************************************************************** I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the rest please bare with me, my chapters usually get typed onto the screen straight out of my head, I find it easier. Thank you for the wonderful reviews they are all appreciated. I hope to hear from you all again. *******************************************************************

Stepping out of the house the next morning were Luke, Rachel, McKenzie and Michael deciding on a morning run as to not waking others still sleeping. Their run led them two miles down the city streets to a quiet little diner where they sat and ate breakfast while having small conversations. Other than the meetings they recently had no one had much time to really get to know each other. Walking back to the house they shared their stories, the memories of simple child hood things, and their experiences at work.

It was nearing nine when they arrived a block away from the house and Rachel stopped abruptly. She viewed her surroundings carefully and then her gaze returned to a black sable Tarrus parked across the street, then as if nothing happened she continued walking down the street, and without a word up the drive way and into the house.

"Rachel?" Luke questioned stepping in the still open door.

"That Tarus, it's been sitting there since last night when we went for dinner. It's so out of place how could I have been so blind? Everything all the way down to the person sitting behind the wheel."

"It's a car, one of millions in the state of New York." Michael said walking into the house behind Luke.

"Mercedes Benz, Cadillac's, Lincoln's, very expensive sports cars those are the cars on this side of town. That's a nineteen ninety four Tarus' with loud mufflers practically falling off, and a driver that couldn't make a good spy if the CIA spent all the money in the state of New York to try and train him, it's pitiful. I think I hit the general direction Rachel was traveling." McKenzie said shutting the door.

"Thank you for catching my point." Rachel exclaimed.

"I was wondering who would notice first." Faith said from the kitchen door way. They hadn't noticed her in the kitchen when they came in.

"I was hoping it wouldn't take much longer to find out that that car shouldn't be there, and to clear the mess with the driver. He is on of New York's finest, paid by the hour to sit in an old rickety car in the middle of Hampton. I know this because I requested him to be there, I wanted to know how well the skills were of the people I was working with, and in all actuality he was there at eight AM yesterday morning..when you all arrived." Faith explained with a smile before walking back into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and a bagel. Rachel, and McKenzie just starred at her as she walked away. They couldn't believe she would go through all that trouble to do that, but apparently she did.

"Well, now that we have that straightened out, I'm going to take a shower before my bathroom is occupied by the female of the species and I can't get in until eleven." Michael said with a laugh as he walked up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Carlie rolled over and glanced at the empty bed next to her and then shifted her eyes quickly to the form standing by the window. She watched as he just stood there looking out at the world as if he wanted to be everywhere all at once. He was nearly dressed for the day in a pair of black cargo pants and a white muscle shirt, his hair was tussled and still damp from the shower he had taken. Carlie wondered why she had been placed with him as her partner, what could she do to help him? Lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed he was now looking at her as he leaned against the wall as held the curtain open with one hand.

"Good morning." He said quietly with a smile, pulling Carlies attention back to him she smiled in reply.

"Did you sleep all right?" He asked walking over to sit on the edge of his own bed. There was silence as he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed next to Carlie.

"I slept pretty good once I got warmed up, that water was pretty cold. Of course I suppose I asked to get dunked after you fell in." She replied with a slight laugh at remembering their midnights swim.

"Fell. Fell, I believe dear Carlie that I was pushed, was I not?" he corrected her. For the first time she noticed a slight accent hidden in the deepness of his voice.

"I didn't mean to 'push' you into the water, I actually figured you would hold your balance better than that, unless you fell in on purpose." She replied watching a sly smile slip onto his lips.

"Why you creepy little man, you fell in just to get back at me didn't you?"

"You did a pretty good job of that all on your own when you opened that little box the other day in the basement. I was only having fun, and that didn't cause you to drop cold for twelve hours. Not to mention if those fumes would have seeped out of that room how much trouble we would have gotten in."

"James, I never meant to do that, and you know it!"

"You had fun last night, even if the water was cold."

"Like you would know."

His laugh was a reply that he knew she didn't mind, if she would have she could have merely smacked him and gotten out of the pool. Yet she stayed and didn't even really care that he pushed her under water, because he too was being pushed under just as much. "Girl, you started in this business way too early to understand the importance of fun. Did you run away from your childhood, or just skip it all together?" He questioned, his smile faded at the look on Carlies face. It was more of a hurt look than one of being angry, and he knew his words should not have been said.

"Mr. Syler, I would watch what you say about other people starting in this business too early. You haven't been around me long enough to know me at all. What you do know, you read from a piece of paper or a computer profile. My childhood disappeared the day I started working for the FBI, where did yours go?" She exclaimed in a hushed voice before standing up and walking into the bathroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I hope everyone has enjoyed their stay so far. I also think today we can have a little fun, perhaps dancing. I'm sure my partner knows some very good places to go." Faith said walking into the living room where everyone else was sitting. "I would also like to thank Rachel, and McKenzie for finding our 'invisible' spy that sat out front for oh, twenty-four hours. I was hoping with all the people in this room it wouldn't take that long, but it did."

"What was the purpose of that anyway?" Luke asked

"Keep your eyes and ears open, because you never know when someone may appear. They always seem to pop up when you least expect it. Know your surrounding whether it is the vehicles, people, and shops. Take note of the tiniest of details, because even those can have so much meaning and importance." Faith paused for a moment before setting a box down in front of Michael on the floor. "Everyone gets one."

After Michael passed out the contents of the box, everyone opened what they had received. "I like my officers to be protected, I hope you like my choice."

Bosco opened the box and felt the cool metal in his hands as he examined the markings. Without a word he stood and glanced at his partner before walking out of the room.

"Ninety-Two Billeniums, these are expensive guns Sergeant." Michael said after silence filled the room. "Does that surprise you Michael?"

"Well, after the cars, the computers, and the condos I would have to say no."

"If you will all excuse me a moment." Faith said before stepping out of the room to find Bosco. After looking over the first floor she found him sitting on the patio; the gun sat on the table and he held his head in his hands.

"Bosco?" She said quietly stepping out onto the patio. He raised his head and looked at her.

"Out of all your choices, you picked the Billenium. Why, when you know it is the same type of gun that shot you, why?"

"Bosco, the gun didn't shoot me; Cruz shot me using the Billenium. I know the damage it can do, and the people I chose aren't like Cruz. That woman had an era around her that just screamed 'indecent' you ignored that warning. You ignored me, fought me tooth and nail that Cruz was so good. So much better; better than me? Or did you choose her because you felt she was better than you, and that would make you so much stronger. I was the 'partner' that was there for you in the end, I bit the bullet that she threw my way and I'm the one still standing. Guns don't shoot people; people shoot people. I want the people I'm working with to be protected when they walk into an unknown place. A place filled with danger, where anyone could send bullets flying towards him or her. They should be able to send the bullets back just as easy, if you have a problem with that walk away now." Faith explained looking Bosco in the face. She didn't flinch, didn't blink, she didn't even shift her weight. "You know where to find me if you decide to leave. I'll need to know your decision by tomorrow."