He looked up as the door opened and quickly pushed his way out from behind his desk. "I'm so glad you could come."

The woman standing just outside the swing of the glass door only shrugged at him. "You asked so I came."

"I was worried, because it's a long way and-" He flustered, fumbling his words as his hands struggled to know what to do.

She only gave him a little smile. It almost calmed him but he stopped himself as she answered. "It wasn't that long of a way John."

"No?"

She shrugged, "I was working in Jordan so it was just a domestic flight… Or the equivalent of one."

"Anna…" John coughed, "I know this is awkward but-"

"It's only awkward if we make it that way." Anna pointed to the sofas, "Are those for decoration or sitting?"

"Sitting." He quickly took his seat, rubbing his hands over each other until her hand landed on top of his. "Nervous habit."

"I know." She smiled, her thumb running over his knuckles. "It's going to be alright. This is what I do for a living."

"How lucky for me then that we both got drunk in Vegas one time?"

Anna laughed, "Luckier than we knew."

Two Years Ago

He blinked, squinting against the harsh light. Putting up a hand to stop the sun shining right in his eyes, he pushed himself into a sitting position on the bed. A bed that groaned and made a noise of complaint. He twitched away from it just as the blonde woman next to him opened her eyes.

"Fu-"

"Shit!"

They stumbled away from each other, the bed forming the barrier between them. He held up his hands, "Sorry, that was-"

"Me too I think-" Pausing she looked at him and then snatched the sheet from the bed to cover herself. "Sorry."

"No, I'm…" He cleared his throat, his hand raking through his hair. "Did we-"

She flicked her eyes down at him as he snatched a pillow to cover himself and then she winced slightly as she shifted before nodding, "I'm sure we did."

"How are you-" His eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry if I-"

"I actually think I rather enjoyed it, all things considered." Her hand went to her hair but stopped as it caught on something.

"What?" He blinked at her, adjusting his hold on the pillow as she drew her left hand in front of her face. "Bugger me."

"Did we…" She held up her hand so her palm faced him. "Did we get married? Like really married? Officially or something?"

"I vaguely remember a drive thru somewhere."

"Oh shit." She paced, pulling the sheet tighter. Stopping, pivoting on her heel, she pointed at him. "You don't live here, do you?"

"No. I'm based on London… for the moment."

"Oh good, me too." She whistled, "For a moment I thought I might have to…"

"Stay in America with your new husband?"

"Guess we dodged a bullet there." She nodded, "My flight leaves tomorrow and I can't change it or-"

"Mine too." He narrowed his eyes. "British Airways, leaving at ten?"

"What a coincidence." She sat on the edge of the bed and he tentatively joined her, still holding their respective sheet and pillow. "Almost like we were meant to meet. Somehow, somewhere."

"I doubt we would've spoken at the airport." He shrugged, "I never talk to anyone at the airport."

"Yeah, me either."

They sat in silence a moment. He cleared his throat and, careful of the pillow, extended a hand. "John Bates."

She took it firmly, "Anna Smith… Although it'll probably be Bates now won't it? With us being married and all I'd change it to-"

"You don't have to. I mean if you… If you don't want…" John coughed, "It doesn't have to be your name if you don't want it."

"I could do worse, for a new last name." Anna smiled, "I've moved up the alphabet, so that's something."

"It's something." He scratched at his head, catching the pillow before it could fall, and noted the ring on his finger. "This looks rather nice."

"I think we bought actual wedding rings." She held hers up. "This is, by far, the nicest piece of jewelry I've ever owned."

"Me too." John sighed, "We should find the license and whatever other paperwork we filled out last night."

"Why?"

"To get it all annulled."

"Not sure you can annul it once you've consummated it." Anna shifted, a tiny wince coming to her face. "And I'm a hundred percent guaranteed we consummated it... More than once."

"Wish I remembered that part." John frowned, "Or more clearly. I've got… Well it's all fuzzy and so I don't have all of it."

"Wish I remembered meeting you." Anna puffed out a stream of air. "Maybe it'll come back once my head doesn't feel like I'm lugging rocks in there."

"Well, if you want," He pointed over his shoulder toward the bathroom. "You can take a shower and I'll order some room service and we'll…"

"What?"

"See what we're going to do about this." He snorted, "Even for not remembering any of it, this is still better than my first wedding."

"Why's that?"

"I think I already like you better than I liked her."

Anna gave a snort of her own, "Doesn't say much for your first wedding."

"I didn't say much for my first wedding."

"No?"

"No. Neither did the woman I married until we finally managed to divorce. Then we had nothing but things to say about it all." John stood, holding the pillow to preserve his modesty. "But I'll get sorted and try to figure a way out of this mess. If you… If you want you can take a shower or… Or not, it's all your choice and-"

"I like you too, you know." Anna's grip on the sheet slackened slightly as her body relaxed. "I don't think I would've married you if I didn't."

"Pretty sure I must've thought highly of you too."

"Other than marrying me, how's that?"

"Well," John managed a little smile, "I haven't gotten that wasted in years. I would only've done that to impress you."

"Consider me impressed." Anna let out another huff of air. "My Mum'll never forgive me for this."

"We don't have to tell her."

"I'm pretty sure I should tell my mother I got married." Anna stood up, careful to not trod on the edge of her sheet so it stayed securely wrapped around her body. "Even if I did get married in Vegas."

John nodded and then laughed, "I remember how I met you."

"Was it at a bar?"

"It was the beginning of this conference. You told me you worked private security and we discussed the guns you preferred."

Anna snapped her fingers, hurrying to rescue the sheet she almost dropped. "That's it. I remember you telling me about your days as a…" She frowned, "Sniper?"

John nodded, "That's it."

"There," She smiled, "We know a little more about each other now."

"A little more." John sighed, "Not nearly enough."

"Maybe not." Anna frowned a moment before her face softened. "You work in government. Used to be an Ambassador and you were trying to hire me."

"You told me you'd never work for political attaché security. Thought it was too much hassle for too many hours."

"I didn't want to say no to you." Anna shrugged, "You were cute."

"Hopefully still am." John looked around the room, "Give me a minute to try and find the legal ties binding us together and we'll see where we go from there."

"Sounds good." Anna nodded her head toward the bathroom, "I think I'll use that and then find my phone. Need to let the people who need to know I'm not dead or anything they probably think since I never came back last night."

"Good idea."

Present Day

John shook his head, "What a mess."

"It's not everyday you get to do something reckless." Anna shrugged, relaxing on the sofa, "But we made it work."

"Until now."

"Don't count us out just yet." She pulled out her phone and set it to record. "Alright, from the beginning and leave nothing out."

John took a deep breath, eyeing the phone before shuffling himself into what he hoped was a relaxed position. "When I first started as the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, after I was moved from Tehran, I was in Riyadh alone."

"And your ex-wife?"

"She wanted nothing more to do with the heat or the climate. She'd grown fed up with it in Tehran but stayed with me there because it was safer. The optics of it mattered a lot to the PM and she always wanted to impress him."

"Sounds about like her."

"Yeah." John shuddered, "So she stayed in Ireland and the concession I made was that our son, Brendan, would go to a private school near my mother in Dublin. He'd board at the school under another name for security reasons."

"Sounds smart." Anna took a note on a small pad. "What was his cover name when he was in Dublin?"

"We used my ex-wife's maiden name 'Coyle' for his last name and kept his first name the same."

"Easy to remember and close enough to the truth." Anna paused, "What changed about the arrangement?"

John flexed his jaw. "About six months into my service, when I thought I was getting the hang of it, I was approached by a man representing a joint interest between MI6 and the CIA."

"Name?" Anna made a face, "Or the name he gave you, anyway."

"I vetted his bona fides."

"I'd like to vet them as well."

John offered a conciliatory gesture. "Charles Blake. The American agent I worked with was Jack Ross."

"No need to verify those." Anna gave a little snort. "I've worked with both of them. They're good men."

"Blake came first, approached me at an art sale in Dubai and said he knew how I could get ahold of some Islamic art I'd been trying to track down for my collection. Said I'd made a bit of a name for myself with my acquisitions."

"Acquisitions?" Anna paused, "Like the ones at the London house?"

"That's right."

She made a little noise, "I've spent a lot of time admiring your collection. It's beautiful and speaks to a careful eye."

"I hoped you'd like it." John squirmed, "That piece I sent you for Christmas…"

"It's on my desk at my office." Anna leaned across the space between them to put her hand over his. "It's beautiful, John. And I love it."

"You said so, in your note."

"Now I'm saying so again." She ran her thumb over his before pulling back. "Then what happened?"

"I met with Blake's contacts in Germany, at an auction house, and found out that the pieces would come through Chinese dealers."

"You didn't find that odd?"

"Not once Blake explained the dealers were all American-Chinese or British-Chinese working as agents to help get political prisoners out of China and Iran."

"What?"

John nodded, "Art is a very tricky business but they found a way to use legitimate sales like mine to move people carefully through a very strict system. The benefit is, the system is only strict for the art, not the people. I represented the benefit of being an ambassador which meant that not only was I above prosecution in the possible accusations of human trafficking-"

"If they wanted to try and paint the escapees as victims of you instead of the systems." Anna made a face, "Not a bad cover."

"Right. But I also had access to the diplomatic pouch so I could get belongings and information and even people through as aides and other diplomatic clearances to get them over borders."

"Daring."

"I wasn't really at risk."

"Until now, with Brendan?"

"Until now." John agreed, putting a hand through his hair. "But it was all going well, for a long time, and I did my part with relative ease."

Anna nodded, making another note. "What'd they call your little Underground Railroad?"

"They called it Operation Xysts."

"Xysts?"

John nodded, "In ancient Rome they were covered walkways and, in Greece, they were long porticos used in athletics."

"Tunnels." Anna smiled, "Blake always liked his double-meanings."

"He did." John rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, "But porticos also hide enemies and it's come around to bite me in the ass."

"What'd they send you?"

John dug out his phone and fiddled over it a second before giving it over to Anna to show her the video. "It came from his email. His student email for godssake. They hacked his student records."

"And you didn't suspect anything?"

"No." John shook his head, scratching irritably at some spot on his forehead for a second. "They… He said 'B.B.'s in trouble and needs help' so I know it's not a prank or anything like a sick joke."

She frowned, "What makes you so sure?"

"He hated that nickname. His mother gave it to him when we named him Brendan and his grandmother called him 'Byron' by accident." John shook his head, "My ex-wife and mother always hated each other so my ex-wife did it to spite her and Brendan despised it."

"His middle name doesn't start with a 'B' does it?"

"No. It's David. And thank goodness or his initials would've been BBC."

"Not the best, I'll agree." Anna watched the video again, analyzing it more closely. "They know you've watched it and they're counting the views."

"Sadists."

"Yeah." Anna handed the phone back. "I'll get someone to analyze that better too. See if there's a clue in there."

"Other than the fact they're holding my son hostage?"

"There's more to this than a taunt." Anna made another note. "Where was Brendan, when they took him?"

"School. He's got a few weeks until finals and then spring break."

"Where's he going to school again?"

"He was studying in America. Near-East and Middle-Eastern Studies at The Ohio State University."

"Not a bad school."

"Not at all." John sighed, "He's so smart and he loved it there. Loved his studies and everything about that place."

"Have you been to the area?"

"A few times. As often as work would allow."

Anna paused, "And your relationship with Brendan?"

John made a face, "I know how it must've sounded on the video but we built that system years ago. It was a mild deterrent for anyone not committed to it. That way they'd think they'd get nothing for holding him and let him go."

"But these are professionals and they know that's not true."

"I guess not."

Anna sucked the insides of her cheeks before speaking again, "They've been watching him. And you. They'd never get to him otherwise."

"No. Brendan wasn't an expert at running SDRs or anything but he knew how to place a tail and lose them long enough to leave me a note." John let out a breath, "Whoever's grabbed him, they're experts."

"The VAJA are certainly that." John blinked and Anna nodded. "The man in front. We've… Not crossed paths, so to speak, but I've worked against him from a distance before. He's VAJA through and through."

"So Brendan's dead?"

"No." Anna shook her head. "They grabbed Brendan in the US, where Iran's not popular, and they're an eight-hour drive from their nearest Embassy."

"He could be there by now."

"I doubt it." Anna sat back, "The second you told me I set up a flare. Eyes are looking now and they'll have to hide away. They can't just drive to the Embassy and hold your son hostage within the bounds of the United States, embassy or no."

"The Americans would risk a war to get my son back?"

"They'd love a reason to blow Iran to Hell." Anna shrugged, "Why not rope in our great nation if it's an abducted British boy?"

"All the justice they'd need."

"Exactly, and that's why they'll hold your son in place." Anna pursed her lips. "Probably somewhere in the same state. It's not like they're lacking for places to go."

"No?"

"Have you ever driven across the United States?" John shook his head and Anna let out a breath. "It's massive. They'll hold him somewhere and no one'll find him until they want him found."

"If they want him found at all."

"Don't think like that. It's reductive." Anna reached over and turned off the recording. "It's time to get Blake and Ross here. They've got some explaining to do."

Two Years Ago

"Is the marriage… legal?"

John nodded, turning off his phone and dropping it in his pocket. "It seems, in my excited and drunken state, I had the license sent to the Embassy in Los Angeles by express mail."

"Don't we need other things?"

"I was bragging about my divorce paperwork, which I had with me…" John sighed, "And we both had our passports. It'll all be finalized within a week and we'll be recognized as married in the UK by the time we get back."

"How long's it valid?"

"A year." John worked his jaw, "We could file for divorce immediately and-"

"Maybe not." Anna put out her hand, shrugging. "It'd help in my job if I had a wedding ring. Keep the creeps from hitting on me. And I'd suspect it'd help in your job. Make you look more… stable."

"So we'll stay married for… convenience?"

Anna twitched her head from side-to-side for a moment. "It's not the worst marriage of convenience I've ever heard of."

"Nor me." John blew out a puff of air before extending his hand to Anna. "To our mutual convenience then."

"We'll need a good story."

"Drunken wedding's not good enough?"

"Something a little more professional, I think, for our professional endeavors." Anna thought a moment, "We technically met at this conference."

"So we say we've met at another one like it before," He opened his hand to her. "We could find one we both attended and just backdate the story."

"We've keep the relationship private because of your impending divorce, your position, and my business."

"But now we decided it was too long to wait." John smiled, "You're very good at this. I've never had anyone who could spitball that well."

"It's my job." Anna sighed, "I think this'll work out."

"I hope so." John raised a glass of water, still fizzing from the antacids he dropped in it. "To our mutually beneficial arrangement."

"To our future as man and wife." Anna clinked her glass. "Although, I'd like to get to know you again… In a more intimate way."

John grinned, "There's always time later, Mrs. Bates."