The woman stretched cat – like in her chaise lounge, warmed by the sun and the alcohol in her drink. I haven't felt this good in a long, long time, she thought as she gazed up and down the beach. It was a gorgeous day in Maui, made even more gorgeous by the fact that April and her partner were ensconced in the sands of Hamoa Beach on a much-deserved vacation.

She glanced at Mark, dozing in the lounger next to her, body shining from his last application of suntan oil. The normally pale Brit had turned an impressive shade of brown after four days "beach bumming around" as he called it. He needed a break; we both did. I'm proud that Napoleon and Mr. Waverly feel confident enough in our skills to send us out on more challenging affairs, but…

"Be careful what you wish for," Napoleon had said when she and Mark asked for bigger missions. "You two are gelling as a team. The difficult and dangerous affairs are coming and you'll be assigned when the Old Man and I feel the time is right."

That had been a year and a half ago and in the past five months, the team of Dancer and Slate had been given three tough assignments that had resulted not only in success on their part, but also some new scars on their bodies. That thought caused her to rub her back against the chair even though her newest scar, an eight-inch-long knife wound, was healing nicely and no longer itched. I think this is the first time since I was five that I've worn a one – piece bathing suit. She wished for the thousandth time (it seemed) that she wasn't so vain, but unlike her fellow agents who wore their scars almost as a source of pride, she just wasn't ready to have them show. I wouldn't know how to explain them to anyone who asked. Maybe I could be like Illya and stare down questioners until they slunk away. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get a scar that is not so easily hidden.

She sipped her drink and took in the blue of the cloudless sky and the blue – green of the water. She and Mark had swum out as far as they dared and swam from one end of the beach to the other. They had agreed that Hamoa was their favorite one so far. The first two days they had spent on Oahu and had gone to Waikiki and Honolulu mainly because Mark had grown up hearing about them and wanted to see them, but they both agreed that both beaches were too touristy and too crowded to completely relax.

But here, she thought, there's hardly anyone! I love it!

"What are you smiling about, Luv?" Mark slid up into a sitting position as he reached behind himself to adjust the bar that held the seat back.

"I was just thinking how much I love Hawaii and especially this beach. I could move here and be quite happy, I think."

"And do you think your boyfriend Illya would like it, too?"

She reached over to smack his arm. "Who knows? I'm talking about what I could do, not him!"

"Ow! Did he say anything to you before we left?"

"About what?"

"About going on vacation without him? And with your partner at that?"

"Why would he? He and Napoleon went to Italy last month. I didn't say anything, so why would he say something about me vacationing with my partner?"

"Don't get yourself all in a tizzy, April! I just meant that maybe the two of you might want to vacation together one day."

"That would be lovely, Darling, but that will have to wait until we are all out of the field. We stand in for them, so having both teams out of service at the same time just won't fly with the Old Man."

"You're right, of course, Luv. Let's just lie here and enjoy the sun, sand and views. I have it on good authority that James Bond 'imself comes to Hamoa to relax."

April settled down to take a nap. "Well, if you see him, invite him for cocktails later."