Welcome! Welcome! To the very first chapter of Cat and Mouse! This is my first attempt at a fiction such as this one, so go easy on me! I really appreciate it when people review to tell me what they think would make my work better, so please do that. I am open to ideas and suggestions and if you spot anything that seems weird or out of place, just let me know and I will address it. I don't own anyone but my original characters, etc. Well! Here goes everything!

I start walking, hoping to God that the goons follow me. If they do, that'll give my partner a chance. Heaven knows that he needs all the luck and assistance that he can get. How did I ever get roped into this? Detective...it has a nice ring to it certainly, but the job itself is kind of crazy. I have a badge and everything, and authority. I just sort of work outside of everyone else, like I'm my own boss. I answer directly to the commissioner, Mr. Cooper. He handpicked my partner and I. At first, I hated Will's guts, but I've grown to appreciate him. He's old fashioned in the sense that he thinks I should leave the dangerous stuff to him.

"Hello boys." I say very pleasantly. "Fancy meeting you here. Is there anything I can possibly help you with?" I ask, and they just smirk at me. "are we staying quiet tonight? It's rude to not answer questions." I say, and then they attack. I react quickly and disable them, not before taking a blow to the face. I swiftly walk out of the ally and wave to a police car driving by. He pulls up to the sidewalk and I flash my bade. "Hey guys, I've got a few of Balkov's men sleeping in the ally over there. Assault of an officer should do." I say in reference to the bruise forming on my cheek.

"Right. We'll take care of it." The officer driving says as his partner begins to radio in some backup.

"Now, to go and get my idiot." I say as I take off running where I left Will. Some could argue that I would be better off on my own, but I disagree. I can't count how many times he's saved my ass, and I've saved his. We compliment each other in weird ways. I arrive at the building and sneak in through a half-boarded up window. I hear voices and proceed cautiously through the building.

"Oh no, Madeline is on vacation. We agreed that she deserves it. You've been quite busy as of late." Will lies smoothly. Trying to lull Balkov into a sense of false security.

"Yes, I have been. I'm close to taking over the underground. Do you think that Miss. Madeline would notice me then?" Balkov asks. He has some sick, romantic interest in me. It's annoying.

"Maybe enough notice to break your arm. You really hurt someone that she was fond of." Will says conversationally.

"She will come around you know, William. What will you do then?" Balkov asks and I listen intently. Curious to his answer.

"Well, given that scenario...I would most likely have to get her some psychiatric attention and possibly some good Brandy. Then we may have to officially put you away for good." He responds cooly. Only I could possibly detect the edge to his tone.

"What if I killed you? You're the only thing standing between her and I." Balkov says, equally as cool.

"You'd have to catch me first Balkov. Also, something tells me...she hates you. Isn't that right Madeline?" Will says and I walk into the room.

"Exactly, my dear. I don't and never will love someone as low as you. I suppose we can all dream though. Something to think about while you rot in jail." I say, sounding absolutely bored. "Speaking of which. A few of your boys are going in. Punched me in the face."

"He'd be dead anyway. You know they have specific orders to not lay a hand on you." He says before offering me a drink.

"Charming. Anyway, you can give William the information or I could accidentally shoot you." I say moving to stand with Will." My gun has a sensitive trigger."

"My brother knows that much. To answer William's question though. I honestly don't know who the new kid is." He says sitting down at his desk. Balkov is really very annoying. The entire police department knows that he's a criminal, but no one has ever been able to catch him and prove his guilt. His thugs are easy to catch, though. I enjoy doing that because it annoys him to have to get new guys.

"Can you do some digging on your own then?" I ask, being civil enough. Regardless of his criminal status, he's a good informant. He isn't a murderer...of innocents. If he put his resources to good causes then the world me be a little better.

"That depends. Have dinner with me." He responds confidently. I turn the safety on my gun off. "I'm not afraid of you." He says defiantly. I shoot the wall next to his head. Close enough that he would have heard the bullet whiz past. He's as pale as a sheet.

"You aren't? I wonder how close I could get to your head before actually shooting you." I say offhandedly looking at my gun.

"Alright. I'll do some digging." He agrees. "We'll discuss dinner another time then. I must say though, you look beautiful. Did you do something different with your hair?"

"Go to Hell." I say before putting the safety on and tucking my gun away. "Lets get out of here." I say and start walking.

"Right behind you." Will says and I continue on my way, letting him have his moment. He doesn't let me know everything, but I do know more about him than anyone. Mostly through watching him, but he does tell me some things. I climb out the window I entered through and head to Will's car. I've been driving all week, and honestly, it's not my favorite thing to do.

"Let me see your face." Will says as he gets in, succeeding in giving me a heart attack. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm tired and somewhat annoyed." I answer honestly. No point in lying or hiding anything from him. He'd be able to tell in an instant. In short, he's annoying. He 'ahh's' and gently turns my head to the side. His hands are surprisingly smooth for our line of work. Not perfect, though. There is a scar on his left palm from when Balkov stabbed all the way through, trapping him until he could remove the knife. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't been so eager to save me.

"He hit like a girl." He notes and I give him a look. "What? You hit like a man, so I don't count you in that generalization. Don't be so sensitive." I roll my eyes. "Right then, shall we get coffee? I know how jittery you get without caffeine." He says as he buckles his seat belt and starts the car.

"You talk like you know me, Will." I say with a slight smile. "So...what did you want to talk to Balkov about?" I ask offhandedly.

"I wish that you wouldn't worry about it." He says with a sigh. "However, I realize that you worry about everything." I begin to deny it, but he stops me. "I really wish you would leave well enough alone and let me handle it. One of these days he may turn around and say if he can't have you, no one will." He honestly sounds worried.

"Will...if he ever said that to me I'd shoot him." I say, trying to comfort my long-time friend. "Contrary to popular belief, by you, I can take care of myself just fine. If I couldn't, I wouldn't be out here." I put on my sunglasses.

"I know, but as you said you're tired." he says, using my words against me. "I'm just concerned is all. How do you feel?"

"Just tired, I might take a nap before I do my paper work." I say and he nods and starts driving for my apartment building. I guess we aren't getting coffee. We don't talking anymore. I mostly just watch the people we pass by. Children, completely innocent and mostly ignorant to what goes on. Adults, terrified of what lurks in the shadows. That's why I do this job, I don't want to let criminals escape and harm innocent people. I know it's unrealistic to think I can catch them all, but it would be nice...

I'm brought back to consciousness by the feeling of someone pulling my keys out of my pocket. I hear a door unlock and I'm moving again. I must've fallen asleep in the car. I feel Will lay me down on my bed. I open my eyes.

"Shh, go back to sleep." He orders. I move to sit up and he pushes me back down, gently of course. "I know for a fact that you need to sleep."

"You do too." I accuse. He looks at me for a moment. "What? You think I don't pay attention to the dark circles under your eyes?" I ask, propping myself up on my elbows.

"Let me go shut the door." He says silently admitting defeat. He exits my room and I hear the sound of the door closing and the lock sliding into place. I also hear him add the chain into the mix. I sit up and untie my shoes and pull them off. They land on the floor with a thud that makes just how tired I am a physical anomaly. Will comes back and takes his own shoes off before laying down next to me. I climb under the covers and turn onto my side. "Sleep well, Maddie." he says before I fall asleep.

I open my eyes and I'm back at the orphanage I grew up in. that is my first clue that this is in fact a dream. I've been out since I was eighteen and I'm twenty-five now. My body moves as if it's on autopilot and I get up and walk out of the room I shared with a girl named Charlotte. I go straight for the rec room and I sit down. I am waiting on someone, but I have no idea who. This person is familiar to me, but I can't place a name to the face...or memories. He's handsome, that much is obvious. I know I've had this dream before, and I always just sit here the entire time. I should change that. Maybe if I move, the dream will go away. I stand up, met with some resistance by my legs. I push forward. I walk to the door and throw it open. Cold air hits me and snow flurries around. I step out and close the door. I walk down the steps and start walking on the empty snow-covered side walk. That's strange. I remember this street always being busy. I rub my arms to combat the cold. Suddenly, a jacket is draped around my shoulders. I look over my left shoulder and see Will.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, happy to see him, but confused. He just smiles at me and beings to fade away. "No! Will!" I shout, reaching for him, but he's gone. "Will!?" I yell, turning all around, looking for my best friend. I put my arms through the sleeves of his jacket and walk on. I can manage. I'll find him. I reach the end of the street and turn onto another familiar road...though one that I've never seen. I walk up the winding road very cautiously. Eventually, I reach a beautiful mansion. I walk up the massive front steps and knock on the door, and it just opens.

"Welcome Miss. Penn." An older man says and I look behind me to see if there is anyone there. "Yes, I'm talking to you, Miss."

"You must be mistaken. My name is Madeline Smith." I say politely. I'm still very confused by this man.

"No, you are really Madeline Penn, daughter of Joel Penn and Felicity Morrow." He says and I open my mouth to deny it. "Please just listen Miss, we don't have much time. You will do many great things. You are destined for it." He says. Suddenly, something stabs me.

"Maddie! Wake up! Please wake up!" Will shouts as he shakes me. I gasp and open my eyes. "Are you okay?" He asks, making me focus on him by brushing my hair out of my face.

"What am I doing on the floor?" I ask, my voice is hoarse. "What's going on? Why are you freaking out?" I ask as I sit up.

"Well, firstly you screamed my name, and then you screamed again and started thrashing about. You fell off the bed. What on Earth were you dreaming about?" He asks, observing my reactions.

"It's not important." I say, sounding strange even to myself. He gives me a look. "I'm fine, I promise." I say, offering my pinky.

"Did you have another dream about the dog?" He asks, and I take this opportunity and nod. "I promise you, I will never let another dog harm you." He says seriously, his green eyes boring into mine.

"I know." I say with a small smile. "Are you hungry?" I ask as I get to my feet. "I'm thinking spaghetti." He nods, so I smile again and head to the kitchen. It's nearly seven now, and it was four-thirty when I went to sleep. I didn't realize that I was asleep for that long.

"What are you thinking about?" Will asks as he seats himself at the breakfast bar. I shrug and he gives me his infamous look. If not for our eyes and his accent, he and I could be brother and sister. We have the same blonde hair and other similar facial features. My eyes are a very light blue color, which compared to his eyes look sort of freaky...or photo shopped. They're so bright.. A big difference is height. Will is 6'4'' and I'm 5'2''. We look ridiculous standing side by side. We're both decently muscular, well more than decent really. He just enjoys working out, I must keep my strength up to make up for how small I am. We have similar mannerisms, but only because of how long we've been around each other. It's a rare occasion where we are seen apart. I'm fiercely protective of him and vice verse. It was once brought to my attention that he could possibly be in love with me. I love him, but not that way, so it would be sort of awkward. I'm brought out of my thoughts by my house phone ringing. I walk over and answer.

"Hello?" I ask into the mouth piece. Will walks over and stands next to me. No one says anything, must not have heard me. "Hello?" I ask again, a little louder this time.

"Madeline Smith?" A female voice asks. Will and I both raise our eyebrows. Obviously it would be me...this is my house.

"Yes, who is this?" I ask, going back to the stove to stir the pasta. Will follows me, just as suspicious as I am.

"My name is Jennifer Shay, I'm new to homicide. I was told that I could call you for some help." She responds.

"Oh, of course. I have some down time right now. What can I help you with?" I ask, a little less suspicious than before, but still skeptical. I hide this well. I'm only skeptical, because generally homicide forwards them to my cell phone.

"Do you think we could meet up? 815 East Riverside?" She asks and I look to Will. "I was told you have a partner, he's welcome too. I was thinking nine."

"That sounds good. We'll see you then." I say and then hang up. "I'm suspicious." I say as I set the phone down.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one then." He says as he seats himself back at the breakfast bar. I can almost literally see the gears turning in his mind.

"Then again...it could be harmless, but my gut says otherwise. We'll have to be extra careful." I say and he nods his agreement. So much for an easy night at home.

I step out of the nice, warm car and into the cool October air, rubbing my arms for warmth. I shake my head at how familiar this all is because of my dream. Riverside is the name of the orphanage I grew up in. The street is also empty, like in my dream, which is still strange. I guess it could be due to the murder that took place here.

"Maddie?" Will asks, gaining my attention. There's an unasked question in his tone, but I ignore it and just smile at him. I walk around the car and we start walking, looking for Jennifer Shay.

"Detective Smith." A female voice asks, gaining my attention. I turn around and see who I assume to be Shay. "I'm Jennifer Shay." She confirms as she walks over to us. She shakes both of our hands and then moves a strand of her brilliantly red hair out of her face.

"Nice to meet you." I say politely. "So, what's going on?" I ask as she starts leading the way to the crime scene, which ironically is down a dark ally.

"Well, since I'm new, they thought that it would be funny to stick me with a tough case. I was told by an informant that there's a new guy around here and he's my prime suspect." She says and I nod my understanding.

"We've been trying to get information on this guy for a few weeks now. It's like he's invisible or something." I note and Jennifer nods.

"Something isn't right here." Will says as he holds a hand out to stop us. He drops to the ground. "A trip wire." He says and we instantly pull our guns. "This is a signature of his. If I'm right, the moment that wire is tripped, small explosives will go off." Suddenly, something like a shadow drops and knocks Will unconscious.

"Don't move!" I yell, pointing my gun at the now still figure. "Drop the weapon and put your hands behind your head!" He knocks my gun away before I can fire at him. I duck and dodge a blow from his elbow and try to sweep his feet. That doesn't work, so I try to get his bow away from him. Where the Hell is Shay? He punches my right shoulder, and dislocates it. He must've not realized that left is my dominant. I rear back and punch him in the face. He falls like a sack of potatoes, seemingly unconscious. I kick the bow to the other side of the ally. I keep my eyes on him as I go for my gun. The last thing I see before blacking out is whoever the Hell this guy is getting up.

"Her shoulder is dislocated." Jennifer's voice reaches my ears. I open my eyes and sit up. My head spins. "Don't move so fast." She orders. She has a very authoritative voice.

"He got away." I say, sounding absolutely disgusted with myself. How could I have let my guard down like that? Of course he would have back up.

"Madeline, you put up quite the fight. Before I got knocked out, you had him on the defense." She says, attempting to make me feel better.

"That isn't the point. He is a murderer, and I let him get away." I say seriously. "He's made this personal." I move to stand up and gasp at the pain invoked by moving my right arm.

"Let's pop that back into place shall we?" Will says as he gets next to me. "On three." He says, nodding at me. I nod back. "One..." He pops my shoulder back into place.

"Sweet mother!" I gasp, biting my lip to keep from screaming. Will gives me a once over before moving my hair from my face.

"Up we go." He says as he helps me stand. "We'll report the incident and then get back to hunting this guy down." He keeps an arm firmly around my waist as I sway. "Shay, call when you get wherever you're going for the evening. Your office should have our cell phone numbers." He then pretty much carries me off to his car.

"I want to be alone right now. Call Balkov and see if he has anything." I say as I walk into the living room in black yoga pants and a purple tee shirt.

"I don't think I should leave you alone right now." Will says, no doubt baffled by the situation. I know that I am. Nothing like this has happened before.

"I promise I won't do anything stupid." I say, absently going to the kitchen and pouring myself a cup of coffee. "I'm too sore from last night." I say, sitting down in my usual spot. I've been ordered to take a day off anyway. "Please Will..."

"Fine, call me in an hour." He says as he stands up. "Oh, and here." He tosses me a bottle of Aleve.

"Thank you, darling." I say opening the bottle and taking two. "Good luck. Call if you find anything out. I'll be there in five if you need me."

"I know, love. Just take it easy. You're no good to me dead." He says before leaving. Who the Hell could this bastard be? Freaking Robin Hood wannabe asshole. I pick up my drawing pad and begin to work on a sketch. After a little while, my cell phone rings.

"This is Smith." I say as I answer, examining my work so far. I really need to start checking who it is before I answer.

"Detective Smith? It's Jennifer." Jennifer says. "I was calling to see how you were doing." She says, sounding kind.

"My ego took quite the hit and I'm a little sore, but I've had worse. How's the bump on your head doing?" I ask as I go to the window and look out.

"I'm fine. I know that you have the day off, but could I come by your place later?" She asks and I frown.

"I don't think I'll be staying in today. I have a personal thing." I say, keeping my tone perfectly neutral and pleasant.

"Oh alright." She says, immediately backing down. "We can follow my lead up more tomorrow." She says, trying to bait me.

"Sounds good to me. I'll talk to you later." I say and then hang up. I dial Will's number. "Hey Willy, if you go into the office today...see what you can dig up on Officer Shay." I say, acting on my gut. I leave the voice mail, hang up and go to get ready for the day.

"Jimmy, what can you tell me about Joel Penn?" I ask my old friend, taking a sip of my coffee. He looks at me.

"Joel Penn? He was only one of the richest men in the world. He died like...twenty-five years ago. Why? What about him?" He asks, very cautious.

"Nothing, I read the name somewhere." I lie smoothly. "What about Felicity Morrow? Is that name familiar?"

"Well, there was a rumor that Penn was having an affair with her, but it was stamped out pretty quickly. Almost like a cover up or something." He says, rattling off the information. "She died about the same time he did. For the longest time people thought that their deaths were connected, but it's old news now.

"Interesting. Got anything else for me?" I ask with a smile, keeping my motives out of my features. If Will found out I were acting on a dream of mine...

"Only that Balkov's got some bodyguards on you. He caught wind of what happened last night." He says and I sigh. So, the bastard's bragging now?

"Alright, later Jimmy. Thanks." I say and start walking. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. My gut is telling me that somehow, Jennifer Shay is connected to Katniss. There's no way that an officer would let someone else engage a dangerous criminal like that alone. Not unless something was up. Someone runs into me, jostling my right arm. I bite back a yelp and look up at the man. It takes a moment to register, but I recognize him. "Hey!" I yell and he breaks into a run. I drop my coffee and chase after him, pulling my gun. I chase him into an ally, keeping my senses open to other people this time. At the dead end, he's looking for an escape. "Listen here, bastard. You're only leaving here in cuffs, or in a body bag." I say, prepared to kill. "Make your pick." He looks at me, judging what he thinks I'm capable of. He sets down his bow, which I hadn't seen before and kicks it away and stands with his hands raised.

"You caught me." He says, sounding way too confident. "What are you going to do now?" He asks. I take the cuffs I always carry with me out and approach him, shoving him into the wall.

"Well, if you don't shut the Hell up. I'm going to shoot you. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you." I finish reading him his Miranda Rights as I cuff him. "May God have mercy on your soul." I say as I start leading him out of the ally.

"Sorry for not having any mercy on you, sweetheart." He says and then he attacks. He successfully gets his hands in front of him and knocks my gun from my hands before I can respond, and shoot him. He hits me in the face and then he lands a kick to my side and I grab his foot. Ignoring all the pain. I twist it around and throw all of my body weight into him. He hits the ground hard, and I put my knee into the small of his back.

"Don't you fucking move a muscle!" I yell, pushing his shoulders down. I see specks of blood where his face hit the ground. I see a woman walking past. "Excuse me, ma'am?" I call calmly and she looks at me, horrified. "I am a police officer, please call 911." I say calmly. She hangs up on who she was talking to and does as I asked.

"Not today, Sweetheart." He says and throws me off. He takes off running and climbs the building somehow.

"Damn it." I say, slumping against the wall in defeat. How could I let him get away twice. I move to stand up and hiss at the pain in my ribs, if there aren't any broken...I definitely have bruised ribs.

"Officer, are you hurt?" The woman calls to me, her eyes wide with fear. I would be afraid too, if I had witnessed what just went down.

"I'm fine ma'am." I say as I use the wall to push myself up. She rushes over and helps me. "Thank you." I say sincerely. I notice that she's older, maybe late fourties. "I'm sorry, but you'll probably need to stay and give a statement to the officers."

"I understand." She says, remaining calm. That's the first thing that strikes me as strange. I hear the sirens as the police cars arrive, there must be an ambulance too. Two familiar, female officers hop out of the first car to arrive and run over. One leads the woman to their car and opens the back door for her to sit down.

"Jesus, Smith." Officer Riley says as she takes in my appearance. I must look pretty bad. "What the Hell happened?"

"That God damned, Katniss wanna be asshole." I let the angry stream of curse words flow free in the presence of my friend. "Took my cuffs and everything, but I also took something from him." I say, realizing this for the first time. "His weapon and there's blood on the pavement."

"I'll call it in after we get you to the medics." She says as she slides an arm around my waist to support me. In the crowd gathering around, I see a familiar face. The face of the old man from my dream. I shake my head and sit on the back of the ambulance as the medic looks me over. I sit in silence, answering questions when asked. This is getting to my head...the dream thing, and this killer who's gotten away from me twice now. There has got to be a connection somehow...I'm absolutely positive of it now.

"Smith." Mr. Cooper's voice demands my attention and I look up at the commissioner. "I told you to take the day off, did I not?"

"I was following up a personal affair, sir." I say, my voice full of respect for the man who made me. "He ran into me, and I started pursuing him. I know I should have called, but there wasn't any time."

"That much is apparent." He says, then he sits down next to me. "You look like you have something you want to tell me."

"I do..." I say, biting my lip. "I think that there's a correlation between Officer Shay and our criminal." I say.

"We'll talk more about this is my office." He says as he stands up. I look to the medic who nods, giving me my all clear. I carefully hop down, ignoring how tender I am and follow the commissioner to his car. I hop into the passenger's seat and he drives to his office. We head inside quietly and don't say anything until the door is closed. "What are you thinking?"

"What cop do you know who would let another cop take on a criminal all by their self if they could help it?" I ask, sitting down. "Last night when I was fighting against the suspect, she was nowhere to be seen. Also, as far as I could tell it was only the four of us in that ally. Will was even taken by surprise. She has to be working with him." I say, thinking hard to see things that I may have missed. "I don't trust her one bit."

"Well...I guess it's your job then to keep an eye on things." Mr. Cooper says as he sits down behind his desk. "I don't have to tell you to not let her know."

"Of course not...and sir, do you really trust me on this?" I ask, my confidence in my abilities shaken tremendously.

"Madeline, if I didn't trust your gut, you wouldn't be out there and you wouldn't have as much leeway as you do." He answers. "Now this time I'm serious, go home and get some rest before I send over police officers to make sure you do...or worse, William."

"Of course, sir." I say dryly. I stand up, and hold onto the back of the chair for support before heading to the door.

"Officer Riley is waiting to take you home." He says and I smile a bit to myself. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"Always." I say with a nod before heading out. The ride home is quiet and Officer Riley doesn't say anything. What is there to say?

"They started analyzing the blood, and they're dusting the bow for prints." She says out of the blue. "We are going to catch this guy, and when we do...you can knee him in the jewels."

"Oh I plan to...and I hope he resists arrest so I can shoot him in the knee." I say, and she knows that I'm joking. I would never be unnecessarily brutal with anyone. We arrive at my house and I smile at her. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem, take it easy. We need you out there Smith." She says. I nod and climb out. "I mean it." She then drives away. I turn around and head inside.

"Madeline." Will's voice alerts me to his presence. I turn around and face him, a smile on my face and then see that Balkov is with him.

"What the Hell is he doing here?" I ask, ignoring how pissed off he looks. "I'm waiting for an explanation."

"Why don't we have a trade off? You tell me what the Hell you were thinking, and then I'll explain." He says, getting onto my bad side.

"I was following up on something personal and the bastard ran into me, so I pursued him." I say through my teeth. "Your turn."

"Balkov's got some information and I couldn't get through on your cell so I brought him with me." He says, through his teeth as well.

"Now lets all just calm down." Balkov says, trying to mediate us. This is ten kinds of wrong...but what has been right recently?

"Shut up." Will says, looking at him. "Why didn't you call for help? He could have killed you." He says, rage in his eyes.

"He could have killed me twice now! Last night and today! Isn't it suspicious that he hasn't? There is something up." I say, trying to keep calm. Maybe this is what he wants, to make me come undone. "Balkov, what do you have?"

"I wish you'd call me Michael." He says and I glare at him. "Okay, okay. We'll discuss that later. Alright, so a couple of my guys heard him refer to himself as Hawkeye. He was on a cell phone or something."

"Is that it?" I ask, my voice dropping into a tone I use when I'm really frustrated. He holds his hands up.

"Just relax." He says, seeming to actually care. "There's a girl working with him too, they think she's a cop, but they couldn't tell. She's no one that they'd ever seen before."

"It has to be Shay." I say looking to Will. "She's new, she didn't help me last night. She's been trying to get close to me." I sit down, wincing slightly.

"What's wrong?" Will asks as he walks over and lifts my shirt up. He's met with a nasty looking bruise. "What the Hell is that?"

"An escape attempt, from that Robin Hood wanna be. Thank you for giving that Yahoo a strip tease." I say, smacking his hands away and pulling my shirt down. "Would you like a map of all of my injuries?" I ask sarcastically.

"This bastard is going down." Balkov says, his voice going deadly serious. "He's played around long enough.

"For once, I agree with you." I say and he nods, not taking that moment to make a pass at me or anything. I'm kind of proud. "Thank you for looking into him." He nods again.

"Something's off though...if this Shay is working with him...why would they want you?" He asks, his brain working.

"Maybe to get at you...You said that it seems like they're competing with your company?" Will asks, his brain kicking into gear too. "Everyone and their third cousin knows that you're interested."

"I swear to God if that's the only reason he's out to get me, I'm shooting you." I say, glowering at Balkov.

"For my sake...I hope that's not the only reason then." He says, gulping. "Anyway, has anything else happened that you haven't told William about?"

"Not anything of importance." I say and Will glares at me. "Just a strange dream, but what? Are we assuming that people have super powers and the ability to influence dreams now?"

"I should be getting back." Balkov says as he looks at his watch. "I'll continue to dig. I know we're supposed to be enemies and all, but really...take care of yourselves. Life wouldn't be the same if we didn't have our banter." He says and then leaves.

"So, are we not telling each other things now?" Will asks as he sits down across from me. "Maddie...I can't help you if you don't tell me anything."

"Don't talk like I totally depend on you for my sanity." I say, trying to keep my head. I can't let everything get to me. I've been in more stressful situations. "I had an odd dream, and I was looking into a few names today when, what was it, Hawkeye ran into me. I pursued him because he needs to be captured." I say calmly.

"What names?" He asks and I sigh. I wish that he would just let that drop. "I thought you just had that dream about the dog again."

"You're the one who assumed it." I say with a slight shrug. Which I regret, because it hurts. "Will, please don't fight with me. Don't pretend like you tell me every little detail." I sigh.

"I'm not fighting with you. I just want to be able to take care of you to my best ability and if you're keeping things from me..." He says.

"Will, I don't need you to take care of me. I'm a grown woman." I say gently. "We're partners...not caretaker and dependent."

"I have issues with accepting this." Will says, regaining some calm. I know why he has issues with that...he's seen me at my most vulnerable and it haunts him, because he feels like he has to be a hero.

"I know, but it's going to be okay." I stand up, walk over, and hug him. He buries his face in my hair. "Will, you are my family." I say, squeezing him.

"I know...and we're going to get this bastard." He mumbles. "AFTER you get some rest though. You look positively Hell-ish." I roll my eyes, what a goober.

"Where the Hell is he?" I ask very quietly. I look to Balkov who shrugs. "He should have been back by now." I say, starting to get ticked off. It's been two months and Hawkeye still hasn't been captured. I see a figure running and Will hops into the back seat of my car.

"Alright, I got the file. Drive." He orders so I start driving. "Would you like for me to read it aloud?" He asks and I give him a look. "Alright." He opens it and turns on his flashlight. "Dear Mr. Cooper, I am writing in regards to the various death threats that I have received as of late. Joel said that I could look to you for help. In the most recent letter, Madeline has been threatened as well and I fear for the worst. I am asking you to please take care of her if anything happens to me, and to not let her become aware of who she is until the right time. Even right now, I have no clue when that will be. There are many things that you must know to be able to protect her, but I can't write them. We will have to meet and discuss them. Sincerely, Felicity Morrow."

"Madd..." Balkov looks at me and I shake my head, obviously shaken by the letter. "Is that all?" He asks.

"No, there's another. Do you want me to read it?" Will asks and I nod. He opens the letter. "Dear Mr. Cooper, You probably already know this, but Joel is dead. I know that I'm next, and I'm going to drop Madeline off to you on November 13th. This will be her first birthday. I want you to do whatever you think is necessary to keep her safe. I only have two more requests. Please, when she finds out about me and her father, let her know that we loved her very much and that she was the most precious gift that we ever received. The second thing, her middle name is Joelle. Even if she doesn't know it at first, that is her name. Madeline Joelle Penn. Please take care of our baby...she is going to do many great things, and you are the greatest hope that she has. Sincerely, Felicity."

"So...the fantastic things that I'm supposed to do...must be connected with the freaky acrobatic stuff I've been able to do...also the dreams." I say, continuing down the road. "My parents were murdered...that much is obvious, but by who? Is there anything that says?"

"No, and that's all I could find. Do you think that Hawkeye and Shay have something to do with it as well?" Will asks, voicing his thought.

"I think that they have everything to do with it." I say, my voice dropping into a deadly tone. "Even if I hadn't outright been Madeline Penn...I wouldn't have been alone in the world. Felicity seemed like a wonderful woman." I say, afraid of calling her 'mom'. Someone steps into the middle of the road and stays still. I slam on the breaks and stop, just inches before hitting them. I look up and see that it's Hawkeye. I get out of the car. "What do you know about me." I demand, pulling out my gun. Balkov and Will also get out.

"Follow me." Hawkeye says, and starts walking towards a building. The three of us follow, hyper aware of our surroundings. We get inside and he leads the way into an apartment. I see Shay sitting on a couch with a bowl of popcorn. She's obviously surprised. "It's she's figured out who she is, but she thinks that we have something to do with her parents' murder."

"That's not the case at all." Shay says as she stands and walks into the kitchenette and sets the bowl down on the cabinet. "We're here to...recruit you two." She gestures at Will and myself.

"Recruit us?" I ask, keeping my gun ready to fire just in case. "What for? I'm a cop, I'm not going to join some rag-tag team of vigilante douche nozzles." I say, earning a chuckle from Balkov. I stomp on his foot.

"That is a good question, Miss. Penn." An African-American man with an eye patch over his left eye walks in. "Son, get out of here." He says, looking to Balkov. He looks at me and I nod. He tucks his gun away.

"Wait in the car, and I'll drive you back when I'm finished here. It won't take long." I say, my voice demanding that last bit. He nods and walks out.

"My name is Nick Fury. These are Agents Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton. They have been undercover testing you two." Fury says and I feel anger swell within me. "It was their job to test your limits, see how far you were willing to go to catch Agent Barton."

"I must say...there were a few times where I was fearful for my life." Barton says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Good, I'm still ready to shoot you." I say, keeping up the appearance of totally calm. "What the Hell are you wanting to recruit us for?" I ask, this time looking to Fury.

"I'm sure you've heard of The Avengers." Fury says and I nod shortly. Will must nod as well, because he continues. "We want you two in on it."

"Back up." I say, tucking my gun away. "I'm just little orphan Annie with a gun and a badge. You really think I belong in a team of super heros? Will maybe, because his mind is like a computer, but I'm not anything special."

"You're more special than you think, and we've got people who can work with you to hone these skills. As far as William, we could use your mind." He says, looking to my partner. "What do you say?"

"Fine." I say, and he walks over and offers his hand. I shake it firmly. "So, what does that entail?"

"Well, first things first. Turn in your badge and pack your things. You're moving to New York." He says and my jaw drops. I've never left Boston. "Yes, I'm serious." I push my reservations to the back of my mind.

"We'll do it." Will says as he walks up and puts a hand on my shoulder. He reaches around and shakes Fury's hand as well.

"Welcome to the team." Barton says as he walks over and holds out his hand to shake. I take it, pull him into me and knee him in the jewels.

"I caught Katniss." I say and then turn on my heel and walk out. I can hear everyone, but Barton, laughing and I smile to myself. I will figure my life out, and I think that being part of The Avengers will be a big step into that.