Kat splashed her face with water, trying to both to cool her bruises and her head, when she heard something move behind her. She slowly lifted her head out of her hands and looked up in the bathroom mirror to see Brandt leaning against the doorframe.

"You know, there's a thing called knocking." Kat said dryly, and Brandt raised a brow before tapping his knuckles on the door. Kat rolled her eyes as she finished washing up, ignoring Brandt as she dried her face on the towel.

She tensed however, when his fingers brushed over her shoulder, lightly touching the purple bruise that was forming, visible beneath her thin tank top. Kat turned, moving her shoulder away from his hand as she locked eyes with Brandt.

"What are you doing?" She asked, forcing her tone to be neutral although her eyes were narrowed warily. His face was as unreadable as it had ever been as he stood watching her carefully.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Brandt said finally, and Kat's hand twitched, almost like she wanted to curl it into a fist. Or slap him- that sounded really good at the moment too. "You should really put something on these- it'll help the bruises heal faster."

"I'm fine, thank you." Kat replied flatly, her tone clearly indicating she wanted him to leave her alone, and Brandt exhaled sharply through his nose, finally betraying a little of his frustration.

"Kat." He said in a warning tone, and she mimicked once more: "Brandt."

"Don't call me that." He growled and she returned: "It's your name, isn't it?"

"Not from you, it isn't." He snapped, his blue eyes blazing angrily as he let his composed façade slip and showed his true feelings. "I don't want to hear you call me that."

"Why not?" Kat asked a little sharply, and Brandt caught the accidental hint of bitterness in her tone and his eyes narrowed.

"You know why I ignored you the past six months." He said sternly, cutting straight to the point.

"And I don't see why you're choosing not to now." Kat pointed out, her lips pressing tightly as she glared at Brandt defiantly. "Not unless you're trying to be an insensitive jerk. Because when this is over," she gestured around them, "you all disappear, again, and I'll have to live pretending you never existed."

Brandt sighed.

"Kat…" He began, but she avoided his gaze as she muttered: "It's true, isn't it? This," she indicated between them, "could never work. It's why you left in the first place. Why are you acting like it's different now?"

There was a beat of silence before Kat nodded sadly.

"See?" She asked as she made to pass Brandt and leave, but he caught her by the arm, swinging her around and grabbing her chin before he kissed her again. Kat froze before she bit his bottom lip. Hard.

"Ow!" Brandt pulled back sharply, and Kat glared at him.

"Would you stop doing that?" She demanded and he retorted as he pulled on his injured lip, wincing slightly: "No!"

"Why not?" Kat demanded, getting royally pissed off with him, and Brandt snapped back: "Because I love you!"

Kat's heart stopped and she blinked as Brandt did the same, clearly not having meant to say that.

"Shit." He muttered.

A silence descended upon them as Kat stared at Brandt with her mouth slightly agape. He'd surprised her, that much was certain, and his words made her chest suddenly feel so much warmer. But there was also a deep fear in the pit of her stomach, knowing he'd said words he should never have said.

Brandt sighed before he tugged Kat closer and she let him, too numb to fight him.

"I didn't mean to say it like that." He murmured and Kat's eyes focused on his once more as she swallowed.

"You shouldn't have said it at all." Kat said a little numbly, and Brandt sighed again.

"Maybe that was true... before." He replied quietly. "But, it looks like you're being dragged into our mess regardless. It isn't just about me, or even us, anymore." He admitted. "I thought… if it meant you could be safe and happy... I thought I could deal with never seeing you again. As long as you were safe. But when we found you in London…"

He trailed off, rubbing his face with his hand. Kat just stared at him mutely as he dropped his hand and admitted: "It was like my fears coming to life. And yet, still, I thought it would be safer for you away from all this."

He gestured around him vaguely. "So I tried to keep my distance, hoping Hunley would let you go." He exhaled sharply. "But then you disappeared in Vienna."

Kat swallowed, while Brandt sighed: "I thought I was going to have a heart-attack. And then it got worse, when you didn't resurface and Hunley ordered-"

He broke off as Kat blinked slowly.

"And I realized… it wasn't worth it." Brandt sighed. "Staying away, trying to protect you by keeping you at bay, none of it was working. And it was just making me miserable, having you right here but not able to touch you, or kiss you, or tell you that I love you."

He finished at last, his voice dropping as he made his confession. Kat just continued to watch him silently, and Brandt waited, trying to gauge her reaction as she just stood there, without saying a word.

"Kat?" He pleaded. "Say something."

"I hate you." She said flatly, making him frown, before she leant up and kissed him, hard. Brandt blinked in surprise as she pressed against him, before he regained himself and kissed her back. Kat wrapped her arms around his neck as Brandt moved his hands towards her thighs, gripping her tightly. She understood and jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist as he picked her up and sat her on the sink so that she wouldn't have to reach quite as high.

His hands slid up her back, one moving to cup her face while the other wrapped itself in her hair. Things were starting to get a little heated as Kat pressed close to him, and Brandt groaned while his hand tugged on her hair… and Kat winced.

"Ow." She mumbled as their kiss ended abruptly, Brandt letting go of her hair immediately and a look of alarm crossing his face as he checked her quickly.

"Sorry." He apologized, wanting to kick himself for forgetting about her many, many bruises, and Kat giggled a little breathlessly.

"That was anticlimactic… and unromantic." She joked and Brant cracked a smile, showing a hint of the boyish charm Kat loved.

"It wasn't how I planned it to go." He agreed, making Kat laugh lightly again before she gazed at him with warm green eyes while he placed his hands back, carefully, on her waist.

"That seems to sum us up." Kat murmured as Brandt leaned in again, gently placing his forehead against hers as they just stared at each other with bright eyes. "And if you were going to give up, it would've been easier to just tell me before all this."

He chuckled lightly as he replied: "Well, I'm telling you now."

"What are we going to do?" Kat murmured and he shrugged as he answered: "Well, it's in your hands now. I don't want to let you go, but if you-"

"Shut up." She told him before she kissed him again, and he did as she ordered, kissing her back, keeping his hands safely on her waist this time.

"I love you." Kat whispered when they broke apart once more. "And I'm staying with you, if you'll let me."

"Always." He promised and she chuckled: "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"No, really." He said seriously as he gazed into her emerald green eyes. "I'm keeping you right here beside me, where I can see you and protect you. Though maybe I should keep you away from Ethan, since he's the real culprit for you getting tangled up in our mess and placing you in danger all the time."

"Hm, then I guess I should thank him." Kat joked lightly. "And if I'd known you'd come clean and confess when I became a wanted fugitive, I'd have done it sooner."

"Yeah." He chuckled, the sound causing Kat's heart to flutter.

He brushed her hair back tenderly, gazing at her with warm blue eyes as he murmured: "It took you kissing a rich asshole for me to realize I loved you; guess it figures it would take being on the run from the government to admit it."

"At least it wasn't me having to kiss another rich asshole." Kat pointed out, and he laughed, laughing even harder as Kat added jokingly: "I just had to kiss a stupid asshole."

"You didn't seem to mind." Brandt teased as he leaned in closer towards her again, and Kat answered a little breathlessly as he brushed his lips against hers: "Well, maybe I'm a good actress."

"Hm, maybe." Brandt agreed, leaning back and away from her.

Kat blinked as he grinned mischievously at her, suddenly looking years younger as he arched a brow and he teased: "Maybe I shouldn't put you through more misery then."

Kat's eyes narrowed and she let out a huff of air, making him laugh.

"You're such a kid." She sighed and he chuckled: "Look who's talking."

"Well," she hooked her legs around him to pull him closer to her, "would it make you feel better if I said I prefer stupid?"

Brandt let out a bark of laughter at that, shaking his head before he leant down to kiss her enthusiastically.

The group pulled up at the restaurant Ethan had told them about slowly, Brandt never letting go of Kat's hand as they walked carefully into the relatively isolated building. Luther and Benji had given him no end of teasing for it, but he preferred it much more than the cold silence he'd had to endure for months.

They spotted Ethan immediately, sitting in a far corner of the room, mostly hidden from the other restaurant customers' sight. The group walked over, Kat settling in a seat beside Ethan and Brandt spinning around a chair so that he could straddle it beside her. The others all settled into the remaining free chairs, watching Ethan as they noted his somewhat dejected air and the conspicuously missing Ilsa.

"So, what do we do now?" Luther asked, and Ethan looked at him before turning to Benji.

"Please tell me," he asked seriously, "you made a copy of that disk."

Benji sighed before pulling out the spare flash drive as he replied: "Of course I made a copy."

Kat smiled a little as Ethan nodded, his eyes moving to rest on Kat just briefly. He noted the faint bruises forming on her forehead and left cheek, although it looked like she'd had them treated. Probably by Brandt if the agent's slightly smug air and the cut on his lower lip were anything to go by.

Brant caught Ethan's raised brow and he nodded in answer to the silent question before asking lightly, returning to business: "So, where are we going?"

London

Luther sat at the table typing away at his computer, the flash drive inserted, as he tried to get into the ledger. Benji sat watching over his shoulder, while Ethan was anxiously pacing the warehouse they had chosen to hide in. Kat sat across from Luther, her legs folded, while Brandt stood behind her, leaning on the back of her chair.

They finally all looked over as Luther exhaled sharply, stopping his typing with a defeated sigh.

"What?" Ethan demanded as he turned to look at his friend. "What's happening?"

"I can't open it." Luther admitted, and the rest of the group aside from Benji frowned.

"What do you mean you can't open it?" Ethan asked incredulously as he moved over to take a look, and Luther said flatly: "I mean I can't open it, ever."

"That's a red box." Benji sighed as he pointed at the screen and Brandt looked up sharply, asking: "A what?"

"It's a red box." Ethan repeated numbly, his mind whirring and his thoughts racing.

Kat wasn't sure what it meant, but it didn't sound good. Ethan saw the brief confusion on her face, and he explained: "The British government uses it to transport state secrets."

Yeah, definitely didn't sound good.

"Meaning it's triple encrypted." Benji took over as Ethan sank into a chair in the far side of the room, staring into space as he thought of a way around this new roadblock. "You don't get into that thing unless you have fingerprints, retinal scan, and a voice phrase spoken by a specific individual."

"The Prime Minister of Great Britain himself." Ethan muttered, and Benji replied flatly: "Yes, him."

"So, what you're saying is," Brandt said flatly as he folded his arms and looked at his team, "there is no ledger. Which means we have no proof that the Syndicate even exist. So, we're back to square one. Only now, we're all wanted by the CIA."

Kat winced, particularly when Brandt finished sarcastically: "I'm so proud of us."

"Will." Kat chided, and he glanced at her while Benji pointed out: "What I don't understand is why is there a red box sat in a private data vault in Morocco?"

"And why would Lane want it if he can't open it?" Luther added thoughtfully.

Kat frowned, exchanging looks with Brandt as Benji countered: "If Lane wants it, you can bet that he has a plan to open it."

He paused as his words caught up to him and he sighed: "And we just helped him steal it."

There was a dead silence for a minute as everyone came to the same conclusion.

"He's going to take the Prime Minister." Luther said at last, and Ethan replied softly: "Yes, he is. The question is how?"

"Well, we have to warn the British government." Benji said in alarm, and Brandt nodded as he reached for his phone in his jean pocket: "Yeah, MI6."

"No, no, Brandt." Ethan called, holding up a hand to stop the other agent. "Put down the phone. Let's think about this."

Benji glanced at Ethan uneasily while Kat looked up at Brandt as he countered: "We have a responsibility to warn the British government, and not gamble with the Prime Minister's life, Ethan," he looked at his friend pointedly, "just so you can beat the guy that's beaten you at every turn."

Kat tensed, while Luther and Benji glanced between the two arguing men uneasily. Ethan was staring at Brandt, and he asked seriously: "Is that what you think this is? Brandt?"

Brandt sighed, while Ethan turned to each of them as he demanded: "Is that what you think this is?"

Benji avoided Ethan's eyes, clearly undecided while Luther's face was thoughtful. Kat was chewing her lip unhappily, clearly not wanting to get into an argument.

"I think," Brandt replied slowly as he looked right at Ethan, "right now, you're incapable of seeing that there's another way."

"And sometimes," Luther countered, "Ethan is the only one capable of seeing the only way."

"And if he's wrong," Brandt retorted sharply, "then we have Vienna, all over again!"

Kat reached up, placing a hand on Brandt's arm in both an attempt to soothe and warn him. He took a deep breath at her touch, before he tensed again as Ethan argued: "No, you don't know him. If he wants something to happen, there's no preventing it!"

"That's why we have to warn the British." Brandt countered, and Ethan retorted: "Maybe that's exactly what he wants us to do."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Brandt demanded as the others watched the pair anxiously.

"We're going to warn the British." Brandt ordered, and Ethan snapped: "No. We're going to find Lane, we're going to get him. Before he takes the Prime Minister."

There was a pause, as each of them weighed their options carefully. Brandt's words made sense logically but Ethan had a point- Lane had proven himself to be a formidable foe and not just in wits but also his unpredictability. They were still as of yet in the dark as to why he hadn't killed Kat six months ago, but if his actions proved anything, it was that he was exactly as Ethan described him to be.

And if that was the case, Lane would be more than ready to deal with the British government becoming involved, if he wasn't anticipating it himself. They all reached the same conclusion together, and Brandt exhaled sharply as he glanced down at Kat. She met his gaze, and nodded in Ethan's direction.

"Okay." Brandt finally relented, although he was clearly very unhappy with their plan. "Alright, Ethan. We're going to find Lane."

He tossed his phone onto the table, and the tension in the room subsided just slightly. It returned, however, as Brandt challenged pointedly: "But please tell me."

He looked right at Ethan.

"How're we going to do that?" He demanded.

"Ilsa." Kat replied quietly.

They all looked at her, Ethan thoughtful while the others were surprised. She caught their gazes and pointed out to Brandt: "You said you'd been tracking her to find us."

His eyes widened, as did the others', and they all turned to look at Luther's tablet, which was still searching for Ilsa Faust. As Ethan quickly turned to the tablet, Luther picking it up and Benji leaning over to see, Brandt leant down to meet Kat at eye level.

"Promise me, you'll do exactly as we say, and stay safe." It was an order that sounded like a plea, and Kat's eyes softened as she saw the fear in his eyes. The fear that things would go wrong, as they had in Vienna, or worse, and the CIA catching them. Or worse.

She nodded, saying quietly: "I promise."