Mads had never been so glad to see the elegant, silver-clad, orderly ranks of Peace Keepers in her life. They leveled identical white guns in perfect unison, absurd in the dusty tunnel, like a fever dream or hallucination.

The lead Keeper stepped forward, surveying the startled Andherans from behind his heavy mask. "Step away now, and we'll spare your lives." He pointed his gun at the closest guard.

There were maybe a dozen Peacekeepers spilling into the small space, barely half the number of the Andherans. But spears and a handful of swords were no match for guns. The Andheran guards were fierce and tenacious, but not stupid. They backed down the tunnels, melting into the shadows with barely a sound.

Mads exhaled in a relieved gush. She was shaking all over, and her stomach was still threatening to upend itself.

The Peace Keepers ignored the Andherans' flight, continuing to form orderly ranks and fill the passage before approaching the bodies.

Mads pushed herself up onto her knees and held up the gun and her hands in a gesture of surrender.

Every gun pointed at her.

"State your name and position," barked the Head Keeper, reaching for his com. "We have a live one."

Mads blinked at him, exhausted. "I'm Madeleine Capot, stupid. The person you're looking for."

A single Keeper broke ranks, skidding to a stop just a few feet from Mads. His helmet came off, despite warning exclamations from the other Keepers, and Mads found herself looking at a tousled, tired-looking Alan.

"Mads!" Alan's voice cracked just a bit, as his eyes flicked over her, gradually growing wide with something like horror. He glanced back at the Head Keeper, whose face was obscured, but his posture was filled with disapproval. "It's okay. She's Mads. She's the one we're here to find."

The Head Keeper nodded and barked something into his com, and then he and the other Keepers began examining the prone bodies littered among the wall debris.

Mads lowered her arms and took a protective step closer to Luc's still form. They weren't going to take him from her now, not after everything she'd been through. Not until she knew he wouldn't disappear into some unmarked transport and leave her here without a single Galactic in sight. So she also kept a tight hold on Graynard's gun. Just in case.

Alan turned back to Mads and stretched out a gloved hand, but he didn't touch her. "You look awful." His expression was grim, his voice full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Mads blinked, processing the worry in his face and voice, and then she realized what she must look like to all of these stalwart symbols of peace and order in the galaxy. "I'm fine," she addressed Alan, but she spoke loud enough for the other Keepers to hear. "Really. I am. But we need to get out of here. The Andherans don't give up easily."

Alan glanced around the tunnel, his brow furrowing. "Those people we saw? I didn't know anyone lived here anymore. Especially not so far down. We had a terrible time even finding the tunnel you talked about. I was worried when you didn't move for so long, and then we heard shouting, so we made a pincer and came out in two places."

So that explained the shouting and fighting sounds down the tunnel, and the delay that probably saved us. Mads nodded, wanting to cry and laugh and scream at the Keepers to just get a move on and take her home, instead of following protocol and procedure.

"Mads," said Alan, and his voice shook. "I really didn't think we'd be able to find you in time. But how long were you alone?" He looked around, his eyes widening as he finally registered the scattered bodies, blanketed by stone dust but still obvious. "What happened to Luc?"

Mads jerked her chin in Luc's direction. "He's my prisoner. I don't want them taking him into custody."

Alan cocked his head, a puzzled line between his brows. "Sure, I get that. It's personal."

Mads lowered her voice. "He's not just a bounty hunter. I'll tell you everything later. But make sure it's clear, he's mine."

Alan wiggled a brow suggestively. "You don't say." He grinned at her, but his grin faded when Mads refused to smile back.

Instead, she stared at him with a cold, solemn look that drained any amusement he'd had. For the first time, he seemed to notice the gun in her hand.

"Okay." He put his hands up. "I get it. I'll talk to the Keepers." He grinned at her, then spun on his heel, trotting over to the unit commander.

There was some waving and gesturing, but when Alan came back to Mads, he was nodding. "He said that's fine. He just wants to get out of here, and get his men paid and fed. This is a long way from home."

Mads knelt beside Luc's body and checked his pulse. "He's been drugged," she said, not looking up at Alan. "And we'll need a doctor."

Alan bent down himself, squinting at Luc's prone form. He whistled. "And I thought you looked bad . . . are you sure he's even alive?"

"He'd better be," muttered Mads. She tucked the gun securely into her belt, beside the sword, and hooked her arms underneath Luc. "Take his legs. Let's go." She had to focus until the mission was over. She couldn't even let Alan, as welcome a sight as he was, distract her from the endgame.

Those Keepers wouldn't let Jupiter Jive go without a comment – but they weren't the ones who'd captured him. Information was Mads' only advantage. And if Graynard had bribed the Keepers with Jupiter Jive served cold, then Mads had to play this very carefully.

"Oof." Alan made a face at her over Luc's legs. "He's heavy. Sure he's worth it?"

Mads nodded. "Don't worry. I'll pay you back."

Alan grinned. "I'll add it to your tab."

With bodies checked, and one retrieved for study, the Head Keeper was waving his unit back toward the hole in the wall. He caught sight of Mads and Alan with their burden, and switched the filter on his mask, so Mads could see his face. He looked entirely too interested in what Mads and Alan were doing.

"What is this?" He asked, his eyes straying to Luc's battered form.

Alan turned his most boyish grin on the impassive Keeper. "Like I told you, this one's Mads', the bounty hunter who kidnapped her."

"Took me hostage," corrected Mads, automatically. "And then I had to be dragged all over the starsforsaken world, and we never even found Jupiter Jive. We just got captured, and almost died multiple times, and haven't bathed in at least a week." She was guessing on the last one, but she must have looked like it, because the Keeper took an automatic step back, even though he was wearing a mask.

The Keeper frowned at Luc's body, then at Mads and Alan. "What about the Atelian? He seemed to insinuate he could capture Jive."

Mads sighed, as if she was truly disappointed. "Yeah . . . he ran off after Jive alone, betrayed his partner." She tilted her chin at Luc. "We had some . . . conflicts of interest, and they fought. And if we don't get my prisoner on board one of your ships, he might die before he can face any consequences for what he did to me or my shop. If you chase Graynard now, maybe you could catch him. But he's a slippery one. He's probably long gone, and that means Jive is too."

The Keeper glanced at Mads, and she could almost see his disgust under the mask. He hadn't looked twice at Luc's battered body. "Jive is a bonus of millions of Galactics. But you're right, we don't have the time or the resources to find Jive with just one detail of troops. And Jive is undoubtedly as far from here as possible. I'll radio headquarters and call off the search for Miss Capot. But, I think it might be wise to bloodtest her, just to confirm her identity." He was still watching Mads with a mixture of scorn and mistrust.

Alan blinked at the man, completely confused. "She's been my best friend ever since we were kids. I'd know her anywhere. Like I said, we're done here."

The Keeper spared Alan an irritated glance, but he nodded and reached for his com. "We'll move out then. Get that . . . thing—" He indicated Luc's body with one finger, "on board and then buckle in."

Mads frowned. "He needs medical help, as soon as possible."

"I'll have them get a berth ready in the ward," said the Keeper. "But he's your responsibility. Get moving, both of you."

Mads stumbled along with Alan, following him and the Keepers through the wall, into what could only have been Luc's secret passage. But Mads had no more interest to spare for secret pathways. Every emotion seemed to have drained out of her. She wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for a year. As soon as she had a cup of coffee.

That thought gave her a bit of energy as they tramped through the ancient tunnel. The sooner they were out, the sooner this was over, the sooner she could have a good espresso. That was something worth looking forward to.

Mads was thoroughly exhausted by the time they stopped. A familiar vacuum-style passage was hooked onto what appeared to be a porthole in the ground. That would have been where the Peace Keepers had entered. A Peace Keeper appeared at her elbow, offering a haz suit and mask. Mads pulled them on, watching as two more fitted something similar onto Luc. It looked like a body bag.

The Keepers grouped around Luc's body, heading double file up the vacuum passage. There would be no air (hence the suits) but it would ensure they had zero exposure to the deadly outside atmosphere.

Mads plodded along behind them, feeling like someone in a dream. After all of this, they were just walking out of Ga'naa with Jupiter Jive. It seemed too simple, too anticlimactic.

It was surreal, stepping into the sterile metal interior of a PK ship. Mads kept expecting to wake up. She watched in a fog as Alan directed Keepers about, and she couldn't really believe it was him.

"Hey," he said, waving a hand in front of her eyes. "Infirmary's this way." He motioned to the Keepers holding Luc. "Come on."

The med lab was immaculate – gleaming silver surfaces everywhere, with equally pristine white-coated techs and medics. Mads stopped Alan at the door, gripping his arm and keeping her voice very low. "Is there anyone you trust more than others? I have top secret information, and I don't want it in the wrong hands."

Alan's brow shot up, and he looked down at her dirty hand on his sleeve. "Two or three people – but what's the big deal? I mean--" He gave her a slight, rueful smile. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Mads suddenly felt tears threatening, felt the familiar tightening in her throat and the impulse to just rely on someone else. But she had to be strong.

"Mads?" Alan frowned in concern. "What happened? You can tell me."

Mads shook her head, looking away so she wouldn't cry. "No, it's over now. Thank you for everything. But don't worry about me. I need a doctor who can keep quiet, one who isn't tainted by greed or self-interest. Or who can be bought. I'll need them to do some verification for me."

Alan cocked his head. "That's . . . specific. But Doctor Rosbyrne is pretty discreet. And she's loyal to me. I've known her family for years."

"I'll trust you. But I don't want Luc dying on us, so--" Mads glanced around at the bustling medics. Luc had been settled onto a metal examination table, his body bag/haz bag discarded, and he looked dead.

A slight, bronze-skinned woman with graying dark hair bustled in, closing the door behind her. She wore slim glasses and had a digital clipboard in her hands. "Hello, Miss Capot, I presume?" She didn't wait for an answer before continuing. " I'm Doctor Lea Rosbyrne, and I'd like to check you over. If you've caught the wasting lung, we'll want to know as soon as possible."

Mads blinked in surprise. "Well, I hadn't even thought about it. I think Luc, is, err, far worse off. I want to make sure he lives."

Rosbyrne's silver brow twitched. "Who?"

Mads looked from Alan (who was still frowning in concern) to Doctor Rosbyrne. "Doctor, please make sure that man, my prisoner, has the highest level of care. He saved my life, several times – and—" Mads inhaled shakily. "He's far more valuable than you realize. Only let medics you absolutely trust work on him." She held Rosbyrne's gaze until the woman nodded. "Even if you have to pay them not to say a word."

Alan took Mads' arm, his expression shifting from concerned to confused. "You're much more important. Let them check you over."

Mads shook off his hand. "I will. Later. But this is important to me."

Rosbyrne didn't look pleased. "Fine. I'll do what you ask. Nothing will leave this room. But you'll still need to be examined."

"All right." Mads forced herself to smile at the doctor, to act like a normal person instead of someone who was as paranoid as she must sound. "But let me talk to Alan first, privately."

The doctor's expression softened. "Fine. You must have been through a terrible ordeal. I can only imagine."

Mads shrugged. "It was an eye-opening experience." She smiled at the doctor. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

The doctor nodded, and then  she turned to examine Luc.

Alan led Mads to a small side room with a viewing glass, so they could see the doctor and Luc. The room was small, with just a couple of chairs and a drink station.

Mads went straight to the drink dispenser and jammed the buttons for coffee. She wouldn't have looked at the instant, synthetic transport brew before, but now . . . the minute that aroma hit her nose, she felt her whole body relax.

But it didn't smell synthetic. Or even instant. It smelled like--home.

"Alan, this stuff is the real thing? How . . .?" Mads stared at the frothy, rich dark foam as the coffee started to spill into her tiny paper cup. The scent was like heaven, wrapping her in peace and familiarity, like an embrace she had never known she needed.

When she looked up, Alan was grinning down at her and looking ridiculously proud of himself. "I totally called it. I bet the captain fifteen Galactics that the first thing you'd do was make coffee, and the second thing you'd do was realize it was real. So yes, it's your coffee, Mads. Welcome back."

Mads couldn't keep back the tears anymore. She turned and hugged Alan tightly, burying her bleary eyes in his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm sorry you had to go to so much trouble for me. Thank you."

Alan returned the embrace, resting his chin on her head. "Hey, you've always had my back. I'd be some sorry jerk if I didn't have yours." He laughed, but there was a trace of bitterness. "The one time you actually needed me." He made a strangled sound. "And before the doc checks you out, you might want to bathe, because, no offense, you smell like a dead animal. Maybe worse."

Mads stiffened, and then burst into laughter, snorting and crying at the same time. She pulled away and dabbed at her eyes with the back of a filthy hand. "Well, if this goes as planned, I'll be able to make everything worth it." Her smile faded, as she saw the blood and mud and spit she'd streaked on his crisp designer shirt. "And I've always needed you – you and Krill and Grandmere."

Mads felt herself flush, more in shame than embarrassment. "I guess, I guess it took losing you all to remember. And that's a humbling experience."

Alan grinned, his crooked smile so familiar and home. "So are you going to tell me why you're so worried about Luc?"

Mads marveled at Alan's good humor, that he could talk about the "bounty hunter" with so little malice. But then, Alan had always been the forgiving type, unlike her. She grabbed her coffee from the machine and started a cup for Alan, not answering his question. 

Mads lifted her coffee to her nose and closed her eyes, inhaling the steam, savoring it in silence before she took that first blissful, scalding sip. "Oh stars," she groaned. "So good. Alan, I could kiss you."

Alan made a face, and gestured to his stained shirt. "I'd really rather you didn't. As much as I like you, have you looked in a mirror? Are you sure you're not seriously hurt somewhere? You've got blood and gunk all over you." He gestured to his own face and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Mads felt her cheeks heat up, but it wasn't what Alan had said. It was the memory he'd triggered.

"What's that blushing all about?" Alan grinned. "What aren't you telling me?"

A lot. Mads exhaled and spoke in a rush. "Is this room soundproof?"

Alan rolled his eyes. "Sound proof and bug proof. I checked it over myself, before we left. It's my private transport. So calm down and tell me whatever it is you're obviously dying to tell me."

Mads blinked rapidly. Was she that obvious? Alan wasn't the most observant person she knew, but then, they'd still known each other since childhood. She took a couple deep breaths and started again. "Well, you see, Luc, he wasn't hunting Jupiter Jive – he is Jive. I have, had, a lot of proof. And Luc's not dead, he's drugged. I know, 'cause I drugged him."

"Wait." Alan scratched his head, causing his hair to stand on end. His eyes were wide and confused. "You're joking?"

Mads sipped her coffee, but it seemed a little more bitter now. "No."

Alan grabbed his cup of coffee and stared into it, as if the drink itself could clarify things. "Really Mads, you're not leading me on, right? He could tell you anything he wanted, since you two spent so much time together."

Mads shook her head. "No. He didn't tell me. I figured it out. You remember the Atelian, Graynard, right? He basically confirmed it – not intentionally though. So in short, I drugged the most valuable criminal in the galaxy, and I intend to collect every last Galactic on his head. But I don't even know where to start with that sort of thing. So I could use some help."

Mads rubbed her thumb along the rim of her mug, not daring to look Alan in the eye. "I could use some money too, so I'm not letting them take him until I see some Galactics rolling in, or get some sort of guarantee."

"Oooh, wow." Alan's eyes were wide when she did finally look at him. "I don't even . . . of course; they'll have to verify it and all, but . . . Mads. You're gonna be rich. And famous. And you don't even have to ask. I'll help. Hells, even my dad would help if there's something in it for him. But I think we can figure it out on our own."

Mads nodded, slowly, her mind spinning with solutions and strategies. "I don't really care about being rich, and I don't want to be famous. I just want to pay the bills, and I don't want to rely on anyone. If money can do that, then I'm all for it."

Alan ran a hand over his face. "Wow." His eyes narrowed, and he shot her a quizzical look. "How did you manage that, drugging the Jupiter Jive? Jive wouldn't have lasted this long if you could just slip him something in a drink?"

Luck, treachery, fate. Mads' lips felt bitter, chalky, and she wondered (again) if that powder was dangerous. She also felt the pressing need to confess to someone. "I kissed him."

She took another sip of her coffee, trying to wash the memory of powder and mud and blood and spit and kissing Jupiter Jive from her mouth.

Alan's eyes widened and he choked on his coffee. "You, you what? Are you saying you gave him a knockout kiss? For real?"

Mads nodded, not daring to look at him as her face grew even hotter. "Yes. Yes I did."

"Wow, Mads, I didn't know you were such a badass. That's so freaking cool!"

Mads' head jerked up in shock, and she gaped at Alan. His eyes were alight with excitement, and he looked sincere. Whatever reaction she had expected, this was not anything she could have imagined.

Alan continued, seeming not to notice how horrified she was. "That's straight from a net drama! I'm impressed. What possessed you to do that?"

Mads flushed. "Nothing! I didn't want to, Alan, surely you believe that?"

Alan looked vaguely puzzled, tugging his ear as was his habit in confusing situations. "I never said you wanted to. I just, well, you, I mean . . ." he trailed off, and then caught her eye and grinned. "You're redder than a strawberry Madeleine Capot. If I didn't know you better, I'd think you liked him."

Mads hit Alan's shoulder, but without much force behind it. "Shut up. Even you should be too old for that kind of talk."

Alan's grin widened. "It's adorable. So spill, what was it like . . . kissing Jupiter Jive?"

Mads fixed him with her most poisonous look. "Disgusting. The powder was all gritty and nasty, and it had to sit in my mouth forever. And his lip was split, so there was blood involved. And don't keep saying that name. Luc is just a bounty hunter, until we know who we can trust."

Alan rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, but you're changing the subject."

"It was complicated, okay? Two solutions just to knock him out like that." Mads pressed her fingers to her aching temples. "I had to kiss him because I couldn't think of any other way, not at the time." She sighed, and her glare faded. "There really wasn't any other way."

Alan laughed, characteristically unbothered by all her scowling. "Relax. I'm just giving you a hard time. And I believe you, okay? It's just . . . net dramas, Mads, net dramas. That's just like something that would happen to the heroine."

Mads felt herself flushing, and she was angry all over again. "I'm not the heroine in a net drama. Nor do I ever intend to be one. Got it?"

Alan shrugged. "Whatever you say, you freaking badass."

Mads just continued to scowl at him over the top of her coffee.

"Anyhow," continued Alan, taking her elbow with his free hand. "You promised the doctor you'd cooperate. But I still think you should get cleaned up first. Just standing in the same room with you is enough to knock a man out. The coffee helps." He winced. "But not enough."

Mads made a rude gesture at him, but to be honest, her chest was suffused with a comfort and warmth that had nothing to do with the coffee. Stars, I missed this. She took another sip of coffee and closed her eyes, savoring the bitterness. "Agreed. But you believe me, right? About Luc?"

Alan shrugged again. "Kissing him? Not really."

Mads rolled her eyes. "No, that it is him."

Alan ran his hand through his hair, making it stand up at increasingly crazier angles. "Sure, I mean, it's a lot to take in. But I don't think you'd say something like that for no reason. And you've always been a skeptic. So if you're convinced . . ."

Mads smiled in spite of herself. "Thanks. And Alan, I don't know . . ." She searched for the words, and couldn't find any to express how she was feeling. It was all just too much. So she took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you for finding me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Alan's cheeks turned slightly red (unusual for him) and he squeezed her hand in return. "About that. Sheesh Mads, you really know how to make a guy feel awkward. I'm here. I'm your best friend. Always." He looked down at their hands, his smooth, clean hand and her filth-streaked, bandaged one.

Something in his voice was off, not as bright and carefree as normal. And he looked older, and tired, like Mads had observed earlier. And then she felt the guilt, the fear that something had changed, that nothing could be the same as before. She swallowed the fear and nodded. "I know."

He continued in a rush. "Just like we swore when I first met you, when I couldn't find that stupid pen. Best friends forever – no matter what." Something in his smile seemed shakier than usual, and Mads could see him holding himself together.

"You know you can tell me anything." She smiled brightly back at him.

"Of course." He let go of her hand and motioned toward the door. "You too. You know that, right?"

"Of course," she repeated, smiling at him and knowing that there were definitely things that she was never going to tell him, or Krill, or Grandmere. Things that she had thought and felt and seen. And that she was going to pretend never happened. Like finding out about her dad. 

No. 

She would hide that picture where no one, including her, would ever see it again.

Because it didn't matter. It couldn't.

Everything would go back to normal as soon as she was back where she belonged: making perfectly customized coffee drinks and leading a life she could predict.

As soon as Mads ensured that Luc, Jive, was in the hands of the proper authorities, she'd make her peace with this unplanned chapter in her life and never, ever look back.

Never.

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