The Nomination:

I would like to nominate Oreolover's "Bear Necessities" for inclusion in our Showcase. Now, those of you who know me to be an avid Jack/Sue fan, please don't go fainting just yet... she does include Jack/Sue, and quite nicely. I've said publicly that I'm not much of a Bobby/Tara fan, in spite of the show strongly suggesting it, but I feel Oreolover has done a wonderful job of making the two characters mesh in a believable and pleasing way. So much so, that I'm following her continuation in "Love Bears All Things". Her style is engaging and flows very naturally, and her creativity is imaginative with bits of good research thrown in. Her story is an enjoyable read that I'm happy to recommend!

Note: This is a sequel to “Let It Snow: a Christmas Advent-ure”. I couldn't let everyone suffer not knowing the fate of the Koala Boy Bear. This story will probably make more sense to you if you read that one first.


Sunday, December 25 – Christmas Day

“I swear to you Koala Boy Bear is fine. He’s wrapped in a box and under my tree,” Bobby explained to his new fiancé as they climbed out of his car.

“But he can’t breathe!”

“I even put air holes in the box,” he assured her. Taking her hand in his, they climbed the stairs to his apartment. After they picked up a few gifts at his place, including the wrapped stuffed koala which Bobby had kidnapped during his advent calendar surprise of the 12 days of Christmas, they planned to head over to her place and prepare a traditional Christmas dinner.

“But why did you wrap him?” Tara asked when they stopped in front of Bobby’s door.

“It was part of how I was going to ask you to marry me, luv.” Bobby’s keys jangled as he inserted them in the lock. To his surprise, the door gave way on its own. Instictively, he pushed Tara to the side and shielded her. “I know I locked this door,” he whispered. “Stay here while I check it out.”

“Like that’s going to happen,” she hissed, drawing her weapon. “Does the term back-up ring any bells?”

Weapon ready, Bobby pushed the door open with his foot and stepped inside. Tara followed. Surveying the room, she saw upset tables, drawers emptied, and items scattered. Carefully, they searched all the rooms and found no one.

“So, do we call DCPD or the FBI?” Bobby asked.

“Anything missing?” Tara wondered aloud.

Quickly, Bobby assessed what few valuables he had in the apartment. All could be accounted for. He headed for the bedroom to check on the whereabouts of his extra service weapon.

Just as he located the empty drawer where the gun was kept, Tara’s scream from the living room had him racing to her side.

Part 2

Gun drawn and ready to fire, Bobby swung into the room. He scanned the area but instead of an assailant, he found Tara staring at the Christmas tree, wide-eyed, with her hands covering her mouth.

“Tara, what’s going on?”

“He’s gone,” she breathed. “Koala Boy Bear is gone.”

Bobby’s own mouth dropped as he realized that all the gifts he’d placed under the tree where no gone. Bobby pressed a hand to her shoulder. “My extra service weapon is missing, too. Since the gun is gone, I think we should call the Bureau and get a team out here. Why don’t you go down to the car and bring Bell on in? I think we’ve already been here longer than we expected, and she’s probably getting cold.”

“It’s Christmas. They won’t be happy. Maybe the DCPD is a better choice than facing the wrath of our colleagues.”

“You’ve got a point. I’ll call while you’re gone.”

As Tara removed Bell from the car, she couldn’t help feeling that she was being watched. Glancing back over her shoulder, she scanned the building and the other cars. Seeing no one, she shook her head, tucked the puppy under her arm, and hurried inside.

The DCPD officers arrived within half an hour. Hastily, they made their report and added that there had been a lot of break-ins in the neighborhood recently.

“So can you tell me what is missing?”

“My extra service weapon – a Glock. Here’s the serial number and registration. They also took the gifts under the tree.”

“Which contained?”

Bobby looked from the man to Tara. They were for her. She smiled encouragingly, and he lifted her hand, which now wore his ring, and kissed it.

“Three copies of bridal magazines, a new leather holster, a stuffed koala, and a piece of lingerie.”

Tara’s eyebrows rose.

“Can you describe it?”

“Fuzzy, brown, big red bow,” Tara told him.

The officers looked puzzled. “The lingerie?”

“No, silly, the koala. That’s all we want back.”

“You want the koala bear back? Okay, what about the lingerie?”

“Who wants lingerie that you don’t know where it’s been?” Tara asked. “Really….men.” She shook her head in disgust.

Bobby had to laugh. “The lingerie was red and trimmed in white fur. Kind of elfish.”

“Okaaaay,” the officer said. “Elfish.”

Tara blushed crimson and the need to explain made her gush, “For next year. We’ll be married by next Christmas. We just got engaged today, so the lingerie isn’t for now, of course.”

Bobby patted her hand and winked. “I think he understands, luv.”

The two officers bit back their laughter. “Are you two sure you’re Special Agents?”

Before leaving, they suggested he report the missing firearm to the Bureau as soon as possible, but clearly had no intention of calling in any units to do further investigations.

“Well, I hope the rest of your Christmas is merrier than this afternoon,” the older officer told them rising. “We will contact you if we hear anything.”

Tara started to protest. How would they hear anything when they had no intention of doing anything about it? However, Bobby squeezed her hand, and she immediately knew he did not want her to say anything else.

“Oh,” the younger officer added, “and get your locks changed as soon as possible.”

Bobby closed the door behind them and turned to his fiancé.

“Get your locks changed?” Tara asked incredulous. “Does he think the badge you showed him came from a bubblegum machine? Do they know anything about investigations? Talk to the neighbors? Fingerprints? DNA?”

Bobby chuckled. “I think we’re going to have to do the investigation ourselves on this one, luv, but there’s nothing that can’t wait until morning if we lock this place up.”

“But Koala Boy Bear….”

“Aw, Tara, I’ll buy you a new one on Monday,” he said, rubbing her arms gently.

“Buy me a new one?” Tara jerked away. “You think stuffed animals can just be ….replaced….willy nilly?”

“Willy nilly?” He stiffled a grin and sobered when he saw her hurt expression. “No, I just don’t think our chances of finding this particular stuffed animal is very good. Do you?”

“No, I guess not. I just hate to think of him out there cold and alone. But you’ll keep trying, won’t you?”

He struck his best Marshall Dillon pose. “For you, I’ll turn over every teddy in the territory,” he drawled.

Sunday, December 25 - Part 3

Tara slapped Bobby’s hand away. “Stop snitching!”

He popped the piece of turkey he’d snagged into his mouth. “Aw, luv,” he said with his mouth full, “I haven’t eaten since breakfast and it’s not my fault your turkey tastes delicious.” Encircling her waist, he bent his head and kissed the back of her neck. “On second thought, you taste pretty good. Maybe we can skip the turkey and go for dessert.”

Tara continued to stir. “Don’t tempt me. I’m in the middle of a gravy catastrophe.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s lumpy.”

“I don’t feel any lumps,” he said, running his hands along the curves of her body and ending it by tickling her sides.

Tara laughed and wiggled free. Turning to face him with the spoon in her hand, she said, “I can’t think with you in the kitchen. Why don’t you go set the table or play with Bell?”

“But I want to help.”

“Believe me. You will be helping.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only 15 minutes later, Tara and Bobby sat down to their Christmas feast for two. Turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and apple salad were bathed in candlelight. Bobby captured Tara’s hand in his own. “I’m not much good at this yet, but I want our family to be one that prays together,” he explained. “Is that alright with you?”

The words our family struck her heart. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Very.”

Bobby lowered his head. “Lord, what else could I say, but thank you. You’ve given me a wonderful woman who today has agreed to become my partner for life. You’ve given me a job I love and friends to share it all with. Heck, you’ve even given me a dog. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

He squeezed Tara’s hand which she took as the indicator for the prayer being over and looked up. “Bobby, that was perfect.”

“But I forgot the food.”

She smiled at him warmly. “I think the blanket thank you-s at the end covered it.”

“So we haven’t talked about a wedding date, yet,” he ventured. “What are the dates booked on the tickets to Australia?”

“Sunday, February 26 is the departure. We could always change it though. However, I got D to schedule us for two and a half weeks vacation then, too.”

“Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you darlin’?”

“Who’s the one who bought bridal magazines and lingerie?” she teased. “What if I had said ‘no’.”

“That’s what the new holster was for.”

“Oh?”

“The gifts weren’t tagged. If you said something other than I really, really wanted to hear, I was just going to give you that one and tell you the others were for someone else.”

“Someone else like…?”

“How about Suzanne from the apartment upstairs? I’m sure she would love the fur trimmed, red nightie.”

Tara held a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her spoon ready to launch. “Would you like to take that back, Mr. Manning?”

“I think I’m safe. I’ve seen your aim on the range.” He raised his eyebrows in a dare.

She did not hesitate for a second. The white glob landed squarely on Bobby’s forehead. Bobby snagged the bowl from the table. “You are in for it now, future Mrs. Manning.” Grabbing a handful, he sent it sailing towards her. It missed as she dove off her chair. Bobby pounced on top of her, straddled her midsection, and rubbed a streak down both cheeks. Not to be outdone, Tara managed to get her own handful and deposit it down Bobby’s shirt. With in seconds, with potatoes flying, the bowl was empty. Bell, who thought her masters were finally playing a most wonderful game, joined them, licking the delicious white stuff from Tara’s cheeks.

“Hold on there, Bell,” Bobby said in between laughter, “that’s my job. So, luv, do you want to lick the mashed potatoes off me?”

Playful, she shoved him off. "Not without the gravy."

Monday, December 26 – Part 1

Carrying a cardboard box loaded with supplies, Tara used her foot to bang on Bobby’s door on Monday morning. “Come one, Bobby, open up!” she yelled, shifting the box in her arms.

The door swung open, revealing the Aussie wearing only a pair of jeans and a towel draped over his bare shoulders. “Mornin’, luv,” he said, lifting the box from her arms and depositing it on the table in the kitchen. “What did you bring me?”

Tara forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand and not the chiseled curves of Bobby’s chest. As if he recognized her struggle, Bobby removed the towel from his neck, flexing his muscles in the process. ”What is he trying to do to me?” Tara wondered. Swallowing hard, she turned towards the box and began to remove items from it. “I picked up some stuff from the ERT (Evidence Retrieval Team) so we could get started on your apartment. I only wish stuffed koala’s had DNA.”

“You mean you didn’t sew a GPS locator in his little tummy?” he teased.

“No, but that’s a good idea. Wait, that would require surgery and I’m not very good with blood or stuffing. Here, why don’t we start with this?” She held up the finger print dusting kit.

Bobby removed it from her hands and placed it on the table. “First, would you care to give you new fiancé a kiss good morning?” Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her towards him.

Instinctively, Tara’s hands landed on his bare chest. Slowly, she allowed her fingers to trail lazily up his chest and wrap around his neck. “Are you trying to distract me?”

He traced her lips with his tongue. “Uh huh. Is it working?”

“You’re going to have to try a little harder,” she breathed.

He trailed hot kisses down her neck. “Like this?”

“I think you’ve got the idea.”

Several minutes later, they pulled apart breathless. “If that’s what good-morning kisses are always going to be like, we’d better warn D right now we’re going to late a lot,” Bobby huskily told her. He kissed her cheek again. “Let me go get my shirt on and we’ll get started looking for Koala Boy.”

“Bobby, I don’t mind if you leave it off,” Tara said with a wink.

“Only if you take yours off, too.”

He caught the towel Tara tossed at him in mid-air. “Oh, just get dressed.”

Monday, December 26 - Part 2

Ripping the wrapping paper off the boxes, she pounced on the contents inside hoping for a treasure. “A holster! What kind of a gift is that?” Quickly, she moved on to the next box and pulled a red silk negligee trimmed in white fur from the rectangular box. “Oooh, he’s into kinky. Red nightie? Holster? Maybe a little games of cops and robbers?” Holding the negligee up to her neck she twirled in the center of the room and caught her reflection in the mirror. “You look beautiful,” she told herself aloud. “Stunning.”

Still holding the silk in her lap, she tore open the next smaller rectangular box. “Bridal magazines? How thoughtful? How did he know I wanted these?” she asked sarcastically. Tossing them aside, she lifted the final square box. It was lighter and she shook it trying to guess the contents. Giving up, she shredded the bright red wrapping paper, sticking the metallic silver bow in her hair. Opening the lid, she lifted the askew stuffed koala from the inside. “Oh, how cute?” She stroked his soft fur and noticed the ring sized box attached with a rubber band to his paws. “What do we have here?” She snapped it open and her jaw dropped. “Empty! What kind of sick joke is that?” Carefully unwinding the rubberband, she removed the box and set the koala on the table. “Welcome to your new home, little guy. Don’t worry. You won’t be alone for long.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Fingerprinting the most obvious parts of the apartment – the front door, the drawers, and the surfaces of the tables – took an hour. Collecting fibers and hair samples in the tiny paper evidence bags, which Bobby wasn’t sure was going to do them any good, took another hour. Bell trotted happily between her “mommy” and “daddy” as they worked, and Bobby was sure her main intent was to drop more hairs for them to pick up. He was glad he’d photographed everything the night before just in case.

Eagerly, Tara gathered the evidence bags in the box and slipped the lid in place. “It should only take a few hours to run the finger prints through the FBI database. Most of the ones we collected will be yours or mine. Do you want me to go do that or stay here and help you set the rooms to rights?”

Bobby could tell she was itching to get started. “Go ahead. I can do this myself. I’ll call when I’m done or you can get the finger prints in the database and come on back and help me finish up.”

“Sounds good.” She hefted the box into her arms.

“Here, let me carry that out for you.”

“No, I’m good. Thanks anyway.”

He kissed her cheek and opened the door. “Be careful. I love you.”

“I love you, too. See you in a little while.”

Tara was grateful when someone held the door for her as she left the apartment building; grateful at least until she saw who it was.

“Oh, hi, aren’t you Bobby’s little friend?” Suzanne intoned sweetly looking down at Tara who was at least five inches shorter.

“I’m his fiancé,” Tara corrected. She shifted the box to her hip to free her left hand. She flashed the sparkling solitaire in the morning sunlight.

“Oh, isn’t that a pretty little thing. Is Bobby upstairs? Maybe I’ll just go congratulate him.” Swinging the door shut definitively, she smiled sweetly through the glass at a gaping Tara and dashed up the stairs.

Monday, December 26 – Part 3

It took Tara only a split second to decide to follow Suzanne up the stairs to Bobby’s apartment. It took another split second, however, to decide if would be with or without the cumbersome evidence box. ”No choice,” she told herself, hefting it to her other hip. ”Evidence has to remain in an agent’s sight until it’s been checked in. Koala Boy isn’t going to suffer because of that floozy.”

She could almost feel the blood rushing through her veins as she mounted the stairs. “The nerve of that….that….woman,” she mumbled as she climbed. “No one is going to pretend that I don’t exist. I am a force to be reckoned with.”

On that thought, she rounded the corner to see Suzanne standing just outside Bobby’s doorway, batting her eyelashes and flipping her blonde curls as alluringly as she possibly could. Tara stomped towards them. “Tara, luv, did you forget something?” Bobby asked, taking the heavy box from her hands and setting it down inside the door.

“Yes. This.” Not wasting a second, she slipped her hands around Bobby’s neck and pulled him down to her. She crushed her lips to his with every intention of making him forget that Suzanne ever even existed. Bobby followed her lead. His hands pulled her closer and tangled in her hair. The kiss deepened and exploded in passion. With one hand pressed firmly against his chest, she pushed him inside the door.

“Excuse me, Bobby,” Suzanne whined, “I was asking you to help me carry out my Christmas tree.”

Bobby didn’t answer. With lips still locked, Tara reached a hand out and shut the door. foot.

“That wasn’t very nice, luv,” he whispered into her hair as he pulled her into a tight embrace. She could feel him chuckling.

Pulling back, she ran her finger along his dimples. “She isn’t very nice. I hope she takes my not so subtle hint, because I’m not sure how good my right hook is.”

Monday, December 26 – Part 4

“Tara, luv, you do realize that to punch Suzanne you’d have to stand on that evidence box you’ve been lugging around.” Bobby chuckled at the mental picture forming in his mind as he lifted the box into his arms. “Why don’t I just carry it out this time?”

“Thanks. Who’d have thought that fingerprints and fibers and hair could be so heavy?” She stifled a yawn with her hand.

“Tired already?”

“I just didn’t sleep very well. I don’t have my Koala Boy to cuddle with in bed, you know.”

“I might just be persuaded to apply for the position. You could substitute your stuffed Koala Boy for the real thing,” he said with a wink as they walked out of the apartment into the hallway.

“I like the way you think. I think I’ll take you up on that …………on February 24.”

“The twenty-fourth? Isn’t that a Friday?”

Tara held open the front door of the complex for Bobby, the let it shut behind them. “It is, but with less than two months notice, the church will probably be booked on Saturday the twenty-fifth. Sorry.

Bobby lifted the box onto Tara’s car roof while she opened her trunk. “I’m not complaining, luv. In fact, marrying you today would make me happy as a pig in mud, so a day earlier than I thought is perfectly fine with me.”

Tara reached for the box, but struggled to reach it even on her tiptoes. Bobby lifted it over her head and placed it in the trunk. Turning back to her, he found her already standing in the open doorway of the car. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“No, go ahead and get your apartment straightened out, since technically we both actually have the day off.”

“Okay. Call me when you’re done.” Cupping her face, he kissed her good bye.

“And Bobby,” Tara called, taking her seat behind the wheel, “don’t open the door if Suzanne comes by.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why isn’t he answering his phone?” she shouted angrily. Seizing the nearest item, the stuffed koala bear she’d proffered, she threw him across the room. He landed with a bounce on an overstuffed chair. “What do you think you’re staring at?” she accused the bear. “You don’t think I’m good enough. You think she’s better?”

She cocked her head at an off angle, then lifted the koala in front of her and stared into his soulful eyes. “You’ll see, little fellow, she’s not better. At least by the time I’m finished with her, you’ll see and Bobby will too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took Bobby less time than he’d predicted to put his apartment back in order. Popping open a can of Coke, he sunk onto his sofa and propped his feet on the coffee table. His cell phone rang and he snapped it open.

“G’day, luv,”

”Hi, handsome. I just finished with running the prints…”

“And?”

”None of them matched anyone other than members of our team. So, unless Sue’s turned to a life of crime, we’re not getting any clues this way.”

“Jack will be so disappointed in her,” Bobby laughed. “What did the lab say about the rest?”

”You mean, besides ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’”

“That bad, huh?”

“They informed me that Bear Hunts were a very low priorty. Can you believe it?”

“Sorry, luv. I’m done here, so why don’t I meet you at Mulligan’s for lunch?”

“Sounds good. Say, one o’clock.”

“Yeah, and Tara, K.B. will be fine.”

“Thanks. I love you.”

“You, too. Be careful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the way, Bobby made an unscheduled stop at the same toy store where he’d originally purchased Koala Boy Bear. He knew better than to buy a replacement, but thought a new friend might be a welcomed diversion. Perusing the aisles for just the right one, his eyes landed on the Christmas clearance table. He lifted the colorful, whimsical bear into his arms, then held him up to his face to examine more closely. “The future Mrs. Manning and all our little joeys and sheila’s are going to love you.”

Quickly, he looked around to see if anyone had just caught him speaking to the bear. ”Good grief. People are going to think I’ve gone troppo,” he thought. ”Next thing I know, I’ll be using pink, feathered pens on my reports.”

He carried the patchwork bear to the counter and carefully set him down.

“He’s a cutie,” the college-aged clerk with fiery red hair said. “And I happen to like a man who knows the importance of communicating with his stuffed animals.”

“It’s a gift,” Bobby said, taking the teasing good-naturedly.

"What's that? You hava a special ability to communicate with those with foam brains?" She flased him a flirty smile. "Oh, you meant the bear was a gift. So, did you want the book that goes with him?” She held up a hardcopy and passed it to
Bobby.

Bobby scanned it briefly, but could tell just from the pictures that Tara would love it. “Yeah, I’ll take the book, too.”

After he’d paid for his purchase, the clerk asked, “So, is the lucky little one a boy or a girl?” She held up a choice of gift bags – a blue one with rockets and a pink one with fairies.

Bobby grinned, “A girl, I guess.”

“You’re not sure?”

“It’s a long story.”

She placed the bear and book in the bag. “Okay, then. Thank you and have a great day!”

Monday, December 26 – Part 5a

Glancing at the pink gift bag beside him in the seat, Bobby hoped Tara would forgive him for being ten minutes late. Besides finding Koala Boy, they had a lot to do and discuss concerning the wedding. If he knew his Tara, she’d be anxious to get started on at least three different simultaneous tasks.

His dimples deepened just thinking about her. Sometimes it was hard to fathom how much your life could change in a matter of months. They hadn’t even called their parents yet with the news of their engagement. They planned on doing it tonight even though it would be morning in Australia when they called.

Bobby tried to picture his mum’s face when she heard the news. He’d talked so much about Tara he knew she wouldn’t be surprised. He wondered what his dad would say. He was jerked from his musings by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles surrounding Mulligan’s.

Monday, December 26 – Part 5b

Pushing his way through the crowd surrounding the scene, Bobby flashed his FBI badge at the officer just as he heard the ambulance doors slam shut and the diesel engine roar to life. Bobby watched the ambulance race away with sirens blaring. The officer pointed him in the direction of the sergeant in charge and Bobby ran towards the stout, middle-age man.

“You folks sure got here fast,” the sergeant said when Bobby produced his FBI I.D. “We only just called the Bureau with the Special Agent’s name a few minutes ago.

The color drained from Bobby’s face like water from a bathtub. He felt his chest constrict and his stomach lurched. The sergeant’s face blurred in Bobby’s eyes and he felt the man grip his arm.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Other agent?” Bobby croaked. “What happened?”

”Someone shot her as she stepped out of her car.”

“Her?”

“A Special Agent Tara Williams.”

“Is she…” Bobby couldn’t finish the question. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe.

“Here,” the sergeant said, pushing Bobby’s shoulder’s down until Bobby placed his hands on his knees for support. “Just bend over. Catch your breath, son. They should be able to fix Agent Williams up just fine at the hospital. Is she more to you than a fellow agent?”

“She’s my fiancé,” Bobby admitted, forcing himself upright. “She was meeting me for lunch. What hospital did they take her to?”

The sergeant turned his head and yelled, “Andrews! Can you give Special Agent Manning here a ride to GUH.”

“That’s alright, sergeant, I can drive….”

“No, son, I don’t think you can. I’ll have someone bring your car over later.

Monday, December 26 – Part 6


“Tara Williams,” Bobby blurted to the receptionist as soon as he slammed through the emergency room doors.

“And you are?”

“I’m her fiancé, Special Agent Bobby Manning.”

“Ill tell her nurse you’re here. You can have a seat over there.”

Bobby stared at the mauve colored waiting room. They had tried so hard to make it look comfortable, even inviting, but his feet felt glued to the cold tile beneath them. He felt a strong hand grip his arm. “Come on, Bobby. Let’s have a seat.” He recognized D’s deep, mellow voice immediately and allowed his supervisor to indicate the direction they walked.

“How did you find out so quickly?”

“They called me as soon as the police called in her name to the Bureau." He pressed Bobby's shoulder into one of the padded waiting room chairs. "Any news?”

“Not yet.” Bobby dropped his head to his hands and raked them through his hair. “If anything happens to her,….”

“Ssh, don’t even go there. She’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that!” Bob snapped angrily.

D met his accusing glare calmly. “And you don’t know any differently.”

“Mr. Manning?” a nurse called from the doorway.

Bobby jumped up and D followed. “Yes?”

“Follow me, please.”

The two men were led to a secluded family room. “The doctor will be with you in a minute,” she told them. She pulled the door shut behind her as she left.

Too worried to sit, Bobby paced in the tiny room. Finally, the doctor came in. “First of all, Ms. Williams should be fine. I’m Dr. Reynolds, Mr. Manning.” He offered his hand to Bobby and then to D who also introduced himself. “ Why don’t you two have a seat?”

So relieved by the word “fine”, Bobby could barely stand. He sunk into the chair opposite D and took a deep breath. “Where is she? What’s going on?”

“Your fiancé is in surgery, right now. The bullet lacerated her liver, but that can be repaired. She also lost a lot of blood, so it took a while to stabilize her. Once we got some blood pumped into her, she was doing much better.”

“So she’ll be okay.”

“Baring any complications, yes.”

“When can I see her?”

“I’ll have someone take you up to the surgical waiting room. They’ll keep you informed about the surgery’s progress and let you know when she gets to Recovery. It’ll probably take at least two or three hours before she is placed in a room where you can see her. As a precaution, she’ll probably be in I.C.U. Don’t let that scare you.” The doctor stood, placed a hand on Bobby’s shoulder, and squeezed it gently. “She’s a lucky woman. This could have been so much worse. Hang in there.”

D closed the door behind the doctor as he departed. He turned to Bobby and cocked an eyebrow. “Fiancé? Is there something I should know?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The DCPD have a detective outside who wants this bullet ASAP,” the doctor said dropping into the metal dish with a clang. “Take it on out to him.”

“Did they find the guy who did this?”

“No one saw a thing, according to the detective.”

“Her BP’s dropping,”

“Give her another unit.”

“That’ll make six units.”

“I don’t care if it takes 20, get it in her.” He took a deep breath. “Now, young lady, you just hang in there. We’re almost done.”

December 26 - Part 7

“Jack and Sue are catching the next plane back,” D told Bobby, taking a seat next to the younger agent. “Myles should be here in a few hours. He left the Cape as soon as I called. I couldn’t reach Lucy, but I’ll try again later.”

Bobby raked a hand through his hair. “Thanks for calling them, but they didn’t need to cut their vacations short with their families.”

“That’s what I told Jack, and do you know what he said? ‘Bobby and Tara are just as much our family as our family is here in Wisconsin or those in Ohio. Tell Crash I’m on my way.’”

Bobby stood and covered the few short steps to the coffee machine the hospital kept going for those in the waiting room. He poured two cups and brought one to D. Taking a sip of the dark brew, he looked up when he saw two DCPD officers, one young and one older, walk through the door. Bobby flagged them over.

“Special Agent Bobby Manning?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“We’ve been instructed to take you into custody. You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Special Agent Tara Williams,” the younger officer said.

“What? You’ve got to be kidding!”

D stepped forward and stuck out his hand authoritatively. “Gentlemen, I’m Agent Manning’s supervisor, Dimetrius Gans. Can you tell me what this is all about?”

“Sir, we were just given the order to arrest Agent Manning by Detective Paul Jenkins. He said bullistics test on the bullet they removed from Agent Williams indicate a match that is already on record to a gun owned by Agent Manning - a Magnum.”

“That’s my back-up service weapon. I reported it stolen on Christmas Day.”

“Agent Manning, apparently there was no record of that,” the older officer told them.

“Of all the incompetent….”

D placed a hand on Bobby’s arm. “Why don’t you two gentlemen have a seat here while I go and try to straighten this out with Det. Jenkins.”

The older officer shook his head. “We can’t do that, Agent Gans. Det. Jenkins insisted that Agent Manning be brought in immediately. He’s a brand new detective and he’s trying to make a name for himself, if you know what I mean. I’m sorry.” He pulled a set of hand cuffs from his back pocket. “I believe you know the drill.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you blokes while the woman I love is fighting for her life!”

D could see that everything about Bobby – from his stormy eyes to his tense jawline to his defiant stance pleaded and screamed for D to do something. Feeling torn and powerless, he glanced back and forth between the two officers and his agent.

“Bobby, I don’t think you have a choice. Go with these men, and I’ll get this worked out right away. You could be back here within the hour.”

For a second, D saw betrayal flash across Bobby’s face. It was quickly replaced with an emotion D had never seen on Bobby before. He saw tears pool in the Aussie’s eyes. “This can’t be happening,” he murmured, turning around and placing his hands behind his back. “This has to all be a crazy nightmare.”

“Let’s go, Agent Manning,” the younger officer said as he took hold of Bobby’s upper arm.

“Wait.” He turned towards D. “Promise me you won’t leave her for a minute.”

“But I may have to in order to get you out.”

“No! Promise me. Whoever did this is still out there. You have to keep her safe.”

“Bobby, I promise.”

“Thanks, mate.”

December 26 – Part 8

Just as she turned of the engine to her car, she watched the two police officers escort Bobby out of the hospital. “What’s going on?” she wondered. “This wasn’t the plan. Where are they taking my Bobby? How am I supposed to be here to comfort him if he’s not even here?”

The ringing of her cell phone almost went unnoticed. Finally, she snapped it open. “What!” she demanded. “Yes, I know, I’m late. I was checking on something. I’ll be right there.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been over an hour since Bobby had been arrested, and D’s growing frustration threatened to erupt on the next person who told him that they were sorry. Det. Jenkins, an egotistical young man who reminded D of Randy Pitts, refused to listen. To him, Bobby Manning was a ticket to get noticed for his rapid case solving abilities.

Given that it was a national holiday, D was having a hard time even locating those within the Bureau who could have this all straightened out including the FBI’s legal counsel. The only good news had been the nurse who told him Tara was in recovery and was doing very well.

Relief washed over D like a spring rain when he saw Jack, Sue, and Levi enter the waiting room. “Am I glad to see you guys,” he admitted.

Jack scanned the room for his best friend. “Where’s Bobby? Is everything alright?”

“No, it’s not.” Seeing Sue’s face pale, he quickly added. “Tara’s in recovery and she’s doing great.”

“But….” Jack filled in.

“Bobby’s been arrested.”

“What for?”

“Tara’s attempted murder.” D had to chuckle softly when Jack and Sue’s stunned expressions mirrored one another. “It’s a big misunderstanding.”

“Obviously.”

“Sit down and I’ll explain.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The humiliation of being fingerprinted, having a full-body search and getting a mug shot taken was nothing compared to the anguish Bobby felt not knowing what was going on with Tara a the hospital. Despite repeated requests, no one would check for him. Instead, he was treated as if they’d already convicted him of the heinous crime. He knew that a crooked law enforcement officer looked bad for everyone, and understood how they felt – if he had done it. ”So much for innocent until proven guilty,” he thought sarcastically.

“You know orange really isn’t my color,” he told the processing officer who handed him the officious jump suit.

They ushered him into an eight by eight foot cell complete with a tiny sink, stainless steel toilet, a set of bunk beds with wafer thin mattresses, and a gorilla sized inmate. They shoved him inside. “When do I get to make my phone calls?”

“We’ll get to it.”

“Don’t I know you?” the burly roommate asked.

“I don’t think so, mate.”

“Yeah, I do. I’d recognize that Aussie accent anywhere. You busted me last year. You’re with the FBI.”

December 26 – Part 9

“This is wrong on so many levels," Jack told D and Sue. “Where do I even start?”

Sue took her husband’s hand. “Are you speaking as his friend, his team leader, or as an attorney? Please tell me it’s the latter.”

“It is. Since Tara’s a federal agent, any assault on her falls into our jurisdiction to investigate, and to subsequently, make an arrest. The DCPD should have turned their finding over to the FBI and not acted on them.”

“So, what can we do now?” D wondered.

Jack stood up. “I’m going down there. I’ll make sure he is transferred into FBI custody, so we can have him released. If they won’t do that tonight, I’ll go find the ‘missing’ robbery report myself.” He bent his head and brushed Sue’s cheek with a kiss. “Tell Tara that I’ll have Bobby here as soon as I can.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobby glanced from the burly cell mate who’d just identified him to the officer outside the cell. The officer cocked an eyebrow at the Aussie. “You know, Manning, I think I’ve go you in the wrong cell,” he said as he unlocked the door. “You were supposed to have one of our private suites. Come on, move it,”

The door clanged shut behind them, and Bobby was soon deposited in an empty cell only a few yards away. “Thanks,” he quietly told the officer.

“Personally, if you’re guilty, ol’ Wally tearing you into little pieces would be a pleasure to watch. But, on the off chance you’re not guilty, I don’t want you coming back and ruining my career.”

Bobby saw the only chance he’d had to break through to someone. “Please, I need to make those phone calls. I need to know how my fiancé is.”

For a minute, the officer seemed to hear the sincerity in Bobby’s tortured voice and considered granting his request. Then his face recaptured its hardened expression. “Like I said, we’ll get to it.”

As soon as the officer turned away, Bobby slammed his hand against the bars, rattling them loudly. Letting a few choice words fly that Bobby seldom used nowadays, he dropped onto the cot and stared at the ceiling. ”Was it only yesterday that we were dancing and I asked her to marry me? Oh God,” he prayed, “please don’t let anything happen to her. I can’t be there for her, but I know you can. I can’t live without her. You can’t let her die. Not now.” He lay there repeating the prayer over and over.

“Manning!” the officer yelled. “You’re lawyer is here.” He unlocked the cell and put Bobby in handcuffs again. “See, you didn’t even need those phone calls.”

Bobby figured D had called someone. If he was lucky, maybe he would even know them. He hoped it was the FBI legal eagles, but he’d even take their help right now. The officer pulled open the door and gave Bobby a push inside. “Jack! How’s Tara?”

Jack held up his hand. “You can leave us now, officer.”

He waited for the door to close behind the man to answer. “She’s doing great, Crash. D called while I was upstairs having a little discussion with Det. Jenkins and told me that Tara’s been moved from recovery to ICU. He and Sue are both with her.”

“Does she know where I am?”

“No, she’s asked for you a couple of times, but she’s still so out of it that she doesn’t know what’s going on.”

Bobby sunk into the chair. “Sparky, you’ve got to get me out of here.”

Jack pulled out the chair across the table from Bobby and sat down. “I’m working on it. They’re transferring you to the FBI’s custody right away. I had to use a little Hudson charm to get than done.” He smiled half-heartedly. “They should have never arrested you in the first place. That was an FBI call.”

“But transferred?” Bobby’s drawn face paled.

“Don’t worry. D is sending Myles here to get you. We just need something conclusive to get release paper’s signed.”

“What about the report of the break-in?”

“They ‘found’ it when I started yelling. Apparently the officers that took it, wanted to get home because it was Christmas and figured it wouldn’t hurt to file it tomorrow. Still, they argued that it was your word they took that the gun was missing.”

“So, what do you need?”

“Where were you when Tara was shot?”

“I was supposed to meet her a Mulligan’s at 1:00. I was ten minutes late because I stopped at the toy story. You remember the one you and I went to and got the Silly String? I bought Tara ‘Peef: The Christmas Bear’. “

“Cash or credit.”

“Credit.”

“Where’s the receipt?”

“In my wallet, I guess.”

“Perfect. Credit receipts are always time and date stamped.”

A knock on the door caused both men’s heads to turn. Myles entered with the officer and gave Bobby a slight smile. “Take those cuffs off him,” he ordered.

“But prisoner transfer procedures require…”

“Then, turn me in. I want them off.” When the officer hesitated, Myles authoritatively yelled, “Now!” After the cuffs had been removed, he asked the officer, “Where are Agent Manning’s clothes?”

“His clothes?”

“Well, you don’t think you can count on us getting that trendy orange jump suit back to you, do you?”

“Fine, but you’ll have to watch him change.”

“Oh, joy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite Bobby’s protests, Jack and Myles insisted on three things before they would take him to the hospital. First, they had to stop at the Bureau and admit the receipt into evidence, so his official release could be signed. Second, they took him home to shower and change because they didn’t expect to be able to extract him from Tara’s side any time soon. And third, they made him eat a sub sandwich Myles bought while he was showering guessing correctly that he hadn’t eaten all day.

Less than two hours after Bobby had left the DCPD precinct, he walked into Tara’s ICU room for the first time.

December 26 – Part 10

Bobby was prepared for the tubes and monitors he’d expected to be attached to Tara. He’d interviewed several people just after they’d been shot. He was not, however, ready to see Tara look so ghostly pale against the stark white sheets.

He froze at the end of her bed. Sue touched his arm and he startled. “The doctor said she’s doing really well. She awakened a couple of times, but not for very long. She’ll be glad you’re here.”

“Thanks for being here,” he croaked. “You, too, D.”

“There will be someone from SOG outside her room at all times until we figure out what’s going on,” D explained. “Try to get some rest. We’ll all be here in the morning and we’ll take it from there.” He stood and patted Bobby on the shoulder. Motioning to everyone else, they said their good byes and followed him out.

“Call me if you need anything, Crash,” Jack said before he left. “Anything.”

Bobby stepped softly to the side of the bed. His hand brushed across Tara’s forehead, pushing the tendrils away. He bent and kissed it softly. He half expected her eyes to open like in the fairy tales. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty, I really need to see your baby blues.”

“You missed,” she whispered. “Prince Charming always kisses on the lips.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Like this.” Even in her drug induced state, Tara could feel the tenderness in Bobby’s kiss.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and she immediately saw the pain, worry, and fear in his eyes. She wished she could erase it, but didn’t have the strength to try. “Where have you been, stranger?” she managed.

“You know me. Can’t sit still for a minute,” he grinned, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes. He pulled the chair beside the bed even closer and picked up her hand in both of his own. “You scared me.”

“I scared me, too.” She fought to keep her eyes from closing. “I love you.” She said groggily.

He could tell she was almost out of it again. “I love you, too. Go ahead and sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. We have a bear to find.”

December 27 – Part 1

Sticking his head inside the ICU door, Jack saw Bobby was already awake. He was holding Tara’s left hand. He kissed the back of it, before he joined Jack at the door. In the process, Jack caught a flash of something sparkling on her finger. “So she said yes, huh?” Jack asked with a grin. “Was it before or after she was on pain medication?”

“That’s pretty good for you this early in the morning,” he said stepping into the hall and nodding to the SOG agent posted at the door. They stepped into an open area. “I asked her on Christmas day. Just don’t tell Sue about the engagement. Tara had her heart set on us telling you all in person. She wants to see everyone’s faces when we tell them.”

“I promise to act dully surprised. How’s she doing?”

Bobby raked a hand through his tossled hair. “Fine, I guess. She was in a lot of pain around five. They gave her something, and she hasn’t awakened since. Is Bell okay?”

“We took her to her doggy daycare this morning. Listen, instead of our whole team barging in, I thought I’d come get you. They’re all down in the waiting room.”

“I know we need to talk, but…”

“Lucy already offered to come sit with Tara so she wouldn’t be alone.”

“Lucy?”

“She arrived this morning. D got a hold of her late last night.”

Bobby followed Jack and, as soon as they arrives, Lucy headed down the hall towards Tara’s room. Bobby dropped into an empty chair and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. “Here,” D said, handing him a cup of coffee. “It looks like you could use a cup.”

“Or two or three or twenty,” Myles said, dryly.

Bobby took a swig from the cup an sighed. “So, do you have any leads that point to anyone other than yours truly?”

D pulled out a file and handed it to Bobby. “Here’s the DCPD crime scene report. Our guys are there now trying to get anything they may have missed. Basically, there were two witnesses who both agreed the car was a silver two-door with tinted windows. They only saw it drive off. They didn’t remember seeing it pull in, so they guessed it was already there and it wasn’t a drive by.”

“So whoever it was, they were waiting for her,” Myles said solemnly.

Bobby’s jaw clenched at his sides at the thought. “And they new we had lunch plans at 1:00.” He threw the file on the table. “If I hadn’t been late….”

Sue placed a hand on the Aussie’s shoulder. “Don’t do this to yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. Tara wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

“But I was buying a teddy bear when the woman I love was shot!” Bobby dropped his head to his hands and everyone waited in silence. Finally, he lifted his head and sighed heavily. “Okay, I’m done with my guilt trip. Tara wants her bear back.”

“Crash, there’s some sicko out there who wants to kill her. I think that takes precedence over the missing stuffed koala.”

“Actually, not really. Remember, my gun and the koala were stolen at he same time. If we find one, hopefully we’ll find the other.”

Myles glanced through the theft report in his hand. “And apparently some other interesting purchases by Agent Manning.”

Bobby shot him a warning glare, clearly not in mood for Myles jibes. “The finger prints we lifted from the apartment all belonged to you guys.”

“Finger prints?”

“Oh yeah, didn’t you know? Tara insisted on treating the break-in to a complete investigation. We took fingerprints, lifted fibers, found hair. The rest is at the FBI lab. However, they didn’t put Operation Bear Hunt too high on their list of things to do.”

Sue beamed. “Tara’s a genius! Maybe the two of you found evidence that will lead to the shooter.”

“And hopefully the bear,” Bobby admitted. “Or I am dead meat.”

“I’ll get the lab to put a rush on examining that stuff,” D explained. “But it will still take them a while, I’m guessing.”

“In the mean time, Crash, we need a list of people from both your and Tara that may have it in for you.”

“And you brought me a three-ring binder to put the names in?”

“You can limit it to those who you’ve angered recently.”

“Sue, can you and Lucy check with to see if any prisoners have been released in say, the last six months, who may have a grudge against Bobby or Tara.”

“No problem.”

“Everyone, check with your snitches. Let’s find out what the word on the street is about this. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

D stood up. “Bobby, I don’t have to tell you not to go anywhere alone do I? They might have taken a shot at Tara, but there’s no guarantee, they don’t want you, too.”

“I think you know where I’m planning to be.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things had not gone as she had planned. Tara had survived and Bobby had been arrested. She couldn’t comfort him on the death of his girlfriend – suddenly appearing when he needed someone most. In her mind, she could almost feel her arms wrapped around the grieving man.

Now, she had to regroup. As long as Tara was in the picture, there was no hope for she and Bobby. She picked up the koala bear and hugged him to her chest. “He was mine first, Tara, and I want him back.”

December 27- Part 2

When Bobby returned to the room, Tara was awake. She seemed to be sitting up a little more, and Bobby guessed Lucy had brushed her hair. He supposed it made Tara feel better, maybe less out of control, but he kind of liked her softer, disheveled look.

“Thanks for staying with Tara, Lucy. Sue and Jack are waiting for you down the hall.”

“No problem. I’ll come by later. Call if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks.”

As soon as she left, Bobby could see Tara Lucy’s visit had taken a lot of energy out of Tara. He pushed the button to lower the head of the bed. “Time for some more sleep, luv.”

“That’s all I do,” she murmured, barely keeping her eyes open.

“Well, you’d better sleep now, cause on our honeymoon, I can’t promise you’ll get any sleep at all.” He winked at her, flashing his dimples. A weak smile caressed her lips. He kissed her cheek and ran his hand along her arm, before pulling the covers up to her chest.

“You’ve really got to work on your aim, Prince Charming.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Jack found out nothing from his snitches. They’d only heard that an agent had been shot. Myles and D reported similar findings. Even Howie had come up dry.

“Here’s the list of recently released prisoners who Tara and/or Bobby had been listed as one of the agents of record,” Sue said as she handed Jack the list. “Lucy is still trying to find out if any of them made threats to either of them.”

Jack perused the list of 20 plus names hoping a name would stand out to him. Of course he recognized most of them, and realized that any one of them could be holding a personal vendetta against Bobby or Tara or any one of the team members for that matter. “Only half are still in D.C. So, I guess those are the ones we should talk to first.” He stood up and flagged Myles and D over. He handed them the list with those with D.C. addresses circled. “Myles, old buddy, care to go talk to some of our old friends?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Myles said.

“I’ll go with him. I wouldn’t want Myles to have all the fun,” D added.

“Sue and I are heading over to Bobby’s place. They never got a chance to talk to any of the neighbors about the break-in. Maybe someone saw something that will help.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobby found it sad that he could easily accumulate nearly a dozen names of people who hated him enough to hurt him or someone he loved. Without much effort, he produced another dozen who disliked him enough to at least be considered a threat. He wondered if Tara’s list would look anything like his own. He shook his head. “Of course Tara’s list wouldn’t be as long as mine,” he thought, ”even the bad guys like her.” Then, an awful truth hit him hard. He suddenly felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. He should have seen it earlier. Tara had probably been hurt to get back at him. Was it safe for her to love him?

December 27 – Part 3

The doctor’s sudden arrival made Bobby drop the pad he’d been holding and reach for his weapon. “Sorry,” the doctor said, “I guess I should have knocked first, huh.”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Bernard. I’m kind of jumpy, I guess.” He’d met Tara’s surgeon earlier in the morning when he first checked on Tara. He liked the man immediately. Bobby couldn’t help thinking that the white beard and round belly made him look a lot like Santa Claus.

“No problem. As long as you look before you shoot,” he teased.

Tara had awakened during the conversation. “Don’t worry, doc. He almost never shoots anyone he aims for anyway.”

“See, even injured, she abuses me.”

The doctor walked over to Tara and took her pulse. “How are you feeling, Ms. Williams?”

“Call me Tara, and I feel fine.”

“Really? You must be an optimist,” the doctor chuckled.

Bobby grinned. “You think, Doc?”

“Well, we just got your blood work back and your hemoglobin and hematocrit levels look good for someone who just had her liver repaired. Are you ready to be moved to another bed?”

“How about the one in my own apartment?”

“Tired of our hospitality already? Give us a few days to impress you, okay?”

Tara smiled weakly. Bobby could see that she was tiring again. “I guess I’ll give you a chance,” she said. “But you can ask Bobby, it takes a lot to impress me.”

The doctor patted her shoulder. “Then, we’ll just have to give you our red carpet treatment.”

She closed her eyes and the doctor turned to leave. Bobby followed him into the hallway.

“Dr. Bernard, is she really doing okay?”

“She’s doing great Agent Manning. I’ll be honest with you. We almost lost her yesterday. She lost a lot of blood, but everything is looking good. A lacerated liver is serious, but it will heal. When’s your wedding?”

“February 24. Why?”

“She’ll be a hundred percent by then. Maybe you ought to try a little of your fiancé ‘s optimism.”

“It doesn’t come quite a naturally to me, but I’ll try. Thanks, doc.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deadlines always made her do her best work. She decided she needed a deadline on the Tara elimination procedure as well. With her plans firmly in place, she decided to slip into something more comfortable.

The silky red teddy called to her. She quickly slipped into it and donned the gauzy, fur trimmed jacket as well. She spun in front of the mirror. It hugged her curves in all the right places and left more than enough flesh exposed to cause any man to weaken. ”Bobby will never say no to me again.” She turned to the koala, “Will he little fella?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack rang the doorbell several times. He could hear someone moving around inside, but it seemed to take them a while to answer the door.

“Hello, ma’am,” Jack told the tall blond woman, “we’re with the FBI and we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

She ushered them inside and asked them to have a seat. “I’m Special Agent Jack Hudson and this is Sue Hudson.”

“I’ve seen you two before. You’re friends of Bobby’s,” she smiled sweetly as the mention of his name. “I’m Suzanne Welch. Is everything okay with Bobby?”

“We just wanted to know if you saw anything unusual around his apartment on Christmas day.”

“You mean, besides that little imp he’s seeing? You can’t get more unusual than that, can you?”

“So you’ve met Tara?” Sue asked.

“Yes, we’ve met. I don’t think they’ll last, however.”

“Why is that?” Sue wondered.

“She’s not his type.”

Jack leaned forward. “And what is Bobby’s type?”

“Oh, I picture him with someone much taller, more stunning.” She flirtatiously batted her long eyelashes in Jack’s direction.

Sue placed a hand on Jack’s leg. “So, did you see anything unusual on Sunday at Bobby’s?”

“No. It was Christmas. I wasn’t even home.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Welch. Let us know if you think of anything else.” Jack held out his card to her.

“Agent Hudson, I haven’t seen Bobby around since yesterday. You never said if everything was okay. Is it?”

“Bobby is fine, Miss Welch.”

“You’ll let him know I asked about him, won’t you?” she drawled.

“Sure.”

After checking with everyone who was home, most of which were gone on Christmas day, Jack suggested they go down to Bobby’s apartment and pick up some extra clothes to take to him at the hospital. Pulling out his key ring, Jack riffled through the keys and found Bobby’s.

“Does he have a key to our place, too?” Sue asked.

Jack chuckled. “Bobby doesn’t exactly need one, remember?”

While Jack went into Bobby’s bedroom, Sue watched Levi nose around the apartment. He obviously smelled Bell’s scent. Sue noticed that little pieces of Tara littered the place: photographs of she and Bobby, computer magazines on the table which Sue knew Bobby didn’t read, a Disney sweatshirt hung on a hook by the door. She smiled. They were good together. She wondered how Tara was doing and hoped Jack would want to take the clothes he was getting over to the hospital when they were done.

The needles on the huge Christmas tree that Tara, Lucy, and she had tried to sneak in lie heaped at the foot of the tree. She doubted that Bobby had watered it in days. It would need to be taken out of there soon before it became a fire hazard. Sure it wasn’t on Bobby’s list of things to do, she located the boxes for the ornaments and started to remove them. She couldn’t reach the ones up high, so she pulled a chair over and climbed on it.

Rounding the corner out of the hall, Jack didn’t see the chair and bumped into it. Grabbing Sue around the waist, he prevented her from tumbling by a fraction of an inch. He lifted her down from the chair.

“Jack, I’ve already fallen for you. You don’t have to knock me off the chair to get me to do it.”

“You okay?”

“Yes, will you help me finish taking this stuff off? We need to get this tree out of here. It’s way too dry.” She kissed his cheek. “And as hot as you are, Sparky, your presence might just set it on fire.”

“You think I hot, huh?” He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her breathless.

They pulled apart and Jack held Sue's waist until she seemed able to stand on her own again. “Okay, now where were we?” Sue asked, fanning her face.

Jack helped her remove the ribbon and lights with a laugh. Tilting the tree on its side, he began to lug the massive tree through the door. “You know, I don’t think this is what the FBI had in mind for a full days work.”

“They can take it out of our overtime.”

December 27 – Part 4

“Hey, what are you writing?” Tara asked, having awakened after taking a nap. They’d moved her to private room on the surgical care floor earlier.

“Jack wants us each to compile a list of our enemies.”

“Oh, I bet you have a short list,” she said with a smile.

“Actually….” His face clouded and he stopped speaking.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He watched her raise her eyebrow skeptically. She had that “I’m-not-letting-this-go- that- easy” look he knew so well. He sighed. “It’s just I’m surprised how fast my list filled up.”

“Let me see it.”

“Tara, this can wait.”

“Hey, I’m awake now.”

“Then, let’s make your list.”

“Okay. Let’s see who hates me enough to shoot me. Guess I’ve never thought about that one. Apparently, Agent Brett Taylor did, but he’s in jail now awaiting trial. I doubt if I’m one of ‘s favorite people either. Don Carmelo wasn’t thrilled about my computer findings that sent his son to jail. If you go that route, then there’s Gary Nightser, Sheldon Vella, and Gordon Nelson. If you go the foiled plans route, of course, Depak Charid and host of others. You’re right; the list does fill up fast.”

He jotted the names down and had to laugh. “Anyone else?”

“Mmmmm, did you put down old girlfriends?”

Bobby scowled. “Do you honestly think Stanley or Rob would hurt you?”

“No, of course not, but if you put your old girlfriends down, then I don’t have to put them on my list, too.”

“And exactly how many of my ‘old girlfriends’ do you think would try to kill you?”

“Currently, only Suzanne,” she teased.

Without thinking, he grabbed the pillow on the cot next to him and tossed it at her. Instinctively, she deflected it, but immediately regretted the movement. She gasped, holding her side. “Ooooh, remind me not to do that again.”

He jumped to her side. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call the nurse?”

She winced again and bit her lip to hold back the cry of pain. “Relax, Bobby. I just moved too fast. Give me a minute to catch my breath.”

“I’m sorry, luv. I shouldn’t have done that.” He stroked her hand, willing the pain to ebb. “Why don’t we talk about something else to take your mind off the pain?”

”Sounds good,” she said with a sigh. “So, who’s on your list?”

“Tara……”

“Hey, you wouldn’t deny a woman in pain would you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Myles and D leaned heavily on Josey Malloy. She’d only been out of prison for a month, but her file said she’d made a personal threat to both Bobby and Tara when they’d arrested her. Myles could remember the evil stares she gave them at her trial when the evidence unfolded. Tara had discovered her embezzling scheme through her computer while planted in the corporation. Bobby had gotten “close” to Josey in order to get the names above and below her in the scheme. She’d been sentenced to 11 years and only did five.

“I tell you, I’m clean,” Josey insisted. “I don’t want to go back there. I like the smell of the air when you’re free.”

“Where were you on Christmas Day?” D asked.

“Where do you think I’d be after spending five years away from my family?”

Myles propped himself against the door frame. “And your family will swear you were there.”

“Of course.” She sighed heavily. “Listen, I heard a female agent got shot. If it was Tara Williams, it wouldn’t break my heart, but I wasn’t the one with the gun.”

“Do you know of anyone who’d want to hurt a federal agent?” D asked.

She laughed at them. “You’ve got to be kidding. Maybe you guys don’t realize this, but you are really not all that well liked.”

Getting no more information, they checked her off their list and headed on to the next ex-con on their list.

December 27 – Part 5

Eliminating Tara was proving to be difficult, but she knew she had to do it before Tara was released or she’d miss her opportunity. With an agent perched in front of Tara’s door and the ever-loyal keeping vigil inside the room, she knew she’d have to devise an amazing plan.

She sat in a chair at the end of the fourth floor hallway studying the scene. “I have to get inot that room,”she thought. ”But Bobby would recognize me. Even with a disguise, he’d know my voice and maybe even my walk. I’ve certainly memorized his.” She smiled at the thought. When she closed her eyes, she could see his dimples begging to be kissed, the wink of his eye when he’d said something especially cute, and his lips, full and…. She shook her head. She had to focus.

”No, I can’t get in,” she thought, “so someone will have to do it for me.” Her eyes fell to her tote bag. ”Or some thing.” A smile played across her lips and she patted the bag sure of her plan. ”Oh, yes, this will work brilliantly.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack and Sue’s arrival stalled Tara’s interrogation of Bobby about his list.

“How are you feeling?” Sue asked as soon as they arrived.

“Sore, but better than earlier. I get tired awfully easy. It’s amazing how fast they can reduce your day to being measured by how long you can sit up in a chair before you need a nap.”

Sue and Jack grinned. “We brought you some clothes, Crash,” Jack said, passing him the duffle bag. “Have you eaten yet today?”

“Only the stuff they called food that they brought for Tara this morning. The nurse told me to go ahead and eat it since Tara still can’t have anything solid. Why? Did you bring me some tucker in the bag?”

“No. I thought maybe you and I could go down to the cafeteria and let Sue and Tara have a chance for some girl talk.”

Tara saw the protest forming on Bobby’s lips, and quickly said, “Go ahead. You need to eat, and I need a Bobby break.”

“A Bobby break? I’m wounded, luv.”

“Actually, I’m the one that’s wounded so you should do what I want, and I want to talk to Sue.”

Reluctantly, he left with Jack but only after reminding Sue to call him on her Blackberry if anything came up.

Tara sighed after the two agents left, and Sue took a seat beside her. “Are you feeling a little smothered?”

“Not really. I can just tell something is bothering him and it has something to do with the lists Jack had us make.”

“The one of your enemies?”

Tara nodded. “Yes, he acted really strange after he’d written his, and he doesn’t want to show it to me.”

“Define strange. For Bobby that could be a pretty broad range,” Sue teased.

“You’ve got a point.” Tara laughed and winced at the pain. “Oh, let’s not worry about it. I’ll talk to him later. I’m probably just imagining things.”

“Is this your list?” Sue asked picking up the paper lying on the bedside table.

“Yes. Can you think of anyone I’ve missed?”

Sue read through names. She recognized most of them, but she found a few unfamiliar. She guessed they were probably from cases before she came on board. “Is this Suzanne at the bottom with the funny face drawn beside her the one from Bobby’s apartment complex? You know, we interviewed his neighbors there today.”

“One and the same. Did you meet her?”

Sue rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes. She does seem to like Bobby.”

“That is an understatement. What did she say about me?”

“I think she called you an imp.”

“That’s a step up. At first she didn’t even have the decency to see me as a threat.”

“How dare she!” Sue mocked, aghast. “She said you and Bobby wouldn’t last long.” Sue suddenly grew quiet. Suzanne had given her an odd feeling which she didn’t like. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she asked, “Do you really think she could hurt you?”

Tara laughed. “Anything’s possible, but she doesn’t seem to have the brains to shoot me…”

“…especially with Bobby’s own gun,” Sue mused.

Tara’s eyes grew wide. “What are you talking about?”

“Bobby hasn’t told you about the night you were shot?” Sue asked. “Any of it?”

“No, he said we’d talk later. Sue, tell me what happened. Please.” Sue met her friends steady gaze and knew she needed answers. She just wasn’t sure she should be the one to give them to her. Yet, if Bobby was acting strangely, maybe it would help Tara to understand everything he’d been through in the last 48 hours. Sue made a decision to fill Tara in complete with the arrest.

“You know,” Tara said softly, “I thought I just dreamed he wasn’t there when I first woke up.”

“Jack said he was going crazy at the jail. It was really hard on him. I know he was feeling guilty about that and not being there when you got shot.”

“So, oh sage married woman, what does one do with a knight with a crack in his armor?”

Sue smiled. “I should say fill it with love….but, the truth is, I usually have to give Jack a good kick in the ….”

“Sue!”

She giggled. “Don't worry Tara. I was going to say head.”

December 27 – Part 6

“Slow down, Crash. You might consider chewing your food rather than inhaling it,” Jack said, sitting his coffee cup down on his tray in the hospital cafeteria. “Relax. Tara’s in good hands.”

“You haven’t said anything to Sue about Tara and I getting married, have you?”

“No, but I admit it’s not easy. Did you make that list?”

Bobby took a swig of Coke and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the crumpled paper, placed in on the table, and tried to smooth out the wrinkles. “Sorry ‘bout the wrinkles, mate.”

Jack picked up the rumpled paper and scanned the extensive list of names Bobby had listed. “Didn’t you leave off that kid you punched in junior high for teasing a stray dog?”

“Are you trying to say I got a little carried away?”

“I don’t know. I think that waitress at Red Robin has probably forgiven you for stiffing her.”

Bobby grabbed the list from Jack’s hand. “She’s not on there.”

Jack laughed. “No, but you sure put on a lot of other people.”

“And if you read them, you’d have to agree I have almost as many enemies as friends. Does it ever bother you?”

“Does what bother me? That you’re not well-liked by all,” Jack teased.

Bobby sat back in his chair. Jack watched his friend’s usually carefree nature get serious. “Does the number of people who have it in for us bother you? We’re bloody walking targets, mate.” He paused and leaned forward. “And so is anyone who is with us.”

Jack shook his head in understanding. “By anyone you mean the women we love.”

“How did you get around that? I know you have to be worried that someone will go after Sue to get to you.”

Jack crumpled the paper napkin on his lap and placed it beside the tray. Pushing the tray away from the edge, he leaned both elbows on the table. “I didn’t get around it. I still worry about something happening to Sue – especially because of me. But Sue helped me see that out love was worth the risks.”

“What if I’m not willing to risk Tara’s life?”

“Bobby, you don’t have the market cornered on enemies. I’m sure Tara has her own share of them. And you know better than anyone there are no sure bets.” He paused to take a drink of coffee. “You’ve been through the gauntlet of emotions in the last two days. Good grief, you only asked her to marry you 48 hours ago.”

“So?”

“I think you need to give yourself some time to adjust to it all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before going back to Tara’s hospital room, Bobby and Jack made a stop at Bobby’s car in the hospital parking lot. By the time they returned to Tara’s room, she had fallen asleep. Levi placed a paw on Sue’s lap when the two men entered, and she looked up from the magazine she was reading.

“She wants me to bring her laptop to her,” Sue whispered to Bobby. “Think that’s okay?”

He chuckled softly, “For Tara, it’s kind of like a security blanket. Sure. I won’t let her do too much on it.”

Jack and Sue left quietly. Bobby lowered himself into the chair beside the bed and pulled Peef from the bag he’d retrieved from the car. He tucked the bear into the crook of her arm and smiled. “You’re beautiful,” he thought, pushing a tendril of hair away from her face. ”I can’t imagine a minute without you, let alone a lifetime.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Tara woke, she found Bobby stretched out on the cot provided by the hospital sound asleep. He looked so peaceful. The stress of last few hours evaporated under his exhaustion. She thought about him in a jail cell and instantly felt angry. Tightening her arms around herself, she felt something soft. Looking down, she found the patchwork stuffed bear. A broad smile creased her lips.

She held the bear up in front of her. “Hello, little fellow, what’ you’re name?” Reading the tag on his leg, she laughed softly. “Well, Peef, welcome to the family.”

A nurse entered and Tara set Peef down beside her. Bobby didn’t stir which surprised Tara. Amy, the current nurse, handed her a package.

“A friend on yours, I think it was a Lucy, dropped this off for you. She said she peeked in and you were sleeping.”

“I was and so was he.” She nodded towards Bobby.

“They look so sweet when they’re asleep,” Amy giggled. “Truthfully, Tara, he looks pretty cute when he’s awake, too.”

“You noticed?”

“I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay out of the hospital. Between his accent and those dimples, I’d be having fainting spells on a regular basis girl. So, when’s the big day?”

Tara laughed, but had to grab her side. “I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better,” she teased.

Bobby stirred, but didn’t wake. “I think it’s time for another dose of pain meds anyway. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

When Amy had left, Tara opened the bag from Lucy. She pulled out an assortment of bridal magazines and smiled. “Leave it to Lucy.”

Before she could read anything, Bobby sat up and stretched.

“Hi, handsome,” she told him. “Is the new family member from you?” She held up the multicolored bear.

“Yeah, I thought you might need someone to keep you company in that bed since I can’t.”

His smile was infectious and she grinned back. “Thank you. He’s adorable.”

“There’s a book in the bag about him, too. His name is…”

“…Peef. I read the tag. See what Lucy sent over?”

Bobby stood and walked over to the bed. He stared at the assortment of magazines in front of her. “So you told Sue about our engagement after all?”

“No, remember I wanted to tell them all together.”

“Then, how…” Bobby’s face suddenly paled. Those were the same issues he’d purchased. They’d been in one of the boxes, but what was that white powder on them? He yanked the bedside table away. “Tara, did you touch them?” he demanded.

“What?”

“Did you touch the magazines?”

“Well, yes, I pulled them out of the gift bag.”

He hit the nurse call button. “Come on, we’ve got to get your hands washed.” He slipped his hand under her back and practically lifted her. When she moaned, he apologized, but continued to drag her to the bathroom.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?” she asked as he thrust her hands under the running water and lathered them in a panic.

“Those can’t be from Lucy. She doesn’t know we’re engaged. Those are the magazines I bought for you. Did you see the white powder on them?”

Amy came in and yelled, “What on earth are you doing?”

“Call Jack Hudson.” When she didn’t move, Bobby shouted, “Now!”

December 27 – Part 7

“Bobby, I’m feeling kind of funny,” Tara told him leaning against his chest. She pressed her wet hand to her head. “Dizzy.”

Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to the best. Tara’s nurse, Amy, rushed back in. Before she could tell Bobby that she had told the guard outside the door to contact Jack Hudson, Bobby yelled for her to get the doctor. “She’s possibly been poisoned!”

While Amy took charge of Tara’s medical care, Bobby snagged Agent Thompson from the hall and had him remove the table containing the magazines to a safe location. The next few minutes were a blur of activity. Dr. Bernard flew through the doors along with several other nurses and technicians. Bobby watched from the corner as they drew blood from Tara’s arm, took her vitals, and asked her a myriad of questions.

Her groggy, sing song responses made Bobby’s stomach cinch into a knot. Her heard the doctor order, “Let’s get her on a heart monitor. We don’t want any surprises here.” Bobby couldn’t tear his eyes away as they attached the diodes and wires. She batted at their hands, and they had to hold her arms down to finish the task.

Tara started to giggle. “Where’s my bear, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby boy?”

“Are you in any pain, Ms. Williams?” the doctor asked.”

“Oh, heavens no,” she slurred. She tried to sit up, but Amy gently pressed her back down. “Where’s Bobby? I want Bobby.”

“I’m right here, luv,” he quickly told her, stepping forward.

Amy motioned him over and whispered, “Try to keep her calm. We don’t want her to re-open her wound.”

He picked up Tara’s hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Hey, beautiful, you need to do what the doc tells you to. Just lay there like a good girl, ‘kay?”

She squeezed his hand. “You’re so cute. Isn’t he cute, Amy? Oh, we’ve already talked about that, haven’t we? Bobby, Amy thinks you’ve got cute dimples, too.”

The door swung open and Bobby looked up. A nurse entered holding a sheet of paper. “I’ve got the initial blood work back,” she announced as she passed the paper to Dr. Bernard.

He read it and smiled. “Well, Agent Manning, it looks like you quick thinking probably saved Tara’s life. She shows methaqualone in her system, but the levels aren’t in the dangerous range. She’ll be pretty out of it tonight, but should be fine by morning.”

Bobby let out the breath he’d been holding. Suddenly, his legs refused to support him and he dropped to the chair by the bed. “What will it do to her?”

“No long term effects. It’s a sedative, but it also causes euphoria and works as an aphrodisiac. If more had gotten into her system, that, along with the morphine she’s been on, would have easily killed her.” He paused to let the information sink in. Bobby rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to assimilate the news. “We’ll keep a close eye just to make sure. Mainly, we have to make sure she doesn’t move around too much and re-injure her liver.” He patted Bobby’s shoulder reassuringly. “You saved her life. She’s going to be fine.”

The doctor and extra nurses left, leaving only Amy and Bobby with Tara. For the moment, she appeared to have drifted off to sleep. Bobby stroked her silky hair. “What can I really expect tonight, Amy?”

Amy turned from the i.v. monitor she was adjusting. “She may just sleep all night. More likely, though, she’ll sleep some and be awake some.”

“And when she’s awake?”

“Have you ever seen her inebriated?”

“Plunked? No, not my Tara,” he had to laugh at the thought, “but I’ve seen plenty of other people drunk.”

“And you heard the doctor say methaqualone can be an aphrodisiac?” She raised her eyebrows in Bobby’s direction and smiled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll behave, “ he said with a wink.

December 27 – Part 7

Jack stuck his head in the room. “Can you talk to me now?”

Bobby glanced from Amy to Jack. “Go on. I’ll keep an eye on her. I won’t leave until you get back.”

Bobby followed Jack down the hall to a family waiting room. He discovered the rest of the team had gathered there. “The doctor already filled us in. He said she’s alive thanks to your quick thinking,” D said.

“Thank God,” Bobby sighed, dropping into a chair. “Did you get any prints off the magazines or the bag?”

“Nothing. We sent it to the lab, though,” Jack told him. “Maybe they’ll get something.”

“Was anyone able to describe who dropped off the bag?” Myles asked.

“The unit clerk just said she was a young, Caucasian woman. She couldn’t remember anything else,” Sue explained. “At least we can narrow our search to a woman or a woman who’s working as an accomplice with someone else.”

Bobby hung his head in his hands. “We’ve got to be missing something.”

“Crash, we’ll figure this out,” Jack said, squeezing his friend’s shoulder in support.

“What did the doctor say about Tara?” Lucy asked. “I mean what are the side effects of the drug?”

Bobby lifted his head and smiled. “He said she’ll be feeling pretty good tonight like she’d just spent a long night a the pub and he said she might be a little amorous.”

“Just remember to put out the ‘do not disturb’ sign,” Myles joked.

Bobby shot him a glare. “I’m supposed to keep her quiet and not let her re-injure herself.” Bobby stood and stretched. His eyes surveyed the faces of his friends. Worry creased their brows and dark circles betrayed there tiredness. “You all look knackered. Get some rest and tackle this in the morning. That’s what Tara would want. I’d better get back to her now.”

“Bobby, we’ll get whoever it is -- and soon.”

Bobby paused in the doorway and turned. “I just hope it’s soon enough.” He thought about the last time Tara’s life had been threatened. The Bureau had decided to temporarily transfer her to Minnesota. If they did that again, he had no doubt that he’d go with her. He half-smiled at his friends, “So, does anyone know how the weather is in Minneapolis in January?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She inhaled the powder into her lungs and immediately felt the warming effects. It wasn’t as good as cocaine, but it was all the dealer had in her price range today. She remembered the first time she’d tried cocaine. It was at a party. She said she was doing it for the experience, so she’d know what it was like. It was a lie. She wanted the release. Her life was in shambles: her career, her love life, her soul. She’d made so many mistakes, closed so many doors, that it was all so empty. She had wanted – no needed – to fill up. The drugs had done just that. At least they would take away the pain for a while. Now, she fell against the back of the couch and let the euphoria wash over her.

“What are you staring at?” she asked the stuffed koala on the table before her. “Don’t look at me so accusingly. It’s not a bad way to die. At least she didn’t feel any pain.”

Imagining Bobby’s grief pained her some, but she planned on being there for him. She could make him forget. She’d wait a few days, and then she’d make an appearance, offering her words of comfort and, of course, her arms as well. She could already feel him nestled against her bosom. A smiled splayed across her face. “Sweet dreams, Tara, forever.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amy departed as soon as Bobby arrived, telling him she’d be available since she was pulling a double. Bobby folded himself into the chair beside her bed intent on staying awake in case she needed him. He stifled a yawn. He couldn’t believe how bone tired he was. Before he knew it, he’d propped his head against the wall and fallen asleep.

“Bobby,” he heard Tara’s voice, soft and sensual. In his dreams, he was holding Tara on his lap in his apartment. He felt her trace her finger along his jaw and across his lips. She leaned in and kissed him, deeply. He responded with unbridled passion, pulling her even closer. His hands caressed her, hungered to touch her. Slipping his hand around her back, he could feel the soft skin and felt her arch into him. He was surprised how vivid the dream was. He dreamt of her almost every night, but he usually couldn’t feel her goosebumps.

”Goosebumps! he mentally screamed. His eyes popped open. With lips still engaged, he immediately recognized his dream was a huge dose of reality. Pushing her back gently, he pressed his finger to her lips. “Tara, luv, we need to get you into bed,” he said, his voice thick and husky.

“Ooooooh, I like the way you think, Mr. Manning,” she cooed.

He shifted her off his lap gently and helped her to her feet. “Into bed – alone. Remember, the doctor wants you to rest.”

“You’re no fun.” She stuck her lip out in an uncharacteristic pout.

Leading her to the bed, he helped her climb into it. “Oh, I can be lots of fun. Just not right now.” He pressed her against the pillow and let go.

Immediately, she popped back up. “I want to dance. Please, Bobby can we dance?”

He chuckled. “Sure, why not? I guess there’s no harm in that if you promise to sleep after.”

She nodded and climbed out of the bed. Bobby turned on the radio softly and pulled her into his arms. She placed her head against his chest and he stroked her hair gently as they swayed to the slow music. He couldn’t help but think about how she molded to him perfectly. His hands wrapped around her waist, but he’d forgotten about the opening of the paper thin hospital gown. His hand met warm flesh and goosebumps again. This time he smiled to himself.

Tara pulled back slightly and began to undo the buttons on his shirt. Bobby stilled her fingers with his hand. “Luv, you’re going to be the death of me,” he admitted. “Bedtime.”

“Bedtime for both of us.”

“Yep,” he led her to the bed.

“Not without you, my great big Koala Boy,” she said petulantly.

“Tara….” She stepped forward and began to kiss his chest where’d she managed to undo the first buttons.

He moaned and cupped her face in his hands. “If I crawl in bed with this bed with you, will you promise to behave.”

“Uh huh,” she said. He felt her sway. Lifting her into his arms, he carefully deposited her in the bed. “Bobby, can’t you keep your hands off me? I’m so tired. I just want to sleep.”

“Me keep my hands off you?” he laughed. Figuring the only way to really keep her there was to join her, he climbed into the bed beside her and she nestled against his chest.

“Bobby,” she slurred, “where’s my bear?”

It was going to be a long night.

December 27 – Part 8

Agreeing with Bobby that the team was badly in need of rest, D sent everyone home with instructions to get some sleep and get an early start the next day. When he arrived at the bullpen, he wasn’t surprised to find Jack and Sue already there. Lucy and Myles arrived minutes later, but the hole left by Bobby and Tara’s absence was all too obvious.

D had hated to remind them that Tara’s attempted murder wasn’t their only case, although it did have their highest priority. After a brief meeting, they each headed to their own desks to go over the information again hoping something would jump out at them.

Jack sighed in frustration and dropped his folder onto the desk forcefully. The motion caught Sue’s attention, and she looked up. She smiled in understanding, pushed back her chair, and went over to his desk with a folder in hand.

“Jack, how did the original break-in occur.”

“Bobby said they must have picked the locks because the door wasn’t locked, and he remembered specifically doing that.”

“What if Bobby just assumed that’s how they’d gotten in because that’s how he’d do it? What if they had a key?”

“Like the apartment super?” he asked hopefully. “But Sue, remember we talked to him, and he said he was out of town.”

“I know, but whenever our super goes somewhere, he leaves his keys with another tenant in case of an emergency. Maybe he did something like that.”

“Are you thinking the same person that I am?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Simultaneously, they both said on word, “Suzanne.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I thought you promised to behave,” Nurse Amy teasingly whispered to Bobby. She’d come in for her last check before going home and had found Bobby lying away in the bed with her patient nestled against him. Truthfully, she’d checked on them both several times in the last few hours, but neither had stirred during her ministrations.

Bobby flashed her a cheeky grin. “It was the only way to keep hr in bed.”

“Can’t say I blame her,” Amy answered with a wink. Even though their tones were hushed, their discussion woke Tara. She moaned and pressed a hand to her head. “Bobby, can you be quiet?”

Bobby stroked her cheek with his fingertips. “Head ache?”

“I think my head is going to fall off,” she mumbled. “What did I drink last night?”

“It’ll ease soon,” Amy told her gently.

Tara jerked her head from Bobby’s shoulder suddenly realizing she wasn’t at home. “Bobby Manning, what are you doing my hospital bed?” she gasped.

He had to laugh and she elbowed him in the side. “Hey, you wanted me here,” he insisted. “Couldn’t keep your hands off me.”

“I...I… what?” she sputtered. She tried to sit up, but Bobby held her firmly in place.

“Take it easy, luv. It was the effects of the drug. Do you remember what happened?”

Rubbing her forehead, Tara just moaned softly. “Is that why I feel like I should make a dying request?”

“’Fraid so.” Bobby kissed her forehead.

Amy patted Tara’s hand. “Listen, I’ll let Bobby fill you in because I’m finally off now and headed home to an empty,” she explained. “Tara, don’t worry about anything you did or said last night. He loved every minute of it.”

December 28 – Part 2

“So I see you took advantage of Tara’s state of mind last night to get in her bed,” Myles stated dryly as soon as he strode into the room and found Bobby and Tara napping in the bed together.

Lucy smacked his arm. “Myles, leave them alone.”

“Aw, sheila, he’s just jealous.” Bobby smirked and carefully extracted himself from the bed. He took a seat in the chair beside the bed and tried to smooth his rumpled hair.

“How are you feeling, Tara?” Lucy asked, placing the bouquet of fresh daisies and Tara’s laptop on the table.

“Thank you for the flowers, and, even more so for my computer. I’m feeling better than when I first woke up.” Tara pressed the button and raised the head of the bed. “Mostly, I’m ready to blow this pop stand.”

“Tired of Koala Boy’s company already?” Myles asked.

“Don’t say Koala Boy, right now, mate.”

“Why?”

“She’s got my Koala Boy Bear!” Tara yelled.

“You’re worried about a stuffed animal when someone is trying to kill you.”

“Of course, I’m worried,” she said, biting her lip. “My bear is out there alone. He doesn’t even know what happened. He probably feels abandoned, too. Who knows what kind of evil he’s being exposed to?”

“Oh, yes, she could be corrupting his little fluff-filled brain,” Myles quipped.

Tara glared at him. “Leland, this is serious. I want that bear back.”

“I’ll do my best, Tara,” he said in mock seriousness, rolling his eyes. Tara lobbed a pillow at him when he turned to talk to Bobby. It whacked him and made his hair stand on end.

Bobby laughed. “Now, you know. She’s dead serious, mate.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t refer to Tara and dead in the same sentence, Bobby,” Lucy told him. “Sounds like bad luck.”

“Anyway,” Myles interrupted, “Jack and Sue are headed over to talk to your apartment superintendent right now. They want to know who he leaves his keys with when he goes out of town.”

Bobby stood and stretched. “They should have called. He leaves them with me.”

“And if you’re not available?”

“He doesn’t leave them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. It’s happened more than once. He doesn’t trust anyone else.”

Lucy looked thoughtful. “How certain are you that someone picked the lock to get in? What if they had a key?”

“A key? But only Tara, Jack, and myself have keys.”

Bobby glanced at Tara whose face had suddenly paled. “You okay, luv?”

She nodded. “Are you sure about the keys?” she whispered.

Bobby’s face also whitened. “It couldn’t be her, Tara. She’s on the other side of the country.”

“I don’t want to believe it either, but people can move.”

“What is it?” Myles asked.

Bobby met the man’s eyes. “Darcy had a key, too.”

December 28 – Part 3

Livid, Bobby paced the hospital room with his fists balled at his sides, and a colorful array of Aussie curses stringing from his lips.

To Tara, Bobby’s anger seemed to seep out of his pores and she said a silent prayer of thanks for Myles and Lucy leaving the room to call Jack with an update. She knew that Bobby had probably been on the verge of this explosion for days now. He hated being out of control. Helpless. His guilt had risen like the tide with each event, and Tara struggled with how to comfort him. “It just doesn’t make sense,” Tara finally said. “Why would she do something like this? She doesn’t even know we’re dating.”

The memory of her last disagreement with Bobby in early December was still fresh.

“Something about Darcy’s call last night is eating at you. Since the moment I hung up, you’ve been all moody.”

She yanked her hand away and faced him. “I have not been all moody!”

“What do you call not talking to me, sighing every time I come near, and tearing up every ten minutes? I’d say that you are abso-bloody-lutely moody.”

Tara spun and began to march back towards the Bureau, tears pooling in her eyes. Bobby grabbed her arm. “Wait!” he yelled, spinning her around. Tears ran rivers down her cheeks. “I want to know what’s going on! Yesterday, everything was fine and now….” His voice choked, and he jammed his hands in his pockets.

Tara felt her own anger soften. “And now?”

He looked at her tear stained face and stepped close. “And now you’re hurt or angry or both and I don’t know why. You’re killing me here, Tara. ” He cupped her face gently in both hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “I want to know what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

Tara’s eyes dropped to the ground. “Luv, look at me.” He waited until she met his gaze. “Darcy is my past, and [i]you are my future.”

“But you didn’t tell her that,” she whispered.

Bobby chuckled softly and Tara glared at him. “No, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that every time I think of that call I wish I had told her that I’m in love with you, Tara Williams, the most amazing, wonderful, smart, and funny woman in the world. You believe that don’t you?”

“Which part? That you wish you’d told her or that you love me?”

“Both.”

He looked so vulnerable that Tara had to smile. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe its real, but yes, Bobby, I do believe you love me, and if you ever get a chance again, you’d better make sure Darcy knows it, too. In fact, maybe I’ll just call her and tell her about the most amazing, wonderful, smart, and funny man that I thank God she dumped.”[/i]

Tara allowed at a hint of a smile at the memory of how the fight ended up making her feel so loved. Bobby didn’t look at her as he raked his hand through his hair, then turned slowly. “She knows. She called me again – on the day I bought your engagement ring. I told her I was going to ask you to marry me by Christmas.” He sat down on the bed and lifted his stormy eyes to meet Tara’s and captured her small hand in his much larger one. He toyed with the ring on her finger. “So help me, Tara,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “if she is the one, I’ll…”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “Shhh. Don’t say it. What’s happened doesn’t sound very Darcy-ish to me. She’s too self-preserving to take a chance like this.”

“But she likes a good fight and she likes to take chances. And Lord knows, she’s good at hiding stuff.”

“What did she say after you told her about us?”

“She wished me luck.” Bobby chose to omit the ‘you’re going to need it’ tone he’d heard in her voice.

With her free hand, Tara rubbed her aching temples. “Where was she calling from?” Seeing her pain, anger flashed in Bobby’s eyes again. Tara saw it and cupped his cheek. “Ease up, Manning.” She took a deep breath. “Now, you were about to tell me where you thought she was calling from.”

Bobby took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I don’t have a clue. I assumed California. My Called I.D. listed only her cell phone number which is still a D.C. number.”

Tara reached for the control button on the bed and raised the head of it until she was sitting up. She then pulled the bedside table over and unzipped her laptop case. She lifted out a cord and handed it to Bobby. “Will you please plug this in?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Bobby demanded.

“Finding Darcy.” She challenged him to defy her with her eyes. “Are you going to plug that in or am I going to have to do it myself?”

December 28 – Part 4

Rubbing her aching neck, she looked at the clock on the dash of her car. It had now been over twenty-four hours since she had delivered the tainted magazines to the hospital and still she’d seen no sign of Bobby. If her plan had worked, then Tara would be lying face up in the morgue by now wearing only a toe tag, and a grief-stricken Bobby would have emerged from the hospital surrounded by his friends during one of the hours in which she’s stood vigil.

“It’s not fair!” she ranted, striking the steering wheel with her palms. “It should have worked.” She pulled her trembling hands into her lap.

“Relax. Maybe she just didn’t get the gift bag right away or maybe she didn’t get it at all,” the person beside her said.

“Then, you’ll have to go check on it.”

“Are you out of your mind?” The answer was already evident, but the person asked it anyway. “Exactly what do I say? ‘Yesterday, a friend of mine dropped off a gift. It was laced with poison, but apparently the intended victim is still alive. Can you check and see if it was delivered?’ I might as well walk in wearing a neon sign that says ‘Arrest Me’.”

The person watched the woman beside her. Despite trembling fingers, she somehow managed to pour a small amount of white powder onto a compact mirror in a neat row. She inhaled the line in one long sniff, then leaned back against the headrest and allowed the drug to take effect. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll think of something.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unwilling to narrow their focus only to Darcy D’Angelo, Jack had Myles and D follow-up on some other break-ins which were reported in the same neighborhood in the month of December. He’d asked Lucy to pull both Bobby and Darcy’s phone records and to speak to the editor of the L.A. paper she’d gone to work for. Maybe he or she could tell them if Darcy had been to D.C. recently. Almost as an afterthought, he added pulling Suzanne Welch’s phone records as well.

“So, what’d you find, Tara?” he asked after they had exchanged greetings.

“Darcy hasn’t had a byline in L.A. for the last three months, her three credit cards are maxed out, and I haven’t found any addresses for her either here or there.”

Bobby turned a chair around backwards and straddled it. “No byline? That’s not like the sheila.”

“What about maxing out her credit cards?” Sue asked. “Did she always do that?”

Bobby shook his head. “No. Miss D’Angelo hated anyone controlling her and she said credit cards controlled folks.”

“So, basically, we can say things don’t look like they’ve been going to well for her,” Jack said. “It’s not enough to bring her in even for questioning. Bobby, can you give us anything else?”

He stood and walked over to the window, burdened by more guilt. He stared at the street now covered with a light snow. “She knew where I kept the gun,” he said quietly. He turned to watch Tara’s expression.

Although she suspected as much, hearing the truth spoken so plainly hurt. There was only one way she knew where the gun was kept and thought turned her stomach. Refusing to let the tears which sprung to her eyes fall, she batted her lashes. Her eyes met Bobby’s and she could read in them how sorry he was that she’d been hurt yet again. His guilt was palpable and she ached to take him in her arms and make it go away. Quickly, she pasted on a smile. “But could she shoot it?” she joked, trying to cover up the tense moment that had passed between them.

He tore his eyes away from Tara and directed them towards Jack. “Yes. I took her to the range and taught her. She wanted to get a handgun.”

“But the real question is ‘Was she any good?’” Tara asked light heartedly.

“How can Tara joke about this?” Bobby wondered. ”She’s the one who’s physically and emotionally hurt and she’s trying to make me feel better.”

Amazed by her resilience, he cast her a lop-sided grin and winked. “Not as good as you.” In one small act, she captured the essence of their love. She’d do any thing for him, and he knew he’d do anything for her. It wasn’t just their hearts that were bound together; it was also their souls.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. As Tara’s doctor strode in, Jack and Sue offered to step out into the hall. Bobby took a seat in the empty chair beside the bed and waited for the report.

The doctor checked the incision and listened to her lungs before picking up her chart again. “So, Miss Williams, I got all of your blood work back from this morning. It is looking good. The drug is out of your system and your hematocrit level is beginning to resolve. Heard you had a fun evening.”

She huffed. “If you call not having a clue what you did a fun evening…”

The doctor chuckled. “Actually, I was talking to Mr. Manning.”

It was Bobby’s turn to laugh. “There are definitely some parts I wouldn’t mind repeating.”

Tara’s eyes widened. “Bobby!”

“Oh, luv, I’m just teasin’. But I did like holding you in my arms while you slept.”

Blooming a pretty shade of pink, Tara hurried to change the subject. “If all the blood work looks good, does that mean I can I go home?”

Bobby’s brow creased at the suggestion, but he held his tongue.

“Actually, I think you can. But we need to get a few things straight about what you can and can’t do in the next six weeks.”

“Six weeks!” Tara cried.

December 28 – Part 5

“Yes, ma’am, six weeks.” He eyed her sternly. “Now, are you ready to listen to the conditions of your release?”

“You make it sound like I’m a convict about to be paroled.”

“At least you’re not on death row, luv,” Bobby teased.

“Six weeks and I might wish I were.” She sighed. “Okay, Dr. Bernard, let’s hear it.”

“You’re gunshot wound resulted in a very serious injury, Tara. You’ve made a remarkable recovery, but because the liver laceration could easily reopen resulting in massive bleeding, you’ll need to be extra careful to avoid all physical activity.” He stopped and looked directly at Bobby. “And I mean all physical activity. Understand?”

Blushing, Tara caught the implications and quickly sputtered, “We haven’t….”

Dr. Bernard kept his eyes on Bobby who sat grinning. “I’m not concerned with what you have or haven’t done, just what you might do in the next six weeks.”

Bobby chuckled. “Don’t worry, doc, I won’t let her seduce me.”

Tara slugged his arm. “Bobby!”

“Look at this way, luv. At least you’ll have plenty of time to heal before the honeymoon. She’ll be fine by then, right?”

“If she follows all of my directions, yes.”

“What about work?” Tara asked.

“If you can arrange desk duty only, then you can go back in one week. You still need at least a couple of days of complete bed rest.”

Tara moaned and Bobby patted her hand. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t chase any bad guys except on her computer.”

“Good. I’ll leave a prescription for pain meds with the discharge papers. We should be able to get you out of here this sometime this afternoon. Given your situation, I know you’re not going to be left alone for a few days, right?”

“Not a chance,” Bobby admitted.

“Now, remember,” he paused to tap her laptop, “bed rest usually includes sleep.” He took a step away and turned back to face Bobby. “Alone.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Myles and D strode into the bull pen bearing doughnuts. Without Bobby around, Levi had sorely missed his daily jelly-filled treat. Holding the open box, Myles said, “ A doughnut to the first person who can guess which one of Metro’s finest is taking a week of unpaid vacation courtesy of his supervisors?”

“Our friend Det. Jenkins?”

“You win the prize, Mr. Hudson. But, make that former detective. They busted him back down.” He lowered the box in front of him and Jack selected a doughnut.

Myles continued passing the rolls around the room. “We found out when we went to look into those other break-ins. The new detective assigned to the break-ins was extremely cooperative.”

D propped himself against a desk. “We also found out why the pompous jerk was onto Bobby so fast. He had requested notification of anything that happened in that neighborhood. Since it was a holiday, he just took Tara’s shooting when he got it and ran with it.”

“Any thing important on the break-ins?” Sue asked.

“Maybe,” D answered. “We’re heading out to check a couple of leads, but they really don’t look very promising. All of the break-ins in the area were clearly forced entries.”

Myles held out a jelly-filled doughnut to Levi, who gulped it in one bit. “But a couple either happened on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so we’re going to look into those just in case.”

Jack walked over to the white board and jotted down a couple of notes. “Lucy, what’ve you got?”

“The phone records just arrived. I haven’t even looked through them yet.”

“Why don’t you and Sue go over those? Bobby just called and Tara’s being released today. She really wants to sleep in her own bed. D, what do you think?”

D walked over to coffee machine and poured himself a cup. “I don’t like the idea of her being somewhere that is so easy for the person to find her. On the other hand, if someone is coming after her, it would sure be nice to smoke them out now.”

“And if I’d just been through what she had, I’d want to sleep in my own bed, too,” Sue added.

“And I’d want to take you to a safe house in Alaska,” Jack admitted sternly.

“Too bad,” Sue taunted. “She can’t travel right now.”

D sat down his coffee cup. “You’ve got a point, Sue. But we could put her in a safehouse here. Let me do some checking and I’ll let you all know.”

December 29 – Part 6

Pulling his shirt off over his head, Bobby was glad to find he wasn’t as ripe as he feared even though he’d slept in his clothes. He would never tell Tara, but his body ached from staying too long in one position last night. Turning on the shower as hot a he thought he could possibly stand, he stepped in and let the water cascade around him. The spray of the water, however, did little to ease the tension which now seemed his constant companion. Allowing the water to drench his hair, he wondered what D had decided about where they should go when Tara was released this afternoon.

Earlier, Tara had located a few bylines listed under D. D’Angelo in a small newspaper in Arlington. They were not her usual hard-hitting stories, but the human interest pieces still sounded like her. They called in Tara’s findings and Jack and Sue planned to speak to the editor right away. While Tara had wanted to continue her search, Bobby noticed her eyes grow increasingly weary. When her head finally bobbed, he had simply closed the laptop and pushed the tray away ignoring her protests. “It’ll still be there when you wake up, luv,” he said giving her a kiss on the forehead. She had fallen asleep within minutes of laying her head back. He made a mental note to not let her push herself so far again.

When he was sure she was sleeping soundly, he’d stepped into the hall and phoned D to discuss Tara’s safety. Bobby was appalled by the idea of letting Tara go home effectively using her as bait. He had made sure D knew his position and was glad his supervisor was married and understood his rather vehement response. “I’m on your side,” D had told him calmly. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her either. I’ve got a wife, remember? So, I understand what’s it’s like to want to protect the woman you love. I’ll think of something.”

As Bobby now lathered his body, he wondered what “something” D had planned. The nurse had tapped his arm while he was still on the phone and said the papers and prescriptions would be ready in about an hour and a half. He had relayed the information to D who told him he’d be there, then at 3:30 to pick them up.

A safe-house would be all right, Bobby guessed, but Tara would still hate it. A hotel? Bobby crossed that off his list because of Bell. They hadn’t seen the pup in three days, and both he and Tara missed her greatly. He’s made sure to mention that to D as well. Perhaps D would have them bunk at Jack and Sue’s. Having Jack around to help him keep an eye on things would sure help and Sue’s companionship would sure help Tara pass the next few days of bed rest the doctor had ordered. Still, Darcy might think to look for them there if she was the one.

Bobby shut off the water, stepped out of the shower, and toweled off his body. He felt refreshed but still bone-tired. He was sure he could sleep for a week. Rubbing the condensation off the mirror with his towel, his reflection told him the same thing. Between the dark shading beneath his eyes, the creases in his brown, and the day’s growth on his jaw, he knew his only hope was a shave. He smiled remembering Tara’s comment when she touched his cheek. “I think I could get used to a roguish man with an accent.”

Ready to do damage control, Bobby spread the shaving cream on his face and lifted the razor in place. He nicked himself on the first swipe and mentally ordered himself to get his act together. ”Oh God, don’t let anything happen to her,” he prayed. ”Only you can really keep her safe.”

December 29 – Part 7

“It’s a brilliant plan, D,” Jack told him. “But how will we get the manpower needed to pull it off?”

D leaned forward in his chair and crossed his arms on the conference room table. The Assistant Director said to pull anyone I need. Apparently, he’s taking two attempts on an agent’s life very seriously.” He glanced at Myles. “And I have to give Agent Leland credit for making me think of this.”

Myles sat up straighter and Sue would have sworn he even puffed out his chest. “All in days work,” he said proudly.

D smiled. “So, Jack, are you going to help me break it to Bobby?”

“Hey, it was Myles’ and your idea.”

“I just acted as a catalyst,” Myles insisted.

“Chickens,” Lucy mumbled.

Laughing, D turned his head towards her and Sue. “You two put out a casting call. We need agents the right build and height to pull this off.”

Both women nodded and D stood up. “Alright people, we’ve got one hour to get organized and in place. Let’s get cracking.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holding the stuffed koala aloft, she made a pirouette and nearly toppled over the coffee table from the motion.

”Will you sit down?” her annoyed accomplice asked. “You’re making me dizzy.”

She flopped onto the couch, clutching the bear to her chest. “I can’t help it. If you’re right, and she’s getting out today, then I could have Bobby in my arms by tomorrow night.”

Yanking the koala from her arm and tossing it on the floor, her partner said, “And then I won’t ever have a reason to see your sorry face again, right?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I like having you around,” she teased.

Her partner glared at her. “Look, I said I’d help you get rid of Agent Williams. It met both of our objectives. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“Just hang onto that last part or I might be forced to tell someone about your night job.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobby emerged from the bathroom in Tara’s hospital room feeling refreshed, but starving. He opened a sandwich sitting on the nightstand a nurse had brought in earlier. She’d said the patient she ordered it for went home. ”I must be hungry if egg salad on white tastes this good,”he thought sitting down beside the bed. Tara continued to sleep, and he was glad. He knew from his own experience that the simple journey home would probably wipe her out even more.

Pulling the bed table over to his chair, he moved the lever and lowered it to his height so he could open her laptop. Inside, he found the articles pulled up that were most recently written by Darcy: “Hobbies that Kill”; “Teaching More than Art”; and “A Street Guide to Getting High: What Parents Need to Know.” Tara was right. They were human interest pieces, not Darcy’s usual dig deep stuff.

Bobby wondered kind of things she’d been writing for the L.A. Times. He typed the name of the paper into the browser, and when their website came up, he typed her name into the search. It took only seconds for the search to reveal over 20 hits. She’d been busy out there. He perused the list of hard hitting topics: “Back to Basics: Why does High School Fail so Many?”; “Death. And How to Avoid It”; “The Me Decade”; “Self-Help’s Big Lie”; and “Revenge in the Hood”. Bobby couldn’t help but notice the negative strain that consistently run through them. ”Never let ‘em see you smile, sheila,” he thought to himself.

One article, however, caught his eye – “Coke: It’s Still the Real Thing.” He opened the article and began reading. Apparently, Darcy had managed to infiltrate the society world where the use of cocaine was common. A first-hand account, she told about parties where the same people who did plastic surgery by day, were snorting cocaine by night. The off-season athletes and actors she’d sat beside were snobbish about their drug of choice and insisted on their right to use it for recreational activity. Something about what she said or maybe more like how she said it, bothered Bobby deeply, but he couldn’t nail it down.

Tara stirred so he closed the window and brushed the hair from her cheek. “Hi, you ready to get dressed to go home?”

“That is where I’m going, right?” she said groggily.

“Not sure, yet, luv. D hasn’t called. He should be here shortly, though. Why don’t you go change?”

“Think my Pooh jammies will turn him on?” Tara giggled. “Oh yeah, he’s married.” Tara pulled herself up gingerly and Bobby helped her stand. “If you hear any thumps in the bathroom, ignore it. It’ll just be me jumping up and down because I’m so glad to get out of here.”

December 29 – Part 8

While Tara was in the bathroom attempting to change and make herself presentable, D arrived. He took the opportunity to share his plan with Bobby.

“She’s not going to like it,” Bobby said. “Heck, I’m not sure I like it.”

“I know it’s risky. You’d be on your own. But if someone has her targeted, it should work,” D said thoughtfully. “This could all be over tomorrow.”

Bobby took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “If we both weren’t so tired…” He hated to admit it, but D needed to know he had serious doubts about his own ability to stay alert.

“I know. But I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. It’s not like you won’t be guarded at all. You both can sleep and SOG will keep watch.”

Bobby nodded. “Okay. Other than flying Tara off to Australia and marrying her there, this looks like our best option. Let’s not tell her, though, until she’s there.”

Demetrius Gans raised his eyebrows. “Just remember that was your idea.”

Standing, Bobby walked over to the bathroom door, concerned about the length of time Tara was taking. He tapped softly on the door. “Tara? You okay in there?”

“Kind of,” she said weakly.

“Kind of?” He didn’t hesitate to push open the door and step inside. Tara sat on the toilet, fully clothed with her head in her hands. Bobby knelt in front of her and touched her knee.

She lifted her face to his. “I just got so dizzy,” she admitted. “I can’t get the buttons done up on my shirt.” She attempted to stick another one in the button hole, but her trembling hands refused to obey.

Bobby placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently before lowering it to her lap. Without a word, he carefully did up each button, trying to keep his eyes focused on Tara’s face and not the lacy bra she had donned. When he reached the last button, she grasped his hand with her own. “Thank you.”

“No problem. But I have to admit, for future reference, I plan on undoing buttons a whole lot more than doing them up once we get married.” She offered him a slight smile, too tired to do anything else. “Can you make it back to bed?”

Tara nodded, but Bobby wasn’t convinced. Glancing at the doorway, he realized they wouldn’t fit through the door if he carried her. Instead, he pulled her up and supported her elbow. Once outside the door, D immediately took her other arm. Together, they got her into bed.

“Are you sure you’re ready to get out of here?” D asked, obviously concerned.

Tara glared at him. “Yes. I just stood too long trying to do my hair. Give me a minute.”

A knock on the door signaled the arrival of the nurse. Tara was happy to see that her favorite nurse, Amy, had just come on shift. She arrived with the discharge papers. “You’re looking pale, Tara. Do too much already?” Bobby nodded. “She’s going to be a hard one to keep down. Tara, you’ve got to take it easy. Don’t make these two good looking guys worry so much about you, okay?”

“Can she still go home?” D asked.

“I don’t see why not.” She checked the papers over again. “Everything is in order here. Tara, you need to see your doctor for a re-check next week. Don’t hesitate to use the pain meds. You need them right now. Your body needs to heal. And just make sure you drink a lot of liquid and gets plenty of rest.” Amy stood up and passed two prescription bottles to Bobby. “Any questions?”

Tara shook her head no, and the nurse smiled. “Then, I’ll go get a wheelchair. If one of you wants to bring your car around….”

“Let me talk to you about that in the hall,” D interrupted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, Tara, how are you holding up?” D asked as he pushed the wheelchair through the door flanked by a hospital discharge escort.

He couldn’t see her face. She was supporting her head with her hand, her elbow propped on the arm of the wheelchair. She merely nodded her head and pulled it alongside his SUV. He and baseball capped Bobby helped her into the back seat of the SUV. Bobby climbed in beside her and D went around and hopped into the driver’s seat. With Sue and Jack following closely behind, D pulled out of the parking lot to drive the couple to Tara’s home.

Operation Bear Hunt was well under way.

December 29 – Part 9

Winding their way down the back hallways of the hospital, Amy pushed the wheelchair into the elevator. “How are you doing, Tara?” she asked.

Tara winced when they went over the elevator’s threshold. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

“We’ll get you home soon, luv.”

“Is that where we’re really going, Bobby?”

“What do you think?”

She sighed. “Just promise me a nice soft bed.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged.”

Bobby held the door to the parking garage in the adjacent doctor’s building, and Amy pushed the wheelchair through. Myles waited patiently in his car for the two of them. Tara bit back a moan as she carefully lowered herself into the car’s backseat. “Think the fake Tara is having this much fun,” she tried to joke.

“Well, she doesn’t get the pleasure of my company, now does she?” Bobby asked tucking a blanket around her.

“Maybe the fake Bobby is just as cute.”

“No way. No one else in the Bureau has my magnificent mind, perfect personality, delicious dimples, and amazing accent.”

“And big head,” Myles added from the front seat. “Just get in. You’re going to make poor Tara so sick they’ll have to re-admit her.”

He straightened and accepted the papers from Amy. “Thanks for everything.”

“You all take care now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parking lots offered a lot of anonymity, she thought. She parked in a lot adjacent to Tara’s apartment complex. It was far enough away that she could make out bodies, just not faces. It would work fine to spot Bobby bringing Tara home from the hospital.

“Sure you can see them from this distance?” her accomplice asked.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Look, that’s Jack and Sue going in now. See her dog, Levi?”

A few minutes later, she saw a dark SUV pull up in front of the door. She watched D climb out and walk around to the other side. She couldn’t see Bobby or Tara exit the vehicle because of the way they were parked, but recognized them as they climbed the stairs slowly. Bobby had his arm wrapped protectively around Tara’s waist which infuriated her. “Wait a minute!” she nearly screamed. “That is NOT Bobby Manning. He is too tall for his arm to go around Tara’s waist.”

“What?! Are you sure?”

“Think about it. He’s 6’3” and she’s, like 5’4”. It’s just not possible for his arm to go around her waist at that angle.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I know how Bobby Manning’s arm fits.”

“So, you think it’s a ruse?”

“Oh yeah. They love to those.” She opened her purse and took out another bag of her favorite drug.

Her partner grabbed her arm. “You’re not going to take that now, are you?”

“I need it so I can calm down and think.”

“With a head full of fuzz? That ought to be helpful. Where do you think the real Tara and Bobby are?”

She shook out the contents of the bag onto the mirror in line and inhaled it. Tipping her head back on the head rest, she waited for the familiar rush to wash over her. “Maybe a safe house or a hotel.”

“And how exactly will we find them?”

“Don’t worry. Jack will lead us them eventually.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Myles pulled out of the parking lot, carefully avoiding the bumps and potholes. “I have a surprise for you two.” He reached down beside him and scooped up the small ivory colored puppy who slept beside him. Reaching over the seat, he passed it to Bobby.

“Bell!” Tara shrieked. The overjoyed puppy went from her “mom” to her “dad” licking their faces.

Myles watched in the rearview mirror and smiled. “You know security at that puppy preschool is incredible. You’d have a better chance of blowing up an airplane than getting a dog out of there without proper clearance, three forms of identification, and a psychological evaluation. They had to call Lucy before they’d let me take her.”

Bobby laughed. “Thanks, mate. We appreciate it.”

Eventually, both Bell and Tara settled down and fell asleep. Bobby had pulled Tara to rest on his shoulder and Bell slept nestled in her lap. Bobby’s head drooped as well, but he shook himself back awake, scanning the area for threats.

Myles drove on silently. He could encourage his friend to go ahead and sleep, but knew it would be a waste of breath. Two attempts had been made on the woman Bobby loved. If Myles were in his place, he’d refuse to sleep as well. Instead, he kept his own eyes open to any and all possibilities just in case.

Tara stirred as they pulled into the driveway. Placing her hands on Bobby’s chest, she pushed herself into an upright position. “We’re staying at your place, Myles?” she asked, stunned.

Her pressed the button on the garage door opener and waited for the door to rise. “You wanted a soft bed, and I have Posturepedic Matresses.” He pulled inside, put the car in park and turned off the engine. “I know it’s not home, but at least you should be more comfortable than in a safe house. And before you ask, yes, it was my idea.”

“Thanks, mate. We appreciate it.”

December 29 – Part 10

With light snow falling, she had to use the windshield wipers to swish away the fresh flakes in order to watch the comings and goings from Tara’s apartment complex. Despite the protests from her partner about this vigil being a waste of time, her patience was finally rewarded.

“See, there’re Jack, Sue, and Levi,” she told him. “Now, all we have to do is follow them to the real Tara and Bobby.”

“And then what?”

“I guess we make it up as we go.”

“What kind of cock-a-mammy plan is that?”

“I guess it’s ours.” She laughed aloud, still feeling drug’s euphoria. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll think of something.” Starting the engine, she pulled the car out of the lot leaving plenty of distance between her and Jack.

“I should be driving. You’re in no shape.”

“Give it a rest. I’m fine.”

Jack took a direct route his apartment which she found odd. He hadn’t made any turns to shake a possible tail or even bothered to check his mirror as far as she could tell. When he pulled into the parking lot and stopped, he rounded the car as Sue and Levi and Sue met him. He took her hand in his and they went inside. Not once did he check over his shoulder or look back.

“Something’s not right,” she told her accomplice. “Bobby and Tara aren’t here.”

“Then, how will we find them? I thought you said he’d lead us to them.”

“Maybe they’re in a safe house or at some hotel. Let’s just watch Jack for a while. If I know him, he’ll have to go see them face to face.”

“You know this for sure? Or is the kind like you know Bobby is going to welcome you back with open arms.”

“Just shut up and keep your eyes open.” After several minutes of silently watching the house, she sat up straight behind the wheel. “I know where they are.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tara accepted the pain medication from Bobby along with a glass of water. “You know this is just going to make me more tired,” she told him. “I won’t be able to do any more research.”

“I think we can handle it Super Woman,” Bobby teased taking the cup from his hand.

“I can’t be Super Woman,” Tara said with a sigh. “I’m not bullet proof.”

Bobby scowled. “Not funny, luv.” He knelt and slipped off her shoes, then helped her lie down. Tara sunk into the bed and the foam mattress cradled her aching body. Any intentions she’d harbored about staying awake were gone in seconds.

On his way out of the room, Bobby snagged her laptop to do some research of his own. He was grateful that Myles had chosen the first floor bedroom for her. That way, she didn’t need to climb any stairs, and he could work in the study or dining room and hear her if she needed anything. As he entered the kitchen, Myles handed him a heaping plate of hot chicken fettuccine alfredo with two crusty pieces of garlic bread on the side. “Go ahead and have a seat,” Myles said, indicating the island. “The salad is already there. Just help yourself.”

“Thanks, mate, but you didn’t have to cook for me.”

Myles set his own plate down on the island and reached for a bottle of wine. Without asking, he poured wine into two long-stemmed glasses and handed one to Bobby. “I was already making it for myself. Besides, Tara will need to eat to keep her strength up.”

Bobby held up the glass. “But no wine for her. She’s had enough weird stuff in her system this week.”

Myles chuckled. “So, did the drug work as an aphrodisiac?”

“Oh yeah,” Bobby said. “But that’s all I’m going to tell you – even if you did cook for me. What other stuff have you guys found out?”

“I’m not sure you’re going to like hearing it.” Myles took another sip of wine.

Bobby sat down his fork and faced his friend. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Lucy finally got a hold of Darcy’s editor. Darcy lost her job out there two months ago. Apparently, she started missing deadlines and started to turn in inferior work.”

“Because?”

“He said she’d gotten hooked up with a doctor out there who was her source in a big cocaine story.”

“I read it. It was kind of an infiltration story about how cocaine is still the drug of choice among the prideful, pompous, and powerful.”

“Exactly. Her editor thinks she got hooked. She denied it and refused to get help. He had no other choice but to let her go.”

“And the doctor she was seeing?”

“Lucy was trying to locate him when I left to pick you guys up. She hasn’t called with any updates.”

Bobby raked a hand through his hair and returned to his meal eating silently. Myles could tell his friend was battling his own “what if” demons. He knew it was only natural especially if you’re as bent on saving the world as Bobby Manning was. Giving him space, Myles placed his own empty plate in the dishwasher. “Listen, I’m supposed to go to Tara’s apartment now and relieve Johnson. SOG’s across the street in the cable van. I’ll lock the front door behind me. Call if you or Tara need anything.”

Bobby nodded and lifted his fork. “Thanks again.”

“No problem. Oh, but I don’t do dishes, so put your own in the dishwasher when you're finished, Koala Boy.”

December 29 – Part 11

As soon as Myles left, Bobby heard footsteps on the hardwood floor. He smiled when he realized the padding of Bell’s paws. He got off is stool and scooped her up. “Are you thinking you should be getting some food, too?” he asked, holding up a piece of chicken to the pup. “You better not tell Tara I just did that. Now, let’s go find your dog food. Myles said he brought it home from the doggy daycare.”

Several minutes later, he had located the bag. With it, Myles had obviously purchased new a new dual sided dish for the puppy. Across the front, he’d had he name printed. Bobby chose a spot to set up the dish away from the traffic pattern. He poured a glass of water in one side and dropped a cupful of kibble in the other, then watched Bell devour the chunks.

While she was eating, he decided to set up Tara’s laptop on the island. Since Myles had wireless internet service, he was set in minutes and again found himself drawn to the articles Darcy had written. This time, he focused on the ones she’d written since she had been back. The first, “Hobbies that Kill”, was about people who participate in extreme sports like bungee jumping or mountain skateboarding. The second, “Teaching More than Art”, was a fluff piece about a local high school art teacher who had used art to reach out to troubled art. “Definitely not Darcy’s type of story,” he admitted to himself. “Now, this one’s more like it.” He opened the third story, “A Street Guide to Getting High: What Parents Need to Know.” He figured her new found expertise wouldn’t be apparent to anyone except him. She was too familiar, too comfortable with the terms. She wrote with a strange conviction. The people she quoted seemed like they were talking to a friend. Only one law enforcement official was quoted, and he wasn’t even from Arlington. “I wondered what happened to you, sheila.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Sue placed the pot roast she’d reheated on the table, she mentally went over her conversation with Jack on the way home. Jack was frustrated because they hadn’t been able to place Darcy in D.C. If she was the one, then where was she? Sue took a seat beside Jack, but didn’t hold his hand as was their custom when saying grace. Instead, she stared at the food. Jack touched her arm and she startled. “Sorry. I just thought of something. Today, Lucy and I found out Darcy is leasing a Pontiac Grand Prix. If Tara were here, she’d have already thought of this, but…”

“…they have a GPS tracking system built in.” Jack kissed her cheek and jumped up from the table. “I’ll call the Bureau and get someone on it right away. Sue, you’re a genius.”

“A genius who’ll have to warm your supper up again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bell stood by the French doors leading to the back yard and yelped. “I bet you do need a break,“ Bobby said, pushing the door open. He knew the yard was fenced, so he let her go out to do her business alone. “Just don’t mess up Uncle Myles’ roses.”

He glanced at his watch and realized it had been nearly and hour and half since Tara had lain down. He picked up the plate of food Myles had prepared and carried it with him just in case she was awake. Instead, he found her still sleeping peacefully. Resisting the urge to stay and watch her sleep, he kissed her forehead and returned the plate of food to the kitchen.

The doorbell rang, and he wondered how anyone got passed SOG. ”Must be Jack,”he reasoned. To be safe, however, he drew his gun from its holster and clicked off the safety. He looked through the peep hole on Myles’ heavy oak door. Det. Jenkins, from D.C. Metro Police held up his badge. Bobby let a few choice Aussie curses fly as he opened the door.

“What in blazes to you want, Jenkins?” His broad shouldered frame took up the entire doorway.

“May I come in?” Bobby glanced at the cable van, but the darkened windows didn’t allow him to see anyone. “I’ve already cleared it with your agents over there Manning. They know I’m here.”

Bobby sighed and held open the door. “Why are you here? Don’t even think of trying to arrest me again.”

“No, it’s not that at all. I’m here about a lead on who broke into your place.”

Before Det. Jenkins could finish, Bobby’s cell phone rang. He set his gun on the entry table and pulled his cell from his pocket and checked the caller I.D. “Excuse me. I have to take this.” He stepped out of the entry way and into the formal living room. “Hey, Lucy, what are you doing working so late?”

Lucy explained that she’d just spoken to the doctor Darcy had been seeing. He said Darcy had become really possessive after she started using the coke. She lost her job. She was falling apart, and she started following him everywhere. He’d actually had to get a restraining order against her.

“Listen, Lucy, can I call you back in few minutes. Det. Jenkins is here and wants to talk to me about something concerning my break-in”

”Bobby, did you say Det. Jenkins? He’s suspended right now. He’s not working on your break-in. He’s not even a detective anymore.”

Bobby felt a chill run down his spine. Suddenly it all fit. The only law enforcement officer Darcy had quoted was a Det. Paul Jenkins. He covered the phone with his hand and whispered, “Lucy, call Jack.”

December 29 – Part 12

Jack had just sat down to his reheated leftover pot roast when his cell phone rang. “No rest for the weary,” he told Sue. He sighed and flipped open the phone. "Hudson." He listened while the agent at the Bureau told him she had located Darcy’s car.She rattled off the address, and he jotted it down on a notepad.

Sue glanced at the paper as he closed his phone. “That’s near Myles’ house. How did she find them?”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence.” Jack put his holster back on and checked his gun. Grabbing his coat, he noticed that Sue now stood ready as well. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“With you. And don’t you dare try to stop me.”

He knew her stubborn stance- shoulders squared, but relaxed, jaw set, eyes determined -- all too well, and he didn’t have time to argue. He yanked open the door and held it for her. “Okay, Tonto, let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darcy couldn’t believe her luck when she watched Bobby let the puppy out the French doors into the backyard and go back inside. She’d been watching from a good vantage point and it paid off well. Immediately, the plan had formed in her mind.

She’d sent Jenkins, complete with his badge, to the cable van which she knew was a front for SOG. He bore a box of donuts they’d picked up earlier that she had freshly powdered with what was left of the drug she’d used on Tara. It wouldn’t be enough to do any permanent damage, but it should be sufficient to render them useless for quite a while.

She’d watched Jenkins approach the van on the side of the street away from Myles front door, tap on the window, and flash his badge. The men didn’t hesitate to accept the donuts from a fellow law enforcement officer who she had no doubt explained that he was no stranger to surveillance work. It was easy for Darcy to imagine him telling them that he needed to speak to Bobby about the break-in that occurred at his home earlier in the month, and he wanted them to have a heads up. If they asked him how he found out where they were, she couldn’t tell.

She congratulated herself on getting Jenkins to help her. It was after Bobby had been arrested that she found out Jenkins was behind it. She used her rather persuasive blackmail abilities to reel him in. He wasn’t hard to persuade, however. His own demotion and suspension had given him his own reason for revenge. Darcy made him promise that he’d not hurt Bobby physically. “Hurting her is the best way to hurt him,” she’d explained. “Just help me get rid of her, and we’ll meet both of our objectives.” Every time he hinted at backing out, she reminded him that she knew an awfully lot of people who'd love to know his side business as a lucrative dealer.

As soon as Darcy saw Bobby open the door for Jenkins, she knew her plan would work perfectly. She crept around the house and made her way through the back yard to the French doors. The fresh snow made the sidewalk slippery, and she skidded in front of the gate. Trying to avoid any noise, she lifted the latch slowly and moaned when it creaked. Even more slowly, she pulled the gate open and stepped inside.

Immediately, the puppy began to yap. She resisted the urge to kick it. Instead, she tried petting it to let it know she was a friend. The puppy continued to growl, so she ignored her and slithered along the house towards the doors. Of course Bobby had planned on returning to let the puppy in right away, so he’d left them unlocked. She applauded her timing and eased one side open and slipped inside. Hearing Bobby’s voice in the entry way nearly made her falter, but she rounded the corner and tiptoed silently up the back staircase.

December 29 – Part 13

If anyone asked Myles Leland which team member was least likely to follow gut instincts, even he would have admitted that it was himself. Bobby practically made every decision based on what “felt” right. Jack, although much more practical, certainly wouldn’t ignore an intuitive feeling. Instead, he would at least analyze it before proceeding. Tara, a little more sensitive, would still fall in much the same category. But Sue possessed an almost uncanny sixth sense about people.

So it came as a surprise to Myles when a nagging feeling tugged relentlessly at the edges of his mind. Turning the corner, now only a mile from Tara’s apartment, Myles fought the urge to call Bobby and check on them. Bobby, he reasoned, would just make some corny comment. No, he was just worrying needlessly. He reached for dial on his CD player and turned up the volume. The soothing rhythm of a concerto filled his car. Still, his thoughts insisted on returning to Bobby and Tara and the woman who seemed bent on destroying their love.

Mentally, he went over leaving the house. He’s locked the door when he left, noted SOG parked across the street and nodded slightly acknowledging them, and made a point of looking for unfamiliar cars in the area. The Randolph’s had their new black SUV parked in the driveway. The Carbonelli’s circular drive was, of course, empty. The McIntire’s appeared to be having company with several extra cars lining their drive and curb.

Suddenly, he swung the car hard around the corner. “That’s it!” he said aloud. The nagging feeling had turned into an icy grip in an instant. “There was a man and a woman sitting in one of those cars and she could have easily been .....”

December 29 – Part 14

Darcy crept down the hallway, peering into the empty rooms one by one. The first one at the top of the stairs was clearly an office/study. A heavy, ornate desk sat in the center of the room flanked by matching bookshelves. Next to that, she discovered what had to be a master bedroom suite. The huge mahogany sleigh bed, draped in rich burgundy and gold, had a decidedly masculine feel. Silently, she closed the room’s door.

She heard a moan from across the hall and her pulse quickened. Could she do this face to face? Firing a gun from across a parking lot or lacing magazines with poison had not required her to see Tara William’s face. She paused at the doorway where the agent had found a comfortable position again and continued to sleep. Darcy stared at the sleeping figure and for a minute felt her resolve melting. “Get a grip!” she chided herself. “She may look sweet, but she’s got my man. My Agent Manning. My Bobby. She moved in on me.” She took a tentative step towards the bed and pulled the gun from the back of her waistband. “He belonged to me first, and he will again.”

Taking her stance, she lifted the gun into place, took a deep breath, prepared to fire. She could hear Bobby’s voice in her head from when he’d taught her to shoot. “Take a breath. Hold it. Sight your target. Squeeze the trigger.”

“How ironic,” she thought. “Bobby taught me how to kill you.” But Darcy’s index finger refused to pull the trigger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even after Lucy had hung up, Bobby continued to pretend to be speaking into his cell phone. He figured that as long as Det. Jenkins thought he was on the phone, he wouldn’t try anything. It gave Bobby a few second to form a plan. This room did not have another exit. If Jenkins was indeed there to hurt him or Tara, he’d be forced to meet the corrupt cop in the entry way. Silently, he cursed himself for letting his guard down and placing his gun on the table out there.

Bobby lifted a large vase into his hands and prayed that it wasn’t one of Myles’ priced pieces of art. In a fluid motion, he hefted it into the hall and it shattered against the wall. A shot rang out as Jenkins instinctively fired, and Bobby dove into the room, tackling the cop. The gun slid across the floor from the force of the blow. Jenkins, the heavier of the two, recovered quickly. The men grappled, alternately exchanging blows, knocking over the lamp from the entry table which noisily shattered upon impact.

Jenkins managed a powerful punch to Bobby’s jaw. Bobby’s head spun dizzily, and he could taste the blood in his mouth. Shaking his head to clear it, he saw his opening and delivered a series of blows to Jenkins abdomen. Jenkins doubled over and Bobby took advantage of the moment and delivered an uppercut to Jenkins jaw. The man’s head snapped back, and he staggered against the table where Bobby’s gun lay. For a sickening moment, Bobby feared his opponent would make a lunge for it. Instead, he watched the man sway on his feet and then drop into a heap on Italian marble floor.

Bobby wiped the blood trickling from his lip onto his shirt sleeve as he snagged his own weapon, then stumbled over to pick up Jenkins’. His heart thundered in his chest as he used the cord from the broken lamp to bind Jenkins’ hands securely behind him in case the man regained consciousness. The seconds it took seemed like hours. When he was finally finished, he raced for the stair case. Clearing the steps three at a time, his only thought was reaching Tara.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sighing, Darcy replaced the gun in her waist band. “Oh well, it would make too much noise anyway,” she told herself. “Better to do it quietly. Make it look like it happened in her sleep.” The fluffly goose down pillow felt light in her hands, almost like a cloud. She would simply snuff out Tara’s life with a cloud.

Lowering the pillow onto Tara’s sleeping face, she held it firmly in place. She felt the agent struggle beneath her, grabbing for her wrists in vain, but the injured woman was simply no match for her. “It will be over soon, Agent Williams,” she said coldly. “But don’t worry, I’ll take care of Bobby.”

December 29 – Part 15

“Why do you think Bobby isn’t answering his cell phone?” Sue asked as she and Jack drove towards Myles’ home. “It isn’t like him not to pick up.”

Jack hated the thought that went through his head. Just as he started to dial the SOG van, his own phone rang. Lucy quickly informed him about Det. Jenkins being at the house. “And SOG isn’t answering,” she said, confirming Jack’s fears. “I tried reaching them first.”

“Lucy, call for back up. Sue and I are on our way there now.” He flipped the phone shut, grabbed the dashboard siren from under the seat, and stuck it in place. Speeding the sedan through the traffic, he explained the situation to Sue. “When we get there, you have to promise me you’ll stay in the car. I don’t know what I’ll find inside.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The heavy footfalls on the stairs could only mean one thing. Bobby was coming. Darcy panicked at the thought. He couldn’t find her in this position – killing Tara with her bare hands. He’d never be able to love her after that. But she only needed a few more seconds to complete her task. Already, the agent had stopped fighting her. ”He doesn’t even know I’m here,” she reminded herself. Then, regretfully, she tossed the pillow to the side, jumped off the bed, and stepped into the closet, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Bobby thundered into the room. “Tara!” he cried, lifting her into his arms. “Come on, luv, wake up!” He stroked her face, calling to her over and over. Panic gripped him as he wondered why she wasn’t rousing. Finally, her eyes fluttered open and she began to cough. He held a glass of water from the nightstand to her lips, and when she’d taken a swallow of the cool liquid, she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything, he captured her lips in a kiss desperate to know she was alright.

Watching the interchange burned Darcy like hot coals. She fumed inside her closet prison. Then, a sickening truth filled her. Bobby would never love her again. Everything she’d done was futile. Her strong sense of self-preservation kicked in and she knew what she had to do. Bobby and Tara would both have to die. No one knew about her. They would pin the deaths on Jenkins who Bobby had, no doubt, rendered unconscious downstairs.

Drawing Bobby’s spare service weapon from the back of her waistband, she flicked off the safety. Two bullets. One for each of them. It should be easy. Tara first, and then Bobby.

Bobby sensed movement and turned on the bed in time to see Darcy kick open the door. Instinctively, he went for his own gun. “Don’t even try it, Agent Manning,” she told him. “Put your gun on the floor.”

Slowly, he stood and complied, never letting his eyes leave the woman in front of him. “Darce, why are you doing this?” His voice was calm, but in his mind, he frantically, searched for a solution. Darcy had a clear shot of both he and Tara. His training kicked in. Taking a deep breath, he went over the procedure. ”Keep her talking. Lucy already called for back up.”

“I wanted you back, but now I can see I’ll never have you. Your heart belongs to her.” She waved the gun at Tara, and he felt his heart constrict even more.

“Darcy, you’re wrong. I’ve thought about you every day.” He took a step towards her. “I only started seeing Tara to get over you. Now that you’re back, we can still get out of here - together.” He prayed Tara understood what he was doing. He could hear her breathing heavily behind him, but didn’t dare turn around and check on her.

“I’m not that easy to fool, Bobby.”

“Okay. I'd be the first to admit you are one smart woman. But Darcy, think about it. You know I loved you before. I can do it again.” He took another step and was now almost at the end of the bed. One more step and he would be between the gun and Tara.

Darcy cocked her head to the side. “You could love me?” Her voice cracked with emotion.

“I still love you. I always have and I always will.” He made the final step blocking Tara from Darcy’s aim. “We can leave right now. We could go to California or Canada or even Australia. You’ve never met my mom and pop.”

“You’d leave with me? You'd take me home?”

“Yes---but not if you shoot Tara.” Darcy’s eyes hardened at the mention of Tara’s name and he quickly added, “Think about it. If you kill her, the FBI will never stop searching for you. It would ruin our time together.”

“But she’ll always come between us.”

“No. I won’t let her. Can’t you see that I’m choosing you?” He stepped closer.

“Stop right there, Bobby,” she ordered. “I need time to think.”

He stepped back. His goal of getting Darcy out of the room so she couldn’t harm Tara was foremost in his mind. He didn’t want to press his luck. “Look, sheila, we need to leave now. Jack was on his way over here. You can keep the gun on me if you want, but I promise I won’t do anything.”

Darcy nodded her head slowly. “Okay. I’m backing out of this room, and you are coming with me. No tricks.”

Tara was almost safe. He held his hands out to his sides. He tried to keep his voice calm, but could feel the sweat streaming down his back. “No tricks. Just don’t hurt Tara.”

He heard Tara shift in the bed. “No, Bobby, please,” Tara begged. “You can’t leave with her.”

December 29 – Part 15

Throat constricting, Tara swallowed hard as she watched Bobby sign “I LOVE YOU” as he followed Darcy out of the room. She hadn’t doubted that even for a millisecond, but she knew he was willing to sacrifice himself if need be for her. Hearing Bobby’s declaration of love for Darcy, even though she knew they were false, had sent a pang to her heart. Now, Bobby had succeeded in saving her by deliberately making himself Darcy D’Angelo’s hostage, and Darcy had told her she’d kill Bobby if she left the room.

Still, she had to try to save him. As soon as she heard them begin to descend the staircase, Tara clamored out of bed. Her head spun as she located Bobby’s gun on the floor. Stumbling to the door, she pressed herself against the wall and listened. She could hear Bobby continually talking to Darcy, trying to get her to put down the gun. He promised to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless if she’d do it. Tara had to laugh at what Bobby would really do. ”More like throw you against the wall and put you in choke hold.”

The sound of their voices changed, and she knew they’d reached the entry way. She slipped around the corner and crept along the wall of the hall way to the stairs. From the loft, she watched Bobby lean against the table facing the stairs. Darcy’s back, then, was to Tara. However, because the staircase angled in the middle, she did not have a clear shot. She’d have to at least partially descend.

As soundlessly as possible, she tiptoed down the first four steps. Neither Bobby nor Darcy seemed to hear. Then, Bobby glanced up and saw her. She saw him visibly pale and his voice caught mid-sentence before he quickly diverted Darcy’s attention. She held her breath wondering if Darcy would catch his momentary slip. Two more steps and she’d have a shot that wouldn’t endanger Bobby.

Taking the two steps cautiously, she noticed her error as Jenkins caught sight of her and yelled, “Darcy, on the steps!” Darcy spun in Tara’s direction and fired wide. Suddenly, the front door burst open and Myles swung inside, weapon ready. A second shot rang out. Tara watched Darcy stagger back against the wall and fall in a hump to floor. Tara followed the line of fire with her eyes and looked in horror at Bobby.

Bobby, not Myles, had fired the second shot.

December 29 – Part 15


Bobby raced to the stairs and grabbed Tara, who was now almost the bottom, in a fierce hug. She melted into him, needing his touch as much as he needed hers. Tears wet her cheeks and soaked his sweatshirt, but she didn’t care. It was over now.

He eyed the bullet hole in the oil painting that had narrowly missed Tara’s head. She felt him exhale against her hair, and pushed herself gently away from him. She discovered that being on the steps left her eye to eye with the tall Aussie. He looked as if he were lost in a violent storm: his eyes dark, lips taut, and face pale.

“Good job, Koala Boy. She’s still alive!” Myles yelled sarcastically after he phoned for an ambulance. Under his breath he added, “Now you’ll never be rid of her.”

She cupped his face in her hands. “Did you hear Myles? She’s alive.”

He shook his head slightly. “I know. I didn’t shoot to kill. I … I… couldn’t. She could have killed you – again,” he breathed. “I had to shoot her, but I couldn’t kill her.” His chin dropped to his chest.

“Of course you couldn’t. You’re too good, too kind, too honorable to kill someone you’ve … loved.” He lifted his head at the word and his eyes pleaded with her to understand. “Bobby, I know that a part of you will always love her, and that’s okay. It’s part of who you are. I understand that.” She kissed his cheek. “Do you have any idea how much I love you, Bobby Manning?”

The slightest grin creased his face. “I hope it’s at least half as much as I love you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack and Sue arrived just before the ambulance. The paramedics stabilized Darcy and soon had her on her way to the hospital. They had said that they thought she’d make it, but it was always hard to tell with GSW’s. Det. Jenkins had been arrested and sent to be booked.

“What I don’t get is where you got the other gun,” Tara said.

“It was Jenkins’. It took it after I knocked him out and put it in the waistband of my jeans, under my sweatshirt,” Bobby explained.

Myles picked up the broken shards of the vase Bobby had used to distract Jenkins. “Do you have any idea how much this vase was worth?”

“Sorry, mate. I guess it’s safe to say I won’t be able to replace it for you, huh?”

“Not unless you intend to turn to life of very lucrative crime,” Myles admitted dryly.

“And what about the painting?” Sue asked glancing up the staircase.

“Painting? What happened to my painting?” Myles raced up the steps to check on his precious artwork. An audible moan insued. “Koala Boy, I’m going to kill you!”

“Why me?” Bobby sputtered. “I didn’t shoot your p…..”

“Koala Boy!” Tara shouted. “Bobby, Darcy had my bear. Let’s go get him!” Suddenly, Tara swayed and grabbed hold of the table.

Jack grabbed hold of her arm. “You okay?”

Bobby didn’t wait for her to answer. He immediately scooped her up in his arms. “Bobby, put me down. Who knows what Darcy did Koala Boy! He needs me. I have to go get him.”

“You – aren’t going anywhere except back to bed,” he said, mounting the stairs. “If anyone is going on a bear hunt around here, it’s going to be me.”

December 29 – Part 16

“She’s already asleep,” Bobby announced descending the staircase. “Myles, I hope you don’t mind if I don’t take her home ‘til morning.”

Myles shook his head. “I don’t think she could more damage anyway.”

Bobby chuckled. “Onya, mate.”

Jack stepped back into the room with his cell phone in hand. “That was D. They tested the SOG guys and they had the same stuff in their system that she used on Tara. They’re pretty high right now, but should be fine. He wants us to meet his at the Bureau to give our statements.”

Bobby started to protest and Jack held up his hand. “He’s sending someone here later to get Tara’s, but he wants you downtown. Sue will stay here with Tara.”

Levi nudged Bobby’s leg and he leaned down to pet the retriever. The dog then took Bobby’s sleeve in his mouth and tugged. “What’s up, boy?”

“He wants you to follow him,” Sue explained.

“Okay, lead the way.” Bobby trailed behind Levi through the house and into the kitchen. As soon as he stepped through the door, he heard the high pitched barking. “Bell! I forgot her outside!” He hurried to the door and scooped the shivering puppy up in his arms. She showered him with licks of thanks.

“She thinks you’re her hero,” Sue told him.

“Little does she know that I’m the one that forgot her. We both know who the real hero is – don’t we Levi?” He rubbed the dog’s head.

“I think she’d forgive you under the circumstances,” Jack added. “Now, if Tara were to find out…”

“I know,” Bobby said. “I’d be on pooper scooper duty for the next hundred years.” He sat Bell down on the floor and watched her make a beeline for Levi who was curled in the corner. She settled against him, warming herself. “If Sue’s going to keep an eye on Tara, would you mind doing the same for this little lady?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After giving his statement and turning over Jenkins’ gun, Bobby met Jack and Myles in the hall and they walked to the bullpen. “Have you talked to Sue? How’s Tara?”

“Still asleep,” Jack explained. “And, before you ask, Darcy is out of surgery. She should be fine.”

“Good.”

Jack sat on the edge of his desk. “And how are you?”

Bobby dropped into his chair heavily. “Numb. Stunned. Furious. Worried. I think that about covers it, Sparky. The more I think about it, the more I want to ring both Darcy and Jenkins necks. “ He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “How talkative is Jenkins being?”

Myles handed Bobby a fresh cup of coffee. “Singing like a bird. Guess he figures cooperation is in his best interest.”

“How did he say he hooked up with Darcy?”

“He’s been dealing drugs out of Arlington on the side. Darcy went looking to score and they met.”

Bobby shook his head. “That’s why she quoted him in her story about what parents should know about teens and drugs.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

“But how’d she get him to help her.”

Jack stood up. “According to him, she threatened to expose his second job. Jenkins arresting you was actually a fluke.”

“Do you believe that?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Did he give you Darcy’s address? The least I can do for Tara is get that koala back.”

Myles leaned against the filing cabinet. “Don’t you think that stuffed animal retrieval could wait ‘til tomorrow. It’s nearly midnight.”

”I’m not going home without the bear,” Bobby said emphatically as he stood up.

Jack waved the search warrant in the air. “Well, then, I guess we are all going on a bear hunt.”

December 30 – Part 1

By the time Jack, Myles, and Bobby arrived at Darcy’s apartment it was passed midnight. The trip over was harrowing with the road having become extremely icey. Jack considered turning around and going over in the morning, but his best friend’s determined expression told him he just go over there on his own yet tonight. Jack refused to let Bobby face this last obstacle alone.

The apartment complex surprised Bobby. It wasn’t dirty, just worn; its better days long since gone. A year ago, he was sure Darcy would rather die than live in a place like this.

The trio climbed out of the car without speaking. Jack opened the trunk and passed out the rubber gloves before grabbing the evidence retrieval box under one arm. Myles led the way to apartment 33B, and knocked.

“You expect the sheila to answer, Harvard?”

Jack tried the knob and found it locked. “Feel up to doing the honors?” he asked Bobby.

Bobby chuckled and took out his lock pick. He continued to laugh so hard, he was finding it difficult to use his tools.

“What’s so funny?” Jack asked.

“I keep thinking of that campfire song. You know the one ‘We’re going on a bear hunt. A great big bear hunt. Can’t go over it. Can’t go under it. Can’t go around it. Have to go through it.’ Sure seems to fit, doesn’t it? First the streets and now this. “

“Somehow I don’t think they meant into Darcy’s apartment,” Jack admitted.

“Koala Boy, I think you are suffering from some serious sleep deprivation,” Myles added.

The knob turned and Bobby stood up and smiled before pushing the door open. “Even at my worst, I’m better than you.”

Jack pushed between them and entered the apartment. Bobby and Myles followed. The all fell in stunned silence at the meager furnishings. The small, drab couch and matching easy chair looked second-hand. The coffee table and end tables didn’t match and the lopsided lamp obviously came from another era. The room was littered with empty fast food containers and dirty laundry.

“My how the mighty have fallen,” Myles said dryly. He lifted a McDonald’s box from the table and held it up to Bobby. “Did she learn this décor from you?”

“I’m actually more of a pizza man, myself.” He lowered himself to the couch and began to go through a stack of papers Darcy had left lying on it.

Jack glanced down the hallway noting the holes in the drywall and stains on the carpeting. “Not exactly where I expected Darcy to live,” he admitted.

“Yeah, well, there are a lot of things about Miss D’Angelo that aren’t what I expected. I’m beginning to wonder if I ever knew her.”

Jack placed a hand on his friends shoulder. “The operative word being that you KNEW her. You don’t KNOW her today. People change and sometimes it’s not for the better.”

“I know, Sparky. It’s just hard to believe that she tried to kill Tara a whopping four times.”

“One – four- does it make a difference how many?” Jack teased.

They both laughed. Myles leaned out of the bedroom. “I think you both might want to see this.”

One wall of the room was plastered with photos of Tara and Bobby. Because of their advent calendar surprises, Bobby could date most of them. She had photos of Bobby and Tara ices skating, Bobby dressed as Elvis at the nursing home, Bobby and Tara coming out of the White House, and many others. The oldest, Bobby noticed, was him dressed as Santa. Darcy had been watching them since around the fifteenth of December.

He shared the information with his teammates. “Let’s not tell Tara about this. I don’t want it to ruin our advent calendar experience.” He shivered slightly. “It’s an eerie feeling. Knowing someone was watching you.”

“At least she doesn’t have any photos of the Mistletoe Challenge,” Jack told him.

“That’s something for which we can all be grateful,” Myles added as he started examining the contents of the dresser.

“Speaking of that, Myles, what happened to you and Louisa?” Bobby wondered.

“A man of honor doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“Dumped you already, huh?”

Myles straightened his shoulders. “Actually, we’re planning to bring the new year in together at Delmonico’s.” He held up a red satin, fur trimmed nightie. “Is this yours, Koala Boy?”

“Not mine. I bought it for Tara.” Jack and Myles raised their eyebrows in unison. “What? It’s for Christmas next year. She kept teasing me about dressing up as an elf.”

Jack held out an evidence bag and Myles dropped it in. “I’m afraid you won’t be getting that little present next year because I doubt she’s going to want to have it back.”

“She only wants the bear back,” Bobby said, riffling through the closet.

Jack put the lingerie in the evidence box. “Crash, you understand that the stuffed animal is evidence. You can’t take it with you even if we find it.”

Bobby spun around. “I am taking it home. I seriously doubt that a stuffed koala will be what convicts Darcy of attempted murder.”

“But it places her in your apartment.”

“As does the magazines and the nightie.”

“And don’t forget her using your spare gun to redecorate my home,” Myles added. “Even I would have to say that I doubt they’ll introduce the stuffed animal into evidence.”

Jack chuckled. “Okay, Crash, you can take the koala….”

“…if we find it,” Myles added.

“Oh, we will. I won’t leave until I do.”

True to his word, Bobby dug through every nook and cranny of the apartment looking for Koala Boy even after Myles and Jack had long since stopped looking. Whenever they mentioned quitting, Bobby had launched into a tirade. Finding this bear clearly meant more to him than it should. They gave up trying to persuade him to leave and instead dozed on the couch with their head tilted back against the wall.

Finally, he admitted defeat. “It’s not here!” he yelled. Jack and Myles jerked awake. “How can it not be here?” He picked up a cup and threw it against the wall. It shattered and he reached for something else.

Jack grabbed his arm. “Let it go.”

Bobby yanked his arm away. “I can’t let it go. My ex-girlfriend tried to kill her. I didn’t protect her. I let her get hurt. I didn’t see it coming. Don’t you see? Because of me, the woman I love more than anything almost died. I failed Tara. The least I can do is get her bear back.”

Jack met Bobby’s stormy eyes. He’s known this was coming having imagined himself in Bobby’s position. “You did not fail Tara. She’s alive because of you!” Jack yelled back. “You didn’t have control over Darcy D’Angelo. You couldn’t have seen it coming. You’re only human, Bobby Manning.”

“But I’m supposed to protect her!”

“We can’t protect them from every danger, every bad guy or nutcase, or every horror out there. That’s not what love is. Loving them does not mean we can save them the pain in the world. It’s being there to help put the pieces back together.” Jack paused to let the words sink in.

Bobby sank to the easy chair and held his head in his hands.

Myles stood up and squeezed Bobby’s shoulder. “You know what? I think I know where that koala bear is.”

December 30 – Part 2

Tara stirred in the bed, and Sue closed the book she was reading. “Hi.”

“Hi. Are you my babysitter? Where’s Bobby?”

Sue smiled. “On a bear hunt. How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?”

“Pain meds and food. In that order, please. I’m starving.”

“I’ll be right back. Myles made you some dinner earlier, so I’ll just heat it up.”

Tara sunk back into the down pillows. ”Nice pillows. Yeah, nice pillows to kill someone with,” she sarcastically told herself. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought. It had been close. Too close. She forced the disturbing memories of fighting for every breath out of her mind. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on wedding dresses. She must have dozed off again because she woke when she heard footsteps in the hall. They were much heavier than Sue’s and for a moment she felt panic.

“Bobby?” she asked, her voice betraying her nerves. When her greeting was met by silence, she pushed herself painfully up in the bed.

Bobby stuck Koala Boy through the doorway. “I’m home,” he said in a high-pitched sing-song voice, tilting the bear back and forth as if it were speaking. “And look who I brought with me.” Bobby stepped inside the room and flashed her a dimpled grin.

“You look knackered,” she told him.

“You aren’t exactly the picture of health, my luv,” he said making his way to the bed. He bent and kissed her gently before passing Koala Boy to her. “Thank you, Bobby. I knew you’d find him.” She hugged the stuffed animal to her chest. “Whew!” she said, holding the bear at arm’s length. “I think Koala Boy and Koala Boy bear both need showers.”

They laughed, and Bobby propped himself against the headboard beside her. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “You okay?”

“Now that you’re both here, I will be. You?”

“Me, too.”

December 30 – Part 3

“Myles! What do you think you’re doing?” Tara hissed. “He’s sleeping!”

Myles chuckled. “The sleep of the dead. Look at him Tara. Even you couldn’t resist a blackmail photo like that.”

Tara looked at her fiancé, lying on his side with his arms curled around the stuffed koala with the bright red bow. She had to smile. After Sue had brought up her supper, Bobby had gone to shower. He then came back, climbed in her bed, and pulled her into his arms. This morning, she’d awakened to the flash of Myles camera. “He’s going to kill you.” She sat up in the bed and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Actually, I’m going to kill you if I’m in that photo.”

“Don’t worry. I only zoomed in on him.”

Tara swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

“Where are you going?” he asked, lending her a hand as she stood.

“I’ve got to get dressed so we can go home.” She tried not to, but found herself leaning heavily on his arm. “We need to get out of your hair. If I remember right, you’re feeling about having people in your home involved surrounding your house with a moat.”

Myles had to smile. “I believe I was speaking about a house guest. You’re more like family.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? I know how you feel about your family.”

He grinned again. “Let me escort you downstairs, and we’ll discuss this over breakfast.”

To her surprise, Myles insisted that she and Bobby stay at least another day. “You saw him, Tara, he’s exhausted. He’s in no shape to take care of you.” He placed a plate containing an omelet, fresh fruit, and a muffin in front of her.

“I can take care of myself.”

He glanced at her pale face and bit back the first sarcastic comment that came to mind. “Yes, but you know he won’t let you. He deserves a break. Besides, we’ve got a party to plan for tonight.”

“A party?”

”Nothing extravagant. Just low key.” He picked up her hand and fingered the diamond ring adorning it. “When were you going to tell everyone? See, I’m not as clueless as you thought. I thought maybe a small engagement party would be in order.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to.” He let go of her hand and poured her a cup of coffee. “I think if Bobby Manning can find someone to love him and who is willing to spend the rest of their live with him, then it should be declared a national holiday if not a miracle.”

December 30 – Part 4

He slept a solid sixteen hours. When he woke, Bobby felt a moment of panic when he realized Tara wasn’t in bed with him, and bolted upright. Immediately, he noticed a change of clothes for him lying on the chair beside the bed along with a note.

Morning Sleeping Handsome,

Myles and I are downstairs preparing for our engagement party guests. They should be here about 7:00. As soon as you’ve showered and changed, come join us.

I love you!

P.S. Yes, I’ve rested most of the day, so no nagging.

When Bobby descended the staircase, he couldn’t help but finger the hole in the painting. He swallowed hard thinking how close he had come to losing Tara. He sighed heavily. ”God,” he prayed, “I haven’t taken the time to thank you, yet. But I think you know how grateful I am.”

From the foyer, he could hear Tara chatting in the kitchen with Myles. He found her sitting at the island, wearing a red dress, and sipping a soda. “Welcome to the world of the living,” she told him, slipping her hands around his waist. He’d put on the black slacks and vertically striped fitted shirt she’d laid out. She loved how it tapered in at the waist and made his chest and shoulders look even broader. “Mmmm, you look good and smell good.”

He kissed her softly. “You look great. How are you feeling?”

“Much better. Myles has taken good care of me.”

“Thanks, mate.” He stepped away from Tara and reached for a carrot Myles was cutting. Myles waved the knife threateningly, and he yanked his hand away in mock horror. “What’s this about a party?”

“Only our team. They don’t know why. They just think we’re having dinner. Myles made chicken marsala and bought a chocolate layered torte cake for dessert.”

“Any appeys? I have been sleeping awhile and I’m feeling rather peckish.”

“There’s a spinach artichoke dip in the oven. It’ll be out in minute,” Myles explained. “Would you mind opening the wine so it can breathe?”

Bobby had to chuckle. The concept of wine breathing always made him laugh, but he uncorked the bottle with ease and smelled the cork as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Tara shifted in her chair to watch him. “So you never said where you found Koala Boy Bear. Was it at Darcy’s apartment?”

“No. We found the nightie though.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively and watched her face flush before he continued. “We turned the place upside down, and he just wasn’t there.”

“So?”

“Myles figured it out. Koala Boy Bear was only a couple of blocks from here in her car. She’d taken him with her. Who knows what plans she had for him.”

Tara shuddered at the thought. “Wow, Myles, we’re going to be in your debt forever.”

“Oh, I think a son named Myles Manning would fulfill your obligations.”

Bobby rolled his eyes and the doorbell chimed. “On that thought, I think I’ll go let our guests in.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A relaxing meal around Myles’ table helped the team unwind. Tara was glad that Donna was able to them. The group made small talk and avoided the subject of Darcy D’Angelo completely. It was just the medicine Tara needed. With her spirits lifted by the laughter, she hardly noticed her body getting tired. Bobby pulled her to her feet when Myles brought out the desert and snaked an arm around her waist.

“It was very generous of Myles to invite you all here tonight on our behalf.” He paused to watch eyebrows lift in question. “So much has happened since Christmas that we haven’t had the chance to share our news.” He turned to Tara and lifted her hand to his chest. “On Christmas, I asked Miss Tara Williams to spend every Christmas with me for the rest of our lives, and she agreed to marry a bloke like me.”

Lucy let out a whoop and immediately the couple was surrounded in hugs and congratulations. The ladies all needed to see the ring and the men watched them oogle over it. When the noise died down, the group sat down to eat the chocolate torte cake for dessert. Lucy immediately needed to know how Bobby had asked her. Bobby caught Jack’s eye remembering his friend’s advice to make it good because Tara would be telling it over and over.

Tara smiled at her friends and closed her eyes. So much had happened in the last five days that she wanted to be clear about all the details. She allowed the memory to wash over her, fresh and new. “It all started when we went to my friends inn for a sleigh ride and got snowed in. We had to stay the night there.”

Bobby led Tara up the winding staircase to the third floor. Tara immediately noticed that no one else was around. With her hand crooked in his arm, he led her down the hall to a large set of double doors. He pushed one in and held it open for her to enter.

For one of the first times in her life, she was speechless.

"Sherry said no one was using the ballroom today so I could have it for an hour or two," Bobby said softly.

Tara surveyed the room. Without decorations, the room would have been beautiful, but with the enormous Christmas tree lit at one end, the chandaleer sparkling overhead, and the candles decking each table at the sides surrounded by white rose floral arrangements, she found herself awestruck.

"They had a wedding reception here last night, but they aren't cleaning up until this afternoon. Tara say something."

"It's beautiful," she said simply. "It's absolutely beautiful."

"Wait, I forgot something." Bobby darted to a nearby table and propped a piece of poster board up behind a CD boom box. It read, "Welcome to Prom."

Tara covered her mouth with her hands. Bobby pulled them away and held them in his own. "No one as wonderful as you should miss their prom." A tear started to trail down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. "Don't you dare start that," he teased, kissing the place on her cheek where the tear had fallen. "Would you care to dance, Miss Williams?"

"I'd love to."

Bobby pushed play and one of the waltzes they'd learned a couple of weeks ago began. He swept Tara into his arms.

She loved the feel of his strong arms moving her across the floor even if he held her a little closer than what would be considered proper. This waltz was one of her favorites and she could feel the silk skirt swirl about her ankles. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to soak in the moment completely.

Bobby looked down at her and smiled. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he whispered.

A little embarrassed, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Yes, very much.”

“Good.”

They glided toward the ten foot tall Christmas tree bearing a stunning array of mirrored glass ornaments . The candlelight caught the glass beads and baubles and the tree shimmered. “Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as that tree?” Tara asked.

Bobby glanced down at her and said in his best accent, “Sure. I’m looking at it.”

For an hour, Bobby held her in his arms, whispering endearments, making her feel like she was indeed a princess at the ball. Looking up into his handsome face, she was sure she wouldn't need to loose a shoe to keep this prince.

He stopped her in front of the tree kissed her long and gently. "Present time," he whispered. He bent over and retrieved a squared package.

"But Bobby, I told you that your gift is at home."

He pressed a finger to her lips. "Just open it, luv."

She carefully removed the paper and pulled out the ornament inside. The crystal bell read, "Our first Christmas Together -2005."

"Thank you, Bobby. I love it."

"Wait a minute. Let me see that," he said, taking it from her hand. "There's something wrong with this."

"What? I don't see anything."

He placed it on the nearest table. "Well, you see to have a first Christmas, you have to have a second, a third, a fourth...," he said, dropping his knee in front of her before continuing, "....and a thirtieth and a fortieth. He pulled the ring from his jacket pocket and Tara gasped. "I love you with all of my heart and soul. Will you spend every Christmas with me for the rest of your life?"

Scarcely able to breathe, Tara nodded. "Every single one," she managed.

He slipped the ring on her finger, stood, and kissed her, pouring all of their tomorrows into the expression of love.

Sue sighed after she’d relayed her story while Donna and Lucy both dabbed at tears in their eyes.

“So when is the big day?” D asked.

“Friday, February 24,” Bobby answered.

Lucy choked on her cake and had to take a swallow of water before she could speak. “But that’s only about eight weeks away!”

“I know. That’s why I’ll need you and Sue’s help.” Donna, Lucy, and Sue launched into wedding plans. Jack and Bobby laughed at them, and no one noticed Myles slip out of the room.

He came back in carrying a large frame wrapped in brown paper. He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “As you all know, my artwork collection has taking a beating this week. So, with our engaged couple in mind, I want to show you all the new piece of art I plan to hang in the staircase in their honor.”

A hush fell over the group as Myles tore off the brown paper. As soon as they caught sight of the picture in the frame, the entire group burst into uproarious laughter. Bobby shook his head in dismay, and Tara smiled at Myles knowingly. She couldn’t believe that Myles had taken the photo of Bobby sleeping with the Koala Boy bear in his arms and had it enlarged to fit the gilded frame.

“You guys have always said I was a work of art,” Bobby joked.

“Are you sure that we didn’t say that you were a real piece of work?” Jack corrected, still barely containing his laughter.

“Myles, I think it’s your best piece yet. What are you calling it?” Sue asked.

“Bear Necessities.”

“Perfect, Myles,” Tara admitted. “Just perfect.”

~finis

You can find this story, and all of Oreolover's other stories here in her archive page. Comments are always welcome!