In two hours Jason was at the airport.

His watch told him it was well in the morning but the cloudy weather suggested differently.

He stood by the exit of the parking lot that lead into the main complex. A small suitcase sat next to him on the light snow.

Jason brushed of the small gathering of snow on his head. The feeling of it melting in his hand reminded him he hadn't worn his mittens.

Given how much he had to do in so little time forgetting them was totally normal.

To everybody else he was minding his own business and judging from his intermittent glances at the entrance waiting for someone.

Yet Jason was subtly observing the guards. There were two now. One of them had gone into the parking lot some minutes ago.

They were quite odd to Jason. The gaurd who left didn't look comfortable in his pants. He was straining to walk in them and was hiding it carefully. Only the he slight fumble in his stride gave it away to Jason.

The other guards were better. One was asleep and the other looked like he didn't want to be there leaning casually against the wall.

Perfectly normal.

To Jason it was laughable.

The gaurd standing had a small bulge in his clothes just above his waistband. To an experienced person it was obviously a weapon.

As for the gaurd pretending to be a sleep a 'hearing aid' placed in his ear would not be suspicious odinarily, but Jason could pick up the small whine of static, characteristic of an open channel. The device was really an earpiece.

Thinking they were here for him Jason had been tense at first but since they hadn't put their guard up around him or shown too much of an interest he had calmed down.

Jason sighed. He was doing a much better job of concealing his surveillance than the people he was ignoring.

Almost any gal taking glance at him would surely take a second and a third. It was an everyday occurance making him unbothered by this. With his features it was just harder to stay blend in in public areas.

Tall for his age, his brown skin was unusually smooth and glowed like he spent hours on it. His did look quite masculine despite this. He worked out and it showed but he wasn't bulky or ripped.

Then his eyes. His eyes were blue. Not just blue they were a piercing blue that seem to penetrate past the body into the heart. His eyes held a magnetism that made it hard to look away when he made eye contact.

Since their color was rare for his heritage it ignited further interest in him. Like always, he received a lot of attention from the opposite and even same gender.

To be clear. A lot of girls threw flirtatious looks at him and the guys looked like they wanted to flay him alive.

Incensed by the hidden death threats in their gazes he was receiving, even now, Jason winked at the girls and waved familiarly at them.

The smirk he gave after was not at the wave of swoons and delighted noises that followed but the guys who were now shooting venom from their eyes. Such open flirting was quite vexing to them.

To the increasing malice he drew, Jason's cocky smile just beamed the words, 'What you gonna do about it?'

Some immediately started approaching him, their desire clearly to beat the living daylight out of him.

'Guys these days are too easily triggered.' Jason scorned them in his head. Knowing he was the cause bore no weight on his conscience.

His smirk broke into a grin imagining the carnage about to follow.

"You seem to be having fun."

A chill the weather couldn't produce went through his bones. Surprisingly the same person who had easily withstood the pressure of a group of angry men panicked slightly now.

'Damn. She sounds pissed.' Was all he could think of as he turned to face her.

The hoody she wore hid her face from view but Jason could easily imagine the look on her face.

"Yes. I am pissed as hell." She confirmed as if hearing his thoughts.

"Kay!" He exclaimed with a warm smile calling her by her pet name, trying to lower the intensity of her reaction.

"Don't you dare 'Kay!' me." She yanked of the hoody. Her green eyes glared at him. "Where do you think you're going?"

Despite her anger Jason chuckled internally. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the men approaching him had cold. There was only silence.

'When you think of the words 'drop dead stunning' from now on, you'll remember this moment guys.'

The fiery gal in front of him made half of the guys who had wanted to beat him up for flirting with their girls, quietly retreat and go on their way. Following behind them were their partners who trudged along humbled and discouraged. The rest could only stare stupidly at her.

Jason could not even snicker at them for he too was enthralled by her.

Her green eyes alive with anger, her red locks wild from being restrained by the hood and now free to scatter onto her face and shoulders.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm waiting." Her accent was thickening. The inflection in her voice would place her as Russian immediately. Whenever this happened it meant she was mad. A sign Jason immediately picked up on.

The guys behind him finally snapped out of it and moved away snickering maliciously. They recognized the signs of an argument when they saw them. Leave her deal with him was the better option for them here.

Jason prepared himself. This was not going to be easy.

"It's not what I think Kay" Jason sighed helplessly. "I have to go."

"Now? When things are at their worst? Kaishnokov is after your blood and my father more so? Why?"

Jason hesitated to answer. His response would be... combustible. At best.

"My father wants me to go back home."

Katrina Novrarof's anger quietened. She was a firebrand, she knew that much. Had it been a year ago she most likely would have exploded in anger. But.. her friend of five years and boyfriend of two more was too important for her to do that. In his blue eyes she saw something she rarely did. Vulnerability.

"Jay..." her voice was so soft it surprised even her. Tucking the locks of her hair behind her head she looked up at him with eyes filled with sympathy and understanding.

'The hell...' Jason jaw nearly dropped when the reaction that he expected didn't come.

She placed her head on his chest, breathing in his scent and feeling his heartbeat, fixing her hearing on its rhythm. Trying to be as gentle with him as she could.

The curious eyes on them could only watch on approvingly or with envy. Those who had expected retribution for Jason could only curse and continue on their journey let down by the lovely scene.

"That man abandoned you. You've survived eight years without him you don't need him. You don't need to listen to him. I need you Jason. Now more than ever."

His heart thumped loudly. She looked up quickly, managing to catch the fleeting look on his face. It told her all she needed. She stepped back from him.

"Unless you're not going because of him."

"I have to go Kay." His words sounded weak even to his ears.

"Have to? You lying son of a bitch! You don't!" Her furious shout brought them back as the main attraction. "Don't use him as an excuse. You're only going because..."

Katrina closed her eyes, seeming to accept something. When she opened them. There was new light in them. A strength of resolution.

"You're afraid."

"I'm not." Jason hissed immediately. Those words brought forth an irrational anger in him. Very unnatural for him. "I fear nothing."

"Don't flatter yourself."Katrina scoffed. Her chest rising and falling with emotion. "I've known for two years now. You are afraid of him and... me."

"I-"

"Your avoiding eye contact with me Jay." Katrina's voice was firm.

Jason's heart thumped again and he began to panic. Truly panic. She was on to him.

"Look me in the eye and tell me your not afraid of me." Katrina screamed, demanding an answer. Her voice could be heard by everyone. Movement had stopped to look on at what appeared to them as couple drama but she did not care.

" I'm -"

"Scared of taking responsibility of me." She cut him off again and grabbed his head trying to force him to look into her eyes.

"Then finding the weight unbearable and casting it off..." her voice was becoming desperate. It cut through Jason's sanity like a knife through butter. She was driving him up the wall and she knew it.

Jason began to measure his breathing. Things were breaking down too fast. Katrina knew how to push his buttons he couldn't let this continue otherwise-

"The hell..." Jason stuttered. "What's with that look?"

Katrina blue eyes pierced right through him with great and deep... pity. With this look she struck the last blow. Slowly and purposefully she let it fly. Her lips forming the words and her breath voicing them

"Like. Your. Father."

Jason lost control. For a wild unimaginable moment he lost sight of himself. Anger, pain and confusion clouded his thinking.

A drowning man would latch on to anything if it was in reach likewise Jason latched on to the first path of escape.

Without thinking he fired back.

"Maybe it's because I don't want to be with a slut."

A sharp intake of breath came from all around them.

"No he didn't." An audible comment came from the guard who was 'asleep'.

Katrina didn't even flinch as if she had expected it. She thrust her face at him. Her will was steeled for this.

"Repeat that remembering full well the only man I've ever been with."

Jason's head cleared enough for him to think properly. Had he really just called her a slut? Katrina of all people? That was the worst thing he could call her. Horror filled his eyes as he finally made eye contact with her.

Katrina gaze was cold. He knew that gaze. It was the same one she gave to her father. It made him shudder to his core thinking of the implications.

"Wait- no- I didn't mean it Kay."

"Don't call me that. Not until you get your head on straight. Go there. You need it. Maybe it'll finally give you peace. I just hope you get back before I'm someone else's either by force or by consent." She backed down, turning to leave.

"K-"

Before he could complete the word Katrina whirled around. Her hand moving in one smooth motion struck him with all the fury she could muster. The sharp sound rang through the area. The onlookers flinched but none felt pity for him.

She exhaled once deeply. With the thin white air her breath caused, she released her anger. At least to the point she could control it.

Snow began to fall quietly as if trying to cool the heat of rage and soothe the sting of pain within her. She looked at her hands. They were so cold.

She had also forgotten to wear her mittens as she rushed to get here. The chill of her hands was so familiar. Where had she felt it?

The memory floated to her mind.

Underneath a bridge. Before a frozen river. And a boy shivering in the cold. He had no mittens and neither did she.

Her eyes had met his pair of blue eyes, the only thing visible through his muffler and jacket.

Those eyes were so much like her own. Wary and indifferent. But because they were so like her own she could tell. There was deep pain and want for love in them he was desperately hiding. So she sat. They exchanged not a word, just sat as the cold surrounded them.

But that night she had found her first real friend.

And this morning she seemed to be losing him.

"Have fun in Africa." She threw back at him as she walked away, head held high.

Jason stood there in shock. The crowd began to depart. Some leaving behind some choice words to describe him.

He was surprised she managed to hit him but the fact that she was angry enough to actually hit him rocked him to his core. If Katrina resorted to slapping him it meant she was hurt beyond measure, this was a first for them.

"You should go after her." An elderly man walked up to his side, joining him in staring at Katrina's proud figure walking away. "She seems like quite the lady. Are you really going to let things end like this?"

Those words snapped Jason from his daze. He straightened his back.

"Thanks I nearly made a dire mistake."

"Yes, you nearly did." The man beamed, nodding appreciatively, glad that the youngster had promptly taken his advice.

Grinning widely and taking a step forward he gathered air in his lungs then bellowed.

"YOU'RE RIGHT! I AM AFRAID!"

Katrina continued walking. Once more they drew the attention of onlookers.

"YOU'RE THE FARTHEST THING FROM A SL*T! I NEVER SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT!''

Jason recognized his mistake it had been wrong to say that. He wished he could take that back. He wanted to apologize he, he wanted to run to her and say he was sorry. He wanted her to realize how stupid he felt and was for saying those words.

Her steps slowed.

But he couldn't.

"BUT YOU ARE A B*TCH!"

She stumbled. She turned around a look of complete shock on her face, mirrored on those of the onlookers.

"FORCING ME LIKE THAT WAS A REAL B*TCH MOVE!"

"BUT NO MATTER WHAT I-

"I LOVE YOU!"

Jason smile was extremely bright illuminated by the sunlight from a sudden break in the clouds. For a moment he was the picture of self satisfaction.

Then a torrent of curses and swear words poured out from Katrina. Her language was so colorful it made the man next to Jason audibly gulp.

Jason just stood there taking it all, allowing her to vent.

"How is she still so attractive despite what she's saying?" The man retained enough of his consciousness to ask.

"Don't ask me. I been as confused as you for years." Jason shrugged.

He waved happily at her then turned walking into the airport with new problems and renewed confidence.

The guards he had paid attention to before were completely gone from his mind.

He though was in their minds.

The gaurd pretending to be asleep had been the closest. He had overheard a large part of the argument. He had even dropped his facade to see the situation. His brain was working quickly connecting dots. He looked at the other guard who nodded who nodded in affirmation.

"That guy is suspicious."he muttered. After a slight pause he spoke again. "Yes I know he's been cleared. I know the target isn't expected at this post... or at this airport... or today....

"Aren't you watching the feed? Dark-skinned, deep blue eyes-. Oh? I should set a tail on him? He seems suspicious now that you know he has blue eyes? You sound racis-."

"Yes I'm still interested in my job. I'll set Martin on him. Wait."

Then the guard panicked.

"Where's Martin?"

"He's been gone before those two argued." The other gaurd was also alert. Alarm bells rang in both their minds.

"We got distracted."

He prepared to rush to find him when a large man entered his view. The guard had barely looked up when his eyes rolled up and he collapsed foaming at the mouth. The other gaurd shared the same fate.

The large man ignored the following ensuing commotion continuing on forward. He paused only for a few seconds to glance at the spot Jason had stood.

He sniffed lightly and frowned.

His frown did nothing to mar his looks. Even the numerous scars had failed. His deep blue eyes seemed to see beyond at something unknown silently tracking it.

"What happened to him?" He growled to himself. Then moved on.

Mere minutes later men in black suits flooded the area with a frantic fervor, eyes searching but not finding their target.