"We're almost there Hope. You're doing great," Arthur said encouragingly. He quickened his pace, trying to match it with hers.

In truth, he did not know if 'they were almost there'. But she was so out of breath, he just had to say something positive. Arthur was also worn out. He could barely muster the energy to move his feet, one in front of the other, one at a time. He tried not to think about the constant nagging pain in his leg.

He expected Hope to reply with a supportive remark. Perhaps something like, "thanks Arthur! You too, good job, keep going!"

He certainly did not expect her to pant, "just… just shut… up… Arthur." And she marched (or tried to) right past him without a second glance.

He sighed and followed her. "Oh, come on, Agent. It was a simple mistake!"

She huffed. "A simple… mistake. That's… that's hilarious." But she wasn't laughing.

"I didn't mean to do it, honestly!" He argued persistently. "It was an accident!"

"Keep… telling yourself… that."

Arthur raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, fine. Whatever. But whether you like it or not, we're trapped here. So you might as well at least try to get along with me."

Hope stopped walking. She turned to face him and he regretted speaking up. "Because… of you." Though they weren't walking, Hope was still at loss of oxygen.

"What's that?" he asked, not totally baffled. It was probably best for her to let her believe he did not know.

She shot him a glare and resumed walking. "Stuck here," she muttered through gritted teeth, "because of you."

Arthur grimaced. "I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

"How… how many times… have you… said that already?" She growled. "Shut… shut up."

"I didn't mean to!"

"Right." She whirled on him and glowered. "You… didn't mean to… let the guards see us. You… you thought that you could… just fly away… on your magical unicorn… eh?"

"Well, I'm not the only who didn't notice!"

That statement certainly did not help Hope's temper.

"I ran a freakin' mile!" she exploded. Arthur couldn't help being impressed; she was no longer panting. "And who's fault was that? Yours! You could have been more careful, but no, you just have to skip into the Vesper's stronghold with a big, 'look at me! Put me in jail!' sign above your head!" She stood there, her cheeks a vivid shade of red and her eyes narrowed into thin slits dangerously.

Arthur did his best to picture Hope's described sign. He imagined pick and green neon lights flashing "capture me!" and arrows pointed at his head. The sight made him smile.

He probably shouldn't have chuckled.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" Hope erupted. "A freakin' mile- a- a- freakin'—" Her breaths became shallow once more and her legs gave away. She crumpled onto the floor, moaning.

"Hey—! Are you oka—" a single glare from Hope silenced him and he stepped back cautiously.

Hope struggled to sit up. "I'm… fine, okay?" she snapped. "Why are you so… worried about me… all the time? It's… irritating. I can take… care of myself. Just… need some rest."

She shrugged on her bag and used it as a pillow. Sighing, she closed her eyes and drifted off to blissful sleep.

Arthur knelt down next to her and shook her awake gently. "Hope, I know you're tired and you need to sleep. But we have to keep going or the Vesper's will find us."

Her eyes shot open and they flared brightly. "I got stuck with you on a mission. You don't even have Madrigal status. We had to break into your ex-peoples stronghold. You're supposed to know where we're going, but you don't. On top of that, you completely screwed it up by letting the guard spot us. I had to run away from someone with the speed of a Holt. We were both caught and locked into a smelly room. That was not fun and pretty much jeopardised our mission. Then you found a tunnel 'escape route', something I'm starting to think will never end. Now, you are not letting me go to sleep." She closed her eyes once more and ignored him.

There was a pause. Arthur wondered whether or not he should force Hope up.

"Oh, and just to let you know, I have a penknife in my bag."

Arthur stepped back. Maybe it was best to let her rest awhile. She was extremely tired and there was no harm in it. He glanced back. Unless the Vesper's found them. Then they were dead.

A/N: Hai! ^^ This is for the Top Madrigal Agent's Two-Shot Contest!

This is an "if" story. "If" Hope hadn't started dating Arthur before he revealed he was a Vesper. And don't expect this to be romance, though it might be... I don't have a clear idea on the ending of this story. We'll see where it goes.

Reviews are VERY MUCH appreciated. PLEASE!

Magic word: C~O~N~T~E~S~T. As in, please, if you like it, vote. Unless there are other stories that you really like entered in the contest- I encourage you to vote for them. (They're all really good authors! I'm nervous.)