"Show off." Kerry splashed her.

"Yeah, sometimes," she agreed, relaxing onto her back and heading off with neat strokes and powerful flutter kicks.

Kerry eased into a breaststroke and followed, starting to grin as she saw Dar angle toward the tall slide. She surged after her, catching up as Dar pushed herself up out of the water and onto the concrete, then turned to offer her a hand up.

"Thank you, ma'am." Kerry latched onto the back of Dar's suit and followed her up the steps to the top of the slide. "I think this is supposed to be for the kids."

"And?" Dar launched herself down the slippery surface. "C'mon, you punk!"

Kerry settled on the slide and shoved herself forward, enjoying the spray of water as she whirled downwards toward the pool. "Better get out of my way, slowpoke!" she yelled in warning, tucking her arms against her sides as she sped up. "Yahhhhhhh!!!"

She dropped out of the slide and plunged into the pool, relaxing her legs as she anticipated hitting the bottom.

Halfway there, she was abruptly intercepted as strong arms wrapped around her and yanked her to a halt. Dar had pushed off the bottom already and they surged back toward the surface, breaking through it into the warm air with a twin yell.

"Me a punk?" Kerry swept an armful of water toward her partner, dousing her thoroughly. "You're a punk, you little..."

"Little?" Dar picked her up and leaned sideways, taking them both underwater. They wrestled around until Kerry managed to wriggle free, then broke out into the open air again. "Rat!" She dove at Dar and grappled with her again, but made the mistake of getting too close and growled as she felt Dar's arms tighten around her with irresistible force.

"Rat, huh?" Dar's low voice tickled her ear.

Kerry tried a wriggle, and then relaxed, realizing she was good and caught. She turned her head to regard her companion, giving her a kiss on her wet nose. "Okay. You're not a rat," she said. "You're a HAMSTER!" She twisted suddenly and got a leg wrapped around Dar's, pulling them both off balance and back under the water.

They finally came back up near the edge of the pool, laughing like kids. Dar ducked backwards and straightened, slicking her hair back as she leaned against the concrete. "Whoo."

Kerry rapidly shook her head, scattering water everywhere before she joined her partner. "That was fun." She glanced around, noting that the pool deck was becoming a little more populated, and several solitary bodies had joined them in the water.

"Yeah, it was," Dar agreed, her eyes drifting across the deck. "Ah. Look who's headed this way."

Kerry actually growled. "If their names start with M or S, this pool's gonna run red I swear it."

Dar snorted, but shook her head. "No. It's our friend Peter, Peter, Cruise Ship eater." She assumed a cool expression as Quest arrived at poolside, hunkering down next to her in his crisp, gray suit. "Morning."

"Good morning, ladies," Quest answered. "Ms. Stuart, did you think about what we discussed yesterday? I have to leave right after the conference today so I don't think we'll get a chance to meet again."

"Gosh, that's a pity," Kerry replied mildly. "Mr. Quest, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Peter rested his arms on his knees.

"How did you know where to find us?" Kerry reached casually out and took hold of the hem of his pants. "I'm pretty sure we didn't leave a note at the desk."

He hesitated. "Um..."

Dar leaned closer, giving him an icy look. "Answer the lady."

"Or?" Quest rallied, with commendable bravado.

"Or we're going to pull you in the pool and possibly drown you," Kerry smiled kindly at him. "Neither Dar nor I like snoops or weasels."

Quest glanced down at the strong fingers clamped around his pant leg. "No big mystery," he replied. "I paid the bellboys to keep an eye on you." A smirk appeared. "They didn't seem to think it was a tough task."

"Ah, I see," Kerry murmured. "Well, Mr. Quest, aside from the fact that I don't like sneaks, and you have really bad taste in tailors, I really don't think you need a company of our caliber in your little contest."

Quest blinked, obviously not hearing what he'd fully expected to. "But..."

"But?" Kerry replied, releasing his pants.

"You said you could make decisions."

"Um...I just did." The green eyes twinkled a little. "I could repeat it if you want me to. I said..."

"I heard you." Quest frowned. "But damn it, I thought..."

Dar put her hands on the concrete and pressed herself up out of the water. She stood up and glared down at Quest. "You thought Kerry would go against me."

He looked up. "She's ambitious." He shrugged. "Moving up that ladder ain't a piece of cake, even in your company." He stood up and brushed his hands off. "My sources told me it was something she was interested in." His eyes dropped to a slightly boggled Kerry. "My sources said you better watch your back, Roberts."

Kerry put a hand over her mouth, muffling a laugh.

Dar rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Did your sources bother to mention to you that Kerry and I are married?" She paused, watching his face go slack. "To each other?" she clarified, pointing to Kerry and then to herself.

His nostrils flared. "Ah..." An eyebrow twitched. "No, no they didn't."

Dar almost felt sorry for him. "How does it feel to be used?" She reached down and offered Kerry her hand. "Tell you what, Quest. We'll enter your bid. Send me the papers first thing tomorrow morning."

"You will?" He took a step back, watching her warily.

"Yeah." Dar pulled her partner up out of the pool. "And you can tell your source they're lame ass losers."

Quest stood and watched them walk away, his jaw hanging slightly.

"WHAT THE HELL was that?" Kerry threw her towel around her shoulders, lengthening her strides to keep up with Dar's rapid walk. "Hello? Dar?" She snagged her partner by the back of the suit. "Dar!"

Dar slowed, but didn't stop. "Yeah?"

"If I have to put up with you making me look like an idiot, I'd at least like to know why."

Now Dar stopped. She sidestepped into a smaller alcove off the path, which had a sturdy bench in it. "Sit." She took a seat herself, and waited for Kerry to follow suit. "I wasn't trying to make you look like an idiot."

Kerry leaned on her knees. "I know that. I didn't think you did it on purpose, you just reacted to something and I can't figure out what it was or what the hell's going on here."

Dar looked at her. "Didn't you hear him? Didn't you hear him say he'd been told you were looking to stab me in the back?"

"Dar, we've heard that before. Don't you remember?" Kerry put a hand on Dar's knee, seeing the upset in her posture. "I didn't pay any attention... I'm used to people thinking all sorts of things about our relationship."

"I know" Dar sighed, leaning back and stretching her arms out over the back of the bench. "But didn't you find it really coincidental that this guy comes here...to this show... and gets that kind of stuff? You think it came from our people?"

"No."

"Neither do I." Dar bit the words off precisely. "But I'd be willing to bet I know where he got it from."

Kerry slowly let out a breath. "Okay." She also leaned back, feeling first the chill of the water droplets, then the warmth of Dar's skin touch her shoulders. "So...you're thinking it was deliberate? Or...what are you thinking, Dar?"

Dar remained silent, gazing morosely at the green hedge separating them from the path.

Kerry waited patiently, wiping her arms off with her towel. The crickets sounded loud around her, and she jerked her foot as an ant tried to use her as a highway.

"It's something Shari would have said to him."

"Ah."

"That's exactly how she thinks." Dar went on. "That everyone has an angle. Wants something."

"I don't get it." Kerry shook her head slightly. "Yeah, she seems like the kind of person who would say that, but damn it, Dar...what's the point? What's she trying to do?"

"Break us up."

Kerry sneezed.

"My mother always said you sneeze on the truth," Dar remarked wryly.

Kerry turned and faced her, leaning her elbow over Dar's arm. "Are you really serious? You think that's what she was trying to do? Or...I mean, if they're bidding, it makes no sense at all to provoke you...us...into participating."

"No."

Kerry sneezed again. "Pooters." She wiped her face with the towel. "All that chlorine got up my nose." She sighed. "Dar, what the heck's going on then? Let's say you're right. Let's say her motive was trying to break us up. What does that get her?"

Dar studied Kerry's face, watching the sunlight pick up amber glints in the depths of her eyes. "The satisfaction of hurting me?"

Kerry's blond brows lifted. "You really think that's what she's after?"

"I really think so," Dar replied. "That's why I told him we'd do the bid. It's not that I want it...hell, it's not really even big enough for us to bother with. I just don't want her to get it, and I'm personally willing to make sure that's not going to happen."

Kerry nibbled the inside of her lip. "Hm."

"So. I'm sorry I overrode you." Dar went on. "It was a snap decision. Probably not a good one. Definitely based on something other than business."

"So, what you're saying is that Shari did something to get at you, that goes against her business interests, right? Or...Dar, what if they were trying to force us into the bid--like a showdown."