Chapter 27

Don suppressed the guilt that rose up in his throat as he watched Hannah sweep regally out of the room. Hannah had hit the nail on the head. Robin might have told him she was breaking up with him, but he had felt she was just lashing out at him. He himself hadn't given up on that relationship. Yet here he was, inexplicably entwined with Eleanor.

"She did what I wish I'd had the guts to do, Don."

Eleanor's quiet comment brought him back to reality. "It was still a foolish thing to do, it endangered both your lives." Don was still steamed.

"Nonetheless, it did the job. How much longer did you think you could keep Adam on a short leash, anyway?"

Don's lips twisted bitterly. Eleanor was right. Even if Hannah had't precipitated events with the knee in Bairan's groin, it wouldn't have been very much longer before Carter raided the room.

"Don't feel guilty, Don." Eleanor's soft voice was gentle, as gentle as the hand she laid on his arm. "I'm happy for the time we spent together. I would feel even better about it if I knew you weren't tearing yourself up over it."

His eyes met hers for a long moment, then he sighed deeply. "I don't regret my time with you, Eleanor. But I must still face the consequences." He gathered her into his arms. "Let's enjoy the rest of this time together."

Eleanor nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Here they come, Don," she smiled when she caught sight of Hannah dragging Colby along behind her. "What is it, Hannah?"

Hannah shrugged, "I've had enough of this place. Let's go to Thames House and wrap this up. Put it behind us. We have just this weekend left, there are tons of things I still want to do before we leave at the end of next week."

"Alright, then. Let's go." Don's tone was curt.

Colby bristled at the tone, but Hannah slipped her arm around him and murmured something that made him back down.

"I apologize for what I did, Don," Hannah said clearly as her eyes met his. "You were right, I did endanger both our lives."

Don looked surprised, and nodded warily in acknowledgement. He watched as Colby and Hannah headed out towards the van. "I notice she didn't apologize for what she said to me," he murmured.

Eleanor smiled sadly, "No, and I don't think she will, since she meant every word of it. I'll speak to her, try to smooth things over."

"That's very kind of you, Eleanor, but I'll have to do my part as well." Don was thoughtful as they both made their way out to the van. "I think too highly of her not to at least consider her words."

--

At Thames House, Hannah gawked as they went through the pneumatic security doors that separated the MI-5 offices from the rest of the world. Eyes that were huge with wonder swung to Don and Colby, "How come you don't have security doors like this at the FBI?"

"Because we're a peaceful, trusting people," Don replied wryly, "but the Brits have had a long history of pissing people off."

"Now, now, manners, if you please," Adam chided him mockingly as he came up to meet them. "Remember that the lovely Eleanor is a Brit."

Don snorted in derision, but his features relaxed fractionally as he gave Adam the once-over.

Adam looked tired but jubilant. The elation from putting Bairan and his cohorts behind bars trumped the weariness. A weariness that they all felt. But the elation couldn't quite hide his weariness. Still, the hand that he clapped heartily on Don and Colby's backs was strong. He shook hands enthusiastically with Jensen and Braden. "I appreciate all your help on this. We couldn't have done it without you, and we certainly couldn't have done it without the help of the ladies." He ignored Don's scowl. "I've been given permission to assign several officers to take over your duties for next week. You'll be able to spend your last week sightseeing instead of presiding over the training sessions. You deserve a break for all you've done."

Amused by Hannah's delighted gasp at his announcement, Adam swept her into his arms and smacked a huge kiss on her startled lips. He grinned at a scowling Colby who was advancing on him, menace written all over his demeanor. "Relax, Granger. It was just a kiss."

It was Colby's turn to snort in disgust. But Hannah slipped into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, effectively stopping him from doing anything to Adam. "She saved your hide this time, Carter. Don't you forget it."

Adam laughed. He glanced over at Eleanor, who still looked a little lost and said with more gentleness than anyone would have expected from him, "Take some time, Eleanor. Go to Ireland. Didn't you used to say that all the cares in the world went away when you spent time in Ireland?"

Eleanor looked up at him in surprise. "Why, Adam, that's a wonderful idea!" She turned to Don, Colby and Hannah. "What about it? It'll be wonderful!"

Colby grinned wryly, "You know I can't say no to Hannah. It's obvious she's ready to go." He laughed when Hannah threw her arms around him in delight.

"Why not," Don was equally wry. "I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet." His face softened into a smile at Eleanor's obvious pleasure. Perhaps they could all enjoy this last week in the UK without any unpleasant interruptions.

"Just one last thing," Adam murmured as he ushered them into a conference room. "This is Harry Pearce, my superior officer."

"I just wanted an opportunity to thank you personally," Harry said in his usual curt manner. "I hope you'll be able to enjoy London without worrying about Miss Hill's safety."

"Thank you, Harry," Eleanor leaned over to give the crusty older man a kiss on his cheek. "But I think we'll be heading to Ireland in the next day or so."

Harry smiled, the curt expression softening. "The peace and quiet at cliffs of Moher will set you at ease."

"That's my hope," Eleanor said softly. She watched as Harry said a few words to each person, before leaving for duties that never ended. "Ready to go? I don't care if I never see another government office again."

Don chuckled at Adam's affronted expression, but deep down, he agreed with Eleanor.

--

Eventually, they arrived back at their flats.

"We can get together tomorrow morning and talk about where we want to go." Eleanor murmured, as she dragged herself wearily across the threshold into Don's flat. Don wasn't far behind her.

Hannah nodded, too tired to even reply. She sighed happily when Colby swung her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold into their flat. She nestled contentedly against him.

Someday soon, Colby thought to himself, he would carry her across the threshold of their own home, as his bride. He grinned as he pressed a tender kiss on her forehead. Hannah had fallen asleep in his arms, only a few moments after he'd picked her up. He laid her gently onto their bed and tucked her in carefully, grateful that the events of the day turned out in their favor. It could so easily have gone wrong.

He left the bedroom and moved around the small flat, surprised that just three weeks in it had provided indelible memories of their stay. He grinned as he ran his hand along the arm of the sofa. Yes, there were wonderful memories here as well, the hullabaloo over Eleanor's safety had not eclipsed the happy times he and Hannah had shared in this flat.

Quietly, he began to pack some of their things away in the boxes they'd saved. There were many things they weren't going to need if they were going to spend their last week travelling around in Ireland. Might as well pack them up and send them on home. For a moment he wished he had Hannah's artistic gift. Then he smiled, shaking his head at himself. Hannah had sketched everything, and he'd taken pictures of everything else. There would be no shortage of memories of their time in London.

Soon, he finished packing what he felt they would not need in the next week and wandered into the bedroom. For a moment, he leaned against the door jamb, and just enjoyed the sight of Hannah asleep. His expression softened with amusement. Hannah, as was her wont, had tossed around till the covers were twisted around her. He undressed and slid into bed next to her. Gently, he untangled the covers and pulled her into his embrace. "I love you, Hannah," he whispered softly, his lips a hair's breadth away from her cheek. Colby smiled as she murmured in her sleep. She snuggled closer into his embrace, settling her arms around him. Entwined in her arms, Colby drifted into peaceful sleep.