Deus Ex Machina – Latin: "god out of the machine"; is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.
CHAPTER 1
I lay awake in bed on my side, facing away from John, my body wrapped around the large pillow I had taken to sleeping with lately. I was normally a stomach sleeper but a few months ago, as my bulk increased, I found that I had no choice but to lay on my side to sleep. I sighed, even that was becoming increasingly difficult. It seemed that my body was no longer my own. My bladder worked overtime now, I was only able to handle certain foods and even more frustrating (or amusing as John and Harold found it) my brain had a hard time holding thoughts for long. Seemed I was always forgetting something these days. I decided I needed to get up and walk around a bit to ease the discomfort of sleeping in one place the entire night. I got up as quietly as I could. I knew John was a light sleeper but he had gotten so used to me getting up every few hours to go to the bathroom, that I was confident I wouldn't wake him for long.
I shuffled into the bathroom for the required stop and then walked out into the living room. I didn't bother turning on the lights. The drapes had been left open and the lights from the city below gave the room a soft glow. I looked down at the cars moving on the street. Even at 3 am, the city was alive with people. As I stood there thinking, I began to reminisce about the day that I found out I was pregnant. I had told John I would make dinner for us and when I disappeared into the bathroom for a long time, he had come in to check on me. He found me sitting on the toilet, my arms wrapped around myself and clutching the pregnancy test stick. He knew immediately something was wrong.
He got down next to me and asked "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you ok?"
I looked over at him like a deer in the headlights. I wasn't sure what to say. I opened my mouth to speak and couldn't get the words out. John and I had NEVER discussed children. I took for granted that it was a line he would not want to cross, an unspoken limit to our relationship.
"Cecilia, what is it?" he asked, sounding a bit more alarmed than before.
In the end, I just handed him the test stick. He looked at it with a puzzled expression so I handed him the directions that explained what the two lines meant. He looked at the stick, then at me and back to the stick. Then I saw his face light up like I had never seen it before. The look of pure joy on his face transformed him into someone so totally different from the man I knew. For a second I was sad that I had never known this John, the one kneeling before me who was so ecstatic that he was going to be a father. All over again, I hated what the CIA had done to him.
John let out a whoop and caught me up in his arms. He lifted me from where I was sitting and covered my face with kisses. Suddenly he stopped and looked at me with a worried expression.
"You're not happy about this?" he asked quietly.
"No, that's not it." I said softly. "I thought you'd be upset. I mean we never talked about this. I didn't think you'd…."
He frowned. "I know." Then he put his hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes and said fiercely. "I promise, I'll keep you and the baby safe. Whatever it takes."
"I know you will and that's what worries me." Then I couldn't help it, I gave him a huge smile and said, "We're going to have a baby!" We hugged each other and then John lifted me up and carried me into the bedroom. We made love then, so softly and incredibly sweetly. It was like no other time before. Neither of us were hurried, just intent on demonstrating the joy we felt in each other. I kissed every part of him that I could reach and he spent an inordinate amount of time kissing my belly before making sure that I was satisfied in every way a woman could be. I returned the favor, taking satisfaction in making him feel every incredible sensation by gripping him with my inner muscles as he and I came together repeatedly. Both of us were aware that this love between us had made a child that we would love to distraction.
I smiled now and rubbed my belly, holding myself with both hands and embracing the child within. I never heard him, but suddenly John was there. He wrapped his arms around as much of me as he could and nuzzled my neck.
"Couldn't sleep?" He whispered.
I leaned my head back into him to give him more access to my neck and murmured, "No."
He kissed my neck tenderly and then the side of my face. I turned my face towards him and we kissed deeply. Then I leaned back into him a little and placed my arms over his where he was holding me. I sighed. "I'm just a little worried and nervous about this whole thing." I admitted. "I hate not knowing what to really expect. It's one thing to read about it, another to actually KNOW. And…" I stopped, not sure if I wanted to share this last part.
"And what?" he prompted. "Don't you dare hold anything back just because you're afraid of what I might think." I smiled. John knew me too well.
"Alright, I'm afraid that you'll be in the middle of something you can't break off from when this baby decides to come."
"Well as to that, you know Harold has promised to call in Fusco when the time comes. I promise I WILL be there."
I knew John had every intention of keeping his word, but I also knew that when push came to shove, if someone's life was on the line, he would stay there and see it through even if it meant missing the birth. It was one of the good things about his character that the CIA had been unable to subvert, his sense of responsibility. Frankly, I wouldn't have had it any other way, but the thought of going through this alone was daunting.
"As to not knowing what to expect, why don't you call Carter and get together? She's been through the process with her son. I'm sure Finch will have another number for me if he doesn't already. I'll be in the field tomorrow anyway."
I beamed at him and told him it was a great idea. "I knew there was a reason why I married you. OK, let's go to bed." We both settled down in the bed and John drew me close. I fell soundly asleep minutes later.
I woke to the sound of John in the shower and felt like being lazy and staying in bed until he was finished. I rolled over and saw his wedding ring on the nightstand. He never wore it during the day while out in the field. Whether it was our conversation the night before or the ring that made me think of it, I began recalling the day that John and I had been married.
We had both discussed the fact that we wanted this baby to be born to married parents fairly soon after we found out I was pregnant, but putting the thought into action had proven more difficult than either of us had imagined. Securing a marriage license had not been an insurmountable task considering Harold, who was delighted at the prospect of becoming an Uncle, had unlimited money to grease the bureaucratic wheels. The problem always lay in finding the time when there were no numbers that had come up. In the past, having three people who could manage for a short time alone had been enough, but both John and I were insistent that Harold be there as a witness to stand up for John.
The day DID finally come however when we found that there were no numbers forth coming and after a quick call from John to Joss, we drove to the courthouse to get married. John and I had discussed that we did not want anyone outside of the three of us to know about the marriage and child, but we found that even with Harold's help, we would still need two witnesses to make the marriage legal. I had argued for asking Joss to be our second witness and John agreed on the condition that we didn't tell her beforehand. For my own safety, we had faked my death a year ago and even my closest friend did not know I was still alive.
We arrived at the courthouse and I nervously waited with Harold in the small chamber off the judge's quarters while John explained to Joss why we wanted her there.
"She's alive? And you never told me?" I could hear Joss's raised voice. "Why?"
I could hear John murmur something to her and also her response. "But I'm not just anybody Reese. Did Cecilia agree to this? Where is she?"
The outer door started opening and I could hear John say, "Please Carter, don't upset her. She's.."
He didn't get any farther before Joss was standing there staring at me. I slowly got to my feet and her eyes opened wider as she took in my large belly. "Hi, Joss. I've missed you." I said.
She turned to look at John and said, "Oh John, how could you?" She walked swiftly to me and tried to embrace me around my bulging abdomen. I returned the embrace and started crying. I had missed having a woman friend around and I had especially missed her. She murmured soothingly to me and rubbed my back. "It's ok sweetie, I've missed you too."
I pulled away and tried to dry my eyes. Joss turned quickly to John and said angrily, "John I can't believe you would do this! Putting yourself in danger and outside the law is one thing, but to do it to Cecilia and a child! I'm not sure I can forgive you for being so selfish."
"Joss, stop." I said. "It's not really his fault. We didn't mean for this to happen. We were VERY careful. I was very careful, but somehow it happened." She looked like she was going to argue but then decided it wasn't worth it. What was done was done.
She shot John one last angry look and said to me, "So, I understand I'm here to witness a marriage?" I grinned widely at her and she grabbed my hand as we walked into the judge's chambers to perform the ceremony. I smiled for the rest of the day. I had married the man I loved more than anything and I had gotten my best friend back all in one day.
I came back to the present and still smiling, I called up Joss to see if she could meet me for lunch today.
"Hi honey!" She said, answering the phone. "What's up?"
"Is there any way you can meet me for lunch today Joss? I could use some woman to woman time."
"John getting to be too much?" she chuckled.
While I wouldn't have called being with John too much, I was feeling the need for some space and a little girl time. "No, I would just like to get together with my best friend." I answered.
"Ok, can we meet somewhere near the precinct? I know of a little café called Bistro 36 that has good food."
"Great! See you around 11?" we agreed and I hung up just as John came into the bedroom.
"Was that Carter I heard you talking to?" I nodded. "Well just be careful please. Where are you two meeting?" I told him as I got up to get in the shower. We had breakfast together and then left to go to the library to see what Harold had for us next. From the minute we stepped out of the apartment to the minute we walked into the door of the library, John turned into the super paranoid CIA drone he had been trained to be while in enemy territory. I couldn't walk as fast as usual being nine months pregnant, but his only concession to comfort was that we rode in a taxi to three different locations using three different taxis before walking the last block to the library. When we walked, his hand was only inches from his back where he kept his gun concealed and while riding in the car, he gave up every pretense of concealing his weapon and kept it out on his lap. His eyes were hard and dangerous when he was in this mood and I found it easier just to sit there silently.
When we arrived at the library, Harold greeted John and I and asked how I was feeling. His mother-henning sometimes got on my nerves but I tried to remember he meant well and answered pleasantly enough that I was fine.
"I have another number for you." He said, looking at both of us.
"What? Both of us?" Reese asked sharply. "I thought we agreed that while she was pregnant, Cecilia would NOT go out in the field Harold! She can't handle the rough stuff right now."
"I know that Mr. Reese and I would never put her or the child in danger. It just so happens that part of this assignment will be right up her alley and it's necessary that she plays a part in this if we are to succeed here." Harold told him a bit patronizingly.
I gave Harold a warning look and then asked him about our newest number.
He walked over to the cracked glass board and pointed to a picture of a young woman. "Her name is Tina Gibson, age 20. She works as a waitress in a small restaurant in Queens. As far as I've been able to tell, she has no family here in New York."
"Why do you need me, Harold?" I asked puzzled. It didn't appear that we had anything in common.
"Because she is almost nine month's pregnant." He said, showing us her medical files on line. I shuddered a little at the things that Harold was able to dig up about a person. I trusted him enough to think that he would not invade my privacy, but still. "I think it's safe to assume that she is a victim rather than a perpetrator but Mr. Reese you'll need to confirm that before we send Cecilia out in the field with you. Once you have confirmed that, then the two of you will attend birthing classes with Ms. Gibson and try to befriend her so that you may keep a close eye on her."
John nodded and seemed reassured that whenever I would be out and exposed in the field, he would be there with me as well. "Alright, I'll go track down Ms. Gibson." He put in his earwig, gave me a quick kiss goodbye and as he left, I saw the cold shuttered look return to his eyes that meant he was about to "go behind enemy lines" as he thought of it.
I took my usual seat at the computer terminal across from Harold and plugged into the system to watch as Reese walked down the block towards the subway station.
"I have a few system administration things I need to do Mrs. Reese. Can you keep an eye on things while I do?"
"Of course, Harold. I was going to meet Joss for lunch at 11. Should I call and cancel?"
"No, no need. I should be done by then." He put on his headset and started typing furiously away, off in his own world already. I never knew what he was working on during these time periods but knew better than to ask. About forty minutes later, Reese's voice came over the speakers.
"I've located Ms. Gibson, Finch. Blue-jacking her phone now."
"Ok, we've got sound here Reese." I answered. Despite the fact that we were lovers during our time off, we were both very business-like on the job.
"Can you id the pictures I'm sending you now, MR? I need to know who Ms. Gibson works with. "
I received the pictures he sent and gave him a run-down of Ms. Gibson's co-workers. One in particular stood out. Mr. Jeff Fotter, an ex-con who did time for armed robbery and assault, was working as a dishwasher at the restaurant. While the two did not directly interact, Reese said that Mr. Fotter was constantly watching Ms. Gibson as she waited tables. We listened for about an hour as Ms. Gibson took orders for the breakfast rush. When things finally settled down, Ms. Gibson sat down with another waitress and they began discussing Ms. Gibson's pregnancy.
"No, I can't go to him for help Shelby. He practically beat me black and blue when I told him about the baby." We heard Ms. Gibson say. "I just don't know what to do. I AM having this baby, whether Mr. High and Mighty wants me to or not. It's just that, I was good enough for him to bed, but not good enough to take care of when…" she didn't finish but started crying instead.
"Well, I think that just about confirms the idea that she is the victim, Reese." I said, a little choked up. My hormones made me cry at the drop of a hat these days and I felt terrible for the twenty year old girl who had no one to help her through this.
Cautious as always, he said that he wanted to check out her apartment before making any final conclusions.
"I think her shift ends in three hours, after the lunch rush she said, so you should have plenty of time." I told him. "We will monitor her from here."
Harold completed what he was working on about a half an hour later and I got up to go and meet Joss for lunch. "What time is that class tonight Harold?" I asked.
"At 7pm at St. Luke's Hospital in the main conference room." He told me.
When I arrived at Bistro 36, Joss was already there. "My goodness, you look wonderful." She told me giving me a hug. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good. A bit anxious, but good."
"Anxious? About what?"
"The whole birthing thing!" I smiled and laughed. We spent the next hour talking woman talk about babies and pregnancy.
"How is John taking all this? He is the last person I would ever expect to have a child."
"He's being very supportive but he's in high paranoia mode at the same time and I KNOW Harold is monitoring my every move. He's even more paranoid than John is if you can believe it. I'm tolerating it for now, but once this baby comes, it's going to stop." I said determinedly.
"If you need anything, you only have to ask." She offered.
"You've already helped put my mind at ease, but I'd love it if you were there for the baby's birth Joss."
"Absolutely!" she said and we hugged goodbye. I dialed Harold's number and told him that I was a bit tired and was going to go home for a nap. I asked how John was progressing with the surveillance on Ms. Gibson and he told me that they had not yet identified the father of the child whom Ms. Gibson was afraid of.
"Please tell John that I'll meet him at the birthing class tonight."
He agreed to pass on my message and I made my way home, set the alarm for 4pm and fell promptly asleep.
CHAPTER 2
I arrived at the hospital just in time to see Ms. Gibson walking in ahead of me. I followed her towards the conference room but was not surprised to find that she made a pit stop in the nearest bathroom. I decided that this was a good time to make contact with our new number and followed her in. I stood at the mirror and dug some lipstick out of my purse. I waited until she was done and had stepped up to the sink before I started applying it and then "accidentally" dropped it on the floor.
"Darn!" I exclaimed and tried to lean down to pick it up. My bulk got in the way though. Ms. Gibson saw me struggling to pick it up and leaned down to get it herself but also could not lean down far enough to pick it up.
I smiled at her when we both straightened up and said, "Well that's lost along with my toes. I haven't seen those for months!" She laughed and I said, "It's probably better this way. I wouldn't want to look too pretty, that's what got me into this in the first place!" I smiled and rubbed my belly. She laughed harder and then introduced herself.
"I'm Cecilia Smith, nice to meet you. Are you here for the birthing class too?" I asked her innocently, already planning my next move. When she said she was, I smiled at her and said,"Well it's nice to know someone here already. Is this your first?" She nodded. "Mine too. I had to practically drag my husband here though. He doesn't believe in this stuff." I noticed her eyes were tearing up. "Honey, what's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?" I asked in a concerned tone of voice and handed her a Kleenex.
"No," she got out between sobs, "It's just that the baby's father isn't interested in being there for us anymore and I couldn't find anyone else to come here with me."
I put my arm around her shoulders and said, "Well you have someone here with you now. We can just share Mr. Smith when we need to."
She laughed through her tears and we walked out together arm in arm. We ran into John outside the bathroom and he gave me a shocked look when he saw who I was with. I just returned it with a smug one and proceeded to introduce him to Tina as if he had not been following her all day long.
By the time the class was over, Tina and I had exchanged numbers (the one I gave her was to a pre-paid burn phone Harold had given me) and made plans to meet for lunch the next day. With a look to me that urged caution, John excused himself for a moment and I went into the bathroom to give him a chance to slip away and follow Ms. Gibson home. I made my way home alone and John contacted me not too much later saying that he felt he needed to stay outside of Ms. Gibson's apartment overnight since we had no idea who was after her yet. I hung up, resigned to sleeping alone tonight and climbed into bed. It wasn't the first time that the job had kept him out overnight but I did not sleep as well without his body in the bed next to me.
I woke later than usual that day and puttered around the apartment until John came home. He came right over and kissed me hello. I threw my arms around his neck, glad he was home and deepened the kiss. We both started breathing heavily as desire swept over us. I broke off the kiss apologetically. I hated getting us all hot and bothered when we wouldn't be able to do anything about it and I was just too large for anything to be comfortable at this point.
He just smiled ruefully at me and said, "I need to take a cold shower if I'm going to be able to sleep after that." He said that he had Harold and Fusco watching out for Ms. Gibson while he caught a few hours' sleep. I made him a quick sandwich as he showered and left a note, telling him I'd see him tonight at class.
When I arrived at the restaurant where I was to meet Tina Gibson, I found her already there waiting. She looked miserable. I silently cursed the man that had gotten her pregnant and left her to bear the consequences alone. Throughout lunch, I tried to comfort her as best as I could and told her amusing stories to keep her mind off her problems. She was guarded with her own answers when I asked her personal questions and I didn't press. Not yet anyway. When we parted, she was in better spirits and I reminded her that I'd see her tonight at class. She smiled shyly and said she'd be there.
As I was leaving the restaurant, I heard John come up behind me and say softly. "Nice touch MR. See if you can get her to open up a bit more tonight. Harold needs to talk to you. We think we may have found out who is targeting Ms. Gibson."
I didn't turn around and look at him, not wanting to draw attention to us, but said that I'd head over to the library to see what Harold had. He walked off in the direction that Ms. Gibson had taken.
"What have you got Harold?" I asked when I arrived.
"Well I was able to delve into Ms. Gibson's Facebook account history and found that for a two day period, she listed that she was in a relationship with a man named Thomas Beckforth." He pulled up a picture of the man and said, "Mr. Beckforth is the only son of Regina and Thomas Beckforth II. Mr. Beckforth runs a very successful hotel chain overseas. The family is very well off. I suspect that this is the Mr. High and Mighty that Ms. Gibson was referring to. I still need to look into phone and financial records to see if we can connect him to any attempt on Ms. Gibson's life. He has a lot to lose financially if she comes forth with a child of his."
I looked at the picture of the man and memorized it in case he came in contact with Tina again. "Hm, we'll let's hope we can stop him before he follows up on any plans to hurt her. I guess I'll leave you to it then. Do you mind if I lay down on the cot for a few hours?" I asked him. It had been Harold's idea a few months ago to have a cot around in case I needed it. He noticed that I tired easily. He nodded and plugged in a headset so that he and Reese could talk to one another without using the loudspeakers. I slept for several hours before Harold came in to wake me.
"Cecilia, you and Mr. Reese need to meet up in an hour and half." He spoke softly. I tried to sit up but Harold had to lend me a hand. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, used the bathroom and made my way to the hospital. Reese was waiting for me outside.
"Anything new?" I asked. He shook his head.
"I suspect it won't be long though. He can't let her deliver the baby and she looks like she will anytime now."
We walked towards the conference room and I could see Tina craning her neck, looking around for us. The poor thing seemed so pitifully alone. She had a huge smile on her face when she saw us approaching.
"Hi Cecilia, Hi John." She called out.
"Hi Tina." I smiled at her. John asked her very solicitously how she was doing.
She laughed. 'I'm fine. But I realized that I'm not very good at following directions. I tried to put together that monstrosity of a crib I bought and I can't seem to get it put together correctly. I'm afraid it will collapse once I put this big baby of mine in it." She explained, rubbing her stomach. John offered to come over tomorrow afternoon and help her put it together and they arranged a time in the late afternoon, after her early morning shift. The rest of the class went by uneventfully and once again, John followed Ms. Gibson home.
The next afternoon, I was at the library helping Harold and Reese track down the three men that Thomas Beckforth had hired to kill Ms. Gibson when I received a frantic call from her.
"Cecilia! I don't know what to do, he has ruined everything and I'm afraid he'll be after me next. Please, help me, I don't know what to do!" she wailed.
"Calm down and I'll be right over." I told her loudly so she could hear me over her crying. I was putting on my coat as we spoke. "Reese, did you get that?" I asked him over the earwig.
"Yes, but you need to wait for me. I'm about forty five minutes away. I'll meet you at the library." He told me.
"I can't wait that long, Reese. She needs help now. It doesn't sound like she's in immediate danger. You can just meet me at her place."
"Mrs. Reese, I don't think you should…" Harold said at the same time as Reese shouted "NO!"
"Cecilia, don't you dare go over there without me! " For the first time ever, Reese spoke to me in the low, menacing voice I had heard him use many times before when threatening people. I heard the car engine revving up and tires squealing.
I paused and considered it for a second but then said, "I have no choice Reese, I have to help her. You know you would do the same. I'll meet you there." I ignored the snarl I heard coming from the microphone on Reese's phone.
"Harold, stop her!" Reese yelled.
"With what Mr. Reese?" Harold asked angrily. I felt bad that this might cause a rift between them but a life was at stake here. Two actually.
"Monitor me Harold." I said and left as quickly as I could.
When I arrived at her apartment, Tina was a wreck and I could see why. Someone had broken into her apartment and had absolutely destroyed the baby's room but nothing else. The furniture was all broken and there was spray paint all over the walls.
"Who would do such a thing?" I asked, hoping she'd finally open up to me.
"It's probably the baby's father." She quietly admitted. "When he found out I was pregnant, he ordered me to 'get rid of it' and when I told him I was keeping it, he beat me."
"Oh my God, Tina!" I feigned shock. It was the same story we had heard her tell her waitress friend. "Who is he?" I wanted confirmation of the man's name.
"His name was Thomas. I thought I was so lucky. He seemed like everything I was looking for. He was handsome and well off and he was so interested in ME. Or so I thought. I guess he was just putting on a show to get me to sleep with him."
"Tina, have you seen him since the time he beat you?" I asked her. I hoped that Harold was listening to our conversation and relaying it to Reese, who I was sure was driving here as fast as he could.
"Well I tried to stay away from him, but last week he and a bunch of his friends came into the restaurant. He saw me and could see I hadn't gotten rid of the baby. I could tell he was angry but he never said anything to me and I had a friend wait his table instead of me."
"Tina," I said, "I think you are in danger here. A guy who would beat a pregnant woman and probably hire someone to trash that room, won't stop until he gets what he wants and right now he…"
I broke off as Harold spoke in my ear. "Cecilia, three men just pulled up to the building. They have automatic weapons. You need to get out of there NOW!"
"What is it, Cecilia? Right now he..what?" She asked since she wasn't able to hear what Harold had said to me. I pulled my Smith and Wesson out of my purse.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, backing away from me. "Please, please don't hurt me!"
"Oh don't be silly, Tina." I said with some exasperation. "I wouldn't have come here unprotected. Now, I don't have time to explain, but a friend just told me that there are three gunman downstairs and they are on their way up. We need to get out of here." The best exit, the fire escape was not an option. Neither of us would have fit through the window. If this wasn't so serious, I would have laughed at that fact. I grabbed her by the arm and instead we ran out to the elevators. I was fairly sure that they would have someone covering the stairwell and in any event, neither one of us would be able to run very fast down the stairs.
"Harold, do you have eyes in here? Can you find me an exit?" I tried to ask calmly, keeping in mind that Reese was probably listening as well.
"The men just got buzzed into the building somehow. Push the down elevator button so that you and they end up in a different elevator." He said agitated. I did as he said and the elevator door swooshed open. I practically shoved Tina inside and hit the button for the lobby. This was all going to be about timing.
"They are in the other elevator. Once you get to the ground floor, you need to hurry and get out of the building. They won't be far behind once they see Ms. Gibson's apartment is empty."
"Cecilia, I'm scared. What are we going to do? We can't run away from these men!"
"It's alright sweetie, we can hide once we get out of here." I wanted to say I was scared too, but I knew it wouldn't help the situation.
"Cecilia, Reese says his ETA is twenty minutes. Can you hold on until then?"
"We don't have much choice do we, Harold?" The elevator opened and the two of us walked as fast as we could for the main door. Once we were out on the street, I looked around for a place where we could go to hide. I heard a shout from above and behind us and looked up to see three men in the process of climbing out of Tina's window and down the fire escape.
"Come on! We need to find a place to hide, now!" I couldn't help but yell.
As we walked and ran down the street, I spotted an alleyway up ahead. I thought perhaps we could duck down there and over to the next street, perhaps even hail a cab. At that point things went from bad to worse. Tina groaned and clutched her abdomen.
"Oh my God! My water just broke! I can't..I can't run anymore Cecilia!"
Just ahead of us was an abandoned building. "We need to make it in there Tina. Can you walk a little?"
"I'll try." She gasped.
I took off my coat and wrapped it around Tina, so that there would be no tell-tale splashes of blood or liquid trailing into the building where we were hiding. We stumbled into the building and I helped Tina walk towards the stairs. I had to practically carry her up them as we slowly made our way to the third floor. She was moaning and panting in turns and I had no idea what we were going to do about the baby coming.
"I'm sorry Cecilia, I can't go any further." She lowered herself to the floor with a groan. I frantically looked around for some help and but stopped when I realized what I was doing. We were alone and like it or not, I was going to have to help Tina deliver her baby. The first thing I did was drag several wooden pallets to the stairs and throw them down. I figured we might at least have some warning if someone was trying to come up the stairs. Tina's contractions were coming two minutes apart by the time I was able to lower myself to my knees in front of her.
"Listen to me Tina, you are going to have your baby now. I know I'm asking a lot here, but you have to stay as quiet as you can or those men will find us before help can arrive." She just nodded and moaned low in her throat as another contraction started. I put my jacket on the floor under her and got her as comfortable as possible. I wasn't sure what I was going to wrap the baby in when it came, but decided I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. Tina groaned again and a gush of blood came out. I looked up at her, not sure if this was supposed to happen. She looked at me feverishly and said that she felt like she needed to push.
"I can talk you through this, Cecilia." Harold spoke in my ear.
"Thanks, I think I've got it. Where is the hit team?"
"They are milling around the alley. You've lost them I think." Just then, Tina let out a scream and there was a gush of blood and I saw part of the baby's head. "The men heard that! They are zeroing in on the building, Cecilia." Harold spoke frantically.
"I can't worry about that now. This baby is coming NOW." I said anxiously. "Ok, Tina, I saw the baby's head! Now PUSH!" She strained and groaned and I saw more of the head coming out. I also heard the door downstairs being thrown open. "Push!" I said again as another strong contraction gripped her. This time, the head was almost all the way out. Dimly I heard men's voices downstairs and feet tromping up the stairs. Tina moaned loudly again and then pushed. The entire head was out. I heard curses as the men got tangled up in the wooden pallets I had thrown down the stairs. Tina screamed again and then the shoulders appeared. "You're doing great here, Tina." The men started running up the stairs again when they heard Tina scream. I knew they'd be on us in seconds, but there was nothing I could do. I needed my hands to catch the baby and they were slippery with blood anyway. I went back to focusing on Tina and barely heard the gunshots on the stairs. I registered that someone screamed, but then another contraction came and with a pop, the shoulders came through and the baby slid out into my waiting hands. There were more shots and more screams.
"You have a beautiful baby girl, Tina! " I smiled, wiping the mucus out of the baby's mouth and nose. Suddenly, the baby cried and Tina's face lit up. I handed her off to Tina who beamed down at her daughter. I was so elated that I had helped bring this baby into the world. It was an incredible feeling.
But if I was the angel of life, then Reese was definitely the angel of death. I looked around to see what was happening and I was just in time to see him jam the heel of his hand into one of the gunmen who staggered back at the blow. Reese followed up with an elbow to his stomach and an uppercut to the man's face just as the man was swinging his sub machine gun towards us. Reese dived for his own gun that had been knocked to the floor and from that position, fired three rounds point-blank into the man's chest.
The gunshots drew Tina's attention away from her daughter for a moment and her eyes went wide with fear when she saw Reese, gun in hand. He turned towards us and I could see he had that terrible, violent look on his face still. Then his expression smoothed out and the calm demeanor was back. He walked up to us and took in the baby and the fact that both of us were covered in blood.
"Are you both alright?" he asked his voice still a bit rough.
"Yes." We both answered. "Can you help me up John? I can't seem to get up off this floor." I asked humbly. My soft request did not fool him for a second. His jaw muscles bunched and I could tell he was angry and biting back what he wanted to say to me. Nonetheless, he grabbed me under my arms and helped me gently to my feet. He took off his coat then and handed it to me.
"Wrap the baby up in this. We need to get Ms. Gibson out of here and to a hospital." I did as I was told and wiped both my hands and Tina off with my coat. John spoke to her then.
"We need to get you to your apartment Ms. Gibson so that we can call the ambulance to take you and the baby to the hospital to be checked out. You don't want to be involved in this scene here." John leaned over and scooped Tina up in his arms. I followed, carrying the baby. We walked down the stairs, Tina's eyes once again widening as she took in the bodies we passed on the stairs. Thankfully, John didn't have far to carry her and Tina was a slight woman. None of us spoke until we reached her apartment.
Harold spoke in my ear then. "I've called for an ambulance MR. They should be there soon. Also, you might want to suggest that Ms. Gibson leave New York and go live with her parents in the Berkshires. It's unlikely that Mr. Beckforth will bother to find her there as long as she keeps a low profile."
I passed on Harold's information to Tina and she smiled. "I was thinking about that just now. My parents weren't happy that I moved to the City in the first place and once I got pregnant, I was too ashamed to go home. Now that I have my little girl, I think they'll understand and take me in."
I smiled at her and gave her a hug. "Good luck then honey. Take care of each other now."
"Cecilia and I will be fine now thanks to you." She answered with a shy smile on her face. "Thank you both. We owe you our lives." I could hear siren's approaching and John nodded to Tina, said goodbye and grabbed my arm, pulling me after him. We got out of the apartment building just as the police and ambulance arrived. John got me into the car and then drove directly to our apartment. I knew he must still be very upset if he wasn't bothering with any evasive maneuvers right now. The car ride was a silent one.
When we got into the apartment, I went directly into the bathroom and washed my hands. John came in a minute later and I looked at him in the mirror and said contritely, "I'm sorry you're angry about what I did."
"You're sorry I'm mad, but not sorry about what you did!" he said tersely.
I turned around and looked him in the eye. "No John, I'm not. My actions today helped save two lives. I can't be sorry about that."
"You may have saved two lives, but you also endangered two more, you and the baby. You both were almost killed today." He grabbed me as closely as he could and wrapped me up in a fierce embrace. "I lost someone very close to me once and it almost killed me. I wouldn't be able to come back from that a second time, Cecilia." The situation had played right into his biggest fears. John's deepest conviction was the need to help people, to protect them. Whether it was in the military as a Ranger or as a CIA operative fighting terrorists or even in the job he and Harold were doing now. The need to protect was so deeply ingrained in him and had ruled his life for so long, he didn't even realize that every decision he made was bound by that law.
I felt immensely guilty for having put John through what must have been to him a living nightmare, but it seemed like a no win situation. If I hadn't gone, Tina and her daughter would have died. If I had gone and something had happened to me and the baby, John and by extension Harold would not have been able to survive intact. And all the people who they would have helped would have been hurt as well. It was a moral dilemma that I hoped I'd never have to face again. I sighed. "There are no easy decisions in this thing that we are doing John. I'm just thankful you were there in time."
I leaned up to lightly kiss him, hoping that we might both forget the events of the day. "I'm very tired John. Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"
He nodded and as we lay together, I kissed him gently and tenderly to show him how much he meant to me.
CHAPTER 3
I must have been more tired than I realized because I did not wake up until the next morning. John was waiting for me at the kitchen table.
"Cecilia, I'd appreciate it if you'd stick close to home for the next few days. Harold called late last night with a new number and I'll be out most of the day. I'd like to know that you are safe at home."
After yesterday, I did not want to make any further waves between us so I agreed. There was enough food in the apartment for lunch and dinner at least and I actually was feeling rather worn down anyway. A day at home would be welcome. John smiled at me, drew me into his lap and kissed me thoroughly for several minutes, leaving us both breathless. "Thank you for doing what I asked." He gave me one last hug and a quick kiss and left to investigate the new number.
I slept quite a bit that day despite the fact that I had slept so much that night. I couldn't believe how much the exertions the day before had taken out of me. John called in the evening to say that he would be staying out overnight and to check and see if there was anything I needed. Harold called me an hour later and asked the same thing.
For the next several days, John asked me each morning if I would stay close to home and I answered him that I would. He had dinner at home a few nights and it was nice to have some normal conversations. The haunted look began to leave his eyes but he refused to tell me anything about the new person of interest other than that things were progressing. I woke up on the fourth day a little bored and with a sore back. A shower helped ease the pain a little and I kissed John goodbye. We had agreed to meet later for lunch at a local restaurant. An hour later, my back began to hurt again and I took some Tylenol, wondering if the sleeping and lack of exercise were not good for my body. I promised myself as soon as the back pain went away that I would start exercising more in our workout room. As it got closer and closer to lunch though, the back pain intensified and then all of a sudden it dawned on me what was happening. I immediately called Harold.
"Harold can you get ahold of John?" I asked calmly.
"Yes, give me a second Mrs. Reese. Is everything ok?"
"Yes, I just need him to meet me at the hospital. The baby's on the way. Can you call Joss too?"
"What? Why didn't you tell me? John says he'll be there right away. Good luck Cecilia. Do you want me to monitor you in case you can't make it to the hospital on time?"
"I appreciate the fact that you asked Harold, but we both know you will anyway." I smiled but then sucked in my breath as another contraction hit me. "Gotta…go..bye." I walked slowly to the elevator, taking deep breaths through the contractions.
Somehow, I made it to the hospital. I'm not sure how since I was paying more attention to what was happening inside my body than out, but I know the cabbie got me to the hospital in record time. I think he was afraid I'd give birth right in the car. I barely had my feet out the door of the car, when John was there helping me out. As I stood up, the strongest contraction yet happened and all I could do was cling to John and ride it out. The nurses inside rushed me into a room and in what seemed like no time at all, my doctor and Joss where there too. Joss stood up at my head, holding my hand and encouraging me, while John held my other hand and rubbed my back in between contractions. The pain came in waves and then finally, it was over and I heard a baby cry. John and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes as the doctor told us we had a baby girl.
"What are you going to name her?" Joss asked as I snuggled my daughter.
"Liliana Grace." I told her. John smiled down at us and I wanted to save this moment forever.
The next few days were a sleep deprived blur. When I came home from the hospital, I found the apartment full of flowers courtesy of Harold. He came to visit shortly after and I was amazed at how natural he was with Liliana. He knew just how to soothe her when she cried and he even knew about putting a rag over his shoulder so she wouldn't ruin his clothes. Once again, I wondered what secrets his past held. The next day, Harold came by with a woman I had never met before. He introduced her as a possible minder for Liliana.
"She is former SRR or Special Reconnaissance Regiment from Britain who as you know from John, conduct a wide range of classified activities related to covert surveillance and reconnaissance. She has had extensive training in weapons and evasion techniques. If you have to leave my niece with someone, Ms. Taylor would be the only one I'd trust."
"Hello Mrs. Reese, my name is Eileen Taylor. May I meet Liliana? I'm sure you are imagining that my military background is less important than how your daughter and I take to each other." She smiled at me.
She seemed well knowledgeable about how to take care of an infant and I commented on the fact. "I am the oldest of six children Mrs. Reese," she told me. "I often took care of my younger brothers and sisters." She and Harold stayed for an hour and by the end of that time, I was confident that Liliana would be in good hands while John and I were working.
We all settled into a routine over the next few days. John was working on another number and Eileen would come over during the day so that I could catch up on sleep and housework. I was anxious to get back to the library. That night though, things changed unexpectedly and permanently.
The phone rang and when I answered it there was a pause and I heard a computerized voice say, "System administrator security breach. Asset John Reese, subversion required to prevent termination of system administrator. System administrator security breach. Asset John Reese, subversion required to prevent termination of system administrator."
John walked into the room. He saw the color drain from my face and took the phone from me. "Who is this?" he asked harshly. He listened for a second and his face hardened into the look of the killer. He said "I understand. Can you give me more information? Who is the threat? "
"Additional data unavailable at this time. Monitoring. "
"Alright. I'll take care of him." John hung up the phone and immediately went to the lockbox we kept in the closet. He opened it and took down a bag from a shelf above and began to shove weapons into the bag. The phone rang again a minute later. I quickly grabbed it and put the call on speaker.
"Hello?" I asked with a bit of trepidation.
"Cecilia, I need to talk to John." Harold said by way of greeting and he sounded a bit anxious.
"We are both here Harold, you're on speakerphone." I told him.
"Harold, where are you right now?" John interjected.
"I'm at the library. I'm calling because.."
Harold didn't get to finish before John spoke quickly and firmly. "Harold, you need to get out of there NOW! You are in extreme danger."
"Yes, well that's what I was calling about. You see we have another number and unfortunately, it's mine." He said nervously.
"Yes, I know that. You need to go to BH1 and I'll get there as soon as I can."
"Wait. You knew I was the next number? How?" Harold sounded puzzled.
"Your machine called me and told me. Now, you need to get out of there now Harold. I can't protect you there. The building is tactically unsound."
There was a very long pause before Harold said, "What do mean the Machine called you? Why and how would it call you about my being in danger? I never programmed it to do that." His voice rose on the last sentence and I could hear that he was more agitated than I'd ever heard him before.
"Just get out Harold, NOW!" John practically yelled into the phone.
"Ok. I'll see you there then." And the phone went dead.
As John continued to throw things into his bag, I also went and gathered up two handguns and plenty of ammunition and put them in a bag that I would be able to sling over my shoulder for easy access. I was in the process of changing when John looked up and saw what I was doing.
"What are you doing? You and Liliana have to get to BH2. We have no idea how compromised this situation is."
"I agree with you on all points except one." I answered. "Liliana will go with Eileen to BH2 but I'm going with you and don't think for a minute that you can stop me. Harold is my family too and I won't let anything happen to my family." I said resolutely.
John opened his mouth but I cut him off, knowing I had to maintain control of the situation or I would lose the argument. "You said yourself, we have no idea how far this thing goes. You will need someone to watch your back. I AM coming, John." I didn't give him a chance to debate, but went into Liliana's room to gather some things for her and explain the situation to Eileen.
I gave Eileen instructions on how to get to BH2, one of the five bolt holes John, Harold and I had all pre-arranged in case of emergency. John and I escorted her and the baby downstairs and watched as she left to make sure she had no one tailing her. We then proceeded to take our own evasive maneuvers as we made our way to BH1, or bolt hole 1, where Harold was hopefully waiting for us.
When we got to the safe house, Harold wasn't there. We both knew Harold was closer and should have arrived before us. We tried contacting him on his secure cell phone, but it went directly to voice mail. A moment later, our safe house secure phone rang and it was Harold. He was in a panicked state and only spoke two words before we heard a woman's voice say, "I've got Harold." and then we heard a scuffle and the phone went dead.
I could see the tension in John's jaw, and I spoke first. "They'll call back," and moments later they did.
The woman's voice said, "This is Root and I've got Harold. Follow my instructions carefully or you'll never see him again. I will call back in three hours with further instructions."
"Who is Root?" I asked John. "And why is she after Harold?"
"Several months ago, Harold and I were on a case involving a guy who was framed for murdering Congressman Delancey. It turns out that he was being framed by a woman who called herself Root. She was able to hack into our system and really gave Harold a run for his money in terms of keeping her out of the more important parts of the system. I'm wondering now if she was indeed able to worm in farther than Harold thought. She also called Harold by his first name in her last message to him."
"That doesn't sound good John. But why would she suddenly go after Harold now, months later?"
"It might have taken her this long to get close enough to him to do so. You know Harold doesn't like to leave the library much anyway and ever since that incident, he's been even more reluctant."
"What are we going to do? I can try and locate him using his cell phone tracker, but if this woman is as smart as we think she is, than I doubt she'd have left his phone on." I walked over to the nearest workstation and logged on. Surprisingly enough, I was able to pull up Harold's location from his cell phone data.
"You realize it's probably an ambush?" I felt obligated to point out, not that I knew we wouldn't go anyway.
John nodded. "That's why I need you to stay here and be my eyes. If you see any danger before I do, I need to know right away and you'll have a good look at the bigger picture from here."
I didn't like the idea but I couldn't argue with his logic and I thought that there was no sense in both of us walking into a trap if that's what this was. So I just nodded and agreed with him but insisted he pin a small camera to his lapel in case he was out of range of one the myriad of cameras I could use to track him.
While I stayed behind, John followed the tracking signal to a small warehouse across the Queensboro Bridge. He was able to peek inside a window located at ground level. He said he could see Harold seated at a table and a woman with black shoulder- length hair was sitting across from him. Harold was bound and gagged and the woman was holding a gun on him. I could see John through a feed from a city camera but I didn't see the four henchmen that were lurking on the other side of the building until it was too late. When John opened the window, he unknowingly set off an alarm. I suddenly saw all four men converge on him at once. I tried to warn him through the earwig, but he was out-numbered by guns and weight. He put up a good fight, even sent one of them headlong into the others with a hard forward kick, but there were too many of them. After several agonizing minutes of having to watch him take hit after hit, they had him subdued and on the ground. Two henchmen dragged him into the warehouse unconscious. I watched on the tiny camera we had attached to John's lapel as they bound and gagged him. The woman was holding a gun on Harold when they dragged John in. She took a glass of water that was on the table in front of her and poured it over John's head, startling him awake. He shook off the fog in his head and saw Harold tied to a chair staring at him with wide eyes. The same two henchmen dragged him into a chair and left. The woman now held a gun on both Harold and John.
I pushed back from the computer and sat there stunned. John as well as Harold had been taken by this woman and I had no idea why or even what she looked like. While there was no question that I had to go after them, I had to force myself to take a minute and think things through. If I went in there without a plan, I would surely be taken just as quickly as Harold and John. I rolled the chair back up to the computer and without warning, the camera feeds from various nearby buildings popped up on the screen without me having touched a key. Another window popped up and I watched four men pacing back and forth around the perimeter of the building. All four men were highlighted with a red box. I leaned in closer to get a better look and again, without me touching a key, the camera zoomed in and next to each man was listed the type of weapon they were carrying. I jumped back from the computer and my eyes searched wildly for the person who was controlling the computer. Was this hacker Root responsible for this? But why would she show me these feeds? Armed with this information I would have a better chance of defeating her. I heard a whirring behind me and spun quickly around. Just out of the corner of my eye, I saw a security camera Harold had installed, swivel towards me. Suddenly it dawned on me who was feeding me the information. I watched speechless as the computer brought up the plans for the buildings nearby. I memorized the layout of the tallest one and a plan began to formulate in my head. I realized though that I was not going to be able to do this alone. I called up Joss and explained the situation.
"She has BOTH of them Cecilia? What are you going to do? Is Liliana safe?"
"Yes, she's in hiding with Eileen." I explained a bit of my plan and asked her if she could help.
"Of course, give me the address and I'll call you when I'm there."
After I hung up with Joss, I went to John's weapon stash and looked around in the arsenal for his high caliber MSG-90 sniper rifle. I had never used one before but I decided I'd have to learn fast or we'd all be dead. Suddenly the computer dinged loudly and I was so on edge, I jumped. As I walked over to the screen, I could see a video tutorial appear on how to load and shoot the rifle. I looked up and around again and noticed the security camera in the corner swiveled towards me once more. I sat down and watched the tutorial twice before I thought I might have a slight chance of knowing how to use the rifle. Without warning, the screen went black and a message appeared.
Eminent danger to system administrator and asset. Immediate subversive action required.
"I know." I felt silly saying it aloud. I wasn't sure how much this Machine of Harold's understood, but I couldn't help but adding, "Please watch out for Liliana and Eileen." The screen again went blank and then a new message appeared.
Monitoring requested personnel.
I nodded and walked out carrying the bag containing the MSG-90 and several rounds of ammunition.
CHAPTER 4
It was getting late and darkness had become our enemy. I met Joss at the building across the street. We were both were dressed in dark clothes. We took the elevator up to the top floor and then from there we walked up another flight of stairs to the roof. Although, I had John's sniper rifle I had no idea how or even if we'd be using it. Luckily, Joss said she was trained in weaponry and took control of the rifle. We had decided our chances would be slim to none if we waited until daylight. Our only option was the element of surprise under the cover of darkness. I had also remembered to bring along John's high powered night goggles and binoculars. From our vantage point on the roof, we could see inside several of the skylights and high windows. I could just make out that both John and Harold were still both tied and gagged. Joss and I took turns on surveillance and we decided that there was only the one person inside the building and the four heavily armed men outside that the Machine had told me about. Joss set the rifle up on its stand and we waited until the men took a supper break. They were obviously not too concerned about their diets, as they all were eating fast food bought at the nearby McDonalds. If truth be told, they were all a bit out of shape and seemed slow witted since they all congregated in the same area to eat before lighting up a smoke and walking on.
I told Joss that I would go around to the other side of the building and enter through a door in the back once she started with the distraction and took out as many of the men as she could. I'd call her on the phone once I was in place. I hurried down the stairs and crept around several buildings to position myself on the opposite side from where Joss was stationed. I slowly approached the building while one of the men's backs was turned and then he disappeared around the side of the building. I knew I had only a minute or so before the next man came around from the opposite side and raced to the small door I had seen in the building's plans. I quickly took out a small can of oil and greased the hinges so that they would not squeak as I opened the door. I knew my time was running out and took a chance in opening the door quickly and slipping inside. There were several crates piled around the edges of the warehouse and I crouched behind those as I assessed the situation.
From my hiding place I could hear the woman who was holding them at gunpoint, speaking to John and Harold. Even though they were gagged, she was still speaking to them and from the tone of her voice I could tell she was wild with anger. She was waiving her gun around and talking non-stop about how she and her mother had been so dirt poor that her mother had to "turn tricks" to get food on the table. She was walking back and forth and ranting on and on about her birth certificate; how she had stumbled upon it one day and decided to track down her father. And then finding out, after years spent searching, that her father was a billionaire and the owner of a high profile insurance company! She spent the past few years, she yelled, trying to find a way to hurt Harold just as he had hurt her by abandoning her and her mother. She swung the gun back and forth between John and Harold and I sent a quick message to Joss that we needed to take action quickly.
"And then I found out what you were up to, Dad." she sneered the last word and pointed her gun at Harold. "If anyone know how much you REALLY knew about computers and how involved you were in several murders done by this man here," and she swung the gun back towards John. "They would throw you in jail if the government didn't kill you first!"
Just then, I heard several shots from outside and the woman ran towards the door. I saw John stick out his leg and she tripped, and the gun went flying across the room. That's when I pounced on top of her and knocked her out cold with the butt of my gun. I ran to John and Harold and ungagged and untied them. Several more shots rang out and I told them Joss was on the roof top next door and was handling the guards. I handed a gun to John and then used the ropes that had bound him and Harold to tie up the woman claiming to be Harold's daughter.
Before we left the warehouse Joss called to say that she had already contacted backup and they were on their way to help her. Joss said that she could handle the resulting police investigation with a bit of creativity and we left quickly before the police arrived. I cast a sidelong look at Harold to see how he was handling the idea that a woman claiming to be his daughter had tried to kill him. Harold must have seen my look because he seemed to feel the need to explain a little of his past to us as we were slowly making our way to the car.
"When I was a young student at MIT studying computers, I was contacted by a woman claiming that she and I had had a one night stand and that as a result, she was now pregnant. I explained to her, that I had scarlet fever as a child and was left with the inability to father children." Harold told us. It was one of the most personal things I had ever heard him say regarding his past. I reached over and squeezed his hand and he smiled at me but did not elaborate any further.
"I wonder why that woman thought you were her father then?" I asked.
"I can only assume that she was told that by her mother. The woman was VERY insistent that the child was mine regardless. I wasn't aware though that she had gone so far as to put my name on the child's birth certificate." Harold said. "I'll have to see what I can do about that."
Driving back to the library, John and I took turns relating to Harold the extraordinary contact we had had with the Machine.
"But… I ….that's just not possible." Harold said in disbelief shaking his head. "I have not programmed anything into the system since the government took away the servers when Nathan…" Harold trailed off and became silent. He refused to speak the rest of the ride and as soon as we got to the library, he rushed in headlong.
"Finch, wait!" John called in a commanding voice and Harold stopped. "You have no idea if there are any more men in there waiting to harm you. Let Cecilia and I check it out first." Finch nodded and John and I formed a protective V around Harold, both of us advancing slowly with Finch in the middle and a little behind us. When we had cleared every room, Finch ran to his work station and typed furiously for a second. Then we all distinctly heard a computerized voice issuing from the speakers:
System administrator secure….
Assets John and Cecilia Reese secure….
Additional personnel Eileen Taylor and Liliana Reese secure…..
System standing by….
Harold looked up at both of us with wondering eyes and then turned back to the computer and began single-mindedly typing in words that seemed like a sort of code.
"He's going to be wrapped up in this for a while." John said. "Let's go get Liliana and go home."
I nodded and we left Harold staring fixedly at the computer screens as series of numbers and letters appeared and quickly disappeared on the screens. Naturally, we weren't surprised when we didn't hear from Harold for a couple of days after that.
Two days later, I came home from the market to find John waiting for me at the door. "Let me help you with those bags." He said taking them out of my hands. As I followed him into the kitchen, I noticed the table was set for two including two large tapers that looked like they had just been lit.
I gave John a quizzical look and he explained. "We are having a nice dinner in together tonight and ALONE, thanks to Harold. He and Liliana and Eileen are staying in the hotel across the street for the night. He wanted to thank us for putting ourselves in danger to save him by giving us some alone time."
John came up to me and kissed my neck in its most sensitive spot and I shivered pleasantly. "He knows we haven't had any alone time since the baby came. Why don't you go slip into something more comfortable?" he suggested with a smile. "I'll get these put away while you do. Dinner will be in half an hour." I noticed that he was already dressed more comfortably in a steel blue silk shirt and charcoal grey slacks. I leaned up and gave him a passionate kiss that promised more and went into the bedroom.
It seemed as though every available surface had a lit candle on it, giving the room a soft, warm glow. The bed was covered with rose petals and there was also a deep blue silk dress laid out on the bed. The blue perfectly matched the color of John's eyes. I smiled at this, knowing that Harold was behind that little detail. I slipped my clothes off and reached for the dress. Once I had it on, I realized how low cut the dress was in both back and front with thin spaghetti straps that revealed my shoulders as well. The front of the dress came down into a V with the bottom of the V plunging down between my breasts, halfway to my belly button. While I did not mind showing some skin, this was a bit beyond what I would normally wear but as John would be the only one seeing me in it, I smiled anticipating his reaction. The dress was floor length at least but the sides were slit all the way up to the middle of my thighs. The last thing I did before leaving the bedroom was remove my panties. I had little choice as the back of the dress plunged down so far that they would be visible and look out of place. I wondered if this was deliberately done by whomever designed the dress. By this time, the silk had been warmed by the heat of my body and it felt as though a glove was caressing my bare bottom and breasts. As I walked out to the dining room, the warm silk rubbed against my breasts turning my nipples into hard peaks underneath the dress.
John turned from the stove to look at me as I approached and his devouring eyes seemed to caress every inch of me just as the dress was doing. I felt a tightening sensation in my belly at that look and a second later, that sensation travelled lower as John's warm fingers brushed against mine while he handed me a glass of wine. I took it and backed off, taking a seat at the table facing the kitchen so I could watch John as he prepared dinner. He moved with a smooth efficiency about the kitchen, stirring this and draining that. The smells coming from the kitchen were wonderful but even more wonderful was the view I had of John from behind. Whenever he reached for something up high, the back of his shirt would tighten across his shoulders and biceps and the silk of the shirt outlined his muscles very well. The same could be said of his pants. More often than not, his pants were clinging to his rounded buttocks as he moved about. It took several deep breaths on my part and even more sips of chilled wine before I felt I could look at John without wanting to jump out of the chair and run my hands up and down his body. It had been several months since he and I had made love and at that moment, each day of that time felt as though it had been an eternity.
As I sat there watching John and all his kitchen activity, my imagination drifted in and out, thinking of ways to seduce him after dinner. I smiled a small smile at him as he turned back towards me with two plates in hand. He had planned every course down to the last detail. The first was a delicious beet salad with a feta cheese grated over the top. We ate our salad in almost complete silence. But our eyes never left one another's face. I watched him watching me and deliberately licked my lips with quick little darts of my tongue in and out. His eyes began to smolder and a smile turned up one corner of his mouth.
The next course was a light flaky fish meal in a savory butter sauce. The fish practically melted in my mouth. I must have had a small drip of butter in the corner of my mouth because John leaned over and wiped it off with his finger and then he proceeded to clean his finger off by licking it and sucking it while staring at my breasts. I smiled and took a deep breath and leaned in a little closer to him so that the dress gaped away from my breasts a little. His eyes began to burn with suppressed desire.
Lastly, came the dessert course of cheeses, fruit and honey. John moved his chair closer to mine, so close that our thighs were occasionally rubbing together and dipped a wedge of cheese in the honey and fed me with his fingers. The contrast of the sweet honey and sharp, tangy cheese exploded in my mouth. And before he could pull his fingers away, I grabbed his hand and licked the honey off of his fingers, one at a time. Enveloping a finger with the heat of my mouth and sucking it all the way in. I repeated that with all of the fingers on that hand and I felt his other hand on my thigh, first through the silk of the dress and then as he discovered the slit in the dress, on my bare skin. He lightly rubbed my thigh, first on the outside edge and then on the inside making his way up towards the junction of my thighs. When he encountered no resistance from any panties, his eyes widened and then he sucked in a breath. I smiled and then fed him a grape covered in honey and I slowly licked my own fingers clean looking at him the entire time. The look in John's eyes became even more intense. He stood up quickly, handed me the jar of honey and swept me up into his arms, carrying me to the bedroom.
Once in the room, he set me gently on my feet beside the bed and took the honey jar from me. Holding my face between his hands, he covered my lips with kisses, licking them and sucking any honey off of them. His kisses were so passionate that I began to breathe heavily and my mouth opened just a little. John took advantage of that and slipped his tongue into my mouth and deepened our kisses. I couldn't get enough of him, I ran my fingers through his hair and it seemed that my entire body was focused on joining his through those kisses. Finally, we broke off the kiss, both of us panting for air. John's hands though didn't stay in one place for long. He ran them lightly down my bare back and they dipped into the back of the dress to grab me by the buttocks and rub me up against the hard bulge I could feel in his pants. Even through the layers of clothes that were between us, I could feel the heat and hardness of that bulge. I rubbed my hips into him again and was rewarded with a groan from him before his lips went back to devouring mine. His hands then slipped up to my shoulders and they slipped the spaghetti straps off my shoulders. The dress fell down in one big pile on the floor and that quickly, I was standing naked in front of him. Without removing his lips from mine, he picked me up and lay me on the bed.
He didn't join me there though but instead broke off our kiss and reached for the honey jar. He opened it and dipped a finger in it and then rubbed the honey on one of my nipples. I took his finger and sucked it into my mouth as a second later John drew my nipple into his own mouth. He used his tongue to roll it around, lick it and then he began to suck it hard. I gasped and then moaned. It seemed that my nipples had become even more sensitive after having been drawn into peaks the entire time I was wearing the silk dress. John was sucking on my nipple so strongly that every time he drew it in, I felt a fluttery sensation that ran directly from my nipple to the now throbbing bud between my legs. After a time he switched to my other nipple, applying honey to that one as well and paying it equal homage.
"Oh John!" I whispered in between my panting breaths. He lifted his head up and his eyes reflected my desire back at me. Then he gave me a mischievous little smile and dipped his finger into the honey jar once again. With his other hand, he reached down and parted my legs and then dragged the finger with honey over my clit. I sucked in my breath as he grabbed both of my thighs and spread them apart further before leaning down between them. I could feel the heat of his breath as he paused over my clit and then I nearly bucked off the bed when he began to lick the honey off me. He repeatedly licked my clit and then began to suck and nip it in earnest. The sensation was indescribably intense and I couldn't help but moan aloud. The longer it went on, the tighter the spring inside me coiled. I was so incredibly sensitive there that every time he moved his tongue on me a new sensation of pleasure shot through me until I was a quivering and moaning mess. His hands stayed wrapped around my thighs though, anchoring me to his tongue no matter how I squirmed. Just then he began to hum and vibrate his lips against me and I shot over the edge into oblivion screaming his name.
I came back to consciousness slowly and piece-meal. My body shivered with anticipation of what was to come because I knew we weren't done with each other by any means. Just then, John lifted his head from my throbbing clit. I couldn't believe I wanted more but I moved my hips begging him for more. All he said was "in due time" and he got up and walked into the bathroom. I could hear a clicking sound and realized it was his lighter. I heard him light several candles and start the water running in the large sunken bathtub as well. He walked back into the bedroom and gently lifted me off the bed, holding me close and carrying me into the bathroom. He set me down gently on the stone floor and drew me to him with a long slow kiss.
I didn't think it was fair that I was the only one naked and I began to unbutton his shirt before sliding it off his shoulders. I sighed when I saw that wonderful, muscled expanse of bare chest. I left a trail of little wet kisses from his mouth, down his neck. I licked along his collarbone and kissed the scars he had there before continuing down his chest and to his belly button. I flicked my tongue inside for a second and he shivered with suppressed laughter before sucking in his breath as I licked a trail down along the thin line of hair that stretched from his belly button down into his waistband. I licked and sucked the area as I gently pulled down his pants and boxer briefs. He reached down and pulled out the clip holding my hair up and my long tresses caressed his thick, jutting penis as they fell.
I gently and ever so slowly pulled his pants and briefs down towards his ankles. On the way back up, I kissed and licked his protruding penis. I got to my knees and drew his engorged manhood into my mouth. He gently grabbed my hair to keep it out of my face and I looked up into his eyes, those dark blue orbs smiled down at me and I melted. My mouth left his penis and I began a trail of kisses back up his stomach and up towards his neck. I stopped for a moment and he leaned over and turned off the faucet. I stepped into the hot water and leaned back against the tub. John got down on his knees next to the tub and took the soap from the soap dish.
John reached down into the water and brought my foot up. He began to use the soap to wash my foot over the top first, his fingers tracing the lines of my tendons through my skin and then underneath to where I was ticklish. I laughed as his fingers and the soap ran over the arch in my foot. He smiled and grabbed my other foot and did the same. Next he worked his way up my leg with the soap and his strong hands caressing and kneading my muscles. He went right past the junction of my thighs though with a little smile and rubbed the soap over my belly and then up to my breasts. These he lavished with plenty of attention, pretending that he needed to "wash off the honey". The candles gave off a warm glow as I looked lovingly into his eyes and brought his mouth down the mine.
As he was leaning a little off balance, it was easy for me to pull him down into the tub with me, and he fell in with a resounding splash. We laughed and continued kissing. The tub was large enough to accommodate both of us easily and he sat me down on his lap. From that position his penis easily found my entrance. Suddenly impatient, he pushed up quickly and forcefully into me and I cried out in pain as his thick, hard penis stretched me. A tight episiotomy and a long time period of abstinence had made me unused to how large he was. He put his hands on my hips sliding me up and down his incredibly stiff and thick penis. I moaned again in both pleasure and pain. I felt that every inch of me was full to bursting with him. I threw my head back and moaned as he increased the pace and I felt him shudder and groan himself as I squeezed him tightly with my inner muscles. I did it again, just to hear that groan I found so arousing. We moved in unison then, splashing water over the edges of the tub.
"Cecilia you're..." he began to say but it ended with a shout as he came and pumped himself into me. I continued to move up and down him for another minute as the shudders took him and I felt the tension in me break as well as my own orgasm took me.
Later as I lay in bed, wrapped in John's sheltering arms, I couldn't help but think about how I wanted this to last forever. It wasn't until the next day that one of us read the computer screen in the library that had been blinking the following message all night long...
Increased Threat detected for all personnel…
Possible connection between multiple threats to system and personnel…
Mitigating action required….