6 years ago in northern Russia….

Tobias and Alyona headed towards the tower that housed Alex's office. They'd received a summons just minutes before and had complied immediately. With the two ten year olds were Dmitry and Kirill. Kirill kept his distance from Tobias and Alyona. Ever since the day he'd cut Alyona, who still had the scar, he had become distant to just about everyone; including his own partner. Their relationship was strained and everyone in the Cult knew it. When they reached the tower, they made their way up the winding stone staircase until they reached the small landing at the top. Dmitry, being the son of the General and the eldest, walked up to the maple door and knocked. A muffled voice called them in and they entered.

Alex and Mikhail stood in front of the mahogany desk. Tobias could tell that they'd had a slight disagreement and Alex had won.

"We have a job for you four." He said. Kirill and Dmitry smiled at each other, stopping when they realized who they were smiling at. They'd already done jobs before since they were a year older than Tobias and Alyona. This would be the younger partners' first.

"You will be working together to take out the target. There should be a maximum of two guards outside the target's room. There will be a witness, which I expect you to take care of. Do not bother with making it look like an accident, but do not leave any evidence behind. This is a very high profile target; a CEO of some security firm." The four trainees nodded, gave the Cult salute, and left. As soon as the door closed behind them, Mikhail whirled on his older brother.

"Why did you not listen to me?" He growled.

Alex sighed, still watching the door. "Sometimes, the best way to keep them safe is to let them experience the world. I had to do it with Dmitry and it was just as hard."

Mikhail didn't speak, knowing Alex spoke the truth.

**********LINE BREAK***********

Seven hours late, after one very long truck ride, the four partners had reached their destination. It had been decided that Tobias and Alyona would take out the guards while Kirill and Dmitry took out the target.

Tobias went up to the door, disarmed the alarm, and picked the lock on the door as he was the best at this of the four. Tobias and Alyona led the way silently down the hall, weapons in hand, eyes and ears straining for any guards. On the first floor, they encountered no one as expected. As they headed up the stairs to the second floor, they could hear movement. Tobias and Alyona held up their hands for the other two to stop before silently continuing on. Two guards stood at the top of the stairs, unaware of their presence. They split up, Alyona taking the guard on the left while Tobias took the one on the right. Alyona took her man out with three precisely thrown knives, each thudding into his chest around his heart. He stumbled back, but the first blade had done its work. He fell to the ground, landing on his back, eyes sightlessly staring wide open at the ceiling. His partner jumped back as the other man fell, ready to sound an alarm, and ran straight into Tobias. Before he could sound the alarm, Tobias slashed his ulak across the man's throat, successfully silencing him. He stepped back as the body fell. Alyona gave a high pitched whistle that only Kirill and Tobias could hear. Seconds later, Kirill and Dmitry came up the steps and headed into one of the doors down the hallway.

Tobias barely noticed.

He stared at his left hand, splattered with the guard's blood. He glanced up at Alyona who stood over her kill, wiping the blood off her blades before returning them to her belt. She tried to hide it, but, after years of training with his partner, he was keyed into what she was really feeling. Right now, he could tell that she was just as shocked and slightly horrified as he felt. They'd never taken a life before, even if it was what they'd been trained for.

Kirill and Dmitry came back out of the room, their job complete, and all four headed silently back out. Tobias locked the door behind them and reset the alarm, forcing his fingers to remain steady. They got back in the truck and were driven home.

*********************LINE BREAK*****************

Tobias sat on his bed in the room he shared with his partner. They'd gotten back barely an hour ago. Alyona had gone straight to bed, but Tobias couldn't. He was exhausted, but he couldn't stop thinking about that guard he'd killed. He wished he could forget it like Alyona seemed to have done, but he couldn't.

He glanced up as the door opened, bringing in the dim light from the hall. Recognizing the figure standing in the doorway, he relaxed and walked over as his father beckoned him. Tobias followed him down the hall to the older man's room, not entirely sure what he wanted.

When Mikhail opened the door to his room, the first thing Tobias noticed was the coffee table in the center of the room with two cups resting on it as steam rose from their contents. A fire was blazing in the fireplace nearby and a small cot was set up in front of it, just as Mikhail had done those first few nights when Tobias had come here. He'd been perfectly fine during the day, but at night he couldn't handle being in a dark room with his new partner. So Mikhail would have his son sleep in his room in front of the bright fire, until Tobias finally adjusted and acquired the closeness with his partner that all Cult members and their partners had. Suddenly, Tobias knew why he was here and he felt the weight on his mind begin to lessen as he followed Mikhail to the table where they both sat and began to drink from the cups. Fire warmed apple cider, just what Tobias liked most; it always seemed to relax him.

"Walk me through it." Mikhail said. Tobias knew exactly what he meant and took another sip before talking his father through his kill. When he finished, he found it difficult to meet his father's gaze. Mikhail sighed and Tobias felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up at his father, expecting to see some form of disappointment on his face. Instead, he saw love, sadness, and…..pride?

"The fact that you cannot get over it speaks volumes about your humanity."

"But what about Alyona? She got over it quick?" Tobias answered.

"Actually, she went straight to the infirmary for some sleeping pills. She's going to talk with someone in the morning, and that'll most likely be you."

"I can't talk to her about this!"

"Which is why you will bring her here and I can talk with you both. I figured you would need something comforting to sleep tonight." Mikhail said.

"I don't think I can." Tobias said quietly. Mikhail moved to his side and pulled him into a hug. Tobias buried his head into his father's shoulder, allowing tears to fall and soak into Mikhail's shirt.

Mikhail stroked Tobias's back. "Sometimes we have to do things that we do not like, that even scare us. You will most likely have to kill again. The best way to deal with it is to not think of them as another human being. I know it is tough and you will most likely hate yourself for it, but eventually you will become accustomed to it."

Tobias didn't answer, just nodded into his father's chest. Mikhail continued to hold him until Tobias fell asleep. Gathering him up in his arms, Mikhail carried him over to the cot and carefully laid him down. He laid a light blanket over him and sat down beside his sleeping son. He laid a comforting hand on his side, feeling the slight rise and fall as he breathed.

"I am sorry that you had to face all this." He said quietly, knowing that if he'd left him back in New York, he probably wouldn't've had to kill someone.

Or do it again.