A few hours later she walked into her office looking alert and every inch the professional. The Navy had hired her to teach classes on body language to those about to be deployed in hopes that it would help them recognize trouble before it happened. So far the program had a good track record, and if it helped to save a life it was worth it.

Her red hair was pulled neatly back into a chignon. The suit she had chosen was form-fitting and light grey, the skirt stopped just above her knees and the jacket had two buttons which she left open, showing a white silk blouse. Her three-inch black heels finished off the outfit. She was also wearing black-rimmed glasses which always made her feel smarter, and she felt she would need the extra added boost that they gave her.

Devon didn't have much time before Grant showed up at her door asking her if she was ready. Nodding, she grabbed the necessary supplies and followed him in silence. The halls were already bustling and Devon, used to the chaos, focused her mind on what lay ahead.

Grant had told her that it was important and since he was the reason she had the job she didn't want to let him down. Taking deep practiced breaths she kept her outward appearance calm and serene as they entered a room full of men in uniform. It was a mix, most were in their NSUs but others were in their service khakis.

Devon did a quick scan of faces and was shocked to see Josh's staring back at her, along with Kellan and another tall man whom she hadn't met yet. She watched Josh tense then force himself to relax while keeping all expression from his face other than a slight tick in his jaw. Kellan's face was equally as bland. Continuing her perusal of the room, she saw three older men who were high ranking and two other men in civilian clothes.

Josh was Navy! Her mind wanted to pause and turn the new fact over for a minute, but she ignored it as she kept her attention focused on Grant.

Grant introduced her as Dr. Devon Tatum, and then another officer took over briefing her as to why she was there. As she listened, she moved to a table in the center of the room and sat her belongings down, ignoring her fast-beating heart and the fact the Josh was in the Navy. She glanced around the room one more time meeting everyone's eyes and taking in ranks, noting that Josh was wearing a trident on his NSU's. He was a SEAL.

Devon learned that she was there to watch the interrogation of a potential terrorist that was apprehended in a recent raid. There were mixed intel reports on his background, and they wanted a better read on him and some clarification as to his truthfulness.

"Who apprehended him?" Devon asked as she took her seat her back towards the men behind her and facing the television.

"McIntire, Mercer, and Hilliard."

"I thought SEAL teams were in groups of four. Where's the fourth?" She asked in a calm voice.

"That's classified," one of the higher-ranking men said behind her.

"Commander Bricks," Devon looked at his name tag, "I'm here to help you, but what I do is dependent on a lot of different variables, variables that others don't even think about. I have security clearance, and I promise I will only ask questions for which the answers have will direct bearing on what you have asked me here to do." She turned to him and gave him her best smile. "Now, where is the fourth?"

She felt Josh's eyes boring into her back but she couldn't focus on that.

"He was injured and is in the hospital in stable condition," Bricks answered her.

"Before I can begin I need some basic information. Who can give me this?" Devon looked at all the men equally paying no more attention to Josh than the others.

"McIntire led the team," Bricks informed her.

Devon nodded, "Would you please sit next to me?" Devon motioned to Josh. She couldn't bring herself to say his name. "I will ask questions as we go, is there anyone else?"

There was no response as Josh pulled out the chair and sat next to her, facing forward. Devon couldn't think of him as Josh, she had to put that aside as she focused on the video that was put up on the screen. "May I please have the counter?"

It took a moment for it to be found and she and Josh sat perfectly still. Devon was aware of his every breath and the heat and strength that was radiating off of him. This was not the boy who had taken care of her as a kid. This was a man she barely knew, this was a warrior.

As soon as the faces were in frame, she noted the man in the background. He was not part of the interrogation, but he was important, of that she was sure. Devon spoke some limited Arabic that she had learned on the job over the years, and she had enough to know that their interpreter was making mistakes.

When she worked with people for the first time she started with easy questions, time of day, hours since everyone had last slept, time between apprehension and interrogation, all things that would influence someone's body language.

But this time she had to ask the obvious one first. "You know your interpreter is off, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Josh said in his polite military voice. She should make him call her Doctor.

Nodding she watched it through once without stopping then asked the first round of questions.

Satisfied with the answers she watched it again, this time noting the person they were interrogating while making brief notes and noting times. She asked another round of questions then asked for it to be played through one more time, but this time she focused on the man in the background.

After the final run-through, she stood up and handed her notes to Grant. It had been four hours and her sleepless night had caught up to her. Her head throbbed and her back hurt from the metal chair, but she still had a class to teach in an hour and she needed something to eat.

"Dr. Tatum?" the commander asked her.

"You were questioning the wrong man. It's all there in my notes." She gathered her stuff. "I have a class to teach shortly, but I hope what I have given you will prove useful." She smiled and moved toward the door. "Lieutenant, thank you for your help."

The room was silent as the door closed behind her.

All of the tension that she had been holding inside rose up at once, and she darted for the lady's room down the hall, making it just in time. As she sat there clutching the toilet bowl, her head bowed, all she could think of was that Josh's voice was the one she had heard over and over again on the recording. Its harshness was something foreign and strange to her.

He wasn't her Josh. Devon threw up again, all thoughts of lunch and her class leaving her as silent tears slid down her cheeks. She knew her Josh was still there somewhere because she had seen him at her parent's house. Is this why he had kept himself from her and his family for the past ten years?

They all thought he was traipsing around the world, living the life of a playboy, and he was seeing the world, but he definitely was not seeing the best bits or doing it the easy way.

Devon heard the door to the restroom open and she realized that she had to move. She had a class to teach. Slowly standing and flushing the toilet, she smoothed out her suit and opened the stall door. There was nothing she could do about her face until she got to a mirror.

As soon as she set foot outside of the stall she saw Josh leaning against the bathroom door, waiting for her. She couldn't help herself as she burst into tears all over again, but this time Josh was there to take her into his arms. Devon allowed herself only a moment before she pushed herself away and moved towards the sink to fix her makeup.

She was supposed to be proving to Josh how much she had changed, how strong she was, and crying in his arms was not the way to do it.

"I guess that answers my question," he said as he crossed his arms and widened his stance. He looked like a fighting machine in his uniform. He looked sexy as hell.

Devon turned on the faucet and took a few sips of water to rinse her mouth, then she began to repair her face. Luckily, her hair had survived. Focusing on the mundane was what she needed to do, especially with Josh standing there staring at her.

"If I knew you would be there today?" Devon started to wipe her face clean, the cold water felt good. "You probably shouldn't be in here, I wouldn't want you to get court marshaled."

He shrugged. "You're the only woman who works on this floor, besides I'm good at not getting caught being somewhere I shouldn't be." In another time she would have given him a hard time about that comment and they would have laughed, but not anymore.

He watched her as she expertly began to repair her make-up.

"I thought Persine would have filled you in on what was going on today." He was fishing.

"No, He mentioned that today would be important but that was all." She was lining her lips and Josh's eyes were following the movement. "Most of what we spoke about was personal."

His eyes snapped up to hers at the personal reference, but she couldn't read what he was thinking. "You were very impressive today, I didn't know you spoke Arabic."

"Mmmm...I took a class." She couldn't help smiling at him, and he laughed at her play on his response from the night before.

But the lighthearted moment ended quickly as he looked over his shoulder at the door. "I have to go, but about what I do..." He looked uncomfortable with about what he was about to ask.

"Keep it to myself?" She took off her jacket, hanging it on a stall door hook, and then started to adjust her blouse. She was completely unaware that the thin silk of her blouse was almost completely see through, and her white lacy teddy underneath was clearly visible.

At Josh's continued silence she looked up at him, and the look in his eyes was scorching. His gaze was taking in her figure, and she didn't have to guess what he was thinking. Feeling her heartbeat pick up, she flushed and heard a rushing sound in her ears. All he had to do was touch her and she would be his.

The silence grew as they just stood there looking at each other. "I have to go," Josh said and just as quickly as he had come he had gone.

Devon looked at herself in the mirror and tried to see what he had seen. She couldn't recall any other man looking at her that way; with enough heat to burn her.

Maybe they had and maybe she just hadn't cared. Brushing the thoughts aside she packed up her things, put her jacket back on, and headed for her class, thankful that she had a night to herself.