Ghosts That Haunt

by Adderlygirl

AU / Sequel to Forging a Life. Casey is assigned a foreign female operative to pose as his girlfriend.

26. Chapter 26

Ghosts that Haunt—26

If anyone had asked, Casey would have said it was impossible to say anything that would render Chuck Bartowski speechless. He was apparently wrong. The younger man stared open-mouthed at them, his eyes moving from Riah to Casey and back again. Walker was the one who finally spoke. "Congratulations," she said, and Casey studied the pained smile on her face. He could tell there was a story behind that look, and he couldn't help but wonder what it was.

"Yeah," Bartowski said. "Yeah! Congratulations!" He sounded more shell-shocked than Casey had felt the night Riah confirmed his suspicions.

Walker's voice was stronger when she looked at Riah and asked, "When are you due?"

"November," Riah said.

"So you're moving the wedding?" Chuck asked.

"No," Casey explained. "We decided it was too hard to rearrange everything, and we couldn't find a workable date between now and then."

Walker came around and hugged Riah, which seemed to surprise his wife. Walker hugged Casey, too, and he submitted to that even as he hoped she didn't intend to make a habit of it. Bartowski hugged Riah as well, but he knew better than to hug Casey. Casey might have let him this once—and not threatened his man parts—but he was much more comfortable with the handshake Chuck offered instead.

Riah explained to Walker they hadn't told anyone else yet, and Casey noticed Walker seemed touched to be the first to know. This was getting a little more touchy-feely than he liked, and as if she could tell what he was thinking, Riah turned to him and said once more that if someone would let her out, she'd leave them to do what they needed. Casey started to walk her out, but Walker suggested he go with her, celebrate. He eyed Walker, and then thought, why not?

Unfortunately, he knew he needed to get his report to the General quickly so that they would have what he knew before they began to question Toby Yates. It also occurred to him that Riah could stay. She was the one who had been sent to tell Casey the false lead, after all, and he nearly smiled as he thought about interrogating her about her part in this. "I need to get Beckman her report, and I think Riah's going to have to help." He quickly explained about how she had become involved.

Walker raised her brows, and he suspected she wasn't buying it. "Well, then. I guess I'll take Chuck home. This was your operation, not mine, after all." She smiled at Riah, and this time it was genuine. "Congratulations," she said again.

When they were gone, Casey took his wife's mouth and maneuvered her into the back where there were several cots in a sort of barracks. "You mentioned debriefing?" he said against her mouth.

She gave him a slow smile and whispered, "I'm not wearing any briefs."

He moaned and took her mouth again before easing her down onto one of the cots. He ran a hand under her skirt and whined when he felt the edge of her panties. "I thought you weren't wearing briefs," he murmured against her throat.

"I'm not," she said, "but if you are, perhaps I should debrief you."

"Not exactly, but carry on, Adderly," he said, and he reached down to knock her shoes off her feet before stroking a hand up her leg to the top of her stockings. She stripped his tie from him and rapidly worked his shirt buttons out of their holes before she tackled the buttons on his shirt cuffs. He toed his shoes off as he fumbled for the zipper on her dress and slid it down. She ran her hands inside his shirt and pushed it and his jacket off together. He took his arms from around her and shrugged out of them. He knelt and pulled her up to remove her dress. He gave her an admiring look as he eased her back down and reclaimed her mouth, hard and hungry.

Riah's arms went around him, and he fumbled to open her bra only to realize it was in the front. He slid a hand around and released the clasp before he moved the lace cup off a breast while her hands fumbled with his belt. It was only when he heard Bartowski's, "Oh, God!" that he released her breast, and gave a frustrated sigh.

"God! Sorry! Sorry!" Bartowski babbled, and Casey glared over his shoulder at where the kid stood in the doorway with his hand over his eyes. "I called, but no one answered."

Riah covered her breasts with her hands, and Casey tersely asked, "What do you want?"

"Beckman called us back. Sarah sent me to look for you."

"I'll be right there," Casey said.

Chuck still had his eyes covered, but two of his fingers parted, and Casey could make out one brown eye. "She wants Mariah, too."

Startled, Casey stared at her, and she went crimson. "We'll both be there in a second."

When Bartowski left, Casey pushed off of his wife. He looked around for his shirt while Riah closed her bra and reached for her dress. He buttoned on his shirt but left it untucked and the cuffs undone. It was going to be painfully obvious what they had been doing whether Bartowski blurted it out to the other two women or not, so Casey made little effort to hide it. Riah struggled with the zipper on her dress, so he turned her and helped her. She balked when he started to lead her out to the main room. He took her hand and kissed her swiftly before he practically dragged her out to join the others. He at least slowed his pace when he realized her stockinged feet slipped on the polished concrete floor.

General Beckman studied them for a long moment before saying, "The federal government is not running a cheap motel, Colonel."

He ground his teeth but said nothing. Walker was trying to hide her amusement, he noted sourly.

"ISI's rogue surfaced at your home about ten minutes ago, Casey," she continued. "Mr. Bartowski's sister called the police when she saw Ms. Delaney breaking in. Needless to say, the LAPD believes they are dealing with a hostage situation since they can't get in and Ms. Delaney can't get out. Leave Miss Adderly in Castle and go find a way to get this situation contained, preferably before the media arrives."

"Walker, stay with Riah," he said as soon as Beckman disconnected. "Bartowski, you're with me."

"Maybe I should—" Chuck started to say, but Casey cut him off.

"I need you to deal with Ellie," he barked.

He was further annoyed that he had to go get his shoes. He tucked his shirt in and folded back his shirt cuffs. He considered putting on the Buy More polo, but that didn't seem like a good idea. As he bent and kissed Riah, he told her, "Call Ellerby and see if she can do anything to help."

It was a circus when they got there. He told Chuck to find Ellie and sent him ahead. He walked up to an officer and asked who was in charge. He sighed as a television truck pulled up across the street. The officer looked at him oddly, and Casey opened his wallet and showed his driver's license to the man. "I live in the apartment you were called to."

The officer spoke into his radio, and then he waved Casey at the courtyard. A police sergeant intercepted him. "You in charge?" Casey asked.

He shook his head and pointed at the man he said was his lieutenant. Casey walked over to the other man and pulled his other wallet out. He showed the man his badge and ID. "There's sensitive equipment and material in that apartment," he said. "I need you to get your men out of here and let me get mine in."

"There's an intruder in there, and we're about to go in," the lieutenant told him.

"You're going to wind up with several dead officers if you do," Casey said on a low growl. "The federal government spent a lot of money making the place assault-proof. In addition to putting up a neon sign advertising what it is, you're going to get good officers killed. I'm ordering you to call your men off and let me put mine in."

"Who the fuck are you?" the lieutenant snapped.

Casey dropped his voice, opened the wallet one more time and said, "I suggest you read it this time, asshole. I'm Colonel John Casey, and that's my apartment." The lieutenant's eyes dropped to the badge and ID. "The media are arriving, and if you don't shut this down, you're going to blow two years' worth of work. I'll have the intruder dealt with."

"I can't let you—"

"You will." Casey gave him a glare. "The intruder is a foreign spy."

Mona Ellerby and five operatives wearing FBI vests approached them then. Part of Casey wondered how they got the vests, and part of him admired the fact that they would raise no red flags in those the way they would have if they wore ISI vests. Under the circumstances, he was also going to ignore the fact that ISI technically had no jurisdiction there. "Colonel Casey," she said quietly so that her voice didn't carry. Casey had noticed that the residents had been moved out of the courtyard and across the street from where he and the lieutenant stood, so it was only the cops who might hear. "I understand you have my fugitive cornered."

She held her ID up, and so did her operatives. "We'll take it from here, Lieutenant." The man heaved a disgusted sigh, said nothing about the discrepancy between the vest markings and their IDs. "For the moment, hold your men in place. Under no circumstance are they to fire or try to enter the apartment. Do you understand?" The lieutenant nodded. She turned to Casey then. "Let's play this that you're helping us with the floor plan. We'll try to keep your status under wraps. Where's Mariah?"

"Safe," he said, and it occurred to him then that had she not gone back to Castle with them, if he had sent her home after the call with Beckman, she might well not have been.

"Who's Mariah?" the lieutenant asked.

"My fiancée and Delaney's target," Casey said.

LAPD shook his head in disgust, and Casey had a moment where he sympathized with the man. He wouldn't like being told to let the big boys take over any more than this man did. Of course, Casey was pretty much always one of the big boys who took over. Ellerby asked if they knew where exactly the rogue was. The lieutenant shook his head. Casey asked, "Have a laptop?"

Ellerby called one of her operatives over who had a communications pack. Someone had dragged a table into the entryway where they had cover. She set up the laptop so the screen faced the wall and looked at Casey. He very quietly walked her through connecting to the security feeds in the living room. He was going to have to change all the codes when this was over anyway—assuming Beckman didn't just move them out. Delaney was pacing the living room where she was trapped by iron bars when the laptop connected with the cameras, and Ellerby looked at Casey in amusement. "No wonder V. H. wasn't overly worried about Mariah's safety here."

"Your problem is that when you go in, she's got the ability to shoot you like fish in a barrel," Casey said. He looked thoughtfully at her. "Adderly tell you what happened to Parker?"

It took her a second to think, but then she nodded. "We don't have those."

He slid his keys out of his pocket as he leaned forward and pretended to look at the blueprints on the table. He set the keys down near her, flattened his hand next to them. "There's a black Suburban in the lot. In the very back, there's a black duffel. Get one of your men to bring it in."

She called over an operative and gave the order. Casey, still leaning over the blueprints, said, "Don't drop it." The man looked nervous, which amused Casey. The tranq guns were the most dangerous things in the bag. While they waited, he stood and crossed his arms. "You'll have to go in the front; there's no other accessible entrance."

"The windows?" she asked.

"Bulletproof," he said, "and it looks like she thought of that already since the bars dropped." He wrote down the code to lift the bars Delaney had triggered when they got inside.

"Paranoid much, Colonel?" Casey heard the amusement and ignored it. It kept him and Riah safe, and it could serve multiple functions in a pinch, including the one it was now—containment for a criminal.

The real FBI turned up, and Casey recognized the agent in charge. Al Richardson ignored Ellerby and asked, "What's going on, Casey?"

He quickly introduced Mona Ellerby and gave a succinct summary of the situation. Casey then looked at Ellerby and said, "I think it's time I stepped away before someone thinks to ask questions I don't need asked. Richardson, play nicely."

Casey joined Chuck and Ellie then, and Bartowski's sister stared at him. "What's happening, John?"

He sighed, put on his sweet neighbor act. "I had to answer a bunch of questions for them—where the furniture is, verify that the apartment hasn't been modified since the floor plans were filed." He shrugged. "That's all I know."

Casey was anxious, and not just because he had to take a backseat and let others do what he did best. He had reason to thank Riah when he saw her. The sensitive material was upstairs, and it wouldn't have been if Riah hadn't made her executive decision over a year ago. That didn't mean he wanted ISI and the FBI traipsing through his home. He also didn't need the attention. Someone would tell the press who lived there, and if he was very lucky, no one would do any digging around into the backgrounds of the two residents of that particular apartment. Then there was Riah herself. Delaney was there for her, after all.

Walker pulled up, and Casey nearly groaned when she and Riah got out of the car. He would have preferred Walker kept Riah out of sight. All he needed was for someone to spot her who shouldn't, but when she walked to where he leaned against a low wall next to Chuck, Casey opened his arms and let Riah walk into them, held her. She lifted her face, and he dropped an absentminded kiss on her mouth, his attention on Ellerby's maneuvers across the road.

Riah settled against him, her back to his front, and he crossed his arms over her abdomen. She wrapped her hands around his forearms and talked to Ellie while Casey studied the operation as they prepared to move forward. When he felt Riah stiffen and heard her suck in a sharp breath, he whispered, "What?" in her ear.

"The blonde reporter, dark pink suit," she whispered back.

He searched the press gang and located the woman she meant. The blonde was looking right at them. "Got her."

"Sandra Kirkwood."

As soon as he heard the name, he knew why Riah was upset. He gave Walker a look, and his partner distracted Ellie so he could talk to Riah without Ellie hearing, hopefully. The reporter Riah identified had been her father's mistress while Kirkwood still worked in Canada, and she had obviously recognized Riah. He watched Kirkwood turn to a cameraman and then wave for him to follow. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't think I have much choice," she sighed. "If I leave, she will assume I belong here. She's probably recognized Mona, so she'll think ISI has something going on. She's tenacious, and if she even remotely believes I'm involved in whatever's going on, she won't let it go."

He kissed her cheek. "Keep it simple."

"Thanks for not adding the stupid," she said, and he grinned.

"Mariah." Kirkwood oozed insincere sincerity, and Casey supposed they ought to be grateful she hadn't added her last name, which would have tipped Ellie off that Riah wasn't who she claimed.

"Sandra," Riah returned curtly.

"It's been a long time." The blonde flashed a perfect, white smile.

"Not long enough," Riah said, and Casey got a sinking feeling. Then it occurred to him that if she played it too politely, it might make Kirkwood suspicious.

"Who's this?" the blonde asked and sent a flirtatious look Casey's way. When Riah said nothing, she asked, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Things started moving across the way, and the cameraman distracted the blonde before one of them had to give up his name. She raced back across the street, cameraman in tow, and Ellie looked at Riah. "How do you know Sandra Kirkwood?"

Riah breathed in deeply. "She split my parents up."

Casey noted it was exactly the right thing to say in terms of distracting Ellie. He was amused that no matter how closed-mouthed Riah tried to be, Ellie managed to pretty much worm the entire story out of Riah in very little time at all.

Ellerby made good use of the information he provided, and it wasn't all that long before the operation wound to a close. Delaney was hustled out to a waiting car and driven away, all, apparently, without her having seen Riah. Ellerby did a mop-up, had Richardson deal with the press, and largely stayed out of Kirkwood's way. Casey wondered what they told the reporters about the people who lived in the apartment and about Delaney herself. He just hoped they didn't name names.

Ellerby sent the LAPD over to tell the residents when they could return to their homes, and Ellie asked if Riah and Casey wanted to come with them. Ellerby stopped them as they entered the courtyard and asked if Casey could come with her. He sent Riah with Ellie, hoped that would keep any lingering press from connecting her to the apartment, especially since he saw Kirkwood still lurking.

He did a walk-through. Nothing was missing, and nothing was damaged. Casey heaved a sigh of relief at that. The computer equipment had been off, so she had no chance to get any of the electronic information. Her one attempt had sent the security measures into effect. Casey sighed again. He had several hours of reprogramming to do, codes to change, and he didn't look forward to it at all. Maybe he could get Bartowski to lend a hand. He and Ellerby looked at each other when he finished his inspection, and she suddenly laughed. "Honestly, Casey, do you really need that much weaponry?"

"Honestly, Ellerby? This has been the damnedest assignment I've ever had." He took her through the other features, including the decontamination shower, and her eyes went round when he explained that he had actually had to use it. The arsenal above the fireplace had thrown her when he checked it, and he told her Riah had nearly set the place on fire when she tried to use the fireplace before he'd shown her the hidden gun safe.

When they were finished, he said a gruff thanks. She grinned and told him by her book they were even. As she stepped back out of the apartment, she turned to him and said, "You or Mariah had better call V. H. He's been more worried about Delaney and her possible friends than he ever was about Gray Laurance."

"Probably because Laurance never got his hands dirty."

She nodded. "Just call him and put him at ease, okay?"

He agreed and after she left with what remained of her team, he walked over to Ellie's apartment. Bartowski opened the door and stepped back to let him in. Riah crossed to him, and he pulled her to him, kissed her and held her close. Ellie came out of the kitchen and fired questions. He explained that they could go home, nothing was damaged or stolen, and Ellie shivered, said she didn't think she could ever feel safe again if someone had invaded her home that way.

Ellie was far more rattled than either he or Riah, so Casey lingered, mainly because he wanted to make sure Chuck wouldn't say something he shouldn't to ease his sister's unrest. About the time he thought he could get them out, Woodcomb came home, and they had to go through it all again. Casey's phone vibrated. Considering he didn't have it set for that, he knew there was a perimeter breach somewhere. He shifted, drew it out of his pocket, and kept his eyes on Riah's solemn face. He dropped a kiss on her mouth and said, "I need to take this," and stepped outside.

Sandra Kirkwood lurked outside their apartment, her hands curved over her eyes as she tried to peer in the windows. Maybe he should add some outdoor refinements to the security measures.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not at all bothering to hide the fact he was pissed off.

Kirkwood turned and gave him a very practiced smile. She stepped forward and thrust her hand out. "Sandra Kirkwood," she said, but before she could tell him her station affiliation, he crossed his arms and lifted a brow. She dropped her hand when it was obvious he didn't intend to take it.

"I know who you are," he told her.

"You live here, right?"

He nodded.

"Where's Mariah Adderly?"

Casey didn't move, didn't change expression. After a few moments, Kirkwood changed tactics.

"The intruder was in your apartment. I wondered if you would care to give me an interview."

"I'm sorry, Miss Kirkwood, but, no, I wouldn't care to give you an interview." He kept his voice pissed but polite.

She licked her lips and smiled again, a more intimate kind of smile, but Casey remained unmoved. "I didn't catch your name."

"It wasn't thrown," he said.

"That was quite a ring Mariah was wearing," she countered. "From the way you were holding her, anyone would assume you were the one who put it there."

Casey stared implacably back at her. Plenty of people knew they were getting married. If she knew, she would tell him. He was not going to give her any information nor was he going to confirm anything she might already know.

"I heard a rumor she's getting married," she added. "Some American friend of V. H.'s." She tilted her head. "You that friend?"

He considered telling her she was on private property, but he had a feeling she would only dig her heels in and then go digging deeper to find out who he was and what had really happened in that apartment that afternoon. He might be better off to continue playing dumb and hope she went away.

"I noticed Mona Ellerby was directing the operation."

"Who?" Casey asked. Two could play that game, so he sold his confusion. "Oh," he said after a moment, letting his feigned confusion clear, "the woman from the FBI."

Kirkwood opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it. He hoped she was about to give up. Instead, she regrouped once more. Casey weighed the pros and cons of eliminating her. It would raise questions, but since the woman had a reputation for sticking her nose in where it didn't belong, the assumption just might be that she had finally stuck it in the wrong wrong place.

"You're kind of cute," Kirkwood said with another smile. "In fact, you're exactly the type Mariah usually goes for. I'll bet you're the fiancé, and I'll bet you're an operative."

He was going to have to give her something, he knew. He would give a little but make sure it fell far short of what she was actually fishing for. He put his best earnestly honest look on his face and launched into an explanation. "Look, Miss Kirkwood. I live here. Someone broke in today, and my girlfriend is pretty spooked by that. I don't know what an operative is, though. I work at an electronics store."

She ran her eyes over him, and he was glad he was wearing clothes that didn't tie him to the Buy More. He could tell when she decided he probably worked as a manager or owned a business. There was still a speculative look in her eyes. The second he got her to leave, he would call Riah's father because he was certain Kirkwood would go fishing for who he was, and he was equally certain she would call V. H. He toyed with requesting rendition, certain Kirkwood wasn't a U.S. citizen and positive that if she continued to pursue this, Bartowski would be in danger.

Kirkwood narrowed her eyes at him a moment. "I've seen you before," she said. "It'll come to me. In the meantime, give my regards to Mariah."

He watched her walk away and palmed his phone. He called V. H.'s private number. "Sandra Kirkwood is going to be a problem," he said without preamble when the other man answered.

"She always is," V. H. sighed.

Casey gave a curt summary of the two encounters with the reporter. Then he said, "Talk to my boss about a solution."

"Is my daughter alright?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She's fine. By the way, thanks for letting her lend a hand."

"Mona tells me you showed your thanks by molesting Mariah."

Casey grunted. "Your daughter told her to tell you all about it in vivid detail." He turned to look over his shoulder at the Bartowski residence. "And let's get a few things straight about who molests whom. I can send you photographs of what your daughter did to me when we went to bed last night."

For once, Adderly was speechless. Casey waited, wondered if he had taken that a step too far. V. H. was Riah's father, after all, and the intimate details of their sex life were none of his business. Of course, that was the point, and Casey was more than a little tired of being told he molested Riah. "Who has Delaney?" Adderly asked when he finally recovered.

"Ellerby's team took her. If you want her isolated, we can send her where the Fulcrum agents go," Casey offered.

"I'll consider it when I get the official report from Mona."

Casey shot another look at Bartowski's apartment. "There's one other thing I probably shouldn't tell you, especially since it will piss Riah off when she finds out I told you first."

"Will it convince her to dump you and come back to Canada and marry a nice farmer in Manitoba?" V. H. cracked.

"Not going to happen," Casey assured him happily. "She's pregnant."

"See, I knew you were molesting my daughter," V. H. shot back. "Seriously, though, how's she doing?"

"That's one of the reasons I'm telling you before she does. She's scared to death, and things like what happened today don't help." Casey sighed. "She's three months along, and I don't think I would have convinced her to tell people if she wasn't beginning to show."

"She told her mother yet?"

"We're planning to do that tonight. I would appreciate it if when she calls to tell you, you would do your best to be supportive and not make cracks she can obsess over."

For once, V. H. was serious. "I promise to be supportive, and as an added bonus, I will refrain from saying anything about how your continued molestation of my daughter caused this."

So much for Adderly taking anything seriously, he thought. "For twenty-four hours, V. H., be supportive, okay?"

"Done," he agreed. "Congratulations, Casey."

"Thanks."

He wondered if he should knock when he returned to Chuck's or just walk in. He rapped on the door, and waited. Bartowski pulled the door open and stepped outside. "What was that?"

"Nosy reporter," he answered. "I took care of it."

Riah was sitting in a corner of the sofa, Woodcomb and Ellie sat on the other end, and Walker was in the armchair when he and Chuck stepped back inside. Chuck sat on the arm of Walker's chair, and Casey, as he had done Christmas, scooped Riah up and sat with her in his lap. She blushed when he kissed her.

Ellie said, "I thought I saw you talking to Sandra Kirkwood just now."

Riah looked unhappy. "She was snooping around when I stepped outside to answer the phone," Casey said. "She wanted an interview." He looked at his wife. "I sent her away." Riah relaxed again, but Ellie wasn't willing to let it go.

"That was just so weird," she said. "That woman broke into your apartment, and then she didn't try to get away. Any idea what she was after?"

Casey shrugged. "We have some electronics; Riah has some jewelry. Who knows?"

"All those cops, and the FBI," Ellie continued. "It just seemed like overkill for a burglar."

Chuck cut his sister off then, and Casey wanted to strangle him even though what he started would successfully derail Ellie. "Casey and Mariah have some good news, Sis."

Ellie's mind was obviously still on the break-in, and Casey watched his wife pale as she realized what they were going to have to say to distract her. Telling the other woman Riah was pregnant, though, was likely to take her mind off the break in, so as he gave Riah a resigned look, he noticed she realized the same thing. She looked over at Ellie. "We're having a baby."

Ellie squealed and launched herself at them. Casey still wanted to strangle Chuck as his back was pummeled by the sofa and Ellie's hands as she squeezed them both as hard as she could, but he decided he'd let the other man live. Ellie's husband, predictably, shouted, "Awesome!"

"When?" Ellie demanded when she finally released them.

"November," Riah said and then explained once more, as she had done for Chuck earlier, why they weren't moving the wedding.

Ellie asked who her doctor was, and when Riah told her, she was suitably impressed. "How on earth did you manage that? She's one of the best and virtually impossible to get in to see."

Riah blushed. "She's my aunt."

"Whoa!" Woodcomb said. "We studied her stuff when we had to do our obstetrics training."

"Celebrate," Ellie said, practically bouncing in her seat. "We have to celebrate!"

All things considered, Casey was tired, and he had a lot of work ahead of him. He looked across at Walker, and it was apparent she understood but also accepted that they would have to delay to keep Ellie off the trail. Oddly, Casey didn't mind the idea of celebrating Riah's pregnancy, though he preferred their personal celebrations. Before he knew it, and from Riah's bemused expression, things had moved along faster than she would have preferred as well, they all agreed to go out to dinner. "I need to change," Casey said. "How about we go do that and meet outside in about an hour?"

"You know," Walker said, "I should probably change, too."

When they were outside, Casey said, "Our place, Walker. While Riah changes, we can call Beckman."

Riah went upstairs while he quickly reprogrammed the codes in the security system on the door and then dialed up Beckman from the living room. The General was not happy when Casey told her he had walked Ellerby through accessing the security feeds, but when he went on to talk about Sandra Kirkwood, she acknowledged he had done the right thing. She told them to prioritize the reprogramming, reminded Casey she needed his report immediately on the Sherazi fiasco, and then paused. He and Walker had shot each other uneasy looks. "What?" the General demanded, having obviously noticed.

Walker took the lead. "Ellie Bartowski was on her way to working out that something was not right with the Delaney situation, and we used misdirection to get her off track."

"Misdirection, Agent Walker?" the General asked frostily.

Casey cleared his throat. "We gave her something else to obsess over."

"And what might that be, Colonel Casey?"

He could hear Riah on the stairs, so he decided to stall until she could join them. "Well, we're going out to celebrate."

Beckman leaned forward and gave them a very disgruntled look. "I fail to see how having your home broken into by a woman who was after your fiancée is cause for celebration, Colonel."

He slid his arm around Riah as she joined them. She took over the explanation as she leaned into him. "We told Ellie I'm pregnant."

Casey realized that statement had, for the third time that day, struck the hearer speechless. "Is this true?" the General finally asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and he couldn't stop the small smile. His boss was unlikely to be happy about this, and he wondered what further concessions she might insist they make.

"Are you alright?" she asked Riah.

"So far," she said. "I'm a little more than three months along, which, according to my doctor, makes it more likely I'll carry to term this time."

General Beckman sat back. "It appears, Colonel, that we have quite a few things to talk about, but they can wait a little while. I'll order the detention unit to continue to hold Miss Trinchina until further notice, I'm sending someone from the Los Angeles office immediately to reprogram the surveillance codes in your apartment, and I'll discuss reassignment of Miss Kirkwood with her employers." She lifted a brow. "You will provide me with my report by ten a.m. Washington time tomorrow, and you and Miss Adderly are to be available to me at seven a.m. your time."

Casey nodded.

"Congratulations, Colonel, Miss Adderly," she said then. "Take good care of your fiancée, Casey." The seal replaced her on the monitor.

"We've got about twenty-five minutes left," Walker said.

"I'll change," Casey said, dropping a kiss on Riah's cheek. "Do you need us to stall until you can get back?"

"I keep extra clothes in the trunk of my car," she said with a smile. "If you can let me use your bathroom, I think I can make the deadline."

He dragged his wife upstairs with him, and she perched on the side of the bed while he changed into clean clothes. He put on the charcoal suit he had worn for her birthday, but he left the tie off. Riah wore a green dress, one he hadn't seen before. "I had to do some shopping," she explained when he asked.

"You're not upset we had to tell Ellie, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It beat the alternative. We've still got to tell our families, though."

He leaned down and pulled her off the bed. "When we get home."

Riah drew him down for a kiss. "I thought we might make a quick call to our mothers now," she said softly.

Casey linked his hands in the small of her back. "I know what you're trying to do," he said softly. She raised her brows. "You want to distract them from the incessant wedding talk."

In truth, it was Ariel Taylor who was driving her crazy. Ariel had begun insisting that Riah had to choose a dress soon so they could finish working out details for decorating the hotel ballroom they had settled on for a location. Mariah refused to consider buying a dress yet. She told Casey she didn't want to buy something that might no longer fit when the time came. It made sense to him, so he didn't push her, despite several calls from her mother insisting he do exactly that.

"Misdirection worked on Ellie," she said with a smile. He noticed she didn't deny it.

"Who's first?" he asked.

"Jane," she said, and he fished his phone out and dialed his mother's number. She answered on the third ring.

"Mother? It's Johnny," he said. She chattered a moment about the family before she asked why he was calling. He grinned at Riah who smiled right back at him. "I thought you might like to know you're going to be a grandmother again." For once, his mother did shout enthusiasm. He answered her question about when, and when she asked, he handed the phone to Riah.

She looked nervous, sounded it, too, when she said hello to his mother. She blushed and thanked the other woman. Casey assumed his mother was offering congratulations. "He's taking good care of me," she assured his mother, and he snorted, thinking about the night before. "No, we told you first," Riah said next. That, he knew, would please his mother. "No, we're not moving the wedding up." She raised her brows at him. He pointed at his watch. She nodded. "I'm going to let you talk to John." A second later, she smiled and said, "Thanks."

His mother asked if Riah was really alright, and he assured her she was. She congratulated him, and he told her he loved her and goodnight. Riah was already fishing her BlackBerry out of her bag when he hung up. Her mother wasn't answering, so she left a message asking Ariel to call her. He considered telling her to call her father, but they were almost out of time. Adderly wouldn't mind if it was late when she called him.

Walker was downstairs when they came down. She wore pants and a slinky top. As she stood, a knock sounded on the door. He expected Bartowski, but it was the tech Beckman sent. Walker went on out to delay the Bartowskis a few minutes. The tech wore a uniform from a home security company, and after Casey checked his ID, he let him in, showed him the equipment downstairs, and scribbled his number in case he needed him. He steered Riah outside where the others waited by the fountain.

Casey had not expected to enjoy himself, given the company, but he did. It was different, he realized, when he was the one with something to celebrate. As the evening wore on, he found himself increasingly wanting to confess he and Riah were already married, but he remained silent. Ellie obviously envied Riah, and Casey wondered whether she and Ken Doll had considered starting a family yet. Ellie's attention was on Chuck and Woodcomb when Casey leaned in and kissed Riah and slid his hand onto her abdomen. When he released her mouth, she murmured that she loved him, and Casey leaned in to catch her mouth once more.

When Riah yawned for the fourth time, he suggested they call it a night. Walker went with the Bartowskis, and Casey led Riah home. The tech was still there, and Casey sent his wife upstairs while he discussed the work the kid had already done. He sent the man home, checked his work, and then changed the codes the tech had entered. When he finished, he swept for any surveillance he hadn't placed himself. He would never completely trust anyone else, and now that he had more than himself to worry about, he especially didn't trust someone he didn't know. He looked at his watch. It was still fairly early, but given the lack of sleep he was working on, he decided to join his wife and get up early enough to write Beckman's report before he and Riah met with the General.

Riah was leaving the bathroom when he reached the top of the stairs. He smiled at the short black gown she wore, especially since he didn't intend for her to wear it much longer. From the way his wife eyed him, he suspected it would only waste time for him to change, and when he led her into their bedroom, she ran her hands under his suit jacket and pushed the fabric off him. He didn't object to Riah's help removing his clothes, and at least she let him hang the suit up before she dragged him to their bed.

-X-

He lay sleepily on his back with his wife draped mostly over him and breathed in deeply. This certainly beat the night before, he reflected. Riah's mouth was on his throat, and she kissed along the underside of his jaw. When she reached his mouth, he opened for her. There was no heat in the kiss, but Casey wasn't really sure he was up to another round. He was quite content to just have his naked wife in his arms.

Riah kissed him again and murmured, "I could do with considerably less excitement than we've had the last couple of days."

He grinned and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. "We're spies, Riah. It's part of the lifestyle."

She snuggled into him, tucked her head into his shoulder and said, "Correction, Colonel. You're a spy. I'm just your wife."

Those words made him smile. His wife. He really liked the sound of that. "Regrets?" he asked when he thought once more about what she had given up to marry him. He started to worry when she didn't answer right away.

"I'm not sure," she finally said softly. "I'll miss it, but I think I might like having something close to a normal life for a change." He ran a hand up her side, but then she added, "Not that it's going to be that normal married to you."

He lifted his head and looked at her. "What does that mean?"

Her smile was wry. "You do tend to attract trouble, John, but I wouldn't have it any other way." She kissed him again, slow and soft, and that took the sting out of it for Casey. He didn't doubt she loved him, but he wondered again if she would come to resent that she had been the one to pay the price for them to be together.

Rolling her to her back, he propped himself on his elbows above her. "I think we both attract our share of trouble."

She nodded her concession. "Fair enough."

Casey watched her expression cloud. "What?" he asked gently.

Her eyes took on a wounded look for a moment. "I don't want our child to have the kind of childhood I did, John."

He gathered her to him, kissed her. He couldn't promise their child wouldn't be threatened, and she knew that. He couldn't promise they would stay together forever, either. His line of work was dangerous, and he had cheated the odds for over two decades. He was careful, thorough, but one day it might not be enough. She knew that, though, just as he knew that wasn't the part that scared her.

Her anxiety stemmed from twin fears: that their child would be threatened because of what they did for a living or that the job would break them apart. He would do whatever it took to see that the first either never happened or that the risk was minimal, and he told her that. The second, well, he just hoped the night before proved that they could work things out. "Preferably without the teeth and nails," he told her.

She gave a funny little laugh and pulled him closer. "No more surprises, John."

He kissed her rather than answer. There were things he ought to tell her, things that might shake the foundation of their relationship. She seemed to know most of the worst, and he didn't really think the rest would ever come to light. It was ancient history, for the most part, and most of it was buried in a grave at Arlington.

The kiss took a heated turn, and just as things were starting to get interesting, Riah's phone sang out. He nearly told her to ignore it, but he recognized her mother's ring tone. He knew Riah had to tell Ariel she was pregnant before his mother called the other woman to discuss the latest wrinkle. It was a little weird that the two women had hit it off so well, he thought, but it had also made things less stressful for his wife. Right now, less stress was good.

Riah fumbled for her phone, and he pushed up onto his elbows and waited. She looked nervous, and he realized that every time she had to tell her mother momentous news, she seemed scared to death. His default opinion of Ariel was that she was a spoiled bitch, but he had to admit that even though some of her initial reactions to matters related to her daughter caused either pain or an emotional retreat for Riah, she generally came around quickly to do what her daughter needed most.

He listened as Riah exchanged greetings with her mother and eyed him. He felt her tense as she worked her way toward telling Ariel her news, and he considered taking the phone and doing it for her if only to get her to relax once more. "I called to tell you you're going to be a grandmother," Riah finally said in a rush. Casey watched as she all but cringed while she waited for her mother to say something.

He listened as she reassured her mother she was fine, told her she had been to see Lydia that morning, and then said she hadn't told her father yet. She went on to say that, no, they weren't moving up the wedding. He heard an edge to Ariel's voice even though he couldn't quite make out the words. Riah held firm, though. "John's telling Jane," he heard her say, and he thought it wise that she didn't admit his mother had known for several hours now.

When the call was over, he kissed her. "Call V. H.," he told her. She sighed and dialed.

This call was easier for her than telling Ariel, probably because Riah still worried about the enmity that had been between Casey and her mother. She smiled when she listened to whatever her father told her after she shared the news, and he felt her relax. She listened a moment, and then she laughed. Casey quirked a brow, though he was glad V. H. was apparently doing as he'd promised and being supportive. As she listened, Riah's eyes danced mischievously up at him, and that was the only warning he had before she told her father, "I'm just glad all that hard work I put into molesting John paid off."

Not surprisingly, there was a verbal explosion from her father. Casey wondered what V. H would have to say when he called him—because he was sure V. H. would call him.

She finished talking to her father, turned off the phone, and wrapped her arms around him. "I really should call Emma, but I think it can wait."

He was perfectly happy to accommodate her when she pulled him down and fixed her mouth to his.

-X-

The next morning Riah fidgeted while they waited for the General to call. He was about to distract her when the video link came alive. "Colonel, Miss Adderly," she said tartly. "I received your report, Casey. Thank you for responding quickly. We'll talk to Miss Trinchina this morning, and if all goes well, she'll be back in Paris by tomorrow. I take it the reprogramming is finished?" He confirmed it, and then she folded her hands and leaned forward.

Casey felt Riah tense when Beckman did that, and he knew why. It was usually the woman's cue that she was about to either give an order or dress someone down. Casey was curious which it would be. "V. H. Adderly sends his thanks for our assistance in detaining Ms. Delaney," she said. "However, this is just one more in a long line of unacceptable threats for Mr. Bartowski."

"With all due respect," Casey began, but his commanding officer cut him off.

"This particular threat may have been directed at Miss Adderly, Colonel, but there's no denying that it could have had disastrous effects on the Intersect. After all, Delaney was there for Miss Adderly, and sooner or later someone is going to realize that Miss Adderly is not the source of the intelligence arousing curiosity and wonder who is."

Casey had a sinking feeling, and he wondered if Beckman was about to renege on the agreement to let them marry. Of course, they already had, but he had a feeling presenting his boss with a fait accompli would not mean that was the end of it.

"And then there is the issue of Miss Adderly's pregnancy."

Here it comes, he thought. Riah went rigid, and he slid his arms around her from behind. Beckman could take that how she liked, but he had no intention of letting her send Riah away—not now, not ever.

"Miss Adderly," she said sternly, "your father is rightly concerned about your health and your safety."

Casey gritted his teeth, concerned about them as well.

"Your father further thinks it might be best if you went home for a while."

Over his dead body, Casey thought. He was not going to let Riah be separated from him, and if V. H. thought he could manage that, he had another think coming—Beckman, too, for that matter. Riah's face turned up and back to look at him, and he saw her misery.

"Riah stays," he said firmly. He would quit if he had to.

Beckman's head tilted down. Had she been wearing her reading glasses, she would have been looking over their tops. "I quite agree, Colonel. Miss Adderly has proven useful. I see by your expression that you are considering behaving foolishly on her behalf." She gave him a hard look. "I refuse to let you behave foolishly, Casey. I also hope that parenthood will not unduly interfere with your ability to do your job."

He was reminded of the negotiations for their marriage. Riah had sacrificed to have him, and he was willing to reciprocate. He heard, however, Beckman's warning. His country had invested a lot of money in him, and he was good at what he did. He did not answer the General, though, because he wasn't sure he would give her the answer she sought.

She nodded at his continued silence. "Now," she said, moving to other matters, "will this news affect your leave application?"

"No, ma'am," he answered. She seemed surprised by that. "We couldn't find another date."

She nodded. "I assume you'll want to take paternal leave when the child is born?"

He hadn't really thought about it. He considered, and then told her that he would.

Beckman nodded once more. "We'll work out the details closer to Miss Adderly's due date."

With that, the conversation was over.

Riah looked at him, bemused. "Why am I worried that went so easily?"

It was a good question, but he had no answer for her. He considered her question, though, as they ate breakfast and waited for Bartowski so they could make their way to the Buy More and another day of retail hell.

The last thing Casey wanted to admit, he thought, as he watched Riah at the Nerd Herd desk that morning, was that there were any number of things he ought to tell her that could derail their lives. Then he reminded himself that their lives were unlikely to ever follow a smooth path.