A few months passed after our little "event". But after that day, Adam began to stay up really late discussing things with his officers. When he returned to his dorm every night, he always collapsed on his bed, groaning with fatigue. We haven't exchanged many words since then.

Every night, I try to ask him if he's alright, but I'm still scared. Until now.

Today, Adam and I are assigned to a mission. There is a formal party taking place in the city about four miles east. The city mayor, whom we are robbing from, is attending the party tonight. We are supposed to hijack a train that's coming from a coal mine industry, make our way to the town, disguise ourselves as attendees of the party, and collect necessary information. It's all a big risk, because if we get caught, we'll get executed on the spot.

I brandish my weapons until dusk approaches. Adam walks into the dorm, all suited up with his mask on. I lift up my head to look at him.

"Time to go, Blake," he says, showing little expression in his voice. I nod vacantly, and follow him.

We take off into the night, our footsteps silent. Adam takes a glance at the early moon's position. "The train is nearby. Get ready."

The loud honking of the coal train fills the crisp night air. Nodding to Adam, we take a leap in the air and land on the train top soundlessly. I smile. We're like ninjas.

I sit down on the train top, watching the world whiz by as it moves. I turn to Adam. He's standing up, completely focused on our surroundings. I take in a huge breath. Just risk it, Blake. Just risk it.

"Adam…" I say, a bit too quietly. I forget the fact that we're on a train that's travelling pretty fast.

"What?" he says loudly; he can't hear me very well because of the wind. I decide to just forget it and save the questions for later.

I shake my head. "Nothing," I mutter. I don't think he hears that, either, but he gets the memo and looks away.

Ten long minutes of silence passes, and the lights of the city become visible. I stand up; my cat ears perking. Adam glances at me and nods. "Let's go."

With one big leap, we jump off the moving train and land on the ground with a shoulder roll. Without a word, Adam and I take off towards the city. We stop running when we see two elegantly-dressed people making their way to the party. It's a male and female. They're both wearing masquerade masks. Perfect.

"We're going to need their clothes and their ID to enter the party," Adam mutters. "You take the female, I'll take the male."

"Sounds fine," I answer. We sneak away. I use my shadow semblance to create a diversion, then grab the girl from behind, cover her mouth, and drag her into the darkness.

"Melissa?" I hear the man cry out in worry. He looks around frantically. From the darkness, I see Adam knock him out and drag him towards me. I knock out the girl, too. They won't remember anything… just that they are stripped down to their undergarments.

Thankfully, the girl's dress fits perfectly on me. I tie my hair beautifully, so I look like her. Turning to Adam, I see that he's worn the man's clothes as well. We look like an exact replica of them.

Adam takes off his White Fang mask, revealing the red streaks that run across his eyes. "You think they'll notice?"

"No. Just keep your head down," I answer. He shrugs and we both put on the masquerade masks. After hiding my cat ears and his bull horns, we're ready to go.

"When you speak, try not to be rude," I say jokingly. I hold his hand. "We have to look like a couple, to blend in."

"You're right. I think a bit kissing will do. What do you say?"

My cheeks blush red. "S-save it for later…"

We approach the huge doors to the party. There is a man at the reception, checking off people's names. Thank God, we have the ID's.

"Hello," I say, greeting the reception man.

"ID?"

Adam and I hand him the ID's. He looks at us closely. "Well, Mr. And Mrs. Peterson, you're a bit late. Come on in."

"Our deepest… uh, apologies," Adam mutters. He gives me an uneasy look, and we carry on. The ballroom is filled with chattering people and music. Looking around, there are balconies on all sides of the massive room. Something catches my eye- it's the mayor, no doubt about it.

The mayor is surrounded by women, drinking, eating and laughing along with them. I notice, there's another man standing next to the Mayor, with his arms behind his back. He looks like a security guard, or a bodyguard. He's holding a briefcase behind him.

"Adam," I whisper, gently tapping his shoulder. I point at the briefcase. "I bet that's some of the most expensive dust in the city."

"He probably brought it here to show it off," he murmurs back at me. "It's what every typical horny Mayor does."

I laugh at the joke. For once, I feel like a normal girl with Adam. He smiles at me, not because we're doing well at the mission, but, well… because he's happy with me. This feeling is so new to me.

The waltz-like music begins and the pairs begin to dance. I've never learned to dance before, so my heart begins to thump with panic. We're literally the only ones in ballroom that's not dancing, I think. What if they notice and get suspicious?

Adam grabs my wrist and sets it on his shoulder. I stare at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"Blending in," he replies with a confident smirk. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

I nod, putting my faith in him. I see what the other people are doing. When he takes a step forward, I take one back, and vice versa. It feels steady… and romantic.

"Since when did you know how to waltz?" I lean in to ask him; my voice barely audible. We're so close, we can kiss. I add, "You know, I think it makes you a bit more-"

He silences my lips with a kiss. My eyes flutter wide open at first, but then I remember how much I miss this feeling. I embrace it. It seems like we're going at it forever, until we part because of clapping. I turn my head, seeing the Mayor stand on the stage in front of the podium. Adam and I break and clap along with the crowd. Despite the fact that my face is burning red (just like every single time I kiss him), we should be doing just fine. Come on. There were other couples kissing. I saw them.

Adam holds my hand without looking at me after the clapping. He gives me a reassuring squeeze and whispers. "We'll be fine. Keep your eyes on the briefcase. We don't have to steal the briefcase tonight; we just have to collect information."

The Mayor begins to speak into the mic. "I'm glad you all are able to attend this party, ladies and gentlemen. There is an issue I would like to address."

I gulp out of nervousness. Hopefully nobody is suspicious of us.

"The wine… is a catastrophe," the Mayor says, followed by a laugh from the crowd. "Somebody pour some better wine into the basins!" Another resounding laugh. The Mayor continues.

"Anyways… though there has been a shocking shortage of dust in this city, and nobody knows why, we have some of the finest crystals on display tonight. Enjoy your night, everyone!"

The room springs up in clapping. Adam and I glance at each other, smiling.

"I guess the Mayor is aware of us taking his dust," laughs Adam.

"It's about time he realized that," I answer, smirking.

The music comes back on, and people start dancing again. Adam and I go back to our little waltz.

"Believe it or not, Blake, I know this building pretty well," Adam says.

"You do? How?"

"I've been watching it for a while. There's a free-access balcony on the top. You want to go up there?"

"It's a quiet place to discuss our plans," I say. He nods, and takes me by the hand to the top floor. The balcony is beautiful, lit up by candles, and has a great view on the entire city. And best of all, it's empty- we don't have to worry about someone catching us. Everybody must be full of wine at the party below, I think.

I turn my gaze towards the city and put my hands down on the cool iron railing. "The city is a lot more beautiful than I thought."

"You are, too," Adam answers from behind me.

"That was smooth." I laugh, followed by a sigh. "I wonder what it's like… to live in such a beautiful city every single day."

Warm lips touch my bare shoulders, sending a chill through my body. "Adam, I don't think I got up on this roof to hook up with you."

"I told you before the party that we had to do some kissing to make it look convincing, correct?"

"You already kissed me in the ballroom." It's difficult to maintain a solid tone of voice while my skin begins to burn red hot. I try to keep my voice from getting weak, so I'm staring straight ahead into the city. I realize that my legs are trembling. Why does he do this to me?

"Well, I want to kiss you now. Whether you like it or not." Spreading his hands out onto my stomach, he turns my body around so I'm now facing him. I don't have the strength or willpower to resist. I want all of him.

"Ever since that night we had together… why were you ignoring me?" I mutter in between kisses.

He doesn't respond to my question. Instead, he says, "We have all the information we need. Let's get out of here."

-End of Part 1-