Кей Хупер - Whisper of Evil

"I won't even dignify that with an answer."

"Good to see you two playing nice again."

"Is that what you'd call it?"

Nell grinned. "Well, yeah. For you two."

Max sighed. "We'll see. Listen, I meant to ask sooner if you'd decided to keep looking for where Adam buried your mother."

"Ethan says his people will. Now that we know Hailey's was the murder I saw in my vision and that Kyle was the one who killed her, finding my mother's remains is really the only thing left to do. For closure, I mean."

"Do you think Kyle deliberately buried her locket with Hailey to throw you off in case you ever came back?"

"Maybe. Or maybe he was just getting rid of all he had of his other sister — me. We'll never know now, I guess."

"Unless Hailey comes back again?"

Nell smiled. "I don't think she will. She took care of her unfinished business in one night."

"And now she's at peace?"

"I hope so. Bishop says that sort of visitation only happens when a spirit is ready to move on."

Max pushed his chair back from the desk a bit and eyed her somewhat hesitantly. "Didn't Bishop also say the plan was for the team to leave first tiling tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but he and Miranda have already gone." Nell smiled. "Considering how long she had to be down here and the fact that they were barely able to see each other the whole time, I think they intend a little R and R on their way back to Quantico."

"I don't know where he's spent the past weeks, but I'd say she's certainly earned some time off."

Nell nodded. "They work together as much as possible, but sometimes they have to be on different cases. It's tough on them, I think."

Max braced himself. "I imagine it's easier because they love each other. Or harder."

"It's something they've had to deal with."

"Which they've clearly done. Dealt with the problems and figured out a way to make it work."

Nell drew a breath and let it out slowly. "Speaking of which."

"Yeah." Max wondered if he looked as tense as he felt. "I've tried not to push, Nell. Tried to give you time to think things over."

"I know you have. Thank you."

She was so grave that Max felt a chill of real fear, "You aren't — You won't leave in the morning. Will you?"

"Max, are you sure? Really sure?"

It was his turn to draw in a breath and let it out. "If you have any doubts, open that goddamned door. I love you, Nell. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Still grave, she said, "Even if it would mean my traveling sometimes for my job? Bishop says there's no reason why the SCU can't base agents in other areas of the country, especially since we travel so much anyway. I could work out of the Baton Rouge field office. Could you deal with that?"

"Yes. Happily."

"My work is dangerous sometimes, you know that. And I can't afford to be distracted at the wrong moment. So if the door stays open, we'll both have to learn how to handle it."

"We will."

"Are you sure?"

"Open the door, Nell."

She looked at him for a long, steady moment, then opened the door. His thoughts flowed into hers, his emotions. His utter certainty. She caught her breath, stared into his dark eyes.

"I love you," he said. "We've always been forever, Nell. Didn't you know?"

"I know now," she said.

Careful not to jar her wounded shoulder, Max reached up and pulled her into his arms, and again Nell had that sense of coming home. But this time, there was no fear, no reluctance, nothing inside her insisting she hide any part of herself from him.

This time, it didn't take a physical act to drive Nell to open her mind and heart to him. And this time, not even she had the ability to close that door. Not any longer.

"I love you, Max."

"It's about damned time," he said, and kissed her.