(Dongsheng, China, 2011)

The shrill chirping of her phone from its position on the nightstand beside the bed woke Katherine from a deep slumber, her brow furrowing as she took a moment or two to orient herself to her surroundings. This was not her hotel room. That much was obvious from the way in which her gaze had almost immediately landed upon the unfamiliar suitcase that had been stashed between the bed, and the half-opened window overlooking the streets below. And although the first instinct she felt was fear at having woken in a strange location, Katherine soon found that her memory was returning in fits and starts, a faint flush adorning her cheeks as she reached for her phone at the exact same time she realized the only thing covering her body from the slight chill in the air was the sheet bunched up beneath her arms.

"Hello?"

"Good. You're awake," The familiar voice of her guardian rang out, the sound causing Katherine to turn just a bit to gaze at the still-sleeping form beside her, as though she had suddenly become fearful he might make a sound, and alert Greer to the fact that she was not alone, "How are things going with our mutual friend?"

"Well enough," Katherine admitted, clutching the sheet to her chest as she squirmed her way into a seated position, and once again glanced towards her companion to assure herself that her movements had not caused him to wake, "Though, she still is not as forthcoming as I would have hoped."

"That will come in time, my dear. I have every reason to believe that you are more than capable of performing admirably in the task at hand."

"That's good to hear, I suppose—"

"Indeed."

"Where are you, now?"

"I am precisely where I need to be, Greer replied, the almost predictable enigmatic nature of the response causing Katherine's lip to twitch minutely, though she held in the full scope of her amusement in favor of attempting to distract herself from her own current position by pressing him for more information.

"And you don't intend to tell me where that is?"

"You already know the answer to that inquiry, Katherine."

"Perhaps I do," The young woman agreed, using her free hand to tuck a lock of dark hair behind her ear, and resisting the urge to flinch when she came to the realization that her companion had stirred from his sleep just enough to place a hand upon her thigh, "Are you—will you be coming back, soon?"

"Missing me already, my dear?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"The sentiment is appreciated," Greer assured, his tone even, as always, despite the fact that Katherine had hoped she would have been capable of sensing at least some modicum of amusement, instead, "I trust you have been keeping Zachary appraised of your progress, as well."

"Of course."

"Good. If he is to protect you to the fullest extent of his capabilities, complete disclosure is preferred."

"I always thought he was better suited to protecting you," Katherine intoned, allowing her gaze to drift down to the hand still resting upon her thigh, and bringing her own to rest on top of it with a small smile spared for its owner before going on, "Don't you miss your little bodyguard?"

"I am more than satisfied with the man who has stepped up to take Zachary's place until such a time as I can return to Dongsheng."

"I suppose I should be glad to hear that."

"You should," Greer confirmed, the sound of muted conversation suddenly cutting into the call, and causing Katherine to feel more than a little curious about exactly what her guardian might be involved in, in her absence, as a result. Of course, she did not question him about it, knowing that if she did, she would likely only receive an unsatisfactory and elusive remark in response. But regardless of her apparent reservation when it came to inquiring about Geer's activities, Katherine would have been a fool to pretend she did not feel at least slightly tempted to try discovering the nature of his activities on her own, her lips pursing into a line until she was brought back to the present by the sound of Greer's voice once more.

"It would seem something more pressing requires my attention at the present, my dear. I trust you will contact me, should any problems arise as it pertains to Miss Stanton, and her continued recovery?"

"I will."

"Very good. I am very eager to hear of your continued success."

Before she could say another word, the call disconnected, giving Katherine no choice but to lean over to replace the phone upon the nightstand, while her teeth worried idly at her lower lip. She had never been one to doubt her own abilities, even in the beginning of her training, when she faced more than one fellow new recruit that seemed to think she was only involved because of her relationship to their enigmatic leader. But now, for some reason she could not fully explain, she felt the tiniest bit of fear that she would not, in fact, prove equal to her current task, her attention only turning away from such morose thoughts as she realized her companion had shifted so that he could trace his fingertips in a path from the base of her neck, to the bottom of her spine.

"That the boss-man?"

"You could say that—"

"What did he want?"

"Just checking in."

"He the hovering type, then?" Chase surmised, leaning down to place his mouth against Katherine's shoulder, and allowing the hand at the base of her spine to slide beneath the sheet to wind around her abdomen, instead, "I've always hated those types—"

"He's not—that's not really what that was."

"Oh?"

"It's not," Katherine insisted, turning so that she faced the man beside her more directly, and doing the best she could to avoid allowing herself to become too distracted by the earnest concern apparent in his expression, "He's concerned for my safety."

"This, from the girl who always acts so sure she can take care of herself."

"I can take care of myself."

"And he doesn't agree?"

"Honestly? It's kind of hard to tell."

"Well maybe it's not a bad thing he's giving you protection," Chase suggested, aware of the almost immediate protest that became so inherent in his companion's expression, and moving to waylay her impending protest as best he could, "Hey, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was relieved someone was trying to keep you safe."

"Is that your way of suggesting I can't do that myself?"

"No. It's my way of saying I'm more worried about you insisting on doing everything on your own in some sort of sick attempt at proving yourself, and ending up getting hurt in the process."

"Seems like you're using different words to say the exact same thing, Chase," Katherine pressed, pulling back just a bit from the sensation of Chase's hand as it came to rest upon her forearm, the warmth of his palm burning against her skin like a brand, "Though I can't say I'm particularly surprised."

"I'm not saying the exact same thing at all, kitten."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I care about you," Chase informed, allowing his hand to trace its way down Katherine's forearm in favor of grabbing her hand, instead, and maintaining his grip even when she sought to pull away, "And I don't think you're exactly the sort of person to know when they've gotten in over their head."

"I have no reason to believe I'm in over my head."

"No? Because that is precisely what someone would say when they're just proving my point."

"And why are you so determined to believe I'm proving your point?" Katherine demanded, astonishment coloring her tone as she forced herself to continue looking Chase in the eye, despite the fact that her own conflicting feelings over his apparent worry for her safety had her wanting to look away, "What if you're the one being paranoid, here?"

"I'm not."

"Explain."

"You haven't gotten around to asking me how I found out you were here," Chase began, watching as Katherine's expression turned from affronted, to something more akin to the beginnings of open curiosity as he elaborated further, "Or if I know what your doing, when you're at that hospital all day."

"I—how did you know that I've been—"

"New job. Remember?"

"New job doing what, exactly?" Katherine asked, trying and failing to utterly suppress the sudden bolt of dread that coiled in her belly as suspicion rose to the forefront of her mind in response to her companion's assertion. The idea that she may have been wrong to trust him so implicitly troubled her far more than she truly wanted to admit, particularly in light of the fact that her training thus far only made her into a fool for giving in to her desire for camaraderie in the first place. But before she could come to any sort of a conclusion as far as her own capabilities of judging people's trustworthiness for herself, Katherine found herself once again distracted by Chase's voice, his tone soft, as though he feared speaking too loudly might turn her away from him for good.

"Let's just call it good old-fashioned reconnaissance."

"Really? That's all you're going to give me?"

"It's all I can give you, for now," Chase replied, frowning as he realized Katherine did not appear at all convinced that he was telling her the truth, and endeavoring to rectify the situation before she could interrupt, "And the fact that the woman you're working with? She's dangerous."

"She's nearly immobilized in a hospital bed."

"For now. She wasn't always that way, and she won't be for very much longer, either."

"Well you already know I have a friend here with me. I'm not alone, Chase, even if I did prove you right, and end up incapable of defending myself if things went south."

"And you're sure your friend is trustworthy?"

"I am."

"How can you know for certain?"

"Because he was placed here with the express instruction to keep me safe, whether I wanted him to or not," Katherine quipped, withdrawing her hand from Chase's grasp, and turning to attempt starting the search for her clothes while one hand still clutched at the sheet covering her bare torso from view, "And I really think I should go, now."

"No, you don't."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't," Chase repeated, shifting closer towards the edge of the bed as Katherine rose to stand, and latching on to the edge of the sheet so that, if she decided to move any further away, she would end up losing the protective barrier she seemed to so clearly desire between them as a result. It did not take her long to discover such a thing for herself, it seemed, the way in which her blue eyes narrowed almost provoking a smile to his lips before he could summon the wherewithal to stop it. But of course, he was not quite foolish enough to allow it to take over his features entirely, knowing that if he did, he would likely only make the sudden tension between them even worse.

"Stay, Kath. Your hulking body guard can amuse himself on his own for just a bit longer."

"Why should I? If you can't trust me enough to tell me what you're doing here—"

"It has nothing to do with whether I trust you or not. And for the record, I do trust you. With my life, in fact."

"Then why can't you tell me what the hell is going on?" Katherine questioned, leaning down to tug the sheet out from its position grasped in Chase's hand, and backing up a step or two as she realized he had simultaneously chosen to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and stand to his full height before her, effectively trapping her between the wall at her back, and his frame, "Why—why the secrecy?"

"Think about the running theme of this conversation, kitten. To keep you safe."

"Right. Because your boss, who doesn't even know me is clearly a threat."

"He may be. He was certainly vague enough about his reasons for wanting to look into the woman you're currently associating with."

"So, you have no idea why she's of interest?'

"I don't," Chase confirmed, once again reaching towards Katherine and running the pads of his fingers against the pale skin of her arm as he approached, aware of the shiver that coursed through her frame in response, "But I'm going to find out."

"What about you, then? Can you protect yourself?" The young woman asked, silently pleased that her voice did not waver, even in spite of the realization that her concern over her companion's welfare was startlingly potent in the face of the potential danger his new job posed, "I don't see any—hulking bodyguards, as you so eloquently put it, lurking around here."

"I think I'm going to be doing just fine. Or at least, I will be, as soon as you promise me one thing, in return for my agreement to stop pestering you about your own safety."

"What's that?"

"Promise me, if you do land in hot water, you'll call me to help get you out."

"So long as you do the same."

"I'd say we have ourselves a deal," Chase supplied, finally feeling that it was safe enough to smile, and finding himself more than a little relieved that Katherine had managed a faint grin of her own, in return. He would have been a liar to pretend that he was not doubtful over each of their prospects as it pertained to what they had been sent here to do, regardless of whether or not he would ever admit to such a thing out loud. He knew that if he had confessed, instead of seeking compromise instead, he likely would have only pushed his companion away, thus denying him the chance to close the distance between them once again so that he might cup her cheek in the palm of his hand. And, as soon as he gathered that Katherine was readily meeting his gaze head-on, rather than attempting to pull away, Chase leaned forward to brush his lips against her own, the soft hum of approval that she gave in response only giving him leave to continue as they had been the night before.

For now, at least, the two of them could simply get lost in one another, and leave all further potentially unpleasant speculation over the real world for a later time.

…

(New York City, United States, December 2010)

"So—where, exactly, are we going?" Katherine queried, risking a glance at the man she walked beside, while simultaneously stowing her hands in her jacket pockets to ward off the wind's bracing chill, "The plaza? Dinner and a movie?"

"Hardly. What I am going to show you, Miss Greer, is something far more—relevant."

"Relevant to what?"

"To your training. What else?"

"Honestly? I was kind of looking forward to a bit of sightseeing."

"You and I both know we are not here on vacation, Katherine," Her companion cautioned, holding out a hand to stall her movements as they came to a busy intersection, where traffic had just begun to move in such a way that would hinder their progress across the street, "You are here to watch, and learn."

"Watch and learn. So, it is a movie."

"If you choose to see it that way, I suppose I can't argue with you."

"Because you know you'll lose?"

"Because I would rather spend my time instructing, instead of bickering."

"But you and I bicker so well, Jeremy," Katherine pouted, laughing openly as the man beside her regarded her with a look that was obviously intended to be stern, but fell short of the mark by just a bit despite his best intentions, "Seems a shame to waste the opportunity."

"I believe Mister Greer would feel it was a shame to waste a chance for education with pointless banter," Jeremy disagreed, aware of the slight huff Katherine gave in response to his words, and choosing to ignore it in favor of going on, "And to answer your question, we are going to a café to meet a potential new friend."

"A café."

"Did you not hear me the first time?"

"Oh, I did. I was just making sure I wasn't imagining things."

"You are not."

"Good to know. I would hate to believe I was losing my touch," Katherine teased, nudging Jeremy in the side with her elbow, and frowning at the arched brow she received as a result, "What? I'm not allowed to joke, now?"

"Your training is hardly a joke, Miss Greer."

"Katherine."

"Miss Greer," Jeremy insisted, placing a hand at the small of Katherine's back to lead her across the intersection, and then keeping it there in order to steer her towards the aforementioned café in the same motion, "We are here to work, not to pose as friends."

"Ouch. And here I thought we were actually friends, not just acting like it."

"We are not. Not here. After you."

Doing her best to keep her disappointment from showing upon her face as she did as she had been instructed, and stepped through the door to the café they had approached while Jeremy held it open for her, Katherine waited for him to follow along after her, one dark brow cocked in obvious inquiry as to when, if ever, he planned to divulge what on earth it was they were supposed to be doing. Upon realizing that such a thing did not appear to be forthcoming, she emitted a resigned sigh, and moved to follow after Jeremy as he maneuvered around an elderly couple that was preparing to depart. But as soon as she had done so, she found herself distracted by the slight shake of his head, her brow furrowing as she came to a stop just in time to hear his hushed words, though he never once looked her way.

"Mister Casey is expecting me to be alone."

Unable to do anything other than hang back as she watched Jeremy approaching a man that was already seated at one of the tables, wearing a red baseball cap, and glancing around the place as though he half-expected any one of the patrons to suddenly break form and attack for absolutely no reason at all. For a moment or two, Katherine simply watched his reaction as Jeremy approached, murmuring something inaudible that had the man gesturing for him to take the seat opposite him, regardless of the wary expression that still lingered upon his features. But before too long, she forced herself to move to a nearby seat of her own in order to better observe the goings-on, as she had likely been meant to do all along, her eyes remaining on the pair in question with just enough indifference to avoid raising the suspicion of the man Jeremy seemed so determined to meet.

Greer had always said learning was one part action for every three parts silent observation…

…

Well hello, angels! And welcome (finally) to a brand-new update in Katherine's tale! I confess, this latest chapter was inspired almost completely by reading the latest installment in 'Asset029: An Origin' by Alongusername (if you haven't read the story yet, you really should check it out! Kind of puts my own attempt at a Samaritan-centric fic to shame, if I'm being honest). But delay, or not, I truly do hope that I have not lost any of you, my darling readers, in the process. I have absolutely no intention of giving up on this story, at all!

As always, my heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you that has taken the time to read this story so far, and give it a chance! I truly do appreciate the support, and as always, I cannot wait to hear what you think of this chapter, as well!

Until next time, my loves…

MOMM