"Salut Alison, je suis heureux d'être ici avec vous, très heureux" he whispered in response.

Moving out of his embrace she placed a hand on his elbow and then looking directly into his eyes replied. "Moi aussi, mon plus cher ami'.

She gently squeezed his elbow and then turned him slowly back around so he faced Nikita. Michael seemed to have lost all ability for independent movement.

"You must be Nikita, its good to finally meet too." Still gripping Michael's arm, she held out her right hand to Nikita. It took Nikita a minute to stand and accept it, she was still registering the broad Australian accent.

"And you must be Alison, hi." Nikita answered, feeling Alison's gaze directed at her as she stood up. Noting she was taller than Alison, Nikita looked across into two cool blue eyes, just like her own. On closer scrutiny she noticed that her left eye had a brilliant fleck of gold just below the pupil. As Nikita continued her scan she observed the spattering off freckles on her tanned and well defined arms and legs, and the sun bleached blonde curls in her wet hair. Obviously she spent plenty of time outdoors. Nikita thought she was beautiful in an unassuming way, which was probably what Section wanted in an undercover agent.

Suddenly noticing the silence, Nikita realised Alison was waiting patiently for this silent appraisal to conclude before she continued. Nikita looked back up, a small flush of red in her cheeks. Alison let out a breezy laugh and smiled reassuringly at her.

"I'm sure we all have a thousand questions for each other, but unfortunately now is not the time or place" she said with a note of caution. She gently caressed Michael's arm where she held it and then asked "have you found everything you need in the house? It's used quite a bit so it's usually well stocked. I took the liberty of ordering you some fresh food, I hope it arrived in time."

"Thank you. We have everything we need." Michael replied stiffly. He was standing still as post beside Alison, the flesh on his arm burning where she gently held him. It was taking all his control to remain still beside her, when all he wanted to do was sweep her into his arms and vanish.

"Good, I didn't have much time to get things ready for you" she replied with a touch of contempt.

Focusing her attention on Michael's continued wooden stance beside her, Alison subtly increased the pressure on his arm recognising, even after all this time, that he was close to losing it right here. She glanced back across to the house looking for options, but immediately decided that she could not give him what he needed just now. With a sigh of frustration she silently cursed Operations scheming for further complicating the mission at this crucial stage. She reached up and took Michael's face in her hands, forcing his gaze onto her face.

Michael was lost in her eyes for a moment as he felt the pressure of her hands on his cheek increase at odds with the gentle rhythm of her voice.

"Bientôt Michel! Maintenant tu devez focaliser." Despite the soft reassuring tone Michael felt the bite of steel behind her words. He knew he was acting like a child but seemed unable to reach for control until he had a promise of something more from her.

"Oui, je sais. Mais nous devons parler bientôt, là est trop de douleur." Feeling slightly foolish and melodramatic he took her right hand from his face and held it to his heart so she would be absolutely clear on his meaning. Her eyes softened and remained steadily on his, giving him the reassurance he was so desperate for.

"Très bon Michel, je comprend."

She dropped her hands and casually turned to the adjacent house, pleased to see there was no one out on the verandah, just yet. She turned to face Nikita, interested to see her reaction to what had just passed. Nikita was watching Michael closely, the only emotions Alison could read at this moment were puzzlement.

She sat down on the sand beside Nikita, hoping this might displace some of the tension of the last few minutes. Nikita followed her lead and sat down with her. Michael remained standing, pleased for the moment to be released from Alison's perceptive gaze while he forced himself to relax and gain his focus, as she had urged.

"I'm sorry Nikita, do I guess correctly that you don't speak French? I didn't mean to exclude you. Michel and I have some catching up to do, as you may already know, he wanted to be sure that there would be time to do this" she offered by way of explanation.

Nikita nodded, pleased that Alison had read her thoughts so well. It had been driving her insane listening to them talk softly in French, and feeling very much like a third wheel she had thought they had been doing it for privacy. She smiled back at Alison, appreciating her efforts to bring her back into the discussion.

"How is your meeting going? Is there anything you need us to do?" Nikita asked to get the conversation back onto more mundane ground. Alison grinned and turned to face Nikita.

"Like lambs to the slaughter..." she laughed. "The testosterone seems to be under control for the time being. It was a good idea bringing them here, this place is so relaxing it seems to be keeping things on track and cool." She looked up at Michael with a challenging smile, and was rewarded with a fragile grin as he gracefully sat down next to her.

"This afternoon Oliver is going to excuse himself to meet one of his informants. I'd like to know who it is. You'll find a company car in the garage on the lower level. The keys are in a panel by the front door, the panel code is the same as your section mobile Michel." She just shrugged at this admission. "Oliver's style is to choose crowded locations, he's cautious but probably won't be too paranoid here. A photo of who he's meeting would be great, a description will do. If you get the chance, follow his informant and see if they are here with others."

She looked out to the ocean, then stood up with a sigh.

"The winds coming up, it's going to kill this nice little swell. There's a front coming in" she said to no one in particular. Picking up her flippers she brushed her hand slowly across Michael's hair.

"This bit of intel is a bonus rather than an imperative. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

Nikita and Michael stayed where they where for a long while after she left, watching as the wind started to pick up the tops of the waves and blow them back out to sea.

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

It was well after midnight by the time Michael and Nikita returned to the beach house. Lights were still on in the house next door. The surveillance had been relatively straightforward, the informant had been slippery but they had managed to track him to a noisy, smoke-filled club where he meet up with some others. Both their ears were ringing from the loud, unpleasant music. The images they had captured where already with Birkoff who would send them on to Alison for identification.

Nikita flopped down into the lounge, basking in the relative peace and quiet of this sanctuary. The storm outside was abating, every now and then a gust would buffet the windows. Michael walked in with two glasses of wine and passed one to her. They were both exhausted but still too hyped to sleep.

Michael sat next to her, staring into the dark windows that surrounded them. He had been quiet efficiency while they were out, as though trying to make up for his turbulent start to the day.

"I think it will take hours under the shower to get rid of the smell of that club." She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You smell bad Michael" she teased holding her nose. "Some water therapy would do you good as well. How about I run a bath for us."

Michael looked down at her and smiled.

"I don't think having a bath with you would necessarily relax me at the moment 'Kita."

Nikita looked at him with a hurt expression for a moment before she understood what he was getting at. She gave him a wicked grin.

"Don't you trust me to control myself with you Michael?"

"I trust you Nikita... " he replied leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid. She smiled and sat up to face him.

"I'll go and have my shower first then, since you will probably need a cold shower anyways."

She jumped up and started off towards the bedroom, then turned.

"Michael?"

"Yes 'Kita"

"I like her, I don't care about the other stuff."

"Me too 'Kita" he replied as he heard her move off and the water turn on in the shower. He laid down on the lounge and stared up at the ceiling as he thought "... moi aussi'.

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

Michael stood out on the verandah holding a cup of coffee watching Alison out in the surf. The early morning light and low, fast moving clouds had him straining to keep her in view. He admired the ease with which she negotiated the huge crashing waves, but he was still nervous for her safety. He realised he had held his breath a couple of times when she disappeared for what seemed like an eternity under a particularly large wave, only to let it out when he saw her head bob up again before it quickly disappeared under the next onslaught. He was relieved when she finally made her way in. She stood on the bank with her hands on her knees for a moment while she recovered, then sat down to take her flippers off.

As she turned to go back up to the house she saw him. She put a hand on her hip and one to her forehead in a dramatic gesture. She gave him a big wave and he could see the grin on her face even from this distance. He could imagine the wild look in her eyes. He laughed and returned her wave and watched as she jogged up to the house and disappeared inside.

"What was that all about" Nikita asked laughing as she joined him at the railing of the verandah.

"I think she was pleased she didn't drown. I know I am pleased she didn't drown" he replied.

"Alison went out in that surf? Her predictions about the testosterone levels must have been wrong."

"I suspect, like you, she has more than her natural share already."

Nikita nudged him in the ribs and then rested her elbows on the railing.

"So what's on the pad for today?"

"There is breakfast and lunch to sequence, a communication from Section at 0800, I have some reports for Madeline to finish, there are three mission profiles to review, last night's report to write up, and this magnificent scenery to observe and absorb."

"Sounds pretty good, considering the alternatives."

"Agreed, especially considering the alternatives."

He turned to face her. "And so to our first task of the day, I am going to teach you to make scrambled eggs and proper coffee."

She punched him in the arm and replied "I can scramble eggs."

"I know you can Nikita, but this lesson will be about making them edible." He disappeared inside the door.

"You'll keep" she called after him as she followed him inside.

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

They both sat in front of the laptop as Birkoff finalised the visual connection for their communique.

"Hey Birkoff, what's happening back there?" Nikita asked as she saw Birkoff's ragged face and people rushing around behind him.

"Too much to tell you in 30 seconds, you guys look like you've been at a health spa. Some people get all the breaks." He paused and then continued, "...OK, patching through now..".

Birkoff's image was replaced with Operations and Madeline.

"Michael, Nikita - good work yesterday. We have been able to accelerate the endgame. The intel you passed through has allowed Alison and the Agency to confirm the situation of the agents passing information to GST. We have already confirmed the identity of three of the four. We should have the final name by the end of the day."

"Do we know what type of information has been traded?" Michael asked.

"It's not clear yet, though we can confirm it has included mission details and timing data" Madeline replied.

"Is there anything to suggest our current activities have been compromised?" Michael continued.

"Unknown, though our surveillance suggests no. The Agency will be bringing in the targets for questioning later this morning. We should know more by then" Operations provided.

"What do you need from us?" Michael asked.

"You and Nikita are to stay in place and provide Alison with any further backup she may require. You will return to Section with her later in the day" Madeline stated. "I gather things have gone smoothly to date and you may be needed on location" she probed.

"Of course" Michael responded, not offering her anything more.

"Good, you should make the most of this opportunity to relax. We should be ready to start the sequence as soon as you return. Michael, I need those reports by 13:00. I'll contact you again at 17:00 if we have not heard from Alison before then" Madeline concluded and the screen went blank.

Michael turned to Nikita and shrugged.

"We are under orders to "relax" during a mission 'Kita." He smiled.

Nikita returned his smile.

"You know how I like to follow orders Michael."

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

The day passed slowly for them. They observed considerable activity to and from the house next door but had not seen or heard from Alison. They had packed up and finished all that was required of them by three in the afternoon. Michael went for a run. After a shower he selected a book from the extensive collection in the library and sank down into one of the lounge chairs. Nikita was sprawled on the floor surrounded by cushions watching a video on the huge screen. She was listening through headphones and the laughter that spilled out through the otherwise quiet house indicated she had selected a comedy or perhaps a bad drama.

At ten to five Michael started to set up his laptop for their communication with Section. He heard the front door slam and immediately retrieved his weapon from the pocket of his jacket and tucked it into his belt in the small of his back. He stood watching the stairs as Alison breezed in and dumped a pile of gear by the end of the kitchen counter.

"Change of plans, looks like we will be here for another night. Can you set up your laptop in the study?" she asked as she filled and switched on the kettle in the kitchen and then disappeared back down the stairs. Michael stood for a moment then quickly proceeded to carry out her instructions.

Alison joined him just as the image from Section came on screen, she was balancing a cup of coffee and a pile of papers in her hands, a sandwich dangling from her mouth. He took the coffee cup from her hand and the sandwich from her mouth as she dropped the papers on the desk.

"Thanks" she smiled and sat down. "What a totally crap day" she announced as Birkoff's face appeared.

"Ditto that" he replied smiling, "I've got Oversight and Operations ready whenever you are Alie."

"Give me a couple of minutes to get sorted out while... umm... you improve the resolution?" she asked hopefully.

"No problem, it should take about five minutes, talk to you then" he smiled giving her a conspiratorial wink as the screen image faded.

Michael's eyebrow raised at Birkoff's familiarity. With the current levels of activity the usual protocols that would have Alison only communicating with Operations or Madeline must have changed. He looked down at her, slumped in the chair, dark circles under her eyes. He could only guess at the pressure she must have been under in the last few weeks.

"Can I do anything to help Alison?" he asked softly.

She smiled up at him, her face immediately transformed.

"You already are" she whispered taking hold of his hand. "I'm sorry it's had to be like this, it's not how I imagined. You know, don't you, that they will make it as difficult and painful as they can, irrespective of how it turns out. You need to decide if it is worth it."

"Does that mean you have already made your decision?" he asked, barely able to disguise the hope in his voice.

"I don't need to play games with you Michel, there are plenty of others who do that on my behalf" she sighed.

He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently.

"Then the decision is made" he whispered.

"For better or for worse" she added, her voice thick with irony.

He gave a quiet laugh and crouched down in front of her. She sat with her legs crossed and eyes closed, dwarfed by the giant leather chair. He ached with longing for her, but knew she had responsibilities that must take precedence. He held her arms as he gently brushed his lips against hers and then looked up to see her eyes brimming with tears.

"Promise me you will be strong and smart, this time" she whispered earnestly against his lips.

He held her gaze then smiled and let his lips brush across her cheek and up to her ear. Her eyes closed again as her head dropped back against the chair.

"I will be whatever I have to be to them, if it means I can be who I want to be with you."

"Good answer" she exhaled. Keeping her eyes closed she traced his lips with her finger "there is hope for you yet."

The computer beeped back to life.

"Duty calls" she moaned and sat forward. She held his gaze for a moment longer then rubbing the back of her hand along his jaw she added quietly "I'll be with you shortly."

Realising she was asking him to leave, Michael smiled at her. He leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss and a second later he was at the door. She observed him for a moment then giving a shrug she laughed quietly and shook her head. She reached across for her sandwich as he heard her say "hi George'. He closed the door quietly behind him before he allowed his face to break into a huge grin.

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

Nikita and Michael were sitting on the floor playing a game of cards when the door to the study flew open and Alison stormed out. The conference call had lasted more than an hour. She reappeared a few minutes later dressed in shorts, tshirt and runners.

"Just going for a run, won't be long" she announced before disappearing again.

"Don't have to be a brain surgeon to guess that wasn't fun" Nikita observed.

Michael just raised his eyebrows and shrugged in response. They continued their game of poker, Nikita was losing badly. Michael's inscrutable gaze seemed to have been genetically engineered for this game. After an hour she gave up in frustration and wandered out onto the verandah. Michael followed her out.

"Another beautiful evening, I suspect in the next few days we'll be thinking back on this moment and it will just seem like a dream."

"So we should make the most of it while it lasts 'Kita."

She smiled and nodded in agreement, then noticed Michael's gaze drifting past her. She glanced across and saw Alison on the beach, deep in conversation with a tall, elegantly dressed man. She recognised him almost immediately as the man named Oliver they had followed yesterday. As they talked she watched the arm he had around Alison's waist keep drifting down towards her buttocks as Alison absently pulled it away each time. After a short while Alison looked down at her watch and then glancing around saw Nikita and Michael watching her. She gave them a wave, which they returned, then saw Oliver look over at them as Alison continued talking. A couple of minutes later she turned and left Oliver.

She arrived on the deck seconds later.

"Hi, sorry about the temper tantrum, I guess I've just had enough for one day but unfortunately the fun continues. Oliver is coming over for dinner, there is some additional information I need from him. I've given you an out if you want it, you could go and get some dinner in town." She leaned back against the railing waiting for their response.

"Is that what you want us to do?" Michael asked wondering where this was leading.

"No, but Oliver is a disgusting slug and I can't imagine anyone choosing to spend time with him if there were other options."

"Sounds like fun" Nikita laughed "count me in."

Michael just smiled in affirmation.

"You two have been out in the cold too long, its time to come in, but thanks even so."

Nikita laughed and followed her into the kitchen.

"So what do you want to do for dinner?" Nikita asked as she watched Alison start to open cupboards.

"How about pasta, we can put some snail bait in the salad to test my theory" she replied. "I need a shower, then a drink, then we can devise our culinary revenge" she turned to leave then added "you should take your gear back into the main bedroom, I'll take the western bedroom."

Michael watched her walk to her room and then heard the faint noise of the shower. He sighed and picked up his and Nikita's bags and set them down inside the door of the bedroom, gloomy at the thought that Alison would probably be spending the night with this Oliver character.

Nikita helped him pick up Alison's pile of gear from the floor and transfer it to the bedroom on the lower level. Through the bathroom door they heard the sound of the water running and loud, tuneful singing. Nikita watched as Michael paced quickly around the room. With a glance towards the bathroom door he sighed and almost sprinted out the room.

Nikita allowed herself a small grin, enjoying this rare perspective of being on the periphery of Michael's emotional conflict.

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

Alison returned a short while later to find Nikita and Michael creating a mountain of salad in a large decorative bowl. She was barefoot, dressed in a short batik print sundress, her wet hair left a trail of dampness on her bare shoulders.

She looked suspiciously at both of them, then inspecting the salad picked some carrot out and ate it. Nikita gave her a reassuring wink as Michael turned to pass her a glass of wine. She took it from him with a smile, their fingers lingering for just an instant in the exchange. She carried her glass over to the stereo, selected a CD and then adjusted the volume as she took a sip from her glass. The gentle strains of a violin filled the room. She swayed softly to the music as she turned and rejoined them in the kitchen.

Alison opened the fridge and started pulling things out. She cleared a space on the chopping board and started expertly cutting the ingredients she had selected. Noticing Michael brooding over a glass of wine she pointed at a cupboard next to the stove.

"Michel, can you get a frying pan and heat some oil."

Michael did as she asked.

"Is there anything we need to know about tonight?" he said evenly as he swirled the oil in the pan.

"I have instructions, but even for Section I draw the line at having sex outside my species" she laughed and gave a shiver of disgust. "You just concentrate on keeping Nikita out of the line of fire of his tentacles. I've told him you're an old friend from university, just passing through with your girlfriend for a couple of days on your way home, I'll leave it up to you as to where you live, if it comes up at all. I'll grill him after you two disappear to bed, he's remarkably pliable after a few drinks so just keep his glass full. Section will pick him up at his home tomorrow once we have confirmation on the information I hope to get from him tonight."

Michael visibly relaxed and took the frypan off the stove. Alison looked across at him with a shrewd grin.

"Good" was all he said and turned back to his task without looking at her.

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

Alison's character assessment had been deadly accurate. While she was well practiced at evading Oliver's relentless advances, Nikita presented a less challenging target. Alison did her best to maintain his attention, ignoring Michael's stare across the table that had started as icy and was moving to homicidal, though the change was subtle. By eleven thirty Alison had a huge headache from the inane chatter and incessant pawing. She looked pointedly across at Michael, who reluctantly took his cue.

Standing he turned and placed his hands on Nikita's shoulders, "come chéri, we have a long day ahead."

Nikita smiled and said her goodnights then drifted off to the bedroom, giving Alison a small wave of commiseration as she closed the door. Michael walked around the table and held his hand out to Oliver who stood to accept it.

"Thanks for an enjoyable evening Oliver, I hope we get the opportunity to share your company again soon." Michael gave him an innocuous look, then leant down to kiss Alison on both cheeks. Looking into her eyes briefly he saw a flash of anger.

"Bonne nuit mon ami" he replied trying his best to look contrite. It wasn't convincing. He wanted to wipe the smug look off Oliver's handsome face and hoped he would have the opportunity soon.

"Bonne nuit Michel, j'espère que vous dormirez facilement" the warning tone in her voice ended any further discussion on his preferred option for extracting information from Oliver.

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

Michael lay in bed staring at the ceiling, as he had for the last three hours. Nikita was curled along his side, her steady breathing like a metronome keeping his focus from what was going on outside the bedroom door.

He slid gently out of bed, careful not to disturb Nikita. Opening the bedroom door, he moved silently towards the kitchen. Soft blues echoed from the stereo. As his eyes adjusted to the dim, flickering light from the dying candles on the table he saw Alison sitting staring out the dark windows. He came up to stand behind her chair, following her gaze out the window.

"Was tonight an example of what I can expect?" she asked, her voice detached and low.

He had been rehearsing this scene in his head for what seemed like hours.

"I considered it a normal response to react with some hostility towards a relative unknown who tries repeatedly to put their hand on my... 'girlfriends'... breast, without being invited."

"And if it had been invited?"

"Then... I would probably have gone to bed earlier..."

"Touche" she whispered with a smile and slid further down in the chair exhaling a weary sigh.

She reached around and brushed her hand across his leg. He moved closer and ran his fingers through her hair. Her whisper light touch left a burning trail up the inside of his thigh. He sat down on the edge of her chair and in one gentle action scooped her onto his lap as he slid in behind her.

Alison looked into his eyes, overwhelmed by the depth of emotion she saw there.

"I am not a fantasy in your head, Michel, you will only be disappointed if you imagine me to be more than I am."

"And who do you imagine yourself to be Alison?" he asked

"We live in a dirty world; I am just like you, as you are just like me."

She gently ran her hands over his face, through his hair, down his chest. Seeing he was about to speak she placed her fingers over his mouth.

"In this, of all things, we must be equals."

He kissed her fingers, tracing each one with his lips after a kiss. Mirroring her actions, he ran his hands slowly over her face, her neck, and her breasts. He held her face in his hands then looking into her eyes he pressed his lips to hers and breathed "equals'.

She took his mouth in a deep, sensual kiss and then glancing around the room she whispered in his ear "not here'.

He nodded his head in agreement and gathering her in his arms, carried her to her bedroom.

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

They left the house before seven the next morning. It was a five-hour drive from the coast back to Section. Nikita sat in the front as Alison drove, both of them singing joyfully along to the vast array of music Alison had on tapes. Nikita hummed along to the songs she didn't know and found herself enjoying those she normally would have turned up her nose at. She made Alison rewind "Stand by Your Man" and "These Boots are Made for Walking" a dozen times until she learned all the words. Nikita roared with laughter when Alison told her that the later song always made her think of Madeline, and she sometimes found herself humming it when Madeline did something particularly irritating. Late 60's and early seventies music featured strongly in her selections, including songs in German, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Alison sang along to all of these as well.

Nikita took the opportunity to interrogate Alison about her childhood in Australia. Alison had seen much more of the country growing up than Nikita ever had, and had been back several times since her recruitment to Section. Alison skilfully deflected any personal or sensitive questions she couldn't answer, and instead relayed stories about her travels and encounters; she was a good storyteller. Alison prodded her for stories, and Nikita was excited to find Alison was familiar with many places from her own childhood. The time passed too quickly for Nikita.

Michael sat in the back dozing, simply enjoying listening to the singing and animated discussion from the two women he loved most in the world. He was, after he finally defined the precise nature of this alien emotion, very happy. He realised the inherent danger in this simple emotion when he heard the shrill ring of Alison's mobile.

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

It was a short conversation.

"We have to make a quick detour and pick up a package from an informant, shouldn't take long. I know the guy."

After thirty minutes they pulled up near a decrepit warehouse in a largely abandoned area on the outskirts of town. Alison pulled down a panel under the dashboard and extracted a gun, which she tucked into the waistband of her jeans, and a small black box, which she passed to Michael. He pulled out one of the comm patches and placed it behind Nikita's ear, then did the same with one for himself.

Alison rubbed a spot below the hairline of her left ear and said immediately "yeah, got you Madeline, can you get Birkoff to arrange a channel I can access to Michael and Nikita's units."

She sat listening for a moment, then asked a couple of questions. Finally satisfied she said "OK" and Michael and Nikita heard Birkoff's voice giving them a description of the interior of the warehouse and possible locations of their target. They left the car parked by a side entrance.

Once inside Alison turned to them and indicated they should wait. Michael gave her a sharp look as she headed off up the stairs. When he looked back at Nikita he saw she shared the same concern. Nodding to each other in silent confirmation, they both slipped into mission mode and drawing their weapons moved slowly up the stairs Alison had taken.

At the top of the stairs Michael gave the signal to stop as they listened over their comm units to Alison talking to a person they presumed was the target. Things appeared to be going smoothly until they heard another voice interrupt the discussion. Michael and Nikita scanned the long curving corridor ahead looking for signs of Alison's location.

"Birkoff, give me a fix on Alison" he whispered.

Birkoff's reply was cut short by a volley of gunfire ahead of them. Following the noise they raced to the other end of the building and burst through a closed door off to the side of external stairwell, rolling to a crouch with weapons raised. Alison was in a similar position in a corner by a desk, gun still pointed at a body on the floor. Two other bodies lay where they fell on the other side of the desk, a neat circular hole in each forehead.

Alison stood and turned to them as Michael and Nikita stood up slowly.

"Looks like Red Cell was also interested in the package, or me" she said thoughtfully as she nodded at the two bodies by the desk "we should do a sweep, if it was a set-up there may be more." She reached down and picked up a small square envelope from the floor.

Michael glared at her, barely containing his rage.

"You should have let us come with you to cover this possibility" he stated coolly. She looked across at him and saw he was deadly serious.

"It appeared to be a routine pick-up, the presence of Red Cell was an unknown and could only be factored in on site." She saw the anger in his eyes and looked down at the bodies again. "But you are correct" she stated quietly "I should have made more of your and Nikita's proximity and skills in evaluating my options." She leaned back on the desk and said quietly "I am too used to only having my own resources to fall-back on."

Michael nodded, better appreciating her response in light of the solitary environment in which she operated. His attention was drawn to a growing red stain on her shirt.

"Alison, you are injured" he said softly as he moved to her side and lifted her shirt. There was a deep bullet furrow along her side, just below her ribs.

"Its just a graze, I'll be fine" she stated. Michael finally allowed himself a small smile as he heard her words.

Alison reached down, pulled off a shoe and removed her sock. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a couple of tissues, and wadding them against the sock, applied pressure to the cut. Michael held it in place, as Nikita passed Alison her pocket knife so she could tear off the bottom few inches of her tshirt. Nikita placed her hand on the makeshift dressing as Michael pulled the piece of fabric tightly around Alison, knotting it to hold it in place. He bent down and replaced her running shoe. Alison passed him the package and he placed it in his coat pocket.

"You and Nikita do a sweep of the lower floors, I'll..." she paused a moment then grinned "lets go, we'll do a sweep of the lower floors."

Michael and Nikita gave her a nod in agreement and covering each other they started a scan of the rest of building.

They found nothing more. As they were leaving the building Michael gripped Alison around the waist, delicately turning her in towards him. He looked into her eyes as he slid his hand slowly into the front pocket of her jeans and removed the car keys.

"I'll drive." He urged her forward but she stood resolutely in place. She gave him a curious look, then pressing her body firmly against him she leaned up and kissed him hard on the mouth.

"Michel, why don't you drive" she replied as she turned and gracefully eased herself into the front seat.

Nikita watched this exchange and had to stifle a laugh as she climbed into the back seat.

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

Alison made a couple of calls as they drove. They made a brief detour to her house so she could collect a few things. Nikita was intrigued to note that Michael knew the way.

There was a heavy mood in the car as they finally approached Section. Alison gave Michael directions to an entrance neither he nor Nikita had been through before. After passing through a number of security stations they entered a small car park circled with security cameras.

Alison didn't make any motion to move from the car after Michael had parked and turned off the engine.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more... Disguise fair nature with hard favoured rage" she whispered.

"For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes." Michael whispered in response. He turned to her and smiled, taking her hand in his.

"Come chéri, the French have already yielded to your charm, this will seem easy by comparison."

She laughed and kissed his hand.

"No, that was the easy part Michel, the real battle will be fought inside." He reached over and kissed her.

Nikita leaned forward between them forcing Michael back into his seat.

"I think I understood more when you were speaking French. Can we end this round of 'mastermind' and get it over with" she exclaimed.

Alison chuckled to herself and then surprised Nikita by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You're right of course, Nikita, thank you. Let's go'.

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

The lift doors opened to an alcove behind Operations office. He was waiting at the lift with Madeline as they emerged.

"At last, my office now" was all he said as he moved forward.

They took up seats around his desk as Operations glared at the bloodstain on Alison's tshirt. He turned his scowl to Michael and Nikita.

"A minor altercation with Red Cell at the pick up, it was contained" Alison volunteered coolly, making it clear this issue was closed for discussion. Operations nodded slowly, then returned his gaze to Michael.

"Michael, I need you working some sims Madeline has developed, Birkoff has already made a start. Nikita, Walter needs help with the Team assignments. That will be all."

They stood to leave when he added "... not you Alison, we have a number of issues to discuss."

Alison kept her eyes on Operations as she sat again.

Madeline watched with interest, but no surprise, as Michael's concerned eyes drifted quickly across to Alison as he left.

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

Michael sat at his desk after completing the last of the sims Birkoff had sent through. It was late and in contrast to the frantic activity of the last few hours things were relatively quiet outside his door. He was ready to close down his computer and retire to his quarters when an internal message came through. Opening it he smiled and buttoning his jacket shut of his computer and locked up his office.

He went to his quarters first to collect a few things, then took the stairs to the upper level and made his way to a security door at the end of the corridor and keyed in a code. He made a right hand turn down a short corridor and keyed in another code. The door opened and he heard the strains of Beethoven's 9th as he looked around the well appointed, spacious apartment Alison had been assigned.

Hearing the noise of the shower he quickly removed his clothes and slipped in, circling his arms around Alison. She turned in his arms and he took in the neat row of tiny stiches under her ribs before brushing his lips across her face. He massaged the remains of the shampoo lathered in her hair, then reached down and pulled her legs up around his hips. He backed her up against the wall, positioning himself so the warm water passed over his shoulders and down her back. She wrapped her legs around him, and ran her hands through his hair as she left a trail of kisses along his jaw. Michael held her still as he ravaged her mouth and neck with his kisses.

She pushed herself down onto him and arched her back as he entered her. She held his head to stare into his eye's as his thrusts intensified. Holding this gaze they climaxed in unison, as though they had suddenly become one.

Michael remained inside her, luxuriating in this closeness as his arms circled her hips and his hands supported her buttocks. Alison lay motionless against him, her arms tightly around his neck and her head resting on his chest. It took him a few moments to realise she had fallen asleep. He gave a soft laugh and kissed her, then reached around and turned off the shower. Easing himself out he scooped her into his arms, grabbed a couple of towels and carried her to the bed. She sat quietly between his legs, leaning back against him as he dried her skin and hair. He moved out from behind her and going back into the bathroom returned with a first aid kit, taking out a wound dressing he placed it over gently over her stiches.

"I'm feeling pampered" she said quietly, tracing a hand lazily along the muscles of his chest.

"Good" he smiled, "get used to it."

They climbed under the covers. Alison continued tracing the curves of his body with her hand. Michael gazed across at her as though in a trance. When her hand moved below his hips she smiled sleepily and leaned across to kiss him.

"Make love to me again, Michel, I need to feel immersed in you like you are the ocean, its where I feel safest, its like home" she breathed softly against his lips.

Needing no further encouragement he gathered her into his arms and gave her what she asked for.

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

Michael awoke in the morning and reached across to Alison only to find himself alone. He sat up in bed, then grabbing one of her sarongs from the suitcase on the floor he tied it around his waist and went in search of her.

She was sitting in front of her laptop, engrossed in reading something on the screen. Michael came around behind and circled her in his arms and ran his tongue up her neck.

She folded her arms over his and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning" she said turning to him with an effervescent smile. "I've made some breakfast, come."

She took his hand and led him into the kitchen. Pouring him a cup of coffee she turned back to the stove and humming softly made the finishing touches to the meal she had prepared. Serving it onto plates she turned and placed them on the bench, while Michael found some cutlery and placemats.

"Regardent, omelette et français pain grillé." She took a seat on one of the kitchen stools as Michael sat opposite her.

"Merci, c'est un régal mon chéri." He leaned across and kissed her, chewing on her lips and exploring her mouth with his tongue.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence, eyes locked, feeding each other portions of food. When they were finished, Michael came around to Alison and spun her to him.

"You are delicious" he said huskily, kissing a strand of her hair. She looked down.

"There is so much to do Michel, we'll be called any minute" she said quietly, a note of sadness in her voice.

Michael nodded and kissing her tenderly on the lips he stepped back to let her stand.

She gave him a wicked look and pulled him back with her legs as she swept the plates and cutlery of the bench with her arm, sending them crashing to the floor. She delighted in Michael's quizzical look.

"We better make it quick" she said, easing herself onto the bench, pulling him with her.

"I can do quick" he replied quietly, as they ripped off clothes and devoured each other amidst the crumbs of breakfast.

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

Alison spent most of the day moving between Systems and Operations office. She and Birkoff were collating and compiling the information they had been working on. Walter and Nikita drifted in an out as they prepared the inventory, trading jokes and getting updates from Alison. Michael was down in the White Room with Madeline, interrogating the Agents that had been brought in the day before.

Operations kept a close watch on Alison, impressed by how smoothly she had integrated and the ease with which she had established total control of the staff in Systems, indeed most of Section, after only one day. Things were going well and they would be ready to go in the next day or two.

George had called again this morning to congratulate him on the excellent work they had been doing. George had taken the opportunity to again make some suggestions about Alison's next assignment. Alison knew the nature of George's proposal, their discussion late last night had established this, it had also established that Alison was deadly serious about Michael. He had promised them some breathing space but had given her no guarantees at this stage. She accepted this calmly, but had made it clear the discussion wasn't over. Like Madeline, Alison was not someone to be trifled with. Michael was the wildcard in all this. While he understood him more thoroughly than he could ever hope to know Alison, he had also witnessed over the years how raw emotion could make Michael unpredictable. It would be interesting to see how he would play it, this time.

He had some hard decisions to make and had already started formulating options.

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

Michael sat with his head in Alison's lap as she dipped another strawberry in champagne and rubbed it across his lips. After a day in hell he was in heaven. He could vaguely hear Nikita's laughter as she danced with Birkoff to something that sounded like the Rolling Stones. Walter was belting out the words from the kitchen. He grabbed at the strawberry with his teeth and drew it into his mouth along with one of Alison's fingers. She looked down at him as she pulled her finger slowly out from between his lips, her hair falling around her face in wild curls and her smile warming him to his core. He reached up and twirled a stray curl in his finger then pulled her head down to his and kissed her passionately.

"We are being anti-social" she declared, her eyes not leaving his.

"As long as it does not develop into a need to commit random acts of terrorism we should be alright."

"I'm not making any guarantees" she replied with an implacable grin that made Michael laugh.

She sat back up and smoothing the hair around his face held his head while she stood up. Michael closed his eyes for a moment, emotions washing over him. He listened to the noises around him and felt a calm so encompassing descend on him that his limbs seemed to melt into the floor. He thought about getting up to help Alison and Walter finish the preparations for dinner, but found he was reluctant to end this moment before he was able to define it more completely. At the sound of the front door to Alison's quarters opening, however, he sat up immediately.

Madeline stood in the doorway, silently taking in the scene in front of her and returning the stares of Nikita, Birkoff and Michael. Alison appeared around the corner carrying food to the table. She rubbed her hands across the back off her jeans and walked over.

"Hi Madeline, what's up?"

"What is going on?" she challenged.

"Well I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" Alison replied with a deadpan voice. There was complete silence in the room for a few seconds, until Nikita burst out laughing.

Madeline was turning back towards the door when Alison reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't go Maddie, as you can see we're just about to have some dinner, stay and join us." Lowering her voice she leaned closer to Madeline, "you know that old infantile response to authority thing gets me every time. We can have yet another chat about it if you'd like." A huge grin spread across Alison's face as she locked eyes with Madeline.

Madeline looked at Alison warily, searching for something hidden behind her open smile but finding nothing. She finally returned a small smile, her posture relaxing.

"There's enough food to feed an army" Walter chimed in as he carried more bowls to the table.

"I won't impose, I just needed to discuss a couple of things with you, call me when you are finished." Alison moved quickly to cut of her retreat as she closed the front door.

"You're not imposing and we can talk after dinner, Walter and I have cooked up a storm." Taking her arm, Alison led her to the table where Michael was holding out a chair. As Madeline sat, Michael took the seat next to her and poured her some wine. She nodded her gratitude as Alison took the seat next to Michael.

Conversation resumed as they started passing around bowls of food and filling their plates, the tension of the last few moments quickly forgotten. Madeline began to relax as she followed the conversations around the table. It was fascinating to watch the people she worked with every day so light hearted and at ease, and before she knew what was happening she found herself talking and laughing along with them. Michael, especially, held her enthralled. He was positively animated by comparison to his usual demeanor, his usual walls and defences gone as he relayed stories and joined in the friendly banter. She watched the adoration in his eyes when his gaze moved to Alison, and the easy familiarity between them. It surprised her that the connection, that had been apparent from their first interaction, had been so effortlessly restored after such a long time.

As the evening wound down, Birkoff, Nikita and Walter made their farewells, only after being told for the hundredth time that they didn't need to help with the cleaning up. Once they had left, Michael ushered Alison and Madeline into the lounge while he made coffee and cleared the table.

"So...?" Alison smiled questioningly across at Madeline.

"Following a ... discussion... with one of the informants today there appears to be the possibility that some of the information traded included details that could expose the location of Section One."

"Interesting" Alison pondered, "who was it?"

"Oliver" Madeline smiled as she saw the grin widen on Alison's face.

"He doesn't know what he's got. When I quizzed him the other night he didn't have a clue what "Section" meant, it was real. He has a small, inexperienced, but well resourced, group that work for him exclusively. They'll probe before they pass the information on. There is too much at stake for them to risk losing credibility." She looked across at Madeline with a penetrating gaze, "have you told Operations yet?"

Madeline gave her a smile and lowered her voice, aware of the noise coming from the kitchen. "No" she finally answered "he tends to ... overreact ... in these situations."

"Agreed " Alison replied with a knowing grin as she continued, "disruption to our resources at this stage would make the situation unrecoverable."

"Agreed, any ideas?" Madeline asked as she looked across at Alison and watched her slide down on the lounge and stare at the ceiling. It registered, as it had on numerous occasions over the last few days, that Alison was very close to total exhaustion. Her careless injury at the warehouse was further evidence of this. Madeline would need to keep an eye on her. She sat patiently waiting, almost hearing the scenarios running through Alison's mind.

Alison rolled onto her side and rested her head on her arm. She continued to at Madeline as Michael walked in balancing three cups. Madeline gave him a warm smile as he passed her a cup of tea, then he settled on the floor beside Alison. He held her cup of coffee as she sat up, crossing her legs as he leaned back against them.

Alison reached for the coffee, her fingers lingering on Michaels as she said "we need to act quickly, it may be as simple as undertaking some gentle probing of our own to see how close they are."

Madeline looked across at Alison, taking in Michael's thoughtful gaze.

"Are they likely to recognise you?" she asked.

"No, they operate outside the mainstream of the organisation. Oliver uses them for his personal information gathering. Perhaps you could use your skills to get Oliver to call and direct them to move in for confirmation" Alison suggested as she rubbed her hand through her hair, pushing it absently to one side.

"When?" Madeline asked.

"Early tomorrow, we need to remove this variable as quickly as possible" she said as she stretched a leg out over Michael's shoulder. "I'll need some backup,"

Madeline watched the corners of Michaels mouth curl imperceptibly as he pulled her leg against his chest.

"I'm sure Michael will be able to help" Madeline replied as she looked at him.

"Of course" he said in response.

"How much longer do you need before we are ready to engage?" Madeline asked.

"Birkoff should be finished with the new frequencies by midday tomorrow. We have the locations of the storage sites and command posts of the organisations involved. There's a bit more work to do to confirm details of their fallback location, but I'm confidant we should have all we need by mid-morning. There is a conference with the Heads of Agencies at 1500hrs to fine-tune the profile, assignments and personnel. Forward teams are already in place providing surveillance. All going well we can finalise briefings tomorrow night and move out the following morning."

Alison leaned forward resting her chin on her hand, a frown developing on her face. "The only thing left unresolved is identifying the location of the laboratory where they are making the scanners. Since we haven't been able extract this information from the people already in, we should move to bring in a couple of the key players in GST as soon as the sequence has begun. Perhaps our little adventure tomorrow morning will provide some leads."

"Good, it goes without saying that you have done an excellent job so far." Madeline stated as she rose to leave.

"Then it should be said that it's only because of the support and expertise of the excellent people I have been working with" Alison replied. Madeline caught the double meaning in her response and nodded her head in agreement.

"Thank you for a very pleasant evening." She smiled warmly at Alison and Michael and then added with a curious grin "get some rest Alison, you too Michael, we have some long days ahead of us. I'll see myself out."

They heard the door click shut behind her. Michael turned and rising to his knees gathered Alison into his arms.

"Come cheri, you are tired." He scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

She circled her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his ear.

"Tired yes, ready for sleep, no" she whispered.

He placed her gently on the bed and lay down beside her, stroking her face and hair.

"Is there anything I can do to help you get to sleep" he asked, a look of concern on his face as he searched her eyes.

She returned his intense gaze. "You are operative with many skills, Michel, I'm sure you can rise to the task."

The corner of his mouth slanted upwards slightly as he replied "... of course."

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

Alison picked up her pace as she ran down the deserted streets near Section. The occasional vehicle passed, headlights still illuminating the roadway in the grey light of dawn. Despite the cool of the morning she felt the sweat running down the inside of her shirt. She picked up her pace again as she rounded a corner, then abruptly stopped as she counted slowly and eased a small metallic object from the inside of her bra. Sprinting back in the direction from which she had come, she ran headlong into the van that had been following her for the last forty minutes. Banging her hand on the side and yelling an obscenity she continued on her way back.

She waited until she was a short distance from the truck before whispering "tracker in place, I'm heading back. Teams start sequencing."

She heard the van shift into reverse and a door open. As she continued running she felt a sharp sting in her leg. Feeling the effects of the drug in her system almost immediately, she reached down quickly and pulled the tranq dart out. She felt another one make contact with her hip as she swayed unsteadily, cursing her accelerated heart rate from the run. She reached around and pulled it out as she fell clumsily to the ground. A blurry head appeared from inside the van as she heard the sound of feet running and shouting, then Michael's voice in her ear as he issued commands. Nikita's concerned face came into focus as she felt gentle, strong hands encircle her from behind and carry her into the vehicle that pulled up beside them.

Her head started to clear as she sat, wedged between Michael and Nikita on the short ride back to Section. Her tongue seemed glued to the roof of her mouth as she quietly asked "OK?"

Michael's calm gaze searched her face as he replied "Yes, things went exactly to your profile. The van took off when Nikita and I turned up. We have two teams tracking it now." He pushed a curl back behind her ear and stroked her cheek.

Nikita held up two tranq darts "don't know how you did it but looks like you got these out in time, we can get the Lab to run a scan and see what they were using."

Nikita passed her a bottle of water and helped steady her shaky hands as she lifted it to her mouth. She gulped down the water, instantly feeling better.

"Thanks" Alison said softly to no one in particular.

"You're welcome" Nikita and Michael said in unison beside her, as the van pulled into the unloading bay at Section.

Leaning on Michael to steady herself as she stood, she turned towards them with a weary smile as she shook her head slowly. "Nice routine, you two are something else" she said as they left the van.

Michael kept close to Alison as she walked unsteadily through the airlock. Madeline was waiting for them as they emerged and immediately cast a concerned look towards Alison. Nikita held up the tranq darts and passed them to Madeline who relaxed immediately.

"We have a fix on their location and have established surveillance. Birkoff is attempting to infiltrate their communications. Michael, Nikita, you should be ready to go in thirty minutes, we need to bring them all in and secure the computer system. Birkoff, will provide support from Comms." Michael nodded then cast a concerned look at Alison.

"I'll take Alison to her quarters" Madeline responded.

"No-one needs to take Alison to her quarters, I'll take myself to quarters and after a shower I'll help Birkoff out in Comms" she stated quietly.

Madeline was about to reply when she saw Operations rounding the corner. He looked over the scene in front of him, Alison, Michael and Nikita in running gear and Madeline holding two tranq darts. He noticed the way Alison was using Michael for support and directed a piercing gaze at her.

"What's going on?" he asked shifting his gaze to Madeline.

"Just collecting some bait before we go fishing" Alison replied with a reckless grin.

"Alison, Madeline, my office ... now!" he glared and marched down the corridor.

Madeline sighed and taking Alison's elbow turned to Michael "you know what to do, we have bigger fish to fry."

Michael and Nikita watched them walk slowly down the corridor after Operations. Their concern lifted when they heard laughter spill out from the two women as they rounded the corner and disappeared.

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

Michael's Team returned late in the afternoon, the pick up had gone smoothly. After taking their captives to Interrogation, he ran through a quick debrief with Madeline and Alison and then the rest of his Team joined them as they were briefed on their responsibilities in the upcoming mission. Alison gave him a weary smile as he left the briefing room and headed back to his quarters for a shower. Looking around his quarters he suddenly made a decision. Gathering up the few personal items he kept there, he piled them into an equipment bag, closed the door firmly behind him and headed off to Alison's quarters.

She was still in briefings. With a grin he moved his gear into drawers and onto shelves, then noticing her clothes still piled in the open bag on the floor, he did the same with her gear. At the bottom of the suitcase he found a photo in a small wooden frame. The colour was faded and the people in it were out of focus, but he instantly remembered the moment from so long ago.

It was a training mission in explosives in his first year in Section and he, Alison and Walter had grown bored waiting to be picked up from a deserted stretch of coast. Alison and Walter had spied a huge sand dune opposite the pick up point. He remembered vividly the grin that had passed between them as they both raced towards it and started climbing. He chased after them and the three pulled and tugged at each other in an attempt to be the first to the top. They collapsed in a pile when they reached the narrow ridge at the top, heaving and squirming in pain from the exertion and laughter. Alison had rolled over the top of him, and lying between them held the tiny camera above and took a photo.

The moment was captured perfectly. Her beautiful smiling face dominated the shot because of the camera angle, his face rested against hers, his mouth open in a wide grin as he spoke into her ear. Walters head rested in the crook of her shoulder as he looked up with a grin from ear to ear. Blue stretched out into the distance. They all looked so young. He smiled both at the memory and the fact that she had kept it all this time and carried it with her. He placed the frame on the stand by the bed then sat for a while, feeling unashamedly sentimental.

Glancing at his watch, he had a quick shower then started preparations for dinner. With dinner heating slowly in the oven, the table set and nothing much left to do but wait, he settled down on the lounge and started reading through the briefing reports Alison had provided him with.

He had already read and talked them through with her a hundred times, intrigued and impressed by her tactical approach. It was all too common in these sorts of scenarios, with multiple Teams and Agencies involved, to over-plan and try to build everything into a complex profile. Instead she had kept things simple, sequencing so as to allow each phase to build on the preceding one with last minute fine-tuning, creating a domino effect that would result in their targets consolidating to a single location where they could be efficiently neutralised. It required flexibility and focus in the field operatives and a certain amount of initiative from the Team leaders, but this had been factored into selecting personnel for the mission. That she had selected him to lead the final, crucial strike, was not lost on him. Her faith in him was mirrored in his faith in her, he felt more relaxed than he probably should in the lead up to a mission of this magnitude. Within minutes the report had slipped from his hands to the floor as he curled up against the cushions of the lounge fast asleep.

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

Michael's dream became real as he slowly opened his eyes and still heard singing. Alison sat, her soft clear voice absorbing the sound of fingers moving furiously over the keyboard of her laptop. The room was dark, the only light coming from a small lamp on the desk where she worked. The smell of the meal he had prepared was long gone from the room, and he wondered vaguely how long he had been asleep. He lay quietly watching her work, feeling warm, sleepy and loved under the blanket she had wrapped him in.

Her eyes caught his as she glanced across, the placid look on her face hard to read. She stood immediately and came over to him, holding out her hand. He took her hand and stood up, watching her face intensely. She looked at him with the same intensity, as though searching his face for the answer to some question that was troubling her. Her face relaxed and with a small smile she circled her arm around his waist pulling him closer and started moving them in a slow dance.

They glided slowly around the small room. Alison looked up at him, holding his gaze with a look of raw emotion in her eyes. She started singing "... stars shinning bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper I love you, bird singing in the sycamore tree, dream a little dream of me ... say nighty-night then kiss me, just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me, while I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me ...." He spun her around and then drew her tightly against him as she continued singing, "... stars fading but I linger on dear, still craving your kiss, I'm longing to linger till dawn dear, just singing this... sweet dreams still sunbeams find you, sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you, but in your dreams whatever they be, dream a little dream of me..." She continued humming the tune as she looked up at him, then sang the song softly again, this time in French.

He rested his cheek against hers, utterly enthralled in the moment, her singing, her presence. Alison's phone rang, she ignored it. At Michael's questioning expression she merely smiled and led him into the bedroom, where they continued to dance but to a more physical rhythm.

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

A loud siren going off woke Michael from a deep sleep. He thought to turn the alarm clock off when he realised it was coming from a speaker in the ceiling, after a minute it mercifully turned off. He lay still, feeling the gentle rise and fall of Alison's chest beneath him. She burrowed further into his body and he pulled his arms tightly around her. Angling his head down he found her lips and felt her mouth open on his as they shared a deep, passionate kiss. He thought he could easily stay like this forever. They looked into each other eyes and with an unspoken agreement hauled themselves out of bed and into the shower.

Alison washed him under the warm water, her fingers running over every inch of his body as though committing it to memory. Michael's eye's never left her face. She massaged his hair with shampoo, then lathering his face she ran the razor expertly over the stubble on his jaw and chin. Pushing him gently back under the stream of water she massaged the soap and shampoo from his body. Turning off the water, she reached for a towel and dried them off. She dressed quickly and left for the kitchen. Michael smiled as he noticed she was wearing one of the Hawaiian shirts he had worn at the beach house. She returned a short while later with coffee and a croissant and placed them on the table by the bed, momentarily gazing at the picture she had only just noticed.

She knelt down between his legs as he sat on the bed tying the laces on his boots. He sat up and holding her face in his hands he kissed her slowly and gently. Moving back slightly, he looked into her luminous eyes that sparkled with the intensity of sapphires in the dim light of the bedroom.

"See you, mon coeur et âme, mon chéri Alison " he whispered holding a lock of her hair to his mouth and breathing in.

She traced her fingers across his cheek, his eyes, his lips. Holding her hand lightly against his cheek she smiled.

"Don't be gone long, Michel." She brushed her lips against his and then abruptly stood and left. Michael heard the front door close and he let out a sigh. He reached for the coffee and, noticing the picture again, he let a small smile escape as he continued getting ready.

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

Nikita took the seat next to Michael as the plane touched down on a large military base in western Europe. The long flight on the transport plane had left her tired and stiff. At least they would be returning by jet, she thought happily; she hated these noisy cold transports. She stifled a yawn then turned to Michael as he packed up his laptop.

"How long to the primary site from here?" she asked sleepily.

"Three hours" he replied as he stood and stretched. He held out a hand and pulled her up. "Lets go."

Once in the van, Michael sat with Nikita unloading and distributing comm units, weapons, explosives, food and medical supplies to the Team. All of life's necessities, Nikita thought with a grin. When this was complete he ran through the mission profile again and then sat at his laptop downloading information updates from Section. As they neared the location the van pulled over onto a side road and parked behind a hedgerow.

"We have two hours before sunset at which time we will move into positions. Stretch your legs then get some sleep." Michael ordered as he opened the van door. He turned to Nikita as the rest of the team piled out of the van.

"I'm going to do a quick scan of the site, monitor any incoming communications from Section, I'll stay in contact on channel A." Without further discussion he stepped gracefully from the van and disappeared along the tree row to the south.

Michael returned a couple of hours later. He looked around the van observing the still bodies stretched out across every flat surface. Nikita was curled up on the bench fighting off sleep. Michael sat down next to her and angled the computer towards him then gently took the headset off Nikita. Michael slid the headset on as he watched numbers cascade across the screen.

"What is this?" he asked. Nikita sat up and was about to answer when they heard Alison's voice come over the comm link.

The preliminary sequences have begun, I'm just updating the profile. Are the scramblers in place? she asked.

"Yes, we will run a test and send you the frequencies." He nodded to Nikita who turned to a console behind him and started scanning transmission frequencies.

Good, we should be able to start monitoring activity from within their network within the next hour. Anything happening on site?

"No, minimal activity, three guards on the perimeter. The electronic security system is active."

O.K., I'm working on the disabling codes, it may take a little while. Birkoff only counts four bodies in the building. Looks like we've been lucky. I'm sending in three Teams for back up and to assist with the clean up. They should arrive progressively, first Team within two hours. I'll need someone to remain with the van to coordinate communications and pass on directions to the back-up teams as they arrive. I'll also need someone to take charge of the perimeter team.

"Jackson will lead the perimeter team, Russell will stay with the van."

Good, the backup teams should initially stay outside the perimeter to backup Jackson's unit and monitor approaches. There is a small landing strip in the field behind the building, we expect some of them to come in that way. It may be worthwhile disabling transport once they arrive to decrease retreat options, just in case. I'll leave that up to you to decide. Anything else?

Michael wanted to say many things.

"No, we move in thirty minutes."

Things will be fluid for a while as we progress through each phase. I'll keep your panel updated regularly and do an update for the rest of the team when we have a final.

Michael smiled. "Good idea."

You've been assigned Channel A, things are pretty hectic here so listen-in but keep communications to a minimum if practicable. We'll standby for the frequencies and confirmation when you're ready to enter. One out.

Michael checked on Nikita's progress and then started waking his team in preparation for moving out. As they slowly got organised Michael gave them an update and conveyed Alison's instructions. As darkness settled outside they were ready to go.

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

They took up their positions around the southern perimeter of the building. Michael signalled for them to pull on their night-vision goggles and then motioned for Nikita, Jackson and Greg to disable the perimeter guards he had observed earlier. They dragged the guard's back to their location and stripped them. Jackson's team dressed in their gear and then quickly returned to the positions they had been patrolling.

"Alison, Birkoff, we are ready to enter" Michael said quietly. Birkoff's voice replied.

Michael, we ran into a few complications. The security system is state of the art, explains why there are so few bodies on site. Its routed to the locations we'll be targeting in phase two, Alison is just working on a diversion to give you the time you need to enter. We should be ready to go in ... ten minutes, move to position.

"Standing-by" Michael replied as he led his team down to a basement doorway on the southwest corner. Birkoff's voice came back to them.

Ready to go Michael, the best we can do is twenty minutes for you to complete a sweep of the building, get the network and surveillance relays in place and then get back down to the basement. We have a location on the guards, they're all in a room on the southern end of the building. Let me know as soon as you're in so I can disable the basement monitoring system. Two minutes...

Michael gave his team some quick instructions and then moved to the door. As he saw the small red light above the door go off he heard the click of a lock. Opening the door and scanning ahead he moved in, his team following. He indicated the directions they should sweep as he and Nikita moved swiftly up a staircase. He quickly followed the directions he had memorised and within five minutes they had located the communications room. Nikita switched on the computer system and connected the router. Michael accessed the video and audio surveillance system and exposing a series of wires, patched in the relay module. When she was finished, Nikita moved to the door and made a quick scan of the corridor.

Michael gave her a nod and then said "Birkoff, relays in place, we're moving to the basement."

Michael... I'm picking up the signal now, looks straightforward, you have six minutes. Move.

As they moved back down the stairs they met up with the rest of the team, carrying the inert forms of the security guards. Michael navigated them down a series of corridors to a doorway that led to the basement. Michael directed the Team to do a sweep as he closed the door behind them.

"Birkoff, we're in place."

The security system has been modified, it will be back on-line in thirty seconds ....

Michael counted down the time remaining on his watch and then heard the door lock click.

"Anything coming up Birkoff ?"

No, you're clear. I'm patching through the system to your remote location. Alison will send through updates. Anything else you need?

"No"

OK then, happy waiting. One out.

Michael walked down the steps and looked around at his Team.

"We have at least ten hours to wait, make yourselves comfortable." He looked around and noticed the guards.

"Get them secured. Williams, organise a communications schedule with our people outside using their transmitters." He pointed to the two-way radios secured to each of the guard's belts.