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A/N: Hey everyone! 100 reviews, YAY!! Lol, thanks for all the awesome reviews, everyone, I appreciate each one! Thank you to nattylovesu, 452max, Tina, Dark girl, x5 416, Kay, Lexy, Winchester girl, Amanda, Sasha, Maria, and Resse for reviewing the last chapter. THANKS!

Ex Multus Familia

Chapter 14

"They each only have one bed?" Robin frowned at the desk clerk. "Are you positive?" She knew Syl and Krit would survive and be perfectly ok with the arrangement, but Robin wasn't sure she was ready to share a bed with Seth.

The clerk frowned. "Do you need another bed?"

Robin sighed and wished with all her heart that there had been another cover that made more sense than two married couples.

She leaned forward and gave the clerk her most charming smile before whispering to him in a confidential manner, "We recently got in a fight, and as much as I want to work on things with my husband…" She gave a long-suffering sigh. "I swore I wouldn't share a bed with him till he came around to my side. Do you see what position that puts me in?" She put on her best cutesy-upset face.

"Ah, yes, yes." He beamed at Robin, totally taken in by her charm. That was one thing to thank Manticore for: irresistibility. "We'll have a portable bed sent there right away. They're just as comfortable as the ones already installed in the rooms."

"Thank you," she replied.

"Is everything all right, sweetheart?" Seth put down the suitcases that'd he'd been bringing from the car.

"Yes, I was just getting everything settled," she said, smiling sweetly at him. She turned and winked at the desk clerk.

"Where's Syl?" Krit asked, coming in behind Seth.

"She had to use the bathroom." Robin handed Krit the plastic card keys to their room. "You two are on the third floor, Seth and I are on the 15th."

Krit whistled. "Wow, you guys should have a good view from there."

"Yeah, of more tall buildings," Seth said.

"Very true." He glanced at where the discrete signs for the restrooms were. "I'll wait here for Syl. You guys go ahead and get settled."

"Sounds good," Seth said.

"Want to meet at eight?" Robin looked between the two of them. "We can get some dinner and then figure out where we want to go first."

The plan was agreed upon, and Seth and Robin headed over to the elevators. Robin leaned against the inside wall, grateful that soon they would be in their hotel room where she could relax for a little bit and feed Taylor.

She still couldn't believe how different Cape Town was from Seattle. She'd expected the warmth, the coastal geography, the all together-foreignness of a place that was on a different continent and a different climate. But she hadn't even imagined the difference that would come with being a nation that had never been hit by the Pulse.

Back when America had been struck, none of the African countries had really been a threat to the world. They'd managed to escape a lot of the technological battles between countries, and amazingly, because of that, they had come together to create a superpower that no one had ever expected to face. The African Union was the power center of the globe today, and everything important happened here. Well, in the African Union. South Africa was determined to make it on its own and still refused to join the Union.

Still, everything here was…bustling. Working. And there was lots of technology. In America, bits and pieces of the new technology had floated in but never a whole lot, and usually not the best stuff that was out there. But here, there was a lot of everything. There were people who had enhanced limbs or features, moving sidewalks, wavy glass walls that short ad clips played on, hover-platforms where bands performed, and just tons of stuff available to consumers. There was evidence of military technology too— spy cameras, a few genetically altered soldiers that had made Robin glad she was in a taxi with dark windows, and hoverdrones as well.

"Room key?" Seth interrupted her thoughts as they stopped in front of 1503. She handed it to him and shifted Taylor to relieve the pressure on her right arm.

"They're very efficient here," she observed as she followed Seth into the room.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he set the suitcases down.

Robin smiled as she sat on the bed closest to the window. "I told the desk clerk downstairs that we were fighting so that he would give me two beds."

Seth stared at her and then shook his head, unable to even think of anything to say.

Robin smiled and moved to the balcony. It was small, the way hotel balconies usually were, but at least you could see some nice patches of sky and feel a breeze. Music from some of the band platforms floated up to the balcony. Logan had done well in picking the hotel. It was in a tourist area of Cape Town, meaning it would be relatively safe for non-Africans. It was also fairly reasonably priced, though certainly not the dump that they would've gotten if Logan had paid the cheapest price.

"It'll be fun to eat dinner out tonight," Robin said, "The city is so alive already, I bet it's great after dark."

"Yeah, great time for murderers and thieves too," Seth said.

Robin laughed and came back into the room. "You're so paranoid."

"Just doing my job." Seth leaned over her and looked down at the sleeping Taylor. "She's such a little trooper," he said, smiling proudly.

Robin nuzzled Taylor's forehead. "Mhmm, she is. If I know her at all, she's going to wake up starving in a few minutes. That's why I suggested we wait until eight for dinner."

"Good plan," he said. "I think I'll take a shower while you feed her."

"Okay," Robin said. She sat down on the bed near the window again as Seth stepped into the bathroom. She could hear the water running and then the shower come on. Oh, a glorious, hot shower. She'd have to take one after he did.

Her eyebrows arched slowly as realization dawned on her. Seth was in the bathroom, taking a shower…naked. It had been a while, but she still remembered the smooth, hard planes of his sculpted body, the steel wire cables of his muscles taunt beneath his skin. Biting down on her lip, she suppressed the images, chasing them away with images of Manticore personnel telling them they had to have sex. There hadn't been anything truly sensual back then, and she wanted to take it slow now. She didn't want it to be physical…rippling, 8-pack abs beneath her fingers…slow.

She was saved from her daydreams when Taylor started whimpering, waving her little fists in the air. Robin smiled down at her as Taylor opened her eyes and stared around, making little grunts of annoyance.

"Hey, baby girl," Robin said, running her finger down Taylor's plump cheek, "Is Africa better than the plane?"

Taylor blinked up at her with accusing eyes, as if she was demanding to know why she hadn't been fed yet. Robin chuckled and tapped her nose. "All right, little miss priss, I know what you want."

Leaning back against the pillows on the bed, Robin cradled Taylor in her arms and started breastfeeding. When Taylor had first been born, they hadn't had any extra money to spend on formula and it seemed like a waste of money, and on the road a few weeks later, it was impractical to switch over to a bottle. Besides, Robin thought this was more natural and probably helpful for Taylor and herself. Robin hummed softly to Taylor and stroked the baby's peach fuzz hair. She was such a little miracle, her Taylor. Robin couldn't imagine life without her.

She lifted her head when the door to the shower opened, and Seth stepped into the room, a white towel wrapped around his waist. Her jaw dropped for a split second, but she quickly regained her composure. His eyes were wide as he looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I was just…" He looked down at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I forgot my clothes…"

"Oh, stop, it's not like you haven't seen my breasts before," Robin said. She hadn't expected him to come out of the shower so soon so she had shirked her bra and shirt, laying them on the chair beside her bed. "Don't act so innocent."

Seth looked back up at her, and his eyes burned as they landed on her. He nodded tersely as he walked over to his bag and dug around in it, dragging out a pair of dark jeans and a white button-up shirt. Robin secretly reveled in the way he moved, cautious, effortless, no motion unutilized.

Before he retreated to the bathroom, he moved around the edge of the bed with his graceful stride and walked toward her. She hadn't seen this exact look in his eyes before. It was something akin to raw desire, and she could feel the same hot, tense feeling gathering in her chest, like a white hot coil being wound in her heart. Her body wanted him, and she wasn't sure if she could tell it no. She clung to Taylor like a lifeline to reason as Seth stepped toward her, but she wanted him to.

He bent down, one hand curving over her cheek and then her chin, gently holding her face as his lips met hers for a brief, dangerous kiss. He pulled back, but he was already breathing heavy, like it had taken more effort to stop than to actually kiss. She opened her eyes and saw desire in his gaze even as he bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Don't," Robin said as she leaned forward, stopping his apology in the best way possible. Their lips moved together, fought against each other, but she used her free hand to thread her fingers through her head and bring him closer to her, to savor his sweet-tart taste and his hand on her face.

Someone knocked on the door, and Seth let his head drop forward, resting his forehead against Robin's. The predatory smile on his face was matched with her sweet but sly one.

"Guys, I want to see your balcony! All I can see from ours is the old naked couple doing the nasty across the street," Syl's voice came through the door and there was some more insistent knocking.

Seth stole a quick kiss from Robin and stood up, the look on his face making Robin's heart pound. He snatched his clothes off his bed and stalked into the bathroom, closing the door silently.

"Give me a moment, Syl," Robin said, "I'm feeding the baby." She laid a very full and contented Taylor down on the bed and grabbed her bra and shirt, hurriedly throwing them on as Seth came out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt.

"Take your time," Krit said, "Let Syl reminisce over the images of the naked old people, in bed."

"Damn telescope vision," Syl snarled. Seth rolled his eyes at Robin before opening the door and letting the two of them in. Robin grinned at Syl as the other woman walked in and tried to quiet her still thundering heart. Maybe demanding two beds hadn't been the best idea after all…

-------------------------------------------

After Krit and Syl had decided that there just weren't any particularly great views to be had at their hotel in the middle of Cape Town, the five of them went out to dinner. Seth had insisted on taking turns with Taylor, and he now had the baby carrier. They planned on seeing if they could find any baby backpacks in the next few days. It would just be more convenient.

"I wonder what tastes good here?" Krit said, surveying their numerous choices in restaurants.

"Oh, come on, be adventurous." Syl grinned and pointed down a small, darker road. "I bet there's a hopping local spot down there."

"Or people out to kill tourists," Seth said sternly. "Let's keep our cover for a little longer, shall we?"

"Oh, you're no fun," Syl answered. Syl glanced to the left and gasped as a tourist shop selling hundreds of beaded jewelry and silky scarves caught her eye. "Krit, look!" She pulled him over to the shop before he could protest. She immediately started draping scarves and beads over Krit, thoroughly amused with dressing him in girly things.

"I don't think that matches my color," Krit said, eyeing a lime green and orange shawl that she was wrapping around his waist.

"Oh, hush," Syl said, "Be a good model. You have no idea what looks good on you anyway."

"That would be because I'm a man," Krit said, slightly exasperated. He gave Seth a pleading look, "Seth, tell Syl we've got too much to do right now for her to take time out for embarrassing me in public."

Seth rubbed his chin. "No, actually, we do have a little time to spare. Public humiliation is good for you Krit."

Robin smiled. "Good thing I'm not very hungry."

"I'm astounded you're not bounding over there after Syl," Seth said. "You do still like decorating, don't you?"

"Not people, necessarily," Robin said, "I'm one of those girls who gets tired of shopping after about an hour."

"That's a relief to know," Seth said. Robin dropped her eyes, trying to hide her startled expression. His statement seemed so casual, yet it implied that he planned on spending a lot of time with her. Robin wasn't sure she minded that.

The restaurant they settled on was some sort of grill that served both what they would consider normal food and some more traditional South African fare. To Robin's delight, they were actually able to get seats on a balcony that was on level with a nearby band platform.

"Can you imagine how well a place like this would do in Seattle?" Syl said as they sat down.

"It would be the hot spot of the elite," Robin agreed. She looked over the menu and quickly decided to join Krit in being less-adventuresome; she just didn't feel like eating fried caterpillars fritters or crocodile sirloins. Not after having spent so long on the airplane.

"So how long do you think it will take before we have to supplement out budget?" Robin asked, glancing at the prices on the menu.

Seth chuckled and shook his head. "Not long. The dollar isn't doing so hot in the world market right now."

Krit leaned over the edge of the balcony and looked around. Even from where he was in the middle of the tourist district, he could spot two soldiers. Their civilian clothes did nothing to cover up who they were. Everyone was keeping their distance from the soldiers even without thinking about it.

Krit sat back down in his chair. "I don't think supplementing our income will be as easy here as it was in Seattle."

"No kidding," Syl replied. She shut her menu firmly, having made her choice, "But I don't mind. A good challenge will sharpen my skills."

"Glad you're looking at it in such a positive light." Krit closed his menu as well. He was getting a burger; he had a feeling Syl would be trying the crocodile. "So after dinner, meeting in our room?" he asked.

"Sure, as good a place as any," Seth answered. He looked up. "We'll need to secure it."

"That's why I suggested my room," Krit replied. "Syl and I already set it up. We can get straight down to business."

"You'll have to remember to put out your 'do not disturb' sign in the morning," Robin said, "Otherwise they might mess some stuff up."

"Good point," Krti sighed. "I forgot how much I hate setting up operations in hotels."

Seth nodded for them all to be quiet as a waiter seated another party near them. There would be no more discussion of business until they returned to the hotel. They'd been a little bit too open already anyway.

-----------------------------------

"You do have a perfect view of their room," Robin said. She was standing on the balcony of Syl and Krit's room, watching the window that was across the street. There was no one in the room behind the window but there was a perfect view of an empty bedroom, complete with a bed of rumpled sheets.

Syl made a face. "I know. It's awful. It'd be okay if was a sexy het couple or a pair of super hot gay guys, but no, it's like the geriatric porn channel." She was standing beside Robin, one hand on the thick striped drapes and the other wrapped around a dark red scarf she had made Krit buy her on the way back to the hotel, saying that it would help them blend in since scarves were now a fashion statement in South Africa. He had one too, but his was yellow and black which only gave room for Syl to call him her 'big stupid bumblebee.' She let go of the drapes and made a face.

Robin smiled at her. "Glad it's you and not me."

"We could always switch rooms," Syl said, winking at her. "Me and Krit like the heights."

"No, thanks, but I'd rather not expose Taylor to, um, those sights," Robin said.

Syl sighed and turned around. "I tried," she said, looking at Krit, "But she's immune to my cunning."

"What cunning?" Krit said, glancing up at Syl, "You have none."

"Fine, she's immune to my charisma."

"Also something you lack." Krit turned his attention back to his laptop. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, and the black laptop was in his lap. The piece of hardware was his one true possession, and he cherished it almost as much as he cherished Syl. In fact, he was usually nicer to it than he was to his lover. His baby had debugging software, eraser programs, a couple of external hard drives, hacking software, and quite a few accessories that could be synched with the computer. Max had her motorcycle, Zack has his unending pride, Ben has his ceaseless devotion, Syl had her craziness, and Krit had a suped-up laptop. Everyone clung to something.

"And you lack tact," Syl snapped, walking over from the balcony and flicking him in the head. He waved her away as his fingers darted across the keyboard.

"All right," Seth said, deciding to reign in the shenanigans by taking a command position. He was sitting at the small wooden table, and Taylor's baby carrier was on the table in front of him. While rocking the baby carrier, he talked to the others, making the odd image of a CO gone incredibly soft. "First things first. We need to get into contact with T.C."

"We can pick up an untraceable cell phone at that Uncle Teddy's place," Krit said. Unlike the other two teams who had been sent out on such short notice, they had been able to memorize all of their information so they weren't carrying around any extra papers with info on them. It wouldn't be good for a maid to pick up their stuff and run off to the officials with it.

"Not that he doesn't sound like a complete creeper," Syl said. She flopped down on the bed beside Krit and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, but Logan said he was a reliable source, and we do need a disposable untraceable cell," Seth said. "I can go do that tomorrow morning."

"Alone?" Robin asked, stepping back from the window and looking at him.

Seth shrugged. "It doesn't really make a lot of sense for us all to go, at least not there. Logan said Teddy doesn't like to deal with groups anyways."

"I'll go with you," Krit said, shrugging. "The girls can go check out a couple of our locations as tourists. The house in the tourist district seems pretty safe and so does the one over on the east side." The east side was where all of the fancy houses were; every rich person in the city leaved in East Side.

"We don't have to go somewhere safe just because we're girls," Robin said, her ears growing hot. She couldn't believe Krit would think that she and Syl weren't capable of going somewhere more difficult just because they were female.

Krit smirked. "Cool it, soldier. I was thinking about Taylor's safety, not about your gender role. I didn't think you'd want to take her somewhere dangerous just because she's a good cover."

Robin's skin tingled with embarrassment, and her cheeks went red. "No, oh…I wasn't thinking about us taking Taylor along."

"We're not taking her to Uncle Teddy's, so she'll have to go with you two," Seth said as Robin walked over and sat down in the other chair at the table. "You can be sisters again, taking in the sights while you do a sweeping surveillance. Nothing heavy, we don't want anyone getting suspicious. Besides, I don't really think either of those two houses are going to be the one."

"Why not?" Krit asked, shrugging. "They all seem to have the same potential."

"Yeah, but I don't think Sandeman's wife would be out in the open like that," said Seth, "He was able to stay hidden for this long, so I doubt he's been traipsing up and down some of the most visited districts in the new modern world."

"True, but it can't hurt to check," Robin said.

Seth nodded. "That's exactly what we're doing."

"Okay, so we're taking the tourist district and the East Side locations tomorrow for a sweep?" Syl asked. She smirked at Robin. "Hey, maybe we can pick up some African hotties while we're at it."

Robin grinned back at her. "Mmm, I like the sound of that." Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught Seth frowning at her. His jealously only made her smile wider.

"What about the money situation?" Krit said, his fingers still on his keyboard. Robin couldn't tell if he was looking up useful information or playing online video games. "We're going to need some more surveillance equipment for the bigger jobs."

"I was thinking about that on the way over here," Seth said. "And I noticed they still have ATMs here. They're guarded by hoverdrones, but I think we could find a way around the hoverdrones or something."

"They have ATMs?" Syl asked, her eyes wide. "That's insane."

"People don't beat them with baseball bats around here," Krit said, smirking at her. "Makes sense to have them we're they're not under constant physical attack."

Robin drummed her fingers along the table top and grinned over Taylor's baby carrier at Seth. "So we're going to steal from ATMs?"

"Until we can do some checking or credit card fraud, yes," Seth said. He chuckled when her grin grew wider at the confirmation. "I'll have to remember that deviousness makes you happy."

"I just like playing with technology," she said.

"Hey, I can help you there," Krit said, smiling at her, "I'm a technological guru."

Syl slapped him across the chest. "Three months in Japan do not make you an expert on technology, you fat bumblebee."

Krit bopped her upside the head with the heel of his palm. "In X5 years, three months in Japan makes me a technological savant. So deal with it, oh green-with-jealousy Syl."

"I don't care in the slightest about your technology expertise except when it benefits me," Syl said, poking him in the side. She spotted Taylor's baby carrier and suddenly smiled. "Besides, I'm way better with babies than you are."

"Are not," Krit said, not looking up from the computer. "Little children run in terror at the sight of your face."

"That's your face, smart ass, not mine," Syl replied. She swept off the bed and darted toward the baby carrier. "May I?" she asked Robin.

Robin bit her lip and then nodded. Syl might be nuts half of the time, but Robin was certain she would never hurt Taylor. Syl grinned and then slipped Taylor out of the baby carrier, cradling her in her arms. Taylor wriggled around and grinned up at Syl, probably happy to see the blond hair as anything else. Syl turned to Krit in triumph.

"See, Taylor likes me."

"Taylor is an awful gauge," Krit said, "She loves everyone. Besides, she's always happy when her mom is around."

"So not true," Robin said, "She can scream, trust me." She smiled over at Seth whose eyes were on their daughter, proud and content.

"Well, she's an unnaturally good baby most of the time," Syl said as she looked back toward Seth and Robin. "How about you guys go scope out the hotel while I see how long it takes her to realize Krit is a complete monster?"

"Oh, I don't know, Syl," Robin said, starting shake her head.

Seth laughed at her and stood up. "Come on," he said, "She'll be fine. I want to see all the hotel exits, anyways."

"Always with the mind of a tactician," Syl said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed Robin's arm with her free hand and hauled the other blonde to her feet. "And you, ma'am, are being ridiculous."

"Syl…"

While Robin mildly protested, Syl dragged her to the door, Seth following behind them. He and Krit shared a knowing look before Seth walked out the door, Robin by his side.

"Go on, lady," Syl said, standing in the doorway, "Have some fun with Mr. Unrequited Love. Oh, and don't come back. We have the baby bag."

She slammed the door in their faces, leaving Seth and Robin in the hallway, staring at the door. Seth shook his head. "I don't know how Krit does it. Living with that nutcase."

"I heard that!"

Robin grabbed Seth's hand and tugged him away from the door. "Come on, let's go before she does something drastic."

"I guess she could make us go on a dessert date or something," Seth said, smirking at Robin. "Out under the stars, eating sweets while the ocean crashes on the shore…"

"You're oddly poetic for an X5," Robin said, arching an eyebrow at him.

He blushed. "I had to pose as an English professor once."

Robin laughed and headed for the elevator. "Must have been an interesting assignment. And you made me hungry."

"Seems like we should fix that," Seth said, looking at her like he had before, back in their room earlier that day. Robin nervously pushed a piece of her hair back behind her ear and smiled up at him.

"I might like that."

-------------------------------------------------------

They made a cursory sweep of the hotel exists then hurried back in the room, where Seth commandeered the room service menu. "I'm the guy, and traditionally it's my prerogative to order the food," he said, looking down the dessert list.

"What if you order something I don't like?" Robin asked. She swiped something out of her suitcase and headed toward the bathroom.

"Well, tell me what you don't like and I won't get it."

"Hmm. Nuts, caramel, coconut. Love chocolate, pound cake, fruit, ice cream, cookies… oh, and no oatmeal raisin cookies. Yuck."

Seth smiled. "Got it." He heard the bathroom door close and looked up. "Hey, do you have everything you need in there?"

"Yes, why?"

"'Cause now you can't come out again until I say so."

Robin stuck her head out the door. "Is this another one of your male prerogatives?"

Seth tilted his head in thought and then walked toward Robin. She pulled in a little bit, startled and attracted by the dangerous smile on his face. Her heart started racing as he rested his hands on either side of the door, putting his arms well above her head and his face only a few inches away from her own.

"Yes," he said simply. His lips captured hers in a quick, inviting moment, then he drew away and shut the door firmly.

Robin sighed and leaned against the wall next to the door. She hoped room service didn't take long. She didn't think she could stay in the bathroom for any great length of time.

When she came out, the room had been transformed. Robin had to fight a smile when she saw that the second bed had been taken away. In its place, Seth had moved the small table and chairs that had been in the corner. Resting on the table was a plate piled high with fruits and cakes and cookies, all dripping with chocolate. A champagne bottle stood at the ready. And Seth… Seth stood there in khaki shorts and a white-button up that was completely open.

"Wow."

Seth grinned boyishly at Robin's amazement. It wasn't much, but he thought it was romantic enough. He hoped so. But he couldn't tear his eyes off of Robin. She had changed into a long, white sundress that was definitely not fit for wearing in public. Maybe it was meant to be worn over a bathing suit, but he thought it would still be indecent then. It was definitely see-through; it had a long slit up one side that came to just above mid-thigh.

He watched Robin as she sailed past him to pluck one of the chocolate-covered strawberries off the plate.

"Mmm, my favorite," she murmured, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the fruit.

He moved closer to her and wrapped his hands around her arms.

"Are you taunting me?" he asked, pulling the stem of the strawberry away from her fingers and setting it on the plate.

"Am I succeeding?" she asked coyly.

Seth wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hungry kiss, "I hope dessert can wait," he said.

"I think it can," she answered breathily. She kissed him back. It definitely could.