Chapter One

Friday, April 22, 2016

The cool spring air hit her as she stepped out of the office building and checked the sky. Just a sliver of navy twilight on the horizon. The sun rises in the East, their bedroom faces West. She had just enough time to slip into bed before Henry woke.

Her flight arrived back from Asia at 3am and it took her nearly the next hours to get through all the paperwork piled up on her desk. She left everything there to her staff and Deputy Cushing upon slipping out before any of them arrived. Leaving them a note to remind them, no calls unless it was a dire emergency.

Right now, there was nothing more important to her than waking up beside Henry this morning and staying right there for the next week. They made no plans. Everything would just go with the flow. They would get the kids to school and hang on the couch, catch up on movies, do a puzzle, make love. Twenty years after the longest week of their lives, they both needed this break. Their very own staycation.

Monday, April 22, 1996

Sitting up on her desk with Isabelle at her side, Elizabeth stared at the board in front of them. Seven photos staring back at her. The center being the most important. A Russian, Yuri Saslov, she knew him well. Even though he didn't know her.

"This is definitely a tangled web of organized crime that leads back to one giant spider," Elizabeth said.

"I think if I can make the connection between Alexei and Nicolai. That will help us piece the rest of this together." Isabelle stared back at her boss as she was deep in thought.

In the middle of those thoughts, the black phone on Elizabeth desk rang out.

Isabelle placed her marker down and said, "I'll go get coffee."

Their daily very quick phone call ringing through, Elizabeth eagerly jumped down and hustled around her steel desk to answer it, "Hi!"

"Hey Babe, how's it going?" his low voice greeted hers. She could hear his smile through the phone.

"I still miss you!" she played with a pen on her desk, while leaning the phone on her ear and her elbow on her desk.

"I miss you too. But just a few more days and we'll be headed home. Only one week, then we are all done with deployments," he grinned on the other end.

"I can not wait!" she said back to him laughing. "Sleeping together every night is going to feel glamorous!"

"Glamorous?!" he questioned laughing.

"You know what I mean. Like extra-special!" she had the sexy grin but he couldn't see it.

"I'm gonna make you feel extra-special," he groaned back into the phone.

"Okay…we need to stop or this won't be a good look for either of us," she laughed.

"How's the baby?" he asked, quickly changing the conversation.

"Still sleeping through the night. Happy during the day and doesn't seem to mind Janie over me," she pouted a little at that thought.

"Aww, but that's not a bad thing. We want her to be happy when we are not with her," he said back.

"True," Elizabeth smirked.

"How's work going?" he asked.

"Not bad. Busy. How's yours?" she asked.

"Pretty good. I've got a night mission tomorrow night" he ran his hand through his hair. God, he missed her so much.

"Oh so, fun for you, not for me?" she asked.

"Last one, babe!" he said.

"Are you sad?" she asked.

"It's bittersweet. The sweet part is because I get to be home with you now," he answered her.

"Well played, Captain," she laughed back at him.

There was a quick pause. "Fly safe. I need you to come back to us," she said.

"I will always come back to you," he hesitated and his voice cracked as he spoke again, "I love you, babe!"

"I love you, too." She blew him a kiss through the phone and they hung up.

A knock came to the door, she furrowed her brow questioning why Isabelle was knocking. Figuring she had her hands full, she went over and swung open the door casually but was still looking at the chart as something just hit her. "You have perfect timing or were you listening outside the door?"

"Ahh, my spy days are over. You know that," Conrad's voice filled her office.

"Conrad, I thought you were Isabelle," she was a bit flustered.

He laughed as he stepped into the office.

"What brings you my way today?" she laughed, making her way to her desk.

He closed the door behind him, she turned to face him, noticing his look, "What's wrong? I just hung up from Henry so it can't be him."

"Bess, I know you just came back to work two weeks ago but I need to send you out in the field. It's only for a week." He stood before her not taking the offer to sit down.

"A week? Conrad! Stevie is only four months old and with Henry gone I only have coverage during the day. You'll need to send Isabelle," she argued. Clearly, exasperated that he was already going against the deal she made when he asked her to shorten her maternity leave.

"I can't send Isabelle, Bess. Why do you think I closed the door?" It was the rushed whispered tone in his voice that made her notice the classified file in his hand.

She put her hand out making a face at him as he handed her the file. As she opened it, a face stared back at her.

"Sean McWilliams," he said. "Grew up in Belfast. Got tied into the wrong crowd and has made his way through the underground world. He's had multiple meetings with Yuri and can potentially lead us to him. Not sure which one of them is the leader. So, I need you to go in, become his friend and well, you know what to do," he smiled at her.

"I'll call Henry's mother and get it done in three days, sir." She gave him the slight smile.