Five years later

"Agent Monroe please step into my office." My boss Ms. Stark said. I sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk from her and waited for the session to begin. It was the annual check-up that all Federal agents had to go through to make sure that we were still sane.

"Ms. Monroe I see that you have been very successful in the short time you have been in our employment. You have put away more thugs and closed more cases than half the people at the agency. For this I applaud you, it's not easy being a female field agent." I grimaced as I remembered how hard it had been to gain the respect and trust of my co-workers. "But I am not here to talk about your time with the Bureau I am here to talk about your past." My eyes widened in shock, they had never asked about my history before in these meeting's. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat

"Um sure Ms. Stark what is it you wish to know" I prayed that this interview would be brief.

"Well I see here in your file that it was a year before you joined our academy after quitting So Random. Do you want to tell me what you did in that time?" She glanced away from the file and looked at me expectedly.

"There's not much to tell I quit So Random because of some difficulties I was having with a co-worker and took a year off to see what I wanted to do with my life." That was only half true, but there was no chance in hell she was getting the full story out of me.

"I also see here that your mother died in that time. Did you take the death hard?" I winced at her questioned. I'm sure most people would take the death of their mother hard, but me and my mom had a special relationship, we were all the other had. I couldn't even begin to describe what her death had done to me, better to keep my answer short and sweet.

"Yes we were very close" It hurt to remember all that had happened that year, Chad breaking my heart, quitting So Random, and my mother's death had all happened within a few weeks of each other. I had fallen into a state of deep depression and it had taken a long time for me to find myself again. I stroked the scars on my wrist remembering. I had emerged a different person, I was no longer called Sonny, no one would ever dream of calling me "Sonny" any more. I hardly ever smiled and didn't show much emotion beside the passion I had for my job. Some of the other agents had taken to calling me ice women behind my back, and sad as it is the title fit. I had more in common with frigid frozen water than the sun. No more cute nicknames for me, to my face it was always Monroe or Boss.

"So what made you join the FBI?" I blinked a little thrown by the question

"I wanted a job where I could do something that would help people" That wasn't entirely true either I had chosen the job at random, after watching NYPD blue. I figured it was perfect for me; I was required to remain emotionally unattached to cases, got to shoot people and about 75% of the time, catch the bad guys. Besides it didn't require me to smile and laugh and play nice, something I wasn't good at anymore.

"So why didn't you become a doctor or a teacher?" Ms. Stark pressed, tapping her red pen annoyingly against the desk which only added to my irritation.

"I wanted to fight people and carry a gun" I said kind of sarcastically. I was tired of the trip down memory lane.

"I hear that some teachers have to do both those things." Ms. Stark grinned at me and I laughed "I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable Ms. Monroe but it is required. I know you are good at what you do, but I also have to know why you are so good" She shook her head. "We'll conclude this meeting for now because I have another case I need you on ASAP" I leaned forward now this is what I wanted to hear. "Agent Monroe, have you heard of the "A-list killer"?"

"Of course I have, who hasn't? He has everyone in Hollywood spooked" The A-list killer was a new serial killer who has taken to killing celebs. People like to say that he only kills the ones who have sinned, but hey knowing Hollywood that's everybody. He has killed two movie stars so far plus a director and it looks like LAPD has decided they can't take this one alone.

"Yes he does doesn't he? But did you know that at each of his victim's house he leaves a picture of his next target in the mailbox?" I thought about it

"No that was never mentioned in the news." Of course it wasn't, the reporters probably didn't even know about it. If they did they would be hounding down the police trying to figure out the name of the next victim and get in the way of our investigation.

"Well he does, we've only recently discovered the pattern. And of course just like before at his last victim Portlyn Remi's house we found a picture" Portlyn? I was momentarily stunned by the name. Portlyn was dead? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Portlyn was a part of my past that I wished to forget. Beside it wasn't like we were friends or anything, she hated me, and the feeling was mutual.

"So we know who it's going to be?" I was getting excited, I love catching and out smarting killers, it was what I did best.

"Yes we do but before I give you the case I-" I interrupted her before she could finish

"I want it no matter what"

"Are you sure?" Ms. Stark raised her eyebrow at me.

"Yes I want it"

"O.k. well your job is to be with our target at all times, you will be at his side constantly, I want you guys to be inseparable. This criminal thinks that he can outsmart us and we need to prove him wrong. He thinks he can tell us who the target is and still be able to kill them no matter what we do. He's challenging us." Ms. Stark leveled her gaze on mine "There's a lot riding on this case so we can't afford any mistakes" I nodded my head

"Agreed, so who's the target" Ms. Stark smiled

"Chad Dylan Cooper"

CPOV

There was FBI swarming my house. I still couldn't believe what had happened. Portlyn was dead. How was that possible? And why was I the next victim? This made no sense, nothing in my life made sense anymore. Sure I had done my fair share of lying and cheating and manipulating to get what I want, but no more than the other guys in Hollywood. I leaned forward and put my head in my hands, I could feel a headache coming.

"Mr. Cooper?" I looked up and saw an FBI agent standing in front of me. "I would like to ask you a couple questions, is that all right?" I nodded my head and motioned for him to sit. He cleared his throat and began "So, how did you know Ms. Remi?"

"Yes we were dating up until a few days ago…" I remembered our ugly break up scene vividly, her being mad and accusing me of never being in love with her and being a heartless cad, me trying uselessly to defend myself even though I knew everything she was saying to be true. In the end I knew us breaking up was better for everyone, we never should have gotten together in the first place. She was my best friend before mutual loneliness, compatibility and peer pressure had pushed us together.

"Um hum and who broke up with whom?" I rubbed my forehead

"She broke up with me, it just wasn't working out" She had wanted more than I could give her, marriage, a family; I wasn't ready for that, I mean I'm only twenty-three.

"And where were you last night between eight and ten thirty?" My head snapped up

"You can't possible believe I killed her! I would never do that! Me and Portlyn weren't on the best of terms before she died but killing her because she broke up with me? That's insane!" I glared at the agent as he sat there obviously unmoved by my outburst and stared at me impassively.

"People have killed for less, so please answer the question"

"I was at a party at Tawni Heart's house. Plenty of people saw me; I was there until three o'clock." I bit out through clenched teeth. He scribbled that down on his pad

"O.k. the last question I have for you for now is, do you know anyone that has a personal grudge against you or Ms. Remi? Anyone that would want to do you harm?" I shook my head

"No one that I know of." The agent nodded his head and flipped his pad closed.

"O.k. well I'm going to go check on your alibi, you will be under constant surveillance until we catch this guy, and also you will have a 24 hr FBI by your side. She should be here in a minute to brief you on the rest of the security procedures" He glanced over my shoulder "Oh there she is now, Agent Monroe over here" My body tensed up, I forced myself to relax it was just a coincidence there was no way-

"Hello Cooper" I turned slowly. Oh my god, there she was after five years, the girl who broke my heart and haunted my dreams, Sonny Monroe. She was all grown up, her hair was dyed black and fell down to the middle of her back, she had on red lipstick and a pair of shades, she was dressed in tight jeans and a jacket, she looked like every man's dream come to life. The corner of her mouth curved up

"Long time no see"

***AW POOR PORTLYN! I KNOW IT'S KIND OF MEAN TO KILL HER BUT SOMEONE HAD TO DIE TO GET THE STORY GOING. IT WAS EITHER HER OR TAWNI. SO AGAIN WHAT DID YOU THINK?*****