A.N This is my next story-I want to know what you guys all think of it and if Kirsty's around should I put it up on AFC? (This is the next story that I was talking about!) NMEC's, hope you all enjoy reading this and I really need to know what you think of it...XD

The Black Rose

By Beetle Juice

(a.k.a Jess)

Trouble Kelp pulled his hood down a little further as he walked quietly along a pitch black alleyway. He had been tracking a fairy gang for over three months now, they were known as the satanic skulls. Not a very original name, not even a very smart name but he didn't expect anymore from a cult such as theirs. They were best known for their skills in assassination and kidnapping, but they also did general jobs such as thieving and pick-pocketing. For a price that is. Their headquarters was in the back alleys of Haven, the place that Trouble least wanted to be at that moment.

His hand strayed towards his neutrino as he listened to the silent street. Being commander of the LEP didn't help much when your name was pulled up for a mission, he was replaceable. Foaly had given him a basic idea of where the gangs HQ was but no one really knew, no one alive that is. There was a scrapping sound from up ahead, it sounded as if someone was trying to wipe chewing gum off the bottom of their boot. As Trouble drew closer he found it to be a suspicious looking gnome wiping some sort of dark liquid onto the side walk.

"Evening man," Trouble said, trying to look as menacing as he could "doing business tonight?" The gnome looked up from the side walk,

"Aren't we all?"

"Everyone except those uptown whelps, they don't have to work for their

living." Trouble had had to take a course in street lingo before he'd taken on this mission.

"The bloody rich people and their LEP," Trouble pulled the hem of his jacket

down a little more just in case his badge was showing.

"I don't know what those LEP think there doing," Trouble lied easily "they're

useless slackers."

"As useful as trolls but payed a kings ransom," the gnome paused and thought

for a moment "I have to get back to work man, see you round." The other fairy

ambled off leaving a trail of what Trouble later found to be blood behind him. Maybe

Trouble followed this gnome he would lead him to the cults HQ, hopefully he would

find the building before sun up.

As Trouble tracked the unsuspecting gnome he did not realise he was being tracked himself. And not just by anyone, he was being tracked by a member of the Satanic Skulls. This person looked quite innocent at first glance but if you looked twice you would see that she was a formidable enemy. Yes, I did say she for the person was in fact female. One of the best female assassins in the business, there were rumours going around that she had once taken on hundreds of trolls and won. They called her The Black Rose. This was for two reasons, one she always wore black; black pants, jacket and even a black motorbike helmet. The other reason was because she was god dam pretty, but if anyone ever tried to get near her they would either be dead or in the emergency ward the next day.

The person she was following was a LEP officer; he had cleverly disguised himself as your average, everyday, run of the mill gangster (If there was one of those). But she could see through his disguise, the Black Rose could see through any disguise. This elf did a good job blending in with the natives; he must have spent sometime on the back streets. The Commander probably hadn't realised he was the most valuable hostage in Haven other than the centaur Foaly. That was why she was sat, shielded on a barred up window ledge in the freezing cold night air-she was here to kidnap him.

This would not going to be an easy mission; her boss didn't even expect her to complete it. All he had asked her to do was track the Commander and keep him away from the HQ. He had warned her; then and there that he was a very dangerous man. She had asked for his name but the boss had said it was not relevant to the mission, she would find it out anyway.

Trouble stopped, he had heard something in the alley behind him. If he turned to investigate he would probably lose the gnome that he was following; but it was a small price to pay for his safety. He turned and out the corner of his eye caught a movement in the shadows; it was gone before he could be sure he had actually seen anything.

"Hello?" He said to the darkness "I know that you're their so show yourself." Time passed but there was no answer, Trouble kept his tensed stance, eyes straining.

"Goodnight Commander," a voice whispered from the shadows "it was a pleasure meeting you." There was a high whistling noise from his left and Trouble only just had time to duck as a hypodermic dart flew through the air.

"Oh, a smart one," the voice said "this will be fun." Trouble was running before the fairy had time to reload its gun. He had spent so much time on the back streets that he knew every short cut and hiding hole, hopefully the person following him wasn't very high up on the street smarts. He could hear his pursuer running along the rooftops to his left; he had underestimated their level of skill.

"You won't get away from me today commander," the voice drifted in the wind that was rushing past his ears "I'm better than most hit men, their all idiots." That last statement had seemed a little odd, the way that the person had said it sounded as if they did not include themselves among the ranks of hit men. He decided to ponder this later, if he had estimated right he would be able to jump down a man hole up ahead and hide in the sewers till the coast was clear. Not a very dignified hiding spot he had to admit, but it was the best that he could think of at the time.

"Please let the pipes be empty," Trouble whispered as he turned the corner "I'll work for the rest of my life, as long as the pipes are empty." He kicked the cover off the man hole, ignoring the ladder that was there so you could easily lower yourself into the sewer system he jumped in. There was a sickly splash as his boots hit the concrete floor; luckily the sludge that rested there was only ten centimetres deep. The piping system was designed to carry waste water and other useless materials to a filtering facility where they are broken into their base elements and then pumped into the deep oceans that surround Atlantis. If they had the same use as the mud men's sewers above ground Commander Kelp would have gladly allowed the person who was after him to sink a hypodermic dart into his arm. But for now he had to wait in the dank darkness and hope that the gods were smiling on him.

E.N Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think-all ideas welcome also what I should have said before is that this is for a challenge called Prick a Thorn- You uhave to create a romance between two AF characters that has a dark seductive feel to it...what do you think? R&R for cookies! Cookieeeee!