Title: Staying Connected Author: QofMush Spoilers: Everything up to the present, I suppose Rating: G Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah..they're not mine. STAYING CONNECTED The conversations never occurred at the same time or on the same phone line. Usually less than 10 minutes in length, they revolved around one thing: her universe. Simple questions like "How are they?" were always answered with "They're fine. Safe. Fine." That would have to be enough. They both knew that if there was a problem, he was expected to tell the disembodied voice to come in from the cold. Today, however, the conversation lingered. "Aside from the obvious, what is she doing to keep herself busy?" He smiled to himself. A small nugget of information would be such a gift, and he would be the one to present it. He had been responsible for her new assignment - a place where she would be protected, and yet still have the resources of the Bureau at her disposal. "Teaching at Quantico. Word has it she spends half her time fending off questions about vampires and little green men." "Grey," said the voice with a chuckle. "If you say so." "Sir, could I ask you a favor?" He took off his glasses to clean an imaginary smudge while waiting for the question. "Of course." It made him feel uncharacteristically sentimental that the man still called him "sir" even after all lines of authority had long been severed. "Next time you're out there, could you bring Quantico's newest instructor an apple?" He laughed to himself at the ridiculousness and sheer sentimentality of the gesture, all the while knowing he'd soon be scouring the greater DC area for the perfect teacher's apple. How could he refuse? "Consider it done." END