And yet he was also a wonderfully tender man in bed. Liz frowned at the wall. There was no understanding him, was there?

"Did you see that report from Japan?" the President asked, getting to business just as Elliot was on the verge of a conclusion.

"Ummm, glad you brought that up. Something disturbing came into the office the other day."

"About what?" Fowler showed his interest by moving his hands in a more deliberate fashion, as though to coax information out of her that she'd been waiting to reveal for some time.

"Ryan." Liz replied.

"Him again? What is it?"

"The reports we heard about improper financial dealings were true, but it looks like he weaseled out of them on a technicality. It would have been enough to keep him out of this Administration, but since he's grand-fathered in from before "

"There are technicalities and technicalities. What other thing do you have?"

"Sexual impropriety, and possibly using Agency personnel to settle personal scores."

"Sexual impropriety disgraceful "

Elliot giggled. He liked that. "There might be a child involved." Fowler did not like that. He was a very seriously committed man on the issue of children's rights. His hands stopped moving.

"What do we know?"

"Not enough. It should be looked at, though," Liz said, coaxing his hands back into motion.

"Okay, have the FBI do a quiet investigation," the President said, ending the issue, he thought.

"That won't work."

"Why?"

"Ryan has a very close relationship with the Bureau. They might balk on those grounds, might smooth the thing over."

"Bill Shaw isn't like that. He's as good a cop as I've ever met - even I can't make him do things, and that's the way it should be." Logic and principle again. The man was impossible to predict.

"Shaw worked personally on the Ryan Case - the terrorist thing, I mean. Prior personal involvement by the head of the investigative agency ?"

"True," Fowler admitted. It would look bad. Conflict of interest and all that.

"And Shaw's personal trouble-shooter is that Murray fellow. He and Ryan are pretty tight."

A grunt. "So, what then?"

"Somebody from the Attorney General's office, I think."

"Why not Secret Service?" Fowler asked, knowing the answer, but wondering if she did.

"Then it looks like it's a witch hunt."

"Good point. Okay, the A.G.'s office. Call Greg tomorrow."

"Okay, Bob." Time to change subjects. She brought one of his hands to her face, and kissed it. "You know, at times like this I really miss cigarettes."

"Smoke after sex?" he asked with a harder embrace.

"When you make love to me, Bob, I smoke during sex " She turned to stare into his eyes.

"Maybe I should think about relighting the fire ?"

"They say," the National Security Advisor purred, moving to kiss him again, " they say the President of the United States is the most powerful man in the world "

"I do my best, Elizabeth."

Half an hour later, Elliot decided that it was true. She was starting to love him. Then she wondered what he felt for her