I couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of the situation as I spruced myself up for my dinner date. Steve and I have often been out together but mainly as friends. Nothing formal. But tonight was different. I strove to sear into mind that Steve was David Loomis, a co-worker, and therefore imperative for me to tread carefully on this unknown territory.

The man knocked on my door at promptly seven o’clock. I inhaled deeply to suppress the tension mounting within and with a strained smile I walked over to the door to answer it. “David! Come on in. I just need to grab my purse.”

“Take your time.” The dashing suitor dressed in formal attire stood by the door with hands in pockets. “Are you planning to live in the hotel indefinitely?” he asked teasingly as he glanced around the room.

“No. I’m moving in to a new apartment this weekend. Just a few blocks down the street.”

“If you need any help moving, I’m free this weekend,” he offered in passing, hoping I would catch the hint of insistence in his voice.

“I don’t have anything to move. It’s all furnished. My mom will ship my last personal belongings from the states.”

“Ah!” he answered with an obvious disappointment that elicited an amused grin out of me. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, all…” my breath caught in my throat at the sight of his left hand reaching out to me.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” I croaked, hawking to clear my throat of the forming lump. The crooked little finger in his left hand was irrefutable evidence that the man standing before me was Steve Austin.

The drive to the restaurant may have been short but it felt like an eternity as David casually broached the subject of my employment at the organization. I accessed my mental files on the OSI briefing to avoid a costly blunder.

The Maitre D’ escorted us to the best table in the house, a secluded booth with subdued lighting that I learned David had personally requested. Never before had I felt threatened while in Steve’s company but tonight was different. Was I afraid of having to snub his anticipated advances or was I wary of mistrust? Either way I was treading on thin ice and had to watch my demeanour.

After ordering drinks David appeared somewhat insistent to continue our earlier conversation regarding my employment. From field experience I gathered he was fishing for information, a breach in our otherwise perfect plot that he could use against me.

“I’m a computer scientist, though I am not a freak. You won’t see me in front of a computer screen twenty-four hours a day. I applied for this particular job mostly on account of its location. I used to visit an aunt who lived in Bruxel. I learned how to speak French by visiting her during summers. When my friend Paul told me about an opening, I jump at it.”

“Well I can tell our boss in very impressed with your work already. You have been with us less than a week and already you’ve done the work of three people.”

“So he is satisfied with my work?” I ventured to ask with an edge of apprehension.

“You’ve conquered him and let me say that is a huge task to accomplish. He is highly demanding.”

The drinks arrived and we both took sips before continuing the conversation. This time I veered the topic around to his employment. “How did you get a job there?”

David let out an amused sigh and cracked a faint smile. “It was a matter of being at the right time at the right place.” That thought brought a faraway look about his eyes that prompted me to delve deeper.

“How so?”

“I came to the company through the back door so to speak. I had a terrible accident a while back and…”

“And what?”

“And I don’t remember much of what happened afterwards. It’s all fuzzy. Bits of memories are strewn here and there and they don’t make much sense. Dansereaux took me into his home after I was…” Steve abruptly cut in mid sentence once realizing he was blurting out confidential information.

“After you were…?”

“Nothing.” He nervously quaffed his drink and hailed the waiter over to order a second. He was visibly shaken by the raw memory my probing brought to the surface.

“Are you okay?”

“Sure.” He drew in a cleansing breath and strained a reassuring smile that failed to convince me.

“I’m sorry I seem to have opened old wounds.”

“No it’s okay. It’s just that I’m missing a greater part of my life and sometimes it gets to me,” he confessed while nervously wringing his hands together.

“I understand.”

“I have recurring dreams where I see myself sitting behind the controls of a plane and the next minute I plunge to my death,” he reminisced with a gloomy expression that swiftly turned to terror. “It’s horrific. I jolt out of sleep drenched in sweat in a complete panic. I dare not shut my eyes after that.”

“Where did this happen? I mean…in your dreams, that is,” I quickly corrected to avoid arousing suspicion about my direct line of questioning.

“I don’t rightly know. Dansereaux said it happened in an airfield in Siberia where he had sent me to meet with one of our network programmers, but…but it’s so blurry. I can only take his word for it.”

“So you’ve been at the company for many years.”

“So he tells me.” He paused briefly to dust away the painful memories before perking himself up.

The rest of the evening was spent chatting about trivialities designed to preclude any hint about our respective agendas. Late in the evening, David drove me back to my hotel and escorted me right up to my door. My heart was pounding in trepidation of inviting him for a nightcap, afraid of welcoming the devil to wreak havoc in this delicate situation.

My mind was raging war against my bleeding heart goading me to give free reins to my emotions. I needed to explore his soul where all the memories of yesteryears were stored; to unlock that door to purposely allow them to regain possession of a mind that had been so skilfully corrupted. But again, would I be opening the lid on Pandora’s box?

After much hesitation I unwillingly yielded to his twinkling blues beckoning me to let him in. I knew I was skating on thin ice and that one false step, this stranger would thrust me in the icy water to watch me drown.

“Would you care for something to drink?”

“I would like a scotch if you have some? With some ice.”

“Coming right up. Please,” I motioned to the couch, “make yourself comfortable.”

“Thanks.” He removed his jacket and draped it against the back of an armchair before taking a seat.

While I was fixing the drink I could sense him watching my every move, sending a chill down my spine as to what thoughts crossed his mind. Was he admiring my womanly figure or cudgelling his brains as to my true identity. I shuddered at either notion, both of which were sure to put me in a tight spot.

As I walked back to the couch, the tip of my shoe caught in the rug, causing me to lose my balance. Steve bolted to his feet to catch me before I fell to the floor.

“You okay,” he asked with a genuine concern, brushing the drops of liquid off my shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I placed my hand on top of his to prevent it from going further south. “I’m okay, really.” I kindly peeled his fingers off my blouse and bent down to pick up the shards of glass scattered on the floor.

“Please, let me do it,” he insisted, laying both hands on top of mine.

I risked a glance up at him, which proved to be fatal mistake. As our gazes met I found myself drowning in those mesmerizing pools. I opened my mouth to speak, but no word would come out. I wanted to scream out his name, urge his mind to swim back to me but my better judgement ward off any temptation to yank him back to shore. I needed to wait out the tide before bringing the ship to the dock.

His hand brushed ever so lightly against my cheek and travelled down to trace the line of my jaw. We rose in unison, his gaze still fastened on mine, rendering me weak in the knees. What was happening to me? Why was I suddenly experiencing these strong feelings for him? My heart leapt out of my chest as his lips slightly brushed against mine.

I stood transfixed, numbed with a bizarre sensation that was both heavenly and frightful at the same time. I tried opening my eyes to escape this powerful force but with no success. Only when David tried to deepen the kiss that I gasped and quickly pulled back. Putting a hand on my mouth, I turned to the window away from his enquiring stare.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, not knowing what to make of my reaction to his kiss.

“It’s nothing,” I choked out.

He edged up to me from behind and gently placed his hands on my shoulders. The mere touch sent the shivers down my spine. “Something is wrong. What is it?”

I slowly turned around to face him, my eyes still downcast as I paused to recover my composure. “It’s not you Ste…I mean David. It’s just happening so fast.”

“I know,” he said apologetically, lovingly cupping my chin in his hand to will my eyes to his. “It’s just that I’m so attracted to you and from the first moment I laid eyes on you.” Seeing how I was responding favourably to his confession, he leaned in for another kiss.

“No, I can’t,” I pulled away once more. “Please Steve. We can’t do this.”

“What did you call me?”

My eyes widened in alarm at the costly blunder I had just committed. “I mean David.” I sensed him stepping up to me from behind, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to stare him in the eyes. “You called me Steve. Why?”

“He was a dear friend of mine.”

“Was?”

“He was killed in a plane crash a few months ago or so we think. We have yet to find his body.” I gazed into his mesmerizing blues, searching the mirror of his soul for a hint that the name might have sparked a memory. “He looked just like you.”

“So that’s why you pulled away. Afraid of betraying his trust? And here I was thinking it was my kissing technique,” he jested to lighten the mood.

I chuckled at his joke. “Something like that. Though he and I were just good friends. Nothing more.”

“Steve? Something about that name that is familiar,” he said with wrinkled brows deep in concentration. My heart pounded out of my chest in anticipation of his recalling his real name. He shook his head and shrugged. “Nothing registers. Could be someone I crossed path with before.”

“Yeah. Maybe,” I quavered nervously.

“Well, I best be going now.” He walked up to the door, stopped and turned to me once more. He leaned in to give me a friendly kiss on the cheek. “I promise I won’t do anything you’re not ready for.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Good night. See you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight,” I breathed out, still reeling from the initial shock. Once I closed the door behind him I leaned against the frame and heaved out a sigh of relief. I was in complete turmoil inside. ‘Get a hold to yourself, girl!’ I scolded, drawing one deep breath after another.

That night sleep eluded David. He tossed and turned in bed, vainly trying to find a comfortable position that would soothe his growing anguish. After drinking a tall glass of warm milk, the sandman finally claimed him. Though seemingly restful, his sleep was soon hag-ridden by powerful visions of a none so distant past.

When his plane crashed, he sprung up in bed, panting and soaked to the skin. He ran his hand through his face to wipe the sweat and heaved himself out of bed to go splash cold water on his drawn features. He stared at his reflexion in the mirror, frowning at what he felt was a stranger gaping back at him.

‘I know that girl from somewhere,’ he surmised to himself. He closed his eyes in utter despair, inhaling deeply to quell the rising dread of the unknown threatening to swallow him whole. He thought it peculiar that her presence should provide him with a stronger sense of security than of his boss or associates. He fought the yearning to entrust her with the organization’s covert operations in the field of cybernetics in which he played a major part. No matter how hard he tried he could not rid himself of the haunting images of the long-haired brunette; her mesmeric brown eyes and the sweet lasting taste of her lips still lingering on his and consequently he feared of letting his emotions dictate his conscience. Why was she so appealing to him?

A few hours later, after succeeding in catching a few restful Zs, David drove to the compound. Halfway through he slammed on the brakes and screeched to a halt. ‘Cassie’, he whispered in bewilderment. Albeit blurry, the memory of a seemingly friend slowly surfaced. He struggled to hang on to this fleeting moment in time but the vision vanished as quickly at it came. Try as he did his bemused mind would not allow him to delve deeper into his mental files to retrieve the one on the woman he suspected was here for a specific purpose.

He arrived at the compound in a state of mental disarray. He had made a note to call a private discussion with this new employee with designs on wringing the truth out of her, before deciding whether to inform Dansereaux of a possible mole within the organization.

“I need to talk to you,” David ordered unceremoniously, grabbing my arm to lift me off my chair. “Let’s go in my office, shall we?”

“What has got into you?” I snapped, flinging my arm to wrench myself free of his powerful grip.

“Don’t make a scene,” he warned with scathing eyes.

“ME?” I followed him willingly into his office where he closed the door behind him. “Is it because of last night?”

“In a way, yes.” He marched up to me with a threatening stance, stopping inches from my face to burn a hole into my eyes. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

“You already know who I am, don’t you?” I retorted with the same vehemence.

“I have a hunch I know you from somewhere but I just can’t place you.” He gave me a scrutinizing once-over with a dubious frown. “Are you a spy?”

“What do you think?”

“Answer my question,” he barked with a marked annoyance.

“No, I’m no a spy,” I retorted. “I heard about this job and applied for it. Nothing else,” I lied, hopefully convincingly.

“You’re lying!” he spat.

“Then you tell me who I am.” I spurt back. I paused to search his eyes before I edged up to him and gazed tenderly into his blazing baby blues. “Look at me. Don’t be afraid to remember, Blue Eyes.”

The pet name sent Steve’s mind reeling with puzzling thoughts. He closed his eyes and turned away from me as a flood of memories came gushing forth. “I had a dream last night,” he began softly. “A plane crash. Don’t know where I was or when it occurred but as I plummeted to the ground. I woke up drenched in sweat.” He turned to me with a bemused expression. “I saw you. Then on the ride over here this morning I recalled a name: Cassie.”

I gasped in a breath as my heart leapt to my throat in both fear and shock. “Oh my God,” I quavered. I inched up to him and risked a gentle hand on his arm. “You’re starting to remember, Steve.”

“Steve?”

“That’s your name. You’d been kidnapped and thought dead for months. Then by some divine intervention I ended up here. I assume I was sent to find you. Steve, these people brainwashed you and are using you. Their purpose obviously has something to do with their illegal experiments in the field of cybernetics.”

Steve’s head shot up in shock. “How d’you know about that? What do you mean illegal?”

“Guess Dansereaux doesn’t confide in you.” The wrinkles on Steve’s brow deepened as he strove to decipher the meaning behind my claim. “Sit down,” I invited.

Though reluctant at first, Steve gradually let down his guard and scooted a chair over to sit across from me.

“And please, I ask you not to interrupt before the end. You want to know everything?” Steve nodded and adopted a daunting poise, leaning against the back of his chair with his arms tightly crossed against his chest.

No sooner had I begun relating the tale of our ordeal back in the States that a knock on the door interrupted me. Steve sidled up to the door while keeping a wary eye on me.

“David, when you get a minute I’d like to talk to you in my office.” Dansereaux asked, stealing a peak inside the office where I was sitting quietly with my head hanging low.

“I’ll be right there.” Steve answered.

“Anything wrong?” Dansereaux queried, motioning to the guest.

“Sort of,” he glanced at me to gauge my reaction, which, contrary to what he expected, was one of impassiveness, though my heart was pounding heart against my chest in fear of Steve selling me to the enemy. “Jeanne came to me with a little problem…a computer problem.” I closed my eyes and heaved an inward sigh of relief. “It’s nothing I can fix.”

“That’s good. We’re on a tight schedule here. Can’t afford to shut down.”

I could sense Dansereaux’s edginess. Was he suspicious of me? Could he have read the truth behind Steve’s lying eyes? The pressure was on. There was no turning back. Paul and I had gone too far and we’re in too deep to simply abandon ship. We needed to follow it through, particularly for Steve’s sake. If push came to shove and we were impelled to jump overboard, Blue Eyes would follow, hopefully willingly.

“I’ll be right there, Mister Dansereaux,” Steve said with an smudgen of annoyance that the boss didn’t appreciate. Closing the door as the man barely set foot outside, Steve moved to stand by me.

“Thanks,” I said obligingly.

“I let you off the hook this time only because you have yet to tell me the entire story. I’ll find us a safe place to discuss this further. In the meantime you go back to work while I meet with Dansereaux.”

“You won’t tell him?”

“Tell him what? I need facts, not hearsay.” He opened the door and motioned me out. “Go on, get back to work.”

“What about my computer problem?”

“No doubt you can figure it out by yourself?” he hinted with a smirk. “If Dansereaux should ask, you fixed it.”

“Alright.” I walked to the door and turned to gaze into his bemused eyes. “Thanks Blue Eyes.” He rapidly closed the door behind me, the pet name sending shivers down his spine. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before making his way down to his boss’s office. “What’s up Mister Dansereaux?”

“Close the door, will you David?”

Steve’s brow creased with suspicion at his boss’s obvious restlessness. “Something wrong?”

“My suspicions were founded: Paul Hannigan was a Federal agent. We caught him trying to crack the main frame’s security code.”

“Why would the American government send spies to infiltrate our organization?” Steve wondered, his befuddled mind wary of the situation.

“They’re after the ‘Cyborg’ project,” Dansereaux fibbed convincingly.

“And it is our original concept, right?” Steve asked with misgiving. Unbeknownst to him our conversation had unbolted a locked drawer in his mental files and he was barely starting to rummage through it.

“Of course,” Dansereaux replied indignantly, eyeing Steve dubiously. “That’s why they are trying their best to break into our confidential files on the subject. Thanks to it you are alive today.”

“I wonder…” Steve mumbled to himself, unsure of what was true or not anymore.

“What’s that?”

“Euh…nothing. So where is Paul now?”

“Dead.”

“You killed him?”

“We had no choice in the matter. He knew too much. Before we disposed of him we administered sodium pentothal. He spilled the beans, specially about his lovely partner.” Dansereaux sneered, motioning to Cassie through the glass window. “I need you to make it look like an accident.”

“You want me to kill her?” Steve asked in utter bewilderment.

“The sooner the better. Soon she’s going to suspect her partner’s dead and will report to her superiors.”

“Do you know her name?”

“Yeah. Cassandra Miller. I checked her credentials. She’s with the Office of Scientific Intelligence in Washington. She’s one of their best agents.” Dansereaux noticed the disturbing vacuous look in his associate’s eyes. “David, you’re still with me?”

“Cassie,” Steve whispered to himself, not acknowledging his boss’s question. The name needled his mind to delve deeper into his memory bank.

“Hey David, can I count on you to do the job right?” Dansereaux spoke firmly to jolt Steve out of his reverie.

“Killing her will only bring the mob on us.”

“I expect they will anyway when Hannigan fails to report. That’s why we need to move to higher grounds.”

“Why are we running? They’re the ones who want to steal our project. Once they realize we’re on to them they’ll back off.”

“It’s not that simple, David.” Dansereaux’s impatience was beginning to ruffle Steve’s feathers. The ‘Cyborg’ project to which he was told was the prototype was a revolutionary breakthrough in medical science and the Danser’s organization apparently held the entitlement on its development.

“Would you care to elaborate?”

“Let’s just say if you value your life you’ll do as I say and get rid of that agent.” An ominous pause ensued as Steve considered his boss’s order. “David?”

“I’ll do it,” Steve sighed resignedly.

“When?” Dansereaux goaded.

“Tonight. I’ll ask her to dinner and we’ll take a drive somewhere desolate.”

“Good! Make sure she doesn’t survive that accident.” On that caustic tone, Dansereaux walked to the door and beckoned his associate out. “As soon as it’s done, contact me and I’ll give you the coordinates of our other location.”

Steve nodded and left the office.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught Steve ambling towards me with shoulders sagging and his head hung low. I kept my poise in spite of my inner alarm urging to run for the hills.

“Something wrong?” I ventured to ask as he neared my workstation.

“Why do you ask?”

I shrugged. “You look like you’ve lost your best friend.” Unbeknownst to me my observation had hit the very core of the matter. I could discern a slight nervous twitch on Steve’s face, one he tried hard to mask.

“It’s nothing. Office matters. Say I was wondering if I could interest you in gourmet dinner tonight?”

“I’d like that,” I replied with an edge of reticence that thankfully went unnoticed.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Okay. I’ll be ready. Say have you seen Paul today?”

“He must be around here somewhere,” Steve fibbed rather convincingly as he feigned scanning the room. “Why? Do you want to ask him something?”

“No, I was just wondering. He’s kind of my moral support around here. I still feel like a fish out of water.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you and Paul an item?”

“No, we’re just good friends. I owe him big time. If it wasn’t for his influential input with your boss I might never have been chosen for this job.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Steve mumbled under his breath.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing. I’ll see you tonight then.”

“Sure.” With a worried frown on my face I watched Steve walk to his office. His odd behaviour was warning me to stand on high alert for I suspected they had uncloaked both Paul’s and mine identities. I grew concerned of my partner’s absence. This I had to report to Oscar as a safe precaution in the event that I, myself, should mysteriously disappear.

An hour before my date were to pick me up I contacted the boss in Washington to fill him in of the strange occurrences at the office.

“Cassandra, I want you out of there. You are not to report to work tomorrow morning. I’m sending a car to pick you up and drive you to the airport.”

“Oscar, can this wait tomorrow? I sort of have a date with Steve tonight. He’s starting to remember. This could be my only chance to bring him around.”

“We suspect they killed Paul Hannigan and that you are next on their list.”

“Oscar I’m not fleeing the coop without Steve,” I retorted resolutely. “I know he won’t hurt me.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it. From what you’re telling me they had him brainwashed good. The FBI’s got enough information from you and Paul to charge in there and arrest Dansereaux for his illegal experiments. You did your job. We’ll bring in Steve along with Dansereaux and his henchmen. I promise I’ll leave your 34 in your capable hands,” he ended on a teasing tone.

“Give me tonight, Oscar. Then if I fail, I’ll go with your guys early tomorrow morning.”

“Alright,” Oscar conceded. “I’ll allot you another twelve hours but that’s it.”

“Thanks Oscar.”

After hanging up the phone, Oscar buzzed Callahan’s desk to ask to contact the FBI director.

It was a rather dull conversation during the drive into town, as Steve remained mostly silent and focused on the road ahead. I tried reading his eyes hoping to get a hint as to what he was thinking but to no avail.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked with a certain apprehension, seeing how we were in the middle of nowhere.

“OSI,” he blurted out, his hands gripping the wheel in frustration. “What do you know about an organization called the OSI?” He turned to me with a glare and threatened, “And don’t lie to me.”

“I work for them,” I gulped nervously, feeling the adrenalin coursing through my veins at the bluntness of Steve’s question.

“Then you are an agent.”

“You are too, Steve.” He winced at the sound of his name, shutting his eyes in pain. “Do you recall a man by the name of Oscar Goldman?”

Steve ran a hand across his face to wipe the beads of perspiration already pearling down his forehead. “I keep seeing a man of stature. He appears to be a friend but it’s all so confused.”

“Don’t fight it, Steve,” I encouraged; my hand clawing at his arm for emphasis. “Come back to me, Blue Eyes. I need you,” I quavered with tears of joy threatening to my eyes.

He sighed with despair as he leaned his forehead against the wheel. “I was asked to kill you.”

“Dansereaux found out,” I surmised. Strangely enough I felt relieved knowing the truth was out and most disturbing was my lack of concern about the current situation, which would have sent anyone dashing for safety. “Are you going to go through with it?”

He looked up and stared into nothingness before turning to me with a haggard expression. “What do you think?”

“I trust you, Steve. You won’t hurt me.”

“You’re right. I can’t,” he breathed out, his confession sounding more like moral cowardice than valour. “I’m so confused. I don’t know who to believe. But one thing I cannot do is kill for something as trivial as a project.” He turned to me with a puzzling stare. “Why is your government so intent on getting its hands on the Cyborg file?”

“Steve, it’s the other way around. The project is Dr. Rudy Wells’s brainchild. You were the first prototype.”

“Rudy Wells.” He focused on the name but drew a blank. He shook his head in despair. “That name doesn’t ring a bell.”

“It should. He’s been your dear friend and personal physician for years. He’s the one who saved your life after your accident.”

“I have recurring nightmares about a plane crash, but I always figured it happened here and that it was Dansereaux’s project that saved my life and allowed me to walk again.”

“He used you, Steve. He must have studied your bionic anatomy to perfect his own little project. He stole from us,” I emphasized with a squeeze on his arm. I then reached out my hand to cup his chin and tilted his head toward me to meet his remorseful eyes. “Come back with me, Blue Eyes. Please, I need you so much,” I beseeched with deep uncharacteristic emotions that up until now had been alien to my persona.

“I can’t. Not now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You want Dansereaux, don’t you? That’s why you’re here?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll give him to you,” Steve said resolutely, his baby blues turning into daggers. “Once my job is done here I’m supposed to meet him back at the complex where we’ll move to higher grounds as he said. I need to find out where that is so you people can grab him.”

“Why the sudden turn about?” I asked cautiously, though pleased by the results of our talk.

He gazed at me with deep apologetic eyes. “There’s something powerful about you. I can’t explain it but the feeling is strong. Even though my memory of you is still fuzzy I trust you implicitly.”

The confession sent a warm ray of hope coursing through my body. I broke into goose flesh as he leaned in to place a gentle kiss on my lips. “You’re a wonderful human being and my heart tells me I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

“No,” I kissed him back, “I am.”

“I’ll drop you off at a motel where you can hide while I gather the information I need from Dansereaux. You stay there until I come and get you.”

A sudden ill wind brushed against me, foretelling a tragedy. “Steve, maybe you shouldn’t,” I warned. “Let the OSI and FBI handle it. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Don’t worry. The man trusts me. I won’t let my anger show if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Be careful, Blue Eyes.”

“I love it when you call me that. I can’t wait to get reacquainted with you,” he winked as he turned on the ignition.

My anxiety grew as hours wore on. Tired of sitting, I stood and began pacing the confined space of my motel room while wringing my hands of all its blood. “Get a hold to yourself, Cassie. Come on! You’re a trained agent. You’re not allowed to fall apart at the seams,” I berated myself for allowing my emotions to dictate my conscience. I walked over to a mini-bar and took out a grape juice. “Too bad there isn’t some scotch. I could really use a strong one.”

For the umpteenth time I cast an eye out the window for any sign of Steve. I retraced my steps and grabbed the phone to call Oscar. He assured me that a squadron of agents was standing by, awaiting the signal to charge in as soon as I gave the word that Steve was in the clear.

“He should have been back by now,” I said worriedly, glancing out the window.

“We’ll give him another hour,” Oscar suggested, trying hard to convince himself that Steve needed more time to cleverly navigate his way around Dansereaux to avoid arousing suspicion.

“He’s here!” I shrieked upon seeing Steve’s car pull alongside the driveway. Dashed was my enthusiasm the moment I realized he wasn’t alone.

“Oscar he’s not alone. Got to go. Bye” I hung up on the boss and quickly weighed my options. “No! That can’t be.” My heart jumped down my throat at the sight of Dansereaux stepping out of the car. “He wouldn’t.” I scrambled for a place to hide as Steve and his boss walked up to the front door. I slid under the bed and held my breath as the two entered the room.

“Why are we meeting here David?” Dansereaux asked suspiciously.

“I thought under the circumstances it’d be safer here than back at my apartment where there might be unwanted ears and eyes prying.”

“Good thinking.”

I scrunched up my eyes and exhaled slowly to take another breath as both sat on the bed and discussed their next move. Dansereaux would hand information over to Steve that he would read out loud. A sly grin crept up my face at the deviousness of my Blue Eyes’s tactics. He was actually feeding me all the information we needed to catch that mongrel.

Once Dansereaux was out the door, Steve bend down and lifted the bed sheet “You can come out now.” He grasped my arm and pulled me out from under the bed.

“You sly devil. Do you know you almost gave me a heart attack?” I chastised good-naturedly.

“You have your information. You know where he’ll be hiding.”

“He? Not we?” I cocked my head to read his eyes. “Does that mean you’re going back with me?” I asked expectantly.

“Not exactly.” He stood from the bed and ambled up to the window, hands in pockets.

“What are you saying?” I edged up to him from behind with a baffled frown.

“I need more time to sort things through.” He turned to me with pleading eyes, his hand reaching up to my cheek to gently caress it. “Will you stay with me?”

“Here?”

“Well not in Bruxels for I expect that once Dansereaux’s network is dismantled I might be a walking target to his unknown associates. I was thinking of travelling to Monaco.”

“Steve, you remember?” I grinned from ear to ear; my beam lighting up the room at the name.

“Yeah. Our first foreign mission together. It might bring back some happy memories. What do you say?”

“I say yes. Let’s go!” He enlaced me in his arms, squeezing me with all of his might. “Welcome back, Blue Eyes. Welcome back,” I cried, unable to retain my tears of joy. “Before we make travel arrangements I have a phone call to make,” I said, alluding to my duty call to Oscar to relay all the valuable information that will enable his troops to prosecute Dansereaux and dismantle his entire network of corruption and racketeering.

Days later, Steve and I left the OSI and FBI to apprehend Dansereaux and fled to Monaco for a well-deserved vacation. There we renewed with our three-year-old friendship, recalling every moment spent together. It wasn’t long before Blue Eyes’s memory was back on track, but stilled failed in conjuring up any memory of his trip from Nantucket to Bruxel. How Dansereaux planned the plane crash to make everyone believe Steve had perished at sea was still a mystery. Though put on the grill, the head honcho himself refused to talk, clamouring a travesty of justice and maintaining his innocence.

Weeks later, Steve and I reluctantly flew back to the States to resume our normal routine. Following a complete medical assessment, Rudy gave Steve a clear bill of health and the green light to get back on the field. Little did we know that our next mission would tear our very souls and draw us apart.