The Professionals Circuit Archive - Answered Prayers	     Answered
Prayers

 

by Elessar

  
 *CHRISTMAS 1978*

George Cowley looked across the small CI5 celebration at his best agent
and offered up a heartfelt prayer, 'God, have mercy on Bodie and bring him
someone who cares, that he can trust and love.'

When he'd recruited the SAS sergeant four years ago he'd had concerns
about his distance and detachment from those around him. His commanders
had all said the same thing--brilliant, insightful, obedient, top notch
fighting skills but a loner--no one was ever allowed to get too close. Oh,
he got along with those around him, both under his command and those he
worked with and for but no one ever touched him, ever really got to know
him. Four years and over a dozen partners later...none had ever lasted
more than one, two, assignments at the most. Bodie preferred to work
alone. In many ways Cowley didn't blame him. CI5 recruited the best but no
one had been found that was a match for his top agent. William Andrew
Philip Bodie left them all standing in the dust.

But George Cowley recognized a deep need in Bodie, that he doubted even
the man himself was aware of, Bodie needed to be close to someone to
connect with at least one other person. It wasn't, nor would it ever be,
in his nature to have lots of close friends but he needed someone to link
him to the world and people around him. A man like Bodie needed a lover, a
woman, that would prevent his total detachment from the humanity around
him. Without that connection to ground him, one day he would become so far
distanced that he'd end up getting killed--simply because living didn't
matter anymore--or he'd turn rogue and take to killing just to try and
feel some...any...emotion. Thus the way of Tommy McKay.

His boss had tried in the last year to give him cases that would bring him
into contact with various women, both other agents and civilians, that
might attract Bodie. Well he'd succeeded there, many of the women
attracted his top agent--so much so that George Cowley was beginning to
feel like his own personal pimp but none of them had ever connected, had
ever reached the real man behind the mask. Hell, most of them didn't even
realize that the smiling facade was a mask and couldn't figure out why
after a few weeks or a couple of months the young man had moved on. Always
gracious and with style but they'd seen the back of him none the less.
Yet, George Cowley knew that the young man needed love, needed a
connection with someone to hold him together; for each year saw the knife
edge upon which he stood getting sharper and sharper ready to cut him to
shreds should he slip just slightly. And this year had sharpened the blade
considerably. 'Damn the Shuman woman.' The bitch had been both stupid and
manipulative and of course Bodie had paid the price and assumed the guilt
for her death. After that incident nothing had touched him.

And so every Christmas Cowley made a point to pray for his agent to find
that one person who could connect him to himself and the world around him.
Last year and the year before George had prayed for a woman to come along
that would allow Bodie to function better in CI5. This year he'd changed
that prayer. He prayed that Bodie would find someone to love whether it
meant that he'd remain with CI5 or not. It was disconcerting for him to
discover that the young man had come to mean as much to him as CI5 and
that if he could find happiness outside that organization that Cowley
would gladly give him up to that happiness and the woman that could bring
it to him.

Laughing, joking, drinking and flirting Bodie stood in the middle of a
group of happy people celebrating the holidays but as George Cowley looked
across the room and met his eyes they were empty. Despite what those
around him might believe, agent 3.7 was somewhere far away, removed from
everyone and everything. Himself most of all.

'God answers prayers,' Cowley told himself, 'Even if sometimes that answer
is no.' But still he asked and prayed that this coming year Bodie would
let someone inside his walls.

*CHRISTMAS 1979*

'Another Christmas here already,' Cowley sighed to himself. This had been
a tough year on all of them. They'd lost a lot of agents and Bodie's,
still his best agent, year had been worse than most. More betrayals, for
both of them this time, and no woman had even caused the young man to look
twice. He dated them and dropped with clock work regularity.

The office door opened and George Cowley groaned. Bodie stormed into the
room looking for all the world like he'd haul off and belt the first
person that spoke to him or dared to cross his path. Fortunately even
slightly drunk CI5 agents were sharp enough to detect his mood and clear a
path. He was followed closely by the civilian that had been working with
him on his last case. And the civilian looked even angrier than 3.7, if
that was possible. They stormed through and proceeded further into the
building.

Cowley watched where they went carefully. Into the interrogation rooms, no
doubt. Someplace sound proof where they could fight loudly without being
overheard. He'd like to just let them have a go at it but from the looks
of things it might come to blows and CI5 couldn't afford the publicity of
having another civilian injured by a CI5 agent.

He'd give them a few minutes and then follow. Cowley thought back to three
months ago when they had recruited this particular civilian to help break
a drug smuggling operation.

Raymond Doyle was *the* commercial photographer of the moment. He did all
the top album covers and had half a dozen ad agencies begging for his
time. He'd only been in the business a little under five years but a quirk
of fate had given him a jump start. Less than six months after leaving the
Metropolitan Police force he'd done an album cover as a favor to a friend
of his. The group was new, just starting out and were putting up some of
the money to get their album pressed and released. They were going to go
with a straight group shot but Doyle had suggested a couple of camera
tricks and filters and done the cover in black and white. It saved them
money and gave the album a special look that stood out among all the
others.

The album even with a limited distribution started to sell and a contract
had followed from a record company who'd gotten rid of Doyle's cover and
replaced it with a snazzy 'professional' shot of their own. The album sat
on the shelves looking just like all the others. The group's leader and
Doyle's friend had gone to bat for the original cover and pointed out that
the group's music was different and that the different cover made the
album stick out thus attracting the attention of those to who the music
would appeal. The record company didn't buy it but they switched the cover
anyway and the album made the top ten sellers list and stayed there for
over a month. Quite a feat for a debut group whose music wasn't the norm.
Also quite a coup for a struggling commercial photographer whose
reputation suddenly was made.

Doyle had not wanted to come in when CI5 had requested his help and had
sat sullen and tense in Cowley's office as he and Bodie explained what CI5
wanted him to do. They had gotten the word that someone in one of two
record companies was using record shipments to cover the smuggling of
drugs both in and out of the country. Since Doyle was closely associated
with both companies it was felt that he'd be able to spot irregularities
and also get Bodie in either as his assistant or perhaps recommend him to
which ever company turned out to be the one running the drugs. Then Bodie
could get on the inside and build the case.

Doyle's reaction hadn't been pleasant.

"Let me get this straight, Mr. Cowley. You want me to risk my career and
reputation on the hunch that someone's running drugs. Something, by the
way, I've seen no sign of..."

"As if you'd know what to look for," Bodie interrupted rudely.

Doyle turned angrily to him, "For your information, Hotshot." Here he gave
Bodie a scathing look from top to bottom, obviously finding him wanting,
before he continued. "I was with the drug squad for over three years and
was a damn good cop before I was forced out."

"If you were so damn good..." Bodie nastily dug in.

Cowley started to interrupt and cursed himself for not briefing Bodie more
thoroughly before this meeting. It was turning into a bloody balls up.

Doyle ignored him and replied to Bodie's dig. "I was forced out because I
made the mistake of believing that the law applied to coppers as well as
regular Joes and testified against my Super and a sergeant on the take
from some drug dealers. After that my choice was to leave or die."

At this point Doyle turned to Cowley and all the anger and hurt of five
years ago came pouring out. "I even applied to this bloody organization.
I'd heard that you were a fair man who believed in the law. Yeah, what a
joke that was. Give me a fair break. You talked to my new Super who took
great pleasure in informing me that he'd talked to you and told you what a
trouble maker I was and that I was no longer under consideration for CI
bloody Five. I handed in my resignation that day and went out and fought
to make a living as a commercial photographer. Which meant that if I was
lucky I got to work on a shoot and change film for the photographer but
most of the time I survived by being a waiter.

"But I made it. I'm at the top of my profession. And yes it was a lucky
break that got me those first jobs but it's the fact that I'm good and
that my work sells the product that has kept them knocking at my door. And
now you want me to risk it all again for someone who wouldn't even take
the time to find out the real bloody truth about whether I was a good cop
or not. Well, Mr. Cowley, fuck off. I'm not interested." At this point
Doyle had gotten up and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Bodie had been on his feet in a minute ready to storm after the man and
drag him back even if he had to beat him to a pulp to do it. George Cowley
had stopped him.

"Bodie, wait."

"He can't talk to you like that. I'll go and make it clear just what CI5
can do to..."

"No, Bodie. He's right." He smiled as his agent turned and gaped at him.
"Pour us a drink, man, and let me brief you properly. I should have done
so before this meeting but I wanted to let you get a little rest between
this case and your last."

He drew a deep breath finding it hard to admit to Bodie that he'd been at
fault here. "Five years ago I took a short cut. Budgets were tight, we had
more than enough agent candidates and there were several major cases
consuming our resources, so that when Doyle's file came to my attention,
rather than order a full review like I'd always promised myself I'd do if
someone met the basic qualifications and expressed an interest. I called
an acquaintance of mine on the Met and got his opinion of Doyle. He
described him as an alright marksman, decent fighter, but headstrong and
reckless. I took his word for it and it wasn't until two weeks ago when
this case came to light and Doyle's possible involvement in it, that I
ordered a full review of his Met files.

"I was wrong, Bodie. God I was so wrong. The man I'd consulted was out to
get Doyle because he'd testified against two of their own. Men who should
have been sent to prison long before but most of those who knew just
looked the other way. Doyle didn't. On his last two cases before he
resigned he'd been left alone in dangerous situations with back up that
came an hour or more late. It was only his skill and courage that saved
him. And as for being a marksman, he won the Met trophy three of his last
five years with them and was a black belt martial artist. He could have
been a good CI5 agent and I never gave him the chance. So he's angry and
bitter and doesn't want to risk his new career. I can't say I blame him."

Bodie started to speak at least twice. He didn't want to admit that Cowley
might have made a mistake. Considering the hot head that had just stormed
out of the office he figured that George was just being too hard on
himself. Doyle didn't have the calm and restraint needed to make a good
agent and certainly not the temper.

"So are we just going to let him go and hope he doesn't tell anyone what
we're up to?"

"No. He'll be back."

"He sounded pretty final to me, Sir."

"He was. At least about CI5. But he knows the harm drugs can do, so he'll
come back just to stop their flow. He'll give you and everything to do
with CI5 all the shit he can but he'll work with you to stop the drugs.
Down below it all he cares. Here are the files both on Doyle and what we
know about this drug operation. If Doyle says he hasn't seen anything
suspicious then it's safe to assume that the stuff he's worked on is in
the clear. He was a damn good cop, Bodie. As I think you'll see after you
read those files. So his observations are a good jumping off point. He'll
have cooled down by this afternoon, so be ready to discuss the approach
you'd like to take then."

Cowley smiled at the memory. Bodie'd thought that his boss had lost his
mind but Doyle had returned at three that afternoon with a set of notes on
the best approaches to take and who the most likely execs involved were.
They'd taken it from there and were now very close to breaking the case.
But it had been a long three months for George Cowley.

He'd met with them at least once a week since the case started and in
every meeting he'd felt like a referee in the middle of a boxing match.
After each meeting he felt like stripping down and looking for the bruises
inflicted by the two opponents he'd been caught between. They'd never come
to blows--at least not in his presence--but he wouldn't vouch for outside
CI5 headquarters.

And now they were back only two days after their last meeting and looking
ready to kill. Well about now he'd like to let them kill each other but he
wanted the damn case solved first. He followed them into the interrogation
area but rather than into the room he entered the observation area. Might
as well find out what the fight was about before getting in the middle and
they'd talk more freely if they weren't aware he was watching.

Entering the room he closed and locked the door. It appeared that they'd
just entered the other room, the coffee cups in their hands explaining the
delay. 'Good. I'll be able to watch the fight from the beginning.'

Doyle didn't wait long to attack. "You, bloody stupid crud. What the fuck
did you think you were doing going in like that without backup?"

"I handled it just fine and I don't work with backup. You get so you
depend on them and then when they aren't there when you need them, you're
dead. Prefer to trust only meself." Bodie defended.

Cowley scratched his head. There was something different about 3.7. He was
defending himself. Bodie never did that, he normally just turned and
walked away. 'Hmmm?'

"Well if I hadn't shown up and still been a damn good shot, you'd be in
the hospital or more than likely dead and dumped in the Thames by now...."

"I was quite capable..."

"You're not capable of knowing when to come out of the rain, you..."

"I'll have you know that I've been surviving just fine without you,
Sunshine...."

"Well it doesn't look like it to me...."

Neither one was listening to the other, both had stood up and were in the
other's face shouting loudly. Cowley had about decided that it was going
to come to blows and he'd better head it off, when suddenly he realized it
was too late.

They both seemed to decide to throw a punch at the same time and amazingly
both missed. Or maybe not so amazingly since they were both martial arts
experts and quite capable of defending themselves. Soon the close quarters
necessitated that it become a wrestling match with first one and then the
other shoving their opponent into the wall. Neither man could seem to get
an advantage. The spectator part of Cowley's mind wondered idly how two
killing machines like the men before him could fail to land even one
mildly damaging blow?

Doyle's shouted words rose above the sound of the fight, "Damn it, Bodie,
do you want to die?"

They both stopped stunned by the question, each gripping the other's upper
arm, panting for breath, staring hard into the other's eyes.

Finally Bodie replied, "Not any more, Ray...not any more...." His voice
faded to a whisper his eyes looked away.

Doyle replied, voice so soft that Cowley had to strain to hear the words,
"Then don't take such stupid chances. I'll be there for you. Trust me."

Cowley held his breath waiting for Bodie to put up his walls and push the
presumptuous ex-copper away. Instead he stared in shocked wonder when the
arms of both men turned the fighting stance into an embrace. Ray Doyle
pulled 3.7 into a tight hug and wonder of wonder Bodie was holding on and
returning it for all he was worth.

Cowley who had been standing and watching the fight suddenly felt his legs
weaken and collapsed down into the nearest chair. 'Be careful what you
pray for, God might just answer.' Ray Doyle was nothing like the
person--woman--he'd imagined Bodie would open up for but somehow he'd
broken down those walls 3.7 surrounded himself with. From the looks of it
Bodie had helped him take the damn walls down when no one else--except for
Cowley himself--had been able to even get a peek over them.

Watching as they quietly held and stroked each other in comfort Cowley
felt at a loss and wondered if he was going to lose his best agent.

Bodie spoke first. "Will you be my partner?"

Ray pulled back and looked closely at Bodie. "Not very specific there,
mate. Just how do you mean that?"

Smiling back his mate answered. "All ways. Move in with me and join CI5."

"I've already been rejected once. I don't think your Mr. Cowley's likely
to change his mind."

"He's already told me that he realized he made a big mistake in rejecting
you five years ago when he reviewed your files for this case. He's really
sorry and I think if you asked...."

Ray pulled away and turned his back to Bodie drawing a deep breath, "I'm
not asking again. I can't face that again...not even for you."

"Alright, I'll suggest it and get him to ask you. Please, Ray. You know
you want to. As good as you are at what you do it doesn't fulfill you. I
can tell, can feel how much you need to make a difference. Look at all the
charity work you do and face it you did a damn fine bit of work on this
case and loved every minute of it." Doyle had turned and faced Bodie
midway through his plea. His partner could tell from his face that he
wanted CI5 but was afraid of being rejected again. His disillusionment ran
deep.

"I don't know. If I won't join--even if I get the chance--does that mean
you don't want...."

"I want you to move in with me no matter what happens with CI5. If Cowley
won't recruit you then I'll leave and find something else to do. Got a
couple of mates I knew in the SAS that have been trying to get me to come
and work with them in a security firm. Be a bit like CI5 but less risky
and the pay's better."

"And what about us living together? How do you think Cowley's going to
react to that? I mean I'm assuming that you're not talking about sharing a
two bedroom flat to save money."

"Well I'd prefer a two bedroom flat for the space but I'm only thinking of
one bed being used. That answer your question?" Bodie's face took on a sly
sexy grin and he winked at Doyle. Ray grinned back and to Cowley, watching
from the other room, seemed to preen under Bodie's attentions.

Cowley watched stunned, trying to get past the fact that nothing in either
man's file indicated a tendency towards bi-sexuality. 'They'd definitely
be bi--no one needs that much cover. Where the hell had the shrinks and
security managed to miss that?' he groused to himself.

The conversation on the other side of the one way mirror continued.

"S'what about us being together?"

"You mean the old man?" At Doyle's nod Bodie continued, "Not sure,
Sunshine. Don't think he's prejudiced against bisexuals but how he'd react
to us being together is beyond me. Just have to wait and see when we tell
him."

"God, Bodie, I knew you had balls but not that they were big brass ones.
Let me get this straight. You are proposing to go to George Cowley head of
CI5--who if rumors are true has half a dozen ministers quaking in their
boots at the mention of his name and what he knows about them--and to
introduce him to your new work partner, who he rejected five years ago,
and then inform him that said partner is also going to be your lover and
that you will be living together...."

"I'll tell him that we'll be discreet." Bodie's wide grin answered.
"That's it in a nut shell, love. Come on let's go write up our reports and
find him, we'll tell him we've solved the case and caught all the bad
guys. That should soften him up for the kill."

He turned towards the door but Ray's hand on his arm stopped him. A look
of doubt crossed his face, "You're not changing your mind? Are you, Ray?"

Doyle was quick to reassure him, "No, love. Whatever way it goes, whatever
you decide, I'm by your side." Pulling Bodie into a tight reassuring hug
he held tight for a few minutes before asking a question uppermost in his
mind.

"You ever done this before?" At the puzzled look that met him he
elaborated, "Been involved with a man?"

A soft blush stole across his mate's face. "Never done it, nor even
thought about it. Not till I had you in my arms ten minutes ago. Don't
know why...all I know is that I love you, trust you and want to be with
you. Don't care that you happen to be the so called wrong sex. Whatever
sex you are makes you the right sex for me. How 'bout you?"

"Knew that I might be attracted a bit to men but never acted on it...no
one ever interested me enough...you know, had something to offer that I
couldn't find in a willing bird's arms without all the complications that
go along with gay sex." He stroked the side of Bodie's face gently, with a
loving touch. "Least not til you, Sunshine. Now, I can't imagine being
with anyone else. So why don't you move in with me for the time
being...got plenty of room at my place."

"Not going to be able to afford a place like that on CI5's salaries."

"Sure can. It's all bought and paid for and the monthly co-op fee is less
than a one bedroom flat would cost."

"Well they move us around a lot in CI5 for security reasons but we can
keep it as an investment and a back up if we ever leave in a hurry."

"I'm still not in yet...."

"You will be. Trust me. In the meantime I'd love to spend Christmas at
your place. Cowley promised me two weeks vacation when this op was over
and for once I'm going to take him up on it. Want a proper honeymoon--I
do."

Doyle looked shy and wouldn't meet Bodie's eyes for a few seconds. Then
his face acquired a big grin and he smiled at him. "A proper honeymoon
would be nice." He leaned in and they shared their first kiss. Both men
struggled to hold their passion in check. This was not the place for it.
Home behind locked doors where there was no one to interrupt, they would
save their fire till then.

"Come on, let's go find your boss. You, my love, get to do all the
talking."

The two men separated and left the interrogation room. No one observing
them would have any idea of what had gone on behind the closed door.

George Cowley sat quietly and thought. He'd need to give them a head start
and then head up the back stairs to his office. They'd run him to ground
there soon enough.

Well he'd gotten his wish. His best agent had found someone--but the
someone he'd found! And 3.7...after watching that scene he wondered if he
knew the man. The cold hard empty eyes were gone replaced with eyes full
of life and joy. Even when he'd put his mask back on to go out into the
halls of CI5, he'd turned to flip the light switch and the eyes had still
given him away. They sparkled.

He was amazed at Bodie's supreme confidence that Cowley would do just what
he wanted. What he wanted was crazy. To take a raw recruit who hadn't
worked in law enforcement in years as a partner and lover and to expect
his boss to approve it. The controller had considered offering Doyle a
chance to join CI5 at the end of this case, if he'd performed well, but
not to promote him directly to A squad as his best agent's partner.

That thought gave him pause. Bodie, no matter how in love, would not let
that love blind him to Doyle's abilities. If he wanted him as a partner it
must mean that his work on the case had been extraordinary. That he
trusted his abilities--not only to back him up but he must trust Doyle to
keep himself alive--he would never risk someone he loved in a position
that he couldn't handle. So Doyle had to be very good.

But to partner lovers? Bodie should know better. What was he thinking?
When it dawned on Cowley he paused and realized that if Doyle performed as
expected in the training program that he'd just acquired a new team,
because what Bodie was thinking was that Cowley would not say no to
anything that would make him this happy unless it was a risk to CI5. And
Bodie was right. He'd been through enough in his life and Cowley wouldn't
hurt Bodie that way...not without good reason. So if they could prove
themselves to him and Jack then they were a team and what went on in
private between the two of them was nobody's business but their own,
unless they did something to make it so. George Cowley had a feeling that
they wouldn't.

Reaching his office he went in to do a little paper work and wait for
Bodie and Doyle to give him the opportunity to add to his reputation for
triple think and being three steps ahead of everyone else. It would never
pay for either man to know just how much of a surprise they'd been to him.

*CHRISTMAS 1980*

George Cowley surveyed the crowded room and watched the festivities. It
had been a good year for CI5, they'd had a lot of major victories. Still
it had been tough and they'd lost a few agents but a lot less than the
year before and had gained a lot of respect in the press and the other
intelligence services. CI5 was getting better and a whole lot of the
credit for its success belonged to the two men now clowning around the
room with a couple of sprigs of mistletoe and kissing every female in
sight. Bodie and Doyle were kissing all comers and gleefully seeking out
any females that didn't come to them. They were the life of the party and
Doyle had drug Bodie into helping him set up a big bash instead of the
usual catch as catch can affair. This party came equipped with lots of
food and drink and a record player with music...Christmas music of all
kinds including quite a number of kids' records. Leave it to Doyle to
realize that at this time of year people needed to remember their
childhoods. Or maybe he just based it on what his mate needed and that
reflected other's needs, as well. Bodie looked like a kid who'd been given
the keys to a toy store and told that it was all his, or maybe,
considering Bodie, it was a candy store. Cowley smiled.

It had been quite a turbulent year for his new team, both professionally
and personally. Actually they'd meshed beautifully as a CI5 team, seeming
to work as one from the first day of partner training. He smiled at how
impressed Jack had been. When he'd informed the head of the training
center that Bodie would be coming down to train as Doyle's partner Jack
had asked Cowley what he'd done to get up Cowley's nose. Well he really
couldn't blame him. The last time 3.7 had been sent down to try out as
someone's partner he'd set everyone on their ears by leaving his partner
behind and finishing the exercise by himself...something you weren't
supposed to be able to do without a partner. That had been two, no three,
years previously and they'd given up on trying to find a permanent partner
for 3.7 after that.

After the first couple of days of 3.7's and the new 4.5's pairing he'd
called to find out how it was going.

"Is Bodie giving you any trouble, Jack?"

"I don't know what you said to him, Major, but he's been a dream."

"So he's holding himself back so that Doyle can keep up?" That was one of
Cowley's fears that Bodie wouldn't perform at peak efficiency.

"No. He hangs around to let Doyle get the hang of it on the first try but
after that he's at top form."

"So how does 4.5 take being left behind?"

"He doesn't."

"Hmmm?"

"Doyle is not only keeping up with Bodie but surpassing him in some of the
exercises. They are extremely competitive, Major. 3.7 had been getting
sloppy...no one much challenged him. Doyle does. And they are both beating
a lot of old records. They tied with each other and got a 5.4 on the rope.
No one gets a 5.4!

"I'll tell you, George, when you sent Bodie out here to team with a new
recruit I thought you were nuts. But I've watched them for the last two
days and I'd say you've finally found a real partner for 3.7. He's going
to be busting his butt to make sure that he's not eating Doyle's dust and,
from the look of things, loving every minute of it." Cowley smiled to
himself at the memory. Jack had been right 3.7 and 4.5 quickly became his
best team.

Things had not gone quite as smoothly on the home front. At least he
thought not. Neither man revealed much but with careful observation Cowley
could tell when they were fighting. They never let it interfere with their
work but some days they would come in very quiet and not look at each
other unless it was necessary for the job. The silences had never lasted
more than a couple of days and they got fewer as time went on and the two
independent loners got used to living with someone else.

At least that had been the case until one week in July. Cowley never found
out what the problem was but the hostilities had been going on for a week
and a half when Cowley had come in early to find Bodie sacked out on the
restroom couch. It was obvious that he'd spent the night. That had worried
him. They'd never let their relationship affect the work but if they were
to break up as lovers Cowley didn't want to bet on the affect that would
have on either man. He'd worried most of the morning and had arranged to
have Bodie accompany him to a luncheon meeting. Bodie'd ignored all of his
boss' subtle hints to talk about what was wrong and he'd considered the
lunch a failure. But upon returning to CI5, Cowley and Bodie had walked in
to a bunch of cat calls at Bodie. A delivery man had delivered three dozen
red roses to Bodie's desk with a card, which most of the office had snuck
and read. It read: 'Love you always, Ramona'.

Bodie'd managed to cover his embarrassment and blush with some bluster
about how he slayed the women but he'd looked to see his partner standing
in the doorway across the room. Doyle had merely raised his eyebrow and
winked, Bodie's blush darkened and he looked quickly away. However, he
didn't spend another night on the couch nor did the silence between them
continue into the next day.

That had been their last major disagreement. They still fought fiercely
and stood up for what they believed but Cowley knew that it was at that
point in July that both men had decided they were in it for the long haul
and that no matter what the fight they were going to stick together.

Cowley wondered if Doyle had changed as much as Bodie had. On the surface
3.7 seemed the same...same dark wit, quick reflexes, and laid back
attitude but in his approach to everything there was a subtle difference.
Whereas, before he was a detached observer now he was a part, connected to
the world, to himself and most importantly his lover.

Well he'd had his prayer answered but he didn't give up his Christmas
tradition of praying for his favorite agents. Instead he added another to
the prayer and prayed that 3.7 and 4.5 managed to stay alive and healthy
to enjoy the happiness they'd found. Somehow he thought God would answer
this one with a yes, as well.

He smiled as he watched them slip quietly out the door to go home and
celebrate Christmas--together. It had been a very good year.

-- THE END --

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