A/N: This story is a sequel to "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" so be sure you've read that one first. Also, be sure you've read Labyrinth's marvelous "The Ninth Circle" and "Heartstrings".

Brenda couldn't wipe the self-satisfied smile from her face as she wheeled her weekender from the LAX Baggage Claim area to the parking lot shuttlebus. She was still smiling when she hoisted the small suitcase into the back of her Prius and cruised out onto the highway. Actually, that smile had occupied her face all the way from Washington, DC.

Her interviews had gone well, and she knew it. And while Dalton Ensinger, Undersecretary of Homeland Security, had said that she was not the one being interviewed, she knew she had been evaluated as well. She also knew that he had been impressed and she was overjoyed to have had some input into the people who would be serving on her team, should she accept the job with Homeland Security. She had given her impressions of the candidates verbally to Ensinger and had promised to write them up, together with her recommendations, as soon as she got home. She had sketched them out on her laptop while flying back to Los Angeles. All she would need to do would be to flesh them out with a few details and she could email them to Ensinger this evening.

"Her team." Oh, how she yearned to make that phrase a reality by accepting the job. If only this job weren't in DC, she sighed. But Fritz had laid out a plan that he was convinced would work if she wanted to accept the Homeland Security position. It would be hard but I think he's right. We could make it work for a little while. Just as long as we have a definite time limit. I want this job more than any job I've ever had.

But as she drove, her growling stomach intruded, reminding her that she had skipped both breakfast and lunch. Those airplane peanuts are long gone. Her hunger drew her thoughts to dinner so she punched the phone icon on her steering wheel and told her car to call Fritz. When there was no answer she left the message that she was picking up Chinese from Ming's. With that taken care of, her thoughts drifted back to their employment dilemma. I'm so glad Fritzi accepted the S.O.B. job. He deserves it. Those thoughts brought her smile back. I can't wait to get home and tell him all about my interviews and hear how his day went. Deputy Chief Howard… Her smile broadened.

Fritz checked the clock. Brenda's plane should be landing in an hour, provided her flight was on time. That thought prompted him to check her flight's ETA on his new computer. It's right on schedule, he smiled. I have time to finish up my paperwork. I want to leave my first report on Taylor's desk tonight.

So he turned his attention to completing the strange new forms on the rescue of Officer Kate Sherman who went missing from The Zoo Zone, a local night club. As he looked at the forms he frowned, Some of these questions are pure B.S. But he filled them out to the best of his ability and double checked them and then he sent an email to Ann McGinnis letting her know that he had completed the paperwork.

Although Capt. McGinnis had turned down the job, it was clear to him that she considered S.O.B. to be her property and all of its officers to be her personal responsibility. And the fact that Taylor had sought her opinion about whether or not to offer him the job spoke to the position of respect she occupied at the LAPD. Her help was going to be invaluable and he knew he had to walk a tightrope with her. On one hand he needed to make it clear that he was now in control of the unit. On the other hand he wanted to acknowledge her importance to the unit and not antagonize her unnecessarily.

As he was finishing up his report, his phone buzzed letting him know he had a message. He smiled when he saw that Brenda was back in LA and was picking up dinner. So he put everything away and delivered his report. Thankfully, Taylor was up in Pope's office reporting on the day's events so he just placed the report in his In Basket and left for the day.

Brenda left her suitcase in the car and juggled the food bags and her keys. As she set the bags down on the kitchen counter she glanced at the clock. It was almost 8:00. Last night Fritz had told her that his first day had been spent mostly in the HR office filling out paperwork, moving into his new office, and meeting his staff, so today would be the first day he actually assumed command of S.O.B. I'll bet he stayed late to make sure everythin' is perfect. Mister Attention to Detail. As she was setting the table, she heard Fritz's car pull up and met him at the door with an enthusiastic kiss.

But just as she was about to tell him how handsome he looked in his uniform she felt something strange. "Fritzi, why are you wearin' a bullet proof vest at home?"

Fritz let out a sigh and raised his eyes to the ceiling and groaned, "I wanted to hear your news before I told you about this. I should have known you'd be two steps ahead of me." He pulled away from her, let out another long breath and said, "It's not a bullet proof vest."

"Well, what is it then?"

"Honey, it's nothing serious."

"What…"

"It's really nothing."

"Are you gonna tell me what this is or do I have to strip you right here and now."

"Come sit down on the couch and I'll tell you everything."

She had expected him to make a joke about her stripping him, but his sudden somber demeanor scared her. "Fritz, what's wrong?" she asked with wide, alarmed eyes when they were both seated.

"Honey, it wasn't anything serious."

Her mind immediately began thinking the worst. "You're repeatin' yourself. What happened? Did you get hurt?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Just focus on this: It. Wasn't. Serious… Okay? I just had a very mild heart attack."

"WHAT?!"

"It was small, honey, very mild. The doctor signed off and sent me back to work."

"When did this happen?"

"Two days ago."

Her shock and fear fused into anger. "Okay. Right now I want to kill you," she exploded. "Why didn't you tell me? How could you keep somethin' like this from me?" The tears began to flow.

He took her into his arms. "Sweetheart, don't cry. It's okay. Really, it's okay."

She angrily freed herself and faced him, wet-faced, with eyes blazing. "No! It's not okay. You didn't tell me. How long did you think you could hide the fact that you had a heart attack from me?"

"I always intended to tell you. I just wanted to tell you in person, not over the phone. I didn't…"

"Why not? I could have come right home."

"That's exactly why. I know you would have caught the first flight home. But there was nothing you could have done, and I wanted you to have good interviews without worrying about me."

Brenda looked away from him trying to corral her emotions. When she could once again speak, her voice was ice cold, deadly. "So you made the decision to shut me out again, Fritz. Just like you've done before."

"No, no! Honestly, I didn't shut you out. I just didn't want to scare you and ruin your interviews. Honey, there was nothing you could have done. And it wasn't serious."

"I should have been with you, and of course it was serious. And what is this thang, anyway?" she asked tugging on the vest under his shirt.

"It's an external pacemaker."

Once again her eyes grew large and round, with pupils the size of dinner plates. "I thought you said it wasn't serious."

"It wasn't, honey. I've got some mild arrhythmia and this vest is supposed to regulate it. I'm sure I'll be able to ditch it when I go back to the doctor next week."

"What else did they do for you?"

"I got two stents… I have to take cholesterol medication and a blood thinner."

"TWO stents?"

"You know as soon as your father got his stent, he was as good as new."

"He's only got one, Fritzi. Not two."

"Honey, I'm just fine. The doctor released me to go back to work. He wouldn't have done that if it had been serious, now would he?"

"When do you go back to see this doctor?"

"Next week."

"You said that, Fritz. I want to know exactly when you go back."

Fritz got up, walked to his desk and got his appointment card and handed it to her.

"I'm gonna go with you."

Fritz nodded, "Okay."

"Did you tell Taylor about this?"

"No. Since I was cleared before I started work I don't think I have to."

"You don't think he'll want to know that his Deputy Chief of S.O.B. just had a heart attack?"

"No. It was over before I started at the LAPD. As long as I stay healthy, I'm fine."

"Where's your discharge paperwork? I want to read it."

"It's in my desk. I'll get it," and he retrieved the doctor's instruction sheet for her.

"This says you have to get more exercise and change your diet. You have to restrict your intake of salt and cut back on fried food."

"Uh huh. It's not going to be fun, but I can do it. But at least I get to spend more time in the pool."

"But it says you have to wear that vest all the time."

"Well, not when I'm in the water, but yeah, until my next appointment."

"What about sex?"

"The doctor didn't tell me not to, so I'm sure it'll be just fine."

"Well, it's not fine until the doctor says it's fine." Her anger at Fritz just stepped up a notch. She had been looking forward to making love to a Deputy Chief and now that looked impossible. "You're gonna call him tomorrow and ask about makin' love. And you're gonna tell me exactly what he says. Word for word. No fudgin'."

"I will. I promise. Now, tell me about your interviews."

"I told you about most of it on the phone last night." She told him about her morning conference call she'd had just before she had to fly home. It was with Ensinger, one other Undersecretary of Homeland Security, as well as a Congressman "Dealin' with Homeland Security brass would be okay but that Congressman is a typical politician. He doesn't really know much but wants to impress you with his grasp of the situation, just the same. But the good news is that no one on the team will have to deal with him on a regular basis. Talkin' to him was just Ensinger's way of tryin' to nail down fundin' for the team," she concluded.

That night, lying in bed, Fritz turned to Brenda, kissed her and stroked her cheek. "You know that the only reason I didn't call you right away is because I wanted you to have the best interviews possible, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that. And even though that was wrong thinkin' I forgive you."

Fritz grinned. "I'm so glad you no longer want to kill me."

"Oh, I still want to kill you, but the words are keepin' me from it."

"What words?"

"For better or worse, in sickness and in health."

The End

7