by Jeff Uribe & Sydnie MacElroy
[NRPG : All : Well, here's the final part of the Syd/Jeff collaboration and more info on the liquid.
Bravo : Just closing out the Calderon Death arc.
Andrew : Ok, here's the post that brings Richard back to Station X. I guess you can start funneling a student or two back towards Classroom E.
Jill : Woah, Cameo appearance...
Sau Woon : Sorry about calling Christopher, Richard... didn't know where my mind was at. I guess the memorial service happens when Vanessa is off....
Lastly, this post contains a tip o' the hat to the late Maeve O'brien (who played Agent Eithne Llywelyn) who pulled Calderon through training kicking and screaming. She was a good friend and I finally got around to a sorta dedication post to her....]
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[Leo's Apartment, 6:00 am]
> "We don't know that, Zenya. It could be..."
> Zenya sighed. "Yes, we do know that, Leo. There's something I haven't had > a chance to tell you." She slipped away from him, found her purse behind > one of the cushions of the couch and took the vial out of it. She passed > it to Leo.
> "What's this?"
> "Another long story."
Leo looked at the vial that held some sort of liquid in it, then passed it back to Zenya's safekeeping. "Ok... I'm game, what's this story?"
Before Zenya had a chance to start, Leo's phone suddenly started to ring. As Leo got up to answer the phone, Zenya took the time to stretch and get a better look around Leo's new apartment. One of the first things she had noticed was that the "new apartment" look didn't last very long. There were boxes piled in nearly every free corner of the apartment, some with a cloth carelessly tossed over it, some not. Leo had a few pictures up on the wall, one was a blown up version of the family portrait that survived the fire in Leo's old apartment, another was of Leo and some of his friends in the military, a third was an impromptu snapshot that was taken of the team at Hoover's Hollow, probably by Ernie, when they had all first met. The fourth picture was the one that caught Zenya's eye. It was a snapshot of her in profile, with the setting sun going down behind her. From the look of it, it was taken when the group was in Boston.
With a grin, she turned to see Leo listening intently to whoever was on the other side of the line. A frown crossed his face as he nodded, then hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?"
Leo looked up at her, the frown still on his face. "That was Jordan. One of Bravo's members died two days ago. There's going to be a short service at the Memorial Wall at 8:30 am.
Glancing at the clock, Zenya saw that it was already 6:15. "Was it anyone we knew?"
Leo's jaw hardened at this. "It was Agent Calderon. When I first came into Zulu, I gave him some documents on Docker for their team to use."
Zenya stepped forward and took Leo's hand into hers. "I'm sorry, Leo."
Leo looked at Zenya and gave her hand a small squeeze. "That's alright, we weren't close or anything. But, thanks."
Zenya looked into Leo's eyes and saw that something was puzzling him. "What's the matter?"
Leo frowned once again, "From what Jordan's been able to piece together, Docker was involved. What's bothering me is, from what is being reported by Team Leader Baker, it was Docker who kept the team from being slaughtered. Docker killed over 12 people that he was supposed to be working with, just so Bravo could escape."
Zenya was just as confused about this as Leo was. "How did Calderon die then?"
"He was hit by a 2nd sniper's bullet, then he rolled onto a bomb that was counting down so that his teammates could escape." Leo said. "Anyways, we better get ready. We need to get you home in order to get dressed. Imagine what everyone would say if you showed up in that sexy evening gown you wore last night."
Zenya smiled. "well, get dressed while I slip back into that gown. I'll tell you about the vial on the way to my place."
*****
[Zenya's apartment, 7:10AM]
Zenya pulled the car into a space in front of her building just as she finished telling Leo about her meeting with 'Peshkov.' He hadn't said much during the story, mostly nodding, which had made it difficult to gauge his reactions and watch the road at the same time. Now, a glance at him told her that he hadn't yet figured out quite how to respond it. He looked a little pale, maybe a little angry, but he managed a smile when he noticed Zenya staring at him.
"Not a morning for good news, is it," Zenya said. She touched his arm and then slipped her hand into his.
"No. Any idea what he meant? When he said that you should ask yourself why they tested this on me."
"I was hoping you could help me with that," Zenya said. She shook her head. "Believe me, Leo, I've been thinking about it. I was awake most of last night thinking about it."
"We'll figure it out," Leo said. He smiled reassuringly, and that went a long way toward easing Zenya's mind. A little childish, maybe, but as much as she'd tried to convince herself of just that, it hadn't worked until he said it.
"Of course we will." She squeezed his hand once more before letting go and getting out of the car.
Leo met her at the front of the car and held out his arm for her. She took it and they started slowly up the walk.
"Leo.." Zenya started as they passed through the lobby and started up the stairs. What she really wanted to do was suggest that perhaps it was time to let the rest of the team in on what was happening with him, since now it was obviously something more than aftereffects from his exposure to the computer program in Montana. But she caught herself before she could start sounding like a nag, and instead said, "I enjoyed last night. At least, the parts of it that you remember."
The look in his eyes said that he knew that wasn't what she'd set out to say, and that he probably suspected what she was really thinking. "Me, too."
"Good," Zenya said, with a grin. They came up to her door. She had the key out, but she didn't put it to use right away. "Because," she continued, "when we try this again, you'd better not phase out on me. I might decide to take it personally and get annoyed."
"We can't let that happen." Their eyes locked for a moment and then Leo leaned down and kissed her. Zenya was startled, not by the kiss, but by how different it was from last night when Burnett - aka the Anti-Leo - had kissed her.
*****
[JEH Building, Memorial Wall. 8:50 am]
The service lasted less than a half hour, with Directors Flansberg and Peters giving short speeches about Jeff Calderon and the contributions he had given to the X-files. Looking around, Leo saw that besides Zulu, there were some trainers from Station X, including Richard Corrigan, and members of Team Bravo was scattered amongst others from the Bureau. Teams Delta and Echo were on assignment some-where.
When the service finished, Leo and Zenya made their way towards the wall, where Josh and Richard were talking to each other. The rest of Zulu hung around for a while, chatting with other agents that they knew before heading back to the office. As they got closer, they could hear Josh talking to Richard.
"You know, it's fitting that his portrait is hung next to Eithne's. I remember when they both came out of training together in order to be assigned. I never expected to lose them both so soon." Josh said, looking up at Calderon's picture which was hanging next to Agent Eithne Llywelyn's. "So Richard, have you decided to come back to training?"
Richard looked back towards the shocked face of Leo and nodded. "I've decided to try to give it another chance. If anyone in my family is either directly or indirectly put into danger once again, then I will leave. Just as long as we have that understanding between us."
Josh nodded and shook Richard's hand. "Good to have you back, old man. I believe Classroom E has been waiting for you."
Leo gave a mischeivous smile and said, "old man? I believe the term should be ancient one." Zenya gave him a jab in the midsection as Richard and Josh laughed at this.
"Well, I didn't say it." Josh said. "I've got to get back to Station X."
Richard nodded, "I'll be back tomorrow, first thing."
As soon as Josh left, Richard explained everything that had happened while Leo and Zenya were in Montana and why he had contemplated leaving Station X. They talked for a while more, then Richard had to leave in order to get his teaching things set up. Leo and Zenya promised that they'd be back out to the ranch in the near future and they went back to Zulu's office to await their next case.