A few days had passed since the last time that I had seen the mysterious spy. I often times found myself wondering what he was doing and whether or not he was safe.

My heels clanked against the pavement, as I meandered through the rain. Long blonde strands were matted down against my head and mascara ran down my cheeks. I tossed my gaze from side to side, examining the young woman buying bananas and the little boy riding a bicycle. Everything seemed normal, until a black van stopped outside a run-down store. Two Asian men dressed in dark clothing got out of the vehicle and paraded into the building. My head turned both ways in uncertainty. I noticed that the street was empty. Vendors were leaving their stands and people in cramped apartments were closing their shutters. Something was going down.

Within seconds, an explosion erupted in massive proportions, knocking me off my feet. I flew backwards and landed on the street some ten feet away. Gravel and dust consumed the air, choking my lungs. A loud scream was heard echoing in the distance and deafening sirens began to roar through the air. It was the Chinese police force. I quickly scrambled to my feet and cradled my immobile arm. The limb seared with pain and bled profusely. I was almost positive that it was broken.

Shouts were heard a short distance away, as the cry of sirens continued to pierce through the air. I ran as fast as I could through the rain and up the street. Turning down a narrow alley way, I dogged low hanging clotheslines and garbage cans. Paper and filthy rats scurried about.

Ten minutes later, I was stumbling up the steps of a dingy building and pounding on a door. Footsteps were heard on the other side, before the door flung open and there stood Tristan.

"What happened?" he demanded, quickly pulling me into the small apartment. Once he was sure that we were alone, Tristan brought me over to the couch and made me sit down.

"There was an explosion in one of the market areas and these two guys—" I was cut off by the immense pain pulsating through the bone.

"Your shoulders dislocated…" he announced, gently brushing my skin with an old shirt that was lying on the couch.

"What am I going to—Awww!" I screeched, shutting my eyes tightly.

"Shhh…it's alright" he consoled trying to calm me down. I bit my lip and forced back the tears that welled in my eyes. Loud sighs escaped my mouth, as I tried to steady myself. An incredible throbbing feeling snaked up my bloody arm.

"Look, all I can do right now is pop it back in, alright? But, I'm going to need you to trust me." I took several breaths and nodded my head. Tears were now streaming down my face, as he took my arm in his lap. Then, tenderly holding my shoulder between his fingers, Tristan shifted the bone out and back into its socket. I screamed bloody murder and fell forward against his chest. Loud sobs ricocheted off the walls of the tiny room.

"It's finished…shhh…it's all done" he whispered, running his fingers through my wet strands of hair. Then, Tristan lifted me off of him and ripped the old shirt down the center. Carefully elevating my arm, he created a sling across my chest.

"This should hold for a little while. Just take a deep breath" he ordered, wiping my tear-stained face. I did as he directed and attempted to slow my heart rate. My vision became less blurry once more and the feeling returned in my fingers.

"You said there was an explosion?" he questioned with a furrowed brow. I nodded my head slightly and licked my salty lips.

"It was premeditated…" I whispered in a faint voice. Tristan sniffed a little and cleared his throat. His soft blonde strands of hair shadowed his eyes and hid his expression.

"You shouldn't have come here"—he began too softly to be heard—"it's not safe. If they would have stopped you, I mean…"

Tristan ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes. I could tell that he was upset; not at me per say, but at the fact that I could have gotten seriously injured.

"Then, I should go…" I muttered in a small voice. Holding my arm to support the sling, I picked myself up and walked to the door.

"Wait…I didn't mean you should leave now" he called, letting his hands limply drop to his sides. I turned around and stopped; cold and distant. His chest rose and fell and his face flushed. Those charming blue eyes diverted up to the ceiling and closed quickly.

"I hate this!" he shouted callously. I flinched a little and stood my ground.

"I hate the fact that people die and others live because they say so!"

The "they" he was referring to were the head honchos at the Central Intelligence office in Washington D.C. I bit my lip and cast my gaze down towards the cracked floor.

"They're making you relocate tonight, aren't they?" I questioned in a shaky voice. Tristan sighed and put both hands behind his head. I keenly gazed upon the muscular ridges that outlined his arms.

"I'll be in Shanghai by tomorrow…" he whispered hoarsely. My breaths came out ragged and my hand shot out to balance myself. A tear rolled down my cheek.

"It's expected…" I declared with a trembling lip. A small sympathetic smile washed over his face, as he advanced towards me.

I didn't have time to speak or react. Tristan's head bent downwards, as his hands rested ever so slightly against my hips. My eyes glided upwards and locked with his blue ones.

Immediately, his lips gently kissed along the side of my face. I turned my head to pull away, but I ended up shifting closer to him.

With a little tug on my bottom lip, Tristan brushed his hand against my cheek and hazily gazed down onto my face. His lips were playing with my parted ones; just grazing against the supple skin.

"Something to remember me by…" he whispered in a low voice. I nodded and pulled away; a smile formulating on my face. I loved the way his eyes looked so untroubled and clouded at the moment. All his concentration and energy was on me; exactly what I wanted.

Leaving the apartment building was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I wanted more than anything to stay with him, but I knew I couldn't. I also knew that it was extremely dangerous for me to delay his departure tonight. When the boss tells you to relocate, you relocate without any questions asked. And I understood that. It just annoyed me that I couldn't see him again. Shanghai was far away from the little town of Linwei. Even if I tried to visit him, I would only make matters worse. Someone would find out who he was and throw him in jail for life. The whole situation was complicated. I only hoped that this wouldn't be the last time our paths crossed.

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"Your mission is to head to Hong Kong by tomorrow. You will take on the role of a wealthy American named Anna Ferris from Albany, New York. All the details will be given to you later on. The goal is to gather information from a guy named Su Chin about one of our key operatives…her name is Kayla Debar" the voice on the other line announced. He was my eyes and ears whenever I carried out a top-secret mission.

"Now, the car should be picking you up any minute. Just remain calm and act normal, okay?"

I mumbled a "yes" in reply and speedily hung up the payphone. Telephones inside the apartment or anywhere isolated could not be trusted. They might either be bugged or wired to some other tracking device nearby. That was not a chance that I was willing to take.

My things were neatly packed and ready to go in a small suitcase. I didn't have very many belongings because majority of my stuff was just the necessities: toothpaste, some clean clothes, gadgets, etc. Honestly, I hadn't gone shopping for a luxury item in over two years. The job was my life. It consumed every chance of having a normal existence or a close relationship with anyone.

A black Cooper with a thin, white stripe down the hood steered over to the curve. The ride was intended for me. I could tell by the scruffy looking driver in the front seat. His name was Zack Sefransky, a super genius hacker and speed demon, when it came to out-running the bad guys.

I paced over to the side of the vehicle and knocked on the window. A smile immediately flashed onto his face.

"Happy to see you too" I giggled, as I heaved my suitcase into the backseat and then, proceeded to plop myself down as well.

"How's everything?" he asked quickly. I shrugged my shoulders and pushed the question aside. My hand shot to the door handle and pulled the door shut. We were off down the crowded street dogging pedestrians and bicyclers alike. It was dangerous to drive in China because no one obeyed traffic symbols or speed limits for that matter.

I peered over at my longtime friend and smirked.

"You haven't changed in the least…" I remarked teasingly. He had shagged brown hair and hazel eyes. Narrow glasses rested on the hood of his nose and shadowed the unshaven sides of his cheeks. I watched a smile form on his chapped lips, causing me to grin even more. It was good to have at least one person that you could count on and wouldn't have to pretend around.

"Did Ben fill you in about the mission over the phone?" Zack questioned with a little cough.

"What? Are you sick or something?" I inquired in a sudden fashion. The silence was filled with a few more coughs and a slurping of snot before he finally answered.

"Yah, it's this darn cold. I haven't been able to get any sleep for days." I nodded my head and wrapped my jacket tightly around my body.

"It's freezing this time of year. The heater broke in the building…" I began through chattering teeth. A cool gust of air was seeping in through the cracks and soaking up our body heat.

"See that folder back there…" Zack muttered, as he motioned towards the backseat. I turned my head and gazed behind me to find a vanilla packet of papers lying next to my suitcase. Grabbing it with my left hand, I lifted the folder over to my lap and opened the flap. My name was printed in bold letters on the first page.

"That should tell you everything you need to know about your next mission…" he remarked in a drowsy voice. I flipped through each paper, acquiring knowledge about the character I was to become. My name would be:

Anna Ferris, age: 21

Born in Los Angeles, California

Currently lives in Albany, New York

Once married and divorced to Michael Ferris…

I turned to the last couple of pages to find a total profile on some guy; and it wasn't Su Chin. The name at the top read:

Tristan Dugrey—Undercover agent for CIA, sanction 4.2

"What is this?" I inquired breathlessly. Zack glanced over briefly and nodded his head in comprehension.

"Oh, that's the guy you're going to be working with. Why you know him?"

I shrugged my shoulders and looked out the window. Several houses with ceramic tile roofs and traditional wooden doorways stood all around us.

"Vaguely…" I muttered under my breath.

"Did you read the part about your ex-husband?" Zack asked quickly.

"Yah" I answered, as I turned around to face him. His eyes were sleepy and somber looking.

"He's taking on the role of Michael Ferris, an American stock broker for Su Chin…as well as 'your' ex-husband." The words pounded into my head and caused my stomach to do flips.

"He'll be accompanying you to the ball held at the Chairman's villa tonight. I forewarn you though, he looks different from the last time you've probably seen him—"

"What do you mean?" I cut in with sudden haste. Zack scanned over the now open road in front of him and turned to answer.

"Spy's dye their hair or change their style, accents, background, eye color, you name it to remain separate from the person they were before." I shifted my body in order to face forward. It saddened me that Tristan would be a different person than I last knew him to be. I liked the individual that he was around me: that was the real him.

"What has he changed?" I inquired, as I diverted my gaze out the window. My cheeks flushed and it became harder to breathe. The cold air narrowed the insides of my throat, causing me to open my mouth wider to take in oxygen.

"You're really interested in this guy aren't you?" Zack teased.

"What? I am not!" I protested with a slight shrill in my voice. Zack only allowed a crooked smile to formulate on his lips. We continued to pass a large crowd of children making their way to school.

"He has light brown hair, same eye color and a more sophisticated appearance. Other than that, Tristan's the same…" I let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in the seat.

"How many more hours before we reach Hong Kong?" I questioned in a small voice. Zack glanced at the digital clock and then, checked the road signs.

"About four more…once we get there, I'll drop you off at a salon to get your hair and make-up done. After that, we'll swing by the hotel and retrieve your dress." I nodded my head in approval and remained silent the rest of the way. Zack's previous comment had caused me to put my guard up. Sure, I found this Tristan guy attractive and enticing, but I hardly knew who he was and whether we were compatible.

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Hey Guys:

This is a totally different twist from the show, but I hope you've liked it thus far:) If you have or if you haven't, please review and tell me!! I'm open to any plot suggestions, changes that could be made in the story, anything. So, REVIEW b/c I'd really appreciate it. Thanks:)

Brittany