She had already tried to think of all the likely scenarios, and some of the possibilities were frightening. There was no doubt in her mind that Kris was involved in something illegal. But what? And she had obviously displeased some highly trained people. Tonight had proved that. Her thoughts turned briefly to the note, and the words, 'To do so would greatly endanger both of your lives.' Shelby sighed. She could speculate all night, but only Kris held all the answers.

Left alone, Kris examined her body, unsurprised at the damage. She was lucky, really. None of her ribs appeared to be broken, even though it hurt to breathe deeply. She carefully donned the shirt and opened the bathroom door to look for Shelby.

Seeing her standing in the bedroom doorway, she asked, "Did you happen to see my gun?" She hoped it had been returned with her.

"Yeah. I put it in the closet. I'll go get it."

"Would you bring the box of ammo on the top shelf, too?" Kris knew it wouldn't have been returned loaded.

"Okay. Go ahead on into the bedroom, and I'll bring it in there."

Kris eased down into the chair near the bed and waited for Shelby to return. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do, and wished the painkiller would kick in to alleviate some of her discomfort. On top of that, she was exhausted. She snorted derisively. Just woke up and I'm still tired. Go figure.

Shelby walked into the bedroom and handed Kris the gun and box of shells, watching as Kris loaded them. She noticed the operative lacked her usual smooth movements, and couldn't miss the signs of pain Kris was trying desperately to hide.

Looking up, the agent said, "I know you have a lot of questions. Make yourself comfortable, it's a long story."

Shelby studied the tall, attractive woman sitting on the chair gazing at her. Kris was finally willing to trust her with the truth, and the analyst felt like their friendship had just progressed light years from what it had been even hours ago. Shelby decided right then and there to show Kris that her trust wasn't misplaced, and fully extended her own trust, silently committed to helping the operative out of the mess she was in, any way she could.

Kris' stoic act didn't fool Shelby; she knew the injured woman was really hurting. Her face was pale and drawn, and fatigue lined her face. All her movements were guarded and goose bumps lined her arms. A few more hours wasn't really going to make any difference, and she couldn't stand the idea of being responsible for causing Kris to suffer any more than she already was.

"None that can't wait a few more hours. You look terrible. Why don't you get some sleep? We can talk in the morning."

Kris sighed in relief. "Thanks."

Shelby smiled. "You take the bed. You need it a lot more than I do. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, so don't bother arguing about it."

"Please don't."

"The couch isn't big enough for you even when you're not hurt. You take the bed."

"Only if you sleep in here, too."

Shelby eyes reflected surprise. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. If I move..."

Kris gazed at Shelby, her thoughts tormented. If only for tonight, she wanted the comfort of having the smaller woman close. It might be the last chance she got. It all depended on how Shelby felt about her after they talked in the morning. "You won't hurt me."

Shelby paused, indecisive, then slowly nodded her head. "Okay. I'm going to change."

A couple of minutes later, Shelby slid carefully into the opposite side of the bed, taking care not to jar her companion who was already lying down.

Kris reached over and took Shelby's hand. She found the simple comfort afforded by the contact relaxing, allowing her to put her troubles and concerns in a dark corner of her mind and fall back into the blackness she'd so recently emerged from.

Her hand joined with her partner's, Shelby's mind began to quiet and she soon followed Kris into the realms of sleep.



*  *  *

Kris slept fitfully, waking before Shelby the following morning. She lay quietly, fully feeling the effects of the punishment inflicted on her body the night before. Her grimace turned into a smile at the sight of the sleeping woman lying next to her. Sometime during the night, they had both moved toward the center of the bed, driven by a need their waking consciousness hadn't allowed.

Ignoring her discomfort, Kris gazed at her companion. The pain would be there later, but whether Shelby would was something she could only hope for. Her blonde, sleep tousled hair lay splayed across the sheet, and her face was peaceful, bearing none of the worry and concern that had lined it the previous night. She stored away each and every detail as her eyes recorded them. Please let this be the beginning and not the end.

Sighing silently, Kris continued to gaze at the woman she had fallen totally in love with. She knew there was no sense in denying it any longer. What she hadn't figured out was why Shelby seemed to care so much for her, too. I tried to remain distant. She directed her internal conversation to her partner. But you wouldn't let me. You ignored the barriers I put up as if they didn't exist. Why? What did you see? Even when you found out I am an assassin, that didn't deter you. Will you hate me when I tell you who I really am? I'd understand if you do. No matter what you decide, I will always love you.

Kris knew Shelby would hold all the cards after this morning, and whatever decision she made would determine if they had any future or if they immediately parted ways. She continued to question her decision. What right do I have to involve her in this? She's already in much greater danger because of me. I don't know if I can protect her from any repercussions from the Company. Am I being fair to her? Her thoughts tormented her, causing her to vacillate between hope and despair.

Slowly sitting up, Kris doubled over in agony at the effort, her breathing quick and shallow to lessen the toll on her body. She had stiffened up overnight and the agent silently cursed, waiting for the pain to abate.

Shelby woke to see Kris sitting with her arms wrapped around her middle as she leaned forward across her legs, and she winced in sympathy. "Can I help?"

"I'm okay. Just take me a minute to get moving. But, thanks." Kris managed to get out of bed and started down the hallway.

Shelby followed Kris out of the bedroom, then went to the foyer and rummaged through Kris' clothes, pulling out a T-shirt and a pair of jogging shorts. She grabbed a clean pair of underwear and returned to the bathroom. Waiting until she heard the toilet flush, she knocked on the door.

When Kris opened the door, she said, "Here you go. Hope these are all right."

Taking the clothes from Shelby, Kris smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'll go start the coffee."

Kris stepped out of the bathtub after a quick shower. Examining the bruises again, she cursed her bad luck. There was no doubt in her mind that Sergei had expedited the request for verification of her information. She couldn't ever remember being in a worse spot. In the past, only her life had been at risk. Now, Shelby and her mother had been drawn into this situation because of her.

Her body protesting every movement, Kris slowly dressed and then looked in the medicine cabinet for the Aleve. She took two, then made her way to the kitchen, joining Shelby at the table.

Kris studied Shelby intently, trying to decide on where to start. She looked into the warm, curious eyes and started speaking in a low, even voice.

"Some things in life we don't have any control over. Like our parents, our economic status when we're children, where we're born, stuff like that."

Shelby nodded, surprised at the comment. She'd expected Kris to just make some shocking revelation and had been prepared for that, not for hearing her share her views on life. "I hear you. I sure wouldn't have chosen Jonathan for a stepfather."

"That's exactly what I mean. As children, we don't have any control over our lives. Remember I told you I attended a boarding school for a couple of years?"

"Yeah..." Shelby smiled, wondering where this was going.

Kris looked into her coffee. It's now or never. Forgetting about her injury, she took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes momentarily until the discomfort abated. "Would you promise me something?"

"If I can. You gotta tell me what it is first."

"No matter what I tell you, will you promise to let me finish before forming any conclusions?"

Suddenly very uneasy, Shelby carefully searched Kris' face. "This is something really bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

Shelby thought about the decision she'd made to stand by Kris, and that included trusting her. "Okay, I promise."

Kris took a sip of coffee, and plunged in. "That boarding school I went to – it wasn't a boarding school. It was a school for gifted Russian children who were hand selected to be inserted in the United States as moles."

Her eyes widening in shock, Shelby blurted out in disbelief. "You're a Russian agent?" She shoved her chair back, standing up, "I don't believe this!" Shelby shook her head, but the revelation lingered in her mind like a waking nightmare. She desperately needed some space and strode into the living room to harness her roiling emotions. She ran a hand through her hair as her head began throbbing. She had grown to know and love Kris – and trust her. Now she questioned whether she'd ever really known her at all, because essentially everything about the agent was a lie.