sigh Does anyone else agree with me on how hot the men on "Grey's Anatomy" are? That show is a total droolfeast. Yum. Anyway, if you have problems with visualizing one hottie named Capt. Jeremy Munchous, you need look no further than the character Finn from Grey's Anatomy, aka Doc's Vet, aka Chris O'Donnel. I have to say, now that he's all grown up, the man is truly hot. There are some minor variations, of course, such as shorter, darker hair, but I only realized just now that he was my unconscious inspiration. Probably because the season premiere was tonight. I'm hopeless…

Reviews: Thank you everyone! I love your reviews and they give me plenty of motivation to write. Keep it up! M3mOrii: Your sneaking suspicion about Andreya is probably right! That is, if you're thinking what I'm thinking…:P Faeriesinger: Hope your move went well and you enjoy your new place! Curtis Zidane Ziraa: I average around 8 pages in Microsoft Word per chapter. With this story, the chapters seem to be getting longer and longer. When I upload them, I seem to be going over the size limit and end up having to upload each chapter in chunks. That's why you'll see pt.1 and pt.2 of chapters. Mugglepirate: I forgot to respond to your review from last chapter. Sorry! If you like the romantic interludes, you'll love this chapter!

I'm having problems getting this plot to move as fast as I intended. I have a feeling that when everything finally starts rolling, it'll go fast. Just stay with me and hopefully you won't be disappointed.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine! Don't sue me, I'm not making a profit!

This is still most definitely rated T.

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"I think," Andreya said conversationally, tucking her gloved hands under her arms, "that this is the most boring job I have ever had."

Jeremy grinned and blew into his cupped palms, trying to get some warmth to sink through his own thick gloves. "It is a bit slow tonight."

"You promised me a working holiday. Now, while I realized that didn't mean you wanted me to sneak in through windows and kill anyone, I did expect a few street brawls."

"Nah. Too cold for street brawls. Everyone's staying inside, not even leaving home to go to the pubs."

Andreya snorted in disgust and bounced on her toes a bit to encourage circulation. They were on a street corner in the worst part of the Exile's Gate district. Normally, she imagined the sounds of city dwellers filled this area, the noise pollution accompanying the physical pollution of so many bodies crammed into so few spaces. There were some noises, still, even with the snow falling thickly. A baby was crying in the tenement across the street, two men were arguing down the street. Other than that, the snow was muffling the sounds in a very efficient way. It was muffling more than sound. The snow, falling straight to the earth with nary a wind to disturb it, covered the filth in the street, creating a thick white blanket that piled everywhere. The curtain of snow gave the world soft edges so that even the heart breaking poverty of Exile's Gate was blunted. A Herald they had seen coming in from Circuit had appeared luminous with her Companion, glowing in the moonlight and merging with the snow in such a way as to look like ghosts. Andreya had been entranced.

"It doesn't snow like this, where I'm from." The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had said them. When Jeremy wisely said nothing, she continued. "It's always hot and sticky, as if someone wrapped you in a wet wool blanket. There's snow in the mountains, but only the religious men go into the mountains, and the rich people. They go to see the religious men. Poor people have to work too hard to worry about religion. The bugs are awful, too. You spend all summer itching and all winter praying for the rains to stop. As soon as the bugs start, you hope it will start raining again soon." A muffled silence followed her words. "I'm glad I'm gone from there."

"Even if you had to become an assassin to get away from there?"

Andreya snorted and cast him a look that told him she doubted his intelligence. "The weather was the least of the realities that factored into my becoming an assassin. No, leaving there was a fringe benefit."

"Why did you become an assassin?"

"Assassins aren't made, Captain, they're born. You should know that."

"What were your realities?"

"It's not dark enough."

Confusion creased his face. "What?"

"The tale of an assassin is one best kept for a cold dark night, with weather so fierce not even the bravest of Guards or the evilest of criminals ventures out into the streets. Since we're still out here, it isn't dark enough. Cold enough, but not dark enough. Besides, this is only the first time we've been out together."

"I count the night you spent locked up as our first night."

"I don't tell all just because a man chained me up then promised me a fight but didn't pay out."

Jeremy grinned. "So you don't think this is a good outing?"

"I think it's a fair outing."

"How do I make it good?"

Her lips quirked in a half-smile as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "It needs a fight to be a good outing."

"Really? You're a tough one, My Lady."

"A girl has to have standards, Captain."

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"Bbbbbbbbbb…" Jeremy blew air past his lips in an effort to make them flap and increase circulation as he stepped into the warmth of the Guardpost and shook himself vigorously, dislodging what appeared to be mountains of snow from his head and shoulders. Snow on his black cap reflected in the light from lanterns and the hearth, causing it to glitter. His cloak was unrecognizable as the black it had started the evening as, since it was caked in snow that only a candlemark by the hearth would take care of. Andreya was close behind him, scooting in through the partially opened door of the Post and closing it as soon as she had cleared the threshold. Unlike Jeremy, she did not shake herself off, wanting to save some poor lowly ranked Guard the clean-up in the morning. She began peeling off layers and hanging them to melt and dry in the warmth of the hearth while a Guard, miserable from the illness that was circulating through the post, watched from the Duty Desk across the room. It was a small room, crowded with chairs and a large slate mounted on the wall next to the door. Guard schedules were written in a neat grid, each day of the week written across the top and shifts written down the sides. Andreya was surprised to see her own name written down for the night's shift on the board, along with Jeremy's. Hands joining her in the task of stripping off layers of weapons and clothing startled her back into awareness and she restrained herself from striking out instinctively when she realized they were Jeremy's.

"I am quite capable of taking off my own outerwear."

"I'm sure you are, but this way I get to actually see where you hid most of your weapons."

Andreya smiled and met his eyes. "Don't bother. You'll never find all of them."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Completely."

"We'll have to see about that. In the meantime…" Jeremy obligingly raised his hands and stepped away from her, a mocking grin on his face. Then he turned and went to the pot bubbling on the hearth. The rich scent emitted from the brown liquid in the pot made her mouth water and she quickly identified it as chava. Acacia had introduced her to it a few seasons back and she had quickly developed a liking for it, despite the bitter taste. Jeremy ladled out two large mugs and dumped in plenty of sugar. When she had stripped down to a shirt, sweater and breaches, weapon's harness in her right hand, he gestured with a mug filled hand to stairs in the far corner of the room, by the Duty Desk. "Let's go warm up in the Crib. We can do our paperwork up there and catch some sleep before you need to head back to the Palace."

Andreya groaned and rubbed her eyes, which were already burning from lack of sleep. "Why did I ever agree to teach classes? Those kids wear me out."

Jeremy chuckled as they trudged up the steep stairs to the Crib. "The good news is that you can probably sit on a bench and yell at them. I bet you Kero has mastered all of those acrobatic moves you were teaching the littlest ones and will be helping out with that."

"She did seem to be limping earlier…"

There was a door at the top of the steps and Andreya pushed it open. A gust of warmer air hit her and she almost purred in pleasure. "The Crib" was Guardsmen slang for a place where on duty personnel could relax and sleep. Cots lined the room, each containing several blankets and a pillow. The hearth up here was larger than the one downstairs, logical since heat up here would be contained and it was the only place people would be spending relatively large amounts of time. The fire provided a soothing golden glow for the front part of the room and left the rest in warm darkness. A lapdesk was tucked under each cot so a person could complete paperwork in relative comfort. Likewise, a set of shelves provided stacks of cheap parchment, pens and ink so reports could be written. Andreya nodded her head at it.

"Do I need to write a report?"

"Nah." Jeremy shook his head as he pulled a single piece of parchment off the stack and picked up a pre-inked pen. "Since nothing happened, only one report needs to be filed. We'll both sign it."

Andreya nodded and chose a cot directly in front of the hearth, settling the pillow to her liking and easing her cold body onto the cot. She wriggled for a moment, settling her blankets, then sighed in contentment as warmth wrapped around her. Jeremy settled himself on the cot next to her, using the pillow and folded up blankets to prop himself up. There was silence as he began writing, the nib of the pen scratching against the parchment. She let her mind drift, eyes sagging closed as relaxation eased over her. Jeremy's quiet voice barely disturbed her.

"You weren't talking about Rethwellen, earlier."

"Mm?" She did not open her eyes.

"When you were telling me about where you're from. It wasn't Rethwellen."

"No."

"Where was it?"

"In the past. Where it belongs."

She heard the smile in his voice. "I take it I'm not going to be able to get that out of you?"

"No."

She heard the rustle of paper, then Jeremy said, "Sign this." He handed her the report, which consisted of the date, shift and Guards' names and the phrase, "No significant events." His name was already scrawled at the bottom, so she took his pen and neatly signed her own. It seemed too short compared to his full name, so she put down her Guild as well.

"No last name?"

"You're not getting that either."

"You do make it hard for a man to get to know you."

"Complain, complain, complain. That's all you men do."

"Not true." Andreya cracked an eye open to see him grin. It lightened his features, turning his gentle brown eyes warm with mirth. A dimple appeared as he grinned and she inexplicably found herself smiling in return. "We men have our uses."

"Such as?"

"Well, we can lift heavy objects, open doors, growl menacingly at evil criminals that are trying to harass our women. Here's one you'll appreciate: we're very good bed warmers. Would you like me to demonstrate?" He moved as if to push himself off of his cot and join her in hers, but stopped when a dagger abruptly emerged from under her blankets. Smiling, he raised his hands in surrender. "Just thought I'd offer."

"Hmph. My blankets and I are very content together, thank you."

He grinned and unfolded his own blankets before settling under them, punching the pillow under his head until it formed the shape he wanted.

"So, what do you think of Valdemar?"

"A country full of idealists."

"And the Heralds?"

"The worst of the lot. I like the ones I've met well enough. They just all seem to live in a world where people are either Good or Evil and nothing in between. And those Companions of theirs…" she let her voice trail off. Contrary to what she had told Acacia, she had done extensive research on Heralds and Companions. Never one to wear her heart on her sleeve, Andreya rarely let on what she felt and what she knew to other people. That tactic had saved her life more times than she could count.

"What about the Companions?" Jeremy's voice was quiet and his eyes were only half open.

"I can't help but think if everyone had a friend like that, maybe I would be out of a job. Strangely enough, I don't consider that a bad thing." She had to work hard to keep the longing out of her voice.

Silence reigned for a few moments, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Andreya allowed her eyes to drift closed, but felt Jeremy's warm gaze on her. When he finally spoke, his voice was deep and soft, almost like warm velvet.

"You're not the person you show to the world, are you?"

"Is anyone?"

"Some more so than others."

"What's your story?"

She heard him shrug, the blankets rustling. "Nothing extreme; no Choosing, no time spent in a Company. I am a younger son of a farmer. Rather than work my brother's land, I decided to go into the Guard. Much to my surprise, I found myself nominated to become an officer. Now, here I am. I live in a set of rooms above a bakery, across from a little old lady who has this truly annoying cat. You don't happen to take jobs on animals, do you?"

Andreya chuckled. "Sorry. Two-leggers only."

"Ah, well. I'd feel guilty for it. Anyway, this cat somehow keeps getting into my rooms and makes a nest out of my clothes. I'm constantly picking orange hairs out of my tabards. Unlike many Guards, I don't train with the Herald-Captain. Since I work the night shift, I'm usually asleep at that time in the morning. I do, however, train with the Guards who do train with the Herald-Captain. Almost as good. The days I'm on duty are pretty much taken up with duty, so the days I'm not on duty are spent taking care of everything I've neglected, as well as doing the odd chore for Risa."

"Risa?"

"The little old lady who lives across the hall."

Andreya smiled. "You're just a regular do-gooder, aren't you?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing. What do you do when you aren't working?"

"This and that. I have more idle time than working time, so I have many hobbies. In addition, I have to maintain skills needed for various disguises, so I spend much of my time training. Acacia, the Herald-Captain's niece, is my roommate and tentmate. She's a scout leader, so she doesn't have as much down time as I do. I usually do most of her armor repair, and embroider and bead her gear when she isn't looking."

"See? You're just as bad as I am."

"Hardly." By now, Andreya was wide awake again and realized that for only the fourth time in her life, she was actually comfortable with someone. One was Acacia, another was a good friend that had sprung from similar circumstances, and the other was from the Time Before. She opened her eyes and sighed, meeting Jeremy's soft brown eyes. He truly was a handsome man, broad through the shoulders but otherwise lean, a body made for weapons work or hard farm work. His face was cut along rugged lines, but they were softened by a persistent dimple and the gentleness in his eyes. The brown fuzz on top of his head softened the smooth lines of his skull.

"Where do you live?"

"In the merchant's district, by the main market."

"Show me?"

A brow winged up. "Now?"

"Why not?"

"No objection, here."

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The sound of the church bells woke her in the morning. Growling softly in her throat at the annoyance, Andreya stretched her long body languidly, scratched an itch on her left leg with her right foot, then tucked herself back up against the warm body in bed with her. The arm she had pillowed her head on tightened around her, tucking her up against his side again and she purred in contentment. She heard the chuckle rumbling in his chest before it emerged.

"You're not hard to please, are you, My Lady?"

"Not at all, Good Captain."

He gently slid his arm out from under her head and rolled over, propping himself over her and bending his head to nibble on her shoulder until she reluctantly opened her eyes.

"It is definitely too early."

He grinned and continued to nibble, his stubble tickling against her skin. "I'm hungry." His stomach rumbled. "The owner of the bakery always puts aside breakfast sweets for me. Would you like some?"

"Mmmm…I'd better-" She broke off when his words sank in. "Did you say breakfast?"

"Yes." He stopped nibbling when he heard the alarm in her voice. "Why?"

"What time is it?"

"I think that was the eighth chime."

Andreya swore and shoved him off her. He rolled easily and let her up, trying to get his sleep fogged mind to work enough to figure out the problem. Then realization dawned that she was about to be late for class. He quickly pressed a kiss against her lips.

"Get dressed and put on a pot of chava. I'll be back with breakfast."

"I don't-" The door closed as he left. "…need breakfast," she finished lamely. Sighing, she began her search for her clothing and weaponry while putting on the pot of water over the hearth and poking up the fire. The chava pot sat on the hearth and she added several scoops of the ground beans to the top of ingenious little pot before donning her weapons harness. The door opened and Jeremy entered while she was shrugging her shoulders to settle the weight of her swords in the harness over her black wool coat. He put down several frosted buns and she felt her salivary glands sit up and beg as the scent of warm bread and sugar reached her. The scent of the chava combined with the scent of the sweets as he began pouring the hot water through the filter apparatus and she quickly began stashing all of her knives and the wooden staves. She had not been able to find her kerchief, so she left her hair down, and she tucked her thin gloves into a pocket of her coat.

"Here." Jeremy handed her a special mug that was actually a mug within a mug. The inner mug contained hot chava and slipped into a fleece-lined wooden outer mug that served to keep the contents warm. He tugged her hat over her head with his own hands while she enjoyed that first, glorious sip. Gathering up his own coat, he picked up the buns and wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her out the door. Horse was down the street at a public stables and Jeremy turned in the appropriate direction. The tails of her scarf blew behind her as the wind rushed past them, bitterly cold.

"Is the Captain going to give you problems over this?"

"Not if I make it back in time. The first class is at the ninth chime. I still have the better part of a candlemark to make it back there. I might even get to wear clean clothes."

"Oooh, that's a good thing."

"Mm."

They arrived at the stables and Jeremy held her chava while she saddled Horse and mounted up. Then he tugged her down for a quick kiss goodbye before handing her the mug and two frosted buns. He fixed a stern glare on her when she stiffly accepted the buns. "If I find out you didn't eat those, there will be consequences. I don't care what some bastard told you, you're too thin." He plowed right over her shocked expression. "It's not healthy. Now, if I happen to find out that you did eat them…" He trailed off. "There will be a reward."

"What kind of reward?"

He grinned, his eyes sparkling with good humor as he tossed some coins at the stableman and led Horse out to the street. "I'll leave that to your imagination, my lady. Now, have a good day with the children." He laughed at her disgusted expression and slapped Horse on the rump, earning himself a look of disgust from Horse before he ambled into traffic.

"Goodbye, Honeydew!" Andreya crowed in an overly-sugary voice, earning him looks from several Guards on patrol as she rode off down the street. He grabbed his chest in mock pain.

"Oh, you vicious, vicious woman!" he called after her.

She looked back over her shoulder and cackled before biting into a bun with a wicked look. "Don't say I didn't warn you!" Then she was around the corner and he could no longer see her.

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"Well, look who's up." Kero's overly cheerful voice grated on Acacia's morning-sensitive nerves as she dragged herself into a chair at the table next to Merrick, who appeared to be dozing over a bowl of porridge. Graham was wide awake and bouncing and Sariah was already at her classroom. "What brings you out of your room this early?"

"Addie wants to go to the dressmaker's," she grumbled, poking at the porridge Kero placed in front of her. "Did you cook?"

Kero bristled. "I can make porridge."

"What's this?" Acacia poked at something buried in the porridge.

"Dried fruit. Eat it. It's good for you." Kero swore as Acacia continued to regard the contents of the bowl with skepticism. "Oh, for… Mero taught me how to do this. It's his recipe and he taught me how to make it. It's safe!"

Accepting that, Acacia dug eagerly into the bowl and discovered that the dried fruit, which seemed to be apples and some sort of berry, combined to turn the normal boring porridge into a very tasty treat.

"I don't understand why I have to have a new dress for this thing," she complained around a mouthful. Kero was briskly cleaning up Graham with a damp cloth and glanced up.

"It's a Ball, Cacie. Generally wearing your most comfortable set of armor is not acceptable."

"Are you wearing a new dress?"

Kero snorted. "Me? Go to Ball? I have three small children to take care of. I don't have time for stuff like that. Now the party after…That I might go to, depending if I can find someone willing to watch the littles. Speaking of which, can you watch the twins for today? Eldan has something or other he needs to do and I have classes I need to teach. It's only until midday," she hastened to add when Acacia began to look as if she might refuse.

"I don't know, Auntie Kero. How am I supposed to take them into the city with me?" She finished her porridge and pushed her bowl away. Merrick looked up blearily at the sound. Seeing her hands and lap empty, he promptly crawled off his booster block and settled himself in her lap, face buried in her chest and arms limp at his sides. Much to her surprise, a soft snore began.

Kero gestured at him. "He doesn't even wake up fully until midday. Graham is happy as long as you let him help with whatever you're doing. They're really not that bad. It's when they get bored that you have problems."

Acacia knew she was goner at the first of Merrick's snores. He round little body was limp against hers and his fuzzy corona of red hair was almost comical. She looked over at Graham, who grinned at her, showing off tiny white teeth. "All right."

Graham clapped in glee at the prospect of going into Haven and Kero sighed in relief. "Thank you. I really did not want to have to chase them during the Advanced Classes."

At that, the door to the cottage opened and Andreya strolled in, humming happily and licking frosting off her thumb while holding a mug in the other hand. "Good morning." Then she ambled into Acacia's room, closing the door behind her. They could hear her singing softly to herself in a surprisingly pretty voice. Acacia's jaw had dropped at Andreya's cheery greeting and she turned to Kero.

"Was that frosting she was licking off her thumb?"

"Was she actually awake?" Kero countered, equally stunned. Then realization dawned and she began to chuckle delightedly. "Oh, my."

"What?" Acacia was still puzzled.

"That, my mercenary child, is what a woman who got some very good action looks like."