“Hang that up on a wooden hanger, would you?” an upper class female voice drawled. “Harold, I don’t see why your servants don’t wear uniform.”

“He’s not-” Harry began, but I cut across him by holding up a hand, aiming a sweet smile at the woman in question. Demi was staring at her in shock.

“Of course, ma’am. Right away.”

“Danny, you don’t have to-”

“Well, apparently, I look like a butler. I see no reason why I shouldn’t act like one as well. For the record, his staff do wear a uniform.” With another sweet smile into the woman’s shocked face, I exited the room. “Do we have any plastic hangers?” I asked a male servant. He nodded, and I held out the woman’s coat, “Put this on it, and don’t bother being gentle.”

As soon as he had hold of it, I pulled on my own jacket, heading for the door and scooping up my overnight bag on the way. Servants in this house knew never to touch my things.

Harry came speeding out of the living room as I pulled open the door, “Danny! Don’t go!”

I shot him a dark look, “I’m not nothing anymore, Harry. There was a point in my life when I was, but I worked my way out of that. I am not going to stand for being treated like I’m still on the streets and eating off other people’s plates. I’m not being degraded like that.”

“Danny, she didn’t mean-”

I shook my head, “She’s right. I don’t know who I was kidding. I don’t belong here… I’ll see you at the base.” I didn’t the slam the door as I left, though I severely wanted to.

*****

“Hey, Stalker. Looking forward to tonight?” Neilson greeted the next day, falling into step next to me as I walked across the office.

“Yeah. Sure,” I muttered darkly.

He frowned, “What’s got your goat?”

I sent him a look of distain, “Are you surprised your brothers used to pick on you?”

He grinned, “It’s a perfectly common expression. Now why are so moody?”

I sighed as I let us into my office, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But it often helps in these situations.” He took a seat in one of my chairs before I could shove him back out, “Go on… Tell Sammy what’s wrong…”

I laughed- despite my dire mood. “And you think I’m weird?” He nodded, his eyes large and faux sincere. I sighed again, “Okay. I went to Harry’s last night-”

“Might I point out that the sole root of almost all your problems is Judd?” He had the duck the book thrown at his head.

“Shut up! If you want to know, then let me talk. Anyway, I went to his house, and it was all going well. I didn’t feel out of place, his servants didn’t resent me. We went into the garden, drank some beer, we kissed. Everything was fine.”

“What happened?”

“Someone came over to see Harry,” I told him. “And the posh bitch thought I was part of the staff.”

He winced, “Ouch. What did Judd say?”

I nodded thoughtfully, “He was going to tell her. I don’t know. He may have told her once I was gone, but he was going to when she first said it… But the way she was looking at me made me feel like scum. I had flashbacks to leaving home, I guess. It was the same look my parents had on their faces.”

“She doesn’t know you.”

“Well, it doesn’t stop it from fucking hurting!” I snapped. He didn’t say anything, just gave me the time and space to calm down. “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

He considered this, and smiled at me, “Wanna take it out on a punch bag?”

*****

He was right- punching the crap out of a punch bag was slowly reducing my anger. Creative visualisation- that was the key. And, right now, the posh bitch was my punch bag. However, with Neilson standing on the other side, giving it a shove every time he felt like I was slacking, she was fighting back.

A shadow fell over the bag, “Danny?”

I offered Harry a bright smile, “Hey, baby…”

He frowned at me, then glanced at Neilson, “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” he enthused, knowing full well that wasn’t what Harry meant. “It’s like I’m not even here.”

“Neilson,” I said warningly. He sighed.

“Fine… There’s my joyous trainer, anyway. Have fun… Later, Stalker.” He jogged off, leaving us alone.

“What’s up?” I asked. “You’re acting like you have some big news for me.” I slammed my fist into the bag again. It was sort of like a safety net now, so if he said anything to piss me off, it would be easier not to throw my fist into his face.

“You can’t pretend last night didn’t happen,” he said softly.

“Well, I can try.” My fist hit the bag. “It was nothing,” I told him firmly. “She made a mistake, and it pissed me off- no lie. But I’m over it. No harm done.”

“I know you put her coat on a plastic hanger, Dan,” he said patiently.

I scowled at him, “Well, apologies all round. I guess that proves I’m lower class. I’m so stupid; I can’t even follow a simple order out of the snide mouth of a woman with grey roots.” I smiled as a voice came into my head, and I quoted it: “I’m just a stupid Northerner.”

“You’re not stupid,” he snapped. I gave him a cold look, letting him know I was fully aware of that fact. “But that was immature. It was petty.”

“It was satisfying, though,” I said evenly. “And, technically, I didn’t put it on the plastic hanger.”

“Ordering it be put on a plastic hanger is the same thing,” he retorted. “Yeah, your right hand man told on you. Julia blew up- something about the fabric being ruined. I don’t know, I tuned out after a while… But she was furious!”

I stopped my insistent punching and turned to face him slowly. I stared straight at him for a moment emotionlessly, and when I spoke my voice was monotonous: “Snap.”

The look on his face turned pleading, “Why are we fighting already…? I know you’re angry; Danny, but I only just got you back… I don’t want to lose you again…” He thought for a moment, “We have to talk about this. Have dinner with me tonig-”

“I can’t,” I cut across him. “I’m going out.”

“Then have lunch with me.”

A sigh escaped my lips, “Harry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Who am I kidding? I don’t fit in your world.”

“But you do,” he murmured, laying a hand on my cheek. “Because you are my world. Danny, I love you, and nothing’s going to change that.”

I shook my head slightly, “You cheesy bastard…” I was confused. I was unsettled. I couldn’t handle this right now. “I can’t-”

I was cut off by his lips coming down on mine smoothly. The light kiss lingered, both of us craving more but relying on the other to make the first move. Then I pushed up against him, capturing his mouth with mine and indulging myself in a proper kiss.

“I’ll give you one more chance,” I told him. “But if I ever get confused with your staff again, you can kiss goodbye to anything.”

He nodded, “Thank you. She’s a family friend- father’s done some business with her. If it’s any consolation, she’s very sorry, and she realised who you were as soon as I said your name.”

“Or so she says.”

He laughed, “Cynic.”

*****

“I can’t believe you actually did that!” Harry remarked with a snigger as we entered the Terrka cafeteria a week and a half later. “We were almost thrown out of the restaurant!” I rolled my eyes in response.

“Please, come on! Could that waiter have eyed you up any more? It was fucking ridiculous!”

He laughed, “Did we get jealous…?”

“We got angry.”

“You’re hot when you’re angry, though,” he said with a shrug.

“God, you’re so damn hot when you’re angry.”

“Don’t be angry, Danny…. You know how I feel about you when you’re angry…”

I nodded slowly, not looking at him as Dougie’s voice sounded in my head, a smile curling on my lips, “I’ve heard that.” I sensed him smiling at me and looked up, “Come on. I’m hungry.”

“What d’you want?”

“I’ll see when we finally make it up there.”

“Hey, Stalker!” As we passed a certain table, I found an apple lobbed at me. I caught it neatly, and grinned at Neilson, who motioned me down to speak his words of wisdom into my ear. “You’ll need that- length of the queue up there. And plus, an apple a day keeps the bullets away…”

I laughed, straightening up, “I’ll need an orchard. I’ll bear that in mind.” I nodded at the other people at the table and moved over to Harry, who had reached the counter.

“You’re finished, then?” he asked moodily, reaching out to grab a bottle of flavoured water for me, knowing I preferred it to plain water. I smiled at him sweetly, nibbling on my apple leisurely.

“Do you have a problem with me having a friend?” I asked slowly. I was testing him. His jealous side seemed to be coming out again, and I was determined not to be trapped by it for a second time.

“I’m not against you having a friend,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “It’s just that Sam Neilson is my waiter. I see him flirting with you, and vice versa, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

“I’m friendly. And he’s straight.”

“I know, but the doubts are still there.”

I stared at him, at a total loss of what to do. I reached up and ran a hand down the curve of his cheek. As soon as he turned to look at me, I brought my mouth up to his. The kiss was a long, if rare, demonstration of my devotion- one which probably held up the whole queue, but no-one dared complain. I broke away finally and nuzzled him affectionately, “Do you see me doing that to Neilson?”

He smiled, “No. Thank you. I love you, Danny.”

I took a step back, “Let’s get lunch before people start complaining.”

*****

“Take a look at this,” Neilson ordered, striding through my open office door and throwing me a small black box. I caught it and opened it curiously. Inside was a pretty diamond ring- an octagonal cut set in white gold. I had always been good at analysing jewellery. I used to pawn anything I could get my hands on, and I wanted a fair price.

I looked up at him, my face serious, “Neilson, are you proposing to me?”

I was awarded the famous Nielson eye-roll, “Yes. Yes, I am.” He shifted slightly on his feet, looking nervous, “Is it okay? We’re having a meal in tonight. I mean, I’m cooking. I was going to ask her.”

“To marry you?” I asked with a grin.

“No, to do the limbo with me,” he drawled. “Yes, to marry me. I figured now’s as good a time as any. I love her. I want to be with her. We’ve been together since high school. She transferred from Delft the year we took our A Levels.”

I looked up at him, “She’s Dutch?” He nodded. “So, you’re going to ask your girlfriend to marry you? Who- from what you’ve said- is a hyper, slightly insane, Smirnoff loving, chocoholic homoerotic.”

“You say all of that like it’s negative,” he said in a hurt tone. “Do you not think I should ask her?”

I looked back down at the ring with a grin, “Actually, I was thinking you’re a good match.”

He laughed, “Shut up! I am not homoerotic!”

“So you agree to all the other things?” I taunted, holding the ring out of his grasp as he tried to snatch it back.

“I’m more of a beer man, actually.”

“And I’ve seen the look on your face when Harry and I kiss,” I continued.

The eye-rolls were coming thick and fast today, “That’s disbelief, Danny, not fascination.” He made one last snatch for his ring, managing to knock the now closed box out of my hand and onto the floor of my office. “Oh, God. It’s been swallowed by the swamp.”

I pouted, looking down at the floor, “Is it really that bad in here?”

“No. I just think that pout’s adorable,” he assured me, bending down to pick up the ring. Still knelt on the floor, he opened the box to make sure the ring was still in tact. And Harry walked in.

It was a compromising situation. Neilson was down on one knee with a ring in his hand, even if it wasn’t pointed in my direction, and my eyes had been on him. However, any tension that could have been aroused by the situation was cancelled out the moment Neilson and I both burst out laughing.

“It’s just our luck, isn’t it?” I asked him, extending a hand to help him up.

“It’s for my girlfriend,” Neilson said by means of explanation.

“It’s a nice cut,” Harry commented. “But that doesn’t explain why you were offering it to my boyfriend.”

“I stole it, he tried to get it back, I dropped it,” I explained shortly. Then I turned to Neilson, blanking my boyfriend, who still had a suspicious look on his face, “You have to ask her. She’ll be thrilled. It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks,” he said with one of his rare, proper smiles. “I need to go find T-40. The geek wants to see the ring.” He excused himself out past Harry.

“If you’re just going to stand there and stare at me like I’ve done something wrong, you can follow him out,” I told Harry, moving to sit behind my computer. I knew he didn’t leave, but I focused all of my energy on the screen, letting him know I was pissed off.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” I asked in disinterest.

“You know what.”

I spun to face him finally, “I want to make sure you know what you’re saying sorry for. I don’t want you to say it just ‘cause you can see I’m annoyed. I want you to know what you did.”

“He had a fucking ring in his hand and he was down on one knee! It’s the natural assumption!” he defended.

“He’s straight,” I snapped. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“He could be bi. You’re gay, though. And you’re attracted.

“I’m not attracted!” I spluttered, raking my hands through my hair in frustration. “He’s… Neilson. There’s nothing there. Why are you so determined to put something there?!”

“Because I love you and I’m not going to lose you again!” he shouted.

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed venomously, well aware my door was open, but not wanting to close it and shut myself in with him. “You’re not going to lose me if you trust me. You claim to love me, but- as far as I can see- I’ve given you no reason to be suspicious of me!”

“Marry me.”

I froze, and stared at him, “What?!”

“Marry me,” he repeated, leaning on my desk so the shocking blue of his eyes bored into mine. “Let me trust you. Let me love you. Let me be with you without us fighting- without an argument over everything.”

“We can do that without getting married…” I pleaded. “Don’t be rash. We’ve only been back together a month. I’m not ready to even think about that.”

“Are you ever going to be ready?” he asked, doubt filling his voice. “Who was he, Dan, that you can’t get over him? That every day I tell you I love you, hoping that this will be the day I hear it back, and nothing?”

I looked down at my hands, “I don’t know.”

“Do you love him?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said hotly. “Maybe I did, but we had to end it and we ended it. It’s over.” I sighed slowly, exhaling like what came next was going to change my whole life, “Maybe I still do. And, I think, if this is what you want, I can’t give it to you.” I looked back up into his eyes, “I can’t string you along like this. You should find someone who loves you.”

He moved round the desk slowly and straddled me in my chair, much to my shock. His mouth found mine, and he kissed me, deep and long, “And you should let someone love you. I’m not going anywhere, Dan.” He leaned back and pushed the button for the door, and we watched it close. I grinned at him.

“You just like doing that, don’t you?”

His lips curled in agreement, “I’m easily amused.” He kissed me again, his hands sliding up under my jacket seductively. I pulled his tie off, throwing it to the side and pulling him further into me. I needed him, and I needed him now.

And, of course, the phone had to ring.

“Alexander Graham Bell has a lot to account for. Phones keep wrecking things!” I muttered, swinging my chair around with Harry still sat on me, so I could get at my phone without having to decant him. I reached over and picked it up, “Jones.”

“Good afternoon, sir. This is T-40, Robinson comma Samantha, of the technology division. I’m calling on behalf of T-6. He would like to know the code number for the Lexon account if it’s not too much trouble.”

T-40, I noted. Neilson’s betting buddy. I’d always assumed she was male. Not that I was sexist, it was just that the majority of Terrka were. “The Lexon account?” I verified. When I got no response, I took that as affirmative. “Hang on a second. I’ll just get it for you.” I kept the phone at my ear, and smiled sweetly at Harry, “Move.”

“Why?”

“I need to use the computer- geek’s orders- so, unless you’re going to grow a window in your torso so I can see through you, move.”

“Offer to cut one in for him,” Neilson’s voice suddenly said into my ear. “That’ll get him moving. Or tell him I’ll do it.”

I laughed, “Keep your violent thoughts to yourself. That’s my boyfriend you’re talking about it.” My lips curved at the curious frown on Harry’s face. “What are you doing there?”

“Showing Bob the ring.” He cleared his throat slightly. “And hiding from T-9,” he admitted. “He’s on the rampage. I walked past him earlier, and he told me to get a haircut.”

“Why? Your hair’s fine,” I told him, nudging a disgruntled Harry off me and logging into my computer.

“Stalker, people like T-9 are simple creatures. They pick on everyone who is even slightly different from themselves and look at them like they’re scum.”

“Yeah, well, if he ever tells me to get a sex change, I’m giving him one for free,” T-40 muttered. She cleared her throat nervously as I sensed Neilson wince along with me. “Apologies, sir. I can’t control my mouth. Do you have the codes, yet?”

“Almost.”

“This always happens around you,” I heard her hiss to Neilson.

“So it’s my fault you can’t seem to have any control over what comes out of your mouth?”

“Yup. Blame the blond,” her Ipswich accent agreed cheerfully.

“I’d give her those codes quick,” he muttered down the phone line. “‘Cause she’s not going to be around for much longer to deliver them.”

“Right.” I reeled off the codes easily now I had them in front of me. “Have fun. Don’t get blood on Aaron’s monitors.” I hung up the phone, but stayed by my computer, checking the codes.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked at my shoulder.

I shrugged, and shut down the window, before spinning in my chair to face him, “I m not sure.”

“Well, where we were, then?” he asked carefully, before sitting on my lap again and proceeding to devour my mouth with his like there had been no interruption, but something felt off to me.

“Do you want to marry me?”

Harry pulled back with a frown, studying my face intently for a long moment before daring to formulate an answer. “Yes, I do,” he told me honestly. “I was going to propose, on your twenty-first, but then he came along and we never made it to your twenty-first…”

I avoided his gaze now, staring at the wall as if it were miraculously going to be anything other than white. “I don’t want that, Harry. Not now at least…”

“I know,” he said softly. “And I don’t need marriage. As long as I have you, I don’t need it. You’re all I need. I love you so much.”

“What if I never say it back?” I whispered. I didn’t want to lead him along like this. Not if I didn’t know when and if my Dougie fixation was ever going to end.

“I won’t give up,” he promised. “You may have gotten over me, but I can’t get over you.”

“It took me almost two years to get over you,” I told him. “And here you are, determined to shove me under again.”

“But you keep kicking back to the surface,” he said fondly. “That’s one of the things I love about you.” He moved my hair back out of my eyes and dipped his head to touch his lips to the skin that was exposed. He eased my jacket over my shoulders, “I’m going to sink you, Dan.”

*****

“So, how did the proposal go?” I asked Neilson, coming up behind him as he stood at the photocopier- no doubt part of some mundane task T-9 had given him to do rather than training him properly.

He held up his left hand, while he pressed a button with his index finger on his right, “Take a look.”

I frowned as I took hold of his hand to survey the ring. It wasn’t the one he had shown me, but a plain golden band marred only by the delicate etchings of vines winding up the length. “I thought you were giving her a ring…”

“I did.”

“Then where the hell did this come from, then?!”

He grinned at my confusion, and took a moment to enter a code into the copier just to irritate me. “We’d just finished tea, right? And my attempt at cooking hadn’t gone badly wrong, so she was still conscious. Then I just slid the box across to her and asked her.”

“And…?” I prompted.

He cleared his throat purposefully, “She threw her glass of champagne over me.”

I burst out laughing. It seemed cruel, but the image in itself was just classic. “Sorry,” I amended when he glared at me stonily. “Why?”

“I bet her to it,” he said with a shrug.

I grinned at him now, “She was going to ask you?”

“Had the ring specially made.”

I shook my head in amazement, “You two are perfect for each other… And I say that without even meeting the woman. And I have respect for the fact she wasn’t afraid to ask you. More so, she wanted to ask you.” I picked up half of the photocopies and helped to carry them across the office, “So, you’re engaged…”

“Yup.” He set the papers down on his desk, “What follows now is a state of paranoia, panic and just general torture as we try to get a wedding together.”

“When were you thinking?”

“Oh, next July,” he said dismissively. “She wants to get married on her birthday- which is fair enough. If I argued for my birthday, we wouldn’t be getting married until the next leap year.”

I laughed again. There was something so perfect about that. “You were born on February 29^th?” The day when, traditionally, the female of a couple was meant to ask the male to marry her.

“I know. What are the chances? I pretend it’s the 28^th, but- technically- I’m only five years old. This year, actually.”

I patted him on the head lightly, “This explains so much…”

*****

“And your phone and communicator,” Aaron told me finally. “It took me five weeks, but I’m sure they’re not bugged.”

“Thank you so much,” I said graciously, accepting them off him. They looked in better condition than before, and not at all like they’d been stripped down and thoroughly examined. “I know you have a lot to do- as always. I appreciate it.”

He smiled at me, “No problem. We had to get you going again properly. Just tell me when Steve’s done with your Spanish villa.”

I grinned, “It may be a while. This seems to be building up right now. Polydon’s waiting for us to make a move, while we’re waiting for them.”

“So we’ll be waiting for a while yet,” he agreed. “And I wouldn’t leave now for a date with Drew Barrymore. We need a little excitement. Back when we first started, there was trouble with Polydon once a fortnight.”

I smiled fondly, “Yeah. The start of the rivalry’s always the most interesting part. It gets boring afterwards.”

“What d’you think’s going to happen?” he asked cautiously, leaning towards me across his work table, where some computer parts lay.

I shrugged loosely, “I have no idea. But I know the new Poly1’s not just going to let me off for escaping and holding him at gunpoint. Plus, they still have no idea how we got in.”

He winced sympathetically, “I get their urgency there, actually. If I found out there was a gaping hold in my security that two people- who aren’t even hackers- could get past, I’d be worried.”

“Poynter got past yours,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but I’ve changed it since then- improved it. He won’t be getting back in the same way. And plus, he’s a good hacker, so it’s not as insulting to my pride.”

“But for me and Neilson to get past his, it’s a serious dent in his ego,” I concluded. Aaron nodded in confirmation. I thought for a moment as I strapped my communicator on. It felt alien after so long. “So he won’t be done. He’ll want to know what’s wrong with his system.”

Another nod. “And he knows you know. They’re gonna want you back, Danny. You’re the one person they’re sure was there.”

“So what do I do?”

“Never go anywhere alone,” he recommended. “And even then watch your back.”

*****

“So what kind of pizza do you want?”

“I don’t want pizza.”

I jabbed him in the chest in irritation, “Well, I do. I’m not bloody cooking, okay? I’m hungry.”

“So am I.”

“Well, then, what do you wan-?” I turned to look at him slowly to see him biting his lip suggestively, staring back at me. “Oh.” I brought my mouth down to his and gave him a sweet, longing kiss. He pulled me further into him, so he was slouched back on the sofa with me on top of him.

I guess it’s true what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder. Before we’d broken up, Harry had never been this attentive, this loving, this perfect. Now, he seemed to always want contact between us, but not always in the form of sex. Like right now, we were just kissing. There were no hints that either of us were after anything more. No hands sliding up a thigh, no hands lingering at the bottom of a t-shirt.

I pulled away, making a noise of approval in the back of my throat, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered. I climbed off him before he could properly register what I’d just said.

“I’m going to go order pizza. I don’t care. I’m hungry.” I started down the corridor, calling back to him, “You want anything? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

However, I never made it to the kitchen, as Harry decided to grab me by the shoulder and pin me against the wall. His mouth found mine eagerly, and the tone of this kiss was totally different to those in the living room. This one meant sex, as long as I was being honest.

“You love me?” he asked breathlessly.

I shrugged, partly just to irritate him, partly because that was one of the only movements I could make with his entire body trapping me, “What of it?”

“Three months,” he breathed out. “I was beginning to lose hope.”

I wrinkled my nose in distaste, “The man I love would never give up.”

“You look so cute when you do that…”

“When you wrinkle this, you look so unbelievably adorable… I can’t believe I have to shut you up again…”

I smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss him again softly, “Thank you.”

“Say it.”

“Say what?” I asked him in confusion, trying to annoy him- to taunt him. “Pizza? I never knew Italian turned you on so much…”

“Tell me you love me.”

“Why should I when you already know?”

He moved his face into mine, and whispered so his lips brushed mine, “If you tell me, I’ll take you into the bedroom and give you amazing sex. Humour me.”

I grinned, “I love you.”

And his mouth claimed mine again as he pulled me off the wall and steered me back into the bedroom.

*****

A week later, I was sitting in my office when the phone rang. I stared at it in pure shock- I had forgotten they could ring when you weren’t in the middle of something important. I picked it up, “Jones.”

“Terrka, this is Polydon calling. I think we need to talk.”

I froze at the familiar voice on the end of the line, and my hand went automatically to my neck, where his gold chain still lay. I had never taken it off. I kept my voice calm, though, fully aware that he would feed off any of my panic I let slip to the surface, “Oh? And why might this be?”

“You have some information that we value very much.”

“Do we now…?” Movement at the door caused me to look round, and Harry was standing there, a curious look on his face as he picked up on the tone of my voice. I was stalling. I motioned for him to keep quiet, and adjusted my grip on the phone. “Why the sudden formality? Why not just take me like you did before?”

The crude joke that Dougie normally would’ve cracked never came, but he did laugh softly. Our personal relationship was over. “We tried. But whenever we did, after an attempt to lull you into a false sense of security, you were never alone. Your boyfriend protected you by being there.”

Despite the façade, I could hear the bitterness in his voice under the cocky composure. I waved Harry towards me, and opened up a Word Document. “I assumed you’d go for me again,” I said, as I quickly typed a message to Harry to go get Tom because I was on the phone to Poynter.

“I’m not stupid. If I hear one more key tap, you will have ruined any chance of rationality,” the Poly1 said coldly. “But, by all means, send Judd to go get Fletcher. That’ll give us some more time to talk privately. Your geek can’t hack this line, Jones.”

“He can try,” I said hollowly, trying to digest how he had just known what I was doing and who it was for. “Harry, go. Now.” He hesitated ever so slightly, and I glared at him. “Go!” He ran out of the room now, going to get the others. I turned my full attention back to Poynter. “What do you want?”

“Information you possess that could be fatal to Polydon.”

“And why would I give you that?”

“Because, if you don’t, we’re going to attack.”

I sighed slowly, dragging a hand through my hair, “And what good will that do? Only two of us know your answer, Poynter. Properly, at least. And the chances that you would find the other man during the raid are unlikely- especially since you don’t know what he looks like- and you already know I’m not speaking.”

“A raid will show you just how seriously Polydon take your breaking and entering.”

“Presumably as seriously as Terrka take your breaking and leaving,” I agreed.

“I fixed after myself.”

“We didn’t have to break anything,” I said softly.

He made a noise of contempt, “Mr. Jones, my security system is of the highest order. As complicated as your own, if not more so. It would not have simply let you into the building.”

“And it’s just eating you up that it did…” I looked up as Tom ran into my office with uncharacteristically wide eyes. “T-1 has arrived, if you wish to speak to him first hand to first hand.”

“Put him on speakerphone,” Tom commanded. I nodded, and pressed the right button, putting down the handset. “Poynter?”

“Well, well, well, Tom Fletcher…” Dougie purred throatily on the other end. “It’s an honour. It really is. I feel humbled. We never got to meet face-to-face while you had me in captivity. Your second in command is lovely, though.”

Tom met my gaze over the console, “What d’you want?”

“Straight to the point, I see, so I’ll be straight with you in return. That same lovely second in command got into our building by an unknown route, and we want to know that route.”

“And what if the second in command can’t remember?” I spoke up.

“You’re not a forgetful person, Jones,” he said confidently. “That’s why I was surprised when you got back with Judd. I guess you’re forgiving…”

“Have you been watching us?” Harry demanded.

“Don’t flatter yourself. We were watching your boyfriend. You don’t mean anything to us. He’s of value.”

“He’s sitting right here and he’s not an object,” I interrupted coldly. “Is that why you called my office, Poynter? Or was it just for the drama of having to make T-1 come to you?”

“Call it what you like. We just want information.”

“And you expected me to give it to you over the phone line?” I asked in distain. Poynter chuckled softly.

“Of course not… We should meet up at a location where you would have my word that I would be on my own, and you and Fletcher would meet me there.”

“And why would we meet you?” Tom asked coldly. “As much as we love helping out our sworn enemies in their moment of need, there’s nothing in this deal for us.”

“I disagree. Share this valuable information with us, and we won’t storm your base.”

“Our base isn’t the one with the security breach.”

“Nobody likes a smartarse, Jones.” He was beginning to sound a little pissed off now, realising it probably hadn’t been the best idea to take me and Tom together. “I’ve hacked that system once. I can do it again with ease.”

“The security’s been updated,” I informed him. “Improved. You’re not getting into our base, and it pisses you off that we can get into yours. You can’t hack our systems.”

“I like a challenge.” Aaron sped in, and his eyes fixed on the phone. Steve was close behind, obviously having gotten him. “More company?” Dougie asked in interest. “If this is Aaron Buckingham, then my day is complete.”

“Then you’re in luck,” Aaron said smoothly, setting his laptop down on the desk and connecting it to the phone desk with ease. I guess when he designed them; he made sure he could if such an event ever arose. “It’s nice to finally hear the voice of the guy who demolished my system then was kind enough to build it back up overnight so I didn’t know how you got out.”

“It’s a beautiful system.”

“It’s even more beautiful now.” Aaron went to work on the phone-line.

“You do know you’re never going to trace this call, Buckingham?”

Aaron looked back up with a sweet smile that Poynter would have been able to sense even though he couldn’t see it, “I like a challenge.”

Tom took over the reigns now, “What are you going to do if we refuse to meet with you? You’re not getting into the base. And fuck if you’re getting at Danny.”

Dougie tutted down the phone-line, “Now, now, Mr. Fletcher. Language! I’m barely a child!”

“So’s T-4,” I said evenly. “And I can assure you he’s not shrinking away in abject horror.”

“Smartarse, Jones,” he retorted primly. “Can’t stress it enough.”

“Just tell us what you want,” Tom spat impatiently.

“I want to talk about this rationally. I don’t believe that’s too much to ask.”

“I believe any chance of rationality went sharply out the window when you almost killed T-3 by overdosing him on a sedative, then had the nerve to take T-2 hostage and batter and starve him,” Tom said calmly, but there was a dangerous sense of fury in his voice.

“That wasn’t me, Fletcher, as I’m sure you well know.”

“Yes, but I’m also aware that you could’ve had it in your power to stop it all. You could’ve called off your interrogator.”

“He works by his own rules. Rashman couldn’t control him either.”

Tom glanced up at me to check I was okay. In fact, all four of them turned to look at me like I was about to freak out and run out the room screaming. Even Aaron had paused in his work. I shrugged uncomfortably, telling them to stop it. “I’m pretty sure Rashman never gave up the fight, though.” Tom countered smoothly, as Harry set his hands on my shoulders protectively.

“Do you not leave your interrogator to his own devices?”

“I’m certain my interrogator is stable.” Tom paused, and took a breath, “Any respect I may have for you on account of your age is diminishing by the second.”

A soft laugh came down the phone, “Think what you want. I don’t need your respect. Jones, a private word before I leave you?”

I frowned, “Why?”

“Well, don’t think I’m letting this go. I’ll give you the details of the location. I’ll be there, and whether you choose to be or not is entirely up to you.”

“Why can’t you tell all of us?” Steve asked slowly.

“T-4… A pleasure to have you join the conversation… I only want the top two to be there. I don’t want anyone else to know. So, Jones, you’re going to send them all to one side of the desk, pick up the receiver and take me off speaker phone. I want your word when you have.”

“And if I lie?”

“It’s not your style.”

I nodded. He was right. Even now I cursed how well he knew me. “Go round the other side of the desk, Harry.”

“But-”

“For fuck’s sake, Harry!” I snapped angrily. “Why do you have to question everything?! Just do it.”

He scowled at me and let go of my shoulders, moving round the other side of the desk. I ignored his sulk. I didn’t have time to tend to his bruised feelings right now. This data could be crucial to us. I picked up the phone, and took it off speaker. “Right.”

“Give me your word.”

“You have it.”

“I can’t believe you got back with him,” he remarked immediately. “He’s so childish. He thinks the world revolves around him.”

“You’re one to talk,” I muttered.

“I know the world doesn’t revolve around me. Like you, I grew up having to fight for myself. He had everything handed to him on a golden platter and he still wants more,” he spat venomously. “He cheated on you, and you went crawling back to him the second I was gone.”

I couldn’t believe how off topic we’d gone, but I wanted to know why he was saying this, even if I couldn’t say too much in return with so many of the others in the room. “Is this what this is really about?”

“No, this is about you getting past my security and into the Polydon base, but I’m a little too disgusted to stay focused…” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that remark, and Harry frowned at me. “How soon after did you go running to him?”

“That night,” I said firmly, my eyes on my boyfriend.

“That night?” he repeated, a hollow sound tainting his voice. “After I almost-? You bastard, Danny.”

“After you almost what?”

There was a pause, and he didn’t answer me. I had turned so I was facing away from the others, so I could talk to him about this without having to watch their faces. “You know what?” he said finally. “You fucking deserve each other. I always knew you were still in love with him.”

“Then there’s nothing I could do.” I was well aware that four pairs of eyes were upon me, and I knew this wasn’t the time nor place to be having this conversation. “Give me the location, Poynter.”

He gave me the address for a run-down warehouse close to their base, “But it won’t just be me, Danny. Fletcher’s right. The time for rationality’s over. If you aren’t there to give yourself up in a week at two PM, we’ll come looking. You come to us and give us the information of your own free will; we’ll let you go again. Struggle, and we’ll take you all over again, and I won’t give you the benefits this time round.”

I cringed as the dialling tone sounded in my ear. Well, I think it was safe to say he was pissed off with me… “Shit,” I muttered as I put the phone down.

*****

“So we’re going to the warehouse anyway?” Neilson demanded. “What the hell are you going to do?! Hand us in?! Take my hand and lead me up to Poly1?! ‘Hi! We’re the guys who bypassed your security! Won’t you beat and starve us until one of us lets us slip? Oh, and since we’re here anyway, why don’t I just make it easy? We used the ventilation shafts!’”

“I would never turn you over,” I promised him.

His entire face registered shock, and he leaned on my desk, trapping me with his big brown eyes. “Danny,” he said seriously, the playful nickname I had grown accustomed to nowhere in sight. “Are you going to hand yourself over?”

“Only if I come up with a plan to get out of it again,” I muttered.

He frowned, “No. You’ve lost me. Explain the logic.”

“I let them think they’ve taken me, okay? Then, when they least expect it, there’s an ambush, and we take one of them.”

Neilson’s upper lip curled in distain, “That’s not going to work.”

“I know. I just heard it as I was saying it out loud…”

Neilson put his hands in his pockets and clicked his tongue as we descended into silence, “So just avoid all Polydon?”

“Sounds good.”

*****

“We’re going to go full frontal attack on this one,” Tom told me confidently. “If Polydon want you, they’ll have to fight for you.”

“Yeah, about that…” I began, leaning back in my chair. “Neilson and I have been talking over the last couple of days, and we’re wondering whether we should be there at all. If we’re who they want, and someone recognises us and no-one else is around, that could mean major trouble, and I don’t want to put him through that. He has a fiancée.”

Tom looked stunned, a rare occurrence in itself. “You two are pulling out?” he asked in disbelief.

I nodded, “I don’t want to, and we’ll both help in the preparations, but we just think it may be better if we stayed at base. I could make sure the remaining Terrka are okay.”

“If there are remaining Terrka.”

“Great. Less for me to do, then.” I saw his lips curl, “Tom, you know I would never normally do this to you. We just think it’s for the best.”

“For you and T-21 to be removed from the raid?” He sighed, “I have to agree with you, Dan.  It’s just… since Terrka started; we’ve always fronted every mission together. What will I do without you?”

“Employ T-9?” I suggested. “He just lost his partner as well.”

The look on Tom’s face was priceless. A mixture of horror and disgust laced his features, making his upper lip curl into a sneer. “I’d rather be on my own, thanks.”

*****

“You’re being taken off the raid?” Harry asked in shock. “More so, you requested you be-?! Danny, are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine,” I commented with a laugh. “We just think it’s best if we remain at base, because we’re who Polydon are so desperate to interrogate.”

He blinked, “We?”

“Me and Neilson.” I stopped during our walk through the office and fed some money into the vending machine. “Problem?”

“Not at all,” he said nonchalantly, pushing the button I pointed to so what I wanted rattled out. “So it’s just going to be you and him? Alone?”

I didn’t answer, just regarded him evenly as I bit into my chocolate bar. Then I turned and walked off. “Okay, I’m sorry,” he begged, falling back into step next to me again. “I trust you. I do. I swear I do.”

“That’s not enough.”

He frowned, “What?”

“You have to trust him as well,” I informed him. I stopped and moved into him so my whole body was pressed against his and my lips were less than a millimetre of his. “You have to trust him never to get this close, just as much as you have to trust me not to react…” Noting his breathing had hitched, I gave him a slow smile, before moving back and walking towards my office.

The second we were inside, he had me up against a wall, and was kissing me as if his life depended on it. The attentiveness still hadn’t worn off, and I was glad for it. The more Harry did, the less I thought about Dougie. I had fallen for Harry again, but the Poly1 was still on my mind. “I love you,” I murmured.

It was so rarely that I told him that without being prompted that he smiled brightly, and kissed me again, “I love you, too. So much.”

Our communicators beeped in unison, and I held my hand up behind Harry’s head so I could see the display on my wrist unit. “It’s Charlie.”

*****

“And they arrive together!” Steve announced as Harry and I walked into the largest conference room- a massive hall that could seat thousands. “Why am I not surprised?” The few Terrka who heard him laughed, and Brant looked disapproving. I left Harry with Steve and walked over to him:

“I’d wipe that look off your face if I were you. You’re never going to tempt Harry away from me looking like you’ve just trodden in someone else’s shit.”

Brant’s eyes widened, “What are you-?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I know you want my boyfriend’s arse.” I looked out over the crowded hall casually, taking a bite of my chocolate bar and chewing, “He might not be able to see it, but I can. And it’s a lovely arse- I want to keep it.”

Brant’s upper lip curled, “He deserves so much better than you. He’s privileged, while you grew up eating out of other people’s bins. And then you have the nerve to make him think he’s lucky to have you!”

“He cheated on me, Brant,” I reminded him, taking the last bite of the bar. “I didn’t have to take him back.”

“You took him back because you couldn’t find someone else,” he snarled. Then he smiled over my shoulder, “Hey, Harry.”

I felt numb with shock. Not from what he had said, but because I didn’t know that creature possessed the ability to smile. I turned round to look at Harry, “Hey. Have you seen Neilson? Because, if not, I have no idea why I’m here…”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Sorry. Haven’t seen him. I’m too focused on something else.”

He kissed me slowly, dragging it out as long as he could. I grinned at him, “Are you trying to make me forget about him?”

“Is it working?” He kissed me again. “I wish we hadn’t been called here…” he whispered into my ear. I smiled seductively, and tucked my wrapped into his lower jacket pocket.

“Later. We don’t want Ant getting jealous now, do we?” I asked, aiming a sweet smile at the man in question. He had a face like thunder, which he tried to hide as Harry glanced over.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” he muttered. “I have to go talk to my team…”

“Danny, Harry.” Charlie strode over as Harry raised his eyebrows questionably at me. “Can you help me to get everyone seated, so we have some idea of how many we’re still waiting on?”

“Sure. How many are meant to be here?”

“How many Terrka are there?” he said in response.

*****

“I know you’re all wondering why you’re here,” Charlie said to the silent hall. “And I think you’ve all figured out that it has something to do with the Polydon raid. But some of you have also noticed that those who are not going on the actual raid have still been called here.” Charlie glanced at me. The T-10 were sat up by the wall, and the rest of Terrka were seated in order, in rows of twenty. This meant that Neilson was in the centre of the front row, and he caught my eye as well.

Aaron took up the thread, “This will be answered in due course, but, before that, we feel we should tell you that- between us- T-5 and I have managed to develop an entirely new attack against our enemies.”

“A drug that cannot be found or identified within someone’s system, in a small enough syringe that a thorough search will not reveal it on your person,” Charlie cut in. “The serum, Donkata- as we have so named it, knocks a perfectly healthy, wide-awake person out in less than five seconds, and keeps them that way for a total of twelve hours. The only answer is a serum we have also developed. This will lessen the effects and wakes you up, but this will not be handed out.”

“For the Polydon raid,” Aaron announced. “You will all be provided with two syringes of the serum. I have designed a special pouch which can be sewn onto the inside of your jacket sleeves, so- in the case of an emergency- you may tug on a piece of string hanging down, and the bottom of the pouch will give way, so the syringe falls into your hand. The pouch is padded for your comfort, but where you choose to conceal your syringe is entirely up to you.”

“Are there any questions?” Charlie verified. He caught my eye, “T-2?”

“How long have you two been working on this?” I asked curiously, not wondering how he knew I had a question- Charlie knew me, end of. I wasn’t surprised when my voice was magnified around the hall. Aaron had no doubt planted mini-microphones all over the place.

“It’s taken us three years to get a product we were satisfied with,” Aaron admitted. “We told T-1 about it.”

I frowned thoughtfully as Tom patted my arm in a condescending manner. Now I thought back, I could recall him mentioning some sort of joint project between the two. I guess when nothing had come of it right away; I had shoved it to the back of my head. I nodded at Charlie, signifying that I was finished.

“T-22?” Aaron asked, looking out into the number order seats.

“Is the serum dangerous?” a bleached blond Terrka asked. Beside him, Neilson’s upper lip curled in distain, and I saw him mutter something to the guy- something the microphones didn’t catch. It was no doubt sarcastic, knowing him, and the guy looked insulted.

“We assure you that we wouldn’t be providing you with this if it wasn’t completely tested for safety,” Aaron assured him. “Anything else?”

A hand was raised lazily into the air three rows back. “T-67?” Charlie enquired.

“Are we going to get a demonstration?”

Aaron raised a fair eyebrow, “Are you offering?”

“You should offer, Dan,” Tom murmured to me.

“Fuck off,” I suggested brightly. Charlie looked over at us. The microphones hadn’t caught it, but Charlie was close enough that he had. I swear, that man had the hearing of a bat.