Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything else JAG…all I have is Dani and Luka…but I'm pretty upset with Luka so he's up for grabs.

A/N: I hope this explains more of Luka's motivation in the entire plot and shows that he's becoming a little unhinged. Also, I hope this will keep everyone happy until I find time to update later this week. Happy reading!

0243 ZULU

EMBASSY OF KAZAKHSTAN

WASHINGTON, D.C.

"Takes one to know one," Luka shot back.

"That's mature," Dani stood up slowly, holding the side of the couch for support, "What did you give me?"

"One of your grandmother's milder recipes," he answered, "It's almost poetic that one of your grandmother's notorious poisons was used in a plan that will bring your family to it's knees."

"Why are you doing this?"

"There are reasons you cannot understand."

"Try me."

"Do you think you are going to fool me with the confident act, Danaë?" he met her gaze with an icy stare, "I know you too well. You have this undying allegiance to your principles, but in reality you are a hypocrite."

"Really?" she feigned boredom.

"You spent all of this summer longing to be with your sailor and waiting to return to your beloved United States."

"It's my home."

"You say that with such conviction, I almost believe you," he smirked, "But in reality you have no home. Your family was displaced from Russia during the Bolshevik revolution. You watched your lands crushed behind the Iron Curtain from your little island in Greece, but even that is not your home."

"The same thing happened to thousands of families, including your own," she paused as it dawned on her, "Is that what all this is about? Some need to reclaim the past?"

"It's about allegiance to one's country and one's family," he almost shouted, "And you do not have a clue about what family really means?"

"I'll be the first to admit that I have no strong attachment to the crumbling remains of my family's legacy in Russia, but do not tell me I do not understand family," Dani countered fiercely.

"Why shouldn't I, when do not even take your family name?"

"Forgive me for taking the name of my mother's husband."

"That's precisely my point. You walk around with the 'borrowed' name of a man you let the world believe is your father. Are you too ashamed of your birth father to take the name MacKenzie?"

"It's more complicated than that," Dani said quickly not wanting to get into this with Luka. He had actually gotten quite close to the heart of the issue, but this was a discussion she needed to have with her sister, not her deranged ex-boyfriend, "Besides, family is in the people, not the name."

"You don't fair much better in that category. You have a tumultuous relationship with everyone Arkada and based on today, you and Sarah can easily blow up at a moment's notice."

"At least I never intentionally gave my sister food poisoning," she gritted her teeth, "Can you say the same with you and Mika?"

"I did what had to be done."

"Of course you did."

"Drop that haughty attitude, you are not above everyone, Countess," he groaned, "As long as I have known you, you have always behaved as if you were above everyone else, not in status but in character. I used to respect that you ignored the insipid rules of our society and listened to your heart."

"Until what?" she took a step closer so her face was inches from him, "I broke yours?"

"You broke your own."

"You do not know anything about my heart!"

"Don't I?" he grabbed her arms just under her shoulders, and she gasped in surprise, "You swore you loved me will all your heart, and then you broke things off."

"You lied to me!" Dani shrugged her shoulders to break his grasp.

"You lied to yourself!" he tightened his grip, "I may have lied, but our love was real. You ignored your feelings and ended it anyway."

"My feelings were over the minute I couldn't trust you."

"They weren't very over when we were on the terrace," he leaned in closer.

"You wouldn't," she whispered, looking at him with fear for the first time all night.

"Been there, done that," he threw her roughly back onto the couch, "I've had better."

"Me too."

Mac made her way down the winding hallways in a unique blend of evasive maneuvers and bewildered behavior fitting of a lost or confused guest. She had made it to the third and top floor, which meant she was close to the roof. Unfortunately it also meant that she was on the administrative level, which made less believable that she had drunkenly wandered away from the party. She reached the end of the hall and found no stairwell leading to the roof so she cautiously made her way back.

"Stop!" a soldier rounded the corner, drew his gun, and asked in Russian, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry I only speak English," she took a stumbling step forward, and stopped suddenly like she just noticed the gun.

"Why are you up here?" he asked in broken English.

"I'm here for the party," she gave a stumped look, "I think I got a little lost."

"I will take you to the other guests," he took her by the arm.

"Wow, you're strong," she squeezed his arm, knowing that this would quell any nagging doubts about whether or not she was 'drunk.'

"What's going on?" another soldier rounded the corner. From what he was wearing, Mac could tell he was higher up than the guy holding her arm.

"She's drunk and wandered away from the others," he explained in Russian.

"She is not drunk," he took her arm and pulled out his radio, "Am I correct, Major MacKenzie?"

"Thank you, Yuri," Luka said into the radio near the desk, while Dani stared daggers at him.

"So what's the next part of your master plan?" she asked flippantly. In reality she was freaking out and obsessing about Mac and Harm. In the short time since she'd gotten there, Dani had gone over dozens of scenarios regarding the location of her 'bodyguards.'

"You are going to make a phone call," he brought the desk phone over to her.

"Do I get to choose to whom?" she picked up the receiver.

"I'll dial," he swatted her hand away from the base of the phone, "I'm calling your uncle's cell phone. You will tell him that you are being held at gunpoint and that you will be shot unless he delivers the money we requested."

"Anything else?"

"You will not mention my name."

"Okee-dokee."

"I mean it," he showed her the gun in her jacket.

"I'd expect nothing less," she sighed, "Are you going to dial?"

"Behave," he ordered as he dialed.

"Paul Arkada," Dani heard crisply in her ear. For all the times she had fought with her uncle, she was actually happy to hear his voice.

"Uncle," she began.

"Daniela," he gasped, "Are you okay?"

"At the moment I am being held at gunpoint."

"By Luka Radicans?" he guessed.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered relieved that her uncle knew who was behind this, but she played it cool so Luka would not be suspicious. She glanced at Luka to gauge his reaction, but he just gestured for her to get on with it, "He wants you to give him the money he requested."

"Or," Luka prompted when she faltered.

"Or," Dani took a breath, "Do not give him the money, if you do I'll never for give you," she finished quickly, slamming down the phone.

"That was very stupid," he hit her quickly, and her hand flew to the side of the face, "We're going to try this again."

"The hitting or the phone call?"

"You think you're cute?" he pulled her to a standing position.

"You think you're tough?"

"You're a spoiled brat," he grabbed her necklace and yanked it off. She barely flinched, despite the long scratch it made on her neck, "Now pick up the phone."

"Make me."

"If you insist," he pointed his gun at her, "Pick up the phone."

"No," she stood her ground, "If you shoot me, you loose your bargaining chip. Find another tactic."

"Okay," he grabbed his radio, "Bring her in."

"Sarah!" Dani turned to see her sister brought into the room, then looked back to Luka who adjusted his aim.

"I'll shoot her."

A/N: I know, another cliffie…ducks behind the couch…please don't hate me…