That stupid old man. I bet he forgot to come Jack thought while wandering the back garden, her eyes sweeping the manicured hedges for any sight of Scott's blond head. Stopping next to a gazebo covered in climbing roses, she absently lifted a drooping bloom to her nose. The thunk of the knife burying itself into the wood centimeters from her face had her jerking back to spin into a crouch, her eyes wide. Another knife broke through the hedge to slam into the grass between her feet and Jack leapt back in time for three more to whistle through the air, each skimming across her back to slice the thin fabric of her shirt when she took off behind the gazebo.

"Run, Dipshit! Run!" Scott cackled before he burst out of the bushes, the thin blades flashing in his hands.

"What the fuck do you think you are!? A god damn ninja?!" Jack shrieked as she leapt a hedge then rolled under a stone bench to catch her breath.

"Ninjas ain't got shit on me." He whispered gleefully as he landed next to the bench then threw the next knife when she scrambled from under the stone. It sliced along her side and she cried out but knew better than to stop.

"You're senile, you old fucker!" She yelled over her shoulder before darting behind a group of tall lavender bushes then moved in a low crouch to follow another set of hedges further away. Jack could hear him humming happily as he ambled at a leisurely pace after her. Trying to be quick, she ran low, rolling across a gravel path at the feet of a wandering guard, who stared at her curiously before continuing his rounds, and she peeked over the trimmed leaves to find Scott. He stood across the grounds by the lavender, leaning around them with a knife at the ready. HA! Payback time! Jack grinned evilly as she closed the distance between her and the gazebo and grabbed the knife, wrenching it from the wood before peering over another hedge in time to see him step around the bushes.

She darted forward, crawling over hedges then dropping back to the grass until she was close enough to see him moving slowly on the other side of the lavender. A chuckled burbled in her throat but she swallowed it back, her heart pounding, as she inched forward to crawl between the roots of two bushes. His shoes passes inches from her face and Jack waited for him to move further down before she gathered her legs under her then leapt.

"You're mine!" She howled as her blade slashed at his lower back but caught a button off the front of his shirt instead when he whirled around. Jack snarled when he dropped all but one of his knives, his face contorted in a feral smile. She darted forward but he slashed downward forcing her to dodge to the side before trying again, her blade ripping across his thigh, a thin line of blood oozing down the exposed skin to soak into the ruined material. The heel of Scott's hand slammed into her shoulder to send her rolling across the grass, her feet quickly getting pulled back under her as she crouched and watched him touch his wound.

"Oh ho ho, Dipshit." His fingertips came away stained, "Good job but you've still got three more hits before you tie and I've only got one to win." Jack ignored his words, her thighs tensing before she sprang, like a cat, for him. Scott raised his knife and the metal collided at the hilts, his smile faltering when Jack used the last of her momentum to bring her feet up and plant them on his chest. His back slammed into the ground as she flipped off of him like a springboard then landed with a soft thunk in the grass. Scott rolled quickly but before he could regain his feet, her blade licked across his shoulder seconds before her teeth sank into the back of his neck.

"Jesus Christ!" He yelled while trying to shake her but Jack only held on tighter until finally, Scott flipped onto his back, pinning her to the ground with an oomph. His elbow slammed into her ribs making her mouth open in a gasp and he took advantage of her pain to spin his body so that he pinned her to the ground, his knife pressed under her chin. Jack growled up into his face halfheartedly but her fingers uncurled from the handle of her knife.

"God damn it, Jack." Scott grabbed the back of his neck "What the fuck do you think you are? An animal?" His palm came away with a small smear of blood and he glared at her.

"I...I just..." She panted, limp in the cool grass, "I got...carried away. That was kinda...fun." Scott looked at her and the way that her panting mouth curled up into a grin at the edges, her pupils large.

"Careful there, Dipshit." He warned, her eyes flashing to him, "Enjoy the hunt too much and you'll become a heartless creature that kills on command." Her words thrown back into her face had the desired effect, the pleasure draining from her face, "But that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it. Just remember who you are when you're done." He moved off of her to sit in the grass at her side, his right hand vanishing into his jacket before reappearing with one of his guns, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves making the flames shine and flicker as he laid it on her stomach.

"You've come a long way in five months, Jack. It's time I pass this on." Her fingers curled around the grip as her eyes flew to his face. Scott ruffled her hair after a few moments of silence, "Yeah you're welcome, Dipshit." He let out an oomph when she slammed into him, her arms tight around his neck.

"Promise me that I won't be getting the other one for a long time." Jack whispered, the tears thick in her voice, her face buried against his neck. Scott slowly wrapped his arms around her, his eyes staring up at the blue sky.

"You know I can't make that promise."

~~One Month Later~~

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked when Monty joined her on the path that led to the back garden.

"Serio said to meet him here. You?" He grinned as he loped at her side, the sun gleaming off his messy black hair

"Same." She glanced at him, "Do you think they're gonna have us fight in the garden?" Monty shrugged.

"It's more room than the gym. Hey there they are." Scott and Serio waited just outside the garden proper, the rolling green lawn spreading out behind them. Breaking into a jog, the two hurried to their mentors and looked curiously at the clips they held in their hands.

"It's been while since you two have gone head to head so today, we're all gonna play a game." Scott handed the clip to Jack. She popped one of the bullets free to inspect it before trading the new clip out with the one currently in her Glock.

"Rubber bullets. Awesome." Monty flashed Jack a smile, "I wonder how bad these babies hurt?"

"Let's find out." Scott pulled his gun then squeezed the trigger all in one smooth motion and Jack cried out as her right leg gave out, pain lancing up her thigh, "Pretty damn bad but not as bad as the real thing." Jack clutched her leg while she glared up at him.

"Motherfucker!" She ground out from between clenched teeth, "I should-" Her gun started to lift.

"You should not finish pointing that gun at me." Scott warned as he aimed at her again. Letting her hand fall, she huffed angrily.

"Let's get on with this before you waste the rest of your bullets," Serio gestured to the garden, "The four of us are gonna play the Mafia version of laser tag. Scott and I are immune to tag out but if one of you two is hit by anyone, you're out and the other recruit wins."

"The prize is three days of vacation from training."

"I could use three days without you." Jack growled after getting up, her eyes narrowing at Scott, who snorted.

"My money is on Cupcake." She looked away as Serio cleared his throat.

"Shall we begin?" Scott aimed at Jack.

"Yup." The bang set all of them in motion, Jack's heart pounding when the bullet grazed her shoulder as she spun to run, hell bent, for the tall bushes by the wall. The muscles between her shoulders were tensed the whole way, waiting to feel the sting of a bullet but she reached the bushes unharmed and dove into them. She turned to peer out only to find the lawn clear. Crap crap crap she thought as her eyes searched the grounds. She hadn't paid attention to which direction Monty had gone and he was her main target. Her gaze flicked to the left when movement caught her eye and Jack had to stop herself from chuckling when she spotted a quick flash of messy black hair. This game was as good as hers.

Jack scurried through the dirt and dead leaves until she was across from where she'd spotted him. Another glimpse of that mop had a wide smile creeping along her lips while she measured the distance from her current cover to the low brick wall she would make a dash for. It wasn't too far and if she kept low, she could make it easily. Grasping her Glock in both hands, Jack did a last, quick sweep of the area before leaping forward into the open. It wasn't until she'd almost reached the wall that a shot rang out to ping off the grass inches from her foot. Jumping to the side, she searched for the shooter as she dove for cover, her gaze finding him right before her body rolled against the stone. It was Monty who had shot at her and he was across the yard moving fast for the cover she'd just abandoned. Who the hell is- Jack didn't get to finish her thought as Serio's grinning face popped over the edge of the wall, his hair mussed.

"Gotcha, Jack-O." The muzzle of his gun appeared but before he had a chance to aim, fear snapped Jack's hands up and she pulled the trigger.

"Yowch!" Serio dropped his gun as a bruise began to discolor the skin on the heel of his hand and he rolled out of sight to duck back under cover. Grabbing his gun, Jack stuffed it in her waistband then scrambled to her feet. She had to find Monty! Running back the way she came, she was glad when the cool darkness closed over her and gave her the chance to catch her breath while she listened for the sound of movement in the bushes. Unfortunately, silence had descended in their little part of the garden, making Jack nervous. Serio was out of the game as long as she had his gun and she knew Monty's general location but Scott...he had completely vanished. Out of all of them, he was the one that worried her the most.

Jack gritted her teeth. If she didn't want to get shot by that sadistic jerk again, she had to end this game quick. Moving silently, she inched in the last direction she'd seen Monty, her gun clutched tightly and kept at the ready. It took a painfully long time for Jack to reach the end of the bushes and peer out at the small grove of decorative trees surrounding a private grotto with a marble statue and bench. Her mouth dropped open when she saw Scott standing at the water's edge, his hands in his pockets. He's not even looking for us! What a jerk! Jack brought her gun up to sight right between his shoulder blades, Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll fall in. Her finger twitched but not enough to pull the trigger and she swallowed, hesitating. Did she really want to shoot him in the back?

Getting to her feet, Jack was about the break cover when Monty leapt from one of the trees (sorta like a monkey) and slammed into Scott, the two men sliding across the grass, their hands locked in a fight for Monty's gun. Heart shooting into her throat, Jack stepped forward, her arm coming up in a perfect arc, her finger pulling the trigger back without thought. Monty cried out as his body spasmed and he slid off Scott's chest into the water, his hands flattened over the spot high on his ribs where her bullet had struck. Scott's eyes flew to her face then widened when she brought the muzzle of her gun down to aim at him, the shot echoing off the wall as the bulled slammed into his side. A smile twisted her lips into a cruel grin when he scowled at her, his face red.

"Oops." Jack chuckled.