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"When can I leave? Have you checked out for me yet?" Nykki complained for the third time in twenty minutes. Her father laughed. "I told you we'd be able to leave at four o'clock, as soon as the doctor returns." As he spoke, the round, portly doctor entered. "Doctor…" Nykki started to complain again. The doctor held up his hands in comic surrender. "All right, all right! Just sign this and you can leave." Nykki practically ripped the clipboard out of the doctor's hands and scrawled her name at the bottom. She thrust it back at the doctor and swung her bag of clothes over her shoulder. Her still tender ribs voiced their own complaint and she winced. The doctor saw the opportunity and pounced. "I told you not to exert yourself. I don't know why I'm letting you leave so early, you should still be staying another day at least, just to be sure that…" Dr Peters turned on Mason Storm when he noticed that Nykki was no longer listening to him. "And you Mr Storm -- how could you possibly authorise her to leave the hospital? You of all people should know that injuries like hers should be taken seriously. She should be ..." Nykki slipped out of the room, leaving her father under the doctor's barrage of words. She walked out into the lobby and saw her twin. He hugged hier cautiously, taking care not to put pressure on her ribs. "Hi! There are no words to say how glad I am to be out of here." she said. "Where's Dad?" Nicholas asked. "Cornered by Doctor Peters, who's probably telling Dad how disobedient I've been and how he should be taking more care of me." She grinned. "Hey! How come no 'hellos' for me?" A familiar voice called out. Nykki turned around and looked at Christopher standing behind her. "Didn't anyone tell you not to sneak up on people?" she asked. "They did, but the rule doesn't apply when it's you." He suddenly lifted her up until they were eye to eye, her feet dangling several inches above the ground. "Nice to see that you're well again Alex." Then without warning, he kissed her, deeply. It was some time before he removed his lips from hers and set her on the ground. "That was very presumptuous of you," she said, when she was steady on the floor. "How did you know whether I'd tolerate it? I could have slapped your face." "I wouldn't have, if Nick hadn't suggested it," he replied blandly. Nykki glared at her twin and he smiled innocently back. She was about to speak when she spotted her father hurrying out of the lift, an indescribable expression on his handsome face. "Come on, let's get out of her before Doctor Peters get here. Now I know why Nykki wanted to leave the hospital so quickly," he said wryly.
Mason Storm dropped his kids and their mentor off at the academy. "Now Nykki, remember what the Doctor said -- don't exert yourself, else you might end up in hospital again, heaven forbid." he admonished her affectionately, ruffling her dark hair. "And you two," he turned to his son and Christopher, "try and make sure that she keeps in line? I would think that two of you would be enough to keep her on her feet." "Dad, where are you going?" Nicholas asked. "The police station, then to the law firm. The case against Vernon Trent is pretty strong, his lawyer wants to postpone the date of the trial, but Judge Banks wouldn't hear of it. Anyway, it's four weeks from now and we're looking into every detail - I don't want any possibility of acquittal. Then I have to drop by the Field Office to get my badge back, and finally a trip to the insurance company before going back to Wil's house. I've found a house, but I can't move in for a week - there's more than enough room for the three of us. It's at the outskirts of town, near where all the beautiful people live, so there's a lot of space. I'll bring you there tomorrow. Nicholas has lessons today right?" Nicholas moaned and the other three laughed. "I'm counting on you to keep Nykki out of trouble Christopher - I guess you should know her well enough by now. See you later, I'll call tonight." With a wave, Mason Storm drove off. They watched the car drive away. Nicholas happened to glance at his watch and his mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh shit, I'm late for class!" He cursed loudly. "Have to run, my books are still in the room." Nicholas ran off like a scalded cat. The other two walked to her room at a much slower pace. She invited Christopher in. "So," Nykki said as she flung her bag on the bed, "what happens now?" "What do you mean?" "You know, all the disguises and such. What happens now?" "You'll graduate, with the rest of them, and with your real name on the certificates, you'll get the award and make your speech. Dad was pretty adamanat about that although some of the instructors were a little miffed. Don't worry, everything will be fine." "What about Brent?" "He's on suspension pending an investigation. We can't kick him out because of his father," Christopher couldn't keep the anger he felt for the man from his voice, "but he definitely won't be able to graduate with honors. He's going to have to learn control - maybe he can take lessons from you." "Yeah, right, and get myself bashed up again. I'm not that crazy, sir," Nykki answered from the closet where she was hanging her jacket and taking off her shoes. She felt Christopher's arms encircle her waist and pull her closer to him. "Good, at least you've learnt not to go looking for trouble." "What are you implying?" She turned around in his arms to look straight at him. "You're too reckless for your own good, and you don't know how to take care of yourself." She started to retort but he stopped her. "Think about how you left the academy to find your father, then ending up in a fight. You disobeyed specific instructions to stay here and rest, and came looking for me… you very nearly got yourself killed! Instead of going straight to the hospital like a sensible young woman, you came back and then nearly get murdered by Brent." There was a twinkle in his eye that belied his black scowl. "I'm going to make you pay for disobeying my orders." "How are you going to do that?" she bantered. He didn't reply, but just turned her around and hit her on her derrière. "Hey! That hurt!" she said, rubbing her stinging buttocks. "That's for acting like a willful little girl and a spoilt brat. This," he grabbed her wrist as she backed away warily, "is for saving my life." He tugged at her, drawing her to him, and when she was close enough, he kissed her. His lips slanted against hers, for a moment, her lips remained stiff, and he gently applied more pressure. Her lips eased open, and welcomed the entry of his tongue. They stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, oblivious to the time ticking away. Her legs turned to jelly, he was her only support, and she clung onto him as if her life depended on it. Her world contracted, until there was nothing but him and the deliciously wicked feelings he was inducing in her, the tingles running down her spine. Something made her press forward into him. She needed to smell him - the subtle scent of bayberry cologne and his own special musk. She could feel the shifting of his muscles under the tips of her fingers and his arms tightening around her. It was probably the pain from her ribs that broke the delicately woven spell around them. She hurriedly pushed him away, and stared wide-eyed at him. Christopher was looking at her, his eyes smoky and nearly opaque, with perhaps a dash of surprise. Herself, she was too dazed by what had happened to say anything. "Did I scare you?" Christopher asked her softly. She didn't answer, couldn't answer. She didn't know what had happened, she had never lost control so completely before. Chris took a step closer, her back was against the wall. "I guess I did," he concluded, looking into her wide silver eyes. "Sorry," he apologized, running a finger down her cheek, "I got a little carried away." "A little carried away?" she said incredulously. "That," she emphasized the word by poking him in the chest, "is an understatement." "True, but it was worth it." His smile was mischievous. She looked at him questioningly. "Why?" "Because I finally get to see you without any masks at all. Because you finally lost your control and showed me who you really are." His voice had turned solemn, and he was looking at her intently. "Who am I?" she asked softly. "A woman who's afraid of showing the world how wonderful she is because she doesn't want to get hurt again. A woman who has infinite control and has perfected the art of hiding oneself behind masks. One whose true character is hidden behind a facade of arrogance and mocking. A woman who has deep within her, a creative, imaginative, daring and mischievous little girl waiting to be released to wreck havoc on the world's lunchpails again." She mouth tilted upwards slightly at that remark. He continued. "Her masks have slipped finally, allowing a rogue like myself to see what is truly beneath - intelligence, courage, daring, unconventionality, humor, passion… You're wonderful Nykki, even if you don't admit it." "You make me sound like a saint!" she laughed. "Of course you do have bad points. You're totally reckless, a touch cynical, irritatingly logical sometimes, disobedient …" He grinned at her expression. "What?" "I was wondering if you needed anymore adjectives to help you along. You seem to have run out of steam. What do you think about 'stubborn'?" "That too!" he replied wringing a laugh from her. "Let's go for a walk before dinner. Maybe up the hill and around the fields. I know a place where we can sit and watch the sun set." "I've got a couple of things to do first. Tell you what, I'll meet you at the lobby in twenty minutes." "Fine. Don't be late," he warned, "or beware of the consequences." "Go!" she chased him out of her room laughingly.
They followed the dirt path leading up the hill, brushing past awkward branches and thick foliage. Finally, they came out of the heavy shadows of the trees to a relatively large, grassy ledge. Nykki walked to the edge that overlooked the entire Quantico campus and sat down, her legs dangling freely. Beneath her, the academy looked like something out of a Lego advertisement. She could just see her room window from her vantage point. Christopher sat down beside her. "Like it?" She nodded. "It's like we're on top of the world, like Hercules and the gods. How did you find it?" "I liked hiking around when I was a cadet; I found this place during one of my hikes. I literally stumbled into it, I tripped over something and ended up sprawling, my face full of dirt and grass. When I stood up, I saw the view it had, and decided that this would be my very own hide-out. I spent a lot of my time sitting here and doing nothing." "Have you been up here recently?" "I climb up here about once or twice a week. Sometimes during the day, sometimes at night - you won't believe how different the academy looks in the dark. It's a great place to think. I came up even more often after I became your mentor - you don't know how much of a pain-in-the-ass you were, and still are…" She raised an eloquent eyebrow. "I came here and mulled about all those suspicions I had about you, but I just couldn't put a finger to them." He laughed softly. "Then after I found out the truth, I came up here to try and decide what I was going to tell my father - I was in two minds about it. I wanted to have you thrown out because of your deceit; but on the other hand, I really admired your perseverance and determination, I felt that you could really make a good FBI agent. And to think that all this while my Dad knew about you. I won't be surprised that he was very amused by my reactions." "I guess your being torn by indecision was actually a blessing in disguise." She was stringing the wildflowers she had picked into a chain, and she dropped the finished product on his golden-brown head. "That's for believing in me." He caught her cheeky smile in his palms. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She hesitated, before resting her head on his shoulder. Gently, he caressed the side of her cheek. They sat there without moving for a long while, watching the sun descend. As the red-gold ball sank slowly down into the folds of the green earth, there was a sudden merging of red, yellow, gold, blue and light purple, spreading out around the glowing globe. There was a line of birds flying towards the hemisphere beyond the horizon. In a flash, the yellow tones disappeared, leaving behind a blend of blue and purple. Christopher looked down at her, her eyes were half-closed, and he gently shook her. "Nykki," he whispered into her ear, "Nykki, it's time to go back." Her eyes opened, she yawned and stretched like a cat. He stood up, and pulled her up along with him. Together, they headed towards the smells of dinner.
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