SAVIOR.

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, and a big Thank you to Jedi Skysinger for her BETA work.

Part Twelve,

Rayna sighed and closed her eyes, resting back against Sam Axe's bare chest as warm water cascaded down over their bodies. She nestled her head into the crook of his neck, a sultry smile curving her lips as he whispered sweet endearments into her ear.

The heady mixture of the powerful spray of warm water invigorating her muscles and Sam's strong hands softly kneading her flesh worked to clear away all thoughts of rogue spies and slimy politicians from her mind. Thoroughly relaxed and with a feeling of tranquility settling over her, she surrendered to Sam's touch completely as he cocooned her in his arms, his lips pressing teasingly soft kisses along her jaw.

"I think we should take this to the bed-" His words, made husky by desire, were suddenly cut off by a loud, annoying and incessant sound.

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

"Sandy, baby, leave it." He tried to block her hand from reaching up to turn off the water.

Ring, ring, ring,

"Sam, I have-" With the tap turned off, Rayna slid open the condensation covered glass shower cubicle door.

Ring, ring, ring,

"Hey, c'mon now, Sandy - Dammit." He reached for her one last time, but she twisted out of his grip and picked up her phone.

With a huff, Sam followed her out of the shower and, after wrapping a towel around his waist, he picked up another and enclosed her in a thick fluffy bath towel.

"Benson, has the Senator called?" She leaned back against Sam's chest as he gently rubbed his hands over the towel, helping her to dry off.

"Yes, Ma'am, I did as you said and put the call through after letting him talk me into going against your orders, but afterwards he called back and demanded that I remove the guard from Agents Sizemore and Westen's doors. I tried to tell him -" The young agent's voice came through the phone loud enough that Sam could hear every word.

"It's alright. I was expecting this," Rayna replied, halting the young man's speech. "Just do as he ordered and remove the guards from outside both rooms."

"Ma'am?"

She felt Sam stiffen and back away from her, but she was in full business mode and couldn't concern herself with hurting his feelings.

"Really, it's a straight forward order, Benson. Remove the guards from outside Sizemore and Westen's doors and then when Sizemore goes to PT, you go in and plant at least one listening device either on or near his bed. Then you do the same again when Westen is out of his room. And do not speak to anybody else about what you are doing. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good, now get to it." Ending the call, Rayna turned just in time to catch sight of Sam's back as he left the bathroom.

Deep down, she had known that allowing their relationship to start up again was a bad idea. It had been a couple of years since they had last hooked up, but Sam was the only person left in her life whom she completely trusted. They had history together, they knew each other's darkest secrets and lastly Sam made her feel loved, something she'd rarely experienced.

When they reached her quarters, she had felt Sam's breath on her neck as she unlocked the door. Stepping inside she turned, barring him from following.

"We can't let this continue, Sam. Sizemore knows or at least suspects. I can't become the talk of the base in my line of work." She continued to block his entry into her quarters and he had just stared back at her with his goddamn puppy dog eyes.

"Look, let me in, at least while we talk. Keeping me out here in the hall is going to draw even more attention than anything we do in private."

He was right, but letting him inside was only going to lead to him staying the night. The trouble was she couldn't bring herself to slam the door in his face either. It had been over a year since she had spoken to a man about anything other than work.

Then, as if he was reading her mind, he had leaned in a little closer. "Why don't we move off base? Adana is only a coupla miles away. It's a big city, lots of people, lots of hotels."

She pressed the edge of her cell phone against her forehead; she had honestly thought Sam would understand the situation. Muttering an expletive, she left the bathroom and followed him into the bedroom.

He was stood on the far side of the room, his back turned to the door but she didn't need to see his face to know how angry he was. The emotion was coming off him in waves.

"Sam, you're not looking at the big picture. There's more at stake here than just Westen." She threw her phone onto the bed and dropped the towel that had been wrapped around her body.

"It's a dirty trick you're pulling, Sandy," Sam, growled back angrily.

She watched as he snatched up his pants from where he had left them on the floor. He was getting dressed? She bit her lip and searched the floor for her own garments.

"You had to know that when I asked Jamieson for a favor that he would take it as an invitation to stick his nose into this mess. He's my boss, Sam, my commanding officer. You know I can't go against his orders, but I can damn well use them to my advantage."

"Oh, I understand about following orders, but I didn't think you'd just throw Mike to the wolves like that. You know damn well as soon as he can arrange it, Larry is going to be back whispering in the kid's ear."

"Jesus, Sam, I shouldn't have to explain this to you. Removing the guards is going to make Larry believe he's won and it also means I can make sure Westen isn't just stringing us along before I have to hand him a commendation."

He glared back at her, his normally warm brown eyes cold and hard. "You're as good as setting Mike up to fail. That kid is at a crossroads. You shouldn't be allowing Larry anywhere near him."

"You're the one who told me Westen had his head on straight, that said he'd stick to the deal. I'm just getting confirmation." With all her clothes in place, Rayna picked up her hairbrush, running it through her damp hair and dragging it mercilessly through any tangles.

"Like I said before, you're setting him up." He was sat on the edge of the bed lacing up his boots, his movements jerky as he fought to control his temper.

"Sam," she sighed out his name turning to look at him directly. "You can't protect Westen indefinitely. Sooner or later, Sizemore is going to get to him and when he does I need to be sure I can trust him to do the right thing. If he can't turn Larry down now when everything that happened is still fresh in his mind, what's the chance he'll do it later? Then what happens? How long before they do something that can't be covered up?"

Sam was back on his feet now, the scowl slowly slipping away as he stared back into her blue eyes. He hated that she had a point, that Michael Westen was an accomplished liar and the only way to be sure that he was telling the truth was to set him up and see what he did.

"This is what I hate about spies. Nothing is ever straight forward with any of you."

"It's not just about being straight forward. It's because we live in a world full of deception that we have to go to such extremes to get to the truth. Westen has been trained to pick up from a single look what it will take to get you on his side. He is capable of looking you right in the eye and telling you black is white and you'll believe him."

Rayna took a step closer and then another one until she was in front of him. They stood within arms reach of each other but not touching.

"I have to be certain, Sam. It's not just my career or yours that's on the line. What happens if we don't stop them now? How many more innocent people are going to become collateral damage because they got in the way of those two?"

She searched his face looking for some sign of softening in his expression and was rewarded as the tension slowly left his body and a hint of a smile broke the harsh straight line of his mouth. It was her turn to surrender a little of her anger as his hadn came up to gently move a couple of damp strands of hair away from her face.

"I still think you're going about this all wrong."

"And I think this is the only way to be sure," she replied, a smile causing the corners of her eyes to crinkle. "Can we just agree to disagree on this and go do something to keep our minds off the subject of Sizemore and Westen?"

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, his eyes dropping to focus on her fingers as they slowing began to unbuttoned his shirt.

()

"Leave it to me, muh boy an' Ah'll be sure your name is the only one that goes forward fer that lil ole U.N job."

"And the promotion, J.B. Don't forget the promotion," Larry beamed.

"That's sure nuff on the top of my to-do list, Larry. Now, before ah get a-going is there anything else ah kin do to make your stay more comfortable?"

"It would be nice if you could explain to Ms. Kopec that she doesn't need to have guards watching over her own men."

"Consider it done, my boy. Ah just can't figure out whud goes on in that pretty lil head a-hers sometimes."

Larry lay back in his hospital bed. His conversation with the Senator had been very illuminating once he had gotten past the charming, deep-south persona the man liked to hide behind. He had won; that bitch Kopec had finally given up the fight. He glanced down at where his slippers sat on the floor. He still had six little pills which if given all at once would induce a nice little heart attack.

Maybe he would give the over worked little woman a present after she had handed them their awards. If the heart attack didn't kill her, it would end her career in the field. It would put her back in DC behind a desk where she belonged. Yes, he was just full of good ideas at the moment.

Half an hour later, Larry's good mood increased even further as the guard on his door took a call and then left without a word. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he checked the time. It was late and he was tired. There was plenty of time to check on the Kid tomorrow and break the good news to him.

()

With nothing else to take up his time, Michael Westen spent every waking moment reading through the training manuals Sam Axe had left for him. Without them, he was pretty sure he would be slowly going insane thinking about what he had done and what the consequences were going to be. The deaths in that Chechen farmhouse still weighed heavily on his mind and, whenever he fell asleep, the images of Larry's victims haunted his dreams.

He still had trouble believing he was expected to take over the training of another agent. He stared blankly at the first page of a chapter titled: Early Training Missions, Surveillance in Hostile Environments.

Their safe house in Havana had been in the old city, one of many small apartments above the rows of small shops which lined the narrow winding streets. They had already had one awkward discussion where he had to admit he didn't speak or understand a word of Spanish.

"Your 201 file said you were born and raised in Miami an' you're telling me you don't speak a word of the language?" Moments afterwards, the anger had faded and Larry had turned back to him with a toothy grin back in place. "This is why you should never believe what it says in a co-worker's dossier, Kid. You're just gonna have to keep ya mouth shut an' smile a lot."

And that's what he had done as at first Larry had insisted on a drive around the whole of the city followed by a walk along the narrow winding streets of the old part of the city until they reached the safe house that had been prepared for them.

As soon as they arrived at the top floor dark musty smelling apartment, he had set about showing his older, far more experienced colleague he could do the job. After all, this wasn't his first mission. He could still remembered the faintly amused expression on Larry Sizemore's face as he watched him pin up a map of the area on one of the walls and carefully mark out the run down mansion where they believed their target was residing.

"Whatcha doin', Kid?" The older man had asked when he had dug into his canvas backpack searching for binoculars and their radio comms.

"Surveillance, Larry. Do want the first shift or should I -?"

"You're kiddin', right?" Larry had given a disgusted snort and picked up a bullet proof vest, throwing it at his head. "What the hell have Raines and Card been filling your head with?"

"But, we've only driven past the place once on the way here. We need to -"

"Jeez, am I goin' to have to teach you everything? Just follow my lead, Kid. We're workin' against the clock here, an' you want to spend a week learning the guards' schedule?" Larry handed him two stun grenades to go along with the vest.

He stabbed a finger over the position of the mansion suspected of containing their target. "I've already organized for a little disturbance to take place out the front, so while the guards are dealing with that we're going over the fence at the back of the property."

He pointed to a spot where they had noted a blind spot on the security cameras. "Once inside, you're going to keeping shooting with that assault rifle of yours until we reach the target's room. At that point, we send in the stun grenades, grab our man and get out. We'll be back in the U.S by nightfall."

"But, what about -?" He had been filled with questions. It was nothing like the training missions he had run or like the couple of missions he had gone on with Station Chief Kopec before she became a station chief.

"There is no' what ifs' or 'what about,' Kid, All you have to do is follow my lead. C'mon, stop pouting. This will be fun."

He remembered Larry's wide toothy grin and the encouraging slap on the back he got just before they scaled the wall of a large mansion in the Miramar district of Havana.

There had been so many things he had learned from his training officer, Tom Card, which Larry had dismissed as useless or he had later changed of his own accord. How could he turn his back on methods he knew worked? Or even worse, how he could he teach somebody a method he had no faith in?

He dropped the book down on the table unread and picked up another .This one outlined approved interrogation techniques, but after opening the first page, he dropped it back down. He had never liked Larry's way of getting answers, even when it worked.

Suddenly he was back there again.

"Who did you tell?" Larry snarled out his questions, demanding answers from the weeping figure at his side.

"N- no nobody, I told nobody," the little man had sniveled, crying out when Larry fired his gun point blank into the chest of the one remaining man in the group of captives.

The other prisoners, all securely tied up and gagged, stared with open eyes as Larry continued with his questions before he turned his murderous gaze upon is protégé.

"Go keep a lookout. There may be patrols in the area."

And, coward that he was, he had left without a word.

()

"So, what's the Ice Queen got ya doin, Kid?" Larry stood framed in the door way enjoying the look of surprise his sudden appearance caused.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

Larry frowned at the not so welcoming tone in the Kid's voice, but the frown quickly turned to an indulgent smile when he realized Michael hadn't noticed he no longer had a guard watching his every move. The younger man was obviously just startled at his sudden appearance.

"I told you, Kid. I've got your back. Kopec has been put in her place, so you don't have to worry about her anymore."

He limped slowly across the room, leaning heavily on the walking frame he was forced to use, while doing his best to hide the pain he was feeling each time he put weight through his injured hip. Reaching the bed, he picked up the book Michael had just thrown aside.

"So, what's all this for?" he asked, reading the title before tossing it back onto the table.

He watched as the kid finally pulled himself together and plastered a welcoming smile on his face. "Kopec wants me to review Company protocol. What happened to the guard?"

"Good old J.B came through again. I'll introduce you to the old bastard one day, Kid, when you've grown up a bit," he laughed and then carefully lowered himself on to the chair which had been left next to the bed. "So what have the docs said? How long 'til you're going to be back on your feet?"

"They haven't told me anything. I'm on this-" he showed Larry the I.V lines in his hand. "For at least another couple of days and they haven't let me outta bed at all yet. So I guess it's going to be a while."

"Uh-huh," Larry looked around the room, before turning back to his protégé with a leer on his face. "Hey, I've gotta prime piece of gossip for ya, something that'll cheer you up a bit." He paused for a moment and then announced. "The Ice Queen has thawed."

Michael gave him a puzzled look.

"Sam Axe has been putting his cold water training to good use, penetrating a hostile environment," he chuckled, while making a lewd gesture.

"Sam- and Kopec?" Michael choked, his eyes going wide in shock.

"Yeah, good ol' Sam Axe, him and the Ice Queen are getting very cozy."

"How do you - - How did you find out?" Michael couldn't believe it. He knew Sam had a way with the ladies, but Kopec? No, he didn't believe it.

"Ooh, lotsa of little things. He was all over her out in the hall the other day and when I made some comment, he got right up in my face," Larry beamed as he relived the scene in his mind. "It was quite sweet really, Axe playing the white knight defending his lady's honor. Ha, as if Kopec needs any defending. I doubt anybody else has ever had the nerve to risk frostbite. Hey, maybe that's why Axe went there... You know going where no man has gone before, or maybe she has a thing for dumb animals."

Michael sat staring off into space, not quite the response Larry had expected.

"So, what did the Ice Queen have to say to you?" Larry changed the subject. "Has she told you about the commendations? J.B is going to rush 'em through. We should get them in couple of days."

"Commen- I thought -" Michael went pale.

"Thought what, Kid? I told you to have faith in Ol' Lare. I've got it all sorted out. In a couple of days, the den mother is going to have to stand up in front of us and all her little pups and give a nice little speech about what a bang up job we've just done."

Larry was beginning to get angry as Michael went back to ignoring him. He glanced up at the clear bags filled with fluid hanging off a pole attached to the bed. They must have the Kid drugged up; that had to be it.

"Hey, Kid! Pay attention when I'm speaking to you." Michael's head snapped around to face him. "Now, after we get our awards, I understand Kopec is going to ship you state-side. I want you to wait until you hear from me before you accept a new posting. You understand me?" He locked eyes with the younger man making sure his words broke through the Kid's obvious drug haze.

"Yeah, I understand," he replied dully.

"Good, cuz I'm being transferred to the Middle East. I'll be leaving as soon as I can walk without this damn thing." He gave the walking frame a kick. "I can't get you transferred until you've passed a medical declaring you fit for duty. So when you go for the medical, you let me know and I'll have J.B prepare your papers, okay?"

Michael nodded. He was slipping away again, ceasing to pay full attention.

"I'm going back to my room. Just remember what I've said. I'm pretty sure Kopec isn't finished with you yet, so watch what you say and watch that temper of yours. Once we're both in the clear and we have those awards, I think the Ice Queen will have finally outlived her usefulness." He laughed at the cryptic comment and got to his feet.

After taking a couple of slow heavy steps towards the door, he looked back. "And, Kid, stop readin' that trash. It'll only get you killed in the long run."

()

Sam Axe was sleeping with Rayna Kopec? The words had stunned Michael, he would have never marked those two as a couple. That little piece of gossip under normal circumstances would have caused quite a bit of mirth. Sam was a womanizer with a girl in every port. So what the hell was he doing playing around with a CIA station chief? There had to be plenty of better looking, easier women on the base for him to mess around with.

And then her, the Ice Queen. In the whole time he had known Rayna Kopec, there had never been a single rumor of her having a life outside of her job. Yet within a couple of days of arriving in Incirlik, she was sleeping with Sax Axe?

Why would he? Hell, why all of a sudden would she choose to have an affair with a SEAL? He knew of plenty of men in the intelligence world who had taken a run at Kopec and failed. So why Sam?

His paranoid mind jumped to a simple conclusion: she was using Sam to get to him. Sam told her about what he knew had happened in that farmhouse. It was Sam that had got him to agree to splitting up the partnership. She had to be using Sam to manipulate him into giving up Larry. Probably hoping that after a couple of weeks of babysitting a rookie. he would rat out all the questionable things Larry had done in the past for a chance to get back in the field.

He pushed the over-the-bed table away in disgust. It was all just a trick. It explained the commendation, too. Sam had promised him. If he stayed away from Larry, if he accepted the job as a training officer. Sam knew how much he wanted to avoid having to accept a medal for something so undeserving, so heinous. They must have thought springing the award on him would make him break...Suddenly, he realized Sam hadn't promised any such thing. He had never said anything about stopping the commendation.

Michael sat upright, dropping his head forward as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He was letting his paranoia take control. He had to slow down and think things through calmly. The next time he saw Sam, he was going to have to ask him about what was going on.

()

Rayna sat at her desk, her fingers drumming a monotonous tune as she listened to a recording of Larry's visit to Michael Westen.

"Well, I think you were right about getting rid of the guards. Larry definitely thinks he's in charge." Sam shifted his chair back slightly readying himself for a fast retreat if Station Chief Kopec chose let loose the anger he could see building.

"But we haven't learned anything new," she replied, pushing the anger away. "Sizemore is a pig, which we already knew, and Westen barely spoke a word. Do you think he knows Benson put ears in his room?"

Sam shook his head. "No, Benson said he was out cold when he went into the room and I believe him. That boy is out to impress you."

Rayna nodded and leaned back in her chair. "What did you make of Westen's response? He didn't tell Sizemore about the offer to split them up, or anything about you knowing about Larry's latest murder spree."

Sam crossed his arms over his chest, Michael's silence was worrying. He knew the young man had serious trust issues and now that trust had been shattered by a few words. His boss was sleeping with the only person he believed was on his side.

"I think I should get down there and do some damage control," Sam answered getting to his feet. "The kid's paranioa levels must be sky high at the moment."

He was at the door when she spoke. "Sam, remind him of the deal. Make sure he stays focused on that."

()

He was surprised when barely ten minutes after Larry had closed the door, it swung open again and the man with all the answers stepped into the room.

"Hey, Mike," came the casual greeting as Sam Axe strolled across the room.

"Hey, Sam," Michael ground out the reply. Keep calm, he ordered himself as he felt his temper begin to rise.

"Something on your mind, buddy?" Sam asked lightly as he finally sat down in the same chair recently vacated by Larry.

Michael couldn't bring himself to answer immediately. So he took a moment to study the older man's features, carefully searching for clues of his guilt in his face. "The guard has gone from my door. I was wondering if my status has changed?" he asked eventually, still unsure about the best way to broach the subject of Sam's loyalty.

"I thought you knew." Sam raised an eyebrow. "I saw Larry in the hall. I thought he'd have told you. All the restrictions on both of you have been dropped."

Michael's lip twitched. He had him. He didn't know what exactly Sam was lying about, but the man was uncomfortable about something.

"Yeah, Larry," It was now his turn to feel uncomfortable.

God, he hated having to ask about Sam's personal life and the thought of Sam with Kopec... He inwardly shivered.

"He said something about - -" Michael paused before taking a deep breath and changing tack, trying to think of a way of phrasing the question. "I was wondering how long you've known Kopec? I mean, she's got you acting like some sort of cut-out. So I was just wondering what you got out of the deal?"

"I don't think that it is any of your business, Mike," Sam replied bluntly, a cold edge creeping into his tone. But before Michael could interrupt, he held up a hand. "But, on this occasion, I'll give you a break. I've known her for over fifteen years. I was a raw ensign and she hadn't decided on a career path when we first met. But by the time I saw her on my second furlough, she had made the choice to join the Navy. We attended officer candidate school together and over the years we've kept in touch. So, basically we're friends. That satisfy your curiosity?"

Michael sat perfectly still, his face devoid of emotion as he rapidly processed the information. They had known each other for over fifteen years and neither of them had ever mentioned it to him. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it before he uttered the first words that had come into his head. Finally, he came up with something to say.

"Larry mentioned that you an' Ko - - you and my boss. That you were, well, you know..." He gave up trying to get the question out. But the look of thunder he got from Sam told him the other man knew exactly what he was asking.

"He told you I'm sleeping with your boss? Is that what you want to know?" Sam asked bluntly.

"Yeah, I do," Michael replied. Now that the question was out, he wanted the answer. He wanted to hear Sam explain how he could screw Rayna Kopec and not tell him.

"What I do when I'm off duty and in the company of my friends is nobody else's concern, Mike, and it has absolutely no effect on what I do when I'm on duty. Is that clear?"

"It concerns me," Michael snapped back. I knew it! Sam is working with Kopec against me. They were going to railroad me into giving up Larry if I wanted any chance of saving my career. "You're making all these promises and how do I know -"

"How do you know you can trust me?" Sam shot back at him, his face suffused with anger.

The accusations dried up in Michael's throat in the face of the older man's rage.

"You tell me, Mike. How many missions have we done together, even back before you were a damn spy? How about when I risked my own life to haul you ass clear of that ambush in Panama or when I pulled you out of that pit when I coulda' just called in a drone strike to clean up the mess?"

A drone? The brass had planned to eradicate him with a missile? He hadn't known, but it did no good now because before he could speak, Sam was on his feet, glaring down at him and letting him know exactly how he felt.

"And before you start in about how your boss just wants to get rid of you, how about remembering all the chances she's given you in the past three years? And what did you do with those chances? Huh? You know, people who get in Larry's way have a funny way of ending up dead, but she still tried to help you out, didn't she?"

Michael paled as he was suddenly reminded of Larry's comment about the Ice Queen outliving her usefulness. But it wasn't only that. He could think of at least three other people who had upset his mentor only for them to die mysteriously days later.

"Maybe you should try remembering how she came back for you in Termez instead of leaving you behind for some tribesman to cut off your head."

Michael gulped as Sam hit him with another bad memory. He remembered very clearly the fear he had felt in that Afghani tent and the relief when Rayna Kopec had lifted the veil covering her face and had knelt at his side to cut him free.

"How can you trust me?" Sam was leaning over him, making sure he couldn't escape from the truth being rammed down his throat. "I gotta better question for ya, buddy! How can you still trust Larry Sizemore after everything you've seen him do? If that doesn't tell you how much three years with that ghoul has screwed up your head, then I don't know what else to say to you, Mike!"

Sam stood up straight and took a step back. Michael couldn't think of a thing to say. He felt barely two inches tall. Nobody had ever let him have the truth like that before.

"I'm sorry," he eventually got the words out. "I - I let Larry... no, that's a lie. This was all me. I trust you, I won't question you again." He looked away, overwhelmed by what the apology had meant to him.

"O-kay then," Sam spoke as if nothing had happened. Michael flicked his eyes up as the table was moved back in front of him. "You'd best get back to studying. Ms Kopec is arranging for you to get the notes and schedules from the training officer you're replacing. She's also looking at getting Larry moved over to the PT suite. It's over the other side of the hospital."

Michael wiped a hand wearily over his face. He felt both physically and emotionally shattered and it wasn't even mid-day. All he really wanted to do now was close his eyes, but one look at Sam's cool expression told him he was expected to get back to his books.

"Is this my atonement?" he asked quietly.

"It's what you should have been doing in the first place instead of letting a creep like Sizemore fill your head up with crap." Sam picked up the book on interrogation techniques and smiled over at the younger man.

"Here, I'll help. There's a quiz in the back. Let's see how you do."