The former Mrs. DeeDee Sandoval hurried inside her apartment and slammed the door shut behind her, immediately heading for the bedroom to pack her things. As much as she disliked the idea of running away and starting another new life yet again, she knew the danger she would be in if she stayed. She had to get out of the state before Ronald showed up with a squad of armed Volunteer goons.
Retrieving the suitcase from the bottom of the closet, she set it down on the bed and began hurriedly stuffing her clothes inside. She would call her Resistance contact in the morning and arrange for a new identity. By the end of the following day she would once again be someone else, on her way to a new life as far from Connecticut and Ronald Sandoval as she could possibly get.
Dammit, dammit, dammit, she cursed silently, not bothering to fold her clothes as she threw them into the case. After three years, she had finally begun to consider this town to be home. She enjoyed her job, had more friends than she had ever had while living with Ron, and she had put a lot of time and care into decorating her modest apartment just the way she liked it. And now she had to leave it all behind. Because of him.
She was about to start on the contents of the dresser when a loud bleeping coming from her purse startled her. Sighing, she snatched up the purse and pulled out the new Global she'd purchased just the day before. No one but a select few had been given the new number, but until she saw the face that greeted her, DeeDee was terrified that it would be Ron. She breathed a sigh of relief when Erin's pale but smiling face replaced the black background.
"Hey, Sophie. I hope I'm not calling too late," the younger woman greeted.
"No. I was just doing some cleaning, I couldn't sleep. Are you all right? I only just found out where they took you this afternoon."
"I'll be okay. I have a lot of good people taking care of me," Erin assured quietly. "One of the nurses said that you stopped by earlier, but left suddenly. What happened?"
"Oh, nothing to worry about. I just ran into someone I haven't seen in a long time. I guess it left me pretty shaken up," DeeDee confessed.
"Well, I hope you'll come and see me again when you get the chance. When I get out, I'll probably be going back to D.C. and I'd like to see you before I go. I want my Dad to know his grandson and it looks like a might have a second chance with the baby's father after all."
DeeDee found herself smiling at her friend's obvious joy. She'd never seen such a wide, genuine smile grace the younger woman's features, and she was glad that Erin had found happiness, even if she herself never could. "I'll certainly miss having you around to talk to, but I guess we'll only be a Global call and a Portal trip away, right?"
Erin nodded slowly. "Right. And you have got to come to the baby's christening. I won't take no for an answer."
"I wouldn't dare miss it. I could never resist the chance to coo over an adorable baby, and yours will surely be perfect."
Erin lowered her gaze to the rounded swell of her abdomen for a moment, smiling fondly as she used her free hand to rub the taut flesh lightly. "I hope so," she murmured. "So, I'll expect to see you in a couple of days, then?"
DeeDee hesitated for a moment, considering her options. She could run, as she had intended just a few minutes before, or she could stay and take the chance of Ron finding her. Sighing deeply, she made her decision. "I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon," she agreed, hoping that she didn't sound too resigned.
Erin's smile widened to its full glory just as the sound of a door creaking open was heard in the background. "Oh, I've gotta go, food's here. Would you believe it, I've only been awake for 45 minutes and the little one's already hungry."
"Typical male. Always hungry for something, always demanding our attention," DeeDee remarked.
Erin laughed. "Takes after his dad, I guess. Well I'll see you tomorrow. Night." Without waiting for "Sophie" to return the farewell, Erin abruptly ended the transmission.
"Tomorrow," DeeDee sighed to herself. "I just hope I'm not making the biggest mistake of my life."
***
Downtown Washington, D.C.
A low rumble in the night sky foretold the arrival of another, early Autumn storm, the raindrops beginning to fall just as a spark of lightening streaked through the unending darkness above the small lake, reflecting in the lightly rippling surface. One umbrella-shielded figure stood on the grassy bank, keeping his trench-coated back to the arrival of another.
"Lovely weather for a clandestine meeting, don't ya think, boss?" Agent Frank Tate muttered, adjusting his own protection from the oncoming downpour as he approached the taller man.
The voice that responded most definitely did not belong to his implanted "boss."
"I think you have me mistaken for someone else, Mister Tate," his companion replied, raising his dark gaze to the trees across the lake.
Tate's own eyes narrowed in the darkness, carefully scrutinizing what he could see of the other's appearance, as he brain tried to recall where he'd heard that voice before.
Slowly, the other turned around to face the shorter man, a smirk curving his lips at the shocked widening of Tate's eyes. "I'm pleased to see that you recognize me, Agent," Justin Kalen noted.
"You were supposed to be dead."
"Yes, well, you know what they say. Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. As you can see, I'm very much alive and quite reasonably well. No thanks to your 'boss'."
"So what the hell do you want?" Tate demanded, trying to keep his cool, even as he noted the two armed agents lurking at the rim of the trees behind him.
Kalen took a few, deliberate, steps closer, his smirk widening as Tate took two steps back. "I have a problem, Mr. Tate. And I require your assistance in solving it," he informed, his expression suddenly returning to it's impassive state. "Or, rather, eliminating it."
"And what problem would that be?"
Kalen remained silent for a long moment, taking the last few steps towards the shorter man before answering coldly, "Erin Urick, and the spawn she's carrying..."
***
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