Sarah finished parking her Corolla in the space Jamie had made for it in the garage next to Lee's BMW and climbed out the passenger side. She knew there was no chance of getting the car fixed. Her insurance would have to cover it, and as Jamie had pointed out, the car was most likely totaled. He had insisted that she drive his car back to Arlington after they had taken Cheryl back to the church. Sarah wondered if she'd feel comfortable behind the wheel of any car for a while.

Jamie stood on the driveway outside the garage. "Come over to our house. You can chill with Jennifer while I keep the boys busy outside."

Sarah imagined going into her parents' empty house, then thought of Matt. Who knows what he's doing with my parents on the other side of the world. She sighed heavily as she looked over at Jamie. "Thanks. I'd like that. It's been a rough day so far, and it's barely lunchtime." Jamie briefly put his arm around his sister before helping her lock things up again.

"I'll ask Francine if they can debrief you tomorrow."

"I hadn't thought about that."

"She might ask us to go in after lunch today, but probably not. She's been there all morning and I think she'd like to go home."

"I guess I really ruined everyone's day, didn't I?"

"Sarah, you should not have gone off on your own like that, but good came out of the whole thing. We caught one of the people chasing you. They're all part of a group we've been looking for. Trust me, it was a real break for us." Sarah looked doubtfully at Jamie as she walked alongside him towards his car. "Really. Besides, I think you impressed a few people with your driving."

"That one driver wasn't impressed. He's in the hospital."

"Serves him right. Let's go." Jamie opened the car door for Sarah. He waved to Johnson and Gonzales, who had had met them at the house. Jamie knew that until Francine had been briefed on the whereabouts of the four remaining cartel members and any other associates, Sarah would still need protection.

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"Yes, Ma'am. As I mentioned in my email to you on Friday, I sent off the last of the copy for the placards that evening… I am sorry about being so late today and about the time off for this coming Friday afternoon. I can work late to make up for it. …Really? Oh, thank you Deb. I do appreciate it. I will see you after lunch."

Sarah put the phone down, closed her eyes, and leaned back against her mother's couch. She hoped no one would notice her in the darkened office with the door closed. Only Francine and Rene knew she was in there. Deb had been kind about Sarah's time off this week. At least I don't have to work late again. I can get the house ready for Mom and Daddy…

A knock on the door startled Sarah. Francine walked in. "Mind if I turn on the lights?"

"I just wanted to hide in here. Sorry, Francine. Do you want me to come to your office, now?"

"No, I think you are done with the debriefing. I'm sorry you had to do it all over again with the Director. Gil was pretty concerned that you'd been targeted by the cartel, especially after it was his idea to send your parents to Kazakhstan."

"Is this going to mean trouble for Matt?"

Francine sat down next to Sarah on the couch. "Just how serious are you two?"

Sarah looked down, and then looked back up at Francine, who nodded in understanding.

"I heard about what happened with Jeff. I guess this time it's different."

"It's more than just dating. I know my parents were hoping I'd find someone outside the Agency…"

"Love isn't something you plan."

Sarah didn't bother to correct her about her choice of the word "love." She couldn't fool Francine. Matt hadn't said the words, but Sarah knew how she felt. "You didn't answer my question about Matt."

"Mr. Barclay sees your relationship as Matt's business, not the Agency's. Although he is going to make sure he tells your parents he was impressed with your driving and your evasive skills. Even if you didn't see the cartel tail."

"He can't be serious. Daddy is not going to like this."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time Lee Stetson pitched a fit about one of his women being in danger. It'll be okay. You handled yourself well, Sarah. Except when you ran off. But this whole escapade may have been worth it. This man we caught is singing like a bird."

"I heard the rest of them managed to escape."

"They had a private jet ready to taxi at the airport. The agents and the helicopter tried to stop it, but there was gunfire…" Francine stopped herself. Sarah didn't need to know the helicopter went down, even if no one was injured. "You managed to elude some of our best agents. I have to say that Leatherneck sure trained you well." She smiled at Sarah, but the grin quickly faded. "I'm sorry about your car."

"Daddy always hated that car. He said it was too small and not safe—I insisted upon it so I could blend in on campus. Now, it's a total loss—I'm sure of it."

"Maybe your father will consider the loss of the car a good thing, then." Francine patted Sarah's knee and stood up. "Meanwhile, you are done here. Thanks for coming in. I hope your boss won't be too hard on you."

"She was a little uptight, but in the end, she decided my overtime last week made up for it."

Francine leaned in and gave Sarah a peck on the cheek. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I'll be in touch, Francine."

Francine left the office and spoke to Dava, who came to escort Sarah upstairs to the Georgetown lobby.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Matt sat in his hotel room idly watching the television. An American comedy dubbed in Russian with Kazakh subtitles was keeping him mildly entertained. He had tried to sleep, but it was too early—he had already adjusted to the time zone. He looked at his watch. Still four hours until their ride to the airport. There was a soft knock on the door between his room and the Stetsons'.

Matt got up to answer it. Lee stood there in his pajamas. Matt spoke softly. "Can't sleep?"

"I did for a little while. I heard your television, and thought I'd join you, if you don't mind."

"Sorry. I tried to turn it down. It's dubbed in Russian, but I can just make out a little English in the background."

"It's fine. These walls are kind of thin." He looked at the television and chuckled. "Space Balls. I remember taking Jamie and Phillip to that years ago when it was in theatres."

Matt gestured to the other chair and sat down. "Join me. At least you know Russian. My sisters and I watched a few times, so I know the story." He regarded Lee for a moment. Matt could tell his mind wasn't on the movie. "How's Amanda?"

"She's sound asleep. She's finally wound down from all the excitement over the last nine days—well the last few were a bit of a whirlwind."

"I guess we didn't expect to be honored at a banquet at the Cosmodrome."

"That could have gone down so badly. Good thing they already knew about Nirjan and Nadia—and they were really happy we foiled a terrorism plot."

Lee chuckled quietly. "Kazakhs and Russians love banquets. Good thing you knew to avoid the horse liver."

Matt made a face. "I almost was faked out by the onion rings that came with it. What a cruel joke."

Lee thought back to that Sunday night. Once the other Americans had decided they could trust Lee and his team, they had been grateful for their protection. Everyone had grown sober when Matt showed them the C4 bricks and the detonator, which had left a small crater of its own in the hard packed dirt behind the dormitory.

"We don't know how to thank you. We didn't imagine that we'd have intelligence operatives watching our backs." The astronaut, who had introduced himself as Jim Davidson, held out a hand to shake Lee's.

Anna Schwartz, the head of security for the Americans, held out her hand to Lee as well. "The Kazakhs have been wondering when Nirjan might show himself. Too bad the Americans will get the credit for taking him out once and for all. They nearly arrested Nirjan and Nadia in Astana at the presidential complex last year, but the two got away."

Lee nodded. "We had little intel on him, but that part sounds familiar. Hey listen, it's getting late. If you need to debrief us, I think we're ready to go to your offices." Sergey and Alexei had already gone in the ambulance with Yana to the medical facility. Gyorgi remained behind to help and answer questions.

"That won't be necessary right now. Go get some sleep, and we'll meet you at your hotel in the morning to conduct the debriefing there. Don't be surprised if the Kazakhs want to thank you with a banquet or dinner of some kind."

Lee turned to Amanda, who had joined them. She spoke up. "I'm sure we'd be honored."

The jingle of a commercial brought Lee back to the present. He looked over at Matt, who was watching him. "Your mind isn't on the movie, either."

"Nah." Matt shook his head a little. "I was remembering Baikonur—after the op ended."

"That definitely went better than expected. So did the dinner with Arman's family when we came back to Almaty."

"Arman's wife was hospitable."

Lee nodded. "I'm just glad Tanya didn't want to boot us out the door. Instead she cooked all day and served a traditional family meal for us."

Matt thought of the contrast between the celebration in Baikonur and the quiet family meal in Almaty. Gathered around a low table, the group had broken the traditional Kazakh bread, baursaki, and shared platters of noodle dishes and monti. He grimaced at the thought of the monti.

"A penny for your thoughts." Lee had leaned back in his chair and was watching Matt's face.

"I was just remembering that Tanya served monti. I hope she wasn't offended when I didn't eat any."

Lee refrained from chuckling. "I'm sure Arman gave her some sort of explanation." He grew sober. "We can't tell Sarah about the overdose."

Matt smiled grimly. "Need to know, I suppose."

"Well, that, but... She'll worry every time she knows you're on assignment. Maybe Rene has told you that he only lets Patti know so much about what he does. Hell, I've even kept stuff from Amanda, and she was my partner for years."

"I never told her about the incident with the cartel."

"Exactly. We'll make sure there's a note in your medical records—especially about your reaction to the drug and what Dr. Dastanov gave you—but it will be our secret."

"I feel like I'm lying to her. I don't want to deceive her. I did tell her there had been a fight that day. I need to tell her something went wrong here."

Lee frowned a little. For many years, there had been no family and no girlfriends to worry about when he'd gone on missions. But it had been lonely and stressful sometimes to have no one to talk with. Then he had Amanda. Many times she had been on the missions with him. He remembered how comforting it was to be able to sneak up to her kitchen window, get her attention, and have her join him in the backyard for a talk after wrapping up a case. And that was before they were more than friends.

"I guess you could tell her you were ill or something. Leave out the part about being drugged…"

Matt sighed. He had known that there were things one could only share with one's partner, but he had let himself think that he could confide in Sarah, too—at least about some of those things.

Lee seemed to read his mind. "I think I understand how you feel. Amanda had the same problem with her mother when we were in the field. She could never tell her the entire story. But sometimes her mother figured out enough to at least offer her some comfort."

Suddenly weary, Matt checked his phone and set the alarm. "I think I'll try to get a couple hours of sleep. Go ahead and finish the movie. I can sleep through it."

"You sure?"

"No problem. Another nice trick from the Army."

Lee laughed lightly and turned the volume down.

As Matt lay down on the bed, he thought of Yana. Her wound had not been serious, so she had been able to travel back to Almaty with them. After hearing of her bravery and quick thinking on Amanda's behalf, he had done his best to make amends. Alexei had hovered protectively nearby as they parted.

Yana spoke first. "I have learned my lesson. I think it is time we try a new tactic for changing things in our country."

"That would be a good idea. You could have spent the rest of your life in jail."

"For murder." She looked at Matt meaningfully.

"I forgive you, Yana. You should never have tried to drug me, but I know you did not intend any real harm."

Yana was quiet. "Thank you."

Matt reached out to shake Alexei's hand, then Sergey's. When it was Gyorgi's turn, he held onto Matt's hand for an extra moment. "We have learned much from this. Thank you for helping us."

"Thank Amanda. She did the talking at the Cosmodrome."

"You all helped us—and you were brave enough to fake being shot so you could defuse the bomb. We were foolish to do what we did. Never again."

Sergey spoke up again. "Perhaps you can come to Almaty again. As a visitor. Nyet?" His eyes twinkled. "I promise, I will not shoot you."

Matt grinned back at him. "I would like to come back again someday."

As he lay there on the bed in his room, nearly asleep, Matt wondered if he really would ever return to Almaty.