| Title : High Explosive Chapter : Prologue Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = Disclaimer: We all know what I DO NOT own...(basically anything that you have heard of) * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = "Shit shit shit shit shit shit..." Raye cursed under her breath, as her gun ran out of ammunition. A bunch of dead assassins lay scattered aroung the streets, but the last one was still in hot pursuit, gun aimed at her. Revving up her motorcycle to maximum speed, she tore off towards the bridge, steering with one hand while the other dug in her coat for her second gun. Raye Warrington was one of four elite female agents working under Luna Felis. A casual observer glimpsing her in her civilian form on the street would see a stunning dark-haired siren with exotic eyes, who looked like a seductive starlet from some Hollywood drama. Five feet six and a half inches of fine-boned, lissome loveliness, with a glossy mane of waist-length raven hair and lush red lips, she turned heads right and left. But almost no one was aware of the fact that Raye Warrington, with her soulful violet eyes, not only had two degrees from two of the top colleges in the country and an IQ of 185, but had 4 black belts in 4 different types of martial arts: kendo, judo, karate and aikido, had undergone training more rigorous than Navy SEAL training, and had been hand-picked for her strength, beauty and intelligence to be one of the most powerful and feared agents in the nation. Along with Amy Anderson, Mina Angell, and Lita Woods, Raye was part of a group of four female agents who worked on the most difficult and dangerous of crime cases. Which is what she was doing at the very moment. She was going after one of the most vicious of L.A.'s crime lords. His latest crime had been to, with the aid of his various trigger-happy thugs, kidnap the supermodel daughter of a millionaire. Raye had, with the aid of her many feminine wiles and a few handy roofies slipped into their food, drugged the thugs guarding the girl, and had taken her place. Then fought her way out onto her waiting motorcycle. Then...the gun chase. As bullets flew around her, Raye swerved a crazy zig-zag path on the road, the crime lord on his motorcycle in hot pursuit. Raye sped to the edge of the bridge, then, stopped. Her pursuer came right after her, and at the very last minute, she did a hairpin turn. The crime lord, unable to turn in time, flipped off his motorcycle and flew over the bridge to his doom on the highway below. ~ ~ ~ "Ahh...." Raye was in heaven. Two days had passed since her last mission had concluded with the showdown on the bridge. She was taking a long bubble bath, the heady scent of jasmine and black cherries filling the room. She relaxed and closed her eyes. They snapped open a moment later, then narrowed in irritation. WHY did her fucking cell phone have to ring now?! Grabbing a towel, she climbed out of the bathtub and grabbed the phone. "WHAT NOW?!" She harshed into it. "Hello Raye." A well-modulated, feminine voice greeted her politely on the other end of the line. "GODDAMMIT Luna!! I was taking a bubble bath! Is this important?" "Your new assignment is in. I just wanted to let you know. Bomber-hacker named Saffir. You've heard of him, I'm sure." "YES! E-MAIL ME THE DETAILS AND I'LL CHECK THEM LATER!! I'll do it, whatever, but CAN I GO BACK TO MY BATH NOW?!?" Luna sighed, "All right, all right, go enjoy your bath. Oh, just one more thing..." "What?!" "You'll be working with one of Artemis Cato's agents. Agent Jadeite. I'll send over his information as well. Have a nice bath!" Luna smiled as she calmly finished dropping the bomb. She hung up the phone just as an outraged shriek was heard from Raye. Raye did not return to her bath. For the love of God, WHY did she have to get strapped with some pissy guy from Art's little group?! It was totally unfair! Raye HATED to work with unfamiliar agents. They were always incompetent and did nothing but get in her way. Thinking thoughts not fit to be spoken aloud of Luna, Art, and her new partner, whoever the hell he was, she got dressed in her favorite red tank top and shorts and took out her frustrations on the punching bag hanging in her room. ~ ~ ~ At the same time, a tall, angelic-looking man with short golden hair and eyes blue as the heart of a flame sat in a bar by another man with longer, darker blond hair and sharp green eyes. The first man was talking furiously to his companion. "Can you BELIEVE it?! Art's going to make me team up with one of Luna's girls for the Saffir case! SAFFIR! Crazed son-of-a-bitch bomber!! I'll probably have to spend half the time watching her ass!" James Byrne, when angry, was a force to be reckoned with. And at the moment, he was pissed. And his companion was NOT helping the situation. "Of course you will." The other man grinned, "Luna's ladies are known to be quite lovely, and if that blonde beauty who now has our own dear Kevin tied to her apron strings is any indication, whoever you will be working with, she will probably have a GREAT ass that you can stare at for hours on end..." "ZACK!" James growled. "Not only are you disgusting, but you're obviously an idiot as well...this is SAFFIR that I'm going to be dealing with! He's like the fucking Unabomber #2!! I do NOT need any chick to get in my way!! She'll just be a distraction!" "Of course she will....and most likely a damn pleasant one..." Zack said smugly. Pissing off James was one of his hobbies...it was like playing with fireworks: dangerous but oh-so-fun..... James shot Zack such a dirty look that had looks been able to kill, Zack would be lying in tiny pieces on the floor. Zack simply returned a beatific smile, and said, "Hey man, I wish I were you...it's got to be a helluva experience to work with one of Luna's fascinating babes. I hope I get the chance someday. Meanwhile, good luck and have fun with your girl!" "Ha-ha! My girl...yeah, right..." James scowled. But indeed, Zack would turn out to be extremely right. Title : High Explosive Chapter : One Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = The ringing of his doorbell brought James out of his kitchen as he was trying to cook some breakfast. He opened up the door to reveal a tall, blonde goddess that could have been his sister as far as looks were concerned. She was dressed in a pinkish-orange wrap-around blouse shot with gold threads and matching slacks and gold sandals. Her luxuriant blonde tresses were pulled back with a red ribbon. But this was no simple blonde beauty. At an even 5'9" and 125 pounds, Mina Angell looked like a supermodel, but James had seen her in action, and then there were also the stories that Kevin told them, in a dazed voice. "Good morning James!" She greeted him cheerfully. "May I come in for a sec?" James smiled. Mina was a darling, and really a good influence on stuffy old Kevin, who clearly adored her. "Sure." Mina thanked him graciously, then stepped into his apartment. She sniffed the air. "What's burning?" "SHIT!" James had forgotten all about his eggs. He and Mina ran to the kitchen. Shaking her head at him, she took his charred eggs and dumped them into the trash, then proceeded to make new ones. "You're hopeless, James." James smirked, "That's why you're here." Mina laughed. James asked, "Just why are you here anyway? Wouldn't Kevin get jealous knowing that you're at my place this early in the morning making me breakfast?" He added in a teasing voice. Mina arched one golden eyebrow, "I certainly should hope not! I just left his place, and I thought I would drop by before heading to work." "You JUST left Kevin's place..." James gave Mina a piercing look. "Wait, never mind, don't explain, I REALLY do not want to know." Mina blushed slightly. "So, do you want anything? Although I'm hopeless with eggs, I can get you a cup of coffee or something if you'd like." "No, but if you have any OJ that would be great." Mina replied. "I heard that you're going to be working with Raye." "Uh-huh." James said as neutrally as possible. Mina studied him for a moment. "You're not looking forward to it. You know that this mission will be long and tough, and you don't want someone who might get in the way. You don't want to spend your time babysitting some girl. Unlike Zack, who would jump at the chance to work with some hot chick, you really don't want someone incompetent, who has more hair than brain cells. And understandably, since Saffir is the most ruthless and brilliant bomber since the Unabomber. Well, set your heart at rest. Raye is a smart girl, she can take care of herself. Just don't do anything to piss her off." Mina grinned. "She's really sweet once you get to know her, and loyal." "HOW did you know all that?" James asked incredulously. "I'm a psych phD of course I know." Mina finished sipping her orange juice. "Well, I better be off. Good luck, and remember what I said." With that, the blonde girl swept out of the apartment. ~ ~ ~ James sat in Luna Felis' office and looked around him. It was similar to Art's office, slightly neater though, and with an unmistakeable feminine touch in the white lace curtains and still-life picture on the wall, a picture of a black cat perched on a tabletop next to a vaseful of white and pink roses. There were photos of four beautiful women, Luna's agents, everywhere. In various guises from previous missions: from punk rocker to prostitute to doctor to exec to army uniforms. James found himself staring at one particular picture, of a dark-haired girl with fiery yet soulful eyes, dressed in a black shirt embroidered with an intricate red dragon, black pants, and black boots. She had two guns strapped to her Lara Croft style, and held a katana in her hands. 'Wow' At that very moment, the door slammed open and the same black-haired girl stormed in. Without sparing him even a glance, she made a beeline for the coffee machine. Luna looked up in amusement at the girl. Raye was definitely NOT a morning person, even though she always conscientiously made sure that she looked decent in the mornings. This morning was no different. Despite the irritability practically radiating off her in waves, she looked stunning in a fire-engine red v-neck shirt and black jeans with a leather jacket. "Good morning to you, Raye." "Morning." Raye said between clenched teeth. "Who the hell is he and what the hell is he doing here?" James felt a bit of ire. This girl, beautiful though she might be, seemed rather...antisocial. Luna cleared her throat and shot a warning glance at her. "Raye, be nice. Allow me to introduce to you James Byrne, Agent Jadeite. He will be your partner for the mission." James forced a smile upon his face and stuck out a hand. "A pleasure, Raye." Raye shook his hand silently, sizing him up. He was tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and looked like Apollo. Handsome, in a classical sense, like an angel. He was gorgeous. Too gorgeous. Guys that gorgeous were 98% of the time totally useless. She was about to say something, but Luna gave her a warning glance, 'KEEP YOUR COOL'. She shut her eyes briefly, then addressed James, "Look, we need to get together, figure out what the fuck Saffir is after, and stop him from getting it." "Yes, when and where?" James asked. Raye sighed, "Let's get this over with as soon as possible. When's the soonest time for you?" "Dinner tonight?" She nodded. "Here's my number, I'll be home by 5." She scribbled a phone number onto a post-it and handed it to him. He took it, and continued, "I'll try to gather some information til then. I suggest you do the same." Raye gave him one imperious, irate glare. "Don't you try to tell me what the fuck to do." Then, in a swirl of silky sable hair, she stormed out of Luna's office to her own office and slammed the door. Luna gave James a sympathetic glance and he shrugged. Some mutinous, impudent part of his brain made a note of the fact that Miss Raye Warrington was gorgeous when she was mad, and he smiled. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Two Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = Raye arrived back at her apartment after work with a stack of important papers in her briefcase. With the help of her fellow agent Amy Anderson, hacker extraordinaire, she had managed to acquire a lot of information on Saffir. Now, it was necessary to get her partner and figure out the information. And prevent Saffir's next attack, as soon as they'd figured out when and where that would be. At that moment, her phone rang. "Hello, who's this?" "Is that you, Miss Warrington? This is James Byrne." "Call me Raye. I detest being called Miss Warrington. So what's the plan for tonight?" "Your call." James was relieved. Raye Warrington sounded slightly less cranky now than in the morning when she had nearly bitten his head off. "What would you like to do?" "Hmm, we should go somewhere where I know we won't be disturbed, we do have business to discuss, after all." She thought for a moment, then smiled. "I have it. There's this place I know of in town. I know the owner. It's a very high class establishment, so dress really nice. A bit pricey, but it's no big deal. Let me make a few phone calls, and then, you can come over at 6:30. My address is 50000 King Street, Apt. 1210. I will see you in an hour." "Sounds fine to me, see you then." James hung up. A shower was necessary. Then, to locate a tuxedo... ~ ~ ~ "Silver Elegance limo service, how may I help you?" "Hi, I would like to order a two-person limo. White." Raye calmly listed the details, then waited for the usual refusal. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we cannot do this on such short notice." Raye dropped the bomb in a silken, imperious voice. "My name is Raye Warrington." An audible gasp could be heard on the other end of the line. "Now, I want that limo at 50000 King Street in an hour. Is that clear?" "Yes, Miss Warrington, of course." "Thank you." Raye hung up. 'Subservient brown-nosing gold-diggers,,,' Raye was the daughter of a former Secretary of State and a former supermodel. She had grown up in the lap of luxury and publicity, and hated it. When she had been discovered by Luna, she had almost cried with relief. Almost. Raye never cried. But still, being the daughter of Louis Warrington III and Marguerite Seymour had its benefits. People listened and obeyed. And, even though she had had cut ties with them long ago, they had made sure that she always had a nauseating amount of money. Raye took a quick shower and searched her wardrobe. She extracted a short cerise silk dress that had a fringe of jet beads at the bodice, a limited edition Vera Wang, and a pair of matching red high-heeled sandals. A black beaded purse with a wallet, her keys, and her gun. Ruby and black pearl earrings and a matching choker. She put on some makeup and a spray of Chanel No. 5. She was ready. With the papers in a briefcase, she waited for her partner to show up. James took the elevator to the penthouse floor of the apartment building. 'Hmm...rich girl. Let's hope that she's not a totally vapid snob.' He found Apartment 1210, and knocked. The door opened, and his mouth went dry and his jaw dropped. Red was DEFINITELY her color. Raye looked at him, half in amusement, half in admiration. He looked nice in a tux. "I'll take that as a compliment. Now let's get going." She grabbed her briefcase and purse, and beckoned him to follow her out. Their limo was waiting outside. 'Holy shit'. Raye gave some instructions to the limo driver, and climbed inside. James followed her, trying not to stare at her legs as she stepped in daintily. When the door had shut behind him, she faced him. "We're going to the Ruby Millennium. Have you ever heard of it?" She asked. He nodded, dazed. "That's the place that practically only caters to CEOs, politicians and celebrities though..." She winked mischievously. "Exactly. They have private dining rooms. Oh, and excellent seafood and champagne." "But...we're not...they'll never let us in without a reservation and a million dollars." Raye smiled serenely. "Oh, they will let us in. You'll see." They arrived at the restaurant in question. It was by the water, and had a gleaming fountain at the front. Raye got out of their limo, and casually handed the driver a $50 dollar bill, then told him to come pick them up at midnight. She then confidently strode up to the tuxedo-clad maitre d', James at her heels. The maitre d' looked at them snootily. "Who, may I ask, are you? Do you have a reservation?" Raye met his gaze unflinchingly. "No. We would like a private room on the top floor." The maitre d' looked at her with a mix of astonished indignation and pure snobbishness. "My dear young lady, the Ruby Millennium does NOT just allow anyone to get a private room, especially not on the top floor, and ESPECIALLY without a reservation made at least 3 days in advance." Raye met his icy look with one of her own, a challenge in her smoky purple eyes. "Is that so? Ask your owner Mr. Carmichael if it is ever a problem to give Raye Warrington a private room." The maitre d' looked stunned. "R-Raye Warrington?" Raye nodded slowly, a slightly mocking smile on her face. "Go on, ask Mr. Carmichael." The maitre d' scurried off, then returned a few minutes later, looking slightly whipped. "My sincerest apologies, Miss Warrington, please follow me." He led them to a private dining room with a table for two with a black vase filled with red roses for a centerpiece. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. A waiter came in, and handed them menus. "I'll have the caviar sampler for appetizer, chicken caesar salad, go light on the dressing, some lobster bisque, your Sole fillet with Cointreau, and champagne. James, what would you like?" "Er, I'll have some stuffed mushrooms, Greek salad, clam chowder, and chicken with fennel, and champagne, please." "Right away." The waiter exited. James turned to Raye. "How did you do that?" "Do what? Get us in? Easy enough." Raye shrugged. "As much as I hate it, being the daughter of a politician and a former supermodel has its perks. I don't usually advertise it, but that's how it is. People who hear my name usually cringe in fear, then start kissing my ass." She rolled her eyes. "At times, beneficial though this may be, I wish I was born a nobody from nowhere. Then, people would actually maybe see me, not the snotty little rich girl." James quirked an eyebrow. "I see. Well, when I was young, I wished nothing more than to be rich. My dad died when I was one, my mom...well, I can see that we grew up in different backgrounds. But we're on the same ground now." "Yeah." Raye nodded. He wasn't that bad after all. "Anyways, I did some homework this afternoon with the help of my friend Amy, she's one helluva good hacker. This is what I was able to find." She pulled out her briefcase and opened it up. "About Saffir: He is actually a man by the name of Stephan Black, age 31, with mean hacking skills and a skill for making difficult-to-defuse bombs. A most unpleasant individual, all in all. I have also gotten copies of all his past threats and letters, and have read them through. Unfortunately, their diction is really vague and I can't really make heads or tales out of them reading them. However, Amy had also hacked into his personal accounts, and had found out something rather noteworthy and highly disturbing. On many of the more suspicious correspondence, there is always be a most remarkable letterhead on the top." She showed it to James, who looked at it closely, with a slight frown. A letterhead that consisted of a coal-black, upside down crescent moon. She continued on, pointing to the letterhead with one red nail. "Nothing particularly disturbing about that in itself, but it just so happened that Mina and Kevin's latest target, Estrellita Noir, also known as Esmeraude, not only also used that same letterhead, but even had that symbol tattooed on the nape of her neck. There's got to be a connection here somehow. I mean, look, their codenames: Saffir, for Sapphire. Esmeraude, for Emerald. Both gemstones. Plus, they both use this symbol. A black moon. Hmm...." Suddenly, she paled. "Oh my God...oh my God...Black Moon..." James' eyes widened in comprehension. "You don't suppose that...that they're part of the Black Moon? That...they're working for Demando?" Raye nodded weakly. "That's exactly what I suppose. Shit, that makes our lives much more miserable. This means that Saffir is not working alone. He's got a bunch of assassins working for him. Wonderful, just wonderful..." She let out a little moan. "I have a distinct feeling that this will end really ugly. 'Independence Day' alien ugly. Horror movie ugly. My former finshing school headmistress ugly." 'You and your uncaffeinated self this morning ugly.' James thought to himself. Their food had arrived. As he nibbled absently at his salad, he read through the latest threat that Saffir had sent. "When good is hungry, it seeks food, even in dark caves, and when it thirsts, it drinks even of dead waters." His brow furrowed in deep thought. "Wait! What did his last threat say?" Raye, confused, handed him another letter. He read it through carefully. "Those who work with their minds rule others; those who work with their strength are ruled by others. Those who are ruled by others support them; those who rule others are supported by them. This is a principle universally accepted." James looked it over briefly, "And the one before that?" Raye handed another letter to him. "We may lay it down that Pleasure is a movement, a movement by which the sould as a whole is consciously brought into its normal state of being, and that Pain is the opposite." James sat silently for a moment, then said, "The last place he bombed was the home of the American ambassador to China. The one before that, the Greek ambassador. He targets ambassadors." Raye nodded, "Yes, but his threats don't really tell you anything. They're just random sayings." "No, they're not." James said decisively. "His last threat was a quote from Mencius. CHINESE philosopher. The second to last was a quote from Aristotle. GREEK philosopher. This latest was a quote from Kahlil Gibran. A poet-philosopher from Lebanon. Notice a pattern? I think I know who the next target is." James' face was grim. "We need to get the Lebanese ambassador out of here." Raye frowned. "That's a cute idea, but it wouldn't work. We try to get him out, Saffir is just going to bomb his plane." James paused, "True enough. Then what do we do?" Raye thought for a moment. "I think that it will be necessary to use my 'influence' again. I think that we may need to have a rather extended visit with the ambassador. I'll put in a call tomorrow morning." Title : High Explosive Chapter : Three Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = "Well! Whaddya know?" Raye smirked. James gave her a strange look. The two were sitting in Raye's apartment, and James was typing into Raye's computer. They had just pulled up the files on the Lebanese Ambassador, Saffir's next target. "Fallon Henderson formerly Fallon Essad. Daughter of Basil and Lila Essad, sister of Nivin Essad, wife of Richard Warner Henderson, mother of Leena Rose Henderson and Adara Elizabeth Henderson. Nice..." "Nice? What's nice?" James was confused. "I don't get it." Raye smiled to herself. "This works out better than I thought. It actually makes our lives a bit easier. You see, this particular target is none other than FALLON HENDERSON." James nodded slowly. "Yes....care to explain how that makes life easier?" Was she always this ambiguous or was she doing this on purpose to piss him off? "She was formerly Fallon Essad, sister of Nivin Essad." "Yes, and?" For the love of God...out with it already! "Nivin Essad and I went to the same finishing school together. We were classmates, and friends. Plus, I once saved Nivin's ass when she had been picked on by this snobby bitch Meg and her clique...anyway, Fallon knows me a bit. It was long ago but I daresay that I can 'renew the acquaintance'." "I see. So you're saying that you can more easily wade through the system of secretaries and underlings and whatnot to come in contact with the lady herself." "Precisely." Raye started to flip through her phone directory quickly with long, dexterous fingers. Then, she opened up her cell phone and dialed. "Hey, is this Nivin? Remember me, Raye, from Springford Academy? Yep, it's me! How are you? I'm perfectly fine, it's all going great! Yeah, it's been too long...hey, look, we should hook up sometime! What? Fallon's invited you to a big party Saturday night and you can bring friends? Count me in! What? Bring a date? Will do. Yes, it will be wonderful to see you again, and to see Fallon and her family. I'll be there. Here, I'll give you my email address and you can email me the details, is that okay? Cool, it's Firesprite@lune.com. I'll see you then. Keep in touch! Bye!" Raye turned back to James with a smile. "So, you free Saturday night?" ~ ~ ~ Saturday morning, James once again went over to Raye's apartment. He rapped briskly on the door. No answer. He knocked again, louder. "Raye? You home?" A scream of frustration sounded from within. Then some banging. Then, the door opened so fast that he almost fell inside. Raye stood in front of him, wearing a slinky kimono of black satin with a crimson sash and a plunging neckline, a sight that would have made most men drool, get severe nosebleeds and hard-ons, and make fools of themselves. All save the fact that her eyes were spitting poison and she had a mean-looking, sharp katana pointed at his throat. Her silky raven hair was down, slightly mussed, and James silently reflected once more that she was absolutely magnificent. Now, if only she would put the sword away. Carefully, he moved the blade away from his jugular. "Okay, Mr. Byrne, I don't know about you, but normal people don't get up at the ungodly hour of 9:30 AM on a frigging Saturday morning. If you've nothing important to say, get the fuck out, I'm going back to sleep." She hissed at him, violet eyes narrowed maliciously. James glanced at the sword, then turned his blue eyes back at the glowering, gorgeous female in front of him. "Fine, go back to sleep. I'll just sit here til you're nice and refreshed." He gave her an infuriating smile. "WHAT?!" "Hey, I'm not going to drive 45 minutes back to my place then drive another 45 minutes back here again." He said defensively. "I'll just sit here. Go back to sleep if you want. And Raye, call me James. I detest being called Mr. Byrne." He imitated her words. Raye gave him a look of smoldering anger. "I'm up now. You've succeeded in waking me up, you pest." Raye strode to her bedroom and slammed the door. A few minutes later, James heard the sound of a shower being turned on. He strode into the kitchen. A coffee-maker stood on the counter. 'Might as well as make her some coffee. Maybe after she has a bit of caffeine in her system she won't bite my head of.' He soon found some fine Arabian coffee in one smooth ebony cupboard and by the time Raye emerged from her room once more, looking slightly more refreshed and wearing a black crop top with a red rose in the front, and matching black pants, he had two steaming mugs of the hot, aromatic drink on the table. She unceremoniously grabbed one and dumped in cream and sugar, stirred, and gulped it down. "Thanks." "No problem." He took his own mug and took a small sip. She looked at him curiously, then cracked a smile. "Are you one of those brooding philosophy types who always drinks their coffee black?" He looked at her for a moment, then said softly, "No, I'm diabetic." "Oh." She looked at him, slightly apologetic. A look that she practically never gave. "Sorry." He smiled, "It's okay." He took another sip of the coffee. "This isn't that bad." ~ ~ ~ They spent the day planning what to do for the party that night. Raye's friend Nivin had secured them both invitations, and from what it looked like, it was going to be an entirely posh black-tie affair. Many rich and influential people would be there. Detection systems would need to be set up around the premises. Raye made a brief phone call to her team, and gave a few instructions. Now, if Saffir had any intentions of setting up any bombs around the place, the bombs would be detected and an alarm would go off in the watch Raye would be wearing, which would also inform her of the location of the bomb and how much time there remained before the bomb would detonate. Then, James would keep any assassins about distracted while she would go and defuse the bomb. The detection system, designed by Amy and approved by James, would be monitored by Amy as well as two of the top programmers in her team to make sure that no one tried to hack into the system and tamper with it. James and Raye would also be in contact the entire time, with the help of the special earpieces that they would be wearing. Soon, it was time to go. Raye and James, both dressed to the nines, went downstairs to the waiting limo. In an hour, both of them had arrived at Fallon Henderson's elegant villa. After giving the door guard their invitations, they walked in, arm in arm. "Raye! Is that you?" Raye and James turned around to see a dark-haired, olive-skinned girl with a huge grin on her face. "Nivin!" Raye gave the other girl a huge hug, and a smile. "You look well, I think marriage agrees with you." "Yes, yes indeed. Meet my husband, Alex Ross. Dear, this is Raye Warrington." Raye shook hands with the tall, bearded, smiling man who had one arm around Nivin's waist. "It is nice to meet you, Mr. Ross." "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Warrington, Nivin here tells me that you were quite the brilliant physics student when you two were at Springford." "Nivin is too kind." Raye made all of the necessary pleasantries flawlessly, even though she hated them. "Nonsense. And who is this gentleman with you this evening?" Nivin asked. Lowering her voice, she whispered in Raye's ear, "He's cute. Keep him!" "Oh yes, Nivin, Mr. Ross, this is James Byrne, a friend and colleague. He's a computer scientist." Raye said smoothly. "Excellent, it is nice to meet you, Mr. Byrne." Nivin and her husband shook hands with James, and more pleasantries were exchanged by all parties. After Nivin and her husband had left, Raye and James made their way about the place, Raye having greeted Fallon as well, and gotten permission to stay for a bit after the party was over to talk to her. All was going very well until a most unpleasant voice was heard. "Well, well, if it isn't the lovely Raye." Raye spun around to look into leering green eyes on a face crowned with gelled brown hair. Her eyes narrowed. "Well, well, if it isn't the pissy William." She mimicked his words, her voice full of thinly veiled disgust. "Now, Raye, don't be difficult." "Can you not tell that you're not wanted here, or do I need to say this louder? Go away and chase after some vapid little airhead who's too impressed by your millions to notice your total lack of any brains, and stop wasting my time." William's polished manner disappeared in an instant, and his green eyes narrowed spitefully. "Watch it, Raye. Your daddy may have been Mr. Big-and-Powerful, but without him, you're nothing!" Raye gave a contemptuous snort. "Is that so? Unlike you, *I* didn't need daddy's millions and influence to get into my college of choice. And, I might add, just because I wouldn't have sex with you when we were 16 doesn't make me an inferior individual. In fact, I think that it's a positive indication of basic human intelligence. Now, you've wasted 2 whole minutes of my life, so fuck off!" William's hand clamped down like an iron vise on Raye's wrist. "Bitch." He growled. All of the sudden, he felt a searing pain on HIS wrist. James had twisted his arm forcibly so that he had to release Raye, and had his thumb pressed tightly to the pressure point. His blue eyes were blazing. "NEVER touch her again, you filthy bastard, or else you won't live to regret it." William sneered at the other man, and swung back an arm to punch him, when all of the sudden he doubled over, pain exploding through him. Raye had kneed him in the groin. He fell heavily to the ground, and Raye put a high-heeled foot on his chest. He squeaked in pain when the heel applied pressure to his solar plexus. "If you ever want to use that reproductive system again, I suggest you leave both myself and my date alone." And with that, Raye and James swept away. "Who was that bastard?" James couldn't believe how angry he was, and the wave of protectiveness that had overcome him when he had grabbed Raye's arm. Raye sighed, fingering her wrist. "William Gordon. Rich little snot who lived on my street when we were young. I went to prom with him, but when I wouldn't sleep with him he started being a total jerk, and I dumped him. A lot of girls thought I was crazy: he was considered a major hottie at the time. Probably still is, although as far as I'm concerned, he's just a whiny, stuck-up brat. Damn, I'm going to have a bruise." James took her slim wrist gently in his calloused hands, and examined it. Sure enough, there was a ring of redness where the man had grabbed her, which would be a bruise by the next morning. Gently, he stroked the delicate, white skin on the inside of her wrist, with the hand that a moment ago had been close to breaking a man's arm. "Does it hurt much?" He asked her gently. He made a vow that the bastard William, and anyone else who had the audacity to hurt her, would die a painful death by his hand. Raye's breath caught in her throat when she felt his fingers caressing her wrist gently. How could a simple touch make her so breathless, all of the sudden? She resolutely put that out of her mind, and answered him with a tolerable degree of composure, "It's all right. Thank you." 'When you touch it, I feel no pain.' Before anything else could be said, her watch started to beep. Raye and James exchanged a look, and ran off towards the balcony. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Four Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = The balcony....as planned, Raye made her way nonchalantly towards the balcony with a champagne glass in her hand, looking like she's just out for some fresh air. James hung behind, to cut off the escape of any possible assassins. His eyes were peeled towards the balcony, waiting for someone to come in from there. However, Raye took one look down the balcony and whispered, "Downstairs, back door, right now, James. Guy in a black suit. Romeo climbed down the rose trellis." James heard her smooth voice in his earpiece, and rushed out to the balcony as well. Spryly, he climbed onto the railing, and then, nimble as a cat, jumped off with a flip to land on his feet. Soon, he caught sight of the assassin making his way through the hedges, and followed stealthily. Meanwhile, Raye scanned the area with an explosives detector, and soon found what looked like a nondescript Oriental urn. "Hi-YA!" With one well-placed karate chop, she had split the porcelain neatly in two pieces to reveal an intricately wired bomb. An assortment of rainbow-colored wires twisted here and there. Raye pursed her lips in thought. She had 45 seconds before the thing detonated and blasted her, the balcony, and everything in a 20 feet radius into smithereens. From the looks of it, she had to yank more than one wire. Now, it could not be the red one. That one was the most prominent one, and as the top explosives expert of her group, she knew full well that most amateurs would be tempted to pull that one. Which would cause the thing to blow. Pulling the yellow would have the same results. Pulling the white one...nothing would happen at all. It was just there for a distraction. It could not be the orange one either. That left the green, the blue and the purple. Now, in what order? Raye's brain moved at rapid speed. 20 more seconds...There! First the green needed to be pulled, then, at exactly 5 seconds later, the blue and the purple needed to be pulled and crossed, then rewired. This would reverse the polarity. Otherwise, the bomb could still go off. She rapidly set off to work, then waited tensely. 5...4...3...2...1.......Nothing. Then, Raye flipped the bomb over. Shit! Another system was on the other side. Just like Saffir to go out of his way to make things difficult...she had 30 seconds. This time, it could not be blue, purple or green. Blue would set it off, purple would do the same, green was not even connected to the mechanism. Red would also set it off, yellow would do nothing. Orange, white and black. Hmm...yes. First, pull white, then pull orange 2.5 seconds later, then black last, another 2.5 seconds later. Twist all three wires and connect the orange with the blue, the white with the purple, and the black with the red. There! Three more seconds....3....2....1! Nothing. Raye cautiously pulled aside the mess of wires, and peered at the bomb. Good, no more systems to go through. Flipping her hair behind her, she proceeded to methodically dismantle the thing. 'Hmm, I wonder how James is doing...' ~ ~ ~ James followed the man out, walking with a practiced stealth. The man was making his way off quickly. To get the hell out of there before his bomb detonated. James had to stop him. He quickly took out a cigarette. A good distraction, even though he didn't smoke. "Hey man, do you have a lighter?" The man spun around to see James holding out a cigarette, and looking the picture of innocence. He gave James a long, hard look and reached inside his jacket. James was ready. In a flash, gunshots rang out, but James had leapt behind a tree, then a birdbath, and finally a Greek sculpture. "Bastard!" Soon, though, the assassin had run out of bullets, and lunged at James with a knife in his hand. James leapt out of the way at the very last moment, and the assassin had missed him and stumbled. In a flash though, he was back up, and once more charged at James, knife pointing at his torso. Again, at the last moment, James leapt out of the way. "You know, I've trained extensively with someone, who, despite his incorrigible player tendencies, is a God as far as knives are concerned, and HE has not been able to kill me yet." The assassin moved his arm backward, and James saw his intention immediately. Predictably, the knife came flying at him, and at the last moment, James grabbed a nearby rock. The knife hit the rock with a clang, and went flying back from whence it came. Before he could react, the assassin found his own knife buried in his chest. His face a mask of horror, he fell heavily to the ground. As he lay dying, James was able to identify him. "Raye," He whispered. "Are you okay?" "Just peachy. The bomb has been taken care of." Her satiny voice whispered back into his earpiece. You?" "Just had a minor skirmish with the assassin. He got impaled on his own knife. It's Olivine." "Hmm. Okay. Leave him there for now. The party will be over in about 15 minutes. Come on back here, then we need to talk to Fallon as soon as the guests leave. Dead boy's way out in the back, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. So, you didn't get hurt or anything, right?" There was an odd note of concern in her otherwise expressionless voice. "I'm fine. I'll be coming back here in five. Take care." "You too." Raye turned her head back to the main room. Some of the guests were leaving. It was a clear, beautiful night. The air was warm, but not too warm. The sky was like black velvet sprinkled with drops of diamond. There was the scent of blooming roses in the air. 'The peace of the surroundings belies the violence of events.' She thought to herself. "Well, if it isn't the little spitfire." Raye groaned inwardly. "Where's your pretty-boy bodyguard now?" "William, do you really have a death wish? Need I remind you that I kicked your ass just a while ago and that I'll as soon throw you over this balcony as look at you?" "Why are you so difficult? Together, we can go places that you've never even been to in your wildest dreams. You, my dear, are one....hot...." William gave her a very lecherous look, and trailed a hand up her arm. Raye, with a murderous glare, grasped his offending hand and gave a twist and yank. A satisfying pop resounded in the silent night air. William howled in pain and rage. He curled his undamaged hand into a fist and launched at Raye. She tripped him, grabbed his extended arm, and pulled him down with a sharp jerk. "That's twice you've tried to assault me, asshole, and you're NOT going to get away that easily this time." Quick and hard, the toe of her high heel came in contact with his kidney. He squealed in pain. Raye lowered herself until she was squatting right in front of him. Her eyes were venomous violet slits on her furious face. Drawing back her hand, she slapped him with enough force to snap his head around 120 degrees. "NEVER try to hit a lady again." She jerked him up roughly, and in a flash, William found himself halfway hanging over the balcony. Just a shove from Raye, and he would be hurtling down more than 20 feet. "Mercy! No, don't throw me down! Sorry! Sorry!" HOW did that girl get so strong?! Raye held him there for several moments longer, watching coldly as his face started turning a pale green. "Now, William, if I ever, EVER hear of you causing any more trouble, or if you ever come within 30 feet of me, you'll be WISHING that I threw you off a balcony by the time I'm through with your sorry ass. Now, fuck off!" With that, Raye contemptuously threw him inside. Right into the approaching James. James saw someone crashing towards him, and instinctively reached out his hands to stop the person's fall. When he saw who it was, however, his grip tightened on the man's throat. William wheezed, and looked up to see a pair of blue eyes that were, if possible, even more furious than Raye's. "Look here, you son-of-a-bitch...You...shall...NOT...bother...Raye...again. If you come close to her, if you touch her, if you so much as LOOK at her, I swear, I will KILL you. Is that clear?" James fingers tightened, and William choked. "Y-e-s!" He managed to gasp out. James' grip did not loosen immediately. Soon, William started seeing black spots in front of his eyes. Just before he passed out, James released him abruptly, and walked past him, kicking him away. He walked towards Raye, who was still standing on the balcony. It suddenly occurred to him that the sight before him could be from a fairytale romance. Raye was standing next by the balcony, one slender, aristocratic hand resting on the marble railing. Against the dark leaves and silvery white blooms of a climbing rose, she stood out vividly, a dark beauty in scarlet silk. Her ebony hair fell free to her waist, contrasted to her ivory skin. Her cheeks were pink from her recent exertion, and her lips were parted slightly with her quick breaths. She looked like a princess who could have ruled a planet. But in the world they lived in, there was no time for fairy tales. There were assassins to apprehend and bombers to baffle. He shook his wayward thoughts aside and approached her. Raye had watched as James, more angry than she had ever seen him, squeeze his hands around William's throat. With the aid of her earpiece, she had heard him threaten the cad never to bother her again. She felt an unusual feeling: She was flattered by his protectiveness. Usually, Raye hated it when others tried to take care of her, to do things for her when she was perfectly capable of handling things by herself, but for some reason, in this instance, she felt no offense at James' protective attitude. It even pleased her, oddly. Then, he had thrown the worthless William aside, and walked towards her. Despite his recent skirmish with the assassin Olivine, then the run-in with William, he still looked like an angel. How was that possible? "So, where's the bomb?' His voice broke into her reverie. Quickly, she showed him the now harmless bomb, as well as the pieces of the Oriental urn that it had come in. "As soon as the guests all leave, we will have a nice, cozy little chat with Fallon." She declared decisively. He nodded, and the two sat down on the stone bench of the balcony, side by side. Of their own volition, he gently grasped her wrist, to examine it again. Raye stole a glance at him as he took her wrist in his hand. He showed nothing but concern as he examined it. For once in her life, she did not yank her hand back when someone grasped it. After turning her wrist over carefully, he seemed to forget to let go of her hand, and soon, she found their fingers intertwined together. His slightly callused, larger fingers linked with her own smooth, elegant, manicured ones. Raye had a pleasant surprise. It felt...nice. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Five Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = "So, Raye, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about" Fallon Henderson, resplendent in warm caramel chiffon that brought out her dark golden skin, asked the younger woman. "Fallon, this is James Byrne, James, this is Fallon Henderson. As you know, she's the ambassador to Lebanon." Fallon gave James a polite smile and a handshake, looking slightly bemused. "A pleasure, Mr. Byrne. Er...Raye?" "Fallon, James and I are working together. Do you know what we do for a living?" Raye asked. "Well, I thought that you went into physics research, or something of the sort? Nivin mentioned that Mr. Byrne here was a computer scientist. I suppose that you two are working together in some corporation or another?" Fallon guessed. "No, and you're only partially correct about our fields. It's true that Raye's particular area of expertise is nuclear physics, like mine is computers, but we're not simple researchers or scientists." James said. "Have you heard of that LA crime lord and his gang who had kidnapped a girl, and then was found dead after a vicious motorcycle chase, a few weeks back?" Raye asked Fallon. "Of course I have! It was headline news! Although no one knows exactly who was responsible for rescuing that girl and getting rid of that horrid gang. Must have been some particularly brave hero." Raye smirked. "You're looking at her right now." Fallon's mouth fell open. "W-WHAT?! Did I hear you correctly?" Raye nodded. "James and I are two of eight elite agents who are specially chosen and assigned to crack tough criminal cases. Now, of course, this information is usually never divulged, and as far as the general populace is concerned, we're just two normal civilians. The reason we're telling you this is because you're in danger." "M-me?" Fallon was still incredulous. James nodded. "I'm sure you've heard of the bomber-hacker known as Saffir." Fallon nodded. "We have very good reasons to believe that you're his next target." "And...w-what might those reasons be?" Fallon asked cautiously. "Come onto the balcony with me." Raye beckoned. Fallon, still half disbelieving, followed the other woman out. "Look at this." Fallon gasped. It was no longer ticking, and it was perfectly still, but there was no mistaking what it was. "A bomb!?" James nodded grimly. "It came in an Oriental urn. The pieces of which you see over there. An assassin brought it in with him today. Had Raye not defused the thing, this entire place would have been blown to bits long ago. The primary reason we're here tonight is to prevent something like that from happening. As Raye was defusing the bomb, I went after the man who brought the bomb. He shot at me. He also tried to kill me with a knife. He was an assassin known as Olivine." "Was?" James' face was grim. "He threw the knife at me, I deflected it. He's...he's now lying somewhere in the back gardens." Fallon's face grew ashen. Raye took her hand gently. "Look, Fallon, we know that it's a lot to accept, and trust me, we wouldn't be giving you a tenth of this information had we not been convinced that you're in danger." Fallon looked at the deadly-serious faces of the handsome blond man and beautiful dark-haired woman standing in front of her. Then, at the bomb lying in the corner of the balcony. Then at the pieces of porcelain that had originally been an Oriental urn. Slowly, she nodded. "All right. What do you think I should do?" ~ ~ ~ That evening, Raye and James did not go home. First, there was the matter of explaining everything to Fallon's equally astonished husband without letting on too much, then there was the matter of hacking into and disabling the systems that Saffir had set up to monitor Fallon's every move. Then, there was the issue of moving Fallon and her family out of their home to somewhere else safe before Saffir's computers picked up on the breaking into of the cybersystem and the escape of his target. Raye had arranged for Fallon to stay in her penthouse, and for Fallon's family to be secretly shipped off, that very night, via a ridiculously expensive hotel reservation that she had managed to secure at disgustingly short notice. 'Goddammit they BETTER pay me back for all this...I've money, but this is ridiculous! The things I do for people...' Raye and James would stay at Fallon's villa, and Raye would act primarily as Fallon's bodyguard and bring her to work, etc. while James would utilize his computer skills to combat Saffir and try to prevent technological surveillance of his intended target. At about 1:00 AM, everything was finally set, and Raye had seen Fallon safely back to her penthouse that night, and had taken the opportunity to pick up her personal belongings. It was past 2:00 AM when she had finally gotten back to her new temporary residence. Exhausted by that evening's activities, she collapsed onto the couch and promptly fell asleep. James had been outside disposing of the dead assassin. When he had come back in about half an hour later, he saw Raye, her slender form cloaked by her cascading jet-black hair, asleep on the couch. Gently, he shook her, but she did not stir. He cautiously turned her over, expecting her to wake up and bitch-slap him at any moment for touching her, but she was fast asleep. Unlike the fiery, passionate woman he'd seen during the daytime, she was tranquil in slumber. Carefully, he lifted her up and carried her into the master bedroom, and lay her down on the bed. He tucked the covers snugly around her, and smiled. Surely the peacefully slumbering beauty in front of him couldn't be the fierce, hot-tempered woman who had, on several occasions, nearly bitten his head off. But it was. The fire in her still burned, albeit gently. In an odd sort of way, she sort of grew on him. The antithesis of a typical rich girl. He pressed a soft, tender kiss to her forehead before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him, knowing very well that that may be the only time he would ever be able to do such a thing. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Six Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = Raye awoke the next morning to the sound of the front door slamming shut. She glanced around her. Nope, definitely not her room. Then, she remembered. She was staying at Fallon Henderson's place. She remembered coming back after taking Fallon to HER penthouse, then falling asleep on the sofa. Then, how did she get into the bedroom? She looked down at herself. She was still dressed in the red silk evening gown that she'd worn last night. It was a bit wrinkled, but nothing that the dry-cleaners couldn't sort out. She got up, stretched, and saw, to her surprise, her stuff carried into the room as well, lying on the chair next to the bed. She showered, then changed into a black pin-striped pantsuit. James was making coffee when she emerged from her room. "Good morning." He greeted her cheerfully. "I'm pretty hopeless with cooking, so I got a few egg McMuffins from McDonald's." He gestured towards the paper bag on the table. "I've called Fallon, she'll be heading to work in two hours, so that gives you about half an hour before you need to go there. I've set all surveillance systems to disable in exactly 25 minutes, for 10 minutes. That should give you enough time to leave here, and Saffir wouldn't be able to see any car leave here." Raye nodded. He had foresight, and good skills handling technology. Plus, he was cute. Very cute. Of course, she wouldn't tell him that, but nevertheless..."Was it you that carried me to the room last night?" She asked, her voice neutral. 'Uh-oh. Bitch-slap incoming.' "Yeah, I thought the bed might be a bit more comfortable than the sofa." He said cautiously. "Oh. Thank you, I guess." Raye replied. He looked at her with mild surprise, but she didn't notice, as at that moment, the coffeemaker buzzed. She got up and poured two mugfuls of the drink, handing one to him. He dug two packets of Equal from his pocket and dumped them in, and then added some cream. "Got them at McDonald's." He said, seeing her raise a questioning eyebrow. She nodded, and added sugar and cream to her own coffee. Soon, they had finished breakfast, and Raye headed out to go to her penthouse and escort Fallon Henderson to work. "Good-bye, and have a nice day!" She called over her shoulder. James gave a wave, and then cleared the table and went back to his computer. ~ ~ ~ Raye drove Fallon to work in an inconspicuous white Ford sedan. As they paused in the wake of morning commuter traffic, Fallon turned to Raye, smiling slightly. "So, how long have you and James known each other?" Raye raised a fine, perfectly arched black eyebrow. "We just met for this assignment to get rid of Saffir. Why?" "He seems like a very nice guy." Raye rolled her eyes, "I see where this is headed. Don't get any ideas into that pretty little head of yours." Fallon laughed. "Maybe YOU should get some ideas into that pretty little head of YOURS. I'm serious. He really seems like a very nice guy." Raye deigned not to comment. Fallon persisted, "He seems intelligent, gentlemanly and caring. Not to mention handsome." "FALLON!" Raye hissed. "You're married! And please stop acting like a teenager!" "It's true! Don't you think that he's a nice guy?" Raye sighed. "Yes, yes, I think he's very nice. Topic closed." The traffic had cleared somewhat, and she resumed driving. Soon, they reached the embassy, where explosive detectors had already been installed. Raye handed Fallon an explosives detector. "Run this over every, and I mean EVERY piece of mail, package, or whatever you receive. I don't care if it's just a 3x5 notecard, or a fucking tray of blueberry muffins. Saffir is brilliant. The intricacy of the bomb left at your place last night proves it. Understand? If it beeps, DO NOT touch it, and press the alarm button I gave you yesterday. Is that understood?" She whispered into the other woman's ear. Fallon nodded. "Good." Out of the corner of her eye, Raye saw a woman with an ill-fitting police uniform watching them intently. 'Shit.' Aloud, she said, "Well, I hope you have fun today!" Fallon gave her a strange look, but walked in without a word. Raye got into her car and drove towards the 'cop'. Putting on her most neutral face, she asked. "Excuse me, ma'am, would you know where I can find the nearest gas station?" The 'cop' gave her a look, and replied. "Step out of the car." Raye obediently stepped out, ready for what would come next. The 'cop' took out a pair of handcuffs and reached for Raye's wrists. In an instant, Raye had kicked the handcuffs out of the assassin's hands. "Damn, what's this with people grabbing my wrists anyway?" Raye asked. The assassin had drawn her gun, and started to shoot. Raye sprang behind a nearby car, then somersaulted over another car. It was always this way. Play hide-and-seek til the assassin runs out of bullets, then kick the assassin's ass. Predictably, the phony cop soon dropped her gun, and Raye sprang out from the minivan she had crouched behind, her own gun drawn. She shot, but the bullet did no harm. 'Shit, she's wearing a Teflon vest.' Vaulting into the air, Raye leapt over the assassin's head, and shot her behind her left ear. She fell at once, dead. Taking out an explosives detector, Raye scanned the dead 'cop'. It beeped. Raye scanned the corpse, and snatched the single parking ticket from her pocket. 'A-ha! Of course!' There was a small red button on the back of the 'officer's' badge. Raye went back to her car, and opened up the trunk. She extracted a longbow and an arrow. She wrapped the parking ticket around the shaft of the arrow, and fired it upwards, then pressed the red button. KA-BOOM! The arrow and ticket exploded about 40 feet above her in a fiery cloud. Raye breathed a sigh of relief. Had Saffir succeeded in his plan, the assassin would have put the ticket on the car, and pressed the red button when Fallon removed the ticket from the windshield wiper. Then, Fallon, and probably herself as well, would have exploded into tiny bloody pieces. She went back to identify the assassin. "Alexandrite." She muttered. Collecting the badge, gun and handcuffs into evidence bags. "James?" She whispered, knowing that both of them still wore their earpieces. "Yes, what happened?" "Alexandrite. Bitch had parking ticket bomb." Raye said in her usual polite and subdued way. James silently swore. "And I'll bet that she probably had a camera on her as well. Did you dispatch her?" "Of course. So Saffir now probably knows that it's me. You better get cracking and change my information. Name, address, everything." "Doing that right now. You're now under the fictitious name of Rose Bernard, age 25, living in San Diego and working as an accountant, etc. etc. Pretty boring, but I think that's what we want. Now, it's good that you told me immediately, because he has not located your place yet. Otherwise..." "Understood." At that moment, Raye's alarm button went off. "Shit. Trouble. I'll talk to you later." Raye quickly walked into the embassy and went straight to Fallon's office. Fallon held at arm's length a small paper carton, the type that comes with Chinese food carry-out. Raye inspected it closely, then turned it over, and opened it from the bottom. Sure enough, there were wires, and a small digital clock, counting down...56 seconds. Raye rapidly set to work. Purple wire pulled, crossed with blue, and rewired. Good. That clock stopped. Now, it could be opened from the top. Now, the black wire needed to be cut, and the yellow one needed to be cut exactly 10 seconds after that. 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1. Snap! 22 more seconds. Raye and Fallon waited, tense. Nothing. Phew! The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and Raye drove Fallon back to her penthouse in a different car. After thoroughly inspecting her penthouse for any bombs, Raye left, and drove to a nearby grocery store. She browsed through the aisles, and soon found what she was looking for. Then, she told James that she was heading back, and would be home in half an hour, so disable surveillance once again accordingly. ~ ~ ~ James saw his partner enter with a plastic bag in her hands. She gave him a small smile, and held it out to him. "A present. So you no longer need to snitch anything from Mickey D's." She said lightly. He took the bag from her and looked inside. It was a can of Equal. Touched, he gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you." He remembered Mina's words from when he had first found out about this assignment. 'She's really sweet once you get to know her, and loyal.' Mina was quite right indeed. "That was very nice of you." She gave him a small, friendly peck on the lips. "No problem. Now, how about we do something for dinner right now?" Title : High Explosive Chapter : Seven Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = It was becoming a routine. Every morning, Raye would bring Fallon to work, each time driving a different car. So far, no new assassins had turned up, although approximately once a week there would be the discovery of new bombs. Ranging from pop bottles to wedding invitations to fucking flasks of NAIL POLISH, Saffir seemed to have an endless creativity when it came to making the damned things. Thankfully, so far, nothing that Raye had not been able to either defuse or detonate safely. Raye had come to an odd sort of...accord with James. It was not exactly friendship: it did not have the calm, complacent feel of a friendship. Half the time, she would be pissed at him, and the other half, she would be having a great time with him. And the whole time, unbidden and unwelcome, she would feel goddamned physically attracted to him! There would be days when she would just feel at the end of her rope, and he would do something to irritate her, and then, they would argue. Unlike almost all the guys she knew, though, he wouldn't cringe and cower when she was in a bad mood. Nor would he chalk it up to PMS. Every irate comment she made at him, he would fire right back at her. They would fight like cats and dogs, although, throughout it all, she noticed, both of them tried to avoid petty and truly cruel comments. No low blows below the belt. And not once had he called her a bitch, whether or not he was in her presence. Truly, a first. Then, there were also days when both of them would be considerate to each other. They would work together on trying to figure out what next to do in this case against Saffir. They worked pretty well together, Raye found out, when they were not arguing. Her connections and his street-savvy, their complementary areas of expertise. It all sort of fit. However, it was the blasted physical attraction that she felt towards him, that bothered her. Oh, of course, he was a very handsome man. But it wasn't as if she had never seen handsome men before. Then, what was it about him, that, whenever they touched, she would get those damn tingles that Mina always talked about? However, today, Raye was too tired to contemplate such things. That day, she'd had to deal with no less than four bombs! Two she had dismantled, and the other two she had detonated. Then, after Fallon had finally finished working overtime that day, she had asked Raye to teach her some self-defense! Raye took another good 2 hours to teach the other woman some basic maneuvers. By the time she got home, the sky was darkening and all she wanted was to rest. James emerged from the study when he heard the door slam. Raye entered, and plopped down on the couch, shrugging out of her white blazer, then kicking off her white leather pumps and propping her slender feet up on the coffee table. She looked bushed, just sitting there in a coral halter-top and white linen flares, her head bent slightly. Silently, he handed her a can of cherry cola. Gratefully, she gulped it down. "Thanks. I don't even want to start on how overly long my day was...so how was yours?" "Well, not too much is going on, I've come up with a new program that is a deterrent to hacking into private accounts, that could be useful. Oh, and I just went and picked up a pizza. Is that good with you?" "Sure! I'm starved and tired and sore all over. Let's eat." And with that, Raye held out a slender hand to James, who pulled her to her feet, and hand in hand, they went to the table. After three slices of pepperoni pizza and another can of cherry cola, Raye felt slightly more refreshed. She got up and slowly stretched her arms. "OW!" James sprang up in an instant. "Are you all right?" He asked her, his blue eyes full of concern. Raye gave a slight wince. "I'm fine, just sore. After the four bombs, Fallon had me teach her self defense." She replied. "I see. Here, sit back down, on this stool." Raye gave him a quizzical look, then sat down obediently on one of the stools by the bar. Suddenly, her eyes widened. He was slowly rubbing her aching shoulders, his calloused thumbs pressing circles on her bare, smooth skin. His hands were strong, but gentle. Gradually, the ache and tension in her back and shoulders lessened before vanishing completely, but his hands did not leave her skin, although now his touch had changed from a massage to a caress. Contently, she leaned against him, and threw her head back so that she was looking upwards into his face. "Thanks, James, that was lovely." James felt a slight lump in his throat. He had, with the best and most honorable of intentions, decided to give her a back rub when she had told him that she was sore. But when he had touched her smooth skin for the first time, he almost felt as if he had been burned, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of her skin, which was pleasantly cool. He had gently lifted the cascade of long black hair aside, resisting the temptation to just pause and drown his hands in what felt like a mass of liquid silk. But James had gone through all of that wonderful training. He was not Mr. Stony, like Kevin, but he would call upon the formidable amount of self-discipline that he had cultivated as part of his job, and NOT make a fool of himself. And then, just when he had finally gotten totally under control and was mentally patting himself on the back, she, temptress, just HAD to arch back that creamy throat, throwing her head back, her hair once again bouncing back from over her shoulders to pour over his hands. And her dark violet eyes had met his blue ones, and they were not the diamond-hard eyes of an agent, but velvety-soft, and inviting. And all of the sudden, he decided, self-discipline be damned. Raye suddenly found her stool being spun around, and looked up to see that she was face to face with him. Their gazes held for a split second, then she had sprang to her feet, and stepped eagerly into his waiting arms. Looping her bare arms about his neck, she stood on tiptoe, and closed her eyes as their lips met. Certainly, both of them had been kissed before, but something seemed a bit different. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were equals, that it went beyond attraction, because they understood each other, and with each other, there was no pretense. That they were together in a mission that they knew full well could end up with both of them lying dead in a body bag. When they finally broke apart long moments later, no words were exchanged, but this understanding was clear in each other's eyes. Finally, James spoke, his voice husky and quiet. "We're in this together." Raye agreed silently, raising her face from where it was buried in the crook of his neck to look at him. ~ ~ ~ Stephan Black gazed thoughtfully at his computer screen. Someone who did not know anything about him would see, at the moment, a handsome, serious-looking man with blue-black hair and similarly colored eyes. Someone who had the intellectual look of a scholarly professor. A young and attractive one at that. That impression would have remained until the observer took a clear look into his brilliant eyes. They were the color of dark sapphires, and just as cold and hard. He sighed in frustration. His latest target had been unusually difficult to get. There was undoubtedly an agent protecting her, and whoever the agent was, she was an explosives expert. He gazed at the picture of her that the little fool Alexandrite had managed to get before she'd gotten shot in the head. She was quite a beauty with a mane of dark hair and a lithe figure. Her face had been in profile, but he could see the elegant, high-bred lines. Of course, the agent had the foresight to change all of her personal information to fictitious details, and he had no idea what her name was. Now...he needed to think. Who could it possibly be? An agent that beautiful, and with such mastery of her field, had to be fairly elite. His mind wandered back to his..unfortunate cohort, Esmeraude. SHE had been taken care of by that platinum-haired sharpshooter, Agent Kunzite. Who, along with three other male agents, worked under the direction of Artemis Cato. This agent was at least as highly skilled and elite as Agent Kunzite, but she was female. Which could only mean one thing. She was one of the four female agents, counterparts to the male agents working under Artemis Cato, who worked under the direction of Luna Felis. And, with the long raven hair and slightly slanted eyes, it was quite obvious exactly which agent she was. Agent Mars. The resident explosives expert. It was small wonder that she had managed to make harmless all his bombs. BUT, if explosives were her specialty, then, she would be susceptible in other areas. Saffir allowed a thin smile to appear on his face for a moment, before turning back to his computer screen. But not before ringing a bell to summon a man with ice-blue hair into his study. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Eight Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = Linarite. Real name Laurence Negre. Age 30, first degree black belt in tae kwon do, and a poisons specialist just like his brother Aquimireen, who worked for Demando. Linarite was Saffir's right-hand man and the two had more in common than their striking looks and cerulean locks. Linarite was as coldly ruthless as Saffir, and also as persistent. With the instructions given him, he headed out of Saffir's secret hideout. ~ ~ ~ It was a Saturday and Raye had allowed Fallon to come back to her own home for the day. Together, Raye, James and Fallon were having a very enjoyable day just "schmoozing", as Mina liked to call it. After a whole day of movies and popcorn, Raye drove Fallon back to her penthouse, and decided to stay for a bit and work out. They did not notice the inconspicuous blue car following them. After an invigorating hour of practicing kendo maneuvers, she changed back into the red and silver blouse and black slacks that she had been wearing, zipped up her boots and put up her hair in a bun with a pair of silver chopsticks. "Hmm, I should be getting back, remember to hit the alarm button if ever there is any trouble, all right?" Raye admonished to Fallon. "Yes, I know." Fallon nodded. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Raye glanced sharply at the door, and hissed quietly to Fallon, "Hide!" Fallon immediately retreated to the bedroom and out of sight. Raye stuck a dagger in her boot, and a gun in her pocket. "Who is it?" She called out. A quiet male voice sounded. "Delivery, ma'am." Raye's eyes narrowed slightly. "I didn't order anything, you must have the wrong address." Was Saffir delivering bombs now? "Flowers, ma'am." Raye looked through her peephole. Indeed, there was no one but a delivery man with pale blue hair, holding a bouquet of red roses. Raye opened the door a crack and peered closely at the roses. They seemed to be okay. She quickly but discreetly ran her hand-held explosives detector over it anyway, and it did not beep. Satisfied, she finally accepted the roses with a gracious smile. The delivery man smiled back at her, "The roses don't do justice to your beauty, miss. Your admirer has very good taste." Raye buried her face in the velvety blooms, inhaling their heady fragrance. She began to feel lightheaded and giddy. Alarm bells sounded in her head, but...for the life of her, she couldn't summon the energy to get her gun. "Who---sent---these?" She managed to choke out before passing out unconscious. The delivery man watched coldly as she fell to the ground in a heap, roses tumbling out of her arms. "They are compliments of Saffir, Agent Mars." He gave a sharp laugh, then slung the unconscious Raye over his shoulders and carried her out. He had not noticed the other woman in the penthouse, who had seen everything with horrified eyes. ~ ~ ~ "Hello, James speaking." "James!" Fallon's voice was approaching the hysterical. "They took her! They took her!" "What? Who?!" "Raye!! Saffir's men took her! You have to come over right now!" Fallon sobbed into the phone. "There was this delivery man, who delivered flowers for her, and suddenly she fell in a faint and he carted her out! I heard him say Saffir's name before he left! You need to go and get her back!!" James felt his heart thudding in his chest. Raye had been taken by Saffir. How that had happened, he did not know. But he did know that Saffir was a cruel, merciless man, and that...oh, this did not bode well for Raye at all. His resourceful partner, his feisty friend, and the woman who had, with her warmth and fire, somehow stolen his heart. He NEEDED to get her back! It was imperative, if anything happened to her...he shuddered at the thought. "I'll be right there. Hang tight, and DO NOT MOVE!" He hung up, and ran out of Fallon's house, cell phone still in hand. ~ ~ ~ He ran three red lights to get to Raye's place, driving a good ten miles over the speed limit. As he drove, he frantically dialed a number into his cell phone and made a phone call. "Hello, this is Luna Felis, how may I help you?" A calm, cool female voice answered. "Luna! This is James Byrne! Saffir has taken Raye, I NEED to get her back, I need someone to watch Fallon for me while I go after Raye!" He barked into the phone. He heard Luna gasp. "Of course, I'll send the closest person at once! Where to?" "Raye's place. PRONTO!" He bellowed. "Thanks." He added as an afterthought. Within minutes, he was at Raye's penthouse, practically breaking down the door as he slammed it shut when he entered. "Fallon, I'm here, can you tell me who took Raye?" He said in the calmest voice he could muster, and even that sounded hysterical to his ears. "T-this man with ice-blue hair, very handsome, about 6 feet tall. I've never seen him before. He was driving a blue car." Fallon replied shakily. "I couldn't do anything, I don't even know how he got Raye to fall unconscious." She was trembling slightly. "But I watched his car leave through the window. W-with binoculars. H-his license plate number is 269 JEC." She managed a weak smile. James engulfed her in a bear hug. "That's great! Now, with that, I can find out where he drives to, and I can go and get Raye back. Good job, Fallon!" At the moment, the door opened once more, and in stepped a sylphlike blue-haired young woman. "Hello, Ms. Henderson, Agent Jadeite, I'm Agent Mercury." Her face held worry. "I heard of what happened. We need to find out exactly how Saffir's man managed to carry her off. And where they're headed." Her sharp eyes took in her surroundings, and suddenly, she pounced on the dropped bouquet of roses close by the door, that James had not even noticed when he had rushed in. She inspected it closely, then took out a single rose, and shook it over a sheet of newspaper. A fine white powder drifted onto the paper. Her sapphire eyes narrowed slightly. "Ms. Henderson, did Raye sniff the roses?" She asked as she held out various strange gadgets over the powder. "I-I think so." Fallon said fearfully. Mercury nodded. "Well, one mystery solved. This powder is a substance that works kind of like the date rape drug, except instead of being ingested it is inhaled. That's how she got knocked out." James merely nodded. He was typing furiously into his computer. "A-ha! I have the bastard's location down!" He looked at Agent Mercury. "Mercury, I can't thank you enough for your help. Please take care of Fallon while I go and get Raye back." Mercury nodded. "Anytime, Agent Jadeite. And call me Amy." "Amy, then, and call me James. THANK YOU." He said again, fervently shaking the blue-haired woman's hand. Amy gave him a long look, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You love her, don't you? Raye, that is..." James could only nod. Amy continued. "Then, I wish you the best of luck. Now, go and bring her back!" James nodded again, and dashed out the door. Amy said a silent prayer under her breath and drove Fallon back to the agency to wait. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Nine Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = Raye awoke in a strange place with an ominous feeling in her head. 'Uh-oh...one moment I was at my house, then...where the hell am I? And WHAT THE HELL is this?' She looked down to see that her gun was gone, and instead, fastened like a vest around her was unmistakably a bomb. 'Shit. Saffir.' She sat silently in thought. 'He must have captured me. I'm all alone here, and he has the control to this bomb. He presses the big red button, and I blow into smithereens. He must want to interrogate me if he hasn't just killed me yet.' She knew that she had to somehow defuse the bomb as soon as possible, before he or his thugs came in to check on her. The wires were all in the back. 'Fuck you, Saffir, you just HAVE to go out of your way to make things difficult don't you..' Raye looked around the room for something that might help her. Nothing. Doggedly, she reached behind her. She would have to rely on touch, since she wouldn't be able to see the wires. Slowly and carefully, she ran her fingers down her back, feeling around the circuitry of the bomb, following the paths of the wires with her fingers. It was a difficult process, and her arms were sore from being held behind her back for so long, but Raye had finally found the wire that reversed the mechanism. However, it now needed to be cut. Keeping one hand on the wire, she reached inside her boot, then swore to herself. The bastard had taken her knife as well. Raye once again looked around the room. Hmm, what could she possibly use to cut the wire? Yanking it would set the bomb off, and she could not pull it apart in two without disturbing the other wires and causing the bomb to detonate. Her eyes fell on the window. It was a small one, too small for a person to crawl out of. But it could be used...Raye stepped back, and then leapt into the air. The window shattered as her brutal fly-kick smashed into it. Pieces of broken glass fell outward. Raye broke off a thin shard that clung to the window frame, and used its jagged edge to cut the wire. The bomb stopped ticking. For once, Saffir had not installed multiple systems onto it. Raye was now able to remove it from her body. Freed, she stealthily crept to the door of her room. With one good kick to a vital pressure point, she had rendered the guard patrolling the hallway unconscious. Now, to find Saffir... ~ ~ ~ Meanwhile, James had reached Saffir's hideout. 'Hmm...I have to get past the guards, but fighting my way in will probably not be a good idea. Raye is in there, and that heartless criminal would kill her in an instant. No, I mustn't use guns.' Suddenly, he smiled. And dug something that looked like a wooden flute trimmed with green fibers out of his glove compartment. He owed Zack one...he really did. Zack was the world traveler out of the four of them, and with the shitload of money that he made from juggling his stocks and bonds and mutual funds and whatnot, he had enough money for it. Recently, he had made a trip to the Amazon rain forest, and had returned with presents for each of them, presents that James still didn't know how he smuggled in through customs. The 'flute' was actually a blow-gun that the Amazon natives used in hunting, to fire poison darts at their prey. The tiny projectiles they fired were liberally dipped in the venom of poison dart frogs, and despite their size, were lethal enough to kill large animals. And there were 10 darts in there. James did not know if that was enough, but even if it wasn't, it would certainly bring him much closer to finding Raye...and killing Saffir. Quickly but quietly, James made his way through the small building. Already, 8 guards had been dispatched, one after another. Now, there was another up ahead. A man with ice-blue hair. James' fists unconsciously clenched and his eyes narrowed. So THIS was the one who had kidnapped Raye. Silently, he lifted his blow-gun to his lips. Linarite heard a slight rustling noise behind him, and whirled around. He did not notice the tiny pin-like blur that found its way to his earlobe. He saw a blond, seraphically handsome man, who had an expression of deathly hatred on his face. With a sneer, he withdrew a gun and aimed it at James' head, so quickly that James did not have time to react. But just as he pulled the trigger, his arm trembled, then seized. Time seemed to stretch out slowly as the bullet flew towards James. Closer...closer.....closer.......James was watching Linarite. Who was now in convulsions on the floor. And all of the sudden, he felt a stinging pain. The bullet had grazed his cheek, and there was now a bloody streak. The poison dart had caused Linarite's arm to falter when he pulled the trigger, so the bullet had been a bit off, and instead of hitting James between the eyes, had only grazed his cheek. Ignoring the pain, James moved on, once more silently thanking Zack. 'Hmm, I really owe him one...what could I do? Hmm, that Agent Mercury who Luna sent over, she's cute...maybe I should set her up with Zack...he needs to have a committed relationship..I'll have to explore the idea further after I'm done torturing and killing Saffir...' ~ ~ ~ Raye, however, had beaten him to that. Soon after she had defused the bomb, she had found Saffir, walked up bluntly behind him, and tapped him on the shoulder. He had spun around, launching his nose directly into her waiting fist. Saffir looked at her in shock for a moment. That bomb was made practically impossible to defuse! But then, in spite of the blood dripping from his nose, Saffir sneered. Creeping up behind her, knife drawn, was one of his most skilled assassins. He was armed. Agent Mars was not. Mars heard the soft sound, and whirled around. The assassin had then thrown his arm back to fling the knife at her. But suddenly, he fell heavily to the ground in a fit. His hand convulsed around the knife handle, and when he shuddered and breathed his last, the knife was clutched still in his hand. Behind him, sporting extremely tousled hair and a bloody cheek, was James. Raye felt happy tears springing unbidden into her eyes. But James had nothing to say, just launched himself at Saffir with rage in his eyes. Within minutes, Saffir had, besides the bloodied nose, a black eye, and various other bruises all over his body. But he also had a gun in his hand, aimed at this new attacker. Gunshots rang out, and James immediately leapt out of the line of fire. It was unfortunate that the room was fairly small, but it would have to do. All of the sudden, out of his peripheral vision, James saw Raye somersaulting into the air, her white hands flying to her hair. Within moments, she was diving towards Saffir, her silver chopsticks, sharp ends out, aimed directly at him. The chopsticks entered with a sickening sound. Raye had launched herself over Saffir's head, and both former hair accessories had punctured his windpipe. He fell heavily to the ground choking in agony. James winced from his position next to a filing cabinet. Now, that was an awful way to die. Raye seemed to think the same, for she paused for a moment, and gave the dying man a nod, as if to say, "Had you not been a psychotic, merciless criminal, you might not have had to die like this." Then, all that had transpired seemed to break over her like a tidal wave, and her composure and poise seemed to disappear like smoke. She ran towards him and into his waiting arms, and did something that the patrician, proud Raye Warrington had not done for goodness knew how long. Like a little girl, she sobbed, and wet the front of his shirt with tears of exhaustion and relief. James just held her close and pressed soft kisses to the top of her head. Her hair was loose now...now that she had used her only available weapons on Saffir. Soothingly, he ran his hands slowly down her back. He had saved her life, and she had returned the favor. And she was smart, a loyal, fearless, generous and kind friend when he got to know her, and so full of spunk and spirit and warmth and beauty that it almost took his breath away. He wondered if she knew that. Raye finally pulled away, and immediately saw where the bullet had grazed his cheek. "You're hurt!" Her voice was full of concern. Immediately, she tore the cuff from one of her sleeves, and gently dabbed at the wound, wiping away the blood smears, then gently holding it in place there. She gazed up at his face, soulful violet eyes still slightly teary. He had come to save her, had risked his life goodness knows how many times, with all the guards around the place, for HER, not for a client, but for her! She smiled tremulously up at him, and said in a quavery voice, "Do you know that you look like an angel?" His warm hand came up to cover hers, still on his cheek, and his blue eyes held something significant in their lapis orbs. "Do you know that you are my angel?" He had said softly in response. Her smile widened at that. "Did you know that angels fall in love?" His eyes darkened to a luminous sapphire. "Did you know that men could love angels?" She laughed softly. "I think that's enough with the questions." She remarked, before pressing glossy crimson lips to his. Title : High Explosive Chapter : Epilogue Author : Thalia Stalk Her? : «email» smart_sweetlady@yahoo.com Rating : G Summary : *DONE!* Parallel to "Covert Cooperation", this is the story of Raye Warrington (Agent Mars) and James Byrne (Agent Jadeite) working together against a ruthless criminal. Two fiery souls, they will meet an inevitable explosion...A/U * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = * = "Isn't it great how Zack has finally settled down and become a one-woman man?" James asked Raye. They had just returned from a party at the house of a couple called Darien and Serena White. The two had been the latest assignments for Zack and Amy, the kind-hearted and sweet-faced Agent Mercury who had helped them in the case against Saffir. During THEIR assignment, Zack and Amy had managed to fall head over heels crazy in love, and James was glad to see that his usually very flirtatious friend settle down. Raye nodded and snuggled next to him. Then, she turned to him with a determined look on her beautiful face. "I want to make an important trip on New Year's. Would you make it with me?" James brushed the side of her face with his hand. "Anywhere you want to go, I'll come with you, beautiful." Raye gave him a small kiss. "I want to go back to my parents' house. Make peace, in a way." James nodded. "Sure, I'll go with you. Whenever you say the word." ~ ~ ~ "Are you nervous?" "Not really, are you?" "Slightly. I haven't spoken to them in years!" Raye gave James a slightly shaky smile. "And you know full well that I was never the genteel East Coast debuttante, like they wanted me to be." She felt his arms wind tenderly around her small waist from behind. A soft kiss pressed to the nape of her neck. "If I had a daughter, I would want her to grow up to be like you." He whispered into her hair. "Not necessarily the whole agent thing, I don't think I'd necessarily want to force that kind of lifestyle on her, but I'd want her to be just as strong, as brave, as loyal, as honest, and as beautiful as you. With silky black hair." She smiled at that, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "You just might have such a daughter someday." His arms tightened around her. "I'll take that as a promise." ~ ~ ~ Hand in hand, they walked up to the door of the huge stone mansion. Raye was dressed in a red fuzzy sweater and long black velvet skirt, covered with a warm charcoal cashmere coat, and a single strand of black pearls sat on her throat, to match the diamond and black pearl ring on her finger. Behind her, James was wearing gray dress slacks and a white shirt, covered by a coat, with one hand holding hers and the other holding a large bouquet of (unpoisoned) white lilies. Raye set her teeth, then rang the bell. A formal-looking, moustached butler opened the door. "May I help you?" He inquired politely in a formal-sounding New England accent. Raye gave him a placating smile. "Mr. Evans, remember me?" She removed her sunglasses. The butler studied her for a few moments. "Ah, you're Miss Raye." His face broke out in a smile. "We've not seem you since you left for college 11 years ago! You look lovely. Come in!" "Thanks, Mr. Evans. Will you get my parents? But don't tell them that it's me, okay?" Mr. Evans nodded and went off. Raye rubbed her hands, the only sign that she was nervous. She felt a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder, and turned sideways to give him a grateful smile. "Who is it, Evans? I must make final preparations for the New Year's banquet tonight." A rather harried male voice sounded in the hallway, as well as the clicking of high heels on the hardwood floor, Louis Warrington III, a tall, aristocratic-looking man with iron-gray hair and ice-blue eyes, dressed in an impeccable-looking black suit, came out, closely followed by Marguerite Seymour, elegant, still attractive, lavender waves of hair held back with a tie of silvery silk that went well with the winter-green morning dress she was wearing. Her violet eyes widened when she saw Raye, and whispered unbelievingly, "Raye?" ~ ~ ~ Raye nodded, and stepped forward, expecting to be given a lecture or at least a very cold reception. Therefore, she was surprised when her mother, the cool, always-poised-and-stately Marguerite Seymour, enveloped her in a hug and started crying. "Oh, honey, we've missed you." James smiled as Raye, his strong, fiery Raye, had one of those rare, adorable little-girl moments. "Really?" "Damn right we did." Louis Warrington III smiled at his daughter. "You've grown up to be a beautiful young woman, Raye. We've missed having you around." Raye frowned, "W-what? I'd thought that you'd only be too glad that your rather unladylike, totally rebellious, hot-headed, temperamental daughter was out of your hair." Louis Warrington III laughed slightly. "Raye, you're all of those things, but most importantly the last. You are my DAUGHTER." Raye smiled slightly at that. Marguerite's voice pulled their attention to James. "Raye, who is this handsome young man here with you?" James immediately handed the lilies to Raye's mother, as Raye cleared her throat. "Mother, father, I would like to introduce to you James Byrne, my colleague and fiance." "A pleasure." Louis Warrington III gave the younger man an appraising look. "Any relation to Senator Gabriel Price Byrne from Boston?" James swallowed. "None, I was originally from the Bronx, New York." "Oh." There was silence for a moment, and Raye looked at her parents challengingly. Louis Warrington III finally spoke again. "Well then, if my Raye here loves you, you have my blessing. Treat her well." James smiled sincerely at the other man. "I will, I swear on my life." Raye smiled proudly at her parents. 'Well, whaddya know?' Her mother's voice broke through her thoughts. "Dear, we simply must have the wedding here! We can invite all of your old friends, and I'm sure that your fiance has a lot of people he would like to invite as well, we can have a huge gala..." Raye gave a wry smiled to James, who was still standing next to her. "We're eloping." She mouthed silently to him. |