Dinner at the restaurant Ben chose was a magical experience. As the sunset, Shannon watched the city's lights emerge through the growing darkness framed by the dining room's floor-to-ceiling windows. In the beginnings of true twilight, the lights of the Eiffel Tower glittered on just blocks away. The view was only rivaled by the menu.

"May I order for you?" he asked.

Shannon agreed, prefacing with, "I don't care for liver or caviar. Otherwise, I'm open to trying just about anything."

"I can work with that!" he beamed, then ordered for the two of them in fluent French.

"How many languages do you speak?" Shannon asked when the wait staff had left.

Ben leaned in and whispered, "All of them."

Shannon kept her jaw from dropping, just barely. "Well, I guess that does make sense. I mean, how else could you do your job? Or could have done..." She lapsed into silence, having reminded herself of her quandary.

He reached across the table for her hand. She gave it to him, and he squeezed it gently but had no words of comfort for her. Instead, he seemed intent on distracting her. "Tell me a good childhood memory you have."

"Oh! Wow, it's hard to choose!" A smile lit her face, and she thought for a moment. "I guess the time we went to Disney World when I was about nine. It was me, my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle, and two cousins. We had so much fun! Somewhere in my box of memories, I still have the autograph book from running after Disney characters for three days."

She chuckled at a memory. "My cousins got in so much trouble for sticking gum everywhere. They were a gross pair of boys. I hated them as a kid, but they turned out alright."

"What was your favorite part of the trip?"

"I think it's a toss-up between the Journey into the Imagination attraction I loved and when my parents let me come along to the 'fancy' restaurant. I felt so grown up!"

"So, I did good by bringing you to a 'fancy' restaurant?" Ben asked, smirking over his wine glass.

Shannon laughed, watching his eyes crinkle when he smiled. She thought the laugh lines made him look sexy as hell. "Yeah, you did okay," she teased. "But, what about you? What's something good you remember from childhood?"

"Hands down, it has to be the pranks my friends and I used to pull on our tutor. The man was deathly afraid of frogs. I spent a great deal of my young childhood catching those creatures. We even managed to get one into his bed once. Oh!" he sat forward, excited, "There was the time we threw them through the window into his bath." His laughter was infectious, and they passed the rest of the meal swapping stories from their younger years.

After appetizers, entrees, and the house dessert of coffee and tiramisu, they walked out into the cold night air.

"Ever been to Paris?" he asked, tucking her in under an arm.

"No," she explained, wistful. "I've always wanted to come, but I've never had—made—the time. It doesn't seem right to come to a romantic city alone."

"Well, then, let me take you to the Eiffel Tower at the very least before we head back?" he requested as the car pulled up for them.

Within the hour, they were standing on the upper deck of the Tower, looking out over the urban landsape. Far below them stretched and yellow and blue-white mismatched city streetlights. Vehicles' lights traced out the blocks and freeways as if they were great snakes seeking some destination just out of sight. Off in the East, the waning gibbous moon rose, its light making the night surrounding them bright.

"This is spectacular, Ben!" she exclaimed, taking her turn at the railing to admire the view despite the chill wind. He stood close, and Shannon felt his presence. He wrapped an arm around her, and they leaned into each other, enjoying the aerial perspective of the city.

"Ben? What's it like? I mean, living all this time?" She turned to look at him and saw him close his eyes.

"Lonely, Shannon," he expressed, voice cracking. "It's lonely."

She took his face in her hands and brushed her lips against his with care. He responded by pulling her closer, as if to never let her go, and kissing her deeply. It wasn't until they heard a smattering of applause from the other sightseers that they remembered where they were.

Chuckling low, Ben smiled. "Ready to go back?" His eyes flared with need.

"Yes, I think I am," Shannon agreed, smirking.

They made their way down to the car, then to the airport hangar. When Vic landed softly on the grass beside their private pool, they dismounted. Shannon grabbed Ben and pressed her body against his.

"I want you, Ben."

He needed no encouragement and began to undress her, letting her coat and clothes fall on the grass. She did the same. Naked, he led her to the water. She went gladly, and when he poured his desire into her, she answered in kind.

Shortly after dawn, Shannon felt him leave the bed. "Are you okay?" she asked, stretching.

He bent down to give her a peck on the cheek. "I was going to start a pot of coffee. Are you a morning person?"

"Yes! Coffee sounds wonderful."

"Good." He trailed a finger down her arm as if contemplating a repeat performance of the night before. Shannon wouldn't have refused him, but he seemed to change his mind. "You take a shower while I put it on. Let's get dressed and go to the beach for breakfast."

They made short work of their morning routines, calling the main office for a car to drive them. By the time they were ready, the car had arrived. It dropped them at a cafe with outdoor seating on the ocean side. The smells wafting from the kitchen and bakery were so mouth-watering, it took some deliberation before they settled on coffees, bowls of fruit, and sweet rolls with butter on the side they could share.

As they ate, they watched the waves roll onto the golden brown sand of the beach. Shannon took in the palm trees' hardy green and noticed the water faded from a translucent cerulean near the shore to the blue-gray of the deeper Atlantic. Several thatch-roofed cabanas were on the beach, along with umbrella-covered beach chairs, while along the edges, hammocks were strung between tree trunks. Just seeing it made Shannon feel more relaxed. Of course, the activities of the night before didn't hurt, either.

"Feel like a walk in the surf?" Ben asked when they had finished.

Shannon nodded enthusiastically. "One of my favorite things! Maybe I'll find a pretty shell or two."

The water was warm as it washed over their feet and around their ankles. They walked hand in hand, appreciating the morning as she added seashells to her ever-present cavernous bag. When they grew tired, they made their way to chairs under an umbrella and sat, drinking fruit smoothies.

"Did you have a choice about being War, Ben?" Shannon asked, playing with the straw in her drink.

He sipped on his own before asking in return, "How do you mean?"

"Well, did God offer you the choice? Or were you just given the role and expected to comply?"

He settled into his chair a little more, crossing his legs at the ankle. "I had a choice. I accepted because I was good at strategy and military tactics." He took a breath. "And, I thought I could make a difference."

"A difference?"

"By the time I died, I'd learned not only the thrill of victory but the horror of war. My objection to it, I think, started way back then. So, I took the job with the intent, if I couldn't keep war from happening, to keep it from being so bad."

"How come that doesn't apply now?"

He exhaled heavily. "I'm tired of sacrificing people. Even if for the greater good. I'm just... tired."

Shannon watched the hypnotic surf as she contemplated what he'd revealed. "So, why won't He let you retire?"

He slurped the end of his smoothie. "I don't really know, and He won't tell me. He knows why I want to retire, but I guess He has some reason to keep me in the position. I've done my best to change His mind."

"Is that why you became a monk?"

"My studies started as a passive-aggressive jab at him, yes. But, over time, they became foundational for me. So, I took the vows."

"Can he force you to... well, to do your job?"

"No. But He can stack things, so they get so bad I can't stand it, and I feel I must intervene."

Shannon shifted her weight. I wonder how bad things will have to get with Them to make him say yes. Before she could lapse into a thought-spiral she wanted to avoid, she changed the subject. "Of all the things you've seen in your lifetime, what has been the most influential?"

"You mean like something that has changed the course of humanity?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. I'd have to say it's a toss-up between electricity, gunpowder, or nuclear bombs."

"Wow. Those must have been—"

She was cut off when Ben jumped to his feet, shielded his eyes, and looked up. Shannon scrambled to stand in alarm.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to see what he saw as he squinted into the sun.

"Shit!" He surveyed the rest of the sky, stepping out from under the umbrella and turning in place to take in the whole view.

Shannon dropped her gaze, and her mouth gaped open as she saw, in the distance, people start to wink out of existence. "Ben!" she exclaimed urgently. "Look!" She pointed down the beach.

"We have to leave, Shannon. Now." Ben said and whistled for Vic, not caring anymore about remaining hidden.

Vic's hooves had barely settled when Ben mounted, then reached down for her. Magically, she was up behind him, bag and all. Before she could take a breath, Vic leaped into the air.

They landed in the grass in front of the Agency building, and Ben slid off, catching Shannon as she did the same. He kissed her hard and quick.

"You need to go and tell them. They're here, Shannon."

"What?" she scowled, not understanding what he was saying at first.

"They're here. Them. They've arrived. You need to tell someone in charge, Shannon. I can't explain, but I have to go."

"Go? Ben! No! You can't!" Shannon panicked.

Ben grabbed her face, focusing her attention. "I have to. But believe me, Shannon, I've come to care for you deeply. I know it hasn't been long, but there's something here between us. I know you feel it too." He searched her expression for any signs she agreed.

Not able to speak, Shannon simply nodded. He pressed his lips to hers for a desperate kiss before swinging up into Victory's saddle and leaping out of sight.

Shannon stared at the spot where he disappeared for a heartbeat before remembering his plea. She turned and ran for the door, digging in her bag for her badge and phone, ignoring the biting cold her shift and bikini offered little defense against.

Before she could call anyone and report in, the city's emergency alert system sirens wailed to life. The noise only made Shannon more panicked, and she stumbled, spilling her purse on the walkway as she crashed to the pavement. Everyone around her was scrambling, agents into the building, visitors out. Not one stopped to help her.

She ignored the abrasion on her forearm and reached for her phone, only to have someone running by kick it and sent it skittering away from her. She chased after it until she finally had it in her hand. Just as she attempted to call Tonya, Ben appeared on Vic on the lawn a few handbreadths away.

"Shannon!" Ben shouted as he reached down from horseback. "You have to come with me right now!"

"What? I can't! I have a job to do!" she exclaimed.

Ben stretched out a little more and tried to grab her. "Right now, Shannon!"

"No!" She stumbled back out of reach.

"Shannon!" Ben screamed.

In the glass doors of the Agency building, she saw people behind her begin to wink out of existence. She looked at him with horrified eyes, realizing his intent to save her. "Ben!" She reached for him in desperation.

The last thing she saw was him shouting, "Shannon!" as she was thrown into freezing darkness.