The upstairs was as bare as the downstairs. Two of the four bedrooms were completely empty. The master bedroom held a queen-sized mattress that rested on the floor and a few piles of clothes and towels.

"Looks like you stayed a bit," he commented as he stood in the doorway.

"A few weeks. Spent time trying to get a feel for the place. Tried to see if I could wrap it up quickly. And if I couldn't then I wanted to establish my cover."

Two of the suitcases they had brought with them sat in a corner. Cade eyed the room warily as if he expected something to bite him. His thoughts were apparently loud because she answered.

"Relax Foster. This house is clean. A family had it built just before the kids started disappearing. Once that happened they decided they didn't want to move in. The only person who has been here is me."

"The cops don't have it wired?"

"No. I told them I find it distracting. So I check in with them every so often instead."

A glance to the bed. "And what did you tell them about me?"

"Told them I'd be bringing in a few friends to help," she replied casually. "Friends who understood how all of this worked." A smirk. "They think I brought in someone from the FBI."

He couldn't stop the snort of laughter. "Not FBI." Her eyes were already watching him when he turned to face her. "There's a chance they'll recognize me."

"Not really," she told him. "I took care of it. At least locally anyway."

"What did you do exactly?" He couldn't help it. She had him curious.

With a smile she flopped the distance to the mattress. Since it was resting on the floor she had a way to drop. Unfortunately the landing jolted her hand even though she had held it in the air during the fall. She let out a small hiss of pain before she answered.

"I redid your file." The words came through clenched teeth. "They gave me access to everything so I could study the weird that is this case." Gently, slowly, she lowered the hand to rest on her stomach. "I switched fingerprint records and photos. Most cops depend on computers for their information. Chances are if they seen you and become suspicious they'll look it up and find a picture of someone who closely resembles you."

"And if someone has an old poster?"

A small rise in her good shoulder. "Then we deal with it when it happens."

Fir the first time since Cade had known her, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. Or at least it was uncomfortable to him.

"The computers are down the hall," Raine offered. "I set up a few. Figured Eddie would want to bring his own in too. We've got four DSL lines coming in so we should be good. Tried to get at least a T1 for him, but no one wanted to foot the bill for it." He grunted in response. "Master bath is behind that door," she told him indicating a door with a finger. "Towels and stuff in there." A yawn. "I'm going to sleep. We've got things to do early tomorrow." A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She thought about making him ask but decided to put him out of his misery.

"This is the only bed at the moment. Don't worry. I don't snore. And it's not like we haven't slept in the same bed before."

*******

She sat in his lap, straddling his legs, facing him. Her body was close to his. Close enough he could feel her body heat. Her eyes weren't looking into his however. They were intent on their task.

The fumes made his eyes water. Her wounded hand lay in her lap between them. The other hand squeezed the bottle of hair color, squirting the foul smelling gel on his head. After setting the bottle aside she started working the color through his hair. The process had gone on way longer than necessary as far as Cade was concerned. But the lack of use from one hand made it slow going and when he'd offered to just do it himself she had muttered something about him being a man and messing it up.

"Man that stuff is vile," he complained as she squirted more color on his hair.

"Not the most pleasant smelling thing in the world," she agreed. "But it will give you a slight change." Her eyes met his as she paused and flashed him a broad smile. "If I had known we'd be doing this we could have tried it the more enjoyable route. You know, sand, water, mixed drinks with little umbrellas"

"I'll remember that for next time," he grumbled.

"You do that Tiger." She smiled knowing that Eddie would have gotten the Spiderman reference and thought it funny.

Running a gloved hand through his hair to make sure it had all been covered, Raine leaned in close.

Suddenly the smell of ammonia and peroxide were non existent. Citrus and ginger, the smell that always came from her skin, wafted to his nose. Her neck was close and Cade had the urge to place a kiss on that spot where her neck met her shoulder. Her hand slid down the back of his head as she leaned back on his lap and smiled. Words died on her lips as his expression of longing hit her.

"Cade?" His name came out as a strangled sound.

With a will of their own, his hands slid against her back. One worked its way under the cotton tank top she wore to bare skin. The other was in her hair pulling her mouth to his.

A soft whimper came from the back of her throat. The sound pierced something deep inside of him and the dam holding back years of need crumbled. Passion surged inside of him and he willed it to spill into her the same way he had willed his own life into her.

Aware of the injured hand between them he didn't pull her closer even though he wanted to. Hell, he wanted to strip away her clothes so that there would be nothing between them. Instead he settled for pulling her upper body closer. Her breasts brushed against his chest and he groaned into her mouth.

When his tongue slid past her lips she felt the first stirrings of power. The energy he had poured into her that had saved her still resided deep inside of her. A tingle started in her lower belly and shot out, down through her legs. She didn't think she could stand even if she wanted to. Heat flared under her skin.

He felt the power inside of her when it sparked to life. It knew him, was still a part of him. He wanted to reach inside and touch it. Be buried inside of her and let it flow around him.

The injured hand snaked up his chest and moved to lie over his shoulder. Freed from that obstacle, he cupped her butt and jerked her against him. Her heat pressed through both pair of boxers. It felt as if it had a weight of its own. His body reacted to hers.

He was hard under her. She wriggled against him, wishing there was nothing separating them. Wishing he would plunge deep inside of her. Touch the spot that tingled with wanting him.

Her fingers were clawing at the elastic waist of his boxers when the timer dinged.

As if she had been shot (again), Raine jerked back. Her breathing came in deep, ragged gasps. The power reached out, urging her to make the connection. On shaky legs she stood and stepped back out of arm's reach.

"We n-n-need to-" she stumbled over the words and pointed a finger at his head. "Rinse it out before it burns." The words were rough. Filled with the need she felt. Lamely she held up the wounded hand, the other was searching for something to do. "You'll have to get in the shower," she nearly choked on the last word. "Rinse until the water is clear then put this on." She tossed him the small conditioning bottle from the sink. "Let it set a few minutes before washing it out." A shaky smile as she refused to look at him. "Viola - surfer dude blonde." Her good hand toyed with the edge of her tank top nervously giving him flashes of scar and smooth skin. "Yeah," she stuttered as she bolted for the door. "I'll let you get on that."

Raine fled the bathroom.

***

The water clung to his skin as he tucked the towel tightly around his waist. He didn't pause to consider anything past the first few words of his apology. With a soft squeak the door swung open and he rushed out.

"Raine, I-" he started only to be cut off by the picture of her sitting on the bed.

She sat on the edge with one leg bent indian style on the mattress. The other leg stretched out and down extending behind her slightly to the floor. The wounded hand was in front of her, elbow on her knee. Hair spilled down her back. Sunlight shone through the windows, the beams of light causing the strands it touched to burst into brilliant reds and coppers. The tank top dipped lower than usual giving him a full view of cleavage.

But it was the expression on her face that made him pause.

Bafflement mixed with amazement as it flitted across her features. She scowled at the hand she held in front of her. Even from his place across the room he could see the difference.

When they had gotten up that morning the wound in her hand was still jagged and raw. The angry red color was practically glowing. The swelling had increased leaving most of the palm and back of her hand shiny. Red radiated from the open hole in all directions. It had climbed to the first knuckle on all her fingers. Cade had wondered again, out loud, if they should find a doctor.

Now the hand was no longer red and swollen. The edges of the wound were closed. Color was normal aside from the deep pink directly around the wound itself. Gingerly she fisted the hand then opened it once more.

"It still hurts. Deep inside. Like bruised bones," she told him in bewilderment. "But not like before."

"So I see." He took a few steps toward her.

"I came out here to unwrap it. Let it breathe before I showered and wrapped it up again. But there wasn't any blood on the bandage." He noticed the slightly rumpled white gauze strip on the carpet at her foot. "Then I saw it. It was healing. Fast enough I could see it."

"How is that possible?"

She looked up at him. "I don't know," she said softly.

Then it flared to life between them again. A connection demanding to be made.

Raine rose from the bed slowly, a mixture of confusion and relief on her face. The combination didn't make a lot of sense to Foster but he couldn't gather his thoughts enough to question it. All he could do was feel.

And all he could feel was her. The pull of her was more than he could resist and in a few steps he was across the room. Hands found their way to her hair and hauled her close. She was ready for him. When their lips met her tongue slid across his bottom lip, pushing what little reason still remained in his head out the window.

One hand glided along her face, fingertips taking in the feel of the silky texture of her skin. The other hand was busily trying to find more skin to touch. Her hands left trails in the water on his back, fingernails lightly scratching his skin as they went. When her hands reached the edge of the towel he grasped her hips tightly and hauled her as close as possible. Her hands wound around his neck, fingers searching for purchase in his hair. A groan came from deep inside as her body collided with his. The pull in his hair as he kissed her neck might have hurt if his mind had been capable of comprehending such a thing.

Instead the feeling made his grip on her hips tighten, grinding her roughly against him. She let out a whimper of desire. By taking a step back he forced her legs to connect with the edge of the bed. The tank top began to annoy him and he grabbed it at the straps resting on her shoulders. Pulling it down away from her, he caught the shorts she wore on the way down and let them drop at her feet. His hands slid from shoulder to elbow to wrist as he knelt in front of her. From wrist to waist he whispered fingers against her skin. Pressing his cheek to her belly, he could feel the scar from the blade like a line of ice against his face. Every other inch of the skin around it burned. The connection flared with an internal fire that felt like coming home to him.

Her fingers were in his hair again and she held on as he kissed his way along the scar. The wetness of his tongue against the old wound that had nearly killed her made her jump slightly. Her entire body hummed where his skin touched hers. Water on his skin went from cool in the air to boiling the longer he touched her.

"Cade," she whimpered when his tongue delved into her navel.

"Shh," he hushed against her skin.

Gently this time, he grasped her hips again and urged her back to the bed. She eased down to sit then fell back when he gave her a gentle shove.

Legs stretched out forever around him and he slid a finger from hip to toe. He hadn't noticed the creamy red nail polish or the thin, double banded toe ring on the second toe of her right foot before. The sight of them sent a bolt of desire through him. He played a finger over the delicate silver a second. Then the scent of her skin rose up to meet him for a second time that morning. Placing a gentle kiss to the inside of a thigh, he rose to his knees.

Heat swelled inside of her until she thought she might catch fire and explode. The kiss to her inner thigh ripped a groan from her throat. But when he slowly slid a finger inside of her, her whole world became filled with him and the sensations he induced in her.

She was slick and hot and ready for him when he eased a finger inside of her. The sound of his name coming from her in a breathy sigh made him even harder if such a thing were possible. Her scent mingled with the citrus he always associated with her. With a teasing flick of his tongue he tasted her.

Her body arched as his fingers and tongue worked at her. Tingling sensations rose from deep within until they were the only thing left. Muscles jerked and spasmed as the tingling exploded, sending shards of fire hurtling through her. The spasms tightened her body around him. A small smile formed as he watched her ride the waves he created in her. When she began to come down and opened her eyes he rose.

The towel fell away of its own accord as he moved over her. Carefully he eased his weight onto her. She hungrily accepted his kiss as he slid himself inside of her. He began to move within her and she breathed his name again. Her legs found their way around his waist and fingernails scraped down his back and over his ass. He could still feel spasms from her climax as he drove himself into her. The feeling was enough to send him over the edge quickly. As he spilled himself into her, he whispered her name, burying his face in the side of her neck.

Ever so slowly they became aware of the world again. Cade slipped off of her and rolled onto his back. Tenderly he gathered her in his arms and held her close.

*******

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events."

The amused voice only got a few words out before he was reaching for the gun he always kept under his pillow while he slept. He came up empty about the time he realized it was Eddie speaking to him. Old habits die hard.

Cade cracked an eye open and let out a soft groan. Slipping his arm out from under Raine carefully so as not to wake her, he looked at his best friend.

"What are you doing here already?" Cade grumbled. At that point he noticed that Raine's naked back was exposed dangerously low. He tried to look nonchalant as he pulled the sheet up hoping the action didn't draw more attention. "You've got a few hours."

Eddie grinned at him like a maniac. The loud print shirt made Cade squint at him which in turn made the scowl much less effective.

"Foster man, it's past noon." The grin actually grew. "Nice hair. Think I could go sun kissed blonde?"

"Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Go away." Cade raised himself off the bed enough to see the alarm clock on her side of the bed. With another groan he flopped back to the pillow and flung an arm over his eyes. "I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

Raine murmured something in her sleep that sounded a lot like the Twice Blessed's name.

Eddie continued to grin like an idiot. "The moving van will be here in about 45 minutes." He paused at the door. "Take your time."

The hacker laughed at the look his best friend shot at him and closed the door quietly.