Harlie watched as a familiar face walked onto the dance floor, she knew the young man surrounded by four others. He was a usual suspect, one she frequently followed, and now had even more of a reason to. Nudging Rachel who sat next to her drinking a large long island ice teas. A small box was pushed across the bench they sat on, and was quietly opened. Placing the chip inside her mouth she looked at Rachel before standing and smiled.

"Forgive me, I have business to attend to. The young Albatross calls, keep a watchful eye." An unfamiliar voice said from behind Alexander.

"Excuse. Harlie?" Alexander stuttered when he turned around to see her smiling back at him. "Before I get to work, I have one question. do you have a preference in names other than Alexander, it seems to be quite long." She asked, the purple spark between her teeth when she talked slightly distracted him, but so did the fact that she was actually speaking. "You may shorten my name if you wish." He replied after several minutes of just standing there speechless.

"I'll explain when we get home." She said before turning and walking out onto the dance floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Excuse me I saw you dancing from over at my table, and was wondering if you would like to dance." The dark haired man turned and looked her over before smiling. "I would like that very much Ms." His voice was deep and strong; still laced with an Italian accent. They danced to three songs together before going into the VIP section for drinks, and to talk.

"So what is a pretty young woman doing in a club all by herself?" he asked handing her a drink.

"I came with a few friends actually, but they found other people to dance with. I don't have anyone special. Call me independent." She said with a smile as she sat on one of the soft chairs. The room was dimly lit, and furnished more comfortably than the main area. "An independence is good, for a woman such as yourself. If your friends were loyal they would not have left you." He replied as his arm rested behind her.

"They are there for me when I need them, we came here to have fun and that is what they are doing."

"So, tell me what gives you the privilege of VIP Mr.." "Stephan, you can call me Stephan. I have many friends here, so they let me enjoy the pleasures up here especially when there are so many people."

"Sounds nice, it is always good to have connections."

"May I ask your name?"

"Jennifer."

"Well, Jennifer it is a pleasure to meet you."

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

Pulling into the driveway Faith turned the car off and sat in silence. She looked up at the house for a light or any movement signaling that Bosco might have came to the house, or was still there. There was nothing but darkness and the only thing she heard was the pounding of her heart. Walking slowly to the door and unlocking it she stepped in not bothering to turn on lights. She didn't want to be bothered, she just wanted to hide and never be found again. Yet in all reality she knew she would wake tomorrow and continue her assignment only tomorrow she would be one member short, unless Bosco decided to stay for the team.

Faith woke around three AM to see the door to the balcony open. She hadn't remembered opening it; she had not even changed out of her dress. Pulling the gun from under her pillow she stood and slowly walked to the door. Brushing the curtain back her eyes caught sight of Bosco sitting on the balcony with his head in his hands. He was crying uncontrollably and shaking from more than just the cold night air.

Walking over to him Faith brushed his hair from his forehead with her fingers, and sat down beside him as she rubbed his back gently. He never spoke a word, just moved to wrap his arms around her tightly.

"It's a little cold out here Bosco, can we go inside?" Faith asked quietly.

Standing slowly he pulled her up with him and they walked inside. Closing the glass door he locked it like he did with every thing else.

"It's not your fault."

"I shouldn't have gotten you involved. You shouldn't have been there. I should have listened to you when you said Cruz was bad news. I was stupid, and arrogant, and selfish like I always was. It was my fault."

"Stop blaming yourself, it was my choice.. and I chose to be there."

"Why Faith, why did you help me?"

"You're my partner, you are the man I spent every day with. You're the man that risked your life for me, just as I did for you. I could never have asked for a better partner, and better man, or a better friend to stand by my side every time I stood amidst danger."

"You got shot Faith, you could have died. How could I have lived if you wouldn't have made it? Of course Fred would have probably cured that real fast, but still I couldn't imagine going to work without you, even if we weren't on the best of terms at that point. You got away from me Faith for a reason, and maybe it was for the better, but you helped me anyway. You went against a decision you made, and placed yourself at gunpoint, for an arrogant fool that couldn't even protect you when you needed him most."

"Maurice, you're not a fool, and there was no way you could have ever known how that situation was going to turn out. I didn't either, but I still made the choice to stand by you. There was a time I wasn't there for you, more than one actually and you got shot. Every time something happened to you so much ran through my mind, and I dreaded the thought of not having a partner the next day, but you always managed to pull through. Your strong, and you're a fighter and I didn't want to be the one to let you down."

Walking over to her he cradled her face in his hands and looked into her eyes for a moment before speaking. "Faith Yokas could never let me down, she never disappointed me. She stood by my side through thick and thin, as I would do the same for her. We had our differences, how about we work together this time, and I'll leave out the arrogant attitude." His lips curling into a smile, as Faith looked back at him.

"I would like that more than anything." She replied laying her head on his shoulder.

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

Michael grabbed McKenzie's shoulder gently before she stepped onto the porch of their house and looked at the front door cautiously. There was something very out of place about the shadow around the doorframe, and he didn't like it one bit. Going back to the car he grabbed the flashlight from the trunk and walked slowly onto the porch, his hand resting on his holster. The light shined onto a slightly opened door. Walking back to the car where he had left McKenzie he decided calling for back up was best, so the climbed back into the car locked the doors and waited.