“no offence really- so I suppose,”
His eyes lit up.
“that you really love me.”
“Your assumption is correct, Miss Cameron,” he said smiling, releasing his grip. “I have to do a few errands.. Let’s say we take a drive around town?”
“I’d love to. Just let me get dressed- oh shoot, I left my heels over at my apartment-“
“I’ll drive you there.”
*25 minutes later*
As Kate was walking up to her apartment, she was stopped by Laura.
[Laura] “Kate!! Where have you been?! I was getting worried!! I wanted to ask you if you had an extra garter…”
“Oh um Laura! Hi! I do have an extra you could borrow, follow me.” She went up to her room, unlocked the door, and let Laura in. She searched around and found a garter for Laura.
“Thanks so much, I borrowed one of Maggie’s and it ripped so I need to replace it before she finds out..” She ran out of the room and quickly hailed a cab, hoping that Maggie hadn’t arrived home yet.
Kate smiled and shook her head.
She decided that since she would be staying at Anderson’s place for a while, that she should think long term. She found an empty box in her hall closet and piled in a lot of her clothes, a few books, and a few photos that were taken during Pan Am trips. She smiled when she picked up the photos because one was of all of them debriefing at a bar in Paris. She then hauled it downstairs, where Anderson was waiting in the lobby.
“Are you planning to move in?” he asked.
“Not quite- I just have some clothes and books.”
He raised his eyebrows and took the box from her.
“I can carry it myself-“ she protested, but Anderson was already loading it into his trunk.
Kate sighed and hopped into the passenger’s seat. “Next stop?” she asked.
“I need to stop at the supermarket.”
*10 minutes later*
Kate was off, saying she needed to buy a new bottle of perfume. Roger started walking around the store, pushing a shopping cart, and putting the things he needed into the cart. He got a dozen eggs, a package of bread, spaghetti sauce, pasta, meatballs, steak, etc. He also bought a new lighter and a pack of cigarettes. As he went to go checkout, Kate walked up to him, asking which dress was better. The white one with a flower; or the green curve-enhancing one.
“Kate, I’ll buy them both. Just give them here.”
“No, no. It’s too much,” she said, holding the dresses out of her reach.
“You’re forgetting the CIA doesn’t give you any pennies?”
Kate stopped for a moment in thought, and Anderson snatched up the dresses.
“Anderson-“
But he had already paid for both.
“Anderson, what’s your cover job?”
“Hm?”
“I’m a Pan Am stewardess.”
“Oh, that.”
“So, what is it? I’m curious. You need to be able to travel, but you can’t be a stewardess obviously,” she laughed, “ and I don’t really see you as a pilot either. So what are you?”
“You’re right about the pilot part, though I am trained to fly a plane if I need to escape from a country.”
“Are you evading the question?”
“Sort of.”
“Why?”
“It’s..mundane.”
“Spill it.”
“I’m a soviet accountant.”
“A soviet accountant? How can you fall back on that? If someone discovers you.. I mean how can you be a soviet accountant? You’re british! And soviet accountants don’t travel.”
“Actually, that’s one of my covers.. I’m really a photographer for a London newspaper…”
“Makes more sense, you can travel everywhere to get the best photos. I never really saw you as a photographer though.”
“You’re judging me.”
“No.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Fine, I’m judging you! Do all London photographers have to be so reserved?” she said jokingly.
“We’re going to go to the post office to pick up some mail next,” he said, avoiding Kate’s question.
*30 minutes later*
“Is there anything for Roger Anderson?”
“Yes there is, sign here please.”
He signed the paper (he has 2 signatures, a real one and a cover one, he signs a cover one when he doesn’t want it to be traced back to him) with his cover signature. He was then given a box, not much larger than the size of say, a dictionary. And a small letter was addressed to him.
“What is it?” asked Kate curiously.
He opened the letter first.
It said, “You’re supposed to be unattached, you aren’t supposed to get involved. Being with Kate Cameron is a risky choice- wouldn’t it be so awful if something happened to her?”
He turned the letter upside down. He checked the envelope. No name. It was anonymous- a threat. On Kate’s safety. His hand trembled; he shook slightly.
“Anderson? Is something wrong?”
His hand was still shaking when she loosened his grasp on the letter. She took it for herself and read it. “It’s probably nothing,” she said, reassuring him.
“Kate, you don’t understand. I’ve made many enemies throughout my career; it was dangerous to include you in my life. This is a serious threat, Kate. Richard’s wife died of something similar to this, a threat on her life. They ignored it, and one day… She was unexpectedly taken from her mission, and the kidnapper- an enemy of Richard’s- wasted no time in killing her.”
Kate had no response.
“Maybe,” he said painfully, “we should separate ourselves.”
“NO!!” Kate called out. “I.. I can’t lose someone else!” she started stifling sobs.
“Kate..” he tried to reassure her.
“I won’t have it!!’ she shrieked. “It’s barely been 3 months and another man I love has to leave me! Is there something wrong with me? Am I falling in love with the wrong people? Maybe it’s because I always fall in love with spies..” said Kate, sniffling a little in a heroic attempt to hide her tears.
“Kate, please don’t cry.”
