerry took the instrument and put it to her damp ear. "Hello?"

"Oh.. Kerry. Hi." A breath. "I'm really sorry to like, bother you this late and all that, but .. "

"Lena?" Kerry's mental recognition kicked in. "Is that you?"

A breath. "Yeah."

"Hey.. folks have been looking for you." Kerry told her. "Where are you?"

Lena hesitated. "Um… not in a good place."

Dar nestled closer and listened.

"What's not a good place.. are you in the hospital?"

"No." Lena muttered. "I’m in jail."

Dar's eyes widened in surprise. She and Kerry exchanged startled looks.

"In jail? What are you doing there?" Kerry sputtered. "What did you… " She half turned and pushed the wet hair out of her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Lena sounded tired. "It's just really stupid, you know? My folks clued into like, me being gay, and they grounded me."

"Grounded you?" Kerry's voice dropped a note. "Did they think that would fix it?"

"Fuck if I know." Lena replied glumly. "I busted out the windows in my room and took off, and they called the cops on me."

"Ah." Kerry's eyes narrowed slightly. "You need help getting out?"

Lena was very quiet for a few seconds. "You're the only person I know that doesn't make minimum wage." She finally admitted meekly. "My folks told me to rot in here."

Blue eyes and green met. "We'll be right down there. You at the main jail?" Kerry asked. "The one off Flagler?"

"Yeah." Lena whispered. "Thanks, Kerry."

"No problem. Take it easy until we get there." Kerry hung up and put the phone down. "Stupid son of a b…" She was stopped with a kiss. "Damn it, Dar. What the hell is wrong with people?"

"I don't know." Dar wiped a bit of water off Kerry's cheek. "But we'd better get dressed and go bail your little buddy out. Then we can worry about her dimwitted genetic contributors."

"Pah." Kerry sloshed out of the tub and grabbed a towel, handing Dar hers as her lover followed her. "Poor kid… how could they let her be taken down there? She's probably scared half to death."

"She the one with the tatoos?" Dar asked.

"Yeah."

"Mm.. and the nose ring?"

"Yeah."

"She'll be fine."

They both walked into the condo, and were halfway across the living room before Kerry stopped, and turned, putting her hands on her hips. "Do you know this from personal experience?"

Dar rubbed her face, and just kept walking, a faint chuckle escaping her.

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

The Dade County primary jail was, as most jails are, a supremely depressing place. The walls were institutional beige, and the floors were many times shined heavy tile. Kerry was very aware of the glances thrown her way as she entered, and glad of Dar's light touch on her back as they moved across the starkly lit lobby towards a processing desk.

Thick, bulletproof glass protected the woman seated behind it, and it took a moment before she realized someone was there and looked up. "Yes?"

Ew. Kerry exhaled. "A friend of ours is in here. I'd like to see about getting her out."

The woman looked at her then pushed a pad across the desk and through the small hole in the glass. "Name?"

Kerry glanced at the pad, then started to fish in her purse for a pen. She realized she didn't know Lena's last name at the same time as Dar handed over her favorite heavy, silver chased ballpoint. "Thanks." Kerry scribed the first name, then hesitated. "I'm sorry." She directed her words to the woman behind the desk. "I only know her first name."

"Real good friend of yours, huh?" The officer took the pad back and studied it. "Could be worse. Could be Maria. Lemme go look." She ripped the top sheet off the pad and got up, disappearing back into a cluttered area behind her full of files and tall cabinets.

"Hm." Kerry rocked on her heels. "I feel pretty stupid about that."

Dar shrugged, lacing her fingers together behind her back and glancing around the lobby. "Hasn't changed much." She allowed, accepting the curious look from her lover. "After I.. " Dar paused, and inclined her head. "That little incident at the club I think you mentioned once."

"Ah." Kerry did, indeed, remember. "They brought you here?"

"I was pretty young." Dar acknowledged. "They wanted to make sure one of the jackasses' friends didn't come after me. They called Dad, and he came down to pick me up."

Two officers pushed by them, with a very inebriated young woman slung between them. Kerry moved out of the way, ducking as the woman started to swing an arm wildly. "Whoa." She felt herself pulled to one side, and stepped away from the now struggling prisoner, with Dar hovering protectively over her. "So. Dad picked you up, huh?" Kerry decided a distraction was appropriate.

Dar's nose wrinkled, at the sudden stench of vomit. "Yeah." She took another step backwards, and tugged Kerry with her. "He was, um… "

"Proud." Kerry tried to breathe through her mouth.

"Well.."

"Paladar Katherine Roberts, I can just sit here and picture your father coming in here to get you. I bet he made every cop who was there tell him what you did."

Two men brushed by, arguing in loud, strident Spanish. They had badges on chains around their necks. Another man approached, yelling, and pointing a finger at one of the detectives. The detective slapped his hand, and yelled back.

"Hey!" The clerk had returned to her desk, and now she used the microphone sitting to one side. "Take it inside!"

The three men gave her a look, then shoved through a worn, wood paneled door to one side, which opened into a large room filled with desks and papers. The clerk watched them, then looked up and made eye contact with Kerry, lifting one hand and curling her finger inward.

"Officious little.."

"Dar." Kerry patted her lover's leg. "C'mon - let's get this over with." She led Dar over to the counter and rested her elbows on it's chipped Formica surface. "Find her?"

"Yeah." The woman shuffled some papers. "You a relative?"

"No. Just a friend." Kerry moved a little closer, and tilted her head to see the officer's nametag. Funk. Hm. "She had a little trouble with her folks."

"No kidding." Officer Funk agreed. "All right. The bail's a thousand dollars."

Kerry saw the woman's eyes lift to her, and she suspected she was waiting for a reaction. Kerry smiled pleasantly. "Okay. Do you take checks.. credit cards? " A beat, and no reaction from the officer. "Animal pelts?"

"Cash." Officer Funk replied. "Ten percent."

Dar removed her wallet from her hip pocket and sorted through its contents, removing a hundred-dollar bill and tossing it onto the counter. "There."

Kerry opened her mouth, then realized she didn't have that much cash on her, and subsided. She pushed the bill closer to the woman. "There."

They stood there while the paperwork was completed, what looked like an eight or nine part form along with a sheaf of other documents. "I didn't have to sign that many things for my new car." Kerry commented idly.

"You weren't buying it from Dade County." The officer muttered. "All right, Jack, c'mere. Get me this one from the holding area." She thrust a piece of paper behind her, and it was taken by a shorter man in uniform, with a thick, dark mustache. "This is your receipt." She pushed a form over to Kerry. "She comes up for a hearing in ten days. Make sure she's there, or you're in the hole for the other nine hundred."

Dar leaned forward. "What is she charged with?"

The deeper tones caught the officer's attention, and she looked up, to find Dar's piercing eyes pinning her. "Destruction of property."

"What did she break?" Kerry asked.

"Car window."

Dar's brow creased. "Wouldn't it be cheaper to just pay for the damn window?"

Officer Funk shrugged. "Her parents pressed charges. Guess they figured the kid couldn't pay."

"Bastards."

In the act of standing up to put away her papers, the policewoman stopped and peered through the glass at Dar. "I don't know. If my kid told me they were queer, I might do the same thing." She shrugged, and walked away.

Kerry turned, and met Dar's eyes, and they looked at each other in silence. After a moment, an inner door opened and the short, male officer appeared one hand grasping Lena's arm. The girl seemed very quiet, her face showing signs of rough handling, and her clothes were ripped and stained. She looked up and saw the two of them standing there, and a pathetic look of utter gratitude lit her face.

"Hey, Lena." Kerry smiled at her. "C'mon…I bet you want out of here."

"Oh. " Lena closed her eyes, then opened them. "You bet your ass I do." She paused awkwardly. "Um.. I mean.."

"I think you said exactly what you mean." Dar drawled. "Let's get out of this place." She let her eyes drift over and meet Officer Funks. "It stinks."

They made their way out of the large double doors and into the cool night air. Lena stopped on the stone steps and took a breath, tilting her head back to look up at the night sky. "Thank you." She hugged herself. "I'll pay you guys back. I've got some money in my savings account." She looked around, with a lost expression. "I'll have to take it all out anyway.. I'll need clothes before I can go back to work tomorrow." A pause. "If they haven't fired me."

Kerry and Dar exchanged glances. "C'mon." Kerry put a hand on her arm and steered her towards the Lexus. "The first thing you need is a shower, and some clean stuff to wear. We've got both back at our place."

"I can't ask you to do that." But Lena looked pathetically grateful.

"You're not. Let's go." Dar keyed the doors open, and motioned to her. The poor kid looked so ragged, and so at a loss, Dar felt like… Like what, Dar? Her conscience pricked her. Like you want to go punch her mother? She closed the door after Lena climbed up inside the car, then walked around and started to get in, pausing and resting her arm on the edge of the windowsill as she gazed down the sidewalk.

She remembered walking down it, dressed in her scary, punky best with parts of her aching from the fight but happy, because her daddy was there next to her. They'd stopped on the corner and leaned back against the coral wall, across from the parking lot she could spot her dad's truck in. Andrew had looked her over, and shook his head. "Lord. You are mah kid, ain't you."

Dar ha stuck her hands into her ripped pockets, and just nodded.

"Y'know, they don't give folks who do what I do medals much." Andrew had said, looking off into the distance a little. "And I sure ain't got none to give up, but here." He'd taken off his dogtags, and put them around Dar's neck.

Dar remembered looking up at him, and she knew her face must have shown how she felt because he'd smiled, and cupped her cheek with one callused hand.

They'd just gone on home after that

"Dar?" Kerry leaned over and tugged on her lover's shirt. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Dar slid behind the wheel and closed the door. "I was just thinking of something."

Kerry studied the angular profile for a moment, then patted Dar's thigh, and half turned in her seat to address Lena. "You're doing data entry, aren't you?"

Lena was running her fingers over the soft leather of the seat. She glanced up guiltily. "Um.. oh, yeah, yeah, I do. It's a telemarketing thingie. I put in the orders." Her eyes dropped. "Or I did.. my boss hates when people are late, I can just imagine what his reaction was when I didn't show for work for two days."

"Don't worry about it." Kerry smiled at her. "So, what exactly happened?"

The young girl pushed some very dirty hair back off her forehead. "Oh my god, it was like.. it was so incredibly stupid." She exhaled, but her spirit was rebounding a little. "I can't believe it. It's like some dumb weird ass dream thing, you know?"

"No. But if you'd tell me, I would." Kerry replied patiently.

A sigh. "Okay. Like, I told you I was really into this Internet thing, right?"

Dar and Kerry exchanged looks. "We can relate to that." Kerry said.

Lena was momentarily distracted. "Are you guys on the Internet?"

"We run the Internet." Dar stated, as she pulled carefully onto the highway. "So yeah, you could say we're on it.. under it, inside it, crawling all over it… "

"Wow. For real?" Lena watched Dar's profile with interest. "That's so cool. Are you like, hackers?"

"No."

"Sometimes."

Kerry gave Dar a look. "We are not." She scolded her partner.

"You've never seen what I can do with a data analyzer, have you?"

Lena started laughing. "You guys are funny." She relaxed into the leather seat. "So anyway.. I’m like really into this Internet stuff, and I found some really cool places, with people… um.. " She hesitated.

"Like us?" Kerry hazarded a guess.

"Yeah." Lena agreed. "Anyway, we all get together and we chat, and do stuff, and a lot of them write these story things." She rubbed her fingers together. "Some of them are okay, and some are pretty good, and some… ew." Lena made a face. "So I figured I could try doing it, too, and just see how it went."

"Stories?" Kerry leaned against the seat and considered that. "What.. stories about.. school and things like that?"

"Uh. No." Lena blushed. "Not about school.. well, one of them was, this girl wrote this one about her and two other girls and some gym equipment, but…"

Kerry cocked her head to one side. "Gym equipment?" She looked over as Dar started laughing. "What?" Her brow knit, then abruptly eased as she realized what sort of stories Lena was talking about. "Oh. Kind of… romantic stories, huh?"

Lena chewed her lip. "Well, I guess some of them might be called that."

"So. Did your parents catch you reading this lesbian erotica?" Dar asked, in a low, amused tone.

"No way." Lena shook her head. "I’m way too careful for that, and my parents wouldn’t know what they were looking at in my computer anyway." She folded her arms. "I wrote my first one, and I posted it, and you know? Everyone liked it. It was so cool.."

"Hey, that's great." Kerry complimented her.

"Yeah, except I printed out a copy to take to school, to show Casey and them, and it was on my printer, and my mother came in and took it." Lena looked out the window. "Wow.. we're driving onto a boat?? Where do you guys live, Cuba?"

"That'd be a commute." Dar muttered. "I'd say your mother got what she deserved if she walked in and just took what wasn't hers."

Kerry sighed. "Some parents are of the opinion that they own whatever's in the house because they pay the mortgage." She said.

"Yeah.. you're absolutely right!" Lena blurted. "That's exactly what my parents think. My mom took it while I was in the shower, and by the time I got out she was…" The girl fell silent for second. "She started throwing things at me."

Kerry reached over and took her hand.

"I tried to stay out of the way, you know? Because she does that sometimes, just goes off and shit. But she just kept coming at me… " Lena took a shaky breath. "She chased me into the garage, and… oh my god, everything was falling, and she threw a baseball bat at me… then I don't know what happened, something, and a sled we had up in the overhead fell down right on my dad's car."

"So that's what broke the window." Kerry murmured.

"It broke everything.. and that sports car is his, like, best child." Lena said. "She locked me in there, and the next thing I knew, the cops were there, and they took me off."

The ferry docked, and the conversation ended as Dar piloted the Lexus onto the island, and turned down the road leading to the condo. Lena slid over to one side, and peered out of the window, looking around curiously until they pulled up next to the condo and parked. "Wow." She murmured. "Holy shit, Toto.. we're not in Hialeah anymore."

They got out of the car, and headed up the stairs.

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

Kerry lead the way upstairs, leaving Dar to putter around and put up some coffee. Lena was creeping along behind her, trying not to touch anything as she walked in the very center of the stairs. "Let me get you something to change into.. you can use the shower in there." She gestured to the guest bathroom, tucked in neatly next to its attendant bedroom.

"Wow." Lena peeked inside, then followed Kerry hurriedly into her own bedroom. "This is a way amazing place."

Kerry pulled open a drawer and rooted around inside it. "It's pretty big, yeah." She removed a shirt and a pair of shorts. "Here.. these'll be big on you, but not too bad. They're old ones of mine when I was a lot smaller."

Lena took them gingerly, and eyed Kerry. "You're not fat."

Kerry smiled. "No, but I used to be a lot lighter, before I started all this wall climbing and weight lifting." She turned the girl around and pointed her towards the guest bathroom. "There's lots of soap, and everything you need in there. Help yourself."

"Okay." Lena carefully folded the clothes over her arm. "Um… thanks, Kerry." She said. "I thought I'd be all tough and that, and just stay in there. You know, like, wow, so this is jail."

One of Kerry's pale eyebrows cocked. "Why? You're not stupid."

Lena fingered the clothes. "There were some really fucked up people in there." She murmured. "I figured I'd better find a way to get out before something stupid happened." Her eyes lifted. "So, thanks."

"No problem.. but one thing is puzzling me." Kerry turned, and they walked together down the hall. "I don't remember giving out our phone number here."

"Oh." Now Lena managed a wan, but cheeky grin. "Casey got that out of the church Rolodex. We were all, like curious, to see if we could figure out where you lived and stuff."

"Ah." Kerry replied. "I thought that was locked up in the office."

Another grin. "And?"

Kerry sighed. "You could have just asked. That's supposed to be private information." She folded her arms.

Lena looked nonplused for a moment. "I didn't.. I mean, we didn't think of that." She admitted. "It's just that, like, no one tells you anything when you're my age, you know? It's like the everything's such a big secret, and if you want to know stuff, you have to go find it out yourself."

"Mm." Kerry understood that, having grown up in a very political household.

"What is up with adults? " Lena asked. "It's like, even in school, they say they don't teach things so we don't get 'idea's. I thought the whole thing school was for was to, like, encourage us to get ideas. So they don't tell us about important shit, like what sex is all about. How brainless is that?"

Kerry exhaled. "Go take a shower." She said. "We can discuss the philosophical motives behind education after you're done. I don't think most parents want their kids to get ideas, they just want them to be taught to be just like they are."

"Huh." Lena turned to go towards the bathroom. "That's lame."

Kerry watched her disappear. "Yeah." She agreed under her breath. "You can say that again." She shook her head and trotted down the stairs, towards the enticing scent of coffee coming from the kitchen.

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

Lena waited until she heard Kerry's steps fade, then she let out a breath, and leaned against the wall. Her eyes roamed over the hallway, taking in the neat appearance and the interesting pictures on the wall. "Wow."

Curious, she tiptoed along the hall and peeked inside the middle room. It was an office, she realized, as she slipped inside and peered around, aware of the tiny, guilty thrill of doing something she knew was probably severely not cool.

But how many chances would she get, right? And the rest of the gang would be sitting on her ass pulling nitty details out of her, so..

Lena roamed around the room, moving closer to the walls to read the plaques and diplomas there. Kerry's office, apparently, since it was her college and professional certifications displayed.

The desk was a light, golden oak, and the chair a very comfortable leather one. On the shelves were pictures of people Lena didn't know, so she guessed maybe they were Kerry's family. There was also a weird little collection of rocks, no two of the same size or shape, that were arranged in circles, and two or three little stuffed animals, including a beanie baby cocker spaniel.

She leaned closer to look at the pictures. One was a family shot, and she blinked as she recognized the last figure on the right. "Man. She was right." Lena whispered. "She was a freaking stick." A very thin, very serious looking Kerry was standing, dressed in a formal looking suit with her hands tucked in front of her. Her hair was put up around her face, accentuating it's drawn lines, and Lena was having a really hard time reconciling this picture with the woman who had just handed her the clothing and towels.

Lena straightened reluctantly, and eased out of the room, entering the blue and white guest bathroom again and this time closing the door. She started the shower running, deciding to just forget about how weird everything was, and get clean.

That brought up another interesting subject. What kind of soap did they use? Lena explored, and found a bar nestling in the coral shaped soap dish. She lifted it and sniffed. "Coconut. Very cool. " That got a nod of approval. She hadn't pegged them for lilac or anything weird like that.

Lena opened the medicine cabinet, but that yielded nothing but a box of Band-Aids, a tube of antiseptic cream, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Along with a stack of long, single ended q-tips. Curiously, she picked one up and examined it, trying to figure out it's probably use.

She put the long handled q-tip, the peroxide, and the antiseptic together and quickly dropped the stick. "Ew." Her face scrunched. "Gross." She closed the cabinet and grabbed the soap, hopping in the tub and pulling the curtain closed.

After a moment, she poked her head out and stared at the cabinet. "Ew." She repeated, then ducked back inside.

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

"So." Dar took possession of one corner of the couch, setting her coffee cup down on the end table and stretching her legs out over the leather surface. "Madam G. Samaritan.. now what?"

Kerry put her hands on her hips. "Are you saying we shouldn't have gotten involved?" She asked sharply.

"No." Dar shook her head. "I just have no damn clue what to do now, so I'm hoping like hell you do."

"Oh." Kerry felt the building irritation wander off somewhere, and she took a seat neat to Dar's neatly socked feet. "Hm." She took a sip of her coffee, then set it down and inched over; picking up Dar's legs and letting them rest in her lap. She tweaked a toe experimentally.

"Hey!"

"One little piggy…" Kerry teased, then relented and merely started rubbing her partner's foot under it's cotton covering. "I don’t know really what the next step is, Dar. It's not like I've ever done this before, y'know. "

Dar grunted, and wiggled her toes.

"I figure I'll call the church office tomorrow morning. Someone there should at least know where to start." Kerry went on. "I know I can get Mari to hire her on as a data entry clerk, god knows we're so hard up for help down there we're taking high school diplomas as acceptable prior experience."

"Mm."

"The church has apartments it leases out to people who can't pay much. She'd qualify."

Dar nodded, sliding down a little and exhaling happily. "Sounds like you've got it all planned out. Good job." She closed her eyes and concentrated on enjoying the slow massage that was working its way up her insole. It wasn’t' the way she'd hoped the evening would end, but…

Sometimes, you just had to cope.

"Sweetie?"

Dar opened a blue eye and lifted its eyebrow.

Kerry gave her ankle a little scratch. "I’m sorry I brought her home without talking to you first."

Dar considered that for a moment then shrugged one shoulder. "It's just as much your home as it is mine." She allowed.

"I know. That's why I’m apologizing." The blond woman murmured. "It was a snap judgment."

Dar folded her hands over her stomach and closed her eye. "I've learned to implicitly trust your judgment." She told Kerry. "Besides, what else could you have done? Not leave her there, or let her wander off down the street. It's almost midnight."

It sounded so reasonable when Dar said it. Kerry reflected on the evening, deciding her lover was probably right. "Okay. I can go with that." She mentally planned the next day. "Are you going down to the base tomorrow?"

Dar nodded. "They've got a new class of recruits starting. I’m going to go through their first day with them, just to map the process."

"Literally?" Kerry's voice rose in surprise.

"Nah.. just as an observer. You won't get me in those damn boots again." Dar snorted. "I used to think they were the hottest thing - wore them for years, before I had the sense to figure out they're about as comfortable in Miami as wearing thermal underwear in the summer."

"Rats." Kerry grinned. "I think you'd look really cute in those fatigue things."

"I look like a stereotyped package fresh from Dykes R Us." Dar stated. "All I need is wrap around glasses, and a pair of dog tags with your name on them."

"Hm." Kerry thought about that. "You know, there's this Army surplus outlet at Sawgrass Mills… they make dog tags."

Dar opened both eyes. Kerry smiled at her charmingly.

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

"Wow." Lena commented, as Kerry entered the back door and wiped her face. "You sweat a lot."

"Thanks." Kerry mustered a smile, as she attempted to catch her breath. That last lap with Dar had turned into a race, and she'd gone all out, managing to keep even right up until the very end, when her lover's natural competitiveness had slipped out of control and sent Dar ahead of her. "Running does that to you."

Lena stepped back to let her pass and pretended not to be staring at Kerry's mostly bare body. "You guys do this, like, all the time?"

"Yep." Kerry went to the refrigerator and removed her juice bottle, taking the top off and drinking down a good part of its contents. She heard Dar approaching through the small garden, accompanied by the scramble of dog paws. "Incoming.."

"Groof!" Chino charged through the door and slammed into her legs, bucking like a miniature cream bronco in sheer happiness.

"Hey, sweetie." Kerry put her bottle down and greeted her pet. "Did you have fun sleeping over grandma and grandpas?"

"A blast." Dar entered and shut the door. "Dad's trying to talk Mom into getting one just like her." The taller woman picked her towel off the counter and wiped her face with it. She was dressed much like Kerry was in running shorts and a cutoff, sleeveless shirt. "It's a tough battle."

"I thought your mom was allergic to dogs?" Kerry commented, as she gave Chino a final pat, and stood up. "Wasn't that why you never had one?" She gave Lena a brief grin. "You all ready?"

Lena nodded.

"She claimed to be." Dar dried off the sweat on her stomach. "It was actually just a good excuse not to have them around the house, and now that I think about it, with all her painting stuff and chemicals, it probably wasn't a bad idea." She exhaled. "I’m going to shower off, and get moving. Talk to you later on?"

Kerry nodded. "Yeah.. call me at lunchtime. I’m going to get Lena settled, then drop by the office. I've arranged to pick up your folks around five, then we'll drive down to meet you for dinner." She watched Dar leave, after receiving a wink from one blue eye. Then she turned to Lena. "Okay. I’m going to go shower myself, then we'll head over to the church."

Lena folded an arm over her chest, and sucked at the glass of orange juice she'd finished her breakfast with. "Sure. I probably should, like, tell the guys I’m okay, and where I am and all that stuff. Can I use your phone?"

"Right there." Kerry pointed, then made her way out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, taking them two at a time as she headed up to her bedroom. Normally, of course, she and Dar would have showered together, but with their young guest around…

Kerry sighed as she trudged into her bathroom and turned on the shower. Her body was pouting a little, missing it's usual morning snuggle, and now this too. But they'd both felt a little squeamish, not knowing when Lena would get up, or be lurking, so they'd decided to be good for a day. Rats. Kerry scowled at her reflection, which was getting fuzzy around the edges from the steam. "Being good sucks."

She pulled off her running clothes and tucked them into the laundry hamper, then stepped into the walk in shower and let the warm water blast against her skin.

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

Dar leaned back in the leather seat, and rested her knee against the wheel as the Lexus made it's way down the long stretch of road. She had a soothing New Age CD playing, a new one Kerry had bought her on a recent trip to the mall. Dar pulled out the cover, and glanced at it. "Huh." It was an all instrumental healing CD, with natural background noises worked into it, and she liked it very much.

It was very calm, and soothing. Dar felt very calm. She took a sip of the milk she'd put in her travel mug and felt its cool thickness slide down her throat. Funny. Her eyes dropped briefly to the cup, then lifted. She'd been staying away from coffee lately, and she was starting to notice a real difference. Instead of her usual five or six cups, she'd been having maybe two, and even her breathing seemed to have slowed down a little.

On the seat next to her, the laptop rested, full of data and reports she'd downloaded from Mark's mainframe just before she'd left. Time enough when she got there, Dar reasoned, to take a quick look at them, before she headed off to see the new recruits.

Part of her was looking forward to that, in an odd way. "There but for having a brain cell.. go I." She murmured to herself, with a smile. 'Seaman Roberts, the second." A sigh. "Oh, Dar. Was that ever so not for you."

But then, it had hurt. That one last day, when she'd waited in the driveway, for her father to come home, waited, and knew, the moment she saw his face, what the answer was.

No.

Andrew had indulged in a rare bit of physical affection, putting his arms around her and hugging her. "Sweetheart, you ain't got to do this. There's lots of damn things you can do in there."

Dar had leaned against him, utterly miserable. "Why couldn't I have been a boy?" She'd whispered. A hand had come and gripped her chin, lifting her head up.

"Cause God didn't want you that way." Her father had told her. "You ain't' gonna argue with God, Paladar. What he made you, is what he made you."

Dar smiled faintly. Yeah, I guess he did. She took another long swallow of milk, then set the cup down as she prepared to turn into the base. The guard opened the gate without even pausing, and she entered, finding a spot under a large tree to park under.

Shouldering her laptop, she got out and walked across the lot, pausing as a group of children dashed in front of her, heading for the bus stop. A harried looking woman chased after them, dressed in a pair of cotton pants, and a haphazardly buttoned shirt.

"Cora! Wait! Slow down!" The woman yelled.

One of the smaller girls, a cute tyke with soft, dark brown hair and a mischievous grin turned and made a face at her. "Go now, mom!" She scolded, then turned and dashed after her friends.

"Oh my god." The woman sighed, pushing her hair back as she ran past Dar. "Kids. Cora!!"

Dar chuckled softly, and continued on her way, trying to recall ever being that small. Could she? Being here helped, she acknowledged, as she walked through the lower corridor and up the curved stairway. As her hand touched the banister, she had a sudden flash of memory that almost made her stop short.

She did remember, just a little. It had been a very rainy day, so bad that they'd gotten all the kids and the parents from the housing area and put them up in the admin building. Here, in fact. Dar stopped at the landing, and turned, to look down. Yes. She remembered the blankets spread out.

Maybe it had even been a hurricane. Her dad had been gone, away at sea, and she and Ceci had joined about ten other kids, and fifteen or so adults in taking shelter here in the hall. She remembered sliding down the banister, thrilled at the access to the normally closed and guarded building.

"Paladar!" Her mother had looked up, to see a small form hurtling towards her at frightening speed.

"Whheee!" Dar had leaped off the end of the wood and crashed into her mother, knocking the diminutive Ceci right down on her behind. "Wow! I liked that!" She'd gotten up, intending on racing back up the stairs.

But her mother had grabbed her, and spanked her, right there in the middle of the hall, and all the other kids had laughed.

Dar hadn't laughed. She didn't now, as she felt again that hot sting of shame.

"Hey, Roberts."

Dar turned at the voice, and gave Chief Daniel a cool look. "Yes?"

The stocky Chief came down the rest of the stairs, but stayed one up from the landing, to bring her eyes level with Dar's. "Got something you might want to see."

"Like what?"

A faint smile edged the Chief's lips. "C'mon. I'll show you." She turned and walked back up the stairs. After a moment of watching her, Dar followed.

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

"You what?" The small woman behind the desk looked up at Kerry sharply. " You brought her to your house? Are you nuts?"

Nonplused, but generally unlegumed, Kerry's brow creased. "What do you mean? What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh my god." Darlene covered her eyes. "Kerry, we never take these kids into our homes, or let them know where we live.. for a reason." She gave Kerry a severe look. "They get attached."

Kerry folded her arms. "I ask again. It was midnight. It was raining. What was I supposed to do, leave her at the bus stop to sleep under the bench?" Her voice sharpened. "Of course I took her home with me." Pause. "Us."

"Us?"

"My partner, Dar Roberts and I.. we picked her up from Dade jail."

Darlene chewed on her pen. "Well, that's not that bad, then. At least you're not single." She sighed. "Okay.. so, where is she now, still there?"

Kerry turned and pointed towards the wall. "Outside. I figured maybe we could get her into one of the little apartments."

The social administrator of the church leaned back and thought. "Jesus. I don't know. She's pretty young, what, sixteen?"

"Just seventeen, I think." Kerry amended.

"Great. I guess she has no cash, huh? Or stuff to live with?" Darlene exhaled. "Figures." She studied the paper Kerry had given her. "Oh, man, her parents did this because she came out?" Her eyes lifted to Kerry's face. "That's a different story."

"It is?"

"Hell, yeah." Darlene started pulling papers out of her drawer. "Siddown."

Kerry sat down.

"If that's the case, she qualifies for all kinds of stuff. GLADD grants, Rainbow service grants, you name it." Darlene found what she was looking for. "Yeah, here we go. Okay, listen. You can leave her with me, I'll get her all fixed up, okay?"

Puzzled by this change in attitude, Kerry hesitated.

"Go on.. didn't you say you had to get to work?" Darlene shooed her away. "We can take care of this."

"Well, yes." Kerry stood back up. "Are you sure? Do you need some..money, or anything, to get her settled? I can put stuff on my card…"

"Nah. Don’t worry about a thing." Darlene assured her.

Still doubtful, Kerry left the office and walked down the hall, to where she'd left Lena waiting. The girl looked up at her as she approached, frightened and vulnerable, dressed in one of Kerry's shirts, and a pair of her oldest jeans.

"You okay?" Kerry asked, as she sat down next to her.

"A little freaked." Lena admitted. "The guys said they'd meet up with me after work and stuff, but.. " Her eyes roved around the hall, then settled on Kerry's face. "I really am alone, aren't I?"

The statement touched Kerry's heart. "For now." She told Lena softly. "For a little while, but don't worry." She thought a minute, then took a breath, and made a decision. She got up. "Be right back."

Darlene looked up in surprise when Kerry stuck her head in the office. "Oh.. thought you were gone. It'll take me a few hours with this paperwork, she need a drink or something?"

"I’m going to take her with me." Kerry stated. "I'll pick her up some clothes, and necessities, then drop her back by here."

"Bu…"

"Thanks. See you later." Kerry gave the woman a brisk smile. "Pick someplace nice for her, Darlene. I’m going to take her on a job interview tomorrow." She closed the door, and headed back down the hall.

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

Dar stared at the empty space. "What happened?"

Daniel shrugged. "Beats the heck out of me. Came in here to adjust some packet sizing, and found the damn thing gone. I called security, but I got told to keep my mouth shut, and take off." She rocked on her heels. "Y'know? I don't like your ass, Roberts, but I don't like being told to shut up worse."

Dar felt a grin tugging at her lips. "Yeah." She put her hands on her hips and took a breath, eyeing the area that had held the mysterious T3 and it's router. "I know the feeling." One finger rubbed the strap on her laptop idly, then she pulled her cell phone out and dialed. "Mark?"

"Uh?" The MIS chief's voice sounded distant. "Hang on.. I’m under my desk."

Dar's eyebrows rose. "We having bad weather again?"

The voice came much closer. "No." Mark exhaled audibly. "My god damned friggin NIC cable came loose again. I gotta replace it. What's up, boss?"

"Remember that T3 I was having you chase down?"

Mark paused for an instant. "Yeah.. I was getting install data for you. It's almost all here."

"Good. Now get the disco order for it, because someone pulled it out of here yesterday." Dar told him. "Did we get anything back on the serial number of that router?"

A long, long beat. "Not that we wanna talk about over the cell." Mark stated firmly. "Can I email the info to you?"

A soft warning bell rang in Dar's head. "Sure." She murmured. "Send me what you have. I'll go pull it down." She closed the phone and looked at the Chief. "Something doesn't smell right."

Daniel sniffed. "Must be that weird ass soap you civvies are always using." She shook her head and turned towards the door to the small telecommunications closet. "But yeah, I figured. I don't like my stuff going AWOL, then being told it ain't my business."

They walked down the hall to the small office that had been assigned to Dar, and entered. It was empty, as always, since Dar brought everything with her she needed, and took it home with her at the end of the day. A pencil, left behind on her prior visit, rolled idly in the breeze from the open windows.

Dar put her briefcase down on the desk and unzipped it. "Let me get that mail, and maybe it'll make some sense." She glanced out the window. "Too early for the recruits?"

Daniel snorted. "Bus broke down up near the split to Card Sound." She perched on a corner of the worn, wooden desk and watched Dar unpack her laptop. "Nice box."

A quick grin. "Thanks. It's a new generation chip we're testing for Intel." She flipped the screen open and pressed the rapid on, watching the fifteen-inch display light crisply.

"Yeah?" Daniel sounded interested. She edged closer. "Shit, that's fast."

"Mm." Dar reached down and picked up the Ethernet cable lying limply on the floor, and started to plug it in to the jack on the computer. An odd sensation under her thumb made her stop, however, and bring the end of the cable up for a better look.

No, it seemed fine. Dar rubbed her thumb over the plastic again, while the chief watched her in fascination. Hm. Unable to figure out why she didn't like the damn thing, she shrugged and put the cable down, unzipping the top part of her laptop case and retrieving a second cable, which she replaced the first with. "Here." She tossed the discarded coil to the chief. "I don’t like that one."

"Picky." Daniel caught the cable and examined it. "Looks fine to me."

Dar sat down and watched her desktop come up, her mind mulling over the last few minutes. Then she hit the pause key suddenly, and stopped the machine's progress. She pulled out her cellphone and dialed Mark's number again. "Hey."

"Yeah? Didn't come through?" Mark asked.

"Put a filter on that T1 from here." Dar's voice became clipped. "One way. Everything. Fast."

"What are you doing?" Chief Daniel eased around the desk and peered at the computer.

"Wh.. okay." Mark's keyboard rattled hard for a long moment. "Okay, got it. What's up?"

Dar released the pause button and watched the computer continue to boot. "Read me the talk back."

There was a pause. "Nego." Mark said.

"Go on."

"Protocol's up."

"Okay."

"IP request to the DHCP. You were issued 194.156.168.131."

"Got it."

"RAS coming up… you should get your validation in a second."

The computer beeped softly, requesting input. Dar typed her network login and password, and hit enter. "Okay, it's got it."

"You're validated. Services starting." Long pause. "Looks okay, boss wh…. Holy shit!"

Dar smiled grimly. "Invasion barrage?"

"Son of a bitch! Jesus, what the hell is in that hub?" Mark squeaked. "Shit, let me get a more macho filter on that before it sends my security program running for the hills… Brent! Get me box ten online, wouldja!"

Long fingers drummed on the wood surface. "Let me know when you get something in place to trap it. Then disable it so I can get my goddamn mail." Dar gave Chief Daniel a look. "I don't mind the bullshit, but if this was you trying to bust into my network, I’m gonna hang you out that damn window."

Chief Daniel was staring at the laptop. She looked at Dar with an astonished expression. "Me? Shit, if I could do that, you think I'd be working in a half-assed sun baked sand pit down at the ass end of the Navy?"

No. Dar's eyes narrowed. But someone else here was.

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

Lena glanced around as they got out of the SUV and approached the mall. "You don't have to do this. I mean, thank you, and it's way cool and shit, but aren't you going to get into trouble?"

Kerry tucked her wallet into her purse, and closed the door. "No, not really. I have a lot of time off built up, and they don't kill you for one day." True. She'd only called in sick one day in the last four or five months, and even the most picky of what she called the Kerry watchers really had no complaints about that. "Besides. I know what it feels like to be on my own. It's a little scary."

"Yeah."

They walked towards the stores. "When I first moved down here, I didn't know anyone." Kerry said. "My family was very upset with me for leaving Michigan, and they told me before I left not to ask them for any help." She opened the door to Sears, and a waft of cool, but petroleum scented air hit them. "Always smells like tires in here, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Ugh." Lena agreed. "So what did you do? About money and stuff, not your tires."

Kerry exhaled. "Well, I had a little bit of savings, so I was able to rent a place, and get necessities. But it was pretty scary until I got my first paycheck, I'll tell you. I'd never been poor, and with the salary I was getting I still wasn't, but it was a big learning curve for me."

They walked through the store, towards the mall entrance inside. A Christmas display was chirping prominently, and the interior of the long, arched ceiling was strewn with holiday decorations and hanging ornaments. The air was full of the scents of pine and cinnamon, and Kerry found herself being drawn towards the food court. "Pit stop first. I need some coffee."

Lena followed her obediently, watching the shoppers go by with a bemused expression. "I've never been to this mall. We usually go to the International thing, or down to Kendall." Something caught her eye. "Whoa.. cool rings." She stopped and admired a collection of body piercing. "Wow.. look at that kinda translucent one. Check that out. Wicked."

Kerry leaned on the counter and peered at them. "Oookay" She agreed amiably. "If you say so." She glanced at Lena's rings, the two she had in her nose, and four each on her ears. "Are those comfortable?"

"Oh, yeah!" Lena's eyes lit up. "And they're so cool looking.. you should get one, Kerry. You'd look outrageous."

"Ah..heh. No thanks." Kerry smiled. "I'll stick to my natural allotment of body orifices plus two pierced ears." She touched an ear.

Lena glanced around. "Hey, c'mon.. I bet your girlfriend would love it."

"Bet she wouldn't." Kerry said. "Dar's very conservative."

"What is she, a Republican, or something?" Lena snorted.

"No. I’m a Republican. She's just conservative. They don't always go hand in hand." Kerry steered her new young friend away from the piercing pagoda.

"You're a REPUBLICAN?" Lena stopped short and stared. "Ew. Gross!"

"Shh." Kerry gave two passing men a polite smile. "It's not gross, now come on. There are nice Republicans."

"Not in this town." Lena muttered. "Yuck."

After Kerry got her cup of coffee, and they both divested Cinnabons of two extra glorpy rolls, they continued on. They stopped at the bedding store, and got a couple of pillows, and some sheets, towels and other basic needs. Kerry was doubtful of Lena's selection of black, but she kept her mouth closed, reasoning that she was the one who had to look at it.

Lena seemed very uneasy with the fact that Kerry was paying for all the stuff though. "Relax." Kerry told her. "I'll just expense it as relocation for a new employee."

Lena's face crinkled into a frown. "You can do that?"

Kerry nodded. "Sure. It's really a tiny amount if you judge it against what we usually have to pay for someone to move cross country, get a place, and get settled." She put a stack of washcloths on the pile Lena was carrying. "C'mon. Let's stop and get you soap and all that."

"Okay." Lena smiled shyly. "Are you, like, really going to hire me?"

Kerry looked her over. "Can you type?"

"Sure."

"Do you have at least six brain cells?"

Lena blinked. "I think so."

"You're in. C'mon." Kerry started walking. "What did you take in school, Lena? What did you want to after you graduated last year?"

There was a long silence. "I don't know." The girl finally answered. "I guess I didn't think a lot about it. I figured I'd just…" She paused. "You know. Did you know what you wanted back then?"

Back then? One of Kerry's eyebrows arched. Hmph. "Well, I knew I wanted to go to college." She stated slowly. "I knew what my parents wanted wasn't really what I wanted."

"My folks can't afford college." Lena shrugged. "And my grades sucked. I bet yours didn't."

"They were all right." Kerry acknowledged. "I wasn't a superstar, but I did well enough. "

They reached the soap isle, and Kerry raised her eyebrows. "Well? What's your poison?"

Lena made a show of searching the shelves carefully. "Don’t see the stuff I use..hey, what kind was it you had? I liked that, it was cool."

Kerry hid a smile and located the brand for her. "Here. Dar likes it too." She mentioned. "Especially with these little mitts." One hand reached over and plucked two scrubby mitts from a pile. "She likes having her back scrubbed."

"Uh." Lena took them gingerly. "Thanks." She put the mitts in her basket. "Your girlfriend's kinda scary."

Kerry had been rooting around for some body wash. "Who, Dar? Nah." She shook her head. "She's not scary.. she's a sweetie." She put more things in the basket. "It's just that she's so tall. I remember the first time I realized that, when we were standing together in an elevator and I saw us in the mirror."

Lena picked up a loofah and examined it. "You really like her, huh?"

"No." Kerry said absently. "I really love her." She found what she was looking for and stood up. "Okay, that'll do it."

The slim girl's eyes surveyed the pile. "Hey, you forgot the q-tips." She remarked, in an offhand tone. "Can't leave those out, can I? And that steptic stuff."

Blond eyebrows knit. "Stepti…Antiseptic?"

"Yeah, you know." Lena glanced around. "To like, clean things out with, right? With the long handles, that's my favorite kind."

What the heck? Kerry stared at the counter in puzzlement, then her face cleared. Maybe it was something for the piercing. "I'd think you could just use a washcloth, do you need swabs?"

Lena blinked. "A w…" Her eyes dropped then lifted. "How do you… a washcloth, in there?"

Kerry's brows came together again. "In where? "

The girl's eyes went round. "There! You know, like.. there?"

One hand came up to cover Kerry's green eyes, and she exhaled. "I’m confused." She admitted. "No, I don't know where. What are you talking about? I thought you needed it for your pierced stuff."

"Pierce.. down there? Oh, grody." Lena made a face. "Oh man, that would like fucking hurt!"

Kerry stared at her. "Am I getting old?" She asked no one in particular. "Or do I need to learn whatever language this is better? I am so lost."

Lena had turned red. "Look, just show me where that stuff is like what you have in the bathroom upstairs is, okay?"

Okay. Bathroom. Upstairs. Kerry mentally cataloged. I have soap, deodorant, body wash, shaving cream, towels, toilet paper… "Wait, in the cabinet, you mean?"

Lena looked nothing but relieved. "Yeah."

"The cotton swabs, peroxide, and antibiotic?"

"Yeah."

"Ah hah. That's for the dog." Kerry said.

Lena's eyes widened. "The DOG?"

Puzzled, Kerry rubbed her temples. "The dog. Her ears get infected, we have to clean them out. It's a Labrador Retriever thing."

"Oh." Lena turned brick red, startling against her pale skin. "Shit. Never mind."

Kerry slowly nodded. "Can I ask you what you thought that was for?"

"Do you have to?" Lena answered in a small voice. "I thought it was one of those, like, girl things." She admitted. "To clean the spot and all that stuff."

"The spot?"

"Yeah.. you know." Lena put the basket down, and held up both hands, making and exaggerated quote sign. "The Spot."

Kerry thought about that, then firmly grasped Lena's elbow and started for the cashier. "We need to talk."

`*****************************************

"Did you get that last packet?" Mark’s voice emerged tinnily from the cell phone. "I think that’s it." There was a pause. "Dar?"

Pale blue eyes were fastened intently on the laptop’s screen, flicking over the data it displayed. "What?"

"Did you hear what I just said?"
"No." Dar looked up and glared at the phone. "What was it?"

Mark sighed. "I’m done here."

Yeah, yeah. Dar braced her chin on her fists. "All right." Her eyes didn’t stop scanning the lines of code, though, as she attempted to find the pattern that was just – barely – eluding her. "Did you suck out the attack program?"

"Sure."

"Decompile it and dump it down to me, willya?"

Mark was silent for a little bit. "Wouldn’t it be easier if you just did the analysis back here?" His voice sounded a touch odd.

"No." Dar’s brow creased. "Why would it?"

"We’ve got more cycles here."

"Bullshit, Mark. Just send it down." Dar called up another file, and split the screen, displaying both files and scrolling them at the same time. After a moment, she stopped scrolling, and put her chin back onto her fists, studying the results. What the hell was going on?

The door to the office opened, and Chief Daniel entered. "Figures. The damn bastard’s on some lame ass trip up to Baltimore."

"Mm." Dar traced a single line with one long finger. "What about Ms. Pit Bull?"

"Says she doesn’t know anything about it." The Chief perched on the edge of the desk. "No body knows anything, nobody saw anything, no vendor was cleared on base, no guards saw anyone carrying a thirty five pound hub out the building."

Dar looked up. "Either someone’s covering up, or you’ve got the worst security outside the White House." She rubbed her eyes. "Damn it Mark, facilities don’t materialize out of nowhere, don’t tell me you can’t locate who installed that pipe."

Mark sighed audibly.

"Where the hell is Kerry?" Dar was aware she sounded like a cranky child, but didn’t care. "Have her start calling up the chain at Bellsouth, it’s their POP."

"Um."

"Well?" The CIO snapped. "Get on it, Mark!"

"Hey, honey." The warm voice suddenly emerged, an octave higher than the MIS Chief’s.

An awkward silence happened, then Dar cleared her throat. "Hi." She said. "You’re on speakerphone."

"Uh oh." Kerry replied. "Don’t tell me you’re in a room full of macho sailors, are you?"

"Two hundred of them." Dar felt her annoyance fading. "They all want your phone number." She exhaled. "Listen, I need you to.."

"Shake Bellsouth’s cage. I heard." Kerry’s tone turned crisper. "What’s going on down there?"

Dar wished she knew. She was aware of the Chief’s now somewhat chilly demeanor and guessed the prickly woman was smart enough to figure out that subordinates didn’t usually greet their bosses in quite that manner at ILS. "Something." She admitted. "I just cant’ figure out if it’s someone who’s just curious as to what we’ve found, or someone… " Dar stopped speaking, as her eyes finally found something in the pattern of code on her screen. Her brow contracted and she leaned closer, blinking as her vision blurred slightly, then cleared.

"Dar?" Mark asked, hesitantly.

"Hang on." Dar typed in a command, then studied the result. "They’re using a stepped algorithym."

"Huh?"

"What?" Chief Daniel walked around behind Dar, but conspicuously not too close.

"Right there." Dar pointed. "It’s a programming trick you can use to shift data from one field to another in database design." She folded her hands together. "Question is, why?"

Everyone held their tongues. "You still want that dump?" Mark finally asked.

Dar rested her lips against her clasped hands, and allowed her eyes to close. The nagging headache she’d picked up after the attack on the network was making her a little sick to her stomach, and she just spent a moment breathing to settle it. "No." She said at last. "Put it on my drive at home, Mark. I’ll look at it this weekend."

"Do you want me to get after Bellsouth?" Kerry murmured. "I’ve got some contacts that will probably open up for me."

"Yeah."

"Okay." Kerry’s voice strengthened. "I got things squared away this morning. Lena’s filling out paperwork in Mari’s office."

Even distracted as she was, that got a tiny smile out of Dar. "Tell me she didn’t say, ‘oh no, not another one.’"

Kerry chuckled softly. "Matter of fact, she did. Why? Did you have a nose ring when you were hired?"

"Eh." Dar kept reviewing the damning bit of data. "Not really, but I did bring someone in once upon a time that I lived to regret. Lena reminds me of her, a little." She carefully saved the data and leaned back, as the Chief scurried out of range. "Mark, take that entire database and run it through the C1F program."

"For real?" Mark sounded a touch puzzled. "I didn’t think… "

"Just do it." Dar answered crisply. "If Duks is in there, tell him I need the CPU cycles."

"All right." The MIS chief agreed. "I’ll do it. You coming back here?"

Should she go? Dar considered the question. There was something very wrong, that much her experience was telling her. But what it if was just something like what she knew went on during her adolescent years? When the petty officers and lower ranking crew found ways in and out of the system to hid a few barrels of this here, and a box of that there, just to make life a little easier.

For her, it’d been peanut butter. She’d traded blocks of her nascent programming talents for number 10 cans of the stuff, in the informal black market that had also produced her navy shirts, and boots.

She’d never seen anything wrong in that, really. Even her father had taken advantage of it, getting little luxuries for her mother, and using the trading system to save up a few bucks for a toy for her birthday.

No way was she going to blow the whistle on that.

Was she?

Dar sighed. "Kerry, let me know if you get any answers from Bellsouth. I’m going to put this to bed for a while, and go review the recruit program."

"Will do." Kerry replied. "Talk to you later."

Dar folded her cell phone up and slid it into it’s clip at her belt. Then she sat back and turned her head, regarding Chief Daniel in silence.

The naval officer’s lip was curled into an almost unconscious snarl of distaste. "I knew there was something wrong with you." Daniel said. "No wonder you didn’t make it into the Navy."

Asshole. Dar felt her temper stir. She hitched a knee up and circled it with both arms. "The Navy?" She laughed. "You’ve gotta be kidding. I’m married to a gorgeous woman, I live in a five million dollar condo, I make a seven figure salary and I don’t have to wear ugly clothing that doesn’t fit right. Why the hell would I want to be in the Navy?"

Chief Daniel stepped back. "You’re sick."

Dar got up and closed the laptop, after setting it’s security. "Save your ignorance for someone who gives a crap about what you think." She turned her back on the Chief and walked out of the office.

Kerry looked up at the light knock on the door. "Come in." She put her pencil down as the door opened and Lena slipped inside. "Hey.. how’d it go??"

The young girl trudged across the carpet and dropped into a chair. She looked around. "Cool office." She said. "I think I signed like, a half a ton of papers and stuff."

"Yeah, there’s a lot." Kerry remembered her own transition packet. "We’re a pretty big company."

"No shit." Lena agreed. "So, like they hired me for twice what I was getting at the other place, and I get to do a pretty cool shift."

"Great." Kerry smiled. "That okay with you?"

"That’s way cool." Lena finally smiled. "That personnel lady was funny… she knows about you guys, right?"

Kerry fingered her pencil, and remembered a certain dinner in a certain Thai restaurant. "Oh yeah." She nodded. "She certainly does. She was one of the first people here who knew." Mari had actually called her after Lena’s initial interview, and gently given her a hard time, but admitted that the girl was sharp, and capable of doing the somewhat simple work. I’m warning you though, Kerry. First time this kid gets into one of those teenage things, I’m transferring her to your orgid, and sending her right up to your office.

Yeah. "So, you start Monday? I heard from the church, they’ve got a place ready for you."

Lena took a deep breath. "The gang already knew about it." She admitted. "They conned the office out of the keys, and they’ve been decorating."

"Uh oh." Kerry had to muffle a laugh. "That could be scary."

Lena smiled shyly. "It’s going to be sort of cool, I think. I’ve never… I didn’t think I’d have my own place for like, forever. Casey said she’d sleep over so I wouldn’t be weirded out or anything."

So she could pump her for every detail concerning us. Kerry mentally added. "That’s great. I tell you what, I’ll drop you off, because I’ve got to pick up Dar’s parents in forty five minutes and head down south."

Her phone rang. Kerry hit the button. "Operations, Kerry Stuart."

"Howdy there, Kerry!" Bob Terisanch’s booming voice entered the room, making her desk ornament rattle. "Sorry it took so long, but hot damn lady, that circuit was buried so deep under a pile of rat poop, it took me the whole day and a jackhammer to pull it on out."

Colorful, Dar had often called Bob. "Great, Bob. Thanks for the effort. What do you have?" Kerry pulled her pad over and poised her pencil over the white, ruled paper.

There was a rustle of shuffled paper. "Well, ma’am, the private company that installed that sucker’s called Fibertalk Associates, and they’re based right down by you in Miami, matter of fact."

"Great. Do you have a billing address for them.?"

"Sure do. 1723 NW 72nd Avenue." Bob provided cheerfully. "They’ve done a bunch of little, high priced jobs round town, mostly fiber optics, a little sat."

"Thanks, Bob. I owe you one." Kerry told him. "Lunch, next week?"

"Heh. I’ll never say no to lunch with such a pretty lady You’re on, Kerry. See ya!" Bob hung up, leaving Kerry to nibbled thoughtfully at her pencil. The office was one of those little mini warehouses out behind the airport. Odd. Curiously, she brought up her database search, and entered the company name in it. Then she sent the little bot on it’s way, and set her pencil down. "Well, that’s that. Let’s get outta here, okay?"

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

Tropical High

By Melissa Good

Part 6

What in the hell were they recruiting these days? Dar rested her arms on the railing and studied the group of new sailors. Kids out of grade school? The twenty new swabs were clustered around the admitting petty officer, looking hapless and mostly bewildered. Watching their painfully earnest faces made Dar suddenly feel older than her years. She put her chin down on her crossed wrists and sighed, wondering if she’d ever really been that young and feckless.

"Can you people not stand up straight? What the hell are your spines made of, Jellah?" The petty officer barked loudly. "Pick up them damn bags and get in line!"

The new sailors looked at each other. "Which you want us to do first, sarge?" The tall, crew cutted boy closest to Dar drawled. "Gotta get out the line to get them bags."

Dar’s lips quirked faintly, as the petty officer’s neck veins started to bulge. The kid sounded a lot like her father, and she imagined briefly what she’d have been like in just this sort of line up, smart ass that she’d been.

"Are you finding this funny, ma’am?" The petty officer’s attention had been drawn suddenly to his unwanted observer. "I’m not sure what the joke is."

Your toupee? Dar had to clamp her jaw shut to keep the words from emerging. The smart assed kid she’d been snickered at her. Been? "If I were you, I’d just take care of the problems you have right there, not look for more with me." She warned the man. "Those problems you’ve got a chance to do something about."

The petty officer glared at her then decided the tall, dark haired woman he’d been told to be cursorily polite too wasn’t going to go away. "All right, you lot of useless baggage. Go to that pile of bags, pick up the bag that has your god damned name on it, then walk back to where you started and get in line. Is that clear enough or d’you want me to stamp it in Braille letters on your god damned useless foreheads!"

Dar resumed her position leaning against the railing as the swabs picked up their gear and shuffled into place. Six of the new sailors were women, and she found herself studying them, making mental guesses as to their backgrounds and reasons for joining.

The two nearest her, she considered, were probably from poor families, in tough neighborhoods. They were almost twins; medium height, Latin complexion, dark curly hair and a permanent suspicious look in their eyes.

The redhead in the front of the line with the pugnacious chin and smattering of freckles looked like an only girl raised with a pile of brothers, some of which were probably already in service.

One of the remaining three was, Dar suspected, a cheerleader. She had the wholesome good looks, and feathered blond hair of one, along with a perky snub noise and a perfect smile.

Dar wondered what wrong turn she’d taken, and when she’d realize she’d taken it. Next to her was a short, heavyset girl with a bulldog attitude that reminded Dar strongly of Chief Daniel.

Great. Dar exhaled, and turned her head slightly, startled to find the eyes of the last female swab fastened firmly on her. For an instant, clear, pale gray eyes met Dar’s with startling clarity, and then they dropped, as the petty officer started to yell more orders.

Dar blinked. The girl was facing forward now, her blond head cocked to one side as she listened. She was fairly short, shorter than Kerry by an inch or so, and she had a wiry, but very slender build. She held herself with a sense of secure confidence, despite the intimidating petty officer, and Dar felt an unusual curiosity prick her.

But not for that long, as the petty officer shoved them out the door, and towards the processing center. Dar pushed off the railing and ambled after them, pushing the hinged doors open and moving to one side of the room as the new sailors picked up their new uniforms.

A computer terminal was on a table to her right, and Dar went directly to it, bringing up a login screen and entering a collection of letters and numbers in a rattle of keystrokes.

"Hey." The petty officer was at her shoulder. "Are you supposed to be in there?"

"I have a password." Dar replied. She scanned the information she was looking for, and keyed in a further request. "You’re swabs are unraveling." She waited for the man to leave, then examined the record.

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

The boat’s bow bobbed up and down gently in the surf, providing a soothing motion that made the woman painting on its fiberglass surface smile. Cecilia Roberts dipped her brush into a swirl of acrylic color, studied the canvas for a moment, and then continued her work. The underwater seascape had a wash of blue in a dozen shades, and the floor of the sea it’s coating of coral and now she was going back in and putting in the vibrant color of fish and leafy ocean foliage.

Nearby, a small tray rested with a pitcher of ice tea and a bowl of fresh fruit. The slim, silver blond woman paused again, and selected a bit of melon, sucking on it as she considered her next stroke.

The sun splashed over her tanned skin, and she idly watched the golden light, taking a moment to simply live, adoring the present and giving a silent thanks to the goddess for perhaps the thousandth time.

The boat rocked a little harder, and she looked up to see a pair of large hands clasping the lower railing, long fingers tightening on the metal then straining as the hands were followed by a large, wet, partially neoprene covered body. Ceci smiled. "Hey there, sailor boy. Find the problem?"

"I surely did." Andrew pulled himself up and over the railing, then removed a bag slung at his waist and dumped its contents onto the white deck. "That there fish got stuck in the intake valve."

"Ew." Ceci grimaced. "Andy, if I wanted sushi on the boat I’d have ordered out. Can you toss it overboard?"

The big ex-seal snorted, but scooped the messy item up and neatly chucked it over the railing. Then he squished over to where his wife was seated and peered at the painting, careful to avoid dripping murky salt water on Ceci’s palette. "I do like that."

Ceci tickled his exposed kneecap, then leaned over and kissed the spot, tasting the tang of the sea. "I do love you." She told him. "I still think this has to be a dream."

Andy seated himself on the deck. "Seems that way sometimes, don’t it?" His deep voice rumbled quietly. "Been through a lot, you and I have. Maybe it’s just the good lord’s way of saying we done all right."

Ceci studied the scarred, weathered face next to her; it’s piercing blue eyes standing out with startling clarity. She traced a grizzled eyebrow gently. "Maybe."

The cellphone resting on the deck next to her warbled. They both glanced at it, then Ceci sighed, and picked it up. "Yes?"

"Ceci."

And then again, Cecilia gazed plaintively up at the sky; the goddess has ways of reminding you just how easily karma could change. "Hello, Chuck." She replied. "What do I owe the honor of this to?"

Charles Bannersley was her older brother, the head of their family, and one of the largest ambulatory anal orifices Cecilia knew. She was pissed at him, though she didn’t think he really understood why, and wanted to hear his voice about as much as she wanted a salt-water enema.

Andrew merely narrowed his eyes as he recognized the tinny voice coming from the phone Ceci was holding between them.

"I’d like to see you." Charles answered. "Candy and I are here, in Miami."

"Sorry." Ceci replied crisply. "I’ve got plans tonight."

"Fine. Have a drink with us first." Her brother came right back. "Can you spare ten minutes for your family?"

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Lord."

"My family?" Ceci decided to allow her spleen it’s moment. "My family’s sitting right here next to me. Of course I can spare any amount of time for Andrew." She paused. "And Dar and Kerrison, of course. Why do you ask?"

A sigh traveled through the cell phone’s speaker. "Cecilia, please."

Andy and Ceci exchanged looks. Andy’s eyebrows lifted in amused surprise, giving him an expression very much like Dar’s would have been in the same position.

Ceci considered, then shrugged. "Fine. There’s a tiki bar just off the marina here. Meet me in a half-hour. I can only stay a few minutes, though, Kerry’s picking us up for dinner after that." Poke, poke. Ceci enjoyed the jab at her family’s straight-laced sensibilities.

"All right." Charles hesitated. "Alone, Ceci."

Andrew straightened in outrage and almost grabbed for the phone. Ceci put a finger against his lips and held it out of range. "You’re joking, right?" She told her brother. "Did you really think I’d subject Andy to you two? Get real." Her hand folded the phone shut, and she dropped it on the towel next to her. "Into every life a little bird crap must fall, hmm?"
"Ah could go with you." Andy scowled.

"Nah." Ceci ruffled his drying, close-cropped hair affectionately. "I’ll be safe. Charles is an idiot, but the last I checked, he wasn’t suicidal." She tilted his chin up and kissed him. "Let me go toss some scandalous clothing on and find out what his problem is."

Andy watched her leave. He collected the tubes and other painting gear and tucked them away in the plastic bucket Ceci used, and tidied the area, then stood and made his way aft to rid himself of his scuba equipment.

"A tiki bar." Charles loosened his collar, and glanced around. "Figures." He gave his twin sister a disgusted look. "I hate this place. Always have."

Candice fiddled with the table tent before her. She was of medium height, with reddish bronze hair and green eyes, as did her brother, though his hair was thinning almost to invisibility. "Yes, well.. what the hell did you expect, Chuck? You knew what it would be like."

He snorted, and took a sip of his whiskey, his eyes wandering over the scantily clad bodies and diverse ethnicity of the bar. Candice poked him. "What?"

"Here she comes." Candice told him. They both turned to watch as their younger sister made her way up the wooden boardwalk towards them. "Well. She looks healthy."

Charles didn’t answer. His eyes studied the relaxed, self-assured person approaching, unable to refute the positive changes since the last time he’d seen Ceci. She’d let her hair grow out a little, and it was bleached even lighter from the sun, contrasting with the sun darkened shade of her previously very pale skin.

She was no longer a ghost, eyes tensed in a remembered pain that never left her.

No longer lost.

She’d come home, and even Charles, who hated this place, and hated her choice, had to admit the truth of that. "Ceci." He stood and greeted her as she joined their table. "Thanks for coming over."

"Charles." Ceci greeted him with wary cordiality. "Hello, Candy."

Her sister smiled. "Hi, Cec. You look great." She leaned forward. "Did you color your hair, or is a new lipstick or…?"

"No." Ceci took a seat next to her older sister. "I’ve just been inside more than outside and put on ten pounds since you last saw me. But thanks for noticing." She caught the eye of the waiter. "Kahlua milkshake, please."

"That’s different for you." Candy commented.

"I picked up some new habits from Dar." Ceci assumed a pleasant smile. "What do you two want?"

Her siblings exchanged glances. "Can’t we just want to see you?" Charles asked.

"No." Ceci looked directly at him. "Andrew told me what you did, Charles." She referred to her brother’s refusal to pass on the Navy’s notification of Andrew’s rescue to her. "It’s a good thing you waited this long to contact me, because otherwise I’d have killed you for that."

"Cecilia."

"How dare you." Ceci slapped the table with her hand, making the silverware jump. Her brother and sister jerked in startled surprise. "You pretentious little son of a bitch."

Charles took a breath, clearly caught off-guard. "I did what I thought was best for you." He finally answered stiffly.

"Bullshit." Ceci snapped, looking up as the waiter brought her milkshake and hurriedly left, seeing the angry faces. "Do you have any idea how badly I was hurting, Charles? How many days of pain you could have taken away from me with that damn piece of paper?" She slapped the table again. "Do you know just how ironic it is that my estranged daughter had to come back into my life to bring me back my Andy?"

Candy leaned forward and took her hand. "Cec, what Chuck did was wrong. But he didn’t’ do it to hurt you." She searched her sister’s angry eyes.

"There is no way you can convince me of that." Ceci said, after a moment. "As much as you both hate Andrew, you knew how I felt about him."

A silence fell. Charles looked down at his hands, his fingers twisted together. Candice took several slow, even breaths. "Yes, we knew." She finally said. "We never understood why, but we… " She glanced at her twin. "I knew." Another breath. "I’m sorry, Ceci."

Charles refused to look up.

"I don’t want it to be like it was." Candice continued, filling the awkward silence. "I don’t want to lose my sister, and not have you be part of my life."

"This is ridiculous." Charles suddenly looked up. "We shouldn’t have to sit here and beg.."

"Charles!" Candice cut him off.

"NO, I’m not going to shut up." He stood angrily, then paused as someone gently cleared their throat next t him.

"Hi." Kerry folded her hands in front of her. "Thought I recognized you. Mr. Bannersley, wasn’t it?"

Ceci let her chin rest on her fist, watching her daughter in law in action. Kerry had a sweet, engaging smile that totally didn’t match the fiery sparks visible in her pale green eyes. Her sense of presence was almost as significant as Dar’s, and it was obvious the blond woman had been taking lessons from her tempestuous and intimidating offspring.

Charles gave her a cursory stare. "What?"

"Kerrison Stuart." Kerry stuck her hand out. "Dar’s partner? We met at the funeral."

Charles gave her hand a perfunctory press. "Yes, well, you’ll excuse us, please. I’m having a discussion with my sister, and I suggest you leave us alone."

Candice opened her mouth in outrage.

"You’re yelling at my mother in law, and I suggest you sit down and lower your voice before I shove you into Biscayne Bay." Kerry told him, in a mild, kind tone. She folded her arms, and in her snug tank top, her toned muscles looked healthily imposing. "Mind if I sit down?"

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

"Do you assess them?" Dar cornered the petty officer, after he’d taken the new recruits to their barracks, and gotten them assigned to bunks.

"What?" The officer stared at her. "Not my job, lady. They do that at intake."

"So where are their scores?"

"Scores? Who the hell cares?"
Dar felt like she was swimming through peanut butter. "How do you figure out where to place them if you don’t have scores." She forced patience into her voice. "Or skill assessments?"

"Are you some kinda idiot?" The man spluttered. "These dorks don’t have skills, you moron. They’re nothing but bodies with empty heads. They’ll do whatever we train them to do. No one cares what their scores are."

The sheet of white-hot rage hit her before she could defend against it. One moment she was standing with her palm pilot out, the next she’d grabbed the petty officer and slammed him against the wall, her hands reaching for automatic holds and a growl of pure animal emotion erupting from her throat. For a split second, she teetered on the edge of madness, and then her rational mind savagely ripped back control and forced her to merely push the man back against the wall.

Damn.

Dar waited for her throat to unclench, and then she took a breath. "I don’t appreciate being called a moron." Even she heard the rough touch to her tone. "Especially from someone who’s mental power rates lower than a watch battery’s."

The petty officer was breathing hard, his hands clenching and unclenching, barely in control. "Who in the hell do you think you are?" He spat out.

For some reason, the question calmed Dar. She got herself under control, feeling the rage subside, leaving her knees trembling. What in the hell’s wrong with me? She wondered uneasily. A pounding headache followed her return to sanity and she had to swallow before she answered. "I think I’m the person your bosses hired to find out why this place isn’t working." She leaned forward. "Maybe I just have."

Now it was the petty officer’s turn to swallow. "Now hold on."

They were alone in the room, and the man looked around quickly before he returned his attention to Dar. "I didn’t do a damn thing. Just what I was told."

Dar stepped back and let her hands drop, feeling exhausted. "I’ve heard that before." She found the stool near the computer console and sat down on it. "Something’s going on here, and I’m gonna find it."

The man hesitated, then walked over, and leaned on the computer console table. "Hey, look. You really from Washington?" His voice had lowered considerably.

Dar lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I was hired by the Joint Chief’s, yes."

"All right, look.." The man shifted, and straightened suddenly, cutting off his speech as the door opened. "Sir."

Dar lifted her eyes to see the base commander enter. "Morning."

"Howdy, tadpole." Jeff Ainsbright entered and gave her a big smile. "We all set for dinner tonight?"

The petty officer edged away from her and his eyes took on a wary look.

"I think so, yes." Dar agreed. "Seven, you said? You want to meet at your office?"

The older man nodded briskly. "Right you are, tadpole. Chuckie tells me you’re sweet on someone – you made the invite to him too, right? Love to meet em."

The complication of the situation almost made Dar wince. "They’ll be here." She quietly affirmed. "Mom and dad, too."

"Great." The commander slapped her on the back. "Carry on, didn’t want to interrupt anything. You find any holes yet I need to be plugging?"

Dar looked up at his weathered face, open and interested as it was. His smile indicated he expected no startling revelations from her, and at the moment, she wasn’t sure if she had any.

Right? "Nothing concrete yet, Uncle Jeff." She said. "I’m still working through the data."

Maybe it was the way she’d said it. The base commander straightened a little, then glanced at the petty officer who was pressed against the wall doing his best imitation of a strip of wall weave. "Dismissed." He waited for the man to leave, and the door to close, then he turned back to Dar, his face now mildly concerned. "What’s the poop, tadpole? You really find something?"

Dar’s lips tensed, as she found herself caught between conflicting loyalties. She felt a mild sense of confusion for the first time in her life, and she had to stop and collect her thoughts for a moment before she could answer. "I don’t know yet." She finally answered honestly. "I might have… there’s something I don’t like in the numbers, but I haven’t fully analyzed it."

The base commander put a large hand on her shoulder. "Tadpole, whatever you find, you bring it to me, hear? I don’t care what it is, I wanna know."

Dar searched his face, seeing nothing but rock solid resolve in his eyes. "All right." She agreed quietly. "When I have something for sure, you’ll know it."

He patted her cheek. "Atta girl. You doing okay, tadpole? You look a little pale t’day."

Dar winced, lifting a hand to rub the back of her neck. "Headache." She explained, with a light shrug. "Think I’ll go take a walk outside for a few minutes."

"Right you are, my friend." Commander Ainsbright slung an arm over her shoulders and tugged her towards the door. "Fresh air’s just the ticket.. I’d send you out on a boat if I had one leaving, get you some salt in those lungs." He opened the door and they walked outside into the sunlight. "How bout a cup of java? That usually puts a patch on my noggin bangers."

Dar thought back to the petty officer then realized the man was probably long gone, chasing after the new recruits. "Sure." She agreed. "Then I’ll go catch up with the swabs."

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

"Quite the little Lone Ranger, aren’t you?" Ceci commented, as she and Kerry watched her siblings' retreat into the golden rays of sun. They’d lasted through all of ten minutes of Kerry’s pointedly polite chatter, then decided to give up and leave them alone. Ceci hadn’t minded, but she suspected her sister, at least, wasn’t giving up and would be back in touch.

That was all right. She’d never really minded Candice, who generally just went along with Charles in some kind of twin like Zen mode. This time, however, Candy had spoken for herself, using the unusual ‘I’ instead of ‘we’ and Ceci had almost warmed back up to her.

A little.

Very little. But if Candy was, at this late stage in her life, attempting to develop a mind of her own, who was she to get in the way? "I feel well and thoroughly rescued."

Kerry leaned back and propped her feet up on the chair Charles had hastily vacated. "Who, me?" She smiled a trifle sheepishly. "Dar’s rubbing off on me a little, maybe."

Ceci chuckled, and nudged her glass over. "Want some?"

Kerry’s brow contracted a bit. "No.. my stomach’s acting up." She exhaled, putting a hand over the afflicted area. "Or maybe it was just too many stressful meetings.. it’s been in a.. knot all day." She finished the sentence softly.

Ceci watched her face, seeing the expression change as Kerry’s focus turned inward. "Kerry?"

After a moment, the green eyes flicked up to meet hers. "Yeah.. sorry. I was just thinking about something." Her fingers twitched as she resisted the urge to pull out her cell phone and call Dar.She’s not a baby, and you’re not her sitter, Kerry. You can’t call her to find out if she’s okay every time you get a cramp. "We had a pretty traumatic thing happen last night.. one of the kids I council at the church got thrown in jail by her parents. Dar and I went and got her out. I spent all morning getting her settled into a temporary space."

Ceci straightened, and took a sip of her milkshake. "Jail? For what?"

Kerry paused, then sighed. "They found out she was gay."

One of Ceci’s silvered eyebrows lifted. "I’d have to check, since I’ve been gone for seven years, but I don’t think that’s illegal in Dade County." She paused. "Broward, maybe."

"No." Kerry shook her head. "There was a scuffle.. her mother threw some things at her and a windshield got broken. They blamed her, and called the cops."

Ceci stared at her for a moment. "Good grief." She finally spluttered. "With the three strikes you’re out law, if I’d have called the police every time I’d argued with Paladar, she’d be in Alcatraz by now."

Kerry smiled. "You’d never have chased her around the garage with a baseball bat, would you?"

Dar’s mother covered her eyes. "Have you gone insane? Dar’s been bigger than I am since she was twelve. I’d no more have done that than tried to hopscotch to the moon." She shook her head. "No, Andrew and I didn’t believe in physical punishment."

Kerry sighed. "My parents didn’t either." She said. "Mental punishment was another story."

"You’re father’s an asshole." Ceci pronounced. "But that’s all right, kiddo, for a long time Dar thought I was an asshole, and the feeling was mutual. Sometimes you grow out of that stuff."

Kerry propped her chin on her fist, and smiled. "You still think Dar’s an asshole?"

Ceci had to think about that. Did she? "Well." She sucked on her milkshake. "I think she can be if she wants to be, just like we all can, but as a person? No. I don’t think she’s an asshole." Now her eyes lifted to Kerry’s. "She loves you, after all."

A faint blush darkened Kerry’s already tanned skin. "It’s mutual." She played with the napkin from Ceci’s drink.

"No, really?" Ceci chuckled. "I’d never have guessed. You two keep it hidden so well."

Kerry’s blush deepened. "Matter of fact, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about, before we go down south. That’s why I came out here a little early."

Uh oh. Ceci straightened, feeling a mild sense of alarm. During her years on the base, speeches like that usually presaged breakups and divorces, and she wasn’t ready to hear that coming from Kerry. "What’s wrong?"

Kerry caught the tension in her voice, and looked up, her brows contracting a little. "Wrong? No, I don’t think its wrong.. it’s just something I’m worried about."

Little alarm bells, the really annoying ones like the ones the Salvation Army collectors used at Christmastime started going off. "Now, Kerry.. listen." Ceci leaned forward. "I’ve known Dar a long time."

"Um… I know that."

"She has her moments, and I’ve seen most of them, but deep down, I think she’s a good person."

Kerry’s forehead rumpled. "I think so to… listen, mom.."

"So, whatever it is you’re having problems with, think hard, and don’t give up on that kid too easily, okay? I did, and look where it got me." Ceci told her very seriously.

Kerry’s eyes closed, then reopened, and she reached over to take Ceci’s hands in hers. "Mom." She drew a breath. "The only thing that’s going to ever make me leave Dar is one or the other of us dying." She paused. "And even then, I’m not so sure."

Ceci blinked, now confused. "Oh. Well, that’s fine then." She murmured. "Sorry, I thought…"

"I should have just talked faster." Kerry smiled. "No, what I’m worried about is our relationship being front and center at dinner tonight."

Ceci thought about that. "Oh." She freed one hand and muffled a laugh. "I hadn’t even… oh, boy. Yeah.." Now the laugh escaped. "Oh, my goddess.. those stuffed up military…" She stopped, and cleared her throat. "Ahmm.. I mean, well, yes, Kerry. You do have a point there." Her face struggled to remain serious. "But don’t worry about it – if they say anything, Andy will pick them up and toss them out the window, and they know it. If it’s one thing everyone at that table already knows is, don’t mess with my kid in front of her daddy."

Kerry nodded in relief. "Okay.. I was just worried about it. I know Dar has strong feelings about how she grew up, and I didn’t want to cause her any pain."

Ceci sighed. "Kerry, you’re so nice you should be regulated by the EPA." She reached over and patted the younger woman’s cheek. "Did you ask Dar if she wanted you to give this a miss?"

Kerry nodded.

"And she said no, right?"

Kerry nodded again.

"So don’t worry about it. C’mon, let’s go see if Andy’s gotten the seaweed out of his ears and gotten dressed, then we can take off."

They stood, and Kerry suddenly took a step around the table, and pulled Ceci into a hug. "Thanks."

Oh, good goddess. Ceci returned the hug and patted Kerry on the back. I’m becoming amother.. Eeeeeekkkk!!!!!

The coffee helped. Dar had also detoured to her car and tossed back a half handful of Advil, and now she was prowling around the barracks looking for her friend the petty officer.

The base was quiet, otherwise, most of the active groups were out on some kind of maneuvers, and only the new recruits, and the usual business units at the base were out and about and doing their daily tasks.

Dar entered the long, wooden barracks structure at one end, and looked around the empty interior for a moment before she walked down the large, central aisle. To either side were partitions with bunks in them, each bunk with it’s footlocker, and open set of shelves made from what looked to her like old orange crates. Now that the new recruits had settled in, shirts were folded and in place, and the beds had obviously just been made.

Dar smiled. Probably remade a half dozen times before the petty officer had been happy with them, the dark blankets tucked with meticulous neatness around the thin mattresses. She remembered watching the new groups come in, and peeking through the window as they’d been badgered and badgered by the admitting officers.

Not her, she’d decided once. She’d have done it exactly right the first time out. After all, hadn’t her daddy taught her to make a regulation bunk, and fold pants and shirts when she was only six years old?

With a smile, Dar continued through the room and out the other side, exiting onto a long, wooden porch with shallow steps that lead down to the muddy ground. She looked to one side and spotted her little targets, now dressed in their new clothes, struggling to follow the orders of a new, different petty officer.

Dar wandered over and watched for a few minutes, until the new officer noticed her and walked over. This one was a woman, with short, crisply curled dark hair and an efficient attitude. "Ma’am? Something we can help you with?"

With a better attitude, at any rate. "No, just observing." Dar replied. "Where’s the guy you relieved?"

The woman cocked her head in question. "Petty Officer Williams?" She waited for Dar’s nod. "Off duty, ma’am."

Uh huh. Dar looked over her shoulder at the recruits, surprised to find her slim, blond friend Kate looking back at her. The gray eyes met hers, and sparkled, then Kate looked straight ahead, her body stiffening into an efficient attention. "Good group?"

The new officer, whose name was apparently Plodget, looked behind her, evaluating the question seriously. "A few of them, ma’am. It’s always the same, Most aren’t much use, but we always do find a few that’ll make it."

"What’s your dropout rate?"

A guarded look fell over the woman’s face. "I wouldn’t know, ma’am."

"Ballpark." Dar pressed. "I’m sure you’ve got a feeling as to how many of these poor saps you lose."

"No ma’am, I don’t." Plodget assured her. "We only get them for the first two weeks, then someone else takes over."

"Why?"

"That’s just how it’s done, ma’am."

Dar nodded slowly. "Where are their admitting records?"

"Haven’t gotten here yet."

"Why not? You guys use a computer system to recruit. What’s the holdup?"

Stolid, dark brown eyes met hers squarely. "That’s just how it’s done, ma’am."

"All right." Dar straightened. "I'll just go see if I can’t change that for you."

Dar turned, and walked away, feeling the eyes on her back as she headed for the admittance center. She ducked inside with a feeling of relief, and went to the computer console, seating herself in front of it and cracking her knuckles slightly. "Okay. Answer time." She logged in, and this time, instead of going through the regular channels, she keyed in a master code. "Idiots." The code still worked, and dropped her to a command line. "Where do you want to go today, hmm?"

Master database was where Dar wanted to go, and a string of commands got her there. She accessed the file structure, and entered it through a back door, watching as the screen filled with line upon line of file records. Dar watched it for a few minutes, her eyes flicking back and forth searching for a certain pattern.

Ah. One long finger stopped the display. "Gotcha." She keyed in another command string, and accessed the recruits' records, bringing them up and comparing them.

Her brow creased. "What in the hell?" Of the twenty, ten were, as the petty officer said, fairly standard, pretty much ordinary kids from lower class backgrounds, with bad grades, and poor ASVAB test results, destined, if they did make it, to be shipped out as seamen or women in whatever grunt job the Navy needed when they spit them out of training. Dar had known hundreds like them. Some might, she admitted, if they worked very hard, break through the ranks and ascend higher, but most would happily fill a berth and take three squares a day for as long as the US was willing to give it to them.

But the other ten. Dar’s eyes flicked over scores that damn well nearly equaled what her own were. High in technology, computers, math… Jesus, one was a class valedictorian who’d specialized in biochemistry.

And her little friend Kate, it seemed, had a rap sheet half the length of Dar’s forearm including such interesting items as breaking and entering, armed robbery, and one, dismissed charge of attempted homicide. ‘What in the hell?" She repeated, then shook her head and captured the data, opening a second command page with a flick of her fingers. She snagged the files she’d been studying and zipped them, then sent them up the network path into her own, now specially protected file space.

Dar drummed her fingertips on the keyboard for a moment, then searched another file, working from instinct and an innate knowledge of these systems, the core of which she’d helped design all those years ago.

There. She stared at the results. I thought I saw something wrong. I thought those accounts didn’t match. One column of the screen showed a normal series of general ledger listings, the other… a list of twenty accounts that weren’t linked anywhere she could find. She called one up, looking at the account balance, which was well into seven figures. The entries were regular, and substantial, and manually keyed, because there was no equivalent ledger account to charge them off against.

A bucket. A bucket full of money, which nothing in this system could account for.

Dar sat back, her heartbeat picking up. What in the hell have I found?

"Hey, Dar!"

She almost jumped at Chuckie’s cheerful greeting. Her eyes lifted, to see him approaching, and she quickly closed the file and sent it to her file space, then closed out of the command windows she was using just as he rounded the console and peered over her shoulder. "Hey."

"Whatcha doing?" He looked curiously at the innocuous admitting records. "New spuds?"

"Yeah." Dar licked her lips, then signed out of the system. "Just checking them out. Interesting group." Her peripheral vision focused on his face, but saw nothing but benign interest. "You ever see what they’re brining in these days?"

"Nah." Chuckie slung a long, powerful arm over her shoulders. "Hey, we were figuring to go over to the Longhorn steakhouse tonight, that okay by you? You’re daddy’s a steak man, if I remember right."

Dar took a breath, and released it. "Yeap.. he sure is. My mother’s going to pitch a fit, but I guess she can get a potato or something." She managed a smile. "She’s a vegetarian.. unless they’ve got fish there."

"Fish?" Chuckie snorted. "You must be kidding… but yeah, they’ve got potatoes, and I think they got some kinda green beans or something.. how bout your main squeeze, he a veggie lover too?"

Something twitched in Dar’s brain. "She." The word came out in a calm voice, unexpectedly. "And no, Kerry’s as carnivorous as I am."

Chuckie went very still, his eyes fastened on Dar’s face for a long, long moment. Then he slowly removed his arm and stepped back. "What?"

Dar allowed a hint of amusement to reach her lips, and she turned on the stool, leaning against the console with one elbow. "You heard me." She watched his face, watched the expression go from consternation, to uncertainty, to a detectable disgust, then back to a stillness. So. Dar felt vaguely disappointed.

"You’re gay?" Chuckie asked, stiffly.

‘That’s right." Dar agreed. "Don’t’ worry, you didn’t cause that." She added, with a faint smile. "C’mon, Chuck. Rise above your redneck roots."

He looked at his shoes, shock very evident in his posture. Then he lifted his gaze, and met her eyes, briefly, before he shook his head. "That’s fucked up." He said, then turned and walked out, not looking back even once.

Dar sat back and folded her arms over her suddenly aching chest, surprised at just how much that had hurt.

Kerry pulled up to the gate of the base, rolling her window down and preparing her argument for the stolid looking guard who approached.

"Hey, No neck. Open the damn gate." Andy rasped from beside her, poking his head truculently out at the hapless man. "Fore I get out of this here car and break it."

The guard stopped, stared, then his eyes lit up with unmistakable joy. "Commander Andy!!" He almost tripped over himself trying to get the barrier open. "Wow… I didn’t know you were comin down here! Wait till I tell the guys!"

Hm. Kerry watched bemusedly as the man waved like a child at her passenger. Guess it does depend on who you know around this place. "He wasn’t nearly that nice to Dar." She commented. "She had to get rough with him."

Andy leaned over her and pinned the guard with a pair of ice blue eyes. "That right, No neck? You give mah kid a hard time?"

The guard looked terminally wounded. "Not after she said who she was, sir! If she’d have just said right off, we’d have let her right in!"

"Uh huh.’ Andrew sat back. "G’wan, Kerry. Let’s get this land boat parked so I can see what a mess they made of this here joint."

"You got it, dad." Kerry drove on, finding Dar’s Lexus in the lot and selecting a spot right next to it. She was glad she was here. Her stomach upset had been getting worse for the last while, and she was seriously looking forward to seeing her partner and satisfying her curiosity as to whether she was the cause. She got out, and waited for her passengers to do the same, then she locked the doors. "Dar has a little office upstairs in the big building. I’ll go find her if you guys want to check this place out."

"She take you over to our old place?" Andrew asked.

"Sort of." Kerry grinned. "I’ll explain later… be right back." She trotted off towards the headquarters building, leaving her in laws behind to revisit old memories. The guard respected the id she’d clipped to her collar and opened the door, and she made her way up the stairs and down the hall. The door to Dar’s temporary office was closed, and she paused, then knocked lightly on it.

For a moment, there was no answer, then Dar’s voice responded. "Yeah?"

Uh oh. Kerry pushed the door open and stuck her head inside. One look at Dar’s face and she quickly stepped past the portal, and closed it behind her, crossing the floor and circling the desk to kneel at her lover’s side. "Hey."

Dar had her head propped up on one hand. "Hey." She answered softly. "Hope your day was better than mine."

Kerry put a gentle hand on Dar’s knee, and rubbed it. "What’s wrong?" She could see the tension and unhappiness written all over her partner’s face, and she stood and perched on the desk edge to get closer. "Sweetheart?"

Dar exhaled, and put her head down on Kerry’s thigh, wordlessly seeking comfort. She closed her eyes as the blond woman responded, threading fingers through her hair and rubbing the back of her neck. ‘Sorry." She mumbled. "I told Chuck about us."

"Oh." Kerry’s own eyes closed in sympathy. "Not a good reaction, huh?"

"No."

Kerry leaned over and kissed the top of Dar’s head, giving her as much of a hug as she could in their somewhat awkward position. "I’m sorry."

Dar exhaled. "I don’t even know why I should care, Kerry. I haven’t talked to him in what.. ten years? It’s not like he’s a close friend, even." She put a hand on Kerry’s knee, and rubbed her thumb against the denim covering it. "Damn, it stung, though."

"I know." Kerry kept up her light massage on Dar’s neck, moving lower as she felt the tension knotting her shoulders. "I wish you’d have just let them…"

Dar shook her head. "No." She lifted up off Kerry’s lap and met her eyes. "You are my partner, and god damn it, if they can’t deal with that, to hell with them all." Her blue eyes glinted fiercely. "I am not ashamed of this."

Kerry stroked her cheek gently. "I know you aren’t. I’m not either. It’s just hard, Dar. We both know that. We’ve both been so lucky there have been people in our lives who do accept us, who accept this without question, to balance the idiots who don’t."

Dar sighed, and put her head back down for more soothing. "Yeah, I realize that." She closed her eyes. "My folks here?"

"Mmhm." Kerry paid particular attention to a knot she could feel in Dar’s neck, and saw the wince as she pressed on it. "You need a chiropractor, love."

"Hot tub." Dar countered. "With you in it."

Kerry rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "You are so stubborn."

"Family trait."

"You’re lucky I love your family." Kerry leaned over and kissed the spot on Dar’s neck, then nibbled her earlobe, getting a soft grunt of surprise in return. "Come on – let’s get this dinner over with. I missed my snuggle this morning, and I've been cranky all day."

Finally, Dar smiled, turning her head and peering up at Kerry’s face. "Me too." She sat up and gave Kerry’s knee a squeeze, then stood. "You’re right. Let’s get this over with." Her voice paused, as she shut her computer down. "Because tomorrow, we’re going to find out just exactly why this place stinks to high heaven."

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

It was obvious that Chuckie had told his father. Dar could see the discomfort in the three people waiting for them even at this distance. She took a breath, and tugged on her father's sleeve. "Dad?"

"Yeap?" Andrew finished closing the door and peered at her. "What's up, Dardar?"

"I think we're going to have a problem." She lowered her voice, glancing across the car where Kerry and Cecilia were getting out on the other side. "I.. don't think Jeff and his family appreciate my lifestyle."

Andrew looked over at the waiting group, then at her. "Cause you drive a fancy car?"

Dar rubbed her nose. "Not that lifestyle." She amended. "I meant Kerry and I."

Her father considered that. "Huh. That might be true." He admitted. "Jeff never did take to anyone who didn't fit his idea of what was right and natural." They walked slowly around the front of the car, joining Kerry and Ceci. "C'mere, kumquat." Andrew put a genial arm across Kerry's shoulders, and another over Dar's. "Let's go."

Ceci gave him a curious look, then caught on, and slipped to the other side of Kerry, tucking an arm around her waist. "All righty then." She agreed. "Ah. A steakhouse. How Republican."

"Hey." Kerry objected jokingly. "I'm the one who eats vegetables." She poked a finger at Dar. "Unlike her."

They chuckled, and walked towards the restaurant. Dar felt a little silly, but she could see the exchange of glances as Jeff took in their posture, the look on her father's face, and the very obvious acceptance of both her and Kerry inherent in their body language. Sometimes. She mused. I underestimate my parents. The thought made her smile, and she slid an arm around her father's waist and gave him a squeeze.

"Lo there, Jeff." Andrew drawled as they arrived in front of the door. "Been a while."

"Andy." The commander acknowledged quietly, shifting his eyes slightly. "Cecilia, good to see you."

Cecilia looked him right in the eye and smiled. "Same here. Nice to have these little family get togethers, isn't it?" She nodded at Jeff's wife. "Hello, Sue. Have you met Kerrison? No? Why don’t' we go inside and catch up."

It would, Kerry sighed inwardly, be almost comical if it were happening to someone else. They all walked stiffly inside, and were taken to a waiting table, where Kerry found herself seated between Ceci and Andrew; across from the dour looking Chuck. For a moment, she felt very sad, because she knew this should have been a happy occasion. Then her common sense kicked in and she straightened, cupping her hands around her water glass. Her eyes met the Commanders calmly. "As a matter of fact.." She answered Ceci's question. "The commander and I have met, in fact, we had lunch together."

Unable to avoid conversation, Jeff Ainsbright cleared his throat. "Yes, we did." He managed to get out, ignoring the quick, almost startled look from his wife. "Yes, we did."

"That must have been fun." Ceci remarked. "Let me guess, on base?" She gave Kerry an amused look. "Was it meatloaf or openfaced turkey sandwiches?"

Andrew snorted softly.

"Meatloaf." Dar acknowledged quietly. "Still tastes the same."

"Oh. Yum." Her mother made a face. The table fell silent. Ceci drummed fingers on the table and tried again. "Okay, folks, listen up." She put her hands flat on the wood surface. "Either we agree to have a nice time here, or I’m going to have to start talking about Greenpeace. Which is it going to be?"

The Ainsbrights stared at her. Finally, Sue Ainsbright sighed, and pushed a curl of gray hair out of one eye. "Ceci, you always did have the tact of a dead swordfish, didn't you?"

"I’m sorry, get over it." The smaller woman shot back. "Broaden your horizons, adjust your thinking, swallow an ExLax, whatever it takes, but drag yourselves into the 21st century, and get over the fact that my kid's gay, okay?"

Kerry bit the inside of her lip so hard it almost bled. The look on the Ainsbright's face was so priceless, she wished she had a camera, though one look at Dar's wide eyes told her that her beloved partner wasn't sharing the mirth.

"Well." Andrew drawled. "Guess I can show em my rainbow keychain now, huh?"

Jeff Ainsbright took a breath, released it, then just lifted a hand and let it fall. "Haven't changed a lick, have you, Ceci?" He managed a faint smile. "You always took the gut punch if you could."

Ceci shrugged.

Andrew took her hand in his. "Straight talk never killed no one, Jeff." He advised his old friend. "I've been in places that coulda used more of that." Their eyes met, and something passed between them.

The commander nodded. "You're right, Andrew. Dar, I apologize. I… it was just a shock, that's all." He cleared his throat. "Ms. Stuart, my apologies as well."

"For what?" Kerry asked mildly. "Dar and I are used to getting mixed reactions to our being partners. Some people just can't handle it."

"It's not that." Sue Ainsbright interjected. "We're very progressive people. It's just that we've known.. or, well, we thought we knew Dar, and it's just… strange… that's all." She reddened. "That you're so… um…"

"Out?" Dar remarked conversationally.

The commander shot her a look, then glanced away.

"It's not contagious." Dar said.

"It's disgusting." Chuckie interrupted.

"Charles." His mother looked horrified.

"You can sit here and pretend, but I won't." Chuck said. "It's disgusting, and you're perverts." He got up and slammed his chair back, then stalked out of the restaurant, as startled patrons watched him go.

The commander and his wife had the grace to look intensely embarrassed. "He doesn't mean that." Jeff finally said, quietly. "He's just… " His eyes lifted and finally met Dar's. "He never really did let go of you, and he was hoping.."

Dar let out a long breath. "I know." She said. "He's a good man, Uncle Jeff. " She felt the awkwardness in the name. "I’m sorry." She felt a little guilty, that she'd never thought of Chuckie, not for the longest time since she'd left the base. Not until he'd popped back up into her life as part of this damned investigation.

Now he was lost to her again. She didn't know whether to feel sorry or relieved. At least he won't be bugging me to go out anymore. Dar looked up to find Kerry gazing across the table at her with a look of quiet compassion, and she managed a smile in return. She wished they were done with this, suddenly. Wished they were homeward bound, and away from this unneeded stress, headed for a quiet night and a warm hot tub together.

Getting cowardly in your old age, Paladar? She mocked herself. "Let me go talk to him." Dar stood and pushed her chair in before they could protest, then turned and walked away from the table, towards the outside door Chuckie had left through.

The commander and Andy exchanged glances. "Sorry, Andy." Jeff Ainsbright muttered. "Hell of a reunion."

"Could have been worse." Ceci motioned over the hovering waiter. "I could have invited my brother and sister." She held a finger up. "Do you have beer?"

"Of course, ma'am." The waiter spluttered.

"Bring the largest container of it you have, and seven glasses." Ceci told him. "And what are those, peanuts? Put them down." She handed a peanut to Kerry. "I could have been a social director, don't you think?"

Weak chuckles responded to her valiant attempt.

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

The air outside the restaurant was cool, and a little damp, and Dar paused to take a steadying breath of it before she let her eyes search the parking lot. Her mother had surprised her, she admitted privately. But then, her parents had been surprising her for a while now, hadn't they?

Dar spotted Chuck standing by a beige Ford Explorer, and she headed in that direction passing through bars of twilight mixed with the lurid ochre of the security lamps.

He looked up as he heard her footsteps, and his lip curled reflexively. "Get out of here."

Dar paused several bodylengths away. "Listen."

"Get the fuck out of here you freak." Chuck spat back. "Just get away from me."

"Charles." Dar put her hands on her hips. "Get a grip. I'm not touching you." Her stomach twisted in a knot. "Calm down."

He stared at her. "You make me sick."

Dar rolled her eyes. "What in the hell do you think you are, a bad commercial for Jesse Helms? Get off the milk crate, Chuck. I’m not the first gay person you've ever known." She took a step closer. "What's the big deal?"

Chuck's eyes narrowed. "What's the big deal?" He asked softly, balling his fists, and coming a little closer. "What's the big deal? You fucking little lying perverted slut."

"Charles." Dar's voice dropped in pitch. "Slow down. I never lied to you."

"Yeah?" Chuckie exhaled. "I knew you'd follow me out here." He turned and grabbed something leaning against the Ford and lunged at her. "I knew I'd have a chance to do this!"

Dar barely reacted in time. She saw the bat headed towards her and half turned, taking the crunching blow on her shoulder. "Chuck!" She dodged the return blow and backed off. "Stop it!"

"Fuck you." He was beyond reasoning. "Making a fool out of me.. bet the guys all knew, didn't they? Didn't they, Dar?"

The bat came back at her, catching her on the hip before she could evade it, but Chuck overbalanced and smashed full into her and they both went to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Shit. Dar's defensive reactions kicked into gear, and she swung an elbow up into his chin, feeling the shock of the impact as his head rocked back. She got a knee between them, and pushed up, then to one side, throwing Chuck off her. "Stupid bastard."

Dar grabbed the bat, which had rolled free from his hands and flung it from her, hearing it clatter and roll down past the next row of parked cars. She got to her feet just as he did, and her body moved, balancing as she whipped out a roundhouse kick that caught him flatfooted in the side of the head with a crunch Dar could feel all the way down her leg.

His body slammed against the car next to where they were fighting, setting off its alarm with a loud, strident sound. They both froze, then stared at each other. "Now what?" Dar asked. "You going to find another bat, or are you going to just get the gun out of the trunk and shoot me, Chuck?"

Very slowly, he lifted a hand to the side of his face, and touched it, then looked his palm. It was stained with the blood still dripping from his ear.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dar asked, in a hoarse voice. "We haven't seen each other for ten fucking years, Chuck.. why the hell do you care what my preferences turned out to be?"

He had to swallow a few times before he spoke. "Never could figure out why you just walked out on us."

Dar sighed inwardly, lifting a shaking hand to rub her temples. "You know as well as I d…"

"You were just playing with me."

The throbbing in her head increased. "Chuck… we were kids, then. We went different ways, that's all."

"Bullshit." He started towards her again.

"Stop!" Dar heard the sharp edge of anger in her own voice. "It's not bullshit. I had no fucking clue what the hell I wanted then." She held out both hands to ward him off. "Chuck, don't make me fight you. Please."

"No wonder you were always trying to beat the guys… you thought you were one." Chuck sneered. "Why didn't you get your daddy to buy you a prick, you'd have fit right in."

Dar winced inwardly. "I never wanted one."

"Yeah? Bet you use a fake one now with that little slut whore in there, doncha?" Chuck replied. "I should.."

"You should shut yer mouth fore I inset yer leg inside it." The low, raspy voice coming from the darkness behind Chuck made them both go still.

Dar blinked. "Dad, I can handle this."

Andrew Roberts eased out into the orange light soundlessly, sliding between Dar and her adversary in a flickering motion. "Ah do suspect you can, Dardar." He agreed softly. "Cept one of the privileges of being a daddy is that ah get to take out the trash, and ah do believe there is some trash here that needs to be taken." He paused significantly. "out."

There was no humor in his voice.

There was no humor in the ice blue eyes that pinned the now silent Chuck with deadly intent. "Seems you're pretty good at taking shots at woman. You ready to give an old retired sailor a try?"

Chuck's gaze held for an instant, then dropped to the ground. "No sir."

"G'wan inside." Andrew said flatly. "Get yer ass cleaned up and act like a man."

"Yes, sir." Chuck muttered. He turned, letting his eyes flick to Dar for a single, long second before he retreated towards the restaurant.

Andrew exhaled. "Suck yer brains out your head when they put the stripes on, I swear t'god." He turned and studied his daughter anxiously. "You all right?"

Dar sat down on the low wall that separated the parking lot, and let her head drop into her hands.

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

Kerry ducked past an exiting station wagon and broke into a run that brought her up to Dar's side moments after she sat down. "Jesus. What the hell is going on?" She hopped over the wall and settled next to her lover, putting an arm around her waist and resting a hand on Dar's knee. Only an awkward tangle with the waiter had delayed her leaving the table after a stunned moment when she was absolutely sure Dar was in trouble.

Dar rubbed her face. "Shit." She straightened and took a deep breath. "I didn't expect that."

"Expect what?" Kerry looked around Dar at Andy. "Dad, what happened?"

The ex-seal scowled. "Big bagload of no sense hurting."

Kerry glanced at Dar's face, searching it anxiously. "Did he hurt you? I'll get that brand new SUV and run him over, I swear it." She announced seriously. "You'd hardly feel it with those tires."

Dar's lips twitched into a half smile involuntarily. "I think I did more damage than he did." She admitted softly. "Physically, at least… I don't know Kerry. I wasn't expecting a reaction like that. It's like he's taking it all personally." She glanced over at her father. "Guess we'd better go back inside."

"You can't be serious." Kerry snorted. "And have dinner with that little…"

"Ker." Dar interrupted her quietly. ""I am not going to let him think he scared me off."

Kerry stared at her. "Dar, this isn't a ego contest."

"It's not." Dar replied, just as seriously. "But if we leave now, he wins. You can't let people like that win, and get comfortable, Kerry."

Andy patted her on the back. "Want to skip the hot plate and go right for the good stuff? I saw them ice cream plates on that tray back there." He remarked, practically. "Dar's right, kumquat. Get that boy worse if we stick it out."

Kerry watched a quiet, sad knowledge settle into Dar's eyes. She folded her fingers around her partner's hand and squeezed gently. "Go ahead, Dad. We'll meet you in there." Her gaze lifted to meet Andrew's, very briefly, and they exchanged a look, then the ex seal stood to go.

"Sorry bout that, Dardar." Andrew leaned over, surprisingly, and kissed his daughter on the head. Then he turned and slipped away into the shadows, leaving the two women alone in the cool night air.

Kerry waited a little while, just flexing her fingers around Dar's as they sat in silence. "Did he hurt you?" She finally asked, seeing the muddy scuffs on Dar's skin. "You look a little pale."

Dar drew in a breath, held it momentarily, and then released it in a sigh. "I’m trying to reconcile the friend I used to have with that person who just spewed a gutload of hate at me." She said. "I don't understand it, Kerry. I just don't."

The blond woman gazed out at the parking lot unseeingly. "Yeah. I know. It's how I felt when my father hit me that night, and then again, when I woke up in that hospital." She said. "I didn't understand it. I hadn't changed at all, so why did they?"

"Mm." Dar nodded. "That's exactly it. I’m the same person he knew yesterday.. hell, the same one he knew this morning. Why should this matter?" Her voice trailed off. "I just don't get it." She looked down at her hands, then flexed the one Kerry was holding. The motion caused a jolt of pain to course up her arm. "Ow."

Kerry turned a very concerned look on her. "What? Did he hit you? Where are you hurting, Dar?"

"My shoulder." Dar winced, easing the sleeve up over her left arm and peering at it.

"Oh." Kerry sucked in a breath, seeing the mottled red and purple area. "Jesus Christ."

"Hm." Dar moved her arm a little, then realized that wasn't a good idea. "Hell of a bruise."

"You need to get that x-rayed." Kerry decided. "Don't even bother." She put a hand over Dar's mouth. "No arguments, Paladar." Slowly, she removed her hand. "Okay?"

Dar studied her. "So, does that mean I get out of the optometrist's appointment tomorrow, then?" She asked, with a tiny, mischievous sparkle in her eye.

Kerry put her hands on her hips and gave her lover a dour look. "I should take you to the hospital tonight." She lifted Dar's sleeve again and looked at the injury. "Dar, that looks awful."

"No way." Dar shook her head, and stood up, stretching her body out carefully. Oh boy. She made a face, not sure what hurt more, her shoulder or her side. "I'll make it just fine through dinner, then we can go home. It's not going to kill me, and spending the night at Sinai just might."

Kerry scowled, but joined her as they started to walk slowly towards the restaurant. "Okay. Which one of us is going to let dad drive their car home? Cause you are not driving, let me tell you that right now."

Dar sighed. "I will." She gave Kerry a wry look. "Yours is newer."

"Hm." Kerry squared her shoulders before she opened the door. She didn’t like the idea of waiting, since it was obvious to her that Dar was in considerable pain, but maybe… A small smile touched Kerry's lips. Maybe when they got home, Dar would have a different perspective.

From across the room, she saw eyes look up and find them, and noted the guilt in the base commander's expression as he fiddled with his napkin. Chuckie was seated next to him in silence, and Ceci was carrying on most of the conversation with the commander's wife. She felt Dar straighten next to her, and saw her lover's chin lift, and her posture stiffen as they approached the table, taking her seat with easy grace and dignity.

Like nothing was wrong.

"Everything okay?" Ceci asked as Kerry took her seat.

A quick glance at Dar's face. "Just great." Kerry assured her. "Got any beer left?"

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

"You know." Kerry carefully buttoned a pair of Andy's old pajamas around her fidgeting lover. "You could just go get this taken care of."

"Kerry." Dar sighed, trying not to let the pain get to her. Too much. "Sorry. I'm tired, and very cranky, and I just want to go to bed." Her shoulder had stiffened up, and despite a handful of painkillers, she could hardly move her arm. It was making her a little nervous, and she really wanted nothing more than to lay down and not stir for a while.

"Dar.." Kerry took a breath to continue their argument.

"Please?" Dar heard the break in her voice, and winced. It had its effect, though, because Kerry paused, and exhaled, then put a gentle hand against her chest. "First thing tomorrow, I promise. We'll go right over to Dr. Steve's, and let him take a look." She gazed hopefully at Kerry. "Okay?"

Kerry gazed unhappily at her. "No." Her lips tensed. "Not okay, because I hate seeing you in pain." Her shoulders dropped. "But I guess it'll have to do.. c'mon, let me help you get into bed." She glanced through the open bedroom door. "You want a heating pad, or an ice pack?"

Chino was already in her basket, her soft, brown eyes watching Dar with a worried expression. Andy and Ceci had followed them almost home, then had driven on towards the marina, accepting Kerry's assurance that there was no problem, Dar was just tired.

Now Kerry was beginning to doubt that reassurance. She'd tried a dozen ways to convince her stubborn lover to let her drive her over to the nearby hospital, but Dar steadfastly refused, preferring to suffer from the noticeably swelling injury instead of submit to the emergency room's tender care.

On the other hand, she had to admit as she helped Dar lay down in the waterbed, her lover looked completely exhausted, and with their luck, they'd end up sitting in the waiting room for three hours. Kerry pushed Dar's disheveled bangs out of her eyes. So, maybe she had a point. "Ice pack?"

Dar closed her eyes and luxuriated in the simple pleasure of lying down. Her body relaxed, and that helped with some of the pain. She was very glad to be home, and still, and away from the uneasy company they'd spent the evening with. Though the atmosphere had relaxed a little as dinner progressed, the pain, and the sullen looks from Chuckie were enough to want to make her stand up and just chuck something.

Like her beer glass. "Ice pack." Dar opened one eye and considered the concept. "Yeah." She gave Kerry an apologetic look, very much aware of just how unhappy her partner was. "Thank you." Her uninjured hand reached out and slid up Kerry's bare thigh. "I know you think I’m being an idiot."

Kerry sighed. "No, I don't, but I won't lie and say I really understand it." She said. "It's what hospitals and doctors are for, Dar. That's why they get the big bucks, remember? I wish you'd let me take you over, they'd have given you some painkillers, at least."

Dar stroked her leg. "I'll be fine." She said. "It feels better already, just being still." She objected stubbornly.

Her lover folded her arms. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Anything you like." The unrepentant blue eyes studied her. "Except take me to Sinai at midnight."

"You could have let me tell your folks. " Kerry frowned. "What was the point in keeping this from them?"

Dar chewed her lower lip. "They worry." She shrugged her uninjured shoulder, then averted her eyes from Kerry's intent ones. "And, um… my dad tends to be a little overprotective."

"Really." Kerry murmured. "Imagine that."

Dar gave her a quick look. "I never told him when I got into fights if I could help it. He.. " She paused. "He'd sometimes go a little nuts, if you know what I mean."

Kerry considered that. "You mean he'd have gone after the little wiener?"

Dar nodded.

"Where's my cell phone." Kerry started to get up. "I've got their number on speed dial…"

"Kerry!" Dar grabbed for her leg. "C'mon now." She was surprised at her lover's aggressive reaction. "It wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad?" Kerry sat down and gave her a severe look. "Don't give me that patootie, Dar. I saw that arm.. that jackass deserved to have his damned bat shoved so far up his…" She left the sentiment unfinished, and sighed loudly. "It pisses me off!" Her voice rose into an aggravated shout.

Chino whined. Dar caught Kerry's hand and held it. "I know." She replied seriously. "But I want to handle this, Kerry. Okay?"

"Mm." Kerry looked unconvinced. "All right." She patted Dar's leg. "Well, let me go get that ice pack. Don’t' go away."

Dar watched her leave, then exhaled, and let her eyes close again What a completely jackass day. She mentally reviewed the compound disasters of the last twenty-four hours. Damn. Her shoulder was throbbing, she could feel the swollen pressure that occasionally shot prickles of pain all the way up her neck, and down to her fingers and she shifted, trying to find a more comfortable spot for herself.

Was she being idiotic? Dar reviewed her reasoning again. Should she have just let Kerry take her to the damn hospital? Kerry was upset, and Dar hated when Kerry got mad at her, especially if it was for a good reason. Glumly, she opened her eyes and reviewed the off white popcorn ceiling.She has a good reason. No, she has several good reasons to be pissed off, because I am acting like a stupid adolescent again, aren't I?

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

"Damn, damn, damn." Kerry muttered to herself as she walked through the living room and entered the kitchen. "What in the heck's wrong with her, Chino?" She asked the Labrador, who had followed her. "I swear, she's got a streak up her back this wide…" Her hands spread apart, and she let out an exasperated gust of air. "Jesus!"

Chino sat down in front of her cookie jar and looked up expectantly. "Gruff."

"Oh, you think I came out here for you?" Kerry allowed herself to be distracted for a moment.

"Gruff."

"Hang on." Kerry went to the refrigerator and took out one of the frozen gel packs they kept ready, for overly rambunctious gym sessions. She set it on the counter, then retrieved a cookie from its jar and held it. "What do you say?"

Chino obediently sat up, lifting one paw and placing it neatly on Kerry's knee. "Aorgh."

"Good girl." Kerry gave her pet the treat, and watched her crunch it contentedly. "Why can't you teach Dar to do that, huh? She never listens."

Her conscience nudged her as soon as the words slipped out. That's not true, Kerry, and you know it. She sighed, and went to the pantry, retrieving a soft and fluffy maroon towel from the laundry area. Dar did listen to her. "I got her to try green beans the other week, right?" She commented to Chino. "Maybe it's because she usually does listen to me that this is driving me so nuts."

Kerry leaned against the counter. "Or maybe it's because it just doesn't make any sense to me."

Chino nuzzled her knee, and gave it a lick.

"But you know what, Chino, me yelling at her isn't helping." Kerry admitted quietly. "It's just making her tense, and giving me a stomachache." She squared her shoulders, and folded the towel around the ice pack. "Time to go make nice, and have a snuggle. You with me?"

"Gruff." Chino wagged her tail.

"Good girl. C'mon." Kerry released a deep breath, and let the irritation wash out of her. A smile returned to her face as she started back towards the bedroom.

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

Dar raised her head as footsteps approached, and girded her loins. Metaphorically. "Kerry, listen…"

"Here you go." Kerry reentered the room and sat down on the waterbed railing, carefully leaning over and placing a wrapped crushed ice pack against Dar's shoulder.

"And here." She set a glass down by the table. It had a straw sticking out of it, the kind that bent. "In case you get thirsty." Kerry brushed her fingertips over Dar's lips. "You know something, I forgot it was Friday night."

Dar's fine, dark eyebrows knit together over the bridge of her nose. "Huh?"

"It's Friday night." Kerry repeated. "We're not a drug overdose, a mult car accident, or an attempted homicide. We'd have been sitting in that waiting room until well after dawn." She put the tip of her finger on Dar's nose. "So, I think it's for the best we did this."

Slowly, a faint grin spread over Dar's face. "And here I was about to give in and meekly let you drag me off there." She admitted, a huge wave of relief almost making her shiver.

"You? Meek?" Kerry leaned over and replaced her finger with her lips, kissing Dar gently. "Never." She pulled back and went nose to nose with her lover. "Besides, I’m really tired."

"You look it." Dar replied. "C'mon into bed." She reached out and doused the bedside lamp.

Kerry nodded in agreement, then stood and walked around to the other side of the waterbed, getting in carefully and squirming under the freshly laundered sheets until she felt the warmth of Dar's body heat very close by. She put her head down on the pillow and folded her hand over Dar's as it lay on the taller woman's stomach.

Their fingers twined.

Kerry could see Dar's profile in the dim starlight from the window, and the faint curve of her ear close by. "Dar?"

There was a soft crackle of movement as Dar turned her head, and the light now reflected faintly off her open eyes. "Hm?"

"I love you."

The face opposite Kerry dissolved into a grin. "You even love me when I’m being a stubborn cranky bitch?" Dar asked, in a low drawl. "What's up with that, Kerrison?"

"I’m a sucker for a cute face." Kerry smiled. "And a bad attitude; what can I tell you."

Dar kissed her soundly. "Thanks." She murmured into Kerry's half open lips. "I love you too." She felt Kerry smile, before her kiss was returned in equal measure.

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

"Hold still."

"I am holding still." Dar answered, through gritted teeth.

"Dar, you are not." Dr. Steve circled the X-ray machine and nudged her over a little. "Now, will you stop wriggling?"

Dar's lip twitched into an almost snarl. She'd been under the device for hours, at least, and the hard table was stressing her to her limits. "Wasn't three hundred pictures enough? You going for a record?"

"Dar." Dr. Steve leaned over, and put a hand on her forehead with surprising gentleness. "It's only been five minutes. Give me another five minutes, and it'll be over, okay?" The doctor gave her a pat, then went back to adjusting the X-ray machine's aperture. "Kerry, keep her busy while I do this, willya?"

"I'll try." Kerry walked to the end of the table, and pressed her body up against Dar's socked feet, which only just rested on its padded surface. Toes flexed against her belly, and she rubbed them through the cotton, smiling down the length of the long, denim covered legs stretching before her. "Hey."

Grumpy blue eyes peered back at her. "It felt better this morning." Dar griped.

Kerry laughed softly. "Dar, you are something else." She said. "I swear, if someone poked you through the belly with a spear, you'd call it a flesh wound and stick a band aid on it."

"Oh, she told you that story, huh?" Dr. Steve looked up from his settings. Usually a trained tech would perform the procedure, but the doctor knew his unruly patient better than to subject one of his innocent staff to her. "It's hereditary. Her daddy's the same damn way, and believe you me, Kerry, it used to about drive me insane to take care of these two."

"Hey." Dar objected. "We weren't that bad."

"Yes, you were." Her family physician corrected her. "Be still, Paladar Katherine, or I'll tell Kerry about you and that tailpipe."

Kerry watched her lover's eyes widen in alarm, and she stifled a giggle. "You know." She cleared her throat. "I only wish I'd had a doctor like you when I was growing up. The practice that my family used was about as patient friendly as those open back hospital gowns."

The doctor looked up at her and grinned. "That right? Bet they made a hell of a lot more than I do, then." He adjusted one last dial. "Okay, behind the shield, Kerry."

Kerry gave Dar's toes one last squeeze, then joined Dr. Steve behind the lead shield. "Remember to get her neck, while you're in there." She whispered to the gray haired man. "She's been having backaches."

"Got it already." Dr. Steve whispered back.

"What the hell are you two whispering about?" Dar growled.

Kerry and the doctor exchanged bemused glances. "How cute you look in your sports bra, hon." Kerry piped. "Didn't want to embarrass you."

"Got it." Dr. Steve managed to say around a snicker. "Okay, Dar. You're finished." He removed his apron, and pulled the machine arm back, freeing his very reluctant and now noticeably blushing patient to sit up. "Hm.. guess I don’t' have to check your cardiovascular system.. seems to be pumping just fine." He pulled the X-ray plates out and winked at them. "Lemme go get these processed."

Kerry waited for him to leave before she circled the table and faced her lover, who was now sitting up with her legs dangling off the table, cradling her injured arm with her good one. "See? Not so bad." She deliberately sidled between Dar's knees, and gazed into the stormy blue eyes facing her. "C'mon, Dar.. don't you want to feel better? I know you can't be comfortable with that." She touched Dar's elbow, where the lurid bruise had extended down to over the night.

Dar sighed. "I know." She muttered. "I just.."

"Hate doctors." Kerry finished for her. "Honey, it's almost over. " She stroked Dar's cheek gently. "Just relax."

"Easy for you to say." Dar grumbled. "You're not sitting here half naked having people whisper about your sports bra." She slid off the table and stretched, sidling away from the X-ray machine towards the large, louvered window in the examination room.

Kerry took the opportunity to admire the body under the underwear being discussed, and smiled. She walked up behind Dar and slipped her arms around her, hugging her and planting a kiss right between Dar's shoulder blades. "Mm." She breathed out softly, watching goose bumps travel over the skin her cheek was pressed against. "I’m glad you decided to get checked, Dar."

Dar peered over her shoulder at her engaging blond limpet. "Yeah, well.. maybe he'll give me a pat on the head and a bottle of Percodan. You going to help me analyze that base data when we get home? Typing's going to be hell."

"Of course." Kerry released her and stepped back as they heard Dr. Steve coming down the hall. "You really think there's something there?"

Dar's face grew quiet, and rather grim. "Yes." She looked up as Dr. Steve entered. "If you're back for more pictures, forget it."

Her old friend whipped his hand up, and focused. "Gotcha." He snapped a picture of the surprised and very off-guard Dar, then grinned at her. "Okay, kiddo. C'mon down the hall, and I'll tell you the bad news."

"What was that for!" Dar objected, pointing at the camera.

"Family scrapbook." Dr. Steve picked up her shirt and tossed it to her. "Here. .don’t scandalize the nurses. They're got delicate egos."

Dar allowed Kerry to help her ease her shirt on, and then they followed Dr. Steve down the hall to his office. This was a fairly large room, lined with book-covered shelves and an impressive set of diplomas scattered over the wall. On the opposite wall, pictures took pride of place, of Dr. Steve and his family, and some of him at a much younger age in uniform.

He also had nice, comfortable leather chairs. Dar sat down in one and leaned back. Kerry studied the pictures, reacting a little when she found one with a familiar, if younger Andrew Roberts in it. "Hey. It's dad." She half turned. "Oo.. he was a cutie."

"Kerry, if you'd just consent to repeat that if I dragged that old sea dog in here, I'd pay you, big time." Dr. Steve laughed, then put his hands on his desk. "Now, young lady." He fixed his eyes on Dar. "You have a nasty bone bruise."

Dar eyed him warily. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." The doctor replied. "You're a very lucky little munchkin, my friend. If it wasn't for the fact that you have an nice, big, juicy deltoid muscle there, you'd be looking at a fracture, and putting a cast there ain't fun." He stood and walked over the X-ray box, pointing at a dark spot in the long bone of Dar's arm. "Right there."

Kerry and Dar peered at it. "And?" Dar finally asked. "What's the treatment?"

"Amputation." Dr. Steve turned, and gave her a deadpan look, getting a halfway hysterical giggle from Kerry. "You get a sling which you will keep on, young lady, a bottle of blood thinner in case anything in there is considering doing something icky like clotting, and some painkillers." He pointed at Dar. "I want you off your feet, and doing nothing stressful for at least the rest of the weekend."

"Okay." Dar agreed readily, having planned to spend the day on the couch with her laptop anyway. So far, it didn’t sound too bad, and as long as the process did not involve plaster or fiberglass in any incarnation, she was happy. "That it?"

Dr. Steve sat on the edge of his desk and leaned forward. "Sweetheart, I mean it." He reached out and traced a line from the injury up Dar's neck. "Do you see how close this is to your noggin? I don't want any clots getting any ideas, and sending you into the hospital with a stroke."

Dar blinked. "A stroke?"

"You heard me." Steve stated. "So I want you to make like a vegetable for the next few days, and take those damn pills. I wish you'd called me yesterday."

Dar drew breath to answer him, but Kerry got a word in first. "It was late." The blond woman told him, leaning over Dar's chair. "We got home near midnight." She tousled Dar's hair. "We thought about going over to Sinai, but.."

"But you'd still be sitting there, with a sore butt and the same problem." Dr. Steve finished. "Yeah, well, next time, forget the hospital, just give me a call, hm?"

"We will." Kerry stated, then glanced down. "Won't we?"

Dar smiled wanly. A stroke? Her mind jerked in horror at a threat she'd never even considered. Getting injured was nothing new to her, but this was different. She could imagine living with losing a limb, but strokes were a crapshoot. You could end up half paralyzed, which was bad enough, but worse - you could lose part of who you were if it hit the wrong spot at the wrong time. "Yeah, we will." She muttered hoarsely.

"Good girl." Dr. Steve patted her knee. "Let me get you set up with that sling. I called in your prescription already to that high society mambo pusher they call a pharmacist on your Fantasy Island."

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

Kerry reached over and picked up her mug, taking a sip of the strawberry tea as she reviewed the data on the laptop screen for the nth time. She was curled up on the soft, comfortable leather chair in the living room, one leg slung lazily over the chair arm. Her eyes lifted over the mug's rim and eyed the nearby couch, and then she put the cup down and went back to her statistics.

She could, she knew, have gone into either of their offices and used the large monitors to make viewing the data easier, but she preferred to stay where she was and suffer the eye strain, so she could keep an eye on Dar.

The drive home had been very quiet, and her usually unruly lover had meekly taken the medicine the Island pharmacy delivered, and settled down on the couch. She'd even let Kerry fuss and put a pillow behind her head, and tuck a soft fleece blanket around her.

Waiting for me to say I told you so. Kerry mused. The blood thinner and vasodilator Dr. Steve had prescribed along with the painkiller knocked Dar out in no time flat, and her lover had been sleeping for the past few hours. Which was good, Kerry thought, because if Dar was sleeping, it meant she wasn't awake and worrying, having had the living daylights scared out of her by Dr. Steve's warning.

Poor Dar. Kerry leaned towards the couch and gently pushed a bit of Dar's hair back away from her closed eyes. She had a white cotton sling fastened around her neck, holding her injured arm close to her body and even in sleep a tiny crease was present across her forehead. As much as Kerry appreciated Dr. Steve's forcing Dar to take her injury seriously, it hurt her to see her lover so mutely, obviously scared and keeping silent about it.

Kerry riffled her fingers through the dark hair spilling over the pillow, straightening its silky strands as she watched Dar sleep. Then she sighed, and returned her attention to the damn laptop.

So, what was all this, Dar? She scrolled through file, seeing Dar's notations, but not seeing the patterns her lover had painstakingly constructed, nor the significance of them in the data stream. It wasn’t that she was oblivious to the method, she just didn't understand where Dar got the little hooks she was using to connect all the pieces together.

Maybe that was because Dar had worked on the original system software? Kerry pushed her hair back behind one ear, and leaned closer to the screen. Sure, that must be it. She knew how this whole thing worked, so naturally she could…

Kerry let the thought trail off as her eyes found something. Curiously, she left the bowels of Dar's program and called up the associated data files, studying the personnel assignments and the ship schedules coming in and out of the base. Slowly, her forefinger lifted and touched the screen, making a little scratching noise against the LCD.

Why.. She wondered. Why would one ship get all the new recruits? Operationally, it made no sense, especially to someone steeped in day to day operations as she was. You don't put all your newbies in the same bucket, because then you have a useless bucket of confusion. You spread them out among other, more experienced workers, so they could learn from them.

Kerry looked up the operational record of the craft in question, a supply ship that apparently worked with larger groups of vessels but was small enough to dock in small ports. Slowly, she picked up her cup and took another sip, not taking her eyes from the screen.

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

Dar became vaguely aware of her surroundings, the medicated sleep still having a fairly firm hold on her. There was a slightly tinny quality to the sounds she was hearing, and she had no inclination to open her eyes.

Her shoulder ached, but it was a far off kind of ache, and it took several minutes for her to sort through a very foggy mind and remember what had happened. Oh yeah. Dar wondered if the medication was supposed to make her feel so completely washed out.

A soft clicking was coming from nearby, and she heard a faint sound of ceramic on wood. Then a sigh and the shift of a body against a leather surface. Dar spent a moment drawing a mental picture, imagining Kerry in the chair with the laptop. Very slowly, she opened one eye, then turned her head and blinked the image in her mind resolving into reality.

Kerry was intent on the screen, her brow furrowed and the end of a pencil between her teeth being gnawed on.

For some reason, that made Dar smile.

After a second, Kerry looked up and their eyes met. "Oh." She put the machine down and leaned on the chair arm. "Was I making too much noise?"

"No." Dar cleared her throat. "Wow. I feel like I'm swimming in clam chowder."

A blond brow arched. "Clam chowder? Ew."

"What time is it?"

Kerry checked the laptop's system tray. "Two." She studied her injured partner. "Here.. take a sip of this, you look dry." She handed over her tea, then paused, and changed her mind, getting up out of the chair to hold the cup for Dar to sip from. "I forgot how awkward it is when you're wearing one of these." Her free hand plucked the sling.

Dar sucked thirstily at the tea, enjoying the sweet taste. "Glad you put some tea leaves in this sugar water." She teased.

Kerry stuck her tongue out. "It's your fault." She accused Dar. "I didn't used to." She leaned over and kissed her partner on the lips. "Want some of your own? I was going to put some soup up."

"Soup?" Dar felt a little more alert. "Was that inspired by my chowder, or do you think a bone bruise requires that for healing?" Firmly, she pushed aside thoughts of clots, halfway convinced she'd have been better off just letting the damn thing heal on it's own, with her in blissful innocence of her risk.

"Hon, I'll order in baby back ribs if you want them." Kerry laughed. "I'm hungry, and I've got a container of that spicy Thai soup in the fridge, so…"

"With the coconut milk?" Dar's eyes lit up.

"Uh huh." Kerry had to muffle a smile. "That changes things, hm?" She put the laptop down. "I need a break anyway. I found something I think you need to look at when you're a little more awake." She got up and made her way past the coffee table towards the kitchen.

Dar knew she should get up and look at the computer, but the drugs still had a tight hold of her, and her body was more than content to remain where it was. Probably so fuzzy I wouldn't know what the hell I was looking at anyway. She mocked herself. But the thought started her mind churning, over the problems she'd seen the day before.

As if on signal, her cell phone rang. However, since Dar was dressed in a pair of soft gym shorts and not much else, she didn't have the phone near her. "Hey, Ker?"

"I hear it." Kerry came trotting out of the kitchen sucking on a wooden spoon. "Oo.. you're gonna like this. There's more chicken than vegetables in it." She picked up the buzzing phone and opened it. "Hello?"

"Is that Roberts?" A female voice asked crisply.

"No." Kerry glanced at her lover. "Can I ask who's calling?"

There was a brief silence. "Chief Daniel."

Oooo.. Kerry narrowed her eyes. The bulldog. "She's…"

"Look. I need to talk to her. Just tell her who it is." The chief interrupted Kerry. "Believe me, lady, I wouldn't be on this phone if I didn't need to be."

Hm. Fair enough. "It's that petty person." She told Dar, muting the phone.

Dar's brows lifted. "Chief Daniel?" She asked, in surprise. "Damn. Give me the phone."

Kerry walked over and handed it to her, then knelt and helped Dar to sit up a little. "Easy." She murmured.

Dar's head spun for a minute, and she waited for the buzz to fade, then she held the phone to her ear. "Hello, Chief."

"Roberts."

"Yep, that's me." Dar agreed. "Did you miss me so much you had to call on a Saturday?"

"Roberts, just shut up a minute. " The Chief lowered her voice. "All crap aside, there's something here you need to see."

A prickle went up Dar's back. "Like what?" She said.

A distinct hesitation made itself felt. "I can't explain it." The Chief said. "Bad enough I’m dealing with the devil as it is. Just get down here."

Dar met Kerry's gaze. The blond woman was shaking her head no, in a very serious way. "I can't." She finally replied. "If you want me to know about it, you've got to come up here."

"What?" The Chief hissed. "Don't be a… Jesus, I can't believe I'm doing this. I’m trying to help you out here, damn it."

"I know." Dar decided to try honesty. "I had an accident last night, Chief. I'm not driving to the base - so if you've got something that big, get moving."

The Chief was quiet for a long time, and then she sighed. "Son of a bitch." She finally said. "What the hell, I’m in this so deep now, it won't matter. Where the heck are you?"

Dar told her. "Chief?"

"What?" The woman snapped back.

"What made you change your mind?" Dar asked. "About me, I mean."

Chief Daniel snorted clearly audible even to Kerry. "Change my mind? Like hell I did." She paused. "You ever hear the term "least evil choice?"

Dar allowed a dry chuckle to escape. "Oh yeah. I've heard that before."

"I bet." The Chief hung up.

Dar folded the phone closed, and relaxed back onto her pillow. "That was a surprise." She glanced up at Kerry. "Last time I saw her, she was cursing me for a pervert."

Kerry gazed soberly back. "I can't believe she'd just turn around and help you, Dar."

A faint shrug. "She's not a… " Dar lifted her uninjured hand and rubbed her eyes. "She's a good officer, Ker. She knows her stuff, and she's just protecting her people. She views me as a threat." Dar considered her words. "Question is, what's she found that's more of a threat to her than I am?"

"Hm." Kerry tapped the end of the spoon against her chin. "Well, it'll take her a while to head up here. Let me get this soup done." She pointed the wooden utensil at the couch bound woman. "Then you're going to sit there, and let me feed it to you." She turned, and headed back to the kitchen, leaving a bemused Dar behind.

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

"I don't suppose I can get away with staying dressed like this." Dar asked, as she used a washcloth and cold water to bring a little more life into her face. "Can I?"

Kerry leaned against the doorsill and regarded her. "If it were up to me… " She ran a fingertip under the elastic waistband of Dar's soft gym shorts. 'Sure." She traced a rib. "But I think your petty person is going to pop a solenoid."

"I'm not in the mood to coddle her solenoids." Dar responded, awkwardly trying to manage her toothbrush one handedly. "Ker, could you.."

Kerry reached across her and picked up the toothpaste, spreading it neatly on the brush for her. "There you go." She put the cap back on and watched as Dar brushed her teeth. "Well, all you need is a T-shirt or something." Her eyes dropped to the very short shorts, which exposed almost all of the length of Dar's very long legs. "On second thought, c'mon into the bedroom, and let me see what I can do for you."

Dar turned a very rakish grin on her face. "Now that's my kind of offer."

"Tch." Kerry moved forward and her hands found their way around the sling. "Do you remember how we.. ah." Kerry found Dar's arms wrapping around her, and the sling settled around her own shoulder, attaching them together body to body. "That's right."

Dar ducked her head and they kissed. She felt Kerry's body press against hers, and the sensual rush erased the lingering aches like magic. "Much better than drugs." She murmured.

"Oh yeah?" Kerry slid her hands across Dar's skin. "How about this?"

Dar growled softly in response and nudged Kerry backwards a step. She held her lover's body close with the sling, and unhooked Kerry's bra, feeling her gasp a little in surprise as the snug cotton came free. "Not bad for one hand, huh?" She whispered in the pink ear near her lips, which then was delicately nibbled.

"Uh." Kerry's fingers roamed restlessly over Dar's half clad body. "This could get complicated."

"Oh.' A soft, breathy purr. "I hope so." Another nudge towards the bed. "Simple's no fun." Dar rubbed lightly against Kerry's skin, and smiled as the blond woman melted into her, a jolt of warmth as their bodies joined. She could feel Kerry breathing, her chest moving against Dar's, and as she took another step toward the bed, she felt that breathing quicken, in time with her touch circling Kerry's breasts.

They stopped and rid themselves of extraneous clothing, still linked together by the sling. Dar slid her other arm under Kerry's, and half-turned, easing down onto the bed, pulling Kerry down with her. Amidst a tiny giggle, Kerry ended up sprawling over her, their legs tangling together.

"Y'know.. " Kerry licked Dar's neck, then bit down lightly around her collarbone. "With our luck, she drives fast."

"I haven't cleared her on the ferry yet." Dar replied blithely. 'She'll wait."

Kerry's chuckle turned into a soft moan, and she forgot about visitors.

Or ferries.

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

Chief Daniel drove along the causeway, looking nervously right and left when she wasn't glancing at the piece of paper she'd written the directions on. "What the hell is that nutball talking about? She sent me to the god damned Coast Guard terminal.. damn her.. thinks I'm joking.."

Abruptly, she spotted a right hand turn, and took it, almost causing a two-car collision behind her. The car she cut off honked furiously, and she stuck her hand out the window, giving him a rude gesture as she made the tight turn into the small, not well-marked ferry base. "Son of a bitch." She shook her head. "Should have figured."

The Chief maneuvered her pickup truck through the roped off lanes, and arrived at the edge of the dock. A uniformed guard greeted her courteously. She rolled her window down. "This how you get on.."

"The Island? Yes, ma'am." The security officer nodded, obviously used to the question. "Are you visiting one of our residents, or are you interested in purchasing a home?"

Momentarily distracted, the Chief leaned on her window frame and pulled her sunglasses down to get a better look at the neat, almost military clean Latin man. "How much do they cost?"

The guard blinked. "Um… w…"

"Round numbers." The Chief smiled. "Leave off the pennies."

He cleared his throat. "I think the little ones start at a million.."

"Ah. Is that all?" The Chief fixed a smile on her face. "Tell you what. There's someone called Roberts who lives out there. Dar Roberts. I’m supposed to go see her."

The guard flipped through his clipboard, then read a page intently. "Ms. Daniel?" He looked up. "Is that you."

The Chief's nostrils flared. Ms? She'd get the little catfish bait for that. "Almost."

The guard directed her onto the patiently waiting ferry and they chocked her wheels, then after a few minutes, and a few more cars, they got under way.

Out of long habit, the Chief reviewed the boat, noting the properly secured lifesaving equipment, and the stock of life preservers. The ferry itself was flat, with room for perhaps twenty cars, and had a small cabin where people who were just riding over could stay in comfort. It was neat, and clean, and well ordered, and the Chief found herself approving of it despite her inclination otherwise.

In short order, they docked at the Islandside dock, and she watched as the ramp to offload the cars was lowered. The Island was plush, and had lots of fancy looking landscaping. She bet the hedges she was just driving past cost more than a month of her salary.

The sudden impact of water on her windshield made her jump, and grab for the window controls. "Hey!" She glared at the dockhand, who was washing off the front of her car. "What th… oh." Salt spray. Sure. Seventy-two Mercedes per square foot, cant' have them rusting now, can we? She drove on and glanced at her directions again.

One road, clockwise. Simple enough. She turned left and followed the road around to the second drive, then slowed her pace until she found the parking she'd been told about. She slid the pickup into a visitor's spot, and got out, holding a briefcase close to her.

Looked around. "Damn place shits money." She shook her head, and then made her way up the short path to the steps that lead up to the door that matched the address she'd been given. It was a short flight, and lead up to a buff colored door with a discrete doorbell. Chief Daniel paused, and twitched at her uniform, dusting off her sleeve before she squared her shoulders, and rang the bell.

Barking answered her, which was a surprise. She hadn't figured Roberts for a dog. After a moment, and a quick command from inside, the door was opened. Chief Daniel found herself facing the intense gaze from a pair of steady green eyes almost on a level with her own. "I’m here to see Dar Roberts." She spoke crisply.

"I know." Kerry replied. "I don’t think we met. I’m Kerry Stuart, Dar's partner." She held out a hand.

Chief Daniel almost backed a step in pure reflex. Her distaste for queers had almost overrode her wanting to find out what the hell was going on, and this was pushing her buttons way too hard, way too fast. But she realized she wasn't getting past the blond doorguard, so she gritted her teeth, and took the proffered fingers. "A pleasure." She enunciated precisely, hoping it was clear how untrue that was.

Disgusting. She had to steel herself not to wipe her hand off when Kerry released her.

"Come on in." Kerry stepped back and held the door open. "Don't mind Chino - she's harmless." Standing behind Kerry was a large, cream colored Labrador Retriever, who was watching her alertly. "Mostly "

The Chief edged around the big dog and stopped, while Kerry closed the door behind her. The first thing she noticed was the smell. Equal parts leather and polish, with a touch of spice in the air. She looked around, taking in the huge living room, with it's comfortable leather furniture, and expensive entertainment center. A door lead off to one side, and through it's half-open panel she could see it was a bedroom. Behind the living room was a formal dining room, then the arch that led, she speculated to the kitchen.

Nice place. The art on the wall was interesting, and the stereo was clearly top of the line. As a technobuff herself, the Chief was impressed.

Kerry walked past her. "Dar's just getting something to drink." She gestured to the furniture. "Would you like to sit down?" The Labrador trotted past her and jumped onto the couch, curling up and putting her head down, but keeping an eye on the intruder.

"No thanks." The Chief said. Her eyes shifted as she caught a flash of motion.

Dar appeared from the kitchen, holding a glass in one hand. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, but one arm was in a white cotton sling. "Afternoon."

"What'd you do, finally piss someone off who could do something about it?" Chief Daniel asked bluntly.

"Sit down." Dar ignored the snarky comment and took a seat on the couch. She noticed the Chief hadn't moved. "Either sit down, or get the hell out of here." Her voice lifted, and gained an edge. "You were all hot to show me something, so show me, or get lost."

Kerry opened her mouth, then closed it, and simply sat down, pulling her laptop over and starting to review it's screen. She didn't look up as Chief Daniel took a reluctant seat as far away from them as she could.

"Fine." The Chief put her briefcase down on the coffee table and unzipped it. "See what you think of this, hotshot." She pulled something out, and threw it on the table. It slid across the glass surface and stopped right before Dar. "Looks like I didn't need any outside help to find it, did I?"

Dar put her cup down and pulled the packet over, investigating it curiously. "What the hell is it?" She asked, glancing at the Chief.

"Open it. I don’t have x ray vision." Daniel sniped back.

Dar unfolded the wrapping one handed, and finally got through the plastic wrap that covered the parcel. She pulled back the last fold and stared at the results. Her brow crinkled, and she exchanged a look with Kerry, who appeared equally puzzled. "You found a gift wrapped brick?"

The Chief laughed shortly. "And here I thought you had some brain cells. Maybe your perverted lifestyle made them leak out. That's not a brick, Roberts. It's cocaine. "

It came out of left field, and almost smacked Dar upside the head. She stared at the object. "Cocaine?" Her voice rose. "You've got to be joking." Kerry edged over and examined it in fascination. Dar rubbed her temples with one hand. "Must be the drugs I’m taking. I’m hallucinating that I’m in a bad episode of Miami Vice."

Kerry bit her lip. "Is this where they break down the door and start yelling?"

Dar stared at the brick, then up at the smug Chief Daniel. "They're smuggling drugs?"

A shrug. "Found that in a storage locker that's supposed to have remaindered ammo in it." She smirked at Dar. "You didn't have a clue, did you?"

Dar sat back, and exhaled. "No." She stared over the Chief's head bleakly. "Not about this." She admitted. "But that might explain something else."

And it probably did explain the journal entries. Dar tried to grasp the enormity of the situation. But how far did it go? How many people knew?

How high? Dar slowly let a breath out. All the way?

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

Ceci looked up from her brush as she heard a throat being cleared. She shaded her eyes, then felt her eyebrows lift. Sue Ainsbright was standing at the edge of their gangplank, looking warm, and very uncomfortable. "Hello, Sue."

"Ceci." The older woman took a breath. "May I come aboard?"

It was so very naval. Ceci almost gave in to the temptation to refuse the boarding request, which along with yelling 'avast, ye maties' was something she'd always wanted to do. "Sure." She put her brush away, unsullied as yet by paint, and stood up as Sue crossed over onto the boat. "You look thirsty.. c'mon down."

"Thanks."

Her guest followed Ceci down the steps into the cabin. Ceci walked over to the compact galley, gesturing towards the chairs as she did so. "Sit down.. Andy's taken a walk over to the store." She walked over and handed Sue a glass of ice tea then seated herself across the table from her. 'This is a surprise."

The gray haired woman stared at her glass, turning it slightly between her fingers in silence for a few seconds. "I know." Sue looked up finally. "I just wanted to come and talk to you." She hesitated. "To apologize for last night."

Ceci laced her fingers together, and rested her chin on them. "To me? For what?"

Sue just looked at her.

"I mean it." Ceci said. "If anyone's got an apology coming, it's Dar and Kerry, not me." She got up and got her own glass of tea, more just to do something than anything else. "Poor Kerry.. you know, what happened last night was exactly what she was afraid of."

"She seems like a nice girl." Sue replied softly.

"For a dyke, you mean?" Ceci shot back.

"Ceci." Her old friend gave her a wounded look. "I’m trying here, give me a touch of slack, will you?"

Ceci took a sip of her tea, feeling very unsettled. "Sorry." She said. "That automatic dismissal and exclusion of anything you don't understand has always been a peeve of mine." A breath. "I've been on the wrong side of that line all my life."

Sue remained silent for a bit, then she, too, sighed. "You know, I'd forgotten all about that." Her eyes lifted. "Did that make it easier for you to accept her being.. ah…"

"Gay." Ceci supplied the word. "No, it didn't." She crossed back over and sat down. "By the time Dar told us that, nothing would have surprised me. Hell, Andy and I talked it over that night and I think.. yeah, you know, we were mostly just relieved."

Sue's eyes opened wider. "Relieved?"

A dry chuckle issued from Ceci's throat. "We knew she'd been working up to tell us something.. Andy was just glad it was that, and not that she was running off somewhere, or pregnant, or on drugs….a thousand things went through our minds before we found out."

"Oh." Sue murmured. "She was a… she was pretty headstrong, I remember."

"Yes, she was." Ceci agreed. 'And is." She paused reflectively. "Andy says she gets that from me." A curious expression centered itself on the slim woman's face for a moment, and then she shook her head. "Accepting Dar was never an issue for us. " She stated crisply. "Welcoming Kerry into our family was never an issue either. Andrew and I made a decision early on in our lives that one of the things we'd never teach our children is how to hate." Her eyes pinned Sue. "Unlike you, apparently."

Sue stood up. "Cecilia, that's not fair." She snapped. "We most certainly did not teach Charles to hate anyone. We're good, god fearing people. I resent that."

Ceci also stood. "Do you? Let me tell you what I resent." She put her cup down and circled the table. "I resent my child being called a pervert. I resent your half-assed, no brain, boot licking son thinking he can judge her, and I really.. " She came closer, poking a slim finger at the startled woman. "I really, really resent the fact that you didn't even have the grace to teach him to hide his sick bigotry in polite company."

Sue stared at her. "You did have to smear our faces in it, Ceci. To be out in a restaurant like that…"

"Like what?" Ceci's voice rose. "We were eating dinner, Sue. If you hadn't been acting like we were lepers, no one in the place would have looked twice. They don't wear fucking brands on their foreheads."

"Ceci!" Sue was breathing hard. "I think I'd better leave."

"Truth sucks, doesn't it?" Ceci stood her ground.

They stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Then Ceci exhaled, and folded her arms across her chest. She eyed the carpet pensively. "Sue, you were the first wife on base who came to knock on our door." Her voice was quiet now. "The first one to brave the pagan unknown, and reach your hand out." She looked up. "What happened to that person?"

Slowly, Sue sat back down, and laid her hands on the table. They were weathered, and she looked at them as though they were a strangers. "Time." She exhaled. "Berkley was a lot fresher in my mind then."

"I remember being so impressed by that." Ceci managed a faint smile. "Wow… she went to Berkley."

"I remember." Sue admitted. "Big shot that I was… I felt sorry for you . So young, so.. "

"Feckless." Ceci nodded.

"Different." Her old friend disagreed. "So out of place, there." She hesitated. "But Dar wasn't."

"No." Ceci said, softly. "And she cherishes her childhood, Sue. Despite everything we went through, she really does, so when something like last night happens, it's like having to give part of that up."

Sue nodded, and finally took a sip of her tea. She took a deep breath before she went on. "Ceci, there's no excuse for what my son did." She pronounced the words carefully. "Jeff and I talked it over last night, and if you.. " She stopped, and rubbed her temples. "I’m sorry. I sound like such a parent. If Dar wants to press charges, she should."

Ceci felt like the world had just shifted slightly to the left. "Charges?" She asked. "For what, Sue? Verbal abuse?"

Her friend's dark blue eyes blinked twice. "Didn't… " She stopped, then took a breath. "Ceci, Chuck went after her with a baseball bat."

"What?"

"I thought surely she'd.. " Sue's voice trailed off again. "Jeff was so angry last night. He.. he and Chuck had it out in the living room, it was - very ugly. " She said. "I don't know what happened, but Chuck just.. he broke down and said it was driving him crazy, and how he'd taken the bat, and…"

Ceci concentrated on breathing. In, out, in out. "Oh, dear goddess." She whispered. "Dar said she twisted her shoulder… we had to drive her car home."

"She didn't tell you?" Sue seemed dazed. "I don't understand."

Ceci got up and walked across the cabin, coming to the window and looking out at the peaceful, sunlit water. "I do." She heard steps on the rampway up above. "Dar knows her father too well." She turned towards Sue. "Don't say anything to him."

"But Ceci…"

"I'll tell him." Ceci replied. "I don't keep anything from him, never have, but let me do it my way."

Sue nodded faintly, as the cabin door opened, and Andy entered.

"Lo." His eyes raked over her in wary surprise. "Didn't figure t'see you here."

"Sue came to apologize for last night." Ceci walked over and took the grocery bags from her husband. "We've been talking."

Pale blue eyes flicked to Ceci's face and studied it, then went to their visitor's. Then they narrowed slightly. "Have you now." Andy drawled softly. "Ain't that special."

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

It had started to rain again. Dar stood by the sliding glass doors, and watched it fall, in sheets that almost obscured her view of the ocean. A low rumble of thunder overhead sounded, and she could feel the vibration through the hand she had resting on the wall.

She hadn’t expected this.

Petty theft, yeah. Some finagling with the bills, yeah. Fudging on the recruit's scores, yeah. Maybe even so far as someone falsifying fitness records, to hide old friends they didn’t want to have to make hard decisions on.

But smuggling?

Dar was no fool, and she wasn’t naive. Florida was a prime choice for smuggling, because of its relative closeness to South America, and because of its multinational population base. It would take a lot to ‘stand out’ in this city, so hiding in plain site was something easy a smuggler’s operation wouldn’t have to worry about.

In addition, they were a peninsula. Surrounded on three sides by water, with ample opportunity for someone to slip in to the thousands of small bays and islands unseen and undetected. The largest stretch of continuous coastline in the US, in fact.

So, the fact that drugs or anything else was being brought in didn’t surprise her.

That the Navy was involved…

No. Dar cut that off angrily. Not the Navy. Some pig scum who were using the Navy to break the law and line their own pockets. Who were using a place she considered more than any other to be home, and hurting the people who were a part of that who were not involved.

Maybe even, since they were bringing in recruits who didn’t belong there, endangering the innocent sailors who would be depending on those people to do their jobs. Sailors like her father was, once. Like she might have been.

Bastards. Dar felt her anger rising. Despite everything, and especially despite last night, she still considered the service part of her family. It had given her a place to belong for many years, had accepted her, given their family a home, and put bread on the table and she was damned if she was going to let a bunch of criminals hurt that.

"So." Chief Daniel’s grating voice made her wince. "You got a plan, or are you just gonna stare outside for a few hours."

"Do you have a plan?" Kerry’s voice answered instantly, a distinct challenge in its tone. "If you came here for help, your best bet is to just sit down, and shut up, and wait for Dar to think."

Dar watched her reflection smile in reflex.

"If you’re her secretary then, you’d better get your steno pad, kid." The Chief answered.

Dar held her breath, wondering what her lover was going to hit back with.

Kerry simply laughed. "Boy, do you have your stereotypes crossed."

Dar turned and faced them, leaning back against the cool glass and feeling the pressure of the rain outside against her shoulder blades. "The problem is this. I want to locate and pin down every son of a bitch who’s involved in this. If the Navy sends police in there, they won’t catch one in twenty."

"They’ll run." Kerry nodded. "And they’ll dump the systems. We’ve only got a soft data capture, Dar. We don’t have the file structure or the algorithms you found. I’m surprised they haven’t started doing that already."

"They went for what they knew I was looking at." Dar shook her head. "Must have known I found that data hub." She looked directly at the Chief. "Who’d you ask about it?"

Chief Daniel was momentarily taken aback. "It’s my right to ask!"

"That’s not in question." Kerry took a dried cherry from the bowl on the table and nibbled it. "Point is, someone was nervous enough about it to get it removed, and that says a lot in itself. Dar, I did a trace on the company that installed it – they’re a private fiber house who do a lot of work for the city."

Dar lifted an eyebrow.

"The last big thing they did was wire the mayor’s place for teleconferencing." Kerry added, as they both exchanged looks.

"Shit." Dar closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "This is getting too big for us. Let me go call Alastair and find out what the hell he wants me to do. We stepped into a cesspool here." She walked past them and into the study, shutting the door behind her.

Kerry released a held breath. "Shit." She echoed Dar. "She’s right. This is way outside our contract."

Chief Daniel snorted. "Sure. Stir up everything, then run, and let us all sink."

"It’s not that." Kerry snapped. "Do you understand what we’re talking about here? These are federal crimes."

"No kidding."

Kerry turned her back and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and going into the refrigerator. She studied her options, then gave in and took two squirts of chocolate syrup and filled the glass with milk.

Troubled, she leaned back against the counter and swirled her milk to mix it. So many complications crowded into her mind. First, the problem of the drugs. It was far beyond anything Dar had expected to find, and she knew it had thrown Dar for a loop. That was hard enough, without the possibility of someone Dar knew being involved.

What if it was Jeff Ainsbright? Kerry took a long swallow of her chocolate milk. She’d liked the big commander, and had found him open and straightforward, even in the uncomfortable situation they’d found themselves in last night. What about little Chuckie? Kerry’s lip curled up into an almost unconscious snarl. Dear God. She realized uneasily. I’m hoping he is. I’m hoping they take his obnoxious ass and thrown him in the federal jail for twenty years. A very unchristian thought stared her in the face. Maybe he’ll develop a taste for a different lifestyle.

Jesus. Kerry put the glass down and covered her face. Do I really feel that way? She folded her arms unhappily. Damn it, yes I do. He hurt her. Kerry felt a sense of helpless rage. He hurt her, and all I want is to.. Her muscles tensed, and her shoulders twitched with tension. I want to beat him senseless.

She’d never felt like this before. Even in the bad times, even with Kyle, she’d never thought about physically fighting back. A soft snort left her. "Look at me." She whispered. "Years worth of martial arts and a dark blue belt and I think I’m the Terminator."

A noise at the door made her look up, to see Dar quietly looking back at her. "How’d it go?"

Dar entered and walked over to her, taking up a spot leaning on the counter at her side. "He’s as gobsmacked as I am." She admitted. "All I got out of him was, ‘Dar, do what you have to do, you know I trust your judgment."

"Oh boy. That helps." Kerry picked up her glass and drank from it. "So what’s your best judgment, boss? You know I trust it too."

Dar took the glass from her. "He’s calling Hamilton, though, and briefing him." She took a sip. "I honest to god don’t know what to do, Ker. I know we should turn this over to the military, and let them handle it. It’s out of our league."

Kerry nodded slowly. "You’re right." She agreed. "This is outside our expertise, and it could be potentially very dangerous to be involved in. General Easton should take it from here."

They were both quiet for a few minutes, sharing the glass of milk until it was drained to the last drop. Finally, Kerry put the glass down, and turned her head to look at her lover. "You think they’ll botch it."

A tiny cocking of Dar’s head in reluctant agreement. "I want to get all of them." She murmured. "I’m afraid of two things, Ker. One, that they’ll take too long. Two, that they’ll go in there and lose the data that will identify all the people involved."

Kerry folded her arms. "Dar, I understand how you feel, but this is beyond us."

"I know." Dar’s voice was unhappy. "Let’s go call Gerry. We can’t sit on this any longer."

Kerry followed Dar out of the kitchen and across the living room. "Chief, we’re going to turn this over to the Joint Chief’s – who contracted us."

A snort. "Figures." Chief Daniel got up. "Do you know what that’ll do? They’ll take a brush the size of an aircraft carrier and paint us all with it. Some reward for helping you out. Assholes." She went to the door and was through it, before Dar or Kerry could respond. The slam reverberated, making Chino bark in surprise, then it was quiet.

"Ugh." Kerry rubbed her forehead. "What a totally unlikeable person."

Dar picked up the telephone. "Yeah." She agreed. "She’s a nastier son of a bitch than I am. I never thought I’d live to see that." The phone buzzed in her ear then was picked up. "Gerry? It’s Dar."

Andrew walked to the end of the dock and took a seat, extended his long legs out and squirming to get more comfortable on the hard, wooden bench. He didn’t have that long to wait, as after a few minutes footsteps sounded, and he turned his head slightly to see the tall, burly figure moving it’s way towards him.

He waited until the intruder was very close, then he swiveled to meet him. ""Lo."

Jeff Ainsbright slowed, and came to a halt a body’s length away. "Hey, Andrew." He cleared his throat. "Thanks for saying you’d meet me."

Quiet, patient blue eyes surveyed him. "Sit yerself down." He moved over to let his old friend take a seat. Then he waited in silence. The anger inside him would be patient, for a while longer.

"Listen, Andy…" Jeff seemed at a loss. "About last night."

"Y’know." Andrew interrupted him. "Been a long time since I been to a parent teacher meeting. Dar’s a grown woman, has been for years. If you got something t’say about what happened last night, y’need to be saying it to her."

Jeff exhaled, and rested his weight on his elbows. He laced his hands together and studied them. "Andy, you know I always liked Dar."

"I always got that idea, yes." Andy said. "She always talked well of you."

The commander was silent for a few moments. "I just wasn’t ready for last night." He admitted. "Chuck came home and told us, and I just didn’t – I didn’t have a chance to think about it." He looked up. "D’you understand?"

A shrug. "Never mattered to me, so no, I do not understand."

Jeff sighed. "You always had a blind spot with her."

Now, Andrew looked up, and met his eyes fully. "She is a gift God gave me." He spoke slowly, and with an almost gentle passion. "He made her, and I love all that she is." A breath. "Ah do not know why people do not understand that."

Jeff looked at him, then dropped his eyes. "Because you’re a better man than most of us are, Andy."

"That’s bullshit." Andrew snapped. "And what the hell’s wrong with that kid of yours?"
The commander shifted away a bit. "What do you mean?"

"What the hell you think I mean? God damn ship captain goin off his damn gourd, lashing out at some civ?" Andrew’s eyes flashed. "He leave his brains on board, or what?"

Jeff gave him a defensive look. "C’mon, Andrew. He was under a lot of stress… he was really stuck on Dar."

Andy stood and paced restlessly. "No, no no. Ah don’t buy it, Jeff." The ex seal shook his head. "Not after all this damn time don’t you be telling me he’s stuck on her since they was in high school. So stuck he goes nuts when he finds out he ain’t got no chance, fer the second time." Andrew turned and put his hands on his hips. "Don’t sound like somebody I want running mah boat, let me tell you that."

Ainsbright looked warily at him. "He’s a good ship captain."

Pale, ice blue eyes regarded him. "Seems to me, I’m remembering they washed his ass out of command school."

"He tried again. Had to grow up some. You know how it is."

Andy’s jaw worked. "From what I see outside that steak house, he ain’t growed up near enough to be in charge of himself, much less a boat full of other folks."

Frustrated, Jeff threw up his hands. "C’mon, Andrew. He lost his temper. Don’t tell me you never did, I know better."

"I never ran me no boat." Andy replied softly. "But I never picked me up no baseball bat and went after no civ woman, either." He added. "I’m thinking that should be enough to take back them stripes."

Jeff went very still. The two men stared at each other for a long moment, then Ainsbright sat down again and rested his head in his hands. "Yeah, he fucked up." His voice echoed off the pavement. "Damn stupid kid."

Andy leaned back against a wooden pylon, and gazed up at the clouds. Thunder rumbled overhead, but it had not, as of yet, started raining. The headache that had started when Ceci had told him, in her own way, about the bat now worsened. "Damn lucky kid."

Jeff jerked his head up. "Lucky?"

The chill in Andrew’s eyes was unmistakable. "Lucky ah did not come out that door thirty seconds earlier than I did." His nostrils flared.

The commander snorted in weary bemusement. "Shit, Andy. Chuck’s in the base hospital with a ruptured eardrum and partially dislocated jaw. Dar didn’t need your help." He closed his eyes. " They’ll probably discharge him for that.. maybe it’s for the best."

Andrew sat down. "You ain’t going to report him, then?" He asked, quietly. "Cause if you don’t, ah will."

Ainsbright looked up at him, taking in the uncompromising stance, and the inflexible will showing on his old friend’s scarred face. "Andrew."

"Not fer me, or fer Dar." Andy said. "You’re right. Dar don’t need me to take care of her anymore. She’s a big girl, and she can handle herself well as most." He straightened. "But out on that boat, Jeff, there’s folks down under decks who don’t deserve t’have someone like that taking charge of their lives."

"He has a spotless record!" Jeff protested.

"I used to be one of them folks below decks." Andy said right back. "Someone has to watch out for them, if you ain’t."

"Andrew, for God’s sake!" The commander yelled. "It was a little scuffle, c’mon now!"

"No sir!" Andy went nose to nose with him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "It was a Navy captain attacking a civilian and displaying conduct unbecoming to a god damned officer!" He glared at Ainsbright. "And if it was Dar that done that, I’d report her too!"

Silence. "Would you?" The commander asked softly.

"I would." Andy replied.

"Well." Jeff Ainsbright dusted his uniform off. "I’m not you." He turned, and walked around the bench, then headed off down the dock without a backward glance.

Andy let out a sigh, then he sat down on the bench and stretched his long legs out, studying their denim covered length with a frown. The rising wind blew a tiny bit of sea spray against his face, and he tipped his head back, eyeing the dark clouds pensively.

"No luck, eh, sailor boy?" Ceci stepped lightly over her husband’s outstretched legs and settled down on the bench at his side.

"Naw." Andy shook his head. "Stubborn old fool." He turned his head slightly. "You sure Dardar’s okay?"

"Why don’t you call her?" Ceci held out the cell phone. "Make you feel better."

Andrew examined the electronic device, then handed it back. "Got me a better idea." He stood, and held a hand out. "Let’s go see for ourselves."

Ceci allowed herself to be hauled to her feet, and then they started down the dock. They were halfway back when the rain caught them, sweeping across the way with a scent of ozone, and damp, warm wood.

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

"Hey." Kerry sat on the edge of Dar’s desk. "Why don’t you let me get you another shot of those pills, huh?" She could see the pale tinge to Dar’s normally tan skin tone.

"No." Dar shifted her arm in its sling to try and ease the ache. "They put me out, and I don’t want to risk that before Gerry calls us back." The pain had gotten worse as the medication wore off though, and now she had bursts of sharp agony moving up her shoulder and into her neck.

"Okay." Kerry tried another tack. "I’m going to make some herbal tea.. want some?"

Dar thought about that, then nodded. "Yeah.. do we have that peachy kind?"

"It’s apricot and honey." Kerry told her. "And yes, we do."

"I’d like that." Dar smiled. "I guess I can go lay down on the couch for a while, huh? I’m sure Gerry’s going to be a few minutes."

"Sounds like a great idea to me." Kerry got up, waiting for Dar to join her, then tucked a hand inside her elbow and walked with her to the living room. She got Dar settled back into her comfortable nest of pillows and fleece, and then she headed off towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Chino." She greeted the Labrador, who had followed her. "You want some tea, too?" The blond head cocked curiously at her. "No, probably not, huh?" Kerry put some hot water up, then pulled a bowl from the cabinet and raided the crisper, pulling out some fruit and washing it. Cherries, which were a favorite of Dar’s, and grapes, apples and peaches, and the bananas that were her own favorite. Then she removed a thick, sweet banana nutbread from the refrigerator, and sliced a few slices off, spreading a coating of cream cheese on them before setting them on a plate next to the fruit. "There." She pulled a bottle of Advil from the cabinet and set it down, idly spinning it as she waited for the water to heat.

Dar tilted her head back and regarded the popcorn ceiling. Her findings had surprised Gerry; she knew that from the shock in his voice. She also knew he would react quickly, and that probably troops were already heading for the base, military police and marines, more than likely.

It bothered her, though, to simply release control of the situation.

Kerry was right. She knew they’d botch it. She knew they’d miss out on catching all the bastards who were involved, and maybe only get the obvious ones. And people like Jeff Ainsbright, who, even if he wasn’t involved, would be taken down because he damn well should have known what was going on in his own command.

Dar sighed, remembering the long afternoons she’d spent as a youngster running wild in the housing area’s grassy spaces, with Chuckie and the other kids as their fathers huddled over barbecues in the front yard. If she tried, she could close her eyes and hear the football games playing in the background.

A warm touch on her arm made her jerk, and she opened her eyes. "Sorry.. I was just thinking." The scent of apricot drifted over from the tray Kerry was setting on the coffee table.

"Dar, if you’re tired, go ahead and go to sleep. I’ll wake you up as soon as the phone rings." Kerry took her partner’s hand in her own and chafed the fingers.

"Hm." Dar shook her head. "I slept half the day, Ker." She shifted her head on the pillow, then pulled herself up a little. "Did you wrap that brick up?"

Kerry nodded, then handed Dar her cup. "Wrapped it up, taped it up, put it in a box, and put it up on top of the cabinet so Chino can’t get at it." The Labrador, hearing her name, came snuffling over looking for goodies. "Stuff gives me the creeps just looking at it."

Dar took a sip of the tea. "You never experimented?"

"No." Kerry shook her head. "I stuck to beer, thanks, and that got me in more than enough trouble." She paused in the middle of handing over a piece of bread, and looked up at Dar. "Did you?"

A pained sigh. "Once." Dar admitted. "Not the hard stuff. A bunch of us got hold of some wild weed growing back south of the base, and decided to have a party."

Kerry finished handing over the nutbread. "And?" She asked curiously.

"I was sick as a dog for three days." Dar nibbled her treat. "Throwing up, seeing spots.. couldn’t keep anything down until my mother finally got me to the doctor’s, and he got some intravenous Dramamine into me."

"Oh." Kerry bit her inner lip. "I thought you couldn’t take that."

"That’s when we found that out." Dar grimaced. "Next time someone asked me if I wanted a joint, I slugged them." She took a bigger bite. "Mm… I really like this."

"I know." Kerry seated herself on the floor, leaning back against the couch and exhaling. "Me too." She handed over a handful of cherries. "I was only really tempted when I was in college." She said. "Everyone did it. All those late nights, and stress… I had a couple of friends who had a source for just about everything. They were always telling me what they had, and asking if I wanted any."

Dar watched her profile and the motion of her jaw muscles as she chewed. "We had that a lot in college too."

"Mm." Kerry exhaled. "I remember one night, I had this paper due in my writing class, and a systems design due on the same day. I’d had a full schedule of classes that day, and I was totally wiped out. Just exhausted. Even double espressos weren’t doing a thing for me."

"Mm." Dar murmured encouragingly.

"Jane came over, and saw how trashed I was. She offered me a handful of amphetamines, and a shot of coke, and told me it would get me through the two assignments, no problem." Kerry took another bite thoughtfully. "I took the drugs from her."

Dar bit into a cherry, and skillfully separated the fruit from its pit. "And?" She echoed Kerry’s earlier question.

"I came pretty close to taking them." Kerry admitted honestly. "And would you believe, it was my father that kept me from it?"

Dar’s eyes opened very wide. "Your father?"

Kerry laughed softly. "He had this speech he used to do about people needing crutches. You know, Dar, that old thing about liberal programs being a crutch for the poor, that kept them from really going out and making a living?"

"That’s such a crock of shit." Dar stated.

"Not the point. It reminded me that I’d chosen to take this double major, and if I couldn’t handle it, I shouldn’t use an illegal substance as a crutch. Either do it, or don’t do it, but don’t fake it." Kerry replied. "I wanted to do it on my own, so I could look back and say, yeah. I did that. No one helped me."

"Hm." Dar depitted another cherry and took another bite of her banana nutbread. "Yeah, I see your point." She admitted. "So, what did you do?"

Kerry thought back to that long night, with it’s aching struggle she’d spent alone. "I worked through it. I wrote the systems design first, because you need brain cells to do that and the creative writing paper… " Now a smile crossed her face. "Dar, do you know I still don’t know what I put in that paper? It got me a B, but I have no idea what I wrote."

Dar chuckled. "Whatever works." She looked hopefully at the plate. "Any more of that bread?"

Kerry turned her head and eyed her. "What’s it worth to you?"

Dar poked her lower lip out.

"Ah. So you think that’s all it takes to get me to give up this really great tasting nut bread?" Kerry inquired.

Dar gave her a sad look.

"You’re such a brat." Kerry handed it over. She peeled a banana and settled back, as Chino put her chin down on her thigh hopefully. "Oh no, madam. Last time we gave you fruit you got sick, remember?"

The phone rang, and Kerry shot a look back at Dar, then she picked up the portable receiver and answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah.. yes, is Dar there?"

"Yes, General. Just a minute." Kerry handed the phone back and half turned, resting her chin on the couch as she listened.

Dar took a breath before she pressed the phone to her ear. "Gerry?"

There was a soft knock at the door. Kerry frowned, then scrambled to her feet and trotted over to it, peeking through the eyehole. "Uh oh." She hesitated, then realized she really had no choice and opened the door. "Hi."

"Howdy there, kumquat." Andrew drawled. "Ya’ll going to let us inside there?"

Oh boy. Kerry slipped outside instead, closing the door behind her.

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

Continued in Part 7

Tropical High

By Melissa Good

Part 7

Dar gave the condo door a curious look as she listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Gerry, we're not equipped for that." Dar closed her eyes against the throbbing she could feel growing in her neck. "I have security teams that can protect data, sure, but this is a damn Navy base."

"I'm aware of that, Dar. " Gerry's voice was uncharacteristically serious. "The trouble is, we can't shake a team loose to go down there for at least forty eight hours.u"

By then, it would be too late. "Damn."

"John Taylor, from the JAG office is on a plane headed your way." General Easton stated. "He'll handle the official part, but if there's any way your people could protect the evidence… "

"Gerry, people could get hurt." Dar said. "This isn't the kind of thing we get involved in. Corporate double dealing, yeah, but smuggling? I’m responsible for these people, and for their safety." She paused. "And I don't know how many bastards are implicated." Injudiciously, she shifted, and stifled a gasp. "Shit."

"Dar?" Gerry spoke quickly. "Are you all right?"

Dar bit her inner lip for a long moment, then exhaled as the sharp pain receded. "Yeah, I’m fine. I just twisted something."

"Well, listen my friend, I'll find some other way of doing this." General Easton replied. "If nothing else, we'll just round up the lot of them, and start shaking."

The unfairness of that, Dar acknowledged, was exactly what she'd been afraid of. "Hang on a minute, Gerry." She put the phone down and let her head drop back on the pillow, thinking hard about her options.

Was it dangerous?

Be honest, Dar. Sure it was. Look what happened to you last night, and Chuck was a friend of yours. Dar rubbed her forehead. This was a military base, full of sailors and marines, an unknown number of whom could be involved in criminal activity, and react with violence.

But.

If she didn't help, innocent people could, and probably would get blamed, and the criminals would probably get away. Dar mulled that over. Question was, how could she help Gerry, help the base, protect the innocent, and keep her people safe at the same time? "Jesus, Paladar." She murmured to herself. 'What the hell do you think you are?"

Finally, she picked up the phone again. "Gerry?"

"What's that? Oh, still here Dar."

"Let me see what I can do." Dar heard herself say the words, and wondered how she was going to back them up. "Maybe I can get a small volunteer team inside." Then an idea occurred to her. "With an escort."

There was a momentary pause. "Dar, do me a favor, eh? Don't take chances. I want to see your whole family this Christmas, been waiting for that for a long while now."

"See if you can contact that JAG staffer, send him over to my office." Dar evaded the question. "We'll get things moving here. Talk to you later, Gerry." She hung up, and put the phone down on her belly, considering what to do next.

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

It was a crowded doorstep. Kerry stood, effectively blocking the entrance despite her relatively small size. "Dar's on the phone." She explained. "It's business."

"Uh huh." Andrew crossed his arms. "Not like we'd know one word in six she was using." He eyed Kerry curiously. "Something bothering you, kumquat?"

"Me?" Kerry exhaled. "Uh..no, no. I'm fine."

"How's Dar?" Ceci asked casually.

Ah. "She's… why are you asking me that?" Kerry temporized.

Dar's parents exchanged knowing looks. "All right, kumquat. What's going on." Andrew asked. "I knew something wasn't right."

Oh boy. "It's.. "

"She get hurt last night?" The question snapped at her.

"Well…"

"That little half assed bastard hurt my kid?"

"W.. y.. " Kerry sucked in a breath. "Yes, that's what happened, but.. "

"Son of a biscuit." Andrew was visibly angry.

"It's not that bad." Kerry put both hands out in a calming gesture. "We've already been to the doctor's, and had tests done. It's more painful than anything else."

"You got her to go to the doc's?" Andrew had both fists planted on his hips. "I am going to whip her behind for not tellin us."

"Dad." Kerry gave him a pleading look.

Ceci ruffled her silvered blond hair. "Some things just never do change, do they." She murmured. "Keep your BVD'd on, Andy. I can remember many a time I had to drag you kicking and yelling to the base hospital."

Her husband gave her a look. "That is not the point." He replied with a scowl. "We are not talking about me."

"No, no." Ceci patted his arm. "We're talking about your daughter. Remember her? The tall, blue eyed, dark haired girl with an attitude and more guts than sense?"

"Hey. She's got a lot of sense." Kerry objected.

"Exactly." Ceci remarked.

Andrew scowled harder. "If I'd a known that little.. "

"Yes, which is why Dar didn't tell you." Ceci circled his arm with both hands. "Now, come on, let's go in a see the poor kid. See if you can make her feel better, instead of yelling at her, hm?"

"Ah do not like Dar thinking she can't tell us something like this." Andy replied. "I do not like it one bit." He nudged past Kerry and opened the door. "Son of a biscuit." He muttered, leaving Kerry and Ceci behind to gaze at each other in bemused sympathy.

"He'll be nice." Ceci told her. "He talks a good game, but the minute she looks up at him, he's going to cave in like one of those marshmallows you toast over a Bunsen burner."

"I know." Kerry smiled. "I've been on the receiving end of those baby blues." She sighed, and opened the door. "But we've got a big problem.. I’m sort of glad you're here." She followed Ceci inside. "Dar went looking for trouble down at that Navy base."

Ceci stopped, watching Andy kneel at Dar's side. "And?"

"And she found it." Kerry replied grimly.

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

Dar sat on the couch, watching her father pace. The brick of cocaine was on the coffee table, and her mother was sitting across from her, staring at it in bemused fascination.

Kerry entered and sat down next to her lover, absently slipping an arm around her back and gently rubbing it. "I know it seems bizarre." She stated. "We certainly never expected this."

Andrew halted, and shook his grizzled head. "Ain't that saying something." He walked over and crouched down in front of Dar, putting a hand on her knee. "You know who done all this?"

Dar met his eyes, so very much like her own, and shook her head. "I haven't had time to analyze all the data we copied, and a lot of the structure is in the programming."

"You think Jeff knows?"

Dar shook her head again. "I don't know. I'd have to check the physical documentation, see what had his signature on it, or what passed through his personal authorization."

"What's yer gut telling you?" Andrew persisted quietly.

That took some thought. Dar focused her mind inward, reviewing the facts she did know, and the assumptions she'd made. She was vaguely aware of Kerry's arm, warm against her back, and she could feel the slim fingers tracing a soft, irregular pattern against her skin.

It felt really good. She leaned against Kerry a little, and the blond woman's embrace tightened as Kerry rested her cheek against Dar's shoulder.

Dar set the puzzle pieces out, and examined them carefully. One, she had a situation which was obviously a long term plan in progress - the evidence she'd seen indicated it had been going on for quite some time. Jeff Ainsbright had only been in charge at the base for three months.

Not enough time. Dar put a tick in that mental column. Two, whoever was organizing the situation had technical skills beyond Jeff's, and the general sense she got of the meticulous arrangements didn't fit the commander's personality. Dar put another tick in the column.

Three, with the number of people apparently involved, it would be damn near impossible for the base commander to be blind to the fact that something was going on. Dar put a tick in the opposing column.

Was it possible Jeff Ainsbright thought, as Dar had, that whatever irregularities he noticed in the books and procedures were evidence of some harmless, petty larceny which he could safely turn a blind eye to? Three months wasn't a long time to get a handle on a place as big as that was, after all.

Be honest, Dar. Her conscience quietly spoke. If this were just another target acquisition of Alastair's, would you even be considering the question? Or would you assume the worst?

Dar's eyes narrowed.

Cecilia sat back in her chair and tucked a leg up under herself, watching the silent tableau with fascinated eyes. Her daughter was obviously deep in thought, the blue eyes unfocused and remote, their lids flickering lightly as the mind behind them worked. Ceci had always had respect for the intellect she'd watched Dar develop, despite it's edgy restlessness that made Dar often hard to deal with.

She'd had her child tested, without Andy's knowledge, when Dar had come home from grade school one day, with a note from her fourth grade teacher informing Ceci that he was giving up on trying to retain Dar's attention in class. Even then, she'd tested years older than her age but Ceci had been shocked to find out just how high octane her little fourth grader's mind was.

Genius, the doctor had told her, was a two edged sword. On one hand, Dar's potential was unlimited. On the other hand, the very fact of that intelligence put Dar on a plateau that separated her at a time in her life when being different was tantamount to a childhood torture regimen.

And there she'd been, someone who'd had a high school education, and grown up in a family who valued the price of your car more than the depth of your thoughts, trying to deal with decisions on what to do about the whole thing. Ceci had felt so out of her depth raising her child.

Now, watching that same intellect, grown and matured into the sharp, incisive force shaped by Dar's intense personality that it was, she wondered if she'd ever have been able to deal with Dar, even if she hadn't had her so young, and been so isolated.

Dar's head lifted, and the introspective look vanished as she drew in a breath and returned to the hear and now. A cool expression settled over her face as she met her father's patiently waiting gaze. "No." Dar's voice was calm. "I don't think he was involved."

Andrew's eyebrows lifted a trifle.

"But I do think he was aware." Dar went on. 'The question is, to what degree."

Kerry nodded slightly, as though confirming thoughts of her own. "We won't know that unless we get all the data."

"Exactly." Dar replied. "Call Mark. Have him call in a security team. Make it five or six people, but tell him volunteers only." She turned and regarded Kerry. "I want them to know there's a possibility of getting hurt, and where they're going. No pressure." She watched Kerry nod. "We'll meet at the office. "

"All right." Kerry stood up and headed for the phone.

Dar looked at her father. "You want to help?"

"Hell yes." Andy responded immediately. "Tell you what. You stay up in that penthouse of yours, and rest yer arm, and I'll take them kiddies down to the base and shake their shorts out clean." He patted Dar's knee. "All right?"

"I don’t' think so." Dar's lips edged up into a tense smile. "But thanks for the offer, Dad."

"Dar, I'd be the last one to encourage your father to get into trouble, but it makes sense." Ceci offered, a trifle hesitantly. She felt a faint flush as a pair of sharp blue eyes pinned her, and reminded herself again of just how little a right she had to give her daughter advice. "Doesn't it?"

"No." Dar got up from the couch, moving fluidly around Andrew's still crouching form and stalking towards the study. "There's too many ways for someone who knows what they're doing to stop even one of our best techs from getting what I want. " She stopped, and paused in the doorway, the restlessness evident in her flexing hand. "But they won't stop me."

Dar disappeared into her office, leaving the rest of them to exchange looks.

"Nice try." Kerry offered, holding her hand over the receiver. "I could have told you he wouldn't go for it, though." She returned her attention to the phone. "That's right, Mark. It's the base.. no, I can't even start to go into it. " A pause. "Dar wants volunteers. Can we get a few?" Another pause. "No, that'll be up to Dar.. okay, we'll meet you there." Kerry put the phone down. "Okay, that's that." She glanced towards the study, seeing through the half open door Dar's tense form crouched over her pc. "Be right back."

Ceci exhaled, as Kerry, too, disappeared. She watched Andrew as he got up and crossed to her, then sat down on the tile floor with a sigh. "What do you think, sailor boy?"

Andrew shook his head. "Ah think this is the god damndest piece of horses butt end Iever did see."

"Mm." Ceci could only agree.

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

Kerry paused in the doorway, then entered the study and pushed the wooden surface closed behind her. Dar was studying something on her screen, but after a moment she stopped pointing and clicking, and looked up.

"Coming to tell me how stupid I am?" Blue eyes gave her a direct stare.

Kerry felt her heartbeat pick up, as she heard the tension in Dar's voice. "Have I ever said that?" She asked quietly, meeting Dar's gaze with patient honesty. "I don't think you're capable of being stupid."

Dar glanced at the screen, moving her hand restlessly.

Kerry sat down on the couch, and rested her forearms on her knees. "I could question your faith in my abilities, of course."

"Don’t." Dar snapped. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Excuse me." Kerry gave her a direct look. "You are sending my people into that place, it most certainly does have everything to do with me." She pushed herself to her feet and advanced on the desk. "I know how to supervise a security sweep, Dar. I've been doing it for months. "

Dar avoided her gaze. "This is different."

Kerry studied her. "Your father was right. You should stay here." Her voice gentled, to remove any sting. "You're too close to this, Dar."

Her lover drew a forceful breath and stiffened. "That's bullshit." She tipped her head back as Kerry rounded the desk and confronted her. "I’m perfectly capable of doing my job, thanks."

"No one's debating that." Kerry sat on the edge of the desk, realizing by the defensive tensing of Dar's muscles that looming over her wasn't a good idea. "But this is different, Dar. Think about it. You grew up at this place. These people are your friends." She put out a tentative hand and covered the larger one resting on the desktop. "I don't know if I could handle it if it were me."

Dar's face kept it's set expression for a moment, then the jaw muscles relaxed slightly, and she blinked. "Because I did grow up there is why I have to do this." She answered softly. "It's not that I don't trust you." Her eyes flicked up to meet Kerry's. "But I can't give you what I know, how I know the way things work there."

Kerry studied her lover's face, seeing the pain etched into the tense lines around her eyes. "I've seen the layout, honey. It's just a big complex system." She protested. "I know how to get it locked down."

"It's not that." Dar answered. "I just don’t want to take a chance. Too many people can get hurt."

"What about you taking a chance on yourself/" Kerry countered. "I don't want to see you get hurt, Dar." Slowly, she slid off the desk and knelt, looking up now into Dar's face. "Nothing is more important to me than that. Not this job, not that base… it's not worth the risk."

A faint smile finally tugged at Dar's lips. "Don't worry."

'Dar…."

"You'll be right there next to me." Dar touched Kerry's cheek with her fingertips. "The only muscle I’m going to be using is this one." She lifted a hand and tapped her forehead. "I promise."

She wasn't going to win this one, Kerry knew. She was also smart enough to realize that what Dar was saying was completely true - they'd have a much better chance of not missing anything with her there. "Okay." She agreed. "You should take the rest of your drugs though, even if you don't want the painkillers."

Dar's face took on a wry smile. "I do want them." She sighed, and leaned back, relaxing a little now that the fight was over. "I want to take them, and lie down and just go out for the rest of the day." Her body felt stiff and achy, and the tension had given her a headache again. "But yeah, if you wouldn't mind bringing them over, I'll take everything but those, and some Advil."

Kerry nodded. "Sure." She leaned forward and kissed Dar's knee. "Mark and the rest of the team are going to meet us at the office in an hour. "

"Mark?"

"Of course. " The blond woman smiled. "You said you wanted volunteers."

Dar sighed. "Figures he would. I wonder if anyone else will?"

Wonder if anyone else won't. Kerry amended silently.

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

Ceci carefully put her hands precisely behind her back and clasped them. So. This is where Dar and Kerry work. Her eyes traveled up and up and up to see the top of the atrium skylight, then back down across the marble and steel walls to the pretentious fountain in the very center of the space.

Somehow, she resisted the urge to yodel. The temptation to hear the echoes was almost overwhelming.

"There you go, ma'am." A security guard ambled over, and handed her a piece of plastic. "That's your badge."

Ceci accepted it, and clipped the item to her shirt. "Outstanding." She complimented the guard. "Does it check for radiation hazards as well?"

"Ma'am?" The guard cocked his head in puzzlement.

"Let's go." Dar had come up next to her. "Thanks, Devon."

"Any time, Ms. Roberts." The guard ducked his head politely at Dar. "Haven't seen you here on the weekend in a long time." He managed not to look too curiously at her beslinged arm. "Have a good day."

"Thanks." Dar led the way across the huge lobby towards the elevator, Kerry a pace behind her and followed by her parents. She felt a little unfocused from the drugs, but still fairly alert. "Did we tell Devon to be on the lookout for the JAG rep?"

"Yes." Kerry replied. "Twice." She swiped her keycard into the elevator receptacle, and held the doors as they opened. "All aboard."

"Tell me, Dar." Ceci commented, as they rode up. "Do you rent out mausoleum space in this place to South Miami Cemetary?"

Dar was leaning against the mirrored wall, staring at her reflection. An extremely grumpy looking slightly scruffy figure with a scowl was looking back at her. With an effort, she wrestled a little of her normal work attitude into place. "No." She eyed her mother. "We charge too much." She replied. "The American Cryogenic Society has the top floor, though."

Kerry chuckled. "That explains why it's so cold upstairs all the time." She remarked. "I had to wear a parka the first few months I worked here."

The doors slid open, and they left the elevator, moving along the very quiet hallway, past closed or darkened doorways. No one on Fourteen worked on the weekends, save occasionally the operations group, and it was pleasantly unchaotic for a change. "Wish it was like this all the time." Kerry muttered. "It's usual circus city at this time of day." She swiped her card at the front door to Dar's outer office, and heard the lock click.

Andrew reached around her and worked the handle, pushing the door open and allowing them into the darkened interior. "Cec, this ain't half nothing. That there place in Houston's got this beat hands down."

Ceci strolled in and looked around curiously. It was a good size space, with seating on one side, and a neatly appointed desk on the other. Across from the main doors was a set of inner ones, and that had a plaque on it. She looked at it as Andy flipped the lights on.

Dar's name and title.

With a sense of unreality, she followed as Dar opened the door to her office and went inside. It was light, Ceci noticed, and as she cleared the door she saw why.

Good goddess. She stopped, and stared. The place was huge - floor to ceiling teak paneling framed two walls, the other two were floor to celiing plate glass, giving a breathtaking view of the sea, all the way to the horizon. The room was filled with light from outside, which fell on the fine wood furniture, and the curved expanse of Dar's desk. Against one wall was a comfortable looking leather couch, and against the other, a credenza with a neatly put up silver tray holding a now empty pitcher and glasses.

Ceci noted a few other things. That the desk was absolutely spotless, and contained exactly no clutter, something she'd noticed about Dar's study in the condo. Remembering what a wreck her daughter habitually kept her adolescent room in, this seemed almost funny. The only things on the desk were the computer screen and keyboard, Dar's trackball, her in and out box, and a… Ceci walked closer, and squinted. And a pair of Siamese fighting fish in a small, interlocked Lucite tank.

Interesting choice. Ceci eyed her husband, who was rocking slightly on his heels, his brow tensed in thought.

"I'm going to start pulling up their network schematics and printing them off." Kerry said, as she headed towards the small door in the rear of the office. "Hope someone left the plotter up and linked."

"I'll check it." Dar went to her desk and sat down. "G'wan and take a seat." She told her parents, as she kick started her PC. The phone rang, and she hit the speakerphone button. "Yes?"

"Hey, boss." Mark's voice echoed slightly. "Saw your IP come active."

"Don’t you have anything better to do than watch Snoopy?" Dar asked, testily. "Is the plotter active?"

"Hang on." The sound of a keyboard cut clearly through the connection. "It is now. Let me boot the print server if you're gonna be sending anything big to it."

"Diagrams. Kerry's sending." Dar replied. "You get some people to come in?"

"Yeah. " Mark sounded preoccupied. "I had to rig a lottery though."

Dar braced a knee up against the edge of her desk. "What?" Her brow contracted. "Mark, damn it, I told you I wanted volunteers. What part of that didn't you understand?"

There was a momentary silence. "Um.. you said you only wanted six people, boss. I had to do a lottery to get it down to that." Mark replied carefully. "I had twenty five of those suckers show up here." He paused. "Did I do something to piss you off today?"

Dar regarded her hiking boot in mild embarrassment. Get your head out of your ass, Dar. "No, sorry, Mark." She replied. "I just want to get this started. Give Kerry twenty minutes to get those diagrams done, then c'mon up here."

"Will do." Mark replied, then hung up.

"Ahm going to get me some coffee." Andrew said. "You want some, Dardar?"

"No." Dar shook her head. "Dr. Steve said to stay away from that for a couple of days." Awareness of her injury nibbled uncomfortably at her. "Thanks for the offer."

Her father left, and Dar became aware of her mother's pale eyes glancing her way curiously. She lifted a hand and indicated the room with wry irony. "What do you think?"

Thus invited, Ceci obligingly got up and toured the room, ending up next to Dar's desk. "It's… um.. "

"Pretentious?" Dar dryly supplied.

"No, actually it has very pleasant proportions." Ceci disagreed gravely. "Nice view, lot of open space, clean… " Her eyes, and Dar's met and she hesitated, a teasing remark on her tongue she wasn't sure she should utter.

Dar's cool gaze gentled slightly. "What am I doing in here, right?" A hint of a smile warmed her features.

Ceci returned the smile. "Nah. I think you fit right in here." She disagreed. "I especially like the blue jeans - they go well with the teak paneling."

That got an actual chuckle out of Dar, who plucked at the denim fabric covering her knee. "It's not how I usually dress here." She admitted. "Wish it was. Those damn business suits drive me nuts."

Her mother studied the faded jeans and untucked cotton shirt Dar was wearing, the easiest things she could manage with her arm in a sling. "That strap's twisted." She gestured. "Want it fixed?"

For a moment, there was a flash of wary uncertainty in Dar's eyes. Ceci merely waited, wishing for the thousandth time she'd made some different choices years back. She was almost sure Dar would politely decline the offer, when her daughter shifted, and leaned forward slightly.

"Sure." Dar said. "Felt a little weird."

Ceci unbuckled the strap and straightened it, tucking the cotton fabric under Dar's collar and refastening the buckle. She had to move a bit of thick, dark hair out of the way to do so. "I always wondered what Andy would have looked like with long hair."

Dar slowly turned her head and both eyebrows arched almost to her hairline. "Dad?"

"Mm." Ceci nodded, giving Dar's shoulder a light pat. "There you go."

"I don't think he's ever had it even covering his ears, much less his neck." Dar relaxed a little, settling back in her chair as Ceci stepped away.

"Nope, he sure hasn't." Ceci shook her head. "But when he was your current age, his hair was just like yours, same texture and everything. I remember he let it grow..oh, all of two inches over one summer before he had it buzzed again." She studied Dar's angular face and smiled. "I can almost imagine it, now." It was nice, a wistful thought intruded, to be able to see her husband so clearly in their child, and have it not hurt.

She wondered if Dar realized that. They'd both changed so much it was hard to say what went on behind those very familiar eyes anymore. Ah well. "How's your shoulder doing?" Ceci changed the subject.

"Lousy." Dar answered, with surprising honesty. "Sorry I didn't mention it the other day."

"I'm not." Ceci replied, with equal honesty, seeing the quickly shuttered wariness in Dar's eyes. "Don't get me wrong, Dar. What happens to you matters to me, and I’m sorry you got hurt by that a…" She paused. "By Chuck, but we both know it was better for him and Andy for your father not to know."

"Mm." The door opened and Andrew reentered the room, carrying two cups. Dar and her mother exchanged glances, then Dar smiled "Thanks, mom. Glad I made the right choice."

Well. Ceci accepted the cup of coffee, feeling pleased, if a touch bemused by the reaction. I think that was almost a Kodak moment.

She liked it. Ceci moved off towards the window and studied the view, half listening to her husband and Dar talking about the base in the background.

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

Dar had moved the strategy meeting into the big conference room down the hall from her office. Kerry had gotten in ahead of her, and clipped the network diagrams to the big presentation board, and now she watched as the operations team filed in and took seats.

Mark, of course, was in the lead, carrying the backpack Kerry knew held the big network analyzer and it's cables. He set it down on the floor and took a seat, as the rest of the group settled around him. Kerry's eyebrows rose as she recognized Brent among the group, but she refrained from commenting as Dar entered from the back door.

The JAG officer and Andrew were with her, and they took chairs near the other end of the conference table as Dar circled it and headed towards the podium. Ceci had seated herself near the window, and was watching quietly, her eyes flicking between the charts, her daughter, and occasionally, crossing gazes with Kerry herself.

"All right." Dar's low, vibrant voice cut through the quiet. She put a sheaf of papers on the podium and drew in a breath, letting her eyes run over her audience. Kerry could almost see the subtle shift as her lover assumed her professional demeanor, and she sharpened her own attention as she listened.

Even in casual clothing, and with her arm in it's white, cotton sling, Dar still managed to capture the room, the normal intensity of her attitude only lightly blunted by all the medication she was on. Kerry could tell it was an effort, though. There was a persistent crease in Dar's forehead, she was blinking more than usual, and there was an uncharacteristic slump to her posture that was easily visible to her watching partner.

"We've gotten an unusual request from the government." Dar started her speech. "As most of you know, we were contracted to perform detailed structure and performance analysis on a number of military bases."

The techs were glued to her every word. They nodded almost in concert, which almost made Dar laugh. "As part of that investigation, information was obtained detailing irregularities in their data, which could extend from minor theft to felonious activities."

Mark shook his head, and let out a sigh. "I was thinking that, boss. That stuff you sent down stank to hell."

Dar nodded. "With good reason." She turned to the whiteboard. "Normally, I'd have just turned this over to the government at this point." She spared a glance for the JAG man. "In fact, that's what was originally intended. However, due to logistics, they can't get a security team here for at least twenty four hours, and we have reason to think data destruction would occur before that time."

"Mark, we're going to need to put the scope in here." Dar ran a hand over the diagram. "The three critical mainframes are here, here, and here, and we'll need to pull the drive arrays from all three."

Mark was scribbling. "We just going to walk in there, DR?"

This was the tricky part. "No." Dar folded her hands on the podium. "Kerry and I are going in first." Heads all jerked her way. "The guards are used to seeing me, and they won't react." At least, you hope they won't. "Two of you are going to ride with us, and duck down in the back seat as we go through the gates."

"Check." Mark made a note. "How bout the rest of them?"

Dar felt a smile twitching at her lips at Mark's claim of his spot. "A volunteer who's familiar with the base is going to pay a visit. Everyone else will go with him."

"Them." Ceci muttered, just loud enough for Dar to hear her.

The techs all looked around, and finally spotted the two guests at the end of the table. "Oh, hey." Mark waved at Andy.

"Lo." Andrew drawled.

Kerry watched Brent's face, as he focused on the tall ex-seal, then returned his gaze straight ahead. She wondered what he was thinking.

"This is Captain Taylor, from the military justice department, and my father, Andrew Roberts." Dar introduced them succinctly. "My father's the volunteer who'll get the rest of you into the camp. He's very familiar with it." She let her eyes rove over the watching faces. "If either of them instruct any of you to do something, do it. " She paused. "Understand?"

"Gotcha, DR." Mark replied. "You guys all clear on that?"

The techs nodded.

"Good." Dar paused, then nodded. "Get moving. Don’t do anything stupid when you're out there. I don't want to be spending half the week doing paperwork on anyone. Got me?"

Another round of nodding.

"All right. That's all." Dar stepped back from the podium. Everyone stood and a low murmur of discussion started. Dar exhaled, and ran her fingers through her hair as Kerry crossed the room and came to her side. "Ready?"

"I've got all the equipment downstairs, ready to go." Kerry told her. "I brought the portable hundred gig array along, in case we need to transfer something we can't just take." She leaned forward. "And I picked up the black box, so you can run your code on it if you need to."

Dar considered that. "Good work." She said. "Thanks, Ker."

They followed the crowd out of the room and towards the elevator. Dar found herself between her father and Kerry as they entered the open car, and she leaned back against the mirrored wall aware of the warmth as they joined her. Slowly, she turned her had and regarded Kerry, who had folded her arms, and was gazing ahead of her. Then she turned and glanced at her father, who had adopted the same pose. The rest of the occupants of the elevator were studying the tiled floor with great interest.

Dar's brow creased. They were all acting a little weird., she thought, then realized it was probably due to the very odd circumstances. With a sigh, she let her head rest against the cool surface, and waited for the drop to end. The JAG Captain had been quiet, and reserved, and fairly well unhelpful, even after Dar had given him the cocaine brick.

He needed concrete proof, he'd said seriously. That brick could have come from anywhere, and the Chief could have just been looking to get someone in trouble. Which was true, Dar acknowledged, and the exact reason she was dragging her butt down to the upper Keys on a Saturday afternoon when she felt like crawling into bed and passing out.

A hand on her elbow almost made her jump, and she glanced up to see the doors open, and everyone else exiting. "Whoops.. sorry." She gave Kerry a smile. "I was just thinking."

Kerry glanced up at her, and returned the smile. "I could tell." She linked her arm inside Dar's and they continued across the lobby towards the front door. "How are you feeling?"

A little annoyed to be asked again. Dar almost retorted. "I'm fine." She replied. "Damn drugs are making me a little lightheaded, that's all." Deliberately putting more energy into her steps, she pulled free of Kerry's grip and stalked towards the entrance.

Kerry sighed. "Shit."

Andrew glanced at her. "Stubborn cuss, ain't she." He commiserated wryly.

Kerry looked at him. "Wonder where she gets it from." She answered, with equal wryness.

"Ah have no idea." Andrew said. "You better git moving fore she decides on driving."

Kerry sighed, and broke into a jog, ducking past the straggling techs as she tried to catch up with her partner.

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

Kerry waited until they were almost at the base before she slowed the pace of the Lexus, and glanced into the rearview mirror. She spotted Andrew a bit back, in Dar's car, and also caught the half asleep faces of Mark and Brent in the back seat.

It was very quiet in the car, she'd deliberately turned the stereo down to allow her passengers to relax and doze off if they wanted to. In fact, she encouraged them to do just that, knowing Dar would remain awake and alert if everyone else was just out of sheer cussedness.

But Mark had taken her hint, and loudly announced his intention to nap, poking Brent in the leg until the slightly slow on the uptake tech realized what he wanted and huddled down in his seat with a glum expression.

Then, of course, and only then had Dar allowed herself to relax, and slump against the doorframe, using a folded sweatshirt of Kerry's as an impromptu pillow as she closed her eyes and surrendered into a light doze.

Now, Kerry wished the trip was longer, but she reached over and gently touched Dar's thigh, squeezing it twice before she got a reaction. Dar's eyelids fluttered open, and she blinked, turning her head to peer at Kerry in confusion for a moment before her expression cleared, and she straightened in her seat.

"Okay, duck down, guys." Kerry said. "Just pull those comforters over you while I go through the gates." She turned into the base, and eased slowly down the approach road, pulling up next to the guard shack and leaning back a little so Dar could see the guard.

"Afternoon." Dar greeted the man. "Looks quiet."

The man came closer, then smiled. "Ms. Roberts… hey." He glanced around. "Didn't expect you here on the weekend."

Dar smiled back. "Got some little things to clear up." She said. "And my parents are coming down, just for old time's sake, to look around in the daytime."

The marine's eyes lit up. "Big Andy's coming in today? All right.. man, wait till the guys hear… you know they got a big old UD get together going on today, right?"

"No.. I didn't." Dar replied. "That'll be a damn nice surprise for him, though. Thanks for the word." She waved casually. "Gotta get to work."

The guard raised the gate and waved back. "Take it easy, Ms. Roberts."

Kerry drove into the parking lot. "Will that be a problem?" She asked. "That meeting or whatever?"

Dar was rubbing her eyes, and now she looked up. "Problem?" Her lips quirked. "I doubt it. This place'll be crawling with SEALS. This could be easier than we thought."

"Crawling with SEALS." Kerry parked, and set the brake. "Interesting visual, Dar, but how does it help us?"

Dar opened the door, and got out, stretching out her body as Mark joined her on the passenger side, and Kerry with Brent walked around the front of the Lexus. "It means we have friends here, Kerry." She felt better already. "The kind of friends you like to have when you're in a potentially dangerous situation."

Kerry consider that, as Mark removed the analyzer from the back of the car. "Unless some of them are involved." She commented, looking up to see ice cold blue eyes looking back at her. "Um. I mean.."

"Never." Dar said, low and forcefully. "Not these guys."

Kerry and Mark exchanged glances. "Okay." Kerry agreed softly. "You're the expert." She patted Dar's back. "Glad to hear that.. if they're all like dad, this'll be a piece of cake." Her eyes slid past Dar to meet Brent's, which darted off in another direction. "I feel better already."

"Brent, gimme a hand with this." Mark was kneeling next to the analyzer. "I need to fit the wiring harness."

Brent walked over and they fussed over the equipment, leaving Dar and Kerry standing a little apart as they waited. Dar glanced around, then exhaled, and ducked her head a bit. "I know I’m being a bitch. Sorry."

"Were you?" Kerry asked mildly. "I hadn't noticed."

Their eyes met. "Liar." Dar managed a smile.

Kerry shrugged slightly. "It's all right." She forced herself not to think about the churning in her guts. Suddenly, she found her shoulders circled by Dar's arm, and her senses were barraged by the abrupt closeness and warmth as Dar pulled her close in a hug. A voice whispered into her ear, and it took her long seconds to acknowledge the words.

"If I get too obnoxious, slap me."

Kerry felt some of the tension seep out f her, as she circled Dar's waist with an arm and squeezed. "All right, I will." She promised, releasing her and swatting her lightly in the butt. "Right there. Deal?"

"Deal." Dar let go of her as Mark and Brent came around the side of the car again, carrying the equipment. "Soon as the others get here, we move."

A fusillade of gunshots made them all jump. "Holy shit." Mark backed against the car. "Is that for us?"

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

"War games." Dar peered over the hood of the Lexus. "We got lucky again."

"Lucky?" Kerry winced, as she heard an echoing boom. She edged a little closer to Dar, and peered behind her where Andrew was just haphazardly parking her car's larger cousin. It was still overcast, and the air was thick with moisture. She sniffed at the wind. And thick with what smelled like gunpowder. "Those aren't real bullets, are they?"

"Sure." Dar replied. "But don't worry. Everyone will be participating, or watching, or keeping the hell out of the way. We can get in, and get out, and not attract attention." Unanticipated, but Dar wasn't a person who argued with good luck when it happened to thump down on top of her head. Things had been strained enough lately, a little smooth sailing was definitely called for.

"Ah." Kerry frowned. "Well, as long as we stay inside. I’m allergic to bullets." A group chorus of deep, male chanting carried over. "Mm.. way too mucho macho for moi,"

The rest of the group came over and gathered around them. "All right." Dar spoke. "We're heading for the administration building, over there. It should be pretty much empty. " She glanced around, seeing that most of the area, in fact, was pretty much empty.

Kerry shouldered one of the portable scopes. "I'll take Mark to the telecom center." She offered. "I remember where it is, and I've got my badge, still." She displayed it. "He can hook up there and control the network."

Mark looked up. "Brent, you and Josh come with us. Bring that cable kit, willya?"

Dar nodded. "Okay . the rest of you come with me to the computer center. Bring that array and the black box." She said. "Dad, go along with Kerry. She's headed towards the ops center, and there might be people around."

Andrew regarded her thoughtfully. "All right." He drawled, after a moment.

"If anyone questions you." Dar told them seriously. "Just tell them you're doing your job, and refer them to me, understand?" She made eye contact with the techs. "Don't act like you're not supposed to be here, got it?"

"Got it." Mark assured her.

"Captain, you come with me." Dar squared her shoulders and started to lead them towards the building.

The group sorted themselves out and followed her. Dar took the few moments of peace to run her plan through her mind again, checking the details, and making sure she knew what she was going to do once they got to the computer center. After a few strides, she realized she had diminutive shadow. "Thought you'd go with dad."

Ceci rubbed the side of her nose. She and Andrew really hadn't talked about what they were going to do once they'd gotten to the base, but after Dar had told him to go with Kerry, it had seemed only natural that she… What in the hell are you talking about, Cecilia? This isn't natural for you in any wayl! "Well." Ceci glanced around. "I just figured if you ran into any trouble, I'd just tell them that I’m your mother, and I said it was all right."

Dar's eyes perceptibly widened and went round. She gave the two techs a startled look, grateful they hadn't heard.

Or, at least, they were pretending very hard not to have heard. "W.. what?" She lowered her voice.

Ceci smothered a grin, and shrugged. "It always worked when you were a kid." She explained soberly. "Those marines usually recognized my authority a lot faster than their CO's."

Dar felt a blush coming on, and she hoped her employees wouldn't notice. Having her mother along wasn't something she'd figured into her battle plans. She sighed. Not that Ceci wasn't right, she grudgingly admitted, remembering many a time where only her mother's intervention had saved her from fates worse than death.

Like cleaning the recruits latrine. Dar felt her nose wrinkle in remembered disgust. "Good point." She finally spoke aloud. "Maybe you better write me up an admin pass while you're at it."

They climbed the stairs, and one of the techs scurried forward and opened the door, holding it courteously as the rest of them approached. Dar paused, resting a hand on the doorsill, and looked around.

No Marine. She wondered about that. Hadn't there always been a guard at this door? It seemed very quiet, though, and after a moment she shook her head and continued inside the building. It's been years, Dar. They could have changed a procedure or two.

The door closed behind them, it's metal lock clicking home with an exaggerated sound that echoed slightly in the empty hall.

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

Kerry walked next to Andrew, one hand nervously running up and down on the strap of the scope she carried. So far, they hadn't seen anyone on their walk to the telecom center, and she was trying to decide if that was good, or if would be better for them to meet the first potential objector, instead of anticipating it.

Not that she was all that worried, not with Andy strolling beside her, his long and somewhat rolling stride making her lengthen her own steps a little to keep up. She had no doubt her father in law could handle whatever uniformed minion got in their path, but still.

She looked around. It was creepy. "Is it usually this quiet?" She finally voiced her worry aloud, seeing from Marks' quick look he'd been thinking the same thing. "I remember it being a lot busier the last time I was here."

Andrew regarded the hallway, then turned and walked backwards for a few steps, his pale eyes flicking over every inch of the painted wooden walls and the studiously polished tile floors. He reverse himself again and continued forward. "Well." He paused. "Admin's usually emptier than a sack of sand with a wet bottom on the weekend."

"Kinda like our office." Mark supplied.

"Yeap." The ex seal agreed. "Usually a body or two more round thereabouts, though." He glanced down an offshoot corridor. "Figure everyone's out watching the pups."

"Pups?" Mark asked.

Brent, walking beside him, was listening intently but pretending not to. He hadn't said a word since they'd left the office, and Kerry found herself wondering again why he was there. She glanced at the shorter man's face, and just then he looked up, and their eyes met. It only lasted an instant, then Brent jerked his head forward.

Kerry had felt the icy coldness behind his eyes, though, and she drew in a faintly unsteady breath.

"Got a couple of new SEAL teams goin through some situations." Andrew said. "That's what 's all going on outside."

The door to the telecom room loomed up, and Kerry tried the latch. She was surprised to find it open, and she looked over her shoulder at Andrew in question. "That's pretty careless."

Andrew grunted, and held the door open as the techs passed inside. "Y'all gwan in there. I'll be right back." He let the door close, then turned, and just stood for a moment in the hallway.

Listening.

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

They found their first two navy personnel inside the computer center. Dar pushed the door open and stuck her head inside, giving the two console operators a nod as they looked up in surprise. "Afternoon."

One had been on duty the day she and the Chief had tangled, and that one stood up as Dar entered. "Ms. Roberts…"

Dar held a hand up. "We're just collecting some data." She waved the woman back to her seat. "Relax."

"B…" The woman protested.

"You're not going to ask me for authorization, are you?" Dar swiveled, and gave her a patented glare.

"No, ma'am, I’m not, but.."

"Great." Dar continued towards the console and sat down in front of it, eyeing her arm in irritation.

The console operator opened her mouth, then closed it, and gave her companion a little shrug. The male sailor also shrugged, and shook his head.

Dar leaned on the console, and scanned the screen. "Hook that up to the aux port." She absently directed the shorter tech, a young man with curly red hair and russet freckles sprinkled over half his face. "I want it direct."

"Yes, ma’am." The tech replied quietly. "We do have the net direct card in it."

"I know." Dar hunted and pecked, scowling. "I don’t want it addressable." She answered, cursing silently at the length of time it was taking her to set up the program she wanted. After a moment more, she gave up and unhooked the sling holding her arm close to her body, and removed it, laying it over her thigh.

Ow. Whether from lack of use, or her injury it was hard to tell, but her muscles were screaming as she flexed her injured arm. Dar grimaced, but kept up the motion, finally laying her forearm down on the console and using both hands to type. Ow, ow ow. Son of a… A glance up at her reflection in the screen showed a tense, drawn face looking back, and she paused, taking a deep breath and releasing it, trying to will the pain away.

Stupid damn arm. Her mind muttered in disgust. Stupid damn Chuck, and his stupid damn bat and his stupid parochial macho ego. The jolts of pain went down her shoulder and all the way into her fingers, so intense it almost made her sneeze.

It was hard to keep her mind focused, with all that. She had to retype the same line twice, then reenter a parameter, before she finally had things set up the way she wanted them. It was a simple program, really – just a looping bit of code that would transfer the contents of the base’s main system to her storage box sector by sector – at a machine level that would not allow for any interference in the copying from any high level security that might be running. Sort of like copying the encoded digital signal from a CD, rather than recording the sound as it was produced. She hoped that would protect the integrity of the data – any attempt at a simple copy could trigger god only knows what if someone who really knew what they were doing and had protection in place. Dar was surprised, actually, that her previous intrusions hadn’t been detected and objected to – she’d figured that either meant whoever was doing this wasn’t as good as she was… or the person was a lot better.

Dar sighed, and hit enter. She wished she knew which it was, remembering a time when considering anyone to be ‘better’ was an alien thought to her. Another sigh. God, she’d been such a cocky son of a bitch.

She moved slightly, and a shot of pain made her suck in her breath and hold it, her eyes blinking away the sudden tears. The painkillers she’d taken before they’d left were wearing off, Dar realized. Shit.

C’mon, Dar. You used to just work past this, remember? For a moment, she just closed her eyes, and concentrated, allowing the ache to become something she could handle, and put into the background of her conscious mind. It took a little longer than it used to, but after a bit she was able to start breathing normally, and let her eyes open, focusing on the screen and the task before her.

Okay. I can do this. Her mind cleared, and she started typing again. Logic strings emerged grumpily from long unused memory cells, but it only took two or three tries before she had a relatively working loop going. "Okay." She glanced at the tech kneeling nearby. "Ready?"

The redhead looked up at her confidently. "Ready, ma’am."

Dar hit the enter button. For a moment, she thought she’d screwed up the program, then the screen flickered, and started scrolling a hexadecimal display with commendable obedience. Whew.

"Wow." The tech watched, evidently impressed. "You did that on the fly?"

Dar shrugged modestly. She was aware of the navy console operators watching over her shoulder with interest. One whistled under their breath. Dar rested her chin on her hand, and wished herself elsewhere.

"Scuse me." Ceci’s voice came closer. "Here." The older woman put something down on the console, then rested a hesitant hand on Dar’s shoulder. "They were out of Evian."

Dar eyed the cute container of MacArthur Dairy chocolate milk and found herself smiling. God, her mother had always hated her constant consumption of this stuff. "Guess I didn’t turn into a chocolate cow after all, huh?"

"No." Ceci said. "All those sleepless nights worrying about you keeling over from scurvy, wasted."

Dar half turned and glanced up. "Did you? Really worry about that?"

Ceci studied her daughter’s tense face. "Yeah." She admitted quietly. "I worried about you all the time, for a lot of reasons." She paused. "I guess I shouldn’t have."

Dar thought about that. Then she shrugged a little. "Maybe it’s a mother thing."

One pale eyebrow lifted. "It sort of grows on you after a while." Ceci said. "Surprises the hell out of me sometimes."

Dar grinned slightly. "I bet."

Her mother chuckled, with a hint of wry humor. "I’ve got some ibuprofan. Interested?"

Dar nodded in thinly disguised relief. "Thanks." She accepted the handful of small pills, and opened her milk, washing down the painkillers and drinking the cold, sweet liquid with a feeling of pure relief. The program was running, transferring the information to her secured storage at a very good rate, she had aspirin, she had chocolate milk.. things were looking up.

The only thing she was missing at the moment was..

"Dar." Kerry’s voice made her look up and spot her lover coming in the door. "Mark’s having trouble syncing the circuit. He wants to know if you know anything odd about the data rate."

Ah. Dar leaned on the console and regarded the blond woman. Kerry’s brows were creased, and her pale hair was messed, apparently from her running her hands through it. Definitely a sign of her lover being a little distraught. "Nothing concrete. He want me to go take a look?"

Kerry came up to her and leaned on the console, peeking at the screen before answering. "He didn’t say that, just wanted to know if you had any hints."

One of Dar’s eyebrows lifted. "He couldn’t just call and ask?"

"Um." Kerry fiddled with a button on her shirt, then peeked up from under pale lashes. "He didn’t want to chance the cell?"

"Uh huh. And he had to send you to ask?"

Kerry’s lips tensed, masking a smile. "I volunteered."

Ah. Dar felt an absurd contentedness. Kerry had come to check up on her. Mom was bringing her milk. Next thing she knew, she’d be in a rocker with someone putting a shawl over her shoulders. "Tell him to try an extended packet size on tcp/ip – look for an added four byte segment."

"Oh." Kerry got up. "Okay, I’ll go tell him Thanks, Dar." She started for the door, but paused as she heard Dar get up to follow her. They walked together past the consoles, and edged out into the hallway.

"Everything else going all right?" Dar asked, in a low voice. "We’ve got the transfer going here, Ker. I estimate another twenty minutes, and we’ll be done."

Kerry looked up and down the hallway. "I don’t know. This place is giving me the creeps today, Dar. Dad went off a little while ago, and he hasn’t come back yet. It’s just too quiet."

"Yeah." Dar exhaled. Okay, so maybe she didn’t come to check on me. "Maybe he’s just scoping the place out. He knows his way around, and he can take care of himself, so there’s no point in worrying about that."

"Hm." Kerry folded her arms. "Any sign of that petty person?"

"No." Dar stated. "No sign of just about anyone, except for the two console ops in there. Everyone else must be watching the war games."

"Mm." Kerry murmured again under her breath. "You okay?" She finally asked. "You took your sling off."

"Had to type." Dar explained. "I’m all right. It’s just sore."

Kerry once again looked up and down the hallway, then she leaned foreword and very gently kissed Dar’s injured shoulder. "Be careful." One hand lifted, and rubbed Dar’s belly. "I worry about you."

And then she turned and strode back down the hallway, the twitch of her shoulders indicating her awareness of Dar’s watching eyes.

Which weren’t precisely on her shoulders, despite the situation and the ache in her arm, and the worries that were now running through her mind. Boy. Dar couldn’t help the observation. She’s got a sexy walk. It had a little swagger to it, a gentle roll to her hips and a muscular strength that Dar found very, very attractive. She watched her lover until she turned a corner at the far end of the corridor, then she sighed, and returned to the ops center.

"Ms. Roberts?" The console operator stepped into her path. "Are you part of this exercise, ma’am? I was just wondering… we weren’t told to expect you, and Dave and I figured you got stuck in just for a challenge. Are we right?"

Exercise? Dar stopped, and eyed her warily. "Are you talking about the war games?"

The navy tech exchanged glances with her partner. "It’s not a war game, really. It’s a security drill." She replied. "You mean you didn’t know?"

"Security drill? They told us it was a SEAL exercise at the gate." Dar stated. "Graduation for some new teams."

The sailor named Dave got up and trotted over. "Well, yeah, but they’re graduating from the urban warfare school." He explained eagerly. "They’ve got to counteract a terrorist infiltration of a critical operations center."

"Crit… " Dar glanced around. "You mean here? This is the target?"

The woman tech nodded. "Yeah, we were expecting the terrorists.. we thought you were them when you came in, but then we fi.."

The door slammed open with a loud bang, and the room was suddenly filling with grungy looking men in green and brown fatigues. "Don’t move! Don’t move!" The one in the lead screamed, brandishing an M16. "Get back against the wall, you pigs!"

Dar felt the situation explode out of control with frightening speed. Two of them men rushed at her and grabbed her arms, causing her to let out a startled yell of anger and pain. "Cut that out!"

The man on her left slammed her against the wall and leaned against her. "Shut up! Shut up or we’ll kill you!"

Dar struggled out of pure panicked instinct, wrenching her body around and shoving off from the wall, throwing her surprised attackers back as she twisted, ignoring the pain. One grabbed for her again and she swiveled, lashing out with a kick that caught him in the gut as she tried to move away from the second one.

Something exploded against her head, and she was barely aware of slamming against the wall, as her knees buckled, and darkness quickly overcame the stars in her vision. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

*********

Kerry was aware of every creak of wood, and every scuff of her boots against the tiled floor as she walked down the hallway. The atmosphere was getting creepier and creepier every second, and she had to keep herself from looking around nervously as she walked.

C’mon, Kerry. She finally told herself in irritation. Stop acting like a terrorist is going to jump out of every doorway.

As she passed the next one, a shadow shifted, and suddenly engulfed her. Kerry reacted by letting out a yell, which was half muffled as a hand clapped itself over her mouth and strong hands grabbed her.

"Hey.. hey… kumquat… relax." Andrew’s voice almost made her go completely limp. "Stop that hollerin, willya?" Cautiously, the ex-SEAL released his hold and looked anxiously at her. "You aint’ hurt, are you?"

"No." Kerry leaned against him in relief. "Sorry – this place is just making me nuts. Where’ve you been?"

Andy awkwardly patted her back. "Just checking things. Somethin ain’t right here. Saturday’s quiet, but not like this is."

"So I’m not just imagining things?" Kerry said. "Okay, let me go tell Mark what Dar said to do, then we can come back here and see if we don’t want to just cut this all short." Kerry started down the hall, with Andrew ambling along beside her with his loose, powerful stride. "What do you think is going on?"

"Ah do not know." Andrew’s head was swiveling back and forth, watching everything. "Haven’t found anybody t’ask." He glanced at her. "Dardar all right?"

Kerry looked behind her. "I think so." She answered. "She seems okay. Tired, though. I think her arm's hurting."

"Aw." Andrew patted her shoulder. "She's a tough kid. Don't you worry."

"That's true." Kerry sighed. "I just wish this was over… hey!" She found herself suddenly grabbed, and yanked back into a doorway, with a large, warm hand covering her mouth.

"Hush." Andrew barely whispered. "Don't you move none."

Kerry nodded in understanding, and stayed perfectly still. The doorway they were standing in was dark, and she could almost feel the shadows reaching around her, but she couldn't hear anything, and she wondered what, exactly, they were hiding from.

Then she saw the soft, gray, almost indistinguishable reflection on the tile floor, inching towards the gap where the door met the hallway. She strained her ears, but she still couldn't hear anything, though she could see that tiny shadow moving closer and closer. Puzzled, she looked up at Andrew's face, able to see only the utter stillness there, save the faint flaring of his nostrils.

The shadow slipped closer and closer, and Kerry felt her breathing increase. She glued her eyes to the edge of the doorway, and almost jumped when the edge of a rifle barrel cut the straight line. Oh, my god. Kerry clamped her jaw shut so her teeth wouldn't chatter. She felt Andy's body shift behind her, and sensed the tension that came into the arms he had wrapped loosely about her.

The barrel moved forward, further away from the door than she first thought, and now the hands and body of it's wielder came into view. It was a young man, of medium height, dressed in fatigues, his eyes flicking nervously up and down the hallway.

Surely, Kerry's mind screamed, surely he'd look right at her.

But he didn't. He kept going, and before she could relax, another man edged into view, moving with careful silence. This man was taller and thinner, and had a scruffy beard. Then more of them moved past, six or seven in all, Kerry had lost count before the last one, a huge bear of a man, crept past. They were wearing backpacks, and their clothes had a well used air about them. Kerry's nose twitched, as the scent of gun oil came to her.

Andrew waited almost an entire minute before he eased past Kerry, and very slowly edged his head around the doorway. Then he relaxed, and scowled. "What in hell's that all about?"

"I don't know, but it was seriously creepy." Kerry told him, peering down the now empty hallway. "Hey.. maybe they're Cuban terrorists!"

Andy allowed a tiny snort of laughter to emerge. "Not hardly." He said. "C'mon, kumquat… let's get us back to that there closet. I figger we'll find out what's up soon enough."

Ain't that the truth. Kerry shook her head, and they started down the hallway. She'd taken maybe ten paces, before she stopped dead, a fist clenching her heart. "Oh." A sense of panic filled her, and she turned, evading Andrew's outstretched hand as she launched into a headlong run.

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

There was a moment’s frozen silence. Then the lead terrorist pulled the wool mask off his face. "Shit." He panted hoarsely. "It’s a civ!"

Ceci, frozen in shock for several long heartbeats, now surged into motion. She ducked between two of the men and shoved a third out of the way. "You stupid pig headed son of a bitch clueless useless excuse for jarhead buttholes." She dropped to her knees beside Dar’s very still, slumped figure. "I should pull your damn privates off." Anxiously, she touched her daughter’s face, which was pale and relaxed.

"Shit." The lead terrorist said. "What do we do, Sarge?"

The second man who had come in fingered his rifle. "Just stay where you are. We’ve got our orders."

"What?" The man who’d taken his mask off objected. "Are you crazy? This ain’t part of the orders.. this is a fucking civ!"

"You don’t know that." The sergeant snapped back. "What if they are? They could be part of the gig, you know that. They said there’d be something unexpected… this is it. So shut up and just go over there." He turned and looked at the rest of the room. "You all just sit your asses still, and keep your mouths shut."

"Dar?" Ceci patted Dar’s cheek gently. "Hey, Dardar?" The pet name felt strange on her lips, but she ignored that. "C’mon, kid – open your eyes, hmm?"

For a far too long instant there was no response. Ceci patted Dar’s cheek again, and this time her daughter’s eyelids fluttered in reaction, sliding half open to expose dazed pale blue orbs. Ceci found herself babbling in near panic, much to her consternation. "Hey, munchkin, c’mon – you okay?" The eyes tracked to her and fastened on her face, then blinked and opened a little further. "Dar?"

"Urmf." It felt like a building had fallen in on top of her. She just wanted to let her eyes close, and go back to sleep. It was quieter there, and it hurt a hell of a lot less. But someone was shaking her, and she had a sneaking suspicion it was her mother, who would just keep on shaking.

Always had.

"Okay." Dar fended off the prodding. "Okay.. okay.. I'm awake… Jesus…" She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them fully, blinking until her mother came fuzzily into focus. Her face was suddenly cupped between Ceci's hands, and she could feel the tremor in them. A faint, but distinct feeling of surprise filtered through her admittedly half conscious mind.

"Here, see if you can sit up." Ceci urged. "I think the brainless wood chip back there just clipped you."

The terrorists were nervously deploying around the room, and had herded the two console operators over in the corner where Dar and Ceci were. They hadn't seen Dar's two techs yet, who were prudently hiding behind the large, twin drive arrays Dar had been transferring data from.

Okay. Dar managed to get upright, and took stock of herself and the situation. Her head hurt like hell. Her arm hurt worse. Her dignity was screaming in mortal agony. Her mother, for God's sake, was petting her like a kitten.

Jesus! What the hell could happen next?

A wild yell punctured the room, and the door was flung open. The terrorists whirled, and brought their guns up, screaming warnings as a disheveled blond figure stumbled into the room, looking around frantically. The man closest to the door leaped at her, only to be intercepted by a tall, menacing shadow that grabbed him, disarmed him, and tossed him against the wall in one long, sweeping motion.

"Awright." Andrew's voice boomed out. "Ya'll stay still, or figgure yourself swiss cheese." He cocked the big, black shotgun the man had been carrying with a solid, scary sound, then lifted it and aimed it at the biggest guy there, a man half again his weight but about the same height as he was.

"Dar!" Kerry bolted for her.

Oh. Dar's tired mind sighed. That's what could happen next. Do yourself a favor, Dar. Don't imagine anything else.

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

"Tell me again what this all is?" Andy stood, with his hands on his hips, glaring at the hapless leader of the 'terrorists.' "Them people out there sent you all in here?"

"Look, sir." The bear-like soldier had both hands empty, and held out in abject defense. "It's the training exercise. They told us to come in here, and take hostages." He looked around. "We came in here and took hostages.. they weren't supposed to fight back."

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "You saying it was my kid's fault she got hurt?" His voice lowered in pitch.

"N..no, sir." The soldier shook his head. "I’m saying we got surprised, and Niles over there got kicked in a place that really needs ice, if you know what I mean."

Andrew threw a glance at the tallest soldier, who grimaced, and crossed his legs gingerly. "What comes next?" He asked, though he had a pretty good idea. "Them youngsters outside come git you?"

The man nodded. "We're assigned to hold them off. I've got explosives, and extra ammo in those packs. We're supposed to blockade the room, and maintain a defensive perimeter." He hesitated. "Sir, they told us they were going to throw in some unexpected things. I thought… " He glanced over to where the rest of the 'hostages' were seated. "I thought they were part of it. "

"Uh huh." Andrew gave him a very disapproving glare. "Wall, I’m fixing to end this here exercise right quick. Don’t' you go nowhere." He shouldered the shotgun and turned towards the door, only pausing when he heard Dar's cell phone ring. "Now what?"

"I"ll get that." Kerry slid the phone out of it's holder, clipped at Dar's waist, and opened it. "Yes?"

I can answer my own phone. Dar protested, but the words never emerged, and she was content merely to listen. It was easier to think that way.

"Mark.. Mark.. wait… slow down." Kerry's voice sharpened, and took on urgency. "Hold on.. ho.. what?"

"Give me that." Dar took the phone from her and listened to the chaotic sounds from the other side. "MARK!!!!" She let out a yell. The chaos continued, then subsided.

"Boss.. boss.. this place is going nuts. We gotta get outta here." Mark yammered. "Some half ass whackos came into that comm center and trashed it! We hid in the punch down closet." His voice went muffled. "Get down.. Brent, you fucking jerk, get your fucking head down before I kick it off!"

Ah. Dar took a breath. He's learning my management style. "Mark, calm down. Were these military guys? They've got some wargame crap going on in here."

"I don't know what the fuck they were." Mark sounded unusually panicked. "They had guns, Dar. They fucking shot the Ethernet hub."

Dar frowned, and glanced up at Andrew, who had crossed over to kneel at her side. "Are they supposed to be firing live rounds?"

"Hell no." Andrew removed a shotgun shell from the gun he was carrying, and showed it to her. "Dummies."

"Can dummies blow holes in electronic equipment?"

"No way." The terrorist leader had also come over. "We're not supposed to break anything, in fact, my CO told me if I dented any of these machines, he'd take em out of my paycheck for the next twenty years."

What the hell was going on. "Mark, stay right where you are." Dar ordered into the phone. "Don’t take any chances. If those idiots are shooting real bullets, you three stay put until we figure out what the deal is."

"Good idea." Andrew nodded.

"Yeah." The terrorist scratched his jaw, and agreed.

There was a scuffle, then the sound of a slamming door, and it got more or less quiet. "Okay." Mark panted. "We're in here, but let me tell you, boss - I'm bucking for a bonus after this."

Dar let her breath out with a soft grunt. "You'll get it." She folded the phone and let it drop onto her thigh, as her eyes lifted to Andrew's. "Dad, what the hell is this?"

"Maybe it's a mistake." The terrorist leader offered. "I don't think they really shot anything up, ma'am."

Kerry shook her head. "No, the man on the other end of that phone isn't someone who makes things up or panics for no reason." She disagreed, putting a hand on Dar's forearm. "If he says they were shooting, they were."

Ceci cleared her throat. "Does that mean they're coming here next?"

Everyone exchanged glances. "Well." The burly terrorist hesitated. "We're their target, so yeah, I guess."

"If they're shooting real bullets, that could be a problem."

Andrew scrubbed a hand across his face. "Lord." He sighed. "Ain't this a mess. I think we'd better all just get on out of here, Dardar. Pick up your gear and let's move." He touched Dar's lower leg. "Need to get you back to where Dr. Steve can take a peek at that skull."

Dar had to admit that was probably a good idea. The spot she'd been hit in felt hot, and swollen, and it ached. Kerry had found a large bruise spreading down her neck, and with everything else that had happened, even Dar couldn't argue with being on the safe side. "Okay." She glanced at her redheaded tech. "Is that download done?" Doug, his name was, if she recalled.

"Almost." Doug replied.

"Dar, forget it." Kerry urged gently. "Let's just get out of here. It's not worth risking you." She could see the unevenly dialating pupils in Dar's eyes, and guessed she had a concussion. It was all too much, and she found their jobs counting for less and less as each minute went on. "C'mon."

For a moment, she thought Dar was going to refuse. The blue eyes studied her face quietly, searching it intently before Kerry saw the surrender, then the faint nod of agreement. Dar handed her the cell phone. "I'll tell Mark to sneak out and meet us in the parking lot."

Ceci stood up and let Andrew get around next to Dar, gently helping her up. She had put the sling back on her daughter's arm with surprisingly little resistance, and now Dar accepted Andy's assistance with the same silent gratitude.

Frankly, that scared the poo out of Ceci. The only time she'd ever seen Dar meekly submitting to this kind of babying was when she'd been really, really hurt. That broken leg, she recalled, was the last time, when the sixteen year old Dar had huddled in Andy's arms, trying very hard not to cry as he carried her into the hospital.

Leaving, she decided, was a very good idea. "All right, let's go." She started to lead the way towards the door, when it was abruptly thrust inward, and Chief Daniel entered, slamming it behind her. "Ah."

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you." Daniel pointed at Dar, so angry she was almost spitting. "Went right to your buddy and told him, didn't you?"

Dar stared at her. "No. We didn't tell anyone here." She glanced over to where the JAG officer had been crouched, then realized he was gone. "Wh…"

"Someone did." The Chief spat. "Cause they're coming through this place and wrecking everything they can get their hands on." She turned and looked at the terrorists. "You better get your asses out of here, because they're on the way. Unless you want to end up looking like hamburger, get lost."

They heard a crunching sound, from not far away.

"Too late fer that." Andrew stated quietly. "Looks like we got us a problem."

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

"Should we call the cops?" Ceci watched the men in fatigues move cabinets in front of the door. "Andy, this is getting out of hand." She was standing behind Dar, who was seated again at the console, laborously pecking at the keyboard with a single index finger.

"Don't got time." Her husband replied, as he hopped up onto a desk, and peered out through the glass panels that topped the wall separating them from the hallway. "Cops gotta come down from Largo anyhow, they get a lick of traffic, might as well ferget it."

"So, what are we doing?" Ceci knew she sounded nervous, but the loud noises of destruction were coming closer, and she had a lot of things to worry about in the room. Andy for one, who tended to believe in his own indestructibility.

"Specting us to hold em off, so that's what were gonna do." Andrew replied. "Give em nough trouble to make em run off somewheres else."

Chief Daniel snorted. "This is where they want to be." She pointed at the mainframes. "They won't leave those standing."

The leader of the terrorist SEALS glanced between Andy and the Chief, obviously confused. "Ma'am, just what the hell's going on here?"

"You don't want to know." The Chief told him point blank. "Because if you did, you'd have to spend the next ten years in some admin's office doing paperwork on it, got me?" She looked around the room, and shook her head. "We can't hold this place."

"Sure we can." Andy disagreed. "Just need us some unconventional ammo, that's all." He looked over to see Kerry crouched next to Dar, ostensibly watching the screen, but with her attention obviously focused on her injured friend. "What you got in them guns, paint?"

The lead terrorist nodded, then jumped as they heard the distinct sound of bodies thumping against the wall in the hallway. "Here they come."

"All right." Andrew pointed. "Ceci, get down behind that there cabinet, take the kids with you."

Dar and Kerry exchanged glances, then looked at Ceci. "Kids?" Kerry objected, but got up to move anyway. "Come on, Dar."

"In a minute." Dar replied absently, typing in a final command. "This is almost done."

"Dar." Kerry heard the crackle of a megaphone outside. "Now, please?" She tugged very gently on her lover's uninjured arm.

"You there inside." A voice boomed out. "We know you've got hostages. If you know what's good for you, let them go."

Dar reluctantly got up and joined Kerry and her mother behind the big computer consoles, where Doug and his co worker were also crouched. She took out her cell phone and opened it, redialing Mark's number.

"You stay where you are, or these guys get it." The terrorist leader recited dutifully. "I got women in here, and I"ll waste em."

Andrew gave him a look.

"That's what they told us to say, sir." The man rumbled apologetically. He deployed his men to either side of the doorway, and told them to keep down. "They're going by the plan too, you sure this isn't just part of the exercise?"

At that instant, the lights went off. A thick, dark silence fell over the room, as the air conditioning stopped, and the computers shut down in a sad, dying whirr of fans.

"Note to self." Dar's voice cut through the gloom. "Recommend independent UPS systems."

"Jesus." Kerry whispered.

"Doug, disconnect the box, and pull it over towards me." Dar said quietly.

"Yes, ma'am."

Andrew blinked, then blinked again to see if that would help him see anything in the darkened room. No such luck. His mind ran through the possibilities, and didn't much like any of them. "Figure they're gonna toss something through them there winders next." He muttered.

"Gas? Yeah." The terrorist leader agreed softly. "We got masks."

"Not enough of em." Andy let his eyes close as he stood up. "Stay here. You hear something, get down."

"Yes, sir."

Doug crept across the tile floor, dragging the big box. "Okay, here it is, ma'am."

Dar felt the equipment, making sure the cover was tightly on, and the back ports were secured. She thought a minute, then felt around her until her hand touched a box of fanfold paper intended for the big lineprinter nearby.

As is always the case with computer paper, it was nearly empty. Dar inverted it, and slid it down over her black box. Then she sat down comfortably on top of it, and exhaled. "Okay. Whatever happens, keep your heads down, and don't move."

In the darkness, she felt Kerry nestle closer to her, pressing their bodies together, and sliding a hand to curl around Dar's thigh.

"You've got one chance to come out." The voice boomed.

Dar heard a slithering sound nearby, and something that sounded like dead fish being slapped on a dock. "Dad?"

"Hush." Andrew's voice echoed softly. "Just you stay down."

"We are." Kerry whispered back. "What are you doing?"

"Never you mind, kumquat. Just stay put, and keep yer head low."

"I’m warning you!" Their terrorist called. "You do anything, I start shooting in here, and I won't care what I hit!" A few whispered orders followed, and the shuffling, very faint, of booted feet. "We got gas masks, so don't bother trying anything, not unless you want these hostages gassed!"

"Didn't know they were selecting them for intelligence this year." Ceci muttered, under her breath. "Nice."

"Mom." Dar bit back a smile, invisible as it was.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, they only pick SEALS who are smart enough to save the team's asses."

"Don't none of you be standing fore that door there." Andrew rumbled softly.

The SEAL team leader stepped a pace closer. "You sure this isn't just reg stuff, sir? They're going right by the plan so far."

"Ah don't know." Andy replied. "But I am not taking chances with mah wife, and my kids in here. Them folks had best hope they come in with them little paint balls and a lot of hollerin, and not with anything worse, or it's gonna get messy."

A loud thump was heard. Then there was silence. Everyone waited, now sweating in the motionless air.

Then everything happened at once. The top windows blew in, and hard, round things entered, bouncing off surfaces with wild abandon. That was followed by a very strange noise, like an over shaken soda can being popped.

A acrid smell began to fill the room, then stopped as an indescribable noise started, and the stink was replaced with a second overwhelming scent, this one chemical.

Dar wrapped her good arm around Kerry and ducked her head, as popping noises started, and a crash came from the front door. She could sense things happening around her, but the sounds didn't evoke any logic, and the smell of smoke and sweat, and chemical made her queasy.

Now men were yelling. The attacking SEALS poured in the door, and the explosive sound of guns firing filled the room. Tiny red tracers raced everywhere, dotting the walls and floor, then the yells turned to hollering, as the odd noise returned, along with a loud whoop Dar recognized as her father.

"What in the hell is he doing?" Dar hissed to Ceci.

"You're asking ME????" Her mother hissed back. "You're the one who checked out the entire Jane's Weapons series from the library, remember?"

"Son of a bitch!!!" A yell rose up. "What the fuck!"

Now the noise sounded more like cattle being herded into a pen, one filled with jello. Dar could hear bodies colliding, and the chemical smell became almost overwhelming. Then she heard something behind them.

Boots. Shuffling.

The cocking of a shotgun. Instinctively, Dar grabbed hold of Ceci, and Kerry and pulled them all down to the floor, ignoring the pain in her arm as the world exploded behind her. She felt the shudder in the equipment they were leaning against, then heard a grunt, another cocking, , and pressed her body against the floor.

Another shot. Pieces of plastic showered over them. The shouting continued on the other side of the room.

A red tracer danced lazily through the blackness.

Dar watched, in stunned disbelief, as it traveled over her chest, and stopped. For a second, all she could hear was her own heartbeat, turned into a thunder as her mind realized what was happening.

The shotgun cocked.

"Dad!!!" Dar let out a yell, knowing if she moved, she'd expose Kerry and her mother.

She closed her eyes.

Then there was a thud, and a curse, and the sound of something ripping.

Metal hitting flesh. Flesh hitting flesh.

An animal growl.

"All right." A commanding voice rose over the chaos. "Hold it! Everybody stand down!"

And then the lights came on.

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

"What in hell is going on in here." A tall, burly man strode into the room, and put his hands on his hips. "I thought I …. Andy?"

Andrew dropped the arm he was holding and straightened from a crouch, turning to face the newcomer. "Lo, Steve." His eyes anxiously checked the sprawl of bodies between the ruined computer consoles. "You all okay?"

"Fine." Ceci squirmed out from under Dar's outstretched leg.

"Yeah." Kerry didn't move an inch, preferring to remain where she was with both arms wrapped around her lover.

"Thanks." Dar grimaced, shifting her weight off her bad arm as she met her father's eyes.

Andrew nodded then returned his attention to the newcomers. The SEALS, both protectors and attackers were sprawled everywhere, fatigues in jungle pattern and black smeared with paint and a thick, glutenous coating that also filled the floor, and was spattered on walls, consoles, equipment, and every other surface within the room.

Andy let the end of the firehose he'd been wielding drop off his shoulder, then he glanced down at his feet with a sense of tired disappointment. He reached out a sneakered foot and rolled over the slumped form dressed in similar black fatigues, and gently booted the rifle he'd taken from the attacker far out of range. "Damn."

"Holy shit." Steve Drake had picked his way over to where Andrew was standing. "What the hell's the CO doing here? Did you hit him? Why? What the hell are you doing here? Who.. hey, ain't that your little girl and the missus?"

"Steve." Andy exhaled.

"What happened to these damn machines?" The SEAL commander turned and glared at the slowly disentangling team members. "I thought I told you people not to touch any of this.." Steve stopped talking, as a large hand fit itself over his mouth.

"Hush." Andy exhaled. "We got a lot to talk through. Get some medics in here first."

"But…"

"Just do it." Andy's voice took on a crisp stern quality.

Dar managed to push herself upright, hampered by both her arm, and Kerry's tenacious hold on her. She let her head rest against the wreckage of the console and blinked. "Doug?"

"Just fine, ma'am." Doug and his companion crawled out from between the computer and the nearby wall. They were both covered in dust, but unharmed. "That other lady officer took off in the dark, though. I don't know what happened to her."

Several possibilities occurred to Dar, and caused her to smile unpleasantly. She hurt too much to enjoy them, however. "Take the box, and get outside. Mark's waiting for you. Get it into my car, and just get off base." She kept her voice low. "Move it."

Doug hesitated, then his freckled face scrunched into a grimace, and he nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Be careful." He and the other tech carefully uncovered the disk assembly, and lifted it between them, then started to make their way quietly towards the door, dodging the cursing, slipping SEALS.

Kerry's eyes were on the still form at Andy's feet. "You were wrong." She murmured.

"Yeah." Dar agreed, sadly. "I guess I was. I was hoping I wasn't." She closed her eyes. "He was trying to use the exercise to cover wiping his tracks, I guess."

Kerry shook her head. "I don't get any of this. What about that petty person? Was she part of it too? Is everyone in this place messed up, Dar?"

"I don't know." Dar answered. "I don't want to think about it right now." She let her eyes open, and examine the hole in the console just opposite her. "I hate this."

"Well, hon. I don't think anyone would like being in a half shot up room full of fire retardant foam and cursing sailors." Kerry joked, faintly. "I know I don't."

It was more like a bad dream. Dar felt a hurt beyond the physical as she considered the consequences of the day. Never had to nail a friend, have you? She accepted the self acknowledgment with a bitter taste in her mouth. It was sure easy enough for you to do this to some damn strangers, wasn't it, Dar? You used to laugh about it - remember? It was true, she knew. She remembered exchanging bets with Duks on how many people she could nail at companies they consolidated. What was her record? Fifteen, wasn't it?

Her eyes went to the ceiling. Well. She had a job to do, and after this, chips were going to fall where they fell, that's all. After all, there had been that laser scope on her chest, and now Dar had to face the possibility that given another few seconds, her families' 'old friend' might have chosen to pull that trigger.

That close, with a shotgun, and there was no doubt she would surely have died. It would have been a 'mistake' during an exercise, that was all. Friendly fire, and civilians had no authority to be where they'd been anyway.

Dar's lips twitched. Damn, life just really sucked sometimes. She inhaled, then rolled her head to one side, to meet Kerry's eyes. Had Kerry seen the scope? Did she know what almost happened? "You okay?"

"Me?" Kerry almost spluttered. "I’m perfectly fine, Dar. Can you stand up? I'd like to get the hell out of this room. The smell of that foam is making me sick."

No. Dar realized. She didn't know. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to save the news for later, when they were alone. "Sure. That's a good idea." She got her feet under her and slowly stood up. Kerry held onto her, which she was glad for as a wave of dizziness nearly sent her right back down to the ground again. "Whoa."

"Easy." Kerry wrapped an arm firmly around her. "I got you."

Dar waited a moment, as the buzzing faded, then laid her arm across Kerry's shoulders and took a look around the room for the first time. "Holy shit." She blurted, shocked at the compound disaster the area had become.

"Leave it to your father." Ceci had come up on the other side. "He could do that to a perfectly clean carport, too." She looked up at Dar. "You doing all right?" There was a faint hesitance in her voice. "Or is the smell in here killing you as much as it is me?"

Dar felt sick to her stomach, and the pain in both her shoulder and head seemed to be getting worse. Or maybe it was just a combination of things. "It's pretty bad." She agreed. "We're going to get out of here ."

"Good idea." Ceci remarked, noting but not commenting on the stark paleness of her daughter's face. "I"ll walk out with you." She exchanged glances with Andrew, who nodded, a sober, very serious look on his face. After a moment's pause, she drew in a breath, then settled a hand firmly on Dar's back as they made their way slowly to the door.

Dar glanced to one side, then to the other, a dozen words of protest rising to her lips about this overly solicitous behavior. Then her stomach almost rebelled, making her glad of Kerry's grip, and she decided to make an exception.

Just this once.

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

Andrew watched his family leave, then he turned back to his old friend, Steve Drake.

"So, what's the deal, Big A?" Steve asked, folding his arms across his chest. "Better come up with something good fore Ainsbright wakes up and throws you in the brig." He glanced down. "Gonna be some pissed."

"Can't." Andy replied. "I mustered out." His eyes fell on the still unconscious form of the base commander. "You got medics coming? Ah think I might have busted something in there."

"Yeap. On the way." Steve agreed. "You really retired? No shit?"

Andy nodded. "Got me a nice, peaceful job watching out for mah damn kid." He shook his head. "This ain't a good day, Steve. We got some bad stuff going on here."

The big SEAL snorted. "Here? Nah. Nothin ever goes on here, Andy, you know that better than most. It's so quiet they picked this place to let us to our urban playpen weekend here."

Andy shook his head, remembering those weekends.

"So, what are you gonna tell the heat when they get here? You gonna explain why a retired frogman's holed up inside an official Navy action area, spraying some poor kids with foam and whacking the hell all out of the base commander?"

"No." Andrew replied. "Ah am not going to explain it."

Steve cocked his head in a puzzled fashion.

There was a rifle lying near the wall. Andy walked over and crouched next to it, examining the weapon with knowledgable eyes. "C'mere." He waited for Steve to come over and kneel down. "This what you're arming with?"

A blink. "Hell no." The SEAL commander said. "You know better."

Andy nodded. "Yeap." The rifle was a standard issue old style M16 rifle, with a night scope attached. "Trouble is, what made them holes in them there pieces of machinery sure wasn't this here rifle." He turned and looked. "12 gauge Remington, I’m thinking."

Steve walked over and examined the holes. "Damn." He straightened. "None of my people were carrying those." He came back over. "Andrew, what is going on here?"

Andrew looked from the holes, to his old friend, now starting to groan, then to the rifle he'd taken from Jeff's hands and slammed against the wall. "Ah wish to hell I knew."

"Sir." One of the SEALS had been securing the perimeter of the room. "Sir, I think you'd better come here." He was standing over a stack of boxes filled with fanfold paper.

Andrew and Steve walked over and looked down. Nestled among the boxes was the slumped form of Chief Daniel. "Well." Andy knelt and touched the side of the woman's neck and paused for an instant. "Better tell them medics to get a hop on." He cleared the boxes away from the fallen petty officer, and loosened her collar. Her face was very pale, and the heartbeat he'd had to dig for was faint, fluttering against his fingers erratically. As he moved her slightly, something plastic rolled off her shoulder and rattled against the tile.

"Wh.." Steve stooped and picked it up, holding the syringe carefully. Then he unclipped his walkie talkie microphone from the catch on his padded vest. "Tac one to ops. Need the doc here now." He unkeyed the mic. "Do we need to secure this base?"

Andrew propped the chief's head up on a small stack of paper to keep it off the cold floor. "I think we do."

"All right. We'll do that. Then, Andrew, ya'll are going to tell me what the hell is going on." Steve replied crisply.

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

Kerry adjusted the passenger's seat back a little, watching Dar's eyes blink slowly in the mid day sun. "You okay here, honey? Would the back seat be better?"

"No, this is fine." Dar murmured. "Feels better to be half sitting. I think if I laid flat, I'd end up chucking my guts all over your pretty new car."

"It's leather. It cleans." Kerry let her hand rest on Dar's thigh as she glanced around. Ceci had gone to get some water, and Mark had already left in Dar's car with the drive array box. It was sunny now, and peaceful out here in the parking lot, with a nice breeze blowing. Kerry felt a lot better, and she hoped that Dar did as well. "How are you doing?"

Dar tilted her head to one side, and regarded her wryly. "I must be doing horrible."

Anxiously, Kerry clasped her fingers in her own. "Why? Does it hurt that bad?"

"No." The blue eyes twinkled, just a little. "It's the seventh time you've asked me in ten minutes." Dar said. "Am I turning green or something?"

"Psshst." Kerry had to laugh. "Sorry." She lifted Dar's hand and kissed it. "This was just a little too much, I think. My mind's going in a thousand different directions."

"Yeah." Dar pulled her closer, into a hug and laid her cheek against Kerry's soft hair. She could warm breath through the fabric of her shirt as the smaller woman sighed. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I love you." Dar was mildly surprised at how easily that came to her lips now. She felt Kerry smile, and one of her arms snaked around Dar's waist, giving her a hug.

"I love you, too." Kerry murmured.

They stayed that way, even though Dar could see her mother approaching through the windshield. "Sorry I was such a raging bitch today." She said. "This didn't really go like I planned it."

"Oh." Kerry didn't budge. "You mean you didn't expect someone to suspect what we were up to and use a SEAL exercise to cover the destruction of all the evidence?"

"No."

"Tch. Bad Dar. No biscuit." Kerry squirmed a little closer. "You must be slipping." She felt the motion under her as Dar chuckled just a bit. "Your tummy's rumbling."

"Not from hunger." Dar sighed, as her mother rounded the door, and paused, watching them bemusedly. "Hi."

"Is it ticking?" Ceci hazarded. "Here, drink some of this. I think it's safe - there's enough chlorine in it to kill anything nasty." She handed Dar a bottle she'd filled from the tap.

"Thanks." Dar accepted it, and took a sip, licking her lips thoughtfully. "Mm… tastes like home." She rolled a mouthful around and swallowed it, perversely enjoying the sharp tang of the minerals and chemicals infusing the tap water. "Nothing else tastes like it."

Kerry lifted her head and straightened, pulling the bottle over curiously and taking a sip.

She blinked, then spit it out immediately. "Yahh!"

Ceci and Dar both chuckled.

"Boy, is that ever an acquired taste." Kerry looked like she desperately needed something. Like a drink of water. "Good grief, Dar! How on earth could you drink that?"

Dar winced, as a wave of nausea hit her. "I’m wondering that myself a the moment. "She said. "Better step back in case I lose what I just swallowed."

Kerry didn't move an inch. She took the bottle from Dar's hands, and gently rubbed her forearm, caressing the warm, bare skin as she watched Dar close her eyes and lean back. "I think we'd better get going." She told Ceci. "Go on and get in. I'll drive over there, then run in and get dad."

Ceci nodded. "Good idea." She opened the back door and climbed inside. "But you drive, I'll go fetch him." She watched Kerry carefully close the passenger side door, then jog around the front of the Lexus. Awkwardly, she patted Dar's arm very lightly. "Hang in there, kiddo."

Hang in there. Dar swallowed, uncomfortably aware of the pain in her head and shoulder getting worse. "Do my best." Even the sound of Kerry's closing the door hurt. "Did Mark get that box?"

"He got it, honey." Kerry backed the car, then put it in gear and headed for the building. "Don't worry about that."

Okay. Dar closed her eyes, and concentrated on taking shallow breaths. She didn't want to throw up. That would hurt. That would make her head hurt a lot worse than it did. It would also, the more ingenious part of her argued, ruin the new car smell of Kerry's little blue buggy.

That would be bad.

She wouldn't get a biscuit.

Dar winced. Right now, the last thing on earth she wanted was a biscuit.

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

Kerry rubbed her hands, and settled back against the wall, crossing her arms as she watched Dr. Steve fussing over Dar. It was cold in the emergency room, and she found herself wishing she had a sweatshirt.

Actually, she wished she wasn't here at all, having to watch all the activity around Dar with a heavy, nervous knot in her stomach. Dr. Steve had taken one look at her lover, and sent them both straight to the hospital, with him driving right behind them.

What was worse was that Dar hadn't protested. Even now, she was resting quietly on the padded rolling bed, with her eyes mostly closed as both doctor and nurses poked at her. That made Kerry realize whatever was wrong was serious, because otherwise she knew Dar would be pitching God's own fit.

She wondered how Andy and Ceci were coping out in the waiting room, where they'd reluctantly retired to wait after Andy had carried Dar inside, an image that had imprinted itself on Kerry's heart.

"Kerry?"

Kerry jumped, then focused on Dr. Steve's kindly face. "Oh, god. Sorry." She searched his eyes anxiously. "How's she doing?"

"I’m guessing she feels like the turd end of a pig in a bog right about now." The doctor told her. "She got herself real concussed there, and looks like she did more damage to her shoulder."

"Oh." Kerry's brow knit. "Is she going to be okay?"

Dr. Steve patted her cheek. "Eventually, sweetheart." He told her. "I need to get a cat scan of that head, though. Would you mind going on in with her, just in case she realizes I've gone and stuck her inside a blinking, white tube?"

"Sure." Kerry felt a little better. "Anything I can do to help."

The CAT scan room was a short elevator trip away, and Kerry spent the moments gently rubbing her lovers' fingers as the blue eyes peered muzzily at her. "Hey, sweetie."

"Ow." Dar replied.

"I know." Kerry walked alongside the gurney as they exited the elevator and moved down the hallway. "Dar, honey, they need to take pictures of your head, okay?"

A groan.

"Yeah, I know.. you hate that, but Dr. Steve really needs to see what's going on in there." Kerry told her. "So you just keep your eyes closed, and it won't be that long, I promise."

"Promise?" Dar mumbled.

"I promise." Kerry repeated, as they rolled over to the big machine. "Just keep your eyes closed, okay?"

"Okay." Dar agreed. "Just stay here with me."

Oo. Kerry eyed the plethora of machinery, then her lover's pale face. "Don't worry. I will. I promise." She took hold of Dar's hand, and squeezed into a corner, as much out of the way as she could manage.

The technician came over, and glanced at her. "Ma'am, you can wait over there." He pointed towards a low bench, giving her a friendly smile.

Dar's fingers tightened on hers, and Kerry met the tech's eyes squarely. "No, I can't." She said. "My friend here is extremely claustrophobic, and has a concussion. You don't want her freaking out."

The man glanced at Dar, then at Kerry. "Okay." He agreed cheerfully. "I can buy that. Just try to stay as clear of the machine as you can."

Kerry was pleasantly surprised by the easy capitulation. "Thanks." She relaxed. "I will."

The tech, a young blond haired man about Kerry's age expertly arranged Dar on the table, and moved the machine to cover her. "Was she in a car accident?"

"Ah.. no." Kerry replied. "She.. um… " Got hit in the head with a rifle? No, you can't say that. "It's complicated."

"Okay." The tech signalled to his partner, who was behind a console. "Whatever you say. I never argue with a lady wearing two cell phones and three pagers."

Kerry glanced down at her belt, then felt herself blushing. "Ah, yeah." She heard the machine start humming, and felt Dar's grip tighten painfully. "I'm carrying for both of us right now." She chafed Dar's fingers. "Easy, Dar, I’m here."

The grip lessened, just a trifle. "I'll always be here." Kerry whispered.

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

"Okay." Dr. Steve entered the emergency room alcove they'd been assigned to. Andy and Ceci were standing on one side of Dar's rolling bed, and Kerry was on the other, all of them attempting to comfort her. "Sweetie pie, you did quite a job on yourself."

Dar had her eyes open a little more now, having been pumped full of several syringes of things. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Dr. Steve walked over and rested his hands on the bed. "I'm admitting you."

Dar grimaced.

"Ah ah ah." The doctor shook his finger at her. "It's all your own fault, young lady. If you'd have stayed at home and rested like I told you do, you'd still be there, and not here."

Dar's lips twitched into a scowl. "I had something I had to do." She protested tiredly.

"Uh huh, and now what you have to do is spend some time in here, letting me fix you." Dr. Steve replied. "You have a concussion, honey, and there's some swelling in there because of that. You're not going anywhere until I'm sure that's gone." He touched the side of her head, which was dark with bruising. "And I’m calling in an orthopedic surgeon to look at your shoulder."

Dar's blue eyes popped wide open, but then, so did Kerry's, Ceci's and Andrews. "What?"

Dr. Steve put a finger on Dar's nose. "What part of that wasn't in American English? Now you relax, and let them take you upstairs, and get you comfortable." He patted his profoundly unhappy looking patient's arm. "Don't give the nurses a hard time. I like the ones' here, and you'll give me a bad name if you do." With that, he left, after giving Andrew a reassuring pat on the back.

"Shit." Dar exhaled.

"Now, Dardar." Andy put a hand on her shoulder. "Just you relax, like Steve said, and get you some rest."

"In here?" Dar eyed the white ceiling. "Not likely."

Kerry actually smiled. "I never thought I'd be glad to hear you griping." She admitted. "But I know it means you feel better, so I am glad."

Dar eyed her. "Easy for you to say. You get to go home." She grumbled. "I have to stay here and be poked, prodded, messed with , and put up with god knows what."

Kerry exchanged glances with her in laws. "Honey, I’m going to go give them your insurance card, okay?" She said, diplomatically. "I'll be right back." She tweaked Dar's toe, then left, passing through the divider curtains and letting them fall closed behind her.

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

Dar closed her eyes and counted to twenty. Then she counted to twenty again. Then she opened her eyes, and found she was still in the hallway, waiting to be shoved into the elevator. She closed her eyes again.

Dar didn't like frustration. She usually dealt with it in one of two ways - she got rid of it by getting rid of it's source, or she went out and did something physical until the feeling of rage faded. At the moment, neither of those two options were available to her.

If she was being very honest with herself, it wasn't the hospital she hated. The gurney started into motion with a jerk, and she opened her eyes to see the walls moving past. It was the lack of personal control over what was going on, and the fact that she was forced to allow strangers to invade her personal space and strip away her dignity.

Not to mention the damn gowns. Dar had let them put one on her, but she'd refused to remove her jeans, even after Dr. Steve had threatened her with a pair of surgical scissors. She still had them on now, providing extra warmth beneath the thin hospital sheet that covered her, smelling of bleach and antiseptic.

The elevator doors closed, and she listened to the nurses' tuneless whistling as the car lurched into motion. That made her still aching head hurt more, and she sighed, biting her tongue to keep from snapping at the man. The nausea had faded, and Dr. Steve had firmly strapped down her arm again, making the pain bearable, but the various aches and the aggravation were wearing very hard on her temper.

And Kerry had disappeared. Dar spent a moment glumly wondering if her cranky ill temper had finally pushed one button too many, even with her lover's usual patience. The thought brought an irrational jolt to her chest, as the fatigue wore down her defenses and let her darker insecurities surface.

Fortunately, she didn't really have time to dwell on it, as the elevator doors opened and her porter pushed her out onto a relatively quiet hospital floor, with shoe squeekingly clean floors, and weave walls the color of road kill. Dar hated it immediately, especially when she was guided into a half darkened room midway down the corridor.

"Here we are." The man pushing her announced cheerfully. "Let me just swing you over here, and we'll get you settled into this nice bed."

Dar realized she was too tired to even be disgusted. She eyed the bed, then glanced around the room, realizing it was the only bed in it. Could she have gotten that lucky? She'd been hoping, at the best, for either no room neighbor, or a sleeping one. It was a fairly sizable room too, with a wide, bay window and a sort of padded day bed lounger near that presumably for the patient to relax in.

Hm. Maybe they were out of double rooms. Well, Dar wasn't going to argue with that, sharing the space was one thing she'd been truly dreading. She waited until the rolling bed was even with the stationary one, and the nurse had lowered the rails, then before he could grab hold of her, she moved herself from one to the other in a single, fluid motion.

"Hey." The nurse blurted. "Honey, I was going to help you."

"I know." Dar exhaled. "It's okay." The effort had exhausted her and she laid back against the pillows, and allowed the nurse to fuss with the blankets.

"Are you one of those really independent people?" The man's voice was sympathetic. "I'm like that, too."

Dar glanced at him. "Yeah, I guess I am." She admitted.

"Well, you just take it easy, okay? They'll take good care of you up here, even if you don't want them to." The nurse chuckled. "The floor nurse will be in soon to take your vitals, and get your chart started, and then they'll bring you up some dinner." He checked a tag on Dar's arm. "They'll probably want you to take your jeans off, too."

Dar's eyebrow edged up.

"Don't let them intimidate you." The man whispered, giving her a wink. "Sleep in em if you want." He grinned, and patted Dar's leg, then made his way out of the room.

Hm. Dar had to smile, just a little. Then she sighed, and let her head fall back, her mind turning over vague worries and more concrete ones, like what the hell they were going to do with her shoulder. Her head turned, and she peered at her own arm in worried annoyance. Then she looked around the room, which was depressing and silent.

Surprising how alone you could feel inside a busy place like a hospital. Dar closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of shockingly pungent self pity. She really didn't want to be here.

She just wanted to go home.

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

Kerry paused in the doorway for a moment, watching the quiet figure lying on the bed. There was something so vulnerable about Dar she almost didn't want to walk in, for fear of startling her lover too badly. She took a breath, hesitating before she called out. "Hey."

Dar's head came up and she looked around, their eyes meeting with an almost palpable intensity. "Hey." Dar managed a smile. "Thought you went on home."

Kerry walked over to the bed. "You thought wrong." She eased the bag on her shoulder off and let it drop to the ground. "I’m not going anywhere." She leaned on the railing, absorbing the look on Dar's face. "I’m staying right here with you."

Dar felt a little ashamed. "Hey, you don't have to do that." She replied. "Not that I don’t appreciate the thought, but you need to go get some rest yourself."

"No." Kerry spoke the truth she felt in her heart, and saw in Dar's eyes. "Mom and Dad are going to stay at our place, and keep Chino company." She took Dar's hand. "This is where I want to be, and you're not convincing me otherwise so just forget it."

Dar's eyes dropped to the blanket, then lifted again, filled with simple, yet poignant gratitude. "Thanks." She said, softly. "I’m feeling pretty ragged right now."

"I know." Kerry replied. "Dr. Steve said some of that is from your concussion, and he knows you must be hurting a lot, but they can't give you much for the pain because of your head."

Dar nodded. "I figured that out." She glanced around the room. "At least it's quiet in here, hm?"

Kerry also looked around. "Yeah, not bad." She nodded. "Nice view."

Dar studied her profile, seeing the slight tensing of the muscles on either side of Kerry's mouth. "Did you arrange for this?"

Now the green eyes drifted around and met hers, and the hidden smile emerged fully, making those eyes twinkle. "Yes, I did." Kerry replied. "And you're in no condition to argue with me about it."

Despite the aches, and the pains, and the aggravation, Dar suddenly felt much better. "You know something?"

"Hm?" A blond eyebrow raised in question.

"You're better than ice cream."

The smile turned into a broad grin, which wrinkled Kerry's nose up and transformed her entire face. "There goes my life's goal.. now what do I do?" She laughed. "C'mon, tiger. Let's get those jeans off. I brought your travel bag in, and it has real pajamas in it."

Dar relaxed, and accepted her fate. "Oh ho." She remarked wryly. "Now I know why you arranged for a private room."

"Absolutely." Kerry agreed with the banter. "You're helpless, and in my clutches here alone, and I can do whatever I want to you." She started removing one of Dar's socks, and tickled the bottom of her foot. "I am in total control."

Dar snickered. "You know, Ker, that would be more effective if you didn't have that cute little nose."

A sigh. "I'd never be cast as a domineering world conqueror, huh?"

"No." Dar muffled a laugh.

"Guess I'll have to just make the best of it." Kerry leaned over and bit her on the toe.

"Ooh." Dar jumped, allowing herself to be absorbed into the play, and forgetting for the time being where she was, and how she felt.

Which, of course, is exactly what Kerry, the undercover conqueror of the world, intended.

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

They heard the rumble of the dining cart long before it screeched to a halt somewhere near their door. Kerry glanced up from her laptop, which was open on of all places her lap, then set the machine aside and got up from the low couch.

Dar had dozed off after she'd changed, finally succumbing to the events of the day, leaving Kerry to work on sorting and organizing the data from the base. She was glad her lover had gotten some rest, the dark circles apparent under her very blue eyes had started to be worrying, and she debated waking Dar up for the dinner she knew was on the way.

Dar forestalled her decision by stirring, and Kerry crossed quickly over to put a hand on her arm as her eyes blinked open, and she looked around disorientedly. "Hey.. it's okay." Kerry reassured her. "You just took a nap."

"Ah." Recognition flooded Dar's face, and she flexed her hands. "Yeah… guess I did. What time is it?"

"About six." Kerry told her, looking up as an older woman dressed in Pepto Bismol pink with a floral hair net entered. "Dinnertime."

"Hello." The woman smiled at Dar. "Ready to eat?" She slid a tray onto the rolling bedside table and maneuvered it in front of her noncommittal patient. "Your doctor ordered you a regular diet, so we brought you something pretty standard. Tomorrow you'll get a card, so you can order what you want, okay?" She had a kindly face, and beautifully arranged silver gray hair.

"Anything?" Dar drawled, still half asleep.

"Well, anything on the card." The woman laughed. "My name's Sue, and I'm here at nights. Give me a call if there's anything you need while I’m up here. No guarantees, but I'll see what I can do." She waved at them, then left the room.

"Mm." Kerry leaned on the railing. "What a nice lady."

Dar fingered her silverware, and studied the plastic tray and it's contents with wary suspicion. "The guy who brought me up here was nice, too. Did you arrange for that while you were at it?" She smiled at Kerry.

Kerry chuckled, but shook her head. "No." She lifted the cover off the tray and allowed steam to escape. "Ah. Chicken."

"Yes, chicken." Dar agreed, examining it. "But on the bright side, those are sort of mashed potatoes, aren't they?" She poked at them.

"So they are." Kerry said. "They even brought peas, your one concession to vegetables." She noticed. "And jello."

"I like jello." Dar allowed. "You think it's strawberry?"

Kerry selected a jiggling cube and put it into her mouth experimentally. "Yeth."

"Eh." Dar stabbed the half chicken with her fork. "Considering the last thing I had to eat in a hospital, this isn't too bad." She managed to rake a bit of the white meat off and tasted it. It was fairly bland, but not as dry as she'd expected, and she found it tolerably edible. "Mm."

"Here." Kerry held her hand out. "Let me borrow your fork and knife, and I'll cut that up for you. Must be a pain trying to do it one handed."

Dar hesitated, then handed the impliments over. "Yeah." She busied herself with the cup while Kerry leaned over and sawed industriously at her main course. "On the other hand…" Dar found a very tasty looking bare shoulder very near by. She licked it.

"Yipe!" Kerry jumped. "Oh.. Jesus, Dar. I had no idea what that was."

Dar nibbled the soft skin, breathing in the warm, clean scent of her lover with a sense of quiet pleasure. "Mm…. Much better than chicken."

Kerry put the knife and fork down and responded, sliding a hand up to rest against Dar's cheek, as she found the exploring lips, tasting a hint of the chicken on them, and the sweet tang of the apple juice Dar had taken a sip of.

Boy, that felt good. Kerry lost herself in the moment, tuning everything out to concentrate on just how smooth Dar's skin was, and just how wonderful it was to kiss her. After a moment they parted, and gazed into each other's eyes. Kerry was very conscious of how unsteady her breathing was. "Mm."

Dar's eyes reflected a quiet passion of her own. "To hell with dinner." She murmured softly, running her fingers down Kerry's shirt, and finding a gap in the buttons.

"Um." Kerry glanced up. "We're in a hospital, honey."

"So?" Dar defeated the button, and smiled as she felt Kerry respond to her touch, pressing her body forward against her exploring fingers. "You did ask for a private room." She leaned forward a little and kissed her lover again.

"You're hurt." Kerry's breath whispered against Dar's lips.

"This makes me feel much, much better." The ready argument came back at her.

"The door's open." Kerry feebly parried.

"We're not in the cardic care unit."

Kerry found herself walking a fine line, her body's overwhelming craving warring with her conscience, and the knowledge a legion of censorious nurses could walk in at any moment. Well, a few more seconds of this can't hurt.

And it didn't. She ended up half sitting on the bed, both arms around Dar's neck and Dar's arm around her waist.

Then a loud crash happened outside, and they stopped, separating a little and looking at each other. "Did we cause that?" Kerry asked, nervously.

"Why don’t' you look?" Dar answered.

Look? Kerry imagined turning her head to see a doorful of people staring back. "Nu uh. You look."

"Me?" Dar remained where she was, looking intently into Kerry's eyes. "You sure?"

She was getting lost again, this time into those rich blue pupils, wanting nothing more than to lean forward and take up right where she left off. Her body was craving it now, Dar's hand moving slowly, teasingly across the fabric of her jeans, pausing to pluck lightly at the seams.

Footsteps clacked nearby, though. Kerry swallowed, and got her breathing under control, then released one arm so that she was merely perched on the bed. Dar's hand captured hers and they twined fingers, letting out twin sighs as the footsteps hurried past, and she caught a glimpse of a white and blue uniform go by.

"That was fun." A tiny, mischievous glint danced in Dar's eyes. "Bet it's quieter here later on."

Kerry's nostrils flared. "Oh." She let out a faint laugh. "I hope so."

They both looked at the tray. "Chicken, huh?" Kerry picked up the fork and stabbed a piece, then offered it to Dar. "If you share, I'll go get a pizza later."

Dar munched contentedly. "Deal." She agreed.

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

"How's it going?" Ceci's voice crackled softly in Kerry's ear. "Andy's been pacing for hours, so I hope Dar's gotten more rest than he has."

"I think she's okay." Kerry murmured, casting an eye over her sleeping partner. Dar had half curled onto her side and was resting comfortably, the blankets tucked up around her shoulders as the soft nightlight threw shadows over her strong, planed features. "She's been sleeping for a little while."

"That's a first." Ceci chuckled. "I'd have thought she'd be climbing the walls by now."

"No." Kerry stretched, and leaned back. "We had dinner, then we.. ah.. talked for a while. The nurses came in and took readings and stuff, then I got her to lay down. She's been fine." The medical attention hadn't gotten Dar too upset, really. Her blood pressure had been low, she'd had no temperature - she'd even smiled at the nurse.

Of course, Kerry had felt pretty relaxed by then too. A smirk appeared on her face.

"No signs of anything with the concussion?" Ceci asked. "She's alert, and all that?"

The smirk widened. "Oh.. yeah. She's um.. very aware."

"Good." Dar's mother sighed. "Last time she had a concussion, she was in a fog for two whole days, and she scared the.." Ceci abruptly fell silent. "Listen to me. You'd think I was… "

"Her mother or something?" Kerry finished warmly.

Ceci sighed. "I’m glad you're there for her, Kerry."

"Me too." Came the soft reply. "I’m not sure which one of us is benefiting more, though. I know I'd be really unhappy if I wasn't camping out with her." Kerry checked her watch. Eleven thirty. She wondered if she could get comfortable on the little couch, wishing she'd brought something useful like a sleeping bag to make the furniture more bearable. "How's Chino?"

"Bouncing." Ceci replied. "But now that we know Dar's all right, maybe she'll settle down if Andy does." A low rumble moved closer. "Honey, she's fine. Kerry said she's asleep, and there's no problem." A rustle.

"Kumquat?"

Kerry grinned. "Yes, dad?"

"Dardar's not giving you any fuss?"

"Nope." Kerry assured him. "She's been a model patient."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Better bring her ice cream tomorrow as a reward, don't you think?" Kerry teased. "She's being such a good girl."

Andrew chuckled. "Glad to hear that, Kerry. We'll be there, don't you worry. I got something I need to take care of early, then we'll be down."

Kerry's ears pricked up, but she hesitated, not wanting to ask questions over the hospital's phone lines. Time enough tomorrow to ask him, when they were face to face. "Okay. See you then."

"All right." Andy said. "Tell Dardar.. " He hesitated.

"Tell her you love her? Sure." That was an easy one. Kerry said goodbye, and put the phone back in it's cradle, then she got up and reviewed her little couch. It wasn't like she was a giant or anything, either, Kerry reasoned. At all of five foot six, surely she had to fall into the wide part of the bell curve.

Yet the padded couch seemed barely large enough to lie down on, much less to accommodate her admittedly restless mode of sleeping. "I’m going to end up on the floor." She murmured. "I just know it." But, it was all she had to work with, unless she wanted to cut to the chase and take up residence on the chilly tile. A glance over her shoulder. Or crawl into bed with Dar, and give the nurses a real shocker in the morning.

Mm. Her body liked that idea. Kerry rubbed her temples, and firmly turned her thoughts elsewhere. But in a moment, she found herself standing at Dar's bedside, her hands resting lightly on the railing that fenced her partner in. She reached over and gently moved a lock of disheveled black hair, stroking it's silky smooth texture, and letting it tangle around her fingers.

She felt more peaceful, Kerry realized, just being close to Dar, and she spent a few minutes idly wondering why. Was it just because Dar's sleeping expression was so relaxed? There was none of the usual tensions that characterized her expression, the slight narrowing of her eyes, and bunching of her jaw muscles that made Dar appear restlessly alert all the time.

Not now. Kerry could see only the faintest motion of her eyes under their lids, and wondered what her lover was dreaming of. She gazed down for another moment, then she walked over to the heavy visitor's chair and picked it up, putting it down right next to the bed. Okay. She lowered the guard rails, then sat down, and rested her arm on the bed, putting her chin down on it and reaching up to circle Dar's slack fingers with her own.

They were clasped instinctively, a welcome warmth that made her smile. She decided to just rest here a minute, then get up and try to get comfortable on her torture couch. Kerry closed her eyes, smiling a little when she felt Dar's breath warming the skin on her forearm. Mm. That felt nice.

Yeah.

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

Continued in Part 8

Tropical High

Part 8

Dar was chiefly aware of a lot of things aching, as she hauled herself out of a deep sleep and responded to her body's nagging crankiness.

Ow. She had a headache that would have felled a bison in it's tracks, and her arm and shoulder felt like they'd been forced into a bad position for several days. Grumpily, she opened one eye, blinking as the fuzzy surroundings very slowly came into focus.

Ah. Dar had to smile, despite the discomfort. Kerry was slumped against the bed, holding her hand, fast asleep. In the room, the first pale light of dawn was starting to show through the windows, but otherwise it was dark save the dim nightlight above them.

But there was enough light for Dar to distinguish the curve of Kerry's cheek, covered in fine, soft down. Light enough for her to see the delicate gold eyelashes. Light enough to catch the faintest hint of a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

What an amazing thing love was. Dar thought. It even drove you to do really dumb things like sleep leaning against a set of metal railings. Oh, she's gonna regret this when she wakes up "Ker?" Dar squeezed the fingers clasped in her own. "Hey, chipmunk."

"Uh?" Kerry murmured. "Dar?" She stirred, then shifted. "Ow." Her eyes opened in surprised displeasure. "What in… augh. I can't believe I did that." A hiss. "Jesus!"

"Easy, sweetie." Dar laughed softly. "Stand up slow." She released Kerry's hand and eased over onto her back, grabbing hold of her lover's shoulder as she tried to straighten up. "Easy."

"Son of a…" Kerry managed to get upright, her legs and back cramping like all get out. "Oh my god, how stupid was that." She leaned on the bed and groaned. "And wouldn't the nurses have just loved walking in here."

Dar ruffled her hair, and rubbed the parts of her within reach. "Ah, they'd live." She disagreed. "Now, if they found you in bed with me…" She grinned.

Kerry looked up, grinning back rakishly from between very disordered bangs. "Ohh… I was tempted." She admitted. "That's how I ended up over here.. I just came over to.. um.. " She met Dar's eyes, and felt suddenly shy. "Anyway, I sat down for a minute, and whammo." She fell silent, and her gaze dropped to the mussed sheets.

Dar watched her. "Ker?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks for staying." Dar said. "It would have been such a nightmare for me if you hadn't." She waited for Kerry to look up. "Literally."

Kerry gazed at her. "Why?" She asked. "No one likes being in the hospital, Dar, but they're not that bad, really."

Dar shifted, and settled her arm in a less uncomfortable position. She found herself studying the ceiling, it's tiled surface bearing tiny pock marks barely visible to her. "I fell out of a tree when I was little." Her tone was quiet and casual. "They thought I'd cracked something.. so they took me up to Baptist, and had my head Xrayed."

Kerry put a hand on Dar's arm in silent comfort.

"They decided to keep me overnight, and put me in a room with a real nice guy, an older man." Dar went on. "He was funny. Decided to spend the night telling me stories… had grandkids of his own I guess." She paused, and thought, then went on. "I woke up in the middle of the night, and looked over, and I.." Dar stopped, staring off into the distance.

Kerry waited.

"I knew something was wrong." The quiet voice went on finally. "I got out of bed and went over, and I realized he was dead."

It was like getting hit in the gut, hard. Kerry hadn't expected this, hadn't expected an answer to her question that even remotely resembled this. "Sweetheart." She barely whispered the word.

"I think I started screaming." Dar murmured.

Kerry didn't give a damn about the nurses. She hauled herself up onto the bed and put her arms around Dar, pulling her close and hugging her. "Lord."

Dar let her head lay against Kerry's chest, reliving the moment. Even all these years later, she could still feel the terror, the unreasoning fear that had haunted her dreams for a very long time after.

She remembered the nights she'd been afraid to go to sleep, terrified that she'd wake in the middle of the night and go in search of her parents, only to find them cold, and stiff, and staring. Dar drew in a shaky breath. It still shook her, even now. "Guess it made an impression."

Kerry stroked her hair gently. "How old were you?"

"Five or six." Dar replied, blinking. She was surprised to feel a tear roll down her face. "Silly, I guess, to even think about it now. "

"No." Kerry closed her eyes and held on, kissing Dar's head then laying her cheek against the spot. "Not silly." She felt her throat closing up, her entire body hurting for the child Dar had been, wanting to go back in time and be in that place, at that time to hold Dar just as she was now, and chase the fear away.

Dar allowed herself to accept the safety of that embrace. The ghost of that night lurking inside her loosened it's hold, and as she reached up and clasped Kerry's arm, she felt the terror unwind and drift away into the dawn's breaking.

Silence settled peacefully over them.

They did, in fact, surprise the nurses.

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

Andrew Roberts walked down the hallway, dodging sleepy interns pushing carts of equipment at a far slower pace than his rolling stride.

It was early, he reckoned, before the visiting hours of the hospital, but if it was one thing Andy had learned in all his years of service it was that if you acted like you knew what you were doing, folks tended to leave you be.

Since he knew where he was, and knew where he was going, sure nough, nobody did ask him what he was doing in the hospital so early. Exchanging gruff nods with a security guard, he went past the nurses station and down the next corridor towards one specific door set among many up and down the hall.

As to why he was there? Andy circled around a laundry cart. Well, it wasn't that he didn't trust Kerry to keep an eye on his daughter, he surely did, it was just that he knew how Dar felt about being inside these damn places and it never hurt to make sure.

Did it?

There were two nurses standing in the doorway he'd identified as Dar's, staring inside the room and Andy found his heart starting to go double time as he came up behind them. "Somethin' not right here?"

The women jumped, and one simply turned and left. The other looked up at Andy's towering height. "Oh, sir, visitors are not allowed now…" She started to take his arm to lead him away, glancing over her shoulder into the room. "Excuse me now.."

"Ah ah." Andy simply stood still, knowing the petite, dark haired nurse wasn't going to be pulling his six foot four inch bulk anywhere. He glanced into the room anxiously, then let out a chuff of relief when he spotted the two figures snuggled together on the bed. "Would you just lookit that."

"Sir." The nurse pulled on his arm with complete ineffectiveness. "Please."

"Chill yer jets." Andy turned his head and regarded her. "You got something you need doing, g'wan. I can wake these here kids up."

The woman stopped tugging. "You can? " She asked. "Oh. Would you? This is a situation we're just not willing to get involved in."

One of Andy's grizzled eyebrows lifted. "Waking folks up?" He queried. "Damndest thing I ever heard. That malpractice stuff must be hitting you all pretty fierce."

"M… ah, no, no." The nurse gave up. "Excuse me." She turned and left, walking quickly away towards a door marked "Nurses Lounge".

Andy watched her go, then he scratched his jaw thoughtfully, before shrugging and returning his attention to the room. He stepped inside with utmost quiet and padded over to the bed, spending several moments just watching his children sleep.

Then, with a rakish grin, he pulled a camera out of the pocket of his pullover, and opened it, examining the controls carefully before he put it to his eye, and allowed the gizmo to focus. When he had the scene properly adjusted, he released the shutter, and heard the click and whirr of the camera operating. After a second, he pulled it down and reviewed the LCD screen on the back, examining the digital image. "Huh.."

He shook his head, then closed the camera up and tucked it away before moving closer to the bedside. His daughter was curled half onto her side, with her head pillowed against Kerry's chest, with both of Kerry's arms wrapped around her.

Andy felt a smile pull at the skin on his face, still stiff after all the scarring, and the surgery. Hospitals weren't his favorite place either, but, to be honest, he'd spent more time in them than Dar had. Even now, after all the work they'd done, he knew the scars were still damn ugly to look at, and he was conscious of that even with Ceci.

God bless her, she never so much as flinched, even at the worst of it, but it didn't stop Andy from remembering the averted eyes, or open stares of others.

Like them nurses had been staring, only they'd been looking inside this here room. Andy laid his big hands on the railing. Looking at something so beautiful, it made his heart ache, having seen so much hate in his lifetime that love could only be exquisitely beautiful to him.

Very gently, he put a hand on Dar's shoulder. "Paladar." He kept his voice low.

Dar's eyes quivered, then blinked open, the dark brows over them contracting as she tried to place where and when she was. She turned her head and peered up at him, then realized why it was so nice and warm and promptly turned the heat up by blushing a deep, vivid crimson. "D.."

Andrew had to chuckle. "Dardar, I ain't' seen you turn that color since I done caught you skinny dipping out at that waterhole when you were ten."

"Erk." Dar's throat issued an adolescent squeak.

It was enough to wake Kerry up, though, and she also gazed at Andrew with sleepy eyes for a few seconds before her brain booted and nearly caused her to fall off the bed. "Uh…. Hi, Dad." She managed to cough out.

"Hi there, kumquat." Andy responded amiably. "You look right comfortable."

Kerry looked at Dar, who was still doing her best macintosh apple imitation. "Sorry, honey." She apologized weakly. "Didn't mean to do that."

Dar sighed, and rubbed her heated face with her good hand. "S'allright." She said. "Could have been worse." She glanced at her father. "Morning."

"Morning, Dardar." Andy said. "I'd ask how y'all were feeling, cept I figure you look pretty good to me just now."

A weak laugh forced it's way out of Dar's throat, as she untangled herself from Kerry's embrace. She rolled over onto her back as her lover slid out of bed, and straightened her tshirt with as much dignity as she could muster.

Which, to be honest, wasn't much.

"What was your question again?" Dar finally asked, running her fingers through her mussed hair. "Oh, right. How do I feel." Slowly, she straightened out her body, and flexed her arm. The results mildly surprised her. "Better than yesterday." She said, lifting a hand to touch the lump on the back of her head. It seemed to have gone down some. "Yeah, headache's not so bad, and my arm hurts less."

"Good to hear." Andy gave her an approving look. Kerry had snuck into the restroom with her overnight bag, and was apparently utilizing the sink there with a good amount of vigor. "Had me a little worried yesterday."

Dar tensed her lips, then shrugged. "What a botched event that was." She exhaled. "A total screwup, and it was my fault."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Git yer head out of that there bucket of whup, Paladar." He scolded. "You ain't responsible for them folks and you know it."

"I should have found out more about what was going on." Dar shook her head. "One of our people could have really gotten hurt in there." She pulled herself up a little straighter. "I should have checked first."

Andrew looked around, then leaned over and smoothed the dark hair out of his daughter's eyes with a gentle hand. "Don't beat yourself up, Dar. Ya'll are gonna make me start beating up my mah own head, cause sure as the day is long, I should have figgured what was up when we got there, don't you think?"

Dar looked at him thoughtfully.

"Them people just knew how to use a diversion when they had one, all right?" Andy went on. "Now we got to get them pieces back together, so none of them dirty dogs gets off." He waited for Dar to nod, and she finally did. "Good girl. I’m going to take a ride down there, and see what I can figure out."

"You don't have to." Dar lodged what she knew was a futile protest. "Let me have Gerry handle it, dad."

"You saying I ain't up to this?" Andy asked.

"No." Dar felt very off center. "I’m not saying that."

"Good." Andy patted her arm. "You take it easy now, Dardar. Keep an eye on that kumquat of yours, make sure she gets some breakfast, all right?" He waved, and started out before Dar could say a word, disappearing around the corner of the door with stealthy speed.

Dar stared at her bare feet, sticking out from under the mussed covers, and wiggled her toes. It was not starting out to be a very organized day.

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

Kerry flexed her hands, and peered at her laptop screen. Her report was almost done, the data cataloged neatly into columns that laid out in black and white the discrepancies she'd found. It wasn’t' a smoking gun, she realized. More a pattern of carelessness and lack of accountability in moving funds from one account to the other, but the pattern was there and if they got nothing else, would allow the government auditors a place to start.

If nothing else. Kerry rubbed her lower lip. Mark had taken the data storage cube back and secured it at the office, but the information they may or may not have gotten from there would have to wait for Dar's inspection. Only Dar had the algorithms to unlock the tracks they'd copied, and those were tucked inside her head and nowhere else.

Kerry hadn't asked her, yet, if she remembered what they were. It was a scary kind of question, and she knew concussions did strange things sometimes. She didn't think the injury was affecting Dar, but you never knew, and certainly her lover had been quieter and more withdrawn than usual since she'd been here.

She knew Dar was grateful for her presence. Kerry was grateful that she'd followed her instincts and did what she'd done, especially after Dar had told her what happened to her as a child this morning. "That poor little kid." She shook her head slowly. "I wish I'd been there for you, Dar. I swear I do."

The room, of course, was empty except for her and her laptop. Dar had been taken down for another scan of her head, and for a visit to the orthopedic surgeon. Kerry had offered to come with her, but it appeared her lapse into needing to be cuddled was getting to Dar, and her natural pride poked it's head up in outrage and reasserted itself.

There were two sides to that, Kerry admitted. One, she was a little disappointed in being gently rejected. But two, it meant Dar was feeling better, and that was a good thing. She put aside the laptop and stood up, stretching out her stiff, and somewhat cramped body. Sleeping sitting up hadn't been restful, and the couch was less so. She strolled over to the window and looked out, resting her hands on the sill and leaning on them.

"What I should to is take a break, and run the stairs a few times." She decided. "Loosen myself up a little and get some exercise." With a nod, she went back and closed her laptop down, turning it off and slipping it inside it's padded backpack. She looked around, then shrugged and shouldered the pack, shifting it until it was comfortably centered on her back. "A little extra effort wont' hurt me any either."

She walked out of the room and straight to the stairwell, opening the door and letting it close behind her. Since they were on the top floor, she really only had one way to go, and so she started down the steps at a rhythmic, even pace. It was quiet in the stairwell, and clean. Kerry decided it probably wasn't used much, since most of the movement between floors involved wheeled equipment or vehicles, which could get a little tricky going up or down stairs.

Halfway down, at the fifth floor, she met her first fellow walker, a young man carrying a thick bag who smiled at her as he dropped down the steps alongside. "Hi there."

"Hi." Kerry replied, with a friendly smile.

"You new here?" The man asked. "Haven't seen you around."

Hm. Kerry eyed him. He's a cutie. The man had curly reddish hair and a lithe, athletic build. "No, because I don't work here." She informed him. "I’m just visiting."

"Oh yeah?" He looked surprised. "I figured you were an intern or something, with that book bag. Sorry." A smile. "Well, that's too bad. My name's Curt." He stuck a hand out.

Kerry took it, as they kept walking. "Kerry." She produced her name. "It's a computer backpack, actually. I work with them."

"Yeah?" Curt released her hand. "You don’t see many visitors taking the stairs either. " He looked down, and laughed a bit. "Or staff either, to be honest. I think you're the first person I've seen in here in weeks."

"You take them, though." Kerry turned the corner on the steps and started down the next set. "Good exercise, right?"

"You bet." Curt agreed. "I have to get all the leg work in I can. I’m training for the Olympics." He grinned at her surprised expression. "I’m a gymnast."

"Really?" Kerry turned her head to look at him. "That's wild."

"Yeah. It is." The man nodded. "I've been into it since I was a kid, but my folks could never afford me just going to school for it, so I've kept at it on the side. I’m going to the trials next year." He glanced over at Kerry. "You look like you're into sports."

It suddenly occurred to Kerry that she was being flirted with. Hm. And by a really cute guy, too. It felt… kinda cool, actually. "Oh, nothing official." She told Curt. "I just do some diving.. swimming.. climbing." She caught his very interested eye. "Martial arts, that sort of thing."

"I thought so. You've got great muscle tone." Curt grinned at her. "Ever try gymnastics?"

Kerry suffered a flash of memory of her childhood, the arduous hours spent trying desperately to balance on a four inch chunk of wood. "When I was younger, yes." She admitted. "My parents thought it would make me graceful." She adroitly dodged a pipe sticking out of one of the stairs.

"They were right." Curt laughed. "Hey, I just have to drop this bag off.. you interested in getting a pop?"

Fortunately, Kerry was from the Midwest, and realized he was talking about a soda not proposing something indecent. "Wish I could." She softened the words with an honest smile. "Thanks for asking."

They'd reached the bottom floor, and he shifted his bag to his other shoulder, and held a hand out again. "Maybe next time, okay?"

Kerry took it, and returned his firm handshake with one of her own. "Sure."

He turned, and pulled the door open, then ducked through and let it close behind him. Kerry regarded the door for a moment, then turned and leaned against the wall, folding her arms over her chest as she rested a moment before starting her climb back up. That had been interesting, she mused, examining the sensation. It was nice, once in a while, to have someone think you were attractive, wasn't it?

Other than your partner, of course. Kerry amended hastily. She'd never suspected Dar of thinking otherwise, had she? She thought about that, then blushed a vivid crimson remembering a certain night not that long ago when she'd looked up from working on a report in her home office, to find Dar watching her from the doorway, eyes half closed, her thoughts very evident by her expression. No, she was pretty confident that they were both very much attracted to each other. But it was nice to have a stranger give your ego a pat on the head once in a while.

Kerry pushed off the wall and started up the steps. Besides, she grinned, he sure was a cutie. In fact, she thought. He reminded her of someone. Now who… ah. She nodded. That's right, Josh. She'd gotten an email from him that morning, saying he'd accepted her offer and was going to come to Miami.

Sorting through various other issues, Kerry kept jogging upward, catching her wind and falling into an easy rhythm as her body adjusted to the exertion.

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

The machine buzzed softly. Dar kept her eyes firmly closed, and spent the moments roundly cursing herself for being a stubborn jerk for not taking Kerry up on her offer of company. This was the third round of scans, and her nerves were beginning to twitch badly, wanting out of the machine, and away from the cold, impersonal hands that invaded her personal space and moved her body.

Hands gripped her chin and she jerked, her eyes snapping open and pinning the doctor standing over her with an angry glare.

"Okay, Ms. Rob.." The tall, willowy woman stopped speaking and removed her hands. "Sorry, did I startle you?"

Dar took a breath, and forced her irritation down. "No. I thought this was about done."

The doctor folded her arms. "Just about." She agreed, wrinkling her well shaped nose in thought. "You don't much like being touched, do you?"

Dar scowled a little at being so easily read. "Not much." She admitted. "No." At least this doctor, Alison, was her name? Wasn't the usual condescending iceberg type. "Sorry."

"That's all right, Ms. Roberts." Dr. Alison reassured her. "Some people aren't - we're so used to just grabbing what we want and pulling, we forget that sometimes. Could you tilt your head up and to the right?"

Dar complied, watching the woman make adjustments to the machine. The doctor was taller than Kerry, but couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds, so thin Dar was sure she'd blow away if the air conditioning cycled too strongly. Her white lab coat hung loosely on her, and the wrists that extended from it seemed barely wider than two of Dar's fingers. The machine whirred again.

"Okay." Dr. Alison looked down at Dar. "We're done." She pushed the machine arm back and leaned on the padded table Dar was lying on. She had a high forehead, made all the more so by a hairstyle tightly pulled back into a knot, and hazel eyes. "Why don't you sit up, and let me take a look at your shoulder, okay?"

Dar obliged, tensing her abdominals and pulling herself upright then swinging her legs over the edge of the table. She hopped off and stood upright, startling the doctor who took a step back.

"Oh." Dr. Alison made a face, then smiled. "Somehow, patients always look shorter lying down. I didn't expect you to be that tall." She gestured towards a side room. "Why don't we go in there so you can sit "

Dar followed her in silence, taking a seat on a lower, but also padded bench in the examination room. She was still wearing her sling, but they'd allowed her Tylenol for the nagging headache, and she felt pretty good at the moment. "Well?"

Dr. Alison had been reviewing something on a computer terminal, and now she looked up over the screen at Dar. "Well, you want the bad news first or the good news?"

"Bad." Dar replied instantly.

"You know, Ms. Roberts, I'd thought you were going to say that." The doctor laughed. "Okay, well, the bad news is that you've got a lot of swelling in that shoulder. Aside from the bone bruise, you also strained some of the tendons and muscles around there, and everything's pretty tense."

Dar ran that over in her head and decided it didn't sound life threatening. "Okay. "

"You're going to need to do a lot of physical therapy, to get the blood moving in there and get the damaged bits out." Dr. Alison told her. "It's going to hurt."

"And?" Pain was something Dar could live with. She'd worked through enough injuries in her years of martial arts, after all, and while she never enjoyed the process, she knew ways of getting past it. She watched as the doctor left her console and came over, carefully unsnapping the sling to release Dar's arm.

"I need to see what kind of range of motion you have, okay?" Dr. Alison waited for Dar to nod, then she took hold of Dar's wrist, and slowly lifted her arm. "Let me know when it starts to hurt." She first flexed the arm at the elbow, then gently pulled upward, getting no reaction from her wary patient. "Okay, that's what I thought. Now I’m going to move out to the side, and I think that's where the problem is going to be."

Dar nodded and shifted a little, straightening up as the other woman carefully extended her injured arm out to the side, then started to lift it. About halfway, Dar let out a sound somewhere between a cough and a hiss, and the motion stopped.

"Okay." The doctor examined the angle. "Well, that's not too bad, actually." She sounded surprised. "Given what I saw in the pictures, that's pretty darn good." She put Dar's arm back down and started poking at her shoulder, touching and prodding the skin with absorbed interest. "You have a very well developed deltoid here."

Dar's brow lifted. "Thanks." She eyed the woman warily.

"I don't think I've seen a structure like this on a female in a while." Dr. Alison added. "You're not doing steroids or other anabolics, are you?"

Dar glared at her. "Absolutely not."

"Just asking." The doctor replied mildly. "No offense intended, Ms. Roberts. A lot of people do, you know. In my line of work, I deal with an enormous number of athletes. It's a standard question." She walked over and checked her screen. "You have an incredible bone density, did you know that?"

How was she supposed to know that? "No." Dar replied.

"Well, you do." The doctor typed something. "That's a good thing. It's what kept you from getting hurt worse. You take calcium supplements?"

Dar's brow creased. Supplements? "No, I just drink milk."

"Can't stand the stuff myself." Dr. Alison shook her head. "Well, good for you, Ms. Roberts. You weight train, correct?"

"Yes."

The doctor nodded. "Okay, I just need to get some stats on you so I can send them to the therapist. Could you take your shirt off please?"

It suddenly occurred to Dar why she'd always been more comfortable with male doctors, an interesting moment of self revelation that almost made her start laughing. "What stats does a therapist need?" She asked, standing up and pulling her t-shirt off over her head one handedly. It left her in a pair of gym shorts and nothing else.

"Oh, height, weight, limb len.." Dr. Alison stopped speaking for a second as she looked up. "Wow."

Dar's eyebrow went right up.

"You have great body structure." The doctor continued enthusiastically. "You have almost perfect symmetry, did you know that?" She picked up a tape measure and trotted over. "Outstanding."

Dar didn't know whether to feel like a show horse on parade, or what. She held her arms out when told, and felt the tickle of the tape measure as it was run across her back.

"I thought so. Seventy four inches. " The doctor towed Dar over to a scale. "Let me get your height and weight." She pushed the height bar up, and stood on her tip toes to let the top of it rest on Dar's head. "Seventy two and three quarters. Yep, I knew it." Next, she ran the weights across and nudged the smaller one back and forth until the arm balanced in the center. "One fifty six." She nodded and scribbled. "That about normal for you?"

"Give or take a few, yes." Dar replied. "Why?"

"Just curious." Dr. Alison finished her writing, after measuring Dar's upper and lower arms. "Okay, we're done." She looked up, reviewing Dar with an air of scientific satisfaction. "Very nice bones, Ms. Roberts. Congratulations."

Dar picked up her shirt and slipped it on. "Thanks." She muttered. "But I think it's my father's fault."

"Really?" Dr. Alison smiled. "Are you a daddy's girl? Everyone tells me I am." She straightened her papers and slid them into an envelope. "I hate that. Don't you?"

Dar picked up her sling, and looked at it, then glanced up at the doctor. "No." She said. "I've always considered it a compliment."

"Well, you're just a lucky woman, then." The doctor held a hand out and gripped Dar's. "Good luck, Ms. Roberts. Keep up what your'e doing, and I guarantee you'll be rock climbing into your seventies." She nodded briskly. "Any questions for me?"

Dar cocked her head. "Yeah. One." She drawled. "If you think what I’m doing is so great, why don't you do it?"

Dr. Alison blinked. She glanced at herself, then at Dar. Then she laughed, a touch sheepishly. "I’m a doctor." She grinned, and shrugged. "We never listen to our own advice." With a wave, she left the room.

Dar straightened up and looked around at the now empty room. Okay. She'd gotten her head examined several times, and apparently her arm wasn't going to require amputation. A smile appeared. That meant she could get her ass out of here, and go home. She went to the door and peeked out, seeing no sign of her solicitous orderly with his ready wheelchair. "Heh." Dar planned her route, and slipped past the nurses station towards the doors.

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

"Damn." Kerry felt the strain as she hit the seventh floor, her breath coming short and her legs starting to really burn. "That's what you get for slacking off at the gym for the last month, Kerrison. You're one lazy son of a biscuit when you want to be." She sucked in a deep breath, and pushed through the discomfort.

It annoyed her. She'd kept her running up, hadn't she? Every morning, without fail, there she was at Dar's side in the early morning cool air. So, okay, she'd cut back on the climbing wall to let her shoulder heal, and they were between martial arts classes, but still. Kerry scowled. She'd even kept up with Dar lately… hey. A thought occurred to her. Was Dar slowing down on purpose, and letting her do that? Dar wouldn’t do that, would she?

Not to make Kerry feel better, right? White teeth chewed on a lower lip. Okay, but maybe she did it just to have company, how about that? Dar would do that, right? Slow down so they could talk to each other, like they'd started to, using that time to go over problems at the office and plan their day.

Hmm. Kerry reached the eighth floor and turned the corner, feeling her heart rate starting to climb. So here she thought she was cruising along, doing so well. "Looks like I’m going to just have to try harder, that' s all," She panted, forcing herself to leap up the next set of stairs two at a time. She rounded the corner and swung a little wide, a little out of control towards the door that led to the ninth floor entrance. She put out a hand to steady herself, then suddenly blinked as the solid surface started to move towards.

Kerry tried to stop, but her momentum was too much and she ended up crashing into the opening door, knocking herself senseless as she reeled backwards dangerously close to the steps behind her. "Oh!" She fought for balance, reaching out for the handrail but the sweat on her hands betrayed her and she started to fall.

And then, just as suddenly, she wasn't falling. She was caught and held in a powerful grip, and her senses scrambled to reconcile the abrupt presence of Dar's distinctive aura surrounding her. "Ow."

"Hey." Dar's voice confirmed her dizzy revelation. "Kerry? Kerrison!"

Oh boy. Did I do something wrong? Kerry felt her knees buckle, and the next thing she knew, she was on the ground, it's cold hardness pressing against her legs, with her upper body cradled in a nice, warm, very Dar smelling nest. She blinked a few times. "Didn't know seeing stars wasn't just an old saying." She stuttered the words out. "Ow."

"Easy." Dar's voice sounded worried. "Take it easy.. why are you breathing so hard? Honey? Look at me, okay?"

Kerry obeyed, tipping her head back and opening both eyes, very glad she did so when she was rewarded with Dar's concerned face inches from her. "Wow." She finally felt her heart rate start to calm. "Are you ever a sight for sore eyes." She lifted a hand and gingerly felt her forehead. "Or a sore head."

Dar stroked her face gently. "What in the hell were you doing?" She asked. "You're all wet."

"You have that effect on me." Kerry joked faintly, getting a halfhearted smile from her lover. "I’m all right. It's just sweat. I was running the stairs."

Dar tugged her shirt sleeve over, and wiped the droplets of sweat out of Kerry's eyes. It was warm in the stairwell, and the smaller woman was still breathing hard. "Can I ask why?"

Kerry took a long, shaky breath, then released it. "Seemed like a good idea at the time?" She gave Dar a wan smile. "I was just working the kinks out - getting a little exercise." She settled her back against the wall, and untangled her feet from Dar's.

"And…?" Dar shifted to a more comfortable position. "You decided to make it a decathlon event instead?"

"No." Kerry dredged her self disgust back up. "I was getting tired after seven measly flights, and it pissed me off." She admitted. "I"ve been telling myself what good shape I'm in. Hah." She forced a laugh out, and rolled her head to one side, gazing at Dar. "I’m a wuss."

"Sweetheart." Dar laid her good arm over Kerry's shoulders. "Our floors at work are eight feet high." She said. "The ones here are twelve. You just ran up the equivalent of about fourteen flights of steps at full speed."

Kerry gazed at the steps, then tipped her head back and looked up. "Oh." She felt like an idiot. "Really."

"Mmhmm." Dar gazed fondly at her. "So you're entitled to be out of breath. I would have been." She leaned forward and stuck two fingers into the collar of Kerry's shirt, pulling it outward and peeking inside. "Besides, I really like the shape you're in."

Kerry looked down, then up at her. "Really?"

"Really." Dar released the fabric, transferring her touch to Kerry's face. She traced the rounded cheekbones and snub nose delicately, examining the crystal clear green depths of her lover's eyes. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever known."

It was amazing. Kerry felt a little fuzzy happy ball settle inside her stomach, it's tickling presence causing a smile to spread across her face, gaining an immediate echo on Dar's. How could a sterile scented stairwell be this romantic? "Thank you for telling me that." Kerry leaned forward slightly and brushed Dar's lips with her own, then made a more solid contact. "Especially since I feel like a slimy, skanky old pair of gym socks right now so I know you're just saying that to make me feel good." She gave Dar a wry smile.

Dar studied her in silence, a tiny furrow appearing in her brow. "I most certainly wasn't."

"Dar, c'mon." Kerry nudged her. "Don’t sit there and pretend I’m attractive sitting here all sweaty and covered in hallway dirt." She held up a hand, which was almost black, then blew her disheveled hair out of her eyes. "I’m a mess."

"I think you missed my point." Dar replied. "Ker, you’ll always be beautiful to me, no matter what you look like."

Kerry gazed back at her seriously. "Do you really mean that?" She asked. "No matter what? Even if I.. shaved my head, and put on fifty pounds and got a tattoo across my neck that said Budwieser?" Her kept her tone light, but she felt the anxiety as she watched Dar's face, twenty five years of her mother's voice hammering into her conscience.

"Hm." Dar cocked her head, giving the vision it’s due, and sober consideration. "Nope. I think I’d have to draw the line at the Bud tattoo." She said gravely. "Maybe Corona, I could live with."

Kerry smiled, and dropped her gaze, more relieved than she was willing to admit.

"But as for the rest, yes, I do mean that." Dar tipped Kerry’s chin up and forced eye contact. "We’re not going to look like this forever, Ker. I don’t’ know how you feel about it, but I want you to know I don’t give a damn."

It was ridiculous, Kerry decided, that they were having this absurdly critical discussion sitting in a hospital stairwell. But Dar’s speech deserved an answer. "All my life I’ve had it hammered into me that appearance is what matters." She said. "And I’d always hoped that… " A light shrug. "Being in love would mean more than just being physically attracted to someone." She met Dar’s eyes. "For me it is. There’s something about you that has captured me completely, and I hope it never lets go."

Dar nodded slightly.

"So, I don’t give a damn either." Kerry went on. "I know I joke about it a lot.. maybe it was just that I bumped into a cute little gymnastic boy and he stroked my ego for me."

Dar eyed her. "When was this?"

"On the way down the stairs." The blond woman admitted. "He admired my muscle tone."

"Ah." Dar settled back against the wall. "Well, I just had a good looking young woman tell me to take all my clothes off." She eyed Kerry’s profile, which went suspiciously, suddenly still save the flaring of her nostrils.

"And?" Kerry asked.

"And I spent the next ten minutes being told what a lovely specimen I was."

Kerry’s eyebrow lifted.

"Did you know I have dense bones and perfect symmetry?" Dar asked, arching a brow of her own.

"Who is this person?" Kerry half turned.

A puckish grin appeared. "The orthopedic surgeon."

"Tch." Kerry started laughing. "A lovely specimen, huh?"

Dar chuckled. "Nice muscle tone, huh?"

They both simply laughed for a minute. "Oh my god, Dar. I’m sweaty, and I’m tired, and I want to go home. Are they letting you out yet?" Kerry finally said.

"They’d better be." Her partner replied. "C’mon. Let’s go share a sponge and call Dr. Steve." Dar stood carefully, and held onto Kerry’s arm as she joined her. "Thought I saw a tube of that bath soap in your bag."

"The mango one?" Kerry put an arm around Dar’s waist as they climbed up the steps towards the tenth floor.

"Mm."

"You thought right, my little subtropical perfect specimen."

Dar snorted, then reached down and pinched Kerry’s butt. "Oh yeah, that’s nice tone all right."

"Ouch! You wench!" Kerry felt her spirits rise into the bubbly range. "Wait till we get to that sponge. You’ll be sorry."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

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

"Send her in." Commander Ainsbright twitched his jacket sleeves straight and folded his hands on his desk. Aside from the bandage taped over a gash on his left temple, and a bruise the size of a mango on his jaw, he appeared the very picture of composed, military dignity. He watched as the door opened, and Chief Daniel walked in. "Chief."

The Chief walked to the edge of the desk and saluted, then stood at ease.

"Report." The commander requested.

"It seems the training exercise caused a great deal of damage in three areas, sir." The Chief replied. "Primarily in the computer center, the telecom room, and the programming center."

The commander nodded. "And?"

"I expect the systems will be down until we can replace about twenty percent of the hardware." Chief Daniel said. "Apparently the backup systems were damaged as well, and we lost a good portion of our data storage."

The base commander leaned back, and propped a knee up against his desk. "All right." He said. "Write up the damages, and I'll charge the SEAL program for them. They had their instructions. They failed to follow them."

"Yes sir." Chief Daniel kept her gaze firmly fixed on the desk.

"Anything else you want to report, Chief?"

"No sir." Cam the quiet reply.

"Anyone asks you for anything, we don’t' have it."

"No, sir."

"Dismissed."

The Chief turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Jeff Ainsbright sighed and shook his head. The phone rang, and he picked it up. "Yes?"

"Clean up's almost done." A terse voice answered him. "We got lucky. Damn lucky."

"Tell me." The base commander snorted. "You get rid of everything? We'll have a security team down on us at oh seven hundred tomorrow morning."

"Everything." The voice answered. "Scrubbed to the bare steel. I brought a dog in just to be sure."

Ainsbright nodded. "Good." His eyes narrowed. "I"ve got those guards on court martial for letting that damn bastard Roberts in here offhours. You know how close that was? They were in the god damned computer center. I just hope we got everything."

"We did." The voice held infinite assurance. "She thought she was so smart. That data stream she has won't tell her anything. We made sure of that." A chuckle. "Don't worry, Jeff. All they'll find is some ruined equipment. I already reconstructed the database. It's clean."

"All right." Ainsbright nodded. "It was too damn close, I tell you. We should have shut down the minute that bitch came on the base."

"You were supposed to take care of that." The answer came back sharply. "You and that kid of yours, remember? He was supposed to distract her. Hell, I thought he'd end up screwing her.."

"That's enough." Ainsbright snapped. "Forget about it. We found another solution." He checked his watch. "I've got to go. Chuck's ship's leaving and I want to make sure he's on it."

"Right. Out of sight…"

"Out of my hair." The commander snorted. "Bye." He hung up the phone and took a deep breath. It had been close. Far too close, and the problems weren't over yet. He wasn't stupid enough to think he was rid of Dar Roberts, for one thing. She'd dug enough into the base to report back to Washington, and now it was up to his team to do damage control.

Negligence? Sure. Someone would be court martialed for it. Shoddy records keeping, Sloppy processes. Every base had them, and all it would generate was a damn study and recommendations as long as Roberts hadn't found anything worse.

And she hadn't. He was sure of it. All he had to do was get Chucky out of here, then wait for the rep from DC. Thank god the damn JAG had called to warn him. With a sigh, he put his hands against his desk and pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the ache in his bones.

Too dark, he'd been told, to see who hit him. "Sorry sir. It was just too dark." The SEAL captain had maintained stiffly. Yeah? Too dark my ass. Jeff Ainsbright scowled, as he circled his desk and headed for the door.

Only to find it blocked.

He stopped in complete shock, and stared at the dark blue clad figure standing silently inside the door. There hadn't been a sound. How in the hell…. He took a cautious breath. "Andy."

Ice blue eyes watched him steadily. "Lo, Jeff." Andrew drawled very softly.

Ainsbright took a step back. "Didn't hear you come in."

Frighteningly, that caused a smile to appear on the scarred face. "Folks never do." The ex SEAL allowed. "That's how come I stuck around this long." Andrew moved forward, towards the commander, with a curiously smooth amble It combined an economy of motion with an impression of prowling energy that caused the commander to take another step back, then turn and retreat behind his desk.

"What can I do for you, Andy?" Ainsbright forced a tense smile. "I've got a meeting I’m due at…"

"On Sunday? You ain't visiting the preacher now, are you?" Andy asked.

The commander hesitated. "No.. no, just a lunch date with my wife." He was very conscious of the cold menace radiating from his old friend, who though retired, and with all that gray in his crewcut still posed a very potent threat he knew he had no hope of countering.

Andy had always been like that. A big man, made bigger by weight training and a SEAL's fitness regimen with lightning reflexes and lethal combat skills. Cool in action, level headed, steady, reliable… but with a blind spot a mile wide all centered around his family, and that damn, stubborn, pigheaded, bitch of a daughter of his.

Dar was dangerous because she was so god damned smart. Andy was dangerous just because he was dangerous, and anything that touched or threatened his kid sent him past reason.

"We need to chat." Andy told him. "So sit yer ass down."

Ainsbright slowly sat down and folded his hands.  "Andrew, this ain't a threat, but I can call the guards and have you taken out of here. You're not in the Navy anymore."

"That's all right." Andrew told him. "When I'm done with you, you ain't gonna be either." He sat down on Ainsbright's desk. "So if you have half a brain left, you will sit in that chair, and start talking about what you all are doing here."

Ainsbright looked steadily at him. "Andrew, I have no idea what you're talking about. I think you need to leave."

Andy leaned closer. "Listen, you jackass. How'n the hell you think you got that crack on the side of your haid?"

Unconsicously, Ainsbright lifted a hand and touched it.

"Ah took that damn gun you had out of your hands and smacked you cross the face with it." Andy continued, standing up and circling the desk, his temper rising. "So you will, sir, you will tell me what is goin on here that makes a career jack like you point a damn gun at mah kid!" The ex SEAL's voice rose into a low roar. "NOW!!"

Ainsbright froze, staring at the dark form looming over him, seeing the fire in those pale blue eyes surging towards the edges, ready to consume him. Andrew's hands were tensed, and his body coiled, center of balance up on the balls of his feet, full of a stillness that bore it's own warning.

"Andy, take it easy." Ainsbright kept his voice low. "I"ll talk."

"Yes." A low, fierce growl. "You surely will."

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

"Dr. Steve…" Dar inhaled, visibly holding her patience. "They’ve taken enough pictures to star me in the next Sears Roebuck catalog. I’m fine. Let me the hell out of here."

Dr. Steve patted her arm as he reviewed a chart. "Just hold on to your britches, rugrat. You’ve still got a ton of swelling up in that rock head of yours." He made a mark on the chart. "We’re not taking any chances with you."

Dar peered over the doctor’s arm to where Kerry was curled up on the daybed, watching. Her brow creased as she scowled. "I’m not spending another night in this place." She decided. "I can sleep just as well at home."

"Ain’t got nurses there." Dr. Steve didn’t even look up. "Though you gave the ones here a story to spread over the water cooler over."

Dar glared at him. "I don’t give a damn." She growled. "They can kiss my ass."

Dr. Steve looked up to see a pair of very truculent blue eyes looking at him. "Lord, you must be feeling better. "He teased her, reaching over and chucking her on the chin. "That’s the Dar I know."

Kerry watched in bemusement, resting her chin on her forearm. She could see Dar getting more and more annoyed, and wondered briefly if her sometimes mercurial lover wasn’t better off going home. "Hey, Dr. Steve?" She called out.

The doctor turned and put the chart down, walking over to her and looking down. "How’d you get that bump, Squeeky?" His fingers touched the side of her head cautiously. "That hurt?"

"A little." Kerry admitted. "I had a close encounter with a door. Nothing major." She took advantage of his proximity. "Dr. Steve?"

"Hmm?" The doctor crouched down and continued to examine her bump. "You feeling all right, Kerrison? You look a little pasty." Behind him, Dar sat up and peered over, her brow creasing.

"I’m fine, really." Kerry assured him "Just a little headache, and I haven’t had my lunch yet."

"Mmhm." Dr. Steve turned her face a little towards the light from the window. "Feel a little shaky?"

Kerry sighed. "A little."

"Uh huh. When was the last time you had your blood sugar levels checked?"

That caught her by surprise. "Um…" She took a breath "I usually don’t have a problem."

"That’s not true." Dar spoke up.

"Dar." Kerry peered around the doctor’s arm, annoyed.

"It’s not." The dark haired woman gave a little shrug of her uninjured shoulder. "You get dizzy when you don’t eat, and you know it."

"That true?" Dr. Steve asked.

Kerry sighed again. "Sometimes." She said. "I try to make sure it doesn’t." She met his gaze. "I ran out of granola bars today."

Dr. Steve fished in his pocket, and came out with a package of cheese and peanut butter crackers. He handed it over to her. "Here."

She accepted them, then changed the subject. "Does she really need to stay here?" Kerry asked quietly. "I think she’d rest better at home."

The doctor rested his hand on her knee and gave her a direct look. "Would you go home if I said no?"

Kerry shook her head, opening her crackers and removing one. She put it between her teeth and bit down, chewing the salty snack slowly. "Where she goes, I go."

Dr. Steve let out a chuckle, then pushed himself to his feet and returned to Dar’s bedside. "Found you a good match, Paladar." He shook his head. "Two of a kind, I can see that."

Dar tore her eyes from Kerry’s face, and looked at him. "What?"

The doctor picked up her chart and made a comment on it. Then he looked up as footsteps sounded outside, and a young man carrying an envelope entered. "Ah, that the last of them?"

"Yes, sir." The man agreed, handing over the envelope. He gave Dar a professional smile, then turned and left. Dr. Steve removed some papers from the envelope and read them, scanning over the first page and concentrating on the second. Finally, he grunted and folded them over.

"All right, rugrat." He turned and put his hands on the bedrails. "I’ll let you go on one condition."

Dar’s eyebrows hiked up in pleased surprise. "What?" She glanced over at the watching Kerry. "Name it." The doctor’s attention to her lover had caused a twinge of unease, even though she knew Kerry was conscious of her body chemistry and usually had little problem with it. She had seemed a little wrung out when they’d gotten back, but Dar had put that down to her stair climbing.

"You." Dr. Steve took hold of her chin and force her to look at him. "Will get your ass in bed, and stay there for at least three days."

Dar took a breath to answer.

"Promise me." Dr. Steve stated, flatly. "I mean it, Dar. This is no joke. You want to go home? Well, I"ve known you since you were born, and I know you’ll get more rest there then here with all them nurses poking at you. But you must, I’m saying must, Dar – stay in bed and let your body heal." His manner was unusually no nonsense. "Yes or no?"

The blue eyes flickered, then narrowed slightly. "Just stay in bed?" She countered. "Not asleep?"

Dr. Steve warily eyed her. "Flat on your back." He qualified. "No gymnastics or anything like that."

Well. Dar sighed inwardly. That meant three days of using her laptop, but there was probably enough data and crap she had to sort through to keep her busy for at least that. "All right." She nodded. "I promise."

Dr. Steve looked relieved. He reached over and ruffled her hair lightly. "Okay. I’ll go process your paperwork."

Dar watched him leave, then looked over at Kerry. "Hot damn."

Kerry finished up her crackers and dusted her fingers off, feeling much better. She got up off the daybed and went over to Dar, curling her fingers around the bedrails and leaning against them. "Three days, huh?"

"Three days." Dar agreed. "You should get plenty done at the office with me stuck at home."

"Mm." Kerry made a noncommittal noise. "Well, let’s get you packed up." She slid her hand through the bars and circled Dar’s wrist with her fingers, rubbing her thumb against the soft skin. "And get you into that waterbed."

Dar smiled. "Keep me company there?" She waggled an eyebrow.

Kerry grinned back.

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

Kerry chewed on a carrot as she watched the large pot of soup cook. Discharge had taken less time than she’d thought it would, and they’d gotten home before lunch was served at the hospital.

Which was, she reflected wryly, a good thing, because it was fish. Now, normally Dar liked fish, and so did Kerry, but as Dar put it, she liked her fish to be of some identifiable species, and not pasteurized processed cod-like fishcakes.

Ugh. Even the boiled smell coming down the hallway had made Kerry wince. So she’d been glad when the orderly showed up with a wheelchair, to take Dar downstairs. Of course, it’d taken her ten minutes of arguing with her lover to get the stubborn woman to sit in the wheelchair, but they were out at last, and tucked in the Lexus headed home.

Dar had been quiet. Kerry suspected she was in some pain, but she didn’t press her on the subject, theorizing that Dar had been poked and prodded and messed with almost past her tolerance the last twenty four hours and would only resent the mothering.

She wouldn’t resent the soup, though. Kerry poked a wooden spoon in and gave the mixture a stir. The spicy, rich scent of seafood gumbo wafted up, and she felt her mouth water in response. "Mm." She lifted the spoon and took a taste. "Glad I had a container of this in the freezer, Chino."

"Yawp." Chino agreed, peering up hopefully at her.

"No soup for you." Kerry took a biscuit from the dog jar and tossed it to her. "This will make you chuck up your Labrador guts all night."

Chino crunched on her biscuit contentedly. "Growf."

Kerry smiled, then turned and pulled two good sized bowls down from the cupboard. They were sturdy, a nice shade of bone inside and a pretty cobalt on the outside. She and Dar had purchased them at the Mikasa outlet just a few weeks prior, on a rare afternoon’s shopping together. That had been fun, Kerry mused, as she ladled portions into each bowl. Just a long Saturday, that had started with breakfast at, of all places, MacDonalds, and ended with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

"And you didn’t get any of that doggie bag, didja, Chin?" Kerry put the bowls on a small wicker tray and added silverware, then popped the door on the convection oven and removed a few buttermilk biscuits. "Okay, let’s go bring mommy Dar lunch." She picked up the tray and walked into the living room, where Dar had resumed her nest on the couch.

"Hey." Kerry put the tray down on the coffee table. "Hungry?"

Dar lifted her head and sniffed at the bowls. "Is that gumbo?"

"Mmhm."

"Mm." Dar smiled and settled back against the soft leather. She was dressed in her pajamas, with a fleece blanket tucked around her and her laptop resting on her knees. Now she watched as Kerry picked up one of the bowls and brought it over, settling it into her lap. "Where did this come from?"

"Fedex delivered it." Kerry answered without a beat. "Didn’t you hear them?"

"On Sunday?" Dar asked.

"New service." Kerry offered her a spoonful, pleased when Dar opened her mouth and accepted it. "How’s it going?"

"Eh." Dar chewed a bit of conch and swallowed it. "I don’t know. It’s…" She reached up and rubbed her eyes a little. "Hard to concentrate. My head hurts."

Kerry checked her watch. "You can take a couple more Tylenol." She offered. "Or you could just… oh… I don’t know, lie down and get some rest."

Dar considered. "Let me try the pills first." She decided. "I’m really not tired." She accepted the spoon Kerry held out and settled the bowl on her stomach. "Thanks for the soup."

"Any time." Kerry ruffled her hair. "You know, you’re not nearly as bad a patient as I thought you’d be."

Dar sucked on the spoon, and regarded her lover thoughtfully. "Would you like me to become an unruly curmudgeon? I could." She asked, with a faint smile. "But I figured it made no sense to have both of us be miserable."

"I appreciate that." Kerry reached over and gave Dar’s thigh a squeeze. "I just wanted you to know that I don’t mind taking care of you, Dar."

Dark lashes fluttered. "I don’t mind letting you." Dar said.

Kerry picked up her bowl and sat down on the couch, picking up Dar’s legs and sliding underneath them. She wriggled into a comfortable spot, then crossed her ankles and took a spoonful of soup. "What are we watching?"

"Mpf?" Dar hastily swallowed, then glanced to her left. "Oh… I don’t know, I was just browsing and I…"

"Good grief, Dar, that woman is almost naked." Kerry stared at the screen in fascination. "What in the hell is she doing with that stick?"

"Um." Dar bit her lip. "I’m not sure. It’s one of those action things. You know I never watch that stuff." She watched anyway. "Hey.. she’s pretty cute."

Kerry glanced at her. "I guess."

"Looks a little like you." Dar went on.

"No she doesn’t." Kerry laughed. "Not unless I spent twenty four hours a day for six months in a gym, and got a serious hair cut." She watched the image on the screen. "Oo. Nice kick."

"Mm." Dar agreed. "Nice outfit."

Kerry’s eyebrows lifted, and she gave her lover a sideways look. "Are you hinting at something?"

"Me?" Blue eyes opened a little wider. "Are you insinuating that I might want to see you in two strips of leather and a pair of floppy boots?"

A grin tugged at Kerry’s lips. "Would you?"

"Bet your ass I would." Dar laughed.

Kerry reviewed the screen. "I’d look ridiculous."

"You’d look mouth watering." Dar bit into a chunk of spicy fish. "Can I have that for a birthday present?"

"Dar!" Kerry blushed, pleased at the compliment but embarrassed at the same time. "You sound so carnal."

Dar chuckled, then jumped a little as her cell phone rang. "Crap." She balanced her bowl on her lap and put the spoon down, then picked up the buzzing instrument. "Yeah?"

"Dar!" Alastair’s voice boomed down the line. "Good gravy! What in the hell happened? Why didn’t you call me? Where are you?!"

Dar held the phone away from her ear and grimaced. "When you’re done yelling, lemme know." She waited, then moved the phone closer when no other sounds issued from it. "Good afternoon, Alastair."

"Dar." He sounded exasperated. "For Christ’s sake, they said you were in the hospital!"

"I was." Dar stretched a little. "We ran into a little trouble on the base." She said. "I got a knock on the head, they wanted to take some pictures. No big deal, Alastair."

"That’s not what I heard." Her boss retorted. "I heard you were already hurt when you went down there, and got knocked out by some jackass with a gun."

Dar took a breath, then released it. "You told me to find a solution." She said. "I found one."

Alastair let out a gust of air. "What makes you think any solution or any problem is worth risking you? Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt, Dar? You think I give two shits about some half ass piece of crap government contract?"

Dar was quiet for a moment. "Alastair?"

"What???" Her boss bellowed.

"Thanks for caring."

There was silence for a few heartbeats, then Alastair sighed. "Well, damn it all to hell, Dar."

Time to take control back of this conversation, Dar’s more logical half asserted. "All right. Now that you’ve called, let me get this over with." She composed her thoughts. "We went down there trying to retain the data evidence. I told you that was the government’s concern, right?"

"Right." Alastair exhaled.

"Well, I fucked up." Dar had a pause slightly after saying that, so unusual was it for her to have to pronounce those words applied to herself. "I didn’t find out what was going on first, and we walked right into both a military exercise, and a setup."

Alastair didn’t even say a word.

"Thank god my father was with us." Dar went on in a quiet, unemotional voice. "They knew we were coming, and they were using the exercise to cover their tracks. With real bullets. If it hadn’t been for dad, things would have been a lot worse."

"So." Her bosses voice sounded grim "What’s your analysis?"

Dar watched Kerry’s profile, as she sat moving her spoon around in her soup with her eyes on the television screen. "I was too close to the problem." She said, watching Kerry’s movements still. "I should have backed out of it. "

"Ah."

"We should have just dropped the results into the government’s lap, and submitted our bill." Dar went on. "Now we’re going to be involved in lawsuits at the very least."

A sigh. "Anyone else get hurt?"

Dar remembered Jeff Ainsbright’s slumped form. "Not any of our people." She replied. "I take full responsibility for this, Alastair."

"Mm." Her boss murmured. "You always do, Dar. I’ve never seen you do less." He considered a moment.. "Still and all, we did fufill the contract, didn’t we? As far as that request for service?"

"Yes."

"All right." Alastair said. "Let’s keep things in perspective, Dar."

"From a man who was yelling at the top of their lungs when I picked up the phone, that’s quite a statement." Dar remarked dryly.

"Well, I was more concerned about you." Alastair replied. "The fact is, we achieved our goal, and we were just going above and beyond for the customer when things went badly."

"Alastair." Dar sighed.

"I’m not making excuses." Her boss snapped. "Easton took advantage of you when he asked you to intervene, and you know it, Dar. He was counting on your being personally involved, and he used that."

Dar opened her mouth to refute the charge, then closed it again as her mind ran over what her boss had said. Had he? She looked up to see Kerry regarding her, with a sympathetic look on her face.

"I don’t blame him for that." Alastair continued hurriedly. "He was in a tight spot, and saw a way out of it. I’d have done the same thing."

Dar sighed. "Maybe."

"So, take it easy, all right?"

"Alastair." Dar replied. "You can tell me all day long I was within spec, but we both know I wasn’t."

"Eh." A verbal shrug came over the line. "We can talk about it later, Dar. How are you, anyway?"

Dar recognized a deliberate change of subject when she heard one, but didn’t have the energy to protest. "I’m all right." She replied. "I had a concussion, and I messed up my shoulder a couple days ago. It’s really no big deal." Something occurred to her. "I do have to stay home for a few days, though. I’ll call in for the board meeting on Tuesday."

"Great." Alastair said. "Looks like the budget’s right on for the fourth quarter, and projections are up for next year thanks to your network."

Dar smiled. "Trying to cheer me up?"

A chuckle. "Is it working?"

Dar felt better for having told her boss what was going on. "Yeah."

"Good."

Dar held the phone against her ear and took a spoonful of soup. "How’d you find out about me in the first place?" She asked, around a mouthful of shrimp.

"Your mother called me." Alastair told her, with a touch of smugness in his tone.

Dar stopped in mid chew and almost snorted bisque out her nose. "My mother?"

Kerry snickered. "Oh oh."

"I had to do it." Jeff Ainsbright stated, for the tenth time. He was seated behind his desk, watching Andrew Robert’s tall, burly form pace back and forth. "Andy, you don’t understand."

"Hell I don’t." Andy snapped, turning to face him. "You had to sell your damn soul out? That what you’re saying?"

Ainsbright sighed, and shook his head. "God damn it, Andy." He said. "Spare me your moralistic hogwash, will you? Maybe you never wanted to work your way out of that three bedroom shack down the row, but I did."

Andy glowered at him. "Least what I had, I got honestly."

"And what was that?" Jeff replied. "You couldn’t even afford to get your damn wife a new dress most of the time. You never had nothing, you never left her nothing.. you couldn’t even send your kid to college." He stood up and poked a thumb at his own chest. "I wasn’t about to live like that. So yeah, when they offered me some good money to look the other way, you bet your ass I did."

"Ah would not have, not for all the damn money in the US." Andy stated flatly. "And what’d it get you?"

"A nice house." Ainsbright answered. "A nice car, my wife’s a member of the country club and she loves it. My kid’s a ship captain."

"You buy him that too?" Andy asked, sarcastically.

"What’d you ever give your kid?" Jeff taunted. "A used tennis ball?"

"Care." The ex SEAL replied. "And knowin what was right and wrong." He folded his arms. "I didn’t have to do nothing else. She made her own future without beggin me for handouts."

Ainsbright rolled his eyes. "You’re a fool, Andrew. You always were." He stood up. "All right, look." A hand lifted. "Yeah, I knew about everything here. I knew about the shipments, and I knew they were covering them. But I never had anything directly to do with any of it, hear?"

Andy studied him.

"I did what I did for my family." Jeff stated. "To give them a better life."

"Now they ain’t gonna have nothing." Andy said. "With your ass in jail."

Ainsbright snorted. "Not for bad recordkeeping, Andy." He managed a thin lipped smile. "That’s all your brilliant little wunderkind is going to find now."

Thoughtful blue eyes regarded him. "Think so?"

"I know it. I made sure of that personally." Ainsbright snapped. "Despite you getting your ass in the way, that is. I wasn’t after your damn kid."

"You had a damn M16 with a scope." Andy closed on him again. "Who were you after?"

"No one." Ainsbright answered coolly. "It was all part of the exercise." He pointed at Andy. "Which your daughter interrupted with an unauthorized breach of the base. If anything happen to her here, it’s her fault. Not mine." A pause. "For that matter, you better just hope I don’t bring you up on assault charges."

Andrew blinked. "You do that, and ah will make direly sure you’ll have been assaulted for it."

"That a threat?" Jeff snorted. "Get out of here, Andy. You’re out of your league, and you don’t belong here anymore."

Andy turned, and walked to the window, gazing out at the grassy space before the building. "Ain’t that the truest thing you done said here today." He rumbled. "If you aint the one who’s running this show, Jeff. Who is?" He turned and eyed the commander, who remained silent. "They pay you to take the fall for them?"

The base commander shook his head. "I’m not taking a fall, Andy. I told you that."

"Cause you think you outthunk my kid, is that it?" A smile twisted Andrew’s face. "Better hope you’re right. I sure never could."

Jeff snorted. "I’m smarter than you are, Andy. We both know that."

A slow nod. "That may be true, Jeff. But you aint’ smarter than she is. So you better be damn sure you’ve got all your tracks covered, or it’s your ass what’s going to be run up that there flagpole outside." He turned and pointed, then turned back and walked over to the base commander, stopping within a pace of him. "Because she will nail you."

Their eyes locked. "I’m sure." Jeff finally said. "I’ve got good people who made very, very sure of that." He turned and straightened his jacket. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, Andrew – I’ve got a lunch date with my wife." He gestured towards the door. "I’ll have you escorted to the gate." He turned back towards his desk, then stopped dead.

The office was empty.

"Son of a bitch." The commander raced to the window and looked out, leaning out to look up and down. Then he pulled his head back in and searched the room with anxious eyes. "Where in the f…" Cursing, he reached for the phone and lifted it, dialing a number quickly. "Security? This is the commander. We’ve got an unauthorized entry. Send a security team to my office and put the base on alert."

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

The alarm went off before dawn, and Kerry reached over quickly to silence it. It stopped it’s low buzz, and she let her hand drop back down onto the pillow as she glanced over at Dar’s sleeping form.

Her lover didn’t stir, her body relaxed in slumber and her breathing slow and even. Good. Kerry sighed in relief. Dar had worked obsessively over what data she had in her laptop until after midnight, only surrendering when Kerry coaxed her off the couch and into the waterbed, where she’d fallen asleep almost in the middle of a protest.

Kerry spent a moment just watching Dar’s profile, outlined by the pale blue nightlight in the bathroom. Then she rolled over and eased out of bed on the opposite side, twitching the down comforter back into place. She stifled a yawn with one hand as she made her way into the bathroom, and closed the door quietly behind her before she flipped the light on.

"Ugh." Kerry winced and closed her eyes, waiting for a moment before she reopened them and blinked at her reflection. A very disheveled looking, grumpy woman looked back at her and she stuck her tongue out at the image.

She had such a damn busy day planned at work. First, she’d have to coordinate the recovery of whatever Mark retained in that black box. Assuming Dar remembered how to reassemble the puzzle pieces, then she’d have to assign a high security team to work with the database, reconstructing it meticulously and recording their steps line by line.

Then, since it was a Monday, she knew there would be at least five or six major disasters for her to handle, along with the usual running operations issues. Thank god, Kerry mused, as she splashed water on her face and lathered up some soap. Dar’s new network had reduced her crisis calls by eighty percent, it’s flexibility and reliability making her life much more pleasant.

So, she’d get some liquid breakfast, throw on her running gear, do her laps, then shower, then head for the office. Kerry dried her face and nodded at her now still scruffy, but more alert looking reflection. "Right?" She watched her lower lip poke out, as though by it’s own volition.

Her brow creased. "Okay, what’s wrong?" The lip poked out further in a pout. "Kerrison Stuart, you are not going to pout because Dar gets to stay home and you don’t, y’here me?"

"Growf." Chino hopped up and put her paws on the sink, peering up at Kerry as if wondering who her mom was talking to.

"Sure, that’s easy for you to say." Kerry turned and tapped the end of her toothbrush on Chino’s nose. "You get to stay here with her."

Chino’s tail wagged.

"Yeah, yeah. Rufh min fin." Kerry spoke through a mouthful of toothpaste.

It was a beautiful morning. Kerry took a deep breath of the cool, salt tinged air as she walked down the path to the beach, enjoying the lack of humidity that made their running uncomfortable, bordering on brutal during the summer months. As she reached the winding path that lead around the island, she paused to stretch her muscles out, as a few seagulls drifted by to watch.

It was quiet at this hour, the soft clanks from the marina and the bird’s curious squawks the only sounds that broke the dawn hush. Kerry finished her warmup and started down the path at a slow jog, waiting for her body to wake up and get into synch before she picked her pace up and settled into her run.

She’d finally gotten used to this. Kerry watched a small tug move past the south side of the island as she headed around the marina. In fact, she’d come to look forward to the time she and Dar set aside for their joint morning exercise, because it was a great way to start the day with some peace and quiet.

Okay. Kerry smiled, as she rounded the island’s northern side for the first time. And some companionable togetherness. They’d started debating current events the past few weeks, and she found herself missing the company.

How had Dar stood it all those years alone? The thought intruded itself. The another thought made her almost stop in her tracks. How did you stand it all those years alone, Kerry?

Wow. Kerry tried to remember what her life had been like before she’d met Dar. It had been… well, all right, she guessed. She’d had fun, with her friends at work, and with Colleen. She hadn’t been lonely, had she?

Second lap already? Kerry sighed, and nibbled her lower lip. No, she really hadn’t been lonely. She’d been more like… waiting. That was it. She nodded to herself. She’d always had the feeling that just around the bend, just around that next corner she’d find someone special.

Okay, so it wasn’t around a corner, and the person barged into her office intent on firing her but… she’d found it. Kerry smiled, and leaned forward a little, picking up her pace. Faster I go, faster I get back.

**********

Dar kept her eyes closed, aware of the fact that she was alone in bed. This didn’t make her very happy. The waterbed was comfortable, but it was a lot warmer and more comfortable if it was full of a certain blond woman she knew, who tended to drape nice smelling and cutely shaped parts her herself all over Dar.

On the other hand, Dar reasoned, she could also smell cinnamon and the scent of fresh coffee, which meant she was trading off waking up chilly and grumpy for sticky buns and a cup of Santa’s White Christmas in her big blue mug.

Hm.

She heard soft clinks from the kitchen, then the light scuff of bare feet against tile heading in her direction. It was strange, but she could actually feel Kerry’s presence as her lover entered the room, bringing the nice smells closer, and combining them with apricot skin scrub and the clean cotton tshirt that covered Kerry’s freshly showered body.

Mm. Dar briefly wondered if she could just suck on Kerry, and forgo the sticky bun. She opened one eye. "Morning."

"Hi there, cute stuff." Kerry set the small tray down on their bedside table. On it was a plate with two buns, and the anticipated blue mug. "How do you feel?"

Dar closed her fingers on the knee conveniently close by and squeezed. "Mm.. not bad."

She joked wryly. "Like crap, honestly." She then admitted. "I feel like I"ll never get rid of this headache and my arm’s killing me. I think I slept wrong."

Kerry rattled the small bottle on the tray. "I came prepared." She removed a small glass from next to the mug. "Here.. " She handed Dar some juice, and three tablets. "You might want to spend some time outside later – it’s gorgeous."

Dar finished the juice and handed the glass back. "Thanks. I’ll take the laptop out there." She said. "You better get dressed."

"Oh." Kerry plucked at her shirt, which had an almost life size Dilbert sprawled across it’s surface. "You mean I can’t go to work like this? C’mon, Dar."

Dar cocked her head slightly. "Well, okay, hon, but don’t stand with your back to the light, okay? It’s a little translucent."

Kerry looked down. "It is?" She asked in surprise. "Where?"

A finger reached out and tickled a very sensitive spot.

"Yeak!" A snorting laugh escaped Kerry. "Okay, okay. I see your point." She gazed fondly at Dar. "Let me go get into my monkey suit."

Dar tangled her fingers in the soft cotton and tugged. "Thanks for breakfast." She said. "And you can go to work dressed casual today if you want. It won’t kill anyone."

Kerry considered that, then nodded. "Okay, I will." She decided. "I’m in the mood for jeans." She turned and made her way into the living room, then took the stairs two at a time.

*****

"When’re we gonna see what we got?" Brent asked, sticking his hands in his pockets and regarding the locked, steel box in the corner of Mark’s office.

"When Dar says we do." Mark didn’t look up from the folder he was writing on. "Go do something, willya, Brent? It’s not going to levitate out of that box."

Brent stayed put. "We risked our necks to get that thing."

Now, Mark looked up. "You volunteered."

"So?" The tech squared a pugnacious jaw. "We still did."

"And you point is what?" The MIS Chief asked. "Look, you wouldn’t know what the hell was in there even if I did open and link it. It’s not readable."

Brent’s brow creased. "Huh? Then what’d we do it for? You mean we can’t use it?"

"I didn’t say that." Mark took an impatient breath. "I said you can’t read it. I can’t read it. Yoda the Jedi Master can’t read it." He pointed at the box. "But Dar can. She knows what formula she used to structure the sector copy. She’s the one who has to reconstruct it, okay?"

"Oh." Brent looked interested.

Mark leaned back. "Hey. Why the fuck did you go with us?" He asked bluntly. "You spent the last two weeks blowing shit all over this office about how you felt about the boss."

Brent studied him sullenly. "It’s not right."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… you, my Aunt Matilda and Dr. Laura with your homophobic bullshit." Mark snapped. "All of you can kiss my ass. So why offer to help out someone you hate so much?"

Brent shrugged. "The Navy sucks." He commented, then turned and walked out, leaving a bewildered Mark to stare after him.

"What the hell was that?" Mark asked the empty air. "Why the fuck do I get all the warped SIMMS in Miami working for me?" He shook his head and glanced at his screen. "Ah." A alert showed him that Kerry had logged into the office systems. He checked a second alarm, scowling a little on seeing it dark. "Shit. C’mon, Dar. I want to know if we got those bastards too."

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

The bow of the boat rocked up and down in the very light chop, making an almost soothing motion as Ceci walked along the edge of the deck. Good thing, she mused thoughtfully. That I’m not prone to seasickness. That would have been a hell of a thing to find out, after I talked Andy into this thing, wouldn’t it?

She spotted her husband seated on the very front of the bow, resting his arms on the railing as he watched the sun rise over the sea. He was dressed in his shortie wet suit, which glistened with the seawater that also dampened his grizzled hair and scattered sparkles over his tanned skin.

"Hey, sailor boy." Ceci took a seat next to him.

"Y’know, Cec." Andy turned his head, and looked thoughtfully at her. "I do believe I do not consider that a compliment anymore."

Ceci looked at him. "Andy." She put a hand on his leg. "Don’t say that. A bunch of jackasses shouldn’t take a lifetime of pride away from you. C’mon now." She found herself in the weird position of defending a service she’d never really liked or understood. "You know the vast majority aren’t like that. They’re like you." She gazed into the pale blue eyes "Well, not just like you."

Andy sighed. "Ah remember doing bartering myself back on that there base."

"Everyone did." Ceci laughed. "C’mon, Andy. That’s how we managed to trade enough for that Christmas party that one year, remember? When you won that stuffed tiger from Brad at the carnival, and gave it to Dar?"

Andy brooded. "How was that different than what this was? Jeff said he done it for his family. Well, I done that for my family."

"Hon." Ceci managed not to smile. "I don’t think even the Attorney General, bless her good, cracker heart, would see tins of peanut butter and a case of beer in the same light as selling black market M16’s and cocaine."

"Mph."

"Besides, how could we possibly deny Dar her peanut butter?" Ceci asked. "She ate so much of that I’m surprised she doesn’t carry a top hat and cane and wear spats."

Andy laughed wryly, in pure reflex. "She surely did like that stuff." He agreed, then sighed. "Maybe that’s how it starts, though. Folks think that’s all right, then it just goes a little further, and further…"

"No." Ceci shook her head. "There’s a line there, Andy. You and I both know that. Someone made the decision to cross that line." She put a hand on his arm "It just so happens that person was a friend of ours."

Andrew scowled. "Jackass."

"Mm."

"Hope Dar nails his ass t’the ground with a sharpend flagpole."

Now it was Ceci’s turn to laugh.

Continued in Part 9

Tropical High

Part 9

Dar lay quietly in bed, soft New Age music providing a background as she drowsed, allowing the painkillers to ebb some of the throbbing from her arm and head. There were a dozen things she could be doing, she admitted, but it was much easier to do what she’d promised she’d do, which was rest and allow her body to heal.

It was hard to remember the last time she’d just slept in all day. She and Kerry kept pretty busy, even on weekends they were out on the boat, or driving down to the keys, or … Dar smiled sleepily. Or shopping.

She’d discovered she liked shopping with Kerry. Even when they were looking for something totally mundane, like plates, she’d found herself enjoying the process. Last time they’d gone to the mall, she’d even done a little clothes shopping, both she and Kerry having fun remembering the first time they’d done that, mere weeks after they’d first met.

And this time they shared a dressing room. Dar chuckled softly as she indulged herself in a memory of the two of them buttoning and zipping each other.

And unbuttoning and unzipping.

Dar idly hoped Saks Fifth Avenue didn’t videotape their patrons.

The phone rang, causing her to reluctantly open her eyes and peer at the table. With a groan, she rolled over and reached out to slap the speaker button. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Dar."

Dar let her eyes close again. "Morning." She returned her mother’s greeting cordially. "What’s up?"

"Your father’s temper."

That got one eye open. "Don’t tell me it’s the Priceline.com commercials again." She said.

Ceci chuckled wryly. "Actually, his new pet peeve is the erectile dysfunction mini movies that have been playing recently."

Dar’s brow wrinkled. "Ew."

"Mm." Her mother agreed. "At any rate, he took a ride down to the base yesterday, and didn’t come back very happy. Apparently they’re covering their tracks pretty thoroughly."

"Um." Dar tried to dredge up some interest. "Figures."

There was a moment’s silence. "You doing all right?" Ceci finally asked, warily.

"Pretty much." Dar answered. "Been laying in bed most of the morning."

"Ah. I see." Ceci seemed to consider this statement seriously for a little while. "Well, I went to the technological depths of iniquity and managed to produce a pan of something that might, if you don’t look too closely, pass as brownies to cheer your father up."

Dar chuckled in pure reflex.

"Mind if I drop some by?"

Dar lifted her head up and peered at the phone in honest surprise. For a second, she almost politely declined, then a sudden impulse took over. "S.. sure." A quick look around. "Place is a mess."

Her mother laughed audibly. "See you in a bit."

"Okay." Dar replied, then heard the line drop. She rested her chin on her wrist and stared at the phone, then shook her head. "Look out, Chino. We’re getting a visitor."

The Labrador lifted her head up and wagged her tail. She was curled up in her bed next to where Dar was lying.

"My mother’s coming over." She informed the dog. "And she’s bringing brownies." Dar rolled over cautiously and regarded the ceiling. "Bet if I look outside, it’ll be snowing."

"Growf."

"Mm. But if she offers to do the laundry, we’re outta here." Dar covered her eyes with one hand. "Scary. Very scary."

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

Kerry knelt beside the lockbox, and lifted the security tag, reading the number off it and recording it on a large manilla file clipped onto the clipboard she was carrying. "Okay." She stood and wrote the cataloging entry on the file folder. "Do we have point to point concurrence that this never left anyone’s view?"

"Yep." Mark said. "I made sure I kept three guys with me to sign off on it."

"Good." Kerry took a step back and dropped into the chair across from Mark’s desk, crossing one denim covered ankle over her knee. "Now we just have to find out if there’s anything useful in there."

"Yeah." Mark sighed. "Boss won’t be in till Wednesday, huh?"

"Nope." Kerry said. "And I’d feel better if we did all the analysis here, rather than have that brought to the house. It’s going to be touchy as it is."

"I’m with you." The MIS chief nodded. "They get that team into the base?"

Kerry chewed on the end of her pen. "Yeah. I got a call from that JAG officer. They’ve been there all day, and so far, it all looks clean."

Mark snorted.

"Not that we don’t already have some data on them." Kerry acknowledged his derision with a twitch of her lips. "But nothing major. Mostly bad, or shady bookkeeping on stuff like supplies."

"So, if there’s nothing in this thing.." Mark kicked the lockbox. "That’s it? They just get off?"

Kerry stood up and exhaled. "If we can’t prove anything, then yes." She agreed. "Or, to be more specific, if we can’t provide information to the authorities that will allow them to prove it. We’re just the analysts."

"Bet Dar doesn’t feel that way." Mark commented. "Man, I can’t believe she grew up there. My brain can’t process that." He glanced at Kerry. "Weird."

"Why?" Kerry asked, pausing in the doorway on her way out.

Mark shrugged, a little uncomfortably. "I don’t know. It was like when she took us out to that little island place, y’know? I just figured she went through the same kind of growing up around here that I did. Malls, football games, whatever."

Kerry studied him. "Didn’t figure her for a redneck?"

Mark scowled. "She’s not a friggen redneck. She’s just a… a… "

"Cracker." Kerry supplied gently.

"No way."

"Mark." Kerry came back over and sat down, resting her hands on her knees and putting her envelope down. "I love Dar. You know that right?"

He blushed.

"She’s my best friend, and my partner, and I wouldn’t trade her for anyone or anything in the world. " Kerry went on. "She’s not embarrassed by her origins, so why should you be?"

Another shrug. "It’s just weird."

Kerry sighed. "I think it makes her achievements all the more spectacular." She said. "Because she really did start from nothing, and everything she’s gained, has been on her own terms, and by her own brilliance."

Mark looked up. "Yeah."

A speculative look. "I envy her for that." Kerry admitted. "It must be an amazing feeling to know you’ve totally controlled your own destiny."

Mark played with the chip puller he used as a paperweight. "She has, hasn’t she. I never really thought about that." He told Kerry. "Hey, you had lunch yet?"

Kerry let the subject change pass. "Not yet. Want to go down? They’ve got lamb shanks today." She stood back up. "I think Mari said she was going down about now too."

Mark joined her and locked the door to his office behind them carefully. "Not like you could drag that box anywhere, but ya never know."

"Mm." Kerry agreed. "You never do know." She glanced around the office, and gave the staff there a brief smile. Most smiled back.

Brent just looked away from her.

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

Ceci set a glass on the counter and studiously filled it with milk. The condo was quiet, and despite Dar’s disclaimer seemed no untidier than it usually did. Which was not at all, save a collection of laundry awaiting attention in the utility room.

That didn’t really surprise her. Though Dar had maintained a nest of teenage clutter in her younger years, the room had never been dirty, per se, just full of stuff. Things that were holding Dar’s capricious interest, or things that Andy had given her, all jealously hoarded in neatly labeled boxes stacked everywhere.

She’d had time, when she and Andy had dog sat, to wander over the condo, and had found herself smiling at childhood vestiges she’d found tucked away in inconspicuous corners.

Those things had meant something to her daughter. Ceci studied the glass of milk, then picked it up and made her way through the living room and into the bedroom where Dar was resting. "Figured you’d need this." She held out the glass.

Dar got caught in mid chew. She hastily swallowed a mouthful of brownie and accepted the milk, taking a sip of it to wash down the rich treat. "Thanks." She indicated the tray. "Not bad for instant."

"Mm.. yes." Ceci sat down in the comfortable chair near the bed. "Shocked the hell out of me, I have to admit."

Dar grinned slightly. "I know the feeling. I made dinner the other week and was totally amazed at it being edible."

One of Ceci’s silver blond eyebrows rose. "What was the occasion?"

Dar hesitated, then shrugged. "Nothing special. I just felt like doing it." She was aware of the always perceptible discomfort between them, and felt suddenly very tired of it. Life was, she’d come to realized, just too damn short sometimes. "Hey, mom?"

Ceci detected the change in Dar’s tone, and she leaned forward a little. "Yes?"

Dar took a deep breath. "We’ve got a pretty lousy past with each other."

Uh oh. Ceci felt her heart move up into her throat. "Brownies weren’t that bad, were they?" She joked faintly.

That made Dar smile, and she realized her mother was a lot more nervous than she was. "No." She glanced down and collected her thoughts, then looked up. "Can we just forget it all, and start fresh from here?"

It came around a blind corner and smacked Cecilia right between the eyes, leaving a sting as though she’d been hit with a mackerel. She found herself gazing right into Dar’s intense face, the echo of the question reminding her strongly of the one she’d asked Andy the night they’d been reunited. "That what you really want?" She asked quietly.

Dar nodded.

Ceci felt absurdly like crying. "I’d really like that too." She said. "I know it sounds ridiculous but you don’t realize all the good things about being a mother until you aren’t one anymore."

Now it was Dar’s turn to be caught offguard. She blinked, and felt a surge of juvenile memory as she stared at her mother’s face. "That’s all right." She finally said, with a touch of hoarseness in her voice. "When you’re a kid, you never appreciate your parents until you don’t have them."

Ceci felt the sting of tears, and she reached out instinctively, laying a hand along Dar’s cheek. "I’m sorry." She whispered. "I’m sorry I abandoned you."

Dar sucked in a breath that was almost painful, so tight was the pressure against her chest. She was caught by her mother’s gaze, unable to look away. "I’m sorry I didn’t understand the pain you were in."

The tension lessened. Ceci rubbed a thumb against her daughter’s skin. "I’m glad we’re getting a second chance at this."

The surface under her fingers moved, as Dar smiled. "So am I." She answered softly, glancing away, then returning her eyes to her mother’s. "I think I like you."

Ceci bit her lip, a surge of improbable, ridiculous relief almost making her burst laughing. "Yeah, I think I like you, too."

It was turning out to be an interesting day after all. Dar decided happily.

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

Kerry sat behind her desk, one hand propping up her head as she scrolled through screens of data. She paused to make another sticky note, punching out the letters with one finger, then continued her task.

"Ms. Kerry?" Mayte’s voice broke into her concentration. "I have the Navy officer here to see you."

Ah. Kerry straightened and took a sip of her herbal tea. "Great. Send him in." She leaned back in her chair as the door opened, and Captain Taylor came in. He was dressed in his Navy uniform, and he tucked his hat under his arm as he crossed the carpeted floor to her desk. "Afternoon, Captain."

"Ms. Stuart." The officer inclined his head politely. "May I sit down?"

Kerry gestured towards the chair. "Of course. How’s it going down there?"

Captain Taylor shook his head gravely. "I’m afraid we’re going to come up empty handed, Ms. Stuart. My team’s been in there for hours, and they haven’t come up with anything other than the mess that was left of the computer center." He paused. "And we have six people who swear it was just a botched exercise. They even submitted the docs for the setup, and showed me the dummy rounds. Apparently some live ones got mixed in."

"Uh huh." Kerry took another sip of tea. "Do you believe them?"

The Captain gave her a direct look. "Ms. Stuart, it doesn’t matter a hill of beans what I believe. All that matters is what I can prove. I can’t prove anything beyond some colossal screw ups, and some of them involve your personnel."

Kerry’s eyebrows lifted. "My personnel?" She asked sharply. "We didn’t make any mistakes."

The Captain shifted uncomfortably. "The fact is, ma’am, you were there without permission of the base commander."

"Cut the bs." Kerry smiled kindly at him. "We were there because General Easton asked us to go there and cover his butt because you couldn’t get a team on the plane fast enough."

Captain Taylor made a face, seemingly unconscious of it. "The General asked that you protect the data. You didn’t. In fact, because of your presence, it’s destruction was pretty much guaranteed."

Kerry pointed a finger at him. "Captain, if you seriously think you’re going to shift blame to me, or to anyone else at ILS for your inability to maintain military and administrative control of your own base, think again." She stood up behind her desk and fixed him with a resolute stare. "We did the best we could, and you don’t know just what that best is yet."

"Ms. Stuart, you don’t seem to re… " The Naval officer stopped, and regarded her warily. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Kerry opened her mouth to explain, then slowly closed it again. Some instinct was telling her to keep the lock box under wraps, and she’d learned over the last year that this instinct of hers was usually right. "We have a lot of data. We’re not finished analyzing it yet." She temporized. "We may not have a smoking gun, but we may have enough to nail the people there most responsible."

The Captain relaxed a notch. "It’s just administrative stuff, though. The base is clean."

"For now." Kerry agreed quietly. "Doesn’t it bother you that stuff was going on?"

Taylor dusted a bit of lint off his shoulder. "Do we know it really was?" He countered. "That informant of yours could have been lying."

A shrug. "Why?"

"To get someone in trouble. Maybe they’re the ones involved in some funny business, and they thought bringing drugs in would shift the attention?" The JAG officer replied reasonably. "C"mon, Ms. Stuart – do you honestly think we’ve got an entire smuggling operation going on at a Navy base? Low grade black market, yeah, I can buy that. But drugs?"

Well. Kerry thought about it. It was possible, she guessed. They hadn’t seen any of the smuggling, just the evidence the Chief brought over. "What about that telecommunications gear that was ripped out?"

The Captain chuckled. "You know, I was thinking about that. You know what I bet happened? I bet someone in some office somewhere had a requisition to yank it out, or some wire got crossed, and an order was cut, and that’s why no one knew about it. Doesn’t that happen in your company sometimes?"

True. "Sometimes." Kerry agreed. "But not often."

"Well." Taylor stood up. "I’m going to file my preliminary report to the General. I think we overreacted a little bit here. Comes from putting civilians into a situation they don’t really understand, I think."

Kerry’s eyes took on a perceptible cold glint. "You do that." She told the Captain with deceptive pleasantness. "By the way, Captain?"

He had turned to leave, now he paused and glanced back. "Yes?"

"Where did you go hide yesterday?" Kerry inquired. "I had count of everyone who was with us, and I lost you after we went into the computer center." She held up a clipboard. "I need to know for my… report."

His face became a mask. "You must be mistaken, Ms. Stuart. I was there the whole time." He turned, and walked out, settling his hat squarely on the top of his head as he went through the door.

"Ooo." Kerry slowly let out a breath, and crossed her arms. "You little pinheaded starch butt."

"Ms. Kerry?" Mayte asked, uncertainly, as she stuck her head around the corner of the door. "Did you say something?"

"Not to you." Kerry sat down and sucked down a big mouthful of her tea. "Mayte, do you have a number for General Easton? If you don’t, I bet Maria does."

"I will get it." Her assistant promised, disappearing quickly.

Kerry chewed her lip, then she put her cup down and punched the speakerphone button, hitting the top speed dial on her console. It rang twice, then was answered. "Hey."

"Hey." Dar’s voice sounded alert and faintly amused. "I was just thinking of you."

Kerry felt her train of thought gently derail and move off onto a siding somewhere. "Were you? How come?"

"Underwear." Dar replied succinctly.

It wasn’t the response Kerry was expecting. "Excuse me?"

"I’m doing laundry."

"Oh." Kerry’s brow creased. "You didn’t have to, Dar. I’d have done it tonight." She knew her lover hated doing laundry, and avoided it whenever possible, sending everything she could get her hands on to the island’s cleaners.

Except things like underwear of course. Kerry smiled to herself as she took a sip of tea.

"Mom thinks yours are cute."

The mouthful of tea was expelled across the desk’s surface, narrowly missing her keyboard. "What!?" Kerry wiped her forearm across her mouth. "Paladar! Why are you showing your mother my underwear!!!?"

Dar chuckled softly. "You sound so cute when you’re flustered."

"I’m not flustered! I’m flabbergasted! Two very different emotions!" Kerry said. "And you didn’t answer me!"

"Relax." Her lover replied. "She’s just helping me do laundry. It’s tough with one arm."

Kerry covered her eyes with one hand. "Oh." She exhaled, then paused in thought. "So, mom came by, huh?"

"Mm." Dar answered.

"Everything okay?" Kerry asked, guardedly.

"Very much so." The surprising answer came back. "We had a talk." The pleasure was evident in Dar’s tone. "It’s great.’

"Oh yeah?" Kerry felt a smile cross her face. "Wow.. that’s really good to hear, Dar."

"Yeah." Dar let out a happy little sigh. "So, what’s up there?"

Plans suddenly got sidetracked, and Kerry concentrated on the job at hand. "Ah. I had a visit from Captain Butter wouldn’t melt between my butt cheeks."

Dar snorted in laughter.

"He’s already putting together his version of a story to make everything look like nothing" Kerry said, seriously. "If we don’t have something in that box, Dar – we really don’t’ have much."

"Mm." Dar sounded serious now too. "Open it up, then."

Kerry took a deep breath, and carefully asked the question she’d been avoiding. "I"ll need the algorithm codes. Do you have them?" She crossed her fingers and toes, and bit her lower lip as she waited for the answer.

"Sure." Dar replied easily. "My birthday, offset, your birthday." A pause. "In Hex."

Kerry’s eyes popped open and she stared across her office with a look of chagrin. "Oh, you’re kidding."

"No." Her lover replied. "Those are a bitch to memorize, Kerry, and it’s not like I had a pad and pencil handy. I picked something I knew I’d remember."

Duh. Kerry almost laughed. I should have known. She gazed up at her ceiling. "Okay – listen, I think I’d rather wait until you got back here to do it. We can hold them off that long."

"You sure?" Dar asked. "Yeah, on second thought, let’s give them a chance to think they’re home free. Then they’ll relax a little."

"Right." Kerry said. "Is mom staying for dinner?"

There was a muffled noise, then a low buzz of conversation. Then Dar’s voice came back. "If you pick up Captain Crab’s Takeway Seal."

"You got it." Kerry snickered. "One bucket, coming up." She hung up and leaned back, a dozen thoughts zooming through her head.

One remained. "Oh, crap." Kerry winced. "I hope it wasn’t the pink ones."

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

The boat was rocking gently in the tide as Kerry made her way along the dock. It was very quiet, and she didn’t see anyone around, even after she stepped up onto the gangway and crossed onto the boat’s white deck. "Hello?" She called out, looking around for Andrew. "Dad?"

Silence. Kerry ducked down and stuck her head inside the cabin. It was quiet down there as well, the worktable covered in painting supplies sitting mutely near the windows. "Dad?"

Still nothing. Kerry stood up and walked across the stern deck, which had comfortable looking bench seats on either side, and a storage locker in the center that doubled as a table.

"Huh." She walked over and leaned on the railing, peering down into the dark blue/green water. "Maybe he went to the dock shop." She watched a sea grape float by, lulled by it’s peaceful bobbing.

Then the water surged and a hand leaped up to grab the railing between hers, scaring the living daylights out of her.

"Yahhh!!!" Kerry squealed, jerking back and scrambling away from the railing. "Jesus!"

Andrew peered through the metal bars at her, a curious expression on her face. "Hold on t’yer shorts, kumquat. I sure ain’t the good Lord."

Kerry sat down on the center console, and put a hand on her chest. "Wow." She laughed weakly. "You got me."

The ex SEAL pulled himself up and climbed over the railing, the boat’s deck rocking a little under his weight. He was dressed in a half wetsuit and his minimal diving rig, which he shed as he ambled over to where Kerry was sitting. "Didn’t mean to scare you, Kerry." He apologized. "Just wasn’t sure what that shadow was looking over my rail." He knelt beside her and put a damp hand on her knee. "You all right?"

Kerry felt her heart rate start to subside, and she ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah." She said. "Boy, a dolphin’s got nothing on you."

Andrew chuckled. "Long as you don’t smack me in the snout with no mackerel." He cocked his head at you. "Didn’t spect visitors tday."

Kerry remembered her task abruptly. "Ah." She folded her arms, holding her news close and cherishing it. "Do you know where your wife is?"

Andrew’s grizzled brows creased in puzzlement, and he glanced around at the empty deck. "Figgured she went down to the shops." He hazarded. "Why? You know different?"

"Mmhm." Kerry nodded. "She’s at our place."

"Ah see." Andrew seemed to relax, as he stood up and walked over to the padded bench, picking up a towel and tousling his short cropped hair dry. "Dar need something?" He peeked at her from behind a corner of the terrycloth.

"No. They were just spending some time together." A gentle twinkle entered Kerry’s eyes.

A big grin spread across the ex SEAL’s face. "For real?"

Kerry nodded.

"Hot damn!" A chortle of joy escaped. "C’mere!"

He held out his arms and Kerry scrambled over and threw herself into them, not minding the wet one tiny bit. She felt the laughter as they hugged each other. "I couldn’t believe it." She said, as they released each other. "I called Dar, and she sounded.. so happy."

Andy shook his head in amazement. "Damn, that’s good to hear." He breathed. "I knew things were getting easier, but I never figured it would go this fast."

"Me either." Kerry admitted. "They’re both pretty stubborn."

"Ain’t that the truth." A chuckle. "You just stop by to tell me that? Y’coulda just used the land line, kumquat." He went back to drying himself off.

Kerry shook her head. "No." She said. "They asked me to stop and pick you up for a family dinner."

Andy stopped in mid motion, and let the towel fall, his eyes fastening on Kerry and his eyebrows lifting up. "Scuse me, young lady?" He asked in a very surprised tone.

Kerry reviewed her statement, then blushed. "Oh crap." She started laughing. "That’s not what I meant."

"Uh huh." Andy snorted. "Damn straight."

"Speak for yourself." A slim finger pointed at Andrew. "Actually, I was told to pick up a bucket of Captain Crab’s Takeaway Seal."

Andy put his hands on his hips. "Mah wife say that?" He watched Kerry nod. "Uh huh. All right then, we’ll just go get us exactly that." He draped his towel over the railing and headed for the cabin. "Y’all just stay put, kumquat. We’ll give em some crabs."

Uh oh. Kerry sat down on the center console. Was that good or bad?" She nibbled her lower lip as she thought about her father in law’s sometimes peculiar sense of humor. "Dad?" She called down the hatch.

"Yeap?" Andrew answered.

"You’re not talking about live crabs, are you?"

"Nope."

"Or .. the icky kind, right?"

"Scuse me?"

"The ones that require medication?"

"What?"

Kerry sighed. "Never mind." She swung her feet back and forth idly. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see for myself.

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

Dar stretched her legs out along the couch, the cool leather warming to her bare skin. She settled her arm in it’s sling, and exhaled in satisfaction. It had ended up being a nice day after all. Laundry had gotten done, a set of cookies had been dubiously prepared, and she’d even managed to spend a lot of the day lying down as she’d promised she would.

"Don’t tell me you watch this." Ceci commented from the love seat.

Dar glanced at the television. "Sure. All the time." She replied. "We love the croc guy."

"Dar, he’s a lunatic." Her mother complained. "His brains have all dribbled out and he uses cat food stuffed through his ears as a replacement." She was curled up in the smaller couch’s confines, a visible smudge of chocolate present on the knee of her white cotton pants.

Dar had known better. She had put on a pair of ragged denim cutoffs and an old gym shirt, so of course she hadn’t gotten a drop of anything on her. "Nah.. he’s not that bad. I like the way he respects animals."

Ceci’s silver blond eyebrow lifted. "Dar, he doesn’t respect animals, he sleeps with them."

Dar pointed. "No, that’s his wife." She said mildly. "She’s not an animal."

"Dar, that’s not his wife. That’s a chimpanzee."

Dar looked closer. "Oh. Sorry." She tilted her head. "I saw the hat and thought it was Terry. It’s hard to tell up in that tree." She leaned back against the soft cushion and let her eyes close, more tired than she’d expected to be. For while, she’d tried to do a little work in her office, but after a few minutes her head was pounding, and using only one hand was driving her nuts.

Oh well. Dr. Steve had warned her about that, right? She’d gotten off pretty lucky, he’d told her, showing her the scans of her head. The swelling inside her skull hadn’t really put much pressure on her brain, but still, it was there.

Expect some blurred vision, he’d said. And the headaches. Maybe a little dizziness. Dar sighed silently. At least he promised it would be temporary, which was a damn good thing because the analysis everyone and their uncle was waiting for was going to take a lot of concentration and long hours in front of a keyboard.

Dar felt her breathing slow, and the sounds of the condo faded a little. She could feel Chino’s warmth pressed against her legs, and if she concentrated, hear the faint sounds of movement from her mother.

Her mother. Dar freed herself for a moment of thought about that. She felt a little unbalanced thinking about the talk they’d had, and the hours they’d spent together afterward. It had been an almost weird, curious feeling as they’d both let down barriers and simply gotten along as two people who had more in common than either of them had ever realized.

Dar took a deep breath, and released it.

Then she frowned, as her brain analyzed the intake of air and detected something unusual on it.

Garlic. Lots of it, and spices too. Dar opened one eye and peered around in startlement, almost jumping when the expected empty air was suddenly filled with a very solid looking Kerry. "Hey. Where did you come from?"

"Saugatuck." Kerry replied, with a grin. "Glad to see you’re behaving, and taking a nap."

Dar frowned. "I wasn’t napping." She glanced over at her mother, who muffled a smile. "Was I?" She didn’t wait for an answer. "What the heck is that smell?"

"Ah." Kerry turned and pointed towards the dining room table, which had sprouted some mysterious looking buckets and assorted bags. "Crabs."

"Crabs?" Dar looked over at them, then up at her father. "Crabs?"

"Oh no." Ceci groaned. "Not those damn things."

Andy chuckled. "Yes, ma’am. You did send this here young lady out for take away, and we done did that." He looked quite pleased with himself. "Got us three kinds, too, and them taters you like, Dardar."

"Heh." Dar eased upright. "All right."

Kerry winced. "Honey, you’re not going to tell me you actually eat those things, are you?"

Ceci sighed. "Hope you got some corn at least." She covered her eyes. "Kerry and I can at least share that." She got up and walked around to the couch to the table to investigate the packages. "Oh, goddess, Andrew. Did you have to get the hot pepper ones?"

"Heh." Andrew chuckled, moving across the tile floor to join his wife at the table. "Yeap, I surely did."

Dar swung her legs off the couch and sat up. "You have to try them, Ker. They’re great."

Her lover crouched down between her knees, resting a hand on either one and grimaced. "Dar, they look like big old bugs." She whispered. "I can’t eat those."

"Sure you can." Dar whispered back, leaning forward. "C’mon, I’ll show ya."

"Daaaarrrr….." Kerry bit her lip. "Eeeeewwww….."

"Don’t be a chicken." Dar chided her. "Trust me."

Easy for her to say. Kerry sighed, and gave her partner a hand up, keeping hold of it as she joined Dar and they walked over to where Andy and Ceci were unpacking the bags and buckets.

"Oo." Dar pried the cover off one and peered inside. "Yum."

Kerry peeked over her shoulder, at the pile of red hued, spice speckled marine insects complete with beady little eyes looking back at her. "Oh." She moaned softly, and leaned against Dar’s arm. "I’m going to have nightmares."

Dar picked a crab up and examined it. "Sure you are." She deftly removed a claw, exposing some white flesh. "Here. Suck on this."

Big, round, pale green eyes looked up past the curve of her breast. A tiny squeak issued from Kerry’s throat.

"Go on." Dar laughed.

Kerry glanced over at her in laws, who were almost bent double with silent laughter. "Dar… I can’t suck on that leg. It looks like a grasshopper leg. I’m going to throw up."

Dar sighed, and removed a bit of the crabmeat and held it out. "There. Can you suck on my fingers?"

A sigh. "Oh god." Kerry closed her eyes and leaned forward, opening her mouth and closing her teeth gingerly on the bit of white substance. She closed her lips and carefully tasted it, then opened her eyes. "Hm." It wasn’t at all like lobster or shrimp. It was much more tender, and… Kerry licked her lips. "Mm." The spices stung her tongue pleasantly. "Okay. That’s not bad."

"See?" Dar sounded triumphant. "Told you." She sat down and pulled out a chair for Kerry next to her. "Now, c’mon. Grab a hammer."

Her lover, who had been heading for the kitchen for a pitcher of something cold, stopped dead in her tracks. "Hammer?"

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

Andrew relaxed, stretching his long frame as he settled more comfortably in the large leather chair. "So, that’s what that old bag of wind told me." He drawled. "All bout how he’d been gotten to some years back, and he just didn’t want to say no."

The television played softly in the background, as the two couples shared coffee and each other’s company.

Dar shook her head sadly. She was lying on the couch, with Kerry curled up against her, and she had her injured arm draped over her lover’s body. "Hard to believe."

Ceci snorted from her perch on the loveseat. "No it isn’t. He was always a pompous asshole." She ignored her husband’s round eyed look. "You know it’s true, Andy. He was always wanting to be in charge, remember that bowling team he hornswaggled you onto? He had to be the captain."

Andrew grunted.

"Bowling?" Kerry opened one eye lazily, so completely stuffed she wouldn’t have moved even for a fire drill. "I didn’t know you bowled, dad?"

"Ah most certainly do not." Andy replied. "Damn fool just would not listen."

"Andy is so good at everything, Jeff just assumed he’d be a good bowler." Ceci told, blithely ignoring another outraged look. "Unfortunately, he loved to stand behind his team and make comments."

"Ah." Kerry replied, sagely.

"That lasted all of one time." Ceci gave her husband a look. "When he threw the ball backwards."

"Heh." Andrew produced a rakish grin amazingly like his daughters. "Never did hear a man make a sound like that one before."

"Ow." Kerry winced. "So you guys were rivals?" She asked curiously.

Andrew shrugged. "Naw."

"Yes." Ceci corrected him. "Don’t look at me like that, Andrew. You know you were." She picked up her cup of coffee and sipped it. "Jeff always had to be first. His family had to be first. His kid had to be first." She said. "I think that’s what busted his chops so bad. He tried so hard, and pushed Chuck so hard, and neither one of you ever had to try hardly at all."

Andrew and Dar exchanged glances. "Now, Cec." Andy rumbled. "Wasn’t really like that."

Ceci rolled her eyes. "Yes it was. The two of you just never noticed." She informed her husband and child. "Andy, you made your grades before he did, got the jobs he wanted, and copped the medals he coveted, and you never gave two whoops about it."

Andrew folded his arms across his chest and gave her a sober look.

"And you." Ceci gazed over at Dar, with a half smile. "I’ll never forget the night Jeff and Sue were over, talking about how Chuck was going to enlist so he could save some cash for vocational school, remember?"

Dar nodded. "I remember."

Kerry turned her head and looked at her. "What happened?"

Dark lashes fluttered as Dar blinked. "It was just a coincidence." She murmured. "I’d gotten my acceptance letters that day."

Kerry studied her profile. "For college?"

Dar nodded silently.

"How many?"

A shrug. "A couple."

"Seven." Ceci corrected her.

Dar rolled her eyes.

Kerry returned her attention to Dar’s mother. "Seven?"

"Mmhm." Ceci agreed. "All full scholarship." She folded her hands across her stomach and gazed at her child.

"That was a damn proud day for me." Andy said suddenly.

Everyone now looked at Dar, who looked pensively back. "I didn’t even think about it." She admitted honestly. "That’s why I dropped them on the dinner table while they were there and told you." Her thumb rubbed idly against Kerry’s side. "I thought it was pretty cool."

"So did we." Ceci smiled. "But you didn’t see Jeff’s face." She sighed. "They were so jealous. I’m not surprised, Andy, if he went along with whatever those crooks wanted, if it finally got him the good life he’s always craved."

Andrew shook his head a little. "Don’t make sense. He never did that poorly, Cec." He protested. "Collected him plenty of rank, and pretty good jobs, I figure. He just never wanted to have to work hard for it." It was a long sentence for him. "Dardar, you figure you got something on them people? Jeff thinks there ain’t much chance you do."

Dar shifted a little, her eyes unfocused in thought. She felt Kerry twine her fingers around the hand she had draped over her partners body, and she breathed in Kerry’s distinctive scent as the thoughts tumbled over in her head. "I don’t know." She replied truthfully. "If we got everything, and I can reconstruct it, yes." Her eyes flicked up and met her father’s. "I’ll have it."

Ceci leaned forward. "Have what, Dar? What the heck were they doing?"

An almost introspective look crossed Dar’s face. "Laundering money." She answered simply. "Millions and millions of dollars, funneled from the sale of contraband and government property."

Jaws dropped.

"You mean to tell me.. " Kerry finally said. "They used the government’s own computer systems to do that?"

Dar nodded. "Feel better about your tax refund?"

Kerry covered her eyes with one hand and groaned.

"Jesus P. Fish." Andrew blurted.

"Well." Ceci murmured. "And here I thought maybe you’d found the truth about Roswell."

Dar shrugged modestly. "Want me to audit there next?"

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

Kerry put the piece of paper down on her desk, and dropped into her chair, leaning forward and resting her head in her hands.

What a day. She scrubbed her face wearily. It was Thursday, Dar's first day back, and her lover had spent the entire time since seven am that morning holed up in the MIS command center, sequestered in a quiet, plain office around the corner from Mark's.

Refusing to take a break, even though Kerry could plainly see she badly needed one. She'd taken off her arm sling and by the very messiness of the dark locks framing her face, it was obvious she'd been running her fingers through her hair.

Always a sign of frustration, Kerry knew.

So here she was, about to order in a pile of Thai food in hopes that, at least, would get her boss to kick back for a few minutes and relax. Kerry reread the order, and quickly typed it into a fax form, which she sent on it's way after making sure she'd gotten everything down.

To be fair, Dar had been exceedingly good for three days. She'd kept her promise, and remained resting at home, though by halfway through Wednesday she was already prowling around the island and spending a couple of hours swimming in the heated pool.

Her headaches had disappeared, and she'd started to use her arm, careful not to over stress the shoulder joint. They'd gone out on the boat last night and had dinner under the stars, and Dar had remained alert the entire time, in fact she'd ended up driving the boat back after Kerry had fallen asleep on the bow.

The pressure from Washington was getting critical, though. General Easton had called twice, each time reporting the minor issues the security team had found, and the fact that he was under a lot of pressure to back off the project entirely.

Someone had gotten annoyed, it seemed, that a private company was prying into military affairs. If they didn't come up with something more significant than fouled up accounting and some black market supplies, the entire contract was in jeopardy.

So despite the fact that Kerry thought the enforced rest was doing her partner a lot of good, she had to admit she'd been glad to have that tall form pacing at her side when she'd entered the building that morning.

The phone rang. Kerry glared at it for a moment, then hit the answer button. "Operations. Kerry Stuart speaking."

"Good evening, Ms. Stuart." Alastair's voice was cordial.

"Evening, sir." Kerry replied. "How's Texas doing?"

"About the same as it usually is, this time of year." Alastair replied. "Getting on to Christmas."

"Yeah." Kerry perked up a little. "And close to Dar's birthday." She leaned forward. "You're going to send her a card, right?"

A little chuckle came down the line. "Oh, I'm sure she'll get a few of those. So, how are things there?"

Kerry sighed. "Slow going." She admitted. "Dar's been at it all day, and to be honest, what she's doing looks like so much hex gibberish to me."

Alastair sighed as well. "Kerrison, Dar's been hex gibberish to 90 percent of this company for fifteen years, so don't feel bad." He paused. "I'm getting a lot of pressure on this."

"Mm."

"It's not that anyone doubts what we did, but I got a call from the JAG's office today. They're considering filing a reckless endangerment lawsuit against us."

Kerry glared at the phone. "Those pissants."

The CEO chuckled dryly.

"I mean it." Kerry replied. "They know something's wrong there, and they're just covering their friend's starched olive very drab butts."

"Y'know, I think some of your shyness is disappearing." Alastair commented. "Must be Dar rubbing off on you."

"I'm not shy." Kerry reminded him. "I told Dar to kiss my ass, remember?"

"And she certainly did tak… " Alastair stopped abruptly. "Good heavens. I beg your pardon, Ms. Stuart."

Kerry blinked, also a little startled at the retort. "Uh.. that's okay." She told him. "I kind of opened myself up for that, didn't I?"

Alastair chuckled. "I try to be good." He said. "Anyway, as I said, I'm under a lot of pressure, here, Kerry." He turned serious again. "They want a meeting tomorrow, in Washington. I’m going to have Hamilton get hold of that JAG officer and shake him up a little, but I"d really rather not go into the meeting…ah… "

"In nothing but your boxers?" Kerry asked.

"He wears briefs." Dar's voice burred. "White cotton ones." She closed the door to Kerry's office and walked over to the desk, hitching up the leg on her khaki cargo pants before she sat down on the edge. "Hello, Alastair."

"Ah. Hello, Dar." The CEO replied. "Good to hear your voice."

One of Dar's dark brows lifted. "Why, you been listening to Eleanor again?"

"The Navy wants to sue us for reckless endangerment." Kerry told her.

A chuckle. "Oh, really?" Dar leaned on her good arm and addressed the phone. "Who did a bunch of unarmed IS workers endanger, Alastair?"

"I don't know. I'm having Ham handle it." Her boss said. "Listen, Dar. I know you've been on this all day, but what's the word? Do we have something, or not?"

"Alastair, this isn't an Internet search." Dar answered, a touch testily. "It's a fifty gigabyte drive array that I’m having to reconstruct in hex sector by sector."

There was a reverent silence following this, as everyone gave the information it's due respect.

"And?" Alastair asked briskly.

Dar sighed, and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not done." She said. "But so far, so good."

Kerry got up and walked around the desk. She put her arms around Dar and gave her a gentle hug, and a kiss on the cheek. "You are so my hero." She whispered in her lover's ear. "Can I be you when I grow up?"

Dar blushed, her tanned skin darkening appreciably. "I can't promise anything." She muttered.

Alastair chortled. "Will you let me know tomorrow? They want me on the carpet at four in DC."

"I said, I can't promise anything." Dar repeated.

Alastair remained prudently silent. Kerry gazed confidently at her. Dar sighed. "I"ll call you tomorrow after lunch."

"Right. Have a great night, Dar." The CEO agreed. "Night, Kerrison - nice talking to you."

Dar released the line and gave Kerry a look. "One of these days, I'm not going to be able to deliver him the River Nile in a coffee cup and we're going to be totally screwed."

Kerry smiled, and reached up to straighten the unruly, dark locks. "You look bushed, sweetie."

A nod. "I am." Dar admitted. She blinked, then rubbed her eyes again. "Ow."

Kerry gently took hold of her jaw and tilted her head towards the office light. "Your eyes are all bloodshot." She informed her lover. "Hang on." She went to her desk drawer and retrieved a bottle of eye drops, then came back. "Hold still."

Dar patiently did as she was asked, watching the ceiling as Kerry administered the treatment. She blinked as the liquid hit her eyes, stinging momentarily as her lover wiped the excess off with a fingertip. "Thanks."

"No problem." Kerry capped the bottle. "These are designed for us, you know." She examined the label. "Imagine, an entire product line based around the IS industry."

Dar peeked at it. "Wonder if it's any different from garden variety Visine?" She rested her chin on Kerry's shoulder.

"Probably not." A smile. "But I felt so virtuous buying it in Office Depot, along with that gel wrist pad I got you, and my new trackball."

"Mm." Dar straightened and stretched her back out. "You order dinner?"

"Yep." Kerry looked up as her intercom buzzed. She reached around Dar's body and hit the key. "Yes?"

"Ms. Stuart, this is security at the front door. Did you order something?"

"Oo. Nice timing." Dar purred into Kerry's conveniently close ear.

"Yes, thank you. I'll be right down." Kerry managed not to laugh. She released the button and turned, not moving away from Dar so that they ended up nose to nose. It was too easy not to just lean forward the addition inch so Kerry did, and they kissed.

It was a very pleasant, sensual jolt that followed, and Kerry found herself enjoying it a lot. It chased away the stress and exhaustion of the long day, and made her smile, especially when she felt Dar doing the same . "You know." She backed off a few inches. "I really like that."

Dar merely smirked.

"Stay here. I'm going to get dinner." Kerry said.

"No." Dar patted her cheek gently. "Let me. I need to stretch my legs out. That chair in Mark's dungeon was made for a dwarf." She got up off the desk and headed for the door, before Kerry could disagree.

Kerry exhaled. "That crumb." She commented to the empty room. "She just conned me out of paying for dinner, didn't she?"

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

Ceci put the finishing touches on her canvas, as the light outside faded to darkness. She twirled her brush between two fingers and regarded her work, pleased with the results.

It was one of her new Island series paintings, done on the various trips she and Andy had taken in the boat, and she really liked this one because it showed just how wild it could get out there on the ocean.

One half of the picture was bright, and sunny, a little island perching in the green, lightly ruffled water with it’s beach nice and white, and several children playing on it. A catamaran bobbed just offshore.

The other half was an incoming tropical storm, the sky pitch black and roiling, the sea dark gray beneath it, charging down on the island with an unthinking fury.

Nice. Ceci had taken a picture of it, before Andy had turned the boat and headed away from the storm, towards the small port in the Bahamas they’d been staying at.

This was the last in the series, and she’d gotten a call twice this week from the gallery trying to coax out of her when they’d be ready. It was bizarre, really. When she’d been poor as a sidewalk cockroach, no one would look twice at her stuff. Now that she didn’t need to sell a painting everyone wanted them.

Go figure. Ceci wasn’t unhappy about that, after all, every artist wanted people to like their work, but it just seemed so unreal sometimes. With a sigh, she sat back on her painter’s stool and glanced across the cabin to where Andy was sprawled across the couch reading a book. "Hey, sailor boy."

Sharp blue eyes lifted and met hers. "Yeap?"

Ceci got up and wandered over to him. "What are you reading now?"

Andrew turned the book over so she could see the cover. "Trying to figure out that stuff Dar does."

Ceci peered at the book. "Troubleshooting Internetworking with multiple Topologies?" She repeated.

"Yeap." Her husband agreed.

Ceci sat down on the edge of the couch, and leaned on Andy’s broad chest. "Sweetheart, do me a favor okay? Don’t read anything in that out loud, because my head will explode." She peeked at a page. "Andy, this isn’t even in English."

"Sure it is." But he put the book down and slid an arm around her waist instead. "Ah just picture Dar saying them words."

Ceci traced a little circle on the fleece fabric covering his chest. "Andy, you know what I was just thinking?" She looked up and studied his face, weathered and scarred, and so full of character he was almost a painting himself.

"No ma’am, but I figure I will shortly." Andy drawled.

She smiled. "I was thinking about how lucky we’ve been, you and I."

Her husband nodded thoughtfully. "We surely have been." He answered softly. "I was thinking on that t’other day when we were by Dar’s, looking around at that nice place she got, and how happy she and Kerry are."

"Mm." Ceci made a sound of agreement. "It’s so nice to see her happy." She looked up as her hand was suddenly folded inside a much larger one. "It’s so nice to be happy." She leaned forward and put her head down on Andy’s chest, and he enfolded her in his arms. "Dar was right. You never know what you have until you lose it."

Andrew took a deep breath, and let it out. "Yeap." He closed his eyes and hugged her to him. "That is so true."

They lay quietly together for a moment. "Y’know." Andy finally said, in a quiet voice. "When I was stuck over there in that damn place, I’d save up bits and scraps and such, and hold em all till your birthday."

Ceci felt the tears start.

"Lord, I missed you." He stated very simply. "Can’t tell you how many times I wished I’d just damned died."

She took a shaky breath. "Thank the goddess you didn’t." She stroked the skin on the inside of his forearm, and traced the long, thin scar there. "We don’t have to worry about dying now, Andy." She said. "We’ve both already been to Hell."

A soft snort. "Ain’t that the truth." He rumbled. "Now we got Heaven to go through." He tweaked her ear, and when she looked up, he wiped the tears away. "And ah suspected we landed us a chunk of heaven right here."

Ceci smiled. "I suspect you’re right, Andrew." She slid up and kissed him, then looked straight down into the pools of his eyes. "I love you."

For a moment, a look of quiet openness peered back at her, and she saw a distinct echo of their daughter in it. She leaned down and kissed him again.

And again.

He curled a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward easily. "Love you too." A low rasp tickled her ear.

Heaven? Ceci grinned giddily. Yeah, maybe.

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

Dar leaned against the elevator wall, watching the numbers count down. As it was after hours, the annoying music that usually played in the contraption was turned off, and she could hear the hum and shush of the mechanism as it worked.

"You're not going to think about getting stuck in this thing, Roberts." She told her reflection sternly.

The elevator seemed to hesitate, as though it was considering stopping. Dar glared at the panel, and narrowed her eyes. "Don't you even think about it." She rumbled, in a low growl. "I'll take you apart and make you into a toaster."

The chastened device obediently kept moving.

Dar smirked at her reflection, her upper body encased in a crimson short sleeved shirt tucked into her cargo pants. They reached the bottom floor and the doors opened, allowing her to exit into the large, empty lobby. She walked across the marble floor and past the fountain, towards the security station where she could see a guard talking to a man in casual clothing.

At her approach, the guard turned. "Oh. Ms. Roberts." He blinked. "I thought Ms. Stuart was picking this up."

"Nope." Dar gave the delivery man a brief smile, and handed him her credit card. He swiped it efficently in a handheld device, and offered it to her for signature. She reviewed the bill, then added a tip and signed it. "Thanks."

She accepted the box of food, it's spices already sneaking out and tickling her nose. "Back to the mines."

The guard chuckled. "Good to have you back, Ms. Roberts. We missed you."

Dar swiveled, and regarded the man, whom she might have seen all of twice. "Why?"

The man blinked at her. "Pardon me, ma'am?"

"Why the hell would anyone down here miss me?" Dar asked curiously. "Is there a rumor going around that I bring in doughnuts or something?"

The guard looked around, then took a few steps closer to her. "No, ma'am, but everyone knows when you're here, no matter what happens, we're okay."

Dar studied him in mild surprise. "Everyone knows that, huh?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Interesting." Dar turned and made her way back to the elevator, supporting her tasty smelling box with her good arm, and balancing it with the other. She punched the button for the tenth floor and watched the doors close.

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

They ate in the ops center, with Dar leaning back in her uncomfortable chair, her feet propped up on the desk and her container of spicy chicken and rice nestled in her lap. Kerry was perched on a box of computer paper next to the desk, and Mark was sitting on an old mounting rack.

They were alone, and it was quiet, the only activity around them in the operations control room itself just around the corner behind it’s secured door. At 8 pm, the office building was emptied of it’s staff, and only the computer support group was left to tend the servers and provide support for the other offices around the world.

Mark selected a pea pod, turned it around so the small end faced him, and took a bite. "This reminds me of the old days, boss."

Dar chuckled. "The bad old days, you mean." She deftly used her chopsticks to transfer some chicken to her lips. "I spent so many damn hours in this room."

Kerry looked around. "This room?"

"This used to be Dar’s office." Mark supplied, with a grin. "I remember whatshisface… that John whatever his name was, that used to be the CIO? Remember when he came in here and saw this place the first time?"

Dar snorted. "Oh yeah. Took one look at the posters on the wall and nearly laid a load in his pinstripes." She looked around fondly at the small space, it’s walls at an odd angle due to the room’s position in the corner space. "Took one look at me and hauled ass right back to Houston to sign my termination papers."

"Didn’t help you had your favorite uniform on." Mark grinned.

"It was after hours." Dar demurred. "I was going clubbing after work."

Kerry had been watching them, her eyes moving from one to the other like she was at a particularily interesting volleyball match. "Was this during your rebellious phase?"

Dar waggled an eyebrow at her. "Definitely." She took a sip of Thai coffee. "I had on biker boots with more chains dangling from them than you’d see in two days at the Westminster Kennel Club."

Kerry covered her eyes as her shoulders shook.

"Mmhm… those were nice." Mark agreed. "I have a pair." He chewed thoughtfully. "Without the chains. They get stuck in my gears. But I think it was the muscle t that spooked him worse."

Dar chuckled, and shook her head. "It’s a mystery why the hell I wasn’t fired that week. What was it, the mainframes in Troy that time? That whole processing center went down, and they dragged me into it right before I was leaving. Damn, I was pissed." She sighed ruefully. "The bad old days. Things sure have changed."

Mark looked up at his boss, who had removed her light jacket and was slouched in her chair in a tank top and cargo pants, with hiking boots parked on the desk’s surface. "Uh.. yeah." He tilted his head and studied her. "You make a lot less noise when you move now."

Kerry almost snorted soup out of her nostrils as she burst into laughter. Mark started chuckling too, at the expression on Dar’s face.

"Hey!" Dar gave them an injured look. "I did grow up, remember?"

"Sorry, Dar." Mark apologized. "I know it’s a different world now, but I miss those days sometimes." He looked contrite. "I didn’t really mean you look like a teenage punker anymore."

"Mmph." Dar appeared mollified. "Yeah, I do too sometimes." She admitted. "Long days, but we had some good parties, didn’t we?"

Mark nodded, sucking on the end of his chopstick. "The night you guys were stuck in that hospital, we had the television in here. Sixteen of us crammed in here most of the night watching."

Dar fell silent, concentrating on her container. Kerry watched her face for a moment, then picked up the conversational ball where it had fallen, and rolled between her feet. "That was a pretty scary night." She said. "I don’t remember a lot of it, the details are really blurry."

"You had a concussion." Dar stated quietly. "It’s probably best you don’t remember most of it." She picked out more chicken bits and ate them. "Just a lot of smoke, and loud noises, and heat."

They ate in silence for a moment. "Were you scared, boss?" Mark asked, suddenly.

"You bet your ass I was." Dar replied without hesitation. "Anyone with half a brain cell would have been." She glanced up at him. "Why?"

A shrug. "Just curious. I know I was scared pissless just watching the coverage." He replied. "You guys pretty much just got to that room, then busted out though, right?"

"Right."

"No."

Dar looked at Kerry, who had replied negatively. One eyebrow lifted. "No?"

"Well." Kerry leaned her head back against the wall. "I remember the explosion." She looked off into the distance. "I remember waking up, and hurting."

"Dislocated shoulder, right?" Mark commented.

"Yeah." Kerry nodded. "Dar put that back right, then we had to crawl out of where we were, and thorugh this little tunnel." She looked at Dar, who was studiously avoiding everyone’s gaze, and busy decimating her chicken. "It collapsed on us and we almost died."

Mark stared at her. "No shit?"

Dar looked up. "Thought you didn’t remember details." She remarked wryly.

"I just remembered that." Kerry murmured. "Jesus Christ, Dar. You saved us." She stared at her lover in bemusement. "How in the hell could I have forgotten that?"

The pause was awkward this time. Mark cleared his throat. "Shit like that happens with concussions, I guess. That’s what I’ve always heard."

Kerry felt her arm hairs lift as the memory cleared, and she pictured the image of that tiny space, with it’s smell of concrete dust and their sweat and blood as the wall pressed in on them. She could almost feel the labored heaving of Dar’s back under her weight as her lover struggled to breathe, and the sudden, distinct surge as her body had arched, ready to break them out of their prison.

And in that moment, Kerry remembered with eerie clarity now, she’d had no shred of doubt that Dar would do just that. "Yeah." She agreed with Mark’s comment. "I guess it does. Glad I finally shook that memory loose, though." A conscious lightening of her tone, on seeing the tenseness in Dar’s shoulders. "Anyway, it was an experience I never want to repeat. I was never so glad of anything as I was to put my feet on the ground after they rescued us."

"I bet." Mark chuckled, getting up from his seat. "Hey, I’m going to grab a coke, want one?"

"Sure." Kerry agreed. "Dar?"

"Sure." Dar nodded.

Mark slipped out the door, leaving so quickly it almost seemed like an escape.

Kerry waited a moment, then stood up and walked over to where Dar was seated. "Hey."

Dar looked up at her from under dark brows, and slightly shaggy bangs.

Kerry knelt. "He’s not very subtle, is he?"

It was the right approach. Dar’s lips tensed, then curled into a wry smile. "No." She drawled softly. "He’s not." She put her food container on the desk and rested her chopsticks on top of it. Then she leaned on her chair arm and gave her lover her undivided attention. "So."

"You didn’t tell me about that." Kerry put a hand on Dar’s arm, and rubbed her thumb against the skin of it. "You told me about the wall, and the window, and the children, but not that. Why?"

Dark eyelashes fluttered closed over Dar’s eyes. "Maybe I didn’t want to remember it." She said.

Kerry thought about that, as she watched Dar’s face. "Okay." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against her lover’s "I can buy that." She readily agreed, saving her thoughts for a later time. "But, thanks."

"Anytime." Dar replied, with a smile. "Now go back and finish your dinner, so Mark can skulk back in here safely."

Kerry stuck the tip of her tongue out, but got up and resumed her perch. "What’s the next step?" She consciously raised her voice a little. "On the data restoral."

Dar laughed silently. "Once I finish the structural rebuilding, we have to run data patterns, to make sure the damn thing actually works, and I didn’t put a piece back in wrong."

Like a genie, Mark appeared in the doorway, carrying three cans of soda. "Hi." He gave them a cheerful look. "I’m back." He handed around the cans. "Damn ac’s going goofy again, Ker. I think they need to change those filters."

Kerry sniffed. The air held a distinctly musty scent. "Son of a…" She sighed. "What is that, the fourth time this year? Where did they get the ac plant for this building, Dar, Sam’s Club?"

Dar sighed. "You can’t lay that one on my doorstep." She resumed eating her chicken. "One of Alastair’s fishing buddies long lost fourth cousins twice removed got the contract on this building, and I’ve had nothing but trouble from it since we moved in."

Mark shifted. "You thinking of going somewhere else when the lease is up? I heard rumors."

"Maybe." Dar admitted. "I’ve got a couple of proposals on my desk. West Broward’s got the best one, and they’re promising me everything including a private elevator and my own alligator."

"With a view of the Everglades?" Kerry teased. "I thought you liked the one you have."

"Gotta be a down side." Dar admitted. "And yeah, I do, but I’d be willing to give it up for someplace I don’t have to have maintenance on three days a week."

"West Broward? I like it." Mark approved.

"You live there." Kerry pointed a chopstick at him.

"Gotta catch a break sometime."

"Maybe the rest of us don’t like dodging possums on the way to work."

Dar rolled her eyes. "Can we wait to start this debate until I pick a spot?"

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

Dar peered at the screen, and studied the algorithm. "Okay." She typed in a command, and viewed the results. "I think that does it."

Kerry leaned on the back of her bosses chair and looked. "It’s done?"

"Yeah." The dark haired woman rubbed her eyes wearily. "What time is it?"

"Two." Kerry supplied, shifting as she reached around and started a gentle massage of Dar’s shoulders. She’d tried to get her lover to quit for the night some four or five hours ago, but had no luck. "Dar, your neck feels like a suspension bridge."

"I bet." Everything ached. Dar wished she could sneak in another round of painkillers, but it had only been two hours since the last set, and her stomach was already queasy from the medication. The throbbing in her arm was so bad, she almost couldn’t feel the pressure from Kerry’s hands, though the warmth was definitely noticable through the fabric of her shirt. "Mark!"

"Yeah?" Mark stuck his head around the corner. "I got the links set up here. Hang on… you done?" He came into the room dragging several large cables behind him. "You wanted a patch directly into the big box, right?"

The IBM mainframe, which ran a custom program designed by Dar herself, and was isolated from the rest of ILS’s giant network. It could analyze the structure of a database design and take it to pieces, and she’d used it on many occasions to locate not only holes in a newly acquired company’s databases, but hidden defects that could cause problems during integration.

"Right." Dar murmured. "I think I got it back together."

Mark cocked his head. "You think?"

A shrug. "Far as I can tell." In truth, her eyes would no longer focus on the screen, and she’d been going by instinct for the last little while. "Let’s find out."

Mark and Kerry exchanged glances. "Now?" The MIS Manager queried. "It can wait till the morning, boss."

Dar merely shook her head, eyes closed. "Not with Alastair booked on a flight at one." She disagreed. "If we don’t have anything, we need time to get our asses covered."

Another exchange of glances. "Well, it’ll take me a little while to get all the connections secure, and the ports configured." Mark temporized. "You wanna to take a break for a few minutes?"

"Sounds good." Kerry agreed quickly. "How about a cup of hot chocolate?" She tweaked Dar’s ear. "I’ve got a tin of dark Godiva upstairs."

Hm. Dar didn’t feel like resisting the offer. "Okay." She slowly got up and stretched, wincing at the audible pops. "Jesus, I’m getting too old for this."

Kerry rolled her eyes out of Dar’s range of vision. "C’mon, Grandma. I’ll race you up the stairs." She put a hand on Dar’s back and gave her a gentle shove towards the door. They ended up, however, at the elevator which was obediently standing open awaiting them. "Ah. Our chariot." Kerry remarked. "Unless you’d really rather walk."

"Nah." Dar ambled inside, and pressed the button for the fourteenth floor. She leaned against the wall while the elevator rose, then followed Kerry out as the doors reopened. "Wish it was this quiet all the time." She glanced around at the dim corridor, empty of even the cleaning staff by this time. "I think they vaccumed up here tonight."

Kerry wrinkled her nose at the scent of carpet dust mites clawing through the air. "Yum. Remind me to talk to the cleaners about using HEPA filters in those damn machines, will you?" As though in retalitation, her body expressed it’s displeasure in a sudden sneeze. "Yeesh. Listen, go on over to your place. I’ll make up the hot chocolate and bring it over, okay?"

"Okay." Dar agreed quietly, turning to her left and heading towards her office, while Kerry turned to the right. She swiped her keycard in the outside lock and pushed the door open, then continued on through her outer office and into her inner one.

It was very quiet inside. Her pc was turned off, and just the wall rim lighting was on, leaving the office in mostly starlight. Dar stood inside the door, then glanced to her right and decided the couch looked pretty good. She dropped onto it, then swung her legs up and laid down, stretching her body out fully with a sense of weary relief.

It was a good choice. The cool leather warmed to skin quickly, and she let out a soft groan, now that she was alone and didn’t have to put on a good front for the troops. It wasn’t as comfortable as her couch at home, but it was a damn sight better than that office chair, and the cool quiet of her surroundings soothed the ragged edges of her temper.

After three days of lazing around at home, you’d think I’d have more energy than this. Dar scowled up at the ceiling. She hadn’t slept that much since the last time she’d broken her leg and they’d given her percodan for the pain. All right, so it was two in the morning, and they’d been here since seven, but so what? Used to be she could do thirty six, or forty eight hours running and not feel this worn out.

Yeah. Dar had to laugh at herself. Back in the days when you used to live on Jolt and Hershey bars and you never went home because there was nothing there to go home to. She gazed out the window at the stars. Isn’t it nicer now that you’re a grown up with a life?

And someone to share it with?

She never even heard Kerry come in. The touch on her arm startled her, and her eyes popped open, to see her lover crouched next to her, holding a steaming cup in one hand. "Oh. Sorry."

"Don’t be." Kerry put the cup down on the end table, and smiled. "I almost didn’t wake you up."

Dar gave her a puzzled look. "I wasn’t sleeping." She protested. "Was I?" She rolled up onto one elbow and captured the mug, taking a sip of the sweet chocolate. "Mm."

Kerry patted her arm. "Well, you were giving a pretty good impression that you were. Maybe you were just resting your eyes, hm?" Her lips quirked.

Dar’s quirked back. "No, I was sleeping." She admitted. "My head’s killing me. I should just pack it in and go home, but I really want to see what we’ve got in this thing." She took another sip then set the mug down, licking her lips appreciatively.

"I know." Kerry said. "Tell you what.. why not just sack out here, while Mark does his thing? A nap couldn’t hurt you, could it?." She suggested.

Dar studied her, as a slow smile edged it’s way across her face. "You know something, Stuart?"

Kerry blinked at the address. "Uh.. what?"

"You’re a pretty damn good Ops VP."

Confusion colored Kerry’s expression. "Um.. thanks." She replied hesitantly. "What got me that compliment?"

"Your engineering of a very slick maneuver that ended up with my ass on this couch."

Kerry pointed a finger at her own chest. "Me?" Her green eyes widened innocently.

Dar smiled. "Don’t give me that sweet Midwestern routine, short stuff." She extended a hand lazily and gave her lover a poke in the belly. "Yes, you."

Kerry’s smile went from innocent to seductively triumphant. "Yeah, that was pretty slick, huh?" She chortled softly. "But I wasn’t lying.. there’s the chocolate to prove it." She pointed. "I just know you."

"Mm." Dar wriggled into a more comfortable position and sighed. "Yes, you do." She closed her eyes. "Don’t try to lengthen this by running a redundant loopback test on those ports, okay? Just wake me up when we’re ready."

Kerry’s eyes twinkled gently. "You got it boss." She got up and took a seat in the chair next to the couch, cradling her own mug in her hands. Mark would take, she knew, about an hour to get things ready, regardless of how long it actually took to connect the systems together. By then, maybe the nap would help, and Dar would be able to take a few more aspirin. Kerry sighed. She didn’t like it. She wished they were home, but she knew how important this was to Dar, and pushing her to slack off wouldn’t be either appreciated or heeded at this point.

She just hoped the results were worth it.

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

"Is that it?" Kerry watched the monitor. "It’s all ready?"

Mark pulled his head out from under the console, and grunted. "Yeah." He agreed tiredly. "You know what, Ker? I think I’m the one who’s getting too old for this crap. I used to be able to do all nighters. Not anymore."

The blond woman chuckled wryly. "Yeah, me too." She leaned against the machine. "I hope this is worth it. Or it’s going to be one very long day tomorrow."

A nod. "Yeah, but you know we won’t really know for a few hours, right? The first run will just tell us if Dar managed to pull something out of that mess intact. It’ll take the program about five.. six hours to parse through everything and spit out a report."

Kerry stared at the screen. "What do you think?"

Mark fiddled with his pen, then shrugged. "Hard to say. If anyone could, it’d be Dar, but I think she was fighting this one." He glanced at Kerry. "That knock on the head still bugging her?"

"A little." Kerry admitted. "I think it’s a little of everything. She’s stuck between everything hurting, and not wanting to take the pills for it because they knock her out." She said. "Just being in pain exhausts you."

"Well, the first stage’ll just take a little while." Mark said. "Ten minutes, maybe."

"Ah." Kerry hadn’t known that. "Good." She nodded. "Then we can all go home after we start the run, right?" Nap or no nap, Dar needed to go home and rest. Hell, Kerry rubbed the back of her neck. I need to go home and rest. I’m bushed.

Mark sat down on the desk. "Well, theoretically, yeah." He agreed. "But I dunno, Ker. This whole project’s got my jeebie meter spiking to max. I don’t want to leave this thing running by itself. I’ll stay here and watch it." He glanced around. "I keep expecting some dude dressed in black camo to come out of the walls and zap me."

The darkened building was a little spooky, Kerry had to agree. What if the people who they suspected figured out they might have kept some information? Would they try to get at them? All sorts of wild scenarios started to play out in Kerry’s mind. What if they really were smugglers? What if they were connected with someone really bad, like the Columbians?

"Kerry?" Mark leaned forward and waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Yoohoo?"

"Huh?" She blinked. "No, I was just thinking. What if you’re right? What if these people do try something? It’s not like we’re set up for airtight security around here."

"You think they will?" Mark asked nervously. "For real?"

"They were shooting for real back there." Kerry stated. "I don’t know. " They stared at each other uneasily.

The floor creaked outside, making them both jump. "Shit." Mark squeaked. "Shut the door!"
Kerry felt her heartrate double, and she turned, realizing that the door opened outward, and she’d have to go out into the corridor to pull it shut. "I think we’re letting our imagination get out of hand." She stated. "But maybe that’s not a bad idea." She edged towards the door, peering out into the darkened area beyond. "No one could get in the com center, right?"

"Uh." Mark’s nostrils flared. "Not like your average Joe Delivery Boy, no, but I’m sure the military has all kinds of crap to get around our security."

Kerry paused in the doorway, looking out. It was silent, desks and chairs crouching dumbly in the gloom. Nothing moved. Kerry suddenly became aware of a dark, silent object near the ops center door she didn’t remember being there earlier. She stared at it.

Was that breathing she heard, or was it just the AC? She took a step out, and her eyes seemed to detect a motion from the still object. "Mark." Kerry tried hard to keep her voice steady. "Come here." She reached for the doorknob, and heard a creak. A hand touched her back and she yelped, then scrambled for the door.

Suddenly, the entire ops center came alive in a a shocking blast of flourescent light. Kerry slammed herself backwards, knocking Mark flat on his ass behind her and swung the door shut with startling violence.

She threw the deadbolt on the door and got back away from it, not trusting even the reinforced steel. "Shit."

Mark had crawled out of her way and ducked behind the desk. "You know, they never mentioned this in MIS 101." He muttered. "Let’s call the cops."

"Good idea." Kerry joined him behind the desk and pulled her cell phone out.

They heard a sound on the other side of the door and froze, staring in horror at the lock.

It started to turn, a low rasping sound that ended in a distinct, harsh click as the bolt retracted.

The door opened. They ducked behind the desk. A voice split the silence.

"What in the hell are you two doing?"

Kerry lifted her head and peeked over the desk, her body almost dissolving in relief as she recognized the powerful tones. "Oh." She managed a wan smile at her lover. "Hi, Dar."

Mark started laughing in nervous relief. "Shit."

Dar entered the room and pushed the door open, crossing over to them and taking a seat on the desk. "Do I want to know what just happened?"

Kerry got up and dusted herself off. "Overactive imaginations." She admitted, with a sheepish grin. "We started wondering if… well, anyway. There was a noise outside, and I looked, and I saw something I didn’t recognize.. " She walked to the doorway and peeked out catiously. "Ah." Her eyes found her threatening intruder, now masquerading as an innocent, if covered, overhead projector nestled in the corner. "Sorry. I was about to come wake you up."

"Mm." Dar was amused. She watched Mark stand up and brush himself off. "If we’re done playing Miami Vice, can we run the test now?" She’d woken a short time earlier, and spent a few moments splashing water on her face in the bathroom, resulting in a state of reasonable alertness.

Mark blushed, then started up the interface. "All yours, boss." He rubbed his butt cautiously. "Damn, you got a hearty forward block on you there, Kerry. Ever think of trying rugby?"

"Sorry." Kerry just laughed. "I just wanted to get the door closed."

Dar stepped around the desk and sat down, flexing her hands a little before she accessed the program files and started the analysis running. She reviewed her command line, then hit enter, and folded her hands together calmly, watching the screen.

Not much was going on. A little asterisk in the corner spun. Lights on the black box indicated it was being accessed by the mainframe.

"How long should this take?" Kerry asked quietly.

"Depends." Dar said. "It’s a fairly complicated structure." She watched the screen tensely. "A lot of things could have gone wrong. One glitch in the line during transfer, and the entire matrix can get thrown off. Without every key in place, the whole thing…" Dar stopped and stared at the console, which was now blinking a result at her. "Damn."

Structure Valid.

Mark let out a whoop. "Hot damn is right." He slapped the desk, making both of them jump a little. "Boss, you rock!"

Dar was frankly very surprised. She cocked her head at the screen, as though not quite believing what it said. Given the complexity, and her own state of scattered concentration, she’d had her doubts as to whether she’d gotten all the sequencing right. It had seemed more and more likely, as the night wore on and she’d had to redo her actions more frequently, that she’d made a mistake and would have to start all over again. In fact, she’d been pretty damn sure of it.

Well, apparently she wasn’t as decrepit as she’d imagined.. "That’s good news." She remarked calmly. "Now the hard part starts." She rapped her head with her knuckles, then assembled what she wanted to do and typed in a second command to her system. "Go."

The asterisk returned, but this time Dar slumped back in her chair and relaxed.

"Now we wait, right?" Kerry perched on the corner of the desk. "To see if we have anything."

"Right." Dar agreed. "We wait." She paused, and looked around the office. "Listen, no sense in all of us sticking around."

"No." Kerry agreed. "Mark said he’d stay and watch."

Dar had opened her mouth to continue, and now she closed it, giving them both a dour look, realizing she’d been outflanked. "If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect I’m being coddled."

"Nope.’ Mark jumped in. "I figured once this sucker runs, and barfs up the results, you’re the one who gets to figure out what it means." He said. "So least I could do is watching the pretty lights flash for ya."

Dar looked at him, then at Kerry, who looked back at her with a gentle smile. "Okay." She dropped her hands onto the chair arms and pushed herself to her feet. "C’mon, Kerry. Let’s get a couple hours sleep." She turned towards Mark. "Want me to double lock the doors?" She teased Mark, with a rakish grin. "I think I heard some phantom chicken men outside."

Mark cleared his throat,. "Nah.. I’m fine. G’wan."

Dar nodded. "Thanks." She lifted a hand in a half wave. "Call me if anything doesn’t look like it’s going right."

"Will do." Mark settled in the chair Dar had just vacated, and leaned back. The door closed behind them, leaving him in peaceful silence.

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

Being home felt good. Kerry scrubbed her teeth industriously, turning as she felt a warm body nearby. "Hfero Chirf." She greeted her pet, who was standing up on her hind legs peering into the mirror with Kerry.

"Argorf." Chino barked, very glad to have her family home.

"What are you guys doing?" Dar wandered into the bathroom behind her and snuggled up, putting her arms around Kerry’s stomach. "Giving her pointers, Chino?"

Kerry spit out her mouthful of toothpaste. "No, she’s showing me you didn’t quite get all the blackberry sauce off her face" She pointed at the mirror. "How on earth did she get into the refrigerator, Dar?"

"Opposable paws." Dar picked up one of the Labrador’s feet and examined it, getting a kiss for her pains. "Glad you didn’t leave that container of pasta sauce on the bottom shelf." They’d come home to find purplish blobs everywhere, and a suspiciously meek looking dog trying very hard to look innocent with a face covered in jam.

"Bad girl." Kerry scolded their pet. Chino cupped her ears and folded them downward, in an expression only a Labrador could come up with, looking soulfully at Kerry all the while. "Oo.. you think you have me so fooled, don’cha?" She had to laugh at the hopeful tail wag. "Spoiled brat."

Dar chuckled, and rested her chin on the top of Kerry’s head, hugging her and swaying a little. "Mm… bedtime for nerds?"

Kerry spent a moment just absorbing how wonderful it felt to have Dar hugging her. Then she turned round in her lover’s arms and the sensation trebled as she slid closer and returned the hug. "Mm." She took a breath filled with the scent of clean cotton and Dar’s distinctive smell. "Definitely bedtime for nerds." She took a step forward, and guided Dar towards the waterbed, tumbling into it with a sense of exquisite relief.

Dar immediately curled around her, capturing her in a net of long arms and longer legs, creating a warm nest she snuggled into, letting out a pleased murmur of contentment.

Dar reached over and turned the light off, ignoring the clock which reminded her it was after four. Then she resettled her arm over Kerry, who squiggled closer and sighed, warming Dar’s chest with a minty scented breath. The still nagging aches faded, and she closed her eyes as her body relaxed at last.

What would the analysis come up with? She wondered drowsily. She’d thrown the dice on capturing the data she had, hoping it would deliver to her the mechanism they’d been using to move the funds around that she’d seen in the accounts. But what if it didn’t? Dar felt Kerry’s breathing even out and slow as her partner fell asleep, becoming deep and regular. Curiously, she found herself unconsciously trying to match it.

She thought about that for a moment, then returned her attention to their problem. Or at least, that’s what she’d intended to do, but sleep snuck up on her, ambushing her best intentions and taking her out before she could form another thought.

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

The phone pulled Kerry out of a very deep sleep, making her stare at the ringing object for several long seconds before she got her brain in gear and reached out to grab it. It was still dark, and a glance at the clock showed barely six am. She felt Dar stir against her as she got the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"

"Kerry?" The voice was familiar, if strained. "It’s Angie."

A surge of adrenaline cleared Kerry’s mind as she put together her sister’s voice and the time. "Ang? What’s wrong?" She hadn’t spoken to her family in over a month, and a pang of guilt made her grimace.

A sigh. "It’s dad." Angie said. "He’s had a stroke."

Kerry drew in a shocked breath. "Oh my god." She felt the sudden pressure of Dar’s arm around her and she turned her head, to see the dim outside light reflecting off her lover’s pale eyes. "My father had a stroke." She told Dar. "How is he?" She directed that to her sister.

"Not good." Angie replied quietly. "If you…" She hesitated. "Maybe you should think about coming up."

Very bad, then. Kerry’s thoughts were whirling and scattered. "How’s mom?" She murmured.

Angie was silent for a moment, then she sighed. "She’s not dealing with things really well. No one is. It’s kind of a real mess right now." A pause. "It happened last night. He was at a meeting with some other people, over some bill or something, and he got mad, like he does, and the next thing we knew, they were all yelling, and calling out and…" She stopped. "Anyway, it’s been a really long night."

The speech had given Kerry time to sort out her thoughts. "Yeah, for us too. I just got to bed two hours ago." She said. "All right, let me get my wits together, and I’ll book a flight up." She paused. "Did you say you were calling me?"

"I told mom, yeah." Angie said. "I’m not sure she understood what I meant, but I think it’s okay."

Great. Kerry scrubbed her face with her free hand. "Okay, thanks for calling me, Ang. I’ll see you soon." She listened to her sister’s quiet goodbye, and set the receiver down in the cradle. Then she turned around and faced Dar.

"Bad?" Dar’s voice was burred and husky with her recent sleep.

"Sounds like it." Kerry replied. "Not good timing, I know."

A shrug. "No way to help it." Dar considered. "I’d offer to go with you, but I’m thinking my presence wouldn’t do a thing for his condition, or make it any easier with your family."

"No." Kerry had to regretfully agree. "But I wish that wasn’t true, Dar."

Dar smiled, barely visible in the gloom. "I know." She drew in a breath and rubbed her neck to ease the headache brought on by her sudden awakening. "All right. Let’s get this show on the road."

"Hey, sweetie." Kerry gently pushed her back down onto the pillows. "There is absolutely no sense in you getting up just because I have to. Let me go book my flight, and you go back to sleep, okay?"

Dar gazed at her. "Too late." She smiled wryly. "Phone calls at six am tend to wake me up pretty thoroughly." She tugged on Kerry’s Tweety Bird t-shirt. "How about you go start coffee, and I’ll book your flight?"

Kerry sighed. "Sorry about that." She said. "All right. Feel like anything for breakfast?"

Dar considered. "Steak." She replied, as Kerry was rolling out of bed, causing her partner to pause in mid motion and look back over a shoulder at her. She shrugged sheepishly. "You asked."

"Really?" Kerry said, getting a nod in response. Dar generally was a very light eater for breakfast, usually contenting herself with her coffee, and either a bowl of cereal, or a banana. Kerry herself preferred a simple muffin, but had learned recently to suppliment that with a protein shake to fuel her early morning exercise. "Guess I’ll call the beach club.. I don’t think we have any sirloins lying around."

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

Dar poked her head into Kerry’s upstairs bedroom, where her lover was busy packing a small overnight bag. "You’re set." She entered the room and crossed over to the bed. "You’ve got a plane change in Detroit."

"Always." Kerry murmured, tucking a sweatshirt neatly into the bag. "Thanks for taking care of that for me. What time is the flight?"

"Nine thirty." Dar slipped the folded piece of paper with the details into the side pocket of the carry on. She was dressed in a pair of worn cutoffs and a sweatshirt, with her hair pulled back into a neat tail. "I’ll drop you off at the airport, then just go into work."

Kerry turned her head. "Like that? Damn. No fair. I don’t want to miss Jose’s expression."

Dar chuckled softly. "I’ll bring a change of clothes. I don’t want to scandalize the entire building by walking in like a beach bum."

"A very cute beach bum." Kerry said. "But I see your point. Nothing would get done all day." She sighed, and pulled the zipper closed on her bag. "That’s that. " Enough clothing for a couple days, and her traveling kit.

And her black suit. Just in case.

"Got everything you need?" Dar sensed her change in mood.

Kerry nodded somberly. "I guess I’d better.."

"I booked you into the Marriot."

A faint smile appeared. "Thanks. This is going to be tough enough without sharing space." Kerry took a deep breath. "Hopefully it won’t be long."

Dar put her hands on Kerry’s shoulders, and turned her around, facing her with a serious expression. "Take as long as you need." She told her lover. "Don’t worry about what’s going on here."

Kerry kept her eyes locked on Dar’s shirt. "Thanks." She murmured. "But to be honest, I’d rather you tell me you desperately need me here, and not to take a minute more than necessary." She felt shaky, and knew her voice showed it. She wished she knew why.

Dar tipped her chin up and gazed into her eyes. "I desperately need you." She said. "Every minute you’re gone is going to seem like a lifetime to me." The look on Kerry’s face brought a smile to Dar’s. "And we’ll miss you at work, too." She added, casually.

It didn’t untwist her guts, but it did make her feel a lot better. Kerry put her arms around her partner and hugged her. "Please take care of yourself while I’m gone."

"You mean I can’t start that skydiving class I’d planned?" Dar teased gently. "Or the I-95 rugby league?" She kissed the top of Kerry’s head. "You be careful, too. Okay? I want you back in one piece, safe and sound."

"I will be." Kerry promised.

"I hope your father’s okay." Dar went on, in a very quiet voice. "For what it’s worth."

Kerry didn’t answer, not entirely sure of how she felt about that herself.

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

Dar got to work before eight, and figured she was safe enough entering the building dressed as she was, with her change of clothes tucked into the gym bag she was carrying. "Morning." She met the door guard's eyes, daring him to look down as she strode past.

"M… ah, morning, Ms..Roberts." The man stammered.

Dar stopped and looked back over one shoulder at him. "Problem?"

He shook his head vigorously.

"Good." Dar resumed her progress towards the elevator. She entered the car and let the doors close, then turned and regarded her reflection in the mirrored surface. Hm. She crossed her legs at the ankles, and watched the powerful muscles in them tense and move under her tanned skin. Maybe wearing shorts that short wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever done, even this early.

The elevator perversely slowed to a halt on the 10th floor, and the doors opened.

Crap. Dar exhaled silently. She would pick today to come in early. "Morning, Clarice." She was glad she was wearing sunglasses, which hid what she was sure was a mildly sheepish expression.

The black woman entered the elevator and chose a spot on the side wall to lean against. "Good morning, Dar." She smiled. "You're a little casual today, aren't you?"

Dar shrugged. "Had some things to do before work." She kept her voice neutral. "What brings you here this early?" The elevator floors seemed to crawl by, taunting her as she resisted the urge to fidget under Clarice's appraising eyes.

"We've got a new integration today." Clarice told her. "I came in early to check the paperwork."

Finally. Dar straightened as the doors opened on fourteen. "Well, good luck on it." She escaped from the elevator, only to pull up as she almost crashed into Mark and three other MIS techs. "Morning."

And Maria. "Buenos Dias, Dar." Her secretary managed to mask a smile. "I was going to get café, may I get you some as well?"

"Love some." Dar replied. "You blocking my hallway for some reason, Mark?"

Eyes up, face front. "Uh.. no, actually, boss, I was just taking the guys down to pick up the box for you. We'll just get going now." Mark gave the nearest tech a shove towards the elevator. "Be right back."

Dar eyed them as they marched purposefully away. She couldn't quite avoid hearing their hissed conversation though.

"Holy shit, did you see those legs?"

"SHH!!!"

Dar sighed. "Okay, so I've made my bad management decision for the morning. What's next?" She exchanged a wry look with Maria.

"I think you look very cute, jefe." Maria laughed. "What is the occasion?"

A sober look appeared on Dar's face, and she removed her sunglasses. "Kerry got some bad news this morning." She opened the outer door and allowed Maria to precede her. "Her father's had a stroke."

"Dios Mio." Maria stopped in shock, and her eyes widened. "I am so sorry to hear that, Dar."

"Me too." Dar nodded. "I dropped her at the airport before I headed here."

Her secretary frowned. "Should you not have gone with her? That is terrible, to have someone so sick."

Dar glanced at her. "Her family's not fond of me." She felt herself blushing a little, at discussing something so personal. "They're already stressed - I don’t think my being there would help matters."

"Ah." Maria folded her hands. "Si, that is right. I remember now." She seemed at a loss for words. "I feel for Kerrisita though. She has always felt such trouble with her family." She murmured. "Is there something we can do? Send something to them?"

Dar paused in the doorway to her office, considering the question. "For them? No." She gave Maria a direct look. "But call the Marriot in Saugatuck and make sure Kerry gets treated to the best service they have there." She said. "I booked her a suite, but upgrade her to whatever the best they have is, and have them stock it with the works."

"Si." Maria smiled at her. "I will do that, Dar." She glanced at the door, where voices were growing louder. "Now, I think you maybe will change, yes?"

"Yeah." Dar grimaced, and swung the door closed after her. "Before they start snapping pictures."

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

Kerry took a deep breath as she walked down the airline ramp from the plane. It had been two uneventful flights, and now that she was finally here, she wished they'd been longer. The white of the ramp gave way to dull brown brick, and the familiar sights of the airport near her home.

A quick glance around told her she wasn't being met, not that she expected to be since she hadn't informed Angie of her flight plans, but part of her felt a tiny bit disappointed all the same. On second thought, however, maybe that was for the best, Kerry decided, as she shouldered her bag and headed off towards the rental car counter.

Best for her to do this on her terms, right? Wasn't that what she told Dar?

She thought about that as she walked. Keeping a little distance from everyone seemed like a good plan, especially since tensions would be high, the press would probably be present, and the last thing anyone needed was a family spat right in the middle of a crisis.

Not going at all had crossed her mind several times on the way up, in fact. It was only Angie's quiet finality that had pushed her forward, knowing in her heart that staying away and letting her father die without at least saying goodbye to him was something she just wasn't capable of.

Or was she?

Kerry sighed unhappily, and stepped up to the counter. "I'd like a car, please." She'd picked the chain ILS usually used from habit.

"For how many days ma'am?" The young man behind the counter asked politely.

Good question. "A week." Kerry supplied her credit card and Florida driver's license.

"Thanks." The man took them, and keyed in something, then paused, evidently surprised at something. "Oh, Ms. Stuart. We already have a reservation here for you." He handed back her card. "ILS is taking care of it."

One of Kerry's eyebrows lifted. "They are, huh?" She found herself unable to be upset with Dar. "Okay." She took the proffered keys and made her way outside, wincing as the cold wind hit her face. "Ugh. Forgot about that."

She tugged her jacket closed and zipped it, then searched out her assigned car and opened the trunk to toss her bag in. Hospital first, she decided. Let's find out the bad news. Kerry got in the car and started it, then drove carefully out of the parking lot and onto the icy streets.

It wasn't that big a town, and the drive to the hospital was fairly short. At midday, the place didn't seem that busy, and she parked in the visitor's lot half empty of cars. She spotted a news truck parked near the back entrance, though, and several cars pulled up near it haphazardly, and her suspicions were confirmed when she entered the main doors and saw the cluster of men and women complete with cameras standing nearby.

Would the recognize her? She wondered about that. The national news people had pegged her in DC, but it had taken a while, and these locals hadn't seen her in a few years, if at all given the turnover rate.

Certainly, if they were old timers, they wouldn't expect the girl they'd known in lace blouses and knee length skirts, with carefully style hair and a model slim build to have morphed into the muscular figure in jeans and a leather jacket she knew she presented today.

Her attitude had changed as well. Kerry had studied Dar's use of her considerable charisma and personal energy when she interacted with others, and she'd tried to inject a little of that dynamic into her own personality. Part of it was self confidence, which success at her job had given her, and part of it was an awareness of herself and her effect on other people. "Excuse me." She moved past the reporters with a polite nod.

They didn't even give her a second glance. Kerry repressed a smile, and went to the reception desk. She waited for the woman behind the desk to look up, then leaned forward a little. "Could you tell me where in CCU Roger Stuart is?"

The woman gave her an immediate, guarded look, glancing behind her at the reporters. "Are you family, ma'am?"

Kerry removed her driver's license, and showed it to the woman. "Yes."

A quick look at the license, then at Kerry's face. "Hold on a moment. " The receptionist told her, a she got up and motioned for a guard. "George will take you up." She told Kerry. "George, CCU 4, okay?"

"Yes'm." The tall, red haired guard nodded. "Come this way, please."

Kerry followed the man through a restricted door, and down a long hallway to where a small elevator was located. Very few people were in the hall, just a few orderlies pushing beds, and one man with an X-ray machine. She followed the guard into the elevator, and waited while he inserted a key and pressed a floor.

"You part of the senator's family?" The man asked curiously.

Kerry nodded. "Yes." She admitted. "He's my father."

"Hm." The elevator reached it's destination, and he held the door for her. "Second alcove on your right, ma'am."

Kerry stepped out and walked quietly across the tile floor. Her heart was pounding hard, and she felt shivers going up and down her spine. She could hear, faintly, the sounds of machinery around her, beeps, and the gurgling of oxygen, and it reminded her unpleasantly of Dar's stay int the hospital down South.

Outside the room she paused, hearing voices. One was her mother's. It didn't sound good.

Oh boy. Kerry steeled herself, then she took a deep breath and forced her legs to move forward, bringing her into the room where a circle of strange, familiar faces ringed a bed full of lines, and machines, and the almost hidden form she realized was her father.

Eyes shifted and looked at her, some in surprise, some in distress, as the doctor who'd been speaking broke off his speech and turned. "Are you part of the family here?"

It was a very awkward moment. Kerry had no idea what the real answer to that question was.

"That's my daughter." Cynthia Stuart murmured. "Please, go on, doctor. Kerrison, come here."

There wasn't much else she could do. Kerry walked across the silent room to her mother's side, shocked when her hand was grabbed and held in desperation. She felt Angie move closer to her as they turned and faced the somber looking man in the white coat.

"Ms. Stuart." The doctor said, gently. "We were just going over what we mean when we talk about a coma."

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

Dar almost had to laugh when she looked up to see Mark peeking cautiously around the door to her office. "Yes?" She growled.

"You.. um.. ready to review those files?"

She picked up her cup of steaming coffee and sipped it. "Sure." Now soberly dressed in her iron gray suit and silk shirt, she leaned back and watched as he entered, carrying a clipboard. "So. How'd we do?"

Mark took a seat across from her. "I have no clue." He grinned briefly. "Here's the network paths to the results - I figured you'd know what to do with them." He handed the clipboard over. "There you go."

"Thanks." Dar accepted it, and reviewed the page, then glanced up suddenly, to catch Mark studying her intently. One of her eyebrows lifted. "Something wrong?"

He hesitated, then gave her a slight shrug. "Didn't expect to see you here so early."

"Earlier I start, earlier Alastair has his answer." Dar replied. "Why don't you take off?"

"I got some sleep in the center." Mark said. "What about you?"

Dar sighed. "Kerry had to fly up to see her family." She replied. "Wasn't much time to sleep."

Mark nodded. "I saw on the newscast he was sick. Stroke, they said, right?"

"Yeah."

"That sucks." The MIS Manager mused. "I know stuff is all screwed up between her and her family, but it still sucks." He glanced around. "Listen, Dar… if you want to head up there, I can try and.."

It was almost funny. Dar rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers, and wondered how she managed to get her entire staff to morph overnight into solicitous nannies. "Mark, get your ass out of here and go home." She looked up and pinned him with a glance. "Now!"

He jumped. "Okay." One hand lifted. "Okay, I get the message, boss… no problem!" He slid out of the chair and beat a hasty retreat, ducking around the door and leaving Dar in peace.

She let the silence settle for a moment before she pulled her keyboard over and called up the files, glad of the large, flat screen with it's crisp display. However, tired as she was, there was no way she could avoid acknowledging the fuzziness of the characters unless she squinted at them, and Dar admitted privately to herself that her long put off trip to the optometrists now had to be well, and truly scheduled.

Damn. Her lips quirked in annoyance. The hell if I want to wear glasses. A scowl appeared, as she started up her analysis program. Or contact lenses.

Hey. She studied the screen for a moment, then tapped it with one long finger. If she only needed the blasted things when she looked at the monitor… Slowly, a sly grin crossed Dar's face. Why not just have whatever adjustment she needed built into a screen shield?

"Yeah." Dar felt a lot more cheerful. She settled back and began to review the files. As the screen filled with data, she started searching for patterns, and drew in a quiet breath as she found them. "Son of a bitch." A slow smile appeared, that had very little humor about it. "Gotcha."

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

The waiting room for the critical care unit was small, and discrete, tucked away behind the medical area and reserved for the families of the patients who were sequestered there. Kerry cradled her cup in her hands, using the coffee's mottled surface as a concentration point while she thought.

Her father was dying.

Kerry felt the styrofoam surface under her fingers dent slightly as she flexed her hands. The stroke had hit him in the worst place imaginable, the parts of his brain that kept him alive and breathing without assistance from the noisy machines that dominated the space he was in.

The machines that were the only thing keeping him alive.

Around her, the family was seated in grim silence. Her mother sat between Kerry and Angie, breathing in short, sobbing gasps. Her brother was on the other side of her, nervously twisting a tri fold napkin into a thin, tight line.

Angie's husband was pacing back and forth on the far side of the room, where one of her aunts was also sitting, with an uncle. Nobody wanted to talk.

Kerry knew she was the focus of uneasy attention. She'd heard the ugly whispers as they'd left the CCU unit and walked down the hall. How she didn't belong there. How her father had hated her.

How it was her fault, causing the strain he'd been under that finally got to him.

Kerry couldn’t even lie to herself and say it wasn't true, because she knew at some level, it was. She'd come to terms with that in her heart, during that week they'd spent in Key West after the hearings. Come to terms with the fact that she'd done what she'd done, for the reasons she'd done it, and reluctantly accepted that if she'd had to make the decision all over again, she probably wouldn't have done it.

But she had, and she had to live with that decision for the rest of her life, good or bad. She'd always held out a faint hope that someday, somehow, she'd have a chance to go home and after enough time had passed, maybe she could have sat down with her father and just…

Talked.

Kerry drew in a breath, feeling the finality of the moment. There would be no chance of talking, now. The doctor had been gentle, and kind, but he'd held out no false hope them. He'd just given them some time to sit down and absorb the truth, and told them of their limited options.

The machines could keep him alive.

Did they want them to?

They could not give him a life again.

Kerry was very surprised to feel tears gathering behind her eyes. Surprised that after all that had happened, and everything that had come between them - he was still her father, and losing him hurt as much as it did.

"Mama." Angie's voice was shaky. "Can I get you a drink?"

Kerry looked up, to see her mother jerk her head up and down, one hand pressed to her mouth in evident agony. Their eyes met, and Kerry slowly extended her cup. "Here, mom. Take mine." She said quietly. "I haven't touched it."

For a moment, she thought her mother would refuse, but then her hand lowered and took the cup, spilling it a little as Kerry released it.

"Thank you." Her mother whispered, as she brought it to her lips and took a sip.

Kerry exhaled, slowly looking around the room. The tension was almost a visible fog, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be out of there. She stood up. "I’m going to … " She could almost feel the stares on her. "Stretch my legs. I'll be right back."

Before anyone could think of joining her, she made it to the door and slipped out into the hallway, a puff of cooler air from the vent overhead feeling very welcome in the warmth indoors. She'd consciously forgotten what needing heat was like, and had shed her jacket when she'd found herself sweating after a few moments inside the building.

Or at least, she thought that was because of the heat.

Kerry stuck her hands in her pockets and paced slowly across the tiled floor, threading through a maze of conflicting emotions. When she looked up, she found herself outside the CCU unit, looking through the multiple glass windows to the alcove her father lay in.

For a moment, she simply stared. Then with a quiet breath, she continued forward, towards the quiet corner full of hissing noise and soft beeps and lost chances.

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

Continued in Part 10

Tropical High

Part 10

Dar sat with Duks and Mariana in the lunchroom; the busy crowds lessened in the late afternoon leaving the big room mostly empty and pleasantly quiet.

"Sure you don’t' want a bite of this, DR?" Duks nudged his plate of chocolate cake towards her. "You are getting me worried about you today."

Dar waved a hand at him, and settled back in her chair, nursing her glass of milk. "No thanks, Duks. Damn stuff I’m taking's making me queasy." She indicated her mostly uneaten lunch. "I'll take a rain check."

Mariana chewed a bite of her salad, and swallowed. "Dar, you said you were done with this rigamarole - why not go home? " She studied her friend's face. "Now that you saved the world again."

Home. Dar felt the strain of the long day, and longer night, and the thought of lying down and letting her wound up body relax was very, very tempting. Then she remembered how quiet the condo was without its other occupant, and scowled a little. "I will. Soon as Alastair calls and tells me his cojones are in one piece." She temporized. "Damn database was pretty much intact. Make a nice project for some legal grunt to unravel."

Duks snorted softly. "You know what it is, Dar? They are all separate. If this was one of our systems, it would not have happened."

"True." Dar agreed. Duks alert and aggressive internal auditors watched the computer systems like a hawk. One digit out of place brought them sniffing around, even in her area where the problems usually tended to misplaced receipts and forgotten cellular bill overages than anything more criminal. Their one line woven in the carpet was the one leading inside her office - if any of them had any questions, they tended to feed them to Duks directly, who could be depended on to pay Dar a visit and present them.

Or not. Dar had found out to her surprise once that her friend would sometimes merely sign off on things that were slightly out of line from Operations, and she'd cornered Duks on it once. The big VP of Finance had laughed, then seriously told her that just as her judgment was trusted without question in her realm; she should extend the same courtesy to him.

Good point, Dar had admitted, after a moment.

"Just don't try to get away with anything more than a stick of chewing gum." Duks had shaken a finger at her.

"Still gives me the squicks." Mari shook her head. "I’m glad it's over. You had me a little worried there the last few weeks, Dar. I know everything turned out all right, but my God."

"Mm." Dar shrugged. "Water under the bridge." She decided she'd had enough chitchat, and got up. "I've got problems in the Northeast. Later." She picked up her tray and deposited it, then left the café, tired but satisfied with herself.

Maria looked up as she entered her outer office. "Ah, Dar. Good. I have the General Easton on the phone for you. I was just going to page."

One of Dar's eyebrows lifted. "Gerry? I'll pick it up inside." She went into her office and crossed to her desk, a small smile playing over her face. One long finger pressed the blinking button on her console. "Gerry?"

The General's voice echoed slightly. "Dar! That you?"

"Sure is." Dar sat down in her chair and rested her elbows on her desk. "Alastair there?"

"Just left." Her old friend replied. "Nice fella." He fell silent, with an almost palpable awkwardness.

"Mostly. "Dar agreed slowly "What'd you think of the report?" She felt a touch of unease, sensing something. "Pretty hot stuff, huh?"

General Easton paused, then sighed audible. "Dar, I wanted to talk to you myself about this." He said. "Wasn't the thing we were looking for when we brought you in here, y'know."

"I know." Dar replied. "I wasn't glad to find it."

"Of course. Of course." Gerry said hastily. "You wouldn't, after all, would you? You grew up there, mostly."

"Mostly."

Another pause. "Damnable thing, Dar. If half of what's in here pans out, it's a disaster." General Easton said. "A big disaster, for the Navy, for the country… damnable thing."

Dar drew in a breath, then released it. "Guess they should have thought of that before they did it." She murmured. "You sound like you're regretting the project."

General Easton cleared his throat a bit. "I have to shut it down, Dar. We can't use this." His voice took on a cooler tint. "The government doesn't accept your investigation." A pause. "I’m sorry."

For a moment, Dar wondered if she'd heard right. "What?"

"Look, we'll pay off the contract, no worry about that." Easton went on hurriedly. "You won't be the loser for it, Dar. But it has to stop. I will discard this package, and you will destroy any copies you have."

Dar blinked. A sense of shock made her skin prickle, and she stood up in pure reflex, animal energy suddenly surging. "Am I hearing you right?" She asked, pacing around the desk. "Are you saying you're not going to do anything?"

"Now, Dar." The General tried to sound offhand. "I’m sure a lot of this can be explained in any number of ways. Not everything's a plot, y'know."

Dar slammed both hands on her desk and leaned over the speakerphone. "Plot? God damn it, Gerry, its not some kind of damn plot. It's a criminal act of major proportions!" She barked. "Are you telling me you're just going to sit back up there and let those son of a bitches just get off scot free?"

"Dar."

"Don’t' you 'Dar' me." Dar felt her temper build. "I risked my damn life going back in that hell hole because you asked me to, and now you tell me never mind?"

"You don't understand." General Easton responded forcefully. "There's more at stake here than one measly base, Dar. This could rock the entire Navy. Do you want that? Do you want everything your father fought for dragged through every inch of muck between Key Largo and DC?"

Dar stared at the phone. "The people in that report." She took a breath. "Deserve that."

"I don’t give a damn about them." Easton shot back. "It's the Navy I care about. I’m not going to let something like this make us the laughingstock of the damn country. Of every other country. I'm just NOT going to do it, Dar!"

Slowly, Dar circled her desk and settled into her chair, folding her hands carefully on the desk before her, and leaning forward. "If you don't." She enunciated the words very, very carefully. "I will."

For a moment, dead silence reigned. Dar waited, anger pulsing through her veins and making her nostrils flare as her breathing deepened, and her heart slowed.

Her hands twitched, as though sensing an impending battle.

"You wouldn't do that." Easton stated quietly. "I know you, Paladar."

The very faintest hint of a wry smile appeared on Dar's face. "You only think you do." She growled softly, reveling in the tension. "I will do it, Gerald." She paused. "I have to."

A final parry. "Think of your father, Dar. Don't you care what he thinks? How he'll feel if you do this?" The General asked, quietly. "You know how he loves the Navy."

A sense of peace settled over Dar. "I am thinking of him." She replied. "He'd whup the tar out of me if I did any less, Gerry, and we both know that."

Another silence. "Damn you." Easton sighed. "Damn the both of you with your bloody stiff-necked righteousness." With a click, the line dropped, and Dar was alone in her office.

She took a deep breath, surprised to find herself shaking a little. "Damn." She lowered her head into her hands and closed her eyes, thinking about what she'd said.

Did Easton have a point? The story would, she knew, direly hurt the service.

Was it worth it? "Damn, I hope I know what the hell I’m doing." She muttered.

"Dar."

Dar jumped almost a foot in her chair, and whirled, shocked to see her father standing just inside the door that lead down the back hall to Kerry's office. She stared at him, then slowly relaxed back into her seat. "Dad."

Andrew Roberts removed his hands from the pockets of his pullover and headed in her direction, stopping as he reached her and looked down, his face quiet and very serious.

Dar knew a moment of self-doubt. Gerald Easton had been right in one thing, she knew her father's love and loyalty to the service ran very deep, and very strong. Was he right? Was this too big a sacrifice? She looked up into those pale blue eyes so like her own and wondered. "Guess you heard all that."

"Yeap." Andy lifted hand and cupped Dar's cheek in rare, gentle touch. "I ain't never whupped you, Paladar."

A faint, mildly embarrassed shrug. "Sounded good." Dar looked down, then back up. "Was I wrong?"

A grin remarkably like her own appeared. "You just made me one damn proud old sea rat, Dardar. Hell no, you weren't wrong." Andy eyed the phone. "But that there's gonna be a hell of a problem."

Dar nodded.

"Heard about Kerry's pop." Andy's expression sobered. "Don't rain but it pours, does it?"

Dar nodded again, tiredly. "Yeap." She thought about what Alastair would say, and winced.

Trouble.

Oh yeah. "I was about to head home." Dar admitted. "Been a long day."

"C'mon." Andy offered her a hand up. "Got me some dog hairs I need to give back over by your place." He put an arm around Dar's shoulders as they walked towards the door.

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

It was almost like looking at a stranger. Kerry curled her fingers around the cold metal bars and gazed quietly at her father's face, half-hidden by the tubes and machinery keeping him alive. His eyes were taped closed and there was no expression there, as though he were more a mannequin used for training than a person.

He would hate this so much. Kerry thought to herself. Hate their pity, and the helplessness, and the indignity of it all. She lifted her eyes and studied the machines, then returned her gaze to that still, closed face.

It was hard to know what to feel.

Kerry tried to remember the last time she'd felt joy in her father's presence. When he'd been 'daddy', and she'd smiled just to see him. Her eyes moistened, as she acknowledged just how long ago that was, and how very young she'd been.

Too young to understand.

Maybe, five, six? Kerry's lips tightened, as s dimly remembered scene flickered before her, of a birthday party. She'd gotten a pair of skates she'd desperately wanted, blue ones with silver tassels, and she'd thrown her arms around her father in sheer delight because she knew he'd gotten them for her.

Five then, before she'd gone to school, when life had been as simple as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the long days of fall she could skate in. She had a picture, somewhere, of herself in those skates, with kneepads and a grubby T-shirt on.

Grinning.

He'd hugged her back. Patted her. Called her his little girl.

Kerry flexed her hands on the bars, and released a shaky breath. That had been a very long time ago, indeed. She reached through the bars and laid her hand on her father's arm, the skin feeling dry and papery beneath her touch. Then she slid her hand down until she could curl her fingers around his, a simple touch she hadn't felt since she'd been a child.

What she chiefly felt right now, Kerry acknowledged, was a deep sense of regret. "I’m sorry, daddy." She spoke quietly. "I wish it hadn't been like this." Her eyes watched the unresponsive face. "I never meant for us to hate each other."

She blinked, feeling a few tears spill down her face. "I hope you find peace with God." Kerry whispered.

For a few moments, she simply stood there, holding his hand. Then a sound made her look up, to see one of the nurses coming in. They exchanged awkward glances. "Sorry." Kerry released her hold and backed away. "I know I'm not supposed to be in here."

"It's all right." The nurse replied, with quiet compassion. "Is that your father, honey?"

Kerry nodded.

"I’m sorry." The woman, who was probably twice Kerry's age, had a sweet face and a warm expression. "I know it must be tough for you." She walked around to Kerry's side, and fixed a tube next to the bed. "Take your time. Everything we can do for him, we're doing."

"I know you are." Kerry wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "How… um." She cleared her throat. "How long could he stay like this?"

The nurse turned and faced her, meeting her eyes honestly. "As long as you let him." She put a hand out at Kerry's look of pain. "I’m sorry, honey. I know that sounds harsh." She said. "But you know something? I've worked in this unit for a long time, and sometimes death isn't our enemy."

Kerry averted her gaze, finding a place on the tile floor to focus on.

The nurse took a step back. "I’m sorry." She fell silent. "I didn't meant to upset you. I thought the doctor had already spoken to the family about this."

"He did." Kerry murmured softly. "But I don’t' think we're ready for that decision yet."

They were both silent for a few moments. Then Kerry shifted, and put her hands on the bars. She felt sick to her stomach, the tension creeping up her back and making her head pound. The nurse watched her then adjusted a wire and left quietly, her steps muffled by the overhead speakers making soft, urgent announcements.

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

Dar and Andy sat side by side on the couch, sharing a bowl of ice cream and a good deal of conversation. "If that's what you found there." Andrew portioned off a scoop of vanilla. "What else they got to look forward to? Can't blame em for sticking their heads back down underneath the manure, Dardar."

"Dad, it's not like this is Tailhook." Dar objected. "Or some half assed misuse of government funds crap."

Andrew grunted.

Dar removed a cherry and ate it, biting down on the stem as she considered all that had happened. "Hell if I’m going to let that jackass get away with this." She decided.

Her father glanced at her. "Jeff? Ah don't think he's the mover and shaker, Dardar." He spoke up unexpectedly. "Just the nitwit they done got to front it all."

"Maybe." Dar glanced towards the sliding glass doors, which showed a peaceful darkness outside. She was a little surprised she hadn't heard from Kerry, but maybe no news was good news. The television had reported several times that the Senator's condition was 'guarded', and Dar figured that sounded at least all right. "Thanks for keeping me company for dinner, by the way."

"Heh." Andrew chuckled. "Your momma's done gone to one of them art things tonight. I figured pot luck with you was gonna beat out that crackers and cheese mess they always do have."

"Ah. Yeah, I'm not much into the rubber chicken circuit myself." Dar smiled. "I used to leave business cocktail parties and stop at Burger King on the way home." She jumped a little as her cell phone rang. "Whoops." She dug it out and opened it, checking the caller id first. "Hey."

There was silence for a moment, then a sigh. "Hey."

Dar sat up immediately, reading the tension and grief in her lover's voice. "What's wrong?"

"What isn't?" Kerry whispered. "Oh, Dar."

Panic set in. Dar felt her pulse jump, and her mind start to race. "Are you okay?" Her voice took on a sharp edge, and Andy put the bowl on the table, and turned to watch her in evident concern. "Where are you?"

Kerry leaned against the car door and closed her eyes. "Outside the hotel." She replied. "In the car. I just wanted to talk to you before I went in." She wished her head didn’t' feel like it was exploding. "They want us to pull the plug."

She could hear Dar's intake of breath. "God, I'm sorry, Ker."

"Me too." Kerry replied softly. "Everyone's a wreck. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do." She'd come back from the CCU unit and faced her mother in hysterics, and everyone else in pieces, and just dealing with the barrage had been difficult enough.

Getting out of the hospital had been worse. The press had rubbed them raw, and she'd finally torn herself free from their grasp and fled, outrunning two of the most persistent and jumping over a low wall that had led her to where her car was parked.

Her relatives had all gone to her family's house. They expected her to follow.

Kerry had huddled inside the car, knowing she couldn't. It was just too much. Now she was outside the hotel, and reaching for her lifeline. "Shit."

"Want me on a plane?" Dar offered bluntly. "Screw everything."

Kerry's defenses broke down unexpectedly. She felt her throat close, and her eyes filled with tears, suddenly wanting to be in Dar's arms so badly it hurt. She gasped in a breath and held the phone close, trying not to start sobbing.

"That's it. I’m on the way." Dar's voice went from concerned to decisive in quick order. "Just hang on, okay?"

She took several deep breaths. "No.. wait." Kerry managed to get out. "Dear God, I'd love you to be here." Another breath. "But they can't take it, Dar. It's too much."

"Fuck them." Dar replied. "I don't give a damn about them. I give a damn about you, and what you want, and that's all there is to it."

Kerry stared sightlessly out through the windshield, watching the couples walking by.

"So what do you want?" Dar asked, very quietly.

"I want you." Her lover replied.

"You got me."

"Give me a day with them, Dar." Kerry felt very, very tired. "I think we're going to make the decision tomorrow night. I could use a friend."

"I'll be there." Dar promised. "Are you all right?"

She could feel the tunneling starting. "No." The light outside was suddenly garish. "Let me go inside before this migraine hits."

"Call me later." Dar requested. "Please?"

"I will." Kerry replied. "I love you."

"Love you too."

Kerry closed the phone and gathered her strength, then opened the door and let the cold night air in.

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

At least the lobby was quiet. Kerry brushed past the tastefully decorated Christmas tree, causing the ornaments to tinkle softly, and sidestepped a heavyset man intent on gaining the bar. The Marriot tended to attract business travelers, and the lounge seemed to be full of them, bending forward in intent conversation as a ball game played mutely in the background.

The front desk was empty, and Kerry gratefully set her bag down and fished for her wallet as the clerk looked up and gave her a friendly smile. "I have a reservation. "Kerry stated quietly. "Under Stuart."

The young clerk, a very well scrubbed boy with short blond hair obligingly tapped a few keys on his computer, then smiled. "Yes, ma'am, Ms. Stuart, we certainly do have it."

God bless you, Dar. Kerry leaned wearily on the counter, hoping she'd taken her painkillers in time She handed over her credit card.

"Do you need help with your luggage, ma'am?" The clerk asked, ignoring the card and presenting her with an envelope. "Your key's in there, it's the twelfth floor, turn right, first door."

Kerry took the envelope. "Thanks." She put her credit card back into her wallet, too tired and sick to argue about it. Dar's planning, she was sure, but there would be time enough to change it when she checked out. She shouldered her bag and trudged towards the elevator, wishing the perkily playing Holiday Muzak tape would break and leave her in peace.

But no. The music continued in the elevator, which climbed leisurely towards the twelfth floor, and finally released her into a cooler hallway. "Turn right, first door." Kerry muttered to herself, following the instructions and finding herself unsurprisingly in front of a hotel room door, set in an alcove by itself. She fished in the envelope and pulled out the electronic key, sliding it in and listening for the click, then pushing the handle down and shoving the door open.

It took her three steps before she noticed something unusual, letting the door slam shut behind her as she stood in the entrance to the room and simply stared.

"What on earth?" Kerry whispered to herself. The room was huge, roughly three times the size of a regular room, and laid out as though it was a… She stuck her head into the bathroom and saw the heart shaped tub. "I'm in the honeymoon suite. What in the hell am I doing in here?"

She walked over and sat down on a plush, leather chair, and took in the fully stocked bar, plates of pretty good-looking fruit, and the half-sized refrigerator.

And the bed, which was large and very comfortable looking.

Kerry felt exhaustion overtake her. She slumped forward and leaned her elbows on her knees, too tired even to care. She cradled her head in her hands, feeling the pain building, and decided if she was going to be sick and miserable, it might as well be here. She hadn't eaten anything all day, but the very though almost made her gag. With a groan, she pushed herself to her feet and dragged her bag over to the bed, lifting it up and unzipping it.

The soft smell of home wafted out. Kerry's fingers stilled, then she pulled her sleep shirt out and buried her face in it, detecting Dar's scent faintly around its edges. As the tears rose in her eyes, she dropped onto the bed and just let them out, the moisture soaking into the cotton fabric.

It only lasted a few moments. She sniffled, and dried her face, debating on whether to just stay where she was, fully dressed, instead of expending the effort it would take to get up and get undressed. Finally, she rolled over and got up, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it onto the chair, then pulling her shirt off and unfastening her jeans.

A chill made her shiver, and she pulled her sleep shirt on and sat down on the bed, unlacing her sneakers and pulling them off. She flexed her toes against the carpeted floor and sighed, then tossed the scuffed Reeboks over near the chair as well. "Brr." She muttered in complaint, rubbing her arms as she got up and wandered into the bathroom, pausing when she was confronted with her own reflection in the mirror.

Disordered blond hair framed a pale, haggard face with bloodshot eyes and lines of tension across its forehead. Kerry grimaced, then ran water in the sink and splashed some onto her cheeks, causing another chill to almost make her teeth chatter. She straightened and dried herself off with a towel, then walked back into the main room and headed for the bed. Just as she reached it, her stomach suddenly rebelled, and she sat down quickly, reaching for the garbage can as she half convulsed.

It was mostly dry heaves, save the bitter taste of the aspirin she'd taken. But it made her head pound all the more fiercely and she let out a soft oath as she leaned against the nightstand, breathing hard. The nausea increased, and she dropped the basket and stumbled into the bathroom, just making it to the toilet before her stomach heaved again.

She truly saw stars. Her vision blacked out from the pressure, and all she could see was sparkles as her body was gripped in a convulsive spasm. She felt her legs buckle, and she dropped to her knees painfully on the tile, holding on to the basin for dear life. At last it eased, and she slumped to one side against the tub, shivering and gasping.

It was the absolute worst she'd ever felt in her life. Even her dislocated shoulder hadn't been this bad. Kerry felt like her head was going to split right open, and she whimpered softly, holding her temples with both hands. Her whole body was shivering, and she grabbed for the bath towels, pulling their scant warmth around her as she crouched there in agony.

She didn't know what else to do. She moaned softly as she felt her stomach twist again.

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

It was almost midnight as Dar got off the elevator and emerged into the hallway, pausing as she collected her thoughts and tried to figure out what she could say to Kerry that would excuse her disregarding her lover's honest request to stay away.

Then she simply shrugged, and faced the door, hesitating before she knocked. There was no sound coming from the room, and Dar suddenly realized she'd be waking her partner up on top of everything else. Well. She glanced at the key she'd been given. Might as well get this over with.

Gingerly, she slid the key into the door lock and opened it, slipping inside and closing the door behind her. At once, she realized something was wrong. The lights were on, and the room was empty, Kerry's clothing strewn about with uncharacteristic sloppiness.

Dar felt her heart start to pound. She glanced around the room, then pushed the door to the bathroom open, and froze for a shocked instant, before she jumped across the tile and dropped to her knees beside the pathetic figure curled up on the corner.

"K.." Dar could barely speak as she carefully lifted the disordered towels off her lover, and turned her over. Kerry had been throwing up, she could tell, and crying, and Dar was a split second from calling 911 when the blond woman's eyes fluttered open and tracked to her in dire confusion. "Hey.. easy."

"D… dar?" Kerry whispered hoarsely. "Oh… dear god.. I was.. praying you'd come." She reached out a shaking hand to her lover. "I hurt so much."

"Easy." Dar fought down the panic with difficulty. She sat down on the cold tile floor and gathered Kerry clumsily into her arms, unsure of what to do to help her. "Where does it hurt, sweetheart?"

"M.. my head." Kerry moaned. "How long.. have I been here? It's tomorrow?"

"No. Shh." Dar cradled her gently, rubbing her neck with one hand. "They told me I'd get a fifty percent discount if I flew up tonight. I couldn't resist."

"Uhngh." Kerry curled an arm around Dar's leg and pressed her lips against the denim covering her thigh. "Tried.. to take something.. kept coming back up."

Dar reached over her head and turned the water on, grabbing a washcloth and letting it dampen under the warming water. She pulled her arm back down and gently cleaned Kerry's face. "So I see."

The green eyes flickered open to peer at her, so bloodshot they seemed almost ochre in the bland light. "I've nev.. never felt like this before." Kerry stammered softly. "I th… it got really b..bad there I wasn't… I think I blacked out."

Dar finished her task. "How's your head now?" She pushed the damp hair out of Kerry's eyes.

"Hurts." Kerry let her eyes close. "Everything hurts." She plucked at Dar's sleeve with shaking fingers and tried to get closer. "It's so cold."

Dar took a deep breath, and braced herself. "C'mon.. let's get you into bed." She got an arm under Kerry's knees, and one around her shoulders, and prayed as she stood up, biting the inside of her lip as a bolt of pure agony ripped through her shoulder.

Later for that. With a grunt of sheer will, Dar turned and made her way into the bedroom, walking stolidly over to the bed and letting Kerry down onto it. She pulled the blankets down and tucked them around her lover's shivering body, both hearing and feeling the sigh of relief as Kerry relaxed on the soft surface. "That's my girl."

Kerry peeked at her from half closed eyes. "Am I?" She murmured, licking her dry lips.

"Oh yeah." Dar managed a smile. "Still cold?"

"Yes."

Dar stood up and took her jacket off, then removed her sweatshirt from underneath it. "Hang on, and I'll do something about that." She glanced around the room, then retrieved a bottle of water from the small bar and brought it back with her. "Sweetie, you need to drink some of this."

Kerry grimaced. "Only if you want it back in your lap."

"Just a little." Dar knelt and removed the bottle top, then spotted a neatly wrapped stack of straws and grabbed one. "Here… just sip it." She guided the edge of the straw to Kerry's lips.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya." The blond woman mumbled, but complied, sucking weakly at the liquid. She swallowed the mouthful then waited, apparently very surprised when it stayed put. She drank some more, then stopped. "Nough."

Dar watched her quietly for a moment, then put the bottle down and kicked her shoes off, slipping out of her jeans and lying them across the chair neatly before getting under the covers with her partner. "Easy."

Kerry kept her eyes closed, but turned over and burrowed into her, letting out a piteous little sound as Dar folded long arms and legs around her. "I’m here, Kerry. It's going to be okay. I promise." She could feel the shivers slowly abate, and she stroked Kerry's hair gently until the rigid muscles relaxed under her touch. "Easy. I've got you."

"Mm." Kerry murmured. "Thank you, Lord, for hearing me begging for my Dar."

Dar smiled. "And here I thought you were going to be mad at me for showing up early." She admitted wryly. "Should have listened to Dad. He said not to worry."

Finally, and even though it hurt, Kerry also smiled. She tangled her hands in Dar's shirt and exhaled. "He was right." She said. "I needed you."

Dar rubbed Kerry's back very gently. "You got me." Everything else happening faded out, becoming unimportant as she focused on this one thing that did matter. "So I'm forgiven?"

Kerry nodded weakly. "Even for putting me in the honeymoon suite." The agony faded enough for sleep to make inroads. "I love you."

Dar kissed her head. "I love you too."

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

It was very quiet in the hotel, even after dawn had burnished the window in pale light and thrown a slender stripe of it across the large bed. Dar let her eyes drift open to take in her surroundings, a trifle confused until memory kicked in and she remembered where she was.

And why.

She was lying on her back, with Kerry sprawled half over her, a snug hold pinning her firmly in place, and her lover's head pillowed on her shoulder.

Dar watched Kerry sleep, noting the shadows under her eyes, and the drawn look that still characterized her face, even now. Yesterday had been such a trial for her, she mused, and today would be worse, but at least Dar was here now and could give moral support if not much else.

She couldn’t take charge of the situation, couldn’t shield her lover from the events or their consequences. Dar grimaced a little, unused to being in such a passive role and not liking it much. All she could do, really, was just be there for Kerry.

Like she had been last night. Dar shuddered, imagining how many hours Kerry might have crouched on the tile in misery if she hadn't decided to just chuck everything and jump on the next plane heading north.

To hell with everything else. Dar closed her eyes, and reveled in the warmth of her human blanket. She could feel Kerry's breath through the cotton of her shirt and she let herself float for a few minutes, while she decided what to do next.

First things first. Dar reached out a hand and secured the phone, lifting it off its cradle and bringing it to her ear. She stabbed at the keypad and was rewarded by a pleasant midwestern voice that sounded a little like her lover. "Room Service, please."

A click, some canned Sleigh Ride, and then the phone was picked up. "Good morning! Will this be breakfast, or late night snack?" The operator chuckled.

Dar's brow creased, and she glanced at the window. "Breakfast." She muttered.

"Okay, well. " The woman answered. "Our special for you this morning is Lovebird muffins, with sweetheart jelly."

Dar turned her head and stared at the phone. "What?"

"We also have splits of champagne, and berries with whipped cream."

"How about oatmeal." Dar replied. "And a large pot of coffee, and.. " She considered. "A stack of pancakes."

There was a momentary pause. "All righty then. Anything else?" The voice chirped. "That’s for two, right?"

"Um.. right." Dar’s brow creased. "How did you know?"

"Just a lucky guess… it’ll be right up, okay?" Now the voice sounded vaguely patronizing.

"Okay, thanks." Dar hung up, puzzled by the odd responses. Then she remembered what suite they were in, and started chuckling silently.

"What’s so funny?" Kerry inquired softly, not stirring an inch.

"If I spread sweetheart jelly all over you, would you be my lovebird muffin?" Dar asked.

Very slowly, Kerry’s head lifted and she peered up at Dar with a look of mild disbelief. "Excuse me?" Her voice cracked a little, and she cleared her throat. "Bah. Dry air."

Dar handed her the bottle of water she’d left by the bedside. "Here." She guided the straw to Kerry’s lips, and watched as she sucked down half its contents. "Does that mean you won’t be?"

Kerry finished, and put her head down, seemingly exhausted. "Right now I feel more like a meadow muffin." She muttered into Dar’s chest. " A really flat one that was out in the sun a long, long time."

Dar stroked her back comfortingly, scratching lightly on its surface with her fingertips. "I ordered breakfast."

"Ugh." Kerry shook her head. "Not for me."

Dar hesitated. "Did you eat anything yesterday?"

Had she? Kerry’s brow creased. "Just breakfast, with you." She admitted. "I was way too stressed to eat after I got here."

Dar drummed her fingers on Kerry’s back. "I’m no expert, but that might be why you feel so lousy." She suggested casually. "You know how you get."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Kerry asked crossly.

Dar gently cleared her throat.

The blond woman sighed and burrowed back into Dar’s body. "I don’t think I can handle eggs and bacon."

"Damn good thing, because that’s not what I ordered." Her partner informed her. She smoothed Kerry’s hair down and peered at the dimly seen profile tucked against her chest. "Okay?"

It was so nice and warm where she was. Kerry let her eyes close, wishing with all her heart they were both home with nothing more to look forward to than a Saturday’s cartoons and a diving trip. "Can I just stay right here today?" She asked softly, as Dar’s arm closed around her in a hug. "I don’t want to go over there, Dar." She said. "Call it cowardice if you want, but I don’t want to face those people.. or that place." A pause. "Or him dying." Her chest tightened, and she blinked sudden tears from her eyes.

Dar felt very much at a loss. "I know it’s tough." She kissed the top of Kerry’s head. "I’m sorry."

Kerry sniffled. "Me too." She whispered. "Thank you for being here." She ran a finger along Dar’s ribcage. "This feels really selfish, but thank you."

Dar kept up her gentle stroking, not sure of what else to do. "It’s not selfish." She finally said. "I’m glad you want me here. I know how easy it is to shut everyone out when you're hurting."

Kerry shifted, and looked up at her. "Thinking of your mom?"

A shrug. "And myself." Dar admitted. "I had friends who tried to talk to me after dad… died." It seemed so strange to say that now. "I pushed them all away. Had to put up that tough front, like I thought he'd want me to."

Kerry's lips tensed in wry compassion. "That big mushball? Nah."

Dar smiled a little.

"You don't have to worry." Kerry murmured. "I won't ever lock you out, Dar. I need you too much." She gave her partner a painfully open look, then sighed and rolled over, releasing Dar's body reluctantly. "I guess we'd better start this day, huh?" She didn't feel like it, though She wanted to curl back up with Dar in the surprisingly comfortable bed, and just..

C'mon, Kerrison. Her conscience prodded her sternly. You're a big girl. Life sucks sometimes, so get your ass up and deal with it. She girded her philosophical loins and lifted her head - then was pulled back into Dar's arms and back into her safe, warm nest.

Well, I tried. She greedily absorbed the hug. Sort of. "You know something?"

"Mm?" Dar was now rubbing her all over, easing tiny tensions she'd hardly been aware of.

"Love rocks." Kerry sighed. She felt Dar chuckle, and the knot in her guts abruptly released, making her almost dizzy with relief. She knew the day wasn't promising to be any better than it had looked last night, but from this she could pull the strength she'd need to live through it.

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

Dar watched her mail download as she stood near the small table, attending to the preparation of two bowls of gray, glutinous matter. She kept glancing over at the bed, where Kerry was tucked, the covers pulled around her and a quiet, almost remote look on her face.

She was too pale, Dar realized, as she continued her work. "Kerry?"

"Mm?" Green eyes turned her way, abandoning CNN.

"I know how your family feels." Dar kept her gaze on her oatmeal. "But do you want me to come with you today?"

Kerry had to literally bite her tongue to keep the instant yelp of agreement from emerging. She took a breath, and watched Dar's face for a moment, seeing the look of careful unconcern plastered on it. Her family would hate it, yes.

But would it get her more resentment than there already was? And if it did, would the personal support be worth that?

"Yes, I would." Kerry heard herself say.

Dar looked up, after a moment's silence. "But?" She hazarded.

Kerry simply shrugged. "But nothing."

The pale blue eyes widened a trifle, then Dar smiled. "Okay." She picked up a bowl and brought it over, setting it down on the covers and handing Kerry a spoon. "Go on. You should be able to keep that down."

Ah. Kerry took the spoon and examined her bowl. "You know, Dar.. I don't think I ever mentioned this but…um…"

"Just try it." Dar cut her off. "Trust me."

Kerry, she flew two thousand miles in the middle of the night to be here for you. Kerry managed to get a spoonful of the sticky stuff balanced, and lifted it. She loves you. Remember that. She loves you. "Mmph." Kerry mouthed the oatmeal, a substance she hated with a passion for a moment.

Hm. She swallowed. "Dar?"

"Yeess." The low drawl answered her.

"How did you get oatmeal to taste like tapioca pudding?"

Dar sat down with her own bowl, and smirked, just a little. "I have many skills."

"Mm." Kerry swallowed another spoonful. "So I see."

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

The clock flipped over to eight-o clock. Kerry glanced at it, then sighed. "Hospital opens at nine. Guess we'd better get started." She pulled the covers back and sat up, stifling a yawn. "Can't believe I'm still tired."

Dar gave her a sympathetic look. "Stress."

"Mm." Kerry scrubbed her fingers through her hair. The room phone rang, and she glanced at it, then at Dar. "Probably for me, huh?"

Dar held up her cell phone, then shrugged. Kerry picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Ker?" Angle's voice was low. "I know it's early."

The pressure of the situation came down on her again. "It's okay, I was up."

"We missed you last night." Her sister said. "Thought you were right behind us, then you disappeared."

Kerry's brow creased in displeasure. "I didn't disappear. I was being chased by those damn newspeople." She said. "I just barely got out ahead of them, and got across the parking lot." She waited for Angie to comment, but there was only silence. "Then I got a migraine, and it was all I could do to get back to the hotel."

A sigh. "You okay?"

"Now." Kerry said. "Yes. But it was a very miserable night. I wouldn't have been much use."

Angie cleared her throat. "It was pretty rough here, too." She admitted. "Mom's in pieces."

"I know." Kerry replied softly. "And with what Uncle Harold was saying, maybe it's better I wasn't there."

Now the silence was definitely awkward. "He didn't mean that." Angie said. "Everyone's just so stressed. You say stuff."

A lie. "Sure."

"You'll come back with us tonight, right?"

Kerry gazed across the room at the compassionate blue eyes watching her. "I don't know." She said evenly. "Probably not a good idea."

"C'mon, Kerry. We're your family, and this… of course it's a good idea. Why not?" Angie sounded distressed.

Kerry took a breath. "Dar's here." She replied briefly. "She flew in last night, and I thank God she did, because I was so sick I passed out in the bathroom."

"Oh." Her sister let out a heartfelt sigh. "Well, it can't make things any worse. I’m glad she's there for you."

That brought a faint smile to Kerry's face. "Me too." She admitted. "Listen, I'll meet you guys at the hospital.. then we'll see from there, okay?" She knew Angie wasn't happy with that. "Angie, you know how the rest of the family feels about me. Let's not make things harder than they already are."

"All right." Angie replied very quietly. "See you soon."

She hung up, and Kerry replaced the receiver in the cradle, then stood up. "I won't be long." She murmured. "Don't go anywhere."

"I won't." Dar waited for Kerry to duck into the bathroom before she rummaged into her bag and pulled out her bottle of painkillers. No sense in advertising stupidity, she reasoned, as she removed the top and shook one of the large pills out, then recapped it and tucked the bottle back inside her bag. She washed it down with a swallow of orange juice, then sat down and began to review her mail.

Today wasn't going to be fun, she mused. But we'll get through it. With quiet determination, she put the thought out of her mind, and concentrated on the work in front of her.

Jesus. Dar's brow creased. What the hell's going on back there? She scrolled down the long list, then remembered she had not only her own mail, but Kerry's being forwarded to her as well. She scanned the headers, then sorted them by priority and started clicking.

"Everyone's getting short answers today." She muttered, pecking out a reply as she kept her injured arm still, resting its elbow on her thigh. "Don't like it? Too bad." She typed. "No." Click. Type. "No." Click. Type. "OK." Click. Type "Bite me."

Backspace. Dar sighed. Alastair had asked her to at least try to be a little more dignified in her responses, given her current position. She studied the request, a whine from Jose about getting the sales staff new laptops. "Why? Did the run out of sand on their etch a sketches?"

"What's that, hon?" Kerry poked her head out of the bathroom. "Were you talking to me?"

Dar peeked over her screen. "No, I was making fun of Jose." She explained. "He wants new toys for the sales department."

Kerry scrubbed her teeth while she thought. "Figureth ouf there'r Fisher Prith, eh?"

Dar snickered. "Yeah." She did the mental math. "He's got them in his budget.. should I be nice?"

"Eh."

Dar forwarded the mail to Mark. "OK." She typed in, and clicked send. "You got lucky, Jose. Those pancakes mellowed me out."

Kerry disappeared into the bathroom, then emerged, wiping her mouth with a small towel. "Dar?"

"Mm?" The dark haired woman looked up in question.

"You're typing one handed." Kerry walked over. "Does your arm hurt?"

Uh oh. "Yeah." Dar shrugged. "Slept wrong, I guess."

Kerry cocked her head, then leaned on the desk and caught Dar's eye. "No, you didn't." She accused gently. "You picked my ass up last night."

Dar grinned rakishly. "And the rest of you, too." She chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, I had to brush the dust off my butch card, what can I tell you?" She made light of the charge, not wanting Kerry to feel guilty about it. "Relax, I’m fine."

Kerry stepped closer and circled Dar's neck with her arms, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "I'll make it up to you, Dar." She murmured. "When we get home, I’m going to pamper you, and make sure you don't do anything until that shoulder heals."

Dar found herself in a very advantageous position. She gently nibbled Kerry's skin through her shirt. "Anything?"

Kerry cleared her throat. "Well.." She kissed Dar's head again then released her, and turned back towards the her shower. A thought halted her, and she paused. "You know, if that shoulder's really stiff, it might be a lot easier if I scrubbed you."

"Oh reaallly." Dar was glad to see a touch of spirit coming back into Kerry's demeanor. "Are you propositioning me?"

Kerry smiled, and held out a hand. Dar rose and crossed to her, taking it and wrapping an arm around her partner as they made their way together into the steamy bathroom. Once inside, Kerry turned and helped Dar pull her shirt off over her head, then stood as Dar peeled her out of her own.

She still felt shaky, but the breakfast and the nights sleep had helped, and Dar's presence had helped even more, but she wanted a good dose of the comfort only her lover could provide to buffer her against the day.

They stepped into the shower, and she took the tube of soap she'd packed and squeezed a handful out. The steam put little wisps between her and her target, so she moved closer and studied the body before her. Dar's chest moved as she took a breath, then moved again as Kerry spread her fingers and slipped them over the tanned skin leaving lather behind her.

She loved how Dar felt. She had such smooth, soft skin, but it was stretched over an incredible supple and strong form that moved under her touch in a flow of muscle. There were a few tiny scars across her ribcage, and Kerry carefully cleaned all of them, aware of Dar's feather light touch on her side.

She cleaned Dar's breasts, her lips twitching a little as the touches tickling her own ribs became more insistent, then her hands moved down Dar's muscular belly and past her indented navel.

The pressure of the water was starting to feel good against her sensitized skin. Kerry deliberately let the memories of the previous day dissolve as she moved even closer, rubbing her skin against Dar's as they slid together. She lifted her head and Dar's lips found hers immediately, then started a slow, teasing journey down her neck.

"Oo." She whispered into Dar's ear, just before she started suckling the lobe. "I like that."

"That?" Dar rumbled, closing her teeth gently on a very sensitive part of Kerry's anatomy.

The answer was a low groan.

"Or that?" Dar shifted her attentions slightly.

The groan became a squeak. Dar chuckled softly.

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

Kerry fluffed her hair out and stared pensively at her reflection, tugging a little on the snug teal turtleneck she hadn't had occasion to wear in over a year. "I’m going to sweat in this, aren't I?"

Dar came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Probably." She brushed a speck of dust off Kerry's sleeve. "You look nice, though." The sweater outlined her lover's athletic build nicely, and contrasted against her pale hair.

Kerry turned and regarded her. Dar was wearing a red pullover, beautifully knitted with an embroidered pattern on it and a pair of black corduroys. The pullover had a rolled collar, and it looked casually elegant. "So do you." She complimented her partner. "I like that on you."

"You should. You bought it." Dar smiled, having found the surprise laid out on her dresser after the first cool morning they'd had this fall. She didn't like sweaters, as a rule, never having to have worn them much, but she did like this one. It was incredibly soft, for one thing, a very fine, silky weave that felt nice against her skin.

For another thing, she looked good in it, and she was self aware enough to know that. "Where did you get it? " Dar asked. "I should get you a blue one, and we can wear them on the same day at work." She straightened Kerry's shoulder seams out. "You ready?"

Kerry's eyes dropped. "As I'll ever be." She replied. "Dar, I want to apologize to you in advance for all the crap you're going to have to witness and be subjected to today."

Dar tipped her chin up so their eyes met. "I'll live." She replied seriously. "Don't worry about me, okay?"

A thin lipped smile. "Okay." Kerry agreed somberly. "Let's go." She slipped into her leather jacket and zipped it, then headed for the door with Dar following behind her. "Good God." She stopped in mid stride, almost making her lover crash into her. "Dar, what happened with the Navy investigation?"

Dar put a hand on her back and pushed her gently forward. "C'mon." She pushed the elevator button, debating on whether or not to go into the subject. She'd gotten a very upset email from Alastair just that morning.

"Dar?" Kerry didn't budge, resisting the effort to move her.

Pale blue eyes regarded her seriously. "The database was intact. Alastair present the information to General Easton."

Kerry waited. "And?"

Dar sighed. "He rejected it."

Kerry's jaw dropped. "What?"

Her partner fiddled with the catches on her heavy jacket. "I can see where he's coming from, Kerry." Dar glanced up and down the empty corridor. "The scandal could destroy a lot of people."

Kerry just stared at her. "And you accepted that?" Her voice was flat with disbelief.

Dar studied the carpet, then looked up. "No." She admitted. "I told him I'd go public with it if he didn't." The doors opened and she put a hand out to keep them that way. "Alastair's frothing at me for that."

Kerry walked into the elevator, her mind churning. She knew Dar would keep her word, but at what cost? "Is it worth it?" She asked quietly. "Maybe Easton's right." Dar's silence made her look up, and she found her lover studying her seriously. "Maybe the damage outweighs the benefits."

Dar seemed to understand where she was coming from. "I thought about that." She replied. "After I did the analysis, I sat at my desk for a few hours, debating with myself over whether or not to release it."

The doors opened at the bottom floor and they exited. Kerry thought about what Dar had said as they crossed the warm, gaily decorated lobby and through the revolving door into the bitter cold wind. "Did you think you might be doing it just because you were mad at Ainsbright?"

Dar stuck her hands in her pockets. "No." She answered. "I thought I might be doing it to stroke my own ego."

Kerry looked at her in surprise. "What?"

A nod. "I figured there's a part of me that hates losing, and hates letting someone get one over on me, and that's what was driving me to force the issue."

Kerry stopped at her rental car, and opened the doors. She waited for Dar to slip inside and joined her, closing the door on the icy air. "And you decided you weren't?"

Dar smiled at the bleak scene outside the car. "No." She replied softly. "That very much was part of why I did it." She turned her head and gave Kerry an honest, open look. "But the other part of it was that people are getting hurt by this, and it has to stop." Her jaw tensed. "And it will stop, one way or the other, no matter what that takes."

Sometimes, Kerry mused, as she started the car, and let the engine warm up. Sometimes life's lessons came at you from the strangest directions, and at the weirdest times. "Does your father know about this?"

Dar nodded silently.

Kerry didn't have to ask how Andrew felt about it. She knew, simply by the set of Dar's shoulders, and the almost unconsciously proud lift of her chin.

It definitely gave her something to think about. Kerry exhaled, and put the car into gear, backing out of the parking spot and heading towards the main road. The landscape was bleak and gray, trees dressed in winter brown with their coating of snow and ice.

It made Kerry feel cold, despite the heater in the car. This had once been home. She'd grown up here, played in some of the fields they were passing, skated on those frozen lakes. They drove past a group of young people walking along the sidewalk, laughing and joking with each other, obviously headed for the church youth center not far away.

Kerry remembered being one of them, pampered and privileged, wanting for absolutely nothing. Sure of her place in the world, and secure in her family's solid circle. Lacking only the one thing that Dar, raised without any of her advantages, had been given freely.

Life was so strange, sometimes.

Kerry felt almost lightheaded. She abruptly pulled over to the side of the road and stopped, leaning on the steering wheel as she stared out at the trees.

"Ker?" Dar spoke, hesitantly.

"It.. um… " Kerry started, then paused. "I think part of the reason why I leaked that dirt on my father was because I was so angry at him." Her voice was shaking a little, and she appreciated the sudden warmth as Dar laid a hand on her thigh. "I don't think it had anything to do with wanting to do the right thing." She admitted softly. "Knowing that, and seeing him in that bed… it's killing me."

"Hey." Dar leaned over the shift console and put an arm across Kerry's shoulders. "It's not your fault, Kerry."

"Isn't it?" She gazed sadly at her lover.

"Don't be an idiot." Dar's voice was warm, taking the sting out of the words. "Yeah, that was stressful, but your father spent his whole life in politics, Kerry. You think that was the only stress in his life? C'mon. You know better."

Kerry remained silent.

"Don't do that to yourself." Dar said. "He made the choice to do what he did, knowing it might get out. You think keeping that secret wasn't tough?" One dark brow lifted. "Lying is harder than truth in the long run." She stroked Kerry's cheek. "We found that out, didn't we?"

A memory of the tense months early in their relationship surfaced, when even bringing Dar lunch was looked at with suspicion. "Yeah." Kerry had to admit. "It was a lot easier once we came out." She said. "But this isn't the same thing, Dar."

"Isn't it?" Dar echoed her earlier statement. "Think about it."

Kerry exhaled. "I will." She promised. "Guess we'd better get moving."

Dar rubbed her neck a little. "Want me to drive?" She offered. "That should keep you distracted until we get there."

A smile appeared unexpectedly, as Kerry put the car back into gear. "I'm okay." She put the blinker on and watched for passing cards. "But I'll keep the offer in mind."

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

They met Angie and her husband on the way into the hospital. Some of the press interest had waned, it seemed, or maybe the weather had distracted them. Snow had begun falling, and Kerry shivered a little as she joined her sister on the back entrance walk "Hi."

"Hi." Angie rubbed her arm. "Hi, Dar. Thanks for coming up."

Kerry didn't have to look behind her to see the raised eyebrow. She gave Angie a heartfelt smile and a hug. "Sorry about last night."

"Richard, this is Dar Roberts, Kerry's partner." Angie went on, in a determined midwestern tone. "Dar, this is my husband, Richard."

Dar mentally gave Angie several more points, as she extended her hand. "Nice to meet you." She met Richard's wary eyes, on a level with her own, as they shook hands. "Sorry it has to be on this kind of occasion."

"Ms. Roberts." Richard acknowledged her quietly, as he released her hand. "Good to finally meet someone I've heard so much about."

Oo. Talk about your loaded statements. Dar returned his brief smile with one of her own. "Likewise." She turned her eyes towards Angie. "How's Andrew?"

Everyone relaxed just a little, as Richard turned to open the door to the hospital. "Growing like a weed" Angie stated. "He's made up for having such an exciting birthday by being just the sweetest, calmest child." She waited for her husband and Kerry to enter the hospital, then she turned and lowered her voice. "Dar, I’m really glad you're here."

Dar managed a brief smile. "I know it's not a popular thing, but I couldn't let her go through this alone." She held the door open for Angie to pass. "Besides, unfriendly family isn't exactly foreign to me."

Angie sighed, as she walked inside and Dar followed. "I know. I just wish it wasn't so damned hard." She said. "The whole situation's so lousy, and then on top of it… oh, crap."

Dar glanced ahead of them, to where Kerry was standing, bracketed by two older men. Her body posture was so defensive it brought out an immediate response from Dar, who brushed past two other vaguely familiar looking women and bore down on her lover with determined strides.

"Uncle Albert, you don't have a right to ask me to leave." Kerry stated firmly. "This is my father.."

"You sure didn't think of that when you turned against him, did you." Her uncle snapped, his face flushed. "Look, I'm not going to stand here and argue. I'm not going to put up with my brother being mocked by the likes of you, you little traitor. Get your ass out of this hospital before I throw you out."

Kerry felt a wild rush of anger that was so unexpected, it almost made her lightheaded. "You just try it." She felt her fists balling. "You stupid useless windbag. I haven't even seen you since I was twelve. Now you show up here like you own the place? Like you matter?"

She took a breath to continue her yell, then felt a presence so powerful bearing down on her that she stopped, and turned, finding Dar several paces away, bristling with anger and ready for battle.

"Might of figured it was you giving someone bullshit." Dar stated.

Kerry's uncle turned, and stared in utter shock.

A cold smile. "Aren't you going to say hello, Al? Or did you forget what I looked like after I fired your ass for the rankest incompetence in the history of business?"

"You son of a.."

"Oh no." Dar slipped between him and Kerry, very aware of the watching crowd. "I didn't have a dick then, and I don't now, but let me tell you, Al, you say one more nasty word to Kerrison and you won't have one either, because I'll pull it off and beat you to death with it."

The elevator doors opened, into a frozen silence. Dar put a long arm out and blocked them from closing. "Ladies first. "She motioned Kerry and Angie to go on, then joined them in the car, letting the doors close before anyone else could get on.

The sound of Angie pushing the elevator button was loud, as they all took a breath at the same time. "Wow." Angie wiped her brow. "This isn't a good way to start the day, is it."

Kerry turned and looked at her partner. "Uh."

Dar had been staring at the doors, now she turned, and exhaled. "Sorry." She said. "Temper got the better of me."

"It's okay." Kerry lifted a slightly shaking hand. "Better yours than mine, Dar. I was about to start swinging on him." She felt Dar's arm slip around her shoulders, and leaned against her partner's tall form gratefully. "Sorry we left Richard down there with them, Ang."

"He'll live." Angie shrugged. "I’m sorry, after the past few days, and listening to all the righteous bullshit I've had to listen to, with daddy in here helpless, I'm just… damn it to hell.. over it."

Kerry peeked at her. "Angela, that's the most curse words I've ever heard you use."

"Yeah, well." Angie drew in a long breath, and let it out. "I've been spending time on the Internet, what can I tell you?" The doors opened, and she walked out, followed by Dar and Kerry. They turned to the right , and made their way to the critical care unit waiting room.

Cynthia Stuart was already there, alone. She was sitting in one of the chairs, her hands folded in her lap, her body in an attitude of pained patience. She looked up as they entered. "Oh, Angela.. Kerrison.. I'm.." Her eyes slipped past them and rested on Dar. "Oh."

Kerry heard the elevator doors opening behind them, and she figured the entire situation was either going to resolve itself, or turn into an undignified free for all more suited to the soccer field than a hospital. "Mother… "

Cynthia stood, and brushed past her, stopping in front of Dar with a serious expression. She abruptly held out both hands. "I’m so glad you came."

It was one of the last things Dar had expected to hear. She clasped the older woman's hands in sheer reflex, her battle ready mind scrambling to reassess the startling attitude. "I'm sorry." She managed to get out. "I really am." She added, in a softer tone.

"As am I." Kerry's mother replied. "For many things."

Loud voices at the doorway made them both turn, to see Kerry's uncles enter with Richard, and one or two others. They all stopped and stared at Dar, who stared impassively back, her hands still clasped in Cynthia's.

The tension in the room was abruptly shattered when the inner door opened, and a tall, good looking man entered, wearing a white lab coat over a set of green surgical scrubs. Everyone's attention went to him, and he paused, collecting his thoughts before he continued forward.

Dar released Cynthia's hands and stepped quietly back to join Kerry, who slipped a hand around her arm as they waited for the doctor to speak.

"Hello, Doctor Bridges." Cynthia spoke quietly. "How are things this morning?"

The doctor's lips tensed a bit in compassion, before he put a hand on her shoulder, and walked her back to a seat. He sat down next to her and rested his elbows on his knees as everyone else sat across from them.

"There's been no change, Mrs. Stuart." The doctor told her, gently. "You know, we didn’t' expect there to be any, and we talked about that yesterday."

Cynthia Stuart looked very small, and very alone sitting there. "Yes, I know." She answered carefully. "But you live your whole life thinking prayer can change things, so you do what you can." Her eyes searched the doctor's face. "It seems so odd, with everything we can do these days, that nothing can be done for my husband."

Dr. Bridges nodded, seeming to accept the gentle rebuke. "Sometimes, we can achieve what appear to be miracles, that's true." He said. "But some things are still beyond us, and restoring energy in a brain where they're none left is one of those things."

Dar put an arm around Kerry, not caring who was watching. She could feel her lover's whole body shivering, and she wished there were some way, any way to change the words the doctor was forcing them to hear about her father.

Even if she hated the man's guts.

"There really is no hope, is there?" Kerry asked softly. "Not even one in a million?"

Dr. Bridges hesitated, studying his hands carefully before he looked up and met her eyes. "Ms. Stuart, in my business, I've learned never to quote odds." He said. "Because human beings have the damnedest way of finding a way around them."

Kerry blinked. "But?"

The doctor sighed. "But, Ms. Stuart, I know our limits. Your father is beyond them." He reached out and patted Cynthia's hand. "I'm sorry."

Kerry's mother nodded numbly.

"I'll be in my office, if you want to see me." The doctor spoke directly to Kerry, before he stood up and walked past them, heading out the way he'd come in.

For a few moments, they were all silent.

Then all hell broke loose.

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

"Silence!" Finally, Cynthia Stuart simply stood up and screamed, at the top of her voice. It shocked everyone so badly it achieved its purpose, and silence did, indeed, fall over the waiting room.

Kerry's uncles were squared off on one side, facing Kerry, Angie and Dar, with Angie's husband sort of hovering off to one side.

"Cynthia, I won't have it." Edgar Stuart stated flatly. "My brother is lying in there dying, and I won't have that little bitch here." He pointed directly at Kerry. "She put him here."

Kerry opened her mouth to respond, but her mother forestalled her.

"NO." Cynthia almost spat the word out. "Now, that's enough." She was shaking, but clearly in control.. "Is it not bad enough we're here for this, without this nonsense? Kerry did not put Roger anywhere."

"What are you talking about?" Edgar yelled. "You know.."

"ENOUGH!" Cynthia out yelled him. "Hatred put him there! I won't have it! I won't! Now you stop this at once, or I will have you thrown out!"

"Mother." Kerry put a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "It's not worth what this is costing. I'll leave."

"Please." Her mother turned, and whispered. "Hasn't there been enough anger?"

Kerry's eyes dropped, and she let her hand fall. Dar stepped up behind her and laid a hand on her back in silent support, gazing over her shoulder at both her mother, and her uncles with quiet impassivity.

"Now, let's all sit down." Cynthia stated shakily. "And have a moment's peace."

Someone had to sit first, and Kerry decided it would be her. She took a seat against the wall as Dar settled next to her, and reluctantly, everyone else did as well. God. Kerry was shaking inside, and her head ached, again. She was very conscious of Dar's presence, almost feeling the tension radiating from her silent lover.

"What I want." Cynthia Stuart had seated herself, and was now speaking firmly, staring off at the opposite wall. "What I want is for all of us to come together, and support each other during this horrible trial."

"Cyndi." Edgar broke in.

"Edgar." She stopped him. "That's enough."

Kerry just kept quiet, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She felt chilled, and welcomed the sudden warmth as Dar put an arm across her shoulders, despite the fact that she knew if she looked up, she'd see disgust and loathing in the eyes of her family.

It was so hard. She let out a breath, and felt like crying.

"Mom's right.' Angela's voice broke the silence. "This is hard enough for all of us. Let's not make it worse." Angie reached past Dar and rubbed Kerry's back. "Fighting gains us nothing."

The two older men stared at her. "It gains me the satisfaction of knowing I didn't sit by and let my brother's memory be filthied by the likes of her." Edgar spat. "He'd hate her being her, with that.. that…"

Dar simply stood up. "Let's cut to the facts." She stated, very calmly. "Kerry's father's in there dying. Kerry wants to be here." She let the sink in. "I’m not leaving her here to face that alone, so unless you think you can physically remove either one of us, why don't you just shut up, and use your energy for something other than moving the hot air around."

"You.."

"Heathen? Dyke? Sinner?" Dar refused to either lose her temper or an acidic humor. "Save it. I've heard it all, and I’m not the one here making everyone sick to their stomachs." She stared Edgar down.

He got up, and left, and Albert followed him.

Kerry lifted her head and gazed at Dar, then she slowly straightened up and slumped back into the chair, with a sigh, as Dar resumed her seat. "I’m sorry." Kerry told her mother quietly.

"Kerrison, this was God's will, not yours." The older woman said. "We've spent too much time railing against that. It's time we stop, and bow our heads to it, and listen to his word." She folded her hands and gazed at them.

Kerry propped her head up against one hand and rubbed her temples. Her stomach was starting to ache again, and a flash of the torment she'd gone through the night before made her shiver in pure reaction.

"Ker?" Dar leaned close, a concerned tone in her voice. "You all right?"

Kerry glanced to her right, meeting Dar's eyes. "Not really." She murmured. "Got any ibuprofen?"

"Yeah." Dar nodded. "Let me go grab you a drink." She got up and squeezed Kerry's shoulder before she made her way to the door and disappeared.

Kerry exhaled heavily, and closed her eyes, leaving them that way when Angie slid from her seat into the one next to her sister, and pressed her shoulder up against Kerry's.

"Hey, sis."

One green eye appeared. "Hey."

"I’m glad you're here." Angie told her, straightforwardly. "Even though I know you're not."

Kerry managed a faint smile. "Thanks." She glanced towards her mother, who was now whispering to her Aunt Helen. "I'm glad Dar's here, even though I know she's not."

Angie smiled. "Yeah, I bet you are." She sighed. "I've missed talking to you." She patted Kerry's shoulder. "I've just been so busy with Andrew." She lowered her voice. "Brian's coming over later, with Mike. That'll tip the scales."

"Mmm." Kerry let her eyes close against the throbbing. "I'll be glad to see them." She peeked passed her sister's shoulder cautiously. "Bet you will too, huh?"

Angie sighed. "I was seriously considering spilling my little secret the other day before this happened." She confided. "I figured, what the hell, right?"

Kerry leaned her head against her sister's. "What a family of rebels we turned out to be." She remarked wryly, then her momentary humor faded. "What are we going to do, Angie?" She asked. "How can we ask mom to make that choice?"

Angie's eyes went to their mother's face, then flicked back. "I don't know." She whispered. "I just don't know."

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

Dar found the cafeteria and lost Kerry's relatives with equal success. She'd spotted Al and Edgar near a bank of pay phones, busy and speaking in low, angry tones. Avoiding them meant dodging into the stair well, but that was okay too, since it was much, much cooler in there, and she appreciated the chill as she made her way downstairs.

She was worried about Kerry, though, and as she exited the stairs and spotted the cafeteria, she set her mind to figuring out a way to get her lover through what was turning into Hell's own sideshow.

Dar studied the contents of the cooler case, then smiled and reached in to retrieve two cartons of chocolate milk. She knew the sweet beverage would serve two purposes - give Kerry something to wash the aspirin down with, and provide an almost food like substance to keep her metabolism on an even keel. With the emotional overload her lover was currently experiencing, Dar didn't want to take any chances.

She paid for the milk, a banana, and two cookies, then opted for the stairs to gain access back to the CCU floor. Halfway up, her cell phone rang.

"Shit." Dar stopped on the stairs and tucked the banana under an arm, before she dug out her phone and opened it. "Hello?"

"Dar." Alastair's voice was very serious. "I have a real problem."

Dar glanced up at the stairwell ceiling, dully lit with bland incandescence. "Yeah?"

"They've called me to the Pentagon." Her boss stated. "It's no joke, Dar. Easton wants that data, and he wants it today, or we're looking at sanctions."

Dar leaned against the railing. "Is he nuts?"

"He's a very angry man. You need to come here, and talk to him." Alastair stated. "I had Bea book you a flight."

"Alastair.."

"No excuses, Dar." Alastair interrupted. "I need you here, I need you now. This is critical."

Dar blinked at the wall opposite her, tracing the bricks it was made of with her eyes as her mind worked. "I can't." She finally said. "I’m not in Miami."

"What do you mean yo… not in Miami? Where are you?" Alastair demanded. "You didn't say you were going out of town."

"I’m in Michigan." Dar told him.

"What? What problem do we have there?"

Dar felt the press of the cold metal against her back. "We don't." She exhaled slowly. "It's personal."

There was a momentary silence. "Dar, what in the hell's going on?" Her boss snapped. "Have you lost your mind? I told you I need you here or there'll be hell to pay!"

"I can't." Dar repeated.

"The hell you can't!" Alastair spluttered. "What the hell's going on that you can't get on a damn plane?"

A pause. "Kerry's father's dying." Dar told him flatly. "I'm not leaving her here to face that alone." The funny thing was, she realized much, much later, it had actually been one of the easier decisions she'd ever had to make. "He's going to have to wait."

Alastair seemed to be at a loss. "I can't tell him that." He finally said. "Jesus, Dar…"

"The answer's no, Alastair." Dar said.

Her boss sighed. "Dar." The phone crackled, as he apparently shifted position. "Now, you listen to me, all right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You've scared the crap out of this man, and he's ready to do something stupid. He's going to do that stupid thing if you aren't here to talk about it, and a lot of people could get hurt."

Dar felt unusually calm. "I know." She replied. "But I'm not leaving here."

"Dar." Now Alastair sounded a touch desperate. "He's not going to let me postpone this. He needs an answer, and he needs it this afternoon. Either you deal with him, or… " He left the thought unfinished.

Dar could hear her own heartbeat, and she closed her eyes. "All right." She paused, then surrendered. "'I'll deal."

The shock was evident in Alastair's voice. "You will?"

She drew in a long, long breath. "I'll give him what he wants."

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

Kerry looked up as she felt a light touch on her wrist. Her mother leaned closer and spoke softly.

"We'll wait for your brother to get here." She paused, as though debating whether or not to continue. "I want you all together."

Kerry nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"In a way.. " Cynthia went on softly. "It's easier to come back today, and think of these things. The shock, you know. It's over." She drew in a breath, and released it. "But it was very difficult, last night."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Kerry murmured.

"Angela said you were sick?"

Kerry glanced up at her. "I got a migraine." She watched her mother wince slightly, knowing she was prone to the debilitating headaches herself. "It was… " Her voice faltered. "Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't come to the house, to be with all of you."

"Kerrison." Her mother put a hand on her arm. "This anger between us must cease." She stated firmly. "It has done far too much damage to us all, and I will not have it any longer."

What answer could she have to that? Kerry wondered. That it hadn't been her anger to begin with? Or that it had, but they'd caused it? This was no time to start that up, she reminded herself. "All right."

Her mother was about to continue, when a stir at the door made them both look up. Dar entered, her tall body filling the doorway with it's vibrant presence Her pale eyes flicked around the room, then settled on Kerry's face, a faint smile twitching at her lips as their gazes met.

Kerry smiled back, and heard her mother sigh. Angie moved over as Dar neared, and the dark haired woman dropped into the seat next to her, offering up a brown and white carton and a banana.

"Thanks." Kerry accepted both, sticking the banana between her knees as she opened her milk and took a sip. It was thick and sweet, and she let a few mouthfuls go down before she took the tablets Dar handed her and swallowed them.

Dar leaned back in her seat and draped an arm over Kerry's shoulders, letting her other arm rest against her stomach. She could tell she walked in on some kind of discussion, the furtive glances and general air of discomfort was boringly familiar to her, usually duplicated whenever she entered the restroom at the office when it was already occupied.

Though, that hadn't happened that much lately, Dar admitted privately. Apparently settling down and gaining a steady partner had removed her from most of the racier personal gossip, and everyone still seemed a little embarrassed over the last false rumor about Kerry and Andrew. She didn't think she'd be getting any invitations to Tupperware parties any time soon, though.

That is, if Alastair forgave her for this one. Dar reflected quietly. For putting her personal life before the company's well being, for the first time. He'd been very angry, and Dar knew that even through the slightly raspy connection and the distance between them. Angry, and disappointed, and more than a little frustrated at her refusal to do what he wanted.

Well, she was here. Dar firmly put work, and the conversation with Alastair out of her mind as something she could no longer do anything about, and concentrated on the situation at hand. She shifted her hand a little, and gently rubbed the back of Kerry's neck, which had a knot the size of a plum in it.

"Mmm." Kerry murmured appreciatively, rocking her head forward to loosen the muscles Dar was working on. The warmth of her touch was almost as effective as the strong massage, and she found the tension easing out of her body after a few minutes. It was a very odd sensation, because part of her knew that doing what she was doing, where she was doing it, was making everyone else uncomfortable.

Was it selfish? Kerry lifted her head and stretched, then eased back and felt Dar's long arm curl back around her shoulders. Her mother was staring off into the distance, and her aunts were pointedly looking elsewhere. Only Angie seemed unaffected, and as her eyes met her sister's, Angie gave her a tiny, rueful shake of her head, and the barest of winks.

Yes, Kerry decided. It was selfish of her. Everyone was hurting. She was making it worse. She'd always been taught to deny herself for the comfort of others, and this was a prime example of the opportunity to do just that.

Right. Now she just had to clue in her other half. Kerry glanced at Dar, who was gazing down at the chocolate milk in her other hand. Her lover's profile was tense, and she could see the shift of the muscles along Dar's jawline as she clenched and relaxed them.

Dar was as uncomfortable as her family was, being her in a place where almost everyone hated her, and involved in a highly emotional situation she had little experience and less skill in dealing with.

Hm. Her lifelong flowchart, Kerry realized, had gained a branch. Sacrificing her own comfort for others was fine - unless it hurt Dar. The solicitous attention was Dar's way of dealing with the situation, focusing her concentration on something she could do something about and gaining some measure of balance from that.

Push Dar away, and it would please her family. Kerry swallowed, as Dar looked up suddenly, and their eyes met. She saw the tiny furrow form over the bridge of Dar's nose and in pure reflex, reached out and smoothed it away.

Dar relaxed, and sat back, holding up her milk with a wry grin. "Open this for me?"

"Sure." Kerry glanced casually around as she pulled the carton's top open, then handed it back. Then she peeled her banana and took a bite, chewing it thoughtfully.

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

Michael and Brian arrived just after noon. Kerry had been standing near the window in the waiting room, and she turned as she heard the footsteps, meeting her brother's eyes as he entered followed by her old friend.

Mike crossed over as he spotted her, and she pulled him into a hug, giving Brian a pensive smile over her brother’s shoulder. "Hey, Mikey."

"Hey." Michael sighed, releasing her. "Sucky day."

"Yeah." Kerry agreed. "Big time." She gave him a final squeeze, then ducked past him and found herself being hugged by Brian, as Michael walked over to join Angie and her mother on the other side of the room. "Hey, Bri." She greeted her onetime boyfriend.

"Hi, Kerry." Brian replied shyly. "Sorry about all this."

"Me too."

They parted. Kerry tipped her head back and they regarded each other for a moment. If things had been different, she realized, they’d have been married by now. She tried to imagine that, and found she really just couldn’t – it was too remote from who she was now and though she felt an echo of warm affection when she looked at Brian, she knew she’d never loved him enough to spend her life with him.

She wondered briefly if he felt the same way. "How are you?" She took his hands and clasped them in her own. "Angie said you got promoted?"

A brief smile flickered over his face. "They made me a junior partner, yeah." Brian agreed. "Not too bad for less than a year, but nothing like your career’s been."

"Mm." Kerry smiled back. "Thanks for coming down here. I know it’s a zoo downstairs." She exhaled, glancing behind him to see her uncles reenter the room. "Not that it’s been much better here, though."

"Yeah, Mike was telling me." Brian rubbed her hands gently. "It’s good to see you, though. You look great." His eyes twinkled slightly. "I’ll have to come down to Miami sometime to see where you get that tan from."

"Anytime." Kerry told him. "Plenty of sun to go around, I promise you."

"Kerrison."

Kerry glanced over at where her mother was now standing, with Angie and Mike next to her.

It was time. Kerry gave Brian’s hands one last squeeze, then released them and straightened her shoulders before she started towards her family. Her eyes flicked to the far corner of the room, where Dar was leaning against the window, gazing out at the snow.

After a brief instant, Dar turned and met her gaze, her lips tensing in sympathy. Kerry returned the look, then continued over to where her mother was standing. "I’m here."

"Let us go into that area there." Cynthia pointed to a small office. "We must talk."

They filed into the room, and closed the door behind them, leaving the rest of the assembled family and friends in a somber, chilly silence.

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

It was gray outside. Dar could feel the chill through the thick glass of the window she was standing near, and she watched in idle bemusement as snow began to fall more heavily onto the parking lot below.

The weather seemed appropriate to the situation, though. Dar glanced down, to see the television news trucks gathered near the back entrance to the hospital, their lights glowing dimly in the winter gloom. It also met the atmosphere inside the room, she acknowledged wryly, glancing up to catch the reflection of what was behind her in the window.

Center of attention. Dar resisted the urge to straighten up. She could see Kerry's aunts and uncles glaring at her back, and the half furtive, half curious looks she was getting from the tall, blond Brian. Her… rival? Dar almost smiled. Kerry had called Brian a good friend, but she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the man at their last meeting, a brief few minutes at Angie's bedside after the birth of her infant son.

Brian's son as well, in fact. Dar wondered if Angela had ever told anyone else about that. Even having only exchanged a nod with the man, Dar thought he'd be a better match for Angie than her husband Richard. She glanced at her own reflection, seeing the pale light glint off her eyes. Would that change now?

Dar felt bad about the whole reason they were here for Kerry's sake. She was honest enough with herself, however, to admit she wasn't sorry to see the end of Senator Stuart. The man was a bastard who'd made his kids miserable most of their lives, in Dar's view, and while she wasn't glad, exactly, that he'd been stricken the way he had been, she also didn't feel any reason to pity him either.

Dar sighed, and watched the snow covering the cars. She was surprised at just how depressing it appeared.

"Excuse me."

Dar's eyes jerked up at the sound, and she turned, to find Brian standing right behind her. He met her surprised gaze warily, then pursed his lips, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah?" Dar answered quietly.

"I.. um." Brian peered at her from under sandy eyebrows. "We didn't get a chance really to meet last time." He stuck a hand out. "I’m Brian Evans."

"I know." Dar allowed a half smile to appear, as she took his hand and gripped it firmly. "Dar Roberts."

"Yeah, I know." Brian replied, returning his hand to his pocket. "Well, I just wanted to say hello." He seemed at a loss for further conversation.

Dar leaned back against the glass and crossed one ankle over the other. He was fairly good looking, she decided, with an angular face and a gentle demeanor that reminded her just a little of Kerry's. "I’m glad you came." She drawled.

He peered at her uncertainly. "You are?"

Dar nodded. "Kerry needs all the friends she can get." She glanced pointedly around him at the rest of her lover's family, who were glaring at her with venomous intent.

"Ah." Brian followed her eyes, then exhaled. "Yeah… it's been tough, or so Angie told me." He stated. "I guess it's more important for some people to nurture their hatred."

"Yeah." Dar exhaled. "More I see of it, the more I appreciate my parents." She shook her head a tiny bit. "What a waste of energy."

Brian gave her a wry smile. Then a motion at the door caught his eye, and he turned. "Ah."

Dar looked over his shoulder. In the doorway, a tall, very distinguished man was standing, with steel gray hair and a clean- face. She glanced at Brian. "Someone you know?"

The young man exhaled. "Charles Durham." He kept his voice low, as the rest of the occupants of the room went to greet the newcomer. "He's been a friend of the family for many years."

"Lawyer?" Dar hazarded a guess.

"Worse." Brian hesitated, then apparently made his decision, moving closer to Dar and folding his arms. "Their very, very conservative pastor."

"Oh." Dar sighed, wishing she, and Kerry, and the unexpectedly nice Brian were three hundred miles away. "Great."

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

The inner door opened and the family filed out. As Dar watched in concern, Kerry straightened her shoulders with an obvious effort, then turned to meet her eyes. The look in them was quiet, but resigned as Kerry held out a hand in obvious invitation.

"Excuse me." Dar murmured, as she left her spot by the window and crossed the tile floor to Kerry's side, taking her hand and clasping it. They waited for the rest of the family to join them, everyone blessedly silent for a change, before they continued on.

The pastor joined Cynthia, and they spoke quietly, heads bent together.

The hallway was quiet, save the scuffs and squeaks of their shoes as they walked down the hallway towards the critical care unit. As they entered, a nurse looked up and pressed her lips together in sympathy before she moved to intercept them.

"We've just taken off the machines. You can stay as long as you want to." She told them with professional gentleness, waiting for them to move past her before she pulled the privacy curtain around them, and left.

Kerry was surprised at how quiet it was. They'd turned off all the alarms, and all the pumps - machines stood mutely dark in the corner save one single monitor that showed an already irregular heartbeat.

She found herself focusing on the still figure in the bed, watching the hesitant breaths with a surreal sense of distance. It was almost like this was happening to someone else. In a way, her mother had been right, she realized. Yesterday she'd said her goodbye, an inner part of her knowing there would be no recovery from this. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the end.

Kerry felt a warm touch on her back, and she looked up at Dar, then glanced around the room. Everyone was solemn, leaving their differences outside for a brief time while they gave death it's due dignity. Even Dar's presence was accepted, however grudgingly.

Pastor Charles held her mother's hand, his head bowed in prayer. Kerry studied his profile pensively, remembering long hours spent in bible study and his uncompromising view of the world and all their places in it.

"Go with God, Roger." The pastor stated softly, as he finished his prayer. "Knowing the lord will watch over your family, and keep them safe until you meet again."

Kerry felt a shiver pass over her, and she grasped the railings of the bed. The reality of the situation suddenly came clear as she watched her father's chest move more slowly.

More erratically.

She glanced up at the slack face, it's half open, glazed eyes staring off into a strange realm none of them could yet see. There was no expression there, no familiarity.

The green line on the monitor rippled, it's bumps jerking and hesitating.

Kerry found it hard to breathe herself, and she focused on the railing between her hands, it's faintly reflective surface showing a flash of blue green from her sweater. Dar's hand settled on her shoulder, feeling warm and incredibly real in all that cold silence and she only just resisted turning and hiding her face in her lover's chest.

No. She forced her eyes up, forced herself to watch that damn green line as it pulsed, the ridges and valleys growing more and more indistinct.

If she turned her head, she wondered if she would sense Death's presence, yet another silent, patient watcher in the room. It was a creepy feeling, and suddenly Kerry felt afraid. As if sensing that, Dar moved closer, her body a wall of solid warmth behind Kerry, so close she could almost hear the taller woman's heartbeat.

Kerry drew in a breath and released it, steadying her nerves. Then she firmly fixed her eyes on her father, only blinking a few times when the chest jerked, moved, then finally, gently, fell for the last time. It was accompanied by a soft, almost inaudible gasp.

The green line rippled, and went still.

There was no alarm, no rush of nurses, just a very eerie silence as everyone in the room seemed to hold their breaths.

And then, it was over. Cynthia drew in a shuddering breath, and started to cry.

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

"Ms. Stuart?"

Kerry looked up at the speech, surprised to find the doctor standing next to her. She was outside the CCU waiting room, taking a moment to settle herself before she went back inside. "Yes?"

"I’m very sorry." Dr. Bridges put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "If it's any comfort to you at all, he had no awareness of what was going on."

Kerry studied his face. "I know. Thank you." She replied. "I’m glad. He'd have hated being like that."

The doctor nodded. "So you mother said." He paused. "Do you have.. ah..plans yet, as to.."

Dar returned from her walk down to the water fountain at that moment, and joined them. She glanced questioningly at the doctor, then at Kerry, who reached a hand out for her in reflex.

"There's something being planned, yes." Kerry said. "The family counsel is arranging things, and taking care of the press."

"Good." Dr. Bridges exhaled. "Well, you take care, Ms. Stuart. I’m sorry I couldn't have done more."

"Thank you." Kerry replied, watching him walk away. She turned and looked at Dar, feeling suddenly exhausted. "Ugh."

Dar put an arm around her and pulled her into hug. "C'mere."

Kerry went willingly, and abandoned herself into a dark, warm haven that smelled of wool and Dar, and blocked out the reality of the coldly lit hospital corridor they were standing in. She suspected she was still in shock, because it hadn't even occurred to her to cry, or feel sad, a mixture of regret and relief filling her instead. "You know something?"

"Mm?" Dar murmured very close to her ear.

"Now the hard part starts."

Dar sighed. "Yeah." She glanced into the waiting room, where she could see the pastor with his arm around a distraught Mrs. Stuart, next to Angie and Michael. Dealing with all the family now that the immediate crisis was over was shaping up to be a tough ride. "Sorry."

Kerry exhaled, warming Dar's skin right through her pullover. "Thank god you're here." She whispered. "But I’m sorry I’m putting you through this."

Dar rested her cheek against Kerry's hair. "I’m not sorry at all." She answered. "So don’t' you be either, Kerrison."

Kerry tipped her head back and gazed up at Dar. "Do you know, you're the only person who has ever said that name in a way that makes me want to hear it more often?"

A tiny smirk appeared, as Dar inclined her head gracefully. "You do the same to me with mine." She admitted. "But don't tell anyone, all right? It'll wreck a lifetime of conditioning people not to use it."

"No problem, Paladar." Kerry found reason to smile, which felt strange after the past two days. "We're going to have to go back to my parent's house, you realize."

Dar nodded. "I know."

Kerry sighed, and put her head back down on Dar's shoulder. "I don't even know what to feel, Dar." She said. "Should I be crying?"

Dar was silent for a moment. "When they came and told us that dad had died." Her voice was soft, and reflective. "I didn't cry at all."

Kerry's brows contracted. "Really?"

"No." Her lover replied. "Not for days. Then, I was at work, and I was at my desk, and… ' A flash of that memory surfaced, twisting her guts. "It just hit me." She paused. "That I was never going to see him again, and I lost it."

"Mm."

Even now, Dar felt the tears all over again. "I went into the Xerox room and locked the door, and went to pieces for hours."

Kerry thought about that. "Knowing how you feel about him, I’m not surprised." She stated sadly. "I don't think that's going to happen to me, though."

Dar hugged her. "Maybe not." She conceded. "But give yourself a little time, okay?"

"Okay." Kerry closed her eyes, and wished it was over. "Dar?"

"Let me guess." Dar scratched the back of Kerry's neck gently, and got a contented murmur. "You love me, right?"

"No." Kerry said. "I love that you love me." She gave Dar a big hug, then slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's go get this started."

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

Continued in Part 11

Tropical High

Part 11

"Wait, Ms. Stuart! Can we get a statement!"

"Hold, on – look, that’s the brother, there. Go on!"

"Ms. Stuart!! Look this way!"

Kerry just kept her head down and kept walking, almost slipping as her boots came off the swept sidewalk and onto the snow covered parking lot. "Jesus." She kept her hands in her pockets, aware of her uncles herding everyone along, and her mother huddled between her and Michael. "Fucking ghouls."

Cynthia Stuart’s head jerked up. "Kerrison!" She whispered, shocked.

‘Well, they are." Kerry replied, as they dodged between two parked television news trucks and escaped the glare of spotlights. Behind them, she could hear a spokesman yelling almost vainly for attention, and she was glad when the noise faded back, leaving them to the labored sound of their own breathing and the crunch of snow underfoot.

The family limo and it’s driver were waiting for them, and doors opened quickly, allowing a gust of leather and wax tinged warm air out. Kerry helped her mother inside, then stepped back. "We’ll follow you."

"Kerry, there’s room." Angie protested. "Come on."

"You go." Kerry gave her a gentle shove, taking a backwards stride almost into Dar’s arms. "We’ll be right behind you, I promise." She closed the door behind her sister, then turned and let out a huge sigh, when she saw two reporters running their way, one with a camera balanced on his shoulder. "Oh… pud."

Dar turned, saw them coming, and made one of the instantaneous decisions that marked her long career. She stooped and grabbed a double handful of snow, then wadded it and let it go sidearm, nailing the man with the camera right in the face. He stumbled and slid, falling sidways on the ice and knocking his companion right over.

"Let’s go." Dar grabbed Kerry’s arm and plowed determinedly towards the rental car. "I’ll drive."

"Oh no." Kerry wrestled for the keys as they half walked, half slid together. "Now, c’mon Dar."

"Let me." Dar directed her. "For crying out loud, Kerry. I have an engineering degree. I can figure out how to drive on snow." She keyed the door lock and pulled the passenger side door open with a stern glare. "In."

Kerry was about to argue, but then she spotted more reporters heading her way, and decided she could always wrest control of the car from her lover after they got clear of the parking lot. She slid inside and closed the door, leaning over to open the opposite one. Dar dropped in next to her and slammed the door, sending a tiny puff of snow cascading down the front windshield.

The car started, after a cranky turn of the ignition, and Dar turned the lights on to combat the fast gathering twilight. Then she paused, looking uncertainly at the frosted windows. "What the hell are you supposed to do with that?" She pointed.

An exhausted Kerry stared at the window. "With what?"

"That." Dar pointed at the ice. "Wipers wont' take that off."

Kerry stared at her. "You use the defroster, Dar." She leaned over and turned the device on. "What on earth did you think it was there for?"

Dar frowned. "Clearing the humidity out when it rains." She peered through the clearing glass, glad to see the reporters were now chasing the limo as it made it's stately way out of the drive. It was cold out, and she was shivering, unused to the damp chill which ate through her sweater and made her already aching shoulder throb. Add that to the fact that she'd left her medication at the hotel room, and that they'd missed lunch, and it made for a truckload of misery.

And now they were headed for more of it. Dar put the car cautiously in drive, and pulled out of the parking space, following the tail light s of the limo. She tested the brakes, and felt the lack of control in the car, her muscles compensating for that automatically. All right. Dar decided. I can do this.

She didn't see Kerry half turned sideways in her seat, watching her with gentle, tired eyes, the faintest of smiles on her face.

"They going to want you to stay overnight?" Dar asked.

"Probably." Kerry admitted.

"We don't have a change of clothes."

"We can sleep naked." Came the reasonable answer. "We usually do."

Dar fought the desire to turn her head and stare at her lover. "Not in your family's house, we don't." She said.

"Mm." Kerry exhaled. "That's true." She blinked slowly. "I have clothes left there, but I bet none of them fit." The thought seemed to please her. "Maybe some old sweatshirts, if they didn't get tossed. But definitely nothing that'd fit you." She watched the progress along the street, and grudgingly admitted that Dar was doing pretty well with the ice. "Maybe we should detour past the hotel."

"Just what I was thinking." Dar agreed. She pulled carefully to a halt at a red light, as the limo went on before them. "You doing okay?" She glanced at her lover, whose drawn face was painfully evident to Dar even in the low light. Before Kerry could answer, Dar's cell phone rang, startling both of them.

"That's been quiet." Kerry murmured.

Dar took it out and opened it. "Yeah?"

"Dar." Alastair's voice sounded much, much calmer than it had earlier. That served to make Dar's stomach tie up in knots, and she wondered if she were on the verge of being fired.

Then she decided she really didn't care. "Evening, Alastair." She said, putting the car into motion as the light turned green. "Right up ahead?" She asked Kerry, who nodded. "What's up?" That was directed back at the phone.

"Just saw the news." Alastair said. "Tell Kerry I'm sorry, that's a tough thing."

Dar exhaled. "I will."

There was a slight pause. "Easton took the deal." Her boss told her next. "Didn't think he would, but he did."

"Good." Dar felt a sense of relief. "Thanks for telling me."

"Anytime, Dar." Now, at last, Alastair's voice gentled. "Take care, y'hear? Both of you."

"I will." Dar replied. "Talk to you tomorrow." She hung up and folded the phone, tucking it back into its cradle. "Alastair sends his condolences, and wants you to take it easy."

Kerry watched her closely. She'd lived with Dar for over a year now, and she'd learned through trial and error to be able to read almost every twitch of that very, very expressive face. "And?"

A glint of streetlamp off blue eyes as Dar glanced at her. "And?"

Kerry saw Dar's hands flex, and resettle on the steering wheel. "And, what else is going on?" She asked, waiting through the obvious hesitation. "C'mon, Dar. You can bluff an entire roomful of stock analysts, but not me. What's up?"

Dar inhaled, then squared her shoulders. "Things went south with the Navy." She stated, pulling into the hotel's parking lot. "Easton called Alastair on the carpet and demanded he produce the information we found and turn it over, or face sanctions."

"What happened?" Kerry sat up straighter, perversely glad to have something else to focus her mind on. "How'd he get out of it?"

Dar stopped the car in a parking spot, and rested her hands on the wheel, as she gazed thoughtfully out the window. "I agreed to a deal." She answered, turning to look at Kerry. "To turn over the data and not press forward with it."

Kerry blinked at her with a look of utter shock.

"He had a deadline. I had to be there. I wasn't going to be." Dar shrugged. "So that's what's going on." She shut the car off and opened the door. "Come on. I need to change into something warmer." She got out into the still falling snow and closed the door, then trudged around the back of the car and peered in the passenger side window.

Kerry was still sitting there, with a stunned look on her face. It almost made Dar smile. She opened Kerry's door and gave her an inquiring look. "Coming?"

Kerry finally moved, turning and reaching for the doorframe to pull herself up. "Dar…"

"No." Dar stopped her, touching two fingers to Kerry's lips. "There was no option, I don’t regret it, there was no choice to be made. Got it?" She stared seriously at her lover. "Being here for you was that important for me.

The snow drifted slowly, flakes settling on Kerry's upturned face. "Was Alastair mad?"

"Livid." Dar pulled her the rest of the way out of the car and closed the door. "But he understands." She wrapped an arm around Kerry as they started towards the hotel. "He knows me."

Kerry thought about that as they walked. "Does he?" The shock of Dar's revelation was still ringing inside her, evoking an alternating mixture of dismay and awe.

A smile crossed Dar's face. "Yes, he does."

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

They had a surprise waiting in the hotel room. Dar entered first and switched the light on, then stopped in mid stride causing Kerry to crash into her back. "Whoa."

"Wh.. Dar, why did..oh." Kerry looked out from behind her lover's back to see the table in the room covered in baskets. "Good grief."

"Yeah." Dar walked over and examined the items. There were four in all, two sedate ones that had subdued flowers in them, one stocked with a variety of chocolates, and one with other snacks such as crackers and cheese. "Someone worried there weren't any restaurants all the way up here?" She picked up the cards and read them. "Ah."

Kerry peeked. The flowers were from Maria and Mariana, the snacks were from Colleen, and the chocolate… "Your folks certainly know you."

"Me?" Dar glanced at her wryly. "Oh, does that mean you don't want any?"

Kerry's nostrils twitched, as Dar unwrapped the chocolate basket, releasing a sweet, delicious scent into the air. "I didn't say that." She plucked at the snack basket. "But I’m going to have some crackers and cheese too, or I"ll be bouncing all over the place."

"Good." Dar took a truffle out and popped it into her mouth. "I'm going to put on my damn thermal underwear while you do that."

Kerry picked up the bottle of pills and handed it over. "And take this, right?"

"Mm." Dar accepted the container, but put it down for a moment as she pulled her sweater off over her head. Or tried to, at any rate, when she unthinkingly used her bad arm to do it with. "Shit. "She paused in mid motion, with a hiss.

"Hey!" Kerry dropped her crackers and jumped to her side, easing the fabric off over Dar's head and lowering her arm carefully. "Oh… damn, Dar!" She was shocked at the newly spread bruising that covered her lover's shoulder joint, and spread across the front of her chest. "Sit down."

"Why? Is that supposed to take strain off my arm?" Dar joked faintly, but did as she was told, sitting quietly as Kerry examined her. "Just a bruise, Ker."

"It wasn't like that when we left Florida yesterday." Kerry accused. "You did this last night."

"Yeah. So?" Dar shrugged.

Kerry studied her seriously, then she unclipped her cell phone and opened it, dialing a number, then listening until it was answered. "Hey, Ang."

"Kerry.. where did you disappear to? You were behind us, then you vanished." Her sister asked. "I thought you got lost."

"In my own hometown? Not likely." Kerry replied. "We stopped by the hotel for Dar's medication."

The phone juggled. "Hang on." There was a moment of silence, then Angie's voice came back, clearer, and with less noise in the background. "Maybe it's for the best. This place is a circus, Ker. The press is here, and all of dad's staff, and it's a madhouse."

"Ugh." Kerry murmured.

"And.. " Angie hesitated. "With everything that's going on, I think the general feeling is it might be better if you didn't come over here." She seemed almost embarrassed. "They don’t' want any controversy, with all the press here."

Kerry felt a burn of anger. "You mean, it'd be okay if I came, but not if I brought Dar with me." She stated flatly.

"Something like that, yeah." Angie sighed. "That's not from mom, but there's so many.."

"Fuck them." Kerry enunciated the words carefully.

Angie was prudently silent.

"But, you know what? I'm glad." Kerry went on. "Because I was just calling to tell you we weren't coming over anyway. Dar hurt her arm again last night, and I’m going to spend the evening relaxing, eating very good chocolate, and taking care of her."

Angie still remained silent. Dar's eyebrows crawled up into her hairline and lodged there

"So, if the press asks.. you can tell them that." Kerry smiled mirthlessly.

Finally, Angie answered. "Lucky stiff." She muttered. "Mom wants you to come by in the morning, is that okay?"

"I'll think about it." Kerry answered. "Bye." She closed the phone with a snap. "Son of a bitches."

Dar circled the back of her thigh with one hand and squeezed gently. "Easy." She could see the anger flaring along the lines of Kerry's body. "Everyone's under a lot of pressure."

"Bullshit." Kerry snapped back. "Most of those people couldn't give a damn about my father. They're just polishing up the old image, so their memoirs will…" She paused, visibly upset. "Can't have the family disgrace messing that up, can we?"

Dar pulled her a little closer, and nuzzled her side in wordless comfort. Kerry leaned forward and laced her fingers through Dar's hair, then touched her head to Dar's and exhaled. "Bastards." She whispered.

"Uh huh." Dar nodded.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, rocking gently back and forth, then Kerry released a held breath and straightened up a little. "On the other hand." She pushed Dar's hair out of her eyes. "I’m tired, I’m hungry, and spending the night alone with you is sounding more superfantastic by the second."

Dar issued her a rakish smile. "I was hoping you'd come around to that conclusion." She drawled. "I kinda liked the idea of being pampered and fed chocolate all night." She took Kerry's hand, and relaxed back onto the pillow, giving her an inviting little tug. "C'mere."

Kerry crawled over her and laid down at her side, never taking her eyes from Dar's. She released Dar's hand, though, and let her own fall lightly to the bare body next to her, stroking the soft skin with light, curious fingers. "This is that silver lining thing, isn't it?"

"Mmhm." Dar agreed, lifting a hand to brush Kerry's cheek, and watching her fair lashes flutter closed at the touch. "Don't let them get to you, Kerry." She advised gently. "When people are hurting, or confused, it's easy for them to lash out at thing they don't understand."

Kerry lowered her head to Dar's shoulder, and snuggled close, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "I know that." She said. "It just makes me so angry that all they think about is themselves." A sigh warmed Dar's skin. "It's so unfair."

"Life is, sometimes." Dar replied. "You just do the best you can with it." She regarded the ceiling thoughtfully. "Like now, for instance. We could be at your family's house."

"Mm." Kerry murmured.

"With half the crowd glaring at us, a third of the rest making veiled, but snarky comments, and the remaining third being sweet and sympathetic."

"Uh."

"Having… " Dar thought a moment. "Pate canapés and white wine?"

Kerry nodded. "Probably."

"So, instead, we're here in this nice hotel room, with a lot of chocolate, a big room service menu, and a heart shaped hot tub."

Kerry found she had to smile at that. "You've got a good point there." She relaxed a little, her fingers tracing absent patters over Dar's belly. "You gave up a lot today, Dar." She said. "Standing by me."

"Nah." Dar replied. "Besides, that's what friends do, isn't it? Stand by each other?"

Kerry hitched herself up on an elbow and gazed seriously at her lover. "I mean, it Dar." Her brow creased. "That meant a lot to me. Don't minimize it."

Dar met her eyes, and a smile appeared, tugging the edges of her lips upward. "It felt good." She admitted, twirling a lock of Kerry's hair between her fingers. "Now, what was that about feeding me chocolate?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have a one track mind?" Kerry gave in with a smile. "All right, you beautiful hedonist. Lay still, and I'll get the chocolate and a menu." She leaned over and kissed Dar on the lips, licking them lightly. "Mm.. speaking of chocolate…" She felt Dar's hands ease her sweater up and slide beneath it. Part of her knew her lover was trying to keep her mind off the terrors of the day, but the larger part of her decided it didn't care, and that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

She didn't really want to think about the hospital. She didn't really want to think about her family, and the raw hatred that had battered her all morning.

She didn't really want to see the slack, blank look on her father's face, or the monitor flattening to even.

For right now, she decided, she'd focus down hard on the beautiful body poised just under hers, and the touch that was making her guts burn, and the soft, enticing growls chasing the shadows far away.

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

"How's that?" Kerry adjusted the heating pad so that it covered more of Dar's shoulder, giving it a solicitous pat in the process.

Dar eyed her arm. "Kerry, you know it's.."

"Ah ah ah.!" Kerry put a fingertip over her lover's lips. "Do you have that other medicine with you?" She could see Dar debating on answering. "Don't make me go through your bag, Paladar K. Roberts."

"Heh." Dar chuckled sheepishly. "Yes, in the right pocket." She confessed. "Two bottles.. but.."

Kerry got up and rummaged in the specified pouch, coming up with the plastic containers. "Listen, tiger, I know you hate taking this stuff, but you'd make me feel better if you did."

Dar sighed. "It makes me spaced out." She complained. "Just the pain medication's bad enough, Kerry. I don't need that other stuff."

Kerry returned to perch on the bed, pushing a lock of pale hair back behind one ear. She was dressed in her Tweety Tshirt, but nothing else. "You sound like such a kid when you talk like that."

Dar pouted.

"Aw." Kerry grinned, biting her lower lip a little. "That is just so adorable, I wish I had a digital camera."

The pout disappeared, and an eyebrow lifted. "For what?" Dar asked, warily. "Where would you be putting that picture, Ms. Kerrison?"

"On my desktop." Kerry relaxed onto her side, crossing her ankles and wiggling her feet. "Right next to the little shot I have of you in your swimsuit."

Dar blinked. "In my….swim… oh, you don't really."

"Mmhm. I sure do." Green eyes peered innocently back at her. "The really nice one, that black semi see through number. " A grin. "The picture I took on vacation?"

Dar just stared at her. "That's on your desktop?" Her voice cracked on the last word, and she blushed. "Kerry, that's almost.."

"Oh yes, absolutely." Kerry agreed, enjoying her friend's discomfiture very much. "And let me tell you, looking at that when I come back from some of those afternoon marketing meetings…. Ahhh." She waggled her eyebrows at her lover, who looked mildly alarmed. "Dar, c'mon. You're an incredibly sexy looking woman, and you know it. So stop looking at me like I’m nuts!"

"W.. it's not that!" Dar protested. "I’m just.. it's…" She spluttered to a halt.

Kerry held back a smirk. "Do you have any pictures of me on your PC?" She asked curiously.

It was amazing how quickly a grown woman could manufacture the impression of a small child caught with it's fist in a nice, big cookie jar. "Um." Dar reached up and scratched her ear, tugging on it's lobe a bit. "Yeah."

"Oh yeah? Which ones?" Kerry squirmed a little closer. "The one on the boat?"

"No." Dar drawled. "Not that one."

Kerry considered for a moment. "Oh.. not that one you took when we were parasailing!"

"Nope." Dar studied the ceiling, aware of the ridiculous blush that was coloring her skin. "I don't think you've seen these."

Both of Kerry's eyebrows lifted. "I haven't?" She crawled even closer, until she was almost nose to breast with Dar. "Which pictures are they, then?"

Well, Dar evaluated her tactical situation, which wasn't pretty. At least she'd gotten Kerry's mind off those damn drugs. "Couple I took out at the island last time we were out there." She said. "After we went diving."

"Oh." Kerry frowned, trying to remember the outing. It hadn't been that long ago, after all, and they'd been diving for hours, then… Her mist green eyes opened wide, and she lifted her head to peer at her lover. "Dar, wait a minute."

Baby blues blinked at her with devastating wonder. "Hm?" She watched as it was Kerry's turn to blush, the color suddenly making her fair brows stand out vividly. "I got some gorgeous shots."

A hand covered Kerry's eyes. "You're not telling me you took pictures when I was sunbathing in the buff, are you?"

Dar ran a finger across Kerry's scarlet cheek. "All that beautiful orange sunset and you.. incredible."

"Oh my god." Kerry murmured weakly. "Please don’t tell me you have that on your desktop where Maria can see it."

"Why? She appreciates fine art when she sees it." Dar protested, almost bursting into laughter when Kerry removed her hand and gazed at her in total shock. "Relax." She reassured her lover. "They're not on my desktop." She patted Kerry's cheek gently. "I would never do that to you, honey."

Kerry exhaled, rubbing her face with one hand. "Guess that teaches me to start a teasing war with you, huh?" She gave Dar a rueful look. "Here I thought I was doing so well." She rolled over and got up, trudging over to the table and pouring herself a glass from the pitcher of ice tea. "Whoo."

Dar watched her fondly. The thin, almost threadbare cotton of Kerry's tshirt clung to her body, outlining it and emphasizing her athletic build. "Wanna see the pictures?" She offered.

Kerry almost spit a mouthful of ice tea across the room. "Pft." She managed to swallow. "You have them here?"

"Sure." Dar chuckled softly. "I said I didn't have them on my desktop." She pointed. "They're on the laptop."

Kerry looked at her, then at the computer, then back at her. She firmly turned her back on the machine and returned to the bed, leaping lightly over Dar and curling up at her side. "No thanks, sweetie." She rolled over onto her back and exahaled, letting her body go limp. "What do you want to do after dinner?" She asked idly. "It should be here soon."

Dar reached over and cupped a hand around one of Kerry's neatly outlined breasts. "Have dessert." She responded softly.

Kerry turned her head and met Dar's eyes. "Dar?"

"Mm?" A lazy smile appeared.

"If you're trying to distract me… " Kerry took in an unsteady breath, her body already reacting to the sensual touch. "It's working."

"Good." Dar rolled stiffly over onto her side, and continued her exploration. "My vote is for dinner, dessert, and a nice soak in that tub." She leaned closer "Cause that's gonna make me feel a LOT better than those damn drugs."

One green eye opened and regarded her suspiciously. "Is this a plot?"

Dar eased the thin cotton fabric up. "Oh yeah."

Kerry half sat up and captured Dar's jaw, then she kissed her with quiet passion. "If that room service guy knocks in the next few minutes, you're in so much trouble."

Dar chuckled deep in her throat.

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

Well. Kerry eyed the snow covered landscape going by. At least she felt a hell of a lot more relaxed than she had the day before. She flexed her hands inside her lined gloves, and tightened her grip on the steering wheel, sparing a glance to her right to where Dar was sitting. "Depressing, isn't it?"

Dar was examining the view out the front and side window. "Um…. " It was mostly flat land, with dead trees, though the occasional evergreen threw a splotch of color into the mix, dripping with heavy white snow. "It's definitely sort of… "She paused. "Bland."

Kerry had to agree. "Yeah. One of the things I noticed first when I moved down to Florida was how damn colorful it was." She pulled off the highway and turned onto the road that would eventually lead to her parent's house. "I forget sometimes how much it's not like that in the north, in winter."

Dar settled back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest. "Must be nice in summer, though." She offered. "And it's kinda pretty, with all that snow and all. Looks like something off a Currier and Ives print."

"I guess." Kerry allowed. "It can be fun around here. I used to have a good time in winter, sledding down hills, and ice skating." She said. "And in summer, on the lake." She noted the new buildings on the low horizon. "They're finally getting Starbucks out here. Good grief."

Dar chuckled. "I don't know, Ker. Doesn't seem like a bad place to grow up."

Kerry gave her a quick glance, then she turned into the opening in the long, brick wall they'd been driving next to. "It's a whole different world." She pulled up next to a gate and opened her window, allowing a cold, wet draft in. The gate guard bent down to look at her, then almost jerked back in surprised.

"Ms. Kerry!" The older man, dressed in a thick winter parka smiled. "Been a long time."

A year. Kerry nodded. "Yes, it has, John. How are you?"

"I’m doing great." He leaned closer. "I’m sorry about your father." His eyes flicked briefly to Dar, then back to Kerry. "Terrible thing."

"Thanks." Kerry gave him a small smile. She watched as he straightened up, and opened the gate, and she drove carefully through and continued up the driveway. At the end of it was a circular drive, and the imposing, classic outline of her family's home.

Kerry felt a tiny shiver pass over her as she remembered the last time she'd driven down this road, the night her father had thrown her into a mental institution. The night she'd revealed her relationship with Dar.

The night Dar had claimed her, flying from Miami and powering her way into the hospital with a ruse so incredible, she still didn't believe her lover had gotten away with it.

That night. When they'd driven back to pick up Kerry's things, and she'd had her one, last, furious confrontation with her father and left the house, crossing the line in no uncertain terms to go back home to her new life, her new job, and her new lover.

Kerry pulled up on one side of the circle, and put the car into park. Fortunately, there were only two others there, she suspected Angie and Michael's, and the press seemed to be completely absent. "Well." She looked over at Dar. "Here we are."

"Let's go then." Dar smiled at her. "Nice to see this place in the daylight this time."

Ah. Kerry got out of the car and shut the door, taking a deep breath of the cold air before she trudged around and joined Dar on the short walk up to the front door to the house. Halfway there, she felt her hand captured, as Dar's long fingers wrapped around hers.

It felt wonderful. Kerry's shoulders lifted, and she almost smiled as she lifted a hand and use the huge, brass doorknocker. She heard footsteps behind the door, then the lock turned, and it opened. Her brows lifted. "Hey."

Angie looked profoundly relieved. "Good grief, get in here before you freeze." She pulled Kerry, and by default since their hands were still linked, Dar - into the house and shut the door behind them. "I’m really glad you decided to come over, sis." Her eyes shifted. "Good morning, Dar."

"Morning." Dar replied.

"Seems quiet here today." Kerry ventured. "Where is everyone?"

"It's just us." Her sister answered. "Mom, Mike, and me. Everyone else is someplace else, and I for one am damn glad for it." She took Kerry's arm. "C'mon, we've just started breakfast."

Dar followed behind the two sisters, taking a moment to look around curiously at the interior of the house. She remembered it somewhat differently than it was now, probably due to the circumstances and the late hour. In the daylight, the house was a large, airy, well designed place with vaulted ceilings and a beautiful curved stairway going up to the second story.

They walked through the lobby and under an archway she vaguely remembered, then turned and entered a small dining room with a vaulted sky light the let in the wan winter sun. Seated at the table were Kerry's mother and brother, and both of them looked up as they entered.

Dar watched them carefully for a reaction, pleased when she saw welcome and relief. She'd figured that might be the case, but with Kerry's family, you never knew, and she had no intention of standing by if it were otherwise. She was rested, her arm was much better, they'd had a great night together last night, and she was feeling pretty fiesty at the moment.

"Ah. Kerrison." Kerry's mother stood and came over to them. "I’m so sorry about yesterday." Michael got up also and came over to hug his sister.

"It's okay." Kerry had decided to be gracious about it, for now. "I needed a break last night anyway." She returned Michael's hug and gave her mother a smile. "How are you?"

"As well as you could imagine." Cynthia replied. "Come sit and have something for breakfast." Her eyes drifted up and met Dar's. "And you as well, Dar."

It was peculiar experience, Dar mused. She followed them back to the table and sat down on a chair she recognized as antique, at a table covered in fine linen, china, and silver service. For breakfast. Dar shook her head a little, turning when she sensed a presence at her elbow.

A young woman stood there, with a tray. "May I put this down, ma'am?"

Dar nodded, and was presented with a plate of gently steaming eggs and fresh fruit, then the woman moved to put an identical plate in front of Kerry. Dar noticed that Kerry, though giving the woman a quiet thanks, otherwise treated this as a completely natural thing, and it struck her suddenly how different this was from their normal lives.

Breakfast at home, such as it was, generally consisted of a glass of something, milk for her, juice for Kerry, and something that would give them energy for running. Usually eaten standing in their kitchen, while the sky outside turned from inky black to the pearly pink of dawn in the window.

Hm. Dar had known Kerry's family was well off. She'd known, at an intellectual level that her lover had been brought up with a proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, and little things like her impeccable manners sometimes reminded her of that.

But it was strange to actually see her fitting in here. She listened to the talk, slightly strained and very general, everyone staying away from any controversy, and wondered if that was normal, or just put in place because of the uncomfortable things between them all.

"Excuse me, Dar?"

Dar looked up, shaken out of her musings, and met Cynthia Stuarts' eyes. "Yes?"

"Kerrison told Angela you weren't well last night? "

Huh? I was g… "Oh." Dar cleared her throat slightly. "It's not really anything. I managed to do a little damage to my shoulder last week, and it was giving me some trouble." She said. "Maybe the weather." She inhaled in surprise as Kerry poked her under the table, and shot her lover a look. One of Kerry's eyebrows was raised, and a half smile tugged at her lips. "What?"

Cynthia gazed at both of them with a little, puzzled look. "Well, I certainly hope you feel better today, after resting."

"Resting?" Dar inquired, with a slight drawl, seeing Kerry's eyes widen out of the corner of her own. "Oh.. right." She replied politely. "I feel much better today, thanks."

There was an awkward little silence, which Dar used to ingest a forkful of eggs in peace.

"So, what are you working on now, Ker?" Michael asked, changing the subject neatly.

"Well." Kerry took a sip of juice. "I just finished reorganizing one of our operational divisions, and we added on two brand new support groups in the Western US." She said. "My life's been a lot nicer since Dar put our new network online."

"Everyone's has." Dar agreed wryly. "Even mine."

"How does it help?" Angie inquired. "I remember reading in the paper about your company doing something that revolutionized something or other, and it was very fast."

Kerry took a biscuit, and sliced it open, neatly adding a pat of butter to it. It gave her a moment to try and come up with a way to explain what she did to her family. How do you describe high speed, high bandwidth WAN networking to someone who never even turned on a computer? "Well…"

"A network is like a highway." Dar stated. "If you have a few cars on it, everyone goes fast. Add more cars, everyone starts to go slower. Find a spot in the road where it narrows, and everyone bottlenecks and comes to a standstill."

"All right." Cynthia nodded. "That seems clear."

"We had mostly two and three lane highways. I made them forty lanes across." Dar said. "And took out the speed limit."

"And made everyone buy Ferraris." Kerry murmured.

"Ah!" Kerry's mother looked pleased. "Yes, that's very clear. I understand."

"Yeah, so do I." Michael added. "Outrageous. Can you explain what a chip is next?"

Dar looked him right in the eye. "You sure you can handle it?" She inquired, in a low drawl. "It involves a lot of silicon."

Michael gazed uncertainly at her, not sure if she were joking or not. "Does that hurt?" He hazarded a guess.

"Only if you get some up your wazoo." Kerry replied dryly. "So, what have you been up to, Mike?" She neatly cut off a square of biscuit and collected some eggs with it on her fork. It was stressful, and uncomfortable, and Kerry realized they were all putting a conspicuous gloss over a lot of things.

But hadn't they always? Why should this be any different than any other time?

"We've made some plans." Cynthia murmured, into a small silence that had fallen. "The service is scheduled for three pm tomorrow." She paused, and took a breath. "I realize it's quite short notice, but the staff seems to feel…"

"Mother." Kerry put her fork down. "Who cares what the staff thinks? Is that what you want to do?"

Her mother shifted uncomfortably. "Well, dear, it's really not…" She stopped. "There's quite good reasons for it, you see…"

"Bullshit." Kerry found herself getting really angry. She stood up. "First they have the balls to tell me to stay away, then they tell you when you should bury daddy? Where are these assholes? I want to talk to them, right now!"

Dar blinked in mild alarm, putting out a hand and laying it carefully on Kerry's back. She could feel the tension vibrating through her lover. "Hey." She murmured. "Easy."

"Kerrison!" Cynthia protested. "Come now, your language! They're doing what they think is best for all of us, surely you understand?"

"No." It became too much all of a sudden. "I don't understand." Kerry shot back. "It's never what's best for us, only what's best for them. Always." She ducked out from behind her chair and just started walking, needing space, and air, an overwhelming fury buzzing around her head like a swarm of bees. She got through the dining room door and kept moving, one hand grabbing the door edge and slamming the portal shut behind her.

The solid crash of wood against wood gave her primal satisfaction.

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

There was a definite silence after she left. Dar felt all eyes turn to her and she took a breath before she looked back from the now closed door to her lover's family.

"Well." Cynthia Stuart put her napkin down. "I must go speak with her."

Dar stood. "I'll take care of this." She stated with quiet firmness, before putting her own napkin down and following Kerry without waiting for them to respond.

The door closed again behind her. "This is outrageous." Cynthia stated.

"What did you think was going to happen? Angela asked. "I told you she's still really ticked off, mother. Did you really think she'd just waltz back in here and everything would be peaches and cream again?"

"She could make an effort. We are her family." Cynthia replied.

"Maybe it would help if she hadn't been tossed in the looney bin last time she was here." Mike replied bluntly. "That would put me in a bad mood too."

"We've discussed that." His mother looked annoyed. "You know your father was just doing what he considered best for Kerry."

"Bull." Angie slapped her cup down. "I'm so tired of hearing that. He had no interest in what was best for Kerry, and you know it. All he cared about was not letting the press find out he had a gay daughter."

"Angie." Cynthia gave her an exasperated look. "Please."

"It's true!" Now Angela was upset. "I've had to listen to two days of everyone saying what a freaking saint he was, and I’m sick of it." She took a breath. "No one here's grieving, mother, we all know that. He never cared about any of us, just himself."

Her mother sighed. "He was a very forceful man."

"And Kerry was the only one of us who had the guts to stand up to him." Mike said. "Now she's paying big time for that, when all these freaking people should be patting her on the back and saying good job." He sided firmly with his sisters. "I'm going to kick their asses out of the house if they do that again this afternoon."

"Michael!" Cynthia stared at him.

"I don't care!" Mike stood up. "I don’t' give a shit about any of them. Kerry's the person I care about, she's my sister, and I'll be god damned if those two faced lying bastard uncles are going to give her grief!" He stated angrily. "And if I can't do it by myself, I'll get Dar to help me. I bet she could kick their asses sound asleep!" He pushed his plate back, and moved away from the table. "I'm outta here."

"Me too." Angie decided. "And if any of those weasel aides say a word, I’m going to slap them." She followed Michael out the door, leaving her mother in pristine silence.

Cynthia released a breath, and sat back. The door opened, and a tall, slim man entered, with an appointment book and a pen. He took a seat next to her.

"We've got everything scheduled, Mrs. Stuart. Here's the details." He offered her a sheet. "Now, the press will be by later as the more important guests arrive. We need to discuss how you want to present the family." He gave her a little, sympathetic smile. "I know we've got some work to do on that."

Cynthia looked at the paper, then looked at him. She placed a fingertip on the page and moved it back towards him. "I’m afraid you've got it a bit wrong. My family's perfectly capable of presenting itself, and you would do well to remain uninvolved."

He looked a little surprised, but regrouped quickly. "There are certain things…"

"No, there are not." Cynthia stated with calm finality. "If the press wishes to come and make a spectacle of itself, it may do so. My children are free to speak to them, or not, as they please. I will not tolerate any interference with any of them."

"But…"

"Henderson, have I not made myself clear?"

He tried again. "Mrs. Stuart, you know we're only working to present a united and positive image of your late husband in these trying times…"

"Nonsense." Cynthia cut him off. "Please let us stop using euphemisms. You are anxious about the press asking after Kerrison, is that right?"

He hesitated briefly. "The more sensational papers, yes." He admitted. "It really doesn’t add to the image we're trying to build, you see, and.."

"Mr. Henderson." Cynthia tapped him on the arm sharply. "My husband is dead. He no longer cares about his image. It is difficult for Kerrison to be here, and I simply will not allow you to make it more difficult for her. Is that clear?"

"Mrs. Stuart…"

"If you were even slightly intelligent." Cynthia finally lost her patience. "You would realize that antagonizing my eldest daughter is an extremely stupid idea." She paused. "Her father learned that lesson far too late." She stood up. "If we're finished, I must go change. Goodbye."

Henderson was left alone in the large dining room, it's walls still ringing with Cynthia's last words.

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

Dar prowled through the uneasily still house, following a logical guess as to where Kerry had run off to. Her lover's unusual explosion of temper had surprised Dar, but she could tell the tension was ratcheting Kerry up to a point where almost anything could happen.

Ahead of her, she spotted daylight, and she turned through a small corridor and found herself inside a solarium. It's thick, insulated glass panes hazed the scene outside, but it provided natural light and she had a feeling if she poked around inside, she'd find what she was looking for.

A soft creak alerted her, and Dar walked quietly between two rows of precisely trimmed flowers. Near the back of the solarium was a two person padded swing, only half occupied. Ah. Kerry's back was towards her, but as Dar approached, the blond head turned in her direction.

They regarded each other for a moment, then Dar slipped into the seat next to Kerry, and simply took her hand, lacing their fingers together in silent sympathy. They sat quietly, rocking a little on the bench as they watched the snow come down outside.

Finally, Kerry took a deep breath, pulling Dar's hand up and tucking it against her heart before she spoke. "If I ask you something, will you promise not to think I’m a coward?"

"Sure." Dar answered, already knowing what it was Kerry was going to ask. "When do you want to leave?"

Kerry leaned against Dar's shoulder. "I don't want to." She answered sadly. "But I think I have to, Dar. If I stay through this, it's only going to get worse." She felt Dar's fingers tighten around hers. "I can't deal with it, and I don't want you to have to."

Dar understood, possibly far more than Kerry imagined. "I remember being at daddy's funeral service." She replied in a low voice. "A service, not a burial, because they told us there wasn't anything left to bury."

Kerry remained very quiet.

"And I hated everyone." Dar had to stop for a minute, as a vivid memory of that cold day sharpened in her mind's eye. "All these people getting up and talking about him.. they had no clue who he was, or how he'd lived his life…" She slowly shook her head. "They wouldn't let me talk."

Kerry just closed her eyes.

"So I ran." Dar said. "I ran out of there, and kept running. All the way home."

"From Connecticut?" Kerry asked, very softly.

"Yeah." Dar replied, just as quietly. "I hitched back… walked… took a bus once in a while. Gave me time to get it out of my system."

"The anger?"

Dar shook her head. "The grief."

Kerry regarded the frosted glass in front of her. "You know something, Dar?"

"Mm?" Dar slipped her arm behind Kerry's back.

"I wish I'd had a father worth that kind of feeling." Kerry let her eyes close as she was pulled closer by Dar's encircling arm.

Dar rested her cheek against Kerry's hair. "You do." She reminded her.

That was true, Kerry acknowledged. She was closer to Andrew and Ceci after knowing them less than a year than she had ever been to her own parents after most of a lifetime. She loved Dar's parents deeply, just as she did their daughter, and she was grateful beyond words that she had them in her life.

Was it even worth staying for the service tonight? "Let's go home." She whispered. "I can't change how they feel about me, Dar. I'm going to leave them to their hatred and stupidity."

"All right." Dar hugged her. "Home sounds good to me too."

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

Dar followed Kerry out of the solarium, and across the quiet, spacious parlor. "It’s a nice place." She commented, glancing around. "Plenty of room."

Kerry also looked, slowing her steps and turning around as she did so. "I guess it is." She replied. "I never really thought of it that way though, because so much of the house was pretty much off limits for us as kids." She paused, then walked over to a painting on the wall and looked at it, then reached up and touched the canvas with a curious finger. "We used to get punished for grabbing anything."

Dar had wandered over as well. "Punished?"

"Yelled at." Kerry clarified. ‘Sent to our rooms, mostly." She eyed the painting. "I only got hit once that I remember, and all because of this damn stupid thing."

"Really?" Dar examined the object. "What’s there to this that’s worth being hit for?"

"It’s a Renoir." Kerry indicated the signature. "And I always though it was way too dull and ugly, so one day I took my box of one hundred and twenty eight Crayola crayons and changed that."

Dar bit the inside of her lip, but a tiny snort of laughter escaped anyway. "Oh boy."

"Mm. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty." Kerry smiled faintly. "I had to drag one of those antique chairs over here and climb all over it to get all the squares filled in. Did I mention it had been raining outside, and I was covered in mud?"

"Oh, Kerry." Dar covered her face with one hand. "You want to know something really funny?"

"What? Did you do the same thing when you were a kid?" Kerry turned and grinned at her. "Don’t tell me that."

"No." Dar shook her head. "If I’d shown the least bit of interest in drawing my mother would have thrown a party." She admitted. "But I was thinking, on the way up here, of how much I wish we’d met sooner." She let a hand rest on Kerry’s shoulder. "I would have liked a friend like you."

Kerry spared a moment to remember the increasingly lonely years after her childhood, a life full of acquaintances and parties, activity and publicity, but very few real friends. She would have loved to have known Dar then, but she also knew the sad reality of the fact that her parents would have prevented their friendship. "I’m glad we didn’t." She replied softly, reaching up to cover Dar’s hand with her own to soften the words. "I wasn’t ready to know you back then." She watched Dar cock her head in mild consternation. "I still believed in my parents, and they… " Kerry glanced away, then back up at her lover’s face. "I’m glad I met you when I did."

Dar’s lips twitched up into a smile. "Do you really think I’d have let your parents stand between me, and a friend, even at that age?" She asked, in a low drawl. "We would have been tabloid city. ‘Wild child corrupts Senator’s daughter - film at eleven.’"

Kerry had to smile back, both at the sentiment, and the mental picture.

"Besides… " Dar pointed behind her at the picture. "Anyone with the will to color by number a Renoir would have been right up my alley anyway." She leaned forward and surprised Kerry with a gentle kiss. "My mother would have adopted you in the vain hope you’d rub off on me."

Kerry drew in a breath, then released it as a certain tension eased out of her. She put her arms around Dar and simply hugged her as hard as she could. Then she released her partner. "C'mon. Let me give you the ten cent tour, then. I don't know if I'll have another chance." She held out a hand, which Dar took, then led the way through the labyrinth of rooms.

The first place they went was the library. Kerry pushed the door open, and was hit with the inimitable smell of a critical mass of books. The room had traditionally dark paneling, and a thick wool rug, with heavy leather and brass bound furniture and floor to ceiling shelves of books on all four sides of the space.

"This was a favorite spot." Kerry reflected, as Dar roamed around the room and studied the books. "Not so much for the subject matters.. I brought my own books in here, but it was always a nice, quiet place to hide in." She walked over to a chair near the corner, and settled into it. "Seems a lot smaller now."

Dar walked over and leaned on the chair. "I had a spot I used to disappear with a book into also." She said. "Wasn't as cushy as this, but I know what you mean."

Kerry nodded. "Your dad's a big reader." She noted. "Was that really Wuthering Heights on his workbench the other day?"

"Mmhm." Dar murmured.

"Incredible." Kerry got up and tugged Dar after her. "One of the good things about all the doors is that you could always escape out one way if anyone official or anything was coming the other way." They walked down one hallway, and turned into another. "Here's another favorite spot." She pushed open a swinging door, and peeked into the kitchen. "For a while."

Dar poked her head in also, to see a large, well laid out room with commercial quality cooking equipment. A tall black woman entered from the other side, then stopped in surprise at seeing two heads looking back at her.

"Ms, Kerry? Is that you?"

Kerry eased the door open and entered. "Hello, Betsy. Yes, it is." She walked over and gave the woman a hug. "Been a while, huh?" A year, to be exact. "You look great."

Betsy smiled. "Honey, so do you." She looked curiously at Dar. "This your friend?"

It didn't even feel strange, which, in and of itself, was very odd. "This is my partner, Dar." Kerry replied, with a smile. "Dar Roberts. Dar, this is Betsy Stonewright. She's been a part of the staff here since before I was born."

"Now, don't you be revealing how old I am, Ms. Kerry." Betsy shook a finger at her, then extended a hand to Dar. "You take your horns off before you come in here, Ms. Dar?" She asked Dar, with a mischevious twinkle in her eyes. "Cause I heard you had a nice pair of them."

Dar chuckled, and took her hand, returning the strong grip with one of her own. "Yeah, I left them with the tail and the pitchfork in the hotel." She reached over and ruffled Kerry's hair. "She's got a little baby pair too."

Betsy snorted. "Honey, I've seen hers, and they ain't little. I could tell you some stories about how this little angel used to turn this place upside down."

Kerry blinked innocently. "Who, me?" She pointed at her own chest, then smiled. "I was just telling Dar about my artistic assault on Renoir."

"Lordy, that was some day." Betsy shook her head, then sobered, as she took Kerry's hand. "Kerry, I’m sorry about your daddy. I know you and him didn't get on, but still and all."

"Thanks." Kerry accepted the words with quiet grace. "Well, listen, we don't want to disrupt anything. I was just showing Dar around. Is Mary here?"

"She'll be back shortly." Betsy told her. "Hold on now." She ducked into the large walk in refrigerator on one side of the kitchen, the reappeared with two small cups. "Here you go." She handed one to Kerry, and offered one to Dar. "Unless you done decided you don't like chocolate no more."

"Not hardly." Kerry accepted the treat with a smile. "I still have dreams about your mousse cups, Betsy. Thank you." She slipped her other arm around Dar and leaned against her. "Dar likes chocolate too."

"A little." Dar agreed. "Thanks." She draped an arm over Kerry's shoulders. "Where to next?"

"Wanna see my nursery?" Kerry asked. "I think there might still be chuck up stains somewhere."

"Lead on." Dar winked at Betsy. They made their way out of the kitchen, leaving the cook behind, shaking her head and chuckling.

"Lord." Betsy turned, as the back door opened. "That you, Mary?"

"Yes, ma'am, and who else would it be?" Mary took her coat off. "Did I miss something?"

Betsy gave her a smug grin. "You most certainly did, woman." She crossed her arms. "You just missed meeting that infamous Dar Roberts."

"No!" Mary looked devastated. "You're having me on."

"I am not. She was just standing right here in this kitchen." Betsy told her. "And child, let me tell you, there was a lot to see. I always did say that girl had a good eye, and sister, oh, did she pick a nice one."

Mary chuckled. "Only one in this whole damn family with a lick of sense and a passel of taste."

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

They ended up their tour in the large foyer, standing at the foot of the large, curved stairway that lead up to the bedrooms on the second floor. Dar had gotten the impression that the place was a beautiful, certainly impressive home with absolutely no sense of it's occupants personality.

Now, Dar was honest with herself. She could really say the same about the condo, right? Her brows creased, as she considered that, letting Kerry ramble on about the architecture. Her thoughts ran over the changes in her own home over the last year, and she had to sheepishly admit that her supposition was no longer valid.

How had she let Kerry convince her to have those damn doodlings framed?

Anyway. Dar dismissed the thought. This place had even less personality. Kerry's old apartment had held far more.

"Excuse me." A male voice caught both of their attention, and they turned, to see a tall, slim man standing nearby, his hands folded primly in front of him.

"Yes?" Kerry replied, warily. "Can I do something for you?"

The man approached. "I’m Tak Henderson. I'm part of the senatorial staff."

Dar bit her tongue to prevent ill thought out words from emerging. The man's smug attitude was making her nape hairs stand up, and she found herself moving closer to Kerry instinctively.

"Yes?" Kerry repeated.

"Ms. Stuart, I can appreciate this is a difficult time. It's hard for all of us." The man stated. "I’m sure you don't want to make it harder than it has to be."

Kerry's green eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Listen." He lowered his voice. "I know this hasn't been very pleasant. I’m sorry you've had such a rough time of it, but is there any real reason to keep it going?"

Kerry's features settled into a cool mask. "You suggesting I leave?" She asked, having made that decision on her own not that long ago.

"Wouldn’t it be better?" Henderson asked, evenly. "C'mon, Ms. Stuart, no one needs the trouble you've had to go through."

Exactly what Kerry had been thinking. She was aware of Dar's silent presence at her side, lending a solid, tangible support just an extended hand away from her. Dar would be glad to go home. She would be glad. She wanted so badly to smell the salt tang in the air on their porch, and feel Chino's warm welcome. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself there, her and Dar snuggled up on the couch, a bowl of thai chicken between them and glasses of chilled plum wine just within reach.

Kerry sighed. There was so much good about her life. She had a nice place to live, a good job, loving friends, a pretty dog, and a drop dead gorgeous partner who was inexplicably crazy about her. Maybe this dweeb was right, and her choice had been the right one. "That's true." She exhaled. "It's been a bitch."

Henderson seemed to sense his advantage, and he smiled. "I think you'd feel a lot better being out of it."

Kerry studied him. "You're right, I would." She replied candidly, making a decision and hoping her beloved partner wasn't going to wring her neck for it. "But unfortunately for both of us, I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well take your clipboard out of your ass and find something useful to do."

Henderson got caught completely flat footed. He stared at Kerry with a slightly hanging jaw for a few seconds, then collected himself. "Now just wait a…"

Dar finally made her move. She slipped in front of Kerry and closed in on Henderson, who backed up a step in reflex. "Henderson, you said your name was?" Dar asked, in her silky, dangerous boardroom voice.

"Yes."

"All right, Mr. Henderson. " Dar said. "Let me tell you something. I've had it about up to here.." Dar lifted a hand to her forehead. "With bullshit attitudes. If you don't leave, right now, and keep clear of Kerry until she decides to go elsewhere, I’m going to call up every major news agency and spend a half hour telling them just what a bunch of skunks live up here in the woods of Saugatuck." She paused. "Got me?"

His whole face twitched. "I don't know that they.."

"Oh yes they would." Dar cut him off. "And if that's not enough, I"ll call the tabloids and give em good shots of me and Kerry kissing on the doorstep out there. How bout that?"

That shut him up.

"I thought so." Dar pointed to the door. "Move it."

Surprisingly, Henderson did just that. He walked right past them, into the Senator's former study, and closed the door, leaving them once again alone in the lobby. Dar considered the door, then released a satisfied little grunt. "So, we're sticking around, huh?"

Kerry sighed. "Are you going to kill me?"

Dar ruffled her hair affectionately. "Nah. You can make it up to me by finding me more two bit half witted stuffed socks I can practice my intimidation skills on." She chuckled softly. "I almost forgot how much I enjoy doing that."

"All right." Kerry took her hand and pulled. "C"mon. Let me show you one last place."

"Your bedroom? I've seen it." Dar teased.

"No, the attic." Kerry smiled privately.

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

"You think the governor’s really going to do it?" Mike asked, as they reached the room Angie had been staying in, and sat down on the bed. "Name mom to take dad’s spot?"

His sister shook her head. "It seems ridiculous." She had to admit. "Why should our mother be a senator, just because she was married to our father? She doesn’t know the first thing about politics. You know she always made a point of steering clear of all that."

"Yeah, I know." Mike agreed. "But you have all those scumbuckets who worked for him desperate to keep their jobs." He noted. "And, how else will they do it? Not like they can just dig an election up this time of year."

"Mm." Angie nodded. "That’s true. Hope she tells them to go stuff it."

Mike’s lips quirked into a smile. "You’re in a feisty mood today."

Angie sighed. "I’m just sick of it. That stuff with Kerry pissed me off."

"Me too." Mike nodded. "I mean, it’s not like it’s this deep dark secret anymore, so what’s the big deal?" He wondered. "If the lawyers hadn’t be stupid enough to make Kerry just blurt it out on national television, that’d been one thing, but Jesus, like, who cares anymore?"

His sister shrugged. "That’s what I was thinking too. It’s just old news, and besides, it’s not like she’s done anything really radical, like buying a motorcycle or getting a tattoo."

Mike cleared his throat self consciously.

Angie looked at him. "Oh, you didn’t."

He batted long, dark lashes back at her with devastating innocence. "Don’t worry. No one’ll see it unless they get me really mad, and I show them where they can kiss my ass." He admitted sheepishly. "Tony and Brad and I went out last week and got pretty plastered. They bet me I didn’t have the guts to go through with it, so…"

Angie sighed. "Michael."

"I know, I know." Her brother grinned. "I’m a jerk."

"You’re hopeless. When are you going to grow up?"

Michael shrugged.

They were both quiet for a moment, then Angie spoke again. "You going to keep working for the publicity firm?"

Michael stared at the floor past his clasped hands. "I dunno. I haven’t really thought about it." He murmured. "I don’t have to now, do I?"

"No." Angie shook her head. "But he’s not around to get your butt out of trouble anymore, either."

"I could run away and join the circus."

"Mike."

"You going to tell mamma about Brian?"

Angie fell back onto the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. "Maybe." She admitted. "I might have to. I slipped the other day and left Andy’s medical papers out where Richard could see them."

Michael looked at her. "So? He doesn’t have Brian’s name branded on his ass, does he?"

"No, but my blood type is O. Richard’s is A. Andrew’s is B, just like Brian’s." Angie stated, with a grimace. "I told Richard they must have made a mistake on the papers."

"Ah." Her brother murmured. "Well, if things get real bad, you can reveal that, I’ll pull down my pants, and Kerry’ll come out looking like the Republican in the family."

Angie paused a moment, then burst out laughing. Mike joined in, relieving some of the stress of the situation.

"What’s so funny?" Kerry asked, as she paused in the doorway.

"Don’t ask." Her sister advised her, propping herself up on her elbows. "We were just comparing scandals. What are you two up to?"

Kerry and Dar entered the room. Kerry took a seat on the wooden side chair, and Dar merely lowered herself to the carpet, extending her long legs out and crossing her ankles. "I was giving Dar the tour." Kerry explained. "She didn’t get to see much last time. What scandal did you get into now, Michael?"

"I got a tattoo." Her brother admitted.

Dar snorted, and folded her arms over her chest. Kerry just rolled her eyes. "Oh god, it figures. How drunk were you?"

"Maybe I wasn’t!" Mike retorted, in an injured tone. "Maybe I just decided it was something I wanted to do for personal growth."

Kerry studied him, her fair head cocked to one side. Then she smiled. "No way, Mikey. You’re the biggest chickenshit I know when it comes to pain. You were either drunk off your butt, or unconscious."

Mike scowled, then stuck his tongue out at her. "You’re just jealous because you don’t have one."

Kerry’s green eyes twinkled. "How do you know I don’t?" She asked. "You haven’t seen all of me in a very long time."

Mike looked at Angie, who looked back at him, then they both looked at their older sister uncertainly.

"I have." Dar came to their rescue. "Every square inch, and she doesn’t." She told them dryly, as Kerry blushed a deep crimson, making her fair eyebrows stand out vividly. Everyone laughed, and even Dar chuckled at her lover’s loss of composure.

"Stop that." Kerry covered her face with one hand, rubbing her skin. "Dar, you’re so bad."

"Well, you don’t." Dar replied matter of factly.

"Wanna see mine?" Mike offered, to distract everyone.

"No." Dar replied immediately. "Based on what I know about you, I can make a guess where it is, and that window’s got a clear shot to the street."

Angie burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she rolled over. Kerry joined in, pointing at her brother’s injured expression. "She’s right isn’t she?"
Michael stuck his tongue out again. "You guys are such girls!"

Dar pulled her collar out and glanced inside her shirt, then nodded. "Guilty."

Now the laughter turned a little giddy, mixing amusement with relief and not a small touch of bittersweetness. It finally petered out, and Kerry wiped her eyes with her sleeve and regarded her siblings.

"Sorry I lost it before." She apologized. "I know you guys were trying to keep things under control."

"That’s okay." Angie rolled over onto her side, and exhaled. "We both did after you left too. I’m just so over it. Mike’s just so over it. We’ve had enough of all the political garbage and we just want our sister back."

It caught Kerry by surprise, and she returned a stunned look at them, her face going very still for a long moment. Finally she released a breath, and rested her elbows on her knees. "I’d like that too." She murmured. "I never meant to hurt either of you."

Angie got up and went to her sister’s side. Dar remained very still, just watching. "Kerry, you never did. If you did anything, you helped us both realize there was another way to live." She put a hand on Kerry’s arm. "You always were our ringleader."

"Yeah." Mike scrambled over to them, stepping carefully over Dar’s legs. "We love you."

Dar smiled, from her spot on the carpet. Kerry’s siblings were surpassing her expectations for them, and she was silently delighted at the look of surprised pleasure on her lover’s face. She was glad, now, that Kerry had changed her mind, though Dar would have supported her either way.

This was better. Kerry needed this.

Now, if she could just figure a way to prevent the rest of her family from ruining it.

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

They trooped up to the attic together. Mike opened an unobtrusive door set in a small alcove, and they walked up the heavy wooden stairs.

Dar listened to the door close behind her, and she exhaled, shifting her shoulders a little before she followed Kerry. The stairwell was very narrow, and her shoulders only just fit in the space. The closeness made her uncomfortable, and she suspected Kerry realized that, because halfway up, and hand reached back and she took it, feeling the comfort of Kerry's fingers curling around her own.

That was good, because the ceiling came down rather close to her head, and by the time they climbed up and out into the vaulted attic space, Dar was beginning to twitch. It was far more open up here, though, and she relaxed a little. It was warm - the heat from the house clustered up here despite the chill outdoors, but the eclectic nature of the place drew her interest quickly.

There were steamer trunks pushed against three of the four walls, and stacks of neatly bagged bedding and clothing. Two old rocking chairs sat peacefully in the corner, and there were containers of unknown items scattered around here and there. Dar had no idea why Kerry wanted to come up here, especially after their footsteps stirred up a mild cloud of dust and they all sneezed, but she was willing to go along with it for a while.

"We stuck them here." Mike dragged one of the larger trunks over and knelt, dialing the combination lock and throwing the top open. "All of Kerry's stuff, that Angie and I could find around the house before the thought police came through."

Ah. Dar's ears perked up, and she slipped around Kerry to investigate the trunk. "What have we here?"

"Hm. Good question. " Kerry scuttled over and knelt beside the open lid. "Think I can just have this whole trunk shipped?"

Dar pulled out a pair of very old, yellow, obviously well worn footy pajamas that featured an almost threadbare cotton tail on the back. She grinned at Kerry, who was making a face at them, and pulled out her cell phone, flipping open the top and keying in the memory. "Fedex? I'd like to schedule a pickup."

"Oh, my god." Kerry covered her eyes. "Of all the things for you to save."

Angie snickered. "You know something? It's worth it just to see your face right now."

"Dar, give me that." Kerry reached for the rags, but found them lifted up outside her reach. "Dar!"

"Shh." Dar finished giving the address to the operator, then folded her phone shut. "These are.. um.. " She held up the pyjamas. "Cute." She examined the fluffy tail in the back. "Wanna model them?"

"Augh." Kerry lunged across the trunk and snatched the old things out of her partner's hands. "I haven't worn those since I was six, thanks." She tucked the fabric under her arm for safekeeping, then warily explored the top layer of the trunk. "Oh god, Angie.. " She lifted out a photo album. "I was wondering if you snagged this."

Dar slid over next to her and peered at the book with interest. It was leather bound, and age creased, and she settled at Kerry's side as her lover opened the cover. Angie and Mike also inched closer, sitting cross legged on the floor at her side.

"Oo." Dar laid a long finger on the page. "I like that one."

"Dar." Kerry had to smother a chuckle. "That hoary old baby on the bearskin picture?" She eyed her naked infant self, sprawled over some fuzzy fabric, staring up at the camera with a look best described as astonished. "Can you believe that's me?"

Dar examined the picture. "Sure." She replied candidly. "Parts of you haven't change a bfwh." Dar found a hand covering her mouth, as Kerry's brother and sister started cackling.

"You are so dead." Kerry admonished her. "You just wait, Paladar. I’m going to…to….to….yow!" Kerry pulled her hand hastily away from the nibbling teeth and exploring tongue. "Stop that!" She reached over and grabbed Dar's tongue and pulled.

Angie almost hurt herself as she rolled over onto the floor, narrowly missing the edge of the trunk. "Oh my god." She gasped. "You guys are too much."

Dar retrieved her apendage and returned it to it's normal spot. Then she grinned, looking right up into Kerry's eyes, getting the hoped for tiny crinkle above the bridge of her nose and the faint smirk that meant her lover really wasn't as annoyed as she sounded.

"What's gotten in to her today?" Kerry wondered silently. Being this demonstrative in public was definitely not normal for her usually far more reserved partner. Dar would, on occasion, put a hand on her back, or ruffle her hair, but never did she indulge in the kind of extremely personal horseplay she was displaying this morning.

So. If she was, there was a reason. Kerry knew Dar well enough to know that - very very seldom did Dar ever change well ingrained patterns without a solid, logical thought path behind it. Kerry glanced at her siblings, who were both much more relaxed, and joking with Dar about the rest of the pictures on the page, daring her to guess which of them each one represented.

Acceptance. The realization clicked for Kerry suddenly. That's why Dar was acting the way she was, because she knew it would make Kerry feel better if her family liked Dar.

So Angie and Mike were getting the cute, mischevious side of her lover that very few people ever saw. Kerry was touched, and she reached over to scratch the back of Dar's neck lightly, smiling into the inquiring pale blue eyes that turned her way. "Thanks." She mouthed silently.

Dar winked at her, then went back to studying the photographs. "Hey, there you are on a pony."

"Oh, yes." Kerry nodded, leaning over the book. "Tympani." She put a fingertip on the picture. "What a little bastard he was."

"Remember the time he bit Mike?" Angie said. "Nastiest temper I ever did see on a horse."

"Pony." Dar said. "Maybe he had a short horse complex." She added, with a straight face, hearing the snickers, and feeling Kerry poke her in outrage. "Friends of ours had some horses down south when I was younger." She added. "It was always the little ones that were hell on four hooves."

"Did you ride, Dar?" Angie relaxed onto her side.

"Sure." Dar nodded. "We used to take three or four of them and just go on campouts in the glades in the winter. Catch our own food, make our own shelter, that kind of thing."

Mike goggled at her. "Really?"

"Really."

"Like, hunting, and all that?" Angie inquired curiously.

"Yep." Dar agreed. "Of course, now that I've learned where the supermarket is, you won't catch me doing that again." She told them gravely.

They all laughed. "Yeah." Kerry combed through Dar's hair with her fingers. "Dar and I both agree the only camping we'll do is from the inside of an airconditioned RV."

"With a satellite hookup." Dar amended. "Which reminds me, the sat company called before we left. The system for the cabin's in stock."

"Cabin?" Angie asked.

Kerry told them about the cabin. "It's a little place down in the Keys." She explained. "Pretty run down, but Dar and I have been doing it all over on the odd weekend. It's cute." She said. "And very peaceful. We can pull the boat right up to a dock nearby, and it's getting to be pretty cozy."

"Wow." Angie sighed. "That sounds nice. Richard was talking about us getting a place up by the lake to take the kids, but.. " She shook her head. "I don't know."

"The tough part was getting a dedicated pipe in there." Dar related. "The phone company was scratching their heads for weeks over that one. But we got it done." A pause. "You guys'll have to come down and help us christen it."

The stairs creaked, and they looked over at the door as it opened, revealing Cynthia Stuart framed in the doorway. "My goodness, it's dusty up here." The older woman stated disapprovingly. "I must have a word with the staff." She continued on up into the attic, walking carefully on the wooden floor. "What's going on up here?"

Kerry indicated the album. "I was just showing Dar some of my baby pictures." She replied quietly.

"Gracious, how did they end up here?" Kerry's mother asked in astonishment.

"I put them up here." Angie answered. "When father was looking to burn them."

There was an awkward silence. "I see." Cynthia sighed. "I had thought he'd gotten to them before I had and they were gone." She murmured. "We had a horrible fight about that." A slight shake of her head followed. "At any rate, I came up to find you, Kerrison, because I asked John to bring your and Dar's things upstairs. " Here, her mother paused perceptibly, then took a breath. "I thought you might like the corner green room, perhaps."

Kerry opened her mouth to decline the offer, then stopped, as her memory of the house kicked in. She peered up at her mother in honest surprise. "Um.. that would be fine, sure." She answered. "Hang on." Kerry slid a hand down Dar's side and into her front pocket, retrieving the car keys and pulling them out. "Here." She offered them to her mother. "Our bags are in the trunk."

"Excellent." Cynthia had regained her composure, and she took the keys. "Well, perhaps you'll all come down for lunch. The reverend will be here, and several others of the family who asked to come over early."

"Sure." Angie nodded. "Sounds great."

"Okay." Mike agreed.

Cynthia gave them all a slight nod, and left, closing the door behind her.

All three siblings stared at each other. "Son of a bitch." Kerry snorted. "Can you believe that?"

"No." Angie shook her head. "No way, nu uh, not on this earth, what drugs are they giving our mother?"

"Wowza." Mike breathed. "Did you score, or what?"

Dar cleared her throat gently. "I think I’m missing something here." She stated. "Someone want to fill me in?"

Mike crawled closer. "She put you guys in the green room." He said.

"I have uncles and aunts who never got in there." Angie added. "For years."

Dar looked at Kerry. "And?" Her eyebrows rose.

Kerry actually smirked. "It only has one bed." She explained. "It's where they put the honored, very married members of our family when they visit." She still felt a sense of shock and amazement. "You have no idea what a big deal that is here."

Dar absorbed this unexpected, but gratifying news. "Does that mean we have to go out and get her a toaster?"

Kerry laughed, then let herself get lost in wonder for a moment, her world suddenly becoming a topsy turvy place where anything could, and apparently might, happen. "Yeah." She agreed. "I think it does."

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

The weather, however, intervened. The snow came down harder, almost a blizzard, and Dar found herself in the infamous 'green room' staring out the window at a white fog so strange looking she found it hard to comprehend. Rain she was used to - Miami's thundershowers were legendary for both their volume of water and speed of descent. But this white facsimile that made no sound was almost…

Spooky.

Dar turned, as Kerry entered and closed the door behind her, then smiled as the blond woman walked over to join her at the window. "Hi."

Kerry didn't answer. She just wound her arms around Dar's body and snuggled close, putting her head down on Dar's shoulder with a contented little grunt. "Can we sit down for a minute, because I'd really like to talk to you. I've got something I want to say, and I don't want to wait."

Dar blinked in mild alarm. "Sure." She glanced around. "How about over there?" She pointed towards a padded bench, which Kerry lead her over to and they sat down. "What's up?"

Kerry put a hand up and cupped Dar's cheek, staring very seriously into her eyes. The blue orbs widened slightly in reaction. "I expected the worst today." Kerry stated very softly.

"I kind of thought so." Dar answered, staying still, only the flexing of one hand against the bench betraying her unease. "I’m glad it turned out better.. I know how much your family means to you, Kerry." Dar's eyes dropped a little. "And I know how it feels not to have one."

Kerry lifted her other hand and tilted Dar's chin up, so their eyes met again. "Do you know what the most wonderful part of today was?"

"Me singing the praises of your butt?" Dar joked faintly.

"No." Kerry did smile, though. "It was watching you lay yourself open to my family because you knew it would make me happy."

Dar blushed a little. "Ah. You caught on." She drawled. "I thought I was being subtle."

"Um hm." Kerry leaned up and kissed her. "Like your usual freight train at full speed bad self." She exhaled. "God, I love you."

Dar relaxed, the tension running out of her shoulders and torso, and she tilted her head to return the kiss. She felt Kerry's hand slip off her cheek, and curl around her neck, pulling her closer for a long, sensual moment. Then they separated slightly and gazed into each other's eyes.

"I thought maybe you'd be a little upset with me teasing you like that." Dar admitted. "I kind of crossed the line a few times." She touched noses with Kerry, and watched her lover struggle to focus on her and not cross her eyes. "Though those pictures were adorable."

"Thanks." Kerry gave up and closed one eye, then just closed the other one and decided to kiss Dar instead. That didn't require vision. "I personally think I was a goofy, chubby little kid, but if you want to think that's cute.. " She explored further with her lips. "Who am I to argue?"

"You were gorgeous then." Dar brushed a bit of loose hair off Kerry's forehead, and traced an eyebrow. "And you certainly are now."

Kerry smiled, obviously charmed. Then she chuckled softly. "I'm sorry… I’m finding this so ironic."

"What?" Dar continued her stroking, tracing Kerry's other eyebrow, and outlining her eye.

"Where I am, why I'm here, who I'm with." Kerry captured Dar's finger in her teeth, and explored the faintly ridged surface with a sensitive tongue. "Hey." She released the digit and gazed at her partner. "How's your arm?"

Dar flexed her shoulder very carefully. "Stiff." She admitted. "Aches, a little." It was actually killing her. Even the drugs weren't helping much today, and Dar was beginning to worry that she'd actually done some serious additional damage to herself.

"From the weather, probably." Kerry stood, and held a hand out. "We're snowed in right now. C"mon and lay down, and I'll put some of that analgesic cream the doctor gave you on it." A faint warning bell went off when Dar acquiesced without argument, and she led her lover over to the bed and gently pushed her down onto it.

It was a nice bed, all things considered, a four poster with a stately canopy, fitting the room's vaulted ceiling and wide expanse of mint green carpet to good proportion. The drapes on the window were also green, a slightly darker shade, and the furniture was whitewashed oak, providing a feeling of pleasant lightness to the room.

Kerry went to the divan their bags were on and rooted around in Dar's until she found the cream. "That's pretty heavy snow out there, huh?" She commented, more to break the silence than anything.

"Yeah." Dar agreed. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before." She paused. "How long does it go on?"

Ah. Good question. Kerry brought the cream back over and sat down next to Dar's reclining form. "Well, I heard the staff saying it should stop before dinner, so that's good." She reached over and unbuttoned Dar's shirt, continuing down and tugging it's ends out of her corduroys.

"Didn't think the bruises went down that far." Dar commented.

"They don't." Kerry replied seriously, as she peeled back the fabric. "I just like looking at you with your clothes off." She watched the muscles just under Dar's skin contract as she laughed in silence. "Hey, I'm not lying." She jumped a little when Dar's cell phone went off, but then unclipped it from her waistband and handed it to her. "Here."

Dar answered it. "Yeah?"

"Ms. Roberts? It's central ops." The voice answered.

Uh oh. "Yeah?" Dar repeated, mouthing the word 'ops' to Kerry, who winced in reflex, then looked around for her own cell phone.

"I’m sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we have a big problem, and we can't reach Ms. Stuart."

Dar glanced at Kerry, who had found her cell, and opened it, a puzzled look on her face. Then she rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead in eloquent mime, keying the switch that turned it on. The device immediately began beeping as stored messages sounded alerts.

Dar surpressed a smile. "She's taking care of some emergency family business. I told her to turn off her pager. What's the problem?" She put a crisp note into her voice.

"Oh. Sorry." The operator apologized. "There's a huge storm system going over the Midwest.."

Dar peered at the window. "Really?"

"Yes, ma'am. They're having massive power outages in Chicago."

"Again?" Dar murmured. "Hm. So how does that affect us? " A thought occurred to her. "Oh Jesus.. don't tell me the processing center' down again."

A sigh. "Yes, ma'am."

"Shit." Dar cursed. "Get me a contact list."

Kerry had eased down next to Dar, and was gently spreading some of the cream across her shoulder, listening to the conversation as she did so. The Midway Center had been a bone of contention for them for some months, because, as Dar pointed out, it had no back up facilities and the giant UPS systems in the building had failed twice already.

This close to Christmas, having a major center that cleared credit card purchases down was a bad, bad thing. "Powers down again?" She asked softly, smoothing the thick ointment over the point of Dar's shoulder and massaging the muscles just under the skin.

"Yeah." Dar said. "Stupid bastards. I’m going to have that damn Dick Stark's nuts for lunch."

"Ew." Kerry made a face, then held it, for a different reason. "Dar, this is really bruised." She very gently touched the soft skin just above Dar's left breast.

"I know. It hurts like hell." Dar admitted. "Yeah, okay, you got a pen?" She spoke into the phone, focusing her attention away from the very concerned green eyes studying her. "All right. Have you started getting screaming phone calls from the banks yet?"

Kerry pulled Dar's shirt back over her and covered her injured arm, then she stood and walked to the small desk, picking up her laptop case along the way. She could, she knew, legitimately take the phone from Dar and do what Dar was doing - it was her job, after all, and if she hadn't been so dumb as to turn off her phone, she'd have gotten the call, not her boss.

But she also knew that this one was going to come down to a screamfest, because if the weather in Chicago was half as bad as it was here outside, getting a repair crew out to fix the UPS wasn't going to take her kind of finesse.

It was going to take raw, brute, sheer bitch, and when it came to that, Kerry would be the first to admit she was a rank amateur compared to her lover. She'd let Dar get rolling, and spend her time getting hooked up to the system to see what she could do about shifting processing remotely.

"Don't give me that." Dar's voice rose into a familiar bark. "Get his ass on the phone right now or he'll be paying penalties on this for the next twenty years!"

Hm. Kerry regarded the figure in the bed Then she picked up the laptop and went around the other side of the four poster, squirming into place next to Dar and letting her machine rest on her knees. A soft knock on the door made her look up, however. 'Yes?"

The door opened, and Angie poked her head in. "Hey."

"Cmon in." Kerry motioned with her head.

Her sister did so, walking quietly across the floor and taking a seat next to the bed. "What are you guys doing? She whispered, as Dar's voice lifted again.

"Tell that son of a bitch I’m going to send Fedex to pick up his testicles if he doesn’t get on this phone!"

Angie's eyes widened.

"Easy, DR." Kerry replied, achieving her cellular connection and logging into the network. Alerts started popping up on her screen like rabid weasels. "All right.. all right.. I get the picture.. shut UP already…" She slapped a few keys and looked up at her sister. "We're running the world. "

Angie's brow creased. "Right here from the green bedroom?" She watched her sister type on the laptop's keyboard, her eyes flicking over the screen with a startling intensity. This was new. She'd never really seen Kerry do whatever it was that she did, and she listened in shocked consternation as Dar said things to people in terms Angie hadn't even heard in gangster movies.

It was sort of interesting, even though she hadn't any idea of what either of them were talking about.

"Look." Dar shifted in aggravation, sitting up and reaching over to move the phone from one ear to the other. It was a bad mistake, however, and she froze in midmotion, stifling a yelp and biting her tongue as something that felt like a hot coal pressed against the nerves in her shoulder.

"Dar!" Kerry shoved the laptop off her legs and swiveled, grabbing Dar and easing her back down onto the pillows. Dar's face had gone pale, and she watched the blue eyes blink rapidly, faint twitches of pain making their way across her face. "Easy."

Kerry grabbed the cellphone out of her hand and held it up. "Hello? Who is this?" She waited for an answer. "That's nice. Listen to me. My name is Kerrison Stuart. I know more people in Congress than you have brain cells. If you don’t' want six government agencies coming down on your doorstep on Monday morning, you'll do whatever it is Ms Roberts was asking you to do and not say one word. " She paused. "Do you understand me?" The sound of panic came through clearly. "Good. If you need me to get the snow removal people to clear your path, just say so." A pause. "No? Good. We'll be waiting for that repairman. Good bye." She slammed the phone shut and threw it across the room, where it bounced off the wall. "Jesus!"

She turned, to see her sister staring at her, both hands covering her mouth. "What?" Then she shifted her eyes to where Dar was peacefully lying, her hands now folded over her stomach, regarding her with a look of mixed amusement and pride. "What??" Her frustration surfaced. "You need a doctor!"

"Kerry." Dar laid a hand on her thigh. "Would you take it easy?"

"No." Kerry scowled. "Dar, I’m really worried about your arm and I…" She lifted a hand and winced, rubbing her temples. "Shit."

Angie leaned forward. "Ker, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. " Her sister said. "Just aggravated." A pause. "And overreacting, I think." She gave Dar a wry look. "Sorry."

"Sokay." Dar squeezed her leg gently. "You've got a point, and I do need to get this looked at. But we're not going anywhere in this weather, and unless an orthopedic surgeon is on your guest list, it's going to have to wait until we get home."

Kerry frowned.

Angie cleared her throat. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

Dar and Kerry exchanged glances. "It's complicated." Kerry finally replied, as the tension that had gripped her slowly relaxed. She pulled her laptop back over and stared at it. "What was I doing?"

"Finding altroutes for the western and southern datastreams." Dar replied. "Try Atlanta and Kansas City. They should be able to handle the additional traffic - I think I put in big enough pipes there."

"Yeah." Kerry murmured, taking a deep breath and releasing it.

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

Dar let her eyes close, as she lay quietly waiting for a call back on her cell phone. It was dim and silent in the room, the snow was still falling outside, and Kerry was curled up on her side with her head pillowed on Dar's stomach, fast asleep.

Dar let her fingers curl around a lock of Kerry's hair, and wondered if Kerry was half as worried about her, as she was about her partner. She could almost sense the fractures in Kerry's usually sturdy psyche, and she only hoped the growing and renewed warmth of her nuclear family would help to heal them.

Or else, she'd take her home and surround her with as much love and support as it took to do the job herself.

They'd gotten some of the problem resolved, as much as they could without fixing the broken equipment, and Dar had finally coaxed Kerry into taking one of the pills she carried around for stress headaches. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the dosage that merely relaxed Dar had knocked her shorter and lighter partner out like a light.

Dar's cell vibrated softly, and she lifted it up. "Yeah? " She murmured into the receiver.

"Dar, it's Mark." The MIS Manager sounded upset. "Listen, we've got a real problem."

One of Dar's eyebrows lifted wryly. "Another one?"

"That guy from JAG is here. He's got a military court order that says I have to give him the core dump."

Dar's other eyebrow lifted. "Really? Let me talk to him."

She could almost see the smug look on the man's face, and the carefully not smug look on Mark's when he handed the phone over. "Hello, Captain. " She drawled softly.

"Ms. Roberts, there is no debating here. I have a court order to retrieve this piece of equipment, and you will tell your staff to hand it over right now." The Captain spoke quickly, and forcefully. "No delays."

"They don't have it." Dar told him, enjoying the moment of stunned silence. "So they can't turn it over to you, Captain. Get your ass out of my office building."

"Ms. Roberts, this is not a joke. I have a court order."

"I’m not joking, you little worm." Dar told him. "The core dump's not there, and all the court orders you could pull out of your butt isn't going to put it there, so get your ass out of my office building and leave my staff alone."

Silence.

"We can search."

"Go ahead." Dar laughed softly. "But be ready for the lawsuit, and be very, very ready when I take this as a breach of my agreement with the General, and call the Herald."

"This request comes from the General."

Ouch. "Then he's stupider than I thought he was." Dar replied. "Tell him the data's in my father's hands. If he wants it that badly, let him ask for it. He knows the number."

Much longer silence.

"Your father."

"Yeah." Dar wiggled her toes. "Before you pull a legal motion out of your butt, he's on my payroll as a data analyst. So take your shiny black shoes and your bullshit attitude, and your criminal motives and get your ASS OUT OF MY OFFICE." Dar kept her voice very low, but the intensity built, vibrating her chest in almost a growl.

There was a click. Dar sighed. "This so sucks." She murmured in the direction of the canopy. For a few minutes, she just lay there, listening to Kerry's slow, even breathing, then she picked up her phone, and scrolled through her address book, selecting a number, and pressing it.

It rang three times. "Joint Chief's." The young, female voice answered.

"I need to speak with General Easton, please." Dar spoke very quietly. "This is Dar Roberts."

She waited patiently, one hand tangling itself in Kerry's hair, while canned Christmas music played in her ear. Finally, after a few minutes, the line clicked and she heard the faint sound of someone clearing their throat before speaking. "Gerry?"

The voice paused, and she could hear the exhaled. "Well, hello there, Dar."

Easton's tone sounded wary, but also slightly surprised and hopeful. Dar had used his first name for a reason. "Alastair told me we had a deal."

Easton cleared his throat again. "Why, yes, we do.. listen, Dar.. " He sighed. "I know what a bloody bastard this is, and I know it put your shorts in square knots."

A faint smile crossed Dar's face. "And I know how you feel about the service."

Another sigh. "It's so damn hard, Dar." Easton replied quietly. "You know how fond I am of you."

"We've known each other a long time." Dar agreed. "I didn't want to find what I did."

"Don't you think I know that?" The General said. "Damn it all, Dar."

Dar was silent for a moment. "If we have a deal, then why did I get a visit from the goon squad today?" She asked. "I didn't think you mistrusted me that badly."

Dead silence. "What?" Easton finally spluttered. "Visit from who?"

"The JAG was in my office, with a court order, getting that data dump you asked them to." Dar replied calmly. "Why, Gerry?"

"Eur.." The General almost sneezed. "I didn't send a damn blessed soul anywhere near Miami today!" A chair scraped against wood. "What the devil are you talking about?"

Dar stared blankly at the phone, a dozen thoughts running through her head. "You didn't?" She asked cautiously.

"Certainly not." Easton replied. "The JAG, you say?"

"I talked to him myself." Dar murmured. "It was him, that Captain you sent in from DC. He said he had a court order.. and that he was there at your request." Her mind flicked over the conversation. "He wanted the cor.. wait a minute. How in the hell did he know I had that?"

A beat. "Gave it to them, did you?"

"No." Dar replied. "It's not there… Gerry, are you sure you didn't ask them to do this? Don't .. " Dar felt her heart rate pick up. "Forget the company. I need to know."

"Paladar, I swear to you I did not." The General stated seriously. "No point to it, you see? Not with that bargain you drove, sticky thing that was to push through, I will say."

If not Gerald, then who? Dar bit the inside of her lip. "Gerry, I don’t' like this." She said. "And I think I did something very, very stupid." Giving that bastard the notion of where they might find that data. "He demanded to know where the core was, and I told him."

"What?" Easton's voice rose an octave.

"My dad has it." Dar admitted. "I thought he was from your office.. I told him to tell you that because I thought… Gerry, I have to go."

"Good lord."

"I'll call you later." Dar hung up, and immediately dialed her parent's cell phone number. It rang four times, then went to the voice mail. "Damn." Now she was really worried. She waited for the message to end, then left her name and cell number. Then she closed the phone, and considered her next plan of action.

"Dar?" Kerry's voice burred sleepily. "What's wrong?"

Dar gazed down at the half open green eyes peering up at her. "Hm?" She made a questioning noise, to buy herself some time. "How's your head?"

"Woozy." Kerry remained where she was, one hand stroking idly across the surface of Dar's belly. "That stuff's strong.. you shoulda warned me." Her eyes closed for a moment, then reopened. "You didn't answer my question."

Should she? Dar didn't want to add to the stress already piled on her lover's shoulders. But she also found herself very reluctant to lie to her. "Navy caused some trouble at the office." She admitted finally. "That damn captain was there, ruffling Mark's feathers and looking for that data core."

Kerry absorbed this. "Asshole." She commented. "I thought you took the core out of the building."

"I did." Dar said. "Dad has it."

A shrug. "Then it's okay, right?"

Dar met her eyes with a troubled look. "I told the asshole that." She confessed. "I got mad.. I thought he was there on Gerry's behalf.. I.."

Kerry's eyes opened the whole way. "You told him your dad had the stuff?" She asked. "B… Dar, why?"

She rubbed her head. "If it was Gerry, then I.. " She stopped and collected herself. "I figured once they heard that, they'd back off." Dar said. "And they did.. but.. Gerry said he didn't send them."

Kerry stared at her. "What if.."

"I know." Dar replied, her voice sharp. "And I can't get them on the cell."

"Oh my god, Dar." Kerry rolled up onto her side and rubbed her eyes. "Oh my god.. can you call.. who can you call?" She could hear her own heartbeat, echoing a little in the fuzziness from the drugs. "Where are they?"

"I don't know." Dar had to admit. "Maybe they took the boat out." She opened the phone and dialed. "Hello? Yes, this is Dar Roberts, can I talk to the Dockmaster please?" She waited. "Slip 1452, is it berthed?" A short wait. "Yes? Thanks." She hung up. "Boats in the dock."

Kerry was now more or less awake. "Want me to call Colleen and have her run down there? I think she's the closest."

Dar nodded silently, and handed her the phone. She listened to Kerry dial, and watched as her lover pushed the dishevelled hair back off her forehead as she leaned on one elbow.

"Hey, Col." Kerry spoke softly. "Yeah… no, thanks.. thanks - I loved the basket." She listened. "No, what I.. what? Where are you? Our place?" She looked at Dar. "Mom and Dad asked Col to puppysit.. said they were going out of town for a few days."

Dar blinked. "When was this?"

Kerry asked. "About two hours ago." She told Dar. "Did they say where they were going? No? I don't get it."

Dar had no idea what was going on, but she felt a little better, knowing her parents at least weren't where anyone expected them to be.

Even Dar.

She didn't hear Kerry finish her conversation, she only felt a sudden, warm touch on her wrist that made her look right up into Kerry's eyes. "I didn't expect this."

Kerry crawled forward until she was next to Dar, and put an arm around her shoulders. "I’m sure they're fine."

Were they? Dar felt shaken. "How could I have been that stupid? " She wondered. "I should have realized that bastard was lying." She exhaled. "Damn it."

Kerry just sat there thinking for a minute. "I don't get it." She finally decided, yawning and leaning against Dar. "They won. Why are they still coming after you?"

Dar tapped the cell phone against her chin, and smiled a little. "Maybe they didn't have backups." She remarked dryly. "Or maybe they heard the terms of my bargain."

"Hm?" Kerry cocked her head in question. "What terms?"

Suddenly they heard the distinct slamming of a door somewhere relatively nearby. They looked at each other, then at the door as footsteps, heavy and determined, headed in their direction.

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

Cynthia Stuart saw the broad back go past her and she hurried after it. "Edgar?"

The man stopped, then turned and looked at her. "Cyndi, I heard you had that whore under this roof." He stared accusingly at her. "We had a bargain."

"Edgar." Cynthia frowned. "This really is none of your business. If I choose to.."

"Cynthia, it is my business." Edgar stated flatly. "Roger was my brother, and you know how he felt about that woman and the godforsaken way she chooses to live."

"Yes." The older woman sighed. "I am well aware of how he felt."

"Then how could you?" Edgar hissed. "How could you invite her in here, push her in all our faces, when we all know how he felt.. how that ate at him… Good Lord, Cynthia - what the hell's wrong with you?"

"Edgar, listen to me." Cynthia was upset. "I know you have strong feelings, but.."

"Strong!" Edgar's voice rose. "No, you don't understand! I hate her. I hate her, and everything she stands for, and I hate what she did to this family, and to my brother!"

"Don't be ridiculous." Cynthia snapped back. "You don't nearly know the truth of that." She stepped closer. "Do you think Kerrison simply decided to turn against Roger for no reason?"

"There is NO reason that can explain what she did."

"Yes, there is." A quiet voice interrupted them. Both turned to see Kerry standing there, watching them with wary green eyes. "But you know what? I don't owe you any explanations."

"Kerrison." Cynthia put a pacifying hand up. "Please, let me handle this. I’m sure…"

"Mother." Kerry interrupted her. "This has to stop somewhere." She turned and looked her uncle in the eye. "What is it you want from me, Uncle Edgar? "

The older man stared at her, his nostrils flaring. "I want you to go to hell." He spoke softly and bitterly.

"Edgar!"

"It's all right, mother." Kerry replied softly. "Uncle, tell me something. Do you want me to burn in hell for exposing my father's illegal activities to the press, or because I’m gay?" She held his eyes, her body shaking inside and her guts churning. Part of her regretted asking Dar to stay behind, but she knew she had to face this, one way or the other.

But he didn't know what to say to that. A flicker of indecision crossed his face, then his jaw suddenly firmed. "You're a disgrace to this family." He stated, then turned and walked down the stairs, crossing the lobby and exiting into the study.

Kerry released the breath she'd been holding, and let her shoulders relax.

"Kerrison.." Her mother lifted a hand, then let it fall.

"There's nothing you can say." Kerry said. "I’m sure there'll be a lot more people here tonight that feel that way. " She looked at her mother. "But you know what? I don't care. " She drew a breath in. "I can't change what I did, and I can't change who I am."

Cynthia hesitated, then reached out and twitched Kerry's sleeve straight. "This is so difficult." She admitted. "I wish I had a simple answer to this quite horrible situation, Kerrison. But I will tell you that despite how hard it has been, I am very glad you decided to come here." Her eyes searched Kerry's face intently.

Kerry blinked, then gazed at the railing her hand was resting on. "It.. wasn't an easy choice." She replied, her voice a little husky. "I didn't really want to face this." Now she looked up. "But you're my family. " Kerry added sadly. "I can't change that either."

Her mother pursed her lips, and shook her head a little. "We should sit down and talk. I think that's been sadly lacking in this entire situation."

But the doorbell rang, interrupting them. "Guess that's the start of it." Kerry said.

Cynthia sighed. "I suppose it is. I was hoping…" She let the thought die off. "Perhaps after the reception we can speak further."

"Sure." Kerry agreed quietly, knowing it would never happen. "I'll go change." She turned, and made her way back up the stairs, so deeply immersed in sober thoughts as she rounded the last bend before the landing that she didn't see the figure standing in her way, and therefore crashed right into it. "Oh!"

Mild blue eyes regarded her, as Dar steadied her with a quick grip.

"Thought I told you to stay behind." Kerry murmured.

"I did." Dar replied. "You just didn't specify how far behind I had to stay." She indicated the stairwell, giving Kerry an unrepentant look. "That jackass was lucky he decided to give up and leave."

"Dar, don't you think I can handle my own family?" Kerry asked, with a touch of annoyance.

"No." Dar replied calmly. "I couldn't handle mine, and needed your help" She laid a finger on the tip of Kerry's nose. "Don't think I didn't hear you at my grandmother's funeral making sure they all knew how their poor ragamuffin relative from down south had made good."

Kerry smiled faintly at the memory. "That's true." She admitted, relaxing a bit. "C'mon… we'd better get dressed for this thing.. people are starting to show up."

Dar circled her shoulders with one long arm as they made their way back to the green room. "You were the main reason my father decided to ask me to help him recontact mom, you know that, right?" She asked. "And if I recall a certain drawing exhibition…"

"Okay." Kerry held a hand up. "I get the point, Dar." She gave her lover a quiet look. "I guess I am quite the little meddler, aren't I?"

"Yep." Dar pushed the door open and stood aside for Kerry to enter. "So don't you dare give me a hard time for doing the same thing." She followed Kerry inside and closed the door. "Speaking of which, let's talk strategy."

Kerry paused with her hand on her bag, and turned. "Strategy?" She unzipped the bag and removed her dark suit. "For what?"

The room was darkened by the weather outside, only two lamps shed butter colored light across the room, and it splashed over Dar as she walked to where Kerry was standing. "What's your goal here, Kerry?" She asked quietly. "What outcome do you want this evening to have, when it's all over? Is this where you tell your family to kiss your ass, or do you want to try to mend fences?"

Kerry blinked at her in total bewilderment. "Dar, what are you talking about?"

"Think." Dar replied, reaching up to lay a hand on Kerry's cheek. "Everyone has their opinion of who you are. Do you want to change that?"

Silence. Dar watched thoughts chase themselves across her lover's expressive face. "Are you proud of who you are?"

Blond lashes flickered. "I don't know." Kerry inhaled. "I should be, shouldn't I?"

Dar gazed intently into her eyes, allowing her own powerful personality to surge to the surface. "You have to believe in yourself before you can get anyone else to buy into that." She said. "And yes, you should be very proud of who you are." A faint smile. "I know I am."

Kerry's eyes filled with tears, and they spilled down her cheek as she blinked. For a moment, she felt very alone, as though she were standing on a bridge high out over chill waters. There was no safe place around her, only harsh, buffeting winds, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the surface swaying.

It was frightening. She knew Dar was waiting for her on the other side of the bridge, but this was something she could only do by herself, a decision she had had to make alone.

But there really wasn't a choice, was there? Kerry realized. She considered her accomplishments, both personal and professional over the past year, and felt a sense of wondering satisfaction settle over her. With steady confidence, she traveled the bridge and crossed over it, leaving her childhood behind her to enter a newly burnished realization of her own reality.

Dar watched intently as Kerry's eyes opened, a misty green still watery with tears that nevertheless met hers with startling clarity.

"What I want." Kerry said. "Is for my family to understand that my life is exactly how I want it to be." She reached up and took Dar's hand, running her fingers over the strong bones and tensing muscles in it. "And I am very proud of who we are."

Dar leaned forward and kissed her, but remained silent, savoring the sweetness of the moment.

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

She could hear the murmur of voices, a low wash of sound that mixed soft clinks, and footsteps. It sent a wash of familiarity over her, bringing up memories of growing up in this house and hearing those sounds so very often.

Kerry regarded her reflection in the mirror soberly. Her charcoal gray wool suit jacket fitted precisely across her shoulders, and draped over the only slightly lighter silk dress she wore underneath. She had her hair clipped back into a knot, and only a sober dusting of makeup on. "You doing okay?" Her eyes lifted to the mirror, watching Dar's reflection in it as her lover walked over.

"I'm fine." Dar eased her collarless black silk jacket on, over a simple, yet elegant dark bronze sheath. The jacket covered the ugly bruising, and provided a somber draping to Dar's tall form. "Got plenty of drugs in me." She glanced at Kerry's profile. "You doing all right?"

Kerry nodded. "I’m fine." She removed two jade studs from her small kit and inserted one in her right ear. "Sounds like a crowd's finally gotten here downstairs."

"So I hear." Dar put her own jewelry case down on the dresser. "When you have a chance, it's tough for me to reach up - could you.."

Kerry smiled a little. "Sure." She finished putting in her earrings and opened Dar's case, taking out the beautiful blue diamonds that were her favorites. "Sit." She indicated the low, padded bench. "Make my life easier."

Dar did as she was asked, stifling a small yawn with her good hand as Kerry moved her hair aside and tilted her head a little. She felt the warm touch of fingers against her earlobe, then the faint pressure as the posts went through her skin. "I like that dress on you." She touched the soft fabric that covered her partner's hip.

"Thanks." Kerry murmured, attending to the other ear. "I got it to wear to that executive convention next month in New York." She straightened up and observed her work. "Those are so pretty."

"Should be, for what they cost." Dar joked. "Mind getting that necklace too?"

Kerry fished in the bag, then drew out the glittering crystal on it's golden chain, opening the catch and fastening it around Dar's neck. It matched the one already around her own neck, and she settled it into it's spot above the hollow in Dar's throat with a tiny grin. "Are we ready?"

Dar tilted her head and peered up at her. Kerry's face was grave, but composed, and there was a peace about her that had been sorely missing now for several days. "I think we are." Dar stood up and twitched her jacket straight. "Let's go."

They met Angie and Richard on the stairs, and walked down together. Richard had on a dark suit, and Angie had chosen a simple, dark gray dress. Dar was the last on the stairs, and therefore had the best view below. There was a small crowd in the lobby, men mostly, with a few women, and a local television reporter. As they continued down, they were spotted, and Dar watched the reactions.

Interesting. She felt eyes fasten on her, and she returned the stares coolly. The television reporter broke off his speech with an older man and turned, then hurried in their direction. "Here we go." Dar murmured, giving Kerry's back a tiny scratch.

Kerry's shoulderblades shifted, and she straightened up as they reached the foot of the stairs and were met with both the reporter, and the stares of the gathered crowd. As she expected, the reporter made a beeline for her and she met his eyes steadily as he advanced.

"Ms. Stuart?" The man seemed a little more excited than the situation warranted. "Can I get a word with you?"

Kerry sighed inwardly. "Sure." She stepped to one side and allowed everyone else to move on. Dar, naturally, didn't. Angie gave her a sympathetic look, and edged past. "What can I help you with?'

The man glanced at a piece of paper, then obviously organized his thoughts. He lifted his eyes and started to speak, then paused, his gaze drifting up and to the left a little. He blinked, then cleared his throat. "Ah… I know this is a very sad occasion, Ms. Stuart, but there are many people who are surprised to see you here."

"Really?" Kerry interrupted his train of thought. "Why? My father died yesterday. Did you really think politics could interfere with my being here for my mother, and my family ?"

The camerawoman edged around, getting a better shot. It gave the reporter a moment to regroup. "Ms. Stuart, we're aware that there have been some strained relations with your family, and.."

"And?" Kerry cut him off again, with genteel politeness.

Another shift of his gaze up and to the left. "And… ah… I'm.. I mean, it's good to see the family giving each other support during this horrible tragedy."

"Thank you." Kerry rewarded him with a warm smile. "It's been a very difficult few days. Now, if you'll excuse us?"

"Uh.. sure." The reporter backed off, with a nervous glance behind Kerry. "Thanks for speaking with us."

Kerry smiled, and ducked around the camera, waiting until they were halfway across the lobby and almost to the large reception room before she paused, and lowered her voice as Dar drew even with her. "What were you doing to him?"

"Me?" Dar's low, musical voice answered. "Nothing. Why?"

Kerry just gave her a look. "I can't wait to see this on the eleven o clock news." She murmured back.. A glance ahead of her showed several of her extended family near the door to the reception room, and the coldness of their stares was almost a physical thing. She squared her shoulders. "C'mon."

Angie spotted them as they cleared the door, and she hurried over. "Hey.. that didn't take long." She latched on to Kerry's right arm and steered her away from the hostile crowd. "Mom's over there." She pointed to where their mother was standing, flanked by two aides, with a short, stocky older man opposite her. "Chatting with the governor - I think she could use some support."

"Sure." Kerry replied. "Aunt Mary looks like she wants to spit nails at me anyway." She gave her aunt, a chubby woman dressed in unflattering black crepe, a smile, which wasn't returned. " You'd think she hadn't spent the last twenty years telling everyone what a bastard our father was."

"Mm." Angie snorted softly. "Or that she'd been a flower child who burned her bra and voted Democrat just to spite the family."

"Hm." Kerry considered. "I wonder if that look's for my lifestyle, or the company I work for, then. Maybe I've got her staring daggers all wrong." She speculated. "She's been fighting big business since the stone age."

Dar chuckled softly.

"Don't laugh." Kerry murmured. "She thinks the high techs are the worst things that ever happened to the earth." They arrived at her mother's side, however, before Dar could answer, and met the glares of the aides.

"Ah, Kerrison." Cynthia welcomed her warmly, ignoring the frosty expressions of the two men on either side of her. "Splendid. I was just discussing you with the Governor." She turned. "James, this is Kerrison, my eldest daughter." Then she paused, almost inifenitisimally. "And her… partner… Dar Roberts."

"Kerrison." The governor stuck out a hand to her with surprising good nature. They shook, then he turned and met Dar's eyes, a tiny smile crinkling the corners of his own. "Ms. Roberts."

There was, Dar realized, something faintly familiar about the man. She returned his strong grip with one of her own, and tried to figure out where she'd met him before. "Governor."

"And you know Angela." Cynthia continued. "The Governor and I were just discussing …"

"Mrs. Stuart, a word with you." One of the aides tugged at her sleeve. "There's a phone call.."

Cynthia looked very annoyed, but she gave the governor a graceful nod. "Excuse me a moment." She allowed herself to be drawn off to one side, where two other aides were standing, one holding a portable phone.

"Kerrison." A male voice chimed in from behind them. "Hadn't expected to see you here."

Kerry turned, to see one of her younger uncles, on her mother's side standing there. "Hello, Brad." She exchanged wry looks with him. "I didn't expect to see you either.. guess I took your place as the black sheep, hm?" Brad still had his earrings, though he'd taken out the one he usually sported in his nose for the occasion. Kerry found herself glad to see him, though they'd never been close.

"Made my life a little easier, yeah." Brad laughed. "Specially after my band got busted for possession last year."

Dar watched the interchange, satisifed that Kerry wasn't going to get bushwhacked. Then she turned her attention to the governor, who was standing quietly, watching everything.

Their eyes met. "Political minefield, eh?" Dar drawled.

He shrugged lightly. "Aren't they all?" His head cocked to one side. "Roger was a bastard, but he knew his job, and he was damn good at it. " He stated bluntly. "Lot worse could have been in that seat, though I’m betting you'd disagree."

Dar glanced around, surprised at the man's candor to a relative stranger. "He wasn't my favorite human being, no." She stated dryly. "People who wish me and those I love dead and in hell rarely are." She met his eyes evenly. "It's a common attitude, though."

The faint smile returned. "That's damn true, Ms. Roberts. Damn true." The governor agreed softly. "Some of my closest friends feel that very way, matter of fact, and I’m not known as a liberal in many circles." He admitted. "Makes an already dicey decision even tougher now that Cyndi's publicly stated her support for young Kerrison, there."

"I bet." Dar smiled humorlessly. "Does she even want the job?"

"Not particularily." The governor shrugged. "S'why she's probably going to get it." He rocked back and forth on his heels a bit. "Hasn't got much time left on this term anyway, and anyone else I choose would just cause me other problems."

Dar's eyebrows rose. "Despite the… " She paused deliberately, and put a sting on the word. "Complications?"

Now, for no apparent reason, the governor chuckled, and glanced at his laced leather shoes. "Y'know, Ms. Roberts, I gotta tell you something." He looked up at her. "I made the mistake of assuming things about gay people once, and I got my ass dragged into a torpedo locker and the bs kicked right out of me for it." He grinned at her visibly started reaction. "I surely don't intend to make the same mistake twice, and have Andy Roberts coming after my ass again. I’m too old for that now."

Dar blinked, then chuckled a little, in pure surprise. "You know, I thought I knew you from somewhere." She replied. "You captained that hunter sub he went out on for two tours."

"That I did." The governor allowed. "Besides, I'd be a half brained old sea salt to piss of a prospective bringer of private sector jobs into my state now, wouldn't I?" He gave her a rakish grin. "Got any plans for expanding in Troy?"

Cynthia Stuart returned at that moment, having shed the two aides. "My apologies, Governor. But I see you were well accompanied." She gave Dar a nod. "Is Kerrison.. ah, there she is.. Kerrison, perhaps we can speak with your uncles now.. are you free?"

Kerry and Dar exchanged glances. "Sure." Kerry replied. "I don't honestly know what good it'll do, but I’m willing to try." Maybe, she considered, in this very public venue they'd at least be civil. She put a hand on Dar's arm. "You'd better…"

"Stay here?" Dar completed the statement, with a faint smile. "All right, but if voices start to get louder, I won't." She watched Kerry move away, towards a knot of her family, relaxing a little when she saw Michael slide in and join them, putting an arm around his sister's shoulders.

The governor cleared his throat gently. "Chip off the old block, aren't you?"

Dar kept her eyes on her lover, but smiled. "That's what they tell me."

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

"That there man is not worth this here suit." Andrew folded his arms over his broad chest and reviewed the passing countryside. "Ah will tell you that."

Ceci glanced at him, then returned her attention to the icy road ahead of her. "No." She agreed. "He's not worth a potato sack, but Kerry's worth that suit, and besides, I like you in it." She caught a pair of pale blue eyes reflected against the windshield and smiled. "Not as much as the white one, but still."

Andrew merely grunted, shifting his shoulders inside his dark blue uniform jacket. "Spent enough time decorating it, now didn't you?" He rasped, giving her a wry look.

Ceci chuckled smugly. "Wasn't it a coincidence that box of medals from the Navy showed up yesterday? Amazing, I tell you. Just amazing." She turned carefully onto a smaller road, grimacing as she felt the wheels slide under her touch. "Lovely.

"You want me to drive?" Andy asked.

"Honey." Ceci struggled with the wheel a moment more, then got the car straight. "I'm sure Kerry and Dar would like to see us in one piece, sometime this evening." She accelerated cautiously. "Ah. That's better. " It was hard to believe they were actually here, really. Certainly it was only marginally their business, and their presence would not, she suspected strongly, be a welcome one.

Seeing that one shot of Dar and Kerry coming out of the hospital last night, though, both faces strained to an almost scary extent, and their decision for better or worse had been made. Ceci exhaled, and nodded to herself. They had the means, they had the method, and by the goddess, here they were about to turn into the driveway of the Stuart family manse.

"Think we should have warned them?" She asked, waiting in line behind a maroon Jaguar.

An unexpected smile crossed Andy's scarred face. "Nope." He drawled. "Better to just do it, and fill in the paperwork later."

"Mm." Cecilia pulled up to the guard and opened the window. The man leaned over and peered inside as she marshalled several well thought out arguments to gain admittance, and prepared to bombard the man with inescapable logic and plain intimidation if she had to.

"Go right ahead sir." He murmured courteously. "Ma'am."

The gate opened. Ceci glanced at her husband who looked back at her, equally puzzled. "Well" She pulled the car through the opening gates. "I’m not looking that gift donkey in the ass."

"Musta been taken by your pretty face." Andy told her.

"More likely by the glare off your chest, sailor boy." His wife demurred, patting the front of his uniform, which was very liberally covered in medals and ribbons. "He probably figured you run the Navy. C'mon."

They got out and Ceci pulled the lapels of her coat closer as the cold wind chilled her skin. After a second, Andy was next to her, and he put a hand on her back to steady her steps as they headed up the icy walk towards the house. "Stuffy looking, isn't it?" She commented, as they rang the bell.

"Bout what I expected." Andrew grumbled, as the door opened. The staff member immediately retreated and allowed them to enter, offering to take their coats with a quiet word. They accepted the offer, and continued on towards a large, crowded room off to the left.

Ceci checked the house out with a knowledgeable, patrician eye. The Stuarts occupied roughly the same social class as her own family did, but there were differences. This was conservative, stolid, Midwestern money, concerned with presence and stability and tradition.

Ick. Ceci had a sudden, almost irresistible urge to throw a bucket of paint over the stately white walls. With an effort, she controlled herself and concentrated on studying the room full of dignitaries, searching for familiar faces. It was tough, being the height she was, but she managed to find Dar's tall, elegant form almost immediately. "There's one." She had her back to the door and was speaking to a tall, silver haired man.

"Yeap." Andrew agreed. "Easy to spot. Prettiest girl in the room." He noted with complete seriousness.

Ceci chuckled softly. Then she stopped laughing when she saw Kerry off to one side, ringed by a number of older men and women.

"That don't look so good." Andrew observed. "Think I'll go scout."

"I'll go clue in our daughter." Ceci replied, and they moved off in opposite directions.

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

"Well."

Dar turned her head, and found a very unwelcome sight. Kyle Evans was standing there looking back at her, a slightly mocking expression on his face. "Ah. What rock did you crawl out from under?" She replied.

One silver eyebrow lifted. "Not even a pretense of civility?"

"Not for you." Dar stared back evenly at him. Of all the members of the late senator's staff, this was the one she had most reason to hate. And she did, with a completeness that allowed for no mitigation. Kyle had been Kerry's persecutor, the man who had carried out her father's rigid policies, and a nightmarish tormentor who had left scars on her gentle lover's psyche it horrified Dar to think about.

"Well." Kyle repeated, examining the room with cool eyes. "Finally got what you wanted, didn't you?" He commented.

"No." Dar said. "I've always had what I wanted." She met his sudden look with an icy smile. "He finally got what he deserved."

Kyle didn't answer her. Instead, he continued o study the room. "Pity I was out of the country." He purred. "I'd have made sure you didn't join this little family reunion." He turned and smiled back at her with no humor at all. "But look, there's the little prodigal. Let me go pay my… " His lip twitched. "Respects."

"I don't think she wants them." Dar said.

"I’m sure she doesn't." Kyle smiled again. "Maybe we can talk over.. old times."

He turned and glided away, leaving Dar with an icy facade over a wild inner turmoil. She felt her blood pressure rise, sending a surge of warmth to her skin and muscles as her body interpreted the emotion she felt with uncanny accuracy. Her hands twitched, and she held herself back from going after him by only the barest of margins.

"Dar?"

Her head snapped to one side and she glared in the seconds it took for her rational mind to recognize the voice and register the sudden, completely unexpected appearance at her side of her mother. She took a breath, and blinked "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Well." Cecilia eased closer, now that the impending eruption seemed to be under control. "Up till now I'd say we were here just to piss everyone off and give you two some friendly faces." She studied her child in concern. "But after that little scene, I’m not so sure. Who the hell was that?"

Dar's eyes darted over the crowd. "Dad's here?"

"Yees." Her mother confirmed. "He was heading over to thump Kerry's relatives a moment ago, why?" She put a hand on Dar's arm. "Dar, are you all right?"

Dar closed her eyes and got control of herself. "Yes." She enunciated precisely. At least one worry was done away with, now that she had a second to take it's place. "I’m glad you're here." She finally turned and regarded her mother. ""Thanks." A breath. "And that was Kyle Evans. He's.. he was Stuart's chief bastard."

"Uh huh." Ceci relaxed a little. "Sorry about the surprise. We saw you two on television last night, and we figured you could use a little support."

"I tried to call you earlier." Dar felt her pulse start to slow down. "Colleen said you'd gone out of town, but she didn't know where." She scanned the crowd again , and now found her father's tall form immediately as he slid into place beside the unsuspecting Kerry.

Just as Kyle approached from the other side of her.

Dar felt an unexpected smile cross her face, which vanished almost immediately. "It's a been a rough couple of days." She admitted. "Most of her relatives are giving her hell."

"So I gathered." Ceci murmured. "Shall we go rescue her?"

Dar glanced around the room. It was full of dignitaries, most of whom were watching the cluster of people around Kerry with thinly disguised interest. She watched a camera flash, and saw the reporter angle for a better shot of Kerry's face, as she stood holding her ground against her various aunts and uncles. She was tense, Dar could see that in the way she was carrying her body, and in the careful, controlled hand motions as she fought to remain civil.

"Yeah." Dar decided. "Let's go do that."

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

Viciously polite. Kerry returned the thin smile from her youngest aunt. That was the term she was looking for. So far, though, she’d done all right. Even her uncles, aware of the cameras and the outsiders stares, were behaving themselves. "Sorry, what was the question?" She asked.

"What is the social life down there like for you?" Marcia repeated. "I’m sure you participate, don’t you?"

"Not really." Kerry replied quietly. "I do on a corporate level, naturally, but we have other interests besides parties."

"Oh, really?" Her aunt was a slim, hawk faced woman with silvered dark hair. "Like what? Cooking?" She asked with a touch of sweet sarcasm.

Keep cool, Kerry. She reminded herself. "I dabble in it, sure. But mostly outdoor sports, really. Diving, underwater photography, that kind of thing." She smiled. "And a little distance running and martial arts."

"Funny." Aunt Marcia sniped. " You were never interested in those things before."

"Well, you know, there’s a limited amount of scuba diving available in Lake Michigan." Kerry replied. "Miami’s a little more climactically friendly to outdoor sports. It’s been great for me. I’m having the time of my life."

"Well you certainly look different." Her aunt noticed. "You definitely … filled out."

Kerry refused to view that as the insult the woman evidently intended it to be. "Thanks." She replied graciously. "You look good yourself."

"Yes, she certainly has changed." A voice came form her left, sending a definite chill down Kerry’s back. She turned to find her worst nightmare looking back at her with cold, gray eyes.

"Hello, Kyle." Her stomach lurched, remembering the last time they’d met. She felt someone brush lightly against her on the right hand side, but she remained in place, warily watching her old adversary. She hadn't expected this, honestly. Her mother had told her Kyle had been sent overseas months ago, and she'd figured… Damn.

"Yes, didn’t expect me did you?" Kyle laughed. "I’ve just arrived. I’m so glad to see you."

Kerry felt like throwing up. "Feeling’s mutual." She said, resisting the urge to look around for the comfort of Dar’s presence. A thousand childhood fears reared their heads, a hundred memories of that smiling face echoed in places she’d thought well cleared. "Excuse me."

"Oh, but we’ve only started to talk." Kyle moved closer, very aware of the watching eyes. "Do tell me what you’ve been up to, Kerrison. I want to hear every detail."

It was a very trapped feeling. Kerry waited a beat, studying him to give herself a moment to think. "Nothing you’d be interested in, Kyle." She finally replied. "I don’ think there’s much for us to discuss."

Kyle put a proprietary hand on her shoulder. "Come now, is that any way to talk? Let’s…"

A hand covered his, and removed it from Kerry’s arm with a power evident even in that brief contact.

"Ah do believe this here young lady has other things she’d be liking to do." A low, easy drawl rumbled from behind Kerry’s right shoulder, making Kerry whirl in startled, unbelieving shock. Her head tipped back to take in the tall, grizzled haired man in a naval uniform standing right behind her, his scarred face set in watchful stillness. "Ya’ll might want to just let her get on with them."

Kyle’s eyes narrowed. "Excuse me, but I don’t think this is quite your affair.. ah.. " He glanced at Andrew’s chest. "Commander, is it?"

Andy put a long arm around Kerry’s shoulders. "Ah’d say you were wrong." He remarked mildly. "This here young lady is very much mah business."

Kerry exhaled, and threw her arms around him in a hug. Kyle had truly rattled her, and to have Andrew show up at just the right moment… "Wow." She whispered, squeezing him hard, before she released him and turned back around. Kyle was watching Andrew with wary dislike, and the rest of her relatives were frankly staring at him. "Sorry. This was kind of unexpected. This is my father in law, Andrew Roberts." Kerry said, almost enjoying the flinches. "A very welcome surprise."

"I’m sure." Kyle murmured.

Andrew eyed him steadily for a moment, then looked around at the gathered relatives. "Hi there." His Southern accent dripped out like molassas. "Good t’meet y’all. This here’s mah wife Ceci." He added, as Cecilia joined him.

"Hi." Kerry was hard pressed to restrain her glee at seeing Dar’s mother. It was seriously like having the cavalry come riding up over the hill. "When did you guys get here? Did you see.. ah." She felt Dar’s presence at her elbow, and a warm hand touched her back.

"Kerrison…oh." Cynthia Stuart stopped a little short, blinking at her unexpected guests. "Why, Commander.. it’s good to see you. " She stated sincerely. "And Mrs. Roberts, how nice it is to have you here."

Ceci's eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly. It wasn't quite the reception she'd expected, given their last meeting. However. One took what one could get, and if you got caviar instead of fish turds, more the better.

Dar was having an absolute ball watching the expressions on the faces of Kerry’s family. Their reactions ran the gamut from puzzlement to outrage. Dar made sure she smiled at all of them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kyle slip away, as a cameraman approached curiously, drawn mostly likely by Andrew’s tall, uniform clad form.

Ceci took Cynthia’s proffered hands. "We knew it was a rough time for everyone. Glad we could be here to give you our sympathies in person." She said. "You have a beautiful home."

A camera flashed.

"Why, thank you." Cynthia replied warmly. "Oh, do come and let me introduce you to my brother Anthony. I believe he collects your work."

Ceci smiled politely, and held a hand out to Andrew. "We'd love to meet him."

"One less thing for you to have to worry about." Kerry murmured softly, turning her head so that only Dar could hear her. "What a gorgeous surprise, and what perfect timing."

"Mm." Dar grunted, giving the press a polite smile. "I could use a drink of water, how about you?"

Amazing how dry that made her throat suddenly. "You bet." Kerry agreed, edging back out of the presses view, now that they seemed intrigued by this new target. "Dad looks great."

"Yeah." Dar whispered back. "I've never seen all those decorations before.. I can't believe mom got him to wear them." She eyed them, giving her father a look, before she gently steered Kerry through a nearby doorway and into a small alcove just off the reception room. Here there was a linen draped table, with glasses and a pitcher on it. She poured two glasses, and handed one to her lover.

For a moment, they sipped their drinks, and regarded each other. Then Kerry sighed. "Night of surprises."

Dar nodded. "Some not so good."

Kerry stared into the depths of her glass, and swirled it’s contents. "Yeah." She agreed softly. "Damn, I forgot how much I hated him." She was surprised to see her hands shaking, then realized the rest of her was also. "Wow."

Dar took the glass out of her hands and put it down. She took Kerry’s cold hands in her own and warmed them. "It’s a little chilly in here."

"Yeah, it is." Kerry felt a little lightheaded. She took some deep breaths, and the shakiness subsided, as her racing pulse slowed and steadied.

"You all right?" Dar noted the pale tinge to her lover’s normally golden complexion.

"Yeah." Kerry nodded, relaxing a bit. "It was so good to see mom and dad." She smiled up at Dar. "I should have guessed they’d be coming here, when we heard they left Miami." Her head turned, and she spotted a nearby bench. "Sit for a minute?"

Dar took a seat next to her, and they both let out simultaneous sighs. "Here." Dar handed Kerry back her water and watched her take a swallow. "Tough crowd."

Kerry rolled her eyes.

"They make my family look like the Waltons." Dar continued. "on Thanksgiving."

Kerry started snickering, almost spitting some of her water out.

"If one more of them had made one more snippy comment about your weight, I was getting ready to spill a glass of that dry champagne down their backs." The dark haired woman went on. "Especially since the last time most of them saw a gym was high school."

Another snicker.

"And even then, they probably just danced in it."

Kerry cleared her throat. "Very true." She admitted. "They’re not much into the physical fitness scene. That was one subject that never really came up – it was fine and accepted to starve yourself into rapier thinness, but to actually consider.. ugh.. sweating… forget it."

"I think you’re very cute when you sweat." Dar crossed her ankles and swallowed some water.

"Let's not go overboard." Kerry replied, giving her lover a wry look. Then she sighed. "Okay, I've had my Dar break. I'd better get back out there. I think my other cousins just got here." She stood up and twitched her dress straight. "Want to come meet them?"

Dar put her glass down and joined her partner near the doorway. They paused and looked out, spotting Andy and Ceci near a cluster of older guests. As they were about to step forward, Dar felt Kerry hesitate, and she glanced over to see what the problem was. Kyle was watching them from near the elegant bar, his arms crossed as he spoke in a low voice to two men in dark suits standing next to him. "I don't like that."

"Me either." Kerry replied. "C'mon." She deliberately turned and walked in the other direction, towards two younger women in black lace, looking self conscious and trying to be casual.

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

Concluded in Part 12

Tropical High

Part 12

It was much later, and Dar found a moment to pause, and lean against the wall hoping the ordeal was almost over. It had been a very long night, with a lot of stress, and her shoulder had gotten so painful, it was hard for her to move her arm without screaming.

But now, people were leaving. That was good.

Good riddance. Dar felt very little or no empathy for the wool suited, hostile eyed people who surrounded her beloved partner with appraising stares and veiled comments. Family, yes, but almost all of them either resented her for what she'd done to her late father, or for her current lifestyle.

Fuck them. Dar mentally enunciated the words with a good deal of satisfaction, then glanced up as she felt someone approaching. Ah. "Hi dad."

Andrew Roberts found a spot on the wall next to her and claimed it. "Hey there, Dardar." He rumbled softly. "You don't look so hot."

Dar sighed inwardly. She'd never had much luck in fooling her father when she wasn't feeling well. "No, you're right." She admitted candidly. "I’m tired, and grumpy, and my shoulder's killing me." Her eyes suddenly caught Kerry moving across the room towards her, the blond woman's stride forceful and determined. "Uh oh."

Andrew chuckled. "Hey, Dar? " He eased closer, and motioned with his jaw to the reception room doorway, where Kyle was standing, just watching Kerry. "Who is that feller?"

"An asshole who deserves to be run over by a Mack truck." Dar replied without thinking. "A total bastard who made Ker's life a living hell for a long time."

"Yeah?" Andrew's voice was gentle.

"Yeah." Dar answered. "Hi." She greeted Kerry. "Bet you have a headache."

Kerry had opened her mouth to speak, and this statement derailed her a little. "Um.. yes, I do, as a matter of fact.. how did you know?"

"Same way you know it's time for me to go get more drugs." Dar replied, with a faint smile. "Unless you're ready to retire for the evening."

With her back turned to the room, Kerry looked up at Dar, and for a moment, her determinedly cordial mask slipped, revealing a rawly anguished expression. Her voice, however, remained quiet. "I think I've had about enough for the night, yeah." She said. "If I have to hear one more person create one more euphemism for you and I being lovers I may have to kill someone."

There was an awkward silence. Kerry glanced up to see Andrew scratching his jaw. "Sorry, dad." She murmured. "I figured you already knew." She peeked at Dar, almost smiling at the mild blush.

Andrew chuckled. "I surely did, kumquat." He drawled. "I just usually call you two sweethearts, is all."

That coaxed a smile from Kerry. "Did my mother invite you two to stay over?"

"Yes." Ceci appeared on Kerry's other side. "Now that I've spent the evening bludgeoning your relatives with highbrow art talk. Good goddess, Kerry - you have a more annoying family that I do, and Andy will tell you that's quite the radical statement."

Kerry sighed. "Thanks."

"Kerry, they want to get one more set of pictures." Angie stuck her head around the corner of the doorway. "Then we’re done."

Kerry sighed. "For what? This is supposed to be a solemn occasion, Angie. I feel like we’re performing s… " She glanced at Andrew, and half smiled. "Animals."

"The local paper." Angie gave her an apologetic look. "They’re doing an entire special section on him."

Kerry closed her eyes. "Great." She opened them and looked Dar’s way. "Why don’t you go upstairs? I’ll meet you up there in a few minutes." She requested. "I need to have a word with my mother anyway."

Dar considered for a moment, then nodded. "All right." She pushed away from the wall, giving Kerry a gentle rub on the arm before she circled around her and headed for the door. After a moment, Andrew caught up to her. Dar started to say something, then just decided to conserve energy and remained silent, ignoring the curious looks as they left the reception room and headed for the wide, open stairs. Cameras popped in the lobby as they crossed it, and Dar winced at the bright light. "What the hell’s that for?" She muttered.

Her father merely looked at her, and snorted, shaking his head.

They escaped upstairs though, and Dar was glad to get away from the noise and the crowd. She didn’t like them to begin with, and the pain was shortening her already ragged temper. "Damn, I wish I was home." She sighed, as she reached the door to the room they were staying in.

"Ah bet." Andrew opened it for her. "Let me take a look at that there arm of yours."

Dar’s brow edged up.

"Don’t you give me that look." Her father scowled at her. "Git."

"Yes, sir." Dar gave in and entered the room, moving forward to allow Andy to follow her and close the door. It was dark in the room, they’d left only one lamp on, and she let out a silent sigh as she absorbed the quiet, dim peace. She kicked her shoes off first, then went to pull her jacket off, and froze in mid motion, clenching her jaw against a gasp.

"Easy there, Dardar." Her father caught up to her and took the fabric, gently easing it off her shoulders. "Lemme see that…. Good lord."

Dar glanced at her arm. "Looks worse than it feels." She lied.

Andrew turned her slightly into the light, and touched the bruised skin with gentle fingers. "Looks a sight worse than it did back down south." He observed. "Thought you been taking it easy." His eyes lifted and studied her face. "That does not look good to me, young lady."

Dar managed a rakish grin. "Yeah, well… it’s your fault."

Andrew blinked at her in astonishment. "Mah fault?" He pointed a finger at his own, medal bedecked chest.

"Yep." Dar walked over to her bag and dug out her bottle of pills, opening it and spilling one out onto her palm. "I did something yesterday I shouldn’t have."

Her father snorted. "Are you telling me ah taught you to be a dumbass?"

Dar swallowed the pill, and washed it down with a little of the bottled water she kept in her overnight bag. "Nope." She put the bottle down and faced him. "You taught me chivalry. Kerry was sick as s dog and couldn’t stand up so I picked her up and carried her over to put her to bed."

Andrew covered his eyes. "Lord."

"Yeah, well." Dar trudged back over and turned. "Mind unzipping me?" She felt a light touch, then the fabric around her shoulders relaxed. "Thanks." She glanced back at him. "And you would have done the same damn thing, so there."

"Huh."

Dar picked up her nightshirt and ducked into the bathroom. She peered at her reflection, then grimaced as she saw the spreading extent of her injury. No wonder they freaked. Damn that looks almost as bad as it feels. With a sigh, she slid her dress off and got into her nightshirt carefully, trying not to lift her arm more than she had to. "I’ll be damn glad when this is over." She called out.

"You and me both, Dardar." Her father answered.

Dar came back out into the room, and sat down on the bed. Andrew sat down in the chair facing her. They regarded each other in silence for a moment, then Dar exhaled. "I hate what this is doing to Kerry." She hesitated. "And I hate that it’s because of us, because of our relationship that it’s so bad for her."

Andrew mulled this over for a bit. "Yeap." He finally exhaled. "It was like that for your ma and me too. " He said. "Her folks, my folks.. hurts like hell sometimes."

They both thought about that, in companionable quiet.

"Dar?" Andrew finally looked up at her, the dim light glinting off his pale eyes. "What’d that feller do to Kerry?"

Dar studied his face. "Kyle?"

"Hm."

"Just a lot of things. Why?"

Andy shifted. "Cause that young lady ain’t afraid of much, and she’s scared of him, and I want to know why that is." He replied. "And cause he makes mah eyeballs itch."

How to answer that? Dar wondered. So much Kerry had told her was so very private, and she knew her lover had kept it that way for a reason. Would she want anyone else to know? Would she want anyone else to hear the things she’d told Dar finally, getting past that one last block in the road before she committed herself to Dar totally?

Maybe not.

Dar peered down at her hands, clenched together and tensed as she considered. But. Her mind went over Kyle’s vaguely threatening manner. Would he try to hurt Kerry further? Her brow creased, then she nodded a tiny bit. He’d try to make her as miserable as he could, wouldn’t he?

She lifted her eyes and found her father watching her patiently. "I think… " Dar said. "I think the worst thing he did to her.. " She paused, trying to find the right way to phrase what she was thinking of. "I think the worst thing he did was he forced Kerry to see just how little she counted as a person with her own parents."

"Mm." Andrew considered that. Then he glanced sharply at her. "How?"

Her father sensed something, Dar realized suddenly. "He… did something to her, and when she told her parents… they didn’t believe her." She hesitated. "They believed him, and made her apologize to him and he laughed at her. "

Andrew got up and walked over, then sat down on the edge of the bed next to his daughter. He looked into her eyes with a serious expression. "Paladar, did that man hit her?"

"No." Dar felt herself suddenly back in adolescence, facing the one person she had never lied to, and had always trusted more completely than anything or anyone else in her life. "He raped her, daddy."

Andrew went very, very still, not even breathing for a long, long moment.

Dar blinked, and was surprised to feel the warmth of tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them away with an irritated swipe of the back of her hand. "How could they not believe her? Damn, I could never understand that."

Her father remained very quiet for a moment, then he exhaled, and reaching over, took Dar’s hand in his own, carefully folding his fingers around hers. "I thank the good Lord that you cannot understand that." His voice was low, and a touch hoarse.

Dar studied the scarred hands holding hers. "Dad?"

Andrew looked up at her. "Hm?"

"Sorry I gave you such a hard time when I was a kid." Dar said. "I didn’t realize how lucky I was."

Her father shifted, then circled her with one long arm and pulled her towards him, hugging her gently and brushing his lips over her hair as she tucked her head into his shoulder.

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

"Kerrison, a moment, if you please?"

For a long beat, Kerry almost said no. Then she exhaled, and walked over to where her mother was standing. The press had disassembled their equipment, and the hall was almost empty, and she wanted nothing more than to escape and find Dar and just get a hug. "Yes?"

Cynthia glanced around, then looked at her. "I know this evening was terribly upsetting for you."

Kerry shrugged. "It was more or less what I was expecting." She stated flatly. "I don’t think we’ll be staying for the service tomorrow."

Her mother’s lips compressed. "Oh dear." She sighed. "Perhaps if I speak with them…"

"No." Kerry lifted a hand. "Don’t bother. I’ve paid my respects and said my good-byes." She paused, considering her words. "Anything more is just a farce, and we all know it."

"But…"

"Besides." Kerry went on, brushing aside the word. "I’ve had about enough of Kyle’s slimebag presence as I’m willing to take in this lifetime."

Her mother remained silent for a beat. "His return was unexpected." She finally said. "Your father did depend on him so." She went on, apologetically. "He placed great value on him."

"I know." Kerry looked her right in the eye. "More so than on me. I remember that very clearly."

Cynthia fell silent, visibly biting her lip.

"Excuse me." Kerry stepped around her and walked off towards the lobby. She met up with Angela and Michael as they came out of the library, almost as though they’d been lying in wait for her. "Hey." She greeted them briefly.

"What a bitch of a day, huh?" Michael fell in at her side as they walked towards the stairs. "Think tomorrow will be better?"

"I don’t give a damn." Kerry replied. "We’re out of here in the morning. "

"Oh." Her brother murmured.

Angie put a hand on Kerry’s back as they started up the steps. "If it’s any consolation to you, the snarky comments got nicer as the night went on. Even Marsha had to grudgingly admit you take grace under pressure to new heights."

"Fuck them." Kerry said. "They can all collectively kiss my ass."

Her siblings maintained a slightly shocked silence for a few steps. "Well." Michael finally said. "Okay, but I bet Dar would start throwing them out the windows if they tried."

"That might be fun to watch." Angie agreed.

Kerry gave them both looks, then she exhaled, her shoulders dropping and losing some of their tension. "Sorry." She muttered an apology.

"It’s okay, sis." Angie put her arm around Kerry’s waist, and Michael did the same from the other side as they walked up the steps together. "Did you know the governor knows Dar’s father?"

No, Kerry hadn’t known that. "Really? Small world, I guess."

"I like him." Angie stated. "And I like Dar’s mom. She’s so funny."

"Funny?" Michael snickered. "You didn’t hear her talking to Uncle Edgar. He had no idea who she was.. I mean, he knew she was a famous artist, but he had no clue.. I guess he didn’t make the connection because she doesn’t look anything like Dar… so he’s going on and on about how horrible everything is, and man.. she took him to pieces!" He moved his free arm in a slashing motion. "Whack..whack..whack… just ripped him to shreds… it was great." He laughed. "She told him having met him, it only confirmed her theory that you should have a license to enter the gene pool."

Kerry felt a tired laugh emerging, and she allowed it. "She’s really sharp… I know that’s where Dar gets it from.. but Dar isn’t wicked like that – she goes right for the jugular in small words she’s sure are going to be very clearly understood." She smiled briefly. "I’m sorry they decided to go back to the hotel tonight." She glanced up to the top of the stairs. "Maybe we should have too."

"Hey." Angie gave her a squeeze. "I know it sucks, Ker, but don’t begrudge us the few minutes we’ve spent with you, okay? We do miss you, regardless of what the rest of these jerks say."

They were at the top of the stairs. Kerry stopped, and regarded them both, then she pulled them closer and hugged them. "I miss you guys, too." She whispered. "I've hated losing this part of my life." She swallowed back tears.

They stood, blocking the landing in a clump for a long moment, then they all released each other and exchanged glances. Angie pursed her lips, and put a hand up on Kerry's cheek. "Get some rest, sis." She murmured.

Kerry nodded, then slipped past them and down the hallway to their room, reaching the door with a sense of definite, finely drawn relief. She turned the knob and poked her head inside, finding pale blue eyes watching her alertly from the bed. "Hey." She entered and closed the door, then leaned against it. Dar was sprawled over one side of the plush, canopied surface, her laptop resting on her thighs and her dark hair in appealing disarray.

"Hey." Dar replied. "I was about to come looking for you."

Kerry had to smile. "Like that?" She indicated her lover's state of undress.

"Mmhm." Dar nodded. "Barefoot and all. I figured I couldn't possibly attract any more attention than I already did today, so what the hell?" She lifted a hand and held it out. "C'mere."

Kerry shed her shoes on the way to the bed as Dar shifted the laptop, and they somehow ended up in a warm tangle of limbs and bedding in the middle of the comforter.

"Uhrg." Kerry groaned.

Dar pulled her closer, and rubbed her back with the tips of her fingers. "Kerry, Kerry, Kerry." She murmured, on a breath. "It's over, sweetheart. It's over, and done with."

Kerry kept her eyes closed, and went almost limp, just absorbing the feel and scent of her lover. "We're leaving in the morning." She uttered. "We're going back to the hotel, getting mom and dad, going to the airport and getting on the first plane larger than a crop duster headed south."

Dar smiled faintly. "You got it."

"And I am never coming back here again." Kerry whispered. "Ever."

Dar just hugged her closer.

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

"Ker?"

"Mm?"

"You want to take that dress off?"

"No. Do you?"

Dar studied the figure curled up in her arms, her face buried into the fabric of Dar's nightshirt. "Well." Dar smoothed Kerry's hair a bit. "Normally I'd jump at the chance but I’m kinda handicapped on that side."

Kerry slowly lifted her head, her eyebrows scrunching together as she blinked in the dim light. "Oh.. damn.. I’m sorry." She peered at Dar's chest. "Why didn't you say something? I must have been killing you."

"Nah." Dar shook her head. "It doesn't hurt when you press there.. " She patted the front of her shoulder. "Only when I lift my arm up."

"Mmph." Kerry raked her hair back out of her eyes, and rolled onto her side, gazing down at her now rumpled clothing with a look of sleepy displeasure. "Yeah, I guess I'd better… damn thing's uncomfortable as heck anyway." She squirmed off the bed and stood up, then unzipped the back of her dress and pulled it off haphazardly over her head.

Dar merely sat back, enjoying the view. Kerry had a gorgeous back, a cute little v shape that sloped cleanly down from her compact, but smoothly muscular shoulders, then flared lightly through her slim hips and powerful, but lean legs. She had a mild, golden tan, and the low lamplight caused shadows to form across her skin as the muscles moved visibly under it.

She could see tension there, too, though. "Aspirin's in the right front pocket of my bag, If you want." Dar remarked casually.

Kerry paused in the act of pulling on her Tweety T-shirt. "Did you take your drugs?" She asked.

"Oh yeah." Dar nodded.

Kerry finished pulling the soft cotton fabric down and fished the bottle of aspirin out of Dar's bag, along with her bottle of water. "Did I ever mention how much I love how prepared you always are?" She swallowed a few of the tablets and took a sip of the water. "How did everything work out in Chicago?"

Dar grimaced. "Maybe we should change planes there tomorrow instead of Detroit, so I can go and kick that bastard's ass in person."

Kerry smiled as she trudged back to the bed and climbed back into it. "No, sweetie. You're going back to Miami with me, and right to Dr. Steve's." She laid a finger on Dar's nose. "He's going to spank you."

Pale blue eyes regarded her mildly. "All right, but you're coming with me." Dar stated. "While he's taking pictures of my insides, he can run some tests on yours."

Kerry took a breath, obviously caught by surprise. "I don't think I…"

Dar's eyebrow lifted, and she smirked.

Kerry sighed, letting her gaze drop, then she returned the smile with a slight one of her own. "Okay." She crawled over Dar's body and nudged her to the left. "Move over.. I don't want to take chances." She waited for Dar to comply, then snuggled up against her lover's right side and put her head down on her shoulder.

Dar rubbed her back gently, massaging the tight muscles she could feel across her lover's body. A warm puff of air penetrated the fabric on her chest, and she glanced down to see a somber, bleak expression on Kerry's face. "Hey."

Kerry blinked, and a few tears made their way down her cheek to soak into Dar's shirt. "I’m so tired." She breathed. "My soul hurts, Dar. Those people trampled all over it."

At a loss for words, Dar relied on touch instead. She pulled Kerry closer, and cuddled with her, wincing as she brought her other arm over to stroke Kerry's face with light fingertips, catching the tears that continued to fall and brushing them aside. "Don't let them get to you, Ker." She finally said, very softly. "They're just assholes."

Kerry drew in a shaky breath, and sniffled. "I know." She replied. "I just feel like I spent the day as an archery target." She spread one hand out flat against Dar's stomach and absorbed the warmth of her skin, feeling the surface move under her touch with Dar's breathing. "I feel as bruised as you look."

"Well." Dar kissed her on the head tenderly. "We're both gonna head south to heal then." She felt Kerry relax against her as the tension started easing from her body. "You know I felt like taking out a fire hose and spraying that room tonight, doncha?"

Kerry remained very quiet for a moment, then she gave up a surprising giggle.

"Yeah… " Dar went on, her voice a low drawl. "I would have loved to just blast those suckers right down and watch them slip and slide and crack their asses on that parquet floor."

Another giggle. Kerry sniffled, and lifted her head, resting her chin on Dar's chest and gazing up at her through tear filled eyes. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure." Dar wiped her face gently.

"I love you ."

Dar hugged her again. "I love you too."

Kerry exhaled, and put her head back down again. "You know what the worst thing was?" She asked, in a quiet voice.

"Kyle?" Dar offered a guess, and felt Kerry nod against her shoulder. "Yeah." She murmured. "The rest of them are just ignorant bastards. Him, I'd like to put a rifle bullet through." Her temper rose a little and her nostrils flared.

Kerry slid her hand under the cotton of Dar's shirt and stroked the skin on her thigh. The muscles there were tense, and she rubbed her thumb in a tiny circle over them as she considered Dar's words. Seeing Kyle had been a definite, unpleasant shock. It had brought back a lot of bad memories she'd consciously pushed out of her consideration after she'd broken most ties with her family, and thrown herself into her new life with Dar.

It had been easier that way. After all, she had in truth left that part of her past behind her, and the reassuring solidity of her relationship with Dar along with her ever expanding new job had filled her wants and needs quite nicely, thank you.

It hit her suddenly. Kerry went very still and almost stopped breathing.

He was gone. Her father was gone.

Her world reversed, and turned upside down as she felt an unseen weight come off her. She was aware of Dar's snug hold, but she floated in limbo for a long moment as she adjusted to a new reality.

He was gone.

Kerry let her eyes close, and all the tension drained out of her, leaving her limp as a dishrag draped comfortably over Dar's tall frame. Sleep overtook her gently, refusing to erase the smile that now shaped her lips.

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

The study was full of frazzled looking, frustrated men and women. Kyle entered and closed the door, stripping off his coat and tossing it over the tall back chair near the desk. "Anything?" He asked the two men behind the large, square working surface.

"No, sir." The younger of the two looked up. "Sir, is there any point to this anymore?"

Kyle gave him a look. "Of course there's a point." He said. "The governor's going to make his announcement tomorrow, and if we don’t' find a way to clean up little Mrs. Stuart's family act, we've got a lot of money that's going to pull out like gangbusters." He picked up a folder and studied it. "I've already gotten calls warning me."

"Well, sir, unless you can talk to Mrs. Stuart, I’m not sure we've got anything here." The man sighed, and dropped his pencil. "I've checked financial, legal, tax records, DMV, credit… I've never seen people so clean in my life."

"Oh, c'mon." Kyle put the folder down. "You can't tell me a bitch like that doesn't have some skeletons. I don't buy it."

"He's right, sir." The older man stated, a gruff, bearlike figure with a thick, grizzled beard and shrewd eyes. "Here's the file recap." He handed it over. "High school valedictorian, graduated mcl from Miami, worked for ILS for sixteen years, never late on her taxes, no tickets, no police record execept for.."

"Except?" Kyle glanced at him. "I knew there was something.. what is it?"

A shake of the head. "Incident several years back involving some fight at a bar, some kids got attacked."

"By her?" Kyle looked delighted.

"No." The man replied. "She defended them, put two of em in a hospital despite the fact they were armed with shotguns. The cops gave her a glowing recommendation."

Kyle frowned "That's not the answer I wanted."

The younger man shrugged. "Never even paid her electric bill late, sir. There's just nothing there." He shuffled some papers. "And forget the parents. The mother's Eastern money we don't want to mess with, and the father's got a military honor sheet longer than my leg."

"Mmm." Kyle's face went still, only his eyes darting back and forth over the documents. "Real hero, huh?"

The rest of the staff watched him uneasily.

"Well." Kyle finally said. "If they won't oblige us by handing us a scandal, I suppose we'll have to manufacture one."

The door opened. They all looked up to see Cynthia Stuart standing in the doorway, primly erect, her hands folded before her. She took a step inside and looked at all of them.

"Ah, Mrs. Stuart." Kyle put on a charming smile. "We were just discussing transition plans."

Cynthia closed the door and walked forward, scanning all their faces before she reached her late husband's desk, and stopped by it. "Please don't waste your time." She told them. "I've come here to inform you that you are all, as of this moment, fired." She paused, and took a pleased breath. "Please leave, or I will have security escort you out."

For a moment there was nothing but shocked silence. "That would be now." Cynthia stated firmly. "At once."

Stunned, they picked themselves up and edged out of the room, jostling each other at the door and waiting to clear it before uttering vicious whispers. Only Kyle remained, staring at Cynthia with hooded eyes. "I’m sure you don't.." He started to speak.

"Most especially I certainly do mean you as well, Mr. Evans." Cynthia cut him off sharply. "It's simply a pity all I can do is fire you."

Even Kyle was caught offguard by the icy tone. "You don't know what you're doing."

"I most certainly do." She enunciated the words very carefully. "Roger is no longer here to protect you, and you will leave this house immediately, or I'll have security drag you out of it and toss you over the wall." Her voice rose. "You will not stay in my home one more second or visit even one more second's abuse on my children. OUT!"

Kyle's eyes narrowed, and he circled the desk. "Think you can just order me around like that lady?" He snarled. "Better think again."

And then he was stopped in his tracks suddenly, the back of his collar and belt held firmly and yanked , jerking him back several paces. A low, Southern tinged drawl crawled over his shoulder.

"Ah do believe this lady asked you to leave."

"Let me go." Kyle struggled. He was jerked further back, and collided with a large body.

"G'head." Andrew lowered his voice. "Fight me, you bastard, cause I'm looking for one real small excuse to rip off yer body arm and beat you with it." The voice dropped further. "Cause I can."

Kyle stopped struggling, and turned his head, meeting Andrew's pale blue eyes.

"And ah will." The voice rumbled. "Now, you figger my kid kicked yer ass round bout a year ago, and she's a damn sight nicer than I am."

For a moment, it could have gone either way. Then Kyle glanced away. "If you put it that way, fine." He remarked, in a calm voice.

Andrew swung him around and shoved him towards the door, adding a boot to the butt to hurry the process. Kyle stumbled forward, but caught himself on the chair, and, grabbing his jacket, left the room without a single backward glance.

"Well." Cynthia exhaled. "Thank you, Commander Roberts." She glanced after Kyle. "I’m afraid he might try to turn this to his advantage, however. He has quite a legal mind."

"And ah have me a smart wife." Andrew ambled over and drew the heavy curtains back. Ceci slipped out, putting the cap on a small, nifty looking video camera. "Who don't like to take chances."

Ceci gave Cynthia a smile. "Well done." She complimented the older woman. "Couldn't have done it better myself, though I suspect my daughter could have."

Cynthia Stuart let out a long, relieved sigh. "I have so dreamed of doing that." She murmured. "For such a long time." She collected herself and straightened. "I believe I need a drink after that, however. Will you join me?"

"Absolutely." Ceci curled her arm around Andrew's and smiled. "We should talk."

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

Kerry half remembered her dream as she woke the next morning. It had been something about rabbits. She let her eyes drift open and regarded the colorful fabric she was lying on bemusedly, recalling that every time she dreamed of animals, it was always one of those really weird dreams that made no sense and usually involved her being naked.

She wondered briefly what a psychologist would make of them. Especially the one with the talking bears. A smile inched across her face, and she turned her head a little, taking in the room with a tiny sense of the unreal. It seemed brighter in here today, she thought, eyeing the window which now let in the pale winter light.

Wonder what time it is? Kerry closed her eyes and snuggled closer, reflecting on how much a good night's sleep could do for a person's outlook. She felt much more centered today, and she considered that perhaps it was because she'd faced the worst and endured it. She'd been eating herself up in knots imagining what her reception would be like, and now..

Well, now she knew. Kerry took in a deep breath filled with heated air and Dar's scent. It had been as bad, or worse than she'd figured, but knowing, she discovered, was far better than wondering. Knowing you could deal with, plan for, and defend against. Wondering just kept you unbalanced.

Mmph. Kerry exhaled, and wriggled a little in contentment, as she felt Dar's arm tighten around her. Dar had been her anchor through it all, she acknowledged quietly. Like a rock she'd stood there, being a windbreak, something to lean against, and a shelter when it all had gotten too much. Kerry opened her eyes again and looked up at her lover in deep affection, almost jumping when her eyes met amused blue ones looking back at her. "Yah."

Dar's eyebrows lifted.

"Didn't think you were awake." Kerry confessed, with a sheepish grin. "I was just lying here thinking about how wonderful you are."

The dark brows lifted even further, giving Dar an almost comical look. She let out a soft laugh and stretched in Kerry's embrace, arching her back and tensing her muscles before relaxing back on the bed's surface.

"Mm.. that was like a carnival ride. Can we go again? " Kerry joked.

Dar eyed her with a faint smile. "You're in a good mood." She observed. "Feeling better today?"

Kerry nodded. "Yeah." She admitted. "How about you?" She touched Dar's shoulder carefully, feeling it move under her fingers as Dar experimentally flexed it.

"Eh." Dar replied. "Stiff, but not as bad as yesterday." She sounded mildly surprised. "It's not throbbing anymore." Another experiment. "Cool."

Kerry smiled, and gave her a hug. "Glad to hear that." She regarded the window. "Looks like the weather got better too." She observed. "Hey… wanna get dressed and go for a walk? I could show you my favorite sledding hill before we take off."

Dar remembered her last walk in the cold. "All right." She eyed her lover. "But you better keep me warm. It looks like the arctic tundra out there." She warned. "And how about we find some breakfast first… I noticed you didn't get much off that table last night."

"I don't like pate." Kerry confessed. "And neither do you. There's just so many crackers topped with bits of roast beef and horseradish I can handle." Her nose crinkled in distaste. "Besides, I wasn't really hungry." A low rumble made her chuckle a little. "I am now."

"So I hear." Dar remarked mildly. "C'mon. I may need some help in the shower."

Kerry grinned. "Now that's an offer I'll never refuse."

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

"What do you think?" Kerry spread her arms, and indicated her body. She watched Dar's face cascade from quizzical to thoughtful, to outright lecherous. "I mean the clothes, honey." She sighed, blushing at the compliment nevertheless.

"Oh." Dar laughed. "Hm." She reviewed her lover's choices thoughtfully. "Are you deliberately going for the non WASP look?" Kerry had put on a long sleeve flannel shirt that she'd tucked into her nicely worn jeans, and added a cute touch of suspenders to. She also had on her hiking boots. Dar thought she looked adorable.

"Well, yeah." Kerry admitted, putting her hands on her hips. "Did it work?"

"I think so." Dar told her, gravely. "Should I put on my fringe leather vest?"

"Did you bring that?" Kerry's eyebrows jerked up in pleased surprise.

Dar chuckled. "No. I was joking." She drawled. "Would you settle for leather pants?"

Kerry looked suspiciously at her, then went to her bag and rummaged in it. "Oh." She lifted something out. "You really have some? I never saw these before, Dar.. where did you get them?" She shook out the soft, burnt caramel colored hide. "Oo.. I like."

"Thank you." Dar replied. "And you've never seen them before because I won't wear them at home."

Kerry eyed her. "Too trendy for Miami?" She teased.

"No." Dar took the hide trousers from her. "Too hot. I figured I might get a chance to actually put them on up here so I brought them along. Give me a hand getting into them?"

Kerry happily obliged, tugging the leather up and over her lover's hips. They fit comfortably, not too snug, and she neatly fastened the buttons and buckled the two criss-crossing leather beltlets that lent a somewhat offbeat touch to them. The leather was broken and butter soft, and she knelt to fasten the straps near Dar's ankles. "Meant for boots, I see."

"Mmhm." Dar agreed. "I used to have some that went with them." She was buttoning the sleeve on a tightly woven wool shirt in a creamy butter color. "Back in my wilder days."

Kerry ran her fingers over the smooth leather, then sniffed it. "I like them." She commented. "You're a natural for this stuff."

Dar's lips twitched. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should." Kerry placed a kiss on the inside of her leg, just above the knee. Then she got to her feet and offered Dar a hand. "Breakfast?"

Dar curled her fingers around Kerry's and accompanied her to the door.

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

Michael hid a smile behind an English muffin as they entered the breakfast room, still holding hands. "Morning, sis."

"Hi." Kerry replied, releasing Dar to walk over to a seat. "Morning."

"Oh, Kerrison.. " Her mother looked up from her plate and stopped in mid speech, blinking at her eldest daughter. "Goodness." She hesitated. "That's very colorful, dear."

"Thanks." Kerry snapped a suspender at her and sat down.

Dar continued around the table and approached the serving board with pointed determination. She evaded the uniformed server and captured two plates, then proceeded to dump what she considered proper amounts of edible items on them appropriate to both her taste and Kerry's.

"Ma'am" The server murmured at her anxiously. "I'll do that for you. The family prefers service in this household."

"In my families household.." Dar answered in a normal voice. "They tossed the food down on the floor in bins, and we had to fight for it. Old habits die hard. Excuse me." She ducked around the woman and headed back towards the table.

Kerry covered her face with one hand, her shoulders shaking.

"Why, Dar. I didn't know you had siblings." Cynthia rose to the challenge.

"I don't." Dar set Kerry's plate down, then took the chair next to her.

"Ah." Cynthia's brow contracted, then she gave a little shake of her head. "At any rate, I'm very glad you chose to join us for breakfast. Did you have further plans for today, Kerrison?"

"I was going to treat Dar to a walk in the snow." Kerry finished buttering her muffin and took a bite. "And show her around the property, then we figured we'd head back to the hotel and pick up m..Dar's folks." There was really no sense, she conceded, in stinging her mother with her usual address of Andy and Ceci. Not now that things seemed to be improving as far as familial acceptance went, though Kerry privately admitted to herself that she was probably pushing things a little today. Just to make sure she wasn't backsliding, she picked up a piece of bacon and bit it in half, then glanced over and offered the other half to Dar.

"Ah. Saved the crispy part for me." Dar accepted the treat with a snap of white teeth. She crunched the bacon with a slight wink in Kerry's direction. "Thanks."

Kerry grinned back, then turned her head and met the bemused looks of her family. Take it or leave it, guys. She projected at them. This is who I am.

"You guys must be fun to watch in restaurants." Mike commented, with a snort. "Do you slurp spaghetti together too?"

"No." Dar stated mildly. "We save that for home. It gets too messy."

Angie nearly snorted a piece of melon out of her nose.

"Hey, I bet Richard never did that with you, did he?" Mike asked his younger sister pointedly.

Angie cleared her throat and swallowed. "Definitely not." She confirmed. "It took me three dates just to get him to loosen his tie." She took a sip of juice. "He's not a romantic, like Dar is."

Round blue eyes pinned her from across the table in outraged shock.

"Yeah, she gets that from her father." Kerry confirmed blithely.

Cynthia had assumed a noble, serene air, apparently content to let the conversation flow over her head unimpeded. "Commander Roberts is a terribly nice man." She did comment. "He has quite a lovely sense of humor." She had finished her breakfast, and now she stood and folded her napkin, leaving it neatly in place. "I must attend to some business matters. If you wish, Kerrison, after your plans are finished, perhaps you might stay for lunch."

Kerry considered the somewhat late time of the morning, and nodded. "Sure." The funeral service was scheduled for four that afternoon, and the focal point would be at the cemetery, not here at the house. They would be left in peace, at least for a little while.

Her mother nodded, then left the room. Angie propped her head up on her fist and just looked at Kerry. "You are such a brat."

"Me?" Kerry inquired innocently. "Why? I’m not acting out. I'm just acting normal." She crunched another strip of bacon. "I’m not going to sit here dressed in lace and pretend this is how I live. I don't." She stated firmly.

"I think you look really cute." Mike interjected. "Angie's just jealous cause she'd never be able to pull off that outfit."

"Neither would you." Angie gave him a withering look. "Hippo butt."

"Look who's talking." Mike retorted. "You're the one who gets their clothing at.."

"Michael." Kerry interrupted him.

He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Remind me again why I wanted siblings?" Dar asked Kerry, with a look of wry amusement. "You know I.." She fell silent by necessity as Kerry stuffed a piece of muffin in her mouth.

"Hush." Kerry put a fingertip on her nose. "You don't have siblings because you're one of a kind." She smiled at Dar's charmed expression. "Now, chew, so we can go explore."

Dar obliged, chewing and swallowing the bit of muffin while she watched her lover and her family trade bantering dialog. Things were definitely looking up this morning, she decided. Between her arm feeling much better, and Kerry's very evident heightened spirits, they might even make the day more than tolerable. At least, Dar sighed, if they were here dealing with this disaster, they weren't back home having to deal with the Naval one waiting for her on her desk.

Telling her father had been the worst part of it, but Andrew had, to her mild surprise, been more understanding and compassionate than she'd figured. "Dardar.." He'd said "Yer family's a ton more worth fussing over than yer job, or that pissant Navy. Don't you worry." He'd patted her on the arm. "I put that there stuff where none of them bilge fer brains'll find it, so let it lie till this things all done with."

Dar nibbled another piece of bacon thoughtfully. She was more than content to do that, but would those who were looking to put an end to the investigation feel the same way?

Hm.

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

They walked through the grounds surrounding the house, with Kerry pointing out favored spots from her childhood. Then they turned out of the gates and walked along the road, it's surface sloping up towards the crest of a nearby hill.

"It's such a different environment." Dar commented, crunching a bit of snow under her boots. "It's like you have two worlds in the North, a winter one and a summer one."

Kerry tucked her gloved hands inside her pockets, and watched her breath plume as she exhaled. "That's true." She admitted. "You're more aware of the passage of time up here, I think." She said. "I always liked spring and summer better. We were out of school in the summer, and at least for a while, that was fun because I got to go to summer camp."

"Mm."

"Winter was always full of social stuff." Kerry went on. "Dress ups, and press events, dinners… for a while I tried to get interested in current events, so I'd have something intelligent to say when they pointed the camera at me, but after a few times of that, I got told to just shut up and look good."

Dar looked at her.

Kerry shrugged. "What can I tell you, Dar? They didn't want to hear what I had to say, or maybe they were afraid I'd develop an embarrassing view on something." She chuckled softly. "If they'd only known."

"Did you?" Dar asked. "Develop a view different from your father's?"

Kerry considered the question. "I liked some of his positions on things." She admitted. "I thought his view on keeping families together was good, though now after knowing what was going on with that other woman, the hypocrisy kind of stinks." She added. "He knew a lot more about international politics than I did, and I didn't have the maturity to understand the mechanations he was doing here locally to control funding, and maintain a conservative majority."

Dar grunted thoughtfully.

"I didn't really start disagreeing with him until I was in college." Kerry went on. "When I got exposed to the wider world and the many kinds of people in it."

"Ever talk to him about that?"

"No." Kerry shook her head, and leaned forward a little as they started up a steeper part of the hill. "I tried, once. But he told me if that's what college was doing to me, he'd put a stop to it."

Dar simply stopped walking,. Kerry moved on a few steps, then turned and regarded her. "I want to know something." Dar asked. "How in the hell did you become the hellion on wheels that told me to go to hell in Miami? "

Ah. Good question. Kerry walked back over to where Dar was and took her hand, leading her upward toward the crest of the hill. "It wasn't something that happened overnight." She explained. "It was something that was building a little at a time, until I got home after I graduated college with my degree, and was told I was being put to work as a spokeswoman/receptionist in one of my father's cronies companies."

They got to the top of the hill, and Kerry paused, regarding the view. "I knew I had a choice. Either put my money where my mouth was and get the hell out of here, or stay here and accept the inevitable." She walked over to a tall, almost bare tree, and patted it's bark. "So I came up here that night, and just spent hours looking up at the stars, and just made my decision."

Dar joined her. "Not a popular one."

"No." Kerry exhaled. "I called Brian and told him, after I accepted Associated's job offer that next morning, then I just packed, told my parents I was taking the job, and left." She leaned on the tree. "But they didn't make it easy. He kept after me constantly. They hoped they'd wear me down and I'd just give up and come home."

Dar gazed at her quietly. "And I almost made that happen."

Kerry turned and looked at her. "Almost." She agreed, very softly. "But you also were what made me choose my life over their plans for it and that more than makes up for what might have been, Dar." She decided to lighten up the conversation. "So, here we have my very first decision tree."

Dar studied Kerry's face for a few moments, then she relaxed into a smile. "Nice view up here." She indicated the opposite slope. "That where you used to slide down?" The hill was fairly steep, and featured a long stretch of even whiteness, ending in a fairly clear area at the bottom with only a few trees that might provide a dangerous impediment.

"Yep." Kerry sighed. "Wish we had a sled… I'd love to take you for a ride."

"Well." Dar removed her small penknife from her pocket. "First thing's first."

Kerry walked over and eyed the knife. "Honey, I love you, but you can't cut down the tree with that to make a sleigh for me. I just won't let you." She warned, with a serious look. "I'd rather get the car and drive to Walmart. "

Dar started laughing.

"No, really, sweetie." Kerry took the knife from her fingers.

"Give me that." Dar swiped the tool back. "I wasn't going to cut the damn tree down. " She circled the bark and found a good spot. "Just do a little carving." She set to work, with Kerry peering over her shoulder.

"Oh." Kerry smiled. "Okay." She turned away and began to explore the hilltop, kicking bits of half buried wood around with the toe of her hiking boot. The wind was stiffer up here, and it blew her hair back as she gazed down the slope, stinging her eyes with it's chill.

"That night seems so long ago." She spoke to the air. "I was so scared. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, or where I might end up being." The branches overhead chuckled together. "But I looked up at those stars, and they told me to follow my heart." She turned and watched Dar, her brow creased in concentration as she carved careful letters. "And that's what I ended up doing, isn't it?"

"You say something to me?" Dar poked her head around the tree trunk. "Almost done."

Kerry strolled back over and kissed Dar on the nose. "Take your time, Geppetto." She admired the neat heart shaped cut, and the curved letters taking form under Dar's skilled hands. "I bet you could carve wood, if you wanted to."

"Isn't that what I’m doing?" Dar finished a K and started on the S. "Or do you mean like sitting on the porch in a rocking chair whittling kind of thing." She flicked a piece of bark out of her way. "I think I'll wait for retirement for that, when I'm too old and creaky to do anything else."

Kerry rested her chin on Dar's shoulder, and exhaled. "We can be old and creaky together." She said. "Can you imagine what great memories we'll have by then?" She asked, with a touch of wonder in her voice. "What an amazing thought."

Dar finished her work, and turned her head. "You like?"

A simple heart, with four initials, and a plus sign. Kerry sighed in deep satisfaction. "I love." She leaned forward and kissed Dar on the lips. "Thank you."

They walked back down the hill holding hands. Kerry knew they were watched from behind kitchen curtains, knew the whispers, knew the scandalous looks they were collecting, and the only thing that knowledge evoked in her was an intense desire to laugh.

There were cars in the driveway when they got back to the house. One, Kerry realized, was Andy and Ceci's rental car, and she nudged Dar and pointed to it. "Hey!" The other was Richard and Angies, and she guessed her brother in law had come over. The third she didn't recognize.

"Huh. Thought they were going to wait at the hotel for us." Dar commented, as they strolled up the walk. "Hope everything's okay." The front door opened as they approached, and the doorman gave them a brief smile as they entered the house.

It was quiet, but they could hear voices from the solarium, and one of those voices was easily identifiable in it's low drawling tones. Kerry lead the way into the garden and waved at the group seated near the end of the glassed in area. "Hey, folks."

"Goodness!" A clear voice erupted, and a small, silver haired form popped up like an albino meerkat from the bench. "Kerrison! There you are!"

Kerry stopped, and blinked, then smiled. "Aunt Penny!"

Her aunt hurried around the bench and rushed over to her, giving her an enthusiastic hug. "Hello, my dear! You look wonderful!" Aunt Penny stated. "Hello to you too, Dar. It's good to see you again."

"Same here." Dar responded cordially, having developed a liking for Kerry's perky elder relative.

Aunt Penny clasped both of their arms and led them over to the benches, where Dar's parents, and Cynthia Stuart were seated. "And I've just met your lovely parents, Dar. Wonderful!"

Dar felt her face reacting, saw her father do likewise, and heard her mother snicker as she realized they both probably had the same expression on. She walked over and took a seat next to her father and exhaled, extended her leather covered legs out a little and regarding her boots as she listened to Kerry and Aunt Penny exchange pleasantries with Cynthia.

"You ready to go home?" Andrew asked, in a low voice.

Dar glanced at him. "Does it show?"

Her father patted her knee, then poked it. "Whacha got here, Dardar? Alligator pants?"

"Leather." Dar chuckled, smoothing the hide. "Stuck in the back of my closet."

Andrew studied the garment. "Ah do believe I remember when you got them there pants." He mused, then glanced around and lowered his voice again. "D'jyou hear what happened last night?"

"No." Dar leaned on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. "What?"

Kerry was glad to see Aunt Penny. At least one of her relatives, she reflected, actually liked her and didn't mind saying so. "We just took a walk up to the hill." She said, in answer to her mother's query. "I wanted to show Dar my old sledding spot."

"Goodness, do you still have that Flyer around here, Cyndi?" Aunt Penny asked. "I quite remember young Kerrison here doing battle with a tree on it years ago."

"Ouch." Kerry rubbed her nose in memory. "No, that one's been gone a long time." She spared a sad thought for it's passing. "Dar was going to chop a tree down and make one, but I convinced her we didn't have time."

Everyone looked over at Dar, who looked back with devastating innocence. "Tell you what." She replied. "We'll go up to Aspen and I'll make it up to you." She was in a much better mood after hearing about Kyle's firing, and only wished she'd been there to see it.

Kerry grinned. "You're on." She said. "After your shoulder heals, that is."

"Oh yeah. Get that cleared up just in time fer her to break a laig." Andrew chuckled.

Everyone chuckled along with him, even Dar, who folded her arms over her chest. "I wasn't the one who took out six ski instructors and a sled dog." She remarked to her father. "Or that tent."

"Mm… I remember that." Ceci grimaced. "That dog was really mad."

Cynthia leaned forward, placing her hands precisely into her lap. "That sounds very interesting. Do you ski, Commander?"

"Not very well." Ceci told her, ignoring the snort from her husband. "Between him and Dar, they cleared the slopes."

Another chuckle made it's way around the small circle. "Well. Isn't that fun." Aunt Penny patted Kerry on the knee. "Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, dear."

"Yes." Cynthia agreed quickly. "Do stay for lunch, will you? It's almost served."

Kerry glanced at Dar, who faintly lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Sure." She said. "Our flights not for a few hours anyway."

They all got up to move into the dining room. Kerry brought up the rear and was surprised when her mother held a hand out, slowing them both down. "What's up?" She asked quietly.

"Kerrison, could I speak with you, briefly?" Her mother asked. "Alone?"

Ah. Kerry ran over the list of possible subjects, and decided it was probably safe unless her mother was going to give her 'that speech' - and it was a little too late for that. "Sure." She waved at Dar, who was waiting in the doorway. "G'wan. I'll catch up."

Dar studied her for a moment, then nodded and slipped out of the room, leaving them alone together. "So." Kerry turned and leaned against one of the large planters. "What's on your mind?"

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

Kerry waited for the voice to stop, keeping her eyes fastened on the shifting sun outside the glass panes. Then she turned. "I can't believe you're asking me that."

"Kerrison." Her mother held up a hand. "Please, at least consider it. You would be excellent in this role."

"Mother." Kerry took a breath and held her temper. "I''m very happy with the life I have. I’m not changing it."

"I’m not saying you aren't, dear." Cynthia said. "And certainly, I realize you're very attached to your friend Dar, and she would be welcome here as well."

Kerry regarded her for a moment. "You really don't get it, do you?" She sighed. "No, mother. I won't accept a position here." She paused, then went on. "For one thing, you can't afford me. Dar pays me a hell of a lot better than father ever paid anyone."

"But.." Cynthia stopped. "Well, I'm sure… " She stopped again. "It's not just the money, Kerrison. We want you to come back here, and be part of your family. Surely you can understand that."

"For another thing." Kerry went on as though she hadn't heard. "I don't like Michigan." She absorbed her mother's slightly shocked look. "I love living in Florida."

"But.."

"Dar and I have a wonderful life together, mother. Why would I want to change that?" Kerry asked in frustration. "Don't you understand yet this isn't some passing phase I might grow out of?"

Cynthia took a seat on a nearby bench, and folded her hands. "I do understand that you and Dar are very fond of each other, dear."

Kerry walked over and sat down next to her. "No, you don't.." She stated gently. "We love each other."

Cynthia was silent.

"I love Dar with all my heart." Kerry said. "She is my life. We're partners in every sense of the word. She's everything I could have ever wished for in someone to share the rest of my life with." She waited for comment, and got none. "So, though I’m really glad you fired that bastard Kyle, and the rest of those useless dog poops, I’m not going to come here and take their place."

Her mother sighed.

"I’m going to go home, and take my jacket off, and play with my dog, and soak in the hottub with Dar under the stars tonight just because we can." Kerry told her. "Catch up on my business email and get ready to go back to work."

They were both silent for a few moments. Kerry exhaled, and rubbed her temples. "Look, I know that's not what you wanted to hear, and honestly, I do appreciate the welcome you've given both me and Dar."

"Actually." Cynthia murmured. "I do quite like Dar." She admitted. "I find her intelligence refreshing."

The way to my heart, Kerry realized with a weak, internal laugh, is through praising my partner. Imagine that. "It's one of the things I like most about her." She smiled at her mother. "She's smarter than I am. "

"Surely not." Her mother frowned. "You've quite a good brain, Kerrison. You always have had."

"Funny. You and father were always so ready for me to end up a receptionist." Kerry felt the words slip out. "I never thought my brain ever entered the plans."

"That's not so. He was very proud of your skills, especially when you were in high school." Her mother disagreed. "He was simply anxious to channel them into something practical."

"I think I found something more practical to channel them into." Kerry remarked dryly.

Cynthia got up and walked over to the frosted windows, gazing out in silence. "I thought perhaps you would at least think about this, Kerrison." She exhaled. "Yes, I realize you do have your own life, and all that, but this is not such a terrible thing I’m asking, is it? We just want you to be a part of our lives, as well."

Kerry searched the ceiling, looking for patience and finding precious little. "Why?" She finally asked.

Her mother turned. "Pardon?"

"Why?" Kerry repeated. "Why is it so important that I come back here?"

Cynthia frowned. "Is that a serious question? You are my daughter, and a member of our family."

"No, I’m not." Kerry replied quietly. "Did you forget? I got thrown out of this family a year ago."

Her mother exhaled. "That wasn’t… your father was very upset at the time, Kerrison. He was simply frustrated and angry. As were you."

Kerry looked at her. "I’m sorry." She stated. "You all stood there and let him do that, then you let him bully my brother and my sister into shunning me at the hearings, you stood by while they threw me into an insane asylum.." Her voice had gotten louder and louder. "And now you think I want to come back?" She stood. "Are you nuts?"

Cynthia stared at her in shock.

":Why in the hell would you think I wanted, or even more, needed you?"

"Kerrison!" Her mother gasped. "Think of what you’re saying! No one meant any harm to you.."

"BULLSHIT." Kerry was really angry now. "You never cared a rats ass about me. All that mattered was what I looked like, how many eliglble boys I could bring over the house for daddy to wind around his finger, and how soon I could get married to become a family brood cow."

"Kerrison.":

"Don’t call me that." Kerry spat out., her breath coming fast. "I don’t know who the hell you people think you are, or what gave you the right to bastardize my life for all these years, but…"

The door opened and Dar entered, pale blue eyes flashing, her hands flexing lightly as she bolted to Kerry’s side and glared at her mother. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Kerry drew in a breath, and released it, lifting a hand up and touching Dar’s side. She could feel Dar’s ribs expanding and contracting, the muscles under her fingertips tense and almost vibrating with tension. "My mother wants me to give up my job, and my life, and come home to be her office manager." She stated flatly.

Dar looked at her, then at Cynthia, who turned her head in discomfort. "Nice." She finally said. "I think I can outbid her, though."

Kerry laughed humorlessly.

"What the hell is your problem?" Dar asked Cynthia.

Kerry’s mother looked very upset. "I am trying to bring my family back together. There is no crime in that." She patted her coiffed hair. "I can see it was a mistake to ask, however."

Kerry closed her eyes and felt sick to her stomach. She leaned against Dar, and felt Dar’s arm curl around her in a reassuring hug. "Why can’t you just let me be happy?" She asked in a very quiet voice. "Is that too much to ask?"

"I.." Cynthia paused, then sighed. "I have no idea what that is, so perhaps I simply can’t understand your viewpoint, Kerrison." She sat down. "I’m just trying to do what I feel is right."

Dar glanced down and caught the reflection of light off the tears she could see rolling down Kerry’s cheeks. "What’s right is for you to accept Kerry for what and who she is." Dar said. "And stop trying to remake her into an image that was never her to begin with."

"I have known my daughter far longer than you have." Cynthia reminded her stiffly.

"You never knew her at all." Dar answered right back. "And no, you can’t have her back. She was never yours to begin with."

Kerry sniffled, and glanced up, peeking at Dar from under damp lashes. "My, aren’t we possessive." She murmured, with a wan smile.

Dar looked at her.

"Nice feeling." Kerry whispered. "Thanks."

"Hmph." Dar kissed her gently on the head. "C’mon. Let’s go home."

"Wait." Cynthia held a hand up, then crossed over to them. "Please, let us not leave in anger, again." She touched Kerry’s arm. "I am sorry, Kerrison. You are right. I don’t understand what it is you want. Please believe that I was only trying to help you."

Kerry looked at her. "I know." She murmured. "I’m sorry I lost my temper. There's just so many things I get so angry about when I think of them."

Her mother glanced down at the marble floor.

"Maybe seeing Kyle brought a lot of that bad." Kerry went on. "He was always the worst."

A soft throat clearing made them glance over at the now open solarium door. It was one of the butlers. "Mrs. Stuart? The man asked, hesitantly. "There's a policeman here to see you."

Cynthia blinked in honest astonishment. "To see me? What on earth for?"

"I don't know, ma'am. He mentioned something about an accident." The man replied. "Shall I show him in here?"

Dar and Kerry exchanged looks, then looked at Cynthia. Cynthia lifted her hands in a tiny gesture of puzzlement, then nodded. "Certainly. Please do so."

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

The officer entered, taking off his hat and giving Mrs. Stuart a respectful nod. "Ma'am."

"Come in, officer." Kerry's mother offered. "What can we do for you? This is my daughter Kerrison, and her friend Dar."

The policeman gave them both brief nods as well, then turned back to Cynthia. "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you. I know this is a bad time, but we're investigating an accident that happened near here, and we just need to ask you some questions."

Cynthia looked properly and politely bewildered. "Me? Well, certainly, please sit down." She took a seat and waited for the man to join her. Kerry and Dar took advantage of a nearby bench. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been out of the house for quite some time. I'm not sure what I can hope to tell you. " She glanced at Dar and Kerry. "My daughter was out for a walk earlier. Perhaps it's she you wish to speak with? Kerrison, did you see anything while you were out?"

"No." Kerry shook her head. "Nothing except trees, snow, and a couple of buried cars."

"No, ma'am, it's not something you saw." The policeman flipped open a pad, and checked something. "Do you know a man by the name of Kyle Evans?"

It was the last thing any of them expected. "Why, yes." Cynthia replied slowly. "He… well, at least until yesterday, he worked on my.. late husband's staff." She fell silent. "Has something happened to him?"

"I’m afraid so, ma'am. He was driving down the highway last night and apparently he passed out at the wheel. His car drove off the road and hit a tree." The officer hesitated. "He's dead, ma'am."

Kerry blinked, absorbing the news with a wild mixture of emotions. She took a deep breath, and released it, knowing that as a human, and a Christian, she should feel some sort of sorrow for the passing of another mortal.

She didn't.

Oh well. Kerry looked up at Dar, who had an interested, speculative look on her face. "What are you thinking?" She whispered.

"Poetic justice." Dar answered succinctly. "And, gee. Now your father will have someone to talk to down there."

Kerry winced.

"Sorry. You asked." Dar murmured. "I’m not going to even pretend to be slightly sorry that bastard's dead. I only hope he didn't ruin the tree."

"My goodness." Cynthia had been saying. "I can't.. I hardly know what to say." She shook her head. "What time was it? He left here just about midnight, I believe."

The officer nodded. "About an hour or so after that, ma'am. Do you have any idea what he'd been doing between the time he left and then? Only takes about ten minutes drive to get where he was."

"I haven't a mortal clue." The older woman answered, stunned. "He left in quite a hurry. I’m afraid he was quite upset. I had just released him, and the rest of my late husband's staff from employ."

"Ah." The officer grunted, writing that down. "Was he a drinker?"

"I have no idea. Certainly, in social situations. I never had any reason to believe it was more frequent than that." Cynthia looked over at Kerry, a touch helplessly. "Did you think so, Kerrison?"

Kyle? A drunk? "No." Kerry shook her head as the policeman looked over at her. "I haven't lived her for over a year, but Kyle was employed by my father for many years prior to that. I never thought he drank, or in fact, did drugs or anything like that." She paused thoughtfully. "In fact, he was a health freak."

The officer nodded again. "That seems right, ma'am. His car had a lot of equipment in it, and gym clothes." He closed his book. "Well, I’m sorry to have to pass that information to you, Mrs. Stuart. I realize it's lousy timing." He settled his hat back onto his head. "You confirmed when he left here, that's all I really needed. We'll try to backtrack now and see where he went first."

"Officer." Dar spoke up for the first time. "Seems like a lot of investigating over a car accident."

The man eyed her shrewdly. "We like to be sure, ma'am, especially when it's a former employee of a government family." He stated carefully. "We just want to make sure everything's what it seems to be." He touched the hat brim. "Mrs. Stuart, Ms. Stuart, ma'am."

His footsteps sounded loud on the parquet floor, and the door opening and closing echoed softly in the silence that he left behind him.

"Well." Cynthia Stuart said. "What a shock."

"Mm.." Kerry agreed. "Yeah.. oh my god, I wonder if Brian knows?"

Her mother gasped softly. "Oh! We should call him, at once!" She got up and hurried from the room, leaving them behind with out so much as another single word.

Kerry sighed, and leaned against Dar. "Wow."

"Yeah." Dar's voice was quiet. "You okay now?"

Kerry considered that. "Yeah." She said. "I feel better, kinda. I think I was wanting to get that out of my system for a while."

"Mm."

"Let's go."

"You mean it this time?" Dar gave her an affectionate look. "You're not teasing me?"

"Let's go." Kerry stood up and offered Dar her hand. "Let's get mom and dad, and get the hell out of here." She replied positively. "But we have to make one stop before the airport."

Dar followed her out of the room, their hands still clasped. "Where's that?" She asked, as they walked across to the dining room.

"Dairy Queen." Kerry replied firmly.

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

Kerry had never been so glad to get on a damn airplane. She settled into her seat with a long, relieved sigh, and put her head back against the leather headrest, closing her eyes and willing the plane up and gone. Dar had taken the seat next to her and she found herself mildly resenting the fact that they were in first class.

There were these stupid console arms between the seats. Kerry wanted to get rid of hers, and curl up in Dar's arms for a nap. She regarded the lighting controls with a feeling of mild embarrassment at the thought, reminding herself that she was a grown up who'd left the need for a teddy bear and security blanket behind long ago.

Hadn't she? Kerry kept her eyes closed as the flight attendant came by and listened as Dar's low burr ordered them both drinks. Maybe it was just the whole situation, just finally getting to be too much. She sighed, wishing they were already home, wanting the normality of that back around her.

Even going back to work would be very welcome. Kerry opened one eye and peered at Dar. "What ever happened with that UPS?" She hadn't gotten paged again on it, so she figured Dar had done something or other to clear the issue.

Dar looked up from her Skymall magazine. "I threatened to cut off the cable feed in the city, and they got the replacement unit out in six hours." She replied. "Hey, look. New toys. Want one?" One long finger pointed at a page.

Kerry goggled at her. "Could you really do that?"

"Buy you a new toy? Sure." Dar replied, then grinned. "Cut off their cable? We manage their head end facility, so yeah, if I wanted to get down and dirty enough I could." She dug into her pocket and removed her cellphone. "Now, do you like red or onyx?"

Kerry peered at the magazine. "Oo." She pulled it closer. "A Swiss army knife for nerds? Does it have a… oh, good grief, it does. How cool." She glanced up at Dar. "We should get these as Christmas gifts for Mark's staff."

Dar considered that. "Mm.. something they can actually use instead of a box of chocolates and a gift certificate to Walmart?" She said. "Though, those are both useful. Sort of." She waited for the cellphone to be answered, then crisply ordered a case of the knives in each color, sending the order taker into a mini ecstasy of delight. "We should brand them and use them as pitch gimmicks, too." Dar mused. "Maybe if Jose's really good, I'll let him look at mine."

"Why don’t you just get him one?" Kerry asked, flipping through the magazine with interest.

"It has sharp implements on it. I don't want to be liable if he cuts his fingers off. Mariana would kill me." Dar muttered, as she completed her purchase and closed the phone. "See anything else you like?"

"Mm." Kerry let her eyes wander off the page and up across Dar's profile. "Yeah." Then she chuckled and wet one fingertip with her tongue, reaching over and rubbing a spot on Dar's cheek. "Can't take you anywhere, Paladar. Look at you with chocolate all over your face."

"Shh." Dar glanced behind them, where her parents were settled. "Not so loud.. you'll get treated to an hour of stories about what I used to do with my food."

"Oh really?" Kerry asked, in a much louder voice.

Blue eyes narrowed. "Kerrison."

Kerry chuckled. "Ah… why does that sound so different when you say it?" She exhaled and let her head rest on the leather again, but half turned to keep Dar in view. "Boy, I’m glad we're going home."

"Yeah?" Dar gazed quietly at her. "Me too."

"You look tired." Kerry could see the strain around the edges of her lover's eyes.

Dar sighed. "Those damn drugs." She rubbed her eyes wearily. "Between that and what I’m taking them for, I just want to crawl into my damn waterbed and stay there for a day or so."

"I can arrange for that." Kerry reassured her. "In fact, I can arrange for a nice hot water bottle for you to wrap around too." She was looking forward to seeing their home, and Chino, and settling down on the couch next to Dar with a cup of hot tea.

Leaving her family, and Michigan and all that stood for behind her.

Kerry curled her fingers around Dar's as their arms rested together on the center console. The touch was warm, and it felt good around her chilled hands. Dar rubbed her skin gently with her thumb, and Kerry felt a quiet lethargy steal over her.

Maybe she could doze off until they left…

"Ker?"

Kerry opened her eyes, blinking them in confusion as she tried to reconcile her memories of the last few moments with what she was seeing. "Uh?"

"We're about to land, hon." Dar smiled, tucking the soft, blue blanket around her.

"Land?" Kerry asked, bewildered. "Did I.." She glanced outside, seeing the distinctive pattern of Miami through the window. "Son of a… I slept the whole time?"

"Mmhm." Dar confirmed, stretching her body out then relaxing again. She stifled a yawn of her own, glad beyond reason to feel the tightening in her eardrums as the large plane descended. After a few moments, the tires hit, the engines reversed, and they were rolling to a halt on the long expanse of runway.

Home. Dar felt her entire body relax, and she unbuckled her seat belt quite against the repeated pleas of the cabin crew. Yes, she realized they were on an active taxiway. Yes, she realized the captain would turn off the seat belt sign when they were safely parked at the gate. Yes, she knew enough to open the overheads carefully because the stuff in them sure enough did tend to shift in flight.

Which was why flying in coach was so scary sometimes. Dar had watched in bemusement on more than one occasion while passengers shoved items no sane person would consider bringing onto an airplane into those aformentioned bins.

She smiled as she remembered a flight where an entire floral arrangement, taking from a birthday party with large blown glass ornaments had imploded in flight due to the pressure change. They'd almost had to turn around and land before the rattled flight attendants had identified the sounds.

And then the woman had threatened to sue the airline for destroying her centerpiece. Dar shook her head. People were weird. She glanced out the window as flashing lights caught her attention, and saw another plane surrounded by emergency vehicles. "Wonder what that's all about?" She nudged Kerry, who was obediently gathering her personal belongings.

Kerry turned and leaned on the armrest, peering out of the small window. "Hm. Mostly police, no fire rescue, could be anything. Maybe a hijack attempt?"

"Drugs." Dar disagreed, watching over her shoulder. "See the dogs?"

"Ah.. well, no, could be explosives."

"Mm." Dar acknowledged. "Guess we'll read about it in tomorrow's Herald."

"Okay." Kerry settled back in her seat as the plane turned to enter it's assigned gate area. "But you have to read me the comics first." She grinned as her lover gave her a look. They'd developed what was, to Kerry, a charming habit of diving through the morning paper for the cartoons, finding Dilbert first, of course, then sharing the others, and their respective horoscopes. That was after their run and mutual shower, while the coffee was brewing for the drive to work.

Kerry sighed happily. She was so looking forward to that. She fairly ached for the normality of it. The plane bumped to a halt and she released her seat belt, standing up alongside Dar who ducked to clear the overhead. "Sometimes it pays to be short." She teased.

"I agree." Ceci chuckled from behind her, as they watched Andrew move out into the aisle to avoid cracking his head. "No offense to your home state, Kerry, but I’m glad I’m no longer in it."

Kerry snorted. "Like I wasn't counting the minutes?" She took a deep breath as the cabin door opened and a gust of moderately warm, moderately moist air blew in, tinged with aviation fuel but welcome nonetheless. She shouldered her laptop and edged out in front of Dar, giving the flight attendant a smile as she exited the plane onto the jetway.

"Ah. Air conditioning in December. I must be home." Dar remarked as they walked up the sloping path. Already, they could hear the clamor of the airport loudspeaker, in a combination of English and Spanish that matched the conversations going on around them.

"Oh yeah." Kerry agreed, as they moved out of the gate and into the flow of terminal traffic "I remember my very first experience getting off a plane here. I walked ten feet, put my bag down, stared, and wondered what in the world I'd gotten myself into." It had been more than culture shock, that was for sure. It had been an exotic, intimidating new world.

Now, it was just home, and she welcomed the bustling activity and the riot of color that surrounded them. "You up for a café con leche?" She asked Dar. "It'll take them twenty minutes to bring the car up anyway. You did valet it, right?"

"You bet your…" Dar's eyes wandered. "Yes, I did." She grinned, mindful of her father's inquisitive presence. "You parked or what, dad?"

"Ah am about to go get me that truck." Andrew told her. "Figgered we'd talk to you two later on. " He gave Dar a pat on the back, and accepted a hug from Kerry, then ambled off, with a waving Ceci in tow.

"Bye." Kerry waggled her fingers back. "They're so cute."

Dar arched a brow at her. "I'll go turn my valet ticket in. Did you say something about coffee a minute ago?" She bumped Kerry with her hip towards the coffee bar. “Get me a cheese pastalito too.”

Mm. Kerry obediently trotted over to the coffee bar, leaning against it’s polished surface as the attendant came over. “Dos café con leche, dos queso pastilitos, por favor.”

The boy grinned at her. “Si, Senorita.” He replied, turning towards the espresso machine. Kerry slid onto the stool and watched him idly, enjoying the sharp, distinctive scent of the brewing coffee as she listened to the conversations around her. Football and soccer mostly, with a spattering of stock market, and one very excited discussion about deep sea fishing.  She turned around as her coffee and pastries were delivered , paying for them and receiving another smile from the server as she left a tip.

She picked up her goodies and shouldered her bag, heading for the automatic doors leading outside.  Dar was leaning against a support pole, her sunglasses now firmly settled on the bridge of her nose. “Rats. I forgot.” Kerry handed Dar the bag and dug inside her briefcase pocket for her own glasses, a nifty wraparound pair Dar had gotten her not long before.  She let her bag sit between her feet as she straightened, and accepted the cup of steaming liquid Dar held out to her. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?” Dar laughed, as she took a sip.

Kerry leaned against her and sucked happily at her drink, enjoying the rich, sweet flavor. The air was cool and equally sweet, and she felt a sense of pure, animal well being as she watched the confusion of traffic trying to get to the curbside. Soon enough, she spotted Dar’s Lexus making it’s way toward them, and she actually almost felt like hugging it. “Want me to drive?” She asked her lover. “Give your arm a break?”

Dar’s face went still for a moment, then she exhaled. “Okay.”  She accepted her keys from the valet and put her bag in the back seat as Kerry took them from her fingers and circled the car. They settled into the leather seats and Kerry took a moment to adjust the driver’s seat forward. “I should keep a booster seat in here for you.”  Dar remarked dryly.

“Hah hah.” Kerry put the big SUV in gear and edged cautiously out into the traffic stream. “How about next time you just put me in your lap.”

“Mm..” Dar chuckled softly, sparing a moment to imagine driving with her arms wrapped around Kerry . “Yeah, okay… hey, pull over.”

“Hedonist.”

“It was your idea!”

Kerry dodged a speeding Mercedes and settled down to the relatively short drive home. “Hey, Dar?”

“Yeeess?” Dar had her head tipped back and her eyes closed.

“I keep forgetting to ask you, and you did mention it twice, so it’s not your fault.” Kerry said. “What was the deal you set up with the Navy, for that information?”

Dar’s eyes opened, and she regarded the fawn header on the Lexus. “Ah.”  She drew in a breath and released it. “That’s right. I guess I have to lay that out for you, don’t I?”

Kerry glanced at her, then back at the road. “Well.. Imean, it doesn’t have to be right now, but I was curious… “

“No, now’s as good a time as any.” Dar remarked. “I should have just told you earlier.” Her expression turned pensive. “I agreed to destroy the information, and forget what I’d seen in return for the Navy outsourcing all of there IS to us.”

Kerry almost hit the car in front of her. She hastily applied her brakes, then turned her head and stared at Dar in utter disbelief. “You what?” A horn honked, and she hastily pulled the Lexus over onto the curb and parked it. “What?”

Pale blue eyes regarded her warily. “That was my price. If they wanted me to shut up.” She said. “So they did. Gerry got them to agree to the outsourcing deal.” She watched Kerry’s face carefully, wondering what she was thinking.

Kerry covered her eyes with one hand “You blackmailed the US Government?”

Had she? Dar rubbed her chin with one hand. “Yeah, I guess I did.”  She admitted.

Slim fingers slid aside, revealing green eyes that peeked out from between them. “Paladar Katherine Roberts, what am I going to do with you?”

Dar smiled wistfully. “I don’t’ know. It was nicer having you think I just chucked it all because I wouldn’t leave you.” She reflected in a quiet voice. “Just a moment of altruistic heroism I didn’t actually have.”

Kerry studied her lover for a moment, then reached over and cupped her cheek with one hand, but didn’t say anything. They looked at each other for a moment, then Kerry put the Lexus in gear and resumed driving.  Concentrating on the traffic gave her a chance to think about what Dar had told her, and how she felt about it.

Was she mad at Dar for not telling her?  Kerry nibbled the inside of her lip. Yeah, a little. It meant a huge workload for her, and dozens of things she now had to take into account. But, on the other hand – given what had been going on at the time, had she really wanted to deal with that too?

No. Kerry admitted to herself. She’d had no desire whatsoever to add to the stress level she’d been suffering under. So, Dar had probably done her a favor in keeping that quiet until now.  She did wonder, though, about what Dar had said about how she felt. A quick glance showed her a somber profile.

Dar thought she was disappointed, Kerry realized. Was she? It had been flattering, of course – for her to realize Dar had just chucked everything to be at her side.

But.

But it had also hurt to know she’d been the thing that had caused Dar to relinquish something she knew was so important to her.

Honor. Her integrity. Regardless of what ILS had gotten out of the deal, it didn’t change the fact that Dar had traded off doing what she knew was the right thing, just to be the rock Kerry had so desperately needed right then.  “Dar?”

“Hm?”

“Does that mean we integrate all the people working in IS for the Navy?”

“The ones we want, just like usual.” Dar replied cautiously.

“So, you get to fire the rest of them?”

“Reject them for integration. The Navy will have to place them in another job code, yes.”

Kerry smiled humorlessly. “Paybacks are a bitch, aren’t they?”

Dar stifled a yawn, and allowed her body to relax on the leather sofa in their living room.  They’d gotten in the house, suffered Chino’s greeting, and now Kerry was in the kitchen filling Colleen in on what had gone on the past few days.

It was, aside from the low buzz of voices in the kitchen, blessedly quiet in the condo, and Dar let her head drop against the plushly stuffed arm of the sofa, welcoming the rich scent of the leather and the warmth of the long stripe of sunlight that was coming in the front window and painting a golden swath across her body.

She could, she acknowledged, go into her study and find out what was waiting to pounce on her in her mailbox.

She could. Dar wriggled into a more comfortable position and closed her eyes. But she wasn’t going to.  Tomorrow would come soon enough, and if there was anything of a truly disastrous nature, she’d have been paged before now, right?  Hm. She pulled her cell phone out and checked it, making sure it was on. Nope, no pages, no calls. Good.

A cold nose investigated her arm, and she opened her eyes again. “Hey, Chino. Did you give up on getting cookies from mommy Kerry?”

Sad brown eyes regarded her, then Chino climbed up on to the wide couch and settled down with a grunt, licking all of Dar’s exposed skin within her reach.

“Aw.” Dar stroked the Labrador’s soft, thick fur. “I missed you too, baby.” She quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard her, then ruffled the dog’s ears. “You’re such a sweetie, aren’t you.”

Chino put her muzzle down on Dar’s chest, and exhaled happily.

Dar exhaled too. It was over. Damn, she was glad it was over. Now they could settle down and get on with their life together, and concentrate on happier things. Like Christmas, for instance. Dar wiggled her toes in mild glee and considered the boxes she had hidden in the crawl space. Presents for Kerry, of course, and Chino, but also for her parents, something she hadn’t done for many years, and for the assorted friends Kerry had invited over for the Christmas party.

Christmas party, Dar had firmly insisted. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, not birthday.

But Kerry had snickered, which meant she’d at least have to suffer through a cake and a chorus. Hm. Dar mentally made a note to ask, in a circumspect way of course, if the cake was to be Kerry’s double chocolate mousse killer cake. That was worth a round of Happy Birthday to you, if nothing else was.

Yeah. Dar grinned, licking her lips at the thought.

“Holy cow, Kerry.” Colleen rubbed her friend’s arm sympathetically. “What a nightmare.”

“Yeah.” Kerry was sprawled on one of the two stools in the kitchen. “You can say that again. Thanks a bunch for staying by here.”

“No problem.” The redhead assured her. “I was glad to do it. Chinie’s a sweetie, and Dar’s folks are great people.”

“They sure are.” Kerry smiled. “You have no idea how glad I was to see them when they showed up. Oh, my god, Col.. I was literally standing in a pit full of vipers, with that bastard Kyle coming right at me when bam, talk about the cavalry coming over the hill.”

Colleen grinned. “Dar’s father is so hooked on you. It’s so sweet.” She told Kerry  “You should have heard them when they showed the television report and we spotted you, just before they left. Man.. the two of them went off!”

Kerry sighed. “That so sucked.” She rested her head on her hand, leaning an elbow on the counter. “I don’t think I”ve ever had a lousier couple of days, I can tell you that. After we got back to the hotel, Angie called and told me the staff thought it would be better if I didn’t come down there, because of Dar.”

“To hell with them!” Colleen snorted.

“Well, I didn’t go.” Kerry said. “And it was because of Dar, but not for their benefit. She was hurting.” A pause. “God knows, I was hurting. We needed some space.” She thought about that night. “I don’t know what I would have done if Dar hadn’t been there, Col. I just don’t.” Kerry could hear a faint tremor in her own voice. “That first night… Jesus. I was so sick. I got a migraine, and I passed out in the bathroom… “

“Wow.” Colleen gave her a concerned look. “What happened?”

Kerry felt irrational tears rising. “Dar happened.” She murmured. “She wasn’t supposed to come up until the next day, but she just dropped everything and came that night. She took care of me.”

Collen just put a hand on her arm, and squeezed.

“I think that was the worst I’ve ever felt.” Kerry whispered. “But Dar held me, and made that all go away. It was incredible.” She let out a long, shaky breath. “She saved my sanity.”

“Hey.” Colleen gently put both arms around her and gave her a hug. “You poor kid.” She patted Kerry’s back, then rubbed it. “I’m glad tall, dark and daunting was there to make things right, Ker. I know I ddin’t start off being a fan of hers, but I’m glad this time I was so damn, dead wrong.”

“Mm.” Kerry returned the hug. “Tall, dark and doofy sometimes. That’s how she hurt her arm again. The dork picked me up and carried me into bed in the hotel.” She admitted. “I was too sick to realize what she was doing.”

“Oh, really?” Colleen laughed a bit.

“Yeah.” Kerry got up off her stool and went to the refrigerator, taking out a pitcher of juice and swirling it. “Want some?”

“Sure.”

“Hey, Dar?” Kerry called into the living room. ‘Want some juice?”

“Does it have chocolate in it?” The droll answer came back.

“Ew. Orange juice and chocolate?” Kerry made a face. “No, honey. I’ll get you some milk.”

“Mmmmmilk.” Dar drawled in response as she appeared in the doorway, looking appealingly tousled in her t-shirt, cutoff shorts and white socks. Chino came trotting in behind her, yawning. “Chino wants some milk too.”

Colleen chuckled. “Like puppy, like owner.”

Dar paused, and put a hand on her hip. “You saying I look like that dog?” She lifted one eyebrow in mock menace.

“No.” Kerry handed her a glass and leaned up to give her a kiss. “You just act like her. Adorably loyal and cute to a fault.” She watched Dar’s eyes go round in startlement, then glance over at Colleen and back to her. “Oh, don’t go all formal on me now, Dar. You were the one who was just mooing for milk.”

Dar scowled, then her face relaxed into a sheepish grin as she chuckled and accepted the glass.

Colleen put her own glass down, and stood up. “Well, I’ll be getting meself back to the southern reaches of Kendall. You two take it easy, eh? See you Wednesday?”

“Me, absolutely.” Kerry said. “Dar… well, let’s see what the doctor says.” She glanced up at her lover, who merely lifted a brow at her. “Right? You’re not going to try teaching us flips until your shoulder gets better, are you?”

“No.” Dar replied, speaking of the martial arts class they were supposed to resume that week. “I’ll just make you all do the work, and I’ll watch.”  She chuckled at their wry faces. “Besides, I can use the pool a little.”

“Ah, sure” Colleen shouldered her bag. “She floats while we sweat. Nice.” She waved a goodbye. “Later, folks.”

Kerry walked her to the door and closed it behind her, then turned and regarded Dar.  She walked across the living room to join her lover as they both reached the couch, and sat down with her, putting her feet up on the coffee table almost at the same time Dar did. Then she rested her head against Dar’s shoulder and sighed.

“Nice to be here, huh?” Dar obligingly draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer.

Kerry wrapped her arms around Dar’s body and snuggled up as close as she could without actually crawling into Dar’s lap. She craved the warmth of her lover’s body, and the feeling of utter security that her embrace would provide. Dar didn’t disappoint her. She felt her body shifted a little, and she squirmed into a cradle made from long arms and legs that wrapped around her and brought her home in a way that touched her battered soul in just the right spot she needed it to.

“Tell you what.” Dar murmured, as she stroked Kerry’s hair. “I vote for a night of shameless hedonism and indulgence. You up for that?”

“Uh huh.” Kerry murmured. “But I’d be happy just to have you near me all night.”

Dar gave her a worried look. “Well, sure. Where else would I be?” She kissed the top of Kerry’s head. “Ker?”

The blond head lifted, revealing a tear streaked face as Kerry wiped the back of her hand across her eyes and sniffled. “Sorry.”  She muttered. “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me.”

Dar didn’t know either. It left her at somewhat of a loss, presented with a problem she had no experience or knowledge to deal with. So she did what she could do, which was wipe the tears from Kerry’s face, and kiss her gently.  “Go ahead and cry if it makes you feel better.”  She told her. “Talk to me about it if you want to.”  She added. “But if all you need from me is love, you’ve got all of that I have and it’s yours for the taking.”

Kerry blinked, scattering a few sparkles of moisture, and a tiny, charmed smile appeared on her face.

“What?” Dar smiled back. “Do I have chocolate on my chin again?”

“Milk.” Kerry rubbed the residue off her upper lip, gazing at her with a look of utter love. “A night of shameless hedonism, huh?”

“Yeah.” Dar found the sea green eyes in front of her irresistibly fascinating. “I figured we could start off by ordering something really bad for us from the Italian place, then sort of go from there.”

“Will this night of hedonism include hot fudge?”

“Yes.”

“Hot tub?”

“Yes.”

“Hot..mmfp.” Kerry took the kiss as an answer to that question and surrendered willingly to the plan.

“Morning, Maria.” Kerry caught up with her lover’s secretary as they both entered the elevator. Maria was carrying a white bag, which Kerry suspected had coffee and pastries for a certain person they both knew and loved.

“Aie! Kerrisita!” Maria immediately gave her a one armed hug. “I am so glad you are back.”

“Me too.” Kerry returned the hug with warm enthusiasm. “Thank you so much for the basket.”

The doors opened onto their floor, and they walked into the hallway. “That was such a sad event.” Maria said, diplomatically. “We saw Dar and her papa on the television yesterday, and I was so glad that you had such nice people around to help you.”

Kerry’s ears perked up. “You saw Dar and Andy on TV? When? “

“Si.” Maria answered. “Did you see them also on the newspaper? I have one at my desk.” She lead Kerry into Dar’s outer office and removed a folded paper from the top of it, unfolding it and handing it over. “There, is it not a good picture?”

Kerry examined the shot, a quarter page full color photo taken in her family’s main lobby.  It was a very striking photo of both of them, Dar slightly in the lead as they headed directly towards the camera, with almost the same, exact expression on their faces. “Wow.” She had to smile. “What a pair.”

Maria looked over her shoulder. “Si.” She agreed. “I like Dar’s papa very much. He is such a gentleman.”

“What’s so interesting?” Dar’s voice interrupted them, as she entered the office and closed the door behind her.

“You.” Kerry turned the paper around and displayed it.

“Ah.” Dar reached out and took the paper one handedly, and examined it. Her arm was tucked conspicuously in a new sling, and she had her jacket draped over that arm. The visit to Doctor Steve’s had been humbling, but not as bad as she’d expected, and resulted in mostly a severe scolding and two new prescriptions.

And an order to report to the hospital for a second scan of her shoulder.  Dar had promised to schedule that as soon as possible, and escaped into the reception area to wait for Kerry to emerge, rolling her sleeves down after having vials of blood taken for testing.

“What is this, USA Today?” Dar turned to the front page, where the funeral of Kerry’s father was prominently pictured. Though she knew a number of the people in the photo,  they seemed strange, as though her mind could not, or would not reconcile the people she’d spoken to, and in some cases laughed with as the same somber, grieving figures before her eyes.

All she knew was that she was very glad she and Kerry were not in that picture. Dar folded the paper back to the photo of her and her father and handed it back. “Can you have someone pick up a copy of this for my mother? She’ll love it.”

"Morning, Maria." Kerry caught up with her lover’s secretary as they both entered the elevator. Maria was carrying a white bag, which Kerry suspected had coffee and pastries for a certain person they both knew and loved.

"Aie! Kerrisita!" Maria immediately gave her a one armed hug. "I am so glad you are back."

"Me too." Kerry returned the hug with warm enthusiasm. "Thank you so much for the basket."

The doors opened onto their floor, and they walked into the hallway. "That was such a sad event." Maria said, diplomatically. "We saw Dar and her papa on the television yesterday, and I was so glad that you had such nice people around to help you."

Kerry’s ears perked up. "You saw Dar and Andy on TV? When? "

"Si." Maria answered. "Did you see them also on the newspaper? I have one at my desk." She lead Kerry into Dar’s outer office and removed a folded paper from the top of it, unfolding it and handing it over. "There, is it not a good picture?"

Kerry examined the shot, a quarter page full color photo taken in her family’s main lobby. It was a very striking photo of both of them, Dar slightly in the lead as they headed directly towards the camera, with almost the same, exact expression on their faces. "Wow." She had to smile. "What a pair."

Maria looked over her shoulder. "Si." She agreed. "I like Dar’s papa very much. He is such a gentleman."

"What’s so interesting?" Dar’s voice interrupted them, as she entered the office and closed the door behind her.

"You." Kerry turned the paper around and displayed it.

"Ah." Dar reached out and took the paper one handedly, and examined it. Her arm was tucked conspicuously in a new sling, and she had her jacket draped over that arm. The visit to Doctor Steve’s had been humbling, but not as bad as she’d expected, and resulted in mostly a severe scolding and two new prescriptions.

And an order to report to the hospital for a second scan of her shoulder. Dar had promised to schedule that as soon as possible, and escaped into the reception area to wait for Kerry to emerge, rolling her sleeves down after having vials of blood taken for testing.

"What is this, USA Today?" Dar turned to the front page, where the funeral of Kerry’s father was prominently pictured. Though she knew a number of the people in the photo, they seemed strange, as though her mind could not, or would not reconcile the people she’d spoken to, and in some cases laughed with as the same somber, grieving figures before her eyes.

All she knew was that she was very glad she and Kerry were not in that picture. Dar folded the paper back to the photo of her and her father and handed it back. "Can you have someone pick up a copy of this for my mother? She’ll love it."

"Surely, I will do that right now." Maria assured her. "Let me put this cafacita on your desk." The secretary disappeared into Dar’s office, leaving Dar and Kerry regarding each other quietly.

"Glad to be back?" Dar smiled, as she indicated the flashing lights already winking on Maria’s phone.

Kerry picked up the paper and regarded the front page, then put it down and gave Dar a pat on the side as she headed out towards her own office. "Yes, I am."

Dar gazed pensively at the hole in the air so recently full of her lover, then she turned and made her way into her office. It was lit with warm sunlight from the outside, and she found herself actually glad to be back as well. "Thanks, Maria." She circled her desk and settled into her comfortable leather chair, reaching down to start up her PC. "Did I miss anything really critical?"

"Aie." Maria sat down in one of her visitor’s chairs. "To tell you the true thing, Jefe, I was too worried about you and Kerrisita to pay much attention to these little terrors." She exhaled. "My husband thought I had gone crazy, I was throwing such things at the television at those people who were yelling at you."

Dar smiled. "Thanks, Maria." She glanced at her email inbox, which was rapidly filling with line after line of exclamation marks. "Ahh.. a light week. Only a hundred criticals."

"Dar, may I ask you something?"

Dar looked up. "Sure." She replied.

"Was it very terrible there, for Kerrisita with her familias?"

Dar wondered at the question, but she nodded slowly in response. "Yes it was." She said. "For a lot of reasons, but mostly because a lot of what they hated her for she had no control over."

"Tch."

"Made me appreciate my folks." Dar responded, wryly. "I used to fight tooth and nail with them, but never about that."

"Dar, your mamma and pappa, they are so crazy about you." Maria said. "And about Kerrisita, too."

Dar regarded her Siamese fighting fish, who were swimming lazily in their tank. "Yes, they are." She agreed quietly. "I was glad they showed up there, so Kerry’s family could see their way isn’t the only way to deal with something that doesn’t fit your idea of what’s good and normal."

"Si." Maria murmured. "Dar, I think I would like to talk with your mamma. Do you think that would be all right?"

Dar cocked her head in puzzlement. "Sure." She replied, before a clue finally wandered up and whacked her in the back of the head. "Uh…about anything in particular? I mean.. " She paused, taking in Maria’s uncomfortable look. "Maria?"

The older woman folded her hands in her lap. "I did not wish to trouble you with this so soon when you got back, Jefe. I am sorry." She looked up. "My daughter Mayte has told her papa and I this weekend that she is gay."

Dar blinked, wishing she’d already downed her coffee. "Um."

"It was not such a shock, jefe. But I had thought I was prepared to be understanding and I find that I am not." Maria said apologetically. "So if it is all right with you, I would like to call your mamma, and speak with her."

"Um… sure." Dar pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, then laid it on the desk and fished a pen from her drawer to write her parent’s number down. "Listen, Maria, I hope you don’t think.. ah.. that either Kerry or I…"

"Jefe." Maria had gotten up, and she reached over to put a hand over Dar’s. "I wanted for her to work here, because I wanted her to have the best examples, yes?" She waited for Dar to look up. "It is just a little hard for me to understand where she is coming from."

Dar handed over the paper. "It’s all right." She said. "My mother didn’t have a clue where I was coming from either, and my father spent a month in the library reading before he’d talk to me about it."

Maria nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Dar. I want Mayte’s papa and I to be good to Mayte like your mama and papa are to you, and to Kerrisita. But it will take us a little time." She took the piece of paper. "Now that I have started off this morning so nicely, I will go and get you more coffee."

Dar sat back as Maria left, feeling very off kilter. It was the last thing in the world she’d expected to have to deal with first thing, and she wondered if the rest of the day was going to be equally as unsettled. Then a thought occurred to her, and she pulled her keyboard over, pecking a message out laboriously with one hand. She clicked send, then slapped at her speaker phone, dialing it impatiently.

"MIS Ops."

"Morning, Mark." Dar watched the screen for a response. "I need a favor."

"Hi, boss." Mark’s voice was quiet. "Glad you’re back. How’s Kerry?"

Good question. "She’s doing okay. Listen, I need a damn vocal adapter for this thing. I’m down to one hand again."

"Ouch. I’ll be right down." Mark said briskly, cutting off the line before Dar could object.

A window popped up, and she studied it. Under her own message "Maria just gave me a toaster for Xmas" was Kerry’s wry response. "I’m dealing with the Pop Tart that generated the request."

Ah. Dar picked up her coffee and took a large swallow. Grand way to start a Monday. She looked up as the door opened, and Mark entered with an armful of equipment and a very sympathetic look.

Then her private line rang. "Yeah?" She answered it.

"Ms. Roberts, it's security." The low, musical female voice answered. "There's a gentleman here from the Navy insisting on seeing you."

"Oh really. What's his name?"

"Ainsbright."

Dar took another swallow of coffee, and shook her head. "Bring him up." She gave Mark a look. "That got voice recognition software with it?"

"Preprogrammed, yeah." Mark agreed, laying the microphone and card on the desk. "Nice vocabulary."

"Hope it's got Anglo Saxon down pat."

Mark just looked at her.

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

“I was scared, sure.” Mayte said. “I mean, mama I figured was going to be fine, because she knows you, and Dar, and it’s not something that’s so way out there for her, you know?”

“Mm.” Kerry nodded sympathetically. “I do know. With my family it was very, very different. You’re lucky, Mayte. It may be hard for your parents to adjust to what you told them, but you’ve already got a foot inside the door to understanding with them.”

“Yes.”  The pretty Cuban American agreed. “I was still pretty nervous, though. Lena and I have been talking over lunch since she started, and she told me some horrible stories.” Mayte paused a moment. “She’s nice. I’m glad you helped her out.”

Kerry smiled. “I’m glad too. I understood what she was going through, and anything I can do to help someone in that kind of situation out, I’ll do.”  She fiddled with a pencil. “It’s funny, because I spent days trying to think of exactly how I’d tell my parents about Dar, and I never did come up with a good way to do it. There was nothing I could tell them that would make what I said acceptable.”  A pause. “I finally took some advice and decided not to tell them then, during the holidays. It was bad enough I was telling them I wasn’t coming home, and Brian and I weren’t getting married.”

Mayte gazed at her, wide eyed. “You were engaged?”

Kerry nodded. “It’s okay. Brian’s a good friend of mine. We’ve been close since we were kids, but he’s much more of a brother to me than he ever was a boyfriend.” She said. “So I thought that was more than enough shock for one Thanksgiving.”

“Wow.” Mayte seemed overwhelmed by this radical decent into rebellion. “Here I thought I was so brave just to put a copy of the Advocate on my mother’s sewing table and wait to see what she would do.”

Kerry had to laugh. “You know, I never thought of that trick. I should have ordered them both a subscription.”  She shook her head wistfully. “No, they would have had a little reprieve, but they pushed it, not me. They went looking for trouble, and they found it inside my briefcase.”  She gave Mayte a wry look. “Pictures of me and Dar I’d brought to show my sister. “

“Dios Mio.”

“Mm. I was so proud of her, I had to show someone, and Angie and I are very close.” Kerry rested her chin on her fist. “I had no idea what I was going to get into with that.”

“Kerry, can I ask you something?” Mayte inquired shyly.

“Sure.”

“If you could go back, and if you knew everything that you know what happened, right now, would you still tell them?”

Kerry was silent for a long moment, thinking seriously about that question. “You mean, if I had it to do all over again, would I trade my family for Dar?” She asked, glancing at Mayte. “If I had it to do all over again, I would not have made the same decision.”

Mayte’s eyes widened.

“I would have slapped my father in the face with those pictures the second I walked into that house.” Kerry went on, softly. “My problem was, Mayte, I wanted it both ways. I wanted my family to be there just the way I remembered them, and I wanted them to accept me with all the changes I’d made in my life. You can’t do that. You have to understand that when you make choices, you have to accept the consequences.”

“Like people making hating you?”

Kerry nodded sadly. “Yes.”

Mayte exhaled. “That’s scary.”

“It is.” Kerry said. “But what’s scarier to me, is the thought of what the consequences would have been to me if I’d decided to pass up getting involved with Dar because of what my family thought.” She regarded the cup in her hands thoughtfully. “It’s hard to think of it this way, but finding her was worth losing them.” Her eyes met the girl’s. “You won’t have to face that, Mayte.”

“I think mama’s a little shook up, but you’re right.” Mayte agreed. “She hugged me, and papa did, and they told me it would just take them some time to think about all of it.”

Kerry remembered her own parents reaction. Then she smiled at her assistant. “I know. She’s over talking to Dar about it. I can just imagine Dar’s face.” She grinned.

They both laughed. “Okay.” Mayte stood up. “Thank you for listening, Ms. Kerry…”

“Ah ah ah.” Kerry wagged a finger at her.

Mayte smiled. “Sorry, I forgot, Kerry.” She turned and walked back towards the door. “I am going downstairs, can I bring you back some cafecita?”

“Oh, you bet.” Kerry  sighed. “I still feel like I’ve been run over by a truck, even after a good night’s sleep.”  Well. She amended silently. Not entirely sleep. There had been a lot of hugging, snuggling, kissing and cuddling in there too. She waited for the door to close, then leaned back in her chair and exhaled, absorbing the warm, sunlit silence of her office. Slowly, she swiveled her seat around and gazed out through the plate glass windows at the ocean, a ruffled blue green blanket that stretched before her out to the horizon. There were several large ships chugging their stately way out of the cut, and she watched one idly. Then she turned back around and opened up her email program, propping her head against one fist as the screen filled with new messages.

It was good to be back, she decided, as she clicked on the first urgent one. It involved several accounts she’d been working on scheduling for consolidation last week. Her scheduling conflicted with half of Duks’s staff being out of the office for a training class on the new accounting package. Compromise or reschedule? Kerry checked the contracts, stapled inside folders in her active tray. Ah. Time limits on the consolidation. No reschedule.  She dialed a number.

“Accounting.” A low, gruff voice answered.

“Hi, Duks.” Kerry said. “I’m calling to ruffle your feathers.”

There was a moment’s silence. “Ah, Kerry.” Duks replied. “Good to have you back. Sorry to hear about your father.”

In that order, Kerry smiled to herself. “Thanks. I’m glad to be back.”

“Now, what was this about my feathers?”

Kerry pulled the contracts over. “Smathers and Pine, consolidations.”

“No no… everyone’s in class that week.”

“Can we do a partial?”

“With only half the staff here?”

“Contract’s got a time limit.”

“People have a work limit.”

“I’ll offer time and a half.”

There was a short silence. “Hm. Perhaps we could work out something.”

“Let me know, Duks. I’ll need five people at least.” Kerry pushed the folder back into it’s pile, knowing she’d get her way. “I’ll spring for dinner for them, too.”

“Are you cooking, then? I might be tempted if that is the case.” Duks chuckled.

“Flattery will only get you invitations, Duks. How about you and Mariana coming over next weekend for a barbeque?” Kerry offered. “I’ve got a new receipe for marinade I’ve been dying to try out.”

“Dar won’t eat barbeque?” Duk’s voice rose in utter astonishment.

“Oh, no, she will.” Kerry laughed. “But you have to use it on something like half a cow, and I don’t want her eating the whole thing herself.”

“Well, then, count us in.” Duks said. “And I will get you your martyrs to the accounting cause.”

“Later.” Kerry hung up and answered the urgent email, sending it on it’s way with the new amendements. “One down, eighty six to go. Next?”

Mayte entered, carrying a cup of coffee. “Kerry,  that creepy guy from IS is outside. He wants to speak to you.”

Creepy guy from IS. “That could be half the staff.” She mused. “You mean Brent?”  Mayte nodded. Kerry accepted the cup and took a sip of the sweet liquid, reminded abruptly that she hadn’t eaten anything yet due to her blood test.   With her other hand, she rummaged in her desk drawer and pulled out a granola bar, biting the end of the paper with her teeth and ripping the end off. “What does Brent want?”

“He didn’t say, just that he wanted to speak to you, and that he’d wait.” Mayte said. “Do you want me to tell him you’re busy?”

Yes. Kerry sighed inwardly, chewing on her snack. “No, I’ll see him.” She decided. “Might as well get it over with. Give me five minutes to get this down, then send him in.”

Mayte left, leaving Kerry to ingest her granola in peace. She thought about the blood test, and resigned herself to the phone call she knew she was going to get from Dr. Steve about the results. Hypoglycemia. She knew she had it, it was common in her family, and she was familiar enough with the symptoms to know them when she’d started feeling them herself.

And most of the time, they weren’t bad, she reasoned. If she kept the stress down, and remembered to get her snacks in, she usually didn’t have any problem at all. The past week, though, had knocked things a little out of kilter. The overwhelming stress of the situation with her family had kept her guts in knots, and she’d barely eaten anything other than what Dar had coaxed into her for the past few days. Not a good combination, she acknowledged wryly.

Oh well. She was home now, and she could get back to her regular routine, and that should take care of it in short order. She hadn’t had any symptoms at all for months before now, and she was convinced they’d soon fade as things got back to normal.

Right?

She finished her granola bar, and as if to prove her point, felt much better. She pressed her intercom button. “Mayte? I’m free now.”

The door opened a few moments later, and Brent entered, closing it behind him. He crossed the floor and sat down in one of her extra chairs. They regarded each other.

Finally, Kerry spoke. “What can I do for you, Brent?” She asked very quietly.

He shifted, then eyed her furtively. “Got something you should know.” Brent answered. “Now I can finally tell you about it.”

Oh boy. Kerry braced herself. This should be a good one.

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

Dar remained seated, leaning back in her chair as she fingered the smooth woodgrain pen Kerry had given her in her uninjured hand. The door opened, and first the security guard, a young girl with ash blond hair and a very no nonsense attitude entered, holding the door open and watching as Jeff Ainsbright walked past her.

“Thanks, Julie.” Dar met the guard’s eyes, and allowed her lips to twitch into a wry grin.

“If you need anything, ma’am, you let me know.” Julie replied, giving Ainsbright a dour look.

“I will.” Dar promised gravely, as the door closed and she was left alone with Jeff.  She waited for him to walk closer, studying him in silence before she spoke. “What can I do for you?”

He sat down without a word and rested his elbows on his knees, gazing at her from beneath thick, grizzled eyebrows. “Know what my problem was?” He asked, almost conversationally. “I figured I could treat you like some gangly young kid who used to be a friend of mine.”

Dar’s face didn’t even twitch. She merely raised an eyebrow.

“But that’s not what you are.”

‘That’s never who I was.” Dar replied. “And don’t kid yourself. You got cut slack because you are who you are, Jeff. I didn’t want to take down an old friend of my fathers. He doesn’t have that many.”

Ainsbright regarded her thoughtfully.

“Did you really think Gerry sent me there because he heard rumors of the crap that was going on?” Dar leaned forward, leaning her own arms on the desk carefully. “He hadn’t a clue. He wanted me to clean up his fitness stats, and get him an appropriations for a billion in new computer hardware for the Navy.”  She shook her head. “Not uncover another damn scandal.”

Jeff sighed, and shook his head. “I should have just sat you down and leveled with you. That was a major class fuck up and it’s right in my lap.” He looked down at his clasped hands, then up at Dar. “So now what, Dar? You know they’re not going to let you release that data.”

Dar smiled, which seemed to scare Jeff. “Of course I know that.” She answered. “But that’s between Gerry and I.”

Ainsbright exhaled. “Figured you would say that.”

Dar shrugged her good shoulder. “What else did you expect? You’re right, Jeff.  You should have leveled with me, instead of throwing your son at a problem way out of his depth and dumping staff in front of me the likes of which I usually have for lunch on a good day here.”

Jeff just looked at her.  “Chuck wasn’t a part of this.” He finally said. “Yeah, I used him cause he was a convenient roadblock, but he didn’t know what the hell was up. He was just after you.”

Dar lifted an eyebrow again.

“No bullshit.” Jeff shook his head. “You can take it or leave it, Dar, but that kid was stuck on you for the longest time, and I don’t mind admitting I used that to my advantage. But don’t blame the kid.”

Dar wondered if Jeff was telling the truth, or merely attempting to protect his son. Did it even really matter? “What’s your point, Jeff? I wasn’t the one who decided to go postal, remember? He made his choice, and now he’s gotta live with it, just like the rest of us do.” She cocked her head. “If I was half the bitch you think I am, I’d have filed charges against his ass for that baseball bat, and watched Metro cart him off to Dade Correctional.”

Jeff’s eyes flicked to the sling Dar’s arm rested in. “He got hurt too.”

Dar had to laugh. “Yeah, but I doubt they’d have booked me with assault with a deadly hiking boot.”  She shook her head.  “I’m sorry he couldn’t accept the truth.” A pause. “I’m sorry you couldn’t accept it, and I’m sorry I had to be the one to find out what a bunch of scum bags you people are.”

Ainsbright stiffened.

“Scum bags.” Dar repeated, holding his eyes. “Petty larceny.. I could deal with that. I see it all the time. Money I could care less about, but drugs suck.” Her voice dropped. “Helping people to poison kids sucks. You suck, Jeff.”

“You always had that bug up your ass.” Ainsbright replied. “I shoulda remembered that.” He stood up. “Goodbye, Dar.”

He turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. Dar watched the empty space with hooded eyes. Then she got up and walked over to the window, staring out over the waves as she let her heartbeat settle, and the memories Jeff stirred up to dissipate again.

“Jackass.” Dar turned and went to her desk, punching a number into her speakerphone. “Julie?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The security guard answered instantly. “Is everything all right?”

“Commander Ainsbright just left my office. Make sure he leaves the building.” Dar stated. “I’m not picky which floor he leaves off of.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Julie replied crisply, and ended the call.

Dar barely had a chance to take a deep breath before Maria called in on the intercom. “Yes?”

“Dar, I have Mr. Alastair on line uno.”

“Okay.” Dar sat down and hit the button. “Yes, Alastair?”

“Dar!” Her bosses voice vibrated the intercom. “How are you?”

Dar scrubbed her face with her good hand. “I’ve been better, Alastair. How are you?” She rested her chin on her fist. “Thank you for the basket you sent up for the funeral.”

“Pshaw. Least I could do, Dar. I almost made it out there for the service, except the damn airport got shut down here for weather. I heard you didn’t make it yourselves.”

Dar blinked. “It was a nice thought. Thanks. No, we didn’t go to the service itself. We’d had enough by then.”  She said. “Not a good week.”

“Eh.” Alastair verbally waggled his hand back and forth. “Companywise, it wasn’t too darn bad. I announced the new government contract at the board meeting yesterday while you were flying back to Miami. Let’s just say my tenure, and yours, is pretty much a sure thing at this point.”

“Mmph.”  Surprisingly, Dar found herself not really caring. “Glad they got their shorts wet over it.” She remarked. “We’re going to need to realign the budgets for this, you realize.”

Alastair chuckled. “I knew that was coming  Sure, I realized it. Looks good for us, though. After the big contract last quarter, now this one… though, to be sure, Paladar, I’d have given this up not to have had you go through the crap you did to get it.”

“Really?” Dar experienced a warm and fuzzy moment. “Alastair, you’re going to ruin your hard as nails business reputation if you let that kind of stuff get around.”  But she couldn’t deny the fact that she appreciated the sentiment, because it said more about how her boss felt about her as a person than anything else. “Fact is, I’d have given it up myself. Nailing the Navy wasn’t on my agenda this year.”

“Who are you going to put on that project?” Alastair asked curiously. “I’d hate to see you tie yourself down to it, though you’d have the best knowledge set to do it with.”

A quirk of Dar’s lips. “I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll be sending a special analyst down with them. Don’t worry, Alastair. It’ll end up being ship shape when we’re done.” She paused a moment. “Did you need something, or was this just a social call?”

“Social call.” The CEO told her cheerfully. “Glad to have you back in the office, and I wanted to find out how you were feeling… how’s the arm?”

Dar sighed audibly. “Hurts like hell.” She admitted. “I may have to take a few days off if they decide they have to do something to it.”

“Mm.” Alastair murmured. “How’s Kerry doing? That reception looked like hell.” He commented. “Saw you and your daddy, though, so I figured she had quite the cavalry nearby.”

How was Kerry doing? Dar’s brow creased, as she remembered the almost desperate hold Kerry had kept on her the entire night, and how little she knew her lover had slept.  “It was tough.” She admitted. “She’ll be okay, though.”

“Right, well, give her my regards, willya? I just tried to call through to her office, but she’s in  a meeting.” Alastair said. “Talk to you later, Dar.”

Dar gazed quietly at her desktop for a few moments, absorbing the silence of her office. Then she got up and paced back and forth in front of the window, before she finally gave in and headed for the small door that lead down the hall to Kerry’s office.

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

Tropical High

Part 13

Kerry folded her hands on her desk, and regarded Brent with a sense of surreal disbelief. "You were working for my father?" She asked carefully. "Here?"

Brent nodded, his expressionless face still and reflective. "I was hired to come in here and keep watch on you, bust up your place here if I could." He said. "Paid me pretty good, always wanted more information than I could get, though."

Several options occurred to Kerry, most of which she regretfully dismissed in deference to personnel policies that frowned on employeecide. "Why tell me now?" She asked, keeping her voice even with an effort.

Brent shrugged. "I don't know." He admitted. "I just figured you should know about it, that's all." His hands twisted against each other. "I've been thinking about the whole thing for a few weeks, and I was fixing to tell you anyhow."

Kerry propped her chin on her fist. "Why?"

He looked up, his pale eyes meeting hers. "Wasn't right." Brent replied. "At first, I just thought he was just keeping an eye on you, y'know? But he started asking for real personal stuff, and started pushing me to do stuff I didn't like."

"Like what?" Kerry asked.

Another shrug. "Doesn't matter now."

"Like spreading rumors about me and some tall, dark haired guy here in the office?"

Brent studied his shoes.

"How much did you get paid for that one?" Kerry asked, her tone sharpening. "Do you know what I would have done to you if Andy had found out people were saying that?"

The pale eyes lifted uneasily. "Didn't know." Brent said. "I just figured you did what everyone else does, you know?"

Kerry exhaled. That was, she had to acknowledge, true enough. She had only to spend a few minutes in the lunchroom and listen to the gossip of the day to know that. "Well I don't." She told him. "But I don't know why I should be mad at you, either. You were just doing what some old bastard paid you to do."

Brent's head popped up and he looked at her, obviously startled.

"Why did you come with us to the Navy base?" Kerry asked, getting up and walking around her desk. Brent leaned back in his chair uneasily as she approached. "Another spy mission? Maybe you were the one who was responsible for those bastards coming after us. Maybe you were the one who put us all in danger."

"N..no." Brent's eyes widened. "No, no way. Not me." He held his hands up, palms out. "I was scared out my ass out there, no fooling."

Kerry's eyes narrowed, and she moved closer, then realized Brent was actually cringing back from her.

From her. Kerry's sense of self almost whiplashed back onto itself. The little wiener was actually scared, physically scared, of her.

Her. Kerry Stuart. It was almost funny, and it distracted her enough to make her back off, and perch on the edge of her desk, arms folded over her chest as she regarded her victim. "Then why did you go?"

Brent stared down at his shoes. "I wanted to see what the hell she was going to do." He finally said, grudgingly.

"Who?" Kerry's brow creased. "You mean , Dar?"

He nodded.

Kerry rubbed her temples. "I don't understand you."

"S'allright. I don't understand you much, Ms. Stuart." Brent replied stolidly. "I don't understand how someone as normal looking as you could be doing what you do. It's not right."

Kerry looked down at the carpet, counting to ten silently under her breath. "Brent." She said, when she finished. "Get the fuck out of my office before I throw you out." The sentence came out in one long burst. "I'm not going to fire you only because I don't have any legal grounds to, but if you know what's good for you, you'll find a job somewhere else, quickly."

And he got up and left, never turning around to look at her, just going through the door and closing it behind him and leaving silence in his wake. Kerry felt like she was short of breath, so she slowly circled her desk and sat down, pressing the heels of her hands into her head as shivers made their way through her body.

She heard the inner door open, and knew without looking who entered, as the footsteps quickened towards her.

"Ker?"

Dar's hand on her back felt very warm. She lifted her head off her hands and turned it, opening her eyes to see Dar's very concerned visage not far from her nose. "Hi."

"You okay?" Dar actually knelt at her side, somehow managing to remain balanced and graceful despite her skirt and heels and the sling on her arm. "Ker?"

Kerry studied Dar's face seriously. "Dar, you know something?"

"What?" Her lover touched an anxious hand to her forehead.

"Life really sucks sometimes." Kerry exhaled weightily. "That little puissant bastard Brent was spying for my father."

Both of Dar's eyebrows jerked straight up and her blue eyes opened very wide. "What??" Abruptly she jerked to her feet and reached for the phone. "That slimy piece of..."

"Buh buh buh..." Kerry grabbed the long fingers groping for her buttons. "Whoa... whoa... hang on.. hang on... "

"No I will not hang on. I'm going to call Mark and have him shoved into a mainframe multidisc packing box and tossed down the garbage chute." Dar growled fiercely, wrenching her hand free and scrabbling for the phone. "Hell, I'll do it myself..."

"Dar!" Kerry almost tackled her, wrapping her arms around Dar's restlessly moving body and physically holding her still. It was like trying to hold a racehorse in one place and she felt herself almost lifted off the ground as she hung on. "Honey, now stop, okay? I already told him to find employment elsewhere."

"I don't want him to find another job. I want him to find another plane of existence." Her boss snarled. "Spying for your father? Squealing on you on MY payroll? Like hell. I want him out of this damn building by the time I get.. "

"HEY!" Kerry hollered the word at the top of her voice. Surprisingly, that worked, bringing both the motion and the vocal ramblings to a halt. Now, only Dar's nostrils flared, in time with the restless twitching of the muscles in her face. "Easy." She gently rubbed Dar's stomach through the silk of her shirt, feeling the surface moving in quick, short jerks. "Easy, there tiger."

Dar let out a hissing breath. "Sorry." She bit off the word, as the red faded from her vision and the scarily savage temper tantrum eased, leaving her shaking a bit. "Wow. How was that for over the top, eh?"

"I think we're both a little overstressed." Kerry said, in a quiet voice. "Are you all right?" She knew the answer, though, as the body wrapped in her arms relaxed, and Dar's breathing slowed and steadied. "That's better... whew. This is not a good way to start the week, sweetheart."

"Mm." Dar grunted in agreement. "Okay, so you took care of him, right?"

"Right." Kerry kept up her slow stroking of Dar's body. "Now, why are you all charged up?"

"I just threw Jeff Ainsbright out of my office." Dar told her. "And I have a marketing meeting in twenty minutes with Eleanor and Jose." A paused. "And my arm hurts." She muttered, as almost an afterthought.

Kerry straightened Dar's sling with careful fingers. "Okay. So it's a sucky day. How about we go share some nice herbal tea before your meeting, and make a date for a candelight dinner under the stars in our swing later on?"

"Hmm." Dar hummed in approval. "All right. I like that plan. Let's implement it." She backed off and let Kerry move out from behind her desk, then followed her to the office door.

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

"Whew." Kerry took the small towel and wiped the sweat off her face as she ambled over to watch Dar peacefully doing sit ups. Her lover was using the roman chair, hooking her ankles under the padded bars and extending her body backwards over open air. Kerry only just resisted the urge to stroke the exposed, muscular thighs or give Dar's glistening abs a tickle.

"Finish your circuit?" Dar asked, not pausing her even motion. She was holding her injured arm in place with her good hand.

"Mmhm." Kerry nodded. "Can't you tell from the steam coming off me?" She held her arms out, glancing down at her drenched form with a wry grin. "Feels good, though. I worked off some of my frustration on the leg press."

Dar regarded her fondly, noting the more relaxed expression on Kerry's face. She pulled herself upright and unhooked her ankles, then stood up and stretched her body out, appreciating the minor ache of well used muscles. Not being able to use her arm was annoying, but she'd found enough things to do that didn't require the limb to allow her some satisfaction with the night's workout.

And god, she'd needed it. The two meetings she'd had that afternoon had left her tied in knots of frustration, and for the first time in a while she'd found herself really looking forward to burning off some of the twitchy energy in the clean confines of the island's gym.

Not that she really minded exercising - she didn't. But she did it out of a sense of personal responsibility, and the knowledge that somewhere down the line, she'd have to pay for it if she didn't. Kerry's presence had made the task enjoyable, in fact, but Dar had never been one of those people who eagerly joined the gym crowd and got carried along with the recent trend to fitness.

She liked being strong, though. She liked the sense of presence and power she knew she projected and the fact that she knew she could take care of herself, and Kerry too if she needed to. It felt good. Dar regarded the gym thoughtfully. Now if she could only get this damn shoulder fixed. "Feel like a swim?" She indicated the indoor, heated pool.

"Sure." Kerry agreed. She followed Dar towards the changing room, exchanging pleasant nods with the few other residents who chose to take advantage of the gym. Two of them she knew casually, from mutual trips to the island's market and other various meetings. One of the other men, a tall, red haired guy about her age had persistently tried to get her to go out until Kerry kindly sat him down one day and explained that her dark haired, good looking workout partner wasn't actually the sister he assumed her to be.

Then he'd asked both of them out.

Kinky. Kerry shook her head as she unlocked the cedar wood locker she and Dar shared, and removed her swimsuit from it's hook next to her lover's. "Want some help with that sling?"

"Yeah." Dar unwrapped the terrycloth weighted wrist wraps from her arms and tucked them inside the locker, then ducked her head as Kerry unfastened her sling and gently removed it. Slowly, she allowed her arm to straighten, lowering it to her side and flexing the muscles carefully. "Eh."

"How is it?" Kerry eased the cutoff sleeveless shirt over Dar's head and peered at the skin around her shoulder. The bruising had faded some, going from livid dark blue and purple to a more moderate dull ochre. "Hm.. you know, that looks better. Did Dr. Steve call you about the xrays?"

Dar nodded. "Yeah." She folded her shirt and put it in the bag they kept for laundry. "He said it was really hard to tell if there was more damage or not, that'd have to wait for the MRI." She shucked off her gym shorts and unhooked her suit. "Give me a hand?"

"Well." Kerry obligingly assisted in putting her lover's suit on. "I'd rather take off your clothing than put it on, but you look good in red, so I won't complain." She gave the shoulder strap of the simple but bold one piece a snap, then busied herself putting on her own swimsuit.

She felt Dar's fingers untangle her hair from her suit strap as she adjusted it, and she turned her head to see the fond gaze looking back at her. "What?"

"So, you going to tell me what Dr. Steve had to say to you?" Dar inquired, with a faint smile. She handed Kerry her towel as they closed the locker and made their way towards the glassed in pool, opening the door to a blast of chlorinated air.

Kerry sighed. "Nothing I didn't expect to hear." She evaded the question, mildly chagrined at the chastising she'd taken from the kindly Dr. Steve. "I told you my family's prone to low blood sugar."

"Uh huh." Dar hung her towel on the towel rack and plunged stolidly down the steps into the water, moving through it as though she fully expected it to part before her. "And?"

Kerry dove into the deep end, using the excuse of being eight feet under water to give her a chance to compose her answer before she surfaced and shook the wet hair out of her eyes. "And?" She swam over to where Dar was relaxing against the wall. "And I have to watch what I eat and when I eat it, and not let stress wear me out." She shrugged, glancing up to see Dar's steady, blue gaze resting evenly on her face.

One eye brow lifted, just slightly.

Fishturds. Kerry exhaled. "More than it already has." She leaned against the wall next to Dar. "I have a little problem with my blood pressure, too."

"Yeah, I know." Dar remarked mildly. "He called me first."

Kerry put her hands on her hips and turned, staring at her in mild outrage. "What?" She blurted. "What happened to patient confidentiality?"

Dar's lips twitched into a small grin. "He also asked me to see if I could get you to stop calling every hour to check on my xrays."

Kerry had taken an indignant breath to continue her mock tirade, and this just made her let it out, a blush covering her face. "Well. I was worried." She muttered, folding her arms across her chest and resuming her slump against the wall.

"Don't be mad at him." Dar bumped her with a shoulder. "He always treats his married patients like that. Figures they come as a package deal."

Sea green eyes flicked to Dar's face. "Well, we sort of agreed I had a reason to be so stressed this week. He wants me to come back next month for more tests. Then if things still look icky, we'll have to talk about drugs or whatever."Kerry splashed the water a little. "So I need to get back to my regular routine life, because damn it, Dar, I'm too young to start taking half a dozen pills a day."

"Right." Dar agreed. "Even if I have to fire you."

Kerry gave her a startled look. "What?"

"You heard me." Her lover replied. "If you think for one second I'm going to stand by and let ILS make you sick, you're crazy, Kerry. I'll fire you first, and then I'll quit, and we can go cruising in the Carribbean for six months together."

Oo. Kerry could almost taste the pina colada. "But I like work." She said. "So do you."

Dar eased in front of her and gave her a serious look. "I like the idea of cutting loose and living life with you more." She replied honestly. "I mean it, Ker. We've been talking about running our own business from a laptop on the bow of the boat, I'm ready for it, if that's what you want to do."

Wow. Kerry slowly let her breath out, ruffling the surface of the water as she thought about the idea. "I'm going to have to take a while and think about this, Dar." She said quietly. "That's a big decision."

"Uh huh." Privately, Dar didn't really consider it to be a very big decision at all, but she did understand that Kerry, newly promoted and newly minted in her career, might feel very differently than Dar, who'd spent the better part of fifteen years in the whirlwind they worked inside. "Just an option." She added lightly, leaning over and kissing Kerry on the nose. "Did you say we had a surprise for dinner?"

Kerry set the new thoughts aside for later reflection, and concentrated on the here and now. "Yes." She grinned at Dar. "Something very simple, yet very, very decadent."

"Oh really?" Dar grinned back. "Color me intrigued."

The stars twinkled overhead in a crisp black sky, as a night breeze cooled by a touch of winter blew over the porch. The promised candles were certainly there, hooded from the breeze but letting off the warm smell of scented wax.

Dar and Kerry were seated in their swing chair together, a large bowl between them and a bottle on the table nearby. "You're right." Dar sighed in utter contentment, selecting another piece of their dinner and dipping it into melted butter. "Very simple." She sucked the meat off the bit of stone crab claw. "And very, very decadent."

"Mm." Kerry agreed, taking a sip from her glass of champagne, and offering Dar some. "Two pounds of stone crabs, and a bottle of bubbly. Can't get any simpler than that." She worried a piece of crab off for herself, and dipped it first into the butter, then into the spicy cocktail sauce before she popped it into her mouth and chewed appreciatively.

"You forgot to mention the flan over there for dessert." Dar sipped the champagne, feeling the pleasant bite of the drink slide down her throat and clear the rich taste of the crab from it. She held out the glass and Kerry obligingly refilled it, emptying the bottle in the process. "Oh oh.. did we finish the whole damn thing?"

"Yes." Kerry put the bottle down and went back to her shell cracker, feeling a definite buzz. "Got another bottle on ice too." Being just a little drunk felt much better than she'd expected, diffusing the lingering anxiety and allowing her to relax fully against Dar's warm body.

She found a piece of stone crab brushing her lips, covered in butter and she accepted it, sucking the messy sauce off her lips and Dar's fingers, as a low chuckle rumbled through her. The next piece was presented between Dar's teeth, and she shared it willingly, tasting the spices and lingering as Dar showed no desire to move.

Kerry circled Dar's neck with one arm and pulled her closer, deepening her kiss as she felt Dar's touch lightly against the skin of her face. They spent a few moments indulging in each other, then parted, trading knowing, darkened gazes. "You know something?" Kerry finally murmured, hearing the husky note in her voice that made her blush slightly.

"I know a few things." Dar purred. "One of which is that I intend on dipping every square inch of your body into that butter sauce and licking it off."

Kerry turned an appealing shade of crimson. "Oh lord, that wasn't what I expected you to say." She covered her face with one hand.

They both started laughing. "That's what you get for pouring a half bottle of champagne down my throat." Dar admitted, leaning her head against Kerry's and snickering. "You should try that at office parties... boy, would I ever be the life of them then."

Kerry burst into a helpless giggling.

"Picture me saying that to Jose." Dar rambled on. "He'd probably keel over and end up with his head in the punch bowl."

Kerry almost snorted the sip of champagne she'd taken out her nose. She put the glass down and just laughed and laughed, finally winding down to a trickle of chuckles. "You know, I needed that."

"Mm." Dar had her eyes closed, and she was nuzzling Kerry's neck. "Me too. C'mere."

"Gladly." Kerry set their shared bowl down on the table and moved fully into Dar's embrace, letting the swing wind them closer together and abandoning herself to the surge of sensual passion that fairly swamped her senses.

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

A gray stripe of dawn crept it's way across the boldly colored comforter draped over the two intertwined bodies in the center of the bed. It peeked over the edge of a long, tanned arm and skittered across a bare, paler shoulder, slinking through rich golden blond hair before it came up short in a deep blue reflection that greeted it.

Dar blinked sleepily at the intruder laying it's impudent finger across Kerry's cheek. Damn blinds. She peered resentfully at the window, identifying the twisted bit of aluminum that was not doing it's job and permitting the stripe access. It was, she fully recognized, time for them to get up, but that thought didn't prod her to stir an inch from her comfortable nest there in the middle of the waterbed, with Kerry's deeply asleep body draped over her. She decided it was much nicer to simply lay still and watch her lover doze, her face and form completely relaxed. Kerry's arm was lying over Dar's stomach, and Dar lifted her hand and folded her fingers over Kerry's, smiling a little as the blond woman's grip tightened instinctively even in sleep.

Kerry could use a few more minutes, Dar decided, studying the still visible lines of strain that creased her lover's expressive face and shadowed her eyes. Hell. She decided, remembering Dr. Steve's concern the day before, to remain snuggled in bed until Kerry woke naturally, regardless of the busy schedule the both had planned for the day.

Dar, the doctor had told her, if I had the pressure readings she did today, they'd have put me in Jackson. The voice echoed in her subconscious, making Dar's brow furrow. Could she just force Kerry to take time off? Sure, she could, but Dar wasn't sure it was a good idea, much less something she could get away with.

Ironic. All those arguments with her mother about allowing her father to make his own choices in life, when it came to his health, and life. Dar had to grimace a little in self acknowledgement. Boy, does love change things, or what? She felt Kerry take a slightly deeper breath and stir, nestling closer with a soft murmur of contentment. An intense, fierce urge to protect her lover fought viciously against the knowledge she had that Kerry was an adult woman, intelligent, competent, and fully capable of making her own decisions about herself, her life, and her future.

Rats. Dar scowled at the ceiling. Rats, rats, cats and fruit bats.

"Honey?" Kerry's sleepy drawl interrupted her.

"Mm?" Dar cocked her head and regarded her adorable blanket.

"Why are you growling?" Kerry inquired.

Dar sighed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up." She forced herself to relax. "Go on back to sleep."

A green iris appeared, peeking up at her over the curve of her breast. "And be late for work?" Kerry inquired. "What will I tell my boss?" She squeezed Dar's fingers lightly. "I could get in a lot of trouble for this."

Dar's face creased into a grin, making her eyes twinkle. "Tell your boss to kiss your ass."

Kerry started laughing softly. "She'd enjoy it."

"Shall we test that theory?" Dar started to sit up, carrying Kerry with her, and started laughing as the blond woman scrambled to pin her back down, carefully handling her injured shoulder.

"Ah ah ah!!!" Kerry managed to gain the upper hand, mostly by simply sitting on Dar's abdomen and pinning her upper arms down.

"Mm." Dar enjoyed the view of her lover's naked body. "On second thought, I can think of other places to kiss."

"Oh, you can, can you?" Kerry glanced down. "Well, so can I, now that you mention it." She licked her lips, then almost jumped as a cold nose touched her arm "Yahh!"

"Growf." Chino wagged her tail gently.

Kerry ruffled the dog's fur and sighed. "Guess it is time to get up, huh?"

Dar studied her face for a moment. "Nope." She tensed her muscles and heaved, rolling onto her side and tossing a shocked Kerry off her and back into the mess of covers. Then she pounced on top of her, rolling her up in a tangle of arms and legs and comforter. "Gotcha."

Kerry reviewed her prison, and decided she very much liked it. She snuggled deeper into Dar's embrace with a little grunt of pleasure, and exhaled, allowing the scent of clean laundry and Dar's skin surround her. It felt so nice and safe here. She knew nothing could get at her, and no one could hurt her, here in this place that was hers, and hers alone. She felt Dar start to gently rub the back of her neck and her eyes fluttered closed as she responded to the familiar touch. "You got me, all right." She mumbled into Dar's skin. "How'd I get so lucky?"

The touch stroked her cheek, then, unexpectedly, a low, vibrant voice surrounded her in gentle melody, singing the song Dar had sung at their wedding ceremony. Kerry held her breath in delight, listening to every note with a sense of wonder until the voice faded out on the last one, the faintest echo trailing after it.

"Oh." Kerry laid her head on Dar's belly, and gazed up at her in total adoration. "That's so beautiful."

Dar blushed slightly, and shrugged a bit. "It was supposed to make you go back to sleep." She scowled engagingly.

"Hm." Kerry obediently closed her eyes. "Maybe if you sing it again?"

And sure enough, Kerry felt the sweet music lift her up and take her away, coaxing her back into slumber with very little effort.

Dar felt Kerry's body slump against hers and she finished her song, idly playing with a lock of pale hair as she bemusedly considered her decent into utter mushdom. She turned her head and glanced at Chino, who was resting her muzzle on the waterbed's bolster, giving her a soulful look. "What do you think, have I turned into a softie?"

Chino's tail wagged, and she licked Dar's arm affectionately.

"Yeah? I sure have, huh?" Dar stroked the dog's head with one hand, and returned Kerry's clasp with the other. "Is that because I love my family, Chino? You and Kerry? Are you my family?"

Chino hopped up onto the bed and settled down next to Dar, rocking the surface of the water bed as she snuggled up against Dar's left side.

"I guess that's a yes." Dar reviewed her adorable blond clan, with a feeling of quiet satisfaction. "My family." She repeated. "Y'know, I think I like that."

Peace settled over the room, as the dawn light spread into the rosy glow of sunrise. Chino sighed. Kerry mumbled something in her sleep.

"Maybe I'll take up knitting." Dar addressed the air seriously. Then she yelped as a very sensitive part of her anatomy was gently, but firmly gripped in neat, white teeth and nibbled. "Yow!"

Chino's head popped up in alarm. Kerry chuckled, and settled back down to nap. "Knit that, granny." She burred. "Your family loves you too."

"Hey Ker." Colleen stuck her head inside Kerry's office, spotting her target entrenched behind her desk and monitor.

"Hey." Kerry looked up in surprise. "What brings you here?"

Colleen took this as permission to enter, and she did, crossing the floor and seating herself opposite Kerry. She was dressed in a well tailored business suit, and looked somewhat more formal than Kerry was used to seeing her. "A job interview."

Kerry's jaw almost dropped. "What?"

Her friend grinned. "You heard me. You guys were advertising for a payables manager, so.." She lifted both hands. "Here I am to apply."

"B... when's your interview? Who are you interviewing with, Lou Draefus?"Kerry spluttered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just had it." Colleen advised her, with a smile. "And I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to put a fix in for me, which I figured you could."

Kerry just looked at her. "I wouldn't have had to. You're more than qualified, Col."

Colleen nodded. "I know - so were you." She exchanged wry looks with Kerry. "Don't be mad. I really just decided to do it at the last minute a few days ago, when you were out of town. Call me impulsive."

"I didn't think you wanted to work for us." Kerry leaned back, trying to absorb the news. "But I'm glad you applied...how did it go?"

Colleen's eyes twinkled. "I start two weeks from yesterday."

Kerry laughed. "You wench! Get out of here!" She was glad, though. Life had been so hectic the last few months, she'd lost touch with Colleen, and found herself missing her friend's cheerful Irish good nature. "That's great, Col. At least we'll get to see each other now."

"I was thinking the same thing." Colleen agreed. "Matter of fact, you up for lunch, or do they feed you under the door in this mausoleum?" She teased.

Lunch. Kerry glanced at her PC's clock. "Ah.. it is that time of the day, isn't it? I was waiting for Dar to get back from her client briefing. Hang on." Kerry popped a message box up and typed into it, then hit send. Moments later an answer came back. "Ouch. Dar's stuck on an overseas conference call." A few more keystrokes, then Kerry stood up and pulled her jacket from it's perch on her chair and slipped it on. "C'mon, let's go down. She'll join us if she finishes up."

They left Kerry's office and walked down the hallway to the elevators. Mark joined them a moment later, pulling the sleeves down on his coat. "Hey, Kerry."

"Hey. We're headed down to lunch.. you going?" Kerry greeted him cordially. "What's up?"

Mark gave her a wry look. "Brent resigned."

"Ah." Kerry felt a vindictively sharp sense of satisfaction. She had no intention of letting anyone else know of Brent's second job, though she figured Mark suspected something had gone on between them, but she couldn't keep a grim smile from crossing her face.

They entered the elevator and let the doors close. "So." Mark cleared his throat. "How are ya, Colleen? Long time no see."

Colleen glanced at Kerry, then nodded. "That's about to change. They just hired me on here, in accounting." She told Mark. "I finally succumbed and was assmiliated."

Mark chuckled. "Yeah? Cool. Wait, we can stop on ten and get you your implants." He glanced down at the carpet, then looked furtively at Kerry."How's the boss doing? Arm any better?"

"A little, yeah." Kerry was glad to shift the subject. "I have to take her over to get an MRI after work, and she was griping about that, which in a way is good because it means she's feeling better." She told them, as the doors opened on the bottom floor.

They joined a crowd moving towards the café, and Kerry found herself relaxing and looking forward to the lunchtime talk with her companions. It had been a good morning, and she'd been very pleased with the status reports at her operations meeting. Her projects were on schedule, and the two tough issues she'd been struggling over before she'd left for Michigan had cleared, almost like magic.

Things were good. Kerry paused, waiting for her food to be handed over the counter to her, and glanced around the large room, exchanging smiles with several people and returning a wave from Mariana.

Yeah. Kerry thanked the server for her arroz con pollo and tostones and put it on her tray, then selected a bottle of cranberry juice and joined Mark at the register. "We need to have a side meeting about the resources for Dar's project X." She reminded the MIS Director. "I want to have those budget projections ready by next week."

"You got it." Mark grinned at her. "Hey. Glad you're back." He picked up his tray and went in search of a table for them.

"This place isn't half bad." Colleen complimented her, setting down her tray of pepper steak over rice. "One heck of a lot better than the bank, I"ll say that."

"Sure." Kerry paid for both of their lunches in one smooth swipe of her credit card. "Dar eats here. One thing she will not put up with is bad food." She lead Colleen over to the table Mark had staked out and set her tray down, then slid into a seat.

"Hey, did you hear about that hacker attack on Microsoft's website?" Mark asked, taking up a forkful of rice.

"Another one?" Kerry had to chuckle. "No, tell me about it."

Dar listened to the argument coming through her speaker phone, idly surfing as she sifted through the various viewpoints of the international operations group.Unlike her domestic division, the international entities were used to local self control, and generally resisted attempts to change their ways coming from her office.

Or, Dar clicked over to Yahoo.com and browsed the banner ads, at least they did initially. Her first couple of meetings with them as CIO hadn't been pretty, and two international managers had resigned in a huff, only to recind their resignation several days later when Dar didn't immediately fly overseas to plead with them not to.

Oo. Dar clicked on a link to Godiva chocolate. Holiday specials. I like holiday specials. "No." She glanced at the phone and interjected for the first time in several minutes. "We're not investing in that much infrastructure if we have to bring it in from here. Find local suppliers."

"But Dar, I tell you it's not possible." The expected protest replied. "Everything's in very short supply here! It will cost us a fortune!"

"Shipping and customs from here will cost me a fortune." Dar retorted. "We've got contracts that stipulate we provision locally, and you know it, so get off your ass and go find the stuff."

There was a moment's silence on the line, and she returned her attention and clicked through the website. "Mm." She spotted a box of truffles she suspected Kerry would die for, and put them in her electronic shopping cart.Then she clicked over to a site which featured high tech desk toys, and browsed the stress relief section. "Well?" She barked at the phone.

"I'll see what I can do." The resigned answer came back.

"Dar." Another voice interjected. "We've been told we're subject to power outages for the next month."

Click, click. Dar ordered two more items. "Yeah?" She threw the word out. "And?"

A pause. "We'll have to shut down."

Dar glanced at the phone. "No you don't." She scowled. "Crank your generators up, David. What the hell do you think they're there for?"

"Well, we can't." David Elsmere admitted. "The big one's out of commission, and we're on a waiting list for the replacement parts."

Dar leaned forward, getting closer to the phone and deepening her voice. "And you waited until now to tell me this why, exactly?"

David paused awkwardly. "I thought the parts would get here."

A silent curse. "Send me a list." Dar growled.

"I thought we could not import things!" The first voice interrupted. "Is that not what you said, Dar?"

Dar felt her lip twitch into a snarl and she opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to ten, picturing Kerry's face as she did so. Then she exhaled and opened her eyes. "You can send me a list too, Pierre." She replied in a pleasant tone. "As long as you don't mind me taking the handling fees out of your salary to send you what you need."

A grumpy silence followed. "Now, if you all are done whining, I've got another meeting to go to." Dar concluded. She listened to the grumbling assents, then released the line. "Yeah, yeah yeah." She sighed, and shook her head, finalizing her order online and sending it on it's way. Chocolates and a little Catbert and Ratbert stress beanbags, with a wall Velcro target would make a nice surprise present for Kerry, she decided, pleased with her choices.

"Okay. That's done." Dar reviewed her inbox, searching for a few more sticky issues Kerry was involved in that she could clear for her behind the scenes, and found none. "Guess that means lunch." She closed her mail program out and stood up, stretching her body out and flexing her hands. Her shoulder twinged a little, but not nearly as badly as it had a few days prior, and she found herself hoping she'd get away with little more than another prescription for therapy after her test later on.

Maybe she'd get really lucky, and something huge would break, making it necessary for her to cancel the appointment without getting scolded by Kerry.

Dar nibbled the inside of her lip as she headed for her office door.

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

"Lie down, please."

Dar exhaled in resignation, and did as she was asked, wincing as the cold table impacted the bare skin on her back. She watched unhappily as the technician arranged machinery over her and wished fervently she was elsewhere.

"Hey." Kerry appeared and leaned on the table, taking her hand and squeezing it. "This won't take long."

"It's already taking too long." Dar griped.

"Hm." Kerry leaned closer. "Okay, suppose I take your mind off it by asking you what the hell you thought you were doing getting involved in my projects?"

The distraction worked quite thoroughly. Dar turned her head away from the tech, and focused her attention completely on Kerry. "I was exercising my perogative as CIO of ILS to expedite technical issues I feel need expediting."She replied, quietly and precisely. "Do you have an issue with that?"

Kerry blinked, caught a little offguard by the response. "I could have handled those myself." She countered, with a touch more caution.

"Are you questioning my judgement?" Dar snapped right back, pinning her with a stare.

Kerry released her hand and straightened, stepping back a pace in reflex. "Hey. Sorry I brought it up." She replied quietly. "Never mind. Thanks for the help."

Dar glanced away, then back at her, with shadowed blue eyes. "I know you could have handled it, Kerry. I was just trying to take some of the stress off you, that's all." She said, shifting a little as the technician prepared to start the machine up.

Kerry backed out of the way, as the machine started it's work, swallowing a sick churning in her guts from pure emotional reaction. She was caught between indignation at Dar's intervention, and the intellectual knowledge that Dar was, in fact, absolutely correct about her right to do what she did.

She watched Dar's hands curl into fists as the machine made noise. She could see the tension making the tendons stand out along her lover's arms. Jesus, Kerry. She quietly chastised herself. She did you a favor, okay? Chill the hell out and just be grateful she cares so damn much about you.

The machine stopped, and the tech swung it away, then repositioned something. "Be right back." He patted Dar on the shoulder before he walked over to the console.

Kerry edged back over to the table. She waited for Dar to turn her head and look at her, the blue eyes wary and somewhat cool. "Sorry." She murmured. "That was over the line and disrespectful, and I apologize." She paused for a breath. "Boss."

Dar's nostrils twitched, and she blinked, a tiny shiver of motion going down her mostly bare body as she relaxed. One brow lifted slightly. "Yeah, well.. it's not like professional motives were behind it anyway." She admitted, peeking up at Kerry's face. "But I'm not apologizing for doing it, and don't ask me to promise not to do it again."

Kerry gazed at her, admiring Dar's complete self confidence and utter sense of presence despite being half naked on a hospital bench with little bits of tape sticking to her. "Okay." She replied softly, as the tech started back over to them. She lifted Dar's hand up and kissed the back of her hands, maintaining eye contact with her. "Thank you for caring, Dar."

This time, the blue eyes watched her as she backed off, never leaving her face as the machine whirred and clanked and buzzed. Kerry smiled a little, and watched a twinkle enter Dar's gaze and her knotted insides relaxed from their unexpected conflict. Okay. She exhaled in relief. We're okay. The thought of being estranged from Dar right now...

Terrified her. Kerry acknowledged soberly, folding her arms over her chest and feeling the tremor in her hands as she tucked them against her body.

"Hey." Dar's voice broke the mechanical whisperings. Kerry looked up at her in question. "C'mere." The dark haired woman requested.

Seeing that the test was over, Kerry complied, leaning up against the padded table again as the technician pulled away the MRI machinery. "Yes, ma'am?"

Dar lifted her good arm and touched Kerry's cheek. "There is nothing I would not do to protect you, Kerry. Even if that means you get mad at me." She said, very gently. "So, please. Just trust me, okay? I do know what I'm doing."

Trust you. Kerry gazed down at her thoughtfully. "The last person I trusted to know what was best for me was my father." She replied. "That was a hard lesson to learn."

There was quiet compassion in Dar's eyes. "I'm not your father."

Kerry nodded. "I know. " She paused in silence, searching her heart. "And I do trust you. I always have." She helped Dar sit up and hop off the table, adjusting to the change in their orientation as Dar suddenly towered over her."Dar?"

"Mm?" Dar looked up from her task of easing her shirt back on.

"Why is it we choose weird places in hospitals to have these little heart to heart chats?" Kerry asked wryly, taking over the task of buttoning, aware of the covert glances from the staff on the other side of the room.

"You started it." Dar answered, with a tiny chuckle. "Hey, at least it kept me from thinking about that stupid machine." She left her shirt untucked from her jeans, which Kerry helpfully fastened for her. "But we could go someplace quiet and continue the discussion, if you want - there's a little outdoor café near here that I used to hang out at."

"Sure." Kerry readily agreed. "That sounds great, but we don't have to continue the subject." She tucked a hand around Dar's arm. "Do you need to stay and talk to the doctor?"

"No." Dar shook her head. "She's not here. She said she'd review the results and call me tomorrow." Gravely, she accepted a slip of paper from the technician, and they left, making their way out of the labyrinth of corridors and out into the cool, clear South Florida night.

Kerry fit her hand into Dar's as they walked along the sidewalk, content to follow where Dar led her, as the strains of latin music echoed through the night air.

Kerry sat back and took a sip of her beer, as they waited for their dinner to be delivered. She found herself liking the little café, which was more a burger joint than pasta fagoli type of place. But then, knowing Dar, and knowing how she'd grown up, that should not have surprised Kerry. Here, the menu featured double cheeseburgers and onion rings, milk shakes and chili dogs, and the healthiest thing she could find was the lettuce and tomato as a promised burger garnish.

Ah well. But the beer was good, cold, and on tap, and she slid down a little in her chair, crossing her ankles and resting her elbows on the scarred wooden arms. "This place has been around a long time." She noted, eyeing the sign on the wall. "Established 1965."

"Yeap." Dar hooked a leg over her chair arm and rested her head against it's back, with a relaxed smile on her face. "Dad and I used to come down here sometimes, after he picked me up from martial arts practice." She reflected idly on that sweeter, simpler time. "They used to have a punching bag machine up at the front of the place, and the guys that hung out here would take turns trying to get the highest score on it, placing bets and stuff - you know."

Kerry exhaled, and shook her head a little. "No, I don't." She told Dar. "I was never even in a bar until I went to college." She turned her glass in her hand and viewed the deep golden liquid. "My father wouldn't have stepped foot in a place like this."

Dar watched her quietly. "Well." She availed herself of the basket of salsa and warm chips the server had put down. "Y'know, maybe it was the age difference that mattered too, Ker. Dad and I are a lot closer in years than you were with your father."

Kerry considered that thoughtfully. "Maybe." She shrugged. "But to be honest, I don't think it would have made one bit of difference, Dar. We had nothing in common, and he never viewed me as anything other than a pawn in his big old game." She gave the server a smile as he put down a platter in front of her with a pair of chili cheese dogs and a pile of French fries. "Thanks."

"My pleasure, little lady." The man cheerfully told her, his grizzled beard creasing into a smile. "Want a refill on the suds?"

"Sure." Kerry handed her empty glass back, then turned to watch Dar carefully centering her cheeseburger platter, pushing the fries to one side and edging the pile of toppings out of the way. "In fact, you know I never even had fast food until I left home for college?"

Dar looked up. "You're kidding?"

"Nope." Kerry shook her head and picked up a chili dog, biting into it's end with relish. She put it down and wiped her fingers and mouth with a paper napkin as she chewed the messy treat.

"What you didn't miss." Dar munched a french fry. "We could live that way, though - if you really want to. "

Kerry gave her a look.

"Just making the offer." Dar smiled. "It took me such a long time to get used to having money. We were always just scraping by when I was growing up - I remember just looking at my pay stub when they promoted me to VP and totally not believing what the damn thing said."

"Did you celebrate?" Kerry took another bite of her hot dog.

Dar's gaze unfocused, and she stared off into the distance for a few seconds. "No." She finally said, bringing her eyes back to Kerry's face. "At that point in my life, I had no friends, really, to celebrate with. I think I opened a bottle of champagne and just went down to the beach by myself." A thoughtful pause. "It was so meaningless, at the time. Just one of my goals achieved by whatever means I felt necessary."

The server came back with Kerry's beer, and put it down, then put down a basket of onion rings. He gave them both a grin, then left.

Kerry picked up a hot ring and put it on Dar's plate. "You know what I think?"

"What?" Dar accepted the offering and picked it up, twirling it around her index finger.

"I think our present, and our future are one hell of a lot better than either of our pasts." Kerry lifted her glass, and held it up. "And for that, I'm grateful to God, and to you."

Dar went very still for an instant, then she exhaled and put the ring down, lifting her root beer up and touching her glass to Kerry's. "Likewise."

They both smiled, and took sips.

"Now." Kerry put her glass down and nibbled on a fry. "I think we were planning an island beach party, weren't we? Like, for this weekend? Because let me tell you, I could sure use a good party."

Dar grinned. "I think that could be arranged." She took a bite out of her onion ring. "And after going down to the base on Friday when Gerry announces the outsourcing, I bet I'll be in need of a party myself." She took another bite, enjoying the crisp, spicy batter. "Won't be pretty."

"No." Kerry studied her lover intently. "There's really no going back after that, is there?"

Dar shook her head. No going back. She would cross the line from the kid that grew up on the base to the bitch who ripped it apart, all in the space of the time it took for Gerald Easton to make the announcement. Part of her honestly mourned the knowledge. A more perverse part of her was looking forward to the moment, when she'd neatly select a vicious victory out of what must seem to Ainsbright and his group total failure.

"Can I come down there with you?" Kerry's soft voice interrupted her musing. "I'd like to be there."

Dar blinked. "Of course." She replied. "I wanted you to be there." A faint smile. "After all, I committed your entire operation to expanding by thirty five percent. "

Your operation. Kerry nodded a tiny bit in confirmation. "So you did." She agreed gravely. "And wait till you see the budget you're going to have to sign off on for me to pull this off for you." A grin.

Dar winced. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Oh yes, you most certainly are." Kerry wagged a finger at her.

Dar placed an onion ring on the finger, and lifted her glass. They clinked edges again, and smiled.

Dar glanced over her shoulder at the gathering twilight, and let out a sigh of satisfaction, flexing her hands and looking over the paper she'd been scribbling on. It was Wednesday, halfway to the party, she was almost done with work, and she had a pleasant night at the gym planned and waiting.

With some strawberries and cream to follow.

Now, if she could just get her damn shoulder to cooperate and heal, she'd be all right. Dar shifted, and experimentally lifted her arm, wincing as she reached halfway, and quickly putting it down again. Damn.

She fiddled with her pen, then sighed and went back to work, filling out a network plan with small notated symbols whose meaning was really only clear to Dar. The intercom buzzed, however, interrupting her. "Yes?"

"Dar, I have your doctor on line dos." Maria's voice filtered through.

Dar's lip curled up into a grimace, and she briefly considered pleading absence to avoid the call. "Put him through, Maria." She finally said, reluctantly. There was a click, then Dr. Steve's voice boomed into her office.

"Hey there, Dar!"

"Hi." Dar replied warily. "What's up?"

"Got your test results back." Dr. Steve said. "Thought maybe you'd be interested in hearing about them."

"Not really." Dar mumbled.

A soft laugh. "C'mon, now, Dar. When are you going to grow up and stop being so scared of us little old harmless MD's?"

"When you stop poking me with pins and putting me in machines to look at my insides." Dar answered, getting up and pacing a few steps to relieve a suddenly pent up tension. "Well?"

"Well what?" Dr. Steve replied innocently.

Dar glared at the phone in silence.

"Oh, so you do want to hear about it?" Her doctor teased. "Okay, okay, rugrat. It doesn't have to come off, so just sit your rump down and relax."

"Mmph." Dar took a seat on the edge of her desk. "But?"

"But nothing. Get your butt in for therapy, you little scaredy kitty, so you can get that arm fixed before it freezes like that."

Dar dropped her head back and gazed up at the vaulted ceiling of her office in utter relief. She'd been so damn sure she was headed for arthroscopic surgery, and had been steeling herself for that. "Thanks."

A chuckle. "Feel better now?"

"Yeah." Dar admitted. "My life didn't need any more complications at the moment."

"Mm. How's Kerry doing?" Dr. Steve asked.

How was Kerry doing? Dar considered the question. Kerry had gotten a good night's sleep the night before, and had woken Dar up that morning by tickling her half to death, her spirits apparently edging back towards their normal buoyancy. "I think she's doing all right." She told the doctor.

"You giving her plenty of TLC?" Dr. Steve asked.

Dar took a breath to answer, then looked up to see Kerry leaning against the doorsill, arms crossed, green eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I like to think so." Dar finally muttered, realizing she was blushing at being caught red handed, so to speak. She was saved by Kerry walking over and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, she certainly is, Dr. Steve." Kerry announced. "Thanks for asking, but I feel better already, just getting back to work and my usual routine." She added firmly. "And spending time taking care of little partner here."

"Little?" Dar stood up and towered over her. "Listen, shrimp boat...."

"Hey.. that reminds me. Gumbo this weekend?" Kerry neatly circumvented the teasing. "Hey, Dr. Steve.. we're having a party this weekend, you interested?"

"Well, now, Kerry..." Dr. Steve demurred.

"My folks'll be there." Dar spoke up. "I know they'd love to have you by." She considered. "Are we going to have room on that island for all these people?"

"All right.. we'd love to come by, Dar." Dr. Steve said. "I"ll give your daddy a call, see what he's got up his sleeve for this here party. Now you go call that therapist, rugrat, right now!"

"I will." Dar promised, as he hung up. She looked up to see Kerry studying her with hopeful curiosity. "What?"

A look of uncertainty crossed Kerry's face. "I.. um.." Her eyes dropped, and she took a step back. "Nothing. I just came to see if you finished reviewing those budget requests."

Dar reached out and caught her arm, then she tugged Kerry back closer. "Damn." She murmured. "And here I was thinking you just wanted to find out if I was going to have my arm amputated."

Pale lashes fluttered, as Kerry blinked, then fastened her eyes on Dar's face. "I don't want you think I'm prying." She finally said quietly. "I think I went a little overboard there, right?"

Dar swiveled around and faced her, taking her other hand in her own. "No. What makes you say that?" She asked curiously. "I told you Dr Steve treats us like any other married couple. You think my mom wouldn't call up to ask about my dad?"

Kerry exhaled, and moved closer, bumping her thighs against Dar's knees. "I know. I just felt like I crossed a line yesterday, and I don't want to do that again."

Ah. Dar nibbled the inside of her lip. "That was work." She tried a faint shrug. "This isn't."

Kerry nodded, accepting that. "I know. It's hard to keep those parts of us separate sometimes." She admitted. "It used to be a lot easier, but lately... I have to keep reminding myself of how I'm supposed to act around you when we're here."

Dar had actually noticed that, in meetings especially. Kerry had started to interact with her during them as she normally would at home, and it had caused quite a few startled looks from the rest of the staff at the very least. The first few times it had thrown her for a loop a little, but she'd gotten used to it, just like the rest of them had, and now she found herself feeling uncomfortable with Kerry's awkward formality instead.

"Relax." Dar reassured her lover, with a smile. "I like it when you act like we're home."

Kerry blinked. "You do?" She hesitated. "But yesterday..."

"But yesterday, you caught me naked on a hospital table and I guarantee I'd have snapped at you if all you asked me was for an extra allocation of toilet paper for the staff bathroom." Dar reminded her. "Listen, we don't usually have a problem."

Kerry relaxed a little. "I know." She squeezed Dar's hands. "It was just a reality check." She glanced around the office. "I think we lose track of things sometimes. Like what if someone walked in right now?"

Dar glanced at the door, then back at her. "Anyone who walked in here without knocking first would have a lot more to worry about than seeing you and I holding hands." She stated flatly.

"Dar." Kerry had to laugh a bit.

"I'm very serious." Her boss insisted.

"I know." Kerry gave in and leaned against her. "It's been a long day, and I've been a very good nerd since early this morning. Can we go play now?"

Dar kissed her head. "We sure can."

They were both silent for a moment, then Kerry sighed. "I'm sorry. I think I'm still a little out of it." She murmured, resting her head against Dar's shoulder. "Can I have a hug?"

Easiest request she'd had all day. Dar stood up and put her arms around Kerry, hugging her close and rubbing her back through the soft silk of her blouse. "I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the weekend to be here."

"Mm." Kerry nodded against her chest. "For your birthday party."

"Christmas party." Dar corrected instantly.

One green eye appeared. "Christmas doesn't rate double fudge mousse cheesecake." She stated. "I guess we'll have to settle for fruitcake, huh?"

Dar gave her a pathetically wounded look. "Fruitcake!" She stuck her tongue out. "Might as well serve bran muffins." She groaned. "Keeerryyy..."

"Oh, stop that." Kerry started laughing as she lifted a hand to cover her lover's mouth. "Of course I'm going to make your BIRTHDAY CAKE." She pronounced loudly. "And get you a BIRTHDAY CARD, and make sure everyone here sings you HAPPY BIRTHDAY."

Dar smiled against the palm covering her lips. She waited for Kerry to remove her hand, then she leaned over and kissed her lover gently on the lips. "I know." She rested her forehead against Kerry's. "You know, I think I'm looking forward to that. Have you heard my father sing?"

Kerry shook her head. "No, no I haven't Does he sing like you?" She found herself fascinated with Dar's thick eyelashes, watching them contrast against her tanned skin and pale, icy eyes.

"Mmhm. Just don't get him started on tavern songs." Dar kissed her again, just for the sheer pleasure of it. "You know, like 'Sixteen pirates on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.." She broke into song, her strong voice dropping into an eardrum vibrating note on the last word.

"Oo." Kerry wriggled against her. "I love when you do that."

Dar's eyebrow lifted. "I love when you do that." She stole another kiss, then had to reluctantly remind herself she was sitting in her office, and all her proclamations to the contrary, anyone really could walk in.

Not fair. "All right, let's pack it in, and get going." Dar gave her a pat on the arm. "Before something else breaks and we get stuck here."

Kerry licked her lips thoughtfully. "I could bring down Plano's front end processors." She offered, as she wandered back towards the inner door. "If you promise to keep kissing me like that while we're trapped fixing it."

Dar just threw her a look and laughed.

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

Kerry hopped down from the driver's seat of Dar's Lexus, and closed the door behind her, taking a moment to check her reflection in the side mirror and tug her linen jacket straight. A no nonsense, stern expression looked back at her, appropriate to the occasion that brought them back to the Navy base.

Nearby, Alastair was getting out of a Range Rover that also contained General Easton, and the mood that settled over everyone was decidedly cool and businesslike. Even General Easton's aide was looking pretty grim as she emerged, tucking a slim briefcase under her arm.

Dar came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, and Kerry turned, reviewing her lover's iron gray over black silk business suit with a nod of approval. "You look slick."

"Thanks." Dar ran her hand through her hair, and pulled the edges of it out from under the collar of the jacket she'd just settled over her shoulders.

Kerry lifted a hand without thinking and arranged the necklace Dar was wearing, pulling it out from under her shirt into the light. She paused as she saw the flicker of bemusement cross her lover's face, and realized they were probably being watched. "Whoops."

Dar just chuckled. The necklace was an early birthday present, which Kerry had surprised her with last night. It was a thin, serpentine gold chain with a gorgeous charm on it, a microchip rendered in platinum, gold and diamond chips, with tracings of ruby and jade. It had an inscription on the back, her name and a short verse she suspected Kerry had written, and she loved the piece dearly. It was just so classy, and so incredibly nerdish, like wearing one of the new wristwatch cell phones.

Which they really didn't have in her favorite color yet.

Yet.

"We ready?" Dar left off this pleasant contemplation, and glanced over Kerry's slate blue clad shoulder at her boss. Alastair was wearing one of his standard issue dark gray double breasted business suits, complete with company tie tack He was wearing a black tie, though - making Dar wonder if he was color coordinating with her on purpose.

"Yes, ma'am." Alastair nodded briskly. He'd arrived in Miami early that morning, and after a quick meeting in Dar's office they'd started on the drive down south. Now he cocked his head and looked up at Dar. "You ready for this, DR? I know these are old stomping grounds of yours."

Dar let her eyes run over the monochrome buildings, and the familiar contours for a moment. "Yeah." She responded briefly, as she watched a small cluster of children running in the field beyond the fence that marked the base's active boundary. "I'm not the bad guy here."

They walked together towards the administration building, watched warily by sentries who saluted the General but didn't impede their progress for even a second. General Easton lead the way upstairs, followed by his civilian brigade. Heads turned as they came down the administrative hallway, eyes going first to the military man in the lead, then slipping uneasily past to glance off Dar's frosty glare.

Easton went straight to the base's large briefing room and opened the door, gesturing them inside. "Let me go grab the brass." He stated, meeting Dar's eyes over Alastair's head. "We'll make this short and sweet."

Dar waited for the door to close behind him, then she walked over to the window and looked out, as the rest of the group gathered around the large wooden table. It was strange, really. She'd expected to feel like such a traitor coming in here, knowing the changes that were going to happen because of her.

But she didn't.

The little scum sucking bastards had messed with her childhood home. Dar watched the quadrangle below, allowing herself to be lost in a brief memory of a long ago summer afternoon, when she'd run across that very strip of grass as fast as she could, to meet the figure in fatigues coming down the steps fresh off a mission she still had no idea of the subject of.

The door opened, and Dar waited a moment, then turned around to see Jeff Ainsbright and Commander Albert entering. Jeff was already in full diatribe, which cut off as he looked up to meet her gaze.

Fargo would have been warmer. But that was okay, because Dar knew her own expression must be glacial, just from the reaction she glimpsed on Kerry's face.She took a few steps forward, and let her hands drop to rest on the back of the chair at the head of the table. "Have a seat." She took the lead effortlessly. "This won't take long."

Gerald Easton gave her a wry look as he closed the door and entered, circling the table to join Dar and Alastair at the head end, while Kerry stood quietly with the General's aide off to one side. "As Dar said.." Easton stated, putting a hand on Dar's shoulder. 'This wont' take long."

That one little motion should have warned them. Kerry watched Ainsbright's face go from angry to wary, to downright frightened in the space of a few breaths.

"This is Alastair McLean, the CEO of ILS, who joined us at my request." General Easton went on.

To his credit, Jeff tried to rally. "Then I've got some serious complaints to level at you, sir." He started to get up. "I want you to know..."

"Siddown, Jeff." General Easton interrupted him.

Ainsbright paused, then subsided.

"Let's cut to the chase here." Gerry stated. "We all know the facts. The facts wont' be laid out here, or anywhere else, for that matter."

Utter relief on Ainsbright's face, along with the Captains. "Damn straight, General. I knew this whole project was a mistake from the start. I told you it was, and now I'm glad to see common sense is taking over and putting things right."

"Agreed, Sir." Albert nodded briskly. "Though I'm sure our... guests here have some recommendations, which we'll take under advisement." He gave Dar a pleasant, completely triumphant smile.

Dar smiled back. "Oh yeah." She rumbled softly. "That we do."

"Yes." General Easton smoothly interrupted, and took the meeting back over. "One of the goals of this project was to identify areas where improvements could be made, and ILS has done an admirable job of laying out in specific this information."

Kerry accepted her cue, and walked over to the table, placing a neatly bound report on it, then taking a step back and clasping her hands in front of her. "Our operations group has performed a detailed analysis of the total infrastructure of the facility, and the programming and network specific applications being used." She stated. "We also ran an intelligent scanner over the base code, and provided a fully structured report on where we found deficiencies."

"Now, hold on." Commander Albert stood up. "Those programs work just fine."

"Those programs are older than I am." Kerry replied calmly. "And my grandmother could have broken into your network layer given a screwdriver and an Altair."

Dar had to really, really concentrate hard to keep the laugh that was rumbling inside her chest from emerging.

The Commander just stared at Kerry, open mouthed.

"Precisely why the Joint Chiefs have decided, based on the available information, that it's time for the Navy to truly update all it's systems. " General Easton said. "Pursuant to that, we've awarded a complete outsourcing contract to ILS for the entire data system structure, network wide for the service."

Dead silence.

"So." General Easton went on. "You gentlemen will be seeing some changes coming down the pike. I expect everyone here to cooperate with Mr. McLean's team, and provide all assistance in effecting a very... " He stared at them. "Smooth transition. Am I clear on that?"

It was interesting, Kerry decided, watching just how clearly the words "oh shit' could form above two people's heads without them saying a single syllable."I'll need a contact name." She said quietly. "When my operations teams start coming in next week."

"I'm sure you'll get one, Ms. Stuart." General Easton gave her a grim smile. "Now, if you ladies and gentlemen will excuse us, I've got some matters I need to discuss with Commander Ainsbright." He held out a hand to Alastiar. " Alastair, a pleasure as always. "

"We'll get things squared away for you in short order, Gerry." Alastair shook his hand firmly. "You know I've got the best in the business on this project."He gave Ainsbright and the Commander one of his cheerful, business smiles. "Gentlemen. Looking forward to working with you. Dar? After you."

Dar lead the way out, so she was the first to get to the door just as Albert did. He stared at her with a look of complete and total loathing.

"You... " His voice was low.

"Won." Dar held the door for him. He met her eyes for a long moment, then turned and walked out. Dar let out a contented sigh and followed him, with Alastair and Kerry behind her. They paused in the hallway and regrouped, as the base traffic meandered by them. "So."

Alastair put his hands behind him and rocked back and forth. "That didn't take nearly as long as I expected. I forgot how easy it all is when you're in the military. The General gives an order, and that's that. Imagine what it would be like if our company was like that, hmm?"

Kerry and Dar looked at him. Kerry scratched her jaw, while Dar found something vaguely interesting on a nearby pin up board.

"Or does that explain why our operations group is so efficient?" Alastair asked, wryly. "Well, it would be a novel experience for ME at any rate."

Dar smiled at him. "You flying back today?"

"I planned to, yes." Her boss replied. "Unless you can give me a reason not to."

Dar glanced around, then back at him. "Want to come to my birthday party?"She offered, mildly. "It's tomorrow."

Alastair's jaw was hanging open. He closed it with a slight click of molars. "Well, I... " He spluttered, as they turned and started walking down the hall. "Sure, Dar." He finally rallied. "I'd love to."

Kerry walked a pace behind them, smiling to herself.

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

The city lights flickered in the background as the Bertram bobbed lightly up and down in it's berth. Ceci paused as she made her way out onto the stern, where Andy and Gerry Eason were seated, and reflected on just how unlikely this scenario would have ever seemed to her before.

Oh, get togethers with the Eastons were one thing. That had always been fun, and a highlight of an otherwise stagnant social agenda. But hosting Gerry on the back of a luxury yacht, one which actually belonged to her and Andrew?

No way. Ceci set the tray down with it's burden of beer bottles and took hers while her husband and the General did the same. She sat down in the third deck chair and propped her feet up on the diving locker nearby, letting out a long breath of amazed contentment. No way.

She'd known going in with Andy that she'd never be kept in the way she'd been accustomed to. That was something she'd dealt with long years back, and it never really had been an issue for her. Sure, she'd wished sometimes they'd had more money, for little things, and larger ones like perhaps a private school for Dar.

But even that had turned out all right, with Dar making it to college easily on her own, her SAT scores guaranteeing her the academic scholorship program of her choice. They'd gotten by, they had, saving for the things they had to have and not really missing the things they couldn't get around to.

Her paintings had given them the ability to splurge once in a while, though - she'd never been really mainstream popular, but since she never put out a lot of work, there was a segement of the trade that coveted her stuff, liking what they called the touch of humanity she put in them. There was always a market when she produced a canvas, and they'd used that to go on short trips out the islands, or up to Disney World, or out to Sanibel when Andy was in port for a shore stint.

Now she just shook her head, and chuckled, returning her attention to the conversation.

"Ah do not like them people getting off like that." Andrew was stating, his brow creased. "Regardless of if it stops or not."

Easton took a swig of his beer, and leaned back. He was in a pair of cotton Dockers and a short sleeved shirt, having left his uniform behind at his hotel. "Andy, damn it, no one's getting off. They're just not getting charged with anything." He said. "I told Jeff today he's being transferred to the Northwestern command area, and to just pack his kit and keep his mouth shut."

Ceci almost snorted her own beer. "You're sending him to Alaska?"

"Hell yes." Easton stated. "And he's lucky for that. There was a slot open in the Antarctic research station, but I happen to like his wife and you can at least get to Sears in Alaska."

"Huh." Andrew subsided. "Ah still don't like it. What about them folks they were whoring for? Ah don't want them types coming back here and maybe getting a mind to be bothering mah kid."

Easton sighed. "Problem with that is, they did a pretty damn good job of covering their tracks, Andy, data or no data. Those people weren't stupid - they kept out of sight and just did business via blind accounts and drops. They drifted off into the mist the minute Albert knew something was up. He warned them."

"He the big cheese?" Andy asked.

"Apparently so." Eason confirmed. "They had Jeff boxed into a corner, and once he agreed to turn a blind eye, they had him by the short hairs."

"He should have come to see you." Ceci stated. "Hell, he should have just leveled with Dar when she showed up there. What the he think was going to happen? Did he really think they wouldn't be found out?"

"They really did." Gerry told her. "Silly bastards spent a fortune on bringing in some hotshot punk to alter the base computers so they could run everything through there. Figured the damn thing was so old, no one'd notice or if they did, be able to get in there and figure out what was going on."

Andy folded his arms across his chest. "Wall, it woulda worked, seems like." He cocked his head to one side. "Stuff ain't changed in that place for a dog's age."

Easton nodded. "Yes, it would have." He said. "It did - until they were faced with the hotshot punk who originally rigged the damn thing. What'r the odds, Andy? Damn, I feel like an exhibit in Ripley's Believe it or Not."

"Mm."

"Coulda been a thousand other people, coulda been a dozen other companies I picked to help me spend my budget." Easton sighed. "Figured I was doing the smart thing though, picking someone who knew the service, who I trusted..."

"She done what you asked." Andrew stated mildly. "Not Dar's fault them jackasses didn't figger on having to deal with her." He went on. "Just weren't prepared."

"How do you prepare for Dar?" Ceci asked, rhetorically. "One, they'd have to have realized that some fifteen year old kid had designed their main computer system, and two, they'd have to acknowledge the fact that no one they brought in was smart enough to be able to cover their track from her. Not a very likely scenario, if you ask me."

They all reflected on that. "You know, that's quite frightening." Easton murmured. "If you think about it." He glanced at Andrew. "It's a damn good thing she's your kid, Andy."

Ceci didn't even feel insulted by that, because it was bedrock truth and she knew it. Dar's sense of what was right and what wasn't did come from Andy, certainly not from her. She'd cursed that stubborn honor and pride more than often enough to understand it very thoroughly.

"Fact is, I was very surprised when McLean showed up with that offer." Easton went on. "I'd girded my loins for the battle of the century."

"Yeap, well." Andrew studied his beer bottle. "Lucky thing is Dardar got her sense of priorities from her mamma, and not from me."

Everyone was silent for a moment, only the soft clanking of the yacht's rigging being heard.

Ceci almost felt like crying, at a vindication she'd never expected to hear.

Easton cleared his throat in mild embarrassment. "Well, she didn't do badly out of what happened." He remarked. "I had one hell of a time finding a way to push that contract through - used up a decades worth of favors getting it past the oversight committee. But I think all in all, it'll end up being a good thing for everyone."

"Dar'll see you right." Andy agreed softly. "Them boys are safe in her hands."

The silence was longer this time, as they watched a long freighter move slowly through the cut, heading for the huge unloading docks at the port. Ceci lifted an arm and draped it over Andy's shoulder, playing with the short, bristly hairs at his temple.

"Moo." Dar opened one eye to find that a cow had taken up residence on her chest. She picked up the animal and examined it, then tossed it from her and closed her eye, listening to the scrabbling of Labrador toenails as Chino chased the stuffed animal across the tile floor.

It was otherwise pretty quiet in the condo. From the base they'd gone to lunch, then driven Alastair to his hotel. They could have gone back to the office, but a call to Maria confirmed that there was nothing earthshattering going on and they'd decided to just go on home instead.

Hence, here she was, in shorts and a tshirt, sprawled across her living room couch at six pm, instead of sitting at her desk in the office. Just as well, Dar reasoned, since they had a lot of preparing they'd had to do for the party tomorrow, and in fact, Kerry was at the Island Market now making sure everything was ready to be picked up tomorrow morning and taken to the boat.

"Moo." Dar felt around for the cow and tossed it without looking.

Kerry caught the cow with one hand and held it up out of the frustrated Chino's grasp as she studied the tall form lying on the couch. "You know something, Dar?"

Blue eyes popped wide open in surprise. "Hey. " Dar blinked at her. "Didn't even hear you come in."

"I know." Kerry tossed the Chino, who leaped up and grabbed it between her front paws. "Good catch, honey!" She praised the dog, as she walked over to the couch and sat down on the edge of it. Dar rolled over and curled her body around Kerry's giving her a nice backrest. "Everything's set."

"Good." Dar stifled a yawn. "Mark called. He's going to carpool with Duks and Mari - they'll be here around ten."

"Mm." Kerry leaned back and extended her arms along Dar's body. "It's going to be fun. Weather's supposed to be sunny and mid seventies tomorrow, just perfect."

"Perfect for a Christmas party, yep." Dar agreed, with a grin. "You going to wear your new purple suit?"

Kerry returned the grin. "Maybe." She said. "Did you get all the boxes loaded on the boat? We'll have to make a run out to the island real early tomorrow."

"All done, ma'am." Dar assured her. "I personally made sure they were all tucked in the hold." She shifted, carefully lifting her arm and moving it a bit. "Wanna join me in the pool for some more therapy after dinner?" She'd suffered through one session at the hospital, and that, said Dar, was that. Period. She'd gotten the idea of what they were trying to do, and decided she could handle that on her own without snotty little boys mauling her and giving her condescending pats on the head.

Kerry tangled her fingers in Dar's hair, tugging out a snarl as she considered the request. "Sure." She agreed, having really enjoyed the session the previous night. The warm pool water had been very soothing, and she'd found herself very happy to be helping Dar with the gentle motion exercises, which seemed to be really doing some good for her partner's injured shoulder. "How about we get into our suits, and go have a light bite down at the beach club, then go to the pool from there?"

So they did. Hand in hand, they strolled down the path from the condo, with Chino frisking along beside them. It was a nice night out, clear and breezy, and they gladly accepted a table on the outside patio facing the sea. Kerry ordered a crabmeat salad and a bowl of soup, and Dar settled for a dish of blackened chicken alfredo with garlic bread.

"I'm glad it's the weekend." Kerry sighed, sliding down and extending her legs under the table. "It's been such a long week."

Dar was pouring herself a glass of ice tea. She finished, and took a sip. "That it has." She said. "It's been a pretty long month, now that you mention it. I'm glad we've got the holidays coming up next week."

Kerry nodded. "I'm looking forward to a few days off." She admitted.

"A week." Dar reminded her, with a smile. "Starting next Friday, until the following year." She rested her elbows on the table and played with a fork. "I was thinking maybe we could take the boat out for a couple days, stay out, just bum around. What do you think?"

"You mean, sleep out on the water and everything?" Kerry asked, with interest. They'd taken many day trips out of the harbor, but they'd never spent several days living on the boat, and she found herself very intrigued at the thought.

"Yeap." Dar nodded. "We could head out across the Caribbean, maybe drop in to Bimini, or Cat's Cay."

Kerry felt a grin tug at her lips. "Yeah." She agreed enthusiastically. "Heck, let's leave Monday, and stay out until New Years... I would so completely, totally love to spend all that q time with you, and maybe a couple of gulls if they're lucky."

Dar was very pleased with the response, and it showed. "Great." Her eyes twinkled. "The laptops and pagers stay here."

Kerry laughed. "Absofurginglutely." She grinned at the server who appeared silently, to put two gently steaming plates down for her, and one for Dar."Thanks."

"Anytime, Ms. Stuart." The server smiled back at her. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Getting more so every second." Kerry replied.

Dar propped her chin up on one fist and observed her lover's now almost radiant face contentedly. The idea of the boat trip had only just occurred to her on the drive home, and the more she'd thought about it, the better the idea had seemed.

A sort of.. mini honeymoon they'd never had time to take.

Just the two of them. Dar almost had to bite her lip to stop from suggesting that they leave on Sunday, and make it two weeks, and to hell with work. Even on their week's vacation after the hospital bombing, they'd been on call, and attending to work.

Not this time.

"Hey." Kerry's voice caught her attention, and she looked up to see her lover smiling broadly at her.

"Yes?" Dar replied.

"This is going to be so cool." Kerry burbled. "Dar, what a fantastic idea. You're brilliant."

Dar smirked, just a little, and bit off a piece of her spicy chicken, enjoying the sting of the pepper against her lips. "We could get into a lot of trouble out there. Lots of little islands, and lots of very good rum."

Kerry looked up from where she was mixing her salad dressing. "Do you know how much rum it would take to get me to do the samba?"

"No." Dar chuckled. "How much?"

"I don't know, but I bet we find out." Kerry laughed with delight. "Whooohooo!" She did a little dance in her seat, causing Dar to burst out laughing as well. Their voices lifted up to the benignly watching stars, which twinkled back at them in silent, amused, approval.

Kerry took a slow sip of her coffee, as she leaned on the railing and absorbed the early morning sun with a feeling of complete and total pleasure. It was just after dawn, and she was already dressed in her swimsuit, with a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top thrown over it, her bare toes curling against the stone balcony as she sniffed the clean, salt air.

"What a gorgeous day." She spoke quietly, then glanced to her right as she heard the whine and hiss of the condo's golf cart approaching. "Hey."

Dar got out of the cart and headed for the garden gate. "Hey, yourself, cute stuff." She opened the door and disappeared, to reappear moments later as she entered the kitchen and padded out onto the balcony next to Kerry. "All loaded up and ready to go."

"Cool." Kerry offered her a sip of coffee. "I made some breakfast... want to bring it out here and share?" She waited while Dar obligingly ducked inside, returning with a small tray of eggs, toast, and fresh fruit. They sat down together at the metal and glass table and traded forkfuls as the sunlight poured across the space.

"You know." Dar leaned back and propped her feet up against the railing. "I'm really looking forward to today."

Kerry looked at her. "I can tell. You've been smiling all morning." She teased gently. "I am too."

The dark head rolled towards her as Dar returned her gaze. "Was that a map of the Carribbean I saw in the study?"

Kerry grinned, her nose wrinkling up appealingly.

Dar chuckled and reached over the table to clasp Kerry's hand, rubbing her thumb against the knuckles. "My little pirate... I can't wait to sail the high seas with you."

The green eyes were fairly ablaze with an intense joy as Kerry looked back at her.

"If I'd have known you'd react like this, I'd have suggested a cruise a lot sooner." Dar remarked mildly.

"It's not just the trip." Kerry told her, with a tiny, wry smile. "It's being out, alone with you, for a whole week. You have no idea how much I want that right now." She said. "It could have been a cruise, or a remote cabin in the woods, or a hike in the wilderness... I wouldn't have cared."

"I would." Dar told her, kindly. "Mosquitos and leaves for TP do not put me in a romantic mood nearly as much as salt air, and you in that swimsuit."

Kerry blushed a little. "You must think I'm weirding out." She replied. "It's just that so much has happened in the last little while, I really just want some time to just... " Her jaw shook a little, and Dar squeezed her hand in concern. "Live." She finished softly.

"You got it." Dar whispered, watching Kerry's profile intently. The green eyes turned to hers with a look of almost painful vulnerability. "I think we've earned that."

A nod. "Me too." Kerry got up and walked around to where Dar was sitting, putting her arms around her and giving her a hug. "Dar, will you do me a very big favor?"

"Sure. Name it." Dar enjoyed her hug, almost getting lost in the faint coconut and butter scent of the lotion Kerry was wearing. A hand touched her cheek, and she looked up into Kerry's face, surprised to see utter seriousness there.

"Please." Kerry murmured. "Please be careful and take care of yourself, Dar. If I ever lose you, I'll die."

Dar's jaw dropped a little in alarm, and she half turned, taking hold of Kerry's body with both hands. "Kerry... "

Slowly, Kerry's forehead dropped to touch hers. "I had this nightmare the other night." She whispered. "The one you woke me up from?"

"Yeah?" Dar nodded anxiously.

Kerry fell silent for a moment. Then she sighed. "I was... in that hospital again. In the CCU. Only.. "

"Easy." Dar could feel her shaking.

"Only it was you in that bed, and I couldn't... I couldn't stop... you... I.." Kerry's knees buckled, and she would have fallen, but Dar caught her, pulling her down on her lap and holding in for dear life.

"Easy, sweetheart." Dar whispered. "It was just a dream." She could feel the jerks as Kerry sobbed. "It's okay... "

Chino poked her nose under Kerry's arm and snuffled worriedly, licking the skin within her reach.

"Ohh." Kerry finally took a deep breath, and sniffled. "God, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Dar stroked her back gently. "Take it easy, honey. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I won't ever leave you, Kerry. Never."

Kerry sniffled again. "I.. don't know where that all came from. I was just... sitting here thinking about what a great day it was and..." She sighed. "Jesus. What the hell's wrong with me." One hand lifted and wiped the tears off her face impatiently.

Dar hugged her more tightly. "I..um.." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I think you're just stressed out, Ker. It's been a bitch of a week, and you're on overload."

Kerry remained silent for a bit, stroking Dar's hair with an almost hypnotic regularity. "Yeah." She finally said. "I think you're right." She exhaled. "Boss, can I take next week off? I need to decompress before I go on a wild vacation with someone I love more than life itself."

Dar smiled. "Sure." She felt a distinct sense of relief, at not having to order Kerry to do exactly what she'd just requested. "I'll see what I can do about scaring you up some company."

Kerry exhaled. "Only if the company is tall, dark and daunting and has blue eyes."

A beat. "You want to hang out with my dad?" Dar asked ingeniously.

It worked. Kerry started snickering through her remaining tears, her body shaking with laughter.

"I could arrange for that, I guess." Dar went on, with a sigh. "I was hoping you'd rather spend time with me.. but... " She was stopped by a gentle kiss on the lips. Then Kerry rubbed her cheek against Dar's and smiled.

"Thanks." She murmured. "I needed a laugh."

"Mm." Dar tilted her head and stole another kiss. "I needed that."

They snuggled for a moment longer, then Kerry regretfully got up, and ruffled Dar's hair. "Okay. My head's on straight now - let's get ready to party." She held a hand out to Dar, then lead her into the condo, with Chino frisking at their heels and occasionally between their legs.

Dar stretched out her legs in the warm sand and wriggled her toes contentedly, as she watched the crowd milling around the island. It was late afternoon and the party was in full swing, with buckets of assorted seafood on one side of the neatly made campfire, and a standing bar with plenty of ice, beer, wine coolers, and champagne for the guests.

She herself had downed four or five Bacardi breezers, and was in a pretty darn good mood, sitting there in the shade with a plate of lobster, shrimp and rice balanced neatly on one thigh. Kerry was on the other side of the fire, talking with Maria, Duks, and Ceci, and another knot of guests were clustered around where Alastair and her father were trading tall tales.

Nice.

Dar bit into a spicy shrimp and chewed it. The island looked great, nothing like she'd ever imagined it could ever been like in her childhood. There were comfortable beanbag chairs scattered around, and neatly dug in Lucite tables for drinks and dinner, and to one side the most incongruous looking Christmas tree she'd ever seen.

It was purple, for one thing, and had bright pink flamingo and bright green palm tree lights. And it was surrounded by piles and piles of presents. Some were theirs, some were their guests - all of whom seemed to be having a great time.

Dar rocked her head a little from side to side and hummed along with the music emerging from the strategically placed speakers. It was one of Kerry's favorite songs, and as she watched her lover across the sands, Kerry started to dance a little to it.

Oo. Dar grinned. That was so cute. She took a swig from her bottle and leaned against the tree, glad of the cool breeze and the gorgeous day, and another successful party.

"Hey there, Dardar." Andrew appeared suddenly and plopped down beside her. "Penny fer your thoughts."

Dar glanced at Kerry, then glanced at him, then blushed.

"Heh." Her father chuckled. "You having a good birthday?"

"Yeah." Dar nodded. 'It's great... the best part is having you and mom here, though." She gave him a quiet, serious look. " Means a lot."

"Mmph." Andy grunted. "Well, it means a lot to us too, honey." He folded his hands and propped them up against an upraised knee. "Sometimes ah just have to slap the side of mah head cause I can't believe having all this back, after going and losing it."

Dar reflected on this very long speech thoughtfully. "Does it ever feel like a dream to you?" She asked.

"Yeap." Andy nodded. "It does."

For me too." Dar found herself adopting the same pose, resting her hands on her knee. "I look back to where I was a year ago, and it's like remembering a whole other lifetime." She gazed off across the ocean, it's surface lightly ruffled with the odd wave. "It's so hard to believe, sometimes I just have to think it's a dream." A pause. "A dream I just hope I never wake up from."

They watched the revelers in silence for a while. "Well." Andrew eventually commented. "Better a dream than a nightmare, that' s for sure."

"Mm." His daughter agreed.

Andy drew in a breath. "Dardar, when you were a kid, you wanted something real bad." Dar looked at him. "Was a time you made a choice, but the Navy didn't like that choice much." Andrew stated. "So they told you no."

"Yeah." Dar agreed. "That they did."

A small silence. Andy seemed to be deep in thought. "Wasn't the Navy that said no to that, Paladar." He finally went on. "I made that choice for you." He looked at her. "Ah told them to tell you no."

And Dar met his eyes with only the faintest of smiles. "I know." She replied softly. "I've always known."

Her father's eyes just stayed on her, a stunned look on his face.

"It.. um.. " Another half smile. "Was in the computer files." Dar looked away now, out at the horizon. "For a while, I thought maybe you figured I'd embarrass you by not measuring up, and this was just your way of making sure I didn't have to go through all that."

"Ah did not think that." Andrew finally muttered huskily.

Dar just nodded. "Then I figured maybe you knew me well enough to know I'd never have fit in with the Navy." She exhaled. "Then I finally just settled on knowing you made decisions the same way I did - you trusted your guts and let the chips fall where they fell."

Andrew blinked. "You are the damndest thing."

Dar turned her head towards him and smiled, this time more broadly. "Did you really think I'd be mad at you?"

Her father blew out a breath. "Lord, Ah had not the first idea what you were going to think about this." He admitted. "Been wanting to tell you for the longest time, and here you just up and trip me right down into a big old mud hole."

A chuckle. "I was mad." Dar said. "Then." She looked up and around, and shook her head. "But sitting where I am now, having what I have - it was the right choice, dad. We both know that."

Time to lighten up a little, Dar realized. "Besides, with my usual luck I'd have ended up in charge of something, and you'd have had to salute me. Then what?"

Andrew thought about that, then he laid a long arm over Dar's shoulders, and looked at her. "Ah woulda followed you straight into hell, that's what." He said. "And been proud to do that."

Dar didn't say a word, but her jaw muscles clenched visibly, and she swallowed. Andy nodded in understanding, and just pulled her a little closer, both of them accepting the moment in all it's richness, with a very similar desire for wordless peace.

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

Ceci wandered over to where Kerry was sprawled and took a seat on a conveniently placed rock right next to her. "Hi."

One lazy eye opened and regarded her benignly. "Hi." Kerry replied, with a smile. "Having fun?"

It was nearing sunset, and the fire had been lit, pots of seafood and vegetables already sending hints of spices across the island. "Yes, I am." Ceci replied. "You got sunburned."

"Mm. I know." Kerry stretched her tired body out and rubbed the bridge of her nose. They'd managed to string a volleyball net between two half submerged trees and played a vicious several rounds in the water, all the more tough for Kerry because of her relatively short height.

So she was pretty tired out, and was glad to retire to her towel spread neatly over the sand and busy herself checking the inside of her eyelids out for leaks. Now she rolled onto her side and propped her head up on her hand. "What a gorgeous day."

Kerry heard Ceci's acknowledgement, but fortuitously, her eyes happened to have fallen right on Dar as she'd made the comment, and now her thoughts wandered pleasantly off as she gazed at her lover's sunset lit form. Mmm. Dar was wearing her black swimsuit and she'd just come out of the water, droplets glistening on her skin as she shook herself dry.

Between the golden light, Dar's natural tan, the faintly see through fabric and the strong body easily visible beneath it…

"Kerry?"

"Mm?"

"Do you go off into these lustful hazes all the time?"

Wide, startled green eyes blinked, then immediately turned Ceci's way.

"Uh." Kerry felt a powerful blush warm her skin. "Bu… I..um…"

Her mother in law snickered unkindly. "Boy, do you ever show your thoughts on your face."

Kerry covered her eyes with her free hand. "Jesus." She sighed. "Sorry about that."

"Why?" Ceci asked. "Despite the Republicans claim to the contrary, there's really nothing wrong with being sexually attracted to the person you're married to."

The comment, as usual, came from around the corner and struck Kerry's funny bone unexpectedly. She burst into startled laughter, attracting Chino's attention. The Labrador rushed over and started kissing her, which only made her laugh all the harder.

"Hey, hey.. what's going on here?" Dar's voice floated over. "What's so funny?"

Kerry absolutely could not look up at her. She almost inhaled half the beach as she put her head down and held her stomach, laughing so hard she was finding it tough to breathe.

Dar took a seat next to her and waited, watching Ceci snicker quietly to herself. "Someone." Dar stated, in a low, no nonsense voice. "Is gonna let me in on this joke, right?"

Kerry rolled over and looked up, to see cool blue eyes regarding her over the edge of Dar's sunglasses. She immediately dissolved into giggles again, and hid her face. Dar looked at her mother, and raised an eyebrow.

Ceci cleared her throat and stood up, having a firm belief in discretion being far the better part of valor. "Your father's calling me. Gotta go."

Uh huh. Dar slid down onto the sand and stretched out, waiting for Kerry to finish laughing. Eventually, she did, and rolled back over onto her back.

"Oh god." Kerry exhaled, rubbing her face. "Your mother."

"My mother." Dar repeated obediently. "Was telling knock knock jokes?"

Kerry peeked at her from between her fingers, then smiled ruefully. "No.. it's my own fault. She came over here to talk to me, and I was dozing off I guess, so I woke up and rolled over and.. um.." She paused, and scratched her nose. "You were in my line of sight."

Dar waited to hear a further explanation, then cocked her head when none was forthcoming. "So I was what you were laughing at?" She asked, in a tone of mild bemusement. "Didn't think this suit looked that bad.. " Dar frowned, and started plucking at it. "You should have told me that before, Kerry…. I mean.."

"Shhhhh." Kerry covered Dar's mouth with one hand. "No, sweetheart, you look totally awesome." A pause. "That was the problem." She removed her hand. "Apparently my opinion on the subject was um…. Obvious and your mother made a joke about THAT."

"Oooohhhh." Dar grinned. "I get it now. She caught you looking."

A tiny smirk tugged at Kerry's lips. "Yeah."

Dar's eyes twinkled. "I’m flattered."

Kerry briefly wondered what would happen if she just reached up and pulled Dar's head down for the kiss she really wanted to give her. Later, Romeo. She chastised herself, with an inward sigh. "Having a nice time?"

Dar had uncapped a small bottle of Noxema and taken some on her fingers, and now she started spreading it over Kerry's skin. Got the nostrils flaring almost at once. Dar bit her lip to keep from smiling and kept up her task, running her hands across Kerry's shoulders and feeling her lean into the touch, the warm skin under her fingers growing perceptibly warmer. "I’m having a great time. What about you?"

"Getting better every second." Kerry replied, her voice husky. She cleared her throat a bit self consciously, and glanced around, then up at Dar, a plaintively beseeching look on her face.

Dar chuckled, and wiped a bit of the cream across Kerry's pink nose. "I'm going to grab a dry shirt from the boat, you want one?" She handed Kerry the jar and accepted her partner's nod. "Be right back."

Kerry tucked the cream into her bag and sat up, wrapping her arms around her upraised knees. The crowd was milling around closer now, and she spotted Andrew and Ceci heading her way.

Andy had a large album tucked under one arm and as he reached her, he sat down on the rock and laid it on his knees. "Hi." Kerry greeted him, as Ceci circled around to the other side and sat down. Duks and Mari drifted over, and Mark sat down next to her as well. "Whatcha got there?"

"What ah have here." Andrew stated. "Is pitchers." He glanced at the now interested crowd. "Seeing as it's Dardar's birthday, me and Cec figgured you all'd like to see what that kid looked like as a tot."

"Ooohhhh…." Mark let a eager rumble escape as he scrambled over to get a better spot. Everyone crowded around close, including Alastair who put his hands behind his back and peered over Andrew's broad shoulder.

Andrew opened the album to the first page, and smoothed the time yellowed plastic down. "This here's about at five minutes. "He pointed. "Yelling already." Alastair quipped. "Shoulda known."

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

Dar took a moment to rinse herself off in the shower before she removed her suit and pulled on a pair of shorts, along with a tank top she tucked into them. Then she regarded her reflection in the mirror. "Hey, Beach rat. Haven't seen you in a while." She greeted her scruffy mirror image, wind and salt sodden hair and all.

"Ah You don't look so bad for an ancient almost 31 year old." Dar raked her fingers through her hair to give it some kind of order, then she fished in the small chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of shorts and a soft cotton shirt for Kerry. Then she wandered through the boat's compact cabin, stopping in the galley to retrieve the quart of chocolate milk she'd tucked into the refrigerator.

It had been a great day. Dar reflected, as she walked out onto the stern and uncapped her milk. She took a sip as she watched the crowd out on the island, all gathered together near the fire. She could hear the laughter from where she was standing, and she took a moment to try and expel the wonder at what she was looking at.

It was hard to fathom. Here she was, standing on the deck of her boat, looking at her little island, and it was full of her friends, and her family, and her lifelong soulmate and partner.

Mine. Dar took another swallow of milk. Wow. Then she smiled, and shook her head, as she leaned against the pilothouse's support poles. Life was good. Complex, but good. She knew she had some tough decisions coming up in the near future, but somehow, those hovered out beyond the holidays, past the golden week she had planned with Kerry.

A whole week, just the two of them out there together. It would give her time to think. It would give Kerry time to heal. They'd both just been through a month of hell together, and damn it…

Dar paused and thought about that for a moment. They had been through hell for a month, hadn't they? And the last week had been tough, and bitchy.. they'd both been off balance and out of temper…

And it had only brought them closer together.

Dar put her milk down on the edge of the deck and shivered in the light breeze, as the truth of the realization seeped through her. Even with the tension between them, she'd never felt even a hint of fragility in their relationship, no touch of doubt, no sense of fear that perhaps they were headed down a sad and familiar road to distancing themselves from each other.

It was as though they'd laid down a foundation so strong, the worst storm could only dampen the surface.

Dar wrapped that thought around her as she made her way down the ladder and back across the pontoons, a gentle smile on her face.

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

Ceci intercepted her halfway down. "Hi." Her mother had her hands stuck in her pockets.

"Hi." Dar said, stopping and peering down. "Need something?"

Hm. Ceci considered the question. "No, I've got everything I need right at the moment." She stated. "But I'd like to give you something, and I'd rather it be in private."

Uh oh. Dar blinked a little. Now what? "Um.. okay." She agreed slowly.

A faint grin flashed off and on her mother's face. "C"mon." She lead the way back down the pontoons, past Dar's boat to the one behind it, which belonged to her and Andrew. She was aware of her daughter's intense curiosity as she followed her, the long strides making the wooden bridge rock from side to side. "You don't have to worry, it's not anything that would embarrass you in front of your friends."

"I wasn't, really." Dar replied. "I just thought we had all the boxes under the tree."

"Mm." Ceci climbed aboard their vessel and felt the boat move as Dar followed her. She entered the cabin, but stopped just inside, forcing Dar to stop as well. "One thing." She turned and faced her daughter. "I want you to promise me something."

Dar felt very offbalance. She was a little buzzed, and she'd been in the sun all day, and her brain wasn't working nearly as well as it usually did. "Huh?"

"Promise me something." Ceci repeated patiently. "It's not that hard, honest."

"Okay. What?"

"Promise me you wont ask me how, or where I got this from." Ceci asked, feeling more than a bit nervous. "Okay?"

Dar leaned against the doorway, feeling the warm teak wood against the skin of her shoulder. "Okay." She agreed, completely at sea. "I won't.. why would I anyway? You don't usually ask people where they…"

Ceci had opened a trunk just inside the door as Dar was speaking, and now she lifted something out and held it out.

Dar's voice trailed off as she stared at the object, then slowly she reached out and took it. Her eyes absorbed the contrast of slate gray against still vivid color, details meticulously etched by a careful and very patient hand.

Her careful, and very a patient hands, which had first built, then painted the model air craft carrier many years before.

Ceci just watched her. There was so very much about their joint past she could not change, but this one little thing she'd been bound and determined to. It had taken a while, but she'd persisted in gaining back one of the largest bones of contention there had ever been between them.

Even Andy had been shocked and angered at her when she'd gotten rid of Dar's models.

Dar finally drew a deep breath in and looked up and away from the ship, her gaze open and wondering. "Wh.."

"Ah ah ah.." Ceci shook her head. "You promised." She covered the intense emotion she felt by indicating the chest. "The rest of them are in here.. I don't know if you even have room for them but I…" She heard a slight scraping sound as Dar put the model on the table then felt the warmth as she approached. "Thought you might.. " A hand gripped her shoulder, and she felt herself being turned.

Having little choice, she went along with it and found herself facing her daughter, and in the moment their eyes met Ceci felt like a mother again. But she didn't really get a chance to absorb that before Dar did something very unexpected.

She stepped forward and put her arms around Ceci, and hugged her.

Good goddess. Ceci managed to respond in kind, wrapping her arms around Dar's strong body and giving her a healthy squeeze. The last time I did this… She let out a small breath. The last time I did this she was ten years old. "Dar… I'm sorry. I wish it'd been different for us."

"I don't care." Dar closed her eyes, and just hugged harder. "It's different now. That's all that matters."

Ceci felt herself lifted up a little, and she gained a new perspective on why Kerry took such care to remain strong and fit. You could get a little bent otherwise. But it felt good. She hugged her daughter and smiled, enjoying the moment thoroughly.

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

Dar stuck her hands in her pockets and smiled, feeling a tiny cloud of wonder following her around as she made her way off the bridge. It lasted just long enough for her to get across the sand, and realize what everyone was looking at. Dar could feel a slow burn of embarrassment start to heat her skin as she slowed her steps and heard the laughter.

Kerry was kneeling beside her father, one arm draped over his shoulders, pointing out something on the page with one finger. As the laughter rose again, she glanced up and their eyes met. In a twinkling instant, the amusement vanished from her face, and she stood up, giving Andrew a pat on the shoulder as she pushed through the crowd towards Dar.

It took all of Dar's considerable self discipline to not simply turn and leave.

"Hey." Kerry sounded like she was walking on verbal eggshells.

"I didn't realize I was the party entertainment." Dar replied, in a clipped tone. Another spurt of laughter, and her whole body jerked, stilling when Kerry reached out and touched her stomach in a reflex action. It was hard to believe just how angry she was.

"Dar." Kerry frantically sorted through her thoughts for a way to prevent the impending explosion she could feel about to take place. "Honey, please listen to me, okay? Before you go off the deep end?"

Dar remained completely silent.

"We're your friends and family, and we love you." Kerry whispered. "Your mom and dad are so proud of you, and they want to share their memories of you with your friends. Don't be upset, please?"

Dar stared over her shoulder at the crowd, who hadn't noticed her presence in the twilight shadows. Her face was still and closed, the pale blue eyes remote and very cold. Then, as though a switch had been flipped, Kerry felt the body next to her relax and she heard Dar sigh.

"I hate those pictures." Dar muttered. "I look like such an idiot."

She shoots, she scores. Kerry wrapped an arm around her lover. "You do not." She protested. "You were such an adorable baby, Dar. I wanted to just squeeze you." She did so, getting a soft grunt out of her partner. "Especially that one picture with you in the bunny suit."

"Eemph." Dar grimaced. "I'm gonna go wait on the boat."

"No.. no no.." Kerry kept hold of her as she started to move, digging her heels into the sand with a remarkable lack of success in stopping the motion. "C'mon.. c'mon… Dar, please?" Her voice broke on the last word, and it actually made Dar stop, and turn, and put her arms around Kerry.

Oo. Have to remember that. "Come over and look at them" Kerry pleaded gently. "Please?"

The very last thing in the world she wanted to do was go look at ugly old baby pictures of herself. Dar exhaled unhappily.

But, on the other hand, it would make Kerry happy. Was she willing to do something she really, really didn't want to do to gain that result? Dar tilted her head and regarded the serious mist green eyes looking back at her. "I'm not comfortable with people getting this close to me." She admitted very quietly. "It's crossing a line I'm not sure I want crossed."

Kerry absorbed that, her lips pursing as she considered the statement. "My life was lived so much in the public light, I didn't even think of that with you." She said. "I apologize, Dar. I should have stopped your father." She looked up into Dar's eyes squarely. "Forgive me?"

Like I have a choice? Dar felt a smile pull at her lips, as she surrendered her dignity and simply wrapped her arms around Kerry and started towards the group circling her father. What the hell. Dar endured the sudden glances, and grins with wry stoicism. "All right, which one of the seven thousand bad baby shots is he showing you now?"

"Ah, Dar… you were such a sweet baby." Maria smiled at her boss. "So cute."

"Mm." Ceci agreed, with a nod, catching up to them as they reached the rock. "I was going to pitch her as a baby model, but she bit the photographer."

Everyone looked at Dar, who grinned, then they made room as Kerry and Dar settled at Andy's side. Kerry put an arm around Dar's waist and rested her chin on her lover's shoulder. "What on earth were you doing there?" She pointed at a small, square Polaroid of a perhaps five or six year old Paladar in denim overalls on a very fuzzy, very unhappy looking animal.

"Riding a llama." Dar sighed, remembering the Pirate World adventure during one of Andy's infrequent leaves. "Neither of us enjoyed the experience, if I recall."

"Ya'll were pulling on his ears, Dardar. What'd ya expect?" Andy drawled.

"Ah, is that where you got the experience to do that?" Alastair kidded her.

"Yeah.' Dar reached up and grabbed her bosses ear, giving it a healthy tug as he yelped. "So you better watch it."

The laughter rose again, but Dar felt a bit more comfortable with it this time. She released Alastair's ear, then bent her head to regard the next page.

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

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you… happy birthday dear Dar… "

Dar listened to the chorus of voices, the cacophony evoking only a relaxed grin from her. They were in a circle around the fire, plates full of food balanced on laps, and mugs of alcohol being freely passed around.

Dar was mildly drunk and she knew it. Kerry was even more so, sitting next to her, with her sturdy legs sprawled out and an arm draped over Dar's thigh. She let her head lean back against Dar's hip as she related a funny story, her warm tones echoing out over the water.

It suddenly seemed oddly familiar. Dar felt a flash of almost memory as she set her plate aside and let her arm rest across Kerry's shoulders, nursing her mug with her other hand. Was it the fire? Some sliver of memory from her much younger years, some time spent out camping?

Laughter. Dar smiled, as Kerry's voice rose a bit, taking on a subtle, yet deep timbre. The sound echoed slightly, and Dar suddenly felt if she closed her eyes, and opened them again…

But no, there they still were at the fire, with their friends around them, the Miami night sky twinkling overhead.

Strange.

"Well, I tell you Kerry, that's a heck of a way to spend a birthday." Alastair said, as Kerry finished her tale. "I think I'd have given them up after that."

"Well." Kerry ran her thumb lightly along Dar's inner thigh. "I did… for a long time, until I moved down here." She paused. "And took my life back." Her face settled into a quiet reflection, and the tenor of the crowd changed a little, as people took the moment to dig into the excellent stew and munch on crusty garlic bread.

Kerry took a sip of her beer, and gazed out over the water, glad of the solid, warm presence she was leaning against. Ceci and Andrew were on the other side of Dar, and Mark was seated next to her, and she found herself very glad to be in this firelit circle surrounded by her friends, and family.

Her family. Kerry took another swallow of beer, knowing sitting in the sand covered in salt and sun tan lotion wasn't anything her other family would ever have caught themselves dead doing. Not even Angie or Mike, who loved her, but who loved their privileged lives just as much. "Y'know, Dar?"

"Mm?" Dar selected a bit of carrot sticking out of her stew and offered it to Kerry.

A smile crossed Kerry's face as she accepted the offering, licking Dar's fingers as she munched on the carrot. "I don't think I ever fit in at home."

"No?"

"Nope." Kerry wondered, briefly, what would have become of her if she'd stayed there. Not taken the chance and jumped at the impulsive move to a state as far away from her home as she could get. "Glad I decided to come find you."

Dar chuckled softly. "Me too." She agreed. "Otherwise I'd have had to come to Michigan and terrorize the area until I found you."

"Think you would have?" Kerry imagined coming around the corner in Meijers and finding Dar. "Maybe you'd have… " She thought a moment. "Found me at some job fair and hired me."

"Nah." Dar mumbled around a mouthful of stew beef. "Something more dramatic.. how about… oh… I rescued you from being captured by white slavers and took you away for a life of vagabond excitement and crusading traveling around the world."

They were both silent for a moment, deep in thought.

Kerry rolled her head back and looked at Dar. "Honey, I love you but you've been watching too much of that late night television again."

"Hey.. I could have said we'd go off and become crocodile wrestlers."

Kerry laughed, and Dar joined her, pulling her closer and sliding down off her log onto the ground so they were side by side. Duks started a story of his own, and Kerry listened, as she tilted her head back and regarded the canopy of stars.

Were they twinkling at her? Watching her?

Was her father up there somewhere, finally in a place where lies didn't work, and the truth was like a harsh light that could blind if you weren't prepared for it?

Did he know the truth about her now? And if he did, would he ever accept it, or would he go through eternity damning her for being something outside his personal box of understanding?

Kerry found the Big Dipper and traced it's outlines. Goodbye, Daddy. She let out a small breath. In spite of everything, I really did love you.

A soft voice tickled her ear. "Whatcha looking at?" Dar murmured., gazing upward with her.

"Just the stars." Kerry replied. "Look at that patch, Dar." She pointed. "You think that looks like a bear?"

Dar pressed her cheek against Kerry's and studied the pattern. "Nah." She shook her head. "A pig."

"A pig?" One of Kerry's eyebrows lifted. "How about a pig riding a bike?"

Dar didn't answer. She just smiled.

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

That is, for now, the end. Yes, there'll be a sequel.