When her mother had asked after her partner, she'd simply told her she was still involved in the case, which wasn't really a lie. Lisa had been genuinely happy to see Masha, and the Russian had offered her quiet support the entire evening.

Touched by the foreigner's concern for her well-being, Lisa had invited Masha to spend the night. Well aware of how empathetic Kris' mother was Shelby reluctantly agreed, knowing that it would be good for both women. However, she dreaded the coming night...the first night she'd be alone since Kris had been gone.



*  *  *

Kris rang the doorbell, but didn't expect an answer. When the taxi dropped her off in front of the building, she hadn't seen her partner's car or the Taurus she'd rented. Sliding her key into the lock, she walked in and looked around. While she couldn't wait to see Shelby, she was nervous about seeing her mother. It seemed so strange to have a mother again. What would Masha think of her? Could they recapture the relationship that had been stolen from them so long ago?

Pushing her concerns aside, Kris picked up Stormy, and gently hugged her in spite of the young feline's protest. "What? You didn't miss me?"

The operative set the kitten down, walked over to the couch, and picked up the neatly folded sheet at the end, smiling at the sight of the unicorn on the floor next to the couch. Knowing her partner would've insisted on sleeping on the couch, she inhaled deeply of the linen and was rewarded by the slight scent of Shelby's bath oil. She hugged the sheet close to her.

During the long days in isolation, she'd hungered for Shelby's presence, half-convinced that she'd never again feel her partner's touch. Repeated requests to use the phone had been denied, so she'd dwelled in her memories; lingering over every remembered conversation, recalling each nuance of expression on that expressive face, and tormenting herself with a bittersweet longing for the sensation of the other woman's body pressed against hers. Kris had spent hours projecting her overflowing love, hoping that somehow Shelby could feel the message of her heart through the distance separating them.

The tall woman sighed and sank down to the couch, the sheet still clutched tightly against her. She would have to wait a little longer. A few minutes later, she laid the linen down and began pacing around the apartment finally coming to a stop in front of the balcony door, her eyes riveted on the partially filled parking lot.



*  *  *

Shelby drove home slowly, in no hurry to return to her empty apartment. She didn't even have a picture of Kris. All she had were her memories. Reaffirming her resolve to go to confront her superiors on Monday, she parked the car and started towards the apartment.

Kris had been standing at the glass door for an hour, stoically watching as the lot filled up. It was dark out, and she was unable now to identify the make of each car until the driver turned off the lights and got out. After checking out and eliminating each vehicle, she resumed her vigil.

Another car pulled in, and Kris watched it park, refusing to get her hopes up again. When her partner got out, she never saw her close the car door. Kris was already out of the apartment and bounding down the steps, two at a time. She ran across the parking lot with a big grin on her face and threw her arms around Shelby, drawing her into a bear hug.

Shelby recognized the familiar figure running towards her and broke into an all-out sprint. She embraced the tall woman, her heart leaping for joy, tears of happiness falling freely. "I was so worried."

Kris murmured, "I missed you so much."

Neither wanted to relinquish her hold on the other, and they walked to the building with their arms wrapped around each other's waist.

Kris suddenly realized her mother hadn't gotten out of the car with Shelby. "Where's Mom?"

"She's spending the night at my mother's house." Shelby laughed delightedly at the raised eyebrow and quizzical expression on her partner's face that she had despaired of ever seeing again. "It's a long story."

Kris smiled, relishing the sound of her partner's laughter. "I'll just bet it is."

The door was no sooner closed than the women embraced again. Shelby pulled Kris' head down and met her mouth for a deep, passionate kiss. Her partner returned her kiss with an equal amount of fervor. "I'm so glad you're back."

Kris led Shelby over to the couch, sharing kisses with her along the way. Sitting down, she pulled her partner into her lap, wrapping strong arms around her and lowering a hungry mouth to the anxiously waiting lips.

Her heart was beating so hard, she was sure Shelby could feel it. "I love you."

Shelby sighed contentedly. "I love you, too." She turned serious eyes toward her partner. "Did they give you the deal?" She voiced her worst fear. "Or do you have to leave again."

"No...no...no." Each word was punctuated with a kiss. "I'm here to stay, for as long as you want me to."

Breathing an audible sigh of relief, Shelby said, "Forever. I want you to stay forever."

Kris wrapped her arms around her partner, pulling her close. "I'm glad you do, because I know I want to."

After sharing another kiss with her love, Kris asked, "How did my mother end up at your mother's house for the night?"

Shelby shook her head. "In a word, Jonathan."

Kris raised an eyebrow, concerned. "What did he do this time?"

Shelby filled the operative in on everything that had happened that day. "Do you want to go see your mother now?"

The operative glanced around the room. She did want to see her mother, but that visit could wait until morning. "It's late. Why don't you call your mom and ask her to tell my mother that I'm fine and we'll stop over in the morning to pick her up."

Shelby waited until Kris turned back to face her. "You don't want to talk to her on the phone either?"

"I do, but I don't. I'd rather talk to her face to face."

Picking up her partner's hand, Shelby asked, "What's wrong?"

Kris sighed. "I don't know what to say to her. She always hated government agents. They used to plant them among the people. We lost a close friend because of them. She'll hate me because of what I am."

Shelby shook her head. "Oh, sweetheart, your mother doesn't hate you. She loves you. She knows you're a spy and she's okay with that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We talked about you a lot. You were the one thing we had in common. Trust me on this. Your mother loves you very much."

"She never visited." At Shelby's puzzled look, Kris added, "When I was at the training center, she never came to visit."

"Maybe she couldn't. Ask her, Kris. I bet she has a good reason."

Kris smiled at the conviction in her partner's voice. "You're probably right."

Shelby reached for the phone, dialed her mother's number, and then quickly relayed Kris' message before telling her mother she'd talk to her in the morning. She settled back into Kris' lap.

Kris brushed her fingers across Shelby's face. "I'm glad we're alone tonight."

Shelby lifted the hand from her face and kissed the palm. "So am I."

The operative smiled. "Where do you want me to start?" She chuckled at the blush that crept over her partner's face. "I meant, about the case."

"Oh." Shelby feigned disappointment until Kris leaned down and kissed her pout away.

"What happened to you? Is everything okay, now? Even though Sergei died? And why did Gregor kill him?"

"Gregor wasn't as stupid as I thought. He only requested political asylum out of desperation. He knew Sergei planned to eliminate him, but he had no real desire to defect. With Sergei out of the picture, no one in Russia would know of their rift and he would be in line for a promotion. Naturally, he withdrew his request for asylum."

Shelby shook her head. "I never would've guessed he would kill Sergei."

"Neither did I. He was looking out for himself and got lucky. Happens sometimes."

"So what about you? Are you legally an operative now?"

"No. I'm officially retired." Kris rubbed Shelby's back in a gentle circular motion. It was time to tell her partner the rest of the tale.

"It's a long story, but I'll try to make it short. About eight years ago, a top secret organization that reports directly to the president infiltrated the Russian mole infrastructure that had been set up here in the States. My name was uncovered and I was contacted. They wanted me to double. I refused."

Shelby gazed at Kris. "I'm surprised they didn't deport you."

"Yeah, me, too. The only reason they didn't was because I hadn't been activated yet. They wanted to find out who was running the moles here, so I got offered a deal. When I was activated, I was supposed to notify them with all the details of who contacted me and what they wanted me to do."

"What was in it for you?"

"I would get political asylum, but my career would be over because the bottom line is - I am Russian. I didn't have much choice, so I agreed. As the years passed, I didn't want to be activated, because I didn't know what I'd do."

"But if you were granted political asylum..."

Kris shrugged. "It wasn't that. I didn't really know anyone or have any friends here in the States. Even though I love this country, I'd spent little of my adult life living in it. So I strove to be the CIA's best operative. That way, I figured I wouldn't be recalled and it would also be extremely difficult for the Russians to find me in the field. It worked for a long time."