"Agent Raleigh," Heather answered her phone. It had been two days since the bust and she was nothing short of swamped with work. Two other sister agencies had requested her for a jump team, and she still had her own work to do. At that moment she was a golden girl who could do no wrong. The only problem with being so high on a pedestal was that it was much too easy to be knocked off of it. She had noticed a couple of other agents that were not pleased with all of the attention she had gotten. Baker, being the senior agent, had filed the report on what happened on the roof, and it wasn't nearly as flattering to her as it could have been. He subtly suggested that she went running off, disobeying proper protocol, and it was luck that she brought the other two in. Luck had nothing to do with it. As Dad would have said, she planned her attack and carried it out with precision.

It was inevitable that there would be some jealousy, but overall, most of the agents were quite pleased with what she had done. Last year, the infamous Dan Guevara of "The Truth" had written a rather scathing article about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It had a lot of people ducking and running for cover. Some of the fallout had hit the DEA and FBI as well, although that was more the BATF trying to spread the blame around. Getting such a heavy bust caught on tape, with everything done so perfectly, was a salve to the FBI in general and was proof that some of the things that had been said by lesser news organizations were a load of garbage.

The article had been a little damaging on family lines as well, although that was something that the FBI would never know about. Heather had no idea it was coming until she bought the latest copy of "The Truth" like she did the first of every month. The BATF article was cover story. Everyone was reading it. Some of the other agents were laughing at the article because of how harsh it was on the rival agency, but Heather was doing all she could to not throw up. She knew that it was a matter of time before the blame game began. If anyone made the connection between her and Dan, then her career was over. She would be thought of as an "inside source" and not an agent. Nobody would ever trust her.

Daniel learned that night that his baby sister had indeed inherited their mother's temper and the vocabulary Mom didn't think they knew she used when very angry. It took a lot to make Heather use a four-letter word, but she managed to insert them into other words as well as use them as adjectives, verbs, nouns, and adverbs. It was rather impressive. It was the first time they had really had a yelling match back and forth, and it wasn't pretty. In the end, Daniel had flat out told her that she was the only reason that the FBI and DEA wasn't part of the article. It would have been suspicious if the FBI had been left out, so he took them both out. Heather reminded him that there was a lot of other media without the integrity of "The Truth" that always jumped on a Truth article and made the extra unsubstantiated allegations, and this time, she was in the crossfire.

It had taken them a while, but eventually they both calmed down. It helped Heather when Uncle Lon had done a little shielding, and Dan wasn't connected to Daniel, her brother. And the article did flush out some people that needed to be removed from the agencies. It was still embarrassing and caused a lot of headaches for those that were investigated without cause. Lesser media practically painted horns and a forked tail on some that were totally innocent. But eventually, the furor died down. It did between brother and sister as well, and this time Daniel promised that if he was going to write an article similar to that again, he would let her know in advance.

The bust had helped with the FBI's image. However, Heather's phone had yet to stop ringing. Her cubicle was overflowing with paperwork that needed to be done, and she had a headache. Her boyfriend, a fellow agent, had his panties in a wad over the whole deal, and the last thing she needed was this call to add another stress in her life.

"Section Chief Spencer would like to see you immediately," came the reply to Heather's greeting.

Heather froze, recognizing the voice of Spencer's secretary. He wanted to see her? That could only mean one thing. He had already congratulated her on the bust. The only other option was that the Hostage Rescue Team selections had been made. Her heart rate sped up to the point where her pulse was almost visible. It was rare to get in your first time applying, and no woman had ever managed to breach their physical requirements, but the excitement at finally getting the results was flooding her whole system.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Heather said, trying to control the tremor of excitement in her voice. "Thank you."

The line went dead, and she got up immediately, not wanting to suspense to last a second longer than it had to. The age restriction for being an FBI agent had been dropped years ago so that they could get the finest people right from college and train them properly. Heather had graduated in three years and a semester, and applied right away. She had been an agent for almost two years now, and applying to HRT had seemed a little arrogant to some of the others. It was expected that you stayed at your first assignment for four years before moving on. That was the rule for moving to another location, but HRT didn't have a set standard. It was whoever got in, got in.

It wasn't easy to get in either. There were three parts, a physical test, written test and then an interview with a board consisting of the section chief over HRT, the leader of the HRT, and two senior agents on the team. Women had never been able to pass the physical test, and they could not lower the standards for them. After all, the standards in the field were the same for men or women. However, Heather had stunned them all when she had passed them all, beating out quite a few of the men as well. She placed in the upper third, but that was only because she didn't want it to be quite so obvious that she wasn't normal. She could have beaten them all. She was sure she had done well on the written, and she thought the interview went well. Now it was decision time.

Heather took a deep breath, and straightened her suit before walking into the antechamber to Spencer's office. His secretary looked up, and smiled briefly, doing her best to hide her amusement at seeing the young agent's eagerness. "Agent Raleigh?" she confirmed.

"Yes," Heather replied.

"Agent Spencer will be with you in just a moment," she said. "Agent Pendleton got here first. If you'll have a seat, please."

Heather sat down. Of course Ethan had gotten here before her. He probably ran the whole way. This competition thing was really starting to get to her, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She wasn't trying to compete with him. As a matter of fact, she was putting in her HRT papers when he told her that he had applied for it as well. They helped each other study for the test and encouraged each other. That was what lovers were supposed to do, or at least that's what Heather thought they were supposed to do.

She really liked Ethan. When she first got here, he was funny and charming and helpful to a rookie agent. He had also been engaged. So they were friends for a while. Heather had dated in college, but frankly, few men had been able to measure up to Jon. She still missed him, and wished they had gone to school together rather than break up after their high school graduation. Granted, it saved their friendship to end the romantic ties, but she still missed him sometimes. She'd had a couple of affairs in college, but none lasted long, and from the start none gave her a feeling that this might be "the one". Fun yes, but not permanent. Certainly not a soul mate.

Heather had gone out on some casual dates during her first year as an agent, but nothing serious. Then Ethan's fiancé had run off with some construction worker that was building her parent's new house. She came back six weeks later married and pregnant. Ethan was not amused. Heather had been seeing a guy she had met at a club for about two months, but when he cancelled three dates because his mother needed him, she realized this wasn't relationship material. So her and Ethan started hanging out together. And then it was more than hanging out. That was six months ago. Since they didn't work together directly, and he wasn't a supervisor, there wasn't a problem with agents dating as long as they were discreet at work.

Things had been going well, but then all of a sudden little things started. It was like he was jealous of her success. He had been an agent two years longer than her, and hadn't had as much exposure as she had. Heather suspected Lon might have had something to do with it, but it was very, very subtle if anything. Now both her and Ethan were the two agents from the field office that applied for HRT, and EVERYTHING was suddenly a competition. They had studied together, but she was getting the feeling that it was more him trying to get more right answers than her rather than him learning the material. Men. She wished she could get over than whole sex with women thing, because lesbianism was starting to look like the best option.

Spencer's door opened, and Ethan emerged, his expression glum. He saw her there, and it was obvious. "Sorry," she mouthed to him. He shrugged. Getting into HRT wasn't easy. There were four spots open this year. Two hundred people applied. Harsh odds.

"I'll wait," he mouthed back, nodding towards the door to the hall. She gave him a quick nod, and rose, Spencer's secretary allowing her entrance into his office. If he didn't make it, what chance did she? He was more senior, and must have done as well as she did. Oh well. There was always next year.

Section Chief Spencer was seated at his desk as the young agent entered his office. Raleigh had certainly proved her mettle in the last two years, and he was more than pleased to have her there. Her record was impressive as is. When she first got there, he was worried she might have a serious ego problem. Her high school record hadn't been all that impressive until someone attempted to kidnap her. Then she seemed to have become more focused, and determined to have a career in law enforcement. She had gone to Harvard and got a degree in criminology with a minor in business administration. That was a smart move for someone that intended to move up the ranks in the FBI and go into management positions.

She had been accepted into the FBI Academy, and her personal and professional recommendations had been impressive to say the least. There were two CIA agents, including a higher-up in there that had signed off for her and given her a glowing review of an internship she had done there. Plus there was a workshop she attended that was given by Special Agent Lon Bryant who was very well respected. Only a few seniors in college were allowed to attend and she had been one of them and he had given her a rather high recommendation, which was rare for him. A top Army counter- terrorist specialist had signed off on Raleigh as being "exceptional under both mental and physical stress". Spencer didn't even need to mention a recommendation from a certain Air Force officer whose record was so classified that it had caused a personal call from the Director of the FBI himself when Spencer tried to access it. Not bad recommendations all in all. He would have loved to have such things backing him up as a young agent.

Raleigh had learned quickly, volunteering for assignments that seemed dull, but were good learning experiences. Spencer had started to wonder if she ever slept. He once noted that she had been on an all-night surveillance after working all day and still came in on time the next morning. Strange. She was far from a brown-noser, though, and did extras for people she liked, not just the ones that would get her ahead. She was a solid agent with a good head on her shoulders. He was going to miss her.

"Agent Raleigh," he greeted. "Please have a seat."

Heather sat in one of the plush leather chairs across from his desk. Her file was open on his desk. She was trying so hard not to fidget. She wanted to grab him and scream for the yes or no, but that would be unprofessional.

"We received the HRT results," Spencer said non-commitally. "Two hundred agents applied. Four got in. Those are some very, very tough odds. You were competing against the very best that the bureau had to offer. I want you to also understand that these results were already decided before the joint exercise that occurred this week."

Heather felt her stomach sink. This was a great "you were good, but not good enough" speech. Maybe now Ethan would calm down and they could get back to where they had been. Maybe not. If it was going to take a professional setback to patch them up, maybe she didn't want to be with him anymore. God, how was she going to tell her family? It was expected that she succeed at everything. They all had. Everyone was top of the field, or at least heading there. Coming on the heels of her triumph, this was such a letdown for her. At least she had only told her parents and siblings that she was applying. Why was Spencer smiling?

He half-rose and extended his hand out to her. "Congratulations, Agent Raleigh. You beat out the best of the best, and they're expecting you to begin training on Monday."

For a second she could only blink at him, her entire system on overload. Then it started to sink in. She was in. FBI agents were known for their cool detachment, but there was no way to stop the grin from breaking out across her face as she took Spencer's hand, accepting the congratulatory shake. She was in! She was really going to do it!

"Thank you sir!" she managed to get out.

He smiled at her warmly. "I wasn't the one that got you in there. Do you realize that you tied for top honors on the written test? Two applicants got a perfect score. You'll actually be getting a complete breakdown of your testing later."

"And they want me there Monday?" she practically breathed. It was already Thursday. The training facility was at Quantico in Virginia. That wasn't much time at all to get ready to leave Chicago. She had to go home and call her parents. And Daniel. Cole was going to freak when he learned she was going to be moving close to him. Maybe she would really make it a total surprise to her aunts and uncles out there and just show up.

"Training is six weeks," he answered, settling back into his seat, as did she. "From what I hear, it makes the testing process look like a cakewalk." She nodded. She knew that from her own research, but she also knew that she hadn't gone all out in the testing either. "But I think you'll get through it," Spencer continued. "After that you'll have two weeks off to do whatever is required to move to Virginia permanently."

He leaned forward, and gave her a rather piercing look, wanting to get her reaction in full. "You do realize that Agent Pendleton will not be transferring with you?"

"I figured as much when he walked out of your office," Heather replied. She felt bad for Ethan, she really did, but this was the opportunity of a lifetime. If he really cared about her, he'd be thrilled and want her to take it. She would have for him.

"I am aware that you and Agent Pendleton have a personal relationship," Spencer said, trying to be delicate about the matter. "Such things have been known to be an influence before."

Heather knew what he wanted to hear. One of his agents making HRT reflected well on him as much as it did on her, and he wanted her to be there and complete the training. "Well, we certainly are far from marriage, or anything seriously committed like that," she replied. "Sir, this is the opportunity of my career and there is no way I'm turning it down for love or money."

Spencer smiled at that. "In that case, I again congratulate you, and wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors."

Heather recognized the dismissal, and stood quickly. "Thank you again sir," she said, and left the office quickly, feeling like she was floating more than walking. She actually did glance down once. Every now and them the kinesis would jump out there and she wouldn't notice she was using it. Her feet were on the floor, but her mind was in the clouds.

She left the office, and the minute she saw Ethan's face, she knew it was over. There was no way to hide the fact she was thrilled. She had only beaten 196 other agents out for a position in the most elite organization the FBI had to offer. More would have applied, but you had to have three firm recommendations to even start the application process. And she had done it first time up to bat. There was no way she could hide being proud of herself when she had managed that one. He knew she had made it. And she knew they were over.

His jaw clinched, eyes grew cold. "Don't look so damn surprised," he snapped. "You knew as soon as you passed the physical test you were in."

Heather felt her feet hit the ground. She was expecting angry, but not this. "If you'll remember, that was only a third of the testing," she shot back. "I didn't know until five minutes ago how I did on the rest."

Ethan snorted. "Like hell you did. You're the first woman to pass the physical test. It doesn't matter how lousy you did at the written and the interview because the equality crap says they had to admit you. They did have to let you in, but they don't have to keep you all the way through the training, you know."

Heather crossed her arms, forcing herself to keep perfect control. Ethan liked being able to make people lose their tempers. It made him feel all the better about his self-control. "Like you could have done better than I did." He obviously didn't know about her score.

"Let's see," he said, scratching his chin as if pondering a question. "You admitted you only studied with me. And when we studied, it was mostly you quizzing me. Spencer told me I was number nine in the written results. You had to have done worse. When we worked out together, you just barely made the requirements." He paused, the malicious light in his eyes telling her that he was going for the slam-dunk. "But there was the interview. Tell me, my dear, what was the real reason you wanted that bottle of water when you were done?"

It took everything Heather had to not slap him right then and there at his inference. She had something better to use than physical violence. The edges of her mouth turned up in an ice-cold smirk. For a second Ethan looked just a bit confused at the sheer menace she seemed to radiate right then and there, but then his normal control came back quickly. He had been told once that the best way to break a female agent was to let it be known that she had gotten her advance on her back. He'd seen it work before. If the rumor went around about Heather, she might be dropped from the training. He didn't know exactly yet where he had placed overall, but if he was next in line, he would be admitted.

"You're right," Heather purred. "See, while you were training on your own, I was being tutored by your mother." Ethan paled. It seemed like a childish insult, but there was something in her smirk that said she knew the secret that was impossible for anyone to know. His mother had been a prostitute in Nevada. She had never been arrested. She changed her name when she left the lifestyle. There was no way to connect…but Heather *knew*. And if he said a single word of rumor to anyone, then the rest of the bureau would know as well.

Heather gave him another smirk as that little bit of information sank in, and then sauntered off. She took a few steps and then turned back to him. "I finished in the top third physically," she called back to him, taking pleasure at the shock on his face. "And I have a photographic memory. What I study, I remember the first time, and don't have to go over it again and again, tediously, desperately trying to retain what I know. Congratulations on your pitiful number nine. I'm sure once I find the other person that scored perfect on their written, we'll have a good laugh at your expense."

With that she gracefully whirled back around, gliding down the hall. Well, they hadn't said the words, but one could assume the relationship was now officially over. No great loss really. Besides, he was just an anchor around her neck. Great in bed, but an anchor nonetheless. Heather grinned thinking of the future. She had a desk to get cleaned, and some major packing to do. Monday morning. Her life was really going to begin then.