It was approaching midday when Daphne and Fred's plane finally landed in Hong Kong after a lengthy layover in Manila. They had both managed to get a little more sleep during the layover and on the final flight into Hong Kong but both had also been indefinitely shaken by their respective nightmares. There was a nervous tension between them and neither were quite sure how to respond to it.

As they were reunited again and were making their way through security and immigration, they made polite chit chat about the flight as if they were just mere colleagues on a business trip.

"Did you sleep OK?" Fred asked her. "I can't imagine you enjoyed that little bit of turbulence on the way into Manila?"

"No, definitely not, but it was over with fairly quickly so I was fine, I got loads of sleep actually. How about you?"

"Yeah, same. It was a quiet plane, no screaming babies or anything crazy for once, so, I just slept too."

They smiled at one another but remained incredibly guarded. Fred just couldn't bring himself to tell Daphne about his nightmare of losing her, and Daphne didn't want to discuss her guilt about Adelaide and Will.

Instead, she suppressed a yawn as they waited in baggage claim.

They stood together silently now, watching diligently as the luggage tediously cycled through. Eventually, Daphne spotted her eye-catching purple suitcases, and Fred lunged forward to lug them off before setting them neatly by Daphne's side.

"You packed lightly again I see," he teased her at the substantial weight of them.

"Options Fred, options," she replied with a small smile before stifling another yawn. "Whew, jet lag is hitting hard this time," she complained.

As the luggage continued to cycle through with no sign of Fred's shiny black cases, he shifted his weight from foot to foot in growing agitation. Where the hell was his luggage?

He felt a sheen of sweat develop on his forehead, as more and more cases passed by on the carousel that were not his.

"I don't think my cases are there," he muttered.

"They'll turn up in a second, just be patient," Daphne encouraged.

"Yeah I'm sure they'll be here in a moment," he agreed, trying to sound calm but Daphne could tell he was rattled.

But as the people stood beside them waiting for their luggage dwindled, and everyone else was being rapidly reunited with their belongings, Fred became even more outwardly stressed.

"They're not here Daphne, how could they possibly be lost?! Oh god what if they're somehow still in Manila?!"

"Fred, it's okay don't panic, I'm sure they'll turn up, and even if they don't, they're just clothes right? I can buy you some stuff in Hong Kong."

"No Daphne! It's not okay!" Fred was going a little red in the face now and this alarmed Daphne. "They're not just clothes!"

"Babe, I told you it's fine, we'll manage, don't worry," she said stroking his arm.

"You don't understand!" He was visibly sweating now, perhaps on the verge of hyperventilating. "I need that luggage Daph! If I don't get it..."

"Hey, aren't they them?" Daphne suddenly interrupted his mini breakdown, and pointed at a baggage handler who had emerged from the back with a couple of black shiny cases, Fred's reaction to this was quite astounding.

The man was already uttering his apologies as Fred hurried towards him.

"My apologies sir! They fell off the truck, but I assure you...no damage done. You have my..."

The man was utterly startled as the blond now reached him, fearing the worst but he grabbed him into a bear hug.

"Thank you."

"Um, it is our pleasure sir," he managed to stammer out after the American released him and was then presented with his suitcases.

Daphne watched the scene with astonishment; though Fred had a handful of expensive suits and some high label stuff, he had never been one to be that bothered by any kind of material possessions let alone clothing.

"What the hell was that about?" She asked in amusement a few minutes later when they were in a taxi on their way to the hotel; their luggage stowed safely in the back.

"Hmm?" He had been looking out the window at the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced city as the taxi whizzed down the road. He turned around to face her, and found her lips pursed, expecting an answer. He feigned ignorance.

"Oh, the luggage thing you mean?"

Daphne nodded. "That handler was pretty freaked out. I've never seen you get so worked up about your clothes before Fred."

Fred thought about the panic that had coursed through him when he feared the ring was lost forever and he forced himself to smile at her.

"I just couldn't bear the hassle! You remember how long it took to get a decent pair of pants to fit, the last time we were here?"

Daphne laughed aloud then, remembering the mishap that forced herself and Fred to go on the shopping trip from hell when they all visited Ethan here last summer.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." She grabbed his hand earnestly. "Thank you for coming with me Fred, especially with everything that's going on back home right now, I would have understood if you hadn't."

"Are you kidding? I would never let you come alone, you know that."

The car continued to rattle along, the Hong Kong business district flashing by in the blink of an eye. As they arrived outside their hotel, Fred was grateful to be out of the taxi, feeling a bout of motion sickness from the speed of the journey.

Daphne had checked them into a palatial suite, and he gratefully closed the door on the hustle and bustle of the rest of the hotel, and the windows blocked out the sounds of the fast paced Hong Kong life going on around them.

"It never ceases to amaze me how fast life is here," he commented, standing in awe before the huge, floor to ceiling windows, looking out at the expeditiously moving city below. "Compared to Coolsville, everything is done like a 100 times quicker."

Daphne came and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, she had already discarded her purple leather jacket and heels and was now stood in a thin sheer blouse and black denim skirt. She pressed a button on the remote in her hand and immediately blackout blinds descended from the ceiling, turning early afternoon into immediate darkness.

She nuzzled against his neck, kissing the skin lightly, being extra careful where the bruises from his encounter with Koi still remained. She pressed herself into his back and Fred was acutely aware of her breasts, nipples hardening against his jumper and he swallowed a moan of desire.

He turned around, his own need strengthening, he cupped her face, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Daphne's hand went to the back of his head, caressing his hair. Fred's fingers quickly worked the buttons of her blouse, the filmy material falling away carelessly to the floor. Daphne unbuttoned and slid out of her skirt and pantyhose herself so she was standing, shivering a little, in just her underwear. She helped him lift off his jumper, unclipped her bra, and he picked her up, her lithe legs wrapping around his waist. Fred carried her to the impressively sized bed, still kissing her furiously, her loose hair tickling his chest a little.

He set her down delicately, covering her with his own body, he watched her eyes pool with desire, and he found his own body responding in kind.

As she wriggled underneath him in delicious anticipation with a smile on her face, he had a sudden unwelcome flash of his nightmare again from earlier and Mario Materazzi's leering face appeared instead of Daphne's.

I wonder if she was thinking of you, when she was underneath me?

He gasped and sat up off Daphne sharply, she too shot up in alarm, wrapping the covers around her now naked upper torso.

"Fred?"

He turned away from her, his face ashen and she touched his shoulder gently.

"I can't," he whispered, unable to look at her. "I'm sorry, I can't..."

Daphne rubbed his shoulders, whispering that it was fine but if he could have seen her face, he would have seen the confusion and hurt in her eyes.

She didn't ask him why, she didn't want to know.

He lay back down on the covers behind her, partially clothed and pulled her in close, spooning her against his stomach.

"I think I'm just tired," he said into her ear, stroking her hair.

"It's okay," she assured him. "I understand."

If Fred could have seen her face and the hot wet tears landing on her pillow as she faced the wall, he would have realised she really didn't.

Despite the fact it was only just early evening when they went to bed, both Daphne and Fred then slept for a near 15 hours as they recovered from their lengthy journey from Hawaii. It was now 8 am and after enjoying a selection of toasts and croissants in bed, they both knew it was time to get down to the grim business of why they were there.

Fred located the remote to open the blinds while Daphne grabbed the first shower, and grimaced in annoyance when he saw the rain hitting the window pane with a vengeance.

He watched fascinated as people hurried about their business down below. They scurried along on their way to work or school, the rain barely seemed to faze them as they continued their furious pace, shielded only by umbrellas. He found himself thinking about Ethan, and the passion with which he had spoken of his love for this city repeatedly. Had he been lost to the city he so adored?

Daphne emerged from the shower, a fluffy bathrobe wrapped around herself, her hair damp and loose about her shoulders. She too expressed an annoyance about the rain as he passed her, on his way to the shower. He leaned in to kiss her, keen to show there was no lingering tension after what happened last night.

"The shower's amazing," she murmured, offering only her cheek to his immense disappointment. He closed the bathroom door and she sat on the bed to blow dry her hair, unable to forget the way he had rejected her last night. It was like he suddenly couldn't stomach the sight of her and that hurt. There was obviously something huge that was bothering him, and she vowed to ask him about it but it would have to be later, they were here for a reason.

When Fred came out of the shower twenty minutes later, Daphne was already dressed and ready to go and Fred forced himself to dress in a hurry too, sensing Daphne's urgency. She was dressed in black jeans and a fitted T-shirt, her freshly washed hair pushed back into a casual ponytail. She pulled the outfit together with her favourite purple jacket and biker boots. Fred dressed similarly casually, in jeans, sneakers and layered up in a T-shirt, hoodie and black leather jacket.

The minute he had stood up after tying his shoelaces, Daphne was already opening the door, a hint of impatience creeping in as she asked him tersely if he was ready.

He affirmed that he was and hurried towards her, offering her his hand when they eventually stepped outside into the driving rain.

The US Consulate in Hong Kong wasn't too far a walk from the hotel, so after a quick stop to buy an umbrella, they walked with purpose through the busy Hong Kong streets. Fred held the umbrella gentlemanly over them both with one hand, the other continued to tightly grasp Daphne's, she stuffed her other hand into her pocket.

Together, they dodged people who seemed to come at them from every direction, more than once nearly coming a cropper as they crossed the insanely busy roads.

Despite the umbrella, they were both pretty wet by the time they reached the Consulate, and Fred shook the droplets of rain off the umbrella as best as he could, then pulled the door shut behind them as they stood hesitantly in the plush lobby of the building.

Daphne squeezed the moisture from her red hair, before turning to Fred with a worried look on her face. "Fred," she asked quietly, "did you feel like we were being followed?"

He automatically felt his stomach clench in alarm at her question. "No. Did you see anyone?"

"No, it was just a feeling I had. Like there was always someone just a few paces behind us, keeping watch."

He nodded, hoping it was just her increased paranoia.

"Heck of a day out there folks!" the American receptionist greeted them jovially. "What can I do for you?"

When Daphne told him they were here about her brother who was missing, his beaming smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a serious expression.

"Of course Miss Blake, let me just tell them you're here. Mr. Farshan wasn't expecting you quite this early on in the day, but, he'll be pleased to meet you."

Fred nodded politely at him, trying not to think too much about Daphne's concern about being followed. She had admitted it was 'just a feeling', but her natural instincts had not often been wrong in these kind of situations in the past. He desperately hoped she was on this occasion.

"Miss Blake?"

They both snapped to attention and stood up to follow the petite Asian woman with the perfectly coiffed hair bun, who beckoned them to follow her.

As they walked down a maze of identical immaculate, cream corridors, Daphne found herself quite ridiculously obsessing over the young woman's perfect hair. It had been pulled back so tightly and severely that Daphne couldn't help but wonder if it hurt. Every single hair strand was smooth, she didn't have any clumps sticking out of her bun and there wasn't even a bobby pin in sight.

She was about to ask her what hairspray she used to achieve such perfection when the woman opened a door quickly and ushered them inside, before just as quickly, exiting, closing the door shut behind her. Daphne and Fred found themselves in an office where a man sat in a suit behind a large oak desk. He greeted them pleasantly with a smile.

"Miss Blake and...?"

"Mr. Jones, Fred Jones." Fred quickly supplied.

"Miss Blake, Mr. Jones, I'm slightly surprised you were able to get to Hong Kong quite so quickly. Please, do have a seat."

Fred sunk into the leather chair but Daphne was still standing as she fired off her first request, unwilling to sit through any pleasantries first.

"Mr. Farshan, please tell me everything you know about what's happened to my brother." Fred gently pulled her down and she sat relucantly, perching herself right onto the edge of the chair.

Mr. Farshan blinked in surprise at the young woman's cold assertiveness but recovered quickly.

"Of course." He laced his hands together, alternating eye contact between Daphne and Fred as he spoke. "Mr. Dillon was a long term employee of the International News Agency as you know, with the majority of his work, based here in Hong Kong. What you were not aware of, was the true nature of Mr. Dillon's work. Mr. Dillon had actually became deep undercover, investigating a group with links to members of Triad organisations, both here in Hong Kong and in America. These are a very dangerous organisation, involved in both drug trafficking and people trafficking and smuggling of illegal weapons." He paused to see how they were responding to this bombshell.

Daphne merely nodded, her face showing very little emotion, "please continue."

As alarmed as Fred was by the revelation that Ethan was mixed up in dangerous operations, there was only one thing he had taken note of from Mr Farshan so far.

He was. He was. Past tense.

He hoped Daphne hadn't picked up on it.

"Some of Mr. Dillon's information had been directly passed onto police, which led to some successful and significant arrests. As a direct result of this, we believe Mr. Dillon could well have been targeted for revenge if his credentials had indeed been compromised.

Two nights ago, Mr. Dillon failed to make contact with his principal source. After being contacted by those Mr. Dillon worked closely with, to inform us he was missing, we were able to subsequently recover his motorcycle. Would you like to see the pictures of the scene?"

Fred reached across for Daphne's hand, delicately brushing his fingers over her knuckles. "You don't have to look," he whispered to her.

She refused to look at him, ignoring his advice, "please," she said resolutely instead.

Mr Farshan nodded, then reached into the draw for a folder; he shuffled through a few papers before slowly pushing the photos around so Fred and Daphne could see."

"These markings on the road show where the bike skidded," he said, pointing to the mark. "We believe the second marking here shows evidence of another vehicle present at the same scene."

"Mr Farshan," Fred asked boldly, "do you believe there is any possibility that this could have been an accident?"

Mr Farshan thought about the question for a while before answering. "Truthfully, purely based on the evidence of the scene, it is entirely possible. It was a wet night and another vehicle could well have accidentally collided with Mr Dillon's bike but...with the knowledge of him having likely made a such powerful enemy, I would have to conclude it unlikely."

"Thank you Mr Farshan."

"I hesitate to show you the pictures of the actual bike wreckage, it is not really necessary..."

"Please, show me."

"As you wish Miss Blake," Mr Farshan solemnly revealed the photos that had had been taken of the wreckage.

Daphne numbly viewed the photos of Ethan's beloved bike, smashed to bits on the rock below. It was presented in so many fragments now it was hard to believe it once provided such a powerful ride. When they had visited last summer, he couldn't wait to give Daphne a ride, and she had loved the thrill it gave her, the wind whipping through her hair. Ethan adored that bike.

Seeing the shattered, twisted bits of metal lying on the rock face made Fred's stomach fill with bile. It made the whole terrible situation real. Daphne though had still not really properly reacted.

She reached over and stacked the photos neatly, before closing the folder again and slid it back over the desk.

"Mr. Farshan, what measures are currently being taken to locate my brother?"

"We are fully committed to locating Mr Dillon and returning him to you of course Miss Blake, our investigations are continuing. We are still yet to determine when the last time was that anyone saw Mr. Dillon alive so we can put together a timeline. He did not make contact with his source, but he had been off grid for some time."

"Erm, I had a Skype conversation with Ethan around 3pm Chinese time the afternoon before he went missing" Fred admitted, causing both Daphne and Mr. Farshan to raise eyebrows.

"You did? As in visual?" Farshan asked eagerly and Fred nodded in response. "Well that's very helpful Mr. Jones, that certainly adds to our timeline. Could you estimate the duration and nature of this conversation?"

Fred could feel Daphne's curious eyes burning into him, but he kept his focus on Farshan.

"It was only around ten minutes, just a social catch up," he asserted. "There was something a little odd actually, looking back now, I guess."

"Yes?" Farshan asked.

"He was acting a little nervous, he kept looking at what I assumed was his phone and then he left the chat rather abruptly."

"Interesting, thank you." Farshan scribbled something on a piece of paper as they both then stood to leave. "Well, Miss Blake, Mr. Jones, thank you for your time and may I extend my sincere condolences for this awful tragedy. Be assured your brother was a brave man and had done some wonderful work. We will do everything in our power to recover him and bring him home."

Daphne blinked before reprimanding him sharply, "he isn't dead Mr. Farshan."

Farshan looked worriedly at Fred, who stared at him helplessly. Recognising the young woman might well need support, he extended his personal card. "Please call if you need any help dealing with anything. Anything at all, the US Consulate would be more than happy to provide any assistance while you are here in Hong Kong and any support or advice going forward."

Fred thanked Farshan profusely, while Daphne had already turned on her heel angrily and was leading the way out. He trailed her all the way to the main door, barely having time to grab their umbrella as she marched out the door and back out into the rain.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her hoodless jacket offering her no protection against the relentless rain. She heard Fred struggling to catch up with her and she continued her furious pace.

He reached out to her, grabbing for her arm.

"Daph! Wait!" he spluttered, trying to push up the blasted umbrella over their heads.

"Why didn't you tell me you spoke to him?!" she demanded angrily.

"I didn't think it was important, it was nothing, I often Skype him," Fred admitted.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Do I have to? He's my friend too you know. I wanted to speak to him." Fred found himself getting defensive, they didn't have to share everything, he obviously had a very valid reason for speaking to Ethan recently, he couldn't share with her.

Daphne nodded. "God Freddy, I'm sorry, I'm just so worried."

He took her hand again. "I know, I'm worried about him too." They paused at a crossing, waiting for the lights to change. "What do you want to do now?"

"We've got to get to Ethan's apartment, I think his laptop will give us all the information we need to find out who attacked him."

"Sounds like a plan," Fred agreed.

She pulled out her cell and looked up Ethan's address, showing it to Fred. "It's not too far from here," she suggested, meaning they could walk but Fred shook his head.

"No, I've got a better idea," he said, guiding her over the road and into to the nearest underground subway station. They stood looking at the detailed map, trying to make sense of the complicated network. For Daphne it was just a jumble of colourful lines and Chinese symbols but after a few minutes, Fred seemed to have a much better idea about how they could get to where they needed.

"I think I got it," he murmured, "let's go."

If Daphne and Fred thought the city was generally busy, it was nothing compared to the hub of the underground. Every corner was crammed with fast moving people, most with headphones jammed over their ears or speaking with a stream of Chinese into their phones. Everyone looked busy, moving at a frightening pace and Daphne didn't mind admitting it made her feel nervous. Every few seconds it seemed, a high speed train pulled into position by a platform, people filed off, people filed on and then it was on it's way again, it was an incredible act of efficiency she couldn't help but marvel at.

They hurried along the platform, Daphne was completely reliant on Fred to find the way. She caught sight of a stray lace coming loose on her boot. and fearing tripping over as she neared the train, she let go of Fred's hand and bent to re-fasten the lace. As she jumped back to her feet, before she was fully balanced again, she felt a violent shove into her side, and she was immediately caught off-balance, and her arms flailed uselessly as she felt herself falling. For those seconds, the busy hub of the station was frozen in time and all she was aware of was her falling. She heard the whistle of a horn, a flash of light, and a gust of air as she realised to her horror, she was perilously close to falling into the path of a speeding train. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for impact, when she felt a sharp tug on her arm, pulling her away from the edge. She opened them again to find Fred, gripping her tightly, having caught her just in time. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and he looked at her in terror, before pulling her fully to her feet. Several other passengers around them stared and paused to check the girl was OK but most people just carried on their journeys oblivious to the drama. Fred made sure Daphne was OK before he turned his attention to the young black clothed man with the backpack who was still hurrying his way through the station and had obviously barged into Daphne in his haste.

"Hey Asshole!" he yelled, not caring in the slightest that it was highly unlikely the ignorant youth would even understand him. "Watch where you're fucking going next time! You could have killed her!"

The man with the backpack didn't even so much as glance back, he probably had earphones in, Fred realised as he disappeared onto a train.

His own heart was still beating erratically as he turned back to Daphne to find her still shaking like a leaf.

"What a jerk," he said to her furiously. "Probably late for work or something and he just barges past like that without a care in the world!" He hugged her, realising the extent of her shaking and she started to sob.

"Oh sweetheart, what a shock, it's OK, I got you now."

He didn't want to think about how close she came to falling by the tracks. So engrossed with checking for the right platform, he hadn't initially realised she had stopped, and only just got back to her in time to catch her courtesy of 'Mr Impatient Arsehole'.

"He meant to do it," she said suddenly in a small voice, "I felt him push me."

"Oh Daph, I know you're still in shock but he was just a monumental jerk, you said yourself about how quickly everyone moves around here."

Daphne shook her head, trembling with fear. "No Freddy," she insisted, "I felt him shove me, it was no accident."

Fred felt a coldness shoot straight through him, it couldn't possibly be true could it?

"Are you sure?" he asked her fearfully.

"I can't be 100% sure," Daphne admitted. "I was tying my shoelace and when I stood up, I felt such a force from the side, it completely knocked me off balance. I guess he could have just been elbowing his way past but..." she paused and swallowed hard.

"But what?"

"But, I can't be sure, I keep replaying it back in my head but I think...I might even have felt his hands on my back, but maybe I'm just imagining it. Like the sensation I had of being followed earlier today too. It could just be my imagination."

Fred felt completely sick and hoped with all his heart it was the increased paranoia. The alternative was too horrifying to behold; that someone had deliberately tried to shove his girlfriend in front of a train.

He took her hand reassuringly. "Come on, let's go get a cab instead."

Still feeling incredibly shaky, Daphne was grateful to follow Fred back outside where the rain was still pouring down. It only took a few minutes to hail a cab and they were soon on their way to Ethan's apartment. They both tried to put the horrifying incident on the subway behind them, choosing instead to talk about Ethan but careful not to be too explicit, given they didn't know how well their driver was able to understand English.

"I know you said you spoke to him quite a bit Freddy, but did you have any idea what was really going on with Ethan?"

"I had a suspicion that he wasn't telling me everything," Fred replied honestly. "He kept mentioning about some date he was due to go on, but I guess that was he really meeting er...someone else."

Daphne nodded then sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "First Stella and Will, now Ethan, why is no one entirely honest with us Freddy?"

"I can only think it's to protect us," Fred said with a shrug and Daphne made a face. "I think they all had our best interests at heart."

That had been Daphne's belief too but it didn't make the news any easier to digest. She closed her eyes briefly only for them to fly open again in alarm as despite being seat-belted, Fred, and subsequently herself, suddenly went flying hard into the window as the car violently swerved after being bumped by another car. The driver struggled to regain control for a second and she caught a glimpse of another car careening past at speed. They had been dangerously close to spinning into a shopfront but the driver managed to take control again and get back on track. He immediately opened his window to send a stream of abuse in Chinese about the offending car driver, which Daphne assumed was similar to "you crazy roadhog!" but much less polite. He found a safe space to pull over and turned around to check his shaken passengers.

"Are...you...two...okay?" he asked in broken English. "I sorry. Lunatic speedster!" He shook his fist again.

Fred's head had slammed into the glass hard on impact, and Daphne had fallen into his lap but they were otherwise fine and assured him as such.

The driver nodded and continued their journey cautiously. Only after they had left the cab, did they discuss it.

"Did you see what happened?" Daphne asked with wide, frightened eyes.

Fred remembered the car slamming into their side from nowhere, leaving him with an indescribable feeling the car had meant to run them off the road, just like the guy had apparently meant to shove Daphne. Despite the fear that now consumed him, instead he lied.

"Uh sure, this guy was trying to overtake and got way too close, I think it was just a bad judgment call, what with the slippery road surface and all."

"You're saying it was accidental? It sure didn't feel accidental. Neither did the subway. If I didn't know any better I'd say someone was..."

"Sweetheart, you're just being paranoid, they were just accidents," Fred tried to reassure her, not willing to divulge he was very much feeling along those lines right now.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, I'm still feeling pretty tired too," she conceded, as Fred kissed her.

"Let's get inside," he said, holding the door open to Ethan's fancy apartment building in the heart of the city. They rode the elevator up to the 15th floor where Ethan's apartment was and Daphne produced the keycard Ethan had given her, the last time they visited.

Remembering what happened the last time they had arrived at Ethan's residence when he was missing, Daphne felt extremely apprehensive but as they turned the lights on, everything looked normal in Ethan's apartment. Boasting all the mod cons of Eastern architecture and design, it was a plush and comfortable abode with a combined high sheen kitchen and living area, bedroom and en suite, and a balcony. Ethan kept his furnishings tasteful and minimalistic and the apartment was immaculately tidy. No takeway cartons littered the lounge or clothes strewn all over the floor. A handful of framed pictures were scattered around the apartment including several of Ethan and Daphne and one taken from before they left Coolsville, that featured himself, Daphne, Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. Fred smiled sadly at the picture whilst Daphne was in Ethan's bedroom, looking for the laptop.

Fred walked around the apartment, seeing all the signs of Ethan's life there. The kitchen was full of fancy looking gadgets and recipe books, evidence of Ethan's love for cooking. In the living room, there were a handful of magazines on the table and books stacked neatly on a shelf, he was just pulling out an interesting looking volume when Daphne emerged, clutching the silver laptop.

"Got it," she smiled.

She carried the laptop to the table in the living room and sat down. Fred hovered over her shoulder.

"Okay," she said, opening the lid to be immediately met with a password prompt. Her fingernails flew flawlessly across the keyboard and she was effortlessly logged in, and then into Ethan's email account.

Fred raised his eyebrow at her. "You know all of Ethan's passwords?"

"Of course not but I had a very good idea of what they were. He's been using the same combinations since we were kids," she explained. "Now, let's see what we have here."

She was just clicking on the most recent one when the lights went out in the apartment, leaving just an eerie glow from the screen.

"Uh, maybe a power cut?" she suggested uncertainly.

Fred wasn't so convinced and he glanced up just in time to see a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and realised with terror, there was someone on the outside balcony.

"Daphne, duck!" he screamed, diving to the floor with her, Daphne still clutching the silver laptop just as the glass window shattered and objects landed around them. Fearing they were grenades, he dragged Daphne along the floor away from them the best he could, before they hissed open and smoke filled the room. Smoke bombs he realised as noisy flash bang ones also went off. He saw at least two men dressed in black enter the apartment from the balcony and he realised the intention of the smoke bombs was merely to disorient them.

"Daph! Keep low!" he choked out, a hand on her back as she crawled along the floor in front of him. They reached the door and stumbled into the still lit corridor, Daphne shakily got to her feet, still holding the laptop, running without even thinking where she was going. She knew Fred was just a heartbeat behind her as they ran to the end of the corridor.

"Stairs!" Fred barked out from behind, and she yanked the door open and began the descent down. As the door clattered noisily indicating they were still being pursued, she heard a bang and it took a few seconds to realise it was a bullet.

She screamed as several more shots were discharged as they ran down the never ending staircase. Finally they reached the bottom and Fred grabbed her hand and led the way outside.

"Now do you believe someone is trying to kill us?!" Daphne panted.

"What the hell are we going to do?"

"We lose them in the crowd!" Fred yelled as they turned into the marketplace outside. Fred pulled a rack down behind them to slow their pursuers as they wove deeper into the markets. It barely seemed to slow them and Fred cursed.

"Fred, we don't exactly blend into the crowd!" Daphne exclaimed urgently and Fred knew she had a point, red and blond hair were in short supply within the crowded marketplace and he knew they were never going to be able to outrun them.

"Daph!" he shouted, spying some brightly dressed people in a passing parade. "Operation Shaggy and Scooby!"

Daphne grabbed a handful of materials, scarfs and beads from a stall as they ran past, quickly covering herself and Fred did likewise as they calmly joined the parade.

Hidden underneath the bright fabrics of their disguise they watched grimly as their pursuers moved on, suspecting they had already ran past the parade, not joined it. They moved within the parade for a few more minutes before slowly moving away into a dark alley. When they were sure it was safe, Fred pulled Daphne into his arms.

"Were they...were they assassins?" she shivered in the rain, peeling off her disguise. Her teeth chattered and Fred wrapped his additional fabrics around her, she placed her hands on his shoulder, and he noticeably winced. Daphne's fingertips on his shoulder, came away feeling tacky and she looked in horror to see red staining her hands. She slid his jacket off his shoulder and he hissed in pain as she realised the truth.

"Oh my god Fred, you've been shot!" she whispered in pure horror.

"It's fine," he immediately tried to bluster, "it just grazed my shoulder."

"We have to get you to a hospital!" she cried but he shook his head immediately, "they'll be looking out for us there, we can't, we can't go back to the hotel either."

"Well what are we going to do?" Daphne asked, already panicking. "Do you even know anyone else in Hong Kong?"

Fred thought for a minute and then smiled painfully. "As a matter of fact I do."

"You do?" Daphne asked doubtfully. "Someone who can help us? I'm not being funny Fred but we're alone in China, with assassins pursuing us and you've been shot in the shoulder, who could you posssibly know who's going to help us with all that?"

Fred produced his cell phone, looking for the long ago stored number. "Her name is Mei-Ling."