High School Reunion

"Where the hell have you been?" Daniel's voice boomed out of the phone at Tyler.

"Is the line secure?" He responded calmly.

"Of course the line is secure! The line is always secure!"

"Good. I need to talk to you."

"Agent, you need to explain yourself, now." Daniel's voice took on an officious tone. "Where are you?"

"Where is Maruc's body?"

"You're supposed to be investigating the crash."

"Was the crash an accident?" Tyler asked. There was silence on the end of the line, and then Daniel barked,

"Agent, you need to get your ass back here immediately. You have no idea what's at stake here."

Tyler hung up. He had scrambling software, but was always wary of staying on the phone longer than needed. Besides, Daniel's reaction to his question about the crash confirmed there had definitely been a conspiracy to take Sandy and Maruc's plane down. Now he had to find out the depth of Daniel's involvement and how deep the conspiracy went if he was going to clear Sandy's name. Which meant he needed to question Sandy. He wasn't sure if she would be ready for a more in-depth interrogation, but he didn't have time to wait. He headed back into the house.

"Tye." Bea called, stepping out in front of him.

"Where's Sandy?"

"Tye, I need you to tell me how Sandy is mixed up in this. I know she's not in your line of work." Bea wasn't Tyler's aunt by blood, but she'd been close friends with his parents before they died when he was a child, and had been the only person to reach out when he became an orphan at ten. She knew Tyler was more than an engineer, and had patched him up more than once. In spite of her inquiries, he remained adamant that she not know more than that.

"Bea, I can't tell you more without putting you in danger. And I won't do that." At his serious tone, her warm brown eyes darkened, and her expression grew firm.

"Tye. This is no time for secrets."

"I'm protecting her, Bea."

"And a fine job you're doing at that," she said sarcastically. "Did you notice how much pain she was in when she got here? I had to give her a sedative just so she would sleep through it."

Tyler ground his teeth together. Just thinking of the hell Sandy had been through before he got to her tore him up inside. And he knew they would have to go back to clear her name. He took a deep breath, and placed a gentle hand on Bea's shoulder.

"It won't happen again, Bea."

"If you're not going to tell me what's going on, you at least promise me you'll take care of her. She's a good girl."

"I promise."

"She's in the library. I have to go to into town for a couple days. Be safe." Bea squeezed Tyler's hand gently, and headed out.

Sandy was curled up on the loveseat in the study, a book from Bea's voluminous collection in her hand. When Tyler opened the doors, she looked up and watched him approach steadily. He sat down across from her.

"Good book?"

"Not sure yet," she said.

He took a deep breath. "Sandy, I need to ask you some questions."

She looked back at him, eyes veiled.

"About what."

"The plane crash."

"I already told you. I didn't know him." Her lips tightened as she spoke.

"I know. But I think Maruc chose you for a reason. And I need to figure out what it was, so that I can clear your name. But to do that, I need you to walk me through it one more time.

"Why? I've already told you everything."

"There has to be something we're missing," he said. She put the book down and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Okay." She took him through her chance meeting with Maruc, and his invitation to the first class lounge. She was recounting how he carefully placed her carry-on next to her bar stool when Tyler interrupted her.

"Did Maruc have a carry-on?"

"No. Wait. Yes. And you know, it's strange, now that I think of it, I think they were the same color."

"The fucking luggage!" Tyler exploded from his seat and began pacing the room.

"What? You think something's in the luggage?"

"I think he switched your carry-ons. Did you ever leave yours out of your sight?" Her face fell.

"I still...I still don't remember getting on the plane."

"Were you booked into a hotel at your destination?"

"Yes...why would that matter?"

"What was the name?"

"The Clarion." Her face showed her confusion, but Tyler didn't seem to notice.

"Tell me everything else you remember."

"That was it." She shrugged.

"You haven't told me what happened when you woke up," he said, watching for her reaction worriedly.

"You...you don't know?" She said.

"I just saw you when they were moving you."

She looked away, and started nervously twisting her hands in her lap. Tyler moved toward her, but she held up a hand.

"Don't. If you--I need to tell you." She inhaled deeply, and told him about waking up in the cell, the soldiers, and the interrogation that following. By the time she had finished recounting everything that she remembered from after the crash, Tyler was so angry he couldn't see straight. She was a civilian, and she had been treated like an enemy informant. He knew of Mark Foss, a CIA interrogator with a brutal streak a mile wide, and was infuriated he had been chosen as her interrogator.

"I don't remember anything after he hit me. Just...waking up again and you were there."

"I'm sorry it took me so long." His eyes met hers, and she could see the pain and guilt there.

"Tye." Her voice was soft, "come here." She reached out with her good arm, and he got up slowly to sit next to her. She pulled his arm around her shoulders. "I'm so glad, Tye. I'm so glad you came." Her voice wobbled, and she swallowed, blinking away tears as she met his eyes. "I've never been so afraid." She was shivering.

"Let me get you a blanket." He made a move to get up.

"No, just stay here for a bit," she said.

He pulled her up onto his lap, and she rested her head against his shoulder. They sat that way until he felt her relax into his body, and her breathing deepened, and grew more rhythmic. He picked her up gently, and carried her into her room. He lay her on the bed, and as he gently removed his arms from her body, she reach out, catching his sleeve. "Tye. Stay with me, please." The vulnerability in her sleepy brown eyes undid him, and he settled into the bed next to her, pulling her body against his. She snuggled into him. "I always feel safer with you," she murmured. His heart surged as she rested her face against his chest. He knew he had to keep his emotional reaction to Sandy under control, if he was going to keep them both alive.

"I'll always keep you safe, Sandy." He kissed her forehead gently, smoothing back her unruly curls.

Sandy pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him fervently. "You need to rest," Tyler said, but she was pressing the length of her body against his, and he was losing his ability to concentrate. "I should work."

"Mmm." Sandy's lips met his again, deepening the kiss. She could feel his body's response, and pressed herself against his hard length. "Tyler," she breathed his name. He didn't answer, his hands were already roaming her body, moving easily under the loose clothing she was wearing. She gasped as his warm hands touched her bare skin. "Babe..." she moaned, as he caught her lower lip between his, and rolled her over on the bed. He ran a hand along the soft skin of her back and her butt, pulling her leg up to reach her wet center. She gasped audibly as his fingers delved into her wetness. He ran a thumb over her clit, and kissed her deeply, savoring her moans, and spread her legs with his.

Her hands went to his jeans, and trembled as she tried to undo the buttons. He chuckled, and took them off for her, then helped her remove her sling, kissing her bruised shoulder gently. She pressed her body against his, finally, skin to skin. She wanted to touch him everywhere. He seemed to have the same idea, because his hands felt like they were everywhere. He pulled her closer, rolling their bodies again, and she moved suddenly, to straddle him, the long hard length of his penis pressing against her hot center. His arms went around her, hands roaming her back as his mouth caressed hers. She lifted herself up, still kissing him, until the tip of his penis was brushing against her wetness. His body went rigid, and they both moaned. She let her body move downward, slowly enjoying the feeling of his thick cock stretching her vagina. He inhaled sharply, and she buried her face in his neck and moaned. He thrust upward and suddenly his whole length was buried inside her. For a moment, it felt so good she couldn't speak. She gasped, breath catching in her throat.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I couldn't help it." He even sounded out of breath.

"Do it again." She half gasped, half moaned.

He rolled her over cushioning her injured shoulder with his arm. His lips captured her breast, and he looped one of her legs over her shoulder, opening her even wider for him. He started thrusting gently, and the slow liquid slide of flesh against flesh made her shudder. She could hear the sounds of her own wetness as he moved inside her. She was lifting her hips now, and lost all control of her body as he thrust his pelvis against hers. She knew she was moaning his name along with other incoherent noises, but she didn't care. Suddenly he pushed hard, burying himself inside her so deep all she could feel was him. She shuddered as he stretched her, moaning aloud. He pulled her up against his body, kissing her fiercely, and that was all it took. She came hard, head thrust back, hair splayed over the pillow, fingers gripping his back, her body shaking as wave after wave of pleasure engulfed her.

He continued to thrust, gently, as she came back to herself, breathing hard. She could vaguely feel the tremors in his body, and then he came, biting off a deep moan and holding her even more tightly against him. She was still feeling hazy with pleasure as he rolled to pull the sheet up to cover their bodies, his penis still firmly lodged inside her, and took her to his bed. Each slight movement lanced jagged remnants of pleasure through her body. She managed a chuckle as he pulled the sheet up, her still trembling body resting on top of his.

"Sorry. I kind of lost control. You seem to have that effect on me." He whispered, kissing her neck. She grinned and kissed him back.

"Me too."

At that, he rolled to his side and pulled her with him, one arm draped across her waist, palm resting lazily on her breast. Sandy pressed up against him, enjoying the feeling of his warm body spooning hers.

Sandy woke up the next morning with Tyler's arm sprawled possessively across her belly. She yawned and stretched. "Hmmm..." Tyler murmured in his sleep, moving his hand up to cup her breast.

"Tye..." the word was stretched out, taut with wanting,

"Babe." He pulled her toward her, cocooning her in his arms, pressing his warm naked body against hers. She felt his erection against her thigh and reached down between their bodies. As she cupped his penis, she felt him inhale and looked up. He was watching her, his light brown eyes lidded with desire. His gaze suddenly made her self-conscious and she looked away, blushing. "Sandy." His voice was impossibly deep. He traced a long, light brown finger down her cheek gently, and she looked back at him. He was smiling now, and he kissed her, just as softly. "You're beautiful, you know."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She smiled back.

He looked her up and down very slowly, then quirked an eyebrow.

"You sure about that? It seems to have gotten me...everywhere..." Sandy rolled her eyes. "Even if you got up and walked out of the room right now, it wouldn't change the way I feel about you." His tone was suddenly serious, and he took her hand from his penis, still hard and straining against her fingers, and placed it on his chest. Her mouth was suddenly dry, and her eyes went wide. For a moment, he looked vulnerable, just like the boy she'd called Robot in high school. Then he kissed her, and all thoughts fled. He kissed his way slowly down her stomach toward her thighs, before tongue-kissing her dewy center, pulling her clit gently into his mouth. Sandy gasped, involuntarily pressing her hips up toward him. She felt him chuckle, and his tongue laved her again, and she moaned, eyes rolling back into her head. "You like that?" He pulled back to ask the question, and Sandy, with her head thrown back, stomach taut with pleasure, panted out,

"What? Yes, no, don't stop," her hands found his head and pulled him back until he pressed his mouth against her again, and brought her to climax so quickly, shatteringly, her eyes rolled back in her head and she screamed her release. She came back to herself with Tye next to her, kissing her face gently, palming her breasts.

"You are so sexy when you come," he said, caressing her breast, fingers toying gently with her berry-hard nipples. Sandy groaned and stretched, pressing up against his hand. She ran her fingers lightly over his, and up his arm.

"I like coming for you." She smiled shyly, punctuating her sentence by kissing his mouth. He leaned into the kiss, and then murmured against her lips, "you wanna do it again?" She shivered at the words, and pressed against him.

"Yes..." the words came out on a moan as he rolled her onto her belly. His hands caressed her ass gently.

"So beautiful," he said thickly, kissing her shoulders. She arched up against him, reveling in the feeling of his hard torso pressing against her ass. She felt the thick length of him against her as he pulled her hips up toward him. She opened her legs wide, wanton, not caring about anything other than the feel of him. The blunt head of his penis probed her already wet pussy lips, and he slid into her warmth with a groan. "Fuck, Sandy. You feel so good." As she arched her back, he slid in even deeper, and she pressed her head down, moaning into the pillow. He withdrew slowly, and then pressed back into her, until she could feel his pelvis pressing against her butt. She moaned incoherently, and rotated her hips. She was rewarded with a gasp and his hips thrusting suddenly against her. "If you do that again, I'm gonna come," Tyler said, fighting for control.

"I want you to." Sandy responded, moaning as one of his hands found her breast.

"I want to fuck you, first."

"You are fucking me."

"No." He slid out of her slowly, until just the head of his cock was inside her, then slid sinuously back in. Her moan of appreciation was long and loud. "This is fucking you." He did it again, and her legs started to shake. "Come for me, baby," he whispered in her ear. And she did. She was vaguely aware of Tyler moaning, but she felt him stiffen, his dick twitched inside her, and he groaned loudly, collapsing against her. He moved to his side, hugging her gently against him. She melted into his arms, and was asleep in minutes.

After he was sure she was sleeping soundly, Tyler kissed her softly and got out of bed, heading to the study. He had to figure out who else was booked into the hotel with Sandy. He went to his computer and pulled up her flight information. Then he called the Clarion in her destination city. He got lucky when he asked for Celia's second favorite alias, Molly Goodnight. Now he knew who was supposed to pick up the carry-on. He just had to figure out who had it now, and what made it so important to Mark Foss.

Daniel called the next day.

"You need to bring the girl in. She's more involved than you know." Tyler's hands curled into fists as he heard the words. He had to control himself so he didn't crush the phone.

"Tell me about the crash."

"We have Maruc's luggage."

"Is that why you took the plane down? What's in his luggage that's so important?"

"Tyler, she's playing you. If you refuse to see that, this situation could get very dangerous." Tyler's rage, still simmering from Sandy's description of her encounter with Mark Foss, overflowed at the threat.

"Dangerous might be an understatement with this situation, Daniel." He bit the words off, and slammed the phone down. He checked his laptop, which had been tracing the call. Daniel wasn't calling from headquarters. He was calling from the bunker. The same bunker Tyler had rescued Sandy from.

He walked over to the closet next to the desk, and pulled out a duffel bag. As he unzipped it, Bea walked into the room. Her smile thinned as she saw the bag. She knew what it was for.

"This is worse than I thought." Her voice was tense.

"Bea, there's been a security breach." Her hand went to her mouth. "I have no idea how high it goes."

She walked up to him, and kissed his cheek gently.

"Be careful dear. Your parents would never forgive me if something happened to you."

Tyler smiled humorlessly and hugged her back.

"I'm not the one you have to worry about."

"That's what I like to hear, Tye. Give 'em hell." She squeezed his arm and walked out.

Sandy sat in the passenger seat of his truck, hands clasped tightly together. He'd asked her to stay with Bea, but she refused.

"This is my fight, Tye." She wouldn't listen to anything else he said to her. She was already dressed, and had taken the sling off, as she got into the truck with him.

"Don't be afraid." He glanced at her worriedly as they drove down the highway in a nondescript black truck.

"I'm not." she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. He placed a hand over hers. She twined her fingers through his.

"If Maruc is still alive, he'll be very dangerous now that he doesn't need anything from you anymore."

"I know. I want my life back." There was steel in her voice. "Tyler. Do you trust me now?"

"What? Of course I do."

"So how are we going to do this?"

"We'll set up in a hotel and I'll break in."

"Will that work?"

"Maybe."

"There's a second way." As she spoke he glanced at her. "You could turn me in." As the words left her mouth, she felt him go still.

"Absolutely not."

"If they think you're working for them, it'll be that much easier for you to get the proof we need."

"I'm not turning you in to them, Sandy. Not after what they did to you. I can't risk you getting hurt again."

"I'll tell them what they want to hear. They won't hurt me if I play along with their little game."

"No. I'll sneak in and find it. I'm not putting you in danger like that again."

"But if you sneak in, won't you be in danger? What'll happen to you if you're caught?" Her voice rose, but he didn't respond. "Why can you risk this for me, but I can't risk anything for you?"

"Because I'm trained for it Sandy! You're a civilian. You don't know what they're capable of." At her skeptic look, he continued, "You want me to trust you, Sandy? Then trust me."

Sandy looked over at him, and the look on her face made his heart break. He reached over and placed his hand over hers. "We will clear your name. I promise."

Sandy blinked and smiled, threading her fingers through his again.

As she turned her attention back to the road, a white sedan swerved over the median and into their lane, facing them head on.

"Watch out!!!" Sandy screamed, but a glance at Daniel showed her a profile that looked to be made from granite.

His expression didn't change, and he stared straight ahead. At the last minute, the sedan swerved off the road, and whipped around to follow them. Sandy exhaled and let go of the seatbelt. She'd been clutching it so tightly her fingers hurt.

"Fuck!" Daniel's exclamation broke the silence. "CIA car," he said tersely. "They must be getting desperate." As soon as the words left his mouth, they were rammed from the side by a silver SUV. The truck swerved with the jolt, and Tyler fought not to be run off the road. The SUV swerved at them again. This time, the windows rolled down, and gunfire showered their car. One of the shots blew out a tire, and the truck skidded off the road and then went airborne. Sandy heard herself screaming as the road careened away crazily. The truck landed roof-first, rolling twice more before coming to a rest on the driver's side. Tyler unbuckled their seat belts, and cushioning her fall with his muscular body. Tyler turned his legs against the windshield. "Kick!" He shouted hoarsely, and began to pound his feet against the windshield. Sandy joined him, and in a couple seconds they were clambering out the front of the truck.