Lying in bed listening to the wind and the rain howling outside, Chloe wished she could just pull the covers over her head and stay there all day, but unfortunately that just wasn't an option. Flinging back the covers, she forced herself to get up and stumble into the bathroom. She'd never been a great one for mornings, she remembered how Marc always used to tease her about being a night owl. Marc .. where did that thought come from. She hadn't thought about Marc in a long time. For almost 2 years she'd cried herself to sleep every night after he'd left her. She'd always had that little glimmer of hope in the back of her mind that he'd come back, but five years ago that option had been well and truly been removed. That was when she joined, or rather had been recruited to Section One.

Remembering back she couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to get involved in anything so ridiculous and had been daft enough to get caught. And, at the time, she hadn't really been thinking straight so when Section came along and offered her another life she'd figured why not? As far as she was concerned there was nothing left for her in the 'outside' world, not without Marc. There he was again, in her thoughts. What was with her this morning? *Better pull myself together* she thought, otherwise our visitor is not going to be very impressed and neither will Helen and Operations.

When she was finally fully awake and ready, *nothing like a good strong mocha latte to put the spring back in your step*, she grabbed her keys and purse and stuffed the last piece of cinnamon bagel in her mouth as she left her flat. Glancing up at the sky *at least its stopped raining* and for that she was thankful. The bus was late, as usual, which meant it was almost full so she had to stand all the way.

Her mind wandered to Section's visitor - Michael. The legendary Michael. She wondered what he'd done to piss off Section so much that he was being sent all the way over to England to the Liverpool sub station. Of course they'd all heard the rumours about Michael, the perfect operative, but there was no-one, apart from Helen and Operations, who had actually met him. The rumour was that he'd gotten rather too attached to a female operative named Nikita, and had helped her escape during what was supposed to have been a suicide mission. If this was true then it would certainly explain why he was being sent here for the next six months.

As she made her way across Exchange Flags, turning right into Rumford Place, she smiled at the 'Top Secret - Wartime HQ' sign. Even after all this time she still found it amusing that Section was located beneath, albeit 500ft beneath, the old Wartime Headquarters in Liverpool. *Well I suppose the best place to hide something is always in full view.*

* * * *

Michael returned his seat to the upright position as the plane began its descent into Speke airport. In some ways he was actually quite glad to be away from Section - everything there reminded him of Nikita. He closed his eyes, blinking back the tears, and prayed that she had gotten out alive in time. He'd tried to contact her but she hadn't replied. He told himself that she hadn't replied through choice thinking that perhaps it was a trap and not because she was unable, because that would mean that she was dead and he could not bring himself to accept that.

* * * *

"Morning Ande"

"Hey Chlo," the security guard, an undercover operative of course, greeted the redhead as she breezed past him.

"Whoa Chloe, what happened to the hair?"

"I asked for red, and I got.. Red."

"Its certainly that, its very .erm . very . . ."

"Red" she finished for him.

"Not sure Helen's going to be pleased with that, not exactly going to blend into the background now are you." He laughed.

"Well Helen's just going to have to like it or lump it!" She grinned cheekily as the lift doors closed.

*Suppose I'd better get this over and done with* she thought, while making her way to Helens office. Chloe paused and took a deep breath before entering.

"Chloe." Helen didn't even blink. "Nice hair."

"You like?" Chloe grinned, pulling the band out of her hair to show her newly red tresses to full effect as they tumbled over her shoulders and down her back.

"Yes, very nice, and quite appropriate for your next assignment."

Chloe was almost disappointed that she hadn't been able to get a rise out of Helen.

"And that would be?"

Helen was just about to answer when Ande buzzed through to her.

"Thank you Ande, I'll send Jason to collect him, " she turned to Chloe, "You'll find out soon enough, Michael has arrived, there will be a briefing in half an hour."

Chloe took this as a dismissal, so she decided to go and speak to Chesters and see what information he'd managed to glean on Michael. She wanted to be prepared when she met him, although half an hour didn't really give her much time.

"Good morning Chesters, so did you manage to find out anything about the mysterious Michael?"

"Just bits and pieces really."

"So what have you got then?"

"Well, Birkoff wasn't very forthcoming to say the least, although it appears that Michael is not on his list of favourites at the moment. It looks like the rumours about Nikita are partly true, but Birkoff is under the impression that Nikita died along with the other five operatives and that Michael has been sent here until things cool off back at Section. A lot of people there blame Michael for Nikita's death. He was in charge of the suicide mission. Both Birkoff and Walter were also on that mission and they think that he could have done something to save her. As for his past, that's a little sketchy. It seems he's been in Section One for about seven years, not sure how he got there. This is also not the first time he's had more than a purely professional interest in another operative."

"What do you mean, I thought Section didn't condone relationships between Operatives?" Chloe looked a little confused.

"I don't know the exact details, but about 4 years ago he was married to another Operative, Simone"

Chloe raised her eyebrows "Married! .. You said was, what happened to her?"

"She was kidnapped by Glass Curtain about 3 years ago, and presumed dead but earlier this year on a mission to bring down Glass Curtain, Nikita discovered that Simone had actually been held captive but this time she did die. She sent Michael away while she blew up the headquarters along with herself and Errol Sparks."

"God, poor Michael he's not exactly had an easy time of it, no wonder he's supposed to be so cold and now Nikita ... geez he's hardly going to be a bundle of fun is he?" Chloe glanced over at the conference table where she could see some of the other operatives gathering. "Thanks for trying anyway, looks like we'll be meeting him any moment. " Stepping down from the communications area, she went to join the other operatives seated around the conference table.

Operations and Helen made their way to join them, followed by a third person who she gathered must be Michael. But, she couldn't get a good look at him as her view was blocked slightly by Operations. Then, when all three of them came to stand on the opposite side of the table to the seated operatives, Ali nudged her, whispering, "Wow, he's hot."

Chloe gave no response, she just sat there stunned, she couldn't believe it. She felt as if her heart had stopped, she couldn't breathe. It couldn't be, how could it, she was starting to feel dizzy and she could feel the bile starting to rise in her throat. She tried to stand, her legs almost giving way beneath her. She thought she heard Jason asking if she was ok, but she couldn't stop, all she knew was that she had to get out of there quickly before she threw up all over the table.

As she ran from the room she heard Operations' voice "This is Michael .." She didn't hear the rest and as she closed the door to her office she threw up in the wastepaper basket. Her mind was racing.. How ?... Why ? ... What was Marc doing in Section One?

At first she thought she had imagined it, but one look at those green eyes and all those memories came flooding back all at once. As the tears started to fall, she thought that it might be a good idea to get out of there for a while as Helen was bound to come looking for her. She wasn't ready to give her an explanation yet. She needed time to decide just exactly what that explanation was going to be.

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

Now that the briefing was over, Helen turned to Jason as he returned to the conference table "Well?"

"She's not in her office, I guess she must have gone outside, maybe to get some fresh air ... she ... erm did look a little green," he offered.

"Just have her come and see me as soon as she returns." Helen replied, then turning her attention to Michael, "Come, we'll wait for Chloe's return in my office"

Michael's mind was racing, Chloe! What was she doing here? It must have been over seven years since he'd last seen her. He felt a small pang of .. guilt? ... pain? He remembered the last day he'd seen her, she'd been so happy, so excited. When he'd presented her with the small package, her hands had been shaking slightly when she started to unwrap it. As she opened the box he'd held his breath and closed his eyes, not daring to open them until he heard her speak -- to say that one word that would make everything complete and make him the happiest man in the world.

"Yes."

He had opened his eyes, hoping he hadn't imagined her saying it, but one look at her face, and seeing those emerald eyes filled with tears of joy told him he hadn't. He took the ring from the box, and placed the emerald cut diamond on her finger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"Ah Chloe," Helen's voice interrupted his thoughts. "So glad you could join us."

Michael turned toward the doorway where she stood. She hadn't changed. She still looked as beautiful as she had been seven years ago. Maybe not quite the same. There was something a little different about her, in her eyes, instead of the warmth he remembered, there was a coldness.

Helen continued, "Chloe, this is Michael. He will be with us in Liverpool for the next six months at least and will be accompanying you on your next mission."

"Michael."

Chloe came to stand next to his chair extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Chloe." Standing to meet her, he took her hand and shook it firmly, holding her gaze. But she gave away nothing. The smile disappeared from her face as she matched his blank look.

He was holding on a little too long for her liking so she pulled her hand from his grasp, not too obviously she hoped, and turned towards Helen as she sat down.

"So what's the mission then?" She asked, although after Helen's earlier comment about her hair she had a horrible feeling at to what was coming next.

"If you'd been at the briefing earlier you'd know that we will be going after Christopher Melling."

"I'm sorry about earlier, Helen. It couldn't be avoided ... I think it must have been something I ate."

"But you're ok now."

"Yes, I'm fine."

She wasn't sure if Helen had bought that excuse, but it was as much as she was going to get. She'd spent the last ten minutes splashing water on her eyes trying to make the swelling go down. It seemed to have done the trick.

Michael spoke then.

"Christopher Melling is an arms dealer. At the moment he is working with the IRA, but we believe that he may have been in contact with Gabriel Tyler before he and Shays were killed. There is the possibilty that he may have Shays' formula."

Chloe was aware of the mission involving Stanley Shays. Nikita was supposed to have cancelled Shays but she couldn't and that mistake was something that may have ultimately led to her own cancellation. She glanced over at Marc ... Michael ... whoever, to see his reaction to the mission involving his ex-partner being discussed. There was none. He sat there looking at Helen, completely impassive.

"So where do we come in ?" Chloe asked

"You and Michael will be going in as Lara and Ethan Devlin. Melling has a meeting with them scheduled for this evening."

Surely it was too much to hope that they were to be a brother and sister team, Chloe thought. A thought that was soon answered as Helen continued.

"Lara and Ethan are a husband and wife team who specialise in negotiations between terrorists and dealers."

"Won't Melling know we're not who we say we are?" Chloe asked.

"Mellings has never met them. The real Lara and Ethan are being questioned now. They've been together as a team for about 5 years and married for 2. Ethan is a very possesive man, whilst Lara enjoys flirting with other men, mainly in an effort to wind Ethan up. Judging from the fresh scratch marks on their backs, theirs makes for a very passionate relationship."

Chloe could feel her insides turning again. She took a deep breath in an effort to stem the feeling of nausea. Working with him was one thing, but to have to pretend to be intimate with him was going to be extremely difficult.

"Does Melling have any weaknesses?" Michael asked, anxious to change to subject.

"Yes. " Helen smiled slightly as she glanced at Chloe. "He has a weakness for redheads."

Chloe remembered Helen's earlier remark about her hair now being appropriate for the next mission. Now there were 2 reasons she wished she hadn't done it. The other being that this was how she'd looked the last time she'd seen Marc, the day he'd asked her to marry him.

She gave a small laugh. Helen and Mar ... Michael, Michael, Michael she repeated in her head, she was going to have to stop calling him Marc, even in her mind, otherwise it was liable to slip out. She figured Helen and Michael probably thought the laugh was because of the remark about her hair, but it was more an ironic laugh at the fact that the last time she'd seen Michael she thought he was going to become her husband. That had never happened though, he'd gone out the next day and she'd never seen him again. Now here he was, back in her life and she was being asked to play his adoring wife.

"Chloe, you and Michael will be meeting Melling this evening in the Mardi Gras club. You should then be invited to join him at his retreat in North Wales, for the weekend. Your job is to be extra nice to Melling, to distract him while Michael tries to gain access to his computer and remove all traces of the formula. Any questions?" Her gaze went from Chloe to Michael.

Both operatives shook their heads

"OK then. Michael, go and see Chesters and study the schematics of Mellings' estate and be back here in 2 hours." After that, Michael left.

As he disappeared out of Helen's office, Chloe let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. She turned to look at Helen who was looking at her questioningly.

"Well?"

"Well what ?"

"Are you going to explain about earlier?"

"I thought I already did. Like I said, it must have been something I ate."

"Are you sure that's all it was?" Helen persisted.

Damn, thought Chloe, she wasn't going to let this drop. Meeting the older womans gaze, "Positive." She insisted.

"As long as there's nothing else, I think you should go over the mission with Michael. You'd better get to know him if you're going to have to pretend to be his wife."

Chloe turned on her heel and left Helen's office. Instead of making her way to find Michael, she made her way to her quarters. She needed time to gather her thoughts and to prepare herself to play one of the most difficult roles of her life.

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

Michael sat in front of the screen going over the schematics of Mellings estate. After about half an hour he let his mind wander. He remembered the first time he'd ever laid eyes on her.

She'd been on the steps in the square in front of Il Duomo in Milan pouring over a map. She was being hassled by some guy, her bright red hair piled on top of her head. She kept trying to push the loose strands out of her face as she tried desperately to explain in broken Italian to this guy that she didn't want his help.

He'd felt sorry for her so he'd come to her rescue. He remembered the moment.

"Darling, there you are." Kissing her on both cheeks, he said, "I'm sorry I'm late, it couldn't be avoided."

The man raised his hands in the air in defeat and walked away.

"Thank you." She smiled at him and he realised that that was the moment he fell in love with her. It truly was love at first sight.

"Chloe Brooks." She introduced herself extending her hand.

"Marc Dionne, at your service. " He took her hand and he kissed the back and bowed dramatically.

"Well, Marc can I buy you a coffee by way of thanks?"

They'd then sat and talked for almost two hours at that café outside La Galleria. He discovered that they were both actually staying in the same town, Malcesine, on the edge of Lake Garda. Those two weeks were two of the happiest he'd ever had. From that time on they'd been inseparable. Until that is ... but he brushed that thought aside, he didn't want to go there now.

Maybe this was fate giving him another chance, returning his first love to him, maybe his only true love, even with Simone he'd never truly been himself. By the time he'd met Simone he was already part of Section, and a part of him had already died inside, the part of his heart he'd left behind with Chloe.

He was broken from his reverie by the sound of the chair next to him being moved. He turned to see her standing next to him. He opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come.

"So have you finished studying the plans. "

The way she spoke to him was so cold and so emotionless he was beginning to doubt himself. Maybe he was wrong, maybe it wasn't her. No, he was right, the way she'd bolted out of this morning's briefing after their eyes met had answered that question.

"Er. yes," he stuttered. "I should have no problems getting into his office. I shouldn't need too long." She realised his hidden meaning.

"Don't rush things on my account," she replied. "I'm quite capable of looking after myself."

"Chloe . I . " He was not even sure what it was he was trying to say.

She cut him off.

"Helen wants to see us in her office, to collect our outfits."

With that she walked off in the direction of Helen's office. He sat there for a moment watching her leave. This was not going to be easy.

As he entered Helen's office he caught his breath. Chloe looked beautiful. She was wearing a floor length Herve Leger dress in emerald green, her hair was loose and it hung down her back like a red satin sheet. As Michael approached, Helen emptied a small velvet pouch on her desk and two gold bands fell out.

Michael reached for one of the rings, and tried to put it on. It didn't fit. As Chloe moved to pick up the other ring he caught her hand in his.

"This one's yours." He said as he placed the ring on her finger looking her straight in the eyes, hazel meeting emerald. Her gaze never leaving his, Chloe reached for the other ring.

"Then this must be yours." She took his left hand and slid the ring on his finger. Both operatives stood there staring at each other, almost forgetting that Helen was in the room.

"I'll need to see you kiss."

"What!" Chloe's eyes blazed. She'd rather been hoping she could avoid this until absolutely necessary.

"We'll be fine." Michael said.

"Are you sure? You have only just met. I want to make sure you can be convincing as a couple passionately in love." Helen insisted.

Michael had a feeling of deja vu, another office, another time. He still had hold of Chloe's hand. His other hand he placed on her waist and drew her to him. Chloe held her breath, even through her dress her skin burned at his touch, then she felt the jolt of electricity as their lips met, briefly. Chloe pulled away quickly.

"Was that good enough for you?" Chloe asked.

"It will do." Helen smiled to herself *There was something else going on here, I'll have to keep and eye on these two.*

"There will be a limousine waiting to take you to the Mardi Gras in about 15 minutes," she continued as she made her way to the clothes rack and picked out an Armani suit for Michael. It was black naturally, but the silk shirt was a perfect match for Chloes dress.

Michael took the garments and disappeared behind the screen to change. This was going to be a long weekend.

* * * * The five minute journey to the club passed in silence. Once inside, Michael placed his hand protectively on the small of Chloe's back and they assumed the roles of Lara and Ethan.

"Would you care to dance, my love ?"

Chloe glared at him, but replied lightly. "I'd be delighted." She smiled sweetly as he led her onto the dance floor.

Chloe scanned the room, checking for Melling but she couldn't see him anywhere. In her ear she heard Chesters, "Has Melling arrived?"

"Not yet." She replied, and I wish he'd hurry up. On the one hand she wanted this dance over as soon as possible. She could feel Michael's fingers burning on the bare flesh of her back and she didn't know how long she could keep this up before she passed out. On the other hand she never wanted this to end, she wanted to stay here in Michael's arms forever.

"There he is, at the bar next to the blond."

Michael turned Chloe so that Chesters would be able to get a good look through the scanner in her glasses. Lost in her thoughts, she almost stumbled as he turned her, his arm grasping her more firmly around the waist to steady her, bringing her closer to him.

"Are you ok?" He whispered, and she could feel his breath on her ear.

"I'm fine!" she snapped back, quickly composing herself.

The music finished and Michael guided her towards Melling. As they reached him Michael extended his hand. "Mr. Melling, Ethan Devlin ... And this is my wife Lara, I believe you've been expecting us." Accepting Michael's hand, Melling ran his gaze appreciatively over Chloe.

"Nice to meet you ... both, please join me." He motioned towards a booth in the corner.

They spent the next hour and a half speaking with Melling before he invited them to his house on the island of Angelsey off the North Wales coast.

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

"I'm sure you'll want to rest. Kelly will show you to your room and we'll talk more tomorrow." Melling said.

Michael and Chloe followed Kelly up to the second floor and into the room they were to share.

"Breakfast will be at 9:30," He said, closing the door behind them, leaving them completely alone. This was the moment that Chloe had been dreading.

Glancing at her watch and faking a yawn Chloe spoke.

"Well I think I'm going to try and get some sleep, long day ahead tomorrow." She started to walk towards the bed but Michael caught her arm and turned her around to face him.

There was so much he wanted to say to her, but he didn't know where to start. In the end he could only manage "Chloe, I'm sorry."

She just stood there stunned, unable to say anything. *Sorry, I'll give him sorry* She swung her free arm. Her hand made contact with his face. He didn't even flinch when she hit him again and again. Soon his cheek was red with the imprint of her hand.

He grabbed her arm and she stopped swinging. He loosened his grip on her arm and allowed her to walk away, but she turned back and began her assault on him again. She hit him ferociously, pummeling his chest with her fists, and slapping his face. All the while he just stood there and took it.

"I hate you!" She screamed. "I hate you, I hate you!" She punctuated each phrase with a blow to his chest before eventually sinking to the floor as the tears began to flow. She now lay in a crumpled heap at his feet shaking and as the sobbing became more intense she lifted her head to look up at him and said "I love you."

Michael felt as if she had taken a knife and ripped open his heart. He knelt down next to her wanting to put his arms around her but wasn't sure how such a gesture would be received. He gazed into her tear filled eyes.

"I had no choice," he finally said.

"Do you think I wanted to leave you? Do you think I had any choice in the matter. For god's sake Chloe. You had just made me the happiest man in the world by agreeing to marry me. Did you think I'd just walk away from that willingly?"

She stood up. She couldn't bear being this close to him and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What the hell else was I supposed to think ? One day you're there, the next you're gone. What else was I to think, other than you'd got cold feet and bailed?"

He moved to kneel in front of her, tentatively placing his hands on her forearms, but she raised them quickly. "Don't touch me!" She spat, and her eyes were full of anger.

He stood up and moved over to the window.

"Do you remember Gerald Bull?" He asked.

"Should I?"

"He was murdered in 1990, for his part in the Iraqi Super Gun affair."

"I vaguely remember that. I actually had something else on my mind that year."

He was aware of her little dig, but still carried on.

"I was hired to murder him. I was caught and was then recruited into Section One. I'm sure you are aware how the rest goes."

All too well. Once someone joined Section One, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, he was dead; a ghost who moved among the living.

"But . . . why . . . how?"

As far as she knew, Michael was an art buyer. That's why he had been in Milan when they met. She'd never asked much about his work. She'd never been interested, but this ... this was all just too much, much more than she could handle at the moment. She needed time to think.

All this time she thought he'd got cold feet and just left her, but she knew Section. She knew why he hadn't been able to contact her. "I ... I .. erm .. need to ... " She mumbled as she opened the suitcase, grabbing the first thing to hand, she made her way into the bathroom. She closed the door and leant against it and sank to the floor.

Michael paced up and down the room waiting for her to come back. He couldn't imagine what it was Chloe could possibly have done that would have led to her ending up in Section One, but he wouldn't press her. She would tell him in her own time.

An hour passed and she still hadn't come out. He was starting to get worried. He knocked on the door.

"Chloe."

He knocked again.

"Chloe? Are you okay?"

The door flew open. She pushed past him.

"I'm going to bed. I suggest you try and get some sleep too."

Michael just stood there as he watched her climb into the far side of the bed with her back to him. He then rummaged in the suitcase Helen had packed for him, finding a pair of silk pyjama bottoms. He went into the bathroom to change.

When he returned, Chloe was asleep. He lay down next to her and when she turned over in her sleep to face him, he reached out and brushed the hair out of her face, catching a few strands between his fingers.

He raised the red strands to his nose and inhaled that familiar scent. She still smelt of peaches. He wanted to touch her, to feel her skin beneath his fingers, but he didn't dare. He was afraid if he touched her she would wake. He lay there watching her sleep for what seemed like forever. He could hold back no longer. He slowly reached out and brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. He tried to blink back the tears that had formed but one escaped and rolled down his cheek as he whispered.

"I never stopped loving you." Chloe stirred in her sleep, turning over so that her back once again was facing Michael. He sighed, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Chloe lay there, she wasn't asleep anymore. She'd woken up about half an hour ago but had continued to pretend she was still asleep. She just wasn't ready to speak to Michael yet. When she'd felt him brush his fingers across her face and tell her he still loved her it had taken all the will power she could muster to continue with the charade. She could feel the tears begin to sting the back of her eyelids so she had had to face the other way, othewise he would have realised.

She felt him get up from the bed and heard him walk towards the window. She opened her eyes just slightly, enough to see that he was staring out of the window with his back towards her. He stood there in the moonlight with one arm folded across his chest, the fingers of his other hand rubbing his lips. He was beautiful. Physically, he had hardly changed at all in the last seven years - his hair was a little longer, he had a few lines around his eyes, but his body was as perfectly toned as it had always been. She was having trouble matching the Marc she knew with the Michael who now stood before her. Marc was such a carefree person, always laughing and smiling. He always knew the right thing to say to cheer her up, to make her feel special, but Michael ... The little she knew of Michael -- he was known as the perfect operative, dedicated to the Section, cold and ruthless.

How could this same man be her Marc? Then of course there was the small matter of Simone, his wife, his dead wife.

She'd been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn't noticed that Michael was no longer looking out of the window but had turned his gaze towards her. It was too late to try and pretend she was still asleep.

"Do you feel ready to talk?" He asked.

"I'm not sure ... I .. there's so much I want to know .. need to know, but I don't know where to start .. what to say ... I'm not sure that I'm ready ..." Chloe came to stand beside Michael.

"But I think that in order for us to get through this mission we have to try."

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

As he turned to face her fully, the moonlight lit up his face and Chloe could now see clearly the tears streaming down his cheeks. She reached up brush them away, tentatively at first, almost afraid to touch him. As her hand cupped his cheek she could feel him press against it and the words escaped her mouth before she realised what she had said.

"Oh, Marc .. I've missed you so much." Her voice was trembling slightly from trying to contain her own tears. He reached out to her, catching her hair between his fingers. She could hold the tears back no longer. As she felt his fingers entwining themselves in her hair and then moving to caress the back of her neck, she closed her eyes.

Hearing her call him Marc was too much for him. He was no longer able to contain himself. He caught her round her slim waist and pulled her to him. Feeling him against her, Chloe let out a small gasp. She opened her mouth to protest, but whatever she was about to say was abruptly cut off by his lips on hers.

The kiss almost took her breath away. How long she'd dreamt of this moment. As she responded, Michael broke the kiss, frightened by the intensity of it and of his overwhelming need for her.

"I'm sorry." He said, turning away. "I shouldn't have ..."

Chloe cut him off. "Its okay. It was inevitable I suppose."

Resisting the temptation to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, *who knows where that might lead to*. She went to sit on the edge of the bed.

"So," she continued, "I suppose you are wondering how on earth I ended up in Section then?"

Michael pulled up a chair so that he sat directly opposite Chloe. Taking hold of both of her hands, he gently caressed the backs with his thumbs.

"Only if you feel ready to tell me."

Affected by his touch, "If you want me to tell you anything, you'd better stop that right now." She smiled as she extracted her hands from his, laughing slightly.

"I'm sorry." Michael replied.

Chloe crossed her arms. "You remember I was working at the Cabinet Office?" Michael nodded.

"Well about 3 months after ..." she trailed off, painful memories of that time causing her to falter slightly. She took a deep breath and continued.

"I was transferred to GCHQ Cheltenham, promoted to section supervisor of the team responsible for surveillance on IRA cells in the Midlands area. One night I was approached by a member of one of the cells, based in Worcester, just south of Birmingham. To make a long story short - I was being paid by them to pass on false information about their activities and in turn pass on information to them which would help them by pass whatever security they needed to get past."

"Why?"

"Why not? What did I have to lose? I'd already lost the only thing that mattered to me." She saw the look of pain that flickered across Michael's face, but she had to tell him the truth. Any other excuse she could have come up with would have just sounded too feeble. He'd never have believed her anyway. He could always tell when she was lying.

"Of course, I got caught. To be honest it was almost a relief, things were starting to get a bit heavy. They were demanding more and more from me, much more than I was able to deliver." She stood up and walked over to stare out of the window.

"I spent a couple of months in Holloway Prison before Section One came along. I may not have had much of a life, but being in prison almost took away what little will to live I had left. Section's offer sounded too good to be true, I didn't need to be asked twice. So 5 years later here I am." She finished as she turned around to face Michael.

Michael couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was all his fault she was in Section. As if reading his mind, Chloe spoke.

"Don't blame yourself Michael, I don't."

"How can you not ? If I had still been with you, you'd still be free."

"The choices that I made were all mine Michael. I made them of my own free will. No one forced me to do anything. I could have said no to the IRA's offer, I could have said no to Section. I could have done any number of things. It's not your fault I'm here Michael, it's mine. I am responsible for my own actions I have only myself to blame."

Michael stood up and went to join Chloe at the window.

"But, if I'd been there you wouldn't have had to make those choices." He reached out, tucking her hair behind her ear. He let his hand rest against the side of her face.

"Michael, not everything is your fault. You don't have to feel guilty about me. What makes you think I'm sorry I'm in section?"

Michael was stunned and it showed. He just stood there staring at her, unable to say anything.

"There are no guarantees in life, Michael. Who knows how things would have turned out had you and I still been together."

"But ..."

Chloe cut him off by placing her fingers on his lips. "But nothing Michael. What happened happened and there's nothing either of us can say that will change the past. We both just have to accept that."

"So, where do we go from here ?" Michael asked, brushing the back of his hand across her cheek.

"I don't know. " Chloe walked away and climbed into bed. "It's been a lot to take in tonight. I need time to think about things. At this moment in time, I'm tired and I need sleep. Can we talk about this when we get back to Section?"

Michael knew there was no pushing the issue tonight; once Chloe made up her mind about something, that was it. There was no point in trying to get her to do something she didn't want to - stubborn was her middle name.

"I guess I need time to think about things too."

Michael walked towards the bed, picking up one of the pillows he dropped it onto the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"I just thought .."

"Don't be stupid Michael. I won't bite you know." Chloe said, smiling.

"I didn't think you'd want me to."

"Just get into bed Michael. For one thing, how would it look if someone came in and saw you sleeping on the floor? We are supposed to be a passionate newly married couple and," Chloe took a deep breath, "I want you to, I ... I just want you to hold me."

Michael didn't need to be asked twice. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her in his arms. He climbed into bed beside her, pulling her towards him. Chloe laid her head on his chest.

"Good night Michael."

Michael kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.

"Good night Chloe."

They were both asleep within minutes. Tonight the nightmares never came for Michael. Tonight he slept peacefully for the first time in a long time.

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

The mission was completed successfully so Chloe and Michael were debriefing with Helen.

"Everything went well I trust?" Helen asked, looking from Michael to Chloe.

"Yes, perfectly." Chloe answered.

"No problems at all?"

Chloe stole a quick glance at Michael before answering Helen. "Like I said, it went perfectly. Chesters has the disk."

"If you're sure there's nothing else, then that will be all. You can go."

Chloe was beginning to wonder what the rush was with Helen. The older woman obviously had something on her mind. Chloe stood up, anxious to get out of there; she wasn't planning on sticking around to find out what was bothering Helen.

"Chloe, could you stay? There's something I'd like to speak to you about."

*Damn! Too late.* Plastering a smile across her face, Chloe turned to face Helen.

"Sure, whatever."

Helen waited until Michael had gone before continuing.

"So how did you get along with Michael?"

"Fine, he's okay."

"Just okay?" Helen raised one eyebrow.

Chloe sighed. "What is your point Helen?"

"You two seem to be very close, considering you've only just met."

"I think you're imagining things, we get on okay, that's it."

"Really?"

"Yes! Really."

"I only have your best interests in mind. Remember Michael is only here for a short time, I don't want you getting . . . attached."

Chloe was beginning to feel uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading. The sooner she got out of there the better.

"If there's nothing else Helen, I'd like to go and get cleaned up."

"That will be all. For now."

* * * *

As she got to her office Chloe ran into Ali.

"Chloe, you just get back?"

"Yeah. Listen I'm just going to grab a quick shower before I write up my report, do you want to come over tonight?"

"Sounds good to me. We haven't had a girls' night for ages."

"I'll see you about 8 then."

Refreshed after her shower, Chloe sat down at her desk to type up her report on the complete mission. It wasn't going very well as she was finding it difficult to concentrate on the matter at hand. Her thoughts kept drifting to Michael. She kept wondering what she was going to say to him when he wanted to talk. With Helen already suspicious, maybe now wasn't such a good time. Better to wait until she found something else to occupy her mind. Just then, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

It was Michael.

"Have you nearly finished your report?" He asked.

"I'll be a while with it yet." She knew where he was going with this. She thought maybe she could stall him for a while.

"I thought maybe ..." he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I could take you out to dinner tonight."

Chloe picked up a pen and started to play with it, and avoiding eye contact, she told him, "I already have plans for this evening."

"I see."

She could tell he was disappointed, but this gave her time to not only deflect Helen's suspicions, but to decide for herself exactly what she wanted from him.

Michael stood there for a moment or two, wondering why Chloe was having this sudden change of heart. He had thought she would be anxious to sort things out. He knew he was. He was only going to be here a short time and he wanted to make the most of the time they would have. He didn't want to think about what was going to happen in 6 months' time. He only knew that Chloe was here and he'd been given a second chance to be with her and he didn't want to waste it.

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you wanted to talk . . . about us."

"I do . . . It's just that I promised Ali . . . maybe tomorrow."

"If that's what you want." Michael turned and left.

What she wanted was to throw him down on her desk and have him right there, but that wasn't going to solve anything. Chloe shook her head to try and rid her mind of such thoughts, that was not going to help her get this report finished.

* * * *

"So, are you going to tell me where you've been all evening?" Ali asked.

Chloe looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your body might be here, but your mind has been elsewhere . . . care to explain?"

"Sorry, is it that obvious?" Chloe laughed.

"Just a touch." Ali grinned, "So come on then, spill."

Ali was Chloe's best friend in Section. The two of them had been recruited within weeks of each other and had become pretty close. There wasn't much one didn't know about the other. If there was one person Chloe could trust, it was Ali.

"You remember I told you about Marc."

"Ah, yes the pig that jilted y . . . have you seen him?"

"You could say that."

Ali was a little confused. "Well have you or haven't you?"

"Marc is in Section."

Ali's eyes widened. She looked stunned. "How? When? Oh my god, don't tell me, it's Michael isn't it? That's why you ran out of the briefing when he arrived."

Chloe was so relieved at finally being able to tell someone. Once she started, it all came tumbling out. Ali sat there, mouth agape, while Chloe told her all that had been said during the mission.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"That's the problem, well one of them, I don't know."

"This is so romantic, you two being re-united. It must be fate."

"Ali, this is Section One remember, not exactly the place where romance is encouraged."

"Don't you think you deserve some happiness, even if it's just for a short while? None of us ever know how long we have." Ali leaned forward and looked Chloe square in the eyes. "I don't want to sound too morbid, but you could both be killed tomorrow, so don't worry about what might happen in the future. You can't afford to do that in Section. You should just take what you can get."

"I thought that at first but neither of us are the same people we were seven years ago. We've both changed. From what I know about his time in Section, Michael has been through a lot."

"And you haven't?" Ali challenged.

"There is also the small matter of Helen. She was asking me some odd questions when we got back."

"So what's new?"

"Okay, so more odd than usual. I think she's suspicious about me and Michael already."

"So you're going to let Helen stop you from being with Michael ?"

"It's hardly a small detail that can just be ignored now is it?"

"True." Ali conceded. "But if it's something that you both really want I'm sure you can find someway around it. As long as you're careful, after a while Helen will find something else to worry about."

"Maybe you're right."

"I usually am." Ali grinned.

"Do you want some more wine?" Chloe asked as she stood and walked over to the fridge.

Ali drained the remains of her glass before speaking,

"Sure, sounds good to me."

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Expecting someone?" Ali asked.

Chloe shook her head. She hesitated before answering the door.

"Michael!" Chloe was a little suprised.

"May I come in?"

Chloe stood back to allow him to enter her apartment.

Ali scrambled to her feet, and made her way toward the door. Placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder, she whispered. "Just remember what I said, you hear? I'll see you tomorrow."

Closing the door behind Ali, Chloe took a deep breath before joining Michael. She'd made up her mind what she was going to tell him, she only hoped that he'd come to the same conclusion.

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

Michael was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your evening. I thought Ali would have left by now."

"Well once the two of us get started there's no stopping us. If you hadn't turned up we would have been rabbiting until the wee small hours."

Chloe bent down to retrieve Ali's empty glass from the floor. Placing it and her own in the kitchen sink she wondered how long Michael was planning on standing in the middle of the room. Unable to stand the silence much longer Chloe spoke.

"So, are you going to go first or shall I?"

Michael smiled slightly before speaking, "Straight to the point as always Chloe, I'm glad to see that hasn't changed."

"Well we both know why you're here, there doesn't seem much point in skirting around the issue for the next half an hour or so, does there?"

Chloe made her way out of the kitchen and into the living area. Michael still stood in the middle of the room, his eyes never leaving her.

"If you stand there much longer Michael you'll take root. For goodness sake, sit down."

Michael removed his coat and placed it over the back of one of the chairs. He then sat down opposite Chloe. He ran his fingers through his hair; he couldn't believe how nervous he was about this. He'd been running through what he wanted to say to her over and over on his way here, but now his mind was a complete blank. He didn't know where to start. What if she didn't feel the same anymore? There was only one way to find out.

"This all seemed so much easier in my head on the way over here." Michael confessed.

Chloe reached out and took hold of his hand. "There's no rush. I'm not going anywhere, just take your time."

Michael smiled. Looking into her eyes made him believe anything was possible. He placed his other hand over hers, rubbing his thumb across her fingers. Meeting her gaze, he spoke.

"For the last seven years I've lived my life split in two. I became Michael, whilst Marc was someone I kept hidden away inside. He was always there with me but I never let anyone else see him. Whenever anyone got close I'd bury him so deep it was hard for me to show my feelings. I couldn't explain who I really was." He paused before asking, "Am I making any sense?"

Chloe nodded, so Michael continued.

"With you it's different. You know who I am. Who I was. I feel like a great weight has been lifted, I feel relief. You understand what it means to be in the Section. I've lost everyone I've ever loved. When I saw you again I couldn't believe it. I didn't dare hope that I had been given a second chance. I don't want to lose you a second time. For as long as we have, I want us to be together." He hesitated. "That is if that's what you want."

Chloe placed her hand on his cheek. "There's just one small problem with that." She said. "It's called Helen."

"Does she know?"

"No, she doesn't know about our past. But she's suspicious. She knows me too well, she knows there's something, she's just not sure what."

"So are you saying your answer is no?" Michael asked anxiously.

"No, there's nothing I want more. I'm just saying we're going to have to be careful." Chloe's stomach did a somersault when she saw the smile that spread across Michael's face on hearing her answer. Her eyes began to fill with tears when she remembered the last time she had seen that smile. The day he proposed.

When he saw that Chloe was about to cry, his smiled disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"Nothing, I was just remembering . . ." She trailed off. "If we are going to make this work, we're going to have to take it one day at a time. We should just accept what each of us is capable of giving. We have to be honest, with ourselves and each other. There is no point in making promises for the future, we just have to live for today. Ali told me earlier that none of us ever know how long we have in Section, that there is no point in worrying about the future. I think she's right."

"Remind me to thank Ali later."

Michael leaned forward and pressed his lips to Chloe's. Just that brief contact sent a jolt of electricity through her. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment.

Michael reached out and holding her face in his hands he moved forward to kiss her again. Chloe responded, parting her lips. He traced the outline of her lips with his tongue. As the kiss became more intense he pulled her onto his lap. His fingers entwined themselves in her hair as he traced a line of kisses along her jawline.

Chloe straddled his lap, letting her head fall back as he kissed the hollow at the base of her throat. Her hands moved up his arms and across his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath her fingers. She continued moving downwards across his taut stomach. When her fingers reached his waistband she began tugging at his sweater. She slid her hands under the soft wool. His smooth skin was hot beneath her fingertips as she ran them across his abdomen and around to his back.

Michael's tongue continued its journey from the base of her throat, and when he reached the low v-neck of her T-shirt, he paused. As his hands reached beneath the hem of her T-shirt his mouth reclaimed hers. His tongue darted in and out of her mouth, licking the inside of her top lip before plunging deeper. Chloe threaded her fingers through his hair, returning the kiss with equal intensity. She felt her whole body tingle as his hands moved up the side of her body and began massaging the muscles in her back.

Chloe broke the kiss to raise her arms to allow him to remove her T-shirt. Michael brought his hands to rest on her shoulders, his fingers drawing a line across her collar bone then slowly moving down to cup her breasts. Chloe moaned as his thumbs grazed across her nipples. Michael bent to take one in his mouth, his tongue circling it whilst he gently kneaded the other. Chloe arched towards him pulling his head closer to her.

Michael kissed his way back up to her mouth. He slid his hands underneath her buttocks, bringing her closer to him and as he stood up she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her towards the bedroom.

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

The sun broke through the gap in the curtains, it was warm on her face. As Chloe rolled over onto her back she flung one arm across her face shielding her eyes, while her other hand instinctively went to the chain around her neck, playing with the little silver heart.

Michael had returned to Section headquarters nearly 3 weeks ago. She smiled as she remembered his last night, when he had given her the gift. It was a silver Tiffany open heart. He wanted her to have it because his heart was always open to her, he'd said.

She'd been surprised at how often they'd actually been able to be together. She was sure that Helen had her suspicions about them, but she'd never said anything to either of them. They'd been careful. When he left there had been no promises to keep in touch, or vows to try and meet again. They both knew how impossible that was, although both secretly knew that the other would be keeping a discreet eye on each. They'd known at the beginning that this could only last as long as Michael was in the UK sub station. She was just grateful that she'd had the chance to say goodbye and hoped that one day they would meet again.

The ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts; it was Helen telling her to come in.

* * * *

As she entered Helen's office, Chloe spoke.

"You wanted to see me."

"Yes, please sit down." Helen replied, gesturing to the chair to Chloe's right. "I suppose you're wondering why I called you in."

"I'll admit I was a little curious. I know there isn't a mission planned." Chloe didn't like to go in to see Helen unprepared so she quizzed Chesters on her way in.

"It appears you made quite an impression on our visitor."

"What do you mean?" Chloe was getting a little nervous about where this conversation was headed.

Helen sensed Chloe's nervousness, "There's no need to worry. I've just received a copy of Michael's report on his time here, he had some very complimentary things to say about you."

Chloe could feel her face getting warm. She hoped she wasn't blushing.

"In fact," Helen continued, "It seems he was so impressed by your abilities he made a recommendation to Operations to have you transferred."

"Where to?" Somewhere nice and warm perhaps, Chloe thought to herself.

"Michael thought that you and he made a good team and he's recommended that you transfer to the main Section."

Chloe was stunned, she couldn't think of anything to say. She finally managed to stutter,

"Wh... when?"

"You'll be leaving tomorrow morning, I suggest you go home and pack."

The End .. for now!

Send suggestions and comments to ranma.
OR
If you would like to send a comment to Chloe, click HERE!