Two years later…

"Ninety four…ninety five…ninety six…"

"Cefra…"

"Ninety seven…ninety eight…ninety nine…"

"Cefra, stop it!"

"One hundred!" Cefra breathed out and raised her bleeding knuckles triumphantly into the air. The soles of her feet were also bleeding. Elena stood to one side, a worried frown creasing her features.

"You've been practising for four hours now. You've worn your hands and feet to the bone. Go home now."

"How can I expect to maintain my levels in karate without practising?" Cefra balled her fists, and readied herself for another attack at the punch bag, but Elena blocked her, gently pushing her fists down again.

"I know that this time of year is difficult for you-"

"It's not!"

"Then why have you got rings around your eyes? Why are you scaring Dirk shitless every time he speaks to you? Why are you working twenty four hours straight?" Elena folded her arms.

"No reason," Cefra shrugged.

"You're grieving."

Cefra froze.

"Stop talking Elena."

"We all miss him Cef, its been hard on all of us."

"Stop talking."

"But we understand that its been the hardest on you."

"I said STOP TALKING!" Cefra kicked the punch bag as hard as she could. The bolts holding it into the wall shuddered, and then it fell to the floor, leaving her standing breathless, raw fists clenched, "I'm not grieving, I'm not having a tough time, and I'm NOT WEAK!"

"Nobody is saying you are!" Elena slammed a hand to her head, exasperated, "But you're not acting normally. You haven't acted normally for two years."

"Maybe that's because I'm too busy preparing for the next move by Aska!" Cefra snapped, "God knows, I'm the only one here who is."

"There's been nothing for two years Cefra," Elena shook her head, "We have to be logical here. Aska has done nothing since we broke into his mansion. Ever since we spilled everything he's doing to the papers, there's been nothing. His mansion is cleared out, and he's disappeared. Along with everything."

"He'll come back."

"He won't. And-" Elena's voice suddenly rose, and she turned away "And neither will Reno!" She half expected Cefra to hit her, but nothing came. She turned round. Cefra was gone.

"Dammit!" She screamed, and kicked the punch bag.

"Keep working," Cefra said these words over and over again in her head, "Keep working. If you keep working, there'll be no time to think, no time to rest. No grieving. I'm not grieving again." She tapped into her laptop, "Get files for something for somebody."

"Uh… Cefra?"

"WHAT!" She slammed her hands down onto her desk, and terrified the latest addition to the Turks, Dirk. He jumped, and dropped half his files, sweating.

"I…I uh…Tseng asked me to…to…" He trailed off, and held out a thin brown envelope. Cefra snatched it away from him, and he practically ran back to his desk. Reno's desk. No! Stop thinking! Cefra shook her head, and tore the envelope open.

Cefra-

As you are aware, you have been working under the job title "junior IDGA" (junior Turk). As you have been employed by us for a considerable amount of time (two years, ten months) I am pleased to inform you that you have been promoted to "senior IDGA" (senior Turk).

On a more personal note; Cefra, please go home an rest. Dirk has to take some stealth exams in two days, and quite frankly I don't want you around him while he does them, so I am signing you off for a month . No arguments.

-Tseng

Rude, Elena, and Tseng entered the room just as Cefra let out a bull's bellow, and punched through the back of her chair.

"You got my note I presume?" Tseng said dryly, and proceeded to his office, but found his way barred.

"Excuse me Cefra."

"You're not signing me off for a whole month."

"I'm sorry, but I am."

Cefra glared at him,

"I swear, if you sign me off-"

She didn't finish. Tseng leapt forward, and twisted her arm up round her back. He had never looked so angry before.

"Tseng!" Cried Elena. Dirk almost wet himself.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear!" Tseng hissed in Cefra's ear, "My orders are made to be carried out. I've been working here longer than you've been an adult! I don't care if it means you'll have to cry over Reno, because quite frankly, you need to. Look at you, you're killing yourself! You don't eat, you don't sleep, and you never stop working! Take the month's worth of leave, or-" He broke off suddenly, and let her go, "I apologise for my actions. They were uncalled for. I lost control."

Cefra massaged her shoulder,

"Whatever."

"But my mind is made up. In two days time, you're not to come back here for a month."

On her last day before leave, Cefra slumped in her chair, doing nothing for the first time in two years. Tseng had confiscated all her writing equipment and files, leaving her only to pass the time with solitaire on her laptop. Nobody in the office was looking at her. They had been avoiding her gaze ever since Tseng had attacked her.

"You have e-mail"

Cefra sat up a little, and clicked the mouse on her inbox.

Hello, Cefra. I'm glad we managed to track you down. Our guest speaks a lot about you in his dreams. When he's not screaming. You know who I am. I have a proposition for you. Here at my headquarters, we're very busy, too busy to return any special post. What I am saying is, if you want your lover back, come and get him. He is no longer needed, and it would be too kind of my men to kill him. If you can get to my headquarters (and I will send the details) and retrieve him, he's yours. And if not, if my men catch you… you're mine. I hear you're a pretty girl. Maybe you will be a bonus to me.

Cefra stood up, and grabbed her coat off the back of her chair.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked.

"I'm taking my leave."