Ian, naked, lay on the bed, his hands clasped behind his head, watching Betty Jo remove her makeup and lay aside her jewels. She looked up and their eyes met through the mirror.

"We should have said something," Ian finally offered.

"Why?" she asked.

"It feels... wrong," he replied.

"To whom would we have said something?  Marc?  Dinah's probably doing that as we speak.  Dia?  After how unhappy she's been?  And take the chance she'll balk?"  Betty Jo turned to look at him.  "Or Lev?"

Ian frowned. "Marc obviously never thought about it. I doubt he pays that much attention to love affairs. And, he wasn't around to see what was going on."

"True.  So there's no suggestion of devious meddling on his part.  And all you and I did was let an innocent party do what we couldn't.  Dinah didn't know, she was mostly guessing."

"Uh huh. And you are sure your sister won't be furious with you when she just accidentally runs into Lev aboard Aaru, after, of course, she's committed to going along with them?"

"I have faith in Dinah," she said.  "And I have faith in Lev."

"And Dia?" he asked, patting the bed as she got up to walk over to him.

She snuggled close to him, pillowing her head on his chest.  "She's missing him like crazy.  She thinks his leaving was about not wanting her as much, if not more than anything else it could have been and she doesn't understand."

"And are we sure it wasn't partly that he wasn't in love with her? Granted they seemed good together, but he seems like a loner to me. Like me in that. It makes relationships that much harder."

"However it works out it's not as bad as it is now for her not knowing.  If he can't handle it or doesn't want to then he needs to tell her that.  So she doesn't go on thinking it was her, or something she did or didn't do.  But personally I think he is in love with her."

"Even if he is, she's going to be furious that he didn't tell her."  He began playing with her hand. "Although I certainly understand why he didn't want her to know anything. It would have put her in a difficult position."

"Then they'll work it out.  That's what happens when people don't talk to each other," she said, "as cold as that sounds, which isn't how I mean it.  It's just that this way they haven't got the chance."

"Hmmm. Well, you know her better than I do, so I bow to your superior intelligence. Tell me, how would you feel if I do have a chance to go after Collins?"

"In what respect?" she said after a long moment.

"If Marc finds him, I want to be there."

She propped her head on her elbow, watching his face.  "I meant feel about what aspect of it.  You maybe getting hurt?  You killing him?  What?"

"Both. And you staying home."

"I'd worry -- a lot.  I'd understand.  I'm not sure I'd stay home."

"Do you need to see it through?"

"No.  I need to be close to you if anything happens."

"Darling, you worry too much,"  he replied, lips twitching. "We can't afford for the both of us be paranoid."

"Sorry.  It's just the way I am, unlike Penelope who was content to stay home and spin."

"All right. We'll both go."

"That was way too easy," she said after eying him for a moment.  "But I'm not going to complain."

He hesitated, staring down at her hands. "I have a great deal of respect for you and for your abilities. Magical and otherwise. I realize that sometimes it must seem as if I do not. It is just that I am not sure how I could survive it if something happened to you."

"I know," she said, her voice soft.  "It's a feeling I'm familiar with.  I'm not asking to help hunt him down.  I don't want to help hunt him down.  I just don't want to be four universes away if you're hurt."

He met her eyes. "You won't be. I promise."  Then he took her in his arms and kissed her.

"I love you," she whispered, willingly forgetting everything but him.  Later, laying in his arms, feeling the reassuring beat of his heart she said, "After Dia leaves, do you want to go back to the country?"

"Would that make you happy?"

"You make me happy, darling.  It's as simple as that.  But I wouldn't mind.  So far as I know we only stayed in town because you felt it was safer while the Golden Dawn was trying to grab the book."

"Well," he replied thinking on it, "and it was necessary for Dia's research."  He paused, then added,  "I do feel badly that you've had to give up everything for me.  You are separated from your sisters, you gave up your career..."

"Don't start, don't go there," she said.  "I've given up nothing, I see my sisters when ever I want to and I'm happier than I've ever been in my life."

"How can I make you even happier then?  Let you take over Averyton? Encourage you to sweet talk the vicar and the Ladies Aid and organize them into a ninja contingent?"

"Stop feeling guilty.  And if you must do something so you can stop feeling guilty promise me I can entice you into bed whenever I feel like it," she said, "where you can remind me just how worth it you are."  She smiled.  "And take me back to Averyton where I have you to myself."

He frowned. "You think you don't here? I'm off doing business too much. In my defense I'm doing my best to arrange things so they are not requiring of so much hands on. And I'm done with the business side of things for some time, other than just day to day things."

"No, it's that here you're more available to everyone from the Rose and Cross and whoever else wants you to do something for them.  Though I do feel bad for Hermione.  And besides, isn't Adele coming to visit?  Or will she rather be here in town?"

"She loves the country.  She likes to ride. Should I invite Hermione to come to the country with us?  We could continue her studies there. She needs some additional work on the sex spells."

"I'm sure she does, so do that if you'd like." Betty Jo said, her hands drifting over his body.  "And you two can work on them and then you can let me know if I'm as good at those sorts of spells as she is or if I need to do some additional work."

Ian grinned. "You were supposed to get jealous. Obviously I've lost my touch."

"Oh I am," she said.  "Horribly.  But what good does it do to get all catty about it.  I'd rather just make sure your attention is firmly focused where I want it...on me and not her.  Except of course for your responsibilities to her as your apprentice."

"Well, I've arranged for her to study that portion of her curriculum with someone else. But I will invite her down from time to time if you honestly don't mind."

"I had no idea you'd done that," she said.

"Shouldn't I have? I love you. I've never had any sexual interest in her, but even so, it would be wrong for me to continue that with her when I'm in love with you, wouldn't it? It certainly feels wrong."

"I'm grateful you did," she said.  "But I also know you thought you had an obligation to her and I accepted that."

"Yes, and I appreciate that understanding and I should be spanked for teasing you."  He presented his bare bottom for the punishment.

She kissed it, moving her tongue delicately over his skin. 

"Hmmm. Doesn't feel much like punishment to me."

She tried again.  "Is that better?" she asked, expanding her field of operations.

"Darling," he said laughing. "You are very lucky I have no interest in BDSM."  He rolled over and pulled her down into his arms. "You make me so very happy, Betty Jo."

She grinned.  "Well if you had...but I'm glad you don't.  And I'm even gladder I make you happy," she said, getting comfortable on top of him.  "Because it's my goal in life."

"I've never done anything to deserve you. It's rather frightening you're here in my arms."

"I don't know," she said.  "You really think it's a matter of deserving?  I think it's a matter of taking care of what's been given.  Or is that way too Pollyanna-ish?"

"Well, I promise, I swear, to do my best to take care of what you give me." 

"Just keep loving me," she said.  "That's all I want."

"That I can do."

Dinah came out of the bathroom and found Marc already in bed.  She smiled and joined him.  "What made you invite Dia to join us?"

"Not sure. I knew she was interested in symbology, so I thought, well, what the hell."

"So there wasn't like a flash of male intuition about anything?"

Marc frowned.

"Why the frown?" she asked.

"Intuition is bunk. Perhaps there was some tiny bit of nefarious intent, but certainly not intuition."

"Nefarious intent in what direction?"

"Torturing Lev?" Marc suggested.

"So you had that flash of insight as well, huh?  I am impressed."

"So, you think it was a mistake? I do think she'd enjoy what we're doing."

Dinah raised an eyebrow.  "Are you talking about a good idea since it's probable Lev's in love with her and she with him?  Or just in general since we're doing interesting things?"

"Just that we will provide her with fascinating questions for her to research."

"That's what I thought.  But you're relaxed and unconcerned about the other?" she asked, shifting closer to him.

He shrugged. "They'll work it out or they won't.  So were you happy about your soiree?"

She nodded as she got comfortable in his arms.  "I think it went well.  I think COBRA has something to think about now.  And the Syndicate too."

"If they were here," Marc commented. "I've often wondered just who they are, you know? Hodran was their face to the world, but there must be others. I'm thinking Paxx knows more about the Syndicate than he's telling."

"Paxx knows more about everything than he's telling."

"I agree. The Margassans all know him. And he's apparently able to contact them at will, which is more than what I've heard about from others. Then there's McGee and Zaf.  Two more who know a whole lot more than they're telling."

"So what next, lover lips?"

"Sex, of course."

"Of course.  And after that?" she asked.

"We pick up Dia and sit back and watch what happens for a change."

"I don't get it."

He shifted so he could see her face better. "Don't get what?""

"What it is we're going to watch," she said.  "Maybe I had too much champagne or something."

"Dunno. It's either going to be a love affair or she punches him out. I'm eager to see which."

"Ah, okay.  When I asked what's next, I didn't mean that.  I mean the Marc and Dinah road show whose mission from God is to clean up the Rim and help the dragons."

"Ah, well, we need to pick Darin's mind and pin down McGee. We need to tie Melly and Colin to their computers until they get the translations done, and then we need to draw Dia in to try to make sense of what we have. In the meantime, you're going to be busy keeping the space lanes open for the colonists and I'm going to meditate on how best to deal with the Barons and the Syndicate. Did I miss anything?"

"Whether or not that leaves time for sex?"

"We'll always have sex. That's a given. Speaking of which, Betty Jo looks pretty contented, even though she had to give up her job."

"She looks positively radiant.  Are you going to actively look for Roz?"

"Man you're hard to distract. Why?"

"Why do you want to distract me?  What are you planning to do that you know I won't like?" she demanded, sitting up.

"Nothing, honest. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point. I expect she'll come looking for us."

"Something to look forward to," she said.  "Promise you aren't planning anything?"

"Hmmm. And if I don't?" he asked, frowning at her.

"Then remember that what goes around, comes around," she said.

"Ah. Can we, you know, just make love now?" Marc asked running an hand down her side and then over her stomach toward her thighs.

"All you had to do was ask," she said.

"Will you stop worrying about me doing something you won't like? What if I promise I'll tell you before hand?"

She smiled and molded herself against him.  "That would be way more than I expected," she said, her hands making free with his flesh.

"Really? I'm not entirely unmindful that my existence is of some importance to you, you know."

"Mmmm.  I do know.  But I also know you have a tendency to be protective and not want me worried or upset."  Her hand framed his backside as she spoke.  "I thought you wanted to stop talking and make love?"

"I do. I love you," he said, and kissed her.