Noticing that Robin's car was not it its place, Julie was grateful.  'Maybe she stayed at Kyle's', she realized.
The pair got out of the RX-7 and headed into the building. Moments later, Julie found herself unlocking the apartment door, letting Donovan follow her inside.

'Vacation?', she mused.  'Some vacation that was.'  She clicked on the kitchen light almost forgetting about her
guest.  She had been so preoccupied, just thinking about being home again and away from that nightmare of a place.
Or maybe she had been avoiding the thought of being alone with 'him' altogether.  But she didn't feel like driving
him all the way to his house on the other side of L.A.  At least not without getting a few decent hours of sleep first.
Rude or not, she didn't care.  'If he can't understand--'

"Do you... uh... mind if I shower?" he asked.

She smiled shaking her head knowing that she could use one too.  She'd wait her turn.  "No, go right ahead. I'll make
us something to eat."

It had been over a year since she'd spent this much time alone with him and no matter how much she felt the need
for denial of the situation, she couldn't.  She knew those feelings were still there.

After putting the steaks on, she sat the table and put on some soft music.  Strangely enough, it was an instrumental
of The Rose.  'I say love it is a flower, and you, it's only seed... Maybe the radio isn't such a good idea after all.' Annoyed with herself, she shut it off. Her mind drifted back to the facts.  The question was if she really wanted anything to happen at all.  'It's not as if he's done anything to indicate... But what about in that cave?  I was the one who kissed him.  What the hell was I thinking?  Maybe I should've just driven him home.'

"You got any clean towels?"   he asked, moments later.

"In the hallway closet."

"Will you bring me one?"

Wordlessly, she filled his request, then went back to her preparations.  The steaks were done but the potatoes were
hard as a rock.

"Something smells good."  He emerged from the bathroom dressed in the same dirty jeans that he'd been wearing
for the past few days.

"Do you want me to wash your clothes for you?" she looked a little puzzled.

He looked down at his pants and made a face.  "Well considering that I don't have anything to wear in the
meantime?"

"Hmm-- I guess that would be a problem."  She turned back away not saying what she happened to be thinking, a little ashamed.  "I made us some steak.  I gave up on the potatoes, I guess I'm just not real big on luck."  She served him a plate saying, "I hope you're hungry."

He smiled thankfully.  "Aren't you?"

She shrugged.  "I thought I was.  I mean, I don't know.  I think maybe I should call Nathan later on."

"Why blow one last free day?"  he said cutting up the piece of meat.  He had always liked Margie's cooking better
than anyone else's, but he'd never tell Julie that.

"My thoughts exactly,"  Julie muttered sitting down across from him.  "Did you want something to drink?"

"I brought that wine up from the plane.  Do you think it's too early in the day for a drink?"

She shook her head yawning.  "Not if I plan on going to sleep soon.  Maybe it'll help calm my nerves."

Getting back up, she removed the bottle from the couch and retrieved two wine glasses from the rack, then filled them. "Did you know that this is from sixty-eight?"  She offered him the bottle.  He looked at it.

"Not a bad year, if you don't look at the political side of it," he muttered, setting it down ever so gently.  "But
what'll it taste like?"  He took a sip savoring the flavor.   It was a white wine, not too dry, the alcohol slightly strong, but not overwhelming.  "Kind of like Chardonnay.  Your turn."

Julie tasted it too and smiled.  "How many bottles did you say there was?"

"About twenty something.  Kind of makes the whole thing worth all hassle."

She bit her lip and he noticed.  It was enough to let him know that she did not agree.

"I still wish could've seen Hannah," she confessed.  "I wonder what they think might have happened to us?"

Donovan grinned.  "Well, if Ham thinks that I'm dead then he's probably happy."

"You're so self-centered.  I did say us."

"Thanks."  He gulped down what was left of the beverage, which was not doing a satisfactory job of quenching his
thirst. Of course, wine seems to make one thirsty for more.  Julie was barely catching up to him and had only drank half of her own.  "You want some more?"  he offered.

Actually, she knew that having too much to drink would wreak havoc on her equilibrium and not to mention her sense of self control.  She would have just one more glass, then take her shower and go to bed... alone.

"Sure" she lied.
 

By the time their glasses were empty, Julie was wide awake and getting a buzz.  They had retreated to the living room.     Still, she wanted to get washed up, especially her hair.

"I'm gonna go take my shower," she announced and then disappeared.

The hot jets were invigorating. Once again, she was clean and felt alive.  After inspecting the scab at the nape
of her hairline, she slipped off into her bedroom and put on a silk night gown with a matching robe.  Nothing, revealing, but simple.  She didn't know if she should bring him a blanket and pillow to sleep on the couch.  If she did, would she be insinuating that he 'should' sleep on the couch.  Did he want to stay up and talk some more?  Julie opted not to grab the blanket nor the pillow and went back out into the living room.  There he sat, still on the couch, intent on reading the book that had occupied the top of her coffee table. It was one of her chemistry books.  He looked up at her and closed it.

"I still don't get how anyone can comprehend all of that." Donovan made a face as he sat the book down. Julie sat down beside him and gave him a look.

"Yep, a nerd that's me, Mike.  You know I was a classical little indifferent scientist in grade school.  Braids and glasses."

He smiled at her.  She had always been suddenly amusing upon drunkenness. But she had only had one and a half
glasses of wine.  She had to be sober.

"No," he denied the memory.

"So, what'd you take in highschool?  Journalism?"  She reached for her glass and filled it only part way this
time.  He filled his own once more.

"Drama, photography..." he rattled off.

"No baseball?"   she sounded genuinely surprised.

"I said I liked it. I didn't say I was good at it," he laughed admittingly then turned to look at her.  "I hope I'm
not keeping you up too late?"

"Why? I'm still on vacation, you know."

"Yeah, and you'll be back at work in twenty-eight hours," he said dryly.

"You don't have to remind me!"

The time that passed became more awkward with each minute. It was as if they were trying so hard to keep one
another company. Why?... Neither of them seemed to know.

"I dread the thought of going into Science Frontiers or The HQ later on, today."

"My God it is today,"  he peered up at the Art Deco.  It was 5:56 a.m.

Julie bit her lip.  Maybe she was the one keeping 'him' up. "I'll go get your-- well I suppose you could sleep in
Robin's bed."

"Thanks, here is fine.  I'm still waiting for the wine to kick in.  But you go on ahead."

In his mind he was thinking that maybe their relationship had ended, and he was having too much trouble accepting
it.

She sighed.  'Now I let him down.'  "I didn't mean you  had to go to bed.  You know you can watch t.v."

"At this hour?"  There weren't many choices between cartoons and the news.  "But you really don't have to stay
up on my account."

'Maybe it's better if nothing happens anyways...' she told herself.

"I want to tell you thank you again for saving my life."  He pressed a kiss to her cheek and sat then sat back against
the couch.

"You know how I feel about you," she reminded him.

Donovan was silent although he wanted to hear what 'how' was to her.  He was deeply touched, it obviously meant
something.

"And besides,"  she added ruefully, "you saved me first."

"That's because I care about you too."

Their eyes met as if they both knew that a kind of connection was made.

"I'm sorry for the way I confronted you about it back in that cave.  I guess I kind of took you for granted,"  he
continued.

"Donovan," she sighed, looking away.  "We've been over this."

"Maybe if I knew what you wanted--"

She shrugged.  There was no answer because she didn't have one.  Her life, was somewhat just beginning to seem normal.   In the past three years, she had done things that she would've never imagined doing.  To top it all off, she had settled for a PH.D in biochemistry instead of continuing her studies to become a physician.  Now she wondered if she should have spent those last four years in college.   Was working for Nathan Bates so grand after all?

"Here I go, pushing you again," Donovan muttered.

"I'll tell you what I want if you tell me what you want," Julie challenged refilling both of their glasses once again.  'Oh, what the hell?'

"About us, or life in general?"

"You tell me," she murmured.  Actually, she had the answer for neither and wondered if he did.

He pondered that thought for a few moments only thinking that he'd spent the past couple of years trying to figure
both questions out for himself.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"  she interrupted those thoughts.  "You don't have an answer, do you?"

"I want my kid back from the Visitors.  I want to go back to work as a camera man.  I'd like to remarry some day and
have that little house with the white picket fence.  Right now, I'm not sure if you're in that fantasy."  He downed the
glass of wine and glanced over at her.  "Your turn."

'Okay, maybe he does know what he wants.  What should I say?'  "I don't know what I want," she admitted.  It was the truth.

They sat there quietly for a few minutes, both unsure if  taking the next step towards something more intimate would
end up to be disastrous.

"I guess that wasn't what you wanted to hear," she realized.

"Hey--"  he leaned forward to steal a kiss as if to remind her that he wanted to be a part of her life, no matter what path she chose to follow.

She felt her pulse quicken, but didn't pull away.  He held her face steady as he kissed her, then sat back to look at
her again.  "You tell me if you want me to stop."

"Fool,"  she murmured, returning the kiss, much more intensely than the first one.

It felt so good to be here in his arms again.  It was a sense of security that no one could take away, at least not
right now...
 
 

Kyle Bates parked his motorcycle near the county courthouse on Main street in downtown, Los Angeles and walked
towards The Club Creole.  Once inside, he took the secret entrance to the basement below.  Downstairs, Ham Tyler,
Maggie Blodgett, Robin Maxwell, her daughter Elizabeth, Rosie Sanchez, Elias Taylor, Miranda Juarez, Rick Hurley,
Dan Smith, Chris Faber, and William were waiting.

"You're late, 'kid'," said Tyler.

"Sorry, 'Old Man'.  Noon traffic."  Kyle had always called the ex-CIA man 'Old Man'. He was by no means fond of Ham Tyler who had taken the liberty of appointing Chris the twenty-four year old's babysitter.  He sighed as he sat down on the couch.  "So what's the dilemma?"

"Planning a raid," Chris answered.

"And Donovan and Julie's memorial," Maggie added sullenly.  Kyle began to snicker and she glared at him.
"You have a 'sick' sense of humor.  I'm serious, Kyle!"

"I know."  He fought to contain his laughter.  "Funny thing is, on the way over here I went by Julie's.  Her RX-7
was in the driveway.  So I decided to pay her a visit and Donovan was there too."

"Then how come she hasn't called me?!" Robin demanded.

Kyle tried to keep a straight face as he said, "I don't know.  I didn't stick around long enough to ask.  I got the
feeling that they didn't want me there.  Anyways, they said they'd get here shortly."

"Like now?."  Maggie glanced over at the couple who were making their way down the staircase.

"Hi, honey," Julie muttered.  "We're home.  Anybody miss us?"

Maggie greeted her with a look of concern and a hug.  "My God, Julie!  We thought you guys were dead!"  She looked at her friend a little more closely.  "You really look like hell.  Are you okay?"

"Long story actually," she explained, disengaging herself from Maggie and sitting down next to Kyle.  "I think Mike
tried to kill me.  I guess you all know we got shot down.  I hit my head in the crash and was unconscious for a while.
My hero here," she gestured to Donovan, "rescued me from the plane before it went up in flames.  We hid in a cave for a few days, hijacked a plane and now we're home."

"But why didn't you call me and tell me you were back?"  Robin said angrily.

"I believe her exact words were that she didn't want to get the third degree," said Donovan, eyebrows slightly arched.

"What's that supposed to mean?"  she screamed at Julie who was just as much, if not more, stunned by the remark.  She didn't wait for an answer, but ran up the stairs instead, slamming the door behind herself.

"Robin!" Julie called, then whirled on Donovan. "Damn you!"

"That's not what you said this morning."  He grinned wryly.

"Then double damn you!"  From the tone in her voice, he could tell that she meant it.  She turned to go upstairs.
"I'd better go talk to Robin."

"No," Ham Tyler said.  "It seems me, you, and your boyfriend need to have a talk.  Both of you, sit down."

He sounded more than angry and Julie could feel an argument coming on.  Here she was, stuck in the middle as
usual, and none of it was her fault.  She and Donovan sat at the table away from one another and Ham sat down too.

"Before you start pointing fingers, Ham," she warned, "I think you should know that I had nothing to do with
flying outside of the safe zone."

"I figured that," he looked at Donovan.  "You obliterated my plane, Gooder."

"I got you another one," said the ex-camera man as if though it should've been enough to compensate.

"You mean you stole it," Julie corrected.

"Great," said Ham deadpanned, "Now you're an asinine crook--!!"

Donovan jumped to his feet in preparation attack Ham Tyler. "YOU'RE SO OUT OF LINE THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!!"  he shouted.

"Guys, guys, guys," Julie interrupted them.  "This isn't going to solve anything.  Ham, there weren't any witnesses,
so lets just forget it?"

"I hope you're right for your sake, hon," he said.  "What'd you do with that plane, Gooder?"

"Stashed it at our strip in Santa Monica.  You'll like it, Tyler.  It's a luxury jet fully stocked with all kinds of
liquor.  Julie and I had some wine this morning."

"I'll bet," Dan muttered.

Julie flashed him a look.

"Then why didn't you bring me some?"  Ham wanted to know.  Tyler was a self-confessed alcoholic.  His speciality, scotch and water.

"As a peace offering?"  Donovan guessed.  "So tell me, Tyler?  Aren't you disappointed that  we made it back safely
after all.  You could've taken over the resistance."

"Shut up."

"Back to the good old times," Kyle Bates noted.

"Fun and games," said Julie.   Everyone laughed as Donovan dared Ham to an arm wrestling match... Ham lost.