C. Paradee - Deep Cover

"Sure." Shelby was more than ready to do something normal. "Let me get my things together."

Kris quickly changed into a pair of silky, dark blue jogging shorts and a matching tank top. After attaching a miniature cellular phone to the waistband, and concealing her gun within the folds of a sweatshirt she was carrying, Kris went downstairs to check the area.

Returning a short time later, she walked into the apartment and looked at Shelby appreciatively. Her companion was wearing a stylishly cut teal workout suit, with close fitting leggings emphasizing shapely legs and a white form-fitting top offset by a lightweight teal vest trimmed in black. "You look very nice. Ready?"

Shelby's could feel her cheeks warm, but the tingling feeling she was experiencing under the intensity of Kris' admiring gaze overshadowed that reaction. When she finally found her voice, she nodded and said, "You look pretty good yourself."

She silently cheered when the tips of Kris' ears reddened, knowing that her compliment had not been ignored. "Ready?" she mimicked.

Kris nodded. She was more than ready, and still wondering how a simple compliment could evoke the strong physical reaction it had. While she readily acknowledged an attraction to the younger woman, she had sought to limit it to one based on professional respect. However, Kris was finding it disconcerting that both her emotions and her body had shown a distinct proclivity to ignore the constraints she placed upon them and act of their accord. And for a woman who was used to being in complete control, it was a peculiarly vulnerable feeling.

As they started out the door, the phone rang. Shelby smiled apologetically and answered it.

"Hello."

"Hi Shelby. It's Mom. How come you haven't returned my phone calls? I've been worried sick about you."

"I was going to, later. I've just been a little busy lately."

"Too busy for your own mother?"

Shelby silently sighed. "No, Mom." In an effort change the focus of the conversation, she asked, "Did Jimmy and Jason both make the baseball team?"

"If you'd stop over more often you could ask them yourself."

"Mom, what did you do? Take a crabby pill before you called?"

Kris was barely able to stifle a snicker at the comment. She was standing in the doorway, and hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but the apartment was too small to avoid hearing the conversation.

"I can't believe you are talking to your own mother like that. All the years I sacrificed and went through hell to give you things I never had, and you don't even appreciate it."

Shelby's face momentarily darkened. You'll always be a victim, won't you, Mom? What about the hell Ann and I went through because you did nothing to stop it. "Mom, what's wrong? You've been on my case since I picked up the phone."

"I had a busy day at work today and then had to come home and cook for the boys. Can I relax yet? No. Because you haven't called me all week and I was worried about you. Do you appreciate my concern? Of course not. You insult me instead."

Shelby rolled her eyes, strolled over to the couch and flopped down. "I shouldn't have said that. But I've been really busy with work stuff too and just haven't had much time to call. So can we call a truce?"

Somewhat mollified, Lisa said, "Yes, dear. I just miss you."

"I miss you, too. I'll stop over next weekend."

"Can't you stop over this weekend? I'll make dinner. I could really use some adult company."

Shelby inwardly sighed. "Let me see how things go at work and I'll get back to you, okay?"

"Just for a couple of hours, Shelby."

"I've got to go. I'll call you later."

"Why? What's the big hurry? I haven't talked to you all week."

Kris had watched various emotions flicker across Shelby's face and had heard the frustration in her voice for long enough. She walked over to the apartment door and knocked loudly.

Shelby jumped at the noise, but seeing Kris at the door, she immediately understood that the other woman was giving her an out. "Mom, I gotta go. Someone's at the door."

"Well, okay, dear. Now don't forget to call me back."

"Bye, Mom."

Shelby shook her head, laid down the phone, and glanced at Kris. "Thanks."

"Didn't mean to butt in, but I figured you needed a break."

"Did I ever! She was really on a roll tonight."

Locking up, she followed Kris to the car. After the operative pulled out of the parking lot, Shelby turned curious green eyes on her companion. "What was your mother like? Do you remember?"

Kris was caught off guard by the question and torn about whether to answer or not. Her emotions were still raw from her recollections earlier that day, but she sensed Shelby needed to talk. She hadn't talked to anyone about her mother since she was a child. It had been forbidden at the institute, so she had tucked all the memories of her mother into a safe, dark corner in her mind – separate from the brutal memories of their parting.

Almost before she was aware of having made a decision, Kris began speaking. "She was pretty cool for a mother. At least that's the way I remember her. She was tall, but I think I'm probably taller now, and had short dark brown hair. Mom had hazel eyes that changed colors, depending on what she wore, and a pretty smile. She used to smile and laugh a lot."

Kris' eyes were far away as an image of her mother formed in her mind. "Mom raised me by herself and worked long hours at a factory to support us. It was hard for her with no one to help her, but she never complained or took it out on me. We didn't have fancy things and barely got by, but it didn't seem to matter."

Shelby saw a softness she had sensed but never witnessed on the operative's face as she spoke of her mother and knew she was seeing a side of this woman that few had ever been privy to.

Kris shrugged. "That's about it."

"She sounds like she was a great mother."

"Yeah, she was." Kris looked away from Shelby, concerned about the comfort level she felt in talking to her. While she had chosen to share that memory, it had felt good to do so and that worried her.

After signing in as a guest, Kris glanced at Shelby. "Where to first?"

"I usually warm up, then work out on some of weight equipment. We can do whatever you want, though."

Kris smiled. "No, that sounds fine. Lead on."

Shelby inclined her head to the right. "Over this way." She led the way to a room in the back of the facility that had an assortment of stationary bicycles and rowing machines in the front of the room, and stair steppers in the rear. "I usually warm up on the bike for about twenty minutes."

Noting that all of the machines faced forward, Kris opted for the stair stepper. She wanted a vigorous workout, and it would allow her to keep an eye on Shelby at the same time. "I'm going to do the stair stepper."

"Okay." Shelby mounted one of the stationary bicycles and adjusted the tension as she began pedaling. She would rather have had Kris right next to her, but knew they would be able to work together on the remainder of the regimen.

Kris was lucky enough to find a vacant stair stepper just to the left and rear of the Shelby's location and started moving the high steps in a steady, rhythmic pace, gradually increasing her speed to where it was comfortable, yet taxing.

She normally found this type of exercise incredibly boring, but watching Shelby's shapely legs smoothly work the bicycle in front of her was proving very enjoyable. It wasn't until a salty drop of sweat blinded her in one eye that she realized her own speed had increased proportionally with her enjoyment, and she consciously slowed down. Stepping off the platform, she joined Shelby when she saw her begin to slow. "All warmed up?"

"Yeah. How about you?"