Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Kudos and BBC. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  I've had to split Chapter 38 because it was a bit long.  So Chapter 39 will be up by tomorrow.

Thank you so much for reading, voting and commenting.  I really appreciate it very much!  

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As soon as Harry had left the corridor, Jools leaned back smugly against the wall.  For the past four weeks, Jools had hoped that the evidence against him would be exposed as having been fabricated.  For how difficult was it to put his head on someone else’s body in a photograph?  

Jools, however, never expected the video footage, as crisp as it had been filmed more than twelve years earlier and done so at such close range.  Oksana had been sitting right in front of him when she had positioned the camera, catching him speaking in every angle imaginable that left no doubt as to his identity.  

Now the video footage, Jools had to agree, was quite difficult to fake.

And that was what had turned the tide against him.  Even his wife, the honorable Queen’s Counsel had turned away from his gaze when the videos were played, one after the other, her face turning pale and her eyes boring into him coldly when she finally did look at him.  

When Jools demanded to know who had handed them over, they simply told them that a reliable source had done so.

“A girl whose sanity has been questioned constantly, who has been deemed three times by the Family courts to be a danger to her own child?”

But Richard Dolby, current head of the JIC, simply shook his head, his face in a frozen grimace.  How many times had Jools dined with Richard and his family? How often had they shared a glass of cognac at the gentleman’s club where they were members?  More than he could count, Jools thought, but today, as he stood before Richard and the rest of the tribunal, none of those late night meetings and social gatherings could help him now.

“The source is very reliable, Mr Siviter,” Richard simply said again.  “To be quite frank with you, the source of this report and evidence could even be anonymous, for all the tribunal cares.  What matters is that the evidence is authentic and quite impossible to deny.  We've had the tapes analyzed and every laboratory has returned with the same conclusion.  They're authentic.  At this point, it does not matter how the evidence got to us.”

But Alexa George was instrumental in getting the evidence to the JIC, Jools thought, even if the tribunal couldn't have cared if an ape had walked into Whitehall and handed it all over.    She was the one who had tracked it down at the brothel and gave it to the right people, who then handed it over to the JIC. 

It did not matter whether the drop had been done anonymously, Jools thought.  She was still the messenger.  Because of that, Alexa would never be free of the threat of Jools wanting to exact vengeance for what she had eventually caused - his downfall.  

For as of last night, when Jools had received the information about a letter recently arrived for Harry Pearce from the biomedical laboratory known for paternity testing, he knew then how he would get back at the very man who had betrayed him. 

Oh, Harry, Jools smiled. You made it so easy for me.  I would never have touched Alexa had she remained your daughter.  

But the latest results of the paternity testing Harry had requested, using the DNA of another man he suspected to be Alexa’s real father - prompted by the man’s sudden appearance in London - was a godsend for Jools.  

Now he could exact his vengeance.  For no one could ever count Jools out.  Not yet.  

The Russian would know how it would feel to lose the child he’d come to London to save, even the grandson he barely knew.  He would find out how well Jools could still play the game, even from behind bars.  For no one could ever count Jools out.  

He would kill Alexa and her son with no remorse whatsoever, Jools thought, and neither would he even worry about the blame being placed upon him.  And why should they blame him?  He was behind bars.  He was just a helpless prisoner, victim of fabricated nonsense about him.  From where he sat, Jools knew that there was no way anyone could blame him for the deaths at all.   

It had taken the cooperation of his wife to handle everything on the outside.  There were still those loyal to Jools, both inside and outside the prison, who were more than willing to do the work. They owed him.  He’d saved their careers many times, even if it meant fabricating evidence against the other party, or destroying evidence.  They all owed him.

As he glanced at the clock, Jools took a deep breath and smiled.  It had begun.

“Is everything in place?”  He asked in a low voice, too low for the cameras and microphones to register as the guard coughed at the same time.  No one should really count Jools Siviter out just yet, he smiled. 

“Yes, sir” the man assigned to guard Jools replied as he handed Jools a bottle of water..  “It’s all happening as we speak.”

>>><<<

Liam was upset.  He’d been enjoying breakfast with Lucas when he received a call from Connie reminding him of his regular meeting with Ben, who was working undercover within a Muslin cell.  As Lucas gulped down the rest of his coffee and took one more spoonful of cereal that he and Liam had shared, he kissed Liam on the forehead and dashed out the door.  

And now, an hour since after Lucas left, Liam was still visibly angry.  

Alexa zipped the backpack closed and handed it back to Liam.  “I’m so sorry, Liam,” she said, bringing the backpack by the door along with her own bag.  “But your father promised to meet us at the airport.  The driver will be here in ten minutes.”

“He couldn’t even finish breakfast with me,” Liam said angrily as he stomped his foot.  “I hate his job.  I hate him.”

The emotions that rose within Alexa took her by surprise.  She grabbed Liam by the shoulders as she dropped on one knee to level her face with his.  “No, you don’t,” she hissed angrily, her fingers digging into his skin as he winced.  “Lucas has done so much for us, Liam.  You’ll never understand just how much.”

Liam stared at her, Alexa’s tone of voice taking him by surprise and tears spilled down his cheeks.   Realizing what she had done,  Alexa released her hold of his shoulders and pulled her close to him, feeling his hair against her face. 

“I’m so sorry, Liam.  I am so sorry.  I don’t want to leave either.”

She held him tightly, feeling his little body shaking in her arms as Liam began to sob.  “I just want my daddy,” Liam whispered.  “Why can’t we just stay here?  I’ll be good.  I promise.”

“I wish we could stay, too, but we can’t,” Alexa said as she smoothed his hair, wondering how she could remain strong for him.  Since Lucas had left that morning, she’d felt an emptiness in her chest, a hollowness that seemed to pull her into a void with each passing minute.  “I would give anything to have him with us - with you, Liam - if I could.”

But this is beyond my control, she wanted to tell him, closing her eyes as she recalled the last hours she’d spent with Lucas.  It’s all beyond Lucas’ control, too.

Alexa had fallen asleep in Lucas’ arms as the sun was slowly rising in the sky and even when it was time to get up two hours later, they’d held on to each other, talking about what was about to happen.  

“When will you come for us?”

Lucas sighed.  “When I’m done here,” he replied softly, avoiding her gaze.  With the threat of Russia looming over every aspect of national security, Lucas knew he had an important role to play in Section D.  His expertise and his connection to the Russians because of his status as a double agent had insured that he’d have one foot in England and the other in Russia.  As much as he hated to be known as a double agent, it was a role he had willingly agreed to perform when Arkady and Nathaniel offered him his freedom even though he had no intention of following through with any task that required him to betray his country.

“You’re walking a fine line, Lucas,” Alexa said.  “Valentin will know you’re playing him if you don’t give him whatever he wants.”

“It’s the price I paid for my freedom, Alex,” Lucas said.  “I don’t think I could have handled one more day in that hell.”

They held each other for a few minutes, Alexa lazily tracing circles on Lucas’ skin and Lucas playing with her hair.

“Do you ever blame me?” She asked.  “For your imprisonment, I mean.  If I hadn’t delivered that report from Mikhael, Harry would never have sent you back to Moscow to look for him.”

Lucas turned to look at her, shifting his body so he lay on his side, still cradling her head on his arm.  “Суженого конем не объедешь.”  

“You can’t escape your fate,” she translated, smiling faintly.  “Even with a horse.”

“Exactly,” Lucas said, kissing the tip of her nose.  “What’s done is done, Alex, and there’s nothing you or I can do to change that.  What matters now is that you and Liam will be out of London in a few hours and you will be safe.”

“I wish you could come with us, Lucas,” Alexa said.  

“After everything here is done, I promise I’ll come for you both.” 

Alexa glanced at the sky outside their window.  She kissed Lucas, her lips gentle upon his, wanting nothing more than to taste him and inhale his scent one last time as his arms drew her ever closer.  His lips parted hers, his tongue seeking entry to taste her and Lucas felt her legs circle his hips, feeling himself grow hard against the moist heat between her legs.

He groaned, feeling Alexa’s hands against the back of his neck, pulling him down as the nails of her other hand raked his skin.  Their bodies joined together one last time, a frantic coupling that left them physically sated yet emotionally empty at the same time.   

When Liam knocked on the door half an hour later, Alexa tucked the sheet about her, smiling as Liam came over to give her a hug.  Lucas pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a tank top, fastening his watch about his wrist as he kissed Liam on the forehead.

“Can we make breakfast?” Liam had asked then and Lucas laughed, nodding.  

“Let me jump in the shower first,” he said, rubbing Liam’s hair as he ducked into the bathroom and within minutes, they heard the water running.  

These were the moments all three of them shared together that Alexa knew she would miss most of all, feeling the heaviness in her chest grow deeper with each passing minute as she held on to Liam.  She couldn’t believe the time had come.  

For weeks, she had wondered what was causing the delay, wanting nothing more than to leave already, even without Lucas for she knew that it would be impossible for him to leave without risking his life.  

He was a double agent after all, even Alexa had to accept that.  Valentin would never let him go until he’d gotten some use out of Lucas.

The thought of Valentin made Alexa frown.  There was something about the man that struck her as familiar.  It was a feeling that had come to her when she first saw him, as if she’d seen him before but she could not place him at all.  

Was it during her time in Russia, she wondered?  Had he been one of her clients during her time with Mikhael?  No matter how hard she looked back at that time, she couldn’t place him anywhere in Moscow.  But where then?

There was something about the way he had looked at her at the brothel, the way he’d actually saved their lives and let them escape.  He had called Ros directly and told them where to find Alexa and Lucas.  

But he was still FSB, Alexa thought.  Arkady’s replacement and probably cut from the same cloth - ruthless and not one to be trusted at all.  The only reason Valentin had saved them was because he was simply protecting an investment - Lucas.  If Lucas had been what got Arkady the job in London, Valentin was making sure that he would have control of the same asset.  

Just yesterday, she had seen him just outside her window, long after the protection detail had left.  He had been inside the passenger seat of a black car, his window rolled down halfway which gave Alexa a glimpse of him before the windows rolled back up and hid him from view.  

It was him, she thought.  And he was watching the flat.  She wondered if she should have told Lucas, but she hadn’t, forgetting all about him the moment Lucas walked through the door and took her in his arms.  Besides, she thought, he was probably watching Lucas.  

What on earth would he want from her?

It was all out of her control now, Alexa reminded herself.  People had their games and she no longer wanted to be part of them.  

For a few moments, Alexa held Liam as she fought back the tears, not wanting him to see her cry at all for she knew that once she would start, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself.  And he would know the truth before Lucas would have the chance to tell Liam himself.  Up to that point, Liam hadn’t been told that Lucas wasn’t coming with them even though she’d asked him how he would feel if Lucas couldn’t come with them because he had some work to do still in London.

“He can find work where we’re going, can’t he?” Had been Liam’s answer.

The knock on the door broke the silence between them, and Alexa let go of Liam, watching him walk towards where she had left his backpack, and pick it up.  She peeked through the peep hole.  It was their driver, she thought, opening the door and allowing the man in the dark suit step inside.  

“You’re early,” she said.

“Better early than late,” he said, smiling.  “Your flight leaves on schedule, Miss George, so we can’t have any delays.  It’s also the London rush hour.”

The driver took one look at the the backpack on the floor and gave her a strange look, as if asking if this was all they were traveling with.  Alexa was grateful that he said nothing.  He picked up Alexa’s backpack and returned to the car.  Alexa had packed light, knowing that she wouldn’t need to carry much, not when they were literally sneaking out of the country.

Even if Harry had arranged a private plane for them, she didn’t want to burden anyone with a household of luggage.  Two pieces of carry-on luggage was all she was taking with her - one for her and one for Liam.  Those, and a thumb drive containing all the information about her life and finances which she had in her jeans pocket.  

Alexa had left the bulk of her living trust under Lucas’ name, with investment earnings going to the foundation.  Because Harry reminded her that she was now theoretically dead, the only way she could have control of her money would have to be through Lucas.  Which meant that she had to trust him explicitly.  

“We have to get in the car now, Liam,” Alexa said, herding Liam outside.  She knew that the protection detail had ended and she didn’t want to linger too long outside.  After complaining for so long about all the surveillance, it had finally gotten to her, she thought.  She actually missed seeing the van and the people following her.

The limo was parked right outside the flat and the driver pulled open the door.  He smiled at Liam and the boy finally allowed Alexa to push him inside.  She felt like she was herding cats, she thought.  

Her phone rang and Alexa pulled it from her jeans pocket.  It was Lucas.  She hit the answer button as quickly as she could but the driver suddenly appeared by her side and grabbed the phone from her and turned it off.  

“What did you do that for?”  Alexa cursed angrily but she froze when she heard Liam’s voice call out to her, his tone making the hair at the back of her neck stand on end.

“Mummy, don’t get in,” Liam said but it was too late.  Alexa’s legs froze where she stood, everything around her seeming to be frozen in its frame as the driver pushed her inside and door slammed shut behind her.