Apologies for missing yesterday's update. I will add an extra chapter on Tuesday to make up for it.

Oracle stood leaning against the wall at the entrance to her park, arms crossed in front of her in a foul mood. It was fast approaching one in the afternoon; the sun was out in a rare hot day and there were people everywhere. Mums were letting their kids run round in the base of the fountain. The road next to the park was clogged and tourists thrummed the pavements.

When Thunderbird Five had called saying that she was to meet one of their operatives for a welfare check she'd been surprised to find herself oddly touched by his, or maybe their, concern. She'd suggested a quieter spot on the other side of town, away from her home but, more importantly, somewhere she knew like the back of her hand. If she needed to lose her new colleague quickly, she would have had plenty of options. But here her only option was a sprint across the park and running wasn't exactly her forte.

She'd asked who was coming but all Thunderbird Five said was that she would recognise them. This made the intervening wait awful as she surreptitiously scanned every face in the crowd for one she'd seen before.

There weren't that many options. Thunderbird Five himself was discounted as she'd never actually seen his face. It was possible she'd recognise him by his voice (she'd started calling him the Voice of Calm in her head) but it was still unlikely that he'd be here. Potentially it would be Gordon – who had gained the moniker Blonds Have More Fun – or Peony as it seemed likely that the woman was involved somehow as well. There was an outside chance it was one of the original two from her abortive mugging. The ones she'd named Kind Eyes and All American.

But she thought only one of those five was British. She didn't know where the four men were from exactly but they had American accents so it was unlikely they lived in the UK. Peony was upper class English which meant she most likely lived in the south and, nowadays, getting to London from anywhere south of the Watford gap was easy. Even on short notice it would be a quick trip into town for her.

Oracle started scanning the crowd for long blonde hair. So intent was she on her search that when a large man stepped in front of her, her first response was to scowl up at him and tell him to move out of the way.

Her words stopped in her throat though when she saw who it was.

Kind Eyes.

He smiled briefly and held out a bottle of water.

"My colleague said I could get you a drink any time."

Oracle smiled despite herself and took the bottle, opening it quickly and taking a mouthful.

"Does that line work on all the girls?" she asked and he faltered.

Oh, flustered is a good look on you she thought appreciatively.

"So" she carried on. "What do I get to call you?"

"My name is Virgil" he said looking slightly awkward.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Huh. Guess you didn't win the naming game then. But then I'm not one to talk" she flashed him her most disarming smile and gestured with the water bottle for them to take a stroll through the park. Virgil seemed to follow her lead willingly and within moments they were walking next to the short man-made canal that ran through the open grounds.

"I'm always surprised by London" Virgil said suddenly. "Most major cities are nothing but concrete but, even now, London had so many open green spaces."

"I wouldn't know" she said. "I've never lived anywhere else. I prefer it here though, than in the heart of the city, especially at night when there are no other people around." She stopped herself. She hadn't meant to say that. The point of a meeting like this was to give away as little about yourself as possible whilst satisfying whatever it was the other party wanted.

Better get things back on track.

"Why are you here, Virgil?"

"I – we, wanted to see if you're alright."

"Why wouldn't I be?" She turned towards him.

"It's a big thing, what you've volunteered to do" he said looking ahead. "You're willing to put yourself in serious danger for us. It's the least we can do to make sure that you're as safe as can be for as long as we can manage it."

Oracle didn't know what to do with that. Of the four potential operatives she'd met, Kind Eyes – Virgil – had bothered her the most. She couldn't shake the feeling that he really did care. Not just about her, he seemed to care in general. It wasn't a trait she'd come across very often and the last person who had had it – she turned her mind away from that one. It hadn't ended well.

Looking at him now, she couldn't say Virgil was at ease as he walked next to her. There was a tightness in his broad shoulders and his gaze flicked to her and away again quickly, as though assessing but trying not to get caught.

He is assessing she realised instantly on her guard. She paid closer attention to him. Jeans, sturdy boots and a checked shirt over a plain grey t-shirt. The boots looked well worn, the jeans were well fitted against his hips but looked heavy, not like the lightweight ones she wore. The t-shirt again was form fitting (focus, she reminded herself) but the red checked shirt could easily be concealing a weapon on his waist. She doubted it though, like her he didn't seem built for running but unlike Gordon he didn't have any litheness to his physique. A punch form him she'd know about but she suspected he was more used to heavy lifting than anything else.

This time when his eyes flicked back to her, she raised an eyebrow.

"Like what you see?"

His lips thinned.

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?"

"What?" She stopped completely derailed.

"Seriously, when?" He turned towards her this time openly appraising. She hesitated trying to work out what counted as a proper meal.

"Okay, I'm taking you to get something to eat." A gentle hand on her elbow got her moving again.

"What?" she squeaked. "Er, no. That's not necessary."

"Do you know what most people say when you ask them the last time they had a proper meal?" Oracle found herself back outside the park. As easily as she'd steered him into it, he'd got them out again and heading down the thrumming pavement.

"No?" How the hell did he do that?

"They say 'breakfast' usually."

"Oh, well I'm not a breakfast sort of person" she hedged trying to work out where they were going. He still had a hand on her elbow, gently guiding but also making sure she stayed with him.

"How about a lunch sort of person then?" he said gesturing to a café.

"We'll never get a table" she tried, slowing. The hand moved from her elbow, up her arm and down to the small of her back and she jumped forwards despite herself.

"You'll be surprised" he said ushering her through the door. Once inside she saw that there were indeed tables away from the windows. In no time at all they were seated with menus, the young waitress claiming she'd be back in a moment for their order.

Oracle felt like a deer in headlights. What was she supposed to do here? She'd never been taken out for food by someone before and she still hadn't worked out what a 'proper meal' was.

Virgil put his menu down.

"This is all new for you, isn't it?"

"No" she rallied. "I'm just trying to work out your angle here. It's a bit weird, when you think about it. No check-up has ever started with a meal in a nice café before."

"No?" he asked. "How do they usually start?"

"I dunno." She did but she certainly wasn't going to give him ideas. "Blood pressure, I guess?"

He laughed deep and warm and she found herself smiling.

"This isn't that kind of check-up."

"What kind of check-up is it?"

"The kind where I make sure you're doing okay. Have somewhere safe to stay, plenty to eat. Someone to talk to, if you need it" he ventured.

Those damn eyes again she thought. From anyone else she wouldn't have believed it. But…

"Decision made?" the waitress bounced over this time with eyes only for Virgil.

"Sure, I'll have a large americano and the steak and ale pie."

"Sure thing. Salad or veg?"

"Veg please but I'll have a side salad as well."

The waitress nodded.

"And for you?"

"Uh, tuna jacket potato, please." Oracle mentally kicked herself for not being more together. Actually reading the menu would have been a start.

"And to drink?"

"Water's fine thanks."

The waitress nodded at her then smiled at Virgil.

"I'll be right back with that" she said to him.

"She's friendly" Oracle commented giving Virgil a look.

"A bit rude, I thought" he replied. "There are two people here, after all."

"You must get that a lot though."

He shrugged.

"Not really. Most women are more interested in my brother." It was said easily with no real animosity there.

"Blonds Have More Fun or All American?" she asked.

"What?" he laughed.

"Well, I don't know their names. Blonds Have More Fun said his name was Gordon and All American was the one with you that first day. I heard him call you 'little brother.'"

Virgil laughed again, easy and free and Oracle found herself smiling along and relaxing despite herself.

"All American" Virgil said. "He's going to love that. But yes, when we're out together, generally all eyes are on him, not me."

"Must be tough for you" she said just a little mischievously. She saw him half smile back as he caught her tone but carried on as though he hadn't. The waitress returned with their drinks and pouted slightly as Virgil didn't even look at her.

"I prefer it. All American gets all the crazies as well as everyone else. Seems like a good trade off to me." He took a sip of his drink and sighed deeply. "What about you, any brothers and sisters?"

"No, it's just me" she said. "No family either."

"You've been on your own your whole life?" He put the drink down regarding her with what Oracle tentatively called compassion.

"Not my whole life, no" she said before she'd really thought about it. She didn't want him looking at her like that. "They're just, um, not here anymore." She clasped her hands together and avoided his gaze.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" She said looking back in surprise.

"Because no one should lose the people they care about."

A moment passed between them where each realised the other had lost people truly important in their lives. It was shattered as the waitress crashed a plate down on the table.

"Here you go" she said brightly before turning on her heel and walking away.

Oracle looked at the size of the portion before Virgil and raised an eyebrow.

"Hungry?"

"I'm still on a different time zone" he shrugged the comment off. "And I missed diner." He pushed the salad towards her. "That's for you. I know what you Brits are like, more worried about propriety than actually asking for what you want. That jacket potato is not big enough for a full meal."

"Presumptuous" she said but accepted the salad nonetheless. This was the first chance she'd had to eat properly in days, it would be a shame to pass it up. Besides it seemed to make him feel better.

They ate in silence for a while before Oracle ventured;

"So, I know this is a welfare check but why you exactly?"

"I was in the area" he said offhandedly.

"I thought you were in a different time zone?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I was" he said. "Then I wasn't. It goes with the job,"

"Right."

"You don't trust easily, do you?

"Seems sensible. I don't exactly have a world class support team behind me. I take it the Voice of Calm is listening to this?" she said pointedly.

"The Voice of Calm" he smiled and shook his head. "Did you make up names for all of us?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to tell me mine."

"Nope." She took a drink from her glass hoping to hell it hid her blush and damning her fair skin along with it.

"I'm going to be around for a couple of days" Virgil said letting that go and avoiding her previous question. "Meet me tomorrow. I can take you for something to eat again. I'll be where we choose when we choose, you have my word."

Oracle just watched him for a moment. She knew the power of silence. Let it lag too long and the concerned party would fidget or fill the silence with something they hadn't intended to say. But Virgil didn't. He rested his elbows on the table, interlaced his fingers and waited.

"Alright" she said finally. "But I have work tomorrow so it'll need to be lunch again."

"Works for me" he flashed a genuine smile. "Shall we say here, same time?"

"Okay" she nodded and moved to leave.

"Thank you for chatting with me today Oracle" he said as she moved past him. As he said her name a thought occurred. She turned back to the table leaning down next to him.

"It would be useful if you called me Jasmine" she said. At his mildly puzzled expression she held out her comm in front of him and called up a series of messages. They were all the roughly same;

Jasmine. 22.30. Burgess & Herald

Jasmine. 21.00. Camden Dock.

Jasmine. 22.45. Bluegrass Road

"What am I looking at?" Virgil asked.

"These are all messages from my new 'boss'" she said. "He's taken a liking to the new name but I've fumbled a few times when he's called for me. I figure the more people start using it, the less likely that is to happen."

"I can do that" he agreed. "But what are the messages for?"

"He's just checking me out, it's not a big deal" she said.

"Checking you out how?"

His tone made her stop the blithe comment that rolled off the tongue so easily. She looked up at him and realised she'd accidentally got right up in his personal space. And he'd let her.

"You know the space he wanted filled on his team?" she said carefully. "He needs to know I can actually handle it. Which I can" she finished more confidently. He nodded but there was still something behind the eyes that she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Can I have your number?" he asked. "Seems silly to have to relay through the, ah, Voice of Calm whilst I'm here."

"You don't have it already?"

He shook his head.

"I was hoping you might think about trusting me enough to give it to me yourself."

"It's just a phone number" she said calling it up so he could copy it into his own device.

"But it's yours" he replied "so I shouldn't just assume I can have it."

There it is again, that sincerity. How does he do that?

"I need to get going" she said. "But it was nice meeting you. Properly, I mean." She stood and turned to go but said over her shoulder "I'll see you tomorrow."

She didn't run from the café. She didn't. But she was immeasurably glad for the crowd of people still on the streets. She took back roads at random only stopping after she'd been on the move for over half an hour.

What the hell was that?

He wasn't like anyone she'd ever met. No, that wasn't true. Every now and then he reminded her sharply of Leonard (minus the alcohol and swearing.) But Leonard, like everyone else, was long dead. She tried to order her thoughts. What had she learned?

Not much.

Virgil and All American were related. He definitely lived in another part of the world. International Rescue wasn't just a name, they really were international. He considered her a person.

Well Leonard she thought maybe you get your wish after all. Maybe I can make it work in the real world.

After all, she doubted it got more real than International Rescue.