Author's Note: I came up with the whaling negotiations because of a wonderful lecture at uni on the topic of "Economy and Environment". I'm aware that I could have concentrated on this topic more than on the story, but as this is BUGS and not an article pleading for more careful consideration of the earth and its inhabitants...

Chapter 1

"I wish we didn't have to go back..." Alex stuffed a couple of books into her suitcase. "If you want... I'm sure there's some way we can..." Adam put his arms around her and guided her towards the bed... "We still got some time before the plane leaves..."

***

A few hours later, Beckett found himself stuck in the middle of a traffic jam on his way to work. He was just about to phone in and say he'd be late, when he remembered that Jan was ill, Ros in all probability positioned at the airport, waiting for Alex and Adam to arrive and Ed...

Somehow he didn't think his friend would turn up at the Bureau today. He'd been very quiet ever since Alex had got married. It was obvious he had deeper feelings for her and now...well, he, Nick Beckett, certainly knew how that felt and he pitied Ed with all his heart. Fortunately Ros had given up Channing... yet...sometimes he wondered if she was jealous when he went out with Christa - it almost seemed like it sometimes...and he didn't want to tell her either... as if it mattered. It didn't. Not anymore.

He'd had his chance - at least something like it and he'd blown it...it was over. He might not like it, but he had to face the facts. Ros was one of the women of his past. He sighed. It would take him at least an hour longer to get to work today - a lot of time to think of lost chances.

***

Ed sat in front of the computer, listlessly typing endless trains of letters, now and then hammering "enter" on the keyboard. He was in a brown study, not at all like his usual sunny self. He'd really believed he could accept Alex and Adam being together. And it had been fine - he'd got through the wedding ceremony somehow and then... God, they were just coming back from their honeymoon - every chance he might have had with Alex - no, he'd long ago had one, but he hadn't taken it as such, not seriously that was. Adam was a nice guy, attractive, reliable... and...well, his mistakes hadn't had any dire consequences - "Enter", his finger stabbed the key as if it were digging into...

"Morning."

Beckett stuck his head in at the door. He saw his friend's face and came in, putting his hand on his shoulder. He'd never before seen Ed like this - and he didn't like it.

"How can you work with the woman you love, knowing you can't have her." Ed's voice was calm, low, with a harsh edge to it.

"I can't give you any expert advise, only...it gets easier with time...it hurts, but you can learn to bear looking at her, in her eyes, maybe even tolerate the other guy..."

Ed nodded, his features set, almost expressionless. "I'll learn."

***

Jan was extremely tired and she felt dreadful. Still, it had been a very important phone call she'd just received and she knew it was of the utmost importance to take things into her hands now. She dressed slowly, her head throbbing, her knees shaking. Wait till her doctor found out she was going to work...he'd have a first-class fit. But - it couldn't be helped. When she was ready to go she dialled the Bureau number on her mobile and told Beckett,
"No questions. Just pick me up."

***

"Ros?"

A static crackle answered Beckett, then someone took up the microphone.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Alex? Good to hear you again, hope you had a good time."

"Yeah, actually we did and... "

"We got an emergency meeting in the Bureau...you two had better hurry up."

Alex looked over at Ros who shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't wait to hear what's up this time."

***

As soon as Ros and Alex had crossed the threshold, a flushed, distinctively ill-humoured Jan ushered them into her office. Adam was left standing by his own, reluctant to follow them. Ed cast him a look, sighed, and motioned for him to join them. It wouldn't do to punish him for something Ed had screwed up himself. Jan coughed, sipping her steaming tea, then began hoarsely: "We have an...emergency..." she coughed again, sneezed, shook her head. This was not going to do.

"Beckett?"

"Well, all that I know about it yet is that there have been threats to government officials regarding some sort of secret conference with Greenpeace..."

Jan nodded. She waved her hand theatrically in front of the computer, in an unsuccessful attempt to sustain her next coughing fit. Ros sat down, punching the keys...

"Seems like it's all about signing a treaty against whaling - the Norwegians, Russians, Icelandic, South Korean and Japanese are coming together with Greenpeace activists to discuss it. Sounds like fun!"

"These countries are still big in illegal whaling aren't they?"

Jan nodded. Alex moaned, noticing Beckett's amused expression and that unmistakable twinkle in his eyes.

"Hope you've warmed yourself up, Alex. From now on it's gonna get kind of chilly..."

***

As it turned out, the Bureau had been called to guarantee the safety of the government officials who had come to work out the treaty, despite protests from the political parties in their respective countries. It was not so much the danger of Greenpeace making trouble, far worse was the reaction of the whalers themselves. Although the conference, as well as its exact location had been kept strictly confidential, precautions had to be taken...

"Jan just gave me another piece of good news, guys. Guess what?"

"No guessing games, Ed."

Alex was serious. She was tired and beginning to be very irritated. After all, she'd just got back from her honeymoon and was supposed to start working straight away. That was not something she particularly looked forward to.

"Some kind of toxic waste has been stolen from a warehouse right here in London - and, apart from no-one being responsible no-one knows exactly what it was - only that it's dangerous, toxic and that a bunch of guys threatened to dump it into the sea if the conference wasn't cancelled. How's that sound?"

"Splendid, Ed, really splendid. So who'll do what?"

So much for a quiet romantic evening with Adam.

"You'll take care of the government officials with Ros, that way you can stay close to Prince Charming...Ed and I will see what we can find out about that waste."

Beckett tried hard to keep his voice level, a little teasing. Seeing his friend's face flinch for a moment he knew he'd figured out he was being pampered, taken care of. Great, now Ed would definitely give it to him.

***

"Why? Do you think I'm some kind of idiot who doesn't have his feelings under control? I can work with Alex. It would have been better to split up as usual - me and Alex, you and Ros."

"Relax - I didn't mean to...never mind."

Wiser to concede without a fight. Ed would pull himself together eventually. He still remembered how grateful he'd been to Jan when she had given him and Ros separate assignments for a while. It made it easier.

***

"Alex, stop. There's work to do. I'd love to hear all about your romantic suite, the sunsets, whatever...just not now. We've got to see if there are any bugs here, any place where a bomb could be placed, then we've got to check the catering, the participants...there's only a couple of days for everything."

"Fine. Not my fault if you can't have Beckett. No need to let it out on..."

The glare she received made her stop immediately, busying herself with the gadget in her hand. Seemed like she had hit a nerve there…

***

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Most of the barrels contained oil and refinery waste, only one third should have toxic in them, mostly pesticides and herbicides that is. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. After all, you can't make money with that, can you?"

The old worker laughed gruffly, then turned around, leaving the two men alone.

"That's not good, is it?"

"If they dump that stuff into the sea we'll have a major environmental catastrophe on our hands..."

"Seems like no-one saw them come - or go for that matter. And the barrels weren't labelled either..."

"Wouldn't help - not even if we knew what kind of toxic we're dealing with. A link between the whalers and any companies here is unlikely. And as far as we know, no foreign business ever stored their stuff in this part of the dock."

"What were they going to do with it anyway?"

"Better not ask...Ros? We talked to a dock-worker, seems like no-one saw anything suspicious, about 50 to 60 barrels are gone, refinery waste, herbicides and pesticides most likely. You found anything yet?"

"The conference rooms seem to be fine, security's being installed at the moment and we'll make our final check tomorrow. Alex is looking up the participants. Nothing interesting yet, though. You coming back to the Bureau? We could use some help with our list."

"We'll have another look round, then we'll drop in. Come on, Ed, let's see if we missed something."

"I'm not going to crawl in the dirt here, if that's what you have in mind. What the hell are you doing anyway?"

"Looking if there's any residue here - blood, dirt, pieces of cloth, toxic waste - whatever - or would you rather sift through endless CVs on the computer, finding the dark spots of the honoured government officials..."

Ed groaned. Still, Beckett had a point, he'd rather be active than just to sit and...well, read.

***

"Ros, give me a break. We've checked almost everyone thoroughly and there is nothing, absolutely nothing. The Norwegians seem fine, so do the Russians, the Japanese, everyone. I don't know what you want to find! "

"Anything that'll help us."

Alex groaned. This was one hell of a morning. Adam had gone back to the apartment with their luggage, getting everything ready for her when she came home tonight - if she came home, that was. Seeing the determined look on her colleague's face made her wonder just how long this "looking for the bad guys" session was going to take.

Chapter 2

3.30 am. Beckett groaned, turned round, slapped his alarm clock repeatedly without eliminating the steady ringing in his ears. He sat up slowly, eyes still closed, hair dishevelled. Not that he minded being woken up from a dream like the one he had been having - Ros in between two armed men, guns on her, and he, gagged and bound up, not able to warn her as she came towards him, as the shots rang out... The cell phone! That was it. He grabbed it from his bedside table.

"Beckett?"

"Emergency meeting at the Bureau. I found something."

"What...Ros?"

She had hung up - great. Leave it to that woman to make his life a living hell. As if only loving her wasn't enough...she haunted his dreams, disturbed his sleep...

"Shut up, Beckett and get yourself up." His voice was stern enough to bring him back to reality. He could pity himself later - there still was a job to be done.

***

"I told you we'd come across something."

"I'm glad you're so happy, Ros, but if you ask me I'd prefer some sleep to the deep revelations of this night. That guy's dead. I'm sure there's no connection between him and that Norwegian - what was his name?"

"Johansson. James Johansson."

"Who's that? Someone to tackle Bond, James Bond?"

"No joking, Ed. This is serious. And I'm tired."

When did Alex get so bad-tempered, Ros wondered. It was only since she'd come back from her honeymoon - fatigue might explain a few things, but this constant ill humour wasn't like her and she usually didn't snap at Ed like that either.

"I'll explain in a moment, Ed. Just waiting for...Beckett! What took you so long?"

Beckett grinned. "Bet you wanna know."

"So who's this Johansson guy?"

"The head of the Norwegian delegation for this meeting. Not very well known as a politician, and not exactly what you'd call an environmentalist. His father was Norwegian, his mother American."

"What's the dark spot, the secret?"

"Well, there's some other guy called James Johansson - with the same parentage apparently - but..."

"He would be 97 this year if he hadn't died while in hospital for a heart surgery a couple of years ago."

"So you're thinking that this James Johansson is not the real thing."

"Right. Though I haven't yet found any face in our files to match his."

"Ought to try Interpol."

"Working on it - they changed their access codes and security system lately and I've been trying to break in for ages. Will take some more time, I'm afraid."

"We don't have time, we've got to find out if he's the only one or if there are others."

Ed nodded. "Want me and Beckett to take over for a while? You two look like you needed some rest."

Ros smiled at him. "That would be lovely. C'mon Alex, we'll take a nap in Beckett's office - if he lets us."

Questioning look. If he'd known how she managed to get to him so easily he would have stopped it immediately. "Go ahead."

***

"You don't look exactly thrilled about this stuff, Ed. Why did you volunteer for it, anyway?"

"Alex is mad at me. Wanted to dampen her whatever… Hasn't worked I guess."

"She's been a little moody lately. Ever since that honeymoon of hers she's - she hasn't been back for more than a day and yet I can't help thinking it's not really her."

"I don't know - that's really - I know you just wanna make me feel better."

"She'll pull herself together eventually, Ed. Look at Ros. She's giving me a hard time just by being nice and I suspect she knows it."

"A hard time ? So you're still not over her. And the old feelings are beginning to get in the way."

Beckett sighed. "I really wished we weren't having this conversation about my non-existant love life."

Mischievous grin. "That look on your face certainly does have the effect of making me feel better, Beckett..."

***

"Autsch!"

Ros caught her friend's arm just in time before she got another slap across the face. It seemed Alex was dreaming and very vividly. She shook her, carefully at first, then harder.

"Hey, what do you think, hitting me like that?"

That brought Alex to a wide awake state of shocking disbelief. "I didn't..."

"You most certainly did. What's wrong with you? Since you got back, you've been acting really strangely."

"It's... nothing I want to talk about right now. I'm sorry, ok?" Ros shrugged, then got up. "I'll go join Ed and Beckett. You coming too?"

"In a moment."

***

"Found anything?"

My, Ros looked lovely even when she'd just woken up. Concentrate, Beckett, answer her, play it cool.

"Not yet - though that doesn't really surprise me. All those government officials are protected by their diplomatic immunity and they all have white vests - it doesn't pay to have been, so to say, intimately connected, with certain subjects. They would have either erased their past or - for good measure - not have anything to do with such things."

"I doubt Johansson is the only one wanting to sabotage the meeting. Every one of these countries has the, however well-concealed, interest to continue whaling - that's where they make the big money." Ed chimed in.

Ros nodded, looking worried all of a sudden. "Talks start tomorrow. Either we find something right now or we just leave it and wait for what comes up. Our hands are tied at the moment. And I don't like it."

Chapter 3

Jan sneezed. This was one of the most uncomfortable situations she'd ever been in. Her doctor had found out she'd been at the Bureau and, to preserve her health, as he had put it, requested she either be admitted at hospital or have someone to look after her. She had opted for hospital - it would be easier to get out of here if need be. Not that she knew of anything regarding that new job her team had got. No one had contacted her. And that didn't help to lift her spirits one bit. They were doing this without her - not that she doubted they'd do excellent work - she just felt so - left out.

"Ma'm? We were advised to have you stay in bed at all times. You shouldn't be walking about in the corridors."

Polite, sweet smile - if only she could have pushed that girl aside. Nurses were troublesome creatures anyway.

"I wanted to make a phone call..." Sneeze. Cough. "...and there is no phone..." Cough. "... in my room." She had made her point at least - hopefully.

"You should rest here, not work. That's why you've no phone in your room, Ma'm. But if you want to, I can organise a cell phone so you can get in touch with whoever you want to."

Jan nodded eagerly. This was good, she was getting results - wasn't she clever?

"But you must promise me to remain in bed. I will get into trouble if you're worse tonight."

Ah - the buts - she had expected them. She nodded. Though chief of Bureau Two she knew when she had to give in, or at least pretend to. A smile formed on her lips that nurse obviously underestimated her - that was good news indeed!

***

"Check it again!"

Ros held on to her temper by threads. She felt powerless. They'd spent the whole night looking for indications that would lead them to suspect any of the participants of this conference of - well, anything, basically. But they'd found nothing. Absolutely nothing. All records as clean as could be.

She still hadn't got into the Interpol files. It would take at least another day or two until she could access them, and then it might already be too late. Security was tight in the building. This was the last check-up before the talks would begin this afternoon. And Ros had the slight, uncomfortable feeling that something was up, something big - and she didn't like not being prepared for it, not in the least.

"All set. We've checked the catering, the food, the waiters, the secretaries - everyone. Seems like all's perfectly safe. Too safe, if you ask me."

Ros nodded. At least she wasn't the only one worried here. Beckett looked at her. If she didn't look away soon she'd probably drown in his eyes and forget about everything else.

"Have you noticed the change in Alex?"

Beautiful change of subject. She nodded.

"She seems irritated by God knows what. Last night she punched me dreaming. She didn't want to talk about it though. How's Ed?"

Dangerous ground to be walking on, Ros, take it easy.

"He wants to please Alex, make her - I don't know. She's snapped at him for no reason at all. That's what's hardest on him."

Curt nod. Very professional. "She'll come to her senses."

Well done. Beckett and I are dealing with this like adults. God, we've been separated for some time now and I'm still hoping we can fix our relationship. After all, working together is just great, like old times. Ros didn't catch the look her colleague gave her, nor the warmth in his eyes, their softening at seeing the slight smile dancing on her lips. She had no idea how much he wanted to brush the stray lock of hair out of her eyes - it was a thought out of a trash novel. Beckett just knew it. It felt like a cliché the moment he had it in his mind. He let it pass. Lie low for a while. There'll be a time to talk - just not now.

***

The blue car rounded a corner, stopping in a dirty side street. Most passers-by ignored the vehicle, ignorant of the contents in the trunk. A leather-clad figure got out, walking towards the tall, blonde man in the trench coat who seemed to have been waiting for it.

"Where have you been?" The accent was harsh, Nordic.

"I came here as fast as I could. We don't want to attract too much attention, do we?" Definitely feminine, a dark, forbidding edge to it.

"Everything ready?"

"Sure. We'll get them. Mao Chang is with us. So is one of the British mediators, Thornton. It will go as planned - and if not - the North Sea fish will love our little brew."

"Get everyone in position. I have to go."

A court nod, then the leather-clad figure turned round. Her face was attractive, but harsh lines were edged deep, her voice as cold as the polite "See you later" she flung at her contact as she got into the car.

***

"Get out of my way, idiot!"

Ed tumbled back, his expression more hurt than surprised as Alex stormed past him. He watched her rush into the office she shared with Ros, shaking his head as she banged the door.

"Don't take it personally." Ros put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. But Ed wasn't in the mood to be consoled.

"Yeah, sure. That's what you should tell Beckett - at least someone in this god-damn place knows what rejection feels like."

He brushed past her, grabbing the files he'd come to get and slumped down in front of a computer. His colleague decided to leave him alone to brood things over, though she had to bite back a couple of questions about the allusion Ed had just made about her and Beckett. The Bureau chief chose that moment to poke his head round the corner, tapping his watch.

"We gotta go. Day two of the negotiations. You don't wanna be late, do you?"

"I'm coming. Beckett?"

"Yes."

"I think we'd better let Ed and Alex go through the files again - they don't seem to be in the best mood and I guess they'd only be up to making a scene today."

"Fine."

He turned round quickly, too quickly. Probably to hide his face from her, though Ros had no idea why he should want to do that - unless he still had feelings for her and was trying to hide the… Stop it, she chided herself. This is neither the time nor place for such nonsense.

***

"Nurse Hannigan?" Jan sneezed. It was getting worse, not better, and she hadn't even got the cell phone she had been promised.

"Yes Ma'm?"

"What the hell's going on here?"

Cough, sneeze, cough. Like her own sweet melody. Jan loathed that sweet, docile smile on the pretty face in front of her - who was she that she thought she could treat the Chief of Bureau Two like that.

"Where is my phone?" A look of concern, oh, how charming - as if she couldn't see she was faking it.

"I'm so sorry but…"

This wasn't going to work out like that. "Listen, girl!" - That's right, make your point, Jan. Cough. "Either you get me a phone, or…" Sneeze. "…I'm leaving this hospital."

As if they'd let her. The stunned, uncomprehending glance she received pleased her to no end - ah, sweet results or just a little bit of revenge.

"You can't just keep me here, lock me up and out. I…" Sneeze, Cough. "…I won't allow it."

Now hopefully that would help convince this idiot that she was serious. Not that she felt like getting up or making a scene, but she wanted to be kept informed of how her team was doing and under no circumstances would anyone get her to keep quiet and leave things be. She was ill, not mentally infirm or dead…

Chapter 4

"Beckett? Can I ask you something personal?"

He looked at her questioningly, but Ros kept her eyes firmly on the road.

"Ask, whatever it is. I might, however, choose not to answer."

She nodded. "Do you feel rejected by me?"

It sure was hard asking him that. But she couldn't get Ed's words out of her mind. Beckett was stupefied. It would be best not to answer. But then again, Ros herself had chosen the question and maybe, just maybe she wanted to start talking about what had gone wrong between them. Their friendship had survived even her friend's death, although she had blamed him for it, still did, as far as he knew.

"When Terry died - yes, I felt rejected by you - you just pushed me out of your life, never gave me a reason. It..."

Say it, he had to say it. Hurt. One little word. It might make a difference. But he knew that he couldn't go that far. It wouldn't do to…

"We're here. Let's talk later." It was a lame excuse. And she knew it, even as, with his nod of agreement, she was her businesslike self again.

***

Ed looked up from the screen. There it was again. It almost sounded like someone was crying. But there was no one in the office, save him and Alex. And she was in a foul mood, not a depressed one. She was probably watching some program… He sighed. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was disturbed by the sound and he wouldn't stop fidgeting until he found out what it was. He stood up, stretched himself, then strolled casually towards the door. It wouldn't do to seem all too worried about her. He ought to keep as much of his pride and dignity through this as possible. She might have got to him, but she wouldn't get any further.

All Ed's thoughts were shattered, the moment he opened the door after a soft knock. Alex sat at her desk, her head pillowed in her arms, sobbing. The receiver lay beside her, indicating she had just got a call, when she… He threw away caution and self-preservation - if she wanted to hurt him, well, he'd let her, as long as she felt better afterwards. Seeing her like this sure made his heart ache.

***

"This is going far too smoothly, Beckett. I don't like it."

He nodded, casting a glance round them. The delegates were arriving, everyone was in place, they had checked every corner of the room, every inch of the building. It was perfect. No danger anywhere.

"Mr. Johansson, nice to see you again."

Ros smiled sweetly at the Norwegian. Beckett couldn't suppress the small surge of jealousy. True, he had no right, but he'd give a lot to see her smile like that at him, not just with soft, professional interest. It was clear she found that guy attractive, and hell, he couldn't even blame her. Tall, blonde, startlingly clear blue eyes and a smile that lit up a perfectly sculptured face. Johansson nodded, smiled, then turned towards his chair. Beckett glared after him.

"Beckett? Come on, we've got better things to do. I admit, Mrs. Thornton is quite a woman, but maybe you should wait for the end of the negotiations before asking her out." Her tone was mild, yet he knew her well enough to detect the acid edge in it. He faced her, smiling.

"I'm all yours." And boy, he sure meant it.

***

"Alex?" Ed advanced, kneeling down beside her chair, putting his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off, mumbling something he couldn't quite make out. He shook his head, crossing the room to get some Kleenex. Returning to her chair, he pulled at one of her curls gently, before pushing her back softly, turning her face towards him and dabbing at the tears on her cheeks. It occurred to him he was making a complete fool out of himself, but right at that moment he didn't care. He just wanted her to stop crying.

"Let it out, Alex. You're upset. Have been for quite a while now. Wanna blame someone? Then take it out on me, if you like."

He kept his tone as level as he could. Now he was in for trouble.

***

Ros didn't know whether to be annoyed with Beckett or not. She just brushed his comment aside, turning on her heel to get to the corridor.

"I got a message on my pager."

She held it out to him. STOP CONFERENCE TILL 2 PM OR NORTH SEA WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

"A threat. They haven't made themselves known to us until now. Just this notice when the toxic waste was stolen. That's odd, don't you think so?"

Ros shrugged. "Yes, but that isn't our main concern. Question is, how do we figure out who they are, and where they plan on dumping the waste. We can't risk calling off the conference. Too much depends on it, though I admit it'll be hard to figure out where the message came from."

"Should we ask Johansson?"

"Not yet. It shouldn't be long before I can access Interpol's files. Then we'll know more, I hope."

"You go back in, I'll get in touch with Ed."

Ros nodded, walking back towards the conference room. Beckett looked after her a glance too long…

***

Ed had just about finished wiping his colleague's face dry, when the phone rang. He sighed, then rose to get it.

"Hello?"

"Ed. Ros said it should be possible to access Interpol soon, keep watch and sift through the info as soon as it's available. She's running the program on her favourite PC."

"Great, consider it done. So how's the conference going?"

"Far too smoothly. But, eventually, we got another message from the guys who have stolen the toxic waste. Either we stop negotiations by 2 pm or they'll dump it."

"Great, so we have about four and a half hours for all this. Nothing as easy as that."

"Get to work, I'll keep in touch." Ed hung up. This was not going as planned. He'd have to get Alex up on her feet, he needed her help.

"Alex? That was Beckett. We got about four hours to stop a major toxic pollution of the North Sea, if we don't just break off the conference to save the whales first - we gotta go through the Interpol files. You up to it?"

Alex nodded. She didn't feel at all up to doing anything right now. She was embarrassed, ashamed to have been caught in that state by Ed. She had no intention of telling him what was wrong and - well, if that meant putting her mind on some other task - that was fine with her.

"I do Interpol - Ros' favourite PC, isn't it? And you can run over possible places for dumping that waste."

"Shouldn't be too many round here that'll cause excessive damage."

"Gulf Stream would be my best guess." He smiled.

"Then that's where I'll start looking…"

***

Jan wasn't sure if she should throw a temper tantrum or just resign herself to the fact that she was being protected, shielded and pampered at the same time. She suspected no foul play in it. No, she had had a visit from her dearest friend and he had confirmed her fears that her superiors were apparently worried about her physical state and thought the case didn't qualify as important enough for her to make a personal appearance alongside her team.

"They can handle it alone. They got through far worse. Really, it's just some trifle for them."

That didn't reassure her. True, they wouldn't need her in the field, they worked efficiently enough like it was, but she wanted to know, wanted to be part of it all. Lying in this hospital made her feel helpless and fragile and that was something she wouldn't allow. She wasn't an old woman yet. Past her prime, maybe, but not old. She was in as good a condition as she could want for her age - and this cold wouldn't keep her from doing her job. Who was to tell that moral support was of no importance, even for a "small" case?

Jan dressed slowly, keeping her ears alert for any sign of motion from the corridor. She would never be able to explain this to Nurse Hannigan, who was obviously the person elected to be her jailer. Where were the Kleenex? She'd better take a good amount of them with her, just in case. No, she wouldn't go to the conference, she'd only be in the way. But she could put up her feet at the Bureau, get some hot tea, and she was sure to find one or two of the team doing some research there.

She closed the door softly behind her, rushing towards the fire escape. If she was lucky no one would check on her till lunch. She'd have about two and a half hours to get to the Bureau - and when they came to pick her up again, she might just have enough information and a cell phone at her disposal to keep her satisfied for the rest of the day. Jan smiled wearily. Now she only had to get a taxi and then she'd be on her way…

Chapter 5

Ed had resigned himself to the hopelessness of ever narrowing down the area where the toxic waste could do the most harm. Even if he took the Gulf Stream into consideration as the most likely target… A sneeze behind him caused him to almost jump out of his skin. He twirled round in his chair, almost knocking Jan over.

"Jan! Shouldn't you be in hospital? You look dreadful!"

Oh, oh, that was not exactly what he had meant to say, but she really didn't make the healthiest impression on him.

"They wouldn't give me a…" Cough. Sneeze. Cough. "… phone. And I had to know what was going on." Cough. "They'll get me soon enough, just…" Cough. "… fill me in on everything and get me a cell phone."

Ed simply nodded and, while filling his boss in on the most important details of what they had discovered as well as the most likely course of action they would follow, roamed around the office in search of Beckett's spare cell phone. When he finally came across it in the uppermost drawer of the Bureau Chief's desk, he handed it to Jan with a triumphant flourish.

"Knew he had it hidden somewhere round here…" Alex chose that moment to appear in the doorway, still flushed and red-eyed from crying.

"Ed, I found - Jan!" Her colleague shook his head, indicating he'd explain later.

"I found a small note on Johansson in the Interpol files. Apparently he was involved in some minor smuggling deals - and guess what he smuggled - toxics - from Western Europe to Russia, where they were simply dumped some place."

"Good. That leaves the question why the hell he was chosen as head of the Norwegian delegation - unless some influential people have convinced one or two government officials that his presence were the best guarantee for the treaty not being signed!"

"We'd better give Beckett and Ros a call, tell them to be careful. Any progress on the dumping area?"

"Nope, not yet. Seems like there are tons of places that would secure maximum damage."

"Maybe you should…" Cough. "… look for the area nearest to London - after all those…" Sneeze, cough. "… barrels were stolen from the docks here…" Cough.

"Jan, you should be in bed, not here, though we appreciate your help very much." Alex added hastily, catching the icy glare her boss sent her.

Ed suppressed a grin at the exchange. That was more like his lively, good-humoured colleague. He picked up the phone and dialled Beckett's number.

***

"Yes?…Ed, any news…hell, that's not good…we'll take care of him…I leave the toxics to you…we'll keep in touch."

Beckett's brow creased in worry. He scanned the room for his colleague, spying her between a few delegates. He winked at her, beckoning her to come outside for a moment. She was at his side a few moments later. Her warm brown eyes darkened to a black hue when he told her about the situation. Beckett watched her fascinated for a second too long, aware she had noticed his stare.

"How do we go about it?" He didn't look directly at her now.

"Might be best to just tell security and have him taken out, on the other hand - the Norwegian delegation isn't going to like that at all. We mustn't jeopardize the negotiations."

"They haven't progressed until now anyway. I don't think they'll ever do more than argue - the South Koreans rebuff most proposals and the rest put forward impossible solutions."

Ros nodded thoughtfully. "I got an idea. Come on."

He followed her, not without a grin playing around his lips. He couldn't help himself, when she took control like this she gave him the feeling that he wasn't needed anymore, that she could handle it all on own - and she most probably could.

***

"You shouldn't have left the hospital, Ma'm. I just hope you won't be the worse for it in the morning."

Jan was on the verge of shouting at that nurse to keep her mouth shut, she was a grown-up woman and could take care of herself perfectly well, when another coughing fit shook her.

"We'll keep you up to date, Jan, promise."

Ed did his best to seem reassuring. He knew even now that he wouldn't bother his boss unless he had something satisfactory to report but she was obviously intent on being informed, so he wasn’t going to disappoint her. Alex smiled at Jan once more, before the elevator descended, leaving her alone with Ed.

"She shouldn't have come here. I don't know why she's so stubborn." Her colleague's worried look made her stop in mid-sentence.

"I told you I was fine - I don't want to talk about anything, I'm just fine." She snapped at him.

Ed flinched, doing his best to hide it. Not quite succeeding, he proposed they set to work on their foremost problem. Alex gave in, managing a neutral tone as she replied: "We'll take the laptop with us in the car. Best we check out a couple of locations."

***

"Excuse me, Mister Johansson, but there was a call for you. Someone is waiting for you at your hotel, someone who didn't want his name to be - you understand me, I'm sure. I was asked to tell you that your presence is of the greatest importance."

Ros smiled apologetically, doing her best to seem harmless and ignorant at the same time. The tall man gave her a surprised look but didn't question her any further. It almost seemed as if he had been waiting for something like this. He conversed with his colleagues for a moment, then extended his hand to Ros.

"Thank you for informing me." His smile was dazzling, the way he kissed her hand most charming. At any other time she might have felt flattered. Now she only hoped he'd get out of the room as quickly as possible, so they could progress with their plan. Beckett noticed the Norwegian's approach and smiled. Ros sure had a way of making men do what she wanted.

"Mister Johansson. My colleague told me you had to go back to the hotel, if you don't mind I'll accompany you - we have to ensure your safety."

The other man nodded his agreement, though the flicker of annoyance crossing his face didn't escape Beckett. Good. He was walking into their trap. Now he only had to keep him from finding out that he hadn't in fact received a call - they didn't have enough proof yet to have him arrested, so, for the good of the negotiations he had to be prevented from further taking part.

***

Ed drove, Alex cradling the laptop, giving directions now and then, as they drove out to the coast. The silence that hung between them most of the time was disturbing, unreal almost. There was nothing that could have been said to lighten the mood. Alex was sulking, intent on getting her job done while ignoring her colleague as best she could, while he was busy hiding his pain at her rejection of his company and retaining his usual jovial, welcoming façade.

"Right turn." Ed joked down the sigh that threatened to escape him. "Best lead, isn't it?"

She nodded. He tried again to get some semblance of conversation going between them. Anything was better than this.

"Seems the perfect spot for the job - among about 20 others." His grin was shallow and he knew it. Pull yourself together, Ed. Don't show her how much she's hurting you.

***

"Ladies and Gentlemen, might I have your attention for a moment."

Ros carefully kept her expression neutral, business-like.

"You have probably heard of the threats to dump toxic waste into the North Sea should negotiations go on. I can assure you that won't happen. My colleagues have found the site and the suspects have been arrested."

It was a blunt lie. But it might at least serve to get them back to work. She cast a glance at her watch once the petty arguments reigned again. Half past one. She hoped Ed and Alex had really got some lead. It would be unpardonable if those people got their way. Having nothing better to do than wait for the time being, she contented herself with observing the conference and soon the picture before her had her mind doing over-time again.

***

"No messages! Is this some kind of practical joke on your part, Mister Beckett?"

The blonde Norwegian glared down at the Bureau Chief, piercing him with his cold stare.

"I'm sorry, Mister Johansson. But we had reason to believe your life was threatened. So we invented an excuse to keep you away from the conference for a few hours till we have located those responsible."

It was totally and utterly convincing, no pause too long, no uncertainty in his voice. Just honesty and conviction. Yet it wasn't enough. Before Beckett had time to react, he found a gun pointed at him.

"I guess you really have no idea of what's going on, Mister Beckett - and that's very good. Though not good enough. I will have to leave you here. There is indeed some business I have to see to."

Beckett didn't like the glimmer in his eyes, but raised his hands obediently. "Turn around." When one heard this accent long enough it became even harsher than the voice pronouncing it. The safety catch was released. Shit. Beckett knew his life was at stake. He had to react quickly. There weren't a great many options.

"Ros! NO!"

Johansson turned just slightly, a moment of carelessness, as Beckett hit his arm and torso - the gun fired once, before falling to the ground, the Norwegian hit a chair as he fell under the impact of the other man's blow, enough to daze him. Beckett picked up the weapon, pointing it at Johansson.

"Don't move!"

He ignored the sharp pain in his shoulder as best he could, as well as the crimson stain on his cream coloured suit. Fortunately for him, the hotel security had been alerted by the shot and though reluctantly they took the Norwegian in custody. Beckett didn't take time to think about his injury - he had to get some official to accept the possibility of Johansson being a dangerous criminal, before those jerks decided for his diplomatic status and let him go.

Chapter 6

Ros noted every subtle change in the faces of the delegates. It became evident soon enough that there were at least two people very intent on blocking any kind of agreement. What was disturbing was the fact that one of them was the head negotiator for Greenpeace. She had to do something.

"Ed? I got to call Jan. You got her number? Beckett's other mobile phone? Ok, no I got that one. Any results? You only have a few minutes left. Good luck."

An out of the way factory right at the coast. And a truck standing in front of it. Seemed like Ed and Alex had found what they were looking for.

***

It didn't take more than a call from Jan to get Ros the authority to postpone the conference and have both the Greenpeace negotiator, Mrs. Thornton, and the South Korean representative Mao Chang arrested. Being pleased with her work so far, she decided to see how Beckett was doing, but couldn't get through. She decided to pick him up at the hotel, as there was no more for her to do at the conference. Talks would be resumed next day, after the respective governments had been informed of the situation and advised to find suitable replacements.

***

Ed and Alex crouched behind a container, watching the little group in front of them roll a couple of barrels towards the edge of the sea. A kind of concrete pier extended some way into the water and it was there that the toxics were taken, balanced precariously at the edge of the structure.

"There are too many. We can't take them all."

Ed nodded. He was thinking. Ten. Six too much. They might knock four out between them, no more. The odds were against them. Separating the group seemed like their only chance. He motioned for Alex and she understood at once, moving to the right, away from him. If their plan worked out, they would go in opposite directions. All they could do for the moment was to buy time. He took out a small transmitter. Bless Ros and her inventions - he had picked it up from his desk before leaving.

She had told him how it worked only yesterday. Not that she had had time to test it yet - well, better now than never. He pushed the little button on the underside, whispering their position and a request for Ros and Beckett to send someone or get their asses there at least. His patience was stretching thin, having put up with Alex's sour look and poisonous glances at him for the better part of the day now.

***

Ros got the message from her little transmitter just as she pulled up at the hotel. She took a look at it, then got out of the car, quickening her pace as she noticed the ambulance in front of the entrance. She had a bad feeling about it.

"Beckett!" Her heart gave a jump when she saw him on a stretcher, his suit stained crimson red, eyes closed. She pushed past the receptionist who tried to hold her back, standing at her colleague's side the next moment, addressing the doctor with a semblance of calm she didn't feel.

"What is it? He's my partner - will he be alright?"

The woman regarded her with indifference, then decided to pity her and inform her that the man had been shot in the shoulder, nothing serious to be sure, but, though suffering from a little shock he had kept on making phone calls, something about an arrest, then he had broken down - but he would recover, no need to worry.

Johansson. Ros didn't like the thoughts that came upon her. All she wanted was to hold Beckett's hand and go to hospital with him, see that he was being taken proper care of, but she saw only one policeman round and no sign of Johansson. And that wasn't good at all. She glared at the doctor, telling her to be careful with her charge, asking for the name of the hospital, then cast a quick glance at the pale face, before pulling herself together and, with astonishing self-control marched up to the receptionist, questioning him on the events.

As it turned out, Johansson had disappeared some time after Beckett's breakdown but before the arrival of the police. Where to - no one could tell. But Ros had a fairly accurate idea of it - there was no way she could warn Ed and Alex without giving them away. She cursed softly under her breath as she dialled the number of the Hive. She might not like them, yet they were her only chance at the moment.

***

"Ros?"

"No, Beckett. Sorry to disappoint you."

Sneeze, cough. "Jan? What… aah!"

"You were hit by a bullet. I made them bring you into my room so I could have an eye on you."

Jan smiled. At least now she had something to do and did not feel quite so useless to the team. She knew for a fact that Ros would be grateful to know her "not quite lover" was well taken care of and she would see to it.

"Relax now. The situation is under control. Ros called a few minutes ago." Beckett nodded and eased back into the pillows.

Jan looked at him, still wearing an encouraging smile. He was dazed enough not to pick up on the worry beneath it. Good. It would not do to let him know that Ed and Alex were in considerable danger and that Ros had even had to alert the Hive to keep the worst from happening. Beckett would give her a hard time when he found out - but until then she was in charge again - and that was definitely what she was best at.

***

Ed had thrown a few stones against a barrel a few metres to his left. He was poised, ready to run for his life as soon as someone caught sight of him. His heart beat, his palms were sweating. The odds in this game were too high. Much as he liked danger usually, this was no place for playing the daredevil. Alex's life was at stake - not only his own - and if only for her he had to do this right. She had to be his priority - hell, why was he going on about that.

And now that she was so obviously out of his league too, never to be considered again - could that be what had made him realize how he felt - or was it simply a natural reaction of his wounded pride? Maybe he didn't love her after all, just thought he should because he had no chance of being with her - a masochist, that was what he was - how Beckett could take it day after day remained a mystery to him.

Alex climbed as silently as possible on the big container in front of her. There were some boxes on top she could hide behind. If all went well, she might be able to knock them out by dropping something heavy on top of their heads - not very creative, but hopefully effective enough. She could see Ed lying low from where she was now. He had a nice b… no! she was a married woman and anyway - why the hell did she bother?

All of a sudden, the sound of a car captured Alex's attention - could it be - Ros? Or Beckett? Maybe Ed had - shit! It was that Johansson guy - she recognised him even from the distance, tall, blonde, very much like Ed - hell, she'd have to get these thoughts out of her head soon!

That Norwegian shouldn't be here - that was all she knew and all she cared about the next moment was to scramble behind a particularly big box that hid her from the "suspect's" view. But the way he was coming round - Ed! She barely had time to panic, before her chance of warning him was done away with. A shouted command in a harsh, clear voice, probably Norwegian, judging from the accent.

The little group by the pier jumped visibly - if it had been at any other time it would have been fun to watch, but like this - their turning round, two of them drawing their revolvers, another two splitting up to come up behind Ed - the rest keeping focused on their task, with Johansson strolling up to them casually - a shout - Ed suddenly disappearing from view - a shot! Alex felt ill. Her stomach turned round.

The silence that ensued offended her nerves most of all. She had no idea what had happened to her colleague - she could only fervently hope they hadn't killed him. But she couldn't be sure. Whatever they had done to him - she hadn't been seen - and that gave her an advantage, however small that was. She had to act - to stop them as soon as ever possible - only a few more minutes before time ran out.

Chapter 7

"No…Ros…turn…behind…he…" Jan sat up in bed with a jump.

"Beckett?" She had not been all that tired, but the medication had made her sleepy and she had seemingly dozed off. Her Bureau Chief was thrashing wildly around in his sleep, mumbling something, mostly incoherent, only now and then a few shards intelligible. Jan suspected he was having a nightmare - one where Ros was in danger. She threw her legs over the side and regretted the fast movement the next instant, when her head began to swim and her legs trembled.

But she couldn't just call a nurse. If nothing else, Beckett was her responsibility. Right now, he was particularly vulnerable and he would not be happy if anyone saw him in the state he was in right now. She would wake him, comfort and calm him and then call the doctor to see to his wound. He would almost certainly have succeeded in doing himself some damage, what with his beating at everything and nothing with both arms and all the force he could muster.

She waited a moment, until her head adjusted and she could carefully push herself off the bed, letting a few seconds pass before her groggy legs seemed to have adjusted enough to permit her to actually slip over to Beckett's bed. She put her hand on his good shoulder, shaking him softly.

"Beckett! Wake up!"

The sneeze accompanying her words was loud enough to aid in bringing the sleeping man back to reality. His eyes flew open and his slightly dislocated look around the room induced Jan to smile. Right then he looked like a scared little boy - no wonder Ros found him so charming. She sighed almost inaudibly, then set to the task of getting her Bureau Chief back to his normal self.

***

Ed didn't have any time to think. It all happened so quickly, the foreign words, the sound of feet, then the hands on him, the steel at his head, the cold nuzzle pressing against his brow, slipping suddenly, deeper down, then - a shot, echoing in his brain, blackness. His last conscious thought was for Alex's safety.

Alex shrunk behind her box as she watched the little group come back together, two of the men dragging Ed's obviously lifeless form with them, throwing him to the ground. He was either out cold or - she wouldn't think about that possibility and she would most certainly ignore that red stain on his shirt - if only she hadn't been so unfriendly to him - it wasn't his fault that she had had that quarrel with Adam or that she still found him attractive - although she merely considered him as a friend.

She was in love with her husband - though that did nothing to change the fact that Ed was a man she wouldn't be able to resist for long if he tried hard enough - being true had uppermost priority, always would - yet he was somehow special - she shook her head. Concentrate on what's going on here. She had to find a way to help - and if possible at all - save her colleague.

Ros pulled up at the open gate. She had let her car roll along almost silently for the last hundred metres. Attracting the attention of whoever was there was not an option. She crept up silently, keeping to the shadows. Though the Hive had promised her some help, they would take their time getting here - and time was exactly what was short right now. She noticed Alex first, crouched on top of some container, staring almost transfixed at a point in front of her.

That gave Ros quite a good idea of where to suspect the group as she made her way up to the place where Ed had hidden himself earlier. And then she saw her colleague - her blood froze in her veins. Her head pounded. If they had…he was one of her best friends…it just…if they had… Her thoughts were in turmoil - but she caught herself at once - no time for that now - whatever they had done to Ed they would pay dearly, that much was certain.

***

"I'll do my best to be good, doctor."

Beckett's face was the picture of innocence. He had turned in his sleep, tearing some of the stitches in his shoulder, then had woken up - in pain - and his boss had thankfully called for help at once. The doctor had - of course - made no mention of the fact that his patient's demeanour hadn't fooled him! The man had had some violent dream, or memory - he had trashed round his bed - that boss of his surely hadn't managed to hide all the evidence of crumpled sheets and the fact that his nightgown had been slightly dislocated - she hadn't noticed it in all probability - well - he was a doctor and knew exactly how a hospital nightgown was worn usually - and it didn't open of its own accord just like that…

"Thanks Jan."

He didn't know what else to say. She had comforted him, soothed him, and told him Ros was all right. That the "case" had most likely been closed by now, his colleagues were just rounding up a few more suspects. He knew she was lying the moment he came back to himself. But he wouldn't ask. Jan thought it better he didn't know - she probably had only a slight knowledge of the latest incidents herself and wasn't prepared to start a guessing session on that topic. He respected that. And - as there was nothing he could do in his present state - he had to content himself with talking to his boss as if he were totally ignorant of her thoughts…well, two could play at this game.

***

Ros saw the woman coming towards her. Good. She was carrying a revolver. Now how to get at that - it was essential for her plan. She had been able to catch Alex's eye when her colleague cast a look around her - and had motioned for her to remain where she was - the jump wasn't high and the effect of stumbling on their opponents from behind an advantage. The woman came closer. The group at the pier was just returning to get the last barrels. Quickly now.

Ros jumped on the woman the moment she was closest to her - her timing was perfect - she caught her off guard, the impact with the Bureau member made her lose her balance and she tumbled to the ground, taking Ros with her. A direct hit to her jaw and a short struggle later, Ros sported the revolver and had a hostage to bargain with. She didn't know how she had managed at all, it was probably all the anger that was so prominent inside her ever since she had seen Ed's motionless body lying on the concrete. She pulled the other woman up, pointing the weapon at her head, immobilizing her with an iron grip on her wrists.

It was surprising she was capable of such ruthless, calculated acting - but after all these people had done to…well loads of people, including the two men she cared for most - that was no matter open to consideration. If what she was doing bought them some time - good. She forced her hostage towards the group that only now noticed Ros and their friend.

"Don't move. If you do, she's done for."

Alex shivered involuntarily at the icy tone in her colleague's voice. That wasn't the Ros she knew - that was a machine or, more accurately, a ferociously angry woman with a purpose imprinted in her mind. She readied herself. When her friend gave the sign she would be ready to join in the action.

"Do not be ridiculous, Miss Henderson. You stand no chance against us. There is no reason for us to want our friend back unharmed. We have other considerations that are more important."

Such a diplomatic tone, cultivated, yet cool, harsh, thick with a foreign accent. "Don't underestimate me, Johansson. I'm not like Beckett."

No use being polite - that guy was no "Mister" as far as she was concerned. And better let him know she was informed about her colleague. So he didn't feel he had to mention it - for if he did, she couldn’t guarantee for what she'd do to him… Ros passed the group slowly. She was playing dangerously here, at highest stakes, against overwhelming odds. She was past caring. Bringing the woman's body between her and the little group at the pier she manoeuvred the two of them towards the edge of the water, cutting off the way towards the barrels of toxic waste. That had the fortunate effect that they were turning their backs to Alex, so, in a way, they were surrounded.

Ros tightened her grip on the other woman's wrists, pushing the nuzzle of the revolver harder against her head. No use taking chances. Johansson had a smug, self-satisfied grin evident on his face. Ros didn't see the gun being drawn, but, when the shot rang out, she felt the impact in the woman in front of her, almost as keenly as she felt the surprise, shock, the last shudder before her body gave out, dragging Ros to the floor with its full weight.

Fortunately, Alex had chosen that moment to jump off the container, taking the noise of the shot at the precise moment, buying her that one precious second she needed to get behind the little group, scoring a perfect hit on the gunman's flank, sending him tumbling onto the ground off-balanced. The next two were dealt with in a rapid succession of blows and kicks, against any part of their bodies they presented to Alex. She had them out of the way without bringing herself into any considerable danger, then, just as she caught the nuzzle of a gun pointed at her, another shot rang out, followed a split second later by another, the woman first catching her wrist, then her side, doubling over, shadows moving up in moments, overcoming the resistance of the rest of the group. Alex stared at her husband in disbelief, before turning to face a few members of the Hive.

"Just in time, I'd say. You ok?" Adam was smiling at her. She couldn't return his smile, her gaze falling onto Ed's body. Before the words left her lips, Ros had taken over.

"Call the ambulance, tell them to send a helicopter. Ed needs medical attention at once, you - take care of those guys here - I hand them over to you. They're your responsibility now. Adam - you'll go to the hospital with me in the car - Alex, you wait for the doctor and accompany Ed in the helicopter. All set?"

Without waiting for a response, she dropped the dead body of her hostage she had been holding all the while, brushing past Adam, walking briskly, almost at a run towards her car. Her heart was beating overtime, the shock of what had happened so very close to her threatening to show any moment. She needed Adam to drive. And she had to have some privacy to get back her composure. She involuntarily brushed over the dark stain on her jacket - blood, still warm, wet - she pulled her hand away, she had some Kleenex in the car…

Chapter 8

"…so, Ed will be fine, he's in intensive care now, but they promised he'll be out and in your room by tomorrow."

Alex seemed to be back to normal, chatty, smiling, holding Adam's hand. Beckett couldn't say that he wasn't a little jealous - and worried. Ros hadn't shown up yet. Though the case had been wrapped up, Jan was feeling better and sneezed only twice every minute, Alex was recovering from whatever had ailed her since her honeymoon and Ed was out of danger, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that Ros had taken the close brush with death very badly. Not that anyone could blame her for that.

"Anyone for a coffee?" To think that he had been allowed to get up - after the stunt he had pulled yesterday evening, thrashing about and tearing up the stitches in his shoulder…

Alex nodded, so did Adam. Judging from the look on Jan's face all she could possibly want were more handkerchiefs, so he proposed getting some - the smile he was rewarded with confirmed his suspicions - he would make sure she had a huge box of Kleenex on her desk when she came back to work… As Beckett walked slowly down the corridor, he noticed the shadowy figure sitting in a dark corner of the visitor area. She seemed vaguely familiar.

"Ros?" He padded towards her, and one glance at her face told him she was in some state of shock still. She was pale and her lips twitched while she brushed over her immaculate skirt and jacket repeatedly. He sat down beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder lightly.

"She…I didn't…they…shot at her…right at her…would have got…me if she…if I…"

"It wasn't your fault." Not that this one sentence would comfort her but it was the best he could do.

She closed her eyes. "I was so frightened. All I could think of was Ed - on the ground and what they had done, how you…" she broke off. Beckett awkwardly put his good arm round her, drawing her towards him in a light embrace. She leaned against him, not objecting to his rocking her slightly to and fro as if trying to put her to sleep.

It was good to be held, soothed. Ros hadn't slept a lot that last night. What she needed most right now was a friend and Beckett was there, as always. By her side; she gave herself over completely to the safety she felt and forgot about the woman who had been shot before her eyes for a moment.

***

When Ed opened his eyes, the room turned round nicely for a while before settling down into Alex's features. He would have started at seeing her had he not been somehow incapable of moving. He was tired and his right side hurt like hell.

"You were shot." Could that be the sort of tone he was accustomed to from his colleague? Nothing harsh, disapproving in it this time? "I thought I owed you an explanation." If his eyes could have been more round and open, they surely would have been now.

He wasn't able to pronounce a word, so he just tried to do something that came close to a nod of his head.

Alex took a deep breath, then blurted out: "A day before we came back from our honeymoon I had a quarrel with Adam. It's not important what it was about but though we made up I was thinking I might have made a mistake and I was dreadfully worried and bad-tempered and I let it all out on you, Ros and Beckett. I apologized to them and now I want to apologize to you cause I know I've been unpardonably impertinent, and I probably even hurt you and I…I'm sorry."

"It's ok." My, what an effort it took him to get that out. But the brilliant smile Alex bestowed on him was worth it. Maybe Beckett was right - maybe he could make it, pretend to be friends, give her all the attention that was possible and wait - there always was the, however slight, chance that she might divorce Adam in a year or so…she hadn't known him all that long anyway…

***

It had been a long talk. Very long. Neither of them had had a lot of sleep. Now, they lay cuddled up together on the sofa in Ros' living room. Beckett pulled the blanket up a little, though it wasn't exactly cold enough for it. Ros smiled, snuggling closer. When her friend had left the hospital the doctor had wanted him to be under constant supervision for a week at least so he wouldn't do himself any harm. She didn't know why - but she had volunteered to let him stay with her. It had seemed the most natural thing to do at that time.

He had agreed reluctantly, under the condition they talk about their relationship. So they had. Things had been unresolved between them for far too long. It had been so hard to let go - of past hurt, shame - uncovering feelings they had both hidden, buried beneath a calm, cool professional façade. But their talk had been worth it. To think their feelings for each other were reciprocated - that they actually were in love still …

Beckett felt ready to burst with happiness. He had a week off, Ros was in his arms and he was free to pull her close, kiss her if he liked - that was the closest to heaven he could imagine himself being - at the moment.

The End