— Flashback —

"COME OVER HERE," his bellowing voice threatened to strangle my small neck.

"Uhhh... new phone number who's this?" My voice squeaked, dashing around the parking lot.

"JAMIE," Axel roared, sliding across a car and picking up his pace until we're only a few feet apart.

"Wait Axel," I whined out in staggered breaths, "Wait- I'm not as young as I used to be-"

"'Not as young' my ass, get your 'bout-to-be-spanked' butt over here," he growled in a low tone, grabbing my wrist and yanking it closer to him so that my body twirled abruptly against his broad chest.

Now in movies that shit was romantic.

My nonexistent chest hitting his solid rock one was something humanity never wanted to happen.

"Ax- Axel, ple- ease please- Wait Axel!" I cried out as he grabbed my chin and surprisingly gently pulled it up to his face so that our two eyes were forced to make eye contact.

"Now," he tried to catch his breath, all the while trapping me in this 'very much too close' position, "Explain... to me again what happened?"

I was sweating, and I was proud to say it wasn't the sun cooking our faces this time. "Aren't you just glad I'm back?" I piped carefully, my eyes wavering from his.

It was interesting to note that Helene and Carlos were standing right there with me. All three of us had stalled at a hotel and ate out at fast food restaurants before returning to the R.U. It had been two years since I stepped foot in there, and I should've looked forward to it.

Correction. I looked forward to seeing one person, but I also dreaded seeing him the most.

"I..." I started, gulping a little. He's making me lose my cool, luckily no other agent was outside being chased in the parking lot and then locked tightly against each other. "I slept with... him."

"Now why in heaven's word did you do that, Jamie?" He raised his eyebrows, sarcastically amused to the point where I wanted to lasso the sun and hurdle it at him.

"I texted you already about it," That was it. My eyes fell to some trees in the background because I honestly didn't have any good reason.

He tightened his grip, making me let out a quick tsk before returning back to drilling a hole in his eyeballs.

"YOU SLEPT WITH HIM," Axel reminded me, making me flinch for real, "That wasn't on the to-do list, Agent W."

I pursed my lips quietly as I heard my code name being called. No doubt I was getting in trouble.

"I'm sorry," I emphasized for like the twentieth time this afternoon, "I said I'm sorry!"

Axel shook his head, not taking the damn apology. "Did you think this through?"

No.

"What would happen if he SHOT you or something?"

... Oh did I leave that part out too? Yikes...

"What if he took advantage of you?" Axel pushed, frowning at me and my stupid decisions.

Alright, it was stupid. I should've trusted the R.U. and my team, not some assassin. It was just hard to rely on someone again, I had been alone for quite some time. I was used to being independent.

"He didn't, Axel," My voice softened as I tried to get through to him. He was just worried. Imagine finding out your sister not only stayed at the same school with an assassin but also voluntarily chose to sleep with him. Even though I wasn't his sister, the situation was damn right similar.

"Hey hey," I continued with my gentle tone, seeming that it toned down his anger a bit, "I'm alright. I'm not called the best sniper for no reason. I'm still here, right? I'm grown-up, you don't have to treat me like a child anymore."

"You are a child," Axel snapped as his eyes turned dull and emotionless.

I rolled my eyes, "Maybe I am. But I've experienced way too much to be dumb. Yes, maybe a moment or two I could've taken a different route and it would've been safer for me. But you know me Axel, I do what's necessary at the moment."

That got him to frown at me, so I quickly continued to my next point.

"In the end things will work out," I concluded, "I'm not going to die."

That was what he wanted to hear. That last sentence was what he was afraid of happening the most.

"You are the most handful stubborn woman fighting machine I have ever met," Axel breathed out in defeat, leaning away from me so that we could comfortably stare at each other.

"That's what makes Jamie Lennon, Jamie Lennon," I commented, giving him a huge hug now that that situation was over.

— End of Flashback —

-

"Sammy," I let out gently as I snapped out of my trance to the past. The boy angled his head towards my direction and met my eyes. "Go back to sleep, bud. You have classes tomorrow." I began walking into the kitchen towards the high cabinets for some medical tools. My left arm was throbbing every few seconds, but my mind was preoccupied with my team.

Sammy groaned and scratched his head slowly. "Same-old same-old. With or without sleep I'm always shot at everyday."

At the comment me, Axel, and Chestin laughed harder than we intended too, and the poor sane boy watched us adults break.

"I'm already planning to be a little lenient tomorrow," I managed to let out after straining my mouth muscles. I ripped out the layer of suit that I had on with a knife and applied medicine and gauze wrappings to the wound after cleaning it. All of that took great effort too, considering I was using one arm for everything, still being in my mentally tired state, and engaging in the unadult-like laughing fit I just had earlier.

And at that, Sammy was wide awake.

"Wait- what?" He recited, finding his stance and walking towards me. The boy got a little side-tracked and his mischievous side sprung to surface, sliding his hand underneath a slightly drunken Axel, who had his head tilted down a bit to wait out the alcohol, and grabbing probably the man's 10th shot by now.

If only I had remembered alcohol poisoning in middle school. I would be able to save him, or Chestin, if they really were going overboard. I doubt it though. From what I remember, it takes intense drinking to even be in the risk of dying, and that may still not be enough. Plus, I was sure Axel and Chestin grew some tolerance of alcohol when there were just the two of them.

That's what it felt like being the third-wheel. I sighed to myself, before it was replaced with a disapproving-amused look towards Sammy, who had managed to snatch himself a shot glass and was glancing at me for permission.

Before I could say anything however, Axel's head abruptly popped up from the kitchen counter, which made Sammy take a defensive step back. Chestin seemed to only care about pouring the alcohol glass after glass and poured Axel another cup of 'Jamie's forbidden drink.' He regained himself a bit before saying, "She's teaching class tomorrow."

"You're lying," Sammy quickly refuted back, forced to place the drink back when Axel slapped his hand. "She's like an ancient myth. Top sniper but too busy to teach. That's what makes everyone anticipate seeing her. But since she's been away for 2 years, and the last three years she's been on so many missions, I doubt anyone remembers what she looks like. And now she's teaching class? You're all lying just to get me to sleep aren't you?"

He was such a child, I loved him. Axel had choked on his drink once he heard 'ancient myth' and was now constantly laughing, in an unusually dark tone might I add, while looking down.

"Stop staring at your crotch and laughing you creep," I jeered playfully at the drunken grown-man. Axel told me to 'shuddupp' and resumed back to whatever the hell kept his humor system up.

"Yeah I'm being fired from work currently," I turned back to Sammy as I put the medical kit away, "I need sleep too. Whether or not you're at your best tomorrow I'll shoot like crazy, so I expect you to avoid them, kiddo."

Sammy smirked and I immediately thought that whoever would be his future girlfriend, would be lucky to see his expressions. He was darn adorable and I was partially proud of him for pursuing such a dangerous career like Jay.

Chestin suddenly spoke up, "I have some things to discuss with Jamie, Sam. Go to sleep, bud."

I turned my head to my partner and was surprised at the fact that he sounded so stable after all of that drinking. He must be the stronger of the two- him and Axel. Axel was already knocked out.

"Sleep well then, Anne, see ya," The dirty-blonde haired boy dismissed himself after waving his hand in the air and went off into the dark hallways. I watched the boy disappear into the shadows and had forgotten about something before I realized a shot glass was placed on the counter, as a way of saying, "Hey."

My body turned around and Chestin had pushed away from the counter. My heart skipped a beat when he stared straight into my tired eyes before I immediately frowned.

"Chestin, what's wrong?"

From the way he was moving, the way he was looking at me, and the way he had spoken earlier...

He had been sober this whole time.

My frown deepened as the man took steps towards me, his form growing larger and larger. I took a step back, but I doubt he noticed.

It almost seemed like he planned to have us alone again... There was something he wanted off his chest.

I was just afraid to get started.

-