Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers, and I am only borrowing them. There are some original characters that are mine, and I claim them as mine.

Spoilers:Anything from books 1-19 might be used, so if you haven't read them all, you might want to wait to read this story.

This is an AU story, with a mix of characters in canon as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who review as guest, as well as those of you who don't allow PMs. I love the reviews and want to tell you that I read and appreciate them all. Thank you all. Special thanks to JenRar for coming along as beta on this one. I appreciate all your help. I'd also like to thank Vanessa Loor for translating my English into Spanish. Any mistakes are mine.

A/N: I ask for your patience in allowing me to develop the story. I guarantee the end result will turn out if you can just keep believing.

Chapter 14: Assessments: Day 1

Bree's POV:

I woke up the next morning knowing I would be busy over the next couple of days. I needed to come up with a plan of how I'd be able to figure out what skill each of the guys had and how it was affecting me, as well as how we could use that skill to our advantage.

I had to smile at Diesel's reaction to what I'd told him in the great room. We knew there were two groups out there: Darrow and his followers, as well as Delies and his followers. I'd had a strong feeling there was another group out there also, only this group wasn't as well-defined as the other two. It was as if this third group was a mix of the other two, with the sole purpose of doing what was morally right. I'd told Diesel that there were more people out there then he'd first thought and that they could seriously tip the scales in a whole new direction.

Diesel had flicked a look at the men in the room with us, and I'd let my eyes tell him he had gotten it in one.

As I got ready for the day, I shored up my defenses so that hopefully, I wouldn't be a mess before the day was over. The emotions I'd been bombarded with lately were taking a toll on me, and I just wanted to find a dark room and close the door for a while. I couldn't be selfish, though. I knew I needed to do this. For one, whether I was ready or not, these two men were going to be coming after us, and I needed to make sure we were all ready for the danger when it came.

I dressed in faded blue jeans, a yellow, short-sleeved blouse, and a pair of tan sandals. I brushed my hair and left it down. Then I went over to sit on the bed. Digging through my bag, I found the necklace my father had given me that last Christmas before he was murdered. I put the necklace on and closed my eyes to say the prayer my father had taught me, all those long years ago, in the language of his ancestors. Although I'd been only four, I still remembered every bit of it:

Praise to Mother Earth, the moon and stars in the night sky. Praise to the mountains and waters and all other things in nature. Thanks to the planet, sky, wind, and water for the strength you bring to me. Thank you, Father, for all I am. Help me to serve You and to help Your other children to know what is right and what is true.

I stood and then made my way out to the dining room, where a breakfast buffet was set up. I went to the side board and took a plate before carefully selecting from the dishes there. There was an awesome array of fresh fruits, and I mostly made my selections from those, as well as some yogurt. Heading over to the table, I took a seat with the others that were already seated there. I used the yogurt as a dip and was thoroughly enjoying my food when Stephanie, Ranger, and Julie joined us. They made their way over to the side board and filled their plates before joining us.

Once they were seated, Stephanie dug into her Boston Cream doughnut and moaned with her first bite. I grinned as I felt the reaction from the guys at the table.

Ranger watched her with a predatory gleam in his eyes, but I wasn't worried. I knew he'd never do anything to hurt her. Once everyone was finished eating, he turned to me and asked, "Who would you like to work with today, little one?"

I looked around the table, letting my gaze settle on Tank. I grinned. "Are you up for a little adventure, big guy?"

Tank grinned and gave me a wink. "You bet, little bit."

I tilted my head as I looked at the others. "In order for this to work, I need to spend time with each one of you individually, and I'm going to have to fit four of you into each day in order to get done in three days. I'll spend two hours with each of you, and we need to be away from the house so I can get an accurate feel for your abilities. Today, I'll spend time with Tank, followed by Hal, Binkie, and Vince. We'll need to be careful while we're out. We can't discount Delies or Darrow not to put in an appearance."

They seemed surprised by my assessment of the situation, as if they hadn't expected it to be so concise. I bit my lip as I looked at each of the men I'd be partnering today, then gave a nod. "I think I have an idea." I grinned. "I'll go to a gym with Tank and then do Tour City—going through all the really neat older homes in the area—with Hal. Then I'll spend the afternoon at Seaside Park with Binkie, and finally, will eat dinner with Vince at The Jungle."

Ranger nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. You think that will help you to decipher everything that's coming at you?"

I nodded. "I do."

Ranger turned to Hector. "Set up a trackers so we know where Bree is at all times." He turned to me and continued. "When you're able to understand the input you're receiving, I'd like you to let us in on what you find."

I nodded. "Absolutely."

Tank pushed back from the table and asked, "You ready to go?"

I smiled before standing and telling him, "Ready when you are."

Tank grinned. "Let's do this, then."

We both detoured to our rooms to grab gym bags with clothes and then headed toward the garage. Tank opened the passenger door for me, lifting me inside before going around and getting in behind the wheel. We headed into the nearest town, where I knew we'd find a gym. Tank took care of getting us into the gym as visitors, and we headed for the changing rooms to get changed. I met him back in the gym area a few minutes later, and for the next hour and a half, we worked out. I was surprised at the amount of weight that I was able to lift on the machines and wondered if this was part of Tank's abilities. He was a big man and stronger than anyone I'd ever met before. After all, who else could complete a workout at the maximum amount the machines were capable of? I was getting tired by the end of the workout, and my mind wandered slightly. That was the only excuse for what happened. I was placing the bar back on the stand over me when I lost my grip.

I must have made a noise, because I heard Tank say, "Damn!"

Suddenly, the weights were hovering over me. I turned to see that Tank's eyes were focused on the weight bar, and as I watched, the bar raised in the air without the benefit of anyone touching it and gently rested on its perch.

I turned to Tank and smiled. "I think I know what ability you have..."

Tank turned to me and blinked before he smiled and winked, "That's only about the third time that's happened. I have to admit, I'm a little freaked out each time it does. After all, that kind of shit is stuff you see in horror movies."

Tank held out his hand, and I placed mine inside his. He helped me to stand and said, "I'll see you back here after you shower and change."

I nodded before padding off toward the locker room. Twenty minutes later, I was walking back out front with my gym bag. Hal was standing beside Tank near the front door, and I made my way over to them. I handed my bag to Tank and smiled at Hal. "You ready to hit the tour circuit?"

Hal nodded, "We have just enough time to make their next tour. We should be done by lunchtime."

I followed Hal over to the SUV he was driving. He walked me to the passenger seat and lifted me inside before climbing in on the driver's side. Hal drove us to the area of the city where the beach front tours started. Once he parked, he helped me out of the vehicle, and we made our way into the office. He bought us our tickets, and we got in line to wait with the others.

By the time we boarded the bus that was taking us on the tour, there were only three seats left. I stopped where there were two seats together, and the other seat was directly behind, with a gentleman who was already seated.

Hal leaned down and whispered, "Would you mind if I took the seat with the gentleman there, and you sat in the row ahead of us with the young woman that just came on the bus behind us? Those are the only seats left, and she would feel better sitting by you rather than one of us."

I nodded, taking a seat, and the young black woman sat down beside me. She seemed to take a relaxing breath and sent me a relived smile. I returned her smile, and as Hal sat behind us, I felt her tense up slightly.

I leaned over and whispered, "He won't hurt you. He's an oversized teddy bear."

The young woman laughed and asked, "How long have you known each other?"

I replied, "Just a couple of weeks, but he and his friends helped save my friend's life, as well as my own."

She looked at me for a moment and then nodded.

When the bus stopped, we got off and followed our guide. As we walked through the houses, I kept getting flashes of fear. It wasn't coming from any one person, but seemed to be coming from all around. There was one piece, a sixteenth century mask, that haunted me, and I went to touch it.

Before my hand could connect with it, Hal intercepted me and leaned down to whisper, "That's not a good idea. The man who owned that makes Tex look like a choir boy. You don't need to see that or feel the fear those around him felt."

I turned to Hal and studied him for several seconds, then smiled before saying, "You see their fear. Just like with the woman on the bus."

He shrugged. "It's just something I've known since I was little."

We continued with the tour, and when it ended, I noticed that Binkie was waiting for us. It was time to get some lunch, and hopefully, we'd be able to do that at Seaside Park.

I said goodbye to Hal and followed Binkie to his SUV. When he followed me to the passenger side and lifted me inside like the other two guys had, I rolled my eyes.

When he climbed inside, he grinned at me and said, "I take it the other guys did the same thing. Sorry, but you are such a little thing, I wasn't sure you'd be able to climb in on your own."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I think you guys see me as being Julie's age."

Binkie looked shocked. "You mean you're not?"

We both laughed as Binkie pulled out into traffic. In no time, we were at the amusement park. We made our way to one of the concession stands and got something to eat, then we walked around as we finished our meal.

My senses seemed heightened, and I was getting input from the people around us like I'd never gotten before.

Binkie shook his head and said, "I wish parents wouldn't do that to their children."

I turned and gave him a puzzled look. "What?"

He indicated a couple that were screaming at their children. I moved closer to Binkie, and he put his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, little sister. He'll just yell and make them feel like crap. He won't physically hurt them. Another generation being initiated into making their children feel like worthless pieces of crap."

I turned to Binkie and asked, "What makes you say that?"

He nodded to the man. "It's what he grew up with."

My eyes narrowed as I asked, "You can see how his actions were formed by his past."

Binkie looked at me and shrugged. "I guess."

We continued walking, stopping occasionally to go on rides, and then Binkie won me a couple of prizes. It was the final prize that he handed me that brought tears to my eyes. He handed me an intricately woven dream catcher that reminded me of my father. I lowered my head as I looked at the prize and tried to keep the tears from falling.

Binkie lifted my chin and said, "You honor your father every time you remember him. Your tears are not wasted."

I looked up into his eyes and felt his warmth around me. He reminded me of Micha in that moment. I nodded, whispering, "Thank you."

We made our way back toward the SUV, and Vince was waiting in his vehicle, which was parked next to ours. Binkie walked me over and opened the door for me.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, you aren't going to lift me inside?"

Vince grinned. "I would've, but I kinda see you as a resilient kind of person who can manage on her own."

I nodded. "Appreciated."

I climbed up beside Vince and waved goodbye to Binkie as Vince headed us in the direction of The Jungle. It was a dining experience not to be missed.

When we reached the restaurant, Vince parked the SUV, then he walked beside me toward the entrance.

Once inside, the maître de showed us to a table and handed us menus. His eyes ran over me before he asked, "Can I get you and your daughter something to drink?"

Vince's eyes widened and he looked over at me with a bemused expression on his face. "What would you like to drink, kiddo?"

I giggled. "I'd like a Shirley Temple please, Daddy."

Vince raised one eyebrow and muttered, "Brat." before turning to the man waiting for our drink orders. He said, "A Shirley Temple and coffee, black."

The man bowed and moved away.

Once he was out of earshot, Vince scowled and said, "If that ass comes back and says the wrong thing, I'll personally introduce his mouth to my fist."

"I'm glad you're here with me. He kind of gives me the creeps."

Vince nodded. "He's a monster."

I turned to Vince, seeing he was telling it like he saw it. What's more, I knew what he said was true. The way the man's eyes had wandered over me made me ill. I looked around the room, and after a moment, I asked Vince, "You see that old man over there? What's your impression of him?"

Vince gave me a puzzled look, but turned toward the old man. He smiled. "He's a beautiful soul, full of life and love."

The old man was walking around a table, kissing all the young girls. Most people would think the man was a lecher because of how he was acting.

I tilted my head and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Vince shrugged. "He's letting his granddaughters know he is proud and he loves them."

I'd seen that as well. The look on his face as he kissed each of the girls and the words he'd said to let them know he was proud made them look at him with shining eyes. His hands touched the tops of their heads only, and the feelings inside him were innocent of anything sexual. I was about to ask Vince another question, when he started to laugh. I turned to see what might be causing his humor and saw a young man on one knee, proposing.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you find that funny?"

"Because the man already has two other wives."

"You see the heart of their souls."

Vince smiled. "It's come in handy on missions. It gives my team an edge to be able to see who's a good guy and who isn't."

I nodded in agreement.

Our drinks arrived a minute later, and we gave our order. It didn't take long before we were enjoying the marvelous food, and once we finished, we headed out to the SUV. It had been a long day, and I was feeling tired. I let myself relax, closing my eyes. The next thing I knew, the door was being opened and Lester was lifting me out and carrying me inside. I felt the silence for the first time that day and nestled into him to let the silence surround me.