They were buckled into their seats on the flight from Miami to New York, Jay in the window seat and Kate, with her longer legs, comfortably sprawled in the aisle, having just taken off on the second leg of their journey home. "Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we talk about the logistics now?" Jay was bubbling with enthusiasm.

"Sure." The anchorwoman looked directly at her tanned lover, whose hair had lightened to platinum in the time they'd been away. She was positively radiant, and Kate's admiration showed in her eyes. "I meant what I said, Jay. I will go anywhere and do anything to make this work."

"I know you did, love, and I can't tell you how much that means to me. I've already been giving this considerable thought."

"Oh you have, have you?"

"Mm hmm."

"And?"

"Okay, here's the deal," Jay turned to face her lover fully, her breath momentarily stilled by the sight of piercing blue eyes in a face more relaxed, deeply tanned and beautiful than she'd ever seen it, "Really, I can do what I do from anywhere, as long as I show up in the office for assignments and to meet with my editor when I'm supposed to, which is usually on Monday mornings. Other than that, I can write my stories anywhere I can take my word processor or a pad of paper and pen, if necessary, and do the interviews as I always do, wherever the story takes me, as long as I have access either to my car or major transportation like an airport or a train station. Given that Albany has all of those things, there's no reason I couldn't move in with you in your house," at this point she paused shyly and looked at her lover, "Assuming that's what you would want."

Kate was speechless. She never expected Jay to make that kind of offer. "You'd want to live in Albany? But what about your place?"

"Well, I've thought about that, too. I think we should hold onto my place for now; it will be convenient to have a place in the City for those times when I absolutely have to be near the office or am doing a New York-based story, and the rent is reasonable, for New York anyway, and the location is good. As to whether or not I'd want to live in Albany, darling, wherever you are is home to me and where I want to be. Your house is gorgeous and far more of a home than my apartment could ever be, Fred will be much happier there, there's plenty of space, I love what I've seen of the area so far, and besides, you need to be there everyday." Jay shrugged as if to say, "It makes all the sense in the world, silly."

"Huh. Seems to me like you've thought this out pretty thoroughly, Scoop."

"Yep," Jay said smugly.

More seriously Kate asked, "Are you sure? It's a lot to ask...giving up your comfortable home and everyday life to fit into mine."

Shimmering emerald eyes locked on cobalt blue, "I've never been more certain of anything in my life, love. What do you think?"

Kate's smile was brilliant. "I think I love you more than anything in the world and nothing would make me happier than to share my home and my life with you. When do you want to move in?"

Jay laughed. "Tonight would be great. But since that doesn't seem realistic, how about this: you stay with me tonight at my place, since we'll already be getting in fairly late, and tomorrow I'll drive you and the first load of my stuff to Albany before you have to get to work, stay with you tomorrow night, leave my car at your house since I don't need it in New York, and take the train back to the City Tuesday morning to be in the office at 10 a.m., which was when Trish said I needed to be there."

Kate shook her head in wonder, "Is there anything you haven't thought of?"

"I'm sure there is, but I've got another..." she looked at her watch, "three and a half hours to figure it out."

Kate entwined her longer fingers with those of her partner, thrilled once again to note the ring on her finger as it sparkled back at the lovers. "You're amazing, have I told you that?"

Jay pretended to consider. "Probably, but feel free to tell me again anytime."

"We could turn the third bedroom into an office for you, unless you'd prefer your office downstairs, in which case I could either give you mine or convert the library..."

"No, I love the library, and so do you. The third bedroom would be fine, it has a nice view of the backyard."

"I'll have a second phone line installed for you, and we can even forward your phone in the City to that so the move will be transparent to anyone calling you unless you want them to know you've relocated. What do you think?"

"I think that's a stroke of genius."

"And the guest bedroom can be your room."

Jay looked at her oddly.

"For your clothes and when you need space, goofy. I meant that there would be 'our' room, and then you could have an additional room, okay?"

"Aha. I see. That's more than generous, Kate."

"What else would make you feel at home, love? Do you want to bring some of your furniture or anything?"

"No, I don't think so. Can we shop together to outfit the office?"

"I'd love to. Anything you want, you shall have."

"I want to be clear," Jay fixed her with a stern look, "I intend to pay my equal share, nothing less."

Kate scowled.

"I mean it, Stretch. Otherwise, no deal."

The older woman was taken aback. "You can't be serious."

"Oh yes I can. Ours is a partnership, 50-50. I am more than capable of pulling my own weight. Anything less will make me uncomfortable."

"Okay, but fair share, not necessarily equal share: we pay as a percentage in proportion to our income and assets."

Jay started to protest.

"Ah, ah, that's more than reasonable and as far as I'm willing to go. Love, my living expenses are a lot higher than yours, and I won't have you taking on the burden of paying for my lifestyle. I've got more than I need to cover my tab and more on my salary alone, and on top of that my parents made sure that I was well provided for. Please, you don't know what it's taking for me even to agree to let you do that."

Jay chewed her lip. "It's a start, I guess, but I get the right to reopen the discussion at some point after we've had a chance to settle down and see how things are working."

"You drive a hard bargain." Kate squeezed the hand she was holding.

"Mm. And all this negotiating is making me sleepy. Mind if I take a nap and use you as a pillow?"

Kate smiled indulgently, flipping up the armrest that separated the seats and opening her arms, not caring what any of the neighboring passengers might think.

*********

Jay took another sip of the strong coffee and stretched. It was amazing how motivated she could be in the morning when the objective was important enough to her. She had spent several hours after they had gotten back to her place the night before organizing her things and deciding what to bring home in her first carload. Home. She liked the sound of that. Now here it was barely 7 a.m. and she was in the middle of packing two suitcases full of clothes and sundries, having already packed several boxes worth of stuff. She had decided to leave some work clothes and some play clothes in the apartment just in case, but she was taking the bulk of her wardrobe with her.

Kate was in the living room. An advance copy of this week's edition of Time had been waiting for the writer when they got home, and Jay had given it to the anchorwoman just a little while ago to read. She had fretted about having her lover read the story in her presence, but, in the end, she bit the bullet and gave it to her without comment. And then went to busy herself packing since she was so nervous she didn't know what to do with herself.

Kate looked at her own image staring back from the cover, her soot-stained face, bloody hands and torn suit testaments to her efforts following the detonation of the second bomb. It was a gritty picture, one that bespoke dignity, professionalism, and humanity, all without a single word. The title on the cover, in big, bold print was: A New Breed of Journalist. In slightly smaller print below were the words: Katherine Ann Kyle of WCAP-TV in Albany, New York.

Inside was a three-page spread including Jay's story and four pictures, three of her and one of the Capitol building following the explosion. The snapshots of her included one of her anchoring taken on the set, one of her interviewing one of the victims, and one of her working with Gene in an editing room. There was also a sidebar story by another writer debating whether or not journalists should ever take an active role in a story they were covering.

Kate read it all in silence, re-reading portions and staring hard at the pictures. When she was finished she nodded to herself and smiled a private smile of pride for her partner. Then she went in Jay's office and placed a phone call.

Jay was deep in her walk-in closet when long arms wrapped around her from behind. She tensed, not sure what to expect. A low, sultry voice whispered against her ear, "You are the most talented writer I have ever read. I am so humbled by you, love. You wrote an incredibly insightful, lively, interesting piece under incomparably difficult circumstances. It was balanced, and fair, and remarkably objective; you didn't let your own personal feelings or knowledge color the content, your approach was fresh and unique, and I am impressed beyond words. Thank you."

Not knowing what to say to that, Jay turned in the circle of her lover's arms, her eyes bright with pleasure at the unexpected praise and her smile big enough to light the City without electricity. She reached up on tiptoes and kissed the waiting lips, murmuring, "I'm so glad you thought it was okay, sweetheart. I think that was the hardest thing I've ever done. Maintaining professional distance and detachment from you was a virtual impossibility. It took me quite a while to decide how to avoid letting my personal feelings for you bleed through."

"Well, I think you succeeded masterfully, and you should be very proud of the job you did. Now about these pictures..."

*********

They pulled into Kate's driveway at a little after 11 a.m., opening the front door to be greeted by a mass of flying fur.

"Hi buddy. Easy, guy, easy Fred. Yeah, I'm happy to see you too, baby," Kate cooed as the excited Golden threaded his way back and forth between her legs, talking the entire time even though he had a stuffed animal firmly held between his jaws. When he was finished with her, he gave Jay the same treatment as she scratched him behind his ears and on his haunches.

"How did he get here? I thought you said Peter had him."

"He did; I called him this morning and asked him to drop him off for us."

"Wow, now that's service."

"Yep, it sure is. I told you, he's a great friend to have."

They made their way inside, Fred glued to his mistress's leg.

"Shouldn't we get the stuff out of the car?" Jay asked.

"In a minute. First, there's something I want to show you in here." She disappeared into her office, smiling when she saw that her instructions had been followed precisely. She owed Peter big time now. She walked back out into the entryway. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

Kate sighed in mock exasperation. "Do we have to go through this every time about you following instructions, woman? Close your eyes," she poked her partner.

"Okay, but last time I did that I ended up in paradise, and you have to be to work in a few hours."

"Don't remind me. Come with me." She took her lover by the arm, guiding her carefully into her office. "You can open your eyes now."

Jay obediently cracked first one eyelid and then the other. Opening her mouth to speak, nothing came out. She pivoted and looked at her lover in wonder. "There's a word processor on your desk, and it's identical to the one in my apartment."

"Mm hmm."

"That wasn't here before, I would have noticed it."

"Very observant, Watson."

"But sweetheart..."

"Listen," she argued, holding up her hands, "It only makes sense for you to be able to do your work in either place and not have to cart a word processor back and forth. I thought we could set you up in here just until we have time to shop for office furniture for your office. You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? Are you kidding me?" The writer surveyed the brand new word processor, the two reams of typing paper lying neatly next to it, the three pads of legal paper and pens resting nearby. Tears sprang to her eyes as she acknowledged the love and caring behind the gesture. She turned into Kate's arms and buried her head in her chest. "I don't know if I will ever get used to being this spoiled, love."

"You'd better start, sweetheart, because I intend to spoil you for the rest of your life." She wiped the tears from her lover's cheeks and replaced them with tender kisses. Before long the caresses turned more ardent, and hands began to wander. Kate backed them out of the office and over to the stairs, managing to lead them to the bedroom without losing contact with her lover's increasingly more naked body.

"You have to be to work, love," Jay panted in between kisses.

"Not for a few hours," came the muffled reply. No more talking was heard for the next little while.

*********

At exactly 2 p.m. Kate strolled through the newsroom, finding her desk just as she had left it six days earlier. She smiled to herself as she revisited the intervening time; so much had happened and so much had changed in her life in such a short period of time, it was hard to believe. Before settling down to business she picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello."

"Hey, Technowiz."

"Hey, Anchorbabe. What's happening? Did I get everything right?"

"You are a prince, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Sooo, does this mean that something is officially going on between you and Jay?"

"Um," she lowered her voice so that no one else could hear, "I've asked her to marry me and she's moved in to the house."

"You're kidding me?" Peter was stunned. Was this the same aloof, deliberate woman he called his best friend? "Way to go, Kate! I'm assuming she said yes, then?"

"Yep, she did," Kate said with a note of wonder in her voice. "In fact, she's there now and I thought maybe, if you weren't doing anything, you could drop by and take her to dinner. She doesn't know anyplace around here and there's nothing in the refrigerator. I'd tell you to call her, but I'm not sure she'd answer the phone yet, since nobody knows she's here except for you now."

"Hmm," he pretended to think, "Am I available to take a beautiful woman to dinner? I'll have to think on that and get back to you." He paused for a second. "Kate, I'd love to take Jay to dinner. I can fill her head with all sorts of stuff about you and then..."

"Peter?"

"Yes?"

"Stick to the truth, okay? And don't scare her too much?"

"Geez, you take away all my fun."

"Yeah, I'm like that."

"I've got you covered, Anchorbabe, don't sweat it."

"Thanks buddy, I knew I could count on you. And thanks again for getting the word processor and supplies. I owe you."

"Ooo, I like the sound of that. Bye, Kate."

"Bye Peter."

As she was hanging up the receiver, her producer walked by.

"Hey, woman, you look great. You should go on vacation more often; it obviously agrees with you."

"Thanks, Phil. Anything big happen while I was gone?"

"You mean locally? Nah, no one's saying anything much about the bombing except that it appears to have been done by professionals. Other than that, it's been the usual quotient of fires, murders, robberies and political shenanigans. You know how it goes. Glad to have you back, kid, we missed you."

"It's good to be back." The anchorwoman turned her attention to her inbox and a stack of telephone messages, immediately re-immersing herself in the job.

Meanwhile, at home, Jay was busy unpacking boxes and suitcases, filling the huge walk-in closet in "her" room and the dresser drawers, as well. So engrossed in the task was she that she was shocked when she glanced over at the digital clock to find that it was 5:58 p.m. She ran downstairs into the family room and turned on the television just in time to catch her lover teasing the upcoming stories for the 6 o'clock newscast.

"My God," she mooned, "She is the most gorgeous creature alive. And she's mine." She shook her head in wonder at her incredible good fortune. "Parker, you dreamed about her for years, and now you're going to be married to her. Never in a million years..." She shut up as the news came on and she turned her complete attention to the chiseled features that she now knew as well as her own.

At 6:30 p.m., the doorbell rang. Jay wasn't sure what to do. She knew it wasn't Kate, because she was just getting off the air and wouldn't have rung the doorbell, anyway. Should she answer it? It rang again. Fred was barking and whining. Whining? Why would the dog be whining? She decided to investigate. Cautiously approaching the peephole, she peered through to see someone familiar on the other side of the door.

"Um, hi Jay, it's Peter. Can I come in?"

She unlocked the door immediately and stepped aside to let him in. Fred danced around him until he petted him and said a proper hello. "Is there something I can do for you, Peter?"

"Actually," the tall man shifted from foot to foot, "I was wondering if you've had dinner yet?"

"No, I haven't gotten that far. How did you know I was here?" She was starting to smell a plot.

"Um, a little birdie told me."

"Hmm, I'm thinking it was more of a big birdie, say, oh, about six feet tall with fabulous blue eyes?"

"Well, I guess I'd better come clean. Kate called me this afternoon and told me you were here and that there was nothing in the house for dinner and suggested that you might want to go out to dinner with me, since you don't really know the area yet. She wasn't sure if you would pick up the phone if I called, so she told me to stop by."

"That's so sweet," she sighed, "She is the most thoughtful person I have ever met."

Peter noted the dreamy expression on his new friend's face and smiled. Yep, they both had it bad. He decided to play with her just a little. "Hey, that's a really nice ring you've got there. I don't remember you wearing that the last time I saw you. Is it new?"

"Um, yeah, it is," Jay's eyes were shifting everywhere around the room.

"Huh, you must have found yourself a great guy...that sure looks like a wedding ring to me."

She didn't know what to say. She didn't like to lie, but she wasn't sure what Kate would have told him or wanted him to know; she knew they were close, but...

Peter started to laugh, and Jay's head whipped up. "It's okay, small stuff, Kate told me she proposed and that you're living here now." He moved in and gave the woman a huge bear hug. "I think it's great. I couldn't be happier for the two of you. And it is a beautiful ring, by the way. Now, are you hungry, or what?"

"Yes, and I have another job for you, too. Lead on, Technowiz."

"Ugh, not you too."

"Oh yeah."

At 6:35 p.m. Kate, Gene and Phil were heading out the back door to grab something to eat. The anchorwoman exited first and froze in her tracks as flashbulbs exploded and she was surrounded by fans seeking her autograph on the cover of the Time magazines they waved in front of her face. Both men stepped quickly in front of her to protect her from the crowd as they made their way to Phil's car. Kate stopped them with a hand on their arms, then turned and graciously and patiently began signing autographs until everyone of the two dozen or so fans had been satisfied.

The guys continued to give her grief all through dinner about her newfound goddess status, and she took it good-naturedly, although inwardly she was a bit discomfited by all the attention. Even their normal waitress wanted an autograph. She got the same treatment after the 11 o'clock news when she exited the station for her car in the parking lot, but this time the powers-that-be had taken precautions and had hired security guards to escort her and keep her safe.

Nothing felt better to her, though, than arriving home and being greeted at the door by an irresistible blonde wearing nothing more than a lacy negligee and a smile. God, she was going to love coming home to this every night! Within seconds she had been shorn of her suit jacket, with her skirt and pantyhose not far behind. By the time she had made it upstairs, she was wearing only her panties and bra, and those quickly became history, too.

A while later, she breathed, "Now that's something to come home to." She stroked the blonde head resting on her chest. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Come see for yourself," Jay said as she jumped up off the bed, pulling her lover with her.

"Where are you getting all this energy, Scoop?"

"Dunno, must be just being here with you."

They arrived in Jay's room, which had been transformed from a generic guest suite into a true living space.

"Wow, this is amazing. You did all this after I left?"

"Yep."

"Incredible." Kate looked around the room. "You got everything unpacked?"

"Yep. And I had time to play ball with Fred, too, and watch both newscasts and have dinner with Peter in between."

"I'm impressed."

"Yeah, me too," Jay laughed, wrinkling up her nose. "How was your day?"

Kate told her about the overzealous fans, Phil and Gene coming to her rescue, and the security people assuring her safety after the late newscast. "You know, I've had people approach me before in the mall or at a restaurant occasionally, but never anything like this frenzy. It was disconcerting."

"Mm, I bet. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it just caught me a little off balance, that's all. It turned out all right, though, everybody was nice enough."

"Well," Jay said, wrapping her arms around the muscular torso she loved so much, "If anybody so much as lays a finger on you, they'll have me to answer to."

"Ooo, that ought to keep them away." Jay swatted her on the behind.

"Come on, shorty, we've got to get you to bed; you've got to be on the 6 a.m. train, and I don't want you to be cranky."

"I'm going to be cranky in any event because I don't know what the next assignment is or whether I'm going to be able to come back home tomorrow night."

"Let's just wait and see, huh? No sense getting our knickers in a knot until we know, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Jay sighed. "You're far too practical and pragmatic, love, you know that?"

"Mm, I do now."

*********

Having delivered Jay to the train on time, Kate was just completing her workout and run, albeit earlier than usual, when she noticed the message light on her answering machine blinking. She glanced at her watch: 8:32 a.m. That was odd. She depressed the play button, surprised to hear her news director's voice.

"Kate, this is Les. I need you to come in as soon as possible to meet with me. It's 8:15 a.m. now. I'll be waiting for you in my office."

It was the first time in memory that Les had called her at home, and certainly the first time in the five years that she'd been working at WCAP that he had been in the office before 9 o'clock. He had sounded gruff, but that was nothing unusual; he always sounded gruff. Well, there was no sense speculating, she would just get showered and get to the office.

*********

When Kate arrived at the station 45 minutes later the same two security officers from the night before greeted her at her car. "Hi guys. It's okay, I don't see any unruly fans this morning," she smiled at them. Neither one of them smiled back; in fact, neither would even look at her.

"Boss's orders, Kate. We're to escort you to his office."

"Okay," she drew out the word. The uneasy feeling she'd had since hearing the phone message was blossoming into a full-fledged knot in her stomach.

The security guards waited with her as she knocked on Les's door. "Come," he growled.

The anchorwoman poked her head in. "You looking for me, boss?"

"Yes, Kate, come in." To the guards he said, "It's okay fellas, you can wait outside."

Stepping across the threshold, Kate closed the door behind her. She was beyond shocked to find the station general manager, the owner, and Phil all seated around the room. "Wow, this is quite a welcoming committee. Randy, it's good to see you," she acknowledged the owner. "How's your daughter doing with tennis?" The little girl had an aptitude for the sport, and the station owner had asked Kate one day to talk to her about training and the finer points of the game. She had done so and from that moment on the girl had sought her advice on any number of topics.

"She's doing fine," he mumbled, not shifting his gaze from a spot on his trousers.

None of them would meet her eyes, which was making her angry, although she was careful not to let it show.

"Have a seat."

"No thanks, Les, I'm fine." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. This felt suspiciously like an ambush and she intended to use every advantage; and towering over the four men in the room was certainly one of them. "What can I do for all of you fine gentlemen?" Whatever this was, she had no intention of making it easy for them.

The news director fidgeted in his seat, picking up and then dropping his pencil. "Um, our switchboard started lighting up kind of early this morning with some rather ridiculous nonsense, but it raised a flag, so the receptionist called me." He still hadn't looked up. The anchorwoman remained silent, forcing him to feel even more uncomfortable.

"We know it's just garbage, Kate, but still we have to take it seriously." John Isaac, the station manager, picked up the ball. When she said nothing but continued to regard each of them steadily in turn, he stumbled on, "There were some pretty irate callers, you see, and they were insistent that we do something."

Kate merely raised an eyebrow.

"We know it's a hoax, I mean, we know you, right?" Randy chimed in. "I mean my kid idolizes you, for God's sake."

"Anyway," Les picked up the thread, "I had Phil here go out and get a copy of the thing so we could see for ourselves how trumped up it was. But when the receptionist started babbling at me as soon as she saw me about how sorry she was and how she thought the guy was really a friend of yours and she only told him where you were because she was trying to be helpful, well..."

Now Kate truly was perplexed. What the hell were they talking about? She was tempted to tell them just to spit it out, but she had a sinking feeling she wasn't going to like where all this was going, so she decided to play it cool and wait them out. Outwardly she simply maintained a relaxed posture, seeming as though she hadn't a care in the world, even as her insides were churning.

"Oh heck. Here." The station manager threw something down on the desk.

Glancing down, she saw that it was this week's edition of the National Enquirer, with the headline in huge bold print, "A New Breed of Journalist? Indeed!" There were two large, grainy pictures side by side underneath the headline. One of the pictures showed two women kissing on a beach. The second snapshot showed the women playing in the surf. In each picture the taller of the women was clearly visible and identifiable, the other woman's back was to the camera and her face was almost completely obscured with the exception of a tiny bit of her profile. The caption underneath the photos read: "What Time magazine didn't tell you about stunning journalist/heroine Katherine Kyle, seen here getting up close and personal with an unidentified blonde in celebration of her cover girl status."

"We know they probably just took a picture of you and pasted the other woman in there, I mean, geez. Right, Kate?" Randy looked at her hopefully.

The anchorwoman knew she could probably get away with agreeing, after all, it's what they wanted to hear. But she wouldn't do that. She loved Jay too much to cheapen their relationship by hiding or lying about it. In the past she had chosen to remain silent because there wasn't anyone worth fighting for, but to deny that the kiss with her lover that had been captured on film was anything other than what it was was to deny her own heart, and Jay's importance in her life. Kate wouldn't do that, no matter the cost or the consequences.

Her silence made the men in the room exceedingly uncomfortable. "Hell, you don't even know who that other woman is, right? You've probably never even seen her, never mind...well, you know."

Kate shifted her gaze discreetly to Les, and then to Phil, realizing that even they, who had met Jay and spent time with her, didn't know who the blonde was. Good. She straightened to her full height, looking each man in the eye before responding.

"No, you're wrong, John. As you gentlemen can see, that is clearly me, and the woman you see with me is my fiancÈe." She lifted her chin and stared at each man defiantly.

"Your WHAT?" Les exploded.

"I believe you heard me, Les."

"Who the hell is she? What the hell is going on? What are we supposed to do now? You're a lesbian? You've got to be kidding me! Why didn't you tell us? You're going to ruin us."

With a calmness belying the anger seething in her veins, Kate said, "To answer your questions in order, Randy: None of your business. I'm in love and getting married and I was on vacation on a remote Caribbean island with my soon-to-be-wife when some lowlife obviously hunted us down and invaded our privacy. I have no idea. Yes. No. I think it's obvious given your reaction why I didn't tell you, apart from the fact that it has no bearing on the job I do. And finally, I'd like to think that the job I have done, the consistent number one ratings we've gotten since I've been anchoring, and the recent positive nationwide publicity for WCAP that resulted from my coverage of the bombings speak for themselves."

John had his head in his hands, Randy's mouth was opening and closing but nothing was coming out, the veins were popping out of Les's neck, and Phil simply stared at his shoes, unable to look his friend in the eye. Finally, Les spoke up. "You know there's a morals clause in your contract, Kate."

"Yes, I'm aware of it. I believe the clause states that I must maintain dignity and the upstanding reputation of the station and myself."

"Rrright."

"Are you saying I haven't done that?"

"Well, um, ah, Kate, you've done a great job for us and we all know it," John said. "It's just that this is going to create a landslide of negative publicity. Already there are people threatening to boycott the station and advertisers are talking about pulling spots."

"We just can't afford to lose that kind of money, Kate. Nothing personal," Randy added. "Listen, we're going to honor the remainder of your contract, which is another two years, and pay it out to you in a lump sum. In fact, here's the check." He handed her an envelope that he pulled from an inside pocket of his suit jacket.

She glanced down at it and up into his eyes, cobalt blue burning into him. "Are you firing me, Randy?" Her voice was low and measured, without a hint of the anger, incredulity or disappointment she felt.

He looked to the others for support. "Um, I'd rather not call it that, Kate. I'd rather just say that you have decided to pursue other opportunities and leave it at that. In fact, we have prepared a statement to that effect that we're ready to release as soon as you agree." He handed her a piece of paper.

With a shock she realized that this had all been pre-rehearsed and choreographed; they were just going through the motions. "In fact," she emphasized, using Randy's terminology and taking a step forward, "I'm guessing it doesn't really matter one way or the other what I want or how I want to play this. You seem to have everything figured out." There was no rancor in her statement, just a frank assessment.

"I'm sorry whom I love or how I love offends some of your viewers, that's most unfortunate for them. I have always had the utmost respect for all of you and this news operation. I wish you all the best." She started to leave. With her hand on the knob, she turned back and said, "As for what you say in the press release, you do what you feel you must, but I will not be quoted in it, is that clear? You may lie or put a pretty face on it if you choose, but I will not demean my credibility for the sake of expedience. Good luck, gentlemen, I will always be grateful for the opportunity you gave me. Thanks."

With that, she was gone.

*********

They waited until the door clicked closed, then slumped back in their respective chairs. "Whew. Glad that's over with," Randy said, running two fingers under his shirt collar.

"Yeah, you got that right," John agreed. "That was easier than I thought it would be. I thought she would put up a fight. Well, you can't say we weren't prepared for anything. Sitting down with the lawyers in that conference call before she got here was a stroke of genius, boss. I'm sure they're right and paying off her contract will keep her from suing or making a public fuss; heck, we treated her better than most places would've."

"I've got to admit," Les threw in with a note of grudging respect, "I thought she was pretty classy and pretty gutsy about the whole thing. She never once lost her cool."

"Like an ice princess," John agreed.

"I can't believe she's really a lesbian. She's so hot; she could have any guy she wanted. What a waste," Randy intoned. "I don't know what I'm going to tell my kid when she asks why she can't talk to her anymore."

Phil just sat there glumly, knowing that the station had just lost the finest anchorwoman and one of the best reporters it had ever had, and he had lost a good friend. He didn't know how he could ever face her again, or if he would ever get the chance, but he hoped he would, someday.

*********

At 9:34 a.m. Jay was riding the subway on her way to the office. She was standing in one of the middle cars, as was her custom, thinking about what she wanted to outfit her home office with when her stomach suddenly clenched. Caught off guard, she nearly doubled over. "What the hell?" Just as she was regaining her equilibrium a surge of adrenaline pumped through her, as if she were responding to some sort of threatening situation. She looked around her for the source of her discomfort, but could find nothing.

Getting off at her stop, she made her way into the building and onto the elevator. She was alone in the car when she was bombarded with a rush of anger so strong it scared her. What was going on? She shook her head to clear her mind. What could she possibly be angry about? Now she was completely puzzled. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before.

Exiting at her floor, she went directly to the ladies' room, splashing her face with cold water in an attempt to alleviate the pressure in her head. When she reached her desk she relegated the odd sensations to the back of her mind, focusing instead on organizing her workspace and seeking out Trish to find out what her next assignment might be.

"Hiya, kid. Hey, that's some tan you got there. You look great. And it's a good thing you're well rested, 'cause I got a doosy for you. How do you feel about being a globetrotter?"

"Okay, Trish, now you've really lost me."

"I know you were hiding away somewhere and probably didn't pay too much attention to the news, but did you hear about the Stark?"

"The what?"

"The USS Stark. Got blown up on Sunday, killed 37 and another 5 or more were injured. They've been taken to the military hospital at Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt, Germany. I want you to go over there and interview some of the injured."

"Okay. Now I remember seeing something last night about it. The USS Stark, hit by two Iraqi Exocet missiles in the Persian Gulf while out protecting the shipping lanes for oil."

"Right. I want you to do a little research and then fly over there tonight. We've got you clearance to be on the base tomorrow for the interviews. Then I need you to be flexible, 'cause we're thinking there might be a memorial service somewhere. If there is, you're going to cover it."

"Okay. I'll get right on it." Making her way back to her desk to plan her next steps, Jay tried to order her thoughts; she needed to get the newspapers for the last several days, and the Associated Press wire reports, and talk to sources at the Pentagon to see what she could find out about the injured sailors ahead of time. And she'd need to make plane reservations for later today.

But first, she wanted to call Kate and tell her that she wouldn't be home tonight, and probably not tomorrow night either. She might not be able to get home for the rest of the week, which was a depressing thought. Dialing the now-familiar number, she was surprised when the answering machine picked up. She looked at her watch: 10:22 a.m. That was odd, her lover should have been home. One thing Jay quickly had discovered about the anchorwoman was that she was a creature of habit. By 10 a.m. she would have worked out and run, played ball with Fred and been inside reading the newspaper or a book in the library, or out on the deck.

"This is Kate. I'm not home right now to take your call, so please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks."

Beep.

"Hi, sweetheart, it's me. I can't imagine where you are, but I'll try you again in a little while. Seems like I'm heading to Germany to interview injured sailors from the USS Stark, which was attacked in the Persian Gulf over the weekend. Unfortunately, that means I won't be home tonight, and probably not tomorrow night, either. I'm bummed." She thought about mentioning the unsettling emotions she'd been experiencing all morning, but decided to wait to tell her in person. "Anyway, I'll try you again, or you can try me at the office. I've got some background research to do, so I may be away from my desk for a while, but you can leave a message if you want." Lowering her voice, she added, "I love you, Kate. Bye."

*********

At 12:30 p.m. Jay was just getting back to her desk from the research room. She couldn't shake this roiling feeling of misery and despair that had seeped into her consciousness for the past couple of hours, replacing the anger that had preceded it. Was she just upset at having to go out of the country and not being able to see Kate? It seemed to her as though the reaction was out of proportion to the situation, if that was the case. But she didn't think it was. Something else was going on, although she couldn't imagine what, and it was really disconcerting.

Trish appearing at her elbow interrupted her ruminations. "Hey, kiddo. Have you seen this yet?" She pointed to something she held in her hand.

Jay glanced at the newspaper and shook her head.

"Well, it seems there's a little something we didn't tell our readers." She said glibly, offering the writer the newspaper.

Jay unfolded it, noting that it was the National Enquirer, hardly something she would have taken notice of. Then she saw the big, bold headline, caught a glimpse of the pictures and read the caption. Her face drained of color.

"Are you okay, kid? You look like you saw a ghost or something."

Jay took a moment to compose herself, a thousand thoughts running through her head at the same time, but one overwhelming desire: she had to find Kate. God, what if she had seen it? What if her bosses had? Did that explain the strange emotions Jay had been experiencing all day? She looked again at the pictures with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kate was clearly identifiable, though anyone would have been hard-pressed to know that it was she with the anchorwoman. She refocused on Trish. No, she didn't seem to have figured it out.

Trying to control the quaver in her voice and the angry sparks in her eyes, Jay pointed at the pictures and said, "I didn't think that was something the reading public needed to know. It wasn't germane to the story. Does it matter to you?"

"What, that the woman is gay? Nah. Love is love. I told you we were only interested in her professional life, and I meant it. This kind of crap isn't anybody's business but hers and her lover's."

Relieved beyond measure by her boss's attitude, Jay considered telling Trish that she was the other woman in the photo, but she didn't want to take anything away from the story she had done about Kate. It had been a fair piece, a good piece, and she didn't want to taint it or the anchorwoman by raising questions in her editor's mind of objectivity. All she could think about was getting to her lover as soon as possible. Then she remembered that she needed to be on a plane in five hours. Damn. She needed to get moving.

"Thanks, Trish. You know, I've got to hustle if I'm going to catch that plane. I've got to go home and pack. I've done all the preliminary research I can from here. I've got three or four interviews lined up for tomorrow at the hospital in Wiesbaden and I hope to catch up with some of the family members of the injured, as well. I'll call you when I'm done with that to find out if you want me to cover the memorial service, if there is one, okay?" She was already gathering her things and putting them in her briefcase.

"Sounds good. You have a safe flight, you hear? Be careful over there."

"I will. Thanks, Trish."

As the editor moved away, Jay immediately picked up the phone, looking at her watch; it was just after 1 p.m., surely Kate would be at home now. She dialed the number and was greeted by the answering machine. Hanging up, she tried Kate's work number.

The receptionist picked up. "WCAP-TV, may I help you?"

That had never happened before; Jay knew that she had dialed Kate's personal extension. "Is Katherine Kyle there, please?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kyle is not available at the moment."

"Is she in? When will she be available?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kyle is not in today. Would you like to talk to the news director?"

The news director? Not in today? What was going on? "No, thank you," Jay said distractedly, hanging up the phone and hustling out the door.

*********

After leaving the station, Kate had gone directly home. Putting on her favorite pair of ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, she went into the yard to play ball with Fred. She was furious, but not surprised, at the spinelessness of the station management. When she had taken over the anchoring chair the station had been number three of the three major networks in the market. Within a month she had taken them to number one, where they had remained the entire time she had been in the hot seat.

Now they were unwilling to stick with her and ride out a little adverse publicity that probably would have increased their ratings even more anyway; she had no doubt that people would have tuned in just for the curiosity factor. But viewers didn't account for profits, advertisers did, and a threat to pull ads was the kiss of death. The thing that stung the most was not even that they had fired her; it was the premeditation of it all and the machinations. It was clear to her that the station lawyers had been consulted and had called the shots. Did those idiots honestly think she was going to sue them? Fools; the job was never about the money to her.

Well, this wasn't getting her anywhere. Her biggest concern at the moment was Jay. It was clear that Les and Phil hadn't put two and two together and figured out who the other woman was, but what about Jay's boss? Would she see it and would she know? Kate couldn't bear the thought that this could jeopardize her lover's career. She needed to get to Jay as soon as possible and make sure she was okay.

Within a half hour she was on a train bound for New York City; she could be at the apartment by 1:30 p.m. The question was what would she do once she got there? As she sat looking out the window at the river passing by, she considered her options. Some things she knew with absolute certainty. The first was that her face was now one of the most recognizable in the country. And the second was that she would protect Jay no matter what, which meant that she had to stay away from her. It was the only way to guarantee that no one could connect them.

She knew that making this decision unilaterally without getting Jay's input would likely destroy any trust that she had earned; after all, walking away without explanation would no doubt make her lover question Kate's true feelings for her. And hadn't she promised that whenever trust issues came up they would discuss them until there were no doubts? Tears formed in her eyes and leaked out as she thought about the idea of leaving Jay and breaking that vow, even if it was the right thing to do to salvage her privacy and her career. Kate replayed every conversation in which she had assured Jay that she could always trust her, never foreseeing a circumstance where she would break that solemn promise for any reason. "God, I never envisioned something like this happening."

Leaving this open to discussion would be impossible; loyal to a fault, Jay would never agree to Kate's plan and she knew it. "I love you, Jamison Parker, and nothing and no one is going to change that. But I don't see any good alternatives here. I have to do this."

As a writer, Jay had the advantage of anonymity, something Kate would never have again. So far, no one knew who her lover was; the anchorwoman intended to make sure it stayed that way, which meant that she couldn't take a chance on them being spotted together. It would be hard for both of them, but at least Jay could move on and continue to advance professionally.

Kate's heart ached. How could she say goodbye to the other half of her soul so soon after she'd found her again? She closed her eyes against the pain, wondering how she would survive without Jay, and hoping against hope that her lover's road would be easier. After all, she would still have her career, and, as gorgeous and outgoing as she was, Kate had no doubt that the emerald-eyed blonde could have any woman she wanted.

Wiping her eyes, she exited the train and took the subway downtown to the Village. She knew what she had to do. "I hope someday you'll understand and forgive me, Jay."

She watched from a short distance away as the lone figure hurried down the sidewalk, head down, briefcase in hand. Just as the lobby door was about to close behind Jay, Kate sprinted across the street and through the opening.

Catching up to her partner's side, she said softly, "Hi, sweetheart. Fancy meeting you here."

Jay, who had been preoccupied trying to figure out how she was going to find her lover before she had to board a plane for Europe, hadn't noticed the tall shadow that slipped in after her, but there was no question that she knew that low, sultry voice that made her heart race every time. She turned and threw her arms around her lover. "Kate! My God, I've been trying and trying to get you on the phone. What are you doing here?" Noting the ripped jeans, t-shirt and sunglasses, she swallowed her dread and added, "I even called you at the station. The receptionist answered your personal line and wanted to transfer me to the news director. What's going on?"

Gazing affectionately at the concerned and confused expression on her lover's face and glancing around to make sure no one was watching them, Kate put her hand on Jay's elbow and guided her to the stairs, saying, "Let's get upstairs and I'll explain, okay?"

"Sure."

Stepping inside the apartment the writer turned, dropping her briefcase on the floor and wrapping her arms around the sleek t-shirted torso. When Kate removed her sunglasses, Jay could see that she had been crying. Reaching up, she brushed her fingers along the chiseled planes of the face that she wanted to wake up to everyday of her life. She grabbed Kate's hand and led her over to the couch.

"What is it, sweetheart?" she asked, even as she was afraid she already knew the answer.

"Why are you home so early?" Kate answered the question with one of her own, needing to know that her lover hadn't suffered the same fate as she.

"For one thing, my assignment has me going out of town, so I need to pack, and, more importantly, I was worried sick about you and needed to get out of there so I could track you down."

"Why were you worried about me?"

"Trish showed me the National Enquirer at lunchtime. Oh, love, I'm so sorry." Tears formed in her eyes.

"Did she recognize you as the other woman?" Kate's jaw was tight.

"No."

"Did you tell her?"

"No, I didn't want to detract from the story, or you, by making her wonder whether I had been objective or not."

"Good." She breathed a sigh of relief. So far, at least, Jay was safe.

"Now will you tell me why you're here and why my guts have been in knots since 9:30 this morning?" She climbed into Kate's lap.

"Your guts have been in knots?"

"Yeah, it was the weirdest thing. First it was as if someone was twisting my insides, then it turned to a burning anger, and finally, just this overwhelming feeling of despair. I can't explain it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with what was going on with you. Am I right?"

Kate was flabbergasted. She knew that twins shared bonds like that, where they could feel each other's distress, but lovers? "Yeah, the timing sounds about right."

"Please, love, let me in." Jay patted her lover's chest.

Taking a deep breath, Kate recounted the events of the morning. When she was done, she looked down at emerald eyes brimming with tears.

"I can't believe they did that. That is so wrong. Why didn't you take the out they gave you and just let them think it was fabricated? You could've and they would've believed it."

Tipping Jay's chin up, Kate locked eyes with her. "Because, love, I will never deny what we have and what you are to me. You are my love and my life, the other half of my soul; don't ever doubt that, no matter what happens." She looked away because she couldn't bear to see those sea green orbs gazing at her so trustingly, knowing what she had to do.

"Oh Kate, this is all my fault."

"What??"

"If I hadn't written that story, they wouldn't have been gunning for you."

"Jay, look at me. Did you assign yourself to write the piece? Did you determine that it was going to be the cover? Did you take us on vacation to St. John? Heck, did you initiate that kiss the slimeball caught on film?"

"No," she answered quietly.

"Right. Sweetheart, first of all you wrote a beautiful story, one that you should be proud of; I know that I am. Secondly, I'm not sorry about us, and I never will be. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I will always believe that. Always," she said with feeling. "We can't change what is, so there's no sense playing the 'what if' game. It won't serve us well. My main objective now is seeing that folks don't put two and two together and figure out that you're the other woman."

"I don't care what they think."

Kate smiled at her lover's natural feistiness. "Well, I do. You have a great career in front of you and your whole life before you, and I will not sit by and watch that be jeopardized by some sleazebag with a camera trying to make a little money."

Jay's eyes opened wide. "What are you saying?" When her lover didn't answer right away, she captured Kate's face between her hands. "What are you suggesting here?" The note of rising panic was clear in her voice.

Hearing it and seeing the look of fear in her eyes, Kate couldn't bring herself to tell Jay what she thought she needed to do. Instead she said, "You said you were packing to go out of town on assignment. What's the assignment and where are you going?"

Now used to her partner's seeming non-sequiturs, Jay answered, "I've got the sidebars to the main story this week. I'm going to Wiesbaden, Germany to interview some of the sailors injured Sunday when two Iraqi missiles hit the USS Stark in the Persian Gulf. Then, depending on whether they have one or where it is, I may have to cover a memorial service for the 37 who were killed in the attack."

Kate was calculating in her mind. The fact that Jay had to go out of the country would work in their favor. She nodded to herself. "Okay, that's good."

"It is? You want me to go away? That's the last thing I want to do right now."

"Frankly, sweetheart, I want to spend every minute of my life with you. But right now, your being out of the country is a positive for us. They can't put us together if we're not anywhere near each other, now can they?"

"Rrright. Kate, I'm only going to be gone a couple of days, the rest of the week maximum. Do you think the story will die down by then?"

"It's hard to say, maybe, maybe not."

"If it doesn't what are we going to do when I get back and we're living together?"

Kate wouldn't look at her. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Jay felt a wave of uneasiness settle in her guts. "What, exactly, does that mean?"

"C'mon, love, let it go." "It means first things first. Let's just get through one day at a time, okay?" She couldn't talk about it any more right now. All she wanted was to spend the remaining time they had together holding the love of her life in her arms and making love to her. "What time is your flight?"

Jay looked at her watch. "Three and half hours from now."

"Good, we have time," Kate said huskily as she leaned down to kiss waiting lips.

*********

Their lovemaking was slow, deliberate, and poignant. Kate wanted to savor every touch, every taste, every sensation, every sound, knowing it could be the last time. When they were satiated, her lover lay spent in her arms and Kate was content just to hold her, stroking her hair and her back, breathing in her scent and memorizing the way their bodies fit together. She made sure that Jay couldn't see the tears in her eyes.

"Kate, what are you going to do now?"

"You mean professionally? I don't know. I think it unlikely that I could get another job in television. I really haven't thought about it. The fact that they paid me the remainder of what would have been due on my contract means I don't have to figure it out for a while yet."

"Mm. I'm going to miss you so much while I'm gone. I'll call you every day, though."

"Um, I may not be home, love."

"Why, where will you be?"

Kate sighed. "I'm going to go away for a little while, get out of sight and out of range of the vultures." And besides, phone records could be traced.

Jay's insides clenched. "How long and where are you going?"

"I'm not sure yet." Technically that was true, she hadn't picked up the tickets and finalized her itinerary yet. In truth, she thought it best for the writer if she didn't know too much, and she was afraid Jay would try to find her.

"How will I find you? How will we keep in touch?" The note of panic was back, and it made Kate miserable.

"If something comes up and you need something, call Peter. Do you have his numbers?"

"Yes, he gave them to me last night when we had dinner. But surely you're not suggesting that..."

Kate cut her off before she could finish the question she didn't want to answer. "Peter will be the point person. If we need to talk, we can do it through him."

"We're going to pass messages through a go-between?"

"Possibly. Also, he has conferencing capabilities and we could set up a conference call via his phone line if need be."

"If need be? Love, I don't want to talk to you only in case of an emergency. I love you, I need you, and I want to talk to you all the time."

"I know, sweetheart. Me too, but for now, at least, this is the most practical solution."

"Maybe the most practical solution is for me to quit my job and disappear with you."

That was exactly the reaction Kate had been afraid of, and why she had rejected the notion of talking her decision out with her lover. No matter what, she couldn't let Jay ruin the rest of her life, not for her. "No, Jay. No. Everything will be fine, you'll see." She kissed the top of the golden head. "Right now, though, we'd better get you packed or you'll be late."

Reluctantly Jay rose from the bed and set about her task, her lover lying in bed observing her, soaking up every opportunity to watch her and to memorize everything about her.

When she had finished packing and they both were dressed, Kate said, "You'd better get going or you're going to miss the plane."

"Aren't you coming to the airport with me?"

"I can't love, that would be way too obvious," she said regretfully.

"I'll be home Friday night at the latest, will you be there when I get there?"

"I don't know, Jay. Are you sure you want to be in Albany?"

"Yes," Jay said vehemently. "It's our home."

"Okay, I just wanted to be sure." Kate didn't see any harm in her lover being in the house; her phone number and address were unlisted and it was unlikely that anyone would find her there, especially if it were clear that the ex-anchorwoman was out of town. At the very least, they would try to follow her wherever she went, leaving Jay in peace.

"I don't like not knowing where you're going to be, or when I'll be able to talk to you or see you next."

"I know sweetheart, but the truth is that wherever you are, that's where I'll be. I'll always be thinking of you, love, and carrying you in my heart. Remember how much I love you." Kate worked hard to keep her voice from breaking.

They were at the door to the apartment. "Aren't you going to walk out with me?"

"No. I'll give you a few minutes and then head out."

Jay's head was down. "I hate this."

"Me too, sweetheart, but it won't be forever."

Jay dropped her suitcase and threw herself into Kate's arms. She couldn't shake this feeling of doom that was hanging over her. Reaching up, she pulled her lover down into a scorching kiss. "That's just to remind you what you'll be missing until we see each other again."

"Mm," Kate hummed. "As if I could forget." She returned the favor, saying, "That's to remind you how very much I love you. Be careful over there, sweetheart."

"I will. You too, Stretch. I miss you already."

"Me too."

"Bye."

"Be safe, love." Kate waited until she saw her lover catch a taxi from the living room window. Only then did she go to the door of the apartment, looking back one last time. "Never forget how much I love you, sweetheart. You will forever own my soul and in my heart we will always be together. Goodbye, Jay."

She couldn't stop the tears then. She didn't want to.

*********

A while later Kate was on a train headed back home. She had just taken a window seat from which she could watch the river when she felt a presence standing over her.

"If it isn't my very favorite celebrity. I just knew there had to be some advantage to coming to this conference in the City. Is this seat taken?"

Kate looked up into the smiling countenance of Dr. Barbara Jones. Although she wasn't sure she was really up to company, the ex-anchorwoman was grateful for the appearance of one of her best friends.

"Depends on who's asking."

"Ooo, you sound rough, there, kiddo. Having a tough day?" the doctor asked sympathetically, noting that her friend still wore sunglasses, even inside the train, a fact that was way out of character for her.

"I suppose you could say that."

"Well, I got my copy of Time magazine yesterday, and I happened to catch the cover of that filthy gossip rag a little while ago at a newsstand as I was passing the time in the train station, so I think I can imagine a little bit of what might be going on in that brilliant head of yours." Reaching out, she put her hand on Kate's arm. "Want to talk about it? I'm a great listener, as you know."

Kate stared out the window, not sure how much to share, even with her good friend.

"Let me start, then. It's nearly 4:30 in the afternoon, and you're sitting on a train in ripped jeans and a t-shirt. That tells me that you're not going to work today. You don't have any luggage with you, or even a briefcase, so that tells me that this is a day trip, and that you probably didn't pre-plan it, but came to the City to do something specific. Like maybe talk to the other person in that picture, who I do believe, if I'm not mistaken, is someone you introduced me to not that long ago in the middle of a very long night."

Kate's head snapped around.

"How am I doing so far?" The doctor gave her friend a wry smile. "It is Jay, isn't it?"

Kate nodded minutely. "How did you know?"

"Well, I didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to see the way you looked at each other that night. I figured if something wasn't already going on between you two, it would be soon." She lowered her voice, "I'm glad for you, Kate, she seems like a wonderful person, and you deserve nothing less."

"Thanks. That picture was taken on the day I proposed to her. We were on a beach in St. John."

"You're getting married? That's fantastic! Congratulations."

Kate sighed. "We were getting married."

"What do you mean?"

"Barbara, no one else has figured out that she's the other woman, and I intend to keep it that way. She has a great career ahead of her and her whole life, and I'm not going to screw that up for her."

"You're leaving her?? Have you told her that? Is that why you were in the City?"

"Not exactly. I needed to make sure she was all right and that she knew what had happened. I also needed to tell her that I got fired this morning."

"What??"

"They invoked the morals clause in my contract. It seems they were getting some threats from advertisers who were going to pull spots, and it was going to cost them money that they didn't want to lose more than they didn't want to lose me."

"Those ungrateful sons of bitches. Who the hell do they think got them those advertising contracts in the first place! They were in the cellar until you came along and gave them some class. You made them number one, and this is how they repay you?"

Kate had to smile at her friend's righteous indignation. "All's fair in love, war and television news, I guess," she said resignedly.

"That's a load of bull and you know it. Tell me the whole story."

And Kate did.

When she was finished, Barbara whistled, "That took guts, woman, to tell them it was your fiancÈe and that who she was wasn't any of their business. You were right, of course."

"When I saw that even Les and Phil, who had met her and spent time with her, didn't know who it was, I knew she could be okay in all this. That was the one bright spot."

"What's your plan?"

Kate explained about Jay's assignment and her intention to get away for a while.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't want to say. The less people know, the better," she said bluntly.

"This is me we're talking about, Kate, not some fly-by-night acquaintance," Barbara said, a little bit annoyed. "Does Jay know where you're headed?"

"No, and that's the way I want it. I've set it up so we'll both be talking to Peter at some point every day. If there's an emergency he can be the point person for a two-way conference call. If she knew where I was she might try to find me."

"Might?? I don't think there's any question that she'd move Heaven and Earth to locate you. Why are you doing this?"

"I told you," Kate sighed exasperatedly, "If we're not seen together, she'll be safe and she'll be able to maintain her anonymity. If she shows up anywhere near me, someone will make the connection and she'll be exposed. It could ruin her career."

"Instead, you're going to ruin her life."

"What??"

"Kate, that woman loves you with all her heart. Do you think she's just going to be able to forget about you, put you in the past? Your disappearing is going to kill her. My guess is she'd rather lose her job than lose you, and if you were thinking straight you'd know that too. Did you even give her a choice?"

"No," she answered quietly. "She doesn't know I'm planning an extended absence."

"Well that's a fine euphemism. She's a big girl; don't you think she should have some say in what happens here? What gives you the right to make unilateral decisions for both of you?"

Kate ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't listen to this right now, not after spending the morning asking herself the very same questions. God, she felt so impotent. "Look. All I know is that I'm the juicy story of the day, every idiot and his brother is going to try to dig up more dirt. The most obvious piece of gossip would be the identity of my lover, and if they figure that out it will raise questions about the reliability of the story she wrote. That woman bent over backwards to make that piece objective and fair. She has more integrity in her little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. I won't have anyone call that into question. It would kill her personally and professionally. I will do anything it takes to make sure the vultures don't find her, and that includes disappearing out of her life so that she can have the future and career she deserves."

Barbara reached out a soothing hand, recognizing that her friend was about at the end of her emotional tether. At least, she reasoned, Peter would be able to bridge a little bit of the gap and maybe talk some sense into their mutual friend. Kate had introduced her to the security expert a year or so earlier, and the three of them occasionally did things together. She liked him and knew he was as protective of her friend as she was. "Kate, they're not going to be out there gunning for you forever. Don't give up your chance at happiness because some money-grubbing opportunists are making you the meal of the day. Two days from now or a week from now they'll move on to someone else and all of this will be forgotten."

"And what if you're wrong and it isn't? I can't take a chance on that. You can never put the genie back in the bottle, Barbara. I'll never be able to go anywhere without someone pointing and saying 'look, there goes that famous lesbian. What's her name again?' Jay doesn't deserve that, and she doesn't have to live with it."

"All I'm saying is that it should be her choice whether she wants to stay with you and face the consequences or not. It doesn't matter where you go, Kate, she's going to try to follow you. I know that I would if it were me, and she seems like a pretty determined young woman. Do you love her?"

"With all that I am."

"Does she love you?"

"Yes."

"Then don't give up and let those fools win. Because that's what you're doing."

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Watch out for her? She says that she wants to be in Albany because that's where our home is, and I think that's where she'll go when she comes back from her assignment later this week. Will you check up on her, make sure she's okay? Try," Kate's voice broke, "Try to help her through this? She's going to need some friends who know and understand. I can't think of anyone I'd trust to help her more than I trust you and Peter."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. You know I will do anything I can, but I do wish you'd reconsider. I think you're making the mistake of a lifetime, or maybe it's just that you don't think you deserve happiness and love in your life."

Kate glared at Barbara with an intensity that was clear even through the dark glasses. "Since when did you start specializing in the field of psychology?" she snapped.

"My friend, I've been watching you for a lot of years now, and I've seen enough to know that what I say is true, although I still don't understand why. Well let me tell you something: you do deserve to be loved and to be happy, despite what you think. This woman is the best thing that ever came into your life. Don't let her go; I'm not sure either one of you could survive it."

Kate knew it was true; Jay was the best thing that ever happened to her and she wasn't at all sure she could make it without her. She only knew that she had to protect her, and this was the only way she knew how. Out loud she said, "Jay's a survivor, she'll adapt and find her way; she's tougher than she looks." And she hoped it was true.

Barbara just shook her head, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to change her friend's mind, but hoping that she'd at least given her something to think about.

They were silent for the rest of the ride to Albany.

Jay arrived at her destination near dawn Germany time on Wednesday. She had tried her hardest to sleep on the flight but found it virtually impossible, as thoughts and emotions kept running rampant through her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread gripping her heart and was finding it difficult to focus on her assignment when all she could think about was where her lover might be and when she could see her next. "Parker, you owe it to these men and their crewmates to do a good job here. Stick to the issue at hand and the faster you complete the assignment properly, the sooner you can go home and concentrate on Kate."

She found a driver willing to take her from Frankfurt, where she had landed, to the US Military Hospital at Wiesbaden, and spent the ride going through her notes. When the writer arrived, she was forced to spend an hour slogging through mountains of red tape and "helpful" public affairs officers, despite earlier assurances from her sources at the Pentagon that she would have no problems on site. Once she had convinced the watchdogs that her interest laid in the sailors' personal stories and not in vilifying the navy or condemning the military's readiness for an attack, she was allowed to visit with three of the injured.

The interviews went well, the men responding instantly to Jay's naturally sunny personality and good looks. They were happy to open up to her and talk about their lives, their choice to join the military, how they viewed that decision now, what they felt and thought during the attack, and how they thought the incident on the Stark might have changed them. By early afternoon she had gotten everything she needed to write a great human-interest story.

Now she had a choice to make. Rightfully, she could do some sightseeing, check into a hotel in Frankfurt, and sleep until tomorrow before catching a plane back to the States. Or, if she were so inclined, she could leave right away. Unbidden the thought came to her that if a certain tall shadow were here, they would have a great time seeing the sights. But, alas, that wasn't the case. Looking at her watch she noted that it was 8 a.m. New York time on Wednesday. She smiled at the vision of Kate working out to Charlie's Angels in the basement gym, her smile fading, however, with the notion that her lover had probably already left for parts unknown. She sighed. The first thing she needed to do was to call Trish to find out if there was a second leg to her journey to cover a service for those who had died in the attack. Since the editor was usually in early, Jay figured she wouldn't have any trouble finding her at her desk.

"Hiya, kiddo. How's tricks?"

"Hi Trish. Everything's great. I think I've got some really good stuff; it'll make a great sidebar. These guys have been through a lot and, as you might expect, it's had a pretty profound impact on them. It's a very human story."

"Terrific. Listen, I got a line on the memorial service. It's going to be Friday morning in at the naval station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida. That's the Stark's home base. Looks like the president is going be there. And guess what? So are you, what a coincidence!"

"You're in a good mood."

"Eh, doesn't pay to complain, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. Okay. Well, I'll come home now so I can write this story tomorrow in the office and then get on a plane for Florida tomorrow night."

"Sorry about that, kid, doesn't look like you'll be getting a lot of sleep this week."

"That's okay, Trish, I know you'll make it up to me," she smiled into the phone. Her editor and friend really did take pretty good care of her.

Jay was exhausted, and her stomach was in knots. She thought about trying to call Kate, but knew in her heart it would be fruitless. She would call Peter when she got to New York later. While it would be near 10 or 11 o'clock Wednesday night in Germany when she touched down, she would gain six hours at home, putting it closer to 4 or 5 in the afternoon in New York.

*********

By 8 a.m. Wednesday morning Kate was somewhere over the Midwest on her way to Chicago and then Denver, the jumping off point for her journey. It had been a long evening and a longer night after she'd returned from Jay's. She had gone from the train station to her travel agent's, then to her florist, then to the house to feed Fred, play with him, get his things together and take him over to Peter's, where she had dinner and more discussion than she bargained for.

Like Barbara, Peter was convinced that Jay would try to follow her, and not at all certain that Kate's solution was best for either one of them. The ex-anchorwoman was tired, emotionally drained and grumpy. "What do you suggest, then, smart man? Let them feast on us and have Jay lose her career in the process? Never. I won't do it."

"You don't know that Jay will lose her career, you're making an assumption. And that should be her choice, not yours."

It was the first time they had ever raised their voices to each other. They faced off across Peter's kitchen table, where Kate's meal sat untouched. "Jay is too kind and too compassionate, she would never choose her career over me, even if it was what she really wanted. I will not be pitied; I am not some charity case."

"Then stop feeling sorry for yourself and playing the martyr," he boomed. More quietly he pleaded, "Go away for a few days and get your head together if you need to, Kate, but for God's sake, don't disappear from Jay's life. That girl is head over heels in love with you and can't wait to be your wife." He thought about the little side trip the pretty blonde had made them take the night before when he took them to dinner. "The two of you are strong enough to face whatever challenges come your way. Your friends will be here to support you. If you want, I'll arrange it so that no media can get within a mile of either one of you."

"I know you would, my friend, but even you can't hold them off forever," she said quietly. "I'll ask you the same thing I asked Barbara: please, please look out for Jay and help her through this. I will take you up on your offer to make sure that no media go anywhere near her. I don't think anyone who would be looking for a story can figure out where I live, but I can't guarantee that. I'm hoping that by making my departure from the Capital District painfully obvious, they'll trail me instead." She hadn't made any secret about the fact that she was leaving the area and had, in fact, called the station earlier in the day, deliberately telling the receptionist that she was leaving the next morning at 7:00 for an extended period of time to visit relatives in Chicago if anyone called looking for her. She might as well put the idiot's "helpful" nature to good use.

She sighed heavily. "Jay will be calling you; I trust you not to tell her where I am. You're the only person who will know. I'll be moving around, so I'll check in with you once a day, most likely in the evening after you would have talked to her. You're my eyes and ears, my friend, if there's something I need to know I expect you to tell me."

She stood and Fred rose from under the table where he had been laying on her feet. She knelt down before him and gave him a big hug. "As for you, big guy, I expect you to be a good boy. When your other mother comes home, I expect you to keep her company and give her lots of love, okay? You take extra special care of her for me and make sure she's not lonely." She kept her head down to hide the tears that spilled from her eyes. "I love you, buddy." She kissed him on the top of the head and he licked her chin.

When she had composed herself, she stood and faced Peter. "You know I can never thank you enough for everything you do for me, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I'll think of something."

"So you keep threatening; I'm scared." She made a mock-frightened face. "I'll be in touch." And with that she was out the door.

At home again late Tuesday night, she spent a couple of hours doing laundry and packing, walking around the house making sure that everything was in order and admiring the dozens of red and yellow roses that she had placed in strategic locations for her lover to find. Each had a card standing against its vase, all with a different sentiment but expressing the same love and devotion. She knew she shouldn't have done that; after all, if she were leaving her, why not make a clean break? But she couldn't do it; the ache in her heart was excruciating and she needed to let Jay know how she felt about her. She couldn't live with the idea that her lover might think she was using this as an excuse to walk away, and she wasn't willing to let the younger woman's insecurities get the better of her without making an effort to set the record straight; she hated hurting her, even if it was for a good reason.

Going into the attic, she found her boxes of old comic books, separating out all of the Green Lanterns and setting them aside. Then, for good measure, she made piles of the Aqua Man, Flash and Captain America comics, too, taking them all to the bedroom. She wrote a note to accompany them and put the flashlight and a fresh set of batteries nearby.

Finally, at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, she tried to lie down and sleep for a couple of hours. It was 9:30 in the morning in Wiesbaden, and she wondered what Jay was doing. She pictured her interviewing injured sailors, listening intently to their stories, her sparkling green eyes alight with sympathy and curiosity. It made her heart ache painfully. God, she missed her already.

At 5 a.m. she gave up any pretense of sleep and went downstairs to workout and then to run before showering and leaving for the airport, where she made her presence well known. Standing in line waiting to check in for a flight to Chicago, she removed her sunglasses and talked with the other passengers, signing some autographs for those who approached her timidly with issues of Time. She made a special point of making eye contact and saying hello to those few who gave her disgusted looks and pretended not to notice her. She even took the time before departure to browse through the newsstand near the gate, where she signed some more autographs. She made sure that her one-way boarding pass to Chicago was visible to anyone who cared to take notice before she boarded the flight.

She spied two still photographers lurking nearby and one reporter; it was nice to know the WCAP receptionist was good at her job. None of the "journalists" had gotten on the plane with her. She knew she would have to put on a show in Chicago on the other end, in case they had other colleagues waiting there, but she had already made provisions for that.

For now, she sat in the air, her heart thousands of miles away and her soul feeling as if it had been ripped to shreds.

*********

The first thing Jay did when she arrived at her apartment shortly after 5 p.m. on Wednesday was to pick up the phone and call Peter, who answered on the third ring.

"Peter Enright."

"Hi Peter, it's Jay."

"Ah, the world traveler. Where are you now?"

"I just got off a plane from Frankfurt, Germany. I'm at my apartment in New York."

"You sound exhausted."

"Well, I tried to sleep a little on the plane, but I haven't been having much luck in that department the past twenty four hours or so."

"I bet," he said sympathetically.

"Do you know where Kate is?"

"Not exactly."

"What does that mean, have you heard from her?"

"Not yet today." He needed to tread carefully here. He didn't want to lie to Jay, but Kate was adamant that her lover not know where she was. He also knew that his friend hadn't told her fiancÈe that she might not be coming back. Though he disagreed vehemently with her decision, he would be loyal and play the good soldier. "I saw her last night; she left Fred with me before leaving town."

"She's gone?"

"Yes, she left early this morning."

"Driving or flying? I guess that's a stupid question; if she had been driving she probably would have taken Fred, right?"

"Right. Are you done with your assignment?"

"Part of it. I have to go into the office tomorrow morning and finish writing the story from Wiesbaden; I started writing it on the plane, but I've got a lot more to do. Then I have to fly to Jacksonville, Florida tomorrow afternoon to be at the Mayport Naval Station in time for a memorial service for the sailors killed on the Stark on Friday morning. I'm planning to fly directly back to Albany from there. I can write the story at home over the weekend and take the train to the City to turn it in Monday morning."

"Sounds like they're running you ragged."

"A little bit. I can't decide whether that's a good thing or not; I guess being distracted right now can't hurt." She sounded dejected and Peter felt for her. "Do you think she's okay, wherever she is?"

"I'm sure she's fine, honey. Kate is a very strong woman, she'll be all right."

"She was hurting so badly yesterday. She was trying hard to be tough, but I know that whole thing with her bosses really threw her. I'd like to wring their scrawny little necks."

Peter laughed. "Get in line, you're not the only one who feels that way."

"Do you really think the story's not dead?"

"Well, I know your fiancÈe thinks it's not, and I can't really disagree with her there, she's got amazing instincts when it comes to that kind of stuff. She's taken some measures to handle it, though." He had no intention of telling his new young friend about his promise to Kate to keep the media away from her. And he wasn't sure if he should share her Chicago plan with Jay, either. God, he hated this.

"I'm not sure what that means, but whatever it is, I'm sure she's cooked up something good," Jay chuckled thinking about her lover scheming and devising ways to play with the media. "Well, I'd better get going." She hesitated for a moment. "Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"She is going to call you sometime today, right?"

"Yes, Jay, she promised to call in every day at some point."

"Would you...would you tell her I love her? And that I miss her terribly?"

"Of course honey, you know I will." He paused. "Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"She loves you too, you know. Very much. That's why she's doing this. She just wants to keep you safe and out of the spotlight."

"I know, but I don't have to like it or agree with it, do I?"

"No, I suppose you don't."

"Can I call you again tomorrow, Peter?"

"Honey, you can call me anytime you want. I'll always be here for you Jay; for one thing, Kate made me promise that I would, and for another, I would have done it anyway."

"You're such a sweetheart."

"Don't let that get around, you'll ruin my tough reputation."

"Your secret's safe with me, Technowiz. And Peter?"

"Mm hmm."

"Would it be okay if I took Fred home Friday when I get to Albany? I have a feeling I'm going to need his company."

She sounded so sad it broke his heart. "Of course. Tell you what; why don't I plan on picking up dinner and bringing it, and Fred, over to the house Friday night. Okay?"

"Yeah, that would be great. I can't promise that I'll be wonderful company, but..."

"It will be good to see you, Jay."

"Yeah, you too. Bye, Peter, thanks for everything. You won't forget to give Kate my messages, will you?"

"Never. Bye Jay, try and get some sleep, okay?"

"Sure."

*********

Stepping off the plane in Chicago late Wednesday morning, Kate spotted them: two more photographers and one reporter. "Good," she thought, "They're taking the bait. That ought to keep Jay in the clear." Just thinking her lover's name gave her a pang, and she sighed as she made her way unhurriedly to the baggage claim area. She wanted to be sure to give her tails plenty of time to follow her. It wouldn't do to lose them yet.

Once her suitcase arrived she exited the terminal, noting that her shadows had followed. She waited at the curb for a few moments until a big Crown Victoria pulled up and an older, matronly-looking woman stepped out. Kate approached the woman and gave her a big smile and a warm hug, saying loud enough for anyone nearby to hear, "Aunt Marie, it's so good to see you. It feels like it's been forever. Thanks so much for letting me stay with you for a while; I really appreciate it. I just need some time to get away for a couple of months, and it will be so good to spend time with you and Uncle Nick."

In an unsteady voice the old woman replied, "Oh now Kate, you know you're always welcome in our home. You're like a second daughter to us and we're honored to have you around. Besides, you can reach all those things Nick puts up in the tall cupboards that I can never find. Come along now, let's get you settled in and unpacked."

The two women got in the car and drove off. Once they were a safe distance away, Kate reached over and squeezed the woman's hand. "Marie, you never cease to amaze me. Where in the world did you come up with that costume on such short notice? It's brilliant; you almost had me fooled."

"Hey, sweetie, that's what you pay me for, remember?" The voice belonged to a woman no older than Kate.

"Yeah, boxes and boxes of Freihofer's Chocolate Chip Cookies, as I recall. You were addicted."

"Yes, and you fed my habit quite nicely, thank you."

"Well, you were my roommate and the only theatre major I knew; who else was I supposed to enlist to play practical jokes on unsuspecting fools?"

"Mm hmm. It would be nice if you just said that I was the most talented actress you knew and that's why you hung around with me."

"Yeah, that too, I guess." Kate paused and looked seriously at her old college friend. She and Marie had been paired together randomly freshman year and had hit it off right away. She loved the fact that Marie accepted her just as she was and gave her space, while at the same time offering her unconditional friendship. They had roomed together until Kate had gotten a single junior year. Marie was one of the few people who Kate let get close; and one of the very few in college who had known that she was a lesbian.

"I can't thank you enough for putting yourself on the line like this for me, Marie. It's an awful lot to ask."

"For you, Kate, anything, you know that. I was glad you called; I just about burst a button when I saw the cover of Time. I couldn't think of anyone who deserved the recognition more. And then when I saw the Enquirer yesterday I was mad enough to spit nails. It'd make me only too happy to screw them up."

Marie smiled. She knew she would do anything for Kate, and vice versa. In college most people had shied away from her, her off-beat manner leading most of her classmates to dismiss her as a nut; but not the tall, quiet beauty. Kate had befriended her right away, and, in turn, she was one of the few people who ever got to see Kate's wicked sense of humor. She loved her with all her heart and hated to see her in pain.

"Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you all right? I know I haven't been the best about keeping in touch, what with doing the show at the Improv and all, but I'm still here for you, you know?"

"I know you are, friend, that's why I felt comfortable making the call. I knew you would come through for me."

"You haven't answered the question."

"Oh, haven't I?"

"No, smartass, you haven't."

Kate sighed trying to figure out how to answer her friend. She had never lied to her before and had found her to be, on those few occasions when she had wanted to talk, a good listener... "No, I'm not okay," she said quietly. "I got fired yesterday, I have no idea what my future holds, I had to leave my fiancÈe behind so she wouldn't lose her career and get caught up in all this, and my heart is sick over it."

"Oh sweetie." Marie squeezed the large hand that rested on the seat. "I'm so sorry for you. I'm assuming your fiancÈe was the one in the picture, right?"

Kate poked her friend. "No, I'm sleeping around, but don't tell her, okay? Of course it was her. In fact, that was taken on the day I proposed to her; we were on a beach in St. John. I had taken her there to get away from everything." She sighed wistfully.

Marie noted the ironic tone in her friend's voice. "It will be all right, Kate, you'll see. This will blow over and the two of you can ride off into the sunset."

"I wish I could believe that."

"Who is she? All I could see from the pictures was the back of her head. Nice kissing technique, by the way."

"God, you are such a brat."

"Just part of my charm, remember? And, my dear, once again you haven't answered my question. Am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

"Huh, you and what army, woman?"

"Just remember my husband is bigger than you are."

"Yes, but he'd probably be on my side."

"Not if he wants me to put out anytime in this century."

"Oooh, now there's a threat."

"We're getting off the subject, missy. Are you going to tell me who the lucky woman is?"

Kate sighed heavily. "Her name is Jamison Parker. You might remember her; she was two years behind us...an Am Lit major. And, Marie...I'm the lucky one."

"Wow. You've got it bad, woman. Jamison Parker, Jamison Parker. Where have I seen that name recently?" She thought for a moment, and then turned incredulous eyes to her friend. "You can't mean the same Jamison Parker whose byline graces the Time magazine story about you, can you??"

"Mm hmm."

"My what a tangled web we weave. Yikes. No wonder you're trying to keep the hounds off the scent; that could look really bad for her."

"Right. Marie, she's an incredibly talented writer, she's got a brilliant future in front of her, I can't take a chance on her credibility being called into question."

"I see your dilemma here. Why didn't she just recuse herself from the story in the first place?"

"It's all my fault. We weren't involved sexually when she was given the assignment. In fact, we had only kissed a couple of times and had really just found each other again the week before."

At Marie's inquiring look, she explained, "She was in Albany doing a story on the Governor when the bombing happened; she saw me on television, and came to find me. That's how we got reacquainted. We had met briefly a couple of times in college and she had really made an impression on me, and, I guess, me on her. So we began talking on the telephone. When her editor gave her the piece to do on me, she made it clear up front she needed to maintain professional distance from me. I was the one who pushed her. And even then, we didn't sleep together until she had done all of the interviews and research for the story. By the time she actually wrote it, we were head over heels in love, and just after she turned it in, I whisked her off to a remote Caribbean island and asked her to marry me."

"That's quite a tale. And they said romance was dead; apparently it's alive and well and living in Albany, New York, who knew? I have to say, Kate, I never would have known the depth of your relationship from the story. She did an amazing job of staying objective, there's no hint of anything too personal in there."

"I know, I was so proud of her. Now you see why I have to let her go."

"No. Now I see why you want to keep her out of the spotlight, but not why you need to ditch her."

"I'm not ditching her!" Why couldn't they see? First Barbara, then Peter, now Marie; she had to do this for Jay's sake, that was all there was to it.

"What would you call disappearing and not telling her where you're going?"

"Look, the less she knows, the less she's likely to try and follow me, and the less likely she is to lose her job and her future."

"Seems to me if she loses you, she is losing her future. But that's just me," she tweaked her friend gently. "A job is a job and love is everything. Katherine Kyle, you are one of the most desirable women on the face of the planet. Why, if I weren't straight and happily married to Nick I'd chase your skirt myself. I can't imagine this woman is just going to let you go and be okay with that."

They had arrived at their destination, a nice, solid brick home in a respectably middle class neighborhood. Getting out of the passenger side, Kate watched with awe as her friend transformed herself back into an elderly aunt in the blink of an eye. She had always loved watching Marie work; it fascinated her. If anyone were watching, it would appear as though Kate was visiting with a beloved relative, which was just what she wanted him or her to think.

Once they were inside the house, Marie turned to her friend. "How much time have you got before your next flight?"

"A little over two hours."

"Okay, that means you have to leave here within a half hour to get back to the airport in time."

"Fine. There is a back way out of here, right?"

"Yep, through the backyard and a small path over to the next neighborhood. I'll call Nick and tell him to meet you over there."

"You don't need to do that, I can call a cab."

"Don't be ridiculous, I won't hear of it. You might want to be careful though, in case your friends are still hanging out waiting at the airport for a flight, or something."

"I will, but I'm guessing they're based here in Chicago or on the west coast somewhere, and will either be watching your house or be gone by the time I get there."

"I hope you're right. Just in case, do you want a disguise?"

"Mm. That could be fun."

"We'll make it something easy to take off, so you can be yourself by the time you get on the plane if you want."

"Okay, and if they're still lurking about I'll just stay in character."

Within twenty minutes Kate had been transformed into a stooped old lady, warts and all, with the help of baggy clothes, a large bra stuffed with feathers, and some fake wrinkles that looked so real even she had to do a double take in the mirror. A wig of finely woven salt and pepper hair completed the look, with her real hair swept up underneath.

"My, my, Katherine, you really should take better care of yourself. Why, you're positively going to seed!"

The ex-anchorwoman leaned over and kissed her friend on the cheek. "Thanks, Marie, you're the best."

"Watch your voice there, Grandma Kate, and I know." Her eyes twinkled. "Just you take care of yourself. And don't give up on your lady, either, my friend. I can't wait to meet her; it sounds like she's a keeper, and so are you."

They hugged and Marie, still in costume, checked the backyard. "All clear. And don't worry, Kate, if I see any sign of anyone sniffing around, I'll just get back into costume and yell from the porch into the house for you to "...come out and get some fresh air, young lady, you stay cooped up too much for your own good."

Kate laughed at her friend's old lady voice. "That ought to work. I'll be in touch sometime, Marie, I promise," she said as she stooped over and made her way slowly across the backyard and over into the next neighborhood. Her suitcase had already been transferred to Nick's car in the enclosed garage away from any potential prying eyes fifteen minutes earlier before he headed back out to wait for her.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful, with no sightings of any reporters or photographers. Still, Kate chose to stay in costume until she reached Denver, where she disappeared into a ladies' room and removed the makeup and costume, paid cash for a rental car, picked up a large container of coffee to fight off her exhaustion, and headed off in the direction of her first destination, the Great Sand Dunes in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

*********

By 9 p.m. Wednesday, after nearly seven hours driving, she had arrived in tiny Mosca, Colorado, the town closest to the Dunes, where she stopped for the night at a small bed and breakfast called the Inn at Zapata Ranch. She was grateful just to be able to get out and stretch her cramped legs.

Checking in, she put her suitcase in the homespun room, noting that there was no telephone. She frowned and headed back out to the main lobby. "Excuse me," she said to the elderly night clerk, "I'm looking for a telephone."

The white-haired gentleman smiled a smile that was missing two prominent teeth, and pointed to a lounge chair in the corner of the lobby closest to the communal fireplace. "That's the only phone available to the guests, miss. Just dial '9' to get an operator."

"Great," thought Kate, looking around and seeing several people milling about the lobby. "Just what I need; no privacy." She sighed heavily and went over and sat down in the lounge chair, dialing Peter's number from memory. She glanced at her watch; it was a little after 11 p.m. back home.

"Yello."

"Hey, Technowiz."

"Hey woman." He had been about to call her 'Anchorbabe', as had become his custom, but he didn't want to remind her of what was no more. "How's things?"

"Peachy. I'm so far beyond exhausted...hey, what comes after exhausted, anyway?"

"Um, dead?"

She chuckled, "Well, that's helpful. Let's just say I'm halfway there and leave it at that."

"How'd the trip out go?"

"Like clockwork. Two photographers and a reporter at the airport in Albany, two different photographers and a different reporter in Chicago. My friend met me and put on a great show, which I think they bought, and no one followed me to Denver that I could tell. Certainly no one followed me here. I'm in the middle of nowhere and I didn't see another set of headlights in either direction for the last 125 miles."

"Sounds good. Where exactly is the middle of nowhere?"

"Are you sure you want to know? If you don't know, you can't lie about it." She was only half-joking, and they both knew it.

"Kate, someone ought to know where to find you in case of emergency, don't you think?"

"Is everything all right? Have you heard from Jay?"

He could hear her rising anxiety. "Everything's okay, and yes, I heard from Jay 7 hours ago."

"How is she?"

"Lonely and depressed, from the sound of it, but otherwise okay. She sounds about the same as you, come to think of it. Imagine that."

"Okay, I get your point, that's enough. Where is she?"

"She's back in New York at the apartment. You could probably get her there now if you wanted." He didn't think she'd do it, but he felt he had to try.

"No, it's too late; I'm hoping she's sleeping. It sounds like she had a whirlwind trip; she wasn't even there 24 hours. And besides," she added softly, "It will only make things harder."

He decided to let the subject drop for the moment. "She's going into the office tomorrow morning to write the story on the injured sailors, then she flies off to Jacksonville, Florida tomorrow afternoon or evening for the memorial service for the dead, which takes place the following morning. The President is going to be there. She says she's, and I quote, 'Coming home to write the story over the weekend and then take the train to the City Monday morning to turn it in.' She's flying directly from Jacksonville to Albany on Friday after the service. I told her I'd pick up dinner and bring it, and Fred, to the house Friday night."

"Thanks, Peter, you're a prince, as always."

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to somebody who believes you. Oh, and she had two messages for you. She said to tell you she loves you and she misses you."

Kate's heart clenched. "Tell her I said the same, okay?" she asked huskily.

"Of course. Now are you going to tell me where in the world you are?"

"Right now I'm sitting in a lounge chair in the lobby of a bed and breakfast 15 minutes away from the Great Sand Dunes, one of the great wonders in this country. Unfortunately, this is the only phone they have for the guests to use, so it's not the most private place in the world. I'll probably spend the day tomorrow at the Dunes and I may stop at the Zapata Falls, which are nearby. Then I'll move on before nightfall. I'll call you again tomorrow night from the road."

"Good. Oh, and Fred says goodnight and to tell you he misses you, too."

"Give him a kiss on the nose for me. I'll talk to you tomorrow, bud. See ya."

"Bye, Kate. Be careful out there."

She held the dead receiver in her hand a moment longer. God, she so wanted to talk to her lover. But she meant what she had said to Peter: it would only make things harder for both of them, and she knew Jay would want to know exactly where she was and when she was coming home. It would hurt her more when Kate refused to tell her. No, it would only make things worse. With a heavy heart, she turned and went to her room, where she lay down and cried herself to sleep.

Continued - Part 6 (Conclusion)

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