~*~Singer & The Soldier~*~ By: Ree

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE…the Phone Call

Dinner was exceptional, especially since Marta gave Izzy credit for the hot rolls which she had made from scratch…with the guidance of the more experienced cook of course. Still it was a great effort and not in the least burnt.

They cleaned up and before it got so late that the children had to prepare for bed all went into the Lounge to get comfortable and listen to the many talented musicians in a Buhler Family concert.

Urs established dominance over the chair and a half that he had sent Mami, a Lazy Boy creation that easily fit two people or one if they curled up with feet under bottom the way Mami liked to sit and read.

“Everyone loves this chair so don’t leave it unattended…I want a place to sit with you when I’m not helping out,” he whispered with a grin, leaning over her in the roomy chair to give her a quick kiss.

She put her cell phone on the little table beside the chair, along with her glass of Claude’s red wine blend, a big hit with the family it appeared, and watched as Urs joined Gerd and Nadia, tuning stringed instruments and treating little Tedi with respect as he sat on a stool behind a drum that was bigger than he was. Marc crouched beside his son, whispering encouragement and tapping out the beat gently, fairly beaming with pride.

Urs took up the oboe, adjusted the mouth-piece then gave the musicians the beat and nodded at Tedi.

With his little pink tongue caught between tiny white teeth Tedi did the requisite drum rolls to open the piece, once then again and a third time and grinned when his part was done and Urs came in with the haunting tones of the crystal clear oboe notes. Softly Gerd and Nadia joined the melody on their violins and they played the rest of the beautiful piece.

Izzy was spellbound, watching and listening. The music sent shivers up and down her spine. In the interlude she realized that Urs was so into the track that he had been playing with his eyes closed…he opened them now and looked at her, smiling slightly as he waited for his cue to come back in with the others.

Morricone’s piece had long been one of her favorites but she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to listen to any other rendition of it after today. There was something magical about listening and seeing it performed by this family, all of them actually feeling the music deeply and in the setting of this large, cozy room with the fire creating a back ground crackle to the intent silence of the listeners…it was something she would never forget.

All too soon it was over and there was a shuffling of instruments as Cara sat in front of the piano keyboard, Urs and Nadia took up violins and Gerd seated himself behind a huge bass viol.

Mozart this time…she recognized it…the theme from Elvira Madigan, Mozart’s Concerto #21…it started with the violins then the Bass and gradually the piano joined them while Urs and Nadia plucked the violin strings in single pure notes before resuming with the bows and swelling the lovely melody in accompaniment to Cara.

The adults did one more piece with Cara, again Mozart, the Serenade in B flat with bass clarinet {Gerd}, oboe {Nadia}, piano {Cara}, and violin {Urs}. When the last note had died away the extra instruments were returned to their resting places and Cara was left alone to perform her newest Chopin piece, the intricate and beautiful Fantasie Impromptu.

Urs came back to this little nest in the big chair and cuddled Izzy, grinning at her still amazed look.

“I told you I could play all those instruments, remember?” he whispered.

She rested her head on his shoulder and lost herself in the music. Cara was really quite talented, even without any formal training Izzy could see that, and hear it …unfortunately her phone began vibrating in an insistent dance across the little table and she felt honor bound to reach for it and excuse herself from the room to take the call. She left Urs’ side reluctantly, tip-toeing out of the room into the kitchen before flipping the cover open and activating the connection.

Urs watched her leave, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.


She was pale under her tan when she came back into the Lounge and Urs noticed it immediately…that and she had slipped into her military mode, so he knew that his premonition had been right…the call was from her Commanding Officer and it upset her…she would have to leave.

Without saying anything to embarrass her he scrunched over, held his arm up and motioned her to join him in the big chair, cuddling her against his side when she gratefully snuggled in beside him.

“How long do you have?” he whispered and she looked up in surprise then smiled, grateful that she didn’t have to explain to him.

“Two hours…in the football field again…Urs, I’m …”

“Shhh…no apologizing…we’ll slip away in a few minutes so you can get ready.”

With the infallible instinct of mothers the world over, Mami knew that Isabella had to leave. She felt a pang of sadness for the couple, their time together so precious and so limited, now cut short when they were enjoying the Christmas season with the family and had such lovely plans for New Year’s Eve.

The recital finished and she rose to her feet to embrace Cara, smiling around at the others and voicing her opinion that such a delightful rendition of Chopin called for a treat…there was a Nusseltorte in the kitchen that Chopin would have loved and Cara would receive the first slice.

The magnet of one of Mami’s Tortes drew everyone from the room with happy smiles and a great fuss over Cara, both for the concert and for earning them all this special feast.

As she passed Urs and Izzy, Mami smiled and softly spoke to them.

“We will miss your dear face, Dotter…come down when you are ready…I will explain to the family.”

Urs and Izzy went hand in hand up the stairs and entered the cozy room they had shared, closing the door and standing against it, clasped together, savouring the closeness.

“Can you tell me where you’re going?”

She shook her head, still resting against his chest and tightened her arms around him.

“It’s something different…I’m not sure what, just that they need a doctor and I’m closest of those available…Urs, I don’t know where or how long I’ll be away…I used to love my job…it made me feel so useful, like I made a difference in this crazy world…but now…I’m beginning to hate it…I think about you all the time when we’re apart…wondering how you are, if you’re eating right, getting enough sleep, if you have someone to talk to that understands how you feel…”

She sighed and forced herself to straighten her shoulders, easing back away from him and looking up into his eyes, moaning when she saw the sadness that he couldn’t quite mask.

“Bella, you have my schedule…as soon as you can, IM me or e.mail…let me know when you can be with me again…when we’re apart I ache to see your face, to hear your voice…and yes, to be one with you, but mostly just to BE with you…somehow I have to learn how to cope with these absences and not worry so much about you…”

She reached up to caress his dear face…he turned his head and kissed her palm.

“Let me help you with packing up.”

They worked as a team, collecting her bits and pieces, not a difficult job since she was equally as neat about her possessions as he was.

At last only her fatigues were left and she would wear those…she lay them on the chair in the room, the boots under the seat and they snuggled on the bed with Urs’ watch sitting on the bedside stand, the timer set to remind them that her transport would be coming in just over an hour.

Urs lay on his side with his head propped up on one bent arm, memorizing her face, by touch with his long fingers and with his hooded eyes, leaning in for a soft kiss now and then.

‘Tell me you love me…PLEASE, Urs give me some kind of sign…I don’t want to push you by telling you how I feel…I couldn’t bear it if telling you made you break up with me…I know we promised no strings but I didn’t know then how much love I would feel for you…Please…talk to me…give me a reason to resign my commission…I want so much to be with you or at least to free your mind from this constant worry…’

“Urs what can I do to ease your mind about my job? I hate to think of you worrying when it isn’t necessary…I know it’s difficult when you don’t even know where I am or when I’ll be back…and for me it’s getting harder each time I get called up, harder to leave you.”

He smiled but she could still see the shadow of sadness in his eyes.

“Why? I promised you there would be no-one else…don’t you trust me?” he said in a joking tone, trying to make light of the situation.

“Of course I trust you…you know I’m not the clingy, possessive type…it’s just that I enjoy being with you and hate to think of you not sleeping well because you’re worrying…I know how important this project with Il Divo is to your career…and what a perfectionist you are…you won’t be happy with your work if you aren’t giving it your all. I care about you, my Swiss and I want you to be happy.”

‘There…that’s as close as I can come without coming right out and saying it…ADMIT THAT YOU LOVE ME, DAMN YOU!’

“Too much talking…” he said and stopped her from saying anything else by occupying her mouth with kisses that made the logic center of her brain shut down.

Fifteen minutes later they heard the children trouping up the stairs and heading for bed. They drew apart, reluctantly, and Izzy dressed in her fatigues. Urs carried her duffle on his shoulder while she held her combat boots in one hand and they clasped their free hands to go down the stairs to say good bye to the family.

**

Once again he was in the football field, watching the military chopper, but this time it was not a happy occasion…they had said their farewells before the lights of the craft appeared out of the starlit sky, hugged and kissed and made promises, each trying to be brave for the other. Urs took her duffle all the way to the open door and lifted her up, daring a quick kiss to the delight of the young airman who grinned at him, then ducking down and jogging back to the car to watch as they became airborne. Izzy waved one last time at him and he raised his hand in farewell …and then she was gone…destination and duration…unknown.

He watched until he couldn’t see the lights anymore then climbed in the car and sat for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He could feel the knot in his stomach growing already…home, that was the best place for him right now…home, where familiar faces and teasing would maybe make him relax, just a bit.

He sighed and started the engine, easing out of the parking spot, glancing one last time into the night sky, just in case she had decided not to go and the chopper was returning.

He grimaced at such a silly thought…she was just as trapped by responsibilities as he was…of course she couldn’t refuse to go.

**

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR…KEEPING BUSY

Just as they had planned Urs went to the First Night celebrations in the plaza downtown, accompanied by Gerd and the current girlfriend, a little piece of fluff that giggled a lot, and Nadia who had decided on a date for the night and was on the arm of a bespectacled professor from the Academy, older, very attentive but with ill fitting glasses that had to be pushed back into place at least once a minute.

Her comment to Urs’ “Where did you find the Nerd?” was a sly grin then a sober faced…”He’s very intelligent.”… and he decided to leave the matter alone lest she explain further and embarrass him, something she had always loved to do to Big Brother.

It just wasn’t the same alone. He wandered, greeting friends and a few other relatives, sipping on a large plastic container of mulled wine and finally deciding to call it a night just after the fireworks had finished.

A new year…that
should be a cause for celebration but somehow he couldn’t generate much enthusiasm…there was not much in his immediate future except work, travel and more work…and alone, unless you counted the other guys and the crew who would be traveling to the venues with them.

‘Where are you Bella? Is it already the New Year where you are? Are you working, safe, with your team…do you even have time to miss me the way I’m missing you? I do miss you…it’s like someone has ripped a chunk of my life right out from under me…Stop it Looli!! You aren’t some pimply young man with his first crush…get on with things…she will be back and life will go on…at least we should be able to be together on some of the tour…think about that, about the positive things, about how much faith she has in the group being successful…’

He climbed the steps of the quiet house and entered, divesting himself of outer garments and going through to the Lounge where Cara and Mami were enjoying a last treat of the night.

“You’re back early, Onkle Urs…we’re having chocolate…would you like some?”

Cara was obviously enjoying playing hostess on this night when she was allowed to stay up late, so he nodded and she giggled quietly as she passed him, caught up for a moment in his arms as he swooped her up for a Happy New Years hug and kiss.

He sank into the large chair next to the sofa and slouched, leaning his head on the back and sighing.

“I miss her, Mami…I already miss her so much.”

“Of course you do…but the time will pass and she will return to you where ever you are. Have you talked about how these absences bother you?”

He sighed again and shook his head.

“There never seemed to be the right moment…and I don’t want to put her under any more stress than she already has from her work…I’ll learn how to cope with it…I must if we are to continue.”

Marta felt a shiver sweep over her, a premonition of…dread? Was he actually considering ending the relationship? Best to do some damage control but with discretion.

“I like her…she’s everything I could ever have wished for as a companion for you…except maybe more proficiency in the kitchen but that is something easily remedied by such a quick study as Bella…give yourself time, Sohn and talk to her when she returns…you may be surprised at how easily a solution can be reached.”

Cara came back with his special double sized mug full to the top with foamy hot chocolate and a plate with an assortment of sweet treats so they shelved the more personal conversation and talked about the little party that the children had enjoyed as a New Year celebration.

Another half an hour and Cara began to visibly droop so Urs slid her into his strong arms and carried her up to the guest room.

“Good night, Princess…Have I told you lately how proud I am to be your Onkle? You are such a lovely, talented little lady…it is a joy to be around you….Sweet Dreams!!”

He kissed the top of her head and left her to snuggle into her bed, starting this New Year with only positive, loving thoughts to dream on.

**

Eight hours time difference away, in Djibouti, the oppressive heat was draining as Izzy did her rounds in the makeshift hospital tent.

At the moment there were few patients but of course that was expected to change at any moment.

Still technically on sick leave, she was being utilized as a doctor with a team sent to the small border town between Somalia and Djibouti. The area was rife with pirates who plied their trade in the Red Sea, attacking cruise ships which were heading for the Suez Canal. Not many people were aware of the amount of modern day piracy that was going on, not many that is except those who had for some time been endangered by the fast boats that raced alongside the sailing yachts of tourists and boarded, waving automatic weapons and stripping the vessels and passengers of anything of value. It was a serious, ongoing problem that the UN had held many heated talks about, coming at last to a decision to work unofficially at this time, in co-operation with French forces out of Djibouti.

A French vessel, the 66 foot sailing yacht, Marie Claudine, with a crew complement of 12 French nationals and an International passenger list of 10 had been boarded by a group of Somali pirates and was being held for ransom. The company was unwilling to pay the hefty demand and an elite French force, with a team from the UN had planned a raid to take back the vessel.

Izzy’s part in the affair was to provide medical assistance if needed, and the possibility of the need was great. It was unlikely that the pirates would give up without resistance since they were not evil men intent on harming anyone, just desperately poor.

New Years Eve, several hours before, had passed unnoticed…in fact she had been dozing in the narrow cot that was her home for the duration of this mission. About the time that Urs was sipping at his hot chocolate she had just risen and washed her sweaty face, thought about coffee but since the ever increasing heat was already making movement uncomfortable she decided instead to open a tetra pack of juice and make do with some slices of the fruit that was always available.

Today she wore as little as possible…khaki shorts, the requisite boots and tan socks, a khaki cotton short-sleeved shirt tucked into her shorts, the medical services armband slipped onto her upper arm and a white scarf tied snuggly around her brow…it wouldn’t do to have sweat running into her eyes if she had to lean over a patient….and of course her Sig in the leather holster since they were after all going to be dealing with hostiles.

It seemed strange not to have the other members of her team present. The young French nurses who were assigned to the mission were competent but it just wasn’t the same as having Sally who always seemed to anticipate her every need, almost before she even thought of it.

‘I wonder if she has made plans for when she leaves the service? She would do so well in Admin….I really must talk to her about it…Silly…Just because you have someone in your life and want to quit doesn’t mean Sally is ready too…but it is an option…she’s always happiest when there are details to organize…I can see her being the Administrator of a facility…not something I would be happy with…I’m more of a hands-on type….and right now I’d love to get these itchy hands on a certain Swiss…Gawd how I miss him and it’s only been 3 days…sort of…well three with the time difference…I wonder how his New Years do went? ‘

Her musing was interrupted by the sound of approaching motors and she peeked out of the shade in the tent towards the waterfront. Sure enough, several of the gunboats that had left under cover of darkness were slowing as they approached the wooden dock, the decks cluttered with sitting or prone people, some in uniform, others showing the rumpled look of captivity…and a few with hands bound, obviously the pirates.

Time to get to work.

**

Urs had decided that sloth was not his cup of tea, so to speak, and had gone to the large heated workshop behind the house to work on one of his motorbikes.

It was excellent therapy, something that didn’t remind him constantly of Izzy and that occupied his mind totally as he took pieces of a carburetor apart and cleaned it, trying to decide if it would last just a little longer or should be replaced…that is of course if he could find replacement parts.

He wiped his greasy hands on a rag and thumbed through a magazine, looking for the section on bike fairs, seeking one that would be held soon and that he could go to before having to leave for the U.S.A. Nothing…it was the wrong time of year after all…most people got in the mood to do things like this in the warmer weather, something that to his logical mind made little sense…cold weather was the time for repair work…warm weather was time to take the well repaired bike out to enjoy the ride.

He added to his list of needed parts for the Truimph Bonneville, put the semi-stripped bike back in storage under a tarp and turned to an ancient Harley that looked like it had been in a wreck…and didn’t survive.

Now this was a challenge…the forks were bent, cables hung in a haphazard fashion, the rear tire was shredded and the roll bar was at an impossible angle, only attached on one side, most of the paint and chrome had either been peeled off or scraped in such a way to make it unsalvageable.

It was his newest acquisition and he approached it with a grin and a sigh of happiness….just what he needed at the moment. He began humming a Mozart aria as he picked up a wrench to begin stripping the wounded road warrior down to basic components.

Gerd found him still immersed in his struggle to remove the twisted back wheel when he arrived home from work.

“Mami wants to know if you plan on sleeping out here? Dinner is ready…and by the look of you it will take a good half hour to get de-greased so you can come to the table.”

Urs laughed and gave the stubborn nut another huge twist, cheering loudly when it finally came loose.

“I forgot the time…I’ve been trying to get this one off forever…give me 10 minutes…you’d be surprised how quickly a starving man can clean up.”

He tidied the work area and raced into the house using the back door and stairs, using an old loofah in the shower to scrub the dirt and grease off and was still doing up his jean’s buttons as he raced down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Gerd grinned and put an invisible mark on an equally invisible wall.

“What’s that for?” Urs asked as he reached for the bowl of potatoes and silently mouthed ‘Sorry’ to Mami.

“You were late…it took you 17 minutes, not 10…not often anyone can catch you being tardy. Was that the bike you bought in Riga?...the one some Looli rode over the edge and sold for 100 Euros, as is, where is?”

“Ja…give me some time and I’ll have it as good as new…Nad, pass the salad please.”

She passed him the bowl and tongs and shook her head in wonder.

“I don’t understand the fascination with these old broken hulks…why not just buy a new, fully operational bike?”

Urs’ mouth was full but he needn’t have worried since Gerd came to his defense.

“Where’s the challenge in that? Any fool can buy a new one if they have the funds…it’s much more fulfilling to take something that no one thinks is salvageable and restore it, make it usable again…I’d do it if I liked bikes as much as Urs does…and you do it with those students who everyone thinks are dolts until you get hold of them and tutor them until they get straight A’s…same thing in the long run.”

Marta saw a full blown argument on the horizon and adeptly changed the subject.

“Gerd, is your management course nearly finished now?”

“Nein…I signed on for another…I’m seriously thinking of branching out, learning a bit more about Hospital Administration…my instructors tell me that with my experience and test results that I seem to have an aptitude for it…and I do like the field…I’m going to take a 6 month course and see where it leads me.”

They were off and running on a different track now, everyone having something to say, even Nadia who could always see the negative aspects first…this time she was encouraging as was Urs who had always thought his young brother sorely underrated himself.

Marta rose to get dessert, smiling as she gave herself a mental pat on the back…she hadn’t lost her ability to keep things lively but amiable.

**

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE…SOLVING RIDDLES

Izzy was so happy that the heat and tiredness was all but forgotten as she hustled into her crowded quarters and brushed everything off the table she was using as a desk to make room for her computer.

She parked on the lopsided chair, shifting to get comfortable and fanning her sweaty face with a sheet of report paper as she waited for the satellite feed to connect.

Had she even remembered to thank the French officer? …perhaps…well it was an oversight she could remedy later if necessary. When he had said that she could e.mail anyone she liked but only had to keep her location and the events secret, she had raced out of the infirmary, calling back to the laughing nurses that she would be back soon.

OMG..what time was it in Switzerland?...and would he still be there?...no matter…she would try to contact him anyway…if the gods were kind he would answer….

She managed to stop her fingers from trembling long enough to click into Messenger and type in a short message, hit Enter and waited…..

Nothing….

He was signed on but for some reason not answering.

‘Major Medic says: Swiss, I need to touch base with you….please answer…Gott I miss you so much…I guess that’s pretty obvious since I’m sitting here begging an inanimate object to connect me to you… I guess I can try again later….LOL…. I was so excited when I got permission to use the computer and now it’s as if my day has gone dark…do I sound like a silly young girl with a crush?...there’s no excuse for being so maudlin…’

Urs came back in his room with a fresh cup of coffee and nearly dropped it when he noticed the little window that said Major Medic…Conversation.

The coffee sloshed when he put it on the desk and quickly began typing, hoping to catch her before she got away.

“Looli says: Wait…don’t go…I’m here!!!”

Izzy had just been about to close her laptop when she saw that he was typing a message. She settled back in the chair, her eyes strangely misting as she waited for the message to come up and tried to answer him.

“Major Medic says: WHERE WERE YOU? You have no idea how I longed to reach you, even through such a tenuous method as cyberspace…”

“Looli says: I can’t stop smiling!!...I miss you so much…can you tell me where you are?

“Major Medic says: Sorry…but I’m fine… dusty and tired, eager for a good long shower and an even longer snuggle…I have a patient with a fever and can’t leave until he can be moved…that may be another few days, maybe even a week…will you be in the UK then or the US?

“Looli says: the UK on the 14th but only for a day, then off to the US….New York first then the tour starts….is it morning or evening where you are?

“Major Medic says: Cute, Swiss…I know you want to try and figure out where I am…let’s just say that I haven’t seen Capt. Jack Sparrow…but close… and my bilingualism is coming in very handy…

“Looli says: A riddle…I love solving riddles!!...alright I respect your need to keep secrets…I’ve actually got a lot done on the bikes since you abandoned me…it was either that or succumb to Karla’s charms and somehow I preferred the greasy carbs and brake lines…she actually cornered me in the workshop yesterday and bored me to tears with her talk about movie stars…until I ‘accidentally’ spilled some used motor oil on her fuzzy boots…no loss…they made her feet look gigantic.

“Major Medic says: LOL!! Very subtle Urs!! Why didn’t you just tell her you have someone in your life?

“Looli says: Tried that…it went right over her head like I hadn’t said anything…could have used your help with the Harley…it’s new territory for me and I’ve now got the manual covered with greasy fingerprints…you could have read it to me as I struggled with the way too tight nuts and bolts…

“Major Medic says: when you get Reve you’ll have to set up a workshop just for your bikes…and then you can teach me how to take them apart….any word yet?

“Looli says: I think the lawyers took the holidays off…

Major Medic says: The nurse is calling for me…Have to go…tomorrow, same time?

“Looli says: ANYTIME!! I Miss You, mein Liebling!!

“Major Medic says: Sweet Dreams!!”

…and she was gone.

He smiled as he closed the laptop, thinking about the clues she had given him…very intriguing clues…Captain Jack Sparrow…she was somewhere that had Pirates…or sailing ships…or in the Caribbean…and she mentioned the fact that she was bilingual, not that she spoke several languages but that she came from a country that had two official languages, English and French… this would take some thinking.

**

‘Looli says: How’s your patient doing? He should be better now since he has the best and prettiest doctor in the military taking care of him.

‘Major Medic says: Keep it up Big Boy!! I love it when you stroke my ego…or anything else you’ve a mind to stroke….Actually he’s doing quite well and should be evaced out of here but we can’t decide where to send him. He needs some strict R & R, no stress for a while and since he’s a career officer there’s just no place suitable to send him. He isn’t sick enough for the Centre at Ramstien and anyway he’s French so would maybe be uncomfortable among all the enlisted Canucks. That’s a problem with these soldiers who have no life outside the service…no place to go to relax and get well except tourist spots and then they have no medical supervision…I was lucky with the two flats and the Bancroft cottage….and I had medical assistance available if needed.

Looli says: so does that mean you will be a few more days? I’m leaving for the UK in the morning and then off to New York on Friday…but I’ll keep in touch online.

Major Medic says: I’ve got a call in to Sally’s folks…they have a small cottage on their property that’s winterized and Sally’s Pop is a GP…if it isn’t in use it would be perfect…and his CO says they’ll foot the bill if he can get in there for a month…so are you eager to get this tour under-way?

Looli says: almost as eager as I am to hold you in my arms again…I want to get up on that stage and sing my heart out…you have no idea the buzz you get from the audience reaction…the more they appreciate what we do the better we perform…I love it!!...Live performances are so incredible…I feel like it’s what I was born to do…’

Major Medic says: I noticed how the music takes you to another plane of existence…it’s like you go into a thrall…it was an amazing experience watching you and hearing you at the Met…I don’t know how I’ll survive a whole concert….that short one in Toronto was difficult enough…I spent a lot of it crying…but I’m so looking forward to it….’

Looli says: Me too…it will be wonderful to look down and see you smiling back at me…and NO crying!!!

Major Medic says: Happy Tears, Swiss…only happy tears!!

Looli says: So, no bad guys to take care of this time…that makes me feel better.

Major Medic says: Sorry, but there were…not really bad just poor and at the end of their rope…it’s funny, I kind of felt like I was treating royalty…the prisoners were all so regal looking, tall and slender, elegant and with such an attitude of pride and…royalty is the only word I can think of…they really are a very violent people but it’s out of necessity not evil.

Looli says: But you are being careful, Right? And no injuries? Is this another clue for the riddle?

Major Medic says: LOL Could be…and in answer to your questions Yes and Yes…I will be coming back intact, I Promise!!

Looli says: Will you stay at the Hotel with me in New York…if you get back in time…or did you want to use the flat? I’m going to be quite busy with meetings and interviews, so my pick would be the Hotel to lessen the traveling.

Major Medic says: Anywhere!! We can go skating if you have time.

Looli says: I have to tell you about Gerd…he’s decided at long last to take another course…

He told her about Gerd’s change in direction in his career and she read the labored typing, guessing at the words with typos but smiling as she saw the pride he had in his brother…it took him 3 message blocks to tell her everything but she didn’t interrupt, just read the words and between the lines, proud of Gerd and even more so of Urs for being so encouraging to his sibling.

When he finally came to an end and realized how chatty he had been he typed in another short sentence.

Looli says: sorry…I’m so jazzed about it I guess I kind of went on and on.

“Major Medic says: Don’t apologize…it’s nice to hear that he’s found what may be his niche…and you have a right to be proud of him…it’s actually kind of funny…I’ve been thinking that Sally should consider Administration…maybe we should try to get them together.

‘Looli says: No Matchmaking!! Anyway it would be difficult with her in all sorts of places and him in Switzerland…Gerd has never traveled much outside of Europe…He would like to but the opportunity never came up.

Major Medic says: that’s not a problem…and they are just the perfect age for each other…

“Looli says: Nein! NO! NON! Nyet!

Major Medic says: don’t you like Sally?

Looli says: Of course I like Sally…she has great taste in friends and motorcycles, she’s gorgeous and tall and has a really pretty smile…and a great rack…whats not to like?

Major Medic says: YOU NOTICED HER RACK?

Looli says: Oops! Well it was hard not to…but yours is better…not that I was comparing but if I was…I think I’d better quit before I really wedge my foot in my mouth…

Major Medic says: LOL…You are so easy to wind up, Swiss…BTW your ‘Toys’ are itching to be played with…in case you were wondering

Looli says: be prepared for a very long Playtime when we manage to get together again…Baby I hate to rush off but Mami just called up the stairs that dinner is ready. Let me know what happens with your patient…I miss you!!!

She signed off with a fat pink pig that did a wiggling dance step and a line of XXX’s, smiling as she thought of their chat.

Far away in Willisau Urs closed his laptop and adjusted himself in his suddenly too tight jeans…’Just a few more days…we have to stop talking about things that are too stimulating…a guy can only take so many cold showers…’

He puttered for a few minutes, washing his hands and running the brush through his hair, giving his body time to calm before going down to the kitchen.

Sally and Gerd? Nein…it would never work out to get them together.

**

Urs was not a happy camper. His flight had been delayed due to some mechanical problem so he was late getting into London.

He looked at his watch yet again, grimacing as he realized that he would have less than a full day at the flat before hopping on the flight to New York…he hated to be late or rushed and now it was even more frustrating….Izzy had said in her last e.mail that she would try to meet him here but if she couldn’t make the connections she would catch up in New York…he wanted to be at the flat in case she called or managed to get a flight here.

The cab driver seemed to feel his mood and gave him a quiet, speedy trip, keeping the music playing softly, classical, Danke Gott. They pulled up in front of the block of flats and Urs glanced up, noticed that Seb’s lights were still on as he waited for his bags and bid the driver a more or less cheerful good night.

There was a note on his door when he reached the flat.

Urs…important that I see you ASAP…don’t go to bed…COME UP!!!! SEB

‘Now what…all I want to do is check my e.mails and have a nice long shower…but Sebastien wouldn’t go to all this trouble over something silly…best I go find out…’

He deposited his bags inside and left his jacket hanging on the closet door, a sure sign that he was distracted, and went up the stairs to Seb’s flat.

It only took one light tap and Sebastien threw the door open, putting his finger over his mouth in a sign for quiet as Urs opened his mouth to speak.

“Shhh…you’ll never guess what I found on the steps to the flats when I got here…a present for you…come see,” he whispered.

Urs followed him into the lounge, the room dimly lit with only one table lamp…and he gasped at the ‘present’ sleeping in an exhausted huddle on the sofa….Izzy!!

“She was leaning on the railing, sheltered a bit by that big planter but shaking with the cold, her head on her duffle bag, right out of it, didn’t even register who I was at first. Carlos arrived just as I was picking her up and brought her duffle in…it’s in the foyer. She came to long enough to ask where you were and sort of in the middle of a sentence drifted off again so I let her sleep.”

Izzy was still in her uniform but it wasn’t really appropriate for London in January since she hadn’t changed out of her tropical gear. Seb had dropped a throw over her bare legs and removed her beret but she still wore her short sleeved shirt, leather belt and steel toed combat boots and had folded herself over her sidearm to rest her tousled curls on one of his sofa pillows…she looked cold, tired, dirty and absolutely beautiful in the misty eyes of the Swiss man.

Urs knelt beside her and reached out to stroke his hand gently over her face, smiling when she murmured in her sleep.

“Urs?”

“Ja, Liebe…I’m here…put your arms around my neck…I’ll take you home.”

She didn’t answer, didn’t even really open her eyes, just slid her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder as he scooped her up and stood.

“Danke, Seb… I owe you…Big Time!!…my flight was delayed…”

Seb opened the door and followed with Izzy’s duffle bag, sitting it just inside the door and waving off Urs polite, but half hearted offer of a drink or coffee when they reached the other flat.

“Take care of Izzy…glad to help…I’ll be back for coffee in the morning.”

Urs lay her on the big bed and stood back to survey his sleeping princess. She would want a shower, this much he knew for sure since she disliked going to bed dirty no matter how tired she was…but could she stand up long enough to have one? There was something so peaceful and childlike about her lying there so vulnerable yet dressed for combat, like a child playing dress up.

First things first…he untied her boots and eased them off, wondered how many days it had been since she had been able to get out of them…her socks were greasy with sweat and sand…and to be honest reeked! He carefully took the boots out to the hall closet and sprayed them before lining them up with his well used old sneakers.

She was still sleeping when he returned so he removed her belt and wrapped it carefully around the attached holster and sidearm, setting the bundle on the dresser and starting on her clothing.

By the time he had worked her out of her shirt and shorts, dropped them with the offensive socks in the laundry hamper, she was coming out of her dream world.

“You do love to get me out of my clothes, don’t you?”

He grinned down at her partly open eyes.

“Seemed like a good idea…you are getting rather ‘ripe’…..Sebastien found you outside…what happened to your winter gear?”

“Got sent on to New York…a screw up…Urs, the only thing I’ve washed for 5 days except in salt water is my face and hands…we only had enough fresh water for the patients…I NEED a bath!”

He leaned over her still sprawled form and kissed her lightly then grinned.

“Yes you do and it’s coming right up, my little Major…wait here!”

She could hear the water running moments later and thought about trying to sit up and get out of her lingerie…but that was as far as she got.

Urs came back, humming and attended to disrobing her, commenting that indeed she seemed to be in one piece under all the grime.

“How can you be so perky when I’m absolutely beat? It’s been forever since I had any real sleep.”

She was limp in his hands, not resisting at all as he prodded and moved her from one position to another, like a marionette with cut strings.

“I’ll be perky enough for both of us, Liebling…up you go…” Once more he swept her up into his arms, this time carrying her into the bathroom where the steam was already covering the mirrors and the tub was nearly full.

He lowered her gently into the bubbles that had formed from bubble bath she had left on her last visit and chuckled when she sighed with pleasure as the water caressed her skin.

“Now don’t fall asleep…I need to take some clothes off since you don’t seem able to do it for me…then I’ll give you a good scrub down and we can shower together after the worst is off. Can you tell me now where you were?”

She laughed and looked up at him, admiring his torso as his tee shirt came off and the way his muscles rippled as he tossed it into the laundry hamper before starting on his jeans.

“I thought you would have the riddle solved by now.”

He grinned at her, working on the buttons of his jeans and laughing when she wet her lips in anticipation.

“Gerd helped me access the headlines for the period just before you had to leave…so I narrowed it down to a couple of places but my best guess is somewhere near the Suez Canal…there was news about the UN debating the piracy of that French yacht…am I close?”

“No…not close…right on! Though they didn’t get as far as Suez…and we were in Djibouti but you can’t tell anyone…the pirates were Somali’s and the troops sent to apprehend the yacht were French commandos…it was really well done, only a few injuries…the officer that I was so concerned about tangled a whole smack of Medusa Jellyfish, had nothing to do with the raid…they’re really bad in the Med and the Suez this year and the damned fool decided to go swimming anyway…he was really choked since it happened before the raid and he didn’t even get to go be a hero. He’s on his way to the Catskills at the moment. Sally is meeting him at JFK…..Yum!!...there’s my little friend!”

“Little? You’ve never complained before…” Urs said with a mocking grin as he approached the tub.

“A temporary condition I’m sure…and I’m not complaining now…but I am feeling much more wide awake. The view from here is stunning.”

He put his splayed fingers on her head and pushed down, submerging her briefly and laughing when she came back up with a pouf of bubbles on the bridge of her nose.

It was fortunate that he had removed his clothing since the bathing consisted of more playing and splashing than scrubbing. By the time he felt that she was clean enough to rinse off, she could no longer accurately make a ‘little’ comment about portions of his anatomy.

They pulled the plug on the tub and moved to the shower, with disciplined effort attending to shampooing and conditioning…then properly welcomed the returning, clean, warrior home as they once again shared love and became one.

**

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX…BREAKFAST AND LAUNDRY

“You know if I ever manage to have all my clothes in the same spot at the same time, I’ll need three closets to fit them all in,” she joked in the morning when she was rummaging through the clothing that had been brought back by Urs when she left him in Edinburgh. “I’ve got little bits here, at the Base in Borden, in both of the apartments and even some in Bancroft.”

“I hung your gown up but left the casual clothing in the bag…there should be something in there to keep you warm until we get to New York….or you can leave it up to me…it’s a job I would really enjoy.”

Urs tried to imitate one of Carlos eyebrow wiggles but ended up laughing.

“I don’t know how he does that so easily,” he said as he pulled his tee shirt on.

“Ah, but can he blinky wink?”

“You like that do you? I can do a real wink, you know…sort of…sometimes…it’s safer to do it my way so I don’t look like I have an impairment.”

Izzy laughed and turned to face him again, holding a pair of jeans and a soft green sweat shirt.

“Yes I like it…a lot…makes me quiver….Urs, what time is the flight today? I need to try to make a booking…”

“Not this time, Liebe…we’re taking the Sony jet…the boss is flying back to New York too so we get to tag along.”

“Will there be room for one more? I know the musicians and management team are going to be on the tour as well…”

“They’ve gone ahead of us…you don’t take up much space…I could put you in my pocket.”

She tried to glare at him but he just looked too smug and she laughed instead.

“Are you trying to make short jokes? Is this payback for my ‘small’ comment? You might remember that there were no more such comments later in the bathing ritual.”

Urs left the last buttons on his jeans and held his arms out to her.

“Come here…”

She stepped into his embrace and snuggled against his chest.

“There, see…you fit perfectly with me…I miss this so much when we’re apart…the closeness, the feeling of you against me, waking in the morning and knowing you’re there, safe in my arms, even before my eyes open….I wish…”

Whatever he had been about to say was lost, interrupted by an insistent banging on the hallway door.

“Scheisse…Sebastien…he said he would be here for coffee…Liebe…”

“Yes…go!! I’ll finish dressing and make coffee…you better let him in before he has the whole building thinking there’s a fire or something.”

She could hear them in the Lounge as she pulled her jeans on and poufed her sweat shirt out over her hips, ran a quick brush through her curls and headed for the door.

Sebastien was chuckling about something as she entered the Lounge and waved, thinking to head directly into the little kitchen and attend to priorities…coffee…the elixir that jumped started these guys in the morning.

“Cherie, how do you feel this morning?” Seb said as he followed her, his voice like velvet as always and concern written on his face.

“Fine…thank you for rescuing me last night…I knew it was you but I was so tired I just couldn’t get awake enough to talk to you.”

“But no ill effects from the cold? Me, I would be coughing and sneezing with the flu this morning.”

“I’m Canadian, Sebbie…a little thing like cold weather doesn’t bother us much. If you’re going to clutter up the kitchen make yourself useful…there’s oranges and grapefruit in the basket that Mr. Efficient had the housekeeping service buy…you can make some juice…the juicer should be in the right hand lower cupboard. Ah another willing slave…” she grinned as Urs ambled into her range of sight.

“Birchermuesli would go down a treat this morning, Chef Buhler.”

Somehow they all managed to occupy the limited space without too many bumps and bruises and breakfast was accomplished in record time. They took everything to the dining table and feasted on a mountain of toast, homemade conserves that Marta had sent home with Urs, bacon done under the broiler, fresh orange/grapefruit juice, bowls of Birchermuesli and 2 pots of coffee. Carlos arrived when they were half way through, still looking mostly asleep until after his second coffee when he perked up and stole the last of the bacon to wrap in his toast.

“What do you have in your big canvas bag, Chica? I carried it in last night and can’t believe that you actually carry it yourself? Do you have rocks in there or something?”

She looked at him and grinned.

“Yes…and some very pretty mother of pearl…and some fossilized bone, likely from a camel…..and an interesting piece of driftwood that I thought could be polished to make a nice bowl…and…”

He swore for nearly a minute, in Spanish of course, mistakenly thinking that it was safe until Izzy shrieked with laughter and overrode his tirade with some comments of her own in fluent Castilian.

Urs was choking with laughter but managed to clap the dumbfounded Spaniard on the shoulder as he stared at Izzy.

“Did you forget that she speaks more languages than all of us put together? And even I caught some of what you said…why so uptight over such a little thing?”

“I did not expect to be lifting something so heavy and was not prepared…all night my hernia was reminding me that the bag was too heavy to be lifted like that.”

“Maybe you should have a handy doctor look at it,” Izzy said straight-faced, trying not to chuckle when the man most people thought of as lusty and flirty blanched under his tan.

“Si…I will have MY doctor attend to it…and it is much better this morning…no need to do anything now.”

Of course the other men teased him mercilessly until Izzy took pity on him and changed the subject.

“So where is the fourth member of this happy quartet? I suppose it doesn’t make sense for David to come here when he’s likely already in the States…”

“Ja…he’s going to meet us in New York…in fact I think he’s already there…I got an e.mail and he said it was snowing.”

“Great…New York is so pretty when there’s been a fresh snowfall…so clean looking for a while…but no bridge climbing…the cables get too iced up.”

“Ach…what a shame!” Urs said with a relieved grin and winced when she poked him in the bicep.

Seb and Carlos left shortly after, wanting to get their packing out of the way. Urs decided to do a last minute load of laundry and bundled Izzy’s items from her mission in with his few items…together they went down to the basement laundry room and they found they had to use two machines since she hadn’t had time or facilities to do any while she was away.

He picked her up and sat her on top of the filling washer, standing between her spread knees, leaning into her with his hands braced on either side and nibbling on her neck while she ran her fingers lightly through his hair.

“I love your hair like this…all tangled and glistening…wear it like this on stage and the women will go wild.”

“Then I’d better have it straightened…can’t have the women any wilder than we all make them now…I don’t really understand it…I mean I know we’re all pleasant to look at and in good shape…well maybe not Seb so much since he gains weight if he walks past a bake shop, and refuses to work out…but we don’t have reputations of being players, David and Carlos make no secret out of the fact that they are crazy about their ladies…even though Carlos flirts a lot, he doesn’t follow through….and no one even really knows me…the PR department allocated quiet and mysterious to me as a personae and it suits me just fine…I really don’t like to share my personal life….so it has to be the music.”

She arched her back as his mouth wandered past her neck and nuzzled her breasts, nipping gently with his strong teeth on the little bumps that appeared on the front of her sweat shirt.

The washer started gyrating back and forth making the whole machine vibrate…the sensation against her bottom was incredibly erotic and she tightened her fingers in his hair, moaning a bit before trying to answer his comment.

“It’s a combination of exactly what you think doesn’t matter….OMG…it’s the…music…and the clean cut image…and the personalities of all of you…Urs if you don’t stop I won’t be responsible…the fans know you better than you think….they look at you, up there looking so elegant and sexy, singing love songs to them…what are you…you can’t unzip my jeans in here…”

Her efforts at resistance were feeble…the jeans slid down her legs to puddle on the floor, her panties followed and suddenly his mouth was buried against her, the heat of his agile tongue and lips making her boneless, stroking, probing, sucking, entering, every sense in her body on fire as he swept her over the top with exquisitely tender intimacy. Before she could calm, he freed himself and lifted her, becoming one in a fluid motion that made her gasp as more, new, waves of pleasure flooded through her…his arms tightened around her back as he leaned to devour her mouth and bucked his hips one last time, fusing their bodies, sharing the taste of love he had found with this woman who took him places he had never dreamed existed.

They hadn’t quite calmed when sanity began returning…he remembered where they were and gently replaced her clothing…she tucked his exposed parts back in his jeans with a tender caress…they stood leaning on the spinning washer, wrapped in each others arms, not speaking yet, just enjoying the after shocks…

“I don’t know what happened there…the machine was vibrating against me and suddenly I had to taste you…and I couldn’t stop…”

“I would have gone mad if you had….”

He chuckled, the vibration running through her from his mouth that was nestled against the top of her head.

“Doing laundry will never be the same again.”

He could feel her smile, her face tight against his chest.

“Next time could we lock the door?...and maybe try the dryer?”

**

Izzy had expected to see Sam on the plane when they boarded and was surprised to see the famous Simon Cowell lounging in one of the spacious seats in the luxurious cabin.

‘Of course…Urs had said ‘the Boss’ and that’s Simon… I wonder if he’s as outspoken in real life as he is on that terrible show…’

Urs introduced them and she was pleasantly surprised to find him quiet and very much the gentleman, his quick eyes taking in both her looks and attitude in a split second and apparently liking what he discerned since he smiled and chatted comfortably with her.

The attendant informed ‘Mr. Cowell’ that the pilots were ready as soon as everyone was seated so Urs led her to a pair of the comfortable seats and made sure she was securely buckled in, sitting beside her and taking her hand after moving the dividing armrest out of the way.

“I’m not a nervous flier, Urs,” she said in a whisper, indicating the held hands as the sleek jet sped down the runway and eased up into the air.

“I know…I just like to touch you…I think I’m developing a MAJOR addiction.”

She laughed at his little play on words.

“We never did get around to talking about it…do you have anything you have to do over the next little while?”

“A couple of minor things…I need to give my fiscal year end report February 22nd…boring and tediously long but part of the package…and then the Regimental dinner on March first back at Borden…except for that I’ll be listed on the ‘Available Board’ as soon as the doctor gives me the all clear. I’d like to save up my banked holiday time to use this summer when you’re off.”

“So that means they could be calling you at any time for work while we’re traveling…that’s a rather dark cloud to have hanging over us, Liebe.”

“I know…Urs I’ve been thinking a lot about…”

“Excuse me Sir, Ma’am… Mr. Cowell has arranged for appetizers before dinner is served…and asked me to inform you that the champagne is already opened….he wondered if you would join him.”

Urs nodded at the attendant and made her blush by gracing her with one of his dazzling smiles. She left, a bit disoriented and not quite remembering what she was supposed to be doing.

“Sorry, Liebe….what were you saying?”

Izzy sighed inwardly, aware that this was not really the best time to broach anything as life altering as leaving the military…she would wait for the right moment and try again.

“Nothing important…at least nothing that won’t keep. Let’s go keep the ‘Boss’ happy.”

**

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN… THE BOSS

“It’s going to be difficult for both of you…being separated,” Simon said as he and Urs shared a last drink before joining the others in sleep.

It had been an interesting evening, not the usual airlines food of course since this was a private jet and the conversation had flowed as the Divos caught up with what had been going on in Simon’s life and what plans he had for the future.

They were pleasantly surprised to learn that Simon would prefer that the four men took more control of their careers and the project they were involved in, with the end goal being almost total control by the end of this tour.

It was stimulating news, one that opened a flood-gate of suggestions from all of them which they mulled over, arguing lightly sometimes but more buoyed up than anything as they discussed exactly where they hoped to take this venture.

Izzy and Simon had ended up talking quietly between each other as the three Divos became so engrossed in their own affairs. He was an easy man to talk to, his attention focused on what she had to say, not in the least phony or wandering, giving the impression that he was truly interested in her opinions.

“And are you planning on staying with the military, especially in this present position? Until now your time has been very flexible…does the developing relationship with my young tenor change that?”

Izzy smiled at him…she liked the blunt, to the point way he had of isolating what could be a problem and dragging it into the open.

“That will depend on our tenor, I think…I’ve thought about leaving the service…at this point in my life it just doesn’t fulfill my needs any longer…but …”

“But he hasn’t made a commitment …have you talked with him about it?”

“We keep trying but something always comes up, or the timing isn’t right…we have some time together over the next few weeks…there should be a moment then when we can sort things out.”

“Urs is under a great deal of pressure at the moment, Isabella…to perform at the peak of his considerable ability, to be ‘ON’ when he is in public….to make a success of this adventure…of the four men, he and Sebastien are the ones with the most creative inclinations and we rely on them to enhance the scores of the tracks that are chosen…the pace of a World Tour leaves little room for personal lives or insecurities….and he is a man, with all the needs and desires, the frailties of the species. I’ve come to like and respect him a great deal over the past 2 years…he is loyal and straight-forward, tends to sometimes over-think a problem but once he has given his word you can count on it. Because of all the qualities I so admire in my friend, I do believe that of the four he is the most vulnerable to being hurt…when he feels, it is deeply…when he needs, the need is great…I fear that your work is very traumatizing for him, that he worries about your safety as well as physically and mentally missing your presence. I don’t want to see him hurt, nor do you I think.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the attendant clearing away the empty glasses and the ensuing exodus of most of the men who had decided that they had done enough talking for the night.

Izzy followed Seb and Carlos back to their seats and bid them good night, first having received a little kiss on the brow from Urs who wanted to discuss something further with Simon.

She snuggled down into her seat, her mind far from relaxed as she mulled over what the ‘Boss’ had said.

Yes, they did have to settle the question of where their relationship was heading, and soon.

**

Now Urs and Simon were alone in the smoking section, the reason why Simon preferred to fly in private jets rather than the smoke free environment of commercial carriers. His ever present cigarette sent a steady stream of smoke into the powerful suction from the overhead fan, sparing Urs from both the odor and the damage to his voice.

They had finished their discussion of business and Urs was just downing the remnants of his beer when Simon made his statement.

Urs looked across the small table at him, surprised that his friend and employer had opened such a personal subject.

“Ja, we’re aware of that…but the others manage…and Izzy can sometimes be with me.”

“It’s different for the others…none of their women are risking their lives when they go to work. And they can all make plans, secure plans that don’t change suddenly. I’m not trying to discourage you, Urs…I really like your little friend…she’s lovely, intelligent, probably a lot of fun as well as compassionate…I’m playing Devil’s Advocate here, trying to be sure you are aware of what you’re getting into. This tour is crucial to the success of Il Divo…you have to be prepared to give it everything you have…you have commitments to the other guys, to yourself, to Sony BMG…to me….there is no room for personal distractions.”

Urs felt a surge of anger that he quickly suppressed and responded in a clipped, business like tone.

“I am aware of that Simon…and more, commitments I have made that you know nothing about….I can handle it…I won’t let you, or anyone else down.”

He rose and muttered ‘good night’ moving into the smoke free sleeping area and gently lowering himself into the seat next to Izzy.

‘Ah, so it is a sore spot with my Swiss friend…he’s been thinking along the same lines and doesn’t like what his logical mind is telling him…talk to your lady, Urs….I think you’ll find it easier to solve this problem if you work together on it.’

Simon settled in his seat, not pleased with the revelation he had garnered from his blunt way of speaking to his friend but unwilling to meddle any further.

Urs gently pulled Izzy into his side, resting her sleepy head on his shoulder and leaning back with his eyes closed, sleep impossible for him at the moment as the thoughts he had been so successfully keeping subdued in his subconscious flooded his mind.

Simon was right…he did have responsibilities to a number of people, not just himself and Izzy…and he was fully aware that this upcoming tour was the make or break time for Il Divo…if they bombed on this tour then they were finished, almost before they had begun.

He felt her warm breath on his neck as she sighed in her sleep, nestling closer….she was so precious to him…could he cope with the absences when he knew that she was going willingly into danger? He would have to…what they had together was too special to give up.

**

Izzy came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, dropping her chin to rest on top of his bent head as Urs scanned the business section of the Times.

They had been in New York three days now, time to get settled into the spacious suite in the Marriott, make a quick run to the flat in Tribeca for a more suitable wardrobe for Izzy and for the Divos to start on a whirlwind round of appearances on morning or late night TV shows. Today was to be mostly a free day with the exception of fittings in the late afternoon at Armani.

“So now I get to see another side of my complex Swiss lover…Urs, the businessman…”

He laughed and folded the paper up, catching her hands in his and raising them both to his lips for gentle kisses.

“Hey, I’m not just a pretty face, you know…there’s no point in making money if you don’t take care of it, make it grow. Those stocks the investment company in Andorra advised me to buy have taken off like a rocket…the profits from them will go straight into my Reve account and should be more than enough to cover the back-taxes…I’ll have to send Dee an e.mail, tell Claude to stop worrying.”

He tugged on her arm and brought her around to install her on his lap, transferring his kisses to her neck and making her giggle.

“Now, my little doctor, what would you like to do with our free morning?”

She grinned at him.

“Nice try…YOU promised to give David a hand with his apartment, remember? There was some mention about a red wall in the Lounge and I believe Seb claimed to be really good at painting trim…I’ll be along to check on your work after I get my dental appointment out of the way.”

“We’ll save some of the lower painting for you…since you’re so vertically challenged.”

“Enough with the short jokes or I won’t bring you any supplies….”

“Sorry…you actually are the perfect height…laying down…”

To prove his point he deposited her on the floor and spread himself out full length on top of her, laughing when she tried to wiggle out from underneath and easily pinning her down with her arms over her head.

She gently brought her knee up between his widespread legs and nudged softly.

“You leave yourself wide open to attack, Swiss.”

He dipped his head down to claim her mouth, releasing her after a few minutes and pleased with the glazed look of her eyes.

“I don’t feel threatened in the least…you like my Little Soldier too much to do any harm….. Gott I love kissing you…the taste of you, the way you respond, the heat that rushes through me…”

“More…I want more…”

The buzzing of his cell phone on the table pierced the thrall that was fusing them together and Urs left her mouth to sigh and lever himself up off the floor, offering his hand to Izzy and smiling in resignation.

“Duty calls…I’ll bet that’s David.”

She patted his groin and headed for the bedroom.

“Tell him I said his timing sucks!!”

Urs was laughing as he answered David’s call.

“Ja, I’m coming…coming over to the apartment…Ja, Isabella is bringing lunch later…half an hour…see you then.”

She was almost completely dressed when he went in the bedroom, a dark wool pant-suit and flaming red shirt, her pretty pink toes peeking out of nude stockings ready for the leather knee high boots waiting in the foyer.

“Any special requests for lunch or will I just surprise you?”

“I like your surprises,” he answered with a grin as he rummaged for the oldest pair of jeans he had with him and an equally ratty tee shirt, deciding to go commando since he didn’t even own an old pair of Calvins.

She finished putting ear rings in the lobes of her ears and smiled as he pulled the jeans on.

“Add a baseball cap and none of your fans will recognize you today…but you might get frost bite on that gorgeous butt.”

She ran a finger across the gaping hole across his left cheek and laughed when he swore.

“At least no one will be looking at your face,” she said and blew him a kiss as she escaped from the bedroom.

In deference to the cold weather Urs pulled on a long hoodie, checking in the mirror to be sure it covered the exposed butt cheek, grabbed a cap from the wardrobe, slung his backpack with a change of clothes over his shoulder and joined her in the foyer just as she was checking her shoulder bag, prepared to leave.

They went down together, attracting glances from several other guests at the contrast between the grubby looking man and the elegant, well dressed woman.

Izzy tried to contain her laughter at the disgruntled look of her companion but it was a losing battle. He was not accustomed to being looked on with disdain and hunched his shoulders almost to his ears, muttering something about David owing him.

She kissed him chastely outside the Hotel and flagged a cab, leaving him to walk the short distance to David’s new apartment, unhindered by any fans who would never have recognized the unshaven, poorly dressed man as the elegant Divo they were accustomed to seeing.

**

She arrived at the apartment laden with clean teeth, a borrowed picnic cooler full of lunch and a canvas bag with two thermoses of coffee at 11:30 and was let in by another tenant who was just leaving.

David’s flat was on the third floor, no elevator, so she managed to lug the supplies up the stairs and buzzed the doorbell, leaning on the wall slightly out of breath.

David threw the door open…at least she surmised it was David under the liberal coating of red paint on his grubby old clothes…and in his hair, on his face and on the roller which he proudly waved around in excitement when he saw the container that hopefully held food.

“Rescued by the Army!! Come in…but don’t get too close to anyone…we seem to have got carried away and painted everything…including ourselves. Thank God it’s water based paint.”

She stepped into the foyer and looked around as she shed her coat, gloves and boots.

It didn’t look as if this area had been touched yet but there was the scent of wet paint in the place and once she had shed her outer garments and dared a peek into the Lounge she saw that his statement was very correct.

All four of the men had more paint on themselves than on the walls but they had made progress. The long red wall was nearly done, almost all of the crown molding that Seb had been painting white was done and Urs and Carlos had nearly finished the soft dove grey 3 remaining walls…and they all were liberally sprinkled with blobs and drips as was the plastic sheeting that covered the floor and furniture….but they all wore silly grins of accomplishment, waiting for her comments.

“Well you lot have been busy…and it should only take you a couple of hours to clean yourselves up enough for your fitting at Armani.”

“Clean up? We were going to go just like this!” Urs said with a grin as he put down his roller and began to advance on her.

“Don’t even think about it Swiss…I don’t want to have to hurt you!!”

She wasn’t sure how since he had been painting the soft grey walls but one hand was coated with red paint, still glistening wetly and he flexed his fingers at her as he came closer.

Her ‘flight or fight’ instinct took over and she spun around, racing to the bathroom and locking the door behind her, laughing as she heard him outside.

“Finish your walls and I’ll feed you…as soon as I change.”

She quickly changed out of her suit and shirt, pulling on old jeans and a ragged Tee and hanging her good clothes on the back of the door.

The coast was clear when she came out of the bathroom and ambled down the hall…right into Urs’ ambush just inside the Lounge doorway.

Sticky hands grabbed her, a sticky face rained kisses on her unpainted skin and when he had finished there were handprints, one red, the other grey, on the swell of her tee shirt over her breasts.

“There now you look like one of us,” he said with a grin as he surveyed his handiwork.

“Thanks…I do like to fit in…alright what can I do?” she asked when she could stop laughing.

“We’re almost done in here except for cleaning up…then there’s just the kitchen to finish before we leave for Armani,” David volunteered.

“Maybe you could set up lunch in the kitchen while we finish…” Urs said as he went back to the little bit of wall that he was putting the second coat on.

She had everything set up: Food on the plastic covered table, more plastic on the chairs and floor and soapy water in one side of the double sink so they could wash up when they came in about 15 minutes later. They took turns, two at a time, washing up and rinsing, drying on some old towels David had provided and coming to the table ravenous for the foil wrapped hot veal sandwiches that she had taken out of the hamper. And her face and hands were now scrubbed clean…there was nothing much she could do about the handprints.

“I like the TEE…we should patent that…you could model them for us,” David said with a cheeky grin, earning himself a scowl from Urs.

“I do too,” she said with a grin. “But I think it should have a logo on it…like maybe ‘Il Divo was here’ or ‘Il Divo Art’…”

“Or ‘Urs’ Playground’” David offered and it was too much, making even Urs howl with laughter.

“Sounds like you have a reputation for being a Boob man, my Swiss,” Izzy said as she passed out wrapped sandwiches.

“OH!!OH!! She has your number, my friend,” Seb teased and Urs sobered as his face turned an interesting shade of red.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” he said, straight-faced, unwrapping his sandwich and trying to look innocent.

Izzy just looked at him.

“I do.”

The other three erupted in gales of laughter at her answer while Urs looked everywhere except at Izzy for a moment then smiled shyly at her.

“Well it is hard not to notice some things.”

David could think of some instances when the ‘noticing’ had been obvious…but wisely chose not to mention them.

“You guys only have about an hour left before you have to leave for Armani…why don’t you spend the time cleaning up and then take turns showering…I’ll stay here and work on the kitchen while you get your fittings out of the way…do I remember right David, you aren’t planning on staying here tonight?”

Urs smiled as he ate his sandwich…’Nicely done, Liebe…you diverted the conversation with the same skill that Mami always does …”

“Right…I’m going back to the Hotel…I thought the fumes might not be a great idea and if I stay at the Hotel I can leave a window open here to air the place out. I’ve already done the cupboards in here with enamel…there’s just the walls to do…and then tomorrow I want to put the second coat of Varathane on the floor in the Lounge.”

“What ever possessed you to buy a place now, with the tour about to start?”

“I wanted a place that Trish and I could meet up in…and she’s going to be in NY a lot since she’s recording an album with two other singers so it gives her a place to stay.”

“That’s sort of the same reason that Cody and I bought the flat in Tribeca and the one in Toronto…we never get to stay long but it’s always there ready…and it’s a place to store stuff.”

“Cody…that’s your brother?”

“Right…my older, very protective brother who hasn’t met Urs yet.”

“Apparently he’s a human Grizzly Bear,” Urs said with a wry grin. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“No sweat Swiss…just plan it on a week when he’s already killed his quota of presumptuous tenors.”

Once again poor Urs was the target of teasing as they warned him to take a bodyguard with him for the meeting, commenting that he should work out harder and maybe even wear a flak jacket.

They finished their lunch, including the individual desserts of double chocolate brownies, polished off most of the coffee as well as a beer each out of David’s well stocked frig and then took her advice and took turns showering and changing into more presentable clothing.

When the other three had headed down the stairs to flag a cab Urs hung back to properly kiss her good bye.

“You sure you don’t mind being abandoned? I don’t want you to think you have to finish the painting.”

“Urs, you know I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to do it. I like doing stuff like this and it will make the time pass quickly…go!...get elegant and come back when you’re finished. I have the demo tape of Divo tracks to listen to on my MP3 …and I downloaded One to One as well…so I won’t be alone.”

He rested his hands on the now dry handprints.

“I can think of one other place I should have marked as my playground.”

“I can too,” she murmured even before his hand wandered down the front of her jeans and cupped her mound.

He leaned in and kissed her with a barely contained hunger.

“Later!” and he flew out the door before his control snapped.

She sighed and began to clean up from lunch, mentally working out a natural progression of where to start painting.

**

HI all: Anyone who is offended by explicit scenes should maybe skip this chapter... there is some seriousjavascript:clickicon('');
posticon which I refuse to apologize for since Urs and Izzy are consenting adults...and it's cold here...I had to do something to warm things up...LOL...for those brave enough to read on...Enjoy...REE

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT…BELLA’S BORDELLO

The chore went quickly since there were no distractions other than the lovely music filling her senses from her MP3 player. She did have to stop and click on rewind to listen to Isabel a second, then a third time, the lovely track making her eyes mist, especially when she thought of Urs and the separations they had to endure. She could picture him on the stage, singing the track, his eyes closing as the music carried him away…with great discipline she went to the next track, dried her leaky eyes and enjoyed being one of the first other than the crew or divos to hear the tracks they were thinking about for the future.

She finished in the kitchen and cleaned up, snapping the cap on a beer and wandering through to the Lounge. David had mentioned an additional coat of Varathane on the floor…he must have done one and let it dry before they moved in there to paint the walls and molding…she felt the highly polished wood surface and glanced at her watch…Plenty of time…a quick rummage meant she found the special roller for the varathane and the tray and can…Alright!! She was in business!!

She was humming ‘Por Ti Sere’ as she set her empty bottle on the hall floor and began coating the floor, her mind occupied with a little surprise she had decided on for her Swiss lover.

**

Fittings for their new wardrobe took forever it seemed, but then it was understandable when explained to them…. different fabrics hung differently and each change had to be measured and fitted perfectly…after all they were going to be modeling an exclusive line of goods, suits that had to fit perfectly if they were to carry the prestigious Armani label. There was some discussion also, again time consuming, about the choice of fabrics and the colors but finally they all agreed to accede to the designers expertise and wear the creamy white, the blue or red/burgundy, or the white dinner jackets. Shirts were also chosen, this time with perfect arm lengths, even for Urs who detested doing up the cuffs, and ties for the odd time when one or the other of them would choose to wear them. So it was well after 6 in the evening when they finished and piled in a cab to return to David’s flat.

There was a note taped to the door when they reached it.

Finished…stay off the Lounge floor…it’s wet!!...Seb, Carlos and David…see you tomorrow…you guys are taking me skating!!

Urs…Room Service has strawberries and chocolate...

Izzy

“Strawberries and chocolate? This is what you will have for dinner? This does not seem like much..” Carlos said with a puzzled look but received no answer from Urs since the Swiss had spun on his heels and was racing down the stairs two at a time, not even calling out good bye, just waving as he disappeared.

David was laughing so hard he could barely stand as he unlocked the door to the flat.

“Carlito, I think our young friend just received news that the Playground is waiting for him….kinky, Urs…who would have thought…he’s usually so quiet and shy…”

They went in and it wasn’t until they had admired the freshly painted walls and the Varathaned floor that suddenly Carlos caught up mentally to the others.

“Ahhh, the Loving games!”

Seb grinned at him.

“I hope she remembers to ask for champagne…”

“…and whipped cream,” David contributed as they left the flat again to go in search of a cab.

The conversation from there until they reached the Hotel centered around broadening Carlos’ repertoire of extremely fun games to play…with a willing partner.

**

Urs almost ran through the lobby of the posh Hotel. He didn’t notice the women who gasped and pointed, certainly didn’t notice the concierge pick up the in-house phone and dial a room number…his room number as it turned out.

He squeezed lithely into the closing doors of an elevator and stood near the buttons, tapping his hands against his thighs as he watched the numbers light up in an agonizing crawl, ignoring the stares from the other passengers who weren’t sure whether or not to be frightened of the wild eyed, long haired, unshaven young man who seemed about to explode.

At their floor he was half way down the hall before the elevator doors fully opened, reached their suite in a skidding run and rammed the key card in the slot, throwing the door open and….. stopped dead in his tracks.

He thought the electricity had gone off at first then realized that the suite was lit with candles, dozens of candles it seemed, tall, short, fat, thin, scented, colored, on every surface possible…he hardly noticed them, his eyes fixing on the woman who stood in the entry to the Lounge.

She stood with her feet in impossibly high stilettos and shoulder width apart, her legs never ending, a long gauzy, black robe floating gently over her, allowing only peeks of legs encased in fishnet stockings that ended at her sparkly thighs with garters that hung from a lacy belt around her hips, a little wisp of a thong covering her mound, but just barely. Her belly glistened, winking and sparkling [with more of whatever shimmered on her thighs] in the candle light when she moved allowing him a glimpse, her hips belled out in invitation, moving with a sensuous wiggle as she raised one leg to place her stilettoed foot on the seat of a chair, exposing part of her labia to his fevered eyes. She leaned forward slightly and he held his breath, waiting for her breasts to fall out of the black lace and ribbon bustier that barely covered the raised nubs that he could see through the lace.

“Herr Buhler? Welcome to Bella’s Bordello…I believe you desired a companion for the evening?”

He took a step into the room and opened his mouth but only manage to croak one word… “What?...”

“I’m here to fulfill your every wish, Herr Buhler,” she said and moved her foot back to the floor, running her hands up her body and stretching, catlike as she cupped her breasts and threw her head back.

“Mein Gott!!” someone croaked in a voice he didn’t recognize as his own.


He took a few steps closer and she came to him, walking slowly and with a sway that he wasn’t sure he had ever seen a woman’s body do except in movies…not like this, not a movement that made him rock hard instantly.

She stood just out of reach and wet her lips…and he noticed that she had made her face up, not garishly but enhancing her features, making her natural sensuality even more pronounced.

“Do I please you, Herr Buhler?”

“Mein gott, Ja…” he managed and reached for her but she eluded his hands and shook her finger at him.

“For the night, Herr Buhler or would you like the hourly rate?”

“For the night, the week…forever…an hour isn’t nearly long enough…” he managed and she smiled.

“Then let me take care of you…” she reached down and took his hand, leading him into the Lounge…only then did he realize that music played softly in the background…

She handed him a glass of champagne and he took a sip, nearly dropping the flute when she pulled on the satin tie to the robe and let it flutter to the floor.

“Tell me what you would like….tonight I want nothing more than to bring you pleasure.”

He moaned as she took the flute from his hand and set it on the small table beside the Lounge chair, letting her breasts skim his chest as she worked his jacket off his shoulders and down his arms.

It was hard to breathe, his mind and body lost from his logic center, overcome with the need this new Bella stirred in him…he felt light headed, his body on fire, his shaft straining at the restricting fabric of his jeans…what would he like? To relinquish his rigid control, to be possessed by this woman with the nearly black eyes as lust possessed her core…and his.

“Use me…” he managed to whisper, then moaned when she freed him from his jeans and shorts pushing his boneless body back to slouch in the chair.

“My pleasure,” she purred, whipping his tee shirt off over his head and discarding it then running her nails down his chest, flicking his flat nipples, pausing before the goal he desperately wanted her to touch.

She smoothed the tangled curls that provided a nest for his shaft when it rested, circling the base with her fingers and leaning down to blow lightly on the blood infused skin, her breath warm, her lips almost touching, teasing.

“Magnificent!” she whispered and he grew harder as her fingers swept from base to head.

“I want you…naked…” he managed to growl between clenched teeth…and she shook her head.

“Not yet…your turn first.”

She raised her head and reached with her free hand for the flute he had discarded, taking a mouthful of champagne and leaning to his mouth, the pressure of her lips forcing his head back against the seat, her soft hand never ceasing the rhythmic stroking …gently she allowed the champagne to dribble into his mouth, her tongue following, sucking the sparkling liquid back and forth, sharing as he swallowed convulsively.

His eyes closed and he released himself to her, unable, unwilling to do anything except receive the feelings she was engulfing him with. He felt a loss when she left his mouth, wanting more…enduring the pause while his jeans, shorts and socks vanished completely, silent and pliant … until he felt the tip of her tongue licking the pre-cum from the head of his throbbing shaft, her fingers still stroking in a corkscrew motion, baring the head to her lips…she sheathed him with her lips, her soft, hot mouth welcoming him into the velvet interior to be played with by her wet tongue…..time lost it’s meaning as sensation enveloped him, the feeling of her gentle hand kneading his silken sacs, another tweaking his flat nipples…he was lost, floating, incapable of moving, to do more than moan, wanting to ask for more, harder, faster, but she knew and instinctively met his silent demands…he reacted enough to curl his fingers in her hair, his breathing labored…and always that hot, wet mouth, nibbling gently, twisting, licking, sucking, moving along the length of him….until suddenly, when he thought he could endure no more exquisite pleasure, her mouth was gone and she was leading him into the bedroom, calming his fevered body.

“Why are you torturing me?”

“Why Herr Buhler, don’t you want it all? Let me please you…let me make this a night you will never forget.”

The lights were dim in here as well, the bed turned down, ready for him. She pushed him down onto the soft mattress, his head on the pillows, legs spread wide and raised his arm, gently tying a velvet cord around his wrist and fixing it to the headboard, moving to secure the other one, the chocolate and flowery scent of her stimuating his senses until he ached to fill his mouth with her…but he didn’t resist, his body focused on what she was doing with her not quite exposed breasts and wet mouth…. teasing, careful not to touch his erect shaft more than fleetingly, building the desire again until he was ready to scream with need.

He tried to reach for her but found himself immobilized, felt a moment of panic that vanished as she pulled on a lace and spilled completely out of her bustier…..

He watched, mesmerized by the jiggle of those soft pink orbs as she leaned over the bed and brought up a small crystal bowl of melted chocolate, gently pouring it into his innie so it formed a pool that ran out over his flat abdomen…gently she wiped up the spill with her full breasts, dipping the engorged nipples into his navel, then licking around and inside, teasing with her tongue until he felt the need to scream with lust…Again she moved, climbing slowly up his body, licking the chocolate off her lips as he watched, wanting to take her mouth with his, to bite her full lips, to suck on the sweet coating her could see on her tongue…she leaned down until her breasts were inches from his wet, open lips, close enough to smell the chocolate and lean his head up to try for a taste…quickly she stood and slithered out of her stockings, the garter belt, shoes, leaving only the lacy thong.

Now a slow, tortuous exploration began, taking an hour, a week, forever or only a few minutes, he couldn’t tell, only aware that all of his hidden sensitive spots were revealed, set on fire as she painted him then licked, sucked, stroked, gently scratched her way down his body, feeding him tidbits of chocolate painted Bella when he thought he would go mad, making him shudder, gasp, cry out with pleasure, until his body was burning, as rigid with desire as his engorged member….and then she tenderly enveloped his velvet sacs inside the hot wet cavern of her mouth, stroking with her tongue and he could take no more.

“Bella…I need…Please…take me inside…Now, Liebe…”

One quick pull on the velvet cords and he was free, his hands ripping the thong from her body, lifting her to straddle his hips, impaling her wet center.

They both lost control, wild with desire, fused their bodies with deep thrusts…they rolled to put her under him, still joined and he pounded into her, met her frantic pelvic thrusts with his own, mouths devouring, bruising, bodies straining, hands clutching….the pleasure was too great for silence as they flew into space and cried out… “URS!!!” “Geliebt!!!”…in a long rolling series of spasms that left them shuddering with after shocks…her body tightened around him, milking his sperm into her wetness in ripples that he thought would never end, wanted never to end, each wave another jolt of the pleasure they were giving each other, his clever fingers working gently into her to soak in their mingled juices, sharing the taste of their loving from his wet fingers while their bodies continued to spasm…until at last he could take a breath and cradle her gently against his chest, still one as their bodies tried to establish a normal rhythm once more.

“We forgot the strawberries,” he said when he could speak again.

“You don’t think I’m through with you do you?”

He felt his body quicken at the prospect and grinned down at her, still under him, still joined, though disconnection was becoming imminent.

“Why did you want to give me pleasure?” He asked, resting his weight on one bent elbow but not moving off of her completely…she had said often that she liked the feeling of him laying on her….and naturally he loved it.

“You give me so much all the time…there’s never been even once with you when I didn’t reach orgasm, sometimes several in a row…and I love the taste of you, the feeling of you under my hands, in my mouth…it makes me so hot, I feel like someone built a fire down there.”

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her, tracing her inner lip with his tongue, their mouths tasting of their loving.

“No one has ever done this for me before…it was so intense…I’ve never felt so completely consumed with emotion….but I like to be the aggressor too…and I love the taste of you…you taste musky, a bit sweet…I love to watch your eyes when I touch you…the pupils get larger, almost completely black with lust…and when you climax I know it…I can feel the spasms ripple along the length of me…there’s never any faking with you.”

“You mean some of your old girlfriends pretended to orgasm? Why?...Oh Urs, I’m sorry…I swore to myself I would never ask you to compare or to tell me about old girlfriends.”

“It’s alright, Liebe…not all women are as responsive as you are…I don’t know why but it’s like they go so far, then their inhibitions kick in and they lose the desire…they want it to be over, so they pretend. Maybe they have really low sex drives…or maybe it’s what they’ve become used to with partners who don’t try to give them pleasure…I always know…and I don’t do encores with them. Not like with you…” he leaned over to kiss her again, going deeper, harder, longer, sucking on her lips, letting his free hand begin to wander, tweaking her nipples and chuckling when he felt them already engorged.

“We should eat sometime tonight…”

“Ten-thirty…I ordered dinner for ten-thirty…we have time before it arrives…don’t stop…oh, please!!...don’t stop!”

His encore was slow and deliberate, tender and thorough, included the strawberries…and no one had to pretend.

**

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE…SKATING/THE TOUR STARTS

They met up with the guys in the morning for the breakfast buffet in the Hotel dining room, both appearing happy and rested, perhaps a little more tactile towards each other than usual but no one said anything about it…until Izzy took a strawberry off of Urs plate and slowly sucked it into her mouth, their eyes locked. Urs felt his body react and she smiled as the fruit disappeared…mission accomplished.

Across the table from her David groaned and lowered his head almost into his corn flakes.

“Not fair!! I don’t get to see Trish for 13 more days and you do that!!..It’s not fair!!”

“What?” she said with a sweet, innocent smile as she reached for the toast rack.

“You know what…now behave like the virginal little girl you look like or…”

“Or?” Izzy asked, ignoring the stifled chuckle from Urs.

“Too much information!” Seb broke in before David could finish his threat and they all laughed as Urs changed the subject, asking what plans everyone had for the day.

There was a world of difference in her today and Urs smiled as he looked at the woman who last night had been the epitome of a bordello madame…today she was primly dressed in black leather Cuban heeled boots, grey slacks and a white cotton shirt, a soft grey cashmere sweater over her shoulders and pearl studs in her dainty ear lobes…no sign of the soldier or the Madame…but he remembered… he would always remember.

“I seem to have my day free now since someone was kind enough to finish the floor in the Lounge as well as the kitchen walls……Thank you little Izzy…and there was some mention of going skating,” David said with a grin.

“Yes…you left so quickly last night Urs, we didn’t have time to make plans…I didn’t know you were so passionate about Strawberries.” Unable to resist, somehow Sebastien managed to deliver his line without grinning but burst into laughter when he looked at Urs and saw his face flush.

Izzy took Urs hand under the table and leaned forward to address David and Seb.

“I hate to see you two missing out on something so much fun….I could give you a tutorial, the same as Urs did for me, if you like…since your skills are apparently seriously lacking in inventiveness.”

Carlos, who had remained wisely silent during the exchange burst into laughter at the dumbfounded looks on David and Seb’s faces as they sputtered, unsure how serious this sweetly smiling young woman was….they too had played cards with her and knew better than to call her bluff.

Urs squeezed her hand under the table and smiled.

“More coffee, Babe?” he said, completely ignoring his friends and pouring some for her.

“So, guys…what time are we going skating?” he asked holding the carafe and looking around with a grin.

**

The skating outing had been a success, even for Seb who had never before been on blades but caught on quickly, made even more bittersweet since they all knew that this free time today would be the last for a while, weeks actually.

They did circuits of the ice, tried out moves that sometimes worked, fell, dusted off and tried again, marveled at the way Urs and Izzy could almost dance to the music blaring over hidden speakers, ate junk food and sat on the sidelines drinking hot chocolate and dunking fat doughnuts in the froth to warm up.

Sam caught up with them as they watched the other skaters and almost as one they saw him and groaned.

“What a nice welcome…I don’t always bring bad news, you know,” he said as he wedged himself in between David and Seb.

“Right you just dropped in to see if we were having a good time,” David said with sarcasm dripping from his words.

Urs snorted a laugh and waited for whatever Sam had really come to tell them.

“Actually it’s good news….Letterman would like you to do his show…”

They all stared at Sam, waiting for the kicker.

“Tonight…I know it’s short notice but the PR is enormous and you guys are pros… you can do it…and anyway I already agreed…don’t kill me…I’m just doing what’s best for you…”

“Alright,” Urs said and the others followed his lead.

“That’s it?...Just alright…no arguments? No whingeing? Are you lot sick or something?”

Urs smiled.

“Like you said we’re pros…and this is great for the group, we realize that…we’ll need a short sound-check and need to decide what to do…what do you think guys?”

They discussed it among themselves, settling on Regresse A Mi since it was the easiest and would be the most familiar to the house orchestra.

“Can you arrange the sound check about 10 then we can do makeup, check out his questions and relax a bit before our call?”

Sam left to do his thing, eager to get away unscathed this time.

“And so it starts…we should likely grab some dinner early so we don’t go there stuffed,” Urs said as he reached for Izzy’s hands. She had been silent while Sam was there and while they decided on the track and he felt a twinge of concern about her reaction to the abrupt shift in plans.

She smiled and leaned into him.

“If he wants you to show off some stupid pet tricks, I could stand on my head.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of asking you to wear your uniform and showing how good a marksman you are.” Urs answered, deadpanned and she laughed, jabbing him in the shoulder.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered… “Or we could perform together for him…OOPS!! Sorry… his show isn’t X rated.”

He grinned.

“Just as well… I’d hate to try to call your bluff.”

They turned in their skates to the rental kiosk and wandered back to the Hotel for showers, planning on an early dinner in the Italian restaurant attached to the Hotel.

**

And so it started…the late nights, early mornings of catching transport, the unfamiliar venues, new hotels, strict adherence to the schedule, the Bible that ruled their lives and would with only a few exceptions for the duration of the tour.

Izzy thought it was much the same as the mini tour they had done for PR work in the UK and decided that it had been wise of management to subject them to that grueling few weeks…what they were doing now was a little easier to accept since they had survived it before.

Once again she assumed a back-ground position, with him but not intruding, watching as he dealt with the minutiae of his chosen profession, there with a smile, a massage, a quick hand clasp when he needed it, always a few steps behind him in public so no one could link them as a couple, often next to Sam or one of the band…let people assume what they would of that.

She didn’t remember ever being so proud as she was that first night, in Wallingford, Connecticut when the four men took to the stage to thunderous applause and screaming. She had opted to stand with some of the crew to the side of the stage, Urs side as it would come to be known….it meant that she could slip backstage easily when they took their short break.

They all raced into the communal dressing room, working on removing shirts and jackets. Felicity and Izzy had everything ready and assisted quietly, passing out the chosen beverages that the guys had pre-ordered….Diet Coke for Carlos, a small red wine for Seb, just water for David and an OJ laced with honey for Urs.

The makeup girl circulated among them, adding a dab of powder, smoothing hair that had become unruly.

Urs handed his empty glass back to Izzy and shared a quick kiss that tasted of honey.

“Pit Stop,” he murmured and veered off into the bathroom, still drying his hands when he came back out and tossed the towel on the shelf below the mirrors.

“Okay?” he asked, standing a few feet back and spinning on one foot when she motioned for him to turn.

“Perfect…”

He was in the zone, she could see it, his eyes flashing with pleasure, the crinkles at the corners and his dimples deep in his cheeks, his entire body poised and almost vibrating with the energy reflected back from the audience.

“Time!” he called out, his role of the timekeeper a natural one and allocated without discussion by the others.

They filed out, eager, ready, smiling, no signs of nervousness or stagefright, fulfilling their destinys.

Izzy and Felicity tidied up the discarded clothing and followed, arriving at the side of the stage just as it began again, both like proud mother hens, watching their chicks as they did something truly amazing….enchanted thousands of people instantly with their voices.

**

That first night set the routine for what would follow. The guys would sit on the stage and receive their fans, sometimes for only a handshake, sometimes for autographs or the giving of gifts, then they would finish their performance and leave them wanting more, waving, smiling, and going back stage to bubble over with the euphoria of a well done concert, each having snippets of stories to tell, things they had seen, fans they had noticed, little errors that had been made and covered or not and laughed at…it was a giddy bunch that stripped off their stage uniforms and changed to ‘civies’, greased and removed the stage makeup and slowly, ever so slowly came down from the high of performing in front of thousands of very appreciative fans.

Gradually they came back into the real world…they were hungry, tired, they had a bus to catch, people were busily gathering their belongings, packing for them, waiting until they had calmed enough to do for themselves.

Urs would find Izzy and wrap her up in his strong arms, enjoying the softness and the warmth of her against him, if they were alone, indulging in kisses that left her weak, in the company of the others whispering in her ear how aroused he was, what he would like to do, now, no waiting.
It seemed that his music muse stimulated his libido and of course he stimulated hers. Unfortunately Il Divo was still regimented by ‘the schedule’ and must meet and greet the fans who were clustered around the transport vehicles, then must endure the trip to the next venue or to the airport or hotel.

In rapid succession they enthralled audiences in Boston,Washington, DC and Atlanta, then flew to Toronto where Felicity lost her wardrobe helper and Urs lost Izzy for a few days.

They were just landing in Toronto when her phone began to vibrate and she pulled it out of her pocket to read the call display.

“How do you do that? Mine doesn’t even work when we’re airborne,” Urs said, not saying it but wishing that hers hadn’t either.

“Special military satellite…I’ll answer when we get on the ground…I had a feeling our luck was going to run out.”

It was a good plan but was not to be.

They were taxing to the terminal when the attendant came to her seat and leaned down to speak privately.

“Major Santores…would you come with me please…the pilots have an important message for you.”

She sighed and unclipped her seat belt, leaning down to kiss Urs quickly on the cheek and whisper… “Sorry!”.

When she returned almost 5 minutes later they had neared the terminal and he could see a military Jeep waiting by the mobile walkway.

“I have to go…they’ve held a flight for me…Urs, will you take my luggage with you so I have something to wear when I get back…I’m so sorry…but this time I can e.mail you with all the details…it’s a SAR mission to Chile…”

“Would all passengers please remain seated until we have dealt with a priority departure? Thank you.”

She turned her head at the announcement and grimaced…
“That’s me I guess…Please, Urs, say something…please don’t be mad at me…it’s hard enough to leave you.”

“I’m not mad, Liebe…disappointed, yes but I could never be angry with you. Be safe, come back when you can and talk to me on IM as often as you can…I will miss you terribly.”

She cupped his head with her hand and kissed him, a kiss full of longing and promise that he returned and wanted never to end.

“Nothing will keep me away from you…I promise!”

And then she reacted to the insistent tapping of the attendant on her shoulder, stood, collected her shoulder-bag and laptop, and fled down the aisle…he saw her come out a door on the walkway and descend the stairs quickly, running to the waiting Jeep and clambering aboard, then gazing at the windows of the plane as the Jeep engaged gears and raced away.

**

CHAPTER FIFTY...MUD

For the next few days Urs seldom had his computer off, at first waiting to hear details of where she was and how long she would be away, then chatting with her at odd hours, whenever they could both be available.

She had been sent with Search and Rescue to a disaster area in Chile, about 900 K south of Santiago, in an isolated area close to the tunnel through the Andes which connected Chile to Argentina. The area had been hard hit with torrential downpours over the past two weeks and many of the streams over flowed, mountain-sides slid into valleys, trees crashed to the ground, the passes were blocked, villages swept away…it had been declared a disaster area by the government and SAR had been asked to send aid. Time was of the essence since the area was expecting more rain in the next few days and the risk of more slides was great.

“Major Medic says: I’ve never seen anything like this…it’s like a war zone, just piles of mud and debris everywhere, splintered trees sticking out of the ooze next to pieces of houses and here and there the legs of animals that were trapped…and it’s cold…we’re fairly high up, the air is thin but reeks of muck and death.

“We work in 8 hour shifts then 2 off but it’s impossible to sleep really…we have to supplement our oxygen since the air here is thin and tainted….there’s no clean water which is kind of a bonus…they can’t poison us with the swill that passes for coffee….LOL

‘Looli says: You take care of my girl!! I want you back in one piece, preferably without any holes! I miss you…I went by the store and said Hi to Trudi…if made me feel closer to you somehow. Toronto was a hit and at the moment we’re off to Montreal, via one of those big posh buses.

Major Medic says: I love those buses…plenty of time to clean out you novice Poker players!!

Looli says: We played and I won…thanks for giving me the tells for the other guys!! It gave me a real edge.

Major Medic says: We shouldn’t be here long…they want to evac the foreign aid workers before the next big storm hits…right now we’re just working on inoculating the survivors and the few that have been found in the mud…most didn’t make it…Scuttlebut it that the Army ‘volunteers’ to SAR will be taking the serious cases to the US on the 10th and then we will be disbanded…so I should catch up with you in Philly on the 12th….. I can hardly wait.

Looli says: Me too!

Major Medic says: Have to go…my two hours is up…See you soon!!

The huge red lips smacked a noisy kiss on the screen and she was gone again.

He hadn’t said anything but the news about the slides and the haste of evacing the workers had upset him. Yes, she wasn’t facing guns or machetes and angry tribesmen but Mother Nature in all her fury could be just as deadly. Today was the 9th…only 3 more days and she would be back…this time he had to find time and opportunity to talk with her about her work and how it upset him…it sure didn’t seem like he was going to come up with a solution any other way.

**
It started to rain again, not just the drizzle that made people sometimes dare to go without an umbrella, but the kind of downpour that made seeing more than a few feet impossible…puddles formed in seconds, became pools in minutes, streams that reached almost to the knees shortly after.

In the hospital tent everyone who was ambulatory was sent to wade through the ankle deep water to the trucks waiting 100 yards away and transported safely further down the slope to a protected rocky hill-side. Those in beds were transferred to stretchers a few at a time and carried to waiting trucks until it was just Izzy and a nurse that were left with 6 patients, three of them children.

“Senor, can you carry a nino on your back? I moved a van to the back wall…it will be crowded but it is not far and I can help you,” she said to an elderly man who had one leg in a fiberglass cast and struggled against the pull of the water on his cane. She had a sling with a baby on her chest, just like the nurse did as she guided a patient with coverings over his eyes. On his other side he was being assisted by a woman with one arm in a sling.

They made slow progress but it was progress and they stopped at the back wall while Izzy took a scalpel and slashed a hole in the canvas of the tent. The back doors of the van were open, water reaching about half way up the hubcaps and she knew they didn’t have much time.

With a massive effort she hoisted the frail elder into the bed of the van, hurting him but ignoring his cry of pain…she turned to assist the nurse and her patients, crawling up into the bed of the van and over bodies as she slammed the doors shut and made her way to the driver’s seat.

Before she could turn the key she felt the van lurch, then tremble, then it was lifted and portions of the tent draped over the windshield.

“Hang on!!” she screamed to those in the back and threw herself off the seat to huddle on the floor, curled protectively around the child on her chest as the van was tumbled back and forth in a rocking motion, riding the top of the wave of mud, then sinking slowly into the ooze to come to rest on its side, completely covered.

**

The TV was on in the dressing room of the beautiful Bell Center in Montreal, tuned to the news channel that the guys liked to watch so they could feel still connected to the real world.

They weren’t really paying much attention to it, each in his turn submitting to the ministrations of the makeup girl, having their faces painted and their hair styled, a routine they had grown so accustomed to that they paid no attention to what was happening….until the words ‘Chile’ and ‘mudslide’ caught David’s attention and he leapt out of the chair to turn the volume up.

“…Benavalerah is on site where the town of Chiguayante at one time existed…Jon…”

“Thank you Lloyd…it was thought that the devastation was complete in this rural area , until another part of the mountain slid into the SAR base camp this afternoon after a torrential downpour that loosened the already saturated soil. Efforts are underway to dig out the 2 Aid workers and 6 patients trapped when the hospital tent was buried by tons of debris…” the camerman cut away to show workers frantically digging at a pile of mud, rock and shattered trees with the canvas of a tent roof sticking out the top, the painted red cross symbol just barely visible.

“The tent was pushed several hundred feet into a parking area before coming to rest, as you can see, partly submerging a number of trucks and vans…little hope is held of finding those buried alive but the SAR commander is determined to retrieve them.”

Again the cameraman cut away, this time to a taped interview snippet of an older, tired man with shadowed eyes and a determined attitude.

“We will find them…many of the SAR workers are ex-military and we never leave a man behind…we will find them!”

“And so the rescue attempt continues…back to you Lloyd.”

“As news becomes available to us we will keep you informed…on the home front today…”

David turned the sound down and turned to face Urs, groaning when he saw that his Swiss friend looked grey and tears streaming down his face.

“It might not be her, Urs.”

Urs said nothing, just clutched his stomach and stumbled to the bathroom. They could hear him retching and exchanged glances…the makeup girl slipped from the room, likely going for Sam. Urs came back, still pale but no longer with tears on his pale face.

“I have to believe that she’s alright…there’s no other option for me…and we have to get through this concert…I know you guys are all worried but Izzy would want us to have faith and to do a good job…so where’s that damn girl?…we need some color in our faces…”

Sam came bustling in with the makeup girl to find that he really didn’t need to panic…they could and would handle the trauma…and panic later if needed.

**

The crying continued but at least the screaming stopped along with the motion which was making Izzy nauseous…and it was pitch black inside the van.

The baby in the sling on her chest was crying, a good sign, she thought since it was a lusty, angry wail at being treated so badly, not the whimpering of an injury. She eased up to her hands and knees, trying to orient herself.

They seemed to be on one side and tilted with the heavy back end of the van pointing down…of course, it was the heaviest what with the cargo, axle and all. There was something lumpy beneath her hands…well not really lumpy but cold and hard, round…like cylinders…of course…this van had been used to transport the all important oxygen cylinders.

‘God, let some of them still be full…it’s hard to say how long before they find us.’

Her groping hands touched someone, someone small… “*Quien es?”
*Who is this ?

‘Pico…que Paso*, Senora?”
*Pico…what’s happening, Ma’am
She felt his head and limbs and could discern no new injuries…having lost his parents already in the first slide this young boy needed no more disasters dealt to him.

“Is anyone injured?” she called out in Spanish and received replies from the head injured man and the woman who had been helping him. They were bruised and frightened but fine. She found the nurse and the elderly man, both unconscious but the children they had in their care doing well.

“I’m going to try and turn the interior lights on for a while…just to see what we have in here and to check for leaks.”

She crawled forward and felt around on the dashboard, praying that the lights would still work…they did and lit up the interior well.

They had nothing much of any value…the oxygen tanks were strapped against the dented walls, there was a discarded jacket that someone could use to cover themselves, one water bottle with only a mouth full of water inside. The tanks on the upper wall could actually be a problem if the canvas and metal straps failed and they fell onto the people trapped below….she would have to see if they could be moved before that happened.

Next she checked the body of the van for leaks…the sides and back doors were dented but so far not leaking…the windshield was another matter…it was cracked almost the entire way across, even as she checked the spiderweb cracks were widening. It wouldn’t last long and then the ooze that had buried them would pour inside and finish the job.

‘Okay, no time to panic…we have to keep the mud out until rescue comes…no tools, nothing strong enough to withstand the force of all that weight built up outside…except maybe some of the tanks…if we could wedge the tanks behind the seats, form a barrier…it would mean giving up the cab of the van, maybe wasting some of the oxygen…and leaving the lights on so we can see to do the job… but would it work?’

She used her own height to measure the space that would have to be filled…it was possible…just how heavy were those damned tanks…and did they have enough of them?

There was a part wall behind the driver and passenger seats, dividing the cab of the van from the back, an opening in the center to allow passage to back or front…if the tanks could be wedged in there length wise it would close off the gap almost completely…it was worth a try.

Quickly she explained what she wanted to do to the others. Having something to do and light, even if it was temporary seemed to give them heart and they crawled around, helping to loosen the tanks, leaving the children with the blinded man to cope with against the rear doors, accepting the nurse’s help when she woke and was filled in to what was happening. It was slow back-breaking work, possibly too slow, Izzy thought as the windshield began making creaking noises.

“We have to hurry!”

The young boy ripped the seats and pulled stuffing out, ramming it in the small gaps at the heads of the tanks, looking over his shoulder in fear at the ominous sounds so close behind him, but not stopping…the Senora had said it was important, that it would help to keep the mud out.

A small fissure appeared as they worked the last tank into place, spraying mud into the cab of the van, coating Pico who was in the process of sliding over the stacked tanks through a very small space and into what they hoped was the safety of the back.

The last tank thudded into place, leaving only a hair line crack of space at the top, one which they filled with reserved stuffing as fast as possible…and they heard the windshield go, heard the ooze slithering in, felt the vibration of it hitting the tanks and backed as far as possible into the bed of the van, watching in the dimming light of the failing battery.

A tiny seep of dirty water showed between the roof and the top tank…but nothing else.

“Well done, everyone…now we must always have someone awake…we’ll take turns…when it is your turn you must bang on the roof of the van every 10 seconds or so…it will give the searchers somewhere to concentrate their search….’If they hear it’ she thought but kept to herself.

“Also, we will run out of oxygen in a few hours especially if we move around much or talk much…I will let one of the tanks seep into the air to replenish what we use but we don’t have much left now since we had to use so many for the wall….so no talking, no moving around…I’ll take the first half hour so all of you try to relax….Jose, you are next.”

She leaned back on the now empty floor of the van, with the tanks now gone off the wall, the side {which was now what they had to walk or sit on} was cold and clammy, partitioned off by the struts that gave it strength and dotted with the metal brackets where the tanks had been fastened….she sighed and tried to relax her mind. Her thoughts wandered to Urs, always a calming subject and never far from her conciousness it seemed.

He would be in Montreal now, getting ready for the concert…she hoped he wasn’t listening to the news, like they usually did…

‘I will get back to you, my Love…I Promised and nothing is going to keep me away from you…this can’t be the end…what we have together is too wonderful for it to end like this…I’ll have to e.mail him the minute I’m out of here…if I still have a computer…that work team was supposed to ferry our stuff from the tent to the new location…I wonder if they had time?...you really are a selfish ***** Santores…everything these poor people have been through, are still going through and all you can think about is getting back to that beautiful man!!’

Feeling more than a little guilty she gave the roof of the van an extra couple of thumps, looking around and marveling that everyone seemed to be asleep…how could they with her making so much noise? It must be a defense mechanism to cope with the trauma…and then the lights faded entirely and they were in the blackness of total darkness.

**

The concert went beautifully. No one noticed that several times Urs’ hands shook, that the smile he offered frequently was his professional one that didn’t quite reach his eyes, that David covered for him when he missed a cue or that the other three seemed very protective of their Swiss tenor.

By tacit agreement they turned the TV off when they went to the dressing room to change for their brief break, even earning a small chuckle from Urs when he caught Carlos glaring at the offending bearer of bad news.

“It’s not the TV’s fault, Carlito.”

“Verdad…but I need to blame someone.”

Once the concert was over they went through their usual routine, with one exception…the TV was turned to an all news channel and the volume cranked up.

There was no news, good or bad. They filed out on to the bus that would take them to the airport, taking turns with their cell phones tuned to news channels….and once airborne it was the same.

It wasn’t until they had been in Urs suite in the Marriott for two hours, sipping quietly at icy cold beer and letting the news channel run, that any mention was made of the disaster in Chile.

“Listen!”

“…the disaster area in Chile from our Fernando Ortega…”

“We’re waiting for word from the workers who claim to have heard tapping from the site of one of the buried vans…work is under way to cut through to this vehicle and…wait…there’s some frantic activity around the site of the digging…”

The camerman moved closer and they could clearly see a mound that could be a van nearly completely encased in mud, with workers struggling to pry off a large section that had been cut free with a torch. It gave way and was tossed aside…and hands reached out of the gaping hole, muddy hands holding a very dirty, mud-covered young boy.

**

The illuminated read-out on her watch showed that they had been trapped for 9 hours, long enough that the oxygen had thinned and it was necessary to supplement it from one of the tanks left over from their wall.

For the past hour and a half they had been finding ooze coming through the cracks between the wall of tanks, slowly at first then as the stuffing poked into the cracks became saturated, increasing.

It was necessary to keep checking , by feel of course since they were in complete darkness and Pico was the one who found a large ooze near the bottom when it was his turn to check and thump on the van.

Izzy thought about it for a moment then made a decision, for some reason the others trapped with her looking to her for leadership.

“We must push the muck that leaks in to the back of the van since gravity will want to place it there anyway.”

Everyone came up to the front and rested against the half wall dividing the front and back, the adults working in sequence to push the ooze to the back of the van, trying to keep their area free of build up.

It was tedious, tiring work since they only had their hands to work with but no one complained and once more she wondered at the stamina and determination of these people…

‘They deserve to live, if only for their courage,’ she thought as she positioned herself part way towards the back, accepting the increasing blobs of muck that were passed to her and pushing them to the fast growing depth against the rear doors.

An hour later there was a pile of mud and ooze against the back doors that reached nearly to the top of the windows and the safe space near the division had shrunk so that now they were huddled together in a group, unable to extend their legs without submerging them in the muck.

Penny, the little nurse from Taos, New Mexico, was thumping when they clearly heard an answering bang coming from the outside of the van. For a minute there was chaos inside as they cried, screamed, laughed and all banged on the roof in excitement.

Izzy crawled to the last oxygen tank and spun the knob frantically, shutting off the flow and calling for quiet.

“I’ve turned off the air…they will use torches to cut a hole and the oxygen is flammable…that means it would catch fire, Pico…so we have to not breathe too heavy until they open the side up….everyone be calm now…it won’t be long.”

She waited staring into the dark and rocking the baby who was back in the sling on her chest…finally she saw the glow as a torch began cutting into the metal…and drops of molten metal dripped into the van.

“Everyone get as far away from that side as you can…yes even if it means getting in the mud.”

It seemed to take forever but finally the circle that was being burned into the wall of the vehicle joined ends, the opening was cleared and the light from outside poured in.

**
In the Hotel room no one breathed or blinked. They watched as the boy was passed from one worker to another, finally reaching a medical worker and being wrapped in a blanket then rushed to a first aid vehicle.

Another child was lifted out…this time Urs whispered… “That’s Izzy…those are her hands!”

“I hope so, but how can you tell…they are covered with all that grey mucky stuff…” Seb said softly, almost like a prayer.

“You’ll see…those are her hands!” Urs sighed with relief and smiled.

She was the last one out, sailing through the air easily with one strong man grasping each wrist, the baby she had protected, back in the sling on her chest to share her body heat, wailing with hunger after going without for over 9 hours.

Izzy lifted the sling from around her neck and passed her burden off to a waiting nurse, then shook her head at the medic who wanted to treat her, shivering visibly and taking a blanket to drape around her muddy body.

The reporter thrust a mic in her face and she almost turned away, then thought better of it and answered his questions.

“Was there ever a point when you gave up?”

She smiled but shot the reporter a look that made him feel a cold chill for asking such an insensitive question.

“No…everyone was very brave, very controlled…after everything they have gone through this past few days I was amazed at how brave they all were. Even when the mud leaked in and we had to keep pushing it to the back or be engulfed they still worked quietly, in the pitch dark without any complaints…we knew if we could hang on we would be rescued.”

“How do you feel, Miss?”

“Hungry and happy to be out of there with everyone mostly uninjured…and eager to get home…I have a wery hot date…and it’s Major, not Miss.”

“Do I detect an accent, Miss…ah, Major…” he said but she was gone with a grin at the camera, jogging across the soggy field and vaulting into the passenger seat of a truck.

David clicked the TV off as the room erupted in cheers and shouts, all except Urs who finally let his control slip and wept with happiness for several minutes, grinning at the antics of his friends as they whooped and hollered.

“Clever girl…did you hear the ‘wery hot date’…that was a message for you, you Swiss Stud,” David laughed then watched to see if his normally staid friend would take offense.

“Don’t be jealous, Yank…you have to have the right equipment to earn the title, you know.”

“And know what to do with it,” Seb said smugly, making them all laugh.

**

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE…SNOW

The East coast of the US was wrapped in snow, heavy fat flakes that dumped on the ground for hours, piling up, making travel impossible, even in the city with all the equipment available for clearing the streets, the sheer volume of white fluff accumulated too fast to keep traffic running smoothly.
An extra concert had been booked in New York because of demand and was, as all the others were, sold out. The first night the venue was packed since the storm had just begun it’s assault on the city, but the second night the house was only half full, most of the fans unable to reach the seats they had paid for.

During the break Sam informed them that the concert on the following night had been cancelled due to the weather…it was impossible for Il Divo to reach Philadelphia and the tickets would be refunded even though it was unlikely that any of the audience would have been able to reach the venue anyway.

Urs immediately pulled out his laptop and sent off a message to Izzy to meet in New York rather than Philly. She wasn’t on but he had done what he could and hoped it was enough.

Fortunately it was a short walk from Radio City to the Marriott but still it took them over half an hour and they were exhausted and cold by the time they reached the lobby.

The concierge approached them as they stood near the entrance brushing the snow off of themselves and each other.

“Good evening, gentlemen. Mr. Buhler, I have a message for you sir.”

He passed Urs the folded message and Urs unfolded it, instinctively knowing it was from Izzy. The time code stamped on the heading was only half an hour before.

“Urs: Got your message. I’ve come as far as I can by transport and will have to walk the rest of the way in….and I’m not telling you from where since I know you would try to meet me and you need your rest. Leave me a key…I’ve no idea how long this will take.

Izzy”

He looked up the waiting concierge and thanked him.

“Are you on all night, Manuel?”

“Yes, sir…until 8 a.m.”

“Would you see that Major Santores gets a key to my suite when she arrives…she’ll be easy to recognize, a pretty, half frozen woman dressed in an Army uniform, blue UN beret, about so tall.” He held his hand out at shoulder height. “…and please, no matter what she says, call me when she arrives.”

“It will be my pleasure, Sir. I will alert the doorman as well to watch for your friend.”

The guys split up on their floor, David to sulk and chat on the phone with Trish who had been stranded in Miami, Carlos to crash on the sofa in his suite and begin snoring almost instantly, Seb to relax with a split of red wine and Urs to stand for a while looking out at the white coated city, what he could see of it through the constant curtain of snow still falling.

He finally turned the TV on and crashed on the sofa, slouching until his back began to ache, then flipping around to lay stretched out and drift off, though he really wanted to stay awake and wait for her.

He dreamt, the usual disturbing dreams he had been plagued with lately, always of Izzy calling out to him for help, some unknown danger threatening her.

Hours later he was wrenched out of a dream that had left him sweating with tension to the sound of the inhouse phone buzzing.

“Your friend has arrived, Sir and is on her way up in the elevator.”

He hurriedly washed his sticky face, ran his fingers through his damp hair and raced to the door to open it and stand just outside in the hall, watching the elevator doors, far down the length of plush beige carpet.

**

She was struggling to pull off her heavy woolen gloves when she stepped out of the elevator, still encased in a bulky anorak with the hood over her beret and the high neck in front covering half of her face. The last remnants of snow were melting and dripping off her hood and shoulders, off the tops of her leather boots and the pouched winter thermal lined pants that made her legs look enormous.

Urs met her half way down the hall, the porter passing them and going on to deposit her bulky backpack in the suite and accept the gratuity Urs passed him with a quiet ‘Thank you Sir’.

“You look like a little khaki Michelin Man,” he said with a grin as he peeked carefully inside the hood of her anorak.

“Hi to you too, Swiss…the snow is melting and seeping inside…can I get out of this gear?”

“Right…c’mon…I’m good at taking clothes off.”

She chuckled and placed an icy cold hand on his bare arm.

“I remember…and at warming me up…looking forward to it…”

He restrained himself until he had her out of her dripping anorak then could wait no longer and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his chest and breathing in the heady scent of her.

“Gott, how I’ve missed you…are you alright?…I mean we saw what happened on the news channel…I was so scared for you….” He brushed his lips over her cold face, found her mouth and kissed her with a hunger that made her knees weak.

She was shaking, only partly from the cold, when he raised his head and smiled down at her.

“I think we better get you into a nice warm bath and get you thawed out. So where did you send your message from?”

He started stripping wet clothing off of her, layer after layer, working his way down to chilled skin and piling everything on the floor in the dimly lit foyer.

“Roosevelt Island. We landed at a small airport on Long Island since the major terminals were socked in…and then I caught a ride on a weather heli but they were forced down on the Island…so I decided to walk from there.”

“Why didn’t you just wait until the weather cleared?”

He was down to just her skivvies now and picked her up to carry her into the bedroom and then the bath, depositing her still shivering body on a small stool in front of the vanity.

“Urs there are two kinds of Promises…there’s the ‘Maybe’ kind which means ‘I’ll try if at all possible’ and then there’s ‘I Promise’, which means that ‘nothing can stop me from keeping my word’. I Promised you I would be back as soon as I could…a little walk in the snow wasn’t going to keep me from you.”

He had turned the water on in the tub and dumped in a double cap full of bubble bath from the Hotel’s provisions but now turned to her and smiled, his eyes so full of the love he still hadn’t declared that her breath caught in her chest.

“You are some piece of work, Liebeling….” Now that he could see her clearly in the bright light, she could see the change in his eyes as a flare of temper came over him and he growled at her…. “LOOK AT YOU!!! THERE IS HARDLY AN INCH OF YOU THAT ISN’T BRUISED!!!…MEIN GOTT WOMAN, YOU SAID YOU WERE FINE!!!”

“I am…it’s only a few bruises…they’ll heal, Urs… nothing serious.”

For some reason this sparked a further surge of anger in him.

“DO YOU THINK YOU’RE FRIGGING SUPERWOMAN? YOU DON’T HAVE TO PROVE HOW TOUGH YOU ARE, NOT TO ME…GOTT, YOU TRY TO BE MORE MACHO THAN MOST MEN I KNOW…WHY NOT JUST BE A WOMAN FOR A CHANGE?”

His words stung and she dropped her gaze, trying to control the tears his outburst had caused, the last reserves of her tired body at the limit of her endurance.

“I’m going to hang up your clothes,” he said and stomped out of the bathroom, angry more at himself for his burst of temper than he was at her.

She stripped and stepped into the comforting water, letting the tears she couldn’t control wash over her face as she leaned back in the soothing water and bubbles.

Urs puttered about in the foyer, hanging all of her things up on hangers from the closet and leaving the door open to let them dry…

‘I should send all of this down to be dry cleaned in the morning…I can put a rush on it…and she has her other things in the duffle I’ve been lugging around…Scheisse man you are an ass!!...How could you be so cruel to her? She was hurt by what I said…and it was unfair…she’s the most feminine woman I’ve ever met, without even trying…it’s that damn job that makes her appear strong…and she certainly didn’t ask to be caught in a mudslide and tossed around…they ARE just bruises!....don’t take your insecurities out on her…just because you worry so much about her doesn’t mean you can be cruel to her in reflex….GROW UP!!!’

He finished and went back to the bathroom, peeking inside tentatively. She was in the tub, her head on the little pillow that flipped down to rest your head on, fast asleep but her cheeks showing streaks from tears and her lashes clumped together.

He knelt beside the tub, reached in and pulled the plug, gently slipping her into his arms and lifting her out. She woke but was still groggy and clasped him around the neck with a murmured ‘sorry, I’m just so tired.’

“Nein, Liebe…I’m sorry….I was an ass to yell at you like that…let me dry you off and get you into bed….”

“Urs…I…” she whispered against his neck.

“To sleep, my little princess…just to sleep, with you safe in my arms…”

He dried her off and carried her, still a bit damp, but warm, into the bedroom, depositing her in the big bed and quickly stripping off to join her. And as he had promised, they just slept, safely snuggled together.

**

Something held him back, tangled his arms and legs so that he could only move in slow motion, like in a bad movie. He struggled, trying to call out to her but no sounds came from his raw throat…a garish light lit the scene then flashed off, on and off, simulating movement as he caught glimpses of her, running, looking back in terror, stepping off a ledge and falling, tumbling down, down, down into a deep, dark, endless void, struggling in thick water that clung to her, holding her back from the shore where snarling swarthy men waited, armed men, waving long dripping blades, shooting black weapons into the air…he could hear her, crying out his name, see her reaching for him but he couldn’t move, a weight pressed down on him, holding him in place, making it difficult to breathe…and he bolted upright in the bed, his eyes flew open and he flailed out with his suddenly strong arms, knocking Izzy off the bed and onto the floor. She scrambled to her feet and crawled across the bed to him.

“Urs…You were dreaming…Urs…it’s me, your Bella…”

He grabbed her and crushed her to his chest, burying his face in her neck and trying to smooth out his breathing.

“It was terrible…I couldn’t get to you…I could hear you calling my name but it was like I was frozen, unable to move closer…Mein gott, Baby, did I hurt you?”

He pulled away and looked at her in the dimly moonlit room but she wiggled closer and he could feel her smile as she kissed his chest.

“No Liebe…it was more a shove that a hit…and I’ve learned how to bounce over the years…you scared me though…you were thrashing around and got tangled in the sheets…gott, Urs, you’re wringing wet….has your heart stopped pounding yet?”

He took a really deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I’m alright…this was a bad one…”

“You mean this is common? When did they start?”

He shrugged and moved to the edge, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“No, not really common…like not every night…just sometimes the stress kind of gets to me and follows me into my dreams…it’s Okay, Baby…I’ll deal with it.”

She was frowning, even in the dark he could see it when she sat beside him and turned his face so she could see in his eyes.

“You think too much, Buhler…that logical brain of yours worries a problem to death instead of just thinking it through and then shelving it or talking it out with someone if you can’t find a simple solution. There are all sorts of people who love you dearly…talk to one of us, talk to me…sometimes just saying what a problem is out loud makes the answer clear….and holding it inside like this will only make you ill.”

She was getting much to close to the real problem and after the draining episode of the nightmare he didn’t have the strength to deal with it right now. He leaned to her face and kissed her gently.

“I’ll handle it…I don’t want you worrying…it’s early days in the tour…I’ll get used to the routine…Liebe, I’m going for a quick shower, just to rinse off the sweat.”

He stood and left her with his implied statement that it was the touring that was causing all the stress.

Izzy straightened the bed, removing the damp lower sheet and smoothing out the top one which had been tangled around his legs. She was sitting with her back to the headboard when he came back out a few minutes later, fully ready to tackle the problem, not quite ready for the passionate kiss he gave her as he slid into bed…within seconds all thoughts of talking had vanished as his mouth and fingers worked their magic and they began creating a dream world of their own.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO …A WALK IN THE PARK

His body clock woke him in the early morning, in spite of the restless, then busy, night. The tenderness of intimacy had driven his nightmares away, not to return when he managed to sleep again, but this morning the memory was fresh and clear, disturbing, as he lay on his side watching Izzy still sleeping peacefully, one colorfully bruised arm extended with her hand resting on his chest.

His fertile imagination pictured her inside a tumbling vehicle, slamming into the walls, into the seats, bouncing off and hitting the ceiling…the urge to gather her close and never let her go was over-powering and he groaned audibly as he fought for control.

Her eyes popped open and found his face, searching for distress then smiling when he did in reflex, not wanting to alarm her.

“Good morning…no more dreams?”

“Guten Morgen, Liebe…not one…I think we may have found the cure. I slept like a very contented baby.”

She grinned and leaned forward to kiss his chest.

“Then we will have to see that the remedy is applied diligently while we’re together…”

“Right now I desperately need another remedy….the porcelain throne kind…be right back…”

He slid out of bed and raced for the bathroom, calling back over his shoulder…

“I’d like to go to the gym this morning…are you up for it?”

“Good plan…I need to work out the kinks,” she called back with a chuckle as she heard the toilet lid go up and a long sigh of relief from him.

‘He’s such a little boy sometimes…and I do understand why he lashed out last night…it’s like when a mother loses her child in a mall and she’s so relieved when she finds him that the first thing she does is chew him out for wandering off…it’s just a reaction because of loving so much…why can’t you see that, Urs?...if I was just a good piece of tail and nothing more to you then you wouldn’t care so much.’

He came back and jumped on the bed, landing partly on her and slipping his arms under her body to hug her tightly and nibble on her exposed neck.

“Yum! You taste good! Maybe we should have breakfast in bed…”

“If you don’t find me some real food I won’t be held responsible for what I take a bite out of, so be warned…and anyway I thought we were going to the gym?”

“Slave driver!!...yes…alright, out of bed, lazy woman before I’m tempted to have my way with you…but when we shower later, all bets are off.”

She wiggled out from under him, grinning as she headed for the Loo and muttered “Promises, Promises!!”

He was dressed in his gym strip when she came out of the Loo, teeth brushed and hair tidied…but still naked and apparently looking particularly delicious even though her body was blotched with bruises and in places slightly swollen. He advanced on her with a wicked gleam in his eyes and a smile that promised kisses that would make her weak…but she avoided his clutching hands by putting the bed between them.

“Juice, Buhler, Juice and maybe yogurt…even this posh hotel must run to juice and yogurt in the mini fridge.”

He made one more half hearted attempt to catch her then gave up, laughing as he made his way to the little kitchen attached to the suite.

Both requests were easily met and they stood at the French doors to the balcony looking out at the white city as the sun came up, sipping their juice and spooning yogurt from those small containers.

“I wonder how long we’ll be snowed in?”

“It’s amazing how quickly they clear up a storm like the one we had…the works department goes all out, sometimes asking for the aid of the Army but they get it done, usually by 24 hours after the snow stops…and it’s stopped now…that’s just drift from the rooftops that we can see…I expect by tomorrow things will be back to normal, at least here in NY.”

“We were supposed to be in Philadelphia tonight but it’s cancelled because of the storm…I hope they can reschedule for another time…it was a sold out venue and we all hate disappointing the fans.”

He set his empty container on the table beside hers and gathered her into his arms, looking in her eyes with an earnestness that made her breath catch.

“Liebe, I’m so sorry for yelling at you last night. When I saw how badly bruised you are something inside just snapped…it hurts me to see that you’ve suffered…what I said was cruel and unfair…yes, you are strong, but it’s not a macho thing because of being a soldier…it’s you, your character…you don’t give up, or give in, you’re loyal and keep your promises…boy, do you keep your promises… and even in those baggy clothes the first thing I noticed about you was how sensual, how truly feminine you are. With you it isn’t a put on thing of makeup and designer clothing, though you carry that off well too…it’s an inner glow, an assuredness that you know who you are, what you can expect from your mind and body…when I look at you I see a REAL woman…and I like what I see.”

At first a response wasn’t possible as he kissed her tenderly, caressing her lips with his. Then when he held her against his chest with his mouth nestled against her neck she was able so speak.

“Urs, I didn’t need an apology…I understand, really I do understand…and it makes my heart warm to know that you care so much about me. But at the same time It’s distressing…I don’t want you to worry all the time…I know how important this venture with the guys is, to you, and the others but also to Claude and Dee since your success now is what will secure Reve for you…you have so many responsibilities…I don’t want you to be worrying about me as well…when you worry, so do I and then my concentration is affected…that’s not a good thing for either of us.”

He had straightened and was watching her eyes grimly but now smiled and kissed her on the brow.

“Then it’s best we concentrate on exercising, Little Doctor…because of this storm we seem to have some free time…let’s not waste it…”

He took her hand and headed for the foyer, grabbing the two small gym bags in his free hand as they passed them.

“But Urs, we need to talk…”

“Later Liebe…let’s just forget about everything for a while.”

And so they went up to the rooftop gym to work out.

**

Urs sat for a moment on the bench in the locker room, a dejected figure in a tight black and yellow muscle shirt and matching shorts, his sneakers still gleaming white since this was the pair he only wore for indoor workouts…he was silently mulling over their conversation and not happy with his conclusions.

‘She loses her concentration…that can’t be a good thing in her line of work…she mentioned something once about that Newbie, the one who got himself killed, something about losing his concentration and making mistakes…so if she’s worrying about me she’s even more at risk…Gott…I have to put her mind at ease…I couldn’t live with myself if worrying about me got her killed!!...Scheisse…I can’t even go there…the thought of her dying is too much…and I can’t ask her to quit…for what? To follow me around the world and be ignored most of the time, filling her hours in by helping the wardrobe lady…that’s no life for someone as smart and vibrant as Izzy…but I can’t give her up…I WON’T GIVE HER UP!!’

With effort he stood and went into the gym where she was already warming up on the treadmill, her MP3 firmly clipped to her flaming red tank and her silky black shorts rippling as she increased her stride.

He stood on the edges of the next tread mill while he set the controls and stepped on as the belt began moving, increased the speed and incline and lost himself in the mindlessness of running nowhwere.

**

Even though the tour was in early days yet it was still nice to have an extra day for themselves. The airport opened about mid-day and Trish arrived to be swept away by an extremely happy David…they didn’t re-appear until the next morning and for once the other Divos didn’t tease their American brother about his disappearing act.

Urs and Izzy dressed warm and went for a walk in Central Park, a fairly safe thing to do since most of the criminal element would not be braving the nasty weather. It was worth the walk, the woods and the Sheep Meadow things of beauty in a pristine blanket of white.

“It reminds me of home,” Urs said as they wandered, two of a very few that had ventured out yet.

“Me too…I’ll bet Reve is really beautiful after a fresh snow fall…I know it looks lovely in Northern Ontario…I like to see the trees all glistening with snow and ice, like they were coated with diamonds.”

“There it’s best just at sunset, when the sun is dipping below the Jura and sends shafts of color over the fields…it’s like some playful gods spilled their paint pots over the landscape, all those colors blending one into the other and then slowly fading as the sun gets lower and disappears…then, as if by magic the stars pop out far above and they twinkle off the snow…it’s a beautiful moment.”

She smiled up at him.

“You have such a poetic turn of phrase now and then…I think at heart you are a real romantic, Herr Buhler…no don’t bother to deny it…you know you are…and it’s refreshing to meet a man who isn’t afraid to be tender and thoughtful.”

“I’m not afraid of much…except maybe you.”

She stopped walking and looked at him in surprise. He wouldn’t meet her eyes then when he did she could see that his were filled with sadness.

“Me? Why would you be afraid of me?”

“I’m afraid of losing you,” he said softly, gathering her close so tenderly that she felt cherished.

“You can’t lose me Urs…I will stay with you unless you send me away.”

He felt his heart lurch and tightened his arms around her crushing her to his body.

‘…and that, my dearest Liebe is exactly what frightens me…’

His hands came up to cup her head and he took her mouth in a kiss that screamed of desperation, brutal, bruising, consuming, wanting to devour her, to keep her forever clutched to him…but finally coming up for air with a sigh as he looked down at her flushed face and trembling lips.

“I want you…”

“I know…and I want you too, right NOW…but there isn’t even a tree to shelter us…”

“Our timing really sucks…”

“Big time,” she agreed with a shaky laugh.

“It’s an hour walk back to the Hotel…”

“Impossible…”

She looked around and brightened suddenly…

“Five minutes to the underpass…we would have to be fast…”

“No problem for me, Liebe…”

“Me neither…but I’ll get frost bite…”

He took her hand and her mouth in another bruising kiss then grinned as they began running towards the underpass.

“No frost bite…I’ll show you how…”

It was dark and damp in the underpass…they didn’t notice.

Mouths locked together as hands fumbled with zippers and buttons….he sprang free from his cage of denim, dark, proud, hard…she pushed her jeans and panties down…he stopped her just past her knees, sucking on her tongue, one hand inside her shirt, tweaking her breast then leaving to dip between her thighs and rub the heated nub of her clit.

He turned her, placing her hands on the wall and nudging her feet apart, the cold air whistling through the underpass making her bottom chill until his hands cupped her, kneading, spreading…and she felt his shaft swipe down past her puckered shell opening to touch her center…. And he thrust inside with a sharp lunge into the wet cavern, pausing as her body grasped him tightly.

“More…take me harder, Urs…NOW!!...”

His hands reached around her, one to her breasts inside her sweater, the other to rub her clit. All tenderness vanished…this was raw sex, animal rutting, a need so strong that all thought vanished and they moaned and writhed upon each other, his torso crushed against her back, her buttocks pounding back with a slapping sound as she met his thrusts, her feet widening to allow him deeper, harder…she swallowed him completely, muscles squeezing then her voice was a stifled scream when the spasms engulfed them both and their juices mingled with ripples that made them stop breathing.

“Mein gott!!!...Mein gott!!!...” he choked out between clenched teeth, the cords of his neck taut as his massive release made him dizzy.

This time there was no liesurely withdrawl as sanity returned and they adjusted clothing…Urs turned her so her back was to the wall, her jeans up but not zipped and he cuddled her in one arm, murmuring to her in Swiss German. Her whole body shuddered when he reached into her jeans to cup her mound and swipe his fingers through the mingled wetness, just as he always did after they made love.

“Share…” she whispered as he put his fingers to his mouth and he grinned as he thrust one beween her lips and let her suck on it.

“It’s part of my evil plan you know…the taste of our loving always sets you off again, just like it does to me…”

“You never cease to amaze me…you always come up with some new position or technique that is absolutely incredible.”

He removed his now clean fingers from his mouth and kissed her gently, dropping his hands to finish doing up her jeans and his.

“It’s one of my few skills on the Internet…I found a Kama Sutra site that’s animated…and very informative…I believe that one is my version of Gardabha, the elephant.”

“Maybe we could start on the first page and work our way through.”

He laughed and pulled her to him, hugging her and kissing her on the neck.

“Thank you, Liebe…I’ve never had a partner who was so willing to try new things…you fulfill so many of my fantasies.”

“That’s another thing I adore about you, Urs…making love with you isn’t just exciting…it’s fun!”

They ambled back to the Hotel, no longer in haste, eagerly looking forward to the rest of their free time, completely unaware of the drama taking place even as they laughed and talked.

In Izzy’s blood stream the penicillin that had been in her latest meds silently cancelled out the effectiveness of that all important birth control pill, leaving her open to something that would completely change their lives.

Deep inside Izzy’s body one still viable ova waited patiently for the valiant little swimmer who surged ahead of the thousands of others, wiggling his long tail as he rushed towards his goal, his sole purpose being to embed in the outer wall, then burrow inside to combine and create life.

**

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE…ROMANCE

It was a relief for Urs and Izzy to have Trish with them in the morning since that meant most of the teasing from Carlos and Seb was directed at the young Americans.

Trish shrugged it off with her natural good nature but David wasn’t accustomed to being the butt of jokes, only the instigator and first reddened furiously then became a bit agitated, for a moment considering finishing his breakfast elsewhere until Trish calmed him down.

“So, is everyone packed?” Urs asked in an effort to change the focus to something neutral.

“Haven’t even started,” David admitted with a grin at Trish, an error in judgement since his look implied that it was her fault.

“Don’t blame me, Stretch…I was ready to get busy packing but you still wanted to play Superman.”

Once again his face reddened and this time everyone laughed at his discomfort while Trish hugged him and he hid his face against her shoulder.

Urs glanced at his watch and turned to Izzy.

“I have an important appointment, Liebeling…it shouldn’t take me more than an hour and then I’ll be back. Anything you want to do before we leave for the airport?”

“I might browse through the shops in the Hotel Atrium but there’s really nothing I need. Oh, and I’ll pick up some magazines for the flight even though it’s a short one.”

He leaned down to kiss her then whispered in her ear… “Or you could browse through that animated site on my Bookmarks…”

She blushed, looking at the others to see if they heard, then grinning at him.

“Maybe I already have when you were in the shower…I may surprise you.”

He laughed and was still chuckling as he strode away, pulling his jacket on and adjusting the scarf around his neck.

He felt good this morning…she was here, with him and that damned phone of hers hadn’t buzzed with a message from her CO…not once.

He checked his watch again, not wanting to be late and flagged a cab when he stepped out of the building, gave directions and sat back to watch the buildings flash by. He was a man on a mission…the day after tomorrow was Valentines Day, the time for all romantics to get corny and cute, to be creative and the embodiment of romance…and Urs Buhler was on a mission to create all the romance he could. First stop… the Fed Ex office near the hotel.

**

Niagara Falls was lovely, coated with ice and snow from the storm, an unusual look for the tourist attraction that millions visited every year.

The Divos took advantage of their limited free time and went sight seeing, gazing in wonder at the majestic falls, Niagara, American, Horshoe, with the clumps of ice and banks of snow coating the surfaces and creating massive icicles that hung down almost to the Niagara River, in the gorge far below. The spray created rainbow effects that shimmered and faded, reappearing in another location so it became almost a game to guess where it would appear next.

Another game was avoiding the fans who had already arrived but that one held little success and after a while the Divos gave up and merely embraced the presence of these loyal fans, some of whom had come so far.

Urs met some lively women in the Atrium, one from the UK, another from one of the Midwestern states and chatted with them briefly, pleased with himself that he actually remembered seeing them in Wales.

Izzy was waiting for him near the entrance to Manuel’s Cantina, the small, exclusive restaurant/bar where they had planned to have dinner and she watched as he gave these familiar faces his full attention.

‘He’s so good at that…he makes eye contact and the poor women get lost in that hazel depth…and he’s really sincere, his interest isn’t faked…Look at that smile…it’s no wonder they travel clear across an ocean to be near him…ah, Swiss, this was definitely the right move for you…just wait until this tour is over and you guys tally up the hits and misses…though I doubt there will be many negative things to tally…you 4 are going to make it!!’

He signed some papers, accepted some small gifts with an almost shy, boyish charm, posed for photos with the cluster of women then graciously excused himself and treated them all to the newly famous Buhler prowl, the back view of him walking that made grown women swoon.

Izzy stepped into the restaurant ahead of him so that it wouldn’t be obvious that they were together and waited by the hostess’ station.

“Sorry, Liebeling…what delightful ladies…and they came from so far away. Good evening…reservation for Santores please,” the last delivered to the Hostess who had smiled and asked if she could help them.

They were escorted to a secluded table, just as he had requested and settled in to read the menus.

**

Urs finished quickly, already having decided from reading the menu in the suite and studied the woman across the table from him.

She looked especially lovely tonight…but of course he was prejudiced. He had noticed a few second glances from the men they passed, in the elevator, the lobby and now in the dining room…but then what red blooded man wouldn’t dare a second look.

Her dress was flame red, a simple design with low cut neckline and long fitted sleeves, the body of the dress skimming her curves to several inches above her knees, her feet in silver, extremely high heeled sling backs that made her legs appear endless and her ears shimmering with sparkling chandelier drops that reflected the hint of silver sparkle on her eyelids. The look could have been garish, even cheap but she pulled it all together with a sleek, elegant taming of her curls that gave her a fresh and polished look of high fashion…that and the assured manner she had assumed.

He smiled as he remembered her comment when he finished donning his suit and looked up to whistle when he saw her ready to go.

“I had to doll up a bit to match the suave Herr Buhler…we don’t want the fans to think you’re dining with some little country bumpkin.”

‘No danger of that,’ he thought as she replaced her menu on the table and smiled at him.

“You look deep in thought,” she said with a little wiggle of her eyebrow.

“Just thinking how like a chameleon you are…you adapt to every situation…it’s an amazing skill.”

“One we both have, I think…..have you already decided?”

“Long ago…and you…?”

“I’m waffling…why don’t you choose for me?…you know how I love surprises.”

The server came and Urs ordered for them, then entered a discussion with the sommelier about the available white wines, settling on one from Argentina as the most appropriate for their meal.

“You’ve been studying up on wines, I see. Claude will be impressed.”

“Sebastien has taken me in hand…but he is rather disposed to French…I can hardly wait to get him to Switzerland and see what he thinks of our wines…they are rarely exported you know.”

“Why is that?”

“I think up to now it’s been supply and demand…there’s so much competition out there for a share of the market and no-one has ever tried to gain a foothold. But we haven’t worried either since the demand in country is great and everything available is sold nationally…we do, however, win all sorts of awards in world wide competitions.”

“And are you and Claude thinking of expanding globally?”

“Maybe… it’s something we have to consider.”

The wine came and Urs tasted a sip, then nodded…the sommelier offered a taste to Izzy but she declined, deferring to Urs and he poured their goblets about half full before bowing and leaving the bottle in the ice bucket beside the table.

A small combo was playing Spanish guitar on a raised dais beside the miniscule dance floor, the music soft and melodious, one of the reasons he had chosen this particular restaurant. Tonight was not the night for raucous rock or metal, mariachi or anything obtrusive…no this night leading up to Valentines Day was a night for soft and sensual, the epitome of love and romance…and for Urs it had a special meaning this year, that being the reason he had planned the evening out thoroughly while still in New York. He had almost reached a decision about the direction of his life, the direction his relationship with this very special woman was going to take…and he wanted every moment they spent together to be special, memorable…. enough to last a lifetime.

“To success at all costs,” he said, raising his wine in a toast and Izzy raised hers with a momentary pause and raised eyebrow.

“To no regrets,” she countered and they clinked glasses and each took a sip.

‘Why do I have this nervous feeling?...Is it because he seems different somehow?…more intense…more…desperate…Oh god, Urs, don’t close yourself off to me…tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head…let me help you make whatever decision it is you’re wrestling with.’

The appetizer course came and they attacked it with gusto, a fresh and piquant Ceviche de Langostina, enhanced with the fresh Limes that had been flown in with the small Pacific coast lobsters directly from Mexico.

They chatted easily throughout their meal, the Sarandeado platter of grilled sea food, the special Mexican condiments of guacamole, home made Salsa de Casa, fresh hot tortillas and vegetabe platter, talking about the tour, the area they were in now and trips Izzy had made here over the years with her family.

It had been late when they started dinner and now nearly two hours had passed as they finished their wine and started on the second bottle, this time champagne to accompany their dessert, a luscious, delicate Creme Caramel.

The waiter cleared the table of everything except their flutes and withdrew.

“Dance with me?” He asked and she concealed her surprise, smiling and nodding her acceptance.

The floor wasn’t crowded, only two other couples dancing as if welded together as they took to the floor and moved together to the gentle rhythm of the guitars.

He was a good dancer, avoiding her delicate toes and guiding her with pressure on her waist from his firm fingers. She leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder and he sighed and bent, just a bit since she wore high heels tonight, to lay his cheek against her hair. She could feel his heart gently thumping, smell his light after shave, feel the warmth of his body…it was pure heaven to be held like this and let the music guide their movements, in unison.

They danced to a couple more tunes then Urs stood still and took her hand to lead her back to the table.

As soon as they were seated their server approached, carrying a silver tray with one perfect red rose in a crystal bud vase…and a tissue wrapped package tied with a red ribbon.

“Happy Valentines Day, Liebeling,” he said with a smile, briefly holding up his wrist so she could see that yes indeed, it was one minute past midnight….it was officially Valentines Day.

There was a card with the package and she lifted that off the silver tray first, her fingers shaking a bit as she opened the envelope and smiled across the table at him.

“My own special Isabella:

You are my lover, my friend, my confidante…when I look at you I see someone who is unique, strong yet delicate, beautiful beyond compare, someone who stands out among the millions of copies who can not even come close to your perfection. You have filled an emptiness in my life with your purity and unselfish sharing…I can ask you for nothing more…you have already given me everything.

Urs.”

Just reading the card brought tears to her eyes and when she opened the package they began to quietly flow.

Inside, resting in a black velvet box on a cushion of more black velvet was a necklace with a tiny card… ‘Design by Urs Buhler…crafted by Heinz Copf’…it was stunning, a thin platinum chain embedded with tiny platinum snowflakes at intervals with a pendant of a large snowflake, crusted with Pave diamonds and with a large perfect stone as the center. Even in the subdued lighting of the restaurant it glistened and shot rays of fire across the table as she lifted it and let it lay on her shaking fingers.

“It’s what I see when I look at you…there are no copies, no one to match your purity and beauty… I am honored that you allowed me into your life.”

He rose and took the necklace, placing it around her neck and leaning down thinking to kiss her on the neck…She turned her head and captured his head with her hand, gently taking his mouth in a trembling kiss that made his knees weak.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said when she released his mouth. He stroked his long fingers over her cheeks, wiping the tears away and smiled down into her eyes.

“Sure you did…that’s why you did something so very special…and so secret…Urs it’s perfect…I love it…but it will be difficult to be everything you think you see.”

He sat down, beside her this time rather than across the table, pulling his chair around so that their knees touched.

“You can’t help yourself, Liebe…it’s in your nature to be who you are, no subterfuge…you are the most understanding, real woman I’ve ever known.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, then smiled that sultry look that made her heart leap. “I need to hold you…will you dance with me again?”

This time he held her so close she could feel his arousal against her belly and squirmed tighter to him, the swollen buttons of her breasts pressing tight to his chest.

“Are you teasing me?” she whispered.

“Maybe…is it working?” His hand slipped lower, the fingers just touching the swell of her bottom and he pressed firmly, pulling her even closer.

He was smiling down at her, fully aware of her rapid breathing, of the glaze coming over her deep green eyes, the flush on her cheeks, empowered by the sense of achievement he had that he could so easily make her feel this way….but there were drawbacks…hiding his own arousal was going to be difficult unless they left…NOW!!

“Let me love you, Bella!”

“Oh yes!”

**

They went back to the table and Urs flagged the server, requesting the cheque, gave him his credit card and waited for the receipt, sitting next to Izzy with his arm around her shoulders, his free hand under the table caressing her silk clad leg.

Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers brushed against her mound and she squirmed…he smiled and tightened his grip on her shoulders holding her still…and inched his fingers under the lace of her panties, well hidden by the drape of the table cloth.

She had little control of her body, her hips sliding forward enough to allow him access as he plundered between the already wet lips of her mound, tenderly fingering the swollen clit that awaited his touch.

She hid her face in his shoulder, gasping for breath, whispering his name….

The server came back and Urs withdrew his hand to sign the credit card slip, licking his fingers as he separated the sheets and tore out his receipt.

He slipped the jewelry case in his pocket and they left, arm in arm, a handsome couple who stood quietly waiting for the elevator and fortunately entering it alone.

The moment the doors closed they came together, his feet spread apart as he ground his hips against her, mouths joined and consuming each other in a hungry, passionate kiss that left them drained and unaware when the doors opened on their floor.

Urs caught the doors just in time and pulled Izzy after him down the hallway to their suite. They made it as far as the bedroom doorway, leaving a trail of hastily discarded clothing in their wake. Urs was unwilling {or unable} to wait any longer and pinned her to the door frame, dropping to his knee and burying his face in her mound until he felt the spasms of release start…He picked her up to sit in his cupped hands and plunged inside, thrusting as they became one, her legs locked around his waist, his body pounding against hers as they reached, reached, reached and swept over the top with cries of wonder.

He sank to his knees again, still holding her, riding the waves of pleasure that consumed them both, until at last he could stand and carry her to the bed to collapse.

“What was that called?” she murmured, her eyes still closed but one hand idly playing in his chest hair.

He chuckled.

“I think we’ve started a new page…”

She stroked her hand lower, skimming through the nest were they were still joined and laughing when she felt him jump.

“I love how hairy you are…hairy and just a bit curly…it’s so silky, not at all like your beard when you don’t shave.”

“And I like that you don’t get one of those Brazilian jobs…it seems unnatural somehow even though the curls sometimes get in my teeth.”

She laughed and bit him lightly on the chin.

“Ah the lengths you go to to give me pleasure!!....and you do, oh my how you do…remember our first time…I took one look at your package and nearly ran screaming into the night…but we fit, which really surprised me since you are rather generous.”

“It’s because you respond so passionately…if you weren’t so wet we might have a problem, maybe have to use KY…”

“Urs…”

“Yes, Liebeling?”

“You’re growing…”

“Problem?”

“Hell, no!!…”

He laughed and rolled over kissing her with his hungry mouth, letting the games begin, again.

**

Izzy woke in the morning to the gentle kisses that were creeping across her bare shoulder and opened her eyes to smile sweetly at the smoky eyes gazing at her with longing.

“You better have something naughty in mind and not just ‘get up lazy woman and lets go to the gym!’” she murmured with difficulty since the minute she turned her face to him he began fluttering kisses across her mouth.

“Naughty sounds like fun…I think we just finished being naughty about 3 hours ago.”

“Ha!!” she said with a laugh and a brush of her hand down his chest and stomach.

“You never ‘finish’ being naughty! Urs, are we trying for some kind of world record that I know nothing about?”

He laughed and hugged her, sliding down in the bed until his mouth was level with his favorite ‘Toys’.

“By my reckoning we have exactly one week including today before you have to go to New York to give your report and I have to go on to Seattle. I don’t want to waste any time.”

She arched her back and moaned as his mouth began working his magic on her breasts, pulling, teasing, making the buds engorge and flicking with his tongue to make them even larger.

Her fingers threaded through his hair and she left herself drift, responding to his touches, not thinking, just feeling, enjoying a lassitude that crept over her, making her body limp and pliant as he moved her, changing position, giving her pleasure, giving totally, unselfishly until she shuddered in ecstasy.

She felt boneless when he came back up to cradle her in his arms, her face nestled in the crook of his neck.

“Gott how I love to watch your eyes when I give you pleasure…it’s almost like you suddenly go blind…the pupils change color.”

She leaned back so she could see his eyes, the hint of sadness in his voice not something she had expected.

‘Why is he sad? Does he have some wild idea that I don’t like what he does to me? Or is it something else, something that makes these moments of desperation more frequent? You are making me nervous, Swiss…I can almost feel you holding something back, something I won’t like.’

“Shower time,” he said with a pat on her backside then he swung his legs out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

“And your turn,” she murmured, as she caught up to him and cupped his tight butt. She felt his sharp intake of breath and grinned….so he WAS still ready…maybe she could help him shake whatever this mood was.

**

They met up with the others at the breakfast buffet, ready for the schedule ahead of them, sound check and then the concert this evening. Trish was still with them, which sort of subdued David since he wasn’t as prone to playing jokes on the others when she was around to occupy his mind…and hands.

A small group of fans were seated at a table on the other side of the spacious dining room, but had the courtesy to not approach while the Divos were eating. It didn’t, of course, stop them from staring but already the guys were getting accustomed to that and it seldom bothered them.

“So Trish are you going to be able to join us in Australia? Izzy can’t…her CO wouldn’t give permission to travel that far since she’s supposed to be near enough to always be on call.”

“I might swing it late in the tour but so far it isn’t looking good…I should be able to meet up again in the UK though…that will be nice…I haven’t seen Felicia for ages.”

“Sounds the same as my schedule…and I haven’t seen her since the UK on the Promo tour, but I read something a few days ago about the show she’s in…she’s really making the headlines in Spain.” Izzy said.

“I talked to her for hours last night,” Carlos said, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows so they all got the impression that the conversation had been rather hot.

“It’s going to be a long month with none of you ladies around to pretty up the place,” David commented, giving Trish’s hand an affectionate squeeze.

Later Izzy realized that Urs was silent throughout this exchange, something she hadn’t noticed at the time but sitting in the empty stands while he was engrossed in sound check it suddenly popped into her mind.

‘He’s doing it again…keeping things inside rather than talking it out…is the month apart worrying him?...or is he thinking about what I’ll be doing while that month passes?...I would never cheat on you, Swiss, you must know that…then what is it? Somehow, tonight after we get back to the suite I have to get him to talk to me…and I can’t keep it in any longer…I’m going to tell him that I love him…no more stalling…when we talk tonight, I’ll find a perfect time and tell him!!’

She watched him up on the stage, discussing the level of the mix that the sound guys were trying to get, making suggestions, listening intently to what the others had to say then agreeing or arguing his point…in short doing what he was born and trained to do. The worry lines were gone, his face mobile, displaying his emotions, when the tracks and the sound was perfect, his grin showing how he felt about what they were achieving. He moved around with his usual grace, sitting on the steps with his long legs stretched out in front of him, tapping on his thighs in time to the music, mimicking the drum roll at the end of a track, totally in his element.

She laughed quietly to herself…he was very relaxed and focused…and it had only taken making love 4 times to get him to this state.

‘We’re going to have to be very inventive with our Im’s to get him this relaxed when we’re separated…Cyberspace, prepare to get steamy!!’

Sound check finished and the guys stood for a minute talking, then each went their separate ways. Urs leaned down to place one hand on the edge of the stage and jump off, landing on his booted feet and taking long strides to reach Izzy….and the bottom fell out of their neat little world.

Her phone rang, for the first time in several days the damned phone rang and they stared at each other for a moment in dread, both knowing instinctively that this was not a call that was going to make them happy.

Her eyes were pleading with him to understand and he sighed, reaching for her hand and squeezing it.

“I know, Liebe…you have to take the call.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR….DECISIONS

She spoke to someone for several minutes, then disconnected and wouldn’t meet his eyes at first. He reached out and gently tilted her chin so he could see her eyes.

“Tell me.”

“Back to Chile…only a turnaround trip…the ex-Marine who lead the SAR team has had an angina attack, quite serious…he needs a stent put in and with the emergency of the disaster there’s no one available down there to do it in transit if needed…they need someone who can accompany him to Walter Reed in Washington and perform the surgery if an emergency arises on the way…I owe him, Urs…if he hadn’t been so determined to find us, we all would have died buried in that mud. I have to go.”

“Of course you do…and at least this time you can keep in touch. How long do we have?”

“The helipad on the roof of the Hotel in one hour…well less than an hour now.”

“Then we better get you packed up.”

He took her hand and quietly lead the way out of the auditorium and to the waiting elevators. They were both silent, not sure what to say or do, hurting and not sharing their pain as they should have, neither wanting to put pressure on the other.

‘Why today of all days? I can’t tell him I love him and then take off…we need to talk but there just isn’t time…how much is he going to brood between now and when we can be together again in the UK? Providing of course we can, that I’m not sent somewhere…’

‘Alright, I can do this…I can see her off again without being selfish and asking her to give up everything and stay with me…she would go insane with nothing to do…Why can’t I just be proud of the fact that she’s so well thought of, so much in demand? Gott, she may have to cut that guy open and put a little tube in his heart…HIS HEART, for gott’s sake…that doesn’t even come close to comparing with hanging out while I sing, keeping busy pressing wrinkles out of my suits…’

The mood between them was strained as she packed her things, separating the work outfits from the civies, each of them trying to appear calm and collected for the other but succeeding in forming a cool division instead.

“You won’t have much time between flights in New York so I’ll send my things down to be couriered to the flat…Tonio will put them inside.”

“Good idea…I’ll leave my computer on so you can IM me if you get a chance later tonight…we had a surprise for you tonight…we’re adding Isabel to the performance.”

“Oh, Urs…I love that song! It makes me shiver the way you sing my name.”

He could see that telling her may have been a mistake as her eyes became shiny with tears and her lower lip quivered as she looked at him.

“Everytime I sing it I will think of you, only you, my Isabella,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his chest, his fingers stroking her back in a soothing caress.

They finished packing and called the concierge to have her extra luggage picked up, then stood at the French doors looking out at the city and the ice covered falls.

“Do you have to go into the danger zone again?” he asked, his chin resting on the top of her head as she leaned back against him.

“No…the patient was air-lifted to Santiago and is stable at the moment…they’re just afraid to move him without someone ready to operate if needed.”

He was quiet and she could almost hear his mind whirling as he sorted out thoughts and emotions.

‘Five weeks…it will be five weeks until I see him again…it isn’t the ideal moment but I have to tell him, now while we still have a few minutes to talk…’

“Urs,” she said softly, turning in his arms to face him…and the buzzing door bell caught their attention. He sighed and kissed her brow…

“Hold that thought, Liebe.”

He answered the summons…of course it was the porter for her luggage and they took a few moments to sort out the details of where it was to be couriered to.

He glanced at his watch as he closed the door and frowned.

“I’m sorry, Baby…it’s time to go to the roof.”

**

They watched the helicopter approaching in the distance from their little nook beside the heat vents, ducking back out of the wind that was playing havock with the flags atop the building.

“IM me as soon as you can…and stay out of danger!” he said, tracing the curve of her cheek with his fingers.

“Urs, please, don’t let yourself worry…what I’m doing this time isn’t dangerous…it’s more or less a babysitting job…”

“I can’t help it…I care about you…and it’s in my nature to worry…I’ll be fine…just make sure YOU are.”

She hugged him until he thought he could hear his ribs creaking.

“I would do anything to make you happy, be anyone you want, give up anything you asked me to, just to know that you have pleasant dreams and are able to give your performances everything you can.”

This time his parting kiss was one of desperation, his eyes haunted by some secret knowledge that made her shiver, his mouth taking hers in a range of emotions that ran from consuming to caressing, butterfly kisses to devouring…was he trying to build memories to last for 5 weeks or a lifetime?

The cross winds buffeted the chopper, making it an intricate manoeveur to land and they became engrossed in watching as the pilot slowly managed to bring it under control and set down on the illuminated circle.

Urs kissed her gently once more as a soldier sped across the roof to them to collect Izzy’s bag.

“You are so very special…I don’t deserve to have you in my life,” he said just barely audibly…and released her.

“Ma’am? Ready to board, Ma’am?”

His last comment had shaken her and she reached out to touch his arm, but he was turning away. She sighed and followed the soldier to the transport, turning to look once more at Urs who was now huddled in the lea of the vents, his shoulders up to his ears and hands in his pockets.

She waved and he raised a hand in farewell…she boarded, strapped in and the wind made their ascent rapid as they slipped up and sideways and were soon lost in the drifts of snow spraying from the tops of the high buildings.

**

‘Danken Gott fer gymnastik!!’ he thought as he increased the incline and speed on the treadmill and stretched his long legs out rapidly to keep up.

He had gone back to the suite and changed, without any conscious thought deciding that working out was better than the relaxing he had planned before tonight’s performance. Relaxing would allow him to think, something he wasn’t looking forward to at the moment. Even now, with the punishment his body was enduring thoughts of her crept in, especially what she had said just before leaving.

Did she really mean what she had said about giving up anything, doing anything to see that he was happy? Of course she did…Izzy wasn’t one who idly made promises or statements that she didn’t mean. The thought was frightening, not what she had imagined possibly, but for him the thought that she cared that much was a big responbility…HUGE!!

He couldn’t allow her to give up what she had worked so hard for all her life….to do what? Follow him around like some camp follower of old, available to provide succor to the soldiers as they went on their travels…Izzy was too intelligent for that…there was too much that she had to offer the world, and herself…she would change if she was forced to a life of menial work or sloth…and she was perfect just the way she was…he didn’t want her to change.

He glanced at his watch and realized that it was time to shower and get ready for tonight’s show, slowed the treadmill as a bit of a cool down and gradually stopped it altogether.

Back in the suite he showered and shaved, wrapped a towel around his loins and went to the little frig for a container of yogurt, hoping to settle the burning in his stomach.

“I can do this…all it takes is focus, concentration… all those years of training, working regardless of how you felt…that was all practice for tonight….later you can think about where this relationship is going, about your needs and most importantly hers…Ach Mein Gott…we’re doing Isabel tonight!!’

He felt the room tilt and cursed himself for being a wimp, again for the decision that was already almost made and the way it would hurt…both of them.

**

The venue was small, meaning that their entire set could not be used but the intimacy of it was pleasing to both the audience and performers.

Tonight the red scarves of the fans were out in full force, possibly because of it being Valentines Day but more likely due to the audience being solidly packed with Divas.

As always the guys were on their game, performing, bantering, raising their voices in song and charming the fans who lapped it up eagerly.

Carlos, Seb and David noticed that Izzy was absent but only after they saw how distracted Urs was as they got ready. His moodiness was back, worse than ever and as one they tried to cover for him, joking quietly, trying to engage him in conversation about other things, anything that might lighten his mood.

David, perceptive as always, broached the problem to Urs.

“Buddy, do you want me to tell the band we won’t do Isabel?”

Urs looked at him in surprise, still not really believing that his expressive face always gave away his feelings to people who knew him this well.

“I’m alright, Davey…once we’re out there it will be fine…then later I have to make some decisions…I can’t go on like this for another 6 months or more…but tonight…it will be fine.”

And it was for part of the show…until they started Isabel.

His first solo part, Urs lost himself in the words and music, closing his eyes and stroking the mic stand as if it were alive, a lovely woman he just had to touch reverently. His voice caressed her name and tears threatened behind his closed eyelids, so dangerously close to spilling that he instinctively turned away and squeezed the bridge of his nose to curb them, a movement caught by both David and Seb.

They exchanged looks, silently agreeing to be ready to cover if needed.

By the emotional end of the track there were tears on his cheeks that he couldn’t hide. In the interlude between songs when he should have been introducing the next track, David took over, chatting with the audience while Urs took a few steps back for a drink of water. Seb moved next to him, smiling though his whisper was full of concern.

“Mon ami…se que Mai Je fais? Etes vous competent a se passer ? «
{“My friend…what can I do? Are you able to go on?” }

Urs nodded, wiping his cheeks surreptitiously while he had the water bottle raised and smiling at Seb in thanks .

They both returned in time for the intro of the next track and performed the rest of the concert brilliantly.

**

They bussed the short distance to Detroit and conquered the Motor city just like everywhere else they had been, then on to Chicago before flying back to New York for more TV appearances.

In public they were a unified front, smiling, gracious, ever the professionals…behind the scenes it was another matter.

Tempers were strained and the tension overflowed into their soundchecks. Each of the men tended to go their own way when not needed to be ON and most of it was due to the lack of sleep and stress that the confused Swiss was putting himself under. He argued, he sulked, he blew up over next to nothing, dissolving the poor wardrobe girl in tears at one point and causing one of the band members to throw a stack of score sheets at him another time.

Sebastien, the pacifist, decided that enough was enough and gathered the other two to make an unexpected call on Urs the night before they were due to head out to Minneapolis.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Carlos said as they waited for Urs to answer the knock on his door.

“We ‘ave to clear the air…we ‘ave many more months of living in each others pockets and can not go on like this…something is hurting him and we ‘ave to do something.”

Urs threw the door open and stared at the deputation waiting outside. He looked tired and depressed, his eyes shadowed, hair an oily mess, in sharp contrast to the neat and tidy suite they could see behind him.

“You look like a lynch mob,” he commented wryly as he stood aside to allow them in.

A joke…that was a good start.

“Urs…we need to talk,” David began but Urs held his hand up to cut him off.

“Ja, we do…I haven’t been myself lately, I know that…and I’m sorry…I have a problem and I’ve been taking it out on everyone, trying to delay a decision that I know I have to make…and don’t want to.”

“You’re leaving Il Divo?” Seb whispered with his voice strained.

“NO!!” from David.

“Impossible!!!” boomed out of Carlos.

“That was one of my options but, no, I am not about to leave the group…unless of course I get booted for being such a miserable bastard lately. No it’s something else entirely and I’ll take care of it just before we leave for Australia.”

He looked at them and sighed. Instead of the relief he was hoping for he saw that they were watching quietly, waiting for him to explain…alright, he owed them that much at least.

“Ever since I met Izzy and began seeing her every chance we got I’ve worried about her when she’s away with her work…you know how dangerous it can be…well it got so bad that I’m nearly afraid to sleep because of the nightmares…even when she’s with me I’m on edge, waiting for that damned phone to ring…it’s not like she had a regular job and we could make plans…they yank her away whenever a mission comes up and I don’t know where she is or for how long, if she’s alright or not…at least you guys can talk to your ladies, can make plans to be with them and see the plans realized.”

He leaned forward and rested his face in his cupped hands, not really wanting to say it aloud and make it real.

“I’ve thought about what I should do…quitting the group isn’t really an option…I’ve put too much into it…and anyway Izzy would skin me alive if I did…she really believes we are going to be successful…and asking her to quit her work and follow me around isn’t an option either…she’s too talented, too intelligent to sit around doing nothing. I thought about it until I felt like I was going crazy…and decided that I have to ….. to break up with her, for her sake as well as mine…the last time we were together, in Niagara Falls I know she could sense that something was wrong…I can’t have her worrying too, losing her focus…with me that means I forget my cues or the lyrics…with her it could mean she gets dead.”

He looked up and winced when he saw the shock on their faces.

“You can’t!...anyone can see that you two are crazy about each other!” David said, shaking his head violently.

“All the more reason to do it now before we get in any deeper. I don’t have the time right now to fall in love…now is the time to work hard on my career…and I can’t do that well if I’m making myself sick with worrying.”

He stood and they all knew that the discussion was over…Urs-the-uber-private was back, having revealed more than he wanted or intended.

“You guys want a beer?” he asked and they accepted, each of them wondering just how successful Urs was going to be in ending the affair and forgetting about the little medic.

**

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE…A VERY BAD MOVE

Izzy closed her laptop and stared at it in dismay. Was that really Urs that she had just been talking to on IM? He seemed so different, so…cool…maybe distracted. They had chatted about the weather, her trip, the concerts she was missing but it was all superficial, like talking to a very distant cousin, out of duty. There were no ‘Liebe, I miss you’s, no reminders of making love, no mention of plans for meeting in the UK….and it ended by him saying he would talk to her soon, perhaps when they got to LA…that was in 3 days time!!

A pretty little Chilean nurse stopped in front of her in the Doctors’ Lounge and smiled shyly.

“Doctor Santores? Your patient is awake and wishes to discuss the transport to America.”

She smiled at the young woman and rose, shelving her own problems and insecurities for the time being while she attended to the needs of her patient….but deep in her subconscious a feeling of impending doom was growing.

**

He was never air sick…until this flight.

The minute the concert in San Francisco was over he sprinted for the waiting cab and sped to the airport to catch the red eye to New York, making the flight with only minutes to spare, leaving the others to get ready for their long flight to Australia.

Once in his seat and strapped in he dug a tube of antacids out of his jacket pocket, a water bottle that he had managed to spirit past security out of his pack and swallowed two of the stomach settling pills before leaning back and trying to relax.

This was the right thing to do, not easy, far from it, but the right thing. Anyone with any class at all did not break up via e.mail…no, it had to be in person, regardless of how his stomach churned and the ulcer that the doctor in Seattle told him was brewing in his stomach wall burned. No more flux-like symptoms once they had got over the trauma of parting…in a few weeks he should be feeling better and Izzy should be getting on with her life…her very useful life.

Fishing in another pocket he found the Gravol that Carlos had passed him and popped one under his tongue, freeing the ‘Barf Bag’ from the pocket of the seat…just in case.

She would be sleeping now, dreaming maybe, her sweet face calm and relaxed, those long lashes fanned out over her freckled cheeks, the curly hair tousled…perhaps wearing the old Harley shirt she had stolen from him…

He forced his mind to stop picturing her, to stop torturing himself and creating doubts again. He could do this…he had to do it and then they could both get on with attaining the goals they had set for their lives.

**

The cab dropped him off at the end of her street and he stood for a moment looking at the nearly empty sidewalks. It was early, just a bit after 7A.M. and not many people were out heading to work yet.

Tonio’s still had the metal grill drawn across the front of the shop, the awning retracted and only a dim night light on inside the building. Further down the street an elderly man with a grocery cart walked nimbly along, tossing rolled newspapers onto doorsteps, stopping to pet a cat perched on the steps of one house before going on his way.

Urs walked stiffly down the street, pausing at the entry to her place but giving in to the urge to flee and going on further down the block, not quite prepared yet to hurt her the way he was sure he was going to.

‘She knows something is wrong…I could tell in that last IM…this is kinder, to end it now, quick and clean, not stretch it out and make it worse…’


He walked past the entry to the basement suite one more time, fully aware that she was inside but not quite having the nerve to do what he had decided must be done.

How many hours had he thought of the situation, agonized over it, trying to come to a logical decision? How many sleepless night had he tossed in his lonely bed, robbing himself of much needed sleep, going on stage the next day with extra makeup to hide the dark circles under his sad eyes? He couldn’t go on like this…even Sam had noticed how distracted he was, how forced his reaction to the fans was…that bout of ‘Flux’ he had claimed to have, had really been anxiety about Izzy…This time he knew where she was but usually the questions were chilling…{Where was she? Was she in danger? Injured? Gott forbid, worse?} He needed to get his focus back, to concentrate on his career, the concerts, the tour…the only other option was to ask her to quit her job and he couldn’t do that, couldn’t strip her of everything that made her feel useful to wander aimlessly around the country with him…and so that meant ending his relationship with Izzy…. so be it!!

He moaned quietly, actually in pain as he thought about never seeing that face again, never sharing love with her or those precious quiet moments of togetherness, never hearing her laughter…

He spun around and returned swiftly to the entry, through the squeaky gate and was knocking on the door before he had really thought about what he was doing, then he fidgeted, with his hands rammed in his pockets and shoulders hunched up around his ears as he waited for her to answer.

He saw the light in the peephole change as she looked out, then the door was flung open and she was smiling at him, that huge grin that he loved, all teeth and sparkling eyes, freckles that danced across her cheeks, her adorable body barefoot and encased in form- fitting grey sweats and an old blue tank top as if she had been working out.

“Urs!!! I thought you were on your way to Australia!!”

She reached out to grasp his arm and dragged him into the apartment, shutting and locking the door swiftly then turning to wrap her arms around his tense body.

“Urs…what is it? You’re wound so tight…tell me…” she said leaning back, surprised when he didn’t return her embrace.

‘This is not good…he’s so distant…oh, please Urs…don’t do this…I’ve seen it coming but it hurts…my god it hurts!!!...tell me I’m wrong…’

“Isabella…we need to talk,” he said softly without meeting her eyes…and her heart shattered into millions of pieces.

He moved into the Lounge and perched on the edge of one of the comfortable chairs, not removing his short black leather jacket or even his black and white boots, every line of his body emitting the tension he felt, his hands clasped together between his knees, knuckles white from the pressure of his grip.

“I…I can’t do this anymore…I worry about you all the time when you’re away…I don’t sleep…or eat…my voice suffers, my performances are substandard and it’s beginning to be apparent how forced it all is…you know I have to make a success of this venture…and to do that I need to focus…and I can’t…I…care about you,…so much that I’m making myself ill…”

Finally he looked up and met her eyes, his glistening with pain and suppressed tears as he blurted out his decision.

“I thought about it until just thinking made me ill…I can’t ask you to give up your work and I’m not prepared to give up mine…there’s only one viable solution…We have to end this, Izzy…now…before we get in any deeper…before it’s impossible to move on…I’m so sorry….”

She was still standing, close to the door, seeming frozen in shock as she watched him struggle to say what she had been dreading for weeks now.

Now she moved into the room, stopping an arms length in front of him and reaching out to stroke his ashen face, just once. She sighed and moved away, turning her back and grasping the solid back of one of the dining area chairs for support, unable to face him and say what she must.

“It’s too late for me, Urs…I can’t get in any deeper than I already am…I love you…I think I’ve known it since that first day at the cottage and it has only become stronger with each passing day…I love you so much…I tried to tell you so many times but made the mistake of not being honest with you…my love for you consumes me, my thoughts, my feelings, my whole heart, even my soul…and you won’t admit it to yourself or to me but you love me too, I know this as surely as I know that I will love you forever…and I do understand…I want what is best for you, no matter how much it hurts me…there are other ways we could have worked this out, Urs, but until you admit to yourself that you love me, they are impossible….”

She turned to face him once more, her heart aching as she watched him struggling with his pain.

“You’ve changed, slid back into your old way of keeping things bottled inside, of not talking things out with me…I would have been willing to do anything to make you happy, to help you enjoy life but you locked me out….I saw it happening the last time we were together, even making love with you was different, almost an act of desperation as if you were trying to block out reality… but there was nothing I could do unless you let yourself love me.

“Just remember this…I will always love you…if you ever realize that you need me in your life, I’ll be there waiting for you, no matter how long it takes…now please go!!...I’m going to cry and I don’t want you to see me.”

Once more she turned her back to him, not responding when he softly said her name, wincing when she heard the door gently close behind him and sliding to the floor in a heap as the tears streamed down her face and sobs wracked her body.

**

She ate because her body needed fuel, bathed because it was a habit to be clean, worked out until she was exhausted because that way she wouldn’t dream as much…in short, existed though it wasn’t really life.

The report at the UN passed with mechanical efficiency. She went to Toronto for the Regimental Ball, but it was impossible for her to endure so she sent her regrets and became a hermit in the flat in Toronto or walked miles throughout the snow-bound city, not even tempted when the new shipment of gems came from Brazil and Trudi gushed over them.

It was almost a relief to get a call from her commanding officer regarding an assignment, where, didn’t really matter, so long as she would be busy enough not to think.

Unfortunately there was far too much empty time…on the flight to Africa, the traveling by truck in Darfur once they had collected their equipment and boarded the transport, waiting for the government official to show up, 4 hours late which was pretty good for this part of the world.

After a few attempts at conversation her team left her alone, the one word responses telling them that the Major was not feeling sociable and they retreated to talk among themselves, shocked that she was so different this time but allowing that anyone was entitled to bad moods now and then.

Negotiations were different this time too. No longer did she have the patience of a saint, gently leading the rebel kidnappers to the agreement she wanted as she had in the past, babysitting the government official through the intricacies of give and take…this time she delivered an ultimatum and when the rebels balked she began to walk away in anger. Fortunately they were desperate for the offered medical supplies and chased after her, making threatening gestures but backing down when she drew her weapon and offered to ‘end your miserable life’… …negotiations were then completed in record time though the rest of the team was in shock and knew that it could have easily gone the other way, in a bloodbath.

“I’m sorry…I guess that wasn’t very professional of me,” she said quietly to Sally as they returned to Base. “I’ve been kind of out of it for a few days….it’s so hard to focus …”

“Off the record?”

She nodded to her closest military friend, actually her closest friend anywhere, peering at her in a guilty, sidelong glance.

“You scared the **** out of me!...You do realize that if they hadn’t been so desperate we could have all been killed? What were you thinking, Izzy?”

She sighed and raised her sand goggles to rub at her eyes, dropped them back in place on a dust streaked face and slumped in on herself in despair. They were alone in the back of the rattling truck, the official sitting up front with the Corporal and the techs in the Jeep that followed behind with the two released hostages.

“Urs dumped me…well to be fair he made a special trip to NY on his way to the next venue to tell me in person, but basically he broke up with me…”

“Another woman?”

Izzy laughed but it was not a happy sound.

“NO! That I could fight…his career…and mine…he worries too much about the danger I’m in…he wanted out before we got any more attached…I feel like some one cut my heart out but won’t let me lay down and die. Sally, I would have resigned my commission to be with him if he had just said he loved me…but he didn’t.”

“You’ll get over it in time, Izzy…he’s only one man out of millions…give it time,” Sally answered but there was a wistful look on her face that showed she didn’t believe her own words.

‘I know you mean well, my friend but you’re wrong…he’s my soul mate, the man I’ve waited all my life for and I will NEVER get over him….NEVER!!’

There was no point in arguing about it so she remained silent and curled up on the floor of the truck feigning sleep as they created a dust storm, barreling along the sandy road, back to civilization, to a bleak and lonely existence without the man she loved.

**

She hadn’t even finished unpacking when her cell phone rang. She took the call from her commanding officer and agreed, looking around at the few items out of place and thinking how easy it was going to be to pack…it was almost done already.

“Yes, Sir…half an hour…no, it’s not a problem Sir…I can just as easily sleep on the flight.”

‘I don’t want to sleep…every time I close my eyes he’s there, in my dreams, telling me again and again that we have to end our affair….is that all it was to him? Why doesn’t he accept that he loves me…I know he does…he used to show me all the time…am I so wrong about him? Concentrate, girl…you have a job to do…so suck it up and do your duty!!!’

Running on automatic she dumped her laundry into the hamper, threw her extra fatigues into the duffle bag, stuffed cookies and fruit from the kitchen into the outside pockets and put her boots back on. She squeezed her laptop into the top of the duffle bag and closed it, sitting it beside the front door, ready to go and scrawled Cody a quick note on a Post It.

‘Was here for almost an hour…sent out again…RATS!!!...was hoping to get my head straight by going to the Bridge…nearly got us all killed last mission…can’t focus…maybe time to quit? Need to talk to you, Big Brother…
Luv ya!...Freckles

BTW Urs ended it with me…Hurts, BIG TIME!! I love him so much!!’

She stuck the note on the mirror of the dresser just as the knock came at the door…her transport was here.

**

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX…AFTERMATH

Urs

It seemed as if the flights he was on would never end…first back to the West Coast, nearly a full day behind the others now, then a connecting flight to Hawaii and airborne again, hopscotching across the world to meet up with the others in Australia. The worse thing about the flights other than the length was the time he had to think.

‘David always tells me I tend to over think things…have I done it again? Did I make the right decision for both of us? Mein Gott it hurt to see her so upset….and she says she loves me…how could she love me when I’ve done this to her?...Bella, I was so sure you understood… my career comes first right now…I don’t have time to be in love, not the way it should be, spending time together, showing you how much I care…how much I love you…Scheisse, what am I saying? NOT NOW!! I CAN’T BE IN LOVE NOW!! Mein Gott what have I done?’

He pushed the button to raise the seat back to upright, earning himself a grumble from the sleeping man in the next roomy seat and craned his head looking for the attendant. She was occupied at the small galley so he carefully slid out past his seat mate and wandered down the aisle.

“Would it be possible to change to another seat? I’m very restless and don’t want to disturb the man next to me…I’m sorry to bother you like this…”

Even the jaded attendant wasn’t immune to the Buhler charm, albeit it was rather subdued at the moment and his appearance had been better. There was something sad and confused about the sweet smile he gave her, his eyes a bit reddened as if he had been either weeping or trying to control the need to. She patted him on the arm and nodded.

“There is a double seat empty, row 1, Mr. Buhler, if you would like to move there…Could I offer you something, a liqueur or something else perhaps, to help relax you?”

“Nein, Danke…thank you…just the move will be sufficient…I have some thinking to do.”

“Forgive me for being so personal, Sir…but sometimes it’s best to sleep on a problem and approach it later with a clear head.”

He smiled and turned away, going back to collect his few bits and pieces and moving into the window seat in row One.

Only a few minutes later the attendant quietly came to him with a brandy snifter on a small silver tray. She held it out to him with a smile and a raised brow and he almost refused the offer, then shrugged and took it, inhaling the aroma as the golden liquid swirled gently in the crystal, then taking a sip, holding it in his mouth to taste the warmth and when the bite of fire started, let it trickle down his throat, following the path it took as it warmed him from the inside.

**

IZZY

Columbia never ceased to surprise her. The city of Bogota was so modern, clean and efficient, with all the attractions that any tourist could want…medical aid was excellent and readily available, transportation had been efficiently planned to accommodate the thriving populace, schools had very high standards and the shopping was as good or better than most European countries could offer. Yet just a few short miles away the jungle seethed with primitive lives, animals, plants and man locked in a struggle to survive, an eat or be eaten environment that was so necessary for the balance of the ecological system of the world.

As usual they were quartered in one of the luxury hotels, not in the most expensive suites of course, but in ones that were more than just adequate. They got settled then met the aide to the official who would go with them for the negotiations, chatting with the rather starchy young man in the bar, one of those men who had a smidgeon of power and thought he should wield it often when among lesser mortals.

Izzy quickly put him in his place, taking over the conversation and stressing the fact that as the ranking member of the UN she would be calling the shots, that his boss would merely be along to confirm the agreement that the government already had faxed to her. The young man left and as soon as he was safely away Izzy and Sally burst into laughter, relaxing in the comfortable surroundings.

“Oh that felt good…he was such a pompous ass…it’s the first good laugh I’ve had for weeks…Sal, I’m so sorry for the way I’ve been lately…this break-up with Urs has hit me so hard…no, please, don’t say how I’ll get over him in time…I won’t…I would take him back in an instant if he walked in here right now and said he loved me…I think this is my last mission…when we get back I’m going to resign my commission…I can’t do this anymore, not without getting someone killed, probably myself…all I think about is him…about being with him…wondering what he’s doing, thinking that if I had just done things differently, told him earlier how I felt, what I was prepared to do, then maybe…”

“Izzy I know you don’t want to hear this but what if he’s with someone else now? He could be, you know…”

Isabella stared at her friend for a moment then sighed.

“You want to hear something really sick? I hope he does hook up with someone…maybe then he’ll see that what we had was very special…at the very least he will be able to work without being frustrated all the time…and he won’t be able to stop himself from comparing what we shared with what another woman would be willing to give him….maybe he’ll even realize that he loves me.”

“And if he doesn’t?...”

She could almost see the cold wall come down over Izzy’s eyes as her friend took a deep breath and rose from the table.

“Then somehow I’ll have to get on with my life…but I don’t know how…at the moment I see nothing in my future but loneliness.”

Sally watched her leave the bar, cross the airy lobby and walk out onto the street, a small rigid figure, trying to be brave but hurting, in more pain now than when she had been wounded while on missions.

**

Sally was still awake when Izzy came back.

“Long walk…did you grab some dinner?” she asked as Izzy toed off her boots and came in the Lounge to slump in a chair. She unwound her long frame from the sofa where she had been reading the latest J.D. Robb book in her pjamas and waited for the tired Major to answer.

“I think I might be pregnant.”

“You can’t be…you’re a doctor!”

Izzy laughed, a bitter sound that did nothing to lighten the mood.

“I’m a woman first, you twit. I’ve been suspicious for a couple of weeks but put it down to nerves from everything that’s been going on…I missed 2 weeks ago and the one before that was just spotty…maybe that helped to make me so irrational in Darfur…and I still haven’t had any real signs ...AND I’ve been too much of a coward to take a test…until now…”

She pulled a box out of her pocket and held it up…a pregnancy test kit.

“OMG!! Izzy what will you do if you are?”

She rose and began shedding her uniform as she headed for the bedroom.

“I’ll love my child enough for two parents…and start taking extra vitamins.”

“Will you tell him?”

She stopped and squared her shoulders before turning her face to Sally to smile sadly.

“No, because I know what he would do…and I don’t want him because he thinks it’s his duty…only because he loves me.”

Fifteen minutes later she came from the bedroom, having changed into a long white robe over the cotton tank and shorts she liked to sleep in, carrying the narrow test strip as if it were a poisonous snake. She placed it on a tissue on the coffee table and sat on the edge of the chair watching the little window, only taking her eyes off for a second when Sally moved closer and took her hand.

“You want it to be positive, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

And it was.

**

They sat up far into the night, talking about what would happen now, what Izzy’s plans would be for the future, trying to be logical and organized but both were infected by the joy that she felt.

URS’ child!!! It was a dream come true even though the circumstances could have been a bit more ideal.

“NOW I have a reason to live, to be healthy and as happy as possible…no matter what happens in the future, I will always have a part of him to love.”

“I thought you were still on the pill? I remember picking them up for you at the QM.”

“A new prescription…the others interacted with my Dengue meds and made me nauseous so the Base doctor changed them… obviously whatever I was taking affected the potency…I wonder if the meds had any penicillin in them? There’s been a new study done lately that claims penicillin decreases the potency of the progesterone and estrogen in birth control pills….whatever it was, his little swimmers managed to find a viable egg and ‘Bingo!’”

“So how far along do you think you are?”

Izzy thought back and counted off the weeks.

“It must have been somewhere between New York on the 10th of February and Niagara Falls on the 14th….so that works out to about 9 or 10 weeks…that means a November baby, Sally…November is Topaz, Citrine or Pearl…all stones of peace and creativity….if you believe in that sort of thing of course.”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“Tonight I’m going to enjoy the feelings I have rushing around in me…tomorrow will be soon enough to send a fax to General Haggerty requesting an emergency leave….then when I can think clearly I may submit my papers to be de-commissioned …I make plenty of money off the shops for the two of us to live quite comfortably…and if I’m able to work full time at it I can make even more, if necessary… you know, to put away for University or buying a house somewhere….Oh Sally, how I wish I could share this with Urs,” she said, her voice strained, rising in pitch, with the ominous crackling sound of tears close to spilling.

Sally was appalled…in all the time she had known Izzy she had never seen her so close to tears…it frightened her to see this very human side of her usually strong friend and she quickly steered the subject onto safer grounds.

“So I guess this means I have to train a new boss, doesn’t it? Please, try to have some input as to who replaces you…That newbie they sent us as a temp was clueless.”

Izzy laughed, then sobered when she remembered that the poor newbie had been killed…his fault, but dead is dead and he took a good soldier with him.

“Now I’m hungry…I’m going to order something from Room Service…you want anything, Sal?”

“I had dinner….but I could do a burger justice…and some fries…and a beer.”

Izzy laughed as she went to the house phone.

“Urs always commented on my healthy appetite…too bad he never saw you in action…and that skinny body of yours never gains an ounce.”

They spent their time waiting for Room Service by browsing on the internet, checking out the Parenting sites and the sites that had tiny clothing and furnishings, reading the lists of names, doing all the things that news of an expected baby prompted an intense interest in. Sally gradually relaxed when no more tears were on the horizon…for now.

**

Somehow the waiting no longer seemed so tedious. In spite of being awake late, or early morning as it was, they both rose early and breakfasted in the hotel dining room, then went back upstairs so Izzy could compose and send her fax to General Haggerty requesting an emergency leave.

They dressed in civies and went browsing in one of the huge malls, zeroing in on the Baby stores and Maternity wear, both of which Izzy didn’t need at the moment but it was fun looking and dreaming. She actually found a book, in English, on Pregnancy and bought it though her training had laid a good foundation for anything she would need to know over the next few months…by that time she would have settled somewhere and have an Obstetrician who would handle her gestation.

They were walking back from the mall when she paled and stopped, standing frozen in place for a moment and making Sally’s heart thud.

“What? Are you alright?”

Izzy smiled and laughed nervously, starting to walk again, slower now.

“Yes…no…well I just had a scary thought….I have to tell Cody…he’ll want to kill Urs…he’ll want to take a round out of me too but of course he would never hit a woman so I’m safe, but Urs…Scheisse!!! I’ll have to be VERY careful how I tell him.”

Sally nodded in agreement, having met the burly man many times and fully aware of what his capabilities were.

“Do me a favor…let me know when you’re going to tell him…I don’t want to be in the same country when the explosion happens.”

Izzy smiled wryly.

“Thanks…I was hoping for some support from my very best friend.”

“Hey, my Mama didn’t raise no fool! I’ve seen the size of those biceps!”

**

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN…ONE LAST MISSION

They checked for e.mails and though there were a few, didn’t find the one that Izzy expected from the General, so they went to the pool area and ordered a meal from the cabana boy assigned to their section.

After lunch they sat on the deck by the sparkling blue water of the pool and baked in the soothing heat of this tropical winter weather.

They dropped their coverups on the foot of a couple of loungers and Izzy looked down at her still flat stomach.

“Won’t be long and I won’t be able to wear this anymore,” she said straightening the ties on her very skimpy green bikini.

“It won’t matter…you’ll be back in Ontario and up to your bottom in snow, so enjoy it while you can…I’ll bet the Swiss Rock God loved looking at you in that.”

Izzy shook her head.

“We never got around to swimming…skiing, snow- mobiling, a lot of walking, rock-hounding, climbing…lots of things but the one time we had a chance to have a private dip in a pool we were too busy looking at the house he wants to buy.”

“You coming in the water?” Sally said in an attempt to divert the sadness she could see creeping over her friend.

“Maybe later…go ahead and I’ll grease your back for you if you do mine when you return.”

Ten minutes later Sally came back from cooling off in the almost warm water and noted the pensive look on Izzy’s face.

“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” she said more as a statement than a question. “Your eyes get all soft and wistful and you get this little smile on your mouth whenever you think about him.”

Izzy laughed at being caught reminiscing yet again.

“It’s hard not to…I was thinking about how we went rock hounding…his first time out and how thrilled he was to find something worth keeping…little things like that please him so much…you should have seen him when we went skiing on Christmas Holidays…it was like he had been set free, the way he skied down the Piste, full out, not a care in the world, going airborne and laughing with the thrill of it…he’s such a natural athlete…Oh Sally I miss him so much…the sight of him, the feeling of his long fingers on my skin, the scent of him…”

The struggle to control her emotions was almost more than she could handle. She took a deep breath, warding off Sally’s comforting grasp of her bare shoulder.

“Don’t…please don’t…I find that lately I don’t handle sympathy well. Talk to me about…something…your bike…no that won’t do…he loves motorcycles…ARGH!!!! Everything reminds me of him!”

She stood suddenly, spilling her plastic tumbler of juice as she dashed to the edge of the pool and dove in, doing several lengths in a rapid crawl before coming back somewhat calmer.

Once they were both stretched out again and sunbathing, liberally greased with sunscreen against a burn, she smiled at Sally and thanked her for her patience.

“People not in our profession don’t realize how difficult it is for us to deal with depression without taking the easy way out…there are so many painless ways to end a life and in our line of work we have access to most of them…I went through a mental list of many of them when Urs and I first split up…but there must be something in my character, some character flaw I guess that made that a non-viable option. I wanted the pain to end but except for a fleeting moment I couldn’t even consider doing myself in…it would have been so easy…but it’s such a cowardly, selfish thing to do…I couldn’t lay that kind of guilt on him, on my brother, my friends.”

“So instead you hung around and tortured us with your bad moods…good thinking there, Major!!” Sally said with a grin, knowing that Izzy would take it as the joke that it was meant to be.

Izzy laughed and grinned back at her.

“My ultimate act of selfishness is wanting this child so desperately…he…or she…is my lifeline, my little part of the man I love, someone who will love me unconditionally if I do my job right…at least until the teen years…if this is all I ever have of Urs, it may have to be enough.”

**

She replaced the handset and looked over to where Sally was carefully watching her, waiting to hear what appeared to be bad news.

“The meet is on…FARC has agreed to the latest proposal without any more discussion and wants to meet us at the usual airstrip for the handover. I don’t understand…they ALWAYS negotiate for a better deal…this is so out of character for them…and I haven’t heard from the General yet…it will probably take at least a week for a replacement, and FARC wants to meet tonight.”

She sank onto the nearest chair, dropping her face into her hands and scrubbing as if that would help make the decision.

“We’ll have to go…if they are ready to deal we have to make the meet and sign off on the deal, bring those hostages home…” She rose and straightened her spine, assuming her military demeanor and issuing commands to her subordinate.

“Call up the Sergeant and Corporal, let Corporal Ullman sleep…he’s no good to us if he’s needing to stop every few K for a Pit Stop and the meds I gave him for Montezuma’s Revenge won’t have had time to work yet.…you and I will have to take turns driving…we’ll meet them at the parking garage in an hour and pick up the aide on the way….he has to go since his boss is out of town. I’ll use my cell and have the kitchen pack us a selection of fruit, juices and sandwiches…it might be a long night.”

**

From long practice they began checking their supplies, kept ready in the foyer closet: med kits, extra uniforms, Izzy’s side arm and extra ammo, the back up she always gave to Sally even though it wasn’t regulation, dried rations and emergency equipment of water bottles, flashlights and GPS locator with a small short-wave radio.

Before the hour was up they were dressed in combat fatigues including flak vests, helmets hanging loosely from their belts, berets on, arm bands with the Red Cross symbol slid over sleeves and the heavy backpacks slung over their shoulders as they made their way down to the basement level garage.

“I never get used to dressing like it was below zero in these hot climates…it’s nearly 10 at night and I’m sweating like a pig already…must be nearly 35 Celsius once you’re out of the AC suites.”

“Suck it up, girl…I have a very bad feeling about this meet…we may need these hot vests,” Izzy said with a grim smile, wishing she could have refused to go. The possible deaths of the hostages if they had refused would have weighed heavily on her conscience so there really was no option but to agree.

The Sergeant and Corporal were waiting when they reached the SUVs, springing to attention and saluting when the two officers approached.

“Stand easy,” Izzy said and passed her back pack to the Sergeant.

“Tub, you and Allie can have the Aide for the first little bit…he’s going since his boss is still out of town…the Louie is going to drive the command vehicle and lead until we’re out of the city then we’ll switch off. By that time you should be sick of the SOB and we’ll take him….there’s a military outpost at that Barrio about half way…we’ll gas up there and top up the spare cans if needed. Keep your eyes open…I have an uneasy feeling about this one.”

‘I just have to get through this one and it’s over…why didn’t I call it quits before? Would it have made a difference in how Urs felt about our relationship? Stop it, you fool…you can’t second guess the past…just get on with it and then make a life for you and your child…’

They headed out to pick up the aide….one last mission before she could change the direction her life would take.

**

Once the annoyed, and annoying, aide had been picked up and stowed in the back of the second SUV they wound through the nearly empty streets out of the city, taking the wide expressway as far as possible then cutting off onto secondary roads and into the jungle.

It was tedious, not a great deal to see even though the moon was full and the night sky clear but for the huge glowing lunar orb and millions of twinkling stars. Occasionally they would come upon a cluster of the huge, hump backed cattle who for some strange reason preferred to sleep in the dusty road and were slow to move out of the way.

They passed a few tiny villages but the further they went into the lush tropical growth the farther apart the settlements were, each one quiet and the inhabitants sleeping after a hard day of toiling in the fields cut into the jungle growth. It was a hard life for them, the jungle constantly trying to claim back the land they had cleared, growing at a rate that meant constant work to maintain their fields or lose them.

One hour passed, then two and they stopped to stretch their legs just outside of a sleeping village, trading places in the vehicles, Izzy and Allie driving now, while the aide slept fitfully in the back seat of the second vehicle, waking now and then with a start and grumbling about the discomfort then falling asleep again.

At three hours they reached the Army outpost in the barrio and showed their ID, were admitted and gassed up, used the primitive facilities, gulped some excellent coffee that the night cook shyly offered and were off again.

“We’re only about an hour out now…Keep your eyes open….I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy making me jumpy or something else but I have a really uneasy feeling in my gut.”

“Me too…and I’m not preggers…” Sally answered as she adjusted the seat to upright so she wouldn’t be lulled to sleep.

Izzy chuckled.

“It’s probably just nerves…you know, the last time out and it would be Murphy’s Law to finally have some disaster hit…we’ll likely laugh about it later.”

“Here’s hoping.”

Half an hour later the headlights picked up a blockade across the narrow road. In the lead once more, Izzy slowed, coming to a stop about 10 yards before the barrier of a very large, canvas topped truck. Armed men stepped into the roadway, pointing their weapons at the SUV’s as they approached and calling out in rough voices for them to stay inside with their hands visible.

Nearly a dozen men spread out along the sides of the road while a man came down each side of the vehicles, inspecting the occupants grimly with glaring flashlights then calling out to some unseen truck driver.

When the truck moved out of the way they were told to continue, slowly did so and breathed a sigh of relief as they continued.

“Well that’s one hurdle jumped,’ Izzy thought as she changed gears and moved further along the road, making the turn into the abandoned airfield.

Her headlamps picked up movement, then the shape of several trucks and a loose cluster of armed rebels. Movement to the side became more rebels, all brandishing their weapons, all silent, as she came to a stop once more and took a deep breath, reaching for the ignition to turn off the motor.

Slowly and carefully both she and Sally stepped out of the SUV, leaving the lights on since none of the rebels had made any effort to provide lighting.

Izzy scanned the faces staring at them, searching for the hostages but not finding anyone who seemed to be a prisoner. Her gut twisted again and she could feel her pulse racing…this was not good.

“Major…” Sally said softly, her instincts telling her as well that there was something wrong.

Suddenly there was the sound of a scuffle behind them at the other SUV and Izzy swung around to see what was happening, her hand dropping to her unclipped holster.

The Aide was running, foolishly trying to scamper into the surrounding jungle, leaving his UN guards alone to try and deflect the aim of the rebels who had raised their rifles to cut him down.

Shots rang out, the Aide stumbled, more shots, then a scream, everything happening so fast and in such confusion that Izzy hardly felt the blow to her legs that sent her sprawling in the dust. She heard Sally shouting… ‘NO!!… EMBARAZADA*!!’ …felt a kick to the side of her head and escaped into blackness.
*Pregnant

**

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT...AWAKENINGS

Urs:

The drizzle seeped under his collar and trickled down his back under the light brown leather jacket, a fact he hardly noticed. Glasgow didn’t seem the same this time, none of the fresh views as seen through HER eyes, no anticipation of the big dinner at the Castle…somehow the concerts, an extra added by popular demand, were just like all the others…work, something to be done and done well, to further the all important career.

He walked the winding, hilly streets until his legs felt leaden, turning to retrace his steps when hunger pangs reminded him that he hadn’t eaten more than a couple of slices of toast and that had been hours before.

His objective had been to find the house with the ‘pretty doorway’, the one that she had taken the photo of on their trip here …why?...he had no idea…it seemed important to actually see it, to savor the feeling she had experienced when she saw it.

He laughed at himself, a harsh, bitter sound in the quiet, wet street, causing a passerby to glance at him nervously and increase her pace, eager to get some distance between herself and this sodden, laughing stranger. What a fool he was…he no longer could even remember if that picture had been taken here or at another of their stops…

The chiming of a huge clock reached him through the incessant patter of rain…time to get back and clean up a bit before sound check…not that they needed much since the venue was the same as last night, an extra date that management had crammed in with little thought to how tired the performers already were.

Australia had been a delight…for most of them. At that time his pain was too fresh, something that he handled by working out in the hotel gyms until exhaustion dragged him into dreamless sleep. He seldom joined the others in their beach pursuits, as always claiming that he didn’t handle the extreme heat all that well. He functioned on autopilot, enthusing mildly with Seb over the woman he had met and seemed crazy about, putting on his professional mask when in public, giving his performances everything he had, losing himself in the music as his only real means of escaping the torment he constantly felt inside.

It was supposed to have been so easy…break up, grieve for a few weeks then get on with life…after all they hadn’t known each other for long…and she was only one woman out of the thousands that he could have chosen from…Right!!! The problem was he loved her and that very love that should have been something to revel in, to celebrate, was consuming him with guilt and longing.

And now the dreams had started again, worse now, violent, bloody dreams that had him waking in a cold panic, disturbing what should have been refreshing sleep…all the same, increasing in frequency, in detail until he was nearly afraid to close his eyes for fear of re-living the same scenario again and again: standing on a stage, performing, while in the audience armed men surrounded his freckled Little Doctor, beating on her defenseless body, slashing at her with bloody machetes, poking her with the muzzles of automatic weapons, laughing as she bled on dusty ground…the audience cheered, clapped, sang along, unaware and uncaring, and he watched, rooted in place, singing, the music pouring from him in an unstoppable stream while his mind screamed her name…silently.

He turned in at the Hotel and plodded up the steps to the lobby, crossing the polished floor without a glance at the ornate walls, the sumptuous furnishings and the old world grandeur of the majestic building.

Just as the lift doors were about to close, David slid his tall body between them and grinned at his friend, his cheerful face not giving away the thoughts that raced through his mind.

‘Geez he looks like Hell! Urs…Buddy…I wish there was something I could do…I think I need to talk to Trish…women always seem to know how to handle stuff like this…none of us do, that’s for sure…but we have to do something… it’s only April…we’ve got at least another 4 months till the real end of the tour…he’ll never make it at this rate…especially when we hit the hot climates again….’

“You going to shower before sound check? You look half frozen…and very wet.”

Urs looked up at his friend, taking a moment to process his comment.

“Ja…it’s nasty outside…don’t worry…I won’t catch a cold and be unable to sing.”

“If you do, I’m e.mailing your mother for some of that syrup you told me about once…that’ll teach you to come in out of the rain,” David said with a smirk, choosing to ignore the sharpness of the reply Urs had made.

Urs shuddered, then grinned, the first real Urs’ grin David had seen for days.

“Sorry…I’ve been a bit…grumpy lately haven’t I…”

“Oh really? Haven’t noticed…I’ve been too busy taping up the cuts from some *****y comments…seriously, Urs…if you need to talk, you know the three of us are always here for you.”

The lift stopped on their floor and they stepped off, heading down the hall to their suites.

“I know…but I’ll work it out…just be patient a bit longer.”

He stopped at his door and inserted the key card, nodding to David as the tall man placed a hand on his shoulder for a friendly squeeze then moved on to the next suite.

**

He glanced at his laptop, sitting on the little dining area table in silent orange splendor and grimaced. Would it do any good to check and see if she had sent him a message?

NEIN!! The disappointment would only fan the flames of loss he was trying to subdue.

Resolutely he went on into the bathroom, shucking his clothing on the way through the bedroom and stepping under the blast of hot water that was almost able to peel his chilled skin.

Twenty minutes later he stepped out onto the mat and reached for the towel, catching sight of his naked form in the large vanity mirrors.

His mobile face twisted into a frown. He hated his body, the way it betrayed him, the way it had NEEDS, especially when he thought about …HER. It was almost impossible to shower without his hands finding the old familiar rhythm, even when his mind was saying ‘Don’t!’. It did help but only temporarily, then the ache was back, not just for relief but for tenderness, for laughter…for Love.

Yes, he loved her…but he would get over it…it was his fault…he had burned his bridges, so now he had to get over it…somehow.

**

Izzy:

She swam back up through the haze to consciousness, aware first of the scent of unwashed, sweaty bodies, mingled with fumes from a large vehicle. The pain in her head was secondary…she was accustomed to pain, chucked it into a compartment in her brain to deal with later and opened her eyes, feeling a moment of panic when all she could see was a brown/grey haze….a cloth…there was a wet cloth over her face, presumably placed there to keep the swelling of her aching temple to a minimum… Sally…that meant that Sally was alright, had attended to her….for sure the rebels would never have been so thoughtful.

She reached up to remove the cloth and felt a familiar hand take her wrist.

“You were kicked in the head…don’t move around too much.”

Sally removed the cloth and the light streaming in the open top of the truck was temporarily blinding. It was morning.

“I must have been out a long time.”

“In and out…you surfaced a few times but just for seconds…I checked your eyes…no concussion…he pulled the kick away from your stomach so it didn’t get you full force.”

She turned her head carefully to look around.

Her ‘bed’ was on the floor of the truck, presumably one of the ones they had seen at the airport…the bench seats were occupied by 5 grim looking men of varied ages, most sporting the mustaches that Latin men were so fond of, all but the one sitting near the opening with their eyes closed, resting after a long night. Sally sat Indian style beside her, bruised about the neck and cheek and one arm showing a streak of blood, her flak jacket gone along with her sidearm and holster.

She automatically felt for her weapon…Gone!...of course, that would be the first thing they took, but her slight movement had made the chain around her neck slither coolly across the top of her breasts …BOTH of the chains, so she knew that her Sodalite pendant was nestled with her dog-tags under her khaki tee shirt. Somehow the fact that it hadn’t been taken from her was comforting.

“The others?” she asked softly and in English, earning herself a frown from the wakeful guard.

“The Aide was wounded in the leg…they had me tend to him…Tub and Allie tried to help him…they’re both dead, shot in the attempt. Then they stripped anything usable from the SUV’s, loaded us in and took off…we’ve been driving all night…from what I pieced together it was the Aide they wanted…he comes from a rich, politically powerful family…you and I were a Bonus.”

The guard poked Sally with the muzzle of his weapon, demanding that she stop speaking English…she switched to fluent Spanish, though they didn’t talk much now…what was known had already been said.

‘So it finally has happened, the thing I dreaded the most each and every time we went on a mission…at least it’s here in Latin America not somewhere that we would have to wear those hateful burkhas…dumb, Major, really dumb…you’ve been kidnapped and all you can think about is fashion!...Thank Gott Urs and I aren’t together!...he would go mental if he found out …it’s just what he would have needed with all the stress of the tour…he’s in the UK now, Europe next month…you were right, my darling Swiss…right to get out before the bottom dropped out of our cozy little world…but they won’t keep us long…neither Sally nor I are worth much when it comes right down to it…maybe a truckload of medical supplies from the UN…we should be out of here before more than a couple of months…I just have to be patient and co-operate, keep our baby alive and healthy until then…our baby…why do I persist in including Urs when I think about the baby?...well it is his baby too….maybe someday he’ll know…’

The truck barreled on over the bumpy roads, winding deeper into the jungle, under the sheltering canopy that at times obscured the sun, heading…they had no idea where, just that it was into captivity.

**

Urs:

If anything the pace increased, six more concerts added since the demand was there…but it meant sleeping in fits and starts on the buses or flights enroute to the next venue, since they were back to back, seldom with a travel day in between as had originally been planned.

There was no time to do more than the necessities, eat to stay alive, wash to be presentable, squeeze in yet another fitting for the suits and shirts they needed, race from the back door of venues on to the waiting buses and collapse for a few hours peace, check in to hotels that they were seldom in for more than a few hours, sound check, performance, meet and greet, buses or flights again…

Urs attitude seemed to improve, only because there was no time for him to think of anything except work, music, rehearsal, soundcheck, performance, work…not even the occasional workout to vary the day’s itinerary.

All four of the men lost weight, their healthy light tans had to be enhanced by the stylist as the lack of free time meant they faded…tempers frayed and had there been time, words would have been said that would be regretted later.

The UK part of the tour was done for now and they moved on to conquer Europe in the same manner, each of them in his own way counting down the days until the promised 2 weeks off at the end of May, right after the concert in Hungary.

Zurich seemed to be the breaking point for Urs.

He had managed admirably, never letting down the group or the fans for weeks though his personal torment was extreme…and not getting any better.

Forty-two members of his family came to the concert in Zurich, many arriving the day before on the 11th of May and visiting with Urs at the Hotel.

At first the mood was light and happy but that became slightly strained when invariably those who had met Izzy at Christmas time asked about her, wondering if she was going to be coming to Zurich. It didn’t take long for Mami to realize that all was not well with the relationship and word was passed not to ask about the pretty little doctor that everyone had taken such a liking to.

When almost all the family had gone off to dinner or their rooms she quietly sat beside him on the sofa. She took Urs hands and waited for him to tell her. Instead he dissolved in a puddle of tears against her bosom and she held him much as she would have when he was very young, letting him have the healing purge of tears until he no longer wept, just nestled against her, telling her what had happened in short, almost incoherent sentences that only a mother could piece together and have make sense.

“Ach, Mein Sohn!!...if only you had talked to her, told her of your love…this woman would have walked through fire for you…a little thing like a career change would not have bothered her, not if she knew of your love for her.”

“I couldn’t tell her…I couldn’t even tell myself…I was so sure that I couldn’t have both, Bella and success for the group…and now it’s too late.”

“Is it?” Marta said, brushing the tangled mop of curls back off his wet face and forcing him to sit up.

“Are you waiting for her to contact you or have you taken the first step? You hurt her terribly, Urs…it’s up to you to make the first move to smooth things out…she said she will be waiting for you…be the man I believe you are and reach out to her…if nothing comes of the attempt at least you will have tried.”

She watched the emotions chasing across his face as he thought of what she had said and reached out to tap him on the forehead.

“You have always been a deep thinker, my little Ursy…no, don’t frown at me…when you were very little I would call you that, when you wanted me to fix some little problem you had…. you will always be my little boy, but this time I cannot solve the problem for you…. You must do this yourself. Just know that sometimes it is prudent to not think too much, to merely go with what you feel in your heart…now I am off to my bed. Go for a walk to clear your head of all the troubling thoughts, sleep and I will see you at breakfast. Tomorrow I will be the proudest Mami in Swiezerland when I hear and see my sohn sing with his friends at the Hallenstadion.”

He sat leaning back in the chair for a few minutes after Marta kissed him good night and left for the suite he had reserved for her, then sighed and got up to take his new suede jacket from the closet, pocket his key card and go out into the fresh night air.

Standing on the steps of the Hotel he breathed deeply, realizing that for the first time in weeks he felt almost at ease, as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his body. Had it been the release of tension when he let his emotions flow in an outpouring of unmanly tears? With Mami it was natural to revert to being a little boy again, to ease his torment in such a child-like way. Or was it simply that he had listened to Mami’s advice and was now prepared to go with what his heart wanted? In only a couple of weeks he would have more than 2 weeks off to make an effort to speak to Isabella...perhaps she would turn him away, perhaps not…at least he would know….she had said she would be waiting …somehow, between them they would work this out.

His step was lighter as he walked for a while, almost attaining the cat like prowl that he was known for. When he returned to the hotel it was with a heartened spirit…he had the beginning of a plan now, something that could ensure them a future…together again.

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE…COPING

Izzy:

The guards, who were almost as hungry as the prisoners, paused them at the edge of the heavy laden banana trees, growing wild but still producing delectable fruit. The leader sent several of the men up the trees to cut the heavy hands of fruit, some weighing more than 100 pounds and lower them by rope to the ground while the prisoners waited, salivating at the thought of having an abundance to supplement their meager rations.

Izzy and Sally sat with several other women, grateful for the rest from marching, as with the others, hunger never far from their minds.

Except for the shortage of supplies and the almost constant changing of camps they had been treated fairly well. Rumor had it that at last they were going to the main camp, deeper in the jungle and that prisoners were treated better there, that there was even an infirmary, something that made the two UN medical workers happy. For the past weeks of their captivity they had only had the limited medical supplies from their SUV’s and with all the minor ailments and accidents that seemed to happen with appalling frequency, those had long since been used.

Both women had lost weight, the remnants of their uniforms hanging loosely on emaciated bodies even though Izzy was now approaching her 15th week of gestation and should be showing a nicely rounded tummy…as always in cases of deprivation the baby took what it needed and the host mother was left with little to sustain her own body…so she looked gaunt, her legs fairly strong from the constant walking from camp to camp, but her body boney and thin, feeding off her own muscles to sustain life. And Sally was little better since she insisted on sharing her rations with her pregnant friend, something that at first the little doctor refused, then when Sally threatened to not eat at all she accepted, knowing better than to try calling her bluff.

“If we get more than one, we should try to save them for later…eating a whole bunch now will only make us sick,” Sally whispered and patted the handy rucksack she had fashioned out of an abandoned duffle bag. She had developed a talent for finding extra bottles to carry water on their treks or edible plants that most of the time didn’t make either of them throw up.

“Save the green ones…they’ll last longer,” Izzy whispered back and Sally nodded, watching the men with the machetes eagerly as they cut clusters of the fruit off of the heavy stems, the long bunches of several hundred fruit that growers called hands.

Four prisoners were delegated to thread some of the hands on long branches and to carry them along on the march, the guards helped themselves eagerly, then the remaining fruit was left on the ground and the prisoners were invited to help themselves in a long line that snaked past the pile.

Sally and Izzy managed to score 6 each, quickly and carefully taking 2 ripe ones and 4 green each, stowing them temporarily in their shirts until they had a private moment.

The march continued, most of the prisoners stuffing bananas in their mouths as fast as possible, green or ripe, they didn’t care…it was food!!

The two UN workers walked near the end of the long line, eating slowly and savoring every little nibble.

“I had forgotten how good they taste right off the tree,” Sally said with a sigh as she finished hers and discarded the outer peel.

Izzy smiled.

“Right about now even brussel sprouts would taste good to us I think…and you know how I detest them.”

“I wonder how that poor Aide is making out…if he complained to the guards as much as he did to us, they’ve probably shot him by now.”

There hadn’t been any sign of the Columbian official since the capture at the abandoned airport. He had apparently been taken to another camp and no rumors had surfaced about his condition or how negotiations were going.

“I’m more concerned with how negotiations are going for us. There hasn’t been even a hint of what’s happening… and they haven’t asked us to write any letters or do video interviews to prove they have us…Meymo, you know the young guard who hurt his leg on the tree branch…he said that the Commandante has ordered that we be treated with ‘gentleness and as much respect as possible’…he says that you and I will be put to work in the infirmary and stay at the camp we’re going to…he says the Commandante is firm but fair so long as we don’t try to run away.”

“I wouldn’t know which direction to run even if I did have the strength,” Sally said with a laugh. “It’s even hard to tell which way is East and West when the canopy is so thick…can’t see the sun rising or setting.”

“If I still had my little compass that Urs gave me we would know…Sal, is it the end of May yet?”

“I think it’s about the 24th…why?…you have a hot date or something?”

“I was just thinking about where he is now…he should be home in Switzerland…they had a 2 and a half week break right after Budapest before starting in the States.”

“MMMMM…he’s probably swilling good German beer and wurst, eating some of that lovely cheese they make and his mother’s home cooking…”

“Stop it!” Izzy said with a laugh. “Why do you talk about food when we don’t have any…if we’re lucky there might be beans in the rice tonight…that doesn’t compare with German beer…or Rosti…my god, Sally you haven’t lived until you taste Urs’ Rosti…he’s really a very good cook.”

She felt movement beside her and looked up to see the young guard whose leg she had doctored.

“Senora, my Jefe says you must not make with the loud talking so much…and no more English…or I will have to whip your legs…please, I do not want to do this thing.”

“Lo siento, Meymo,” she said, apologizing in little more than a whisper and continued to walk, thinking about the apartment in New York and the cooking lesson as she helped Urs make Rosti.

**

Urs:

He wasn’t sure which was worse, the not knowing where she was and how she was coping or the brick walls which was all he found when he tried to find her.

His logical mind had laid out a natural progression: first try at the apartments in New York and Toronto, next her computer {unaware that the laptop was sitting in storage with all the rest of both Sally and Izzy’s belongings from the abandoned hotel room}, then both of the stores, the UN liaison office, he believed the officer there was a General Haggerty, the JTF base to try and contact Cody.

The results were all the same…nothing!

Trudi was cool towards him and unresponsive, obviously knowing that he had hurt Izzy and not inclined to be sociable… ‘She’s away with her work’…was the only response from that quarter, mimicking her sister in New York.

Even after repeated calls he never did get to speak to General Haggerty, merely received a standard evasive answer from the aide… ‘Sorry, Major Santores is out of the country on business’…

And the secretive nature of Cody’s work meant even less chance of speaking to him.

In desperation he left Willisau and went to New York, checking at the apartment, speaking to Tonio, who hadn’t seen Izzy except for a few minutes several months before, seeking out Dante who always knew everything going on in his ‘hood’, even going to the Bridge to see Frankie. Once again he felt that this friend knew what had happened…the wall of ice he met was nearly visible as he explained, groveling unabashedly. The obvious contrition worked but only to a degree since Frankie too hadn’t seen or heard from her for months.

“I did speak briefly with Cody about 2 months ago…he said you and Izzy had broken up and that she was very upset…he didn’t know where she was, some mission or other we assumed. And he’s off somewhere now too.”

Frustrated, Urs left and retraced his steps, leaving his e.mail address and cell number at all the places he could think of just in case she turned up…then he joined up with the rest of the group in Boca Raton, getting ready for the U.S. portion of the tour.

If anything his intensive search for her had made his stress worse instead of better. The sheer frustration of not finding any word of her was telling on him, especially when he began to think that perhaps she was doing this on purpose…avoiding him as if he were now a pariah…did her declaration of love and promise to be waiting for him mean so little? He had difficulty accepting that…it was so out of character for the woman he had finally admitted he loved. So then what was the reason that she seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth? The way his emotions jerked him back and forth from despair to anger did nothing to ease his stress and by the time of their first performance he had flu like symptoms again that made it very difficult to perform as was expected. Somehow he managed, going directly back to the hotel from the venue, sneaking onto the forum and reading the comments…no-one had seen past his false front…there were no negative comments except one fan who thought he looked tired.

Reluctantly, he popped a couple of the sleep aids that Sam had provided…hopefully they would block out the dreams that he was beginning to really dread.

**
Cody:

“That singer fellow was here about 6 weeks back,” Tonio said when Cody jogged across the street to replenish the empty cupboards. He had been home from a lengthy mission for only long enough to shower and change into civies, expecting Izzy to have been here and mildly surprised when there was no sign that she had been in residence since the last note announcing the split up.

“For what?”

“I don’ know…he asked if Isabella had been here lately…it was like he was trying to find her…but I haven’t seen her for months, only that once and then just in and out. He was very sad.”

He paid for his purchases and went back to the apartment, mulling over what Tonio had said.

There had been a few times in the past when one of her missions took a few weeks to complete but this was a new record…and it wasn’t like Izzy to not find a way to get in touch if at all possible.

Cody dumped the fresh produce in the sink and went into the Lounge, slouching in the easy chair and browsing through his cell-phone contacts…it was time to reach out and find out just what was going on.

Even as he was deciding who to call, his phone rang.

“Captain Santores?” the questioning voice was imbued with the crispness of the military and he automatically straightened his spine, his attention caught even though moments before he had been bone tired, wanting only some answers about his sister and 12 hours in his extra long bed.

“Yes…how may I help you?”

“This is Master Sergeant Prokovski from General Haggerty’s office. The General would like to see you at the UN Liaison office ASAP.”

A feeling of dread swept through him but ever the professional he let nothing show in his even speech as he answered.

“Certainly…I can be there in less than an hour…I’ve just returned to the city…”

“Yes, we are aware of your latest assignment…one hour then, Thank you, Captain.” The connection was terminated abruptly and after a second of staring at the tiny phone in his meaty hand he closed the cover and placed it on the table.

‘Think positive…this could just as easily be good news as bad…which ever it is it will be a relief to actually HAVE news…’

He shaved and slipped into his dress uniform, fortunately hanging in plastic in the closet, setting a new world record for efficiency…in 23 minutes he was out the door, flagging a cruising taxi and heading for the massive UN building on the waterfront downtown.

**

The beauty and bustle of the busy building was lost on him as he crossed the plaza with long strides, arriving inside and at the desk of the Aide who had called him with one minute left of his promised hour.

“Captain Santores to see General Haggerty…”

“Ah, yes…” The Master Sergeant rose from behind her desk, a middle aged member of the Army who still could appreciate the imposing picture that the officer in front of her made.

At 6 foot 5 inches he made her feel like a midget, even more so when you considered that the man was built like the Incredible Hulk…thick ropy muscles that his tailored dress uniform couldn’t hide, a deep chest and hands that could easily wrap around a neck completely…in contrast his large face, in perfect proportion to his body, was chisled and quite handsome, his eyes large and dark like his military cut hair. She wondered what he looked like if he smiled but wouldn’t find out today…Now his face was stern, a little dangerous looking, his stare intense and focused.

She saluted and chanced a timid smile, lost it instantly when it wasn’t returned and came around the desk to motion for him to follow her to a doorway with a plaque announcing that General Wallace A. Haggerty was kept inside.

Her tap on the door produced a gruff, ‘ENTER’ and she opened the door, preceding Cody and announcing his presence to the man behind a massive polished desk.

The General rose, standing behind his desk, returning Cody’s salute loosely, a tall thin officer in an impeccable uniform, his grey hair sparse but still cut precisely, pale blue eyes that had a tinge of sorrow and wisdom gained from years of delivering news and making decisions that sometimes hurt.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Captain. Please have a seat.”

Cody hesitated until the man who ranked him had re-seated himself then sat rigidly on one of the wooden armed chairs that flanked the desk.

“Your sister is I believe, Major Isabella Santores of the Army Medical Corps?”

“Yes, Sir.” Cody answered, registering the fact that the General had said ‘IS’ not ‘WAS’….that was a good start.

“On April 7th, in Columbia, team Zeta, of which Major Santores was team leader, was ambushed by F.A.R.C. while on a hostage negotiation mission. The Columbian official was taken prisoner, 2 members of the team, one a Sargent who was driving and another a nursing technician, were killed in the ambush…and both Major Santores and her second in command, Lt. Carruthers, simply vanished, we think taken prisoner as well.”

The General watched Cody’s face, impressed when he saw the play of emotions that the big man withheld…he continued.

“We have based this assumption on several things…the skill and record of the two officers…they would not panic, it wasn’t in their nature…and no bodies were found. The SUV’s were stripped of everything usable and two trucks split up in different directions, moving into the jungle on circuitous routes that soon had the search teams of the Columbian Army completely lost, unable to track them to their headquarters. In the intervening time the Aide has been ransomed by the government and his wealthy family after demands were made…but once again there has been no word of the two officers. Questioning of the Aide gleaned the fact that the officers were loaded into the second truck and he never saw them again.

“We think the rebels are keeping them because of their medical training, something that is needed and lacking in the camps. We have made concerted efforts to find them but have not yet succeeded.”

He waited to see what reaction Cody would have now, nodding his permission when Cody asked to speak freely.

“I tried to find her, tried to find out what was going on but no one would give me any answers.”

The General nodded.

“I’m aware of your efforts and your persistence…and your excellent record with JTF…unfortunately my hands were tied up to now.”

He stared at Cody and finally voiced the reason for this meeting.

“Santores and Carruthers are two of OURS!! We can not and will not abandon them, no matter how long it takes to resolve this issue…one way or the other. I’ve asked to have you reassigned to my office, on a voluntary basis…You have contacts, resources that go outside normal channels and in this instance they are all we have left…can you do this, can you instigate a search for BOTH officers without letting familial pressure cloud your judgement? There is a limited amount of assistance which I can offer you because of the political situation, especially with the involvement of the U.N., but you have my word that when I can, I will!!”

“Sir…the JTF motto is ‘Relinquo Nemo’*…I take it very seriously…Captain Santores, volunteering to be at your disposal, Sir.”
*Abandon No-one

Cody had risen and stood ramrod straight as he saluted once more.

The general returned the salute and passed Cody a file.

“This is everything we know…everything that has been done to date…stand easy, Captain…make yourself comfortable and skim through the file…I need to speak to my Aide for a few moments.”

The general left the room and Cody sat on the sofa at one side of the stark room, still a bit in shock over what had been revealed to him and the turn of events. He opened the folder, groaning when he saw the official ID photo of Izzy and the adjacent one of Sally, then steeling himself, he read every word carefully.

**

Urs:

She didn’t want to talk to him or see him…that was the only explanation he could come up with. Even with her unusual job and the often lengthy absences there was no way she would have been absent with work for this long…someone would know something.

It was hard to accept that his belief in her steadfastness was wrong…she had promised to be waiting for him…was it something that was said in the heat of the moment, not to really be taken seriously? For a long time he had believed that she meant what she said…after all this was his Bella, the woman who always tried very hard to keep her promises…but now…Now he would have to accept that it was truly over, just as he had decided it had to be, back when he foolishly wouldn’t allow his heart to take control of his logic.

The tour was over for this year and they were all taking a brief respite from the constant traveling, pursuing other interests or merely relaxing and storing up energy for the mini tour with Barbra Striesand, working on the new CD, and in Urs’ case, trying to cope with the results of possibly the worst mistake he had ever made.

He tried everything to get his focus back, to get his mind occupied with normal day to day living…a long tour on the Harley, time spent with Claude helping out at Reve, several weeks at home, doing some of the minor repairs that were just a bit beyond Mami…even going so far as to getting roaring drunk with Gerd and some friends at the pub and ending up sleeping in the bed of Gerd’s truck until a sudden shower soaked him through to the skin and he woke to stagger inside.

Nothing worked.

By the first week of September he felt he wasn’t pleasant company to thrust on any of his family or friends and booked a flight to Toronto, rented a bike for a month and headed north, ending up near Bancroft and renting the first cottage he found that looked livable.

‘This is really stupid…I’m trying desperately to forget her so what do I do?...come here to the spot where I first met her…everything about this place will remind me of her…how long do I have to punish myself for being such an idiot?’

He spent his days roaming the countryside, a few times going to one or the other of the quarries and picking up a few stone specimens then trying to find pictures or descriptions in his books so he would know what he had.

Out of habit he did keep his healthy growth of beard and mustache neatly trimmed and worked out, swimming in the now icy cold water of the little lake the cottage was on and jogging along the trails that hikers had made through the lush growth of nearby Algonquin Park. Evenings he spent doing scales to keep his voice limber.

If nothing else, at least his body became toned and strong, in better shape than it had been while on tour…his mind and heart were something entirely different.

Towards the end of his involuntary month of exile the rainy season hit the countryside and the cold set in, turning the leaves of the trees into rainbows of color, shimmering, wet color that bespoke the coming winter season. The few animals that he saw had thicker coats, the airborne wildlife headed south and he took to sitting either in the cozy Lounge of the cottage, warmed by a crackling fire or on the warmer days on the covered porch, his old acoustic guitar on his lap as he composed and played, sometimes actually recording what he created on a portable recorder or writing it down on roughly lined paper.

Two days before his month’s rental was up, he cleaned the cottage, packed up and left to return to the real world.

**

Cody:

Reading the file had been disheartening.

A massive effort had been made already to find the two UN workers, going so far as sending word through an intricate grapevine to the F.A.R.C. leaders that the UN was willing to negotiate for the release of the two women. Word trickled back that they would love to negotiate, however since the women were not hostages of the Commandante there was nothing to negotiate for.

Messages flew back and forth with denials coming each time from the F.A.R.C. headquarters. When a stalemate was reached the Army decided on a different tactic…using information gleaned from undercover operatives to try and get information…still there was nothing new learned.

Cody closed the file and sat for a few minutes thinking, before the General came back from speaking to his aide.

“Sir…I would like to request permission to go down there and initiate a search…I have a lot of contacts that haven’t been mentioned in the file…perhaps…”

The General nodded.

“Exactly what I was hoping, Captain. Leave the arrangements to me…and I will expect weekly reports.”

The General made all the arrangements and it was only a few days after their meeting that Cody found himself in Bogota, installed on the Army Base in the Bachelor Officers Quarters, a Jeep at his disposal and a Sergeant assigned to take care of any request he had.

First things first…he established an office area in his quarters and got on the phone, calling some of the contacts he had made over the years and asking to meet.

Day after exhausting day he met with people, looked at photos that had been spirited out of the camps by the undercover operatives who constantly put their lives on the line by infiltrating the rebel camps to gain information, and spoke to people who had been released after their ransoms were paid. The absence of anything concrete was appalling, becoming more and more frustrating as the days passed…had Sally and Izzy been killed too? Is that why there was no sign of them?

One of the informants had a tiny piece of news that gave him hope and he renewed his efforts.

He was told that the prisoners were moved almost constantly, forced to march through the jungle trails from camp to camp, sometimes setting up a new camp in a distant location, all in the effort to keep their location secret so a rescue attempt would be impossible. And the sheer number of prisoners was staggering, making it difficult to pinpoint the location of 2 out of the 700 or more that were in captivity at any one time.

If they were still alive the advantage was on the girls’ side since with their medical training they would be valuable as workers, more so than as hostages and it was felt that if someone could figure out where the main camp with the infirmary was it may be possible to find them.

Cody started on a different angle, tracking medical supplies that had been stolen, supposedly by F.A.R.C…..perhaps that would at the least tell him where the main camp was.

**

CHAPTER SIXTY…JUST BUSINESS/BIRTH

Izzy and Sally:

“Look at what I found,” Sally exclaimed when Izzy pushed the flap of canvas aside to enter the lean-to/tent that was now their home.

The tall, extremely thin, blonde waved her hand at a bundle of long green leaves that sat on the stump they used as a table.

“I ate some and didn’t throw up…I think it’s a kind of wild spinach or chard…tastes like it anyway…and it isn’t bad if you sprinkle a bit of Limon on it.”

“And one of the patients gave me an orange today…we’ll eat like royalty tonight, Sal,” Izzy said with a smile as she lowered her increasingly cumbersome body into the hammock that served as sofa, chair and bed.

The scuttlebutt regarding the main camp had been true…conditions here were not quite as desperate as in the peripheral camps and the Commandante WAS a fair and more or less reasonable man.

Two days after they had arrived the two women were summoned to meet him in his roomy tent on the edge of the camp.

Ferdo, as he was known among the rebels and the name he had asked both women to use for him but only in private, was an older man, possibly in his late 60’s they thought, grizzled and bent from years of fighting for the cause he felt was just and making life and death decisions for the people who looked up to him as leader. He was balding , needed glasses but was vain enough still to refuse to wear them full time and spoke softly, after much thought.

His first meeting with the women had started with an apology.

“I’m sorry you were taken prisoner…and sorrier still that we have no plans to let you go, especially since your condition, Doctor Santores, has been made clear to me. We are desperate for good medical attention as well as someone to train our young women as medics in the field.

“I can promise you that you will be treated with respect and live as well as the rest of the soldiers in our forces…IF you make no attempt to escape. It would be foolhardy to try…there are many dangers in the jungle which you would be unprepared to resist and would not likely survive…and if we had to spend time hunting for you, your punishment would be severe.

“There are no luxuries in our camps…we can provide you with basic nutrition, usually beans and rice, occasionally fruit other than the abundant Limons that grow near the waterfall. We will show you how to weave hammocks from the vines growing everywhere…this will be your bed.

“You will have freedom of the camp with one restriction other than not trying to leave…I do not want you fraternizing with the other prisoners…if it is required for you to treat them, limit your conversation to health issues.

“Until the time of your confinement you will both be expected in the infirmary daily, treating patients or holding classes in field medicine…our supplies are limited…use them wisely. If you make a list of things that are needed I will see if the UN can be convinced to supply them. What month are you in now, Doctor?”

“I think the 5th, Sir… as near as I can figure it out I should deliver towards the middle of November.”

“Bueno…we do not keep children here in the camp, for obvious reasons but in your case an exception will be made…I shall try to have a nanny brought into camp so that you will be able to drink milk for the last month and after your child is born since you will need to nurse it…this I do not promise but I shall try. I was happy to learn that you both speak fluent Spanish…this will make your life much easier…and mine as well. I have assigned one of our young soldiers to be your guard for the next month while his leg is healing…he will show you the camp, explain the curfews and the boundaries, help you to requisition supplies from our limited resources. Co-operate and you will be treated fairly.”

He had turned back to some papers on his desk and the women were ushered out. Meymo took them on a short tour of the camp, then showed them the quarters they would occupy now, right next to but slightly behind the infirmary.

And so life began, a daily routine that kept their minds and bodies occupied as they tried to adjust to what they had been told. There were no plans to release them…did he mean ever?....or was that just until they had trained medics to function in the field?

The first few weeks had been difficult…weaving a hammock was a long drawn out process…finding the vines, twisting them together to make long thin ropes then drying them in the sunlight and attaching the bundled ends together over a branch so they could be woven into a long banana shaped sling that would form a hammock when strung between two poles. It was tedious but filled the time when there were no patients or their ‘students’ were sent out on forays. They kept their quarters scrupulously clean, using brooms they fashioned out of dried grasses bound together on a broken branch, watched how those who had lived this way for sometimes years coped and copied their actions, finding wide leaves to use as plates, others to wrap the rice and beans from the communal pot in to steam in the embers of a fire, learned that sand was nearly as good as soap when it came to washing soiled bodies and managed to survive through bouts of ‘the gallops’ when the available food lacked fiber.

Sally went to the pole that held up the back wall of their lean-to and picked up the sharp edged stone that lay at the base to mark off another day on the makeshift calendar they had started down the length of one side.

“I think that makes tomorrow October 1st,” she said as she replaced the stone and went back to bundling the leaves of her ‘spinach’.

“About 6 weeks to go then…I feel like a Hippo…even this shirt that Meymo found for me is getting too tight…he really is a sweet kid…I think he has a crush on that little Constancia…he’s been mooning around, popping up whenever she’s in one of the classes…and she pretends she doesn’t notice him.”

“I think he’s related to Ferdo somehow…by the way, he isn’t looking well lately…Ferdo, not Meymo…he looks kind of gray…and sometimes he seems to be experiencing pain…I can’t quite put my finger on it…he likes you…maybe you could talk to him, check him out.”

Izzy sat up, concern written on her tired face.

“I’ll try…our lives could be a great deal more difficult if Ferdo wasn’t around…he’s been very fair with us…and Eduardo, his lieutenant, isn’t nearly as pleasant…plus his girlfriend really dislikes us…I think she’s kind of insecure…”

“We’ve been lucky so far…I think Dolores would be happier if we were used the way some of the other women prisoners are…it’s only Ferdo that keeps the men away from us.” Sally shuddered as she thought of it.

They had been speaking English, talking very quietly since anything other than Spanish was taboo in the camp but now switched to Spanish as they heard approaching voices.

Sally stepped to the doorway and looked out. She began to laugh and beckoned Izzy to join her.

Meymo was coming towards their quarters with another young boy and leading a grey and white nanny, followed by a kid who bleated forlornly as he tried to follow his mama.

“Ferdo says you must take care of the goat and milk her every day…do not take her off the rope or she will return to her farmer. You must tie her in a different spot daily so she can forage, close enough so that she may drink from the stream…and bring her close to your fire at night or she will become prey.”

“Does she have a name?” Izzy asked, clearly delighted.

Meymo stared blankly at her as if she had been speaking Swahili.

“A NAME? She is a goat!”

Izzy laughed and reached out to run her hand over the shaggy head.

“She looks like a Rita…she has a kind face…I’m going to call her Rita.”

Meymo passed her the rope with a look of disgust.

“She is now YOUR Reeta…drink your milk so you may feed your child.” He left with his friend, shaking his head at the folly of silly women who named goats.

The two women took their new companion behind the tent and tied her to a nearby tree, then stood back to watch as she began stripping the ground of anything edible.

“Sally…do you know how to milk a goat?” Izzy asked.

Sally burst into laughter.

“At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor….I think we better learn how…FAST!!”

**

Urs:

Sound check had not gone really well. The guys had been patient and he had tried, really tried, to be pleasant but this cloud was hanging over him and he just couldn’t shake off the feeling of doom that engulfed him 24/7.

Somehow in the next few days he had to remember how to be a professional, how to act as if nothing was wrong, as if his only concern was making music that touched the audience’s hearts… Miss Striesand was the consummate pro…she would notice if his performance was strained…and that certainly wouldn’t do his career any good.

Walking didn’t help. And to make it more uncomfortable the skies opened up in a torrential down-pour that had him soaked through to the skin in minutes, reminding him of the thunderstorm near the Chute, that day when he had first met Izzy.

Isabella…why couldn’t he get her out of his head…so many things reminded him of her.

‘I have to stop this…it was my decision, my choice…then why is it so hard to stop thinking about her, of missing her, wanting to see her face, to reach out and touch her, to share what I’m feeling…to find release for both of us with her soft, sweet body?...that’s it…I’m frustrated…I need someone to have sex with, to be there for me, give my body relief…SELFISH BASTARD!!!... you’re becoming just like those men you detest!...but I AM a man and there are certain needs…maybe if I had a woman in my life I could stop thinking about her….fool! she’s one woman out of thousands…millions!!... then why can’t I just forget her?’

The hotel was just ahead and he stomped into the reception area, head down, not making eye contact with anyone in case he was required to be pleasant, to have a conversation that he would have to force. He jabbed the button for the lift repeatedly, willing it to arrive NOW and shifting his weight from foot to foot impatiently.

“You got caught in the storm.”

The words were soft and he turned his head to look at the speaker, surprised that she had bothered to speak to him after the curt way he had treated her, and everyone else, lately.

Alicia.

She looked like she had just come from a meeting, her coat open over a black knee length dress, a briefcase in one hand, the other holding gloves that she had just pulled off.

The lift came and he motioned for her to precede him, punched the button for his floor and raised his brows at her in question.

“Six, please,” she said and smiled timidly.

Alicia…well why not…it wouldn’t be their first time…would she still be willing?

Before he could lose his nerve he punched the button to stop the lift and with a fluid move turned to her, sweeping her into his arms and crushing her body against his.

“Wha…”

He silenced her question, taking her mouth in a bruising kiss…his body responded instantly, too long denied the contact it craved, not love, not even anticipation, just pure lust that over-rode any other thoughts.

“I need you,” he crooned against her head when they were under way again and was rewarded with a nod of her blonde head as she tried to catch her breath.

The lift stopped on the sixth floor and they exited together, going only a short way down the hall where she fumbled with her key card until he took it and opened the door.

The room was smaller than his suite but she didn’t have to share…which was good since he wasn’t in the mood to wait.

The coat piled on the floor in a heap as he backed her towards the bed, reaching under her skirt for the little strip of lacy panties, his lust increasing when they gave way to his fingers as he ripped them off and discarded them, consuming her mouth, trying to remember what she liked but not really caring, his own need was too great.

**

He woke, still partly dressed, with her laying beside him, not quite touching but fast asleep.

‘Mein Gott, what have I done?...and without protection…Izzy and I never used it, except for her pills so I never bought any…you did what was best, what was logical both for you and the woman who wants a rising star to give her the material things she craves….it isn’t love, it isn’t even passion, not in the least but it’s something I can live with while I get my career going….I can’t think about Izzy and keep my focus…with Alicia our relationship can be strictly business…friends, sort of, with benefits…I won’t have to worry about her getting shot or going to dangerous places, of dealing with armed thugs…this is best…then why does it disgust me?...why do I feel like I’m a cheat?’

He rolled off the bed and for the first time ever wished that he smoked…or had a drink…now he understood people who had those habits for crutches, something to soothe their nerves when things got out of control.

Quickly he searched the room for pen and paper, scribbled a note to the sleeping woman and quietly left her to return to his suite, rushing since he knew that he was due to leave for the venue shortly.

**

She was late, something that he would require her to work on if they came to an agreement. Several times he almost left, his resolve vacillating back and forth with the decision he had come to.

‘You won’t go to a professional but is this much different? There’s no passion between you and Alicia, never could be…at least with a pro it could be whenever the need arose and would probably be cheaper in the long run…but wouldn’t the press have a field day? No, this is the logical move… No entanglements, no danger of love, just a business arrangement of mutual benefit…then why does it feel so cold, so wrong?’