DISCLAIMER: This is an Uber story, which means that the two main characters bear a striking resemblance to a certain Warrior Princess and her Bard <g>. Xena and Gabrielle are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

LOVE/SEX WARNING DISCLAIMER: This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal where you live, please do not read it.

Please send comments and/or constructive criticism to tkocialski@catskill.net. You can also find my stories on my website at http://xenamultimedia.com/trish/.

Blue Holes to Terror

by

Trish Kocialski

Chapter 1

1455 Hours, 20 October

There was a firm knock at the door. Lieutenant Colonel Deanna Peterson had been rocking in her oversized leather desk chair, looking out the window into the courtyard. The chair was the only luxury she allowed herself in her large, but spartan office, at the Pentagon. She swiveled her chair around and straightened the papers that were scattered about her desk before she called out, "Enter." A brilliant smile quickly replaced her formal military countenance as she recognized the individual entering through the doorway. It was her long time friend, Tracy Kidd, with whom she had recently been reunited while on detached assignment in the Catskills of New York. That was an assignment she would remember for the rest of her life, for it was where she finally reconciled with her past, and took a bold step into the future.

"Hey, Colonel," came the quick salutation from Tracy, "how about lunch?"

"Tracy! It's good to see you! Are you here alone? Where's Colleen?" Stepping from behind her desk, Dean greeted her old friend with a barrage of questions and a fierce hug instead of a handshake. Before allowing Tracy time to answer, she added, "So, what brings you to Washington?"

Tracy grinned at her friend's obvious delight at seeing her. "Oh, just one of the perks of being the Director of Parks and Recreation! We brought down a busload of senior citizens to see the sights for the weekend. We just got in. I left them in Linna's capable hands and hopped the first cab over here to see you. Colleen couldn't make this trip, but she sends her love," Tracy said, answering all of her questions as Dean waved her to a chair by the desk and returned to her own chair. "We haven't heard from you in a while, so I just took a chance you'd be here and not out on assignment in some backwater. And before you ask, I ran into Captain Jerral at the Information Desk, and he got me the visitor's pass and directed me to your office."

"Good old Jerral. That's right, you were posted together at Fort Sill. Yeah, I've been here plowing through paperwork for what seems like eons." Dean motioned at the stacks of papers littering her desk. "I was just rocking in my chair and contemplating how bored I am, when you knocked. I really hate paperwork! Much rather be out in the field."

"So, why aren't you?" came the direct question from Tracy.

"Well, with the loss of General James, the higher ups decided that his replacement, Brigadier General Carlton, needed an aide who was well versed in Intelligence work in the field, and guess who they picked?" Dean pointed at her chest with a sad smile.

"Carlton? Is that Mary Carlton? She's a one-star now?"

"Yep! Nice to see a woman progress to such a good posting, but it's sure cramping my style. General Carlton was always a top-notch administrator, great with budgets, proposals, planning, and staffing, but unfortunately has never been in the field herself. So now I get to help her make those assignments, track their progress, recommend changes, etc., etc."

"Hey, it can't be that bad. At least you get to see Katie, don't you?" Tracy offered this comment with a bright smile. "How are the two of you doing, anyway?"

Here Dean brightened visibly. Katie had become the stable force Dean needed in her life, and they grabbed every chance they could to be together. However, working for different government agencies was not helping their relationship to develop on a normal track. Katie was often out in the field, while Dean was swamped with paperwork. She filled Tracy in on the latest assignment Katie had in El Paso, knowing full well that nothing she said to her friend would leave her office. "She'll be here this weekend. She's just finishing up the paperwork on the case and will be arriving at National on the red eye from Dallas late tonight. I know she'll be glad to see you... and Linna too! What's your schedule like with the seniors?"

"Not too bad. We bought a packaged tour this time. The company is providing a tour guide for the whole weekend. Linna and I came along just to participate and see whether it's a good deal or not... for future reference. So I can slip out any time, but Linna will be available only in the evenings. What'd ya have in mind?"

"I know a great restaurant down by the river. Best crab cakes you've ever tasted. Maybe we could all get together there. It's called The Crab Pot."

"Hey! That's where the tour has us scheduled for tomorrow night at seven."

"Great. Katie and I will meet you there at seven."

The two friends talked a bit longer and were about to leave for a short tour of the Pentagon when they were interrupted by an order for Dean's presence in General Carlton's office. "Guess I'll have to bow out on the tour, but we'll see you at the Crab Pot tomorrow." The women rose from their chairs and hugged again before they left Dean's office, each heading in a different direction.

* * * * * * *

One thing about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, it was almost always busy. Dean parked her SUV in the short-term lot and ran into the airport, scanning the monitors for Katie's arrival gate information. Damn! They're early. Must have caught a good tailwind. Okay, Dean, let's see how fast you can sprint down to the gate! As she hurriedly turned from the bank of monitors, she ran right into Katie who had been quietly standing behind the tall woman and was just about to tap her on the shoulder.

"Ufff! Sorry, I didn't..." Dean said, as she reached down to assist the traveler she had just laid out on the floor. "Katie! Why didn't you say something?" Dean sputtered as she lifted her lover into her arms.

"Yeah... I'm glad to see you, too!" Katie said, reveling in the warmth of Dean's embrace.

Releasing Katie, Dean put on her very best puppy dog look and started to apologize for being late, explaining that she had a very long meeting with the general, then had to run home to give Sugar her medicine, then the traffic on I 95....

Katie reached up, smiling, and placed two fingers on Dean's lips to stop the litany of excuses. "It's okay, Dean. We got in early. I slipped the pilot an extra $20 to floor it all the way home, 'cause I missed you so much!" This said with a wink and a smile. "I've got my bag, so let's just go home." Home... she thought, losing herself in Dean's eyes. That sounds so good, and after this weekend, it'll be even better.

"Hey, love, penny for your thoughts," Dean said, pulling the blonde out of her reverie.

"Mmmm, I was just thinking about how nice it is to be home." The tall woman gave her lover another hug before walking out into the warm October night towards the SUV.

"Are you hungry?" Dean asked, as she pulled out into the southbound traffic on I 95.

"Do birds fly? Of course I'm hungry... but, no beef or Mexican food, okay? I've pretty much hit my limit on those." Katie reached over to hold Dean's hand. "How about some Chinese, or Thai, or Indian, or..." Her list of suggestions was cut short as Dean shouted for her to hold on, and made a quick defensive move to the right to keep from being side swiped by a limo coming up quickly on her left, zigzagging between their SUV and the vehicle just in front of them. "Holy Horse Puckey! Where the heck did he come from?" the blonde exclaimed, as she felt the strong restraint of her shoulder harness keep her from bouncing around on the slick leather seat.

"Damn!" snarled Dean, carefully controlling her SUV on the loose gravel of the right hand shoulder. Looking into her rearview mirror, she noted that the vehicle that had been in front of her was not as lucky. It had pulled violently to the left to avoid the limo and wound up sliding sideways into the median, kicking up a spray of dirt and grass before it came to an abrupt stop. "We'd better check on that other vehicle. Make sure the driver is all right."

The two women got out of the SUV and checked for traffic before crossing the highway. When they got to the unlucky car, they found it occupied by two elderly people who looked to be in their early seventies. The male driver was slumped over the steering wheel, and his female companion was holding the right side of her head and mumbling what they assumed was his name, but was unrecognizable at the time. Dean noticed they both had their seat belts on, so she hoped any injuries would be minor.

"Check her out, I'll check him," Dean instructed. Katie nodded and hurried over to the passenger side. Each worked quickly and skillfully, assessing their charges. Katie called over that the woman had hit her head on the passenger door, but seemed to be all right otherwise. Dean carefully checked the man for bleeding, pulse and breathing. Though she found no sign of physical injuries, he wasn't breathing and had no pulse. "Quick, give me a hand. I've got to start CPR." Katie rushed over to the driver's side, and together they unhooked his seatbelt, carefully moved him to the grass, and began CPR. Dean performed chest compressions while Katie provided the breaths. By the time they finished the third round, a few other vehicles had stopped to lend assistance. Dean shouted to the gathering crowd, asking if a cell phone was available and for a call to 911 for assistance. A young teenager who had stopped quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed for help, while his date went to check on the elderly woman. A truck driver helped the teen with the woman, who was now becoming hysterical as she watched Katie and Dean work on her husband.

By the time the ambulance arrived, the two women had managed to get the man's heart beating, and he had recovered sufficiently to breathe on his own. A Virginia State Police vehicle arrived at the same time as the ambulance. One officer went to interview the woman, while the other crossed over to the where the EMT's were taking over from Dean and Katie.

"Excuse me," called the officer, as the two women turned over the care of the man to the ambulance crew, "may I have a word with you two?"

"Certainly, officer," Katie nodded, as they walked over to him.

"I'm Sergeant Dooley," he identified himself as he offered his ID for their inspection. "May I have your names, please? The question came as he pulled out his report pad.

"Deanna Peterson," Dean said, then motioned towards Katie, "and this is Katherine O'Malley.

The officer made a notation. "Do you have any idea what happened here?"

We were on our way from Washington National when a silver stretch limo, I believe it was a Lincoln, sped between my SUV and the Mercedes these folks were driving. The car had to be going at least ninety miles an hour when he cut between the two of us."

"Did you notice the plate and get the number?" Pen at the ready, he calmly waited for their reply.

"At ninety miles an hour?" Katie asked incredulously. "We were lucky Dean was able to keep control of the car."

"Yes, ma'am, but did you notice anything significant about the car? There's got to be at least two hundred silver stretch limos in Washington alone. Anything that could identify this particular one would be a big help."

"It had Embassy flags," Dean answered. "I can't be sure which Embassy... went by too fast, and it's too dark."

"Well, that narrows it down a little, but if it was an embassy vehicle, we might as well hang it up now, 'cause we'll never see justice done." He jotted a few notes in his pad before closing it. "Well, thank you, ladies. Is there somewhere we can reach you if we need to?"

Both women took their business card cases from their coat pockets and handed their cards to the officer. He took them, reading the information, then whistled. "Well, thank you, Colonel Peterson, Agent O'Malley. If you think of anything else, please give me a call." He handed one of his cards to each woman and returned to his squad car.

As they walked back to the road, Katie asked a contemplative Dean, "You actually saw flags on that limo?"

"Mmhmm, and I think they were Algerian, and I may have seen the guy in the passenger seat before. If I'm right, he's a mercenary named Scott Gentry."

"You could get all that and still keep the SUV under control?" Katie shook her head in wonder. "So why didn't you tell the officer?"

"Like he said, if they were embassy flags, you might as well forget about it, it's a lost cause." Dean shrugged. "C'mon, there's a break in traffic, let's get back to the truck." She grabbed Katie's arm and led her across the highway to where the SUV was parked.

Once the vehicle was back on the road, the young blonde turned in her seat to face her partner. "Dean?"

"Mmm?"

"Why do you think the limo was in such a hurry that it would risk cutting us off like that?"

"Don't know, love. Could be they were late for a meeting, or maybe the driver just likes to speed. We'll probably never find out." Dean glanced over at Katie, winked, and gave her a crooked smile before adding, "I just need more time to process what I saw. But -- if there's a way to figure it out, I will."

Katie smiled at her lover and put her left arm behind Dean's neck and began a gentle massage of tight neck muscles. "You know, hon, I just bet you will."

* * * * * * *

Chapter 2

1900 Hours, 21 October

Dean and Katie pulled into the parking lot for the Crab Pot Restaurant at precisely 7:00 PM, observing the tour bus unloading its passengers by the door. Linna and Tracy were holding the door open for the last of their seniors when Linna spotted Katie exiting the SUV. Insuring that the last person was clear, Linna let go of the door and began waving at her. "Hey, Katie!" Linna shouted.

"I'll go get them all seated and make my rounds with the group. Why don't you go over and say 'hi' to Katie and Dean. I'll meet you inside in a bit," Tracy told Linna before she followed her last senior inside. Linna smiled her thanks, then walked briskly over to the SUV and gave each woman a heartfelt hug.

"Jeez, it's good to see you two! How the heck are yas?" Linna exclaimed exuberantly.

"We're good, Linna," came Dean's simple reply. Katie, on the other hand, immediately began to quiz Linna on their tour so far. Dean just smiled as she listened to the women chatter as the three made their way into the restaurant. Damn, I really owe Linna big time! If she hadn't been so damned curious, Katie would be dead, and the whole case would have turned out quite differently. Tracy sure has one heck of a secretary in that woman.

"Oh, it's been really great," she began enthusiastically, "but I can see we're going to have to take several trips here before we can see all the sights. There's just too much to see and do in this town! We must have walked twenty miles today alone!"

"Yeah, there's certainly a lot to do here," Katie agreed. "What have you found most interesting so far?"

Linna began a dialogue on all the sights they had visited that day while Katie listened in earnest, nodding at the appropriate times and making comments on her visits to the same sites. As the two women conversed, Dean walked over to the hostess desk and waited in line. When it was her turn, she gave her name and another hostess came forward to lead the three women to their reserved table overlooking the Potomac. Katie and Linna talked the entire time until Tracy made her way over and sat down.

"I see Linna's filling you in on our tour so far," Tracy said with a grin, then in a soft aside to Dean she added, "I think this trip is a winner already. Linna is definitely impressed, and that's the real battle on these trips. She demands the best for our people and doesn't stop 'til she gets it."

"Hey, if I were a tour operator, I'd be doing everything I could to keep that woman happy!" Dean chuckled softly. "I certainly wouldn't want to be on her bad side." The two women chuckled in agreement, then turned their attention back to their tablemates.

"What's so funny?" Katie asked, raising an eyebrow at Dean.

"Oh, nothing, love. Tracy and I were just enjoying Linna's enthusiasm for the trip so far," Dean commented quickly, then winked at Tracy.

Linna looked over at her boss and gave her one of her stern questioning looks, to which Tracy quickly responded, "It's the truth, Linna. Really!" Then all four of them burst out laughing.

When dinner was finished, Katie tapped her water glass to get the attention of her friends before speaking. "When Dean told me we were going to have dinner with you two tonight, I decided to wait until now to make my announcement." Dean raised an eyebrow at her partner, surprised by her secrecy. Katie had a terrible time keeping things from Dean, so she was truly curious about what was coming next. "After our little assignment in the Catskills, I started to re-think some of my goals with the DEA. And I made a few discreet inquiries. Yesterday, before I left El Paso, I received confirmation on a new assignment I requested." She paused for effect and found three sets of eyes totally focused on her. "Starting the first week in December, I will be assigned to the DEA's new Justice Training Center in Quantico as an instructor!"

Dean was the first to break into a huge grin, knowing that this would mean that she and Katie would be able to spend more time together. It took a little longer for Tracy and Linna to realize the significance of the assignment before they, too, joined in with smiles of their own.

"Wow! That's great Katie! What will you be teaching?" Linna asked excitedly.

"Well, hand-to-hand combat methods, small weapons training, and some classes on surveillance and undercover techniques, for starters."

"They sure picked your strong points," Tracy commented, reaching over to give Katie a pat on the shoulder. "The new recruits will be getting the very best." They all lifted their glasses and toasted her new assignment. "Guess that means you two will get to see each other a bit more, eh?" she added with an even bigger grin that brought a nice rosy flush to the young woman's cheeks as well as to Dean's. "Well, this calls for some kind of celebration, and I think I have just the right thing in mind." Tracy smiled broadly at her two friends. "How much time off have you two accrued?"

Dean replied that she had about forty-five days, and Katie thought she had twenty-one. "Great! How would you two like to join Colleen and me at our condo in the Bahamas for the middle two weeks in November?"

Before they could answer, Linna jumped in and started raving about the great time she had there the year before ending with "...so you just gotta go!"

Dean looked over at Katie and immediately recognized that her young lover was already picturing herself on the beach. Slipping into that visualization, Dean pictured Katie in a bikini stretched out on the sand. That thought alone led her to quickly accept the offer. "That's really generous of you, Tracy. We'll have to check our calendars and make sure we can get the time cleared. When would you have to know by?"

"Any time before we step on the plane to leave is good with us. As long as you can get there, we'd love to have you."

"Okay, we'll check into it and let you know as soon as we can," Dean finished with a smile, as Katie gave her leg a squeeze under the table.

Before long, it was time for the tour bus to load and for the old and new friends to part once more. Of course, all of the seniors wanted to know who the two women with Linna and Tracy were, so there were many introductions and handshakes in the parking lot before the groups finally went their separate ways.

* * * * * * *

The ride back to Dean's house outside of Occoquan, Virginia took less time than the ride into D.C., as most of the traffic was still heading north on I 95 into the greater D.C. area. Dean really enjoyed the privacy her house afforded them. It was located on a dead end street, just across the water from the southeastern tip of Fountainhead Regional Park on the Occoquan River. Although a fairly large home, considering some of the houses her neighbors had, it was not too big. Dean had designed it herself in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Fallingwater home in Pennsylvania, only she omitted the boulders in the living room and by the hearth. Other than that, she tried to stay true to his style, while blending in some of her own innovations as well. The lot was perfect for the design, and the seclusion at the end of the road was great. It was a labor of love and the finished product showed it. She was glad that it was finally finished, having just moved in two weeks previously. Dean was looking forward to furnishing it beyond the essentials she currently had, putting off any major purchases in hopes of getting Katie's input. The place already had the seal of approval from Katie's three cats, Sugar, Spice and Butter, since they had been staying with her while Katie was on assignment in El Paso. The trio of felines had totally taken over in the two weeks since they moved from the cramped apartment Dean had occupied in Georgetown. Katie had not yet seen the finished product, because they slept Friday night in Katie's old apartment in Arlington, then spent almost their entire Saturday cleaning it and storing the rest of her furniture, before they left to meet Tracy and Linna.

As Dean slowed for her exit off I 95, she looked over at her napping passenger and smiled. "Hey sleepy head... we're almost home."

"Mmm..." the young woman protested, "did you have to wake me just now? I was having the best dream."

"Well, sorry I woke you then. Was I in it?"

"No," Katie began with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "but, there was this drop dead gorgeous redhead in it. And we were making mad passionate love on the beach..." Her words came to an abrupt halt as Dean reached over and gave Katie a playful smack on her arm. "Ouch! What was that for?" Katie's response was as exaggerated as the tap was soft.

"That, was for the big tease you are!" Dean winked as she turned off the exit ramp onto Route 641. "I hope you like the way the house turned out. There's not much furniture yet, just the essentials. But it certainly looks a lot better than when you saw it before you left for El Paso."

Katie had been in El Paso on assignment since the last week in July and only saw the rough design of the house, leaving Dean to play architect and general contractor. Dean knew she was in for a surprise, and hoped that Katie liked the finished product as much as she did.

"I can't wait to see it! I went on-line to check out Wright's Fallingwater house, and that one looks spectacular."

"Well, I just hope I did him justice with the adaptation of his design to my lot," Dean replied, starting to get nervous about Katie's reaction to the surprise she'd left in the bedroom. Dean had already asked her lover to move in when her El Paso assignment was finished, at least until her next assignment took her away again. They had both agreed that it was foolish for her to pay for an apartment that sat empty most of the time. Now, with the instructor's position coming up in December, well -- things were looking better and better.

"Do you think you'll be able to swing a vacation in the Bahamas?" Katie asked her partner as they headed down the road.

"Probably. It would be nice to be on a warm beach when it's cold back here."

"Unhuh." Katie shivered at the mere thought of snow, having had her fill the previous winter in the Catskills. "Oooo... that would mean you'd have to wear a bathing suit most of the time. Like that nifty little bikini I made you buy last the time I was here. Oh, yeah, I definitely want to go the Bahamas!"

Dean turned the corner onto her street as she thought about Katie in a bikini. Yeah, I think a trip to the islands is in order. Soon they pulled into the long winding driveway that was cut through the woods. "Well here we are, home sweet home!" She hit the garage door opener, pulled the SUV in, and turned off the ignition. When she hit the button once more, the garage door closed behind them. The spectacular view of the house was now waiting on the other side of the small side door.

"Home! That's such a nice word." It's implications only served to emphasize Katie's uncertainty, and she knew she should take this opening to try and resolve that. In a hesitant voice, she asked, "Are you sure you want me to move in with you?"

Dean looked over at the young blonde, giving her one of her best raised eyebrow, "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't mean it" looks, before pulling Katie into her arms.

"Yes, love, I do. I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Besides our house is located just right. The perfect commute for both of us." She lowered her head, stealing a kiss from the woman she lost her heart to nearly a year before. "You'll go south and I'll go north. Of course, I have to deal with more traffic on my commute, but then I drive a bit more aggressively than you do. C'mon, let's go inside." Dean walked over to Katie's side of the vehicle, taking her love's hand as she led her to the side door of the garage, opening it gallantly to display the house--illuminated in beams of soft light coming from the outdoor receptacles.

"Oh, Dean. It's absolutely breathtaking!" Katie whispered as she caught her first full view of the house. She gave Dean an appreciative look before she continued. "I can't wait to see how the inside looks, but I think we need to talk about something first." Katie's voice quavered on the latter portion of the sentence, exhibiting obvious anxiety about something. "How about we take a little walk down by the water first?" Katie requested nervously as they exited the detached garage, walking on the slate path towards the house. I need to get this out before I walk into that house, just in case I have to walk out of it, she thought glumly.

Okay, love. What's on your mind? the tall woman thought before saying with a flourish, "Whatever madam wishes." They took the intersecting path that led down the steep embankment towards the river. The two women walked quietly, arm-in-arm, enjoying the Indian summer that had descended on the area. When they came to the river, Dean led Katie over to the teakwood bench on the flagstone patio along the riverbank. As they sat listening to the gentle waves lap along the shoreline, Dean waited for Katie to break the silence.

"Dean?" Katie began hesitantly.

"Mmm?"

Katie rested her head on Dean's shoulder and sighed before she began to speak. "I probably should have talked to you about my re-assignment. I guess that was kind of a bomb I dropped at dinner. I mean... I... I just assumed it would be all right." She looked searchingly into the eyes of her lover, then continued, "It is all right, isn't it?"

Oh, so that's what's bothering you, you're afraid I'm not ready for you to be here full time... only when you're in between assignments. "It's more than all right. It's perfect." The tender response was followed by a sweet kiss as Dean wrapped her arms around Katie. "I miss you so much when you're not here, and you can't imagine how I worry about you when you're on assignment." She felt Katie tense a little in her embrace. "No, no... I know you're an excellent field agent. I just can't help but worry. I don't want to lose you... ever!"

"And I don't want to lose you either," came Katie's reply. "I want to be close to you... all the time... not just between assignments. That's why I did it." Katie laid her head back on Dean's shoulder and began idly tracing a pattern on the woman's strong thigh.

Concerned that Katie was making the change just for her, and that it might not be the most appropriate use of her lover's skills, Dean asked, "Are you sure you'll be satisfied just teaching? You'll be missing a lot of the action, and teaching can become boring with the repetition of information from class to class."

"I'm not worried about that. I know it will be a big change, but it will be for the better. For us." Katie reached up and placed her hand over Dean's heart.

"Well, I probably won't get a field assignment any time soon, but there may come a day when I do, and I'll have to go." Dean shifted to look into Katie's eyes. "How will you feel about that?"

The young woman closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before she opened her eyes again. "I see what you mean about worrying. I guess I'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's just hope it doesn't come too soon. I'd kinda like to get my fill of you before they ship you off to Timbuktu."

"Mmmm," came the soft reply as Dean reached up with her free hand and caressed Katie's cheek. "What say we head up to the house and start working on that 'getting-your-fill' thing now?" Dean finished the statement with a radiant smile and a raised right eyebrow.

"Mmm, sounds good to me," Katie answered as she turned her head and kissed the palm of Dean's hand. Then the two women rose and walked back up to the house: Dean with her arm around Katie's shoulder, and Katie with her arm around Dean's waist. As they approached the house, Dean's thoughts turned to the bedroom filled with white roses and she smiled, no longer nervous about her partner's reaction to her surprise.

* * * * * *

Sunday morning was spent exploring every detail of the new house. Dean was thrilled to see Katie's reaction to her dream home as she watched her lover bounce from one room to the next. The young woman was totally in awe of the way the house and its surroundings seemed to meld together. The combinations of rough and soft, dark and light, wood and rock, combined together in the three levels of the house to make a spectacular statement of form and function.

"This is truly magnificent!" Katie said as they returned to the kitchen. She couldn't help touching the walls and counters as she danced around the room. "You must be really proud of it."

"I am," Dean replied simply as she began scrambling eggs for their breakfast.

"Thank you, Dean, for making me a part of all this. And thank you again for the roses. That was the sweetest thing I've ever experienced in my life." Katie slid up behind the tall woman and put her arms around her in a gentle hug, resting her head against the strong back. They stood that way for a long moment, enjoying each other's closeness until the sound of the door chime broke the spell.

"Now, who could that be?" Dean wiped her hands on the kitchen towel before she walked to the front door.

Katie, having released her hold on her beautiful lover, joined Dean at the front entrance. Looking out the window, they noticed a flower delivery truck in the driveway. Opening the door, Dean gave the young deliveryman a quizzical look.

"Deanna Peterson?" he inquired.

"Yes."

"These are for you." He handed her the heavy basket and was amazed at the ease with which she took it from his hands. "Umm, I have another basket in the truck for a Katherine O'Malley, but the address is incorrect. They said you might know where she lives."

"I'm Katie O'Malley." Katie stepped out of the entrance and smiled at him, then looked at the huge basket of flowers Dean was holding.

"Great!" he responded with a big smile. "Saves me a trip trying to find you. Be right back." He dashed to the truck and returned with another basket of flowers. "Have a nice day, ladies." He tipped his baseball cap and walked briskly back to the van.

The two women took their flowers into the house, closing the door behind them. Looking at each other in surprise, they each set their gift down on the bench by the door and withdrew the gift card. Both cards had the same handwritten note:

Thank you for being good Samaritans and coming to our aid Friday night. Without your quick response, a night of joy would have become a night of tragedy.

Sincerely,

Arthur and Gwenevier Lyons

"Wow! That was really nice. Wonder how they found your address?" Katie looked up at Dean with a big grin. "Hey... Arthur and Gwenevier... like in King Arthur and Queen Guenevere?"

"Nah!" Dean laughed as she picked up the baskets and returned to the kitchen, "They were much too young to be that Arthur and Guenevere." Which provoked more laughter before she got serious enough to answer Katie's question. "They probably got our names from the police, then traced me here through the Pentagon. They couldn't find you because I didn't leave a forwarding address at your apartment when I moved your personal stuff here."

"Well, that sure was nice of them. I wonder how Arthur is doing," Katie said thoughtfully.

"He must be doing fine or we would have gotten a different message on the cards." Dean replaced her card in the envelope and put it on the table next to the basket. "C'mon, breakfast is ready."

* * * * * *

Chapter 3

0600 Hours, 23 October

Monday morning found both women sharing a commute to Arlington, Virginia. Dean was dropping Katie off at the Washington headquarters for the DEA on Army Navy Drive. The DEA building happened to be located just a stone's throw from the Pentagon. Katie was pulling duty working in the Intelligence Division until her new assignment started in December. She knew she'd be stuck doing paperwork for the next two months, but she resigned herself to the fact, knowing that it wouldn't be forever. And, she had the extra bonus of commuting with Dean every day.

After dropping Katie off, Dean quickly proceeded to the Pentagon, anxious to get into her office to do a little investigating on her own regarding the limo incident Friday night. She was almost positive that the passenger in the limo was Scott Gentry, a really nasty mercenary, and the hairs on the nape of her neck had been twitching all weekend; this was not a good sign! Logging on to her computer, she ran a quick check on Gentry's whereabouts. The records showed that he was last seen in Nassau, in June of this year. Hmm, no luck there, he must be lying low for some reason. Well, let's take a look at his file, and see what Mr. Gentry has been up to lately. She hit a few more keystrokes to pull up his file. Oh yeah, he's a foul one all right. Yep, he was linked to Saddam during Desert Storm, Qadhafi on several occasions, all sorts of nasty things in Mozambique, Colombia, Mexico, Iran, and Algeria.... Hmmm, Mr. Diversity eh? Let's see, his strong points seem to be no scruples, a willingness to get his hands bloody, a mastery of armaments, and an engineering background with a good dose of computer programming. Oh, great. He was trained by good old Uncle Sam until he earned a dishonorable discharge. Dean went on reviewing his military record which indicated several Uniform Code of Military Justice charges--ranging from theft, disobeying an order, unauthorized absence, and so forth--finally leading to time at Leavenworth. Next, she went on to review his civilian records. Well, Dean concluded, compared to his civilian record, he was a good boy in the Army. Wonder what he's up to now? She closed his file, but hot flagged it first as a potential threat, listing herself as the point of contact if he should be seen. That'll alert the boys on the streets to keep an eye out for him. Dean swiveled her chair around to look out the window and did what she did best when thinking--she rocked. She realized that doing just that little bit of investigating got her adrenaline flowing, and it made her very aware of how much she did not like what she was currently doing as aide to General Carlton. Only now, there was Katie to consider. She sat there rocking and twirling a pencil in her fingers until her intercom brought her back to the present.

"Colonel?" came the voice of Sergeant Major Tibbits.

"Yes?"

"The general would like to see you at 1030 hours."

"Fine, I'll be there," she said as she tapped her pencil on her desk pad. "Anything in particular?"

"I think it's something about a car accident on Friday night," he responded in a hushed tone. Sergeant Major Tibbits had been General James' office aide, and he had always liked Colonel Peterson, so he felt very protective of her since the general's passing. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, Sarge, this shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the offer though," Dean said with a smile, fully aware of his protective inclinations. Now how would the general know about that? Guess I'll find out soon enough. Dean looked at her watch and noted that it was only 0930 and decided to get a cup of tea in the cafeteria -- and maybe a honey bun, too.

* * * * *

Katie barely settled into her cubicle on the second floor, Intelligence Section, then sighed when the section secretary came in with a pile of old case folders for her to review. Y2K didn't have the dreaded effect that was publicized for years prior to January 1, 2000, but there were a few minor glitches that the agency was still straightening out. Her job, for now, was to make sure the files on the computer matched the hard copy files before they were sealed and sent to storage. The Intelligence Section, being what it was, had to triple insure that all the little snatches of information didn't get lost in the black hole of cyberspace. After all, a minor glitch in the intelligence field could result in huge errors on the playing field.

Oh boy, she sighed heavily, am I going to be able to handle this until December? What was that line in one of those 'Rocky' movies... keep your eye on the prize? The prize to her was Dean. Oh yeah, that helps! She smiled to herself and cheerfully tackled the stack, one file at a time.

About halfway through the second stack, she came upon a file jacket that made her scalp itch. Okay... she thought as she flipped open the file to his vitals, so this is the guy Dean saw in the limo on Friday. Not a bad looking guy. Tall...6'2", 210 lbs., dark brown hair, brown eyes, no distinguishing marks except for a very thin scar extending from just behind his left ear, under his jaw to his chin. Wonder how he got that one! Let's see why the DEA is interested in him.... Then she flipped past his statistics and started to read his rap sheets. Reviewing his folder, she found out pretty much the same information that Dean had located in her office that same morning. Not a nice boy, are you, Scott? Too bad the locals couldn't pin that drug charge on you in Nassau, but I'll just bet you were dirty. She turned back to his picture and studied it a bit longer, committing his face to her memory. Well, if you are working for Algeria now, I wonder which of your skills they're interested in? Checking the jacket against the computer, she found that all of his information was up to date, so she set his file on the finished stack and went on to the next jacket.

* * * * *

Dean entered Brigadier General Carlton's office at 1025, still curious as to how the general found out about the limo incident. "Morning, Sarge," she called to the general's aide as she closed the door behind her.

Looking around from the file cabinet, Sergeant Major Tibbits turned and came to attention.

"As you were," came the command as she smiled at him, and he relaxed a bit.

"How do you do that?" Tibbits asked as he resumed filing the folders.

"Do what?" came the innocent reply.

"Come into an office without anyone noticing," he said, shaking his head. "I didn't even catch the change in noise level when you opened the door."

"Oh, that's 'cause there wasn't anyone near the office when I entered," she said, smiling at him. Dean loved playing this little game with the sergeant major. Whenever she had the chance, she'd go into her stealth mode and try to catch him off guard. Most of the time she succeeded.

The sergeant major filed the last folder then returned to his desk, tabbing the intercom button. "Lieutenant Colonel Peterson is here, Ma'am."

"Send her in."

"She's all yours," he said as he opened the door to the general's office. Dean walked past him giving him a warm smile, then changed to a more formal expression before she entered. She liked General Carlton and respected her, but her working relationship was not as comfortable as it had been with General James. Upon entering, she came to attention in front of the general's desk.

"Lieutenant Colonel Peterson reporting as ordered." She stood at attention until the general finished her task, raised her head, and commanded her to be 'at ease.'

Brigadier General Mary Carlton was in her early fifties, about 5' 9" tall, slim, dark hair, coal black eyes that sparkled with intelligence, and a medium complexion for a woman of African American heritage. "Have a seat, Colonel," General Carlton began, and indicated a chair next to her desk. "I understand you came to the aid of two elderly motorists on Interstate 95 late Friday night."

"Yes, Ma'am. That's correct."

"You were with a young woman, a DEA agent, I'm told," the general continued. "Is this the same agent you worked with on the UN case?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Dean replied, tensing a bit, unsure of where this conversation was heading. She knew the general couldn't ask any personal questions with the 'don't ask, don't tell' directive, but was wondering what was coming next.

"Relax, Colonel," the general smiled. "I'm not going where you think I am. In fact, I couldn't care less as long as it doesn't interfere with your work here." She got up from her chair behind the desk and joined Dean in the other visitor's chair. "Care to tell me what happened?"

Dean visibly relaxed, before going into a concise replay of the event, including the information she withheld from the State Police officer, and concluded at the point where the elderly couple was taken away in the ambulance. "I believe Mr. and Mrs. Lyons are recovering from the incident. I received a 'thank you' from them yesterday," the colonel concluded.

"Yes, they are," General Carlton agreed. "You see, they were on their way to visit me when the incident occurred. I've been friends with Art and Gwen for a long time. In fact, I was the one that gave them your address, after we found out who the 'good Samaritan's' were from the police report."

"Well, I'm just glad we were able to help, Ma'am," Dean offered.

"Colonel, can we drop the formality a little? I think two months of walking on eggs has been enough for the both of us. Mind if I call you Deanna when we're in private conversation?" The general's expression softened considerably, erasing at least ten years of age from her face.

"No, Ma'am, I don't mind a bit, but I'd prefer Dean."

"Well then, I'd prefer Mary to ma'am," the general said, smiling. "Now tell me why you didn't tell the police about identifying the flags as Algerian and recognizing the passenger as a mercenary."

"Actually, I didn't think they would be able to do anything about it even if they knew. You know how the first words out of the mouths of an embassy official caught in a situation like this are 'diplomatic immunity.' So I just kept it to myself, but I have to admit, it has piqued my interest." Debating whether or not she should inform General Carlton that she had done a mini-search of her own, she decided that the general would not likely be opposed to her unsolicited inquiries. "I ran Gentry through our computers this morning, and I'm positive that was him in the car. I'm also very curious as to why he is with the Algerian's. Unfortunately, this is his first sighting in three months, but I did hot flag his file."

"Any reason in particular?" Mary asked, now also very interested.

"Sorry, I can't put my finger on it. It just raised the hairs on my neck, if you know what I mean." The general nodded in comprehension: intelligence gathering was often a 'gut feeling' with seasoned veterans, and Dean was well seasoned. "It all happened so quickly, but I could almost swear the driver was intentionally trying to run your friend's car off the road."

"That's a very real possibility. You see Art is retired from the British MI 6 Section. He and Gwen have been enjoying a majority of their retirement traveling, mostly in the Caribbean. You said this Gentry fellow was in Nassau three months ago? Well, my 'gut' tells me, that's too much of a coincidence."

"If I may... Mary," Dean said obviously still uncomfortable with the relaxed mode, "has your friend indicated noticing anything amiss in his travels?"

"Oh no. He hasn't. Gwen knows he's bothered about something, but he hasn't said what yet. Just said that he needed to make some contacts here in the States, thus their visit with me."

"Does he know what your current assignment is?" Dean asked, surprised that the former agent hadn't confided in the Intelligence chief officer.

"Yes, he does, but he's still in his formulating stage. He'll come out with it when he's ready. Always been like that. Has to have all his ducks in a row before he pitches his theory," she said shaking her head. "I'm just afraid that after that near heart attack you and your friend saved him from, he's going to try to do something stupid to prove he's still fit enough to do his old job."

The general stood and walked over to the window, seeming to decide something in her head before she spoke again. "I would like you to do me a favor," she began. "I know you've been assigned as my Aide, but I've seen your file and I know you're one hell of an intelligence operative." She hesitated. "I'd like you to investigate this situation further... in addition to your regular duties as my Aide. I'll try to lighten the burden so you'll have more time to work on this." She turned and walked back over to Dean, tense lines showing in her face once more. "This is personal, Dean. I can't order you to investigate. There are no grounds... as yet. Think about it and let me know."

Dean read the plea in the tense face staring at her, and immediately made up her mind. "I'd be happy to follow up on this, Mary. In fact, I was pretty interested in the case already."

The general smiled, relieved that she had read Dean correctly. "Good. Then the first order of business is for you to meet Art and Gwen again. I don't want him to know that you're on the case, but I thought that perhaps if you were able to sit with him in a relaxed atmosphere, he might let something slip." She smiled conspiratorially, then added, "How about dinner tomorrow at my house, 2000 Hours? Bring Agent O'Malley with you too. I understand from her file that she's quite adept at putting people at ease and getting them to relax. Perhaps the two of you can slip past his defenses."

Dean stood and agreed, thinking to herself, Well Dean, you don't know what you're getting yourself into, but you do love a challenge! "I'll have to check with Agent O'Malley, but I'm sure she'll be available." General Carlton handed Dean a set of directions to her house and added that the dinner would be a typical 'English' affair and to dress in something appropriate. Great! Dean thought as she left the general's office, Guess we'll have to go shopping for 'something appropriate' tonight! Oh, Katie will love that!

* * * * *

By 1745, Dean was pulling into a parking space at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. She had called Katie earlier in the afternoon to see if she would be able to go to dinner at the general's house, and to let her know that they'd have to stop and do some shopping for 'something appropriate' to wear, on the way home. Katie of course, was overjoyed at the prospect of spending some time shopping, though it wasn't one of Dean's favorite things to do.

"C'mon, Dean, lighten up! I'm sure we'll find something here that you'll like," Katie said as she bounced out of the car, ready to do some serious damage to her credit card.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just not the fashion type. That's why I like the military so much. Not much of a decision to make getting dressed in the morning," the tall dark woman responded.

"Well, it's about time we get you something sexy to wear!" Katie said winking. "Too much green in that closet of yours. What's your favorite color anyway?"

"Black," came the unembellished reply.

"Black, huh? That figures. Well, let's see what we can find in black that will knock their socks off." The young woman smiled as they entered the shopping center.

An hour before the shopping center closed, they finally had the outfit completed. Katie had spied a small boutique called 'Silks by Sylvia' that had a dress that Dean actually approved of. It was very form fitting, cut in a low, but not too low, 'V' in the front and back, with a healthy slit up the right side. It even came with a short silk jacket for cool weather cover. The black silk was very nice to the touch. In fact, when Dean put it on, Katie had a hard time keeping her hands off the smooth fabric. That alone, was reason enough for Dean to purchase the dress. She also bought shoes and a bag to match. Although Katie didn't need to purchase anything new, she decided 'what the heck' and bought a dark emerald green silk jumpsuit that had a black silk jacket to go over it. To complete the outfit, she decided on a pair of shoes that would give her an extra inch or two of height.

"See, Dean, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Katie asked as they headed back out to the parking lot.

"Took way too long for my liking," the dark-haired woman responded.

"Yeah, but we got some really sexy outfits for tomorrow," the blonde countered happily.

"Yeah, tomorrow..." Dean repeated, wondering what the evening would uncover.

* * * * *

Tuesday was pretty much a carbon copy of Monday for Katie, more files to check and enter into the computer. The stack never seemed to dwindle. Just about the time she'd get to the last of the files, in would come another batch. Dean, on the other hand, had spent several hours setting up a surveillance of the Algerian Embassy for a lead on Scott Gentry. With that accomplished, and the rest of her paperwork tidied up, she left a bit early to go before she picked Katie up and stop at one of the shops she'd noted the previous evening. By the time they got home, they had a few minutes to relax before they were to leave for dinner. Dean figured the drive to Falls Church, where General Carlton lived, would take her about thirty minutes if she took I95, then I495. That gave them thirty minutes of free time that she already had plans for.

Dean was out of the shower first and was standing in her robe drying her hair. She had to wear it up every day to meet military standards, but tonight she was going to wear it down. She really liked her hair long, so as soon as she was out of uniform, down it came. She had just set the hair dryer down when Katie came charging out of the bathroom hurriedly scurrying around to get dressed.

"I can't believe we lost track of time like that!" the blonde said as she began drying her hair.

"I didn't lose track of time, love. I just wasn't finished with you yet," Dean said with a twinkle and a half grin, "and I don't think you would have wanted me to stop in the middle now, would you?"

"Ahhh, no." Katie's reply included a rosy coloration to her cheeks. "That would not have been a good idea," she agreed as she softly placed a kiss on the lips closing in on hers. "But we'd better get a move on if we're going to get there on time."

"No problem, love." Dean slipped into the dress and put on the matching jacket. She added a single string of pearls and diamond teardrop earrings to complete her outfit. Then she went over to her briefcase, pulled out the box she'd bought at the jewelry store, and handed it to Katie. "How about you wear this tonight?"

The look of surprise on Katie's face as she took the box and opened it made Dean smile.

The heart shaped diamond pendant was simple and elegant at the same time. "I think it will look okay, don't you?" Dean asked quietly.

Katie was stunned, and her eyes sparkled with her tears of joy when she finally found her voice to answer. "Dean ... it's beautiful! But when did you get this?" Katie turned and handed the necklace to Dean to place around her neck.

"This afternoon, before I picked you up. I saw it last night and thought it would look great on you." As she finished clasping the necklace on Katie, she looked into the mirror at their reflections and smiled. "Not a bad looking pair of women."

Katie looked into the mirror and smiled back. "Not bad, love... not bad at all."

* * * * *

The ride to Falls Church actually took a few minutes less than Dean expected, so they managed to arrive right on time. She parked the SUV in the driveway of the two-story English Tudor styled home. It sat on a lot that had to be at least five acres, and was recessed from the road to mask the traffic as well as to lend an air of country. The house itself was very large and well kept. The two women exited the SUV and walked up the path to the front door. Just as Dean reached to push the doorbell, the door opened and the general greeted them with a sincere smile. Mary was dressed in an elegant maroon pantsuit that contrasted completely with her military persona.

"Good evening, Dean, I saw the lights from your vehicle as you pulled in." She looked over at Katie and smiled warmly. "This must be agent Katherine O'Malley. It's good to meet you." The general extended her hand to Katie in a welcoming gesture.

Katie smiled taking the general's proffered hand saying, "Please call me Katie, and thank you for inviting me tonight, General Carlton."

"You're welcome, Katie, but you'll have to call me Mary tonight. My uniform is off for this evening."

Katie nodded her acceptance with a smile and Mary stepped back, gesturing them into her home. As they entered the foyer, Dean and Katie took in the simple grace of the furnishings and layout of the house. To the right, was a formal living room done in soft earth tones, with large comfortable looking furniture placed on each side of a beautiful fieldstone fireplace where the other guests were already ensconced. To the left was the formal dining room, all set for the evening's dinner guests with the finest china and crystal Katie had ever set eyes on. Straight ahead, was the stairway to the second floor, and a hallway that led towards the back of the house. Behind them, Mary closed the front door, before leading them into the living room to be formally introduced to Arthur and Gwenevier Lyons.

Arthur and Gwen were occupying two of the chairs next to the fireplace when the three women entered the room. As the general led the way, Arthur stood to meet the two women who had come to his aid four nights before.

"Arthur, Gwen, I'd like to introduce you to the two women who assisted you last Friday." She introduced Dean, who smiled a bit self-consciously, then Katie, who gave them both a dazzling smile.

Arthur became a bit tongue tied--certainly owing much of that to the beauty of the two women--but soon recovered. "Ahh.. yes, yes. I do say... umm... quite good of you to come by!" Then, turning to his wife said, "I say, Gwen, they really quite look like guardian angels, don't they?"

Gwen just tittered at her husband's obvious discomfort. "Oh, Art, you always did have a time trying to talk in the presence of beauty." This comment caused Dean and Katie to blush, and Mary, Art and Gwen to laugh quietly.

"Ah, yes. I dare say, I always have," Art said apologetically as he and Gwen shook hands with the two beautiful women.

Mary came to Art's rescue, asking if anyone would care for a cocktail. Dean and Art requested scotch, neat, while Katie and Gwen asked for white wine. Once the drinks were served, the fivesome sat down for some friendly conversation before dinner.

"So, Colonel..." Art began, "whom should I thank for putting you in the right place at the right time?"

"Please call me Dean, and you would have this young lady to thank," Dean said gesturing towards Katie. "I had just picked her up from the airport, when the incident occurred. I'm just glad that we were able to help, and that the both of you are okay."

"Oh, yes, quite all right, thanks to the two of you," Gwen interjected. "Art's just retired, and we've been doing a good deal of traveling. The doctors suggested that it would be a way for him to unwind after all his stressful years with MI 6."

"MI 6? Really?" Katie chimed in, looking for an opportunity to get Art talking. "What did you do, sir?"

"Oh, I say, please don't call me sir... makes me feel much older than I am," Art said with a wink and a self-conscious chuckle. "I work, or should say, worked, in the cipher section. You know--code work and all. Not quite what it was years ago... before computers and all... but still very challenging work and quite stressful."

"Have you ever been a field agent?" Dean proposed the question nonchalantly as she sipped her scotch.

"Arthur? In the field? I should think not. I didn't want to see him out in the field," Gwen offered whimsically. "Not my Arthur. He's never been into action that I know of. Oh, except for that one time at the Embassy party. But he is the absolute best at cracking codes. Aren't you dear?"

"Now, now, Gwennie, I could have gone to field agent training," Arthur protested, "but we'd just had the twins and all..." His sentence was cut off by Gwen's next comment.

"Yes, dear, and I thank you every day for making that decision." Gwen patted Arthur's arm affectionately in an attempt to smooth his ruffled feathers some.

Katie picked up on the slight tension and cut in smoothly, asking the obvious, "What happened at the Embassy party?" Which led into a lengthy description of an encounter with a double agent who was passing secret information during the party. Gwen had uncovered the exchange through her ability to read lips. Arthur saved the day by managing to capture the spy by shooting him in the eye with a well-aimed champagne cork. They all had a good laugh at the ending, where the blinded agent stumbled into the arms of the security police. When the story was finished, Mary's cook entered the living room to announce that dinner was ready.

The main meal passed without the two women gaining much more information from Arthur. He, on the other hand, had learned about the events of the previous winter that had transpired in the Catskills of New York, then terminated in New York City.

"My, my. That would have been quite the disaster if old Kasimov had pulled it off," Art offered at the conclusion of the story. "Imagine the chaos that would have occurred across the globe if all those heads of state had been murdered." They all were nodding in agreement when the cook brought out the dessert -- plum pudding!

"Now, Art, I know you love this, so I had Tessie here make it special for you," Mary said, as the cook put the bowl in front of Arthur.

"Isn't that nice, dear. I'll bet it's better than Ned's," Gwen offered.

"Well, Ned's not the best cook, but we always manage to talk about something interesting over his plum pudding. Why, just the other day he was telling me that he's noticed an awful lot of mercenary soldiers going in and out of Freeport Airport lately." As soon as he said it, he realized that he had said too much, and quickly changed the subject. "Well, what say we see if Tessie receives the Arthur Lyons award for plum pudding, shall we?"

Dean and Katie subtly raised an eyebrow at each other and caught the eye of Mary who was smiling at them. Yep, Mary, I think he just slipped! Dean's thoughts seemed to penetrate the general's mind as she nodded back at the colonel.

After dinner, the conversation was mostly about Gwen and her job as a speech and hearing specialist. She had explained how that was where her ability to read lips originated. Art had become more cautious in his conversation and directed most of it in Gwen's direction. By 2300, Dean and Katie were back on the road for home after expressing their thanks for the wonderful dinner. In the car, the two agents began to plan their course of action.

"I'll get together a list of all known mercenaries we have on file," Dean began, "and start a check on who has been in or out of Freeport in the last six months."

"I think that is the most logical place to start," Katie agreed. "Then, I'll take the list and check it against any records the Freeport DEA division has, too."

By the time they arrived home, they had their campaign mapped out and had made plans to meet for lunch the next day at the Pentagon to update General Carlton on their findings.

* * * * *

Chapter 4

1300 Hours, 25 October

Both women spent Wednesday morning compiling their lists of known mercenaries from their respective data banks. They targeted the entire Caribbean during the previous eight months, and checked all of the customs offices. The next step was to cross-reference them with each other to see if there were any common denominators. Then they each checked to see if any of these persons were seen in any of the countries that were known enemies of the U. S. They also included enemies of Britain, since Arthur was a British citizen and his friend Ned was the chief of the MI 6 section located at the Nassau Embassy. By the time they were each finished with their lists, it was nearly 1300.

"Hey," Dean said without preamble as she heard Katie pick up her line at her temporary office, "are you interested in lunch?"

"Just about. I'm printing the last list now. Meet me in your lobby in fifteen minutes." Katie replaced the receiver with one hand while the other hand removed the last sheet from the printer.

At 1315, Dean was waiting outside the main entrance to the Pentagon when she spotted Katie coming up the walk. "Did you walk over or catch a cab?" Dean asked as Katie drew near.

"Walked of course. You try catching a cab at lunchtime. Besides, I need the exercise. I really hate sitting at a desk all day."

"Yeah, I think we should set up the exercise equipment tonight when we get home. I could certainly use a good workout myself." Dean held the door open for Katie to enter the main lobby. "Here, put this Visitor ID on, or you won't get past the MP's up ahead." Dressed in her uniform, Dean led the way past the security post, returning a salute as she passed. "Let's grab a quick lunch in the cafeteria, and then we can compare notes in my office before we meet with General Carlton." Looking at her watch, Dean informed the young agent that they had a 1430 appointment.

"Sounds good to me." Katie eagerly followed Dean through the wide corridors as they headed down to the cafeteria.

By 1355, they were in Dean's office comparing lists. Dean had a total of thirty-two mercenaries, while Katie had seventeen prospects. When they compared their two lists, they found fifteen names that appeared on both.

"Okay," Dean began, "let's take a look at the ones that weren't duplicated." Of those seventeen names, they deleted six when further investigation revealed their current addresses as various federal prisons. Another five were eliminated for one reason or another. The last six were added to the overlapping names--for a final count of twenty-one names to be considered potential threats. Dean added these to her 'hot flag' notices on the computer system. With this done, the various intelligence communities would contact her with any sightings of these individuals. When they were finished, they had a few minutes to spare before their meeting with General Carlton.

Katie looked over at Dean who was rocking in her leather chair. "Any theories at this point?"

"Mmm. I'm not sure I want to venture any guesses. We have only three facts at this point in the game." She began ticking them off on her hand. "One, Scott Gentry was in that limo, and he is on both of our lists. Two, in my opinion, the limo was definitely trying to run the Lyons' car off the road. And three, Art's friend Ned, has noticed more mercenaries than usual, coming and going." She sighed before she continued. "Now, one reason people of all kinds go to the Bahamas, besides the weather and beaches, is for the gambling. Mercenaries are risk takers and, more likely than not, gamblers. It could be just as simple as that. Or, it could be that there's a lot more to it. It's much too early to tell."

"Maybe General Carlton picked up more information after we left," Katie offered.

"Maybe. But I wouldn't count on it. You saw how Arthur clammed up after his little slip." Dean checked her watch and stood. "Well, we'd better get going."

The two women walked the short distance to the general's office, entered, and were greeted by a waiting Sergeant Major Tibbits. "Afternoon, Colonel," he said as he smiled at Dean.

"Afternoon. Sergeant Major, this is Special Agent Katherine O'Malley," the colonel offered as the sergeant major rose to shake the hand that a smiling Katie extended.

"Glad to meet you, ma'am. The general is waiting for you." Tibbits opened the door to the general's office. "You can go right in."

Dean entered with strict military form, standing at attention until the general gave her the 'at ease' command. General Carlton relaxed, smiling at the two women. "Have a seat, ladies." She motioned to the small meeting area to the right of her desk. Dean and Katie selected the leather couch, and the general sat in a chair opposite them. "What have you found out so far?" she inquired, getting straight to the point.

Dean took the lists they had worked on all morning and went through the process they used to gather the data, and their reasons for eliminating some of the mercenaries.

After Dean itemized the facts once more for the general, she concluded her comments with a statement that this was all the information they had at the moment. "Until we hear from our folks in the field, we won't know much more."

Katie's input included inconclusive information on where many of these individuals were at present. "It appears that most of them are somewhere here in the U.S. They could also be in a country that doesn't require a passport, at least as far as our customs records show. A few are out of the country, mostly in various parts of Africa. I'm sure with all of the unrest on that continent, there are plenty of employers."

"You are undoubtedly right on that one," Mary agreed. "What's your plan from here?"

Dean addressed this portion of the meeting, indicating that she had 'hot flagged' the persons on the list. "If you look at the backgrounds of these individuals, you'll see that most of them have had dealings with various terrorist groups in the world. At least, alleged dealings. None have been brought up on charges, because no one has had enough proof."

"Yes," Katie interjected, "and their backgrounds are varied. However, we've noticed they're a bit heavy on the technology side, not that they can't handle themselves in other areas too; but then, this is the age of computerized conflicts as the Gulf War has shown us."

"What can I do to help out?" Mary asked the duo.

"Well, if you could have Katie loaned to us from the DEA, that would be a start. They have her just sorting files right now, and I could certainly use her expertise more than they currently are," Dean suggested hopefully. The tall woman noted the mild look of surprise on her partner's face since they had not talked about this possibility prior to the meeting.

The general smiled at the request and thought a bit before she replied. "Katie, your director is Keith Evans?" Katie nodded in the affirmative. "Well, let me see what I can do. He owes me a favor or two. I'll let you know as soon as possible. Is there anything else?"

"Not at this time, unless of course you were able to get anything else from Mr. Lyons last night," Dean inquired.

"Not yet, but I have Gwen subtly working on it. She's going to use her lip reading skills the next time they go to the British Embassy." Mary stood, an indication that the meeting was over. "Well, if there's nothing else..."

"Only, I'd like to thank you for inviting me to dinner last night. Everything was exquisite," Katie said as she stood to leave.

"You're welcome, Katie," the general replied. "And I'm glad I had the opportunity to finally meet you. You and the colonel here made quite a team on that Kasimov assignment. I'll do my best to get you assigned to us, temporarily at least." The general walked to the door with Katie and Dean.

"Thank you, General Carlton. It would certainly make things easier," Katie replied as she exited the office.

"Colonel," the general called to Dean, "step back into my office for a minute."

"Yes, Ma'am." Dean stepped back into the office, closing the door behind her.

"Did you ask Katie about coming to work on this over here before you asked me?" Mary queried.

"No, Ma'am. I just thought of it at that moment. I apologize if I put you on the spot," she hurriedly offered.

"Yes, you did. In the future I would like to be apprised of things in advance, but this shouldn't be a problem as long as you believe that Agent O'Malley will be comfortable in our atmosphere. We're not as relaxed as some of the civilian agencies."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll make sure she's fully aware of military protocols."

"Good. That's all then. I'll call you after I talk to Evans. And Dean," the general said with a smile, "she's a keeper."

Dean flashed a brilliant smile and said, "Yes, Ma'am!" before executing a military turn, leaving the office beaming.

* * * * *

Back in Dean's office, Katie asked, "And what canary did you eat?" To which Dean just smiled even more broadly.

"Ah... well... the general thinks you're a 'keeper,' and I have to agree with her," Dean said proudly.

"A 'keeper,' eh?" Katie smiled back at her lover, slowly walking to within a half inch of Dean, then in a very silky, seductive voice, said, "and what am I being 'kept' for?"

"Oh..." Dean replied in her lowest sultry voice, "as an agent, of course!" Then she bent her head and quickly stole a kiss from the temporarily flustered young agent. "And that reminds me, we'll need to go over military protocol if you're going to be working here. By the way, what I just did is definitely not military protocol and will be the last one you'll ever get in this building, or, while working anywhere around here on this case, or, when I'm in uniform." She looked into Katie's emerald eyes and sighed. "Will you be comfortable with that?" Katie nodded her agreement. "Good. I won't be, but that's the way it has to be."

"Dean, I promise I won't ever jeopardize your career..." Katie started.

"I know, love, but there's a lot of people around here who would love to see me get kicked out of the military, for any reason. Some of the 'good old boys' are still ticked off about my promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, and they wouldn't mind dragging Mary down with me, either. So we have to be really careful, especially here." Dean walked over to her leather chair and sat down, indicating that Katie should take the visitor's seat. The next sixty minutes or so were spent on a discussion of military do's and don'ts, so Katie wouldn't get into any difficulties on the job.

"So, I don't have to salute anyone..."

"No, just make sure you show due respect. Imagine yourself as, let's see -- you'd be a first lieutenant now if you were in the Army, so just about anyone you see, except for the enlisted soldiers, would be your superior officer, so treat them accordingly." Dean stopped then winked at her lover. "I'm sure you'll fit in very well. You just have a way about you that makes people fall all over themselves trying to help you."

"Yeah, right!" The blonde laughed out loud, but was cut off from further comment by the ringing of the phone.

"Colonel Peterson," Dean said answering the phone. "Yes, Ma'am. Yes. Fine, I'll take care if it right now." Replacing the phone she said, "General Carlton just got off the phone with your director. You've been temporarily assigned to the Pentagon, effective immediately. I will be your immediate supervisor, but you ultimately answer to General Carlton. I need to take you to the processing section to have your photo ID made now, but we need to stop by the general's office to pick up the paperwork." Dean hesitated before adding, "I know I didn't ask you if you wanted to be on loan here. You still have time to back out."

"Not on your life, Colonel!" came the unwavering response.

The rest of the day was spent processing Katie as a civilian attached to the Pentagon. Katie never saw so many papers that had to be signed, and so many regulations that had to be covered. By the time they were finished, it was time for them to go home. On their way home, Katie just sighed and ruminated over all the paperwork that had to be done for a simple temporary transfer and photo ID. "Wow," Katie said jokingly, "I'd hate to see what I'd have to do if I wanted to come over permanently."

"Well, love," Dean shrugged, "it's like I said, the military way is much different than the civilian way."

Katie turned towards Dean and in a deep, husky voice said, "There's the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way!" Then in her normal voice, "At least that's what my Uncle Sean used to say whenever I'd ask him why he did something a certain way."

"Your Uncle Sean wasn't far from the truth!" Dean said laughing. "How about we get some Chinese take-out for dinner, then we can spend the evening putting the exercise room together?"

"Sounds like a good plan, ma'am, but is it a civilian plan or an Army plan?" Katie asked, laughing.

"It's MY plan!" Dean answered with a growl and her best feral grin.

"Oooo, then it's got to be the only plan," Katie answered seriously, then leaned over to give her lover a quick kiss, but stopped short remembering her promise to Dean. "Umm, do I have to wait until we get home before I can kiss you?

"Yeah, we better wait." Dean smiled at her lover. "Never know who might be in the next vehicle, and I am still in uniform."

"Oh, I can already see this is going to be difficult." Katie moved back over to her side of the SUV and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

* * * * *

The next morning the two women had just pulled out of their driveway when Dean's cell phone chirped. "Colonel Peterson," Dean said as she picked up the phone and listened. "Are you sure about that? Okay, give me the address. Get big blue out for us, okay? Then give us ten to change, and we'll be on our way." Dean checked her watch and added, "Our ETA will be 0730." Then she replaced her phone. "That was Sergeant Major Tibbits. Seems we have a hit on one of our mercenaries," Dean explained as she turned the SUV around and headed back to the house. "We'll need to change, then set up surveillance at a warehouse. Are you ready for some undercover work again?" Dean asked with a big grin.

"Aye, aye, Colonel." Katie replied with a small salute.

"Katie, -- it's 'Yes, Ma'am' or 'Sir' in the Army. 'Aye, aye' is for the Navy," Dean corrected her while shaking her head.

"Oops. Guess I watched too many episodes of 'JAG' while in El Paso," Katie said blushing.

"Well, don't try that around our folks, they'll tease the hell out of you."

"Got it. Now, what's big blue?"

"Big blue is my favorite surveillance vehicle for city work," Dean said as she pulled the SUV into her driveway. "You'll really like it. All the comforts of home and then some."

They parked the SUV in the drive and hurriedly went into the house to change. When they came out five minutes later, they were dressed in jeans, polo shirts, athletic shoes, and lightweight jackets. Dean had let her hair down, and Katie had on her favorite baseball cap, sporting the logo of the New York Liberty basketball team. They were back on the road in eight minutes flat from the time Dean hung up the cell phone.

"Phew!" the blonde exclaimed as she hooked up her seat belt, "that was quick!"

"Yeah, well, you learn to be quick after sixteen years in this business!" Dean said as she smoothly entered the flow of vehicles commuting to D.C. on I95.

During the thirty-minute drive, Dean explained that Jerry Stockton was seen entering a warehouse in the southeast part of town near the Navy Yard. The informant said he was still in there, so they decided to mount a little surveillance to see what came out. As they slipped into Dean's parking place at the Pentagon, Dean said they would need to take their weapons case from the security locker in the back of the SUV. Sergeant Major Tibbits had arranged for the surveillance vehicle to be parked next to Dean's spot. "We'll be using this van," Dean explained as she opened the door of a rusty blue Chevy van that had the markings from the city water department barely scraped off. "We're going to be in a not too nice area today." Katie nodded as she walked to the back of the SUV, opening the door to retrieve the weapons case from its security locker.

"Looks a little ratty, don't you think?" Katie commented as she walked around the van to the passenger side.

"Yep! Just what we need for where we're going." The tall woman smiled as they got in and strapped on their seat belts. In no time, they were crossing the Rochambeau Bridge towards their target.

The back of the van was windowless. The only windows were in the cab, and the back of the van was obscured from view by sliding doors that would allow them to enter from the cab in the front. These doors locked from both sides to insure security while they were working. On the outside, the van looked like it was on its last legs, but on the inside, it was a surveillance dream. Air-conditioned for warm weather use, heated for cold weather, totally soundproofed against passersby and bullet proof, except for armor piercing shells. It had all the latest equipment including an updated Thermal Dynamic Scanning Converter that was better than the one they had used in the Catskills. This one was so small and compact, that the external scanner probe was located in the little yellow flashing caution light that one usually sees on top of most municipal maintenance vehicles. This housing allowed for a three hundred sixty degree rotation that could be adjusted without anyone noticing. The TDSC was mated with a directional sound unit that could pick up voices through the thickest brick buildings around D.C. It even had a small refrigerator stocked with water, soda, and a few snacks for lengthy operations. The only amenity it lacked was a bathroom, and the only real problem with the van was that it was cramped. There were two comfortable captains chairs in the back, but not much room to stretch out; for Dean that was one concession she made to have use of this van. It was even equipped with a special set of shocks, so any movement by the occupants in the van would not cause the van to rock, thereby alerting any onlookers that occupants were inside.

After a quick stop at a local convenience store to use the restroom and pick up a few extra goodies that were Dean's favorites, they pulled into a parking lot opposite the fenced entrance to an old warehouse. The neighborhood had several empty buildings and warehouses, but still had a few stores that seemed to be doing a brisk business, including a sandwich and coffee shop halfway down the street. The lot was next to a building that sold janitorial supplies, so their vehicle wasn't easily noticeable with all of the trucks and vans going in and out.

"Okay, time to get in the back and see what's out there," Dean said as she slid the door to the right and indicated that Katie should go back first. Dean followed, then slid the door shut and locked it.

This was Katie's first glimpse into the back of the van with all its state of the art equipment. Her immediate reaction was one of awe, but she soon got down to business as Dean gave her quick operating instructions for the various pieces of equipment. There were five 9" TV monitors lined up; when Dean turned them on, four of them showed ninety-degree views from each of the corners of the van. The fifth one was for the TDSC. A set of headphones rested on the short bench in front of each chair for the directional sound system. At the back end of the small space, there was a computer system that included a laser printer and a CD tower. Katie looked around and asked where the taping equipment was. Dean pointed to the computer system and told her that they were no longer using tapes but CD's, and were able to satellite link anywhere in the world.

"Satellite?" she asked curiously. "Where's the dish to up-link?"

Dean unlocked and slid the door back and pointed to an object on the dashboard, then closed and locked the door again.

"You mean to tell me that that piece of souvenir trash is a satellite dish?" Katie asked in amazement.

"Pretty neat, eh? It looks like any of those 'tip 'em upside down to make it snow' pieces of junk that you'd gotten from your dear old Auntie Maude, doesn't it!" The little snow globe on the dash board was a bit larger than most, but looked just as tacky and had a fountain in it with a gold paper label on the base that said 'Good Luck Fountain, Kansas City, Missouri' on it. "The bowl of the fountain actually moves to track the satellites," Dean informed the young agent. "It's the very latest in micro technology and works like a charm." Katie just shook her head in wonder. "Remind me to take you to the research and development lab for our intelligence section. Some of the stuff they're playing with there will really knock your socks off!"

Once Katie was comfortable with operating each piece of equipment, they settled down for what was going to be a long, probably uneventful surveillance. The day, evening, and night passed without a sound coming from the warehouse. Not even one vehicle pulled in during the entire time. Finally, at 2300, Dean decided it was time to pack it in for the night. Before they left, they decided to do an up close and personal visit to the warehouse. Changing into night gear, the two women added their shoulder harnesses for their new H & K Mark 23's, checked the ammo clips and returned the weapons to safety. Checking the four monitors, they noted that no one was in sight, so they each grabbed a set of night vision goggles and com units, then left the van.

Once outside the van, they donned their night vision goggles. Dean motioned for Katie to circle the building to the right, while she circled to the left, both looking for promising entrances. In a short span of only three minutes, Dean's earpiece came alive with Katie's voice.

"Got it!" Katie whispered into her com unit. "There's a window open in the back, and several 50 gallon drums that we can use for a boost up."

"Be right there, I just want to bypass the alarm system first," Dean answered, before swiftly running to the back to meet up with Katie.

The window was big enough for them to slip through with ease. Dean silently boosted herself up on the drum and peeked through the window, checking the interior for any signs of life.

"Looks good," she whispered to Katie as she reached her right hand down to give Katie a hand up. Dean was the first through the window, silently dropping to the floor with Katie following just as quietly. The warehouse was full of crates and boxes that, according to their labels, contained a variety of food: cereals to rice to canned fruits and vegetables, and then some. As they walked past the stacks waiting for shipping, they noted that they were all headed for the Caribbean port of Freeport, Grand Bahamas, with a final destination of the island's Little Dixie grocery chain.

"That's interesting," Katie whispered as they continued down the aisles.

"Yeah," Dean commented, "I would have thought that the Little Dixie shipping point would be from Miami and not D.C. Seems awfully expensive to be shipping from this far up the coast. Let's see if we can find the office. You take this aisle, I'll head down that one."

Katie nodded as they parted, going down separate aisles and heading towards the front of the warehouse. Dean's choice of aisles led her to the office first, and she whispered into her com unit for Katie to swing her way. While waiting for Katie to catch up, Dean checked the handle on the office door. Finding it locked, she pulled out her set of picks and set to work on the lock. As Katie rounded the corner, Dean was just standing up and opening the door to the office.

"Nice work, Colonel," the blonde remarked as Dean held the door open for her. "Let's see if they lock their file cabinets, too." Katie pulled on the top drawer, and it slid out easily. Running her hands through the files and doing a quick check of the labels, she found nothing unusual in the folders. Shipping orders, customs forms, invoices, etc., everything looked quite normal and respectable as she checked each drawer.

While Katie checked the file cabinets, Dean set to work checking the rest of the office. Desks were neat and orderly. Just a little too neat and too orderly for Dean's suspicious mind. The whole office reminded her of a military materials management office, rather than a civilian shipping and receiving warehouse. Checking the ashtrays, she noted that even the cigarette butts were 'field dressed' in military fashion--the butts separated from the remaining tobacco, just like you would do if you were in the field. Things just weren't adding up. Hmm, if this is a legitimate warehouse, why isn't anyone working today? Granted the crates of food aren't perishable items, but there should have been some activity. "Things don't add up here," Dean commented as she walked toward the office door. "Check out the computer, I'm going to have a closer look at some of those crates."

Dean exited the small office and started to walk down the aisle toward the back of the building to the last stack of crates. On a tool bench by the loading dock, she found a box knife, pry bar, and clear tape applicator, then began an "eenie, meenie, minee, mo" chant to herself as she selected the first crate. It was labeled powdered milk, and when she carefully opened it, that's exactly what she found. She resealed the crate, and went to her next selection. This one was labeled coffee, and again, she found just that. Resealing that case, Dean decided to advance a few rows and select another crate of cases. This time she settled on ones labeled canned vegetables. Hmmm, nothing here but mixed vegetables ... how about ketchup ... again and again, finding just what the label indicated. Dean continued her careful search and found just about anything you would find in a grocery store, and nothing more. "Everything looks legit, but I've just got this gut feeling," Dean mumbled as she returned to the small office.

"Any luck with the computer?" Dean peered over Katie's shoulder and watched her scroll through the contents.

"Nope. Just lots of order forms for all sorts of grocery items. Also shipping invoices and customs forms to match. The company's name is 'Island Commodities, Incorporated.' I'm downloading their personnel files now. Maybe we can get a clue from their workers," Katie answered as she entered a few more keystrokes. "Now, this could be interesting," she paused as she down paged through several forms, "seems like every shipment has the same customs officer's signature. A coincidence?"

"Hmmm, a little too coincidental if you ask me," Dean replied.

"Yep. I concur with that," the blonde acknowledged as she looked up into Dean's vivid blue eyes.

"What's the officer's name?"

Looking back down at the monitor screen, Katie responded, "Ernest P. Comstock." Raising her head up once more she asked, "Did you have any luck with the search?"

"Nah. Everything seems kosher." Dean shook her head in frustration. "All right, let's put things back the way we found them and get back to the office. We can run a check on Mr. Comstock there, and make arrangements to have the warehouse put under long term surveillance."

It took them a few minutes to shut down the computer, and check to be sure they left everything the way it was, before leaving the building through the loading dock's side door. Dean rearmed the security system, and they returned to the van, making sure that they weren't seen leaving the warehouse grounds. When they arrived back at the office it was 0230. They filed the surveillance request, set the wheels in motion to do a full background check on Ernest P. Comstock and Island Commodities, Inc., and e-mailed a report to General Carlton regarding their findings. Dean also left a note for Sergeant Major Tibbits to call them on her cell number if anything came up before 1300. With those items out of the way, they finally left for home.

* * * * *

Chapter 5

0920 Hours, 27 October

Dean woke first, opening her eyes to see her lover's blonde head resting on her chest. Katie was in the exact same position as when she fell asleep, five hours earlier. Guess we were a bit tired last night, eh, love? The dark-haired woman began to stroke Katie's short hair with her left hand and tightened her grip around the blonde's waist with her right hand. This action brought a slight moan from the blonde's lips as Katie tightened her grip around her lover's waist. One green eye slowly opened as Katie mumbled, "Tell me it's not time to get up yet, pleeasse?"

"Sorry, love, duty calls. Besides, it's almost 0930, and we need to get in our exercise session that we missed last night." Dean said this with a smile, then placed a soft gentle kiss on Katie's forehead. "Wouldn't do for us to get out of shape, now would it?"

"Mmmppff! I suppose not. But one day couldn't hurt, could it?" Both green eyes now pleaded with the sapphire blues looking softly down at her.

"No, one day wouldn't hurt, but we had that one day yesterday, remember?" One sapphire blue eye winked at the still pleading blonde, then Dean reached down with her left hand and started to tickle the sleepy blonde awake.

"Eeeeaaa! No fair!" Katie tried to roll away from the taller woman, but was held in place by the strong arm that was around her waist. "Okay, okay.... Uncle!" she pleaded with her tormentor. Dean immediately stopped her barrage of tickling, and captured her victim's lips with a slow passionate kiss while her left hand trailed lightly up the taut abdomen and came to rest between her breasts. The kiss and touch evoked a sensual moan from the young woman who immediately responded to them with more kisses, each becoming longer and deeper until Dean realized that the young woman had maneuvered her to the point of no return... the fire was lit.

* * * * *

Dean was blow-drying her long dark hair when Katie came into the master bathroom carrying a steaming cup of mint tea. "Now that's how I like to exercise in the morning," she said, as she placed the tea on the counter and stole a quick kiss from the still flushed woman. "Cold shower didn't help, huh?" Katie winked as she took the dryer from her lover's hands and continued the drying process.

"That," Dean said to Katie's reflection in the mirror, "was a very well planned diversion, my clever young friend! But it still won't get you off the hook from exercising twice as hard tomorrow. Paybacks, as they say, are hell."

"Pish, posh!" Katie exclaimed waving back at Dean's reflection, "it was well worth it!"

Dean turned on her stool and placed her arms around Katie's waist, looking slightly upward into the smiling eyes. "Yes, love, it was." Then she pulled Katie down into a scorching kiss that nearly seared the young woman's lips on contact, and caused her knees to buckle as she neatly swooned into Dean's lap.

"Umm, Dean, we really shouldn't..." Katie began as she opened her eyes to see Dean's sapphire's twinkling back at her and a dazzling smile on her lover's face.

"Nope, we shouldn't!" Dean responded and quickly stood up, unceremoniously dumping the young woman on the carpet.

"Wha..." Katie choked out as she looked up at the chuckling woman.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with fire?" Dean laughed as the blonde lay back on the carpet, enjoying the joke herself. Once they both regained control of their laughter, Dean reached down and helped Katie back up to her feet.

* * * * *

"Are we going to be in or out today?" Katie asked as she reviewed her clothing options in her closet.

"Dress casual today, a slacks outfit is good," Dean responded, as she emerged from the walk-in closet in the slacks version of her officer's uniform. "I'll take a casual change with me, just in case."

Katie opted for her normal DEA field attire, which included cordovan loafers, tan Dockers, a blue button down shirt, and a navy blazer. She decided to wear her shoulder holster with her H & K Mark 23 nestled safely under her left arm. Katie really liked the feel or her new handgun better than the old Glock, but she still felt she needed a bit more time at the range with it before she could feel truly comfortable. Within fifteen minutes, the two women were pulling out of the drive heading north on I95. They arrived at Dean's office at 1230 and immediately went to work reviewing the information gathered on Island Commodities and Ernest Comstock.

Island Commodities, Inc. was a subsidiary of the Beir and Beir Corporation out of the Cayman Islands. They looked squeaky clean on paper as far as the results of their normal inquiries indicated. However, B & B Corp, was a subsidiary of another holding company, which was part of another, and another, and so on, until they could barely remember how many companies removed Island Commodities was.

"Wow," Katie exclaimed as she shuffled through the printouts, "there are more layers to this than a dozen flaky croissants stacked on top of each other!"

"You got that right!" Dean agreed as she leaned back in her leather chair. "Now I definitely know there's more to this than meets the eye. We'll just have to dig deeper to get to the good stuff!"

"Hey, how about looking at the personnel files I downloaded last night?" Katie smiled as she picked up the disc and put it into the computer. A few keystrokes later she let out a throaty "ah ha!" and hit the print sequence.

"What's so interesting?" Dean inquired.

"Well, I found a familiar name in the personnel files. Looks like Enrico Gaiyoz is working at the warehouse as a loading dock hand." Katie turned in her seat to face Dean. "Enrico and I had a run-in or two a couple of years back. I didn't realize he was out on probation already," the blonde said thoughtfully. "We should be able to use this to our advantage. He's a real worm, kinda slimy and slick, but he'll give with the slightest pressure. Can't endure pain, real or imagined."

"Well, let's go dig up this lowlife shall we? Where does he live?" Dean asked as stood and stretched. Katie looked at the address on the personnel form, then up at Dean.

"Over by the train yards near the Washington Navy Yard."

"Okay. I'll just change into something more intimidating, and then we'll go find us some fish bait!" Dean grabbed her gym bag and pulled out her black jeans, white T-shirt, and boots. "Back in a flash," she said, grinning at Katie.

When Dean returned, she looked every bit as menacing as she intended. She had let her hair down and pulled it into a ponytail, and put a black baseball cap on. Pulling her clip holstered weapon out of her desk drawer, Dean slipped it into the small of her back. Her final addition was a black leather jacket she removed from the small coat closet in her office. "Okay. I'm ready if you are," she said, smiling at Katie as she hung up her uniform in the closet, "Let's find that worm, shall we?"

Katie looked at her and whistled, "Whoowee! I wouldn't want to run into you in a dark alley, that's no lie. One look at you, and he'll be singing for sure." Then the two women left the office and walked out to the SUV. Katie noticed how several of the officers they passed in the halls, and the MP's at the security station, smiled at Dean as she passed through the halls and out of the building. "Hey Dean, what do you think they're thinking when they see you in a get up like this?"

"Who?" Dean asked in all sincerity.

"All those people in there. They practically broke their necks to watch you walk down the hall, that's who."

"Hell, they're probably just jealous they aren't coming along!" Dean answered as they got into the SUV and headed out to find Gaiyoz.

* * * * *

At 1553 they pulled up in front of Enrico's shabby apartment building. "This is the place," Katie said as she put the file back into her briefcase. "Wonder if the worm is home."

"Only one way to find out... knock on his door." Dean scanned the area using her vehicle's mirrors, and then looked out the window at the opposite side of the street.

The narrow street was littered with food wrappers from a variety of fast food specialty restaurants, as well as discarded bottles--glass and plastic. There weren't too many people on the street since the day was windy and overcast, but there were five young toughs sitting on the apartment steps.

"What floor?" Dean glanced over at Katie who was doing her own scan of the neighborhood.

"Third. 3D. How would you like to do this?" The blond finished her recon of the neighborhood and turned toward Dean.

"Right up the steps, and straight in. Don't want to give those punks a chance to warn him. Ready?" Dean watched Katie nod in agreement, then reached for the door handle. "Let's go."

As the women exited the SUV, Dean hit the door locks before shutting her door. They casually crossed the street, keeping a close eye on the young thugs. As they stepped up on the curb, the tallest in the group stood up and attempted to block the stairway, staring at the women as they approached, while his stepmates started making low whistles and clucking noises.

"Afternoon, boys," Dean said in a low growl. "Mind stepping aside?" She sneered at the punk standing in the stairway. Although he was standing on the first step, they met eye to eye.

"Well, I don' know," he answered in a heavy Hispanic accent. "You gotta pay to get in this place, see?"

"Oh yeah?" Dean snarled. "And why's that?" she added with her feral smile.

"'Cause we just don' let any gringo bitch into our building," he spat out. "Let alone a big bitch like you with a little puta like her." His statement led to hoots, whistles, and sexist remarks in Spanish by his friends.

With lightning speed, Dean reached out and grabbed the punk's crotch, squeezing his dick in her left hand, while whipping out her H & K with her right hand. She placed the muzzle at his temple as he tried to reach down and extricate himself from her grip. Katie reacted in kind, taking her weapon out and warning the rest of the group to stay where they were.

"Oh, Pancho..." Dean said contemptuously, "you should know I speak the language, and your boys shouldn't say such vulgar things. Now, I suggest you apologize for them." Dean continued squeezing even harder, causing sweat to pop out on the punk's forehead as he nodded.

"Hokay. I'm sorry," he squealed, as one of his friends on Dean's left jumped to make a move on her. Without even blinking, Dean threw the thug she was holding into his friend, causing the two of them to tumble over the concrete rail and into some trashcans. As those two fell to the concrete, two others that were sitting on the right of Dean, made a move toward Katie, who spun efficiently and kicked one of them over the other railing, and flipped the second one over her head, sending him flying onto the sidewalk. A fifth young ruffian started to run up the stairway, but was stopped short, as Dean picked up an empty Corona bottle, throwing it neatly to peg him on the back of the head. He fell forward, causing him to smack his forehead on the doorknob. He then slid limply down the door and came to rest on the top step. Dean and Katie moved quickly to begin their run up to the third floor, in search of Enrico's apartment.

"Damn. Too much noise," Dean murmured as she took the stairs two at a time. As they rounded the final flight of stairs, she caught sight of a man exiting the fire escape window at the end of the hall. She turned, shouting over her shoulder to Katie, "He's going out the window at the back, I'll follow this way. Go back down and cut him off!"

Katie holstered her weapon while reversing her direction, heading back to the front door. When she got there the five guys that were previously out front, had disappeared. Thank the gods for small favors, she mused as she vaulted over the concrete railing, and ran to the alley on the right. The alley was an obstacle course of crates, and garbage cans that slowed her progress, but she managed to turn the corner just as Enrico jumped from the fire escape ladder, closely pursued by Dean. Removing her H & K from its holster once more, she leveled it at him and shouted, "Freeze!" Caught between the two women, Enrico came to a halt, raising his hands in defeat.

"Hey, lady... I din' do nutting. Why you chasin me?" Enrico complained.

"Just put your hands up on your head and spread your legs, Enrico. You know the drill," Katie ordered as she approached carefully.

Dean reached him from behind and patted him down. "He's clean," she said as she encouraged him forward with a vigorous push.

"Hey, I know you. You the fed put me in prison! What you want wit' me now?" Enrico stammered as Katie holstered her gun.

"Yeah, Enrico. I guess I just missed you." Katie patted his shoulder roughly as she smiled at him.

"Hey, take it easy, I bruce easy," the wormy man answered as he rubbed his shoulder.

Dean came up behind him and snarled in his ear. "Naw, you don't have to worry about her, she won't hurt you. But then, I might!" He turned to see Dean raise an eyebrow and give him a menacing smile.

"Now, Enrico. I just want to ask you a few questions, okay?" Katie began, as she walked around him slowly. He followed her every move, and when she came around in front of him, he blinked hard and swallowed.

"I'm not messin' wit' drugs no more. I got a good job. I'm clean," he said nervously.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you are. That's why you like jumping out fire escapes." Katie reached out and put her hands on his shoulders. "But you're not hangin' with the right people, Enrico." Katie slid her hands down and smoothed the lapels to his cheap jacket. "I just want to know some things about your new friends."

"What new friends?" he asked, starting to shake a bit.

"Oh, you know, the ones you work with." Katie smiled sweetly at him as she removed her hands from his jacket.

"I don' know nuttin' 'bout dem guys. I just load the crates. I don' even know where they gets shipped to," he pleaded innocently, as he looked back and forth between the two women.

Now it was Dean's turn. She came around in front of him and got right in his face, grabbing the lapels that Katie had just smoothed down with her large strong hands. "I don't think I believe you, Enrico. Now, tell the lady what she wants to know, or I'll break both your legs. Got it?"

The petrified man began to shake even more, and sweat began to pour off of his brow. "I'm tellin' the truth! I just load boxes all night. You gotta believe me!" he answered, as he trembled violently. As Katie came back in front of the scared punk, she gently put a hand on Dean's arm. "Who's da Amazon?" he asked Katie while Dean slowly released his lapels. The comment put a big smile on Dean's face as she stepped back, circling back around to stand behind him.

Katie saw Dean's smile and almost broke into laughter herself before she continued. "She's a very good friend of mine, Enrico. She's not in the DEA like I am, so I guess you could call her your worst nightmare. Do you understand what that means?" He nodded vigorously. "So, how about you tell me about your new job while we take you for a nice ride around town, okay?" Again he nodded vigorously, and the two women led him to the SUV. No one was in sight as they locked him in the back seat, but Dean noted a few curtains pulled aside as they drove off.

They headed out to Anacostia Park and found an empty picnic table where they grilled him for two hours. By the time they were through, they had determined that the 'boss' was one of the mercenaries on their list, and that Enrico had seen them adding items to some of the crates, but he couldn't tell what the items were. He had assumed they were smuggling drugs. The shipping containers were loaded onto eighteen-wheelers once a week. That was when he was called in to work, to load the shipping containers. He had no idea where they were going. At the end of the two hours, Dean made a discreet phone call to an old police friend of hers, and they dropped Enrico off at his place. After that they went back to the office to run a check on the boss, one Roger Golding. It turned out Golding was a cellmate of Gentry's in Leavenworth. He was incarcerated for downloading the computer programs used for 'smart' weapons. Although he wasn't caught selling the programs--he claimed he was downloading them to work on improving them--he was still convicted of tampering with military weapons systems.

"Hmmm. What's a computer geek got to do with Gentry?" Katie questioned, as they printed out his file to add to Gentry's.

"Gentry's a bit of a geek too, but he's more diversified," Dean answered as she rocked in her leather chair. "Now that we have Enrico in protective custody, so to speak, Golding is going to need another loading dock worker for this next shipment. Wonder if he's liberated enough to hire a woman?" Dean mused softly as a plan began to formulate in her head.

* * * * *

It took the entire day on Saturday to work out the logistics for the plan, but they finally had everything in place. It was now 1715 hours on Sunday, and they were just waiting for Golding to call Enrico in to work.

"So, tell me again how you're going to pass as his cousin?" Katie asked, smiling at Dean.

"I'm going to answer his phone speaking in Spanish. When they ask for Enrico, we'll buzz Floyd to pick up, and put Enrico on. He'll explain he's gotta go back to Mexico on family business, but his cousin can fill in for him while he's out. He'll explain that although his cousin is a woman, she can more than carry the load, and doesn't understand much English, so he'll be protected." Dean finished the explanation for the fifth time now. "Also, I can look the part, and I do speak fluent Spanish. I just need to be there long enough to figure out what's what. Besides, you and Lieutenant Jarvis will be in the van for back up."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just wanting to get in on the action, but I guess it's your turn to go undercover, and mine to be on the outside watching." The sadness in Katie's voice was easy to pick up. "I don't know how you were able to do that on the Kasimov case. It would have driven me nuts."

"Well, don't worry, it did drive me nuts to have to sit and stare at the monitor while you and Lin went out on your little escapade. I just about lost it when the power cut out." The tall woman shook her head and shivered, playing the scenario back in her mind.

Katie, seeing the discomfort her lover was in, reached out and placed her hand on Dean's arm giving her a gentle squeeze. "It all came out fine, Dean. This will too."

Dean nodded her head, hoping that this case wouldn't be a repeat of that one. Her mind rolled back the tape of her actions as she entered the lodge, hearing the automatic gunfire from the basement, then her race to get to Katie in time. Only to get there seconds too late. She relived the agony of holding an unconscious, bloody Katie in her arms. The memories were so vivid, she felt the tears well up once more, and the pain felt very real again. The only thing that kept her from breaking into tears, was the shrill sound of the telephone ringing.

"Okay. This may be it. Get ready to get Floyd on the line." Dean reached for the phone, answering in a deep throaty voice. "Hola? S". Apenas un minuto, por favor." As she spoke, she motioned for Katie to hit the direct dial to Floyd, who answered on the first ring. Dean hit the transfer switch that added the caller to Floyd's line, where he handed Enrico the phone. The conversation was already choreographed for Enrico, so when he picked up the line, everyone held their breath that he would follow his directions.

"Yeah?" Enrico answered.

"Time to go to work, Rico. Dump the broad and be there at midnight," the caller ordered.

"Man, I gotta problem, and that's no broad. It's my cousin from Juarez," Enrico answered.

"What do you mean, you got a problem," the caller questioned. "You know our shipping timeline is thin. What's this about, Rico?"

"Maria came to get me, my papa was shot by ladrones. I gotta go to Juarez today, man. It's a matter of family honor!" Enrico sounded very convincing.

"Yeah, well, what about honoring our agreement? Who's gonna do your job?" the caller asked angrily.

"No problem, man. That's why Maria's here. She can do my job."

"A woman? Whadya nuts?" The voice on the other end of the line was getting very angry now.

"No, no, man -- I mean, yeah, she's a woman, but she's big and strong and stupid. She can do the job, man!" This Enrico said with a pleading voice. "Probably stronger than me. And she don' speak much English, just yes and no... Point her to the job, and she'll do it, man, I promise!"

"Well, I don't have much choice now, do I?"

"Hey, man, I'm sorry. But she'll work good for you. Maybe you even like to spend some time wit' her, she's a real looker too." This said a bit lecherously. "C'mon, Roger, gimme me a break. I gotta go avenge my papa."

The comment about Dean's looks was not planned, and Katie gave her partner a wink at which Dean scowled.

"All right, but make sure she gets to the warehouse by midnight!" Roger replied, adding, "What's she look like?"

"Oh, man. You won' believe it. She's a big one, six foot at least. Dark hair, blue eyes." He ended the description with a whistle.

"Never seen a Mexican with blue eyes. You sure about this, Enrico?"

"Yeah, man. Her papa was a gringo my tia slept wit' one night before he took off."

"All right, but if you're not back by next week, she may have to work twice for you."

"No problem, man. You can get her at my number. Just tell her the day and time," Enrico said.

"All right," Roger agreed before hanging up.

Dean picked up the line and told Enrico he did a good job, but next time he should stick to the lines he was given. Floyd got on the line and promised to take good care of Enrico before he hung up.

"Well, looks like it's a go." Dean smiled at Katie. "We better get Lieutenant Jarvis notified."

"Yeah. We've got about five hours before we have to be in place. Do you think we could run back to the house?" Katie asked hopefully.

"That's what I was thinking. I've got to pick up some equipment and get dressed accordingly. We should have enough time," the tall woman considered as they stood.

* * * * *

Chapter 6

2000 Hours, 29 October

"Hey Dean, are you ready yet?" Katie called from the kitchen as she cleaned up the dishes from the cats' evening snack and Sugar's medicine. All three felines were winding around Katie's legs purring up a storm. "Yeah guys, I miss you too." She reached down to give each one a little extra attention. Spice, being the most vocal of the threesome, made sure she got her rubs in first. The three cats were actually Katie's charges, but Dean had become very fond of them over the past several months, even taking them in while Katie was on assignment in El Paso. "How do you guys like living in the new house?" she asked, as they all gave her their complete attention. "YEOW!" cried Spice, followed by loud purring from Butter, and a barely audible squeak from Sugar. "Me, too," she confided, as she stood up to find what was keeping Dean. They still had plenty of time to get set up, it was only 2005 hours, but Dean wanted to make sure everything in the van was up and running before she entered the warehouse.

"Well, what do you think?" Dean asked, as she silently entered the kitchen.

"Jeez, Dean!" Katie jumped at the sound of her lover's voice. "I'm never gonna get used to your sneaking up on me!"

As Katie faced her lover, her breath caught at the sight. Standing in the doorway, Dean was dressed in black jeans, boots, and a turquoise form fitting T-shirt. She had a silver concho belt and petite turquoise dangling earrings, a black bandana around her neck, and a little blush to highlight her cheekbones. She added rich red lipstick to complete the south-of-the-border look. Once Golding got past Dean's obvious beauty, he would be hard pressed not to notice the graceful strength of her well-muscled body beneath the skin tight T-shirt.

"Wow!" was all that came out of Katie's mouth, followed by another "wow" as she walked up and put her arms around Dean's neck.

Dean began reciting: "Not too much? Should I take the lipstick off? I really hate lipstick."

"Umm, yeah, you could probably ditch the lipstick." Katie smiled as she reached up for a quick kiss. "That way, I won't have to worry about lipstick stains on my body or clothing when I meet Lieutenant Jarvis tonight."

"Down girl, we've got work to do," the tall woman admonished, but then gladly swept her up into a loving embrace, planting another kiss on the young woman's lips. "Okay, let's get this lipstick off us and head out."

* * * * *

"Are you going to carry any weapons in with you?" Katie asked as they headed up I95 to meet with Lieutenant Jarvis.

"Just my boot knives. I have one in each boot. I don't think I'll have to worry about weapons with you two out there loaded to the teeth," the dark woman replied with a grin. "Oh, and I've got one of those knock out pens in my back pocket. Just for back up." She laughed as Katie told her that she really doubted she would need to use it, because they'd all fall over once they got a good look at her.

"Is that all?" Katie grinned. "No special earrings?"

"Nope. They haven't made them in turquoise yet." Dean laughed as she pulled into the parking lot for the Pentagon. "There's the van." She lifted her chin in the direction of the waiting van and headed in that direction, pulling up next to it.

As they pulled up, a tall dark-haired man in his late twenties stepped out and waved. He was about the same height as Dean, maybe an inch taller, with a short brush cut, clean shaven, and astounding green eyes. He was wearing black jeans and a black long sleeved T-shirt that did very little to hide the fact that he could probably be the next Mr. Universe. He walked across to the SUV with a grace that defied his bulk and reached up to salute Dean.

"Evening, Colonel!" The lieutenant saluted--even though the gesture wasn't necessary-- and grinned, showing perfect white teeth in the parking lot lighting.

"Evening, Bill," Dean returned, smiling warmly back at him. "This is Special Agent Katie O'Malley. Katie, First Lieutenant William Jarvis. One of my best men." The pride in Dean's voice was obvious.

"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant," Katie replied and returned the smile in earnest.

"Just Bill will do on this op." He took her weapons case from her hand and walked over to the van with it. "I know we talked on the phone yesterday, but you sure aren't what I pictured in my mind."

"Oh? How's that?" Katie asked curiously.

"Well, I figured you'd be as tall as the colonel here, and at least as mean looking." This he said with a chuckle that got a raised eyebrow and crooked smile from the aforementioned colonel.

Katie chuckled too before replying. "Well, Bill, sometimes small packages can be very deceiving."

"She's got that right!" Dean cut in. "On my last case, she dumped me on my butt and had my throat blocked before I knew what hit me."

"Whoa! You're telling me that this little wisp of woman got the best of you?" Bill scoffed, disbelieving.

"Yep. So you'd better watch your step, big boy!" Dean responded with a nod and a grin before adding, "Besides, she's not your type anyway."

"Ohhh, meaning she's your type?" Bill grinned at his commander.

"Yeah, so make sure you keep her safe, got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" the young lieutenant beamed.

This conversation left Katie a bit confused, but obviously Dean's admission to the young lieutenant was okay, or she wouldn't have done it. Just to be sure, Katie pulled Dean aside as Bill got into the van with the weapons case.

"Dean? Something you want to tell me here?" the blonde questioned.

"Oh. I forgot to tell you. Bill's one of us. He's a really good guy, and we watch out for each other. His partner is a civilian computer consultant that works for the Pentagon. They're two of the nicest guys around. We manage to get out once in a while when I'm in-between assignments." Dean looked apologetically at Katie. "Sorry, I should have warned you."

"Hey, no problem here, just nice to know I don't have to watch my p's and q's." Katie gave Dean's arm a squeeze as they both got into the van.

They pulled into the same convenience store they went to the last time they had the van out. Katie jumped out to get a few 'extras' for the night ahead, while Dean and Bill stayed in the van.

"I gather you forgot to tell her about me," Bill stated as they watched Katie enter the convenience store.

"Yeah, but she's caught up now," Dean said quietly. "Just make sure she stays safe, okay? I almost lost her last time. I don't want that to happen again."

"No problem, Colonel. We'll make sure we keep each other safe and you too, in the process," the big man replied seriously.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. I knew I could count on you."

They sat there in silence as they waited for Katie to return with a sack full of goodies to keep her hunger at bay for the entire night and then some. When she put the sack down, Dean immediately pounced on the package of Ho Ho's she spied sitting on the very top, daring the young woman to try to take them away.

When they arrived at the warehouse, it was only 2245 hours, and the place was still deserted. They pulled into the same parking lot and turned on the equipment to make sure everything was operational. They did a quick scan with the TDSC unit for any possible warm bodies lurking inside. The place was still empty.

"Hey, how are we going to pick you out from everyone else? You don't have that necklace on," Katie inquired a bit apprehensively. Dean smiled and pointed to a gem in her concho belt, indicating that she would show up on the screen as a nice blue dot. Much relieved, Katie nodded her approval, then they finished going over the emergency signals.

"Right, Colonel." Bill repeated. "You say 'gringo ladrones' and we'll come in like gang busters."

With that, they pulled out in the van and went ten blocks away from the warehouse to drop Dean off.

"Are you sure you want us to leave you here?" Katie asked for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"Yeah, I'm sure! Now get the van back before they start coming in," Dean ordered. "I'll be fine, trust me!"

With that, Katie and Bill closed the van door and headed back to set up their surveillance before the warehouse workers started to arrive. Dean watched them leave, before beginning a slow walk towards the warehouse, conscious of all the night sounds and shadows that lay in her path.

* * * * *

Despite the slow pace Dean set, it still only took her twenty minutes to make it back to the warehouse. When she arrived, it was nearly 2345, and she found that some of the dockworkers were beginning to arrive. She walked in the front entrance, casually looking around until she recognized Golding from the picture in his file. Rather than go directly up to him, she began asking each man she saw if he was 'SeÒor Golding.' A few of the men hooted out catcalls, which she ignored, while some tried to see how far this beauty would let them go. Dean took care of that easily. The first one who tried to touch her found his hand grasped in a vice like grip that quickly told him the lady wasn't here to play. Finally, one of the men she asked, pointed Golding out to her. She thanked him with a simple 'gracias' then walked over to him. Golding had been watching her approach from the time she hit the front door to see how she carried herself, and to give himself time to let his instincts come into play. By the time she walked up to him, he had decided that she certainly looked like she could handle herself well enough to do the job.

"SeÒor Golding. Soy Maria. Estoy aqu" Enrique."

"So you're Enrico's cousin?" Golding looked at the tall woman nodding.

"S"," was her simple response.

"Do you speak English? Habla ingles?" he asked, knowing that Enrico said she didn't.

"No good," Dean stammered out.

"Can you lift heavy boxes?" he asked, pointing at the boxes and making a lifting motion.

At first Dean made a face as if not understanding him, then when he made the lifting motion, she began nodding and repeating the lifting motion saying, "Ah, s", puedo hacer el trabajo," and smiled at him.

"Okay," he nodded back, "follow me." Again, he made a motion with his hands for her to follow him.

Dean obediently followed Golding to the back of the warehouse, where he went up to the foreman and explained in a low voice that the woman was replacing Enrico for the night. He told the guy that she couldn't speak English, but seemed to catch on to hand signals pretty well. He also warned the man that he shouldn't try anything stupid with her, just get the shipment out on time. He walked over to Dean and pointed at the man and said, "Burt." Then he pointed at her and looked at Burt and said, "Maria," as he left to return to the office at the front of the warehouse.

"So, cutie pie -- you're here to load boxes are you?" He looked around at the other dock workers and grunted. "Well let's see how strong you are, eh boys?" Dean had anticipated that there would be some macho maneuvering, so she just looked at the man with a questioning look.

The foreman was of medium size and seemed to be solidly built. He made his right biceps bulge and pointed at her. Dean looked back thinking, Okay, let's just get this bullshit out of the way, shall we? She walked over to Burt, nodding her head and smiling, and touched his muscle saying, "S", fuerte!" She quickly bent her knees, reached over to his safety back belt tucking her right hand under it to secure her grip, then reached up with her left hand, grabbing a handful of shirt to pull the man forward onto her shoulders. When she felt him settle, she stood, lifting the man easily off the loading dock floor.

"What the...!" he shouted as she lifted him up. Dean walked over to shi