Henderson's on the Park
1901hrs Friday 18th February 2005

'I never though you two would arrive,' Honey commented sardonically as Jim led Trixie towards the Bob White's table.

Something had happened between her brother and her friend. A definite stiffness evident between Trixie and Jim, her ever-honourable sibling attempted to hide his disquiet at the woman beside him. Brian and Peter noticed the couple's stilted body language and glanced at Honey enquiringly.

I have no more of an idea than you two, she thought, and I wonder why they're both partnerless tonight. Could this be the start of a long-awaited something? They're the only two Bob Whites who really had any chance. Or is that the reason they're so uncomfortable with each other? It can't be easy when all your friends are happily in love. I remember the summer Brian and I broke up, watching every one else in a happy relationship. But then I found Peter.

'Only an hour late,' Honey berated her friend, 'that would have to be a record even for you, Trixie Belden.'

'Oh Honey, I never thought we'd make it here in time for dinner either!' Trixie exclaimed, ignoring the tone of her friend's voice and taking the seat Jim held out for her. Determined to stick as closely to the truth as possible, Trix rolled her eyes. 'The traffic is horrendous tonight. It took twenty minutes to find a place to park. Jim gave up in the end. We finished up leaving the car outside Serendipity and caught a cab over here.'

Sitting down in the only remaining chair beside the woman he wanted to be as far away from at the moment as possible, Jim wondered how Trixie could twist the truth to her bidding without blinking. It must be the training she received before becoming a spy. I have no idea when or where she's been recruited, unless it had something to do with Trix going to college in DC. We all wondered why Trixie accepted a place at George Washington. Has she been lying to all her friends for so long without us even suspecting her double life? I feel as though I don't know her anymore and yet she is essentially the same person I've always known.

'I believe I asked my counsellor to do the same.' Joanna poked her partner of four years in the ribs. 'But being Dan the Man, he held the belief he'd be able to find a space at six on a Friday night in New York within walking distance of the restaurant.'

'We did find a space,' Dan defended quickly, entwining his fingers with Jo's to stop her unfair attack.

'Five blocks away,' Jo teased. 'May I remind you I wore high heels because you asked me to?'

'And now I'm to be reminded of that decision every minute?' Dan returned good naturedly, holding their linked hand up and lightly kissing her fingers. He lingered just a moment longer when he reached her ring finger, looking up with a twinkle in his eye. 'Just because I like the way your legs look in heels and stockings and I think you look sexy, is this any way to treat your lover?'

'See what you started?' Mart rolled his eyes pointedly at his sister. 'Now we're to engage in a discussion on the finer points of stopping the inertia of said automobile while attempting to locate a designated halting area, licensed and governed by the City of New York. Truly it would have been much simpler had you taken public transportation as my lovely companion and I deigned to do. Now to bring this subject to a conclusion, may I remind you the train journey between Sleepyside and our present locality involves sixty minutes of expediency and an elongated wait for certain persons. During which time my lovely companion refused to allow any edible item past my lips. As a result, I am now starving!'

'I begin to wonder if you'll ever grow out of your devotion for big words and sustenance!' Brian raised an eyebrow at his brother. 'If you don't stop eating and start exercising more than your mouth, you'll get to be as wide as you are tall.'

'Speaking of food, Trix,' Honey chimed in diplomatically before Mart could supply an over-wordy reply to his brother's taunt, 'I hope you don't mind my ordering for you. Jim gave me his selection when he phoned ahead.'

Watching her friend's face carefully, Trixie understood Honey had become good at hidden barbs. You're telling me off in your very polite way, Trix realised and had to control a chuckle bubbling up in her throat. That is so un-Honey like, or at least the Honey I once knew! I guess that's what mixing with the elite crowd dose for you. A few minutes with the rest of the Bob Whites and we'll have all that Wheeler etiquette knocked out of you!

'The maître d' has been awaiting you arrival. I told Rafael our party needed to leave by 7.45 at the latest so our meals should be out soon,' she concluded with an accusing glance.

'So long as I don't have to cook and wash the dishes afterwards, Honey, I don't care what I eat.' Trixie smiled warmly at her friend, hoping to break down the barriers she felt between them.

Let me take a leaf out of your book and changed the subject when I don't want to discuss a particular topic, Trixie smiled gracefully, or at least a gracefully as she could, at her long time friend.

'I spoke to Di earlier. She's pleased all the Bob Whites and their partners could make it tonight,' Trix beamed, a smile covering her face as it always did when she considered those long ago days of happiness and freedom. 'Di also reminded me it'd been ages since we were all together as a group. It got me thinking. Why don't we try and organise a weekend away for old times sake?'

'What a wonderful idea,' Linnie Moore, Joanna Darnell and Sally Wellington caroused together.

'I met the Bob Whites when they came to the Ozark Mountains and they changed my life.' Linnie recalled the adventure at Bob White Cave in a misty voice. 'So much happened in such a short space of time,' she exclaimed. 'My head spun for weeks afterwards. I wish I knew how you'd all affect my life.'

'I guess I felt the same way when I first met Trixie and her friends on Uncle Monty's Dude Ranch. I sort of felt a part of the group at once. If it weren't for you guys, my brothers and I may never have realised how much our father loved us,' Sally recalled her visit to Arizona after a strange Christmas phone call.

'Do you touch all the lives of all the people you've ever met?' Jo asked, grinning. 'I know you found both Lin and Sally's fathers, in a manner of speaking. I guess you did the same for me. My dad's never been the same since returning The Red Trailer to Di's father. With the help of Mr and Mrs Smith, Dad got his self-confidence back and became an upstanding member of the community. Life certainly became different after meeting you.'

'There's never a dull moment wherever Trixie leads the Bob Whites. I'm glad you spent a week on Cobbett's Island,' Peter Kimball chimed in, placing his arm around Honey's shoulders and giving her a quick kiss on the temple. 'We could all go back to The Moorings,' he suggested with a twinkle in his eye.

'Or your Uncle Andrew's cabin in the Ozark Mountains?' Linnie proposed with a giggle.

'Or even Di's Uncle Monty's Dude Ranch in Arizona,' Sally laughed.

'This discussion is temporarily concluded.' A wide grin covered Mart's face. Now he had everyone's complete and undivided attention, with a flourish he gestured towards a waiter carrying three plates. 'I believe dinner is served.'

Trixie hid her disappointment behind a steely mask as a plate appeared before each person. Hoping to plant the seed of an idea, Trix wanted the original members of the Bob Whites to consider her suggestion and agree to a weekend free of partners. Like that's going to happen. They've all moved on, grown up and are entrenched in their new lives. More importantly, they're all happy. And I have so much to tell you about my life that none of you know. If I don't tell you soon I may never get the chance.

'So how's your love life, Trix?' Jo asked with a not-so-innocent grin on her face. She'd been carefully observing the blonde woman's silent contemplations and decided this would be the best way to draw her out. 'Are you still seeing that guy?' She asked with genuine interest. 'Joshua?'

'I though you dumped him a few months ago?' Peter commented dryly, picturing the tall, lean, almost redheaded man who looked suspiciously like Jim in his opinion. 'If I remember correctly, he enjoyed going to some exotic location to bungie jump out of helicopter or ski an untamed mountain.'

'I believe adrenalin junkie is the way his twin sister describes him. Not that Samantha's leisure activities are much safer,' Trix laughed with Peter Kimball, instantly dismissing her earlier melancholy thoughts. 'Sam likes to rock hop up rivers after the first winter rains and climb cliff faces without ropes in the summer. It's a family trait.'

'I see guys like that every day of my professional life.' Shaking his head sadly, Brian had discovered the realities of practicing medicine. He'd struggled emotionally and financially to complete medical school. Now in his third residency year and with a partner who understood the implications of his chosen profession, Brian felt more content with his life.

'They all think it won't happen to them,' Sally corroborated with a poignant nod of confirmation.

Brian hadn't been able to hide the instant attraction to the clinical nurse. Their earlier association made it easy for the usually-shy young doctor to ask Sally out for coffee. During his six-month stint on the Trauma/Orthopaedics ward, both Sally and Brian saw their share of stupid accidents.

'Most of my patients are male, between 20 and 30, and believe they're invincible.' Sally shook her head at the sheer waste of a young life. 'A spinal injury certainly shows them otherwise. It can happen to anyone without warning.'

'And it usually ruins their lives.' Taking a deep breath, Brian captured his sister's gaze. 'So I gather you're no longer seeing the amazing human stuntman?' Brian asked, holding his breath in anticipation. I only met the young man once but couldn't see any signs of attraction between him and my little sister, apart from his love of adventure.

'No,' confirmed Trixie, squirming in her seat. I wonder if I should open up a little and tell them the truth.

'Trix?' Honey asked gently when she realised how much remained unsaid. 'Did Joshua have some kind of an accident?' she guessed.

'Josh was killed in the line of duty last Christmas Eve.' Playing with the food on her plate, Trixie looked up, only to have her stare captured by Jim's green eyes. She hated the worry she saw reflected in his intent gaze. 'He was a Special Agent with the FBI's major crime squad under deep cover.'

'Not the fellow student we believed?' Honey asked in a saddened voice.

'No,' Trixie shook her blond curls. 'Josh's sister Sam also works for the FBI and thought his cover had been blown. The coronial inquiry into Joshua's death concluded two days ago. The coroner found death by misadventure. Sam believes the Coroner's decision had been influenced.'

'Trix, why didn't you tell us?' Mart asked, his voice filled with concern. 'You looked so miserable Christmas Day. You stayed long enough to open presents and then eat Moms' turkey before taking off. We couldn't explain your behaviour, and you've been acting sort of weird ever since. We all thought…that is…' Realising his foot to be well and truly wedged in his mouth and fielding hostile looks from Brian, Jim, Dan, and Peter, Mart stopped babbling.

'You guys are priceless!' Trixie couldn't stop the hysterical giggle rising. She managed to suppress it as Honey, Linnie, and Joanna's horrified expressions turned on her. Rushing on, Trix attempted to explain the situation. 'I felt saddened and appalled when I found out about Josh's death. Who wouldn't be when a family has to cope with that sort of news on Christmas Eve? I went to see Sam, to see if I could do anything but the family were still in shock. They politely requested to be left alone. I hadn't seen Josh for a couple of months by then.'

'I though you planned to bring someone to the party at Manor House on Christmas Eve?' Peter looked confused. 'I distinctly remember Honey grilling you about a man you'd invited to spend Christmas with your family the day before we left New York for the holidays.'

'Jacob?' A frown creased Honey's forehead as she searched her memory for the specifics of the conversation. 'I remember now. You only mentioned his name a moment before you hung up. Up until that point in the conversation, I though you and Joshua had kissed and made up.'

'Is that the man who called before we left your apartment Trix?' Jim questioned, a perplexed expression entered his green eyes, 'the man who cancelled out of your date tonight because he has a sick child?'

Pandemonium broke loose as Brian demanded to know more about this new man in his sister's life. Mart insisted on asking how they'd met and when, especially with the information he'd uncovered about the untimely demise of Trixie's last boyfriend. Linnie and Sally's angry voices surfaced at the thought they'd once again been left out of the loop until they realised their boyfriends were none the wiser.

Dan and Jo smiled secretly at each other as though sharing clandestine knowledge and further adding to the confusion by deliberately questioning Trixie's sanity in taking on a ready-made family. Peter sat back quietly with an arm around Honey's shoulders, observing his lover become more disturbed by her friends' outlandish and increasingly disgruntled behaviour.

Jim managed to look both pleased and embarrassed by the sudden and violent reaction to his not-so-innocent statement. He'd opened Pandora's Box and hadn't been ready for the reaction it evoked. Finally, Honey restored the group's collective composure by sounding the Bob White whistle with as much decorum as possible in her current surroundings. Her actions instantly drew the maître d' to their table.

'Will there be anything else this evening?' He asked pointedly, glancing at his watch with a raised eyebrow. Although he didn't want to alienate the son and daughter of his wealthiest customers, he wanted the noisy group gone from his usually satiate restaurant. In the last three minutes, they had managed to turn his dinning room into a circus with other patrons staring at the group of young people, wondering what on earth went on.

'Only the check, thank you, Rafael,' Honey returned in her sweetest tone as though the last few minutes hadn't happened. 'I'm afraid we won't be able to stay for desert and coffee as it's well past time we were leaving for the gallery. The meal and service were excellent as usual!'

I'm going to kill someone but I'm not sure who to blame for this ruckus, Honey realised belatedly. Myself for bring Jacob's name up at such an emotive time, Jim for his deliberately inflammatory comment, or Trixie for keeping this new man to herself! Brian and Mart didn't help either by reacting the way they did. Not that I blame them, under the circumstances.

Keeping a serene smile on her lips, Honey rose from the table, shrugged into her heavy coat, picked up her purse, and walked toward the front door, pulling Peter aggressively behind her. She neither hesitated nor slowed down to see if the other Bob Whites followed her out of the restaurant's front door.

'Wow,' Dan whistled under his breath, his eyes following the ramrod straight back of his friend. 'Is someone ever mad!'

'You can say that again,' Jo whispered in his ear, collecting her apparel. 'Honey's body language is enough to scare the most hardened New York pick pockets away!'

'I think we'd better take Maddy's lead,' Linnie commented nervously, shouldering her hand bag and wrap. 'Mart!' she said more sharply than she'd intended, making her boyfriend look up at her with concerned blue eyes.

'Coming, sweetheart.' Clumsily he got up from his chair, glancing with a disturbed look at his sister before turning to comfort is girlfriend.

'I'll fix this.' Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, Jim motioned for the others to catch up with Honey and Peter. Capturing Trixie's hand before she followed the others, Jim's eyes pleaded with her. 'I'll meet you out front in a few minutes. See if you can calm Honey down.'

'I'll see what I can do,' she promised before hurrying after the others.

'I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life!' Honey exploded as the silent group gathered outside the restaurant while waiting for Jim to pick up the tab. I hope he adds a big tip for the staff after the scene we caused or the Wheeler name will be mud in this establishment for a long time to come. Mother is sure to hear about this and be embarrassed enough never to show her face at Henderson's again. I wonder how many orders I'll have cancelled because of tonight. Thank God the press didn't get hold of this story. I can just see the headlines now.

'I cannot believe any of you acted like that. Peter, our car is parked around the corner. Maybe I'll have cooled down by the time we reach the gallery!' Honey threw over her shoulder as she stormed away from the silent group. Disappearing down a side street, Peter threw a cheeky grin and winked, letting everyone know he would fix the problem before meeting up with them once again. Lengthening his stride, Peter hurried to catch up with his furious girlfriend.

'Mart,' Brian finally broke the embarrassed silence surrounding the group. 'Sally and I'll give you guys a lift to Diana's gallery in the Bob White Station Wagon,' Brian offered, gathering his dark-haired girlfriend close to him.

'Do you have room for us?' Jo asked, looking at Trixie standing a little apart from her friends. She looks so lonely standing by herself, like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I see clients like her every day but I have the feeling Trix will only open up when she's ready.

'You guys go,' Trixie, who didn't appear to be concentrating on the conversations, commented to no one in particular. 'Jim and I'll catch up with you at the gallery.' Before either of her brothers could object to her suggestion, Trixie added with a grim. 'You won't get any more information out of me standing on this street corner and freezing. Nor will the Bob White Station Wagon magically fit eight people just because you want it to. Jim and I'll catch a cab.'

'OK, Trix.' Brian looked deeply into his sister's eyes, wondering what went on behind those baby blues. These days they seemed closed, hiding her true emotions from her closest friends and family. Leaning in, he kissed her cheek. 'You and I will talk later,' he promised in her ear before pulling away.

'Belden!' A figure detached its self from the darkness as the group crossed the road. He watched as they climbed into the ancient station wagon but still kept to the shadows. 'I never thought the crowd would leave.'

'Talk fast Tim, I only have a few minutes until Jim comes to joins me,' Trix warned, watching the tall red-head waiting his turn in the muted yellow entry of one of New York's trendiest restaurants.

'Ever heard of Enrich Johansson?' Tim asked, waiting momentarily until Trixie nodded in the affirmative. A frown covered her face as she recalled the man and whom he worked for. 'He has you under surveillance.'

'That answers some questions,' Trixie sighed. 'Like why you're here. If you get caught talking to me your cover will be blown and two years of work will go down the drain.'

'I think your life is worth it, Belden,' Tim grinned slyly.

'Why do I have the strangest feeling our investigations are linked?' Trixie lifted an eyebrow. 'What aren't you and Jake telling me?'

'Jake sent me after your call,' Tim confessed. 'We decided you didn't need to branches of the same service following your every move. You always were one step ahead, mostly through good luck rather than good judgement, Belden. I don't know how you do it but you must have nine lives.' Shaking his head, Tim rushed on. 'I've got new orders for you. Guard the package with your life because we believe it to be the next target. You'll need to disappear for a few days. The virus is spreading and we don't know how much longer Gemma will be in play. If you come up with any new ideas, contact Jake immediately and he'll take care of it from the domestic end.'

'I have three coded cells for you. Use each one once only. Jake will be at the other end. Calls are to be no more than three minutes and you need to check in at least once every 24 hours.' Tim handed over the small phones and an envelope. 'There's cash and a photo of an agent called Robinson in here. Johansson called him in to do close surveillance on you this evening so keep your eyes open. I don't know what his exact orders are, so expect anything. And Belden, Robinson is a professional in every sense of the word.'

Shuddering at the implications, Trix knew she had to get a message out. 'Take this message back to Jake,' Trixie requested, watching Jim replace his card in his wallet. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tim nod. 'Tell him I'm sorry he's missed tonight, it's been enlightening. Gemma would appear to be the source of the virus. I believe her mother picked it up in London as recently as last week, although that's not the initial infective location. I don't believe she'll be back anytime soon.'

'You're kidding me, Belden!' Tim shook his head. 'You're sure about this?'

'The source is impeccable,' she threw over her shoulder, heading towards Jim as he exited Henderson's.

'Looks like someone just earned her first European assignment.' The disembowelled words reached her ears as the man behind them melted back into the darkness.

That's what I'm afraid of, Trixie plastered a smile on her face as she flagged down a bright yellow taxicab. 'The others went on ahead,' she told Jim, climbing into the back seat before he could utter a word.