Well, after shameful neglect, I am FINALLY updating Strength and A Thousand Faces. * Ducks rotten vegetables *. Well, I DID say I would update it this week.. ^^;;

Disclaimers have always, and will always apply.

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"Well, how do you want to do this?" Nick asked Lita. She sat on the couch in their flat, deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, she answered him.

"Wiseman knows me. I've a feeling that I'm already his target, because ever since I met him, I've been putting on the oblivious act. However, I'll have to make sure that he does not notice anyone else, without giving away my real identity. I'll have to seek him out after seminars, ask him lots of questions, appear as an inquisitive little student." Lita murmured. "But, you have to help me with one thing."

"And what would that be?" Nick asked.

"Well, this is an astro-engineering seminar. I'll need to learn at least an undergrad astronomy major's knowledge of astronomy in a week. And this is where you come in," she winked at him, "Professor Steller."

Nick laughed. She really had many different sides to her, from jaded to almost childlike. "All right then. What do you know about star classification?"

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It was four o'clock in the morning and Lita was still awake. Just barely. Making a valiant effort to stifle her yawns, she assiduously tried to focus the telescope and her bleary eyes on the heavens. After several vain attempts, she threw down the half-complete star chart in her hand in exasperation.

"Aargh! No more! I can't stand this any more! I've gone without sleep for 60 damned hours doing this! And I see NO practical application to any of this!" Sliding down the wall into a seated position, she scowled. Nick had long since gone to bed, after explaining twice the correct way of completing a star chart. At first, it had been fairly easy, but now, even after three cups of coffee in the last hour, all she wanted was.sleep.

The next morning, when Nick woke up, he found Lita huddled against the wall close to the window, telescope and star chart on the floor, fast asleep. A half-wry, half-tender smile on his face, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to her bed. Kissing her gently on the cheek, he pulled the covers around her, and left her room, shutting the door gently behind him.

Lita did not wake up until very late that night. When she did open her eyes, she found that she was in her room, in bed. Two minutes later, her bedroom door slammed open and she dashed out. Nick was in the kitchen, placidly eating a sandwich. He looked up when she ran in.

"What time is it?!" Nick looked at her fondly. Her clothing was rumpled, her hair was mussed, and her eyes were wild.

"It's 10:30."

"WHAT?! I slept for an entire DAY?!" Lita yelped. Nick nodded and grinned. Her eyes widened to saucer-like size. "And you LET me?!"

"Of course. When I woke up this morning, I found you fast asleep against that wall. I decided that you would be more comfortable in bed, so I put you in bed. You've been working too hard, Lita. Astronomy isn't as easy as it can seem, and you've been at it for, what, two and a half days non-stop? You need to rest. You've already learnt an adequate amount so that when the seminar starts, you won't be entirely lost. Now have a sandwich."

Lita hesitantly took the roast beef sandwich he handed her. "You mean.no more astronomy lessons?" she asked in a small voice.

"That's correct." He smiled.

"Oh thank goodness!" Lita said fervently, a look of immense relief on her face. "Nothing against astronomy, but it's just too.spacey?"

Nick laughed and reached over to ruffle her hair.

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True to his words, the astronomy that she had learnt was enough to ascertain that she understood the seminars. Lita participated enthusiastically in discussions, and made a point to speak to her target every day in order to make sure that his attention would be focused on her. Gordon Wilkins was an excellent speaker: knowledgeable, interesting, charismatic and captivating. Although this appealed to the knowledge- seeking portion of her mind, this also worried Lita.

For him to be so very well-spoken and fascinating, his intelligence level must be nothing to scoff at. When the end of the seminar came around, she would have to be very careful.

All too soon, it was the last day, and he would be announcing who was chosen as the 'lucky' participant in an insiders' tour of NASA headquarters and possibly helping to design a special state-of-the-art spacecraft for future missions. Lita, sitting next to Nick, clutched his hands hard to the point of pain, but he barely noticed, for he was as tense as she was. He KNEW that she had to go, but that did not mean that he had to like it; like knowing that this very special woman, whom he had come to trust and esteem very much, would be walking into deadly danger with both eyes open.

"And the person whom I have chosen, after great deliberation, is Ms. Willow Leighton!" The auditorium filled with the sound of applause as Lita, a tight smile on her face, walked up to the podium to shake hands with the serial killer.

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Okay! Done!! And the real action starts next chapter!!

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