Merry belated CHRISTmas! I hope you all had an Amazing one! I know I did. :D

I know this update is a bit late but it was Christmas week after all... Plus my mind just couldn't focus. Blah. I finally forced myself to just sit down and finished the next chapter for you.

Thanks for the Reviews, alerts, favorites, etc! You guys Rock all the way around the Christmas Tree and beyond! (Yes, that was lame, but I don't care :P)

Chapter 25

Four Years Ago

R.E.D. Headquarters

3:39 PM

"Chip; there are intruders in the building!" Ben's voice shouted as he sneered at the NSA agents before them; he then gripped Casey's hand in his and shot her a wink.

Suddenly an ear splitting alarm sounded within the building and Chip's voice began repeating over and over: "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

While Agent Carlson and his men were startled by the noise and red lights flashing, Ben and Casey managed to slip past them and ran through the lab towards the secret passageway in the far wall.

"Find those two before they escape again!" Casey could hear Carlson yell at his men.

Before they could reach the hidden door, a gun shot went off in the lab and a bullet zipped past Ben's head.

Casey stared at her partner with wide eyes, "Did they just shoot at us?" She exclaimed just as another shot was fired in their direction.

"I'd say so." Ben replied with an equally shocked expression.

Casey was beginning to think that Carlson and his men weren't who they said they were as Ben yanked her down beside him while they hid behind a counter.

"We have to get out of here before they kill us!" Casey whisper yelled to the man at her side.

Ben didn't reply as he peeked over the counter to see where their assailants were.

"Ben, please tell me you have a plan?" Casey pulled on his arm so that he looked at her and pleaded with desperate eyes.

"Well I definitely didn't see this coming." Her partner admitted with a frown. "But I have an idea."

Casey noticed that his eyes failed to have their usual mischievous glint and she knew that she wasn't going to like this plan.

"I'll distract them while you escape through the passageway." Ben said to her as he stared seriously into her eyes.

She immediately shook her head, "No, Ben! There is no way that I am leaving you here!"

"I'll be right behind you!"

"No! We stick together!"

"Casey, I can't risk the both of us getting caught. You need to go now!"

"I am not leaving you!" Casey stood her ground as she glared at him and Ben knew he wasn't going to be able to change her mind. She was definitely stubborn.

He let out a sigh as he peeked around the corner again, seeing that Carlson and his men were approaching fast.

"Then we have no choice but to fight." He spoke solemnly.

Casey bit her lip, "But they took our guns."

"I know."

The young agent nodded, understanding that this was their only chance.

"Let's do this then." She said as she squeezed his hand once more and went to stand up.

"So, I'm guessing by the way you guys are shooting at us that you are just like Phillip Greenwood?" Ben spoke loudly as he and Casey stood up with their hands raised in surrender.

Carlson and his men stood a few feet away with their guns pointed at the two agents and grins on their faces.

"Maybe not exactly like Phil, considering he obviously has a soft spot for Miss. McDonald here." Carlson scowled disgustedly as he continued to approach them. "I can't believe that idiot let the two of you live."

"At least he managed to do something right," Ben said with a smirk, "because we're the ones that are going to take you down!"

Before the double-crossing NSA agents could fire their weapons, Casey and Ben both launched over the counter centered between them and their enemies and kicked the guns out of their hands.

Ben went after the two goons while Casey took on Richmond Carlson herself.

"You really think you two rookies can defeat us and the rest of the people involved? This goes way beyond anything you could imagine. You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into." Carlson said as Casey advanced on him, jumping from the counter and punching him in the jaw.

"Don't underestimate my partner and me." Casey growled and ducked just in time to miss his fist slamming into her face, almost knocking the breathing mask off.

Casey blocked his attacks with her arms and managed to punch him in the gut. Carlson stumbled back into another counter, knocking over a couple of beakers and test tubes. He scowled bitterly at her as he clutched his stomach.

She heard a groan come from Ben and turned to see one of the men holding him in a vice grip while the other man repeatedly punched him in the abdomen.

"Casey, get out of here now!" Ben shouted to her, his face wincing in pain from another blow.

"I won't leave you!" She yelled back.

All of a sudden she felt a gun press into her back and Carlson's arm snaked around her neck, causing her to choke from the pressure as it cut off her air supply.

"You should've listened to your partner, Casey." The NSA betrayer breathed into her ear causing Casey to shiver with revulsion.

She tried to break free from his hold but it was no use. She and Ben were both caught with no way out.

"Now, be a good little spy and hold still." Carlson said and suddenly Casey felt a slight prick in her neck and her vision began to blur.

"What did you just do?" She choked out as he let go of her and she fell to the ground. Her limbs felt like jelly when she tried to stand up.

"Since you and your partner are so keen on stopping us, I'm sure it'd be even more fun for you to witness as the rest of our plan is taken into effect." He grinned down at her before Casey's eyes closed and she collapsed to the floor with a groan.

(=)

"Casey... Casey..." Casey blinked a couple of times as the blurry image of her partner kneeling over her came into view.

"W... What happened?" She choked out. Her throat was extremely dry and it hurt to talk.

"I don't know... but at least we're alive." Ben breathed out with a sigh as he grabbed her hand to help her sit up.

The young agent leaned against the cement wall behind her and brought her knees to her chest as she placed her palm on her forehead.

"You alright?" Ben asked with concern.

"Just a bit dizzy."

"Same here. Whatever they gave us was strong and the side effects haven't worn off yet."

"Do you have any idea what it was?"

"I don't even know how long we've been out. It could be a week later and we wouldn't know." He frowned at the dimly lit room surrounding them.

Casey gasped, "I pray to God that it hasn't been that long. My family would begin to worry about me and think I'm dead."

Ben placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to calm her down, "I'm sure it hasn't been more than a day, Casey. Your family will be fine and you will see them again."

Casey nodded weakly and let her head drop in her hands.

"We need to keep it together while we're in here. We can't let them know that they've affected us in the slightest. Remember your training."

Casey scowled across the room, "I was trained by a traitor. Who knows if my training was even accurate?"

"Obviously it was or you wouldn't be here right now."

"Where do you even think 'here' is?" She asked as she glanced around the small enclosure. The walls and floor were made of cold cement bricks; a light bulb hung in the middle of the ceiling, looking like it wouldn't last much longer as it flickered occasionally; a large metal door stood at the far end of the room, most likely locked from the outside; and a bucket sat in the far right corner, which caused Casey to shiver at the thought of what it was for.

"Maybe they've taken us to their hide out?" He guessed with a shrug.

"I don't understand why they didn't just kill us..."

Ben's frown deepened, "Because that would be a treat compared to what I'm guessing they have planned for us."

Casey was silent for a moment as she bit her lip, trying to hold in the tears threatening to spill. This job had turned out to be way more than she expected.

"Do you ever..." Casey spoke hesitantly, "regret this job?"

Ben sighed as he took a seat against the wall beside her and leaned his head back so that he was staring up at the cemented roof, "Honestly, I love this job, but these past few days have definitely taken their toll on me. Saving the world is not all that it's cracked up to be. It's a hard job, especially since we don't have super human powers to aid us." Ben turned his green eyed gaze towards her with the hint of a smirk on his lips.

Thoughts of the kiss Ben had planted on her before running from the fake NSA cronies came to her mind once again and she wanted to know what it meant, especially if this could be their last moments alive...

Casey was about to open her mouth to speak her mind when the door at the end of the room squealed open and in walked Richmond Carlson with that disgusting smug smile on his face.

"You're finally awake." He said as he approached them with two other men standing behind to watch the door.

"Where are we?" Ben asked as he stood up and glared at the man.

"Now, why would I tell you that?" The side of Carlson's mouth twitched with amusement.

"What do you want with us?" Casey asked as she stood to her feet as well and matched her partner's glower.

"Well since we can't have you two out ruining our plans, we had to take you with us."

"What was in the drug you gave us?"

Carlson shrugged, "Nothing that could seriously harm you. I bet you're thirsty beyond belief though, huh?"

Neither agent replied, which confirmed the truth. Even the thought of water drenching her parched throat made Casey shiver with anticipation.

"I thought so." He grinned. "If you promise to behave, then I can quench that thirst for you."

"We don't want anything from you." Ben scowled fiercely. "Now tell us why you're here or get out."

Carlson tsked as he shook his head, "Now, is that any way to talk to your host? All I'm offering is a bottle of water."

Casey scoffed, "How do we know it's not drugged or poisoned?"

"You'll just have to trust me." He shrugged nonchalantly with a wink. "Besides, if you don't drink anything in the next hour, you'll start to hallucinate and possibly pass out."

"Screw off." Ben snapped. "We don't want your water."

"He's telling the truth, Agent Blake." A familiar voice said from behind the former NSA agent.

A shiver went down Casey's spine when Phillip Greenwood entered the room, avoiding meeting Casey's gaze as he continued to speak.

"Take the water. You know you need it."

"YOU." Casey spoke with venom in her voice as she took a step forward. "How could you do this? How could you betray everyone you worked with, including me?"

Ben grabbed her arm, forcing her to take a step back as she glared intensely at her former handler and friend.

She thought she saw a flash of guilt in eyes but it was quickly replaced with a grim expression, "I don't expect you to understand, Casey, but you should at least be grateful that I saved your life."

"I would have rather you let me suffer with the rest of my colleagues." She snarled through a hoarse voice.

"Just drink the water." Phil said before tossing two bottles to the floor and walking away without another word.

"Awe. What a touching reunion." Carlson mocked with his hand to his heart. He then turned to walk out the door before shouting over his shoulder at them, "And don't even think of trying to escape. This place is heavily guarded. One step out of this room and you'll have a bullet through your head."

Ben and Casey both looked away as he waved at them and closed the metal door with loud bang.

"Are you okay?" Her partner asked as he turned to her.

Casey didn't reply as she picked up one of the bottles of clear liquid and inspected it.

"Do you think this is really safe?" She asked, ignoring his question. She didn't want to talk about Phillip right now. After yelling at him, her throat felt like it was on fire and she'd really like to know if her life was still a possibility if she drank the enemy's water.

"Let me take the first sip. If I don't pass out or die, then we'll know it's good." Ben said as he grabbed the other bottle from the floor and twisted off the cap.

"That's suicide!" Casey cried as she stared at him with wide eyes. "I will not let you do that!"

"It's the only way to know for sure, and I'd rather risk my life than yours."

"I'm touched that you care so much, Ben, but I won't let you do that."

"It's not your choice to make." He said and tipped the bottle to his lips.

"Why did you kiss me?" Casey suddenly blurted out before a drop of water could touch his mouth.

Ben's eyes widened for a moment as he lowered the bottle and looked at the wall behind her. He ran a hand through his blonde locks and let out a sigh, "I... I don't know..."

Casey fidgeted with her fingers as she looked into his eyes, "Did... did you mean it?"

"Did I mean what?"

"The kiss... I mean... Did it mean anything to you?"

Ben averted her gaze and shook his head, "I don't know... I guess I just did it to do it..."

Casey quirked a confused brow, "So you just kissed me because you could? There was no real reason behind it?"

He could see the anger beginning to build in her expression and tried to search for the right words, "Look, Casey, I admit that I do feel an attraction to you but... we're partners... and we've only just started out together..."

"I get it, Ben." She held up a hand to silence him. "But if you knew that nothing could become of it, then you shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"I'm sorry?" He said and it was more of a question than an answer.

"Whatever." Casey shook her head, suddenly wanting to stand in a corner to shake off the humiliation and confusion she was feeling at the moment.

She knew Ben was right. They'd only just begun to work together as a team and they couldn't screw that up by starting a relationship. What if it didn't work out? They couldn't exactly ask for new partners. They were stuck with each other for however long the Agency decided to keep them.

"The water is fine by the way." Ben's voice spoke from behind her.

Casey spun around to see him drinking the foreboding liquid and without thinking she smacked the bottle from his hands with a horrified shriek causing it to spill all over the floor.

"Casey!" Ben shouted as he looked at her with a shocked expression. "You just wasted my water!"

"I told you not to drink it!" She scolded him.

"It wasn't poisoned or anything."

"How do you know it wasn't?"

"Because I just did."

"You're an idiot." She shook her head as she folded her arms across her chest and continued to glare at him.

"Yeah, well thanks to you, this idiot has no water."

"Are you sure it's safe?" She asked with apprehension as she took a step towards him. "You're not going to suddenly fall over and have a heart attack, are you?"

Ben grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes, "Casey, I'm fine. Just drink the water before you completely lose your voice and start hallucinating."

Casey glanced down at the bottle in her hands and hesitantly twisted off the cap and brought it to her mouth.

"We can share it." She said to him with a half smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She said and quickly gulped down the water before she could give it anymore thought.

The cool liquid running down her throat felt amazing as Casey took another sip before handing the bottle to Ben. It didn't taste any different than water should and neither of them had passed out yet or felt any side effects because of it, so Casey finally concluded that it was safe to drink.

"We should make sure we save some." She said as he handed the water back to her and she replaced the lid. "Just in case they plan on keeping us in here for a long time."

"Good thinking, Bluebird." He smiled at her. "And in the meantime, we need to plan some form of an escape."

"But Carlson said..."

"Carlson's an ass and there is no way that his threats meant anything to me. We're getting out of here, Casey, and we're going to find that antidote."

"What about Phil?" Casey grimaced.

"What about him?"

"He won't let us leave either, and he knows us, he knows how we think. How are supposed to pull one over on him when he was one of the reasons I even became a spy?"

"We'll figure something out."

(=)

Present Time

Casey's Apartment

Downtown Toronto

10:36 AM

Derek let out a sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the spare key to his stepsister's place. He cringed at the thought of walking into her house without her there to nag him or tell him what to do.

After the private jet landed about an hour ago, Derek was forced to go home and get some rest before meeting up with Colonel Kluess at R.E.D. Derek refused to just go home and sleep while Casey was out there right now suffering at the hands of Haldega and his ugly goon. He'd wanted to go straight to the Agency and demand to speak with the boss immediately but Karma told him that wouldn't be a good idea. Kluess wasn't even at the building right now because he was already making plans to get his agent back, which made Derek feel slightly more at ease.

Ben had pulled through during surgery in Germany but he still needed to be checked out by the doctors in their own country, and he still wasn't very conscious, which had Karma going crazy on the inside. Derek was at least relieved to know that Casey's partner was alive. He was grateful for everything Ben had done to try and get Casey back.

Casey.

He shook his head as the last image of her appeared in his mind once again and proceeded to open the door and walk inside.

A red light suddenly lit up the room, startling Derek and making him gasp.

"Good morning, Derek Venturi." Chip's voice spoke, which caused Derek's rapidly beating heart to return to a steady pace as he closed the door and locked it, not bothering to reply to the security system.

"I detect sorrow." Chip said as Derek made his way towards the kitchen, dropping his and Casey's luggage in the front hallway.

"I don't want to talk about it, Chip." Derek snapped.

He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, knowing that he needed a shower but deciding it could wait until after he ate. Even in a depressed state, Derek needed his food. He opened a cupboard above the stove and grabbed a can of Ravioli. It was simple to make and would quench his hunger for the time being.

While Derek poured the contents of the can into a bowl and opened the microwave, he heard a phone ringing in the other room. He set the bowl down and went in search of the noise, wondering where it was coming from. It couldn't be his phone because R.E.D. had confiscated it in case he tried to contact anyone after the incident at the rink.

He edged closer to Casey's bag and realized the sound was coming from inside her luggage.

Should I answer it? He wondered as he unzipped the front pocket of the suitcase and pulled out a small black cell phone. He didn't recognize it as anything Casey had owned. Odd... He thought while it continued ringing in his hand. He finally let out a sigh as he clicked talk and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Venturi," a male voice answered on the other end, "my name is Phillip Greenwood and I think I know where Casey is."

Ooohh! (Who else thought of the Oh cat from Puss in Boots? Lol) What do you think is going to happen in both past and present? Can Phil really be trusted? Aahh! It's getting Intense!

Please Review and even let me know how Awesome your Christmas was!

Have a Very Happy New Year! Make good New Year choices! See you in 2012!