Chapter 21: First steps

Dylan watched Aurelie feeling the doctor's pulse. A relief sigh came from the black woman: "It's weak, but there."

The angel rose and waved at the ambulance. From what she could see, Mr. Norman was also still down and Anna's left leg was covered with wounds and bleeding. She looked as pale as on the day they met her. The ambulance rushed in and a team jumped out towards them and another men ran towards Robert and the dead killer.

Eyeing each other carefully the angel and the bodyguard stepped away to gave the paramedics room to take care of their patient. As they had backed off looking only away for a brief second, to be sure both their friends were in good hands, Dylan suddenly said: "So you got want you wanted! Are you satisfied."

"What I wanted?", Aurelie scoffed. "What do you know about me?"

"I know that you wanted your revenge on him - not that I am going to complain that you saved me..", Dylan felt a bit angry and she had completely forgotten what Anthony had told her about Dr. Sattler's informant. After all no matter her reasons, Aurelie had shot him in cold blood.

"After him? First I am not that lucky and twice - what the hell do you blame me for your incompetence? You can't even take care of your own problems, mix yourself up with one of the most dangerous killers available and then blame me - because I free society of those maniacs. So I shoot fast, but giving them just an inch room, could cost somebody a life. You know what my husband's last words where - Drop that knife! So don't dare to judge me, I don't take chances!"

Her voice has raised and for a moment the whole crew around them stared at them. Aurelie was breathing angrily and her eyes sparkled with fury. Dylan listened and realised that she had nothing to do with the league, almost she apologised, but then the black woman spoke again. "See that she is alright, I see to Bob."

Then she walked away and Dylan went off with Anna to the hospital. A second ambulance for Robert had already arrived. It was the same hospital Alex lay in. The doctors told her that Anna would be alright, that she just lost a lot of blood. Sitting in front of the ER, she suddenly saw Bosley coming down the hall. "Eh, girl - problem solved?", he asked.

"How do you know I was here?", she asked in surprise.

"Charlie called me - said you and our client were down here", he said.

The second ambulance arrived and brought Robert and Aurelie with them. She stopped and watched them moving her boss into a ready room. "He has a couple of broken ribs", she said. "Painful, but not deadly."

"I'm sorry to hear that - how is the doc?", Bosley wanted to know.

"They taking care of the wounds and giving her an infusion", Dylan told them.

"I guess it could have been worse", Aurelie admitted. "So what are we doing know?"

"Charlie informed the CIA, they will be here soon. He said there are very eager to hear what she has to say", he raised a big envelope he hold in his hand. "Here that came for you."

The letter was addressed to Bosley, with the order to hand it to her. Not a single hint where it came from. She opened it and inside was a new cell phone, a card with her new number and a short message from Charlie. "Damn it", she said. "Has anyone heard from Natalie?"

"No, she went to Sabine's home - a short while after you left", said Bosley. "Can somebody tell me what happened? Why are you so dirty? Did you meet him?"

Dylan looked at her reflection in the nearest glass door. In that hurry, she had not paid any attention to her appearance, and she looked really horrible. The smoke particles had made her cloth and face dirty and running after the killer had brought it down in black sweat. She did not even wanted to see herself in a real mirror.

"Ok, I also like to hear how Aurelie found us, but in the car, this is not the right place."

"I agree", said Aurelie and then they waited in silence for the CIA to arrive.

Not too happy they sat twenty minutes later inside Bosley's car. Anna was better and now protected by a couple of agents. One case seemed solved, but there were still two missing person's to find.

"Ok, here's my side of the story", Dylan began. "First - the guy you shot - he is not dead, and please don't shoot when you see him again, he is trying to help us."

Aurelie laughed: "What kind of dope did you smoke?"

"Look, believe me, I buried him myself once, but he does come back, I really don't care if you believe me or not, but if you even look at him wrong, you can see first hand what I do when I am upset!"

"Girls would you keep it down - we're on the same side."

"We'll see", Aurelie said and crossed her arms looking out of the windshield.

"Ok, he was already at my apartment, we sort of made a deal, that he stopped killing and confirmed that there was already another killer. Alright he also did Dr. Sattler, but - I am not going to blame him for that." And she really meant it that way, not after all Dr. Sattler had caused. "Anyway just in time, we found out that he did not send the message from my old phone and the moment we were down on the stairs - my whole apartment exploded above us."

"And you are really alright?", Bosley said worried.

"Yeah sure, I have seen worse", she replied trying to stop their Bosley from worrying. She saw Aurelie's suspicious looks in the rear mirror. Yet she continued: "I figured that he might use this to strike at the agency and so I called - the lines were down and then I called Natalie and somebody turned her phone off as it rang."

"Shit, you think she is in trouble?", now Jimmy was really worried.

"Maybe - I send Anthony to Sabine's address and drove to the Agency. Following the killer's trace - I still can't believe he got inside."

"Don't look at me, I closed the door behind me."

"Well - you can find out how it happened. I take my car from there - and look after Natalie, but maybe Aurelie can enlighten us, how she found us."

"That's easy - after I heard that the house plans were breached - I asked Robert to get them for me - realising that you went through the tunnel - I borrowed a car went straight to the end of it, where I saved your little white butt from getting split in half."

Dylan sighed. Great, she was the bad girl - running after a killer and Misses Trigger-happy was boasting about her taking another killer out. Bosley drove on the parking lot and suddenly stepped on the brakes. Looking between the two of them - she saw Anthony leaning against his car smoking and waiting for them. Aurelie looked actually a bit paler and Dylan padded her on the shoulder. "Best you stay - just a little longer in the car."

He watched them carefully, seeing the black girl with the itchy trigger finger, he was ready to take cover at the first move she made, but it was his angel that got out from the back seat and walked over to him. He threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it.

"Natalie?", the red head asked and coming closer she saw the wound on his face. "Are you alright?"

He just nodded and handed her a pre-written note, but Dylan just reached out and touched his cheek. The angel was careful that she did not came into contact with the burned flesh, but still he trembled. He realised that she noticed, but he could not help it. At first he had not been sure what she was doing, but the sensation of her soft fingertips running with so much tenderness over his face, was something so wonderful that he had difficulties to bear it at the moment. It woke his desire to kiss her and close his arms around her, but his instincts told him that he better not stop having at least one eye on the car.

Thinking that he felt uncomfortable under her touch, Dylan let go and unfolded the message. ~Natalie is alive. She got fume poisoning and was brought to St. Anne's Hospital. Obviously she discovered that this Dawson woman was behind the kidnapping and she tried to get rid of her.~

Dylan got a vague idea how he got burned, she was just about to lead him into the house to get some ointment for his burn, as the car doors opened and Aurelie and Bosley got out. Dylan positioned herself in front of her assassin. He immediately became very tense. The black girl had the gun in her hand, also it was still pointed at the ground, it was no reason not to be careful.

"Just stay cool, Aurelie", Dylan said. "He is not going to shoot you, if you don't shoot him."

She looked around and saw him nodding once his eyes fixed on Aurelie. Dylan was not risking that he would be killed and not came back. Not to mention that she did not wanted to have to see his dead body again. "Let's get inside, shall we", she said and hooked herself under and went on with Anthony. The angel felt how tense he was and she could not blame him. Obviously Aurelie had decided to follow them. Looking behind her, she saw that the woman had holstered her gun.

Relieved they went into the office. Dylan was just about to get the ointment as Robert's daughter peered carefully out of the evidence room. "Gee, guys - I am so glad it's you. I did not know", she said and stopped suddenly.

Unaware of his presence she had stepped closer to Anthony and found herself now with his rapier at her throat. Immediately afterwards Aurelie had her gun out once more and aimed at the Thin Man. He was not happy about it, but he hoped that Dylan would understand what he meant by this. That this was the one they were looking for.

"Can't you ever stop that?", cursed Bosley and ducked behind one of the sofas. Carefully he spied over the back at the situation. Dylan firmly stepped between the two of them. She looked at Anthony and a moment she was angry, but then she was smiling. He had not killed the blonde and she knew why he had drawn his weapon. Carolyn must be the woman that had informed Dr. Sattler. He had uncovered their leak.

"What is going on?", she said in panic.

"I tell you what's going on - because of you your father lies with broken rips in the hospital, Dr. Crushner is injured as well because of you. Because of you Dr. Sattler knew that she needed another killer, so the brutal murder of another innocent woman and I don't want to know how many of neighbours are on your sleeve, too!" Thinking about the poor stranger nailed to the door really got her angry.

The blonde just opened her mouth, shocked, then she heard Aurelie: "Damn it, how could you do this to your father?"

It had been so obvious, informing her father had also meant that they informed her. Their visit to black star, the fact that Anthony had helped her with the O'Grady's.

Carolyn's smile became suddenly really nasty: "So he got a little bit hurt, like I care anymore. He always had time for his business, for his friends, for You". She spit the last word out. She did not even paid attention to the fact that Anthony had withdrawn the blade. "I was there all the time, like an old, useful piece of furniture, all the time, when you informed him where you were. Too bad the killers had been so incompetent. They should have killed you long ago, but I figured that eventually they thought you were the leak, being the psycho you are."

Aurelie seemed more than shocked by this statement, as if she had hoped that there was a better explanation, that she was forced, but this woman was just freaking mad. "Luckily we discovered the real one", said Dylan. As the black woman stepped closer to Carolyn, the Thin Man went over to his angel. Who finally picked the ointment from the first aid kid and said then loud: "I think I am going to find out more about Miss Dawson and Jason's whereabouts."

"Do that - I think I can handle her", Aurelie said.

Then the red head looked at Anthony and asked with a hopeful tone: "Are you staying with me?" He nodded adding in his thoughts: 'Always if you want to'. He followed her as she walked up the stairs and opened the door to a computer room. He stood close behind her and before he could stop it his hand moved almost on his own.

Dylan was just about to explain that she was not really that much of a hacker, but she was interrupted by a sharp pain behind her ear. "Ouch", she said and rubbed the spot where her hair was missing. "Guess it was too much of a temptation?", she said finally to an Anthony who was standing close behind her sniffling with deep satisfaction.

With his hands covering his mouth, he could not help but smile, as he realised that she was not the least bit angry about him again, snatching some of her hair. Instead she went into the room and rolled up one of the chairs. She signalled to the one next to hers and said: "Let me take care of this."

He carefully put his trophy away and sat next to her. He just would have let the wound heal by itself. It was not that kind of injury that was dangerous, a bit unpleasant, but he had it much worse. Nonetheless he felt grateful that she showed so much interest in his well-being. The last time someone had taken care of him was in the orphanage and it had not nearly meant so much to him.

The angel unscrewed the lid and put some of the ointment on her tips, carefully covering the burn with it. "It really helps, we use it a lot", she told him. Dylan had noticed that this time he had not seemed uncomfortable with her touching him. 'Maybe it were the other', she thought, realising that she had to learn a lot about him. She was sure that he felt something for him and she had accepted that for some strange reason, she was madly in love with him. Yet given their past, that might not be enough.