AN: Thanks so much for the feedback!

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More than an hour passed with Len and Sara in and out of each other's orbits. They'd tried at various times to see if they could get upstairs separately, but there was too much security. It looked like their original plan would have to suffice, even though neither of them were particular fans of it.

Sara spent most of her time mingling with various guests, pretending to be interested in people while also politely turning down any offers she received. It was a difficult balance to maintain and it afforded her little time to actually search for Williams. She tried to ask about him whenever she could casually bring him up, but no one seemed to know where he was.

From what she saw of Len, he was having the same problems – though he seemed to be enjoying his 'plight' far more than she was. Watching him effortlessly charm the other guests made her strangely unhappy. Despite her jokes to the contrary, she found it nearly impossible to imagine any scenario in which she'd be fine giving him up to someone else. They were only pretending to be a couple and the idea of him wanting to be with any of these people stirred unwelcome feelings that she refused to label.

Seeing him work a crowd like this also reminded her that his outward persona was all too often an act – and apparently it was a reminder she badly needed. He could become whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Just as her jokes about hating him were meant in jest, his jokes about wanting her were along the same lines. She'd never had a problem with it, either…until she saw that very same demeanor directed at other people here tonight. People who most definitely weren't her.

A stray thought kept crossing her mind…what if he found someone he genuinely liked?

It wasn't uncommon to have some downtime after a mission. The team would take a few days to recover, relax, or explore their current time before they jumped again. She and Leonard generally spent those days together – it had started out as convenient and then become a habit. They'd quickly branched out from bars and would pick a destination based on where (and when) they were. The others would occasionally come along if their interests aligned.

Mick liked to join them when there was a high chance of violence or drinking or picking up women. Stein and Ray liked outings they deemed 'educational', such as museum visits and lectures given by historical figures. Kendra enjoyed lighter things such as shopping in different times and simply appreciating new cultures (dealing with flashes of her past lives was heavy enough, she told them, so she looked for fun diversions wherever she could). Jax's favorite thing to do was to try and catch famous sporting events. Hunter generally stayed on the ship after repeating his 307th lecture about making sure they didn't alter the timeline, but occasionally they managed to convince him to join them (it was good for him to be forced to get out of his own head, once in a while).

In any event, the point was that she and Leonard almost always chose a place to go together, no matter who else came along – but it wasn't as if it were a rule. If he wanted, he could spend his free time with someone else, anyone else. Like someone he met at this party. She supposed she could do the same, but…it had become apparent to her after several months that it wasn't 'just the way things worked out' that she always ended up with him after their missions. No, it was the way she chose for things to work out.

She was beginning to think she might have a real problem to deal with soon and the thought was so jarring that she pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Are you as bored as I am?" Leonard's voice carried over the comms, and Sara wondered (with a disproportionate amount of relief) if she might have been mistaken about how much fun she'd thought he was having.

She glanced around to find that he was nowhere in sight. That wasn't too surprising, considering that Williams' house had at least eight first floor rooms that guests were freely roaming. And that didn't even count the vast lawns at the back of the estate, lit up with lanterns and strands of twinkling lights. The backyard provided plenty of cozy sitting areas which were set up to ensure maximum privacy. Sara had avoided that area entirely since it was where couples were going for more intimate encounters.

"Some of these people are dull, sure, but it hasn't been that bad," she belatedly replied to Len's question. She actually preferred when the conversation revolved around normal subjects because it allowed her to ignore the fact that she was at a swingers party.

Leonard apparently didn't share her feelings on small talk. "You try pretending to be interested in someone's trip to wine country. I'd barely be interested in my own trip to wine country."

"I sat through a few stories like that, too," she told him. "I think a solid half of the conversations I've had are about alcohol. What's up with these people and wine tastings?"

"Poor Leonard and Sara," Ray spoke up – they hadn't heard from him in a while. "Having to spend the evening at a party with free drinks and food, all while being hit on by beautiful people. I feel so bad for you two."

"There's such a thing as being too wanted," Len argued. "It's a dilemma I know well, though I can't imagine you have much experience with it, Palmer."

"Don't listen to him, we all love you Ray," Kendra piped up.

"Congratulations, Raymond," Leonard said, mockingly, "you're being defended by a woman who dated Cisco Ramon."

"The same Cisco Ramon who helped you more than once?" Ray challenged.

"Don't bring rational arguments into this," Len shot back.

"He also saved your sister's life," Kendra added, defending their friend. "I might have heard a rumor that Lisa liked him and –"

"Don't you dare say it!" Len almost yelled.

"– they could be back home dating right now."

"I can't believe you said it," he groaned.

Ray couldn't let such an opportunity pass him by. "Forget dating, they could be married. They could have children!"

"That's it," Len announced. "I'm quitting the team. I have to go back home to save my sister from such a fate. Tell Gideon to set a course as soon as we're out of here."

Sara wished she could see the expression on his face. "Even though this is all purely hypothetical – well, we think – you have to admit Cisco's a good guy. He's fun, you know? I think a great sense of humor is important."

"Do you?" Leonard was skeptical. "That must be why you dated Oliver 'I-invented-brooding' Queen. Twice."

"Ooh, I'd date Oliver," Kendra said. "And much more than twice."

"Is the guy even capable of smiling?" Len asked.

"Oh I made him smile," Sara laughed. "Many times."

"Yeah," Ray said, "Oliver gets a bad rap. He knows how to have a good time."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds until Leonard asked, "So you slept with him, too, Ray?"

"Wait…is that what she was talking about? Sorry if I can't follow along, I haven't eaten in seven hours and my blood sugar is getting dangerously low."

"We should probably close the topic anyway," Leonard said, already regretting bringing it up (for more reasons than one).

"But it's so much fun talking about exes," Sara replied. "We haven't talked about yours yet, Len."

"And we won't be either – I wouldn't want to offend any of this group's delicate sensibilities with the stories I could tell."

Hunter couldn't take it anymore. "Have I mentioned how much I love hearing about your dating lives? And how relevant it isn't to our objective?"

Ray welcomed the subject change. "What we should be talking about is food. I'm dying out here." His voice perked up when he asked, "Think you guys can sneak me some appetizers?"

"Yeah," Leonard said, somehow conveying that he was rolling his eyes just from his tone, "getting you a plate of puff pastries is definitely at the top of our list of priorities."

As they'd been talking, Sara had been moving throughout the rooms looking for Len, to no avail. "Where are you? Don't even tell me you're in the backyard."

"I'm actually not, though I've gotten plenty of invitations."

"What's in the backyard?" Kendra asked, curious.

"It's where people are…getting to know each other better," Sara supplied.

Ray didn't think that sounded half-bad. "You know, at the parties and fundraisers I used to throw, I always liked to set up an area outside for dancing under the stars. It could be really romantic." No one said anything and Ray reflected on Sara's words. "There's no dancing outside, is there?"

"Not unless dancing is a euphemism," Leonard said, cheerfully.

"For what it's worth, Ray, I'd rather be at one of your parties right now," Sara told him.

"I'll take an invitation, too, when we return to our own time," Leonard agreed.

"I'll keep it in mind if I want my guests to be robbed blind," Ray said, disapprovingly.

"I haven't stolen anything yet tonight," Len protested. "Someone told me to be on my best behavior and I've been trying to oblige. That said, you should all know that I can only hold out for so long before –"

"Don't steal anything," a trio of voices came over the comms – Kendra, Ray, and Hunter had chimed in before Sara could.

Leonard sighed loudly, as if incredibly put-out. "It's a shame our team is comprised of such sticklers, Lance. I was hoping to…acquire something nice for you."

"Maybe I'd accept something if you bought it."

The silence stretched a little long. "Does it count if I buy it with stolen money?"

"Someone save me," she begged the rest of their team.

"Sorry, Sara," Ray said, amidst some sort of loud rustling, "I'd try, but I'm about to faint out here. Wait, I think I found a Snickers!"

"We don't need your sleep-inducing narration for every insignificant thing in your life," Leonard reminded him. "And I can't believe you're eating food you found in a rental car."

"It was in a sealed wrapper," Ray argued. "As if you wouldn't do the same thing."

"Keep this channel clear," Len insisted (ignoring that he was the worst offender of all of them).

"Len, I'm going for the bar. Meet me there in thirty seconds if you know what's good for you." Sara's threat was empty, but she was banking on him showing up because it had been a solid half hour since he'd come by to annoy her. (He couldn't seem to last much longer than that.)

The main living room had a bar along one edge and there weren't many people there, with most guests preferring to get their drinks and move on. She stood with her back to it so she could watch the room. She was becoming an expert at not making eye contact with anyone – that only served to encourage them.

Where the hell was Greg Williams? She was starting to suspect that he might have already found a willing partner or two for the evening and retired. If so, that would make their job infinitely harder.

A whistle to her left had her turning her head, about to shut the person down, when she realized it was Leonard. He was standing near the other end of the bar and slid a rum and coke down to her. "I bought that for you."

"The drinks are free."

He held his arms out. "What a coincidence – so am I."

She took a sip and found it liberal on the rum, just the way she liked it. She'd never had problems holding her liquor, though she'd been careful to limit herself tonight to ensure she kept a clear head.

"Besides," he was saying, "free drinks are yet another reason to love this party."

"Weren't you bored ten minutes ago?"

He deliberately looked her up and down. "My opinion changes based on the company."

"What a coincidence," she echoed his words, "so does mine."

"I'm guessing that means you missed me."

"I can't miss you if you never leave me."

"Remind me – who told who to come meet them at the bar, again?"

He probably had a point (she hated when that happened). "As if you wouldn't have shown up anyways."

They fell into companionable silence and she decided to take advantage of his presence by enjoying a short break from the party. When he was around, she'd noticed a decline in the amount of people who approached her. Under normal circumstances that might have annoyed her, but at the moment, all she could feel was grateful.

Maybe he felt the same, since he seemed in no rush to get back out there, either. They watched people enter and leave the dance floor on the far side of the room as the music changed songs. For the type of party they were at, there was relatively little indecency going on (minus the backyard). The guests seemed fairly reserved and guarding of their privacy – even their come-ons mostly consisted of indirect language. In today's age of being able to surreptitiously record anyone, it made sense.

"Meet anyone interesting?" he finally asked, and she got the sense he'd been holding back the question. "A nice young man, or woman – or couple – to go home with?"

She studied him over the top of her drink. "Why? Have you?"

"Maybe a few," he said, cryptically. "However, the night is young, so I'm excited to see where it takes me."

She was pretty sure he was kidding, but it was Leonard, so maybe he wasn't. She sipped her drink to stop any ill-thought-out reply she might have been considering.

"I saw you out there," he continued, "getting them to eat out of the palm of your hand. I'm glad you're getting into the swing of things, Lance."

His words were casual enough that she nearly missed the pun. "You're ridiculous."

He held up his glass of water, in the parody of a toast. "When it comes to pulling this off, I really hope we can swing it."

"Stop."

"Sorry, am I annoying you? Do you want to take a swing at me?"

"I hate you," she swore, using her glass to (probably unsuccessfully) hide her smile.

Another minute passed before he reminded her, "And to think you suggested coming as siblings."

She nearly choked on her drink at the memory. She'd thrown out the option at one point just to argue with him. She couldn't let any of them – never mind Leonard – think she was fine with pretending to be in a relationship with him. It didn't fit their narrative, or perhaps more importantly, it didn't fit the narrative that she wrote for herself.

"You know if you'd agreed, we probably would have somehow introduced ourselves to a half dozen guests before realizing what was really going on," she mused. Strange situations often followed her and Len when they worked together (or was it that the two of them caused those situations?). "It would have made for an…interesting night."

His tone was wry. "I think the word you're looking for is 'weird'. Not that I have anything against weird, mind you."

She spared him a glance. "That might be the most uncomfortable compliment I've ever received."

He nudged her side. "If you want, I'm sure I can think of a lot more."

"You sure know how to win a girl."

"You're already stuck with me. I don't have to put in as much effort."

"Wait – this is you putting in effort?"

Before he could reply, another man walked over to them, angling for Sara. He was thirty-something, conventionally handsome, and watching Sara as if he was sure his confidence alone was more than enough to win her. She had a long history with men who held that type of self-assurance – she would bet that he'd rarely experienced rejection in his adult life.

"Evening, gorgeous," the man said, nodding at her. "I couldn't help noticing you've been watching me from across the room."

"I think you must be mistaken," Sara kept her tone polite but dismissive. Unfortunately, he didn't take the hint to move on.

"I'm Derek. My wife and I have a proposition for you." He moved forward, deliberately intruding on her personal space in a way that usually would have led to her making a violent point, but she managed to restrain herself. She didn't want to cause a scene unless it was her last resort.

Len had been casually leaning on the bar next to her, and the moment the stranger stepped forward, he shifted in a move so subtle that Sara wouldn't have noticed if she didn't know him so well.

He had no problem letting her fight her own battles (loved to watch, in fact) but he knew that her chosen method of dealing with it wouldn't do them any favors. In this instance, non-violence was their best option.

Which conveniently didn't put the threat of violence off the table.

Derek hastily moved back when he noticed the man standing beside her. His tunnel vision focused on Sara had failed to alert him to Leonard's presence before.

The flash of nervousness (and fear) on her would-be suitor's face had Sara glancing over at Len. He was watching Derek in a way that she didn't recognize; it actually chilled her.

"We were in the middle of a conversation," Sara said flatly, making her disinterest known in her voice. Derek flicked his eyes between them a few times. There was nothing to gain and potentially a lot to lose if he kept at it. The man next to her, the one she hadn't even bothered to introduce, was definitely capable of violence – he even seemed like the type who'd enjoy it.

Derek muttered something about hearing his wife calling him and then vanished with a speed Sara hadn't yet seen that night.

"You're effective," Sara told Len, unnecessarily. He'd dropped his threatening demeanor and gone back to his normal self in a split second; the speed of the transformation amazed her. And he hadn't spoken a single word during the entire exchange.

"It's my patented blend of 'Touch her and I'll torture you' mixed with 'Touch her and you die'." Leonard's tone was just shy of gleeful.

"Those sound the same."

"There's a subtle difference, though I find them most effective when used in combination with each other."

"Feel free to stay here with me and use it on anyone else who comes into our radius," she said, maybe a little hopeful. "I'm not ready to go back out there yet."

"Believe me," he said darkly, "it'd be my pleasure."

For the next few minutes, to outward observers, they would have looked like any normal couple chatting near the bar. In reality, they were both actively taking in their surroundings – the behavior of the guests, how security quickly and effectively intervened in the most mild of disagreements, and the fact that even the staff weren't immune to being propositioned (or joining in, as the frequency of swapping phone numbers indicated).

Leonard could sense the hesitance in Sara that he'd seen earlier (her preferring to stand around at the bar with him instead of diving back into the party was a major hint) and it definitely wasn't normal for her. He'd been keeping tabs on her throughout the night, watching her with the other guests, and she'd been faking things well enough that she'd fooled everyone. Except him.

He set his water on the bar behind them. "If Williams doesn't make an appearance soon, we'll have to go with our contingency plan."

"Agreed. What's our contingency plan again?"

"I haven't thought of one yet. You?"

She shook her head. "I'll have to get back to you on that."

Hunter wasn't surprised. "Do you need us to –"

"No, we don't," Len cut him off. He was used to their leader's exasperation, even after all this time. "Act like you trust us, alright? We always get out unscathed."

Kendra coughed to try and cover her laughter, Ray remarked that was the funniest thing Len had said all night, and Sara merely looked at him.

"More or less," he tacked on.

"We'll come up with something," Sara promised before Hunter could decide if he took issue with Leonard's answer or not.

"I think distraction's our best bet," Len continued. "We could start a fight. Or light something on fire! I'm sure most people would get out if I –"

Hunter loudly cleared his throat. "Minimal. Impact. On. The. Timeline."

"You're really limiting our options here," Leonard complained.

Sara wondered why she bothered trying to help – even if she got him out of one hole, he immediately dug another one. It was practically his nature. "Let's hit pause on setting things ablaze. The first plan's still in play. Our night's not over yet."

As if summoned by her fairly optimistic statement, a couple in their early 40's joined them at the bar.

"Hello, I'm Margaret." The woman offered her hand to Leonard, looking him over in a way that had Sara bristling with the restrained urge to hurt someone. She fought it down and linked her arm with his to try and send the silent message that they wouldn't be too receptive to any advances.

"I'm Tom," Margaret's husband said, invitation clear in his eyes. (Apparently the message hadn't been received.)

Leonard could tell Sara's first instinct was to be…unpleasant, so he spoke before she could. "Nice to meet you, we're Len and Sara."

"Pleasure to meet you," Margaret returned, switching her gaze over to Sara, "both of you."

"Same. Isn't it a lovely night for a party?" Sara replied, aiming for civil. And calm. And non-murderous.

"Indeed it is," Tom said, gesturing toward the back of the house. "Have you been outside yet? I could show you some of the better spots, there's a quaint garden way in the back."

Len tightened his hold on Sara's arm before she could say anything too harsh.

"Perhaps later," she said, carefully. "My husband and I like to take things slow and get to know people first, see if there's a connection." She processed too late that not only had she willingly referred to him as her 'husband', she hadn't even tripped over the word. This party was really doing a number on her head.

"Ain't that the truth," Leonard was telling the other couple, "we've been together for a while now and I'm still not sure if she even likes me."

"You shouldn't have to wonder by this point," she said, and he glanced at her, realizing he could take that either way.

Since Tom and Margaret seemed nice enough and weren't aggressive, he decided to fish for some information. "Have either of you seen our host?"

"Greg was here earlier, though I haven't seen him in over an hour," Margaret replied. "Maybe he's busy?"

No one missed what she was implying. "We were hoping to compliment him on this wonderful party," Sara said.

Tom set his empty glass on the bar. "I recall him saying he'd oversee the lottery drawing at 9 o'clock."

It was fairly close to 9 already. "I can't wait," Sara said, managing to sound enthusiastic because it'd be that much closer to the end of their evening.

"The thrill of the unknown," Tom said, almost philosophically, as he met Sara's eyes. "There's nothing quite like it."

She forced a smile, hoping the couple couldn't tell it was fake. "No, there sure isn't."

"Maybe we'll run into each other later," Margaret suggested. "Or we'll get lucky and find each other in the lottery."

"Maybe," Leonard agreed enigmatically, as the couple left them.

Once they were gone, he felt Sara lean into his side. She was staring toward the dance floor, though he guessed she wasn't truly seeing anything because he had to repeat her name a few times to get her attention. "You okay?"

"I don't know," she answered, without consciously meaning to do so. Something about him brought out the truth in her, things she'd never intended to tell anyone, and she'd long ago given up on trying to figure out why that was the case. That said, she had no idea how to explain what was bothering her, mostly because she didn't know what was bothering her. (Or was it that she didn't want to admit what was bothering her?)

"Sara…"

"Don't worry," she insisted, "I'll be fine to do this."

He hated that she thought the job was his concern and stepped in front of her to ensure he had her full attention. "We can leave if you want. Just say the word. We'll figure out something else."

"Need I remind –" Hunter began, before he abruptly stopped talking. Kendra must have intervened again and Leonard sent her a silent thanks.

Sara thought about Leonard's offer – that he'd actually abandon the mission for her. That meant a lot, especially when he clearly didn't care if he had to go against their team to follow through.

"No, we'll stay. I'm okay." She impulsively brushed her lips against his cheek.

He blinked at her in surprise. "Don't try to sway me with sexual favors."

Obviously he'd lighten the mood with a joke. It was the way he operated and she was grateful for it. (No one avoided 'serious' or 'uncomfortable' the way the two of them could – they'd practically elevated it to an art form.)

"If that met your definition of a sexual favor, then I truly feel sorry for you, Leonard."

"Maybe I've lived a sheltered life," he argued, as she tried not to laugh at the absurdity of that statement.

"Wait a minute," Kendra interrupted. "What kind of favors are you talking about? What are you two doing in there?"

"Don't ask them things like that," Ray scolded. "They might answer, much to our horror."

"Neither of you has any standing to be horrified about anything," Len told them. "Do you know how many times I've had to witness the two of you doing unspeakable things? Like holding hands?"

"I think that's sweet," Sara insisted.

"It's unnatural," Len snapped, then nodded at the dance floor across the room and held out his hand to her. "Come dance with me."

She glanced at his hand and then pinned him with a look that clearly said: Are you kidding me?

"Unnatural when they do it," he clarified.

She rolled her eyes and tried to remember if she liked dancing at the moment. What was her most recent stance? It changed based on the week. And her partner.

Well, maybe it would help her regroup, and now that they knew Williams was supposed to resurface soon, they didn't have to search for him anymore. "Alright," she agreed, taking his hand.

No band or DJ was in sight at the party. Instead, music filled the room from expertly hidden speakers. Williams or his wife must have had a soft spot for pop ballads. She'd heard 'Lady in Red', 'Time After Time', and 'In Your Eyes' in succession over the past fifteen minutes.

"Sounds like someone recreated their easy listening playlist from the 80's," Leonard remarked as they wove their way among the guests to get to the dance floor. "I'm partial to 1987 myself."

"You know I was born in…" Her words faded as he smiled at her. Of course he knew – that was why he'd said it. "You better not be trying to charm me."

"I would never, Lance. We all know you're fundamentally uncharmable."

Was that even a real word? "Don't you forget it, either," she told him, even as she wondered if he knew that what he'd said wasn't true. Probably.

When they stepped onto the dance floor, he realized 'With or Without You' was playing. "How fitting. I can't think of a better song for us."

"We can't live with or without each other?" She was confused – what did he think they'd been doing all this time? "The fact that we're currently living with each other contradicts that."

"Ohhh, we're living together?"

She regretted saying it, even as she forged on, "We live on the same ship. It's the technical definition."

"I never thought of it that way before," he spoke slowly. "I had no idea we'd taken such a big step. I didn't know I was ready for it. We're basically going steady."

"Going steady? Really?" It was probably concerning that she was more hung up on the phrasing than what the words themselves meant.

"The next time we hit Central City, I'll look for my class ring to give you to make it official," he said, spinning her when the chorus of the song started repeating a line about giving yourself away.

"Afterwards, can we all get milkshakes to celebrate and go to the local drive-in? Tell me, what was it like growing up in the 50's?"

"Yup, you got me, Lance. I'm 75 years old."

"I've had my suspicions," she alleged. "I mean, you did go to bed at 8 the other night. It was sad."

"I was really tired from – you know what, I don't have to justify myself to you."

She glanced up at him. "Don't you though?"

"This is feeling more like a real marriage by the minute," he muttered.

She pressed her forehead into his shoulder to try and hide her amusement. God help her.

"I can feel you smiling," he taunted. "You always insist that no one finds me funny – least of all you – and then you go and laugh anyways. You're a hypocrite."

"I'm not smiling," she protested. "You can't prove it."

He pushed her back and searched her face – she'd just managed to blank her expression. He brushed his thumbs against the edges of her face, right beside her eyes. "Nice try, Lance. You don't only smile with your mouth, you know. Your eyes give you away."

She was surprised that everything didn't give her away. "Whatever you want to believe."

As the song ended, they noticed a growing crowd on the other side of the room.

"Welcome everyone!" a loud voice announced, and they were relieved to spot the previously absent Greg Williams. About damn time.

He held up the box they'd seen when they first arrived and launched into a speech welcoming new and old guests alike. When he asked the men to line up and come choose an ID, Leonard dutifully went to play along. Other guests had informed them it was 'mandatory' to spend at least a half hour getting to know one's match, and it was mostly why she and Leonard had been so eager to circumvent that part of the night. She didn't want to waste that much time feigning interest in a person she might despise – it had been bad enough rejecting people thus far (and that was when most of them were fairly tolerable).

If Sara hadn't known Leonard already had her license, she would have truly believed he chose it at random – he was adept at sleight of hand, thanks to his background. He also put on quite the show when he held it up.

"Wow, I've chosen my own wife!" he exclaimed, as if shocked at the coincidence, and was greeted with whistles, cheers, and a select few boos from those who'd been hoping to match with her or Leonard.

"By the rules, you're allowed to try again," Williams offered, sending an appreciative glance Sara's way. "However, if you don't, you get to skip the mandatory meetings."

"Despite the stunning selection present here tonight," he flashed a provocative grin at the crowd, "I don't think I'll choose again."

He returned to Sara with a purposeful stride and she barely had time to grab hold of him when he tipped her backwards, pressing a kiss to her mouth as if he thought they were in a goddamn movie. His eyes were sparkling when he pulled her back up, taking full advantage of the fact that she couldn't do anything to retaliate – and having no idea that she wouldn't have, even if she could. She was too busy trying her best not to react to the tingling sensation that went far beyond her lips – she swore she could feel it all the way to her toes.

No, no, no. Not good. So not good.

Leonard turned back to Williams, noting with satisfaction that a spark of jealousy seemed to have been lit in their host. "We'll take the opportunity to make our own selection later this evening, instead."

Williams held up a glass in toast. "May your future choice be wise." Some of the people nearby repeated the sentiment while holding up their own glasses.

"As far as I'm concerned, I already made the best choice when I married this woman," Leonard said, theatrically, and it earned him a smattering of laughter and applause. He really knew how to sell it, to the point that even she began to wonder…

She waited until Williams had moved on with the lottery and everyone was distracted once more. It was easy to channel her anger and confusion about her own feelings into irritation at him. "What was that?"

He hesitated, wondering if she was as upset as she seemed. He decided it was best to hide behind his cover. "We have to make them believe, Lance."

"You kissed me to make them believe." She'd intended it as a question, but her words fell flat.

"Wait," Kendra broke in, "you kissed?"

"Purely on behalf of our cover," Len responded, then turned back to Sara, "and did you see their reaction? They completely bought it. I think I even had you going for a moment there."

"Please, I've already forgotten it." She swallowed and went back to scanning the crowd to make sure that if there was even a momentary flash of hurt on her face, he'd never see it. Of course it was all part of his act. She knew that, so why had she been doubting it?

"You've forgotten, hmm? You know, I'm more of a method actor. Maybe if we practiced –"

"In your dreams," she said, airily, though her heart wasn't in it.

He wondered what she'd do if she actually knew his dreams. "Williams has shown more than a passing interest in you."

"I noticed."

"That's good news," he stressed, watching her for a moment. He was tempted to pull the plug on the whole endeavor, no matter how many times she claimed she was fine.

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "We should be able to wrap things up soon." She knew that was what they all wanted to hear and she wished she believed it herself, because she'd never wanted to follow through with a plan less than she did tonight.

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