AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this part is so late, but I have been busy with exams recently.

A COUPLE THOUSAND WORDS LATER

SHE TOOK SIP, TASTING THE BITTER TANG OF COFFEE ON HER TONGUE. Even after adding two creams and three sugars to the dark liquid, it still looked like and tasted like motor oil. Normally she bought coffee from a cafe in town, but it was 5am and she was tired so the campus cafeteria had to make do. Gaia tried to stifle a yawn and downed half her blistering coffee in one gulp. Then again the cafeteria coffee had probably burnt off all her tastebuds so she really wasn't qualified to judge its taste.

Gaia sat her mug down and looked across the table at Ed. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and the excess caffeine he was pouring into his system was making a muscle in his jaw jump.

He looked how she felt: absolutely exhausted and completely drained.

Neither of them had had a second of sleep, instead they had sat down and answered a never-ending list of questions about the attack outside the museum. Gaia knew that telling Agent Bishop all about it was the right thing to do - in fact it was probably the first time she had ever really done what was expected of her as an FBI - but her constant yawns disagreed along with the dull throbbing of her head. And though she could easily go and lie down on her bed, her mind was having problems in switching off and forgetting the night's events.

// FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON ED HAD A SMALL STASH OF STRING IN THE BACK OF HIS CAR. Though there was probably some entertainingly strange story behind its presence, Gaia couldn't be bothered to get Ed to tell it to her. All she cared about was that the string was strong enough to tie the hands and feet of the thugs who had unsuccessfully taken her out.

Gaia stood up, brushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes, and surveyed the three men flailing about at her feet. God they looked pathetic, like beetles stuck on their backs waiting for some little boy to squish them.

"So how long until Agent Bishop gets here?"

Ed's voice was calm, but his eyes stayed carefully focused on the bound men. A flash of guilt bit through her to see his unease. The problem was she needed Ed to stay put, but she knew even is she did ask him leave he wouldn't.

"A minute or two."

Ed nodded vaguely. "Right." He flinched as one of the thugs grunted from the ground. "Good."

Gaia turned away from Ed and refocused on the thugs. Exhaling slowly, Gaia relaxed her shoulders, releasing the tension along with her breath. She knew that she should talk to Ed - the one she had learnt in the past months was that bottling up feelings just caused big explosions - but what she really needed to do was make sure the assholes who had attacked ended up right where they belonged, or it wouldn't just be Ed she would have to be worried about.

OKAY, HE ADMITTED IT, HE WAS WORRIED. Though why he wasn't sure. He had seen Gaia knock down men twice the size of these ones and in half the time, so really if one of them managed to somehow break his bindings and leap up, he would be back down on his ass again in no time. That Ed was sure of. So why couldn't he stop his heart freezing every time one of them so much as breathed?

Maybe it was because it was the first time he had had to hang around after the fight instead of trooping off to the nearest cafe for a double cream hot chocolate to calm his nerves. Okay Fargo, once we finally get out of here the first thing you are doing is buying a box full of doughnuts.

Ed winced; one of the thugs moaned again.

When was this minute going to end? He was in desperate need of chocolate comfort.

GENERALLY ED ASSOCAITED THE POLICE AND OTHER BADGES WITH BAD THINGS. Just the sight of one dug up the memory of getting busted for skating on private property. In the end the cop had just let him off with a warning, but that didn't stop his mother from grounding him for two months, two months that were meant to be his summer holiday. Prior to his accident, they had been the worst two months of his life. So when a woman with a severe haircut and just as severe expression emerged from a car topped with a flashing light - he guessed that she was the Agent Bishop Gaia had talked to on the phone - Ed started wondering if somehow one of the thugs had hit him on the head because all he felt was relieved

"Agent Moore, I trust that these are the men you told me about?"

Gaia nodded curtly in response. "Yes they are."

"Right then." Agent Bishop turned round and signalled to the six suited men behind her. Immediately they stepped forwards, picked up the thugs from the ground and pulled them towards the van they had originally appeared from.

The whole thing was like an action sequence out of a movie. Yet again, most of the things that happened to him whilst with Gaia felt like they were from a movie script

Ed was roused from his stupor by Agent Bishop's eyes on him.

"Mr Fargo, I am Agent Bishop. I presume you are unhurt by the incident."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied weakly. A badge was asking him if he was okay? This had to be a first.

"Good. This is your car?"

"Yeah. It didn't fair as well as I did though."

Agent Bishop's eyes flicked between his face and the smashed window. "If you bare with us a moment, Mr Smith will make sure your car is fit for driving back to the campus. He will also be happy to replace your window for you."

Ed swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. "Thanks. Thank you."

She nodded and spun on her heal. Pausing briefly next to Gaia, she said, "I suggest you and your friend return to the base ASAP. I want this dealt with sooner rather than later," before striding back to her car.

HIS CAR WAS STUFFY WITH SILENCE AGAIN. Is there a virus in here or something? Ed pondered as he stopped at a set of traffic lights. He could feel a bad case of the deja vus coming on. Again, there were a hundred things he wanted to say but didn't know how to voice a single one. Plus the bonbon in his mouth tasted more sour than sweet.

"I'm sorry today ended so crappy."

Ed turned at the sound of Gaia's voice. She was staring out the window, scowling at the space outside, almost as if she hadn't said anything at all.

"It's not so bad. The day needed to end with bang. Otherwise I would think that you had gone mellow in your old age."

Gaia grunted. Clearly his tease hadn't be very funny. Ed sighed and looked up at the light. It was green.

Ed pulled out from the junction and drove the final few roads to the base. He flashed his temporary ID at the entrance then pulled up into a space he found. Killing the engine he let the rumbles fill the silence.

"I had to call Agent Bishop." Gaia's quiet voice filled the car, each word erasing all other noise. "I couldn't...I couldn't just let them go." She broke off, seemly struggling with some thought. She then turned and looked directly at Ed. "Those men are part of a terrorist group I dealt with a few months back. They're serious stuff." Gaia exhaled. "Sorry but Agent Bishop is going to want a statement from you, and she likes her statements detailed."

Ed's stomach sunk slightly. He had guessed they would want to question him. Night was going to be a long night. Gaia leaned over and placed a hand on his arm. "Come on. Let's go."

GAIA SAT DOWN WITH HER SPINE RAMROD STRAIGHT, MATCHING THE EFFICIENCY THAT AGENT BISHOP WAS TRIDING AROUND THE ROOM WITH. Gaia had been in charge of the Lollipop Murderer case, writing up all the case notes and documenting each finding, but there was something about this case, this particular terrorist group, that seemed more official. It was almost ironic that she had originally dealt with Socorro by accident.

Agent Bishop slapped down a pile of papers she had pulled from one of the filing cabinets then reached into the top drawer of her desk and lifted out a small, black cassette recorder. She neatly sat on the chair behind her desk and clicked the recorder on. The interview had begun.

FBI Interview Transcript
Audio File #186J7
AGENTS: Jennifer Bishop, Gaia Moore (interviewee)
SUBJECT: Local Socorro attack on Agent Moore
SECURITY: Classified

BISHOP: This is Special Agent Jennifer Bishop, ID code G44
MOORE: Agent Gaia Moore.
BISHOP: I am about to interview Agent Moore about a personalised attack against her by members of the terrorist group Socorro, that took place today, here in Quantico.
MOORE: Confirmed.
BISHOP: Before we start I think it should be duly noted that you, Agent Moore, have been on temporary leave, and your status as an FBI Agent was reinstated at 2232 hours today.
Now Gaia, I know you have already told me what happened tonight - said conversation being audio file #186J6 - but I need you to tell me again, but this time in as much detail and accuracy as possible. You think you can do that?
MOORE: Yes, I think I can...

continued on next page

HE WAS BORED. He could feel his eyelids trying to close, a feeling he had often had during lessons at high school while his teacher waffled on. Earlier that evening hadn't been that bad. An Agent had got him to write down a novel's worth of personal details along with fingerprints and a mug shot as part of the FBI interview records, and then he had been asked to identify the men who had been in the museum's car park earlier that night. Straightforward and simple. He had then been directed into this little room, and Agent What's-His-Name had begun his cycle of asking him again and again to relay what had happened. Ed was half-surprised that the man hadn't bored himself to death. Though his drawn-out manner would at least explain why he looked about 70 years old though Ed was sure he was actually half that age.

His mind was starting to go fuzzy round the edges, as if someone had taken an eraser to his head and slowly rubbed it round his ears for the past three - or was it four? - hours. And Ed was sure it was the same person who was forcing his eyelids down against his will.

FBI Interview Transcript
Audio File #186J8
AGENTS: David Walters
CIVILIANS: Mr Edward Fargo (interviewee)
SUBJECT: Local Socorro attack on Agent Moore
SECURITY: Classified

NOTES: Accompanying audio file is #186J7

continued from previous page

WALTER: Mr Fargo, can you please tell me again what happened tonight outside the Community Museum, here in Quantico.
FARGO: But I've already told you five times! I really don't think there is anything I can say that I haven't told you already.
Gaia and I came out of the museum. I found that my car window was smashed, which was clearly just a distraction those men had created so that they could attack Gaia. They fought, Gaia neutralised them then called Agent Bishop to tell her what went down.
WALTER: Alright, if you're sure there is nothing else you would like to add to your statement...
FARGO: I'm sure.
WALTER: Agent David Walters ending interview with Mr Edward Fargo.

/transcript

GAIA EXITED THE ROOM IN A DAZE. Maybe it was just lack of sleep that was fuzzing up her brain; but then again it could be because of the conversation she had just had with Agent Bishop. Though it was probably a combination of the fact that was now a couple of hours later and a couple thousand words later. Pausing just outside the door, Gaia let herself yawn the yawn she had felt building up for the past half-hour. God, she felt drained.

"Hey Gaia. You've finished."

Gaia turned to see Ed standing at the other end of the corridor. She gave her limbs a quick stretched then slowly walked down the hall to him. "Yep. All done," she replied. "You survived okay."

"Just," Ed said flashing her a quick smile. "You alright? You look..."

"I'm fine, just..." Gaia wasn't sure what to say next. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling. Sifting through her thoughts she settled on the most appropriate word she came across. "Surprised. Agent Bishop offered me the chance to work on the Socorro case."

When Agent Bishop said that she and Agent Malloy had thought that 'after having such a direct connection with this particular group that she would be a useful asset in terms of dealing with them and neutralising their efforts' Gaia was sure her eyes had widened into perfect circles. She couldn't believe that they were offering her such a chance.

"That's great!" Ed exclaimed, his excited voice making a vein in her head throb.

"Um, yeah. They want me to start work on it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Ed frowned, and Gaia watched as he slowly let the hidden meaning of this news sink in. "Huh, guess my visit has just reached it's end."

Gaia sighed. After having asked him to visit she really didn't want to have to ask him to leave. "Afraid so. Agent Bishop doesn't want you getting mixed up with this case. She thinks you would be better of at home."

Ed nodded.

"Come on," Gaia said, glancing at the guard standing nearby. "Let's go back to my room."//

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: I plan to write only one more chapter, so if there's anything you think should be included in it, please let me know.