A.N: Well... here's another one. Enormous thanks for RedNymph234 for helping me with this! hopefully now its much better. ; ) Also to RumAndCocaCola; it was totally a shout out. Kudos for recognizing it! Hopefully this chapter finally clears things up. Unfortunately not a whole lot of action, but its coming. promise. thus, patience. Otherwise; Enjoy!

(Updated 2/3/11)

Chapter 5: Less than Ordinary

Rorschach's Journal. November 27th, 1986.
Teri survived Veidts decimation of the city. had a child. my child. shocked as I was, I have work to do. utopia made up of metal and lies, wont fix itself…

It was sickening. Sickeningly terrifying as he walked down the rebuilt streets. Every building, whether finished or not, bore a plaque that stated something along the lines of 'Materials funded and donated by Adrian Veidt, C.O. pyramid enterprises'. The streets were littered with advertisements and newspapers.

His eyes scanned the filthy streets around him, the buildings that looked scarcely new but worn. His chest tightened. It was hard to get Alice out of his mind, hard to not think about his daughter. Her face haunted him when he closed his eyes; he would agree that he thought he loved her, but at what cost? She would grow up with less than ordinary parents, who sought revenge and roamed the streets in a costume. He didn't want that for her. She should be in a family where the parents spoiled her, and sent her to a private school or spent the summers in a house on the lake.

Her blue eyes stuck out to him the most, but only because they were his eyes. A shiver ran down his spine, but not from the bitter chill as he listened the numerous car alarms and shouts.

What if she turned out like him? Antisocial and vengeful… what if she decided to walk in his footsteps?- 'The end is nigh', a mask fighting crime…
He stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying to block such ideas from his mind. Teri's scent rising all around him from her recent wear of them. The aroma caused his thoughts to trail to places where he'd rather them not while he was working.

An advertisement from one of Veidts magazines fluttered in the late November breeze, coming to a gentle stop on his leg: It was the second within two days. Rorschach sneered as he kicked it off.

Despite Teri's apparent plan, he hated the idea of Teri working for the very man she was planning to take down. Teri was inexperienced, immature, and inattentive to what she left behind. Veidt was a smart man, one who wouldn't cower if she raised a gun to his head. Teri wouldn't have a chance to take him out, especially if he suspected something off about her, for he wouldn't hesitate to strike. Veidt's utopia was too important to risk for the simple life of some annoying mother.

Rorschach stopped on the corner of 42nd and frowning, he gazed around. There were fewer hookers, the streets less caked with dirt, but brightly lit neon signs still decorated many windows, their light providing more haunting shadows on the streets and adjacent structures.
He didn't recognize any building, each twisted sheet of metal and steel formed into objects of worship for Veidt. It made Rorschach sick. To think, the one man that he once called a fellow crime fighter, turned to the darker side of their trade.

Rorschach took a breath of chilly air, the inside of his face moist and sticky. He turned down the street to where his apartment building used to stand, by now, the rubble had been cleaned, and the plot where Shairps building once stood, now a tall sky-rise: even where Gunga Diner had been was replaced.

Rorschach sighed as a passerby gave him a double take before booking it down the street. The panicking citizen didn't disturb his thoughts, nor did the unease of walking around unstopped by the local crime force. It was as if he had been let off the hook for every accusation. But he didn't linger on that, for it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Rorschach stopped on the curb, his feet rocking on the edge of it. A memory of Teri came to him as he gazed at the plot where the Gunga Diner once stood; she stared down into her coffee, bundled in worn clothing.

"Maybe I'm the one that needs a friend."

Teri had changed so much; She'd grown up. He couldn't say that he wasn't disappointed in her maturity, but she just wasn't the women that he'd gone and gotten himself attached too. Having children can do that…? Walter pondered.

Rorschach turned and peered down one of the alleyways; all was quiet. "Hurm." He didn't think that that was what happened to her. We'll investigate. Walter commented. Rorschach moaned; no. He wasn't going to have any part in that. Walter could handle that himself for all Rorschach cared. Walter was better at the sentimental crap anyway.
Rorschach turned down that alley, suspicious of its unnatural appeal. He stepped uncaringly in a puddle, his reflection rippling and faltering in the water as he continued on.

There was something else bugging him about Teri. He had understood why she'd taken the job with Bernard when she'd first arrived her; to keep a low profile. But he didn't understand why she'd gone and got herself hired on with Veidt. Revenge was one thing, but actually getting the job was a completely different story. A single year with Veidt couldn't have possibly gotten her the job she had now. Unless… Unless there was something going on that she hadn't shared with him. Rorschach considered this, but before he got too far in his thought process, a scream woke him, turning his attention back to the alleyway he was in. Before he rushed into something, he made a mental note to ask her in the morning about it. The time was up for sentimental beginnings, it was time to get down to business.

Teri wiped her mouth on the white towel that hung on a wooden loop beside the mirror in her bathroom before placing her wet toothbrush in a small cup on the corner of the sink. When she stood up, her hands trailing down to straighten her grey blouse, the male reflection in the recently empty mirror startled her.
Teri whipped around, her hand on her chest. "Jesus, Walter," She took a breath, supporting herself on the edge of the sink as she eyed him. "When did you get back?" She distinctly remembered waking up to an equally empty bed. She wasn't going to lie; she had thought the worst.

He rested against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets; in the same clothes he'd worn last night, minus his costume. "Twenty minutes ago." He told her, impassively.

Teri raised an eyebrow. "Still not into knocking, are we?"

He shook his head: he'd come through the window, as per usual. The window in her bedroom was the only access to the fire escape for the building. His mind was reeling with the thoughts that had been cooking in his mind, the thoughts that Rorschach had started. He felt the need to settle them, right then. No more waiting.

Teri felt those oddly familiar eyes burning into her, that uncomfortable flutter appearing in her stomach.

"Thought you said you didn't normally dress like that." He stated, suddenly.

Teri looked down at herself; dress slacks and a blouse. "I-I don't."

"Meeting was yesterday." He cocked a brow, suspiciously. "Have another today?"

Teri adjusted her shirt, self-consciously; she just thought she'd send a better impression dressed nicely. "No." What's wrong with him? Teri ran a hand through her hair before brushing past him and heading into the kitchen. She hadn't gotten Alice up yet, and wanted to prepare her food. Don't have time for this. The driver will be here any minute…

"Been thinking." Walter started again, following her into the cozy area. Teri stopped at the sink, needlessly placing her hands on the rim. "How does someone like you end up where you are now?" It was a point that Rorschach had brought up last night, one that both wanted answered.

Teri whipped around, blinking at him. "What?"

"Never thought of you as a professional woman." Walter replied, walking closer, his hands still in his pockets. At his approach, Teri backed herself into the counter.

"You can't be serious." Teri said with a frown. Is he interrogating me? His words had hit her hard: They had been delivered in the same fashion as those that were about her involvement in the Detroit incident. Walter was now less than a few feet away from her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Never been more serious." Walter stated, his eyes never leaving hers. Hiding something, Walter. Rorschach prodded. Something she failed to share.

Teri rolled her eyes, breaking his assertive fix on her. Great. He was interrogating her. "Look, we'll talk about it when I get home." She tried to make a move around him, but he stopped her with a firm hand.

"Said that yesterday. Think its time to talk. Now."

She pursed her lips together. She didn't like it when Walter started this shit. "I have to go to work."

"Call in."

"I can't." She was back against the kitchen counter now, Walter stern eyes bearing into hers.

The cordless phone had been lying beside the sink, and Walter reached behind her to retrieve it. "Call it in." He placed it in her hand.

Teri stared up at him. Wasn't this what she had wanted yesterday? To spend the day with him, to catch up on things that they hadn't yet been able to share? She had thought that his playfulness would have been sexy, but as she stood under him, trapped in her own kitchen, she wondered about her sanity. Teri swallowed before shaking her head. "I have a photo shoot to direct-"

Walter swiftly nabbed the phone from her hands and pressed it to his ear after jabbing at a button. "Operator, Pyramid enterprises-"

Teri snatched it back, suddenly, as she realized that she'd lost the bout. "Jesus, Walter, they won't know you." She hissed, defeated as she eased it to her ear; She suddenly felt very much like a hostage. Not in a good way.

Walter let out his own breath of relief and triumph as he supported himself on the counter, hands on either side of her. He wasn't going anywhere until Teri carried this out.

While the operator directed the call, Walter eyed the cheap tan countertop, the curtain-less window above the sink; the sun barely reaching over the top of the sill. His eyes found the white refrigerator, decorated with many useless magnets, then the wobbly table in the middle of the room behind them, its two chairs pushed in, the high chair sitting empty beside them. It was a small kitchen, but rather homely. Similar to the one at Shairps. Walter considered this, then beat the thought to death.

"Yes, marketing department please." Teri asked politely, she waited as Walter patiently glanced around the room, his body heat invading her space and made her a little warmer than she preferred. As his eyes strayed from hers, she started to feel a bit more comfortable.
"Yes, Marcee? Its Teri." She paused, staring up at the ceiling as Walters eyes came back to her. "Can you tell Mrs. Neuberg that I won't be in today?" Another pause, then Teri cleared her throat. "It seems that Alice has a bit of a cough." Pause. "Yeah, I know, I'm probably over-reacting, but I want to have it checked out, just in case." Teri lied, still refusing to make eye contact with the man that had her trapped between him and the kitchen counter. "I will." She licked her lips. "Yes, I already talked to Derek about that.-"

Walter listened to the quiet chattering on the other end of the line; It was too muted to make any sense of it.

"Yes, of course, thank you Marcee." The phone moved from her ear as she pressed a red button on the phone. "Happy?" She inquired harshly, meeting Walters somewhat softened gaze.

"Not yet." He answered. "Need you to answer some questions for me."

Teri crossed her arms; they grazed against Walters chest. "Go on, then." She had really needed to go into work today, no matter how adverse she'd felt about it.

"Need you to explain relations with Veidt." Walter started, his brows coming together. He was still confused about how close she was with him. "Don't understand how you can go from being a newsvendor to having meetings with him." Personally he preferred her being a newsvendor; despite the danger, it was still safer than working with Veidt.

Teri sighed, "It's a long story." She told him, disgruntled.

Walter lifted an eyebrow. "Long day ahead."

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes she just wanted to slap that man. "Can we take it to the couch?" His closeness was beginning to get unnerving again.

Walter hesitated, wondering if perhaps Teri might make a break for it. She had been known to try something like that. After a long moment of deliberation, he nodded, stepping back to allow her space. Watching her like a hawk, he followed her easily into the adjacent room, his bare feet thankful of the abrupt change from the cold linoleum to the carpet.
A moment later he was beside Teri on the tan couch. She stared at her hands for a moment, reflecting on the next words she was going to speak. Little did she know that the longer she waited, the more and more that Walter had decided that something was going on. He urged himself to calm down: he'd only been here for a little over a day and already he was accusing Teri of something illegal? He had to have been blowing things out of proportion. Surely.

"Look," Teri started, bringing Walter from his thoughts. She decided that maybe she should start and the beginning. "After the attack on the city, Veidt sent out reimbursement checks to those in need; within the letter that he'd sent to everyone, he mentioned that his company was in desperate need of employees."
She shrugged, her eyes still averted from the man that sat on the other end of the couch, listening. "I didn't like the thought of going to work for him, but I had this feeling." She gestured to her stomach. Not to mention that she had an obligation to her child.

"Before I came here," She continued, going back in her story, "Before I came to New York that is," she clarified, "I had recently completed my Associates degree-"

Walter's face wrinkled in confusion. "In what?" He interrupted.

"Business." Teri answered, eyeing him. "Anyway, I was working on my Bachelors in Marketing when the Detroit incident happened."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Walter asked, his eyebrows furrowed. He'd never known that Teri had gone to college. He tried to remember whether she'd mentioned it in her journal, but he couldn't recall.

Teri shrugged. "It never came up." She told him lightly; obviously it wasn't a big deal. "When I got here, I took the Newsvendor job because it was low profile. Bernard didn't ask questions that other places would." She explained, a slight falter in her voice when she mentioned Bernard: she quite missed him. "It was fast money, and I got to see where the police were in my case." She paused, breaking Walter stare.

"I didn't want to go back to something like that after the attack." Teri shrugged, "Thus, I started over again with Pyramid." Teri bit her lip. "I'm not anyone special there," She told him, bringing her eyes slowly back to his, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "I was hired to shadow the director. You know, bring her coffee, make copies, staple packets together… shit like that." She took a breath.
"About a week and a half ago, I was in my bosses office while she was working on samples for the new line." She lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug. "I made a simple suggestion, and I expected-as per usual for her-to put me back in line, but she liked my idea and asked me to give it a shot.
"Its only temporary." Teri sighed, gesturing to her outfit. "Thus my attire. I wanted to make a good impression, I wanted them to know that I was competent enough to actually do the job." Teri lolled her head to the redhead beside her. "Happy?" She asked sarcastically. "I still have a shit job, just like everyone else on the damned planet."

The corner of Walter's lip twitched. "When did plan for Veidt come?"

"-not until after Daniel visited." Teri confessed. Walter was silent for a long minute, taking in everything that Teri had said. She took that moment to speak up. "So, now that I've spilled my pride all over the floor, you mind if I ask something?"

Walter's eyes shot to hers. He nodded his head as he swallowed.

Teri waited before asking her question, her tongue nervously running over her lips, as if wondering whether what she wanted to ask was out of line. "What took you so long to find me?"

He recoiled: He had known that she would ask that question sooner or later. "Teri," He whispered, trying to ignore the pain that had flickered across her face when she'd asked. "I was on the west coast." He knew that answer wouldn't sit well with her, so he continued before she could get the chance to dispute it. "At Karnak, when Veidt confessed-" he cleared his throat; oddly, it was tightening uncomfortably.

Emotions started to surface, ones that he'd hoped to keep suppressed as he explained his reasoning's. "I-I saw the destruction on the screen. Knew that you were pulling double shifts." He felt his hands start to moisten, his memory of that day haunting him. "Thought the worst." he confessed. His eyes had found his hands, wiping them nervously on his pants. "Left the traitors to their talk. Went to go tell the world of Veidts lies. Manhattan met me outside. Threatened me. Knew that he wouldn't let me go without killing me."

He paused for a long moment, but before Teri could reach forward to him, he continued. "Not really sure what happened then. Perhaps a lapse in morality. But, the next thing I knew, I was in California." He took a deep breath, and filling his lungs with precious air. "Thought you were dead." his voice had started to crack. "Traveled back, but took it slow. Knew that Veidt wasn't going anywhere." Teri had now scooted over to him. "Didn't know about Alice."

A stray tear fell from her eye, and Teri reached up to brush it away. It was hard to listen to his excuse, but despite that, now everything was clear, and the weight lifted from both of their shoulders. "See," she started, her own voice cracking as she attempted a smile. "Now we're both on the same page."

"Finally." Rorschach huffed, his shoulders a little less tense. "Had to threaten you to do it." He quipped.

Teri chuckled, leaning forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "We should've talked about it sooner." She knew that it should have been the first thing to cross her mind, but somehow things had gotten mixed up.

"Shouldn't have been so… preoccupied." Walter whispered, relief washing over him with a twinge of guilt. The pain he could have saved her from if he'd returned earlier… perhaps he could have even stopped her from taking a job in Veidts utopia. Perhaps he could have convinced her to step down while he solved the problem.

A smile formed on her lips. So Manhattan had saved him after all… "I guess I'll have to thank Manhattan now, wont I?"

Rorschach frowned. Still naïve to the fact that Manhatten played a role in flourishment of Veidt's empire. Still so naïve in general.

Rorschach's Journal November 27th, 12:30pm
more I think about it, more I don't like idea of Teri taking down Veidt. other watchmen couldn't win in battle against him, including me. have bad feeling.
Teri said Daniel visited her. possibly has current address. need to see him. may help with dilemma. remember he swore silence on corruption, but curious as to what he might say now that I'm alive-

"What are you writing?"

His eyes slowly found hers. Walter held back the sneer that Rorschach tried to urge to his face. Walter stared at Ashley for a long moment, trying to regain his own thoughts back.

Ashley raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "What?" She didn't like it when people stared like that. Ashley broke his intruding look and turned back to the baby in the high chair beside her. "I was just asking." She muttered, spooning another clump of baby food into Alice's mouth; Alice gurgled and spit half of it out, the pale food dripping down her chin.

Walter shifted his eyes to his baby girl, slightly put off by the goop that ran down her chin. With a sigh, he placed his pencil in binding as he closed his journal and crossed his arms on the wobbly wooden table.

He was getting jittery: Rorschach had a taste of getting back out on the street again last night, enjoying himself to the point of not returning until dawn. Rorschach was just itching to get back out on the streets, to don his face once more and find some of those copy-cats of his, to seek out a way to cleanse the city of Veidts reckoning.

Walter closed his eyes, feeling the fatigue his body harnessed from last night. It had been too long since he'd been out on the streets… His body prayed for a simple nap, but his mind refused to rest. Rorschach refused to rest.

Need to find Daniel. Teri is in the bath, best time to talk to her. Walter's jaw tightened. Perhaps it was too soon to speak with her about that. He hadn't thought that she liked the idea of him starting his work so soon. Need to get out and about. Going stir-crazy in here. Walter frowned. Teri had gone to take a bath after Ashley had arrived, and hadn't invited Walter in with her. He had the impression that she might have needed a little time to her self, to her thoughts. As he was. But Rorschach's nagging got to him and reluctantly he stood.

"Never compromise… right?" Her hands held onto the sides of his face, looking deep into his eyes.

It kept her calm as her lungs burned. She accepted that trapped feeling, she welcomed it. Teri enjoyed the feel of the water surrounding her; her short hair billowing about her face, her hands glued to the sides of the porcelain tub. She enjoyed the silence, the break from life. It gave her a moment to organize herself. "I'll just be the one waiting for you." She heard herself say. It felt good to look back on those memories and know that she had Walter back, that she would no longer spend another day staring into space, wondering if she'd ever be happy again.

It kept Teri composed as air escaped her lips. The darkness behind her eyes shuddering as she willed her body into submission. Just a little longer…

Teri remembered recently running her eyes over the photocopy of a piece from Rorschach's journal in the newspaper. It was one of the passages that had mentioned her name. There had been one or two articles about them trying to find out just who this mystery woman was in Rorschach's writings, and why he was fixated on her.
She smiled inwardly. The world would find out soon enough…

Walter gently knocked on the door to the bathroom, a little fearful of her reaction that would be on the other side of the door. What would she say when he asked for Daniel's address?

His hand dropped to his side as he waited. Three seconds. Four. Five. Six. Seven… Ten seconds. He knocked again… nothing. He took in a deep breath, turning slightly to see Ashley peering out of the kitchen and staring curiously at him. Walter cleared his throat before he returned his focus to the door of the bathroom. His hands found the doorknob; he knew that Teri was in there. The bathroom was in clear view of the kitchen: they would have seen her leave. Possible something's wrong?

Walter pushed opened the door to the bathroom, a puff of warm air hitting him. He stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind him before glancing around the cramped room. The large tub in the corner was filled with water, white bubbles covering the top, hiding whatever was inside. Teri's glass of orange juice sat on the floor, next to the tub. Walter furrowed his eyebrows; Teri definitely wasn't in the room. He reached up, running a hand through his hair.

The water in the bathtub quivered, and Teri's head emerged from the water, her eyes closed as she gasped for air.

Refusing to admit that he had been startled, Walter watched as her hands smoothed out her hair before rubbing her eyes. Teri started when she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye.

"Walter, jeese, when did you-"

He came foreword slowly, taking a seat on the closed lid of the toilet. "Didn't mean to scare you." Walter admitted.

She shook her head, "No, it's okay," Teri still struggled to regain her breath.

Walter wondered how long she'd been submerged. Her darkened hair was slick against her head, her body hidden by the foam atop the water. It was something that he'd missed, seeing her like this: completely human-like everyone else in the world-not terribly special to anyone but him. It caused a flock of butterflies to be released in his stomach.

Teri flicked her eyes to him, her hands playing with the soapy bubbles. She'd come in here to a take a moment to relax, and though she wanted Walter to share this time with her, she couldn't help but think that his presence meant something less tranquil. "Do you need something?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she played with the bubbles in the middle of the tub.

Walter, his elbows resting on his knees, chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Need Daniel's address."

His words hit her hard. It hurt to her remember that Walter wasn't the romantic that would strip and jump into the water to take her. A year apart tends to do this to perceptions. Teri focused on her toes that protruded from the warm water. "It's in my address book." She answered, shyly.

"Still here in New York?" Walter inquired, not catching her tone.

She nodded, "He's in hiding with Laurie." Teri rolled her eyes, "They dyed their hair." She obviously didn't think too much of it. There they were, vigilantes too scared of the law that they went and changed everything about themselves. It seemed a little cowardly to Teri. She sighed then, shifting in the warm water that protected her body from Walter's eyes. "Planning on going to see him?"

"Mhmm." Walter answered, staring at his hands.

Teri lowered herself further into the water, her lips touching the surface of the bubbles. "Can I go?"

Walter brought his eyes to hers, seeing her innocence-her hesitation. "No."

"Why not?"

Rorschach groaned, he hated it when Teri whined. "Going to talk to him about getting back on the streets." Walter answered. "Planning on visiting him tonight under my face." Rorschach shuddered at the idea of going as Walter. It was embarrassing enough when Daniel broke him out of jail and saw him like this.

"What about Adrian?"

"Might come up in conversation." He shrugged.

"Why can't I go then?" Teri asked, sitting up in the water, her shoulders emerging from water, slick from the soap. "I was the one to think up the plan!" She relished the thought of running around with the trio: Rorschach, Silk Spectre, NiteOwl. She wouldn't lie; she'd thought about it the possibility of it since she'd found out about Walter's true identity. God, it would be self-fulfilling. "I mean, I've been parading around like you for months..."

Walter's tried to keep his eyes locked with hers. "No." He replied firmly. There was more than one reason why he didn't want Teri running the streets with him. "I nearly killed you. Can barely defend yourself, let alone fight." He argued, "Besides, you have an moral obligation to stay." The last thing he wanted was for something to happen to her and have Alice suffer-the mere though of Alice having to go to a children's home like he did was too much…

Teri's eyes narrowed. "And you don't?" She didn't argue that she might be a liability, but Walter had a chance of being killed too.

Walter held her stare with just as much contention. He didn't like what Teri was implying. "I'm a big boy." He growled.

"I'm a big girl." Teri countered.

Walter's mouth twitched. She'd walked right in her own trap. "Exactly." He replied.

Teri's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"I am a man." Walter answered, slowly. "You, a girl. Period."

Teri scoffed, continuing to stare. "Are you implying something?"

Walter cocked an eyebrow, leaning forward. He waited for a moment before answering, fully meaning what he was about to say. "Women are the weaker sex."

Teri blinked at him, completely speechless. She knew he believed that, but it was odd to actually hear it come from his lips. It didn't hit her too terribly hard, especially seeing that subtle appearance of a smile.

Teri shook her head, her own smile slowly growing as an epiphany came to rushing into her head.

Walter had expected some kind of witty comment to escape her, but the longer her silence filled the room, the more he grew suspicious.

Alice's happy squeal from the kitchen distracted Walter from Teri's peculiar smile, and he turned his head towards the door, but as he did, he was helpless to react when Teri's hands gripped the front of his shirt and yanked.

The water from the tub sloshed and spattered as Walter came tumbling in. He struggled for a moment to get his head above the warm water, but Teri helped him to get into a comfortable position, unable to stop herself from laughing. She ran a hand through his hair, smiling up at him and his now wet self. If he won't be the romantic, then damnit, I will. Teri brushed a handful of foam bubbles off of his head. "What's this about the weaker sex?" She asked, lightly.

Walter spit water from his mouth, still recovering from the sudden fall as he tried to reposition himself over Teri, his hands trying to grip the slick porcelain and failing. "Let you do that. Saw it in your eyes." He locked gazes with her, cocking an eyebrow as water dribbled from his nose. "Getting too predictable."

"You're an ass."

"You called for me, boss?"

Adrian closed the cover of the leather bound journal before he looked up. He uncrossed his legs and un-reclined in his chair. He set the half-burnt journal on his mahogany desk as he trailed his eyes to the man standing on the other side of it. "Yes, Charlie, I did." He licked his lips, wondering briefly if his chapstick was in his pockets: It wasn't. How depressing. Adrian sighed, crossing his arms. "I need you to do me a favor." His head gestured to the brown envelope closest to Charlie, "I have a little hiccup that needs to be silenced."

Charlie took up the envelope, opening it with care and sliding the photograph out of its confines before flicking his eyes back to Adrian's, confused. "You sure about this boss?"

Adrian pursed his lips. "Quite sure, in fact." He glanced to the journal that sullenly rested in front of him, its corners burnt and worn. "I've recently had new information placed in my hands." He sniffed, "I'm afraid I can't risk it."

Charlie glanced once more at the photograph.

Adrian raised his brow at him, annoyed at Charlie's lingered presence. "Aren't you late for picking her up?"

"Called in sick." Charlie answered, quickly.

Adrian sighed, leaning forward and pressing the call button for his secretary. "Jess, darling, will you please inform Mrs. Nueberg that I'd like a second sample for the new Enigma line within the week?" He let go of the button, then turned to his trusted henchman. "We wouldn't want the line to be sacrificed if something unfortunate happened to Ms. Kovacs."