Си Паради: Dancing With Shadows

Ben met Sherman’s slate gray eyes and smug look with a smile. "That would probably work in most cases. But the fact that she is, if not the best, one of the best operatives the Agency has ever produced might make that a little difficult." Looking pointedly at Sherman, he continued, "Ever hear the name Viglioni?"

Sherman felt a strange sensation. Identifying it, he realized it was panic or as close to panic as he had ever come. Narrowing his eyes, he thought fast. This was a much more serious situation than Ben could ever imagine.

Viglioni was a legend in her own time. She had the distinct honor of never failing on a mission regardless of the danger to herself. She was said to be without fear and heralded by the Agency as the ideal agent. Sherman always felt those rumors were highly exaggerated, and only spread as an incentive to the male agents.

Deciding the best way to persuade Ben might be to sway the other operatives to his viewpoint, Sherman challenged him, "You think she’s better than we are collectively?"

"I never said that. But I can guarantee you that some of you would die trying to take her down. I’ve seen her in action. Trust me when I tell you she is not someone to be taken lightly. And due to her high profile it’s not a good idea. Now if you have any other suggestions, I’d be happy to entertain them."

"I still think we should just eliminate the problem. There are ways to make it look like an accident. No one would be able to prove anything.

We’re finished if what we’re doing is uncovered. I don’t plan on going to prison or dying in the chair," Sherman retorted, and added, "I rather take my chances, and if some of us die, so be it."

"Yeah…"

"I’m not going to rot in prison…"

"He’s right…"

Ben slammed his empty glass down on the table and raised his voice to regain control of the meeting. "Stop your whining and listen up. The committee may not uncover anything. The Agency does thousands of infiltration’s each year. In view of that, the scope of our operation has been quite small. You kill her and it might be kind of hard to explain the dead operatives associated with the ‘accident.’ For now we lay low and wait."

"I still don’t like it," Sherman said and smiled inwardly at the agreeing murmurs around the table.

Ben shoved his chair back and stood up glaring at Sherman. "That’s enough. I’m in charge here, not you. Maybe you’d like to be assigned to a desk job. That can be arranged you know."

Sherman’s face reddened and he met the eyes of the man he had considered his friend. Ben was toying with their futures. He was willing to take a chance and compromise all of them instead of just eliminating the problem. The fact that his opinion was influenced by being directly responsible for this development never fazed him. He said, "Ok. We wait," thinking, but I intend to do what I have to.

Ben’s gaze drifted slowly around the table making eye contact with each operative. "If there are no other questions, you’re free to leave. I’ll be in contact."

The operatives began leaving the same way they had arrived, individually and at irregular intervals.

Sherman was the last to leave. Turning to Ben, he smiled and said, "Later."

Ben nodded and Sherman exited the room. Sighing, he poured himself another drink and took a large swallow. He hadn’t expected his authority to be challenged. When the backers had approached him about a way to eliminate potential threats against the government and other citizens, he had agreed to act as liaison and had personally chosen each member of the secret team.

They had also discussed how to administratively handle the cases that were to be acted on. They had a choice of not altering the records and taking the chance that one of the desk jockeys would notice the discrepancy when the termination report was filed or changing the reports.

They had opted for the latter. But which one of those two old fools had been stupid enough to target one of Viglioni’s cases? Well it didn’t really matter now. The damage was done.

Megan thoughts had returned to the next stop on their trip. She was worried. She knew Tony tended to internalize things, but this was something they needed to talk about. Maybe she was rushing things. It was a major decision and if Tony wasn’t sure about it, she should wait until she was.

Megan moved from the comforting backrest Tony was providing and scooted around on the bed until she was facing her. Looking into the deep blue eyes that were watching her quizzically, she said, "You haven’t said a thing all weekend about…"

"I know," Tony said interrupting her. Tony closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. Opening her eyes, she said, "I’ve been thinking about it a lot."

Megan looked into her partner’s worried eyes. Raising a hand to Tony’s face gently stroking her cheek, she said, "You don’t have to do this.

There’s no rush. If you’re not ready Tony, it’s ok. Don’t push yourself."

Tony saw the concern on Megan’s face and the love shining brightly out of the green and gold eyes. A small sigh escaped her mouth. "I have to. It’s something I should’ve done a long time ago. Pausing for a moment, trying to verbalize her feelings, she continued, "You know all the stories we’ve told each other… about when we were kids….well….I guess it made me realize how much I miss my mother. Even if it turns out bad….at least I’ll know."

Megan leaned over and hugged her partner. Tony relaxed against her lover before pulling away and saying, "I think it might be best if you just go on back to Cleveland and I’ll meet you there in a couple of days. If it doesn’t go well, I don’t want to put you through that."

Megan tried to hide the deep sense of hurt that filled her at the words by averting her face. She’s blocking me out. Turning back to face her partner, she said, "We planned this trip together. Not just the fun part, the whole thing. No matter how it goes, I plan on being there for you."

Tony felt a sinking feeling in her stomach when she saw the hurt on Megan’s face. Look what I’ve done now. I have to make her understand.

Reaching out, she placed her hand around one of Megan’s smaller ones. "I’m just thinking of you. I love you, and I don’t want to take a chance and ruin the fun we’ve had the last couple of days. It’s my problem, not yours."

Tony only had a moment to register the impact her words had on Megan before the hazel eyes started flashing and the face looking at her reflected anger.

"What do you mean it’s not my problem? I thought we were partners. I love you Tony and that means sharing. Not just the good but the bad too. After all we’ve been through I can’t believe you said that."

"I didn’t mean it like that…"

"Well just how did you mean it? It certainly sounded like that to me," Megan retorted, more hurt than angry.

All of a sudden the words she had uttered hit her from Megan’s perspective. Swallowing hard, her mouth dry, she moved over to Megan wrapping her in her arms. She felt the stiff, tension filled body against hers. "I’m sorry, Love. I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I thought it was selfish to drag you along with me for moral support. I wasn’t trying to leave you out."

Megan felt some of the tension drain from her body. "You forgot one thing. I’m here because I want to be. It’s a choice I made when I fell in love with you. It’s not up to you to decide what you think is right for me. Those are the kind of decisions we make together." Megan hesitated, then added, "If you don’t want me to go, fine. But remember one thing. It’s not just your problem anymore. It affects you, so it affects me too."

Overcome with emotion and unable to speak, Tony tightened her hold on Megan hoping the increased contact would convey the depth of her feelings and take away some of the hurt her words had caused. Finally able to verbalize, she said simply, "I want you to go."