A/N: This is a very short chapter and for a very good reason. I wanted to let any LOCI/Goren/Eames fans know that there is a movement to express our displeasure with the network and offer a big show of support for Vincent, Katie and Eric Bogosian, who is also being cut out. If anyone is interested in getting involved, please contact me. All it involves is sending email and/or postcards, so it doesn't take a lot of time, and we are hoping to at the very least get our message, and our support, across to TPTB and the actors who matter to us. In the words of Rene Balcer: We will not be ignored!
Eames woke halfway through the flight. Her head was resting against her partner's shoulder. He heard the change in her breathing pattern and tipped his head forward to look at her. She moistened her lips and gave him a brief smile. "It wasn't a dream," she said softly.
"Uh, no. It wasn't a dream," he answered back in a soft whisper.
"We're actually on a flight to London?"
He squeezed her hand where it still rested in his, buried beneath the blanket. "Yes."
She kept her voice soft. "Why?"
He looked around. The lights in the cabin were dimmed and many passengers were sleeping, but he was unwilling to risk being overheard by anyone. Softly, he answered, "Not here."
She bit back a sharp reply. She was getting frustrated. No, she left frustrated behind when he rushed her from her home in the dead of night without giving her the explanation she was still waiting for. She sat up, away from him, but she did not release his hand. Instead, she shifted it, entwining her fingers with his and tightening her grip. Patience was not one of her greatest attributes, but she trusted him. So she would wait, for now.
In her mind, she heard again his words from the parking garage, tense and urgent. You don't know me. She raised her eyes to meet his. "So, Ben, do you mind if I get to know you?"
He brought his head closer to hers. "I would like that, Annie," he whispered back.
Confused and uncertain, she leaned her head against his. She was also worried and she felt her anger begin to rise in response to the situation. She hated not being in control of her life, and whatever had happened, it had taken that away. Goren's caution also raised her level of alarm. Whatever it was, it had to be something serious to get this kind of reaction from him. She was determined not to unleash her anger on him, certain he had a very good reason for what he'd done. Goren was not an alarmist, and she had a feeling that if this did not involve her, he would not have fled. He was keeping her safe. She continued to study his face, seeing for the first time the deep fatigue in his eyes. But he would not sleep. He was on guard, protecting her. Suddenly, he became more important to her than he had ever been. He was her only connection to her world and she could not let that go.
