It was shaping up to be a rough weekend. Colby had been looking forward to his date with Hannah. Three weeks after meeting her, after trying every day, she'd eventually agreed to have dinner with him. He was finally sitting in her living room. She'd invited him up to her apartment for coffee, and, he'd hoped, dessert. But now he was answering a call from David. Bad timing. He had just been moving in for a kiss.

He heaved a deep sigh and explained that he had to go, sure that he'd never see her again. She eyed him, almost sternly, then her face softened into a smile. She pulled him in for a deep kiss. "Just be careful," she whispered, her breath feathering erotically along his ear, "Give me a call when you can get together." Colby grinned and hugged her. Things weren't going to be too bad after all.

Colby pulled up to the crime scene in the black suburban. The local cops were already there, and so were the crime scene folks. He looked around for David. David was talking to a plainclothes man. Colby watched as David wrapped up the conversation and moved over to where he was standing. He saw David's serious demeanour break into a half smile, and waited for the zinger. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I? On a first date, and all that..." David all but snickered.

Colby chuckled softly, raspy and deep in his throat, "I don't kiss and tell, David. You know that."

David grinned in response to that, then became serious. "It's a bad one, Colby. The victim's been cut open and the heart is missing. The locals called us because it might be a serial across several states."

Colby groaned to himself. Don was a workaholic, there was to be no rest until this one was put away. "Let's get to it then," he said, "I'll run down what I can on the victim. You call Don and Megan yet, David?"

David nodded and replied, "Yeah, they're on their way"

--

Colby looked bleakly at the sparse information he'd got so far on the victim. He was still waiting on the case files from the other murders. He would have to cross check the files for any similarities and differences. Maybe Don would call in his brother Charlie to help with this one. Surely, there was some way Charlie could help. Colby liked Charlie. Charlie was an incredibly brilliant man, yet friendly and not at all patronizing.

As he sifted through the information on the case files he had already received, Colby thought regretfully of the woman he'd had to leave that night. He loved women. Sure, there'd been no shortage of dates since he'd moved to LA, but he had wanted more of a chance with Hannah that he'd had. He had enjoyed her company at dinner, he had been completely amused at how much of a baseball fan she had turned out to be. But a Cardinals baseball fan. They'd had a friendly argument over the merits of the Cardinals vs the Dodgers. He found himself looking forward to taking her to a baseball game the next time the Cardinals were in town. Not that he was a diehard Dodgers fan but how did someone who lived in LA become a Cardinals fan anyway? He would have to find out.

Colby looked over to David to see how he was doing with his part of the case. They had butted heads the first few cases they'd worked on, but they'd since settled into an easy partnership, and had an already close friendship. There was something about having to work through the nasty underside of life that brought people together.

David looked up and chuckled, "Thinking about your date?"

Colby laughed and ignored David, turning back to his own work. But he was. Thinking about Hannah. Thinking about the mysterious secrets and promises in her dark eyes, as he'd left her apartment. Thinking about her silky skin, luminous in the moonlight, remembering the fragrance of her. Thinking about the soft feel of her, about how well she'd fit against him, as he'd hugged her goodbye. Thinking about the taste of her, when she'd pulled him in for that kiss. Thinking that he'd better stop thinking about her or he'd need a cold shower. He sighed, and focused on the case.

--

Chapter 2

They'd been at it for almost twenty hours, with no relief in sight. Charlie had been called in, had been provided with what data they already had, and he was still asking for more. Don looked around the office, and realized that his people were nearing exhaustion. Most of them had been up for at least thirty hours. "Alright, let's call it a night. The other murders are still unsolved, we're not likely to solve ours immediately. We'll just get back to it bright and early tomorrow. 8 am, sharp, and I don't want to hear about it being Sunday!" Don told his team, his serious face relaxing into a half-smile. He knew there wouldn't be any complaints.

Colby looked at him, and knew Don would be there for a few more hours before he himself would head home, and he would be there before any of them got there the next day. He liked and respected Don, and was glad he'd been assigned to Don's team, workaholic or not.

Colby glanced at his watch and decided to find out if Hannah had already eaten. Maybe she'd have a quick dinner with him before he crashed for the night. "Hey, it's me," Colby said into his cell phone when Hannah answered. He heard a soft husky laugh and then, "Hey me. What's going on?"

Colby grinned. He figured he was grinning like an idiot, but he was too tired to care. "I'm heading back now but wondered if you wanted to grab a bite," he said.

She was quiet for a moment, "You've been there all night, I take it?" When he responded in the affirmative, she said, "Why don't you come on over. Dinner's almost ready." If he'd been less tired, he would have cheered.

Hannah's heart ached when she opened the door. Colby looked tired. And he was still in the clothes he wore to their date last night. He shrugged at her look of concern. "It doesn't happen very often." She smiled at that, but thought it probably happened more often than he was willing to admit. Because what he did mattered, and men like him didn't give in. "We're having lasagna." Colby perked up at that. He loved lasagna.

After dinner, he cleared the dishes away. She was amused, but let him. Men like that were hard to come by. "I'm going to head back to my apartment. I need to sleep," he was telling her as they finished loading the dishwasher.

"Take your shirt off."

Colby whipped around and looked at her in surprise.

She let out a soft huff of laughter. "Don't worry, I'm only going to give you a back rub." She had to laugh again, as relief and disappointment both crossed his expressive face.

"As long as you don't use any of that floral stuff of yours," he said, suspiciously. She dissolved into a fit of giggles at the look of disgust on his face.

She almost gasped aloud when he pulled his shirt off. She'd known he was muscular, when he'd hugged her to that hard chest, but she still wasn't prepared for the sight. He was seriously ripped, stomach flat and taut, biceps and deltoids flexing as the shirt came off, and oh, God, pecs to die for.

"Lie flat on your stomach on the couch," she instructed, amazed and grateful that her voice was steady.

He didn't seem to notice anything amiss, he was probably just too tired. She wasn't sure if she was glad or sorry that he was too worn out for anything but a back rub. He moaned a little, as her fingers kneaded the tired muscles in his back and shoulders. She worked slowly, kneading the knots away, across his shoulders and down his back, and then on to his arms. She knew he'd fallen asleep, as his breathing evened, and his body relaxed. And once again, her heart ached for him. She pulled a soft comforter over him and let him sleep.

--

Chapter 3

Colby jerked awake when the alarm went off. Eyes still closed, he slapped at where he thought it was, then realized it wasn't the alarm clock he was used to hearing every morning. He cracked open an eye, and sat up quickly. He was still at Hannah's and the damned alarm was still blaring away. He eventually found the off button, and silence finally reigned. The clock face read 6 am. Sighing, he got up off the couch and noticed a note around the vicinity of where the clock had been.

"You should have enough time to make it home before heading to the office," he read. "I packed a couple of bran muffins, an apple, and a pear in a brown bag for your breakfast. It's in the fridge. Here's a key, lock the dead bolt behind you when you leave. Call me later if you're allowed to have dinner. But wake me and you die. Federal officer or not. Hugs, Hannah." He laughed. There was a big smiley face drawn on the note.

Despite the dire warning to his continued well-being, Colby headed towards Hannah's bedroom. And smiled at the sight of her, still asleep, despite the obnoxious alarm that had woken him. She was burrowed into about five pillows and all but buried under the comforter, except for most of her legs. The comforter only covered her to about mid-thigh, and he groaned at the sight of her bare legs. He had to shift a little, to ease the tightness in his jeans. Those long shapely legs seemed to go forever. He pulled the comforter over them, muttering curses at himself, for torturing himself unnecessarily. He could have just left. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on her temple, and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. She stirred but didn't wake. He let himself out, cursing the circumstances that had come between them thus far, and told himself to pack a couple of changes of clothing, just in case.

--

As Colby had predicted, Don was already at the office. Colby and David saw him working at his computer as they walked in together. They had arrived in the parking lot at the same time, and had been chatting amiably on their way in. Megan had yet to make it in but it wasn't 8 am quite yet. She was never late either.

"I just got in touch with the NCAVC Coordinator for the LA area," Megan said as she walked in.

Colby quirked an eyebrow at her. "And what's that when it's at home?" he inquired.

She rolled her eyes at him. "National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes. They're the primary liaison between the field offices and the local and state law enforcement agencies. His name's Tyler Brant. He's getting as much as he can from BAU2 and the VICAP unit for us. Behavioral Analysis Unit 2 is the crimes against adults unit, and ViCAP is Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Are you paying attention, Granger?" She said the last slowly, as though to a child.

Megan sighed at the smirk that Colby gave her, knowing then that he was just yanking her chain. She was the only one he did that to, and she wondered at it. They still worked reasonably well together though. She knew that all the men were protective of her, Colby included. Not that she really needed protection. She knew she was tough, and could give as good as she got.

"Well, make sure Charlie gets all the information that Agt. Brant passes on to us," Don said, even though he knew Megan really didn't need to be told. But he was worried about this serial killer and wanted any advantage he could get. He saw Megan acknowledge him with a nod, and he noted with some relief that she didn't take offense at his directive.

"From the files that we've already got, we know that all the victims have been young Indian or Pakistani girls," Colby said. "They'd all been cut open and their hearts removed. In each case, a pendent was left behind, in the chest cavity."

"Souvenirs," Megan cut in. "Serial killers take souvenirs from their victims, so they can relive their fantasy later."

"But why the heart?" David wanted to know.

She shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"And why leave the pendent?" Colby hissed out a frustrated breath. "It just doesn't make sense. In any case, none of the victims have been identified. No immigration papers, no social security, nothing. DNA on the previous cases indicated that they weren't related."

"That's pretty classic serial killer behavior though," Megan said thoughtfully. "Vulnerable victims. We'll need to make sure that Charlie gets the date and time info on these killings. Maybe he can come up with some sort of a pattern for the killings. Identify the cooling period for us. Maybe he'll be able to predict the next one, like he did on those robbery/murders for us."

Colby nodded and gathered his papers to do just that.

"I'm going to see if I can get some more information from people in the general vicinity. Get some sketches done. There was apparently a man in that area last night, that we haven't questioned. Maybe he saw something that scared him away." David told Don, who nodded.

"Do you need to take Colby with you?" Don asked.

"Nah, I can handle this on my own." David headed out the door, smirking at Colby.

Colby grimaced in response. He'd have rather been out and about, asking questions than shuffling data and papers, and David knew it.

Hours later, David had tracked down the man he was looking for, and brought him in for questioning. His name was Ugender Gupta. While Don and Megan listened in, Colby interrogated Gupta. It became obvious that he knew something, but was not willing to say anything. Colby tried every tack he could to get Ugender to give them something to go on, but the fear and apprehension in his eyes just kept growing. Colby didn't think he was going to get anywhere. There was a limit to what they could do with an eyewitness, and they couldn't hold Gupta unless they charged him with something.

Don sighed, and signalled Colby to release him. As Colby walked him out the door, Ugender said in a low voice, "I don't know what to do. I'm trying to do the right thing, but loyalties to your own blood... I don't know."

Colby stopped, and looked at him. "You can be charged with obstruction of justice if you withhold evidence."

Ugender replied with some trepidation, "I only know that at each place my cousin has been to the last few months, there has been a violent death. I know nothing else. I will give you his information. Perhaps it is nothing. Perhaps it is just a coincidence." Gupta's eyes pleaded with Colby for reassurance, but Colby could only turn away, disturbed by the circumstances.

"Are you alright?" David asked Colby as he dropped into his chair, "You look a little unsettled."

Colby shrugged it off, "I'll be fine. Did we get hold of Ugender Gupta's cousin?"

David shook his head, "We're still tracking him down." Colby nodded in acknowledgement.

Don came around the cubicles and told everyone to go home. "We'll go back to a more normal schedule until we need to amp it up. Enjoy what's left of the weekend anyway."

Colby heaved a small sigh of relief. He didn't think he could handle more. He was more unsettled than he was letting on. He decided to call Hannah. He needed to relax, and he'd been doing a better job of that with her. Plus, he wanted to see if he could get a little further in their relationship than circumstances had allowed so far.

She answered on the first ring and said, "Hey me," and laughed that husky laugh, making his toes curl, "Are they letting you out of school early?"

"Yeah. Want to go out for dinner? I'll make up for the other night," he offered.

"How about meatloaf at my place instead? It's almost ready," she countered.

"I'll be right there," Colby all but ran out the door.

David laughed as he watched Colby bolt out of the office. "Hot date," he told Don, who chuckled.

"Well, at least somebody's got a life," Don remarked, "Shouldn't you be heading back to Olivia, David?"

David grinned, "From your lips to God's ears, Don! I'm out of here. See you tomorrow."

--

Chapter 4

Colby let himself in with the key she'd left for him. He let out a sigh of pleasure as the fragrance of the meatloaf swirled around him when he opened the door.

Hannah watched him as he came through the door and felt her heart melt. She wondered at herself, for leaving him a key. They'd really only just met. True, he'd been asking her out every day for almost three weeks, but they didn't really know each other. She had just received a commission that she'd had to finish within those three weeks, and she hadn't been able to take the time out for a date. She was glad he'd persisted, and wondered if she would have tried to contact him if he hadn't. He was one gorgeous man, and she'd thought so from the moment she'd laid eyes on him.

Hannah raised an eyebrow when Colby pulled out his handcuffs.

"Ma'am, it's a felony to threaten a federal officer," he intoned solemnly, "I'm going to have to arrest you." She broke into giggles and tried to dodge him as he came towards her. "Add resisting arrest to those charges," he said, mocking her puny efforts to evade him.

"No dinner for you if you arrest me," she tried to sound stern.

"Well, in that case, I'll drop the charges," he whispered in her ear. He'd already had her pinned to the wall. Her breath caught in her throat, as his tongue teased along the rim of her ear, down to the earlobe, and as he alternated licking and gently sucking from behind her ear down to her throat. "Hi. Did you miss me?" he murmured, before claiming her lips for a kiss.

Oh God, the man could kiss, was Hannah's last coherent thought before she gave in to his demanding mouth. His lips slanted across hers, his tongue dipped in and stroked the inside of her lower lip. He nibbled on that lower lip, and slid his tongue in to meet hers. His tongue twirled around and caressed hers. Her knees buckled, but his arm around her kept her upright. She heard a soft whimper, and realized a split second later that it had come from her. She also realized that he'd stopped kissing her, and had pulled her to where she was cradled against him. He was resting his forehead against hers, his lips close to hers. "If I don't stop now, I won't be able to," he said quietly, then pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. She nodded, trying to catch her breath. It felt good, just being cradled against the hard length of that muscled body.

"I suppose you want your dinner now," she said with a catch in her breath.

"Sounds good to me," he murmured into her hair. He let her push him away and took the bottle of wine and corkscrew that she handed him.

They talked and laughed through dinner, helped along a little by the wine. He told her about his family, back in Winchester, Idaho, and that he'd served on Army CID in Afghanistan.

She told him about her family, and about her little jewelry store. "It's called 'Only You' and I do custom designs in semi-precious stones. It's finally coming together. I get walk-in business for the standard designs, and some special commissions. I had just got a major commission when you started asking me out," she explained. "I'd love to get it to where we only do one-of-a-kind designs, hence 'Only You', but I need the regular sales to survive right now."

He talked a little about the people he worked with. About how Don's brother, Charlie, a brilliant and renowned mathematician sometimes helped with difficult cases, like the one they were currently on. She saw a shadow pass across his eyes, and wondered about it. But left it alone as he went on to talk about other things.

He cleared the dishes away again, and she felt her heart melt a little more. They worked together in companionable silence. "I'd like to stay the night," Colby said quietly, when the chores were finally done. Their eyes met, and in the silence that followed, Hannah struggled to decide what to say.

--

Chapter 5

Colby watched the emotions cross Hannah's face and tried hard to breathe normally. He relaxed as her face softened into a smile. Then he wasn't sure if the smile was a good thing, because he also saw mischief in her eyes.

"Well, you've stayed the night before, I don't see why you couldn't sleep on the couch again," Hannah purred, her eyes alight with amusement. That startled a laugh out of him. She turned and headed into the living room, her hips sashaying just a slight bit more than usual, as she glanced at him over her shoulder. Well, she'd neatly turned the tables on him. He enjoyed the view a little longer, then lunged and tackled her, grabbing her from behind by the waist. He swung her around, while she shrieked with laughter. And they both landed on the couch, him first, then she on top of him.

He didn't think he'd ever grinned as much as he'd done the last few days. He just couldn't stop himself, and he knew it was because of her. She'd brought a lot of laughter to his life in a just a few short days, and he loved it. He cradled her tenderly in his arms, as they spooned on the couch. She relaxed into him, enjoying the feel of that hard muscular body, those strong arms as they encircled her. Then she reached for the remote control.

"Pride and Prejudice is on," she announced, "It's the episode where Colin Firth jumps in the lake. I have to watch this, it's my favorite part of the miniseries!"

Colby rolled his eyes. Great. A chick flick. Not just a chick flick, a Victorian chick flick. He let her settle in and concentrate on the show.

Hannah was amused when he began to massage her hands. And start to nibble on her neck. That nibble and suck, nibble and suck on her erogenous zone on the nape her neck. Desire swirled through her like liquid heat and pooled down low in her belly. Her breathing changed to short little gasps. His hands moved from hers to her belly, caressing her as he started unbuttoning her blouse from the lowest button up. She moaned as he cupped her breasts, his fingers finding and gently squeezing the tips of them through the lacy bra. Her hips moved restlessly, and felt his response through his jeans. "I love these lacy things," he murmured into her neck as he unclasped her bra. He slid her around to face him.

She hooked her arm around his neck to pull him in for a kiss. She wanted more of that kiss that he'd abruptly cut short earlier that evening. She slid her tongue along his lower lip and nipped at it, teasing him. The she moaned as he took over and devoured her mouth. His tongue teased and stroked hers. Then he was nibbling and sucking on her lower lip.

And his hands, oh God, those strong fingers, caressing her back, and cupping and squeezing her bottom ever so gently. He dipped her back a little on one arm, the other hand coming up to cup a breast, and his mouth closed over the nipple. He sucked on it, raking his teeth gently over the nipple, and she jerked in response to the intense pleasure that gave her. Then his tongue swirled around the nipple, caressing it. He did the same with the other nipple, sucking it, then caressing it with his tongue.

She ground her hips against his; she'd never felt desire at this intensity before. He was kissing her again, a gentler exploration of her mouth, then she felt his fingers between her legs, caressing the folds, finding her pleasure center with his thumb. He slid two fingers in, and she moaned into his mouth, as she pressed her hips down on his fingers. His thumb and his fingers played her like a violin, and he brought her slowly to an orgasm. She was still quivering from the effects of the orgasm, when she felt him move away a little. He pulled off his shirt, and unzipped his jeans. He pulled out several foil packets from his pocket.

"Sure of yourself, weren't you?" She was amused at him.

"A man can always hope. I stopped at the drug store on the way here."

"I'll put it on for you," she said, her voice husky.

Colby slid out of his boxer briefs, and gasped when she slipped the condom on him, with her mouth. She laughed, a soft rumble of a laugh, that sent vibrations through him. "If you're not careful, that'll be it for the night," he said in a strained voice. She gave him one last caress with her tongue. Then he picked her up and carried her to the bed.

He put her down in the middle of all her pillows, and parted her legs with his knee. He was teasing her nipples again, licking and sucking them. At the same time, she felt his fingers slide down between her legs and parting the folds, and ever so gently push himself in. She moaned as he filled her, and started to slide in and out. She pushed her hips against him, needing more. He held her hips down as he asked, "Are you sure? You're still a little tight."

She pushed harder in response, and he went with it this time, thrusting harder and faster to match her need. She reared up to nip at his neck and his throat. She loved that part of him. It was warm and somehow comforting, and she loved his own particular male fragrance there. She could feel his pulse, his heart pounding out the same rhythm as his hips. He reached and tilted her hips a little to her left, and she felt him thrust in a different place and she gasped at the sudden and different pleasure that gave her. He watched her eyes glaze and knew she was close, then all he felt was his own orgasm as they both reached their climaxes.

It was all he could do to roll over and pull her onto him. She was draped bonelessly over him, lethargic with the pleasure. He pulled what he could of the comforter over her and sighed with contentment as he rested his cheek on her forehead. It was a fantastic end to a rough weekend.

--

Chapter 6

"Colby! Wake up!" Hannah leaned over him anxiously, shaking him on his shoulder. He had been thrashing and tossing in his sleep. "Colby! Please wake up!"

He jack-knifed out of the bed, and had her pinned down, with one hand on her throat and the other over her mouth before she could scream. Her eyes widened in fear at the menace in his face. His cold green eyes chilled her to the bone. She dug her nails into his arms, and saw his eyes clear, then cloud in horror as they took in the situation. He released her.

"Hannah, I'm sorry. I am so sorry." He reached to cup her face in his hand but she backed away from him, her eyes still wide with fear. "I will never hurt you. I swear it. Oh, God, please don't cry." He knelt next to her and reached again, to brush away the tears and, this time, she let him touch her. "Please don't cry. It's tearing me up inside to see you cry." He cradled her face in one hand, gently cupping the other around the back of her neck, and drew her to him. He almost cried in relief when she let him pull her into his embrace. "Shh. Shh. It's okay, really," as he rocked her.

"Your nightmares. What causes them?"

He stilled. And sighed. "I haven't had them in over a year," he said quietly. He found a more comfortable sitting postion and settled her in his arms so he could look in her eyes, before continuing. "My best friend in high school, Luke Travers, and I were in the same CID unit in Afganistan. We were there interrogating prisoners for more info on the Taliban. What Luke didn't know was that I was also investigating a crime ring that had sprung up since the US invaded Afghanistan. White slavery. They were kidnapping Afghani women and selling them into prostitution." He stopped talking.

She saw the shadows in his eyes again, and knew he was reliving those days in his mind.

"I had narrowed the list of suspects down to two," he said slowly, almost painfully, "And Luke was one of them. I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be Luke. But, by the time the investigation was over, it was obvious that it was Luke. There was plenty of evidence, and he was convicted by a court martial." Colby was quiet again, the pain evident in his eyes. "Luke was being transported from the court martial when the Jeep set off a landmine. It didn't kill Luke right away, he stayed alive, all torn up and in terrible pain, for several days before he died. I stayed with him at the hospital and did all I could to ease that pain. But the accusation stayed in his eyes, he never forgave me for turning him in."

His eyes were far away, as he continued, half to himself, "I know I did the right thing there. But I still feel like I betrayed my best friend, let him down in some way. I never saw it coming. If I had seen the signs earlier, I might have been able to keep him on the right path."

Hannah slid her arms around him and hugged him. She didn't know what to do. She was still afraid. She didn't think he would knowingly hurt her. But she couldn't forget the menace in his face and those cold, cold green eyes. He was strong, and trained to kill. Those muscles were not just for fun and games.

"You said it had been a year since you last had them. What do you think brought them on?"

"I'm not sure," he replied, frowning. "Unless it's this serial case I'm on. Maybe it's this last witness I was interrogating. He'd had to give up some information on a family member. A sort of betrayal. Maybe it's also the victims, all helpless women. All of that must have triggered the memory and caused the nightmares tonight."

They sat for a little while, both lost in their own thoughts. Colby wondered what would happen now. He didn't want to lose Hannah. He knew he'd frightened her, but gained comfort from the fact that she trusted him enough to stay in his embrace.

Hannah got up. "I can't go back to sleep just yet. I'm going to make some hot chocolate. Want some?"

Colby nodded. And sighed with regret when she left the bedroom. He walked out into the living room and pulled on some of his clothes. He straightened up some of the things they'd knocked over earlier. One of her trade magazines caught his eye. The stones on the cover of it were the same as the ones in the pendents left in the crime scene.

She saw him pick up the magazine, and started to remark on it, but stopped when she saw his expression. She was more than a little fascinated with the different aspects to the man she'd taken to her bed. She'd seen the lover, the killer, and now she thought she might be seeing the investigator. "Anything you want to ask about?"

Colby looked up. "Yes. Everything you can tell me about this stone."

She glanced at the magazine. "That's an African bloodstone. They're also called heliotrope and St. Stephen's Stone. African bloodstone is generally opaque, dark green in color with red spots. The red spots are caused by iron oxide. It has been used by people who believe that it would magically make them invisible, or at least not attract attention. Historically, women wore bloodstone to prevent miscarriage and hemorrhaging during childbirth. The primary source of bloodstone is India, but it can also be found in Australia, China, Brazil and the United States. Why?"

"I need to check something with Don. Can you come to the FBI office if we need your help?"

Curious now, Hannah nodded. "Just call my cell, I'll be at the jewelry store all day."

She sat down next to him, and handed him his chocolate. He was still turning the pages of the trade magazines. "Wonder why I never noticed the magazines before?" he was muttering to himself.

She grinned. "Yeah. I wonder why." Then she laughed.

He looked at her and smiled. She was beautiful when she laughed. Come to think of it, she was beautiful when she... No, better not go there right now. "Ready to go back to bed?"

"To sleep," she said firmly, and thumped him on the arm for giving her that shit-eating grin.

--

Chapter 7

Hannah found herself thinking about Colby at odd moments during the day. Someone would smile and she'd think of his smile, or worse, of what she termed his shit-eating grin. Or someone would make some sarcastic remark, and she'd think of his dry, cutting humor. She saw a mother cradle her crying child, and thought of his strong, protective embrace. She watched a couple walk by, oblivious to the world, and thought of last night. She sighed, and told herself to get a move on, she needed to focus on her work, there were bills to be paid. But she couldn't, just couldn't get his cold green eyes out of her head. She'd seen several, shockingly different, sides of him last night, and couldn't quite reconcile them. He seemed like a different man, when he woke out of that nightmare, and she didn't know if she could quite accept that side of him.

"When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me"

She became aware of the song playing on the radio. She kept it tuned to an oldies station, and this was a particular favorite of hers, Percy Faith's version of "Stand by me". She listened intently to the lyrics, and thought it strange how something she knew so well, could mean something so different to her today.

Just then her cell phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. It wasn't a number she recognized. "Hannah Evans, Only You Fine Jewelry," she answered.

"Ms. Evans, I'm Agent David Sinclair. I work with Colby."

"Agent Sinclair, what can I do for you?"

"Agent Eppes asked me to call. Colby told him that you might be able to help us with some jewelry we have in relation to our case. Will you be able to stop by today?"

"Agent Sinclair, I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Just tell me where I need to go, and what the logistics are."

--

David watched intently as Hannah walked in. He was very curious about the woman who had Colby dangling like a puppet on a string. He'd watched Colby play the field, a very large LA field, since he'd joined them several months ago. And he couldn't remember Colby going out with the same woman twice, let alone spend several days with her. At first glance, she didn't seem to be much to look at. Her dark hair was cut fashionably short, her mouth a little too generous, her dark brown eyes just average, the rest of her features regular but unremarkable. Then David caught his breath, as she flashed a smile to someone who'd stopped to give her directions. Her face lit up with her smile, and she was breathtakingly beautiful. As she got closer, David saw that she was one who laughed and smiled often. He saw then what had caught Colby's attention, and was happy for his friend.

"Agent Sinclair?"

"Call me David, please." He showed her to Colby's cubicle and sat in his own across from her. "The fact that we have jewelry from each murder is not a secret, Hannah. We haven't yet been able to determine the significance of these pendents."

Hannah nodded. "David, I'll do what I can to help you. But keep in mind that I am a jeweler. My focus will be on the materials used to make the pendents, and about the craftsmanship of the pendents. I can give you my opinions based on that and on what I've read about the case in the papers, and not much more."

"I understand."

Hannah looked around the conference room that David had left her in. She saw a mirrored wall and guessed that it was a two way mirror. This must also double as an interrogation room. She saw Colby in another conference room, just like the one she was in. He was not alone. She watched as he moved around the room, and thought he was probably interrogating someone. She wondered who it was. She noticed his gun and badge, both strapped to his belt, and wondered why she'd never noticed them before. Had he just not worn them to her place? She didn't remember. She saw him lean threateningly into the man's face, and decided she didn't need to watch any more of it. This was a very different side of him, one she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Don saw the different expressions flit across her face, as he watched her watching Colby. He knew that she was just realizing who her man really was. He hoped that things worked out for Colby. It was difficult for an agent to have a relationship, due to the difficulties of the job. But everyone deserved happiness. "Ms. Evans, I'm Don Eppes. No, no, please, sit." As she started to get up to greet him. He handed her the pendents, each in their own evidence bags.

"Should I be wearing gloves or something?" Hannah asked hesitantly.

Don smiled, "Watch a lot of TV, do you?" She laughed at that, as he handed her a pair of surgical gloves.

She picked up a bag at random and looked curiously at the pendent that came out of it.

"Hand polished African moonstone." She said slowly. "Good but not exceptional quality rough. These stones have been set in hand twisted silver wire that has been bent into symbols, Agent Eppes. Has anyone been able to identify these symbols?"

Don shook his head.

Hannah was quiet for a moment. "Traditionally, this stone is used by people who believe that it would magically make them invisible. Perhaps the killer believes it will magically hide himself from the authorities."

She picked up each of the pendents, and checked them over. They were all hand made, and she felt, by the same hand. There was something about the symbols that tugged at her. They were not hieroglyphics or runes. "Agent Eppes, I wonder if you should have someone who knows Hindi or Tamil or some other Indian language to look at these symbols. They look remarkably like some of the symbols I've seen on Indian newspapers. Do you have someone who might be able to identify them?"

Don looked thoughtful. "Please wait here for a minute, Ms. Evans. My brother has a friend working with him who is Indian. I'll find out if she's able to help."

Hannah nodded.

Don smiled. "Thank you. I won't be long."

--

Don left Hannah and went looking for his brother. "Charlie, do you know if Amita can read Tamil?"

Charlie looked surprised. "I don't know, but I can ask. She's in the other room working on the coding. Why?"

"Just ask. And if she can read Tamil, get her in the conference room with Ms. Evans."

--

"So what's she like?"

"Who?" David pretended ignorance when Megan tossed that question casually his way.

Megan rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and Granger these days? His girlfriend, that's who!"

David laughed. "She's a very beautful woman. And from what I can tell, smart."

"Not his usual type then."

David looked amused, but didn't comment. He looked up as Don and Charlie walked in with Amita. At Don's raised eyebrow, David said, "Colby isn't done, but Jagan Gupta isn't saying much."

Don nodded in response. "Charlie and Amita are in conference room 1 with Ms. Evans. She thinks that they are Hindi or Tamil. If it's one or the other, Amita will be able to tell us what they mean. I'll join them in a minute to see how that goes. Tell Colby he can join us if he's done with Gupta."

--

Chapter 8

Don was tired and starting to look it, Charlie thought to himself, despite the fact that he wasn't always fully aware of what went on around him. "Amita, do you recognize the symbols on these pendents? Don was saying that Ms. Evans thinks they might be Tamil or Tamil."

Amita's eyes widened in surprise. She looked closely at the evidence bags. She hadn't realized that they were the pendents from the crime scenes. Don handed her a pair of gloves, and she pulled a pendent out. "Yes," she said, surprised, "They're Tamil symbols. They are numbers. This one says 5." She grabbed a pad of post it notes and start writing the numbers for each pendent and sticking them to the evidence bags. There were 8 evidence bags. When she was done, they had 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 15.

Don looked on with growing horror as he realized what the numbers meant, that the killer was numbering his victims. And if the largest number on the pendents was fifteen, there was likely several murders out there that they hadn't yet connected to this case, or worse, hadn't even been found. He looked at Charlie, Amita and Hannah to see if they realized what they had before them. Charlie would reason it out soon enough, and Amita wouldn't be too far behind. He hoped that Hannah would not see what it meant. There was no need for her to bear witness to such horrors.

Hannah was thoughtful. The craftsmanship on the pendents had looked familiar to her. The person who made them had some skill, though not at the level of a jeweler. "Agent Eppes," Hannah said slowly, "I need to get back and see if I can find anything that resembles these pendents in craftsmanship. They look somehow familiar, but I can't quite place it. Perhaps I can come up with someone who knows a little more about it."

"Charlie, why don't you and Amita go on back to the squad room. I want to wrap up with Ms. Evans and then talk to the team about what we'll do next."

Don looked at Hannah and said, "Colby hasn't been himself lately. I know from his personnel files about some of what he's had to face from certain events that happened in Afghanistan." He paused to gauge Hannah's reaction. "He's a good man, maybe a little rough around the edges. I don't know many of us in this life who isn't still rough around the edges, frankly. We need it to survive. But I know that Colby hasn't been afraid to accept the consequences of his decisions to do the right thing."

Hannah held Don's gaze. "Colby's no longer alone, Agent Eppes," Hannah said quietly.

Don nodded, pleased. She was a strong woman, she would be able to handle it, come what may. "Please call me Don. Colby had wanted to talk to you before you left, but he's not done yet. I'll tell him to call you, if you'd like to leave now."

"Thank you, Don. I have a lot to do as well. Thank you again for everything." Hannah was glad to have met him. She knew now why Colby liked working for Don.

--

Chapter 9

"Megan, get additional DNA testing on those pendents, then get them compared against the victims. See if you can get a DNA sample from this Jagan Gupta. Tell him we're trying to exclude people at this point, see if that will fly." Don was issuing orders as Colby got back into the office after finishing up with Jagan Gupta. Don had told him that Hannah had already left. He was going to have to call her later, see if he could make it up to her by cooking dinner.

"Don, you do know that the odds of a DNA match is 1 in a billion? And it's even lower if the population is limited to a specific ethnic group? The DNA you collect may match up to 10 of that ethnic group, and could include the victims themselves." Charlie cautioned his brother.

"Yeah, well, until you have a better idea, that's all we've got to go on. Something is better than nothing," Don huffed out a breath in frustration. "I do not want another murder from this particular serial killer. Not on my turf."

"Now that we know about the numbering, and we have all the info from ViCAP, Amita and I will run a couple of algorithms and see if we can discern a pattern in his selection, both of the victim and of the city or place of the crime." Charlie started to leave, but Colby stopped him.

"I think that these victims are escaping from their own families. I think they've been contracted into arranged marriages that they don't want, and the unsub is preying on their need to get away," he said, starkly.

Megan looked at him in surprise. She'd never seen Colby on edge like that. He was almost always the one with the sarcastic zinger, always questioning everyone. This one was affecting him for reasons she couldn't yet fathom. "That's certainly a possibility. These women are helpless. I've read articles where some of them have been kept prisoner in their own homes, by their own parents. If they're desperate to get away, the would take to anyone who showed them some kindness. This person could very easily take advantage of them."

Charlie nodded, "We'll take that into consideration."

"Why don't David and I pound the pavement and see if we can find someone to tell us if they've seen the victim or this Jagan Gupta together?" Colby itched to get away from the office. He needed to do something physical, even if it was just walking door to door.

Don looked at him. "Are you going to be okay? You're not your usual self."

"This case. It's bringing back some memories from Afghanistan I'd just as soon not have to deal with. But I can handle it. We need to get this guy quickly though." Colby looked into Don's eyes to reassure him. "Come on, David, let's go."

--

Colby called Hannah from the car while David drove. "I'm sorry I couldn't get away," he said quietly into the phone. "I'll make it up to you. Why don't you stop by my place for dinner tonight? Say around 7?" There was a startled silence on the other end. Then, he could almost hear her grin as she replied in a low, sultry voice, "I expect dessert as well." He laughed. "Any dessert you want, sweetheart."

David chuckled in amusement. He could just imagine what dessert Hannah would be expecting from Colby.

--

After several hours of frustration, they caught a break and found someone who had seen the two together. This woman was only willing to give them the name of the victim's parents. She did not want any further involvement. But both Colby and David were relieved to at least be able to identify the victim.

They stopped by the parents' home but there was no one there. David could see Colby's frustration rising. "I'll stop back by later and see if I can catch them at home. Why don't you go home?" David told him. When Colby showed no sign of moving, David teased, "Aren't you supposed to cook dinner? What are you feeding her? Cornflakes and milk?"

That surprised a laugh out of Colby, "Heck no! I can cook. Beef Wellington, Duchesse potatoes, Spinach Florentine, and Yorkshire Pudding. Creme Brulee for dessert. Only the best for Hannah." He cut a look over to David to see if he was buying it.

David roared with laughter, "Yeah, that'll be the day. She's going to be there at 7, and this is 5:30."

Colby grinned, "I'll have you know that I really can make all that. Just not today. I guess I'll just throw a couple of steaks on the grill and toss a salad together. I'll have to pick all that up on the way home."

"Best get on with it then!"

--

Chapter 10

Hannah knocked on the door, almost out of her skin with curiousity. She couldn't wait to see what kind of bachelor pad his apartment would turn out to be.

"Come on in and make yourself at home. I've got to get the grill started, I'm running a little late." Colby looked a little frazzled.

She smiled at him, and as he was moving away, she grabbed him, and planted a kiss on his mouth.

"Mmm, I guess I have a moment for this." He deepened the kiss, then pulled away with a sigh. "If I don't start this grill, we don't eat."

She grinned, "Wanna bet?"

Colby burst into laughter at that and shook his head at her. He headed out to the balcony.

She went ahead and put the salad fixings together in the salad bowl. Then she opened the bottle of merlot to let it breathe. She looked around for the wine glasses and found some. He actually cooked in this kitchen, she thought while looking in the refrigerator, he didn't just bring takeout home, although there was a good bit of that. The hours he kept as an agent probably didn't allow all that much time at home.

She walked around the little apartment to look at his things. It wasn't some slick bachelor pad, it had some nice furniture, some pictures on the walls and on the shelves. Looked like pictures of family and friends. Small town boy, missing home and family, she thought tenderly. She smiled to herself.

"How do you like your steak, Hannah?" he called out to her from the balcony.

She walked out onto the balcony, "Rare, of course. Is there any other way?"

"I knew there was a reason I liked you! Rare, it is. So, did you find any dust bunnies?"

She laughed, "I didn't look that hard. Don't you need a search warrant for that sort of thing?"

He looked at her, "Have you been talking to Megan?" Hannah threw him a surprised look. He laughed. "Just something from a previous case. Don't worry about it." He told her about the ELM arson case while he grilled the steaks.

They kept up a light conversation through dinner, neither really wanting to ruin dinner by discussing either the case or the nightmare. She found herself giggling a lot, at the way he described things, at his dry, cutting observations of current events and office relationships. He loved watching her giggle. She really seemed to throw herself into everything and enjoying life to the fullest.

She cleared the dishes, despite his protests. "You do the cooking, I do the dishes, that's the rule. No arguments." He came up behind her while she bent over the dishwasher and pinched her bottom. "Hey! That's not fair!"

He grinned, "I'll let you pinch mine."

Her lips parted slightly, then curved in amusement. "Okay." And she reached over and swatted him on the bottom.

"That's not pinching!"

She burst into giggles. "Did you like being spanked?" She purred.

He looked amused, "You're in some kind of mood tonight."

"You've got the best looking butt I've ever seen."

"And you've seen a lot of butts?" He wanted to know.

She laughed, but didn't reply. She finished up the dishes.

"Come on, I want to talk to you," She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the couch. She saw his worried look and grinned. She tackled him, and he chuckled as he fell back onto the couch, dragging her with him.

He lay on his back on the couch, and she draped herself more comfortably on him. "What?" he was getting more worried by the minute.

"Nothing really. Just that, you know. I trust you." She said it all in a rush. She saw the relief in his eyes. "I don't really know how to say what I'm thinking and feeling. But, I know you were in Afghanistan, and I know it was a war. I know you're trained, well, to do things, and..." she trailed off and he reached up and kissed her.

"Thank you," was all he said.

"We'll figure it out as we go along. But I'm going to stand by you, even when you scare me," she said softly.

He hugged her to him, touched beyond words.

She rested her head on his chest over his heart, and listened contentedly to the strong rhythm. He was caressing her arm as she toyed with the top button on his shirt, his other hand stroking her hair. She began to unbutton his shirt. He stopped her and said, "We don't have to."

She smiled. "Are you putting me in the driver's seat?" He nodded. "Well, then, lean back and enjoy it, because I want to explore."

He groaned. This was not going to be easy for him, he thought ruefully, but he figured at the worst, he would die a happy man. She had that glint in her eye.

She unbuttoned his shirt slowly, licking and nipping at him as she parted his shirt, paying particular attention to his nipples. He jerked in response, he wasn't expecting anything like that. She loved his muscular chest, lightly covered with hair. He reached to help her take his shirt off, but she swatted his hand away. "Mine," she murmured. His breath caught in his throat at that.

She pulled him up by his shirt, and he helped her by sitting up willingly. She watched in fascination as his abdominal muscles flexed. She slid the shirt off his shoulders, running her hands over them as she did so, gently kneading the muscles as she went along. She kissed him on the neck, her favorite spot, and licked and nibbled her way up to his ear lobe. He put his arms around her, but she pulled one of them towards her, and began to explore the muscles on his arm, alternately kneading with her hands and licking the tender underside of his arm. Then she ran her hands down his torso, following the line of hair that narrowed as it got to his jeans. She unsnapped the jeans, and reached in. He bucked a little when she touched him. He was turned on by her exploration.

She pushed his pants and boxer briefs down.

"I'm going to have to get up if you want to get them off me." Or at least, that's what he thought he said, he was practically incoherent with the pleasure of her touch.

She let him off the couch. And purred a laugh when he pulled out a couple of foil packets from his jeans. "I thought you said we weren't going to," and swatted him hard on his tight butt. He jerked in surprise, and narrowed his eyes at her. She grinned unrepentantly.

She nudged him back to a sitting position on the couch and knelt in front of him. He wasn't sure if he could stand much more of it. "Won't be much longer, I promise," her breath whispered along the length of him, and he shivered at the erotic feel of it.

He ran his hands down her back, and this time she let him. She licked around the head and in the cleft, and sucked gently. She just wanted to tease him a little. This time she used her fingers to roll the condom on him, teasing him with her tongue as she did so. She caressed him with her tongue all the way down to the base and around it.

He let out a soft moan of pleasure, then grabbed her hands. "Your turn. Now." He pulled her up till she straddled him, giving him access to her breasts. She grabbed his shoulders and hung on when he took one of her nipples in his mouth and did the lick-suck that drove her crazy. He went from one to the other and back again, his hands caressing her from her shoulders down to her bottom. He slid one hand between her legs, and slipped a couple of fingers in, and she gasped at it. She was ready for him, and he cupped her bottom with his hands picked her up to position her over him. She guided him in, and began to ride him. He thrust up as she rode down. "Oh, God! Harder, please!" she gasped. They were both caught up in the intensity of the pleasure, as they moved in rhythm with each other, until finally, they climaxed.

He cradled her to his chest, reached for his shirt, and covered her with it. Then leaned back into the couch with a sigh. "I didn't think I was going to survive that," he murmured, quietly amused at himself. "Just wait till I get you in those cuffs," she said lazily.

He snorted. "You and what army?"

She smiled, that mysterious Mona Lisa smile, and just snuggled into his embrace.

--

Hannah lifted one eyelid sleepily. Something was different and she wasn't sure what it was.

Colby pulled her closer and nuzzled her on her temple. "It's okay. I'm just moving us to the bed, where we'll be more comfortable," he murmured into her ear. She looped her arms around his neck, and snuggled in close, resting her head against his neck. He smiled. It felt great.

Colby knelt one knee on the edge of the bed, and laid Hannah gently on her side, with her back to him. He kissed her on the temple, then began to press kisses on her neck, then her shoulder, and then down her side. He nibbled on her waist, which brought a soft surprised gasp of laughter. He grinned. He'd found a ticklish spot.

"Are you starting trouble, Agt. Granger?" she chided gently.

"Trouble with a capital T, ma'am," he said solemnly, his hand caressing her breasts and down her torso, reaching down between her legs. He was hard as a rock for her. Again. She laughed when she felt his erection against her back. A low, husky sound, rumbling up from deep in her throat. Colby didn't think he'd ever heard a sexier sound.

He slipped his fingers in. She was ready for him. "Horny tonight, aren't you?" He chuckled.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, Agt. Granger."

He pulled her leg up onto his shoulder, with Hannah still lying mostly on her side, and thrust himself hard into her. She gasped in surprise, then thrust her pelvis back against him, revelling in the feeling. It was different than what they'd done before. Then the pleasure was building, and she couldn't think of anything but of getting more of him, of him reaching places he'd never reached before. "Harder. Please." Hannah heard herself say. She heard him murmur something in response, then heard his soft grunts of pleasure, as he acceded to her request.

He was no longer thinking, his body was moving in rhythm with hers. A rhythm from the beginning of time. Thrusting, hard, all he could feel was the sensual pleasure, then he felt her tighten up around him in orgasm, and, very quickly found himself wrapped up in his own orgasm.

He dropped onto the bed next to her. He rolled onto his back and pulled her with him, struggling to get covers on both of them as he did so. "I'm going to have to plan this a little better next time. Don't want you to catch cold or nothing," he muttered, as they both drifted off to sleep. Again.

--

Chapter 11

They'd worked 18 hour days for the last 5 days. Colby sighed. It was Saturday. A full 8 days since they'd found the body, and a full five days since he'd last seen Hannah, and he missed her. A lot. Not just the sex. Well, alright, he admitted to himself, the great sex certainly figured into it. But he missed seeing her smile. He missed hearing her laugh. He shifted restlessly in his chair.

"Yeah. I miss Olivia too." David sighed, from his side of the cubicle. "She's not going to let me hear the end of it, not being there for those kids at the community center."

Colby grinned. Misery loved company.

The DNA results had come back, but it had matched both Ugender and Jagan Gupta. That didn't help much. Showing photos of Jagan Gupta at the locations of the murders had not given them a positive ID. Everyone just claimed that all the Indians looked alike, and wouldn't commit to anything definitive. The parents of the victim were not helpful, saying only that their daughter had run away, and they didn't know anything else.

On top of everything, Charlie had told them the killer's cooling off period was getting progressively shorter. It had apparently started out at roughly 2 months. The period between their current victim and the previous one was only about three weeks. And Charlie was worried that it might be reduced to two weeks. It was quite possible that they could have another victim on their hands in the next week or so.

All in all, it had been a very frustrating week.

"You know, I would almost swear I smell Hannah's lasagna," Colby muttered to himself.

"That's because you do," Hannah laughed as he whipped around. He smiled, and saw her eyes soften. He was really happy to see her, and some of his tiredness dissipated at the sight of her.

"What made you bring lasagna?" Colby was curious. David looked almost as eager for some of that lasagna as Colby felt.

"Mr. Eppes called us, to organize a lunch break for all of you," another female voice spoke from the end of the cubicles.

Colby watched David's face light up at the sight of Olivia, standing with her arms around a grocery bag. He grinned as David took the bag from Olivia, then grab her for a kiss. He glanced over at Hannah, and saw her lips curve, a slow, sultry invitation. He looped his arm around her and kissed her, a tender kiss. He'd really, really missed her.

--

Alan Eppes rounded everyone up into the break room. His heart ached at the tiredness in Don's face, and the worry in Charlie's. His lips quirked in some amusement, at the surreptitious touch that Larry gave Megan, as they walked into the break room together. They were one, very tired team.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, as everyone dug into their food. Then slowly the conversation began to pick up. General conversation swirled around the break room for a little while.

"How did you even know about Olivia and Hannah, Dad?" Don was curious.

"Don, I'm disappointed in you. Both of you," Alan shook his head at both his sons, as Charlie also looked at him in bemusement. "I've been buying jewelry for your mother from Hannah for a while. I stopped by to get something for Donna. And Hannah mentioned that she hadn't seen Colby in a few days."

"And Colby'd mentioned enough about David and myself to Hannah for her to find me in the phone book," Olivia chimed in.

Don slanted a look at Colby, who shrugged. "Maybe you should hire them as agents, Don." They laughed.

"Where's that lovely Indian girl who was here last time?" Hannah asked.

"Amita?" Charlie looked at Hannah in surprise.

"Yes. She had a lovely, exotic face that I couldn't get out of my mind. I designed some jewelry with her in mind and wanted to find out if she would model them for me at the next jewelry show."

"Well, we'll certainly let her know," Larry joined in the conversation, as he made a mental note of the name of Hannah's jewelry store. Megan had a birthday coming up soon.

"Speaking of jewelry, I have a few names for you, Agent Eppes. These people make jewelry in the same style as those pendents you have as evidence." Hannah watched with interest as the gazes of the four agents sharpened and focused intently on her. "These people make and sell jewelry within their own circles, so you don't really see very much of it. But they get their rough from the same jewelry shows." She handed Don a few sketches, complete with names and contact information.

Olivia glanced at the sketches. "I saw a young woman wearing a pendent very much like these just the other day at the community center. I struck up a conversation with her because she looked so lonely. She told me that it was a gift. She also told me a lot about herself." Olivia trailed off, her thoughts on that odd conversation she'd had.

"And?" David prodded her.

"It was the oddest thing. It just seemed like she couldn't help herself, like she needed to confide everything to someone. She said her parents had kept her a virtual prisoner in her own home, because they'd arranged a marriage for her to someone she didn't want to marry. She'd managed to get away from them with someone's help. And the gift was from that person."

Hannah felt Colby tense, and slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her hand gently, appreciating the comfort she was offering.

"Vulnerable victims," Megan said softly.

"People who are considered to be of little or no value," Colby said grimly. It was Afghanistan all over again.

"We need to get back to work," Don said quietly. "Olivia, do you think you could contact this woman again?"

Olivia shook her head, a little frustrated with herself. "I'm afraid not. She didn't leave any information about herself. But I will ask around, see if anyone else saw her, or knows anything about her."

Don nodded his thanks. And everyone started to clear the lunch debris away. He watched as his two younger agents murmured their goodbyes to their girlfriends, envying them the easy relationships they seemed to have. The women appeared to understand the demands of the job. If there was any resentment, it wasn't obvious.

He watched Larry and Megan speak quietly to each other, before Larry walked off with Charlie. He enjoyed Larry's friendship, and was glad, albeit a little amused, that he and Megan seemed to be hitting it off. Larry handled everything with an equanimity that Don would have loved to emulate. And wished his brother had. Charlie was getting tenser as the days went by.

He decided that he would make sure the team quit earlier that night, and give everyone a little time for their respective relationships.

--

Later that evening, Colby let himself into Hannah's apartment. He could smell dinner cooking, some kind of chicken dish, he thought. He'd managed to find some tulips, her favorite flowers, on his way over here. "Hannah," he called out to her from the door. He didn't want to scare her by sneaking up on her. "In the kitchen," he heard her respond.

"Where do you keep your vases?" Colby asked, as he walked into the kitchen.

"Why do you ask?" Hannah's attention was on washing up some of the things she'd used to prepare dinner.

He grinned. "For these tulips."

Hannah looked up, and his heart warmed to see her expression soften. "Aww. Tulips. I love tulips." She dug out a Waterford vase from some cabinet and put the tulips in the middle of the dining table. "I love the fragrance," she murmured.

They settled in the sofa after dinner, watching some news program together. He cradled her against him, as they spooned in the sofa, his arms around her. "I missed you," he murmured into her hair. She snuggled in close, rubbing her cheek against his chest, and pressed a kiss against his neck. Colby sighed with contentment. It felt good, just to relax together like this.

After a short while, Hannah grinned to herself. He had a hard on. There they were, watching the news, she hadn't even moved since they'd settled into the couch, and the man had a hard on.

"Are you laughing at me?" Colby said wryly.

She giggled helplessly. "Only a little."

He snorted. "So where'd you put the condoms I left behind last time?"

"They're in the night stand, next to the bed."

"When have we ever needed them near the bed? Enquiring minds want to know." Colby teased.

Hannah giggled again. "You have a point. And a hard on. And I want to try something different. Out here in the living room. I guess you'd better get in there and get them!"

Colby groaned theatrically as he got off the couch and went into the bedroom. His eyes almost popped out when he got back into the living room. She'd taken off her clothes and was in some lacy slip of a thing. She was hot and sexy in it.

"You have too many clothes on," Hannah complained. "You need to do something about it."

"Your wish is my command." Colby pulled off his polo shirt in one smooth move. Hannah reached for the button on his jeans with one hand, and slid the other down his crotch, caressing him while she unzipped his jeans. He slid his hands down her arms in a caress, and pulled her hands behind her, then trapped both her wrists in one hand. His long, slender fingers were steel bands around her wrists. He cupped his other hand behind her neck as his mouth captured hers in a demanding kiss. She let out a soft whimper of frustration as she tried to press her hips closer to his. He held her still as his mouth ravaged hers, his tongue swirling in to meet hers, and out again, as he nibbled and licked at her lower lip.

"Now, what was it that you wanted to try?" Colby lowered his head further and found a nipple. He drew circles around her nipple with his tongue and raked his teeth gently over it. She jerked in response to that. "I remembered that you liked this." And then he was sucking on that nipple.

Hannah struggled to speak coherently, "I thought I would, uh, lean over the couch. And you could.. oh!" she gasped as he moved on to her other nipple, "you could make love to me from behind."

Colby licked and kissed his way back up to her throat and neck, and smoothly turned her around. He released her hands. She spread her legs and leaned forward, resting her arms on the back of the couch.

He reached around her to caress her breasts, then slid his hands down to her hips. He swatted her on her butt. "Stop that," she chided. He just grinned at her. He slid two of those long, graceful fingers into her. She was definitely ready. Colby slid the condom on, then thrust himself gently into her. She moaned, a low gutteral moan, as he reached deep inside of her. "Oh, that's good!" He felt her clench her muscles around him, and began to thrust in and out of her. Slowly, tantalizingly. "You are driving me crazy, going this slow," she moaned in frustration.

He reached around her, and his fingers found the little nub that was the center of her pleasure and caressed her. He picked up the pace gradually, teasing her, enticing her, as she thrust back to meet him each time. He was taking his time tonight, letting the pleasure build up slowly. Then a little harder and faster each time. Till all he felt was need, and he thrust hard and fast, until they both climaxed, first her, then him, though not very far behind.

He pulled her down on him as he settled back onto the couch, and draped his polo shirt over her. "We should really take a walk on the wild side and try the bed sometime," he said, as they drifted off to sleep.

--

Colby woke up as Hannah got up off the bed. "Going somewhere?" he said, lazily.

She smiled at him. "I'm sorry I woke you, honey. It's just too early for me to go to sleep just yet. I'm a bit of a night owl. Go back to sleep, I'm just going to work on some designs or something." She kissed him lightly on his lips.

He cupped a hand around her cheek, and caressed her cheekbone with his thumb. "I'll get my stuff from the car, and take a shower. Then we can go out for a movie or something. We don't have to stay in."

Her lips twitched in mischief. "Why don't you take that shower first. We can decide about the movie later."

Hannah watched Colby get dressed, and found herself eager to sketch him. Something she hadn't done since she graduated from college with her art degree. She'd never had any problems sketching things, especially jewelry designs, but people had been quite another story. Colby in the nude was absolutely gorgeous. She wondered if he lifted weights. He had fabulously defined muscles. But he seemed to be working all the time, how did he find the time? She made a quick outline sketch, and sighed quietly to herself as he headed out the door. Was it possible that she was falling in love with him? Hannah wasn't sure. But she was somehow sure that Colby wasn't ready to commit to a serious relationship.

She grinned at him when he came back in with a duffle bag. "What's so precious in there that you had to get it before you showered? You don't think I have soap and shampoo?"

He narrowed those green eyes at her. "And I suppose you think I'm going to walk out of here smelling like a flower display?"

She dissolved into giggles. "A manly man, huh?" she mocked him.

He shook his head at her, smiling at her mirth. "Everyone wants to be a comedian. But don't quit your day job. If you think of a good joke, I'll be in the shower."

Well, that was an invitation if she'd ever heard one, Hannah thought, giggling to herself. Oh dear. She was in a lot of trouble, if she was giggling as much as she had been.

He'd already stripped out of his clothes, and had a towel wrapped around his waist. She noted with interest that the towel was rolled down at his waist. So that's how he keeps the towel from coming apart. She grinned as she reached for the towel.

Colby saw her hand coming towards his waist out of the corner of his eye, and spun away from her, laughing as he did so. "You're in some kind of mood tonight. Are you going to let me take my shower, or are you going to continue harrassing me?"

"Well! I'd hardly call this harrassment," she huffed in mock annoyance. "Especially with that salute you've got there!" Hannah dissolved into giggles. "You might have to dance for that shower."

"Dance for the shower?" Colby raised his eyebrows in amusement. "What does that mean?"

"Do a strip dance, out of that towel, before I let you in the shower."

He laughed. "Not much point of a dance. It's just one towel."

"I know." She made a grab for the towel, but he was too quick for her, and dodged out of the way. He grabbed her hand, twirled her around, dipped her back over his arm, and pulled her back up. He then slipped past her into the bathroom, and with a grin, shut and locked the door behind him.

She laughed softly, then gleefully dug the allen wrench set out of the drawer. He was already in the shower when she got the door open as quietly as she could. Evidently, she wasn't quiet enough because he suddenly swiped the shower curtain apart and she burst into more giggles at his outraged expression. He looked even more gorgeous, with his hair wet and slicked down, water dripping down his face and body.

He smiled at her giggles. "It's a good thing I don't have my gun," he said as severely as he could.

She giggled even harder at that. "Um, you have the gun that I'm interested in."

He burst into laughter. "You're incorrigible."

"And ready for you to slip that gun into my holster."

He stilled, and Hannah tensed, wondering if she'd gone too far. Then his expression softened, "Get in here then." Hannah heaved an inner sigh of relief.

"Let me soap you down, Colby." Hannah grinned when he handed her a bar of Irish Spring. "That's what you went all the way to the car for? Irish Spring?"

"Stop laughing and start soaping."

"Aye, aye, sir!" she said mockingly, as she soaped up the washcloth. She started with his shoulders. "I love your shoulders," she murmured, "so muscular. And your biceps. You make simple tasks like picking things up look sexy."

He watched her quietly as she explored his body while soaping him down. He blocked most of the shower spray away from her, as she went from muscle to muscle, gently kneading and massaging as she went. She grinned up at him as she knelt in front of him. His lips twitched in amusement as her hands went around his butt and and down his legs, avoiding the groin area. Not that he'd really needed any help in that area, he'd been standing at attention since she'd started her teasing. He caught his breath as she licked him.

"Ah, not yet. My turn." He pulled her up, amused at the pout she gave him.

"Not that Irish Spring stuff, use the Gardenia Lily body wash in that tube."

"So that's the fragrance you wear," he murmured.

"Don't just concentrate on my breasts," she said solemnly, her eyes alight with laughter, as he caressed her breasts.

He ignored her amusement, and ran the washcloth over her shoulders and her back. Then down each arm. He pressed her back against the back of the shower stall, and lowered his head to her breasts, washcloth forgotten. She whimpered with need, as he twirled his tongue around one of her nipples, then the other, gently sucking and raking his teeth over it.

"Colby," she said, with a hitch in her breath, "Colby, please."

"Right here, love." He parted her legs and slid into her. He looped an arm behind her, supporting her weight, just as her knees buckled. He rode her hard this time, the need to slake his desire overriding everything. She clenched around him, crying out as she climaxed, and he thrust harder, until he climaxed himself.

He cradled her gently, pressing soft kisses on her lips, cheek, and forehead. Then suddenly, he stiffened.

"What's wrong, honey?" Hannah murmured softly.

"I forgot the condom."

She slid her arms around his neck, hugging him. "It's alright. I'm on the Pill."

"Alright. But I don't want to forget again." He said quietly.

She looked at his serious face, and nodded. Then pulled him in for a hug and a kiss. "Now how about we get dressed and go to that movie you promised me?"

"No chick flick," he said firmly, as she laughed at him, again.

--

Chapter 12

Colby felt great, even though he was back at his desk bright and early Monday morning, reviewing his notes from the day before. The evening spent with Hannah had relaxed and rejuvenated him. He saw David walking in, and grinned. David had a similar goofy look on his face. "Spent the day with Olivia, did you?" Colby needled David. Just a little.

David laughed. "No need to ask where you spent your day!" Then he sobered, "Someone called Olivia this morning, asking about the girl Olivia had talked to. She had some additional information. Olivia's persuading her to come in and talk to us."

Colby nodded. Every bit of information would help build a better picture. He looked over to Don, and said, "Don, I'm going to check with this list of jewelers that Hannah gave us. I'm going to show them some pictures and see if they recognize anyone. Unless you want me to wait here till Olivia shows up with this woman."

"No, you and David go ahead. We need that list checked out. Megan and I can talk to Olivia's informant, if they get here before you get back." Don nodded towards Megan as she came in.

--

Colby and David struck pay dirt at the last jewelry store on Hannah's list. Not only did the jewelry come from there, the jeweler positively identified Jagan Gupta as the purchaser of the pendents. The last pendent Jagan Gupta had purchased was number seventeen. Colby thought it almost made up for the frustration thus far.

They had just finished reporting their information to Don and Megan, when Olivia arrived with Lina.

In the conference room, the four agents listened to the young Indian woman with growing concern.

"Nallini's 17. Her parents informed her when she was 16 that she had been engaged to her first cousin," Lina began nervously. "She tried to refuse this engagement because she hates this first cousin. But her parents locked her in her room, even went as far as withdrawing her from school. They told her she would remain there until she agreed to marry this first cousin. Nallini said that they padlocked her door and put bars on the windows, and spikes along the top of the backyard fence so she couldn't climb over. Her mom even threatened her with a kitchen knife. The only time she was allowed out of her room was to do the housework."

Lina looked at Olivia for encouragement. Olivia squeezed her hand and indicated that she should continue. "She came to my home a few weeks ago. Her parents had sold her to a man, who had given her a pendent to wear, as a mark of ownership. Somehow, she managed to escape him that day and was trying to find a place to go. That's how she ended up at the community center that day. But he must have found her, because she disappeared after she talked to Olivia at the community center."

"Did you see the pendent? Do you know what number was on the pendent?" Colby asked anxiously.

"Seventeen. Nallini was very scared. She said there was another woman in the house, but she'd only seen glimpses of her."

"Have either of you seen this man?" Colby showed them a photo of Jagan Gupta.

Lina shook her head, but Olivia hesitated. "I think I've seen him," she answered, cautiously, "but I can't really be sure." David squeezed her shoulder.

"That's all I know," Lina said softly, on the verge of tears. "I wish I could have helped her, but I was afraid. Olivia and the community center was the best that I could do for her. But what if she's dead? I don't know if I could live with myself."

Olivia put her arms around Lina and hugged her in comfort. She looked over to Don and asked, "Agent Eppes, is there anything else we should be doing?"

"Have as many people on the lookout for Nallini as you can. If this man does have another woman, and Nallini's pendent is 17, then she's probably still safe. This other woman is the one in danger, and if we find Nallini, we'll find her."

Olivia nodded, and the two women left.

"Take Jagan Gupta into custody," Don said, "and interrogate him some more, based on the information we have from the jeweler. We need to find these women and fast. Charlie thinks the cooling off period is over, and we should expect to find a body in the next few days. If we have him in custody, maybe we can prevent that."

David and Colby nodded, and headed out the door.

--

"He's maintaining his innocence, Don," Colby huffed a breath in frustration. He and David had tried everything in the book to get Jagan to tell them where the women were. "He's scared, but he's not budging."

"Well, there's a possibility that he's innocent," Megan said, running into their cubicle area. "LAPD has a body. Guy walking his dog stumbled upon it. Coroner says the victim's time of death was only 2-3 hours ago. Gupta's been here for most of the day. It's unlikely that he's the killer."

The frustration emanating from the four agents was palpable.

"So we're looking for someone who looks like him. After all the jeweler identified him from the photo!" Colby was ready to tear something apart. Anything. Preferably the perpetrator.

"Alright, let's think about this for a minute. If she ran away from this guy, she couldn't have been very far from Lina's place, if she was on foot. And this perp is unlikely to go very far for the jewelry. Maybe Charlie can come up with a possible area using this information, and we can start a door to door in that area." Don kept his cool as best as he could. They had thought they were close to breaking the case.

--

Charlie came through for them with an area to search. Nevertheless, Colby and David looked at each other unhappily. It was still a large area to be canvassing, even with additional agents. The next few days were going to be painful for them.

They went patiently from house to house, struggling to keep their frustration under control, as each person they talked to responded in the negative. No one had seen Nallini. No one had seen anyone who resembled Jagan Gupta. No one knew anything.

But eventually, patience and good old fashioned pounding of the pavement paid off for the two agents. An old lady who lived in a little place tucked behind a bigger house remembered seeing both Nallini and a man who resembled Jagan Gupta. She directed them to a house she had seen them enter, a few streets away, along the route that she walked every morning and evening.

Colby felt a relief that was almost palpable. He and David headed back to the office with lighter hearts, to put together the raid.

--

When the dust finally settled in the aftermath of the raid, they found Nallini chained to a bed, but otherwise safe and unharmed.

Colby felt the chills run down his spine when he looked at the killer. He was the spitting image of Jagan Gupta. There was no wonder that the jeweler had identified Jagan from the photo. But most chilling of all, was the emptiness in this man's eyes. Colby had seen a lot in Afghanistan, but he'd never seen such soulless eyes.

Now in custody, the killer seemed almost eager to tell his story, eager to the point of bragging. "My name is Kiran Jain," he said proudly. "I'm Jagan's twin brother. He doesn't know he has a twin. I was sold to a businessman, who kept me as a slave, back in India. He brought me over here when I was about eight. But he never let me forget that I had been sold to him because my family was poor. And he kept telling me that my mother did not shed any tears when she handed me over to him."

He paused, and the smile that spread on his face could only be described as evil. "I found out everything about Jagan's life," he said softly, "And I followed him where ever his job took him. I made sure that he was in the vicinity for each woman I killed."

"Why these women?" Megan questioned.

"I am putting them out of their misery. They were going into marriages they didn't want. I was doing them a favor, so they wouldn't turn out like my mother. My mother was heartless..."

Colby turned away, sickened. Kiran had been killing his mother over and over again, for her heartlessness.

--

Later, Don sighed in relief, "Good job everyone. Take a day off and get some rest, you all deserve it."

"Don't forget the softball game tomorrow evening," Megan reminded everyone. "We're playing the District Attorney's office. You can both bring your significant other," she said, grinning at Colby and David.

"Only if you bring yours," Colby shot back. "Does Larry play softball?" Megan shot him a dirty look, and he laughed.

Don was happy to see the banter back, it meant that things were going back to normal. He was also looking forward to seeing Robin Brooks at the softball game.

David grinned at the expression on Don's face, "So who are you expecting to see at the softball game?"

And everyone laughed as Don pointedly ignored him as he headed out the door.

--

Chapter 13

It was already the middle of the ninth inning in the softball game by the time Hannah pulled into the parking lot. She hadn't been able to get away from the store for the entire game. She could just make out Colby running in from right field, and it looked like Don Eppes and David Sinclair running in from second and short respectively. She looked up at the scoreboard and groaned. The FBI were behind 6-4.

"Hey, Mr. Eppes," she greeted Don's father as she strolled into the dugout. "It's not looking good, is it?"

Alan Eppes looked a little grim as he scribbled furiously in his scorebook, but replied positively, "They have the heart of their order coming up to bat. David, Colby, then Don. We just have to tie it up."

She nodded. Colby hadn't said anything to her, he'd just grabbed his bat and headed for the on-deck circle. He'd looked a little grim too.

Hannah said a few words of greeting to Olivia, who seemed a little amused at the tension in the dugout. Charlie, Amita and Larry were over in a corner of the dugout, apparently arguing wind speeds and ball trajectories. And about the probability of consistently hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the bat. Hannah laughed to herself, at the normal yet abnormal scene in the dugout.

A cheer went up, and she looked out on the field to see David take first base on a ground ball between second and short. Colby was already in the batter's box, and looked eager to take his first pitch.

He swung and missed on a ball, and Hannah could see him cussing himself out. She could also see Don fidgeting a little on the on-deck circle. Colby took the next two balls, then Hannah's heart skipped a little, when it looked like the curveball headed low and inside on the strikezone. Colby swung and connected, and everyone gasped as they watched the ball head out over the fence.

The FBI team cheered as both David and Colby rounded the bases. Both of them were pounded on the back and on their helmets as they arrived back at home plate.

"I need to remind Don to lay off the low, outside pitches," Hannah heard Charlie say as he started to leave the dugout. Alan grabbed his younger son. "He's fine, Charlie, leave him alone."

Hannah smiled at Colby, all grimy and sweaty, but ecstatic at pulling the team even. She slid her arms around him, and kissed him thoroughly. He grinned. "I'm all sweaty and stinky," he murmured and pressed a kiss on her temple. He pulled her closer to the front of the dugout so he could watch the ballgame.

"Wonder if Don is having a good time, with Assistant DA Brooks' hands between his legs," David joked, still high on having been part of pulling the team even.

Colby laughed, as Olivia elbowed David who grinned unrepentently back at her. "ADA Brooks is the catcher. She worked with us on a gang shooting case some months back. Don's been trying to connect with her," Colby explained to Hannah.

They watched Robin Brooks argue heatedly with the umpire, on a high ball. Apparently, she disagreed with the high outside call the umpire made. Don said something to her, which didn't seem to appease her any. It was obvious she was still furious as she dropped back into her catcher's crouch.

Don whacked a line drive on a low, outside pitch. The ball travelled straight and true and landed just inside the third base line, between the left fielder and the third baseman.

"See, Charlie? I told you he was fine," Alan was all but crowing.

There was still nobody out. Megan was up to bat and she was showing bunt. She missed twice, and Hannah could feel Colby and David tensing up. Then Megan laid a beautiful bunt that dropped and rolled away from both the charging pitcher and first baseman. She managed to get to first base, while Don motored past second, and then slid safely into third base.

The next FBI batter struck out swinging on three balls. Hannah could see Colby struggling not to say anything to the man as he came back into the dugout. Hannah hugged Colby, and saw him struggling before offering her a tight smile. She wanted to laugh, but knew it wouldn't be a good idea right then.

Just as quickly, it was 3 and 1 on the next batter. He swung on the next pitch, and connected just enough to ground it towards the pitcher, who scooped it up and tossed it to Robin Brooks. She was crouched over the plate, protecting it as Don charged into her. He dragged his foot over home plate, and as they landed, Robin dropped the ball.

There was pandemonium in the FBI dugout as high fives and hugs went around. But Hannah was still watching home plate. Don was cradling Robin in his arms, and gently removing her catcher's mask. She could see Don saying something, but at first she couldn't be sure if the catcher was responding. Then she saw, with some relief, that Robin was starting to move. She could also see the relief on Don's face. Robin sat up, and looked a little groggy. Then Hannah laughed, as the catcher drew back and punched Don in the shoulder. She got up and stormed off the diamond. Hannah thought that there wasn't any doubt that Robin Brooks was going to be alright. She wasn't so sure about Don or the relationship.

Hannah leaned into Colby's embrace as she watched Don head dejectedly into the FBI dugout. Her lips twitched as he met her eyes, and she said, "You know, jewelry will usually sooth a furious woman. And I know just where you can get quality jewelry with a special FBI discount."

Don looked startled, then burst into laughter. "I'll take you up on that discount, but I'll need to do something before then. Hey, I'll meet you guys at Colby's apartment later, okay? I have something I need to take care of first."

There was laughter and good-natured digging as Don left the dugout after Robin Brooks.

Hannah looked at Colby with some curiosity. "Why are they meeting at your place?"

Colby grinned, "I'm cooking dinner. It's easier to make Beef Wellington for a bunch of people than it is for two people. Besides, it's a great way to celebrate a win."

Hannah laughed. "You must be pretty sure of yourself and that Beef Wellington to have nine people over for dinner!"

Colby just shrugged and smiled.

--

Chapter 14

Don got into his own car as he saw Robin pulling away from the parking lot in hers. He followed her back to her apartment.

She slammed her car door in a fury when she saw him pull into the driveway.

"Are you stalking me now? It's not enough that you embarrass me at the ballpark?" Robin snarled at him.

"Cut me some slack, will you? I just wanted to make sure you're okay. You were unconscious for a few seconds. I didn't want you to pass out and get into an accident on your way home! And you know you would have done exactly the same thing, ploughed into our catcher and tried to knock the ball out of the glove, if it had been you!" Don was just as steamed now.

Robin stormed away from him, into her apartment and Don followed her right into it.

"I didn't invite you in!"

"Yes, but I'm in now. I want to take a look at that scrape."

"I can take care of myself!"

Don had enough of the sniping. He reached for her arm and swung her around to face him. She parted her lips to protest, but he cupped his hand around the back of her neck and crushed his mouth on her parted lips. Her protest died away, and she moaned with pleasure, as he devoured her mouth, his tongue darting in and caressing hers. He eased back and nibbled on her lower lip. She caught her breath, as his hands slid down her back in a gentle massage. He cupped her cheek with his right hand, as he pulled her hips close to his with his left, all the while pressing gentle kisses on her lips and face.

They began to undress each other in a frenzy, all of a sudden unable to wait another minute. "Wait, I have to get a condom," Don struggled to reach his jeans which had somehow twisted beyond his reach. Robin wasn't sure if she should be relieved or annoyed that he had one. She pushed him back down on the floor and straddled him.

"Oh, I'm not sure that's a good idea just yet." Don was amused.

"I'll take care of this," Robin narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not sure I'm entirely happy that you thought you would need this."

Don grinned, "The FBI is always ready for any contingency."

Robin laughed, she couldn't help it. She liked that she couldn't push him around. She gently caressed him, then quipped, "You do swing a mighty bat, don't you?"

Don laughed at that, then he wasn't laughing anymore, as she slid the condom on him, and lowered herself on him. She moaned in pleasure as she began to ride him. She didn't know when he placed his hands on her hips, but she felt him steady her, as his hips thrust up as she rode down.

He slowed the rhythm a little, as he watched the pleasure on her face. He reached up and pressed a trail of kisses from her neck down, then licked each nipple in turn. She responded with little gasps of pleasure. Then he started thrusting harder and faster, until they climaxed together.

Don cradled her in his arms, while their breathing settled back to normal. "You know we're going to have to show up at Colby's in a few minutes, don't you?"

Robin grimaced, and punched him in the shoulder again. He laughed, "Do I have to remind you that it's a felony to assault a federal officer?"

"Hmph. I am not amused. Everyone will know what we've been doing."

"Does it matter? Are you ashamed?"

Robin rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not ashamed. It's just... private!"

Don hugged her close, and she sighed. "All right. We'll go."

--

Chapter 15

Hannah was impressed. Colby already had everything put together and ready for the oven. While everyone was in the living room with their drinks and snacks, discussing the game, he was in the kitchen getting it all in the oven. He had the timing down pat, and everything was piping hot when it all came to the table.

"Mr. Eppes, if you'll do the honors," Colby said, handing Alan the carving set.

"Aren't we going to wait for Don?" Hannah asked.

"Oh no!" Alan said, smirking a little. "With any luck, he won't show up." Everyone at the table burst into laughter at that.

"Colby, where'd you learn to cook like that?" David wanted to know. "You're making me look bad, man!"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "David, you can't even heat up a can of soup. He doesn't have to do much to make you look bad!"

"Oh, my goodness, Colby! I am very impressed. This pâté de foie gras is excellent! Where did you purchase it?" Larry chimed in, as excited as a child at Christmas over the pate coating around the filet. "And this puff pastry, it's light as a feather!"

Colby smiled his thanks. "It's all made from scratch. And it's not true pâté de foie gras, I used chicken liver instead of goose liver. My mother owns a restaurant in Winchester, and I spent a lot of days working for her."

"I never knew that," Megan exclaimed. "Cheap labor for your mother, huh?"

Colby rolled his eyes, "More like free labor. I graduated from college and went into the army just so I wouldn't have to work at the restaurant again!"

Everyone laughed at that.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Charlie said, "I'm closest."

Don came in, and he had Robin Brooks with him. Colby looked at Hannah and smirked. He leaned over and murmured in her ear, "She's got the same glow you do after we make love." Hannah laughed and nudged him. He grinned, "Trust me, I won't be the only one who notices."

There was some shuffling as everyone made room for Don and Robin. Don rolled his eyes at the knowing grins his father and brother gave him. Robin pointedly ignored the amused glances around the table, but couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks. Don slid his arm around her and hugged her.

"So what's for dessert?" Amita asked, then wished she hadn't, as Colby suddenly looked a little panicked.

"Sorry, I forgot it. I'll make a run for some ice-cream or something."

David laughed, "I'm glad you forgot something. I feel better now." Then laughed even harder as Olivia elbowed him in the ribs.

--

It was almost midnight by the time Hannah and Colby had everything washed up and put away. Hannah dropped onto the couch with a sigh of relief, then squeaked in surprise as Colby scooped her up into his arms.

"Do you want to spend the night here or would you rather we spend the night at your place?" Colby asked, as they snuggled on his couch.

"It doesn't matter to me. I just want to be where you are." Hannah murmured, with a sigh of pleasure as Colby started to massage her shoulders. He sat up on the couch and maneuvered Hannah so she was facing him. She grinned with amusement as he did that, then before he could do anything, she hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him in a for a kiss. His lips slanted across hers and his tongue parted her lips. Then they both groaned, as his FBI cell phone rang. Duty called. Again.

--

The End