Holding Cell, Location Unknown

The damp air of the cell grew colder making Anna deduce that night had fallen. Out of habit, she walked a circuit around the cell. Her senses were alert, constantly looking and listening. She turned towards the narrow cot that was set against the stained cinder block wall. Finn lay there his arm thrown over his face and he was snoring ever so slightly. Her face softened as she looked at him. She had scolded him for following Robert's plan but if she was honest with herself she was impressed with how well he was handling the situation. She was coming to understand that he had more skills that of just sarcasm.

She walked over and looked at Finn as he slept and before she could stop herself she reached to brush the dark hair away from his eyes. She was tempted to run her fingers through it but was loath to wake him. Experience had taught her that sleep was a precious commodity while in captivity.

A noise on the other side of their cell door caught her attention. They must change guards for the night shift she thought. That would make the time around eight or nine o'clock pm. Suddenly she felt fingers close around her wrist and looked down to see Finn rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Oh good you're really here I didn't just dream you." He rubbed his temples in an attempt to rid himself of the weariness he still felt.

"If being in a damp room perfumed by mildew is a dream of yours I would recommend you reach higher." She arched her brow at him and smiled wryly.

"You know that's a really good idea." He stood up and loomed over her.

Anna never perceived herself as small but she was acutely aware of how tall he was as he leaned closer in. She swallowed. As much as she wanted to deny it something about Hamilton Finn made the calm cool Agent Devane feel breathless and undone. It was something she hadn't felt in a very very long time and It was a feeling she was happy to be enjoying again so unexpectedly. Kidnapping be damned she decided she didn't want to waste a moment with him. They had wasted too many already since their disastrous New Year's Eve thanks to Cassandra and in large part to her own fears. Don't ever push me away for my own good again. Finn's words echoed in her ears. Stepping even closer she smiled brilliantly at him as she reached her hands under the edge of his vest. She spread her fingers across his ribcage when she heard him inhale sharply.

"Are you ok?" she pulled back immediately

"Sure, your hands are cold and I love the feel of ice cubes on my skin."

"No, that wasn't it. You winced in pain. Did they hurt you?" Before Finn could protest she had pushed him towards the cot and placed her hands on his shoulders urging him to sit down.

"Let me see."

Without waiting for an answer Anna knelt down in front of him and reached for the buttons of his vest. Despite her concern, she couldn't help but smile at the contrast of the formality of his attire with the drabness of their surroundings. She also realized she liked this, the ritual of undressing him. There was something so sensual about peeling through all of the layers: vest, tie, and dress shirt to reach the man beneath. It was so different from what she experienced with her past lovers, especially Robert, who usually stripped himself down to his boxers before she had even made the first move.

She heard Finn hiss in discomfort which broke Anna from her revery and caused her to refocus on the task in front of her. First, her fingers deftly unbuttoned his vest. He reclined slightly and watched, making no motion to assist her. Anna eased the vest off his shoulders and set it aside. Her hands moved to his tie and as she slid the knot down his hand reached to cover hers. He looked into her eyes and kissed it gently then released her so she could continue.

She moved next to unbutton his shirt and parted it to look at him in the thin pale flickering neon light that barely cast enough of a glow to see by. She could see swelling and the mottled color of a bruise on his torso. Her trained eyes recognized a blunt force contusion when she saw one. She looked at him in surprise.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Goons 1. Ribs 0." he quipped.

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes and got back to her work. She carefully ran her hands along the swollen skin pressing carefully to feel for signs of internal bleeding.

"Ouch! A warning maybe? Your bedside manner could use some improvement."

"You are going to lecture me on bedside manner? Seriously?"

"Hey, my patients find my abruptness...refreshing"

"Mmmhmm...I'll bet they do." she retorted sarcastically. She leaned back on her heels and looked him over with her eyes. "Well, Dr. Finn I'll need to determine the severity of injury so I can know if this is serious or not."

"And who's the doctor in this operation?"

"Don't worry all WSB field agents have to be trained to deal with injuries in the field. I will need to thoroughly assess your wound"

"Oh, really how will you do that?"

"Well the first task is to assess the injured person, perform a full check of the wound and look for signs and symptoms of more serious injury." she leaned forward angling for a better look.

"Oh, well that doesn't sound too bad. Feel free to assess me for as long as you like Agent Devane."

The way he placed just a hint of suggestiveness in his voice coupled with the dark look in his eyes made Anna pause. She had the sudden and overwhelming need to touch him. She wasn't sure what had come over her but at this moment she didn't feel like second guessing it either.

With a gleam in her eye, Anna leaned down and gently kissed the marred flesh on his abdomen. Once the area had been thoroughly explored she continued up his rib cage and then up and over the line of his sternum. She smiled with satisfaction when she heard his breath hitch as her lips breathed warm air onto his chest. Goosebumps rose as she continued to survey his body for any other signs of injury.

"Next I have to ask if you have any allergies."

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Good. Medications?"

"I try to stay away from pills if I can."

"Duly noted. Past pertinent medical history?"

"That's a long sordid tale do you want to be up all night?"

"Alright then." She leaned in, the nearness of him was overwhelming. She placed her hands on his chest and angled her face toward his. She had really missed him and the realization both surprised and delighted her.

"Last oral intake?" She whispered low in his ear His face was only millimeters from her own. She felt him shiver and she was certain it wasn't from the cold. He made no sound and Anna realized she may have finally left the man of endless comebacks completely speechless.

"Doctor?" she asked huskily and then in an instant his hands were in her hair and his lips were on hers. His tongue was insistently exploring her mouth and she adjusted to deepen the kiss. It had been so long since she had felt him this close and warmth spread like fire through her limbs. During her captivity, she had spent hours trying to keep track of the days and weeks passing by but she had spent a fair amount of time thinking about the planes of his body. Their time together had been interrupted and remembering the feel of him was something just familiar enough but not so routine that she knew it by heart.

Her hands moved to tangle in his hair as he placed his firmly on her hips. He pulled at her till she was sitting on his lap and then his hands moved to the buttons of her blouse. Anna inhaled sharply as Finn's lips moved to the column of her neck and she closed her eyes taking in the sensation. But something in the back of her mind was blaring like a claxon, trying to get her to return to earth from the heights Finn was quickly taking her to.

She knew they needed to stop. The practical side of her psyche knew he was injured and had gone through a harrowing experience. He needed rest. But there another side of her that had been hidden away for so long and that part of her soul was aching to be touched. Anna let the angel and devil wrestle on her shoulder until the practical side won out. She reluctantly pulled back from his embrace and attempted to catch her breath.

"What?" Finn looked at her quizzically but stilled his hands as soon as he felt her withdraw.

"As much as I hate saying this, and believe me I do hate saying this, but you really need to rest. I don't want this bruise to get worse and we have no idea to expect tomorrow. On top of it all, I need to think out a plan for us."

"But I feel fine. Fit as a fiddle." he patted his side for emphasis and then groaned. "Ok, maybe it's more than a little tender. But if we slow down now you have to promise we can celebrate properly when we get home, right?" She nodded emphatically, her heart warming when he reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Can you hold me?" she noticed by his raised eyebrows that her request had caught him off guard. And no wonder, she wasn't one to ask for things from others.

He lay down and shifted his weight on the thin mattress to give her a sliver of space. She carefully wedged herself against the wall of the cell and the warmth of his body trying her best to avoid disturbing his left side. She settled into the crook of his arm and relished the feel of his hand on her hip. She pulled the rough wool blanket that lay at their feet over them and looked into his clear blue eyes; eyes she could see were filled with weariness.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. She looked at him in the dim light. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," he said reaching to cup the side of her face "I'm sorry for not being here sooner. I'm sorry I didn't know you were missing. Maybe we can have a code or something so I'll be better at this whole thing in the future."

"The future…" she began but let her voice trail off. She couldn't bear the thought of him being in danger again because of her. He must have read her mood because he turned to look her directly in the eyes and wouldn't let her look away.

"Listen, I'm just glad that you are alright. I was worried they had hurt you. When Robert told me you were missing I assumed the worst." He entwined his fingers with hers his thumb tracing circles on the side of her wrist. She liked his hands and how they always seemed to be reaching for and caressing hers. He had healer's hands, strong and capable.

"It's ok, I'm fine." she squeezed his hand reassuringly hoping the pressure would alleviate some of his worries. "But I am curious about something. How did Robert handle my disappearance?"

"Calm actually. Which seemed strange considering that you are...you know...what the two of you are to each other.

Anna chuckled "I know what you are trying to say. No, that's good that he seemed controlled that means that the Intel he has convinced him that our lives are not in immediate danger. If he had been truly worried for my life then you would have been able to tell."

"You mean he has a setting other than sardonic disdain?" Finn was rewarded by the sound of Anna's silvery laugh that was muffled as she pressed her face into his chest.

"Oh yes. He can be overbearing but he has gotten me out of a tight spot more than once and God knows I owe him for that." She snuggled closer to Finn. "Thank you, by the way, for trusting me. I need to know who is behind this and what they want with you. Thank you for understanding that."

"If there is one thing I have learned about you, other than how you like your tea, it's that you would rather banish me from your life than let me get harmed so if I should trust in anything, it would be you. You wouldn't risk me unnecessarily, at least, I don't think so."

"No that's true. I wouldn't. I hope to keep you around a bit longer. Go ahead and sleep. My instincts tell me that they will want to move us right before dawn; early enough to transport us without being hampered by traffic but late enough not to draw suspicion while on the road."

She kissed his cheek and she felt his grip on her tighten and he pulled her closer. She could feel him kiss the crown of her head. The gesture was so sweetly given that she felt the prick of tears forming unbidden behind her eyelids. Finn had a way of disarming her in unexpected ways, he was such surprise.

"Anna, promise you won't go anywhere without me," he said softly. With those final words, Finn closed his eyes and was out like a light.

Anna smiled and reached to touch his face. She felt the curve of his jaw and the roughness of the stubble of his chin under her fingers. She luxuriated for a moment in the feeling of his warmth.

"Don't worry, I won't," she whispered before joining him in a dreamless sleep.