This is my holiday present to everyone; Happy Holidays!

The alarm sounded waking the two sleeping figures up. The woman sat up and reached over to turn off the alarm while the man groaned and rolled over pulling his pillow over his head. "Ian, come on." The woman said. Incoherent grumblings could be heard from under the pillow. She sighed then ran her hand over his back, lightly scratching his back. He made a noise of pleasure then discomfort when she removed her hand. Ian rolled over, removed the pillow and glared at her.

"Paige," he groaned, eyes being met with sunlight. She smiled down at him.

"Wake up Ian, we need to get ready."

"5 more minutes," was his response.

"Ian, you know you are my best friend, and now boyfriend, but I forget that in the mornings you are more like a child than a 27 year old man." She teased as she got out of bed. That got him to sit up. He used his skills as a master sniper to creep up behind her. He wrapped his well muscled arms around her lean stomach, pulling her up so her back was flush against his chest, and whispered into her ear,

"Would a child do this?" As he nibbled on her should. She relaxed against him.

"Ian, stop. We need to get ready." But her argument was weak, and the ears it fell on were deaf. He turned her around and they started a steamy make out session until the alarm went off again. They broke apart and laughed lightly to themselves. "I am going to shower in this room; you go next door." She ordered. He sighed but obeyed and left, grabbing a pair of boxers on his way out.

They both showered and met up in the bedroom half dressed. His muscled body was lightly coated in scars that almost glowed against his dark skin. Her lithe form was toned, but not buff. She turned away as she pulled on a tank top and a pair of jeans. She grabbed a leather jacket and shoes as she left the room, Ian following soon with his shirt half unbuttoned and shoes in hand. They both ate a bowl of cereal and went to the office in Ian's truck.

They walked in together with Paige getting a security badge. They went upstairs to see the rest of the team there. "Look who decided to finally show up?" David commented with a smile. Colby chuckled lightly while Don and Megan smiled.

"Well my specialist, my friend, I think that she gets free range really," Ian responded smartly.

"Very well, Paige, what do you want to start with?" Don asked her.

"Well, for starters, how many of you know how to shoot a bow?" Everyone raised their hands. "Really? Ok then, how many of you can shoot well?" They all lowered their hands except Ian. "Ian shove off, I know you can shoot." He smirked and sat down.

"Well then, that is where we start; you all need to learn how to shoot. My friend is in town and he has a few extra bows so we will meet up with him. Don, where is the nearest archery range?"

"There is one just outside town. Name is 3D Archery." She nodded and walked outside the room, pulling out her phone.

It rang three times before a strong, masculine voice answered, "Hey there babe, how are you?"

"Still living my life. How are you?"

"Not working so enjoying myself without a ton of pain." We both laughed.

"That's great Blake. You still in LA?"

"Yeah, heading out tomorrow. Why?"

"You have extra bows, right?"

"Yeah, a few. Will you tell me why?"

"Only if you meet me at the 3D Archery range outside of town in an hour."

"Ok, fine. Seen you then babe."

"See you soon handsome." And she finished the phone call.

She went back in the room and leaned on the table. "We are going to meet him in an hour up there. I want fair play from everyone, him and I are the teachers. Understand?" They all nodded.

"Now, who knows why we are doing this, Ian be quiet." She added seeing his hand go up. Colby was next. She nodded in his direction, indicating it was ok for him to speak.

"To learn the ways of the killer. By learning how he needs to think for a shot, we know what is possible or not. We had to do similar stuff in Afghanistan."

"Exactly. Archery isn't as easy as shooting a gun. You need to understand that. Think of all the people who keep guns in their houses for protection; all the school shootings are done with guns. Why? It takes far less skill than a bow does. Using a bow needs absolute concentration for any shot. Calculating wind speeds, velocity, angles. Professor, you will probably do well with this. But the slightest misplacement of a foot or finger can cause someone injury or their life." It was silent after her little speech.

"Let's head out then, shall we?" She clapped and smiled. Everyone went down to the parking garage, Ian and Paige getting in his truck while Don drove Megan, Colby, David and Charlie. They headed towards the range which was a pretty fair drive. Upon arriving, Paige got out and walked over to where a tall blonde man was leaning against a blue pick-up. She went up behind the man and poked him in the back.

He turned around and looked down at her, wrapping his arms around her. She returned the hug and he pecked her forehead.

They had a quiet discussion before she took his hand and led him over to the gathered FBI agents. They looked the blonde man up and down, he stood about 6'1" with his hair slightly messed up so it wasn't lying flat. His eyes were a stormy blue-grey. Even though he was thin, he was well muscled as could be seen from the clothes he was wearing; dark jeans with a t-shirts that was tight against his chest and stomach, muscles laced his arms.

"Hey, so these are my coworkers for right now, Senior Agent, Don Eppes, Field Agents Colby Granger and David Sinclair, and Field Agent and behavioralist Megan Reeves. Mathematician Charlie Eppes. This is one of my closest friends, Ian Edgerton." They all waved at the mention of their name.

"You look familiar, have we met before?" Colby asked.

Paige gave a small smile and looked up at her friend. "Uh, guys, this is Blake Painter, he fishes for a living. He used to be on the Discovery Channel's show Deadliest Catch."

"That is why you look familiar, pleasure to meet you man." Colby said offering his hand. The rest greeted him as well.

"So, Blake and I will be teaching you how to shoot since he has a few extra bows. Ian, you can use mine." He smiled like a kid during the holidays. "Come get your bows and go to the targets, one at each." They all walked over with Blake leading to his truck where he handed out cases to each one. They went ahead while Paige and Blake held back a bit.

"Paige, what is going on?" He asked. She looked down at the ground. He made her face him by pulling up her chin. "Paige." He said in a gentle, pleading, yet stern tone.

"It is him." Was all she said and he knew.

"You sure?" she just nodded.

"He killed a person. That is why we are doing this."

He pulled her into a hug. "I will help you in any way I can. You need to be safe though, he is number one; you are number three. He doesn't like competition. I won't let you be killed by the Carrier of Shadows." They broke apart to walk towards the range. She walked ahead of him a little bit and he stared after her, the look in his eyes telling the feelings he had for her. He shook his head and jogged to catch up. They stood at the table looking at the FBI agents lined up, at targets 20 yards away.

"Ok, for starters, take out just the bow, and stand how you think you should." Ian didn't do anything as he didn't want to give them hints. Blake went to Don and Megan and angled them how they should as Paige went to David, who just needed to raise his arm, and then Colby, who needed everything fixed. She sighed audibly before taking his shoulders and re-angling his body. She kicked his feet apart to their proper distance, raised his arms and moved his hand. She then pushed against his chest and he stumbled.

"Why did you do that?"He asked angrily.

"You aren't sturdy enough. Get back in that same position." He grumbled but did it anyway. If nothing else his military training did him well on concentration and stance. When she pushed him again he didn't move an inch, just grunted. "Good."

They went back to the table and told them all to knock and arrow and take aim. They went to check the aim of everyone. They took a deep breath before they said "Fire" and closed their eyes as the arrows were loosed. When they opened them they noticed that none were on the bullseye, Charlie's was the closest at the border, Megan and David were both in the second layer out, Don in the third and Colby's wasn't even on the target. They went around and offered advice, Paige staying by Colby. Charlie then hit the exact bullseye, with everyone else doing about the same except Colby who actually hit the target this time. A few more rounds and Charlie was still the only one who hit the bullseye. After 2 sets, Ian took aim. He had all but 3 of his shots in the bullseye. Then it was Blake and Paige. They went to the targets that were set up at 100 yards. They both took aim and fired simultaneously, hitting the exact center. They continued their shots until they both emptied their quivers. They hung up their bows while they retrieved their arrows. When they got back they talked to the manager and asked if he had raised platforms, he directed them back to the wooded area. They walked back and saw the platform and both went up to it while the rest of the team watched.

Blake called down, "See the deer at 80 yards?" the team looked and Megan shouted, "There." After pointing it out to all of the team, Blake said, "I will aim for the chest, heart area and Paige the head." They were then quiet until the tale-tell twang of the bowstrings that were followed by two thumps. The two archers climbed down and led the team over to the dummy. In the head was a black arrow with two white and a tan fletches. Where the heart was drawn in was a green arrow with black-tipped white fletches, exactly where they were said they would hit.

"You guys are amazing! I would love to learn everything about this that you could tell me! The math behind it must be exquisite!" Charlie was geeking out now.

"Charl, relax." Don said to his younger brother with a smile on his face. He too was impressed. When they got back to where the standard target were, and packed up the bows, Paige turned and said, "Now do you understand the difference?" they all nodded and were much humbled.

The owner of the range came over, "Miss Miller, is that you?"

She smiled, "Yeah, it is. Can I help you?"

"Would you sign my board? Maybe I would get a better reputation if the #3 ranked archer in the world was here. Mr. Painter, it would be an honor if you would sign it too."

They looked at each other and nodded. "Lead the way sir," Paige said. As they walked away the FBI agents turned to Ian.

"Ian, did you know she was ranked?" Don asked skeptically.

"Yeah, of course. Didn't think it was relevant."

"Why the hell not."

"Tell me Don, what difference does it make if she is number 1 or number 101? Would you think any different of me if instead of number 3, I was lower?"

Don was silent. Then sighed in defeat. He knew Ian was right. They made fun of Colby's bad shooting and ignored Charlie's good until the two ranked archers came back.

"Thank you so much Miss Miller, Mr. Painter. It is an honor meeting both of you. I hope you come back again."

"Thank you for being so kind and accommodating, Mr. Adam. What do we owe you?"

"It is on the house, I insist."

"Thank you. That is very kind." They both shook his hand again before he left, having phone calls to make. They then grabbed their own bows heading towards the parking lot, with the rest of the team following.

"Blake, thank you for your help. Let me know when you get back home." They hugged and he kissed her forehead. Then looked at the agents who had their back turned discussing stuff.

In a hushed voice he said to her, "Paige, I know nothing will happen between us again, but I still care for you a lot. If you ever need anything, just call, no matter the time."

"I will. Thank you Blake, I still care for you too." He leaned down and just barely brushed his lips against hers, a gentle kiss. They separated from the hug and he went to his truck, pulling out of the graveled clearing. She walked back over to the group and asked, "Figure out anything more?"

"Charlie is going to do some math and figure out where exactly the shooter was at. We are going to talk to the victims friends and family, see if she knew any archers."

"What do I do?"

"You can go back to home, CalSci, or come back to the office. Up to you."

"I will hang around the office. Help out where I can."

"Sounds good. Let's go!" And they all piled in the SUV while Paige and Ian got in his pick-up. They went to get food and on the way back to the office, after eating at a café, he asked what she knew was coming, "What was between you and him?"

"We used to see each other, unofficially. He wanted me to know that he is still there for me. Are you jealous?" She added the last part teasingly.

"Yes." He grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles. "You are mine now, I don't like sharing." He said with a slight growl.

She slid over and kissed his cheek. "Ian, I am with you now, you don't have to worry about someone stealing me away. Just relax." She put her hand on his thigh and he shot her a side glare.

"You know very well if you continue what you are currently thinking, I won't relax at all."

"I know. That will be for tonight. We are at the office, I will stay with you. Maybe find a dark interrogation room?" She suggested as he parked.

"You will be the death of me love." He placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, not knowing they were being watched by a jealous FBI Agent. They headed upstairs to their office where they went in and looked at the clues. When Don came in he just looked over the evidence.

"Paige, can you think of anything at all?"

"No, I mean think about it, with snipers, no offense Ian, they usually want to prove something. Archers are different, they want to just have the satisfaction of making a difficult shot."

"Well if you think of anything at all you know what to do." She nodded as he left. A few minutes later Colby entered the room.

"Ian, Paige," he nodded at both of them as he grabbed the file off the table. After reading through it he asked, "How long does it take to get as good as you are?"

"Depends on who the teacher is, practice time, determination, a slew of things. This guy first appeared on the circuit around 7 years ago though. It was an adult's tournament and the championship shot was to shoot an apple off a dummy's head. We were set at 200 yards. Then before any of us fired the arrow was shot off the head, clean in two. The arrow was like that one; and we all were looking for where it came from. It was in the forest in a tree that had a fork in it that rested a white flag with a turkey vulture on it. That's when we first saw if. We named it Carrier of Shadows. No one could find any prints, the shooter moved like a shadow. Nothing changed where it moved."

"Wow, so you were one of the first to know of this shooter?"

"Yeah. It chilled us all to the bone, and that day it stayed in the 80's. No one felt comfortable so it was declared a tie, the money split and everyone left. Even now, that stretch of woods and clearing is avoided by archers." They were all silent until Charlie ran in the room with his laptop and put it on the table, connecting it to the projector.

The rest of the team came in not much later, and Charlie started talking about the equations used and pointed out the tree that he would have shot out of.

"Team, gear up. Let's see if there is anything in that tree!" They headed out and were back at the park. Ian and Paige ran to the tree, Colby not soon after and noticed that it was a spruce. The first branch was up about 12 feet up.

"Ian, give me a lift." He crouched down and she jumped on his shoulder. "I'm still too short."

"Get on me instead; I am taller than he is." Colby said as he caught up. He stood next to Ian, and she climbed on his shoulder which were a few inches taller. She walked over, from Ian's shoulders to Colby's, and he commented, "You're pretty light."

"Thanks. Now hold still." He smiled and obeyed as she jumped up to the branch. "Now guys don't go anywhere and spot me."

They made small talk while watching the woman climb the tree. She was about 50 feet up when she called down. "I got something."

"Take pictures before you touch it!" Don called up. She pulled out her phone and took pictures and then grabbed a glove from her pocket and picked up a small white cloth. She put it in a plastic bag that Don made sure she had before she left the group and then put the bag in her pocket. She climbed up to the top before she started descending. When she was at the first branch again, she sat down.

"Who is going to catch me?"

"I will." Ian and Colby said together.

"One of you decide quick or else David gets too."

David just waved his hands and declared quite clearly, "Don't bring me into this macho-man fight."

That caused everyone but Ian and Colby to laugh who were still glaring at each other. Ian looked up while Colby looked over to Don. She gave him a half smile and nodded to Colby.

"Colby you better not drop my best friend." Ian said slapping him hard on the shoulder.

"I won't," he got into position. "Jump." She slid off the branch and he caught her, going down a bit with her weight, which was increased from gravity.

"Thank you Colby. Now can you let me down?" He did after holding her a bit too long.

"Here you go Don." She gave him the bag which held the evidence. She wasn't fazed at all by it, but Don was.

"Let's get back and we will see your pictures and talk about this." With that they headed back to the office of the FBI. He put the image of the cloth on the projector, it was white with a small turkey vulture on it. It was holding a banner with the name of the victim on it.

"You realize what this means, right?" Megan said.

"Yeah, that this was planned." David responded.

"Paige, those pictures please?" She responded by flipping to them on her phone. The fabric was firmly lodged between several twigs. "This person knew we would find it."

"We need to figure this out."

"Seven years behind." Paige muttered.

"What?"

So she recounted what she told Colby earlier. "We have a lot of work to do." Megan said the unspoken.

"And fast too." With that the fabric was flipped and on the back, in very small writing, were the words "First Victim" embroidered in an arrow.

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I'll love you more than Charlie loves math!