Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 17:49:27 EDT
From: Mikeyscribe@aol.com
Subject: Trinity - Isle Of Terror

The following is a complete work of fiction. Any resemblance between the
characters and any real life person is completely coincidental. Please do
not copy or distribute the story without the author's permission.

Disclaimer: The following story may contain erotic situations between
consenting adults. If it is illegal for you to read this please leave
now. If you enjoy this story please check out my other stories, City Of
Dreams and Center Stage can be found in the Adult Friends section on Nifty,
The Fifth Power can be found in the SciFi/Fantasy section, Popular can be
found in the college section or all my stories can be found at my Yahoo!
Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MichaelPhilips or you can send me an
email at Mikeyscribe@aol.com Please remember to include something about the
story in the subject line. There is also a one shot (short story) available
in the group called The Curse of the Romani, a story about a gypsy vampire
hunter. Thank you so much!

Author's Note - This part of the Trinity Series is completed, and the story
is posted in its entirety.  There will be other parts in the series to come
in the future.

Trinity: Isle Of Terror
By: Michael Philips

Chapter One

The small man trembled with fear as he stood outside the inner office.  His
boss would not be happy hearing the news that he carried about another
failed mission and another dead operative.  The man wished that this
message was not his to deliver, but wishing would not change anything.  His
hand reached out and softly knocked on the inner office door.

A deep, emotionless voice rang out in answer.

"Enter!"

The small man slowly opened the massive door and slid into the office.  All
the drapes were closed blocking any natural light from entering the room.
A few standing lamps were placed at odd intervals throughout the office.
The man could not make out the features of his boss' face, but the voice
commanded complete respect and obedience.

"Give me the report on the Berlin Mission."  The voice demanded.

"S...sir," The man stuttered.  "The mission was not s...s...successful."

"Five of our top operatives were assigned to this mission.  Failure was not
a possibility.  Explain."  The boss said.

"It was," The man gulped in fear.  This was the part of the message he was
afraid to relay.  "It was Trinity, sir."

"How many operatives are still alive?"  The boss asked, his voice tight
with hatred.

"Four operatives survived, sir."  The man quietly replied.  "They are on
their way back to headquarters now.  Their flight should be landing in a
few hours."

"Send them to me as soon as they arrive."  The boss said, obviously
dismissing the small man.

The man quickly left the office, grateful to be away from his boss's wrath.
The man behind the desk sighed as the office door closed.  He reached out
and picked up the phone on his desk.  His fingers quickly dialed a number
that only he knew.  The call was answered after one ring.

"Yes."  The man said into the phone.  "Berlin was a failure.  Trinity has
struck again."

* * *

The small private airplane soared thousands of feet above the ocean.  One
of the two flight attendants on board just finished giving the passengers
their safety instructions and headed back towards the small galley.  The
fight attendant pulled the curtain closed behind her where another woman
was standing in the small kitchen cutting up sandwiches.

"How'd it go?"  The woman with the food asked.

"It went ok, I guess."  The first woman responded.  "Jackie, can I ask you
a question?"

Jackie stopped cutting up the sandwiches and looked at the other woman.

"Sure, Marie."  Jackie said with a smile.

"I'm a bit confused."  Marie said with a small smile.  "I know this is only
my first flight, but there are only four people out there.  We had five
passengers in the beginning.  Is that normal?"

"Let me give you a piece of friendly advice, sweetheart." Jackie said.
"Forget whatever you see or hear on these flights.  If you want to live to
see your next birthday, just ignore everything.  Got it, hun?"

"Ok."  Marie replied.  "So, is what I heard true then?"

"What did you hear?" Jackie asked as the smile faded from her face.

"Well..." Marie paused.  "I heard some gossip that this company...well...
let's just say I heard I wasn't flying with the good guys."

Jackie stepped towards Marie, the knife suddenly in her hand.  Marie backed
into the corner of the galley as Jackie raised the knife in front of her.

"I'm not going to tell you again.  Forget EVERYTHING you see or hear."
Jackie's voice had become very cold.  "You're getting paid a large amount
of money so don't worry about anything else."

"Okay, Jackie, I'm sorry." Marie's body shuddered in fear and her eyes were
wide as she stared back at Jackie.  She reached into the cabinet and
grabbed her purse.  "I'm going to use the bathroom really quick and splash
some water on my face."

"You do that, sweetie."  Jackie replied with a smile.

Marie quickly walked around the galley's corner and into the small hallway
that was there.  Hallway really wasn't the right word for the space.  It
was a medium sized area with three doors: the door to the bathroom, the
door to the cockpit, and the plane's exit door.  Marie quietly stepped into
the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Marie set her purse down on the small sink as she gazed at her reflection.
Her blonde hair hung down until it almost touched her shoulders.  The only
imperfection on her smooth skin was a beauty mark that rested on her right
cheekbone.  A multitude of freckles were sprinkled across her cheeks and
forehead.  Marie reached into her purse and removed a tube of lipstick.
She removed the cap and tossed it into the trash as she glanced at the
bright red color that was showing at the top of the tube.

After setting the lipstick down on the sink, Marie reached above her head,
pressing her fingertips on the low ceiling.  Giving a sharp push, part of
the ceiling lifted and she was able to slide it out of the way.  Marie
reached into the space and retrieved a small, wrapped bundle.  She quickly
moved the ceiling tile back into place and untied the package.  Marie
quickly stripped out of her flight attendant uniform and pulled on the
skintight jumpsuit that was in the package.  Once she zipped that into
place she reached out for the only other item that was in the package, a
parachute.

Marie looked back into the mirror and sighed.  She grabbed a tissue out of
her purse and quickly wiped her face off.  The freckles that were so
prominent before were now gone and her fingers quickly pulled the beauty
mark off of her cheek. She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair.
The blonde hair came sliding off of her head and Marie tossed the wig and
the flight attendant uniform into the tiny trashcan.  She shook her head
causing her dark red hair to cascade down around her shoulder blades.  It
was obviously her natural color, a deep red that resembled a desert sunset
that no box color could reproduce.

She picked up the lipstick again and pulled it out of the tube.  She then
rolled it into a small ball and pushed it against the side of the toilet.
She snapped the bottom of the lipstick tube off, revealing a hidden
detonator, and pressed it into the lipstick.  Marie reached into one of the
jumpsuit's pockets, pulled out some wire, and quickly connected it to the
plastique and the detonator.  Marie knelt down and placed her watch near
the toilet.  She pushed a button and set her watch for three minutes.  She
pressed another button and a small light blinked on the detonator to
indicate that it was now set.

She quickly left the bathroom and headed back into the galley.  Jackie did
a double take.

"Who the fuck..." Her voice drifted off.  Recognition dawned on her face.
"Marie?"


"My name's Vanessa."  Vanessa replied.  She jumped towards Jackie, her foot
lashing out and knocking the woman backwards.  Jackie found herself up
against the wall with her arms behind her back while her face showed her
shock.  Vanessa leaned in close to her.  "Though you can call me Trinity."

She moved her one hand up, so her watch was visible to Jackie.

"Do you see how my watch says ninety seconds on it?"  She asked.  Jackie
quickly nodded.  "Good.  That's how much time is left before this plane
blows like a firecracker on the Fourth of July.  You really should have
thought about the type of people you work for; too late now."

Vanessa stepped to the side and tossed Jackie backwards through the curtain
into the main seating area.  As she took off towards the plane's exit she
could hear shouts coming from the passengers.  Her watched beeped;
signifying only sixty seconds remained.  Vanessa grabbed the handle and
quickly spun it around.  She heard the lock click and her foot shot out
knocking the door open.  A huge gust of wind blew through the opening.  She
leapt through the open doorway, without even a backward glance, and barely
avoided a spray of bullets.

Vanessa kept her arms against her body and her legs tightly closed,
allowing her to shoot through the air like a rocket.  She heard the
explosion seconds later.  Her eyes searched the ocean and then a small dot
appeared ahead of her.  She pulled the cord on her pack, releasing the
chute.  She silently floated for the next few minutes as the dot became
bigger and bigger.  The dot became a large fishing boat and she expertly
maneuvered herself onto the deck. The parachute floated behind her off the
back of the boat.  Vanessa took off the parachute and held the harness in
her hand.  She reached into another jumpsuit pocket and pulled out a small
lighter.

With a simple flick of her finger a small flame appeared.  She put the
flame to the harness.  The fire raced up the cords to the chute itself,
which was coated with a thin layer of flammable gel.  She watched as the
chute burned and the ashes disappeared into the ocean.  Vanessa pulled on a
pair of overalls and a jacket that were sitting on the deck.  She pulled a
baseball cap out of the jacket's pocket and pulled her hair up underneath
it.  Vanessa walked up to the ship's bridge where a younger, attractive man
was at the helm.  He glanced up at her.

"You get to have all the fun."  He said with a frown.

"Don't pout, Alec."  She replied with a laugh.  "You got to blow up that
building last time, dear brother."

"It's not the same thing."  Alec replied.  A smile finally appeared on his
face.  "I take it things went well, sis?"

"The Berlin assignment went out with a bang."  Vanessa said with a smirk

* * *

The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States is considered to be
one of the most, if not the most, powerful spy agency in the world.  A fact
that is not known is that there is another organization more powerful than
anything this world has ever seen.  Its existence is shrouded in complete
secrecy.  It is called the Covenant.  The Covenant pre-dates any other
organization of its kind.  The origin of the Covenant dates back to an area
now known as Salisbury Plain, England.  Salisbury Plain is also the resting
spot for one of the greatest manmade wonders of the world, Stonehenge.

Stonehenge was completed centuries ago; its creation still shrouded in
mystery.  A group of Druid priests and their families visited the site on
the night of its completion.  There were a total of thirty people at the
gathering, spread across six families.  They discussed their own private
matters, but soon the topic of war and violence was brought up.  Rumors
flew through the land of hatred and rage spreading across countries like a
wild fire during a drought.  The group quickly decided that something had
to be done. They realized the pain and hatred that can be brought about by
human hands.

These six families declared a pact with one another, a pact and promise to
keep the world as safe as possible.  Their purpose would be to rid the
world of evil.  These people were willing to do the unthinkable.  They gave
up their quiet, peaceful lives and integrated themselves into early
society.  They used their intelligence and determination to work up through
society's ranks and claim positions of power and authority.

The Covenant was made up of people of great faith with an even greater
courage.  Their belief, and the belief of current members of the Covenant,
is that mankind, overall, is good and deserves the chance at peace and
happiness.  Throughout the centuries the Covenant has successfully hidden
from the world.  This is, and was, due to the fact that only the members of
the group knew of its existence.  The only way to enter into the Covenant
is through one of its members.  The members were very, very cautious of who
was brought into their fold, but to this day they have always been
successful.  Knowledge of the Covenant has never been leaked out to anyone.
Another reason for its success is that the members' identities are held in
secret.  Even the members of the group do not know each other.

The group did need a way to recognize other members if needed, so each
member wore a sterling silver pendant that represented their codename in
the Covenant.  A picture of Stonehenge was engraved on the back of each
one, as a reminder of the group's beginning.  It started with a small group
of thirty people and has grown to the size of an army.  The Covenant
currently has over 300 active members, and is spread across six continents.
The members of the group could be anyone from a world leader to the local
kindergarten teacher.  No matter their place in society, their mission
remains the same, to bring about peace and safety to everyone and
everything on the planet.

* * *

A fire red mustang convertible sped down the streets of the quiet New
England town.  It was a neighborhood of old money and manners.  The people
were a close-knit community, and were not very forthcoming with strangers.
The sound of the car drew a few people to their windows, but they all
recognized the car immediately.  It belonged to Alec Romane.  The Romanes
were one of the first families to settle in the area, and their family had
a great deal of respect within the community.

The mustang slowed down and stopped in front of a massive iron gate.  The
gate was completely done in scrollwork with a giant R that rested in the
center of it.  After a moment's pause the gate soundlessly slid open. The
mustang drove up the scenic driveway and stopped in front of a large, old
Victorian home.  The house had been renovated a few years ago, returning it
to its original awe-inspiring beauty.  The sun was setting and it gave the
property the look of a beautiful picture postcard.

Alec Michael Romane stepped out of the mustang, stretching his tall, solid
body as he yawned.  Alec was the most eligible bachelor in the community.
Mothers in the neighborhood had tried to get him interested in their
daughters for a long time, even some of the mothers went after him
themselves, but it never worked.  He always seemed to be too busy traveling
for the family business.  It was easy to see why so many people were after
him.  His six foot two frame was well built, with a body developed from
genetics and time in the gym.  Alec got his looks from his mother's Nordic
heritage.  His sun kissed blonde hair hung down just below his ears and his
eyes were an icy blue.  Alec was a kind and generous man with a maturity
that seemed beyond his twenty-four years.  He always remained calm and
assured, no matter the pressure.

Vanessa Lynn Romane slid out of the passenger side of the vehicle.  She was
almost in equal height of her brother at an even six feet tall.  Her lean,
muscled body was as strong as any Olympic athlete, man or woman.  Vanessa's
beauty was an obvious reflection of their family's Irish heritage.  Her
copper hair hung down towards her shoulder blades.  Vanessa's eyes were a
deep emerald green that flashed and burned when she was angry.  Most people
did not realize that they were brother and sister or that Vanessa was older
by a year.  Her beauty made her appear younger than she actually was.

They walked around to the back of the mustang, and began taking their
luggage out of the trunk.  Vanessa and Alec made their way with the luggage
up to the front door.  Alec dug around in his pocket for a moment before
finally retrieving the keys.

"Take your time, brother dear, it's not like these bags are heavy."
Vanessa said with a sigh.  "I'd really like to take a hot bubble bath and
relax sometime in the next few hours."

"How is it that you can't hold some luggage for a few minutes, but you were
able to hang off the side of a building for an hour? Unless you were lying
about that time in Athens."  Alec said with a smile as he unlocked the
front door.  "Don't take your jetlag crankiness out on me, Nessa."

They stepped into the foyer of the home.  A massive staircase was off to
the left leading to the upstairs.  The living room was off to the right, a
few steps down from the main entry of the home.  The floor of the foyer and
the hallway, which ran back to the kitchen area, was covered in a rich
black and white Italian marble tile.  Vanessa gently closed the door behind
them.

"I'll handle it this time."  She smirked at the brother.  "You almost got
us killed last time."

"Only because you pushed me."  Alec muttered under his breath.

Vanessa stepped forward onto the tile floor.  She slowly and carefully
stepped across some of the tiles in a specific pattern.  As her foot gently
pressed down on the last tile a woman's voice softly echoed into the foyer.

"Security system disarmed.  Welcome home, Trinity and Phoenix."

"Thank you, Muse."  Alec responded to the disembodied voice.  "Activity
report, please."

"There was no breach or intrusion of the estate's perimeter during your
absence, expect for the occasional wild animal.  Each animal was scanned
and verified as actual mammals.  No bugs or other communication and
tracking devices were found on their bodies.  Mr. Clerick from the
Foundation called with the list of this quarter's scholarship finalists.
All pertinent information has been loaded into the house's mainframe, and
is available at your personal computer as well."

"Well done, Muse, that is all for now, thank you. "  Vanessa said with a
yawn. " Please remind me why she has a British accent?"

"Because someone got totally infatuated with a British man a few years ago
after a mission."  Alec replied.

"That's right.  William...I haven't thought of him in a long time." She
replied with a grin.  "If I remember correctly it's your turn to look over
the scholarship list."

"Yes it is, but unlike you, I don't mind doing it." Alec replied.

Vanessa and Alec's great-great grandparents started the Romane Foundation
over a century ago.  The Romanes had always been a family of great wealth
and riches.  Their wealth included money, but it was not limited to that.
The family was a caring and compassionate group of people, and their loved
ones and friends enriched their lives.  It is a little known fact that the
Romanes were one of the original six families that founded the Covenant.

Through the years the Romanes gained great respect for their generosity and
compassion for their fellow man.  The family was always helping less
fortunate people wherever they lived.  The Romane Foundation was created to
help people in times of need and to contribute to charitable organizations.
The family name became so well known that there are major corporations that
donate millions of dollars a year to the Foundation.

The Romane Foundation also provided Vanessa and Alec with their cover.
They were able to travel away on 'business' anytime they needed.  When they
were not on a mission or assignment for the Covenant they worked on things
for the Foundation.  This time of year they were looking at college
scholarship finalists.  Vanessa's happiness at having Alec work on it was
not that she didn't enjoy helping people, because she really did, but there
was always so much paperwork to read.  Alec was the one that enjoyed being
immersed in that much information.  He may look like the star quarterback
of the high school, but he was really a library nerd through and through.

Alec and Vanessa took the luggage containing their clothing up to their
respective bedrooms.  Vanessa came back downstairs a bit later to find Alec
waiting for her in the foyer.

"Please, tell me you didn't just dump your clothes back into the dresser."
Vanessa pleaded with her brother.

"Nessa, why does it matter to you what I do with my things?"  Alec smiled
back.  "I might not be a huge neat freak like you, but I at least keep my
stuff in my room."  He leaned down and picked up one of the two remaining
bags.  "Now, can we get the rest of this put away, please?"

"Of course."  Vanessa sighed.  "Tell me again why we don't have a butler or
maid that's 'in the know' to help us with these things?  Unpacking and
packing all of this is what I hate most about our jobs."

"The only people that know are the members of the families."  Alec said
over his shoulder to her.  "You know that, and this wouldn't be so bad if
you didn't whine about it the entire time."

"I don't whine, Alec, I simply state my concerns in a different tone of
voice to better accent the conversation."  Vanessa sweetly replied.

The pair took the bags down the hallway and entered the first door on their
left, the library.  Vanessa was not kidding about Alec's love to read.
Bookshelves filled the room from floor to ceiling.  There were lamps and
comfortable leather chairs placed throughout the room.  A few desks were
also located in there in case either of them was actually working.  They
maneuvered their way through the bookcases and made it to the back wall of
the library placing their bags on the floor in front of the massive
bookcase that was there. As Vanessa reached out and pulled on a piece of
molding on the case, it slid open to reveal a hidden compartment that
contained two empty slots.

Vanessa and Alec each removed the pendants from around their necks.  It was
the only identification they had to prove their membership in the Covenant.
Vanessa's pendant was three circles entwined together, a trinity.  The
trinity represented her greatest features: intelligence, agility, and
strength.  Many of her adversaries learned the hard way to never judge a
book by its cover.  Her beauty may lead some to think of her as quiet and
soft, but that was not reality.  Vanessa had been involved in so many
gunfights, explosions, and dangerous situations, that nothing really
surprised her anymore.  She pressed the back of her pendant into its
matching hole.

Alec's pendant was a single flame of fire that represented the mythical
firebird of legend, the Phoenix.  He was given this codename because he had
the knack for getting out of any situation, no matter the danger.  There
were many times that Vanessa thought her brother was done for the count,
but he always prevailed.  She drew her strength from him all the time, not
that he was aware of that.  Vanessa realized at an early age that the only
constant in her life was Alec.  He was her rock and her touchstone.  He was
the one she always turned to.  Alex pressed his pendant into its matching
slot.

The bookcase slid apart into the wall revealing a hidden stairwell.  It was
just one of the many passageways that ran throughout the house.  Vanessa
and Alec took the bags down the stairs and into a wine cellar.  It was not
a large space, but wine racks filled every available wall space.  They each
grabbed a bottle of wine that had the year of their birth on the labels.
Vanessa and Alec gently pulled on the bottles.  As the bottle slid back
into place they pushed on the wine rack.  The wall swung backwards on
hidden hinges.  Nothing in this house was really as it seemed.

They entered into the heart of their operation headquarters.  It was an
expansive area.  A large video screen, bigger than most movie theater
screens, was placed against the back wall above the communication and
computer center.  Alec took his bag towards a bank of storage lockers setup
against a sidewall.  He entered a sequence of numbers on a security panel
located in the center of the lockers.  After a confirmation beep the sound
of lockers opening echoed throughout the space.  Alec began to unload their
weapons and ammunition from their recent assignment.  Vanessa carried her
bag back towards the computer center.  She began unloading their
communication devices and other gadgets.  The pair had more technology than
NASA and an arsenal that could equip a few countries' armies.  After making
sure all of the equipment was put away and charging she sat back in a
leather office chair.

"I am so glad to be home."  Vanessa sighed with content.  "This was our
third mission in a row.  I am totally ready for some down time."

"You're ready for some time off?"  Alec asked, sarcasm dripping off his
tongue.  "Try being stuck on that damn fishing boat for a week.  I had to
make my cover believable and got stuck out there, acting like I was
fishing."

"That had to better than what I went through during the Amsterdam
assignment."  Vanessa threw back at him.

"You mean you didn't have a good time wearing that rubber, one-piece
dominatrix costume?" Alec asked with a laugh.

"It was either that or that old business man that wanted to wear a diaper
and have me burp him."  Vanessa's body shook at the memory.  "Why can't all
the assignments be as much fun as this last one?  I'll take jumping out of
an exploding plane any day."

"You realize we have a very unique family don't you?"  Alec asked.  "Most
families are sitting down to Sunday dinner right now, but we're unloading
guns and spy equipment.  Other families take vacations to amusement parks,
but we end up crawling through a war zone in Siberia on vacation."

"I wouldn't change it for anything in the world."  Vanessa said with a
grin.  Alec paused and looked at his sister.  They weren't a traditional
family, but what is considered traditional these days anyways.

"Me either, sis."  He finally replied.

Vanessa stood up and stretched her lithe body.  After getting a few muscle
cramps out she went over to help Alec finish unloading the weapons.  At
least she started out helping him.  It quickly turned into a competition to
see who could clean and store the weapons the quickest.  Their race came to
a close finish.  They each had one weapon left. Vanessa beat Alec but only
because she gently nudged him out of the way at the last second.

"You realize I let you win, don't you?"  Alec asked.

"You keep telling yourself that, tiger."  Vanessa said with a smile.

* * *

Vanessa sat at the dining room table reading the morning's newspaper.  The
front-page story was about a small passenger plane that exploded over the
weekend.  The cause for the explosion was engine problems.  She smiled as
she took a sip of her orange juice.  It was good having friends at most of
the major newspapers and magazines.  The Covenant was extremely
resourceful.  Vanessa glanced at the grandfather clock that stood in the
corner of the room.  It was almost ten o'clock in the morning, but it
didn't surprise her that Alec still wasn't out of bed.  They both tried to
sleep in when they were at home.  There were times during assignments when
sleep just wasn't an option.

It was almost a half hour later when she heard fumbling around upstairs.
She heard Alec stumble into the kitchen and pour a cup of coffee.  He was
definitely not a morning person.  Vanessa knew better than to say anything
to him until he had at least one full cup of coffee.  Though most of the
time that didn't stop her.  Alec walked into the dining room with a major
case of bed head and grumpiness.

"Morning, sunshine!"  Vanessa cheerfully said.  She didn't get much of a
response.  It was just a few grunts in reply.  "Did someone get up on the
wrong side of the bed this morning?"

Alec glared at his sister and rolled his eyes.  He set his coffee cup and
plate down on the table.  He stretched one more time and yawned before
sitting down to breakfast.  Alec sipped his coffee while buttering part of
his bagel.  He could see Vanessa eyeing up his bagel from across the table.

"Try it, and you'll lose a finger." He growled at her.

"You're bark is worse than your bite, tiger."  Vanessa giggled.  "Besides,
I already ate my breakfast.  Check this out.  We made the front page
again."

She slid the paper across the table to her brother.  As he picked up the
paper she deftly grabbed a piece of his bagel.  Alec glared at her as she
popped it into her mouth.  Alec grumbled a few choice words under his
breath and checked out the front page.  It was rare for their assignments
to reach the front page of the newspaper, but a small passenger plane
exploding does get everyone's attention.

"How much time do you think we'll have off this time?" Alec asked.  "We
were on the road for almost all of the last four months."

"I hope at least a month, but that probably won't happen."  Vanessa
replied.  "Then again, we might get bored with that much time on our
hands."

"You might have the chance to get bored, but I've got plenty of work to
keep me busy."  Alec said.  "This year's scholarship competition is really
close."

"Is that why you slept in so late?" Vanessa asked her brother.  Alec nodded
his head.  "How late were you up reading last night?"

"I think I finally crashed around three o'clock this morning."  Alec could
see the concern on his sister's face.  "Don't give me that look.  We really
don't know when the next assignment will come in, so I have to take
advantage of our free time."

Alec stood and took his plate into the kitchen.  Vanessa picked up the
discarded paper and flipped through it to her horoscope.

"Be wary of wolves in sheep's clothing."  She read aloud.

"Why do you even bother with that crap?  You know none of it is true."
Alec said to her as he walked back into the dining room.

"Do you ever have any fun at all?"  Vanessa questioned her brother.  "You
can be such a stick in the mud.  Why don't you try going out with one of
those girls that are left on our doorstep all the time?  You are severely
lacking a social life."

"And you're just the belle of the ball, Vanessa?"  Alec snapped back at his
sister.  "You know as well as I do that trying to date anyone outside of
the Covenant is pointless.  Besides, you aren't the social butterfly
yourself, dear sister."

"At least I go out with friends when we have the time.  You don't even do
that.  If we aren't on a mission you stay in the house and do nothing."
Vanessa responded.  She was concerned about her brother.  "You need to get
out more.  I don't see the harm in taking one of those girls out for
dinner.  As long as you don't lead them on there shouldn't be any
problems."

"Damn it, Vanessa, mind your own business!" Alec yelled across the dining
room.  Vanessa moved so quickly Alec didn't have time to react.  One moment
he was standing there, the next moment Vanessa had him pinned against the
wall.

"We really need to work on your reflexives, tiger, you're getting a bit
slow."  Vanessa said.

A low growl rumbled in Alec's throat.  Vanessa was always interfering in
his life, and normally he just went along with it.  It was different this
time.  She was getting too close to the truth, and it made him
uncomfortable.  Vanessa was saying something to him, but he wasn't paying
any attention.  Alec was trying to calm his mind and focus his thoughts,
but he wasn't able to.

"I'm gay."  Alec quietly revealed.

"What?" Vanessa asked in shock, her fingers immediately loosening their
hold on his shirt.

A large sigh shuddered through Alec's body.  He wasn't ashamed of being
gay; that wasn't the problem at all.  Admitting to his sister that he was
gay would most likely turn the conversation to men, possibly one man in
particular.  Alec did not want to rehash the painful memories.  Alec had
attempted to have a relationship one time, and it failed miserably.  He did
not want to admit his failure to Vanessa.

"I'm gay."  He repeated.  Vanessa's hand made contact right across his
cheek. It was a forceful blow, but his head barely moved.  "What the hell
was that for?"

"You deserved that for lying to me these past few years and for making me
force it out of you."  Vanessa calmly said to him.  She could tell that
there was something more to the situation, but she would push more about
that at a later time.  Just getting Alec to admit this was a good first
step.  "I'm your family, Alec, your older sister, don't you think I would
have figured something out.  I'm not stupid, you know."

"I never thought you were stupid. I just hoped that things had been too
busy for you to notice.  I'm sorry."  Alec mumbled.

It broke Vanessa's heart to see her brother like this.  He was always the
strong and tough one, and to see his armor crack a bit like this was
unsettling.  She reached out and pulled him to her.  She ran her fingers
through his hair and murmured in his ear.  After a few moments Alec pulled
back from his sister and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Nessa, I love you."  He quietly said to her.  "Let's go get our
daily training over with.  I've got to get back to that paperwork sometime
today."

"You're such a slave driver." Vanessa said in an attempt to lighten the
moment.

"The harder we train, the better the chance we survive." Alec said over his
shoulder.  He was headed towards the study.  "So, move your lazy ass, sis."

They made their way back down into their headquarters, or the dungeon as
Vanessa lovingly referred to it.  Across from the weapons' storage area was
their training and workout area.  A large, thick mat covered the area and
there were different kinds of exercise equipment set up all over the place.
The pair went through their breathing and stretching exercises before
smoothly moving into their yoga routines.

Yoga helped to keep their minds focused and their bodies centered.
Concentration and focus were two of the most important qualities needed in
their line of work.  They had to be able to react and make lightening fast
decisions.  One slip of concentration or one moment of lost focus could be
the difference between life and death.  Yoga also helped their bodies'
flexibility.  Flexibility helped with their speed and agility.

Vanessa and Alec decided to work inside today, since they just returned
from the field.  Normally the pair worked out in the woods that were
located on the back part of the property.  It didn't matter what time of
year it was, or what the weather was like.  They had to be prepared to
operate in any type of climate or circumstance.  Living in the New England
area was a great benefit for them.  They were able to train in different
temperatures and climates, though working out in two feet of snow was not
high on their list of favorite things.

After thirty minutes of yoga Vanessa and Alec moved into their martial arts
training.  Their bodies moved with precision and beauty as they punched and
kicked through their routines.  As the routines were coming to an end
Vanessa lashed out, kicking at her brother.  Alec smoothly stepped to the
side and went into a defensive crouch.  Their sparring was always as close
to full out fighting as possible.  It didn't do their reflexes any good if
they were holding back.  Vanessa stepped forward again and attempted a
roundhouse kick at Alec's head with her right foot.

Alec swiftly dropped down and swept his leg underneath Vanessa,
successfully knocking her leg out from under her.  She fell to the mat with
a loud thump.  Alec quickly kicked out with his left foot, but Vanessa
somersaulted backwards and hopped to her feet.  Alec stepped towards his
sister, her left leg lashed out towards his head.  This time Alec grabbed
her ankle, stopping her forward motion.

Vanessa gave her brother a sweet smile.  She leapt into the air, her right
leg swung up and over her left leg, which was still in Alec's hand.  Her
foot made contact to Alec's head with a sickening crack.  He immediately
let go of her foot and fell to the ground.

Vanessa's body continued it's forward motion and she barely landed on the
balls of her feet.  Her body immediately sprung into a defensive mode, but
the attack she expected never came.  Alec still remained on the ground.
Vanessa was not going to fall for this trick, well not again at least.  She
walked over and gave a swift, but easy, kick to his right side.  Alec's
body didn't move or react.  He was sprawled out on his stomach Vanessa
quickly shook her brother's shoulder.

"Alec!"  She called out.

He didn't respond.  She very carefully turned him over onto his back.  A
mistake she regretted almost as soon as she had done it.  As soon as Alec
was on his back his hands shot out and grabbed Vanessa's arms.  He planted
his feet into her stomach and flipped her over his body so they were almost
laying head to head.  Alec allowed his body to continue to roll backwards.
He rolled back onto Vanessa's body, his knees pining her shoulders to the
ground.

"I thought you said you always let me win?"  Vanessa asked with a laugh.

"False sense of security there, sis."  Alec smiled back at her.

Alec stood up and helped his sister to her feet.  They both toweled the
sweat off of their foreheads and had a drink of water.  They continued
working out for the rest of the afternoon, except they used the weight
machines to build up their strength.  There wasn't much conversation during
their workouts.  There really wasn't any need for it.

Life at the Romane home quickly fell back into its normal pattern.  Alec
took his time and was able to select the finalists for the scholarships
after a few days.  Vanessa met up with some old friends, and ran some
errands for the Foundation.  Vanessa tried to hook Alec up on some blind
dates, but he always dug his heels in and refused.  Their lives had begun
to feel normal again, though they should have known it wouldn't last.

* * *

Vanessa lounged in the luxurious hot water that filled the bathtub.  The
foamy bubbles wrapped around her body, easing her tense, cramped muscles.
It was quiet moments like that that she cherished the most, moments where
she could let down her guards.  Times where she could just be Vanessa, not
Trinity.  She was able to allow her focus to drop and her thoughts could
roam freely.  During assignments she had to be on top of her game.  She
couldn't allow for any wandering thoughts or feelings to interrupt her
concentration, but in her own home she could relax.  Her thoughts focused
on Alec, as they normally do.  Alec seemed happy on the outside, but
Vanessa knew her brother better than she knew herself.  Something had been
bothering him, and she hadn't been able to pin down exactly what it was
right away.  Vanessa kept a close eye on her brother, though not close
enough that he would suspect something.

It wasn't until Alec was older that she suspected he might be gay.  They
were both too busy through high school, mainly due to training, to really
date anyone.  She thought things would pick up for Alec in the dating scene
once they had more free time.  Things never did pick up though.  Numerous
women came calling to the house trying to get Alec to date them, but none
of them were ever successful.  Once Vanessa started paying closer attention
to him she realized that his gaze always slid past the women, but would
sometimes linger on an attractive man.  The longer he remained single, the
more Vanessa felt that her suspicion was true.

She hadn't planned on confronting Alec the other day in the dining room.
It just kind of happened, a total stroke of luck.  Alec finally took her
into his confidence and revealed his sexuality.  She was happy that he
could finally trust her with his secret.  Vanessa didn't feel any remaining
anger towards Alec for keeping it from her for so long.  She had no idea
what that had to feel like, and was just grateful to finally have that
piece of the puzzle solved.  Her new mission would be to help him find a
man.

She relaxed in the hot water for a few more moments before her mind focused
on other thoughts, thoughts she usually held at bay.  Thoughts of her
parents floated through her mind.  Anna and Sam Romane were two of the most
loving and compassionate people, and parents, in the world.  Alec and
Vanessa were the center of their universe.  They did whatever was necessary
to ensure their children's happiness.  They were away on business from time
to time, on assignments, but whenever they were at home all of their time
was for their children.

Her mind took her back into time, a night almost seven years ago, the night
her parents were taken away from her.  She and Alec had been practicing
their martial arts when there was a knock on the door.  Thunder and
lightning crashed through the sky, giving the knock on the door an ominous
sound.  Vanessa opened the door to find Mr. Clerick, from the Foundation,
standing there.  Their parents were away on assignment and an earthquake
had totaled the city they were in.  Anna and Sam Romane's bodies were found
within the rubble.  Time seemed to stop completely that night for Vanessa.
It wasn't until months later that she began to feel alive again.  Alec had
kept a close watch over her almost every minute of the day.

Vanessa pushed these unwanted thoughts away and focused instead on her
childhood.  They had had a pretty average childhood, with a few twists.
Alec and Vanessa were a part of sports teams and other school clubs, but
they had other interesting extracurricular activities as well.  Martial
arts training started for both of them when they entered into kindergarten.
By the time Vanessa and Alec started high school they had each obtained
high ranks in several martial art forms.

They both also took gymnastics throughout the years.  It aided them with a
great deal of agility, balance, and flexibility.  Their parents also
enrolled Alec and Vanessa into yoga to give their minds the same precision
and agility their bodies had obtained.  Weapons training was soon
incorporated into their after school training sessions.  Either of them
could practically use any object as a weapon, and could handle almost any
weapon on the market.

All of this training didn't just help them towards their futures; it also
enabled them to excel in their schoolwork.  Their training provided the
pair with a great deal of focus, patience and determination.  Vanessa and
Alec both graduated at the top of their high school classes.  Once they
were old enough to understand, their parents explained about the `business
trips' they took.  Alec and Vanessa were amazed by the revelation and were
very excited to step into the fray to help out.  Their parents completely
understood their enthusiasm, but they were very adamant about their
children going to college.

Anna and Sam's death was not part of the plan though.  Their passing took
away two of the Covenant's greatest members, and Alec and Vanessa were
forced into filling their parents' shoes.  Years of training and education
had prepared them for their official entrance into the Covenant, but they
would both prefer to have their parents back.  Vanessa lifted the trinity
symbol off of her chest and brushed the bubbles off it.  She kissed it once
and pressed it back against her chest.  Her eyes looked upward.

"I hope I'm making you both proud."  Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Trinity, Phoenix, please report immediately to the dungeon."  Muse's voice
interrupted her thoughts.

"It took them long enough." Vanessa mumbled as she began to dry herself
off.  "It's show time."

* * *

Alec pulled the flannel blanket closer around his shivering body.  A chill
night wind gently wrapped itself around the house.  He was sitting on the
balcony that was outside his bedroom.  Most of his time at night was spent
on the balcony looking up at night sky.  There seemed to be a thousand
points of light spread through the velvety blackness.  His thoughts were
also focused on his parents.  Alec really didn't have the chance to mourn
for them.  His mission was to make sure that Vanessa was okay.  She might
seem hard and tough, but he knew Vanessa better than that.  Their parents'
death ripped them to their very cores.

A soft, musical twinkling sound echoed in the wind.  His eyes trailed over
to the dark spot in the corner where a wind chime hung.  It was too dark to
see it now, but he knew its spot from memory.  Alec was frightened of the
dark as a child, a fear that Vanessa still teased him about, and his
parents gave him the wind chime to help calm his fears.  They said that the
beautiful music it made would scare off all the evil things he believed
were hidden in the darkness.

His gaze returned to the night sky, searching out one star in particular.
Alec's eyes finally found the star, one of the brightest in the darkness.
His eyes filled with tears, tears he refused to shed.  Every time his
parents went away on business they pointed out that star to Alec and
Vanessa.  They told them that anytime they were afraid to look for that
star and know they would be looking at it as well.  This way no matter how
far apart, they were still linked together.

Alec closed his eyes as his body shuddered; fighting back the pain was
becoming more and more difficult.  After almost seven years the pain did
not lessen in any way.  He knew that he had to deal with it, but he had to
remain strong for his sister.  Alec knew how much Vanessa relied on him,
even if she would never admit it.  He thought back to his coming out
earlier in the week.  It certainly didn't go the way he planned, but
everything was out in the open now.  Well, almost everything at least.

The one thing that Alec could never tell Vanessa about was Joey.  Joey had
been Alec's best friend through most of grade school and high school, `had'
being the operative word.  Alec made one of the biggest mistakes any gay
man can make; he fell in love with his straight best friend.  He then made
the second biggest mistake by telling Joey how he felt.  Joey was the only
person that Alec had let know the real him, besides his parents and
Vanessa.  Joey did not react very well to Alec's profession of love at all.

Joey knew about Alec's martial arts skills and knew there was no way in
hell he could beat Alec's ass.  Since he couldn't attack Alec physically,
he attacked him mentally.  His words cut through Alec's heart and soul.
The worst part, if it could even get any worse, was that the falling out
occurred barely a week after Alec's parents were killed.  Their death made
Alec realize he had to tell Joey about his feelings.  He didn't want to
regret losing Joey and having him never know how he felt.

Alec refused to let anyone in ever again.  There was too much risk
involved, and Alec dealt with too many risks and dangers already.  He felt
very fulfilled with his life though, even if there was no romantic aspect
to it.  After Joey's outburst Alec never saw him again, which Alec felt was
for the best.  After having his heart ripped out and shredded to pieces he
didn't think he could ever forgive Joey for that.  It was one thing that
Joey didn't return his feelings, but Alec thought he knew his friend
better.  Alec never thought for a second that Joey would push him away like
that and say so many hurtful, evil things.

His self-induced seclusion was also the reason for other things, like his
virginity.  Alec knew early on in life that girls didn't interest him at
all.  He never dated to throw off suspicion though. He was always so busy
with activities that no one ever questioned his single status.  By this
point Alec had masturbation down to a very fine art form.  With his
twenty-fifth birthday rapidly approaching Alec didn't worry about sex
anymore.  He had given up worrying about it a long time ago. Besides, he
was giving himself a great deal of pleasure and didn't have to be concerned
about letting his guards down.

Alec's job had quickly become the `man' in his life.  He could always
depend on another mission to come in, another assignment that would require
his full attention and focus.  Down time had become one of the hardest
things to deal with.  Most people would welcome the time to relax, not
Alec.  His mind wandered around too much when he had free time on his
hands.  Alec was always grateful for assignments, giving his soul a rest
from the demons that plagued him. Almost as if reading his mind, Muse's
voice echoed through the open balcony doorway.

"Trinity, Phoenix, please report immediately to the dungeon."  Alec sighed
in frustration upon hearing `the dungeon' part of Muse's message.  He made
a mental note to not let Vanessa help with Muse's programming.  Alec
stretched his long frame, tossing the blanket back onto the chair.  He took
one last look into the night sky and found their star.  The wind chimes
still played their haunting, beautiful melody.  * * *

Vanessa and Alec rushed across the dungeon to the communication center.
The screen had come to life the moment Muse called for them.  The trinity
and phoenix symbols slowly rotated on the screen.  Muse's voice echoed
throughout the cave-like room.

"Incoming transmission from Covenant Headquarters."

"Make sure the communication is on a secure line, and play when ready,
Muse."  Vanessa commanded as she sat down.

"The transmission was broadcasted over a secure line, security level Alpha.
I am decoding and unscrambling the information."  Muse replied.

"Level Alpha?"  Alec's eyebrows rose.  "I didn't think we'd get top level
assignments for another few years.  We must be doing better than we
thought, sis."

"Our last few missions seemed to be a bit more intense than in the past."
Vanessa looked over her shoulder at her brother.  "Level Alpha would
probably require both of us to have major roles.  Looks like we might
finally get to work as an actual field team, bro, and one of us won't be
playing backup for once."

"That could prove interesting..." Alec began.

"Decoding complete."  Muse's voice interrupted.  "Transmission now
playing."

The trinity and phoenix symbols faded from the screen and were replaced by
an image of Stonehenge, the Covenant's main symbol.  The transmission was
given by Muse herself, this helped protect the identity of the current
leader of the Covenant.  Secrecy was all-important to their organization.

"Good evening, Trinity and Phoenix, I hope this transmission finds you both
relaxed and well rested, you'll need it.  The President of The United
States will be attending the grand opening of a new family resort."  The
Stonehenge image disappeared from the screen.  A world map appeared in its
place, a small red box appeared over a part of the Pacific Ocean.  The
screen zoomed in on the selected area and a small chain of islands was
brought into view.  "You are looking at the Terror Islands, a chain of
three Pacific Islands that were bought by Terror Incorporated.  TI is one
of the leading amusement park companies currently in the world.  They have
created an amusement park on the largest of the islands.  The park is
called Isle Of Terror.  Only one of the other two islands is being used.
It is currently housing all of the park's staff and the park's storage
facilities are located there."

"This sounds kind of interesting." Vanessa mumbled.  Alec hushed his sister
and she shot him a dirty look.  The transmission continued to play.

"It has come to our attention that there will be an attempt on the
President's life during the grand opening.  Our contacts have been unable
to find out what the exact plan is, but we need both of you to stop the
assassination attempt."

"HOLY SHIT!"  Vanessa exclaimed.

"Would you just shut up already?" Alec snapped at his sister.

"More information will be provided to you as it becomes available.  You
will be going in as part of an added security team for the park.  This will
enable you to have complete access to everything and anything in the park.
You will need the normal equipment.  There will be a contact for this
mission, Backdraft.  Backdraft will rendezvous with you when you disembark
on the island."

"What the hell?" It was Alec's turn to be shocked.

"Would you just shut up already?" Vanessa asked Alec with a sweet smile on
her face.

"This does not mean that the Covenant doubts your abilities in any way.
This mission will be covering a large scale and will require three field
agents."  The transmission continued over the siblings.  "We have full
faith in the both of you, and that this assignment will be successful.  May
your strength and determination prevail as it always does.  Good luck,
Trinity and Phoenix.  All traces of this transmission will be deleted and
purged for security purposes."

The screen faded back to the trinity and phoenix symbols.  Alec and Vanessa
looked at each other in silence.  They had tough missions in the past, but
they both knew that this would go far beyond anything they had attempted so
far.  Their shock was quickly replaced with pride, pride in knowing that
the Covenant believed they were the best agents for this mission.

"Looks like playtime is over, Phoenix."  Vanessa grinned.

"You're damn straight, Trinity."  He replied with a grin of his own.

"Looks like you finally got your wish, tiger."  She said with a wink.

"What are you talking about, Nessa?"  Alec asked in confusion.  "We are
finally getting that amusement park vacation you were talking about."
Vanessa giggled.

Vanessa walked over to the ammunition storage and began packing.  Alec
glared at his sister's back.

"Bitch."  He mumbled as he got their other gear ready.

"I heard that, Alec!"

Chapter Two

"What do you think about disguises?" Alec questioned his sister.

"I think it might be better to forgo any type of disguises this time, Alec,
it's too much upkeep for a mission like this."  Vanessa replied.
"Disguises work for a short amount of time, but over an extended period, I
don't think they really work that well.  This is the biggest assignment
we've ever been assigned, and I don't want something stupid, like a wig
being on crooked, to blow our covers."

"Don't worry, Nessa, that was exactly what I was thinking."  Alec grunted
out as he lifted the weapons' bags and headed upstairs.  "I think using our
names, well, first names at least, will make things easier as well.  We
need total concentration, and trying to remember what name to answer to
will just throw us off.  I am totally confident that we are going to be
able to pull this off without any problems, sis."

Vanessa picked up their remaining gear and followed her brother up through
the house.  Her mind had been racing at a million miles per hour since Muse
revealed their mission earlier this evening.  Vanessa had expected fear to
be coursing through her by now, but that hadn't happened.  Instead,
excitement and energy flowed through her body, and she realized that she
had to be a total adrenaline junkie.  Her mind had already begun going over
strategies and plans in preparation for their assignment.  She knew that
this assignment was just as important to Alec, and it actually might even
mean more to him than it did to her.  Vanessa had been in the forefront of
practically every mission, and this time Alec had an opportunity to shine.
It was a chance for him to show just how good he was at his job, and
Vanessa knew he was one of the best.

They stepped out of the house and the cold fall wind whipped around them,
sending chills through their bodies.  Their gear was safely and carefully
stored in the mustang's trunk.  Transporting gear for missions had become a
problem when security in airports had become very tight.  The Covenant had
a private plane for Vanessa and Alec's use, and had built a small runway
and hanger outside the local airport.  This was all accomplished with the
help of some highly placed Covenant members, who took care of things like
getting federal approval for the airstrip and other intricacies.  Vanessa
and Alec didn't have to worry about airport security, their plane being
late, or any other airport inconvenience.

"Remember to take some clothes to change into on the plane, Alec, so we
don't walk off the plane onto a tropical island in winter gear."  Vanessa
reminded.  "Let's just hope neither one of us gets sick from the drastic
temperature change.  That's all we would need, to be in the middle of our
biggest assignment and have the flu."

After making sure all the gear was properly stored in the trunk Alec and
Vanessa headed back into the house to get their remaining luggage.  They
went to their bedrooms and began finishing up the packing, making sure
their clothes were comfortable, but also appropriate for their work.  The
clothes had to enable them to blend in with everyone else, but still have
the flexibility for quick movement and comfort.  A majority of their
clothes had to be as close to form fitting as possible because loose
fitting clothing could either slow them down or be too bulky for movement.
Alec and Vanessa had solid, muscular bodies, and wearing the tighter
fitting clothing didn't bother either one of them. In fact it helped them
sometimes because they had encountered a few people that focused more on
their appearance and found out the hard way what a mistake that was.

Alec and Vanessa met in the foyer with their packed bags and looked around
at the house.  It was becoming a routine for the pair, and even though they
had every confidence in their abilities, they never knew if this would be
the last time in their home.  They took a deep breath through their noses,
taking in the scent of the house that was filled with so many memories.
Alec easily took Vanessa's hand, their fingers entwining with a practiced
ease.

"Looks like we're ready to go, Trinity."  Alec murmured with a grin. "We're
finally going on that dream vacation, eh?"

"You know it, tiger, I plan on finding you a man on this trip.  Of course,
that would be after I get all my hours of sunbathing in." Vanessa said with
a laugh.  "Muse?"

"Yes, Trinity." Muse's voice echoed throughout the downstairs.

"We are leaving on assignment, Muse, please secure the house under security
level Alpha Bravo."  Vanessa requested.

"Institution of security level alpha bravo will require double clearance."
Muse responded.  "Trinity, please provide your security clearance code."

"Trinity clearance Vanessa Lynn Romane, access code seven eight six nine."
Vanessa stated.

"Phoenix, please provide your security clearance code."  Muse requested.

"Phoenix clearance Alec Michael Romane, access code one seven one two."
Alec replied.

"Clearance codes have been confirmed.  Security lock down under security
level Alpha Bravo will be complete in two minutes.  Please leave the
premise immediately to avoid defensive measures.  Be safe on your mission
and return in once piece, Trinity and Phoenix."  Muse confirmed.

All the lights in the house suddenly went out and the sound of doors
locking echoed throughout the halls.  Alec and Vanessa quickly stepped out
the front door with their luggage and pulled it closed.  As they got into
Alec's mustang the house continued with the security measures.  Steel
plates slid into place behind the curtains in all the windows and were also
lowered behind all the doors leading to the outside.  Invisible laser beams
crisscrossed over every inch of the property, scanning and searching for
anything out of the ordinary.  The house and the surrounding property had
become a virtual fortress.  Muse would only initiate defensive measures if
it sensed a danger, like the weapons and tools in the backseat of the
mustang.  That is why Alec and Vanessa had been warned to leave before the
two minutes were up.  If Muse felt any need to defend the home or its
perimeter it would contact either Vanessa or Alec on their cell phones and
confirm the situation.

The mustang shot through the iron gate at the end of the driveway just as
it was closing.  The car quickly sped down the streets to get to the main
highway as soon as possible.  Vanessa and Alec were anxious to get on their
way and begin their assignment because there were only seven days until the
President's visit at the Isle Of Terror amusement park.  They had to
incorporate themselves with the park's employees and memorize every square
inch of the park.  Knowledge of their surroundings and the people in it
were one of the most important things in their line of work. It was one of
the things that separated them from others in their field.  Vanessa and
Alec spent a great deal of attention to every detail when they were on
missions.  They made sure that everything that they said or did fit in
perfectly with their surroundings, unless of course their cover required
them to do otherwise.

"What was with the Alpha Bravo lockdown, Nessa?" Alec quickly glanced at
his sister.  "We've never used a security level higher than Charlie when we
left on assignments, but this time you requested the highest level
possible.  What makes this one so different?"

Vanessa glanced out the passenger window, refusing to meet her brother's
gaze.  She hadn't thought about using that lockdown until the words had
already left her mouth, and by then it was too late to change the request.
Vanessa's stomach was still a bit knotted from the situation, but she had
gone with her gut instinct and trusted in it.

"Mom and Dad were on the biggest missions of their career when that
earthquake hit, Alec."  Vanessa's voice was so soft Alec could barely hear
her over the sound of the engine.  "We were there to step into their places
whether we wanted to or not.  We are on the biggest mission of our career,
tiger, and if something happens there is no one to pick up the pieces.
There is too much information and other things in that house for it to fall
into the wrong hands, Alec, that I had to make sure it was secure, just in
case we...."

Vanessa's voice broke off and she took a deep breath.  Vanessa knew they
had to look at both sides of the coin, no matter how confident she was they
were going to succeed.  She had to make sure that she was prepared for the
worse because there was always the possibility it could happen.  It was
dangerous to be too self-assured or confident in their line of work.
Vanessa tried to always make sure both of her feet were firmly planted in
reality, otherwise, one or both of them could end up dead.  She knew that
Alec followed the same line of thinking that she did.  There were times
when she felt more like Alec was her twin, even though she was a year older
than him.

"You did the right thing, Nessa, we have to be prepared for anything and
everything.  I'm glad you thought about that."  Alec's strong baritone
voice gently carried throughout the car.  He knew where Vanessa's mind was
and he wanted to try and keep her spirits up.  "Have you thought about what
last name we should use on the island?"

"I've been trying to brainstorm ideas, but I keep drawing a complete
blank." Vanessa sighed, even though a small grin appeared on her face.  She
knew what her brother was up to, and she definitely appreciated the effort.
"We're so used to only going by first names that it's pretty odd to have to
pick out a last name.  Have you had any ideas?"

"I was doing some reading last night about Lewis and Clark, and I thought
maybe we could use one of those names."  Alec replied as he changed lanes.

"You were reading about Lewis and Clark last night?"  Vanessa chuckled.
"Why don't you read something that isn't non-fiction for once, brother
dear?  You have to have some type of imagination in that thick head of
yours somewhere."

"Forgive me, sis, if I don't get into the steamy romance novels the same
way you do."  Alec snapped back.  His voice may have sounded rough, but
Vanessa knew he was trying to rile her up.

"There is nothing wrong with reading about a lonesome, hunky cowboy who
just inherited his family's ranch and ends up falling in love with the
beautiful land developer from the city who shows up to build a mini-mall."
Vanessa playfully snapped back at her brother.

"I never said there was something wrong with that, Nessa. We just have
different tastes in books. You can engross yourself in all of that love at
first sight crap, but leave me to my books about facts and truths."  Alec
replied.

"What do you mean crap?  Love at first sight is totally possible, Alec. You
can't tell me that you never experienced that in your entire life?"
Vanessa asked in amazement.  She knew that her brother wasn't into the
dating or bar scene, but she would have never guessed he didn't believe in
love.

"I just don't see how you can feel this instant love for someone after only
seeing them once, Nessa. The only thing you can experience at first sight
is lust, not love."  Alec responded.  "It takes time for feelings like love
to exist between two people."

"That's what you think, brother dear, and I hope I'm there when you finally
experience love at first sight."  Vanessa said.  "You know I just love
telling you 'I told you so."

"I don't see why you love it so much, Nessa, it's not like you really ever
get to do it that often." Alec said with a grin.

"Here's comes the turn off for the hanger, Alec, you don't want to miss it,
again."  Vanessa said with a giggle.

Alec sighed as he turned on the right turn signal.  It seemed at times that
Vanessa's mission in life was to harass him.  It never bothered him though;
well at least it didn't bother him that often.  Vanessa had been teasing
for as long as he could remember, and he didn't see her stopping anytime in
the future.  The car turned off onto the almost hidden entrance to the
hanger.  He had called ahead and made sure that it was fueled up and
supplies were stocked for the flight.

"I'll be Lewis and you can be Clark, Alec. That way you can have the whole
alter ego thing going like Superman."  Vanessa grinned at her brother.

"Here's an interesting thought, you wacko. Why don't you be Lane and I'll
be Kent.  This way we can really play up the superhero thing."  Alec said
jokingly as he parked the car.

"That's a great idea, tiger!"  Vanessa's face beamed.  "You do have some
good ideas every now and then."

She was already out of the car and unlocking the trunk before Alec could
say anything else.  A long, frustrated sigh slipped from his lips and he
rubbed his temples.  Would he ever learn to be careful when talking to
Vanessa?  Sometimes his sister could just take something and run it into
the ground.  Alec had a feeling this was going to be a very, very long
flight.

* * *

Vanessa and Alec's plane touched down in California a few hours after take
off.  Their trip taking much shorter than a normal flight since the plane
had Concord-like technology, courtesy of the Covenant.  Their plane landed
safely without any problems.  Vanessa and Alec quickly unloaded their
luggage and gear onto a cart and made their way over to the helipads.


It wasn't a possibility to land a plane on the island, so they were going
to take a helicopter out.  Terror Incorporated had a fleet of helicopters
to take employees and guests from the mainland out to the island.  There
was the option of taking a ship, but traveling that way took almost a full
day of time.  From the long line of people waiting, they knew they had a
few hours to kill.

"Alec, you wait here with the luggage.  I'm going to look around inside,
and do a little reconnaissance."  Vanessa smiled at her brother.

"You mean you're going to do some shopping, Vanessa. I'm not stupid."  Alec
put on his sunglasses and pulled a book out of one of his duffel bags.
"You go ahead and have fun.  I'll be waiting right here."

"You could be on the look out for some hot guys, stud, and maybe you'll get
lucky and have a hot island fling."  Vanessa giggled to her brother.  The
look of death he shot her was enough of a clue for her to get going.
"Fine, have it your way.  All work and no play..." Her voice trailed off as
she walked away from Alec.  She really had to find him a man, and she hoped
some opportunity would present itself.  Vanessa picked up her carry on bag
as she made her way towards the airport terminal.

Vanessa had a game plan in mind; she just hoped that there was enough time
for her to pull it together.  She walked around the concourse and finally
found what she was looking for.  Her eyes twinkled as she walked into the
shop and heard the sound of hairdryers and scissors.  Vanessa stepped up to
the receptionist desk, where an attractive, younger woman was sitting.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"  The woman asked.

"I'm hoping that you can."  Vanessa leaned on the counter giving the woman
her most brilliant smile.  "I'm here on vacation and trying to be a bit
spontaneous.  I want something completely different, but I only have about
an hour.  Can you fit me in?"

"I'm sure we can fit you in."  The woman said with a smile.  "What exactly
did you have in mind?"

Vanessa's smile got even larger, if that were possible, as she explained
her idea to the woman.  The woman led her towards the back of the shop to
get her hair washed.  Alec was definitely going to have kittens when he saw
her.  Vanessa couldn't help the giggle that slipped from her lips.  She was
certainly going to be having some fun on this mission.  Vanessa made sure
not to look into a mirror until everything was done.  It just a little over
an hour later when the stylist turned her chair around and Vanessa was able
to see the finished look.

Vanessa's face lit up with a disarming grin.  The stylist did an amazing
job, and Vanessa was impressed.  If she hadn't known any better, Vanessa
would have thought this was her natural appearance.  She generously tipped
the woman and made her way towards the airport bathrooms.  Vanessa slipped
into a stall and opened up her bag.  She was ready to complete her
transformation and started removing everything from the bag.

A tight, black mini-skirt slid soundlessly up her long legs.  Vanessa
slipped on a pair of knee-high black leather boots and pulled a tank top
with the word `Princess' written across it in silver glitter over her head.
She put the discarded clothes into the bag and stepped out of the stall.
Vanessa placed the bag on the bathroom's sink and began to reapply her
make-up, putting it on a bit heavier than normal.  Once her make-up was
done, to her satisfaction, she retrieved a pair of sunglasses out of her
bag and headed off towards her last stop.

Vanessa usually walked with a calm, confident ease, but that changed with
her new look.  Her hips swayed a bit more with each step and accentuated
her long, muscular legs.  Vanessa was used to turning a few heads, but her
new appearance brought her a lot more attention than she expected.  She
entered the gift shop and saw that the only person inside was the young man
standing behind the counter.  His eyes practically burned a hole right
through her.  If there were any opportunity to try out her new look, it was
now.  She sauntered right up to the counter and leaned across it, her shirt
dipping a bit to reveal a good amount of cleavage.

"Hi, I was hoping you could help me, Evan."  Vanessa read the guy's name
off of his nametag. Her voice purred like a kitten.  "I'm dying for some
gum."

"Sure...it's um...on the rack right behind you." He stuttered and tried to
not look down her shirt.

Vanessa looked over her shoulder and saw the candy rack.  She looked back
at Evan, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Thanks, I can't believe I didn't see that before."  Vanessa allowed a
giggle to escape past her lips.  She walked over and selected a pack of
pink bubble gum from the display.  She set it down on the counter and began
to dig through her bag.  "Oh shoot, I must have left my purse in the car,
damn it."  Her lips turned down into a sensual pout.

"Don't worry about it, miss, I'll take care of it for you."  Evan beamed at
her.

"I couldn't let you do that, Evan, I don't want you getting into trouble
over me."  Vanessa purred.

"Don't worry about anything, ma'am." Evan practically forced the pack of
gum into her hands.  "It's not everyday I get to treat a beautiful woman to
something, even if it's only a pack of gum."

"You're too sweet."  Vanessa grinned back at him. She reached over and ran
her finger over Evan's cheek.  "I'm in your debt, and I won't forget this."
Vanessa tossed the gum into her bag and started out of the gift shop.  As
she walked through the doors she glanced back at Evan.  He was in the
process of memorizing every inch of her legs.  When his gaze met hers she
lowered her sunglasses and winked at him.  Evan's face immediately flushed
and Vanessa giggled and headed back out to where Alec was waiting.

Her new look was a complete success, though she wasn't planning on playing
the seductress on assignment.  She had a few other ideas and couldn't wait
to see Alec's reaction.

* * *

Alec ran his hand through his blonde hair and glanced at his watch.
Vanessa had been gone for over an hour, and God only knows what she was up
to.  He felt like he was the older sibling most of the time.  Vanessa was
always on his case about relaxing and having more fun, but it was difficult
for him to do.  Alec had to be in control as much as possible, and letting
go was not easy for him.  Ever since his parents died he preferred things
to be as routine as possible.  His eyes turned back to his book, but a few
moments later the sound of snapping bubble gum caught his attention.

Alec looked up to see a long-legged blonde woman strutting towards the
helicopter area.  He rolled his eyes as he read the word `princess' written
across her too tight and small shirt.  If Vanessa had been here this woman
would have become fodder for some her jokes.  He tried to ignore the woman
and returned to his book.  Unfortunately, the gum-popping princess was
headed right towards him.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know what time it is?"  The princess asked
him.

"It's just about two o'clock."  Alec tried to keep his frustration to
himself.  The woman sounded like her head was inflated with air.

"Thanks, I like totally appreciate the help.  I must have totally left my
watch in my car."  The woman replied with an inane giggle.  Alec felt a
hand slid up over his bicep.  "What's a big, strong man like you doing out
here all by himself?"  She flirted with him.

"Look princess..." Alec looked up to politely tell the woman to leave him
alone, but the words died in his throat.  His eyes gazed into a pair of
emerald ones that he knew so well.  "What the fuck did you do, Vanessa?"

Vanessa's laughter rang in his ears as she twirled around.  Her beautiful
red hair was gone and a bright, blonde color was in its place.  His eyes
took in her transformation and he was amazed.  She could have walked right
past him and he would have never had known it was her.  Hell, she walked
right up and had a conversation with him and he didn't have a clue.

"Do you kiss your sister with that potty mouth, mister?"  Her voice still
had that airhead quality to it.  "Do you like?"

"I'm in shock, Vanessa, I didn't know you dreamed of looking like a pop
tart."  Alec sweetly replied.

"Bite me." Vanessa said as she placed her bag back onto the cart.  "Don't
hate me because I'm beautiful, Alec."

"You're right, there are a thousand other reasons to hate you."  He shot
back at her.

They playfully argued with each other until it was their turn to fly out to
the island.  Alec ended up loading their luggage onto the chopper himself
because Vanessa was flirting with the pilot to the point he was completely
distracted.  She was definitely playing the part of the stereotypical
blonde to a tee.  Finally, Alec was able to get into the chopper and
climbed into his seat.  Somehow, Vanessa had managed to talk herself into
the co-pilot's chair.  He didn't bother putting on the headset to block out
the sound of the whirling blades.  Alec was happy to have the distraction
and focus on his own game plan.

He took in the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and was amazed by the colors.
The water looked so refreshing and the sky was bluer than he could ever
imagine.  He felt a peacefulness engulf him, something he hadn't felt in a
long time.  Alec hadn't felt this calm or relaxed since his parents'
passing.  Something down in the water caught Alec's eye and he leaned
closer to the window to investigate.  A pod of dolphins were frolicking and
swimming in the ocean far below him.  Dolphins had always fascinated Alec
because of their intelligence and playfulness.  The animals looked so free
down there in the water.  Alec wondered what it must be like to be like
that, to be so free.  What would it feel like to have that weight lifted
off of his shoulders for once?  To have all the burdens he'd been carrying
around for years disappear?

Was it possible that Vanessa was right?  Was he too uptight?  Alec
reflected on his life for a few moments and realized that Vanessa did have
some valid points.  He really didn't have fun anymore or allow himself to
just relax and unwind.  Vanessa teased him about being a bit of a slob
sometimes, but that was just one of Alec's quirks.  He didn't allow many
things to be out of his control in life and being a bit messy allowed him
to give up a bit of control.  It may have sounded stupid or even on the
verge of insanity, but Alec had somehow gotten himself into a very
controlled routine.  Alec glanced towards the cockpit and could see
Vanessa's blonde hair floating in the slight wind inside the helicopter.

He decided that maybe it was time for him to have a little fun.  Alec
didn't think he could be as flamboyant about it as Vanessa, though he was
ready to have some enjoyment.  He planned on keeping his eyes open, and who
knows, maybe he might find an attractive guy on the island to have a fling
with.  He knew having a relationship was out of the question, or was it?
He definitely had a lot to think about.

Alec could see Vanessa waving back at him out of the corner of his eye.
She was pointing to something in front of the helicopter.  Alec moved
forward so he was right behind her seat to see what she was pointing at.
The horizon was nothing but water before, but now there was something new
to see.  The Terror Islands had come into view and it was an impressive
sight.  It looked like there was a volcano on one of the islands, which
immediately gave away which island the park was on.  As the helicopter got
closer to the islands Alec could make out the tops of different park rides
towering above the tree line.  All three of the islands appeared to be
covered in jungle.

A large sigh of frustration escaped from Alec's lips from just looking at
the terrain.  All of those trees were definitely going to cause problems
because it provided way too many hiding places.  It was going to take more
time than he expected to cover that much ground.  Alec moved back to his
own seat and went over things in his head.  It was going to take a lot of
concentration and patience to just deal with this new ditzy version of
Vanessa besides having to deal with the mission as well.  He had to enjoy
the peace and quiet while he could because he didn't see it lasting very
much longer.

* * *

The helicopter gently touched down on the main island, its blades slowly
spinning until they stopped.  The pilot rushed around the side of the
helicopter to help Vanessa out, which caused another sigh to slip from
Alec's lips.  As the man helped Vanessa down she allowed her body to rub up
against him as much as possible.

"Thank you so much, I like totally appreciate the help.  People are never
nice these days."  Vanessa allowed another girlish giggle to flow from her
lips.  This was turning out to be more fun than she expected.  "You must be
pretty strong to lift me down like that."

"Not a problem, ma'am, anything I can do to help."  The pilot replied, with
a touch of pride in his voice.  His chest was puffed out and he was
definitely trying to show off his muscles.

"How late do these helihoppers fly?"  Vanessa asked as she twirled some of
her hair around her finger.

"They're called helicopters, ma'am, and the last run back to the mainland
is at ten o'clock at night when the park closes."  The pilot grinned back.

"Thanks again for the ride, mister, it was totally fast and a little rough.
I really like it like that."  Vanessa winked at the pilot and moved around
the helicopter to help Alec.  When she walked up to Alec the sight that
greeted her actually made her miss a step and stumble.

"You'd think all that air in your head would stop you from tripping,
Vanessa."  Alec lazily smiled at her.

Vanessa didn't even hear what he said to her, she was too focused on his
appearance.  Alec was normally pretty conservative with his clothes, even
though he had a body that made most men jealous.  His shirt was unbuttoned
completely, exposing practically every muscled inch of his upper body.
Alec's hair was normally well kept and perfectly styled, though now it had
that purposely messed up look to it.  At some point he must have changed
shorts on the trip over because at the airport he had on a pair of jean
shorts that came down to his knees.  Alec had on a pair of jean shorts now,
but the shorts were mid-thigh length.  He was definitely showing off some
skin, which was totally not like him.

"What's with showing off your pasty skin, Alec?" Vanessa asked as her eyes
trailed over his body.  She could see the slight flush on his neck and
face.  "Don't get me wrong, stud, you look great.  I'm just wondering what
caused this change?"

"I'm just following someone's lead on blondes having more fun, and since
I'm the natural blonde, I figured why not."  Alec grinned at her.

"Well, it's about time!"  Vanessa exclaimed.  The pendant on Alec's chest
caught her eye as the sun reflected off of it.  She quickly pulled her
pendant out and made sure it was visible.  "Now let's just see if we can
find our contact."  She added quietly so only Alec could hear.

They scanned the crowd, without being too obvious about it.  A lot of
people were milling about the park's loading entrance, but no one really
caught their eye.  Alec and Vanessa were getting a lot of attention, from
both men and woman alike, though neither of them noticed.  They stood there
for about twenty minutes before frustration started to kick in.

"This is getting ridiculous, Alec, I haven't seen our guy yet.  I hate it
when people are late."  Vanessa complained.  Her foot started impatiently
tapping the ground.  "Talk about unprofessional."

"Well, it's not like we were able to call ahead and give our arrival time."
Alec sighed.  "You really have to learn some patience."  Vanessa was about
to respond when something caught her eye.  There was a woman standing
towards the back of the crowd, and her eyes were definitely looking for
something, or possibly someone.  Vanessa almost dismissed her until she saw
something reflecting light around the women's neck.  It was too far to
tell, but Vanessa would have bet money it was a pendant.

"Looks like our thinking that Backdraft was a man was way wrong."  Vanessa
quietly said to Alec.  He gave her a questioning look and she pointed out
the woman without being too obvious.  "Let's try to initiate some contact."

Vanessa and Alec weren't going to have to do that though.  The woman in the
crowd had already stopped looking around and was headed their way.  She was
around five foot eight inches with midnight black hair that was bobbed at
chin length.  She moved with a grace that any ballet dancer would envy.
Vanessa looked at the woman; she seemed petite even though she was pretty
tall.

The woman gave Alec an appreciative look as she approached, but had
dismissed Vanessa almost immediately.  So it was going to be like that?
The woman was lucky she was their contact; otherwise Vanessa would have
kicked her ass.  Vanessa tossed her hair back and couldn't help the grin
that appeared on her face.  She was still going to have some fun with this
woman, contact or no contact.

"Welcome to the Isle Of Terror, I'm Sabrina McKnight.  I couldn't help but
notice that you two looked a bit lost.  Can I help?"  The woman asked.

There was something about her though that rubbed Vanessa the wrong way.  It
might have been the hungry look she was giving Alec.  One would think that
this Sabrina hadn't had a decent meal in at least a month by the look she
was giving him.  While Sabrina was busy drooling over Alec, Vanessa had the
chance to get a good look at the pendant.  She knew instantly that it was
Covenant issued.  It was difficult to describe, but from what Vanessa could
tell it resembled an exploding fire.

"My name is Alec Clark, and this is my associate Vanessa Lane."  Alec said
with a grin.  "We're new employees on the security team, so we're just
waiting for our park contact."

"Well, that makes my job a lot easier."  Sabrina's laughter bubbled.
Vanessa's shoulder tensed at the sound.  Sabrina was definitely grating on
her nerves.  "You're both with the security force?"  Her eyes wandered over
Vanessa questioningly.

"That's right, Sabrina, we put the secure in security."  Vanessa said with
sweetness dripping off of her tongue.  "That's a gorgeous pendant you have
there.  Where did you get it?"

Sabrina's hand wrapped around her pendant without thinking, which Vanessa
understood.  They were both very protective about their pendants as well.
Sabrina's hand shifted a bit and opened revealing the back of the pendant.
The image of Stonehenge was clearly visible to the both of them and that
was all the confirmation they needed; they had found Backdraft.

"It's been passed down through my family for generations."  Sabrina said as
she eyed their pendants.  "It seems we share the same good taste in
silver."

Alec and Vanessa's hands reached for their own pendants and gently flipped
them over, acting like they were adjusting them.  Sabrina saw the image on
their pendants as well and barely nodded her head.  She grinned at both of
them and motioned to them to pick up their luggage.

"Why don't you get your bags and I'll show you to your room.  I hope you
don't mind, but you'll both be sharing a room.  The park is a little short
on staff quarters right now."  Sabrina smiled.

"That's like not a problem at all, Sabrina, we'll be totally cool sharing a
room, won't we, Alec?"  Vanessa was back into airhead mode.  She turned her
back to them and bent down to pick up her bags, allowing her skirt to ride
up a bit.  Unfortunately a man was walking by and saw her.  He didn't pay
attention to where he was going and walked right into Sabrina, almost
knocking her to the ground. Alec was able to catch her before she landed.
"Hey mister, you better watch where you're going.  That was like totally
rude."  It took all of Vanessa's strength to stop a grin from appearing on
her face.

"Show us the way, oh fearless leader lady."  Vanessa said with a crack of
her gum.

Vanessa glanced over at Alec and could see he was trying hard not to laugh.
Were her eyes deceiving her or was her brother actually having fun?  Things
were getting curiouser and curiouser by the minute.  Backdraft turns out to
be a woman, and then her brother was actually having a good time.  Vanessa
was pissed off that their contact was a woman because she was totally
hoping for some hunky guy Alec could have some fun with.

Just as the thought crossed her mind a hot guy in nothing but a pair of
board shorts walked past.  The guy had muscles in all the right places with
hair the color of melted chocolate. Vanessa was just about to point the guy
out to Alec, but she saw Alec's gaze linger on the man.  Before Vanessa
could say anything Alec looked over at her and winked.

"Damn, Vanessa, I could suck him dry in a New York minute."  Alec whispered
to her.

God damn it if she didn't almost choke on her gum.  Vanessa stumbled for
the second time that day.  Alec was turning out to certainly be full of
some surprises today.  Sabrina gave Vanessa a look over her shoulder and
rolled her eyes.  Vanessa was itching to knock that bitch's lights out.
She totally understood what real blondes had to go through and made a vow
to never make fun of blondes ever again, well except for Alec.

Sabrina led them down a path that ran around the outer edge of the island.
The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.  The jungle trees and foliage
were lush and fragrant.  As they were talking they could hear different
animal noises echoing from deep within the jungle.  Vanessa looked over at
her brother, realizing they hadn't known about the animals.  This could
make things even more difficult.

"Sabrina, what types of animals are on the island?"  Alec questioned.

Sabrina dropped her pace back so she was walking in between Alec and
Vanessa.  A huge grin erupted on her face, though it didn't really reach
her eyes Vanessa noticed.  Sabrina seemed intent on acting like Vanessa
wasn't there, not that Vanessa minded.  Sabrina glanced around to make sure
there wasn't anyone else in hearing distance.

"There aren't any animals loose on the island."  Sabrina quietly said.
"It's all sound clips that are broadcasted through hidden speakers.  Isle
Of Terror does have animal habitats, but the broadcasted sounds make the
jungle feel more realistic.  The island also has another special animal
exhibit, but I'd rather show it to you.  Besides, words can't really
describe it. Just wait until you see it."

Sabrina led them to a small docking station where a small boat was waiting.
She helped load their luggage on board to save time.  After a few moments
the boat was leaving the main island and was headed towards the closer of
the other two islands.  Vanessa figured that that must be the employee
housing and storage site.  It made sense since the third island was further
away from the other two islands.  Vanessa could see that Sabrina was still
sneaking glances at her brother.  That woman was going to be in for a rude
awakening.  Vanessa leaned against a railing and smiled.  She couldn't wait
to see Sabrina's face when she learned that Alec was gay.

* * *

Sabrina had left Vanessa and Alec to unpack their things and would return
in a little bit to give them a tour of the main island.  Alec was impressed
with the setup the park had for its employees.  The employee housing was
just that, large houses set up like a small community.  All the buildings
were ranch style houses that could house up to three employees.

"I still say kicking Sabrina's ass isn't a good idea, at least not until
the mission is over, Vanessa."  Alec said to his sister with a sigh.
Vanessa had been ranting for the last five minutes about how she thought
Sabrina was a total bitch.  "You were the one that decided to go with the
whole valley girl persona.  I guess you'll take time to think things
through a bit more in the future before making this type of decision."
"You're just defending her because she's falling all over herself to
impress you.  My God that woman has as much tact as a hooker trying to land
a trick."  Vanessa practically snarled.

"Someone sounds a bit jealous that she isn't getting all the attention."
Alec grinned at her.

"That's hardly the case, Alec. I'm glad you're getting some attention."
Vanessa sighed.  "I just wish that you were getting some attention from
someone of the male persuasion.  By the way, Alec, when did you start
sucking people dry?"

Vanessa thought that the comment would cause her brother to blush hard
enough to cover every inch of exposed flesh.  Alec surprised her by giving
her his trademark grin.

"That's classified information, miss busybody. I thought you wanted me to
find a hot guy for some island fun."  Alec replied.

"I still do, even if that means me getting stuck dealing with miss stick up
her ass all by myself."  Vanessa giggled.  "I wonder if I can pry that
stick out and beat her with it?"

Their conversation was ended by a knock coming from the front door.
Vanessa and Alec's body went into defensive mode automatically.  Alec
walked over towards the door and glanced back at Vanessa.  She was already
leaning in one of the doorways with her left arm behind her back to conceal
the pistol she was holding.  Alec reached for the doorknob as he pulled a
gun out of the vase that sat on a table right by the front door.  He slowly
opened the door to reveal Sabrina standing there.

"Hello again, Trinity and Phoenix."  Sabrina smiled at them as she saw the
weapons in their hands.  "My, my, you two are very good at your jobs.
That's great because it's going to take the three of us to pull this off.
We are going to have to work as a team to make sure everything goes
smoothly, but before we start getting a game plan ready I thought you'd
both like to have a tour of the main island."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Backdraft, doesn't it Trinity?"  Alec
asked.  He could see that Vanessa wanted to give him a look of death, but
she couldn't do that with Sabrina standing right there.

"It sounds like a totally freaking awesome idea."  Vanessa smiled sweetly.
"Just let me grab my purse and some gum."

The ride back to the main island went much faster than the way there.  On
the first trip they were riding against the ocean's current, but on the way
back they sped quickly across the water.  The group quickly disembarked and
headed into the park itself.  Sabrina explained that the park's hotels for
the guests sat at the bottom of the dormant volcano, but she would take
them over there tomorrow to check out the buildings.  The rest of their day
today would be going over the park layout.  Sabrina picked up two park maps
from an information booth and handed them to Alec and Vanessa.

"This will give you the general layout of the park and where all the rides
and attractions are at."  Sabrina said.  "The overall layout is pretty
basic, so it shouldn't take you much time tonight to memorize it."

"I see there's a new attraction opening at the end of the week: Journey To
The Bottom Of The Sea.  What is that all about?" Alec asked.

"That's the attraction I was talking about before when you heard the animal
noises.  I can't wait to show it to you.  The President will be here at the
end of the week for the grand opening of that attraction." Sabrina
revealed.  She glanced around to make sure they were alone and lowered her
voice.  "The Journey attraction is most likely where the attempt will take
place.  Joshua Finnegan, the CEO of the park, will be meeting us there
shortly to give us an all access tour."

"How much information does Joshua have about us being here?"  Vanessa
quietly asked.

"He doesn't have any knowledge of who the two of you are, except that you
are part of an undercover security team for the President's visit.  You'll
be given regular park security uniforms, but don't worry about having to
deal with any guests."  Sabrina explained. "The security force here is
large enough to deal with any of the park's problems, you two are to focus
on the mission."

"What's your cover, Sabrina?"  Alec asked.

"Currently I'm the park's human resource director.  I've been in place for
about three months.  This way I've been able to keep an eye on all the new
hires and have information on everything that's going on in the park."  She
replied.

It took the group about three hours to tour all the rides and attractions
in the park.  The pathways and walkways through the different attractions
were wide enough to handle a lot of traffic and were very well lit.  This
was a bonus for the team because it would enable them to move from area to
area pretty quickly.  Sabrina glanced at her watch.

"We better head over to the Journey attraction, it's about five minutes to
six and Joshua will be meeting us there are six o'clock sharp."  She said.

The group made their way across the park and towards the east side of the
island.  The entrance to the attraction was almost right on the edge of the
island. While they were walking Vanessa and Alec kept their eyes open and
scanned all of the surrounding areas.  They tried to memorize as much of
the area as possible.  They finally saw the entrance to the Journey To The
Bottom Of The Sea attraction and it looked like the entrance to a subway
station.  A large sign above the entrance showcased the attraction's name
with different underwater creatures swimming through the letters.  The exit
to the attraction was located a few hundred feet away from the entrance.
It wasn't the entrance that drew Alec's attention though, it was the man
standing there waiting for them.

Joshua Finnegan was certainly an attractive man.  Alec calculated that he
was probably an inch or so shorter than himself, most likely around six
feet tall.  As they approached Sabrina introduced him and Vanessa.  Joshua
shook Vanessa's hand with a polite smile.  Alec reached out to shake
Joshua's hand and it felt like electricity shot through his body.

Joshua had a masculine, chiseled face with eyes that were so blue that they
almost looked gray in color.  It was difficult to tell what color hair
Joshua had because he had on backwards baseball cap.  His white t-shirt had
the park logo on it and it definitely showed off his hard, muscular chest.
He was wearing a pair of jean shorts that were faded and tight in all the
right places.  Alec couldn't understand what was happening.  It was
difficult to breathe and he couldn't take his eyes off of Joshua.

"I told you so."  Vanessa quietly muttered for only Alec's ear.  Alec could
see that she was trying to hold back a pretty big grin.

"Please forgive me for my appearance, Alec and Vanessa, but I'm off duty
and it's a real pain in the ass to be wearing a suit in this weather."
Joshua's deep bass voice made Alec's knees turn to water.  "I hope Sabrina
has been showing you our beautiful island."

"Definitely beautiful."  The words were out of Alec's mouth before he could
stop them.  He prayed that they thought he was talking about the park and
not the gorgeous man in front of him.  Joshua and Sabrina seemed to think
that, but by the look on Vanessa's face she knew what he had meant.  Alec
could feel his neck and face start to flush.

"Well we've certainly saved the best part of the tour for last."  Joshua
said with an amazing smile.  "Journey To The Bottom Of The Sea is the
largest attraction of its kind in the entire world."

"What exactly is it, Joshua?" Vanessa asked.

"It's a mile long tunnel that runs underwater and allows you to view all of
the ocean life in the area.  It's shaped like the letter `U'.  That's why
the exit is pretty close to the entrance.  Would you like to go down and
have a look around?"  Joshua asked.

"Abso-freaking-lutely!"  Vanessa exclaimed.

Sabrina gave her a frustrated look as they headed down the steps of the
attraction's entrance.  Vanessa maneuvered herself behind Alec, so this way
he was right behind Joshua.  Alec couldn't help it as his eyes focused on
the round, firm ass in front of him.  He could feel his body responding to
the view, and he tried everything he could think of to make himself relax.
Nothing was working though and he was afraid his arousal would soon be very
obvious.

They finally made it to the entrance of the tunnel, which was blocked off
by two massive steel doors.  There were two circular windows in the middle
of each door that allowed them to see into the tunnel itself.

"What's with the massive doors?" Alec asked.

"These are airtight, water proof security doors.  We have them in place in
case there are ever any problems with the tunnel.  Although the tunnel has
been reinforced a hundred times over, I don't foresee any type of problem
like that, but the doors are in place at the entrance and exit for safety
purposes.  Let's go into the tunnel and check it out."  Joshua walked over
and entered a code into the security panel located to the right of the
doors.  The doors slid open barely making any noise at all.  "Be careful
though because the sun is setting and we are still finishing up getting all
of the lights installed.  So make sure to watch your step."

It only took a few steps into the tunnel for it to take Alec's breath away.
It was completely amazing to see everything that was going on underwater.
There were multi-colored schools of fish swimming by, and all other kinds
of underwater activity.  Joshua was explaining about the different
creatures that lived in that area of the ocean, but Alec barely heard a
word he was saying.  His concentration wasn't broken until he heard Vanessa
humming.  Joshua had mentioned something about sharks, and Vanessa was
walking along humming the theme song to the movie Jaws.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it Alec?"  Joshua asked him.  Alec had been
facing the wall of tunnel and never heard the man come up behind him.  He
was so startled he spun around and lost his balance.  Alec pitched towards
the ground, but Joshua reacted quickly and caught him.  "Easy there, buddy,
I didn't mean to scare you.  Are you okay?"

Alec tried to answer him, but his mouth didn't seem to be working.
Joshua's arms were holding him upright and his body was concentrating on
the heat from the contact.  No one, not even Joey, had ever had this type
of effect on Alec and it was freaking him out.  He stepped back out of the
man's partial embrace and shook his head a little bit.

"I'm fine, Joshua, I think I'm just a bit jetlagged from the trip and
everything.  The time difference is catching up with me I think."  Alec
quickly tried to cover.

"It has been a pretty long day for us, so maybe it's time for us to head
back for the night."  Vanessa added in.

Alec was grateful for her help with the situation, for once Vanessa wasn't
trying to embarrass him.  The group made their way back through the
entrance, pausing a moment to let Joshua close the security doors again.
Joshua was going back towards the hotels and made plans with the group to
meet again at his office to go over security plans.  Alec hopped that
tomorrow's meeting would be less embarrassing for him than today was.

Joshua stood and watched the group head back towards the docks to catch the
boat to the other island.  He waited until they were out of his line of
vision before retrieving his cell phone from his jean pocket.  Joshua
opened up the phone and pressed one of the speed dial buttons.

"Hello?  The meeting is over and everything went as planned...no, they don't
have any clue of what's going on.  The woman is a bit of an airhead, though
the guy is definitely a looker."  Joshua paused and listened to the voice
on the other end.  "I know this isn't the time or place for it, but you
can't blame a guy for noticing these things...don't worry, Sabrina will keep
an eye on them...no, they won't get in our way...nothing is going to ruin our
plans...I know, I know...failure isn't an option.  Everything will go
perfectly, trust me.  If they get in our way then we'll take care of
them...I'm on my way now...goodbye."

Chapter Three

"I don't know why you're trying to deny it, tiger."  Vanessa sighed.  "You
seem to forget that I was standing right there and saw the entire thing.
The look on your face was love at first sight and the sooner you admit that
to yourself, the easier it will be to deal with."

"That was not love, Vanessa, it was lust.  I don't know why you seem to
feel the need to keep going around in circles about this."  Alec sat down
on the couch with a sigh.  They had returned from the main island twenty
minutes ago and Vanessa had been going on about Joshua non-stop since
Sabrina left.  "Besides, how could you know what was going on between
Joshua and me when you were too busy giving Sabrina evil looks."

"I told you, Alec, that there is something about that woman that rubs me
the wrong way."  Vanessa exclaimed for the hundredth time.  "She was
looking at you..."

"Like a piece of meat."  Alec finished for his sister, his voice dripped
with sarcasm.  "It might be difficult for you to believe this, Vanessa, but
some people actually find me attractive, believe it or not."

"Don't you even think about talking to me in that tone of voice, Alec
Kent."  Vanessa growled back at him.  "If you don't stop I am going to be
spending half of the night kicking your smart ass all over these god
forsaken islands.  I NEVER said you weren't attractive, Alec.  You have to
admit that Sabrina gives off a weird vibe and there's just something about
her I can't put my finger on.  It's almost like seeing something out of the
corner of your eye, but by the time you turn around it's gone."

"First of all, you couldn't kick my ass all over the islands, and secondly,
you don't like Sabrina because she easily dismissed you when we first met.
You need to realize that there still are stereotypes in this world, and
maybe this will make you think twice before you try pulling another stunt
like this in the future."  Alec lectured to his sister.

"So why are you so afraid of Joshua?"  Vanessa asked to change to the
subject.

"Who said I was afraid?" He asked her back, but the look on her face told
him that he better start talking.  "Fine, Vanessa, you win. Okay?  There's
only been one person, one guy, that I've been interested in..."

"Yeah, it was Joey."  Vanessa interrupted.

"How do you know it was Joey?"  Alec asked incredulously.

"I'm not as blonde as I look, tiger."  She replied smoothly.  "I was
thinking about our past the other day after you came out to me, and I
remembered the big falling out the two of you had.  It didn't take a rocket
scientist to put two and two together.  You and Joey used to fight like
cats and dogs all the time, but it never affected your friendship.  Then
all of a sudden he was just gone."

"He made sure to do some damage before he left."  Alec murmured.

"What did he do?"  Vanessa demanded.  She would hunt Joey down and kill him
for whatever pain he caused Alec.

"Look it doesn't really matter, Vanessa.  He hurt me, and made sure that it
hurt badly.  It's all over now and there is nothing we can do about it."
Alec quietly replied.

"I think we should use our contacts to hunt Joey down and do insanely
horrible things to him."  Vanessa said with a vengeance.  It was obvious
Alec wasn't ready to talk about whatever had happened, but she had to try
and pull him out of this funk.  "We could find him and dress him up like a
woman then let him loose in a prison where all the men have been in
solitary confinement, and they haven't had any human contact in at least
ten years and..."

Vanessa never got to finish her tirade because Alec's laughter interrupted
her.  She was happy to see him releasing some of that pent up emotion at
least.  He was laughing so hard that tears began streaming down his face,
but after a few moments the laughter stopped and the tears did not.  Years
of pent up emotion broke through the surface and Alec couldn't stop any of
it.  He tried to hang onto any remaining control that he had, but it just
wasn't possible.  Vanessa quickly wrapped her arms around Alec and pulled
him against her.

Alec's silent tears quickly became sobs, gut wrenching sobs that broke
Vanessa's heart.  In her entire life she had never seen anyone, especially
Alec, in so much pain.  Vanessa was disappointed in herself because she
couldn't believe she never realized the amount of pain her brother was in.
She had a feeling that there was more to his tears than just Joey, a
feeling that was confirmed a moment later.

"I miss them, Vanessa, I miss them so much.  Why did they have to die?"
Alec asked through his tears.

Vanessa couldn't answer his question; instead she pulled him closer and
rocked him back and forth.  She couldn't imagine having all of that pain
locked up inside and she was surprised that he was still mourning their
parents' death.  Vanessa hadn't seen Alec cry even once after their
parents' passing, but she assumed he just wasn't letting her see him mourn.
She thought he was putting up a strong front in front of her.  Alec had
always been there to support her through anything, and the tables had been
turned on her.  It was time for her to help and support Alec through his
pain.

Vanessa's intentions were good, but she never had to comfort Alec before,
and she wasn't really sure where to start.  Vanessa continued to rock him
and started to rub his lower back trying to soothe him.  She suddenly
remembered something from a long time ago; something she hoped would help
calm Alec down.  Vanessa quietly hummed an old Irish lullaby their mother
used to sing to them.  She couldn't sing to save her life, but she could at
least carry the tune enough to serve its purpose.

Alec's arms tightened around her as his mind recognized the song.  After a
few minutes his breathing evened out and the tears had stopped falling.
Alec felt better after all of that emotion finally burst out of his inner
prison, but his mind still felt cloudy and confused.  He relaxed in his
sister's embrace for a few more minutes before he stood up.  Alec leaned
down and gently kissed his sister on her forehead.

"Where are you going, tiger?"  Vanessa asked.  She didn't want to let Alec
out of her sight.

"I need to clear my head a bit, Vanessa.  I'm going to go over to the park
and do some more recon work."  He smiled her concerned tone.  "I appreciate
you being here for me, but I just need a little bit of time to myself.
Okay?"

Vanessa nodded her head and watched him head out the door.  She wanted to
warn him to take a weapon with him, but she realized he could handle
himself.  Vanessa felt a bit uneasy after what just happened.  It wasn't
every day her baby brother had an emotional breakdown in front of her.  On
one hand it unsettled her a lot to see it, but on the other hand she felt
more connected with Alec since he let her in just a little bit more.
Vanessa hoped he was able to find some of the answers he was looking for
out there in the darkness.

* * *

There wasn't anyone running the boats from island to island that late at
night, but it wasn't something that Alec couldn't handle.  He quietly
started up the small boat and deftly maneuvered the craft to the opposite
shore.  Alec hopped out and made sure that the boat was securely tied to
the small dock.  He paused for a moment to look at the scenery that
unfolded in front of him.  The air was crisp and clean as a soft, easy
breeze circled the island.  Alec thought that the jungle would have looked
more intimidating at night, but it was far from that.  It could have just
been all the other situations he'd been in before, but he didn't feel any
fear looking into the dark jungle.

Alec was still in shock about what happened back there with his sister.  He
always had careful control and made sure he kept all of his emotions in
check.  Alec didn't know what was happening to him.  Everything seemed to
be shifting and changing since he met Joshua hours before.  Was it only a
few hours ago that they met?  Alec felt like he had been thinking about
Joshua for a lifetime and maybe in some way he had.

Alec had imagined what it would feel like to be with someone for a long
time.  He didn't really focus on the sexual parts, though it did come up
from time to time, but instead he focused his thoughts on sharing his life
with someone.  Alec thought about quiet Sunday mornings lying in bed and
just watching his partner sleep.  He thought about waking up on his
birthday to find breakfast in bed waiting for him.  Quiet nights of falling
asleep together watching television also ran through his mind.  He wasn't
looking for a fling or a one-night stand because Alec obviously wanted
something more long term than that.

Thoughts of Joshua floated through his mind and Alec tried to push them
away, but couldn't make the images leave.  Alec could see Joshua's firm,
muscled chest and how his t-shirt had clung to the contours of his body.
The jean shorts that hung down just low enough to reveal just enough skin
to be sexy.  Alec's demons plagued his mind, as they normally did when Alec
found someone attractive.  How could someone be in an honest, open
relationship if their job is shrouded in so much secrecy?  How could Alec
go on missions and leave behind his heart, not knowing if he would return?

Alec took his time and walked along the paths between the rides and
attractions in the park, his mind trying to memorize every step of the way
and take in all the surroundings.  Alec circled around the park in a matter
of hours, though time wasn't a concern to him.  He decided to check out
what was off of the beaten path.  Alec hopped over a fence and headed into
the jungle itself.  He was almost immediately overcome with a great calming
feeling.  It was therapeutic to be walking through nature's beauty and
allowing his fears and frustrations to slip away.

Alec was a few hundred feet into the jungle when he heard it; the sound of
rushing water.  He didn't remember Sabrina mentioning anything about any
rivers or creeks running through the island.  Alec carefully made his way
through the foliage and walked closer and closer to the source of the
noise.  Alec was beginning to feel like he was never going to find the
cause of the sound when the jungle suddenly opened up and he was standing
in a large open area, almost like a meadow.  Alec gasped at what he saw in
front of him and completely in awe of its beauty.

On the opposite side of the clearing, about two hundred feet away, stood a
tall waterfall.  The water cascaded down into in a large pool that formed
at the base of the falls.  The night air was sticky and humid, which made
the water look very refreshing.  Alec walked towards the water and gazed up
at the falls.  It didn't even compare in size to Angel or Niagara Falls,
but it was a few stories tall.  Alec sat down in the grass and watched the
moonlit water drop from the falls' summit.  He was mesmerized by the beauty
and motion of the water.  Alec leaned back on his elbows and looked up at
the night sky.  He could have been sitting there for a few minutes or for a
few hours; time seemed to have stopped completely.  The sky was amazingly
clear, even more than it normally was at home, and his eyes automatically
searched for his parents' star.  It took only a few moments for Alec's eyes
to focus on what he was looking for.  He hadn't felt so calm and relaxed
for a long time.  Alec realized that getting out and being out here in the
jungle allowed his mind to clear and regain its focus.  A focus that was
lost as the sound of a twig snapping shattered the silence in the clearing.

Alec immediately rolled onto this stomach and kept low to the ground.  How
could he have been so stupid to totally lose concentration and allow
someone to sneak up on him?  His eyes scanned the tree line trying to find
the source of the noise.  Dead silence had engulfed the clearing again and
Alec's ears strained for any sound at all.  His breath caught in his throat
as a figure stepped out of the shadows and one word echoed through his
mind.  Joshua.

* * *

Vanessa's head bobbed in time with the music that was playing throughout
the living room.  She had found a stereo hidden away in one of the side
cupboards and had been able to tune in a top forty countdown.  The current
princess of pop was singing through the speakers while a heavy dance beat
descended around the room.  Vanessa danced around the furniture that filled
the room trying to release a little bit of steam.  Her sweatshirt and pants
hung loosely on her athletic frame. While it was hot on the island during
the day, the temperature did drop at night.

"Having fun?"  A dry voice asked from behind her.

Vanessa's back had been facing the door and she mentally berated herself
for making such a mistake.  Her thoughts had been too focused on Alec to
concentrate.  Vanessa was in the middle of doing a long forgotten dance
move called the cabbage patch, which left her arms out in front of body.
She slowly turned her right forearm clockwise until she heard a faint
click.  Vanessa turned towards the voice, her right arm dropping beside
her.  As her arm straightened out a small dagger slid out of her
shirtsleeve into the palm of her hand and as soon as she felt the cold
metal against her palm, her arm snapped, tossing the knife towards where
the voice had come from.

Vanessa heard a woman's scream pierce the air and she finally was able to
see the owner of the voice, Sabrina.  She was sprawled out on the floor and
looking up at Vanessa in shock.  The knife was embedded into the wall and
strands of black hair could be seen around the entry point.  If Sabrina had
ducked a second later the knife would have hit her right in the head.

"What are you, fucking crazy?  You could have totally just blown you're
cover!" Sabrina practically yelled at her.

"Sabrina!  You totally have to be, like, a lot more careful."  Vanessa
sweetly grinned.  She walked over to help Sabrina up, but the woman refused
her help.  "Besides, if you weren't like totally trained like me, then that
knife would have plunged into your head instantly killing you.  My cover
wouldn't have been blown at all because you would have been totally, like
seriously dead."

"Really?"  Sabrina sarcastically asked.

"For sure!"  Vanessa replied as she pulled the knife from the wall.  The
blade was so thin it barely left any recognizable mark in the wall.  "So
what's up girlfriend? What's the four-one-one?"

"The what?"  Sabrina eyed Vanessa curiously.  "What the hell are you
talking about?"

"You're so far out of the loop, girl, you're on a straight line."  Vanessa
quipped to her.  She could see anger and frustration spread across
Sabrina's face.  Vanessa was barely able to keep a smile off of her face.
"I don't have time to really give you like the full and total rundown on
the lingo.  So, what's going on?"

"You could have just asked that in the first place."  Sabrina said, though
Vanessa heard her mumble 'airhead' under her breath.  "I came over to see
if the two of you had come up with any plans for tomorrow.  Speaking of
two, where is Alec?"

Sabrina practically broke her neck trying to look around for Vanessa's
brother.  At first Sabrina's wanton attitude towards Alec was amusing, but
it really started to grate on Vanessa's nerves.  She couldn't reveal Alec's
secret though and that meant she had to keep Sabrina in her place.

"He was feeling pretty caged up, so he went to take a walk and look around
the park.  He'll probably have a shit load of ideas when he gets back, but
I have no idea when that will be.  So, if there's nothing else..." Vanessa
got up and hoped to lead Sabrina out the door, but that wasn't going to
happen.

"Actually, Vanessa, I'll just wait here for him.  I'm sure you won't mind."
Sabrina smiled sweetly at Vanessa, though it obviously was fake since the
smile did not reach her eyes.

"That would be totally awesome!  GIRLS' NIGHT!!!!"  Vanessa squealed.  She
figured if she couldn't beat them then it was time to join them.  The look
of horror that spread across Sabrina's face was very satisfying.  "I hope
you don't think I was being totally rude before, but I didn't want to seem
like a leech trying to hang out with you.  We are going to get plenty of
bonding time since you're going to wait for your wet dream to come back!"

Sabrina blushed at Vanessa's words and opened her mouth to respond, but she
never got the chance.  Vanessa rambled on and on about all the wonderful
things they could do ranging from having facials to playing truth or dare.
Vanessa smugly smiled to herself at how uncomfortable Sabrina looked.
There was definitely something about the woman that made Vanessa
uncomfortable and she was going to use every minute of this time with
Sabrina to figure out what exactly it was.  It was definitely going to be a
long night.

* * *

Alec's breath caught in his throat as he watched Joshua approach him.  At
some point Joshua got rid of his hat, and his chestnut hair stirred
slightly in the breeze as he eased his way through the clearing.  Alec had
found him attractive before, but in that clearing with the moonlight,
Joshua appeared almost like a dream.  A very hot and sexy dream Alec
admitted to himself.

"I'm impressed." Joshua easily grinned.  "I've never seen anyone move that
fast before.  Once you rolled over I could barely even see you and I knew
exactly where to look."

"What are you doing out here?" Alec asked and immediately regretted it.  It
certainly wasn't his place to question the person in charge of the park.

"I come out here to think sometimes, Alec.  It's an amazing sight isn't
it?"  Joshua answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders.  "It's nice
sometimes to just be able to get away from everything, and everyone, and
step into paradise.  Don't you think?"

Alec had stood up as soon as he recognized Joshua and being this close to
him was still having an effect on Alec.  He turned around to look at the
waterfall and used the opportunity to take a few steps away from Joshua.
Alec congratulated himself on the quick thinking, but that thought died
swiftly as Joshua stepped up next to him.  They stood practically
shoulder-to-shoulder and watched the surging water in silence.

"So what are you doing out here, Alec?"  Joshua's deep baritone quietly
asked.

The timber of Joshua's voice was enough to make Alec start to harden in his
shorts.  Was it possible to have an orgasm just from hearing someone's
voice?  Alec thought it had to be true because he was almost on the verge
of one.  The proximity of Joshua's body and the sound of his voice were
very intoxicating for Alec.

"I was just going a bit stir-crazy with Vanessa.  I figured I would check
out the park and learn the layout.  It will help for the job later in the
week."  Alec explained.  Sometimes the best lies were the ones woven with
the most truth.

"This won't sound very nice," Joshua chuckled. "But I'm glad you were going
stir-crazy."

"Why is that?" Alec was a bit confused.  He shyly looked over at the
gorgeous man.

"This way we can get to know each other a little bit, buddy.  It will make
both of our jobs easier if we are comfortable with each other.  Right?"
Joshua asked.

"You do have a point, I guess."  Alec responded with a hesitant smile.

"Besides, it was getting a bit nerve wracking dealing with those two women.
Or was that just me?"  Joshua smiled.

"They are definitely a handful, that's for sure."  Alec laughed.

"I don't think they like each other very much."  Joshua looked back at the
falls.  "Come with me, Alec, I want to show you something."

Joshua headed closer to the pool of water and Alec had no choice but to
follow.  His eyes sought out Joshua's muscular ass and felt a stirring deep
within himself, again.  Alec was totally distraught and had no idea what to
do.  He had feelings, very strong feelings, for another man before, but
compared to what he was feeling with Joshua was a thousand times more
intense.  He stood next to Joshua at the water's edge.

"Check that out, Alec."  He said pointing towards the water.  "It's so
clear you can see right to the bottom."

"How deep is the water?"  Alec asked.  He leaned over to get a closer look.

"I think it's only about twelve feet deep, so that's not too bad.  It's
still dangerous though for anyone out here wandering around.  It's a good
thing we have those fences up to keep people out."  Joshua teased.

"I think as a member of the security team I have every right to know every
inch of the island, Mr. Finnegan." Alec couldn't keep the heat out his
voice.

"I know that, Alec, I was only teasing you.  Settle down, okay?"  Joshua
gave Alec another lazy grin.

"Sorry about that.  I'm very serious about my job."  Alec's eyes searched
the heavens again out of habit.

"That's a good quality to have, Alec.  Please though, call me Joshua."  His
eyes followed Alec's gaze into the night sky. "What are you looking for?"
Joshua asked, his eyes still gazing at the stars.

"It's..." Alec paused.  Should he share such personal information with this
man? He barely even knew Joshua.  It had taken him years before he would
even share the secret of their star with Joey.  There was that name again.
"It was my parents' star.  They were away on business a lot when I was
younger, so we picked out a star to look at and this way no matter where
any of us were at, we could look at the star and be together."

"Was?"  Joshua gently asked.  Alec could hear the concern in the man's
voice.

"They passed away a few years ago."  Alec smiled at their memory.  "They
were amazing people and really touched everyone that came into their lives.
When I was little I was afraid of the dark, so they hung a wind chime on my
bedroom balcony to ward off evil spirits and...I'm sorry, Joshua, I don't
know why I started rambling." Alec's voice trailed off.  He hadn't meant to
just start rambling about his parents.  My God, what was this man doing to
him?  Alec felt a deep blush spread across his face and neck and he looked
away from Joshua in embarrassment.

"Hey," Joshua said as he stepped closer to Alec.  Joshua reached out to
turn Alec's face back to him.  Alec's eyes met Joshua's, but the man didn't
move his hand from Alec's face.  "Do you have any idea how beautiful you
are when you blush like that?"

Alec didn't have any time to respond because Joshua stepped even closer to
him.  Joshua leaned over and captured Alec's lips in with his own.  It was
a kiss of pure need and passion.  Any thought in Alec's head was suddenly
gone as his head, and the rest of his body, exploded in pleasure.  His
breath caught in his throat and he felt dizzy.  Alec reached out and
grabbed onto Joshua to keep his balance.  Joshua responded by deepening the
kiss and pulling Alec's body up against his own.

Certain things are remembered for a lifetime and a first kiss is one of
them.  That kiss by the waterfall was the first kiss Alec ever experienced
in his entire life, and he was fortunate to have his first kiss be so earth
shattering.  He couldn't stop the small moan that rumbled in the back of
his throat as he felt Joshua's tongue slip into his mouth.  Alec quickly
regained his senses and realized what was happening.  As much as he wanted
this to continue, there was no way that he could allow that.  Alec stepped
back from Joshua breaking the kiss; his hand reached up to feel his now
swollen lips.

"What...what was that?"  Alec managed to gasp.  Joshua's breathing was
ragged and Alec couldn't describe the look on the man's face.  The only
thing he could tell was that it resembled confusion, but why would Joshua
be confused?

"That..." Joshua paused and took a deep breath.  "Had to be the most amazing
thing I've ever experienced in my entire life."  He took a step towards
Alec.

"Wait a minute."  Alec said as he stepped back away from Joshua.  He didn't
have a chance to say anything else because he had reached the edge of the
water.  Without even realizing how close he was to the edge Alec stepped
backwards and fell into the water.

"ALEC!" Joshua called out as his eyes scanned the water's surface.  A
thousand different things ran though Joshua's mind.  He hadn't meant to
kiss Alec, but sweet Jesus was he glad he did.  Never in his entire life
had he ever experienced a connection like that with someone so instantly.
A few moments passed and Alec had still not broke back through the water.
Joshua kicked off his shoes and dove into the water.

Joshua's body sliced through the water easily and he quickly looked around
for Alec.  He stayed under until his lungs practically burned from the lack
of oxygen.  Joshua quickly surfaced again and took a huge much needed
breath of air.  He was about to dive back underwater when he felt a pair of
arms wrap around his body.  Joshua jerked around to find Alec bobbing in
the water next to him.

"Where the fuck did you go?"  Joshua demanded.  Fire and emotion exploded
in the man's voice.  "I was waiting for you to surface again and freaked
out when I didn't see you."

"I surfaced on the other side of the pool, Joshua.  I was trying to get my
bearings when I heard you call, but I didn't have a chance to respond
before you dove in.  I swam over here as quickly as I could."  Alec replied
with a hint of fear in his voice.  He couldn't believe how upset Joshua was
getting. "This entire situation is your fault to begin with!"

"How the hell is it my fault, Alec?"  Joshua asked angrily.  "You were
there one who fell into the water to begin with."

"That was after the first kiss thing you started!"  Alec nearly shouted
back.

"So you freaked out?" Joshua asked as they continued to tread water.  "It
was just a kiss, Alec."

"Maybe for you."  Alec muttered and headed back towards dry land.  He only
swam a few paces when Joshua moved up beside him.

"What do you mean `maybe for you', Alec?" Joshua asked.  By that time they
had reached the water's edge and Alec was ready to take off, Joshua reached
out and stopped him.  Alec mumbled something unintelligible.  "Damn it,
what did you say?"

"I said it was the first time I've ever been kissed.  OKAY?!"  Alec yelled
back.

Joshua's face betrayed his shock at Alec's words.  Could it even be
possible that a man as gorgeous and attractive as Alec could have never
been kissed before?  Alec looked away from Joshua for the second time that
night in embarrassment.

"Are you serious?" Joshua asked Alec.  Alec didn't look back at him, but
slowly nodded his head, almost shamefully.  "I'm sorry, Alec, I shouldn't
have kissed you like that."

"Why is that?" Alec quietly asked.

"The way I kissed you was too forceful, too possessive."  Joshua responded.
"A first kiss shouldn't be like that.  It should have been like this."

As soon as the words left Joshua's mouth he leaned into Alec for the second
time.  His lips carefully and gently brushed over Alec's.  Alec responded
quicker this time to Joshua's touch.  His arms reached out and snaked
around Joshua's waist, pulling the man up against him.  The water brushed
up against their legs at knee level.  Alec's mouth opened up to Joshua
invitingly and Joshua responded by slowly sliding his tongue in.

Alec thought the first kiss was enough to blow him away, but this kiss went
even far beyond that.  That first kiss ignited every nerve ending in his
body, but this kiss was so different.  It made his body feel like it was on
fire, but this time he could feel sensations snake down into his heart.  A
thought quickly flashed through Alec's mind.  Could it be possible that
Vanessa was right?  Was there such a thing as love at first sight?

Alec wasn't able to contemplate any further thoughts as he felt Joshua's
hands slide down his back and cup his firm ass.  Alec's back arched and he
pushed himself up against Joshua's wet body.  Their firm, taut chest
muscles rubbed against each other and it turned Alec on even more.  Alec
was a little afraid of where things might have been going, but for once in
his life he didn't care.  He was ready for practically anything.  Alec made
the decision before he stepped foot on the island to go with the flow.
Besides the fact that Joshua was so damn hot and Alec didn't think he could
stop himself.

Alec's hands slid under Joshua's shirt and over his firm, muscled abs.
Joshua's hands stroked Alec's face and ran back through his hair.  Alec
allowed his hands to run even further up Joshua's body until his hands
brushed over Joshua's nipples.  He arched at the touch and Alec continued
his exploration.  Joshua's tongue seemed to delve even further in Alec's
mouth, and he didn't stop the moan that rumbled in his throat.  Joshua
broke the kiss, his gaze burning into Alec's.

"Who are you?" Joshua huskily asked, his voice dropping in timber.  He
didn't wait for Alec's answer and pulled them back into deeper waters.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked as the water rose almost to his chin.  He
didn't know why he was even still there with Joshua, but his heart kept
telling him it was the right thing to do.

"I've never met anyone like you before in my life.  You're so innocent,
untouched."  Joshua quietly replied.  A piece of wet hair was stuck to
Alec's cheek and Joshua reached out and brushed it off.  His hand remained
in place, gently stroking Alec's face.  His words, a reminder of Alec's
inexperience, caused another blush from Alec.  "I don't mean it like that,
Alec.  It doesn't matter to me how much experience you have.  What I meant
was that you seem so...what's the word I'm looking for?  Pure?"

"You're making me sound like a nun."  Alec murmured as Joshua continued to
stroke his cheek.

"More like an angel." Joshua's voice was a husky whisper.

He captured Alec's mouth again with his own.  Alec pushed his body up
against Joshua and wrapped his arms around him.  It was Joshua's turn to
groan from the intense feelings that wreaked havoc through his body.
Joshua was glad that he needed some time to think and ended up at the
waterfall that night.  Otherwise he would have never had those moments with
Alec.

Alec couldn't stop the desire and hunger that was rising in his body.  In
fact he had no urge to stop it, but to let the fire inside burn and consume
him completely.  He reached out and began to peel the shirt off of Joshua's
wet, hard body.  Joshua had no complaints and lifted his arms to help.
Alec removed the shirt, but was unsure where to put it.  They were still
standing neck deep in the cool, refreshing water.  Joshua solved the
problem by taking the shirt and laying it across his shoulders.

"Follow me, Alec.  I have something to show you."  Joshua said and started
to swim towards the waterfall.

Alec swam behind Joshua as thoughts of what could happen went through his
head.  His heart was beating so hard Alec thought it was going to burst
right out of his chest.  Everything was so new and fresh to him.  His mind
was telling him that it was simply a fling and nothing more, but his heart
was telling him something completely different.  Alec couldn't help being
drawn to Joshua and he felt something stir deep within his soul.  Vanessa's
face drifted through his mind with the words `I told you so'.

He pushed the image and words out of his head as he saw Joshua go into the
waterfall itself.  Where the hell was he going?  A bit of fear had begun to
build in Alec's stomach, but he quickly pushed it away.  He followed
Joshua's lead and swam into the falling water.  The force of the water was
greater than Alec thought it would be and he was afraid he was going to be
sucked underwater.  Suddenly, he felt something grab his hand and pull him
forward.

Alec broke through the wall of water to find Joshua hanging onto his hand.
There was a ledge and what looked like a small cave hidden right behind the
waterfall.  Joshua helped pull Alec from the water and the sound of the
falls surrounded them.  The moonlight reflected off of the wall of water
and gave the space some illumination.

"This place is absolutely amazing."  Alec breathed out.  He turned towards
Joshua to find that the man had discarded his wet shirt.  Alec's eyes took
in the beauty that was before him.  Joshua's chest was as well built as his
own, and his eyes took in the peaks and valleys of the man's muscles.  His
breath caught in his throat.  "You're...you're beautiful."

Joshua flushed slightly at Alec's words and it caused Alec's passion to
grow.  Was it possible Joshua wasn't as tough as he seemed?  Alec smiled
shyly and pulled his own shirt over his head and allowed it to fall to the
ground.  Joshua walked over to him and began to feel his body.

Their lips met again in a soft, gentle kiss.  Alec pulled Joshua up against
him and could feel the man's arousal.  His body trembled at the intimate
contact and he thought for sure he was going to lose it.  Joshua stepped
back ending the kiss and pulled his sandals off of his feet.  Alec followed
suit and removed his own socks and shoes.  His hands reached down to
unbutton his shorts, but Joshua's hands stopped him.

"Why don't you let me have the honors, Alec?"  Joshua's voice still made
Alec's knees feel like rubber.  He couldn't find his voice to respond and
simply nodded.  Joshua smiled at him and lowered to his knees.  "I've been
imagining this since the moment I saw you."

He gently undid the button on Alec's shorts and slowly pulled the zipper
down.  Joshua paused for a moment because he hands were shaking a bit.  Why
did this man have such a hold over him?  Joshua's hands reached up and
began to pull the shorts down, which was more difficult since the water
made it stick to Alec's skin.  Finally the shorts fell to the ground
leaving Alec standing in a pair of white, now practically transparent,
boxer briefs.  Alec's arousal was very evident and Joshua's eyes widened
slightly.  Alec definitely had a very ample package.

His hands gently ran over Alec's stiffness causing him to shudder and moan.
It turned Joshua on even more knowing that he was the first man to touch
Alec that way.  His eyes locked with Alec's as he leaned forwarded and
rubbed his cheek over the man's hard shaft.  Alec's hands reached out and
his fingers laced themselves through Joshua's hair pulling the man closer.

Joshua slowly moved his head up and captured the head of Alec's cock in his
mouth through the wet fabric.  He gently sucked and chewed at the thickness
and groaned.  Joshua could taste Alec's arousal and knew how turned on he
was.  His hands ran up Alec's thick, hard thighs and began to massage the
man's bubble shaped ass.

Alec's body felt like it was jolted with electricity the minute Joshua's
mouth made contact with his body.  He had imagined what sex would feel like
a thousand times before, but he hadn't even been close.  Feeling and
watching the things Joshua was doing was making him go crazy.  He almost
felt relief as Joshua began to pull down his underwear.

As soon as Alec's cock was free from it's wet prison it slapped up against
his rock hard stomach.  Joshua never took his eyes off of it as he finished
taking Alec's underwear off.  He leaned forward and captured one of Alec's
long hanging balls into his hungry mouth.  Joshua's tongue swabbed at the
smooth orb as his lips sucked on it.  Alec's body shuddered and Joshua had
to help keep Alec standing.

"Maybe you should lie down.  I don't want you to get hurt, baby."  Joshua
said and guided Alec onto the ground.

Alec was about to question Joshua about calling him baby, but just as he
opened his mouth Joshua engulfed the head of his cock.  The intense heat
and wetness stopped anything from coming out of Alec's mouth except a deep
groan.  Joshua's tongue swirled around the fat head as a few inches
disappeared into his mouth.  Alec's toes curled in pleasure and he was
barely able to stop himself from coming.  His back arched and forced
another few inches into Joshua's eager mouth.

Joshua reached up and gently massaged Alec's low hanging sac.  He took a
deep breath through his nose and swallowed the rest of Alec's cock.  His
nose buried itself into the slight bush of hair Alec had above his penis.
Joshua never touched himself the entire time, which was odd for him.  He
usually had to keep himself aroused, but with Alec everything was
different.  He had to stop himself from jumping Alec in the Journey
attraction earlier that night.

"Oh fuck, Joshua."  Alec murmured.  His entire body shook from the new,
exciting feelings that raced through him.  "I want to see you."

The sound of Alec's voice sent shivers down Joshua's spine.  He really
didn't want to stop what he was doing, but he wasn't going to let Alec
down.  Joshua slowly let go of Alec's cock and stood up.  He took his time
unbuttoning his shorts and pulling them down.  Alec's gaze was like fire on
his skin because Joshua could practically feel the heat from it.

Joshua stood before Alec completely naked, the waterfall cascading down
behind him.  It felt like a dream to Alec; everything was so surreal.
Joshua moved towards Alec as he sat up.  Alec's eyes focused on Joshua's
impressive manhood.  He wasn't as big as Alec, but Joshua was definitely a
bit thicker.  Alec tentatively reached out and wrapped his hand around
Joshua's shaft.  It amazed Alec that it felt so hard and warm, but it still
felt soft and pliant at the same time.

It almost felt like he was holding his own dick in his hand but yet he
wasn't.  Alec slightly tightened his grip and stroked Joshua's cock.  A
bead of fluid appeared at the mushroom head and Alec expertly maneuvered
his thumb to rub in the liquid.  Alec might not have any sexual experience
with someone else, but he certainly knew how to properly stroke a hot, hard
cock.

"Are you sure you've never done this before?" Joshua quietly asked.  Alec's
hand was like pure magic on his erection and he could feel his balls
churning with need.

"I've never done it with anyone else, Joshua, but I definitely know how to
stroke a gorgeous dick like this."  Alec shyly grinned.

Joshua's eyes closed from the pleasure that throbbed through his body.
Alec took advantage of this and leaned forwarded and cautiously licked at
the head of Joshua's dick.  He wasn't sure exactly what it would taste
like, but whatever it was turned Alec on even more.  He quickly moved
closer and slid his mouth over part of the cock in his hand.

Joshua didn't think the pleasure could get any better, but feeling Alec's
virgin mouth wrap around him practically sent him into orbit.  His hands
reflexively reached out and grabbed the sides of Alec's head.  He had to
stop himself from vigorously fucking the hot mouth in front of him.  Joshua
had to remember that this was Alec's first time and he didn't want to ruin
this moment for the man.

Alec was so turned on he got completely lost in the new feelings he was
experiencing.  His hands reached out and began to massage and pull on
Joshua's hot, smooth ass.  Alec could sense the man was holding back, and
he didn't want that to happen.  He wanted Joshua to let go completely; he
wasn't afraid of him.  At Alec's urging Joshua began to slowly fuck Alec's
mouth allowing him to get used to the feeling.  It only took a few moments
before Joshua was thrusting into Alec's mouth until his pubic hair was
pressing against the man's nose.

Alec took to sex like a duck to water.  It was like someone flipped an
invisible switch somewhere deep inside of him.  His body reacted and moved
almost automatically.  Who said all those hours of surfing for porn on the
Internet wouldn't pay off at some point?  Alec mimicked Joshua's previous
movement by reaching up and massaging the man's heavy balls.  An
animal-like groan erupted from Joshua's mouth and Alec felt the man tense.
Suddenly, Joshua pulled his cock out of Alec's mouth and lifted him to his
feet.

"You are fucking incredible."  Joshua growled and claimed Alec's mouth
passionately.  Their tongues battled for dominance as Joshua reached up and
began to pinch and pull on Alec's nipples.  Alec's body jerked from the
intense pleasure that shot through his chest.  Joshua felt Alec's reaction
and ended the kiss.  His head leaned down and captured one of Alec's hard
nipples in his mouth.  Alec soon found out that his nipples were directly
attached to his cock.  Every time Joshua's tongue slid over one of his
nipples his cock would throb and twitch.

Alec's dick was steadily leaking and this allowed it to smoothly slide up
against Joshua's stomach.  His hips thrusted against Joshua as his nipples
continued to get sucked and played with.  He could feel the tip of Joshua's
cock rubbing on the underside of his balls and it was driving him
crazy. Alec felt his balls shift and he knew he was quickly approaching a
very large orgasm.  Joshua must have felt the change too because he
suddenly stopped and stepped back from Alec, both men gasping and trying to
catch their breath.

"Why the hell did you stop?"  Alec breathlessly demanded.

"We were both getting way too close, and I'm not ready for this to end
yet."  Joshua softly replied.

Joshua turned and dropped down into the water.  Alec laughed and quickly
followed him into the water.  There were a few feet of space between the
rock wall and the falling water.  The two men playfully grabbed at each
other in the water for a few minutes to allow themselves to cool down.  It
wasn't long before they began to kiss passionately all over again.

Joshua drifted until his back was up against the wall to allow them more
stability and control in the water.  Alec floated along with him, never
breaking their hot kiss.  Alec's hands reached out and held onto the wall
behind Joshua.  Their kiss deepened and playtime was over.  Passion had
taken over control of their bodies and there was no stopping it.

Joshua's body arched up to get as much body contact with Alec as possible.
He wrapped his legs around Alec to pull the man closer.  Joshua had always
been a physical person before, but he never felt the need to be so close to
someone.  His cock was trapped in between their bodies and the friction was
causing an intense amount of pleasure.  Alec began to lick and suck on
Joshua's neck as he thrusted against his body.

Joshua tightened his legs around Alec causing his body to slightly lift.
This caused Alec's cock to slide behind his balls and start to rub against
his hot hole.  Joshua had only bottomed once his life, but looking at the
gorgeous man in front of him made his ass twitch eagerly.  Alec's cock
continued to rub and massage Joshua's ass and it made him crave Alec even
more.

"I want you inside me, Alec."  Joshua panted out.

"W...what?" Alec stuttered.  He had heard Joshua, but he wasn't sure if the
man meant what Alec thought he meant.

"I need that big cock of yours inside me."  Joshua's eyes pleaded with
Alec.  "Please."

Alec felt Joshua's legs tighten even more around his waist and he could
feel Joshua's hole twitch and pull at his cock.  Alec continued to slowly
rub his cock against Joshua as he thought about the request.  He didn't
have much more time to think about it because Joshua tilted his hips and
the head of his cock pushed right into Joshua's hot hole.  The entry should
have been extremely painful, but between Joshua's need and the fact they
were practically submerged in water there really wasn't any pain.

"Oh my God." Alec breathed out as he felt his cock slide into Joshua's
body.  It was like pushing his cock into a hot, velvety furnace.  "You're
so fucking tight and hotter than hell."

Joshua wasn't able to respond to Alec.  His body had gone into sensory
overload.  His ass practically hummed around Alec's thick, hard shaft.
Joshua responded by pushing his ass up to meet Alec causing almost all of
Alec's cock to sink into his tight ass.  He wrapped his arms around Alec's
neck and pulled him into a fiery kiss.

Alec had been afraid that he wouldn't know what to do, but the minute his
cock entered Joshua's hot ass his body went on autopilot.  He started a
slow rhythm and thrusted gently into the gorgeous man under him.  So many
new sensations rocked his body Alec wasn't able to keep track of them.
Joshua's ass muscles grabbed and massaged Alec's cock.

Alec had intended to keep his pace as slow and easy as possible, but Joshua
had begun sucking and nibbling on his neck.  Alec couldn't help it as he
began to push his cock deeper and faster into Joshua.  Joshua didn't
protest in any way.  He knew that Alec had never done it before, but the
man was fucking him like a pro.  Every time Alec's cock plunged inside of
him it brushed over his prostate.  Electric waves of pleasure rolled
through Joshua's body and he knew that he wouldn't be able to hang on much
longer.

Alec could feel Joshua's body tighten and he knew that Joshua was very
close to reaching an orgasm.  Alec quickened his pace trying to get them
off together.  Joshua grunted out a warning and Alec felt the man's cock
twitch and then explode against his body underwater.  Joshua's ass muscles
clamped down hard on Alec's cock and that was all it took to send him over
the edge.  Alec thrusted one final time into Joshua and felt his cock
explode deep inside of Joshua's ass.

The two men clung to each other as they shared an intense, earth shattering
orgasm.  Their lips met instantly and they shared a sweet, soulful kiss.
Alec felt his body stir again, but it wasn't his cock.  It was his heart.
He felt that they just shared a lot more than just their bodies with each
other.  Alec felt like their souls had connected in some amazing way, but
did Joshua feel the same way?

* * *

Vanessa giggled as she looked across the table at Sabrina.  They had been
spending hour after excruciating hour with each other waiting for Alec to
return.  Where the fuck had her wayward brother gone?  Vanessa had
subjected Sabrina to every girly sleepover idea that came into her head.
At the moment almost every hair on Sabrina's head was braided and a green
mud mask covered her face.

"Are you sure you don't want to dance some more?" Vanessa cheerfully asked.

"I'm positive."  Sabrina grunted with a sigh.  "If you make me do the
Electric Slide or the Macarena one more time someone is going to die,
though right now I'm not sure if I'll shoot you or myself."

"There is no reason for you to be such a sour puss.  We are totally having
a great time.  Doesn't every girl like to pamper herself?"  Vanessa smiled.

"Why don't you just drop the game, Vanessa?  I'm not nearly as stupid as
you look."  Sabrina sarcastically replied.  "I know this blond thing is a
total act.  The only question I have, is why are you doing it?"

"I totally have no clue what you're talking about, but that was like
totally harsh."  Vanessa glared at Sabrina.  "You obviously had a big ole
glass of hater-aid for breakfast today."

"Have it your way.  I'm going to wash this shit off of my face."  Sabrina
rolled her eyes and headed back towards the bathroom.

Vanessa stood up and went over to one of the windows.  She gently eased
back the curtain a bit and looked out into the darkness for any sign of her
brother.  Alec had been gone for almost three hours and she was starting to
get worried.  Vanessa had disliked Sabrina before, but that had changed
during their time together.  She decided that it was more than dislike; she
hated Sabrina.

The woman was a condescending, arrogant bitch and Vanessa had to stop
herself a few times that night from beating Sabrina senseless.  Vanessa was
sure that if Sabrina was to get laid that might kill the bug that was up
her ass.  Then again, that might not help at all because Vanessa figured
any dick that got near Sabrina would freeze up and fall off.  The woman was
definitely a major ice queen.

Vanessa felt she might have to just pry the stick out of the woman's ass
and just beat her with it.  That thought of doing that at least brought a
smile to Vanessa's face and eased some of her tension.  If only Alec would
get his ass here, she wouldn't have to deal with Sabrina much longer.  Alec
would be able to tactfully get rid of the pig.  He was so much better
dealing with people than she was.

Sabrina walked back into the living room just as her purse began to ring.
She quickly walked over to the couch and retrieved her bag.  Sabrina fished
inside it for a few moments before pulling out a cell phone.

"Sabrina McKnight...where are you at?"  She said into the small phone.  "I'm
on the employee island going over some business policies with the new
security team.  Yes, she is."  Sabrina looked over at Vanessa and laughed
into her phone.  Vanessa's shoulders tensed and she took deep, calming
breaths.  "I don't know where he is.  He told me that he was heading back
to the office to finish some things up before turning in.  Okay...I'll be
here."

"Was that your boyfriend calling?"  Vanessa's voice was completely sugar
coated.

"I don't see how it is any of your business who calls me." Sabrina
practically snarled.

"Testy, testy!  You really need to calm down because you're like totally
screwing up your aura."  Vanessa giggled.

Before either woman could say another word the front door swung open.
Vanessa pivoted her body and was prepared to toss her knife again when she
saw who was standing there.

"It's about time you decided to return, Alec."  Vanessa said shooting her
brother an evil look.  "Sabrina has been kind enough to keep me company the
last few hours."

Alec saw the look of death on his sister's face and knew he was in for a
world of trouble later, but he wasn't worried about it.  He was too excited
to talk to Vanessa about what happened back on the main island.  Alec
almost laughed out loud when he saw Sabrina's hair and there was some green
crap stuck around her face in some places.  Vanessa must have been putting
the woman through a girls' night from hell.

"Did you two have fun while I was gone?"  Alec asked with amusement.

"We had a wonderful time, Alec.  I'm glad to see that you've finally come
back though."  Sabrina gushed.  Vanessa wanted to throw up just from the
fake sound that Sabrina's voice had taken.  "We'll have time to go over
some your ideas for the mission.  We have to make sure we are all on the
same page, otherwise we'll be going down in flames."

Vanessa had opened her mouth to interject something but was cut off at the
sound of knocking on the door.  All three of them looked at each other
cautiously before Alec grabbed the doorknob.  He could tell by the way
Vanessa was standing that she most likely had a knife drawn and ready.
Sabrina's hand was in her purse, most likely clutching a gun.  Alec slowly
opened to door to find a tall, beautiful blonde woman standing on their
doorstep.

"Hi!  Is Sabrina here?" The woman's voice had an easy grace to it.  The
woman looked past Alec and saw Sabrina standing on the other side of the
room.  She didn't wait to be invited in and walked towards Sabrina.  "I've
been looking all over the island for you. Thank goodness you had your cell
phone on for once."

Vanessa and Alec surveyed the new woman to see if she was going to be any
type of threat to their mission.  They watched as the woman gave Sabrina a
warm hug.  Sabrina grinned at Vanessa, and it definitely made her
uncomfortable.

"I can't believe I was so rude."  The woman said as she turned back to
Vanessa and Alec.  "I barged in here and didn't even introduce myself."

"Let me do the honors."  Sabrina sweetly smiled.  "Vanessa Lane, Alec Kent,
I'd like you to meet..."

 "Sabrina, I am not an invalid.  I'm perfectly capable of introducing
myself."  The woman interrupted Sabrina with a gentle laugh and a sweet
smile.  "It's nice to meet you both."  She said as she extended her hand
towards Vanessa.  "I'm Paige Finnegan, Joshua's wife."

Chapter Four

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"  Alec asked hopefully.  Alec's stomach
knotted up as fear shot through every nerve in his body.  There was no way
possible that woman could be Joshua's wife.  Joshua wouldn't have done
those things with him on the island if he were married, or would he?

"I'm Paige Finnegan, Joshua's wife."  She replied as she offered out her
hand.

Alec numbly took her hand and shook it.  His face was a sea of calm that
did not reveal any of the inner turmoil that plagued his mind at that
moment.  Memories flashed through Alec's head and his heart forcefully
pounded in his chest.  His chest painfully constricted around his lungs
making it difficult to breathe.

"I'm sorry, ladies, that I'm so out of it tonight."  Alec quietly said with
a warm, but fake, smile.  "It must be the jetlag or the warmer climate
throwing my body off.  If you'll excuse me I'm going to turn in for the
night."

Vanessa's eyes had been trained on her brother the moment Paige had
revealed her identity.  She saw fear, shock, and anger flash across his
face before a mask slid into place hiding everything.  She was not sure
what exactly happened on the main island, but she was positive that
something did happen. Vanessa knew that she would be having a very long, in
depth conversation with her brother as soon as the other two women left.

Vanessa observed the other two women out of the corner of her eye as Alec
left the room.  Sabrina's eyes were transfixed on Alec's back until he
disappeared down the hallway.  Vanessa quickly glanced over at Paige and
quietly assessed the woman.  It was obvious from Paige's appearance that
she most likely came from money, and based on her posture and poised stance
Vanessa figured it was old money.  Everything about the woman practically
screamed good breeding and manners classes.  Paige had a classic beauty
that it made it appear as if she stepped right off of a movie set from the
nineteen fifties.

There was one other thing about Paige that caught Vanessa's attention.  The
woman's eyes definitely had the spark of intelligence in them, and Vanessa
made a mental note to not underestimate this woman.  Vanessa had quickly
learned that she should never judge a book by its cover.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Vanessa, and I hope we will be seeing more
of each other." Paige said with what appeared to be a sincere smile.  "If
you have some free time from your job maybe we can do lunch or something?
I'm sorry to rush off, but Sabrina and I have a staff meeting to attend at
the hotel."

"Don't be sorry, Paige.  I understand completely." Vanessa replied with a
sincere smile of her own.  "I just might take you up on that offer, Paige.
Sabrina, make sure you stop over again really soon because I totally had
fun tonight and can't wait to do it again!"

Sabrina reacted as Vanessa hoped she would and rushed Paige out the door as
quickly as possible.  Vanessa was definitely going to take Mrs. Joshua
Finnegan up on her offer because it was the perfect opportunity to get more
information; an opportunity that Vanessa was not going to let pass her by.
She locked up and glanced out the windows to make sure there was nothing
roaming about in the dark night.  Vanessa grabbed something to drink and
headed down the hallway towards Alec's room.  She was definitely not
looking forward to the upcoming conversation.

She knocked quietly on the door and waited for an answer, but there was no
reply and Vanessa hadn't really expected one.  She gently eased the door
open and had to let her eyes adjust because all of the lights had been
turned off.  Alec was sitting on a window seat on the far side of the room
with his knees pulled up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them.
Vanessa saw the silent tears that ran down his face.

It was almost as if she had been transported back in time.  She couldn't
count the number of times she had found Alec like this, shut off from the
world and everything around him.  Vanessa had to remind herself that this
practically was Alec's first mission.  He had helped on all the other
missions, but he was more of a backup and her contact point.  Alec had
never really been in the field.  His complaining at the end of their last
mission was proof of that.  Vanessa did remind him that he blew up that
building, but he did that with a remote detonator.  She was the one that
set up all the explosives and equipment.

Vanessa wished that he had the opportunity to be in the field more before
this mission came up.  She watched him for a few moments before entering
the room.  He never looked up at her and continued to stare out the window.
She knew what he was looking at, or most likely looking for, out into the
night sky.  Vanessa knew that Alec looked up at their star almost every
night, and that night was no exception.  Her heart ached in her chest as
she watched him.  Alec was so innocent, untouched, and it killed her inside
to see him like that.

Vanessa hoped that he wouldn't lose that innocence as time went on, but she
had a feeling that tonight was the beginning of the end of that.  Alec
might appear to be a strong, dominant man, and in many ways he was, but
under the outer shell he was still a small, scared boy.  Vanessa knew that
he was looking for love, and she knew that that was partially from the loss
of their parents.  Alec was just one of those people that had so much love
to give, but the death of their parents had scared him.  Vanessa couldn't
begin to imagine what it must feel like to have all of those feelings
locked up inside and no way to let them out.

 "Hey tiger."  She practically whispered as she finally moved towards him.
"I thought I'd stop back and see how you were doing.  I figured you might
want to talk about it."  Alec mumbled something, but she wasn't able to
make out any of it.  "What did you say?"

Alec's face lifted up to meet his sister's gaze and the look on his face
made Vanessa's blood run cold.  She had never seen such a hard, menacing
look on her brother's face before.  Vanessa knew her brother had a temper,
one that he kept under strict control, but it was obvious he was losing
control of the anger that was raging inside of him.

"I said..." Alec paused and took a shaky breath.  "I am going to kill him."

"Who?"  Vanessa asked.

"Don't fucking play stupid with me, Nessa!"  Alec growled.  "You know damn
well who the hell I'm talking about.  Joshua!"

Vanessa flinched back at his words because she wasn't expecting him to snap
like that.  She wasn't sure at that moment if she really wanted to know
what happened on the island.  Alec had never killed anyone, but Vanessa got
the feeling that Joshua just might be his first.  Vanessa tried to shield
him from certain aspects of their jobs and killing was one of them.

"Someone seems just a little tense tonight, tiger."  Vanessa teased, hoping
to calm him down.

"A bit tense?"  Alec's voice had begun to rise.  "How would you feel if you
lost your virginity; had one of the most intense experiences of your life;
felt like you might possibly be falling in love; and then find out that the
worthless self serving asshole is married? I had to go through that all in
one fucking night!"

Vanessa's breath rushed out of her lungs in one fast gasp.  He lost his
virginity?  Her brother was talking about falling in love?  The island was
obviously having a pretty damn interesting effect on her brother.  She
couldn't believe that he really had a fling.  She thought about that for a
minute and realized that this wasn't a fling.  Somehow, someway, Alec had
fallen in love or at least thought that he was.  This was a huge moment for
him, and Vanessa couldn't believe that someone had finally slipped under
her brother's radar.

"You lost your what?'  Vanessa finally managed to stutter.

A slight blush appeared on Alec's face, but it quickly disappeared as he
gave her a play by play on what happened on the island.  Vanessa was
surprised because Alec did not spare any detail.  He explained every single
thing that happened, and he didn't leave anything out.  Vanessa couldn't
help the blush that appeared on her face as she heard the intimate details
of his experience.  There was one thing that caught her attention the most
in his story.

"Who had the protection?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?"  Alec asked. "What does that have to do with
anything?"

"Don't you dare try to change the subject on me, Alec Michael!"  Vanessa's
anger was quickly building.  "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?
How could you be so irresponsible?"

"Do you mean to tell me that you've never had unprotected sex, oh saintly
one?" Alec asked with an eyebrow arched.

"This isn't about me."  She replied indignantly.  "We are talking about
what happened with you."

"It's the exact same thing. The only difference is with my risk I can't get
pregnant, but as I just said a minute ago I'm not the one who got fucked."
He shot back at her.

"You might not have to worry about getting pregnant, but you do have to
worry about other things."  Vanessa argued.  "You might not have got fucked
physically, but I'd have to say you got fucked mentally and emotionally."

She regretted the words the minute she said them, but she couldn't take
them back.  She saw the anger fade from Alec's face and it was quickly
replaced with pain.  Vanessa couldn't help getting caught up in her own
anger, but Alec had to understand the severity of what had happened to him.
It was her responsibility to watch out for him, and she hated seeing him in
so much pain.  She stepped over to him and Alec fell into her arms.

"I'm sorry, tiger, for what I said, but you have to be very careful."  She
whispered in his ear as she tried to calm him down.  "I'm proud of you for
letting your guard down and letting someone in.  I am sorry though that he
turned out to be such a snake.  I wish that your first time could have been
with someone that truly cared for you."

"That's just it, Nessa; I really think he does care about me."  Alec
replied.  "I could see it in his eyes under that waterfall.  Even the way
he touched me told me that he cared about me or at least was starting to.
We connected somehow, but I just don't understand how.  How could he do
that when he was married?"

"It is tough to explain why people do what they do.  If we could figure out
a way to find out those type of answers we would be millionaires."  Vanessa
said with a small chuckle.  "Unfortunately it is just one of those things
in life we need to deal with.  We do have a choice though because we can
either let the pain and hurt take over our lives or we can learn and grow
from the experience and move on.  That is up to you to figure out."

"I hear what you're saying, Nessa."  Alec quietly said as he hugged his
sister close.  "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"That's what I'm here for, Alec.  I'm sorry that your prince ended up
having a princess."  She said with a smile.  "What are we going to do about
the situation?"

"The only thing we can do."  Alec looked up at his sister with a wicked
grin. "We go on the offensive."

* * *

Alec didn't sleep much that night because he was haunted by dreams.  The
events of the day replayed through his mind and seemed to get worse as the
night went on. He finally gave up on getting any real rest and was up for
the day just as the sun was coming up.  He groggily stumbled through his
morning routine and made his way into the living room to begin his morning
workout.  Alec was surprised to find Vanessa already up and stretching.

"Morning, tiger." She said with a smile.  "You're up early today."

"I could say the same for you." He smiled back.  "What are you doing up so
early?"

"I heard you tossing and turning last night and figured you'd be up early.
I thought you might want some company.  Besides, I can't have you working
out without me.  Who would toss you around?"  Vanessa asked with a wicked
grin.

She turned around and started to stretch again and Alec took advantage of
the situation.  He swiftly leapt over the couch and kicked with his right
foot.  It connected with Vanessa's back and she pitched forward.  She
planted her hands on the floor and easily flipped forward to her feet.
Vanessa turned and her right leg swung around with a powerful roundhouse
kick.  She wasn't fast enough because Alec had already moved out of her
way.  He had dropped to the ground, swung his foot out, and easily knocked
Vanessa's leg out from underneath her.  She fell backwards to the floor
with a slight thump.

Alec leapt towards his sister to 'finish' her off, but Vanessa somersaulted
backwards out of his way.  The minute her feet hit the floor she easily
back flipped over the couch and stood in a defensive position.  The pair
eyed each other as they circled the couch.

"It would seem that someone woke up with a whole lot of focus this
morning."  Vanessa calmly replied.  "Though attacking me with my back
turned really wasn't fair, was it?"

"Who said the bad guys will fight fair?"  Alec asked with a grin.  "Didn't
you always tell me to be prepared for everything and anything?"

Vanessa didn't reply, but a huge grin lit up her face.  Alec was definitely
starting to get the hang of things.  Vanessa locked eyes with her brother
and twisted her arm slightly.  Her arm snapped in a throwing motion and
Alec ducked behind the couch to avoid the knife he thought was going to be
coming, but it never did.  Vanessa had faked him out and quickly moved
towards him.  She stepped around the couch and was prepared to strike, but
Alec wasn't there.  She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and
turned to see where he was, but she never got the chance.

A solid blow struck her in the middle of her back and she tumbled to the
floor for the second time that morning.  She had been slightly prepared for
the first one, but she was completely off guard that time.  Vanessa hit the
ground and the air rushed out of her lungs.  Alec swiftly reached down and
flipped her onto her back.  Vanessa felt cold steel press against her
temple and her eyes opened wide.  Alec stood above her grinning like a mad
man.  She could see that the safety on the gun was on, and he didn't even
have his finger on the trigger.  His point was made loud and clear though.

"It seems the pupil has surpassed the teacher, young one."  Vanessa quietly
said with a huge smile.

"I think it was probably just a little bit of luck." Alec smiled shyly back
and offered her a hand up.

"Sometimes luck is the one thing that keeps you alive, tiger."  Vanessa
took his hand and pulled herself to her feet.  "Your ducking around the
couch was impressive.  I knew you were fast, but not that fast, Alec."

The pair continued their morning workout in a comfortable silence and by
the end of their session sweat was pouring off of their bodies.  Their
workout was harder and more intense than ever.  The President's visit was
only a few days away and they had to be prepared and ready.  Their day was
going to be filled with going over plans and doing more island recon.  They
had to be ready for a battle, if it came down to that.  As they toweled off
their bodies the pair stretched through their cooling down routine.

"I hate to inflate your ego any more than it already is, Vanessa, but you
were right about what you said."  Alec said without glancing at her.

"What do you mean more than it is?"  Vanessa's laughter bubbled through the
room.  She glanced over at her brother.  "I was right about what?"

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"  Alec glared at his sister.

"I just want you to clarify what exactly I was right about.  From the way
you talk it doesn't happen that often, so I want to cherish this moment."
Vanessa said with an innocent smile.

"What did I ever do to deserve her?"  Alec asked as he looked up at the
ceiling like he was praying.  Vanessa leaned over and punched him in the
shoulder.  "Why can't you hit like a girl?"  Vanessa's fist pulled back
again, but Alec raised his hand in protest.  "Okay, okay, you win.  You
were right about love at first sight."

"You still feel that way even after everything that happened?"  Vanessa
quietly asked.  She normally enjoyed being right, but she wasn't happy that
being right that time meant Alec being hurt.

"Unfortunately."  Alec meant for his laugh to sound upbeat, but it sounded
bitter even to his own ears.  "I can't help this feeling that there is
something more going on and I just need to find out what it is.  Is that
just wishful thinking on my part though?"

"People always think the best of the one that they love."  Vanessa gave her
brother a sympathetic smile.  "If it makes you feel any better, tiger, I
get the feeling there is more going on here than meets the eye as well.
It's kind of strange."

"Well, when there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna
call?"  Alec kept his face as smooth as possible to hide his amusement.

"Fuck you, Alec!"  Vanessa snapped.  "You know I hate that damn movie.  It
creeps me out."

"You do realize that most people wouldn't be afraid of that much
marshmallow."  Alec couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.  He knew that
Vanessa would freak out.

"It's not like the stuff was just laying around.  It was walking and
talking and crushing cars for God sakes and..." Vanessa's voice trailed off
as she watched her brother howl in laughter.  It had been a long time since
she had seen him laugh like that.  "Look, tiger, I don't mind being the
butt of your jokes if it's going to raise your spirits, but in the future
can we please not pick things that will freak me out?"

Alec simply nodded his head at his sister because his laughter was stopping
him from verbally responding.  He knew he needed something to make him
laugh and teasing his sister was always a sure fire way to do that.  As his
laughter continued Vanessa flipped him the finger and went to take her
shower.  Even though he had made light of the moment Alec was also sure
that something just wasn't right.  As his laughter died down a plan formed
in his mind and he smiled.  Sometimes the simplest plans are the ones that
work the best.

* * *

Later in the afternoon Alec found himself creeping up a back stairwell of
the Mauna Loa, the largest hotel on the main island.  Mauna Loa is the
largest volcano on the earth and Alec could understand why the hotel was so
aptly named.  The hotel was one of the most massive buildings he had ever
seen and it had five smaller buildings attached to it.  The executive
offices for the park were located on the top floors of the main, central
building of the hotel.

Earlier that morning Vanessa and Alec hacked into the park's security
system and pulled up blueprints for all of the buildings.  They were part
of the security team, but for some reason they weren't given access to
building blueprints.  It didn't take them long to figure out where the
executive offices were located.  Alec looked over the schematics and
determined the fastest way into the top floors without being detected.
There were back stairwells and elevators for the maintenance team to use
without being seen by the guests.  Alec didn't want to walk up that many
flights of steps, but if he took the elevator it would risk too much
exposure.

Vanessa had come with him and was able to distract the employee in the
maintenance office long enough for Alec to retrieve a pair of overalls and
a hat from the storeroom. He had also picked up a toolbox on his way.
There were heating and air conditioning ducts that ran throughout the
building and as luck would have it there was an empty office located right
next to Joshua's.  Alec was hoping to be able to use the ducts and get some
useful information.

Alec was able to get to the top floor and quickly moved down the hallway.
He found the empty office and stepped inside before anyone saw him.  Alec
flipped the lock in place to ensure that no one would be walking in on him.
He gently set the toolbox down and pulled the schematics out of his inside
pocket.  Alec spread them out on the empty desk and found the correct duct
he needed.  He removed a screwdriver from the toolbox and walked over to
the wall that the two offices shared.

Alec had to remove ten screws before he could gently lift the panel from
the wall.  Thankfully the space was large enough for his massive frame to
still fit inside.  He quietly climbed into the space and headed towards the
right where the vent for Joshua's office was.  Alec took his time as he
slid on the cold steel making sure that he didn't make any type of noise.
It took a few minutes to get to his destination, but it was well worth the
time because as he reached the vent he found that it was situated right
behind Joshua's desk.

Alec wasn't able to see anything, but he was able to hear everything that
happened in the office.  Joshua was on the phone, but it was with someone
from the park.  The man was talking about media ads and other
non-interesting things.  Alec stayed in his place for nearly twenty minutes
and was starting to give out hope that the plan was going to work.  Just as
he was about to throw the towel in he heard a knock on the office door.

"Enter!"  Joshua's voice rang out.

"I thought I'd stop by and see how the morning was treating my sweet
husband."  Alec heard Paige's voice.  For a split second he reconsidered
the plan because he didn't want to sit through any cutesy husband and wife
chatter.  The office door closed with a quiet click and the atmosphere in
the office changed dramatically.

"Paige, no one is around now so you can drop the husband crap, okay?"
Joshua sounded irritated.

"You were the one who thought up the brilliant idea of me posing as your
wife." Paige's voice had lost the warmth he had heard last night.  "Don't
get pissed at me for doing what you asked me to.  I think someone is just a
bit upset that his boy toy found out about me."

"Do NOT call him that, Paige, he does have a name."  Joshua's voice was
tinged with anger.

"Uh oh, it seems that I may have hit a sore spot."  Paige's laughter echoed
through the vent.  "Don't look at me like that, Joshua Finnegan.  I hadn't
planned on meeting him.  That nitwit Sabrina had been looking for me and
calling my cell phone all night.  I finally tracked her down and Alec
happened to walk in."

"I should have known Sabrina had something to do with this." Joshua said
with a long groan.  "That woman is going to be the death of me.  Why can't
she just mind her own business?  It is because of her that my chances with
Alec have probably gone down the drain."

"What makes this guy so special, Joshua?"  Alec heard Paige ask and it made
his heart stop.  "Don't get me wrong, the man is drop dead gorgeous, but
you must realize the problems this could cause."

"I don't know what it is about him, Paige."  Joshua replied.  "I just felt
drawn to him.  There seemed to be some type of connection the moment our
eyes met.  He did things to me that I never let anyone ever do to me,
Paige, and for the life of me I can't understand why."

"That would explain why you are walking a bit funny today." Paige said with
a small laugh.  "Look, Joshua. Under any other circumstances I would be
ecstatic for you, but we have a problem."

"What are you talking about?"  Joshua questioned her.  Alec's breathing
practically stopped.  He was hoping that Paige was about to reveal
something useful.

"Your new beau and his friend could cause us a lot of problems, Joshua.
The President will be here in a matter of days and we can't let anything
get in our way.  This mission has to be successful.  You know there is so
much riding on this for us."  Paige's voice had the hard edge of
determination to it.

"I know how important this is, Paige.  You don't have to remind me of
that." Joshua's voice sounded tired and frustrated.  "What does that have
to do with Alec?"

"Alec AND Vanessa, Joshua."  Paige stressed to him.  "They are here to stop
our mission.  Joshua, they are from the Covenant."

Alec's eyes bulged and it took all the strength he had from not screaming a
few choice words.  How in the hell did Paige know about them?  A thousand
things rushed through his mind and he had to force himself to focus on what
was going on in the office.

"Fuck."  He heard Joshua mutter.  "I can't believe this is even happening.
I mean we knew that there was a possibility of it, Paige, but for it to
really be a reality.  We need to form some type of game plan."

"Agreed."  Paige replied.  "There isn't much time and we have to make sure
everything is in place and ready for the President's visit.  I will not
allow those two to stop us.  Are you going to be able to kill him, Joshua,
if it comes to that?"

Alec's body turned to stone as he heard the words.  He had been so foolish.
It never entered his head that he might have to hurt Joshua in any way.  He
had let himself be blinded by his feelings instead of focusing on his job.
Alec waited in anxious silence for Joshua's answer.

"I don't know, Paige."  Joshua's voice was practically a whisper.

"Mark my words, Joshua.  I WILL kill him and his little friend without even
missing a step if I have to.  I will NOT allow anyone to stand in our way,
and if you can't take care of business, I will."  Paige's voice rose in
anger as she spoke.

Alec heard the office door being opened and then it slammed shut, obviously
marking Paige's departure.  He had to take a few deep, calming breaths to
relax his body.  Alec started to move backwards through the vent as quickly
and as quietly as he could.  He had to get back to Vanessa as soon as
possible.  Time had started running out on them and everything was
unraveling.  He quickly screwed the panel back into place on the wall and
gathered up the toolbox and blueprints.  He checked the hallway, and
finding it empty, darted towards the stairwell.

* * *

"Son of a bitch mother fuckers!"  Vanessa exclaimed.  Alec had returned a
few minutes ago and immediately began giving her a rundown on what he had
heard.  "I can't even believe this is happening.  How the hell did they
find out about us?  I knew I was going to have to keep an eye on Paige.
I'll keep both eyes on little Miss Annie Oakley now."

"Things might not be turning out as we would want them too, but at least we
have a few advantages."  Alec said in an attempt to calm his sister down.
"We have the element of surprise now, Vanessa.  They don't know that we
know about them.  Before we didn't have any clue who was behind the attempt
on the President, but now we know exactly who we need to be watching.  We
just need to keep our eyes peeled and stay on our toes.  We can do this."

"Thanks for being the voice of reason, tiger."  Vanessa said with a warm
smile.  "You are absolutely correct.  We now have the upper hand, thanks to
your brilliant eavesdropping idea.  So what do you think we should do now?
Do we just keep an eye on them and stop the attempt or do we move in and
take care of them now?

"I'm not sure, Nessa, but we have to make some quick decisions." Alec
replied.

"I think we both want to get Paige out of the picture as soon as possible.
I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with her right now, that's for sure."
Vanessa said with a wicked grin as she cracked her knuckles.

"Here's another thing we have to look at."  Alec said with a smile.  "Do we
fill Sabrina in on everything that has been going on, or?"

Before Vanessa could answer her brother there was a knock on the door.
They both pulled guns out of hidden holsters in the back of their pants and
moved into position.  Vanessa went to answer the door and Alec sat on the
couch that faced it.  They were both ready for anything.  Vanessa
positioned her body to conceal the gun in her hand and slowly opened the
door.  A sigh escaped her lips as she saw who was standing there.

"Speak of the devil, herself."  Vanessa moved aside so Alec could see
Sabrina standing in the doorway.

"Good to see you too, Vanessa."  Sabrina sarcastically replied.

Sabrina sauntered into the living room and rolled her eyes at Vanessa.  As
Sabrina set her purse down on the coffee table the brother and sister
exchanged a knowing glance.  Before they shared any information with
Sabrina it was time for her to do to a little sharing first.  Vanessa
raised her eyebrow at Alec in question and he grinned wickedly while
nodding his head.

"Hey girl, I have a question for you."  Vanessa said as she turned on her
airhead charm.

"What's that, Vanessa?"  Sabrina asked as she turned towards Vanessa.

Alec didn't waste any time and took the opportunity that Sabrina had
unknowingly offered.  He quickly moved off the couch and stepped up behind
her.  Alec swiftly picked her up and threw her down on the couch.

"What the fu..." Sabrina's voice was cut off as the cold steel of Alec's gun
pressed against her forehead.

"Alec!"  Vanessa sounded upset and rushed up next to her brother.  "What
the hell are you doing?"

"It's time for this bitch to start explaining a few things."  Alec snarled
as he flipped the safety on the gun to the off position.  "I have a feeling
we are being strung along and I don't like it."

Sabrina's wide eyes flickered back and forth between Vanessa and Alec.
Alec could see a thin sheen of sweat break out on the woman's forehead.
She was definitely scared and Alec pressed the gun a bit harder against her
skin.  He watched as Sabrina's breathing increased and she swallowed
loudly.

"I...I don't know what you are talking about."  Sabrina stuttered.

"Alec, put the gun down."  Vanessa reached out and wrapped her fingers
around Alec's wrist.  She was finally able to get Alec to step back and
Sabrina quickly sat up on the couch.  Alec sat down on the coffee table
next to Sabrina's purse, but he kept the gun trained on her.

"No quick movements, and don't lie to us."  Alec's cold voice was the only
sound in the now tense room besides Sabrina's labored breathing.  "I won't
hesitate to use this."

"What is going on?"  Sabrina asked.

Alec opened his mouth to snap at her, but Vanessa placed a calming hand on
his shoulder silencing him.  Vanessa gently sat down next to Sabrina in an
attempt not to frighten her any further.  She smiled reassuringly at
Sabrina and tried to make the woman a bit more comfortable at least.

"We need to know your connection with Joshua and Paige."  Vanessa quietly
stated.

"There is no connection with them."  Sabrina's eyes widened again as Alec
raised the gun and aimed at her head.  "I swear it.  I've been in deep
undercover for the last few months.  The only relationship I have with them
is as their `employee'."

"The two of you seem pretty chummy, though." Vanessa said with a slight
smile.  "Last night Paige walked in here and greeted you like a long lost
friend.  She even contacted you on your cell phone before she showed up."

"You'll soon find out that Paige is all about appearances."  A sudden heat
had appeared in Sabrina's voice.  "She may appear all sweet and sugary, but
that woman is the queen viper in this pit.  Paige uses her supposed charm
and grace to get information out of people and pull them to her side.
Joshua makes sure that she interacts with all of the employees and most of
them are now under her thumb.  She has my cell phone number because it was
issued by the park.  That bitch calls me at all hours of the night like I'm
her personal lackey or something."

"I overheard a conversation today from some employees on the island that
Joshua thinks you're going to be the death of him.  What's that about?"
Alec questioned.

"That's probably because I've been riding his ass to get as much
information about the President's visit as I could."  Sabrina sighed and
ran her hand through her hair.  Alec kept the gun steadily trained on her
just in case she was trying anything.  "I've used my position in human
resources as an excuse to get as much information as I could so the
groundwork for this mission could be smoothly put into place."

Sabrina paused for a moment and glanced at Alec.  Her attention wavered and
focused on the gun.  Vanessa glanced over at her brother and signaled him
with her eyes.  Alec's face didn't reveal that he understood, but after a
moment he lowered the gun but continued to glare at Sabrina.

"Joshua must have gotten tired of me because for the last few weeks I've
had to go through Paige to get the information I wanted.  I don't have much
contact with him at all now."  Sabrina continued with a sigh.  "I have to
act like I'm that bitch's best friend; otherwise I'd be dead in the water.
She's never around when I need her so I normally have to call her cell
phone a thousand times.  That's how she ended up here last night.  I had
been calling her all evening trying to get more updated information about
the President's visit and unfortunately she tracked me down at an
inconvenient time."

"There was something about Paige that set an alarm off in the back of my
head."  Vanessa thought out loud.  "I'm glad to see my instincts are still
working."

Sabrina glanced at Vanessa with a bit of shock.  Vanessa had unknowingly
dropped her valley girl voice and for that split second the real Vanessa
had leaked through.  Alec could practically see the wheels turning in
Sabrina's head and after a moment a look of revelation appeared on her
face.  Almost as soon as the light bulb went off in her head a slight blush
appeared on her cheeks.

"I obviously owe you a bigger apology than I thought, Vanessa."  Sabrina
quietly muttered.

"Why is that?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you, Vanessa, but I had to make it
look like there was friction between us." Sabrina began.  "If anyone saw us
being too friendly with each other it might have raised suspicion."

"If that was your plan why didn't you fill us in on that?" Alec asked.

"Well..." Sabrina flushed again.  "I had planned on it, but the more I
interacted with you, Vanessa, the more agitated I got.  You were way beyond
the stereotypical dumb blonde and people like that get under my skin pretty
quickly.  I let my emotions cloud my judgment and I'm embarrassed about
that.  I'm truly sorry, Vanessa."

Alec and Vanessa glanced at each other and continued their silent
communication.  Alec could understand what Sabrina was talking about in
regards to emotions causing problems.  He knew in his head what he might
have to do in regards to Joshua, but that didn't stop his heart from trying
to change his mind.  Alec flipped the safety on the gun into place and set
it down next to him.

"We all make mistakes sometimes, Sabrina.  Let's just be glad we cleared
the air and we can focus on the mission."  Alec said with a warm smile.

"Don't worry about anything, Sabrina.  Apology accepted."  Vanessa added
with a warm smile of her own.

A look of confusion appeared on Sabrina's face as she looked at the brother
and sister.  After a few minutes she slapped her forehead and let out a
fairly large sigh.  Her laughter suddenly filled the air.

"I can't even believe this."  Sabrina said as she looked back at them.  "I
didn't think the whole good cop/bad cop thing still worked.  I was
obviously wrong about that, wasn't I?"

"We weren't so sure about it either, but it's a chance we had to take."
Vanessa laughed.  "I have to admit though that Alec even scared me a bit,
but that probably helped make it more believable."

"I can definitely see why the Covenant sent you two for this mission."
Sabrina said with a smile.  "You make a great team."

"I hope you understand why we did it." Vanessa studied Sabrina.  "We had to
be sure that we were working on the same team."

"I understand completely." Sabrina replied with a nod of her head.

"It's funny you should mention the Covenant."  Alec said with a sigh.  He
glanced at his sister and she nodded her head in agreement.  Sabrina was
definitely on their side, and it was time to fill Backdraft in on the
information they received that morning.

Alec took the next fifteen minutes explaining to Sabrina everything that he
had heard. Since part of the conversation involved him he had no choice but
to reveal what happened with him and Joshua.  He wasn't as graphic with her
as he was with Vanessa, but he made a pretty clear picture of what had
happened.  Sabrina sat for a few minutes in silence letting everything Alec
had said sink in.

"Son of a bitch mother fuckers."  Sabrina murmured.

"That was exactly my point."  Vanessa said.  "We have to form a game plan
and fast."

"There is some information I have to share with both of you as well that
will shed some light on why they know about the Covenant."  Sabrina said
with a sigh.  "I received a communiqu from headquarters this morning.  It
seems that we have a bigger problem than the President's visit.  It is
still important for us to stop the assassination, but it is no longer our
main objective."

Vanessa and Alec exchanged another silent communication.  Things were
already difficult enough, what else were they going to have to possibly
deal with?  It seemed as if they were being pushed out of the frying pan
and right into the heart of the fire.

 "Have either of you ever heard of an agent named Dreamcatcher?"  Sabrina
asked.

"I've heard bits and pieces before on other missions about Dreamcatcher."
Vanessa replied.  "It sounded more like whispers of legends or myths
though. I never really paid attention to any of it."

"Dreamcatcher is no legend or myth, believe me.  Dreamcatcher was one of
the top agents in the organization.  Dreamcatcher can handle any weapon and
is an explosives expert.  The Covenant used the agent mostly as an assassin
because Dreamcatcher never failed in any assignment."  Sabrina explained.

"What do you mean `was one of the top agents', Sabrina?" Alec questioned.

"Dreamcatcher went rogue a few months ago. It turns out that both sides
were being played.  Dreamcatcher is the first known mole ever in the
Covenant."  Sabrina said.

Alec whistled softly in shock.  It was incomprehensible that anyone in the
organization would turn to the other side, especially one of their top
agents.  Anger and rage bubbled through Alec and Vanessa.  How could anyone
betray the Covenant like that?  The Covenant was like a close, but distant,
family and no one messed with their family.

"So what does Dreamcatcher have to do with our mission?" Vanessa asked.

"The problem is that Dreamcatcher, the mole, is here on the island."
Sabrina said with a weary sigh.  "This is going to totally complicate
things.  We are going to be up against some fucking tough competition."

"Who is Dreamcatcher?" Alec asked.

Sabrina paused and collected her thoughts before answering.  Vanessa
already had a feeling of what the answer to the question was going to be.

"Alec, it's Joshua."  Sabrina quietly replied.

Alec's blood turned to ice water at her words.  It was one thing for the
man to possibly be trying to kill the President, and Alec could just about
deal with the fact that the man he was possibly falling for was a bad guy,
but betraying everything Alec believed in went beyond anger.

"The sooner we take him and that bitch Paige out the better."  Alec's voice
was as hard as granite.  "We need to isolate both of them.  Sabrina, you
can take care of Paige and Vanessa and I can handle Jos...I mean
Dreamcatcher.  This thing ends right here, right now."

"That sounds like a plan to me." Vanessa said as Sabrina nodded her
agreement.  "What's the game plan?"

"This might help things out."  Sabrina said as she leaned past Alec to pull
an envelope out of her purse.  "I didn't open it.  Joshua asked me to bring
it to you.  It seems like opportunity might be knocking for us."

Alec leaned forward and took the envelope from Sabrina.  He turned it over
in his hands a few times before opening it.  Alec wasn't very sure he even
wanted to know what was inside.  He locked eyes with Vanessa and she nodded
her head to encourage him to open it.  Alec shook his head a bit to clear
his mind and tore the envelope open.  He quickly scanned the single page of
paper that was inside.

"Alec,

We really need to talk and I have to see you again.  I'm sorry about how
you found out about Paige, but I promise you that I can explain.  Meet me
by our waterfall at eight o'clock.  Everything will be clear then.  Please
don't worry about Paige. I'll take care of everything.  Please come.

Yours,

Joshua"

"It seems that our plan is falling into place without us having to do
anything."  Alec said.  "Here is what we are going to do.  Sabrina, you can
head over to the hotel tonight and track down Paige.  Vanessa and I will
head over to `our waterfall' and take care of Dreamcatcher.  I think we
should try to bring them both in alive.  That way we can strip them of
information that might be useful for the Covenant.  By the way, how does
Paige fit into this equation? Where did she come from?"

"She has to be one of his old contacts or something because she's
definitely not in the Covenant.  I had it checked out as soon as I got the
message about Dreamcatcher.  It's bad enough we have to go up against him,
but to be going up against two rogue Covenant members would make things
even worse.  If we need to though I think deadly force should be considered
if needed, especially if the two of you are going up against Dreamcatcher."
Sabrina added.

"Whether she is in the Covenant or not, don't underestimate her.  She must
be good if Joshua has teamed up with her.  We need to consider her just as
deadly as him."  Vanessa advised Alec and Sabrina.

The group finalized their plans and then Sabrina left to begin setting
things up for later that night.  Alec's mind was reeling from everything
that happened.  First, he thought Joshua was a deadbeat for cheating on his
wife, and then he finds out that his marriage to Paige is a farce and that
they are the ones planning to kill the president, and finally that Joshua
is a mole and is trying to undermine the Covenant.  There was only one
thing that made Alec afraid.  Could he kill Joshua if it came down to that?

"Don't worry about anything, tiger."  Vanessa said as she stepped up behind
him.  Her arms wrapped around his waist.  "We will make sure everything
gets taken care of.  I know what you're thinking."

"What's that?" Alec quietly asked.

"If you'll be able to pull the trigger if it comes down to that."  Vanessa
replied.  Alec looked at her in shock.  "I have been where you are at right
now Alec, the point that you realize that you might have to take a human
life.  It's going to be even tougher for you because of your feelings for
Joshua, but you need to remember one thing.  I'll be there with you the
entire time, and if the time comes and you can't bring yourself to do it,
you know that I have your back, tiger."

"I know, Nessa, and I appreciate that so much."  Alec's voice was thick
with emotion.  "If it comes down to that though I'll do what I have to.  He
somehow took my heart, and I'll take it back from him no matter the cost."

* * *

The sky was filled with red, purple, and orange colors as the sun set in
the distance.  The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of an
outboard motor slicing through the otherwise calm waters.  Trinity and
Phoenix calmly maneuvered the small boat through the waters.  A whispered
conversation was shared between them as they sat at opposite ends of the
boat.  Small two-way radios were concealed in their ears and they were
testing the equipment to ensure that it worked.

The boat finally touched down on the sandy shore of the main island and the
duo quickly secured the boat to the dock.  The last rays of light
disappeared over the horizon as Phoenix led Trinity into the park.  They
were both dressed in what would be considered a classic spy look, head to
toe black.  Small, undetectable handguns were located under the arms and
were concealed by the lightweight jackets they wore.  The brother and
sister team each had small knives stored in the inside of their boots.
Phoenix and Trinity were well prepared and ready for anything.

Phoenix checked his watch as he led Trinity into the heart of the
jungle. They only had ten minutes to get to the falls and get into
position.  It was only a few more minutes until the sound of rushing water
broke through the night air.  They had finally arrived at the clearing and
Alec paused for a moment taking everything in.  Nothing changed since the
first night he was there with Dreamcatcher.  He motioned Trinity over to
some dense bushes that lined the clearing.

`Stay here. Keep an eye out.  I know you'll have my back.'  Phoenix quickly
flashed to Trinity with sign language.  They had no idea where Dreamcatcher
was and they didn't want to risk making any unnecessary noise.

`You can do this.  I have faith in you tiger.'  Trinity quickly flashed
back.

Phoenix nodded his head and circled through the jungle away from her.  He
didn't want to enter the clearing from her location because if Dreamcatcher
was there it might give away her hiding spot.  He walked about fifty feet
away and then entered the clearing.  The moonlight still gave the area an
ethereal feel and it was almost if there was still some type of magic in
the air.

He glanced at his watch and found it was eight o'clock sharp.  Phoenix
glanced around the clearing looking for any sign of his target.  Adrenaline
pulsed through his veins as his eyes scanned the area.  He thought for sure
that he would be nervous as hell, but an icy calm descended upon him and he
was ready.

"Report Phoenix."  He heard Trinity's quiet voice in his ear.

"All clear."  Phoenix replied just as quietly.

He walked a few more times around the clearing as frustration started to
set in.  Phoenix stopped by the water's edge and glanced out towards the
rushing falls.  A cloud moved from its position from in front of the moon
and allowed the moonlight to brighten and he could see movement behind the
falling water.

"He's in the alcove behind the falls. I'm going to have to go in."  He
reported to Trinity.

"Get in there and get him to come out.  I can't watch your back through a
wall of water.  Do you understand?"  Trinity's voice echoed in his ear.

"Roger."  He simply replied.

Phoenix reached down and untied his boots and removed his socks.  He took
his knife from the boot and placed it in the back of his jeans just in case
he needed it.  He removed his jacket but left the gun and holster on.  He
took one last glance around the clearing and inconspicuously flashed `I
love you' in sign language to Trinity.

"Back at you." Her voice sounded in his ear.

He took a breath and dove headfirst into the water.  Phoenix gasped for a
breath as he resurfaced through the water.  The water's temperature was
much colder that night than it was the other night.  As he got closer to
the falls he could see that Dreamcatcher was in the water leaning against
the rock ledge.  Phoenix took one last huge breath and dove under the
water.  His prey was oblivious to his presence and that element of surprise
would work in his favor.

Phoenix glanced up as he passed under the falls and could see the man's
body relaxing and floating in the water above him.  He reached down and
pulled his weapon from its holder.  Phoenix kicked towards the surface and
was prepared to stare down the mole of the Covenant.

As he broke through the water's surface his gun was drawn and aimed right
between the man's eyes.  Phoenix's eyes locked with the eyes of his target
and he felt his blood run cold.  He quickly glanced around and saw that no
one else was there with them.  There were two large rocks sitting on the
ledge and the body's wrists were bound tightly to them keeping it afloat.

"My God." Phoenix muttered.

Glassy, lifeless eyes stared back at him and the corpse's lips were an
unnatural shade of blue.  He quickly felt for a pulse and wasn't surprised
when there was nothing there.  Phoenix tried to push down on the body's
legs but they wouldn't bend.  Rigor mortis had obviously set in which meant
the body was most likely dead before it entered the water.

"Phoenix, report!" Trinity's voice echoed in his ear.

"I've got a body here."  He replied with a sigh.

"Joshua is dead?" She incredulously asked.

"Not Joshua." Phoenix replied. "It's Paige."

 Chapter Five

"What the hell is going on here?"  Phoenix asked Trinity as he stepped out
of the water.  "None of this makes sense.  Why would Joshua eliminate Paige
from the picture when she was on his side? What did he have to gain by
doing that?"

"I'm not sure, Phoenix."  She used his codename hoping to get him to focus.
As she looked at him a thought crossed her mind.  "Maybe it's not a
question of what he would gain, but maybe who he thought he could gain."

"You think he killed her to get to me?" Phoenix asked as his mind processed
her statement.  "I guess it's a possibility we have to look at.  It might
be something else though.  Maybe she double crossed him or something."

Any further conversation was cut off as the team heard movement in the
jungle.  They drew their weapons and quickly stepped back into the cover of
the jungle.  Trinity and Phoenix were crouched down back to back to help
cover each other.  Their eyes scanned the dark jungle interior.  Trinity's
eyes caught more movement off to their left.

"Movement at nine o'clock."  Trinity quietly whispered.

Phoenix turned and looked in that direction.  He could see someone stepping
into the clearing.  He hoped that it wasn't Joshua finally showing up.
Even with everything that was going on, Phoenix still held onto hope that
Joshua could explain everything that happened.  The figure came into focus
as the person walked into the center of the clearing.  It was Backdraft.
Trinity whistled a birdcall to let the woman know they would be entering
the clearing.  Backdraft turned to look at them as they entered the
clearing.

"What's going on?"  Backdraft asked.  "Where is Dreamcatcher?"

"No show."  Trinity said.

"Damn it. Things are going our way for shit tonight." Backdraft exclaimed.
"I wasn't able to find Paige tonight.  I searched the entire hotel complex
at least twice and still had no luck.  I asked around and no one has seen
her since this afternoon."

"They wouldn't have seen her."  Phoenix quietly replied.  Backdraft looked
at him questioningly.  "She's dead.  I found her body tied to some rocks
behind the falls."

"You're kidding me, right?"  She asked.

"I wish we were.  The body is still in the water if you want to have a
look."  Trinity replied.

"This isn't good.  Not good at all."  Backdraft said with a sigh.
"Something must have happened to make Dreamcatcher eliminate his own
partner."

"What if he knows that we are on to him?"  Phoenix asked.  "If that's the
case then he would start tying up whatever he considered a loose end."

"Awesome point, Phoenix." Trinity gave her partner a huge smile.  "He might
have realized that the attempt on the President wouldn't work.  It would
make sense to clean things up and close up shop."

"If that's the case then we don't have any time to spare."  Phoenix added.
"He might try to leave the island.  We need to mobilize ASAP."

"First, we need to take care of Paige's body."  Trinity's words brought
them back to the severity of the situation.

"I'll take care of the body."  Backdraft finally said.  "We were always
seen together so it would make more sense for me to report it.  I'll tell
them that Paige demanded that I meet her here.  I'll go in and untie the
body and bring it over to the water's edge.  If either of you were here,
then it would make things look even more suspicious than it already is."

"Are you sure?"  Trinity asked her.  As Backdraft nodded her head, Trinity
continued.  "Phoenix and I will search for Dreamcatcher then.  Time is
running out and the sooner we find him the better.  We can't let him
escape."

"Agreed."  Phoenix and Backdraft replied in unison.

Backdraft headed cautiously in the water and Trinity and Phoenix headed
back into the jungle.  They kept their eyes open as they made their way
through the darkness.  Trinity reached over and squeezed Phoenix's
shoulders trying to reassure him.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" She asked.

"I'm just so confused."  Phoenix replied.  "I know that he's evil and a
killer, but I still can't help feeling that there's more than what we are
seeing.  Just wishful thinking I guess.  After seeing that body I have to
push that type of thinking aside.  We need to get things taken care of and
I can't be distracted."

"It's only natural to think that way, so don't beat yourself up about it.
I know that you have my back and you'll do whatever is necessary."  Trinity
softly said to him.  "You're only human.  It's ok to have those feelings,
just try to make sure they don't affect your judgment."

"Thanks."  Phoenix replied softly.

The pair walked the rest of the way through the jungle in silence. The
short walk seemed to take longer on the way back after everything that had
happened at the falls.  The pair was still in a bit of shock to find
Paige's body there.  They had expected the possibility that there might be
a killing that night, but neither of them had expected the bad guys to
start taking out each other.  Trinity and Phoenix finally emerged onto one
of the park's lighted pathways.

"How do you want to do this search?" Phoenix asked as he pulled a park map
from one of his pants pockets.  Luckily his pants pockets zippered shut and
were waterproof; otherwise the map would have been ruined.

"There is no guarantee that he's on this island." Trinity replied.  "He
knows about us, so it's possible that he could be on the other island."

"You take the park and I'll head back over to the other island.  You move
faster than I do...sometimes," Phoenix paused and grinned at his partner.
"You'll be able to cover more ground here."

"You have your cell phone on you?"  Trinity asked.

"Of course I do."  He replied.

"We'll check in with each other every hour or as soon as we find something.
Clear?"  She asked.

Phoenix nodded his head and started to make his way back to the docks.  He
wanted to take the other island because it seemed more likely that
Dreamcatcher would be there.  He had a lot of questions that needed to be
answered, and he wanted the opportunity to get to him first.

Phoenix untied the boat and quickly hopped on.  He maneuvered the craft
through the water, which had become a bit choppy.  Phoenix looked towards
the sky to find their star, but a thick wall of dark clouds began to roll
in, blocking out all of the stars and the moon.  The night darkened
considerably and made the situation feel even more sinister.

Phoenix reached the other dock and secured the boat.  He headed back
towards their place to check that out first.  If there were going to be any
type of ambush, then it was likely to happen there.  He reached their place
and quickly searched it from top to bottom.  Phoenix was frustrated when
nothing was found.  He had been sure that there would be something waiting
for him.

He grabbed some extra ammo and a fully charged cell phone battery.  Phoenix
didn't know how long this search would take and he didn't want to have the
cell phone die out.  Trinity would have his ass for letting something that
stupid happen.

It took nearly two hours to check out the rest of the island, and from
their hourly phone calls, Trinity wasn't having any luck either.  A
downpour of rain had started over an hour ago, and his clothes stuck to him
like a second skin.  He decided to head back and change clothes before
making a sweep through the storage facilities.  It had been difficult going
through the employees' lodging because so many of them were staying inside
tonight due to the weather.

Phoenix entered their living room and shook some of the water off of his
body.  As he started towards the hallway he noticed that the kitchen light
was on.  He knew that light had been off when he was there earlier.  He
drew his weapon and slowly approached the room.  Every muscle in his body
tightened in anticipation as adrenaline rushed through him.

Phoenix stepped into the small kitchen and his eyes quickly scanned the
area.  There was nothing out of the ordinary in there.  He took another
step into the kitchen to ensure it was empty when he felt a blinding pain
shoot through his head as something hit the back of his neck.  Phoenix
barely had time to turn around as another strike hit the side of his head.
He felt the room pitch and sway as he fell towards the floor.

Unconsciousness was threatening to over take him and Phoenix fought as hard
as he could to stay awake.  He looked up towards the doorway to face his
attacker, but he was only able to make out a large shape standing over him.
There was no light in the hallway and the figure stayed partially hidden in
the shadows.  Phoenix still had his gun and aimed as best as he could.  His
vision was beginning to blur from the hit he had taken to the head.  Just
as he tried to fire a round, he felt a stabbing pain in his leg and
realized that something was just injected into his body.

Phoenix desperately reached for his cell phone as he felt the drug rush
through his system.  He had been able to flip the phone open, but as he
tried to hit the speed dial the phone was ripped from his grasp.  Sleep
began to overtake his body and he was barely able to keep his eyes open.
Just before his world went black his attacker stepped into the kitchen and
Phoenix's unfocused eyes were barely able to make Joshua out.  He opened
his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.  The drug had taken effect and
Phoenix's eyes closed as a dreamless sleep overtook him.

* * *

Trinity snapped her cell phone closed in irritation.  She had tried to
contact Phoenix three times in the last twenty minutes, but he wasn't
answering his phone.  Her gut twisted as fear and stress wracked her body.
It was not like him to not answer his phone or contact her if something was
up.  That left only one option; something had to have happened to him.

She raced down the park's paths towards the docks.  Trinity tried to keep
her anger at a manageable level, but it was nearly impossible to do that.
God help anyone that would try to hurt her brother.  If anything had
happened to Alec the people responsible would pay for it with their lives.
If she let them even have such an easy way out.  Ideas of torture and pain
filtered through her head as she raced towards the boats.

As Trinity approached the docks she saw a figure walking towards the boats.
She yanked her gun from its holster and was prepared to take action.  As
she ran down the dock the person turned to see who was coming.  She put her
gun back into place when she saw that it was Backdraft.

"What are you doing here?" Trinity demanded.

"After I got done with the security team and they took the body, I rushed
back to the hotel to see if Joshua was there."  Backdraft explained.  "The
concierge had overheard Joshua saying that he was going over to the
employee island to take care of some business.  I rushed over here as
quickly as I could because I knew Phoenix was over there.  We have to warn
him."

"We're too late." Trinity quietly said as she hopped into the boat.  She
put a hand out and helped Backdraft down.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Backdraft exclaimed.

"We were in phone contact every hour.  He should have checked in thirty
minutes ago." Trinity turned to start the motor.  "Phoenix never checked in
and I've tried calling him three times, but there was no answer.  What the
hell is wrong with this thing?"

No matter how hard she pulled the motor just would not kick over.  She
kicked the motor a few times trying to release some of her frustrations.
Trinity grabbed the lever and gave it a few more forceful tugs, but the
motor still wouldn't start. Backdraft stepped up and placed a hand on her
shoulder.

"Let me take a look at it."  She said trying to ease Trinity's nerves.

Backdraft examined the motor for a few minutes.  While she was working on
that, Trinity pulled out her cell phone and tried contacting Alec again.
She wasn't surprised when the ringing in her ear didn't stop.  As she
disconnected the line she heard Backdraft let out a satisfied noise.

"I found out what the problem was."  Backdraft turned slightly to face
Trinity.  She was holding a small cord that was attached to the motor.  "It
looks like this somehow got disconnected."  Backdraft leaned back down over
the motor and a moment later it roared to life.

Trinity gave a brief smile to the woman and turned around to face the other
island.  Her brother was somewhere on that island and he was in trouble.
She couldn't help that nagging feeling in the back of her brain that she
was forgetting something.  Trinity searched her brain for a few moments and
finally something Backdraft said earlier that day clicked in her head.  She
spun around and looked at Backdraft.

"What's wrong?" She questioned.

"Didn't you say that Dreamcatcher was an explosives expert?" She couldn't
help the slight tremor in her voice as she asked.

Backdraft nodded her head in answer.  The two women's gazes locked for a
moment before they both looked at the boat's motor.  Almost as if it was
answering their question the motor exploded with a deafening roar that
threw the two women into the air.  The night sky had been briefly
illuminated from the fireball the explosion caused.  The pair hit hard
against the water's surface.

It took a few moments for Trinity to get her bearings before she launched
her body to the surface.  She gasped for air as she finally broke through
the surface filling her lungs with some much needed oxygen.  Trinity
searched the water frantically looking for Backdraft.

"Trinity!"  She heard a voice call out.

She quickly turned around in the water to see Sabrina floating nearby.
Trinity quickly swam over to the other woman.

"Are you ok?"  She asked.

"My arm is definitely broken and I think I may have a few cracked ribs."
Backdraft said with a wince.  "What about you?"

"Just some minor cuts and bruises."  She replied after a quick assessment
of herself.  "It seems that my luck worked for once tonight.  Can you
swim?"

Backdraft nodded her head and the two began a slow stroke towards the
island.  Trinity kept an eye on Backdraft since she was swimming with only
one good arm.  At least the explosion had thrown them towards their
destination instead of back towards the main island.

"Dreamcatcher is definitely going to be getting the ass whooping of the
century."  Trinity's anger had returned with a vengeance.  "I'm going to
enjoy ripping every one of his body parts off.  I might even feed him a
couple."

They swam the last couple hundred feet in silence.  The women were
conserving as much energy as possible for the fight they knew was coming.
Trinity reached the shore first and helped Backdraft out of the water.
There was a jeep sitting a few feet from the docks and Trinity rushed
towards it.

"I don't have the keys for..." Backdraft's voice trailed off as she watched
Trinity smash the driver's side window and unlock the doors.  She quickly
walked around to the passenger side and hopped in.  Trinity was working on
hotwiring the jeep.  "I'm sorry.  My brain is obviously not functioning at
the moment."

"Don't worry about it." Trinity replied as she gunned the engine.  "We've
found out in less than twenty-four hours that our `boss' killed the woman
posing as his wife; he is a mole assassin that is now holding my partner
captive; and he tried to kill us by blowing up our boat.  I can see why
your brain would be fried by now."

Trinity raced the jeep down the narrow roads towards the employee lodging.
She figured they would check out their place first and go from there.  She
also wanted to stop there to pick up some more gear and ammo.  The jeep
roared down the quiet roads and squealed to a stop as Trinity pulled up at
their destination.

Trinity was out of jeep almost before it came to a complete stop.  She
charged up to the front door and again pulled her gun from its holster.
She paused as she saw that the front door wasn't closed all the way.  Her
blood ran ice cold as she used the muzzle of her gun to slowly push the
door open.  Backdraft was standing slightly behind her and was holding her
weapon in her good hand.

Trinity's eyes searched everywhere at once as she stepped into the living
room for any sign of Phoenix.  There were no clues to be found in the
living room.  She headed towards the hall and flipped on the light.
Trinity started to head towards the bedrooms when she noticed something
lying on the floor in the kitchen doorway.  She bent down and examined the
object.  Her breath caught in her throat as she saw what it was.

A long iron crowbar was lying on the floor and one end of it was covered in
what was obviously blood.  Backdraft reached past her and flipped on the
kitchen light.  As light flooded the room it was obvious there was a
struggle.  Trinity walked towards the table and saw that something was
scratched into the tabletop.  Based on the scratches and the red smudges,
she knew that the crowbar was used to etch the message into the wood.

"The Phoenix has fallen. Alec will sleep with the fishes tonight."

"NO!" Trinity yelled as she slammed her fist into the table.

"What do you think the message means?"  Backdraft asked.

Trinity looked at the message and the words played over and over in her
head. It only took a few moments for her to figure out.  She did pause
though because it was too simple.  That could only mean one thing; it was a
trap.

"He took Alec to the underwater tunnel."  She quietly replied.

Sabrina looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  Vanessa knew that she was
surprised to hear her refer to Alec by his name and not by his codename.
One of the first rules that were drilled into them was that secrecy was
all-important and that codenames were to be used as much as possible.

"This isn't about the mission anymore."  Vanessa's voice was as hard as
rock and as sharp as a knife. "It's personal now."

* * *

Vanessa raced down the stairs that led to the underwater attraction.  Alec
had to be safe.  He was strong, and she knew that he would hang on as long
as he had to.  They had overcome so many things together, and there was no
way she was going to lose him now.  As they got to the bottom of the steps
they saw that the security doors were closed.  Vanessa raced over to the
keypad and quickly punched in the security code to open the doors.

"How did you know the code?" Sabrina asked.

"I kept a close eye on Joshua when he keyed it in."  Vanessa quickly
replied.  "Everyone was intent on ignoring me so I made it a point to be
close enough to see his code.  Let's go."

The women raced through the tunnel as fast as they could.  Construction was
completed the other day, but there was still equipment lying about.  The
soft lights that were on in the tunnel gave just enough illumination for
the pair to maneuver through the mess.  They were a couple hundred feet
into the tunnel and there was still no sign of Alec.  Vanessa began to
worry that maybe her instincts were off.

As they walked around a huge stack of boxes they found out that she was
correct.  Alec was lying on the floor against the tunnel wall.  His hands
were tied behind his back, and his ankles were bound together as well.  She
could tell that he had been drugged because he looked pretty out of it.
Joshua was bent over Alec and had his hands on his shoulders.  Vanessa
reacted as quickly as she could.

"Get your hands off of him, asshole!" She yelled as she charged towards
them.

Joshua spun around at the sound of her voice; his face was covered in
shock, and he reflexively drew his gun.  Joshua had paused long enough
though to allow Vanessa to get closer to him.  As Joshua raised the gun up
in front of him, Vanessa leapt into the air and kicked out with her foot,
connecting directly with his wrist and effectively knocking the gun out of
his hand.  The gun clattered to the ground with such a force that it slid
down further into the darkened tunnel.

"Wait..." Joshua began to say, but Vanessa didn't allow him the opportunity
to continue.

She swung fast and hard with her right arm and her fist connected soundly
with Joshua's jaw.  His head snapped from the impact and he stumbled a few
steps back.  Vanessa took a defensive stance to catch her breath.  She
watched as he felt his jaw and straightened himself.  She heard Alec groan
and her head quickly glanced in his direction.  He was fully conscious and
Sabrina was rushing over to him.

"Vanessa, he's getting away!" Sabrina called out.

Vanessa gaze snapped forward again in time to see Joshua taking off down
the tunnel.  Damn it!

"Stay here and take care of Alec.  I'll be right back!"  She called over to
Sabrina.

Vanessa took off into the darkened tunnel.  She was barely able to make out
Joshua in the distance.  Vanessa pushed herself as hard as she could and
her leg muscles burned with the exertion.  She was slowly gaining ground,
but it just wasn't enough.  Vanessa pulled out her gun and aimed off to
Joshua's left.  She didn't want to hit him at that point, but hopefully she
would catch him off guard enough to stop him.  She needed answers to what
was going on and by God she was going to get them.

She squeezed off a quick shot and the slug slammed into a crate.  The
gunshot made Joshua stumble and pitch towards the ground.  He was back up
on his feet in a second, but it was just enough of a pause for Vanessa to
gain the ground she needed.  She continued her charge and stepped up on a
nearby box.  Vanessa leapt through the air in an impressive kick.  Her foot
stuck Joshua in his back and he once again fell to the floor.

It was almost like her sparring with Alec because as Joshua hit the ground
he rolled forward and sprang right back to his feet.  The two of them
circled each other for a few moments.  Different punches and kicks were
traded between the pair, but everything was blocked with a practiced ease
by both of them.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Alec."  Vanessa growled at
him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Joshua demanded.  "Alec's a big boy,
Vanessa, and you can't pick who he decides to sleep with.  Besides, I'm not
even really married."

"Are you insane?" Vanessa looked at him in shock.  "I'm talking about you
bashing him with a crowbar and then tying him up."

"I'll ask you again," Joshua's voice sounded confused.  "What the fuck are
you talking about?"

"Don't play games with me."  Vanessa snapped at him.  "Next you're going to
tell me that you didn't know Paige was dead either."

"What?"  Joshua asked.

He had stopped moving and his hands even fell to his side.  Vanessa paused
for a moment taking in the complete look of shock that covered his face.
He was really good Vanessa decided.  If there was ever a performance that
was Oscar worthy, it was definitely the one she was seeing right now.
There was no way Vanessa was going to fall for it.

Vanessa quickly stepped forward and grabbed Joshua by the front of his
shirt.  She turned her body and expertly flipped the stunned man to the
ground.  Joshua was a bit heavier than she expected and as she tossed him
his shirt ripped down the front.  Joshua's body slammed into the ground
knocking the wind out of him. Vanessa drew her gun again and pointed it at
his chest.

"Get up you worthless piece of shit." Vanessa spat at him.

Joshua took a moment to catch his breath and then slowly got to his feet.
He must have hit his head because he was swaying a bit and looked a bit out
of it.  Joshua surprised Vanessa by raising his arms over his head in a
gesture of surrender.

"Why?"  Vanessa demanded.

"Why what?" Joshua's voice was thick with emotion. "You keep asking me
questions that I don't know the answers too."

"I can understand you killing Paige, Joshua, but why did you try to hurt
Alec?"  Vanessa asked.

"I did NOT try to hurt Alec.  I would never hurt someone that I l..."
Joshua's voice broke and paused and took a breath.  "Why do you keep saying
Paige is dead?"

"Because we found her body at your waterfall tonight.  The same waterfall
that you told Alec to meet you at."  Vanessa took a step closer to him.

"Paige is dead?"  Joshua's face turned white.  "Wait a second, I never told
Alec to meet me at the falls.  I haven't seen him since we had that night
together. I..."

"Just shut the fuck up!"  Vanessa yelled at him.  "I'm not falling for your
games, Dreamcatcher.  You killed Paige, you tried to kill my brother, and
let's not forget that you betrayed the Covenant.  You are the lowest human
being I have ever met in my life, but I'm about to do the world a favor and
take care of you.  Right here, right now."

"Wait a minute!" Joshua yelled as he saw her finger begin to pull the
trigger.  "What did you just call me?"

"Dreamcatcher."  Vanessa sighed and glared at him.  "You didn't think we
knew about that did you? Anything else before I kill you?"

Joshua's eyes widened at her words.  Vanessa was prepared to fire before he
even answered but as his body shifted the light in the tunnel bounced
across his chest and was reflected back.  Her eyes glanced down only for a
moment to see what caused the flash, and her breath caught in her throat.
Vanessa's eyes locked on the pendant that hung from his neck.  She stepped
forward and grabbed the pendant in her hand.

"Where the hell did you get this?"  She demanded.

"It's mine, Vanessa."  Joshua replied.

"No, it's not."  Vanessa said as she looked at the pendant.  She locked
eyes with Joshua and her stomached knotted up.  She saw something there she
hadn't expected to see; the truth.  "Oh fuck. This isn't Sabrina's. That
means that you're..." Her voice trailed off.

"I'm Backdraft."  Joshua said completing her sentence.  "Did you say
Sabrina said this was hers?"

Vanessa dropped her arm that was holding the gun as the two of them stared
at each other.  The reality of their situation dawned on them at the same
time as they heard Alec's voice scream out in pain echo through the tunnel.

"Alec!"  They cried out in unison.

* * *

Alec had watched as his sister ran off after Joshua.  His heart was torn in
two because he wanted her to be safe, but he wanted Joshua to be safe as
well.  The effects of the drugs were finally wearing off and his eyesight
finally returned to normal.  He groaned as he felt the pain in the back of
his head throb, and he could feel the blood that was drying on his scalp.
Alec tried to move but the ropes that were holding his hands and feet
together were too tight.  Alec had first thought it was Joshua that stood
over him in the kitchen, but on his way back to the main island he drifted
in and out of consciousness.  During one of his more lucid moments he
remembered hearing a woman's voice.

"Sabrina, help me get these ropes off."  Alec requested.  He waited a
moment and then glanced up to see Sabrina sitting off to the side looking
in the direction that Vanessa had gone.  "Sabrina, I need help untying
these ropes."

Sabrina snapped out of her daze and finally looked over at Alec.  She shook
her head for a moment and gave him a warm smile.  Sabrina stood up and
moved over to help him.

"Let's get you into a sitting position." She said as she walked behind
him. "It will be easier to cut the ropes that way."

Alec groaned in pain as she gently helped him into a sitting position.  He
felt a massive migraine starting and the back and side of his head throbbed
in agony.  It took him a moment to regain his concentration from the
intense pain.  When his head cleared again he realized that his hands were
still tied behind his back, and it was in that moment he remembered whose
voice he heard; it was Sabrina's.

"What are you doing, Sabrina? Cut the damn ropes already."  Alec snapped.

"Now, now, now, Alec.  You're going to have to be nice, young man.  You
wouldn't want to upset me right now."  Sabrina cooed in his ear.  Alec
stiffened as he felt Sabrina's arms wrap around his body.  Her hands
grabbed and groped their way over his chest.  "Do you have any idea how
much you turn me on?"  She breathed into his ear.

Alec mentally groaned and couldn't believe the timing Sabrina had.  It
definitely was not the best time for her overactive imagination and sex
drive to kick in on him.  He tried to move away from her, but her arms
tightened around him effectively holding him in place.  Alec would have
been able to take Sabrina in a New York minute before, but between the pain
coursing through his head, and the fact that he was tied up gave her the
upper hand.  His body shook in disgust as he felt Sabrina's tongue snake
around his earlobe.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Alec demanded.  He couldn't stop the
scream of pain as Sabrina yanked back on his head.  Her hand pulled on the
hair that surrounded the spot where he was struck earlier that night.  "Why
are you doing this?"

"Sorry, Alec, but it's not show and tell time."  Sabrina laughed wickedly
in his ear.  "The only thing you need to know is that you're going to die,
and it's going to be really soon."  Sabrina ran her fingertips under Alec's
top and he shuddered at her touch.  Her fingers pulled his pendant over his
head and she put it around her own neck.  "You won't be needing this
anymore, stud.  I think I'll keep it as a memento."

Alec and Sabrina could hear footsteps running through the tunnel.  Sabrina
quickly stood up and tried to pull Alec to his feet.  He was too heavy for
her to lift without any help.  She quickly pulled out her gun and pressed
it to his temple.

"Get up now!" Sabrina yelled at him.  Alec could hear the footsteps getting
closer and realized that there was more than one person coming.  Was it
possible that Vanessa and Joshua figured out what was going on?  The fact
that both of them were alive gave him the strength to get to his feet. Just
as he stood up Sabrina stepped partially behind him and pressed the gun to
his temple.  "Make these last few moments with Vanessa last, Alec, because
your time is just about up."

Alec's thoughts were confirmed as he saw Vanessa and Joshua running towards
them.  They both looked like shit, and he figured that Joshua must be one
hell of a fighter to have kept Vanessa from killing him.  Vanessa and
Joshua stopped a few feet from them as they saw the gun that was pressed
against his head.  Vanessa was giving Sabrina a look that would have made
even the world's toughest person empty their bladder immediately.  Joshua's
gaze was focused on him though.

His eyes burned into Alec's and it was almost as if a thousand things were
said at once.  Alec kept his face void of any emotion because he still
didn't know exactly what was going on.  As Alec looked blankly back at
Joshua he thought he saw tears well up in the man's eyes.

"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance, Sabrina."
Vanessa's voice was cold as ice.  "Or maybe I should call you
Dreamcatcher?"

"What?" Alec exclaimed.

"Well, I can see that someone wasn't doing their job properly, Miss
Vanessa."  Sabrina replied.  "Otherwise you would have killed Joshua
instead of having a little chit chat with him.  I have to say that I'm very
disappointed in you.  Maybe you really are as stupid as I first thought you
were."  Sabrina reached into her pocket and withdrew two pairs of
handcuffs.  She threw them over to Vanessa and Joshua.  "I want you back to
back on the ground and handcuffed together.  You have thirty seconds to do
it or Alec here dies sooner than planned."

"I thought you had broken your arm, Sabrina." Vanessa calmly said as she
noticed the arm Sabrina threw the cuffs with.  "Too bad it's not true
because now I'm going to have to break it for you."

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!"  Sabrina spat.  "You have twenty seconds."

Joshua and Vanessa exchanged a look with each other.  They weren't very
sure of each other, but they had a common goal now.  They were both willing
to protect Alec at any cost.  Joshua stepped carefully in front of Vanessa
to pick up the handcuffs.  He carefully bent down and picked up the cuffs.
As he stood up his body blocked Vanessa enough to give her the opportunity
to partially roll up the sleeves of her shirt.

"Ten seconds!" Sabrina's voice called out.

Joshua stepped back and turned towards Vanessa.  Their eyes locked as she
took a pair of cuffs from him.  She took the lead and snapped one of the
cuffs around her wrist making sure it was secured above the rolled
material.  Vanessa glanced at her wrist and back up at Joshua.  His face
didn't change at all, but his eyes conveyed his understanding.  They sat
down back to back as Sabrina ordered and snapped the other cuffs into
place.  Though it was difficult they were able to complete their task with
a few seconds to spare.

Sabrina grinned maniacally at the trio in triumph.  She kicked Alec in the
back of the knees knocking him to the ground.  The air rushed out of Alec's
lungs as his chest slammed into the ground.  Joshua growled and tried to
move forward to break his fall but being handcuffed to Vanessa made that
impossible.  Sabrina leaned down and pushed Alec's body over until it
rested just by the other two.

"Just lay there or I'll kill you."  Sabrina's voice was cold.  As she stood
up Alec's pendant swung a bit from her neck.  Vanessa's eyes locked on to
it immediately.

"What are you doing with that?" Vanessa demanded.

"You mean this?" Sabrina asked as she palmed the pendant and tucked it
under her shirt.  "Alec was kind enough to give it to me.  He's so sweet."

"You better enjoy it now you fucking bitch because I'll be taking it back
in about sixty seconds."  Joshua's voice definitely inspired fear.

"How brave of you!  It's so romantic to see a man defend the person he
loves."  Sabrina cooed as she stood in front of Joshua.  The color drained
slightly from his face at her words.  "Didn't think I heard you talking to
yourself in your office?  I just don't understand how you could think you
loved someone after one quick fuck?"

"It would be pointless for me to explain something like emotions to a
heartless bitch like you."  Joshua snarled at her.

"Complimenting me won't be saving anyone's life tonight, Joshua."
Sabrina's cold laugh echoed in the tunnel.  She retrieved a small black box
from her pants pocket.  "All I have to do is press one little button and
this tunnel is going to disappear in one very large explosion.  I hope the
three of you can swim."

"You aren't enough of a bad ass to just shoot us?" Alec groaned as he
rolled into a sitting position.  "You didn't seem to mind killing Paige."

"I didn't kill Paige."  Sabrina's voice hardened as she trained her gun on
him.  "Sit up against your friends, stud.  It's just about time to die."

Alec slid into place with his back against Joshua and Vanessa.  His body
tingled from the connection with Joshua.  He felt a hand grip both of his
hands.  Alec realized that Vanessa and Joshua think alike because they each
grabbed one of his hands.  He couldn't tell though whose grip was firmer
because it felt like both of his hands were going to break from the
pressure on them.  Alec felt one of the hands shift and felt an arm brush
against his palm.

He wrapped his hand around the arm and felt a roll of material.  Alec kept
his smile to himself.  Leave it to Vanessa to figure a quick way out of her
cuffs.  Alec took his time to unroll the material because he didn't want to
make too much movement.  Sabrina circled the three of them and was watching
them intently.

"You're lying about Paige." Joshua's sexy baritone voice broke the silence.
"I didn't kill her and I know Alec and Vanessa didn't.  So that just leaves
you."

"I told you that I didn't kill Paige!" Sabrina screamed at him.  Her pacing
stopped and she stood facing the group.  Alec's back was to her, but he
could sense the rage in Sabrina.

"You're so full of shit.  You killed her and now you think you're going to
take care of us."  Alec growled at her.  Alec's body tensed as he heard
Joshua grunt in pain.

"Keep it up, smart ass, and you're going to watch your man die very slowly
in front of you."  Sabrina exclaimed.

"I'll kill you right now, bitch!" Alec yelled.  He struggled to get up when
he felt Joshua grip his hand even harder.

"I'm okay, Alec. It was just a punch to the jaw."  Joshua's voice calmed
him done slightly.  "She's just like an annoying fly buzzing around.  It's
almost time to swat her."

"I still don't understand why you killed Paige." Vanessa's voice echoed in
the tunnel drawing the attention to her.  "Something must have happened for
you to get mad enough to kill your partner.  She must have been the brains
of the operation.  You don't strike me as intelligent enough to work on
your own."

Sabrina lashed out and hit Vanessa in the back of the head.  Vanessa
allowed her body to rock forward from the hit.  Alec had been able to
unroll the material on one of her arms and the pressure of her body moving
forward was enough to almost pull her hand free from the cuff.  Luckily she
hadn't locked the cuff as tight as Sabrina thought and she would have that
cuff off in seconds.

"I'm sick of repeating myself."  Sabrina's voice had started to sound a bit
hysterical.  "I did NOT kill Paige."

"Then whose body did I find at the falls?" Alec demanded.  "We know that
Joshua didn't do it.  You can't work your way out of this one,
Dreamcatcher."

"Did I hear someone mention my name?" A voice echoed from the tunnel's
darkness.

All of their gazes snapped in the direction of the new voice.  A figured
emerged from the shadows behind a stack of crates.  Alec's breath caught in
his throat as his eyes widened in shock.

"I'm glad I'm not late for the party." Paige's voice was sweeter than
honey.  Her smile widened as she saw the shocked look on everyone's face.
"Now what's all this talk about me being dead?"

Chapter Six

"No fucking way."  Alec's voice mirrored the group's shock.  "I saw you in
the water at the falls.  You were dead.  There wasn't any heartbeat."

Paige stood before them obviously alive and well.  She smiled at the group
as she pulled a box towards them to sit on.  She dusted it off with her
hand and majestically sat down on it.  It was almost like watching a queen
holding court.

"Poor, sweet, impressionable Alec."  Paige sounded like a mother dealing
with an unruly child.  "There was a heart beat, sweetie, but you just
couldn't feel it."

"How is that even possible?" Joshua asked.

"I have one word for you.  Atenolol."  Paige sweetly replied.  She seemed
to enjoy revealing the information to the group.  "It's a beta-adrenergic
blocking agent.  It helps to block the sympathetic nervous system."

"In other words, it lowered your heart rate to the point that it was
virtually undetectable."  Vanessa smoothly added.  "You had to have
combined it with other drugs though because it wouldn't have caused the
paralysis that gave your body the appearance of rigor mortis, and you would
need something to lower your breathing rate."

"I'm impressed!"  Paige's laughter echoed over them.  "I told Sabrina not
to underestimate you, and I was definitely right.  I did have to contact
some of my friends in the pharmaceutical industry for some help.  They were
able to combine Atenolol with some experimental drugs that gave me the look
I needed.  I like to call it my cocktail of death.  I had to use some
professional special effects makeup to make my skin that pale and my lips
so blue, but I think it was worth it."

"You're going to be wishing it did kill you by the time we get done with
you."  Alec growled at her.

"Normally such a strong man would turn me on, but since you're going to die
soon I won't waste the energy."  Paige's voice dripped with honey.  "I'm
surprised that Joshua didn't fill you in on just how dangerous I can be.
Then again, the two of you don't really have a history of talking, do you?"

"Someone sounds just a bit jealous."  Vanessa's voice was so calm that it
impressed Joshua and Alec.  The woman definitely had an amazing amount of
control.  "I take it you and Joshua have worked together before,
Dreamcatcher."

"Yes, we have.  My, my, Vanessa, you really are perceptive.  What else have
you figured out?"  Paige asked.

Vanessa was quiet for a moment as a thousand things rushed through her
mind.  Suddenly all the pieces to the puzzle seemed to be right in front of
her, and all she had to do was put them together.  An idea started to form
in her mind, but Alec beat her to the punch.

"You and Sabrina are here to kill the President." Alec stated quietly.
"But why?"

"I don't think that really matters now since we aren't going to have the
chance to kill him." Paige said with a sigh.  "But if you really need to
know I'll tell you.  I've been offered a very prestigious position with one
of the best terrorist organizations in the world.  Because my position on
the other team made them a bit leery about bringing me on board, they
requested that I prove my loyalty. I must tell you that I couldn't think of
any greater show of loyalty than killing my country's leader."

"You would think that your loyalty would be with the Covenant, and not
against it."  Joshua growled.

"I could see how you would think that."  Paige said with a smile.
"Unfortunately this group is offering a very lewd amount of money for my
services and the Covenant is not."

"So you would expose the organization just for your own gain?" Alec asked
in disgust.

"I didn't expose anything, Alec.  They are under the impression I work for
the U.S. government, and I didn't correct them on that." Paige replied.

"Why not?" Vanessa questioned.  "If you're going to sell out, why not do it
completely?"

"That's one of the better parts of my plan, Vanessa. I'm glad you asked."
Paige's smile grew even wider, if that were possible.  "Instead of just
advising my new bosses of everything I knew, I thought it would be better
to just play both sides.  I'll know what activities are planned by the
Covenant so I'll be able to warn my other bosses, and by keeping my
knowledge of the Covenant a secret, it will make me more powerful in my new
position.  They'll have to come to me if they want to find out if the good
guys know what is being planned."

"How do you think the Covenant finds out what the other side is up to
Paige?"  Vanessa asked.  "We have people everywhere, and I'm sure there are
people at your new place that will know exactly who and what you are.  It
won't be long before you're taken out, of course that is if you somehow
manage to get away from us."

Paige reached into her pocket and retrieved a box that looked identical to
the one Sabrina had.  She set it down in her lap and looked at each of them
in turn.

"None of you are going to be getting away.  It would be better if the three
of you just realized it now.  It would make it easier to deal with."  Paige
said sweetly.  "So Alec, any more thoughts on what happened?"

"We know that you and Joshua have worked together before..." Alec began
thoughtfully.  All of his thoughts seemed to suddenly focus and he realized
what had happened.  "You and Sabrina showed up here to take care of the
President and unexpectedly ran into Joshua.  He had worked with you before
so he obviously recognized you.  Since he's Backdraft he would have been
expecting two people to show up to help him.  He must have assumed that you
two were his contacts and he explained the situation to you."

"Impressive." Paige gave Alec an amusing smile.  "I realized of course that
there were two more people coming.  So I gave Joshua the same line that I
had Sabrina give the two of you about a mole.  Luckily he bought it hook,
line, and sinker.  I was able to talk him into not wearing his pendant
since Sabrina and myself weren't wearing one either.  I explained how easy
it would have been for you two to spot them.  This way we could be
undercover and you wouldn't realize what was going on.  I was able to get
his pendant from the office safe for Sabrina to use that afternoon.
Fortunately he had no clue what was going on."

"This is all my fault.  If I would have kept my eyes open more maybe I
would have caught something to tip me off." Joshua's voice mirrored the
intense frustration he had.

"You had no reason not to believe them, Joshua."  Alec gripped Joshua's
hand as he spoke.  "Who wouldn't believe a fellow member of the Covenant?"

"My point exactly, handsome!"  Paige giggled as she looked at the trio.
"The plan was just too perfect for words, however, I underestimated the
power of attraction."

"Alec and Joshua." Vanessa's mind had completed the puzzle.  "Their
attraction was intense enough that Joshua started to doubt what you were
saying about Alec.  You had Sabrina help you stage your death and you were
the one that sent Alec the note.  You wanted it to appear as if Joshua had
killed you.  That caused the three of us to confront each other and gave
you the opportunity that you now have."

"It was too difficult to believe that someone could act as innocent as he
was."  Joshua's voice washed over Alec's body.  "I couldn't see him being
an evil person.  Just looking into his eyes was enough for me to start to
realize that something wasn't right.  There was no way that anyone could
fake what I saw in him."

"Enough of the mushy shit, please."  Paige's voice finally lost some of its
sweetness.  "No matter what you realize now it doesn't matter.  Nothing is
going to change the fact that all three of you are going to die."

Vanessa decided that it was time to end the game.  She quietly popped her
hand free of one of the handcuffs.  She went to grab Alec's hand and wasn't
surprised to find that Joshua's hand was there.  That was all for the
better because she was able to signal both men that it was time for them to
do something.  Vanessa forced each of them to open their hands, and she
signed the word `basket toss' to them.

"Got it?" Vanessa asked out loud.

The men glanced at each other and recognition dawned in their eyes.  What
Vanessa had planned was a bit far out there, but it was crazy enough it
might just work.  They had to move quickly though because time was running
out.

"Got what?" Paige demanded.

"Ready."  Joshua said as he gripped his still locked hand with Vanessa's.

"Let's do this."  Alec added.

Joshua and Vanessa quickly spun their bodies around and locked their hands
together.  Alec easily somersaulted backwards and as he finished his roll
he positioned his feet over their interlocked hands.  Joshua and Vanessa
stood up and with a sharp lifting motion they launched Alec into the air
towards Paige.  As Alec flew through the air he tucked his body and was
able to maneuver his hands to the front of his body.  As he landed in front
of Paige he allowed his body to somersault forward and he used the added
momentum to launch his body at Paige.  She was able to duck out of the way
at the last moment and Alec went crashing into the ground.

While Alec was airborne Joshua grabbed Vanessa's wrists and nodded towards
Sabrina.  Vanessa nodded her head in understanding and grabbed his wrists
in return.  Joshua stepped to the side and Vanessa leapt into a flying
kick.  Joshua spun her body towards Sabrina so Vanessa's feet lashed out at
the woman's head.  Sabrina was able to jerk backwards in just enough time
to miss contact with either of Vanessa's feet.

"Nice try."  Sabrina said as she laughed.

Joshua locked eyes with Vanessa and nodded his head.  As Vanessa landed she
allowed her body to continue to turn and Joshua leapt into the air.
Sabrina was not prepared for the second assault and his right foot caught
her in the side of her head.  Her body tilted backwards and she fell to the
ground.  Joshua landed as smoothly as Vanessa had.

"Awesome move, Vanessa.  I didn't think you had the strength to lift me."
Joshua said with a grin.

"Never underestimate a pissed off woman."  Vanessa replied with a smile.
She quickly unrolled her other sleeve and was able to pull her hand free of
the cuff.  She turned to see Alec trying to fend off Paige even though his
hands and feet were still tied.  Joshua noticed Sabrina taking off down the
tunnel.

"You go help Alec and take care of Paige.  I'll take care of Sabrina."
Joshua said.

As soon as Vanessa nodded her head in agreement they took off in separate
directions.  Paige had pulled a gun out and had it trained at Alec.  His
lip was busted open and blood dripped down his neck.

"Paige!"  Vanessa yelled.

Paige looked up and saw Vanessa running towards them.  She quickly kicked
Alec in the side and took off down the tunnel.  Vanessa pulled the knife
from her boot and quickly cut the ropes.

"I would have cut them myself, but Sabrina saw the knife in my boot and
took it."  He wearily replied.  "Where's Joshua?"

"He took off after Sabrina.  You and I need to go after the pig."  Vanessa
replied.  She reached out and ruffled his hair. "Let's move.  He'll be
okay."

Alec nodded his head in understanding and they took off down the tunnel in
pursuit of Paige.  They could hear her footsteps echoing in the darkness.
It was only a matter of moments before they were running up the stairs of
the attraction and were back in the darkness of night.  They skidded to a
stop and glanced around in search of their target.

"You have a decision to make." Paige's voice echoed in the night and the
pair frantically look around to find where her voice was coming from.  "You
can either try to follow me to kill me or..."

"Or what?" Alec demanded.

"You can try to kill me or you can try to save your boyfriend."  Paige's
laughter echoed through the still night.

"What are you talking about?" Vanessa asked.

As soon as the words left her a mouth the ground violently shook.  The
sound of a large explosion echoed through the dark night.  Water shot into
the sky above the ocean and the water's surface bubbled and hissed with
intense heat.  Alec's eyes grew wide as he understood what had just
happened.  Paige blew up the tunnel.

"I'll go after Joshua.  You can take care of her." Alec shouted,

He ran back towards the tunnel's entrance and went down the steps two at a
time.  Alec rushed towards the tunnel itself, but the security doors were
sliding into place.  He tried to stop the doors from closing, but he wasn't
nearly strong enough to stop them.  The doors slammed shut with a metallic
clang.

"NO!"  Alec screamed and punched the doors.  He pressed his finger to his
ear and activated the earpiece.  He just hoped that Vanessa had hers on.
"Vanessa! I need the code for the security doors."

He could tell from her breathing that she was chasing after Paige.  She was
able to rattle off the number though from memory.  Alec quickly opened the
access panel and punched in the code.

"Security clearance is unable to be granted at this time."  A computerized
voice spoke.

Alec punched the code again, but received the same message from the
automated voice.  He pounded on the doors and tried to open them, but the
doors wouldn't budge.  Alec turned to run back up the steps to try the
other side of the tunnel when he heard something hitting the door.  He spun
around to see Joshua's face in one of the small windows.

"The doors won't open!" He yelled through the glass.  His heart started to
break as he saw the blood that covered Joshua's face.  There was a large
cut in his scalp that he must have gotten from the explosion.

"I know. It's because of the explosion." Joshua hollered.  Alec quickly
glanced at the window to see if Joshua would fit through it if he broke it.
Joshua could see the look on Alec's face and he shook his head.  "I won't
be able to fit through it.  Alec, we don't have much time and you have to
go after Paige."

"I can't leave you there." Alec screamed back.  "Vanessa can take care of
Paige.  We have to get you out of there."

"There isn't any way.  Once the tunnel locks down like this it can't be
opened again for security purposes.  You're going to have to go help
Vanessa.  Paige is dangerous, but first I have to tell you something."
Joshua's face was a mask of pain.  "I never meant to hurt you, Alec.  I
really thought that something special was happening between us.  Somewhere
deep in my heart I knew that you and Vanessa had to be good
because...because..."

"Because why?" Alec's voice was raw with emotion.

"Because somehow, someway..." Joshua paused.  "I could feel myself starting
to fall for you.  You're not like anyone I've every met.  The way you made
me feel at the falls was...was beyond anything I could have every imagined."

Joshua placed his hand flat up against the window.  Alec could see
something in his palm and he leaned closer to see what it was.  Alec's
chest tightened with emotion as he saw what was pressed against the glass.
Somehow Joshua had gotten Alec's pendant back from Sabrina.  Alec couldn't
stop the tears that welled up in his eyes as he pressed his hand against
the glass.

"I know what you are saying."  Alec replied.  "I've never felt this way
about anyone, and even though it seemed to happen so fast, I wouldn't
change it for anything.  God damn it, I wish there was something we could
do."

"I do too, Alec, I do too."  Joshua sadly replied.  He pulled his hand back
and placed Alec's pendant around his neck.  Alec went to say something
else, but his eyes widened his shock.  "What is it?"

"BEHIND YOU!"  Alec yelled.

Alec watched in horror as pieces of the tunnel began to fall and a huge
amount of water rushed towards Joshua.  Alec began pounding on the doors
and frantically looked around for something to pry them open with.

"Go help Vanessa, Alec." Joshua yelled to him.  Alec shook his head.  He
couldn't leave Joshua there.  "GO BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

Alec took one last look at Joshua and gave him a weak smile.  He knew that
Joshua was right and as much as he didn't want to accept it, he knew that
he had to go.  Alec placed his hand on the glass one more time and turned
and ran back up the steps.  He could no longer hold back the tears that
rolled down his cheeks.  Rage rolled through his body as he raced to find
Vanessa.  He hoped that she hadn't finished off Paige yet.  It was a task
that he was more than happy to do himself.

"Vanessa, come in!"  Alec called out as he rushed through the park.  He
pressed his finger harder against the earpiece trying to hear.  Alec didn't
hear anything but the sound of rushing water.  They were back at the
waterfall.

Alec pushed his body harder than he ever had.  He had no choice in losing
Joshua tonight, and he refused to let Vanessa go.  His legs were on fire as
he ran through the park.  Tree branches and bushes scraped and cut him as
he ran through the jungle.  He had to get there in time.  Alec slowed down
as he reached the clearing and he could see Vanessa and Paige standing in
the water.  Paige had somehow gotten hold of a gun and was aiming it at
her.

* * *

Vanessa was on the verge of exhaustion.  She had chased Paige through the
park and wasn't surprised when they ended up back at the falls.  They
fought long and hard in the clearing when Paige suddenly dove into the
water.  Vanessa followed her, but wasn't able to find the woman.  Paige
resurfaced with a gun in her hand.  She must have somehow planted it in the
water or by the falls somewhere.

"Any last words, Vanessa dear?"  Paige sinisterly asked.

"Fuck you." Vanessa spat at her.  She tried to keep her face as smooth as
possible as she saw Alec enter the clearing.  Her heart dropped though when
she saw that Joshua wasn't with him.  She had been afraid that he wouldn't
have gotten the security doors open in time.  "You make me sick, Paige, and
I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer."

"I'm not the one that's going to suffer, Vanessa.  Alec will be the one to
suffer.  First, he had to watch his boyfriend die, and now he's going to
find your body floating in the water."  Paige said with an evil smile.
Alec dashed towards Paige, but the woman had heard the movement and she
spun around.  She quickly fired off one shot and Alec dropped to the
ground.

"NO!" Vanessa screamed and began to move towards her brother.  Paige spun
back towards Vanessa and trained the gun on her.

"Looks like Alec changed my plans.  Oh well, looks like you get to suffer
then." Paige smirked at Vanessa.

"I'm going to kill you, bitch!"  Vanessa yelled.

"This will be more fun though, Vanessa.  At least you have a chance with me
because you're tough and know what it's like to kill."  Paige sighed. "Poor
Alec probably never killed anyone before."

"There's a first time for everything."

Paige's eyes widened in shock and she spun around at the sound of Alec's
voice.  She glanced at him and realized that he wasn't bleeding at all.
Her shot must have missed him, but before she could fire off another round
Alec's fist connected with her jaw with a sickening crack.  She felt her
body pitch backwards, but Alec grabbed her before she hit the water.  His
hand reached out and yanked the gun from her hand.

"You couldn't kill me, Alec."  Paige's voice still sounded sugary sweet.
"Joshua wouldn't want you to kill me."

"Well, why don't we ask him?"  Alec coldly asked Paige.  He didn't wait for
her to respond.  "Wait a minute, we can't do that now can we?  That's
right.  You killed him and now it's time I return the favor."

"Alec, we both know that you could never..."

Paige's voice was drowned out by the sound of the gunshot that echoed
through the night air.  Blood dripped from the bullet hole that appeared
between Paige's eyes.  Her body took one final breath as it fell backwards
into the water.  Alec turned to the side and emptied his stomach.

"Make sure she's dead."  Alec's voice was hoarse and raw.

Vanessa watched as her brother stumbled towards dry land.  She hated Paige
for taking away Alec's innocence.  Vanessa didn't kid herself in thinking
that Alec would hang on to his innocence forever, but she knew that he had
to have lost Joshua tonight.  She could tell just from the look in his eyes
that he wasn't able to save Joshua.  Vanessa watched as Alec emptied what
was left in his stomach once he hit dry land.  She looked down at the woman
floating in the water and her jaw tensed.  Vanessa reached down and placed
her hands on the woman's head and with one sharp pull she broke her neck.

"You're not coming back again, bitch." Vanessa spat.

* * *

Vanessa sat in their living room back at home and zoned out to the movie
that was playing.  It had been almost three weeks since they came back from
the island and things weren't going well at all.  She had expected Alec to
be upset and possibly a bit withdrawn, but she hadn't expected him to lock
himself away.

Upon their return to the house, Muse informed them that they were being
given a three-month vacation because of their last mission.  They had
effectively stopped an attempt on the President's life, and they had
eliminated two potential threats to the Covenant's safety.  As happy as
Vanessa was of their success, she wasn't happy about the effect it had on
Alec.

He only left his room to train and to eat, and the training regimen he was
working with was more intense than ever before.  Alec had been well built
before, but now his body was adding even more muscle on top of what he
already had.  He would barely talk to her and she wasn't sure how to reach
him.  Vanessa tried going to him a few times already, but she would just
receive the brush off from him.

Vanessa could understand the pain he was going through, and she would bet
money that this grieving process most likely involved their parents somehow
as well.  She knew that Alec was still dealing with their loss and having
lost Joshua probably made that even worse.  She didn't feel shutout from
her brother like she thought she would.  Vanessa realized that Alec was
going through a lot and she was more than willing to give him his space.
She hoped that he would come to her at some point.

Vanessa was shaken out of her thoughts as a huge clap of thunder echoed
through the sky.  The house shook from the force of the sound, and Vanessa
pulled her blanket a bit tighter around her.  Listening to the sound of the
storm raging outside brought back memories.  Her and Alec used to sit on
his balcony and drink hot chocolate and watch the storms.  The way the
house was situated the rain never hit his balcony.

She made her way into the kitchen and started making the hot chocolate.
She hoped that maybe this was her way to get through to Alec.  Just as she
was placing the hot mugs on a tray the lights in the house went out as a
very loud crack of thunder echoed in the night.  Vanessa turned around to
grab a flashlight and she bumped into Alec.

"Damn it, Alec, you scared me!" She yelled at him and punched his arm.

"My sister, the big bad spy, afraid of some thunder?" Alec said with a
small smile.  He saw the tray and mugs on the counter.  "Seems like we were
thinking along the same lines.  You want to head up to the balcony?"

Vanessa nodded her head and they slowly made their way up through the
house.  They pulled a love seat out of Alec's sitting room and put it on
the balcony.  The pair sat under a blanket sipping their hot chocolate and
watching nature's beauty.  They could see that the whole neighborhood was
without power.  The lights in their house remained off even though their
backup generator kicked on within seconds of the power going off.  Muse
automatically kept the lights off during those times, otherwise it would
appear odd that their house had power when the rest of the block was out.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa quietly asked.

"Yeah."  Alec said with a sigh.  "I'm sorry that I've been in such a funk,
but..."

"It's ok, tiger."  Vanessa jumped in as her brother's voice trailed off.
"You've been through a lot, and I just wanted to make sure you knew that I
was here.  It's tough losing someone like that.  Besides, you have to deal
with your first kill."

"Killing Paige hasn't affected me at all, sis."  Alec softly said.  "Losing
Joshua was a lot more painful than I could ever imagine.  I know that
something could have developed.  I could feel it, Nessa, and with
everything else that was going on we never even had a chance."

"At least you have some beautiful memories to remember it by."  She gave
her brother a wink and a large smile.

"You mean some unbelievably, hot, beautiful memories."  Alec said with a
laugh.

The pair continued to watch the storm for the next hour.  The power had
finally been restored and Muse gave a report explaining that all was well.
Vanessa stretched as a strong gust of wind blew across the balcony.  The
wind chimes loud music broke the easy silence the pair shared.  Alec
glanced over at the chimes and then back to his sister.

"It could just be my bad mood, but do the chimes sound odd to you?"  Alec
questioned her.

"They definitely sound off.  They sound almost dull."  Vanessa agreed.

Alec sighed as he stood up and stretched his tall, lean frame.  He walked
over to the chimes and noticed they were all tangled up.  He began the task
of untangling the mess and a bright flash of lightning lit up the darkness.
Alec's breath caught in his throat as the light illuminated the wind
chimes.  His fingers worked faster at untangling the strings.  After a few
moments he had been able to get it fixed and he gently lifted something
from the chimes.  He walked back over to Vanessa.

"What's wrong, tiger?" Vanessa was worried about Alec's expression.

He didn't answer her at all.  Instead he reached out for her hand and
opened it.  Alec carefully placed something into her hand.  Vanessa looked
down and gasped.

"How did your pendant get here?"  Vanessa asked.  "I thought Sabrina had
taken it."

Alec removed his pendant from Vanessa's hand and placed it around his neck.
He pressed its cool metal against his chest.  Alec's eyes filled up with
tears and his breath caught in his throat.

"I don't know, Nessa.  The last time I saw it Joshua had put it around his
own neck."  Alec's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.  "He must have found
a way to survive.  He's the only other person that knows about the chimes
besides you.  Joshua made it."

Vanessa hugged her brother hard against her.  She was so happy for him.
Alec seemed to be adjusting after his first difficult mission, and somehow,
someway, the man he cared about survived the impossible.  Vanessa did have
one concern about the entire situation.  Why didn't Joshua just give it
back to him if he were alive?  Why would he just leave it there instead of
seeing Alec? She didn't mention any of these fears to Alec.  No matter what
happened, Vanessa would remain by her brother's side.  Only time would tell
what the future would hold for each of them.

The End

***

Author's Note - If you enjoy this story please check out my other stories,
City Of Dreams and Center Stage can be found in the Adult Friends section
on Nifty, The Fifth Power can be found in the SciFi/Fantasy section,
Popular can be found in the college section or all my stories can be found
at my Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MichaelPhilips or you can
send me an email at Mikeyscribe@aol.com Please remember to include
something about the story in the subject line. There is also a one shot
(short story) available in the group called The Curse of the Romani, a
story about a gypsy vampire hunter. Thank you so much