“Isn’t it wonderful to be home?” Trixie exclaimed as she dumped her suitcase on the floor and spread her arms wide.

Close behind her, Dan grinned and added his own suitcase to the growing collection on the floor. “I thought you were tired from the twelve hour flight.”

Trixie shrugged. “That was before we got home. It’s been so long!” She made a quick tour of the apartment, turning on lights and checking the faucets, and then turned her computer on and headed for the bathroom.

“I’m taking a quick shower,” she called over her shoulder. “I don’t care if it’s silly. I’ve waited three months for a shower in my own bathroom. Don’t check e-mail without me!”

Dan suppressed a groan as the familiar sound of Chilliwack filled the apartment. As Trixie joined in singing the chorus of “Gone So Long”, Dan called to her, “For Pete’s sake, Trixie! You’re going to get us evicted!”

He heard the bathroom door close as Trixie replied, “Our neighbours have had three months of peace and quiet. I think they can handle a few songs.”

Dan shook his head. “But, can I?”

The sound of running water muffled Trixie’s laughter, but he clearly heard her reply, “Can’t talk. Showering.” A few minutes later she added, “Plus, you know you love my singing.”

Dan gave up and wandered around the apartment. There was a stack of mail a mile high on the kitchen table, and he sincerely hoped that nothing had gone wrong with the automatic bill payment system they had established. Of course, the fact that they had running water and electricity was a good sign.

Ignoring the mail, he headed for the living room. He sank into the black leather couch and wearily rubbed his eyes. Trixie was right. It was good to be home. Propping his legs on the coffee table and leaning back, Dan soon drifted off. He was awakened only a few minutes later when Trixie emerged from the bathroom dressed in a tank top and pyjama bottoms. Her hair hung in wet ringlets and clung to her shoulders and back. With her freshly scrubbed face free of even the minimal make-up she usually wore, she shaved ten years off her appearance and looked to be about fourteen years old.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she cautioned. “It’s only five o’clock local time. You’re not going to sleep for at least another five hours.”

Dan groaned, but moved to a slightly more upright position. He raised an eyebrow and commented, “Hey, I’m not the one wearing pyjamas.”

Trixie flushed. “It was summer when we left. My winter clothes are still packed away, and I was too lazy to dig them out. Maybe after supper.”

Dan’s stomach emitted a low but persistent growl, and Trixie giggled in triumph.

“I knew I could count on the mention of food to get you going. Do you want to order out, or make something?”

Dan reluctantly got up off the couch and headed for the kitchen. “We may as well see what our food supply is. We’ll have to go grocery shopping tonight or tomorrow.”

Trixie followed him to the kitchen, and they were soon consumed in the business of creating a meal out of what they could find. They worked mostly in silence, Dan cooking pasta and Trixie heating a jar of Alfredo sauce.

“Too bad we don’t have ingredients for a Caesar salad,” Dan commented, eliciting a shudder from Trixie.

“Can you imagine how disgusting the vegetables would be after three months in the fridge?”

Dan smirked. “Not nearly as disgusting as the first time you tried to make a stir fry.”

Trixie used a wooden spoon to whack him upside the head. “Oh, yeah? And who was it that thought vegetarian lasagne made with zucchini would be a good idea?”

Dan removed the wooden spoon from her hand and placed it on the counter out of her reach. “Hey,” he defended himself. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. You know, less red meat, more vegetables. And everybody likes zucchini, right?”

Trixie giggled. “Yes, in chocolate cake. Not in pureed, runny form reacting with the tomato sauce. My mother’s homemade tomato sauce, at that.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you ruined perfectly good tomato sauce from Crabapple Farm. Why do I put up with you, again?”

“Trixie, that was two years ago, at least. You have to admit that my cooking has improved noticeably since then.”

Trixie laughed. “I think it’s safe to say that both of us have learned a lot.”

Dan tested the noodles and declared them to be cooked to perfection. They quickly filled two earthenware pasta plates with noodles and sauce and sat down at the kitchen table.

Trixie closed her eyes and savoured the first mouthful. “Mmmm. I never thought I would say this, but it does actually feel good to cook our own meals for a change.”

Dan snorted. “I never thought you'd say that, either. Does this mean you want to take over cooking duty for a while?”

Trixie swallowed before sticking out her tongue. “It doesn't feel that good,” she retorted.

Dan shrugged and changed the topic. “So, are you looking forward to going back to work tomorrow?”

“I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine. I’ve really missed my sparring sessions with Keith,” she said, referring to her trainer.

Dan covered a smile. “Is that why you went crazy on Franco? I thought I was going to have to intervene before you rendered him incapable of giving us the information we needed.”

“He was asking for it and you know it. Honestly.” Trixie shook her head in disbelief. “Why would an international arms dealer employ anyone that stupid? And you wouldn’t want me to get rusty, would you?”

Dan held up his hands defensively. “No, no, anything but that. We can’t have our number one hand-to-hand combat agent getting rusty.”

Trixie wrinkled her nose. “Speaking of intervening, you didn’t look too pleased when you had to stop seducing the arms dealer’s girlfriend. I thought I was going to have to go in there myself and surgically separate you two.”

“Wouldn’t want me to blow my cover, would you?” Dan smiled and pushed his plate away. “Best job in the world.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Speaking of jobs...” She eyed the dishes.

“Tell you what. You do the dishes and I’ll go grocery shopping,” Dan negotiated.

“I don’t think so, Danno. We’ll flip for it,” she countered.

Dan inspected Trixie’s pyjamas. “You’re going to go grocery shopping dressed like that?”

Trixie glanced down at her thin pants and tank top. “Crap.” She sighed. “Well, I certainly didn't miss dishes.” She looked up hopefully. “Let’s check e-mail before you go.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’ll do anything to get out of housework?”

Smiling broadly, she answered, “Yes. On many occasions.”

She hurried to the computer and brought up the music files before clicking on her e-mail account. The music of Chicago drifted over them as she scanned the in-box. With a sigh, she clicked on the message from her oldest brother.

Trixie

I hope you're doing well. Long time, no hear. I'm still busy at the hospital, of course.
We're trying to plan Christmas holidays. It seems like most of us will be going home to Sleepyside. Will you be joining us?
Moms says she hasn't been able to reach you lately. She sounded pretty worried. Could you give her a call?

Brian

Trixie stared at the screen unseeing for a full five minutes after reading the message. As always, Brian's words were polite. And distant. And whose fault is that, a voice in her head taunted. How could she argue with her brother's logic? After all, she was the one who had distanced herself from her family. She struggled against the sense of disappointment and guilt she always felt after an encounter with Brian.

“It’s going to be okay, Trixie. He’ll come around. They all will,” Dan assured her, squeezing her arm as he read over her shoulder.

Trixie shook her head. “It’s been so long. The only reason he wrote was to get me to call Moms. I’m sure he couldn’t care less if I come home or not.”

Dan sighed. “That’s not true, and you know it. They just don’t understand about your work.”

Trixie laughed, unable to disguise the self-loathing bitterness. “How could they? They don’t know what I do. All they know is that I’ve moved far away from home, that it’s hard to get hold of me, and that I don’t often come home.”

“And that you share an apartment with me.” Dan's voice was flat, his face blank.

Trixie looked up at him in surprise. “Don’t start, Dan. You know it was the right decision. It’s not our fault if they don’t believe we’re capable of sharing an apartment without sharing a bedroom.”

Dan sighed. “I know. It’s just hard, knowing what your brothers are thinking.”

Trixie’s melancholy turned to anger. “They should know better. Even if we were together, it’s not like it’s a crime. We’re all adults.”

Dan smiled softly. “Not to your big brothers, you’re not. You’ll always be their little sister. And I’ll always be the one who took you away from them.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Trixie blustered.

Dan shrugged. “Not to them. If you look at it from their perspective, it actually makes sense. The fact that I took a year off between high school and university, that we both went to schools in Virginia, that we work together, that we share an apartment, that we go home together for holidays—it does look kind of suspicious. It looks like I waited for you to finish high school, and then stole you away. Frankly, I’m surprised that Brian and Mart didn’t make a trip down here when we told them I was moving in with you.”

“Why does this have to be so hard?” Trixie shoved the keyboard shelf and clicked out of her e-mail account. She stared at the blank screen. “Is that what everyone thinks?” she asked quietly.

Dan turned away to hide the faint glimmer of hurt in his eyes. “Well, Brian and Mart have made it pretty clear how they feel. You talk to Honey and Di more than I do, and…”

Trixie stood up abruptly and hugged Dan impulsively. “I don’t care what anybody thinks. I have an awesome job, and the best roommate in the world. And that’s final. Now, don’t you have some grocery shopping to do?”

Dan gave Trixie’s shoulders one last squeeze and turned to go. “Is there anything in particular you would like?” he asked.

“Grapes would be nice. And cheese. And,” Trixie paused and Dan watched a faint flush creep up her cheeks.

Dan smiled. “What is it? Are you going to die without a chocolate fix, or something?”

“Well, chocolate is always good, but,” Trixie sighed and took the bullet. “I kind of need some “special supplies”, if you know what I mean.”

Dan groaned. “Remind me again why I do this for you?”

Trixie smiled winningly. “Because I make your life more exciting?”

Dan gave her a withering look. “No, that’s not it. I have work for that.”

“Because I make killer Saturday brunches?”

“There’s an IHOP down the street.”

“Because I managed to convince Tina from accounting that you’re gay?”

Dan’s jaw dropped. “What?!?”

Trixie shrugged. “You asked me to get her to stop calling you. You didn’t say how to do it.” She put her hands on her hips. “Did it work, or didn't it?”

Dan rubbed his temples. “Yes, but…”

“Yes, but nothing. Are you going to pick up my supplies, or not?”

Dan shook his head. “Have I ever not?” He fished his black leather jacket out of the closet and shook his car keys. “This is the last time, Friday.”

Trixie smiled and shooed him out the door. “Have fun, Danno!”

Trixie sighed and started clearing the dishes from the table and adding them to the pile of pots and utensils on the counter. How on earth did I end up in an apartment without a dishwasher? She absentmindedly filled a sink with hot, soapy water and placed the pots in to soak. Scrubbing the dried sauce off a plate, Trixie still couldn’t help rejoicing in the fact that she was finally home. The assignment in Minsk had taken a lot longer than anyone had anticipated. Instead of immediately infiltrating the arms dealer’s base of operations, they had been forced to wait and monitor the situation while he brokered a huge deal with an international power. In order to wipe out the arms dealer and his client effectively, they had needed time to work their way into the stronghold and gain the necessary details of the operation.

She chuckled as she remembered watching Dan assume his smooth European security persona. It really wasn’t all that different from his normal personality, but was still amusing. Since he normally wore a lot of black, the all black attire of the security detail wasn’t a big stretch. The slicked back hair and moustache were a bit more entertaining, but what Trixie found especially fascinating was the amount of jewellery he wore. With a gold watch, large rings, and a crucifix, Dan was a completely different man.

Trixie froze. Crucifix. Why was that important? Dropping the pot she was scrubbing, Trixie dried her hands on a tea towel and left the dishes where they were. She flung open her closet door and located the box Bill had entrusted to them. She sighed in relief as she spotted the cross and chain on top of the file folders. Carefully placing the necklace in her almost empty jewellery box, Trixie turned back to the box of files and looked at them thoughtfully. Just one file.

Forty-five minutes later, Trixie jumped as she heard Dan fumbling with the lock. Guiltily, she put down the paper she was reading and hurried to help him with the groceries.

“Wow! Did you buy the entire store?”

Dan rolled his eyes and set down several bags on the kitchen table. “There’s more in the car. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Trixie and Dan worked in silent companionship putting away the groceries. Dan handed the last bag to her with a flourish. “Ta da!”

Trixie peeked in the bag and let out a squeal. “Cheesecake? What are we celebrating?”

Dan smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. Our first night in three months sleeping in our own beds? A gun dealer behind bars? Take your pick.”

Trixie smiled. “They both work for me. We’ll have to save it for later, though. I’m still too full from supper to even think about food.”

Dan glanced at the kitchen sink. “Were you too full to think about the dishes, too?” he teased.

Trixie turned back to the sink with a groan. “I got distracted.”

“Not your brothers, I hope.”

Trixie looked up in surprise. “No, no. I had actually forgotten about them.” She smacked him on the arm. “Thanks for reminding me.”

Dan started drying the dishes in the drain tray as Trixie added hot water to the dishes in the sink, and plunged her hands into the soapy water. “Well, what was it, then?”

Trixie sighed. “You remember the box Bill gave us.”

Dan closed his eyes. “Actually, I had forgotten.”

Trixie nodded. “I had, too. But I was thinking of that crucifix you wore when you were undercover in Minsk, and that reminded me of the cross Bill gave me.”

Smirking, Dan asked, “So, you were thinking of me and my jewels, were you?”

Trixie splashed him with the few remaining bubbles in the sink. “Your jewellery did make a statement,” she conceded. “You were pretty memorable.”

Dan nodded. “Darn right. And that’s why the ladies always go for me.”

Sniffing, Trixie replied, “I’ll have you know that Marina was not a lady, thank you very much.”

Dan shrugged. “Whatever. So, what did you find that was so exciting it was able to distract you from dishes?”

Trixie frowned. “That’s just it. I haven’t found anything even remotely interesting yet. I can’t figure out why Bill kept them.”

Dan reached to take the blue and white pottery dish Trixie was drying and put it on an upper shelf in the cabinet. Reluctantly, he said, “He hasn’t exactly been himself lately. Who knows why he thought he should give them to us now?”

“I know. But that doesn’t explain why he kept them in the first place.”

Dan nodded. “I’ll help you look through them. Two heads are better than one, sometimes.”

After putting away the last dish, Dan offered to bring the box of files from Trixie’s bedroom to the living room. He found her sitting at the computer, a grin on her face. She turned as Dan entered the room.

“You have to read this e-mail.” She shook her head. “At least one of my brothers still loves me.”

Trixie pushed her chair to the side to make room for the extra kitchen chair Dan pulled up to the computer.

Hey Big Sister!

Good news! If you and Dan can make it, we’re going to have the best Christmas ever!
All of the BWGs are coming home, and the Lynch kids, too.
And I don’t mind telling you, having both Jennie and Mandie home for a holiday involving mistletoe doesn’t bother me a bit!
But I digress. (Good word choice, eh? I’m taking English as my Arts elective and my prof is really into vocabulary.)
Anyway, can you please, please, please come home? I miss you.
And it’s no fun teasing Mart without backup. Brian just rolls his eyes and leaves the room. Where’s the fun in that?
I better hit send before The Boss Man comes back. I’m putting in a few hours every weekend so I can keep up to speed.
It’s tough with my classes, but totally worth it.
I hope you’re doing okay. You haven’t e-mailed much lately, and I worry about you.
Take care of yourself, and I hope to see you soon!

Love,
Rob

Dan smiled and brought up the music file. “The Boss, eh?” He loaded up an hours worth of music and turned the monitor off. “Should we get started on those files?”

Trixie plopped down on the floor and handed him a stack of dusty and yellowed papers. “Let’s get to it, Danno.”