THE AGENT

BY

C PARADEE

Ebook by
PDAFiction.com

DISCLAIMERS

Violence Warning: This story depicts scenes of violence and their aftermath. Some violence is depicted graphically.

Domestic Violence Warning: This story has a reference to domestic violence. It is not graphic.

Hurt/Comfort: There is some of that too. If this is uncomfortable for you, you might consider skipping this one.

Subtext: This story depicts sexual relations between two women who are in love. If that offends you there are plenty of other stories you might want to read. If you are under 18 or it is illegal where you live, please stop and read no further.

Thanks: A special thanks to Lunacy for her help with beta reading, feedback, and most importantly encouragement without which this story might not have even gotten off the ground.

Comments. Questions and comments are welcome.

See the sequel  Dancing With Shadows

© October 1998

THE AGENT

PART 1

TONY VIGLIONI STRETCHED fluidly as she stood at the window waiting for dawn to arrive. It was her favorite time of the day. She had spent the better part of a month at the FBI barracks at Quantico, Virginia for debriefing. Tony didn't have a home in the real sense of the word. Her job had been infiltration and, when necessary, termination. This required ingratiating herself into the enemy's camp. Not much need for a home since her assignments lasted anywhere from days to months. For the first time in years she allowed herself to think of *civilian* life and wonder if she could survive it. Tony muttered, "Damn, damn, damn," and paced restlessly around the room, wondering where she would be sent and in what capacity.

Her thoughts flickered to the meeting with her boss six months ago. She'd approached him and said she wanted out. If he was surprised, he had hidden it well. He simply asked her why. She told him she was burned out and wanted to put roots down somewhere. She wasn't asking to leave the agency, yet she had silently added, just transfer to a visible job. He seemed to accept her answer and indicated she was already lined up for another mission. Once she completed that, if she'd had no change of heart, he would arrange the transfer.

Tony thought of the real reason why she wanted the transfer and smiled self-depreciatingly. On the mission before this one she had accidentally found out that although her report indicated this particular militant group was no threat to the government, the leader had mysteriously died of a heart attack within a week of her departure. Tony had learned the hard way that coincidence did not exist in her realm. So pulling in a few markers, she had confirmed her suspicions. That had started an unending rush of questions in her mind regarding every undercover operation she'd ever been on. How many times had groups and organizations she reported as no threat been dealt a deathblow? How many terminations had she participated in that maybe... just maybe... should not have been terminations? That thought still made her blood run cold. Her mind tried to reason, but it was always for the greater good... but whose greater good? another voice taunted.

A moment of dark humor released the thought of what John Q. Public would think if they knew what the Executive Branch of their government was capable of? Yeah, it was time to get out.

This debriefing had been a tough one. But Tony, ever the master of deceit and deception, a true chameleon in the corridors of power, had simply stowed her conscience and emotions into neat compartments of her mind, and convinced the FBI shrinks that she was carrying no excess baggage from her years undercover.

Looking inward, Tony snorted derisively at the deception she had pulled off. Continuing to prowl around the room, she shook her head and sighed, what's wrong with me anyway? It's a little late to be developing a conscience. Time to go for a run.

Moving gracefully across the floor to the dresser, Tony threw a silent thanks to whatever cosmic entity her share of the gene pool had come from as she looked into the mirror. Tony was undeniably beautiful. Tall and lean, her body was muscular but supple. Her high cheekbones and full sensuous mouth were offset by a golden complexion with black hair gently outlining her face and falling loosely over her shoulders and down her back. But her most striking feature was a pair of magnificent blue eyes. She exuded an essence that was powerful and physical in its impact, an aura dangerous yet exotic. Both men and women fell to her charm and Tony had been quite resourceful about using that to her advantage. It was just one of the many reasons why she was so successful in her line of work.

Dressing quickly she glided down the steps of barracks. Running always relaxed her and since she wasn't meeting with the Director until 9am, it was something to do.

Setting an easy pace, Tony's mind swirled with unbidden images and before the power of her will could close down these thoughts, she realized with sudden blinding clarity, in the nanosecond it took her mind to put the walls around her conscience and emotions firmly back in place, that she was scared. Tony poured on the speed.

Faster, faster, faster, her mind now unable to focus on anything except the rhythmic breathing required to keep the grueling place she had set for her body.

Megan rolled over and hit the snooze button again on the alarm clock. She tried to force herself awake asking herself the same question she did every day, why does morning come so quickly?

After languishing in bed another five minutes, Megan dragged herself up before the alarm could go off yet again. She ambled slowly out to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker thinking that if the darn timer hadn't quit working it would be ready.

Megan loved her job, but acknowledged wryly that it did cause her to lose a lot of sleep. Getting called out in the middle of the night wasn't exactly conducive to a good night's sleep. Megan knew that her body required at least 7-8 hours a night, and lately she hadn't been getting it. A serial killer had apparently decided to pick Cleveland as a base of operations. The killings began about four months ago and were becoming more and more frequent with the lapse only lasting two weeks this time. The police were stymied... they just had no clues to go on. The Coroner, Dr. George Whitehouse had been handling the case. But then he always handles the high visibility cases, she thought. That's why she had been so surprised to get the call last night telling her there was another victim with the same M.O. and that Dr. Whitehouse was unavailable. Megan's mood perceptibly darkened as visions of the body she had been called out to examine came flooding back in vivid detail. Shaking off the dark images, she headed for the shower.

Dressing quickly, she enjoyed a breakfast of coffee, orange juice and English muffins while quickly perusing the sports page for the Rockers' game highlights. Noticing they lost the night before, she threw down the paper, and headed to the parking garage.

Megan piloted the car through the orange barrels on the interbelt that had traffic almost at a standstill as she reflected on the unexpected turn of her career a year ago. Who would have thought she'd be the Assistant Coroner at the ripe old age of 27? Always an optimist, Megan had started medical school with the altruistic idea of being able to help people, until that fateful day when a classmate of hers had become the victim of a senseless violent murder. It was almost as if some unseen piece of a puzzle fit into place in her mind and she realized she could accomplish much more good by doing her part to stop the senseless killing. From that day forward there was never a doubt in her mind that forensic pathology was the way to do that. She pictured her parents' reaction to her proclamation and smiled... shock, pure and simple. It's not that she was that close to her parents anyway, but her mother's approval had always been important to her. Her father... well that was another story and she wasn't about to entertain it now and ruin a perfectly good day.

Megan hated the wanton violence. If she could find evidence to link someone to that violence then the cycle wouldn't be repeated... at least not by the same perpetrator, she mused. After completing her training and residency in record time, she was offered a job at the Coroner's office. She accepted and became single-minded in her quest for evidence. Things overlooked by the other pathologists didn't escape Megan's scrutiny. The quantity and quality of evidence the police received from the Coroner's office took a drastic upward swing that didn't go unnoticed by the police or Dr. Whitehouse. As a direct result, Megan was promoted over her co-workers. There had been some resentment, but Megan reasoned if some of the others had been more diligent, it wouldn't have been her that got the promotion.

What Megan didn't know was that Dr. Whitehouse was a political creature and by promoting the young woman he was actually covering his own back. Since she was the golden girl of the media and the police, she was the logical choice, and it gave him a scapegoat should the need ever arise.

Megan parked and exited the car, proceeding to the door of the squat brown building that housed the Coroner's office and morgue. The early morning sun accented the red highlights in her blonde hair causing her hazel eyes to appear green. She was totally unaware of the eyes that tracked her small lissome body, noting the slight bounce to the beautiful woman's step, while dispassionately taking in her attributes.

Tony arrived back at the barracks in total control once again, feeling pleasantly tired and relaxed after the run. She quickly showered and changed into a simple black suit, the skirt accenting her body, but not outlining it, with a white blouse open at the neck complemented by a gold rope chain and matching earrings. She judiciously applied a touch of makeup and headed out the door to the meeting.

Huey Straton sat at his desk drinking coffee and contemplating the upcoming meeting with one of his most talented agents. Raking a hand through his thick gray hair he thought about Tony's request and wondered if she understood the implications of it. He would grant the request. She had certainly earned it. But he questioned her ability to adjust to the mundane daily existence of an ordinary FBI agent. He also had doubts about the reasons that she had given. They just didn't ring true. Tony loved the excitement of the chase. She lived her part until she believed it herself. The real person was buried under years of alternate identities, and role-playing. Did she even know who she was anymore? Huey wondered. She had passed the psychological debriefing with flying colors, but he'd expected no less. This was not just any agent. This was Tony Viglioni master of the game. He sighed, wondering what was really up with her and told his secretary to send her in.

"Hi Tony." Huey smiled, leaning back in his chair and taking in the agent's beauty with an appreciative look.

"Hey Huey. How's it going?" Flashing a quick smile in his direction, she strolled over to the chair facing the desk and lowered herself into it.

"Good. You have any second thoughts about your request to transfer out of covert operations?" he said, pinning her with his eyes while unconsciously drumming his fingers on the desk.

"Nope. This is something I really feel like I need to do." Crossing her legs, she added, "Change of pace, ya know?" quirking a crooked little smile.

Smirking Huey replied, "That has to be the understatement of the year."

Standing and walking around the desk, he leaned against the front of it, peering intently at Tony, and continued, "Do you understand just how big a change of a pace you're looking at here?"

Tony winked to ease the tension and said, "Now Huey, have you ever known me to fail? Besides I have many skills. Anyway, this will be easy considering some of the assignments I've had." You have no idea how much I realize what a big change I am jumping into. . . how out of control I feel. I just hope I can handle it. "And besides I know you're going to give me a really good job to get my feet wet in, right boss?" she teased.

Huey grinned at the confident young woman sitting in front of his desk, smiling sassily, making a career move that would have a major impact on her life and acting like this was something she did every day.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I have a perfect opening for an agent in the Cleveland office..."

"Cleveland? What's wrong with LA or San Francisco or even the Windy City? Why Cleveland... what's in Cleveland?" Tony grumbled, raising one eyebrow so high it was lost under the cover of her bangs. Surely he's joking.

Huey pretended not to notice the incredulous look on her face and continued, "Look Tony, Cleveland's been ignored for too long. I need some talent there and you're it. He smirked and then added, "Besides they do have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

"Oh please... spare me," she replied with an exasperated sigh.

Laughing, Huey continued, "You'll start off by working with the locals on a serial killer case. With your background, you're perfect for the job. You get into the heads of the bad guys better than anyone I know, and they are having a real problem there. It appears our killer isn't leaving any clues. I've arranged for you to report tomorrow to Michael Braxton. He is the head honcho. He'll go over the case with you and then introduce you to the locals. Any questions?"

Tony almost rolled her eyes at the notion of her tracking down a serial killer. This is what you asked for, right. This is what a regular FBI agent does, right? OK, so what's the problem? Her mind taunted. Saying, "No questions," she stood to leave.

"Ok, good luck and..." Huey began.

"Yeah?" Raising an eyebrow in question, she turned back toward him.

"If you change your mind, just call me," he finished.

"That isn't gonna happen." Pausing, she added, "But thanks anyway," and waltzed out of the room.

Huey shook his head behind her. He realized that even though he'd known her several years, he still wasn't immune to her charm. He silently wished her well. If he had to lose her, at least he'd get some leadership ability in the Cleveland office.

Megan walked into her office and checked for messages. There were two, one from Dr. Whitehouse, and one from Sgt. Brian Davies of the Cleveland Police Department. She picked up the phone to call Dr. Whitehouse first.

"Dr. Donnovan calling for Dr. Whitehouse."

His secretary, Hilda, placed her on hold and she started humming along with the canned music. Megan knew she couldn't carry a tune of her life depended on it, a musician she wasn't, but that little detail wasn't about to stop her from contributing to the vocal.

"How are you this morning Dr. Donnovan?"

Somewhat startled at how quickly he answered, Megan replied, "Fine Dr. Whitehouse. What's up?"

"I've decided to assign you the Shadow case. My schedule is too busy to handle it personally. Stop in and Hilda will give you all my files on the case. I understand there was another body found last night."

"Yes there was. It appeared on gross examination at the site of the crime scene to be the same perpetrator. I'll go ahead and do the autopsy this morning. Do you want me to copy you my findings?"

"No, I'll access your report from the computer. I've got enough paperwork covering my desk without adding more to it. Do you have any questions?"

"Not right now," she replied with a small frown creasing her forehead, "but I may after I look at the files."

"My files are very concise. I really don't think they will need to be expounded on," Dr. Whitehouse stated pointedly.

Whoa... what a crab. "Ok, fine. Anything else?"

"No. Good Day."

"Bye."

Wonder what his problem is? I guess I know why I got sent out last night when everyone knew it was Dr. Whitehouse's case. Mm... it's not like him to turn over a high profile case. I wonder what gives.

Megan then returned Sgt. Davies' call while powering up the computer to take a look at the four previous autopsy reports filed by Dr. Whitehouse.

"Dr. Donnovan, Sgt. Davies here. I understand you're handling the Shadow case."

"Yes, as of this morning, it is my case." Interesting that he knows that already. "What can I do for you?" she asked, propping the phone on her shoulder.

"I'd like to meet with you to discuss your findings on the victim found last night."

"I'll be doing the autopsy this morning. You're welcome to attend. Otherwise, I'll call you when I'm finished." Megan absently replied while scanning the computer for the autopsy reports on the previous victims.

"Fine. I'll be expecting your call."

"Goodbye."

Each of the four autopsy reports showed suffocation as the cause of death. Each victim had extensive bruising around the neck, and then the neck had been broken. There was no evidence of sexual assault. Megan just didn't understand. Why hadn't any of the victims fought back? There were no hair fibers or clothes fibers. Nothing at all to link the perpetrator to the victim. She decided the Shadow, which the press had dubbed the killer, was appropriate. It was like a shadow appeared, killed the victim, and then disappeared. She knew how unrealistic this illusion was, but she had a vivid imagination and had no problem putting it to good use.

This is going to be a tough case. So what else is new. Besides when did I ever let that bother me? With that thought in mind, she went to the locker room to change into scrubs so she could get started.

Once the autopsy was completed, Megan did a gross examination of tissue samples. Like the other four cases, there was no apparent evidence to be gleaned. The fingernails were clean. There were no hair or fabric fibers, and no unknown substances... nothing. She sat on a stool looking at the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that had so far failed her. There just had to be something she was missing. But what? The only thing she could think of to do that Dr. Whitehouse had not done was order a complete toxicology work up. He had ordered the usual abbreviated one. She really didn't expect this to show anything, but was ready to grasp at straws. Megan knew she was likely to incur the wrath of Dr. Whitehouse for wasting taxpayers' money with the expensive test so she decided to make it worthwhile and added a Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) test also.

Changing back into her street clothes, she went to her office and began to prepare her preliminary report.

"Hey Doc..." came the teasing voice from her doorway.

Smiling, she looked up. "Mark, how many times do I have to tell you it's Megan?"

Grinning easily, he winked at her and replied, "Ok, Ok. So what tidbit do you have for this lowly reporter struggling to survive his purgatory on the crime beat?"

Rolling her eyes, "Since when haven't you loved the lure of the police scanner? I think you beat the police to the scene half the time."

"Guess I'm busted," he laughed and continued, "but I heard the Shadow case is now yours. How'd that happen?" Mark Potter was handsome in a rugged sort of way. He was somewhere around 6 feet, with wavy chestnut brown hair trimmed to a fashionable length. He had an easy smile and a charming manner. His chin was square and he was always sporting a five o'clock shadow no matter how many times a day he shaved.

Megan answered absently, "Just lucky I guess." She was still wondering why herself. And she particularly didn't like the fact that everyone in the city seemed to know it was her case almost before she did.

"So what did the autopsy show?"

"Mark, you know very good and well I can't discuss that with you," she said, smiling to take the sting out of the words.

"Oh come on, I'll just quote an inside source," he persisted.

"Oh that's just great. Everyone in the city seems to know I've been assigned this case and you're going to quote an inside source. Get real will ya," replied an exasperated Megan.

"Sorry, you're right. I was really being inconsiderate. Can I make it up by taking you to dinner tonight?" he asked hopefully.

Looking at the figure in her doorway, Megan silently sighed. She like Mark and considered him a friend, but she knew he wanted more. Going to an occasional movie or out to eat as long as she paid her way was ok. But she wondered if he was ever going to understand that there would never be a relationship other than friendship between them. God knows she had told him enough times. If nothing else he was tenacious.

"I know you didn't mean any harm. You're just doing your job. So dinner isn't necessary, and besides, I already have plans for tonight," she said, feeling guilty about the little white lie she uttered.

"OK, you can't blame a guy for trying. If you do find out anything you can let me have, would you give me a call?"

"Sure Mark, I always do."

"Later," he replied sauntering out of the office.

"See ya Mark."

Megan turned her attention back to the report she was working on. She wasn't looking forward to calling Sgt. Davies and telling him the autopsy results were negative.

Finishing the report, Megan placed the call, "Dr. Donnovan here. I just wanted to let you know that the preliminary autopsy report hasn't yielded anything new. Death was by strangulation and then the neck was broken. Time of death between 2300 and 0300. Preliminary reports on the blood, toxicology and tissue samples won't be back until tomorrow," she reported clinically.

"Ok, thanks. I guess I wasn't really expecting much on this one either. Seems our killer is extremely clever. But then the organized serial killers usually are. Be sure and let me know what the tests show."

"I'll fax the results tomorrow..."

"Oh, Dr. Donnovan," he interrupted, "one more thing. Apparently the Mayor decided we weren't making enough progress on this case so he called in the FBI. I thought you should know because you'll probably get a call from them. The Mayor made it perfectly clear we are to cooperate fully."

"Thanks for the warning," she replied and hung up the phone. I wonder if that's why I got this case. Dr. Whitehouse hates working with the FBI. They always tell him what to say or not to say to the reporters. He hates being told what to do. Somehow that just doesn't seem like a good enough reason, though.

Tony was glad to see some of the outlying suburbs of Cleveland approaching as she drove her new 1998 Buick Regal GS westbound down I-90. Needing a car, she had opted for something with soft lines but not overtly sporty. She wanted something that would be fairly nondescript and with that thought in mind she chose jasper green metallic. She had tested the ability of the turbo charged engine during the day and been pleased with the results. Yeah, it would do, she thought popping out the CD and turning the radio on.

The thought of going into this assignment blind made her distinctly uneasy. When doing infiltration, she had always been provided a complete dossier on the target. So when the game began, she knew the players. Their likes, dislikes, families, friends, job, hangouts, amount of money they made, what they had claimed on their IRS forms over the years, previous military or law enforcement experience, basically everything. With this information provided, it was easy enough to either befriend someone in the target organization or stage an incident that would call her to their attention and wait until they made contact. Which they always did. Even on wet operations, the information only provided on a need to know basis, it was still always sufficient to get the job done. Tony reminded herself that she was not working undercover anymore and that she didn't need the support system of the infrastructure to find a serial killer. Somehow that thought did not ease her concern.

Driving along the Lake Erie shoreline, Tony noticed the boats and yachts docked at the various piers along the lake. Maybe there are some redeeming features in this town after all.

Singing along with the songs on the soft rock channel, she exited following the directions she had been given to the Marriott and parked her car in the underground garage. She grabbed her luggage and headed for the elevator.

Checking in, she was given a message from Mike Braxton requesting that she call when she arrived. Stuffing it in her pocket, she quickly took in her surroundings falling into the old habit of checking the layout. The locations of the doors, stairs, and elevators were of primary importance. This attention to detail had saved her life more than once.

Turning her attention to the desk clerk as he informed her, "The pool is open 24 hours a day, and on the Club floor there is a fitness center that is open from 5am to 11pm. The dining room closes at 10pm, but the sports bar is open until 2am. Handing her a key card, he said, "You're in 305. Just go down that hall to the elevators, go up to three and turn left. The room is near the end of the hall. Do you need help with your luggage?"

Shaking her head no, she thanked the clerk and went to find her room. All she could think of was a nice hot shower to wash the road grime off. Then perhaps a martini and Caesar salad for dinner. Might even get a chance to start that book she'd been carrying around for over a year. What was it? Oh yeah, The First Wives' Club.

Feeling much better after her shower and dinner, Tony picked up the phone to call Mike as she downed her martini. "Agent Viglioni calling for Mike Braxton."

"Hi... mind if I call you Tony?" He continued, without waiting for a response. "Welcome to Cleveland. How was your drive up?"

"Not too bad," she automatically responded while trying to get a fix on the character behind the voice. "I'm looking forward to getting started."

"Well we're glad to have you aboard Tony. We've been very shorthanded lately. You will be handling the serial killer case. There was another victim last night, same MO. I'll brief you on it in the morning." He silently hoped this agent would last longer than the last one. He had only lasted three months before getting caught in the cross fire of a gang war. For some reason no one took a Cleveland assignment seriously.

"I'll meet with you at 9:00 a.m.," adding, "that's room 640 in the Federal Building." Not knowing Tony had already ascertained the location of the FBI office.

"I'll be there," Tony said before hanging up the phone. Walking over to the bar, she fixed another martini, picked up her book and gracefully lowered herself to the sofa, totally relaxing for the first time all day.

Megan finished up her workout at Bally's and decided to stop for Chinese on the way home. She always went to the same place because the food was good and they didn't use Msg. Arriving home, she parked in the parking garage and started making her way to the elevator.

Her neck prickling, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, Megan stopped and turned around, scanning the garage carefully. There was no one there. She could have sworn someone was watching her. Megan hated deserted parking garages. She had autopsied too many cases that were the result of them. But lately the garage seemed almost malevolent. Clearly her overactive imagination was at work again. But this wasn't the first time, a small voice in her mind spoke. Ignoring it and trying to shake off the feeling, she proceeded to her apartment.

Eating her dinner, Megan's thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Mark. She never lacked for dating opportunities, but she turned most of them down. She thought about her two engagements, both to the same guy. She had loved Ray, but something had been missing from their relationship. She was the one who broke off the engagement both times. She still wondered why she had felt so threatened by the idea of marriage to him. She just knew it wasn't right for her. What she had never figured out was why. Now when she dated, she always stopped short of a relationship. Being a romantic at heart, she guessed she was just waiting for someone to sweep her off her feet. Well you better quit turning everyone down or it's never going to happen, her mind voiced her unspoken thoughts. Not knowing why she felt so melancholy tonight, Megan decided to lose herself in a book. She picked up Montana Skies by Nora Roberts and was quickly captivated by the story.

Bolting upright, the pounding of his heart in his chest threatening to explode as his lungs struggled for air, he ripped the tangled sheets away from his sweat-covered body before realizing it was only a dream. Finally able to catch his breath and slow his breathing down, he slowly gained control.

It was wrong. It was too soon. It had only been a couple of days. The nightmares shouldn't be back yet. Panic reared its ugly head, and his mind fought for control. Get a grip. Panicking isn't going to help. With an effort that was almost physical in its intensity, he was able to shut the panic down.

Walking over to the sink, he poured a glass of water drinking deeply. There would be no more sleep for him this night.

Tony was up early after spending a fitful night. Donning a pair of shorts and T-shirt, she headed to the fitness center.

A couple of hours later, feeling the pleasant tiredness associated with a good workout of well-toned muscles, she reentered her room.

Tony knew that today was important in setting the tempo at her new job. Deciding on the subtle power approach, she showered and blew dry her hair. Dressing in a blue slack suit, offset with an ice blue blouse, she sparingly applied makeup. What else... oh yeah... the not so subtle height intimidation thing, smiling she donned 3 inch spiked heels.

Hailing a taxi, Tony looked out at the city on the ride to the federal building. Taking the elevator to the 6th floor she located the FBI office and entered. Looking at the large room divided by cubicles, she headed over to the closest desk and asked to see Director Braxton.

John Austin looked up to address the woman speaking to him and had to consciously struggle to keep from gaping. He took in the image appreciatively, and thoughts best left unspoken ran through his mind. "It's right down there on the left."

"Thanks," Tony answered, smiling easily. Turning down the row indicated, she was well aware of his eyes following her.

Tony entered the office and asked the secretary to see the Director. Taking a seat, she waited.

Mike Braxton had carefully gone over the file on Tony Viglioni. The problem was that it had revealed very little. The picture showed an attractive brunette. She was 30 years old. Had graduated Summa cum laude with a major in Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice. Immediately upon graduating she had entered the FBI Academy at Quantico. She had graduated at the top of her class breaking many of the previous records in self defense, infiltration, hostage negotiation, and marksmanship. It was here that things became sketchy. Her file indicated she had been assigned to the Washington, D.C. office for the last eight years. Mike was not a fool. This record had been cleansed. That could mean one of two things. Either the agent had been involved in some major screw-up or else she had been involved in top secret covert operations. Whatever the case was, apparently Headquarters didn't think he had a need to know. Mike wasn't entirely happy with this lack of information, but he'd worked for the government too long to question the decisions of the higher-ups.

If there was such a thing as a stereotypical FBI agent, Mike Braxton fit the mold. Average height, brown hair cut short, clean shaven, conservative dark blue suit, white shirt, blue tie, black wingtips, a slight bulge under the jacket indicating a shoulder holster and no particularly distinctive features.

Calling his secretary and telling her to send the new agent in, Mike rounded his desk to meet Tony. Holding out his hand, he said, "Hi. Please call me Mike." He shook her hand, feeling slightly intimidated, and decided the picture in her file did not do her justice.

Tony smiled engagingly and said, "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Have a seat. Once again, we're glad to have you. When you are finished here, see my secretary for an in-processing packet.

Walking back and forth he continued, "We are currently very short staffed. Some of the operations we are involved with include a computer scam targeting old people, a counterfeit ring, and several bank robberies. One of our agents is out on disability and a gang war is looming. Monday the Mayor asked for our assistance in the serial killer case. In the interest of good relations with the local law enforcement agencies, we cannot refuse."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Your point is?" continuing to appraise her new boss. This is definitely a company man. What a wus. Well, did you really expect to be impressed? It's not like Huey didn't kind of warn ya and if he doesn't quit pacing back and forth in front of my chair I'm gonna have to hurt him.

Feeling control of the conversation slip away when she interrupted him, he replied, "I don't have anyone else to assign with you on this case. So you're on your own. I expect to be kept informed of all developments as they occur. Of course you will have access to all the FBI resources through the computers here in the office. Our job is to assist the locals', not take over their operation. I know I don't have to tell you how important it is to maintain good working relations with them. Your point of contact is Sgt. Davies. My secretary will give you the number." Thinking, God, she has presence. A very powerful presence. I'm glad we're not on opposite sides.

"Fine. Anything else," she inquired in a bored voice, just anxious to be out of this meeting.

"No, that will be all. The only agent in the office right now is John Austin. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Tony turned to follow him thinking, must be the guy by the door.

After the introductions were made, Tony received her in-processing packet and was shown to her cubicle. There was a small desk, a PC, and a filing cabinet. Laying the in-processing packet aside, she picked up the phone and called Sgt. Davies.

"Sgt. Davies, this is Tony Viglioni of the FBI. I've been asked to assist you in the serial killer case."

"I've been expecting a call from someone in your office. I have had a file made up with copies of the progress of our investigation so far. I have also included all the crime scene photos. I'll have a squad car drop it off. Once you review it, if you have any questions, I'll do my best to clear them up. Otherwise we will provide you with new information when we get it and will expect the same from you. What number can you be reached at?"

Tony gave him her number and rang off. Nothing like getting blown off by the locals, she mused. It was obvious the FBI was not very popular with the police department. But she didn't create that little problem and she would be damned if people were going to keep blowing her off. First her boss, and now this idiot.

Pacing around the cubicle, she slowly emptied her mind and thought focus. It was a technique that she had taught herself over the years. She was aware of her quick temper and knew that success in this endeavor relied on her tempering it.

When the packet from Sgt. Davies arrived, Tony quickly scanned the contents paying particular attention to the crime scene photos. Looking at the details of the crime scene photos, she tried to lock into the mode the killer must have been in. But there really wasn't enough to go on. All the victims had been killed between 2300 and 0300. All were of similar body type and age. All were killed near the Cuyahoga River. The autopsy reports indicated death by strangulation with the neck broken postmortem. There were pages of interviews with people in the area at the time, but no one had seen or heard anything.

Looks like I'm gonna have to start from scratch. The file indicated that the Assistant Coroner, Dr. Donnovan, was in charge of the case. The autopsy report for the latest victim was not in the file. Wanting to talk to someone who had been at the crime scene, she decided to start with the Coroner's office.

"Dr. Donnovan," answered Megan, while absently twirling a piece of hair in her fingers.

Tony thought the pleasant voice sounded young to be the Assistant Coroner. "Dr. Donnovan, this is Agent Tony Viglioni with the FBI. I would like to talk to you about the serial killer case. I can be there in 30 minutes. It won't take much time."

Megan took in the low-pitched voice, thinking, God, what a voice. It's almost... sexy. She loved to play a game with herself of what someone she hadn't met would look like in person based on their voice on the phone. She smiled to herself remembering an expose on TV about the women that talked on sex chat lines. Many of them worked out of their homes while tending husbands and children. Interestingly enough, most of them did not look anything like the voice would lead you to believe. This woman had one of those kinds of voices. With this in mind, Megan drew a picture in her mind of a frumpy, dour woman, 30-40, dressed in a severe business suit, probably gray, after all everyone knew the FBI didn't have any imagination, with her hair in a bun and wire rim glasses.

Smiling at the image, she replied, "Agent Viglioni, I am getting ready to go to lunch and will be tied up the rest of the day. How about tomorrow? I'm free at 3:30." The FBI had a reputation for coming in on a case, using the locals, and then taking all the credit for solving the case themselves. So she wasn't about to interrupt her schedule to accommodate the agent, especially since she hadn't even asked for time, but instead demanded it.

Tony was slightly taken aback. She couldn't believe the nerve of the woman she was talking to. She had a case to solve and no one wanted to give her the time of day. Thinking quickly, she lowered her voice half an octave and replied in her most compelling voice, "Dr. Donnovan, I really need to see you before tomorrow," she drawled, "I would be so grateful if you could find some time for me today."

Against her will, Megan was now thoroughly intrigued by the voice on the phone. Her inquisitive nature overcame her desire to make the FBI agent wait, but still wanting to control the situation, she replied, "I'm going to the Chef's Blend for lunch. I can meet you there in 15 minutes. Just tell the hostess you're meeting me. I'll do my best to answer your questions then. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Don't piss off the locals... don't piss of the locals... don't piss off the locals, Tony's mind chanted, remembering the words of her boss that morning and thinking just how much she'd like to throttle the pompous woman she talking to. She thought, focus, and felt the control beginning to slip back in place, just do whatever it takes. She replied, "I'll be there," hanging up the phone.

Megan stared at the phone in her hand thinking, that was abrupt, wondering if her curiosity about the woman behind the voice was wise. Snaring her purse on the way out the door, Megan left for lunch. She figured she would find out soon enough.

Tony sighed. She was not having a good day. Everyplace she turned, she hit resistance. She was used to getting her way and couldn't believe she had literally had to beg for a meeting with the... doctor, shutting the door on the more descriptive words that came to mind.

Now where is this Chef's Blend? What was that guy's name... John? Yeah that was it. Calling his name as she walked toward him, she said, "John, do you know where the Chef's Blend is?"

"Sure. It's over on Rockwell and E. 6th. When you leave here turn right and go up to Rockwell. Turn left. It's right at the corner of E 6th. Take ya 15 to 20 minutes depending on how fast you walk," he replied, wondering how she could possibly have a luncheon date already. She had just arrived in town yesterday. Talk about fast workers.

"Thanks. I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" she inquired innocently, flashing him a beguiling smile.

John said, "Sure," willing to do anything she asked.

Relaying her request, she thanked him again. Turning to leave the office she thought, if I'd have known I was going to have to go waltzing around downtown I sure wouldn't be wearing 3 inch heels. Quickly making her way to the restaurant, Tony told the hostess she was to meet Dr. Donnovan.

Megan was absently watching the door as she drank her iced tea. Several people had entered after her, but none had been directed her way. She noticed the hostess leading a tall striking woman down the aisle thinking, nah, couldn't be, and once again directed her eyes toward the door.

"Dr. Donnovan?"

Recognizing the voice, she drew her attention from the door, automatically answering, "It's Megan." Looking up, she found herself gazing into a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The sight rendered her momentarily speechless. No, no, no, it can't be. FBI agents don't look like this, her mind told her as her eyes disagreed. Normally, gregarious by nature, it was disconcerting to her to find she had trouble finding her voice to say, "Please have a seat," a smile touching her lips. Megan's thoughts continued to run wild. She's...  and for the first time in her life couldn't come up with a word to describe what she saw, finally settling on beautiful. As she tore her eyes away from the mesmerizing ones holding them, she finally broke the trance. Megan felt the quiet power that surrounded the woman. She didn't understand her body's strong reaction to this woman and figured it must be because of the disparity between the image she had created in her mind and the one standing before her.

Realizing the tall daunting woman was still standing, Megan knew she had one of three choices. She had been raised in a house where her father ruled by intimidation. She could be cowed or ignore it as she had when a child, or she could face it head on which she chose to do.

"Are you going to stand there and keep trying to intimidate me, or are you going to sit down?" she asked in a level voice, keeping a smile on her face to ease the impact of her words not really sure what to expect.

"Sorry," the word slipped out before Tony even realized she had spoken. Sitting down, she thought with amazement, I can't believe I'm apologizing to the same person I wanted to throttle less than an hour ago.

Actually, Tony hadn't been trying to intimidate Megan. Expecting to dislike the woman and be greeted with hostility she had found instead an open friendly face smiling up at her. She was so surprised that the vision in front of her could be the same woman she had spoken to on the phone, that her body had automatically taken over with the persona she was most comfortable with. Thoughts continued to run rampant through her mind, she looks so young... what a little wisp of a thing... what gorgeous eyes... she's so attractive... no beautiful... before she was drawn out of her reverie by Megan's voice.

Megan smiled as she said, "You aren't exactly what I pictured an FBI agent to look like."

Still somewhat off balance, a sarcastic comment flew to her lips but gazing at Megan's face and seeing only friendly curiosity she bit off the retort, and replied with a half smile, "And you don't exactly look like Quincy."

Megan laughed easing the tension.

"You know the cold lobster salad is really good," Megan offered while discreetly studying the woman across from her. Once she got over her initial reaction, her curiosity was sorely piqued. Goddess, she realized in a flash. A dark goddess, her mind added. That was the word she couldn't find when first confronted with the appearance of the agent.

Tony really hadn't intended to eat lunch. She merely agreed to the meeting to find out what she could about the Shadow case. But maybe eating lunch wasn't such a bad idea. The young woman seemed friendly enough and she clearly expected it.

"Sounds good," she replied to the suggestion.

After they placed their orders, Megan asked, "What exactly would you like to know?"

"Start with the crime scene. I've seen the photos but a first hand account would be much better," replied Tony, drawing her attention back to the reason she was here.

Megan's voice took on a clinical detached tone as she began her recital. "The body was laying lengthwise across the pier. At first glance it was obvious by the unnatural angle of the head that the neck was broken. The position of the legs and arms indicated that she was probably dead when she hit the ground. The clothes were also skewed in such a manner to support this. There was no indication of any struggle. I bagged the hands and checked to make sure that no one had moved the body and then began my examination. There was extensive bruising around the neck. Other than that there was just nothing else." The frustration obvious in her voice, she continued, "I did the autopsy yesterday. It confirmed my suspicion that the cause of death was strangulation. Similar to the other cases, the neck was a broken postmortem. I did send out a complete toxicology test including a GCMS." Megan then added for clarification, "It'll show any unusual chemical strands. The preliminary results should be back this afternoon. I really don't expect it to show anything, but I just don't know what else to do."

Studying the young woman across from her, Tony listened to her description and actions at the crime scene. Young or not, this woman was obviously very knowledgeable and committed to her work. She actually seemed upset at not finding anything. Tony found this unusual. Having dealt with her share of coroners, most did their job, turned over any evidence found to the police, and moved on. She seemed to be blaming herself for not finding anything.

Always pragmatic, Tony knew that evidence was not always easy to come by. Feeling a pang of sympathy, she decided to try to ease the Doctor's burden. Although why she cared was not within her grasp at the moment.

"Megan, you can't find something that's not there."

"I know. It's just so frustrating. I wish there was something else I could do."

"You've done everything you can. Now it's my turn. That's why I'm here. I want this case solved just as much as you do. Tell me about the other four victims."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you too much. This case was just turned over to me yesterday. Dr. Whitehouse was handling it until this last victim. I know where the victims were found and I read the autopsy reports he posted. They were basically the same as the one I did."

Smiling ruefully to herself, Tony thought, so she got this case dumped on her too.

"And Dr. Whitehouse is?"

"The Coroner. I thought everyone knew that." Megan was puzzled by the agent's apparent lack of knowledge.

Ignoring the comment, Tony asked, "Isn't it a little unusual to have the Coroner hand off a high profile case like this right in the middle of it?"

"It is very unusual." Twirling the straw in her iced tea, she decided not to elaborate.

"Do you have any idea why he would do that?" Tony persisted.

Now how do I get out of this one. Do I lie and say no? Or do I tell this very imposing FBI agent that he doesn't like the FBI? Oh well... she'll just have to get over it. "I think he doesn't like working with the FBI very much," she said, waiting for the reaction she felt was sure to come.

To her surprise, the agent laughed. "That's certainly not a novel concept."

At that moment their food arrived and Tony decided to relent in her questioning until they ate. The Doctor was correct. The food was excellent.

Giving her mind a break from the murders, Megan found herself totally fascinated by the woman sitting across from her. She's so intense... she seems almost dangerous. I wonder why she became an FBI agent. Guess I'll have to ask if I want to know. She seems perfectly content to sit there and eat and not say a word.

"Uh, Tony?" she began, waiting until she had her attention, "Have you been an FBI agent long?"

"Almost 10 years," Tony replied, not liking the turn of the conversation.

When it was obvious she was not going to elaborate on the answer, Megan continued, "Did you always want to be an FBI agent?" She had no idea her casual question would evoke memories Tony hadn't allowed to surface for years.

"What is this, 20 questions?" Tony snapped, regretting the words the instant they were out of her mouth. Seeing a shadow flicker across the face in front of her, she realized it really bothered her that she was the cause of it. Forcing the memories the question had conjured up back into the recesses of her mind, Tony began silently berating herself, that was really smart. All you've done is bitch about everyone blowing you off and then when someone tries to be friendly, you bite her head off. Real bright move.

"Sorry," Megan quietly replied looking down at her food. Guess I should've minded my own business.

Oh God, now what do I do... It's not her fault. "Megan," Tony began, waiting for her eyes to come up and meet hers before continuing, "I'm the one who should be sorry. There was nothing wrong with your question. I just don't like to talk about myself."

"No, it's ok... ." Megan interrupted.

Tony held up her hand and said, "Please... let me finish. Your question deserves an answer. I've wanted to be an FBI agent since I was 17. So I went to college and as soon as I graduated, I was accepted into the academy," she said, hoping vehemently that the young woman would leave it at that because she couldn't tell her anything more and didn't want to hurt her feelings again.

Turning the conversation away from herself, "What about you? Did you always want to be a forensic pathologist?"

Megan realized the agent was more a mystery than ever. She obviously was not a talker. But she was making an attempt, and her apology seemed sincere. She knew she had just received a peace offer. She also instinctively knew the agent didn't make many. So despite the earlier rebuff, she gave into her intuition about the woman sitting across from her as it dictated that she accept the offer.

"Actually, no." Megan paused at this point unconsciously making a decision, and continued, "I wanted to be a writer when I was a child. But things change." Not aware of the slight hardening of her voice at the last comment. "I decided I wanted to be a doctor in high school. Medicine seemed like a good way to help people. Then in my last year of medical school one of my classmates was brutally murdered. It was senseless. She didn't deserve to die. At that time I made the decision to devote my life to helping find the perpetrators of violent crime by finding evidence to link them to the victims. I knew I could do that in forensic pathology. So here I am."

Listening to Megan, she sensed an inner strength belying her appearance. She had not missed the subtle change of tone during the recitation and wondered what could have happened to make a potential writer turn to medicine. However it was obviously something she did not wish to talk about, and Tony understood that very well indeed.

"It seems you have been very successful." Tony offered noticing the slight blush at her words. She's modest too, filing that thought away for contemplation later.

Wanting to change the subject, Megan asked, "Do you have any other questions about the Shadow case?"

Surprising herself once again at being reluctant to turn her attention away from Megan and back to the case, Tony answered, "What are your impressions? Not your clinical findings. YOUR impressions. Is there anything that doesn't fit, or that you're not comfortable with?"

"The only thing I can think of is that the victim seems to be dead before hitting the ground. When someone is strangled, there are always signs of a struggle of some sort. The shoes may be scuffed, the clothing torn or dirty, fingernails broken, that sort of thing. There were absolutely no signs of a struggle and I just don't see how that's possible when someone is fighting for their life. It's as if they are lifted up into the air, killed, and dropped onto the ground. Sounds silly, huh?"

"I'll admit it's puzzling. But no, it doesn't sound silly at all. Is there any possibility the victims may have been killed somewhere else and then moved?"

"No. There was no indication that they had been killed elsewhere. The thing that's really weird is how can someone be murdered in the Flats of all places, without anyone seeing anything? I find that amazing."

"The Flats?"

"You never heard of the Flats?" Raising her eyebrows with an amazed expression on her face, Megan asked, "How can you live in Cleveland and not know what the Flats are?

Tony narrowed her eyes slightly. She hated looking stupid. Obviously the police hadn't bothered to put that little tidbit in the files. With a nonchalance she wasn't feeling, she said, "I just arrived in Cleveland yesterday. Apparently the file I was given on this case is a little lacking."

"I'm sorry, I had no idea." With a chagrined look, Megan continued, "The Flats refers to the flat land on both sides of the Cuyahoga River. All the victims were found there."

Still smarting a little from the look on Megan's face when she had first mentioned the Flats, Tony said, "I find it surprising that it's so common a phrase here in Cleveland when it just refers to the land by the river."

"Oh, no. It's much more than that. It is one of the most popular night spots in Cleveland. Businesses range from the very best in dining to places that are nothing more than meat markets. It's divided by the river. The West Bank and the East Bank. The West Bank sports a little older crowed, late 20's and up. The East Bank caters to the younger, wilder crowd and those out to prey on the less experienced. It has a pulse of its own and is really quite fascinating. All the victims have been found on the East Bank. The place is rocking at night. That's why this case is so frustrating to me. How could no one have heard or seen anything, it just isn't possible."

Tony remained silent enjoying Megan's animated voice as she absorbed the information. She had already planned to visit the crime scenes. The fact that it was a teeming night spot just made it more interesting.

Megan realized she could help the agent. With that thought came the insight that she also wanted to know more about her. Once she left, the opportunity might not present itself again. So risking rejection, she took the first tentative step and said, "You know Tony, since you're new in town, I could show you around down there. I know where the victims were found. It's not like a regular place. There's no parking in most areas and it really is easier if you go with someone who's familiar with it."

"Why would you do that?" Tony asked, surprised at the offer, studying the open earnest face across from her.

"Because I want to see this case solved too and I thought it might save you a little time since you're new here," and because for some reason I can't define I don't want to lose contact with you.

Tony quickly thought through her options. She had no doubt she'd be able to maneuver in the Flats on her own. But it would take less time with someone who knew the area. The sooner this case was solved the sooner she could get to her own *agenda* she justified to herself instead of just acknowledging she liked this attractive woman.

"Ok, but I really need to do it soon."

"No problem. How about tomorrow afternoon around 3pm?" Yes, yes yes! Megan still had no clue as to why it was so important for her to see Tony again. She just knew it was.

Smiling at her, Tony replied, "That'll work."

"It would probably be better if I drove. Where should I pick you up?" Megan smiled back agreeably.

"The Marriott on the Square. You know where it's at?"

"Yes." Megan replied. "You parked around back too?"

"No, I walked."

"You walked all the way from the Federal Building? Adding incredulously, "In those shoes?" Not waiting for an answer, she said, "Come on. I'll give you a ride."

Tony wanted to be angry. But the look on Megan's face was so comical, she started chuckling and followed her.

Megan used the key pad to unlock the doors to a blue Mercury Sable. Tony got in thinking it was a good thing the car had bucket seats because with her long legs she would never have been able to fit in the front seat with the short woman driving.

Tony discretely watched Megan expertly maneuver the car through the downtown traffic. She drove with the same confidence and poise Tony had noticed throughout lunch.

Never one to remain quiet for long, Megan began pointing out various buildings and naming them for Tony's benefit. As far as Megan was concerned the short drive was over all too soon. She'd have been surprised to find out Tony's thoughts mirrored her own.

Megan returned to work and found David waiting for her in her office. "Hi."

"Hi Megan. Where ya been? We got another case to do."

"At lunch. What's it to you?" she teased the blond morgue assistant. David was usually assigned to help her with the cases she autopsied and they had developed a close friendship during her short tenure. Not only was he good at his work, he was just a delightful person to be around. "What kind of case?"

"A wire." he replied, grinning mischievously.

"I'm sure, David. A wire?" she inquired with her eyebrows raised.

"How about a piano wire wrapped around the neck?" he replied innocently.

"Oh great. Now they're getting creative." Megan pushed dark thoughts aside knowing David's gentle bantering was necessary to their sanity when dealing with the grim results of suffering and death, day after day.

"What do we know?" she asked him, her high spirits replaced by the clinical detachment that best suited her line of work.

"Male, 30-35, clothes indicate he was most likely homeless. Found on the West side near the gang hangouts. Probably an initiation killing. Jerry went out to the scene but since he's already working on two other cases, you got elected."

Megan's forehead creased at the mention of Jerry. He was one of the other pathologists on staff and she knew he was still angry about her promotion. More than likely he just didn't want the case. But knowing what a sneak he was, she figured he went to Dr. Whitehouse to have the case assigned to her. Not that it was a problem, but she'd been getting more than her share of cases lately. Jerry managed to make his cases last longer than she thought was humanly possible. She knew it was all a front to get out of work, but that was up to Dr. Whitehouse to notice.

David watched her sympathetically. He was very fond of Megan and would do anything he could to protect her from the treachery of the morgue staff. He knew Jerry and Dwayne, his assistant, had nothing but hatred for the little doctor. He had to give her credit, though, she ignored it for the most part and treated them with professional respect that they did not deserve as far as he was concerned. David and his partner Mike, had invited Megan over to dinner several times, and had enjoyed her company immensely. She was absolutely endearing and he wished there was something he could do about the situation at work. More than anything, he wanted to see her happy. David knew she was lonely. He also knew it was something that she had not really acknowledged. Instead, she had become so dedicated to her job that he wondered if she ever really left it behind. David knew from experience if she would just meet the right person all that would change.

"Earth to David." Megan had noticed her friend go off to La La Land and hoped everything was ok. She knew if it wasn't he would come to her when he was ready.

"Just visiting with my spirit guide," he replied grinning, "I guess you're ready to start."

"Might as well get it over with. Has the body been prepped?" she asked, knowing the answer.

Rolling his eyes at her, pretending to be indignant, "Of course."

It was near 5pm before they finished and Megan returned to her office. Once there, she noticed the preliminary toxicology results were in her inbox. The toxicology was negative, but the GCMS had shown some abnormal chemical patterns. Megan felt a quick rush of adrenaline. But she also knew determining what these patterns represented could take a week to a month.

Megan faxed the results to Sgt. Davies.

Tony returned to her office and once again began reviewing the case file the police department had provided her. After soaking in every detail she turned her mind loose to identify anything she might not have noticed. Something about the bodies tried to surface, but the more she concentrated, the more elusive it became. Frustrated she looked for something else to turn her attention to. Walking around the office, she noticed some paperwork sitting in the fax tray. Curious, she picked it up and saw it was the background checks she had asked John to run before she left. Tony was a creature of habit and had decided to create her own dossier for this case. The background checks were on Sgt. Brian Davies and Dr. Megan Donnovan.

Returning to her desk, she read over the information provided on Brain Davies skipping what wasn't pertinent. He was 39, born in Madison, Ohio, moving to Cleveland as a child. He entered the police academy in 1979 after being awarded an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. He had done well on the police force with a 75 percent of conviction per arrest ratio. In 1983 he was wounded in the line of duty protecting a fellow officer during a domestic violence call. He had been married in 1985. His wife's maiden name was Jennifer Sheridan, age 33. They had three children, two boys, 12 and 10, and a girl, seven. In 1986 he was promoted to Detective and had been assigned to homicide. His record indicated he was very successful in homicide and had been credited with solving some cases almost single-handedly. Tony finished reading wondering why he was still a Detective Sergeant when his record was so outstanding. Looking at the picture provided, Tony smiled when she saw the height and weight.

Next she picked up the file on Megan Donnovan. Picturing the attractive woman, a slight twinge of guilt was quickly displaced by an intense curiosity. Megan Donnovan 27 years old, was born on September 25, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Charles Donnovan, was an attorney with Hughes, Smith, & Donnovan. He specialized in corporate law. Her mother, Barbara, had a part time career in real estate. She has two sisters, Ashley 30, and Taylor 24. She has one brother, Charles Jr., 28. All are married and Ashley and Charles each had two kids.

While in high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society and the Literary Club. Sports included the intramural field hockey and swim teams. She had been accepted into the high school/college preparation program and completed her first year of college at the same time she graduated in 1987. Wait a minute, that made her only 16, Tony thought with admiration. She graduated in 1990 with a degree in chemistry and was accepted into the joint M.D./Ph.D. program graduating in the top ten percent of her class in 1994. She completed a short residency and began work at the Coroner's office in 1996. There was no record of any marriage. The remainder of the record was just the usual: no arrest record, no participation in student unrest, no evidence of drug abuse, no moving violations, no warrants, no military service, and no adverse credit.

An image of the young doctor planted firmly in her mind, Tony found herself wanting to know much more about her than the basics provided by the background check.

Megan was bored. She didn't want to go to Bally's. She didn't feel like cooking dinner. She didn't want to read a book. Pacing back and forth, she was unable to figure out why she was so restless. She decided to go on line. There were a couple emails from some of her professional friends. She quickly answered them and decided to go surfing. Wonder what the FBI had on their website. Finding that URL, she read the pages with interest. Not only did it have the history, but it even addressed Waco and Ruby Ridge. After reading everything from the history, to what VICAP and the profilers did, she then read about the services offered by the FBI Laboratory. As she continued to read, her interest waned when she realized she was interested in one particular FBI agent, not the FBI.

The phone rang interrupting her thoughts, "Hello."

"Hi, Megan. I had to work late tonight. Let's go to dinner. John is watching the kids," replied Ashley.

Smiling at the voice of her sister, she asked, "Ok, where and what time?"

"How about I meet you at the Stone Hedge at 7:30 p.m. I'll call for reservations now."

"Ok, Ashley. See ya then."

Tony had stayed late at the office entering the few facts available on the case into the VICAP data base and NCIC. There wasn't much point in contacting the profilers. There aren't enough data to give them.

When she arrived back at her room, she began wondering aimlessly around. Tony began to feel trapped. She was going to have to find some place to live. The hotel was already getting to her.

Her thoughts once again turned to a certain young woman. Tony sighed exasperatedly, thinking, God, you'd think I was a high school kid with a crush.

Knowing she needed a distraction, Tony decided to go explore. This was a new city and it was important to learn the layout. Opting to do it and get some exercise at the same time she donned a set of light weight sweats and departed.

Jogging toward the huge lights of the baseball stadium, Tony took in the downtown businesses as she passed them. Noting that most of the streets went east and west or north and south, there were a couple that seemed to go diagonally across the others. The layout was much simpler than the insane cluster of streets she was used too in Washington, D.C.

Tony leisurely moved along with her senses fully extended. She quickly assessed the other people she passed on the streets. While Cleveland was certainly not the crime capital of the world, it had its share of crime per capita. Tuning into the night life around her, she created a surreal image with her long hair flying behind her head--a single woman alone daring to breach the dark domain of gangs, drugs, sex, and violence.

Rounding another street corner in her lazy loop around the downtown area, she saw three young men swaggering abreast heading her way. Thoroughly enjoying her night sightseeing, she decided to go around them and jogged off the sidewalk and into the street.

The men dressed in the dark garb of predators of the night were both surprised and pleased that they had found prey so quickly and easily. The three lowlifes stepped into the street to block Tony's passage.

Tony's entire demeanor changed as she coldly reviewed her options. She could simply keep running. With her athletic body capable of gymnastic moves that would awe the judges at world sporting events, she could easily maneuver around them. On a sustained run there was absolutely no way they would ever come close to her speed or stamina. She could stop and tell them she was an FBI agent and to get lost before she decided to find a reason to haul them in. She chuckled at this thought... like they would believe that. Or she could disable them and call the police. None of these solutions particularly appealed to Tony because from the moment they had blocked her path she had felt the familiar heat course through her body, and now she felt like kicking some serious ass. With the exception of lunch, where'd that thought come from, this had been the most boring day she could remember and she was ready for some action. Tony began waging a battle with her conscience. Overt FBI agents do not go around kicking butt. Maybe not... so I guess I'll be covert for about the next five minutes and besides, there's no doubt these guys are going to harm some innocent citizen somewhere tonight. You're just making excuses for your behavior. All right I'll compromise... I'll advise them I'm an FBI agent and if they take off, fine, but if they don't... knowing full well she'd get her wish for some action, conscience be damned.

Drawing to a stop about 4 feet from the thugs, Tony's entire body tensed, ready for action, under the guise of relaxation and her narrowed, hooded eyes took on a glacial hardness. Smiling she said, "Something I can do for you boys?"

"Oh yeah baby," the middle thug leered at her while grabbing his crotch suggestively as the other two began moving sideways.

Tony kept them in her peripheral vision as she gave a warning that she considered a total waste of time, "I am an FBI agent and I suggest you move on before I find a reason to haul you in."

Were these thugs any less used to preying on women and other innocent and harmless beings they might have sensed the aura of danger that rolled in waves off the tall woman standing in front of them. But they had become so used to taking what they wanted, when they wanted, the danger never permeated their brains.

As all three began hooting derisively, the one in the middle guffawed, "Yeah, and I'm the President . . . "

Another interrupting, "No man, I'm Elvis..." and doubled over laughing.

The third offered, "No, I got one better, I'm Superman." Lowering the timbre of his voice until it became threatening, he said, "and we know he always gets what he wants."

Moving closer, knives appeared in their hands.

"I have a better one," she drawled ominously.

"Yeah..." the one in the middle snarled tiring of the game.

"I'm your worst nightmare," growled Tony. Her body became a flurry of motion, one foot slamming into the groin of the middle thug, a fist simultaneously slamming backward into the nose of the thug to the right. She grabbed the third man's wrist in an iron grip causing him to drop his knife while spinning her body and connecting with a bone breaking side kick to his ribs. She pivoted toward the only attacker still standing. Warily circling her, blood dripping from his nose, he feinted in and out with his knife. With a feral smile Tony taunted the thug, "Are we having fun yet?"

Lunging forward, determined to slice this crazy arrogant woman open, he met only air as she deftly side stepped at the last moment. She grabbed his wrist rendering the knife useless, and turned her body into him. Stretching his arm over her shoulder and driving her other hand palm up under the elbow, the snapping of bone echoed through the night. Thrusting him away she said, "You're lucky I was in a good mood tonight."

Tony looked with disdain at the scene, and watched them scuttle away, feeling no remorse but rather vindication knowing these three would not be targeting anyone else soon.

Quite satisfied with herself, Tony continued her slow leisurely tour.

Megan was thoroughly enjoying her dinner with Ashley. She very seldom got to see her sister one on one. She knew how many things Ashley had to juggle to take care of John, the children and a career. It wasn't that Megan minded visiting with her brother-in-law and two nieces. She just felt that their world was so far removed from hers. So the infrequent times when just she and Ashley could get together were that much more enjoyable.

Ashley had brought her up to date on Caitlin and Cayley, her 5 year old twin nieces. Then she had continued on about John and his career, and her own.

"So now that I've monopolized the conversation, what are you doing these days?" Ashley smiled over at her younger sister.

"Oh, you know. Work mostly. They assigned me the Shadow case."

"Yeah, I heard. I read the article that reporter you know did. Mark something. Are you still going out with him?"

"Ashley, I never was going out with him. We're just friends. We go places together sometimes. That's not the same as going out." Megan said with a sigh.

"Megan, I didn't mean anything," she continued, "You know Mom and Dad ask about you all the time. You don't visit them very often."

"I know. But every time I do, they want to know who I'm dating and when I'm going to get married and I have to hear all about how my biological clock will run out if I don't do something soon. I'm only 27. When I meet the right person, they'll know. In the meantime, I just wish they'd give it a rest."

Ashley wisely decided to change the subject, "Want to have some dessert? We've got time," chuckling at the delighted look on Megan's face. Some things never change.

Ashley's thoughts turned back to their childhood. Megan had always been such a dreamer. She was always reading. She practically lived in her books. That was before their father found out how intellectually talented she was and decided that she was going to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. He had done everything he could to belittle all her interests except for those related to the textbook. Ashley remembered the day her father had finally put an end to Megan's dream of becoming a writer. He ruled with an iron hand and Megan was often at the receiving end of it. After that Megan did what he wanted and excelled at every academic challenge. He never could take away her genuine concern about other people though. Ashley remembered the two times Megan had stood up to him, consequences be damned. The first time she told him she was going to medical school not law school, and the second time when she had announced she was going to be a forensic pathologist. Their father had been so flabbergasted he was actually speechless, and that had to be a first because the man could talk. She just wished Megan hadn't given up on her other dream.

"What are you smiling about over there?" Megan asked watching her sister.

"Oh, just thinking about when we were kids," Ashley replied, quickly changing the subject, "I called you earlier today, but you were out to lunch. Did you get the message?"

"No," Megan smiled remembering lunch. What a challenge that had been. But... a good sort of challenge.

"Now it's my turn. What are you smiling at?" Ashley asked, pleased with the mood change.

"I had lunch with the most interesting FBI agent. She was really different than what I expected. I've never met anyone like her before. I'm going to show her the crime scenes in the Flats tomorrow. She's new in Cleveland." Megan continued, "She's is probably the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and she must be close to 6 feet tall and she was really intimidating at first, but, well you know with Dad, you get used to handling that," Megan stopped realizing she was babbling.

Ashley listened to the whole exchange with interest. Megan's entire demeanor changed as she talked about the FBI agent. Now isn't that odd... or is it, she mused. It would certainly explain a few things. Megan was Ashley favorite sibling and whatever made her happy was fine with Ashley.

"Sounds like an interesting friend." Ashley smiled over at Megan.

"Well, I'm not sure you could really call us friends. It's more like business acquaintances. Megan answered seriously.

Ashley smiled to herself and thought, not if you have anything to say about it, dear sister of mine. I know ya.

As they parted ways, both promised to try to get together more often.

Dwayne Hudson glanced at his reflection in the mirror as he finished shaving. He ran a comb through his dark brown hair studying his face. His chin could be a little stronger and his brown eyes could be a little bigger, but overall not bad. He looked at his muscular body and knew that it was his strongest suite. Posing before the mirror, he combed his hair straight back. Studying his reflection, he smiled and then combed it toward the side. Oh yeah, much better. Dwayne did not consider himself vain, merely accurate.

Looking over at his rumpled bed, he was glad he had insisted on separate bedrooms. It was so much simpler that way.

He listened to the sounds coming from the kitchen and smiled affectionately. Gloria was making his breakfast. He knew it would be a perfect meal. After all he had taught her well just like his father had taught his mother. Granted, the first couple of years had been rough. But that was before she had learned the Rules. She hadn't understood that a wife's place is to serve her husband. But she had finally learned. Now her whole purpose in life was to please him, just like it was supposed to be.

Putting on blue pants and a striped sports shirt he went downstairs. He knew he could wear jeans and a T-shirt since he just changed into scrubs at work anyway, but his ego would not allow him to go to work dressed in jeans. Smiling, he said, "Smells good Honey."

"I hope you like it," came the quiet reply from the small woman who knew if he found anything wrong at all she would pay dearly.

Gloria knew how to play by the rules and continued, "You look really nice Dwayne," knowing that if she played on his vanity he was less likely to find something wrong. She knew he had been preoccupied lately. This did not bode well for her. Perhaps if she could find out what was bothering him, she would be able to avoid a confrontation later. So feeling braver now that she had a plan, she asked, "How's work."

Dwayne stopped eating and stared at his wife. She had unerringly gone straight to the source of the problem. His thoughts turned toward work, and his face darkened with rage when an image of Megan flickered through his mind. How dare she enter the world of forensic pathology in the first place. Any decent woman knew that it was a man's field. That was why he was in it. He was sick of all the hussy's who thought they were as good as men, and took their jobs. But what really infuriated him was that she had been promoted to Assistant Coroner over his friend Jerry Calhoun. Although it had taken him a long time to decide what to do about that, lately everything had fallen into place. Thinking about his plans for her, he smiled a cruel smile.

Shuddering, Gloria watched her husband's face change first to rage and then to a cruel smile. She had only wanted to ward off any action against her. She hadn't meant to make him mad. All she had done was ask him about work, what was wrong with that? But she knew she was not allowed to make him mad, it was one of the Rules.

"Looking at his wife coldly, he said, "I'll talk to you when I get home." He stood and walked out the door.

Gloria, noticing his unfinished breakfast, knew just what a "talk" entailed and she put her head down on the table crying.

When Gloria's despair reached the bottom of her soul, her instinct for survival forged a tiny crack in it allowing a tendril of courage to course to the front of her brain. She only took her purse and the small amount of money she had been able to scavenge each week from that allotted for groceries, and headed to where she knew the women's shelter was. She had taken the first small step. There would be no turning back now.

Detective Sergeant Brian Davies was an imposing figure crossing the squad room to his desk. Measuring in at 6'7", he had the body of a linebacker and the weight to go with it at nearly 275 pounds. When a beat cop his appearance alone had often thwarted crime about to be committed as petty criminals regarded the wisdom of their acts. Having nearly 18 years on the force, he was a cop's cop. Brian Davies refused to kiss ass. He was not willing to play politics and would never be promoted any higher because of it. He protected his officers from the day to day power plays while following the age-old adage of working right along the side of your subordinates. The few officers that had chosen to invoke Brian's wrath had quickly learned that while he would protect them from the upper echelon if he could, it saved them only from dealing directly with him. Most wisely chose not to do that. His willingness to go out on a limb and protect his officers had inspired a fierce loyalty among those under his command.

Brian hated task forces. He felt that at best they were just political attempts to appease the public. The "task force" still consisted of the same members that had been working on the case all along while allowing outside interference from the FBI and the addition of some of the upper echelon as figure heads.

Right now he was going to have to deal with one of the products of this particular task force and he wasn't looking forward to it. He had been informed the FBI agent assigned to the case was here to see him. Brian, along with many of his fellow police officers had no use for the FBI since the Fielding case two years ago.

Watching the FBI agent approach his desk, he noticed several sets of eyes cut toward the woman. Word traveled fast through the precinct and most of the officers were aware this was the FBI agent assigned to the task force. Brian had been a cop long enough to have seen it all. But even he was surprised at the FBI agent's appearance and deportment although it did not show on the countenance of his face. Arriving and standing in front of his desk she exuded confidence and poise.

"Sgt. Davies?" she asked while appraising the man.

He stood to greet her. "Yes, and it's Brian. Have a seat," he responded simply, letting her have the lead in the conversation, his senses scrutinizing the woman, knowing instinctively this would be a powerful foe.

Sitting, she replied, "Tony Viglioni," feeling the latent hostility directed her way throughout the squad room. "I have a problem with the file you sent me," she continued. "It is not complete. There are no copies of any interviews with the family members of the victims. The Administrative Worksheet and Narrative Description of each crime scene was not included. The Evidence Recovery Log was not included either. Those are the apparent things that are missing. I have no way of knowing what else may have been left out."

Brian thought to himself, shit, I should have checked the file before it was sent over . . . deliberately leaving out part of the case file was serious... well, I'll deal with that later. "I'm sorry that happened. I'll see that you get a complete file. Anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. As a member of this task force I intend to be included in the task force meetings. It's quite obvious," she said glancing around, "there is some hostility toward the agency. At least I suspect it's against the agency since none of you know me personally. Since it does affect me, I want to know what the problem is. The air needs to be cleared if we are going to work together to solve this case. We don't have to like each other, but our goal is the same here."

Brian studied the agent's expressionless face knowing it spoke volumes about the woman behind it. He recognized the wisdom of the words and although they had been delivered in a cool, even tone he did not underestimate the intent behind them. He also sensed the alternative was that she would attempt to solve the case herself and that did not bode well for the police department. She was challenging him as a law enforcement official and he knew he had to rise to the bait.

"I'm not going to try to justify the hostility directed toward you. Whether or not I feel it is warranted isn't the issue here. As you astutely pointed out, it's not personal. Simply put, there is bad blood between the police department and FBI. It stems from a kidnapping case a couple of years ago. A tip from one of our informants came through the squad room. The FBI agent assigned to the task force answered the phone. He didn't bother informing the task force that the phone call had revealed the location of the child. He chose to call on a few of his fellow agents and effect the rescue. The upside was that the child was rescued successfully. The downside was the betrayal of the task force." He paused, trying unsuccessfully to gauge her reaction to this words before continuing. "So if you're expecting to be welcomed with open arms, it ain't gonna happen; however, I can assure you that there will be no repeat performance of what happened with the file."

"The task force meetings?" she countered absorbing the information he had delivered. Tony knew there were FBI agents who liked to hot dog for their day of glory, and gave no thought to the consequences of their actions.

Brian always paid attention to his gut and it was telling him that this was not a woman who could be easily intimidated. Most people he met for the first time were cowed solely because of his size. Many would have been surprised at how gentle the man normally was. Brian felt like the agent had seen right through his veneer. Answering he said, "The entire group meets every Monday and any other time something major breaks. Informally, I meet with the officers each morning to direct their part of the investigation."

Tony studied the behemoth of a man sitting at the desk. His short cropped brown hair was combed straight back. His grizzled face was offset by a pair of steely gray eyes and a heavy mustache. The small lines around his eyes indicated this face could erupt quickly into humor or ire. He could be a worthwhile ally or an awesome foe. She sensed his strength of conviction but felt he was no threat. While Tony noted the last thought, she also knew she could handle him if it became necessary. It was his choice really. All she was doing was the job she had been assigned. The sooner it was done the better. She still had her *agenda* to deal with and she wouldn't be able to give it any attention until this case was solved. It never occurred to Tony that there are many serial killer cases that never get solved. The killers move onto another place and start over.

"Have you met yet this morning?" Tony countered, watching Brian carefully for any sign of reluctance at having her attend.

"No. Everyone is waiting for me now. Let's go. I'll introduce you," raising from his chair he headed toward the conference room, Tony following behind him.

Brian informally called the meeting to order, "All right, listen up. This is Tony Viglioni the FBI agent assigned to the task force." Sighs and rolled eyes greeted the announcement. Brian continued, "We are going to bring her up to date on the case. I expect everyone to cooperate fully with her. I know quite a few of us have hard-ons for the FBI. Get over it. You can't judge everyone by the actions of a few. Now I know I sound like I'm preaching, and I am, because I know I'm guilty of this too. So I ain't asking you to do anything I ain't going to do too. So set it aside and let’s focus on solving this case."

Tony noticed the respect all the officers showed toward Brian. He was obviously a very effective leader. She knew she would have to prove herself, it went with the territory, but she was used to it from her covert days.

"Dr. Donnovan faxed over the autopsy report yesterday afternoon. It didn't show anything that can help us out."

Tony drew out of her quiet appraisal of the task force members when she heard the words, "Dr. Donnovan," pondering her reaction to the name.

"The victim's family does not know of any reason why anyone would want to harm their daughter. To the best of their knowledge she was not dating anyone on a regular basis. As you all know this doesn't mean shit. Since when do 24 year olds tell their parents what they are doing in the first place." Laughter spread around the room as the officers agreed.

"We are still trying to locate one of her neighbors to determine if they can tell us if she had a regular boyfriend other the casual friends we've uncovered so far. There are a couple more people in the building we've been unable to locate and we're still trying to recreate her movements from the time she left her apartment in the morning. You all know since the press dubbed the serial killer the Shadow, the phone has not stopped ringing with people calling in tips. The calls have included everything from confessions to offers of psychic help. Each and every one needs to be checked out. "So today we are going to focus on finding the missing neighbors, looking for a steady boyfriend, and the phone tips."

"Jack, you and Chuck get the apartment building again. Kris, you and Dave get the neighborhood. Mike, you get to check out some of the phone tips." Casting his eyes toward Tony he said, "Mike could really use some help with the phone calls," almost sighing with relief when she nodded her head, recognizing his silent message.

PART 2

MEGAN WOKE UP in an extremely good mood. Since she usually always wore a suit to work, she set aside a pair of casual beige slacks, a white blouse and a comfortable pair of Sass loafers to take with her. She knew she wouldn't have time to go home to change before meeting Tony

Once she arrived at her office, she checked for messages and then went looking for David to find out what cases they had for today. Walking into the autopsy suite she saw Dwayne first. "Hi, Dwayne," greeting him like she always did. She was not prepared for the fleeting look of rage that crossed his face at her words. Looking around for David, she felt a faint tremor of fear run through her body and she found herself wishing someone else were in the suite with them

Just then David came barging through the doors saying, "Sorry I'm late. Traffic's a bitch."

Megan smiled, "I know what you mean. I'll go see what came in overnight," relieved that he had arrived when he did. She didn't think Dwayne would ever physically harm her, but that look was pure hatred and it still unnerved her

There were only a couple of cases that came in overnight and only one was assigned to Megan. After they finished, Megan went to her office to catch up on work that had sat far too long already

Megan discovered she had no interest in paperwork. She was looking forward to the trip to the Flats with Tony too much. She was glad for the distraction when David came in and sat down. "So how's Mike doing? Does he like his new job?"

"Yeah, he really does. The boss seems to really like him and he's off to a great start."

Megan and David continued to chat until it was time for Megan to change and leave.

"Where are you going so early?"

"I'm meeting the FBI agent assigned to the Shadow case and am going to show her where the victims were found." Megan answered

"What are you going to do that for? I'm sure someone else can do it," a puzzled David inquired.

"Because I WANT to. Is that ok with you?" Megan shot back surprising herself with the sharpness of her retort

"Ok, ok, sorry," David answered with a wide-eyed look

"Look, David, I'm sorry. This case is just getting to me," she said not understanding why she had become so upset at him for suggesting someone else show Tony around

Tony had returned to the hotel to change into clothes better suited for walking and donned a pair of Dockers, a long shirt and her Asics. She ran a brush through her hair, checking her appearance more carefully than usual and went down to the hotel entrance.

Megan arrived at the Marriott, parked the car and then went looking for Tony. Finding her out front, she said, "Come on."

"We're walking?" asked Tony

"Just to the Tower. Then we'll catch the Water Front Line. It's part of the transit system. We'll get off at the stop in the East Bank." Megan was thoroughly into what she perceived as her job of a tour guide

Entering the Terminal Tower, Megan led them to the escalators going down to the lower level giving a running commentary on how a city once on the verge of bankruptcy had now developed the downtown area into a major shopping area where businesses once again thrived, including a new mall called the Avenue which extended through four buildings and featured many of the big store chains and a 6-movie cinema. She paused her commentary long enough to tell Tony the fare was $1.50 pulling the fare out of her purse explaining the pass was good for four hours. Looking up at Tony for the first time since they entered the Tower, she noticed a small smile on her face and wondered what she had said that was funny

Tony was content just to let Megan talk. She was enjoying the lilting tone of her voice and when she became animated about something the way her hands would move in supporting gestures. She also found it somewhat amazing that anyone could talk nonstop for so long

Sitting together on the train as it departed, Megan turned to look at Tony and asked her, "I'm not boring you, am I? I just thought you might like to know a little about Cleveland."

Tony responded, "No, please continue," not bored at all. However, she was much more occupied with the nearness of Megan than the conversation

Megan began again with renewed vigor giving the history of how apartments and condos had just recently come to the downtown area pointing out the first set as they passed them, then launching into the story of how the track for the River Front Line was built. Arriving at the stop in the East Bank, they exited the train

Tony let Megan lead the way to Old River Road which was the main thoroughfare in the Flats. Walking along the sidewalk, Megan turned to Tony asking, "I'd like to give you an overview of the area before we go to the crime scenes if that's ok with you." Megan was enjoying herself and wanted to delay the gruesome part of the trip

"Sure, that's fine." Tony didn't mind a short delay as long as she saw the crime scenes before they left

Megan began pointing out various nightclubs, restaurants, and bars. She gave a short history of each one, what type of entertainment or dining each specialized in and what sort of clientele frequented them.

Tony kept a small part of her attention on Megan's commentary, but concentrated on her surroundings evoking her predatory instincts

Megan finished the running narrative and led Tony to the first of several alleys with signs posted indicating "water taxi." The alley curved first to the left, then back right, and left again before straightening again at the dock. As they reached the dock, she turned until she was facing south and showed Tony where the last body had been found. Tony had already noted that this would be a perfect place to commit the crime unseen.

Voicing the thought aloud, Megan interrupted and said, "No. It's not that simple. These alleys are traveled constantly throughout the evening and night. People are always going back and forth across the river. To be totally deserted long enough to strangle someone would be almost impossible."

Tony disagreed thinking, I could do it with no problem. Obviously so can the killer. Now that I've seen the location, I can understand how he has gone undetected... he is good,

she acknowledged. "I'll have to come down here at night and look at it then."

"Ok, when do you want to go. We could come down Saturday night."

Tony looked at Megan and said, "You were kind enough to take the time to show me around down here today. You don't need to come back again."

"I want to come. I don't mind, and it'll make me feel like I'm contributing something to the case. Besides you can't come down here alone at night. It's dangerous. No women travel alone here after dark, and you'd be noticed if you were all by yourself."

When Tony didn't immediately respond, Megan put her hands on her hips, her hazel eyes flashing, and added, "You're new in town. You don't know this area. There are muggings, stabbings, and," looking pointedly at Tony, "murders."

Tony had lifted an eyebrow at the words as her mind took in the absurdity of this conversation. She didn't know if she should be mad or laugh. She could understand Megan wanting to help. It was the rest of it that confounded Tony. She's worried about me? I'd probably be the most dangerous person here. If she had any idea what I've done for the last 10 years she run as fast as she could the other way.

Tony mused, Megan had shown her nothing but kindness. Would it really hurt to let her come along? All she planned to do was coming down and absorb the essence of the place when it was in full swing. She couldn't deny she enjoyed Megan's company. Still feeling guilty about the incident at lunch yesterday, she ignored the warnings vying for attention in the back of her mind

Tony looked at Megan's petulant pose thinking, she's so damn cute,

and was suddenly drawn into the gold and green vortex of the flashing eyes looking back at her

Megan had watched Tony's eyes narrow and turn inward at her words. Holding her breath wondering if she had gone too far, she was startled by the intensity of the dazzling blue eyes as they returned to her. Captured by the baby blues she was totally unprepared for the sensations that surged through her, barely hearing the tall woman say, "Ok."

Bewildered by her body's physical reaction to the silent exchange, Megan was confused and said, "Ok?"

"Ok, we can come down here together Saturday night," Tony replied gazing thoughtfully at the small woman, the turmoil of her own emotions firmly back under control

"Oh... yeah... right... good," turning quickly, she began walking down the alley hoping Tony wouldn't notice how flustered she was. God, what's going on with me?

Calling over her shoulder, she said, "Come on. I'll show you the other sites."

Tony silently followed, forcing her attention back to the case and her surroundings

Megan had regained her composure and while showing Tony the crime scenes, she noted her companion's casual air and decided that she hadn't noticed after all. Thank God, she thought

Tony had not missed anything, but her interpretation was vastly different from Megan's. She fully expected Megan to cancel her offer for Saturday. But that's ok. It's no big deal. It doesn't matter. I wasn't planning on company anyway, she rationalized to herself.

They finished visiting the crime scenes and headed back to the train stop. Megan pointed out the few places she had missed on the way down, and then asked Tony, "Well, what do you think of Cleveland so far?"

"It's ok, I guess," Tony answered not really knowing what to say. As far as she was concerned it was like any other city.

"It grows on ya. You'll see. There's a lot to do here. We have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the new Science Center and we've got all the major sports covered. The Indians are great, but it's really hard to get tickets and we've got a women's basketball team, the Rockers. The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the best in the world. When they're in town, I always go see them." Megan stopped, momentarily out of words

Walking beside Megan listening to her, Tony had a small grin on her face thinking about how multifaceted the small woman was

"Do you ever talk?"

"Huh... yeah... sometimes," Tony responded, caught off guard by the frank question. Tony was actually quite a good conversationalist when she needed to be. However, since Megan obviously liked to talk, she was quite content to listen

"Well then... did you find a place to live yet? Have you even had time to look? Are you looking for a house or an apartment? I could suggest some nice places." Megan finished, quite satisfied with herself for asking enough questions that Tony would have to talk for a while

Tony thought through the questions carefully and then answered, "No, no, I haven't decided, and thanks, that would be nice."

Megan's mouth dropped open and totally exasperated, she complained, "I don't believe you. What kind of answers are those?"

Tony couldn't help herself, and started laughing. She had answered that way purposely just to see what Megan's reaction would be

Megan was so surprised to hear the deep rich sound coming from Tony, she quickly forgot her exasperation and joined in the laughter

Taking the train downtown, they walked companionably back toward the Marriott. Megan continued to do most of the talking

Tony walked Megan to her car and then thanked her for her help. "See you Saturday," she offered casually

"Right. How about I meet you here at 9pm?" Megan answered

"Ok, see ya then," thinking, well at least she didn't cancel.

Megan drove home with thoughts rolling around wildly in her mind. She knew she had some serious thinking to do. Parking the car, along with several other tenants just getting home from work, she was unaware of the hostile eyes following her moves

After starting dinner, Megan got a glass of iced tea and moved to the living room to sit in her recliner. Her thoughts flickered back over the afternoon coming to rest on the moment she had been drawn in by Tony's eyes. Megan didn't consider herself naive. She realized had she was with a man, there would have been no doubt in her mind regarding her body's reaction. Her mind fathomed just as quickly that no man had ever engaged her senses like that either. Megan understood for the first time what the words 'animal attraction' meant. She had taken her share of psychology and sociology courses so the thoughts running through her mind were certainly not alien to her. But what she couldn't understand was that she had never shown any inclination... that way. She remembered her hero worship of some of her female teachers, but that was considered normal. But what was normal? Could the way she felt be normal for her? Megan thought about her limited sexual experience and realized it couldn't even begin to compare with what she had felt just gazing into Tony's eyes. But it was more than that. She was interested in everything about the woman. She was attracted to her, plain and simple. Megan surprised herself with this candid self-revelation. But what surprised her even more was that it didn't bother her like she was sure it should. She sighed with frustration. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was reading too much into her reaction to Tony. She had known a few lesbian women in college and they had been aware of their sexuality. If that were her niche, how could she not know? She was a grown woman. Playing devil's advocate in her mind she thought what difference did it make anyway? Tony would never be interested in her that way. Just look at the woman. She was gorgeous. She could obviously have anyone she wanted. Megan tentatively tried to come to terms with her feelings and simultaneously realized she must never make the mistake around Tony she had made today

Megan wished there was someone she could talk to. Her thoughts flickered to David, but no, that was different. He was a guy. More frustrated than ever, she went to check on her dinner

The next morning Tony decided to develop her own dress code for the FBI. She had spent the last several years dressing whatever part she was playing. For the most part it had been anti-establishment and militant groups. So her normal attire had been anything from jeans to cami's. Tony liked dressing for whatever the occasion called for, but in her mind sitting in an office or doing street work did not warrant a suit. She decided on a pair of navy blue slacks and a long white shirt, finishing the ensemble with a pair of comfortable walking shoes.

Tony was so bored she thought she was going to go crazy. If one more person she called told her about a vision of the killer, she was going to throw the phone across the room. Damn Davies anyway. All day she had worked through the hot line tips and she had about reached her limit.

Tony had a sudden thought and pulled a number out of her wallet

When Megan arrived at work, she found two cases waiting for her. One was particularly nasty and took a long time. The city had been particularly brutal the night before, and Jerry and Dwayne had also been busy. It wasn't often all four were in the autopsy suite together. Jerry preferred to work around her and did his cases separately. She and David were finishing up when the phone rang

"David would you please get that?"

"Sure." Picking up the phone, he answered, "Dr. Donnovan's office."

"Is she there?" drawled Tony who had all of a sudden decided she just had to know if the test results were in

After asking Tony to hold on, he put the phone on hold, winked at her and said, "Megan, there some lady with an incredibly sexy voice asking for you on the phone." David had never been shy about his sexual preference and loved to tease Megan

"David, you are so crazy. Give me that phone." Putting the phone to her ear, she answered, "Dr. Donnovan."

"Hi, Megan, It's Tony. I was just wondering if you got the lab results back yet."

Megan smiled at the sound of the voice, answering, "Hi, Tony. Yes. I faxed the toxicology results over to the police department yesterday. They were negative. But the GMCS showed some slightly abnormal chemical elements. Unfortunately that could take anywhere from a week to a month for the chemist to figure out exactly what the chemical strands mean."

Tony wasn't even angry the police had not told her the toxicology was negative. She had just felt like talking with someone normal. Yeah, right... her mind supplied

"Ok, well thanks. I was just curious." Tony answered trying to think of some other business to talk about. "Do you still want to go tomorrow? You don't have to, you know."

"Of course I want to go tomorrow. I told you, the Flats will be rocking. It's the best time to go. I'll be there at 9," wondering why that came up again

The conversation had been monitored very closely by one of the men in the room and a diabolic idea was born.

*  *  *

Saturday morning, no longer able to stand the confines of the hotel room for another minute, Tony grabbed the phone book, made a few phone calls and left after pulling on her heaviest jeans, a T-shirt, jean jacket and a pair of well-worn black boots

Enjoying the feel of the wind against her face, Tony maneuvered the bike crazily up the hill, the rear wheel skidding back and forth when she goosed the gas. Reaching the top of the hill and looking at the cratered track heading almost straight down with turns meandering throughout the area, she let out a yelp of joy. Building her speed down the hill she laid the bike almost flat on a sharp curve, the only balance offered was a strong leg. Negotiating the hair pin curve at a speed never intended, dirt and dust went flying. Seeking greater challenges Tony entered an S curve pushing the speed. Rider and bike became as one navigating the dangerous curves each responding to the strains put upon it. Careening out of the turn into a swell of hills, adrenaline racing through her body and heady with the excitement, Tony's wild grin was at odds with the dirt covered sweaty face. Leaning forward to gather momentum, she automatically increased the speed before forcefully throwing her body back, and rotating the bike up. She crested the hill, rider and bike leaving the ground effortlessly. Shifting her weight forward for maximum extension, she guided the bike to the next hill and the next

A few hours later, her excess energy finally expended, Tony removed her helmet and returned the bike

Megan decided to go to Bally's. She usually stopped three to four times a week. Not only did she take pride in staying in shape, but it allowed her mind a break from the pressures of the job. Today, she needed a distraction before she drove herself crazy with self-analysis

Debating on whether to warm up on the stationary bike or the murderous stair stepper, she decided to go for the physical challenge of the latter. Finishing her warm up, she continued on to the Nautilus machines, working through a regimen designed specifically for her. She then went upstairs and began lazily jogging around the track

Hearing someone moving up quickly behind her, she moved to the side. The runner pulled even with her and said, "Hi, Doc, you aren't going very fast."

"Hi Mark," Megan replied ignoring his standard greeting

"Have you eaten yet? Do you want to stop when you're finished?"

Megan was not ready to go home to her empty apartment yet. Why not,

she decided. "Ok, but give me half an hour to shower and change."

"No problem," he smiled, happy that she had agreed

After being seated and ordering, Mark asked, "Anything new on the case?"

Megan was in no mood to discuss the case. "I'm surprised you're not over at the station asking around. You'd find out a lot more over there. Is that why you wanted to go to lunch?" she asked testily

"Megan, you know better than that. You seem preoccupied. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Mark. I just don't want to discuss the case right now," she answered honestly

Adroitly changing the subject, he asked, "Did you see the game last night?"

Megan and Mark finished lunch discussing the Indians and whether or not they would make a return trip to the World Series

Much later, Megan looked in the closet trying to decide what to wear. She skimmed through skirts, slacks, and dresses, looking at each, undecided. The attire of the Flats was anything from cutoffs to dressy. Pulling a pair of peach colored slacks out of the closet, she added an off-white blouse and decided that would do

After showering and blowing her hair dry, Megan looked at her choice of clothes and decided she didn't want to wear that tonight. Going through her closet again, she finally pulled out a simple sleeveless teal dress, whose only ornament was a belt around the waist. Holding it up against her in front of the mirror, she liked the way it set off her eyes. A thought danced through her mind, you'd think you were going on a hot date or something. Megan banished the idea thinking, this is business,

but there is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. Megan took more time than usual with her make-up and hair until she decided it was just right before departing

Tony took much less time with her attire, choosing black light weight slacks and a long blue shirt. Checking her appearance carefully one last time, she went down to wait for Megan.

Seeing Megan walking toward her, Tony flashed a grin, her eyes slowly soaking in the sight with appreciation. She shoved her overzealous libido down warning herself, no more mistakes. "Hi, there."

"Hi," Megan smiled back as she discretely took in the image before her thinking, she is so beautiful.

"Are we going to take the train down again?"

"Yeah, I think it's better than driving down there."

They began walking toward the station and all of a sudden Megan found herself tongue tied. She realized she was nervous. She couldn't think of a thing to say

Tony noticed her nervousness and was not surprised. Who could blame her? Ok, what's a good neutral subject? "Have you lived in Cleveland long?" knowing the answer, but wanting to relax her companion

Megan, finding her voice, smiled in appreciation, "Yes, I was born here and have lived here ever since. I thought about leaving once, but my sister talked me out of it. We're pretty close and I realized I would really miss her."

"How about you? Where were you born?" Megan inquired

"Boston." Anticipating the next question, she added, "I left there when I joined the FBI and have just traveled around to the places they've sent me since then."

"You don't have a Boston accent."

"I know. In my line of work you have to be able to adapt. You can't adapt with a regional accent."

Both relaxed and conversed easily with each other as they rode the train to the Flats. Arriving there, Megan and Tony began a slow leisurely walk past the clubs, bars, and diners just taking in the sights around them

Tony noticed that most of the nightclubs were so crowded people were standing out on the sidewalk in front of them holding drinks and socializing on the streets. This was definitely not her type of place. It was much too crowded

Megan had been a regular visitor to the Flats when she had dated Ray and although she hadn't been down at night for quite a while, nothing had changed. After they had walked the entire area Megan asked, "Do you want to go in some of the places now."

"Yeah, that would be good. But we'll be lucky to find any place to sit," Tony commented

"Oh, I know some places we can try. That place over there plays jazz and they're usually not too crowded." Megan turned toward the nightclub leading the way

Tony had been using her senses to assess the area as they had walked and had so far felt absolutely no threat of any kind other than that usually associated with a very busy, drink catering, night life area. Following Megan, she relaxed slightly. She knew the biggest threat in an area like this was probably muggings and drunks

Entering the nightclub, Tony noticed an empty table near the back of the room. Turning to Megan, she said, "Let's go sit over there."

Megan seeing a closer table near the band stopped, and said, "What's wrong with this table?"

"I can't see everyone from that table," Tony answered succinctly

"Oh, yeah... right," Megan had been enjoying herself so much, she had almost forgot the reason they had come in the first place

Tony ordered a coke, knowing the night was going to be a long one and wanting to be totally alert. Megan had every intention of ordering a drink, but changed her mind when she heard Tony's order and settled on a Pepsi

"What do you think so far?" Megan asked, figuring Tony had plenty of time to get a sense of the place

"Well it's certainly a thriving area," Tony replied, thinking of all the people out on the sidewalks.

"I used to come down here quite a bit, but this is the first time I've been here in a few years. It's still the same though. I remember before my sister got married, we'd come down and bar hop. We used to have fun. We were always careful to stay together though, just as a precaution." Megan saw no reason to add that she and Ray had been regulars.

Just then an attractive man approached the table, looking at Tony he asked, "Mind if I join you?" Tony looked at him, her eyes hooded, and smiled brazenly. "Yeah, I mind. We're having a private conversation," she drawled. Tony almost laughed at the effect she had on him. That had been fun

"Yeah, right. Some other time." He backed away blushing, lewd thoughts running rampant through his mind

Megan's heart fluttered at the look Tony had flashed the guy. God is she sexy, rolled around in her mind. Tony turned back toward Megan and said, with a shrug of a shoulder, "I didn't feel like entertaining tonight."

Megan decided to change the subject. This woman was having an unsettling effect on her.

Walking along the crowded streets, it became harder and harder to move amidst the inebriated partying sidewalk dwellers. Megan was having trouble staying up with Tony. Her small stature commanded no respect and she was jostled about mercilessly. Tony seeing Megan's plight, gently took her arm pulling her closer and cleared the way. Enjoying the feel of the soft skin of the arm beneath her hand, she grudgingly relinquished her hold once they cleared the more crowded area

When Megan felt the warm strong hand pull her close, she became so distracted she would have walked into a light pole if Tony hadn't guided her around it. After that she figured she'd better concentrate on where she going. When Tony removed her hand, she almost sighed with disappointment

With the wildly beating tempo of music and people throbbing around them, talking was impossible. Arriving at a part of the Flats where the noise was more bearable, Tony asked Megan, "Do you want to stop in someplace and sit down for a while?"

"That would be great. These crowd's are getting a little to boisterous for me," replied Megan as she thought about getting Tony away from the crowds, into a one on one situation.

Yeah, that would be real good. What good it would do her was another matter. But she figured she worry about one thing at a time. She just wanted her all to herself.

"Let's go in here." Megan grabbed Tony's arm and pulled her toward the open door. Tony almost grabbed her arm back and then decided, what the hell, and followed along letting the smaller woman lead the way. It was her neck of the woods after all. Tony thought they must have stopped in every night club and bar along the whole strip. She also thought about her impressions of the place. While she was sure Megan had not exaggerated about the crime, tonight seemed relatively peaceful. It was late and Tony unconsciously began to relax. The evening had been enjoyable. Megan was absolutely engaging and Tony was unaware of being inexorably drawn toward her

Entering the night club, they found a table with a pretty good view of the club. Tony decided she was done working for the night and ordered bourbon and coke. Megan following suit ordering a fuzzy navel

Engaging in the comfortable conversation that had marked most of the evening, Megan began telling Tony some of the humorous aspects of growing up in a house with an attorney for a father and his way of solving disputes between her siblings. She purposely left out her personal relationship with her Father. Megan found that she loved to talked to Tony and watch the small smile that would appear on her face from time to time. She was glad that Tony seemed more relaxed than she had earlier when they were roaming the streets and clubs

They ordered another drink. Tony was totally captivated by the young woman and her delightful way of expressing herself

They were mostly through their second drink when a tall blonde man approached their table. Tony silently assessed him, but the focus of her attention was Megan. The small woman wasn't paying attention to anyone except Tony and was unaware of his approach.

"Hi Megan. It's been a long time."

Megan looked up surprised to hear the familiar voice. She had always felt bad about hurting Ray and while they had parted amicably she still felt a little guilty

Smiling at him, Megan said, "Hi." Ray pulled out a chair and joined them. Leaning over and giving Megan a kiss on the cheek, he said, "you're even more beautiful than I remember."

Megan blushed, saying, "Thanks. Ray, this is Tony. She's an FBI agent working on the Shadow case."

Ray looked over at Tony, exchanged greetings, and decided even though she was attractive, she sure looked intimidating

Megan had been caught totally off guard by Ray's appearance and didn't notice the slight narrowing of Tony's eyes

Ray, pleased to see Megan again, launched into a discussion of the good old days, and their escapades in the Flats drawing Megan into the discussion with him

Tony watched the relaxed interaction between the two for about 15 minutes before an unfamiliar emotion raced through her. Recognizing it, she knew she need some space and fast. Rising she said, "I'm going to take a look around. I'll be back shortly," and departed before either could utter a word

Moving quickly to the door, Tony exited, and for the first time in years was totally oblivious to her surroundings. Forcefully trying to gain the upper hand on her rolling emotions, she moved rapidly down the length of the Flats turning into the last alley. Stopping she finally put a name to the emotion she had been assaulted with - jealousy. But that makes no sense. There is nothing to be jealous of.

Her mind began waging a battle, the force of her will against emotions held in check for way too long. Tony had mastered the practice of deceit and deception, always controlling her emotions that finally, turned loose, they were wrecking havoc in her mind. Tony felt betrayed. She had always relied on her mind to provide her with a part to play. It had always complied. But what Tony had yet to realize was that her mind had not failed her. It had just given her the hardest part of all. That of being herself

Unable to fight the onslaught any longer, a calmness pervaded her. Tony thought of the way Megan smiled, the gentle curve of her lips that lit up her whole face. The gorgeous eyes with the green and gold swirling around vying for dominance. The sharp mind that pretty little head contained and the gentle curves of her body. She pictured the strong shapely legs and the gentle roll of her walk. She was so fresh and untainted... so far removed from Tony's own world

Tony sighed realizing what she was going to have to do. Her mind returned to the afternoon she and Megan had come to the Flats to look at the crime scenes. She remembered the effect Megan had on her and when she thought she had a felt connection, she remembered all too clearly the way Megan had practically ran from her down the alley. She would return to Megan and Ray and enjoy what was left of the evening. She would then step out of the other woman's life just as quickly as she had stepped into it

Emerging from her introspection, a sound behind her registered. She began turning and felt a agonizing blow to her back, the pain staggering her momentarily. Grabbing her gun from the small of her back, Tony began racing after the figure running down the alley, her only thought that of pursuit. Nearing the end of the alley, she was gaining on him when all of a sudden a wave of dizziness surged through her. She felt herself stagger and came to a stop fighting to maintain her balance

Megan was caught totally off guard by Tony's abrupt departure. After deliberating for about 30 seconds, she decided to follow. "Ray, it's not safe for her to be by herself out there. I'm going to go with her."

"Come on. I'll help you find her. It's bad enough her walking around alone, you don't need to be too."

Megan, glad to have help to find her, reached the door and looked both ways. Not seeing Tony she started down the sidewalk. They quickly looked in the door of each nightclub and glanced down each alley. Megan was beginning to worry even though no more than five minutes could have passed. There was only one alley left

Looking down the alley, Megan saw the tall woman stagger, and begin swaying. Megan tore down the alley, reaching Tony in seconds, gently placing her arms around her, and with Ray's help, eased her to the ground

Megan's trained eyes quickly assessed the large amount of blood coming from Tony's back and she ordered Ray, "Go get some towels from that bar and call an ambulance. Hurry!"

Megan knew Tony had passed out when they lowered her to the ground. Grabbing the bottom of Tony's shirt, and pulling it toward her, she wadded it up placing it over the wound while simultaneously applying pressure. Checking Tony over with her other hand, she noted the weak rapid pulse, the fast shallow breathing and the cool, clammy skin. Megan knew how dangerous shock was. Finishing the quick examination, finally satisfied that the only wound was to her back, she noticed Tony's fingers were still curled around a gun. Megan didn't like guns, so not knowing why she did it, she eased it out of Tony's hand and placed it in her purse. Realizing there was nothing more she could do except wait for the ambulance, a feeling of total helplessness washed over her

Ray returned with the towels to the sound of sirens in the distance. Taking the towels, Megan folded them and placed them against the wound

Minutes later, although it seemed like hours to Megan, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics came running up with the portable gurney. Megan moved out of the way knowing they were much more adept at starting an IV than she would be. She followed behind when the paramedics transported Tony to the waiting ambulance

Megan moved to the back of the ambulance to enter. One of the paramedics told her, "I'm sorry you can't ride in back."

Turning to the paramedic, almost withering him with a glare, she said, "I am DOCTOR Donnovan and this is MY patient, and I am riding WITH HER to the hospital," daring him to defy her

"Ok, sorry. I didn't know you were a doctor," he said, helping her into the back of the ambulance.

Ray watching the exchange in silence was amazed. In all the time he had known Megan, he had never seen such a display of anger. "Megan, I'll meet you at the hospital."

"Ok Ray, thanks," she replied, turning her attention to Tony

Megan and the paramedic worked together, giving oxygen, while attaching the equipment that would electronically convey her vital signs to the hospital. When they arrived the trauma team met them at the doors taking the cart wheeling it into the trauma room

Megan entered the waiting room and began pacing. She knew this was the best trauma center in the city. What she couldn't understand was why Tony had gone out by herself in the first place. I told her it was dangerous. But everything had happened just too quickly. It was almost like someone had targeted the agent. But Megan knew that was impossible because she was brand new to Cleveland. What would be the point. She didn't like the way it added up though. She had also noticed the trail of blood down the length of the alley stopping at Tony. The damn woman had chased her assailant without regard to her injury. Talk about dumb. But Megan's concern far outweighed any anger at Tony for doing something so foolish

Looking up when Ray entered the room, she said, "Hi, Ray. Thanks for coming."

"It's no problem, Megan. You know that." Looking at her blood covered clothes, he said, "Megan you're a mess. Let me see if I can talk someone out of some scrubs for you."

Megan hadn't even noticed. She was too concerned about Tony. Knowing what a good lawyer Ray was she didn't doubt he convince them to part with a pair

Returning a few minutes later, he handed the scrubs to her and showed her where the women's restroom was. When she came back, he told her they had taken Tony to surgery.

Walking over to the surgery waiting room, Megan told Ray, "There's no need for you to stay any longer. I know you're probably getting cases ready for Monday and it's already after 3 am. Why don't you go home."

"You're right. I do have a couple of cases I'm working on. Be sure and let me know how she is. My phone number's on my card," he replied handing it to her before departing.

Megan was exhausted. She continued to pace wondering if she could have somehow prevented this from happening. But she couldn't think of anything she could have done. Everything had happened too quickly

"Dr. Donnovan?"

Megan startled out of her thoughts, said anxiously, "Yes, how is she?"

"She's going to be fine. I have to admit I was worried there for a while. Her Crit was only 10 going in and we almost lost the BP. She is incredibly lucky. By some freak chance the knife missed her stomach and kidney hitting only the spleen. The CT scan showed she was eligible for the non-invasive spleen trauma protocol. She lost of lot of blood, but she's in great shape, and should be out of here in a couple of days. She's over in recovery. We're waking her up now. You can go on over there, but she probably won't remember it tomorrow anyway. So why don't you just go home and get some rest and come back later on."

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather see her for a minute," Megan replied. Even though the surgeon had been very reassuring, she needed to see Tony for herself, just to make sure. Megan walked with the surgeon over to the recovery. The nurse who was at the bed asked her, "You want to wake her up?" Megan nodded and the nurse left

Megan look down at the vulnerable face sleeping so peaceably. She placed her hand on Tony's cheek briefly, needing to touch her, to know she was all right. Gently grasping Tony's hand, she said firmly, "Tony, it's time to wake up." Getting no response, she said, "Come on Tony, wake up. You've had a long enough nap." She felt the slight movement of the hand she was holding and watched the eyes flicker open

Tony was so tired. But someone was calling her. She wanted to ignore the voice and sleep. But she couldn't. It was such a beautiful voice. Fighting sleep off, she followed the voice. Opening her eyes, everything was fuzzy, and she tried to focus on the face talking to her. "Megan?" her voice no more than a whisper

When Tony uttered her name, Megan's heart lurched. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she said, "Yeah Tony, it's Megan. You with us again?" smiling down at the prone figure

Tony's eyes finally focused, but her mind was having trouble catching up. She answered by tightening her hand around the one holding hers.

Megan continued, "What's your name," knowing the recovery room protocol from her residency days

"Tony," came the simple reply

"Tony, what's your last name?" Megan persisted, knowing it was necessary for her to attain a certain level of awareness. "Viglioni," Tony replied fighting her tired mind to stay awake while she listened to Megan's sweet voice talking to her

"That's good. That's real good Tony. It's ok to go back to sleep now." She watched the eyes flutter close. Remaining at her side for a few more minutes, Megan gently removed her hand from Tony's, taking one last look at the beautiful woman, before willing herself to leave

Megan took a cab to her car and drove home. She was overtired and couldn't sleep. The events of the evening played themselves over and over again in her mind, and her thoughts turned to the past week

What had started normally had turned into a real roller coaster ride. Getting assigned the Shadow case. Meeting Tony... lunch... an afternoon in the Flats... a wonderful evening ending in near tragedy. The fact that Tony almost died tonight finally hit Megan's exhausted mind, and tears began rolling down her cheeks

She could no longer kid herself. It didn't matter if she was Lesbian, Gay, Queer, or whatever the politically correct phrase was. What mattered was one tall dark woman who had wondered into her life and stole her heart in a matter of days. She knew her body had been screaming hints for days while her mind cried out to know more about the woman

Tears began falling anew at the unfairness of it. She had finally met someone who had literally swept her off her feet and she couldn't do anything about it. She could never let Tony know how she felt. But at least, maybe, she could have her for a friend. That was better than nothing. She could deal with that. The tears continued until sleep claimed her.

*  *  *

Dwayne arrived home smiling. He had heard Megan talking on the phone with the FBI agent and decided he would remove her from the picture. He needed to catch Megan alone and he couldn't do it if she was escorting an FBI agent around. It just happened to be perfect that they were going to the Flats. That was an area he was very familiar with

Dwayne had been in a quiet rage for two days after he arrived home and found his wife gone. He had checked everyplace he could think of and she had just literally disappeared. He'd take care of her when he found her. In the meantime, he could fully engage himself with the cause of all his problems, including his wife leaving in the first place, Megan, the bitch

His plan had been perfect. He arrived early and seated himself inside one of the night club's that had windows overlooking the sidewalk. He had simply waited for them to go by knowing they would have to. Seeing them approach, he watched to see where they went. All evening he had stayed in the background with the crowds staying only close enough so he wouldn't lose them. When they entered the last club, he had waited outside. He knew he couldn't take both of them, and was getting worried. But good fortune had smiled on him and the FBI agent exited alone.

Following her had been so easy. But it's what he expected. After all, here was another woman trying to do a man's job. She never even heard him until the last second. His only regret was that whatever instinct had caused her to start turning had probably saved her life

But what he couldn't believe was how she had tried to catch him. Didn't she know she'd been stabbed? At least she never saw his face. Feeling quite pleased with himself he went to bed.

*  *  *

Megan slept fitfully for several hours. Awakening, the events of the past evening swept through her mind. Getting up, she quickly showered, dressed and headed to the hospital, stopping at Mickey D's to get some coffee and a Danish

Entering the room, Megan pulled a chair over to the bed and sat quietly, just watching Tony sleep

Tony began to rise toward consciousness. The only change was a slight quickening of the heart rate. Megan who had been watching the monitors, noticed immediately. Returning her gaze to Tony's face, she watched the eyes slowly open

Tony lay quietly, not having any idea where she was

"Hi, Tony," Megan said softly, smiling at her

Tony tried to respond but her mouth was dry, and she was barely able to push, "Hi," out. Tony's mind finally grasped she was in a hospital and suddenly the events of the past evening came flooding over her. She was mortified. How could she have been so stupid. She had been caught unawares. She remembered chasing someone down the alley and then... nothing.

She watched Megan fill a cup with water, and place a straw in it. "Come on, I'll hold it while you drink."

"I can hold it myself," Tony replied. She began to sit up, quickly slipping back down again when her body refused to cooperate and let it's pain be felt.

Megan watched Tony's face turn white at the effort, and simply put her arm behind her head and lifted the straw to her mouth

"Thanks," Tony said, feeling utterly embarrassed at having to be helped. Megan sat back down in the chair at the side of the bed and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Ok," Tony lied. Actually she felt like shit. Her back wouldn't quit throbbing, and it didn't help that the one person she would have liked to impress had to see her like this. Oh, she'd been injured before, but always against overwhelming odds, and she'd always managed to get to safety herself

Megan asked her, "Do you remember what happened?" Tony looked over at Megan and seeing the concerned look on her face realized she was being selfish and thinking only of herself. Fighting to overcome her embarrassment, she answered, "I remember getting hit in the back and chasing some guy down the alley. I don't remember anything after that."

"What happened after that is you passed out," Megan supplied. "You went into shock, so your body started shutting down."

Tony decided to go for broke, and asked, "So, what's the damage?"

Megan answered bluntly, "You were very lucky. Somehow the knife only hit your spleen. Usually in trauma cases, the spleen is automatically removed. But you're lucky. This is a Level 1 Trauma Center and they've got a new non-invasive spleen trauma protocol, which basically means your body parts are still all intact."

Tony thought about what Megan had just told her, and decided things could be a lot worse considering how careless she'd been

"You up to answering a question?" Megan asked Tony

Tony nodded, so she continued, "What are earth were you doing chasing the guy that stabbed you? Didn't you know you were bleeding?"

"It didn't hurt that much," Tony answered evasively

Megan mulled that over and realized that was probably the truth. Many people had died of ruptured spleens because they didn't go to the hospital until it was too late. But Megan still had to get something off her chest. "You know you did more damage to yourself than the knife wound did. The spleen holds about a liter of blood. That wouldn't be so bad because it's mostly recycled. But by running your body was trying to refill it as fast as you were losing it. That was really dumb you know."

Tony's eyes narrowed at the words. But her tired mind acknowledged Megan was right. It made sense, but there was no way she was going to tell her she agreed with her

"Ya gotta do what ya gotta do," Tony replied. "Do you know what happened to my gun?"

Wouldn't you know that would be one of the first things she wants to know? "I picked it up. It's at my place."

"Thanks. You look really tired. Why don't you go home?"

"Later," Megan answered, settling more comfortably in the chair

The day passed slowly with Tony drifting in and out of sleep with Megan right at her side, refusing to leave even when Tony insisted

Sgt Davies stopped by and, Megan, intercepting him at the door told him what she knew, advising him he'd have to come back tomorrow if he wanted to talk to Tony

Later that evening, when the nurses got Tony out of bed, Megan could not believe how stubborn she was when she insisted she could walk without any assistance. Obviously that little idea didn't last long. Megan knew it wouldn't be until the next day that Tony would be able to begin to move around a little on her own

Megan's tired body called it quits late Sunday evening. Whispering to the sleeping woman, "I'll be back tomorrow," she returned home

The next morning, Tony felt decidedly more human. Looking around the room, she noticed Megan was gone. She had looked so tired, Tony was glad she finally went home, but at the same time she missed her presence. She was so comforting. Every time she woke up yesterday, Megan had been right there, putting up with her moodiness, and her anger at herself. Helping her when she insisted she could do things herself, which of course she couldn't, but refused to admit.

Tony thought about the events leading to the attack on her Saturday evening. She acknowledged Megan was having a very unsettling effect on her. She felt out of control and it was not a feeling she liked. Maybe she should call Huey, but quickly discarded the idea. She did still have a case to solve, wryly acknowledging she wasn't doing a very good job at it so far, and besides if she called him she'd never be able to complete her personal agenda. Tony knew her decision to step out of Megan's life was a sound one. But why did that thought fill her with such trepidation? Maybe there was another way... but it would require her getting some measure of control back when she was around Megan

Megan knew she had to go in to work. It was Monday and that was always a busy day. She was going to talk to Dr. Whitehouse and request a few days off though. Tony would need her. The serial killer had been quiet, so it shouldn't be a problem. Once she was ready for work, Megan placed a call to the surgical ward to talk with the nurses. After ascertaining that Tony was doing very well, she asked the nurse to tell her she would be in later, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping

Arriving at work, she found David waiting for her in her office. "Hey guy, how's it going."

Returning her warm smile, he answered, "Great." Studying her carefully he said, "Are you ok? You look exhausted," concern clouding his eyes

Turning to look at him, she answered simply, "It's been a long weekend, I'll tell you about it later. How many we got today?"

"Just two-cause of death unknowns," he answered, silently vowing to himself not to let her leave today until he talked to her. David had never seen her look so worn out

Tony looked up as Sgt. Davies entered the room. Mentally groaning, she looked at him and growled, "Don't even start," shifting into a persona that warned, don't mess with me

Brian watched the change come over the woman glaring at him. It was enough to intimidate the hell of anyone. Brian began to feel a grudging respect for Tony. It was obvious she wasn't a quitter. "Don't sweat it. I just stopped by to ask a few questions and see how you're doing. I tried to yesterday, but it seems the Assistant Coroner has taken a personal interest in your care and she wouldn't let anyone in."

Brian noticed the surprise that quickly crossed the face looking at him before the mask fell back into place. Tony said, "Sorry about that. I didn't know you were here yesterday. I was still pretty out of it."

"How ya feeling?" Brian asked, concern in his voice

"Just fine. It's no big deal. What do ya want to know?"

"Did you see the guy that attacked you?"

"No. It was dark. He approached from the rear. Obviously I didn't hear him soon enough. I started to turn and he struck. I chased him as far as I could. So there's not much to tell. He was dressed in dark clothes, had an athletic build, was probably 5'10" or 11" and about 185 pounds, and that probably describes half the male population of Cleveland," she summed up disgustedly

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Shit happens," Brian stated gruffly knowing she would resent any sympathy from him. "Why were ya down there in the first place? I don't think it's a coincidence that you happened to be in the general area all the murders took place. I thought we were working on this case together," he followed up staring at her pointedly.

"We are

working on it together. But I can't get a feel for the case stuck on the phone talking to crazies all day. Dr. Donnovan offered to show me around down there, and I accepted. It's that simple. If I wanted to undermine your authority, I'd of never come to you in the first place," she retorted

Brian believed her, "Ok, just checking. If ya need anything..."

"Yeah, I do," she interrupted, pausing before continuing, "Did the FBI get notified... I mean... since I'm an agent..." she trailed off

Sensing where she was going, Brian said with empathy, "No, I haven't sent the report over yet. I was waiting to talk to you first." Making a decision, he continued, "Sometimes things get lost."

Tony sighed with relief, gave him a full smile, and said, "Thanks, I owe ya."

"No, ya don't. Just get on your feet so we can get this case solved," he smiled back. "Get some rest. I'll keep you up to date," he promised before leaving

"Later," Tony responded

Megan had finished up her cases and was completing her preliminary reports when David walked in and sat down. Looking up, she smiled and said, "You're gonna call me to task, aren't you?"

"Yep," he said, flashing a warm grin at her

Megan gathered her thoughts, and started, "Ok... you remember when I left early to show the FBI agent assigned to the case the Flats?" She saw David nod and continued. "Well we decided to go back down there Saturday night. Tony wanted to get a feel for the place when it was in full swing." Megan told him exactly what had transpired, leaving out only her feelings for Tony

David studied Megan carefully as she related the events of the weekend to him. Her face subtly changed every time she mentioned the agent. A puzzled expression crossed her face when she told him about Tony suddenly leaving. An idea began to work its way into David's mind. By the time she finished her story, he felt sure there was more here than met the eye. He wouldn't mind meeting the agent

"God, Megan, that really sucks," he answered. "No wonder you look so tired. What can I do to help?"

"I asked Dr. Whitehouse for the next couple of days off. He complained, but gave it to me. If you'd just kind of keep an eye on things here and call me if anything unusual happens, it would really help."

"Consider it done," he told her. "You going back over to the hospital now?"

"Yeah. I just want to make sure everything's ok," she answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders

"You take care of yourself. I mean it," David gave her a stern look

"I will." Smiling apologetically, she said, "see ya Thursday."

"Take care."

Tony had been examined by the surgeon and was told she could leave that afternoon provided she took it easy. He told her unless there were any problems she could return to work on limited duty in a week . She was to call his office and schedule a follow-up appointment. Tony was ecstatic. She hated hospitals

When Megan arrived, Tony greeted her with a grin, saying "Hi."

Megan, surprised at the warm greeting, responded, "Hi yourself," answering the infectious grin with one of her own

"I'm out of here today."

"That's great, but of course you're staying at my place. I've got an extra bedroom," Megan replied waiting for the inevitable explosion. It wasn't long in coming

"Oh no I'm not," Tony countered. "I've already inconvenienced you enough. The surgeon told me you saved my life. Don't you think you've done enough? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Softening her tone, she added, "I just really can't impose on you anymore."

At her words, the hazel eyes started flashing, and Tony actually had time to think, oh shit, before the rebuttal was voiced, "Are you done?" The calm voice contradicting the body language

"Yeah," came the answer

Megan continued, "First of all, you are not capable of taking care of yourself yet. I happen to be a doctor by profession, and a pathologist by specialty. I'd say I'm in a much better position that you to determine what care you need right now. Second... how about if I

am the one who decides when and if someone is inconveniencing me or imposing on me? I really think that should be my decision. Lastly, you have a friend who happens to care what happens to you, so get used to it."

How do you argue that? Tony's mind sped through a variety of responses, discarding each. Megan had logically and calmly picked apart all her arguments

Taking advantage of Tony's silence, Megan asked, "How about giving me the key to your hotel room so I can get you something to wear out of here."

Tony pointed to the night stand drawer and said, "The key's in there," capitulating with those words.

*  *  *

"No," the low voice growled

"You have to," the rebuttal stated firmly

"No, I don't," came the irritated response

"Fine. Then you can stay here for a few more days, because you aren't leaving any other way. It is hospital policy and besides you can't walk that far," Megan said exasperatedly. This had to be the most stubborn woman she had ever met. What was the big deal. It must be some silly ego thing. This argument had been going on ever since the nurse brought the offending item into the room. Maybe a different approach would work

Tony was sitting on the side of the bed glaring at the wheelchair, willing it to disappear.

Megan walked over and bent down until she was at eye level with the sitting woman, "Tony, come on. Please. I'm tired. Let's get out of here."

The disarming entreaty from Megan broke through her irritation, and realizing just how much the small woman had done for her, Tony sighed and said, "Ok, let's just get it over with."

Parking the car, Megan moved around to the passenger side to help Tony. She knew, regardless of declarations otherwise, that the woman was hurting. Offering her arm, she helped Tony ease herself out of the car, the pale face and clenched jaw, attesting to the difficulty of the maneuver. Silently cursing her body for its weakness, Tony was grateful for Megan's help on the way to the apartment

Looking around when they entered, Tony began to relax in the warm, appealing decor. The apartment was huge with the late afternoon sunlight spilling through the windows, adding to the cheery atmosphere. The living room was tastefully done in soft mauve tones offset by overstuffed furniture designed for comfort . Walking down the hall toward the guest bedroom, Megan pointed out the bathroom, and her bedroom. Tony noticed both bedrooms were done similarly in light blue offset by ivory. The apartment reflected the owner's personality perfectly.

As Tony sat on the bed, Megan said, "Why don't you lay down? I've got to get some things out of the car. I'll be right back." She turned and left the bedroom. Tony gladly complied. The short trip had depleted what little energy she'd had and laying back on the bed she immediately dropped off into the healing sleep her body needed

When Megan had gone to Tony's hotel room, she had chosen a light weight set of sweats for her to wear home from the hospital. She had also picked up some extra clothes, and personal items she felt Tony might want. Fetching them now, she hurried back up to the apartment wanting to make sure her guest was comfortable. Quickly returning to the bedroom, Megan realized Tony had already fallen asleep. Standing in the doorway, gazing at Tony, Megan felt an almost overwhelming urge for some kind of contact, but afraid she might wake her up, she just quietly entered the room and placed Tony's things on the dresser before departing. Changing into a t-shirt and shorts, Megan picked a book before collapsing into the recliner and tilting it back. She began reading, and promptly fell into an exhausted sleep

Tony woke up in a strange room softly lit by moonlight. Disoriented for a moment she glanced around, and remembered where she was. Easing up into a sitting position, she noticed the pain had receded some. Turning on a small lamp next to the bed, she saw some of her things on the dresser. Walking over to inspect the items, she couldn't believe Megan had even taken the time to include some of her CDs and her book. Tony was perplexed by the actions of the compassionate, caring woman. I've spent so much time fighting for control of my emotions around her, all I've done is give her a hard time the last couple of days, and yet she bends over backwards to do things for me. I really don't deserve this. Vowing to herself to be more considerate, Tony went looking for something to drink

The rest of the apartment was dark except for where light filtered in from the street. Finding the kitchen, Tony turned on the light. Perusing the contents of the refrigerator, she selected a bottle of cranberry juice before closing the door and looking for a glass. Finding one, she replaced the cranberry juice, turned off the light and quietly made her way through the dining room to the living room. She wanted to sit up for a while and figured that was a good to do it

She was almost startled by the sleeping form in the chair. Setting her glass on the end table, she walked over to the chair. Looking down at Megan, Tony realized the toll the last few days had taken on her. Knowing she'd be more comfortable in her bed, she softly called her name not wanting to scare her. Not getting any reaction, she called her name a little louder. Megan just shifted her body in the chair. Placing her hand on Megan's shoulder she shook it very gently, saying, "Megan, wake up. You need to go to bed."

Megan's eyes came open, and recognizing Tony, she said, "What's wrong? I'm sorry. I fell asleep. What do you need?"

"Stop, already. I don't need anything. It seems you've already taken care of everything. I just saw you sleeping here and thought you'd be a lot more comfortable in your own bed," Tony explained, reluctantly moving her hand from Megan's shoulder

"Thanks, but what are you doing up? You should be in bed. You're supposed to be taking it easy."

"I am taking it easy, but I can't stay in bed 24 hours a day. I'm going to sit up for a while." Seeing Megan's worried expression, Tony added, "For just a little. Now why don't you go to bed?"

Megan realized Tony was right. She was still tired, and her bed sounded really good right now. "Ok, see you tomorrow."

"G'night."

Tony sat quietly for a while thinking, I'm in serious trouble here

and wondering what in the hell she was going to do about it. True to her word, she went to bed a short time later.

*  *  *

The man walked confidently down the street toward the predesignated meeting place. He didn't expect to encounter any trouble but was carrying a piece just in case. Rounding the darkened warehouse building, he stepped into a doorway to wait. He always arrived at least 30 minutes early to check out the area. The precaution probably wasn't necessary, but better not to take chances. After all, those who made mistakes paid and he didn't intend to make any. That was why he wore his disguise even to these meetings. No one would ever be able to identify him, not even a low life drug dealer.

A short time later, he saw his contact make his way across the warehouse parking lot. Waiting until he passed the doorway he was secluded in, he stepped out behind the man, saying, "You got it?"

The dealer swore, whirling around angrily

"No, I don't think so," he sneered. Now do you have the stuff?"

Holding out his hand, he said, "The money," counting it before he pulled 5 small vials out of his pocket. Once the exchange was made, the dealer departed first. A short time later the other man made his way back to his car

"Morning," Megan smiled at the tall woman entering the kitchen, thinking, she is so beautiful. "How ya feeling?"

"Kinda sore," Tony surprised herself with the honest answer. "But could be worse," she finished placing her hand on the back of the chair

"Did you take your pills?" Megan knew the threat of sepsis was very high in spleen injury cases and Tony was on heavy doses of antibiotics and a pain killer

"No, I was going to get some juice first."

"What would you like for breakfast. Let’s see... there's eggs, cereal, bagels, English muffins, bananas..."

"Wait," Tony interrupted Megan, quirking a small grin. "How about just the cranberry juice. I'm really not hungry."

"You have to eat something. You're not supposed to take those on an empty stomach. How about a bagel?" Megan urged

"Ok, but I'm going to take a shower first."

"You're gonna have to settle for a bath and watch how much water you put in. You can't get the adhesive wet and when you're done, I want to take a look at your back," Megan answered expecting some sort of argument

Tony was silent for a minute, but remembering her promise, she simply said, "Ok," to a surprised Megan. Taking her bath she found out just how much the wound in her back impeded her range of motion, and exited the tub in considerable pain. Donning a loose night shirt, she wanted only to lay down until the pain let up

Megan heard her leave the bathroom and make her way down the hall. Taking the bagel and juice to the bedroom, she saw Tony had already laid down. "I bought you some breakfast. Come on, sit up."

"I will. In a little while. I just need to lay down right now."

"What you need is a something for the pain, so you've got to eat something. Now come on, sit up," Megan answered

Tony complied and after one look at her face, Megan handed her the juice and told her she'd be right back. Grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl she went back to the bedroom, handed it to Tony, and said, "This is breakfast," knowing she would never get a bagel down. Finishing, Tony looked at Megan, saying, "Thanks," took her meds and laid back down

Megan sat on the bed next to her and raised the nightshirt to check the wound. It was healing nicely. Noticing the tightly clenched muscles in Tony's back, she said, "You gotta relax. She started kneading the knotted muscles, working her way from the shoulders down, and then from one side to the other in a soothing, relaxing rhythm, while staying well away from the wound. Tony began relaxing under the soothing onslaught and fell asleep. Megan pulled her shirt down and brushed the hair out of her face with her hand. Bending over and kissing her on the forehead, she left. Megan knew it would be a few hours before Tony woke because the pain killer was also a light sedative.

Megan put a pot roast and vegetables in the crock pot turning it on low. She started straightening up the apartment which had been neglected the last few days. Her thoughts were occupied with ways to convince Tony to give up the hotel room and stay with her until she found a place of her own

When Tony woke up, the pain had receded to a dull discomfort. She lay on the bed thinking of the back rub Megan had given her. The pain had taken a back seat to the soothing, soft small hands. Tony began to imagine how those hands might feel on other parts of her... anatomy. Oh yeah, you're definitely feeling better, now get your mind out of the gutter, she was just being nice. Reluctantly leaving the thoughts behind, she got up

"How ya feeling?" Megan asked when Tony entered the living room, eyeing her closely

"Better than I did. What ya doing?" she asked Megan who was sitting at the computer

"Just surfing. I like to do that sometimes."

Tony walked over and sat down gingerly on the couch, trying to decide how to start, "Um Megan," pausing, "I just wanted you to know I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I never thanked you for saving my life... thank you," she finished simply

Megan walked over and sat down next to Tony, "Your welcome, I'm just glad I was there. But you know, I was wondering about something. Why did you leave and take off by yourself?

Tony considered the question trying to decide what to say that wasn't an absolute lie. For some reason the idea of lying to Megan really bothered her but she obviously couldn't tell her the truth either. "I thought you might like some time alone with Ray," she replied, then added honestly, "It seemed like you were pretty good friends... I just kind of felt like... a third wheel."

"Oh Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you out..."

"No, it's ok," she interrupted, and then asked a question she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"He used to be. We were engaged, twice. Once when I was 21 and then again, when I was 24. I broke off the engagement both times. I knew Ray wasn't right for me. That's the first time I've seen him in over two years. He's a really nice guy. He helped me find you and came to the hospital."

Tony breathed an inward sigh of relief, but wasn't willing to follow the line of thought any further. She knew as lovely as the woman was, she was probably seeing someone, and Tony just didn't want to know if she was

"What about you, are you seeing anyone?" Megan asked casually

"No. I move around a lot so..." she trailed off

"Didn't you have to work today?" Tony had just realized it was midday and Megan was still home

"No. I took a couple of days off. I figured you might need some help getting around."

Tony was stunned. She took time off to take care of me.

Wondering, yet again, what did I do to deserve this? "Megan, you shouldn't have..."

"Stop. I did what I wanted to. Now how about some lunch? You need to eat," she adroitly changed the subject

After lunch, they returned to the living room. Megan insisted Tony use the recliner because it would be easier on her back than sitting on the couch. Flipping aimlessly through the channels, she asked, "What do you like to watch?"

"Anything action... sci-fi, cops... stuff like that."

"How about Unsolved Mysteries? There's not much on right now."

"Ok," Tony said, relaxing in the recliner

"I want to talk to you about something," Megan began

Tony looked at Megan, thinking, uh oh, this sounds serious.

Once she had Tony's attention she continued, "It seems like a real waste of money for you to keep that hotel room while you're staying here." When Tony started to interrupt, she said, "Wait, let me finish. Why don't you let me go and get your stuff and then you could just stay here until you find a place?" she finished in a rush

Tony hadn't thought about the hotel room. The money wasn't a problem. She had invested very wisely during her years undercover with no real use for her salary since the government paid for everything on covert operations. Actually, she could retire and live quite comfortably on her earnings . But it was really... nice here. Could she handle being around Megan for more than a day or two?...  or maybe the question should be, could she handle not being around her? Tony sighed inwardly at the dilemma she was in. The situation was obviously hopeless. But the idea of staying here a little longer was really appealing..

Megan had been studying Tony intently, willing her to say yes. But as the silence lengthened, she prepared to be disappointed, knowing it would be too good to be true

"Only if I can pay for half of everything while I'm here," Tony responded, adding, "and I go with you to get my things. You shouldn't have to do that."

Tony watched the warm, full smile light up Megan's face, and thought, I think I finally did something right, answering it with one of her own

Megan and Tony spent the next couple of hours conversing easily, each opening up to the other slowly, a budding trust beginning to develop. Megan talked about her parents, her sisters and brother, and about how it was growing up in a home that had very high expectations of each child. She touched on her relationship with her father vaguely, telling Tony how Ashley had always tried to intervene in her behalf and how close she was to her sister

Tony was surprised at how easy it was talk to Megan. She shared some of her happy childhood stories, talking about her brothers, and how they all were in trouble more often than not, admitting she was often the instigator. Realizing she was talking about her brothers, Tony was shocked

Then other memories began coursing through her mind. Tony was 17, had just graduated and was waiting to start college along with her brother George. They had started and finished school in the same grade. There was only nine and a half months between them and due to the way his birthday fell, he started school a year late. Both had won partial scholarships and were working summer jobs. This weekend was a welcome reprieve from work for both the teenagers. Joey was the youngest. He was 16 and would enter the 11th grade that fall.

They had been anticipating this weekend for a month. Vinnie had offered the use of his uncle's cabin up in the mountains of Massachusetts. Their group consisted of 5. Tony, George, Joey, Vinnie and Sharon. Vinnie and Sharon were two of Tony and George's classmates. Joey was the only one who had not yet graduated. The 5 had often spent the weekends camping out, their love of the outdoors unequaled by any of their classmates.

Normally they just went to a wooded resort in the foothills. Sharon's family owned one of the lots, so they had a trailer to crash in. But the idea of exploring the mountains excited all of them. Each of the others had had their turn and, as was the norm, she quickly located each of them. Tony had decided to have some fun and had led them on a merry chase. They were at least 5 miles from the cabin

Tony forcefully thrust the memory of that painful day away, concentrating so hard, her face was tight with the visible effort

"Tony... are you ok? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

After Tony fell asleep, Megan decided to go get her things. Getting in and out of the car was still too hard for her and besides she shouldn't be carrying things anyway. Best to do it now and avoid having to argue the point. She knew just how stubborn Tony could be. She needed to stop at the store anyway. Before departing, she left Tony a note saying she'd be back in a couple of hours

Megan had rushed her errands, wanting to get back before Tony woke up, so she could move her things into the apartment unobtrusively. Accomplishing that, she started to finish preparing dinner

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty's finally up," teased Megan, smiling when Tony walked into the kitchen.

Tony was unable to stop the blush that crept onto her face at the words. Megan looked at her chuckling, "What's the matter, I embarrass you?" thinking how cute she looked

"No," came the automatic denial. "What're you making?"

"Pot roast and vegetables. I just have to do the salad and it'll be done."

"I'll make the salad. Why don't you relax for a while."

Megan started to object, but seeing the look Tony was giving her decided not to

Tony smiled to herself. Yep, salads she could do. Not much else though. Cooking had never really interested her. She just usually ate out.

"This is really good," Tony complimented Megan. "It's really nice to have a home cooked meal for a change."

Megan felt her cheeks redden at the praise, "Thanks."

When Tony saw Megan blush she decided it was payback time and winked at her, "I didn't embarrass you, did I?" she teased. "Turnabouts fair play you know."

Looking at the mirth filled blue eyes, Megan smiled. God, she's in a good mood. It's hard to believe that this is the same woman I met last week. Taking advantage of her good humor, Megan nonchalantly said, "I picked up your stuff and put it in the bedroom. Most of the it's in the closet. If you can't find something, let me know."

"I thought we agreed that I would go with you. My stuff is not your responsibility," Tony stated pointedly

"You were asleep and I had to go out anyway so it was no problem. You would have only aggravated your back and I didn't want you to have to go through any more pain than you already have. I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel about it," Megan finished, figuring Tony would be mad at her, but knowing she would do the same thing again if she needed to.

Tony sat silently for a minute. So far, she was batting zero. She just couldn't win these arguments with Megan. How are you supposed to be angry at someone for caring about you? She said the only thing she could, "Thanks."

Tony spent the rest of the evening in the recliner, wanting to be near Megan, dozing on and off from the effects of the pain killers and her body's effort to repair itself. When she was awake, they passed the time companionably, watching TV, talking, sharing, and enjoying their new found friendship

The next morning Tony was up early and decided there no way she was going to bathe before she ate breakfast and took a pain killer. No more repeats of yesterday. Well the back rub was pretty good. Yeah, you're definitely on the mend. Shaking her head at her incorrigible mind, she went to the kitchen only to see Megan standing there in a short lightweight nightshirt. Oh God... Tony was helpless to stop her eyes from raking the length of Megan's body and was only just able to divert them before Megan turned around. "Mornin'," Megan said smiling. Tony managed to return the greeting and then decided maybe she better take a bath first after all

Megan had only gone to the kitchen to make coffee, not expecting Tony up so early. But since she was, she asked, "What ya want for breakfast?" deciding Tony was kind of quiet this morning

You, mentally slapping herself in the head, Tony said, "I think I'll take a bath first."

"If I remember right, that wasn't such a good idea yesterday," Megan countered

"Um... well... my back's a little better today," replied Tony turning to make her escape. Megan was having none of that, remembering only too well the pain Tony had been in yesterday, and went over, grasped her arm, tugging her toward the chair, and said, "Come on. It'll only take a couple of minutes. I'll makes eggs. How do you like em'?"

Tony allowed herself to be led to the chair, fighting to control her lascivious thoughts, as the small hand that warmed her arm, along with Megan's proximity made this a very difficult feat. Whoa... take it easy... you can do this.. oh but this is agony.

While they were eating, Tony who had managed to tame her libido for the time being, asked, "What we gonna do today?"

Megan started laughing. "Oh, you are feeling better." Megan knew Tony needed to take it easy whether she realized it or not, so she responded, "We can do anything you want as long as it can be done from your bed or the recliner."

Unbidden images brought on by the innocent comment cascaded through Tony's mind, and she choked on her toast and started coughing. Megan was at her side in an instant, thunking her expertly on the back, asking her, "Are you ok?"

Once Tony got the coughing under control, she muttered, "Yeah," Popping one of her pain pills while silently cursing her back. "I'm gonna lay down," her actions belying her words.

Megan followed her in and said, "Let me take a look at your back. You were coughing pretty hard. I need to make sure you didn't pull anything loose."

Tony laid down grumbling, "Damn back anyway. All I did was cough, I can't believe this shit."

Megan raised her shirt, checking carefully for any damage. Satisfied there wasn't any, she began massaging Tony's muscles, with sure, smooth movements. "You know Tony, the muscles in your back were severed. Even though they have been repaired, it's gonna take a while. When you do something that involves those muscles, it's gonna hurt," she said expertly avoiding any area that might cause discomfort.

Tony had forgotten about complaining, enjoying the soothing feel of the back rub, "Thanks, that feels really good."

"It's supposed to. Now just relax." Megan was thoroughly enjoying her task. She loved the feel of Tony's muscles responding to the gentle kneading. Her skin was so soft. Megan continued her massage after Tony fell asleep marveling at the strong, broad back. Reluctantly moving off the bed, she repeated her actions of the day before, brushing Tony's hair out of her face, and kissing her forehead, knowing it was probably the last time she'd get the opportunity

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Megan ensuring Tony rested, and both women just enjoying the other's company. Megan opened up about her relationship with her father, leaving out only the darker memories. She acknowledged that her relationship with him had deteriorated from her early teen years and that no matter how hard she tried, she had never been able to please him. She told Tony how he had always belittled her interests, only encouraging her when it came to school

Tony heard the hurt in Megan's voice as she discussed her father, instantly disliking him. She listened silently, knowing it was something Megan needed to talk about. Tony decided that anyone who would hurt Megan, especially her own father, should be shot.

Megan continued, "Dad was pretty upset at me for breaking the engagement to Ray. He's a lawyer and since Ray was going to law school when we met, in his mind it was a perfect match." Megan continued, feeling very comfortable with Tony, "But, I always figured when the right person came along I would know, and I didn't feel that way about Ray," thinking, but I do about you. "What about you? Don't you think you'll know when you meet the right person?"

"Uh... yeah," Tony had not been expecting the question and was caught off guard, while her mind warned her, don't go there. Megan noticed Tony's discomfort and thought, guess that was a little too personal.

So changing the subject, she asked, "What was your father like?"

"I don't know. Mom divorced him when I was 3, and I never saw him again," Tony answered, and deciding to elaborate, continued, "I asked my mother one time who the tall guy with the mustache was that I remembered coming up the sidewalk carrying a black rocker," looking at Megan and adding, "we had a small black child's rocking chair when we were kids." Continuing, she said, "Mom was really surprised. She couldn't believe I remembered that. Turned out it was my father. That's the only memory I have of him."

"You mean he never came and saw you and your brothers?"

"No."

"Were you ever curious... I mean... haven't you ever wanted to find him, just to see what he's like?"

"Nope. Didn't seem much point to it."

"What about your Mom? What's she like?" Megan asked, changing course yet again

Tony remember the last time she saw her mother. The pain filled, grief stricken face, looking at her through tear filled eyes at the funeral. That picture was burned into the recesses of her mind. Shutting her eyes forcefully, trying to stop the memories, Tony clenched her jaw and said, "Can we talk later? I'm really tired. I'm gonna lay down for awhile."

"Sure," Megan said not fooled at all by Tony's evasion. Mom is off limits... Mm

The day passed quickly and Megan realized for only the second time in her short career, she was not looking forward to going to work. The first time had been Monday. Tony refused to do anything but enjoy Megan's company. She was sticking firmly to a 'one day at a time' maxim.

PART 3

DAVID WAS GLAD to see Megan when she arrived and quickly bought her up to date on events in the Coroner's office. He told her about the cases that had come in and who had been assigned what. He related that overall it had been pretty quiet

"You look a lot better," David began, shifting conversation away from the office

"Yeah, I feel better too," Megan said. "I was pretty wrung out Monday."

"How's Tony?"

"Oh she's doing really good. She's a really interesting person. It's kind of hard sometimes to get her listen to reason, though. She can be really stubborn. But I'm just glad I met her." Megan stated the last comment with more feeling than she realized

"Sounds like you two have become pretty good friends. I'd really like to meet her sometime."

"How about you guys come over for dinner tomorrow night?" Megan really wanted David to meet Tony. She knew he'd like her

David wondered aloud, "Is she staying with you?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you didn't know," adding, "until she finds her own place," which Megan hoped was never

David mused, well now that's interesting. Megan does seem happy though. Yes, I definitely want to meet this woman who seems to be making such an impact on my friend.

"Ok, what time?"

"How about 7pm?"

"We'll be there," David answered with a smile

Tony was bored and realized just how quickly she had fallen into a routine, and that routine included Megan. With sudden insight, she thought, I miss her, quickly dismissing the notion as ludicrous

Her back was still bothering her, but if she was careful about how she did things, it wasn't too bad. She flipped through the TV channels finding nothing that interested her. Walking over to where Megan kept her collection of videos, she looked at those. There was quite a variety, everything from 'Gone With the Wind' to 'Homeward Bound.' Talk about a diverse collection. But she didn't feel like watching a movie. Eyeing the computer, she decided to see what she could get into on that. Why not. Noticing a couple of game disks, she picked them up. Let’s see, we got Pitfall, nah too easy. Oh, good ole Tomb Raider - that would do. Putting the CD in, she began to play, quickly advancing through the different levels

The phone interrupted her game. Picking it up, she said, "Hello."

"Hi, what ya doing?" Megan asked

Without thinking, Tony responded, "waiting for you to get home," surprised at the comment. Megan paused and then figured Tony just must be pretty bored, so she answered, "I'll be there in a couple of hours. Did you eat lunch?"

Adroitly side stepping the question, and knowing Megan liked Chinese, she said, "how about you pick up some Chinese on the way home. I'm buying."

"Sounds good to me. Gotta go. See ya later."

"Bye," Tony's mood perceptibly brightened with the phone call

When they sat down to eat, Tony asked, "How was work?"

"Ok. It was fairly quiet. I only had one case, so I got a lot of the paperwork that had piled up in the last couple of days done."

"Did you take it easy?"

"Yeah. I played Tomb Raider for a while, but you know, I could never understand why they have Lara whosit killing animals. Seems to me she should be killing the bad guys," Tony quipped with a grin

"Tony... I'm sure," Megan replied rolling her eyes

"Well, what did the animals ever do to anyone? At least the bad guys deserve it."

"You're hopeless," Megan bantered back

"Ok, maybe androids," Tony amended, "or evil sci-fi monsters."

Megan just shook her head, smiling at Tony's teasing

"What would ya think about company for dinner tomorrow night?"

"It's your place. I can make myself scarce," Tony replied

"I'd like you to be there Tony. David wants to meet you. I told him about you and he's a very good friend of mine."

Feigning nonchalance, Tony asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"God, no," said Megan chuckling. He's coming over with his partner Mike. They're Gay."

An almost imperceptible expression flickered across Tony's face. Megan asked, "You don't have a problem with that do you? I mean... well... I could tell them no. But they're really nice. They're no different than anyone else," praying to herself that Tony's reaction didn't mean she was homophobic

It was everything Tony could do to keep from choking on her food for the second time in as many days. Problem with that... oh yeah right... ... damn, woman, if you even knew... swallow before you choke, dummy... now say something. "I'd love to meet them," Tony finally managed to say, her mind continuing to torment her with the irony of the situation.

Megan was performing her work functions on automatic pilot. Although she would never allow her work to suffer, she found her thoughts frequently on Tony. Not wanting to interfere with her rest, she limited herself to one phone call, looking forward to it as a junkie looks forward to a fix. She worried about the day Tony would start looking for an apartment. She couldn't bear the thought of going home to an empty apartment... without Tony. Her mind warned her, don't go there. Just take one day at a time.

David noticed how distracted his friend was and wished she'd come and talk to him. He'd always be there for her and he knew she knew it. But until she came to him, there was nothing he could do. Even though he had a few suspicions, he wasn't sure. He figured he'd find out if he was right that night

Tony was disgusted with her limitations. Even though her back felt better each day, she tired easily, and still spent a lot of time sleeping. She had quit taking the pain pills deciding they were no longer necessary and all she did was sleep when she took them. The ensuing result was she had more time on her hands. Tony wasn't used to free time. She willed the phone to ring, hoping Megan would call. It was the one highpoint of her day. Tony had decided back in the hospital to take things one day at a time. There was no sense in worrying about things she couldn't control. She was willing to enjoy being around Megan in any way she could. It was better than the alternative which she wouldn't even think about. The last two mornings, she got up before Megan, made coffee and waited for her to appear. Tony relished their time together before she went to work, knowing how long the day would be until she got home. She knew if she called Brian one more time to find out if they'd made any progress on the case he would probably hang up on her

Megan had prepared dinner the night before, so all she had to do was put it in the oven when she got home. Chatting with Tony the time passed quickly, and David and Mike arrived right on time

Megan made introductions and shortly thereafter they sat down to eat. David lost no time starting the conversation rolling. Having a very charismatic personality and being naturally inquisitive, he immediately focused on Tony and asked, "Megan says you're new to Cleveland. Where did you move here from?"

"I was assigned to Washington, D.C.," she replied, giving her base of operations

"What's it like? I've never been there," David asked, a mutual assessment playing out

"It's actually quite an interesting place. We always referred to DC as cement city. You had to drive 20 miles in any given direction before you saw anything green. It has some great attractions. Besides all the monuments, and other tourist attractions, there are the Smithsonian Museums. Those were one of my favorite places to go. I don't think, no matter how many times you go through them, you could ever see everything. On the down side, everyone is so tied up in their career, or politics they don't have time for anything else except the nightlife. That's pretty wild. The city itself is very expensive to live in and has a very high crime rate, one of the worst in the country. Most of the people in the know choose to live in Maryland or Northern Virginia. Fairfax, in particular, is an exceptionally nice suburb."

Megan was amazed. She had never heard such a long oration from Tony. Megan realized she hadn't even scratched the surface of this eclectic woman

David turned out to be quite the conversationalist and all four found themselves enjoying the evening. Tony decided she liked the two men, particularly David. She could tell by his easy bantering with Megan that they were actually quite close

David, for his part, had watched the interaction between Tony and Megan all evening. He watched the surreptitious glances each lavished on the other, always taking care to make sure the other didn't notice. They were both so discreet that David realized had he not been specifically looking for it, he might not have noticed. But what neither one could hide was the spark that seemed to flow between them whenever they addressed each other. David decided he seen enough. But the question was, what to do about it, if anything

After David and Mike left, Megan asked, "What'd you think of them?" Megan had already determined by the easy interaction between Tony and David that she didn't have a problem with his lifestyle

"They're nice. Mike's a little quiet, but David certainly makes up for it. He's quite a charmer," she smiled over at Megan, instinctively knowing her answer was important to Megan.

When Tony got up the next morning, her first thought was, Megan's off today, which immediately catapulted her into an extraordinarily good mood. Getting up she headed for the kitchen to start the coffee

Finishing that, she took a bath and got dressed. Today she planned to escape the apartment. Going back to the kitchen, she found Megan reading the paper. "Mornin'," she said with a grin. Megan looked up at the smiling woman, greeted her in kind, thinking, I could get used to this.

"Wanna go out to breakfast?"

Tony's good mood was contagious and Megan was quickly caught up in it, but not wanting to take any chances, she asked "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yep. Besides, I really think I should get my car before they tow it."

"Oh, I forgot..."

"It's not your responsibility. Anyway, you've always driven, so why would you think about my car?"

"I guess you’re right."

"Course I'm right," Tony smirked. "So, where's a good place to eat?"

"George's, unless you want something more like Perkins or Bob Evans."

Tony didn't really care where they went as long as they went somewhere. "Georges sounds interesting."

"Ok, I'll be ready in a few," Megan said, leaving to shower and change

They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, which Tony insisted on paying for, telling Megan, "Let me do something for you for a change." Megan couldn't stop the thought from running through her head, you already have.

After picking up Tony's car, they returned to the apartment complex to drop it off. Tony talked Megan into a tour of the Cleveland suburbs.

*  *  *

The nightmares had been occurring every night. Someone had to pay. It was time. Tonight. He had already picked three likely candidates. Now it just depended on who accepted first. Placing the first call, he hung up when the answering machine came on. The second call ended the same way. Making the third call, he heard the welcoming, "Hello." Putting on the charm, he invited her out for the evening, feeling his heart rate quicken when she accepted. He made arrangements to pick her up at 9pm, their destination the Flats. His disguise was ready, the only other thing he had to do was park his second car down in the Flats. He would use the transit system to transport him and his date to her meeting with fate.

*  *  *

"That's not fair," Megan complained

"What's not fair about it? Just cuz I got it right..

"You get all those right..."

"So. You get all the science and entertainment right," Tony parleyed back

"Well, I know some sports too, but I get all the hard ones," Megan griped affecting a pout.

"Oh, poor baby," Tony said, trying to look contrite, but unable to keep her smile hidden and they both erupted into laughter. They had been playing Trivial Pursuit and had found themselves very evenly matched. Megan, tiring of the game, said, "The X-Files is on at 7pm. Wanna watch it?"

"What - you don't want to play anymore?" Tony asked innocently. Megan glared at her. "Ok, ok, the X-Files is good."

Tony and Megan had grown quite comfortable around each other. Each had found ways to be near the other, without being obvious. Tony no longer used the recliner, preferring to sit on the couch near Megan. With her height advantage she could watch the smaller woman without being observed. She committed to memory everything about Megan, from every curve to every nuance of expression. Megan, who had always used her hands expressively, found herself touching Tony more and more frequently to make a point. She figured Tony didn't even notice because she never said anything. Both women wanted more, but neither was willing to take the risk it entailed, and so the charade continued.

*  *  *

He spent the evening totally charming his date with witticisms, and embracing her in a false shroud of safety. Suggesting they visit the other side of the Flats around Midnight, they departed the nightclub and began a slow, leisurely walk toward one of the water taxi landings. Turning down one of the alleys, they followed it around the first curve, entering the second. He stopped, and pulled her close as if to kiss her instead spraying her in the face with the small bottle in his hand careful to divert his face first. She pulled back in anger, before her body went limp. He held the small woman up in a lover's embrace, watching the panic in her eyes as her body's muscles shut down. Just before she suffocated, from lungs that no longer worked, he placed his hands around her neck, finishing the macabre death rite. Releasing her, he quickly made his way to his car, and departed the area. Securing the car in his garage, along with his disguise, he returned to his other car, turned on the police scanner and began driving around.

*  *  *

Tony was awakened by the phone ringing and got up to answer it. But Megan had already picked it up

"Hello."

"Brian here. We got another one. South pier of the Flats again."

"Shit," muttered Megan.

"I hear ya. See ya there."

"Ok."

Tony who had looked at Megan when the mild expletive was uttered, asked, "What?"

"I gotta go. He killed another one," she answered. She stood and began to make her way past Tony before she was abruptly stopped by a hand on her arm. "Wait for me. I'm coming too."

"Oh no you're not," Megan said and knew an argument was brewing when she saw Tony's eyes narrow

"Megan, listen to me. I'm going back to work in a couple of days. There is no reason for me not to go with you to the crime scene. It is my case too. I feel fine," Tony patiently explained, holding a rein on her temper

Megan knew Tony had been an extremely cooperative patient. For the most part she had listened to her advice, even though Megan knew there were times when she walked a very thin line between anger and compliance. It was time for a compromise

"You are going back to *light duty*. That means sitting at a desk, not walking a crime scene." Megan paused to make her point, before continuing, "But I guess it'd be ok if you promise we'll leave when I want."

Pleased to avoid what would have been a major disagreement, Tony said, "Sure."

Tony and Megan approached the scene, the disjointed flashing of blue and red lights pierced the darkness, lighting their way. The crime scene ribbon, already in place, was being guarded by patrolmen. Both women flashed their respective badges and gained entry.

Megan walked over to the body and asked the closest officer, "Has the crime scene been secured?"

"Yes, the body hasn't been moved. This is exactly how we found it," came the response.

Megan knelt down next to the body, pulling her bag close. She checked for a pulse, knowing already she wouldn't find one. Pulling out her supplies, she began her examination.

Tony talked to Brian and gleaned what information she could from him. It was after 3am when the victim had been found by a slightly inebriated young man. The few people still on the streets in the area had been gathered up for interviewing. Most of the clubs closed at 2:30 so not many people were still around.

Tony, Brian, and some of the task force members began interviewing potential witnesses. Other task force members began combing the area for evidence. But, once again, there was little information to be had. No one had been anywhere near the site of crime. All those interviewed had traveled in pairs or groups, giving them solid alibi's

Megan had finished her preliminary examination of the victim some time before and had stayed unobtrusively in the background watching Tony work. She watched her move from interview to interview, sharing comments and observations with the other task force members. She was surprised at the comfortable interaction between Tony and Brian. Both obviously respected the other. Megan realized Tony was in her element and it was reflected in every action. She seemed to be aware of everyone and everything around her. This was an entirely different woman than the one she had come to know over the past several days. Her thoughts returned to their first night in the Flats. She wondered how this same woman who seems to be aware of everything around her, moving with confidence and ease around the area, could have been caught so unawares as to have allowed someone to approach her close enough to stab her in the back. Megan decided it must have been a fluke. But it still didn't make sense

Dawn began to light the sky and Megan decided it was time to leave. She knew Tony was tiring because of the subtle changes she noticed in her face and movements. Megan knew even though she was healing very quickly, her injury still caused her some pain. She also knew Tony would try to ignore her body's limitations

Walking over to her, she took her arm pulling her aside. "Come on. You've done enough. The police can take it from here."

"I can't leave in the middle of..." Tony began only to be interrupted by Megan. "I'm telling you your body has had enough. Come on, we'll go tell Brian we're leaving, besides you promised," she finished softly

Tony knew she was pushing it. Her body had been complaining for some time now. Relenting, she said, "Yeah, I did. Ok, let's go."

Later that morning Tony sat drinking her coffee, her mood very despondent. She had known, ever since she picked up her car yesterday, that she had no reason not to start looking for a place of her own. Well, actually, I can think of a ton of reasons not to look. Megan hadn't said anything about it, but she didn't want her to think she was taking advantage of her either. Tony sighed. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was leave, but it was very important to her how Megan viewed her

Megan entered the kitchen, and noticed Tony appeared very deep in thought. Megan smiled at Tony and said, "A penny for your thoughts," the old childhood adage floating out.

Tony looked up at Megan thinking, I really don't want to do this, but what choice do I have? "I thought maybe we could look at some places today."

At those words, Megan felt her heart constrict slowly and painfully, one word running through her mind, no...  Turning away from Tony, her emotions in a turmoil, and knowing she had to say something, she forced herself to think. "I should go in and do the autopsy on the victim from last night. Couldn't we look next weekend," not waiting for an answer, she left the room.

When Megan abruptly left the room, Tony suspected she had upset her and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She also knew Megan hadn't planned on doing the autopsy until Monday. They had talked about that last night. A faint glimmer of hope flared in Tony's mind, maybe she doesn't want me to leave. Tony went to see where Megan had gone

Megan left the kitchen and went to the bathroom, knowing how close she was to losing it. She can't leave, she just can't. I won't let her. The thin veneer of control crumbled when she realized there was nothing she could do to stop her

Tony stood indecisively at the closed bathroom door, wondering if she should knock or just leave Megan alone. Following instincts that were screaming at her to knock, she did just that. "Megan?"

Shit, shit, shit, get a grip. You can't let her see you like this. Taking in a deep tremulous breath, to steady her voice, she managed, "I'll be out in a minute." Fighting to regain control, Megan washed her face with cold water and took another few minutes to decide what to do. Then with a determination born of desperation she decided to fight for what she wanted

Tony was pacing back and forth in the living room when Megan entered the room. One look at Megan's face confirmed her worse fears. She had upset her. But, before she could say anything, Megan spoke, "Don't you like it here?"

Tony was startled by the simple question and thought of all the things she wanted to say, but couldn't and began haltingly, "Yeah... I like it here... a lot... but I thought... you know... well I didn't want..." she trailed off not sure how to continue. The glimmer of hope in her mind shined a little brighter and she willed Megan to ask her to stay. But it had to be Megan's decision

Megan knew that she wanted Tony to stay more than she had ever wanted anything. But, she also realized Tony had to want to stay or... refusing to take the thought any further, she asked the hardest question she had ever asked, knowing the answer could devastate her, "Do you want to leave?"

"It's not what I want..."

"Oh yes it is what you want. It is your decision." Megan paused, and then took a colossal gamble she hoped she wouldn't live to regret. "If you want to leave, fine, I'll help you find a place." She turned around to leave the room

Tony reached Megan in two swift strides, grabbing her by the arm, "Wait... please. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to think... I just thought... I didn't want to overstay my welcome," the words tumbling out of her mouth as chaotically as her thoughts

Megan had turned around when Tony grabbed her arm. She said softly, "You never answered my question."

Tony looked at Megan, her eyes conveying more than she intended, and said, "I don't want to leave."

"Good, because I don't want you to either. So it's settled." Megan paused, and then added, "I need to go to the store. I'll be back in a little while." Megan wanted some time alone to assuage her raw feelings

Tony had some thinking to do herself. While she hated the idea of moving, she had never expected such a strong reaction from Megan. If she didn't know better...  Tony thought about the last week. How comfortable each was with the other. Both of them trying to anticipate the others' needs. She understood her need to be near Megan, but she thought about how Megan had more and more frequently found reasons to make contact, often placing her hand on her arm as she explained something. Her thoughts continued to go over the events of the past week, and Tony made a decision. We need to talk... soon. She knew what a chance she was taking. But the possible outcome seemed worth the risk. If she was wrong, and it cost her Megan's friendship, she'd never forgive herself

Megan left and drove aimlessly around for a while. She knew how she felt about Tony. But could she feel the same way about her? The way Tony had looked at her was more than just friendship. Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? No, her mind disagreed, it was real. But what could she do about it? Tony had given no indication she might be interested... or had she? Megan remembered how all of a sudden Tony had insisted the couch was more comfortable for her than the recliner. She thought about how near her Tony sat on the couch and the way she placed her arm along the back of it, and the light contact when she sat back. She remembered the times she had looked up and thought she saw Tony avert her gaze. What should she do about it? For now, nothing. If she was wrong, she didn't think she could survive another encounter like this morning. Maybe I'll talk to David Monday. He might have some ideas.

Megan stopped at the grocery store picking up what they needed and returned home. The rest of the day passed relatively quietly with both women enjoying each other’s company, but spending a lot of the time preoccupied with their own thoughts. This was a day where minds warred with hearts, logic versus emotion, decisions were made and discarded, as the battle continued to find the answer to friendship or more, risk or status quo.

Megan entered her office, and saw some mail in her in-box. Sitting at her desk, she started going through the contents, stopping suddenly at the sight of an envelope from the outside lab they used. Ripping open the envelope she scanned the contents and shuddered. No wonder the victims had never fought back. The killer had used a drug in the paralytic class, which induced total paralysis of the muscles of the body, including those used for breathing in 30-60 seconds. The bruise marks and the broken neck were obviously just a ruse to throw off the police. This particular drug was used in the operating room for quick intubation of a patient. The reason the toxicology reports were negative was because the drug is composed of two naturally occurring chemicals in the body. What made this particular choice of drug so brutal was the fact that the victim was awake and conscious as they slowly suffocated, their muscles unable to respond to the commands of their brain. Megan shuddered again. What kind of monster were they dealing with?

Megan called Tony, explaining the lab findings, leaving it to her to contact Sgt. Davies. She still had to figure out how the drug was being administered. The usual route of administration was IV or IM. She was positive there had been no needle marks on the victim she had autopsied. She also wondered where the killer was getting the drug. It certainly was not one of the usual drugs on the street, but she mused, in the black market of drugs, money will buy you anything

Megan changed into her scrubs to autopsy the victim from the night before. At least she knew what to look for now. She just had to figure out how it was being introduced into the body

Tony called Brian quickly filling him in on the lab findings. He decided to put his officers out on the streets rounding up informers. He gave Tony the number to reach their database so she could check for any thefts of that particular drug in the last year

Tony didn't really expect any results. This drug was so uncommon, it was unlikely the killer, who had proven quite clever so far, would be careless enough to leave such an obvious clue

Megan began a slow and methodical examination of the body before proceeding with the autopsy. She checked every possible location for a needle entry point. She knew one of the favorites of junkies was between the fingers and toes. This were unlikely because Megan couldn't imagine any one standing still while someone injected a needle between their fingers. Oh course, there was the unlikely scenario that the victim had agreed thinking it was crack or heroin, which was making a big come back on the streets, but there was no evidence to support that. None of the toxicology screens had shown any drugs and a regular user always had residue in their system. Finding nothing, she thought of everything she knew about the drug. If it wasn't injected, what method could the killer have used? She guessed it could be made into an aerosol. It would be just as effective. She decided to take swabs from the mouth and pay special attention to the esophagus, trachea, and lungs during the autopsy, and take samples from them as well. Megan figured it was worth a shot

Tony checked in with Brian periodically throughout the morning, relating her lack of success and getting updates on the informers they were interrogating. Most of the questioning was being done on the streets, except for the more uncooperative ones

Her doctor's appointment was that afternoon and she figured she'd be back at work the next day. Thank God. She hated sitting around the apartment by herself. She laughed at herself realizing it was probably the first time she had ever looked forward to a doctor's appointment.

Ending her search unsuccessfully, her mind turned again to Megan. Tony was charting new territory and she knew it. In the past her actions had been determined by whatever she hoped to accomplish in the name of the job. So when it came to those *relationships* Tony had always held a part of herself back, knowing it was just a part to be played. It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed herself, she had. She had just emotionally distanced herself. But this was different. This was real. She decided to talk to Megan that night. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to just lay her heart on the line and let Megan do as she chose with it. If she was wrong, it wouldn't matter anyway. Nothing would

Megan was busy the entire day and never got a chance to talk to David. As it neared 5pm she began trying to finish up so she could get home. Now that it had slowed down, Tony was very much on her mind. She was preparing to leave, when the phone rang. Frowning, she picked it up and said, "Hello."

"This is Dr. Whitehouse. I need you to stay and autopsy a case on the way in now. Jerry went out, but you're on call."

"It can't wait until morning?" Megan asked wondering why it needed to be done right now. This was a very unusual request

"If it could wait until morning, I wouldn't be telling you it needs done now," Dr. Whitehouse answered, angered at the questioning of his decision. The victim was a relative of a friend of a friend. He had been found dead and his friend had asked him if he could rush the autopsy

Calling Tony, she told her she probably wouldn't be home much before 8pm. Tony told her she'd order pizza for dinner

Later, when the phone rang, Tony got up to answer it. "Hello," she said, hoping it was Megan. A strange woman's voice answered her greeting

"Hi, is Megan there?" Ashley was surprised to hear a unfamiliar voice answering Megan's phone

"No. Would you like to leave a message?" Tony offered

"Yes, this is her sister, Ashley. Who's this?"

"Tony. I'm a friend of hers. She had to work late." Tony recognized the name of the caller and knew this was Megan's favorite sibling

"Ask her to give me a call," Ashley said

"Sure," was the simple response

After hanging up the phone, Ashley wondered who Tony was. She hadn't heard from Megan in over a week and that was very unusual. She mused, the last time she had talked to Megan was at dinner... wait... that was when she had mentioned an FBI agent she had been quite impressed with. A woman... I wonder? Ashley decided to have lunch with Megan in the very near future. Like tomorrow

When Megan arrived home after she and Tony ate dinner, she returned the call to her sister. "Hi. What's up?"

"You," hearing Megan laugh she said, "I haven't heard from you lately and just wondered how you're doing."

"Ok. Just been kind of busy lately. You know how it is," Megan answered vaguely

Ashley smiled at the answer. Yes, Megan was definitely up to something. "Want to have lunch tomorrow? We could go to that little Italian place right down from your office."

"Sounds good," Megan agreed, looking forward to seeing her sister

"All right. Is 12:30 ok?"

"Yeah. See you then," Megan answered, anxious to get off the phone. It was already 8:30pm and she hadn't had hardly any time to spend with Tony

Walking over the couch and sitting down, she looked at Tony and asked, "What did the Doctor say?"

"He said I can go back to work," Tony answered in her usual succinct manner

"That's all?" Megan asked, looking at her with raised eyebrows. Megan knew it couldn't be quite that simple

"Well, he did say light duty for awhile," Tony admitted

"That's more like it," Megan said grinning at her. "So did you turn up anything on the drug search?"

"No," replied Tony absently. Her mind was not on work. She had spent all evening trying to decide how to approach Megan

Noticing her distraction, Megan said, "What's wrong? Do you feel ok?"

"Yeah, I feel fine. I need to talk to you about something." Tony paused nervously, once again wondering if she was doing the right thing, so much was at stake here, "Megan... I really care about you... a lot... more than a lot," clearing her throat which had suddenly become very dry, the thought ran through her mind, why don't you just tell her the truth, that you love her. "I love you," she finished expecting her whole world to come crashing down on her. She looked down at her hands, unable to meet Megan's eyes for fear of what she would see there

As realization of what Tony was telling her sank into her mind, Megan's heart began beating erratically and realizing she had stopped breathing, she sucked in a breath. Barely able to comprehend the emotions surging through her, she tentatively placed her hand under Tony's chin urging the eyes up to meet hers. Megan focused the torrents of emotion coursing through her into her eyes and when the baby blues she had grown to love met hers, she said, "And I love you."

When Tony raised her head and her eyes met Megan's, she was caught up in the ever changing vortex of green and gold. She moved her hand to Megan's face, her thumb gently caressing her cheek and spoke, her voice husky with emotion. "How'd I ever get so lucky," she asked wonderingly, seeing the unmistakable love radiating out from the hazel orbs. She bent her head and tentatively brushed her lips across the soft, sensuous mouth she had wanted to taste for so long, ready to stop at any hesitation on Megan's part. She brought her lips down again, lingering, savoring the soft feel of the mouth beneath hers. Megan responded to the gentle kiss and time ceased to have meaning for the two women. Parting breathless, every nerve ending in her body alive, Megan looked into eyes dark with passion. Placing her hand against the back of Tony's neck, she guided her head down greeting the mouth with hers

Hearing the phone ring, Megan's heart sank. She was on call, she had to answer it. "I have to get it," she said as she very reluctantly moved out of the warm embrace, her body protesting the loss of contact. Tony silently cursed the phone

"Hello."

"Dr. Donnovan, this is Patrolman Reeves. We got a drive by. I was told to call you," said the voice on the other end of the phone

"Where?" was the only thing Megan asked

Megan wrote down the address, and told him she was on her way. Walking back over to Tony, she sat down next to her, and gently caressing Tony's face with her hand. "Don't go anywhere," she smiled, and said, "I'll be back."

Tony shivered at the inherent promise of those words. "Hurry," was the only thing she said, her lips seeking out Megan's for a fleeting kiss

Megan was tired. Between the roller coaster ride of her emotions the last few days and her elation at finding out Tony's love mirrored her own, her mind was on overdrive. After getting the call, by the time she arrived, did her preliminary examination, and waited for the body to be removed it was after 11pm. Resenting the time lost with Tony, she pulled the car into her parking place, exited, and began walking quickly across the garage.

Approaching the elevator, she heard the whisper of a shoe on pavement behind her. Starting to turn, her arm was brutally twisted up behind her and a gloved hand covered her mouth. Struggling to free herself, and trying to ignore the pain in her arm, she drove her free elbow into the body behind her. Hearing a grunt when she connected, she immediately stomped her heel as hard as she could into the foot behind hers while simultaneously trying to turn into her attacker. When her heel connected, the arms holding her loosened slightly. Jerking free and allowing the momentum to carry her around, she faced her attacker. Megan felt a shiver of fear course through her when she saw the knife in his hand and a deadly dance began

Suddenly, headlights illuminated the garage and her attacker bolted toward the exit. Megan shakily made her way to the elevator.

Tony had been watching TV waiting for Megan to return, or rather trying to watch TV, her mind refusing to concentrate on anything but a small beautiful blonde woman. Hearing the key in the lock, she began to rise looking around as Megan entered the apartment. Knowing instantly something was wrong, she covered the distance to the door in long strides, ignoring the complaints from her back at the quick movement

Taking in the pale face and trembling body, she put her hands on Megan's shoulders and asked gently, "What wrong? " Megan looked up at Tony's worried face, and tears filled her eyes. Tony wrapped her arms around the small woman pulling her close, murmuring, "It's ok." Leading her over to the couch, Tony gently eased Megan down onto her lap, keeping her wrapped in a protective embrace while Megan fought for control. She began to speak haltingly, "There was a man in the garage.. I didn't hear him.. he grabbed me," she paused and took several deep steadying breaths before continuing. "I got loose... he had a knife... I was so afraid... ," no longer able to stop the tears, she buried her face in Tony's shoulder

Tony held her tightly, her voice soft and soothing, "It's ok, you're safe now," her tender actions at odds with her rolling emotions. Fighting to keep her anger at whoever had done this under control, she said, "No one can hurt you now, it's ok." Tony continued the soft cadence of soothing words until she felt Megan begin to relax

Megan's tight, tension filled body slowly relaxed into the supportive, secure embrace, and the warm comforting voice. Sometime later, after she gained control, she lifted her head from Tony's shoulder, saying, "I'm sorry... I guess I just lost it..." looking up at her with a tear streaked face

Tony looked at Megan, and raised a hand, her thumb gently wiping away the tears, "You got nothing to be sorry for," she said huskily, her heart contracting painfully with the realization of just how much this woman meant to her. Offering the comfort of her contact, she continued to hold Megan, gently stroking her head

Megan wrapped firmly in Tony's arms was content to stay right where she was, and overcome with exhaustion she fell asleep in the warm embrace. Tony sat quietly holding her, thinking about the attack trying to get her emotions under control. Later, her body complaining for sitting unmoving so long, she kissed Megan on the head and began waking her. Megan's eyes opened, and Tony smiled, saying, "Hey beautiful, how 'bout going to bed?"

Megan looked up into the captivating deep blue eyes of the woman smiling at her and said, "Only if you come too."

"I intend to," Tony said quietly

While they were getting ready for bed, the events in the parking garage came flooding over Megan. She sat down on the bed shaking. Tony moved onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Megan gently urging her down. Tony laid on her side her long arms around Megan's waist, pulling her close until Megan's back was tucked comfortably against her. She began murmuring to Megan over and over, "You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you. It's ok," until she felt Megan once again relax into sleep. But sleep proved elusive for Tony and she never entered its realms until almost dawn.

*  *  *

Dwayne was furious. He had bided his time until Megan was on call. Then it was just a matter of listening to the police scanner. When he heard the homicide call go out, he had been filled with elation. He simply drove to her apartment, secreted himself in the garage and waited. He could not believe the bitch had escaped. Of all the rotten luck. He had waited so long. It was bad enough she fought like a hell cat. He sported a big ugly bruise on his foot to attest to that, but he'd have had her if that damn car hadn't pulled in. He knew he was going to have to lay low for a few days. She'd be on guard right now. Damn it anyway. He'd have to entertain himself some other way for a few days. No problem, some of his other activities had been neglected.

*  *  *

When Megan woke up she found herself held in place by long arms wrapped around her waist. Relishing the contact, she thought, I could get used to this. Shifting onto her back, she looked at the beautiful woman sleeping next to her, and marveled at her luck. Taking her hand she trailed it down one of the strong arms holding her. Sighing, as she noticed the early light of day advancing through the window, and gently disengaged herself, knowing she had to get ready for work. Leaning over, she kissed Tony on the cheek and left the room

She started the coffee and went to take a shower. Walking back into the bedroom, she began rummaging quietly through the closet, looking for something to wear. She took her clothes into the other bedroom not wanting to wake Tony

When Tony woke up the first thing she realized was Megan was gone. Noticing the rich smell of coffee brewing, she got up and walked out into the kitchen. She saw Megan looking in the refrigerator

Not wanting to startle her, Tony cleared her throat before saying, "Morning."

Megan closed the refrigerator, and turned toward Tony. Smiling, she walked over and standing on her tiptoes brushed her lips across the tall woman's, before answering back in kind

Looking her over carefully, Tony asked, "How ya feeling?"

"Better." Feeling a little embarrassed about her loss of control the night before, she said, " I'm sorry about last night."

Tony looked at Megan, an unreadable expression on her face and said quietly, "Don't be."

Megan was surprised by the intensity of Tony's expression. She knew she didn't have much time before she had to leave for work so sitting down at the table, she decided to tell Tony what was really bothering her about the attack the night before.

You know... I've been thinking," Megan paused, "I've had the feeling lately that someone's been watching me. I know that sounds crazy, but I've felt really uneasy a couple of times in the garage... you know how the back of your neck prickles... but when I looked, there was never anyone there. I guess what I mean is... I'm not sure this was a random... attack," Megan finished voicing the thought that filled her with fear

Tony, who had taken the seat opposite her, listened in silence as Megan spoke. Reaching across the table for Megan's hands, she held them in hers and asked, "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I just thought it was my overactive imagination. Since I never saw anyone..." she trailed off

"Have you ever felt that way any place besides the parking garage?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Can you remember anything at all about the guy that attacked you?"

Megan thought, "Well, he was about as tall as you. Kind of medium build, but he had a ski mask on so I couldn't see his face. I don't remember anything else."

"That's ok," Tony reassured her before continuing, "is anyone mad at you for anything?"

Megan looked at the concern on Tony's face and answered, "No... well except for work."

"What do you mean? What about work?" Tony asked, becoming tense

"Well... Jerry - he's another pathologist, and Dwayne - his assistant... they don't like me much... ever since I got promoted last year. I think maybe Dwayne might even really hate me, but he would never hurt me," she answered

"Megan, I want to take you to work and pick you up until we find out what's going on," Tony said hoping Megan wouldn't turn her down. She knew the small woman's will matched her own

Megan was relieved at the offer and said, "Thanks, I'd like that."

After quickly showering and dressing, Tony returned to the kitchen, and quickly finished a cup of coffee. "Ya ready?" Megan nodded affirmatively, and they departed for the parking garage.

*  *  *

Megan studied Tony while she followed the directions she gave her. The car was like a natural extension of her as she expertly maneuvered the Buick around the other cars on the interbelt. Megan silently acknowledged that she did drive a little fast though.

"Would you mind showing me around at work and introducing me to the people you work with?" Tony asked glancing over at Megan

"Sure," Megan asked puzzled until she realized Tony was acting on her earlier words. Tony parked the car and they entered the small nondescript building. Tony took in the surroundings carefully. She was quite anxious to meet the people Megan worked with. The idea that one of them might be responsible for the attack on her enraged Tony and she felt the familiar heat begin to rage through her blood. Megan glanced over at Tony and stopped. The woman walking beside her bore little resemblance to the woman she loved. Tony's entire essence oozed of danger, from the hardened planes of her face to the clenched chin. Her body moved with barely controlled tension. Megan involuntarily shuddered when the hooded eyes turned her way and she saw a glacial coldness she had never before witnessed.

Tony noticing the reaction she had caused in Megan, briefly let the warmth cross her countenance, and quirked a small smile. She gently squeezed Megan's shoulder reassuringly, before once again assuming the intimidating appearance

Megan took Tony to her office first, and put her purse in the desk drawer and locked it. She then led her to the autopsy suite. David walked up, pleased to see Megan but surprised to see Tony. "Hi you guys," he said smiling until he took in the expression on Tony's face and, unnerved, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Tony motioned for Megan and David to go Megan's office. All three entered, and she closed the door. Tony explained what had happened in the garage the night before and asked David if he thought any of their co-workers could be involved

David answered, "I'd like to think not, but I wouldn't put anything past Dwayne. The looks he gives Megan when she isn't looking are so full of hatred it's actually scary." Turning to Megan, he asked, "Are you ok?"

Megan looked up surprised at the revelation from David. Nodding her head to him. She remembered the one time she had seen the look of pure hatred Dwayne had given her. But she'd thought that was just an isolated incident. Thinking about it she shuddered.

Tony didn't miss Megan's reaction. Walking over to her, she put her hand gently on her shoulder and asked, "Have you ever noticed this?" Megan looked up and her and said, "Yeah, once."

"Thanks David," Tony said, pausing and then adding, "I think it's time I met Dwayne."

Dwayne hadn't seen Megan and Tony come in. He had been in the supply room. Tony simply leaned against the wall in a corner of the suite to observe, as David and Megan began to plan their work. Not noticing Tony, Dwayne glared at Megan. He still couldn't believe the bitch had gotten away. Before he had a chance to turn back to his work, a tall, very angry, barely controlled woman was standing in front of him. He was unnerved by the cold look of fury on her face. "You gotta a problem with the Doc?" she growled. Realizing this was the FBI woman he had stabbed, and fleetingly wondering how she could be up and around already, he said, "Fuck you. It's none of your business." Dwayne remembered how easily he had gotten the best of this woman once before. When she didn't respond, he said, "Now get out of my face bitch," his courage intensifying by her inactivity

Tony was simply trying the to control the urge to break this lowlife piece of shit into a thousand pieces. She was also aware of her new limitations due to her back wound. Finally, gaining some semblance of control, she grabbed his scrub top and pulled him to within inches of her face. "If I ever hear of you giving her a hard time, I'll break every bone in your body, and it won't be under the auspices of the FBI. It'll just be you and me. Got it," she growled ominously pushing him away from her. For the first time in his life, Dwayne's face paled as he felt the sharp pang of fear in his belly, and realized she meant every word she said. Tony knew her message had been received and turning away from him, she headed over to where Megan and David were standing.

Watching the incident, David whispered to Megan, "Remind me never to get on her bad side." Megan whispered back, "Tell me about it."

Both were unaware Tony's keen ears had picked up the whispered comments, and she made a mental note to talk to Megan later. "Could I talk to you in the office for a minute?" Megan answered, "Sure," wondering what Tony wanted

Entering the office, Tony turned around and pushed the button, engaging the door lock. Walking over to Megan, she bent her head down and very softly kissed the smaller woman. It was a light, fleeting, quick kiss but it conveyed a depth of feeling that was both an affirmation and a promise. Megan gave her a hug and as Tony turned to leave, she said, "If he gives you any trouble at all, call me."

Tony arrived at the station and went looking for Brian. Filling him in on the attack against Megan, she also voiced some of her concerns. She thought it rather unusual to have two knife attacks within just over a week, even though they were in different parts of town. Guns were the weapon of choice on the streets and two attacks, with assailants of a similar build was a little too much of a coincidence in Tony's mind

"I hear ya. I'll check it out," Brian answered, before asking, "How's your back?"

"Not bad," Tony answered. "Anything turn up with the informants?"

"No. Seems to be a dead end, but we'll keep trying. There's not much else to go on. We've got all the interview files in the conference room if ya wanna check 'em out."

"Ok," Tony replied, turning to make her way across the squad room. Entering the room, she picked up the phone and called Mike Braxton. "Mike, it's Tony," she said

"Where in the hell have you been? No one has seen you or heard from you in a week. Did you ever think about calling in?" he ranted angrily

Tony listened rolling her eyes at the tirade. "Seems to me, if I remember right, that you told me to keep you informed of any developments," she said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice

"There was a new victim Saturday," Mike said, "wouldn't you consider that a development?"

"I am calling you now to give you an update. Besides, I figured you could read that in the paper. There have been no developments in the progress of the case. In other words, there is still literally no evidence linking the perpetrator to the victim," Tony explained patiently. "But if you want me to call you if the killer strikes again, I'll be most happy to oblige. I'm sure you won't mind being called in the middle of the night, right?" Tony finished, smirking to herself

"I don't think that will be necessary," Mike backed down, "just keep me informed if anything does come up."

"Will do," Tony answered before hanging up the phone. Turning to look at the wall where the crime scene photos were posted she compared the photos of the newest victim to the other photos looking for any differences. All of a sudden Tony felt like she'd been punched in the chest. What had eluded her about the pictures on her first day on the job just about staggered her now. All the victims bore a strong resemblance to Megan

Could the attack be related? No, it didn't make sense. The victims had no marks on them except for bruising around the neck. No knife had been used. But could the killer have used a knife to force the victims to do what he wanted? Tony shook her head frustrated. Too many questions. Not enough answers. Tony now had a very personal stake in this case. Picking up the files containing the interviews with the informants, she began to read

Once Megan and David finished up their cases, it was close to lunch time and Megan remembered she had a date with her sister. Getting her purse out of the drawer, she turned to David and said, "I'm going to lunch with my sister. I may be gone a little longer than usual. Could you keep an eye on things here." The unspoken question of course, was would he cover for her if it was necessary

David smiled over at her and said, "Of course."

Megan arrived at the restaurant and greeted her sister. Once they sat down and ordered, Ashley asked, "So what have you been up to?"

Megan quickly related the events of the night before. She found she was able to think about it a little more objectively today, and left off the part about how, in her mind, she lost it afterwards

Ashley was very upset, "Are you ok? I mean, really ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was pretty scary though."

"Pretty scary? I'd have been terrified. Do you want to stay with us for a while. You know we've got room and we'd love to have you."

"No," Megan paused, trying to decide how much to tell her sister. "I've got someone staying with me. I'll be fine."

"Is it the woman who answered the phone when I called... Tony?"

"Yeah," Megan smiled at her sister. "She's really fantastic. I think you'd like her."

Ashley looked at her sister and thought, uh huh. "Is this that FBI agent you told me about?"

"Yeah," Megan couldn't stop the smile that overtook her face just thinking about Tony

Ashley looked at Megan and decided she was going to have to do some pumping here. Her sister was not offering much information. "You really like her don't you?"

Megan looked at her sister. She was her friend and confident, both when they were children and now as adults. Taking a deep breath, and hoping her sister would understand, she looked straight into Ashley's eyes and said, "I love her."

Even though Ashley had suspected as much, she was surprised at the intensity of Megan's revelation. Reaching over the table, and taking her sister's hand, she replied, "That's wonderful. I'm so glad you found someone. I'm really happy for you."

Once again, Megan's face lit up with a beautiful smile, "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

Ashley and Megan finished their lunch, the conversation dominated by Megan telling her sister all about her wonderful new love

"I'd really like to meet her. Do you think you could arrange that?" Ashley teased when they were getting ready to leave

Slapping her sister playfully on the arm, Megan said, "Of course. Let me know next time you have any free time. It's your schedule we'll have to work around, you know."

Ashley, deciding to make sure that was real soon, said, "I'll let you know," and looking at Megan, she continued, "you be careful."

"I will. See ya later."

When Megan returned to her office, David was lounging in the guest chair. "So, what's your sister up to?"

"Oh, you know, same oh," Megan responded

David hadn't really had a chance to talk to Megan and he was very concerned about the attack on her. "Are you sure you're all right?" David asked, his face etched with worry

"I'm ok, really," Megan answered smiling at her friend. "Besides Tony's going to be escorting me back and forth to work for awhile."

Taking in the dreamy look on her face, he said, "She's pretty special, isn't she?"

"She's more than special. She's... ," Megan paused hunting for words that could describe Tony and coming up blank. "I love her," she said instead, surprised at how the words just popped out of her mouth

David was around the desk in an instant. Putting his arms around Megan he hugged her. "That's great. I knew it, I just knew it."

Megan looked at him surprised. "What do you mean, you knew it?"

David started chuckling, as he said, "If it wasn't for the fact that you give it away every time you talk about her, there was dinner Friday night." At the questioning look on Megan's face, he continued, "Every time you mention her name your whole face lights up Megan. I watched you both at dinner Friday night and it was pretty obvious, no matter how hard you both tried to hide it. Does she know?"

"Oh yeah." Megan knew that silly grin was on her face again. She just couldn't stop it. "But I really didn't think it was that obvious," she said, a little embarrassed that she could be read so easily

"I'm your friend, remember. I make it a point to notice things," David said letting Megan out of the bear hug he had wrapped her in. "I'm soooo happy for you," he said, grinning at her

Megan smiled back and said, "Thanks."

Tony arrived about 15 minutes before Megan's quitting time. Parking the car, she walked to the door and entered. Going to Megan's office, she stopped in the doorway when she saw David and Megan chatting. "I'm a little early. I can wait outside."

David and Megan both got up, each taking one of Tony's arms and leading her further into the office. Tony was so shocked, she allowed herself to be led into the office, before getting her voice back. She asked, "What's going on?" one eyebrow raised so high it was lost under the cover of her bangs

David closed the door, turned around, wrapped his arms around Tony and gave her a big hug. "I'm glad you two figured it out," he said, releasing a very stunned Tony before she had a chance to protest. "See you two later," he said, leaving the office grinning

"What was that all about?" Tony asked, still surprised by the show of affection from David.

"Oh, he's just happy for us." Megan smiles, reaching up giving Tony a quick kiss. Even though the contact had been brief, Tony felt a warmth spread throughout her body. Looking down at Megan, she asked, "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," she answered, anxious to leave work and spend time with Tony

On the drive home, Tony suggested, "Want to stop and get something to eat?" Seeing the affirmative nod from Megan, she continued, "What sounds good?"

"How about Diana's?" Megan said, smiling over at her and placing her hand on Tony's thigh. Covering Megan's hand with her own, she said, "Ok, lead on." They rode along in comfortable silence, broken occasionally by directions being given

When they finished dinner, Tony asked, "Ready to go home?" Realizing instantaneously that the word had taken on a new meaning for her. She had a home to go to. A real home. A home with Megan

Megan took in the surprised look on Tony's face and watched her eyes turned inward. Wondering what was going through her mind, she asked, "What are you thinking?"

Tony looked at Megan and smiled, "It's just that I... ," wondering how to explain. It was such a simple word. But for Tony it was so much more. "It's been a long time since I've had a place to call home." Noticing Megan's puzzled look, she continued, "Before I came here, I always worked undercover. I was never in one place long enough to really have a home," she finished, shrugging her shoulders

Megan captured the blue eyes with her own, and with deep conviction said, "You do now." A smile lit up Tony's face

Tony flipped through the channels on the radio, looking for something she knew. Unwittingly stopping on Cleveland's most popular station, and recognizing an oldie, her voice smoothly joined the country music diva's in her rendition of 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.'

Megan felt her mouth fall open. She wasn't sure what surprised her more. Tony's captivating voice or the fact that she was belting out a *country* song in perfect harmony with the artist

When the song ended, Tony felt Megan's eyes on her and, quirking a smile, said, "What?"

"That was beautiful Tony, but I just never figured you for country."

Grinning at Megan, she said, "My assignments have exposed me to all kinds of music." Indicating the console, she said, "Take a look." Inside the console, Megan found a variety of soft rock, jazz, classical, easy listening, country and a few she didn't recognize. "I see what you mean."

Arriving home, both women changed into something more comfortable and joined each other in the living room. Turning on the TV to watch the news had developed into a routine for them over the short time they had lived together. That didn't change today. Tony put her arm around Megan urging her closer. Megan complied and captured Tony's mouth with her own for a kiss which quickly lengthened and the news soon ceased to have any importance

Megan stood up and reached down for Tony's hand urging her up. Walking in front of her leading her to the bedroom, Megan turned to face her once they entered the room. Placing her hands on Tony's face, looking into her eyes, she said, "Kiss me Tony."

Tony desire spiraled with Megan's words. Placing her hands behind Megan's head, she lowered her lips to meet the warm moist mouth. The gentle meeting of lips became more urgent, and the kiss deepened. Tony raised her head, and looking at Megan said, "I want you so much," pulling her into a hug

Megan relaxed against her relishing the sensations coursing through her body. Taking one of her hands, she lightly ran the back of her fingers over Tony's breast. Feeling her shiver, Megan said, her voice deep with desire, "These clothes gotta go." Tony kissed the top of her head saying, "Yeah," reluctant to release her hold on the gorgeous woman who fit so comfortably against her

Megan pulled Tony's head down and met her lips while lightly caressing one of Tony's breasts through the thin shirt. Tony moved her hands down Megan's back, cupping her buttocks pulling her closer. Their kiss deepened and became an exploration. Tongue meeting tongue, thrusting, vying, and urgent

Ending the kiss breathless, Tony began unbuttoning her shirt but was stopped by Megan's hand on top of hers. "No, let me," Megan said in a quiet but commanding voice. Tony felt a jolt to her core at Megan's words. Dropping her hands, she watched Megan begin unbuttoning her shirt

Slowing unbuttoning her partner's shirt, Megan looked up at Tony and ran her tongue over her top lip. Tony shuddered and wondered how long she was going to be able to stand there before her knees gave out. Pulling the now unbuttoned shirt open, she eased it over Tony's shoulders letting it fall to the floor. Reaching her arms around behind Tony she unhooked her bra, pulling it forward over Tony's arms and letting it fall. Megan sucked in her breath at the sight of the firm full breasts. She was unable to resist running her tongue lightly over the erect nipples

Tony moaned at the attention from Megan. Raising her arms to pull Megan into an embrace, Megan danced out of her way and said, "Wait... I'm not done..  You do want me to undress you don't you?" while running a finger lightly on the inside of the waistband of Tony's pants

Tony's breath quickened and she shivered. "Yes, please... hurry." Megan unbuttoned Tony's pants, pulling them down along with her underwear, letting Tony step out of them. Looking at the naked woman standing before her, Megan said, "You are so beautiful." Running her fingertips lightly down Tony's abdomen, she grazed the dark curls with her hand, her breath quickening with desire for the woman standing before her

Tony took a deep breath trying to steady herself. Looking into Megan's eyes, she purred seductively, "It's my turn, woman." Megan thought she'd melt at the sound of Tony's sexy voice

Taking hold of the bottom of Megan's top, she pulled it up over Megan's arms and head. Leaning down she placed a warm moist kiss between Megan's breasts as her hands reached around to unfasten her bra. Drawing it forward, she let it fall to the floor. Placing her hands on the breasts in front of her, she gently needed them lightly rolling the nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Megan gasped at the sensations flowing through her. "Please..."

Tony saw the passion in Megan's eyes matched her own and she dropped her hands to Megan's shorts quickly removing them with her underwear. When Megan stepped out of them, Tony appreciatively took in the sight before her, lowering her gaze from Megan's face to the full breasts, down to the light curly hair, and the wonderfully shaped firm legs. She husked, "I want to make love to you Megan."

Megan leaned against Tony, unable to support her own weight anymore. "Yes.. now.. please." Tony made her way to the bed, never letting go of Megan, pulling her down with her. Positioning herself over Megan, she moved between her legs, before lowing herself against Megan. Feeling Megan's wetness against her excited her even more and Tony knew she was close to the edge. She began placing soft wet kisses along Megan's face and neck. Taking Megan's earlobe into her mouth, she nibbled on it her warm breath sending shivers down Megan's back

Megan hands caressed Tony's breasts, gently rolling the nipples between her thumbs and fingers. She captured Tony's mouth with her own in a passion filled kiss. Separating, she murmured, "Take me Tony... now."

The words were an aphrodisiac to Tony and she repositioned herself, straddling Megan's leg with her own. Megan felt Tony's wet center against her and knew her desire matched her own. Kissing her way down Megan's body, Tony stopped at a breast her tongue lightly circling the erect nipple, while drawing a finger between the warm wet opening below. Megan gasped at the sensation, and felt herself close to release when Tony looked at her and sucked her essence off of the wet finger. Megan moaned, "I want you in me." Tony slowly placed two fingers into Megan her movements matching the rhythm that Megan set. Her mouth administered to Megan's other breast while her fingers moved rhythmically. As the thrusting became more urgent, Tony found herself nearing the edge from the movement of Megan's leg against her center. With her thumb she began lightly stroking Megan's swollen nub. Feeling Megan near release, she quickened her pace until she felt the waves of release overtake Megan, her own following at the sound of Megan crying out her name

Tony woke to the soft light of day entering the bedroom. Looking at the woman sprawled across her almost took her breath away. She is so beautiful... how did I ever get so lucky? She smiled as the memories of the past night filtered through her mind. For the first time in her adult life, she was happy. And it was all because of this wonderful small woman who had given her the gift of love

Knowing they both had to go to work, she began softly calling Megan's name running her hand through her hair. When she didn't respond, Tony decided to try another tactic. She began ticking the smaller woman. Megan woke very quickly and decided to return the favor. Ending their play, both left the confines of the bed, deciding they had better take showers separately or they'd never get to work

Megan went to take a shower and Tony made her way to the kitchen to start the coffee. Looking at the clock, she saw it was already 8am. Well, that still left an hour before Megan was due in. Tony's hours were whatever she chose. Deciding she was hungry, she opened the refrigerator. Grabbing some juice and a couple of bananas, she made short work of them. Hearing the bathroom door open, she made her way down the hall

Megan stepped out into the hall after donning a robe, and felt her breath catch in her throat as her new lover padded down the hall naked. Even though she appreciated the sight, she did have to go to work. "Uh Tony," she began.

"What?"

"Do you have to go wandering around the house naked?" unable to take her eyes off the tall, muscular woman moving so gracefully toward her.

"Sorry," she said, lowering her head and giving Megan a quick kiss. She was unable to stop a teasing comment, "Naked's not good?"

Complaining, "You are so bad," Megan had trouble maintaining a serious expression

"Laughing, Tony said, "I gotta take a shower, we're running behind."

Tony smiled when her keen ears picked up Megan muttered comment, "I wonder why?"

After parking the car, Tony walked Megan to her office. She looked around for Dwayne, but didn't see him. "Did Dwayne cause you any problems yesterday?"

"No. I don't even think I saw him after you left." Megan had noticed a subtle change come over Tony when they exited the car, but it was nothing like what she had witnessed yesterday

After Tony left, Megan went to join David in the autopsy suite and they started on the cases for the day. Neither saw Dwayne when he entered the room, or the look of pure rage directed at Megan

Dwayne was furious. He still couldn't believe that bitch he had stabbed, had had the nerve to face him down. No woman does that to him and gets away with it. He'd take care of her, but first he'd see to Megan. Dwayne had forgotten about how intimidated he'd been by Tony.

"Hey Brian, anything turn up?" Tony asked figuring he'd know what she meant

"Well that depends. If you're talking about the Shadow case, no. If you're talking about assaults with a knife, yes," Brian responded

Tony's whole demeanor subtly changed. "Well?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

Brian knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say, but she needed to know. "Since I'm in homicide and the leader of this task force, I haven't been able to keep abreast of what's going on elsewhere in the city." Seeing Tony's impatient look, he continued, "Seems there's a rapist operating on the near west side. A knife seems to be his weapon of choice. However, he hasn't actually stabbed anyone, so it may be entirely unrelated."

Brian was not really surprised to see no visible reaction. She had to be the most controlled person he had ever met. Tony's mind was actually racing ahead. While the chance of either her or Megan's attack being related to each other were slim, she could not ignore the possibility either. She knew her attack could not have been related to a rapist. Rapists did not slash and run, but Megan's attack had been different. Coincidences tended to bother Tony, and she still felt there were too many similarities in the two attacks. There really wasn't much she could do about it though

"What's on the agenda today?" she asked, quickly shifting gears

"We got a few more informants to interview. The guys are out rounding them up now. Want to sit in on the interviews?"

Giving Brian an appreciative grin, Tony knew she'd finally made the inner team. She preferred to work alone, but this was the locals' case and trust was important. The stakes had become too high

Megan had finished her cases and was in her office doing the preliminary reports. She was hoping to get something from the lab today, but figured it would be at least tomorrow before they had a chance to process the samples. She looked up as someone rapped lightly on the door frame. Looking up, she saw Mark standing there. "Hi."

"Hi. I just thought I'd stop by and see if you have anything you could release on the latest victim. The news has been kind of slow lately."

"No. I still can't release any information on the latest victim. The police might be able to tell you more than I can," Megan said, smiling at Mark

"I don't suppose you'd want to go to lunch?" Mark asked hopefully, continuing, "I stopped by yesterday, but you were already at lunch."

"I think I'll pass this time. Maybe some other time." Megan had began to feel quite comfortable with her life, and she didn't feel the need to be bothered with things she really didn't want to do

"Ok, see ya later."

"Bye."

As the fax machine came to life, Megan walked over to see what was being transmitted. Noticing the familiar Lab's letterhead, her mind began racing with anticipation. She pulled the paper from the tray. Yes... the drug had been ingested orally. They were obviously dealing with someone who had a good knowledge of drugs

Brian smiled to himself and shook his head. Since Tony had begun assisting with the interviewing, things were moving along very quickly. She simply intimidated the hell out of whoever they were interviewing and the punks quickly spilled their guts about anything and everything just to get out of the same room with her. While they had no further leads on the Shadow case, they now had tips on 1 armed robbery, 2 new drug dealers, and 4 convenience store robberies. The woman was amazing

Tony walked into the autopsy suite and looked around. She had already gone to Megan's office, but she wasn't there. Seeing David, she walked over to him, "Hi. Know where Megan's at?" she asked. David looked at Tony and smiled, "Yes. She got summoned to our fearless leader's office. She should be back soon. She's been gone for a half hour already."

"David, has Dwayne been a problem?"

"Not that I've noticed. He mostly seems to avoid us both, which is fine with me. I really don't like the guy," David said

"I know exactly what you mean," Tony said. Seeing Megan enter the room, Tony's smile quickly disappeared when she saw the expression on her partner's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you on the way home. I need to get out of here," Megan said in a very controlled voice. "David, I'll see you tomorrow," as she turned and walked out with Tony, her tense body belying her calm voice

Tony pulled out into traffic, and then asked, the concern evident in her voice, "What's the matter?"

"He is such a jerk. I can't believe it," Megan said, trying to control her anger. "Would you believe he wants to go public with the results of the GCMS test. That'll tip our hand. We can't let that get out yet. All he's worried about is his public image. After all HIS office discovered it. Look how good that would sound in the newspapers." Megan paused, still angry. "He is such an arrogant, egotistical, condescending..."

"Bastard," Tony filled in for her when she ran out of words. "I'll talk to him. I'm quite sure I can convince him that wouldn't be a good idea," Tony reassured Megan. Inwardly, she was angry. Who did this idiot think he was anyway? He dumps the case on Megan and then when she discovers the method of death, he wants to go to the papers without regard to their case simply to bask in the glory. I'm going to enjoy explaining some things to him. "I'll talk to him tomorrow, ok?"

"He can be really stubborn. I don't know if he'll listen," Megan said looking over at Tony. Her partner smiled grimly, "Don't worry, he'll listen." After seeing the look on Tony's face, Megan believed her

They decided to stop at Bally's on the way home. "Now remember, don't overdo it," Megan cautioned. Tony rolled her eyes, "I'm fine, really."

They both moved to the stationary bikes and began to warm up. "How often have you been coming here?" Tony asked. "Used to be 3 or 4 times a week." Grinning over at her companion, she added, "I've been a little negligent lately. Can't imagine why."

Tony smirked over at her and said, "Oh, really. Guess I'll have to work on that then." As they slowly increased their speed, Tony couldn't keep her eyes off Megan. Watching the supple muscles rippling in her partner's legs and thighs and her fair face flushed with exertion, Tony slowed down, distracted

"Tony... you're staring," Megan teased, not minding the attention at all. Tony just grinned and winked at her. God, I love when she does that. She is so sexy. Pay attention Megan. You're supposed to be working out. Yeah right like I could really pay attention with her sitting over there grinning at me and those long perfect legs and...

"Uh Megan... come back," Tony smirked at her. Megan colored slightly, when she realized she was doing the same thing she teased Tony about. "Let's go do the machines. I'm warmed up enough." More than enough, actually.

They took turns on the machines, and Tony was pleased to find out that even though her back placed some limitations on her, overall her body was quite well tuned considering the events of the last week. If she pushed it, she should be back to full form very soon. Finishing the leg weight lifts, Tony said, "Want to go do a few laps before we leave?" Megan nodded

Megan set a leisurely pace enjoying the workout. After several laps, Tony picked up the pace. "This isn't too fast, is it?"

"No. But I think I've tormented my body enough. What about you?" Megan answered knowing her partner was pushing things just a little

"What ever you want to do," answered Tony, not willing to admit that she'd had enough. Megan smiled to herself. She was finding it easier to read subtle changes in her partner and knew Tony's ego would never allow her to admit what she considered a weakness, so she said, "Ok, let’s go."

"I get the shower first," Megan said when they entered the apartment. Tony watched her walk toward the bathroom. Grinning wolfishly, she thought, I think not. She quickly but quietly closed the distance between them and walked in the bathroom right behind the smaller woman. Tony placed her arms around her whispering in her ear, "Sure ya don't want some company?" and started nibbling on Megan's ear. Megan started at the sudden contact, before quickly relaxing against Tony and said, "I think I could be convinced." Tony began placing soft moist kisses along her neck, and moved her hands up under Megan's tank top, lightly caressing the soft skin. Megan felt like all her nerve endings had come alive. Still leaning against Tony, she said, "If you don't stop, we'll never get a shower." Tony smiled, moving her hands to Megan's waist, letting her gain her balance. Her mouth moved to Megan's ear, and her voice dropped seductively, "are ya convinced yet?" Megan turned around and answered her with a kiss

*  *  *

Dwayne knew he needed to calm down. He was finding it harder and harder to control his rage. Everything was going wrong. He had not been able to uncover even one clue as to his wife's whereabouts. And Megan, the bitch, had been riding back and forth to work with that crazy FBI agent. He had stayed away from her at work, not because he was afraid of the tall woman, but to cause any attention on him to abate. He left the house deciding to take out his frustration in other ways.

*  *  *

Tony walked with Megan to her office and then asked her where Dr. Whitehouse's office was. Megan directed her, knowing it was better if she did not go with her. Tony walked along the short hallway turning left at the end. Seeing the office, she walked in and told the secretary she was there to see Dr. Whitehouse.

"Do you have an appointment?"

Tony pulled out her FBI identification and said, "I really don't think I need one. This will only take a few minutes." The secretary turned away and entered Dr. Whitehouse's office

After a couple of minutes, she returned and said, "He can't see you right now. He suggested you make an appointment. He has an opening for next Friday, a week from tomorrow, at 10am."

Tony waited until the secretary sat down, then walked past her to the doctor's office. Ignoring the flustered woman who was insisting she couldn't go in there, Tony did just that. Stalking over to the desk, she stopped in front of it and growled, "I need to talk to you now," folding her arms and glaring at him

"You have no jurisdiction here and I am asking you to leave. When you have properly scheduled an appointment, I'll be happy to see you," replied Dr. Whitehouse, who was very intimidated, but being an elected official, figured he was the one in charge here

Tony thought quickly. She knew he was within his rights to ask her to leave. She also knew she had a message she had to get across. "Fine, I'll set up an appointment. But don't be surprised when you see the article in the paper tomorrow about how the most junior pathologist on your staff discovered the method the Shadow killer is using on the first victim she autopsied. Since that happened to be the third victim..." she left the sentence hanging, knowing he would understand her point

"You can't threaten me," he retorted

"I'm not. It's a matter of public record that you did the first two autopsies."

"What do you want?" he said, knowing he had underestimated this woman

"I don't want the discovery of the drug to be released yet. That will damage our case more than help it at this point."

"I've already scheduled a press conference for tomorrow."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to cancel it, or... find something else to talk about," Tony advised him

Dr. Whitehouse knew he was beaten. If he went ahead with the press conference, he had no doubt the FBI agent would release a contradictory statement, and her story would be backed up by facts. That could prove to be very embarrassing. "Ok, I see your point. I wouldn't want to do anything to hurt the case," he lied

Tony smiled to herself, and said, "Thanks for your cooperation," before leaving the office. She stopped by to see Megan and told her there would be no press release

The day passed slowly for Megan and she waited impatiently for 5pm to arrive. She was looking forward to going home. Well, she mused, she looked forward to going home every night now. Smiling to herself, she thought about how everything was so different now. It was hard to believe that all the things she'd always heard about love and never thought she'd experience were true. Well no...  not exactly. This was better than what she'd heard. She shook her head, she knew she was hopeless

Tony called over to Brian, "See ya tomorrow," and made her way around the desks toward the door to the street. It had been another day of interviewing informants. There had been no new developments and she was tired of interviewing lowlife punks. Maneuvering through the traffic toward the Coroner's office, she had one thing on her mind, Megan. She just wanted to be with her. It was comfortable. It was nice

Megan watched her tall lover walk down the hall toward her. She could watch her all day. She moved so fluidly down the hall, her walk so perfect, her muscles moving in perfect synchrony with that gorgeous body. She is gorgeous. Megan stood waiting in the doorway of her office. Tony was early. Megan said, "Hi ya," giving her a big grin and continuing, "I missed you." Walking into the office Tony hugged her, smiled and said, "Right back at ya."

"What is this?" Tony asked looking in the crock pot. "It looks interesting," she said dubiously. Megan chuckled, "Interesting? That's original."

Looking at Megan, Tony raised an eyebrow, still trying to figure out what was in the crock pot. "Well?"

"It doesn't have a name. My mother used to make it." Megan started laughing at Tony's expression and walked over patting her on the stomach, "I haven't poisoned you yet, have I?"

"No, but..."

"Tony expand your horizons a little," Megan teased. "It's sort of like a goulash."

"Must taste ok, huh?" Megan chuckled when Tony filled her plate a second time. "Yep. It's really good," she said, looking slightly embarrassed

"What time is that guy coming over?"

"He should be here at 7pm. I never knew they actually come to your house and demonstrate."

"Why not? It's money in his pocket," Tony answered. She had suggested to Megan that getting a cellular phone would probably be a good idea. Tony knew that even though she wanted to, she couldn't go everyplace with Megan, but, for now, she sure intended to try

"You know Tony, I was thinking. Did you ever see any of those movies or read any murder mysteries where they tell the reporter a lot of provocative stuff to put in the newspaper trying to lure the killer into the open? You know, stuff like being unable to interact normally with women, so he gets his kicks by killing them because it's the only way he feels he has any control over them and stuff like that."

Tony nodded her head, "Yeah. But most of the stuff that works on TV and in books, doesn't in real life. But, that may not be a bad idea. We certainly aren't making any progress on the case." Tony mused aloud, "The killer is very cool. Almost too cool. It's really kind of weird. Something should have broken by now. All we've got is a description of someone buying drugs that is so vague it'll never do us any good. Tell ya what, let me talk to Brian tomorrow. I think it might be worth a shot."

Megan sat on the couch looking at the cellular phone. It was very small and would easily fit in her purse. "Don't you think it's kind of cute?"

"It's just a phone," Tony answered, watching Megan play with it. "Here, let me have it. I'll go plug it in," she offered.

"I still think it's cute. Look how little it is," Megan said handing over the phone. Taking it, Tony shook her head wondering what could be cute about a phone, and went to plug it in

Tony sat down on the couch stretching her long legs out. Megan settled in next to her comfortably. Tony looked at her and said, "Let's go out to some place nice for dinner tomorrow night."

Megan smiled, liking the idea. "Ok. Want to go the Lighthouse? It's really nice there and the food is good."

"Sure," Tony didn't particularly care where they went as long as she was with the small woman relaxed comfortably against her. Tony kissed the top of her head, draping her arm around her shoulders.

"Could I ask you something?" Megan face had turned serious with a small crease between her eyes. She had noticed the past several days, that whenever they were not at home Tony had a completely different air about her. She seemed incredibly in tune with everything around them. Her eyes never stopped scanning any area they walked. It was a predatory alertness. It was like she was in a perpetual state of awareness

Tony took in the expression on Megan's face as she asked the question sensing this was not going to be something simple. Guardedly she answered, "Sure."

"There is just something I can't figure out about that night in the Flats," she paused, watching Tony carefully. "How did the guy ever get near enough to you to stab you?"

Tony's expression turned introspective. Her mind journeyed back to that moment in time, and she remembered exactly why she had been taken off guard. Caught up in the maelstrom of emotions she felt that night, Tony captured Megan's eyes with a penetrating gaze. Her contralto voice began relating the memory, "You see, there was this beautiful intelligent woman, wearing a teal colored dress, with absolutely mesmerizing eyes, a body to die for and a smile that lit up her whole face that I just couldn't get out of my mind." Tony watched Megan's eyes widen in surprise, and then said, "I love you," leaning down and gently capturing Megan's lips with her own. Words couldn't have explained Megan's feelings just then, but her response to the gentle kiss did.

PART 4

"HEY," TONY RESPONDED to Brian's greeting the next morning. Grabbing a cup of coffee from the never ending pot in the squad room, she walked over to his desk and sat down. Brian looked at her expectantly. He knew she had to want something to come and plant herself at his desk. "Well?"

Grinning companionably, she said, "Megan came up with an interesting idea. She suggested using the newspaper as a medium to lure out the killer. What do you think?"

"I don't know. Might work, ya never know. But I wouldn't hold my breath," Brian said, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. "I think I saw Mark in the Lieutenant's office. He's been covering the story. He'd probably be the best one to talk to."

"You want to do the release?"

"Oh no. The brass would never approve it. They're much too conservative." Besides, the FBI is better at this type of thing. You don't have to worry about local reaction."

Tony smiled at him, "Laying it on me, huh?"

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, the public is much more in awe of the FBI than the police."

"Ok. But I'm going to play the reporter too. I think his story will be much more believable if he doesn't know it's a ruse. You ok with that?"

Brian shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah. It's your call."

"Good. I'll clear it with Mike." Standing, she turned and made her way to the task force room. Picking up the phone and dialing, she waited for an answer. "Braxton," was the response. Tony was surprised the Director had answered and not his secretary. "Hi, Mike. It's Tony. I want to make a bogus press release today ridiculing the Shadow killer. An attempt to draw him out a little," Tony said relating the idea to him

"Isn't that a little risky?" Mike asked, "he could go off the deep end."

"Yep. It's a big risk. But since he hasn't left any clues and doesn't seemed inclined to stop killing innocent women, it might be worth it. No guarantees though. I know it's a long shot."

Mike thought about it. It really wasn't any skin off his back. If it backfired, the blame would fall directly on Tony. If it worked, it would make him look good. "What do the locals think?"

"They're ok with it if we take responsibility for the announcement."

"If you think the risk is worth it, go for it," he replied wanting to make absolutely sure she understood this one was on her.

Tony smiled to herself. He was setting the stage for deniability on his part. No problem, she could deal with that. "Ok. Later," she said hanging up the phone. She went to find the reporter

"Interested in a story?" Tony asked, knowing he'd be unable to refuse

Mark's eyes brightened. "Did you get a break? The killer finally make a mistake?"

"No, nothing like that. We just want to send him a message." She led him to the conference room and motioned for him to have a seat. Tony painted a picture of an antisocial, dysfunctional sociopath who preyed on women because he couldn't face his own shortcomings and it was the only way he could exert control in his otherwise miserable little world. Tony was very careful to lend credence to the statement by pointing out correlations between some of the other known serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, John Gacy and Ted Bundy

Mark took down all the information provided, and when she finished he asked her, "Do you really think the killer is a sociopath?"

"Of course. He is obviously a pathetic individual with absolutely no conscience," she said, wanting to make sure he was convinced. His delivery of the story would be very important. Tony knew that most sociopaths have methodical cunning minds, and are usually very intelligent. The ones that chose to kill were always difficult to apprehend

Mark stood and said, "Thanks. I really appreciate the scoop. I'll get right to work on it. I should have it ready for tomorrow's morning edition."

Finishing their case load, Megan and David adjourned to Megan's office. "So what's the big news you have to tell me?" Megan asked, smiling at her good friend

"You know we've been looking for a house," David saw Megan nod, "well we finally found one, and it's right on the Silver Coast. You should see it Megan. It's one of the older colonial style houses. It's in great condition. The roof was just done last year and the basement is completely dry. The hard wood floors were just refinished, it has a completely modernized kitchen and 3 bedrooms. I've always wanted an extra room for an office and Mike needs a place to work on his blue prints. We both love it. The loan is already approved, but I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure. We just have to wait for the closing," David finished beaming with pride

Megan walked over and hugged her friend. "That's just great. You've waited so long to find a place over there."

"Boy, don't I know it," David grinned back. "You guys will come to our house warming, right?"

"We wouldn't miss it. How long before you close?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe a month. " David answered, a wide smile firmly in place. I better go clean up," he said, turning to go back to the autopsy suite

Megan was working on the preliminary reports of the 2 autopsies she had done that morning, when the teasing, "Hey, Doc," drifted to her ears

Looking up at Mark, she said, "Hi. What's up?"

"I just met with the FBI agent assigned to the Shadow case. The FBI is releasing a statement, sort of like a message to the Shadow killer. They believe the killer is some kind of deranged control freak, a bona fide sociopath who can't exist normally in society. Do you have any comments you'd like to add? Is that what you think too? Or is this just maybe a ruse by the FBI to get the killer to make a mistake?"

Megan thought quickly. Tony obviously hadn't wasted any time on acting on her suggestion. She also had not let the reporter in on the ruse. Well that did make sense. The less people that knew the better

"Yes, I think I'd have to agree with their assessment," she told Mark. Anyway it wasn't a lie because she actually thought whoever was doing it had to be a monster

"Do you mind if I quote you as agreeing with them?" Mark asked

"I don't mind, but I think my boss would probably have a coronary. So let's keep my comments off the record, ok?"

"Sure, no problem. I've got plenty for the story anyway. I better get to work on it. See ya later."

"See you Mark."

She was looking forward to an evening out. It was the first time they were really going out. Megan smiled at the thought. No matter that she had tried to deny it, she finally acknowledged that she had treated their night in the Flats as a date, privately, in her own mind.

"I'd sure like to hear a song," she hinted. Tony smiled sparing a quick look at her partner before turning back to the traffic. "See if you can find something on the radio you like."

Megan began flipping through the channels stopping on the soft rock oldies channel. Tony knew the song and joined in. When she finished, Megan said, "I love listening to you. How did you ever learn to sing like that?"

"I don't know. I just always could," Tony replied self-consciously

Megan had made reservations for 7pm. She went to take a shower while Tony went to the closet in the spare bedroom and pulled out her favorite dress. It was a simple black dress with spaghetti straps, moderately low cut, designed to tastefully outline the curves it covered before gaining width and ending above the knees. She got the accessories she wanted out and waited for Megan to finish showering

Megan began looking through her dresses. Her choice was somewhat limited because she had steered away from more than casual dates and hadn't felt the need to waste money on things she wouldn't use. Smiling, she thought she just might have to do some clothes shopping soon. She pulled out a white dress with thin straps, the top stylishly suggestive, fitting snugly at the waist before gradually becoming full and ending above the knee

Tony finished in the shower and noticed Megan had closed the bedroom door. Thinking, I guess we're dressing separately today, she walked down the hall to the guest room

Unknowingly, each woman's actions mirrored the other. Both dressed with care, expertly applying makeup, taking the extra time required to make sure their hair was perfect, adding jewelry and taking that last look in the mirror, satisfied.

Tony finished first and went to the living room to wait for Megan. A short time later Megan appeared. Their eyes widened simultaneously, each taking in the other's appearance. Both started to talk at the same time, and they began laughing. Tony said, "You are so beautiful."

Megan blushed at the intensity of Tony's words, and smiled. "Thanks. But you know, since you took the words right out of my mouth, I guess I'll have to settle for telling you how gorgeous you are," she said playfully but meaning every word of the compliment. She watched the red creep up on Tony's face as she voiced her thanks for the compliment. Tony decided she had blushed more in the past two weeks than she had in her whole life. She knew the reason was because it had never mattered before what anyone thought; but now, the plain truth was, it mattered very much what the small woman standing in front of her thought

Megan and Tony were led to their seats out on the balcony overlooking the lake. Following the waiter, they were both aware of the appreciative looks cast their way by other patrons in the crowded restaurant. Tony was used to it. Megan was not

"Everyone's looking at us," Megan said quietly, once they were seated

Tony smiled sassily, winked, and said, "That's cuz you look so good."

"I don't think I'm the only one they're looking at," she said answering Tony with an equally alluring smile deciding two could play this game

Tony looked at Megan and decided if they were going to stay for dinner she had better change the subject because the way the woman she loved, who just happened to be dressed to kill, was sitting across the table smiling at her was quickly flaming a different appetite.

"What are you going to have?" she asked, conceding to Megan

Megan never missed a beat and said, "They've got really good salmon here. I think I'll have that," unable to keep a teasing smile from appearing on her face

Tony just raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I think I'll have the same."

Megan and Tony enjoyed the leisurely dinner. They were constantly learning things about each other and with each new discovery there came greater understanding and insight into the inner self of the other. They returned home, tired but relaxed

Tony had always been an early riser, but that had taken on a new attraction lately. The past few mornings she woke up enveloped in a sense of well being with the weight of her partner resting across her. She relished the comfort she found in their closeness and would wait for her to wake up. She loved to watch Megan open her eyes and smile lazily up at her

Megan woke to the sound of Tony's heart beating a steady rhythm in her ear. She knew the blue orbs were watching her, and knew the love she felt was reflected back in them. She slowly lifted her head to meet the eyes watching her. With a sultry smile, she traced her finger slowly along Tony's cheek and down her neck, feeling the quickening of her partner's pulse. Meeting Tony's eyes she began a languid exploration, feeling Tony's quick intake of breath. Tony kissed her and she knew her, not so subtle, invitation was being enthusiastically accepted

Tony was nervous. Ever since Megan had told her Ashley wanted to meet her and was coming over for dinner, she had been uneasy. This was Megan's sister. Her favorite sister. What if she didn't like her? She knew Megan had told her about them. But this was important. She didn't want their relationship to make things difficult for Megan. She wryly laughed at herself. Normally Tony didn't give a damn about what people thought of her

Megan walked over and sat down beside Tony. She could tell Tony was uncomfortable and knew she was worried about meeting Ashley. "Hey, relax," she said putting her hand on Tony's thigh. "You'll like her, and I know she'll like you." Grinning mischievously, Megan said, "She knows I have good taste." The last prompted a smile from Tony

"You need any more help?"

"You know everything's done," Megan said. "Come mere," she urged Tony's head down for a kiss. Megan tucked herself up against Tony's side while they waited for Ashley to arrive. Tony relaxed, comforted by the small woman leaning against her side

When Megan answered the door, she drew her sister into a quick hug. Leading her in to the apartment, she introduced her to Tony. .Ashley had the usual reaction of people meeting Tony for the first time, awe, surprise, and an awareness of a dangerous, yet sensuous aura surrounding the tall woman. Smiling to herself, she could certainly understand why her sister was so taken with this tall appealing woman

"So Tony, Megan tells me you're an FBI agent. What's it like?"

"It's really just like any other job. You spend a great deal of time behind a desk, or doing leg work researching leads which usually don't pan out. It's not nearly as glamorous as TV portrays it to be." Tony said, down playing her role.

Megan changed the direction of the conversation at this point, knowing how much Tony hated to be the topic of conversation. "Ashley, did you guys go the Grand Prix today?"

"No, John took the kids to his Mom's house for the day. I had to finish up a project for work, so I decided to let them go on alone."

Tony quietly studied Megan's sister. Ashley was taller than Megan, about 5'6" and had golden brown hair and brown eyes. She seemed to be very easy going and smiled a lot. The rapport between her and Megan was obvious by their bantering back and forth

It wasn't long before Tony's uneasiness subsided and she was drawn into the conversation. Megan and Ashley were both very gregarious and she relaxed and started enjoying herself

Ashley decided she liked the tall dark woman. She seemed rather quiet, but Ashley had not missed how her eyes followed every move Megan made and the love projected from them. It was very obvious to her this woman was devoted to Megan. She also sensed they shared something very special and was happy with that knowledge

Later that night, a memory wove its way through Tony's mind. Wistfully, she examined it... a happy time... so long ago... and she brutally forced it away, knowing she didn't deserve it and that it had only been brought on by the interaction she'd seen between Megan and her sister.

Megan looked over at Tony and saw a distant expression on her face. "What are ya thinking about?"

Tony pulled back from her ruminations and said, "You really don't want to know."

"Tony... I really do," Megan said meaningfully patting the spot on the bed next to her. "Please?" Tony looked at Megan and realized the simple word was more than a quest for knowledge, it was a plea for trust. Apprehensively she acquiesced to Megan's request hoping she wasn't about to lose her respect

"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you," her blue eyes glittering darkly, she joined Megan on the bed. Megan just took her hand in hers and held it

"You wanted to know what my mother was like," Tony began, her thoughts going far back in time. As the memories filtered out she began voicing her thoughts aloud

"My mother ran the family with an iron hand. But we were a close knit family and there was plenty of love to go around. We didn't have a lot, but there was always food on the table and a roof over our heads. Mom worked two jobs to keep us in clothes and other necessities. She worked really hard. You gotta give her a lot of credit, raising three children alone, but she refused to accept government aid."

When Tony stopped talking, Megan said, "She sounds pretty special."

"Yeah. She is. I think I was probably her biggest trial. I was always in trouble. I had an almost unerring ability to find it, usually dragging my brothers along. Mom was always having to come to school to pick me up. She tried her best, but most of our clothes were from Goodwill or the Salvation Army. The kids were pretty cruel. They were always making fun of us. So I retaliated. It didn't matter whether they targeted me or my brothers, I made them pay. So she got called. A lot. She used to tell me, "Tony, just ignore them. Words can't hurt you." But, the one thing I had learned from her already was pride. She was proud of us. She never let anyone talk down to her and I guess that's why I just refused to be looked down on."

Megan saw several emotions cross Tony's face as she related the story of a happy family and a home full of love. "Do you get to see her very often with all the traveling you do?"

Megan saw an expression of pain cover her lover's face. Squeezing her hand gently, she offered her support. The support gave Tony renewed strength to face the haunting memories, and she let her thoughts speak aloud once again

The figures moved stealthily amidst the trees. The object of their hunt obscured in the branches of a tall tree, watching.

All of a sudden they heard gun fire. As the four on the ground quickly stopped and looked around, Tony exited the tree, landing softly near them. She put up a hand indicating silence, and slowly began to make her way toward the gunfire. The others began to follow and she stopped telling them to go back to the cabin. At George and Joey's protests, she told them she just wanted to see what was going on and then she'd meet them back there

She waited until the other four began to make their way toward the cabin before continuing. On the streets of Boston she had often heard rumors of paramilitary groups operating in the mountains, but had never believed them. Tony knew she should just go back to the cabin with the others, but curiosity spurned her on. Unbeknownst to her, Joey and George had told Vinnie and Sharon that they we going to go with their sister and to go ahead to the cabin. They'd just come back with Tony. Since George was the oldest present, no one questioned his decision

The boys began backtracking, careful to make sure they followed a route different from the one Tony had taken. Her temper was infamous and neither wanted to incur it. They figured they'd just meet up with her a little further on and then she'd have to let them come with her

The gun fire grew louder, and she moved up in to the thick trees. From her vantage point, she saw a staggered group of eleven men moving through the woods. They seemed to be chasing something, but she couldn't make out what it was. Watching the group move toward her, a man suddenly came into sight bleeding from wounds to his leg and arm. Her first instinct was to help him, but the group of men following were approaching too quickly. They passed beneath her hiding place closing the gap on the wounded man

Tony decided it was time to go back to the cabin and get help. There was no telephone, but they did have a ham radio. As she began to make her way down the tree, there were loud shouts by some of the men and the staccato clatter of machine guns once again filled the air. Scrambling back up the tree, what she saw froze the blood in her veins. The gunfire had abruptly stopped and the men were standing around two still bodies. The still forms wore the clothes of her brothers. The image burned into her mind as she watched frozen in horror

The sounds of cursing, and bits of phrases drifted through the air, "You idiots... look what you've done... they're nothing but kids. At an unspoken command, the men began to haul ass away from the scene of carnage

Tony never remembered exiting the tree or the mad dash to her brothers. She knelt first next to one and then the other and as the realization hit her that they were dead... and that she'd never hear their voices again, never join them in fun, never laugh with them, never tease them, or hug them, never nothing... ever again... and when the finality of their death ripped through her, she screamed, so full of hurt and anguish that it rocked her back on her heels. Her heart breaking, she choked out one last desperate plea, "No God... please God... no." She lifted each brother's head into her lap, caressing their faces, tears rolling down her face. The enormity of her role in this tragedy then began unfolding in her mind draping a mantle of guilt over her shoulders. Numbness soon followed..  This was her fault. She should have just gone back to the cabin with them. She hardly felt the hand that grasped her shoulder, not caring that she might be in danger, knowing she deserved any fate that may come her way

"Kid, come on," said a man's voice as he put a hand on her shoulder. "We gotta get out of here. They could come back."

She never acknowledged the man, and couldn't have cared less if they came back. She deserved it. She had led her brothers to their death

Desperate, the man walked around, leaned over the still forms cradled in front of her, grasped her shoulders in his hands and shook her. "Come on, kid. Now."

"I'm not leaving them," she said quietly, daring him to defy her

The man sat down near her, his left trouser leg covered with blood, stanched by a tourniquet..  "You can't help them now. The only thing we can do is try to get who was responsible for this. If they come back and we don't get out of here, the same thing may happen to someone else. Please."

At his words anger began to build inside her. Her mind had grasped the words, 'get who was responsible for this.' She gently moved each brother's head from her lap, and stood. Looking at the man, whose arm was still dripping blood, she unsnapped the first aid pack at her waist and field dressed the wound. Never saying a word, she began to walk toward the cabin

The man was Chuck Parker. He was an FBI agent who had infiltrated the paramilitary group that had killed Tony's brothers. He had been betrayed. Once they arrived back at the cabin, he called for help and it came in the way of an FBI team. Tony was airlifted out along with her brothers' remains

Tony couldn't bear to see the pain in her mother's eyes. She had caused it. She had led her brothers into danger. Her mother turned away from her in her grief, and knowing she was responsible, she turned away from her mother. She accepted the blame for her mother's pain, shouldering it along with the already enormous burden she had taken on. When the double funeral was over. She left.

The only life line offered was from Chuck Parker. As he befriended her, she learned all she could about the FBI and what she must do to become an agent. With a focus that was to become legendary, she threw herself into her college work. Working part time to support herself and taking courses full time, she had no time left for the mind numbing grief. She buried it deep inside, her only thoughts those of revenge

Megan had pulled Tony's head against her when the telling of the story had lent silent tears to her face. Her heart cried out at the palpable pain emanating from her lover and she offered her support through the comfort of her contact. As the tortured eyes met hers, Megan listened to words so filled with self loathing, she almost shuddered at the intensity of them, "So what do you think of me now? I led my brothers to their death

Megan blinked to clear her eyes and began to speak, "You didn't kill your brothers. They were accidentally killed in a random act of violence because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time." As Tony began to interrupt, Megan placed her fingers against her mouth, saying, "Ssh. You need to listen to what I have to say." Tightening her hold on Tony, she continued, "You cannot blame yourself for something you had no control over. You didn't know your brothers hadn't gone back to the cabin," she paused, softening her voice, "no matter how much we may want to, we can't control fate. You never led your brothers to danger. It found them." Megan captured her partner's eyes, and looking deeply into them, she continued, "Nothing can change what happened." Megan's voice was filled with a quiet certainty, and she finished, "But it wasn't your fault. Quit blaming yourself. Just let it go."

Maybe it was what the woman-child that had been buried along with the memories in Tony's mind for so long needed to hear and never had, or maybe it was just the conviction she heard in her partner's voice, but as the words caressed her troubled mind, Tony wanted to believe them. Tears are often a catharsis and Tony's fell freely. She finally mourned her brothers, and her lost innocence and took the first tentative steps out of a cloud of darkness that night. It would be a slow process, especially in so troubled a soul, but with love guiding her the healing could begin. Cradled in Megan's arms, the emotionally drained woman fell into an exhausted sleep.

Megan thought about what Tony had told her. She could understand what had happened between her and her mother. Perhaps the worst fate a mother can suffer is to outlive her children. And to lose two children so violently would have been devastating to any parent. Tony's mother had been unable to see the grief shared by her daughter because of her own. Thirty seconds of mindless violence on a warm summer afternoon had destroyed a family. Megan knew there would be no closure for Tony until she saw her mother. But until she was ready to, Megan would be there for her, to help guide her out of the dark shroud of guilt she had carried for far too long. Megan also understood the deep level of trust Tony had placed in her to have bared her soul. And she would guard it, and protect it at any cost

Tony woke up the next morning, feeling more peace than she had known in a long time. Looking at Megan, she became so aware of her love for her it almost overwhelmed her. But she also realized something else. I need her. I REALLY need her. It was a startling revelation for someone who had decided never to love or need anyone years before. She didn't know when or how the change had come about, but she couldn't even begin to imagine life without Megan now

Tony and Megan walked along the shores of Lake Erie, their hands intertwined, watching the waves crash over the breakers.

"It's really nice here," Tony said loving the sound of the crashing waves

"Yeah. I've always like to come to the beach. Sometimes when I was going to college and I needed a quiet place to come, just to get away from all the pressure, it's where I came. I guess that's the reason I moved so close to it."

"I'm glad you did. It's kind of interesting that you picked such a friendly place." Megan knew Tony was referring to the large population of people in this particular suburb, who, like themselves, enjoyed alternative lifestyles. Tony had never cared one way or the other what people thought of her, well except for Megan, but she didn't want Megan to be uncomfortable and it was nice to blend in once in a while

"Well, that part was unintentional," Megan replied. "I just liked the apartment and it was close to the lake. The other part is just kind of coincidence. But a good coincidence, I think," she said, smiling at Tony

Relaxing after returning from the beach, Tony and Megan were watching a National Geographic special on TV

"Aw, isn't that one cute? Look at those big eyes," Megan said

"Yeah. It is kind of cute. I wonder what it is?"

The announcer answered the question for them calling the tiny dog a Brussels Griffon

Did you ever have a dog when you were a kid?" asked Megan, looking up at Tony

"Yeah. We had a part Lab dog called Vido. We had a lot of fun with him," Tony responded, "what about you?"

"No. Dad wouldn't let us have pets. He said they were too unsanitary. We always wanted one though. Every time I rescued a puppy or kitten off the street he took it down to the shelter. So I finally gave up," Megan replied

"You rescued puppies and kittens too? I thought Mom was going to kill me for bringing home all the critters I did. Baby birds, kittens, and once a skunk. She was pretty mad about that one. But it was only a baby." Tony continued, "If you could have had any kind of dog you wanted, what would you have picked?"

"Oh, I think... um... maybe a cocker spaniel. They're kind of cute. What about you?"

"Definitely a Rottweiler," Tony responded

"Tony! Aren't they mean?"

"Nope. That's a common misconception because of what some of the idiot owners do to them. If you treat them right, they're just big loveable teddy bears."

"Oh... kinda like you," Megan said watching her partner closely

"MEGAN! I am NOT a big lovable teddy bear! Give me a break!" Tony sputtered with an incredulous look on her face, the image of a brown and white bear with a goofy smile and button eyes floating through her mind

Megan smiled to herself and thought, gotcha. "I don't know... I think you're pretty lovable," Megan said and watched Tony's face turn a pretty shade of red before leaning over and rescuing her with a kiss

They had finally caught a break. One of the informants Tony had interviewed had provided information on a drug dealer that specialized in *unusual* products on the street. His claim to fame was that he could get anything anyone wanted. Brian shook his head bemused. Tony's unusual interrogation technique had paid off once again. He had the fleeting thought of how nice it would be to have her as a permanent part of the team.

Walking across the squad room, he sent out two of the task force members to try to locate the drug dealer. He operated on the near east side. Walking over to the pop machine, he bought two coke's, taking one back to Tony

"Hey Tony, if you ever consider leaving the FBI you got a job here if ya want it," he said handing her the coke."

Smiling over at Brian, Tony said, "Thanks Brian. I'll keep that in mind. But I think I'm a little old for the police academy."

"Not too old, just too advanced. You'd probably just embarrass the instructors," Brian grinned over at her

"The man has a sense of humor," she jibed back. " I just hope this pans out. We could use a break."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The brass have been on my ass since the last victim," he replied

Later, the two task force members appeared with the drug dealer handcuffed between them. The information provided had been solid and the drug dealer was actually at a meet when accosted by the police officers. They took him to one of the interview rooms

"He's all yours," Brian said to Tony

"Let's let him sit for a while and worry. Since we got him on a legit bust, it'll soften him up. Besides, he has no idea why we really want to talk to him. Do we offer him a deal if it's worth our while?"

"Yeah. That coke he was selling was small time stuff," Brian said. "If it'll give us a break on the Shadow case it'd be worth it."

An hour later, Tony made her way to the interview room while Brian ensconced himself behind the two way glass. Brian watched the tall woman with interest. She walked into the room and looked at the lowlife sitting in the chair. Moving to the chair across the table from him, she sat down. With an even expression she just sat there watching him. As he grew increasingly uncomfortable, he began shifting around in his chair. Finally, unable to tolerate the implacable woman sitting across from him, he sneered, "If you got nothing to say, why don't you get out of here? I ain't gonna tell ya nothing anyway. I want a lawyer."

Tony's expression changed and a feral smile appeared. "Let's see... possession, selling, plus your priors... um... what's that good for ten to fifteen? I can call you a lawyer, no problem. It's a done deal, you got a ticket straight back to the joint. Got your things packed?"

Tony paused watching the man across from her. His bravado was becoming unraveled a little at a time. "A lawyer can't do anything for you. But I might be able to. Now, do you still want a lawyer?"

Looking at her suspiciously, he asked, "What do you want?"

"I heard you been selling some little vials on the street. I want to know where you been getting them from and who you've been selling them to," Tony asked, her expression callous.

Tony noticed a slight change in the demeanor of the dealer sitting across from her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tony mused, so we do have the right guy. Ok, let’s play. "Ya know Reg, I don't believe you. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. Now we can stop playing games or I will call that lawyer for you."

"What's in it for me?" the dealer parleyed back

"It depends. If you give up the buyer and who you're getting it from, I'll put in a good word with the prosecutor for you."

"Fuck that. That ain't good enough," he said crossing him arms staring defiantly at her

"Oh, I think it's better than you deserve," Tony said, pale blue eyes glaring and her smile feral. Walking around the table, she leaned over and whispered a few words in to his ear, and then walked away and leaned against the wall

Brian watched in amazement in the observation room. Whatever she had said to the dealer had caused him to become very pale and he literally started spilling his guts

"I been getting it from some doctor at City Hospital. He needs money. So he gets me what I ask for. The dude been buying it, I don't know who he is. We meet in the warehouse district by the Flats. I only sold to him twice," Reg spit out

"What's he look like?"

"Like any guy. About tall as you. Got brown hair and a beard and mustache," Reg answered.

"Reg... you going to make me ask you every single thing? Now tell me about him," Tony growled back

"He was wearing jeans and a sports shirt both times. He sets up the meets for midnight and then he always gets there early, before me. He don't talk street. He bought three the first time and five the second time. Ain't nothing else to tell."

"Now tell me about the doctor you've been getting the stuff from?" Tony asked, still leaning against the wall. Once Tony had all the information she felt she could get from Reg, she left the interview room

Brian grinned at her and said, "You're good. But I really wanna know what you whispered to him?" Tony just shrugged, quirk a smile at him, and said, "Sorry, trade secret." Brian just rolled his eyes

Megan began to feel restless. All her autopsy reports were pending until the lab results returned, and the city had been quiet. She was glad the Shadow killer had also taken a break. She wondered if it was because of the newspaper article Mark had written. He had done an excellent job of portraying the killer as a bona fide lunatic. If that article didn't lure him out, nothing would.

Megan's thoughts turned to Dwayne. She hardly ever saw him anymore. Not that she minded, but it seemed a little strange. At one time she just thought he had a temper and would never resort to violence, but now she wasn't so sure. She had seen a look he had given her yesterday when he thought she wasn't looking. Megan had not told Tony. She was afraid of what Tony might do. Megan still wanted to believe he just had a bad temper and would not resort to anything more than the looks of hatred he seemed especially fond of giving her.

*  *  *

The next couple of days passed quietly with no new developments in the case. Tony and Megan had settled into a comfortable routine. Tony continued driving Megan to work, so Megan took the opportunity to get some warranty work done on her car. In this case it was a toggle switch for switching the air bags on or off

"Will you just take it easy?" Megan said, her hands on Tony's arms. " You can't go every single place I do. That's why I got the cellular phone."

Tony knew Megan was right, but that didn't stop the concern she felt about Megan going out alone at night. "It would make me feel a lot better if I went with you," Tony said. "I'll just sit here and worry about you."

Megan hugged Tony, "You don't need to worry. There will be cops all over the place. Who could possibly bother me there and besides you can't enter the crime scene anyway, so what are you going to do, sit in the car?"

"I don't mind waiting in the car."

Megan looked up at the tall woman's worry etched face. She was so over protective. There had been no problems for the last week, and Megan felt perhaps the attack against her had been random after all. Going out at night was part of her job. Tony was just going to have to understand that

"Tony..."

"Ok, but I want you to call me before you leave the crime scene so I can wait for you downstairs," Tony said, not at all happy with the outcome of this conversation

Megan pulled her head down for a kiss. "I will, and don't worry. It's ok, really. And the sooner I leave the sooner I can get back," Megan said, smiling

"I know," Tony said. After getting off the elevator, Tony walked with Megan to the car. She opened the door, reached in and switched on the kill switch under the dash, and then handed Megan the car keys. "Don't forget to call before you leave."

"Ok. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Megan drove to the crime scene going over what little she knew. The victim had been found on the near west side stabbed to death. Apparently the police were also questioning the possibility of a rape attempt

Megan got out of the car and followed the flashing lights cutting a path through the darkness as she was approaching the crime scene. Flashing her badge, she was led to the victim. Megan looked at the victim and then looked away quickly. Taking a deep breath, she forced her mind to find the clinical detachment she had to have in order to proceed. Megan was having difficulty with that tonight. This was so brutal. How could anyone do this. This wasn't just the result of cold blooded killing. This was the result of insane rage. Finally, corralling the revulsion and swallowing down the nausea this act of atrocity had sparked, she began her examination

Tony waited impatiently for Megan to call. She had been gone for over an hour. Tony knew an hour wasn't very long but she just couldn't stop worrying. She wished for an end to the Shadow case. The idea that the victims were remarkably similar in appearance to Megan was one she had not shared with her partner. But she hadn't planned on Megan taking off by herself either. Tony turned on the TV and flipped through the channels before turning it off again. Walking over to the stereo, she turned it on. Music usually relaxed her. Not tonight, though. She had a bad feeling she couldn't shake. Tony trusted her instincts, but she also realized she was very over protective of Megan and wondered if she was just over-reacting. Starting as the phone rang, Tony quickly answered, "Hello."

"Hi," Megan said, "we should be done here in a few minutes, so I should be home in around 20 minutes or so."

"You be careful. I'll wait by the elevator," Tony replied relieved at the sound of Megan's voice.

Tony still couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that had come over her and she decided to go down to the garage now instead of waiting. Stepping out of the elevator she moved to a dark area and leaned easily against the wall. Most of the tenants were already home, so she didn't expect to see anyone. For ten minutes she casually scanned the garage looking for anything out of place

As her eyes turned toward the garage entrance, her peripheral vision glimpsed a quickly moving shadow near the row of cars by the door. All her senses were engaged as she felt rather than saw the other presence. Knowing she wasn't visible unless someone was within 3 feet of her, she began scrutinizing the rows of cars near the entrance slowly. Her eyes moved slowly over each car, and down each row. There, in the third row, fifth car over, was an unnatural shadow. She riveted her eyes to the spot, her whole body tensing as she waited for the shadow to move. Tony didn't have to wait long. The shadowed figure began moving stealthily from row to row, ever closer to the elevator entrance. Moving deeper in the shadows, she watched the figure approach. She was now able to make out the shape of a man, roughly her height, with a medium build. He stopped and bent down, hidden from view one row over from the elevator, which Tony wryly noted, was also one row over from Megan's parking spot.

Tony thought over her options. Megan was due back any minute now. Obviously the man wasn't here for a social visit. She had been unable to get a good look at him, but he loosely fit the description of the man who had attacked Megan. Yet to roust him now would prove nothing because no crime had been committed. Cursing the lack of foresight that had caused her to leave her gun upstairs she began moving very slowly along the wall, intending to be within striking distance once his intentions became clear

Headlights illuminated the walls of the garage as the familiar Buick pulled in and rolled into the parking place near the elevator. Megan got out of the car, locked it with the keypad, and quickly looked around before making her way to the elevator. Tony was supposed to be waiting for her and even though she didn't like to admit it, she was a little nervous. But her nervousness quickly gave way to concern. It wasn't like Tony not to be here waiting for her. Well maybe she fell asleep. That thought didn't bring her much comfort, though, because she had talked to her not even 20 minutes ago

Megan's mind barely had time to register a body hurtling toward her while simultaneously recognizing it as Tony when she was practically knocked over by a forceful shove. Struggling to maintain her balance, her heart almost stopped at the sight before her

Tony saw the man pop up from behind the car and begin a sprint toward Megan. Without conscious thought she propelled her body forward shoving Megan back placing herself between them. Settling comfortably in to the role of predator, every muscle tense, she waited for him to make the next move

The sudden movement had caused the man to stop and when he entered the light, Tony recognized Dwayne. The thought flickered through her mind that he looked like something ripped from the screen of a horror movie. Standing in front of her, he was covered with blood and waving a knife around. When she saw the maniacal gleam in his eyes Tony realized Dwayne had gone over the edge

Megan backed up against the wall and pulled the cellular phone from her purse. Dialing 911, she requested assistance and then, after identifying herself, she asked that Sgt. Davies also be notified. Disconnecting the phone, her eyes stayed focused on the scene in front of her

Tony and Dwayne moved counterclockwise feinting in and out. Tony was very careful to stay out of his reach and tried to draw him off balance. Lunging at her, she side stepped, attempting to disarm him. Surprisingly, though, his reflexes were quicker than she anticipated and allowed him to escape the movement, her hand grazing his arm. Lunging in and out, it was a dance of predators each matching the other's move with a counter move. Dwayne's gestures became more frenzied and he began taunting, "You got lucky last time bitch. You're mine now." Tony absorbed the words and realized this was the bastard that had stabbed her. Deciding to put an end to this quickly, she thrust her leg up and out in a lightening quick move dislodging the knife from his hand. Gaining the advantage, she moved forward quickly, kicking the knife across the floor. Dwayne countered with a spinning sidekick which she partially deflected with her arm while simultaneously leaping away before the impact could be felt. Taking advantage of Dwayne's forward momentum, she threw the weight of her body behind her fist and aimed for his solar plexus. Dwayne's face reflected surprise as he grunted in pain and gasped for air. While he struggled for breath, she followed up by sweeping his legs out from under him knocking him to the floor

Tony reached down, grabbing Dwayne by the shirt, with every intention of slamming his head into the floor when she heard, "Tony," and felt Megan's hand on her shoulder. For a long second she was frozen before releasing some of the tension from her body letting Dwayne slump to the floor. Keeping the prone figure in sight, Tony turned to Megan

Megan watched the two face off praying for the cops to get there. Tony had put herself in danger to protect her, and there was nothing she could do to help.

Megan asked, "You ok?

Tony quirked a half smile and nodded her head. "I'm fine. What about you? Didn't mean to push you so hard." Her attention was drawn to Dwayne who had struggled to a sitting position. "That's about as far as you need to go," Tony growled at him

His retort was lost in the commotion of the arriving police cars, as patrol officers with guns drawn moved quickly toward them. Shouting obscenities at Tony, Dwayne was handcuffed and led to a patrol car. Tony was giving a patrolman her statement when Brian arrived. Walking over, he said to the patrolman, "I'll take it from here."

Looking at Megan and Tony he asked them, "You two all right?" Tony shook her head and Megan answered, "yes."

"Tony would you mind coming down to the station to give your statement? From the looks of him, he's going to be nailed for more than attempted assault and I want an iron clad case. So let's do everything by the book."

"Ok," Tony said. "I'll meet you down there." Looking at Megan, she said, "I forgot something upstairs."

Riding the elevator up, Tony once again asked, "are you ok?" Megan smiled at her, "Yeah, I'm fine. What did you forget?"

Tony cocked her head raising her eyebrow slightly, saying, "My gun," knowing Megan was not fond of them. "Oh," said Megan

Entering the apartment, Tony began to walk toward the bedroom, stopping when she felt Megan's hand on her arm. Turning around, Megan threw both arms around her in a fierce hug. Returning the hug, Tony asked, "What's this for?"

Megan rested her head against Tony's chest, the whole scene playing over in her mind, and she knew she would be lost without this tall, dark woman standing there holding her. She could never go back to the way her life had been before. The thought flickered though her mind, what life. "I was so worried about you. He could have really hurt you. He had a knife. I never want to go through that again."

Tony rested her chin on Megan's head, "I'll do my best to make sure you never do," she said unhappy that she had worried her lover. "But Megan," she paused, lifting her head and gazing into the hazel eyes looking up at her, "he wanted to hurt you, and I'm going to do my level best to make damn sure no one ever does that, no matter what it takes."

Megan found herself captivated by the deep blue eyes that radiated a love she never thought she'd find. "I love you so much," she murmured placing her hands in the long dark hair covering Tony's neck, gently urging her head down meeting the soft lips with her own

Tony held her for a few minutes before saying, "I have to go. Reluctantly releasing her she went to get her gun. Slipping the gun into place before going back to the living room, she said, "Why don't you go to bed? I don't know how long I'll be."

Megan looked at Tony and smiled, "I think I'll wait up," raising her fingers to Tony's mouth to stop the rebuttal. "Just humor me, ok?" Tony placed her hand on Megan's face, gently caressing it and said, "Ok."

Brian watched Tony walk gracefully across the squad room toward him, her beauty not lost on him. He was very fond of the tall FBI agent and impressed with her skill. How she had disarmed that lowlife tonight, he didn't know. But he intended to find out,

He nodded his head in greeting, "Want to fill me in?"

When Tony finished relating the events to Brian she noticed a quizzical expression on his face. "What?" Taking a calculated risk, he asked, "You two stay together?"

Tony felt herself overcome with anger, "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Brian was not fazed. He had expected the reaction. "Tony... I asked you as a friend not a cop. I happen to like you and I care about people I like. So if you don't want to answer, fine. Don't. It's no big deal anyway."

Tony willed herself to calm down. "Sorry. There's just been so much going on lately. The attack last week and then tonight. And if that's not bad enough, all the Shadow killer's victims look like her." Tony paused, piercing Brian with her eyes, "But to answer your question, yeah, we stay together," adding, "and I just happen to be in love with her. So if you don't like that..."

Brian interrupted her, by saying, "Good. I thought so. So when are you two coming over to meet my wife and kids?"

Tony was so surprised her jaw dropped open causing Brian to start laughing. Snapping her mouth closed, and clearing her throat, she said, "You thought so?"

"Hell, Tony, your face gives it away every time you look at her. It's a dead giveaway."

Tony felt her face redden and said, "Um... maybe we could have a rain check for after we solve this case." Brian agreed that sounded like a good idea

"You ready to interrogate that dirt ball?"

"What are ya crazy? He'll never talk to me. He did nothing but cuss me out the whole time he was being led to the patrol car."

"It seems he's had a change of heart. Now he's asking for you."

Tony rolled her eyes. Just what she needed. So much for getting home anytime soon. "Did he asked for a lawyer?"

"No. He waived his rights. Said he'd only talk to you though."

Dwayne had been most cooperative. He drifted from cursing Tony out for taking a man's job to bragging about what he did to women who didn't know their place. He spent the remaining time confessing to a multitude of crimes, including all of the rapes on the near west side, and the Shadow killings. He delighted in telling Tony in graphic detail exactly how he had perpetrated the crimes, including his attack on her. He was relating each rape case in excruciating detail and they had already been at it for 2 hours.

Tony was repulsed by his graphic depiction of the crimes he committed and thought about all the irreparable harm he had caused to the victims that were still alive. She decided to take a break, more for her sanity than anything. Walking out of the interrogation room, she decided to call Megan and tell her not to wait up. This was going to be an all nighter

"Hi," she said smiling into the phone as Megan answered

"Hi yourself. When you coming home?"

"I got stuck interrogating Dwayne. He wouldn't talk to anyone else. So why don't you go to bed? It's going to be a long night."

"How about I come down there? I'm really not tired and I've got to give a statement sometime anyway."

"There's no reason for you to come down here. Your statement can wait until tomorrow, and besides, you'll just be bored."

"I'm bored here. Besides you're down there and that happens to be reason enough for me. I can take a cab down."

"No. I'll have Brian send someone for you, if you really want to come down here."

"I really want to. See you soon," Megan said ending the conversation before Tony decided to argue the point some more. There was no way she was sitting in the apartment by herself as keyed up as she was. Even if Tony was busy, there would be cops to talk to, and that was much more appealing than staying here. The fact that it was close to midnight was no big deal

"Hey Brian," Tony said walking over to the big man, "Megan wants to come down and give her statement tonight. Her car's in the shop. Is there anyone that can pick her up. Otherwise I'll go get her. It wouldn't take long."

"I'll find someone. There is no way you can leave now. Not with Dwayne singing like a bird. You've only been out of there 5 minutes and he's already asking for you."

Tony groaned, her eyes darkening, "You know what I'd like to do with him?"

"Somehow I don't think I want to know," Brian said. "Go ahead and get it over with. I'll find someone to pick up Megan."

"Thanks," she said walking toward the interrogation room

Megan put on a pair of jeans and a pullover top. A short time later the door bell chimed. Depressing the button on the speaker, she said, "Yes."

"I was sent to pick you up," came the distorted voice through the speaker.

"Ok." Megan depressed the button to disengage the lock on the downstairs door. When the knock sounded on the door, Megan looked through the peep hole and opened it, smiling at the familiar figure. "How'd you get elected?"

Mark smiled a lazy smile and said "I heard what happened on the scanner so I went over to the station waiting for them to arrive. Tony's been tied up in the interrogation room and a semi turned over on dead man's curve again. All the patrol units are tied up over there because it happened at the same time the Michael Bolton concert let out. So Brian asked me to come and get you," he related

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, I'm just glad I'm not stuck in that traffic. You ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Tony took another break. Her mood was very dark after spending another hour in the interrogation room. Dwayne had started describing the murders, but for some reason he refused to go into detail like he had on the rapes. He was toying with her and she could think of some very creative ways to make him talk. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that here.

Her thoughts quickly brightened at the thought of seeing Megan. She'd be here now. Even though she had tried to discourage her from coming down, there was no one Tony wanted to see more right now.

Tony walked through the squad room and then to the conference room. Not seeing Megan, she asked Brian, "Do you know where Megan's at?"

"She'll be here any minute. There's a big accident on 90 and they got tied up in all the concert traffic. Mark just called in and told me why it was taking so long."

"Mark, as in the reporter?" Seeing Brian shake his head affirmatively, she asked, "Why did you send him?"

"The patrol cars are all tied up on the accident and besides, he and Megan know each other."

"Oh, that's right." Tony turned and walked into the task force room. Trying to focus her attention away from Dwayne, she saw an envelope with the familiar FBI logo on the corner resting in her in-box. Walking over, she picked it up and opened it. Sitting down at the table, she began to read. She had requested this background check over a week ago, but had had to call in a few markers to get the military file. St. Louis wasn't real fond of releasing information, even if it was to other government agencies

Megan looked over at Mark and asked, "Why are we going this way? It'd be shorter to just cut through on W. 3rd."

"We should miss all the traffic this way. A lot of other people are probably using that cut through," Mark said steering the car down the hill leading in to the Flats

Megan was still puzzled at the route Mark had chosen. If they followed the Flats straight through they would exit right into downtown Cleveland. And if the concert had just let out, they would be right in the middle of all the traffic

"Anything new on the case? Did the newspaper article help? Do you think the killer got the message?" Mark asked amiably

"Nothing new that I know of. But you really did a good job on the newspaper article. If it doesn't send a message to the killer nothing will," Megan said

Exiting the west side of the Flats into downtown, they became embroiled in traffic. While they were sitting in the stand still traffic, Mark picked up the cellular phone mounted on the dash and called Brian. "Hi Brian, it's Mark. We're stuck in the traffic downtown, but we should be there shortly. I figure another 20 minutes or so."

Mark said, "Damn," when he missed a turn, unable to get into the right lane. Trying to maneuver through the traffic to the left lane so he could turn and go back, he ended up being forced to make a turn putting them on the road leading to the east side of the Flats

"Looks like we get to tour the other side now," Megan quipped, amused at his uncharacteristic slip of the mild curse. She had never heard him utter anything worse than darn.

Just then her cellular phone rang. Pulling it out of her purse, she answered, "Hello."

The words of the file burned themselves in to Tony's mind, and she was momentarily stunned. Panic reared its ugly head when the ramifications of what she had read settled to the forefront of her brain. Standing, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to focus, a familiar coldness came over her. A very capable FBI agent had entered the room. One of the best and most deadly FBI operatives left the room a short time later

Adrenaline racing through her, Tony walked around to the side of Brian's desk, placing her hands on his shirt and literally pulled the large man to his feet. "You bastard. If anything happens to her, I'll kill you."

Brian was shocked as he was lifted to his feet. No one was that strong. He hardly recognized Tony. He had watched her intimidate the hell out of the informants when she interrogated them, but that image paled in comparison to the woman standing before. Looking in to the dark hooded eyes glaring at him Brian had no doubt she meant exactly what she said

"Tony, calm down. What the hell's going on. I'm on your side," Brian said with a forced calmness he did not feel

Tony let go and in a voice so cold it was devoid of emotion, she said, "Mark is most probably the Shadow killer, and YOU sent him to pick Megan up. Get some men down in to the east side of the Flats now. Make sure they understand to use land line only. You make it damn clear no one plays hero. I don't want anyone approaching him," she growled. "While you're contacting them and waiting for the call backs, I'm going to try to reach Megan by cellular phone and warn her."

Tony was so relieved to hear Megan answer the phone, she had to sit down. "It's Tony. Just listen and don't say anything. I think Mark may be the Shadow killer. If you get any opportunity to get away from him take it. Now just act like I'm asking you when you'll get here."

Megan was surprised at Tony's words. Answering nonchalantly, she said, "We'll be there shortly. We got forced in to a wrong turn downtown and ended up in the east side of the Flats. So probably around 10 minutes or so," Megan said playing along with the charade.

< FACE="Arial, Helvetica">"Ok. We're on our way," Tony said

Putting the phone back in her purse, Megan thought about what Tony had said. She was having a hard time thinking of Mark as a killer. She had been out to dinner with him several times and he had been nothing but a perfect gentleman. Even tonight, although they were taking a round about way to get to the station, he had made no threatening overtures. But she knew Tony would not unnecessarily alarm her either. Maybe she could draw him out a little

She needn't have worried, Mark was ready to talk. "Who was that?"

"Tony. She was just wondering when we were going to get there."

Mark pulled into the one large parking lot of the Flats. Megan started becoming alarmed. She looked around and saw the Flats were still busy. "Mark, why are we stopping here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I knew once we got to the station, I wouldn't get the chance," he said smiling over at her. Mark watched Megan as he began talking. "You look a lot like my aunt did when she was younger. I lived with her after my parents died. She took me in out of a sense of responsibility. You know, family and all that. She didn't like me though. She blamed me for my parent's deaths. She was right too. But she couldn't prove it. After all, I was only 10 when they died."

Megan felt a chill at Mark's words and slipped her hand toward the door handle. Trying to keep Mark from noticing what she was doing, she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I just want you to understand why I'm going to kill you," he said, with the pleasant smile still firmly in place on his face

Megan forgot all about stealth, the cold reality that she was sitting next to the Shadow killer sinking into her mind, and she grabbed the door handle lifting it. The door did not open. Mark said, "Oh, you can't get out. The door has safety locks. Only I can control them. Now how about just sitting there quietly. It wouldn't do to have someone notice you struggling to get out of the car."

"Why are you doing this? What's it going to accomplish?" Megan asked deciding her only option at this point was to keep him talking. Help would be arriving soon. If she could just keep him occupied until then. "I thought we were friends."

"So did I. I really thought you were different. But I was wrong."

"Mark, what are you talking about? I've haven't done anything to you."

"Oh but you did. Remember when I asked you if you agreed with the statement your FBI friend issued. That kind of put everything into perspective for me," Mark paused, and chuckled. Continuing, he said, "You almost fooled me. Gotta give you a lot of credit for that."

If Megan had any doubt she was dealing with a cold blooded sociopath, the eerie chuckling completely dispelled the notion.

Tony hung up the phone and moved quickly through the squad room dodging desks. "Brian... come on," she said, passing his desk en route to the front doors of the station

Brain had finished notifying the patrol officers and task force members and forward momentum was moving his large frame the instant he cleared the chair. Running after Tony he gained the street seconds after she did and yelled over at her, "My car. I've got a light." The car was moving before either door was closed and Brian slapped the light on top of the car, and then turned to Tony, "Fill me in."

"We should've had all this before but because he was in the army, and you know how St. Louis is about letting loose of those records, everything was being held pending the arrival of the army file. First off, his parents mysteriously died a house fire in which the firemen found Mark standing outside the house watching it burn. It was determined the fire was caused by arson, but the case was never solved. No one ever understood how he got out. He was only 10 years old. From there he went to live with an aunt. She died mysteriously when he was 17. The brake line on her car had been cut. Shortly thereafter, he joined the army. He was an Operating Room Technician. At each of his three assignments, there were some mysterious deaths. Patients that had routine surgeries like appendectomies died of unknown causes. Each time he left for a new assignment, there were no more deaths. He was being investigated by CID when he got out in 1996. They never had anything on him except suspicions. So after his discharge they coded his file to preclude him ever from re-enlisting. Since it was coded it took longer to get the file and find out why he was barred from re-enlistment."

"That doesn't really prove anything," Brian said, weighing the evidence she provided

"No it doesn't. But since death seems to follow him around are you willing to gamble with Megan's life?" Tony ominously growled at him before adding, "because I'm not. Will you step on it. I'd like to get there before daylight."

"Take it easy, all right. What good it's going to do us if we get in an accident on the way there," Brian said, trying to calm the agent sitting next to him

"Everyone is supposed to meet at the entrance to the Flats. We'll rendezvous with them there. If you don't have any better ideas, the best bet seems to be putting everyone on foot covering a different sector."

"Fine," Tony said forcing herself to stay focused and not think about the possible outcomes of the night

Tony was becoming frantic. They had been looking for 15 minutes and no one had seen them. The Flats just weren't that big. All the radios had been switched to an alternate channel that couldn't be picked up by anyone that was listening to the police bands. Tony began loping easily through the Flats. Too much time had passed. She had to find her

The only sound was that of soft soled shoes hitting the pavement. Turning down the first alley, her long stride quickly ate up the distance to the pier. She turned left along the pier heading for the next alley that would take her back up to the streets of the Flats. Relentlessly, she covered the ground, the only thoughts in her head, no, not again. I've got to find her. Not again. I won't let it happen. Not again. Not again. Not again. The words echoing a cadence to the sound of her shoes hitting the pavement. Not finding them in the second alley, Tony ran along the street, dodging people, increasing her speed en route to the next alley. Coming up on it fast, making the right turn and running toward the sound of the river, she momentarily paused. No one, nothing, empty. Where is she? There was only one more alley.

Mark looked out the window of the car and said, "Looks like we might have company. Better get moving. Oh and Megan, don't try anything stupid." Megan found herself looking down the barrel of a gun pointed directly at her

"Now, this is what we're going to do. You scoot over to my side of the car when I get out. Then you get out. If you try to attract attention in any way, you'll just die sooner. I don't really care whether I kill you here or at the pier," Mark said, still smiling pleasantly

Megan felt panic begin to set in. He was a monster. Even if Tony arrived in time, what could she do. Mark had a gun. She took a deep breath trying to calm her frayed nerves. She knew if she lost it, she wouldn't have a chance. The only thing she could do was play along and wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Making her way across the seat, she stood next to Mark outside of the car door. He draped an arm across her and kept the gun pressed against her side under the cover of his jacket. They made their way through the Flats staying in the most crowded areas, looking just like every other couple strolling along

"Why don't you just let me go? This place is crawling with cops. Everyone knows I'm with you. You could get away then," Megan asked very reasonably

Mark looked at her and said, "You just don't give me any credit do ya? Don't you think I planned this. This is the ultimate thrill Megan. I get to kill you right in front of their noses and I still get away. I'm not into suicide. Everything's been in place for days. I just got lucky tonight when Brian asked me to pick you up."

"You'll never get away with it. No plan is good enough to get around all these cops," Megan said trying to make him angry enough to reveal what he had in mind. If she could just find out she might have a chance

"I know what you're trying to do. But it really doesn't matter, so I guess I'll tell you. We are going down the last alley. You see the cops started searching there first and are now making their way up the street. Once we get down there, you and I are going to take a walk along the pier. That's where it ends for you. I just slip into the water. I already have my papers for my new identity and a disguise hidden in plastic under the pier across the river." Mark looked very pleased with himself as he related his plan to Megan. Mark had timed it perfectly and they were now on the pier. Still keeping the gun aimed at her, he pulled a small bottle from his pocket

Megan shuddered, knowing all too well what the contents held. If he got close enough to the river maybe she could knock him in. She thought about some of the self defense moves she had been taught and wondered if she could pull it off without getting shot in the process. He just wasn't close enough

Tony began running down the last alley. Nearing the end, she heard someone talking. Slowing, she merged with the shadows along the walls. Stealthily inching her way forward, until she could see who was talking she froze at the sight. Mark was standing on the pier holding a gun on Megan and a small dispenser in his other hand moving it toward her, saying, "Goodbye Megan."

In a smoothly practiced move Tony drew her gun. She scuffed her shoe against the ground, hoping to draw Mark's attention, knowing she would have only one chance to take him out. His gun momentarily moved off of Megan and toward the sound. He looked at Tony while simultaneously depressing the aerosol contents. When the gun moved away from Megan, Tony fired. Simultaneously, Mark and Megan dropped to the ground.

Tony was at Megan's side before she hit the ground. Cradling Megan in her arms, she broke all radio discipline yelling into the radio, "Call an ambulance now!"

Tony's mind fought to remember everything Megan had told her about the drug. Think. It paralyzes the muscles. The victim can't breathe. I need to breath for her. Tony began mouth to mouth resuscitation her mind continuing to feed her instructions. The victim can hear and feel and see everything, but their muscles won't respond. Tony looked into Megan's eyes and saw the panic reflected back at her. In between measured breaths, she told her, "just hang on. Help's coming," breath. The drug's effects wear off quickly, just keep breathing for her. As Tony continued the rhythmic breathing, Megan's eyes began to get glassy. She's not getting enough air. Tony increased the frequency of the breaths, unable to talk, but her mind carried on its own conversation. Hang in there, please. Just a little longer. Don't give up. I love you. Don't leave me. Tony was unaware of her free falling tears as she pushed herself to dizziness trying to get air into Megan's lungs. Not again, please God, not again. Come on Megan, stay with me. Help's on the way. Tony didn't know how much time had passed, but becoming lightheaded with effort, she knew she couldn't keep going much longer. She ignored the cops when they arrived, her mind totally focused on keeping her lover alive

Megan felt her panic rise when the effects of the drug took hold and she found herself unable to breath. Then Tony was there. Megan was never so glad to see anyone in her life. She felt the air her partner was forcing into her lungs and her panic began subsiding. Tony wouldn't let her die. But even though air was being forced into her lungs, her oxygen deprived body needed more. She began to feel lightheaded, and as blackness approached, she thought, I'm going to die. I love you, Tony. It's not your fault, you did your best. Don't blame yourself. Before the darkness totally engulfed her she began to feel less lightheaded. Her eyes cleared and she watched Tony work harder forcing more air into her lungs. Her face became wet from the tears falling from Tony's eyes as she worked feverishly to save her

Frantically keeping up her resuscitation efforts, Tony felt a small air rush escape Megan's mouth. This was not the passive outflow of the air she had breathed into her partner's lungs. Not totally sure it wasn't her imagination, she forced more air into Megan, her adrenaline kicking in, as her stamina was giving out. More air rushed out this time. Stopping and placing her hand on Megan's chest, she felt the muscles contracting and rhythmic breathing begin. She's breathing... oh God... thank you. The last effects of the drug wore off, and Megan's breathing settled into normal respirations, her muscles responding to her brain's commands. Tony sat down on the ground next to Megan and lifted her head and shoulders into her lap. Waiting for Megan to regain command of all her muscles, she was too overcome with emotion from the close call to say anything

Tony followed the orderly taking Megan to her room, the ambulance ride and chaotic events in the emergency room playing through her mind. They were keeping Megan overnight for observation

Pulling a chair next to Megan's bed, Tony sat down and reached for her hand. Megan looked at Tony's red rimmed eyes, squeezed her hand and said, "Hey, it's ok. I'm fine... really."

"I thought... I thought I was going to lose you." Tony said struggling for control. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I was so afraid... I love you so much."

Looking into Tony's eyes, Megan said, "I know you do and I love you too." Pausing, she continued, "I was scared too. I didn't want to leave you... leave what we have." Smiling, she said, "You were pretty amazing. You know you saved my life, don't you?" Trying to lighten the atmosphere, she continued, "does that mean we're even?"

A small smile appeared on Tony's face. "I'm just glad you're ok. I never want to go through that again."

"Mark's dead, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Brian told me when I was in the waiting room. I didn't have any choice."

"Tony... believe me, I'm not criticizing you. If you hadn't been there..." Megan shuddered. Tony sat on the bed and drew Megan into a hug. "I'm just glad you're ok."

Tony and Megan took the next few days off, just enjoying each other's company. It was a well-deserved rest for both of them.

"I talked to Brian earlier. Dwayne's been indicted for one murder and for all five rapes on the west side. Some of the victims agreed to testify against him, so he's looking at the death penalty."

Megan looked over at Tony and smiled. "You know since I've met you there hasn't been a dull moment." Tony put her arm around Megan, pulling her closer

Looking thoughtful, Megan said, "This case would make a really good book. Just think... a drug that's close to impossible to detect, an organized sociopath..."

"So, why don't you write it?"

"I'm not a writer, I'm a doctor," Megan said

"You said you once wanted to write. Why can't you do both? There are a lot of authors that are doctors."

"Yeah, I know."

Tony looked at Megan. "What changed your mind about not writing? Did you just lose interest?"

"It's kind of a long story."

Tony said, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's ok." She was a little hurt though

Megan glanced at Tony and saw the fleeting expression of hurt, before laying her head against her shoulder. It was time to share. "I did want to be a writer once. As a child, I loved stories. I don't remember ever learning how to read. It just seems like I always could. Dad didn't like me reading all the time. He'd take the books. It was a real challenge to keep some of them hidden. Back then, I knew I was going to be a writer. My goal in life was to write fiction." Megan paused to gather her thoughts. "Are you sure you want to hear this? It's really kind of boring."

Tony kissed her on top of the head. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"When I was in junior high, my English teacher put a sentence on the board. I don't even remember what it was anymore. She told us to make up a story using the sentence that was one page long. Well for some reason something clicked when I saw that sentence and I wrote a science fiction story. You know how sometimes you can just tell something you did is really good? Well that's the way I felt about that story. I got an A. The teacher wrote 'excellent' on it. I was so proud of myself. I couldn't wait to get home and show it to Mom and Dad."

Megan's mind flashed back remembering that day. She was drawn out of her private reverie when Tony asked, "So... what did they say?" Megan sighed, taking comfort in the closeness of her partner. When she didn't answer, Tony said, "If you don't want to talk about, it's ok."

"No... it's not that. I just haven't thought about it for a long time. For some reason this case just made me think about writing and how it would make such an interesting story. I never thought I'd feel that way again."

"I take it they didn't like your story," Tony surmised

Smiling ruefully, Megan said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I got home and Mom wasn't around. I found Dad in the living room. He didn't believe I wrote the story. No matter what I said I couldn't convince him it was my work."

"Why didn't he believe you?" Tony asked, puzzled.

"He more or less said I wasn't capable of writing something of that quality. He could be a little abusive, so he convinced me to give up the idea of writing. It worked. I never wanted to write after that. Kind of lost that creative streak."

Tony waited for Megan to look at her. When the hazel eyes met hers, she said, "Megan, you never lost your creativity. That's something you can't lose. You can ignore it, or bury it, but it's still there."

Megan smiled, intertwined her hand with Tony's and said, "You're so sweet. I know you're just trying to make me feel better. But I've never even had an idea for another story again. It's like that part of my brain doesn't work anymore."

"It works just fine. It shows in everything you do. Take work for instance. Who else would've thought of some of the things you've done to find evidence... especially this last case? That takes creativity. It's still there, Love."

Looking into the concerned blue eyes, Megan was glad she'd told Tony. Maybe she was right

"Ya think?"

Tony looked at her partner, and said with total conviction, "I know."

*  *  *

Tony walked up behind Megan and put her arms around her, resting her chin on her head. "So that's what you think I should do, huh."

Megan thought back over their conversation. Tony had explained to Megan that she had some unfinished business with the FBI

Graduating at the top of her class at the FBI academy gave her the option of first choice of the assignments available. She chose covert work infiltrating groups considered a threat to the government. And she brought down many of them. Tony treated each assignment as though the group was the one that had killed her brothers. For years the only thought on her mind was revenge. During those years, many people died, and many died at her hand. Orders. She always followed orders. Until one day almost 7 months ago when she found out that the orders weren't always good ones, and she realized revenge had blinded her to that knowledge. If she continued, she was no better than the men who had killed her brothers. She wanted out.

It was clear to her, Tony had somehow found the way back from the mindless revenge she had acted on for so many years

"Yep. You said you trusted Huey. Talk to him and let him find out who is putting out the termination orders. You spent enough time working covert. Let them handle their own problems."

"Ok. We could do some sightseeing while we're there. There's a lot to see. It'll be fun."

"I want to see the Smithsonian museums. They sound really interesting. I heard you can get tours through the White House too. That would be fun."

"Yeah, ya can. When do you want to fly up there?" Tony asked, as she began kissing Megan's neck

"Umn... well..."

Tony raised her head and said, "You know Megan, I was thinking about what we were talking about the other day... about you being creative."

"And...?"

Her arms loosely around Megan's waist, she purred, "I can think of some other ways you're very creative."

Megan chuckled, and said, "Oh you can, huh?"

"Yep. So when should we leave?"

Megan turned around drawing Tony's head down into a soft, lingering kiss. Breaking contact momentarily, she said, "How about later."

THE END