Author's Note: Ok so the summary sucks and I need to fix it later. Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about Kate's healing process and then I was thinking a lot about what if Alejandro ever got injured or killed working with the CIA. So this just came to me. I'm thinking I might make it a chapter fic but I also might just keep it a oneshot cause I'm not like 100% sure where I would go with a chapter fic. I don't know yet though; if you all think this could go into a chapter fic tell me. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! The title of this fic comes from "The Wolf" by Mumford and Sons. Also it was first posted on my AO3.

2 month later

Kate Macer moved to a small town. Just like he'd suggested.

She'd constantly fought back and forth with herself about whether she should've but in the end decided it would be for the best. At first, it felt like giving up but she was starting to feel it took more strength to try and start over than to keep wallowing in alcohol and cigarettes and fear.

She hadn't gotten a full night's sleep since he'd been in her apartment. Sometimes her own screaming would wake her from her nightmares and she'd grab the gun beside her bed and just sit there, pointing it toward the door. Half expecting it to be the cartel, half expecting it to be him.

For the first few weeks she tried to hold herself together but eventually it began showing more. It was affecting her work, her attitude, her body. She always felt draggy or jumpy and, after an incident where she pointed her weapon at a team member who had startled her by touching her on the shoulder from behind, the FBI felt it was best for her to take some leave.

They suggested she see a therapist but the last thing she was going to do was tell someone what happened at the border, or in the tunnel or in her apartment. Either someone who didn't want it known or her own paranoia would kill her if she did.

Once during her leave she contemplated suicide. She twisted the gun around in her hands and had even put it under her chin. But the action just made her think of that day. You'd be committing suicide, Kate.

That's when Kate decided she was going to change her life. Because damned if she would let him take anything else away from her, especially her life.

So, it was after that that she began searching for a new place to live. When she told Reggie of her plans he didn't need to ask her why; he knew better than anyone how far those events had pushed her. He did give her that worried look that he always gave her; the same one that she saw when he visited her after she had signed the papers, the one he gave her on the day she slowly started falling apart.

Most of his worry came from the fact that he didn't want Kate so far away he couldn't check on her. So he helped her pick out a nice neighborhood in a small town an hour and a half drive away.

They packed on a Saturday morning and as she was waiting for Reggie to pick her up Kate took one last look at the now barren apartment. She'd never had good memories there. She'd moved there after her divorce and it had always felt so empty. She'd been attacked in there and after that had never brought another man into it. Most importantly a part of her had died there, the part of her that held her strength. Hopefully leaving this place would give her a chance to get it back.

The drive to her house had been peaceful. Mostly just her and Reggie exchanging idle chit chat about her new home and work and when he would visit her again.

It didn't take long for the moving company to get all her furniture in her house, probably because she didn't have too much. Reggie helped her with some decorating and organizing and it was about 6 at night when they finished.

She walked him to the door and he turned around to give her a hug before he left. "I'll see you this weekend, ok?"

"Ok," she said. Then she laid her head against his shoulder. She felt like she could cry but held it in. "Thanks, Reggie."

He gave her a small pat on the back. "It's gonna be ok, Kate. It's gonna be ok."

After he left, Kate turned to look around her new home and let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. It would take time to adjust but she finally had a clean slate.

She wiped her eyes as a few tears began to fall. For the first time since she lowered her gun on the balcony, life didn't feel so hopeless.

5 months later

It had been three months since her move and Kate still hadn't interacted much with her neighbors, except for sweet Ms. Keyes who lived right beside her. Ms. Keyes constantly checked up on Kate and would even invite her over for dinner once a week. Kate could tell she was curious about her past but she was also nice enough to not ask, which Kate really appreciated.

Ms. Keyes always kept watch around Kate's house when she wasn't there which oddly enough helped Kate stay a little more calm. At least she knew that there was some chance, however slim, that if anyone tried to sneak into her house Ms. Keyes might see them and call the police.

One morning Kate was out smoking on her back patio when Ms. Keyes ran up to the fence. "Katie, a car just pulled up in your drive and someone's getting out...oh it's just Reggie though. Sorry about that."

Kate gave her a small smile as she put out her cigarette. "It's ok, Ms. Keyes. I appreciate you looking out for my house."

"Well you're welcome Katie. I'm glad to do it. We sometimes get a few rough people driving through our little neighborhood so you can never be too careful."

Kate nodded in agreement; she knew better than anyone about never being too careful. She actually had a gun on her anytime she went outside because she was still a little paranoid that someone was coming to kill her.

At that time she heard Reggie knocking and so she headed into the house, opened the door, and greeted him with a hug. "Hey, Reggie."

"Hey," he began. "You doing ok?"

She nodded as she headed into her kitchen. She grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down the couch as Reggie joined her. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"How's work?"

Kate took a swig of her drink before speaking. "It's work. I show up; I get paid."

Kate had gotten a job working as a sales associate at the town's local retail store. It was a complete waste of her skills but it was job and she had to pay bills. Her boss has even told her that she was overqualified. She asked if Kate had given any thought to working for the police or even a security guard at the jail but Kate just told him she wanted something low maintenance. What it really was was that she didn't trust herself to be around all that just yet.

Reggie just nodded. He knew Kate hated her job, that deep down she would give anything to do something that she felt was making a difference if only the last time she had tried that hadn't almost destroyed her. So he changed the subject. "So what are we up this weekend?"

"Well, I know one thing, no bars."

Reggie had taken to her to a bar last week, the first time she'd been to one since the whole incident with Ted. At first Kate was hesitant but she knew Reggie was right when he said that she needed to get back out there, maybe find a date.

So they went but it didn't last long. The minute Kate stepped in she was overwhelmed. The bright lights. The loud music. The large crowds of people who could be hiding an assassin. It all suffocated her like two hands were clamped around her neck. When she started panicking, Reggie quickly got her out of their and they spend the rest of the night at her house.

"Yeah no bars," agreed Reggie. He paused for a moment as he looked around her house. Then an idea struck him. "We should go furniture shopping."

Kate just stared at him. "Furniture shopping? Really?"

Reggie motioned around the living room. "Come on, Kate. This place is so empty. You need to add a couple of things. Make it more homey."

Kate looked around the room. A TV. A couch. A chair. A floor lamp. A coffee table. She sighed. "Ok, let's go furniture shopping."

So off they headed to the local furniture store. As they pulled into the parking lot, they noticed a small stand set up near the door that said "Free Kittens."

Reggie parked his vehicle and turned to Kate. "You should get a cat."

"Why?" asked Kate.

"Because, Kate, cats are good company and relatively low maintenance. Or at least lower maintenance than a dog. I mean you like animals right?"

Kate nodded. She did like animals, had pets all her time growing up, but living in an apartment was not a good place for one. Now that she had a house she did have the space for one. And like Reggie said they were good company. Maybe a pet would make her house feel like more than just a building for her to sleep in. Maybe it'd become more like a home.

"Let's go look at them," she said.

So they headed over to them and saw an older Hispanic women with two small boys who must have been her grandchildren. They watched Kate and Reggie approach and the woman spoke up. "Would you like one?"

Kate was immediately drawn to a dark brown kitten with the biggest brown eyes. She reached down to stroke it's head and listened as it purred.

"Su nombre es Alejandro," said one of the boys.

The minute the word hit Kate's ears she froze. The grandmother must have believed that Kate didn't understand the child because she said, "The boys, they named all of them. He said that one is named Alejandro."

Kate immediately pulled her hand away from the kitten as if touching it had burned her. That name. That fucking name. It'd been 5 months since she'd heard that name, refused to ever say it, and yet it still held such power over her. She could see him sitting in the shadows of her kitchen, feel him wiping her tears away, hear his voice telling her she wasn't a wolf.

She slowly felt that she was about to panic but Reggie began petting her back. "It's ok, Kate."

So she took a deep breath and shook her head. He wasn't there. He couldn't hurt her. Still when she looked at the kitten, she couldn't help but picture him.

They decided to take Reggie's favorite: a orange colored cat named Ignacio or Nacho for short.

8 months later

The healing process was slow, she knew that, but she was finally starting to feel better. Her house felt like a home, just her and Nacho. She had gotten a promotion at work and she had gotten involved with helping Ms. Keyes around her house. For once, Kate almost felt totally at peace.

So there she sat on her back patio, smoking a cigarette as she watched the sunset. She'd just gotten back from work but she always liked to watch the sunset. Nacho sat in her lap, clearly happy to have her back for the night.

"Oh Katie you're home!"

Kate jumped a little at the sound and Nacho leaped out of her lap and made a run for the open backdoor. She turned her head and saw Ms. Keyes poking up from the other side of the fence. "Hi, Ms. Keyes."

"Hey, Katie. I guess you're just getting back from work?"

Kate nodded. "Yep."

"Oh well good. I had something to tell you about today. A man stopped by my house and was asking if you lived there. I told him that you lived the next house over."

Kate paused with her cigarette almost touching her lips and a chill ran down her spine. Only two things could come to mind about a man looking for her. "Wh-what did this man look like?"

Ms. Keyes thought for a moment. "Well he was a Mexican man, had an accent. I must say he looked a little rough. Said he was an old friend of yours from work."

Suddenly the world felt like it was spinning but Kate couldn't move. A friend from work. Why was he there? Why now?

The sound of Nacho purring broke her from her trance. He only purred when she petted him.

Kate jumped up, ready to pull her gun but thought better with Ms. Keyes standing there. The idea of having Ms. Keyes call the police passed her mind but Kate didn't feel like getting the older woman involved.

Ms. Keyes must have noticed Kate's change in behavior. "Katie, are you ok? You look a little pale. Would you like some water?"

Kate just shook her head. "No, I'm fine Ms. Keyes. I think I just heard something fall. Nacho's probably jumping on the table so I should go see about him."

"Ok well have a good night, Katie. I'm probably going to head back in too."

Kate waited until she heard Ms. Keyes backdoor shut before she pulled her gun and quietly stepped into her house.

The minute she entered the dark room he spoke. "You have a sweet cat, Kate."

She immediately turned toward the sound of his voice and saw his shadowy form sitting on her couch, gently petting a sleepy Nacho. Alejandro Gillick.

"Don't think I won't shoot this time," were the first words out of her mouth.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Kate," he began standing up, "Besides I don't think I could really fight you as well as before."

About that time he stepped out of the shadows and the first thing she noticed was a fresh thing of scars on the right side of his face. Then as she looked him over she noticed how his right shirt sleeve just seemed to dangle.

"You're arm…" she began when it finally hit her.

"Gone."

Kate couldn't help but stare at it a moment before regaining herself and holding the gun back up. "Doesn't mean you can't pull a gun."

Alejandro chuckled. "Clever as always, Kate." He then reached behind him and pulled a gun from behind his back. He gently placed it on the coffee table and pushed it toward her. It slide swiftly around the glass and landed with a clank at her feet.

"I said I'm not here to hurt you."

For some reason, Kate felt like she could believe him but she still didn't put her gun down. Instead she used it to motion to his arm. "How'd it happen?"

He looked down at it. "An ambush in a tunnel in Mexico. We were given some bad information and they threw a grenade in there. I was lucky my arm was all that was blown off."

Kate was silent a moment before she asked, "Was Matt with you?"

Alejandro nodded. "Yes but he was in a different location. He was just fine."

"Damn and here I thought karma would finally catch up to him," she said.

"I'm sure it will. I felt it almost did for me," he began, "I felt like I was going to die."

There was silence for a moment as he was replaying the events in his head.

"I saw you," he said looking back at her. "As I lay there bleeding, so numb I couldn't feel the pain, I saw you. Oh all the people who could possibly appear to me at such a time, it was Kate Macer. Not Eva or Maria but you. All I could think about while I was recovering was why."

Kate didn't know what to say so she just spoke the first thing on her mind. "Why are you here?"

"I needed an answer," he said after a pause.

"What's the question?" she asked.

Alejandro didn't respond. He just starting approaching her and she held her gun tighter. "Take another step and I'll shoot you."

"No, you won't," he said as he kept approaching her. She kept backing away from him as he got closer until her back was against the wall. She was about to start shaking but tried to keep it together.

"I promise I will," she said and about that time he walked straight up to her gun and let the barrel hit his chest.

He stared down into her eyes and said, "You won't."

"Why? Because I'm weak?" she said, her tone lined with anger and mockery.

"No," he began, "because you think I am."

The stood like that for a moment as Kate just stared into his eyes. She should hate him, she should pull the trigger until every single bullet was in his body but he was right, she couldn't. Because looking into his eyes for the first time she wasn't afraid of him. She felt sorry for him. His eyes didn't look cold like they had before. They were filled with emotions, ones he was trying to hide but just couldn't.

Alejandro had spent all his time trying to become a wolf that he must have forgotten he was human. And the realization was obviously killing him because being human meant he could get hurt and getting hurt made you weak and the last thing he wanted to be was weak.

Kate could have almost laughed. Just as she was regaining her strength he was losing his. Karma.

So she gently lowered her gun but her eyes never left his. He gave her a soft grin as he rose his hand toward her. Her first reaction was to flinch away but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her do it.

"I'm glad you're not a wolf, Kate," he began as she felt his calloused fingers brush against her cheek to push a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "Too many of them die in the wild."

Then he started to lean in toward her and for a second Kate felt as if he was going to kiss her. She didn't know why, perhaps it was just her body reacting before her head, but she closed her eyes, half wanting him to.

Instead he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'll see you soon, Kate." With that he then gently kissed her cheek and headed out the door.

His words hadn't sounded like a threat but a promise and as a confused Kate gently touched the spot where his lips had been, it was one she secretly hoped he would keep.

Again I'm debating about whether to expand on this or not. Reviews and constructive criticism as greatly appreciated as as well as any feedback about whether I should continue it.