A/N: Holy I'm sorry this took me so long to update. My schedule has been crazy busy and I just wasn't too inspired to write. But hopefully I'll do better now that work has settled down. Also, this chapter is a bit short but it's mostly lead up to the next one so hopefully you aren't too mad at me. :)


Asher stared at the ceiling watching the grooves and ridges form elaborate pictures.

There was something wrong with him.

He didn't notice it until earlier this afternoon, when he was sitting alone and tried to remember the night before with Haille. When she had mentioned any detail, an image popped into his head, but if he tried to conjure a memory of his own, it wouldn't work. That was when he realized that it was true for everything. He had a hard time coming up with his own past information without someone mentioning it first.

Haille entered the room then and stared at him on the bed. She smirked briefly then her expression turned serious.

"What's wrong Asher?" she asked sitting next to him.

He didn't sit up or turn his head to look at her, "I can't remember anything."

Her heart jumped up to her throat, "What do you mean? What are you trying to remember?"

"It started with last night, but then I realized that I haven't been able to remember anything."

"You don't remember last night?"

"I did, after you mentioned it."

"That's not really remembering then," she paused for a second then her eyes lit up, "you mean you don't remember anything unless someone says something? And then what happens?"

He gave her a strange look, "Then I remember. But if you don't supply them, I can't remember details."

"How long have you been like this?"

"I don't know. I guess I can't remember a time when I wasn't."

Haille bit her lip and thought, "What do you think your mother looks like?"

Asher looked up at her in alarm, "I don't know my mother. And I just told you that my memory is weird." he looked angry but she continued.

"I think you probably have her eyes, I mean Giovanni's eyes are dark but yours are shaped differently."

He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and his expression softened, "what else?"

Haille smiled a little, "I think she had to be beautiful, for your father to fall for her. Maybe she had auburn hair..." she glanced at Asher looking for any sign of recognition.

"What?" he asked catching her stare.

"Nothing, I was just seeing if maybe you thought of something."

"I can't remember someone I never knew."

"I know," she sighed, "I just thought maybe...something."

"Sorry," Asher snapped insincerely.

"Don't be, you're right how would you remember someone you never knew?" Haille's eyes seemed calculating for a few moments. "So you don't have any memories on your own, someone has to mention it. But it also has to be something that you knew. Like your brain locks them down until they're recalled?"

Asher nodded and laid back down.

"If this is the only way you can remember being, how do you know it's weird?"

"It doesn't feel normal." he said simply.

Haille bit her lip and backed up to the door, "I think it's normal for you and I guess that's all that matters" she supplied knowing that she didn't sound too convincing. She hesitated in the doorway for a second watching him lay there. He looked so sad and confused, she felt a little sorry for him. But then she remembered her task and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Jessie and James' room was on a different floor so Haille had time to think before reaching them.

What she couldn't understand was how these pills were able to erase part of his memory. How was it able to completely remove Delia but leave details experienced as Asher? She supposed figuring out all the mechanics of the drug wasn't as important as what they did to him.

Haille reached Jessie and James' door and only knocked once before it opened quickly and she was pulled in by the former.

"What the hell?" she asked rubbing the spot on her wrist where James had grabbed her.

"What the hell, indeed." Jessie smirked cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow at the younger woman. "We didn't bring you here to rekindle an old flame, you're supposed to be figuring out what's wrong with him."

"Why do you think I'm here? He told me, at least he told me something," she stopped suddenly, frowning. "What are you talking about? I'm not rekindling anything."

"You're sitting inside of one of the world's largest criminal organizations' headquarters. The place that houses our most important members and you are currently sharing a room with the heir to the whole damn thing. Are you really so naive that you believe there aren't cameras everywhere?" Jessie paused to allow her words to sink in. "There are 4 people whose only job is to sit in the control room watching footage from every camera. That's literally all they do."

"So you know what happened last night," Haille's cheeks turned pink and she looked away from them.

"Everyone knows what happened last night, it's all anybody here can talk about," James interjected.

"Truthfully, it's a good thing. Because outwardly it looks like you two are doing what you're supposed to. He's seducing you and you're in a prime position to mother the next heir." Haille blanched but Jessie continued, "But I just want to make sure that this development isn't going to harm the mission."

"How do you mean?"

"Asher isn't real, he doesn't exist. Ash is in there somewhere and he has to come back, you can't erase what happened between the two of you."

"I know that!" Haille snapped, offended they would even think that.

"Good. So, what did he tell you?"

As Haille relayed the information about his memory that Asher had told her, she wondered if Jessie had a reason to be concerned. While she had a hard time admitting it aloud, she knew that she still had feelings for Ash and a situation where they could be together without the baggage of their past was enticing. At the same time, she didn't think she could do that to Delia. She had promised that she'd bring Ash back to the way he was before and she intended to keep her word.

"Maybe it's time to move onto phase two," James said quietly once Haille had finished speaking. Jessie shrugged in response and bit her bottom lip gently as she thought.

"What's phase two?" Haille asked.

The older woman hesitated then sighed, "We were thinking that once you gained enough trust, you could try to get him to stop taking the pills. I know he said they give him a migraine but we won't know what actually happens until it happens right?"

Haille nodded, "I could try. I guess. If it doesn't work, we've still gotten this far."

"Then it's settled, phase two is a go." James smiled, "now, I'm starving as Jessie wanted to wait for you and wouldn't let me go down to the mess hall."

"Don't call it that," Jessie shook her head but didn't hide her smile.

"I could eat," Haille giggled as James held out his arm to her.

The three of them rode the elevator down to the cafeteria-like dining area in an easy camaraderie, as if they really were just old friends and not people with a common mission. They entered the room to see Asher already sitting at a table by himself. Jessie elbowed Haille and led the way in his direction.

"Fancy meeting you here," Haille laughed sitting in the seat next to his as Jessie and James sat across from them.

Asher grinned, "I think my sister sees you more than I do."

"You're always in meetings, you don't expect me to sit in the room by myself all day do you?" Asher didn't respond, instead sliding his hand with hers between them. Haille smiled briefly until she caught Jessie and James looking at her.

"I'm going to grab something to eat," she said quickly letting go of Asher's hand and pushing her chair away from the table. She walked swiftly over to the counter gathering her thoughts in a way that hopefully looked like she was perusing the menu.

Jessie watched her walk away then leaned across the table toward Asher, "You like her, don't you?"

He frowned at his older sister, "Yeah. Obviously I like her. Why? Did she say something about me?"

She hesitated for a second then lowered her voice. "Be careful with her. Don't let her fall too hard." Asher watched curiously as she gestured to James and they both stood and moved to a different table.

"Did they just leave?"

Haille had returned to the table with both a pasta dish and grilled cheese sandwich. She caught Asher's raised eyebrow and laughed, "I was so hungry I couldn't decide."

Fifteen feet away, Jessie slid money across the table to a quiet blonde and whispered "Keep me informed on anything else that happens between them, no matter how innocuous it seems."