Opening his eyes, and making no other movements, the young man wondered what woke him as his hand closed on the knife under his pillow. Taking comfort in the feel of the hilt in his hand, he quickly scanned everything in the small apartment as if trying to sense what disturbed his sleep. He jumped as his phone rang again. Releasing his grip on the blade he snatched his cell off of his bedside table, glancing at his clock it was only four A.M.

"What?!" he snapped as he answered it.

"Wow, aren't we grumpy this morning Jack." Replied a low feminine voice that relaxed him almost instantly.

"Ah, Ms. Stone, sorry I got in a little late last night, had a job to finish. Could you inform Mr. Richards that he should be receiving the package he requested in a day or so?" he replied. More than a little annoyed that since he agreed to work for this man he never seemed to catch up on sleep. The job he had completed the night before took longer than most because he had been given so little information to go on. Who knew that finding any information on one of the most powerful vampire camarillas in the world would be so difficult, let alone stealing the members list. Smiling, he thought to himself 'I think I deserve a vacation for working non-stop for three weeks.'

"You know better than to call me that." She replied with a huff snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Well, Kate I'll call you by yours when you call me by mine." The man drawled teasingly

"Jack is your name." Kate retorted with her frustration clearly evident in her voice.

"No… it isn't." He declared vehemently.

"Fine… Kat, I give up, enough arguments." She said with a sigh.

Kat couldn't help it as he chuckled. He couldn't believe it the famous Katherine Stone, twenty-two year old professional actress and model, daughter of the founder and C.E.O. of Westbank International Travels. (This is one of the largest and most wealthy companies in the world.) She had also been the appointed guardian of one Jack Mason since she was eighteen and had been good friends with him long before that. She had been appointed by his uncle to try and raise him as normal as possible under the circumstances surrounding him unfortunately it was basically impossible by then. She was beautiful and seemingly perfect when he first met her. Although when you've known her as long as Kat had you learn to recognize all of her subtle quirks. She was manipulative, Stubborn to a fault, and at times downright devious. Yes, That Kate Stone had given in to his childish refusal to acknowledge his given name.

"Enough." She repeated stopping his laughter short. "It's almost Christmas and you've finished your mission, so it's been decided that you'll be staying with me until you receive your next assignment."

"Sure but how am I supposed to fit all of my stuff into your apartment?" Kat asked, knowing that if he could somehow make her believe that he had a lot to bring, he might get out of staying in her small two bedroom apartment in Seattle. He absolutely hated Seattle, it stank of smog, waste, and of the other side, not to mention all that rain. It was once considered a great American city in its time, at least until the planet fought back. The only good thing about Seattle is that it was one of the few places he was allowed to be seen in. After all in a place where the supernatural had become the norm he appeared to be the least of Seattle's worries. Who would notice a teenager who could sprout wings and had mastery over several elements, with such things as living and undead vampires, were- creatures, shape shifters, and magic users just to name a few.

The world had changed completely in the eighteen years Kat had lived and many more beforehand. Humans no longer had total control of the planet. Popular opinion said that humans had almost succeeded in killing the planet. In pain, earth decided to lash out releasing the powerful yet hidden magic remaining in the world. The magic spread across the world like a tidal wave, most humans had managed to separate themselves from magic whether by evolution or by conscious choice. Instead of directly affecting the bulk of humanity as was assumed intended the magic acted as a worldwide EMP blast, shutting down everything, killing many indirectly, and releasing the supernatural creatures from wherever they were held or hiding. Eventually the magic seemed to pulsate and begin to thread around the planet like a spider web slowly growing of itself, flowing as if it were creating rivers of magic around itself to slowly heal the scars left behind by human science.

"I know what you are thinking and no. You aren't going back to the mansion. You're still in exile until I'm told otherwise." Kate said, trying to make light of his so called time away from home. Kat growled, that hadn't been the way his thoughts were running but he wasn't about to correct her. Kate continued unperturbed, "Now I have some work in L.A I need to finish so you'll be staying with me here for a while at least until we get your next assignment. The arrangements are already made and your flight leaves tomorrow evening at four-thirty the office has your ticket. So all you need to do is pack your bags, ship your weapons, and get on your flight. Oh I've already withdrawn you from school so today is your last day in Sydney."

"I understand." Kat replied with an exasperated sigh. He was really not one to complain but he hated having no say in decisions that directly affected him. Arguing with Kate was next to pointless as well, when she set her mind to something it was like trying to blow up a dam with a bottle rocket. He already had most of his things packed as he knew she would do something like this as soon as he finished the job. "I'll see you in L.A."

Kat stared at the phone in his hand it had been five minutes since Kate had hung up, looking at the clock he swore softly. She had called at four in the morning; he had only gone to bed three hours before. Groaning from the lack of sleep and simultaneously realizing that he wasn't about to get any more he hauled himself to the bathroom. After a quick albeit cold shower he stood inspecting himself in the mirror. He had grown several inches in the past year and stood just shy of six feet, his face had no whiskers to shave and he was well aware he would never grow any. Even without facial hair he looked older than his eighteen years and he had often used that to his advantage in his previous career as there were many places a child couldn't go making it difficult to gain access to his targets. His face was evenly featured and looked far too perfect, almost statue-like with his pale skin almost the color of smooth marble. In sharp contrast to his skin was his hair, as black as night and falling to his shoulders slightly curling up around his ears. These qualities alone gave him an almost ghostly look that tended to unsettle most people. The most striking feature he had was his eyes; they shone pure silver, an unheard of color even after the release. He wore contacts unless he was working as his eyes tended to unsettle even the supernatural.

He selected the pair of ice blue contacts he had been wearing since he arrived in Sydney three months earlier. Sliding the contacts into place he quickly dressed, if anyone had been watching they would have believed he was getting ready to assassinate an army, and if they had knowledge of his past they would have known him to be more than capable of the deed. He wore loose fitting pants that were designed to look like denim, with sheathes for his knives that were so well hidden you wouldn't have known they were there, even if you touched them. He only worked with knives and if necessary for distance a bow as he abhorred guns not only due to the chances of malfunctions but mostly because they were so loud, even a silenced weapon sounded like a cannon firing to his ears. After tucking a large knife into a sheathe at the small of his back he put on a long sleeved shirt that seemed to cling to his frame. As he pulled on his boots he looked at the clock it was already six-thirty his classes didn't start for another hour and he needed coffee, there was none to be found in the apartment as he hadn't been to the store in days. He grabbed his coat a black leather duster with a hood that would completely hide his features, by itself the coat weighed about twenty pounds by itself, due to bulletproofing materials, but with all of the weapons hidden in its folds weighed far more, pausing for a moment as he shrugged it onto his shoulders he strode out the door.

He stopped outside his apartment and let the cool air of morning fill his senses waking him up far more than coffee ever would. Dawn was always quiet, for some reason it relaxed him as much as anything could, it was the time many of the more aggressive spooks slept and humanity was waking. He stood there for several minutes until his stomach rumbled its hunger. With a slight smile he locked his door and continued on his way.

Kat lived several blocks from the college campus where he posed as a student. Unlike most of the students there he actually liked the school as he had attended some that were far worse. He was attending college as he had skipped several grades and it gave him far more free-time to complete his job than any high school would. His features helped him avoid any complicated questions as the students assumed he was the same age as them. Stopping about a block away from the campus he entered a small café called Café Morningstarr that served breakfast. He had been there often enough that he was considered a regular. The waitress Lela guided him to his usual table in the far corner where he could see anyone coming in or out of the restaurant.

"You're early today Kat" Lela said in a slightly flustered tone. "We don't have your order ready yet but I just made a fresh pot of coffee, you're welcome to it."

"Thank you Lela that's exactly what I need right now," He replied, "There's no rush on the food today I've got plenty of time."

She retrieved the pot of coffee and set a mug in front of him. As soon as it was poured he took the mug and drained it. "Well, maybe I'd better leave the pot here then." She grinned as she set the pot on the table. "I'll just let Eddie know you're waiting he'll have the food out to you in a jiffy." She said speaking of her husband, the cook. Kat gave her a small smile as she stepped into the kitchen. There weren't very many people who talked to him let alone made him feel welcome. Lela was a very rare kind of human it didn't matter to her who her customers were be they spooks, humans, or some other creature as long as they didn't cause trouble and paid their bills she treated them like old friends. Kat liked her enough that he had offered to help her when he had some free time. She only took him up on the offer once about a month before. Eddie had been sick and his replacement was called away on a family emergency. Kat had acted as waiter, while Lela cooked, and was on his best behavior. It didn't help much; sure he had done everything right but the customers had found him far too intimidating. The brave ones stammered out their orders, the rest fled as he went to greet them. Kat chuckled at the memory, he still didn't understand why so many ran away though. At the end of the day Lela had told him, 'Next time you're cooking.' and refused to say anymore.

He had drunk half the pot of coffee in the time it took Lela to return with his food. His normal order consisted of four eggs over easy, two hash browns, three pancakes and a full pound of bacon. She unloaded her tray carefully so as not to spill his coffee. It was around seven and the mornings customers began to file in so she left him with a nod. He took around twenty minutes to eat passing much of the time watching the other customers. Several noticed his glances and stared at their plates as if there was some sort of puzzle in their food that they were trying to solve. Finished eating he went to take care of the bill.

"I still don't see how a man with your build could eat so much." Lela smiled as she made her usual joke.

"Unfortunately it's probably the last time you'll get to see it." He replied, "I'm leaving tomorrow for L.A. and I'm going to miss this place."

Lela's smile lost some of her humor, "We'll be sorry to see you go you've been one of our best customers though I wouldn't recommend trying to be a waiter again."

"I don't think that's a career choice meant for me." Kat smiled, "I have something for you, think of it as a parting gift," He told her as he reached into one of his coat pockets. He slowly withdrew a money clip filled with several hundred dollar bills.

Lela took one look at the clip and replied "I can't take that."

Kat chuckled, "It's already yours though this is the total of all the tips I owe you. I figured I'd give it to you now."

Lela started to laugh, "And here I always thought you were a lousy tipper. Fine I'll take it, thank you." She took the clip from him and Kat went stiff as she gave him a giant hug. She was almost skipping as she went back to show her husband his parting gift. He looked at the clock and realized he was going to be late for class, as the door closed behind him he heard an exclamation of joy and faint sobbing. Smiling to himself he realized they must have counted it for there was more than twenty thousand dollars in that clip. 'If only they knew… my good deeds are few and far too in between.' He thought to himself.

The rest of the day went by quickly for there was no one else he would say goodbye to. He attended his classes as normal easily answering the few questions posed towards him. He had no friends to explain his departure to and most of his classmates actually seemed to be relieved.

"About time, that guy gives me the creeps more than any spook I've met." He overheard a student say to his friend after the professor announced his leave in class. Kat let out a slight sigh he disliked large crowds having been raised mostly in solitude. He couldn't complain about being sent to college though as it was his own idea to use the school as cover while he completed his mission. So after he had sat through several hours of lectures, whispers, and stares he left the lecture halls and headed towards the nearest physical club room. Lo and behold what should it be but the karate club. There was only one member present, the vice-captain of the women's karate team, Scarlet a surprisingly cute red head with a very bad attitude. Kat slowly approached her and requested politely to use the equipment. She gave in with very little persuasion which surprised him as normally she ceded to no one.

He removed his coat and dropped it on the floor with a disconcerting thud which earned him a surprised glance from Scarlet. He shrugged and prepared for his exercise, there were several kick bags around the room which he moved towards the center into a ragged circle of about six feet in diameter. Kat stretched fully before entering the circle, his flexibility earning him another surprised look, he went to the middle and stood with his hands at his sides. He closed his eyes and took several slow and deep breathes letting his body relax as he blocked out everything in his mind focusing only on the sand bags surrounding him. In his mind the seven kick bags became vampires whose attack radius was around eight feet while his own attack radius was normally only six, without his wings. He opened his eyes when the room faded in his senses he could see nothing but the vampires but he was aware of everything in his surroundings.

With a sharp inhalation of breath he went on the attack moving at almost blinding speed. He struck his imaginary foes, blocked their swift attacks and countered with devastating precision and force on the solid kick bags. After he downed the last vampire in his mind he returned to the center and projected a different race as his opponents. He repeated the process until he had run out of species worth projecting. Finally he returned to the center and focused to remove himself from his imagination. The first thing he noticed was that the kick bags were no longer attached to their stands as the chains had snapped under the force and repetition of his blows. The bags themselves were lying several feet beyond the circle, leaking sand and stuffing where they had split their seams or burst. The stands showed so many dents and holes that Kat assumed the bags had broken early on. Finally Kat looked past the damaged equipment to realize that he had an audience.

Scarlet and her team members looked at him in a shocked silence. They had watched almost the entire exercise for the hour it went on. Many of the women had arrived only minutes after Kat had begun. Scarlet had motioned them over to the far side of the room as she watched him in the circle. When she had agreed to let him use the equipment she had assumed he was just another amateur who wanted to blow off steam. She should have realized when he stretched that he had known what he was doing. Scarlet blushed at that thought, she had been distracted by how handsome he was, his shirt was almost skin tight and clung to his muscles in an alluring way. He was not muscle bound by any means but he was toned almost to perfection and carried himself with a dangerous cat-like grace that either drew you in or frightened you, in Scarlet's case it seemed to be both.

Kat had shown her a level of flexibility that almost made her jealous. As he entered the circle she had stopped her practice and watched, waiting to see how he would make a fool of himself. As he had stood in the circle she had started to criticize him in her mind. 'How are you supposed to defend yourself with a crappy stance like that? I was right he's just another amateur!' She was a breath away from voicing this thought when the impossible happened he just vanished. She drew in a sharp breath only to have it squeak away as a thunderous bang filled the Dojo. A kick bag that had been still a mere moment before collapsed in on itself and rocked violently back and forth violently, Kat seemed to flicker into view only to disappear before she could blink. The loud bangs were becoming more frequent making it sound as if there was a thunderstorm inside the building and some of the bags were already beginning to leak sand.

Several of the bags went flying one missing her by just inches. Scarlet had assumed he would stop but dents were appearing in the metal stands. She stood in place transfixed by the man she could not see clearly. Confident in her judgment of a person's capabilities she could not believe she had been so wrong about him. Whoever he was he was highly trained and had physical abilities that far exceeded that of any human, which meant he must be a spook of some kind or another. He didn't match the qualities of any one race she could think of, but had many qualities of several. He had the grace and speed of a vampire, and attacked with what appeared to be the mindless ferocity of a shifter, his strength and stamina though she could not attribute to any race, they were simply abnormal in her mind. Although she was frightened by the ferocity she sensed in his attacks Scarlet was intrigued by him. He had become a puzzle that she wanted desperately to solve.

Scarlet almost jumped as she realized that Kat had finished his exercise and was staring her way. She watched as he surveyed the damage he had caused, almost an afterthought she realized that someone would need to pay for the damages. She wanted to speak with him in private and the damages gave her just the excuse she needed. She bent to pick up his jacket as he started walking towards her. She grabbed the collar of his duster and almost fell over; catching her balance she braced herself to pick it up, she was able to lift it as far as her waist before Kat took it with one hand effortlessly. She wondered why the jacket was so heavy but after seeing his exercise she wasn't really surprised that he could wear it without strain.

"I'd like to speak with you if you have the time." She said as he shrugged the jacket over his shoulders.

"Lead the way." Kat quietly replied while surveying the damage once again. Scarlet led him into a small office off the side of the dojo. Closing the door as he stepped inside, she took a slow breath before she turned to face him.

"I let you use the equipment because I had assumed you were an amateur. Now however I believe you're anything but." Scarlet paused for a moment to decide how to approach him about more than just the damages. "What are you and where did you learn to move like that?" She asked surprising herself by being so blunt. Kat stared at her with a blank look and said nothing. Reaching into his coat he pulled out a roll of cash and set it on the desk then turned to study the pictures on the wall next to the desk. Scarlet waited by the door looking at his back she wondered if he would answer her question she barely noticed that he had set anything on the desk.

Finally Kat turned around to face her, "There should be enough there to cover the damages. You can keep whatever is left as I won't be here to collect the change." He told her with a small smile. She moved out of his way as he opened the door, he paused with one foot outside the room glancing back at her in a quiet voice he said, "I'm not sure what I am I only know that I was born from breath."

Before Scarlet could ask what he meant he was gone, leaving her to wonder what he had meant. She walked to the desk and picked up the cash he had left, she would count it later. She had so many questions running through her mind. Who was he? Where is he from? What did he mean he wouldn't be here to collect? She felt an urge to find answers; it was as if something was compelling her to.

She asked around the campus for several hours before she found someone who even knew his name. She found one of his professors who told her that Kat had been withdrawn from school and was moving tomorrow. It seemed that no matter how many people she asked she couldn't get any more information about him. It was rather hard to believe that a man as striking as Kat could go unnoticed for so long. She was at a dead end for there was no more information to be gained on campus. She stopped in at café Morningstarr on her way home while deciding how to proceed.

Café Morningstarr was rather busy at the time and she noticed there was only one open booth. Scarlet seated herself and waited for the waitress. She had been there only a few times before and the food was good if a little greasy. She noticed that the booth she was sitting at had a reserved card propped against the napkin dispenser. There was something about it that drew her attention she turned it over and her breath caught in her throat there was a slightly blurry photo on the back that was unmistakably Kat. There was writing just below the picture 'This booth is eternally reserved for Kat if you see him enter please find another table.' Scarlet was shocked why or how someone would reserve a booth for eternity was beyond her.

The waitress walked over to take her order and smiled at Scarlet. "Handsome isn't he?" the waitress asked. Scarlet blushed slightly for the thought was not far from her mind.

"So what does it take to reserve a booth for eternity?" Scarlet asked the waitress, Lela as her name tag said.

Without missing a beat Lela replied, "Eat here every morning for three months, serve at least a day as a waiter, and give away twenty thousand dollars. Then we might see about getting you a reservation." Scarlet gave a sharp laugh she could believe that Kat had done that, but where would anyone get twenty thousand dollars from only to give it away? By Scarlet's impression he seemed to be a guy with a good heart but far too many secrets.

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"Can you tell me anymore about him? I met him today to tell you the truth and I have to say he interests me." Scarlet couldn't believe her luck just when she reached a dead end she stumbled on what she hoped would be a wellspring of information. Lela was all too happy to tell her everything she knew about Kat. It appeared that Lela thought of him as a benefactor of sorts. The most pertinent information Scarlet received from her was where he was going. After leaving the café Scarlet looked at the cash that Kat had left with her, she would pay for the damages with it but whatever was left over she would put to good use, after all she now had a destination.

Kat lay on his bed staring at the ceiling he had gone straight home after the incident in the dojo. He couldn't believe he had lost himself so completely normally he would restrain himself from causing so much damage. Scarlet had surprised him though, from the way she had been staring at him he had thought he frightened her. He couldn't believe her reaction it seemed instead of scaring her she was intrigued by him. It almost made him glad that he was leaving the next day as he would not have to deal with her prying into his affairs. If she found out too much about him it would put her life in danger and his own as well. Kat had made more enemies than most people would meet in a lifetime. And any one of them would have no qualms about torturing a human woman for any information she had on him.

Sighing and glad that nothing would come of it he reached for his phone. He called a moving company making sure that they would ship his belongings to the right address, and then he called the airport making sure that they were holding his ticket to L.A. When he was finished making preparations and double checking his flight he decided to try to catch up on sleep. He slept fitfully waking at the smallest sounds that seemed out of place to his ears. It seemed that morning couldn't come soon enough.

Kat came out of bed with two daggers at the ready. There was someone in his apartment glancing at the clock he found it was just after one A.M. He moved quietly through the room into the hallway all of the lights were still out and he could hear hushed voices coming from the living room. Due to the fact they were speaking he realized the intruders weren't assassins. That left them as thieves and rather incompetent ones judging from the amount of noise they were making. He moved like a shadow into the living room observing the thieves as he moved there were three of them one was standing by the door as a lookout and the other two were going through boxes and taking anything that appeared to be valuable. Kat came up behind the closest thief grabbing him by the back of the neck he cut of circulation to his brain making him pass out without a sound. Gently Kat lowered him to the floor.

"Todd I really don't think we should be doing this." The watch man said with a hoarse whisper.

"Just shut up and keep an eye out, Kevin this old guy is supposed to be loaded" The remaining thief replied.

'So the ringleader is Todd huh?' Kat thought to himself. 'I should have some fun with this one.' He quickly seated himself on the couch facing the door only four feet in front of Todd.

"I think you have the wrong apartment if you're trying to steal from an old man." Kat said loudly. Todd stepped backwards startled and tripped over one of the boxes cursing while Kevin ran into the door trying to find the light switch.

"Who the hell are you?" Todd demanded as Kevin finally turned on the lights. Kat kept silent as their eyes adjusted to the now bright room. Kevin's eyes searched the room frantically looking for their partner while Todd met Kat's eyes and became as stiff as a corpse. Kat had taken his contacts out when he had come back to the apartment and now kept Todd's eyes with his gaze of silver, promising death to those who trespassed in his home.

"Where's Sam?" Kevin asked with fright clearly evident in his voice.

"If you're talking about your friend he's taking a nap over there." Kat replied motioning towards the boxes that he laid the thief behind. "You really are pathetic for burglars, first of all you broke into the wrong house, second you make far too much noise, and last but not least you have no luck." He stated with menace thick with his words. "I suggest you leave what you took and then take your sleepy friend and vanish"

Todd seemed to recover his bearings at the suggestion that he leave empty handed. "Your outta your mind if you think we're scared of you!" he screamed, drawing a switch blade from his pocket. Kat almost had to admire his greed, but his admiration was tempered by Todd's stupidity. Catching Todd's eyes again he drew the two daggers that he had set behind him when he sat down.

Kevin's eyes widened at the sight of the daggers in Kat's hands as he made his way cautiously towards the unconscious Sam. Looking at the man sitting on the couch made him more frightened by the second Kevin had no doubts that he and his friends would die if they tried anything. Fumbling as he tried to lift Sam into a position to be carried Kevin thought of nothing but getting out of the apartment alive.

Kat watched rather amused at the fear so blatantly displayed on Kevin's face. Todd on the other hand was still trying to put on a tough front.

"I suggest you help your friend, he looks like he could use it." Kat said sarcastically watching the knife shake in Todd's hand. His amusement was fading quickly and he was becoming more and more annoyed from his lack of sleep. Todd seemed to be aware of his foul mood and dropped the knife as he ran to aid his friends. Together the thieves made their way quickly out the door. Kat followed them as far as the entrance of the apartment complex and watched as they disappeared down the street. Tired and annoyed Kat repacked the boxes before going to bed once again.

Kat woke up the next morning still bad tempered. To try to calm himself he extended his morning exercises over an hour. After a light breakfast he called the airport to check if there were any flights available for an earlier time. As he had no other plans for that day he called a taxi grabbed his bag and headed for the airport. The drive relaxed him though the driver seemed to talk too much and smelled like a were. Were-Wolves have a distinct musk that reminded Kat of deep woods and dark dens in the earth.

The airport was packed with people and the atmosphere was oppressive Kat made his way through security with no trouble even though he was a walking arsenal. As Kate had said once long before, 'If they can't find something it's not there.' And if you did not know exactly where to look on Kat there was no way you would find a weapon. He continued on to the customer service desk where he changed his tickets over to a flight leaving in twenty minutes meaning he would be in L.A. around three o'clock.

Kat waited at the gate while finishing a cup of coffee he had bought on the way, he watched as they began boarding the plane. He was sure he saw a familiar face in the line of people but when he went to look closer there was no one to be seen. Finally as the line dwindled down they made the last call for boarding. Tossing the empty cup in the garbage he picked up his bag and presented his ticket. If he had waited until the four-thirty flight he would have ridden in first class but due to the last minute change he was seated in the economy section. After stowing his bag in the overhead compartment he glanced at the passengers around him. He was seated next to the aisle in the seat next to him was a woman who looked to be in her thirty's and from the way she was clenching the arm of her seat he assumed she had a fear of flying.

His gaze drifted to the seat across the aisle there was a young woman wearing a hoodie who appeared to be sleeping as she had a hat low over her eyes and her hood obscured the rest of her face. She seemed familiar to Kat though he couldn't say why. Kat finally took his seat leaning back and closing his eyes he listened to the clamor of the passengers. He took a deep breath assessing the species gathered onboard. By scent he detected several were's and shifters, as well as some living vampires but the majority of passengers were human and he detected no threatening presence. As relaxed as it was possible for a man like Kat to be he drifted off into a light sleep if there was an inkling of trouble it would wake him.

The flight was uneventful for the most part with little to disturb him aside from some slight turbulence that caused the woman next to him to go into a panic. The stewardess calmed her down quickly without causing a scene. Kat asked the stewardess for a glass of whiskey and then surprised her by offering it to the woman next to him she accepted it gratefully. For the rest of the flight Kat kept her mind off of the fact that they were flying with meaningless questions about her family, her reasons for going to L.A., what she was going to do once they arrived. Her answers meant nothing to him and she appeared to know that but she was grateful for anything that distracted her enough to keep her mind off of her fear of flying. The flight passed quickly in that manner and they arrived in Los Angeles.

Kat watched as the passengers rushed to retrieve their luggage and scramble for the exit. He bade the woman goodbye as he retrieved his own luggage. Pausing as he hefted his bag onto his shoulder he felt as if he was being watched. As he began to exit the plane he looked around discretely for anyone whose eyes seemed to linger on him for seconds too long. The only one who appeared to meet his gaze was the young woman who was seated across the aisle again Kat got the feeling that there was something familiar about her. As she reached for the overhead compartment her hood fell back revealing her deep red hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Kat swore softly to himself there was no way, it couldn't be her. After all there was no way she could have found his destination. He waited for her at the baggage claim losing himself in the crowd. He did not have to wait very long; it was hard to miss someone with hair such a deep red it could be called crimson. She collected her bags and walked towards the exit looking as if she was at a loss as to what to do next. Kat followed her easily and was not surprised at the fact she was lost.

Kat watched her as she looked at the people around her separating from the throng of passengers to greet relatives and friends, or call taxis in order to make their appointments. Realizing that she had no clue what she was going to do he approached her quietly. She appeared to be mumbling to herself but it was far too noisy for him to make out her words.

"I must say I'm a bit surprised to see you here Scarlet though you seem to be a bit lost." He said when he was close enough for her to hear his voice. Scarlet whipped her head around to look at him, her mouth opened and closed as if she was trying to say something but no words would come. Kat stood for a moment waiting for her to say something when he realized she still couldn't find her voice he hailed a taxi. Scarlet stood in shock as Kat loaded her luggage in the trunk as well as his own. He opened the door and waited, Scarlet seemed to be in a daze.

"The cab won't wait all day you know." Kat said with a grin as he nodded his head towards the open door. Scarlet slowly entered the cab her shock wearing off slightly. Kat closed the door behind her and entered from the other side. He had so many questions he sat silently wondering where to begin. "Have you made any hotel reservations?" he asked gently. As Scarlet shook her head no he pulled out his phone.

He wasn't exactly looking forward to explaining the situation to Kate but there was little else he could do. He had not informed her of changing the tickets so she had no idea he was in L.A. already. Kat paused as he dialed the number, he realized that he could use the extra time to find out why Scarlet was in L.A. after all her showing up at the same time as he did was far too soon to be a coincidence.

"Take us to a good café." He told the driver as he put away his phone. Noticing the quick glance Scarlet gave him he added, "I have several hours before I need to do anything, you can help me pass the time."

The cab ride was over far too quickly for Kats liking as he still had no ideas on how to phrase the questions he had for her without making himself sound like an interrogator. Scarlet had yet to say a word to him and he understood that he wasn't acting like himself. Normally he would never go out of his way to speak to someone who lived in daylight, so different his world which is filled with shadows.

Scarlet retrieved their bags and waited near the door to the café as Kat paid the fare. As they entered the café Kat found the situation inside to be unpleasant. Customers were packed inside; filling the room like it was a school cafeteria. It took only a moment for him to find some empty seats. Once they had seated themselves a waiter made his way through the crowd to take their order. After ordering coffee Kat looked at Scarlet patiently waiting for her to start the conversation.

Scarlet stared back at him wondering why he had brought her there she had come to L.A. to find information about him but she had had no ideas on where to begin. Seeing him on the same flight had been a shock but the fact that he was going out of his way to accompany her seemed out of place to her. Her decision to come to L.A. was on the spur of the moment. She had booked her flight yesterday evening and informed the University of her temporary leave of absence earlier on that morning. She didn't want to tell him the reason she was in L.A. was that she was following him even if she did not quite understand why.

Kat sipped his coffee savoring the bitter taste on his tongue as he watched her patiently. He could almost see her mind working as she tried to find something to say. Attempting to put her mind at ease would be almost impossible for him as he was not used to dealing with women, Kate being an exception.

"Do you always pick up women this way?" Scarlet asked suddenly. Kat almost choked on his coffee in surprise.

"Let's just say I try not to make it a habit." He replied slowly, Scarlet chuckled softly at that.

"You seem to have a lot of questions so how about this? We each get three questions and we take turns asking them. Only one rule you must answer truthfully and you can only pass on one question." Scarlet told him taking advantage of the seemingly lighter mood. Kat paused turning the consequences over in his mind. There were many things that he was basically forbidden to speak of if she broached those subjects he would be unable to answer her, at least truthfully that is.

"Alright then why don't you start?" Kat asked.

"Ok where did you learn to fight like you do?" Scarlet asked without pause.

"My parents were really big on self-defense and started training me at a very young age I seemed to have talent at it so I continued training in them for around six hours a day." Kat replied. He wasn't lying either he just wasn't telling the entire truth after all how do you explain to someone that your parents raised you as an assassin to use against their enemies. Scarlet seemed rather disappointed that his explanation stopped there and she seemed to realize he was withholding something.

"Hmm… so what brought you to L.A.?" Kat asked her figuring that he would get straight to the point. Scarlet paused for a moment before answering his question.

"Well I wanted to find out if I have what it takes to become a Hollywood actress it's been my dream since I was a little girl." Scarlet told him, a blush creeping up her face. Kat sat silently for a moment debating whether or not her answer was true. Deciding to believe her at the moment he had an idea, if it worked he could find out if she was telling the truth.

"I might be able to help you with that." He said quietly a smile slowly appearing on his face as she looked at him in surprise. "Excuse me a moment." Kat reached for his phone and dialed Kate's number, he could explain things later. Kate picked up on the first ring. "Where are you right now?" She demanded.

"I'm sitting in a coffee shop in L.A. why do you ask?" Kat answered evenly. He was not surprised she asked, as the airport had probably reported to her that he had changed flights. Perks of heritage he assumed.

"You weren't at the airport when I came to pick you up." Kate fumed. "Tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"No I just need to know what hotel we're in, I'll meet you there." He replied, with Kate's temper as it was he wanted to give her a little time to cool off before he dropped the bomb named Scarlet on her.

"We're staying at the Ritz-Carlton you had best be here shortly we have a lot to go over." She told him.

"Alright I'll see you there in an hour we can talk more then." Kat said as he ended the call. Scarlet had appeared to wait patiently for him to finish his phone call. "I just spoke to a friend I'll be staying with for a while, if we explain the situation to her she would be the best possible person to help you make your dream come true. There's one condition though." Kat paused to make sure she understood.

"Okay… and what's the condition?" Scarlet asked hesitantly.

"You will travel with us until I tell you otherwise even if someone else tells you to go home you won't unless I tell you to, do you agree to the condition?" Kat asked seriously. Either she would agree and he could keep an eye on her or she wouldn't and he would send her on the first flight back to Sydney. Scarlet appeared to be unsure if his condition was to her liking. It took her several minutes to make up her mind.

"I'll accept the condition, but I have my own conditions first of all you pay all expenses and you don't abandon me in the middle of nowhere. If you can do that we have a deal." Scarlet replied after some thought.

"I can agree with that." He answered with a slight smile, he had no plans to abandon her anywhere, the difficulty would be in keeping her close enough to keep an eye on her yet keeping her from discovering too much about himself and his backers at the same time. Looking at his watch he realized that they had stayed in the café long enough, after paying the check they flagged down another taxi and proceeded to the hotel.

Scarlet was shocked when they pulled up to the Ritz, she had realized that Kat was wealthy but to afford a stay at the Ritz was almost obscene. The Ritz-Carlton franchise was one of the few to be unaffected by the release which enabled them to raise their prices to absurd amounts. One week at this hotel would almost be equivalent to three years of her college tuition. The condition that Kat would pay all of her expenses took on a whole new meaning to her then.

"I really hope you're not going to send me a bill for this when we finish traveling." She told Kat almost in a whisper. Kat chuckled quietly as he retrieved their luggage from the trunk he handed the bellhop Scarlet's bags and shouldered his own. He gently took Scarlet's elbow and led her inside. She seemed to pause when they reached the doors it took several seconds to coax her inside. Kat left here in the entry hall as he approached the reception desk.

"I'd like to check in, and if you would be so kind as to notify Kate Smith that Kat has arrived it would be appreciated." He told the receptionist politely. As he finished checking in he was aware of someone approaching behind him, by the sound of the footprints he knew it was Kate even before he turned around. "It's very difficult to surprise me Kate you should know that by now."

Kate stopped merely a foot behind him clicking her heels together as if she making a military salute. Kat slowly turned to face her observing the room as he did so. Scarlet had her back towards them admiring a painting on the far wall, and no one appeared to be watching them with any unwarranted interest. Finally his focus came to rest on Kate; her auburn hair glowed under the lights making it look as if a halo encircled her head, her eyes were sea green and if you looked into them too long it felt as if you could fall in.

Kate looked him over, assessing his condition. "You look rather tired Kat let's get you to our rooms so you can relax, I'll debrief you tomorrow. Okay?" She said.

"I'm fine with that but there's a slight change in plans." He replied. Kate went rigid she really did not like it when her plans were changed without her knowledge.

"What kind of change is there?" Kate asked slowly. He could hear the dissatisfaction in her voice. In a strange way he was actually looking forward to introducing her to Scarlet. Although he never knew what form of revenge she would take on him it always kept him on his toes. The last time he had pissed her off he found himself being airdropped into the middle of the Sahara desert under the title of a training exercise. She left him there for almost a month until his uncle had need of his talents.

Kat saw that Scarlet had finally finished looking around and was making her way towards them. "The change in plans is that we have someone traveling with us until I say otherwise and we need to keep her from digging too deep." He replied quietly nodding his head towards Scarlet. Kate looked over her shoulder to see Scarlet's approach. A slight tick in her eyebrow betrayed how upset Kate was even as she showed her most polite smile.

"Kate I'd like you to meet Scarlet, Scarlet this is Kate Smith. If anyone can find out whether you can make it in Hollywood or not it's her." Kat made the introductions as Scarlet drew close enough to keep his words fairly private. As Kate turned to face her, Scarlet recognized her name and her face turned almost as red as her name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Scarlet I hear you'll be joining us for a while." Kate said politely while offering her hand. Scarlet took it hesitantly and gave it a slight shake before even trying to reply.

"The pleasure is mine, to be honest when Kat told me he knew someone who could help I was rather skeptical. I was not expecting to meet someone so established in the entertainment industry." Scarlet's words came slowly as if she was afraid she would stutter. Kate's smile became slightly more genuine at the surprise on Scarlet's face, the flattery helped Kat knew perhaps there would be less fireworks between the two women than he expected.

"Why don't we continue our discussion in our rooms?" Kat requested, he was feeling slightly exposed standing there in the lobby. Although his caution seemed out of place and likely unnecessary habits were hard to break especially after they save your life multiple times over. Kate understood his suggestion for what it was, he did not want to be overheard and the less they were around people meant less exposure to the public eye.

Kate approached the reception desk and booked another room for Scarlet with no questions asked and then lead them to the elevator.