Well, so much for being firm. Max continued to silently berate himself for his moment of weakness all the way to the airport. This mission could not have gotten off to a worse start – him almost kissing 99 after rambling nonstop about how he wanted her safe and how attractive she was! He'd done his best to stay on his guard, but he'd given in before he'd even realized it was happening. It was a miracle that he'd caught himself when he did!

This was exactly the kind of thing he'd been working to avoid ever since Saint Germain. While she was engaged, he was able to sincerely believe that he wasn't jealous, only concerned for his friend and partner. But when it fell apart, after the excitement was over, the relief he felt when he realized he wouldn't be losing her was so strong that he couldn't lie to himself anymore. Congratulations, Smart! You've made the dumbest mistake a secret agent can make – falling for your partner! Eh, it was fitting.

Well, there was no question what had to be done: Get over it – it would never work out. He'd done his best to fight it – to make himself forget and to make it clear to 99 that they were just friends. Judging by today's results, he wasn't making much progress. Which was no surprise – usually, whenever he had a problem, he could always count on 99 for help. Whether he was working on a case or defying direct orders in order to prove he wasn't crazy or to save Fang, she was always there for him. What would he do without her? She was the smartest, bravest, most talented agent he'd ever worked with...

Get over it, you idiot! He needed to get it together before this mission began. They both had to have their wits about them if they were going to survive. But no matter how dangerous it was, he couldn't let anything happen to 99; if it did, it would be his fault for bringing her. Why couldn't she let him protect her and stay behind? Why did she have to make this so hard for him? Couldn't she see he was trying to keep her safe? She just didn't seem to get it. She had no idea how much he worried about her. She had no idea how he felt...

Well, that's one mission accomplished, he tried to tell himself, but, somehow, the thought wasn't very comforting. As far as 99 was concerned, they were obviously just partners, nothing between them but their mutual desire to thwart evil and save the world. That was how it should be. That was why he told himself from the beginning to forget about it. That was why he knew it could never work. They could never be anything more than just friends and partners, and he'd be the world's biggest fool to expect otherwise.

After all, just look at the two of them! Look at how they worked, how they acted. He was willing to admit they were closer than most partners, and he didn't know much about love, but he knew that what they had was definitely not a romance.

Romance was when two people took one look at each other and INSTANTLY knew it was meant to be; they started out head-over-heels in love from the very beginning. The two of them didn't start out that way. Sure, he couldn't help noticing how pretty she was the first case he'd worked with her (he would have to have been blind not to), but it hadn't been anything serious – just a small spark, nothing major. In the beginning, they were just colleagues, but, over time, as they worked together on more important and more dangerous assignments, they grew to admire each other and care for each other, gradually becoming good friends.

Romance was when going out together was a HUGE deal; you hesitated for years before taking the big leap, terrified of asking each other out. When the two of them started dating, it didn't feel grave and serious. They weren't even exclusive, they just casually went out together and had fun with no problem, no muss, no fuss. Meeting for coffee, going out to dinner one week and dancing the next, or seeing a play together wasn't awkward or nervewracking for them – it felt perfectly natural.

Romance was when you came from different worlds and different sides with different values – opposites attract. The two of them worked together for the same purpose. They weren't exactly alike, of course, by any stretch, but they did have the same values and goals. That was why they fully supported each other and got along well together without a lot of drama.

Romance was when you became so obsessed with each other that you became moody and depressed all the time; you couldn't focus, think, or function. That never happened to them. Sure, things weren't always perfect between them (usually when one of them was assigned to seduce a mark), but whether they were satisfied or dissatisfied with how things happened to be, they could always function. They never got so upset with each other that they stopped enjoying life or forgot their job.

Romance always had a bad effect on people – falling in love made you stupid and foolish. Well, he didn't know about her, but being with her made him smarter and stronger.

Romance was when you did nothing but fight, argue, bicker, insult, annoy, and snap at each other. Well, they didn't. It was a truth universally acknowledged that the more two people fought, the stronger the attraction. If you were in love, you were constantly at each other's throats. Well, they weren't.

Romance was when your girl was constantly getting into trouble and needed you to rescue her. 99 never needed him to rescue her – not once in all the years they'd worked together. That one time in Coronia hadn't been her fault; it wasn't like she'd gotten in over her head, recklessly putting herself in danger. She certainly didn't get captured more than he did! Whenever they got in trouble, it was together; when they get out, it was together.

Romance always turned into a love triangle or more – there were never only two people involved. It was just the two of them, though. Yes, there were times when they were jealous of someone here and there, but they never lasted long. Neither of them ever had a serious, ongoing rival, and thank God for that!

But forgetting all that, even if they were to get married, what then? A woman in love gave up her career to become a full-time wife and mother. He knew 99 would never accept that, and he'd never want her to. If they got married, she would have to keep her job even after becoming his wife and even after having children.

No, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Whatever they had, it couldn't be called love – it didn't fit the formula, it didn't follow any of the rules. This wasn't romance. They were just two good friends who admired each other, worked well together, and cared deeply for each other. Now who in their right mind wanted that...?