note: merp another update, woohoo!

Mr.

and

Mrs.

Oliver

-chapter 1: Mr. Oliver meets Ms. West-

Beck and Jade first met in Mexico City.

According to Jade, at least.

It wasn't the best of times, as the drug cartel was very prevalent in society. People were being killed. The law enforcers were being used as public examples to instill fear in the hearts of any who opposed them. And yet, some genius had decided to kill one of the main drug lords functioning in Mexico City. So of course, the men were hunting down the assassin, mercilessly cutting down anyone who got in their way. The word on the street was, they were looking for lone tourists, as the killer had clearly been American.

"How can someone clearly be American?" Jade had asked into her phone,irked by the information her partner had relayed to her.

"I don't know," Cat admitted from the other end, "but you better be careful, Jade. They might come after you." The worry in Cat's voice was... concerning. But Jade wasn't about to let a few drug dealers on the block scare her. She was, after all, trained in a multitude of fighting styles. And currently toting a few well concealed weapons. "Jadey? Jadey, are you listening to me?"

"Hm? Yea, yea, you said be careful," Jade mused. Her attention was once again drawn to the sound of gun shots. Looked like another tourist had been gunned down. Shame. If it had been her mission to, she would've went after those cold hearted killers in a second. At least when she killed people, it was for a good cause. Usually.

"Were those gun shots? Jade, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Mom, I'm inside and drinking coffee," Jade snapped, taking a sip from her coffee mug. Damn, the hotel had really crappy coffee. "I think we should be worrying about who the hell killed Juan Garcia before me. Is someone gunning for my job?"

"No one from the agency even knew you were sent to Mexico," Cat replied. "Well, you know, I knew, but that's because you're my best friend and-"

"So, who killed him?" Jade interrupted, as she neared the window of her hotel room. The woman peered down below at the ground, and she saw people clearing the streets. What in the world...

"I don't know. Reporters mentioned that one of those weird necklaces were found at the scene again. You know, like the ones GUARD uses?" Jade stopped pacing.

"Did you just say... GUARD?" This was getting out of hand. GUARD (short for Great Union of American Regional Defenders) was the rival agency to Jade's. At first, the two agencies hadn't had many run ins and generally ignored each other. Until, of course, GUARD started intervening in AAR's jobs. This was the third time Jade went on a mission only for it to have already been done for her by one of those brown-nosing GUARD agents, and she was getting sick and tired of it.

Sick and tired enough to get more coffee, as her crappy cup had done a pretty good job of leaking the brown fluid onto the carpet. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to pay for that.

"Hey, Cat, I'll call you back in a minute," Jade spoke into the phone. "I've got to get more coffee."

"Why do you have to hang up the phone to get coffee?"

"Because I'm crossing the street," Jade answered as she moved to the door of her hotel room. Beside the frame rested her favorite pair of combat boots. They added three whole inches to her height, making her taller than a lot of men she encountered.

"You're crossing the street? Weren't gunshots being fired a few seconds ago?"

"Bye, Cat."

"But, Jade-"

Jade hung up the phone. Cat worried too much. Like, way too much. Jade was just going around the block to that coffee shop that sold kick-ass coffee, and then she'd be back in her dingy little hotel room no problem. Nobody was going to get hurt, especially not Jade. That would be... that would be ridiculous. Of course it would be. Jade found herself biting her lip when she realized that, during her musings, she'd somehow walked right onto the street without noticing.

Why on earth was her heart beating so fast? It wasn't like she had anything to actually fear. She was an agent for the American Assassins' Ring. These petty drug dealers would not scare her!

With that resolve, Jade lifted her head and bravely crossed the street...

...Drawing a considerable amount of attention as she went.

They're not looking at you, Jade. And if they are it's because you're gorgeous and foreign... But not too foreign. Maybe they think you're an exotic Italian girl, because after all, you are Italian... Even though... you were born in America, so technically speaking, you're American, too...

"Dear Lord, Jade, get a grip!" Jade hissed at herself as she hit herself over the head. "You are going to be fine. Perfectly fine!" Jade continued walking until she got to the coffee shop... Only to see a man flipping over a sign from 'open' to 'closed'. This did not please Jade at all.

"Hey! Hey, Sir, what are you doing?" Jade asked (or demanded) as she neared the coffee shop. The man- a short and tanned man- looked up at Jade, his eyes widening. Whether it was in fear or concern, Jade couldn't tell.

"Senorita, you need to find a place to hide! It's no safe being out on the streets today!" What was this, everybody-worry-about-Jade-day? Jade merely crossed her arms at the short man, and cocked one of her slim eyebrows. "Por favor, Senorita, es no safe here! Mira! They're coming!" Jade looked to where the man was pointing. Sure enough, a group of dangerous looking men were approaching. They didn't necessarily look like drug dealers, but what smart dealer would try to look like one? "Senorita, you need to get off the streets ahora. They no trust you Americans. Especially you Americans traveling alone."

How in the world did this man know she was American?

...Maybe Jade should've approached him with an Italian accent. She had gotten pretty good at mimicking one...

"Senorita, por favor, follow me!" Jade was surprised that the man had the audacity to slide his hand into hers (she hated being touched) but was somewhat grateful that he was trying to protect her. The coffee-shop owner walked with brisk steps and dragged Jade along until they had successfully entered the hotel the man had pointed out earlier. It was a lot nicer than the one Jade had been to before...

"Please, Senorita, do not tempt fate. Stay here until morning," the man instructed. His statement was punctuated by three piercing gun shots, making the man visibly pale. He muttered something under his breath about needing to head home, and after telling Jade goodbye, he sped off, even before she could say thank you. And the moment the man started to leave, the four supposed-dealers walked in. The man blinked up at them in shock, but remained rooted in his spot as they started approaching Jade.

"Perdóneme, Miss, but you wouldn't be traveling alone, would you?" One of the men called out to her. Jade opened her mouth, trying to think of something smart to say. Nothing came to mind.

"Senorita, we're talking to you," the shorter of the men said in a mocking fashion. Jade looked around the hotel lobby, at the workers who were clearing the room at an alarming rate. Cowards. But then, Jade could always escape to America and not have to deal with these men. The natives, however, had to live with them day in and day out, and doing something against them was sure to mark them for a really long time.

"She's arrogant, like an American woman," mused a third member, shoving his hands deep into his pant pocket. "She could be the one who," and than he switched to speaking Spanish too quickly for Jade to comprehend. She went back to searching for someone to help her when a hand dropped onto her shoulder.

Oh, hell no!

If Jade was going down, she was going down swinging!

Except when Jade looked up at her assailant, she was surprised to see that he wasn't one of the drug-dealers. Or at least, not a part of the group harassing her. No, this man was tall and lean, with shaggy hair and warm eyes. The phrase tall, dark, and handsome would've been a pretty apt description. Even with the obvious bruises and torn clothes the guy sported. Which made Jade wonder...

"Sweetheart, Darling, I've been looking everywhere for you," the TDH man announced. The four men all shared a look.

"Senor, is this woman... contigo?" One asked. TDH dipped his head.

"Si, si, ella es me esposa. Tienes un problema?" This led to a rather heated and quite quickly spoken Spanish conversation between TDH and the four men. Meanwhile, Jade was trying to figure out who the hell this man thought he was talking to, calling her sweetheart and darling. Jade was a happily single woman who rather enjoyed being independent.

He's saving your life, Dumb-ass. But then, he hasn't saved it yet.

Except the very moment Jade thought it, the four men were on their way, to go ruin someone else's life. Jade made sure to memorize their features. If she couldn't kill them, she'd be sure to call the police to at least have them arrested. But before she could do any of that...

Jade rammed her elbow into TDH's gut- hard.

"Ow!" The man placed a hand onto his stomach and looked at Jade with large, confused eyes. "What was that for?" Jade crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"I don't remember giving you permission to touch me. Oh yea, that's because I didn't." The man merely blinked at her in confusion. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I know exactly what your type is. You help a girl out with a problem and expect her to roll over and let you have your way with her. Well, just for your information, I could've handled those idiots myself!" (Even though, Jade knew that if she'd tried anything, the agency would be on her ass. They were very big on secrecy.)

(In fact, they'd once suggested that she get married to help blend in.)

(As if any sane 21 year old would get married. Hah!)

"Really now?" TDH asked. "So I suppose you'll go back to wherever it was you came from and have a good night's sleep?" Jade hesitated. The coffee-shop man had clearly directed her to stay inside for the rest of the day. And she wasn't sure if she was prideful enough to go against his word and risk her safety (again). TDH smirked at Jade's silence. "That's what I thought. So, are you going to rent a room here?" Well, she would have, if the freaking manager hadn't vanished like the other hotel workers. Once again, Jade remained silent. TDH looked around as well, seeming to notice for the first time that he and Jade were alone in the hotel lobby. "Hm... well, that's interesting."

"Interesting? I'm not sure if this situation qualifies. Annoying is more accurate." TDH smiled down at Jade.

"You could always spend the night with me."..."No, I didn't mean it like that. There's a sofa bed and a normal bed in my room. You could take one. If you want to, anyway." Jade wasn't sure how she felt about the invitation. She was still coming to terms with a handsome man being nice to her without wanting to get in her panties. But then, Jade would rather fight off a hormonal man than sleep on the floor of a hotel lobby.

"Fine," Jade found herself muttering, "let's go to your room."

It was a nice room. Much nicer than Jade's. But to be fair, it hadn't been Jade who'd bought the hotel room, but her cheap Agency. They allowed her to splurge on weaponry, knives, and lethal scissors, but wouldn't pay for a decent hotel room. Figures.

With a small frown, Jade continued combing through her wavy black hair as she watched TDH get ready to go to bed. Jade wasn't sure if the man knew the bathroom door was still open, nor was she about to tell him. There was something about the way he brushed his teeth and combed his hair that caught her attention.

Or maybe it was merely because he was doing all of that shirtless.

"Like what you see?" Jade jumped at the question, because she was sure the man hadn't looked her way once.

"I-I... I like the toilet seat." Dear Lord. Jade dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. TDH laughed at Jade's stupidity.

"Me too. It's surprisingly sturdy." Could a giant hole open up and swallow Jade whole? Was that really too much to ask? Jade kept her eyes on the grey carpet and distracted herself by braiding her hair. The bed shifted, signifying that someone else was sitting on it. Jade didn't need to look up to know who it was. "So..."

"So." TDH grinned at Jade's attitude.

"You're not very talkative, are you?" Jade shrugged her shoulders. "Well... I'm Beck. Beck Oliver. What might your name be, Fair Lady?" Fair Lady? Was this man trying to flatter her or make her want to punch him in the face? Because both options seemed highly likely.

"My name isn't of your concern," Jade muttered.

"Oh, come on. I saved your life." True.

"I'm Jade."

"Jade..."

"Jade West." Beck grinned at Jade, who still refused to look at him.

"Jade, huh?" He paused as he thought the name over. "I like it," he mused, though Jade wasn't sure if he was talking to her or not. "So, Miss West, what are you doing here?"

"You know. Touring." Beck nodded his head thoughtfully. "What... about you?" Jade wasn't sure why she was showing interest in Beck's life. So far, he proved to be quite an interesting character.

"I was "touring" as well," Beck said with a smile. "Though, I figure, my tour was a little more successful than yours." Jade chose not to comment on that one. "So, Miss West."

"Mister Oliver."

"Where do you live?"

"California." Beck straightened up at that.

"So do I." Jade furrowed her brow at that.

"Really? What city?"

"Los Angeles."

"...So do I..." The two stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Finally, Beck broke the silence with a smile.

"I guess we'll be seeing more of each other, than." Jade rolled her eyes.

"Please, what makes you think I want to be seeing more of you?"

"Because I'm beautiful."

"Tsh, yeah right."

"If I wasn't, why would you be watching me in the bathroom?"

"Because I..." Jade stopped. "You're still not wearing a shirt."

"You didn't notice before? Or are you just changing the subject." True. She had just been changing the subject.

"I never noticed." Beck grinned, seeming to know Jade had lied. "Get that smile off of your face."

"Why? Does it make you feel warm inside?"

"Not in the way you want it to." Beck laughed at that. Like really laughed. Jade wasn't sure why, because she'd been mostly serious. But something about what she had said made Beck crack up like the world was ending tomorrow. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not laughing at you," Beck said, "not really."

"Than why are you-"

"Because I like you." That caught Jade by surprise.

"You what?"

"I said I like you. Or at least people like you. You're... not afraid to speak your mind and... I have a feeling you can hold your own in a fight. Not to mention you're pretty damn beautiful." Jade looked away so Beck wouldn't see her blush. It was silent between the two for a few minutes. Jade was too busy trying to figure Beck out to notice. Guys didn't often like how... aggressive... Jade was. In fact, they often ran for the hills whenever she was around, unless they wanted to hit-it-and-quit-it, as Cat had so quaintly put it. But Beck... he wasn't making obvious moves on her. He was definitely a flirt, but... a harmless flirt. Or... maybe this was just how he worked. Tried breaking down the walls so he could conquer the girl. Too bad for him, Jade had too many walls, and not even half of them could be torn down in one night.

"...Do you want coffee?" Jade looked over to Beck. Had he been staring at her that whole time? She'd been thinking for at least five minutes...

"You have coffee?" Jade asked instead. Beck nodded.

"Yea. Nothing like Starbucks or anything, just plain, black coffee." That sounded heavenly. By the look on Jade's face, Beck had a feeling she would enjoy his kind of coffee and hurried to get it for her. When he returned, the dark haired woman had gotten herself wrapped up in the covers...

...Wearing one of his shirts.

"I hope you don't mind," Jade said (though if he had minded, he was sure Jade wouldn't have actually cared), "But sleeping in jeans isn't exactly my style. So I borrowed some of your stuff." Beck glanced at his suitcase in the corner, which looked like it had been rifled through. Apparently, that had been the case. "Did you put any sugar in the coffee?" Jade asked as she reached for the cup Jade handed her.

"Two cubes," Beck said, to which Jade grinned.

"Well you sure know how to flatter a girl," Jade mused, taking a sip. Beck did the same after resting into the chair next to the bed. The two drank coffee in silence, but it was a nice silence. A home-y silence. Beck wasn't sure what it was about Jade, but there was something he really liked about her. Something... "You're staring at me again," Jade pointed out.

"Hm?"

"I said you're staring at me. Stop."

"Sorry," Beck said, smiling into his coffee. Jade pursed her lips at him before continuing to examine the room around her. While she was occupied, Beck looked back at her. At the beginning of the day, he'd killed a man. It was a man who deserved killing (a certain Jose Garcia) but, still. Blood had been on his hands, and less than ten hours later, a beautiful woman who happened to live in the same city as him wound up in his bed.

Funny how life turned out.

Didn't tie into the prologue as much as I might've wanted, but whatever, here's chapter 1. I would've continued but it's getting kind of long...

Anyway, the Spanish phrases probably aren't 100% accurate (and a good number lack accents) but here's the general translation:

Senorita (accent over the n): Miss

Ahora: now

Por favor, Senorita, es no: Please, Miss, it's not...

Mira: look

Perdoneme (accent over the o): Excuse me

Senor (accent over the n): Mister

Contigo: With you

Si, si, ella es mi esposa: Yes, yes, she is my wife (spouse)

Tienes un problema: Do you have a problem (or more technically, You have a problem?)

Anyway, it's close to be correct, I presume, because I really didn't want to use a translator and relied on my rusty Spanish skills, LOL. Anyway. Adios!