March 3rd.

02:52 AM

The room was quiet, Hadar fell asleep a while ago, another medicine making her unfocused and tired. Her coughing eased a little and Jack was relieved to hear her breathing steadily. He placed a cool hand against her forehead and leaned his head against the wall, finding that her fever had passed and placing her head in his lap. Their captors gave them two blankets and he covered her with one of them, using the other to wrap around his shoulders as he tried to close his eyes and rest a little.

He imagined it was well into the night already but the sealed room prevented him from seeing the outside world. Hadar helped him with the sketches on the desk, describing the details with surprising depth before shrugging and saying that she has an excellent memory; he now knew several ways to navigate inside the estate and knew the location of every antique the target held in his home.

The main hall was huge and he had several vantage points on the terrace above the room. He tried to focus his mind on the task at hand but images of Sue kept sneaking into his mind and he sighed, forgetting for a moment the situation he was trapped in. Time seemed to mock them every step of the way, every time he wanted to tell her his feelings something came up and now she was away from him and it might be too late.

Their relationship was still new and although he knew his heart and intentions he found it hard to tell her, insecurities surfacing every time he tried. What if he wasn't good enough? What if he wasn't sensitive enough? What if he hurt her? His past relationships with women weren't all perfect and he could be stubborn and downright maddening if he tried hard enough. He couldn't afford to loose her, there was too much at stake, his heart was at stake, he wouldn't be able to go on without her.

He sighed, imagining it was her golden hair in his lap instead of the foreign woman he didn't really know. He held her in his arms not so long ago. He remembered her black dress that accented her curves and he remembered caressing her hair softly, the dark conference room allowing him to express his feelings in the deepest way he could think of, holding her, touching her, tasting her.

February 5th

Herrman Estate

20:25 PM

The taste in his mouth was bitter; the adrenaline rush only just subsided. He watched as the paramedics tended to Philip Herrman's wound while his nephew glared at them, rushing them as they worked on his uncle. The assassin's body was covered in a white sheet, hiding the blood stain under his head. He began to move his team, slowly evacuating them from the scene without breaking their cover. He met Bobby next to the surveillance van and they both climbed inside and left the scene.

"Are you alright?" Dimitrius asked quietly and they both nodded their heads.

Bobby breathed deeply, he stood directly behind Herrman when the first gun shot was fired and he swallowed hard, a few inches and it could have been him. "Who is this guy?" He asked.

"I'm running a search." Tara replied from her position on the front seat. "We're in charge of the case."

"Did he kill himself or did someone shoot him?" Myles asked, his voice unusually quiet.

"I didn't see." Bobby replied and Jack nodded his head.

"He aimed the gun on himself." He said, his eyes meeting Sue for the first time. He saw the hazel pools looking at him and noticed the traces of fear in them right before a mask of professionalism slipped into place and she blinked twice, averting her eyes and focusing on a spot behind Myles' head.

"Why would he kill himself?" She wondered and Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"Perhaps he wanted to keep his freedom. I don't think there was a way for him to get out of there alive."

"Is my mother alright?" Myles asked quietly and Jack thought that he was another man who knew how to wear his mask; only Myles seemed to try so hard to keep his stoic expression he thought the tall agent's face just might fall apart.

"She wasn't anywhere near him." Bobby answered and the two friends shared a look. "I saw her afterwards; she was leaving just like the rest of the guests."

Jack sighed softly and met Sue's gaze, her mask still firmly in place, Myles looked through the window and avoided conversation. They would need to investigate the Leland connections to Herrman, Jack knew it and Myles knew he had no other choice.

When they arrived back at the office they all started working on the case, he was in one of the conference rooms, resting on the sofa when she came to him, still wearing the beautiful black dress. She thought he was asleep, sitting with his head leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. He smiled inwardly when she sat beside him, her hand reaching to caress his hair. Surrendering to her touch, he kept his breathing steady, fascinated when she drew closer.

Everything happened so fast, despite watching every movement Herrman made he failed to notice the man with the gun, wasn't prepared to see something like that. The first shot came as a surprise and he remembered shouting warnings in his ear piece, hearing the other agents as they shouted as well. He was right in front of the shooter as he raised his gun and pressed it against his temple, there was a strange fire in his eyes and he looked in Herrman's direction with hatred and desperation. He didn't utter a sound before pressing the trigger.

Sue's fingers traced his temple gently, moving lower to graze against his cheek. She shuddered as she felt the unshaven texture of his face, the wave of relief replaced with a tide of desire. When everything ended she was paralyzed with fear, she saw him right before the shooting started but afterwards the small pen he was holding was on the floor and she couldn't see him, the small camera picking out nothing but shoes and the body of the shooter. Relief flooded her when Tara and Dimitrius both confirmed none of the agents were harmed and when she finally saw his face she was unable to do a anything but stare at him, fearing that her friends would see right through her.

She traced his lips with her fingers, the texture soft against the tips of her fingers, his lips were warm and she lowered her head slowly, her heartbeat accelerating as she looked forward to touch his lips with her own. Her decent towards his lips seemed to take forever yet it took only seconds before she finally touched him, her mouth soft against his, her tongue sneaking out to caress his moist lips.

Her hesitant explorations drove him to the brink of insanity. He opened his mouth, swallowing her startled gasp as the kiss deepened. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, caressing and squeezing as she anchored herself to him. He moaned, a deep sound he couldn't control, her kiss growing passionate, relief mixing with desire, desire mixing with his feelings for her. He migrated his hands to her hair and then lower, the black dress revealing the soft skin of her bare back. He touched and stroked, not lifting his mouth from hers.

She felt him moaning, the vibrations coursing through her body and making her shiver in his arms. Their tongues danced together, unable to stop touching him, tasting life and love and lust and everything she ever dreamed of. He broke away from the kiss, his eyes smoky and impossibly black in the darkened room. She saw him glaring at the door. "What?" He called signing that it was Myles on the other side.

"Tara found a match." The agent replied and Jack heard him walking away from the conference room. With a sigh and a last look at her flushed face and bright eyes he rose from his seat and offered her his hand, walking to the door together, straightening clothes and hair before heading outside to face the world again.

March 3rd

Tel-Aviv, Israel

11:05 AM

He closed the door quietly, straightening to his full height as the man behind the desk raised tired eyes to meet his. Dan Ronen, head of the organization knew Ophir Sadeh was one of his best agents, fluent in several European languages he was a perfect candidate to explore the setting in Berlin but unfortunately he returned with his hands empty and the man behind the oak desk could see it from the expression on his face.

"Well?" He asked, needing to hear the words despite the fact that he already knew the answer.

"The safe house in Berlin is empty there is nothing that indicates Hadar ever set foot inside, our contacts haven't heard from her." He paused before continuing. "They claim they haven't contacted her since December."

Dan raised his eyebrow, rising from his position at the desk. "A set up?" He growled softly and then shook his head. "Hadar didn't work on any new cases since December, she only followed the documents and that hasn't been very successful for several months now. Who could possibly set her up?"

Ophir shifted from one leg to the other. "I've alerted our people in Berlin to look for her but to tell you the truth it doesn't look promising." He sat on one of the soft chairs. "She's been gone for almost a week now." He sighed.

Dan narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were no longer an item." He said and watched as the tall agent shrugged his shoulders.

"Not by my choice." He said. "I know you disapproved of us from the start."

"Yes, I did." Dan pursed his lips. "I didn't want anything to interfere with her training, an analyst like her is hard to find."

The two men lapsed into silence that seemed to stretch forever. Ophir cleared his throat before speaking again. "Did you know she was in a relationship with an American?"

"What are you insinuating?"

"I'm only saying that it is possible that her loyalties have changed in the past two months."

Dan slammed his fist on the desk. "I have known Hadar for more then two years and so have you. Do you honestly believe her loyalties lay else where just because she's in contact with a foreign man?"

Ophir just shrugged his shoulders. "I was merely acknowledging a possibility"

"Send word to other agencies around the world."

"Sir?"

"Spread the word. We're missing an agent, publish every small detail we know about Hadar."

"That will blow her cover; she will never be able to work anywhere!" Ophir exclaimed but Dan shook his head.

"I'll find her something to work on; you just focus on bringing her home."

February 7th

Adler's estate

11:03 AM

"Mr. Adler will join you shortly." The sweet looking secretary informed them as she led them inside the spacious office. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

Jack and Sue refused and sat down on the stuffed chairs to wait. They have scheduled this meeting in order to investigate any contact Adler might have to the attempt on Philip Herrman's life. Although they were both skeptical, William Herrman's strong accusations forced them to check for any possible leads. Jack reached out for Sue's hand, squeezing it and smiling when she turned to look at him.

"We haven't had the chance to talk." He half whispered, referring to their busy caseload after everything that happened at Herrman's gala. Sue nodded her head, squeezing his hand in return, remembering the interlude in the dark conference room. They certainly didn't have any time for themselves afterwards.

Jack moved closer, his hand reaching to stroke her cheek, the light caress making her shudder as she stared at him with anticipation. He tilted his head, his eyes softening as he took in every detail of her lovely face. "I was thinking about a romantic dinner." He whispered, his fingers lightly trailing a path down her cheek towards her slender neck. "Maybe on Friday night, I'll make some pasta and you can bring your famous ice cream desert." He raised his eyebrow suggestively and she leaned into his touch, a small smile illuminating her features.

"It sounds like a wonderful idea, Jack." She whispered, her palm moving to cover his as it cupped her cheek delicately. "Think you can handle it?" She asked, her face a mask of innocence as he raised an eyebrow.

"Handle what?" He asked, relieved that she couldn't hear the way his voice rose when she bit her lip.

"Preparing dinner all by yourself." She said, chuckling when he rolled his eyes and pointed his finger at her.

"I promise I won't make you eat anything burnt." He said, smiling and then moving away from her when the door swung open and Joshua Adler walked through it, a smile on his face. They introduced themselves and he answered their questions, insisting that they join him for a cup of coffee.

Joshua Adler was a tall man, his manners and appearance perfect as he discussed the events with them. "I have no relations with anyone of the Herrman clan." He replied to Jack's question. "Philip is a strong headed man and his nephew is following his footsteps in all the areas. I have no reason or desire to be involved with him."

"William Herrman brought up some strong accusations." Sue said, arching her eyebrow at the tall man.

"Look it's no secret that Philip Herrman and I aren't the best of friends, we have business and personal indifferences but surely he doesn't believe that I have anything to do with this." Adler chuckled. "The fact that I don't like him very much isn't crucial enough for me to try and kill him."

"We have several documents that prove that you were doing business with William Herrman."

Adler sighed. "It was a business mistake." He said. "William is a brilliant researcher in economics, we were trying to cooperate for the sake of research but unfortunately our differences were too many.

"What happened to the research?"

"It was funded by me and I pulled out, I suppose he managed to find someone to give him funds, his idea has lots of potential." He paused for a moment. "Maybe he's accusing me on purpose."

The meeting was short and Adler provided them with his alibi. They left his office with nothing that could lead them to a break in the case. Adler walked them to the main entrance and watched them leave before heading back inside and approaching his secretary. "I need you to page Mr. Sadeh for me, tell him I have some information for him."