She walked into his office. He was concentrating on paper work, he didn't look up. They'd avoided each other since Morello's wedding. She knew she had broken his heart. She had heard her words echo in her mind for days, "... Too late to change its course..." She did know, in her heart of hearts, he was for her, that person on the other side of the bars, her soulmate. Being near him made her feel happy and content. She'd realized years ago, maybe the first moment she had met him, that he was her oasis in the hell that is federal prison. She knew they could never be, no matter how much they wanted. It was the price she would pay for her crimes. She had consorted with the mafia, aided and participated in mafia crimes. It didn't matter that she was protecting her family, she had willingly participated and was now paying for it. The universe show her her other half and made it an impossible outcome.

"You need something Red?" He asked, his voice sullen and quiet. He'd been feeling down for weeks. Katya had moved out and served him divorce papers. He blamed himself. He had tried to use her as a substitute for the Russian who he loved but could never have. She'd told him herself, rejected his attempt to disclose his feelings. He'd loved her for years, but never let himself revel in that love. But when he looked at her during Morello's wedding, he could see himself vowing his love to Red. He had to know if she felt the same. She'd broken his heart when she told him she believed in soul mates, but that it was too late for them. On top of that his mother had died. He was alone in the world.

"It can wait, what's wrong?" She asked walking towards him.

"My mother died" he answered.

Red walked to him, took his head in her hands and held him close. "Oh, I'm so sorry. She loved you very much" stroking his hair.

He was quiet for a moment, he let out a breath. "ya lyublyu tebya" he whispered.

Red released his head and stepped back. Healy looked at her "no, you don't love me, you can't. It can never be"

"I know. I know that." he looked at her, defeated, tears forming in his eyes, "I've been in love with you a long time Red. It kills me that I can't, That I shouldn't. But maybe someday. I know you say it's too late, but maybe it's not"

Red looked at her shoes, she couldn't force herself to look at him, she'd break. "We can't, not now, not ever. For one thing, you're married and I'm a felon, a felon rotting in prison. Until those things are no longer true, we can not be."

Healy stood and walked to her. He lifted her chin so her eyes could meet his "I know that. Katya left me. She's asked for a divorce. You have a just few years left here. When that's done..."

Red let her tears fall "no, no!" She said firmly. "I'm a bad person. I've done bad things. You are a good man, you deserve better. You can not risk your job, your life for me. If we got caught, which will happen, they'll throw you in jail too. You'd be ruined."

"you're wrong" he said quietly.

She looked at him quizzically. She wasn't wrong, if she was his downfall it would break her.

"Vy khorosho i krasivo." Her face softened, he thought she was good and beautiful. She smiled to herself. She'd just turned 60, it felt good to hear she's still beautiful. "You make me a better man. We balance each other out. I want to feel the way I feel when you're near me, for the rest of my life." She looked at him "we can't let on while you're still here, but we can plan. We've had 20years of friendship, we don't have to let on that there's anything more."

She sighed "you'll need to take better care of yourself. We are too old to be dreamers and make glorious plans we don't have much time."

He took her hand "I'll be happy to spend the next 30 or 40 years just being with you, making up for the time we never had".

She once again took his face in her hands "my heart is yours, but 24 months is a long time. The universe has a way of changing best laid plans. If this, if we, are meant to be, then it will be." She stood on her toes and gave him a brief kiss on the lips "ty moye serdtse" and she walked out of his office.

Healy sat down at his desk, took a deep breath, smiled to himself, he was her heart which meant the future looked bright, no matter how bleak the present seemed to be.