disclaimer. I don't own Sands, just my OC.

Thanks to everyone who have reviewed,it most appreciated. All reviews welcome, to know if this is working.

Sands tilted his head in Sara's direction as the Cab stopped. "Are we there yet?" he said softly, there was a trace of irritation in his voice, at having to ask for the most basic information, but he was bottling it up well. ..well good for him.. he was reminded of the wry saying 'good for you; bloody awful for anyone else, but good for you'.. he couldn't help but feel it was threatening to fit him.. but he was entitled to feel frustrated.. but then again he hated being predictable.. so he hoped he was hiding it, better than he felt he was..

"Yes we're here" Sara said.. she half sighed as Sands remained in an apparentely relaxed stance, leaning back in his seat.. and by it, made her have to lean forward and pay the taxi driver, it was no big deal, the agency was after all funding this little trip. There was company business to finish, a revolution to set in motion, seems Sands was expert at tipping whole countries over the edge. After a few hours in his company, she could quite believe it.

She got out of the cab, and waited for him to get out. He slipped from the cab in a fluid movement that seemed to deny his blindness, but he slipped his arm in to be interlocked with hers, so she could guide him to the hotel. She looked around, the place had an aged glamour, beautiful, but it seemed bad taste to comment on it, in the circumstances, so she simply lead an uncharacteristically silent Sands to the desk at recepion. "We have a booking, Mr and Mrs Smith" she said with a quick friendly smile

"Yes Mrs Smith , your room is ready, number 312" the girl said politely, handing Sara the key. "Its on the third floor the lifts are down the hall on the left" she said with a smile

"Thank you" Sara said..

"The porter can bring your bags" the receptionist added

"No need.. we're fine" Sands cut in, neither had much luggage, all Sands seemed to possess was an over night case, and Sara had managed to fit everything in one larger bag..about twice the size of Sands. Sands had told her at the hospital that one of the first rules was to let no one carry their luggage for them, it invited too many bad scenarios.. tracking devices, theft, laziness.. he also made clear if she couldn't keep her items down to one bag.. it was tough.. cos one bag was all they were taking each, and to forget even contemplating that he might gallantly carry her bag for her.. 'think of it as a learning curve, you will appreciate for next time' he had stated.. True to his word, Sands left her to carry her own, it had hardly needed saying. Even if he wasn't one of the walking wounded he was not to type to ever make such an offer. Already her arm was aching, and she cursed herself for thinking far too many things counted as a neccesity. However she kept staunchly silent about it, she was pretty independent and more to the point, she was not going to give Sands any chance for an extended 'I told you so'

The room was large, very large for a hotel room and there was a jaded luxury to the place, as if to suggest if they had come a decade or so sooner the place might be in its prime. The room lacked the more obvious luxuries, like television sets, but there was an en-suite bathroom and a couple of arm chairs and a settee around a coffee table, Sara listed these to Sands as she looked at them. Then silence claimed her as something else took Sara'a attention, it was a metal framed bed.. it was not the attractive old fashioned metal frame.. or the colourful handmade quilt.. it was that it existed in the singular. A bed, a large bed she had to admit. But that hardly made up for the fact it was the lone bed in the room.. she let out a hiss of frustration. Sands tilted his head in her direction. "What is it?" he said, letting the constantly growing irritation at asking to show.

"Nothing" She snapped "Just the place is not quite what I was expecting" she said in a softer tone. It was not as if he had phoned the hotel and changed the reservation she had made, it was just a mix up. She then looked suspiciously at him, it was probably the kind of thing he would find amusing, she could just hear him 'you can't go changing it you'll make it look like we are not Mr and Mrs Smith at all, and your not wanting to raise suspicions. After all its no problem, you can sleep on the settee" She sighed and puhed the thoughts away "Its just they have screwed up the reservations and given us a double, and not two twin beds" she sighed and headed towards the door, "Its soon fixed" she stated

Sands sighed ''Look you can't rush off doing that, getting irrate and insulted and changing it you'll make it look like we are not Mr and Mrs Smith at all, and you worked SO hard at that cover" he mocked "I mean your not wanting to raise suspicions. I mean you can always sleep on the settee" he said casually, shooting a smile over at her "If the bed is SO offensive to you" he smirked

Sara frowned and bit her tongue, no she wouldn't snap or use exessive expletives back. And it was also better not to go thinking he really had planned this, that was feeding some random paranoid thought a little too much