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March 3rd.

Hoover building.

09:52 AM

"That is a load of…"

"Manning!"

"Bobby, stop it." Tara said quietly, her hand reaching to clasp around his forearm as he seethed with uncharacteristic anger. She had never seen him this angry before, his eyes dark and terrifying as he stared eye to eye with their supervisor.

Bobby didn't break eye contact but her touch seemed to slow the explosion of anger he felt inside. He couldn't believe it was happening; Garret took the case from them, handing it over to the worst team he could imagine to investigate further. They were one of the best teams, no one could find Jack but them and he couldn't just sit aside and do nothing.

Sue glanced from one man to the other. Garret raised his eyebrow, waiting for Bobby to say more and when he didn't he spoke again. "Your outburst only proved me right, agent Manning. I suggest you all take a few days off." He raised his hand at the choirs of protests. "You are a bright group of people; I suppose you will find something to…occupy yourselves with."

The subtext was obvious to everyone in the room, even Sue, who didn't hear the tone of n his voice understood perfectly when Garret raised an eyebrow at her. He left the bullpen with a small smile on his lips and the remaining members of the team looked at each other.

Dimitrius cleared his throat. "I will go home to have lunch with my wife and kids." He said softly.

"I suggest the rest of you will join me at my place." Myles closed his computer with determination. "We'll bring some takeout." He looked at his supervisor. "I suppose you will join us to see the game after lunch." He said and Dimitrius nodded his head.

"I wouldn't dream of missing it."

He gave Bobby and Tara the spare key to his house and drove Lucy and Sue to their apartment. He gave them half an hour to pack while he bought some food and groceries, making sure he had enough food to feed them for several days. When they finally arrived to his apartment he found Bobby and Tara already there, setting up two laptops together in his study. He brought his own laptop and Tara connected all three to the databases they could search for any information. Lucy and Sue moved their bags to the spare room upstairs, agreeing to share a room. Tara would use the spare room on the ground floor and Myles already set up the spare bed in the study, insisting that he would take it and that Bobby could use his room. His Aussie friend stared at him for a good minute before refusing firmly. They were still arguing about it when Sue suggested they delay the argument till bedtime.

Myles agreed and they set themselves to work. He talked to the lab, smoothly talking one of the workers into contacting him if something new came from Jack's apartment. Tara and Lucy were both on the phones and the computers, searching databases for suspects. Bobby and Sue scanned the reports on the evidence, retiring for lunch with Myles after finding nothing again.

Tara and Lucy joined them a couple minutes later. "I found something interesting; although I'm not even sure it's connected." Tara said, sitting next to Bobby and accepting the plate he gave her with a smile of gratitude.

"We picked up a distress call from a foreign agency." Lucy said and the team stared at her in confusion.

"Apparently, the Mossad has lost one of its analysts." Tara said.

"It looks irrelevant." Bobby said. "Jack didn't have anything to do with them."

"I know but it seemed too close to be just a coincidence." She shrugged her shoulders. "They haven't released any information about the agent other then that she is a young woman who was last seen on February 25th in Berlin."

"Myles!" Sue cried out when the tall agent rose to his feet suddenly, his hands shaking.

His normally calm features turned stormy as he struggled to hold onto something. He had to calm down. He felt Bobby steadying him and knew they were asking him questions, unable to hear them over the roaring sound in his ears. He remembered small details he never considered important. She had American citizenship; he saw the two passports as they lay in broad day light on the small counter in her bedroom. He recalled her telling him she was involved with the man who was her trainer, remembered her telling him she was flying to Berlin.

Suspicion turned into sudden realization, fear turned into blinding anger and he moved away from his friends and headed towards his study, hurling his mug of coffee towards one of the walls and sinking to the thick carpet, his fury replaced by a painful clenching in his heart.

The feeling of betrayal.

February 7th

Hoover Building

14:20 PM

"Myles!" The sharp call made him stop his stride and turn around to wait for his team leader as he jogged down the hallway, motioning for him to follow into a deserted conference room. They sat side by side and Jack took a deep breath before he spoke. "Tara and Bobby spoke to your mother."

Myles' mouth turned dry as he tried to swallow and reply in a dignified manner, instead, he found himself just nodding his head and waiting for him to continue. Jack smiled kindly. "It's alright, she know all about Herrman's points of view and only accepted his invitation because she was interested in one of his charities, she is still checking it out, our background check shows that she had nothing to do with him until the gala."

Myles sighed. "I knew that, I just needed to hear it from an objective source. We Lelands may be stuck up snobs but we don't associate with the likes of Philip Herrman."

Jack snorted and patted his friend's back. "I just returned from a meeting with Joshua Adler. He has a solid alibi and although there is a faint connection to William Herrman there is nothing to link him or any of his men to the shooting despite the strong accusations."

"It is not surprising that Herrman accuses him, a known Neo-Nazi and a rich Jewish man could hardly be the best of friends." Myles replied sarcastically.

They rose from their position next to the large table and headed towards the bullpen. "The question remains why would a completely sane MI-6 agent attempt to kill Herrman and then take his own life after the failure?"

"Nothing new on Harvey from MI-6." Tara answered before Jack could even ask. "They didn't suspect his disappearance because he was under cover but he never expressed any kind of hatred towards Herrman, they're as clueless as us."

"There was hatred in his face." Jack recalled. "He looked directly at Philip Herrman and when he realized he missed the shot there was desperation…" He fought against the shudder that racked his body. "He looked almost…hopeless."

"Was he married? Did he have any family?" Sue asked. "Is it possible that someone was threatening him in some way?"

"At this point anything is possible, Sheila." Bobby spoke from his desk. "However, MI-6 just might take over the case." He said and his teammates groaned.

"The fraud art case is still open." Dimitrius commented. "I suggest we focus on this angle while investigating the attempted murder more…quietly."

The agents returned to their desks and Bobby raised his eyebrow at Myles, staring at him for a few minutes until he raised his head from the file he was reading and returned a look. "So, mate, I heard you were flying to meet your girl."

Myles turned his head and focused a disapproving gaze on Tara. "Is nothing sacred to you?" He pretended to be hurt, trying to cover the smile that was about to surface.

"I only mentioned I was helping you to find a flight to New York." She replied innocently.

"New York?" Lucy raised her eyes to meet his. "That's a long flight to meet a date."

"Jealous, Luce?" He drawled, smiling when her eyes shot daggers at him.

"Actually, I was only feeling relieved for the poor lady; after all, suffering you for more then once or twice a month is an impossible mission."

Myles snorted. "I resent that comment." He mumbled and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"I believe you should just send her an e-mail or something, she might be better off that way."

The quick comeback she expected never came and she swallowed at the way his eyes darted away from her as he stared down at the file again, ignoring her completely. She was about to apologize but shook her head, this was Myles and they were always like this, bantering and teasing till there was no breathe left in their lungs and now he was pulling away and for the first time she thought she might have actually hurt him all along. A hand squeezed her shoulder and she turned to see Sue smiling gently at her. "I know, I know…" She muttered. "It wasn't very nice of me…"

March 3rd

10:05 AM

Her stomach has been rebelling against her again and she couldn't decide if it was really rebelling or simply hungry. When was the last time she ate? She opened her eyes a little, the room was still brightly lit around them and her head was leaning on his lap while he sat with his back to the wall, his head resting at an odd angle as he slept peacefully. She couldn't remember falling asleep, they were talking about their so called mission and she probably just fell asleep in the middle of the conversation, medication always made her drowsy.

Hadar took a few deep breaths, smelling the stench that surrounded the room when she knew she had no choice but fleeing to the small bathroom in the corner of the room. She barely managed to get there in time before she lost the contents of her stomach and could do nothing more then heave helplessly until the horrible feeling was gone. Jack was by her side, keeping the hair away from her face as she closed her eyes, feeling dizzy and on the verge of fainting.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." she said slowly, having a hard time forming the words. She felt him nodding and he helped her to settle down on the floor, resting her head on his lap again.

"Better?" He asked and she nodded her head, her eyes still closed.

"I'm alright." Her voice was hoarse and they lapsed into silence. "I'm hungry." She whispered and Jack sighed.

"Me too." He mumbled. "Does he know?" He asked quietly.

"What?"

"Does he know you're pregnant?"

Hadar sighed. "I'm not even sure about it myself." She whispered. "But it doesn't matter anyway, not with everything we're about to do." He squeezed her hand and she smiled a little. "He's a good man, he'll find someone else to share his life with we were…complicated anyway."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes."

"Does he know?"

Hadar's eyes watered suddenly as she remembered the last time they spent in each other's arms, another stormy day…it seemed like a lifetime away. "No." She whispered. "He doesn't know."

February 11th

Weiss Apartment

09:26 AM

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the soft light that penetrated the room through the half closed blinds. He heard rain hitting the window and smiled, the prospect of spending the day in bed seemed better and better with each passing moment. He moved his head a little, taking in the sight of her as she lay on her stomach, one hand resting beneath her cheek as she slept peacefully. The blanket covered her lower back and he resisted the urge to caress the smooth skin that was exposed, choosing to kiss her shoulder lightly before getting up.

Dressed in his jeans and sweatshirt, Myles started to make breakfast, working quietly in the small kitchen. Memories from the previous night slowed his work and he smiled softly, having the urge to forget about food and return to bed.

They had a wonderful time at the restaurant and took a walk down the beach afterwards, enjoying the quiet evening and the sound of the waves. Hadar cuddled closer to him and he held her tight leading her to sit down on one of the benches on the promenade. They sat side by side, his hand bringing her closer as their lips met slowly. It didn't take long for the sweet kiss to turn passionate; he anchored one of his hands in her hair and the other at the small of her back, pulling her to sit in his lap. He became addicted to her taste, tasting wine and chocolate and inhaling her wonderful scent. He murmured her name, the world disappearing around them.

Hadar opened one button of his navy blue shirt and then another one, thankful that he chose to give up on his tie; she placed a hand on his back under his coat and the other on his exposed chest, the beating of his heart increasing the heat that spread between them. He moved his mouth away from hers, tracing a line with his tongue, slowly nibbling his way from her jaw to her ear, grinning when she shuddered in his arms. She smiled gently, moving her head to kiss him again before setting a trail of fire down his neck, he arched against her, his breathe hard against her ear as he moved a hand to caress her breast, the thin fabric of her dress allowing him to feel the heat that emanated from her body.

The sound of catcalls made him stop, realizing that they were in public, feeling his face flaming and hearing her chuckling in his ear. "What are they saying?" He whispered.

"That we should get a room." She whispered. "Apparently, there's a hotel just across the street." She winked and he laughed, caressing her cheek one last time before helping her to her feet, trying to calm his eager reactions to her touch.

The drive to her apartment seemed to take forever and when they finally got there, Myles was convinced that the strong pull between them would only allow them to stay apart until they reached the first flat surface. However, Hadar pulled him after her towards her bedroom and he willingly followed her, removing their coats before collapsing on the bed together.

He wanted it to be perfect, holding her tight in his arms, kissing her slowly and passionately until there was nothing in the world but the two of them. She smiled when they both heard the first drops of rain and it reminded them of their first night together. Hadar pulled him on top of her, whispering his name when he pulled her leg to envelope his thigh, managing to send her into oblivion before even touching her bare skin. She laughed softly when his hands were suddenly everywhere and he sighed with frustration.

Her voice was hoarse when she spoke. "A law degree from Harvard and you can't find a way to remove my dress?"

"It's a conspiracy." He replied to her neck, his warm breath tickling her. "Women are, after all, from Venus and known for plotting against us poor men." She giggled and he flipped them over, aligning their bodies so that she straddled him. He grasped her hands in his and pulled himself into a seating position. "Show me…"

Eyes locked together, she showed him, his hands caressing her thighs before pulling the dress over her head, exposing her to his hungry eyes. He couldn't really remember everything that happened afterwards, he whispered things in her ear but he wasn't sure what and he knew they didn't stop loving each other for a long time, the storm that raged outside hardly comparing to the fire that they ignited in each other.

The sound of the phone startled him and he looked with surprise at the pile of pancakes he made, wondering how he managed not to burn anything while remembering. He heard her answering the phone, her voice quiet and a little hoarse as she spoke. He leaned against the doorpost and smiled at her, reaching out to hold her when she motioned him to join her. He watched with fascination when she rolled her eyes and her tone of voice changed, her eyes turning stormy as she slammed the phone and sighed into his chest.

"Are you alright?"

"He doesn't take a hint." She mumbled and he was surprised for feeling a pang of jealousy.

"An old boyfriend?" She nodded her head. "The trainer you told me about at Christmas?" She nodded again and raised her head to look at him, her eyes serious.

"Myles, there was no one else but you ever since Christmas." She said, feeling the need to assure him at her intentions and he nodded his head, smiling and pulling her close again.

"For me too." He said, feeling relieved that they were together in this. "We don't have much time left." He said quietly. "My flight leaves tomorrow at noon." She nodded her head again and he tightened his embrace. "I don't want to leave." He confessed.

"Do you think we stand a chance?" She asked quietly, finally breaching the subject they avoided from. "There could be so many obstacles."

"I know." He murmured. "Do you remember asking me what I saw in my future? After Christmas I saw you in my future. I know it might be difficult but I think we stand a chance."

"This relationship might give a new definition to the term 'long distance'" She sighed.

"If you want me, I will stay with you. All you have to do is ask." He said, meaning every word

She shook her head. "I can't. I can't ask you to give up your life for me."

"Stolen weekends and long e-mails then?"

She sighed. "For a while, yes." She paused. "I'm working on a research; I might be able to move it to the States." Myles pulled her for a kiss, slowly exploring, her hands moving to remove his sweatshirt. She murmured his name. "Make love to me, Myles…" He was more then happy to satisfy her every need, forgetting everything but her touch.