Jessica was sound asleep when Tiffany got home after doing her shift. The younger girl looked at the sleeping figure on her bed and sighed. So much for more action.

The whole idea of Jessica moving in with her was for them to have more time to spend together since their shifts would literally keep them apart for at least twelve hours a day. But Jessica’s need for sleep was just unbelievable. That girl slept at least ten hours a day! That left them with less than two hours to spend with each other.

If Jessica hadn’t moved in, they would not have been able to see each other at all. Tiffany shook Jessica hard but the older girl merely grunted and rolled over, going back to sleep.

“Jessi baby…get up and talk to me…”

“Lie down and sleep with me…”

“Jessi…get up…”

“Mmm…”

“Jess—”

A hand shot out from under the covers and pulled Tiffany down and she was unceremoniously cut off by a pair of moist, soft lips that seemed to have the ability to find their target without their owner having to open as much as an eyelid. Closing her eyes, she melted into the kiss and allowed herself a smile as the lips below her continued to nuzzle hers gently. Those lips had become a source of many different emotions for her—comfort, joy and ultimately, love—and she adored them. Her arms carried her weight as she hovered over the owner of the y lips. However, Jessica appeared to have other ideas. The older girl wrapped her arms around Tiffany and soon, their bodies were melded together without any room in between.

The two girls took their time with each other, exploring with their hands, lips and tongues. They could not get enough of each other and it was almost an hour before they shared a final kiss and stopped their nuzzling and exploring.

“That’s quite a welcome you gave me.” The goofy grin that Tiffany wore on her face hid nothing.

“I’m awake now.” Jessica’s grin was just as goofy as Tiffany’s.

“I can tell,” quipped Tiffany.

The two girls giggled and rolled around in the sheets for a while before getting out of bed eventually. Then Tiffany got busy in the kitchen and it was not long before the fragrant aroma of beef and soup filled the apartment. Jessica helped to set the table and move the dishes out. They sat and ate peacefully until Jessica broke the silence with a question.

“Did anything happen during your shift?”

Tiffany shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Well, I received a call while you were out.”

“And? What was it about?”

“Your father called and he did not sound pleased to hear my voice.”

“Oh.”

“Haven’t you told anyone in your family about us?”

Tiffany caught sight of the quick flash of hurt in Jessica’s eyes and felt guilty at once. She had not mentioned Jessica in front of her father for certain reasons. She supposed she had to come clean with Jessica now but a shaking head and a contrite expression were all she managed to give Jessica in response.

“I think you owe me an explanation.”

“Jessi…” Tiffany did not know how to begin. “It’s complicated.”

“I guessed as much. That’s why I held back and waited for a suitable moment to bring it up. Do you want to tell me the whole story?”

Tiffany sighed. There would be no holding back now. She owed Jessica that much.

“My parents used to be agents.”

“Uh huh…”

“Until my mum died during an operation.”

Jessica’s horror stricken face was no surprise to Tiffany. She was used to such reactions but she had become tired of the sympathy that followed after. Her relatives and close friends at that time treaded carefully around her, making her feel worse than ever. It was as though she had caught some kind of disease and would never be normal again.

“How did she die?”

Tiffany looked at Jessica in surprise. No one had ever asked her that right after learning about her mother’s death. They would tell her how sorry they were, which generally irked her because it did nothing to alleviate her sorrow and it certainly did not help when they said that they understood her pain. How could anyone ever understand her pain? Save for her father and brother.

“She took a bullet in the head. I was told that it was an instant death. That’s the only thing that I’m thankful for. At least it was quick.”

Jessica nodded and moved closer to Tiffany. Soon, Tiffany found herself engulfed in the slender arms of her girlfriend and allowed herself to melt into her arms.

“So I’m guessing that your dad isn’t too big on you finding a partner who is in the same profession as you are.”

Tiffany looked at Jessica sadly. “Not only that. He wasn’t too keen on my career choice either. And to get him to allow me to become an agent, I had to strike a deal with him,” she said with a note of resignation.

“So the deal was to never date another agent?” Jessica looked into Tiffany’s eyes understandingly. “And yet you were the one who actively pursued me in training school?” Her eyes now bore a trace of amusement in them and Tiffany was relieved to know that Jessica was not mad at her for not telling her family about their relationship.

Tiffany pouted. “I couldn’t help myself. You…you were so hot. Especially with a sniper rifle in your arms. I liked you the moment I laid my eyes on you and I told myself it wouldn’t hurt to get to know you more. But the more I got to know you…”

“Well, you have a problem on your hands now. I think your father either thinks or suspects that you’re in a relationship and there can be only one reason why you’re not telling him about it.”

Tiffany sighed. She knew that she could not run from the problem forever. However, she had naively hoped that she could put it off for as long as possible. It looked like she did not have a choice now. Leaving Jessica was not an option. She would have to face her father and find a way to get him to come round to the idea of her dating a fellow agent.

“I’m sorry, Jessi. I should have told you about this.”

Jessica smiled and shook her head gently. “I’m not mad. And it’s not going to be easy but you’re going to have to tell your father.”

“It’s a little bit easier, knowing that you’ve got my back.” Tiffany smiled warmly, earning an equally warm smile from the older girl.

+++

Taeyeon was not sure if she would get to see Sunny at the vineyard but she could not sleep until she tried. The need to see Sunny was snowballing into a massive avalanche and if left unfulfilled, she was sure that her heart would burst from the ache that seemed to grow stronger day by day. She could barely remember the way to the vineyard but thanks to her gift in remembering things photographically, she was able to spot the buildings in the landscape that led towards her destination.

She got out of her car, which she had sneaked out of the garage with the help of one of her most trusted butlers and headed in to look for Sunny. The first people she met, however, were the old couple that Sunny had entrusted the running of the place to.

“I’m Taeyeon, do you remember me?” Taeyeon asked politely after bowing and greeting them, giving them due respect as her elders.

“Yes, of course. You are the only person that Sunny has ever brought to visit. And what brings you here today?”

“I’m here to look for Sunny.”

The old lady looked surprised. “She hasn’t been here recently.” Then she looked worried. “Has something happened between the two of you?”

Taeyeon did not want to worry the old lady so she hurriedly smiled and reassured her that everything was fine between the two of them.

“Sunny asked me to come here. She must be up to something,” Taeyeon feigned a laugh and lied through her teeth even as the disappointment welled up in her heart and soul. “It’s alright then. I’m sorry for disturbing you at work. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Since you’re here, would you like to stay and have some wine? We made a fresh new batch recently.”

Taeyeon smiled as cheerfully as she could and shook her head. “Thank you but I have matters to attend to and I should not be holding you up. I’ll visit again though, if you don’t mind the intrusion.”

“You’re more than welcome to visit, let me see you to the door.”

+++

Sunny had to summon all the restraint she possessed to stop herself from going to Taeyeon as she trudged out of the vineyard and back to her car. The forlornness was evident in the older girl’s tired face and the slump in her shoulders made it all the more heart wrenching to look at. She could see that Taeyeon’s heart was breaking and her heart ached more than ever. She could not decide who had it worse—Taeyeon or her. She supposed that it was equally unbearable, to be able to see yet not touch the person you loved or to be unable to see yet know that the person you loved had to be around you somewhere.

The dread in her heart had already begun its build up as she stalked Taeyeon from a distance. She recognized right away that this was the way to the vineyard and chided herself for giving it away in her scent. Yet, in the depths of her conscious mind, she knew that it had been no accident. She had allowed Taeyeon to get a whiff of her vineyard scent that night. In a way, she had succumbed to the need to let Taeyeon know that she was still around, albeit unseen. She had to. She could not let Taeyeon think that she had abandoned her. Hence, the most subtle yet glaring hint she could have dropped was her scent.

She was beginning to doubt the wisdom of that decision, however. Taeyeon had seemed to crumble even more after smelling her that night. Instead of helping, it had made Taeyeon even more desperate to see her and it was not working well at all. But she could not risk another approach without endangering both of their lives. She had to hold it in and hold it back.

+++
 

“Why can’t you see that giving up on her now would be a cowardly thing to do?”

Jessica was treated to a full blast of Tiffany’s enraged voice as she returned from her shift.

“You can’t impose history on the future! How can you be so sure that I will be hurt by her! What if it’s the other way around?! Should she dump me then? Just because one of us might lose our lives on the job doesn’t mean we should give up on love when it comes, should we!”

Jessica knew immediately who Tiffany was talking to and what she was angry about and walked up behind her to wrap her arms around her waist to sooth her anger. She planted her lips all over Tiffany’s neck and shoulders even as the girl ranted and argued over the phone with her father. She wanted nothing more than to see Tiffany happy and it was not pleasant to see that strained look on her face.

“I’m not breaking up with her and that’s final!” Tiffany yelled at last and threw the phone away. Fortunately, it landed on the bed and bounced away unharmed.

“Don’t be mad.” Jessica squeezed Tiffany with her arms and planted kisses on the shell of her ear. “Let me make you feel better.”

She turned Tiffany around and caught her lips firmly with her own. She flicked her tongue to tease the soft lips and delighted in finding that they were already parted and welcoming. She pulled her closer and kissed her hard and deep before pulling away to examine her face.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Tiffany smiled and nodded. “That’s definitely effective.”

“Don’t be too angry with your father. He only has your best interests at heart.”

“That and his own fears and insecurities. The shadow of mum’s death never did leave him. He grew weak and afraid after her death. He even quit being an agent after that. But not me. I wanted revenge. That’s why I worked so hard to become an agent. I hope to get the people responsible for shooting my mum down.”

“Do you even know who was responsible?”

“I may not know who it was exactly, but I do know that she was out on a mission to exterminate BLACK.”

Jessica gasped. “How long ago was that?”

“About fifteen years ago.”

“And you still want revenge?”

Tiffany shook her head. “Not revenge in that sense. I used to want it out of anger but now I just want to exterminate BLACK. That’s what my mum wanted to do and died doing. If I could play a part in bringing BLACK down, I’m sure my mum will smile in heaven.”

Jessica felt relieved that Tiffany did not have the streak of revenge anymore. It would have been dangerous for her to carry that around while on her missions. She was glad that Tiffany’s need for revenge had turned into a positive force that drove her to do her job well and that would ultimately play a part in bringing BLACK down, exactly as she wished.

“I’m sure your mother is already smiling in heaven. You grew up great, became a top notch agent and found yourself such a lovely girlfriend.”

Tiffany laughed. “Such a cheeky girlfriend you mean.”

“Is that what I am?” Jessica grinned devilishly as she slid her hands down to Tiffany’s and squeezed teasingly.

“Mmm…very cheeky…,” moaned Tiffany as Jessica began tugging down her shorts.

“Take a shower with me. I’m feeling downright dirty right now,” said Jessica brazenly as she pulled Tiffany along with her to the bathroom.

“Oh, that’s an invitation I could never reject,” giggled Tiffany as she stepped out of her shorts and proceeded to tug at Jessica’s tank top as they headed to the shower.

+++
 

The days went by and Sunny saw Taeyeon going from moping around like a homeless puppy to going about her daily business like a busy ant. And although she was glad to see that Taeyeon was finally recovering from her absence, her pain increased at the same time. Had Taeyeon moved on? Did Taeyeon not need her anymore? Had Taeyeon accept her circumstances and stopped loving her? Those were questions that she did not want to entertain as she continued to watch over Taeyeon.

+++
 

Taeyeon had had enough of moping around like a homeless puppy. She looked into her mirror one fine morning and was shocked to see a shadow of what she once was staring back at her. Dark circles around her eyes, tired, sallow looking skin and a weary expression were what greeted her and for the first time in a while, she realized that she could not go on like that. She had to remain strong.

Sunny would come back to her. She had to believe that. Even as her faith in what they shared barely hung by a thread, she had to believe. The moment she lost faith, would be the moment she stepped off the roof where they met and she was sure that Sunny would not want that for her, wherever she was. There had to be a reason why Sunny chose to remain hidden. She could only hope that the reason would dissolve one day.

She tried to make herself look a little better. It was difficult to stop feeling sad and lonely but what ultimately gave her strength to pull herself together was a memory of what Sunny had once said.

She was sitting at her dining table, trying to get some breakfast into her system, when she recalled the happier days when Sunny stayed over for a whole week. She found great joy in coming home to see Sunny and while she had never been one to loiter around on college grounds, she had certainly broken some records in the speed at which she left for home.

And it was during that time when Sunny would act like her mother and pester her to go to school. She remembered distinctly what Sunny had said on the first day of that unforgettable week: ‘Ya. I will have none of that. Go to school. I want to attend your graduation ceremony.’ It was during that week that she had confessed her love for Sunny. It was such a magical week for them, one that would stay firmly etched in their memories forever and that was what made Taeyeon sure that Sunny had not forgotten it either. Sunny could not have forgotten that promise—that she wanted to attend her graduation ceremony. And she would hold Sunny up to that promise. She would make sure that she made it to graduation. And she would put all her hopes of seeing Sunny again in that.

+++

Taeyeon attended her classes faithfully. She did her assignments diligently. She even began to enjoy some of her tutorials and actually participated in some of the discussions that went on during classes. Perhaps college was not that bad after all. Lectures were still boring, however. After all, she had already read and remembered everything the lecturer had to say. Her photographic memory would forever be both a blessing and a curse to her.

And when she finally handed in her final assignment on a cool, windy day, she felt a sense of elation. If anything, she had not let Sunny down. She had made it to graduation and she had done it well. She knew without a doubt that she would graduate with top honours and she was proud because Sunny would be proud.

+++

The day came, eventually. Her graduation day. The day that she had been waiting for. For Sunny to appear again. She hoped that she would be able to spot Sunny somehow. She had to.

+++

Sunny’s heart had never beaten faster. They had received another threat on Taeyeon’s life. And to think that NSI had almost called off the tight security placed on her after weeks of peace and calm. She knew that it was too good to be true. BLACK would never let go of something they had set their sights on. And once again, Taeyeon’s life was a chip. A mere chip they used to bargain for something that NSI and the government was not willing to give—Kangta.

“Jessica, you’re sniping. Tiffany and Sunny, cover the grounds and watch over Taeyeon. I’ve got the entire team down on this one. We are not letting BLACK take her life.”

Sunny’s jaw was clenched. No. Taeyeon is not going to die. Not if I have anything to do with it.

+++

Taeyeon wished that she had not accepted the invitation for her to make a speech. But she had and it was too late to back out. She was never eager to have attention cast on her but her professor had somehow managed to persuade her into giving a graduation speech in her capacity as the top graduate of her class as well as the daughter of the Prime Minister.

She sighed inwardly as she stood at the rostrum. She saw her father seated in front and her classmates seated somewhere in the middle. However, the one person that she had been dying to see was nowhere to be seen. Had Sunny forgotten about her? Was she fooling herself? No. No. No. She would not allow herself to think that. Her tears would have to wait until she was in the privacy of her own room.

Taking a deep breath, she launched into her speech.

+++

Sunny felt tears of pride welling up in her eyes but quickly got rid of them. This was no time to be sentimental and emotional. Taeyeon’s life was at stake and she had to be on her highest alert. Her eyes roved over the grounds and the buildings around the open ground where the graduation ceremony was held. She knew where Jessica was camping out and she knew that Tiffany was on the other side, keeping another pair of watchful eyes on Sunny. Yet, she could not help but feel extremely uneasy.

She watched as Taeyeon walked towards the rostrum and stood on it and felt the pangs of heartache that she had grown immune to. Then she tore her eyes away from the girl she loved to look out for any signs of danger. She was aware that this would probably be the perfect moment for BLACK to take Taeyeon’s life.

Then she spotted it. It was the slightest of a glint from a scope that had caught the sunlight but she had already sprung into action.

“Sunshine to Boss. Spotted. Sniper at Yankee’s twelve o’clock. Top floor. Over and out.”

“Roger that. Over and out.”

She sprinted at top speed down across the grounds. She had no time to get to the sniper. She would leave it to the rest of the team to handle that. Right now, Taeyeon was her one and only concern.

+++

“It is my honour and privilege to be standing here to—” And that was as far as Taeyeon got in her speech.

She was tackled to the ground by an unidentified body that hurtled towards her like a speeding bullet, knocking all the wind out of her. That body was now lying on top of her, breathing heavily. However, that body then lifted itself off her, face averted from her line of vision and disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared. All that was left was the lingering scent of grapes in the air. No, it wasn’t the regular type of grapes… it was more like… fermented grapes.

A crowd of bodyguards surged towards her with guns in hand. Her hand instinctively gripped her forehead and squeezed tight. A throbbing pain had developed at the back of her head.

“Alpha team, alpha team, Tango Yankee requires an ambulance pronto.”

She squinted in the sun and made out that she was now surrounded by at least five bodyguards who were all on high alert and standing around her. Feeling confused, she asked unsteadily, “W-What h-happened?”

One of the bodyguards heard her soft voice and knelt down to assure her that she was safe. “Not to worry, you’re safe now. Somebody saved you.”

It didn’t make any sense to her but she was past caring. Her headache was increasing in intensity and squeezing her forehead certainly did nothing to alleviate the pain. She laid flat on the ground, nursing her aching throbbing headache, blissfully unaware of the chaos that surrounded her. The ringing in her ears had shut out the noise of the crowd that was, at the moment, scurrying away from the scene in utter confusion. Most of them were simply following the crowd like most people do in times of confusion. Only a few people had seen the object that had wrecked chaos at the ceremony—a single bullet, lodged in the backdrop of the stage that she had been standing on.

+++

She sank to the floor, back against the wall and tried to regain her breath. Surely some kind of world record for sprinting was broken just moments ago. An onslaught of giddiness clouded her brain as she gulped mouthfuls of air, attempting to replenish the critical supply of oxygen that her brain was starving of.

She lifted her arm to take her black cap off but a jolt of pain made her wince. Looking at her sleeve, she realized that the bullet had grazed her arm and blood was flowing freely down her arm and clogging up her long leather sleeve. She stood up instantly to check for any sign of blood stains on the floor but was relieved to find none. Her blood must never be spilt to be found. Retrieving a piece of bandage from her sleek black backpack, she sat down gingerly and wrapped her wound with her other hand. She peered through the blinds that covered the heavily tinted window and saw that the crowd had dispersed or rather—ran away.

Her furrowed eyebrows unmasked her anxiety for the girl that she had just saved. Protecting her was not just a job to her. Protecting her was a necessity, to ensure that her heart would never break into a million pieces.

When she saw that the ambulance had arrived and the girl had been loaded onto the vehicle safely, she picked up her backpack and walked briskly down the stairs of the deserted building to her motorcycle.

+++

A simple message appeared on her mobile.

Well done.

There were only two words but it was enough to put a grin on her lips. She put her mobile down on the bed and stepped into her bathroom. It was only then that she removed her jacket and other articles of clothing, tossing them into a metal bucket. She then opened a plain bottle that had no markings on it and poured some of its contents into the bucket before filling the bucket up to its brim with water. She left the clothes to soak in the solution and removed her black cap, shaking out her short wavy brown hair. Finally, she stepped into the bathtub to bathe herself.

She turned the taps to the max and sat down in the tub, waiting for the water to flow over her unclothed body. Her body was relaxed, but her mind was not. The thought of how Taeyeon could have been dead at this very moment had she not tackled her in the nick of time sent shivers down her spine.

Taeyeon can’t die. I won’t let her.

For once, her own confidence in her abilities wasn’t enough. What happened today had been too close for comfort. She needed a super power to rely on, so she closed her eyes and for the first time in her life, prayed for the safety of the girl whom she loved more than her own life.

+++

Meanwhile, Taeyeon was going hysterical in the hospital. She was absolutely infuriated with herself for letting that one and only chance slip through her fingers. The smell that had lingered after she was slammed onto the ground was fermented grapes! It was Sunny! How could she have let her go again!

“LET ME GO!!! SHE WAS THERE!!! I KNOW SHE WAS!!! I SMELT HER!!!” she yelled as she trashed about on her bed, struggling against the nurses who tried to hold her down for fear of her hurting herself in the process.

The doctors and nurses looked at each other and concluded that Taeyeon must be going through what they termed as post-traumatic stress disorder. They ordered her to be restrained and injected a sedative to calm her down.

“No…no…I don’t want to be calmed down…I need to see her…” Taeyeon almost sobbed but the sedative soon kicked in and she fell into chemically induced sleep.

+++

A/N: This is so long overdue. I have to apologize for the wait. I hope you enjoy this one!