Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT
EPOV
The bank was now filled with movement. To my left a paramedic was tending to the injured bank worker. On my right another agent was taking the bank manager's statement.
The rest of the space was filled with a flurry of activity, people in FBI windbreakers passing left and right.
The last bits of adrenaline were passing out of my system and I could feel myself on the verge of a crash.
I looked at the paper in my hand; we would have no problem convicting the jewelry store owner now. I tucked it safely away inside the flap of my suit.
I ran a hand through my unruly hair, trying to give order to chaos but failing; leaving it in the same uncontrollable mess.
"Hey, we get coffee breaks, right?" Came Scarlet's voice from behind me.
I turned to look at her, the only sign of weariness was the loss of spark in her eyes, but something told me that it could be back in a flash if she needed.
"Yeah, I know a place we can go." I said, chuckling as I thought of the perfect place.
Twenty minutes later I pushed open the door to my usual coffee shop, inhaling the familiar smell of fresh ground coffee beans with a smile.
"Hey Eddie!" Mike called from the other side of the counter when he noticed me.
"I've told you before Mike, its Edward. Never Eddie." I stated, feeling like a broken record.
He shrugged in a way that made me think he didn't actually hear me. I held back my sigh of frustration.
Scarlet stepped out from behind me and I noticed a look appear in Mike's eyes.
"Mike, this is-"
"I know, I know, you're going to say she's not your partner and that I shouldn't trust her and all that stuff." He started, adding in hand motions for emphasis. I was surprised that he was actually able to remember what I told him last time I was in here.
I coughed. "Actually, this time she is my partner." I said with slight awkwardness, rubbing the back of my neck.
He had a look on his face that made it seem as if he were waiting for me to tell him I was joking.
"Just…call me Scarlet." She said, trying to break the moment by giving him a small smile.
He smiled again, no trace of his previous expression, obviously delighted that she was talking to him. I rolled my eyes at his quick change in mood.
I distinctly recalled that the last time she was here she stole video tapes, and the time before that she rebuffed all of his attempts, yet here he was, trying harder than ever to keep her attention.
"So, what can I get you, besides my number?" He asked her, even though I was standing in front of the line.
I rolled my eyes for the second time. I stepped to the side so that she could approach the counter and order.
She placed a finger on her lips, tapping them, and looked at the menu above his head, presumably looking over her options.
Both Mike's and my own eyes were immediately drawn to her lips, mesmerized by the small action.
I snapped my eyes away once I realized I was staring, but the smirk that was on her face showed that she had seen me.
Mike was still staring shamelessly, not quite up to speed.
"I'll take a medium mocha." She said, going for something sweeter then I usually cared for.
We both watched as Mike blinked a few times before realizing that she had spoken. He jumped and started scribbling the order down on a cup.
"I'll take the usual Mike." I said, slapping the correct amount of money on the counter.
He nodded quickly and started getting to work on our orders, his eyes flicking back to Scarlet a few times as she looked for a good place to sit.
I coughed when he stared at her for an unusually long amount of time, he looked up at me, the look I threw him made his eyes widen and then he seemed to become very focused on making the drinks.
I turned around and let my gaze float around the room, finally spotting Scarlet towards the back of the café.
Whether she did it consciously or not she had chosen the only spot that was away from windows, facing the front door, and sitting so that she had her back to the wall.
I chuckled, 'I guess some habits are harder to break then others'
She was sitting back in the comfortable armchair with her feet propped up on the coffee table in front of her. I sat on the worn out leather couch across from her.
I was now dead tired, the adrenaline from before now completely gone. I rested my elbow on the arm of the chair and propped my chin up.
I blinked my eyes slowly, then opened them and looked at Scarlet.
Her brown eyes were looking at me critically, there was definitely some complicated thought turning behind them.
"What?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.
She looked at me for one more moment before shaking her head and looking away, "Nothing."
She started chewing on her bottom lip. My eyes were drawn to it again.
A few moments ticked by in silence.
"Hey, do you ever do undercover operations?" She asked, shaking me from my staring.
I coughed; if she saw me staring she didn't say anything, "Sometimes, but not often. That's more the organized crime division."
She nodded as if she expected as much, "Why?" I asked her.
She shrugged, "I don't know, I think it might be fun. Definitely something I would be good at." She smiled, side of her lip pulling up ever so slightly.
"Hey Eddie, your drinks are ready." I heard Mike call over from the counter.
I decided to let the Eddie thing slide for once and went to grab the drinks.
I thanked Mike and walked back to my seat, handing Scarlet her drink across the table, she uttered a small thank you, barely audible.
I watched her sip her mocha modestly over the top of my drink.
Satisfied, she leaned back again in her chair.
"So, what made you want to become a federal agent?" She asked, catching me off guard.
I shrugged, thinking it over. "I'm not really sure; it just seemed like the right choice for me." I said, taking a long swig of my coffee, smiling in satisfaction.
"Do FBI agents always drink coffee? I can't think of a time I've seen you when you didn't have some in your hands." She asked.
"What is this, twenty questions?" I asked with a small smile.
She shrugged, surprising me, "Sure, why not?"
I thought it over for a few moments, I had to admit that I was slightly intrigued, "Alright, on one condition, we switch off, ten each."
I watched her face but there was no change in expression, her natural expression a poker face. "Alright, but I don't have to answer any I don't want to." She said, carefully laying down a defense.
"Deal." I said, allowing myself a small smile.
'This should be interesting.'
"So, to answer your question, yes. FBI agents always drink coffee." I said, taking a sip of my own for emphasis. "Alright, my turn."
"Shoot." She said, gesturing for me to talk.
I thought for a moment, "I know it's not your real name, so why call yourself Scarlet?"
For a second I thought she was going to refuse to answer, but she surprised me, as usual.
"Well, besides the fact that it's a name, the color scarlet is usually affiliated with fire, and is generally the color for passion…" She said, examining her fingernails which were painted scarlet. Her voice was low, sultry, a voice that could draw in whoever was listening, whether they wanted to be drawn in or not.
"Besides," She said abruptly, breaking the spell, "It rolls off the tongue better then crimson or maroon. Alright, my turn." She said, her voice slightly excited.
I braced myself for the worst.
"What was the first thought that went through your mind when you saw me for the first time on the roof of the BYS insurance building?" She said, tucking her feet underneath herself like an excited toddler.
I thought about it for a second, remembering back to that night. We had both been standing on the roof; she had been wearing a hood…
"Oh, that's the time you jumped off the roof." I said.
"Well…one of them." She said, making me wonder how many times she had done it overall.
"I think the first thing that went through my head was… 'Holy shit, the thief is a girl.'" I said after thinking about it for a moment, smiling at the memory.
She returned the smile and it immediately brightened her face, highlighting her natural beauty.
If she had any thoughts about my answer to her question, she didn't voice them.
Now it was my turn.
I thought over all the questions running through my mind, grasping the one that I wanted to ask.
"Where did you learn to fight?" I asked, truly curious. She fought better than most FBI agents, though I wasn't about to tell her that.
"I've had a few good teachers in my time." She answered vaguely, her eyes distant.
I raised an eyebrow at her attempt to dodge the question, but let it slide.
She got a faraway look in her eyes and there were a few long moments of silence as I watched her.
"It's your turn." I said, stirring her from her thoughts, her eyes returning to the present.
"Right, ummm…ever been married?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink.
The question threw me off guard, "No. That's a strange question to ask." I responded, still trying to figure out her logic.
She shrugged, "You seem like the type." She said, leaving me with more questions than answers.
"Wait, what is that supposed to mean?" I asked.
She smirked, "Is that your next question?"
"No. Nevermind, let me think for a second." I had to choose my questions carefully, I wasn't sure when the next time would be that I would get an opportunity like this..
I still had a million questions, but I was pretty sure that she wouldn't answer a majority of them. Then I had it. I looked at her and smiled.
"Were you the one on the motorcycle?" I asked blatantly, looking her directly in the eye; I was pretty sure I already knew the answer but I wanted to see her reaction.
She stared right back, her brown eyes giving nothing away.
"What motorcycle?"
A smile slowly crept onto my face as I continued to look her directly in the eyes.
She was good. But she had given me the answer I had expected.
'Well, I guess to be a good thief; one has to naturally be a good liar.'
"Is that your next question?" I asked, feeling the discussion tip in my favor.
"No." She said quickly, she stared at her coffee as she thought over her next question.
It was a few more moments before she spoke.
"Ever been in love?" she asked quietly, looking up at me, her question seeming to hang in the silence between us.
"You already asked me if I've been married." I responded, slightly confused by her choice of question.
"Love and marriage aren't mutually inclusive." She said, and for some reason I got the feeling that there was more story behind that claim.
"I suppose…" I said.
"So? Have you?" She asked, sitting cross legged on her chair. She circled the rim of her coffee cup as she waited for me to respond.
"No. Not as far as I can tell anyways." I said, finally answering her question after running through my past.
She nodded, almost as if to herself.
"What about you?" I asked, making her glance up from her coffee cup.
"Have I ever been in love?" She asked, though I was positive that she had heard correctly.
I nodded.
She leaned back with a sigh, her mind delving into her past.
"I thought I was at the time." She said cryptically.
There was a pause.
"But now?" I asked, well aware that I was asking a second question, not sure if she would answer.
"Now?…no, I don't think it was." She confessed, covering her lapse in composure by taking a long sip of coffee.
I didn't know what to think about what she told me, I decided to store away that information for later.
"Why were you so averse to having me for a partner?" She asked, changing topics completely. I let her.
"Well," I sighed, trying to find the best way to word it, "I guess it was because after chasing you for so long, watching you get away scot free made me angry."
"Well, I wouldn't say scot-free, I'm practically handcuffed to you." She said with a small laugh, brightening the solemn mood hanging in the air. I couldn't help but laugh as well, the sound was contagious.
I glanced at my watch, "Alright, last question for right now, we can pick up where we left off later." I said once I realized that I had been away from work for too long already.
"Go for it." She said with a small smile, wondering what I would ask.
I thought for a moment, choosing my last question carefully.
"Why won't you tell me your real name? I mean, I understand not giving up your full name, but why not just your first?" I leaned forward, anxious to hear her answer.
She sighed, making me think that she had been asked the question before and that it had a complicated answer.
Her change in facial expressions gave away that she was trying to figure out the right wording in her head.
After a few moments of hesitation she spoke, "You have to remember that my world is different than yours. Names and identities are used up and discarded like tissues; I'm constantly changing who I am and what I do as necessary. And once my mask has had its use, it's discarded, never to be used again for fear of recognition. I haven't used my real name in a long time…" She concluded quietly before abruptly rising from her seat and throwing away her now empty coffee cup, not wanting to face whatever she thought I was going to say.
She needn't have worried, I had no clue what to say.
It was definitely not the answer I was expecting.
Part of me, the federal agent part, wondered if the reason she hid her true identity had anything to do with the person she thought she had loved.
I was still thinking over my theory when she returned and began digging in her small bag for something.
Rather than saying my first theory, I voiced another, "So, I'll probably never get to hear it then." I said, not sure whether I was asking a question as I looked up at her.
I watched as her hands stopped their movements.
"No. Probably not." She said without looking at me as she grabbed her bag and walked away toward the door.
BPOV
Edward was driving away from the café, the remnants of his coffee sitting in the cup-holder.
I tapped my fingers without a beat on the arm rest, while I listened to him talk on the phone, only hearing half of the conversation.
"Yeah." He said, "Got it."
I sighed.
"Alright. Bye." He concluded, snapping his phone shut.
"New case?" I asked, breaking the silence between us.
He shook his head, but kept his eyes on the road, "No, but I have to stop at the office to turn in some case paperwork and talk to Aro."
I continued to drum my fingers absentmindedly; my eyes glanced over to Edward.
My eyes drifted from his hands where they gripped the steering wheel, to his forearms where the trace of strong muscles were present through his rolled up shirt sleeves.
My eyes continued their journey to his face. I glanced at his eyes to make sure he didn't notice me looking but his they were still on the road, his mind somewhere else.
His hair was a copper-brown sort of color that seemed to be in constant disarray, almost like he just rolled out of bed.
His jaw was strong and covered in a light scruff that was from a lack of shaving.
I looked at his eyes last; they were an extremely deep green, with a few gold specks that were only visible when the sunlight crossed his face through the windshield.
"Are you planning on staring at me for the entire car ride?" He said, startling me even though I didn't show it.
"Maybe." I said with a slight smirk, but turned my attention to the front, watching trees and buildings fly by.
I noticed him glancing at me a few times, probably wondering why I had been staring at him and if I was going to say anything else on the matter.
When I didn't, he kept driving in silence and eventually pulled into the parking garage next to the bureau.
We both got out and he locked the car with a 'beep'.
I walked a step behind him as we headed towards the front entrance to the FBI building. I watched his gait, putting it to memory.
I often did this for any future reference I may need. People could easily put on disguises, but most forget that the way they walk can easily give them away.
It's a great advantage when you're trying to follow someone, being able to pick them out by their stride rather than their face can be useful.
I was so busy counting his strides that I nearly missed the sight of a very familiar face sitting on the bench in front of the bureau, reading a newspaper inconspicuously.
"Hey, since you're not going to be long, I'm just going to wait out here for you." I told Edward, gesturing toward the area around the bench.
He threw me a suspicious look.
"Really? If I was going to choose a moment to run away, I think I could do better than right in front of the FBI building." I said, raising one eyebrow.
"Alright, but you better be right here when I get back. If you cross the street and set off alarms, I'm not coming to your rescue." He said in a warning that I didn't listen to, as I was already walking toward the bench.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he had gone inside before I sat on the bench.
She was covering her face with the newspaper, which I knew she wasn't actually reading.
I didn't look at her; I pretended to be watching the cars passing by.
"How did you find out?" I asked into the open air.
She ruffled the paper, but didn't move it.
"You're not the only one with resources." She said, her tone not giving away any of her emotions.
I nodded but didn't say anything.
I was waiting for her to speak up; I knew she was here for a reason.
A few moments passed without her saying anything, I decided to speed the process up.
"Well… I should go." I lied, beginning to get up.
The paper came down abruptly.
"How the hell could you not have told me!?!" She yelled, attracting the attention of the pedestrians passing by.
I smiled and regained my seat, happy to have finally brought out the reaction I was expecting.
I looked at Alice for the first time, "What would you have done if I had told you?"
I could see her struggling with the answer, her mouth opening to speak multiple times.
"I would have tried to talk some sense into you and stop you from being an idiot." She finally said with a glare.
I chuckled at her expression, "Well, there's no turning back now." There wasn't much humor in the situation.
She ran a hand over her brow, as if coming to terms with the situation we were both in and sighed.
"Are you going to tell me why you did it?" She asked in a voice that made me sad that I had made her worried. I wasn't used to the idea of having a friend and having to think about the hurt I may be causing.
I sighed and sat back the bench, looking forward again.
"There's something I need to do, and this is the only way I can do it." Was the only explanation I would give her.
Trust was still something that I had not quite accomplished.
She seemed to understand that this was the only explanation she was going to get out of me and nodded to herself.
Then she stopped and got a look in her eye.
"Are you sure it's not just because you want to get close to a certain federal agent?" She asked with a coy smile.
I glared at her.
"I'm not going to dignify that question with a response." I said. She continued on, paying no heed to my glare.
"Wait. Does that mean you're..?" She asked.
I didn't know what she was talking about, and threw her a confused look.
She looked at me for a second then her eyes widened, "Oh I knew it! You totally are!!!" She was smirking.
I didn't like it.
"Are what?" My eyes were still narrowed but confused.
She just held her smirk. Then it clicked and I understood what she was insinuating.
"Oh my god, you need to get your head out of the gutter." I told her.
She just continued smirking, the expression of someone who knew they had won the argument or thought they figured something out.
I sighed, "Okay, if you can stop smirking for a second, I need your help."
After a few moments to bring her expressions under control, she looked at me, her expression completely serious except for a small look in her eye that I would let slide for the moment.
"Alright, what do you need?" She asked, excited.
"There are a few things I need you to grab from my house." I said.
"Name it." She said.
I told her everything I needed, including the codes she would need to get by my security.
I wasn't worried about her stealing anything. The security for everything valuable was much stronger.
She finished writing down everything I needed and I glanced over my shoulder.
"You should go." I said, knowing that Edward would be out here any second.
She knew what I was worried about and smirked as she stood up.
"I'll pick the stuff up, but then we really 'got to talk." She said.
I glanced over my shoulder again, this time my worries confirmed as I saw Edward approaching the glass door from the other side.
Alice looked at him with the same smirk then back at me.
"Have fun." She said suggestively, to which I narrowed my eyes.
She walked down the marble steps and melted into the flow of pedestrians.
I turned around when I heard his footsteps behind me.
EPOV
I walked over to the bench where Scarlet told me she would be, half surprised that she was still there.
She turned around when I was a couple steps behind her.
She had a flushed look on her face, which was gone as soon as I noticed it.
"Are you ready?" I asked her, gesturing with my thumb back toward the parking garage.
She shook herself a little and tucked a hair behind her ear, "Yeah." She stood up, "So do we have a new case?"
I shook my head, "No, Aro wants us to go get a physical workout." I said absentmindedly as I pulled my keys out of my pocket.
I could have sworn I saw her blush before I turned around immediately making me curious about what her thoughts were circulating around.
BPOV
I followed behind Edward with only a few steps between us.
He pushed open the front door to the gym, forgetting I was behind him and letting it swing closed, nearly hitting me in the face.
"Whoops, sorry. I keep forgetting that I'm not traveling alone anymore." He said, holding the door open.
"Mhhmm." I responded doubtfully, sliding past him.
He followed behind me and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me inside.
"Right, so I'm going to go get changed and then I'm going to head over to the warm-up area, feel free to do whatever you want." He said looking around before returning his gaze to me.
"Alright, I'll find something to do." I said, slightly happy that I was getting some amount of freedom. I had a small smile on my face and rocked back and forth on my heels as I watched him walk away.
The bureau had provided me with a set of workout clothes that included a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, both labeled with the FBI logo; I quickly went and got changed.
I was excited to get a workout, I hadn't gotten much exercise lately and it would be good to get my heart rate up.
I passed the treadmills and bikes without a second glance and headed straight for the back area that contained the boxing and wrestling rings.
There was a group of about a dozen or so circled around one guy who was talking. As I stepped closer I realized they were FBI trainees and the man was an instructor.
They were all around twenty years old, fresh out of the Academy. Each one of them listening to the senior agent intently as he talked about different grappling techniques.
I decided to watch for a bit, see how well they did.
I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, watching as two of them climbed in-between the ropes and went to opposite sides of the ring.
The senior agent blew a whistle and they went at it.
I could tell right away that they didn't have much experience with fighting. Their technique, of which there wasn't much, involved using all arm muscles and trying to grab their opponent.
I shook my head sadly.
The coach was just as disappointed as I was and berated them for their poor fighting skills.
He rotated in another set of junior agents, which ended with the same result.
It wasn't until the third set that things actually began to get interesting.
The junior agent on the right did something unexpected. Rather than just circling cautiously, he dove right in, taking the offensive aggressively.
He overpowered the other junior agent quickly, who was soon replaced with another for the winner to challenge.
He took the new opponent down swiftly with growing confidence. There was now a prominent smirk on his face.
One after the other the coach sent up, but each was defeated.
He grew frustrated, "Oh come on, not one of you can at least get some advantage over him?"
They all hung their heads in chagrin to which the victorious boy smiled confidently.
I decided to knock him down a few notches.
"I'll take a whack at it." I said, pushing myself off the wall with my shoulder and walking through the throng of junior agents.
"And you are?" The senior agent asked, noticing me for the first time.
"I'm Agent Cullen's partner." I said with a small smile.
His eyes brightened in recognition at the name.
"So you're the one everyone's been talking about." He said, returning the smile and holding out a hand.
I placed my hand in his outstretched one, "I suppose I am."
"Well then, by all means go ahead. You might be able to teach these guys something." He said, gesturing to the junior agents who were following the conversation with confused looks.
I thanked him and lifted one of the ropes before ducking underneath into the ring.
I had already stretched out a little, but this would be a good warm up.
The guy watched me with a confused and dubious expression, obviously not seeing me as a formidable opponent. He looked at the coach for confirmation, and then returned his gaze to me once the coach nodded.
He pushed himself out of the corner and took a few steps toward the center, I did the same, the cocky smile was on his face again. I could only imagine what thoughts were going through his head.
The coach blew the whistle and the fight began.
He held his hands up with his fingers spread, and in a split second I could see that he favored his right side by the way he held himself.
I smiled in anticipation.
He wasted no time in taking the offense and charged, attempting to use the same tactic that worked against the others, except this time I knew what was coming.
Rather than engaging, I sidestepped and grabbed his outstretched arm, pulling with just enough force that he toppled forward, but not enough to make me fall with him.
He wasn't expecting the shift in equilibrium, and lack of training made him do a face plant into the mat.
I kept light on my feet as I took a few steps back and waited for him to get up.
I glanced up and saw the instructor's shoulders shaking with silent laughter; his students were not so modest.
The guy got up rather quickly, the smirk now completely gone from his face, replaced instead with anger.
Anger was a large mistake that many fighters made; they allowed their emotions to control their actions, rather than stepping back and assessing the situation.
There was humiliation in his eyes that was covered with a thin veil of hatred.
I would have laughed, but if history had taught me one thing, it was to never ever drop my guard during a fight.
He charged again, this time leaving no opening for me to do another sidestep.
I bent my knees, once again opting to use momentum to my advantage, but from a different angle.
His arms were closer to his body as he got within a step of me.
I always liked fights.
They were about strategy, turning your opponent's forces against them. Leading them into a trap that they wouldn't recognize until it was too late.
And that's exactly what happened.
In the junior agent's assumption that through my standing still he would simply be able to overpower me, he failed to notice my swift movement before it was too late.
My outstretched hand pushed into his femoral pressure point and I curved my upper body forward so that my shoulder met his stomach.
Through pure leg and shoulder muscle, I turned his forward momentum upward as his body sailed over my shoulder.
This all passed in less than a second, but from my view it always seemed to happen in slow motion.
I saw out of the corner of my eye as he landed on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of his lungs.
This one would take him a little longer to recover from.
The onlookers were shocked into a stunned silence, except for the instructor who was smiling.
"See, now that is what I'm talking about!" He said, clapping. "Who's next?"
Even I raised my eyebrows in surprise at the amount of hands that shot up.
EPOV
I had been at the punching bag for about fifteen minutes when one of the gym workers wandered over and got my attention.
"Hey, is that girl you're partner over in the ring?" He asked, gesturing over his shoulder to something I couldn't see.
"I dunno, what does she look like?" I asked, wiping sweat off my forehead with a towel.
"She's slim, brown hair, really hot." I narrowed my eyes at his blatant description.
"Yeah, that's her. Why?"
"Oh, well you should go take a look, she's gaining quite the crowd." He said as he began to walk away.
"Crowd? Wait, what?" I called after him, confused.
He turned around and started walking backwards, "Basically, she's kicking ass."
'Scarlet, what the hell are you doing.'
My bare feet padded on the matted floor as I made my way to the back area where the ring was.
What I came across made me stop short.
There were about two dozen people standing around the ring, watching Scarlet take on a younger agent.
I winced when she threw him to the floor with ease, feeling his pain. I had experienced it myself when I had first fought her.
I would be lying if I said I didn't want a re-match.
I walked forward just as she delivered the final blow to a shoulder pressure point with her elbow, forcing him to collapse.
It didn't take me long to figure out why all the younger agents were willing to get beat up and have their pride destroyed.
She was sweating, a few strands of hair that had come out of her ponytail were sticking to her forehead, and there was no trace of makeup on her face.
I agreed with the gym workers previous statement, she was definitely 'hot'.
I immediately berated myself for that thought and shook my head to clear the images that popped up on their own accord.
The now-bruised junior agent stumbled out of the ring, but when he turned away, he had a small smile on his face. I could practically read the thought that was going through his mind, 'definitely worth it'.
I rolled my eyes.
If Scarlet noticed the hungry looks in the remaining junior agents, she ignored them.
She leaned against one of the ropes, then took a long swig of water from a cup that had been provided by one of the junior agents.
She thanked him and he nearly tripped over himself, a broad smile covering his face. I felt like I was experiencing this morning's scene with Mike at the coffee shop all over again.
She had to know what she was doing to these guys.
I decided that I wanted that rematch now. I shouldered my way through the crowd and ducked under the rope.
Scarlet noted my appearance with a raised eyebrow. Her arms were folded over her chest, one leg tucked behind the other, the epitome of calm.
"Up for one last round before we go?" I asked.
"With you?" she asked, an interesting expression on her face.
I shrugged, "Why not? We may be able to teach them something." I said, gesturing to the younger agents watching our conversation with eager faces.
She glanced over at them for a second before returning her attention to me, "Are you sure you want to get beaten by me again? There's an audience this time."
She smirked and my decision was made.
"Oh, but this time I'm ready." I said with a smile of my own.
She looked at me for a second longer, most likely trying to figure out my tactic, before pushing herself off the side of the ring.
"Bring it."
My smile grew.
I noticed the anticipating looks of the junior agents out of the corner of my eye. They were as eager to see how this turned out as I was.
We stood a good five feet apart, staring each other down.
"This bringing back some memories agent Cullen?" She asked with her smirk, baiting me.
It didn't go unnoticed by me that she had purposely called me Agent Cullen rather than Edward, I didn't like it. There was something about the way 'Edward' seemed to roll off her tongue that made it sound much better than any way I had ever heard anyone say it.
I couldn't put my finger on the exact reason for that.
I heard a whistle blow somewhere on the edge of my conscious mind. Its significance only registered when Scarlet started moving toward me.
I reacted instinctively and planted my feet firmly, my equilibrium set, my arms coming up.
Her fist came in an arch for my abdomen, I blocked it easily with my forearm and she followed up with her other fist for the same area.
My other arm came up just in time and her throw was redirected past my torso.
I swung my leg around in an attempt to knock her's out from under her, but she jumped back out of my range.
"I see you've picked up a couple things since the last time we faced off." She said, the smirk turning into an amicable smile.
I shrugged and felt the corner of my lips pull upward.
"I felt that it was necessary." I said, telling the truth.
She gave me an appreciative look before quickly diving back into the fight.
As each punch was thrown and we each tried to gain an advantage over one another, the surrounding seemed to slip away until the only thing I could hear was the inconsistent pattern of our labored breathing.
My eyes were too busy tracking her movements and watching out for anything that might slip by my defenses, that I could no longer see our audience.
It was just me and Scarlet.
Our dance of swings and dodges continued for several minutes, her breathing was getting heavier and I was sure that mine was the same.
I could no longer tell how long we had been fighting, most likely having been only a few minutes but it felt like hours.
I ignored the strain in my arms, and resisted the urge to wipe the sweat from my brow.
She was standing a couple feet away, trying to cover up however tired she was. I resisted the urge to smirk, but held it back because it would most likely prove fatal if she saw me.
Some sort of understanding clicked between us and we engaged in the fight once again.
I had to try to throw her off balance somehow. She was too quick, and she knew how to slip through holes too well for me to gain an advantage any other way.
Instead of merely deflecting her blow, I gripped her wrist as it narrowly missed my head. I watched her eyes widen slightly in shock before she covered it up and twisted her body into me, her back to my chest.
Our bodies seemed to mold together, I could feel her hair tickling my cheek as my surroundings were engulfed in freesia.
I felt her arm muscles moving and gripped her elbow an inch away from my abdomen where it would have knocked the wind out of me.
We were in an interesting position. I was gripping her right wrist to the side and was holding her body flush against my front by her elbow.
I was trying to figure out a way to go from the position we were in to one where I wouldn't have to release one of her arms.
Before I could come up with a suitable plan, she raised her right arm above our heads and twisted her body until our faces were an inch apart.
I could feel her breath fan across my face, I blinked slowly.
A smile crawled onto her lips, inches from my own.
"I never got to thank you for the coffee this morning." She said, just loud enough for both of us to hear.
My expression showed my confusion, 'How the hell can she possibly be thinking about that right now?'
I tilted my head to the side in my confusion, "You're welcome...?"
I didn't know how it was possible, but somehow her face seemed to come even closer, her brown eyes smoldering.
Everything seemed to be in slow motion, I was drawn in.
By the time I realized that my captivation was all part of her plan, my back was already slamming down onto the mat, my legs having been taken out from under me with a sweep of her own.
'oh no, she's not getting away that easily.'
In her confidence, she didn't expect me to retaliate. That's why, when I made a sweeping kick of my own, her own legs slipped out from under her and she tumbled on top of me with an 'oomph'.
I couldn't hold back the chuckle that burst from my lips.
I lifted myself up by the elbows and looked at her, she was glaring at me.
The chuckle then turned into a full out laugh and my shoulders shook as I tried to contain it.
I could see her composure begin to crack as a small smile graced her lips. For the third time that day, my eyes were drawn to them.
She shifted her position and soon the laugh faded and I became very aware of her hand on my chest, her leg draped over mine. Miniscule shockwaves spread up my body against my will. I could practically feel my pupils dilating. Yet again timed seemed to still in a moment of electric friction.
The moment was shattered when I heard a cough distantly.
Reality decided to choose that moment to smack me in the face and remind me that we had an audience. I jumped up quickly, lending a hand down to pull Scarlet up.
She gripped my hand and joined me in standing, the small smile still adorning her features.
She didn't seem effected at all by the situation and promptly climbed out of the ring without pause. I watched her leave while I rubbed the back of my neck, abashed.
"So…I guess we'll just call that one a draw?" I called after her even though I was pretty sure she had won the situation in every way except the actual fight.
A/N: If you are reading this author's note, it probably means that you are still enjoying this story enough to be patient with my updating. This was my longest chapter yet and I felt that you all deserve it for waiting so long. Please stick around, the slow updates are not from my lack of trying, but stem more from a lack of time. I will try to update sooner, but for now I will only ask that you review and be patient. Let me know what you think is going to happen, it may give me some ideas or at least some inspiration. :P