A/N: Thank you for the kind comments and encouragement. Yes, this is my first fiction and I want to get this completed before I lose my nerve. I just couldn't get the plot out of my head but putting it on paper is a whole nother matter.

2: THE JOB

Ryo gently held her by the chin and sucked on her bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. As he pulled her closer she grasped his shirt but he was surprised to meet resistance when her elbow refused to budge. They each stared into dark brown eyes that disclosed a common heritage and they were both breathing hard.

When they were past the danger of passing out through lack of oxygen. Kadee ruefully sighed, "I knew it wasn't a good idea to let you in."

"Why didn't you tell me that when I was downstairs?"

She blushed and turned her head away. "Baka. I wanted to see you. I didn't want to make out with you."

He stepped away, the palm of each hand flat against the wall on both sides of her small frame and gave a chuckle as he leaned over and touched his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry."

With an indignant attitude she snapped, "That's a start at least. I could give you a list of grievances. Get an apology for each and every one and I still won't forgive you."

He lifted his head. "Did I hurt you so much that you acted like you didn't know me?"

A smile broke out. "People see me as a novice. It's hard enough for me to be taken seriously. How professional would it be if I reverted into a giggling schoolgirl?"

In a quiet voice, Ryo gazed ahead at something only he could see. "When I saw you in the office it was like seeing a ghost, I couldn't believe my own eyes. And then all those memories came flooding in." There was a hint of sadness in Ryo's voice as he asked, "Did you give up on me?"

The emphasis on his words was a hint of a confession and told Kadee more than what was said. "Something came up. I had to grow up and part of that was letting you go. When my boss told me who I would be working with, I almost refused the assignment because the truth is... it would be better if you still thought of me as a ghost."

Ryo spun around, repeatedly banging the back of his head against the wall in frustration with his eyes closed. "Aargh. This is driving me nuts. There's so much I want to know that you're not telling me." He turned and looked at her in earnest. "I DID look for you but you had just disappeared. Nobody was willing to tell me anything, like in a way it was my fault for associating with you."

He continued, somewhat appeased. "Somehow, though, I'm not surprised you've chosen this career. You always had a strong sense of justice - look at how we met. But.. alleviating the anxiety of some corrupted, sleazeball who jumps from shadows because he's suffering from a guilty conscious doesn't seem... I-I don't know... worthy enough of your efforts."

"Our job is to prevent more victims, I don't question their morals."

"No. You never question morals, only motives." There was a pause before he continued. "How are we suppose to work together?"

There was a curt reply. "As professionals." The mask was back on but her eyes seemed to glow in intensity. "I think you should leave now. We do have an early day tomorrow. And, by the way, I'd appreciate it if you called me Karen at the office."

As he opened the door and prepared to walk out, he turned towards her and lightly stroked her cheek with his thumb. In a soft, sensual voice he whispered, "Don't run away from me, Kadee. Now that you're here, I don't want to let you go again." And then, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "Oh, and you can call me Ryo at the office."

As Ryo descended the elevator and nodded a goodnight to the doorman, he couldn't help but wonder if the personality she displayed in the office was what she had actually become: indifferent... stoic... No. The spark in her eyes had been obvious but he wasn't delusional enough to think he was the source. She had known all along what had happened to him but had kept away. Questions were revolving in his head. WHAT was so important about this case that she would break her silence, but most of all... had each of them REALLY changed while they've been apart? In many ways she still reminded him of a child, not just based on her appearance. 'Sure, we've gotten older and wiser but those bonds will never be broken, right?' he convinced himself.

He had only been gone for a couple of hours. As Ryo let himself in, he decided if Bikky asked he would tell the inquisitive boy that the call-in was a false alarm. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, Ryo was as determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Kadee's reappearance as well as the official case that had brought them together.

A picture of the victim staring wide-eyed towards the camera was on top of each case file which was opened and placed in straight rows across the expansive conference room table.. Even for seasoned officers, it was disconcerting to have so many eyes upon them, coming out of bodies with no souls.

They were the worker ants, not subject to political winds and whims. These people were the ones who minimized the effects of upheavals at the top due to shifting loyalties, economic downsizing and corporate power plays.

They had worked there for a long time, were considered experts in their jobs, hard-working, didn't take sick days or extended vacations. They were ambitious and it was their dedication that ended up a liability against advancement. They were just too good at what they did and their supervisors were reluctant to go through the time and expense of hiring and training someone else to do what 'ain't broke'.

With the gap caused by their inconvenient demise, there were snafus all around as organizations scrambled to plug the holes. A perusal of the files and documents left behind began to reveal a disturbing pattern:

juggled financial reports, biased judicial appointments, paybacks, siphoning, tax-free charity organizations used to launder illegal funds, early parole for repeat offenders. And 'Perk' was the common thread. The profile of a 'Perk' user appeared to be just the kind of incorruptable person that Bruno, the head of the city's most powerful mafia, wanted to influence, underhanding policies by sabotaging them from within.

Extensive chemical analysis on the product showed it to be merely concentrated caffeine. It was touted as 'Speed without Addiction' and the number of users was rising. Investigations revealed that the factories that were springing up to satisfy demand were legitimate businesses. Many distributors were eager to get a share of the profits. But with thousands of consumers, why were these victims targeted?

After the presentation of the evidence, a silence fell across the room.

Dee leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. "It's hopeless. What the hell do they expect us to do, shut down the factories. Burn the beans. It's obvious. They were getting ready to blow the whistle and were taken out. 'Perk' has nothing to do with it. It's a fad."

Ryo looked upon Dee's jaded attitude with disbelief. "You have such a straightforward way of cutting through the crap."

Dee nodded in total agreement. "That's what I do."

The young agent rejoined, "it's quite refreshing, actually," with the first hint of a thaw Dee had seen all day from this mannequin in a suit. And Ryo had to agree. This was only one of the endearing qualities that Ryo found so captivating.

She then pointed to the files. "But look at those faces. It's indisputable that it's a serial maybe even a professional."

Knowing he's rather not, Ryo turned towards her. "You told us Bruno is linked to the victims but you haven't shown us any evidence. Why are you so sure he's behind this?"

She countered. "What's the latest on Bruno's condition?"

"According to our sources, no one's heard from him in a week. He hasn't checked into any hospital. He could be dead and they don't want the competition to know. Though there's been no report of a shakeup. You know, 'out with the old, in with the new'."

"We need to find him. We don't have any hard evidence but believe me, we KNOW he's behind it." Again, that glint, that flare, rose from Karen, easily perceived by both Dee and Ryo. It's unexpected intensity startled them. "One of our sources gave us the heads up that Bruno has made a nefarious deal. Someone had promised him the moon and Bruno was willing to pay for it and he's using 'Perk' to do that. And yet there are no legal means that will allow us to shut down his operation. And we have to. The faster and farther this fad spread, the more dire the consequences. The case may seem insignificant now but it's not an exaggeration to say we're afraid this might be the beginning of a plague."

Again, that sense of apprehension. What did she mean, no 'legal' means? If it was that serious, why hadn't a task force been formed. What did they expect them to do?

"My boss has uncanny insight and unconventional sources but he has great faith in you two and asked for you guys specifically. He told me our unique cicumstances would be vital to pulling this off and events and allies will eventually reveal themselves. I know, I know. It sounds like a fortune cookie but I have never known him to be wrong. Only... there are no guarantees of success.

"Find Bruno. Detective Latener is right. We can't effectively shut down distribution without an army at our disposal and hard evidence. We have to go for the source, prove his operation is a front for illegal activities, tie him in with these murders, and identify the assassin on the loose." as she waved her hand over the folders.

"Is that all? But what if he's dead?"

"I wouldn't be here."

Dee stood up and gave a stretch. Revealing his long, lean figure. "Well, I spent more time in here than I wanted to. Let's go out to lunch and get some fresh air. We are working together, we should get to know each other. Dee gave Karen's figure the once-over, "Besides, you're too thin, you must eat like a bird."

Now that they could put the work aside, she gave a hearty, boisterous burst of laughter that Dee found attractive in contrast to her icy formality. "Aww... You found me out."

Ryo gave his partner a knowing look but a small frown as he saw Dee appraising the young woman. "I can tell you're dying for a smoke. We'll put the materials away and join you in front.

'Always the perfect gentleman.'

All of a sudden, Dee was hit by a wave of jealousy. Seeing Ryo and that girl side-by-side, who does she remind Ryo of and what if he does know her from somewhere before. What was the story?

They walked down to their favorite deli a few blocks over - the one the guys called 'Lotsa-Meatsa'. Not only were the sandwiches big enough for three meals, they also had a variety of salads, sides and desserts made-to-order. It was after the lunch-time crunch so there was actually room to move in there.

As Ryo headed to the salad bar and Dee was grabbing a drink from the beverage section. Karen placed her order. "I'd like a corned-beef on rye, potato salad, and a strawberry cheesecake. To go."

Dee came up behind her "We've got time to eat. Though it may take a couple of hours to get to the bottom of that pile."

"The bag is just for show. In case I'm running late or people are gawking at me."

While waiting for their orders, Ryo had come up with his salad on a tray before going off to snag a table. They gave her an incredulous stare. She gave them the 'what's the big-deal' gesture. "You said I eat like a bird. Don't you know birds can eat the equivalency of their own weight? Besides, I told you I'm on expense."

It was a relaxing lunch. Kadee encouraged the men to do most of the talking as she was taking a bite of something between each sentence. They talked about life in the Big Apple, places she might want to check out and a couple of the more interesting cases they had encountered. But underneath it all, Dee began to suspect something. "I bet she did it on purpose. By keeping her mouth full, she didn't have to talk about herself."

As they were walking back to the precinct she mentioned in passing, "Some people in Jim's department are taking me out for a 'Welcome' Party, tonight. Hopefully I managed to take the edge off my appetite enough not to gorge myself in front of my collegues."

"But it's okay to do that in front of us."

"Hey. You're practically family." Dee found himself liking her more and more. He felt like this was someone he could trust, remembering how intense she had gotten over the case. That was the same way he and Ryo felt when they wanted so badly to nail someone's ass to the wall. But... she still wasn't telling them everything.

Ryo extended another invitation. "Why don't you come over for dinner Friday. You'll probably need to detox your system by then and I'll even make cheesecake."

"Yumm... cheesecake."

Gathered around the dinner table there was an understood rule that they didn't talk about work. They saw each other almost every day so you would think they would run out of things to say. Dee was gratified to know that Ryo wasn't shy at all, he just took time to assess the situation. The discussion eventually turned to Karen's apparent thaw that afternoon.

"She's full of surprises. Whoever said 'looks can be deceiving' knew what they were talking about."

"She's not deceiving. Besides, you're one to talk, you just want people think you're tough to the core."

"Are you hot for her?"

The unexpected blush on Ryo's face flabbergasted the man. That had been a shot out of the blue. Ryo had never expressed a personal interest in any female to Dee's knowledge.

Dee quickly dropped the subject. Suddenly, he didn't want another presence at the table and right now he didn't want to know what drew Ryo to this girl he now saw as his rival.

It had also attracted the attention of the boy in Ryo's care. He was wearing earphones but he could still hear the conversation. He found that adults were more likely to talk about interesting things if they thought you weren't listening. He may not like the fact that the 'perv' was constantly trying to corrupt his role model but he had gotten used to having him around. What would happen if Ryo did get a girlfriend, where would that leave Bikky. Ryo would no longer be alone. He suspected if Dee was rejected by Ryo, Dee would stay away. Reluctantly, he could see himself hanging out more with Dee despite wanting him to keep his hands off his savior.

For someone as young as Bikky, who has had to fend for himself most of the time, he would never admit it to the adults but it was nice to be able to be a kid. He still remembered the beer bottles shrewn about the apartment and takeout cartons and pizza boxes overflowing every flat surface. He felt he didn't want to lose that sense of protection and stability beginning the day he met Ryo and Dee, somebody who sensed what he needed and someone who shared the same, rough background and understood why he somehow couldn't keep himself out of trouble. He may have felt that, though what we really knew was that he had it good and he didn't want that to change.

It was game night at the Maclean's. Bikky and Dee were basketball fanatics. Even though their favorite teams were no longer in the playoffs, they loved to see a well-fought battle for bragging rights. If it had been the weekend they would have been at Dee's place, Dee having spent his hard-earned salary on a large screen television, perfect for his bachelor buddies, but Bikky had school tomorrow. As usual, Dee was parked on the couch, Bikky was on the floor in front of the TV and Ryo was in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner dishes.

The two former street rats started an animated conversation of how the series was going, the chances of an upset by the underdogs, how past injuries might affect performance and a little wager on the final score. Bikky commented, "I'm surprised you're not more worn out. Probably let Ryo do all the work when you were called in last night."

"What are you talking about, brat."

"You were called in, right? It wouldn't be fair for them to call Ryo in and not you."

"You mean he went out last night?"

"Yeah, why am I telling you this? He told me he didn't know if he'd be back before morning. I don't know when he got in, I was asleep but I woke up when I smelled breakfast."

Bikky ventured to blow his cover. "Who's this Karen chick you were talking about? Do you think he went to pay her a visit last night?"

"Um... she's a FBI sent from Washington that we're working with," Dee replied distractingly.

"And he's going for her. See, he's not gay. Is Ryo going to dump you for some skirt?"

Trying not to show the panic that suddenly seized his guts and made it difficult to breathe, he said more to himself than to his interrogator. "I think she's the only one who can take Ryo away from me."

Before Dee could regather his thoughts, two beepers simultaneously went off in the small apartment, sounding like the fire alarm had been activated. Dee was alert with anticipation as he heard Ryo on the kitchen phone talking to the dispatcher followed by the man's voice heading towards them.

Call out, guys. "We've got a new victim."

TBC.