Си Паради - Dancing With Shadows

Megan looked at David cocking her head with a puzzled expression on her face.

Chuckling Mike said, "Two beautiful kittens. We just love them. One is black and white and we named her Velcro. The other is calico and her name is Huggy."

"Ooh. They sound adorable." Megan said. "I can hardly wait to see them." Megan had a big soft spot for animals.

Reluctantly changing the subject, Megan said, "So how’s the case load been? Anything interesting?"

David’s face turned serious. "No. Just the regular stuff. Dr. Whitehouse has been on a rampage lately though."

When David’s mood changed at the mention of work, Megan thought, this doesn’t sound good. "What about? I’m surprised he’s not still basking in the glory from the Press Conference."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. He sounded like a jerk when he kept telling the press that his office discovered how Mark was killing his victims. I think he’s still pissed that you made the front page."

Megan shrugged her shoulders, "I didn’t know that would happen. It would have been fine with me if it had been his picture instead of mine on the front page."

"Oh I don’t know. I thought you and Tony looked cute side by side on the front page," David said grinning.

Megan chuckled and said, "Well, I didn’t mind that part."

"You know, you’ll never convince him that it wasn’t staged and I think he’s already started exacting revenge," David said.

"What do you mean?" Megan asked puzzled.

"The two cases he assigned you today are a guy they pulled out the river who’s been dead awhile and a suicide that jumped from the 17th story of an apartment building." David looked at Megan sympathetically thinking, Whitehouse is such an asshole.

Megan sighed. Just what she wanted to do on her first day back. Resigning herself to her fate, she said, "Might as well get them over with. I’ll change and meet you in the suite." Turning back to David she added, "Let’s do the drowning first." Megan wanted to get the worst case out of the way.

Once the autopsies were completed Megan changed into her street clothes and returned to her office. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was hear

Tony’s voice. Picking up the phone, she dialed her lover’s number.

"FBI. Agent Viglioni."

Megan felt some of the tension ease from her body when she heard the familiar, welcome voice of her lover.

"Hi," said Megan. "How’s it going?"

Tony smiled into the phone, "Hi yourself. Ok, but kind of boring. I'll be glad to get home today. She was always careful of what she said when at work. She was well aware that the phones could be monitored at any time.

Megan sighed. "Yeah. Me too. It’s been a rough morning."

"How so?" Tony asked concerned. Megan loved her job and this was an unusual comment.

"I think the great Dr. Whitehouse didn’t like me making the headlines instead of him." Megan said sarcastically.

"That really doesn’t surprise me," Tony said, thinking about the time that she had met Megan’s boss. "Anything I can do to help?"

Feeling more relaxed, Megan said, "You already have. I’ll see you later, ok?"

Tony smiled into the phone, "Ok. Take it easy, and don’t let him get you down. Just remember he’s a jerk."

"I keep telling myself that. Bye," Megan said already feeling better.

"Bye," Tony said.

Mike walked into the conference room and handed a file to each of the agents seated at the table. Walking to the head of the table, he began briefing them.

"One of our undercover agents has located the headquarters of a major money laundering operation. We’re going to set up surveillance in an apartment over an antique store across the street from the suite they are using. The owner has been quite cooperative and agreed to stay with relatives for the duration of our operation."

Mike looked at his notes and continued, "All the information you need is in the files you have been provided. There will be two teams of six agents. You will work in pairs covering each shift. You will work rotating shifts. Team 1 will work three days, be off one and then work two on a rotating basis with Team 2."

Tony looked through the file while listening to the briefing. She hated surveillance work. There was nothing more boring. Hopefully they would get the information they needed to nail this group quickly. Shift work sucked.

She looked around the table at the other agents. Keith and John she’d already met. Carlos, Brandon, and Steve had introduced themselves before Mike started the briefing. Mike had informed them that they made up Team 1 and he would be briefing Team 2 separately because he had not finished contacting all of them. They were being pulled off other cases to work this one.

"I will personally oversee this operation. At the end of each shift I expect a written report detailing the events that occurred. Leave it in my mailbox. Are there any questions?"

Tony almost rolled her eyes at the last announcement. You couldn’t oversee an operation from the office. It required an agent in the field or the very minimum a liaison in the field. This guy was a real piece of work. The surveillance would be worthless if they needed to move and had to find Mike. Why should she have expected anything else? It was bad enough the teams were being briefed separately. Any raw recruit learned that if you don’t have everything in place, including agents, you didn’t start the operation until you did. Basic Procedure 101.

"Since there are no questions the operation starts tomorrow. Keith and Tony you take first shift. Carlos and Brandon you’re on second shift.

John and Steven you get the graveyard shift."

Mike looked at the agents. They all had inscrutable expressions on their faces. Uncomfortable, Mike said, "If there are no questions, you can go now."

After Mike left, Tony asked John, "Where did he come from anyway? He doesn’t know a thing about field Ops."

"Tell me about it. We’ve had to put up with him for the last two years. His daddy is a friend of the Director. It’s called politics."

"Great. That’ll be a real comforting thought next time my life’s on the line."

Tony unlocked the door and entered the apartment. After the briefing, she had reviewed the case file and agreed to meet Keith tomorrow at the Federal building at 6:30am. They would be traveling in vehicles provided by the agency to and from the surveillance site.

Walking into the bedroom, Tony changed into shorts and a T-shirt. She was home early and decided to make dinner and surprise Megan. Her partner was a better cook, and they had settled into a routine where she cooked and Tony cleaned up afterwards.

Deciding to make a chef salad, she took everything she needed from the refrigerator. Placing a tomato on the cutting board, she began cutting it into squares, her thoughts on her new assignment. She still couldn’t believe Braxton. Shaking her head at the absurdity of the situation, she hoped for a quick conclusion. The shifts required would mean less time with Megan, and that she was not looking forward to. The salad finished, Tony glanced at the clock. Megan was due home any time so she set the table, putting the salad in the refrigerator.

Megan entered the apartment and saw Tony standing in the kitchen. "Hi. You’re home early," she said smiling at her partner.

Tony walked over to Megan and said, "Yeah. I got a new case starting tomorrow and the briefing finished up early." Leaning over she kissed her partner.

"Are you hungry? I made salad for dinner."

Megan felt the stress of work slip away when Tony’s mouth met hers. Smiling, she said, "Sure am. Let me change first."

After eating, Tony was sitting on the couch next to Megan, her arm around her lover. Megan had just finished telling Tony about her day.