If one could have read her mind at that time, one might have thought the devil had taken possession of her soul. One might even begin to chant in order to exorcise the demons! Elizabeth paced angrily while her mind was a blur of vulgarities and expletives.

"You nearly let the food burn up," laughed Darcy, until he saw her face scrunched up in a scowl. "What's wrong?!"

She blinked and pointed to her laptop, stationed on the kitchen table. "Is this the kind of people you employ?!"

Darcy hastily read the email. "Liz, it's not as bad as..."

"Of course, you wouldn't think so! Will, the man practically told me to 'stay the fuck out of it, little lady and let the big boys handle this'!"

Darcy crossed to her and held onto her shoulders. "Liz," he stated firmly. "It's not that bad. They just aren't aware of certain things."

"None of that matters! They just don't want to turn over every stone!"

"Do you want me to talk to them?"

Elizabeth gasped and pulled away. "You don't know how hard it is for a woman to get into a good ol' boys profession! I don't want to be belittled, coddled or placated!" she sneered. "I'll just do it my damn self!!!" And with that she left the room in umbrage.

When she slammed the door behind her, it shook the whole house.

Elizabeth tossed some things around, let out a few primal screams, while Bud yowled and barked on the stairs below. All that gave her a headache, and after taking a few Ibuprofen, she slept in a fitful state.

Darcy shuddered as he heard the noises above and contemplated his next move. She would be humiliated if I sent an email... She would be humiliated and pissed! Maybe I could... Nah! She'd kill me either way! I'll just wait and see...

Darcy ate his meal with Bud at his feet. He cleaned off the grill, packed the food away, and washed up the dishes. He had been looking forward to a nice leisurely conversation with Elizabeth, but that was not to be. Instead, he sought out Robinson Crusoe and read for a while, but his fantasies soon took over and he lay on the couch to enjoy them.

Eventually, reality awakened him, or rather Bud yawned loudly, and Darcy quickly dismissed those flights of fancy. Purely physical! And childish! He took himself upstairs and practically fell into the bed to sleep.

*****

Elizabeth walked into the kitchen; Darcy merely noted her presence and looked back to his plate of food.

She poured a cup of coffee, took a big slurp, swirled it in her mouth, swallowed hard, steadied herself, looked directly at Darcy, and then began, "I overreacted. I'm sorry for taking it out on you."

Darcy worried that his next statement might send her over the edge again. Yes, you did overreact... No way! She would kill me! He dismissed that thought. I understand... No, I don't understand, but she would feel like I was coddling her and quit! He shook that theory off as well. You're forgiven... Nope. She would curse me from Genesis to Revelations!! He just nodded.

"Do you want to start your training today?"

"No way! I, I mean, no."

"I'm over it, okay?!" she shrieked, agitated.

"Are you?"

She turned her back to him and fixed her plate. "Yes."

Darcy stood and walked over to her; wanting to wrap her in his arms instead he held back. "I don't think you are," he whispered.

Elizabeth choked back tears and could only nod her head.

"Why don't I watch while you show me the basic techniques. You could even teach me some of the terminology."

Elizabeth nodded again and continued to do whatever else needed to be done on the countertop. Yes, he was placating her, but she was not up to another outburst and tears definitely were out of the question.

*****

As Elizabeth ate, Darcy tried his hand at lightening the mood. "Why doesn't your car have a backseat?" Elizabeth could not answer him with her mouth full of food, so she hastily tried to finish. "Is it for Bud?"

She shook her head and swallowed. "Prisoners." Darcy's brow furrowed in confusion. "When I catch a bounty, I handcuff 'em. That's why there's a steel pole from the roof to the floor."

"Ah. But how do you get them in?"

"Most often, they're unconscious."

"Um hmm... What about the empty milk jar?"

"In case they have to pee."

Darcy pinched his lips together to hold back the laughter. "What if they have to do number two?"

"That's their problem."

Darcy snickered as he stood up. He carried his plate to the sink and turned around. "Whenever you want to start... I'll be in your study."

Just then her cell phone rang.

"Char?"

"Yes Lizzy. How soon can your get up here?"

"3 hours."

"Good! I'll see you in a bit."

"But Char, it won't be dark then."

"Oh, okay. How about 8 p.m.?"

"I'll be there. Was Jane able to do as I asked?"

"Yes, I got it right here. And Fitz wants to meet with you."

"Oh he does, does he?"

"Yes. You might want to fix yourself up a bit..."

"You sound like my mother!"

"Ugh! Mine too!" she laughed. "Sorry."

"He's that fine, huh?"

"Umm hmmm!"

"Hmm? 8 p.m. right?"

"Right. See ya there."

"Okay."

They hung up.

"Will," she called as she walked into the study. "I have to meet Charlotte and Colonel Williams at 8 p.m."

"I'll be ready."

"You're not going."

"Why not?"

"Someone might see you." Darcy frowned. "Why risk it at this point?"

"I want to... I need to see my cousin."

"Cousin?"

"Yes. Fitz Williams is my cousin."

"Liz, could you give this note to Fitz?"

Elizabeth looked at the envelope. "Sure. Is there something you want me to tell him?"

"Nope. It's all in there," Darcy pointed.

Elizabeth wanted so much to open the envelope that sat in the passenger seat. She knew Darcy would not give out their location or any other important thing, but it nagged at her that he was hiding something. She spent a long 75 minutes on the highway gnawing on what might be in that envelope.

Elizabeth rolled up to the familiar non-descript diner and pulled around the side, away from the road. Charlotte flashed her beams as Elizabeth drove by, their signal; she parked around back, then ducked behind trucks and cars as she made her way to Charlotte's car.

"Hey!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she jumped in the back seat.

"Hi!" blurted Charlotte as she turned in her seat. "This is Colonel Fitzgerald Williams."

He turned to face her. "Hello." They shook hands. Fine yes, but not as fine as your cousin! "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to finally meet you too," he smiled. "So, you're the bounty hunter?"

"Yes, I am!" she rankled. "Gotta problem with that?"

"No, no..." he laughed. "I've just heard a lot about you. That's all."

"Don't believe a word of it."

"It was all high praise, I assure you."

"I doubt it. But thank whoever said it."

"Uh, yeah." The Colonel looked confused. "How's Lydia?"

"Lydia? How do you know my sister?"

"I, I met her... a few years back." Damn!

"Where?" she asked and raised an eyebrow.

"I was visiting Will in Dallas and I, we, met her in a restaurant, I think."

"Hmm?" Dramatic pause. "Where are our clothes?"

"In the trunk," chimed Charlotte.

"How's Will?" he asked.

"Upset."

"I figured. I really wanted to see him, but I understand why..."

"Oh, he asked me to give this to you!" interrupted Elizabeth as she handed him the envelope.

"Excuse me for a moment." The Colonel opened the door and walked towards the diner.

Silently the ladies watched him walk away.

"What was that all about?" asked Elizabeth.

Charlotte shrugged. "Not a clue."

"I wonder how he really knows my sister."

The Colonel tore open the envelope in the dim of moonlight and as he neared the diner's neon sign, he puzzled as he flipped through the first 4 pages of the missive, the handwriting was definitely Darcy's, but it made no sense. Finally, on the 5^th page was an actual item addressed to him, it read:

The Colonel shook his head, tucked the letter in the inside pocket of his leather bomber jacket, and walked slowly back to the car.

"It probably happened like he said. You know Lydia, she'll walk up to any stranger and introduce herself."

"You mean, she'll walk up to any man and introduce herself."

They both laughed.

"I'm sorry," the Colonel apologized as he got back in the car. "I just had to read it."

"Well?" queried Charlotte.

"Just a few instructions." Some, a little too late... "Business. Nothing at all," he dismissed. "Where did you find that bug? And yes, it is a bug."

"Under his desk."

"I wasn't sure, but I found a little glue patch under there. Most would dismiss it as being a bit of same glue they used to put the desk together. But my cousin is meticulous! There can be nothing out of place within his view or under his scrutiny." Elizabeth snickered. "If something is wrong, then it goes back from whence it came!" They all laughed. "Anyway, I had the glue analyzed and they found that it was, indeed, the same, but a more recent mixture."

"Did you find any more?"

"No. But I found out who makes it."

Elizabeth and Charlotte were all eagerness to know, but the Colonel took his time.

"Are you going to tell us or keep us in suspense?" asked Elizabeth.

"Sorry, I like the dramatic pause," he chuckled. "That particular bug was made in China by an exclusive and was sold on the black market. It's an antique now, but it can still be traced. I'm calling in a few markers to find out."

"Call me on my cell phone when you find out. Get the number from Charlotte."

"Will do."

"Well, gotta go. Hit the trunk for me, will ya?"

"Talk to you later!"

"Sure thing, Char." Elizabeth opened the door. "Do you have a message for your cousin, Colonel?"

"No. I'll talk to him when I call you."

"Okay." Elizabeth shut the door, retrieved their bags, and slunk into the shadows.

Charlotte waited until Elizabeth drove out of sight.

*****

"Will?" called Elizabeth as she opened the door. "Will..." Darcy opened the door a bit wider. "Oh, you're still up?"

"I heard you pull up," he rubbed his eyes. "How did everything go?" he took the bags from her.

"Fine," she answered and walked past him.

"And how about Fitz? Did he send anything in return?"

"How does he know Lydia?"

"Lydia?" he startled.

"Lydia." Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest and waited for an answer.

"Are you ready for your training?" Elizabeth did not look up as she poured Bud's dog food in her bowl.

"Can I eat breakfast first?"

"Sure. I'll..." she finally looked at him. "Hey, what happened to your face?!"

Darcy rubbed his chin. "I'm out of razor blades."

"Why didn't you say something before?"

"I forgot."

"You should leave yourself notes."

"Thank you," he smirked. "I'll do that next time."

"It doesn't look bad..."

"But?"

"But nothing. I could run to the store and get you some razors."

"Nah! I always wanted to try a beard and mustache on for size."

"You already look different," she wrinkled her nose.

"And?"

"And... depending on how changed you look, we might venture into town... one day."

He smiled.

Darcy ate while Elizabeth and Bud played on the kitchen floor.

"Argh!" exclaimed Elizabeth. She pulled on both of Bud's ears. "You truly need a bath!" she sniffed herself. "And so do I!" She stood up and Bud ran off. "You don't mind if we postpone your training until later, do you?"

"Not at all. Can I help?"

"It would be greatly appreciated."

Darcy hurried to finish his breakfast and cleanup as Elizabeth filled the washtub out back.

"Bud! Bud!" Elizabeth yelled. "Come here girl!"

"I take it she doesn't like to get wet?" chuckled Darcy from the kitchen window.

"Oh, she loves the water, it's the soap she isn't too fond of! Bud!"

Darcy decided to look around front.

"Bud! Bud!"

Darcy called, but got the same response as Elizabeth, nothing. He whistled and made sucking noises, but to no avail. He crawled on his hands and knees to look under the porch and by the time he was covered in dirt, Darcy noticed piercing hazel eyes staring back at him from deep in the corner.

"Come here girl," he coaxed. Bud looked away. "Come on." Bud snorted. "If Liz finds you, it'll be worse." Bud whined. "Come on." Bud whimpered and crawled closer to Darcy. "You know I'm right." Bud yowled and put her paw on Darcy's hand. Darcy put his other hand on Bud's paw. "It'll be just fine," he whispered. Bud shook her head, but crawled the rest of the way out from under the porch. Darcy got up, dusted off and they both walked around back.

"Good girl!" Elizabeth ruffled Bud's ears as she led the dog into the tub. She looked up. "You could use a bath too!"

He smiled and nodded.

Elizabeth waved Darcy over. "She's a bit of a baby. Could you help me hold her down?"

"Sure." Darcy grabbed her collar as Elizabeth turned on the water. Bud yelped and tried to get away. "Sit!" Bud paid no attention to Darcy, so he had no choice but to grab the dog around the midsection and push her down in the tub.

"That's my girl," cajoled Elizabeth as she began to spray the dog. Bud squirmed and struggled and tried her best to bolt as the soap was worked in. "It's either this or the groomer's!"

That did it! Bud gave in. All the fight had gone out of her with that one word and she huffed in submission. Elizabeth always used that trick and she always won.

"Hey! The dog, not me!" Darcy flicked water on Elizabeth.

"Didn't I say you needed a bath too!" Elizabeth laughed and sprayed Darcy.

"Argh!" He lunged at her and grabbed for the hose, Elizabeth fell backwards on her behind. "You're pretty dirty yourself!" Darcy turned the hose on Elizabeth.

"Ayeee!" she screamed.

They wrestled for control and thus ensued, a water battle. Bud watched them play and laugh for a bit, then trotted off to wallow in the dirt in her favorite place under the porch.

*****

After a long while, the laughter had died down and the water turned off. The participants were soaked to the bone, muddy as all get out, and happy about it.

"Don't you track that mud in my house!"

"You sound like my mother!" he laughed.

"Better yours than mine!" she chuckled as she pulled off her shoes and socks.

Darcy sat beside Elizabeth and did as she did. "I haven't done anything that silly since... since... I can't even remember!" he sighed.

Elizabeth swept one side of her wet hair off her face and smiled. "Neither have I."

Instinctively, Darcy pushed the other side of her hair off her face. "Can we do it again tomorrow?" he smiled.

Elizabeth blushed as his hand toyed with the soft swirls around her temple. "Sure," she whispered and looked away.

Funny how horseplay in the mud does not affect her, but a simple stroking shakes her to her very core!

Darcy realized where his hand was and quickly pulled it away, but he still continued to look upon her. Such an awkward few minutes passed between them.

Elizabeth stood up and Darcy watched as she rose; her dripping hair fell carelessly around her shoulders, her face still glowing, and her yellow tee shirt clung ever so tightly to her breasts. Sprooooooiiiing! He leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees, and looked in the other direction.

Elizabeth disappeared into the house.

Elizabeth jumped up from the bed when she heard Darcy coming up the stairs.

*****

Darcy had showered and changed and was now rummaging through the kitchen for some lunch. The cell phone rang, startling Darcy momentarily. It was on the counter.

"Liz! The phone's ringing!" he yelled. "Liz!"

"Yeah?" she yelled from the top of the stairs.

"The phone!"

"Answer it!" She wrapped a towel around her head and ran back into her room.

"Okay!" He flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Will?"

"Charlotte?"

"Yeah. Where's Liz?"

"Upstairs. What's..."

"How are you?"

"Fine. What's up?"

"Fitz needs to talk to her."

"And I want to talk to him!"

Charlotte took the phone from her ear. "You're in trouble." She handed the Colonel the phone.

"Sorry Will..."

"Sorry?! Sorry?! You can be tortured by Iranians and beaten to a pulp by the fucking KGB 'cause you wouldn't give up secrets, yet you can't keep your mouth shut for a woman!!!" he whispered angrily.

"I thought she knew!"

"And I told you she didn't!"

"Not even after..."

"No!" Darcy heard Elizabeth coming down the stairs. "Uh, yes. I hope my instructions are carried out to the utmost. I'm counting on you to run the business in my absence."

"Is that the Colonel?"

"Um hmm... Okay. Here she is." He handed Elizabeth the phone.

"Hi. What's up?"

"I have a list of purchases within the last 10 years."

"Email it to me!"

"I'll get right on it. Does Will know about the bug?"

Elizabeth glanced at Darcy seated at the kitchen table. "I don't think so, but I'll tell him." He looked up, curiously.

"Okay."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Not really. I just wanted to tell you how nice it was to finally meet you."

"Same here," she smiled. "Maybe we can get together after all this is over?"

After eating lunch, Darcy did the dishes, and they ventured out onto the front porch. Elizabeth sat on the swing bench, while Bud and Darcy sat on the steps.

"I found a bug, I mean a small radio transmitting device in your office."

"Really?! When?!"

"After the shooting..."

"I was wondering what you were doing! You're pretty fast on your feet! I assume it's happened to you before."

"Then you'd assume, incorrectly." She shuddered. "I hate guns! They scare the hell out of me!"

"But you were so calm and cool?"

"Believe me, I had a good cry when I got home!"

"But... why... how?"

"I just figured the shooter wanted to make sure you were really dead. Or at least badly shaken."

Darcy just looked at her in wonder; he took a few minutes to digest it. "Where did you find the bug?"

"Under your desk."

"How did Fitz get it? Ah, Charlotte, of course."

"I gave it to her in the hospital. First, she gave it to the police, but they didn't know what it was. Thank God your cousin came along!"

"Thank God," he rolled his eyes.

"Otherwise we'd have been lost... A dead end."

"I'm sure you wouldn't have given up so easily."

"You're right."

Darcy muttered almost to himself, "I wonder who could have planted it?"

"Other than your friends... No, let me rephrase that. Who's been in your apartment in the last year or so?"

"Not that many people. I'm rarely in Dallas."

"Hmm?" Elizabeth furrowed her brow in thought. "Do you have a maid?"

"A cleaning service."

"Really?" Darcy nodded. "Write the name down for me... Does the apartment manager have a key?"

"Yes."

"Then he's a suspect! What about Caroline?"

"Nope."

"You expect me to believe that she has never been in your apartment?!"

"I would never have been able to get her out, if I had."

"Damn! I was ready to throw her ass in jail!"

"You wouldn't?!" he laughed.

"Don't be too sure!" she smiled. "Now back to your list. Repairmen, decorators, delivery people, caterers, business associates... If your desk isn't that old, then them too! They're all suspects!"

"I get it."

"When can I get it?" she blushed. "The list, I mean."

"Give me a few hours..." Definitely, a few hours with you...

"Then I'll leave you to it!" She stood up.

"I don't know exactly who put in my satellite dish or who fixed the trash compactor, but I think I can remember the company's names."

"That'll be just fine."

Elizabeth walked into the house and Darcy followed. She went upstairs and he went into the study to find some blank paper and a pen.

That night after Darcy had written down all he could remember, he and Elizabeth practiced breathing techniques, terminology, and fighting stances. The exercise exhausted Darcy, yet invigorated Elizabeth. While Darcy made an early night of it, Elizabeth examined both lists: the Colonel's and Darcy's, talked to Charlotte, checked the Internet for addresses, and made plans.

*****

"Good morning!" smiled Darcy as Elizabeth staggered into the kitchen.

"Morning," she mumbled in reply.

"Late night?"

Elizabeth poured coffee. "Yeah." She slurped down some of the black stuff. "I'm going to Dallas tonight, but I've got to make some calls today."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Probably 2 days." Darcy's eyes widened in shock. "But, I'll check in each day," she hurriedly corrected.

"How?"

"I'll leave the phone with you."

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know yet... exactly. But my gut tells me I should do this."

"Do you always listen to your gut instincts?"

"Yes." No... "When it comes to my job."

Darcy nodded. "Are we going to have time for training today?"

"You can practice what you learned yesterday. And I'll test you on it before I leave."

"Okay."

Darcy stood up and cleaned his plate off as Elizabeth sat down and ate over her laptop. He impatiently patted his foot while she typed.

She looked over at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm just waiting for you to finish eating before I clean up."

"I'll be here for a while."

"But I..."

Darcy walked out onto the back porch; he listened to the crickets, played with Bud, and walked around the house several times. It didn't work! And it was only 9:30 p.m.! He went inside, finished up his reading, practiced his stances, turned on Elizabeth's old radio. None of it worked... He was bored stiff!

"It's a madhouse in here!"

"Glad you made it!" exclaimed Elizabeth over the noise. "You want something to drink?!"

"Are we staying?!"

Elizabeth nodded. "Just for a little while! It's been a long time since I partied... You don't mind do you?!"

"I'll have that drink now!"

Elizabeth waved over the bartender and ordered the man a drink. As they sipped their drinks, they watched the crowd mingle and dance and tried to talk over the hullabaloo.

"You wanna dance?!"

"Sure!" she smiled.

Elizabeth and the man slithered their way onto the dance floor. They had no intention of dancing for almost an hour, but it was damn nigh impossible to get off the floor. They held hands as the man led her out of the door to the club.

"My ears are ringing!"

"You don't party much?"

"No, not anymore. Just a tad busy."

They walked further down the street to a quiet all-night outdoor café.

"Let me see what you got?"

The man pulled papers out from inside of his jacket. "I talked to almost all the people on my half of the list." They quietly discussed each person over coffee. "Nothing seemed out of order with any of them. However, I still need to talk to one man who moved to California more than a year ago and one lady who quit after a few weeks. How about you?"

"I've talked to almost everyone," she shrugged. Elizabeth pulled out her list from her purse and they reviewed each individual in hushed tones. "No leads there. But I do have a few more people to call... basically friends and associates."

"I'll see if I can get more info on the two missing links tomorrow. Then I'll email you."

"What about that other list? I have no idea who those people are."

"Don't worry about it. Most are third world figures or foreign politicos. I'm still checking to see how that bug got into the States."

Elizabeth checked her watch. "Okay."

"You really should get ICQ, that way we can chat live and still send email, pictures, etc. And it's free!"

"I'll do it as soon as I get home!"

"It's pretty tricky, so you'll need to read up on it. Here's where you can get it." He wrote on the back of her list.

"Okay. Thanks."

"What else do you have to do tomorrow?"

"Pay some bills, check my mail, etc."

"But you can't go back to your apartment!" he whispered.

"I'm going over there now, but I'll make sure no one sees me. I won't even turn on any lights."

He called over the waiter and paid the bill. "Where are you staying?"

"Downtown Hilton."

"You could stay with me?"

She stammered, "N, No thank you. I..."

"Don't even go there!" he laughed. "I have a two bedroom apartment." And a girlfriend!

"Sorry," she blushed and giggled. "I already paid for the room."

"Okay," he stood up and pulled out her chair. "I'll talk to you on Monday."

"Thank you," she smiled and stood.

He waved her off and walked off into the starlit night. Elizabeth went back to her car and drove off to McDonald's for some of those fabulous french fries!

*****

Darcy hardly slept. He woke up bleary-eyed, beat down, and in a foul mood! Plus Bud was breathing her dog breath in his face.

"Get the hell off my bed!!!" Bud barked, but backed off. Darcy rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. "Damn!" he spat. It was nearly noon! "I'll feed you when I'm good and damn ready!" he pointed at the dog. Bud whined and Darcy felt guilty. It wasn't the dog's fault! "Alright! Alright!" He got out of the bed. "At your service, Madam! What is the choice of the day? Chicken or Beef?"

Bud barked twice and bounded down the stairs.

"Beef it is!" Darcy stumbled toward the door.

As he fixed Bud's bowl, Darcy contemplated how he would spend the rest of the day. Well, he could finish reorganizing the bookshelves, wash some clothes, tidy up a little. So after showering and making lunch, he did just as he listed, but he didn't stop there. Oh no! Not Darcy! He straightened pictures, dusted, mopped, swept, or vacuumed the floors throughout almost the entire house. Almost... But if not the whole house, then why anything at all? He had never been in Elizabeth's room and she kept the door closed at all times. Why is that? He would soon find out.

Darcy opened the door and shrieked in disgust! Good God, she's a pig!!! Clothes scattered all over the floor, lingerie hanging from drawers and mirrors, papers thrown every which way, an over-flowing wastebasket, cans, candy-wrappers, and other stuff haphazardly strewn amongst the other junk. If there was a bed in there, no one could tell. Darcy needed to rest before he tackled this room! It would take him a whole day and probably more, but he would do it! It wasn't in him to let sleeping dogs lie. So, as he prepared dinner, he made plans. An early night to bed and up at the crack of dawn to start.

Elizabeth did as she said; she went through her mail, paid bills, and made a few door-to-door inquiries to Darcy's friends and associates. That afternoon, she called her father, Jane and Charlotte; and relished in the goings on in her family and with her friend.

As Darcy was cleaning up the kitchen, the cell phone rang.

"Liz?"

"Hi, Will. I'm just checking in. Is everything all right?"

"Yes."

"What did you do today?"

"I was just going to ask you the same question."

"Pounded the pavement... My poor feet!"

"Did you find out anything?"

"Nothing I can pin down, but I should be home tomorrow night as promised. We'll talk then."

"Okay."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

They hung up.

*****

Darcy was indeed up with the roosters. Armed with mop, broom, bucket, dustpan, cleaning liquids and sprays, garbage bags, etc. He cleaned the room at the speed of sound.

Darcy picked up a note that caught his eye before he tossed in it the paper pile.

It read:

Darcy was shocked at first. Liz is writing me love letters?! Then he chuckled. Wait till I tell Fitz! Then reflected on what his answer would be.

As he cleaned further, he found a few more love notes (really scribblings on a note pad) and tucked them into his pocket until he could read them all at once.

It was nearly 1:30 p.m., but the room was nearly done. But as he was hanging up clothes in the walk-in closet, he espied a door on the other end. He gulped and blinked as he opened the door; it was another room! A bedroom to be precise, and one that looked very neat and tidy. Hmm? Strange that this room has no other door... Perhaps it could use a good dusting? But as he scrutinized it, he found it to be extremely clean and not in need of his services. Hmpf!

Anyway, he picked up all his supplies and placed them back in their appropriate places within the house. He showered and changed, came back downstairs, fixed Bud's bowls of food and water, and made a late lunch for himself. After eating, he remembered he left the love notes in his other clothes, but was too tired to get up to retrieve them. Still, he reveled in the fact that he was so admired. He pondered those thoughts for a good long while, but got sleepy. So, instead he began to read another book to keep his mind from wandering off to fantasy island and to wait up for Elizabeth's return. But that was not the case, he had exhausted himself completely. It had been quite a while since he had taken on an adventure such as the one he did today. He fell asleep on the couch in the study.

Bud barked, waking Darcy with a start.

*****

Elizabeth pulled up into the driveway and Bud came flying around the house to greet her; she barked with glee and jumped and pranced.

Elizabeth hugged her dog. "I missed you too!" Elizabeth looked up to see Darcy watching them with a smile on his face.

"Hi."

"Hi yourself," she smiled in return. I could get used to this!

"You hungry?"

"Like Rip Van Winkle after a long nap!" she laughed.

"I'm surprised you didn't stop off at McDonald's?"

She bit her lip in embarrassment. "I just got some fries."

"Come on," he grabbed her overnight bag. "I'll whip you up something right quick."

"I'm gonna take a long hot bubble bath first, so don't work too quickly."

Bud went flying out the back door for cover, she knew somebody was in trouble and hoped it wasn't her.

Darcy startled. "I, I, I cleaned it!"

"Why?!"

"It was a pigsty!!!"

"Yes, it was, but it was MY pigsty!" she stomped. "Who gave you permission to enter MY room?!"

"I didn't see a 'keep out' sign!"

"And I didn't think I needed to put one up!"

"I was just trying to be helpful!" he defended.

"If you want to be helpful, ask first!"

"There's not much else to do around here!"

"I got some power tools out back, you can start fixin' the shed tomorrow!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

Darcy could not let go of her unkempt room. "I just don't understand how can you sleep in such filth?"

"I don't sleep in there!" Elizabeth rubbed her temples. Maybe I should explain... "It's my tantrum room."

"Your what?"

"My tantrum room. When I want to kick or throw something, scream, bang, shout... I go in there."

"It really was a pigsty..."

"I know." She sat down at the kitchen table. "But I wasn't finished with it yet."

"Sorry."

"I'm a relatively clean person. If you saw my bedroom, you might have noticed that."

"I noticed."

"None of that stuff in the tantrum room is mine."

"No?" he doubted.

"When you were hanging up the clothes, did you notice that some of them were men's and the women's clothes were larger than I am?"

"Well... yeah."

"Did you notice that the only way in and out of the other bedroom is through the walk-in closet?"

"Yes."

"The bedroom is where the prisoner stayed, the tantrum room is where duty watch stayed..."

"Huh?"

"Sit down." Darcy obeyed. "This used to be a safehouse for State and Federal agencies. When I bought it last year, it looked almost like it did when I brought you here. I haven't had the time to enjoy this place like I want or remove some of the stuff that was left behind, but I did manage to add some things for my own enjoyment, like my books. I had just come down here to relax and later purge the place during a two week stretch, when Charlotte called me back after only two days."

"Oh," he looked down. Damn! Those notes weren't for me! Darcy did not have time to read them anyway.

"Look, I appreciate you trying to be helpful. Really! But being a recluse breeds suspicion and I'm just not used to having visitors."

Darcy nodded. "I understand."

"But now that everything is in some kind of order we can throw it all out. Well, some of the papers might be important, but everything else can go!"

"And what about your tantrums?"

"I still have you, don't I?" she laughed wickedly as she sashayed back upstairs.

Darcy did not know whether Elizabeth was joking or serious, so he had no reply. He just got up and finished cooking dinner. He would put those notes back in the room when he had the chance.

*****

Elizabeth returned to kitchen, fully dressed this time, and began to set the table.

"I noticed that you always wash the dishes, without my asking."

"Can't sleep with a dirty dish in the house."

"How long have you been a neat freak?"

Darcy pulled the baked pork chops from the oven. "I'm not sure. But I think it happened around the time when Fitz and I were sent away to private school together. We were roommates and, well... he is a pig!" He laughed. "I think I drove him crazy, because he moved into his own room the next year."

Elizabeth spooned out the vegetables. "He says you're meticulous."

"He's called me worse," he shrugged, then pulled out 2 baked potatoes from the oven. "You slurp your coffee, I noticed."

"Problem?"

"It's a bit annoying..."

Elizabeth could have spit out a blue-blaze of expletives, but instead she laughed. She had done that slurping thing since childhood as an attention grabber at the busy family table. "I'll try to remember that."

They were quiet for a time.

"So what happened in Dallas?"

Elizabeth put the rest of the food on her plate. "I checked out almost all the people and companies on your list. Two of them were unavailable, but I'm expecting some information tomorrow."

"No one looked suspicious?"

"Everyone looks normal until they slip up. At least I know who they are and I'll be checking on them intermittently." Darcy sadly shook his head. "They're all still suspects. Think of this as another piece of the puzzle. We know how it should look, 'cause we see it on the box cover, yet it remains just a jumble until I can put all the pieces together."

Darcy smiled at her analogy. "When will you have to go out again?"

"I don't know. I'm still waiting on some information."

"Like what?"

"Like where Wickham is."

"Ah."

"Have you been practicing?"

"Nope. Cleaning."

"Ah."

They did not talk that much that evening, they just enjoyed each other's tranquil company. Charlotte called and they talked for a few minutes, but other than that... quiet.

*****

Elizabeth came flouncing into the kitchen. "Good morning!"

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep!" She poured her morning ritual of coffee into her favorite mug. "Did you?"

"Yes." He waited as she put the cup to her mouth.

Elizabeth stopped, thought, smiled and sipped delicately. "How 'bout some more training today?"

"Sure!" he smiled.

"Great! I'm going to download ICQ, which may take a while and I have all this nervous energy... Like something's about to happen!"

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Elizabeth fixed her plate and sat down. "I think we should start on your Ki today."

"Key?"

"Ki," she spelled it out. "It means internal energy. I'll show you how to develop, focus, and channel your internal energy into a force to be reckoned with."

"Sounds like more breathing techniques," he smirked, stood up and scraped off his plate.

"It's a little more than that!"

"Are you through with this?" he pointed at her half-empty cup on the counter.

"Why? Are you going to wash it?" she chuckled.

"I was planning on it."

"Well, I was planning on using it again," she snickered. "I hope you don't mind leaving one cup unwashed?" she teased.

"Well, if you can stop with the slurping... I guess I can stop cleaning," he made a face in response.

"Oh no, I don't want you to stop cleaning! Not at all!"

They both laughed.

*****

Elizabeth showed Darcy the techniques of Ki, on top of that she tested him on terminology and stances he had learned previously, which kept them busy for a good part of the morning.

When they returned to the kitchen for lunch, Elizabeth checked her email and ICQ. There was nothing waiting for her. She called Charlotte and chatted with her for few minutes.

"What are we to do now?" asked Darcy.

"Eat, drink and be merry." Elizabeth's mood had darkened considerably.

"How about some burgers on the grill?"

"Sure... whatever."

*****

"Will?"

Darcy had just bit into his hamburger. "Hmmm?"

"Is there something going on between Charlotte and Fitz?"