Empty space met with his exploration of the rumpled sheets beside him and a momentary panic filled his gut. Malcolm threw the sheet off of his hips and sat up in bed, only to stop as he saw Hoshi standing by the window. She sniffled, wiping away the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. There was no light in the room and they were high enough up, that the lights from the courtyard did not reach them. She stood there with her arms holding one another, letting the pale light of nature encase her.

He sighed and mentally prepared for the emotional barrage that he knew would come. No matter what, he would never let her go and he was prepared to tell her.

�This was a mistake,� she stated, sensing he was awake, and trying her hardest to make him hate her.

�If I agree to a full security detail, will you leave?�

He could hear the sadness and hopelessness in her voice, and replied. �No.�

A flash of temper could be seen even as the shadows covered her beauty. A sigh passed her lips and she turned back toward the window, staring intently at the moon.

Her eyes followed her thoughts and he stood, crossing the room and folding his arms across her chest as he embraced her from behind.

Her arm snake around his and she leaned back against him. �I wish I could be somebody else.�

Malcolm remained silent yet comforting, encouraging her to continue. He pressed his lips against her shoulder.

�I tried to be somebody else once, but it didn�t work,� she scoffed. �I was retired and living in Tunisia. The villa I stayed in was remote and isolated and completely devoid of�this life. But, they followed me even then with their death threats and assassination attempts.� She turned in his arms and rested her head against his chest. She made no sound, unable to reason any longer why somebody wanted her dead. So, she just took comfort in her lover�s warmth.

He held her, the cogs in his mind turning as she revealed things about herself that he didn�t know. �Did Em look into a possible personal motive for the death threats?� he asked, kissing the top of her head.

�Yes,� she replied. �She thought of everything, Malcolm.�

Hoshi started giggling.

He pulled away, questioning what she was laughing at.

�I should have known back then that you loved me. Em had said that you would kill her if she let a hair on my head be harmed. I had asked her what she meant by that, and she clamed up tighter than Ft. Knox.�

Silence ticked by excruciatingly slow as neither spoke.

�Why did you waste all that time? I sent you letters. They never came back. Finally, I just assumed that you had rid yourself of anything to do with me�even our friendship.�

Malcolm remained silent, unable to tell her how much those letters had meant to him.

�Ten years! We�ve wasted a decade. I�ve always known you were a stickler for rules and regs but��

�I-I couldn�t,� Malcolm interjected. �You needed time to mourn�to get over Trip. I-I didn�t reply, because I didn�t want your friendship. I wanted more. I wanted you. I didn�t want to hurt you anymore than you had already been. And I know beyond any amount of reason that if I saw you, I would have taken you into my arms and�complicated both our lives.�

�Our timing still isn�t right,� she stated flatly. �You have to go. You have to go before you do something foolishly noble like try and save my life.�

He started to protest and she shushed him.

�If you die, I�ll die with you. You can�t save me from this. Nobody can. I�m going to finish the negotiations with the Brewnings and Cathage, and then I am going to try retiring again. Even then we can�t be together because they will still come for me. I won�t have your blood on my��

Hoshi never finished the thought as Malcolm kissed her, demanding and seeking an end to the conversation. His hands roamed her body, learning the curves and textures he had only dreamt about before.

---------------

"What if you can be somebody else?" suggested Malcolm, as he massaged the soap into her hair and scalp.

Hoshi opened one of her eyes with a puzzled expression on her face.

"You would never be able to see your family and friends again," continued Malcolm, suddenly losing his train of thought as soapy hands traveled to his lower extremities.

"Well, that will be easy. I've basically alienated all my friends. My parents are dead, and I've never really gotten along with my brother." Hoshi murmured, and smiled as Malcolm's eyes clouded over with desire. He may be older but he was definitely virile.

Her smile turned to a gasping oh as he lifted her against the wall and gave in to her teasing.

-------------

The sheets were damp from their hasty departure from the shower. Malcolm caressed her arm, making elaborate patterns up and down her arm. His heart still raced, but his mind was racing faster. �I�m serious. If you were to agree with what I have in mind, you would cease to be Hoshi Sato. You would never be able to make contact with anybody again. Essentially, you would die.�

Hoshi looked at him, her silken hair gliding over his body. �What do you mean?�

�You would �die� and become a new person with a new identity and a new life. You would��

�When?�

�I can have everything in place in a week. I�ll need to bring some people in on it.�

�When you say I have to leave everybody does�� Hoshi climbed off of Malcolm, turning her back to him. �Do I have to leave you too?�

She could feel the weight of the bed shift as Malcolm moved to capture her and bring her back to him. �I�ve waited this long to have you. I�m not letting you go now.�

Hoshi shuddered against him.

*****

TBC

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