The Professionals Circuit Archive - Answered Prayers Answered Prayers by Elessar *CHRISTMAS 1978* George Cowley looked across the small CI5 celebration at his best agent and offered up a heartfelt prayer, 'God, have mercy on Bodie and bring him someone who cares, that he can trust and love.' When he'd recruited the SAS sergeant four years ago he'd had concerns about his distance and detachment from those around him. His commanders had all said the same thing--brilliant, insightful, obedient, top notch fighting skills but a loner--no one was ever allowed to get too close. Oh, he got along with those around him, both under his command and those he worked with and for but no one ever touched him, ever really got to know him. Four years and over a dozen partners later...none had ever lasted more than one, two, assignments at the most. Bodie preferred to work alone. In many ways Cowley didn't blame him. CI5 recruited the best but no one had been found that was a match for his top agent. William Andrew Philip Bodie left them all standing in the dust. But George Cowley recognized a deep need in Bodie, that he doubted even the man himself was aware of, Bodie needed to be close to someone to connect with at least one other person. It wasn't, nor would it ever be, in his nature to have lots of close friends but he needed someone to link him to the world and people around him. A man like Bodie needed a lover, a woman, that would prevent his total detachment from the humanity around him. Without that connection to ground him, one day he would become so far distanced that he'd end up getting killed--simply because living didn't matter anymore--or he'd turn rogue and take to killing just to try and feel some...any...emotion. Thus the way of Tommy McKay. His boss had tried in the last year to give him cases that would bring him into contact with various women, both other agents and civilians, that might attract Bodie. Well he'd succeeded there, many of the women attracted his top agent--so much so that George Cowley was beginning to feel like his own personal pimp but none of them had ever connected, had ever reached the real man behind the mask. Hell, most of them didn't even realize that the smiling facade was a mask and couldn't figure out why after a few weeks or a couple of months the young man had moved on. Always gracious and with style but they'd seen the back of him none the less. Yet, George Cowley knew that the young man needed love, needed a connection with someone to hold him together; for each year saw the knife edge upon which he stood getting sharper and sharper ready to cut him to shreds should he slip just slightly. And this year had sharpened the blade considerably. 'Damn the Shuman woman.' The bitch had been both stupid and manipulative and of course Bodie had paid the price and assumed the guilt for her death. After that incident nothing had touched him. And so every Christmas Cowley made a point to pray for his agent to find that one person who could connect him to himself and the world around him. Last year and the year before George had prayed for a woman to come along that would allow Bodie to function better in CI5. This year he'd changed that prayer. He prayed that Bodie would find someone to love whether it meant that he'd remain with CI5 or not. It was disconcerting for him to discover that the young man had come to mean as much to him as CI5 and that if he could find happiness outside that organization that Cowley would gladly give him up to that happiness and the woman that could bring it to him. Laughing, joking, drinking and flirting Bodie stood in the middle of a group of happy people celebrating the holidays but as George Cowley looked across the room and met his eyes they were empty. Despite what those around him might believe, agent 3.7 was somewhere far away, removed from everyone and everything. Himself most of all. 'God answers prayers,' Cowley told himself, 'Even if sometimes that answer is no.' But still he asked and prayed that this coming year Bodie would let someone inside his walls. *CHRISTMAS 1979* 'Another Christmas here already,' Cowley sighed to himself. This had been a tough year on all of them. They'd lost a lot of agents and Bodie's, still his best agent, year had been worse than most. More betrayals, for both of them this time, and no woman had even caused the young man to look twice. He dated them and dropped with clock work regularity. The office door opened and George Cowley groaned. Bodie stormed into the room looking for all the world like he'd haul off and belt the first person that spoke to him or dared to cross his path. Fortunately even slightly drunk CI5 agents were sharp enough to detect his mood and clear a path. He was followed closely by the civilian that had been working with him on his last case. And the civilian looked even angrier than 3.7, if that was possible. They stormed through and proceeded further into the building. Cowley watched where they went carefully. Into the interrogation rooms, no doubt. Someplace sound proof where they could fight loudly without being overheard. He'd like to just let them have a go at it but from the looks of things it might come to blows and CI5 couldn't afford the publicity of having another civilian injured by a CI5 agent. He'd give them a few minutes and then follow. Cowley thought back to three months ago when they had recruited this particular civilian to help break a drug smuggling operation. Raymond Doyle was *the* commercial photographer of the moment. He did all the top album covers and had half a dozen ad agencies begging for his time. He'd only been in the business a little under five years but a quirk of fate had given him a jump start. Less than six months after leaving the Metropolitan Police force he'd done an album cover as a favor to a friend of his. The group was new, just starting out and were putting up some of the money to get their album pressed and released. They were going to go with a straight group shot but Doyle had suggested a couple of camera tricks and filters and done the cover in black and white. It saved them money and gave the album a special look that stood out among all the others. The album even with a limited distribution started to sell and a contract had followed from a record company who'd gotten rid of Doyle's cover and replaced it with a snazzy 'professional' shot of their own. The album sat on the shelves looking just like all the others. The group's leader and Doyle's friend had gone to bat for the original cover and pointed out that the group's music was different and that the different cover made the album stick out thus attracting the attention of those to who the music would appeal. The record company didn't buy it but they switched the cover anyway and the album made the top ten sellers list and stayed there for over a month. Quite a feat for a debut group whose music wasn't the norm. Also quite a coup for a struggling commercial photographer whose reputation suddenly was made. Doyle had not wanted to come in when CI5 had requested his help and had sat sullen and tense in Cowley's office as he and Bodie explained what CI5 wanted him to do. They had gotten the word that someone in one of two record companies was using record shipments to cover the smuggling of drugs both in and out of the country. Since Doyle was closely associated with both companies it was felt that he'd be able to spot irregularities and also get Bodie in either as his assistant or perhaps recommend him to which ever company turned out to be the one running the drugs. Then Bodie could get on the inside and build the case. Doyle's reaction hadn't been pleasant. "Let me get this straight, Mr. Cowley. You want me to risk my career and reputation on the hunch that someone's running drugs. Something, by the way, I've seen no sign of..." "As if you'd know what to look for," Bodie interrupted rudely. Doyle turned angrily to him, "For your information, Hotshot." Here he gave Bodie a scathing look from top to bottom, obviously finding him wanting, before he continued. "I was with the drug squad for over three years and was a damn good cop before I was forced out." "If you were so damn good..." Bodie nastily dug in. Cowley started to interrupt and cursed himself for not briefing Bodie more thoroughly before this meeting. It was turning into a bloody balls up. Doyle ignored him and replied to Bodie's dig. "I was forced out because I made the mistake of believing that the law applied to coppers as well as regular Joes and testified against my Super and a sergeant on the take from some drug dealers. After that my choice was to leave or die." At this point Doyle turned to Cowley and all the anger and hurt of five years ago came pouring out. "I even applied to this bloody organization. I'd heard that you were a fair man who believed in the law. Yeah, what a joke that was. Give me a fair break. You talked to my new Super who took great pleasure in informing me that he'd talked to you and told you what a trouble maker I was and that I was no longer under consideration for CI bloody Five. I handed in my resignation that day and went out and fought to make a living as a commercial photographer. Which meant that if I was lucky I got to work on a shoot and change film for the photographer but most of the time I survived by being a waiter. "But I made it. I'm at the top of my profession. And yes it was a lucky break that got me those first jobs but it's the fact that I'm good and that my work sells the product that has kept them knocking at my door. And now you want me to risk it all again for someone who wouldn't even take the time to find out the real bloody truth about whether I was a good cop or not. Well, Mr. Cowley, fuck off. I'm not interested." At this point Doyle had gotten up and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Bodie had been on his feet in a minute ready to storm after the man and drag him back even if he had to beat him to a pulp to do it. George Cowley had stopped him. "Bodie, wait." "He can't talk to you like that. I'll go and make it clear just what CI5 can do to..." "No, Bodie. He's right." He smiled as his agent turned and gaped at him. "Pour us a drink, man, and let me brief you properly. I should have done so before this meeting but I wanted to let you get a little rest between this case and your last." He drew a deep breath finding it hard to admit to Bodie that he'd been at fault here. "Five years ago I took a short cut. Budgets were tight, we had more than enough agent candidates and there were several major cases consuming our resources, so that when Doyle's file came to my attention, rather than order a full review like I'd always promised myself I'd do if someone met the basic qualifications and expressed an interest. I called an acquaintance of mine on the Met and got his opinion of Doyle. He described him as an alright marksman, decent fighter, but headstrong and reckless. I took his word for it and it wasn't until two weeks ago when this case came to light and Doyle's possible involvement in it, that I ordered a full review of his Met files. "I was wrong, Bodie. God I was so wrong. The man I'd consulted was out to get Doyle because he'd testified against two of their own. Men who should have been sent to prison long before but most of those who knew just looked the other way. Doyle didn't. On his last two cases before he resigned he'd been left alone in dangerous situations with back up that came an hour or more late. It was only his skill and courage that saved him. And as for being a marksman, he won the Met trophy three of his last five years with them and was a black belt martial artist. He could have been a good CI5 agent and I never gave him the chance. So he's angry and bitter and doesn't want to risk his new career. I can't say I blame him." Bodie started to speak at least twice. He didn't want to admit that Cowley might have made a mistake. Considering the hot head that had just stormed out of the office he figured that George was just being too hard on himself. Doyle didn't have the calm and restraint needed to make a good agent and certainly not the temper. "So are we just going to let him go and hope he doesn't tell anyone what we're up to?" "No. He'll be back." "He sounded pretty final to me, Sir." "He was. At least about CI5. But he knows the harm drugs can do, so he'll come back just to stop their flow. He'll give you and everything to do with CI5 all the shit he can but he'll work with you to stop the drugs. Down below it all he cares. Here are the files both on Doyle and what we know about this drug operation. If Doyle says he hasn't seen anything suspicious then it's safe to assume that the stuff he's worked on is in the clear. He was a damn good cop, Bodie. As I think you'll see after you read those files. So his observations are a good jumping off point. He'll have cooled down by this afternoon, so be ready to discuss the approach you'd like to take then." Cowley smiled at the memory. Bodie'd thought that his boss had lost his mind but Doyle had returned at three that afternoon with a set of notes on the best approaches to take and who the most likely execs involved were. They'd taken it from there and were now very close to breaking the case. But it had been a long three months for George Cowley. He'd met with them at least once a week since the case started and in every meeting he'd felt like a referee in the middle of a boxing match. After each meeting he felt like stripping down and looking for the bruises inflicted by the two opponents he'd been caught between. They'd never come to blows--at least not in his presence--but he wouldn't vouch for outside CI5 headquarters. And now they were back only two days after their last meeting and looking ready to kill. Well about now he'd like to let them kill each other but he wanted the damn case solved first. He followed them into the interrogation area but rather than into the room he entered the observation area. Might as well find out what the fight was about before getting in the middle and they'd talk more freely if they weren't aware he was watching. Entering the room he closed and locked the door. It appeared that they'd just entered the other room, the coffee cups in their hands explaining the delay. 'Good. I'll be able to watch the fight from the beginning.' Doyle didn't wait long to attack. "You, bloody stupid crud. What the fuck did you think you were doing going in like that without backup?" "I handled it just fine and I don't work with backup. You get so you depend on them and then when they aren't there when you need them, you're dead. Prefer to trust only meself." Bodie defended. Cowley scratched his head. There was something different about 3.7. He was defending himself. Bodie never did that, he normally just turned and walked away. 'Hmmm?' "Well if I hadn't shown up and still been a damn good shot, you'd be in the hospital or more than likely dead and dumped in the Thames by now...." "I was quite capable..." "You're not capable of knowing when to come out of the rain, you..." "I'll have you know that I've been surviving just fine without you, Sunshine...." "Well it doesn't look like it to me...." Neither one was listening to the other, both had stood up and were in the other's face shouting loudly. Cowley had about decided that it was going to come to blows and he'd better head it off, when suddenly he realized it was too late. They both seemed to decide to throw a punch at the same time and amazingly both missed. Or maybe not so amazingly since they were both martial arts experts and quite capable of defending themselves. Soon the close quarters necessitated that it become a wrestling match with first one and then the other shoving their opponent into the wall. Neither man could seem to get an advantage. The spectator part of Cowley's mind wondered idly how two killing machines like the men before him could fail to land even one mildly damaging blow? Doyle's shouted words rose above the sound of the fight, "Damn it, Bodie, do you want to die?" They both stopped stunned by the question, each gripping the other's upper arm, panting for breath, staring hard into the other's eyes. Finally Bodie replied, "Not any more, Ray...not any more...." His voice faded to a whisper his eyes looked away. Doyle replied, voice so soft that Cowley had to strain to hear the words, "Then don't take such stupid chances. I'll be there for you. Trust me." Cowley held his breath waiting for Bodie to put up his walls and push the presumptuous ex-copper away. Instead he stared in shocked wonder when the arms of both men turned the fighting stance into an embrace. Ray Doyle pulled 3.7 into a tight hug and wonder of wonder Bodie was holding on and returning it for all he was worth. Cowley who had been standing and watching the fight suddenly felt his legs weaken and collapsed down into the nearest chair. 'Be careful what you pray for, God might just answer.' Ray Doyle was nothing like the person--woman--he'd imagined Bodie would open up for but somehow he'd broken down those walls 3.7 surrounded himself with. From the looks of it Bodie had helped him take the damn walls down when no one else--except for Cowley himself--had been able to even get a peek over them. Watching as they quietly held and stroked each other in comfort Cowley felt at a loss and wondered if he was going to lose his best agent. Bodie spoke first. "Will you be my partner?" Ray pulled back and looked closely at Bodie. "Not very specific there, mate. Just how do you mean that?" Smiling back his mate answered. "All ways. Move in with me and join CI5." "I've already been rejected once. I don't think your Mr. Cowley's likely to change his mind." "He's already told me that he realized he made a big mistake in rejecting you five years ago when he reviewed your files for this case. He's really sorry and I think if you asked...." Ray pulled away and turned his back to Bodie drawing a deep breath, "I'm not asking again. I can't face that again...not even for you." "Alright, I'll suggest it and get him to ask you. Please, Ray. You know you want to. As good as you are at what you do it doesn't fulfill you. I can tell, can feel how much you need to make a difference. Look at all the charity work you do and face it you did a damn fine bit of work on this case and loved every minute of it." Doyle had turned and faced Bodie midway through his plea. His partner could tell from his face that he wanted CI5 but was afraid of being rejected again. His disillusionment ran deep. "I don't know. If I won't join--even if I get the chance--does that mean you don't want...." "I want you to move in with me no matter what happens with CI5. If Cowley won't recruit you then I'll leave and find something else to do. Got a couple of mates I knew in the SAS that have been trying to get me to come and work with them in a security firm. Be a bit like CI5 but less risky and the pay's better." "And what about us living together? How do you think Cowley's going to react to that? I mean I'm assuming that you're not talking about sharing a two bedroom flat to save money." "Well I'd prefer a two bedroom flat for the space but I'm only thinking of one bed being used. That answer your question?" Bodie's face took on a sly sexy grin and he winked at Doyle. Ray grinned back and to Cowley, watching from the other room, seemed to preen under Bodie's attentions. Cowley watched stunned, trying to get past the fact that nothing in either man's file indicated a tendency towards bi-sexuality. 'They'd definitely be bi--no one needs that much cover. Where the hell had the shrinks and security managed to miss that?' he groused to himself. The conversation on the other side of the one way mirror continued. "S'what about us being together?" "You mean the old man?" At Doyle's nod Bodie continued, "Not sure, Sunshine. Don't think he's prejudiced against bisexuals but how he'd react to us being together is beyond me. Just have to wait and see when we tell him." "God, Bodie, I knew you had balls but not that they were big brass ones. Let me get this straight. You are proposing to go to George Cowley head of CI5--who if rumors are true has half a dozen ministers quaking in their boots at the mention of his name and what he knows about them--and to introduce him to your new work partner, who he rejected five years ago, and then inform him that said partner is also going to be your lover and that you will be living together...." "I'll tell him that we'll be discreet." Bodie's wide grin answered. "That's it in a nut shell, love. Come on let's go write up our reports and find him, we'll tell him we've solved the case and caught all the bad guys. That should soften him up for the kill." He turned towards the door but Ray's hand on his arm stopped him. A look of doubt crossed his face, "You're not changing your mind? Are you, Ray?" Doyle was quick to reassure him, "No, love. Whatever way it goes, whatever you decide, I'm by your side." Pulling Bodie into a tight reassuring hug he held tight for a few minutes before asking a question uppermost in his mind. "You ever done this before?" At the puzzled look that met him he elaborated, "Been involved with a man?" A soft blush stole across his mate's face. "Never done it, nor even thought about it. Not till I had you in my arms ten minutes ago. Don't know why...all I know is that I love you, trust you and want to be with you. Don't care that you happen to be the so called wrong sex. Whatever sex you are makes you the right sex for me. How 'bout you?" "Knew that I might be attracted a bit to men but never acted on it...no one ever interested me enough...you know, had something to offer that I couldn't find in a willing bird's arms without all the complications that go along with gay sex." He stroked the side of Bodie's face gently, with a loving touch. "Least not til you, Sunshine. Now, I can't imagine being with anyone else. So why don't you move in with me for the time being...got plenty of room at my place." "Not going to be able to afford a place like that on CI5's salaries." "Sure can. It's all bought and paid for and the monthly co-op fee is less than a one bedroom flat would cost." "Well they move us around a lot in CI5 for security reasons but we can keep it as an investment and a back up if we ever leave in a hurry." "I'm still not in yet...." "You will be. Trust me. In the meantime I'd love to spend Christmas at your place. Cowley promised me two weeks vacation when this op was over and for once I'm going to take him up on it. Want a proper honeymoon--I do." Doyle looked shy and wouldn't meet Bodie's eyes for a few seconds. Then his face acquired a big grin and he smiled at him. "A proper honeymoon would be nice." He leaned in and they shared their first kiss. Both men struggled to hold their passion in check. This was not the place for it. Home behind locked doors where there was no one to interrupt, they would save their fire till then. "Come on, let's go find your boss. You, my love, get to do all the talking." The two men separated and left the interrogation room. No one observing them would have any idea of what had gone on behind the closed door. George Cowley sat quietly and thought. He'd need to give them a head start and then head up the back stairs to his office. They'd run him to ground there soon enough. Well he'd gotten his wish. His best agent had found someone--but the someone he'd found! And 3.7...after watching that scene he wondered if he knew the man. The cold hard empty eyes were gone replaced with eyes full of life and joy. Even when he'd put his mask back on to go out into the halls of CI5, he'd turned to flip the light switch and the eyes had still given him away. They sparkled. He was amazed at Bodie's supreme confidence that Cowley would do just what he wanted. What he wanted was crazy. To take a raw recruit who hadn't worked in law enforcement in years as a partner and lover and to expect his boss to approve it. The controller had considered offering Doyle a chance to join CI5 at the end of this case, if he'd performed well, but not to promote him directly to A squad as his best agent's partner. That thought gave him pause. Bodie, no matter how in love, would not let that love blind him to Doyle's abilities. If he wanted him as a partner it must mean that his work on the case had been extraordinary. That he trusted his abilities--not only to back him up but he must trust Doyle to keep himself alive--he would never risk someone he loved in a position that he couldn't handle. So Doyle had to be very good. But to partner lovers? Bodie should know better. What was he thinking? When it dawned on Cowley he paused and realized that if Doyle performed as expected in the training program that he'd just acquired a new team, because what Bodie was thinking was that Cowley would not say no to anything that would make him this happy unless it was a risk to CI5. And Bodie was right. He'd been through enough in his life and Cowley wouldn't hurt Bodie that way...not without good reason. So if they could prove themselves to him and Jack then they were a team and what went on in private between the two of them was nobody's business but their own, unless they did something to make it so. George Cowley had a feeling that they wouldn't. Reaching his office he went in to do a little paper work and wait for Bodie and Doyle to give him the opportunity to add to his reputation for triple think and being three steps ahead of everyone else. It would never pay for either man to know just how much of a surprise they'd been to him. *CHRISTMAS 1980* George Cowley surveyed the crowded room and watched the festivities. It had been a good year for CI5, they'd had a lot of major victories. Still it had been tough and they'd lost a few agents but a lot less than the year before and had gained a lot of respect in the press and the other intelligence services. CI5 was getting better and a whole lot of the credit for its success belonged to the two men now clowning around the room with a couple of sprigs of mistletoe and kissing every female in sight. Bodie and Doyle were kissing all comers and gleefully seeking out any females that didn't come to them. They were the life of the party and Doyle had drug Bodie into helping him set up a big bash instead of the usual catch as catch can affair. This party came equipped with lots of food and drink and a record player with music...Christmas music of all kinds including quite a number of kids' records. Leave it to Doyle to realize that at this time of year people needed to remember their childhoods. Or maybe he just based it on what his mate needed and that reflected other's needs, as well. Bodie looked like a kid who'd been given the keys to a toy store and told that it was all his, or maybe, considering Bodie, it was a candy store. Cowley smiled. It had been quite a turbulent year for his new team, both professionally and personally. Actually they'd meshed beautifully as a CI5 team, seeming to work as one from the first day of partner training. He smiled at how impressed Jack had been. When he'd informed the head of the training center that Bodie would be coming down to train as Doyle's partner Jack had asked Cowley what he'd done to get up Cowley's nose. Well he really couldn't blame him. The last time 3.7 had been sent down to try out as someone's partner he'd set everyone on their ears by leaving his partner behind and finishing the exercise by himself...something you weren't supposed to be able to do without a partner. That had been two, no three, years previously and they'd given up on trying to find a permanent partner for 3.7 after that. After the first couple of days of 3.7's and the new 4.5's pairing he'd called to find out how it was going. "Is Bodie giving you any trouble, Jack?" "I don't know what you said to him, Major, but he's been a dream." "So he's holding himself back so that Doyle can keep up?" That was one of Cowley's fears that Bodie wouldn't perform at peak efficiency. "No. He hangs around to let Doyle get the hang of it on the first try but after that he's at top form." "So how does 4.5 take being left behind?" "He doesn't." "Hmmm?" "Doyle is not only keeping up with Bodie but surpassing him in some of the exercises. They are extremely competitive, Major. 3.7 had been getting sloppy...no one much challenged him. Doyle does. And they are both beating a lot of old records. They tied with each other and got a 5.4 on the rope. No one gets a 5.4! "I'll tell you, George, when you sent Bodie out here to team with a new recruit I thought you were nuts. But I've watched them for the last two days and I'd say you've finally found a real partner for 3.7. He's going to be busting his butt to make sure that he's not eating Doyle's dust and, from the look of things, loving every minute of it." Cowley smiled to himself at the memory. Jack had been right 3.7 and 4.5 quickly became his best team. Things had not gone quite as smoothly on the home front. At least he thought not. Neither man revealed much but with careful observation Cowley could tell when they were fighting. They never let it interfere with their work but some days they would come in very quiet and not look at each other unless it was necessary for the job. The silences had never lasted more than a couple of days and they got fewer as time went on and the two independent loners got used to living with someone else. At least that had been the case until one week in July. Cowley never found out what the problem was but the hostilities had been going on for a week and a half when Cowley had come in early to find Bodie sacked out on the restroom couch. It was obvious that he'd spent the night. That had worried him. They'd never let their relationship affect the work but if they were to break up as lovers Cowley didn't want to bet on the affect that would have on either man. He'd worried most of the morning and had arranged to have Bodie accompany him to a luncheon meeting. Bodie'd ignored all of his boss' subtle hints to talk about what was wrong and he'd considered the lunch a failure. But upon returning to CI5, Cowley and Bodie had walked in to a bunch of cat calls at Bodie. A delivery man had delivered three dozen red roses to Bodie's desk with a card, which most of the office had snuck and read. It read: 'Love you always, Ramona'. Bodie'd managed to cover his embarrassment and blush with some bluster about how he slayed the women but he'd looked to see his partner standing in the doorway across the room. Doyle had merely raised his eyebrow and winked, Bodie's blush darkened and he looked quickly away. However, he didn't spend another night on the couch nor did the silence between them continue into the next day. That had been their last major disagreement. They still fought fiercely and stood up for what they believed but Cowley knew that it was at that point in July that both men had decided they were in it for the long haul and that no matter what the fight they were going to stick together. Cowley wondered if Doyle had changed as much as Bodie had. On the surface 3.7 seemed the same...same dark wit, quick reflexes, and laid back attitude but in his approach to everything there was a subtle difference. Whereas, before he was a detached observer now he was a part, connected to the world, to himself and most importantly his lover. Well he'd had his prayer answered but he didn't give up his Christmas tradition of praying for his favorite agents. Instead he added another to the prayer and prayed that 3.7 and 4.5 managed to stay alive and healthy to enjoy the happiness they'd found. Somehow he thought God would answer this one with a yes, as well. He smiled as he watched them slip quietly out the door to go home and celebrate Christmas--together. It had been a very good year. -- THE END -- Archive Home