"Okay, enough of that!" Abbey exclaimed, still laughing. Leo tried not to
crack up, but the tears were streaming.

"He really said that!" He retorted.

"God, if Jed knew you were telling stories like that, he'd have the 83rd
squadron all over you in a heartbeat!" She said, still laughing as she got up
to refill her glass of red wine. Leo chuckled some more and wiped away the
tears before getting up to join her. She struggled to stop laughing long
enough to pour the liquid into his glass and then in her own.

"The 83rd is more loyal to me in the long run. They know I'm one of
them." Leo exclaimed suddenly. Abbey chuckled as they clinked glasses.

"That's so very reassuring." She retorted. He chuckled and then inhaled a
sip of the strong currant-rich cabernet. Abbey took a sip of her own and a
silence suddenly filled the room. Abbey sighed and looked at her friend.

"You know, I rarely ever get to see you any more. It's very depressing." She
admitted softly. Leo sighed and looked at her.

"Maybe we've been too afraid to take our chances." He replied softly.

"And what's so different about tonight?" She returned. He shrugged and
looked at the crimson liquid in his glass. "I mean, we certainly safe if we
decided to." She added still watching him.

"Maybe we've both grown up in the past eight years and we know better."
He replied softly. "Is this why you asked me here tonight, to talk about the
past?" He asked.

"I admit, I grew tired of not being able talk to you like I used to. I
thought that maybe the past was what stood in the way of that." Abbey
exclaimed. "I thought maybe if we talked about it, we may be able to salvage
what we lost eight years ago, if only by a stupid mistake."

"It was an almost mistake." Leo corrected her. "We were both upset, and
it was an almost mistake. Today we're still friends, even if we don't talk as
much as we used to. We're both a lot busier than we used to be." He added
softly. Abbey nodded and moved to sit back down on the couch.

"I can't believe you brought this up." KD said sharply. Jed looked up
from the chess game he was trying to concentrate on and met KD's angry glare.

"Well, if that's not a delayed reaction, I don't know what is." He
replied.

"Yesterday, you were talking about how you wanted to be my father figure,
and now this? Is this really the ideals you hold for daddies in America
today?" She exclaimed.

"I was just pondering the what ifs, KD. It's the kind of thing an old man
does when he thinks back on his life." Jed retorted.

"I'm not an old man. You didn't have to say it out loud, or while I was
in the room. You could have talked to yourself in the wee hours of the
morning." She pointed out. Jed smiled weakly and nodded.

"I guess I can understand why you're angry." He replied.

"Damn right. This is one of the reasons I didn't want to come to work for
you. Damn it." She said as she stood up and started pacing the room. He
watched her silently, unsure what to do. He'd made another mistake, and he
knew it. He didn't know what possessed him to bring it up, but he had and now
he had to figure out what to do with the conversation topic.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." He murmured.

"Eight years, and I thought things could go back to normal. I can't get
this out of my head now." She muttered, stopping in her tracks.

"Why? Because you wanted to say yes that night?" He retorted. She glared
at him and then relaxed suddenly.

"Yes."

"What are you thinking about, CJ?" Danny asked softly. CJ looked up from
the half-eaten plate of chicken picatta.

"Do you still care for her?" She asked suddenly. Danny stared at her a
moment, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

"I thought we talked about this." He replied softly.

"No, you talked about it and I was left with this nagging feeling that
there was still a lot of important stuff left unsaid." CJ retorted honestly
as she dropped the fork on to the plate. Danny sighed and pushed himself away
from the table, rising to his feet.

"CJ, a long time ago, when KD and I broke up, we made a promise to each
other that we'd talk to each other before telling anyone else about what
exactly happened. I can't tell you anything that you want to know." Danny
insisted. "I can tell you that for two very nice years, we were together. We
loved each other, we lived together, and we even got engaged. Then something
happened, and things changed. She and I have both grown up a little more and
found new people. Yes, I still care for her a great deal, but not in the way
you're insinuating." He added forcefully.

"I've seen the way you look at each other." CJ retorted sharply, offended
that he was getting angry.

"What? What have you seen, because I surely know nothing about it!" Danny
retorted.

To Be Continued . . . .