Part Three

The mission had left her tired. She felt like she could sleep all day. When she finally had the courage to open her eyes, she realized it was almost 4pm. She had slept the day away.

The ringing of her phone caused her to jump. She would never be able to hear a phone ring without being startled. She picked up the phone and heard, "Danielle." She started to rise and answered back, "I'll be right there."

She showered quickly. She knew that O'Brien wouldn't want to be kept waiting long. She found something red to wear to celebrate Valentine's Day. She looked at herself in the mirror, liked what she saw and turned to leave the room.

She walked through CLHQ and realized how quiet it was. All the girls must be getting ready for their Valentine's Day dates. She knew she would get all the gossip tomorrow. She had O'Brien on her mind now; she didn't want to keep him waiting.

She poked her head into O'Brien's office. "Hey, what's up?"

Part Four

She looked at her watch. It was almost 8pm. She looked over at O'Brien, "Aren't we finished for now? You can handle the rest of this, can't you?"

He didn't even look up, "Sure, I know the line is already forming at your door. Don't want to keep the studs waiting now, do you?"

She turned her head to him as she walked out the door; "Jealously doesn’t become you OB."

Walking back through Comm, she realized the place was deserted. The perch was dark, Munitions was shut down and even Birky wasn't at his post.

She realized she was hungry. She hated to eat alone. She tried to think of who would be without a date on Valentine's Day.

The office door slid open. She walked in. Madeline looked up at her, "What can I do for you, Andrea?"

She smiled at the woman, "Just wanted to see if you wanted to get a bite to eat with me."

Madeline returned the smile, "That sounds nice. It'll be my treat." The women started to leave when Madeline noticed the new accessory on her wrist. "My, that's a nice bracelet. Is it new?"

Andrea smiled, "Why yes Madeline, it is."

Madeline held her arm as she admired the bracelet; "Diamonds are always nice, aren't they?"

Andrea smiled again, "Why yes Madeline, they are."

************

Part Five

Andrea lay in her bed and let the day playback through her mind. It started out wonderful, with Paul. Dinner with Madeline was a nice touch to end her day. She never realized how much they had in common. She came to realize what a remarkable woman Madeline was. She worked so hard to get where she was now. Andrea could easily see herself in Madeline's role.

She looked at the clock, it was 11:59pm. She had a mission tomorrow. She realized how tired she was.

Sleep was hanging over her head when she heard footsteps in her room. She reached under her pillow and grabbed her gun. She quickly rolled over and pointed the gun in the face of her attacker.

The moon lit the room; she tried to make out the face of the attacker. When she realized the identity of the intruder, she put the gun on the nightstand. "Shit Paul, you trying to get yourself killed?"

He smiled at her as he kissed her lips and whispered, "It's my job to keep you on your toes."

She returned the kiss, "Not that I mind, but why are you here, Paul?"

He softly bit her ear and whispered into it, "I wanted to be the first person on your mind today; the last person you saw at the end of your day. I wanted to be on your mind for the entire day today. So, how'd I do?"

He slid his hand underneath her satin sheets and reached for her. He ran his hand tenderly across the inside of her thigh. She moaned, "Oh Paul, I could get used to this."

He held her close, and held her face in his hands. He kissed her deeply and looked at her so intense, she thought he could see right through her. "I want to get used to his. Marry me Andrea."