Okey dokey. Super quick reviewer was Hippiechick!

Hand3, Lil, nice to see you both again. I'm back to updating, albeit sporadically.

Deus ex-Maria: I'm well settled, for the most part, but I have a really shoddy dial up connection. I'll update in a few days, though--I'm taking a trip to Sinai and the Red Sea tomorrow.

CarpetFibers: Glad you're addicted (and pleased to meet you, by the way). My goal is to have a cult of Snarky-Story-Crackheads running around waiting for their next fix. ;)

Enjoy and keep reviewing...it's lonely here in Cairo!

--Aimes

The room was huge, with a large chandelier in the centre and several smaller chandeliers in the corners. The walls were decorated with embroidered tapestries and the floors were a rich blue marble that looked like the night sky. Around one hundred people mingled within, eating hors d'oeuvres and chatting. A band was playing a waltz and Hermione pulled Remus onto the dance floor.

"Sorry, I need to see the entire room without being too conspicuous." Lupin took her arm and began guiding her, sweeping her around the room.

"No need to apologize, Hermione. It's not a problem." Hermione rested her head casually on his shoulder to look behind him and saw who she was looking for.

A tall, thin Mediterranean woman stood, speaking to a man Hermione recognized as a Chinese spy. Not exactly the cream of the spy crop, either. But whatever. Mella Dromos was bony and, well, evil looking. Her dress was black and form-fitting and her nails were painted a blood-red with matching shoes and a handbag of the same color. Her lipstick was of a similar blood-red tint, making her look vampy and overdone. But she exuded and aura of confidence and power that made her irresistible. Hermione glanced to the left of Mella and saw ZT. He looked over and caught her eye then casually began to make his way to them. Why? Why, why, why? Twenty years of never coming to one of these things and he decides to show up to this one. The universe is against me, that's the only explanation. Do not come over here, ZT. Stay away. If you've ever had a stroke of telepathic brilliance, have one now.

Lupin felt Hermione stiffen and her arms tighten around him as she warned ZT frantically with her eyes. ZT caught the drift almost instantly and diverted his path, stopping to glance back at Hermione's focal point. He went pale when he saw Mella and continued in the other direction. Mella, somehow noticing the interaction in her peripheral consciousness turned to look in Hermione's direction.

Oh, shit. Hermione pulled back and pulled Remus' head down, hissing, "Kiss me and make it good." There's no way she'd recognize you. You're thirteen years older than when you first met her. But just in case.

His arm slid down her back to rest just above her bum and his mouth engaged her in a long, intimate kiss. His other hand trailed down the back of her arm and rose to just between her shoulder blades, locking her in place and pulling her body against his. Lucky we're near a wall. As though reading her mind, Remus pulled back against the wall so that her back was facing the room. Hermione's fingers tangled in his hair and an odd shock of electricity ran through her body. She moaned softly and Remus shuddered as her fingers tightened spasmodically in his hair. His tongue slipped into her mouth and began to explore the sweet heat. Whoa.

Everyone had been privy to the rumours floating around about X and his assistant and politely ignored the encounter. Mella, realizing who they were, returned her attention to the Chinese spy, albeit with a hard look of disapproval.

Hermione pulled back, staring into his hazy grey eyes, breathing hard. "That was good," she murmured, brushing a lock of stray hair out of his face. "I'm going to go corner and kill Mella Dromos. Don't go anywhere."

Hermione turned and walked determinedly towards the refreshment table, ignoring the men who tried to talk to her. Mella, meanwhile had disengaged from the male spy, having determined that he had all the cognitive powers of a monkey, and was sipping at her champagne, watching Lupin pensively. Apparently thinking the better of it, she turned away to set her glass down.

Lupin was watching Hermione and was interrupted in his pondering by a voice. "So what ARE your intentions for my sweet girl?"

He turned to Craven. "Intentions? I don't have any."

"Of course you do. All I want to know is if I'll have to hunt you down and butcher you for hurting her."

"Hermione can take care of herself and I have no intention of pursuing her. She's a former student of mine, she's half my age, and half of the UK would hunt me down for even considering it."

"Your point? She mentioned you the first time she saw you on one of her missions and I could tell then that she was attracted to you. The fact that she brought you in on the most painful experience of her life means she's more than just attracted. The fact that you're concerned with it means you're more than just attracted as well. She can take care of herself, but she deserves someone who will take care of her. Especially when this is over and she realizes that she's lost nearly everything. Even her career will have to be rebuilt."

Remus did not reply but turned his attention back to Hermione who was speaking to a powerful, compact man who carried himself with authority.

"I'm sorry, ZT," Hermione apologized. "But I had to be sure. It was Mella. There were discrepancies about it being you or Craven…but I couldn't take chances. Mum, Dad and Genes are dead. Mella and I have unfinished business."

"No apologies needed, Smoke. After you broke, I discovered that a lower-level operative had leaked information to Mella about you. It was Lace. The new spy you were training. She was jealous of you and she sold you out."

"Bloody hell," Hermione looked enraged.

"I shot her."

"Bloody hell," she repeated in an entirely different tone.

"I don't take betrayals. That's not what we're about. Besides, you're like a daughter to me. There was no way I was letting her get away with it. I hope you know my loyalties run deeper than that," he said quietly.

"Thank you, ZT" she said softly, smiling.

"Take care of business, Smoke. I expect you ready to deploy in two weeks."

Hermione grinned and winked, turning away to look for Mella. She was conveniently heading toward the bathroom, setting Hermione up for an easy kill.

Hermione stalked her into the hallway and pushed her into the bathroom, closing and locking the door.

"Hello, Mella," she said pleasantly.

"I was hoping to find you, you ungrateful child. You're barely recognizable. X's bitch, now, are we? Pathetic. You should've come with me when you had the chance. I made you. You would have been nothing without me," she spat, leaning against the counter casually, hands folded across her chest. Well her personality hasn't improved.

"Mel, darling, you just don't get it, do you," Hermione chided. "I'm nobody's bitch. And you didn't make me. I'm just naturally gifted. I'd have been the best with or without you. I'm the overachieving sort. You did, however, give me that lovely gift of emotional detachment that makes killing so easy. I overcame it enough to know I'll enjoy killing you."

"You left me in a coma, you little slut. Haven't you had your revenge?"

"Not since you sold me out and got my entire family killed." Mella's eyes registered shock. "I realized it was you when Lissa's body turned up. I'm not an idiot."

"Cayne was supposed to divert attention from me," she hissed. "It was fool proof. While you were worried about your sister I'd be picking off my old enemies. Then I'd get your sister back to you and claim you as mine, just as you should have always been."

"Didn't work out quite that way."

Hermione pulled out the dagger impressively. "You've caused me all this pain, it's almost sad that it will only take me thirty seconds to kill you. They'll be the best thirty seconds of my life thus far."

Mella Dromos finally registered through her arrogance that she was about to die and opened her mouth to scream.

The blade slid into her brainstem with precision grace, severing her spinal column and stopping the scream before it took form. She crumpled to the ground.

"I could leave you this way. A quadriplegic able to see, hear, touch, and taste but never speak or move again. But I'm not that cruel." She knelt. "You taught me to detach, you couldn't make me evil." Hermione slid the knife across Mella's throat, leaning away from the arc of blood.

Hermione stood, wiped the blade and slid it back into her corset. She scrubbed her hands as Mella bled to death on the floor, stepping away to avoid getting blood on her shoes. She dried her hands, and turned to Mella, impassively watching the spark of life fade and flicker out. Hermione left, closing the door quietly behind her. She won't be getting up from that. My God, my entire family is dead and I just killed my childhood bogey for the second time.

Hermione walked back into the ballroom, where ZT was diligently giving Remus the same lecture Craven had given as Craven smiled slightly. Lupin's eyes were riveted on the hallway and he exhaled in relief as Hermione emerged. Then he noticed the deadened look in her eyes.

Hermione spotted him and walked over quickly. She kissed ZT and Craven on the cheek mechanically, said goodnight, and let Remus lead her out of the villa. ZT and Craven watched them go with identically concerned expressions.

"Hermione?" She looked at Remus.

"Will you be…?" She nodded silently and leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around her and disapparated without further comment.