Hey! Sorry for the super late update, but the site was down with a type 2 error. French fan: I wouldn't consider Alice as an agent, she's more kind of a liaison, or to put more accurately, someone Hetty hired because she thought she would bring something new to the plate. But Alice isn't trained in pro-fighting ninja/samurai like the others, just knows enough basics to protect herself.

Wait for it, wait for it, and 3,2,1 Please review!

'Ms. Duranty? Are you alright?' the man who had called her at the gym was sitting next to her. She suddenly noticed he had one hand over her back and her hands were clutching his other hand tightly. She withdrew her hands in embarrassment.

Alice ran her hands over her hair, and said, 'I will be. Thank you.'

'What happened?' He asked kindly.' 'Look, you can tell me. I'm a shrink.'

'All the more reason not to tell you.' She chuckled weakly at her frail attempt to make a joke, but obliged. 'My former boss and my partner. They thought... there was something fishy going on in Syria. They had gone there to cover a story. My boss did not make it. My partner's kidnapped.' She closed her eyes and squeezed tears out of them.

'I'm sorry for your loss.' he said.

'What's your name?'

'I'm sorry?'

'You never told me your name.'

'Oh. I'm Nate Getz.'

Alice burdened herself with the thought of the dismal circumstances of McKay's death. She'd never expected McKay to die this way. He seemed like the kind of man who would die as an old man on a hospital bed with his family around him. Certainly not because he knew something that threatened Syrian insurgents and terrorists. And Jonathan... He was still with them. They could be torturing him right now. A new wave of fear went through her. Jonathan was her colleague, when she worked in the press. He was much more than just a colleague, really. She thought of them last time she'd seen them. They were leaving a few days before Alice joined the NCIS. McKay wasn't even supposed to go. He was going to send her, but she had just accepted another job. And Jonathan... he was an aspiring photojournalist... and her beau.

'Thanks, Nate.' She told him and got up.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?' He asked her, stopping her in her path. 'You've just dealt with a lot of trauma. Take the rest of the day off. It's almost time to go anyways.' He said. Alice opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. 'No buts. I'll inform Hetty.'

'Where's Alice, Kens?' Deeks asked as Kensi exited the gym.

'I don't know,' she shrugged. 'She got a call about an hour ago. She didn't come here?'

'What were you doing in the gym?'

'Exercising? Those are what gyms are for, right?'

'Oh. I thought you and Alice were you know, becoming besties and planning trips to the mall.'

'So, where is she?'

Hetty appeared and answered for her. 'Ms. Duranty had to take the rest of the day off. She was met with a rather, horrific, personal trauma.'

'Oh, God.' Kensi's eyebrows creased. 'What happened? Is she alright?'

Hetty, answered in her annoyingly mysterious way, 'Are any of us?'

Alice dumped her bag on her prominently displayed desk, steering clear of the typewriter, and dropped herself down on her alcove bed. She had chosen an alcove bed, because more often than not, she would find herself asleep on her desk with her head in her work. She used to, until it became habitual of her to not sleep in her bed, until McKay taught her better. Despite being really tired from her work out, her dizzy head, Alice could not sleep.

At about midnight, she stopped tossing and turning and called a number.

Hello?

'Kate? Is that you?' Alice asked.

Yes. Who's this? Answered McKay's widow.

'It's me, Alice. I just needed someone to talk to, and... I knew you wouldn't have gone asleep by now.' There was silence for a moment on the other end.

I just don't know what I'm going to do. We were supposed to live the rest of our lives together. Some b*** in the office had to leave at the last minute, and Andrew had to take her place, and then she started wailing. Alice comforted her. She ended up feeling even worse. McKay's wife blamed her. Alice called another number in her speed dial.

Hey, Alice. A croaky voice, that had been crying recently answered.

'Jillian. How are you holding up?' She asked Jonathan's sister.

I'm not that great. The FBI officers... there was a sniffle; they said that I shouldn't get my hopes up. Sniffle. Wait. You didn't go with him? Weren't you partners?

'Umm... Not really. We worked together on a lot of projects together, but we weren't partners, officially. But now,' Alice's voice cracked. 'I wish we were. What wouldn't I give to be there for him.' And for the first time since she got the news, she officially broke down, not counting the panic attack.

Don't.

'What?'

Don't blame yourself. You and Jonathan had gone there once before. You didn't know this would happen. And besides, he didn't want you to go there too.

Alice sniffed. 'What?' she said with wariness. They had once promised to always be there for each other.

Yeah. You didn't know? He said... sniffle, that he didn't want you getting mixed up in this.

Alice's journalist senses tingled. 'Mixed up in what?' she said sharply.

I don't know, sigh. He wouldn't tell.

'Umm... Jillian. Would you mind joining me for lunch tomorrow?' She would make sure McKay hadn't died for nothing. Her mind flashed back to a few days before McKay and Jonathan were leaving. They had a veil of secrecy over them. They wouldn't tell anyone what they were working on.

'So, what do you want for lunch?'Jonathan Clarke hooked his hand around Alice's'.

'I don't know. This cafeteria food is horrible. Can we go somewhere else?' she leaned a bit against Jonathan.

'Are you alright? You seem tired.' He said, immediately straightening her up.

'No. It's just... shark week.' She rolled her eyes. Jonathan chuckled well naturedly.

'Let's go, Lois.' He led her out of the office cafe.

Alice couldn't help but smile at the memory of Lois. Jonathan used to joke that he was Clarke and she was his Lois Lane. She even had auburn hair. No, wait. No past tense. Jonathan is still alive. I will find him. I still am Lois. She felt rejuvenated by this new sense of purpose. Instantaneously, she messaged Wiley Dempsey, Nico Mabray, and Rachel Baer from The Guardian to call her when they could.

Andrew McKay had kicked the bucket, and Jonathan was in striking stance. And it sure as hell wasn't for nothing.