"He was with your father," she looked back at the agent. Alex froze as Ca.s.sidy's gaze turned squarely to her lover. "I couldn't hear...but this," she pulled a picture from her jacket. "He...." Ca.s.sidy looked at the picture and lifted her hand to cover her mouth in disbelief. There was Alex, beautiful and young in her uniform, a handsome young cadet's arm around her. She stood and turned to the agent fully. Alex's jaw was taut to the point that the small veins in her temples has begun to protrude. "I'm sorry," Cheryl repeated.

Alex simply nodded and deliberately began to head for the door. Ca.s.sidy patted Cheryl's shoulder as a gesture of comfort and moved to follow the agent. "Alex." Alex was putting on her jacket and had her hand on the front door k.n.o.b. "Let's just talk about this."

"I have to go."

"Alex..."

"Not now, Ca.s.sidy. I have to go."

"Where? Where are you going?" The agent stiffened and began opening the door.

"Alex, we are leaving at six tomorrow."

"I'll be back."

Ca.s.sidy reached for the agent's arm and was surprised when she felt Alex's body tighten further in its resolve. "Please...at least let me..."

"Ca.s.sidy, not now. I'll be back." With those words the agent was gone.

"Ian, are you sure?"

The MI6 agent smiled. "It's there, Jon, at the emba.s.sy."

"Matthews?"

"I don't know...wildcard. That's why he's there, though. To retrieve it."

Krause wanted as much information as possible. "Does he know what is on the disk?" Ian Mitch.e.l.l shrugged. "And Amba.s.sador Daniels?"

"Daniels is the admiral's footman."

Krause bit his lip slightly and padded across the floor to the mini bar in is room. He retrieved a small bottle of scotch and poured two gla.s.ses. "So, Daniels has the disk," he surmised his understanding as he handed his friend a gla.s.s. Mitch.e.l.l nodded. "Any idea where?"

"Best guess?"

Krause took a seat and waited for his friend to continue. Mitch.e.l.l swirled the scotch in his gla.s.s and narrowed his gaze. "It will be on his person." Krause scratched his brow. "Problematic. I know," Ian Mitch.e.l.l admitted.

"Yes, but hardly impossible."

The MI6 agent laughed. "No offense, Jon, I think the amba.s.sador might be suspicious if you moved too close. And just how do you plan on engineering an invitation?"

Krause smiled and traced the rim of his gla.s.s with his finger. "I will be accompanying an old friend."

"You're escorting Jane? Is that really wise? I mean..."

"Our friendship is not such a secret in these circles. It creates the opportunity."

"Perhaps, but you still have to get the disk from him. You may be good Jon; Paul Daniels is hardly a novice."

"You worry too much, Ian."

"Maybe...it's a huge risk to do it there."

"No. It is a huge challenge that provides the perfect cover," Krause smiled. He missed these missions. For many years now he had been mainly a broker. He had come to believe that his days of penetrating difficult situations and attaining information without detection were a thing of the past. He had become a businessman of sorts. This mission is what men like Jonathan Krause trained for and lived for; purpose, adventure, excitement, even danger. The fact was that he had an a.s.set he was now eager to employ. "I'm confident we'll be able to make the exchange."

"We? You know I..."

"Ian, you just be ready when I call. I have the disk covered. You worry about those banking transactions."

"What about Matthews?"

"We'll see where his alliances are," Krause said as he finished his scotch. "I'll be in touch, Ian. Just be ready when I call," he repeated.

Helen Toles opened the front door and gasped at the expression on her daughter's face. "Alexis?" Alex remained stoic and pushed gently past her mother. "Alexis..."

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Where is he?" Alex repeated sternly.

"Your father?" Alex's expression remained painfully grim. "He's in his office." Alex began making her way down the hallway. "Alexis...." Before the older woman could finish Alex had opened the door to her father's private sanctuary.

"Alexis?" he asked in surprise. Alex just tipped her head. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" he inquired smugly. Alex shook her head in disgust but still had not managed to speak. "Is this about you and your friend? I told your mother..."

The agent burst out in a sarcastic laugh. "My friend?" She rolled her eyes and bit her lip. "I'm not sure who you mean. No. This is about your friend."

"My friend?"

Alex stared at her father harshly. "I almost can accept that you would hate me that much. But, Ca.s.sidy; why on earth would you want to hurt her?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Alexis."

"Really? I wondered....how it would be that anyone could possibly know about R.J. and me. No one really knew. Well, except the person who happened to discover us; once." She paused and watched as her father pushed back a little in his chair. "But, really? You would go to that weasel? What did you think? That it would push Ca.s.sidy away?"

"You wouldn't understand," he said pointedly.

"Explain it to me."

"He has a right, Alexis...to be worried about his son." Alex sighed in disbelief. "As I said, you wouldn't understand."

"Christopher O'Brien isn't worried about Dylan or his happiness. He's worried about himself. What he wants. Sound familiar to you?"

"You couldn't understand, Alexis; what a parent sometimes has to do. You never cared about your family." Alex shook her head. "I did what I thought was best; for everyone. The truth..."

"Don't you dare talk to me about truth. I don't even know who you are."

Nicolaus Toles stared at the woman before him. There was a resolve and a sense of strength in Alexis Toles' posture that he had never noticed. "He is the boy's father, Alexis. You have no right to barge in here and..."

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let me say this so that you understand me....clearly." She walked to the front of his desk and placed her hands squarely on it. "I am going to marry Ca.s.sidy. That makes Dylan my son. After everything... everything I know, everything your friend the congressman has put him through," she stopped and glared at the man across the desk. He was a stranger. She took in another deep breath and shook her head. "Dylan is my son. Do you understand me? Not because I gave birth to him, because I would give my life for his happiness. Christopher O'Brien is no more his father than you will ever be mine." She pushed her weight off of his desk and turned to leave. Helen Toles stood in the doorway, her mouth agape. Alex spun on her heels. "You are right about one thing," she admitted. He looked up to her and she nodded. "I never cared much about family." Her father began to let the hint of a smile show when she suddenly continued. "I never knew what it meant to have one until I met Ca.s.s." He stared at her. Alex felt a wave of revulsion course through her. "Ca.s.sidy and Dylan are my family. So, I do understand what a parent will do." She looked briefly at her mother and closed her eyes to gather the rest of her strength before turning back to the stranger across the room. "Anything. You should know; I would do no less for my children, or my wife. I guess we have very different ideas about what that means." She placed her hand on her mother's shoulder and shook her head sadly. "Goodbye, Nicolaus," she said as she left the room.

Helen Toles watched her daughter as she swiftly left the house, never allowing her confident posture to falter. "What have you done?" she asked her husband.

"I did what I had to do," he said without remorse.

Tears had begun to stream down the older woman's face. "She is your daughter," she said achingly.

"No," the answer came. "She is yours."

"Yeah. She just pulled in....Are you all right?" Ca.s.sidy closed her eyes and sighed. "Why don't you come here...No, my mother will be here. Come and stay with her and Dylan......I know.....I will. I promise. Just think about it." Ca.s.sidy placed the phone slowly on the night stand and headed down the stairs. Alex was just walking into the kitchen from the garage as she entered the room. "Hey."

The agent stopped her pace and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I left like that."

Ca.s.sidy deliberately made her way to Alex and gently took the agent's face in her hands. "No. I'm sorry." Alex nodded and kept her eyes closed. "Alex..."

Alex opened her eyes and kissed Ca.s.sidy's forehead. "I'm okay." Ca.s.sidy looked at the agent skeptically and Alex laughed. "I swear, I am okay." She began to make her way toward the table. "I am a little worried about my mother."

"Yeah, so am I," Ca.s.sidy said as she began heating a kettle of water. "I think she is more worried about you though." Alex looked at Ca.s.sidy quizzically. "She called me right after you left there." Alex put her face in her hands. "She was....well, Alex...she was a mess. I promised I would call her when you got home." Ca.s.sidy made her way to the agent and sighed heavily. "I just called her when I heard the car."

"Probably crazy, right?" Alex began.

"What's that?"

"I don't love the idea of her there with him."

"Well...about that." Alex looked up at her lover. "I suggested maybe she come stay here; at least while we are away." Alex didn't respond. "Alex? I hope that's okay. I just..."

"What did she say?"

"She said she would think about it." Alex nodded and sighed again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Not really. What is there to say?" Alex hung her head.

"Probably a lot."

"He said I never cared about family." Ca.s.sidy clenched her jaw. "He was right. I didn't. Not until I met you." The teacher smiled. "I am sorry, Ca.s.sidy."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Alex." The kettle began to whistle and Ca.s.sidy made her way back across the kitchen.

"Ca.s.s...There's....well, there's some things I need to tell you, before we leave. I...I don't know if it will change....what I mean is...you might...." Ca.s.sidy lifted a large manila envelope from the far side of the counter. She picked up the mug of tea and handed both to the agent. "What is this?" Alex asked.

"Stephanie dropped that by on her way back to school. Said it was for you from Jane." Alex's gaze narrowed. "I suspect that has something to do with your rambling," Ca.s.sidy raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to keep secrets from you...I don't want you to ever feel you can't trust me and..."

Ca.s.sidy raised her hand and knelt in front of the agent. "Your mother told me that she never had been more proud of you." Alex swallowed hard. "That you...you were so confident even though she knew your heart was breaking." Alex fought back the tears that were beginning to well in her eyes. "She said....she said that if anyone understood family, if anyone loved their family...well, she wanted me to know it was you."

"Ca.s.s...there are things..."

Again Ca.s.sidy raised her hand to stop the agent. "I do trust you, Alex. Whatever it is, whatever you need to do," she hesitated. "I can't promise you that I will never be afraid."

"I know."

"I can promise you that there is no one else for me. This is it, wherever it leads. This is it. This is my family too. You are my..." The teacher's declaration was cut short by a gentle kiss. Ca.s.sidy wiped away a stray tear from the agent's cheek.

"You know, Ca.s.sidy....everything, all of it; it is about our family...it's..."

"I know." Alex nodded and pulled Ca.s.sidy to her. "You are not getting out of that vanilla cake that easily, Alfred."

Alex laughed. "No?"

"Nope. You are stuck with me and doomed for vanilla cake."

"I like everything you make."

"I told you, I am not baking it," Ca.s.sidy quipped. "You're the butler."

"Yeah without any culinary skills." Ca.s.sidy laughed. "When we get back," Alex said.

"Yes."

"Where?" Alex asked curiously.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe Nick's restaurant."

Alex's eyes twinkled. "Really?" Ca.s.sidy nodded. "Any particular reason why?"

"Yes."

"Care to share?" Alex asked, sporting a broad smile of antic.i.p.ation.

"Well," Ca.s.sidy began looking deeply into Alex's eyes. "That's where I fell in love."

"Is that so?"

"It is. There was this beautiful woman. The firelight seemed to dance in her eyes. I remember that I couldn't seem to breathe."

Alex tucked Ca.s.sidy's hair behind her ears and smiled. "Lucky woman."

"Yes, I am."

"No...Ca.s.sidy, you really do have that backwards." Alex kissed the woman in her arms.

"I think we should get some sleep," Ca.s.sidy offered as she made her way to her feet.

Alex took the hand stretched out to her and pulled Ca.s.sidy back. "Thank you."

"For?" Ca.s.sidy asked. The agent was ready to make a playful remark but the gravity of the day seemed to suddenly hit her and she stopped. Ca.s.sidy noted the change of expression. "Alex?"