Elizabeth opened her eyes to a strange room and took mental inventory of her surroundings. Dresser to her left, door to her right, bed in front. She let out a deep sigh. She was in her new apartment, and she was alright. Hoisting herself from her sitting position on the floor, she placed her gun on the dresser. Her eyes stared longingly at the bed, while she stretched her aching muscles. Soon, she promised herself, she would actually spend the whole night in it.

It took a few minutes to adjust herself to her new surroundings. Villanova had set up the apartment for her while she was en route. Fully furnished and stocked with necessities, Elizabeth felt relieved that it was one more detail she did not have to worry about. She jumped into the shower, getting herself ready for her ten o'clock appointment with Jane. They had decided to meet at Jane's office, feeling it was the best place for themto have uninterrupted time together. She looked forward to it, and dreaded it at the same time. Jane was going to want to know what happened, and Elizabeth really wasn't ready to talk about it yet. There was little over the years that she had not told Jane, and she felt an intense guilt over it. She was scared she had jeopardized her sister's safety with the information she shared. Jane had always reassured her, insisting that even if she knew nothing, anyone who would seek to use her as a pawn would never believe it anyway. Jane refused to let Elizabeth carry the burden of her career alone, saying that she would never have the courage to do the things Elizabeth did, but she would do all in her power to help her keep it together. And Elizabeth loved her for it.

It was 9:45 when Elizabeth pulled into the parking lot of Jane's office. A quaint, stone building in the residential area of town, it reminded one of an English cottage. The interior was just as pleasing, comfortably appointed with soothing colors and overstuffed furniture. Just like Jane, the whole place had a way of putting a person at ease. Elizabeth loved it here. When Jane had decided to major in psychology so many years ago, Elizabeth had been skeptical. She had always thought that Jane would make a good teacher. But once Jane finished her degree and set up her office as a grief counselor, Elizabeth knew she couldn't have chosen better.

"Lizzybear!" Jane greeted Elizabeth at the door. Janeybird and Lizzybear. Thomas Bennet had affectionately called his girls these names from infancy. Elizabeth thought of her father warmly as she greeted her sister. Their father was an amazing man. It was from him that Jane inherited her interest in studying people. And it was from him that Elizabeth had inherited her current profession. Shaking her head, Elizabeth snapped out of her reverie and followed Jane through the door.

The office was closed to clients that day, as it was Saturday, so Jane and Elizabeth had the place to themselves. Jane had made coffee, and they each grabbed a cup and took up their favorite spots; Jane on the toile sofa and Elizabeth on the window seat. They smiled at each other affectionately, content for just a moment to be with each other again.

"I'm sorry I missed your wedding."

"Me, too."

"I'm sure it was lovely. I can't wait to see the pictures."

"It was wonderful, with one glaring exception."

Elizabeth curled her legs under her and lowered her eyes. "I was in a Turkish prison."

Jane's eyes widened in shock. "For three years?"

"For two years, four months, and three days."

"How?"

"Yushenkov thought it would be funny."

"Yushenkov?"

"Yes, it seems he set up an elaborate rouse to get me out of the way for awhile."

"Lizzy, my head is spinning. This makes no sense."

"Alright, I'll start from the top. I got an assignment to follow an arms shipment from Novosibirsk to Ankara, and we were sure it was Yushenkov's. So I did prep work for three weeks, setting up contacts and putting Manny, Moe and Jack in place before I even entered the country. That was the last time I called you."

"Yes, I remember. You said you would be unreachable for a few months. I was frantic when it became years Elizabeth."

"I know. I'm so sorry. You know that if it could have been any other way, it would have been."

"I thought you were dead, Lizzy."

"There were times I wish I were."

Jane's eyes welled with tears as she saw a chink in Elizabeth's usual armor. An admission of fear. She sat in silence, letting Lizzy set her own pace for the rest of the story, because she knew it was going to be bad.

"So, I go in with journalist credentials, saying I'm doing a piece on Turkish cuisine. You know, nothing threatening or note worthy. And about three days in we get our first hit. The shipment had been spotted en route, and from all reports, Yushenkov was going to see the deal through personally."

"No!"

"Yes. It was then that I started smelling a rat. He never gave the personal touch. No one has ever seen him. So, I let the boys and Villanova know that I thought the whole thing was bad. Villanova agreed and told the boys to pull out, but let me stay on for a few more days, just to be sure. Eight years, Jane. That's a long time to hunt one guy. I wasn't about to let him get away, if there was any chance he was going to be there."

"You got greedy, Lizzy."

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes, "Yeah."

"And he knew you would."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting the pain in that particular truth.

"So, the day after the boys left, I was arrested on suspicion of espionage. And I guess they didn't need a trial, because I never got one, never met with a lawyer. They threw me in..."

Elizabeth shuddered and stopped. She couldn't tell Jane this part. She couldn't even remind herself of this part. It was enough that she slept with a gun in her hand and her back in a corner every night. No, she wasn't going to pick this particular scab just yet, and Jane sensed that she shouldn't press her.

"He must have had some contacts in high places in Ankara," Elizabeth continued. "It took Villanova over two years to find me and get me out of there. Then they put me up at Quantico for the debrief. That's always a joy."

Elizabeth sipped her coffee and collected her thoughts. A base full of Marines and she still hadn't felt safe. They had kept her there for almost eight months, running psychiatric fitness tests. There was a huge debate over whether or not she should be retired. Villanova had sent Elizabeth's handler in for most of the exams. He felt she could continue on, but that she was going to need to be watched closely.

"I found out later, that the shipment had actually been spotted, but after my arrest, it had been diverted to Syria. I'm sure that was his plan all along."

"I'm sorry, Lizzy. I'm so sorry for what happened to you." Jane rose to hug her sister, wishing she could wipe away the pain. For the first time in a long time, Jane was really scared for Elizabeth. Not for her safety this time, Jane had always been worried for Elizabeth's safety since she joined the Agency, but for her mental health. Elizabeth was right, eight years was long time to hunt one man. Jane had seen Elizabeth's need to bring Yushenkov to justice go from a job to an obsession.

"Lizzy, you said something last night about this being the end."

"Yushenkov is gunning for Darcy."

Jane gasped. A Pandora's box of phenomenal proportions had just been opened with those five words. Yushenkov, Russian mob boss, was after William Darcy, best friend of her husband. This was all hitting too close to home.

"Lizzy, they have to pull you off. They can't use you for this, you are too closely related to the situation."

"That's exactly why they are using me, Jane." Elizabeth's voice was soft, hoping that Jane would not make the next leap in logic, but knowing that she would.

"Because of Charles.... and me." Elizabeth nodded.

"Darcy is in the middle of contract negotiations with Ambassador Solensky, to set up an oil refinery in Ivanovo. He's a little overwhelmed, and his cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam, has been pushing him to take on an assistant. Darcy is fighting it. He doesn't want to have to train someone right in the middle of all this, but Richard is adament. They need someone close to Darcy to protect him from Yushenkov. So, Richard sent me a dossier on Darcy when I was cleared to return. I've been studying up on him and his company. The thought is that Richard will hand in a resume for me that will blow Darcy's socks off, and, with my prior knowledge of what's going on and my ability to speak fluent Russian..."

"You'll get the job. But I think I missed something. How do you know Richard? I've never even met him."

"There's a reason for that, Jane. He's my handler."

"I need a drink." Jane paled at this newest revelation. It was all starting to make sense. Richard Fitzwilliam was head of security and equal partner of D and F Utilities. His closeness to Darcy and Elizabeth's knowledge of Yushenkov made this a perfect setup. Darcy's affection for Charles and Jane would increase the chances of him employing Elizabeth. And with Richard's trumped up resume and personal stamp of approval, it was all but in the bag. Darcy would be so distracted with the negotiations that he would not notice anything amiss.

"This is insanity. You can't be ready to do this yet, Lizzy. You are still recovering from Turkey, and they set you up for a job you should never do when you are whole. You are personally involved here. What are they thinking? They are trying to kill you!" Jane's words flowed as quickly as her tears. Her body was wracked with sobs as the anger and hurt she had suppressed for years broke to the surface. She was angry at Lizzy, because she didn't know when to stop. She was angry at the Agency, because they would use Lizzy until she cracked, then toss her away like so much damaged goods. She was angry at her father, who had filled Lizzy's head from childhood with stories of his exploits abroad, of good versus evil. He had pushed her through martial arts classes when she should have been playing with dolls, taught her to shoot guns when she should have been riding bikes. He had all but forced Lizzy to become an agent. But mostly, Jane was angry at herself. Lizzy's job had never seemed real, not truly. Just wispy tales that Lizzy would spin, like their father's bedtime stories when they were young. And Jane had always told herself she was helping by being Lizzy's confidant, helping her carry the burden. She saw now it was crap. She had been deluding herself all these years. She had been no help to her sister, she had just been caught up in the intrigue of it all. And now that Lizzy needed real help, Jane was powerless to do anything. If she had been paying more attention, she would have seen long ago that Elizabeth was forming an unhealthy obsession for Yushenkov. Every mission for the last eight years had been related to Yushenkov in some way. And Jane knew her sister well enough to know that the time she spent in confinement in Turkey was filled with dreams and strategies of his capture.

Elizabeth rose from the window seat at the first signs of Jane's distress, but her attempts to comfort her were rebuffed.

"No! NO! I will not help lead you to your death. I will not sit here and watch you eaten alive by this job. Elizabeth you have to stop now. If he doesn't kill you, this whole thing will break your mind. You have to stop!"

"Jane, please.."

"NO! I've kept my mouth shut for way too long. You cannot bring this here, Lizzy. You put us all in danger. Enough is enough. Let someone else deal with Yushenkov."

"You act as though I have some choice, Jane. You seem to forget that I am owned. I have no say in this. I have no choice. And just who are they going to get at the last minute to fill in for me, huh? This isn't some desk job that can be done by any old girl from the typing pool."

"Why can't Richard do it?"

"Because Richard was a paper pusher, just like Dad. He's a retired analyst, he has never been in the field. Villanova asked him to come in to handle me as a personal favor, because he had been familiar with Yushenkov's area of operations before he retired."

Jane struggled to push down her overwrought emotions. Lizzy was right, of course. In the aftermath of her small breakdown, Jane saw that there was truly nothing she or Lizzy could do to change things. She took a deep, cleansing breath and looked her sister hard in the eye.

"Alright. We do this together, then. You can't do this alone, not this time. You tell me everything, every fear, every worry, every stress. Got it? And if you need me for anything else, same thing applies."

Lizzy was deeply touched by Jane's display of strength. She nodded her head in agreement, her voice momentarily choked off by tears.

"Alright, then. Enough of this. Let's go shopping. I'm going to need some suitable office attire."

The girls left the office, content to pretend for a few hours that life was normal and all was well.