Keeper Ch. 02

"Oh, Lee... I... I've got so many papers I have to go through. You know... from Aunt Jean's passing and everything." It was true. The kitchen table was piled with things Blue needed to get taken care of before she could even think of what would come next.

"I'm not taking no for an answer!" Lee still sounded chipper, as if he knew he was going to win this one. "I've already got the turkey in the oven. It will go to waste if you don't come help me eat it. And I don't want to be alone. You shouldn't be either. And it's Christmas."

Blue sighed aloud, not afraid to let Lee hear it. "All right. I'll be there."

"Great! I'll see you in an hour."

"An hour? No way! I'll see you-" she glanced at the clock, seeing it was only 10:30. "I'll be there around 3." That would give her time to take care of some of the business she wasn't looking forward to.

"Three? Come on, Blue."

"Three. See you then." She hung up without waiting for any more arguments.

Pouring a bowl of Abe's food for him first, and watching as he wolfed it down as if he were starving, Blue sat at the kitchen table. She could feel a whopper of a headache already starting to form just thinking about all the papers to sort through, dealing with insurance and inheritance and the will and the funeral... all the things associated with Jean's death. She knew there would be much more to come, but also knew it would be best not to get behind with it. Even so, her eyes fell on a small stack of cards and notes, and she picked them up, knowing that she was just delaying.

It was a stack of condolence cards and the little notes that had been with the flowers people had delivered for the funeral service. Blue had donated most of the flowers after-wards, but had kept the cards accompanying them. Flipping through them now, she smiled sadly at the short notes. Coming to one particularly short, hand written one, she paused.

"Home is where the heart is." She read aloud. Odd sentiment for a death in the family. Her brow furrowing, she flipped the small square of paper over, looking for a name or florist address. Nothing.

Shrugging aside the tingling at the back of her neck, she set the note aside and picked up a stack of medical insurance correspondence.

~~~~~

"So how come I'm not the one going to Hawaii? All those girls in bikinis and grass skirts will be wasted on you." Blackie lounged in John's doorway, his usual pose in his usual place, waggling his dark brows and grinning his usual grin.

John picked up his briefcase and his jacket and nudged his friend out of the doorway. He had a plane to catch. "You've got time off gathering dust, don't you? Take advantage of some of it and go rest on a beach some where. Find some little hula dancer. Get laid. Stop bugging me."'

Blackie smiled wryly as the two watched for the elevator door to open. This wasn't a new exchange, but John knew David 'Blackie' De Haven's outward carefree, playboy demeanor hid an inner seriousness. There were sometimes hints of a darkness, a turmoil, that no one, even John, was allowed in to view.

The men's eyes met in the mirrored wall of the elevator as the door slid shut and sent them downward.

"Dimitri Belicoff might not take kindly to you showing up and ruining his beach combing for sea shells. You sure you don't need me there for added security?"

John knew Blackie was joking. The assignment was already planned out. John was going this part of it alone. "I think I can handle it." he drawled lazily. "He's had enough vacation, or whatever it is Udre has been having him running around the states doing. It's time to reel Dimitri in and remind him of his debt to us. He's working for us now. I'm just going to make sure he knows it."

Blackie walked alongside until they reached John's car, resting his arm on the roof and leaning in with a grin when John slid behind the wheel. "Work or no work, I hope you packed your swim trunks. You know, the ones with the little red hearts on them. Wear those and show off your pasty-white gams, it'll drive those hula-girls wild." He laughed at his own wit, straightening to let John shut the door, then bending down again as something occurred to him. "And I hope you called her."

John's hand paused in the process of turning the key to start the car. "Her? Called who?"

One dark brow raised knowingly. "Whoever the 'her' is that had you staring at your phone all through dinner last night. Can't imagine you'd be looking like that over some guy... so call her." This time when he straightened he stepped back, letting John close the car door.

John sat with the motor running until Blackie disappeared back into the INDIGO building. His hand on the gear shift, ready to go, his eyes dropped to the cell phone on the seat beside him.

"Oh, hell."

Forgoing the shift into drive, he picked up the phone and pressed the speed dial button for Blue.

~~~~~

"Is that your phone I hear?" Lee asked over his shoulder as they carried their bowls of rice pudding dessert into his living room.

"Oh... it is..." Blue set her bowl down and scrambled through the tote bag she had thrown it in. By the time she found it, it had stopped ringing, but her heart did a funny little flip when she saw the call was from John. Now was not a good time to call him back, not here at Lee's as his guest. If it's important he'll leave a message. Or maybe he'll leave a message even if it's not important.

Lee handed her the dessert and continued their conversation, but she couldn't help but to keep one eye on her phone. And then she couldn't help but to be disappointed when the message light didn't flash.

Smiling anyway, Blue gave Lee her undivided attention for the rest of the evening.

December 29
~~~~~~~~~~~

Blue paused in mid-stretch while reaching for one of the higher-up Christmas ornaments on the tree, coming down from tip-toe to flat footed. The faint sound of Hawaiian music drifted through the cell phone she held to her ear.

"John?" she laughed lightly, disbelievingly. "Where are you?"

"Hello to you too." John's voice rumbled over the phone, amused. "And to answer your question, I'm in Hawaii. Watching a beautiful sunset off my room balcony, I might add. You should see it, it's amazing."

"Okayyyyyy..." Blue dropped down into her favorite overstuffed chair. "Here I was thinking the company you work for should pay you an exorbitant amount of money for you to keep the hours you do. Working holidays and all. But if you've got perks like that..."

His chuckle rumbled over the line, just as his voice had, just as she was hoping it would.

"How are you?" he asked after a pause.

She slipped deeper into the chair, letting his soft drawl and his quiet question warm her. "I'm okay. Been going to Orley's every day. Getting paperwork sorted out. And Abe has been good company. He's a great snuggler at night. That dog's a natural bed warmer." She laughed.

Silence. Then the sound of a breath being taken.

"Is he?" John's voice was odd now, a thick, strangled quality to it.

Oh damn, was he mad? Had she put her foot in her mouth and let on about something that Abe wasn't normally allowed to do? Did he now think she was too irresponsible to take care of his dog? But then he was clearing his throat and softly laughing again. Blue relaxed back into her chair, wondering why she was concerned about what John thought of her anyhow. She couldn't help it. It just... mattered. That realization annoyed her slightly.

"Blue, I wanted to let you know, I'll be home for a couple days. I'll be coming in on the 31st. I'll have to leave again January 2nd, and I know you won't be able to keep Abe for me forever. Looks like I'm going to be gone quite a while this time. Longer than usual. I'll get in touch with Orley and let him know, and set Abe up with him."

Blue's heart had begun pounding the moment the words 'I'll be home' had been uttered. She had heard the rest, but 'I'll be home' was what her mind wanted to focus on. She told her mind to straighten up and fly right. She didn't think it was going to listen.

"Okay. Um... okay." She squeezed her eyes shut and smacked her hand to her forehead. Way to dazzle the man with your eloquence, Blue. You've surely got him hooked now! She opened her eyes to find Abe watching her with a tilted-head, quizzical look, and had to smile wryly at herself. "Actually, I'll be heading back to California on the 2nd also. I was going to call you about that, let you know, so arrangements could be made for Abe if you were still gone."

"Back to California? Is this going back for good, or... have you decided then, what you are going to do?"

"Actually, no. I have to get back there soon, take care of some things, but I'm still thinking on where I want to be now. It's just not an easy decision."

"I'm sure it's not." John commiserated.

"There's just so much to think about." She wanted to say more, but that would be putting her indecision onto his shoulders. She doubted this was something he wanted to hear about from someone he barely knew.

"Blue." his voice came low and even into her ear. "I guess all I can say is, listen to your heart. Let it tell you where 'home' is."

'Home is where the heart is'. The little note card from the funeral flowers flashed into her mind at his words.

"John? By any chance, did you happen to..." Blue paused, the question not forming to her lips. Did you happen to leave a weird note at my Aunt's funeral?

"Did I what, Blue?" John nudged.

"Ah... never mind. Nothing important."

"Ah, hell. That's all for the sunset. Damn good while it lasted, anyhow. I wish you'd been here to see it, Blue. I bet you'd do it justice on canvas, with all those pretty colors you usually use."

"You've seen my work?" Blue was a little surprised at that, but she supposed she shouldn't be. Aunt Jean probably had shown him some of her work. He confirmed that with his reply.

"Jean liked to show you off, you know. She was awfully proud of you, and your art. With good reason."

Blue felt herself blush, not knowing how to answer the unexpected praise, so she just murmured "Thank you."

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. I'll see you in a couple of days. Tell Abe I'm jealous. Bye, Blue." John hung up and there was silence, leaving Blue sitting with the phone to her ear, listening to nothing but hearing the last words. Words that sounded as if they had rushed out of his mouth before he could stop them.

'Tell Abe I'm jealous.'

Jealous? Of what? Of... the snuggling? She must have heard him wrong. Her fluttery heart told her she hadn't, but her brain insisted she had. Or she had misunderstood. Surely that was it.

~~~~~

John stood at the balcony rail, staring out into the ocean at the spot where the sun had gone down several minutes before. The wash of color had gone now, but as spectacular as it was, there was one thing on his mind that trumped the view.

'He's a great snuggler at night.'

Snuggling. At night. In bed. With Blue.

Damn lucky dog.

Tucking his cell phone into his pocket, he walked inside, only to find his thoughts of what he could do in bed with Blue cut short by the two people waiting for him. Dimitri Belicoff and Sophia McKinney were in an apparent stand-off. Again.

John blew out a frustrated breath. "Now what?"

Neither adults responded to his query, making them both look childish. John crossed his arms over his chest and waited. The dark haired Russian that he had brought Sophia to Hawaii to meet was the first to cave in, his green eyes flashing.

"She refuses to learn. She is too stubborn to listen." Belicoff spoke in a heavily accented and highly irritated tone. "I cannot work with one such as her." He stood over the woman seated at the table, looking down his nose at her.

She refused to look up, staring instead at a laptop open in front of her. "I learn just fine." Sophia countered mildly. "If he would stop staring down my blouse, perhaps I would be more inclined to listen."

Dimitri threw up his hands in a dramatic gesture and turned away, grumbling something in Russian. Swinging back around, he stood with his hands on his hips. "Why would I be looking down the blouse, as you say, when there is nothing to look at?"

John took a step forward, ready to come to Sophia's defense, but she held up a hand to stop him. Twin spots of color blushed high on her cheekbones, the only indication she wasn't as calm as she appeared to be. John didn't know if she was embarrassed, angry, or both. She took a deep breath, ready to say something, when Dimitri spoke first.

"I am to apologize. I do not say this thing to... to..." The dark Russian foundered, obviously not finding the proper English words.

Sophia turned from the laptop and spoke for him, a resigned slump to her posture. "Dimitri thinks that I will not fit in. That I am not... sexy enough." Her chin came up. "Apparently I need to be a sexpot to fix a criminal's computer security issues. Who knew?" Her eyes sparkled and John knew that she was doing her best to take this in stride.

"I am sorry." Dimitri mumbled, looking embarrassed himself now. "But you look like... how you say it... librarian."

John leaned a hip against the table and scrutinized Sophia with new eyes. He'd always thought her pretty, if a bit on the plain side, but looking at her now... the way she dressed and styled her hair, and the glasses she always wore... yes, librarian was the best description.

"Is this really going to be a problem?" He glanced up at Dimitri.

The Russian shrugged one shoulder, still looking apologetic. "I do not say that it is right, but da, in the circles that you wish me to introduce Miss McKinney into? The women, they are not... librarian." Dimitri walked around Sophia's chair, studying her with an intense scrutiny that would have made most women squirm. "But... da... I can see..." he murmured to himself. Nodding, he looked up. "I can make it work. If she will change her way of dress, and her hair. And listen to what I say of how to be like."

"Sophia?" John looked to the woman with the blush still shading her cheeks, knowing that she was, deep down, too much of a professional to let this affect the work they had to do.

She blew out of breath of frustration, then waved her hand. "Fine." She glared up at Dimitri. "Made over by a Russian oaf. Oh joy."

Sparks flew between the two, not the first time that John had noticed. He thinned his lips, determined not to let Dimitri and Sophia's dislike of one another worry him over the success of this mission. He'd handled worse problems than this before. Much worse. They would just have to get over it and do what they were supposed to do. Fly right, play by the rules, follow the Plan. That's how this always worked.

The two settled down and once again began coaching one another in English and Russian as they had been doing when John had left the room to call Blue. If not buddies for life, they were at least civil now, and John relaxed as he opened his own laptop to review some files.

In two days he would fly home for a short break, and then it was off to Russia. St. Petersburg and the new mission awaited.

Normally John couldn't wait for a new assignment to get under way. Doing his job buzzed his brain, gave him life. It was what he did, he believed in it, and he was damned good at it. He was always gung-ho to jump into the fray with both feet... Geronimo!

But right now? All he could think about was going home. 'He's a great snuggler at night.' Damn it all, why couldn't he get that out of his head?

Oh, hell.

December 31
~~~~~~~~~~~

"You have somewhere you have to be, Keeper?" Sol's pained expression voiced what his mildly curious tone didn't. As in, "You have somewhere you have to be that is more important than here? Which I know can not be the case, because right now NO where is more important than here."

Oh hell yeah, that's what his boss was really asking.

"No, Sir. You've got me mind, body and soul." John replied, a true respect in his answer despite the sardonic tinge. He knew that Sol knew that John was all about the job.

John forced the anticipation of his trip home after this meeting from his mind. Focus first, then home. Sol leveled his onyx eyed gaze on him for a few seconds more before nodding his head, apparently satisfied. The head of INDIGO turned his attention to the sole woman among the three men sitting around the large, burnished to a high gloss, mahogany table.

Abigail True hid a smile behind the ruse that her nose itched, Blackie stared way too studiously at an invisible spot on the table, and John had to wonder what the hell kind of gossip his friend had been spreading to the woman behind INDIGO's communications department. Blackie had been on his case unmercifully since Christmas Eve when he had guessed, rightly, that John had a woman on his mind.

A woman that he needed to get off his mind now. Focus first. Business first. Then home.

Abby tapped slender fingers against the keyboard of the small computer on the table in front of her, bringing the desired information to the screen. "We have uncovered, in part, Dimitri Belicoff's agenda for the time he has been traveling the States."

"Did he volunteer this information, or did you have to research?" Sol interrupted, a frown forming between his brows.

"He was tight lipped about it." John fielded the question. "He insisted it has nothing to do with our mission, and won't even discuss it. He's got to know that we would dig into it and find out anyway, but he's not talking."

Sol's heavy black brows raised. "So... what was he doing?"

Another tap of Abby's finger as she glanced at the glowing screen. "He spent most of his time searching out and meeting with several people in the health care business. Particularly, specialized mental health and child development fields. And then he apparently found two people that suited whatever criteria he had, because he bought them airfare to Russia and whisked them away. This was about month ago." She shrugged a delicate shoulder. "Why, we don't know. Now he is cooling his heels in the surf, Hawaiian style."

"The Hawaii vacation is a gift from his cousin Udre." John added. "Dimitri says it's so he can relax and forget about his prison time, but I get the feeling there is gratitude for a favor involved."

Sol's scowl was back. It was practically ever-present anyway. He pierced John with a stare. "What's your intuition on his claim that it's nothing involving what we're about to do?"

John stared back levelly, confidently. "I can't back it up yet, but I think he's on the straight up about this. He wants to work with us, Sol. He may have his own agenda beneath it all, but doesn't everyone we bring to us in this manner? It would be naive to think otherwise."

Blackie crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "He'll be watched. Closely. Same as we always do."

The head of INDIGO looked each of the three in the eye before standing. "All right then, it's a go. All ducks in a row." It was odd, but Sol made the duck comment every time a mission was given his final approval. No one would ever dare make a quacking noise, though. No way in hell. That didn't stop the silently amused glances between one another when Sol turned and signaled the end of the meeting by heading out the door.

John looked down at his watch and felt a prickle of irritation. The meeting had gone longer than planned. He had missed the flight he had hoped for. There would be another, but...

Abby patted his shoulder lightly as she passed by with her computer and files in hand. "Happy New Year, John." she sing-songed gaily as she exited the room.

John scowled at Blackie, who was gathering his own things.