i woke up bright and early , whistling under my breath as i made coffee for myself and rome, the puppies playing around my feet. rome was currently in the shower, where i'd left him after another round of hot and steamy loving.

we were together again, and we were going to get married, though i had no idea when. both of us wanted it to be soon, but i had nothing planned and all of my appointments were canceled.

a dark slash in my periphery captured my attention and i turned, expecting rome. or tanner - who had stayed awake laaaaate last night. i knew because the sounds he and elaine had made had never ceased. i now knew beyond any doubt that tanner had lost his virginity. never would i be able to blot the many "oh, tanner, oh, yes, like that" pleas from my mind.

but instead of rome or tanner, i saw a familiar figure with white hair and silver-violet eyes tiptoeing toward the living room and the front door. i followed, brow scrunched in confusion. "cody?" he stopped in his tracks, muttering, "shit." slowly he turned and faced me. a pair of shoes dangled from his hands. his shirt was wrinkled and his jeans unsnapped - as if he'd dressed in a hurry. he smiled sheepishly. "well, this is awkward."

"isn't it, though?" i asked, hands on my hips.

"so, uh, hey, belle. how are you?"

"enough pleasantries. what are you doing here?"

he shifted uncomfortably, shrugged. "came to see sherridan."

"why?" the question lashed from me, sparks of anger lighting. "i don't think she wants to see you."

"uh, you'd be wrong about that."

what the hell? "you said you weren't interested in her anymore. you said you didn't like high-maintenance women."

"well, i lied. or changed my mind. i'm not sure which. she looked at me with those baby blues while desert gall had her caged and i sort of forgot how to think. i'm not going to hurt her, though. you have my word."

"are you guys a...couple?" i gasped out the word.

his cheeks reddened, then paled. "no. yes. i don't know. for now." i ran my tongue over my teeth, my hands clenching at my sides. then someone sidled up to me, strong arms banding around my waist. soft lips pressed into my temple, and i breathed deeply of soap and wild beast.

"hey, baby," rome said to me. "you look pretty. jeans and a button-up. my favorite. except when you're naked. or wearing a dress. or a towel. actually, whatever you wear, i love. have we already covered that?" he paused, but not long enough for me to answer. "hey, man," he said to cody. "see things went well last night."

cody smiled smugly. "you could say that. thanks for letting me in." i whipped around, facing rome with narrowed eyes. "you knew he was here?"

"well, yeah. i heard him sneaking in. since your guard dogs refused to budge from their beds, i decided to check on things." he gave me another kiss, this one on the lips, and padded to the kitchen. he was wearing pants, but no shirt, and as usual his chest and back were sun-kissed, slightly scarred and utterly kissable.

i followed him, watching as he grabbed a mug and filled it with the coffee i had made him, the traitor. i tried not to soften as he pet the girls. they didn't bark or snarl at him as i'd originally envisioned. now that i liked him and wanted him around, they did, too. or maybe he'd romanced them as he'd done to me, now that he was no longer jealous of them. yes, he'd admitted that he'd been jealous of the smiles i'd given my babies. "why didn't you tell me?"

he flicked me an are-you-kidding grin. "i had other things on my mind."

"but sherridan hates him. what if he - "

"she doesn't hate me," cody said, all wickedness.

i turned and gasped, a hand fluttering over my chest. i'd followed rome and apparently cody had followed me. he stood in the kitchen entryway, shoulder braced against the door frame. i needed to be more aware of my surroundings and the people in them or i'd die of heart failure, i swear i would.

suddenly sherridan raced around the corner, a single sock dangling from between her fingers. she spotted me and ground to a halt. her mouth fell open and her cheeks burned bright red. a gasp escaped her, and it was the most beautiful sound i'd ever heard.

i moved toward her, but rome grabbed my arm and held me back. my mind cleared as i shook my head and stepped away from him. okay, how had this happened? she'd been so determined to resist cody. and how long before he remembered his three-dates rule and dumped her, hurting her deeply?

"you're going to pay for this. i warned you." i held out my hand and summoned a ball of fire.

he jumped back, and sherridan jumped in front of him, shaking her head at me mutely.

"uh, rome," cody said.

i didn't spin to look at him, and maybe i should have. because two arms again wrapped around my waist and rome's warm, minty breath trekked over my cheek, my shoulder. his fingers curled around my wrist.

"put the fire out, baby."

"i want some answers, and he's going to give them to me. besides, he needs to know there will be consequences for his actions." i held firm, keeping the flames front and center so cody didn't get any ideas about running. "how'd you manage to...you know without her making a sound and entrancing you?"

"i have filters. got them years ago when i underwent some enhancements, just like rome." his gaze roved to sherridan, stayed for a moment, softening, increasing my anger, then moved back to me. "she can talk to me."

"yeah, well, i want to know how long you're planning to stick around before moving on to your next conquest. i also want to know if you remember the warning i gave you." biting her lower lip, sherridan looked down at her feet. she groaned in embarrassment and it was a prettier sound than even the sigh. i tried to pull from rome, had to reach her, tell her i'd do anything she wanted, even kill cody. yes, kill cody. that was a fine plan. he might hurt her one day, and that i couldn't allow. she deserved rainbows and sunshine, roses and chocolate.

"shit," rome said.

"double shit," cody said, backing away.

i lifted my free hand, already summoning another ball of fire. cody was going to roast, and i was going to laugh, and then i was going to comfort sherridan. sweet, wonderful sherridan.

rome tried to grab for the new ball, but i danced free of him and prepared to launch at cody.

"stop, belle," sherridan said firmly. "stop the fire."

immediately i obeyed. my now-empty hands dropped to my sides. anything she wanted, i would do.

had to touch her, i had to touch her. she was my everything, my only reason for living. i needed -

"i'm sorry, baby," rome said on a sigh. he hefted me over his shoulder and started down the hall.

i struggled, hitting him, kicking him, biting him. i was wild, feral and more determined than i'd ever been.

he tossed me on the bed. the mattress bounced me high in the air and i jackknifed to my knees when i landed. i was going to rip him a new -

he was on top of me in the next instant, a sharp sting piercing my shoulder.

"you bastard!" i snarled, lethargy already beating through me. "she's...you...what?"

"part of being your man is protecting you, even from yourself. i'd expect you to do the same for me.

see you in a few hours, wonder girl."

my entire world went black.

as my eyelids fluttered open tiredly, i caught glimpses of sherridan, tall, curvy and gorgeous, who was standing over my bed and staring down at me.

"hey," she said.

i tried to focus on her, but there were too many colorful spots clouding my vision. red, yellow, orange.

"thirsty?"

the moment she asked, i could taste the cotton in my mouth. i nodded. next thing i knew, a straw was pressed to my lips. i gulped, the sweet, cool water wetting my throat.

"that's enough." the cup disappeared.

not enough, never enough. i moaned. but this time when i opened my eyes, i could see more than a murky portrait. her blond curls were piled on top of her head, her blue eyes wide with concern.

"how are you feeling?" she asked.

"like i need a nap." my voice was nothing more than a croak.

she chuckled softly. "that's the drugs talking. but guess what? you have filters now, right on schedule.

the doctors didn't even need to give you anesthesia since you were already out." eyes widening, i reached up and patted my ears. they were a little sensitive, but that was the only indication anything had been done to me. well, that and the fact that i no longer felt the need to throw myself at sherridan every time she opened her mouth. as my arm flopped back to my side, my iv tube rubbed my chest, cool and jolting. my chest? i hurriedly looked down to make sure i was dressed. i was. though someone had removed my clothing and placed me in a gaping hospital gown.

how many times could a girl wake up in a hospital before raising the white flag?

i relaxed against the bed and slowly grinned. "that's a powerful ability you've got there. seriously, i was contemplating killing cody so we could be a couple."

she snorted, but she never stopped smiling. "we'd never make it romantically. you're too demanding in bed. 'harder, rome. now, rome. tie me up, rome.'"

"bitch," i muttered good-naturedly. it was nice to have my friend back. "you know you wouldn't be able to get enough of me."

"i like where this conversation is headed," a male voice said from the doorway.

i looked past sherridan and spotted rome in the doorway.

"hey, baby," he said.

"cat man." a more welcome sight i'd never beheld. my heart even picked up speed, my monitor announcing it for all the world to hear.

he stalked to me and unceremoniously shoved me aside on the bed, where he plopped down and cuddled me close. "mad?"

as if. "i'm grateful. i was walking toward sherridan with every intention of making out with her, so you did me a favor. she would have fallen in love with me, and then where would we have been?"

"now i'm mad at myself for stopping you," he grumbled, and we all laughed. men!

sherridan's humor died the quickest. she gripped the bed's rails and leaned forward, expression serious. "i want you to know that cody visited me as often as he could while i was locked up. he brought me food, water, blankets. anything i asked for, he snuck inside and gave me. and i know what you're thinking. i was mean to him after our rescue. but i was afraid he'd, you know, get bored and dump me. that he'd only done those nice things to keep me calm. he didn't. he wanted more. he's a good man, belle."

now my humor faded. "but will he stick around? i don't want to see you hurt. because if he hurts you, i have to kill him and that will upset rome."

a nurse entered, saw that i was awake and made a notation in a chart. the room quieted. she approached me, unhooked my iv and informed me i was free to go at any time.

when she left, i remained in bed, meaning to grill sherridan a bit more. but cody arrived, and the words vanished from my tongue. he walked straight over to sherridan and drew her into his embrace. she willingly fell into it.

"what about desert gal?" i asked him, jaw clenched. "you two seemed pretty cozy when you were hunting me and rome down. not to mention while you were locking up sherridan and lexis." his eyes narrowed at the insult. "that was an act, and i can't believe you'd think otherwise," he said, and sherridan was nodding as though she believed him. "when reese gave her your location, he forced my hand. i had to act or she would have doubted my intent to join her team. she would have doubted my claim of being sick of psi and all the people who work there. so i took lexis and sherridan. and yeah, i could have let them get away and told her it was an accident, but that would have raised even more suspicions and we didn't have time for that."

"oh." i didn't know what else to say.

"desert gall is a disturbed woman with major daddy issues, and she needs help. i pretended to give her that help, but i kept my hands to myself. in fact, i told her i was gay. that way, i could keep her at a physical distance, as well as let her think she was pretty enough to one day change my mind." i folded my arms over my middle. "but you didn't keep sherridan and lexis safe." his shoulders slumped a little. "i know. but i did what i could. they're alive, aren't they?"

"yes."

"because i gave them to desert gal, she trusted me with the locations of three other compounds. we were able to raid them and pick up fourteen other innocents. or maybe scrims. time will tell. but believe me, letting sherri be taken nearly killed me."

when sherridan didn't immediately cut him a new eye socket for calling her by the hated nickname, i knew it was serious. my stomach twisted painfully.

"besides," he added, "it's not like i had much help making decisions. in the beginning of this case, you were otherwise occupied. with rome. with memory man. i knew desert gall was my responsibility." he was losing the shamed look and returning to total irritation.

rome stiffened, ever ready to defend me.

"you're right," i said, hoping to ease things. "you're right. i wasn't a lot of help to you in that department."

cody relaxed. even offered, "granted, you're a lot more focused now."

"look at you two, playing nice," sherridan said with a grin. "don't be too hard on cody, belle. he did what he thought was right. and i had time to do some serious thinking while desert wasp had me in that cage, and even more time these past few days when i wasn't allowed to speak at home, and you know what i realized? relationships eventually hurt, every damn one of them. look at you and rome. i know cody's flighty and i know he'll eventually get tired of me and leave, but i'm willing to try for something with him while i've got the chance."

she was right. she didn't need the pain headed her way, but if she was willing to deal with it, who was i to try and stop her? i would just have to be there to help her pick up the pieces.

"damn it." cody threw up his arms. "why does everyone think i'll leave?"

"your dating history." sherridan shrugged. "face it, you run like a track star at the first sign of commitment."

"you've gone on more dates than i have." he glowered down at her. "but maybe i've changed." she snorted. "hardly."

his arms tightened around her. "you're begging for a fight, woman." a tremor sped the length of her spine and she whispered, "i think i proved last night that i don't beg for anything."

his pupils dilated, and his nostrils flared. "challenge accepted." he grabbed her wrist and tugged her out of the room.

not once did she protest. no, she giggled.

i lay there, stunned.

rome shook his head. "dear god."

"i know. are we that disgusting?"

he smiled with self-deprecation. "probably worse."

we shared a laugh. he squeezed my hand, love in his eyes, and i knew, as surely as if i were psychic like lexis, that we were going to make it. we belonged together. nothing, not even memory loss, my new and improved powers, or two people determined to break us up once and for all, had been able to pull us apart.

we were forever.