Author's Note: Well, here it is. I've been quite good with my updates lately but it seems a little too good to last. There might not be another one in a while. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and don't be afraid to R&R. I love hearing your thoughts. :)

We were taken to a dilapidated building, roof tiles were missing, bricks were crumbling and the wooden door frame was splintered. Inside it was gloomy and the air was heavy with smoke that I later discovered came from a Cuban cigar. The man who smoked it sat at a table that had three legs, once it may have had four but only two of the original appeared to be there and a makeshift one propped the other end up. The man's restless hands played with the cards and the few coins that littered the table top but he stopped abruptly when we came in. "Well, well, look who it is. If it isn't little Robin. Come crawling back to me have you? Well, you'd better give me what I want or you'll be lying in the gutter by tomorrow morning."

"Always nice to see you too, Al." Spat Robin, her face twisted into a sour expression.

"You keep frowning like that and one day you'll never get your smile back. Shame, pretty smile you got-"

"That what happened to you? Wouldn't surprise me, bet you never had anything to smile at. Nobody in their right mind would want to make you happy."

"Quit answering back if you ever want anyone to see your smile again." He waited, to see what she'd reply.

"Don't know what you want me to say. I'm hardly crazy enough to say something like 'make me'".

"Because you know that I would." Al grinned, showing his crooked yellow teeth "see, I still got my smile on me. Not the pearly whites they used to be but-"

"Look, Al. I appreciate we haven't seen each other in a while but I'd like to know what exactly you want and when I can give it to you." Robin wasn't taking any messing. That much was apparent when she pulled out her gun and levelled it with Al's head."I'm not here for a verbal sparring match but I will put a bullet in your head if you make me"

"Oh, Robin." Drawled Chris, I'd almost forgotten about him "don't you ever learn? Just turn around," Robin didn't bother "you want your friend to die? Because, he will, if you don't put your fancy gun back where it came from." Slowly, Robin put her gun back inside her jacket and clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly. "What. Do. You. Want." She growled, each word coming out separately as if she didn't quite believe she had to do what they were asking. "You mentioned the money." Chris waved a hand "I'm not too bothered about that but, if you have it, then don't forget to stop by and give it to me. No, what I really want is information."

"I know a lot of things, Chris. But, if it's of any interest to you, I probably have no idea."

"We'll see." Said Chris, he grabbed my arm and brought me to stand in front of Robin. "Alex here has just come back from spying in America. He's done quite well to survive, don't you think? If you want him to live a little longer, you're going to tell us some more about a spy. A different one." Chris held a knife to my throat and I adjusted my eyes to look at his hand. It was damp and shaking, ever so slightly. He was scared. "You and your rebels have been looking into this just as much as the rest of us. MI6 have a spy. What do you know?"

"He's around 14. We don't have a picture, or a name. We think he's living somewhere in the north of England but someone heard something about MI6 moving him to Spain or something."

"That's not it, is it?"

"No." Robin smiled "but why should I tell you any more? You're holding my friend hostage and, for all I know, you might kill him even if I give you all the information you want. Why should I trust you? Give me one good reason."

Chris searched for an answer before stumbling on his words and saying "Because you have no other choice."

"Valid point." Said Robin, shrugging "but, as you know, I take a lot of risks. I'm going to take one now." At this, Chris's arm stiffened, and, if I wasn't mistaken, the knife slid from his grip a little and his hand shook a little bit faster. Robin had hit something. Looks like Chris isn't quite as clever as he seemed and he wasn't going to take any risks. "Let him go and I'll talk. After all, you still have me. Me, a girl, against four men." Robin raised her eyebrows "surely even you can do the maths for that Chris." Chris frowned at the insult. Give it up, Robin. He's not stupid enough to just- Or maybe he was. Robin knew him better than me. "Whatever. Get out of here kid." Chris roughly let me go, letting the blade dig into me for a moment, leaving a fine red streak across my neck. It stung but not so much I was about to moan about it.

"That was a dirty trick, Chris." Said Robin walking over to him "You want to play dirty?" There was a click as Robin pulled back the hammer on her gun "Then we'll play dirty." Robin glared at me and motioned with her head to get out. I knew she'd probably be alright now, that it was just the threat of me dying that kept her tethered. But I am not a coward and my conscience wouldn't allow me to leave. I made as if to leave and as I was walking past the door I went up behind one of the men. It's amazing what effect hitting someone on the side of the head has. He fell to the ground like a stone. Heads turned to look at me and Chris looked a little surprised. What did he expect? "There's still three of us and only two of you." Said Chris in attempt to regain his confidence. Right on cue, the man at the back of the room keeled over as if pushed by an invisible hand. "Correction. Two. Now we're evenly matched." Said Robin, smiling and pulling out a poison dart. "Want me to stick you with this too?"

"Why you little-"

"Let us go and I won't hurt you." Robin's gun was still cocked and I wondered whether that was just for show or if there were bullets inside it. "Let you go?" Sneered Chris, "I've chased you for days and I'm just going to let you go? I don't think so." He knocked the gun from Robin and slammed her into the nearby wall. I would have done something if Al hadn't come lumbering over to me with a gun in his hand. He pulled another one out and handed it to me. I'm not sure why I took it, it must have had something to do with that mad look in his eyes. "Let them fight it out but I don't fight like that. Whoever shoots first, dies last."

"I don't-" I began

"Would you rather me shoot you and not give you a chance?" I think Al had really lost his mind. Maybe at some point he was one of the better Mafia, the ones with honour. But now he was just crazy. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his pupils seemed to take up most of the space and the whites of his eyes were only just visible. Mad. Mad or drugged, either one was dangerous. For me and him. I wasn't going to shoot him but I was scared to move in case he shot me. I had to buy some time, I pulled back the hammer. Al watched me with an amused expression on his face. Over on the other side of the room Robin called Chris a name I probably shouldn't repeat. I was going to have to do something. I could do it. I wasn't a coward. I almost did it, almost. But then I lowered my hand in defeat, not quite a coward but still not brave enough to do something. I'd tried, tried and failed. Then Al fell to the floor, a poison dart sticking out from his neck. "Thanks," I said.

"Don't mention it." Said Robin trying to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry I...I couldn't do it. I'm a coward, I-"

"Don't be sorry." Robin said, her voice hard. "If there's something I've got to tell you it's never be sorry for not killing someone. Never. You're not a coward but you're not a cold calculating machine. You didn't kill him." Robin nodded "that's good." Then as we were walking back out Robin said "you didn't leave. I asked you to leave."

"I wasn't going to leave you-"

"I know." Robin turned around and smiled "I guess I underestimated you. Al was crazy, he wasn't quite right since he lost his position in his gang."

"Yeah, I thought he might be. " Then a sudden thought struck me "what did you do to Chris?"

"I think I knocked him out...I was going to use this dart," she handed it to me, I looked at it closely, the fine needle and small handle, easy to get through searches and stick into someone without them noticing "but I didn't have to. Funny thing was, I didn't hit him too hard either..." Robin trailed off. "We need to go. Now. I don't think-" Robin never had chance to finish her sentence because Chris came out of the dark passage, his face and hands covered in blood, a gun clutched in his shaking hand, pressed against Robin's temple. "You messed up my face," Chris said, breathless "you got the better of me too many times. Now, you're going to say goodbye-" the gun fell from his grip and clattered to the ground. Chris swayed for a moment and then dropped, his head hitting the road with a crack. "Poison dart." I said holding out a hand for Robin who'd slumped against the wall "are you alright?"

"Fine." She said, taking my hand and pulling herself into a standing position. "Thanks to you." Once we were back on the streets Robin said "you know what this means, don't you?"

"What?"

"You don't owe me anything anymore."

"What, that was it?" Robin nodded "but, you didn't even ask me to help you. I just did."

"And if you hadn't I'd be dead."

"I think you probably would have gotten out of it. It strikes me that you're something of a survivor."

"I get by." Robin shrugged.

"But...are you really going to let me off now?"

Robin laughed "let you off? You just saved my skin. I wasn't going to hold it against you anyway, you probably would never have had to repay me. Look Alex, I don't want to keep a count of favours because, as it's going now, I think we'll lose track pretty soon. There are two types of people I deal with. The people I do business with and the people I don't like. They're the people I do 'favours' and 'owing' with. Then there are the people I like, my friends. The people I help unconditionally. There are varying degrees of this but, we don't owe each other. Do you want to be a friend or shall we keep this formal?" I looked at Robin. She'd been nice, she'd helped me. But she was Mafia. So what? I'm a spy! If she's nice, what have I got to lose? I laughed then and said "alright, Robin. Friends it is. After all, I think we're a little past formality already."