Author's Notes: Here's another chapter. The story continues to find answers to the espionage and who's behind it, but the team felt the truth could be beyond their reach. Brad and Katherine are hoping to figure out what's truly going on in their relationship. The Agency employed Kyle after his return but others could be corrupt and he needed to find out the truth. Keep reading.

~o~o~

Chapter 9: Hidden Secrets

Still at the med lab:

Now sitting in the waiting area, near to Kyle's room, his friends were worried about Kyle since he returned to work.

"I thought I was the stubborn one," Katie said and sighed dreading the next conversation. "I have to tell you something that Sarah told me before you arrived."

"What did she say?" Brad asked.

"Apparently, Kyle has been dreaming a lot since he woke up from his coma."

"But why didn't Kyle tell us about this?"

Katie wondered if she should say anything about Kyle seeing his Father again, but he wasn't sleeping.

"What aren't you telling me?" Brad asked, worried at her silence.

Katie sighed again, paused and then came to a decision. "Kyle has been going through a lot these past months."

"Well, yes, we realize that. He got married quickly and now this. You know why, and it's not all about Sarah."

"You're very perceptive, Brad." She told him the truth. "Kyle saw his Father the other day, but he wasn't sleeping."

Brad stared at her shocked. "What did you say? Are you joking; he saw his dead Father?"

"Since he returned to Sarah, everything has changed for him."

"I'll say he's changed, he's... different," Brad thoughtfully said.

"He's still Kyle, but the coma changed everything. He's savoring every moment... as if," she hesitated.

"Like it's the last time," Brad finished for her.

They stared at each other.

"Brad, you're not saying." She couldn't finish.

"I'm not saying anything. Kyle knows in his heart how he feels about his life, but I will say this, we should support him and stand by him no matter what happens."

"Of course, we will," Katie said firm in her decision.

~o~o~

Katie's apartment the previous evening:

Brad couldn't take any more of this sneaking around. After Katie saved him yet again, and between their sly looks at work to their rescues together, he had to see her up close and personal but would she agree? He pulled the key from his pocket, knowing that she would, especially after she had given him a key.

He opened the door, not making a sound, and then he heard the shower running. In her bedroom, he slipped out of his clothes and opened the door. He stood there watching her, transfixed by her beauty, enjoying what he could see, wanting her like a starving man.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to join me?" Katie asked and peeked over her shoulder.

He didn't have to ask him twice then he removed the rest of his clothes and stepped inside. He at once took her into his arms and kissed her repeatedly. She returned his kisses, enjoying being in his arms like this.

"God, I've missed you, Katie," he managed to say between kisses.

"I've missed you too," she said, kissing him back pulling him closer.

Minutes went by, then kisses weren't enough. The warm water flowed down his back warming their bodies but not cooling their hot kisses and the need to get closer. The next thing she knew, he pushed her up against the shower wall, entered her body slowly loving the feeling of being inside of her once again. He buried his face in her neck and then began to move slowly, loving the feel of her, the taste of her skin, even her moans were turning him on. He never wanted to leave her.

He pulled away and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed, she licked her dry lips, then, "Oh, yes, right there," she got out.

"Right there?" He asked and pushed deeper loving this more than he could say.

"Yes, that's it," she murmured. Minutes later, it happened; they climaxed strongly. Katie buried her face in his throat to hold in her screams, but her moans were getting louder.

He kissed her passionately, diving into the warm cavern of her mouth. She kissed him back never wanting to stop. A few minutes later, their breathing returned to normal. He held her against him, and then, the words.

"We can't go on like this," he said.

She opened her eyes. "What do you mean?"

He left her body, then stood under the spray. She stood behind him and smoothed her hands over his shoulders, then down his arms. He leaned into her, loving being close to her.

"Brad, what is it?" Katie didn't know what to think.

He turned to face her. He pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I love you."

"Oh, Brad, I know you do." He was about to speak again. "I love you too."

He clutched her to him tightly. "What are we going to do about that?" He asked, needing to know.

She pulled away unsure what he meant. "I truly don't know. We have this and our jobs." Then it dawned on her. "Has something changed; why can't we go on as before, and?" She stopped at his look, but she truly had no idea what he meant.

"I should go." He stepped out of the shower, dried off and left the bathroom. She did the same.

Once in the bedroom, he slipped on his pants. "Are you leaving?" She asked, surprised he would leave like this after what they shared.

His arm in his shirt, he turned and there she stood, hair wet from the shower, a towel wrapped around her body, but her eyes compelled him, made him weak with his need to kiss her again.

"We'll talk later," he said and walked out.

"Brad please don't leave, please," Katie begged.

"We can't keep doing this," he whispered. "Good night, Katie."

"Brad, wait!" She hollered. Now wearing a robe, she stood at the door. "Come back, please." He stiffened, turned and his heart nearly stopped; she was beautiful, but he didn't say anything. "We should talk."

Taking a deep breath, he came back inside, walked over to the window and looked up at the night sky.

"Please tell me what's bothering you." Coming closer, afraid to touch him for fear he might run away again.

"It's just... I've been doing it wrong for too long." He paused as he stared at her. "I've never met anyone like you."

"Oh, Brad, I," she started, but he interrupted.

"Let me get this out." He took a deep breath. "I told you that I loved you and you said it back, and now you want to go on like before, like we don't have these feelings; I can't do it."

"What do you want to do? I'm open to any suggestion; if it's reasonable," she added with a slight grin.

He caught her look. "This is not funny to me."

She sobered. "No, it's not." She paused. "Well, I'm listening."

"How would you feel if we… share a place away from here, together?"

She frowned. "I gave you a key to come and go as you please, but I don't think the Agency would approve of us living together."

"It would be an adjustment for both of us, but they can't fire us."

"It's the Government; they can do whatever they want."

"We have contracts and there's nothing in there specifically about falling in love."

She couldn't help but think of their friends. "Is this about our friends and how they're living together?" Dare she mention marriage, but then she stopped at his look. "Is that what you want?"

"We both know Kyle and Sarah are married but she's not an agent." At her look of utter surprise, he continued. "Only a few people know the truth, but It's not common knowledge." He paused. "To answer your question, yes, I do want to live together; I truly do, but only if we both want it." He joyfully replied. Shocked that marriage would enter his mind, but he was in far too deep, but he didn't care.

She turned away and he followed her. At the bedroom door, she turned and watched him come closer.

"Katie, what are you thinking?" Brad asked and wondered if he'd made a mistake.

She had to grin at the nickname. "I can't lie to you; it has crossed my mind."

Thrilled, he came closer. "It has?"

"Yes, it has, but we should take it slow, only to see how it's received and then maybe we can move in together." Smiling, she came closer and placed her arms around his shoulders. "It doesn't matter where we are because wherever you are, that's where I want to be."

He grabbed her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She didn't mind, not at all. Then he pulled away. "I feel the same way about you." And then he kissed her passionately, and without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and took her to bed.

~o~o~

Present time the Agency:

It had been several weeks since employment at the Agency began, Sarah headed to work, dreading the next hour, but it was her luck that Bert hadn't arrived yet. She sat down, logged on and checked her messages, then her assistant came over to her.

"Sarah, welcome back. How's Kyle? Is he coming in today?"

"No, he planned a father son day."

"That sounds like fun." She glanced around. "Could I speak with you in private?"

"Alright," Sarah replied and followed her into a conference room.

"Can I speak freely? It's about Bert," Alice asked.

"Of course, what is it?"

"Everyone was quite surprised when he jumped on a plane to Germany and followed the team."

"Well, he found them and everything is fine."

"No, it's not fine. Sam Jones, his boss, spoke to him late yesterday afternoon."

"What did he want?" Sarah asked, intrigued.

"They met in Bert's office, then I heard shouting."

"Oh dear, is Bert in trouble for going to Germany?"

"I'm not sure, then Mr. Jones came out of Bert's office, fire shooting out of his ears. He was still upset."

"Well, I hope Kyle won't lose his job over this. He did the right thing."

"Everyone understands why Kyle didn't go on that mission, but Bert's motives are being brought into question."

"I see," Sarah said, unsure what was truly going on with Bert.

"I'll let you get caught up. Let me know if you need anything," Alice said.

"I will; thanks, Alice."

Back at her desk, she checked her messages again, and someone she hadn't heard from in years emailed her. A friend whom she had worked with in her dealings with Kyle and the police department, and her first few years out of college: William Douglas. He wanted to see her as soon as she could. She emailed him back as they set up a time and a place to meet for coffee in downtown LA.

Ten minutes later, she walked inside and she saw him. "Bill? Is that you?" Sarah asked and approached her old friend. They hugged each other.

"Hey, Sarah; you're looking well. I suppose marriage agrees with you," Bill said, happy for her.

Sarah wasn't surprised that Bill knew of their marriage. "And you are too; congratulations on your marriage."

"I'll say the same. So, how have you been?"

"It's a long story, but I'm doing all right. How are you?" Sarah asked.

Before he could answer her, a tall, strikingly beautiful woman walked over to them. Sarah noticed she's of mixed race. Bill stood up and kissed her cheek. "Hey, sweetie. Sarah, this is Angie, my wife. This is Sarah Reese, an old friend."

They shook hands. "It's nice to meet you. Bill talks about your 'exploits' in college."

"Oh, he did; did he? You promised never to mention that."

He chuckled. "I haven't said a word."

Angie sat down beside her husband. After everyone ordered their coffee, Sarah was curious why Angie was there. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Sarah asked and sipped her coffee.

"Yes, I wanted Angie here because she's an attorney and," he hesitated.

She frowned. "Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"No, it's not you exactly, but friends of yours," Angie replied.

She frowned again, confused. "Friends of mine?"

"Yes, Samuel Jones and Bert Young. We, meaning the FBI, have been checking their movements for a year," Bill replied.

"What?" Sarah was stunned. "You're with the FBI?" She whispered and glanced around. The coffee shop was empty at this time of morning.

"Yes, I've been on this case since the beginning, since I accepted the job."

"Well, congratulations, Bill."

"Thanks, Sarah."

"I can't believe this. Sam Jones reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, and Bert reports to him." Sarah put it together.

"Exactly; pretty far up." Angie said, then gave her the sad news. "The reason I'm here, Sarah, because if these two are caught executing 'black operations,' meaning covert intrigues that are not attributable to the Agency performing them, the entire department will be subpoenaed and questioned, meaning you, your husband, and all the agents involved."

"Hold on a minute, my husband and I haven't done anything wrong. In fact, he and I have been working together to find out what's truly going on with Bert."

"That's good. You can fill us in on everything you've found," Bill said.

"That's just it; it's speculation and rumors at this point."

"Well, per my sources, Sam and Bert as well, have been running as 'bagmen' and," Bill started.

"I know what that is: a bad agent who pays spies and bribes authorities," Sarah finished for him.

"Yes, we believe that either one or both have been doing this for a good long while."

"But why; don't they make enough money? It's always about money; isn't it?" Sarah asked, getting upset.

"Yes, it is, but there could be more to it," Angie replied, sounding evasive.

Sarah's cell phone beeped. "You need proof." She read the text. "I need to go."

"But we need to meet with you and your husband as soon as possible. Here's my card," Bill handed it to her.

"Thanks, Bill; I'll be in touch." Then she was gone.

~o~o~

Back at the med lab:

Once in Kyle's room, his REM sleep had ended and was now being brought out of the anesthesia. Sarah watched as Kyle was unhooked from the monitoring equipment. He was still a bit drowsy, but as he opened his eyes, he saw her. He knew she could read his thoughts, and her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't say anything.

He sighed as he watched the emotions play out on her face, then spoke briefly to his friends that he would let them know about the dream, after he had a chance to talk to his wife privately. His friends left him alone with Sarah.

He managed to sit up. Kyle tried to hold it in as she held him tightly around the neck. "Sarah?"

"Don't say anything; relax, you're still groggy,'' she whispered as he held her close. He lay back down, then she climbed beside him and pulled him close.

His eyes watered. "Please don't leave me," Kyle begged as the dream was still fresh in his mind.

"I'm right here," she whispered. He took her hand. "You can tell me about the dream when you're ready."

"I'll never be ready," he whispered, his meaning clears, then closed his eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears.

Her heart was constricted but she didn't show any reaction. "It was bad?"

He nodded, unable to say it.

She sighed and tried to be upbeat. "We'll figure something out." She squeezed his hand again. "We won't give up hope, alright, Kyle?"

"I'll try not to," he managed to say, but the tears were hovering waiting to fall.

"Everything is going to be alright." He didn't look as if he believed her. "Come here," she pulled him closer. He took a shuddering breath as he stroked her hair and back as she felt him relax. "Are you ready to tell me about the dream?" She didn't want to push.

He held her close never wanting to let go. "Alright, I'll try."

"Go ahead," she said.

Kyle closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and told her what he saw. "It was all mixed up. I couldn't tell whether it was the future or the past. One thing was clear... I died."

"Oh no, but that doesn't mean," she started.

"No, it doesn't mean that I'm going to die, at least not for a while," he said trying to be upbeat.

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Yes, the dream started out in the past; at least it appeared that way. Bert was there, but also someone I've never seen before."

"Was it Mark Anderson?"

He frowned remembering. "But now that you mention it; it was him. It wasn't clear where we were, but Bert and Mark were arguing, but I couldn't hear them."

"Anything else?"

"I think it was one of those employee luncheons, and the entire staff was there. I remember seeing Mark."

"Mark was there talking to Bert." Sarah then told him about her meeting with Bill and Angie Douglas, and the FBI's suspicions of Bert Young and his boss as well.

"Seriously; the FBI has been investigating them for over a year?" Kyle didn't believe it.

"Yes, but they need proof of their collusion and we may have that proof."

He shook his head. "My dreams aren't proof of anything."

"That's where you're wrong. You see, I've been thinking, Bert and Sam have been meeting at the Agency and outside as well, and I think it's about you and your ability to see the future."

That got him thinking. "Why do you think that?"

"Because you are the center of everything that's been going on. Mark escaped custody and Bert may have let him escape. The team rescued him after being tortured, and I know why that happened, because of you and your past with him."

"Mark doesn't know about my abilities."

"But Bert knows and he probably told Sam about it too."

"That does make sense, but I still don't get it. My dreams of the future are not foolproof."

"They don't know that. They think you can predict the future. They targeted you, wanted you kidnapped, only to gather secrets from future dreams. They didn't succeed because you decided not to go on the mission. It ruined all their plans because you are from the future."

He frowned remembering. "Mitch found out that before they were captured, Bobby was the one who wanted to kidnap me, only to sleep, to rest and always asking about 'top' secret technology and what I knew about it I think it all leads to Skynet and it's now activated."

"Exactly; they thought you knew about that, but you don't; do you?" She thoughtfully asked.

"No, I don't know how it works only that it exists, but who knows, at some point, I may have that ability."

"Kyle, have you seen anyone else besides... your Father?"

"No, I haven't, but it was the one and only time I saw... a dead person alive."

"Don't think about it. Close your eyes and rest for a while."

She stroked his forehead. "Bill Douglas, a friend, gave me his card, but we can schedule a meeting later today. How are you feeling?" She touched his forehead again.

"Only a little tired; can you stay?"

"Sure, I can stay. Once the doctor clears you, we can go home."

"I'd like that. Oh, is John still with my Mom? I miss him."

"Yes, he is and he wants to see you; he misses you too."

"Everything has been spinning out of control, but we all need calm in our lives to be a family."

"Yes, we need that the sooner the better."

They both smiled, in total agreement.

TBC!

~o~o~

Song Inspiration: We're Almost There, Alicia Keys.

A/N: Kyle being drugged is out there to probe his mind and his memories. Its true that psychic abilities were discussed from years ago on the Internet. Now tell me what you think. We're almost at the end, only two more chapters. Thanks for reading.