The next two days crawled past in unutterable boredom. Tony was soon tanned brown, and his hands developed painful blisters, one of which filled with water and burst. His requests for gloves were denied by Jarvis, an overweight redneck who took savage delight in taunting him. Tony added him to his long list of people he would personally interrogate back at CTU, picturing exactly what he would do as he pulled yet more weeds.

'I don't think I can do this much longer,' he complained to Jack, sitting outside the hut in the darkness an hour before dawn. 'You don't know what this place is like. There's nothing here, no TV, nothing. And those fields are full of weeds. That bastard expects me to get rid of them all, but I'm telling you, by the time I finish, they'll be growing back!'

'Settle down, Tony,' Jack told him, his tone patient. 'You won't be there much longer. We're getting border patrol to step up their searches of trucks; they're bound to get jittery sooner or later.'

'I'm guessing it'll be later,' Tony muttered. 'I've really had it, Jack! You know the most exciting part of the day is when the crows fly down to eat the worms I dug up! I'm going home, soon!' He wasn't, of course, but he was heartily sick of the whole affair and the need to vent his rage on someone proved irresistible.

'You'll stay in place till you hear me tell you otherwise,' Jack snapped, a lot harder. 'You're a Federal Agent for God's sake, act like one!'

'Yeah, that's it, I'm a Federal Agent,' Tony retorted, bitterly. 'Last time I looked, Federal Agents worked in an office. In a building, Jack, right? And they got to go home, when their day was done.'

'Tony, have you got anything else to report?'

'Yeah,' he said, sarcastically. 'I see a little light in the east. I'm guessing the sun will be up in an hour!'

'Goodbye, Tony,' Jack told him, hanging up.

Tony pocketed his cell, scowling. He sat on the damp ground picturing his parents asleep in bed, until the desire to call them overwhelmed him. The sun was definitely rising, they could survive waking up a little early once in while. He dialed the number ingrained into his memory, listening to it ring. Why aren't they answering? Did they go somewhere? They would've told me if they'd planned any trips.

'Almeida,' said a voice, as the ringing stopped, obviously half asleep.

'Papa, it's me,' Tony began, quietly.

'Tony,' his father cried, relief in his voice. 'We didn't know where you were. We called CTU and spoke to someone called Nina, but she said it's strictly classified. How are you?'

'I'm fine,' Tony assured him. 'I'm still following this guy; I'm at his home, with a whole lot of colorful characters. It's not a place for mom, but I'm okay. How's everyone?'

'We're all fine, don't worry about us. Just make sure they don't discover you. I spoke to abuelo; he said you were great; you helped him collect all the crops. I'm real proud of you, Tony.'

'Gracias,' he said, wishing he could return home. 'It wasn't much. We didn't work in the fields all day, we had a siesta when it got hot and there was always plenty of food.'

'Tony are you okay? You're undercover, what EXACTLY is your cover?' his father questioned.

Tony sighed, rubbing his face. 'I'll tell you when I get back' he promised. 'Just as long as you won't laugh at me. Is my car back?'

His father laughed. 'Yeah, I picked it up.'

Tony thanked him and switched off the phone, taking care to replace it silently. He curled up in his blanket and shut his eyes, having given up hope of getting comfortable. At least his parents were somewhat reassured of his safety, he would be able to get through the coming day with one less worry. And there was one slight, very slight compensation for his discomfort – waking Jack every morning at 5:30. Tony felt a slight grin tug the corners of his lips as he fell asleep.

'Almeida, there you are!' Jarvis told him, a bead of sweat running down his face. 'I thought I told you to put the grapes in that container, not to eat them yourself! Friggin' useless, these aliens, if you ask me.'

'I eat only a little,' Tony muttered, longing to strangle the man behind the tall vines. 'Your container is full!'

'So empty it, you lazy bastard! It goes into the truck, remember?' He tapped his head with his finger.

Easy, Almeida, focus. You WILL NOT punch him in the face. Focus! Tony nodded and got up; finishing the last few grapes on the bunch he had permitted himself to eat.

'Where do you imagine you're going?' Jarvis snapped. 'I haven't finished talking to you.'

"Where do you imagine you're going, lieutenant? You haven't been dismissed yet!" Tony groaned inwardly and pulled his impassive mask on. 'You wanted to tell me something, Mr. Jarvis?' he asked, as politely as he could manage.

'I sure did. Mr. Christianson wants you right away. He's in the house.' He glared at Tony, who felt an icy shiver rush through him as he rose to follow Jarvis across the field. Had his cover been blown? Would they hurt Clarissa if that happened? He resolved to mention them to Jack again.

'Almeida, there you are,' Christianson told him as he stepped into the kitchen, his eyes searching automatically for Clarissa. 'I got a job for you. The freezer's not working. It's right over there. Fix it before the meat de-thaws.'

Tony stared at the large freezer in disbelief. 'Sir, I'm a mechanic,' he protested, the lie coming almost naturally this time. 'I fix trucks, not freezers. You'll need to call…'

'I'm not interested in hearing excuses,' Christianson snapped, his face turning red. 'You think I need people crawling round my property? I don't. Fix that freezer immediately, or you'll regret it!' He tapped the freezer impatiently. 'And move as much of the stuff into the fridges as you can. I'll be in the office, let me know when you're done.'

Tony permitted a whole list of Spanish oaths to escape his mouth as he studied the silent freezer. He had never examined one before, having seen his first one in the marines, on KP. Slowly he opened the lid and carried as many things as he could squash into the fridges, before settling on the floor. 'So why aren't you working,' he muttered, glaring at it. 'Mechanical or electrical?' Focus, Almeida! You have fixed the fridge before. How different can this be?

He removed the white cover, checking the motor first, hoping the problem lay there. To his dismay it appeared fine. Tony sighed, struggling to recall what he had been taught in the one course he had taken during his second year of college that dealt with the electrical component of machines. Make sure it's unplugged, Almeida! You sure don't wanna get zapped!

'Tony,' a little voice called and turned in relief, having spent the previous twenty minutes with his attention split between the freezer and the possible whereabouts of his friends. Blanca ran to him, her pig tails dancing behind her. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm fixing this freezer,' he explained, 'so the ice-cream won't melt.'

'Good,' she said, removing a few wooden spoons and an old saucepan. 'I'm cooking! Will you have lunch?'

'Aha,' he replied, returning his attention to the freezer. The problem proved simple enough, he found a frayed wire and removed it, adding a new one from the cupboard Christianson pointed him to.

'Not bad, Almeida,' he remarked, once the freezer was plugged back in, switching on immediately. 'You're quite useful, after all. Get some lunch, then get back to the grapes, they need picking.'

'Yes sir,' Tony agreed, relieved to see him leave the kitchen. 'You got anything for me to eat, Clarissa?'

'Sit down,' she replied, preparing him a sandwich. 'Tony, you didn't tell me you were an electrician,' she said, handing it to him.

'That's because I'm not,' he insisted, meeting her eyes.

'You're telling me you know nothing about electrical parts, you just found the problem and solved it? You don't have to tell me who you are, but don't take me for a fool!' She turned and left the kitchen, sweeping the verandah.

'Hey, I done a real short course on it, alright,' Tony told her, following her outside. 'I know only the most basic bits.' He searched her eyes, reading a lingering dissatisfaction. 'I'm really not that exciting, Clarissa.' He finished his sandwich and returned to the grapes, hoping she would greet him more cheerfully in the evening.

The afternoon dragged on as he cut bunch after bunch, placing them in boxes and carrying the boxes over to a truck. Slowly the truck filled while he trudged back and forth, weary beyond words. Around sunset Jarvis came to check his progress. 'You've done a bit, Almeida.'

'I done a lot,' Tony protested, unable to keep silent. 'The whole truck is full. I filled every box alone.'

'As you should, it's what you're here for, right?' Jarvis smiled at him, baring his teeth. 'Get used to it. You'll be here for a very long time.' His grin widened, while Tony used every remaining ounce of self control to avoid retaliating. 'You got three more boxes,' he said, nodding his head at the ground.

'What a problem,' Tony muttered. 'You have to wait one more minute.' He shook his head, bending to lift the first box.

He was unprepared for the blow he received from Jarvis, whose fist landed on his right eye. The box dropped from his hand, the contents scattering as he rubbed his face, cursing in Spanish.

'You never answer back to me, Almeida,' Jarvis said, giving him a hard look. 'Try it again; your girl will be real sorry. Now put those boxes in the truck! And return the tools to the shed.' He left; walking backwards for a few feet to make certain Tony would not go after him.

Focus, Almeida, you're here to bust them, right? So keep quiet and keep your eyes open and the moment you notice any more of these scum, you'll call Jack. He rubbed his eye again, gingerly. Slowly he lifted the two full boxes into the truck and collected the scattered bunches into the third, before he headed back to his hut, too tired and furious to eat. To his dismay Clarissa was already there, washing a window. He sighed, having decided to place a cold handkerchief over his eye and reduce the swelling before she returned.

'Tony, why didn't you get your dinner?' she cried, dismayed. 'Oh no, what's happened? Who hit you?' She reached forward gently, touching his cheek just under the bruise.

'It's nothing,' Tony said, taking a step backwards. 'I'll just get some water from the well and bathe it.'

'Sit down,' she said firmly, in a tone reminiscent of his mother when she was displeased. 'I'll get it.' She waited till he settled on the step, returning soon with a full bucket. 'I got a clean hanky' she said, dipping it into the water. 'Keep still, Tony.'

Tony watched her out of his left eye, noting the way her hand shook as she held the cloth over his bruise. 'It's going to be swollen shut tomorrow,' she said, clearly upset.

'I'm fine,' he assured her, touched by her concern.

'No you're not. That eye looks bad.'

'I've had worse,' he insisted, squeezing her hand.

Clarissa shook her head, dipping the cloth back in the bucket. Tony winced as she returned it to his eye. 'Rest your head,' she told him, pushing it gently against the post. 'Was it Jarvis?'

'Sí, he was trying to teach me the importance of loading grapes quickly,' he told her, smiling ruefully.

'Tony,' she began.

'I know. I won't provoke him again.' He took the cloth, dipping it into the icy water.

Clarissa bent forward suddenly and kissed him, her lips sucking his, her tongue pushing until his mouth opened. The cloth slid into his lap as he drew her closer, returning the kiss. 'God, Tony, I really love you,' she groaned, while his hands ran through her hair.

You love her too, Almeida, you know it! He held her close, kissing her again, while she stroked his hair. Abruptly she broke away, standing up. 'Stay there, Tony, keep that cloth on your eye. I'll go and bring your dinner over here.'

He opened his mouth to tell her he wasn't hungry, but shut it instead as he realized that he was in fact starving. 'I'll come with you,' he said, hating the thought of her returning to the house with the armed men.

'No you won't,' she said, placing her hand on his shoulder and pushing him down gently. 'I'll be back in a few minutes. Just stay and watch Blanca for me.' She gave him a look filled with love and he nodded, leaning back against the post. His rage had disappeared, his heart beating calmly as a peaceful feeling crept over him. Someone loved him. He undressed the child, washed her while telling her about Goldilocks and the three bears, tucking her into bed by the time she returned.

They ate together outside, sitting on the step, balancing plates on their knees. 'You're a great cook,' he told her and she blushed, shaking her head.

'I just get paid for it, that's all. I'm determined not to cost my brother anymore money, Tony.'

Tony nodded, noting her sense of responsibility. 'Have you thought what you'll do when you get to Boston?' he asked her, no longer trying to slip questions in casually. 'You're an illegal alien without papers. What happens when Blanca needs to start school, or if you get sick?'

'My brother knows someone who sells papers,' she told him, leaning comfortably against him, sending shivers through his body. 'I'll get some kind of job cleaning houses and I'll pay for it. And then we'll be okay,' she finished.

Tony nodded, understanding her logic. 'I guess. What happens if one of you gets sick before then?'

'We won't,' she replied. 'We can't.'

Tony swallowed, remembering the countless times his mother had taken her toddlers to the doctor. Sitting beside her in the darkness, he resolved to help her get settled and the hell with the consequences. He finished the last of the shepherd's pie and laid his plate on the ground, taking hers. Her hand slid into his hair again, stroking it gently, before she hugged him and pulled him closer for another kiss.

'Tell me if I'm hurting your face,' she told him, breathless, while he laughed, shaking his head.

'No I won't,' he teased, kissing her deeply. 'It'll just have to hurt a bit, then.' He pulled her closer towards him, closing his eye. They held each other in silence, listening to each others breathing and the chirping of thousands of crickets. Clarissa dipped the cloth back into the bucket, bathing his eye, while he leaned back.

'Don't forget to bathe it, Tony, or you won't be able to open it for a few days,' she reminded him.

'I won't anyway,' he answered, having experienced it before. 'I got hit by a golf ball a coupla years back. It was my first time on the course, some friends insisted I come join them and I wasn't paying complete attention. It came out of nowhere,' he explained, watching her face.

'You should be more careful. Golf balls are lethal,' she told him and he smiled again. 'My mom told me the exact same thing,' he said, dipping the cloth into the bucket. 'She actually asked me never to go play it again!'

'And you agreed?' she teased, replacing the cloth on his eye.

Tony grinned at her mischievously. 'Ow Clarissa, I was an adult. Do you expect me to obey every warning my mother would give?'

'I think you'd agree,' she said, teasing him.

She's a good judge of character, Almeida! 'Ok, so I agreed,' he admitted, hearing a peal of laughter. He laughed with her, placing a finger on her lips. 'But only because – listen -only because it was a long distance call and I couldn't have afforded to pay any more. My mom won't let go once she gets an idea, she'd talk for hours.' They laughed together.

'And did you go play golf again?' she asked, running her hand along his back.

'No,' he sighed. 'But not because mama forbade it! Nobody asked me since, that's all!'

'Aha,' she said, in a mocking tone, pulling his shoulder. He slid along the post, nodding. 'Aha.'

He felt warm arms round his shoulders, a hand sliding inside his t-shirt, rubbing his chest before she pulled it off. Tony sat up slowly, shaking his head. 'Clarissa, I can't' he told her, filled with regret. 'It's not that I don't wanna, but I really can't.' You won't take advantage of a woman when she's down, Almeida. No matter how much you might want to.

'I know about your wife and kids,' she told him, sliding a hand inside his jeans. 'It's okay, Tony, I know we can't be together. But you're here, and I'm here, and I want you.'

Tony rubbed his face, watching her. 'Clarissa, you don't know who I am,' he told her, softly, unwilling to stop her. 'If you knew everything about me, you wouldn't even wanna speak to me.'

'I know you're not a mechanic from Mexico,' she told him, putting fresh water on the cloth. 'You're highly educated, you speak that way,' she interrupted as he held up a hand. 'I'm guessing you studied some kind of engineering and you obviously spent a long time in the army. You're hiding from something, I've known that since the first day, but you know what? I don't care what you done, Tony. You're the only one who helped Blanca and me. I see you watching out for us everyday. I see you playing with her and you're real decent sleeping on the cold floor, but I don't want you to. This is a new country for us. Whatever you done, it's over, you can start again.'

Tony drew her into his arms, tilting her chin towards him. 'You real sure?' he asked softly, watching the moon light up her smile.

'I'm sure,' she replied, removing his jeans.

'Wait a sec,' he told her, getting up silently and returning with his blanket, which he spread on the grass. He pulled her into his arms, removing her top. 'I can't put it behind me, Clarissa, it's always there,' he whispered. 'But I love you. I always will.'