CHERUB Campus, England.

James stepped out of the car and onto the familiar campus of CHERUB. He sighed happily as started to walk towards the main building. He reached for the door handle but the door opened before he could get within reach.

"James!" Kerry cried wrapping her arms around her boyfriends shoulders and kissing him on the lips, he in turn wrapped his arms round her waist and kissed her back.

There were light footsteps and then a voice. "Kerry, you have had my brother long enough. Let me hug him before I lose interest."

James reluctantly let go of Kerry and wrapped his arms round his younger sister.

"Missed you." he mumbled into her hair.

"You too." she said. "Although you stink."

Lauren leapt away from her brother before he could swipe her.

Kerry looked past James and Lauren's fight at Amy and Ewart who were stood behind James. "Where's Dakota?"

Amy stared at the ground and Ewart didn't look her in the eye. "She got stolen from the hospital by Vladmir's men, we believe."

"Hospital? Why were you in hospital?" she asked.

James by now had stopped fighting his sister and stood still beside Kerry. "Vladmir's men were trying to shoot me but Dakota intercepted and got shot instead. We managed to get her to a safe hospital in France, so we thought. Came back to find the hospital bed empty and three dead nurses." he said.

Kerry covered her mouth with her hand. "You mean she is missing? Again?"

Ewart nodded grimly. "We are getting permission to launch a full scale operation. There is no way we are losing our best agent again."

"Who's going to tell Bruce the news? He will be gutted." Lauren asked.

"I will." James said.

oOoOo

Five days earlier
Paris, France.

I wake up to a bright hospital room. The ceiling matches the floor and walls, all an alarming white. I try to sit up which causes a flurry of beeps from the machines beside me and a sharp stab of pain in my shoulder.

"No need to get up sweetie, you're fine." a nurse says in a heavy French accent as she walks into the room.

I stare at her long brown hair piled on the top o her head, her name tag read Fleur. "Where's James?" I ask.

"They're outside in the waiting room. Shall I get them for you?"

I nod and Fleur leaves the room after scribbling something on a chart, with my little strength and annoyance to the machines I pull myself into a sitting position and get a better view of the room. The rooms is white and sterile, it had a cold presence the only warmth coming from the sun streaming through a window.

James, Ewart and Amy walk into the room. They all have dark circles under their eyes from no sleep.

"How are you feeling?' I ask.

"Shouldn't we be asking that?" Amy says from her place sat on the window sill.

"Probably, but you look dead."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence."

"No problem."

Ewart takes his turn to speak "How did you know James was being shot at."

I shrug which causes my shoulder to scream out in pain, I wince. "Saw a red light on the other side of the river, thought it strange. Glanced down at James's chest and there was the red dot."

"You do realise you almost blew your shoulder off?" James pipes up from his seat next to my bed.

"I know." I sigh.

Two days later

I chew slowly on my piece of bread and listen to what James is telling me about CHERUB. Or should I say most of his missions.

"So then I was awarded navy because of being exposed to that stuff, and everyone thought I was joking." he finishes, reaching over and stealing a grape off my tray and popping it in his mouth.

"Stop eating the sick person's food!" I exclaim.

"You're not eating, only picking so I don't see why not help you."

"Shut up." I mutter. He eats the rest of my food in silence and when he's finished I place the tray beside the bed and settle back in the bed. "Do you know how incredibly boring it is to stay in a hospital bed all day?"

"Yeah it's pretty boring, which is why I bought Uno. Now move your feet." James says as he clambers onto the bed and sits opposite me.

I grab the little tray table which held my food and placed it between us. "You know how to play?" I ask.

"Yeah." he says.

We play the game until I shout out Uno.

"What? How did you manage that?" he gapes as he peers over his ten cards.

"Your go." I say happily.

He places a yellow two down and on top of that I place a green two. "I win! Seven times in a row!" I say happily.

James throws his cards down before leaning over and pressing his lips to mine, he his gentle at first until he presses his tongue into my mouth. I almost give into the sudden rush that takes over my body, my senses get lost in his touch as my brain goes into sensory overload. The one rational part of my brain takes control of my body before come to regret my actions. I pull away and stare at the sheets.

"What's wrong?" James asks sitting back on his side of the table

I glance up at him, and for a split second I'm lost in his eyes and all I want to do is reach over kiss him. "What was that?"

He chuckles. "Uh, me kissing you?"

"You have a girlfriend." I mutter glaring at the Uno card in my hand.

"What?" he asks.

I look him in the eye. "I overheard your conversation on the phone, which indefinitely ended in 'I love you too babe.'"

He sighs and runs a hand through his black hair which is slowly turning blonde. "So?"

"So?" I snort. "You would believe I would fall for a player like you?"

"You seem to like it before!"

"I'm high on drugs! What do you expect?" I lie.

"Whatever." James growls leaping off the bed and storming out of the room, just as Amy walks in.

"What's up with him?" she asks glancing back down the hall.

"I just turned down James's move." I say.

"Ah, I see." she says knowingly sitting down on the blue armchair.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's tried the moves on me, same with Kerry they dated, still are, I think. He's always messing about with other girls though. It's like he isn't satisfied."

"I know that type." I mutter. I never would have thought Kerry would end up with someone like him.

"I think everyone does." Amy chuckles slightly. "Home tomorrow."

"Ugh don't remind me." I sigh.

"Ah, you not looking forward to the physical and medical tests?"

"Who would?"

oOoOo

I wake with a start to the sound of voices and a blinding light shone in my eyes. "Wha-?" I mutter rubbing the splotches out of my vision.

Two men dressed in black are stood on either side of me. "Hello Dakota Costello. You have caused us many problems." the bulky man on the left says in Russian.

I kick up with my leg, sending a blow to his nose. "Do it." he moans through the blood streaming down his face.

The larger of the men reaches over and presses a cloth to my face. For a panicky moment I can't breathe, I try hold my breath as I struggle against the man's strength. My lungs burn and my eyes water from the strong fumes. I give into my straining lungs and inhale the substance on the cloth, almost instantly the fumes get to work paralysing my lungs and burning the back of my throat. Chlorine. I can't breathe and I thrash on the bed gasping like a fish on dry land. Splotches cover my vision as I pass out.


A/N:

What do you think? Please review and I will update :) Thanks for all the reviews so far they are muchly appreciated.

Just so you know:

Russian in Italics and

Right, I have tweaked it a little. Chris is no longer in the story and he is replaced from Bruce. :)

She keeps on getting stolen! ;P

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