Alex gazed at the brightly decorated restaurant as she and Rachel entered. The flowers and lights should have lightened her frame of mind, but knowing that she had had to call London to report what had happened to Derek dulled much of the anticipation of the New Year's Eve celebration. What had *likely* happened to Derek. A part of her still hoped that she had somehow misinterpreted her visions. What would he think? No, Derek had to understand that she did it because she was concerned for him.

She put on a smile as the hostess greeted them. No, the gentlemen had not arrived as yet. Would they like to be seated or wait in the bar? Definitely seated. Alex wasn't sure she could take the merriment of the crowded bar. She tried to shake her downcast mood. It was New Year's Eve, after all, and this was her last night in Bora Bora with her friends. Tomorrow they would fly home to San Francisco.

*Everyone but Derek, that is.* She knew that he would be flying straight to London. The Ruling Council would want to examine him and "debrief" him as to what he remembered. Her duty required her to give them a complete report as soon as she returned to San Francisco, since she didn't have a laptop and a secured line here. The Ruling Council would be looking for it the moment she returned home, but that difficult task was something that would be done tomorrow. She would try her best not to think of it again tonight.

She scanned the entrance area, trying to spot Derek and Nick. She felt a hand on her arm. "Alex, you've got to relax. I know how hard this will be on you not to tell Derek, but it's important."

The young woman turned to her friend. "I know, but I feel like such a snitch for notifying London. He may not believe me, but I truly did it with his best interests at heart."

"Of course Derek will understand that," Rachel declared. "The Ruling Council needs to have their doctors find out specifically what Derek remembers without having his memory influenced by others. That's why it's so imperative that we don't tell him. No one knows how Derek was affected by being injected with ketamine, or how much was injected into him. No one was there to see what Derek went through, so London can only have some idea by what he recalls."

"I know, I know." Alex sighed. "I just wish I hadn't insisted that we go on that hike."

Rachel stared at her across the table. "Alex, you have to stop this. It is no one's fault but that bastard Jeroen's." Her voice softened. "Maybe we're just worrying too much? London might just check him out and send him home."

The young woman shook her head. "This is Derek Rayne, Rachel. How much money and influence does he have in the Legacy? That brings enemies. I'll bet that there are some people who will be delighted that this happened to him. The RC can't just give him a cursory exam and send him home. He's too valuable so they'll keep him under observation. But for how long? One month? Three? What impact will this have on his mind? If Derek falls, who else will follow?"

"I fear you're right," Rachel admitted. "London likely won't send him back until they're damn sure, and add to that the fact that the United Kingdom hasn't made ketamine a restricted drug yet, that you can get it with a doctor's prescription. As a result, hearing that one of their precepts was injected with that drug would... have likely sent them into a frenzy. He's too vital so they'll keep a close eye on him for... well, who knows how long."

Alex sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of, but it's going to be so hard to face him and not tell him. At the moment, the best we can do is to have a good time for all our sakes and fret later."

"And just how do we hide the fact that we know why he's going?" Rachel smirked slightly. "You know that man is going to figure out that we're keeping something from him. And Nick definitely will want to inform him, no matter what the Ruling Council says."

"We'll simply have to hope that he'll realize that this time it's in Derek's best interest to keep his mouth shut," Alex said. "If we have time, we can stress how essential it may be to Derek's future and wellbeing."

Rachel checked her watch. "They seem to be running a bit late. It's almost 9:45."

"I wonder if..." Alex spotted someone and waved. "Wait, here's Nick."

"Sorry I'm late," he said, looking a bit sheepish. "I was on a long call to Suzette."

"Don't you look handsome," Rachel said as he kissed her cheek. "And you rented a tux?"

"I did. I knew you two would look gorgeous." He snickered as he kissed Alex. "I didn't want to look like a slob next to you guys." Nick glanced around. "Is the boss here yet?"

Alex indicated a chair. "No, and we want to talk to you before he gets here."

The psychiatrist nodded. "Alex and I have agreed that this time London is right, that we need to keep silent on why Derek's going to London." She gave him a stern look. "And that means that you won't tell him."

"Wait a minute. I..." The young woman saw his disapproval climb.

"Nick, this time it is crucial to keep quiet," Alex stressed. "This could affect his abilities, his welfare, so Derek doesn't need us to enlighten him about what happened, to fill in any gaps in his memory. What if something we divulge to him impacts what he tells London, and therefore they might miss a vital clue or something that could really help him."

"But you know those bastards in London..." Nick said as he scowled.

"All the more reason that we can't let anything happen to him," Rachel countered, "and we have to do everything we can to help him."

"Well, I don't like it. What if we never see him again?" The younger woman heard Rachel sigh.

"Nick, I love the man," Alex said, her voice trembling before it became strong and steady. "Do you think I want London to decide his future? My keeping this from him could very well end our new relationship, but I have to put his health first. He's a hell of a lot more important to the Legacy and the fight against evil than the two of us being happy and in love. I want the absolute best for him, that is the most paramount thing for me. But if that means the Ruling Council makes that decision, then so be it." Her tone softened. "Nick, the 'Doctor Jacobs' code does not mean that they'll toss him in a rubber room and forget about him."

"Can you say that for sure?" he retorted brusquely.

"Nicholas..." Alex put out her arm to stop the psychiatrist.

"It's okay, Rachel," she said before turning to Nick. "For all their differences and their disagreements, I can't believe that they'd throw away one of their best resources, especially after what he did at the portal. He's one of the Legacy's biggest assets and they know it. And he did advise Devere he was going to take a sabbatical, so his absence was planned anyway."

"They could play with his head, you know. Make him so that he's more 'user friendly' for them."

"Nick!" Rachel scolded before her voice quieted. "Or they can help him, have their best doctors check him over, and make sure that he won't suffer any flashbacks... or have him deal with any aftereffects he may have. What if he has a craving for more? You know there's a psychological addiction associated with ketamine. You've read some of the terrible stories about its effects. London would be better equipped to watch him closely to deal with that should it happen than we'd be."

Alex nodded. "I'm not sure Derek remembers that Jeroen buried him, that he injected him so that he'd regain consciousness too late to help himself. Luckily, I guess he managed to partially get himself out, so maybe London's doctors will learn that Derek wasn't given as much ketamine as we've feared."

"He sure seems to be taking a lot of time talking to London," Nick noted, checking his watch.

"We don't know that he's been talking to London for all this time," Rachel answered. "Maybe he took a nap and woke up late. Do you think we should call his room?"

"I think that's a good idea, 'cos I don't trust those bastards," the security chief groused. "He deserves to know what's..."

"Look out, here he comes now," Alex said. Her eyes turned to her young friend. "Nick, please. Behave yourself and do this for Derek's sake," she pleaded. He frowned, but nodded.

The group was quiet as their precept reached their table. He gave them a quizzical look. "This is quite a silent gathering for a New Year's Eve party." Derek took Alex's hand and looked into her eyes as kissed it. "You look absolutely beautiful."

She fought the blush that she was sure rose to her cheeks, remembering the night he had used those words to describe the sunset, the night he asked her if they could have a more serious relationship. Would this gorgeous man in a tuxedo still want that, still think she was so beautiful when he learned what she had done? Would he understand?

"Rachel, that is not to say that you don't look stunning as well," Derek said as he sat in the chair across from Alex. "Nick and I are indeed fortunate to spend New Year's Eve with two such lovely women. But why so quiet?"

The blonde smiled at him. "I guess we were just thinking of flying home tomorrow and everything being back to normal, away from this paradise."

"Unfortunately, I won't be flying back to San Francisco with you," he said. "I've been summoned to London."

The young woman met his eyes momentarily before she adjusted the napkin on her lap. "Another one of your meetings with them?" she asked as casually as she could manage.

"I suppose so." He grinned. "Probably to make sure that the Legacy didn't foot the bill for this." She watched as his eyes noted her tiare flower behind her right ear instead of her left, but he said nothing.

Rachel laughed and Nick glowered at her. "I doubt it's for anything that simple." She shot daggers at him. "We don't know that, do we, Nick."

Alex looked up to see a bemused expression on Derek's face before it became serious. "It's probably to talk about my sabbatical to try to recruit new members after the losses we've suffered lately."

"We don't need to lose any more," Nick muttered, "especially to the suits in London."

Rachel reached out and patted the young man's arm. "I'm sure London won't keep Derek any longer than necessary."

"You don't know that once they check... Ouch!" Nick scowled at Rachel. "You didn't need to do that, you know!" he mumbled as he bent down and rubbed his ankle.

"Nick, you probably banged your leg on your chair," Rachel hissed at him as Alex felt the heat rise on her face. They were spared anything further as the waiter appeared with a bottle of champagne and a large platter of island delicacies.

"Ah, here we are," Derek said as he popped open the bottle of champagne. "Let's get these glasses filled and make a toast." He filled the three crystal containers. "Rachel, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking..."

"Derek, don't be silly," the blonde told him as she switched her filled glass with his empty one. Nick filled her glass from the water carafe, as Derek raised his. "To my team members and very dear friends, may this coming year bring us more joy than that we have experienced these past few years."

"I'll second that," Nick said as he clinked glasses with the others. Alex and Rachel merely nodded as the group drained their drinks.

"This tray of food looks delicious," Rachel commented lightly. "Let me try this first." She picked up a shrimp appetizer.

Alex tried to keep her spirits up. "I think I'll take a piece of this luau chicken." She smiled at Derek as best she could. "It looks scrumptious."

Nick stared defiantly at them. "All right, I'll take this barbeque pork wrap." He poked at a dish with his folk. "What's this stuff?"

Derek gazed at her. "It's poisson cru, in coconut milk," he said softly, and the memories of their lunch that afternoon on the small motu flooded back. "It's very good."

"It was... is wonderful." Her eyes looked down, breaking his spell. "You ought to try it, Nick."

"There's something else I'd like to do, but eating that isn't one of them," he snickered at her before turning to Derek.

"Yes, how is Suzette?" Alex casually commented. "It's too bad you couldn't spend New Year's Eve with her." Nick's head swiveled back to her, and her eyes again pleaded with him.

He sighed. "She'll be on a flight to San Francisco next week."

"You should have her come out to the island and show her around," Derek offered. Nick nodded before silence ensued for several minutes as they ate and drank. Abruptly the lights darkened and a Tahitian floor show began. Again the main dancers chose volunteers from the crowd, but their table was set back so that there was little chance of any of them being chosen. Alex was grateful as she twisted around to watch the dancers.

The compelling rhythms from the wooden to'ere drums was irresistible, and she began to sway to the music. She and the others joined the audience as they laughed at the attempt of the two children and their parents to follow the hip movements. By the time the show ended, the mood at their table was considerably lighter.

"Kids are so cute at that age," Rachel marveled as the dance floor began to fill.

Alex giggled. "That little girl seemed to be making it up as she went along."

The older man chuckled. "Nick, it's too bad that you didn't get a chance this time to show us your moves." Rachel and Alex smiled but the ex-SEAL looked to be in no mood for their merriment.

"Listen, boss, I don't care what..." he said as he frowned at the women before he spun to face the precept.

Alex was the only one who noticed Rachel tip her refilled glass of water onto Nick's lap. The young man leapt to his feet. "What the hell did you do that for? Maybe I wasn't going to say..."

"Nick, I'm so sorry!" Rachel interrupted. "How clumsy of me."

"Yeah, I'll just bet that was an accident," he groused as he grabbed a napkin to wipe at the front of his pants. "This is a rental, you know."

"Derek, why don't we leave them to sort it out," Alex said as she stood and held out her hand. "Will you dance with me?"

"With pleasure, ma'am." He pushed back his chair and took her hand. Rachel shot her a warning look as they headed for the dance floor, but Alex gave her an imperceptible nod to let her know that she wasn't about to tell him.

The music was soft and slow as she rested her head on his shoulder. As they moved to the music, she realized with a sigh that they hadn't danced together for so long, and she sadly became aware that she wasn't sure when they'd have another chance.

After they danced to several more slow songs, a faster tune began to play. "I think this one is beyond my capabilities," he teased.

She laughed and started to head back to their table when he took her arm. "Why don't we go outside and talk?"

"Do you think we should? It is our last night here." She couldn't tell him...

"All the more reason," he said, his eyes tantalizing her. "Besides, Nick and Rachel seem to be in the midst of a heated discussion." She twisted to look at them arguing as he led the way out of the restaurant, her arm in his.

It was a delightful evening and they strolled outside, past the pier, before ending up on the beach at the spot where Derek had led them that first night to tell them what he had experienced at the portal... and where the two of them had talked of a possible future together...

"This isn't quite the way I celebrated the New Year in Amsterdam when I was young." He smiled slightly as he stopped and looked out at the lagoon. "We'd have nieuwjaarskoeken and other sweets, and neighbors would come to visit."

Alex grinned. "I know. I love that your mother still sends us boxes of pepernoten and speculaas every St. Nicholas Day, and I'll bet her package of nieuwjaarskoeken has arrived. I just hope the security guards watching the House haven't it finished off."

He swung around to her. "Did I mention that I ran into Jeroen on Christmas Day? He was delivering a package to a couple at the hotel. He said that he'd be happy to send me some speculaas and pepernoten, and I played along and said I was interested." Derek's eyes turned back to the water. "I pretended that I hadn't had them in years to gain Jeroen's trust. He wanted to send me a bottle of Bisschopswijn to thank me for allowing him to join us for dinner."

"I wish Rachel hadn't run into him that night," Alex said quietly. "I wish we had never seen him after our first day in Bora Bora." He squeezed her hand.

"At least he did remind me of a childhood memory I had almost forgotten. After my father had died in Peru and I... managed to make it back to civilization, that year was the first that my mother allowed me to have a glass of Bisschopswijn. She remarked that the experience had made me a man. Drinking it made me feel so important, so grown-up, to have one with William and the adults rather than sneaking off to have one with Ingrid in the kitchen." He smiled. "My sister was so mad that I got to do that. It was one of the few times that I saw her angry."

"I don't think I ever have," Alex said as she walked over to the fallen tree and sat down. "I can't believe that this is our last night in this wonderful place." Her feet pushed against the sand and she sighed. "I wish I had never freaked out on you that day. Maybe we wouldn't have run into Jeroen again."

"Enough talk about him..." He told her as he sat next to her.

"And I wish you weren't going to London," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "I have a terrible feeling that they might keep you there a long time."

He caressed her face. "What's with all this sadness? I shouldn't be gone that long. You know they can only take so much of my charming personality." He grinned. "What, shall we wait six months and meet at the top of the Empire State Building as in one of those movies you love?"

She giggled. "No, not with what happened to her. She was crippled by a car as she rushed to meet him. 'I was looking up... it was the nearest thing to heaven! You were there....'" They chuckled and then became silent for a few moments.

"Are you apprehensive about what will happen when we get home?" he asked softly. "I want to make sure that you�re prepared for what�s ahead. The Darkside may go after you even more with our involvement. I'm still going to be your boss, and I'll still give you a hard time when it merits it. Like you not going on the Josephius dig."

"Derek, I don't want you to change in any way," she said before she smirked. "I know very well that sometimes that damn cold attitude of yours can be maddening, but it's also an important part of you being a precept."

He touched her hair and she released the breath that she had been holding. "So you won't get cold feet? You were certainly a tougher Alex coming down that mountain than the one that went up it. Are you thinking of the consequences of this new..." He raised his eyebrow. "...liaison of ours?"

�Derek, I'm only worried for you." She gestured around them. "If this is all we have, we wouldn�t have to deal with or be concerned about what London or anyone else says.�

"Do you want that?" His hands held hers.

"Of course not. I love you," she said faintly, her eyes looking down as her thumb stroked his.

"Enough to turn me into the Ruling Council?" She gasped at the sudden icy blast, and her head rose as he stood and walked away from her. "You called London instead of talking to me? You renounced me to them! Is that your idea of love?!"

"What... what are you talking about?" Alex attempted to be casual but her voice betrayed her.

"Oh, I don't know... Rachel kicking Nick under the table because he wanted to tell me? You doing almost whatever you could to avoid my eyes? Rachel spilling her glass to silence Nick?" His cold voice rose with every word.

Her voice became just as cold as she literally stood her ground. "I have no idea what you're getting at, Derek. Rachel said he hit his leg on the table. I almost did it myself. And I'm sure it was an accident that..."

His laughter caught her completely by surprise, as did the long kiss that followed. "You won't tell me, will you." He gazed at her for a moment, then gently placed his lips on her forehead.

"Tell you what?" she managed to utter before giggling. "That you're crazy?"

"No, that Jeroen injected me with ketamine." Her brown eyes went wide.

"I'm... I..."

"It's all right. I suspected he did from several visions I've had." She attempted to speak but the words stuck in her throat. "So let me guess," he said. "That would mean... the 'Doctor Jacobs' code?"

"I... I don't... know... what..." He chuckled before his touch on her lips silenced her.

"God, you're a tough one now, aren't you." He took her hands in his. "I'm actually proud of you. It would have been a major breach of Legacy rules if you had talked to me after you notified London. Against what your heart wanted..." He smirked. "And Nick, most likely, you stuck with it." Derek held up his right hand, "Well, Alex, I swear to you..." he twisted his precept's ring around so it was visible, "on my honor... that, no matter what, I will return to you and the others and San Francisco as soon as I am able."

Her thumb slowly slid against the decorative L as a tear slid down her face. She should have never complained about his ring. It was a part of him, a symbol of his commitment and integrity to a cause he believed in, a reason why she loved him even as he could seem so far away from her. It was one of the reasons why she chose to join him at the Legacy.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she whispered as she caressed his face.

"Well, just to remind you then, how about this," Derek said, placing a package in her hand. "Just so you won't forget me."

She stared at him in shock before looking down at the black velvet box. "What...?" A mischievous look appeared in his hazel eyes as she opened it. "Oh my God... It's beautiful!"

"Let me put it on you," he said as he removed the necklace from the box. The white gold strand held a large Tahitian black pearl, nestled beneath a crown of diamonds. As he slid the clasp shut, he turned her toward him. "It makes you look even lovelier."

"You're just full of surprises tonight, Dr. Rayne," she tenderly expressed to this strange man before her.

"There's... something else. I didn't tell you everything that happened at the portal," he said quietly. "I actually kissed you that night, you know."

"At the portal? I know. You were..."

"No, outside by the griffin." He grinned at her startled look. "After I sprayed you, I caught you in my arms and lowered you to the ground. I was about to take off back to the House to call the others, but I couldn't..." Derek slowly shook his head. "I couldn't resist kissing you one final time." He looked into her eyes. "I knew I wasn't coming out again, and I really did believe that we were saying goodbye for the last time."

"When that brilliant light appeared, I thought it meant that the C-4 had detonated." She sighed. "I thought I had lost you."

"To tell the truth, I thought you had lost me as well." He chuckled softly. "I'm not sure I can explain but..." Derek looked up at the moon and clouds above them.

"It was so strange... and beautiful," he began. "I heard these... unearthly... magnificent voices. I gradually became aware of the words, 'For every darkness in life, there's light. For every evil, there's good. That there is a God in heaven.' I was stunned... bewildered. Why were they using those words...? Images materialized in my mind..." His eyes looked intently into hers. "I hadn't been adding to the Light. Yes, I've been fighting evil, but each loss was diminishing me... not adding to the love that surrounds us."

Derek took her hands. "Along the way, especially this past year, I let the struggle... the fight... take my light, take my heart so I wouldn't give it to another woman and have her die as the others. But I saw that I could protect her more by showing that light into a more darkened world."

She tenderly kissed him. "Sometimes, Derek, I wonder if we'll ever see a world with the brightness of love that it could have."

"Then I'll make it one of my objectives for the New Year." A marvelous smile appeared on his face, and she couldn't help but return it. "With what has happened to us these preceding 2-3 years, we've lost our way... gone off track. I guess it's not surprising when other things at times get in our way or steal our attention. We need to be aware of it and simply focus anew on the joy and happiness within ourselves..." He fingered the pearl around her neck. "And those in our families and in our lives. The greatest protection we have against the Darkside is the love we share between us."

"So we're going to use love and not holy water?" she teased him.

"As I told Miranda Blake, life is for the living and love is in the present, not in the past or future, and you must cherish it while you can." His thumb slid across her palm. "I forgot that until I was reminded of it." His voice became firm. "Oh, and speaking of that, lady..." He took the flower from behind her right ear and placed it behind her left. "I don't want to see that tiare anyplace but there."

"Yes, sir." Alex threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"And one more thing..." he said as he pulled back. Her head tilted as the silence grew. She didn't often see this look of unease on his face; usually he was the one who...

He took a deep breath. "I love you, Alex."

She felt the sand move beneath her feet as if something on the order of the 1906 earthquake struck again. Derek smirked. "You have that look on your face again."

"What...?" Her large brown eyes gazed at him.

"Like a deer caught in headlights," he said murmured before his arms encircled her.

When they parted, they could hear partygoers count down the numbers. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!" Horns blared and the band started to play "Auld Lang Syne" as fireworks shot into the sky. Alex beamed at the man in front of her. "Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, Derek." A large grin brightened his face. "Did I say that right?"

"Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, Alex." He pulled her toward him and they kissed once more. They began to sway to the music floating over the warm tropical breezes blowing lightly around them.

"I suppose we should go back in and wish our friends a Happy New Year," he said against her neck as they continued to dance. "It is, after all, our last night here."

She stopped and looked at him. "You're right, we probably should." She let several seconds pass. "Okay, your place or mine?" She gave him a wicked grin.

"Mine," he said, returning her grin. "It's a little further and we're less likely to run into Rachel Interruptus again." She snickered at the reference from the previous week.

"And this time I won't open any packages that may come from London," she assured him.

Derek caressed her face. "And the door to my room won't be opened until it's time for us to leave tomorrow," he vowed.

"You promise?" she whispered.

He placed his hand in hers. "I don't care if Devere himself is waiting."

She giggled. "Well, hasn't your sense of adventure gotten interesting." Laughing, she ran down the beach, with Derek close behind her.

End part 40