Sex: Yup.

Violence: That too.

Angst: Probably.

This story is going to be slightly long, but I promise it´ll be updated frequently. (There´s nothing worse than having to wait, is there?) Okay, since all that´s been taken care of, I´ll just shut up and let the tale begin. Comments are welcome at: dayze11@hotmail.com

Copyright © 1999 by Day

Part 8

Chapter Thirty-Four

After having slept so deeply, it took Jo a few seconds before she realized where she was. Staring at the ceiling, she gradually became aware of the faint light of dawn outside the window and the beautiful woman sleeping in her arms. Lying absolutely still so as not to wake her, Jo concentrated on making her breathing calm and even, attempting to calm herself down in the process.

So this was what it was like to wake up with someone you loved, this was what it was all about. Jo felt a little smile creep onto her lips. If she had known that she would have tried to get there sooner.

No, you wouldn´t have. You were too damn afraid and even if you could do it all over again, you wouldn´t change a thing. You´d have been too scared… And you still are, aren´t you?

Of its own volition, Jo´s left hand had begun to stroke Mickey´s hair gently as she contemplated everything that had happened and how she felt about it. She knew she loved Mickey. Of that she had absolutely no doubt. From the moment the realization had hit her, out on a deserted and windy bridge, she´d had no doubt that this was the woman she would love for the rest of her life.

Why she was so sure, especially since it had taken her so long to get there, she didn´t know. She just knew she loved her. Loved the way her eyes lit up when she was happy and laughed, loved the way she dedicated herself to helping others, loved the way she smelled, the sound of her voice and her so incredibly soft hands.

"Hey…" A quiet voice hoarse from sleep interrupted Jo´s thoughts and she turned her head to look into warm, but also a little uncertain green eyes.

"Hey," Jo answered, letting her hand drift down to Mickey´s back where it began to move in slow circles. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Mickey smiled. "Actually, I feel better than fine. A lot better." She paused briefly, looking into Jo´s eyes, "And you? How do you feel?"

Jo reached down to gently pull Mickey on top of her, feeling a surge of desire rush through her body as skin slid over skin. "I feel a lot better than fine, too," she confessed, her hand caressing the blonde´s cheek. She pretended not to see the brief flicker of relief in Mickey´s eyes and instead moved her hand to the blonde´s neck, pulling her down for a kiss.

They kissed slowly and tenderly, both basking in the first real morning after they had ever had. Breaking apart, Mickey looked down at Jo then spoke warmly, "I love you, Jo. I´d wish it hadn´t taken us so long to get here, but now that we have, I know it was worth the wait. I´m never letting you go again."

Pain showed in the lieutenant´s eyes and she said quietly, "I´m sorry, Mickey. I know I haven´t made it very easy for you, and that I´ve done stuff that I shouldn´t. I wish I could change it, but I can´t. All I can do is make it up to you, and I will. I promise."

Mickey gently brushed a few strands of hair away from Jo´s eyes, smiling affectionately, "I´ve loved you for so long, Jo. I fell in love with you the moment you took my hand and helped me climb that damn rock. I admired your strength and your determination. I admired the way you always looked out for Dane and that you never gave up, no matter what was thrown in your way. When you gave me one of your rare smiles, my knees would become weak and my heart would begin beating faster."

The blonde´s smile grew almost regretful, but her eyes shone with love as she gently stroked Jo´s hair, "You were the most exciting and beautiful person I´d ever seen. You were so passionate about the things you wanted, and yet something always held you back, almost like you were afraid to reach for them." Looking into clouded blue eyes, Mickey whispered softly, "I wish you had reached for me, Jo. I wish you had been my first. Been my only one."

"I´d wish that, too," Jo managed to croak out after a few seconds of silence, her throat constricting from what Mickey had said. "I really do."

Mickey smiled, leaning down to kiss her gently, lingering for a moment before pulling away, "It´s okay, Jo, I´m happy with the way things are. You may not have been my first, but you will be my last, and that´s all that matters."

The certainty and confidence with which Mickey spoke those words was like balm to Jo´s soul and she was filled with a quiet peace she hadn´t experienced for years, and all she could do was smile in return before she resolutely rolled Mickey onto her back, intent on expressing all the things she couldn´t say through different, but no less effective, means.

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

Gently extricating herself from the sleeping woman, Jo climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. They had spent most of the day in bed making love, and now Jo was in desperate need of a shower, and, she admitted silently to herself, some time alone, too, to process everything that had happened. Especially how it was going to affect her life and work.

Letting out a deep sigh she turned on the water and stepped inside, cursing inwardly when the cold water hit her body. After shivering for a few minutes, the temperature became tolerable and she lifted her head, enjoying the feel of the drops hitting her face. Not wanting to use too much water, she showered quickly, only staying long enough to wash her hair.

Finding a towel, she wrapped it around herself, but instead of going back outside as she had intended, she suddenly found herself sitting down on the toilet seat, staring blankly at the floor.

She knew she had to call Lingstrom, soon, and explain to him why she hadn´t showed up. She could probably tell him something about feeling under the weather due to the monthly curse and being like most men, he probably wouldn´t question her further. That shouldn´t cause a problem, but what could become one was if he suggested to postpone the trip a few days until she felt better, and then she would have no excuse not to go with him.

Disgusted with herself, Jo shook her head slowly. What the hell was wrong with her? Here she was, trying to come up with reasons to avoid completing a perfectly straightforward assignment. She was actually trying to find excuses why she couldn´t do her job, the sole reason why she was in Neo Roma in the first place.

Come on… a voice whispered in her head. It won´t be that bad. It´ll only be for a week and then you´ll be back and can see Mickey again.

However, the thought did nothing to make her feel better and Jo rose tiredly from the toilet seat, stepping over to look into the mirror. Staring impassively at her reflection, Jo suddenly realized that there was one more person she would have to contact and explain why she wasn´t on her way to Venice.

Messina.

Jo knew Messina wouldn´t buy her excuse about period pains, the blonde knew her too well for that, and one part of Jo was reluctant to lie to her. Besides, she wasn´t sure she could even if she wanted to. She was also aware that for quite some time Messina had been wanting an explanation for what she thought was Jo´s delaying, or even stalling, her assignment to get close to Lingstrom, and the lieutenant hadn´t been able to come up with a satisfying explanation. Mainly because she didn´t have any. At least no explanation Messina would accept.

I can´t very well tell her I´ve fallen in love, can I? Jo met her own glum gaze in the mirror. I can´t tell her that the mere thought of Lingstrom touching me makes me physically ill. She would never understand, and even if she did, she would still want me to do it. She would do it herself if necessary, she would do anything as long as it benefits the Organisation. She´s dedicated her life to the movement, sworn to do whatever it takes to fight the Council.

Jo turned away, unable to look at herself any longer.

Filled with renewed resolution, Jo exited the bathroom and making a conscious effort not to look at Mickey, quickly gathered her clothes and dressed. Just as she had finished tying her shoes, she detected a small movement out of the corner of her eye and heard Mickey speak softly, "Jo?"

"Hey," Jo turned around, smiling briefly. Only too aware of the worry beginning to show in Mickey´s eyes, she stepped over and kneeled down beside the bed, taking one of Mickey´s hands into hers. Kissing the palm affectionately, she spoke quietly, "I´ve got to go now, there are a couple of things I have to do."

Mickey nodded, forcefully suppressing the need to hold onto Jo and never let her go. Clearing her throat she asked, "Are you coming back?"

Jo didn´t look at her, but kept her gaze centred on the fine, smooth skin of the blonde´s hand, "Yes." She paused, "If you want me to."

Mickey put her free hand under Jo´s chin, tilting the lieutenant´s face up before giving her a warm smile, "Do you really have to ask?"

Jo smiled shyly and shook her head, an expression of happiness crossing her face then she grew serious again. Debating with herself how much she should say, she decided to stick to the truth, or as much of it as possible.

"I might be gone for a couple of days. I´ll have to check on my men and see that nothing else has happened and I´ll have to get in contact with HQ to hear whether they have new instructions." Jo looked into Mickey´s eyes and seeing the unspoken question, she exhaled slowly, coming to a decision. She knew it wouldn´t solve anything, that it would only postpone the inevitable, but right now, being face to face with Mickey, she was unable to do anything else and in a surprisingly calm voice she said, "I won´t be going to Venice with Lingstrom."

Not this time anyway, she added silently in her mind as she watched relief and then joy spread on the blonde´s face before she was pulled into a fierce embrace, followed by a passionate kiss full of promise. And for the briefest of seconds, Jo managed to forget everything about orders and obligations, loyalty and duty, and just revelled in the feeling of being young and in love.

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

Taking one last look at the agents dozing on all available surfaces in the main room of the small cabin, from couches to floors, Jo walked quietly out into the gloomy kitchen, closing the door gently behind her. She slumped down on a half broken chair, barely managing to keep her balance when the seat skidded a little beneath her. Mumbling a low curse, she straightened up and placed both feet solidly on the floor to avoid further risks.

Pulling out the black box from an inner pocket in her jacket, she stared at it for a few seconds then with a low sigh she opened it and started the process of establishing contact. Moments later she was looking at a tired, but calm Messina who gave her a fleeting smile before leaning back in the chair, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"All safe?"

"Yeah," Jo answered, having to clear her voice a few times. "For now anyway. We all got out of Neo Roma in no time," she paused, then added quietly, "the emergency procedures work just fine."

"They should be," the blonde replied matter-of-factly, "I created them."

Jo nodded, but didn´t answer, her eyes taking in the sight of the dirty and neglected kitchen around her.

"When are you going back?"

Messina´s voice made Jo look back at the screen, "In a day or two. As soon as I can be relatively certain that there won´t be anybody to arrest me the moment I enter the city."

"That won´t happen," the blonde answered with more confidence than she felt, trying to meet Jo´s eyes. "Lingstrom isn´t that good an actor. If he believed that you are with us he wouldn´t have agreed to postpone the trip, instead he would have been the one conducting your interrogation, trying to heal his wounded pride."

"By peeling off my toenails?" Jo inquired dryly, arching an eyebrow.

"That´s not funny, Delaine," Messina said pointedly, but smiled nonetheless. She was silent for a moment, but then took a deep breath, waiting to speak until a reluctant lieutenant met her gaze, "Jo, why aren´t you in Venice as you were supposed to be? Why is it that every time Lingstrom is involved I get the impression that you´re doing everything you can to avoid getting the job done? And not just Lingstrom, lately your reports have been sparse and inconclusive with too little information to be of any use." The blonde faltered, then continued with renewed strength, "Why aren´t you doing your job, Jo?"

Several responses raced through Jo´s head as she looked into Messina´s eyes, but one by one she discarded them all, knowing the blonde would see through both evasions and lies. Messina waited patiently, watching the emotions cross the lieutenant´s face. She could tell Jo was struggling with herself, but she had no doubt that whatever Jo ended up telling her would be the truth. The lieutenant had never lied to her and she had complete faith that she never would.

Scratching her chin mindlessly, Jo began to speak slowly and hesitantly, forcing herself not to look away, "You know, back when I first left for Neo Roma…"

"Yes?" Messina sighed inwardly, knowing this might take awhile. "What about it?"

"Well… You said… you said that if there ever was something I didn´t feel comfortable with doing, something I didn´t think I´d be capable of doing…"

"Yes?" the blonde repeated, resisting the urge to tap her fingers on the desk. Then suddenly she straightened up, her eyes becoming alert, "Are you saying what I think you´re saying, Jo?"

Jo was silent for so long that Messina first wasn´t sure she had even heard her, but then the lieutenant nodded lightly, speaking quietly, "Yeah." Jo exhaled inaudibly and looked the blonde square in the eye, the expression on her face unusually composed and decisive, "I don´t want to do this anymore, Iris… I can´t," she added almost as an afterthought.

An inscrutable gaze studied her for a long time, then the blonde asked evenly, no emotion whatsoever evident in her voice, "Okay… If that´s how you feel." She looked away for a moment before continuing, "Do you mind if I ask you why you´ve had this sudden change of heart?"

Jo fidgeted a little on the chair which precariously endangered her balance, but then she regained control, in more ways than one, and spoke, her tone suddenly resigned, "No, I don´t mind, it´s fairly simple really. I´ve… I´ve… I no longer feel emotionally detached enough to do my work. I´ve realized that lately I´ve begun to speculate more on how an assignment will affect me personally than how it´ll benefit the Organisation." She trailed off then added softly, "I´ve found that… that my… my personal life is getting in the way, that it prevents me from keeping a clear head and more importantly, it makes it difficult for me to do my job in a successful and secure manner. I guess… I guess, it´s not so much a question of whether I´ve had a change of heart, it´s more that my heart isn´t in it anymore."

"I see," Messina answered after several minutes of digesting what the lieutenant had said. "I take it nothing I could say would make any difference?"

"No, I mean…" Jo ran a hand through her hair, her eyes showing a glimmer of uncertainty. "I mean, if you order me to stay, I will. I´m not going to disobey you, but I think you should know that I seriously doubt I´ll be of much use, either to you or to my agents. I´ve already let emotions cloud my judgement once and I can´t guaranty it won´t happen again."

"If you´re referring to the matter of Sergeant Frederic then I want you to know-."

"No, no," Jo interrupted gently. "That´s not the reason for my decision… Not entirely…"

"Well?" A hint of impatience, or maybe irritation, was apparent in the blonde´s voice. "What is it then?"

Jo´s eyes grew distant, a smile she wasn´t even aware of flickering across her face, then she met Messina´s gaze and spoke quietly, "I´ve fallen in love."

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

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Hold his leg, will you?"

Mickey complied, holding the man´s leg still as Sophia began to cut open his trouser leg.

"Do you have to do that?" the man complained petulantly, shifting uneasily on the examination table, but without making a move to pull away. "It´s my only pair."

"You know I do, Luc," the doctor´s wife, a petite grey-haired woman answered soothingly, not once looking up from her task. "If you behave I´ll see if Lennon hasn´t an old pair you can have."

"Really!" The patient brightened considerably by that prospect and gave Mickey a big toothless grin, "Did you hear that, Mickey! A new pair of trousers, isn´t that something?"

"It most certainly is," Mickey replied with an absent smile, trying to minimize the sudden movement of the man´s leg that the excitement had brought on. "Now, if only you´ll keep still for a minute, Luc…"

The man who was clearly a victim of Down´s Syndrome gave her another happy grin then lay down on the table, humming a soft tune. Sophia efficiently cleaned and then dressed the long gash on his leg, occasionally bestowing little smiles and reassuring touches on Luc who had grown completely still under her hands and was watching her with obvious adoration.

When finished, she helped him down from the table and escorted him out into the corridor between the examination rooms, giving him firm directions to wait until she returned.

With muscles aching from an entire day of non-stop working, Mickey began to clean up instruments and put everything back into place. When she heard Sophia enter the room, she turned around, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "So, did Lawrence have any spare trousers?"

Sophia smiled enigmatically, taking a broom from a closet, "He always does when I look."

Mickey grinned inwardly and began to wipe the examination table with a cloth soaked in alcohol. On more than one occasion she had heard Doctor Lawrence mutter that he had to be getting senile since things seemed to disappear around him all the time. Sometimes it was clothes, other times it was food, and once he had even lost an old autographed baseball he had won as a boy. Mickey suspected that the doctor wasn´t as oblivious as he led to believe about the disappearance of his belongings, but it appeared to be some kind of old ritual between him and his wife so Mickey didn´t comment.

Putting the cloth down, she looked up to say something to Sophia, but the doctor´s wife was staring past her at something behind her back, the hand around the broomstick tightening subtly. Before Mickey had the chance to turn around, she felt a warm presence behind her and strong arms encircled her waist.

"Hey, beautiful," a low voice whispered into her ear. "Have ya missed me?"

Her heart rate instantly increasing, Mickey spun around to look into Jo´s eyes. She barely had time to register the fatigue etched into the lieutenant´s face and the weary expression in her eyes before she was pulled into a kiss that drove all thoughts away as they reacquainted themselves after nine days of separation.

Finally pulling apart, Mickey kept her arms around Jo, unable to let go even for a second. Too overwhelmed with emotion and joy to speak right away, she just stared at the lieutenant, one hand eagerly touching Jo´s face as if checking that she was really there. Then smiling brilliantly, she managed to say, "Oh… maybe a little."

A half smile showed on Jo´s lips and it looked as if she was about to reply when suddenly she looked past Mickey, the blue eyes growing impassive and cold.

"You can put the broom down now, Mrs. Lawrence. I´m not dangerous."

Sophia eyed the dark woman warily, holding the broom uncertainly. She knew who Jo was, had encountered her a few times when she turned up at the clinic, waiting for Mickey to finish, and she knew Mickey considered the agent a friend. Once or twice she had even tried to engage Jo into some kind of conversation, curious to learn a little about her, but had had to give up because Jo would inevitably excuse herself and leave to wait outside.

Sophia was a gentle and mild mannered woman who didn´t share her husband´s strong dislike of the Organisation, but that didn´t mean she trusted the people working for it either and there was something about the agent that left her feeling a little uneasy, a little on guard. There had been a time when she had been arguing with herself whether she should encourage Mickey to spend less time with her, but she had ultimately come to the conclusion that Mickey was old enough to take care of herself and besides, their friendship had seemed to be a rather casual and coincidental affair.

Until now that was. What she had just witnessed had been anything but casual and she wasn´t sure what to think of it. She had noticed a change in Mickey the last couple of days, the blonde having suffered from severe mood-swings and an uncharacteristic absent-mindedness, but she had believed that Mickey was simply overworked and in need of a holiday and hadn´t given it much thought. Now, however, she knew the reason all too well. It was clearly written on the blonde´s face and obvious from the way she leaned into the woman beside her; Mickey was in love and, although she was doing a great job of hiding it, by the look in Jo´s eyes, the agent appeared to be so as well.

Exhaling silently, Sophia placed the broom against the wall and gave Jo a weak smile, "My apology, I overreacted, but you startled me. I didn´t see you until you were right behind Mickey and in this part of the city it´s better to be safe than sorry."

"My fault, and you´re right, one should always be careful," Jo answered evenly, her left arm placed firmly around Mickey´s waist. "I´ll remember to announce myself the next time."

For a few seconds they stood in an awkward silence, then Jo turned to look at Mickey and Sophia couldn´t help but notice how the agent´s eyes lost their cold and her voice became gentle, "You almost done here?"

Mickey nodded, "Yes, give me a minute to clean up and I´ll be right with you."

"Okay," Jo smiled briefly and placed a quick kiss on Mickey´s lips, her eyes straying to meet Sophia´s as she did so, then she turned around and strode out of the room. Mickey continued to stare at the empty doorway until even the sound of Jo´s footstep was gone, then she looked back at Sophia who was watching her with an expression of amusement mixed with concern.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Oh, that…" Mickey smiled, not quite meeting Sophia´s gaze. "That was just Jo, she´s been out of town for awhile." She began to unbutton her white coat, then looked up reluctantly when she heard Sophia speak, "Mickey? What´s going on? Are you… involved… with her?"

Meeting concerned brown eyes, Mickey sighed quietly, a little smile appearing on her lips, "Would you believe me if I said no?"

Sophia gave her a look and Mickey relented with a small grin, "Yes, yes, I am, and before you start, Lawrence has already given me several lectures on the evils of the Organisation and the dangers of even breathing the same air as agents. There´s nothing you can say that he hasn´t told me ten times or more. It´s true, I might be into something over my head, but it´s my own choice and I promise to be careful and not to have it affect my work, okay?" She smiled again, hoping Sophia would let her off the hook. She was tired and just wanted to go home and be with Jo whom she hadn´t seen or heard from for more than a week.

Sophia regarded her in silence for a long time. She had no difficulties reading the blonde´s mind and one part of her was well aware that it really wasn´t any of her business. However, she and her husband both cared a great deal for the young doctor and she feared that the animosity between Lennon and the movement Jo represented might end up causing problems for Mickey. Then of course there were the dangers of being involved with an agent, dangers that were only too real and subsequently something Sophia didn´t want to dwell on right now, so instead she smiled, speaking warmly, "Okay, Mickey, I trust you to be able to handle it yourself." She paused, studying the blonde thoughtfully, "Maybe you and Jo could come to dinner this Saturday? Lennon and I haven´t had guests for ages and I´m sure it would be very nice."

Mickey was less than sure. Dr. Lawrence and Jo couldn´t stand the sight of each other and on the few scant occasions they had met in the clinic, hostile glares and sarcastic comments had been their only line of communication. Having them both at the same table was sure to be an explosive affair and although Mickey had come to see the doctor and his wife as family and would love to see them get to know Jo better, she was far too much of a realist to believe in miracles. Besides, there was no way Jo would agree.

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

The brief exchange between Messina and herself flashed through Jo´s head seconds before Mickey rang the bell to the Lawrences´ apartment.

When Mickey, hesitantly, and after much evasion, had finally delivered Sophia´s invitation, Jo had intended to decline without even thinking about it, but just when she had been about to answer, she had noticed a badly disguised look of hope in her lover´s eyes. Realizing, that Mickey actually did want them to go, the lieutenant had paused, trying to decide on what to do.

She didn´t want to go, not now, not ever. Spending an evening with Dr. Lawrence was as far down on her list of things to do as possible and she was pretty sure the doctor felt the same way about her. However, Jo had quickly come to the conclusion that it didn´t really matter what she thought since her heart seemed hell bent on doing just about anything that would make Mickey happy, and although Jo knew the blonde would have accepted her decision either way, the smile on Mickey´s face when she finally agreed made her glad that she had. Also the fact that the dinner conveniently allowed her to postpone a much dreaded conversation Jo knew she would have to have with Mickey before long helped the decision along.

Before they left, Mickey had tried, as subtly and diplomatically as possible, to extricate a promise from Jo that she would behave, that she wouldn´t let Dr. Lawrence goad her into a pointless discussion of politics. The lieutenant had wrinkled her nose in response, muttering something Mickey couldn´t quite decipher, but what she had heard, ensured that as they stood in the Lawrences´ living room, Mickey was having a firm grip on her lover´s hand, trying to soothe the already tense lieutenant into relaxing.

Ignoring the look the seated doctor directed at her, Jo smiled briefly as Sophia came out from the kitchen to greet them. They exchanged a few pleasantries, then Sophia, to Jo´s great consternation and regret, asked Mickey to help her with something in the kitchen to which the blonde willingly agreed. After giving Jo a look not to be misunderstood, Sophia sending her husband a similar warning, the two women disappeared out into the kitchen leaving Jo and Lawrence alone.

A few seconds ticked by with Jo standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room and Dr. Lawrence watching her intensely from a worn, but comfortable looking armchair, then he gestured to a chair opposite from him.

"Sit down, Jo, make yourself at home." He paused, studying her even closer as she sat down, "Is it okay if I call you Jo? Or do you prefer agent, lieutenant or do you have some kind of-."

"Jo´s fine," Jo interrupted, throwing a wistful glance at the now closed kitchen door.

The doctor nodded in acknowledgement and silence fell between them once again. Jo shifted on the chair, feeling herself grow restless and aggravated under the doctor´s stare. Making a conscious effort, she forced herself to remember why she was there and why she had agreed to go in the first place and with a meek smile said, "I hear we´re going to get a thunderstorm tonight."

Lawrence just looked at her then said, "So… Jo… How long have you and Mickey been together? Last time I asked, she assured me you were just friends."

Biting back the reply that it was none of his business, Jo took a deep breath and even managed to smile a little, "Not for very long. I guess you can say we´re just getting started."

"Uh huh," the doctor commented before continuing without missing a beat, "and how long are you going to be together?"

Jo stared at him, her brow furrowing, "What do you mean `for how long are we going to be together´? What kind of question is that?"

"A very reasonable question if you ask me," Lawrence spoke with utmost calm, his eyes searching Jo intently for any reaction. "I know agents, I know what you´re like."

Before Jo could answer, he leaned forward and said almost conspiratorially, "I know your work here can be both tedious and dangerous, and I understand that you get the need to unwind occasionally, to kill some time in pleasant company. I have no problems with that. However," he continued unaffectedly, missing the dangerous glint in Jo´s eyes, "there are places to go for that, establishments which provide everything you may desire, but I´m sure you know that already. There´s no need to begin playing with a young woman´s heart just because you´re bored or sexually attracted to her. If you have just the tiniest ounce of decency in you, you´d do the right thing and walk away before anybody gets hurt."

Satisfied with his little speech, the doctor leaned back into his chair, folded his arms over his chest and waited for the suddenly very pale lieutenant to answer.

After a moment of deadly silence, Jo cleared her throat and began to speak in a strained, but otherwise emotionless voice that belied the cold in her eyes, "I appreciate your concern, Doctor, and I understand you speak only out of concern for Mickey´s well-being, but, and pardon my language, Mickey´s and my relationship is none of your fucking business, and I´d appreciate it if you would stay the hell out of it." Jo leaned forward, mimicking the doctor´s earlier posture and tone of voice, "And frankly, you can shove your places and establishments up your arse. I don´t care what you think of me or the Organisation, but I´m not going to let you give Mickey any grief over this. You leave her alone and whatever you feel you have to say, you say to me. Got that?"

It wasn´t a question, nor was it a request, it was a direct order and they both knew it. Bristling, Lawrence forced an artificial smile onto his face, his jaw clenching, "I realize we don´t see eye to eye on this matter. I suppose, I should´ve known better. To expect any decent behaviour from people following a-."

"Waitaminute!" Jo interrupted angrily. "What exactly is your problem here? Is it me or is it the Organisation?"

"Oh? There is a difference?" The sarcasm was clear in the doctor´s voice. "You are part of a movement which has no scruples sacrificing the people they are allegedly fighting for whenever it serves their purposes. Instead of gathering their resources to do a little good, they spread it all out in this senseless fight for freedom subsequently to no effect. You take young children and turn them into soulless killers all in the name of the so-called greater good," the doctor halted, looking directly into Jo´s eyes, "but I guess you´d know all about that, wouldn´t you?"

"It is impossible to avoid some civilian losses and you know that," Jo answered, ignoring the bait. "It´s a tragic, but unavoidable consequence in any armed conflict, and may I remind you, Doctor, that the use of human shields isn´t a foreign concept to the Council. And in regard to your other objections, the Organisation does what it can to help. Among other things," she continued calmly, her temper under control once more, "it provides food, shelter and care for thousands of orphaned children all over the Realm. Those children are taught not only how to read and write, but also how to survive and fight for themselves. They are given the possibility of actually making it into adulthood."

"Yes, but in return they´re robbed of their childhood."

"If it weren´t for the Organisation I wouldn´t have had a childhood," Jo commented flatly, refusing to be goaded further into the argument. "I would have died in the woods sixteen years ago and nobody would´ve given a damn."

The doctor was about to answer, but then paused and appeared to lose some of his steam as he contemplated what the lieutenant had said. Then, taking a deep breath, he nodded lightly before speaking graciously, "It´s obvious that we won´t reach an agreement, and I´m convinced we could be discussing this until we´re both blue in the face, but in honour of common hospitality, and the two women in the kitchen who apparently believe us capable of reasonable and mature behaviour for more than two minutes, I think we should put our discussion to rest and instead speak of something less explosive, say the weather."

To mock his statement, an ear-shattering thunderclap followed immediately afterwards, and Jo couldn´t quite suppress a grin as she nodded, silently agreeing to the temporary truce.

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

"Have they killed each other yet?"

"Ah, no," Mickey returned from the kitchen door where she had sneaked a peek into the living room, "but they´re not talking either."

"Well, under the circumstances that´s probably a good thing," Sophia replied good-naturedly, closing the door to the oven. "Then they might even make it through dinner."

"Yeah, I suppose," Mickey commented, pulling a chair out to sit down at the kitchen table. "When´s dinner ready anyway?"

"Forty minutes should do the trick." The doctor´s wife joined her at the table with an opened bottle of red wine. "Hope you like Chianti?"

"Sure," Mickey nodded absently, her thoughts focused more on what might be going on next door than what she was served."

Exchanging a smile, they toasted and then let a few minutes go by as each thought about her own things. Returning to the present, Mickey took a sip of the wine then asked quietly, "Why does Lawrence hate the Organisation so much? I mean, I could understand it if he supported the Council, but he seems to hate that with equal passion."

"Oh, he does hate them both. That, together with playing bridge, is his favourite pastime," the grey-haired woman answered with a faint smile before growing serious. "It´s due to several factors, but the main reason is that when he was just a young man he saw his village be sacrificed by the Organisation instead of being defended as they had promised. It was a purely strategic decision of course, the lesser of two evils, and they really had no choice, but that´s hard to understand when your family is dying around you."

She sighed, playing with the glass between her fingers, "Also, he feels that they ought to spend less money on weapons, and more money on medicine and food to the refugees and the homeless."

"Iris Messina isn´t the head of a charity organisation," Mickey interjected gently. "I may not agree with everything they do, and God knows I certainly don´t, but I don´t see that we have an alternative. To allow the Council to continue its rule unchallenged would be as much of a crime as to condone it."

Sophia smiled, shrugging noncommittally. "Maybe." Then she was silent for a moment before speaking thoughtfully, "Iris Messina… she´s legendary you know, even among those who despise her and call her a traitor and a terrorist."

"I know," Mickey answered, emptying her glass in one big gulp. "If it weren´t for her, the Organisation would have split up in several competing factions years ago." She reached for the bottle to refill her glass, "She is the one who keeps it all together."

"Have you ever met her?" There was a hint of excitement in Sophia´s tone. "I´ve heard she´s very beautiful?"

"She is," Mickey replied, fingering with the table-cloth before meeting the elderly woman´s eyes, "and yes, I have met her, well, sort of. She handed me a pin the day I graduated." She stretched, glancing at her watch, "Anyway, if you want to know more about her, you should probably ask Jo. They´ve worked together for years."

"Really?" Sophia seemed to be pleased by that information. "Well, in that case, I might just do that. I´ve always found Iris Messina strangely fascinating."

"Join the club," Mickey muttered under her breath, then rose from her chair and stepped over to the oven to have a look inside. Speaking over her shoulder she said, "It looks like everything is coming along nicely."

"Of course," came the confident answer tinged with amusement. "What did you expect?"

Smiling in return, Mickey went back to her chair, ignoring the urge to drink more wine. The subject of Iris Messina wasn´t exactly something she was thrilled about discussing. Jo rarely mentioned her and when she did, it was always work related and she quickly went on to talk about something else. Mickey had admitted to herself that she had quite a few questions she would like to ask, some more rational than others, but the time just hadn´t been right and she wasn´t about to jeopardize their relationship so early. Besides, it didn´t really matter what might, or might not, have been between her lover and Messina because Jo was hers now.

She said so herself, Mickey added vehemently in her mind, secretly wondering if she was trying to convince herself and she realized with some regret that spending six years fighting for Jo´s attention had left her feeling just a little insecure.

Deciding to stop thinking further down those lines, Mickey looked at Sophia who was watching her intently and then said conversationally, "So, have you heard that President Anoldi has been hospitalized? They think he might have less than a year left to live."

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

Gurgling enthusiastically for a couple of seconds, the doctor then spat out the water, returning his toothbrush to its place. Looking into the mirror, he buttoned the last button in his favourite blue striped pyjamas, then ran a brush through his wayward grey locks which he resignedly noticed seemed to become thinner and thinner with each passing day.

A bright flash of light suddenly illuminated the bathroom for a split second, immediately followed by another loud burst of thunder. The storm had reached them two hours ago and had brought with it torrential rain and sweeping gusts of wind. His wife had been persistent that Jo and Mickey couldn´t go outside in that kind of weather and had offered them to spend the night on the couch in their living room. The lieutenant had been more than reluctant and had seemed to prefer to take her chances with the storm, but had eventually relented when she noticed the fatigue in Mickey´s face. Although the doctor wasn´t quite ready to admit it to himself, Jo´s small act of thoughtfulness had impressed him. Not that it made him like her any better, far from it, it only showed that she had a little more sense than he had first expected. That was all.

Dinner had progressed smoothly, if quietly, with Sophia and Mickey doing most of the talking and there hadn´t been any further outbursts of animosity between him and Jo. He had spend most of the evening listening with half an ear to the conversation around him, his full attention never leaving the lieutenant who was clearly aware of his scrutiny, but didn´t seem to be too affected by it. In fact, if he had to be perfectly honest, it had annoyed him somewhat that she had showed him so little attention, practically ignoring him for the entire evening and instead had watched Mickey in silent, but undisguised adoration. That, too, had annoyed him because it didn´t fit in with his impression of her, or how her kind ought to be.

He wasn´t even going to take into consideration that the agent might actually love his assistant. He didn´t believe her capable of it, and even if it were to be the case, in his opinion it just made everything much worse. All he could do was hope that Mickey would see the light and come to her senses before too long and that hopefully she wouldn´t get hurt too much when she did.

Opening the bathroom door, he flicked off the light and then made his way in the dark, walking down the short corridor to his bedroom, eager to get some much needed sleep. However, somehow he found himself pausing at the half-closed door into the living room and without really knowing why, he held his breath, listening attentively.

All he heard was the howling of the wind and the sound of rain hitting the windows, accompanied by an occasional clap of thunder. Shaking his head at his own misplaced curiosity, he was about to move on when a few muffled sounds reached his ears. Frowning, he remained where he was, but then realization manifested on his face and in a huff he strode the short distance to the bedroom, righteous indignation replacing the frown.

Closing the bedroom door resolutely behind him, he turned around to look at his wife who was sitting in bed reading. "You won´t believe it, Sophia, but I think they might actually be having sex in there. Under my roof! The nerve." He kicked off his slippers and climbed into bed, ignoring his wife´s amused expression, "I bet it was that agent who put her up to it. Mickey would never do something like that of her own accord."

"Uh huh." Sophia took off her reading glasses, studying her husband while trying to hide a smirk, "I wouldn´t be so sure about that and Lennon, dear, give it a rest now, will you? Otherwise I might feel compelled to ask how you can be so sure of what´s going on next door."

Looking perfectly insulted, the doctor opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it and closed it again; an act that earned him a warm smile from his wife. Placing her glasses and the book she had been reading on the bedside table, Sophia continued unabashed, "I think it´s sweet, young love and all. Did you notice how they were looking at each other the entire evening? It was enough to warm an old woman´s heart. And to your information, dear, it´s called making love and not sex."

"Semantics," her husband grunted in reply, not quite agreeing with her, but apparently not in the mood to argue either. Switching off the light, Sophia turned over, snuggling close before whispering wistfully, "Do you remember how it was to be young and in love? How it was not to be able to keep your hands off each other?"

"There is a time and a place for everything," came the doctor´s firm answer as he pulled her closer, but Sophia could hear the smile in his voice and knew that he remembered.

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

Chapter Thirty-Six

"Jo! Relax, will you? Nobody´s going to recognize you." Tugging on Jo´s hand, Mickey succeeded in bringing the tense lieutenant´s attention back to her. "This is one of the smallest and cheapest movie theatres in the Suburbs, there´s no way any of your upper-class acquaintances are going to be here, they wouldn´t be caught dead here."

"Maybe," Jo admitted hesitantly, her eyes darting from Mickey´s face to search the quietly talking crowd around them. "I guess, you´re right. I just don´t want to take any chances, not with you here with me."

Slipping her hands under Jo´s leather jacket and lightly grasping her around the waist, Mickey pulled her closer, "It´s going to be fine, Jo. The movie starts in a few minutes and then it´ll be completely dark in there, and besides, nobody´s going to be looking at anything but the screen."

"Yeah," Jo nodded, giving the blonde a smile. "Guess you got a point there." Trying to shake off years of training plus a good deal of natural instincts, Jo then reached down to take Mickey´s hands into hers, bringing first one, then another up to her lips to place a quick kiss in each palm. "Popcorn, was it? I´ll be right back."

Smiling happily, Mickey watched as Jo made her way through the crowd, unceremoniously pushing people aside who were keeping her from her goal. It was Sunday evening and the theatre was filled to capacity which had made Jo decidedly uneasy the moment they arrived, and she had offered the blonde to go anywhere but there. However, a few soothing words from Mickey and a few whispered promises into the lieutenant´s ear had done the trick, also because Mickey knew that Jo actually wanted to see the film no matter what she said.

As they had grown closer and become more comfortable in their new relationship, Mickey had been pleasantly surprised to discover that Jo had a playful side to her, that she was capable of showing an almost childlike delight in things the blonde would never have dreamed could hold her interest. She still remembered Jo´s embarrassed grin when she had been caught playing Risk on the computer, and her own jumbled feelings of affection and protectiveness as the lieutenant forgot her initial embarrassment and proudly began to show her how she had just conquered the world with as little casualty as possible.

Another place where Jo´s playful side sprang to life was in bed and on more than one occasion, Mickey had had to firmly slap her jaunty lover to get her to focus on the matters at hand and at least for a moment cease whispering things that made her laugh, something that made it extremely hard to concentrate on their other, no less important, activities.

"Excuse me, but… Do I know you from somewhere?"

Feeling her heart skip a beat, Mickey´s head snapped to the left and looked directly into friendly and somewhat shy brown eyes. Taking a few seconds to study the young man in front of her, Mickey realized that she had never seen him before and that he wasn´t a threat. Instead he was using a rather old and rather bad pick-up line trying to get to know her, but he looked so sweet shuffling his feet nervously that Mickey didn´t have the heart to rebuff him coolly as she had first intended.

Giving him a smile she hoped was friendly without being too encouraging, she shook her head, "No, I don´t think so. You must mistake me for someone else."

"Are you sure?" He stepped a little closer, boyish admiration on his face and Mickey couldn´t help but feel a little flattered. "I could swear I have seen you before. You didn´t by any chance attend the University of San Marino, did you? Class of ´45?"

"No, sorry," Mickey shook her head again, absently wondering why the young man in spite of her certainty that she had never seen him before felt so familiar. "I´m not from that part of the Realm."

"Oh," he paused, clearly not knowing what to do next. "Then I´m sorry I disturbed you."

"That´s okay," the blonde smiled reassuringly, her gaze briefly searching the faces nearby for Jo before looking back at her insecure admirer. "There´s nothing wrong with asking."

As he smiled hopefully in return, Mickey was instantly reminded of Dane and her earlier feeling of familiarity suddenly made sense. Deciding that it wouldn´t do any harm to talk to the guy for a minute or two, Mickey asked how studying in San Marino had suited him, inwardly knowing that her reason for asking had more to do with the fact that she was still feeling guilty about Dane than out of actual interest for whatever the young man had to say.

Not really paying attention, it took Mickey just a moment to realize that he had stopped talking and was staring nervously at something behind her back. Turning around, she looked directly into cold blue eyes and heard Jo inquire in an unusually soft and smooth tone, "I´m not interrupting anything, am I?"

Not missing the baleful glare directed his way, the young man hastily excused himself and made a quick escape into the crowd around them. Without taking her eyes off his back, Jo spoke again, her voice taking on a hint of accusation that Mickey didn´t like, "Who was that?"

"Nobody, Jo, just some guy who wanted to try his luck with me."

"He didn´t bother you, did he?" Jo was looking at Mickey now and the accusing tone had been replaced with concern. "If he did, I´m going to-."

"Jo, will you please stop being so macho for a moment," the blonde said gently, halting the lieutenant´s words with a finger to her lips. "He was just a kid trying to talk to a girl, and no, he didn´t bother me at all. In fact, I thought he was cute."

Jo detected the teasing note in Mickey´s voice, but still felt a surprisingly powerful stab of jealousy, her eyes once more looking for the young man. But before she could find him, a small hand reached up to turn her face back and Mickey spoke quietly as she closed the remaining distance between them, "Jo, you don´t really believe that I was interested in him, do you?"

"No," came the low reply, but Mickey was saddened to see a glimmer of doubt in her lover´s eyes. "Of course not." Leaning down, the lieutenant kissed her slowly and lovingly for a moment before whispering, "I´m sorry. I overreacted. It appears that I still need a bit of practice when it comes to this relationship thing."

"I think you´re doing just fine," Mickey answered warmly, linking her fingers with Jo´s. "However, if you think it´ll help why don´t we skip the movie and go home to my place for a bit of practice? It never hurts to work on one´s technique you know..."

The look in Mickey´s eyes made Jo´s knees go weak and suddenly she couldn´t remember if she had really wanted to see the movie in the first place, and as she allowed Mickey to lead her out of the theatre and into the mild summer night, she was pretty sure that she hadn´t.

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

Shifting lightly on her knees, Jo slowly ran her hands down Mickey´s naked back, complete focus and concentration on her face.

Sighing in delight, Mickey complained good-humouredly, "Jo, if you continue to do that I´ll be out like a light in a minute."

"Mmm…" Jo murmured, gently kneading the blonde´s shoulders. "In that case, I´ll just have to wake you up again. Now, this may hurt a little." Almost before she had spoken, she grabbed Mickey´s head between her hands and twisted it sharply to the right, then left.

Two low cracks sounded followed instantly by a startled cry, "Ow! Jo! That hurt!"

"I warned you, didn´t I?" Jo replied, clearly not too concerned with Mickey´s outburst. "Besides, you´ll be feeling much better from now on. Trust me."

"Yeah, if you don´t kill me first," Mickey spoke into the pillow. However, the smile in her voice was evident to the lieutenant who smiled herself and continued her massage.

Five minutes later Mickey´s breathing had become slow and even, and Jo moved away from the sleeping woman, smiling in satisfaction. She had perfected this type of massage over the years she had worked with Messina. The gentle caresses sometimes being the only thing that could get her superior to relax and eventually fall asleep after being awake for more than fifty hours straight. That, or a hit to the head which Jo on a few occasions had been severely tempted to do whenever Messina´s adrenaline based energy had become too much.

She hadn´t initially intended for Mickey to fall asleep, but a casual and innocent remark from her lover about a play she would like to see next week, had made her alter the motions of her hands to soothing instead of arousing.

The problem was that Jo knew she wasn´t going to be there next week, and what was even worse was that she hadn´t found a way to break the news to Mickey yet.

Pulling the covers up over the blonde´s shoulders, Jo climbed out of bed, spending a few minutes searching the dark room for some clothes. Wearing nothing but a shirt and boxers, she walked the short distance to the only window and pulled the curtain away to peer outside, not for the first time wishing they could spend the night at her place instead of Mickey´s. She wasn´t willing to take the risk, however. Lingstrom had popped in unexpectedly before and it was also bound to be noticed if Mickey spend too many nights there. After all, the security cameras weren´t just there for the safety of the residents.

It wasn´t that she didn´t like the small room which Mickey against all odds had managed to make feel like a real home, but occasionally Jo couldn´t help but feel trapped and somewhat claustrophobic when there was no place for her to go when she needed to be alone for just a moment. She had spend so much of her time in Neo Roma in solitude and without having to think about anybody but herself that it had required some adjustment now that Mickey took up such an important place in her life. She wasn´t quite there yet where she felt fully comfortable with the turn their relationship had taken, but Jo was confident that it was only a matter of time. And even her most urgent cravings for solitude couldn´t compete with the strong restlessness and dissatisfaction that invariably would take hold of her whenever she was separated from Mickey for too long.

Lost in thought, Jo tensed involuntarily when she suddenly felt someone behind her, but instantly relaxed as she recognized the arms slipping around her waist and the head coming to rest on her shoulder.

"Why are you up?"

Without answering, Jo turned around in the blonde´s embrace, her own hands moving down to rest on Mickey´s slim hips. Purposely keeping her gaze from dropping beyond Mickey´s face to avoid being tempted by the soft curves she could detect under the sheet her lover had carelessly draped over her shoulders, Jo took a deep breath, blurting out before she lost her nerve, "Mickey, there´s something I have to tell you."

"Yes?" Mickey gave her a questioning smile, her fingers slipping inside to leisurely trace the waistband of Jo´s boxers.

Reaching down to catch her blonde´s distracting hands, Jo led her over to the couch where they sat down facing one another. Feeling the need to distance herself, she then moved a few feet away, trying not to see the look of hurt on Mickey´s face.

"Jo? What´s going on? What is it you have to tell me?"

The blonde´s tone had been calm almost without a trace of concern, but Jo could easily read the uncertainty in the green eyes and she cursed herself for what she would have to do. However, she didn´t see that she had a choice.

"Mickey, I…" Jo began hesitantly, not for the first time wishing she was of a more eloquent nature. Knowing that anything else would take too long, and probably make everything much worse, Jo decided on taking the direct approach and said as gently as possible, "Mickey, I´m leaving Neo Roma."

The blonde´s brow furrowed, but she seemed more confused than alarmed, "Again? Jo, you´ve just returned. Do you really have to-." Abruptly stopping herself, Mickey shook her head lightly then gave the lieutenant a faint smile, "Never mind, I´ll survive. When will you be back?"

Jo met her eyes, an awkward expression on her face, "I won´t."

"You won´t?" Mickey looked at her in bewilderment, the smile leaving her face. "What do you mean?"

Licking her lips, Jo continued hurriedly, "I mean that I´m not coming back to Neo Roma, at least not for some time. I´ve asked for a reassignment and it has been granted. I won´t be doing undercover work any more."

Mickey´s lips moved soundlessly a few times, disbelief and a hint of anger caused by confusion all evident in her eyes. Then her gaze dropped to the couch and she asked with forced indifference, "Why? You have been working here for more than a year, so, of all times, why now?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Jo´s voice was very quiet and to Mickey she sounded almost sad. "I thought you´d understand…"

Slowly the blonde rose her head and looked into resigned blue eyes, somehow managing a pale smile, "I do understand, Jo. I do."

"There are some things," Jo continued as if Mickey hasn´t spoken. "There are some things I can´t do any more, Mickey. Some things I won´t do because…" Trailing off, Jo was silent for a moment then added hoarsely, her gaze focused on her hands lying motionless in her lap, "I can´t do my job any more because of you and that means I´m no good to the Organisation here. My assignment is too important to come second, but as the situation is now, it does, and that´s why it´s better for all involved if I´m reassigned."

Looking up tentatively, Jo concluded softly, "It´s better for us, too, Mickey, you know that."

Despite her words, Jo´s voice was full of uncertainty and her eyes practically pleading for confirmation. Confirmation, Mickey knew she had to give, no matter how little she wanted to. Surprised by her own composure, she nodded, then gave the lieutenant a reassuring smile, "You´re right, I don´t like it, and I´m going to miss you like crazy, but you´re right."

Straightening up on the couch, Mickey asked casually, trying to sound cheerful in spite of her suddenly very heavy heart, "So, what´s your new assignment then and when will you be going?"

Jo hesitated, then spoke evenly without a trace of emotion, "I´m going to be the new chief of staff responsible for Iris Messina´s personal safety," she paused, hating what she had to say next, "and I´m leaving in three days."

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

Mickey stared at Jo, unable to speak. She didn´t know what upset her the most, the fact that Jo would be gone in three days, or the fact that she would leave to be with Messina.

Jo could see the conflicting emotions cross her lover´s face, see the shock in her eyes, but in fear of saying something wrong, she kept silent, waiting for whatever Mickey had to say.

"Messina?" Mickey finally managed to get out, a small part of her impressed by her steady tone. "You´re leaving to be her… what? Bodyguard?"

The lieutenant grimaced slightly at the simplification, but then nodded, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. You see, it´s not common knowledge, but…" Jo hesitated before continuing, her voice sounding calm but professional and Mickey got the odd feeling that she was being briefed, "but twice these past months somebody has tried to kill her, and the last time they almost succeeded. So far all attempts to find out who´s behind it have been futile and that is not acceptable."

Jo hesitantly moved a little closer to the blonde, not liking the expression in her eyes, and feeling a sudden need to connect with her lover who appeared disturbingly distant.

"Mickey?" She ventured uncertainly. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, yes, I did." Green eyes seemed to focus on Jo again, but she couldn´t tell what Mickey was thinking and then the blonde asked flatly, "Forgive me if my questions are a little repetitive, but why? Why you? I know you´re good, Jo, trust me, but I´m sure there must be others just as qualified to take on that assignment."

Startled by the uncharacteristic hostility in her lover´s voice, Jo stared at her in silence, bewilderment creeping onto her face. She had expected Mickey to be upset that she had to leave, but she hadn´t expected her to be upset because of the reason why. Personally, Jo didn´t really think it mattered why she was leaving, only that she was.

Threading carefully, she said cautiously, "Of course I´m not the only one qualified, but it´s simpler this way. Messina and I already know each other. I know how to handle her when she gets difficult and she has trust in me and my abilities as a soldier. We´re used to each other, know each other´s ways. I´m not afraid to speak my mind around her as most people seem to be, I´m not in awe of her, and she knows that I won´t be running crying from the room if she´s just bitten my head off. We…" Jo faltered, remote eyes staring straight ahead of her for a moment before she continued absently, her mind far away in memories, "We complement each other somehow." Looking back at Mickey she added quietly, "It works well that way."

"I bet it does," Mickey commented sharply, rising quickly from the couch. Walking over to the window, the furthest away she could get from the nonplussed lieutenant, she pulled the sheet tighter around her body, unsuccessfully trying to get her rampant emotions under control.

"Mickey?"

Jo stared in perplexity at the blonde´s stiff shoulders, mentally going over her last statement to find out what had resulted in her lover´s abrupt withdrawal. Then realization hit with a vengeance and feeling like the most dense person in the world, Jo got to her feet. But instead of stepping closer, she stayed where she was, speaking softly to Mickey´s back, "I don´t know what you´ve heard about me and Messina, Mickey, I can only assume that you´ve heard the same rumours everybody else has."

"Jo, I don´t need-." Mickey began coldly without turning around, but the lieutenant interrupted her gently before she could continue. "Yes, you do. I want you to know this, and I´m sorry I haven´t approached the matter sooner, I just didn´t think that… Well, I just didn´t think."

She took a step closer, then halted, "It´s true what you´ve heard. For about a year and a half Messina and I were lovers, or at least we slept together," she added under her breath, surprised by the brief sting of bitterness she experienced. Shaking off unwanted memories, she sighed tiredly, "It probably wasn´t the wisest decision I´ve ever made and as you probably also have heard, it didn´t turn out very well. By the time I was to leave for Neo Roma, we practically didn´t have any contact with each other, hadn´t had for a couple of months… other than what work dictated of course."

Running a hand through her tousled hair, Jo waited for some kind of response from the blonde, an acknowledgement that she was listening, but nothing came forward and she made one last attempt, "I never loved her, Mickey, not like this. If I had, I wouldn´t be here."

Mickey turned around slowly, impassive eyes staring into Jo´s. "Why are you telling me this?"

Encouraged by the response, if not the demeanour, the lieutenant walked over to stand directly before her, but still too far away to touch, "Because I want you to know that it was over a long time before I left, that it wasn´t just geographical distance keeping us apart." Reaching out, Jo was weak with relief when the blonde reluctantly accepted her hand. "I love you, Mickey, and I want to be with you. If it were possible I´d never leave your side, but unfortunately that´s not how it works. We both have obligations to fulfil, a duty to perform, and currently mine is to make sure Messina´s safe, and the only way I can do that is to be where she is. She travels around too much for anything else to be effective."

Seeing that her words were making some impact, Jo resolutely pulled the unresisting blonde into her arms. Tilting Mickey´s face up, she gazed into cautious but trusting green eyes and whispered gently, "All the time I was with Messina, I never imagined us having a future together, never wondered if I´d get the chance to grow old with her." Possessively tightening her arms around her lover, Jo smiled when she felt Mickey´s arms slip around her in return and then finished softly, "With you I´ve done nothing else."

Kissing her slowly and thoroughly, Jo spoke huskily into the blonde´s ear, "Come to bed, let me show you."

Nodding slightly, Mickey willingly allowed Jo to lead her to the bed. Some time later, after several whispered promises and many kisses of passion and need, Mickey´s mind was swimming with sensations and by the time she felt Jo slide down her body and experienced the first jolt caused by an eager tongue, the blonde had almost succeeded in forgetting what it was that had made her so upset in the first place.

At least until the next morning.

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

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Circling the mug gently between her hands, Mickey stared blankly at the black swirl of her cooling coffee. She was on her lunch break or what technically was her lunch break since it was well past 4 pm, but the clinic had been swamped with patients and she hadn´t had a moment´s rest before now. She was so tired she didn´t even had the energy to eat, and even if she had, she was too occupied with brooding over the fact that the person she loved most in the world was going to leave her the next day. And neither of them knew when they would see each other again.

Jo had hesitantly said that maybe she could arrange for a few days of leave after three or four months, but her voice had been so full of uncertainty that Mickey knew the lieutenant didn´t believe herself it would be possible. Messina would be travelling the land as always and only God knew when Jo would find herself near Neo Roma again. Even if she did, it would be both dangerous and complicated for them to arrange a meeting. Mickey still had a little more than a year left to work at the clinic before she could be reassigned and although she at times wished she was anywhere but there, she knew that Lawrence and Sophia relied on her help and would like her to stay for at least one more year.

Mickey wasn´t certain what she thought of the prospect of staying and she also knew that it might not be up to her. If the Organisation needed her presence somewhere else, she wouldn´t be given a choice in the matter and would be stationed where it served the movement´s purposes best whether she wanted it or not.

"Why so gloom?"

Mickey looked up to see a very tired Sophia stand in the doorway, drying her hand in a cloth.

"I´m just exhausted," she answered evasively, managing to give the grey-haired woman a weak smile. "It´s been a long day."

"You can say that again," Sophia replied, closing the door to the corridor behind her. "I think I have been on my feet for ten hours straight."

"I know I have," Mickey grinned without any real humour, watching as the doctor´s wife slumped down onto a chair. "I can´t remember the last time we had that many patients."

"It´s because it´s summer," Sophia said tiredly, rolling her head back and forth to loosen up her stiff muscles. "The heat is going straight to people´s heads and they lose whatever sense they have left. We´re always busy this time of year."

Mickey nodded slowly in acknowledgement, then asked wryly, "Guess that means I don´t have to worry about being bored this summer."

"Oh no!" Sophia laughed. "Trust me, that´ll be the last thing you´ll have time for." She paused, giving Mickey a friendly smile, "You might have to warn that soldier of yours that you won´t be available again before the end of September."

"Well, that won´t be a problem," Mickey answered casually, taking a small sip of her coffee and grimacing both from the taste and the temperature. Noticing Sophia´s questioning expression, she sighed then continued resignedly, "Jo´s been reassigned. She´s leaving tomorrow."

"Oh… I see." The grey-haired woman´s eyes showed both sympathy and understanding. "I´m sorry to hear that. That´s rather sudden isn´t it?"

"Yeah." Mickey was unable to contain the bitterness from entering her voice. "Not that I shouldn´t have expected it, though. It seems to be the story of my life; Jo leaving whenever it gets interesting."

"For long have you been lovers?" Sophia inquired gently and Mickey shrugged, feigning an offhandedness they both knew she didn´t feel. "I guess that depends on how you see it. In theory we have been together for about a month and a half, but since Jo´s been out of town half the time, I´m not sure it counts."

Sophia was about to answer, but the sound of the door opening made her turn around and she saw her husband enter the room. Smiling at the two women, the doctor rubbed his forehead, unknowingly smearing blood across his wrinkled skin, "So, that was the last one. If we´re lucky the rush is over and we can all take a breather."

"That´d be nice," Sophia answered, getting up from the chair and walking over to the sink. There she moistened the cloth she had used to dry her hands and without a word went over to wipe her husband´s face clean.

Watching in amusement as the doctor patiently allowed his wife to clean him up, Mickey couldn´t help but feel a little jealous of their easy familiarity caused by years of living together, and she sadly wondered whether she and Jo would ever achieve the same. As the circumstances were now, it most certainly didn´t look like it.

"So what were the two of you gossiping about?" Lawrence asked pleasantly when Sophia had finally decided he was presentable and had returned to her chair. "You weren´t talking about me, were you?"

"Not everything in this world revolves around you, dear," his wife replied sarcastically, her words softened by the affectionate smile directed his way. "And no, for once we managed to stay off the fascinating subject that is you and actually talk about something else." Gazing at Mickey she then continued with empathy, "Jo´s been reassigned and will be leaving soon."

"Really?" Lawrence looked at Mickey in surprise and the blonde nodded lightly. "Well that´s certainly good news, I was hoping that… that… uh… I mean…" He faltered as he noticed the daggers his wife was shooting at him. "I mean, it´s probably for the best. You´ll be much better off without her, she would only have caused you problems in the end. People like her always do."

"You don´t say…" Mickey slid down from the examination table she had been sitting on, angry green eyes boring into the slightly flustered doctor who was more than a little startled by the blonde´s tone of voice. "And what exactly makes you an expert on people like her, Lawrence? Do you even know her? Do you know what she thinks? What she feels? Do you?"

The doctor involuntarily took a step back, "Look, Mickey, I know you care about her, that you think you love her, but trust me, in a week or two you won´t even be thinking of her anymore. You´ll have forgotten that she ever existed."

Mickey looked away for a second, trying to get the unfamiliar and chilling anger coursing through her under control. Then she returned her gaze to the doctor who was glancing nervously at his wife for assistance. An assistance she apparently wasn´t about to give him.

"I know you don´t like the Organisation, Lawrence, I´d have to blind and deaf not to," Mickey began, her words clipped and precise. "And I´m also very much aware that you don´t like Jo either, because of her connection to it, but you seem to forget one minor detail. I´m a product of the Organisation, too. I´m just as much part of it as she is, granted in a different way, but I follow orders just as she does and I´m only here because I was given permission to leave. And one more thing…"

Mickey stepped closer, staring directly into the doctor´s eyes, "Don´t you ever tell me what I do or do not feel! And if I ever hear you talk about Jo like that again, I´ll send a request for my own reassignment so fast it´s going to make your head spin! Is that clear?!"

Stunned silence was all that followed and noticing the shocked expression on the elderly man´s face, Mickey sighed and then continued in a slightly more subdued tone, "I know you´re concerned and maybe you have a reason to be, but Lawrence… Don´t force me to make a choice because if you do, you´ll find out just how much I love her." She paused for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor as she spoke quietly, "Reasonable or not… Perhaps the biggest mistake of my life… who knows… but when it comes to her there is no competition. Never has and never will."

"I… I didn´t know you felt so strongly about it," the doctor spoke awkwardly after a long and tense silence, neither of them knowing where to look. "I just thought that… that…" Hesitating, he said hoarsely, "I´m sorry, Mickey, I should´ve known better. I didn´t mean to hurt you or offend you in any way, I just wanted to protect you."

"I know," Mickey raised her head, the anger gone from her eyes. "Apparently, I inspire that in people," she then added with just the faintest hint of humour in her voice. "I don´t know what it is, but I can´t seem to help myself."

Lawrence studied the young woman he had grown to care so much about. The woman he regarded as his daughter and desperately wanted to protect from all harm. Placing his hand gently on her shoulder, he looked into her eyes and said softly, "I know what it is." Then he gave her a light pat on the cheek and walked out of the room.

Turning to look at Sophia in bewilderment, Mickey received a little smile from the grey-haired woman as she spoke warmly, "I know what it is, too."

Mickey just regarded her in silence for a moment then she glanced back at the door, "Is he all right?"

"Oh, he´s fine," came his wife´s confident and relaxed answer. "Besides," she walked over to stand beside the blonde, putting her arm around her shoulder, "he had it coming."

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

"So…" Messina gave everybody present a meaningful look. "Have we reached an agreement?"

Knowing what their superior wanted to hear, all three generals nodded, mumbling unintelligible words of confirmation.

"Good," the blonde smiled in satisfaction, placing her elbows on the round table scattered with charts, transcripts and maps. "I knew we´d come to an understanding."

Exchanging a look with her colleagues, General Geraint, a tall and muscular brunette, spoke carefully, "Of course, we would, but, ma´am, as the situation is now, I still believe it would be better if we stationed a few troops near Lyonne. Just to let the Council know that we don´t intend to let them quell the riots without interference."

Messina shook her head in annoyance, dismissing the proposal, "We have discussed that already, our troops would be nothing but cannon-fodder and wouldn´t achieve a damn thing. It would be a noble, but pointless gesture of support and I have no intentions of wasting human lives just so we can make a statement. If the riots continue and the Council still hasn´t gotten them under control, then I´ll consider supporting the inhabitants with weapons and maybe a few men, but for the time being we´re not going to act."

She looked at every one of her generals, giving them a tired smile before continuing, "I know you´re frustrated that we can´t do anything, but we have to be realistic. The Council is nowhere near losing control of Lyonne and the only thing we could do that would have any real effect would be to seize the city. In a year from now, we probably would be capable of that, but not now, and as I said earlier, I´m not going to let soldiers die in a lost cause. There has to be a chance of succeeding, otherwise, what would be the point?"

"Maybe to give the people some hope, to make them believe that we´re actually making a difference," General Atkinson muttered under his breath and Messina considered for a second to ignore his comment, but then changed her mind. Insubordination, even in the smallest measure, couldn´t be tolerated.

Levelling a cold stare at the bald and obese man, she inquired softly, "Excuse me, General, did you say something?"

"No, Field Marshal!" Atkinson responded instantly, in his perplexity inadvertently using the title that nobody ever did because Messina hated it. "I was only clearing my throat."

"Must be me, then," the blonde smiled angelic at him, out of the corner of her eye watching the two other occupants of the room for their reaction. Satisfied when she only read pity and contempt towards Atkinson on their faces, she sighed deeply, closed her eyes and said, "Meeting´s over."

Knowing they had been dismissed, the generals one by one rose from their chairs and quietly left the room, closing the door behind them. For a few minutes, Messina was able to enjoy a rare peaceful silence, but then the outside world intruded again as a knock sounded on the door.

Exhaling slowly, the blonde reluctantly opened her eyes, "Come in!"

The door swung open to reveal her aide who without a word walked over and placed a glass of water and two white tablets on the table in front of her.

Almost groaning with relief, Messina straightened up and tossed the pills into her mouth before emptying the glass in a few noisy gulps.

"You´re a lifesaver, you know that?"

Vladimir smiled as he heard the gratitude in her words, "I do what I can." He began to collect and organize the papers on the table, then glanced up briefly, giving the blonde an amused look, "I´ve been around long enough to know that meeting with your generals always gives you a headache."

Messina grinned pleasantly, absently running a hand through her hair, "What would I do without you, Vlad? I´d be lost if it weren´t for you looking out for me."

Those were words she had uttered countless times before and both knew it didn´t require an answer. Whistling a low tune, Vladimir completed his task of bringing the table into some semblance of order, then looked up to see if there was anything else Messina needed when he noticed the faraway expression in her eyes. Hesitating indecisively for a moment, he asked softly, "Ma´am? Is everything all right?"

Blinking quickly, the blonde focused on her aide, smiling faintly, "Everything´s just fine, Vlad. I´m just feeling a bit under the weather for the moment, that´s all."

"Well, you have been working non-stop for the last two weeks," the young man spoke mildly chastising. "You know," he sought out her eyes before continuing, "there´s nothing wrong with delegating work occasionally. Nobody will think less of you if you don´t work eighteen hours a day."

"Perhaps not," Messina answered slowly, but Vladimir could see that her eyes had become distant again and that she wasn´t really listening. "I just don´t like to lose control, I don´t like not knowing exactly what´s going on."

The aide nodded, that wasn´t news to him. Perching himself on the edge of the table, he said quietly, more to himself than to her, "At least, Delaine will be back soon, I must confess I was starting to miss her. Not that I´ll ever admit it." Studying his superior with a crooked grin, the grin slowly faded from Vladimir´s face when she didn´t respond as he had expected her to and after a second or two he added thoughtfully, "It´ll be good to have her back again, and it´ll be good for you to have someone you trust to take some of the load off your back."

Raising her head, Messina regarded her aide for a long time, then said evenly, her face betraying no emotion whatsoever, "I take it you´re looking forward to seeing her again?"

"Yeah," Vlad nodded, inwardly wondering what the blonde was thinking. "I´m looking forward to having everything return to normal… The way it was before."

"Hmm…" Messina´s eyes were resting on his face, but the young man received the impression that she was looking straight through him. "We´ll see..." Then she shook her head, the blue eyes becoming attentive and alert once more, "Go get that accountant for me, will you? The one you said was a friend of Delaine´s? If they are such good friends, he might as well be here when she arrives."

"You mean Corporal Wilson?"

"Yes, that´s the one, go get him, I want to see him. He´ll probably want to welcome Jo together with the rest of us and one more friendly face never hurt anyone."

"Yes, ma´am," her aide answered, already speculating where he might find the new accountant. "I´ll be right back."

And then Vladimir left the room in search of Corporal Dane Wilson.

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

"If you´re tired, we don´t have to go."

"No, I want to." Mickey finished running a brush through her hair. "The fresh air will do me good."

"Okay," Jo nodded, letting her eyes leisurely travel over the blonde´s body, nicely accentuated in the thin summer dress. "If you´re sure…"

"I am," Mickey answered, smiling when she noticed the lieutenant´s appreciative gaze in the mirror. "I want to make my last day with you last as long as possible."

Looking up, Jo´s eyes met hers in the mirror and for a moment there was silence, then she spoke quietly, "It won´t be forever, Mickey. We´ll get plenty of days together in the future, I promise."

Mickey smiled regretfully for a second before turning around, looking into solemn blue eyes, "I know we will, it´s just…" She faltered when she heard the catch in her voice and cleared her throat softly before continuing, "You´ve only just become mine and now I have to let you go already."

Jo was silent for a long time then she said earnestly, "I´ll always be yours, Mickey." She reached out to take the blonde´s hand, slowly placing it over her own heart. "Even when we´re apart."

Mickey felt the steady heartbeat against her palm and forced a smile to her lips. She knew if they didn´t get out of there soon, she would start crying and that wasn´t how she wanted to remember their last day together. There would be plenty of time for that later.

However, it wasn´t up to her and the blonde realized it was already too late when suddenly Jo´s face contorted in pain and she said hoarsely, "Mickey, no… Please…. please don´t cry."

Staring helplessly at the tears running down her lover´s cheeks, Jo hesitated for a few seconds then drew the blonde into her arms. Holding her tight, she whispered into Mickey´s ear, "Please don´t cry. I don´t know what to do when you cry."

"You´re doing just fine," Mickey whispered in return, angry at herself for her emotional outburst and for making Jo uncomfortable. Taking a few deep breaths, she got her emotions under control and raised her head to say sheepishly, "I´m sorry, I didn´t mean to do that."

"Ah… That´s okay," Jo smiled tentatively, stroking the blonde´s back tenderly while trying to hide how awkward and insecure she was feeling. "No harm done." Biting her lip unconsciously, she spoke carefully, searching Mickey´s face, "We can stay home, you know. We don´t have to go out. We can always go out for dinner another time."

No we can´t. Mickey´s throat constricted painfully even as she succeeded in keeping her expression even. Because you won´t be here.

Shaking her head slightly, she gave Jo a pale smile, "No, I want to. Just for tonight I want to go out and spend a pleasant evening with the woman I love without having to think or worry about anything. I want to have a nice dinner…" She gently slid her hands down Jo´s sides. "Then I want to go dancing…" The hands moved around the lieutenant´s waist, down to lightly grasp her buttocks. "And then," the tone of Mickey´s voice had dropped an octave or two and her smile had turned decidedly sultry. "Then I want you to take me home and make love to me all night until I don´t know what´s up and what´s down. What do you say?" She brushed her lips against the frantically pounding pulse in Jo´s neck. "Does that sound like a plan?" To emphasize her words, she tightened her grip on the firm flesh and pulled Jo hard against her body.

"Oh yeah…" Jo cleared her throat, desire showing clearly in her eyes and she was unable to stop herself from grinding against the blonde. "Definitely…"

Mickey gasped when she felt the lieutenant´s hands reach under her dress, pushing the flimsy material up her hips, and she had to move one arm up and around Jo´s neck to steady herself.

"Jo… Dinner…"

"Right…" Jo mumbled distractedly, busy kneading the blonde´s buttocks and kissing her neck. "Dinner…"

Feeling her legs weaken as quickly as her resolve, Mickey debated furiously with herself whether she really wanted to go out. She had no difficulty reading her body´s wishes, or Jo´s for that matter, but the more composed and less primal part of her mind wasn´t about to cave in so easily.

"Jesus…" The feel of Jo´s thigh between her legs momentarily distracted her enough to forget what it was she had been trying to decide, but then it came back to her and after summoning up whatever willpower she had left, Mickey reluctantly reached behind herself to still the lieutenant´s roving hands. "Jo… Later, I promise. Right now I want to go out."

Groaning in frustration, Jo remained where she was for a moment, but then moved away. She knew with absolute certainty that she was going to be on fire the entire evening, practically bursting from pent up desire, but if going out would make Mickey happy, then go out they would. Even if it ended up killing her.

Seeing the arousal in her lover´s eyes, the blonde smiled faintly, suppressing the urge to kiss her-- or they would never make it outside. "Okay?"

"Okay." Jo gave her a weak grin since that was all she was capable of right now. "But you have to promise to make it up to me."

"Oh… I will," Mickey replied over her shoulder as she stepped out of the bathroom, glancing back at the not completely convinced lieutenant before adding huskily, "trust me…"

As they headed towards the lift, Mickey had to smile once more when she heard a very deep sigh coming from behind her and felt warm and sweaty fingers possessively entwine with hers. Apparently she wasn´t the only one who would benefit from a bit of fresh air.

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

The loud and persistent beeps from the life-support machines barely registered in the Andreas´ mind as he stood beside the hospital bed, emotionlessly studying the pale and haggard face of the most powerful man in the Realm.

Stepping a little closer, he leaned in over the bed, lower and lower until he could feel the feeble and irregular breathing against his face.

"It´s tempting, isn´t it?"

Jerking upright, he spun around to see Victoria Walder stand in the door, her eyes staring intently at the old man in the bed.

"What are you doing here?!" Lingstrom asked accusingly, his heart hammering like he had been caught with his hands down the cookie jar. "Only relatives are allowed access."

"Just a little pressure and he would be out of his misery," the council member continued unaffectedly like he hadn´t spoken. Then she smiled and Lingstrom shivered involuntarily. He didn´t believe in good and evil, only opportunities, but sometimes…

Mrs. Walder´s gaze left the ailing president and came to rest on the flustered man and she smiled again, enjoying the nervousness she could detect on his face. "I´m here for the exact same reason you are," she spoke pleasantly, walking over to stand beside him. "And last time I checked, you weren´t related to Anoldi either."

Not knowing how to respond, Lingstrom remained silent, watching cautiously as the thin woman followed his example from earlier and leaned in over the bed.

"Hmm… Not long to go, I´d say." She straightened up again, her tone as casual and relaxed as if she were commenting on the weather. "In a few months, it´ll all be over. Maybe sooner." She looked into Andreas´ eyes and he couldn´t shake the uncomfortable feeling that she was reading his mind. Giving him a coquettish smile, Mrs. Walder winked conspiratorially and said, "Then it´ll be time for a new era, won´t it?"

"I suppose," Lingstrom replied noncommittally, watching her closely. "It depends on who gets the most votes in the Council."

"Yes, it does, doesn´t it…" Mrs. Walder´s face hardened and lost some of its girlish charm. Her eyes sparkled with sharp intelligence as she contemplated the man next to her for a minute then spoke casually, "If only I weren´t so busy with other things, I might consider taking office myself, but as it is now, I can´t seem to find the time…"

"Really…?" Lingstrom stroked his chin absent-mindedly, his brain digesting the information he had just received. "Well, in that case…"

They regarded each other for a long time, unspoken conditions and promises passing between them. Then Walder smiled and sighed quietly, losing the predatory glint in her eyes, "So… How was Venice? I hope you had time to take Miss Turner for a gondola ride?"

"No, I´m afraid not," Lingstrom replied, unwittingly furrowing his brow in annoyance. "Josephine fell ill the day before we were supposed to leave, so I had to go without her."

"Oh…" the council member cooed in sympathy, a response that belied the quiet amusement she was feeling. "I´m sorry to hear that, but at least Venice isn´t going anywhere, you´ll have plenty of time to go there later."

"If only," Andreas sighed deeply, thinking of the beautiful dark-haired woman who had enthralled him so much, "but Josephine is leaving the Realm. Her father has requested her presence and she has no choice but to leave."

"Really? What a shame." An intrigued, somewhat thoughtful expression showed on Mrs. Walder´s face for a second then it vanished. "Well, I´m sure you´ll see her again."

"I hope so," Lingstrom answered, oblivious to the close scrutiny he was subjected to. "She said she didn´t know whether she would return."

"Well, I wouldn´t worry too much if I were you," the council member spoke slowly, reaching out to link her arm with his as they walked to the door without giving the man in the bed a second glance. "Call it feminine intuition or just good old gut feeling, but something tells me that you haven´t seen the last of the enchanting Miss Turner."

"You think so?" Lingstrom´s hopeful voice could be heard asking as they strolled down the empty corridor.

"Oh, absolutely," came the confident reply just before they turned a corner and walked out of earshot.

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

Swaying gently without actually moving from the spot, Jo inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of Mickey´s hair for a few heartbeats before whispering softly, "You know… Sometimes I wonder how I ended up with you because I sure as hell don´t deserve you."

"Maybe," Mickey smiled, leaning back slightly to look into Jo´s eyes. "But I deserve you, so don´t you go getting any stupid ideas."

"Oh, I won´t," Jo shook her head slowly, returning the blonde´s smile then leaned down to capture her lips.

They had returned to the small apartment almost an hour ago, but instead of heading directly for the bed as both had expected they would, they had somehow ended up dancing on the floor, too absorbed in each other to care that there was no music. In the time that had passed, they had occasionally whispered a few words, exchanged a few kisses, but otherwise they had done nothing but dance, Jo´s arms around Mickey´s waist, the blonde´s hands burrowed in the lieutenant´s hair.

They both knew that dawn was approaching mercilessly, but refused to think about it and continued dancing, holding on to the moment, and each other, as if they had all the time in the world.

"I love you, Mickey," Jo murmured gently into the blonde´s ear. "I love you so very much. Don´t ever leave me."

"I won´t," Mickey whispered solemnly like it were her leaving the upcoming morning and not Jo. "I promise."

The lieutenant didn´t answer, but tightened her arms around her lover, needing as much contact as possible.

They moved together in silence for a couple of minutes, then Jo spoke quietly, pressing her face into Mickey´s neck, "I´m sorry I left, I shouldn´t have. I just didn´t know what to do."

"Mmm?" Mickey encouraged softly, not quite knowing what Jo was referring to.

"At Basil´s graduation," the lieutenant continued as if the blonde hadn´t said anything, her hands running up and down Mickey´s back without haste. "I woke up and you weren´t there. I thought you had gone to see Dane… Gone to tell him what I´d done."

Mickey was silent for a moment as a few things suddenly fell into place, then, choosing her words carefully, she stroked Jo´s hair reassuringly, trying to get her to raise her head, "I don´t know what you remember from that night, Jo, or what you think you remember, but you didn´t do anything I didn´t want you to. I didn´t leave because I needed to get away from you or because I was angry or afraid. I left simply because I was hungry, because I needed to gather my thoughts and have a breath of fresh air. That´s the only reason."

Coaxing gently, she finally managed to get the reluctant lieutenant to look at her, "Don´t you remember, love? Don´t you remember how much I wanted you? How much I´ve always wanted you?"

Uncertain, but hopeful blue eyes warily searched Mickey´s and what they read there, slowly caused a smile to spread on Jo´s face, "Yes… Yes, I remember. You kissed me once…"

"That I did," Mickey replied with a smile. "And I would have done so much more if only you would have let me."

Grinning self-deprecatingly, Jo said slowly, "I was such a fool, wasn´t I? Couldn´t see what was right before my nose."

"That´s quite all right, baby," Mickey grinned in return, reaching up to place a lingering kiss on Jo´s lips. "You have come along nicely since then."

"Oh, I have, have I?" the lieutenant answered wryly, raising an eyebrow. "And I suppose, I got you to thank for that?"

"Well, of course," the blonde stated with certainty, her fingers lovingly tracing the taut muscles in Jo´s neck and shoulders. "I made you my number one priority a long time ago."

"Lucky me." Jo´s gaze came to rest on the blonde´s halfway parted lips and she licked her own in response.

"Uh huh," was all Mickey could say as she felt the heat emanating from the lieutenant´s body begin to ignite the fire in her own.

Painstakingly slow they leaned toward each other. Then, just as she felt Jo´s hot breath against her skin and a split second before their lips met, Mickey whispered almost desperately, "Make it good, Jo. It´s going to have to last me a lifetime."

A few moments later, and without breaking the kiss, Jo swept Mickey up into her arms and carried her to bed.

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

Groaning low in her throat, Jo renewed her iron grip on Mickey´s hips and pulled her hard against her body, absently feeling the sheets cling to her sweaty back. She knew she wasn´t going to last much longer.

Gently opening the door, the night nurse stepped inside, exhaling deeply as she looked at the man in the bed. He wasn´t going to last much longer.

Draining her drink and putting it down onto the smooth, polished wood of the bar, Messina gestured for another, disinterestedly watching a boxing match on the TV set in the corner of the room. The black guy was clearly shaken and didn´t look like he was going to last much longer.

Forcing her eyes to stay open, Jo intensified her rhythm, meeting Mickey´s downward movements with her own upward thrusts. The feel, as much as the thought, of the toy moving deeply inside her lover, and the grinding pressure it subjected the most sensitive parts of her own body to in return, was almost her undoing, but she gritted her teeth, determined on prolonging Mickey´s pleasure for as long as possible.

Taking a syringe from her tray, the nurse pushed gently until a clear, liquid fluid sprayed into the air. Then she rolled up the comatose president´s sleeve, inserting the needle deeply into a vein. It wasn´t going to cure him, or even wake him up, but it would prolong his life. Whatever that was worth.

Drinking deeply, Messina heard commotion behind her and turned away from the boxing match to see two soldiers arm-wrestle, both men cheered on enthusiastically by their friends. The veins in their muscular upper arms were standing out and both men´s faces were contorted in the effort of staying in control. Looking back at the screen, Messina shook her head in mild amusement as the combatants´ comrades began to chant louder and louder in encouragement, all hoping it would help to prolong the competition and thus their entertainment for tonight.

Her breath coming in short and irregular pants, Jo stared intently at the flushed face above her, seeing with satisfaction the glazed green eyes and the moist lips moving soundlessly in rapture.

"That´s right, baby," she gasped breathlessly, hardly recognizing the strained and husky voice as her own. "Give me all you´ve got!"

Whimpering from the soft command, Mickey began to move her hips faster, intend on riding the lieutenant for all she was worth. Feeling the increased pressure settle right between her legs, Jo threw her head back, squeezing her eyes shut. At this rate, it would all be over in a few heartbeats.

Adjusting the tubes, the nurse hummed softly to herself, subconsciously trying to drown out the weak and uneven breathing of a dying man. Checking the flow of various liquids, she hesitated for a second before, without really knowing why, reaching down to gently squeeze a cool and wrinkled hand.

She felt no response, no pressure in return, just as she hadn´t for the last five weeks, and straightening up again, she stared at the pale, but strangely peacefully looking face, absently speculating when it all would be over.

Feeling a painful pressure beginning to build directly behind her forehead, Messina raised her voice and without turning around spoke over the noise, "Keep it down, guys, will ya? It´s so loud in here, I can´t hear myself think."

For a brief moment only the quiet hushes exchanged between the onlookers and the frantic breathing from the competing soldiers were heard, then the sound of an arm being slammed hard against wood broke the silence and cheers erupted all over the bar. However, Messina didn´t mind too much. Now that the bet had been settled, the excitement for tonight would be over.

Moving effortlessly together, the lovers simultaneously opened their eyes, meeting each other´s gaze. Never breaking eye contact or slowing the steady rhythm they had created, they both felt and saw the tremors begin in the other´s body. For the briefest of seconds, they were frozen in time, sharing a secretive smile of unconditional love and devotion, then their bodies took over, pushing them both over the edge and into the unstoppable waves of release.