"Nick, could you get that please?" Shannon asked, hearing a knock at the door. When she heard the knock again she repeated, "Nick, please get the door." She continued to read the report that was on her computer, hastily making notes on the paper in her lap. Another knock had her slamming her notebook on the bed and stalking over to the door. "Seriously, Nick. I am trying to work. Couldn't you answer the damn door?"

"Nick and Colby are chatting in our room. He said you are working on something and might need a hand. What's up, chicka?" Kay pushed her way passed Shannon and into the room.

Shannon shook her head and shut the door. "He didn't say anything before he left."

"If he did, you wouldn't have known it. He is worried about you."

"He doesn't know…"

"I know that. You know that. He doesn't know about what we do. Just like we are learning about what they do. We worry about them and have to trust that they are okay, he'll figure that out." Kay sat next to the assortment of papers that were spread across the bed. "Read me in."

Shannon rolled her shoulders. "Why can't they ever be easy?" She walked to the other side of the bed and gestured helplessly to the piles of notes. "It seems to be a cacophony of convoluted drivel. The threats are all over the place as is the range in targets. Military, civilian, soft, hard, mass destruction, minimum destruction, large visual presence, noticeable to locals only and so on." Shannon threw up her hands as if giving up in defeat.

Kay knew this wasn't the case. "The increase in chatter bothers you."

Shannon sat on the edge of the bed and sighed heavily. "Yes. Yes it does. They know we are monitoring. Some of this has to be distractors for the real attack. What if I identify the wrong one?"

"Don't let those thoughts enter your head. I have faith in you." Nick stood just inside the room. Colby stood behind him. The door to the room was closed. "You do the best you can with every case, passing along the information as you see it to those who need it. They do the best they can. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. There aren't guarantees in this life, Shannon. Know that I am proud of everything you do." Colby nodded at Kay in agreement.

"We've done this before. Let's start going through everything and prioritize the threats one-by-one." Kay suggested. "You've been at it all day. You know fresh eyes will help."

A warm feeling awoke Isabelle. She felt like she was lying under a heatlamp… or on a beach… or if a thousand dragon's tongues were licking her skin. She was panting, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't help but sigh, "Oh, Stephen…"

"Feelin' good, are yeh lass?" She heard his voice and felt his breath across her warm, wet center. Before she could respond, Stephen had her clit in his mouth and sucked hard, sending her spiraling out of control again. "Tá tú go hálainn." he murmured. "Tá tú go hálainn." She blinked as she same back from her orgasmic high. "Seeing you like tha', knowin' only ah can do tha', see tha'…" Stephen crawled up her body and slid inside as he kissed her hard. Isabelle held on to his shoulders and he rocked their bodies together in a seamless rhythm as old as time.

After gasping each other's name, Isabelle whispered, "That was one heck of a good morning."

"Ah wonted yeh to know that ah love yeh so much… Ah donnah wonta lose yeh. Eveh."

"Tá tú go hálainn" – "You are beautiful" in Gaelic

Kay and Shannon had papers strung all around the room. In their own method of prioritizing that made sense to them, they had sorted locations and targets into threat levels. The women sat back and assessed what they had accomplished. "Pass on everything or just the high priorities?"

"I think we pass the 'reds' on as eminent threats. Those locations are feasible to protect immediately. The others can be combed through and investigated on the ground by those who have the time and expertise to do that type of thing. But, yes, we pass everything on." Shannon said. "I can't thank you enough for your help. I know you and Colby needed the time together."

"Colby needs a friendly word from anyone. If Nick is willing to throw him a bone, that's great." Kay said as Shannon was typing a summary report. "The next few weeks are going to be a challenge for Colby with everyone thinking he is a turncoat and forgetting that this is a storyline."

"If they are going to be performing together, they need to get on the same page." Shannon agreed. "And, selfishly, I hope Nick figures out how to build a relationship with someone he can trust in case I leave for work for a while."

Kay grabbed Shannon's forearm. "Don't you dare disappear on that man. You cannot do that to him again."

Sam pulled Jon off of the sun room. "We're going to work on breakfast." She announced on their way out.

"I don't know how to cook!" Jon argued.

"Shhhh." Sam grabbed him by the arm and drug him to the front door. "I don't know how to cook, either."

"Then what are we doing?" Jon asked, totally confused.

"We are working on breakfast. There has to be some place around here that we can get something to bring back. In the meantime, those two will either hit it off or kill each other. At least Joe won't be sulking around us anymore." Sam closed the door quietly and ran for the car.

Jon beat her to the driver's door. "No way are you driving." He slid inside.

"There's nothing wrong with my driving." Sam complained crossly. "American's just don't know how to drive." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out the passenger window.

Jon grabbed her knee in his vise-like grip. "I will happily adjust your attitude over my knee, darling." Sam turned her glare on him. "Yep, right here in the driveway. Spank that delectable…"

"Try it, Jon. Just try it." Sam grumbled. Jon unfastened both of their seatbelts and grabbed her waist. "Dammit! Don't you dare!" she squealed.

"Don't ever tempt me, woman. You know I will, any chance I get." The promise in his voice left Sam wanting Jon to follow-through desperately.

Joe hadn't let go of Torrie's hand after he'd shared his take on the breakup of The Shield. He ran his thumb across the back of her hand as he thought about the fact that she wasn't pulling away from him. A small smile grew on his face. The little minx leaned against his bicep and whispered, "Just so you know, I haven't forgotten the fact that you left me sitting on the front step this morning while you had to check out my story with Sam. I don't appreciate being called a liar."

He clenched her hand even more tightly. "I never called you a liar." he whispered vehemently.

"You didn't have to. Leaving me on the step, the expression on your face, the fact that you actually went to ask Sam about me…"

"You wouldn't believe some of the crazy things that some fangirls have done to try and get close. I can't be too careful." He pressed their entwined hands to his chest. "I swear, Torrie, I didn't mean…"

She blinked ever so slowly before continuing, "And I dare not mention your shower." He held his breath. "From barely awake to clean and ready to take on the world…" He exhaled. She raised an eyebrow.

The words were nearly nonverbal. "You know? How?"

"Really, Joe? You think I don't know the 'I Just Came' face?" Torrie patted his cheek with her other hand. "You couldn't let me into your house but you could do that? I don't know whether to do flattered or"

"Flattered. Be flattered." he rushed. Now that she had called him on it, he was afraid she wasn't going to give him the chance to correct her first impression of him. He knew he'd screwed up at the front door. Now he was afraid he'd screwed up in the privacy of his own shower. How was I to know she'd know? Jon didn't even know and he's a guy! "Look, Torrie, please. I just want a chance. Give me a chance and I promise I will make both of our horrible weeks better."

Torrie looked deep into the Samoan's eyes. "You have one shot, Big Boy. Wow me."

Joe looked at her and raised his brows. "Now? Now. Okay…"