-1The receding sun's rays spilled across the dusty wooden floors, and upon the musty old white carpets. Outside the apartment window, sound was steadily growing louder and louder, as more people continued to flow from every corner, from every restaurant and hotel, from every alleyway, upon the New Orleans streets, excited for another crowded year of Mardi Gras.

Inside the old apartment window though, was complete silence, as the two slowly, and silently, put on their filthy crow costumes. Everyone dressed up during Mardi Gras, so dressing as a bird would be unnoticed by civilians, but easily distinguishable to the two.

When Angelina finished putting her last arm through the black feathered costume, she looked to Raymond, fear etched in the features between the crow's outspread beak.

She had as of late been having intuitions that their luck as assassins was running out. She didn't know why, as their hits were, if anything, getting more and more stealthy, more precise, and they hadn't had a witness on the scene of one of their crimes in over a year.

She could tell Raymond, her lover, and 16 years her elder, was avoiding her gaze, as he put his 2 guns, an M5 and a Desert Eagle, into his costume.

She turned away, resuming her preparations. She plucked her M7 off the table nearby, and concealed it next to her right breast, through the hole that sat squarely in the middle of her chest.

She looked out the window in front of her, and sighed softly. They did as they always would. Review the mission and it's assignments over and over again in their heads. There was no need to speak it out loud to each other. One could never tell when someone could be listening in on a room.

As Raymond stirred again, walking to the window, and standing beside her, she knew that was her signal for the mission to start.

But yet, she couldn't shake the horrible feeling inside of her, she didn't want to start the mission just yet, she turned to look at Raymond, grasping his crow-suited hands with her own.

"Raymond… listen. This feeling… that our luck has run out… it's becoming more and more with every new mission that we take. I can't take it anymore, Ray. Please… we've had an amazing run, but we need to stop, while were both still alive. I couldn't live without you, Raymond, I grow more and more worried that something will happen."

She said, looking into his eyes, pleading with him.

He looked back at her, and she could see his usual stern nature fade, and the sympathy and love in his eyes came. They had both come to love their jobs, as they were both skilled at it, but he knew he couldn't continue doing it, if it caused Angelina to suffer so.

"I promise… this will be our last mission. Then… then we can retire…."

He said, smiling softly as he looked back into her eyes,

"Live a normal life again."

She smiled softly, her normal, harsh frown transformed for a moment, without thinking, she lunged herself at him, embracing him in a hug.

She buried her head in the coarse fake feather's of his crow costume, silently muttering,

"Stay safe.."

She grabbed her walkie talkie from the table next to her, and with one last look at Raymond, stepped out the door, and walked down the stairs, eventually blending into the crowd.

As she spotted a float, she walked quicker towards it, and muttered a soft cooing noise, much like a doves into the walkie talkie, receiving a noise very similar back.

--------------------------------------------

Angelina continued to walk around the parade, cooing every once in a while to either tell her position, or give important information.

She grinned, as she saw what she had been looking for for so long.

The politician's float, whom was their hit, was just about to come under Raymond's window, giving him the perfect opportunity to hit, and run.

She pressed the button of her walkie talkie, and muttered into it a soft cawing noise, the final, and most important signal.

She looked at the balcony, waiting for Raymond's form to appear.

She waited to see the crow walk onto the balcony, and shoot at the politician, giving her the signal to get out of sight, and run to their escape route.

Her grin disappeared however, when Raymond did not appear.

She repeated the cawing noise into the walkie talkie, desperate as the politician's view from the window began to fade.

When it had passed by even her, she could feel her heart pummeling the side of her ribcage. She quickly strode into the nearest alleyway, hiding behind the semi-closed oaken door.

She sat down, using the wall to lower herself.

She looked around her, but saw nothing but matching double doors to her right, that no doubt led into an unoccupied garbage area. She quickly looked down at the walkie talkie, her breath now shaky, and pressed the button on her walkie talkie once more.

"Raymond? Raymond are you there?"

She rubbed her lower forehead, trying to control herself.

I'm a Contract Killer. I must complete the assignment, regardless of circumstances.

She pushed against the wall with her back, allowing herself to stand up. She reached inside of her costume's head, and bushed a semi-damp piece of raven black hair behind her ear

She plucked the walkie talkie off the ground, trying to control her nerves, she pressed the button one last time, and cooed into it.

She put the walkie talkie in a pouch concealed in her lower beak, and instead pulled out her M7 and held it close to her chest with both hands, her right index finger ready on the trigger.

She slowly walked backwards, finding it awkward with the black flippers upon her feet, deciding to hide out in the dark, square, alley connector.

As she felt her back hit the wooden door, she stealthily snuck around it, surprised to hear footsteps, she whipped around, making sure to keep the gun behind her back, in the case it was a cop.

Her jaw dropped, as she nearly dropped her gun.

She dashed forward, for once in her life, running at her natural girlish run she refused to show.

She opened her mouth, as she saw that the raven clad figure in front of her had finally noticed her audible footsteps,

"Raymond! I was so!…"

She stopped, as 'Raymond' turned around. Her mouth fell open once more, as she staggered backwards.

This was not Raymond.

The face inside the costume was stony, unfeeling, and menacing.

Tears welled up in her eyes, as she crouched to avoid falling to the ground.

So many emotions and questions bulleted through her head.

But the one thought that was the clearest, and perhaps the worst though she'd ever had to endure, she shouted at the top of her lungs,

"YOU KILLED RAYMOND! YOU BASTARD!"

She quickly remembered her M7, and brought it in front of her, blindly gunning this stranger down.

The old saying remained true. When you're emotional, you lose all focus, you forget everything you'd learned.

By the time she'd managed one bullet in the devious man, she had already been shot, 6 times. Her sweaty palm dropped her gun, as the final shot exploded into her rib cage, immediately piercing her lung.

She fell to her side, blood seeping from her mouth, and pouring from the wounds on her torso.

She felt so cold…. So numb… so alone. Raymond was gone…

Raymond was gone…

Tears spilled from the eyes, her hazel eyes that were slowly becoming clouded over..

I let this happen…

I killed Raymond…

I could've saved us…

She thought, the only worth while part of her life flashing before her life..

Moments with Raymond.

Her body unknowingly pulled itself into a fetal position, as the pain became simply nothingness, she was left with but one word, as she could feel her body dragging against the rough stone pavement…

Raymond..

-------------AN--------------

Well…. I know there are very few people who read/do Hitman fics… but after beating Blood Money, I knew I had to do this.

This is based on the level,

"The Murder of Crows."

While playing it, I felt very reluctant to kill Raymond and Angelina… two lovers, that could've had an amazing life. Terrible thing, that is.

And this is actually, up to a point, how I ended up playing the level the first time…

Killed Raymond first, suited as him, and went after Angelina. So sad.

Meh. I just wanted to do the story from Angelina's point of view… see how things played out for her.

Hope you all enjoyed.