The loud, grating screech of the alarm clock jarred Ryan Stone from his sleep. He blinked in the early morning sunlight that was filtering through the gauzy floral curtains, and he reached over to silence the offending appliance.

“I don’t care what you say, I am buying you a new alarm clock,” Ryan mumbled groggily. “This one makes me want to jam ballpoint pens in my ears.”

Amanda Clark stirred and rolled over to face him, pushing the duvet off as she did.

“But that’s why it’s perfect,” she stretched sleepily. “It always wakes me up. Sort of like a crying baby.”

“Or a small animal being boiled in oil,” Ryan rejoined, sarcastically.

“Oh, it isn’t that bad. Don’t be a baby,” she swatted him playfully.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in closer she breathed gently into his ear,

“Are you sure you have to leave?”

“You know today is important, I really can’t be late.”

“Not even for me? I’ll make it worth your while,” she brushed her lips across his, teasing him.

“What are you doing to me, Mandy?” Ryan groaned. “You know I’d stay if I could.”

Getting up from the bed, Ryan grabbed his shirt and began getting dressed. Amanda sat on the edge of the bed, watching him.

“Would you? Cause it feels like you’d rather be there,” Amanda pouted.

“What, are you jealous?” he teased.

“Maybe.”

“Now don’t be like that. You know you’re the only woman I want to see naked,” he said seriously.

“Gosh, you know just what a woman wants to hear,” she rolled her eyes.

“You know you love it,” Ryan flashed a boyish grin.

Amanda blushed, and tossed a pillow at his head.

“I may be busy for the next few days,” Ryan caught it and tossed it back gently. “But we’re still on for dinner on Saturday, right?”

“We’d better be,” she replied.

“Good, because I already made reservations at that French restaurant downtown.”

“Ooh, advance reservations? That’s a lot of commitment for a guy like you.”

“Tell me about it,” he sighed. “I should at least get credit for that.”

“Oh, you can definitely have the credit,” Amanda smiled slyly. “The real question is, what are you going to use it for?”

“I have a few ideas,” Ryan wiggled his eyebrows.

“I just bet you do,” Amanda tossed him his socks from the other side of the bed. “But you’d better get going, or you really are going to be late.”

“You’re right, I’d better run. I’ll call you tonight, ok?”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Ryan leaned down and kissed her quickly.

Then he grabbed his coat and hurried out the door.

Pulling up in front of the hospital, Ryan scanned the entrance. At first, he didn’t see who he was looking for, but a moment later, she strode out through the front entrance.

“You are late, Stone,” Taylor Hawkins slid into his passenger seat, her usual tactful self.

“I know, I’m sorry, traffic,” he reached out and took her bag from her and tossed it in the back. “Shouldn’t you have been in a wheelchair, or something?”

“Hey, my legs aren’t broken. My arm, my ribs, a few fingers, but not my legs,” she laughed.

Ryan looked her over. Aside from the cast on her arm and the stitches and healing cuts and bruises on her face, she was looking almost like her old self again. It was very different from when he had been in to visit her those first few days; that had been pretty touch and go. The blood loss and internal injuries had been serious, and the surgeons used the words ‘wait and see’ and ‘critical’ more the Ryan had cared for. After several operations to stop the internal bleeding and repair the damage to her organs, she had been in a coma for over a week.

“Seriously though,” he pulled away from the curb. “2 months in the hospital? You going soft on me?” he teased.

“What can I say? Everyone needs a little vacation once in a while,” Hawkins chuckled.

“How are you feeling? Are you sure you’re ready to leave?”

“Ready? I was ready a week ago. If they hadn’t finally agreed to release me today, I was seriously considered climbing down from the balcony to escape,” Hawkins rolled her eyes. “I have been in prisons with less security. I mean really, there was nothing wrong with me that a few dozen stitches, some invasive surgery, and several blood transfusions couldn’t fix.”

“True, I mean it wasn’t like you had any really serious injuries or anything,” Ryan muttered sarcastically.

“That’s exactly what I tried to tell them,” Hawkins sighed exasperatedly.

“Honestly, you are nuts,” Ryan laughed.

“I know,” Hawkins leaned back in her seat, Ryan could tell by the way she moved that the broken ribs were still hurting her. “How are you doing, by the way?”

“Oh, the gunshot wound? I’m fine. It was really just a scratch. It’s healed already.”

“And how’s Ethan’s sister doing?”

“Amanda? She’s ok. She was pretty shaken, of course, but it helps that we got the guy.”

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“And that she had you around to comfort her, right?” Hawkins raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I do try to help where I can,” he replied sheepishly.

“So, everything was sorted out between you two, then?”

“Yeah, once it was established that I wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer, we managed to work everything out,” he grinned. “All relationships have to get past those sorts of things, don’t they?”

“So, you got the whole traitor thing cleared up?”

“It was pretty easy. Once it was clear the Darien was the real threat, that particular lie fell apart like a wet Kleenex.”

“Well, it was bound to, eventually, especially once they realized that none of those agents had actually been compromised,” Hawkins reflected. “The lie worked well as far as it went, but it was never designed to withstand any actual scrutiny. Darien was rushing, he threw it together at the last minute, so it was nothing but smoke and mirrors. It just needed to last long enough for him to implement his final plan. And it would have, but at least that is one thing I won’t need to worry about explaining today.”

“You know, you just got out of the hospital, we don’t need to do the debriefing today. I mean, Cross and I made sure to take care of all the more pressing matters. The agency has the recording you made, and all the other evidence we collected against Darien. Once he realized that he wouldn’t be getting out of this, he made a full, formal confession. The SOB actually seemed pleased to finally be able to gloat about his ‘accomplishments’, as sick as that is. He won’t be forgotten now. Just like he wanted. But at least he isn’t going anywhere. You can relax a bit.”

“I really do appreciate the two of you handling that. But still, I would prefer to get this over with. If I am going to be sanctioned, or fired, I’d like to know it now. There is no reason you should be in limbo, either.”

“Me? Oh, don’t worry about me,” he protested.

“I know, as well as you do, that they are holding their decision about your conduct until they hear my version of the story. But don’t worry, you’ll come out ok, if nothing else. I’ll make sure they know that this was all my idea.”

Ryan could tell that she was apprehensive; she knew that what they had done, though successful, was not exactly by the book. Hell, he doubted it was even in the same library as the book. At the time, there had been more pressing concerns, but in the end it all came down to whether or not, in the eyes of their superiors, the ends justified the means. If this went bad, they could both be fired, or brought up on criminal charges. But Ryan knew that if he had to do it all over, he wouldn’t change his decision. It really had been the only way, and they had saved a lot of people. Whatever the cost, that had been worth it. He knew that Hawkins would feel the same, if not for the guilt she felt for dragging him into this. She wanted to take all the blame, but if she went in with that mindset, then she would come off looking like she really had done something wrong. Feeling guilty made you look guilty. This debriefing had to be done with confidence.

“Look, Hawkins, I put my life on the line here too and I’ll be damned if you are going to take all of the credit for it.”

Hawkins gave him a strange look; she knew what he was trying to do.

“Credit, huh?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, I want what is coming to me,” he joked. He paused then said seriously, “Whatever that may be in the end.”

“So, you’re really ready to follow this through to the end, eh? No regrets?”

“No regrets. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into from the beginning,” he replied confidently. “And really? We just took down one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Am I supposed to be afraid of a couple of bureaucrats in expensive suits? As far as I am concerned, we saved all their asses, and they should know it.”

“You’ve got that right,” Hawkins smiled. “If they can’t see that, then screw’em.”

“Now that’s more like it,” Ryan laughed.

“Sorry, guess I was slipping a bit there,” she replied.

“Well, it’s been a rough few months. I suppose I can cut you some slack.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ryan pulled the car up in front of the NIA building. “Some advice, before you go in?”

“Shoot.”

“First, I think we lucked out having Director Hammond here.”

“What? Carl Hammond will be there?”

“Yeah. Which means he must really like you. I have never even seen him in this building, let alone in a disciplinary hearing,” Stone chuckled. “Not totally surprising though. They say he was something of a renegade too, in his day. He’s a big advocate of agents acting on their best judgement.”

“Makes you wonder how he got saddled with a bureaucrat like Collins for an assistant director.”

“The committee felt that it would provide balance,” Stone replied. “Seriously, how do you not know this stuff? It’s in the monthly reports. Though not in so many words.”

“I don’t really pay much attention to that kind of thing,” she replied offhandedly.

“And yet you know every detail of obscure building lockdown and fire protocols?”

“What can I say? I like protocols; politics not so much.”

“Well, you are lucky Hammond feels much the same way. Collins would have fired you long ago, or at least stuck you back in R&D, if he were the director.”

“Huh,” Hawkins snorted.

“See, politics can be very helpful,” Stone chuckled. “Keep that in mind when you go in there, eh?”

“Good advice,” Hawkins acknowledged. “Well, I’d better get going. You waiting?”

“I don’t have much choice. I’m your ride, remember?”

“True. I’ll try to make this quick then.”

Hawkins leaned back in the chair, eyes closed, waiting. Collins had left her in the waiting room, cooling her heels. She heard footsteps approaching and opened her eyes to find Ethan Cross standing over her. He cleared his throat awkwardly,

“How are you doing, Taylor?”

He couldn’t meet her eyes. Hawkins hadn’t seen him since that day at the agency, and to tell the truth, she couldn’t blame him.

“Ethan, look, I have to apologize,” she began haltingly, unsure of what to say; words could never be enough.

“No, you don’t,” he interrupted firmly.

“Yes, I do. None of this would have happened to you if I had taken the case on from the beginning. It should never have been your problem. I am sorry,” she bowed her head.

This had been the greatest risk of her plan. Putting another agent through hell. There was nothing she could ever do to make up for passing along the risk that should have been hers alone.

“A few weeks ago, I might have agreed with you,” he sighed. “When Stone explained what the two of you did, I’ll admit, I was angry. But I’ve had a lot of time to think since then, and I realized something.” Ethan paused, “It took me longer than it probably should have, and I got a bit of encouragement from your partner, but I did eventually figure it out.”

“What did Stone do?” she groaned.

“He busted my lip, and gave me a nice black eye, too. If you want to know the truth, I think he’d been wanting to hit me for a long time. It probably didn’t help our relationship much when I shot him,” he smiled sheepishly. “But this time, at least, he wasn’t wrong. You played it right. In fact, if I had thought of it, I would have done the same thing,” he laughed a little. “I kind of wish I had thought of it, to tell the truth. It was good work, Taylor, really good work. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Still, I put you and your people at risk…”

“With what Darien was planning, even if he never targeted me, or my team, directly we still would have died. So would a whole lot of other people, if you hadn’t stopped him. So, you aren’t allowed to apologize, alright?”

“Alright,” she accepted, reluctantly.

“But I do have something I need to apologize for.”

“What’s that?”

“I shouldn’t have been so quick to believe that you were a traitor. I know you better than that. I am sorry I doubted you.”

“Hey, forget about it. That just means I am a damn good undercover agent,” she grinned. “I even fooled you.”

He raised his eyebrows,

“I guess you did. You got me good this time, Taylor.”

“Oh, no contest,” Hawkins gloated, she did enjoy giving him a hard time.

“But I am definitely going to get you next time,” Ethan promised. “So, you had better not do something stupid, like getting yourself fired today, because I am not letting you off that easily, got it?”

“I got it,” Hawkins smiled. “Thanks, Ethan.”

Ethan turned to leave, but he hesitated,

“Hey, don’t tell Stone I said this, but I think I was wrong about him. He really had your back in there, Taylor. I think you ended up with a pretty good partner, this time around.”

“Yeah, I guess I did, didn’t I?” she replied thoughtfully.

“Well, you were due for one eventually,” Ethan chuckled. “Good luck in there, huh? And thank you, for saving my sister.”

With that he walked off down the hall. Hawkins leaned her head back against the wall. Clearing the air with Cross was a welcome relief. Now, all she had left to do was prepare herself mentally for the disciplinary hearing. It was surprisingly reassuring to know that there were people here who had her back; it was a new sensation, but she was finding that it wasn’t a bad one.

Just then, the door opened, and they beckoned her into the room. Hawkins stood. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.