An in which Dexter Wolfe escaped that night of the fire and started a new life with Carlotta Valdez and their baby. Wouldn't you know it, years later Carmen runs into VILE operative Gray while trying to learn of her father's criminal past.

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Gray didn't mean to be annoyed with Sheena, his partner at work on that particular evening. He didn't mean to lose sight of their target, a heavy-set man in a simple black coat. He didn't mean to enjoy himself at the gala they were undercover at, looking quite handsome in a tall suit of dark navy, and he most definitely didn't mean to get distracted by a stranger in scarlet.

Gray, who never cared about particularly anything, found his eyes snagged by the red of her dress that shined so brightly beside the monotonous color pallette of their fellow guests. He followed the blur of the shade, tracing the sharp curve of her waist as velvety fabric draped over a set of generous hips that were sashaying away from him.

He let his eyes keep going. Her skin was a rich cinnamon brown. It practically glowed underneath the white-gold lighting, dancing through the crystalline glass panes of the grand chandelier above them. She had a swagger to her as she strolled through the hallway, the subtle bend of her wide-set hips swishing this way and that. Gray pushed through the crowd, catching her red-brunette hair--done in an elegant sideswept bun---disappear into the masses.

No. And he still hadn't seen her face.

"Quit eyeing girls like a creep and focus on the mission!" Came a hiss directly into his eardrum. Gray groaned, clutching his earlobe and adjusting the volume of his communicator. It was way too loud, especially since he had to listen to Sheena's screechy voice on the other side.

"I wasn't eyeing anyone." Gray muttered.

"Whatever, Crackle. Just focus. If you screw this up and land us in jail I will personally see to it that you die a painful death."

"Pleasant as ever, huh, Tigress?" Gray deadpanned as he wove through the elite crowds. "I've got it handled. Stop being so obsessed with me and go back to scouting your quadrant, yeah?"

Sheena growled into the comm before terminating their link. Gray rolled his eyes. Dealing with his partner-in-crime was not his first choice on spending a Saturday evening.

Though appearing nonchalant, he kept his hazel eyes sharp and keen, sifting through the thick of the crowds for the particular face VILE had set their targets on.

The man in question was stout and heavyset, his lips drooping downwards unsmilingly. As ordinary as he appeared, he was actually Warden Hale, the head of security for the ruling family of Monaco. Robbing the royal family of their famed crowd jewels had been a fantasy of Countess Cleo's from as far back as his academy days. When the opportunity arose, of course she had snatched it by its coattails.

A few weeks of sorting out the details and here Gray was, walking amongst the uppermost echelon of society, rubbing elbows with billionaires, diplomats, Hollywood & Bollywood stars, as well as freaking royalty.

Gray stumbled slightly. He could've sworn he just saw the Queen of fucking England.

In his falter, he smashed into a warmth—another body. It was a woman, her slim figure tripping as it made contact with his compact chest.

And then she was falling, a soft gasp breaking from her crimson stained lips as she lost her footing.

Only Gray was there. His reflexes kicked in, and he used his free hand to catch her glass of champagne without a single drop spilling out. His other encircled the small of her waist, muscles flexing through the sleeve of his blazer as he held her weight off the ground with an almost graceful ease.

You. Gray almost said, recognizing the red brunette of her hair and the gold of her skin, her deep red dress burning against his navy blue suit. The scarlet stranger.

He met her eyes, his sharp hazel gaze peering into her own startled pools of stormy gray before speechlessness slammed into his chest as he took her in.

She was beautiful, so beautiful. Locks of brunette framed her face, her skin a smooth expanse of golden brown. The light of the room danced along the slim bridge of her nose, a pair of cunning red lips settling beneath them with a sliver of white teeth poking through from behind. Her brows were thick and dark and settled over the most vivid eyes he had ever seen in his life, kicking upwards and pulling her skin taut against the gentle curve of her cheek.

Beneath her head was a long neck and a set of narrow shoulders, her entire collarbone area exposed. The woman's sleeveless red dress rouched together at her slim waist before billowing out like a bell around the hook of her hips. It trickled down to the floor like a set of curtains, the fashionable thigh-high slit providing a peek of the scenery behind them.

Her hand grasped his upper arm once she realized he had saved her, and their eyes collided as a thick, hot moment of tension seemed to charge the air around them.

All of this happened within the span of two seconds, because Gray was nothing if he wasn't suave. In a matter of moments he regained his compusure, though no one could've told you that he'd ever lost it in the first place. They were standing upright now, his shoulders holding her up as she steadied herself.

"Are you alright?" He said, not hiding it as his eyes flitted along her figure.

The scarlet stranger didn't respond, a flustered blush blooming within her cheeks. Her mouth opened and closed, eyes blinking furiously as she seemed to be searching for words she couldn't find.

And then her grey-blue orbs ripped away from his and just like that, the moment was over.

She began to flit her eyes around with paranoia. They swept the entire room before Landing back on him, desperation now filling them to the brim. "Yes, um-My fault." She whispered quickly before shoving past him and ducking back into the crowd.

Before Gray could even process what had just happened, a pair of burly men in security uniforms came tumbling past, stopping before him. "Excuse us, sir, did you happen to see a woman in red run by this way?"

Woman...in red?

"Uh, yeah, I think I saw her run down there." He said, pointing the opposite of where she had went. It was jarring, sometimes, how easily he lied through his teeth. It was an unorthodox skill, true, but, it had been quite useful for him thusfar and it was half the reason he had ever even gotten an offer from crime school. (The other being his acute ability to turn out the lights).

Gray sidled up to a pair of potted plants at the corner, leaning against the wall and pretending to savor his appetizer. Once he decided that the security personel were far enough away, he turned to the plants.

"You can come out now."

Sheepishly, the scarlet stranger stepped out from behind the shrubbery, a blush dusting her cheeks. "How did you know I was there?"

Gray chuckled, looking her up and down. "Because I've got something called eyes, mate. And that's a terrible hiding spot. I'm frankly surprised the suits didn't see you."

"Speaking of the 'suits'...." She began, toying with her fingernails.

"I'm no snitch, trust me."

The woman in red seemed to let out a sigh of relief at this, and strolled up next to him. "You...you lied for me, though. Why?"

Gray smiled, suddenly very interested in this random stranger and pushed the caper along with Tigress's annoying voice to the back of his head. "I reckon there's a story behind that. You let me in on the secret and I'll consider us even."

A short chuckle broke from between the lady's red-painted lips as they stretched into a small smile. "You're quite forward, aren't you?"

"I'm just a guy who gets what he wants, Miss..."

"Wolfe." The lady replied with a sly grin, her eyelids low and lazy as she gazed at him through the thick of her black dipped lashes. "Carmen Wolfe."

"A bit on the nose, isn't it?" He said, gesturing to all of her red garb with a grin.

The lady glanced down at the color of her choice of clothing before snapping her eyes back to his with a small smirk. "I find it rather poetic, Mr...."

"Calloway. Graham Calloway."

"Ok. Gray." Carmen said, choosing a nickname for him that he hadn't heard since he was a kid. Oddly enough, though, he liked the sound of it, though that might've just been because he was entranced by her voice—a soothing cadence that seemed to ooze confidence by the moment.

"So about that story, Miss Wolfe?" Gray said, jutting his chin up at her as his lips stretched into a wide grin, his dimples flashing on either side of his cheeks. Gray said her name slowly, stretching it out as if he was tasting the sound of it on his tongue.

"Right, uh..." She said began rubbing at her elbow nervously. "Let's just say that I learned some things about my father's past that I felt were worth looking into."

"And looking into them required breaking into the Monacan palace?" He challenged.

"I have an invitation, thank you very much!" Carmen said indignantly.

"But you don't belong here." Gray pressed on. "You're, uh, aura-for lack of a better word-it doesn't quite fit in here. I've picked up on the habits of the elite, Carmen Wolfe, and in all my years at parties like these, no one's ever quite caught my eye like you have."

Carmen blushed at the compliment, biting her lush lower lip and glancing away. "I could say the same thing about you, Gray Calloway. You're too slick to be part of this crowd."

His smirk seemed to grow wider, if that were even possible. Oh, this is going to be fun. "Who said I ever was?"

Carmen snorted, following him as they strolled through the gala hall. "What, so you broke into the Monacan Palace?"

"Something like that." He winked.

"Right..." The woman in red said, a thick, black brow kicking upwards sardonically. "I suppose you're here to steal the Crown Jewels of Monaco, as well?"

"Wait and see, mate. Wait and see." Gray laughed. Oh, she was going to be gobsmacked later this evening. "So, did you ever find what you needed to about your father's past?"

The relaxed smile playing on Carmen's lips curled downwards into a frown. "I did, although I'm starting to wish I hadn't looked into it."

"Care to elaborate?"

Nearly immediately after the question left Gray's lips, a tsunami of emotion seems to twist and turn within the woman's sea-Gray eyes, her black brows furrowing together as she struggled to remain placid.

"Well." Carmen spit, gracefully grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and gesturing Gray to take one. "He just...he used to be a part of some extremely shady things. It's not worth getting into, really."

Gray nodded, taking a sip of the drink. The bubbly, alcohol-enriched elixir seared his throat as it danced it's way past it's lips, an immediate buzz lighting his senses alive. He barely withheld a sigh of relief. It had been forever since he'd been able to sample such a fine drink. "Family tends to be disappointing, in my experience. It's not like we get to choose who they are, we're just stuck with one another and expected to get along alright."

"Do you 'care to elaborate,' ?" Carmen said tentatively, as if she was testing a body of water with her pinkie toe before deciding whether or not to jump in.

Gray smiled at the fact that she'd quoted him, running his fingers through his curls lazily and taking a sip of champagne. "My parents abandoned me when I was a kid. I practically grew up in the streets. Nothing much else to the story."

She was starled and how he said it so very casually, without a hint of any emotion in his gaze.

"I can't even imagine what that's like." Carmen remarked. "I don't know what I'd ever do without my parents."

"Yeah, well...some of us don't have to imagine it." Gray's eyes darkened as he peered into his glass, searching the frothy liquid for an answer to a question he couldn't put into words.

"So," Carmen broke in, clearing her throat just before an awkward silence could settle in. "I have to wonder, Gray Calloway, what someone who grew up as an orphan is doing at a party that's all about family lineages."

Gray smirked, internally grateful for another opportunity at light-hearted banter. "I could say the same thing about you, Carmen Wolfe."

"Well," She said coyly. "I already gave you my answer."

"And so have I." Gray challenged, turning to meet her eyes with a flirty glance. "You said it yourself: I'm here to steal the Crown Jewels of Monaco, remember?"

"So if I tag along, would that make me an accomplice?" She was smiling widely now—they both were, barely containing their giddy laughs.

"I'd never let the cops find someone as pretty as you," Gray winked, his teeth tugging along his lips as his gaze momentarily faltered to Carmen's lips.

He didn't miss the little red imprint of her lipstick that she left behind on her champagne glass

"How thoughtful of you."

They shared another laugh, their voices blending together like a harmonious sonata. Around them, the light thrum of music that had been playing in the background suddenly spiked in volume, and the crowds began to part as if they were an ocean. Couples began to flit to the dance floor, and he could've sworn that he spotted Tigress amongst them, arm hooked around a japanese tech titan.

Hypocrite. He thought to himself as she began to do exactly the thing she had hissed at him not to: get distracted.

"So, Carmen Wolfe, I'm curious." Gray said, turning back to his present company. "How good are you on your feet?"

The woman smirked, raising a brow at him, her face all shadows as her chin was tilted down. "Is that your clever way of asking me to dance?"

"Guilty as charged." Gray admitted with his signature, one-sided grin. "So? What do you say?"

"I'd tell you yes, but I doubt you'd be able to keep up with me."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Gray indulged her, setting his empty champagne glass on the tray of a passing waiter.

"No," She said coyly, her delicate brown fingers entwining with his own before she lead him to the dance floor. "Its a promise."

But before they could test that theory, a rough screech of vile words in French lashed out, interrupting the classy environment of the gala. The security guards from earlier were leaping bounds, their eyea directly trained on Carmen and Gray.

"Crap." Carmen spit, her hand flying over those pouty red lips. The light from the chandelier sparkled along their gentle curve, the sheen of gloss only enticing him further.

Deciding that now was not the best time to get distracted by her mouth, Gray yanked the lady in red's hand (which was still laced with his) and pulled her down the gala hallway.

"Thats our clue to get lost, mate!"

Carmen said nothing, her steele gray eyes still trained on the guards as she srumbled along after thr aussie. He pulled her forward, crashing through the jeering crowds and weaving through the tables and waiters standing as obstacles.

The lady in red snapped out of her daze, using her free hand to bunch up her skirt higher so that she wouldn't trip. Gray and Carmen made a mad dash for the exit, guards closing in on their every corner.

"Move! Move!" Gray urged the young latina, easily evading a guard who had charged them from the side and pushing him into another on the their left.

As they closed in, Carmen and Gray were backed up into a small corner, their backs pressing together as they were surrounded by a circle of the security personell.

Another laugh slipped from the aussie's lips as he squared his shoulders and began to shift his weight between his legs. He was enjoying himself far too much tonight.

The first of the guards attempted to charge them, but Gray swiftly ducked and delivered a solid uppercut to his jaw, letting go and watching as the man drifted tk the floor, unconcious. Upon his making contact with the velvety ground, a sharp gasp escaped Carmen's lips, her fingers drifting over her red-rouged lips in shock.

He didn't have time to consider how this would look: instead, Gray dropkicked a pair that had charged them, swiping one of their guns. The aussie yanked one close, holding the gun to her neck as she struggled tightly against him.

"Either we're getting out of this, or she isn't. Your choice, mates." He said in that all-too confident voice of his, easily restraining the guard despite her desperate struggle for freedom.

He recieved more than a few foul bouts of cursing in French, but the guards let them pass. Once they rounded the bend of the hallway, he pushed the guard to the floor and lead Carmen to a small, compact space in the wall where they could lay low as the others combed the perimeter.

"What did you say your job was again?" Carmen seemed to say in one breath after they had squeezed into their hiding space, their bodies practically enveloping one another.

"Never mentioned it." He winked through the shadows.

"Yeah, I'm going to do myself a favor and not ask." Carmen chuckled lightly. Gray kaughed along with her, but his gaze falling yet again to those lips coated in rouge.

He wondered what it would be like to kiss them. Only he didn't have to imagine for long.

Gray hadn't realized they had drifted so much closer, but they did. His hand was only a couple inches from her hips, and he had to resist the urge to snag her slim waist close to him yet again.

"So, Carmen Wolfe...." He trailed off as their eyes snapped together, a hot blast of tension inecting the air between them, leaving it positively crackling with longing.

Ha. Get it. Cuz his codename is crackle. :D

He decided it was her eyes that intrigued him the most. They were large. So large, that they almost seemed comical. As if she was a character drawn by a deft hand, her finest features, exaggerated with the intent of making her stand out. Despite that, there was a cat-like quality to them. It might've been their down turned shape, thick lashes, dilated pupil, or the thin strokes of black pigment that lined their edges. Something about them suggested someone cunning. Elusive. Even dangerous. All cloaked by innocent irises of blueish-grey.

"Were you planning on saying something, Gray Calloway?" Carmen asked innocently, batting her eyelashes as he drifted within reach of her lips.

"Saying isn't my thing." He whispered, his voice rough and low with lust. "I much prefer doing."

"Can't say I'm one to object to that philosophy." Was her coy response, and it was all they both had needed because not a moment later Gray had her backed up against the wall, his compact chest hovering so close to her body that she wondered if he might simply smash against her.

They were both inches apart now, yet neither dared to break eye contact. Carmen's fingers crept up Gray's spine, hooking around the nape neck while his own hands were tenaciously seeking the curves of her waist. He ached to close the distance between them almost as much as he relished the way Carmen squirmed under his gaze, scarlet tinging her cheeks.