Journey

a UFO story by Amelia L. Rodgers © 2001
All rights reserved.
Sequel to Church On The Hill -- Part six in a series of non-canon stories that began with Magic Fairies.)

In memory of Sheelagh Hathaway, whose bravery always inspired me, although she lost her battle to live. Sleep well, Sheelagh, we all miss you. And I continue my tradition to hurt Straker, and I feel you gently chiding me, but reading with enthusiasm all the same. Also dedicated to my Write Mice, no mother mouse had a finer group of mice than all of you.

Ed making up a story about a familiarly named dragon was a suggestion from chief piranha Anny. Thank you Anny : - )
My thanks as always go to Commander Edward Straker, who generously allowed me to fictionalize these events in his life. Well, okay, I did have to bring him a slice of lemon cake and a cup of coffee, sweet and light, before he agreed to let me do it--

"Leave me alone, I can manage by myself!"

"Stop being an idiot and let me help you!"

"I don't need your help. Now, set the brake, help me with the footrests and stand aside."

"Fine. Go ahead. Goes and has hip replacement surgery seven days ago because he's too damn impatient to go through rehabilitation, and now he thinks he's a superhero. Go ahead you damn stubborn jackass."

"I don't need that attitude from you. Do I have to have an audience? Don't all you people have something better to do?"

"You're going to fall, Ed."

"Be quiet, and hand me the crutch."

"Five pounds says he gives in and allows her to help him."

"Ha! I've known Ed Straker a lot longer than you. Fifteen pounds he does it without help."

"You're on."

"My word, that's terrible betting on Edward's mobility like that! I'm ashamed of you, Stanley! I'm ashamed of you too, Alec!"

"I hope you fall and injure your other hip."

"Just give me that blasted crutch!"

"I'm married to a complete idiot. Horse piss! Here! I should stick it where it would do the most good."

"Now stand back."

Ed put his weight gradually on the crutch, and raised himself slowly out of the wheelchair. Standing. Come on now, you can do this. One inch. Two. One foot after the other. Move the crutch. You've done it hundreds of times in pt. That's it.

He moved, stepped up on the treadmill, handed Dr. Folsade the crutch with one hand and took the treadmill bar with the other.

"There." Ed allowed himself a triumphant smile.

"Damn. I'm out fifteen pounds. I'll have to rob the collection basket."

"Stanley! Don't even joke about that. And stop cursing it isn't very Christian of you. Edward, you poor thing, as soon as you are well, I'm going to make you some lemon cake with a brand new recipe my e-mail friend sent me from Wales."

"Frances, quit spoiling my husband. That's my job."

Ed listened to the conversations behind him with veiled amusement and enormous relief.

"I must say, Mr. Straker. I have heard stories about your resolve and will power and determination, but it was very rewarding to see it for myself."

"Thank you, doctor. Now, shall we get this over with?"

"Yes, of course. All right, my assistants will be attaching electrodes to you, and during the test I will be monitoring your heart activity. The pace of the treadmill will gradually increase, and the incline will be raised every three minutes. If at any time you begin to be uncomfortable, experience chest pain or pressure, become dizzy or tired, let me know right away and I will stop the machine. If there is any problem with your heart, the monitor will beep out an alarm. All right, you seem to be all prepared, everything in place. Shall we begin?"

"Yes. Whoa."

"Ed?" Mags said, frantic.

"Nothing, just started sooner than I figured. Nothing to it, piece of cake. Piece of lemon cake."

"Ed, how do you do it?"

"Do what, Alec?"

"Have all these females eating out of your hand."

"Good blue blooded Bostonian genes, I guess."

Ed walked for several minutes.

"You all die back there?" he inquired into the silence.

"We're here, Edward, you just concentrate on what you're doing, you poor baby."

"Frances, stop calling that strange man your poor baby."

"He isn't a strange man, he's our Edward."

"I'm hardly a baby. Whoa."

"Ed, you all right?" Alec said, alarmed.

"Fine, fine, incline went up, caught me by surprise. Nothing to it. Walk hills steeper than this all the time when I'm playing a round of golf. Sun, sky, fresh air, open spaces, no problems."

Mags looked over at Folsade. She was frowning at Ed.

"Mr. Straker, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. How much longer?" Ed's voice sounded as if the exact opposite was true. Mags mouthed 'shut it off' to Folsade. Folsade nodded.

"Mr. Straker, I'm going to turn off the treadmill now. Get ready to stop and cool down."

"Is the test ov-ov"

The monitor beeped loudly.

Before anyone else reacted, Alec dashed over as Folsade switched off the treadmill, and he caught Ed before he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

"Why is everyone staring at me? What the hell happened?"

"You passed out. You're in your hospital room. Here, you look cold, let me button your pajama top buttons. Shall I raise the head of the bed for you?"

"Stop fussing over me, Maggie, damn it. Passed out? That's ridiculous, I was fine."

"Sure. The Ed Straker definition of fine. You had a classic episode of arrhythmia, Dr. Folsade said, and she even thinks that's why you passed out before the wedding when you saw the Cooper woman." Alec growled at him.

"Nonsense. Maggie, I told you, I can-what the hell is this on my chest?"

"You had minor surgery after you passed out. Dr. Folsade sedated you and implanted-"

"Surgery? Without my consent? God damn it, nobody had the right to-"

"Shut up, Ed! I gave the consent. I'm your wife!"

"Damn you! What right did you have to stand there and let them cut me up again! What did they do to me?"

"Will you shut up for a second? They implanted something called an insertable loop recorder. Now if you have an irregular heart beat and you pass out, all we need to do afterwards is use this little activator gadget that we'll attach to your robe, and you'll be able to save the info for Dr. Folsade to analyze. She said she didn't want to trust you with one of those 24 hour Holter monitor things again, you kept pulling off the leads deliberately or in your sleep."

"Okay. Everybody out but my wife. Now." Ed snapped.

"Oh oh. I recognize that tone. I hate to leave you with Mr. Personality here, but I guess I have no choice."

"Oh shut up, Alec!" Mags snarled.

"That's the thanks I get for catching him. I should have let him crack his head open on the floor." Alec muttered to Mags. Both of them weren't doing the greatest job of concealing their worry over Ed. Angel came over, and patted Ed's hand.

"You're going to be okay, son. You'll see. You're in my prayers. You listen to your doctors now. God will bless you. Come on, Frances, tears won't help."

"Thank you, Angel." Ed waited until the door swung shut behind them. He stared into space.

"Damn it, Ed, if you want to hit me, go ahead. I'm worried about you. I love you, and I can't stand to see you hurt." Mags implored him.

Ed was silent for a while.

"I passed out."

"Yes. Syncope is what she said it was. You look cold, do you want me to get you your comforter?"

"You spoke with Dr. Folsade?" There was a strange edge to his tone.

"Yes. Are you all right? Ed, for the love of God, talk to me!"

"Maggie."

"Yes, sweetheart. I'm right here, I'm right here."

"Give it to me straight. I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Horse piss! I don't want to ever hear you say that again! You are not going to die. I won't let you!"

"Hold me, Maggie."

"Oh Edward. Damn it. Now you listen to me. You're going to get well, and before you go back to that studio of yours, you and I are going to have a week in San Francisco and the surrounding area, we're going to have the honeymoon to end all honeymoons." Mags sobbed, and held him close.

"We may not have that much time."

"Stop it!"

"Oh Maggie. I'm going to die at a time when I finally started to live again. This is the end result of all the decisions I've ever made, all the mistakes, everything in my life I've ever done that I regret. I always told myself my work was my refuge, and I didn't need anything else. But you know what? I'm frightened. I'm scared. That day I was in hospital, sick, not speaking to anyone, not caring, not feeling. Running away. And then you came in, and smiled at me, and something cracked in me, something gave way. "

"Do you know how gorgeous you were that day, Ed Straker? Tubes and all. I came in, and I just figured it was another case, and I looked at you, and I couldn't take my eyes away from you. And you spoke, and there was such desolation in your eyes, such pain. I think I actually fell in love with you right then. I made up my mind I was going to make up for all the pain and sorrow I saw on your face. I love you, Ed."

"Oh Maggie. I can't stand it. I never should have done this to you. Stuck you with a invalid, you're young, you have your whole life ahead of you. Go while you still can. I won't blame you. Go now. I don't want to wake up one day and you're not there. I don't want to be the object of your hate. I don't want to be why you ruined your life."

"Horse piss! I just can't get over how a man with university degrees up the wazoo can be so dense! Aren't you hearing me? Do you honestly think I'm going to walk out on you now? Jesus! What am I saying? You were saddled with that Mary bitch, and Marsh, of course you do! You can't help it. They screwed you over! Listen to me! I am not leaving you! I love you! Hate you? How could any woman in their right senses hate you? "

"Maggie, it's so funny. I rarely allowed myself to cry. Not even in the solitude of my own flat. And now I don't have much control over the tears these days. I'm scared, Maggie. I don't want to die."

"Ed stop it! You are not going to die! If that creep in the black hood and robe with the scythe even thinks about coming anywhere near you, I'll kick him right straight in his fucking balls!"

Ed was silent for a moment, as they clung to one another.

"Maggie?" Ed finally said.

"What darling?"

"Funny, I've never thought of the Angel of Death as having genitalia," Ed said in a somber, scholarly fashion.

Mags started to giggle, and Ed chuckled softly.

"You crazy man, you. I love you."

"Prove it to me. Go and ask the others to smuggle me in some real food for a change and tell Frances to grease her bundt pan. I'm obviously going to be stuck in this Godforsaken hospital a lot longer, and I want my lemon cake. Tonight."

"My darling tyrant. Yes, sir. Right away, sir." Maggie saluted, he saluted back, she bent and kissed him lovingly and went out.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly for a moment, wiped away the tears roughly with the back of his hand.

I'm going to die. Well, I better get it right, then. Die in the best way I know how, the way I've tried to live my life. How do I say goodbye to them? What's going to happen to Alec? Is there a man alive who ever had a better friend and champion than Alec Freeman? Where would I have been, how would I have survived without him? Man with the appearance and disposition of a grizzly bear, yet possessing the warmest, most human soul of anyone I have ever met. How proud I am to have been your friend for all these years.

Frances, so proper, yet so improper, feisty, so caring, so compassionate. Angel, someone who personifies a authentic hero under that clerical collar, a loyal man of unwavering faith to whom I owe my life.

And Maggie. My Maggie. My wife, my whole world. My beloved, precious Maggie. My darling, no matter what we do, I am going to die. I promise you, I give you my word, that I will not go gentle into that good night. I will rage, Maggie. I will rage against the dying of the light.

The door swung open and the misery on the face of the man blurred into the customary mask of poise and control of the SHADO Commander.

"So basically, Doctor, you're saying it all depends on what kind of problem he has?"

"Yes, Alec. You don't mind me calling you Alec, do you?"

"Not at all. Look, I've known Ed a long time. A long, long time. When he has a cold, I sneeze. I know it's killing him to be so weak, and stuck here. Just look at what he did. You told him he has to wait around and go through physical therapy for that hip of his, and that it might take several months to a year for it to go back to normal."

"Yes. He hit the ceiling, as I recall, and asked me if there was any alternative. I happened to mention they are doing miraculous things with hip replacement, with patients up and around and walking normally only days after the operation. With no physical limitations at all. The Commander demanded it. You know the Commander." Folsade chuckled.

"Oh I know Ed all right. Leaps before he looks. I tend to think the moment he was born the doctor hit him on the rump, Ed hit him back, and then crawled out the door and enlisted in the Air Force."

"Where would they have gotten that small a uniform?" Folsade laughed.

"Ed would have had one made. Or maybe they pinned the eagles on his nappies. The point is, what are Ed's chances to beat this bloody heart thing? How serious is it?"

"Alec, he has not made it easy for me to do the tests. The arrhythmia could be atrial or located in the ventricles, much more serious. It could be easily corrected, or the Commander may have to have a pacemaker inserted. I will not know until I get more analysis completed. He has not made it easy for me. I have tried to give him as much freedom as I could, allowing him to adapt to the hip replacement, and hoping his adjustment to that proved encouraging. However, he has gone from absolute denial to absolute stoic resignation. It is not unusual for people with heart problems to have clinical depression. I know he is frightened. I also know he does not want anyone to know it. What is needed is something to raise his morale for the time being, and I can't think of anything better than the companionship of his wife. I was on my way to see him, would you care to accompany me?"

"Sure. I was headed there when I spotted you. Mags and the Brisbies have something special cooking this morning to surprise Ed. You can join us. Besides, I'll do anything to get away from Colonel Foster. He's in command, and he changed from beauty to the beast overnight from the sheer stress of Ed's job." Alec grinned.

"Alec, will you be on duty later today?"

"Yeah, for as long as Paul needs me. Then I always say good night to Ed. Why?"

"I could do with a nice glass of wine, and some dinner, and I was hoping you'd accompany me. I'm buying."

"Are you asking me out on a date, Dr. Folsade?"

"I understand that you aren't exactly unfamiliar with dates, Alec. So, yes. I am. It seemed to me, that with all the fuss over Commander Straker, and having your job of looking after him be taken by Margaret, you were being neglected."

"So is this your prescription for me?"

"Nothing so dull as that."

"Dr. Folsade?"

"Must you call me that? Must you be so formal?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I hate to admit it, but I have no idea what your first name is."

The ebony skinned doctor laughed.

"Yetunde. I was born in Nigeria, Alec. My name means the mother has come back. I was born hours after my grandmother died, so my mother gave me that name, believing I was her mother reincarnated. Yetunde Folsade."

"Bloody hell. I'll call you Jane."

* * *

"Margaret, are you sure? I mean he was laughing, and he actually ate everything on his plate last night, and he had two helpings of my cake. "

"Trust me, Frances. He's depressed, and he thinks he's going to die. Last night was an act for our benefit. Leave it to my idiot husband to put everyone else's needs before his. So until Folsade can pin down what's wrong with him, we have to try and cheer him up. He needs hope more than anything else. He needs family. Give me the veil, would you?"

"We're all going to be a bit overdressed for visiting a patient," Angel grinned, parking the station wagon in the Mayland Hospital parking lot. He was dressed in a tuxedo and bow tie, while Frances was wearing the sheath she had worn to the wedding. Mags was in the now repaired wedding dress, and fastened the veil to her hair.

"So what? Ed and I didn't even have a reception, so we'll have one right in his room. How are we going to get all the packages in? And the wedding cake you made for us to replace the one that went stale?"

"I can go and get us some wheelchairs, and pile everything on them. I must say I am curious about what Lily Marsh gave Edward. Speaking of Lily, have you heard anything from Yolanda?" Angel said.

"Alec said they traced a purchase she made on her bank card, at some store in Albany, so they have a lead, at least. I swear I will kill her for thinking anything would be different because she loved me or had fantasies about me. I don't know what's worse. Her running off on me, or Dad sticking his nose in my life with Ed."

"I'll be right back, you two." Angel said, and handed Frances the keys to the car. She began pulling things from the back of it.

"You and Edward can finally have your first dance as husband and wife, and feed each other cake, oh dear. I promised myself I wouldn't cry again. Margaret, we can't let Edward die, we just can't."

"Frances, believe me. If Ed Straker dies on me, I'll kill him."

* * *

"Angel. Where's Frances and Mags?" Alec said.

"You're just the man I wanted to see. We need help carrying things in. Good morning, Dr. Folsade."

"Good morning. I must say you look very impressive, Reverend. What's the occasion?"

"We're going to have a wedding reception. Margaret's idea. Come on."

Within a few minutes, Folsade had suggested borrowing a trolley from the hospital kitchen, and they set down the cake, fingerfood, punch and champagne on it. Alec had a second trolley piled up with still unopened gifts. They took the lift to the floor Ed's private room was on, ignoring the stares that Mags was getting from being in her bridal gown.

As soon as they got outside Ed's room, Alec grinned.

"Ready?" he whispered.

"Let's do it!" Mags exclaimed. She pushed open the door.

Ed's bed was empty.

* * *

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! When am I going to learn? The fool checked out, I know he did! Horse piss! I swear I'll kill that moron!"

"Margaret, his clothes were still in the wardrobe, and the nurse insisted-" Frances started to say.

"Fuck the nurse. I don't care if she swears no doctor signed him out. He sneaked out in his pajamas and robe. Right under her nose, and the guard's. Damn him!"

"Mags, listen, Ed did not have any money. I gave him a couple of pounds, left it at the desk in case he wanted anything from the gift shop. He wouldn't have had enough for a cab, and nobody issued him a car. His wheelchair is still in the room, but the crutches are gone. That doesn't mean he left the premises." Alec said. "I've got people looking for him, and I'm having his flat watched. We'll find him before-"

"Before what, Alec? Before he goes and does something stupid because he believes he's going to die? He had that damn gun of his, Alec. I saw it in his night table drawer last night. Now it isn't there. He thinks he's a burden to me. He thinks I'm going to walk out on him like all the other people that he's loved have. Horse piss! I can't take this! "

"Margaret, if he was agitated before he left, he may have another episode of arrhythmia and syncope. I am sure he could not have gone far." Folsade said, with a sigh.

"You don't know him. He's stubborn, he could be anywhere!"

"Margaret, getting all worked up isn't going to help matters. I know the Lord watches out for Edward. He'll be safe, you'll see." Angel told her.

"He should be with me. I should have stayed with him. I never should have let him talk me into going home with you guys. What kind of wife am I? I abandoned him after I promised I wouldn't. " Mags sobbed. Frances took her into her arms, and hugged her.

"That's it dear, let it all out, you poor thing. You poor, poor thing. We won't let you go through this alone," Frances assured her. Alec and Folsade and Angel exchanged worried looks.

* * *

Ed Straker walked into the lift, stabbed one of the buttons at random. He stared at the wall, and then looked irritably down at the gadget clipped to his silk robe. Damn prisoner, he thought. That's all I am. Couldn't stand it any longer. Had to get the hell out. That damn way everyone looks at me, like I'm made of porcelain and I'll break any minute. You'd think I was a corpse already. Why don't they just stick me in the coffin now and get it over with? Had to get away. Do anything to get away. Paul's running SHADO. They don't even need me. Wrote me off. Finished. Oh go ahead Straker. Feel sorry for yourself.

Ed looked at his crutches. He scowled and dropped them on the floor of the lift as the doors opened, and stepped out. I'm not going out a cripple. I can walk. He wedged past a couple of technicians in white lab coats, and didn't see their astonished looks, nor did he see one pull out her mobile phone, and talk into it rapidly.

Legs are fine. Don't hurt anymore. Months to a year? Not on your life. Not me. Been in this damn hospital hundreds of times. Never been up here. What floor is this anyway? Hell. Lost. Stupid gadget I have to carry around. Lousy thing. Damn. Going in circles. Walking not bad though. What the hell is this ward anyway?

"Hi!" a small voice said.

Oh that's terrific. I'm hearing things now. Losing my mind.

Someone was tugging at his robe. Ed looked down. The thin, taut line that his mouth was pulled into slowly drew into a grin. A little girl, he put her age at about six or seven, stood there looking up at him with a smile the size of London. She had on ballet slippers, a denim top and skirt embroidered with flowers, and her ears were pierced with pearl studs. She was completely bald.

"Hi yourself. I didn't see you down there. I'm Ed."

"Do you have cancer too, Ed?"

"Nope. Bad heart. What's your name?"

"Chloe. Wanna play? I like to play with my paper dolls."

"You have a room somewhere around here?"

"Yup. Come on, I'll show you." She slipped her tiny hand around his, and pulled him.

"Best invitation I've had all day." Ed declared, following her.

"Is that a beeper?"

"This? No. It's a machine that records the way my heart is beating."

"Do they give you shots and stuff?"

"Yeah, I hate them, how about you?"

"They're icky. Look! I've got lots of flowers and balloons and stuff."

Ed chuckled.

"So this is where they've been ending up." Ed said in amusement, looking at an arrangement of orchids Alec had sent him.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Who's your friend there? Hi." Ed waved at a second little girl who lie in her hospital bed, quietly talking to her teddy bear. She was equally bald, and where her right arm should have been, there was a stump.

"That's Patsy. This is Ed and he's gonna play with us."

"Hush, my teddy's sick."

"Oh? Well, you're in luck. I'm an expert on sick bears. What's his name?" Ed asked, adopting a professional bedside manner.

"Teddy."

"Of course. I knew that. So what seems to be the problem, Mr. Bear?"

"He's sick. He has a cough."

"I know just the thing for him." Ed unclipped the activator from his robe and passed it over the stuffed animal, then clipped it back on. "There you go. All better. I'll send him my bill tomorrow."

"Is he better, Patsy?" Chloe asked, climbing up on the bed to inspect him.

"He's all better. He wants a kiss though."

"Okay." Chloe kissed the bear on the head.

"Not from you, silly. From him." She pointed straight at Ed. Ed widened his eyes in alarm.

"Wait a minute, you want me to do mushy stuff with a bear? I don't know about this. I got married not too long ago, and my wife gets jealous easily."

Patsy and Chloe giggled.

"Come on! Or Teddy will get sick again."

"All right, all right. I can't believe I'm doing this." Ed picked up the bear and kissed it, making a loud smooch sound. "Blech ! I have furry lips now!" The two girls giggled at him.

"Who is your new friend, you two?"

Ed turned around. A woman in a lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck stood there smiling. She wasn't a member of the Mayland staff he recognised, and she didn't seem to know him.

"Hi Dr. Masters. He cured Teddy."

"Did he? Oh good. It's time for your chemo, Patsy."

The little girl broke into tears.

"I don't wanna go, I don't like it."

"It's okay, Patsy. I'll go too, and we can play with my paper dolls after." Chloe said.

"Actually, why don't I go too? I can tell you both a story, and it'll be done before you know it. You can sit in my lap."

"That's very nice of you, Mr.--?" the doctor said.

"Ed."

"Ed then. Does that sound okay with you, Patsy?"

Patsy sniffed a little.

"Okay."

"Right." Ed lowered the bedrails, and lifted Patsy up. She snuggled against him.

"You smell nice." she commented.

Ed grinned.

"Cologne my wife gave me. After you, doctor. Come on, Chloe, let's go."

* * *

"And finally the terrible dragon named Henderson stomped up to the princesses named Chloe and Patsy, and breathed out fire." Ed disguised his voice to give a credible, if overdramatic imitation of the general's. "I'm going to eat you all up unless you give me your castle, he roared. But the princesses weren't scared at all, because they had a friend named Alec, who was a good and noble knight. He took out a spear, and he killed the mean dragon, and he roasted it for dinner. And everybody in the kingdom rejoiced. The end."

"Tell us another story," Chloe demanded enthusiastically. Ed chuckled at her.

"I'm running out of stories. Besides, I better go back to my room, or my wife will be mad at me."

Ed had stayed with the two girls throughout Patsy's chemotherapy treatment, and then had taken them back to their room. Patsy was curled up in her bed, drowsy from an injection they'd given her, but Chloe sat on Ed's lap, wide awake.

"Aww, do you hafta go, Ed?"

"I'm afraid so. Come on, I'll get you settled in bed, and then I'll have to go."

"Will you come back and visit us?"

"Sure! You bet. Come on now. Upsadaisy. Ooof! You're heavy!"

Chloe giggled. Ed set her down in her bed, and started to tuck her in. He suddenly gripped the guardrail, hard. The room had begun to spin.

"What's the matter? Are you sick?" Chloe asked.

No, he thought. No, not again. Oh God. He sank down, unable to hold on any longer, hit ground, his hands fumbling for the activator. Come on, damn it, you can do this. He pushed his robe open, tugged at his pajama top, held the activator over the raised area of skin on his chest where the machine was, and hit the button.

"Honey, call the-call the-"

Ed slumped sideways and lie still.

* * *

"Dr. Folsade, if I had had any idea that your case was missing, I would have told you right away, I had only to look at his wrist ID to see what ward he was from. But he was doing so well with my two medulloblastoma and leukemia cases, that I didn't think about it."

"They have names, Dr. Masters, they are not just cases. Perhaps you would do well to look at Chloe and Patsy through the eyes of Mr. Straker. Besides, two of your radiation technicians recognized him and had me beeped." Folsade said. She and the other doctor were speaking on the telephone.

"Straker? I seem to have heard that name somewhere. How is he anyway?"

"I performed minor surgery on him a while ago, he is stable and in his room. I trust he will be awakening soon, grouchy as usual, because his wife is handling things for him. How long have you worked here?"

"Four months. Why?"

"Four months on the brand new pedatric ward, and you did not look at the bronze plaque on the wall to see the name of the person who made it possible? But then anyone who designates children by what they have instead of who they are, I would not expect it of such a person."

Folsade hung up.

"Black bitch." Masters said, hanging up. And then, curious, she walked over to the plaque by the nurses station to read it.

It read : 'John Straker Memorial Pediatric Oncology Unit Made possible by a private donation from Harlington-Straker Studios'.

* * *

Ed Straker gave a little sigh, and his eyelashes fluttered, then he opened his eyes. "Maggie, are you there? Am I dreaming?"

Mags sighed with great relief, as did everyone else in Ed's room.

"That's it, you worthless moron. Open your eyes. And stop looking so innocent."

"What happened?" Ed said quietly.

"I'll tell you what happened. Mere matter of days after the wedding, and you go and cheat on me with not one, but two females. Dr. Folsade told us all about it. She talked with Chloe."

"Oh. Chloe and Patsy. You can hardly blame me, after all, they didn't call me a worthless moron. Besides, you forgot the bear. I cheated on you with the teddy bear too."

"Never would have figured you to be into bestiality, Ed." Alec said gravely.

"Never would have figured you to know what it is, Alec. Okay, so what happened to me this time? I remember getting dizzy, and turning on this thing, uh, why is my-oh not again. They performed surgery on me again, didn't they?"

"I'm afraid so, son. You passed out again. But you activated the device, and now Dr. Folsade will be able to finally find out what's wrong with you." Angel said. "She sedated you and took it out for analysis, and told us where you were. We've all been waiting here for you to wake up."

"Oh you poor baby, we were so worried about you. We thought you left the hospital!" Frances wailed, tucking the comforter around Ed.

"Why did you think that? I just needed to walk. Stop fussing, Frances, I'm alright."

"Why did we think that, he says." Alec rolled his eyes.

"Where's your damn gun?" Mags demanded.

"Under the pillow, where I always keep it."

"You had it in the drawer!" Mags yelled.

"I always take it out at night and put it under the pillow. I only leave it in the drawer during the day. Why?"

"Horse piss! I thought for a moment, you were so upset, but you insisted on having that stupid thing-"

"My God no, no. Maggie, why are you in your gown? Why is everyone dressed up?"

"Because, you damn idiot, we were going to have our reception right here to surprise you. Cake and everything. I thought it would cheer you up. And we show up, and you're not there, and that idiotic security guard swears he just left for two seconds, and you worry us all to death, and I thought you were hurt, and damn you! Don't ever scare me like that again!"

"A reception here?" Ed asked, smiling at her.

"Ed have you heard anything I said?"

"You got worked up over nothing. I just took a stroll. I'm walking fine now. Walking normally."

"That's it. Never mind the heart problem. I'm killing him now." Mags said.

"That would be rather counterproductive. Besides, I needed to get away, the walls of this place were closing in on me. So we're having our reception here? Are you sure you want your new husband to celebrate in pajamas and robe?"

"I want a live husband. Who cares what he's wearing? Hey, hey, don't get up so fast. You fainted again, remember? "

"Quit fussing, I'm okay. Hand me my slippers, will you? Thanks. Frances, that's a beautiful cake, and that punch looks tempting. Maybe we can share what's left over with my new friends, Chloe and Patsy."

"I go to all the trouble of arranging this, and he's only thinking about the other women in his life," moaned Mags. Ed chuckled at her, leaned over and kissed her. They held each other tightly.

"Don't forget the bear." Angel grinned. "Dr. Folsade told us that the children said you made an utter romantic fool of yourself with the bear."

"Only to save its life. Funny, I knew that unit was up there, of course, but I'd never seen it. " Ed shrugged, taking the ladle of the punch bowl and getting himself a drink.

"You usually are riddled with holes and full of tubes when you're here, Ed. Puts a damper on touring this place." Alec pointed out, amused.

"Well, I see our star patient is up and around. And without crutches." Folsade said meaningfully, coming into the room, a chart underneath her arm.

"Yeah, I sort of forgot them. Somewhere."

"Really? Our maintenance people discovered someone had left a pair of crutches in a lift, blocking the doors from shutting."

Ed involuntarily gulped the punch a little too much, wiped his mouth.

"Gosh, who would do a thing like that?" Ed asked innocently. "How are my two girlfriends on the pediatric unit, Doctor?"

"You mean the one you funded personally and named after your late son?" Alec said casually, getting himself some champagne.

Ed threw Alec a less than appreciative look . Mags looked at Alec then Ed, surprised then amused.

"So, doctor. Did I operate that little toy properly?" Ed finally said, determined to change the subject.

"Hey, Ed, do you know Dr. Folsade's first name?" Alec suddenly asked. Frances and Angel and Mags looked at Alec in a puzzled manner.

"Yetunde. Why? What's that have to do with anything?"

Alec groaned loudly and Folsade laughed.

"Never mind." Alec sipped his champagne.

"And he says it so perfectly, Alec." Folsade said, to add to the Australian's misery.

"Yeah, right, anyway, did Ed use that thing you took out of him all right?"

"Yes. I have the analysis with me, and that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Mr. Straker. I have a diagnosis and-"

"I'm beginning to wonder why they don't just sew a zipper on me, that would save time with all these surgeries. Hey, looks like we got a decent amount of presents. Anything from Henderson? I was expecting at least a Venus fly-trap plant from him. Look, there's one from Lily. Shall we open that one first?"

"Psychiatry is your field, Margaret, but I'd say Edward is avoiding having to hear what the doctor is going to say."

"Shut up, Reverend." Ed said. "Okay, fine, spit it out, what's wrong with me?"

Mags went and held Ed's hand, biting her lip. He raised his chin defiantly, and his lips pulled into a straight line.

"Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. In English, this is the sudden onset of a very fast heart beat, which may or may not be regular. There are different ways of treating this depending on what sort of abnormal rhythm is caused. Pacemakers, drugs and even surgery can be used. So we have some options. However, knowing you, Mr. Straker, I would like to do some final blood studies tonight, and schedule you for a radiofrequency catheter ablation in a couple of days. The procedure is not without risk, however, if successful, it would cure you completely. To put it simply-"

"Dr. Folsade, did you say the word cure?" Ed asked. Mags hugged Ed tightly, excited and relieved and he smiled at her.

"It might require more than one ablation procedure, but yes. There is some risk of you dying during the procedure, and there is a risk of you needing a pacemaker if we destroy a certain part of your heart. But yes. I said cure. You are not going to die, Edward. You will probably outlive all of us." Folsade chuckled. "Do you have any questions?"

"One. How soon can you do it? I have a flight to San Francisco to catch."

Folsade chuckled. The others rolled their eyes and Mags groaned.

"I will be assisting the electrophysiologist, a friend of mine, Dr. Banning. One of the best in the United Kingdom, but not without a few eccentricies. I spoke with him right after I looked at the EKG results. He said the earliest he can come is Friday. I trust you can wait three days?"

"If I have to." Ed nodded.

"He will be placing catheters into your groin, and neck, possibly your arm and collarbone area. Then he will deliberately stimulate arrhythmias, locate the area of their origin, and use electricity to destroy that area of the heart. You will be awake during the procedure, slightly sedated. You may have a syncope during the procedure, but you will be surrounded by the cardiac team, and if you should need assistance, we will be ready."

"Sure beats the angioplasty I had done a few years ago. Back when I was sixty-two and in the full bloom of youth, son." Angel grinned. "I'm still around at seventy-four."

"You don't look a day over sixty, Stanley." Alec grinned.

"You never told me you had a heart problem, Angel." Ed said in surprise.

"No sweat. Sugarplum here nursed me back to health." Angel put an arm around Frances' waist.

"I worked as a nurse back then. It's how I met Quentin, my first husband." Frances smiled.

"Mr. Straker, when you wake up from the procedure you may have some pain for which you will be medicated, and you will not be able to move. I will be putting you in restraints as a precaution, and a sandbag on your leg to keep pressure on the wounds. You will have to stay in bed for a while. I trust Margaret and the others will keep you occupied? "

"Yes. Sounds good. Thank you, Dr. Folsade."

"Call me Yetunde, Mr. Straker. You say it so prettily." Folsade winked at Alec. Alec folded his arms and grunted. "Now, if you don't mind, I will have some of that wedding cake after you do. I'm starving." Folsade said.

"Not before Ed opens Lily's present. I'm dying to see what it-"

Angel was interrupted by the tall Jamaican guard coming in, which he remembered from Ed telling him was named Nate.

"Just wanted to tell you I'm glad you're okay, Mistah Straker."

Ed grinned at him.

Mags, however, quickly made her way over to the guard and poked him in the chest several times. The height difference between the two resembled the dimensions between an Limoges box and the Eiffel Tower.

"You! You let my husband go! What kind of security guard are you anyway? Two seconds, horse piss! You weren't supposed to leave your post!"

"I'm awfully sorry, Ma'am, but I--"

"Bull manure. That's Ed Straker! You don't leave Ed Straker alone!" Mags poked Nate in the chest again. It was like David telling off Goliath, Ed observed, enjoying it immensely. Reluctantly enough, he figured he better interrupt it before she could launch her slingshot.

"Maggie, dear?" sweetly intoned Ed.

"Shut up Ed, I'm doing what you should be doing, telling the hired help off. Leaving his post like that! Disgraceful. Flake!"

"Mr. Zouri didn't leave his post, Maggie." Ed declared gravely.

"You know, guard jobs are hard to come by, and Ed could have been hurt, and I just don't see how you possibly could hav-huh?"

The Jamaican sighed, and looked down at the floor.

"Mistah Straker hit me, Ma'am. Told me to come in and get him some water, and I turned, and he hit me. With the judo. So he could go out. Lay me on his bed, and left."

Alec and Angel and Frances started to laugh, Mags gaped, and Folsade chuckled. Nodded.

"I told Nate to say he had stepped away for two seconds. He was too embarrassed to admit Mr. Straker knocked him out." she said, with a laugh.

"It would travel, Ma'am, and I'd be the laughing stock of my brothers."

"Sorry about that. Not bad for a boss with a heart condition though, huh?" Ed asked Nate. "Stay and help us celebrate our reception." Ed rose and patted him on the back. He had to reach up to do it.

"No suh, thanks, suh."

"Uh, guard, uh Nate, I'm sorry I told you off."

"No harm done, Missus Straker."

"Now that his sin is out, what did Lily give you, Ed?" Alec insisted on knowing. Ed grabbed the package and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Looks like a frame. Shaped like it anyway. To Ed and Margaret, so they won't forget me. How nice. Pretty paper. Hate to tear it, maybe we can--oh my G-G- God." Ed flushed as if he'd been sunburnt on the Caribbean. Mags hurried over to him, worried.

"What? What? EDWARD STRAKER! We are not keeping that!" Mags shrieked.

Angel, Frances and the others came over behind Ed to look. Alec dissolved into hysterics, the guard whistled, Frances hid her mouth with her hand, blushing, Dr. Folsade raised her eyebrows, and Angel grinned.

"Excellent likeness," the reverend said thoughtfully. Frances slapped his forearm.

"Stanley, stop looking at it this minute, it isn't very Christian of you!"

"But sugarplum, that's the way we all come into the world."

"Stanley, you're going to be leaving the world if you don't stop looking at her that way." Frances snapped.

"Isn't it, though?" Ed nodded at Angel. "Terrific likeness. Look at that. I remember with particular fondness how sexy that mole on her ample right brea-" Ed started to say, innocently. Mags grabbed the oil painting out of his hand, and threw it into the trashbin decisively. She folded her arms, irritated, while everyone but Ed guffawed.

"Now, now, Maggie, that wasn't very nice." Ed whinged, desperately concealing his amusement.

"Shut up, Ed Straker, and come dance with your wife." Mags turned on her portable CD player, searching through tracks until she found a suitable melody.

"Shouldn't I be writing her a nice thank-you note? Or maybe I should have a similar painting of myself done so that she won't-"

"Keep it up, Straker, and I'll go borrow a Foley catheter. You remember the Foley catheter, don't you, darling?"

"Ouch.Yes, dear." Ed grinned widely.

"Now come over here and dance with your new bride."

"Since they don't want it, sugarplum, I thought we could hang it up in my office?" Angel said hopefully.

"I'm sure that they have more than one catheter in this hospital, Stanley." Frances said meaningfully. Angel swallowed nervously, and winked at Ed. Ed laughed then got up, bowed very gallantly to Mags, and took her into his arms for a dance.

"Speaking of a dance, I thought you and I had a dinner date." Folsade said to Alec. Alec grinned at her and handed her a roll stuffed with shrimp.

Ed and Mags paused in their slow dance to look at them and grin, then started swaying slowly again. Ed suddenly spun Mags away from him and twirled her dizzily, smiling playfully. Ed then dipped her, held her there, his ice blue eyes shining.

"I married Ed Astaire?" Mags said, bent back and looking up at him. God. That smile could halt gravity, she thought deliriously. And he's all mine.

"Let's show em our stuff, Ginger." Ed said, pulling her up while she laughed in delight.

"Sweet on the doctor, are you, Mistah Freeman?"

"I think it's time for you to take a break now, Nate." Alec grumbled.

"Not before he has something to eat and drink. Punch is great, and anything Frances makes is heaven. Go ahead, cut the cake. Enjoy yourselves. Nothing about the way we got married was normal anyway so the fact we aren't doing it first doesn't matter. Nice song. Pretty song. Who is that singing?" Ed asked Mags.

"Cherish The Day? Sade, you dolt. You have to get out more." Mags contentedly lay her head on Ed's shoulder again and rocked with him. Ed chuckled.

"Nice voice, I'll have to pick up some of her records."

"CD's, Ed. " Mags grinned up at him. " We've come far since the gramophone."

"I understand she is releasing another album soon. She is half-Nigerian, you know." Folsade smiled. "Enough cake for you, Alec. I will buy us dinner. Mr. Straker, as I mentioned earlier, I will order your blood tests and EKG for this evening, so for now you can enjoy your reception."

"Thank you, Dr. Folsade. Thank you for everything."

"Thank me when we know you are going to be well for certain, Edward." Folsade took Alec by the hand and led him out. He wiggled an eyebrow suggestively in Folsade's direction, and was gone. Ed grinned at them.

"Aren't you going to open the rest of your presents, son?" Angel said, licking the frosting off his fingers with Frances looking on disapprovingly.

"He's opened enough presents already. I don't even want to see what his other women gave him. Probably panties and their hotel keys. Or in the case of Chloe and Patsy, their crayons." Mags complained.

"Yes, yes, and there's something about the aroma of the vivid tangerine crayon that drives me just wild. Speaking of my two little mistresses, let's go bring them some of this cake." Ed said enthusiastically.

"You flake! You want to feed your mistresses right in the middle of our wedding reception? Horse piss! I married a cheating weasel!"

"Come on, Maggie." Ed chuckled. "Besides, I know they'll love your wedding gown."

"Okay, okay, but don't be surprised if I cheat on you with the bear. I have to have some fun in this marriage. Let me wrap up some stuff to bring them."

"Maggie?"

"What, weasel?"

"I love you with all my heart. Even my screwed up ventricals." Ed smiled tenderly at her.

God, Mags thought. That smile again. It could melt the polar caps.

"Yeah yeah, that's why you're forcing me to bring food to your underage mistresses. You're disgusting."

"Oh Stanley, everything is going to be all right, " Frances said happily. She had been dancing with Angel.

"Remember our wedding reception, sweetheart?" Angel said full of nostalgia.

"Yes, darling. And you still dance as poorly as you did at our reception." Frances tittered. "You just stepped on my heel again."

"Shame on you for exposing my faults like that." Angel scolded, and kissed her.

Ed laughed at them, while Maggie got finished with packing some food.

"Try not to eat all the cake, Nate." Mags grinned.

"Yes, Missus Straker." Nate grinned.

"Okay, weasel. Let's go see these two babes of yours. Here, you carry this plate."

Ed popped a shrimp roll into his mouth, accepted the plate, and followed her out.

"How come you didn't tell me about this unit you dedicated to your son, Ed?"

"No particular reason. Like I said, I knew it was here. They wanted me to cut the ribbon and everything, but I hate the press. So I sent Alec to face them. Didn't want them putting my name on the damn plaque, but Alec insisted, saying the studio could use the publicity. I wasn't happy, but he agreed to take my place, so I let him do what he wanted."

"What other things are you hiding from me, husband?" Mags said. "That is, besides the underage mistresses."

"Oh I don't know. Maybe the news that Yolanda is on her way over here finally. Alec talked to her last night. I told him not to tell you, that I wanted to surprise you."

"Ed!"

"Heh, heh. Figured you'd be happy about it. "

"Edward Straker, you're wonderful!" Mags kissed him tenderly.

"Does this mean you've forgiven me for the bear?"

"Don't push your luck," chuckled Mags.

Ed snapped his fingers in mock disappointment. He and Mags walked down the corridors of the unit. Some of the children were gathered in the playroom, engaged in games, or reading, or watching television. Most of them were hooked up to IV's leading to plastic bags hanging from poles.

"Not in there. Okay, let's see, retrace my steps. Ah, I remember seeing that thermostat, here we are." Ed pushed the door open. Chloe was sitting in her bed, pushing peas around on her dinner tray. Patty's bed was made up, but she wasn't there.

"Ed! I thought you might not come. I got scared you went to heaven cause they put you on the stretcher and went away. Who's that?"

"Hiya Chloe! This is my wife, Maggie."

"Hiya Maggie. You got a pretty dress. Want to play with my paper dolls?"

"Maybe later. Ed brought you guys some cake." Mags smiled at her.

"Oh wow! Yummy."

"Where's Patsy? She having her chemo? I've got cake for her too." Ed said, setting his plate of cake on Chloe's tray. She took off the wrapper happily, and dug in.

"Uh uh." Chloe said through a mouthful of cake. " She went to heaven. Her mommie gave her Teddy to me so he wouldn't miss her and be sad. See?." Chloe reached over and patted the stuffed animal.

Ed looked at the vacant bed, lost in memory. You smell nice, she had said to him. The feeling of her single tiny hand clinging tightly to his neck. The way she had bravely not cried as they had forced the chemicals into her wasted little body. The way she had giggled when he'd kissed her bear. Her little eyes widening as he made up the stories he'd told her and little Chloe.

"Ed." Mags said very softly, watching the shock and pain sweep over the SHADO Commander.

"Excuse me a moment." Ed said curtly. He vanished out the door.

"I'll be right back." Mags said. She pushed the door open.

"Okay." Chloe smiled.

Ed wasn't out there. He was nowhere to be seen.

Oh God. He wasn't ready for this. Oh Ed, where are you? When are you going to learn you don't have to hide your misery from me? Damn. What if this agitates him enough to start having a rapid heartbeat again? What if he faints? Damn it, Ed, where are you? Mags thought frantically.

"Nurse, did the man that was with me get on the lift?"

"Mr. Straker? No. He went through the exit door to the stairs, I think."

"Thanks!"

Mags quickly went through the door, and breathed a sigh of relief. Ed was leaning against a wall, eyes closed, breathing hard. He opened them, hearing Mags' footsteps. He stared out into space.

"Ed, darling, she had medulloblastoma, Dr. Folsade told us about it, it's a cancerous tumor in the brain, and she'd already lost an arm to bone cancer. She was high risk, Ed."

"She was a little girl, damn it! What was she? Five? Six? Now she's gone. It isn't right, Maggie. It isn't right for someone as small and as precious as her to have to suffer like that!"

"Edward, you made her laugh. You made it possible for this place to be here, so that they could take care of her as well as they could. You made her last moments on earth happy. She's at peace now."

Ed sighed. He rapidly blinked back tears. Mags approached him and gently took and held his hand, and held it against her cheek.

"I read to John like that, the way I read to her. I held him like that. I remember the sound of his laughter, and the way he begged me for more stories. I remember the way he looked when every month I would have to tell him I had to go. I remember what it was like having to turn my back on him, turn my back on my own son. Now he's gone. And Patsy's gone. And I-and I-" Ed broke down, no longer bothering to fight his tears.

"And you what, darling?" Mags said softly to him. "Tell me."

"I never--- said goodbye. I never said goodbye. To either of them."

"Say it now, Ed. I believe they can hear you."

"You sound like Angel now," Ed sighed. "He and Frances keep telling me John still can hear me."

Mags smiled a little.

"So say it." Mags whispered to him.

"I can't. I can't." Ed's voice trailed off almost to the point of being too soft to be heard. "Don't you see?" Ed whispered back, tormented. "I can't."

"Why, Ed?" Damn, this is tough, she thought. Be professional, Mags girl. Pretend you don't know this man suffering with grief for his lost son. You can do this. You're trained in grief counseling. Horse piss. He's my husband, the most incredible man in the world. I want to take him into my arms and hold him forever, and protect him for the rest of our lives. My heart is breaking to see him suffering this anguish. He has to do this himself. I have to help him get through it. Be professional, Mags girl. For his sake.

"If I say goodbye, that means I really lose him." Ed said brokenly. "Forever. Stupid, isn't it? I know he's dead."

Mags took Ed into her arms, stroking his hair lovingly as he cried.

"It isn't stupid at all. You'll be able to say goodbye someday, and you won't have to do it alone. I'll be with you. Come on, Ed. Chloe's waiting for you. And I want to find out just how passionate a kiss you gave that bear. "

He pulled away from her and smiled a little, and she gently wiped his face.

"I suppose you'll have me and the bear followed by a detective?"

"No, but I might have you and Chloe followed. I don't know how I'm going to compete with that babe in there. I guess I'll have to learn to share."

"I love you, Maggie."

"I love you, Ed."

"No way!"

"Yes way, I won."

"Yeah because you cheat."

"Uh uh!"

"Well somebody's cheating. Must be the bear."

"Bears don't cheat, silly."

"Chloe, he's stupid, don't even try to reason with him." Mags announced.

Chloe giggled.

"Hey, don't call the bear stupid."

"I was calling you stupid, Ed."

"Remind me again why I married you?"

"The drugs and torture." Mags replied.

Ed grinned.

"Yeah, that was it. Drugs and torture. Okay one more game of tic tac toe."

"Uh uh I wanna play paper dolls." Chloe said.

"Paper dolls? Right, paper dolls it is. Oh hi, Alec."

"Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"You have frosting on your mouth."

"Damn it, Alec, did you have to tell him? He looked so cute that way. How did your date with Dr. Folsade go?"

"Alec, meet Chloe."

"Hi! Wanna play paper dolls?"

"I'm so pleased to make your acquaintance," Alec said, taking Chloe's hand and kissing it. She giggled.

"He does that with all the beautiful women. Don't let it go to your head." Mags said.

"Did you really eat the terrible dragon?"

"Huh?" Alec said. Ed flushed and quickly interrupted.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Wanted a private word with you, yes."

"I'll be right back. Chloe, make sure Maggie doesn't kiss the bear."

"The bear is better looking than you are, Ed. And I bet it stays in bed when it's sick." Mags picked up the bear and batted her eyelashes at it. Chloe giggled, and Ed grinned at Mags.

"Fine. I'll divorce you on the grounds of infidelity with a stuffed animal. That should make the papers." Ed grinned. He rose from where he'd been sitting in a semi-yoga position on Chloe's bed, smoothed down his robe, and followed Alec out.

"Trouble in paradise?" Ed asked when he and Alec had reached Ed's room.

"The E-1 on Adam Fielding and Miyako Usami came through. It isn't good, Ed. I took the liberty of skimming through it." Alec handed Ed an slim envelope from inside his jacket.

"Summarise it for me." Ed said, frowning, accepting it and taking out the report.

"When Adam Fielding had that accident which ended his career as a steeplechaser, and disfigured his face, it's true that Miyako left him. But not because he'd lost his good looks. Because he turned into a impossible to live with, control freak. Fielding had his wife followed, her movements reported to him, her every expense noted, she couldn't sneeze without it getting back to him. He was waiting for her to slip up, for her to finally cheat on him. And when it didn't happen, he orchestrated it. He had his people lure his wife into first drugs and gambling and finally paid sex. Fielding then demanded a divorce. Someone fathered Margaret, and Miyako fled to San Francisco after Margaret's birth, pretty much penniless after the ugly divorce. In the meantime, Fielding painted her as the heartless wife who had left her poor helpless husband when he was no longer the champion rider and had lost his looks. "

"Jesus." Ed said quietly. "Go on."

"Gets worse, Ed. Some of Miyako's family and friends in San Francisco who knew what really was going on, helped her get her life together and loaned her enough money to start her little business. She thought at last she'd gotten away from him, and she began to build a new life with her little girl. Fielding would call, and she'd just hang up, but she was too afraid of him and his well-paid, obedient goons to try and make a complaint about him. Finally, Fielding threatened her with telling Margaret what kind of person Miyako really was, and that he wasn't her father. So Miyako took all she had left, sold her business, paid her debtors, took what little was left and put it into a trust fund for Margaret, and killed herself."

Ed's hand balled into a fist. His eyes of icy blue seemed to blaze.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Fielding's had Margaret watched all these years, the same as Miyako. He made several threatening calls to Yolanda Belsing, calling her a filthy degenerate, telling her he'd ruin her, that kind of thing. Yolanda is made of sterner stuff than Miyako. She threatened to have him arrested if he kept it up. Yolanda never told Margaret, and it's been a stalemate all these years. I spoke to Yolanda over the phone, she should get to Gatwick in the morning. Her flight's due at 9 am."

"Good work, Alec. I'll handle Adam Fielding." Ed stuck the envelope inside his robe.

"Like hell you will, Ed. You're still ill."

"Alec, Margaret is my wife. I owe this to her."

"Yeah and she'd be the first one to tell you that this is her matter to handle, not yours. When you're on your feet, and that procedure you're going to have fixes your heart, then you can go with Mags and she can confront her father. More accurately, who she thinks her father is. But not a day sooner, Ed. You can't screw up your health over this, no matter how badly you want to teach Adam Fielding a lesson. It has to stay the way it is, at least for now."

"Alec-"

"No, Ed. You know I'm right. Dr. Folsade said that your condition could be triggered by agitation, and I can't think of anything more agitating than a war with Adam Fielding."

"I should have thrown him through his own damn window the day I met him." growled Ed. Alec grinned.

"That's more my style."

"Oh? I thought you were the more reasonable, kinder gentler one." Ed grinned a little.

"You're sicker than I thought, Ed." Alec grinned back.

"Okay, you win. For now. Thanks Alec. I owe you one."

"Actually, you could repay me now."

"Oh? Name it."

"Dr. Folsade. I'd really like to make an impression on her."

"Why, Alec. Is that moonbeams and starlight I see in your eyes?"

"Shut up, Ed." Alec chuckled.

"Shut up Ed, Sir." Ed folded his arms.

"Right. Anyway, I was surprised you knew her name."

"Do you recall those sightings in Africa back in 1989 or thereabouts? Dr. Folsade witnessed a UFO incident, and the destruction of that same UFO by a South African Air Force Mirage jet. Well, it just so happened that the pilot also worked for our HQ in Pretoria. You might remember the studio made that huge, over budget costume epic "The Last Wilderness" there that year. We even picked up some awards and good reviews for it. While that was going on, I met cardiologist Yetunde Folsade, was impressed by her determination and courage, and her English, which was a great deal better than the horrid way I botched the few words of her language she taught me." Ed chuckled. "We got to be friends, she completed and I recruited her for SHADO, and had her assigned to Mayland. So yes, I knew her name. Why?"

"I'd like to learn a little of her language, make an impression on her. I figured you would bring me up to date on her, and teach me to say her name correctly." grinned Alec.

Ed looked at Alec.

"One of your conquests?" Ed teased.

"Lay off, Ed. Okay, okay, lay off, Ed Sir." Alec grinned.

"Sure, Alec, I'll be glad to help." Ed nodded.

A few minutes later, Ed put the report under his mattress, informed Nate no one was to go in there, and went back to see Chloe and Mags.

"Well, it's about time. What did you do? Cheat on me with every good looking underage patient you could find?"

"On every floor of hospital," nodded Ed, settling down and giving Chloe's head an affectionate rub, then tickling her, drawing delighted chuckles from the little patient. Mags watched with a fond grin. "So Chloe, did she cheat on me with the bear?"

"Uh huh. It loves her." Chloe giggled

"How does one compete with a teddy from Harrods, I wonder? Maggie, you have that cellular phone of yours?"

"Yeah, sure, what are you going to do? Call up your lawyer and see if you can cancel the pre-nuptial agreement you signed giving me half your lemon cakes from Frances?"

"I know there's a bear clause in that agreement somewhere. Get it? Bear clause."

Maggie groaned at the pun then laughed.

Ed grinned widely, pleased with her reaction.

"Actually, I want to do something really horrible to Alec Freeman. Lend me your phone."

"I've never understood the relationship between you two." Mags said with a smile, handing Ed her bright yellow Nokia.

"Don't worry about it. After I do what I'm about to do, there won't be a relationship," Ed beamed playfully, punching out the number Folsade had given him in case of an emergency.

"Edward, you are terrible, but I must confess I will enjoy the look on Alec's face. He will kill you, you know." Folsade said over the phone with a light chuckle.

"He'll wait until after my surgery, so that my death won't be that easy," chuckled Ed. "So you'll do it? When are you two seeing one another again?"

"Tomorrow at one, for lunch. And yes, you terrible man, I will do it."

"Right. Okay, this is what I want you to do--"

* * *

Early the next day, Ed awakened, and reached for the report under his mattress. He flipped through each page, reading and digesting it with his customary speed, nodding to himself, frowning at some parts. Then he drew his finger down the report until he came to a group of phone numbers. He dialed one in San Francisco.

"Herro?" a timid voice said in fractured English.

"Good morning, is this Samuel Usami ? I'm sorry to have awakened you, but I'm Margaret Fielding's husband , Ed Straker, and I wanted to ask you-"

"You Straker? I am how you call brother to Miyako. I hear you marry Margaret, good man, Yolanda say. We very sorry miss wedding. Why you call?"

"I want for Miyako to rest in peace, and for Adam Fielding to get what's coming to him. However, I need your help."

"He important man, no can do, we try lawyer, he call Miyako lot, very bad thing. How can help now?"

"If I have the case re-investigated, and I support the Usami family, will you be willing to fight with me and Margaret to give your sister justice?"

"Fielding very important, you understand? Could make problem for me, very bad. Lose everything."

"I happen to have some connections that are more important than Mr. Fielding's. You'd be fighting on equal ground."

Ed was treated to roughly a minute of what sounded like rapid Japanese, and different voices of different genders. He waited. Finally, Usami responded.

"You are policeman?"

"Not exactly. However I do believe that an injustice was done. And my people did a investigation into what actually happened, as opposed to what Sir Adam Fielding wanted people to believe. My one sadness is that I haven't told Margaret about any of this yet, and I know it will be sad for her to find out that Fielding is not her father."

"Not father? Who say? Is not true, Straker."

Ed furrowed his brow.

"I spoke with Adam Fielding before I found out any of this, and he told me he had gotten the tests--"

"Miyako say he father, but not let know. She say give not right test so he not take baby away, she want something her own, you understand? Baby is his, he not know it. Doctor feel sorry he not like Fielding, not trust, so he give someone else test, how you say? Paternal. Baby is his. He father."

"Do you know this doctor's name?"

"Please to wait. I ask."

Ed shook his head. The whole thing was getting more like something out of Lewis Carroll. Curiouser and curiouser.

"Straker, great grandmother say not know you, not safe. She say come, she see you, see if you speak truth before say much. She read head. Many generation, she see truth. You understand?"

"I'm due for surgery in three days, I can't travel, I have heart problems, but I can arrange for someone to come pick you and whoever is involved up at my expense, fly you here, and I'll speak to her directly. Will that be suitable?"

"She say hai. Yes. But we pay half, or lose face. You understand?"

"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Mr. Usami."

"Dou itashimashite. You speak Japanese?"

"Hai, sukoshi hanashimasu. Few phrases to get by. Not very much anymore, I'm afraid." Ed chuckled. "I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Usami. Sayonara." Ed hung up the phone. The door opened.

"Good morning, handsome. How did you sleep?" Mags said. "Oh oh, I know that look. What's wrong? God, Ed, did you have another syncope episode?" she asked, alarmed. Ed rose up and kissed her, the report under his arm, his expression solemn.

"Sit down, Maggie. I have a lot to tell you, news that will be upsetting. I read some reports on your father and mother, and I just spoke to your uncle. Yolanda should be arriving in England soon, I asked Alec to pick her up at Gatwick this morning, have her things brought to a hotel and bring her directly here. Maggie, darling, this will be difficult."

"Ed, you're scaring me." Mags bit her lip.

Ed pulled up a chair opposite his wife, and began to relate the story of his first visit to Margaret, and then he summarised, as Alec had, what had been in the E-1. Mags' expression turned to disbelief, anger, shock, pain, and she shot up, screaming. Ed shot up with her, and tried to calm her down, but she pushed him away.

"NO NO NO NO!" she sobbed, and finally let Ed envelop her in his arms.

Nate threw open the door, gun out. Ed shook his head slightly at the Jamaican guard.

"Mr. Zouri, don't allow anyone in here except Dr. Folsade and Alec. He'll have Miss Belser with him." Ed ordered quietly.

"Yes, sir," Nate said, and quietly closed the door. Mags hung on to Ed, weeping, burying her head on his shoulder.. Ed stroked her hair. She looked up at him, eyes reddened.

"Why? Why? I would have loved her no matter what, Ed! She was my mother!"

"I know, Maggie. But your mother was under incredible pressure, she felt helpless, and unable to fight back. Fielding ruled her life with a iron hand. There's even evidence in here that Fielding prevented you from being raised by her surviving family."

"Ed I want his fucking head on a stake. I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill him."

"That would leave me only conjugal visits to your gaol cell, Maggie. I'm afraid you'll have to leave this to me, Alec, and your family. " Ed smiled gently at her.

"No way, Ed. This is my fight, not yours."

"When I made those vows to you, it became my fight, Maggie. And my boxing gloves are larger than yours."

"I want to be there, Ed."

"You will be. And you better get ready to translate for me. My Japanese is rusty, and your uncle, your great-grandmother, and some other Usami family members will be on their way here soon."

"They never had much to do with me before. They didn't even come to my wedding." Mags said angrily, folding her arms.

"They were following your life through Yolanda, they seem to think a great deal of you."

"Through Yolanda? What do you mean?"

"Yolanda was being harassed by Fielding too."

"WHAT?"

"Maggie, she's been very protective of you over all these years. She was obviously in your corner."

"She knew? She KNEW? And didn't tell me? I'll kill her! Horse piss! FUCK! Did everybody know about this but me?"

"Maggie, everything's going to work out. I'm going to have that surgery, be cured, and we'll bring your father to his knees, and then we'll go have fresh crab at Fisherman's Wharf, ride a ferry underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and eat fresh sourdough french bread, and be happy newlywed tourists."

"Ed, why can't we have a nice quiet married life like anyone else?" Mags sighed.

"Because we aren't like anyone else, dear." Ed grinned. "Now tell me about your grandmother."

"Ryoko-sama? She's actually coming?" Mags shuddered. "I used to visit her with my mother. She drove everyone nuts. She must be at least three-hundred by now. Everyone in my family is scared of her."

"Heh, heh, she sounds pretty formidable. Apparently she is coming to judge my trustworthiness in person, before she would agree to give the name of the doctor who gave the false paternity results to your father. It wouldn't be all that difficult to trace him or her down, but this Ryoko sounds interesting."

"Interesting? Ed, she still reads cracks in tortoise shells to tell the future and does other flaky things. She's whacked! She made my entire family a hostage to feng shui, and she's not even Chinese. Nobody does anything before asking her. She's a tyrant. She makes Adolf Hitler look like Mother Teresa." complained Mags. Ed grinned at her.

"Your uncle said she reads heads." Ed remarked mildly, amused.

"Ed, yeah, she feels people's heads and tells their future. Horse piss! I'm telling you, she's certifiable."

"Since you're a psychiatrist, I trust your diagnosis of her, but I want to meet her anyway." Ed laughed, and sat on the edge of his bed.

"You'll regret it. Although she did tell Miyako she'd make a bad marriage because of bad karma, and that I would marry a rich, powerful man." Mags sighed.

"Now I'm really looking forward to meeting this woman." Ed said with a smile. "Ah here comes my tasteless, low-calorie unappetitizing breakfast, come share it with me." Ed said, watching Nate carry a tray in. Nate grinned at him.

"I agreed to marry you in sickness and in health, I didn't agree to help eat your lousy hospital food for you." Mags finally smiled a little, sat on his lap and kissed him.

Ed sighed.

"I knew I should have married the bear."

* * *

"You know, I'm starting to get used to this airplane business. They even gave me this cute little pouch full of free stuff." Yolanda Belsing told Alec, as he pulled the studio jeep out of the parking lot of Gatwick airport. "And the food was great."

"You've obviously never flown executive luxury class before, compliments of Ed Straker," Alec grinned. "The important thing is, you'll be with Mags at a time she'll need you. "

"She's gonna be pissed at me." sighed Yolanda.

"Let me give you some advice. I've been in some situations like this before. I've done things without Ed knowing, and when he's found out about them, he was pissed at me too. The trick is, don't stand too close, he's been known to throw things, and to be patient. He soon realises that I was right." chuckled Alec. "But it's that first five minutes that is scary."

"You two have fights?"

"Sure. We've had rows that have made WW2 look like a child's argument over a toy pail in a sandbox. I've resigned, hmm, let me try and remember, about five times now. I always wind up going back. Ed doesn't always know what's best for himself. Nine times out of ten, he'll choose the devil he knows instead of the devil he doesn't. He's as bloody-minded as hell. But there's no finer man in England, or , for the matter, anywhere on this planet than Ed Straker. I wouldn't want not to be on his side. Adam Fielding may be a powerful man, but then he's never come against Ed Straker."

"Mags seems to have tamed him pretty well." joked Yolanda.

Alec looked at Yolanda for a second, then turned his attention back on the road ahead, merging with morning traffic.

"Trust me. That's because he let her. If you think anything else is the case, then you're a fool."

Yolanda grinned. Alec's car phone buzzed.

"Freeman."

"Hi Alec, it's me. Have you picked up Miss Belsing yet?"

"She's right with me. Got all the amenities of traveling first class, and now is a seasoned passenger. How is Mags handling the news?"

"Good, good. Maggie? Pretty much what you'd expect. I need you to do a few things for me, Alec. First, stop at my flat and get me some more of my clothes, I need something suitable to greet -Maggie, do you mind, I'm on the--Maggie, that's enough, I'm trying to talk to Alec. Go play paper dolls with Chloe or something. Quit giving me that look. Alec, you still there?"

"I don't know what Mags is doing, but it can hardly be good for that busted heart of yours, Ed."

"Very funny, Alec. First, I need some of my clothing, the Usamis are going to be coming here, and I'm not greeting them in my pajamas and robe. Second, before you drop Miss Belsing off, stop by a restaurant and get me something suitable to eat for breakfast, they wouldn't feed a stray animal what they put in my food tray this mor-shut up, Maggie, I may die during surgery Friday and I'm not going to have the autopsy with pablum in my stomach. I want ham and fried eggs and toast and marmalade and real coffee, not that awful caffeine free muck they pretend is coffee in Mayland. Then you and Dr. Folsade have an hour for lunch, after that you can go spend some time with our overworked friend Paul Foster, Nate was telling me last night that Henderson is riding Foster pretty hard. I don't think Henderson's gotten over losing one to me, thanks to you. So naturally he's taking it out on Foster. Then I need you to get in touch with the Usamis, and arrange for them to fly out here. I assume you can pull a few strings here and there to get their visas and passports cleared, so that they could be out here sometime tomorrow night?"

"Do I have a choice, Ed?"

"Frankly, no." chuckled the SHADO commander. "And Alec, I trust you didn't forget the romantic African phrases I taught you, so that you can woo Dr. Folsade properly?"

"I practiced them, and I'm ready to go. Ed, the hour might just develop into, oh, maybe two, any objection if I'm a little late relieving Paul?"

"Just don't overtire Dr. Folsade, Alec, she's due to assist that specialist when I'm operated on Friday morning. I wouldn't want her to stumble with a instrument at a crucial time because Romeo wore out Juliet." Ed answered mildly.

Alec laughed. He could just make out Mags' laughter in the background on the phone.

"Ed, get your arteries ready, I'm going to bring you the most calorie laden, fat dripping, E-ticket to cardiac hell breakfast you ever laid eyes on, and a light, sweet cup of coffee so strong the spoon will melt in it ."

"Alec, you're a saint. See you soon."

Ed Straker sat quietly in his bed, with Maggie's CD player tuned to a light jazz channel, thumbing through the hardback copy of the novel "Takeover" that Lieutenant Nate Zouri had given him. Another Rodgers book. There has to be something fundamentally wrong with me for being addicted to these things, Ed thought. All her plots are the same. Boy loses girl, boy finds new girl, boy gets injured in some way that involves a new procedure in medical science to put him back together again, boy finds happiness until the next novel, when the pattern recycles. The hero has to have so many scars by now, I don't know how he could have any skin left that doesn't. Maybe the new plot will involve a skin graft, just so he has more skin to tattoo the hard way, with a few slugs. I'm not sure I'd want to personally know a author that apparently loves yet hates her hero at the same time. Writers. All the same. How does this woman do her research anyway? Maybe she just blindfolds herself and points at some new disease in a medical dictionary, and hey presto, the hero comes down with it. Stupid books. I'd like to have the option of having the studio work with her to turn it into a screenplay, but I'm not sure I want to meet this woman. Oh well. I'll save it for after the operation. Damn quiet in here. Maggie goes off with Yolanda to have lunch, Frances and Angel are still struggling to adjust their parishioners to that new prayer book, and seemed to have forgotten I exist. Alec is about to get the surprise of his life, heh, I should have asked Yetunde to take snaps of his facial expressions. Hmm. Too damn quiet in here. Too peaceful. Okay, Straker, shall we set the pretense aside? You're scared. Damn scared. You need some air.

Ed threw the book on his bed. He turned off the CD player, with a faint grin at the memory of Maggie telling him he needed to go high tech in sound sometime. He put on his robe and pushed the door open. Nate Zouri turned and smiled at him.

"You read it already, Commandah Straker?"

"No, no, I never waste those speed reading and comprehension courses I took back in the Air Force on muck like that." Ed grinned. "I decided to keep it for later. Listen, Lieutenant, I'm going to take a walk. Any objection?" Commander Straker, Ed mused to himself sourly. Well at least somebody remembers my rank. I swear if Alec tells me one more time that Foster's handling everything just great, and I'm not needed, I'll be facing court martial for punching a fellow officer. Not that any punch of mine would connect with that craggy Australian face of his. "I've been cooped up in my room too long."

"Not as long as you have no objection to my company."

"Lieutenant, you wouldn't want to look the other way for, shall we say, a nanosecond? Maybe two nanoseconds. I'm older now, and can't run that fast."

"Come on, Commandah. Colonel Freeman would strip my skin and then Missus Straker would roast my bones if I let you sneak away. Fancying seeing that little miss of yours?"

"Anything to keep my mind off Friday morning." Ed nodded. "When our liquid breathing little friends make an appearance, I have all of SHADO's technology and equipment and personnel at my fingertips." Ed nodded slightly at the two nurses on staff at the nurses' station as he and Nate passed by. "I know pretty much what to expect from the bad guys. But when your own body is suddenly the opponent, the odds don't look so good. Some patients don't get up and walk away from this procedure, they just get zipped into a nice plastic bag like yesterday's leftovers. I don't want to be one of them. I don't want to be a statistic. Tell me, Lieutenant, how would you handle it if it was you going under the knife on Friday morning?" Ed smiled, entered the lift that would take him to the children's oncology unit. Nate ambled behind.

"Gospel be told , Commandah, the only way I like going under a knife is if I'm in combat practice or I'm fightin for mah life. I sweat more being beaten in chess by Colonel Freeman than I do with a crazed man aimin' a wicked blade at my throat. Goin' under a scapel for surgery, that's somethin' else altogether." Nate shuddered. They left the lift and walked to Chloe's room.

"Good to know someone understands the differences. Well, Lieutenant, tell me, when's the last time you played with paper dolls?"

"Sir?"

Ed grinned and opened the door.

"Hiya Ch-"

Ed blanched, and his mask caved in.

Both beds were made up immaculately, and nothing had been left that suggested that a child had ever even been there.

* * *

"You know Ed. I've been trying for eons to get him to switch to one of these electronic Palm pilot things. It's like trying to thread a needle with a baseball glove on. He still carries his little black leather memo pad and address book, and his Filofax, both worn out from time. I think Mags is right. I think he needs to be convinced that change is inevitable and change is good."

"And tell me, Alec, do you think Ed is that way?" Yetunde swirled her fork elegantly in the spaghetti alfredo, studying the Australian in the flickering candlelight on their table.

"What way?" Alec attacked and defeated a piece of steak, swallowed it and studied the Nigerian cardiologist with equal fervour.

"You think he is worn out with time?"

"Now wait, I never said that."

"It is troubling, people don't treasure old things like they used to. We live in a fast paced, now now now society. Survival of the fittest. Edward is like old wine, he becomes better with age, no wait, I see him as a leather bound novel, which becomes more treasured each time one reads it. And the more one reads it, the patina of the leather shines far more brighter like the sparkle in his eyes when he looks at Margaret. Ah ah ah, love. It is glorious just to watch them together. Tell me, Alec, have you ever been in love? Do you know anything of romance?"

"You sound like you're half in love with Ed." Alec chuckled, perhaps a bit nervously.

Folsade studied her glass of wine in a peculiar manner.

"When I saw him for the first time in my village, I must confess I thought he would be just another white, who did not understand my love for my country, and who would also mock what I saw that day in the skies. I was a young woman with a head full of dreams. But I must admit he was and still is like a pretty piece of glass that catches your eye, and then when you take the time to look more closely, you discover it is a diamond. But we had our jobs to do, he was very gallant, but there was no, how do you put it, no chemistry there. We became good friends. But there was no romance. I like Margaret very much. So the loss is easier to bear. Tell me, Alec, did you think you would woo me into your bed tonight?"

Alec had been sipping his beverage, but he sputtered a few drops of his Glenlivet at that, and she hid her grin well.

"Of all the women you and Foster have taken to bed, and believe me, it is almost legendary between you and Foster, have you ever loved any of them? "

"I think we ought to go back to talking about Ed."

"You are not going to answer my question?"

"Jane, the women I have-"

"My name is Yetunde."

"Yetunde."

"Ah so you have been practicing my name. Splendid. I am flattered after all, Alec. It seems that at least you went to the time and trouble to learn that before you wined and dined me and finally deflowered me. What else have you been practicing?"

Alec nearly choked on his drink when she reached the deflowered part, but rather admirably managed to drain the glass and call for the decanter. The waiter came, freshened their drinks, and left. Alec took a deep breath. Thank you, Ed Straker, for your curious wealth of interesting bits of information, which somehow included romantic phrases in some Nigerian language, Alec thought.

"It seemed to me someone as lovely and as intelligent as you should hear what I think of you in your native tongue."

"How thoughtful of you, Colonel." Folsade smiled prettily.

Alec managed to get off a few phrases. There, he thought. Done. This one's got more colours than a opal, but no Sheila ever met Alec Freeman and went to bed alone. He sat back and reached for her hand.

She wasn't smiling.

Why wasn't she smiling? She was certainly not smiling. Matter of fact, she looked like she might pick up his steak knife and do some impromptu heart surgery with it. On him. Without the benefit of pain killers.

"Is this a joke?" she snapped.

"Huh?"

"Is this your idea of a joke? Calling me the spawn of a blind elephant? Saying I smell like a monkey's arse at high noon? Is this how you drag your females to bed, Colonel? Are they overwhelmed by your sense of humor? You will excuse me. My appetite, even for a woman who knows what hunger really is, seems to be gone."

With that, Dr. Yetunde Folsade threw her dinner napkin at a stunned Alec Freeman and walked out. Alec sat there, looking for all the world like a cartoon character who'd just been hit by an anvil.

"Is everything all right, Mr. Freeman?" the waiter asked, alarmed. Alec regained his senses, threw some money at him and stormed out behind Folsade, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Sir." Nate said quietly. The Jamaican guard kept glancing nervously at his superior officer for any signs of agitation or pain. His job was to keep Straker safe and well, and the sudden death of little Chloe was a real threat to Straker's health. Straker seemed solemn, but not in physical distress.

Ed nodded soundlessly, and walked into the lift, Nate at his side. Just before the doors closed, a woman came up breathlessly, dashed toward the doors as they started to close and Nate hit the door open button for her. Ed eyed her with his mouth pulled into a thin line, his normally brilliant eyes deadened and empty. Nate smiled at her. She was in her thirties, dressed casually, and carried a shopping bag.

"Thanks so much. I was looking for someone, and didn't find him."

"Did you need to ask directions, Maam? I know hospital pretty well. I might be able to help." Nate smiled.

"Mr. Zouri, I did not hire you to be a guide to strangers." Ed said sharply. The woman frowned a little.

"Won't take but a moment, Sir."

"Well, I was hoping to find someone I know only as Ed." she chuckled. "A patient friend of my little daughter's."

"Ed? Ma'am, this is Ed Straker." Nate told her.

Ed had been staring into space, angry at the delay, but now he turned, shaking a little.

"You mentioned your daughter?" Ed said. "Tell me her name."

"Chloe. Chloe Polk. "

"Where is she?" Ed shouted. His desperate tone took her by surprise.

"Why, why, she's downstairs, we're getting ready to go. Except she wanted to give her friend her -are you all right? Oh!"

"SIR!" Nate yelled, and grabbed Ed as he started to sink. Ed held on to Nate, and Nate lowered him to the ground gently, feeling the pulse in Ed's neck.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, stop yelling at me, Zouri." Ed said weakly, hanging on to consciousness.

"Ma'am, hit the seventh floor button for me. I've got to get him to his room, and page his doctor."

The woman did as she was told, and Zouri scooped up Ed Straker in his arms almost effortlessly.

"Damn it, Zouri! I don't need to be carried!" grumbled Ed, but he looked ashen. He closed his eyes and didn't struggle. The doors opened. Dr. Folsade was at the nurses' station, talking with the SHADO staff on duty, and they were laughing uproariously.

"Ah ah ah! You should have seen Freeman's face! When he finds out what we did to-" Folsade stopped, saw Nate carrying Ed, and her laughter died and she hurried over, pulling out her stethoscope quickly. "Get him into his room, quickly. What happened?"

"I haven't died, if that's what you mean. Will you stop fussing over me?" Ed said, opening his eyes slightly as Nate laid him on his bed and under the covers.

Folsade ignored Ed's feeble protest, and pulled open his robe, didn't bother unbuttoning his pajama top, but tore it open. A button went flying. Ed gave her a imperious look, but said nothing. She put the stethoscope on his chest.

"That thing is damn cold, Doctor."

"Edward, quiet. Nate, what happened?"

"Mistah Straker wanted to go for a walk, and we went to go see his little girl who has the leukemia, and the bed was made up, Doctor. We thought she was dead, like the other little girl. Then we went to go back and we ran into the mother who was looking for him, and the shock of finding out the girl was alive, well, he started to collapse."

"She isn't my little girl, she's that woman's little girl." Ed corrected Nate.

"I told you to be quiet, Edward. One more word and I will sedate you." Folsade said calmly. Ed sighed in frustration, but went silent. Folsade continued to listen to his heart.

"Is he going to be all right?" the woman said awkwardly. She'd followed them into Ed's room.

Folsade finished with her examination of Ed, and strung her stethoscope back around her neck.

"It was a brief episode, his heart rhythm is returning to normal. All right, Edward you may speak now."

"Thank you so much Doctor, for allowing me back my constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech. Now, are you going to pay for ruining my pajamas?" Ed said in irritation. Folsade looked at Ed for a moment in amusement. She reached down and drew the end of a beautifully manicured nail a short way down Ed's chest, through the light layer of light brown hair upon it. Ed jumped, and his eyes widened. "Just what was that all about?" demanded Ed.

"I fulfilled a young Nigerian woman's dream," Folsade said, with a wistful smile. Nate spun so Ed wouldn't see him trying to suppress laughter. Ed looked at her in astonishment, blushed a little but then he relaxed.

"I could file a sexual harassment suit, Dr. Folsade," he told her with a slight smile.

"But you won't."

"But I won't. Can I sit up? Mrs. Polk? I would very much like seeing your daughter before she leaves. Is that possible?"

"Dear me, I almost forgot. She wanted me to give you this, so you wouldn't be lonely." The woman reached in the bag and brought out the teddy bear, and handed it to him. Ed smiled, obviously very touched, and sat up as Folsade drew the blankets closer around him. "And I'll get her. We didn't know where your room was. She'll be so delighted. You made quite an impression on her."

"And she on me. I am very fond of her. She's well, then?"

"Her leukemia is in remission. The doctors are hopeful." the woman smiled.

"Listen, if you need anything, please let me help."

"That's very generous of you, Ed." she smiled. "Let me go get her."

"I'll go with you," Nate offered. They went off together.

"Edward, I will order you some nutritious lunch." Folsade said, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"The remark about the dream. Were you being simply facetious?"

"What do you think?"

Ed smiled.

"I'm flattered, Doctor." he said softly.

"I will get you some of that low-caloric, tasteless hospital food you love so much."

"You do and I will file suit and tell Maggie what you did. I want the largest, juicest well done hamburger in all of London. With everything to go on it. Incidentally, how did your date with Alec go?" Ed chuckled, stroking the bear. Folsade laughed sharply.

"Ah ah ah! You should have seen him, Edward. I thought he might have a stroke right on the-"

The door opened and Alec burst in.

"Ed, what the hell did you-oh. Sorry, Doctor. I'm the last person you want to see."

"Alec, I understand you insulted her at lunch. What's wrong with you?" Ed snapped.

"What are you talking about? You taught me to say those things! Damn it, he told me to-"

"Oh, I see, so you didn't bother at all to find some phrases to describe me? So you lied? So you lie to all the women you want to have sex with? So you not only lure them into your bed, but you lie too? Are you completely free of scruples? Edward, how long have you had this man as a friend?"

"Obviously too long. If he treats women like that, maybe it's time to end my relationship with him." Ed said somberly.

"Wait a minute, I never meant to insult you, bloody hell, I asked Ed for something to say to you so that I'd make an impression on you, if you must know! Ed, what the hell is going on here?"

"Alec, if you can do a thing like that, why, why, it must mean you are the spawn of a blind elephant." Ed said in quite believable disgust.

Alec stared at Ed. Suddenly Folsade started laughing. Ed broke into a grin.

Alec's mouth gaped open. Then he snarled at Ed like a dog with rabies.

"You filthy rotten bastard! You did that deliberately! You set me up!" Alec shouted.

"Alec, Alec, Alec, how can you possibly accuse me of such a thing? Oh, this is terrible. Why, I don't think my heart can take this. Why, I think I'm about to faint from the shock of my best friend suggesting I'd play such a dirty elaborate trick on him with the cooperation of my cardiologist. I may even die." With that, Ed fell back upon the bed in a melodramatic feigned collapse, eyes shut.

"Oh, you're going to die all right, Straker." Alec threatened, with Folsade still giggling. Alec pulled out one of Ed's pillows from under Ed's head and placed it over Ed's face and pretended to suffocate him. Ed pretended to struggle. And the door opened, and in came Mags and Yolanda. Mags saw Alec Freeman apparently suffocating her husband. And did what any woman who would find herself in that situation would do. She rushed up to Alec Freeman and hit him hard enough to knock him off his feet. He went flying, knocking over the food trolley and what was left of Ed's breakfast, including a carafe of fortunately cold coffee. Folsade and Yolanda gasped, and Ed removed the pillow to see what had happened. His eyes widened. He sat up.

"ALEC! What the hell are you doing?" Mags screamed. Alec was slowly picking himself up, unhurt but dripping.

"Uh Maggie?" Ed began.

"Ed, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" She hurried to Ed.

"Maggie, did you seriously think Alec would suffocate me?" Ed smiled.

"What the horse piss am I supposed to think? He had a fucking pillow over your head!"

Ed began to laugh, he just couldn't help it.

He pulled Mags to him and kissed her. "I missed you. Look." Ed remarked, showing her the bear.

"Boy, it's never dull here in England, is it?" Yolanda remarked.

"Could someone get me a towel? No, never mind the towel. Some whiskey. No, not some whiskey, the whole damn bottle." Alec said, laughing. Folsade chuckled and handed him a towel from the small private bathroom that adjoined Ed's room.

Folsade's cell phone rang and she drew it out, as Ed narrated the events, and Mags and Yolanda joined in the laughter. She spoke for a few minutes, and her mood rapidly changed. Ed looked up at her, noting her expression, frowned. The door opened again and Chloe came running in, followed by Nate and Chloe's mother.

"Hiya Chloe." Ed spread his arms to greet her with a hug.

"Hi Ed! Did you get Teddy okay? I get to go home today, it's so cool!"

"Will you look at that? He's kissing me one minute and now I don't exist since his underage mistress came in." Mags chuckled. Ed grinned at Mags and lifted Chloe into his lap tenderly.

"It's very cool indeed. Well, give me one last hug before you go home." Ed smiled. Chloe hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ed gave her a soft peck back, and lifted her down again.

"Bye bye Ed!"

"Goodbye, Chloe. I'll take special care of Teddy. Alec, will you see them out and see that they get some free tickets for the studio tour, and some movie passes? Mrs. Polk, I'd like it if you kept me notified of how she is. You can write to me in care of the studio, if you wouldn't object?"

"Oh, not at all. I'm so glad you're all right, you gave me a fright falling like that." the woman smiled. "Goodbye now." Chloe and the woman followed Alec out.

"Falling? Ed, what happened?" Mags said, disturbed now.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Dr. Folsade, what's the matter? Is there a problem?"

"I'm afraid so Edward. Dr. Banning was in a car accident, nothing very serious, but he fractured two fingers. He will be unable to perform the procedure. I will have to try and locate someone who can do it. It will take some time, I fear."

"Wait, you've seen this procedure done, right? You've studied it. You do it."

"Edward, I am not a specialist, I have only watch-"

"No. No more. I'm not waiting. You do it, or I'll walk out of this place."

"Edward!" Folsade shouted.

"Ed, don't be an idiot." Mags said sternly.

"Don't be a dummy, Straker." Yolanda scolded. Ed ignored them all, his eyes and voice hard.

"Make up your mind, Doctor. I am not waiting. Either you do it Friday morning or I am gone. I have a lot to do and very little time in which to do it. Alec-"

Alec had come in again.

"Hmm?"

"Have you arranged for the Usamis to come?"

"All taken care of. They'll be picked up tomorrow around five PM. Why?"

"And the other things I asked you for?"

"Of course. I've got your clothes in the car."

"Good, good. Well, doctor?"

"Edward, don't you understand? One wrong move and you could be on a pacemaker for the rest of your life! Or worse. You could die! Do you really think I want to be the cause of your death?"

"You won't kill me, Doctor. You'll save me. Now, are you going to do it or not?"

"Damn you Edward. I will do it. And if you die, I will dig your grave personally. Margaret, he had a brief syncope. Order the imbecile some food and make sure he stays in bed and rests all day, and is not upset. He is not to be too long with the Usami family when they come, and he is to retire early. Where is Reverend Brisby and his wife?"

"Angel's busy with that new prayer book, and I understand Frances is working on a website for the church. Why?" Ed asked.

"Someone should say a prayer on Friday to guide my hand, or, if it becomes necessary, some prayers for your bloody minded, impossible soul." Folsade turned and headed for the door angrily.

"Yetunde, wait."

"I have rounds, Edward, what do you want?"

"Nothing," sighed Ed. "Never mind."

Folsade went out.

"What the hell was that all about?" Alec said.

"Ed, for God's sake!" Mags told Ed.

"No Maggie. No sweetheart. I've been here far too long. I need to have the procedure, get well, handle Fielding and then we'll go for that honeymoon in San Francisco for a whole, blissful week. Then I'll return to work before they forget who runs that blasted studio. Please don't fight me on this. Please. You know how I feel about being stuck in this place. Please. Please."

"Alec, go get his clothes and whatever he wanted. Yolanda, can you go with Alec and get Ed some soup or something?"

"No soup. To hell with soup. I want a cheeseburger. With bacon. Lots of it. Like the one I never got around to eating on the day we got to know one another. And fries. I'm starving, Yolanda, so don't be long in bringing it back."

"Come on, Alec, they need to work this out." Yolanda said, taking his arm. They went out.

"Damn it, Ed. If there was anything I could say that would make you change your mind." Mags said tearfully.

"Maggie. I need you on my side. I need you to be brave for me. I need you to understand. If I have to spend one more day in here beyond what I need to I swear I'll go insane, please, please, Maggie." Ed begged, eyes bright with tears.

"Why did I have to fall in love with a flake like you? All right, Ed. All right." Mags wept. "But if you die on me I swear I'll sue."

Ed chuckled faintly.

"Fair enough, Mrs. Straker."

"You're a tough man to love, you know that?"

"Oh Maggie, I love you so much. Don't leave me, okay? I love you." Ed whispered, gently caressing her cheek as her tears fell.

"I'm here, darling, I'm here. I know you're just as scared as I am." Mags told him and pulled him to her. "Aren't you, my precious husband?" Ed began to weep quietly. Almost too softly to be heard he answered her.

"Yes."

They clung to one another desperately in the uncertain silence.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hello Daniel, it's me, Yetunde. How are you doing? I just completed my regular rounds, I'm having dinner by myself in the Mayland cafeteria, I'm miserable and I have a big problem."

"My beloved Jag is in worst condition than I am, and my hand hurts like Hades, and I'm the contusion poster boy, but other than that, I'm fine. I had to cancel all my appointments. What's your problem, Yetunde? That is, besides the fact you won't go out on a date with me."

"Daniel, you're the best cardiologist and electrophysiologist in the United Kingdom."

"But?"

"But you've been married five times."

"And your point is?"

Yetunde chuckled.

"I suppose you are going to get married repeatedly until you get it right?"

"Exactly. Now what's the problem? Nothing could be as bad as the pound amount of my alimony."

"My 53 year old male, Straker, the tachycardia case you were scheduled to do the ablation on this Friday morning."

"Yeah? The movie guy? What about him?"

"He asked me to do the procedure in your absence instead."

"Sounds like a nifty idea. I don't mind you grabbing some of my glory. You want me there to observe?"

"Daniel, I can crack a chest open and massage a heart back to life when a person codes. I know the heart muscle backwards and forwards and sideways. I have done transplants. I've implanted pacemakers. But guiding those electrode catheters, ah ah ah."

"Oh don't be a baby. You've done the same as that in tests where you've injected dye."

"Diagnostic tests, yes! But I have never actually done a ablation! I am not a electrophysiologist. And Edward does not seem to even be thinking about the numerous risks. He is forcing me into this."

"Sounds like a rich, arrogant SOB. Just tell him no. What's his lifestyle like? Does he drink, smoke? When was his last episode with syncope?"

"He is as bad a type A as you can get. Not at his ideal weight due to some recent surgeries, including hip replacement, he is as thin as a straw. He doesn't drink, gave up smoking, caffeine addict, suffers from migraines, and has been known to rely on sleeping pills. His last episode? Hours ago. He's a bomb waiting to go off. Sooner or later he may have an infarct and even if it doesn't kill him, it will devastate him." she sighed. "And he is claustrophobic, which does not make my job much easier."

"You have a personal interest in this guy, Yetunde?"

"Would it do any good to deny it?"

"Shit. Okay, look, I'll be right there with you when you do the procedure, and I'll get a hotel room later tonight and stay in the area until Friday. And I'll hire a car, drive out tonight to see him and talk to him. I should get there around ten or so. We'll pull this off, okay?"

"You were just in a car smash, how can you drive with your bad hand?"

"I'm okay. Beats sitting here in my bloody house with this damn cat shedding all over the place. I've grown attached to it. Blasted animal is the only thing I have left from my last divorce. And the way it keeps going out at night, it's probably getting a lot more sex than I am."

Yetunde laughed.

"I will go and tell him to expect you. I want to go and see him anyway, and apologise for yelling at him. It is the last thing he needs right now."

"This guy good looking? Handsomer than me?" Banning teased.

"Terribly good looking. Much handsomer than you."

"Shit. See you soon."

* * *

....a shot rang out, and Dave Chenault s body jerked as the red-hot bullet pierced his leg, forcing him down to the pavement. Heroically, despite his pain, he turned his head, and spit in the direction of his would-be killer, and the killer laughed, moved in, and lifted a gloved hand to take off a ski mask that hid the killer's identity. Chenault gasped in pain mingled with shock as long silky red hair spilled out......

Yeah, I figured that was coming, Ed Straker mused to himself. Bullet in the leg revisited. Here we go again. This guy's private secretary Diana was the killer. Maybe I better take a closer look at Miss Ealand.....okay, how are you getting out of this one, fearless hero Dave?

Ed raised the copy of "Takeover" again, which he had been reading after Mags went off reluctantly with Yolanda to get him a late lunch, but he heard a disturbance outside the door, and froze.

"I'm telling you, the Queen of England can't get in to see Mistah Straker unless I say so." Nate Zouri snarled loudly enough so that he could be heard by Ed.

"And I'm telling you, if you don't get the hell out of the way, I'll bash your black face in. I'm going to see Straker. One way or another." a strange voice said.

Ed lowered his opened book, tossed it aside, pulled his Glock out of the drawer, attached the silencer to it, and loaded it, and then he came up to the door, and opened it slightly, and aimed at the tall, pimply faced youth with the black greasy hair and the Liverpool accent.

"One more inch and you'll qualify for a bed in here, whoever you are." Ed announced, in a tone that a cobra might have possessed if it could speak.

"You're Straker." the youth said, greatly relieved.

"And?" Ed said coldly.

"Look, five minutes with you is all I need. Call off your dog here."

"You'll address him as Nathaniel Zouri. Or you can forget any hope of seeing me for five seconds, never mind five minutes."

Steely Bostonian blue eyes entered a competition of will power with dark brown, almost black ones. The blue eyes won their victory.

"All right, have it your way."

"Apologise to Mr. Zouri. Now."

"I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. You sure you want to see this fellow, Mistah Straker?"

Ed nodded a fraction. Without lowering the pistol, he allowed the youth in. Nate moved behind him.

"No. I want to speak to you alone." the youth pleaded.

"Mr. Zouri, come in after precisely five minutes."

"Yes, sir." Nate moved out and reluctantly closed the door.

"You. Sit there. That's it. State your business." Ed ordered frostily.

"Adam Fielding doesn't like you." the youth said.

"That comes as no surprise. Who are you, and why are you here?"

"My name's Luke Harris. And anyone that fucking bastard Adam Fielding doesn't like is my friend. He's having you investigated, did you know that? He plans to ruin you and take over your studio. I know because I hacked into the beggar's private computer. Breaking the fucker's pitiful encryption was a snap. "

Holy cow, thought Ed. But none of it registered on his face.

"Go on."

"I've got a pile of shit on him, and I'll give it to you for nothing if you keep my nose clean. I want to bury that son of a bitch. I want to see him go down."

"What makes you think I believe you? He may have put you up to this to see what I'd do." Ed said calmly, his gun still poised on Harris.

"I've got a CD I burned with everything you need on it. I'm going to take it out of my pocket. Don't shoot me. See? Go ahead, take a look at it. You can have it. I want to see him rot in hell, if there is one."

"And why is that, Mr. Harris?"

To Ed's absolute amazement, the youth's tough facade popped like a balloon and he started to sob, dropping the CD on the ground.

"Cause..cause..cause he killed me Mum."

Ed watched carefully for a moment. If this kid is acting, then I better have Miss Ealand sign him up on the spot as an actor for the studio, Ed reasoned. Ed lowered the gun carefully. The youth took no notice, still sobbing. Ed put the gun aside, and walked to the youth, and tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder. The youth leaned against Straker, buried his face in Ed's chest and wept . Ed swallowed down the emotions that rose up in him. The youth was gripping him the way a son would hold on to his father. Ed embraced him, and allowed him to weep.

"Luke. Take a deep breath now. That's it. It's going to be okay. You've done the right thing coming here. Take it easy. Here, we'll overlook the mininum drinking age for a second, and I'll pour you a brandy."

"You married his daughter, didn't you?" Harris managed to say, calming down.

"That's right. She isn't anything like him, Luke. She didn't know what kind of man he was. Here. Sip this slowly."

"You're really Straker."

Ed chuckled a little.

"Well, I was the last time I looked in my shaving mirror, yes, yes, I'm really Straker."

"You're not like what I expected at all. How come you're here, in this fancy room?"

"I have heart surgery scheduled on Friday. So, you hacked into Fielding's computer, did you? You one of those notorious computer hackers people hear about in the news? "

The youth smiled a little with pride. God, Ed thought to himself. I have ties older than Luke is.

"Yeah, I am."

"Well, you're not like what I'd expect at all, either." Ed smiled warmly. "But then, who needs stereotypes?"

Nate poked his head in.

"I'm okay, Mr. Zouri. Any sign of Maggie and Yolanda yet? I'm starving. Why hello, Doctor Folsade. Finished with rounds?" Ed said coolly.

"Am I interrupting something important?" Folsade said, looking at the youth curiously.

"Come in, Doctor. Sit down." Ed picked up the CD from the floor and examined it for a moment. Then he reached for his attache case at the side of his bed, pushed back the E. STRAKER nameplate, and released the locks. The youth whistled. Ed opened it, and sat on the edge of the bed, and lifted a notebook computer out of it.

"Sweet! Top of the line notebook with all the toys that go with it. Trade my balls to own a thing like that!" Harris said. Ed grinned at him.

"Mr. Harris, you're in the presence of a lady." Ed scolded.

"Sorry." the youth said, rising tentatively to get a closer look at Ed's computer as Ed booted it up. Ed motioned for Harris to sit beside him.

"Is that what I am, Mr. Straker? A lady?" Folsade asked formally.

"After your performance this morning, I can't say I'm sure. Call it a educated guess."

Folsade laughed.

"Touche. Actually I came to give you some good news, and to apologise for my behavior today. Dr. Banning will be guiding me when I perform the procedure on you on Friday, and he's driving out tonight to take a look at you later on. Edward, I am sorry. I do understand how you feel about being forced to stay here."

Their eyes met. Ed smiled from his heart.

"Apology accepted, Yetunde. Now can you find that wife of mine and her friend and tell them I'm hungry?" Ed waited until the Harlington-Straker logo appeared on the screen, placed the CD into the drive slot, and his fingers raced over the keyboard.

"What OS is that?" The youth asked in amazement. "It isn't DOS, or Windows, it isn't Unix, or MacOS, it isn't anything I've seen before."

"Oh, it's a little programme I cooked up with the assistance of some pals. Back when I was in MIT." Ed said dismissively. Ed didn't bother to mention that it was the OS especially designed for SHADO by outstanding SHADO computer programmers from all over the world, and Ed had extensively assisted in its creation . "Ah here we go. Looks interesting, Luke. Looks very interesting, actually. Computer manna from the hard drive of heaven."

"I will leave you two for now. And yes, I will find out why you haven't been fed, Edward," Folsade smiled.

"Yetunde."

"Yes, Edward?"

"Ki Olorun Ki Ofu Li Emmi Gigun." Ed told her. Harris looked at him in bafflement.

"Edward is just showing off his impressive command of my language, Mr. Harris. He speaks quite a few languages."

"Not that many. And I know barely enough to get by in each." Ed smiled.

"Nevertheless, a skill that I must admit impressed me when I first met him, and that has not changed. May God bless you with a long life too, Edward. " Folsade said solemnly, and left.

"She's wild about you." Harris said wistfully. "And she's a looker."

Ed stared at Harris. Harris laughed.

"A guy knows these things." he shrugged.

"I'm very happily married. Besides, you are hardly old enough to know your left shoe from your right. What's the matter?"

"Contact lenses are killing me. Can I use the loo?"

"Sure. Right in there."

Ed watched the boy vanish into the bathroom, and waited until the door closed, and Ed heard him run the water tap. Then he entered a password into the computer. The text vanished and became the SHADO insignia. Ed typed in a request for a full g-6 on Harris, Luke, to go directly to Lieutenant Keith Ford. Then Ed downloaded a sample of the young hacker's voice which Ed secretly had been taping to his hard drive, and attached that to the request. He hit the send control. Then he punched in another code and the studio insignia came back up. Mags entered the room. Ed powered down the computer, removed the CD and placed both back in his attache case, and locked it, and slid the nameplate back into place.

"Hi beautiful." Ed said to Mags, shoving the attache under his bed

"What are you doing? Web surfing? Christmas shopping on line?" Mags went over and wrapped her arms around Ed contentedly.

"What took you so long, Mrs. Straker? Give me a kiss. Where's my food? Where's Yolanda?"

The door opened a little. Angel stuck his head in, waved, and opened it all the way, entered with Frances. Yolanda followed them in.

"You're looking good, Q-tip, son." Angel told him fondly.

"Hi Ed." Yolanda grinned.

"So lovely to see you again, Edward, and Stanley is right, you have more colour in your complexion than when I last saw you. How are you, dear?" Frances said happily. She was carrying a large wicker picnic basket.

Ed flashed a wide smile.

"What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working on that Common Prayer book?"

"Son, don't even talk about that thing. I've got less than a week to distribute it, most of my parish that already have seen it are complaining about the language in it, and to make matters worse, the computer froze up in the middle of downloading it. Curse that Gates fellow and his Windows." Angel groaned.

"Stanley! That isn't very Christian of you. Stop that immediately. And it isn't even Windows. We have a Apple at home, silly. Margaret called us and told us you missed us and were hungry, Edward, so I cooked and brought everything here."

"Heh heh. Sneaky. Wondered why it took so long. Thank you, Maggie, darling." Ed smiled lovingly at his wife.

"I figured they'd cheer us all up." Mags replied, pleased with herself. That sorrow is gone from your beautiful eyes, at least for the moment, and that is enough for me, she thought. God. How I love you.

"Something smells-" Ed started to say.

Luke Harris came out of the bathroom. Ed gawked at him. The black greasy hair was now neatly combed, and bright red, and the eyes were blue.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" Ed told him.

"I tinted my hair and used contacts to poke around Fielding's place." Harris grinned, pleased with his deception. The Liverpool accent was replaced with a Irish brogue. Not that it would fool the SHADO computers, Ed thought, but pretty good.

"Who the horse piss are you?" Mags demanded protectively.

"Maggie, this lad is Luke Harris, a associate of mine. Luke, this is Right Reverend Stanley Brisby, but his friends call him Angel. And that is his wife Frances. Yolanda Belsing, my wife's best friend. And this is my thoughtful, wonderful wife, Dr. Margaret Straker nee Fielding."

"So you're the daughter." Harris said coldly. "Of the man I hate most in the world."

"That makes two of us, Luke, believe me." Mags said. "How do you know my Dad?"

"We'll get into all that later. In the meantime, something smells terrific. Luke, you're about to be introduced to the greatest food in all the world, and it comes right out of Frances' oven." Ed announced.

* * *

A mere mile away, eighty feet down in SHADO Control, Lieutenant Keith Ford yawned, and checked his timepiece. Thank heaven, duty shift's finally over. UFO activity is almost nil, and Ellis got that last UFO for us without breaking a sweat. Time to drive home, take a relaxing bath. Maybe stick a video into the DVD player. Put my feet up.

Ford reached toward the switch to turn off his computer console. A tiny light flashed. A tiny light that demanded nothing less than immediate attention, since it meant there was a incoming message from SHADO Commander Ed Straker.

Oh noooooo. He's supposed to be on medical leave for pity's sake! Foster's in charge! I don't have to do this. Oh sure, and Colonel Freeman would find out sooner or later, probably sooner, then he'd use my head for target practice. Why didn't I stay in journalism? I could be on BBC by now.

Ford hit the button. Text started flashing on his screen.

Ford, this is a personal request. Not a SHADO matter. I need you to do me a favor. I want a complete G-6 done on Luke Harris. Voice sample follows. Need results sent directly to my terminal before midnight tonight. STRAKER.

Ford sighed, and started feeding the voice sample into the computer. I wonder what he'd do if I refused, Ford thought. And shuddered at the idea. He quickly started processing the report.

* * *

"I've actually gotten the hang of using this newfangled thing now," Ed said with a wink at Mags, and he turned on the CD player. Sade's sultry voice began to fill the air.

....so if you want it to get stronger you'd better not let go.
you've got to hold on longer if you want your love to grow.
got to stick together, hand in glove.
hold on tight, don't fight.
hang on to your love...

"The more I hear this Sade, the more I like her." Ed confessed. He was curled up in his bed, an untouched plate of food on his trolley. Ed reached over and poured himself another cup of coffee, added his two cubes of sugar and a dash of cream. Lunchtime had blended into dinnertime but he hadn't touched his food, not even the hamburger that Frances had cooked or the lemon cake that was his favorite. The look of pain was back in his eyes, Mags noted, concerned. She decided to try and make him laugh.

"That's really encouraging. We've been married what, hardly a month? And he's already cheated on me with two underage babes, a bear, and a singer." Mags complained. Yolanda turned and grinned at her.

"You keeping count?" Ed asked Mags.

"Divorce is looking better and better to me. " the psychiatrist cracked with a wink.

"Don't waste your time thinking about divorce. If I don't survive after Friday, you stand to inherit pretty much everything I own, anyway." Ed said solemnly, looking hurt.

"Edward! Don't even joke about things like that, dear." Frances scolded Ed. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Joke? What makes you think I was joking? Everything looks delicious, I'll try it later."

"You worried about Friday, Q-tip, son?"

"I admit it's on my mind, Angel, yes."

"Why do you call him Q-tip?" Harris asked curiously, between bites of fried chicken.

"We met in Vietnam, found ourselves together in a POW camp. I was senior officer, the men called me Angel. They called Ed Q-tip because of his physique and his hair, so we used that name too. Ed helped in our rescue."

Harris looked at Ed in awe.

"Stop looking at me like that. I'm liable to fall off the pedestal real quick." Ed told him. "And wipe your mouth, young man."

"Is there anybody you don't give orders to, Ed? " Yolanda chuckled.

"Actually, yes. You. I look at it this way. Anyone who has a ring pierced through her eyebrow isn't able to take direction anyway, her capacity for intelligence has to be shot." Ed decided. He finally wore the faintest trace of a grin.

"Mags, your husband is picking on me." Yolanda laughed.

"I know. Don't mind him, he still had stacks of vinyl records in the new millenium. He's funky like that. Sign of old age. He's stuck in a 60's time warp." Thank God. He smiled, Mags thought with relief. You go, Yo.

"At least my bear loves me." Ed picked up the teddy bear and arranged him in what passed for a dignified position on the night table. Harris stared at Ed, trying desperately to figure out whether he was joking or not. He was about to open his mouth and ask but Frances erupted.

"Stop picking on Edward!" Frances huffed. " Edward, dear, do you think you should be having that much coffee right now? Why don't you let me pour you some iced water?"

"Water is for fish. I'm facing having parts of my heart seared with long, wicked looking instruments threaded through my neck, groin and God knows where else. I deserve to eat and drink what I want until Friday. I'll be stuck flat on my back unable to move after the procedure for hours, and that will be bad enough. I'm counting on all of you to keep me occupied, and take my mind off things." Ed downed the rest of his coffee in a gulp.

"Will you be in a lot of pain?" Frances sighed.

"Not if I wind up not making it back to this room. Alec may have to scour the florist shops for flowers to adorn my flag draped coffin if Yetunde sneezes, burns one of my ventricles and sends me to the pearly gates. Unless he steals Frances' award winning daffodils and roses. Where is Alec, anyway? He usually comes to see me around now." Ed looked genuinely worried, and banged his empty cup down on the table.

"Ed Straker, you're beginning to annoy me!" Mags declared to him.

"Why? Because I'm stating the actual possibilities of events on Friday?" Ed shot at her. She scowled back.

"Q-tip, son, tomorrow you see the Usami family, right?" Angel asked.

"Maggie's uncle, her aunt, and her grandmother, that's right."

"Frances and I wanted to know if you'd consider having Communion afterwards. We wanted to do the rites for the sick for you while you're still able to eat and drink."

"That sounds acceptable. Just don't expect me to make a confession. It would take me at least another millenium." Ed smiled a little again. He sighed suddenly.

"Are you okay, Ed?" Luke asked.

Luke was curled up on a chair next to Ed's bed.

"I'd be better if I knew why Alec is taking so long. Maggie, hand me my mobile phone."

Mags put down the plate of lemon cake she had sliced to give Ed, and pulled it from his drawer in the wardrobe and handed it to him. Ed punched out a number. Luke got up and poured Ed another cup of coffee and added ingredients in the precise manner Ed had. He handed it to Ed, and Ed took it unconsciously, sipped it. Mags gave Harris a look, and Harris shrugged and went back to his seat. Frances smiled at Harris and Harris beamed. Trying not to be conspicious, she pointed meaningfully at Ed's tray. Harris looked puzzled for a while, then a huge grin split his freckled complexion and he got up, took the burger, popped it into the small microwave that was one of the features of Ed's private room. After a few seconds, Harris took it out, grabbed a knife, cut the burger into four pieces, and held it in the general direction of Ed without saying a word.

"Damn you, Alec. Answer the bloody telephone!" Ed said, setting down his coffee. Ed took the portion of burger, punched out another number. Mags blinked. It had to be a hallucination. A guy they hardly knew was managing to get Ed Straker to eat? Her husband? Mr. Impossible? Horse piss! Yolanda whispered to Angel.

"Is that kid waiting on him hand and foot or what?" she asked. Angel smiled at her.

"I reckon Ed is beginning to think of him like a son." Angel whispered back. Yolanda nodded. Mags overheard, and recognition dawned. She offered Harris a tiny grin and he looked as happy as if she'd crowned him king.

"It's me Paul. Sorry to disturb you. I was just kind of worried about Alec. Isn't answering his car phone. Yes. Yes. Okay." Ed sighed, waited. He took a tiny bite out of the burger. Set it down. Swallowed. "Yes Paul, I'm still here. Go ahead." Ed's hand started to tremble as he listened.. Harris spotted it, frowned and watched carefully. Mags was grinning at everyone else and didn't see it, nor did anyone else, momentarily preoccupied with Harris' unexpected success with Ed. The door opened and Dr. Folsade came in with Dr. Banning, followed by Nate.

"Holy moses, what is this? A party? Some guys have all the luck." Banning said.

"I see my star patient is-" Yetunde caught the tremor immediately, took her stethoscope from around her neck and headed toward Ed.

"No Paul. There's no way. I know Alec Freeman, I've known Alec Freeman for more than thirty years. Why wasn't I called immediately? Give me the coordinates. I said, give me the coordinates. Not any more I'm not. Do I need to remind you who you're talking to? Okay, okay, got them. Expect me. Give me ten minutes." Ed hung up and shoved the phone in his robe pocket. His expression was as tightly locked as a safe vault.

"Edward, I want to examine you. Now." Yetunde said. Ed ignored her, got up, opened the wardrobe door, took out jeans and a sweater socks and his ankle boots and vanished into the bathroom. There was a loud click. Mags jumped up, but he'd locked the door.

"FUCK! What now?" Mags yelled.

"Trouble." Yetunde sighed. "Trouble."

Within seconds, Ed came out, dressed.

"Edward, I do not like to lecture you on your health-"

"Good. Then don't. Mr. Zouri."

"Sir?"

"Give me your shoulder holster, your Luger and your knife, also I need to borrow your jacket."

"Sir." Nate immediately obeyed Ed, but he looked worried.

"Hey, uh, what the hell have I walked into, a James Bond movie? That's Straker? The heart guy?" Banning asked Yetunde.

Yetunde had been quietly cursing Ed in all the Nigerian dialects she knew. She abruptly turned and went out.

"Angel?"

"Yes, Q-tip?" Angel ignored Frances, who was biting a good portion of her hand to keep from crying.

"Keep Luke with you at all times. Don't let him out of your sight until I get back."

"Count on it. Come here, son."

Harris looked at Ed for a long moment, sighed and went to Angel's side.

"Yolanda?"

Yolanda looked a little startled.

"Sir?" Then she blinked. I just called Mags' old man sir? What's gotten into me?

"Keep Margaret with you. She is not to follow me."

"DAMN you, Ed Straker!" Mags screamed. Yolanda nodded. "At least tell me what the fuck happened!"

Yetunde chose that moment to come in with a hypodermic.

"If you insist on being a fool and going on to look for Alec, let me give you this, it will strengthen your heart until you come back and stop any syncopes." she said quietly.

"Forget it, Doctor. That hypodermic is full of chloral hydrate meant to sedate me. Come near me with it and I won't hesitate to throw you across the room." Ed said, meaning every word of it. "Nate, your car outside? Good. I'm borrowing it. Your keys. Thanks. Stay here, and make sure nobody leaves. Understand? Banning, I'd advise you to keep your distance. Or else I will break the rest of your fingers."

"Try me, Straker." Banning tried to block Ed from going. It was like a clown punching bag threatening to take on Sly Stallone as Rocky. Harris sneered at him.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Daniel, stick your macho attitude in your buttocks. I assure you Edward could break you into half with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back. Let him by." Yetunde growled. "Let the imbecile by, and go to his death if he wants!"

Ed went out.

Nobody said a word for several seconds, and the only sound was Mags slamming the bear several times against the bed in sheer frustration, and Frances' soft crying. Angel had a firm grip on a wide-eyed Harris, Yolanda watched Mags sadly, still amazed that she had called Ed sir. Banning pouted in a corner. Yetunde spun and hit the wall with her fist, causing a small abstract painting to crash down.

"Someday I am going to be like him." Harris said decidedly, awed. It earned him several angry stares.

"Angel?"

"Yes Yolanda?" Angel said. It was clear from his posture that his military training had come back with a vengeance.

"Why did I call Ed Straker sir like that?"

Angel chuckled.

"Because, hon, because he stopped being our Ed, and he morphed into the highly decorated United States Air Force colonel that he was and is. The man I know as Q-tip, the man who risked his neck to help me get my men out of the camp when he could hardly walk upright himself. And once you wear braid on your cap, hon, it never quite goes away completely. And when he gives a order in that uncompromising style of his, well, heh, people obey without knowing what hit them. Even if they're a civilian like you."

"That was spooky." she said.

"Wow." Harris said. "Straker's a hero."

"Who's the son of a bitch that he was talking to?" Mags demanded.

"Paul Foster. Paul Foster. A man I am going to kill with my bare hands." Yetunde said, and she sounded like a woman back on the plains of Nigeria, armed with a spear.

"Not until I do!" yelled Mags, livid.

"Oh dear. Oh dear, dear, dear. Does uh, does anyone want more coffee?" Frances squeaked.

The door opened, and a weary looking Lieutenant Keith Ford in a Burberry came in. He looked around.

"Where's Com- I mean where's Mr. Straker?"

"Hi Keith. Straker's gone on some personal business." Nate smiled.

"He wanted a report done. I have it for him."

"I'll take it."

"Thanks. Uh, have a good night." Keith handed it over and left.

"Yetunde, how in God's name is he doing all that? He's been passing out all week, and tonight he goes and turns into superman and acts like a jerk, and horse piss, how much more agitated could he get, and he didn't have one arrhythmia."

"Adrenalin. He'll pay for it. The bastard will probably drop of a heart attack. "

Mags started to cry. Yolanda stroked her hair.

"Oh my poor sister, I know, I know. The woman who opens her heart to Straker is a fool." Folsade went over, capped the hypodermic, slipped it into a pocket and hugged Mags.

"Were you really going to sedate him?" Angel smiled at Yetunde.

"I was a idiot to think I could get away with it, " sighed the Nigerian cardiologist.

Mags bit her lip.

"If I had known what lie beneath those beautiful eyes, that slim body, that voice that makes me feel like I've just been whacked by lightning, I would have run the fuck away!" she wailed.

The door opened. Mags gawked. Angel actually growled low in his throat. Frances narrowed her eyes, and for the moment didn't look very Christian.

"Hello my adorable Edward! It is your Lily here to surprise you! Where is my Edward? I have some-why is everyone staring at me?"

Mags picked up a large heavy beautiful leaded crystal shell that was one of the curio Ed kept on the windowsill and headed toward Lily Marsh with it, her intent clear. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on one's point of view, Nate Zouri stopped her before she could bash Marsh's head in.

* * *

The two SHADO operatives spotted the car approaching and signalled for the driver to stop.

"Sorry, gas leak in a - Commander Straker, sir!"

"Move the roadblock. Before I drive through it." Ed snapped.

"Sir."

Only inches kept the young operative from being hit by Nate's sleek Fiat as Ed sped by him.

Finally Ed screeched the car to a stop and got out, wearing Nate Zouri's oversized jacket, and carrying enough weapons to bring any war to a standstill by himself.

"Foster." Ed acknowledged Paul curtly.

"The car is here, Ed."

"Head back to headquarters. I'm taking over."

"Ed, you're on medical leave--"

"Foster, listen carefully. I'm only saying this once. You are relieved of duty here. I'm the Commander of SHADO. I put her together with my own hands. I have run her longer than you've been alive. SHADO belongs to me and will belong to me even after I am dead. Now give me your radio,get the hell out of here and wait for me to contact you. I intend to find Alec Freeman and bring him back to SHADO. Alive, and in one piece."

Ed grabbed the radio, didn't bother to wait for a reply, but turned his back on Foster and started off toward Alec Freeman's abandoned car. The car was blackened, burned, the front lights smashed, the front of it crumpled, its windscreen was smashed in, and there was blood on the wheel and on the seat. Ed reached in and gently touched a spot of blood. It was still moist. Alec's blood. His best friend's blood. He felt his heart thundering painfully in his body, but ignored it. He could recall Paul's words to him on the phone. Those ominous words. Words that had forced him to turn his back on people he respected and loved, words that had brought him here, words that meant he would have killed anything or anyone that tried to stop him from looking for the one man in the world that was the centre of his universe.

"--car empty, Ed. SID reported a UFO in the area that had gotten past defenses. Alec reported over the radio he was being followed by a UFO, and it was firing at him. We located it, and there was obvious damage, and a lot of blood. They must have gotten him, Ed. Taken him for his organs. We have Sky 1 looking for the UFO now. I'm sorry, I know how you felt about him, but Alec must be dead by now--"

Dead? No. Not Alec. No. Not in a million years. He wouldn't let the bastards take him. Hang on, Alec. I'm here. I'm coming. I'm not going back without you. I'll search all damn night if needs be. I know you're out here, alive. I feel it. I'm coming. Hang on.

The dizziness was returning, as his heart jerked wildly in protest. He slid Nate's knife from its sheath, and he drew the razor sharp edge of it lightly across his hand, teeth clenched so that the sharp pain would keep him conscious and alert. Yes. For the most part, his vision was normal. He felt nauseated, shaky, but alert. Crystal clear. The knife was refreshingly cold in his grip as he returned it to the sheath and drew out a thin flashlight to guide him. He didn't pay attention to the blood that dripped from his hand onto the leaves, rocks and mud as he moved through the forest. Come on, Alec. They wanted you. You were being outgunned and outrunned. So what do you do? You abandon the car. It careens out of control and smashes into that tree where they found it. Of course! Okay, now where did you go? Christ, this forest is as thick as a man. You fled. You're hurt. But you can't take the chance of using the radio. They'd track you. You can't call for help. So you buckle down. Wait. Time. Time is your ally. Hang on, Alec. They tried to stop me. But nothing comes between us when you're in trouble. I'm here. Hang on.

Ed moved for several minutes , searching desperately for a sign that someone was in the area. A shrill sound made him freeze. Even his heart seemed to stop. There was a bright flash of light, and he looked up. A UFO spun, shrieking like a animal in its death throes. Ed saw Sky 1 fire, and the spacecraft burst in mid-air. Nice work, Peter. Now my turn. Come on, Alec.

He was in there. Alec died in that UFO. You know it. Don't lie to yourself. He's gone. Gone.

No. NO. No. Come on, Alec. Damn you! Remember our pact? I'd be the first to die. And then you'd follow me. Because I did everything perfectly and you needed to watch me to see how it was done. You told me that once. You can't defy me. I'm your superior officer, remember? God damn it. Don't be dead. Alec, oh please. God damn Paul. Thinking you were dead. You can't be dead. You'd never leave me alone. Oh God, God, Alec! Can't you see? Can't you understand? I don't know how much longer my body will hold up. If I pass out in this Godforsaken place, it'll be hours before SHADO finds me, if they even find me at all. Even with Nathaniel's ridiculously too large jacket on, I'm chilled to the bone. I can hardly see anything out here. Damn cheap standard issue flashlight. May General James Henderson roast in the deepest bowels of hell. Christ, Alec. Couldn't you have picked a more appropriate time to get in this hole? I'm supposed to be on a operating table in a matter of hours. Where the hell are you hiding, Alec? YES! YES! Of course, how could I be so stupid? HIDING! You think I'm one of them, one of those green liquid breathing scum sucking fucking aliens, don't you, you crafty old son of a bitch! What's rule number one for a downed flyer? Cover your tracks. Leave no sign for the enemy to take advantage of.

"ALEC! ALEC! I'TS ED!" Ed shouted. He waited. The wind whistled through the leaves. Ed found that he was shivering now, and the thundering of his heart had turned painful. He bent over, gave in to the nausea and threw up, retched a little, coughed, rose up slowly. Breathing was getting to be a chore. "ALEC ! ALEC! IT'S ME!"

Silence, a damned detestable malignant silence. The silence of death.

Ed drew up every last iota of strength that remained in his rapidly fading body, every ounce of courage he had, and he screamed, a single, desperate, final cry, a final defiant call to a friend.

A friend's whose voice he knew suddenly he would never hear again.

"AAAAALLLLLLECCCCCC!" screamed Ed.

Ed fell to his knees, and onto his side gasping in pain. The utter uselessness of it struck him, and he let out a strangled croak of a sob. How could you do this to me, Alec? How could you leave me to suffer like this? Why did you die and go away? Don't you know that I would have done anything for you? I would have defied God Almighty Himself for you. How could you abandon me like this, leave me alone? All right then. If you're gone, then so am I. To hell with SHADO. It's taken everything from me. First my wife. Then my son. Then my humanity. Now my best friend. I'm sorry, my darling Maggie. I gambled, and this time I finally ran out of chips. All right then, death. Here I am. Take me. I'm finished. You win.

Ed brought out the knife, dropped the flashlight, grasped the hilt of the blade and turned its tip toward him.

And then it came. And the sheer relief that rushed over him threatened to sweep away his consciousness. The knife dropped out of his hand.

"--Ed? Is that you?"

"Yes. Where are you?" Ed rose up shakily.

"Prove it. Prove you're Straker." Alec challenged.

"God damn it, Alec! All right, all right. What do you want me to tell you?"

"How do you like your coffee?"

"Anybody could find that out!"

"Just tell me!" Alec insisted.

"Two sugars. Cream. You want my bank numbers now? My brand of toothpaste? My shoe size? My blood type?"

"What did Lily Marsh give you for your-"

"A painting of herself. Nude. A watercolour. She has a mole on her right breast, and above her-"

"FUCK! What the fucking hell are you doing out here? Are you insane? I'm going to kill you. Here, Ed, over here."

"God, you smell to high heaven. Christ! How bad are you hurt? Here, let me see. Hang on." Ed ripped off a piece of his sweater and wound it around Alec's injury. Then he activated the radio and told Paul to send a SHADO medi-chopper out to the location, and flicked on the transponder signal. Breathing was getting harder and harder to accomplish. His heart was practically screaming at him.

"Not bad. Fucking UFO hit my windscreen and a piece cut my arm as I jumped out of the damn car. Ed you look like hell. What are you doing out of hospital?"

"Why you're welcome, so good of you to thank me for coming all the way out here just to save your unworthy damn arse." Ed said with a tired chuckle. The two men grinned at each other. Ed abruptly hugged Alec, hard. Alec held Ed tightly for a few seconds."You old good-for-nothing Australian bastard. Did this deliberately just so I'd die trying to find you and then you could get Frances to cook for you." Ed whispered, and let Alec go. Tears filled both men's eyes.

"Damn, Ed. When are you ever going to learn? Sick as a dog and running around like a imbecile when you're not-- Jesus, you're bleeding on me, dripping like a faucet, how'd you cut your hand? Isn't that Nate's jacket? God but it's wonderful to see that ugly face of yours. I had a few bad moments out here. Did they get the aliens that fired at me? Ed, what's the matter with your breath- ED!"

Ed had pitched forward, and Alec had grabbed him with both hands. Ed lifted his head weakly. He looked horribly white, and his face was contorted in pain.

"Alec," Ed whispered, "Take care of my Maggie for me. Tell her I am sorry and that I'll always lov-lov-"

Ed dropped unconscious against Alec like a felled tree. Alec laid him down, frantic, felt for a pulse. Nothing. He pulled open Ed's jacket, lifted up the sweater, started CPR. Nothing. Alec grabbed the radio and got through to HQ.

"FREEMAN TO HQ. EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! GET HELP HERE! STRAKER'S HEART STOPPED! GET HELP HERE!" Alec threw aside the radio and continued CPR. After what seemed like eternity, he felt Ed's heart beat again. In the distance, he could hear the chopper coming.

"Don't you do this to me, you bloody minded Bostonian son of a jackass! Don't you fucking dare die on me now!"

The helicopter started to descend.

* * *

Ed moaned a little in pain and moved his head slightly. Slowly his eyes opened and he blinked repeatedly, the bright lights dazzling him. Someone moved over him, and wiped his forehead with a damp cloth.

"Well good, Edward. That's it. Open those baby blues of yours." Folsade sighed with relief.

"Where the hell am I?" Ed groaned weakly. His voice was muffled by the green oxygen mask in place over his nose and mouth.

"You should be buried eight feet under after your stupidity, but you are in the Mayland hospital critical care unit. How do you feel?"

"Like someone took a sledgehammer to my chest. Dr. Folsade, is that you?"

"Yes. You've been unconscious a long time, Edward. You were responsible for everyone chewing on their nails to see whether or not you were going to live. Your heart stopped once while you were with Alec, once on the operating table. I had to shock your heart all the way up to 360 joules to get it working properly again because you were having a nasty ventrical fibrillation. I think I may have crisped some of those sparse chest hairs of yours in the process. Alec saved you from having brain damage, by the way. He kept doing CPR on you until the medics got to you. You rescuing him meant you were rescued. You are stable, and I removed you from the respirator, but I'm keeping you on the oxygen for a while, and I kept you in here where I could keep watch on you. I had you sedated so that you could rest. I do not know whether it is due to Bostonian bloody mindedness, or good genes, or those long walks of yours where you chase a silly golf ball, but all your blood tests have showed no sign of a infarct. Perhaps the Gods pity and admire fools such as you."

"Is Alec all right? I knew Alec was alive." Ed said in satisfaction.

"Our dear Alec had insect bites, a bruised knee, and a busted left ankle, plus a fairly deep, nasty infected cut on his arm, but he is okay. Outside of being concerned for you."

"Maggie. Where's Maggie? She is never going to forgive me for what I did." Ed said softly. "I want to see my wife."

"You have more to fear from Nathaniel, considering you practically overheated his car's engine, the way you were driving like a madman. Do you usually try to knock down your own operatives like bowling pins, Edward?" she smiled.

"I had to get to Alec. What time is it? How long have I been under sedation?"

"Edward, it is after eleven pm, and it is Thursday."

"My God, the Usamis, I have to-Uhhhhhhh." Ed was rising and he quickly laid down.

"I see that we are in pain, hmm. I will raise your dosage in a second so that you will be more comfortable. Oh no you don't , Edward Straker. I will allow you to have visitors but you are not going anywhere. The ablation has been rescheduled to Monday morning, provided you continue to be stable and your vitals remain good."

"I have to stay here longer? Monday? For God's sake, Dr. Folsade! Look will you take this damn thing off, I can't hear myself speak." Ed pulled at the oxygen mask impatiently. Yetunde gently rapped Ed's shoulder in disapproval.

"Stop that. What will be next? Pulling off your chest leads again, pulling out the I.V.'s? Stop it Edward, I will change it to a nasal cannula. But if you keep giving me misery I will have you restrained. Ah ah ah! What are we to do with you? You nearly died, Edward. People die frequently from a V-fib like you had. I don't know what would have been worse, losing you or losing Alec. You two are like Twiddlededee and Twiddlededum. Joined at the hip."

"I want to see Maggie and Alec. I want to see everyone." Ed said softly. Folsade was opening a sealed nasal cannula packet and she connected it to the oxygen nozzle, then removed Ed's oxygen mask and replaced it with the cannula, adjusting the tubes around Edward gently.

"I will get them after I raise your pain medication a little. But I am warning you, Commander. If you as much break into a sweat, or get stressed or agitated, I'll sedate you. If you behave, I'll have you moved to your room. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, yes. Raise the bed for me, will you? Do I look all right? I don't want to worry anyone."

"You leave in spite of all our protests, after threatening everyone with bodily harm, you get into a car and drive halfway across England at top speed, you get yourself lost in a forest in the middle of the night, half frozen to death from wearing clothes that don't fit you and you work yourself up to a tizzy worrying over Alec, you nearly die from a V-fib and you say now you don't want to worry anyone? Ah ah ah! You are impossible!" Folsade laughed. Ed smiled a little.

"I'm cold, Yetunde. Why is ICU always as frozen as the polar caps? Can I get some more blankets? A hot cup of coffee would be nice. Hey, they actually painted the ceiling in here." Ed noticed wearily.

Folsade went off muttering curses in her native language, and Ed watched her go out contently. She returned with Maggie, who was practically hysterical, and ran up to him and held his hand tightly as Folsade injected something into one of Ed's IV lines.

"You damn flake! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Oh you look so terrible! Oh God, god, Yetunde, is he going to be all right? Oh Ed! I love you, thank God you're safe."

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Darling." Ed gazed gratefully up at his wife, and brought her hand to his cheek.

"Horse piss! I knew you'd be okay. Oh Ed, you're so pale!"

"Maggie."

"Yes my darling, screwed up imbecile of a husband?"

"You're cutting off my circulation."

"Oh damn! Horse piss! Am I hurting you?"

"No, I'm okay. Tired. A little uncomfortable. Oh it's so good to have you near me again. Hold my hand a while. Don't let me go, all right?"

Folsade smiled and covered Ed with another blanket as Mags stroked Ed's hand. After a moment, his grip on Mags eased and Ed settled into sleep. Mags looked at Yetunde worriedly, but the Nigerian doctor shook her head. She beckoned to Mags and the two of them stepped outside.

"I sedated him again, I think it is best. I'll have him moved into his room, but I will make sure the others do not try to rouse him. His vitals are good, but he is mentally and physically exhausted from his little adventure. And I am having that Marsh woman sent away, even if I have to kick her out myself. I am reluctant to put him back in his room, but I think having you and the others there when he awakens again will be reassuring for him. However, Margaret, his health is extremely fragile now. Another shock like this business with Alec could kill him. The slightest stress could cause another serious drawback. We will have to protect him without allowing him to know what we are doing." Folsade smiled."You know what a proud man he is."

"I know! Marsh finally left, saying something about Ed barely defeating death again. I hate to admit it but she was as worried as we all were. And grandmother was praying for him. My uncle and my aunt got tired and Nate got them to their hotel room in a taxi, and then came back and made a bunch of phone calls, but grandmother Ryoko stayed with us, chanting some Buddhist prayers for Ed. Alec gave in to us and finally fell asleep on Ed's bed after the ER released him, Frances and Yolanda have been going back and forth bringing everyone coffee and juice and magazines, and for a while Luke was doing crosswords with Stanley. Dr. Banning was still pouting when he left." Mags chuckled.

"And how have you been holding up, my sister?"

"Oh Yetunde! I know how Edward is. I know how much Alec is a part of his life. If we had kept him with us against his wishes, and Alec would have died from that crash, something would have died in him too. I don't know what the bond is that keeps them together, but I know it's strong. Stanley said that he and his mate Quentin were like that, like Ed and Alec, and that they would have died for one another, and that if it hadn't been for his oath to look after Frances, losing Quentin would have been the last straw. He said everytime Ed would go off, I'd die a little, but that it was part of the sacrifice of love, and that Ed needed more love than most men, but like most men, he was reluctant to say so. And Nate said that Ed had a spring in his step again, something he hadn't seen in the two years he'd worked for Ed at the studio ,and that when he mentioned me Ed's whole face would light up, and for me to just hang in there, that Mistah Straker was a lonely man and needed me. Oh Yetunde, sometimes it's so hard! I thought this was it! I thought I'd have to be his widow only days after I had been his bride .I consider myself a strong woman, Yetunde, but to have to see him buried, oh God, Yetunde, he's such a idiot, and he almost died!" Mags sobbed. Yetunde hugged her, Yetunde's own eyes full of tears.

"Hush now, he's alive, hush sister. I know how you must feel. I am a little in love with him myself. I had to attach those paddles to his chest, and he looked so lifeless on that steel table, full of tubes, wires, I wanted to scream at him to live. And when we got a heartbeat I almost passed out with the sheer relief of it. Alec was refusing to go have his ankle looked at until I came out and said Ed would make it. They are both idiots." she chuckled.

"So you're saying I have to share Edward with Alec, and the damn bear, with Luke, Chloe, and now you?" Mags laughed in spite of herself.

"I see his unclothed body more often than you do." Yetunde reminded her with a big grin. "And ah ah AH! What a body it is! I swear everytime I see him, it is like I am being hit by the electricity myself! And that slow smile of his! Those eyes!"

"Oh isn't that great? My husband's cardiologist is lusting over my husband right in front of me! If his life didn't depend on you, and you hadn't saved him, I'd slug you!" Mags half cried, half laughed, and Yetunde whooped back, doing the same, while they hugged each other, sharing in the release of emotions for a man who quietly slept, oblivious to their reactions, a faint smile on his face.

"That's it. Wake up, and join the land of the living. Ed Straker, if you do another stupid stunt like that, I'll hit you so hard all your bones will snap. Do you understand me?"

Ed lie there for a moment, trying to get his bearings, and then the identity of the speaker became clear.

"Alec, threatening to break all my bones isn't going to do me any good."

"Well it makes me feel better!" Alec growled. He pressed the switch for the headboard to elevate, and gave Ed a grin.

Ed chuckled.

"I'd help him, you flake. Two doctorates and he goes and scares the hell out of all of the people who love him." Mags complained, adjusting Ed's pillows.

"Hiya Maggie. "

"Q-tip, how are you? You gave us quite a scare." Angel said.

"You know me, I have more lives than a cat."

"Edward, my poor Edward, are you in any pain?" Frances wailed.

"A little uncomfortable, not bad, Frances."

"Mistah Straker is in better shape than I hear my car is." grinned Nate.

"I left it with Foster, I'll pay for any damage I did." chuckled Ed.

"You need a blanket, Ed? You were muttering about being cold in your sleep. You okay?" Luke asked. Ed smiled at him.

"Aside from desperately wanting a cup of coffee, which I doubt Yetunde over there will let me have.."

"We'll see," Folsade said, arms crossed, amused.

"We've all been here since you left. My grandmother, Ryoko is here." Mags told him. "She doesn't speak a word of English, so I'll be translating. She asks how you are."

"Tell her I am all right and that I apologise for the need to see her like this. Konban wa, Ryoko sama."

"Konban wa, Straker-sama." The little white haired woman bowed to Ed, her dark eyes lively. She listened to what Mags had said, and then exploded into a burst of Japanese, too rapid for Ed to even attempt to pull words from.

"Mistah Straker, Keith Ford came by, he brought you a folder. Studio business." Nate said.

"Mistah Straker can read it later." Yetunde said menacingly. Nate grinned at the way she imitated him.

"Just keep it for me, and thank Ford. It seems Dr. Folsade is in tyrant mode, and doesn't want me doing studio work right now."

"Damn right, Mr. Straker." Folsade growled at him. "You get yourself riled up and have another episode, and I'll pull your heart out and have the kitchen here chop it up and feed it to you as the evening meal."

"Can I get another cardiologist?" Ed asked, feigning terror to Alec.

Alec guffawed.

"Straker heart on a bed of rice. Sounds pretty good."

"You shut up, Alec Freeman. Refusing to be treated until Ed came out of the ER didn't earn you any points with me either." Folsade said to him.

"Maybe she really is the spawn of a blind elephant, Ed. Lord knows she's mean enough."

Folsade grinned at Alec.

"Oh thanks ever so much, Alec. Get her worked up again. Now watch her take it out on me. Maggie, why are you frowning?"

"Ryoko says she wants to talk to you. Alone."

"I'm not sure my Japanese will hold up. What does she want to talk to me about?"

"Who knows? Grandmother doesn't speak English at all, so it sounds like a stupid idea to me, but she's insisting."

"That okay with you, Dr. Folsade?"

"As if it mattered if I objected? I'll give her five minutes. If I hear your cardiac telemetry alarm go off, it is going to be bad news for Nigerian-Japanese diplomacy."

"I checked her for weapons, and she's clean." Nate added. "But I'll be right outside."

"Got to watch that temper, Yetunde." Ed smiled and nodded at Nate.

"You always say my name so prettily. All right, five minutes. Everyone out."

Ed smiled, as everyone filed out. He turned to look at the little woman that remained. She tottered over and checked the door. Then she tottered back and sat in a chair next to his bed, and seemingly examined every pore he had for several seconds.

"Hai?" Ed said impatiently, a little taken aback by her intent study of him.

"I speak English very good, Straker-sama. Family not know. Fools."

Ed blinked. She laughed.

"All fools. Think I don't understand. Saying I crazy woman. Even Margaret. I learn English long time ago."

Ed grinned at her.

"You suddenly don't seen crazy to me, Ryoko-sama. What did you want to see me about?"

"You wanted doctor's name, Straker sama."

"And you wanted to know if you could trust me. It would be fairly easy for me to get the information myself, but I'd like it if you and your family trusted me and believed I wanted to revenge Miyako's death and bring Sir Adam Fielding down. Expose what he did to her and Margaret."

"To trust is to tell the truth, Straker-sama."

"Please call me Edward or Ed. Yes, I agree."

"You do not tell Margaret truth. Is that trust, Edward?" she smiled.

"I don't follow you." Ed said, disturbed.

"I know you fight devils from sky. I dream of it. Dreams never lie to me. No, you have nothing to fear from me, Edward. I wanted come, and look at you, read your face, it speaks to me. You are very loyal person. Not person to cross. If you had been born in the times of my ancestors, you'd be shogun. Before I even see your face, I see the others and their regard for you. I see granddaughter's worry, and I know you are person worthy of high esteem. I come finally and watch you sleep, and I know your heart. I know you protect those you love, and fight to death for them. You have heart of the Bushido. You served your friend almost to the point of death. I dream truth, Edward. You know seppuku?"

"Yes, of course, ritual suicide."

"You tell doctor that you almost die by own hand? You think not in time to help friend. Great dishonour. Seppuku. Use knife not your own. You more Japanese than Margaret. " Ryoko grinned. She patted Ed's hand admiringly. "You make her good husband. Margaret do something right for first time by ask you." Ryoko laughed heartily. "Not like Miyako, who marry for prestige. I tell her Fielding is evil, she not listen. She pay with life."

"How the blazes do you know about what I did?" Ed demanded.

"I tell you already. I dream. I know from your face it is truth.You rest, Edward. I have much to tell you about what my daughter Miyako said of this Fielding. She tell me everything. Crack in his armor. He have fears."

"The superstitions, yes."

"How you know that?" Ryoko grinned.

"Well it wasn't because I dreamed it. I had him investigated, and I located a young man who has given me even more information on Fielding. However, I have a plan rolling around in my head on how to take advantage of them. However, I have to get well. I can't fight Fielding from this damn bed."

"Heart not good. I know. Margaret tell me. You listen, Edward. I see black shadows around you but not death. Let me feel head, hai?"

"Do I really have a choice?" Ed smiled a little.

"You worry that I tell Margaret about devils from sky. Not worry. I keep to myself. Tell no one. I keep word. You not tell worthless family I understand English, we make pact. Samurai to samurai." Ryoko laughed.

"Why is it I can easily picture you, small and petite as you are, going around carrying swords bigger than me?" Ed smiled.

"Stature not make difference in courage, Edward. You know that, you live like that. You not strong like your friend Alec. You willow, he oak. But you have heart bigger than whole forest. I proud know you. I know my stupid granddaughter be happy with you."

"I love her very much." Ed smiled. He furrowed his forehead as Ryoko felt his skull. At first it was a little disconcerting, and then he relaxed under her touch.

"I joke. I love granddaughter much. I know she safe now. Has big mouth, impolite. Like me!" Ryoko pounded her chest with her free hand. "Is not good, Edward. Heart bad. Black shadows follow you, even now. Many wounds. Not seen by eyes. Much sorrow, hai? Much fear. But pain in past, Edward. Happiness to come. Gods favor you."

"They have a funny way of showing it, Ryoko."

"You still worry?" Ryoko pushed a stray lock of Ed's hair aside in a motherly fashion. It had grown fairly long while he was stuck in Mayland.

Ed sighed.

"My friend was in a lot of trouble, Ryoko. I know that it was difficult for Maggie to see me leave like that, but I knew Alec was alive. I knew I had to prove it. If I had lost Alec, well, I know it's difficult to understand. Odd, Ryoko, I find it very easy to talk to you."

"You see things too. You see truth in my eyes.You take great risk. Dance on edge of blade. You rest now, Edward. Even a samurai rests after battle." she smiled. "And I know you very tired, weak, and not say it to doctor. If you ever to leave this place, you must rest and obey doctor."

"Point reluctantly taken.What do I tell the others about what we spoke of?"

"Doctor's name was Brian Olster. He prove Miyako s child fathered by Fielding. He no tell. Would be old, old like me. Not know if alive still. You say that. You not say I speak English to anyone but Margaret. Family of fools! Think I nothing but harmless old woman!" Ryoko cackled.

Ed grinned at her. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"What you do that for? You want put Ryoko in grave early? You very attractive man and I not have sex since husband die. Margaret very lucky woman!" She kissed him back on the cheek. "Is much temptation for poor lonely widow."

Ed laughed and blushed. The two of them grinned at each other.

Nate poked his head in.

"Time's up Mistah Straker."

"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Ryoko-sama. Sayonara." Ed told her as she bowed low to him. Her eyes twinkled. She gave Nate a look he couldn't interpret, and went out.

"You okay, Mistah Straker?"

"A little tired. But fine. Send Maggie in and the others. Something wrong?"

Nate had a suspicious looking grin on his dark face that Ed didn't trust, and he didn't answer, only beckoned to Maggie and the others. Yetunde came up and removed her stethoscope from around her neck, reaching Ed before Mags did. She placed the stethoscope on his bare chest after lifting away the thin hospital garment and he gritted his teeth.

"Sweetheart are you okay?" Mags cried in alarm, seeing him do it.

"I'm fine, Maggie. It's just that I swear Dr. Folsade places that damn thing in the freezer before she uses it on me."

"You're right, Edward. Now shut up and let me listen to your heart. All the machines say you're fine but I trust my ear better than my eye."

"And a beautiful ear it is, indeed." Alec grinned. Ed grinned at him.

"Shut up Alec." Yetunde said, fighting a smile.

"Yes Maam."

"My poor darling. " Mags whispered to Ed, holding his hand.

"Say, Ed?"

"Yeah, Alec?"

"Why do you have pale pink lipstick on your cheek?"

Ed gawked and then rubbed it off quickly.

"Trick of the lights in here, Alec."

"Yeah, riiiiiiight, Ed. "

"Did grandmother kiss you?" Mags said disbelievingly.

"Uh, something like that. A, well, uh, it was a nice get well kiss."

"Horse piss. Grandmother never kisses anyone. She hardly even kissed Grandfather. God is there no end to the list of females that want you?" Mags asked, exasperated.

"Boy Q-tip, you have all the luck." Angel chuckled.

Alec whined. "Doesn't he though? And look at him. Sitting there all innocent as a newborn babe. Maybe he and that female Buddha took advantage of one another. That bed of his is wide enough."

"Alec! Now that's not very Chr-" Frances snapped.

"Yeah yeah yeah I know, but look at him. He looks like the cat who seduced the canary. Hell, you can practically see the feathers."

"Alec Freeman--" Ed warned, trying desperately not to laugh. Oh Alec, how good it is to have you back and safe, Ed thought.

"Did that woman really kiss you? She never said but one word to us." Frances said, shocked.

"If she kissed him, she wouldn't say much, now would she?" Luke grinned, sitting down in a chair not far from Ed. Ed shot Luke a look.

"She's shy." Ed said, taking his eyes away from Luke and studying his blanket like his life depended on it.

"Your rhythm looks good, Edward. Like the rest of you. Oh, did I say that aloud?" Yetunde chewed on her lip and winked at Mags.

"Horse piss! That's it! " Mags giggled. "I can't trust grandmother, I can't trust the damn bear, I can't trust Chloe--"

Ed's eyes shot up to meet Folsade's.

"You trying to agitate me, Doctor?"

"Depends, Edward. Did you have something in mind?"

"Edward, I want a divorce. Now." Mags announced, her tone of voice and the way she held Ed's hand clearly giving the lie to her words.

"Hush, Maggie, I'm trying to talk with the lovely Yetunde here." Ed grinned at Mags while lovingly and tightly holding on to her hand.

"I was telling Maggie only a while ago that I have seen Edward naked more than sh--"

"FOLSADE! For God's sake!" Ed protested, and Alec guffawed so much he nearly fell over on his crutches.

"Do go on, Doctor." Angel said.

"Stanley Brisby, you keep out of this!"

"Yes dearest," Angel told Frances, who was blushing.

"Can we change the subject?" Ed asked.

"Is Edward's body as good as I've heard?"

"Margaret Straker, I'm warning you--" Ed began, losing the battle not to laugh.

"Hey, we got married and didn't have a wedding night, Straker. And I'm a red blooded half-Japanese half British woman. There's only so many cold showers I can take in a day, you know."

"Here. Go tell the bear about it. Now, if you all don't mind, I'm going to nap a while. I'm tired."

"The old biddy obviously wore him out." Alec said. Luke started laughing uncontrollably, and one after the other, so did the rest of Ed's visitors.

As soon as he left Ed's room, Alec gravely tapped Yetunde on the shoulder. Mags saw the gesture and frowned.

"What is it, Alec?"

"He's pretty sick, isn't he? "

"How do you mean?"

"Do you know how rare it is for Ed to openly say he's tired? Plus he looks like hell. I always know when he's sick, and damn it, he's sick. I'm to blame. "

"You forget something, Alec. Sooner or later, in time Edward would find out you'd gone missing, and presumed dead. That would be more traumatic for him to deal with. Besides, if he had not gone, you might have died of exposure or worse. Edward probably saved your life, and you saved his. You kept him alive. Alec, we both know how Edward is. If that little incident had not happened, another would have. Blaming yourself won't help him."

"Alec, Yetunde is right, you know she is." Mags said tearfully. Alec sighed, nodded.

"But you're right, he is sick. His blood work is not where I'd like to see it, his white cell count is up, possibly indicating some sort of infection, leukocytosis is the term we use and I am not sure why, which is one of the reasons I am delaying the ablation. Because of the v-fib, I considered implanting a device in Edward that would automatically administer shocks to his heart, but the ablation is the best chance he has of being cured. Frankly however, I do not know if he can survive any procedure I try. And if I am forced to implant a cardioverter-defibrillator, Edward will have to change his lifestyle. It is unlikely he will be allowed to drive, or fly again. Or to do anything stressful. And there is no guarantee that it would work."

"Jesus Christ, Yetunde. I know Ed. He's already having a hard time coping with being in here so long. He tried to convince us all that his claustrophobia was a thing of the past, but you and I know better. Being locked up in that room is eating away at him, and I don't blame him one bit. Now you're talking in terms of him becoming a invalid for the rest of his life."

"Alec, that will kill him." Mags said seriously. "He'd never agree to it."

"Shit, don't I know it. He'd just give up if she forces it on him."

"Then we will have to get used to the possibility that we will lose him. Because I am running out of alternatives. I could put him on medications, but that would slow him down, even if he took them regularily, which I seriously doubt. It seems to me that I have to build up his strength enough so that he can survive the ablation. Right now he is weak, and his color is not good. I am going to continue the oxygen and fluids, do everything I can. Ah ah ah, I do not like the odds. And I cannot discuss any of this with him, not now. The stress would probably bring on a episode. Maybe even another V-fib. For now I will let him rest. The laughter is good for him. Margaret, you will have to be brave for his sake."

"I know." Mags wept.

"I'm going to take some time off. Have lots saved up anyway, and I'm not of much use to Foster with this ankle of mine in a cast. I'll bunk down with everyone else in Ed's room." Alec said, determined.

"I would like to knock Foster's head in, even though he didn't have much choice in the matter." Yetunde said. "And yes, that sounds good."

* * *

Ed Straker was peacefully dreaming. A beautiful Japanese woman in a kimono was calling to him. As she spun, the cherry blossoms on her silk kimono freed themselves and were cast at his feet. He looked down and picked one up. It was then that he noticed he was wearing the battle attire of a Samurai warrior. The woman drew closer. She was speaking to him in Japanese, but he heard the words in his head as English.

--revenge me! My whole soul cries out for Fielding's blood! Revenge me! Is this much to ask, I committed seppuku as befits a woman who had her family shamed. You are a warrior, and have battled devils from the skies, and devils from your own mind. You stand between me and a eternity of knowing my death meant nothing. You know what sorrow is, and how often the illusion of love dies like a snowdrop on a rotted leaf. Revenge me! Bring me his head on your sword!--

---I can't, not yet, can't you see that? I cannot fight Fielding from a hospital bed.--

---Give me your word! Your word as a samurai! It is the bushido! Give me justice so that I can rest in death! Pledge to me to forever guard Sakura and give her the happiness I could not give her in life. Revenge! Revenge! It is the bushido! The code of the samurai.--

--Yes, hai, I understand. The code. The oath. I, Edward Straker, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. ---

Ed's attire blurred and suddenly he was no longer in the armor of a samurai, but wearing a Colonel's cap and dress blues of the United States Air Force, with a ceremonial sword in his hand.

----Swear, swear, swear---

----I do swear.--

-----Sayonara, Sakura--

He watched her draw a knife out of her kimono, and before he could even speak in protest, she slit her throat. Instead of blood pouring out of the wound, cherry blossoms fell out. Adam Fielding loomed ominously over him, mocking him, slashing at him, and Ed brought up his sword to stop the arc of Fielding's sword as it whooshed down. However, Ed's parry fell short, he was weak and ill and Fielding's sword ripped into him. Ed felt a terrible, terrible agony as his chest opened and blood rushed out. Fielding laughed and showed his weapon to Ed. Fielding's sword had skewered Ed's heart, and it lie on the sword's tip, a prize of Fielding's victory. The lifeless mouth of the dead Japanese woman screamed the word revenge as Ed joined her in death.

"NO!" Ed yelled.

Ed Straker sat straight up in his bed. Something was beeping furiously. The first thing he was aware of was that Maggie had been sitting near his bed, playing cards with Luke. She dropped the cards and hurried over to him, and within a few minutes, Folsade came in, pulling her stethoscope out from around his neck. He was vaguely aware of Alec lumbering protectively over to his side as well. And the damn thundering of his heart, like it was on promenade. Maggie was speaking desperately to him. But the image of the screaming corpse was foremost in his mind.

Revenge.

"Edward, what is it? Did you have a nightmare? Darling, talk to me."

"Margaret, let me examine him. He is having an arrhythmia. The cardiac telemetry sounded a alarm." Folsade opened Ed's pajama top and started to listen to his heart carefully.

"Turn that damn thing off." Ed ordered, "And damn it, can't you warm that thing you're sticking on me?"

"He sounds pretty grumpy for a guy having heart problems." Alec said, smiling at him.

"Shut up, Alec." Ed said. But he grinned back slightly.

"That convinces me. He'll be fine. He's already yelling at me." Alec announced.

"How do you feel, Edward? Alec, press that button on the side, yes, that's it." Folsade said. The beep stopped.

"Thank God. I can finally hear myself think. How do I feel? Like someone suddenly cranked my propeller into mach speed, that's how I feel. Besides, why the blazes are you asking me? You're the cardiologist." Ed grumbled.

"Gracious, quiet and tactful, that's my husband. Restrained, polite and a real sweetie." Mags said, holding Ed's hand. Ed closed his fingers around Mags' firmly and grinned a little at her, earning a smile from her. Having her and Alec near made him feel safe.

"If you really believe that about Q-tip, you're the one who needs the medical help, Margaret." Angel said, standing up from where he'd been sitting in his chair.

"Stanley!" Frances protested. She was standing behind Mags, clearly even more upset than Mags was about Ed.

"Yeah yeah I know, it isn't very Christian of me." Angel grinned.

"Where's Ryoko?" Ed asked.

"Edward, do be quiet. I am trying to listen to your heart." Folsade sighed.

"Then hurry up with it. Where's Ryoko?" Ed repeated.

"Ah ah ah. I would hate to have to have been your mother. You still behave at 53 the way you no doubt behaved at 3." Folsade snapped. "I believe Ryoko went for a walk in the gardens around this hospital. Well, unfortunately, Edward, you will live to be irritating at least another day. It was a short episode and you suffered no syncope, nor did you go into V-fib. It is a good sign for you but a bad sign for us, we will have to put up with your arrogance again, just when we were hoping to bury you."

"How did I get you as a cardiologist? This may come as a shock to you, but some cardiologists are kind to their patients." Ed told her. Alec and Mags started laughing at him.

"Oh? And this may come as a shock to you, dearest Edward, but some patients listen to what their cardiologists say to them, and obey them when they say to shut up."

"You didn't say for me to shut up. You told me to be quiet. There's a difference."

"I am headed for a major infarct after having to deal with you, I know it." Folsade groaned. Everybody in the room started laughing now, and Ed chuckled.

"Schedule it for after Monday morning, Doctor." Ed said.

"Why did I bother to save him? Ah ah ah! A waste of perfectly good joules! Why? Oh, and the blood work I ordered , the results came through. You have a infection, probably something you picked up from being in that forest with Alec, but it's responding to medication. Is there any way at all I will be rid of you, Edward?" Folsade grinned, kissed Ed briefly on the cheek, reset his monitor and started to leave. Ed watched her go toward the door with fond amusement. Suddenly she turned and looked at Mags.

"I think earlier you asked a question, Margaret. And the answer is, yes, Edward's body naked is as good as they say it is. Even better." Folsade left, and Alec was guffawing, drawing a deadly look from Ed.

"She won that round, Ed."

"Shut up Alec."

"You feeling better now, sweetheart?" Mags stroked Ed's hair, trying not to laugh.

"I had one mother of a nightmare. Had to do with Fielding. The word sakura, doesn't it mean cherry blossom?" Ed asked. "Say, Alec, could you go track down Ryoko for me?"

"Yes it means cherry blossom. My mother named me Sakura, she changed it to Margaret later on."

Ed looked a little uneasy.

"I can," Luke volunteered.

"Thanks, Luke."

"Sure thing, Ed." The youth practically bounced past Alec on his way out, and Alec grinned.

"I think you got yourself a groupie there, Ed."

"Alec, I asked Keith Ford for a security profile report on young Luke, did it ever come in?"

"Yeah. Nate gave it to me, it's pretty interesting. Seems we can trust him, to a point. He's got a police record that dates practically from the day he was born. Probably stole the crib the nurse put him in. Father alive, pensioner, alcoholic. Mother is reported to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning, locked herself in the garage and turned on the ignition of the car. Gassed herself. One small problem though, she didn't know how to drive and all the neighbours said the same thing, she doted on her son, had a sunny disposition and never was depressed a day in her life. Husband got a lot of money not to make a fuss, and drank most of it away. Son wouldn't take a pound. Guess where the cheques came from?"

"Adam Fielding." Ed said frostily.

"Wait a minute, are you saying my father had her killed?" Mags said in disbelief.

"That's what your groupie Neil Coates AKA Luke Harris AKA Colin Woods AKA Leo Mackelby has proof of." Alec said solemnly. "But the police wouldn't listen to him. Nobody dares investigate a man of Sir Adam Fielding's stature over something that happened years ago."

"Stature isn't everything. His real name is Neil Coates? Is there anything he hasn't lied about?" Ed chuckled. Alec grinned.

"He's actually quite good with computers. Hung around a computer firm doing small jobs and one of the programmers taught him and gave him a old computer, all parts. He rebuilt it from the inside out. His father mostly ignores him. He taught himself to hack into computers, he hung with gangs, got himself quite a police record, did some jail time, got out, read a lot of books about heroes and decided he was going to investigate what had happened to his mother, so he disguised himself, went to Fielding's company and talked them into giving him a job cleaning stables. Once they trusted him enough, he managed to get into Fielding's office, and within a half hour he broke into the system and discovered that yes, Fielding did know his mother, was having a illicit affair with her, and she was pregnant with his child, gives birth to it secretly, and he promises her he'll marry her. Then along comes Miyako Usami, much more desirable and he gets involved with her, and he tries buying silence from Neil's mother and because she's having a hard time of it with a useless husband, she agrees. But later as the boy gets older, she wants more for him, she wants public recognition that Neil Coates is Adam Fielding's son with all the fixings that go with it. She secretly finally tells Neil who his father really was. She threatens trouble. So Fielding has her killed and requests that the bastards make it look like a suicide, without bothering to care that she didn't even know what a ignition was, and and rarely even sat in a car. He pays off the drunken so-called father. Years later, Neil finds proof and vows to destroy him." Alec said.

"Neil is actually Fielding's son?" Ed said in wonderment.

"Neil is my half brother?" Mags gasped.

The door opened and Luke, or rather more accurately, Neil, came in, followed by Ryoko.

"What's everyone look so weird for?" Neil-Luke asked.

Ryoko came up to Ed and studied him. Then she said something in Japanese too rapidly for Ed to follow. Mags eyeballed her and then turned to Ed.

"Grandmother is saying that my mother came to you in a vision and that it made you sick. I think she's been sniffing the ether or something."

"I'd like to talk to Ryoko and Maggie alone, would you mind giving us a few minutes? Thanks. You people look hungry and I hear the food they serve visitors in the cafeteria is better than the muck they feed patients." Ed smiled. They all went out except for Ryoko and Mags.

"Someone needs to explain to my grandmother that not everybody feels heads and reads tortoise shells and chants Buddhist prayers and conjures up demons and sees visions of dead people." Mags rolled her eyes.

"Shut up no good granddaughter. You not believe he see Miyako? Ask him. You ask him. You ask him if he not do battle with evil and die in dream and hear Miyako call you real name Sakura. Close mouth, granddaughter, you look like you see dead people!" Ryoko cackled.

"Edward--" Mags began, turning rather pale.

"Yes, your grandmother speaks and understands English, and yes I saw or dreamed I saw your mother. You may be reassured to hear that while Ryoko sees dark shadows around me, she doesn't see my death. And with her help, I'm going to revenge two women. Because I may not always see dead people, but I often have hunches."

"Hai. You have gift. But toss away. Not always use." Ryoko shrugged.

"Hunches. And the hunch that comes to me now is that not only is Miyako crying out to me for justice, but so is the spirit of Neil's mother. And I didn't wear my eagles just because they looked attractive on my shoulders. I swore a oath a long time ago, and part of what I believe in is my duty to make justice happen for people who had injustices they were unable to fight. Devils exist." Ed said softly. "Demons are real. But good always triumphs." He grinned suddenly, almost wickedly. "With a little coaxing and a few tricks here and there, good will triumph. You just have to know what kind of weapons to bring to the battle."

"You speak, I see samurai on horse," Ryoko cackled.

"He speaks and I see a man in a hospital bed, who is suffering from a heart disease, and all of a sudden he's talking about battle. And you speak and I wonder how the horse piss I never knew you could understand and speak English, you crafty old bitch!"

"You see? Granddaughter rotten. Like saki left in bottle too long. Probably not good in futon for you Edward. Pillow like goat. "

"Oh horse piss, Obaa-san, go have sex with the damn goat yourself. Just because you fooled all of us so long you think you know everything."

Ed chuckled.

"You two make me laugh. You try so hard to convince the other that you don't care for one another, and that the other has all the faults, when it's perfectly plain that there's a lot of love between you. You know, Maggie, it's funny, I was alone and then suddenly all these people came into my life, and fit so well in it like a piece of puzzle I didn't even know was missing. Once they were there, I couldn't understand what made me live all these years alone. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to have family around me. And I watched you with Angel and Frances and the others, and I knew that when they took you in, as they'd done with me, that you felt that feeling too. And even when you were telling me how strange and bizarre Ryoko was, I felt that you were excited to have her near, but that you were as uncomfortable with letting yourself need as I was."

"Hai. See? He know truth. Shadows clear slowly, Edward. People exist, not live. Long road to live. You have been on journey. Journey. You live now, you allow need, hai? You put devils inside to rest, one by one. You live now. Sakura my little cherry blossom. I see her often, listen to her laugh, teach her stories my grandmother told me. All a journey. Then Miyako die, I never see granddaughter again, they take away. I live with shame not raise my daughter's child.

"But I see in dreams fine man, I see American man, uniform, not know who is. Look so sad. Much pain I see. I not know who blond man is. Then I get letter, granddaughter marry this man, I so happy. I think never see again, but now I know soon very happy when this man raise sword. Devil fall. This man Fielding fall. You rest, Edward. You much rest, because you have destiny. I dream. You samurai many years ago. Evil shogun, people fear, much hated. Village very sad. But one villager rise up, learn sword, fight, kill shogun. People very happy, and he rule. But very sad, no wife. No family. Fine kimono, fine sword, but heart empty. People envy him, great riches. But would give all to be loved. He die very lonely. Much emptiness. Being legend very lonely. Man can own world, everything in it, hai? Command armies, have power much. Great conquerer, no fear. Have beautiful house. But no home. Very lonely. This you many times, many lives. Long journey. Journey not over, Edward. But not lonely anymore. No emptiness. Granddaughter stay with you always. She love, she have great heart."

Ed had been quietly crying as Ryoko had described the emptiness and loneliness she saw in him, and he looked at Mags, who had been holding his hand tightly, listening. Mags was crying. Ryoko embraced her and she sobbed in Ryoko's arms. Mags said something in Japanese, and although Ed could barely hear it, he could translate it.

"I missed you, Grandmother."

Ryoko smiled.

"I hold granddaughter like she four, not forty."

"Horse piss." Mags said, holding on to Ryoko tightly. "Grandmother, did you really look, are you sure Edward won't die?"

"I look, not see death, but not tell for sure, is one way tell for sure."

"Maggie, I'll be fine." Ed smiled.

"Shut up husband, I'm talking to my grandmother. What way?"

"Must pillow with him. Then I know for sure," Ryoko said solemnly.

"Sounds kind of interesting to me. I'm game. If it would be positive, of course," Ed admitted. Mags was so upset she didn't see the mischief in either of their eyes or hear it in their voices. Then Ed started laughing and she shrieked, and Ryoko cackled.

"You lousy bitch! You had me believing you! Aaaaaaaaa!" Mags yelled.

Ed was laughing hysterically, and Mags grinned at him.

"You shut up too Ed, you flake! How could you do that to me?"

Ryoko sighed.

"Guess I have to go to grave no sex for many years."

"Missed your opportunity, huh?" Ed chuckled.

"You laugh, you give away, I almost make her let me!" Ryoko cackled.

"Such a pity, I'll never know if what they say about older women is true." Ed said, trying not to laugh but not even coming close. Mags exploded into breathless giggles.

"Damn it! I'm married to him and every horse piss of a conniving female is trying to get him! Even my grandmother! And he likes it!" Mags giggled. "Fuck!"

"That not very Christian of you." Ryoko cackled. Both Ed and Mags stared at her and then burst into laughter again.

Lieutenant Keith Ford stretched, sipped his soft drink. It was nearly midnight, and he'd just finished his shift, filling in for a sick operative. UFO activity was low, and the buzz in Control was how Straker had taken over from Foster, and found Colonel Freeman alive. He wasn't sure whether to believe all the stories about how Straker had done this despite having a dangerous heart condition. Legends about what Straker did were bandied about in Control and on Moonbase on a fairly regular basis. And gossip about Foster taking command permanently was gloomy. No matter what happened, he was relieved to find out that Freeman was alive. Alec was one of the senior staff that he considered a personal friend. Nobody in Shado didn't like Alec. He'd been surprised when Freeman had announced he was going to take some time off, but the buzz had him over in Mayland. Ford extended his hand toward the terminal to shut it down. The phone suddenly buzzed, and he picked it up, taking another sip.

"Control."

"Good morning, Lieutenant."

Keith Ford spit a stream of the cola all over the keyboard. There was no mistaking that voice.

"Sir?"

"This is an unofficial call, Lieutenant. Is Major Graham around, or Major Kelly?"

"I believe so, Sir, do you want me to connect you?"

"Not necessary. Just tell them I want to see them first thing in the morning, that Commander Straker needs a personal favour. By the way, thank you for arranging the G-6 on Neil Coates for me. I found it very informative."

Keith Ford's jaw dropped like a anvil had been attached to it. Had Straker just thanked him for the G-6?

"You're welcome, Sir. Glad to help. How's Colonel Freeman?" That was really bright, Keith, you asked how Alec was and didn't ask how Straker was, Ford thought even more gloomily.

"Broken ankle, few cuts, bruises. Nothing serious. I need another G-6 done, Ford. I want it completed by tomorrow morning. I've forwarded you the voice sample. I want it done on a Ryoko Usami. And I need you to do a favor for me. Again, this isn't a Shado matter, so if you wanted to refuse, I wouldn't take it personally." Ed said in a tone that indicated he'd take it very personally indeed. "I understand you know your way around horses?"

Keith Ford sat there and watched his weekend plans dissolve. Poof.

"Yes, sir, I spent a few days going through jockey training for a in-depth report on racing back when I was into reporting." The good old days, Ford thought sourly, before I knew who the bloody hell Ed Straker was.

"Yes, I believed I had seen that on your dossier. If memory serves me, you're off duty for a while starting tomorrow morning, aren't you?" Ed asked casually. Ford saw the noose drop around his neck, and Straker kick the chair away from under him.

"Uh yes sir, but .."

"Good, good. I'll expect you, and Majors Graham and Kelly tomorrow morning in my room at Mayland Hospital. Bring the G-6. See you then." There was a abrupt click.

Keith Ford stared at the phone. And stared. And stared.

"Is something the matter, Keith?" Ayesha asked.

"One of these days I swear I'm going to tell him no." Ford said, hanging up and groaning aloud.

"I guess that was Commander Straker on the phone?" she chuckled.

"Who else ruins my life on a regular basis?"

"Did he ask you to show up at his room in Mayland?"

"Yes, why?"

"He's been asking quite a few of us for a personal favor having nothing to do with Shado, something's up. He doesn't come out and say not to tell General Henderson anything about it, but he implies that he wouldn't appreciate it if we did. And he seems to know exactly when we're free to be doing a favor. He's plotting something, Keith. Probably Alec's in on it too. I can't wait to see what it is. You know Dr. Astrid Svensson from the medical centre? The new doctor?"

"Sure, one of the few people in there I like. Why?"

"Commander Straker called her too, he told me that Straker was particularily interested in her hobby of collecting anything Asian and being a amateur expert in Japanese history."

"I remember Astrid describing a netsuke she owned. How did a Swedish woman get to be so obsessed with the Orient, I wonder? Why does Straker want her?" Ford asked.

"Who knows? She did tell me she was thrilled to be doing him a personal favour."

"I better get started in on the G-6 he wants." sighed Ford. Ayesha grinned at him.

"I hear he's going to have some sort of dangerous heart operation, you could always pull out his oxygen connection during the surgery while he's asleep or something, but then things would get a whole lot worse."

"How?"

"Colonel Freeman would find out."

Ford shuddered.

* * *

Alec sipped his coffee, wishing it was a double bourbon, even if it was seven in the morning. Ed's room looked more like it was the conference room at Shado HQ with all the Shado technicians there with laptop computers and palm pilots and even the outdated pen and writing pad which Ed himself favored. Ed looked more energized than he had in a while, even at that early hour. A man with a plan, Alec mused. He'd seen that look on Ed's face before.

Alec grinned a little at Keith Ford, who was eating a bagel from the breakfast tray Ed had provided. Keith looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Ed Straker's uncanny timing in calling him just when he thought he might get away was downright eerie. Ed just seemed to know exactly when and how to torment his operatives, including Alec. However, Ford seemed a pet victim of the Commander's. Alec drew his attention back to Ed. Alec seriously doubted that if he had tried to conduct a meeting at seven am, dressed in pajamas and robe, that anyone would have taken him seriously. But there Ed was, beautifully groomed, wearing a blue and cream patterned silk robe with matching blue pajamas, and looking as impressive and commanding as if they were his dress blues.

"Now you understand that all this is not a Shado matter at all. None of you are obligated to do this. However, all of you joined Shado because you believed in fighting back. Believed in striking back at a enemy that we know has attacked the innocent, and taken lives. The two women I just described to you are complete strangers to you. You can walk out of this room with a clear conscience, knowing I can't order you to do this, nor will I hold any bad feelings against you if you do. However I invited you here because you're all professionals, the brightest and the best, and you all know your jobs. I invited you here because I need your help to bring down Adam Fielding. I've already briefed you on just when and how we'll do it. I'm confident the plan will work. Well?"

Ed looked around the room at all of them. They were nodding and smiling.

"Commander, if I can speak for the rest?"

"Of course, Major Graham."

"To put it bluntly, we wouldn't be here on our leisure time, at this ungodly hour in the morning , if we weren't behind you one hundred percent. The man killed two women, and he's gotten away with it all these years. Even if your wife wasn't his daughter, and this wasn't a personal favor to you, I'd want to be a part of any plan to knock the bastard down to size. We're here to make it happen."

Ed smiled.

"If I could ask a question?" a blonde woman asked.

"Of course, Dr. Svensson."

"When will this all take place?"

Alec studied Svensson. From the time she'd been hired for Shado, he'd tried to get her interested in him, and not even the worse baseball player had struck out as badly as he had. It had been evident not long after that just why the legendary Freeman charm had failed, and the evidence was seated across from him. The evidence happened to have ice blue eyes and perfectly groomed platinum hair. The evidence was named Ed Straker.

Before Ed could speak, Dr. Yetunde Folsade came in with a chart.

"Good morning everyone. Edward, how much longer will you be keeping these people?"

Alec saw Ed react with surprise to Folsade's open and casual use of Ed's first name in a business meeting , and then saw Astrid narrow her eyes, and figured it out. Well, well, well, he thought. An old fashioned cat fight. First blow to Folsade. I wonder if Ed even knows that Swedish feline wants her claws in him.

"Actually, I was pretty close to wrapping it up. Dr. Svensson had just asked me when Operation Fielding would take place, and I was about to tell her it all depended on how quickly I had the abulation procedure, and how quickly I was back on my feet. Which all comes back to you."

"I take it everyone agreed to help?" Folsade said.

"What if we hadn't, Yetunde?" Major Louis Graham grinned at the Nigerian doctor. Alec knew they were pals. She smiled sweetly.

"Let me put it this way Louie, if you hadn't agreed, your upcoming annual physical exam would be a experience you'd remember for a long, long time."

Alec guffawed, Graham chuckled and several of them laughed but Astrid smiled less than politely. Ed looked at Yetunde with pretended dread.

"It scares me to think that I have to depend on that woman." Ed said, with a teasing grin. Ed poured himself another cup of coffee, mixed his usual two sugars and cream in it, and took a considerable bite out of his buttered toast.

His comments brought several appreciative chuckles. Yetunde grinned at him fondly.

"Be careful what you say about me, Edward. I could always fool with one of your I.V.'s. if you displeased me."

"You're threatening the Commander's life in front of several witnesses, Yetunde." Alec warned. The others grinned at him.

"If that wasn't just coffee you were drinking instead of your usual toxic mess, you wouldn't even have noticed."

"She won that round, Alec." Ed said curtly.

Everyone exploded into laughter, especially Alec. Ed thought how wonderful it was to hear the Australian's hearty laughter again, and found it hard to think that for a terrible moment he'd believed Alec was lost to him forever. Ed quickly put a professional smile on his face and nodded.

"I hate to break up this war of words, but the meeting is over. Thank you for coming, everyone. I'll contact you all as soon as I can." Ed said. They offered their goodbyes and left, but Astrid paused in front of Ed. Alec grinned. This was going to get good.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"I just wanted to say I am proud to have been asked to help you out on this matter. It will be a pleasure to lend you some of my Japanese artifacts, Edward. "

Even before Ed parted his lips to speak, Yetunde Folsade stepped deftly in front of the smaller Astrid and glared at her.

"Just because Commander Straker has taken ill and remains here in my care, in what seems to be a casual situation, it doesn't mean you can address him as if you were one of his personal friends, Doctor. Also, I believe the Commander said the meeting was over. The door is that way."

Astrid looked at Straker for help, but nothing was on his face that indicated he objected to anything that Folsade said. Astrid gave Folsade a look that was a knife blade, then left. Alec began to laugh. Ed, however, didn't think it was funny.

"For Christ's sake, Yetunde!" Ed exploded. "Did you have to be that rude to one of my operatives?"

"Edward, I am not interested in the sake of Christ, I am not Christian. If you do not see through that female then perhaps your eyes are as bad as your heart is. She would like to see what is underneath your pajamas. What made her think she could address you so casually? And stop being so upset, I do not want you to have a arrhythmia over this."

"Ed, in case you didn't know, that Swedish meatball wants to wind up on your plate." Alec grinned. "It's well known in HQ that she's been after you."

"For heaven's sake, Alec, I'm a happily married man. Are you two serious? You two are serious. Terrific. More competition is all Maggie needs," Ed chuckled. "Speaking of Maggie, where is she? I woke up this morning with no wife in sight."

"She and Yolanda and Luke-I mean Neil all spent the night with the Brisbies, but they're on their way over here. I told them not to hurry, that you had a business meeting with some of your studio staff to get through." Alec told Ed. Alec opened the wardrobe and handed Ed a polo shirt and a pair of denims. "Besides, we all have a surprise in store for you. Get dressed."

"A surprise? Sounds promising." Ed smiled, slipping off his robe, and tossing it on his bed.. Ed started to unbutton his pajama top.

"I will be doing the abulation tomorrow morning, Edward. So I wanted you to be stress free and relaxed before you go into the operation. So I have approved a request from Alec to take you out on a drive." Yetunde smiled. "Stanley and Frances will be taking you and Maggie and Yolanda and Neil and Alec and out on a spin in their estate wagon. "

"And that old heartthrob of yours, Chloe, will be having lunch with you. I called her mother, and she was delighted, wants us all to come over for a home cooked lunch." Alec added. He smiled as Ed broke out into a wide boyish grin that peeled the years off the slim Shado commander.

"You mean I'm finally getting out of this damn hospital for a day? Yahoo!" Ed laughed.

"I seem to recall you did get out, and threatened me with physical harm as you did so, Edward." Yetunde said firmly. She crossed her arms.

"Somebody had to save my butt, Yetunde." Alec told her. "Foster was already buying my headstone while I was alive and hoping no alien found me before Foster did. Ed saved my life, remember?"

"That was only because I had nothing better to do, Alec. I got bored cooped up in here."

"Shut up and finish getting dressed, hero." Alec grinned at Ed.

"What I remember is Edward's heart going into v-fib because he marched out of here like a fellow in a adventure film, determined to find you. I think he's been the head of the studio too long. He is beginning to think he is a leading man in one of his movies. " Folsade grumbled. Ed looked at Yetunde for a moment, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Alec's eyes widened and then he chuckled.

"Thank you for everything, Yetunde." Ed said sincerely, his voice soft. Yetunde was silent, momentarily shaken by his gesture.

"He won that round, Jane." Alec cracked.

"Oh shut up Colonel. Ah ah ah, the most gorgeous man in the world has kissed me. I will never be the same." Yetunde sighed happily. Ed grinned at her while Alec guffawed.

"Horse piss, I come to see my husband, I walk in and he's kissing his cardiologist, and he's only half dressed." Mags announced grumpily."What am I supposed to think?" Angel chuckled behind her, and Ed could make out Neil, Yolanda and trailing behind them, Frances, carrying her usual basket of freshly baked goodies.

"Damn! Just when we thought we'd gotten away with it, too. Come here right now, Maggie Straker. I missed you like crazy." Mags went into Ed's arms and he held her tightly, and kissed her, hard. Ed held her against him lovingly, his eyes closed. "I love you, you know." Ed whispered to Mags.

"I love you too, my precious husband."

Yetunde sighed and looked at Alec.

"Alec, will someone ever kiss me the way Edward kisses Margaret?"

"I wouldn't rule the possibility out, Jane." Alec smiled at Yetunde. "Maybe after Ed's back on his feet and in San Francisco for a belated honeymoon, you and I can examine the issue more closely."

"Sounds good to me, Alec." the doctor said.

"San Francisco. It'll take a miracle for us to get there." Mags told Ed.

"Yetunde's good at pulling off miracles. You'll see." Ed smiled down at Mags.

"Hi Ed, I had a ball at the Reverend's house. I even helped him with downloading and printing up the prayer books he wanted," Neil said proudly. Ed smiled at Neil.

"The kid is a genius with computers. I'm thinking of hiring him. I'll actually get the book of Common Prayer to my parishioners before Christmas." Angel said. "I couldn't have done it without him."

"Well done, Neil." Ed said approvingly. There was something in his voice that made Mags look at him urgently, but he didn't notice. Alec caught it, and almost unconsciously took a step nearer to his long time friend. Mags immediately realized that it was the edge that often came into Ed's voice when he was having difficulty handling his emotions, and sought solace in a professional, composed veneer.

Neil beamed happily. Ed looked at him, finding it hard to believe that the lad was Fielding's son. If John had lived, would he have smiled at me like that at Neil's age? Stop it Straker, now isn't the time to grieve for your son, Ed told himself. Mags watched the expression in his beautiful vivid blue eyes become saddened, and she took and kissed his hand, and he smiled down at her. Alec was well aware of how sensitive Ed was around Neil, and was grateful for Mags being so alert.

"All I ever do on computers is play online games." Yolanda chucked.

"Edward you look just wonderful this morning, but you can't get better on just coffee and toast. I brought you breakfast." Frances said, starting to set out food on his small table. She was wearing a red suit and black blouse with a bow tie and a single string of pearls, and she turned her back to him and bent over the table purposefully. Ed looked over at her, and pursed his lips and whistled at Frances, and the whistle was two notes of appreciation. Mags stared at him, and so did Yetunde.

"Q-tip, that's my wife you're whistling at." Angel warned Ed teasingly.

"When your wife wears hosiery on her legs like that, who can blame me?"

"Edward, really! You'll make me blush!" Frances said, embarrassed.

"What's so special about stockings with a seam down the back?" Mags complained. Ed chuckled.

"I haven't seen black silk stockings with a seam down the back for a long long time. They're very sexy, especially on women who have legs as good as Frances' are."

"Ah ah ah. Could it be our friend Edward has a fetish for such things?" Folsade suggested to Mags with a wink. "Men are so easy to manipulate."

"Hey, you. You're my husband, remember? What are my legs, chicken liver?" Mags insisted.

"Alec, have I managed to get myself in a whole lot of trouble again?" Ed inquired innocently.

Neil grinned at Ed, and so did Yolanda.

"You do have a knack for doing so, Ed. And for once I'm not saving your unlucky butt." Alec said, enjoying the indignant, jealous looks on Mags and Yetunde's face.

"I have this strange inclination to break Q-tip's kneecaps." Angel said.

"Oh, now don't you even act jealous, Stanley. It isn't very Christian of you. You know very well that you're the man who has my heart. And stop threatening Edward, it's nice to have a compliment from a man as handsome as he is." Frances kissed Angel on his nearly bald head.

"Frances, you will have to lend me those stockings for when Ed and I go to San Francisco on our honeymoon." Mags said to her. Ed shot Mags a look.

"That's right, Mags needs all the help she can get to make sure things go just right on her honeymoon." Alec cracked. "After all, a man of Ed's advanced age gets distracted easily, and prone to forgetting what a couple is supposed to do on cold San Franciscan nights."

Neil snickered, but a stern look from Ed soon quieted him. Yolanda looked steadily at the floor, hiding a grin.

"What would a aging bachelor like you know about honeymoon nights, Alec?" Yetunde challenged him.

"Alec 0, Yetunde 10." Ed said, enjoying Alec's sudden discomfort. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go shower, shave and get dressed, and then I'll sample some of Frances' breakfast. I'm unusually hungry this morning."

"You're hungry? You don't know what hungry is. I could share the shower with you, Ed." Mags suggested meaningfully, snuggling against him. Ed grinned down at her. He reached over, picked up the bear that Chloe had given him, and put it in Mags' hand. Then he went into the bathroom.

Everyone laughed, and Mags groaned loudly.

* * *

It was absurdly quiet, cold, and he wasn't quite sure where he was. Something inside him propelled him on, more a instinct then a real desire to get anywhere. Then he was inside and in the muted light of St. Benedict's. He dipped his hand in the holy water font and crossed himself more reverently than most of his operatives would have believed he was capable of. Especially Keith Ford, Ed thought with amusement.

The little church was pretty full. Ed felt naked standing there, but no seat was to be found. yet strangely no eyes were drawn to him, even being there as he was, a few feet from the lecturn. Angel was there, and suddenly he could hear Angel's words.

"Where he is now, he needs nothing. But a man's promise is a man's promise, and I always told him I would sing when he passed from this world to the next. So this is for you, my friend, as well as the bereaved .May it comfort those you left behind."

And then Angel began to sing, in a absolutely spellbinding voice, and everyone hushed to listen.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul--

It was then that Ed noticed the coffin. It was draped with an American flag and covered with a spray of roses. Ed shivered. Quickly, he looked away. His gaze fixed on the people in the pews, and with relief he spotted Alec Freeman. Alec was looking straight ahead, rigid, his complexion ashen. Ed had never paid much attention to the fact that Alec was older than he was other than to listen to his tales about WW2, but now, in the light filtered through the stained glass, Alec looked a thousand times older. Ed moved down the pew until he was right in front of Alec. Alec didn't move. Maggie was sitting next to Alec. She was dressed in black, and she was rubbing her wedding band. Even through the net of her hat, Ed could see that she was crying softly, but trying to be brave. Yolanda was next to Maggie, her expression sad. Next to Yolanda was Neil Coates, sobbing. Frances was there as well, head bowed silently in grief. Ed could recognize other people he knew in the crowd. Foster, Carlin, Lake, even Henderson. Henderson looked ill at ease.

"What's going on?" Ed snapped.

Ed didn't get any response.

"Damn it I asked what's going on! Angel, what the hell is going on?" Ed stepped out of the pew and up to Angel, and made a move to touch Angel. Ed's hand passed through Angel's body. As if that wasn't shock enough, he saw the framed photograph, he wasn't sure how he could not have spotted it when he'd first come in. A single beam of soft light shone on it, and within that light dust moved slowly. Ed stared at the photograph.

His own face, caught in a characteristic semi-smile captured for posterity on film, looked back at him.

Angel kept singing, in a way that reminded people of how apt his nickname was.

--Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death--

"NO! NO! I'm here! I'm right here! Alec! Tell them! For God's sake, tell them! I'm alive! "

"Edward sama." a voice said softly.

"Jesus Christ, at least you can see me! Tell them! Tell them I'm not dead!"

"Edward, you died during the procedure the doctor did. Your heart was weak. You died. I am here to take you to a place of rest."

"NO! I don't even know you!"

"Miyako. I have spoken to you before. Can you not remember? Come. You cannot stay in the place of those who still live. " Miyako reached for him.

"Don't touch me! Do you understand?" Ed pulled away as though her touch was poison. He ran up to the coffin and with one sweeping gesture thrust aside the flowers and flag and opened it.

The body that lie at rest there wore a unnatural smile, and was dressed in a colonel's uniform of the United States Air Force. He was groomed immaculately, except for a few loose pale silver strands and his cap lie on his chest. The name plate read E. Straker.

Angel concluded his song.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever--Amen

The congregation joined in with Amen.

Ed backed away, as if the farther he could get away from the scene, he could drive it out of his consciousness. He bumped into a array of candles, knocking over hot wax. Some of it fell on his hand, through his hand, but he felt nothing.

There had been times thoughout his life when he had screamed. When he was being tortured at the camp, for one. There had been times throughout his life where he had felt like screaming. But the scream had never come. The day Mary had walked out of his life, carrying his child, and nearly had lost it. The day he had signed the divorce forms, helpless to do anything, helpless to defend himself against her accusations, with no choice but to let her march out of his life. Every month after his hardly acceptable visitations, when he had to turn his back on John and let him go back to a man who had no right to him, who clearly didn't cherish him the way Ed did. The day he had seen the fragile body of his precious, only son be slammed by a car. The moment when he had been forced into a decision that could have crushed any other man, whether or not to perform his duty, or to save his little boy. The moment of knowing John was forever gone, and hearing the revulsion in Mary's voice as she said she never wanted to see him again.

The screams had never come, just had echoed in the depth of him, a hollow wounded place where he hid away pain, in a place that for years, only Alec had known about. And now, even the comfort of Alec was lost to him.

And so Ed screamed. He screamed until the sound bounced off the walls of the church, until it shattered the reverent silence as Angel ended the services, until it made his throat raw. And then he ran. Ryoko and Yetunde were in the hall outside the church, and Yetunde was dressed in folds and folds of fabric with a matching headdress, and her eyes were reddened.

"If only I'd waited! There must have been something I could do! Ah! Ah! Ah! I tried everything, Ryoko! I couldn't save him! We didn't even know a vessel was severed during the abulation until we opened him up! He bled to death, he fucking bled to death right there, and -and-" and Yetunde sobbed.

"It was his time." Ryoko held Yetunde gently. "Blaming yourself will not bring him back."

And then Ed heard someone scream a single word that crashed into the silence as his helpless screams had. A word. One word. A name. Over and over.

Ed. Ed. Ed.

A voice he knew. A voice of a soul in agony, a voice of a child who was suddenly lost.

A voice of a man he had always felt safe with. A cry of grief uttered by that man. His name. Ed. Like a dirge, over and over. A cry of pain for which there never would be relief. Like a wall of brick that had suddenly come down, and never would be put up again.

Alec Freeman's.

"NO!"

"Edward, Edward, it is all right, you were having a nightmare."

"Oh God, Yetunde. Yetunde. Thank God. Yes, yes, a nightmare. Stupid of me."

Yetunde frowned, because Ed was gripping her hand with a force to crush it, and she reached for her ever present stethoscope.

And then both Alec and Maggie were shaking themselves awake and coming to his side. It was Monday morning, Ed realized. Time for the procedure.

"Ed, you okay?" Alec said worriedly. "Ed?"

"NOW I am. Yes." Ed reached out and patted Alec's hand, trying not to think too hard about the way Alec had been crying out his name in the nightmare. Here all along I thought I needed him, I knew I needed him. Is it possible he needs me? Ed looked at Alec, who was looking strangely at Ed as he kept on patting Alec's hand. Ed swallowed a grin and stopped. Whoops he thought. Caught. Maggie too was looking at him, and holding his free hand.

"It's all right, Maggie, I was just dreaming."

"Must have been one horse piss of a dream for you to yell like that." Maggie said, stroking his hair.

"It was. Damn it, Yetunde, that thing is colder than Alaska. Would you be violating some secret Hippocratic oath if you warmed the damn stethoscope for once before you stuck it on me? "

"The rectal thermometer is around here somewhere, shall I also use that on you?" Yetunde asked, taking it off Ed's chest, apparently pleased that Ed hadn't had a episode of irregular heartbeats despite the stress of his nightmare.

"Everything's back to normal. They're insulting each other." Maggie laughed. Alec grinned at her.

"It's time, Edward. I'm going to have to shave you, I thought you'd appreciate that someone you're familar with performed the shave, since it's your groin I'll be shaving." Yetunde winked. Ed stared at her as Maggie snickered and Alec guffawed.

"Yeah, yeah, I recall this experience was part of this damn procedure. Just don't stray beyond the groin area to anything--essential."

"Are you suggesting I do not know my job?"

"I'm suggesting my wife wouldn't forgive you if you --well, you know."

"Edward, you know, I could have a nurse do it."

"Let's hope for Ed's sake she's attractive." Alec elbowed Maggie suggestively.

"If she's attractive, I'll break her neck." Maggie decided.

"Actually, I wasn't thinking of a female nurse. I was thinking of a male nurse."

"Actually, Yetunde, that might work better. Nothing personal, understand." Ed smiled.

"This particular nurse is single. And attracted to you, or so ward gossip has it. And gay, Edward. Very, very, very, gay. And extremely lonely." Yetunde said thoughtfully.

Alec and Maggie seemed to be having a laugh competition as Ed's blue eyes widened. Which was a considerable thing to observe, since Ed's eyes were already pretty large.

"That isn't funny, Dr. Folsade." Ed finally said, somewhat nervously. "Where's Nate when I need him?"

Yetunde grinned at Ed. "Now are we going to trust our cardiologist and be quiet while she preps her patient?"

"Trust you? Unlikely. But I'll bear the suffering quietly." Ed said bravely.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. That I will believe when it happens. Now if you two will step out a while--"

"Alec, is my insurance in order? My will?" Ed stifled a yawn. His watch read five am.

"Ed, I tried getting that insured, but Lloyds wouldn't cover that part of you." cracked Alec.

"Very funny, Alec. I meant my life insurance policies, the ones I asked you to check out for me while I was playing paper dolls with Chloe. If anything goes wrong I want-"

"That's quite enough, Edward. I do not lose patients. Not even impossible ones like you. So no talk of insurance and wills."

"It's necessary, Yetunde."

"One more word and you will be singing soprano in Angel's choir, Edward," Yetunde said suggestively, waving hair clippers around.

Alec and Maggie laughed as Ed ducked down beneath his blanket in a cowardly fashion.

"Everything's going to be all right, Ed." Maggie said, as Yetunde wheeled the bed he had been moved into toward the lift, bound for the surgical units. Ed moved his head a little to look at her. The Nigerian doctor had injected his IV with a tranquilizer and he was a little groggy.

"Who are you trying to reassure? Me or you?" Ed muttered.

* * *

"How was the groin shaving, Ed?" Alec asked.

Ed moved his head again, trying to focus in on Alec. Groggy as Ed was, he heard the nervousness in Alec's voice.

"Unpleasant. Itches like crazy." Ed complained.

"I rather enjoyed it, Edward." Yetunde joked.

"I was at your less then tender mercy." Ed remarked.

"You should be grateful that I didn't remove that integral part of your body, Edward. What a tragedy that would be. Ah. Ah. Ah. And it is such a substantial part of you."

Ed lifted his eyes up trying to see Yetunde while Mags chuckled and Alec guffawed in appreciation.

"If I wasn't so damn full of valium, you'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble, Yetunde." Ed grumbled.

"Helpless. The most appealing man in the world totally helpless, about to be strapped onto a operating table, all mine." Yetunde practically purred. Ed chuckled.

"Hey, I'm his wife, you know. Watch it." Mags warned jokingly.

"How come women never fight over me, Ed?" Alec wondered.

"Don't worry, the time will come that you'll get your groin shaved too. Incidentally, you two didn't have to sleep all night in my hospital room. Although I must say, it was one hell of a pajama party last night." Ed grinned. Both Alec and Mags had decided to keep vigil overnight with him, waiting until Ed went into surgery in the morning. Ed had told them to go home, but then he had been secretly relieved when both of them had insisted on staying. It had taken a great deal to talk Angel and Frances and Neal and Yolanda into going home that night. Neal had wanted to stay, but the Brisbies had taken him and Yolanda home. Nate had stayed all night, even though he hadn't had any relief in several hours. Of course, Ed remembered in amusement, Nate had delightedly taken several pounds off Ed playing poker with Alec and Mags. Then Yetunde had come in, and broken up the game, saying Ed had to get some sleep. Ed had protested loudly, saying he needed to win back his losses, and not surprisingly, Yetunde had been less than compassionate. So Alec and Mags had spread out newly purchased sleeping bags and stayed the night. Ed had stayed awake for a while, just enjoying the sound of Alec snoring and watching Mags change positions inside her bag. Finally he reluctantly had gone to sleep.

Ed sleepily recalled the previous day. It had been so heartwarming to see little Chloe again. She had even grown back enough hair so that her head resembled fuzz on a peach. Naturally she had insisted on Ed playing paper dolls with her. So with Alec threatening to take snaps of him for blackmail purposes, Ed had slid his quite oversized body into one of Chloe's little chairs, contentedly dressing and undressing Chloe's numerous paper dolls with her, and sipping tea out of tiny cups. Ed had satisfyingly talked Yetunde into coming on the trip with them. Ed reflected it hadn't exactly been his charm that did the trick. He had taken the doctor aside and told her that accompanying him was a order. Ed had his suspicions that Yetunde was relieved to accompany them, so that she could keep a professional eye on him. Then, when Yolanda had unexpectedly expressed a desire to see the Millenium dome, Ed had groaned. The tourist traps of the United Kingdom hadn't held much attraction for him, although he had fond memories of seeing the Thames for the first time. He had watched with amazement as all of them, even Frances, who usually held on to her sense of decorum with both hands, had been thrilled by the rides. Nothing like a amusement park type setting to awaken the kid in a person, Ed thought appreciatively. The valium did feel like being on a carousel, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd been on one.

"That's a ride? Hell, training in zero G was the same as that, and I didn't find that fun." Ed had complained, as they all had tried to coax him into going on one of the Millenium dome rides. He watched with amusement as Angel and Yolanda were busy buying T-shirts from a stand. Alec had suddenly turned into a photographer and was annoying him no end by taking endless pictures of him. Ed flashed Alec his most indignant look and the Australian just said cheese, and snapped the picture.

"Spoil sport. Party Pooper. I'll go with Neil and Alec and Frances." Mags had pretended to complain. Neither he nor anyone else had brought up the fact that such a ride might actually bring on a episode of syncope, so Ed was sitting instead. Nate was the only person who clearly wasn't having a good day. Of course, Ed thought with wicked humor, that might have something to do with having to guard him in a public place where any lunatic could take a shot at him. The guy's had no sleep for Christ knows how long, and he looks like he'd shoot anyone who crossed into my shadow. Or SHADO.

"Heh heh." Ed chuckled suddenly.

"I think Ed is flying. Without a jet." Alec said appreciatively, looking at Ed laughing to himself.

"He'd shoot anyone who crossed my shadow. Get it?" Ed said, as if that made all the sense in the world.

Both Yetunde and Alec looked at each other in half alarm that Ed might blow his cover, and half in amazement that Ed seemed to be enjoying himself, courtesy of the valium. Mags on the other hand, walked along silently, gripping Ed's hand tightly, clearly terrified for him. Ed was blissfully unaware of her fear at this point. He continued to chuckle softly to himself. Mags looked at him with tenderness, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Oh God, Ed. Live. Don't leave us. Don't leave me. I love you. Oh God, Ed. Is it always going to be like this, my precious husband? Will I always have this feeling in the pit of my stomach, wondering if I ever will see you again? Will I ever be able to hold you close, will our lives ever go back to normal? Live, Ed. Don't go. I love you.

"Remind me to use some other drugs on you next time, Edward." Yetunde grinned. Mags tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but Ed looked so helpless and so fragile lying on the bed, the IV tubes connected to his hand, the blanket covering him. She reached over as they walked, and pulled the blanket closer around him. He looked cold. However he didn't seem to notice she was there.

"At least he's having enjoyable hallucinations." Alec pointed out, with a equal grin.

"Alec?"

"Yeah Ed?"

"Have you ever been to Disneyland?"

Even Mags blinked her eyes at that question. Yetunde tried to suppress a girlish giggle.

"No Ed, have you?" Alec said, wondering what the rest of SHADO would say about the stern no-nonsense Commander suddenly sounding like a little boy who was just given the key to a candy store.

"Sure! I had a ball." Ed announced happily, a touch of Boston inflection creeping into his voice. "I went on the carousel!"

"Met Mickey Mouse, did you, Edward?" Yetunde inquired calmly. Even Mags was laughing at this point.

Ed furrowed his brow, and was quiet for so long that they thought he'd fallen into a stupor.

"No." Ed finally said solemnly. He sounded very disappointed, Alec noticed. "Donald Duck. Yeah, Donald Duck I think. Some duck."

"What the blazes did you put in his IV?" Alec grinned.

Yetunde laughed.

"He needs to be awake during the procedure, but he needs to be sedated enough so that he will not be nervous and that he will feel a mininum of discomfort."

"Will he be in a lot of pain?" Alec said, worried.

"I will make sure he is not. But there is bound to be some discomfort, especially when he is out of the surgery and we have to restrain him. That is when you and Margaret will play important roles and keep him occupied so that he does not move. With Edward's claustrophobia, I am more than worried that it will be a tough three, four hours while he recovers. And I would rather not sedate him so heavily at that point. The procedure will not be pleasant, Alec, but I will do my best to make him as comfortable as possible."

"Damn it. You don't know what it does to my gut to see him in pain, Yetunde. I wish I could go through it for him." Alec said in a heartfelt manner.

"I know." Yetunde said softly. She looked affectionately down at Ed. His eyes were closed, and the slight movement of his chest as he breathed in and out was steady and regular. She smiled.

"That ought to do it." Dr. Banning said. Yetunde gave a long shuddering sigh. Then she studied the cardiac telemetry. Ed seemed to have a even, regular heartbeat. He groaned. He had groaned several times during the procedure, as they had threaded the wires into his arteries. Every groan, every sigh had taken a good deal out of Yetunde. She told herself it was for the best. But it was hell to have to cause him even the slightest pain, and hell to have to keep her professional composure in front of Banning. Banning did these procedures in his sleep. Yetunde would not ever be able to explain what the man on the operating table meant to her, and to his friends, and his wife. And to the people he protected in his capacity as SHADO commander. To Banning he was just a male in his fifties with a heart that didn't work right. To Yetunde, he was the most important person in the world. Literally.

"It's over Edward. You will be wheeled back into your room now. How do you feel?"

"Dizzy." Ed intoned quietly. He sounded tired and weak. Yetunde shot a second look at the monitors he was hooked up to. Nothing seemed amiss. But something was giving her a bad feeling.

"Nice job, Folsade," Banning said.

"That remains to be seen. We don't know if this will correct the heart's electrical rhythm." Yetunde said.

"Yetunde--"

"Yes Edward?" Yetunde said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Ed sounded absolutely awful. And frightened. Terribly frightened.

"I don't--I don't--"

The monitor beeped furiously. Ed's eyes suddenly rolled back in his head.

"Fuck! Blood pressure dropping like a stone." Banning yelled. "Shock, he's going into shock. Okay, come on people, look alive, we have to cut him open. You must have accidentally severed a artery somewhere, Yetunde. Shit and fuck. Start pumping that fresh blood into him nurse, IV push. Thank God we saw fit to have his own blood standing by. We have to find where he's leaking and stop it. We'll start with the chest. Folsade! Come on! Get me a intubation kit, let's get him on the respirator.."

"Oh my God! Oh my God! He is bleeding! " Yetunde shrieked, horrified. "I have killed him!"

"DAMN IT, Folsade, snap out of it! Prep him for surgery, we have to cut him open! Damn it, act like the cardiologist you are! You want this guy to die? MOVE!"

That was enough to bring her back.

And in the stark, sterile white operating theatre, with the dazzling lights and the various beeping machines, Commander Edward Straker lie unconscious on the steel table, his body naked under the white sheets, laden with new scars from the procedure, pale and vulnerable.

Bleeding internally.

Dying.

* * *

Alec Freeman looked at Mags. He tried to smile encouragingly. It was like trying to start a fire with no match. There was no heat in it. Finally he found his voice.

"Ed's too damn bloody minded to die, Mags. He'll sail through this procedure."

"You don't believe that anymore than I do, Alec. It's just you and me here, don't mollycoddle me like I was made of porcelain. There's not much to shield me from, after all. I found out only days ago that my father has had people murdered. So don't waste your time trying not to upset me. You're as worried as I am. Maybe more. You've known Ed a lot longer than I have. You don't have to try and protect me from knowing my husband may die on that fucking operating table." Mags took a deep breath to stop herself from sobbing, and reached for her cup of coffee, made a face at it, dropped it back on the tray and fixed herself a bourbon instead, without bothering with ice. She took a long pull at it then stared into space.

Alec was silent for a long time.

"Yes. Yes I have. And if we're speaking plainly, yes, I am frightened. I almost think that if this thing doesn't work, then maybe Ed dying on the operating table would be less cruel than forcing him to live a life deprived of the things that are part of him. A hell of a lot less cruel then turning him into a invalid."

"He has us, damn it, Alec! Look, I'm not fucking stupid. Don't play games with me! I know you two are involved in something I don't know about. Something big. Ed isn't just a guy who makes movies. You don't get scars like that just making movies. And don't give me the horse piss about him being in the Air Force. He's got scars that aren't old at all." Mags snapped, obviously on edge. Alec looked at her for a long time. Then he slowly got up and went to the door. Nate was on duty outside. Alec wondered when he ever slept. Maybe he didn't. Maybe that was why Ed favoured him so much, since Ed hardly seemed to sleep either.

"Nate."

"Still waitin for Mistah Strakah?"

"Yeah. Look, Nate, don't let anyone come in here. Nobody. Clear?"

"Yes sir. Sir?"

"What's this sir business? You and I have known each other a long time. What?"

"What you figure Ed's chances are, Alec?"

"Less than 50-50, and Ed on the wrong side of that."

"That's mighty black, Alec. I don't like hearin' that. I wouldn't want to be buryin the Commandah." Zouri said sadly.

"None of us would, Nate. None of us would. You a man of God, Nate?"

"Not the white Christian God, Alec."

"Doesn't matter. If you say prayers, then say one for Ed, will you?"

"You have my word on it, Alec."

"Thanks." Alec patted the Jamaican's shoulder and then went back inside Ed's hospital room and latched the door behind him. He poured himself another bourbon and whirled the tumbler around so that the ice tinkled, then he sat beside Mags.

And he started to tell her about SHADO.

Ed Straker opened his eyes, then he closed them, then he opened them again, then he closed them. Good old intensive care ceiling. Least now it was patched and painted. This was getting old. What now? Why didn't he just paint a neon sign on himself that said Commander Straker, shooting target? No, he hadn't been shot, he'd had that heart procedure. Wait a minute, someone was saying his name. Alec. He listened. He heard Maggie's voice too. He heard them open the door to his room, and he opened his eyes just enough to see them.

"This is like some nightmare. You're trying to convince me that my husband is the head of some organization that kills aliens? My Ed Straker? This has to be one of your jokes, Alec. Horse piss! Tell me this is one of your jokes!"

"Would I joke when Ed almost died of internal bleeding? Look, Mags, a long time ago I pretty much ruined his life by sticking to the book. He begged me to be able to tell Mary just why he came home late, and I convinced him that it was out of the question. I'm not going to ruin his chances for happiness with you by covering up anymore. I want you to know that the man lying on that bed is a hell of a lot more than your husband." Alec said solemnly.

"The man lying in this bed is going to kill Alec Freeman as soon as he's able to." Ed croaked weakly. Mags and Alec's face lit up and they crossed over to Ed's bedside.

"Oh Ed, you're all right, thank God!" Mags squeezed Ed's hand, brought it up against her cheek.

"Maggie, give me a few moments with Alec. Alone."

"But Ed, I--"

"A few moments."

"I love you darling." Mags said.

Ed smiled slightly.

"I love you too, now go on."

Ed waited until the door closed. All tenderness died in his face.

"All those years ago, you told me how important security was in SHADO. And now you go and carelessly tell Margaret everything? What the blazes else did you tell her? Our security codes? SID's programming?"

"For God's sake, Ed, calm down, you nearly died on that operating table. Lie your head back. You know damn well if you get all excited that Yetunde will kill me." Alec said calmly.

"Yetunde won't kill you. You know why? Because I will! What could have possibly gone through your head to want you to put security in jeopardy and my wife's life at risk? Damn it Alec! I should fire you! You damn idiot! You-you-UGH-" Ed moaned in pain.

"Lie back. You can rip my head off later. "

"I can't move."

"Your legs are strapped down, the procedure went well, you had a few tachycardia episodes but Yetunde said that's standard, she said something about the electric stimulation, I couldn't follow it. You want me to get some pain medication for you?"

"I want a explanation of why my most trusted and valued operative does such a foolish, idiotic thing that goes against ever-"

"You would have died, Ed, and she would never have known. I wanted her to know just what she was losing. I wanted her to know just how remarkable a man you were." Alec said solemnly.

"I don't appear to have died, Alec. You're going to wish I did when I get out of this bed." Ed snapped. However the warmth and esteem in Alec s eyes didn't go unnoticed by Ed.

"Ed, I don't quite know what this world would be like without you in it. I never want to find out. So if you insist, I can slip some of our amnesia drug into her bourbon-"

"Maggie hates bourbon." Ed interjected.

"I guess that's why she's been drinking it for two hours. Without ice."

"What the hell has gotten into her?" Ed stammered.

"Oh I don't know, Commander, maybe the fact that she thought she was going to be your widow? She was practically matching me, drink by drink. And to think that I thought I'd have to stand up at a lecturn at your funeral and lie my head off about how noble, decent and dedicated a man Ed Straker was as part of your eulogy." Alec patted Ed's hand. "How understanding, and compassionate, and kind."

"Lie, huh?" Ed's eyes twinkled against his better judgement. But his lips were pressed tight together in irritation he was having a battle to hang on to.

"Believe me, it would be a lie that would make my other massive lie to--uh-never mind."

"Ohhh no. Go on. What else have you done that I won't like? And don't think this in any way, shape or form is going to make me less angry at you for what you've done."

The two men looked at one another, affectionately.

"There was this one whopping big lie I told my mother, about this one girlfriend I had lost my virginity with--"

"You actually still had your virginity at one point? When was this, around the time man discovered fire?" inquired Ed.

"--and I told my mother I hadn't. Naturally, she knew all along, since my girlfriend's mother had called her and said I had made her poor daughter pregnant--"

"Alec Freeman! You? Not you." Ed said, feigning shock.

"-and my mother said to her mother that my girlfriend was one tall tale telling, ignorant offspring of a New Zealand sheep, since she had given herself to any man in Australia who could manage to say more than two words to her. It did turn out that the baby wasn't mine. Of course, that didn't keep my mother from beating the devil out of me." Alec finished with a grin.

"The beating I give you when I get out of this bed--"

"Oh come on, Ed, we both know you couldn't take me even if I was blindfolded and had both hands tied behind my back."

"Who said I'd be the one beating you? I'd leave that privilege to Yetunde." Ed grinned. Alec didn't respond. "What is it you aren't telling me?"

"She nearly was responsible for your death, Ed. She accidently severed one of your blood vessels and nobody realized you were even going into shock until after the procedure. You were bleedi- You all right? You went pale."

Ed recalled the dream. He shook his head, swallowed.

"That nightmare I had. I dreamed I had died, bled to death, attended my own funeral."

"You need to start drinking. That way, you never remember your nightmares." Alec said helpfully. Ed laughed.

"I see, I just exchange the problem of nightmares for the problem of a liver that resembles a prune." Ed told him.

"You've been looking through my X-rays again?"

The two men chuckled. The door opened. It was Yetunde.

"Hello Doctor, come in, I was just going to ask Colonel Freeman here to see that my wife receives the amnesia shot and treatment."

"She might forget you, Ed. But then, that might be a blessing." Alec realized.

"Get out of here, Colonel, and take care of it."

"Yes, sir."

"And if you ever, ever do anything as stupid and foolish again, Alec, you won't like the consequences." Ed warned.

"Yes?"

"I'm sure those surgical clippers are around here somewhere." Ed said.

Alec gulped dramatically, then grinned and went out.

Ed turned his head toward Yetunde. The doctor's lip was quivering. She dropped into a chair beside his bed.

"Any estimate to when I can be released from these damn shackles, Doctor? I have a honeymoon to-Yetunde, it's all right."

"All right? All right? I acted like a fool in there! I thought I had killed you! You nearly died, Edward! Don't you understand? Ah! Ah! Ah! I will never practice again, I have never gone into a panic like that, I can't stand-" Ed reached out with his free hand and took one of hers and held it.

"Look, stop it. I'm alive. The day you operate with overconfidence is the day you really start to lose patients. That you had one bad day doesn't mean your career is over, you're far too valuable to this hospital and to SHADO. Now, tell me. Do you think the procedure worked? Alec said I had some problems with my heart rhythm even after the surgery."

"That happens, we stimulate the heart rhythm on purpose to find and destroy the areas we need to. Toward the end of the procedure is when, oh heavenly saints, Edward, I almost killed you."

"Yetunde? I presume you didn't want to kill me?"

"Of course not!"

"Then let go of my hand, you're cutting off my circulation. Must have learned it from Maggie." Ed chuckled.

Yetunde let it go, sighed.

"You refuse to see how serious this was. Do you see what is there, Ed, going into your veins?"

Ed looked up at the plastic IV bag of plasma. It was nearly empty.

"I figured it wasn't tomato sauce. I guess storing my blood here ahead of time proved to be a good move. I keep waking up to this damn ceiling. You could at least hang a poster up there to break up the monotony. Don't assign that job to Alec or I'd wind up with Miss January 2001. That reminds me, how is Neil and Angel and Frances and Yolanda?"

"Worried about you. As am I. The procedure went well, Edward, in a week or so we will see how well it went."

"Yetunde, will I be normal?" Ed said somberly.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. You? Never. And anyone who knows you never wants that to change. Whether your heart will be normal I do not know, we have to wait and see."

Ed sighed, nodded.

* * *

Ed Straker was never one to tolerate much waiting and seeing. For that reason, three days later, he surreptitiously made his way in robe, pajamas and slippers to the cardiac unit. Success! No one was using the treadmills, as it was the lunch hour. So he studied the instrument panel for a moment, noting it was only a few knobs away from being as complex as one for a space capsule, hopped up on it . He snapped it on, and began to walk. His guard, who had temporarily replaced Nathaniel, stood there, bored. Ed ignored him.

After a while, something seemed wrong. They're not here, Ed thought. They aren't here to cheer me on, and worry about me, and chastise me. What a relief it is. I can just do what I want. Nobody's breathing down my neck. Nobody's saying you can't do this, you can't do that.

Damn, Ed thought. It's lonely.

I miss everyone. I've come to depend on them too much. This was how it all started. Passing out on that first test. Angel and Alec wickedly betting on whether I'd get up on this thing without help after my hip replacement. Frances yelling at them. I haven't passed out yet. That thing seems to be beeping okay.

I miss them. It's so damn lonely. Stop it Straker. You've got to find out. You've got to find out if you're okay, if you can go back to your job without keeling over at the first opportunity. You have a hell of a lot on your agenda. You need to bring Fielding to his knees. Then you need to eat crab on the Wharf and make love to your wife, providing you still know how, Ed thought with a trace of a smile. My darling Maggie. Then you need to remind Paul Foster just who really commands SHADO. I bet Henderson thought I wasn't ever getting back in the--what did I call it once? The responsibility seat. Well, this old body may have more metal in it than you'd find at a auto scrap yard, but it still has some mileage in it.

That's it, heart. You just keep beeping like that. I'm not ready to be buried yet. I may have a few wrinkles, and my hair may have gone white, but I'm Shado commander still.

What the devil got into Alec, telling Maggie everything like that, what was he-whoa! Damn! I set this thing on a incline, didn't see that coming. Okay. Okay. Piece of cake. Piece of lemon cake. Keep walking Straker. Keep walking. Keep walking. Stupid guard. I miss Nathaniel. I'll be glad when he gets back this evening.

Behind Ed, unseen by him a short distance away, Yetunde Folsade smiled and shook her head slowly. I should have known. Ah! Ah! Ah! I tell him treadmill stress test in one week, and somehow in his brain he hears three days. So he sneaks here like a little boy at night raiding the cookie jar, and he does this to prove to himself that he can. Ah, Edward. Your EKG's have all been excellent, and you're not showing any signs of tachycardia at all. Things might have been different between you and me if you hadn't marched down that aisle with Margaret. So you think you did this without anyone noticing you. I guess it never occured to you that even with Nate on break, and you sweet talking the new guard, that Alec would have every person reporting to us exactly where you were at every minute. That Alec. He would have me in his bed, wouldn't he, Edward? Well we will see. For once, the elk will run faster than the cheetah on the plains. Yetunde grinned. I am one elk that won't be brought down until I want to be. Ah! Ah! Ah! Edward. Did anyone ever tell you you have cute buttocks? If I keep thinking along these lines, I shall have to go have a cold shower. Isn't there a Christian commandment that goes something like you should not covet thy neighbour's husband? Maggie is so lucky. But then again, Yetunde thought in a almost predatory way, I am not Christian, now am I? If I didn't like Margaret so much--

Yetunde came within a few inches behind Ed, nodded to the guard. Guard barely changed expression, nodded back. I will have that dull man replaced, Yetunde decided. She stood there watching. After a few seconds, Ed slowed his walk, a strange feeling of being watched creeping over him. Ed turned his head, spotted her. She stood there, her perfect white teeth a striking contrast in her dark skin, grinning back at him. Then Ed stumbled at the shock of seeing her and she ran up to steady him, and snapped off the machine. He smelled absolutely wonderful, faintly of cologne. Now, now, Yetunde, she told herself. Behave.

"How long were you watching me?" Ed demanded, hiding his irritation at being caught. He'd finally sensed someone was behind him. He hated that it had taken him so long to realise it. His senses weren't as sharp. He shot a stare at the guard.

"I pay you to TELL me if someone is approaching me, Lieutenant Hastings! Why didn't you tell me we weren't alone?"

"I knew Dr. Folsade wasn't a threat."

"Depends on one's point of view. She once came at me with a pair of surgical clippers, " Ed muttered so only Yetunde could hear, drawing a grin from the beautiful African doctor. Then he addressed the guard again. "You're dismissed, Lieutenant. And next time, don't be so certain. You saw a woman that looked like Dr. Folsade come behind me. Being so certain you're right can have deadly consequences. Understood?" Ed snapped.

"Sorry, Commander. "

"Go, go." Ed waved dismissively at him. Young. Stupid. How were these morons passing the SHADO criteria, anyway?

"Sir, I was ordered by Colonel Free-"

"I'm countermanding those orders. I'm safe enough with Dr. Folsade." Ed said.

"Sorry, sir. Her speciality isn't protecti-"

Ed stepped back to give her room, sensing what Yetunde was going to do even before she did it. With almost bored deliberation, she judo tossed Hastings on his uniformed butt. She then smiled less than sweetly at his open-mouthed stare.

"I think Edward told you to go."

Hastings jumped to his feet, looked at Ed, but the Commander's expression wasn't reassuring. When he was gone, Ed laughed openly.

"Not bad, Folsade, not bad. When I get back to Shado, I'll need to brush up on my skills. Will you come and work out with me?"

"Just what does that require, Commander? I can think of several skills you have that I would enjoy very much working out with you."

"Yetunde?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"You're impossible. I meant judo, aikido, karate, kung fu, the arts of war, not the arts of love."

Youtunde sighed dramatically. He folded his arms and grinned at her. His robe was exactly the colour of his eyes. Ah! Ah! Ah! Margaret better drag him out on that honeymoon before I do something I will regret.

"Very well. Better me throwing you around than Foster or Alec."

"Good! Come on Yetunde. I'm starving. Buy me lunch."

"Couldn't we do something more interesting in the afternoon?" She batted her lashes at him. He rolled his eyes, grinned impishly, took her arm, and led her toward the cafeteria. She laughed .

They had just sat down at their tables when Yetunde's mobile phone buzzed.

"Get rid of them," Ed commanded through a mouthful of a meatloaf sandwich.

"Such bad habits, Edward." she chuckled.

Ed munched happily and swallowed.

"What can I tell you? I'm starved. You try eating what they serve patients in here."

"Dr. Folsade. Yes. Yes, he is. Yes, he did. What? Oh, he's with me. In the cafeteria. Talking with his mouth full. Terrible. What? Oh I will tell you when you get here. Goodbye."

"Let me guess," Ed began, snapping a kosher pickle in half, "That was Alec."

"Alec, Margaret, Neal, Frances and Angel. Yolanda went off with Chloe's mother, Nanette Polk. They seem to have hit it off while you were all having fun with Chloe."

"Let me guess. They all want my head on a stick for sneaking out? They all are worried about me?" Ed bit into one half of the pickle.

"I believe I heard Margaret say she was planning to kill you."

"In that case, Doctor, it's been nice knowing you. Listen, Yetunde--"

"You seem to be fine, Edward. All your EKG's are normal. I must have been watching you for about five minutes on that stress test, and you easily could have gone another five. You haven't had a single syncope, or tachycardia incident. I think I did good, yes? I think your Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is cured."

Ed pressed his lips together tightly so that he wouldn't break into relieved and happy tears. Then he smiled.

"Did good? I seem to remember you almost killed me, so maybe I'll have to give you a A minus."

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Don't remind me! My poor Edward!"

"Yetunde, from the bottom of my heart, tha-OW!"

Ed looked up at Mags, who had just come behind him and whacked him on the back of the head with a menu. Yetunde giggled. Alec, Angel, Frances and Neil excitedly took their seats around them. Ed smiled at all of them. My family, he thought. I have a family again.

"What the hell was that for?" he moaned innocently, pretending to be wounded.

"Horse piss! You know damn well what that was for! You have two degrees, and you don't know what a week is, Ed? A week is not three days! Moron! Imbecile! What if you'd fallen or something? What if you had had a serious heart attack?"

"I love you and miss you too, darling. Anyway, if you're so concerned, why are you attempting to give me a concussion with that menu? What is it about women always hitting me over the back of the head?"

"Huh?" Alec and Neil said at the same time.

Ed put the thought of Jo Fraser aside for the moment and smiled at Mags.

"Yetunde says I'm cured!"

"Cured? She severed one of your arteries!" Mags reached over and whacked Yetunde as well, drawing laughter from everyone. Then she leaned over and gave Ed a kiss. And gave Ed a kiss. And gave Ed a kiss. Or at least it seemed that way, to the amused onlookers.

"Blimey you two. Get a room, or something!" Neil complained.

"You shut up, shorty, I haven't kissed my husband in days. You taste like pickle, Straker." Mags told Ed.

"If you had warned me you were coming, I would have had a breath mint." Ed chuckled. "Besides, it wasn't a garlic one." Ed held up the pickle and Mags took a bite out of it. She scrunched up her face at Ed and he chuckled again, but gave her a sad look when she took it and put it on her plate. Frances laughed at her.

"This calls for a celebration!" Alec announced. He raised his bottle of ale, which he had pinched from the small refrigerator in Ed's hospital room. Ed shook his head at the Australian, amused.

"Alec, all your celebrations wind up getting my Stanley drunk." Frances said, bending and giving Ed a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, cupcake, I haven't had anything even remotely resembling liquor in weeks." Angel said. "Q-tip, you look sensational. Could stand to put on a little weight though. Go on, keep eating that lunch, don't let us interrupt you."

"So how have you liked living with the Brisbies, Neil?" Ed smiled, picking up his sandwich again after squeezing Mags hand lovingly. He began attacking it. Mags looked at him.

You take my breath away, husband. I don't know what I ever did to deserve you. How could any woman have possibly wounded you so bad? Oh Ed. I love you so much. Mags sighed a little contentedly and reached for Ed's hand. He smiled at her.

You're so beautiful. I don't ever remember feeling this way. This emotion I feel. I didn't expect to ever feel this way again. I love you, Margaret. I can't share my entire life with you, but I'll make up for the worry somehow. We'll have as much happiness as we can. Ed raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Mags took his hand again and leaned her head on his shoulder. He caught a whiff of a perfume he wasn't familar with.

"It's terrific, sir." Neil announced happily.

"Sir? We're friends. Call me Ed. Maggie, how am I going to eat with you leaning all over me? Let go of my hand, you're cutting off my circulation."

"Horse piss!" Mags complained teasingly and let go. She picked up a black olive from her plate and threw it at him. Ed dodged and it hit Frances. She chortled.

"We're actually thinking of adopting the boy, Q-tip." Angel said quietly. "I thought long and hard about your suggestion, and cupcake agrees with me. " Frances just beamed, dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief.

Neil had his mouth full of fish, and he nearly choked, drawing a grin from Alec.

Ed handed Neil a glass of water, without surprise. He looked thoughtful.

"I figured that might happen. There's the problem of Neil's father. However, knowing his particular God is the English pound, it shouldn't be too difficult to talk him into allowing it to happen." Ed pointed out. "And I have plenty of money and contacts to secure the deal."

"Are you serious? You-Ed? You told Angel to think about, you honestly--" Neil stammered. The boy's eyes flooded with tears.

"How else could I make sure you didn't hack into any of my Harlington-Straker computers?" Ed grinned.

"Sure, boy. Frances and I can't have any kids. And well, it's been like a real family having you at the house. Q-tip here put the idea into my head on the phone a couple days ago, after they moved him out of the ICU. Took us aback at first, but then we realised we just didn't want to see you go. Besides, like Q-tip said, you'd be safer with us. Fielding's going to find out what you did sooner or later." Angel said.

"More like sooner. Besides, you're my half brother. It'll be fun to pick on you." Mags grinned. She wondered briefly what the youth would think if he knew Ed himself had considered adopting him, and had reluctantly decided it wasn't in either of their best interests. Mags watched Ed look at the boy. It didn't take much to figure out how much he reminded Ed of Johnny. And Johnny was a big gaping wound in Ed's psyche, something he never quite had forgiven himself for. Some people grieved openly, and some people grieved and suffered terribly in a lonely silence, and the man she had married was one of them, Mags thought solemnly. The worst wounds, the worst scars weren't on the outside of Ed. It was with reluctance he had put the idea into Angel's head, without mentioning he longed to have a son again himself. Mags didn't give any clue of her thoughts to Neil, or the others. She went on grinning.

"Don't think it will be all that great, Neil." Alec put in. "You'll have to go to church." Alec slapped Neil heartedly on his back.

"It wouldn't hurt you to attend services sometime, mate." Angel grinned at Alec.

"I only go to weddings." Alec grinned widely.

"You only break up weddings." Ed teased.

"Really, Edward? You will have to tell me all about that," Yetunde said, sipping her water. Ed flashed a smile at her, nodded, bit into the last of his sandwich.

"There goes my love life," Alec said.

"Oh come on, Alec, you have a little black book that is the size of the British telecom phone book!" Frances complained.

Ed nearly spit up, laughing. Yetunde and Mags giggled and even Neil laughed.

Alec reached over and took Frances' hand.

"But you know the only woman in the world for me is you, my gorgeous Frances."

"I think he gets his lines from outdated film scripts," Ed said casually, while Frances and Mags giggled. Yetunde just stared.

"To think that you were trying to get me into your bed, Alec. Now you cheat on me with another man's wife?" the doctor complained.

Alec dropped Frances' hand, took Yetunde's. Ed, Mags, Neil, Angel and Frances all started to laugh.

"Did I say Frances? I meant Yetunde." Alec said.

"Life is never dull around Alec." Ed said appreciatively. Suddenly he saw Yetunde's eyes go hard. He looked behind him.

Astrid Svensson had come up to the table with Nathaniel, smiling at all of them.

"Nate was ever so kind to show me where you were, Mr. Straker. Glad to see all of you again." Svensson purred. Nate looked uncomfortable.

It was only the women at the table that noticed although Svensson greeted everyone, her eyes were solely on Ed Straker. Ed smiled his executive smile, the one he used when circumstances demanded he be polite, but he wanted to be rid of someone. Work. It had a way of ruining the few precious moments he had where he actually relaxed and had fun.

"Miss Svensson." Ed said crisply, instantly every inch the Commander, even in his robe and pajamas.

Yetunde stared at her. So this cheetah thinks she can feast on the elk? Ah! Ah! Ah! Touch Edward Straker and every person here will slit your throat!

Neil broke the tense silence.

"Hi!" he said.

Except Neil, Yetunde thought with amusement.

* * *

"Very impressive." Ed snapped off the prototype machine, and the image he'd been watching vanished. "Very realistic. So you're telling me Project Sakura is all ready to go?" Ed sipped from his coffee cup, trying to ignore the fact he was starving, and that he missed Mags. It had been paradise, finally getting to go home. Not that he'd seen much of Maggie. She'd been spending a lot of time over the Brisbies' home, helping them make the arrangements to adopt Neil and bonding with him herself, making arrangements for him to go to a university. Yolanda had been over Chloe's house with Nan and Chloe, trying to talk them into going back with her to San Francisco to live. Maggie had also been considering several psychological offices to rent space in, with the determination to go back to work. So their reunion had been brief. Reluctantly she and Ed had put off the honeymoon plans so that Ed and his team could handle Fielding.

Several SHADO operatives were gathered in Straker's office, seated at the conference table, toying with their coffee cups. One of them was Alec Freeman, who was watching Ed like a scientist watching a particularly interesting bacteria. Ed looked and seemed completely well. Foster was still technically in command, at the moment on Moonbase doing a stint there. However, the man who arose from his seat, and leaned against the wall flipping through his folder looked like a fish swimmingly happily back in the ocean of Shado HQ. Alec smiled at him and Ed nodded a fraction. Yetunde Folsade, who had observed the two men for weeks now, and gotten wise to their ways, caught the unspoken conversation. Are you okay, Ed? I've been worried about you. I'm fine, Alec. And glad to be back.

"We're all ready, Commander. All we need is for you to make that phone call to Downing Street, and we'll move in. Lieutenant Ford is already undercover at Fielding's compound, I hear he even lost a few races." Major Louis Graham grinned widely. "Bruised that skinny arse of his falling off a mare I'd bet on. Damn thing came in 9th. However, he seems to have charmed Fielding, and he's getting raves at the BBC for the free lance programme he's doing for them on racing." Graham picked up the machine, placed it into its carrying case and locked it up.

"Louis, you forget your own medical exam is due very, very soon." Yetunde Folsade purred, Graham cringed melodramatically and the group laughed in unison, even Straker. Astrid Svensson smiled politely. Yetunde and Astrid in the same room together was like being at ground zero for the countdown of a nuclear explosion, Ed thought in passing.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, we move into operation tomorrow at noon, if all goes well. You all have my utmost gratitude. However, Major Graham may have my gratitude but not my sympathy. I expect each of my operatives to back the others without complaint, no matter what the odds are out on the track. Dismissed."

The men chuckled, picked up their folders and coffee cups and filed out of the door.

"Stay, Alec, Dr. Folsade. Oh and Major Graham?"

"Yes Commander?"

"Shouldn't have bet on Life's Folly. Should have gone with Caroline's Compassion to win. I wound up with 900 pounds betting on her in that race via Internet on a tip from a acquaintance." Ed said nonchalantly. Alec guffawed. Yetunde chuckled.

"But Commander, I thought you wanted all the operatives to back the others." Graham said with a wide grin. He picked up the case gingerly.

"I said operatives. Rank has its privileges, especially when one of your friends is a cleric named Stanley Brisby who just happens to be practically an expert on horses. Besides, I contributed the lot back to his church." Ed took a sip of his light, sweet coffee.

Major Graham gave a mock scowl and went out after the others. Svensson stayed and approached Straker. Like a pair of sliding Japanese paper doors, Yetunde crossed protectively in front of Straker on one side and Freeman crossed in front on the other, in a attempt to block him from sight. Ed struggled not to laugh.

Svensson frowned.

"If I could have a word with you, Commander. The artifact I'm going to lend to you needs to be-"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it does. When it comes time to actually approach Adam Fielding, and put the plan into operation I'll consult with you about it. For now, Dr. Svensson, I want a word with Alec and Yetunde. Besides, I need to ring up someone at 10 Downing Street and ask them a little favour. Goodnight, Dr. Svensson." Ed said in a dismissive tone.

As if that wasn't enough to bruise the Swede, Folsade delivered a final blow.

"You always say my name so prettily, Edward." Yetunde cooed to the Shado Commander. Ed's eyes set on Yetunde's and the result was like she was stepping into the frozen tundra in a bikini. Alec actually turned all the way around so Svensson wouldn't see he was in hysterics. The doors closed behind the wounded Svensson.

"Damn it, Yetunde!"

"Quiet, Edward, you will burst a artery. Someone has to protect you from that barracuda. Besides, you do pronounce my name prettily."

"Are barracuda native to Sweden?" Alec asked innocently, getting a tumbler from the top of the drink dispenser.

"Maybe I'll throw you in a tank full of them and you can ask them yourselves." Ed promenaded over to his desk, threw his folder down on it with a audible snap and got out his little memo-address book from the inside pocket of his cobalt blue Nehru suit. It hung a little loose on him, the Nigerian doctor noticed. Ed slid into his chair.

"Have you had dinner yet, Edward?" Folsade said meaningfully.

"I promised Maggie I'd come home for dinner tonight. Besides, I have to get out of here before Henderson finds out I'm back." Ed leafed through his address book.

"Honestly, Ed, you need to upgrade to a Palm Pilot, " Alec said, filling the tumbler halfway with bourbon. He lifted it to his lips and deftly Yetunde snatched it out of his hand and placed it back on the bar. Alec gawked at her. Ed started to chuckle, watching the two of them exchange stares

"You've had enough." Yetunde said.

"You keep bugging me about my drinking, I may need more." Alec grumbled.

"I see someone's looking after your health, Alec. Now that's a full time job." Ed commented as she poured Alec some coffee and handed that to him instead. He noted with interest that Alec accepted it. "Anyway, you two love birds, out of here. I have a phone call to make and plans to settle before I can get home."

"Love birds?" Alec grumbled. "More like sparring partners."

"Come on, I might as well buy you dinner before you get it out of a bottle." Yetunde said sweetly. "Good luck on the project, Edward."

"Thanks. Good luck on converting Alec to sobriety." Ed grinned. He watched them go out, still arguing. Interesting. It's all over HQ that they're a item and I've only been back at work three days getting this Sakura business mapped out, Ed mused. They make a good couple, but I'm not sure I could take two mother hens cackling over me. Alec's bad enough. I wonder if she's the one that is going to finally march my best friend down the aisle. Ed smiled warmly. He reached for the phone, and it rang.

"Straker."

"It's me Commandah, I have your car all ready. I'm thinking Mrs. Strakah would like to see ya home early."

"Hi Nathaniel. I should be out of here within, oh a half hour or so. Do me a favor will you? Ring up Maggie and let her know."

"You got it, Commandah."

"Thanks." Ed hung up and opened the memo-address book read off a number. He punched in the number without consulting Miss Ealand to do it for him .

"Yes. This is Ed Straker. Tell him I am on the line. He's expecting me. Ed Straker, yes, that's right. Harlington Straker Studios exec. I'll wait." Ed put the memo-address book back inside his jacket, and sipped his coffee. He made a face, it had gone cold. Within a few seconds, someone responded.

"Hi yourself. Yes, yes, it's been a long time. Congraduations on the baby. Now, look, I need a favor. I need you to make arrangements for me."

* * *

Margaret Fielding Straker wrapped her arms around her husband as he lie asleep in bed next to her. She listened to his breathing the way a person might listen to a symphony. Only less than an hour ago, she had jumped up with enthusiasm, and planted a kiss on his lips when he'd finally turned up.

"You shouldn't have waited up for me, sweetheart."

"Did you have dinner at the studio?" Mags peeled his slightly damp jacket off of him, as it was raining, and even in the short jaunt from his car to his flat door, he'd managed to get drenched. She hung it up.

"Long night, I was involved in a business meeting, we're trying to take over some small independent studios in the States. I slaved for hours over a hot video conference call. Sorry I'm so late. Dinner? What's dinner?" Ed flashed a smile at her.

"Ed Straker, I swear, you need someone taking care of you 24/7. Now get undressed and into your pajamas, and I'll reheat the stew I made for us. And if you keep working, and trying to survive on only coffee, I'm going to do some serious damage to you. And if anything's left of you, I'll throw your unworthy carcass to Yetunde."

"You're an angel. So how did it go today?" Ed traced a finger down her cheek, and nuzzled her neck gently. Mags grinned.

"That isn't going to work, Straker. So turn off the charm. I found a great suite of offices to work in, and I'll begin seeing patients when we get back from San Francisco. You do remember San Francisco, don't you?"

"I need to handle things with your father before I go off buying overpriced souvenirs in the city by the bay. Ummm. You smell good." Ed nuzzled her neck again.

"Damn you, Straker, I am not letting-I know perfectly well that you're-Jesus, Ed!"

Mags lie in bed, still listening to Ed breathe, taking in the faint citrus scent of his body, and remembering how neither of them had ever gotten to tasting the stew. Her husband had obviously been hungry for something else besides stew meat and potatoes and carrots. She smiled at him, reached across and gently stroked his hair. He muttered something in his sleep and curled against her. Horse piss, she thought. I never listened to all that drivel about religion they taught me in the orphanage, but this--this has to be heaven. Mags looked at the slim body interlocked with hers. It was damned difficult to know that the man next to her was fairly close to having another birthday that would place him right smack in the middle fifties bracket. Yes, there were lines where before there hadn't been. And yes, the wiry body held scars from surgeries, and injuries she couldn't begin to guess at. When the almost electric blue eyes were fixed on her, and the distinctive voice resonated throughout any room he might be in, and the perfectly shaped, sensitive mouth pulled into a playful, slightly curled line, all she could think of was heaven. His lovemaking had been demanding, yet sweet, tender, yet all encompassing. It had taken her a while to come to orgasm, and he had reached his before her, moaned urgently and appreciatively, and then teased her by saying that was how it was done, and would she please keep up. He had collapsed into laughter when she had hit him, and then, dear God, he had driven her halfway up off the bed with the quiet promise that he would take care of things for her. She had a vague memory of wailing like the undead as he had delivered on his promise. Somehow, she thought with a wicked grin, that was probably not a side of Ed Straker that many saw. She found it difficult to believe that this often impossible man, who now was lightly snoring, belonged to her.

But when he had not called, had not shown up when he said he would, and the skies of England had gotten darker, and the clock had come closer to eleven, she had wondered. She had wondered if she would get that call. She imagined it would come from Alec. I'm sorry, Margaret, he's gone from us. And getting that call would be like someone had blotted out the sun for all time. And she and Alec, and yes, Yetunde, and everyone else, would lie him in the earth, next to the son he had so loved, and yet unselfishly allowed to die.

For the unbelievably sexy, fucking stubborn, moronic, helpless man next to her didn't belong to her after all. He belonged to Shado. And while you could compete with another woman, you couldn't compete with that kind of passion. He didn't belong to her, no, not really. It had taken her a long time to figure out whether she had wanted to know what he actually did on those long nights. Then she had been grateful for Alec not resigning her to unknowing bliss with the point of a needle. She had been grateful he had lied to Ed, even with the risks that decision involved. However, each day after that horrid day they'd all waited to know whether Ed would ever open his eyes, and Alec had told her who Ed was, she had wondered.

How long? How long before the true passion in his life means we all have to bury him? Mags sobbed softly, and wiped her face with the back of her hand, trying not to disturb his sleep. How could she ever let this beautiful man disappear out that door again? How could she not scream at him, oh God, don't go. Live with me. Put down the burden you've been carrying. Forget the threat. Why must it be you? Oh Ed, why must it be you? How long do we have, before those monsters hurt you? Fuck Shado! Live! Live with the ones who love you!

Stop it Mags girl. It's part of him. If you love him, then you love him. Stop longing for what can't be. Be grateful that he is here now, be grateful he loves you.

Was it a curse or a blessing, those words Alec had told her? Commander Edward Straker, not just Ed. The man who wedged himself between the world and the aliens. Aliens! Fuck! Real ones! Not images out of a science fiction movie. Real monsters, who stole organs, who had taken away Ed's chance at a normal life. Mags shuddered, drew closer to Ed. No wonder Alec guarded Ed. He knew. He knew the tremendous responsibility her gentle, sometimes even frail husband carried in the palm of his hand. Dear God, if there is such a thing. Don't let him be hurt. I don't only ask for me. I ask for all of us who love him.

The telephone shrilled and made her jump. Not surprisingly, it woke Ed.

"What time is it?" he asked sleepily. Not waiting for an answer, he picked up the telephone.

Mags got up, reached for Ed's robe and drew it around his naked body. He smiled at her.

Heaven.

"Straker. Oh hi , Stanley. Wake me? No, no, I was reading. Hmm? When? Why? Yes. Okay. Oh sure, I'm sure he just was enjoying himself a little too much, heh. Sure I will. I'll call you on the mobile. Goodbye." Ed replaced the telephone, and padded naked over to the wardrobe and pulled things out of it. Mags quietly admired his rear end with a wistful sigh. He looked back at her, chuckled, guessing her thoughts.

"Stop ogling me, naked wife. Get dressed. No time for showers."

"Why, where are we going at 1:35 am, naked husband?"

"That was Stanley. Neil borrowed their car to go pick up some things at his father's house, and say his final good-byes. That was around ten thirty or so. He never got back. They're worried about him. When are they going to realise he's just a kid, and hardly seems old enough to reach the steering wheel? Even a cleric's son needs some slack on the old rope. First car he'd ever driven. Most likely he took it for a joy ride. Police probably picked him up. Kid driving a car that's bigger than him, and underage as well. Neil looks like a baby. Or is that because I am as ancient as time, and Neil looks a lot younger to me? Anyone looks a lot younger than me nowadays!" Ed grinned, as he pulled on y-fronts and jeans.

"Stop being stupid, you aren't old." Mags said, struggling into her bra and panties reluctantly.

"Thank you, thank you--what was your name again? And what's the name of this retirement home? OW!" Ed added, as she slapped his rear hard enough to smart and handed him his t-shirt and a sweater.

They were halfway to Neil's home when Ed got a call on his car phone. A light rain was falling, and the interior of the car seemed chilled even though the heater system was on. Mags was fiddling with the radio dial in the car, and Ed thought fleetingly of Johnny, how he had done the same.

"When are you going to get a decent sound system in this jalopy, Ed?" Mags said. Ed gave her a look, and picked up the phone.

"Straker."

"Oh God, Edward, oh God, oh God!" a woman's voice said, clearly hysterical. Mags frowned, even she could hear it, it was so shrill and loud..

"Frances? Is that you? What's wrong?" Ed said in growing alarm. "Frances? Frances?" There was a shuffling sound, and then Angel's voice echoed in his ear.

"Q-tip. The police are here. They traced our license plate. We're at Neil's home, the authorities came for-can you please come? "

"I'm roughly six minutes away. What's happened?" Ed's face hardened into its customary work mask. Mags swallowed.

"I think you should just come. " There was a click, and Ed stared at the phone as if it were an armed enemy.

"What happened?"

Ed did not reply, he just punched another number into the phone. Several seconds passed. Mags reached over and squeezed Ed's shoulder lightly in support, but he didn't react. She bit her lip.

"Hullo?" a voice finally answered.

"Alec. I need you. Neil's house. Now. Something's going down." the Shado commander said, his words like a blade.

"Have I ever told you that your timing stinks like a rotten egg under the outback sun, Ed?" Alec groaned. Ed heard a soft, familiar feminine chuckle over the line.

"That Folsade? Bring her." Ed hung up.

Alec stared at the phone grimly.

"Wants you too, Yetunde. Sounds like something bad. Might want to bring your bag."

"When it involves Edward, it always is, ah ah ah! Shall we go?"

The something bad was clearly evident to Alec Freeman when he arrived. Thick black smoke continued to rise into the sky, and still the flames crackled, enveloping the small house like a lover's arms. Two fire trucks were parked nearby, their fire crews gallantly fighting a battle they knew they would not win. Alec's car screeched to a halt, and he and the Nigerian physician got out and headed for the small group of onlookers. Most of them Alec knew all too well. Even in the melee of sounds, he could hear Frances half screaming, half sobbing, Angel barely able to hold her in his arms. Behind them, stood an ambulance. Two bodies were being shoved into the back of it by emergency attendants.

"Oh, blessed Olorun, no, not this!" Yetunde muttered. Alec was less elegant.

"Fuck."

Both of them came nearer. Yetunde composed herself and went directly to Frances, bringing out a tranquilizer from her medical bag while Alec looked pitifully at Angel, who was in shock.

"Said there was no chance. Said his father had probably gotten drunk, passed out and dropped a cigarette, never felt a thing . They think Neil rushed in unthinkingly to save his father when he saw the place afire, because the engine of the car was still running. God rest their souls. God rest their souls. Look after my wife, please, doctor? She's lost a son. Ink wasn't dry on the certificate. He was so proud. Neil Brisby. Our son." Angel muttered.

Alec said nothing, laid a hand on Angel's back, as the cleric finally was able to sob. Yetunde was leading a subdued Frances toward his car, while Mags, who had been talking to the police, nodded to indicate she was holding up all right. Her eyes were reddened with tears. Alec squeezed her hand, showed his ID to an officer. Her mouth opened slightly and formed the word Ed. Alec nodded, and went toward the ambulance.

"Sir, yes, I recognize your credentials, but it isn't a pretty picture--" one of the attendants was saying.

"Get the bloody hell out of my way." Alec heard Ed say. Before Alec could stop him, Ed had unzipped the body bag on the shorter, unmoving form enough to see what had once been the face of Neil Coates. Involuntarily, Ed gasped, and then took a step backwards, bumping into Alec. Then he composed himself, and slowly and and reverently closed the bag up. He balled his fists, and walked a short distance away. Alec watched him sadly.

"If its any consolation, I don't think the lad suffered much. Smoke must have knocked him out before the flames took him." the attendant said to Alec, and then glanced over at Ed.. "Sorry about that, I warned him. Bloody minded. Had to see the boy for himself. You know him?"

Alec kept on looking at Ed's back.

"I know him."

* * *

Everyone was downstairs on the morning of the funeral service, quiet, subdued. Ed stood in the doorway of the small room where Neil Coates had slept in, looking around. Ed recalled the small newspaper article that marked his passing.

Youth, 15, dies tragically in accidental fire, it had said. It had gone on to account how authorities believed the boy had seen the flames and rushed in to try and save his father, and how Right Reverend Stanley Brisby and his wife Frances Brisby had just finalized their intent to adopt the youth. It had gone on to say the boy had lost his mother to suicide some years earlier, and that the father had been known to have a drinking problem.. The press had gotten statements from Angel, about how God took home early the souls He loved the most. Frances had declined to say anything.

Ed knew that in the three days after the death, Frances had screamed again and again how she would never believe again in God, or anything holy. She had been inconsolable. She and Angel had had the first real fight over the crisis of faith in their thirty odd years of marriage. Nothing was healed, and Angel had told Ed in private she was even talking divorce. Moreover, Maggie's attempts to help her with grief counseling had come to naught. And Alec had unknowingly injured Ed by reminding him that Neil had longed to be just like him. A hero. Alec had pointed out that he had tried to save a man who didn't care whether the boy lived or died. That he was more like you than he'll ever know.

More like me than he'll ever know. Dead. About to be buried in a few hours. And in the little room was all that remained of a sensitive spirit. Ed had intensively wanted to find out that Adam Fielding had had something to do with the death, but all investigation indicated nothing remotely supported that possibility. Ed had also read in that same paper of the Gas Leak At Fielding Property, of how freelance BBC reporter Keith Ford had been doing a special there, even riding in silks, and had fallen unconscious along with several animals and countless numbers of Fielding's workers, and had to be taken to hospital. The entire property had had to be abandoned and several technicians had gone in to find the leaks. Naturally, Ed was one of the few who knew there was no leak, and that the whole incident was a way Major Graham and his pals had added some high tech equipment to Adam Fielding's private office. Project Sakura stage one was an success. Stage two was his to carry out. And yet the success wasn't sweet, with Neil Coates dead. He would never see justice be done for his mother, and Maggie's. And yet maybe he's with his mother now, Ed thought. Ed looked at a colorful poster on the wall. It gave Neil something bright to look at as he crouched over the Apple computer, and designed a web site for Angel's church. But now the computer was silent.

No one had even wanted to go upstairs and gather his things. Ed had finally volunteered, and Maggie was so upset she hadn't even protested much.

Ed looked over at a bright red stuffed toy rabbit. Fifteen, Ed thought. Going on four. How could he forget the zealous young man who had come into his hospital room, defiant, and then sobbed broken heartedly that Adam Fielding had killed his mum. Gone now. Gone.

Ed shook his head. Did they really want him to try and convince Frances Brisby that there was a God? A God that had done that kind of damage to the young, cocky, earnest Neil Coates' face? Ed put all of it out of his mind fiercely and started to gather up Neil Coates' belongings, and put them in a cardboard box.

After a few minutes, it was done, and all that remained was to gather up Neil's music CD's. Ed frowned at one, examined it closer. It was stuck with Elton John and Phil Collins and more current artists' CD's, but it was labelled differently. PRIVATE!! TOP SECRET!!! THIS MEANS YOU! PROPERTY OF N. COATES GREENTEETH!!!

Ed smiled slightly. Yes, that would discourage anyone from reading the contents, all right. There was something familar about the expression Greenteeth that Ed couldn't quite recall. Ed looked at it for a moment, intrigued, and then booted up the computer, and stuck it in the drive. The password box came up. Ed tried several combinations of words and numbers, to no avail. Then he went downstairs, got his attache case, came back up, took his own laptop out, and inserted the CD-ROM into it after powering down Angel's Apple. The password box came back up, Ed punched in a command on the keyboard to decrypt it, and within seconds letters popped into place.

S-T-R-A-

Oh my God, Ed thought. But yes. There it was. Neil had used Ed's name as a password.

S-T-R-A-K-E-R.

And Ed settled back in his chair, laptop resting on his knee as the password box vanished and in its place rolled text. Lines and lines and lines of text. Ed had eyes for only the title.

PRIVATE DIARY OF GREENTEETH!! AKA NEIL COATES.

Ed began to read.

Ed had almost gotten to the end when Frances' voice interrupted him.

"Edward, we're leaving, better get your coat, it's started to rain again."

"Is it true, Frances?" Ed removed the cd-rom from his computer, shut it down, put everything back in place. He slid the cd-rom inside his jacket.

"Is what true?" she replied wearily.

"You're seriously thinking of divorcing Angel?"

"This isn't the time to talk about it, Edward."

"On the contrary, it is the time to talk about it. Talk about how damn selfish you've been. Feeling sorry for yourself. It's like you're the one who died, not Neil."

"What-what?"

"Nothing wrong with your hearing. You know, I just finished reading Neil's journal. One of the things he loved about you and Angel was your devotion to one another. The way your faith sustained you, no matter what happened. Now you want to throw all that away."

"What am I supposed to think? You tell me, Edward! That boy burned to death! How can I deny that God's hand was in it?" Frances snapped. Ed got up from the chair, slid his name plate back in place, gripped the attache's handle, looked into her eyes.

"By remembering that before Neil died, he had all of us, he had our love. He had my promise that I will bring Adam Fielding down on his knees. I intend to keep that promise. God had a hand in all that as well, Frances. You need to remember that the fire that killed him could have happened anytime. You have to stay together for the sake of your son. I know what the pain feels like, Frances. You know that I do. It just occurs to me that you have to come together with Stanley and share the grief instead of adding to it. God hasn't changed, nor has your faith, Frances. You've changed. You. Come on, we'll be late for the service."

Ed felt her intense gaze on him, but she said nothing. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Angel looked up at them inquiringly. Ed was impassive. Frances crossed to Angel and slid her hand into his. Tears filled his eyes. Maggie smiled at Ed. Ed smiled back, although it wasn't a smile from the heart. She moved her mouth to form the words I love you.

However, his mind remained on what he had read. He suddenly remembered greenteeth, and what it meant. Finally, understanding coaxed his lips into parting a little with real emotion.

The light rain was still falling as Angel made the sign of the cross over Neil's coffin as they laid it in the freshly dug earth. Angel was saying that Neil was a hero for the millenium, that he had tried to rescue his father, but that he had already rescued the congregation by putting together the Book Of Common Prayer for them on the computer so that the copies they held became reality. Angel offered the thought that http was probably old Latin meaning Satanic language, and Neil had managed to coax something pure and good from it. Frances chuckled at Angel through her tears, holding on to his hand. The service ended. It made Maggie look back to see how Ed was. Ed wasn't there. Maggie looked in confusion at Angel and Frances .

"Angel?"

"It is all right, he said there was somewhere he had to go," Angel whispered. "I made Nate go with him, so he can't get himself into too much trouble. Try not to worry, Maggie." he said.

"Horse piss. My husband decides to go off without telling anyone where he's going and why, and I'm not supposed to worry?" she yelled loudly, causing quite a few funeral guests to give her a look. Maggie plucked the oversized, veiled hat that Frances had lent her to wear, and shoved it at Frances. Then she trudged away through fresh mud, after kicking off her high heels and went up to Alec and Yetunde. Angel looked at his wife.

"Not very Christian of her, was it?" he said softly.

"No, darling. It wasn't. But she loves Edward. The way I love you." Frances wept. "God, I've been horrid to you, haven't I? Oh Stanley, we'll get through this, won't we?"

"Everything will be all right now. God's taken my son, but he's given my Cupcake back to me." Angel held Frances hard against him, indifferent to the glances of the people around them.

"You know, Commandah Strakah, Maggie's goin' to be layin' down the line to you for goin' off."

"I know, I know. Nathaniel, you're not on duty, you can call me Ed."

"I can't think of you as a Ed. Sorry sir." Nathaniel shrugged. Ed rolled his eyes, and shoved the lock on the battered door closed. It had plenty of graffiti scrawled on it to keep any urban anthropologist busy for months, Ed noted. He shifted the backpack he was carrying. The two of them had stopped at quite a few stores before coming to the deserted part of the East end.

"You ever have a secret clubhouse in a tree, Nate? A place where you met with your friends, shared secrets, became blood brothers, vowed eternal friendship and loyalty? Gawked at pornographic magazines your mother would have killed you for if she found out about it?" Ed chuckled. Nate's mouth fell open. Ed stared at him. "I didn't say I personally did that, of course. Okay, looks like this thing will hold. And you can put the gun away Nate, I don't expect these kids to be wielding anything more dangerous than a stolen computer chip and a coke can. This way. Try to keep quiet."

With that, Ed led the way around to the front door of the abandoned warehouse, and followed by Nate, he entered. He put up a hand for Nate to stop, pointed at a tripwire attached to an piece of lumber with nails in it, and carefully unbaited the bzyantine alarm system. Then he and Nate moved inside like mice in Nikes.

"That bastard Fielding did it if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you, Devon. Why can't you shut up?"

"Are we just gonna sit here and let them kill us one by one?"

"Shit, we can't do that. We gotta tell the cops."

"No way, man, they'd just throw us in gaol. Policeman ain't gonna believe no kid."

"Can't believe he's dead, just can't. Nobody could kill Greenteeth, man! He always beat the bad guys! Greenteeth was wicked! He rules, man."

"Oh fuck Devon, that's just a damn comic book. Neilly's really dead. Really dead, man, burned up with that creep of a Dad he had."

"That's what you get when you trust the other side. Trust the word of a priest. And that other guy. The studio guy that Neil made up all those stories about. What was his name?"

"Straker." Ed Straker said with quiet amusement.

"Yeah. Straker. HEY! FUCK! BUSTED! BUSTED! RUN!!" Crates and folding chairs were overturned and computer equipment clanked to the floor, and six kids, ranging from nine to seventeen years all raced for the back door.

Which, of course, was locked. Ed held up the key on a rotting string which he had gotten from underneath a rock outside. Six pairs of eyes opened wide in terror, and the oldest clenched his teeth, and made a run straight for Ed Straker. Ed executed a dancer's side step, and the seventeen year old hit somewhere below Nathaniel Zouri's waist. The kid looked up. And up. And up. Nate was taller than him. Nate smiled, showing even white teeth. The kid started backing away from Nate as if Nate was King Kong and he was Fay Wray.

"I wouldn't be doin' that again. Nobody touches Strakah." Nate said pleasantly.

"What are ya gonna do? Burn us all to death the way you did Neilly? Go ahead, you fucking scum. We're not afraid." the female said. Ed recalled her name was Beryl.

"Shit! I am! Speak for yourself!"

"Oh can it, Devon!"

"Any coke left?" Ed asked casually.

"Hey, we don't do any drugs here! Everybody's clean!"

"I know, Devon. I meant soda. Your favourite is strawberry, isn't it?" Ed opened his backpack and drew out a can of strawberry soda.

"Shit! Shit! He's the government!! It's like on X-files, they know everything, man!"

Devon ran over to Beryl, hugged her and broke down and cried. Ed remembered he was the youngest, and the most imaginative. Right now, he was the most scared.

"I'm not from the government. I was Neil's friend. Come on, sit down, there are some things I have to tell you."

"Some friend you are. Let Neilly burn like that." Devon said, holding Beryl tightly. Ed bit his lip.

"There wasn't anything I could do about what happened, Devon. You know who Stanley and Frances are. Neil told them he wanted to go see his Dad one last time, and against their better judgement, they let Neil drive their estate wagon even though Neil was underage. I suspect they wanted some time to themselves. Stanley called me when Neil didn't come home. I was as shocked and as crushed about what happened as anyone. As any of you."

"Bull! We know not to trust cops!"

"Hush Danny, let him talk."

"Thank you Beryl. I know all of you now. Beryl, Danny, Devon, Simon, Lee, and Victor, the eldest. I was putting away Neil's things. I came upon his journal. I brought it for all of you. I brought a few more things as well. I know Neil fancied himself your Greenteeth. I didn't know why Greenteeth seemed so familar, but then later I realised it was a comic book character. The publishing company had shot their advertisement at my studio. If you let me, I'll be your greenteeth, Devon."

"Why should we trust you, Straker?" Victor said, still watching Nate.

"Here's Neil's journal. Read it. Maybe somewhere in there, you'll find an answer. Now, I don't know about all of you, but I'm starving and I'm going to sit down and have a sandwich. Nate, would you do the honours? Oh and Victor, please call me Ed."

"That thing could just be fake, government man," Devon insisted, but he took the can of strawberry soda and ham sandwich Ed handed him a little too eagerly for Beryl's liking. She refused hers.

"Even Greenteeth would have had to agree that I wouldn't have had any way to check that everything on that cd-rom was true and then add the parts that I wanted you to read. And Devon? I was an Air Force colonel once, as I know Neil told you, but I wouldn't classify myself as a government man. "

Victor stuck the cd-rom in the drive of the computer that he had knocked over trying to get out. Miraculously the somewhat battered monitor hadn't gotten smashed, but he had to reconnect several plugs into it to get it to boot up.

"He trusted you. You were his hero. Did that mean anything to you?" Lee said. He was thirteen, Asian, and to put a lie to the stereotype, Ed recalled, initially wouldn't have known what a mouse was if it had bit him. Neil had befriended him and invited him to join their group, and Lee learned to program his own games in a short time.

"A lot, Lee. I admired Neil's courage, if not his hacking." Ed smiled. "I suggested that my friends, the Brisbies, adopt him."

"He used to pretend he was your son. We all told him he was crazy." Simon said. Something in Ed's face made Simon go silent. "He made up stories about you. Said you went off hunting for your mate when you were sick. Said you pissed off everybody, risked your life. Nobody believed it, we knew Neilly made up his own Greenteeth stories, and he mixed up reality and fantasy. We didn't even think you were a real person at first."

"Mr. Coates wasn't tellin' a tall tale, believe you me, Mr. Simon. Strakah upped and went lookin for his best friend when everybody had given up his friend for dead. Greenteeth may be a funnies character, but Mr. Strakah is real." Nate smiled.

"No funnin? Wow!" Devon said. Ed chuckled.

"Well we government men have to do that sort of thing, it's written in our contracts." Ed intoned gravely. Devon's eyes widened and then Ed chuckled, and he caught on.

"Hey! Now you're funnin me. Quit it. Why does everybody pick on me?"

"Maybe because you're smallest, or maybe cause it's in their contracts," Nate suggested. Ed flashed a grin at the Jamaican.

"I'm gonna be the biggest someday." Devon insisted.

"Keep believing it, Devon. I was as small as you. Short, skinny kid growing up in Boston with a funny accent. I grew up and joined the Air Force, and I became--"

"A tall skinny man in the Air Force. Horse piss, Ed, when are you going to learn we're in this marriage together, you jerk." a familar voice said from behind Ed. Yetunde, Alec and Maggie had come in. Maggie whacked Ed on the arm with her handbag. Ed stared at her, and then it dawned on him.

"How the devil did you--? Nathaniel Zouri--"

"Sorry, Mistah Strakah. I was bein' more afraid of Miss Maggie than I was of you, so I used the mobile to tell them where you was while you were shoppin' for the food."

"Nate?"

"Sir?"

"You're fired."

"Yes, sir." Nate grinned.

"Who are all these kids?" Yetunde said, and moved instinctively to Devon. "Ah ah ah, you, don't you ever clean your face?" Devon pouted back up at her, but was clearly smitten, a fact that Alec didn't overlook. Ed smiled.

"A long story. Give me that offending mobile of yours, Maggie, I'm going to ask Stanley and Frances if she could take on six more for supper." Ed paused. "That is, if you all will trust me?"

They looked at one another. In the end it was Beryl who nodded for them. Ed smiled warmly and took Maggie's Nokia.

"I'm not sitting next to this one until he bathes." Yetunde pointed to Devon. He stuck out his tongue at her, and only Ed prevented her from cutting it off and shoving it down his throat.

Later that night, Margaret Fielding Straker held her husband close. He stared at the ceiling of his bedroom.

"You awake?"

"Can't sleep."

"Thinking about all those kids, huh?"

"Not a one hasn't been neglected or abused or wronged in one way or another. Not a one eats on a regular basis, or is educated, or-"

"Ed, you aren't thinking of adopting all those kids, are you?" Maggie grinned. He grinned back, turned on his side, toyed with her hair.

"The thought had crossed my mind. Neil's intention was to be like Greenteeth, and give them all a happy ending somehow. I want to do that. Feeding the lot of them was a start. But I have a long way to go. However, I talked to Stanley and Frances about Beryl and Devon."

"Oh Jesus, Ed, aren't you going to try and talk them into adopting the whole group?"

"I'm not that devious." Ed grinned.

"Surrrrrrrrre you're not. So why those two?"

"They're the two runaways. I did some checking before dinner. Devon Culver has parents who isn't exactly the nuturing, loving type. They treat him like he's nothing more than a nuisance. Beryl Adams' parents are dead. She's a runaway from an orphanage. Reminds me a lot of you."

"I heard her pal little Devie screaming in the Brisby bathtub after Alec threw him in at the request of Yetunde," Maggie giggled.

"Yeah, well Devon did have quite a coat of dirt on him. Even the others agreed about that. Plus I couldn't protect him from her brand of discipline forever," Ed chuckled. "I trust the lavender bubble bath didn't harm anything but his pride."

"Well he obviously needs parenting, but why Beryl? Of the bunch of them, she seems the most grounded, the most able to take care of herself."

"I happen to agree. All evening she was the brave one who challenged me the most. She also is the one who misses Neil terribly, and that's understandable. They all looked up to him and loved him, idolized him, but she loved him." Ed said quietly.

"You talking romantic love?" Mags said in surprise.

"Kids grow up faster nowadays than we did. You know that."

"I get the feeling you're holding out on me, Ed."

"About Beryl? Yes. Can't keep much from you and your partner in crime Nathaniel. And don't think I'm not firing him." Ed grinned.

" Sure. You threaten to fire him every week. So give. Why single pigpen Devon and distrustful Beryl out?"

"Devon, well, because he's the most like Neil. Beryl? Because I thought Frances and Angel might like to adopt the girl who is carrying Neil's baby."

"WHAT?"

"Neil wrote about it in his journal. He said it was the most wonderful night in his life, when they became lovers. They were both virgins, it was the first time for both of them. Children, Maggie. Two children. They were planning on getting married soon as he got a job and made something of himself, but the two of them never told the others."

"Does she know you know?"

"I took her aside with the pretense of asking about Devon. She was shattered that I'd found out. She cursed me quite a bit, said it wasn't any of my business. I just listened to her. Then she began to cry, and I held her until she got it out of her system, helped her to calm down, and told her I'd take care of things. At first she screamed at me thinking I was going to force her to have an abortion. I said no, but I thought Stanley and Frances should know. I reminded her that it wouldn't be a secret soon.When you all showed up at their hangout, Victor hadn't finished reading Neil's journal. So when they all do, they'll find out. I expect they'll all know by morning. I'll leave it to you to help them sort everything out."

"I'll try. You go to face my Dad on Friday, don' t you?"

"Yes. Nathaniel and I. " Ed smiled. "Can't get another green giant of a Jamaican guard on such short notice, so I guess I'll keep him a while longer."

"I'm worried, Ed. Even with Nate there, I'm worried. You can be so stupid sometimes. You wouldn't go and do something as stupid as get yourself killed, would you?"

"Not if you're going to act at my funeral the way I hear you did at Neil's. Yeow! Quit hitting me!"

"Horse piss , Ed Straker! You never take anything seriously! Every time you walk out that damn door I think you're coming back to me in a coffin, can't you understand that? Oh why did I have to go and fall in love with a man who--well, you're--I'm afraid you'll get hurt, that's all!" she chewed on her lip. Horse piss, Mags girl! Shut up! You can't let him know you know, you stupid twerp!

Ed looked at her curiously. He'd been stroking her hair, but now he stopped, and pulled the blankets up around them. His smile had a funny edge to it.

"You worry too much, wife. Go to sleep. Dream about San Francisco. " Ed kissed her cheek lightly and laid back down, closed his eyes.

"Good night, husband," Maggie sighed.

There was no answer. Ed's breathing was steady and even. After a while Mags fell asleep.

Several minutes later, as awake as he had been at the start of the conversation, Ed Straker opened his eyes and stared at his ceiling again.

God damn it, he thought. She knows. Alec and Yetunde never gave her that shot. She knows. Christ! How stupid could that Australian get? I listen to her for ten seconds, and its as clear as crystal. She always thought I did something secret. I just laughed it off. Now that she knows what I do, what now? How could they do this to me, damn it? Put me in this position?

Ed turned to glare at Maggie. She muttered something in her sleep and drew nearer to him, settled down. Damn it, she's so precious, so beautiful. Damn it, Straker. You know you suspected this all along. You know that you're--yes, yes, damn it, relieved. You're sick of lying. I have to confront them, and drive home to them how important security is. At the point of a needle. I'll take care of this. I just need to think about how I'll do it. Ed lowered his covers, got out of bed, put on his robe and padded barefoot into the living room. He looked at an alabaster egg on the table for a moment, deep in thought.

Some moments later, his expression was grim, and he picked up his telephone.

The next morning, Alec and Yetunde and Maggie and Ed sat around after supper, eating waffles. Alec was talking about Paul Foster was having problems with one of the art directors on a new series. The woman kept insisting on purchasing new props, and having walls painted and repainted. Both Maggie and Alec had noticed that Yetunde and Ed seemed tense.

"Okay, Ed. I know you. There's something bothering you, and I want to know what it is." Alec said, setting down his spoon. "Yetunde hasn't hardly said a word to me all day, so I figure she knows what's going on. Does it have something to do with those kids?"

"The kids will be fine, Alec. They've taken to the Brisbies, as a matter of fact. It was understandably something of a shock to them to find out Beryl was two months pregnant with Neil's child, and I think they had the feeling they'd be separated. But Angel talked to all of them, and he promised them that the situations in their life would improve, and that they'd be all right. Angel said things were already looking up, Devon had actually volunteered to take a bath that morning." Ed smiled a little. His door buzzed, and Ed looked at his Certina wristwatch. "That would be Nathaniel Zouri. Punctual, our Nate."

"I didn't know you'd invited him over, Ed. Shall I break out the maple syrup again?" Mags said, getting up.

"Nate's allergic to maple syrup. Besides, he isn't staying long. I just asked him to deliver something. No, I'll get the door." Ed told Mags. Nate came in, looking pained, but he handed a bag to Ed. Ed nodded.

"You know what to do, Zouri."

"You sure you want to do this, Sir?" Nate said, almost desperately.

"He doesn't have a choice. Or so he informed me," Yetunde said mournfully.

"Maggie. Come here." Ed said. It was his command tone.

"What the hell is this all about?" Alec said as Maggie crossed over to Ed. Suddenly Yetunde grabbed her and she screamed. Ed set the bag on the table and took a needle and syringe out of it. Maggie tried to say something, to form words but nothing came out.He filled it, pressed the plunger until a stream of fluid came out. Alec flew up, but Nate grabbed and restrained him, and his struggle was brief. Nathaniel Zouri was one of the few men who could take Alec Freeman, and both men knew it. So did Commander Ed Straker, who looked on calmly. Ed took the needle and held it over Maggie's arm, avoiding her gaze, then deftly injected her with it. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out. Ed didn't wait to watch her fall, but crossed to Alec, intent clear.

"For God's sake Ed! She wasn't a security risk! Have you gone mad? Zouri, you bastard, let me go! That's a order!"

"Sorry, Freeman but I only take orders from the Commandah."

"You knew what you did was wrong. I'm sorry, Alec. Our friendship has meant a great deal to me, but I live my life by the book, and I can't let you tear a few pages out because you want to help me. Breaking security was wrong. I have to let you go."

"I don't believe you!! This is some kind of a joke! You'd never do this to me! Ed, for God's sake, don't do this! Yetunde, don't let him! You can't let him!" Alec yelled.

"I'm so sorry, Alec. I am next. I am as much to blame, ah ah ah, this is the darkest day in my life. But Edward has rules because they are necessary. And when I joined Shado to avenge my brother's death, I swore to obey them. I swore to obey Edward."

"That isn't even the amnesia drug! People don't go unconscious straightaway like that! This is some sort of obscene joke!" Alec insisted.

Ed looked back briefly with sadness at Maggie, who lie still on the floor.

"Not the usual amnesia drug, no, Alec," Ed corrected his friend in a tone like steel, "this is a new compound. Something our friend Dr. Jackson came up with. Works almost immediately. When both of you wake up, you won't be able to remember a thing. Now, Alec, I suggest you don't fight this. We'll still be friends and associates when you awaken. You just won't know what Shado is. I'm sorry, Alec. I really am. But I've had to make more difficult decisions than this before, and no doubt I will again. Goodbye, Alec."

"ED!"

Ed pushed down the plunger, and Alec went limp. Something between a scream and a cry came out of Yetunde.

"I want you to know something, Edward. I will be glad not to know you. As a matter of fact I wish you had never come to my village, and I wish you had never told me what had happened to my brother. I am glad I will never see you again!"

Ed looked calmly over at Nathaniel.

"Trouble in a pretty package, huh, Nate? Even sleeping beauty over there," Ed said, indicating Alec.

"Yes, Commandah." Nate said grimly.

"Nate, I'm not on duty, you don't have to call me Commander. Call me Ed." Yetunde stared.

"Wait a minute--not on duty?" Yetunde said.

"Did you think I'd actually do it, Folsade? Mind you, I considered it. But even a old hound like me can learn some new tricks over the years. Injected them with a mild sedative from the Shado medical centre. Fast acting, but not long lasting. No side effects to worry much about. A good dose of water in their faces will bring them around. Paul was too busy this morning to ask me why I wanted him to sign for it, get it and give it to Nate."

"You bastard! And you! Nate! You! You let me go through that!" Yetunde screamed. Ed chuckled at her.

"But Yetunde! He said--wait--you didn't do it?" Nate babbled.

"He was under orders. I figured he'd know that Maggie had been told. No, Nate. I didn't do it. This little pantomine was to teach all of you a lesson about security. I still answer to a fellow named Henderson. If he were to find out Alec was playing free and easy with security, he'd give the lot of us the real amnesia drug. I hope you've learned your lesson. Now, I'd like to stay around, but I have a last minute meeting with that woman you call the barracuda, and then Nate and I will put the final part of Project Sakura into operation. And Alec comes to, and they hear what I've done, remind Alec he can't hurt me until Maggie and I get back from San Francisco. I think a week is about enough to forgive me, don't you?"

Yetunde kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I hope they break both your legs, Commander."

"Why thank you, Yetunde."

"Edward, sir?"

"Yes Nate?"

"You're one of the most ruthless white bastards I've ever run into, Sir."

"Nate?"

"Yeah I know, Sir. I'm fired."

* * *

"I'm going to kill him! I swear I'm going to kill him! How could he do that to me?" Margaret Fielding Straker yelled. Yetunde watched her, nodding. The psychiatrist had been terrified, then agitated, and finally angry after she'd awakened.

"That was Edward's brand of disciplinary action," Yetunde said.

"He's Shado Commander, Mags. I think that was a none too subtle way of reminding us who he was. That all felt fucking real to me, and I've known him for years. I crossed the line. Even though I know Ed well enough to know why he just didn't actually give you the real drug." Alec toyed with his whiskey on the rocks.

"I never ever saw that in him, the ruthlessness! And I'm a fucking psychiatrist!" Mags snapped.

"Oh believe me, Maam, it is there, it is why I will nevah call him Ed. Born a commandah, die a commandah, mon." Nate gulped a Red Stripe down like it was water. "Besides, I was almost certain he was gonna do to me and Yetunde what he did to you."

"Does the twerp really think I am a security risk? It's not right, I'm not one of his damn operatives! I'm his wife!"

"Look, I bent the rules so that you'd understand who he is, who he has to be. Security killed his marriage before, and I , well, seeing him so close to death like that, I thought he deserved some happiness. I figured you could keep it to yourself, and just be more supportive in a quiet way. But Mags, you're transparent. It was only a matter of time before he'd find out I disobeyed his orders, and put us all at risk. If you couldn't keep it a secret with Ed, how could you ever keep it a secret with someone that meant to use you to harm Ed and Shado?" Alec gulped a good measure of his drink, and for once, Yetunde didn't scold him about his choice of poison. "Ed is right, you are a security risk."

"What?" Mags demanded.

The four of them were at Nate's flat, having lunch together.

Yetunde sighed. "Margaret, Alec put you at risk. He put Ed at risk. He put us all at risk. You made up your mind you had to know, but I don't think you understand the consequences. The aliens are very real. They brought down my brother's Dornier jet and took his body from the crash, mutilated it, took organs. Our family was certain it was some sort of a curse from the gods, some sort of monster who killed him. And then a important white came to my village, on the sham of wanting to do an adventure film in Nigeria, and he befriended me, and you should understand that my family for the most part had nothing but contempt for anyone with white skin. " Yetunde sighed. "This man was different, I trusted him, I listened to his voice. I was very young, foolish and he was beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Alec grinned. "I don't think Ed would care for that description."

"Alec, he was dressed in white, his face was all planes and angles, and his, ah! ah !ah! his eyes were pools of blue. He was bigger than life. I was a young, silly female who dreamed of the world outside of Nigeria. He was my bridge to it. I was studying medicine, white medicine, and to do so in my family wasn't popular. Edward whisked me out of Africa, seduced me in his own style, and recruited me for Shado. I had been grieving for my elder brother Ojo's loss, and Edward took advantage of that. Edward is very lethal when he wants something, you know. Once he had me, I did not see him for quite some time, except briefly in Mayland when he would be injured, and I was needed for consultation. I had not been head of Cardiology all that long before I met you all, and had Ed assigned to me."

"Keith Ford would agree about the lethal part," Nate grinned. Alec and Yetunde chuckled at him. Margaret was irritated, and for the first time, genuinely uncomfortable at the way Yetunde described Ed. She rubbed her wedding band nervously.

"You all make Ed out to be mythical, and he isn't. He isn't larger than life. You forget how I met him. I didn't see the legendary Ed Straker in that hospital bed. I saw a lonely man crushed by having to deal with physical and emotional pain. Yes, he's gorgeous. Yes, he's beautiful. For Christ's sake I wake up beside him every day, I know what he looks like. But lethal? Ruthless? I'll never accept that Ed is that way. Horse piss! Alec, you know how sensitive he is. You know he's just like anyone else."

"Just like anyone else? Mags, he came to save my deplorable arse when I was trying to escape the aliens. He damn near crawled out of a grave to do it. He did it when everyone else went by the book and assumed I was worm dinner. He said to me that he lives by the book and that he can't let me tear out pages when it suits him. But Jesus Christ, he tears out pages all the time. Thirty-five years of tearing out pages, of doing things his way when it came to running Shado and caring for his operatives, in particular, me. Only he didn't think it right to do it for himself. Look, I can't sit back and watch him approach the end of his life alone. I admit I made a mistake, I fucked up discipline, but I had to make you understand how important Shado is to him, and how important you are to him. You have to come second, Mags. That's just the way things are. Sometimes the two are like oil and water, so you do the best you can under the circumstances. He did what he did because he had to." Alec said. "That doesn't mean he doesn't love you."

"You don't understand him yet, Margaret. You will in time." Yetunde said. "All he needs is your understanding and your love. Tenderness."

"So what? So I'm supposed to put up with having you hold me down while my husband drugs the hell out of me? You were someone I thought of as a friend! A professional, for God's sake! And what right do you have to say I don't understand him? It's all of you that doesn't understand him! And I don't know if I want to know about an organisation that makes it perfectly all right for a husband to scare the hell out of someone he's supposed to love! It makes me wonder who I've been sleeping with all this time. I will never believe that he's like that, Yetunde. Because I don't think I could love a man who was like that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and have a little talk with my husband, the man I married."

"Mags, wait!" Alec said, but Mags rushed out of the flat. Alec started to stand, but Yetunde put a hand on his. Alec reluctantly sat down, an action that amused Nate. The scuttlebutt in Shado H.Q. had it that Yetunde might be the woman to finally get Colonel Freeman to a registry office, but Nate was still surprised to see the evidence of it right there in front of him. He wondered momentarily if they'd had sex, but then it was not any of his business. Besides, his Commander was in trouble, and he felt responsible.

"Gotta let her go, Alec." Nate said.

"She has to deal with this alone, Alec." Yetunde agreed.

"God damn it, Yetunde, I did what I did to bring them closer together. I always found it ironic that Ed found someone more suited to him than Mary or Lily all on his own. What have I done now? Doesn't that woman know how Ed feels about her?"

"She went to bed with a dashing man and woke up with the Commandah. It takes time to sort things out like that." Nate opened another Red Stripe and didn't bother with a glass this time.

"I smell disaster coming," Yetunde sighed. "We didn't say the right things to her. She doesn't understand that I have duty to Edward, that we all have duty to Edward, she just saw people she trusted turn her over to a man with a needle in his hand, and her husband s personality change from the softness of a rose to the sharpness of one of its thorns. Maybe we were wrong about her, Alec. Maybe all we can do is pick up Ed's pieces if she decides that she can no longer live with a man that has Shado as a mistress, and won't give her up, can't give her up."

"Yetunde, I know Ed. If she turns out to be a mistake, he won't have any pieces for us to pick up. I better call him." Alec sighed. "Where is he? Oh, ah ah ah! He is with that Astrid jackal! I wanted to be with him before she bit off his head, and all this made me forget!"

* * *

"I believe you're trying to seduce me, Miss Svensson." Ed Straker said in a voice frostier than liquid nitrogen. He looked formidable in his midnight blue Nehru suit, even standing next to a magnificent watercolour of a Samurai warrior. But he was tired, and even the unique Asian artifact collection that she owned didn't draw much interest. In his hands was a supposedly cursed Japanese sword, and he wondered if Alec and Maggie would use it to behead him if he gave them the chance. What was he supposed to do? God help me, what am I supposed to do? Svensson was saying something to him. He had to concentrate to hear it.

"Ed, if that was true, could you really blame me?"

"Yes. I'm married. To a woman I love. And she's expecting me for dinner. Thank you for instructing me about this sword and the legends behind it. It will serve my purposes very well." Sure, he thought. Maybe I should just use it to cut my throat. I always end up hurting people when I try to do my job. Why can't I walk away? Paul's more than capable of running Shado. Maybe the guy who really should get the amnesia drug is me. Then maybe I have half a chance of keeping Maggie with me. Of waking up in the morning and feeling her next to me, giving me the strength of facing another day. Instead of waking up in the darkness with a loneliness so terrible that it eats you alive. Alec, Alec, what am I supposed to do with you? What would I do without you? You knew. You know. How was I supposed to respond? You went against my wishes! No, Straker, be honest. You wanted her to know. You longed for her to know. Even though you knew her security rating was as thin as onionskin paper. You made a fatal mistake, you looked the other way. You were grateful to Alec, and he knew it. Sure, you had to rattle the sabers, after all, you can't have your staff running around ignoring orders like that. Even if they are your friends. So you played the Commander, put a scare into them. The only way you knew how. Even when you had the simpler, quicker solution of giving Maggie the drug secretly. And why? Because you didn't want to go through the heartbreak again. Of being walked out on, even though you knew you were responsible. You didn't want to come home at all hours in the morning and offer what seemed even to you to be lame excuses, and lies. Maggie is only human. No matter how much she trusted you, sooner or later that trust would be tainted beyond any hope of healing. So you wanted her to know, longed for her to know, oh dear God, you needed her to know what you do, what you have to do. What you must go on doing until you run out of luck, and you can't do anymore. But who am I to ever want a normal relationship? To think I deserve one?

Ed was startled out of his misery by the feel of Astrid Svensson kissing him. He backed away, furious.

"You're way out of line, Doctor. If you ever do that again, you won't appreciate the consequences, believe me."

He turned and left, allowing her door to slam shut. She shrugged. England was full of important people. Ed Straker wasn't the only one. Another man would come along. It had been worth the try though.

* * *

"Maggie?" Ed said hopefully. She didn't turn toward him as he came in, instead she kept on watching a video of Casablanca.

"Have you eaten?" she said.

"No, have you?" Ed said wearily, knowing she was angry, knowing she didn't understand. Who would? Who ever would? Ed sank next to her on the sofa, but she got up and turned off the tv and folded her arms.

"Ed, we have to talk. Ed, why is there lipstick on your face?"

"What? Oh. Svensson."

"Well that must have been an interesting little meeting."

"You know that she's been after me. Yetunde and Alec have said as much. "

"Did she kiss you, Ed?"

"Yeah, I had my mind on you, and on what happened this morning. Maggie, sweetheart--"

"Don't! Don't sweetheart me! Do you know how terrified I was? Do you really think I am going to run off and tell the world what you do? I told you I knew you were involved in something dangerous, and that I didn't want to know about it, but honestly, Ed, horse piss, I'm beginning to wonder what's more important to you , Shado or me?"

"Maggie, Alec did what he did because he feared that one day you'd get tired of my responsibilities to the studio. He did what he did so that you'd understand what Shado is, and my duty. And don't ask me what is more important, because you won't like the answer. But don't worry, I'll arrange for you to have the drug tomorrow. I see that I made a mistake."

"For Pete's sake, Ed! The way you acted! I just came from talking to Alec and Yetunde and Nate about everything. They said you are ruthless, they even said you are lethal. Why did you act that way? I'm your wife!"

"Yes, you're my wife! Maybe you could try to understand that you mean everything to me, and that it's tearing me apart, Maggie! If I go on allowing you to know about my job, I place you and my friends at considerable risk! If I use the drug on you, someday you'll turn your back on me because you don't trust me, what am I supposed to do? I can't lose you, but I can't lose Shado either!"

"Ed, you're bound and determined to paint me with the same colours as Mary and as Lily. Can't you just trust me?"

"Trust you? It took three seconds for me to know Alec had gone against my wishes. It would take three seconds for the aliens to break you, or for Henderson to find out that I've disobeyed orders. He wouldn't blame Alec or Nathaniel or Yetunde. He'd go straight for my throat. You know he did it before. We're at stalemate now, but it would take something like this for him to have the perfect opportunity to ruin me!"

"Do you love me, Edward?"

"My Gods, do you even have to ask that question? Yes!"

"After what you did? Yes I have to ask that question! I never saw a monster in you until this morning, Ed! You say you love me? Then leave Shado. Give it up. Let Foster or someone else run it. Stop torturing yourself. "

"Maggie, please, don't ask that of me."

"Horse piss, Ed! Why must you be the martyr? Look at yourself. Look what Shado's done to you! Ed, I don't know if I can stay married to you, knowing all this. I'm not one of your operatives, I don't have Yetunde's sense of duty to you. I want a husband, not the god almighty Commander of Shado. I don't want to worry that you're going to do something else to me behind my back because your organization is more important to you than I am."

For a moment she saw such torture on his face that it made her want to jump up and hold him forever. And yet the image of him driving that needle into her skin was something she couldn't shake from her consciousness. She saw the torture vanish in an instant, and be replaced by the look on his face she'd seen that morning, at close range.

"Don't worry, Margaret. We've made mistakes believing this marriage could continue. You can stay here until we get everything settled. I'll move into a hotel. I ask that you not tell anyone what's happened, I don't want Frances and Stanley upset by this, they've already gone through enough with Neil being gone."

"God damn you, Edward, you're not staying in any hotel! And don't call me Marg-ED!"

But he'd already jumped up, and gone out. Mags got up and went after him, but his car had screeched away. She sat down and dissolved into floods of tears.

Ed Straker was a full mile away from his own flat when he realized he hadn't brought anything with him. Resignedly, he stopped in a shop once he got to London, picked out some toiletries and a pair of pajamas and a robe, then picked the first hotel he came to, and handed his credit card over and secured a suite because it was all that was available. He threw everything in the room, tipped the fellow that had accompanied him there, and then got in the lift, went down to the lobby, and out. His mobile phone was ringing at him. No, he thought. Just for once I'm not going to do the right thing. So he shut off the ringer. And he walked through the streets until he was exhausted. Locating a bench, he sat down. Groups of pigeons gathered around, and one in particular approached him. Ed studied it.

"Sorry. I don't have as much as a pack of chewing gum. But you know what? I'd trade places with you anytime. Foraging for food in the middle of the city seems a lot easier than trying to keep a wife."

"Down on your luck, are you?"

For a moment, Ed thought the pigeon had asked him that question, but it was an old grizzled man, in a worn suit, with a turban on his head. The man looked as though he belonged in a remake of Laurence of Arabia, but he'd spoken in an elite British accent.

Ed was rather embarrased, but he shrugged.

"You might say that."

Sure, Straker. Your heart is breaking. You would give anything to be able to go back and beg Maggie not to go. To admit you're scared out of your head. But you won't. Better this way. Better she not know. Oh, God. I don't know if I can take this loneliness. The longing. The way I suddenly need her to touch me, and to tell me horse piss, that she forgives me, that she still loves me. I'm never going to see her again. How stupid can you be, Straker? You knew it would be like this. Just like in that stupid movie she likes so much. You're like Rick. You will let Ilsa go. Maggie, Maggie. Don't leave me.

"Do you?"

"What? Sorry. I was thinking about something. What did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted me to read your palm. To tell you if you would see your lady again." the man smiled widely. "For a few pounds."

"Read my palm? Sure, why not. I have nothing better to do." Ed held out his hand, and the Arab examined it. "So what do you see?" He stared at the man, for the man was shaking, and dropped his hand as if it had burned him.

"I think I will go. It was nice meeting you."

Ed grabbed the man's sleeve, gripped it, spoke in his Commander's voice.

"Tell me what you saw."

"Your death, I am sorry. Your death. I see death!" And the man pulled away so quickly that his shirt ripped, and he quickly ran into the crowd. Ed looked at his palm nervously, and then he shrugged, and walked back to the hotel. What difference did it matter when the journey of life ended? Besides, why would he want to live if she turned her back on him? He switched on his mobile again in the privacy of his room. It was ringing.

"Straker."

"Ed, where the hell were you? "

"What do you want, Alec?" Ed replied wearily, taking off his jacket and draping it over a chair.

"There's a sighting, right on the outskirts of London. Peter hit it, but it didn't explode, and now it's dropped below radar tracking, so we had ground mobiles looking for it. It's pretty close to your house. I can give you coordinates. We had word that it crashed and that mobile eight had found it, and then nothing. You could get there quicker than I can."

"All right, give me the information, I'm on it." Ed grabbed his jacket and headed back down to where he'd parked his car.

Within minutes, Ed reached the area. Mobile eight was motionless and it obviously had been destroyed by the UFO, and was still on fire. Ed took out his gun and headed for the downed UFO, only a few feet away. With one hand, he managed to speak to Alec again.

"They hit mobile eight. I can't tell if anyone was inside. How soon can you get me backup? I'm alone out here. This solitude is making me nervous."

"I'm on my way, and Bradley and Carlin will be out there in about 2 minutes."

"Tell them to make it one minute. I'm going to take a closer look at the UFO."

"Ed, you might get company you don't want."

"I'm armed."

"Ed, you idiot, there may be an unequal number of aliens to one Commander."

"After what I did to you this morning, I'm surprised that you care."

"Don't be an arse, Ed!"

"Wait a minute. What's that noise?"

"Christ, Ed! Get the hell out of--"

The sound of the explosion over the receiver was unmistakable. Alec screamed into the mobile.

"Ed! Ed! ED!"

Finally there was a soft moan. Then nothing.

The end of Journey...but Straker's adventures or misadventures will continue in Twilight---

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