DCI Luther had a unit come in to remove the bugs out of his apartment. There had been three. Needless to say,  Rose Teller had not been pleased.

“These are heavy military.  You have definitely stepped on some important toes.” she said, eyeing him.

“Eli Pope.” John replied warily.

“Eli Pope is an important man--in the art world. He would not have access to this type of technology.”

“So he wants everyone to think.”  John replied.   Rose looked away from him as her eyes scanned the flat and took in the tuxedo, which was draped over a chair.

“I can’t stop you from going to that party, John. But you will ruin any case we try to make, if you keep this up.”

“Boss, listen to me:  Olivia told me that Michelle Landau is staying with Pope and Zoe. Do you remember that name?”

Rose frowned.

“I seem to recall it. She reported her brother missing. He was supposedly at the Lambrick dinner party.”

“Yes!  Now why would this woman be staying with Eli Pope?”

“How the bloody hell should I know? And what does it have to do with anything? I mean if anything,  it clears Pope even more!”

“Hardly!  I want to talk to this woman tonight. She’s our first lead. She has to know something.”

“John, the problem here is you have to pick something.   Pick something to pin on  Pope because it can’t be everything.  Either he was part of the murder dinner party, or an accomplice. Either you find out how he can afford the properties he has on his purported salary or you don’t.  Would you even care about any of this if Zoe just dumped the man?” 

John said nothing to that and Rose gave him a knowing look.

“Do not question this woman in any official capacity.  Frankly,  I don’t think you’ll be on the property that long.  Once Pope sees you, he’ll probably throw you off. And he won’t care whether you’re supposedly dating his daughter or not.”

“I have to get Zoe away from him. Do  you know how scared I am for her?”

“Yes, I do! But you have to be smart about this!  Look, take my advice: if you get on to the estate,  look around. See if you can find anything tangible to connect Pope to ANYTHING!  Zoe is a smart woman. Give her something real that will make her doubt him.”  Rose advised.

Zoe thought the dinner glasses and the table looked spectacular.  She felt very much like the Mistress of Obsidian Manor.

Mistress of Obsidian, Zoe thought wryly.   Six months ago, if anyone would have told her that a man like Eli Pope would’ve come into her life and swept her off of her feet, she would’ve scoffed.

But it had happened.   And her thoughts dimmed when she thought of John. Eli was consuming him. Consuming him like all of his cases consumed him.  Only this time,  Eli was NOT a case.  Worse yet,  Olivia was being dragged into it.

Zoe had not discussed Olivia’s ‘dinner date’ this evening and she didn’t know if it was because Eli did not want to talk about it,   or he had plans of his own on how to deal with John.   She feared for him. Feared for John and his career.

And she was sure that Eli would have preferred Stacker Pentecost accompany Olivia this evening.

Her stomach did flip flops at just thought of an altercation taking place, on what should be a perfect evening.  Zoe realized she did not want to be kept in suspense. She wanted to know if Eli planned on just ignoring John, or booting him off of the property before he could even come inside.

But when she looked around for Eli,  Zoe found she could not locate him anywhere. She finally asked the butler,  who told her that Mr. Pope and Ms.  Landau had went for a ride.  Zoe hid her surprise.   A ride? This close to dinner?

Zoe didn’t know what to make of Michelle Landau, except that maybe Eli had called her here  to  prove his innocence in some way? After all,  her brother was missing.  He had been at that dinner party and he was an old family friend.  No one would believe Eli was involved in anything that heinous if someone he cared for could have possibly been killed,  would they?

Then again,  no bodies had been found. And the police had nothing on Shepard Lambrick,  who was one of her firm’s biggest clients.  He would also be at dinner tonight. Zoe wondered if his presence would bother Michelle?

Zoe decided she had too many questions for Eli to just sit still and wait for him to come back.  She would go to the stables and have a horse saddled up for her as well, so she could find the two of them.

Meanwhile,   Eli and Michelle slowly rode their horses through the woods.   Michelle breathed in deeply.

“It is beautiful out here.  This is just what I needed, Eli.”

“Things have been rough?” Eli asked casually. But he knew that after a disastrous engagement to some playboy plastic surgeon,  Michelle had thrown herself into her work.

Michelle smiled over at him.

“You know they have been.  There isn’t much you don’t know, ‘Uncle Eli’.  Michelle said,  stopping her horse and getting off.  She tied her horse to a tree and ran her hands through her hair.  Eli got off his own horse and tied him to a tree as well.

“What does that mean?”  Eli asked,  smiling.

“I know how much you cared for, mom.  Then I noticed how much you began to care for me. I know Olivia and you haven’t always gotten along,  but I always thought she was a bit ungrateful. I’d have loved to have been your daughter.” Michelle said pointedly.

Eli smiled a smile that Michelle read as gratitude.   

But his words said something different.

“I want you to remove your clothing, Michelle.”

Michelle blinked.

“Excuse me?” she asked,  unable to believe she had heard him correctly. But Eli closed distance between them and  let his hands drop down to span her waist.

“Your mother resented my trying to protect you all.   I never understood why.  Michelle, I am trying to protect you now! I have never stopped!”

“Eli,  what are you talking about?”  Michelle asked as he backed her up against  a tree.

“Cal killed those people at the dinner party,” Eli lied,  “he killed them and then came to me for help.  If the police ever find out...”

“What?! Why? Why would he do that?  Answer me, Eli!”  Michelle demanded,  reaching to remove his hands from her body.

“Someone was blackmailing him.  They said they had proof that you killed your late husband.  Cal should have just come to me but instead, he went to the Lambrick Group.  He had to play some murder game at a party. He and some woman were the only ones left alive!”

Michelle stared into his eyes.  She knew he knew about Burt and how she had withheld his medication so that he would die.  That was why she didn’t resist when his lips covered hers. That was why she gave into his feverish,  passion starved kiss.

Moments later they were naked, on the forest floor and Michelle was riding Eli’s generous organ, gently.  He was filling her to the point of bloating her, while his finger pumped incessantly inside her other hole.  At one point,  a gasping Michelle looked behind her and watched his finger work it’s magic, while  Eli raised up and took one of her full breasts between his lips. He had waited years to have Michelle like this! And he had seen it in her eyes. She now had a new appreciation for what he could do for her.  Unlike her mother.

They would make love again, whenever he desired. Michelle would take what her mother had refused.

The sound of leaves crunching pulled Michelle’s gaze away from Eli’s finger and over at Zoe Luther!  

“Zoe!”  Michelle gasped, ceasing her passion strained ministrations upon Eli’s ripe, column of flesh. Eli looked over and immediately pulled his finger out of a place it had no business being in.

“Zoe, listen to me!”  he began.

“Olivia hates you.” Zoe said in shock. “And John was right about you.  Probably more than he thought.”

Eli and Michelle quickly disentangled themselves but  Zoe had seen more than enough and began running and running....until she slipped and fell down a steep incline which eventually netted her a knock on the head by way of rock, before she crashed to the bottom.

Eli found her first,  joined by Michelle, who covered her mouth before telling him she was going back to the house to get help.  Eli nodded and began the task of easing down the incline to get to Zoe,  all the while praying she was still alive.

Needless to say, there was no party.

And it was a given that John Luther grabbed Eli Pope by the throat at the hospital,  as soon as he saw him there!  The media was swarming outside, as they sensed that this whole story was about to implode! Olivia, who arrived with John and Rose Teller, noted Michelle’s presence and frowned.  Seeing her again was jarring enough but seeing her there, standing by her father’s side as if she belonged there, set off a warning bell to Olivia.

Rose and a few other members of the Serious Crime Unit, pulled John off of a screaming Eli, who yelled that Zoe had fallen off a small cliff and to get the hell up off of him!  John insisted on seeing Zoe, who was in a coma.   The word ‘coma’  made Olivia flinch.   Zoe was in a coma just as Edison had been, shortly after his ‘accident’.

John disappeared into Zoe’s room and Olivia walked up to her father and Michelle. 

“Liv!”  Michelle cried out,  pulling her into an unexpected hug.  Olivia ended it quickly and gave her the once over.

“Wow, Michelle. You really look good. I know things have been hard because of Cal. Is there any word on what happened to him?” she asked,  looking from Michelle to her father.

“Olivia,  Cal is not really a concern at this moment.”  Eli said quietly.

“Why? Why isn’t he? He’s missing.  He went missing after eating dinner in one of your houses, Dad.”

“Okay, Liv,” Michelle interrupted,  “as bad as my brother’s disappearance is,  what’s happening now is really horrible.  Your father could use some support.”

“What?”  Olivia asked her, now looking her up and down.  “I am being supportive.  I’m pretending to buy this BS that you’re saying, about how Zoe suddenly fell off a cliff like an hour before she had to host a dinner party.”

Eli gave his daughter a dirty look.

“Zoe went for a ride. She always did that when she was nervous. And tonight she was on edge because of the UTTER CRAP YOU AND THAT COMMON COP HAVE BEEN PULLING ON US!”  he screamed.

But Olivia still didn’t blink an eye.

“I wonder if Zoe will come out of her coma in the same amount of time Edison did? You remember Edison,  don’t you, Dad?”

Eli walked off.  Michelle moved to stand in front of her.

“How could you upset him like that? And you’re dating Zoe’s ex-husband?”

“HUSBAND, dear. Just like Dad is dating HIS wife.  By the way, if you had the sense of a goat,  you’d get out of here. Once the police find out you were under suspicion for killing that geriatric husband of yours AND hooking,  you’ll be accused of this.”

Michelle folded her arms.

“Okay, Olivia. You’re better than me. I get that. I always understood that. But nothing is going to happen to your father.  As usual. And you and Zoe’s husband had just better accept the fact that you will never be able to get the better of Eli Pope.”

And with those parting words, Michelle walked off to find Eli,  who’s lawyer had arrived. He was someone from the Kambrick group.

Meanwhile in Zoe’s room,   John took off his jacket and sat down in a chair next to his wife’s bed.  He picked up her hand and squeezed it.

“Why?  Why didn’t you just listen to me?” he whispered.  He knew Rose would not let him work this case.   Then again,  from what he was hearing,  there was no case.  Zoe had went horseback riding and fell.

There may be no case,  but he could keep Zoe safe in here, in this hospital.  And as her legal husband, he had every intention of banning Eli Pope from her bedside.

It would be three days later,  almost in the wee hours of early morning,  that Olivia would return to the hospital to check on John.  She knew she should just leave him to be alone with Zoe,  but she also  feared that he would not just do that.   She was afraid that the longer John had to watch his wife be in this condition,  he  might  be spurred to leave his wife’s bedside and try to take on her father,  which would prove to be an impossible task. That is unless Zoe woke up and told them what happened.

She arrived at Zoe’s room and eased the door open.  The medical equipment attached to her body beeped softly. Olivia looked over and found John staring at his wife from a chair. She closed the door softly and walked in.

“Good. You’re still here.”

“Where else would I be.” he said softly.  He stood up and stretched.

“I know I shouldn’t be here,  but I’m here to tell you goodbye.”

John gave her her full attention.

“Goodbye?”

“John,  I’ve been through this before.  Dad had my last boyfriend mangled in an accident.  He’s still recovering and he knows nothing about why it happened to him.  I broke up with him to keep him safe.  Zoe is lying here in a coma.  I can’t help but think about who else could get hurt here.” Olivia noted.

“So you’re just giving up?”  he asked tonelessly.

“No. Just backing off. Zoe’s recovery is all that matters now.”

“That and proving that your father did this. Zoe will prove it when she wakes up.”

“She will.  But you need to stay sharp.”  Olivia counseled.  She gave Zoe a pitying glance before turning to go.

“I cannot do this without you by my side,  Olivia Pope.  I need you.  I’ve  needed you since this happened.”  he said bluntly.   Olivia took a deep breath, then turned to walk out of the room.  Once in the semi dark hallway,  she stopped and stood still.   There was so much to work with and yet so much against them.  What if Zoe woke up and they found out that she just indeed fell?  

And she had other concerns.   Stacker Pentecost and his relentless investigation in to Asgard.  Her tempestuous relationship with her ‘husband from another realm’  Heimdall, and the fact that she had now become involved with Eamonn, who was keeping some kind of secret that was clearly eating away at him.

Olivia didn’t know how much help she could be to John Luther anymore.  And for her, it had never been about actually taking her father down.  It had been about making Zoe see that she loved John and making her break up with her father.   But had that already happened?  Had she come to her senses, and her father made sure that Zoe met some violent end for trying to leave him?

Olivia stared towards the elevators.  No one was at the nurse’s station. The place was like a morgue.   She suddenly turned back towards the room,  and was startled to find John had been standing right behind her!

He reached behind her neck and unhooked the fasten to the black, sleeveless blouse she had been wearing!   It fell to her waist,   revealing her bare breasts. Anyone could have come along and seen them in the hallway. But no one was around.

Olivia leaned in to him and kissed him softly,  pressing her bare breasts against his shirt.  John ended the kiss and walked her back in to Zoe’s room, his hand now clasping hers as he closed her door.

As Zoe lay only a few feet away,  John pressed Olivia against a wall, raised her skirt and locked one of her thighs around his hips as his hungry cock found his way inside of her again, for a second time.  Soon,  Olivia was hopping up and down upon his lengthy shaft like a kangaroo in place, her bare breasts gently jogging up and down in unison with her movements. Their eyes never left one another’s as they both realized that Olivia was not leaving, and that this was the beginning of their very real affair.