Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is someone else's idea. The only character that is mine is: Jamie

Authors notes:

1. Adam was only included because he fit with the storyline.

2.: flashback

3. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts.

4. Italics is an email

5. C.O.S.: Change of Scenery

Fallen: Chapter #10

Danny leaned back in his chair at his desk on the grid. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. The long night was turning into a long day- all he wanted to do was sleep. He had been back for almost half a day, and hadn't seen Tessa. The more time passed the more uneasy he felt. He concentrated on the schematics for the Commonwealth conference, and planned where he was going situate the surveillance teams. He looked up as he heard footsteps to notice Tessa coming through the door. She stopped at his desk.

"Follow me into the office to report, please Danny." Danny rose and followed her through the door and into Harry's office. They were silent as she took off her coat and made herself comfortable.

"So how did the meeting go with Ms. McDonald?" Tessa asked getting down to business.

"She needs 10 additional officers, I've given her 5 of ours, and suggested that she go to 'Six' for the rest. As for our own protection plans, I'm just looking over the plans for the hotel. I'll send surveillance teams over beginning this afternoon."

"Sounds good, I'll expect a report tomorrow then. By the way, where's Zoe?" Tessa replied.

"She's out of town visiting her grandmother- she's in the hospital." Danny told her.

"I trust she'll call in then. You can go." Tessa dismissed him, and he walked out of the office.

"Sam, Colin, and Malcolm, you're with me." Danny said, as he picked up his coat. He yawned again, as he put it on and headed towards the door. The long day was doomed to continue.

C.O.S.: Safe house

Ellie moved to the window and stared out on the landscape. She allowed her thoughts to wander over the conversation they had earlier in the day. She loved him; she knew that, but so much secrecy… It was hard to get used to sometimes. He loved Maisie, that was certain, and that was a huge plus for her. She knew that in some way she was good for him. When he was with her and Maisie, she noticed his walls break down to reveal a sweet intelligent guy inside. She turned around as she felt someone watching her, and looked into his blue eyes.

"Hey sleepyhead." She greeted him

"Hi, I hoped you stayed." He replied.

"I do love you, you know. I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than here with you." She said.

"What I said earlier, Tom began…" Ellie cut him off:

"It just brings up that we have a lot to talk about if we are to have a future."

Tom smiled weakly in response, then leaned back against his pillows and fell asleep. Ellie meanwhile grew restless, and began to walk about the house exploring the different rooms. She went downstairs and grabbed her suitcase, bringing it up to the bedroom directly across from Tom's, where she began to undress for a shower. She grabbed her makeup kit and towel and made her way into the bathroom. Just as she turned on the water she could hear Tom's voice, and she moved back towards his bedroom:

"J-Joyce. I never meant to hurt her, she was unfit for this line of work, I never meant to hurt her." Ellie paused at the doorway and watched as Tom thrashed his arms around. She moved to waken him gently, making soothing sounds. After a few anxious moments he woke up and looked at her with a haunted look in his eyes and said:

"I never meant to hurt her."

"I know." Ellie replied taking one of his hands.

"She was unfit."

"I know." Ellie kissed his cheek gently.

"I would never knowingly hurt a…"

"I know. Ellie replied. She sat down on the bed, and was silent waiting for him to speak. He began falteringly:

"Lisa Joyce-She was young. A student- she enjoyed being with her friends, learning her studies. She had a smile that would light up a room and a brilliant mind. We ran an operation there at the university. I was there posing as a student- one of her equals. I was supposed to recruit her; we were going to use her Ellie. She was up for it, perfectly keen on it. I didn't realize at the time that her father was Herman Joyce- a legend in the C.I.A. The operation didn't go well. We did get our mark, but Lisa- she bore the brunt of it mentally. She was broken, and blew her cover. She never recovered, and had a severe mental breakdown. She had to be put into a mental institution. And her father blamed me. It was reported several months later that he had died in a car crash." Tom finished and sat back against his pillows to catch his breath.

"Stop there, I don't know that I want to know anymore for now." Ellie replied. She rose again and continued to have her shower.

C.O.S.: Outside a posh London Hotel

Danny brought what had to be his 6th cup of coffee that day up to his lips and blew on it gently as he sipped. They had been sitting out there for 6 hours and nothing too suspicious. He put his coffee back on the table and glanced back at the screen in time to watch as it went blank. He glanced questioningly at Colin:

"The equipment's fine." Colin answered the unasked question.

"Alpha one do you read?" Danny said into the microphone. He paused listening for an answer.

"Alpha two?" He began going through his teams in order. Still no answer.

"Any team that can hear me, report to me in person now." Danny ordered, as he put down his headset and stepped outside the van and waited. He didn't have a good feeling about this. He could rule out C.I.S.I.S. Jamie was going to get a copy of this intelligence after they finished with it. He could rule out 'six' although he could never be sure of Jools Siviter. The Americans: no, this was a Commonwealth matter. He sighed and shifted positions as his teams began to emerge from the building.

"What happened in there?" Danny asked the assembled group:

"We don't know. One minute I could hear the reports of the other teams just fine, the next nothing." A team-leader volunteered.

"Did anything suspicious happen before you lost contact?" Danny asked.

"No. There was just dead silence." The same leader answered.

"Somebody's been sited on premises- Danny you should take a look at this." A second of the teams reported in. Danny took the digital camera and called up the photo: It was a bit blurry but once cleared up it would be identifiable. It was setting up to be a 2nd straight night without sleep for him. He gave the order for two of his teams to go back to the grid with him and left one on site.

C.O.S.: The grid- later that night

Danny examined the photograph carefully under his desk lamp with a magnifying glass. The man in it was buying a magazine. His face showed high cheekbones with grey eyes and a long nose, he was bald as well. He did have the faintest beard developing. Danny had some idea who he might be, but wanted a second opinion. He scanned and emailed the picture to Zoe, and waited for a response. In minutes she responded with one word: Zeigler. Danny pinched the bridge of his nose in a gesture of fatigue and heaved a heavy sigh. Further research would have to wait until tomorrow- he had a team in the hotel for at least the next 8 hrs or so, it was time for sleep and to end the long day.

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