A/N: At the risk of being vilified by my readers, I have decided to break with fanfic tradition and have an OFC/OMC pair up instead of the canon character. Sorry Colby fans. He will still make several appearances through the end of this story, but for the next few chapters, we will make a whirlwind trip through this love affair and return to Colby and the situation he finds himself in. Readers had a chance to change the course of this story, if my muse would allow it, but I received no feedback so I am writing it the way I think it ends. My other Colby story will NOT end in this way. In that story (The Hidden Woman) there is no third OC to mess things up for Colby/OC, unless one considers bi-polar disorder to be its own OC, which I could understand as well.

Two Lonely Souls

Chapter 22

The two teams, really one large team by now, fell into the Penthouse exhausted. In the hours before the game, their bodies started to coil in anticipation. The shooters were spread around in various boxes, including Isabella's and the announcer's box. They had cameras set up in each major quadrant for one of the two spotters to watch. The other spotter used small but powerful binoculars reviewing the crowds. The rest of the team was spread out among the crowd looking for suspicious people. Dogs were also working the areas throughout the parking garage and the seating platforms.

By the time the game ended uneventfully and the crowds were gone, leaving the cleaning crew to their jobs, the team was unbearably coiled in a spring of tension and adrenaline. There really was no healthy outlet for this tension. Bars and such were out of the question, too dangerous with likely fighting. Sex was not an option for most, and even those who had a girl friend like Don, Charlie and Colby were in no condition to perform anyway. Most of the team members decided to go for private runs or swim in the pool, lap after lap until exhaustion set in. A few went to a public park and played a game of pick-up basketball on the all night lighted courts.

Isabella went alone for a long drive along Route 1, taking her convertible 2009 Mercedes SLR McLaren. The full moon glittered off the ocean and the moon, reflected on her Laurite Silver car. The car was fast, blurringly fast as she pushed the engine to its maximum speeds. She was tired and wound up after hours of sitting and waiting for the Waldo no-show. The house was closing in around her, tension between Tommy and Colby barely contained now that the op was over. She needed to escape and while she rarely did, she ran away. She found her way through Los Angeles to Route 1 and drove to Santa Barbara, loving the feel of the ocean wind through her hair. She had packed lightly as she just planned to stay one night, but she had to get away, to be alone if only for a night.

She checked into a beautiful queen suite, took a long relaxing bath, and thought about her predicament. She was almost certain that at the end of it all, she would leave LA, her 'family' here to move back to the outskirts of D.C. to live with Tommy Gifford. She just knew it, unless something went terribly wrong with their trip. Colby was wonderful, and she thought she loved him. He seemed sincerely sorry for what he had done the week before. However, her trust in him was shattered and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to place her heart in his hands again. While the night before the final op, she had placed her body in his hands, her mind was disconnected and he felt her pulling away. The water grew cool in her bath before she was pulled from her reverie.

She sighed as she crawled into the bed, filled with soft down filling and lots of pillows. Before falling asleep, she called the Penthouse to let them know where she was. Tommy answered the phone.

"Hey Tommy."

"Bella, where are you? We've all been worried."

"I took the convertible for a drive along 101 and checked into a hotel here in Santa Barbra. I needed to be alone for a while. This week or so has been hard, I needed some space baby. You understand don't you?"

"Yeah, I understand but I don't like it. Just like in Afghanistan, you'd go for your private walks and I would follow at a distance to make sure you were ok. You get stir crazy with so many people and so much action. Are you safe? Can either Colby or I come join you?"

"I'm safe here Tommy. I'll come home tomorrow. When is the team leaving?"

"We thought we'd leave on an early flight on Monday."

"Are you still going to make plans for us?" Isabella hesitated slightly, hoping he hadn't changed his mind.

"I already know what I want to do. I'll make all the arrangements tomorrow. By the time you get back, I plan to have them complete and I hope you love what I have done."

Isabella giggled, partially from exhaustion and partly because of excitement. "Whatever it is Tommy, I know I won't be disappointed."

"Come home safe. When should we expect you?"

"I don't know. Sometime between noon and 2:00. Ok?"

"See you then. And Bella, I love you."

"And I love you."

Bella slept until almost 11:00 the next morning. She casually showered and got dressed, eating some breakfast in her room before she left to drive back. This was the first night she had spent alone in what seemed like forever. She welcomed the temporary respite, but her problems at home were not going to go away. She sped through the switchback curves back to LA.

When she arrived most of the Penthouse was empty. Don, David, Charlie, and Amita had dissembled the war room and her huge living area was back to normal. The four of them had returned to their homes and their normal lives. Most of the Ops guys had gone for the museum touristy thing. Colby was nowhere to be found. She took her single bag upstairs, combed out her windblown hair and walked over to Tommy's room. The door was slightly ajar and she knocked lightly.

"Come in." He was obviously distracted with something else.

Isabella entered his room with a short gasp before she regained her breath. She silently closed the door and locked it behind her. Tommy stood between the dresser and the duffle bag on his bed, packing his stuff for their return to D.C. the next day. He wore worn and faded button fly jeans that hung on his narrow hips. The top two buttons were undone casually. He had no shirt or shoes on. Tommy stopped immediately what he was doing as soon as she entered and closed the door. He stood there watching her watching him. In all their missions together, all their time spent together, she had never seen him without his shirt on. He was always fully dressed. Her eyes traveled down the sinewy arms, powerfully roped muscles corded together into a lethal strength. She licked her suddenly dry lips as she followed the trail of masculine hair from the dip in his throat down the middle of his chest, trickling down his abdomen and traveling into his partially unbuttoned jeans. His abs were completely defined with 8 sets of muscles layered horizontally across his body from beneath his ribs to below his waist line. Isabella's breath started to become rapid and her face flushed. She started to involuntarily walk towards him watching his deep brown eyes darken to almost black. She stopped before she reached him completely and without taking his eyes off of hers, he reached for a nearby t-shirt and started to pull it over his head. She moved forward rapidly stopping his arms from pulling it down and pulled the t-shirt back over his head and off his arms letting it fall to the ground. Isabella's reaction to him was visceral, rocking her to her core, feeling the creamy warmth filling her channel and her stomach clutching.

"Tommy…" she said breathlessly. She stood within inches of his body, the heat between them threatening to ignite in the suddenly tight room. Her hands reluctantly went to his chest, unable to resist the pull he had on her. Her normally emerald green eyes had turned a dark forest green in passion. She traced her fingers along his chest hair, feeling the softness of it. His breath sped up at her touch and her concentration on his body. As she reached the pinnacle that dipped into his jeans, his hands quickly pulled hers away and held them at the center of his chest. Mesmerized, her face slowly moved up his body till her eyes were drowning in his.

"Isabella. Now is not the time for this. Please stop." Tommy's voice was deep with arousal and need, but also held desperation. He was holding on by a thread. He did not want to take her here. "We have waited a long time for this. A few more days won't matter. Please Bella. You are stretching my control very thin."

"As you are mine. Tommy, I had no idea. Our attraction has been strong from the beginning, our love forged in fires of battles and difficult challenges. But seeing you like this, half dressed and beautiful, how could I ever want anything more than what we have right now, in this room?"

"Because there is so much more Isabella. We will wait. Do you want to know about the plans I have made for us?"

She took a deep breath, shaking off the almost paralyzing lust she felt, and sat on the bed cross legged in her jeans and tank top. The bruises from the other night were still apparent, but she no longer cared. Tommy handed her a sheaf of papers. On top was their itinerary. They left in three days from LA. He would fly back tomorrow with his team, pack, return the next day and they would leave immediately the following day. The plan was to fly from LA to Paris. He found them a B&B in the countryside of Paris. Both of them had been to Paris many times, so he thought a countryside vacation would be nice. One of the sheets of paper had a color image of the B&B as well as the room they would be staying in. He explained that he had rented out the entire place for just the two of them. Isabella raised her head from the idyllic pictures to Tommy's face, pleasure and awe apparent in her dancing eyes and 'O' shaped lips.

She continued through the papers. They would stay in the B&B for two days, leaving from Paris to Monte Carlo for two weeks. Tommy found a rental home right on the beach with housekeeping amenities and a pool. He rented a convertible so they could travel the island. He told her that while he didn't gamble, and knew she didn't either, there were many wonderful restaurants, gardens and museums to see. He had bought tickets already for several theaters shows as well as one opera, Hector Berlioz's 'Les Troyans'. It was an opera she had never seen before and she was astounded he knew that and had tickets to it. They would be in Monaco for two weeks. Plenty of sun during the day, a few museums and shops to visit, and nights filled with entertainment, both inside and outside their house while they are there.

Isabella turned to the next page of itinerary and was once again surprised. The next several days of their vacation would be spent on the French Rivera right on the beach. Then back to Paris to return to LA.

Isabella put the sheets down next to her on the bed. "This is amazing, Tommy. I have never had anyone go to so much trouble for me. How are you affording this? Even though I have never been to Monaco or the French Rivera, I can tell these are deluxe accommodations, add in the shows and opera, not to mention the culinary delights we are bound to find there, I don't see how…"

Tommy laughed loudly. "Bella, baby, the one thing we have never discussed is money. Everyone knows you have a lot of it. Because we avoid the subject, you assumed I lived on the money the government pays me, and I do for the most part. However, I have family money, lots of family money. I am not quite a rich as you, of course I don't know exactly how rich that is. But this trip is but a drop in the bucket. I wouldn't have it anything less. If this is the only time I ever have with you, then I want it to be spectacular and a few weeks you and I will always remember."

Isabella stood up from her position on the bed and walked to where Tommy was leaning against the desk in his room. She wrapped her arms around his neck, while his hands went naturally to her waist. "I will always remember this trip, I have no doubt. I just wonder what you will do as a follow-up for a honeymoon." She said slyly.

"Since I haven't asked you to marry me yet, I'll worry about that when the time comes. Who knows, maybe you won't be so fond of me after a few weeks spent together, alone, with no one else to interrupt us. Maybe I leave the toilet seat up, or squeeze the toothpaste from the middle. Maybe I pick my nose in public (Isabella laughed aloud), or maybe I smell or snore like a freight train."

Isabella laughed at him. "Given that we have slept together in the wilds and in caves, I can be pretty sure you do none of those things. The toilet lid is a big deal. And besides, maybe I have some bad habits you won't be able to stand either."

"I'm sure the toilet lid won't be our major disagreement. But perhaps the toothpaste thing, or not replacing the roll of toilet paper." They were good naturedly teasing each other now.

Their eyes kept contact and their teasing ceased. Their bodies pressed against each other, the heat from their centers threatening once again to ignite. Tommy leaned down tentatively to Isabella's lips. Her lips parted into a gentle 'O' as she anticipated Tommy's lips meeting hers, finally. He gently glided his lips across hers, his tongue following in his wake. It was such a soft touch, Isabella found herself melting into his body, becoming completely pliant against him. Soon his mouth sucked gently on her bottom lip wanting to gain entrance to her warm mouth. She opened to him, letting his tongue explore hers as she did his. They were tentative, their passion cautiously contained until such a time when they could explode with it. The kiss was something like she had never experienced. He hadn't either. Neither wanted to leave the other's mouth, lips, or body, but knew they had too. This was not the place to begin their lovemaking. A few more days would not matter in the scheme of things.

"Tommy, I love you. This trip you planned is amazingly romantic. Perfect even, just like you, just like us. I'll be sure and pack appropriately. I expect you won't be using a duffle bag this trip."

He laughed. "No, Bella. My tuxedos won't do very well in a duffel bag. Rooms all have private safes, so bring whatever jewelry you want. Evening gowns of course will be required, as will very tiny bikinis if those at all. We are going first class all the way. It is a good thing we both are fluent in French. And Bella, I'll be traveling under a regular passport with no weapons. We should not talk about what I do in public, ok?"

"I understand."

"And one more thing Bella. Your father told me this morning when we spoke that I was being promoted again already. When I return to you in a few days, I'll be Colonel Thomas Gifford. The official ceremony will be after we get back."

Isabella's mouth dropped open. "That was fast Tommy. They weren't kidding when they said fast track."

"Baby, we both know I am very good at what I do. The government knows it too."

"We both know how good you are at your job. The rest is to be determined. Your body, your mind, your love for me, this trip, have set my expectations very high. I hope I am not disappointed." Isabella smirked at him through her heavy lashes.

"Like I said, I'm good at everything I do. No one will be disappointed on this trip. My only disappointment will be if you decide not to marry me after all."

Isabella just smiled slightly and leaned her lips up for another kiss.