Title: Desperate Measures
Chapter 5 – Settling In?

Donna looks over at Tom as she slowly paces the area at the opposite end of the floor from where team one's meeting room is and watches Greg talking to his team and then Spike about a bug sweep.

"You know you want to call him. Ed. Its only natural."

"I won't play that worried, overly protective…"

"Wife card?"

"Wordy said he has only a few scrapes and…damn that bitch," Donna seethes as she turns away from her concerned team lead. "Tom she did this…she planned…I mean how easy is it to just arrange something like that and get away with it?"

"You said Spike's gonna…"

"No offense to them but I am guessing it'll be a dummy email account and Ida's long gone. Or at least gone back into her lair until she comes out and strikes again."

"Right on both counts," Greg interrupts them, forcing both Donna and Tom to turn in his direction. "It was sent this morning from an internet café. Spike was able to get the footage and we saw the guy, ran the face and sure enough he has ties to Ida Logan."

"And the guy? Any word on his whereabouts? I mean we find him and..."

"His body was found along with the missing foreman on the other side of the demotion site."

"Of course. So we are all just sitting ducks waiting for her to take us out one by one?" Donna asks in exasperation.

"I am just as frustrated but it's not our investigation either," Greg kindly reminds her. "I know there is a raid going down in about ten minutes on one of her safe houses and that'll…"

"Piss her off even more."

"We can't back down and you know that," Greg reminds her. "Now I did have the team one meeting room swept for bugs and found this…" Greg holds up a small device.

"Seriously?"

"We are having it traced and maybe we'll get lucky. The rest of the building is being checked also. Spike found a GPS tracker on Ed's SUV and she knew where Ed and Wordy would be patrolling. Ed…well…"

"Being Ed, rushed in without thinking about it being a trap," Donna huffs.

"He was being Ed and she was counting on that," Greg shrugs. "Today it nearly cost him and trust me he's angry at himself as well. I know next time the whole team will be more careful. But in all honesty, none of us expected her to be able to pull something off like this in that timeframe."

"Old gal's resourceful," Tom quips.

"She's a smart opponent who we've underestimated."

"But she also could be getting desperate. She knows she can't hide forever and that will be her undoing," Greg adds. "Okay I'm gonna connect with Spike and see how he's are coming along. He got a bit sidetracked with all this but…"

"Greg, I'm just glad he found what he did," Donna assures him with a kind smile. "I know Spike is doing his best."

"I'll keep you posted."

"In the meantime I go back to counting paperclips," Donna grumbles as she turns to head away, Tom blocking her path. "I know he's fine," she assures her team lead.

"She's ultimately after you," he tells her in a kind tone.

"She had a foreman and one of her own killed today and nearly had Ed killed."

"Just be careful okay?"

"Thanks," Donna slightly smiles as a hot call comes over the loud speaker. "You're up. Get Greg to join in if you run into trouble."

"Right…see you soon."

"And Tom…"

"I know…heads up and eyes open."

Donna watches Tom rush away and feels her anger surging once more. That's my team and this should have been my call to lead, she grumbles inwardly as she turns and heads back into the lonely office space she shares with the other team leaders. But as she sits down and slowly looks around she wonders if the room has been swept or if Ida was listening or worse watching her every move.

"I need to pee. Hope you have fun with that one Ida," she utters in sarcasm about half hour later, as she pushes herself from the desk and heads back into the main area, not wanting to give Ida anything more to use than she already has. Oh Ed…I hope you're really okay.

But her thoughts about her husband were somewhat put to rest as she watches him enter the main area and storm toward the locker rooms, obviously still mad at himself for walking into Ida's trap. Do I approach now or later? What would I want?

"Later," she correctly surmises as she turns and heads to find Spike. Damn I hate this just as much as he does! "Maybe more."

XXXXXXXX

Ed looks at the thick bandage on the top of his hand and scowls, mentally kicking himself for his stupid actions in just rushing in and not even thinking that Ida could have arranged something just like that. But after Greg had confirmed that they found a bug in the meeting room and then traced the phony email, found the two dead bodies, it all made sense – almost too much. He quickly changes, wincing again at the few stitches on his right side below his rib cage and then on his thigh, both of which were freshly bandaged and would need to be changed later.

Ed closes his locker and then heads back out, telling the team he'd meet up with them at the situation point but wanting to know what Spike had found.

"Spike…Donna, hey," Ed looks at Donna in small surprise as he enters the room; Spike and Donna looking up at him in haste.

"Hey," she replies, her concern mirroring his.

"Ed, buddy you okay?" Spike asks in concern, Donna's lips offering a small grateful smile in not forcing her to play the worried wife card in public.

"Yeah fine…just a few scrapes," he tries to shrug off, only Donna learning the truth later by tending to his carefully concealed wounds. "Just wanted to know what you found out?" He continues, his tone telling the two of them not to press the issue about his condition after the near death experience and that was final.

"We had more luck with what happened this morning than my paperwork," Donna answers in haste, Spike looking upward and frowning.

"Well tracking this morning's stuff was easier because it wasn't as….delicate," Spike chooses his words carefully. "But here is the first problem, I am almost out of security clearance and then…"

"And then what? That's it?" Ed gently demands.

"No then we just need to find a way….around it," Spike replies slowly, his heart rate elevating.

"Is th…"

"And no I don't have a timeframe on that – sorry. But I do have a friend who can help," Spike adds in a lower tone, Ed's gaze however, fixed on Donna. Their eyes remains locked a bit longer before Ed offers a quiet, "keep me posted," before he turns and leaves the room, Donna feeling her agitation growing. It wasn't the answer he wanted and she could tell in those few seconds, especially in light of the day's events that this whole arrangement was rapidly becoming a nightmare.

"Yeah keep me posted," Donna repeats as she leaves the room, wanting to get a few more things done before leaving. But just before she's about to leave, Winnie pages her, diverting her to the nearest phone. The call was from Immigration, informing the "Lane's" that in the next few days, a surprise visit to their home would be in order; only giving them a few hours notice to get to their apartment and wait for their sponsored spouse meeting.

"Ed was right…today is hell," Donna mutters as she quickly text's Ed the message and then heads for the exit doors; her next destination her apartment to gather a few more things to make their new apartment officially theirs. "Spike," Donna calls him from the truck. "I need a favor…"

"Another one?" Spike quips and she smirks.

"Trust me I'll owe you after all this. I just need some pictures of me and Ed together and…"

"And looking like a happy couple?"

"And I need them by tonight."

"Course you do. Okay it'll give me a bit of a break from this," Spike informs her in truth. "Send me what you can and I'll…work some magic. How many do you need?"

"Enough to make anyone believe that Ed and I are an official couple and this wasn't a spur of the moment decision to save my ass," she huffs as she hangs up. "Ida, I swear you better be laughing at all this because if you're not I'm gonna be really mad."

XXXXXXXX

"Miller is dead along with the foreman but Constable Lane survived."

"I can read you fool," Ida replies in a less than amused expression as she looks up at her devoted right hand, Liam. "And apparently our janitor's cleaning job wasn't as thorough as hoped; they found the bug. So that is now moot."

"He ran out of time."

"He was incompetent! And you are sure that this Constable Scarlatti won't be able to unlock what Miles did?"

"I am working on a backup plan now," Liam informs her. "Trust me when this is over you'll be the last ma…one standing."

"As it should be. I understand a visit from Immigration is due for Mr. and Mrs. Lane. Am I right?"

"Just tell me what to do."

XXXXXXXX

By the time Ed is heading for home, it was another night that he just wants to have a beer and go to bed, begging his mind to forget the days near fateful events, some of which he caused himself – like his wounds. He had picked up a few groceries and even found the Cooking for Dummies book but it wasn't until he was actually about to unlock the door that he scolds himself for not getting some flowers or something. You are coming home…not picking her up for a date, his mind reminds him as he pushes the key into the lock and slides the door open. But something hits him as soon as the door is open; a tempting aroma from a home cooked meal, something he hadn't been privy to in his own apartment – well almost ever.

"Donna?" He calls out gently, watching her heading out from the bedroom with a tense smile. He looks around, notices the new items and then turns back to her with a wondering glance.

"Before you go all Scorpio on me I had reason for making this place more….us," she pauses at the door, her frown dissipating the longer she looks at him. "You okay? I didn't want to press further at the barn because you were so…"

"Angry at myself for charging in so blindly? At least Greg spared me the I told you so speech after he had given me the warning earlier," he counters in sarcasm. "I'm okay…a few scrapes but that's about it."

"I was worried. Ida…she did this."

"I know. You okay?"

"Nearly throttled the poor grocery clerk because they didn't have the cheese I wanted," she remarks as they head into the kitchen. "You got my text right?"

"And they didn't tell us when in the next few days? They'll just pop by? A few hours notice? Really?"

"I guess they don't want anything…staged. So I stopped by my apartment, got a few more things to make it seem like…"

"A woman actually lives here?" Ed smirks as she nods. "I um…I like it. I do," he offers weakly and she just shakes her head. "Okay fine, so it'll take some getting used to. What else did you do?"

"Well just in case they want to…I don't know snoop? I added a few personal items in various places…well the obvious places," she adds as she looks at his bag of groceries and then reaches for the yellow and black book on top and pulls it out and looks at him in surprise. "What is this for?"

"Figured I got you into this," he shrugs. "So might as well help with the cooking?"

"Trust me, I might be using this also," she adds flippantly and he smiles. "But since I had a bit of extra time, I made dinner tonight."

"It does smell really good."

"Reserve judgment until you try it."

"Do I have time to put a few things away?"

"Sure."

"Where are the um…personal items?"

"Trust me Ed, you'll find them," Donna replies with a teasing smile.

Ed turns and heads back toward the entrance, hanging his jacket and then heading for the bedroom, he pauses in the doorway of the spare bedroom and looks twice to see that she had converted it into a small office, with the bed still available for sleeping in at night if necessary. He hears her muttering to herself about the cooking for dummies book and feels his anxiety start to ease as he heads into the main bedroom. Ed glances back toward the kitchen before looking at the small bedside table and then slowly pulling the drawer open, his face instantly reddening as he stares at the very personal items inside.

"I thought they'd be just as embarrassed as you if they start to snoop in there," Donna teases as Ed's fingers quickly drop the set of black furry handcuffs, making them clank on the edge of the table before resting on the ground. "Course…" she lingers as she nears him, their bodies inches apart, "I could always arrest you for snooping."

"I uh…um…what? Yes…sure," he stammers nervously before pulling back with a flushed face, giving himself another mental ass kicking.

"Really?" She goads, dragging out his mental torment a bit longer.

"I…" Ed pauses with a thick frown. "Okay lesson learned," he sighs. Twice he had gone looking into her items and twice he had paid the ultimate price in emotional humility. "Supper time right?"

"It's ready now."

The two of them head back toward the kitchen, Ed's brain frantically scrambling to get his heart rate to slow back down to a normal pace before it explodes and he'd really be done for. His mind trying to erase images of him at her mercy and her doing…stop it! He scolds himself. Thankfully his anxiety lessens a bit more as they both sit down at the table, a very different situation from their eating experience the night before; tonight was more relaxed and actually felt genuine.

Donna listens to Ed's story but still hears some hard edges to his tone, his laugh a tad forced and feels her nervousness starting to creep up again. But instead of commenting on it, she starts to talk about her vision of the office supplies ganging up on her and his fist slowly eases its grip on his fork.

"So new game plan for tomorrow?" Ed wonders as they linger around the dinner table, both full and satisfied.

"Tomorrow I get to review all my Logan cases and see if there is perhaps some way I can put another officer's name on them. I mean Ed if those cases are ruled inadmissible…"

"Spike is doing his best."

"And I appreciate that, I really do, but I am also realistic in that he might not find them in time and some of them are pending sentencing…which will be moot if we can't find Ida Logan and stop this," Donna groans as she looks at Ed with a small frown. "I hate that she's winning."

"You're still here and alive right?"

"And so are you," Donna counters. "Well we should be at least able to keep some of her goons behind bars a bit longer. So did the um…team say anything this morning?"

"Sam asked for pointers," Ed rushes and then stops and looks at her in surprise.

"Pointers?"

"You know um…sex stuff…of course I had none to give," he adds with a tight frown. "That was…that was it. You?"

"Girl talk," Donna replies; her mind thinking back to a discussion with her fellow female team member Rachel.

'So what's it like to be sleeping with Ed Lane? Does he like to be in charge or let you…'

"Yeah you don't wanna know."

"Okay," Ed shrugs as he watches her get up from the table. "Need help to…"

"Nope just hold on a sec," she answers as she retrieves something and then brings it back to the table. "And here is our gourmet dessert."

"Jelly Belly sampler?"

"Okay so I didn't have time to bake brownies," Donna replies with a small snicker. "I remembered you said you liked them."

"I mentioned that in passing about a month ago. You remembered?" Ed asked with an I'm impressed and shocked kinda tone.

"Of course," she proudly admits. "Try some."

"Popcorn flavor?" Ed's brows arch as he looks at the box and then back down at the small white and yellow speckled bean. "Really?"

"Yeah but you won't like them. Try these inst…"

"Why not?"

"You just won't," she rushes as her fingers take a few.

"You're just saying that so I won't eat them right?"

"Pretty much," she laughs as she pops them in her mouth.

"Okay then…you can't…" Ed protests as his fingers quickly latch onto hers before she empty's the small tray. "Hey let me try at least one."

"No way," she fights back with a giggled protest as he leans in closer. She pops them all in her mouth but then much to her utter surprise, his mouth was on hers, fighting for a few nibbles of the tasty candies. His fingers gently grasp her cheeks as the kiss deepens; the heat between them soaring. But a few seconds later he feels himself nearly chocking on a bean and pulls back.

"Mmm yummy," she offers a little breathlessly.

"You're right…" he states a bit out of breath himself, "tastes like popcorn."

"Told ya," she smiles warmly, her face just as flushed as his. "Here try this one."

"Pear? Why you don't like it?"

"Just try it," she urges, watching him taste the odd flavored bean and then crunching his face a bit and her offering a small snicker.

"Thanks but I think I'll pick the next one myself. Okay you try this combo…" he picks up two and then hands them to her, his mind wondering if he should offer them to her lips. I'm not that guy, he groans as he pulls back with some hesitation. But her fingers latch onto his strong hand and slowly pull it back, taking the two beans and then planting a soft kiss on his fingers.

"Thank you," she whispers warmly before letting her brain absorb the flavors. "Smores?"

"That's what the box says," Ed points to the combo area that he had earlier glanced at. The two of them eat, talk and laugh over the Jelly Bean box for the next hour, delighting in the fact that their anxiety was gone by the time the box was mostly consumed and each thinking the night ahead might be more pleasant than the one before. But as Ed stands up, Donna notices a wince and his hand go to his side and knows that what he said about his fall earlier wasn't entirely spoken in truth.

"Ed?"

"From the fall…just um…pulled something. It's okay."

"You can tell me you know," she reminds him. "It's not like I'm think less of you."

"It never shoulda happened," he lightly grunts as she nears him.

"Ah so you are thinking I might scold you?" She teases in a kind tone and he nods. "Right well…next time. I think you learned your lesson today."

"Donna, I'm fine really."

"Please…let me see? I am your wife after all," she warmly entreats in a tone so soft and endearing that he finds himself unable to do anything but nod in compliance. Her fingers slowly start to lift his shirt and then undershirt, his stomach slightly sucking in when her fingers tickle his side by slowly sliding down to where the damp bandage is. "It's bleeding Ed."

"I pulled it and…"

"You cut in on the job today. Come with me."

"But…"

"Now," she demands in a firmer tone as they both head toward the bathroom, Ed getting her the first aid kit and Donna going to work to fix his side. He watches her fingers working with the cleaning pad and then looks down at the black webbing, frowning at the blood seeping between his chewed skin.

"A dummy."

"What?" Donna pauses as she looks up.

"This was all for a dummy. There was no kid…it was a damn dummy," he sighs as he sucks in a bit when the cool disinfectant dances a cruel dance with the tender skin.

"Sorry," she whispers in regret.

"My own fault right?"

"I'm not the kind to say I told you so so stop beating yourself up for this."

Ed watches as she applies the large bandage over the tender stitching and then takes both her hands, drawing her up to him. "Thank you."

She offers him a weak smile and then leans in closer, allowing his strong arms to wrap around her and his head to rest by hers. The two of them remain in a locked embrace, standing in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before it was time to pull apart and call it a night.

"So did you want to get some things from…I'll wait outside until…just let me know when you're done and..."

Without letting him finish, Donna takes his hand and leads him leads him to the bedroom and stops a few feet on her supposed side of the bed. "Do those things in that drawer…bother you?"

"No," Ed answers firmly as he puts on a fake smile; one she doesn't buy for a second. "I was snooping."

"We're married and you were curious. I would have done the same. I just wanted it to look real," she insists and he nods. "I wasn't meaning to embarrass you or make things…odd or forced between us."

"I agree," he answers tersely and her arms fold over her chest.

"What?"

"Donna, this is already hard for me. The kiss earlier…" Ed confesses. "Seeing the um…the other stuff and then those…you this morning half naked…yeah it's just hard okay?"

"We are attracted to each other right?"

"Yes but…but I don't want you to think….never mind."

"You don't want me to think that I should feel obligated to put out my marital due?"

"Sounds technical," he smirks before nodding. "But yeah something like that."

"Well maybe I'd want the same in return? I mean seeing you half naked this morning was also pretty hard on me."

"This was my id…" Ed stops and then leans in and kisses her on the lips; Donna's hands automatically grasping his face and keeping him trapped while both of them remain lip locked for a few extra heated seconds. "Donna…it's just that we never talked about the um…well the intimate stuff."

"Not everything has to be technical or talked about…it should just happen."

"I know but…"

"When both of us are ready okay?"

"Sure," Ed replies, biting back his own internal disappointment – at himself. "You're disappointed right?"

"With you?" She replies and he waits in expectation. "Not possible," she confesses with another kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight."

Ed stands numbly in place, watching her get a few things and then heading for the spare bedroom and slumps down on the edge of the bed. It was true that he didn't want sex to be forced or expected between them, but just having her in his arms was forcing his body to want to take things to the next level; especially when she was touching him earlier. I think I'm gonna regret this, his mind laments as he finally removes himself from his place and starts to get ready for bed, his thigh and side reminding him that if he did want things to work with Donna in the long run, he had better start to pay very strict attention to his actions starting right now.

Donna finishes getting ready for bed and then crawls in, glancing over at the door and wondering what Ed was up to; the silence now starting to eat away at her. Her heart tugs at the thought that he now feels the situation he helped create was becoming a barrier to them wanting to progress to a more something intimate, physical. Its not your fault Ed, she inwardly sighs as she turns off the light and turns onto her side. How can I make him see that and let go of that fear. I want something with him just as much as he does.

"Goodnight Ed," she whispers into the still darkness, closing her eyes and willing herself to get some sleep. But it wasn't to be; her mind was too active, torn between thoughts of what Ida could be planning next, the frantic call from Wordy and the words about Ed being buried alive.

But about half hour later, she's abruptly torn from her light slumber by a tormented outcry from the other room, and realizes his sleeps just as tormented as hers. So quickly slipping from her own bed, she makes her way in the darkness, into his room and slowly pulls back the covers. He had helped her and now it was time to return the favor.

"Donna….sorry…did I…wake…you …" he mumbles in a sleepy tone.

"It's okay. I'm here to help with the nightmares," she whispers as she pulls the covers over them and snuggles into his arms, allowing him to hold her against him if that's what it took to keep the haunting images of his own demise at bay.

"I don't want to keep you awake."

"I don't want to be alone after today either. I think we'll both sleep better like this. For me also okay?"

"Okay," he answers with a smile that she could see in the dark. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Donna lays in his arms until she feels his body relax next to hers, his lips still whispering a few angry grunts until that too goes silent. But as she thinks about the reason behind his nightmares her fear starts to surge. Ed was nearly buried alive today, she ponders. What the hell is Ida planning next?

XXXXXXXX

2:00 am ~Office of Immigration & Citizenship~

A fax is received from "Judge Farnsworth's office" outlining that the visit to Mr. and Mrs. Lane has been – amended.

A/N: Okay so you know Ida's not going to give up but what do you think she'll try next? Remember who Farnsworth works for? Will someone catch that? or will Ida be given a second opportunity? A bit more intimate tension for our couple but that will also slowly dissipate as we go along. Hope you are all still liking this and please do review before you go and thanks again.