Typical, just typical. She should have known he'd do something like this. She would have been angry with him - SHOULD have been - if she wasn't looking forward to seeing him again so much. The past three weeks hadn't exactly been easy, what with trying to get used to him not being around anymore; to not feeling the heat of his body next to hers; to him not being the first thing she saw in the morning - well, MOST mornings. Granted, it had been easier than the first time; at least she was prepared - she knew where he was, and, more importantly, why he'd gone.

They'd both tried so hard the last six months to convince themselves, and each other, that they could be happy with just that. Even though they knew this could only last for as long as he was at the Liverpool sub station, that it would be enough.

His last night had been both wonderful and painful. Neither of them had said much, not with words, at any rate. They had spent the entire night making love. During their final mutual climax each had clung to the other desperately, afraid to let go. When Chloe had awoken the next morning, Michael had gone. They had agreed it was better this way. Their bodies and minds had said their goodbyes that night - to have had to say the words out loud, in the cold light of day, would have hurt too much.

So, after spending the last three weeks putting what little life she had back into some sort of order, a couple of hours earlier Helen had promptly turned her life upside down again announcing that she was being transferred. She was on her way to Section One Headquarters at Michael's request.

* * * *

Arriving in Section about half an hour prior, Chloe now found herself in Madeline's office, being given the 'welcome to Section' talk. It was a very bleak office, white and stark, not exactly a place where a normal person would enjoy spending time. Chloe figured it was best to just play the game and get out of there as soon as possible.

"You have an excellent record, Chloe, but you have to understand that more will be expected of you here," Madeline began. Chloe was about to say she realised this, but Madeline continued, "However, I'm sure that won't be a problem. Michael seems very impressed with your abilities." She paused again, to smile, "but then you already knew that."

Chloe wasn't really sure how to take that last remark - there was something about Madeline that made her feel slightly uneasy. She might have been smiling but Chloe knew she wasn't being friendly. *She's fishing* thought Chloe.

"Yes, Helen told me about his report."

"He is of the opinion that you both work well as a team, so well in fact that he convinced us that you should be transferred. I hope his judgement is not misplaced."

"I won't let you down, Madeline," Chloe said aloud, thinking, *She's definitely on a fishing expedition...*

"I'm not the one about whom you should be concerned regarding your performance," Madeline said, and this time, there was more warmth in her words. "The briefing for your upcoming mission will be at 7:30 A.M. tomorrow. Vivienne will meet you at transport and escort you to your apartment."

Taking this as her dismissal Chloe stood, thanking Madeline. As she reached the door Chloe suddenly realised she didn't remember how to get back to transport. Section was infinitely more vast than the small sub-station to which she'd been accustomed. Just as she was about to inform Madeline of this the door opened and Madeline spoke.

"Russell will show you the way back down to van access."

Russell made polite conversation as he led Chloe through the maze of passages, handing her over to Vivienne at van access.

* * * *

Her apartment was very spacious and bare - she wondered who had been responsible for the decor. Whoever had been, they didn't have much of an imagination. However, this was probably a good thing, as it meant she had a nice blank slate with which to work. She was going to enjoy making this place her own.

Finally able to relax, Chloe found her mind wandering to Michael. She had been mildly disappointed not to have seen him during her brief visit to Section, but then she wasn't exactly expecting him to have been waiting for her at transport with a bunch of flowers and a welcoming embrace. No doubt he was off on a mission in some far-flung country - she'd probably see him at the briefing tomorrow morning.

She wondered what he was like here, at Section. The Michael she'd known at the sub-station had been very different from the man who had disappeared from her life one day seven years ago. Smiling to herself, she amended that last thought. *Except when we were alone together.* Then, he was as loving and caring as she remembered. He was her Marc. Back at the sub-station or out on a mission both Michael and Chloe had the ability to switch off and he once again he became Michael, Section One's best. She understood that and accepted it. It was the only way to survive. It would not do to be too familiar under the watchful eye of Helen. Granted, the Liverpool sub-station had a somewhat relaxed attitude towards relationships between operatives - they were tolerated unless they started to interfere with an operative's effectiveness. However, Chloe and Michael's relationship was very different to the rest - they they had something the others didn't. They had a past. A past before Section.

The complaining of her stomach brought Chloe out of her reverie. *Don't suppose there's any food in this place,* she thought to herself. A quick inspection of the fridge and the cupboards confirmed this. Grabbing her coat and her keys Chloe decided to go and investigate her new surroundings.

* * * *

Not unusually for Chloe she'd managed to come back from shopping with 2 bags full of food and still had nothing with which to make a meal. She laughed, remembering how it used to drive Mar-- Michael mad - he'd say it was her way of making him take her out to dinner.

She opened the bottle of red wine whilst she decided what she could possibly eat from the hotch potch of items with which she'd ended up. Still not sure what had possessed her to buy eight yoghurts, she plumped for the cottage cheese with pineapple and a couple of ryvita's and plonked herself down on the sofa.

As was becoming the habit, her thoughts drifted to Michael. What was to become of them, now that she was here? She knew it couldn't be the same as it had been in Liverpool. From what she'd heard about Madeline and Operations she knew that things would not run smoothly. They had far more strict ideas on the involvements between operatives, but Chloe was just happy to be near Michael again.

Glancing at her watch, she hadn't realised it was so late. Probably wise to get plenty of sleep, she thought. She had a feeling she'd need her wits about her at the briefing tomorrow.

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

As Chloe made her way to the briefing area, the other operatives were already gathering. Michael was not amongst them. *Probably be here in a minute,* she thought as she sat down in one of the vacant chairs. Glancing along the line of operatives assembled in front of her, from the things Michael had told her, she tried to put names to the faces. The young guy with the glasses just had to be Birkoff and somehow she didn't think the ponytailed older man was Operations - he must be Walter.

The clicking of heels heralded the approach of Madeline, closely followed by Operations. Still no Michael. Picking up the remote Operations activated the holographic screen and began the briefing.

The image of a burning plane appeared on the screen as Operations listed a number of incidents - perpetrated by the Freedom League - which were, it was suspected, in retaliation for Section's incineration of one of their locations over six months ago. Walter muttered something. Chloe couldn't quite make out what it was he'd said, but whatever it was didn't go down too well with Operations.

"Did you have something to contribute, Walter?" Operations said sternly, as he glared at Walter.

In an effort to relieve the air of tension Chloe interjected, "Do we have new intel on the location of their headquarters?"

Turning back to the screen, Operations brought up the image of Stuart Sherrin and began to explain his background. Sherrin was the proprietor of a resort in Thailand providing prostitution, drugs and outlawed gambling to an elite and perverse clientele.

Madeline supplied further details. "Recreation isn't Sherrin's only business - he launders money. Sherrin acts as a firewall to isolate terrorists from their transactions - buying weapons, contracting players."

"There are dozens of men like Sherrin - why do we think he's in business with the Freedom League?" Chloe asked.

Birkoff explained the pattern he'd discovered when he'd backed into some of Sherrin's off-shore accounts. That within two days of each of the last six Freedom League hits large deposits were made into them.

Operations signalled the end of the briefing by informing everyone that all teams would be reporting to Chloe. *Great! Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end!* Chloe thought. She remained at the briefing table for a few moments, watching the other operatives drift back to their respective work areas. Pushing her chair away from the table Chloe stood up,sighing silently. *Better go and introduce myself to the troops.*

She sauntered over to where Walter was hap-hazardly picking up various items from his workbench before throwing them back down again in disgust, whilst at the same time muttering under his breath. She watched him for a moment or two, trying to work out what it was he was busy mumbling about. She figured it was connected to the earlier incident during the briefing.

"Walter." She waited for him to look up. Realising that he was too wrapped up in what he was doing to notice her standing there, she tried again, a little louder this time. "Walter!"

"What?" he snapped, his face softening when he looked up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off." A mischievious grin spread across his face as he continued, "So what can I do for you?"

Handing him the PDA Chloe smiled back, "Here's the inventory for the upcoming mission to Thailand."

"Is that all?" he said, feigning disappointment. "Here was me thinking you were after my body."

With a quick glance around, Chloe moved to stand next to Walter. She placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "I'll come back for that later."

Walter laughed, "Anytime, babe." Composing himself he asked, "So - how are you settling in?"

"Well, to be honest, I've not had the chance to even think about it. Yesterday morning I was in Liverpool wondering what delight Helen had in store for me. The next thing I know, I'm on my way here."

"Ah, so you've had the joy of working with Michael, then?" All traces of the earlier lightheartedness present in Walter's tone were now gone.

Chloe decided to play dumb. Now that she had Walter on the subject of Michael, maybe she could find out where he was - and when he'd be back. "So I take it you and Michael don't get on, then."

"Yeah, you could say that." He sounded bitter. Picking up the PDA, he headed off towards munitions, saying over his shoulder, "I'll have this ready for you to go in about an hour." He then pulled the grating down, effectively dismissing Chloe.

*Hmmm, so much for that idea,* she thought. Thrusting her hands in her pockets, she made her way to systems - time to meet Birkoff.

* * * *

"Am I okay to use this terminal?" Chloe asked Birkoff.

"Yeah, sure." He replied.

Logging onto the terminal, Chloe began to put together the finishing touches on the mission parameters, using the details provided by the profiler, Saffron. It seemed like a fairly straightforward mission. Ted would go in posing as Peter Andersson, security advisor to one of Sherrin's contacts. This would then give him the opportunity to tag one of Sherrin's men to enable Birkoff to pinpoint an exact location for Sherrin. The rest of the team would enter after that, flushing Sherrin to allow Ted to pick him up. Sherrin would then have the dubious pleasure of spending a few hours in the company of Madeline.

"Birkoff, could you bring me up the schematics of Sherrin's club?" Chloe asked.

Wordlessly, with only a curt nod to acknowledge that he'd heard Chloe's request, Birkoff complied, all-business.

Chloe was beginning to get the distinct impression that Birkoff wasn't exactly overjoyed at having her there. She was too tired to play games - mornings weren't exactly her favourite time of day, so she just came right out and asked him.

"Have I said or done something to offend you?"

A little startled by her question, Birkoff abruptly replied, "No." He then stood up and made his way over to another terminal.

Not satisfied with this answer, Chloe got up and followed him. Standing in front of him with her arms folded across her chest, she blocked his way. "OK then, so why do I get the impression that I'm about as welcome here as a bad smell?" she asked, gesturing around Section.

"Don't know what you mean," Birkoff replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Sure you don't. That's why you've hardly said two words to me since I got here and even when you have I'd say you were stretching the limits of civility." She paused but Birkoff made no effort to reply. "Well?" she prompted.

"You're imagining things." He made to walk away but Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from a clean getaway.

"Sorry, but I don't think so." Removing her hand before continuing, Chloe said, "It's to do with Michael, isn't it?"

Birkoff looked her straight in the eye, but glanced away nervously as he spoke. "No."

She could tell he was lying - she was determined to get the truth out of him so she pressed on.

"Really? So the fact that Michael requested my transfer here has absolutely nothing to do with the way Walter behaved the moment I mentioned his name. You're also trying to tell me that the cold shoulder treatment I've been getting from you is just--" She paused looking for the right words, "--mere coincidence. That you've not been taking your feelings for Michael out on me?"

"Look, the less said about him, the happier we'll all be."

This time when he was determined to escape, she let him, but not before saying, "Things aren't always as they seem, Birkoff. You've been here long enough to know that." With that parting remark she left him to his work and went off in search of the rest of her team.

* * * *

The mission had concluded successfully, Sherrin had been returned to Section and Madeline had persuaded him, in her unique way, to divulge details of the Freedom League Headquarters.

Chloe sank down on her sofa, sighing. Even though she'd spent only a night in this apartment, she now thought of it as home. She'd had to spend the last few nights in Section - waiting for the team to arrive in Thailand and waiting for their return with Sherrin. Things had been a little easier with Birkoff after their conversation, but she wouldn't exactly call their relationship friendly - more like a working truce. Maybe with time, things would improve - maybe when Michael returned from wherever he was, Birkoff would stop taking out his problem with Michael on HER. Not that she wished he would take it out on Michael - she just wished... hell, she just wished Michael was there.

Fearing if she got into a bath she'd fall asleep and wake up looking like a prune, she opted for a quick shower, then crawled into bed. She was just drifting off to sleep and beginning a rather nice dream that involved Michael and massage oil when she was awakened by a knocking at the door. *Maybe if I ignore it, whoever it is will go away.*

Unfortunately, this wasn't the case - whoever it was, they were persistent. Throwing back the covers, Chloe peered at the clock - 2:30 A.M. *Whoever this is had better have a damn good excuse for getting me up at this hour.* She grabbed her robe and made her way to the front door. Putting the latch on she slowly opened the door. She was about to say, "Have you any idea what the time is?" but she only got as far as "Ha-- " before she stopped when she saw who it was.

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

Before her stood a vision in black.

"Michael," she whispered, her eyes widening in surprise.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Chloe moved back, allowing him to enter.

He stepped into the room, carefully closing the door behind him and making certain it was locked, his eyes never leaving Chloe's face - he was drawn into her, magnetized by her stare.

Chloe found she was holding her breath, almost afraid to move for fear that it was only a dream and would dissipate if she tried to inch closer. She needn't have worried - Michael took a step toward her, then another and another, his mind remembering what his body had felt the first time he'd held her to him.

He reached out towards her, capturing the copper strands of hair and letting them wrap around him. It felt like silk as it slid over and through his fingers.

His eyes traced the features of her face, drinking in the sight of her. His hand moved to brush softly against her cheek - entwining his fingers further into her hair, gently massaging the side of her scalp. His eyes finally ended their journey as they locked with hers.

The combination of Michael's intense gaze and gentle caresses were overwhelming. She could feel her whole body tingle as the butterflies in her stomach began their elegant dance.

As he rubbed her cheekbone with his thumb he whispered, "I missed you."

Chloe smiled as she placed her hand on his firm chest - she could feel his muscles flex in reaction to her exploring fingers. "I missed you too," she replied, as she moved towards him, closing the gap between them - close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

Michael cupped her face in his hands and gently brushed his lips against hers. There was no urgency about it. He intended to take things slowly, to savour every moment. Chloe instinctively parted her lips as he traced their outline with the tip of his tongue, occasionally darting between but not invading. His left hand moved between them to slip around her waist, beneath her robe, pulling her hard against him.

His mouth became more insistent, his tongue forcing its way deeper into her. With his fingers on her bare skin and his tongue hinting at what was to come, Chloe's senses were reeling. Her knees were weakening and she grasped his upper arms for support. Michael ceased his assault on her mouth and began nipping along her jaw line moving to her neck. Chloe let her head fall back, allowing him greater access.

Reaching the throbbing pulse at the base of her neck, he captured it between his soft lips and sucked gently. Chloe's breathing was becoming laboured and as he nipped at the spot where her neck met her shoulder she breathed in sharply.

Suddenly Chloe grabbed Michael's shoulders, pushing him away. He looked at her startled, wondering what he'd done wrong. A puzzled expression formed when he noticed she was wrinkling her nose in disgust and sniffing occasionally.

"Chloe? Cher? What's wrong?" He asked, breathlessly.

An almost embarrassed smile spread across her face, "Um, I'm not really sure how to put this, but...um..." She paused, tucking a stray curl behind his ear. "When was the last time you had a shower, Michael?" Michael just looked confused. Then it dawned on him.

Chloe continued, "As much as I've missed you and love having you in my arms again, I do have to say " she paused, "you stink."

He'd been away for almost a week in the wilds of Afghanistan. Personal hygiene had not exactly been top of the list of priorities. When he'd returned to Section he knew Chloe had arrived and after debriefing the only thought in his mind was that he needed to see her. Now here he was still in his mission gear, and not exactly smelling of roses. Trying to pull her back to him, he just grinned - he didn't care. What he *did* care about was right here, in front of him, in his arms.

"Uh, uh. Sorry, but that's not going to work. There's only one place for you. The shower!" Placing her hands on his shoulders she turned him around so that he faced in the direction of the bathroom. Giving him a small pat on his butt to help him on his way. "Go on. It's down the hall, second door on the left."

Chloe stood admiring the view as he sauntered off towards the bathroom. When he reached the door he paused. Turning back to look at Chloe, a mischievous grin slowly spreading across his face he asked, "So - will you be coming to scrub my back?"

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

The water pelted down on the back of his neck, the force of the spray massaging his muscles as he stood there letting the water wash over him. The noise of the shower prevented him from hearing Chloe enter the bathroom, but he was aware the moment she joined him. He lifted his head and swept his hair back off his face as he turned around.

For a moment Chloe held her breath as she drank in the sight of him. Watching the water as it ran in small rivers over the contours of his body, just the thought of her fingers following those same watery paths excited her.

Michael reached out to her tracing his fingers along her collar bone. He gazed into her eyes. Seeing his own desire reflected in her emerald pools, his fingers continued their journey downwards. As they traveled through the valley between her full breasts, the back of his hand brushed against one of them, her nipple hardening in response. His hand finally coming to rest on her hip, he started to pull her towards him. Chloe was mesmerised by his intense gaze, and the sensations that just the lightest of touches had caused were electrifying. As Michael closed the gap between them she halted him, placing her finger on his upper chest. A sultry smile spreading across her face, she whispered, "Be patient." Trailing her finger lower, grazing his skin ever so slightly, she scratched him with her long fingernails, her smile widening seeing his nipple spring to attention with the passing of her nail. "After all," she continued. "I do believe you wanted me to scrub your back."

Meeting her gaze, Michael smiled slowly. The wicked glint in her eyes sent jolt of desire down his spine as he anticipated her touch against his skin. Turning slowly to face the spray he braced himself against the shower wall and gave himself over to Chloe's attentions.

Reaching for the shower gel Chloe quickly lathered up the large natural sponge in her hand. She slowly began to move the sponge across the hard, smooth muscles of his back, starting at his shoulders with small circular movements which were gradually getting larger, moving lower. She alternated the sweeping movement of the sponge with the gentle kneading of her fingers. She delighted in the feel of velvety smooth skin beneath her probing fingers.

Michael relaxed under her ministrations, the gentle massaging of the sponge banishing the tiredness from his muscles. A small moan escaped his lips as Chloe switched her attentions elsewhere. As the soapy sponge glided across his chest, Chloe leaned in closer to enable her to reach around. This action caused her breasts to come into brief contact with his back. Michael pushed back, trying to increase the friction.

"Chloe..." he pleaded breathlessly. The feel of her body sliding against him was not enough. He need to touch her, explore her soft curves, feel her body yielding to his.

Dropping the sponge, she reached around to caress his chest, gently rubbing her palms across his nipples at the same time she pressed her own hardened peaks into his back. Leaving one hand to roll one taut nub between her finger and thumb, her other hand traveled south. Sliding slowly down his hard flat abdomen, she paused at the curls guarding his manhood.

Michael moaned as her fingers encircled his throbbing shaft. Her hand began slowly moving along his hardened length as he thrust his hips forward trying to increase the pace. When she swirled the tip of her finger over the head Michael could stand the exquisite torture no longer. Turning to face her he grabbed Chloe about the waist and pulled her hard against him. She opened her mouth to protest but she was cut off as he claimed it with a hungry, urgent kiss.

Chloe gripped his shoulders to steady herself, then slid her hands up into his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. She whimpered as he cupped one breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb across her nipple. His other hand moved down from her waist to her buttocks, pressing her against the evidence of his mounting desire. Breaking the kiss he dipped his head, taking the hardened bud in his mouth. She arched against him, tangling her fingers further into his hair.

"Oh .. ah Michael!" she forced out breathlessly, as he parted her lower lips and entered her with one finger. A second soon followed as she squirmed against his probing fingers. His thumb caressing her sensitive nub caused a small moan to escape her lips. It quickly turned to a cry of protest as he withdrew his fingers and his mouth left her breast. However, the protest was soon forgotten as he kissed his way down her stomach. Kneeling before her he placed both hands on her hips. Swirling his tongue in small circles across her abdomen, his mouth continued its journey to her very core.

His intimate caresses had brought her close to the edge and she guided his head lower, desperate for him to take her over the brink with his talented tongue. He paused at the entrance to her femininity and lifted his head to gaze up at her. Her head was thrown back in sensual abandon, her chest heaved as she struggled to control her ragged breathing. She was beautiful. At that moment Michael gave thanks to whatever higher power had been responsible for giving them this second chance.

Slowly, the realisation he had stopped penetrated Chloe's senses. Wondering at the cause she glanced down and met his gaze. It was a gaze filled with desire and love. "Michael " she begged, "Please ".

He placed a series of soft wet kisses along the edge of her triangle of curls, prolonging the sweet agony before finally giving into her demands and plunging his tongue between her soft folds. She could feel the tension building, as his tongue danced around inside her, spreading out from her core to the tips of her toes. Sensing she was close to the edge, he swirled his tongue around her swollen bud before fastening his mouth around it and sucking gently.

"Ohh .. yes " she moaned. "Michael ...please ...I need ... " the rest of the sentence lost as the first wave of her orgasm crashed over her. She gripped his shoulders to steady herself as she felt her knees begin to buckle. With the spray from the shower still crashing in waves upon him, Michael continued to lap at her, darting inside, finally pushing her towards a shuddering climax, feeling her walls convulsing around his tongue.

He kissed his way back up her body, while his hands gently traced small circles up and down her spine. Gathering her to him he claimed her lips in a deep, languorous kiss.

Breaking away, he stepped out of he shower and bent to sweep her up into his arms. As he carried her to the bedroom, she nipped her way along his jaw line. He let out a low moan when she captured the skin where his neck met his shoulder between her teeth. Biting gently, she then soothed it, swirling her tongue over the sensitive area.

Kneeling on the bed, he bent over her, his hands reverently tracing over the contours of her body, whilst his desire-filled eyes remained locked with hers. She reached for him, pulling him down on top of her. Pressing herself against his hard length she rolled him over and sat up straddling his thighs. Her lips burned a hot trail down his stomach, Michael's hands bunching in the sheets as she ran her tongue from the base of his throbbing member, swirling around the tip - his hips bucked involuntarily. When she took him in her mouth, it took all the self control he could muster to hold back.

Raising herself up, she took him in her hand and guided him towards her nether lips. She rubbed his tip along her softness. Biting her bottom lip, she slowly eased him inside, inch by inch. He luxuriated in the feel of her velvety softness, the silky glide of each gaining movement. Placing her hands on his chest, she held herself motionless as her internal muscles adjusted to his size. Slowly she began rocking her hips against his, drawing herself up until just his tip remained inside before thrusting down at the same deliberate pace. She continued with this whilst lavashing attention on his nipple, taking it between her teeth again.

"Chlo .." he pleaded, moaning when she just smiled wickedly.

The sweet torment that her unhurried movements were inflicting upon him was becoming almost too much for him to bear. He reached for her, flipping her over onto her back, allowing him to take charge of the rhythm.

"I think I've been patient long enough," he whispered hoarsely, before claiming her lips with a searing kiss.

Returning the kiss with equal ferocity, she ran her hands down the smooth muscles of his back coming to rest on his firm buttocks, pulling him deeper. He began with slow deep strokes, gradually increasing the pace. Breaking the kiss to nip and lick his way along her throat, his strokes became faster and more insistent. Chloe pushed her hips upwards matching him thrust for thrust, molding her body to his. She whimpered softly as he rotated his hips grinding himself deeper into her.

She sank her nails into his flesh, letting out a low, throaty moan when she felt him jump inside her. Taking his face in her hands she looked deep into his eyes. Seeing the naked love and desire within, unbidden tears sprang into her eyes. He was so beautiful - the pain she'd experienced during their separation came flooding back and she drew him to her for a hungry kiss. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, clinging desperately to him, pulling him deeper within her as she felt the beginnings of her sweet release building.

"Michael, now..." she moaned. "Ah... close...."

Gathering her to him he sat back on his haunches. He thrust faster, deeper, crying out as she clenched her internal muscles around him, the first wave of her orgasm erupting from within. Clutching her tightly to him, gasping her name as he plunged deeper, their bodies fused together, he didn't know where he ended and she began. Chloe barely had time to recover from her first orgasm when she felt the flutterings of her second as Michael exploded within her.

"Je t'aime..." he whispered hoarsely. He clutched her so tightly, so fiercely that he almost could not breathe as he convulsed inside of her, letting her feel the power of the emotion she invoked within him.

As they both floated down from the heights of ecstacy, Michael gently laid Chloe back down. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand gently caressed her face, brushing her still damp hair back off her forehead and placing soft kisses on her eyelids, her nose and finally her lips.

Still sheathed within her velvet softness he rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. "Mon coeur, tu me compléte," he declared breathlessly, his hands softly stroking the curve of her spine. He reached out, grabbing the corner of the duvet and pulling it over them, sighing contentedly as Chloe pressed gentle kisses to his chest.

Chloe raised herself up slightly to brush her lips against his, she gazed deep into his eyes. "I love you, Michael," she whispered before snuggling down against his chest, drifting happily off to sleep with Michael not far behind.

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

Michael was the first to awake, his internal alarm clock rousing him at the normal time of 5.30AM. Usually he'd be showered and changed and at Section by 6.30AM but that was because he had no reason to remain at home. Although Michael could never have been described as a social man, he preferred the distraction that busying himself at Section brought. The distraction from his own thoughts - immersing himself in mission profiles and reports - meant he didn't have time to reflect on his life, on his losses.

This morning was different, very different. He would have been more than happy to remain here in bed with Chloe all day, showing her just how thankful he was to have her back in his life. He knew how unrealistic that was, but he'd settle for a couple more hours until they had to go in for the briefing for the latest mission.

Propping himself up on one elbow he took pleasure in just watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful. During the night they had changed positions so that they now lay spoon fashion, him behind her. Chloe shifted slightly and now lay almost on her stomach, one leg in front of her bent at the knee, the other sliding back, her calf slipping between his. Even in her sleep she unconsciously sought him out, wanting to maintain her contact with him.

Her upper back was now exposed and he was unable to resist the temptation to touch her any longer. He leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on the smooth skin of her shoulder. His fingers inched their way down her arm, moving in small circles as he placed a series of soft wet kisses across her back.

Through the haze of sleep Chloe slowly became aware of his gentle caresses, a warm thrill washing over her. Coming to, she gave a soft moan - his hand had moved from her arm to her hip and his kisses were moving lower. When he reached the base of her spine he flicked out his tongue. Licking and sucking, he savoured the taste of her.

A smile spread slowly across her face as she rolled over onto her back, stretching like a cat. Michael moved quickly to cover her body with his. He reached up, gently gripping her wrists and pinning her arms above her head. Her eyes were still closed so he pressed a soft kiss to each, his lips barely a whisper on her eyelashes, before capturing her mouth, his tongue exploring her sweet depths. There was no urgency about it, the kiss was slow and deep and it took her breath away. Releasing his hold on her after what seemed like an eternity he broke off and, gazing into her emerald pools, whispered, "Good morning."

"Mmm, that was some wake up call." she replied, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear, her hand continuing its journey threading her fingers into his soft curls.

He dipped his head, intent on resuming his exploration, but was rudely halted by the shrill ringing of his cellphone. Groaning, he rested his forehead against hers. "I guess you'd better get that," Chloe said.

Giving her a quick kiss he reached over to pick up his cellphone from the nightstand, having left it there when he'd undressed for the shower the night before.

"Yes," he answered curtly.

"Michael, Madeline wants to see you before the briefing this morning," Birkoff informed him.

"Now?" he queried, although he knew what the answer was.

"As soon as possible."

"I'm on my way," he said with a touch of resignation in his voice.

~~~~

"This is Joaquim Armel." Operations began, as the blue screen sprang into life. "He is the attorney to Franz Guerrin, leader of the First Flag terrorist organisation. Guerrin was jailed 10 months ago for the air disaster in the Bering Straits. Despite his imprisonment, First Flag continues to cause disruption."

Birkoff continued. "There is no second level to fill in during Guerrin's absence. All orders come directly from him, which means he is operating from inside prison."

"This is where Armel comes in. He is the only person who has been allowed to visit Guerrin during his internment. There is evidence of an upcoming attack. We don't know where or when - our only lead is Armel," Operations finished.

Madeline turned to Chloe, giving a slight smile as she spoke, "You and Michael will be going in as a married couple. You will be posing as a psychic. Armel recently lost his son and has been trying a number of psychics and mediums in a effort to contact him. We believe this is the best way to get inside Armel's house in order to get to the encrypted files without him noticing."

Chloe couldn't believe her ears - surely this was too good to be true. The chance to 'play house' with Michael. She was careful not to show just how pleased she was with the mission profile.

Madeline went on to explain that they expected Chloe and Michael would need to be in place for a least a week before Armel would make contact with them. She concluded by requesting that Chloe join her in her office, as there were a few small details that she need to go over with her before she and Michael left.

Chloe stood before Madeline's desk, her hands held loosly at her sides. *I should have known this was too good to be true,* she thought. At Madeline's nod, she turned and walked toward a chair. "This place never ceases to amaze me." Instead of sitting, she kept her feet.

Madeline, willing to play the game only so far, inquired as to her meaning. "How so, Chloe?"

Chloe allowed a smile to play about her lips. "Your office, Madeline - it's so different from what you had before." She'd heard all about Madeline's dungeon, and had almost been disappointed on being shown to its stark, clinical replacement. Almost. From what she'd been told, Madeline's previous lair had been deceptively welcoming - that if you were not careful you could be lured into a false sense of security by its plush furnishings. No danger of that happening in here. She turned back around to face the older woman. "Almost a new you!"

The double meaning of the words was not lost on Madeline. Knowing she wasn't going to learn much from her usual cat and mouse game, she went right to the point.

"Armel is going to have remain convinced at all times that you and Michael really are a couple..." Pausing for effect, Madeline continued " ... in every sense. Do you understand?"

Chloe slowly nodded, a blank look of disinterest masking her face. "Yes I understand. Your point being...."

If Madeline was surprised at Chloe's seeming complete acceptance of the situation, she didn't let on. But truth be known, she had been expecting a little more of a reaction from the young operative standing in front of her.

Chloe walked over to a clipped bonsi, inspecting its shaped and sculpted limbs. "I'm surprised at you, Madeline. Did you think I would protest a direct order?" Her smile, hidden from Madeline's view, belied her true feelings. "I may be new around here but I've been in Section long enough to know how things work. The sex will not bother me ... it's... " she paused, searching for the right phrase. "... part of the job. It's not the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last." Again she paused, this time to weigh the folly of speaking her mind to this formidable woman who literally held her life in the palm of her hand. "What does bother me, though, is having an audience." Chloe brushed off her concern with a light tone, trying to give the impression that it was a tiny concern, not worth even mentioning, "...but there's not a lot I can do about it."

Internally, Chloe seethed. She was both angry and repulsed, but she wasn't about to let Madeline see that. Better that Section's Pysche Queen thought everything was just peachy with her. She'd thought this mission was too good to be true - a whole week of playing house with Michael - and she was right.

Chloe mentally shook herself awake, "Is that all?"

Madeline nodded, "Yes Chloe, that will be all ... for now. I will want to speak to you again once Armel has made the initial contact."

With a pert grin and a flip of her hair, Chloe left the office, throwing an "Of course," over her shoulder.

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

As expected, Armel made his initial approach on the fifth day, calling at the house early that morning just after Michael had, for all intents and purpose, left for work.

In accordance with the mission profile, Chloe told Armel she was unable to help him contact his son and right on schedule, his goons returned the next day. They had taken both her and Michael to his house, where Chloe had given a very convincing demonstration of her psychic abilities. She had to admit she was very impressed at the speed with which Birkoff had been feeding the information to her - if she didn't know better she'd swear he was almost psychic.

While she and Michael returned to Section, Armel's watchers were being treated to a video playback of Chloe going about her daily household duties, vacuuming, cleaning and tidying. Oh how she'd enjoyed putting that little scenario together. She wasn't exactly overly keen on domesticity and having to spend the better part of 5 or 6 hours going through the motions was hardly her idea of fun.

Chloe snuck a quick glance over at Michael - his mask was back in place. The smiling face of her happy and attentive husband was gone. She wondered what going through his mind. Was he thinking back on their week together, as she was? They had slipped into an easy routine very quickly. She had thought she'd be uncomfortable knowing that their every move was being watched, but oddly enough it was strangely liberating. She'd felt a little awkward on their first night but she felt a warm thrill as she remembered how all her hesitancy and unease had melted away when Michael had pulled her into his arms. At that moment all thoughts of Section and Armel had vanished - in that instant there was only Michael.

Chloe was pulled from her reverie by the opening of the van door - they had arrived back at Section. Putting her own mask in place, she headed off for her appointment with Madeline.

~~~~

Sitting back in her chair, Madeline smiled before asking "How's Birkoff's feed? Is it clear enough?"

Chloe returned Madeline's smile, "it's fine." she replied, twisting the coppery strands of her hair between her fingers.

"And everything else?"

"Everything else?" Chloe queried innocently, although she had a fair idea what Madeline was getting at.

Madeline leant forward, her hands clasped loosely together and resting on the desk. "Specifically, you and Michael. Feigning intimacy is not always easy but it would appear that you are handling things quite well." Almost too well, she thought. "Is there anything you are having a problem with?"

"No, everything's fine. We've posed as a married couple on previous occasions so we've had the practice." Chloe replied, her gaze never wavering.

Not entirely satisfied with Chloe's answer, Madeline pushed further. "Pretending to be married for a couple of hours at a time can hardly be compared to what you're doing now. Keeping up the pretense twenty four hours a day can't be easy, but you and Michael seem to have settled into your roles with relative ease. If I didn't know better I'd think you had been happily married for years." There was an almost imperceptible tightening of her lips, the only visible sign of Madeline's slight irritation at Chloe's deliberate obtuseness.

Looking Madeline straight in the eyes, Chloe merely raised one eyebrow. "Maybe I'm just a good actress - my Mother always said I should have been on the stage."

Madeline smiled. "Yes, maybe that's it," she conceded, although not entirely convinced this was the case. She realised that she wasn't going to get much more from this conversation. If she was going to have her suspicions confirmed, she was going to have to approach this from a different angle.

Dismissing Chloe, Madeline turned to her monitor and entered the code that would bring up the departing operative's file.

If truth be known, she was more than a little impressed by the young operative. There weren't many who had the nerve to stand up to her and Madeline found herself admiring this trait in Chloe. Reading through her file Madeline could see that Chloe's refusal to be intimidated came from the confidence of knowing that she was a top-class performer, and a consistent one at that. However, this was not what had aroused Madeline's suspicion in relation to Chloe's performance on this current mission.

She'd expected Chloe and Michael would work well together - that much was obvious from Michael's report of his time spent in the Liverpool sub-station. He would never have requested her transfer had her performance been anything but exemplary, but intuition told her there was more to it than that. There was a connection between the two operatives that clearly went deeper than any bond that could have been formed during their relatively short time together.

The only time Madeline had witnessed Michael having anything close to this type of connection was with Simone and Nikita, but those affairs had been built up over years. He'd only known Chloe for a little over six months, and yet if Madeline hadn't known better, she would have thought they had known each other for a considerably longer period.

Madeline scrolled through Chloe's file, mentally discarding any irrelevant data. There appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, nothing which could corroborate her suspicions. She frowned - maybe she was wrong after all, a very displeasing thought and a very rare occurrence. She was just in the process of exiting the file, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, when something caught her attention, the words almost jumping out at her. A smile of satisfaction spread slowly across her exquisite features. This new discovery not only reinstated, but also reinforced her confidence in her own perceptions - she hadn't been misguided afterall.

~~~

All the happier for being out of Madeline's office, Chloe went in search of Michael. She found him with Walter, sorting through the inventory of items they would be needing later. The two bags of comm equipment lay on the table and Walter was asking if Michael wanted to take the weapons with him now or pick them up on site tomorrow.

"How much is there?" Michael inquired.

"Let me go and check," Walter muttered as he disappeared off into the store area.

Chloe sat down on the stool to Michael's right, feigning interest in the gear in front of her until Walter was out of earshot. Turning to Michael she asked, "Did Madeline pick me for this assignment or was it you?"

Surprised at her question, Michael paused before replying, "Madeline. Why?"

Chloe wrinkled her nose. "Hmm, that's what I thought. I'm beginning to think that the Armel mission is not her only objective here."

"Maybe she thought you needed to improve your field mechanics," Michael suggested, the hint of a smile ghosting across his lips.

"My field mechanics." Chloe raised one eyebrow in amusement. "Really? Do you think they need improving?" Resting her chin on her hand, she grinned saucily.

Michael opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again. He didn't need to say anything - the glint of desire that flickered in his eyes gave her all the answer she needed.

"I should hope not." She paused, glancing back to see where Walter was before continuing, all traces of the earlier teasing gone. "Seriously though, she's suspicious."

"What did she say?"

"Let's just say she thinks we're being entirely too comfortable in our roles and I don't think my answer convinced her otherwise." Chloe looked away - what she had to say next was difficult enough, and avoiding Michael's gaze would make it a little easier. She took a deep breath, bracing herself before continuing. "It might be a good idea to..." She paused, nervously biting her bottom lip - this was harder than she'd thought it would be. "...Maybe we should stop seeing each other." She quickly glanced up at Michael as she felt him stiffen, searching his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. At the look of hurt which flashed in his green depths, she reached out placing her hand on his arm before quickly continuing, "I don't mean for good - I just mean that maybe we should be a bit more careful when we've finished with this mission."

Feeling him relax a little under her touch, she went on to explain. "The last few days being together have been wonderful, the happiest I've been in a long while. I realise that things will be different once the mission is over, but I don't want to put at risk what we can have by arousing Madeline's suspicions. I'm prepared to be patient and wait if that's what it takes for us to be together."

Hearing Walter return, Chloe stood up to leave. Michael caught her arm, turning her back around towards him. Unable to speak in case Walter overheard, his expression clearly indicated that this discussion was far from over. Releasing her, he turned his attention to Walter as Chloe walked away.

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

The remainder of the mission ran smoothly, reaching its well co-ordinated conclusion on the seventh day, with Michael leading the assault team to bring in Armel. Having debriefed, Chloe was now awaiting Michael's return - he'd made it pretty clear that he intended to continue the discussion she'd started at Walter's workstation the day before. Birkoff had already thrown her out of systems for getting under his feet and she was now working off her nervous energy in the gym. A quick glance up at the LED told her that Michael's team had arrived at van access, and she headed off to the showers to get cleaned up. Hopefully by the time she had finished, Michael would have completed his debrief. Revived and refreshed, she strolled across the main Section concourse, Comm appeared to be a hive of activity - Birkoff was busy issuing orders to his team members, so she thought now might not be the best time to enquire after Michaels whereabouts. Maybe Walter would be able to help. As she turned to see if Section's weapons expert was about, she took a quick glance in the direction of Michael's office. The light was on. No need to bother Walter after all. No putting off the conversation she'd been dreading all day. Her initial feeling of joy at knowing he was near had quickly been replaced by one of trepidation at the thought of what she was about to do. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. It wasn't that she wanted to cool things down between them - far from it! - but the sensible part of her realised that if they were to be able to have any sort of relationship, they were going to have to be patient, take things slowly. She'd spent seven years dreaming about their reunion. Granted, these weren't the circumstances she had in mind, but they were together again and this time she wasn't going to lose him. There was no way she was about to let the Ice Queen split them up, and the best way she could think of to avoid that happening was to make it appear that Madeline's suspicions about them were unfounded. That was how her sensible, practical side felt - unfortunately, she wasn't sure how strong her practical side was going to be when it was in close proximity to Michael. One look in those fathomless green pools and she usually found all her defences crumbling. With just one look, Michael had the ability to change her mind about anything - and he knew it. This time, though, things would be different. This was too important - Michael was too important She took a deep breath and strode confidently towards Michaels office. No delaying the inevitable - besides, if she stood in the middle of Section much longer, Operations was going to wonder what was wrong with her. He'd already looked down on her twice from his loft. If he looked down a third time and saw her still standing there he'd definitely think she was behaving strangely.

Tapping lightly on the door, she entered Michael's office. "Michael ..." She paused, not really knowing how to proceed. "Yes?" he replied softly, his mask relaxing a little as his eyes washed over her. "I thought we could --" She stopped when he raised his hand slightly - with the other, he reached over and slid out the control panel, punching in the code to temporarily shut off the room surveillance. "You were saying--" he prompted. Turning away from his gaze, she moved to stand in front of the window.

"Yesterday, I suggested we should put our relationship on hold." She paused, taking a steadying breath before continuing. "I thought now might be a good time to discuss it." She waited, expecting some sort of response from Michael but none was forthcoming. Chloe turned away from the window to look at Michael, who was staring intently at the monitor on his desk. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she could stand the silence no longer, "I'm sorry Michael, but my psychic powers only extended to Armel's son. If you have something to say, you'll need to say it out loud. I'm not a mind reader."

Dragging his eyes away from the console, he turned to look at her as he stood. He held her gaze momentarily, shifting his line of vision to some point in the distance just over her shoulder as he moved to stand before her. "Maybe I'm just waiting to hear you say what it is you really mean." Chloe frowned."I thought I just did." Again the silence stretched between them. Michael's gaze continued its wandering looking anywhere but directly at Chloe. She reached out, taking hold of his chin, and turned his face to hers. Searching his face for any clue as to what he was trying to accomplish, she caressed his jaw with the pad of her thumb.

Again, Chloe was the one to break the silence. "What exactly is it you think I'm trying to say?" "That you've changed your mind about us being together." Chloe felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her. She couldn't believe her ears. Finally managing to gain some semblance of control over her voice, she stammered, "Is ...is that what you want?" Then she held her breath in anticipation of his answer.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to give one. Just as he parted his lips to speak, there was a knock on the door. In burst Birkoff. Chloe had expected as much - his inopportune timing was legendary in Section One. She contemplated telling him to "get out" - but in the split second she hesitated, she realised maybe his interruption wasn't so inopportune after all. As he informed Michael that they had location on the Freedom League Headquarters and there was an emergency briefing in 5 minutes, Chloe took this opportunity to make her escape. If his answer was going to be bad news, she wanted to be prepared. ************

In the space of forty-five minutes, the teams had been briefed and were well on their way to the intended destination. The briefing had been short - Operations had informed them of not much more than the location and the make-up of the teams. Michael was to receive more detailed information en route. Even so, Chloe had been unable to keep her mind completely on the matter at hand. As she had listened to Operations issuing their instructions her mind had wandered, as it did now, back to her earlier exchange with Michael. Had he been trying to tell her he had changed his mind about them being together? She had thought that he had been as content as she was during their week playing house. Had she been wrong? Had it made him realise that he didn't want to be with her after all?

The van came to a stop, jolting Chloe from her reverie. Michael quickly issued instructions to the assembled operatives, splitting them into three pairs - Chloe would be paired with Mowen. Their orders were simple. Each team was allocated a sector of the complex, complex. They were given charges to place throughout - they had five minutes total to set the charges and get out. There was no margin for error.

~~~

Something was wrong. Chloe and Mowen hadn't checked in after they confirmed they had placed the second charge. Michael told Birkoff to try again, his calm exterior masking his inner turmoil, as it always did.

"I'm sorry, " Birkoff replied, exasperated, " their comm units must be down."

Michael's eyes flew to the door of the van as it was flung open. However, the person that stumbled through it was most definitely not the one he'd expected. Instead of relief at seeing Chloe, he was stunned by the sight of Mowen carrying a familiar figure - Nikita. For a brief moment Michael was speechless - he was overwhelmed by the myriad of emotions that coursed through him. Surprise at seeing Nikita, relief that she was alive, the lifting of the burden of guilt he'd felt at the very real possibility that she hadn't survived the suicide mission, that he'd been responsible for her death.

Regaining his powers of speech he turned to Mowen. "Where's Chloe?"

"She stayed behind to finish placing the charges." He replied.

Michael's fear mounted - the timing of the profile was such that it required two people to place the charges. By sending Mowen back and continuing on alone, there was the very real danger that Chloe would not have enough time to finish and get out before the charges were set to go off.

"How much time left?" he asked Birkoff.

The young computer genius tapped away at the keyboard before answering. "Two minutes until the charges go off, but we have to leave in one."

"I'm going in."

"Michael, there isn't time. She's at the far side of the complex - if she's not out already, there won't be time." Birkoff explained.

In Michael's mind, there was no other choice. He wasn't going to leave her there to die. This was not going to happen to him again - he couldn't stand by this time and watch someone he loved go up in flames. If he couldn't get her out, then he'd die trying. "If I'm not back in one minute, leave without me."

Pausing at the door, his gaze fell on the unconscious form of Nikita, cradled in the arms of Mowen. At least she was safe. This wasn't what he'd hoped for her - he'd tried to give her her freedom, but at least she was alive. He was suddenly struck with an overwhelming urge to touch her, to prove to himself that she was real. He reached over, gently brushing her hair back off her battered and bruised face. Looking up at Mowen he whispered, "Take care of her," and then he was gone.

Racing across the complex, he replayed his earlier conversation with Chloe, although "conversation" was hardly the right word. That would imply a two way discussion, equal participation of both parties. What had occurred in his office had been very one way. Chloe had done all of the talking while he'd said very little. Then, when he had spoken, he did what he always did instead of dealing with it - he pushed her away. He hadn't liked being on the receiving end for a change. What he was sure of now was that when he found her he would agree to whatever she suggested. Whatever scenarios she came up with he'd go along with - he just hoped he'd get the chance.

Rounding the corner of the building, he took a sharp indrawn breath as he was greeted with the sight of a figure staggering towards him - it was Chloe. She was limping badly - the hand clutching at her thigh was covered in blood. He could see the pain clearly etched on her face. Checking his watch he noted they still had one minute and thirty seconds before the charges were set to detonate but more importantly, thirty seconds before the van would leave without them.

Chloe had almost reached him when her leg gave out and she stumbled and fell. He rushed over - there was no time now to see how badly she was injured. He gathered her up into his arms and headed back to the van. He just hoped they made back in time.

Birkoff's eyes kept darting between the clock counting down on his monitor and the door to the van, desperately hoping that Michael would come bursting back through it.

Fifteen seconds.

He closed his eyes briefly and prayed that Michael would get back in time. For one thing, he did not relish being the one to explain to Operations the re-appearance of Nikita - let alone why they were returning without Michael.

Ten seconds.

Nikita, who was slowly regaining consciousness, lay on the seats along one side of the van. She shifted slightly. Even that small movement must have caused her some pain as she breathed in sharply. Turning her head she now faced Birkoff, and he watched as she parted her parched lips, trying to form a word.

Five seconds.

"Michael..." she barely managed to whisper, hoarsely. At that moment, Birkoff wished he was anywhere but there. Mentally, he added explaining to Nikita that Michael was gone to his growing list of unpleasant tasks. He opened his mouth to signal to the driver it was time to leave, but instead his breath rushed out in a mixture of surprise and relief as the van door flew open and in climbed Michael.

He moved quickly to place the injured Chloe on the bank of seats on the other side of the van. He knelt down next to her and took her hand in his. Finally able to relax, Michael turned to Birkoff and uttered one word.

"Go."

The End.

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